Finding Our Way Again: the Return of the Ancient Practices

Finding Our Way Again by Brian Mclaren is the book I browsed last week for consideration  as a Beloved Community Group read. The first chapter, "Searching for an Everyday Sacredness" had me saying "yes, yes, yes!" He recounts interviewing Dr. Peter Senge and having him share his belief that people are gravitating towards Buddhism because it presents itself as a way of life, whereas Christianity presents itself as a system of belief. Dr. Senge says that people need a way of life. I crave a way of life. Spirituality. A spiritual way of life. Each chapter in this book ends with "spiritual exercises," a list of questions to help readers reflect on and/or apply the material read in the preceding chapter. Of the chapters I've read, I'd put some of the printed questions on the floor in the group setting and leave others for people to ponder in their own time.

The book is divided into 3 parts: way, practices, and ancient. I tried to read a chapter from each in my review/scan. In "Practicing the Way of Jesus," he touches on what so many of those to which I flock understand. Literally, it is written, "whenever I hear the name Jesus, I cringe." Like the "I hate church" billboard, it's a statement that makes me want to read more.
                   
The divide between the different "branches" of Christians is interesting. I'm not talking denominations. I can kick it with Episcopals, Methodists, & Disciples alike. It's those darn conservative, Bible thumping, "I've got all the answers" variety that leave the taste of vomit in my mouth. And mine in theirs, to be fair.

A line from the book that I like: "I am convinced that Jesus didn't come to start a new religion; he came to proclaim a new kingdom." Kingdom. Lifestyle. Not this malarkey of my side, your side, my way, your way, my people, your people. The Kingdom. One Love. A new kingdom. Not the way of old, convenience, tradition, & just because. Maybe I should start telling people I'm down with the new kingdom instead of telling them I'm a Christian; I wonder what kind of crazy they'd think I am. lol.
                                                                                  
Under practices, I opted to read the chapter on contemplative practices. Some that appealed to me are:

• Spiritual Reading & Study (long been hard for me to practice with regularity but oh how I believe in it & its importance)
• Practicing God's Presence: Learning to be aware of God as constant companion, staying in constant contact with God, living with one's spiritual windows and doors open to God (I call this a good day)                          
• Contemplative Prayer: Practicing a kind of prayer that culminates in silent attentiveness to God, a prayer that is about listening and receiving rather than speaking & expressing (admittely, I don't usually want to hear what God is ready to say.)
• Holy Days & Seasons: Observing special days and seasons that interupt the normalcy and regularity of daily life with intensity. These special days or seasons stimulate the remembering of special events or meanings and provide members of a faith community with a special encouragement to engage in specified practices. 
• Meditation & Memorization: Holding a truth in the mind through nonanxious concentration so that it can be savored and rooted deeply and accessible to memory in the stress and struggle of daily life

The final chapter I read was also profoundly meaningful for me. "Katharsis (Via Purgativa)"  Pride (a preoccupation with oneself and one's power), Lust (pleasure in general, as well as sexual pleasure), & Greed (money & possessions) obstruct light from entering the soul. I started thinking about how much of my life can fall under pride, lust, or greed-- buying a house, finding "that" relationship, building sufficient savings, being successful, et cetera. Not "bad" stuff but prideful, lustful, greedy stuff. When you strip away things of pride, lust, and greed what's left? Seeking and squinting, I saw things that were beautiful. Relationship (non-sexual, obviously, like family), spirituality. It's amazing how beautiful life and the world is when you strip it away of pride, greed, and lust, as in trying to be bigger, "better," faster, more. Clarity. God. Goddess. Peace.

The glimmers of light, joy, & peace I got when skimming the book are the reasons I will present it as a possibility when the time comes. The notable drawback was obvious in chapter 1 when the author references writing like 3 other books to actually talk about the ancient practices. At that point, I was afraid he wasn't actually going to talk about the practices in the sense of "how to". It is true he doesn't go in depth but I got glimmers of more life and that's a start. Namaste & Blessed be.

book selection/review

This morning, I used amazon to read excerpts from Becoming a Thinking Christian.... by John B. Cobb Jr. Seems to be a very discussion rich book but lacks purpose beyond getting one to think about his or her own beliefs. Reviewing it with "Beloved Community" (name not final) in mind, I feel that I could just generate a list of topics and say "tell me your thoughts" and be about as effective. I suspect a great benefit in this book is that most people do not sit around and discuss those topics. It can spearhead a conversation and has historical tid bits to help explain how we got to where we are with various thoughts on a given subject. But no, this is not a book that I will suggest at any upcoming book selection discussion. Also, it did help me realize how long it may take this group to get through any one book. I can imagine quite a lengthy conversation from any one chapter I read in Cobb's book. No way to get through 3 chapters in one sitting. The process will emerge.

