People must eat. People like to eat good tasting food. People will pay a lot of money for good tasting food that they don’t have to grow themselves or even cook themselves.
Exploitive minds have craftily constructed an empire of consumerism known as The Easton Town Center. Those who intend to arrive at said Town Center for the purpose of eating good tasting food at restaurants like P.F. Chang’s, The Cheesecake Factory, Brio Tuscan Grille, Mitchell’s Ocean Club, BDs Mongolian Barbeque, The Melting Pot, Bon Vie Italian Bistro and Wine Bar end up circling through numerous retail stores and shops. The designers were genius knowing that people’s simple presence around stores would produce purchases that are not needed or ever intended. May we begin to consider the enchantment of experience, the power of presence, and the resultant consumption.
The Evil of Easton.
Consuming Me.
I am reading Matthew Sleeth’s Serve God, Save the Planet. After quickly reading through chapter (1) I found myself broken, guilty, and in need of repentance. The book is not intended to be “guilt-trip” inducing (at least I didn’t read it that way). The author confessed his previous sin of consumption and is passionate about his cause and calling and has demonstrated his commitment to a different way of living. It is, indeed, challenging (for lack of a more powerful word).
While the book is likely to continue specifically with creation care and love as the central theme, it provoked me to dig even deeper into myself to ask, “What really controls me?” I am broken right now – disgusted at myself. I have allowed materialism, status, and acceptance to reign in me and my attempts to be otherwise have been futile at best. I would try to explain my existing methods and praxis for being a steward of creation and wealth but I would merely be attempting to justify my lack of true commitment to giving and ultimately to worship of YHWH. May grace cover me and change me and my family and community.
Human Reality.
I am trying to grasp the fullness of human life. My wife and I left for the hospital on the evening of June 17 and arrived back home on the afternoon of June 19 with a small person with us who was just welcomed into human reality. She is fully human yet is completely dependent on our provision for life. I have seen her progression from birth through 3 months old including physical and mental growth, change is attentiveness and reactivity, and motor skill development. She now laughs, makes expressive faces, tries to talk, grabs things with her hands, looks around, gets excited. She is fully human yet cannot do anything to keep herself alive. It is the breath of YHWH that naturally fills her and sustains her while his (not intended to be patriarchal or label YHWH with a gender specification) creativity keeps her body “involuntarily” functioning. I may be trying, but I cannot grasp the fullness of human reality.
Journey.
Sarah, Kyla, and I attended a gathering this morning with those who call themselves Journey Church. Journey is good people. They are kind and welcoming. We saw several good friends and shared a meal following the teaching. We will begin to integrate ourselves into that community.
My concern with the Journey gathering is that everyone with whom we interacted or met is of nearly the same demographic. We are all young (by which I mean college students to young parents with children ages 3 months – 11 years old [Kyla is the one who is 3 months]). We are nearly all white. We all appeared to be monetarily “fine.” Sarah and I hope to discover or initiate a genuine yearning and purpose toward decompartmentalizing and finding value in diversification and intentional relationship beyond that which currently exists.
Alternative Consciousness
The post entitled “Narrative.” contains a vague statement about “alternative consciouness.” Walter Brueggemann deals with this idea in “Prophetic Imagination“. There exists a movement and thought pattern that thrives on criticizing institutions, traditions, theologies, and “church.” I would include myself in the collective community of criticizers who know there is a method(s) and picture of church that must be more in keeping with what Jesus intended compared to that which currently and popularly exists in America. Brueggemann makes an important assertion that criticism of the current consciousness is not in and of itself evil, bad, or wrong, but must be complimented by an energizing toward an alternative consciousness. Our gathering is a progressive movement alternative to that of three songs, an “offering,” and a 30-minute lecture. It is by no means new or creative unless one is ignorant to the meetings of 1st century Israel, avoidant of extending grace, hope ,and peace when there exists an atmosphere of openness, vunlerability, and authentic mystery, or insistant on adhering to modern, popular methods of American evangelical “church.”
Narrative.
About 15 (fifteen) of us gathered tonight in the living room of the apt. connected to Oakwood Hall to discuss our lives as covenant community. The gathering is called “narrative: grace. table. story. breathe.” Our time together was rich. I am thankful to have heard the stories that were shared tonight. It seems as if the walls built by “the church” (walls which guard intimacy, relationship, authenticity, vulnerability, and transparency) are beginning to crumble. The alternative conciousness of church may not be so alternative anymore.
Freedom and/or Apple Pie.
A post from my previous site on January 4, 2006:
last night: trouble sleeping. tired but restless. sleepy but sleepless. hopeful that the pseudo-life of a motion picture could distract my mind enough to allow at least a few hours of rest. morgan freeman, however, captivated my attention once again in the shawshank redemption. and god captivated my attention when “the warden” gave “andy” an apple pie. apple pie. andy and red had a sense of freedom when they ate apple pie or shared a beer in the open air on the roof during a work break. it was like a taste of freedom. i started thinking about apple pie – with a cup of coffee. i could sit and enjoy apple pie and coffee whenever i want – as long as i make the time to sit and enjoy. the same with a baked potato – the skin rolled in salted, melted butter with fresh steamed brocolli and bacon on top. i rolled over in bed to admire my wife sleeping. suddenly, i was free. suddenly, i could sleep.
Life.
Life :: To live is Jesus.
The life of Jesus resulted in the torturous Roman penalty of death by affixion of the body with metal nails to large wooden beams. To live is to be crucified, which is, to die. To die is to live for death echoes the life of Jesus and fulfills the completion of life. The “American,” “inalienable” “right” to life is in actuality a right to death so long as the individual is a follower of Jesus. For the follower of Jesus is essentially a citizen of the kingdom of God only and prior to any earthly institution of empire or religion.
