|
gentlemom2
|
read my profile
sign my guestbook
Name: Davona
Birthday: 8/25/1956
Gender: Female
Interests: research on, interventions and strategies for children and adults living with autism, psychology, personalities, all people, flower gardening, day hiking, birds!, antiques, Bible study...to list a few...
Expertise: common sense and kindness
Occupation: Special Needs E/A...(Para-Pro)
Industry: Education
Message: message me
Member Since:
1/27/2007
|
|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
| I've put off journaling about this chapter, as I've needed time to meditate on it. In a nutshell, it's about suffering, and a few parts made me squirm...just a little. I guess partly because I have a love/hate relationship with suffering. Some seems to have a deep purpose, while some seems to be a total waste.
On varying levels it is such a part of our daily lives. I love to watch the birds and other animals just being what they are...they seem to not have the capacity to imagine themselves as anything other than what they are...they bring me so much joy...just being what they have been created to be. At times that ability we have to imagine seems like a deficit, as it contributes to the restlessness that is a type of suffering.
It is an inescapable truth that hard times suffered together can be times when love is felt the deepest, and people are drawn together more closely than when circumstances are easy.
Brennan begins this chapter with some de-bunking of the Americanized version of the Gospel, and a quote from Jim Wallis "...Modern conversion brings Jesus into our lives rather than bringing us into his..." I wholeheartedly agree that Jesus didn't die so that we could become self-centered Christians who define our spiritual success by our income, or even by our good deeds.
Part of what I struggled with in this chapter, (and still dont agree with) is the notion that our suffering somehow completes Jesus suffering. I'll just set that aside, and remember that there can be great fruit in the "fellowship of our suffering"...fellowship with Jesus, and one another ...Therein seems to lay the benefits that group therapy provides...some churches have recovery groups that are a source of healing for many.
I admit, I have always squirmed when people compare their small suffering with the excriciating sufferings of Christ, or even when we are encouraged to compare our mild suffering with the intense brand that is and has been experienced throughout the span of time.It has always bothered me when our coping strategy involves comaring and contrasting. It is a part of our culture that I have never approved of, or felt comfortable with. I have a family member who when confronted with children that have illness or disabilities, takes comfort in the fact that no one in our family has suffered that...like it's a stamp of approval of some sort. I think the intent is to come off grateful.
Over the years I have run accross those who glory on their suffering as though it is evidence that they are walking close to Jesus. While there definietly is scripture to support this idea...taking the natural consequenses of every stupid mistake one has made, and twisting it into some kind of spiritual badge of honor doesn't set well.
I'm almost done...then on with the favorite passages from this chapter...
For the past seven years I have worked as an aid in public schools with children who have special needs. I have been in a wide range of classrooms, with the medically fragile, behavioral disorders, emotional, and on...
My experience has been that there is a fine line to be walked in being an asset in the lives of these little (and not-so-little) ones. That line involves being present, and not being afraid to "go there" emotionally and mentally with how difficult it is to be them...not in a way that compares them with anyone else...not in a way that is condesending and communicates pity...but in a way that is real and accurate...that goes inside their heads.
So my goal and focus has been to make each day better for them. Bettering their day and lives has a different meaning, each day...and it isn't always pretty...yet feels so right...
On with the passages!
"Jesus never explained the 'why' of suffering (though we may never have known the depth of His love if, for example, He had saved us with a smile). He simply made it the indispensable condition for discipleship. Never once did Jesus ask those who wanted to join the company of His friends if they were chaste, honest, sober or respectable. Never once did He attempt to charm anyone to His service with fair promises of happiness. On the contrary, with uncomprimising honesty, He said, "If anyone will come after Me, let him take up his cross daily. And whoever does not take up his cross daily (not weekly or monthly) and come after Me cannot be My disciple."
"Everybody has a vocation to some form of life work. But behind that and deeper than that, everybody has a vocation to be a person, to be fully and deeply a human being, to be Christlike. And the second thing is more important than the first. It is more important to be a great person than a great teacher, butcher or candlestick maker. And if the only chance of succeeding in the second is to fail in the first, the failure, from God's point of view, is fruitful. Won't it be fruitful if it teaches a person to be gentle with the failure of others? Successsful, they might have been wrapped up in their own achievements and impatient with the sorrow of others; they might never have come to understand the human heart;they might have come to think of success as their due; and then if their little world had collapsed through some disaster, they would have no inner resources."
Good stuff, huh?
"The Christian response to evil--to aggression---is resistance, of course, but nonviolent resistance, the resistance of love, prayer and accepted suffering. When Christians do anything else, they have parted company with Jesus."
"The question of whether or not nonviolent resistance 'works' should be referred not so much to the gain of an immediate victory as to the transformation of history from within by converging forces of love"
The best for last!
