One of the things I love about living in the area I do is the arts culture. In less than a hundred miles there are multiple art museums and festivals, a Shakespearean theatre, ballet companies, and music groups and festivals of all kinds. We are really quite blessed to be where we are.
One of the local events that David and I participate in is contra dancing. It has nothing to do with Nicaragua, nor is it a square dance. If you think of English line dances you see on BBC productions of Jane Austin novels, you can get a pretty close idea of what they're like, though it's less formal. If you'd rather, you can watch a video I've embedded of one of the dances last month at the local Roanoke contra dance. The contra dance community is very patient and happy to have newcomers. Every dance I've been to has a free workshop before the dance for beginners and the first few dances of the evening are a bit easier so that the newbies can get the hang of it.
If you live in the Roanoke area, then I'd encourage you to try it out. There are several venues, including Roanoke, Floyd, Blacksburg, and Lynchburg. There are also contra dances all over the U.S., so look them up in your area if you don't live nearby.
It is good fun!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Thought Mash Up
Sometimes I have so many ideas and thoughts, it's difficult to sit down and write about them, so I've decided to just write a bit of stream of consciousness for now. Perhaps later I'll write more on some of them.
At this time our family does not have a home congregation. While this leaves me feeling a bit unmoored, it also feels incredibly freeing. I'm sure this is not how others think I'm supposed to feel, and I'm pretty sure that when we do settle in somewhere I'll feel even better, but right now I'm enjoying not dealing with church politics, doctrinal differences, discrepencies between orthodoxy and orthopraxy, etc.
I've come to really question how we express the body of Christ, particularly the U.S. We set up heirarchies like governments or businesses, ignoring that Jesus said, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.". And we wonder why the church is innefective. More and more, I think the church should leave the buildings and organizations behind and meet in homes or community rooms at the local library, share a meal, pray, sing, study, help those inside and outside the church in a way that makes sense for the community. Yes, community is an overused word these days, but sometimes it fits.
I find proverbs annoying. They are so contradictory and they remind me of Mary Bennet.
I am thankful for N.T. Wright, Peter Enns, Christian Smith and many others who are helping a new generation gain a better understanding of the Bible and how to read it. It has been quite liberating to know that others are wanting to understand it in a way that makes sense and honors it, even if it means we have to let go of our pet ways of interpretation, because we really do make it impossible.
This week I read a post about how doing things a little bit everyday can help one make great progress over time and a review of a book that says the best things and people are the ones that can handle and do things in extreme. Both ring true and their contradiction is annoying in the same way that proverbs are.
As I've written before, C.S. Lewis in, The Abolition of Man, talks about applied science, or as is called in our times, technology, as dangerous in that it gives humans control over nature which leads to control over others and even future generations. This has been on my mind a lot as I've learned more about GMO's and industrial agriculture in general. I'm more and more convinced that we are making our land, animals and ourselves sick, though mask it through modern drugs. When I consider how we are to be stewards of creation I don't understand why more Christians do not speak out on this subject.
On the positive side, I'm very grateful for the internet with its access to information and the freedom and choice this gives. Really, no one in the West has the excuse of ignorance any longer. What is called a low information voter is really either a misinformed voter or a lazy one. For me it has been helpful in figuring out some health issues and being able to treat them with diet, which I'm convinced is the remedy for most Western ailments. A website I've found helpful in this arena is The Perfect Health Diet. The Jaminet's have also written a book by the same title.
I find the teaching of Jesus on non-violence very difficult and compelling. Of course he has shown us by his life, death, and resurrection what non-violence looks like. Why do we not take this more seriously?
Sometimes I want understanding and harmony so badly it aches. To find the intersection of truth, goodness, and beauty seems to be my heart's longing. There are days when this desire is particularly palpable to me, and then I need to do the laundry, take Emma to ballet, help Olivia with her math. It is said that Lewis's sense of longing faded when he became a Christian. I'm not sure if this means I've weak faith, am a poor Christian or am just wired differently. Probably it's all three. What I do know is I love those longings. It is such a part of who I am, and I can't help but think that when I see Jesus, they will be fulfilled.
At this time our family does not have a home congregation. While this leaves me feeling a bit unmoored, it also feels incredibly freeing. I'm sure this is not how others think I'm supposed to feel, and I'm pretty sure that when we do settle in somewhere I'll feel even better, but right now I'm enjoying not dealing with church politics, doctrinal differences, discrepencies between orthodoxy and orthopraxy, etc.
I've come to really question how we express the body of Christ, particularly the U.S. We set up heirarchies like governments or businesses, ignoring that Jesus said, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.". And we wonder why the church is innefective. More and more, I think the church should leave the buildings and organizations behind and meet in homes or community rooms at the local library, share a meal, pray, sing, study, help those inside and outside the church in a way that makes sense for the community. Yes, community is an overused word these days, but sometimes it fits.
I find proverbs annoying. They are so contradictory and they remind me of Mary Bennet.
I am thankful for N.T. Wright, Peter Enns, Christian Smith and many others who are helping a new generation gain a better understanding of the Bible and how to read it. It has been quite liberating to know that others are wanting to understand it in a way that makes sense and honors it, even if it means we have to let go of our pet ways of interpretation, because we really do make it impossible.
This week I read a post about how doing things a little bit everyday can help one make great progress over time and a review of a book that says the best things and people are the ones that can handle and do things in extreme. Both ring true and their contradiction is annoying in the same way that proverbs are.
As I've written before, C.S. Lewis in, The Abolition of Man, talks about applied science, or as is called in our times, technology, as dangerous in that it gives humans control over nature which leads to control over others and even future generations. This has been on my mind a lot as I've learned more about GMO's and industrial agriculture in general. I'm more and more convinced that we are making our land, animals and ourselves sick, though mask it through modern drugs. When I consider how we are to be stewards of creation I don't understand why more Christians do not speak out on this subject.
On the positive side, I'm very grateful for the internet with its access to information and the freedom and choice this gives. Really, no one in the West has the excuse of ignorance any longer. What is called a low information voter is really either a misinformed voter or a lazy one. For me it has been helpful in figuring out some health issues and being able to treat them with diet, which I'm convinced is the remedy for most Western ailments. A website I've found helpful in this arena is The Perfect Health Diet. The Jaminet's have also written a book by the same title.
I find the teaching of Jesus on non-violence very difficult and compelling. Of course he has shown us by his life, death, and resurrection what non-violence looks like. Why do we not take this more seriously?
Sometimes I want understanding and harmony so badly it aches. To find the intersection of truth, goodness, and beauty seems to be my heart's longing. There are days when this desire is particularly palpable to me, and then I need to do the laundry, take Emma to ballet, help Olivia with her math. It is said that Lewis's sense of longing faded when he became a Christian. I'm not sure if this means I've weak faith, am a poor Christian or am just wired differently. Probably it's all three. What I do know is I love those longings. It is such a part of who I am, and I can't help but think that when I see Jesus, they will be fulfilled.
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