I think this may be the longest period of time that it’s taken me to finish a Brian McLaren book. I received it on it’s release date (the same day as Love Wins, if memory serves) and I just finished it last week. I chose to read it with a group of friends, and we’ve been slowly meandering through it, taking our time, discussing.

Naked Spirituality is not like most of Brian’s other books. Most of his books are more philosophical, theological or ecclesiastical in nature. This book is more similar to Finding our Way Again  - it’s spiritual theology, an exploration of what the journey of faith most often looks like. He works through four “seasons” of faith: “Simplicity,” “Complexity,” “Perplexity,” and “Harmony.” I found these categories helpful. It was especially insightful to discuss this with intimate friends – I think we all found ourselves in slightly different seasons. It has led to good, intimate discussions of what life with God looks like. And in true “emergent,” fashion, Brian doesn’t rank the seasons as if one season is better, or more “true” than another. In fact, [spoiler alert] he comes full circle and suggests that this isn’t necessarily a pathway at all, but maybe more like a funnel, where we keep going round and round through the seasons of spirituality, albeit a little differently each time. My only real critique is that I thought the structure (12 simple words) was a bit confusing at times, because each word had two chapters – it just felt a little clunky.

Of course, if his critics are even still reading, Brian is ornery as always and leaves himself open for punches from the religious right. And, at times he walks a fine line between “generic spirituality” and “Christian spirituality.” But, that’s what I expect from Brian, and I love him and appreciate his honesty and heart. If you’re in a small group, or book club, or you regularly meet with someone to discuss your spiritual journey I recommend this book.

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When this posts, I’ll be in the midst of my quarterly retreat. I was assigned for this past quarter Henri Nouwen’s The Way of the Heart: the spirituality of the desert fathers and mothers.

For those of you that don’t know, Henri Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest and writer (for more, here’s the wikipedia entry on Nouwen). He passed away in 1996, ironically about the same time that I read him for the first time. I love Nouwen’s books. Often they’re short – but profound. I find myself stopping a lot and just thinking. And this super short book (94 pages, fairly large text) didn’t disappoint. In it, Nouwen explores three components of the spirituality of the desert fathers and mothers: solitude, silence & prayer. I could say a lot of things here, but I’ll give you one extended quote that grabbed my attention, and if it whets your appetite, by all means, order the book!

In solitude, I get rid of my scaffolding; no friends to talk with, no telephone calls to make, no meetings to attend, no music to entertain, no books to distract, just me – naked, vulnerable, weak, sinful, deprived, broken – nothing. It is this nothingness that I have to face in my solitude, a nothingness so dreadful that everything in me wants to run to my friends, my work, and my distractions so that I can forget my nothingness and make myself believe that I am worth something. But that is not all. As soon as I decide to stay in my solitude, confusing ideas, disturbing images, wild fantasies, and weird association jump about in my mind like monkeys in a banana tree. Anger and greed begin to show their ugly faces. I give long, hostile speeches to my enemies and dream lustful dreams in which I am wealthy, influential, and very attractice – or poor, ugly, and in need of immediate consolation. Thus I try again to run from the dark abyss of my nothingness and restore my false self in all is vainglory.

The task is to persevere in my solitude, to stay in my cell until all my seductive visitors get tired of pounding on my door and leave me along.

How true, how true.

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1 in each 6 women in the world is a victim of incest;

1 in each 4 women will experience some form of sexual violence in life;

He then concludes (and I’m sure this is controversial to some):

Given [these realities], the lesson the Feminist Theology teaches us is that before worrying about explaining reality, theologies must pay attention to an unjust reality that needs transformation.

For the full list, visit Brian’s post: “Another reason theology needs reformulation.”

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If you caught my post at the end of the year you know that one of the things I’m setting out to accomplish in 2012 is to read a good sampling of Shakespeare’s plays. So, I found a website with a “Shakespeare’s Top Ten” or something like that, and then I went into my calendar and set aside 10 evenings in 2012 for reading Shakespeare.  Last Monday evening, started with Othello. There’s no reasoning behind that – it was just #10 on the list I consulted, so I’m starting with Othello and working my way to Hamlet.

