I served as a Marine. So did my wife. On Memorial Day, if we are in church in the US, we are usually invited to stand and receive appreciation. It is a nice gesture.
I'm FaceBook friends with some guys from the Marine Corps. Most of our memories we like to joke about have nothing to do with keeping our Great Nation safe. Mainly we were young, drunken, adventure seekers.
Do those ideas go together? Sometimes. But often I struggle with spontaneous adoration of those in uniform, particularly from a Christian religious community. It seems naive at best, idolatrous at worst.
I am not a full blown Anabaptist. I do believe there is a place for Christians in civil government, including serving in the military. But how do I then play out that concept? Is a Christian serving the German army, Chinese army, Mexican army, Nepalese army to be affirmed equally? In what way do we modify our affections for them? Is it to the degree of virtue in the nation they serve? Is it in their own motives for serving? Is it in the actual battles they fight and the virtue of those particular battles?
The point for me is the constant struggle with delusion vs. despair. Yes, there are ways to affirm military service, but not by projecting virtues just because we like to believe they are there, or because it is a nifty opportunity to differentiate ourselves from others. Life is seldom simple in a fallen world, and treating something like war and violence as simply good or bad is an indulgence that does not hit the target. Fortunately the Marines taught me how to hit the target: Breath, Relax, Aim, Squeeze, Select another target. Even on Memorial Day a little BRASS might help.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Myers Briggs summaries
"Personality". Funny concept, really. I'm sure there is lots of good work on describing what the term personality type does and does not refer to. But I haven't read it. I just come back to being impressed with certain accuracy's in personality type profiles. Here is mine. It says I live in my head and don't like to do practical stuff. I would look into that, but a cool song came on and I'm thinking about that instead. Whatever. What do these things know anyway?
INTPs live rich worlds inside their minds, which are full of
imagination and excitement. Consequently, they sometimes find the external
world pales in comparison. This may result in a lack of motivation to form and
maintain relationships. INTPs are not likely to have a very large circle of
significant relationships in their lives. They're much more likely to have a
few very close relationships, which they hold in great esteem and with great
affection. Since the INTP's primary focus and attention is turned inwards,
aimed towards seeking clarity from abstract ideas, they are not naturally tuned
into others' emotional feelings and needs. They tend to be difficult to get to
know well, and hold back parts of themselves until the other person has proven
themselves "worthy" of hearing the INTP's thoughts. Holding Knowledge
and Brain Power above all else in importance, the INTP will choose to be around
people who they consider to be intelligent. Once the INTP has committed
themself to a relationship, they tend to be very faithful and loyal, and form
affectionate attachments which are pure and straight-forward. The INTP has no
interest or understanding of game-playing with regards to relationships.
However, if something happens which the INTP considers irreconciliable, they
will leave the relationship and not look back.
INTP Strengths
- They feel love
and affection for those close to them which is almost childlike in its
purity
- Generally
laid-back and easy-going, willing to defer to their mates
- Approach things
which interest them very enthusiastically
- Richly
imaginative and creative
- Do not feel
personally threatened by conflict or criticism
- Usually are not
demanding, with simple daily needs
INTP Weaknesses
- Not naturally in
tune with others' feelings; slow to respond to emotional needs
- Not naturally
good at expressing their own feelings and emotions
- Tend to be
suspicious and distrusting of others
- Not usually good
at practical matters, such as money management, unless their work involves
these concerns
- They have
difficulty leaving bad relationships
- Tend to
"blow off" conflict situations by ignoring them, or else they
"blow up" in heated anger
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
simply Sundays
New Church plant idea: simply Sundays.
The idea grew out of a particular context, where everyone's life was busy and full of opportunities for learning, service, fun, etc. The church did not need to duplicate, or compete, with all that others were doing. The church offered one thing: a focused time of informed reassurance.