At home, I scanned a couple of books on hand:
1. Secrets to Exceptional Living by Joyce Meyer-- I read this book during my high school or undergraduate days. I enjoyed it. Stills seems to be something worth reading. Nurturing the fruits of the spirit is good, Christian or not.
2. Knowing God Intimately: Being as Close to Him as You Want to Be by Joyce Meyer  Never read this but willing to. I tend to like J Meyer; it's one of my biases
3. The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan: I'd love to read and discuss this book in the spring-- Easter season. Not recommending it for a winter book. In part, my interest is the author Marcus Borg. In part, the person that originally gave and recommended the book. 
4. The Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancey-- not a book I will recommend using in its entirety. Each chapter focuses on a given chapter of the Bible. It could be of use if we ever choose to read one of the book reviewed. 

Next, I think I'll check to see which books my local library owns. Having these books in hand may be easier for thorough search and review. Sometimes, I think God lets me view/hear things online that I shouldn't have access to. This morning, I was amazed by how much of Cobb's books I could read on amazon. It asked me to consider buying the book but never ended how many pages I could review. Blessed be.

Beloved Community

Beloved Community of Faith seeks to be a diverse, spiritual community composed of people of various races, genders, sexual orientations, educational levels, financial statuses, and physical abilities. We seek to grow together through spiritually enriching activities such as book readings, Bible studies, devotionals, conversations about social and economic justice, examining how everyday choices are a reflection of our faith decisions, and through service opportunities. Beloved Community of Faith is a group of loving individuals that welcomes everyone to show up where they are, recognizing that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39).

Beloved Community of Faith questions, "where does faith intersect with real life responsibility?" Conversation pieces may question:
To what extent, as a person of faith, am I responsible for "giving back to my community"?
Does faith imply that we are to be politically active or politically absent?
To Spotify or not? Purchase or pirate? Download or go to the store?
Do I have a responsibility to buy or drink fair trade coffee?
Am I responsible for taking care of the environment?
Should my faith influence where I shop or what products I buy?
What does God really ask of me & when is enough finally enough?!


Some changes have occurred to the above statement over the past week but have since been discarded apparently... and then reimplemented. For example, differing educational levels-- it occurs to me that one must have a certain level of intelligence to appropriately interact with this group. But, intelligence does not equal educational level; the stmt stays. I thought about the financial status coming across as weird but eh, why not. And it's true. Plus, the statement of diversity comes out fairly weak if it just says we want ppl of various races, genders, & sexual orientations. I did eliminate a statement I felt focused on the individual more than the group since the rest of the statements were about the group's identity.

My resolve hasn't really weakened since my original post but there are glimmers of fear. Shaking up the status quo is never well-received. I do believe my Memphis predominately black open & affirming faith group stopped meeting due to fear... but I don't know that active threats were made. We have Phoenix Christian Church in Wildersville--it's an actual church whereas this is not. And there's a good chance that no one will come. But there's that inkling. I think it is why I did not work on this group's development over the weekend and the reason I am hesitating even tonight.

I keep forgetting to call places to inquire about meeting space. Also, I am incredibly busy and a bit behind at work. But breaks are needed, business can be done. We'll see about tomorrow.

Namaste.

migraine tracking

When I went to the doctor's on Thursday, I had a migraine. I didn't go there because of my migraine; my appointment and the blasted migraine just happened to occur on the same day. My doctor asked when I last had a migraine and the honest answer was I don't know. I tend to track it in my blog and hadn't looked to see. We concluded that I went at least 2 months without a migraine, a vast improvement from when I had a headache at least 5 out of 7 days for about a month. My doctor informed me that those headaches may have also been migraines, just smaller ones. She said there are actually 3 types of migraines but most people only refer to the worse/biggest ones as migraines. This migraine started Wednesday evening. I blew it off, took Execedrin migraine and went swimming. Did okay at the pool. Didn't get worse, just didn't get better. There was one spot with too much light but other than standing there, it went okay. Wednesday night, vomiting. Thursday, felt horrible but did my norm of pushing myself to go into work with the agreement to work a half-day or stay depending on how it went once I got there. Extremely busy. Stayed all day. Friday morning, couldn't get out of the bed to go to my morning training that I sincerely wanted to attend. Slept about 18 hours on Friday. Today, I finally feel better, though not healed. Today, finally, my symptoms are relatively controlled as long as I take imitrix every 5 hours and don't sit too much under overhead light. Not eating seems like a great way to keep the food down so that's mostly been my strategy these past few days. Bread works well. Noodles. Tried rice tonight but didn't get very far. Popsiclea okay; yea. Ice cream is horrible. I canceled my trip to Memphis for the weekend due to not feeling well. What's the point of driving there just to lay around? It's possible that my food allergy triggered this one. I dined in at a Chinese place ad felt some reactions kicking up. Benadryll kept it from getting bad. So, here's my migraine tracking and a prayer to have it all end rly soon. Tomorrow?

