I made a commitment to myself NOT to check in on Facebook during my time at Holy Cross. I have been closing the window that opens on my start up pages automatically. It just dawned on me that the Facebook tab has been reading "This Page Cannot Be Found" all week. Somebody's been helping me out!
With humble thanks.
Friday, April 30, 2010
OMG - Bad writing
This may be the worst piece of writing I've come across in a best selling novel in many years. I'll spare the
author the ignominy of naming the book from which it comes :
"He was probably in his late fifties, gangly as a praying mantis, with a comely face full of tight features. Dark eyes were sunk deep into his head, no longer bright with the power of intellect, but nonetheless piercing."
The no longer bright comment is especially interesting since the character making the assessment HAS NEVER SEEN THIS PERSON BEFORE!!!!!
Or is it just me?
This ranks right down there with another best selling author I've been reading who kept referring to a file folder (which was doing nothing other than existing) as "burgeoning".
I can write at least as well as these clowns.
author the ignominy of naming the book from which it comes :
"He was probably in his late fifties, gangly as a praying mantis, with a comely face full of tight features. Dark eyes were sunk deep into his head, no longer bright with the power of intellect, but nonetheless piercing."
The no longer bright comment is especially interesting since the character making the assessment HAS NEVER SEEN THIS PERSON BEFORE!!!!!
Or is it just me?
This ranks right down there with another best selling author I've been reading who kept referring to a file folder (which was doing nothing other than existing) as "burgeoning".
I can write at least as well as these clowns.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sabbatrical update
I'm growing a little frustrated since I'm told that these posts are NOT showing up on my Facebook profile in a timely manner. Facebook and this blog seem to get along just fine for weeks at a time then suddenly stop speaking. It's unfortunate that they've chosen this moment to misbehave. I hope it will fix itself but I'm sticking to my discipline of not engaging with social media during this retreat.
The writing is going very well. I'm very happy.
I've been informed that "The Wind in the Willows" is NOT typically the sort of reading they get at lunch time. Brother Andrew has been, shall we say, agitating for it or something like it for a while. And recently he got his wish.
The following should not be taken as a criticism of Holy Cross Monastery or the brothers of the Order. I've found the worship here to be a little - strange? We are invited to be with the brothers when they worship. But it is very different from the sense of communal worship to which I am accustomed. It is THEIR worship. Inevitably there is a feeling that I am merely an observer. For the first several days I found this a little (just a little) off putting. I'm beginning to reach a new understanding however. Yes I am still an "outsider" to a degree and probably always will feel that way. But the services (I've missed only Matins each day since I've arrived. I'll make it at least once. I promise. Eucharist, Diurnum, Vespers and Compline every day) now offer me a different spiritual experience. It is transcendent in a completely different way. It will be interesting to see how that grows during my final two days here.
It is clear to me that while contemplative prayer will always be important to me I am NOT meant to be a full time contemplative or monastic. I'd go nuts and I'd take my poor prior or superior with me. My gift to the monastic movement will be to not take a life vow, LOL!
Brief chats with folks on retreat here at the same time reinforces my belief that my little work on personal prayer is a needed resource. It also seems like if it's any good at all there is a demand for such a thing. We'll see.
Went outside the building for the first time since Tuesday when I arrived. I don't carry a watch most days or my cell phone or even my wallet. Don't miss them either. Went outside to call home (no cell phones to be used in the Guesthouse. My phone has been turned off this week. I check it twice a day for messages. None so far, which is lovely) and to walk the labyrinth.
The Great Silence hasn't been that bad. Silence at breakfast is actually kind of nice.
The food continues to be unbelievably good. Grilled chicken with grilled asparagus and fennel with a Yukon Gold potato salad for lunch. Fresh Turkey noodle soup with a salad and Danish Blue cheese dressing plus wonderful multi-grain rolls for dinner.
I am insanely happy.
Peace
The writing is going very well. I'm very happy.
I've been informed that "The Wind in the Willows" is NOT typically the sort of reading they get at lunch time. Brother Andrew has been, shall we say, agitating for it or something like it for a while. And recently he got his wish.