For Sunday mornings our Sojos group would gather for snacks, chit chat, and eventually gather around for a time of singing acoustic songs, a bit of prayer, and an expositional teaching time. It all led to a reflective time consummated with the Lord's supper. That was our offering of reassurance that our loyalty was to Christ, and our receiving of reassurance that He was, is and will be sufficient for all we need. That was about it.
So, what about kids, youth, service, demographically focused Bible study groups, community outings? Nope. Just Sundays. We kept it simple. No sign up for VBS, for campouts, for the next great study... Just Sunday worship together with the Lord's supper as the climax.
But, the youth would get together to further process the study... on their own. The women would often choose to meet Tuesday afternoons at 2pm. The men on Thursday mornings at Sojos cafe'. But there was no sign up, no announcements. Everything beyond the simple Sunday morning worship was done exclusively through natural relational lines.
Could that work in suburban USA? Imagine a church that recognizes that people are very busy. You show up for church and there are no surprises. It is a time to reflect on God's goodness, learn from his Word, and enjoy fellowship at His table, as part of His family. And it is enough.
You then go on to your life, and you seek to grow and live and serve in and amongst the world around you. Other Christians can help you, and you can join them, but it is more organic than institutional. Missional, but with a familiar format for a simple Sunday time of gathering.
The idea grew out of a particular context, where everyone's life was busy and full of opportunities for learning, service, fun, etc. The church did not need to duplicate, or compete, with all that others were doing. The church offered one thing: a focused time of informed reassurance.
For Sunday mornings our Sojos group would gather for snacks, chit chat, and eventually gather around for a time of singing acoustic songs, a bit of prayer, and an expositional teaching time. It all led to a reflective time consummated with the Lord's supper. That was our offering of reassurance that our loyalty was to Christ, and our receiving of reassurance that He was, is and will be sufficient for all we need. That was about it.
So, what about kids, youth, service, demographically focused Bible study groups, community outings? Nope. Just Sundays. We kept it simple. No sign up for VBS, for campouts, for the next great study... Just Sunday worship together with the Lord's supper as the climax.
But, the youth would get together to further process the study... on their own. The women would often choose to meet Tuesday afternoons at 2pm. The men on Thursday mornings at Sojos cafe'. But there was no sign up, no announcements. Everything beyond the simple Sunday morning worship was done exclusively through natural relational lines.
Could that work in suburban USA? Imagine a church that recognizes that people are very busy. You show up for church and there are no surprises. It is a time to reflect on God's goodness, learn from his Word, and enjoy fellowship at His table, as part of His family. And it is enough.
You then go on to your life, and you seek to grow and live and serve in and amongst the world around you. Other Christians can help you, and you can join them, but it is more organic than institutional. Missional, but with a familiar format for a simple Sunday time of gathering.
Friday, May 11, 2012
web presence
slowly but surely, i'm shaping some sort of 'web presence'.
CS has helped design a couple of sites:
CrownHeartWorld.com is the diagram of life from a Christian worldview
RussellMinick.com is a guy trying to present himself as he sojourns life puzzles
CS has helped design a couple of sites:
CrownHeartWorld.com is the diagram of life from a Christian worldview
RussellMinick.com is a guy trying to present himself as he sojourns life puzzles
Monday, May 07, 2012
Strength Finders for Qoholeth, Dostoyevsky, Eeyore and other inspiration puncturing sages.
A couple of different friends have been using the Gallup product StrengthsFinder 2.0. I'm stuck between wanting to do it or heed the critical reviews which say it only gives you your 5 main strengths and you know those already. Hmmm. Apparently one of my strengths is to hold options open without actually deciding.
The bigger question for me is how to be at home with one's strengths while fighting against selfishness and compromise. As I've looked at various options for the next phase of my own life, I've gotten various tips from people. Some are quite simple: do what YOU want.
That would be easy, except for a couple of problems.
1- I don't believe my life is mainly about me. I am drawn into that nutty idea that in order to find your life, in some sense you have to lose it (specifically for the sake of the Redeemer).