"What man can serve as the executioner of his brother when God refused to execute those guilty of the death of His Son? After that acquittal, there is no crime on earth, no form of aggression, that can justify a person deliberately taking the life of another."
So anxious for the next chapter!
| | |
| In this chapter we walk with Brennan through his memories of a spiritual retreat, where God is showing him how important it is, not so much to be poor in spirit, but to see that we ARE poor in spirit. He is enticed to walk in this revelation, and embrace it daily...not just as a one time, at the foot of the Cross kind of thing.
As I re-read what I have highlighted, I love the observations he has made about "becoming a little child". As a person who has absoloutely adored children (and particularly the wee ones) since I was one myself, and studied what it is I love about them, I so enjoyed his expressions of what is uniquely and universally found in little children.
The distinction of little children may be more crucial for us in our society, as children are now given so many tools (aka toys) for two main purposes: One- to occupy and entertain, and Two- to educate and enrich. Consequently, we may not realize or remember the amazing ability a small child has to improvise and enjoy what she/he is presented with. Anyone who has been to the birthday party of a one yr old knows it's not uncommon for them to enjoy the box and paper as much as the gift. A little two yr old at the shelter has made his way into my heart, and there is a play room with toys galore...even some "age appropriate". Yet his favorite thing is to find a spare stroller or high chair with wheels and push it around. The relevence of this is forthcoming...
"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:4)
Brennan says---"Children have no past. They abandon themselves to the reality of the present moment. The one who is childlike is not surprised that he often stumbles. He picks himself up again without discouragement, each time more determined to get where he's going."
He goes on to apply this to his time at the retreat..."Being like a little child during the retreat meant falling on my face. It meant abandoning myself to what was really happening. And if that was darkness, desolation, aridity and an utter inability to pray--that too was a loving gift from the Father's hand. The Lord knows infinitely better than I what is best for me, and all things...work together for the good of those who love God."
"Concretely, abandonment consists in seeing the will of God in all the people, events and circumstances present to you."
"Becoming a little child meant becoming aware that all is a gift, that I am helpless and powerless to add a single inch to my spiritual stature."
My Grandma Gibby used to tell me about spending countless hours lining up little rocks and sticks to resemble horses pulling carts....the point isn't that we should just give our kids rocks and sticks...the point is that if that's all they have, the imagination God has given a child is enough.
Of course one doesn't need a degree in Early Childhood Education to know that the most resilient children are those who are loved well, and sense that love. When a toddler has fallen down one too many times she/he needs a little lap time with a loving adult. In the same way, we are re-invigorated to face the day, when it starts in the lap of Jesus, where He reminds us of who we are and who He is.
Brennan follows this theme as he explores and explains Jesus words..."Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3)
"To practice poverty of spirit calls us not to take offense or be supersensitive to criticism. The majority of hurts in our lives, the endless massaging of the latest bruise to our wounded ego, feelings of anger, grudges, resentment and bitterness come from our refusal to embrace our abject poverty, our obsession with our rights, our need for esteem in the eyes of others. If I follow the cousel of Jesus and take the last place, I won't be shocked when others put me there too."
"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Matthew 23:12)
Amen
| | |
| I finally got around to Chapter Three, where the author makes some distinctions about two kinds of people he has labled "settlers" and "pioneers"....it sounds like the inspiration for this came from a book called Western Theology by Wes Seeliger. Brennan has enticed my "visual learner's " brain with all of the pictures I have filed away from every cowboy movie or tv show I have endured.
Here is one of my favorite illustrations:
"In Settler Theology the church is the courthouse. It is the center of town life. The old stone structure dominates the town square. Its windows are small, and this makes things dark inside. Within the courthouse walls, records are kept, taxes collected, trials held for bad guys. The courthouse is the settler's symbol of law, order, stability and--most important--security. The mayor's office is on the top floor. His eagle eye ferrets out the smallest details of town life.
In Pioneer Theology the church is the covered wagon. It's a house on wheels, always on the move. The covered wagon is where the pioneers eat, sleep, fight, love and die. It bears the marks of life and movement---it creaks, is scarred with arrows, bandaged with bailing wire. The covered wagon is always where the action is. It moves toward the future and doesn't bother to glorify its own ruts. The old wagon isn't comfortable, but the pioneers don't mind. They are more into adventure than comfort."