The following should not be taken as a criticism of Holy Cross Monastery or the brothers of the Order. I've found the worship here to be a little - strange? We are invited to be with the brothers when they worship. But it is very different from the sense of communal worship to which I am accustomed. It is THEIR worship. Inevitably there is a feeling that I am merely an observer. For the first several days I found this a little (just a little) off putting. I'm beginning to reach a new understanding however. Yes I am still an "outsider" to a degree and probably always will feel that way. But the services (I've missed only Matins each day since I've arrived. I'll make it at least once. I promise. Eucharist, Diurnum, Vespers and Compline every day) now offer me a different spiritual experience. It is transcendent in a completely different way. It will be interesting to see how that grows during my final two days here.
It is clear to me that while contemplative prayer will always be important to me I am NOT meant to be a full time contemplative or monastic. I'd go nuts and I'd take my poor prior or superior with me. My gift to the monastic movement will be to not take a life vow, LOL!
Brief chats with folks on retreat here at the same time reinforces my belief that my little work on personal prayer is a needed resource. It also seems like if it's any good at all there is a demand for such a thing. We'll see.
Went outside the building for the first time since Tuesday when I arrived. I don't carry a watch most days or my cell phone or even my wallet. Don't miss them either. Went outside to call home (no cell phones to be used in the Guesthouse. My phone has been turned off this week. I check it twice a day for messages. None so far, which is lovely) and to walk the labyrinth.
The Great Silence hasn't been that bad. Silence at breakfast is actually kind of nice.
The food continues to be unbelievably good. Grilled chicken with grilled asparagus and fennel with a Yukon Gold potato salad for lunch. Fresh Turkey noodle soup with a salad and Danish Blue cheese dressing plus wonderful multi-grain rolls for dinner.
I am insanely happy.
Peace
Reflection - On the sabbatical
My time of sabbatical is rapidly coming to an end. It officially ends tomorrow but I won't be back till Sunday. Back in the office on Monday.
So what did I get out of all of this?
Time to truly re-charge my "batteries". I'm feeling better at this time of year than I have in years. That should bode well for camp programs this summer and for the start of the next program year. For the diocese it means having the Youth Missioner really ready to get out and do all the things that need to be done.
Time for deeper study and attention to my life in faith. I've really spent a LOT of time thinking about prayer and my life in faith. On that journey I've come to a clearer understanding of what it means to be an Episcopalian and why being an Episcopalian is right for me. After 60 short days I'm not emerging as the perfected person of faith. I do now have a clearer understanding of what I want to do, what I believe I am gifted to do and the direction I need to be traveling. That's a pretty cool feeling all by itself.
Time for deeper thoughts about who I am. You'd think by the time you'd racked up as many years as I have you'd have a pretty good idea of the answer to this one. When I was younger I certainly assumed that old guys like me had it nailed down. Maybe other folks do but I don't. I still don't but the view is clearer now. I know I'm not ready to start "winding down" which is what it seemed like people started doing when they hit 50. There's still lots I want to achieve, want to try.
I know I still enjoy youth ministry. There may still be other things waiting for me out there but I will always have time for our young people. And an ear. And a heart.
When I applied for this job I took a risk. Not on the job, I was unemployed. I was up for anything that came with a halfway decent paycheck and health insurance. The risk I took was being myself when it might have been safer to conform to expectations. I need to remember that and not shrink from those moments. There are times when folks would really prefer something nice and safe and unchallenging. Somehow I don't think that's what I'm on this earth to do. We need to be able to speak the truth to one another. I need to be able to speak the truth in love and without fear. Folks won't always like it but I need to tell it without judgment or agenda.
I've discovered that I'm mostly happy with who I am. I'm mostly happy with the life I lead. The parts I'm not happy with can still be changed or at least the edges dulled enough to bear without great pain. That's to be an ongoing project I think. Other folks can do things that have an impact. In the end my life is mine. If I live it honestly and openly caring for the people I love the rest is unimportant.
Peace
So what did I get out of all of this?
Time to truly re-charge my "batteries". I'm feeling better at this time of year than I have in years. That should bode well for camp programs this summer and for the start of the next program year. For the diocese it means having the Youth Missioner really ready to get out and do all the things that need to be done.