2 - I don't know what I want. I've spent a good bit of time skimming memories of good days and years gone by, and although I'm tempted to want them again, I'm at least mature enough to know that time (as experienced by folk like us) goes in one direction. I also am reminded by one of my 'strengths' that those great times are great in part because I survived the rough aspects and can now look back at the filtered and softened images with unencumbered delight. Actually living those special moments again would invite back all the stress and challenges navigating the present typically brings.
So far I've noted 2 of my strengths:
Delayed decision making such that paradox is unresolved
Painful lucidity which prevents sentimentality from keeping me cheerful
I wonder if those are in the Gallup product? I wonder if I should pay to find out? Too bad I won't decide.
The bigger question for me is how to be at home with one's strengths while fighting against selfishness and compromise. As I've looked at various options for the next phase of my own life, I've gotten various tips from people. Some are quite simple: do what YOU want.
That would be easy, except for a couple of problems.
1- I don't believe my life is mainly about me. I am drawn into that nutty idea that in order to find your life, in some sense you have to lose it (specifically for the sake of the Redeemer).
2 - I don't know what I want. I've spent a good bit of time skimming memories of good days and years gone by, and although I'm tempted to want them again, I'm at least mature enough to know that time (as experienced by folk like us) goes in one direction. I also am reminded by one of my 'strengths' that those great times are great in part because I survived the rough aspects and can now look back at the filtered and softened images with unencumbered delight. Actually living those special moments again would invite back all the stress and challenges navigating the present typically brings.
So far I've noted 2 of my strengths:
Delayed decision making such that paradox is unresolved
Painful lucidity which prevents sentimentality from keeping me cheerful
I wonder if those are in the Gallup product? I wonder if I should pay to find out? Too bad I won't decide.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
anti-telos ~ 2marO?
One of the reasons I am fascinated with "telos" is that I don't "telos" well. Telos is the Greek word used for completion. It is used of maturity in general, all the way to very specific things like death and taxes (literally). Psychology Today has an article on types of procrastination. The cool one is the adrenaline driven motivation. Like a bull fighter, sorta. "Wait, wait, wait... swoosh!" Thrilling. Uhmmm, that's not me. I've done running with the bulls in Spain, so adrenaline rush, yeah. But I don't get that from failing to complete tasks. I just get that queasy feeling one gets when watching someone else fight bulls.
Another theory is fear of success. If I were to get things done on time I would be awesome and that would make me lonely. I'd like to believe that. I'm holding back so I can hang back with the herd. Sorta like my daughter thanking me for running slowly during the charity 5k so I could be with her. Actually I'm heavy and slow and wasn't being generous. I enjoyed the time, but I wasn't holding back. This really is my current pace.
So what about the bad self-image one? There is something suspicious about that one. Maybe it is a trick category by psychologists to convince you to go see a psychologist. But then again, if the shoe fits; and its yours; and you can't go barefoot; and you need to go somewhere....
This actually links to the final idea: perfectionism. That form of procrastination is almost being able to see what ought to be, and then despairing for what is. The feeling is like trying to learn a flight simulator and lifting too quickly, only to plunge, which ironically refreshes gusto, which leads to a sudden effort at lift, only for it to be too much which leads to plunging... makes me queasy again.
Somehow the lifting HOPE of perfection needs to be modulated by the force of plunging despair looking back at FAITH. The reality of sin, failure, horror, ugliness, confusion, etc. is the essence of faith. That is what happened to Habakuk. His lift toward HOPE, that YHWH would save his covenant people, stalled when the invasion was imminent. He frantically challenged God on the ruin of a perfect theological understanding. God then plunged Habakuk into a vision of wildness, evil, suffering, punishing justice, chaos, power, madness... and Habakuk felt lift. Heart thumping he leveled up and said:
When I heard it, my stomach did flips.
I stammered and stuttered.
My bones turned to water.
I staggered and stumbled.