So, here are a couple of my thoughts after reading Othello last night:

• Othello is made up of Five Acts. It took Act I for me to re-acclimate to reading Shakespeare. There’s a rhythm to it, and it just takes about 20 minutes for me to get it.
• I cheat. I read an act, then read the synopsis in the Wikipedia entry to make sure I’m “getting it.” I’m glad that I do this, because I miss some stuff.
• I was listening to a podcast the other day and they just happened to be talking about Iago. They were saying that usually Shakespeare gives his villains a dose of humanity – where he pulls back the curtain a little and lets you identify with the villain – to see the reason for his pain. But, there’s none of this for Iago – he’s evil through and through. In fact, you never even get a real explanation of his hatred for Othello. Clearly he’s upset about being passed over for promotion and there’s a hint that he believes that Othello slept with Emilia at one point, but it’s vague. But, in life, I think that’s true. Some people we just don’t like – and there’s no reason for it. Hopefully we don’t go all Iago on them though…
• I think when you read a tragedy there’s generally some moral of the story.  After finishing Othello I found myself contemplating the nature of advice. Othello does what he does in the end because he puts absolute trust in the words of Iago. He refuses to believe Desdemona, he won’t listen to Emilia, he dismisses Cassio – he almost acts as if under a spell of Iago. We do this sometimes. We get enamored of a person, writer, pastor, talk show host, etc., and they become our all-in-all for advice and counsel. And we stop listening to everyone else. And it almost inevitably leads to us making bad decisions. Reminds me of the repeated command in the Proverbs to get wisdom – no matter what it takes.

Well, next month I’m reading The Taming of the Shrew, which I’ve seen performed, but it was during college – almost 20 years ago. I remember the general idea but none of the particulars. In the meantime, for you Shakespeare fans – I’d like to watch Othello. Do any of you have any suggestions? Has anyone watched the 1995 version with Laurence Fishburne and Kenneth Branaugh? Is it good?

Oh – one last thing. If you’re interested in reading Shakespeare, and you have an iPad or iPhone, I recommend the Shakespeare App. It’s excellent – even in its free version.

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And while it’s specific to Mark Driscoll and his strong views on women, effeminate men and the like, it could be about anyone that we see as “other.” It reminds of the Psalmist who cries out in various places, “why does evil prosper?” Here’s her setup to the 2 reasons (no spoiler here, you’ll have to look at her post to see how she answers):

And at one event, during the question and answer time, one man pointed out that if I had been Mark Driscoll, there would not have been enough room in the church building to accommodate the throngs of people eager to hear his message about how real men can beat up their enemies, real men make fun of effeminate guys, real men would never attend a church in which women are allowed to speak, real men always lead, and real women always follow.

“And yet you seem so positive,” he said. “Doesn’t this discourage you?”

What do you think of Rachel’s answer? Is is enough to keep getting out of bed every day?

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With more young adults delaying marriage longer, and with most churches implicitly or explicitly designed to serve families, there is little reason for a single 28 year old to engage. Realizing they cannot rely upon family felt-needs, but still wanting to reach young adults, some churches reach for the only other tool in their box- mission.

We’ve been told that Millennials are the “activist generation.” They want to make a difference in the world by wearing (red) products, singing U2 songs, and going to banana republics as short-term pigeonaries. So we try to engage them in our churches with missional rhetoric and projects. And at times this can be effective, until compassion fatigue sets in and securing social justice proves to require more than a text donation.

Read the Full Post Here

He goes on to talk about the church’s silence regarding vocation and I think he’s right – we don’t talk enough about vocation…

Btw – the two books that I always recommend when it comes to discussion of vocation: Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer and The Call by Os Guinness.

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I’m careful about which Stephen King books I read. I’ve got an active imagination and some of his books are better left in the freezer (a la Joey Tribiani) – but there are other books of his that I rather enjoy. Of course they aren’t literary – but they’re entertaining – and I sometimes like the conflict between good and evil.

Anyway, a friend loaned me 11/22/98, King’s newest novel and I finished it last week. I told her that this felt different than other King novels. There was a lot more of a love story than in the other books I’ve read, and the evil was more subtle. Of course there were some gory King moments, but much of the book felt more like an enjoyable trip back to the late 50′s/early 1960′s, albeit with King’s more jaded perspective than the usual glossy, starry-eyed reinterpretations of that era. I like how the NY Times said it in their review:

“11/22/63” is a meditation on memory, love, loss, free will and necessity. It’s a blunderbuss of a book, rife with answers to questions: Can one man make a difference? Can history be changed, or does it snap back on itself like a rubber band? Does love conquer all? (The big stuff.)

If you haven’t figured it out by the title of the book yet, the book is about time travel. Specifically it’s about what might happen if you could go back in time and change a significant event in history. Of course, as with all time travel books and movies, the butterfly effect becomes a significant factor.

All right, I’ll stop rambling. If you want a real review, here’s the NY Times’. But here’s my pitch: 11/22/63 was a fun evening read – I enjoyed the journey.