fictious group planning

The name? Beloved Community Faith Group & Beloved Community of Faith are the current top contenders in my head right now. Other ideas have been Community of Hope-- the day after being inspired with "beloved" I noticed we have a Communities of Hope Church in Jackson; don't rly want to be confused for them. Community of Faith-- okay... Hesitant to be "of faith" 'cause I want so many ppl to feel welcomed in this group and some people may not be "in faith" yet. Also, sounds very generic. At the same time, I want the type of grp to be somewhat obvious in the name. Beloved Community Spirit Group? Beloved Community Spiritual Group? I think of it as a spiritual journey, a faith walk. Beloved because all are welcomed, all are loved. God does not choose and exclude, only mankind. I've also thought about something along the lines of Spirit Quest to honor the idea of the journey and coming from a place of spiritual thirst for me.

Of bigger issue, imo, is the description. I don't know what phrase to use to tell people what this group is. "Bible Study" is not fitting. But jotting down key words while at the doctor's last week, an appropriate statement to put on the meetup page's description began to form. Working with that idea:

[Group name] seeks to be a diverse, spiritual community composed of people of various races, genders, sexual orientations, educational levels, financial statuses, and physical abilities. Our desire is to support one another in our individual spiritual journeys. We seek to grow together through spiritually enriching activities such as book readings, Bible studies, devotionals, conversations about social and economic justice, discussions examining how everyday choices are a reflection of our faith decisions, and through service opportunities. [Group name] is a group of loving individuals that welcomes everyone to show up where they are, recognizing that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39).


[Group name] questions, "where does faith intersect with real life responsibility?" Conversation pieces may question:
To what extent, as a person of faith, am I responsible for "giving back to my community"?
Does faith imply that we are to be politically active or politically absent?
To Spotify or not?
Purchase or pirate? Download or go to the store?
Do I have a responsibility to buy or drink fair trade coffee?
Am I responsible for taking care of the environment?
Should my faith influence where I shop or what products I buy?
What does God really ask of me & when is enough finally enough?!

I'd especially like some feedback on the first paragraph.  Feel free to share your thoughts on the description thus far-- positive, negative, what stands out to you?
                

Location, location, location? Where shall this group meet? I think frequency should be determined by the group-- weekly or biweekly? One concern I have on location is cost. I don't think it'd be outrageous to collect money to help with room fees or meetup fees as meetup.com is where this group will begin. I also don't want to pay $50 per meeting to sit somewhere. There are free locations-- coffee shops, restaurants-- but those places lack privacy and I want everyone to be comfortable to share and discuss. I wonder what community centers Jackson has... An Internet search suggests that Westwood Rec, Northside Lions Community Center, and T.R. White Sportsplex are the only ones with meeting space. Some places to call and inquire about availability include:
1. Westwood Rec Center   Their website says meeting space is free to non-profits. Lord knows I'm not trying to make money from this group but I'm also not trying to file for a 501c3. I'll call to see what they'll charge for this.
2. University of Memphis, Lambuth surely has meeting space. Might cost more than the Rec Center though.
        * Wow! I think I just discovered they have a free planetarium: http://www.memphis.edu/lambuth/life.php
3. The Lift is our new, fancy gym. I suspect their meeting space reservation is pricy. Or maybe I was thinking of the Jackson Walk in general instead of the Lift Center specifically. Either way, looking at their website I don't think it'd be a good fit.
4. Northside Lions Community Center. "spaces for rent" (731) 425-8386
5. Library (free! :))

Last night at the Jackson Social Meetup, I met a lady that is very interested in helping to get this group going... maybe. I told her I planned to write out some ideas today and would e-mail them to her. We'll see how that goes. She is my inspiration for adding "Service opportunities" to the statement.

potential reads-- spiritually left

I am thinking of using meetup to start a non-church affiliated, lgbt & other folks affirming, Christian thought meeting group, mostly because the churches here aren't where I want to be. Or the Christian churches other places for the most part. I'm skipping some of the more important issues questions to ask myself, if I do start this group, what will we read?