My covered wagon adventure has taken me to a homeless shelter, recently opened in the small midwestern town we have found ourselves in, at this time. My heart was more than ready to jump in with both feet, get messy, and get real. I have been loving it, chaos and all, as it was opened a bit "pre-maturely" due to the great need. I do love loving folks, yet once in awhile I am caught off-guard by my own reaction to certain characteristics found in the human nature. Currently there are quite a few children living there. Children who have needy parents, and get far from ideal parenting. I love to play with the kids, read to them, sing with them. All the time fully aware that I am modeling loving interactions for some of the parents, who sometimes don't know what loving looks like. Last night I walked into the play room where an 8 yr old and a 3 yr old were watching a "burned" copy of The Last Samuri, complete with flaming, impaled bodies. Then I found out that the DVD came from the mother of the 8 yr old. How to respond? This is of course, just one example of the many situations that arise, and is quite tame, in comparison. With my passion for children, and a desire to not exhibit judgement, or parent the parents, it was a tricky one for me.
How happy was I today, to pray hard for that family, and specifically for my interactions with the mom. I just love it that I can ask for God's help in showing love to her in a way that she can "get". I love that this is a shelter facilitated mostly by Christians, yet without conditions of a coherced appearance of spirituality. True growth comes from the inside out, and it isn't up to me to make that happen for anyone. Yee-Haw!
| | |
| More passages from this wonderful book:
"There is a chronic temptation to reduce God to human dimensions, to express Him in manageable ideas. Human reason seeks to understand, to reduce everything to its own terms. But God is God. He is more than a superhuman being with an intellect keener than ours. He is Unique, Uncreated, Infinite, Totally Other than we are. He surpasses and transcends all human concepts, considerations and expectations. He is beyond anything we can intellectualize or imagine. That is why God is a scandal to men and women----because He cannot be comprehended by a finite mind."
"Jesus calls us to stretch our minds and hearts, to renounce human standards of justice, mercy, love, rectitude and fair play. For a disciple of Jesus the process of spiritual growth is a gradual repudiation of the unreal image of God, an increasing openess to the true and living God."
"In my own life, honoring the First Commandment, 'I am Yahweh your God: you shall have no gods except me,' has meant repudiating the god of fear and wrath handed on to me by preachers, teachers and church authorities in my youth, repudiating the strange god who sees all non-Christians as good-for-nothings, who consigns all heathens to hell, who has given any one denomination a bonded franchise for salvation..."
"Expectations are our subtle attempts to control God and manipulate mystery. We can get so wrapped up in them that when Jesus breaks into our lives in new and surprising ways, we neither recognize Him nor hear His message."
"Tenderness is what happens to you when you know you are deeply and sincerey liked by someone. If you communicate to me that you like me, not just love me as a brother in Christ, you open up to me the possibility of self-respect, self-esteem, and wholesome self love. Your acceptance of me banishes my fears. My defense mechanisms---sarcasm, aloofness, name-dropping, self-righteousness, giving the appearance of having it all together---start to fall. I drop my mask and stop disguising my voice. You instill self confidence in me and allow me to smile at my weaknesses and absurdities. The look in your eyes gives me permission to make the journey into the interior of myself with which I could never find peace before. I become more open, sincere, vulnerable and affectionate. I too grow tender."
Final passage from chapter one:
"It is always true to some extent that we make our images of God. It is even truer that our image of God makes us. Eventually we become like the God we image...Healing our image of God heals our image of ourselves."
Too much to absorb in one sitting, I know... I've read the chapter three times, now.
| | |
| I'm reading a book, The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus by Brennan Manning. Absolutely, positively loving it! My friend from Oregon, and I are reading it together, and discussing it as we go. I thought I'd post some of my favorite passages, and perhaps why they are favored on my new xanga.
Between the foreword and the first chapter is a two page mini-chapter where the author quotes Gregory of Nyssa, "Concepts create idols, only wonder understands anything" How true have I found that statement, as a 50 yr old, who has loved Jesus since I can remember, and been a part of church life since the age of 12? The sad thing is that it can be a slippery slope from wonder to concepts. One of my favorite songs from the 70's was Jesus is the Answer (Andre Crouch) Indeed He is the answer to every question, longing, and situation. In my experience, Christians can become so accustomed to having the answers to everything that they may forget the reason the question may be there is to bring them to the lap of Jesus...
Sound biblical doctrine is a good thing, and there are things I should be sure of, far before the need to be sure of them presents itself. Having said that...it saddens me to think of times I have saddened Jesus, because I didn't talk to him about something...due to my confidence in the pre-prescribed answer. The best answers in my life have come when I am just seeking Him, and not an answer... standing, sitting, kneeling at His feet, and in His lap, in wonder of Him.
The people who I'm inspired by are the ones who delight in the awe and wonder of God, found in His creation, His word, and His Spirit. Not so much the folks who have concepts they have come to idolize.
Now to the window, where I can be amazed and amazed at how the geese do what they do, and how the squirrels do what they do...everywhere I look, I am in awe of what He has created, and how it must reflect who He is.
| | |
|