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Yesterday at church I was talking about leadership and we read the account from Acts 1 where the apostles replace Judas Iscariot with Matthias by casting lots. Afterwards, a friend came up to me and while it wasn’t the point of the message, he said that he had real problems with Peter’s quotation and application of Scripture. Here it is:

Acts 1:15-26 (NIV)

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I don’t know if it’s age, wisdom, or a greater awareness of self that I’m cultivating, but I’m starting to notice when I’m tired – and not just physically. One of the things I’m noticing more is how emotionally tired I can get. Crisis, conflict and the daily realities of ministry life lead me to these places where I just feel emotionally drained. By Sunday night, I was there. Tired. Spent. Worn out. Poured out. Nothing in the tank. It was to the point, that I could have met up with the cooking club to help them serve a meal – but I just couldn’t do it.

And so, I went home and put on my flannel pajama pants and a sweatshirt – and I think the lights were out around 9:30. And I slept about nine hours. And since yesterday was a holiday – and I’d planned on taking the day off anyway – I decided to do what it takes to rest when I’m emotionally tired. Namely, to wear out my body.

So, while Jennifer took the boys to the zoo. I worked in the basement, texturing the ceiling and walls. I worked up a sweat. I got covered in joint compound, including a big glob that fell in my hair. I got obsessed about joint compound to water to sand ratio. I didn’t think much. I didn’t feel anything. I let my emotions rest while my body worked.

And then, I spent the afternoon looking through cookbooks and reading the novel I’m working on. And it was good. I feel better today.

I’m pretty sure – 14 years ago – when I started this thing called the pastorate – I would have just went to work on Monday and plowed through. I think I’m better though for paying attention.

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I’ve been a Broncos fan since. Through the let down of Jake the Snake, the whining of Jay Cutler and the debacle of “Hoodie, Jr.” who managed to turn a proud organization into a laughing stock. Going into this season, I was ambivalent about 3rd-stringer Tim Tebow, I was excited about the new coach, and I realistically set my sites on a 4-12 season. So, everything this season is just fun. When you’re expectations are low, every success is a party. I really didn’t expect to get to the playoffs. I didn’t expect to beat the Steelers. I don’t expect to win Sunday. But it sure is fun when your team exceeds your low expectations!

All that being said, let me say a few things about the “Tebow craze,” that seems to be running rampant, particularly through the evangelical Christian subculture.

• Of course, in a flurry of excitement I tweeted several times in the euphoric glow of Sunday’s win. And someone commented on my Facebook to my tweet, insinuating that the Broncos won because God favors Tebow’s righteousness and used this game to punish Ben Rothlisberger’s unrighteousness. I don’t think the commentator is alone. It seems to me that there are a lot of knowing glances and winks being passed around the Christian community regarding Tebow’s special favor with God. Theologically, I think this is a whole lot of nonsense. There are plenty of Christians in the National Football League. I’m sure that there are some Christians on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Are we to deduce that God only favors those who make public displays of prayer midfield after the game? Will God only bless the businessman who kneels next to the watercooler after closing a sale? Should a Christian police officer “tebow” after she gives someone a ticket? What about all the Christian men and women who really love God but haven’t been successful in their chosen career? Do they need to step up their witness to procure God’s favor? I think not. I think you win games in the NFL by practicing hard, studying film, adjusting your game plan, and making the plays.
• Thankfully, Tebow doesn’t seem to believe all the hype. He appears to be a legitimately humble guy who is just doing his best to be the best NFL quarterback he can be. As much bad attitude that I have about my first point, I don’t point the finger at Tebow. In fact, what I like most about him is his work ethic, and his ability to learn from his mistakes and get better. Which leads me to my final thought…
• During the 3-game skid at the end of the season I was frustrated at Tebow – that he didn’t seem to be attempting the throws that he should have been. But at the same time, it seemed that his receivers weren’t open like they should be. I’ve been partially blaming the offensive game plan. I was excited this past Sunday to see a better game plan – that adjusted to the game, adjusted to the defense the Steelers were playing and capitalized on their mistakes. And Tebow made the throws he needed to make. That was exciting to me. And I was equally stoked to see Demaryius Thomas step up to his potential.

So – all that to say. I’m growing to like Tim Tebow as the Broncos quarterback – and it has nothing to do with his faith. It’s great that he seems to be an honest-to-goodness Christian man. But as a Broncos fan, I like him because he’s leading us to wins. And, if they somehow find a way to win in New England (however unlikely), I may be in the market for an orange Tebow Jersey (the Broncos are wearing orange for home games next year!) — although my favorite player on the team may be Von Miller…. rookie of the year, imho!

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