I was just reading reviews of Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott. I started with the 2-star reviews; maybe that was a bad place to start. First, I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't buy this one; library only. Then I thought, hey! maybe this is a book to consider for that fictitious group.

I think of going to Lifeway to browse their selection in hopes of ideas but the idea of going there excites me about as much as going to a KKK rally or large southern Baptist church, things second only to visiting Westboro Baptist Church.

So here's the beginning of my list of book ideas:
1. Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott
2. Becoming a Thinking Christian: If We Want Church Renewal, We Will Have to Renew Thinking in the Church by John Cobb Jr.
3. Progressive Christians Speak: A Different Voice on Faith and Politics, Edited by John B. Cobb Jr. 
4.Unapologetic: Why, Despite Everything, Christianity Can Still Make Surprising Emotional Sense. Francis Spufford by Francis Spufford

5. The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion To A More Authenthic Contemporary Faith

by Marcus J. Borg

 6. Skeptic in the House of God by James L. Kelley
7. The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity by Eric Elnes
8. God is not a Christian & Other Provocations by Desmond Tutu
9.  Setting the Gospel Free  Experiential Faith and Contemplative Practice  by Brian C. Taylor-- definitely learn more about this one
10. Why Christianity Must Change or Die  A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile  by John Shelby Spong
11. The Heart of Christianity  Rediscovering a Life of Faith  by Marcus J. Borg

12. If the Church Were Christian  Rediscovering the Values of Jesus  by Philip Gulley
13. Reimagining Christianity Reconnect Your Spirit Without Disconnecting Your Mind by Alan Jones
14. Finding Our Way Again The Return of the Ancient Practices by Brian McLaren- yes
15. The Soul's Religion Cultivating a Profoundly Spiritual Way of Life by http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=4201Thomas Moore
16. Knowing God Intimately: Being as Close to Him as You Want to Be by Joyce Meyer- possibly
17. Secrets to exceptional living- by Joyce Meyer- possibly
18. A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson
19. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
20. the Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancey-- only as part of a Bible Study
21. How to Listen to God by Charles Stanley
22. The Last Week by Marcus Borg & John Dominic Crossan-- Easter season
23. Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit 

24. The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey  http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Never-Knew-Study-Guide/dp/0310218055/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378661302&sr=1-17&keywords=phillip+yancey+books 25. Change Your Words, Change Your Life: Understanding the Power of Every Word You Speak Hardcover by Joyce Meyer (Author)  26. How to Hear from God/Study Guide by Joyce Meyer  27. The first Paul : reclaiming the radical visionary behind the Church's conservative icon / Marcus J. Borg, John Dominic Crossan. -- maybe one day. probably not but maybe. 28. Mother Teresa [text (large print)] : come be my light : the private writings of the "Saint of Calcutta" / edited, and with commentary, by Brian Kolodiwjchuk.

Got any other suggestions for a Christian-leaning group of progressives that meet at a local winery when the weather is nice? lol. My list turned out to be a lot longer than I expected. The last 7 titles are on my bookshelf. Most of the others are books I came across from an Internet search. In the end, I'll probably pick a random bunch to investigate and take those to the first meeting. The others are still listed here and may be selected later.

Maybe for myself http://progressivechristianity.org/resources/fierce-with-age-chasing-god-and-squirrels-in-brooklyn/

practice test 1

I finally finished that practice test from a few weeks ago. Results are in and.... I passed (from what I hear. I haven't bothered to check official sources). I made a 73 on the test 1. 70 is required to pass. That's encouraging as I begin to work towards this test I feel all kinds of ways unprepared to take and a license I feel oh so unqualified to bear. There are parts of the test where I feel grossly inadequate and they reinforce the idea that I don't have LCSW training. Then there were pages were all of my answers were correct. In the end, I squeaked by. I'd like to pop an 80 on practice tests before the real deal and have a good 5 months to get there. Easy!  (?) 

I've decided to ditch the DSM in round II of studying and focus instead on my abnormal psychology book. 2 out of 2 LCSW's agree that the textbook will probably be enough. I wish I had my human development book but will seek one to borrow at some point since I don't.

I can do this.