I sit back and wait for Doomsday
to descend on our attackers.
Though the cherry trees don't blossom
and the strawberries don't ripen,
Though the apples are worm-eaten
and the wheat fields stunted,
Though the sheep pens are sheepless
and the cattle barns empty,
I'm singing joyful praise to God.
I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God.
Counting on God's Rule to prevail,
I take heart and gain strength.
I run like a deer.
I feel like I'm king of the mountain!
(For congregational use, with a full orchestra.)
CrownHeartWorld
I'm trying again. I'm gonna try and produce a finished model of the biblical story. I find that I don't edit well. If I don't manage to start and finish something in one sitting, I have to start all over the next time. I sure would like to overcome that one day. But for today, it's a fresh run!
What CrownHeartWorld is about:
The Big Story affects our Personal Story. Living my life well depends, in part, on my understanding of what life is all about. I've gone through a few efforts at understanding the Big Story of life and meaning and stuff. The challenge is experience.
Worldview beta = God is good and so is life. That was my first draft. It didn't work past 5th grade. The problem of evil showed itself as more than a localized bump.
Worldview 2.0 = Life is random and meaning is a joke without a punch line. I went through various upgrades, thanks mainly to European existentialist authors. It was even a bit cool to be a cynical teenager, so I was hopeful I had found the Big Story = no story. Just do whatever. But stuff mattered, and I couldn't figure out why. The feeling that my life was actually part of something bigger, and that how I lived my life mattered, would not go away.
Worldview 3.0 = God is revealed in Jesus and he is the key to understanding life. I'm now on Jesus 3.7 for my worldview. My understanding has been shaped by reading the biblical texts, experiencing life all over the world, re-reading the texts, etc. What I am currently up to is a framework of reality that seems proportional to what Jesus has taught and what I experience in my life, and in the lives of others.
What my current worldview seeks to answer are a relatively small set of basic questions. The mixing and matching of these questions, and the development of them is interesting and all, but I keep coming back to some basics.
1. Why is there something instead of nothing?
2. Why do some things seem good (right) and other things seem bad (wrong)?
3. Is good or bad greater?
4. Why do people have such different views on pursuing good and bad?
5. Is there a way to rightly pursue good over bad in my life?
6. Why is it so hard to understand and live a good life?
7. What difference will it make if I do live for good?
CrownHeartWorld.com
What CrownHeartWorld is about:
The Big Story affects our Personal Story. Living my life well depends, in part, on my understanding of what life is all about. I've gone through a few efforts at understanding the Big Story of life and meaning and stuff. The challenge is experience.
Worldview beta = God is good and so is life. That was my first draft. It didn't work past 5th grade. The problem of evil showed itself as more than a localized bump.
Worldview 2.0 = Life is random and meaning is a joke without a punch line. I went through various upgrades, thanks mainly to European existentialist authors. It was even a bit cool to be a cynical teenager, so I was hopeful I had found the Big Story = no story. Just do whatever. But stuff mattered, and I couldn't figure out why. The feeling that my life was actually part of something bigger, and that how I lived my life mattered, would not go away.
Worldview 3.0 = God is revealed in Jesus and he is the key to understanding life. I'm now on Jesus 3.7 for my worldview. My understanding has been shaped by reading the biblical texts, experiencing life all over the world, re-reading the texts, etc. What I am currently up to is a framework of reality that seems proportional to what Jesus has taught and what I experience in my life, and in the lives of others.
What my current worldview seeks to answer are a relatively small set of basic questions. The mixing and matching of these questions, and the development of them is interesting and all, but I keep coming back to some basics.
1. Why is there something instead of nothing?
2. Why do some things seem good (right) and other things seem bad (wrong)?
3. Is good or bad greater?
4. Why do people have such different views on pursuing good and bad?
5. Is there a way to rightly pursue good over bad in my life?
6. Why is it so hard to understand and live a good life?
7. What difference will it make if I do live for good?
CrownHeartWorld.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)