Time for deeper study and attention to my life in faith. I've really spent a LOT of time thinking about prayer and my life in faith. On that journey I've come to a clearer understanding of what it means to be an Episcopalian and why being an Episcopalian is right for me. After 60 short days I'm not emerging as the perfected person of faith. I do now have a clearer understanding of what I want to do, what I believe I am gifted to do and the direction I need to be traveling. That's a pretty cool feeling all by itself.
Time for deeper thoughts about who I am. You'd think by the time you'd racked up as many years as I have you'd have a pretty good idea of the answer to this one. When I was younger I certainly assumed that old guys like me had it nailed down. Maybe other folks do but I don't. I still don't but the view is clearer now. I know I'm not ready to start "winding down" which is what it seemed like people started doing when they hit 50. There's still lots I want to achieve, want to try.
I know I still enjoy youth ministry. There may still be other things waiting for me out there but I will always have time for our young people. And an ear. And a heart.
When I applied for this job I took a risk. Not on the job, I was unemployed. I was up for anything that came with a halfway decent paycheck and health insurance. The risk I took was being myself when it might have been safer to conform to expectations. I need to remember that and not shrink from those moments. There are times when folks would really prefer something nice and safe and unchallenging. Somehow I don't think that's what I'm on this earth to do. We need to be able to speak the truth to one another. I need to be able to speak the truth in love and without fear. Folks won't always like it but I need to tell it without judgment or agenda.
I've discovered that I'm mostly happy with who I am. I'm mostly happy with the life I lead. The parts I'm not happy with can still be changed or at least the edges dulled enough to bear without great pain. That's to be an ongoing project I think. Other folks can do things that have an impact. In the end my life is mine. If I live it honestly and openly caring for the people I love the rest is unimportant.
Peace
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
First Thoughts from the Monastery
Just some of the things that first came to me:
Dere's Wimmen here!
Don't know why that surprised me but it did. There are at least as many female guests as male. There's a Habitat for Humanity meeting of some kind going on. A bunch of these folks seem to be from near Easton Maryland. All very nice folks.
I didn't realize which ones were the monks. Yes, I had them in robes at all times in my head. So shoot me. The brothers dress very casually so far except at worship where they wear robes. Average age is probably in the 60's. Ate lunch with two of them, talked mostly about iPads and computer technology.
We were read to at lunch. A tradition for Benedictines I seem to remember (maybe other orders too). Much to my surprise our reading at the moment is "Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame. Toad has just revealed his plan to go on a trip with Mole and Rat in a caravan. It was both rather surreal and delightful to sit and eat with a view of the Hudson River and have a monk read "Wind in the Willows" to you. It's going to be a week of wonders I think, lol.
A moment to discuss food! Now there's a wonder for you. Selection is home style, here's what's to eat. Dinner last night was a vegetable lasagna, lunch today was salmon with wilted spinach in a miso glaze, rice, seaweed and mushrooms in a soy lacquer and cucumber and long bean salad (which also had spinach in it). The food has been very nutritious and delicious. Breakfast is done in total silence (the Great Silence each day ends after breakfast. 8:50PM to 8:30AM). Not speaking to others is no problem but I tend to talk with myself. Insert your snide remark here.
Chapel has been very different that anything I'm accustomed to but wonderful. Lots of chanting of prayers and Psalms. There are some long silences and I promised myself to simply be in the moment and not look at my watch. Promptly caught one of the brothers checking his!
My cell (described previously) is simple but not spartan. Double bed, desk and chair, armchair, dresser, two simple closets, two bed stands, various lamps and an alarm clock. And a carpeted floor. Nicer than any of my college dorm rooms by far. Hall baths, two per floor. Very nice.
And the writing moves forward.
From my prayer journal
First night at Holy Cross - You've brought me to a holy community Lord. I find it both peaceful and intimidating. Hearing Compline sung was beautiful and transporting. The commitment to follow you in this way and to this degree is a little scary. I envy their commitment but not their path. Help me to find that commitment I need for my own path. Amen
Peace
Dere's Wimmen here!
Don't know why that surprised me but it did. There are at least as many female guests as male. There's a Habitat for Humanity meeting of some kind going on. A bunch of these folks seem to be from near Easton Maryland. All very nice folks.
I didn't realize which ones were the monks. Yes, I had them in robes at all times in my head. So shoot me. The brothers dress very casually so far except at worship where they wear robes. Average age is probably in the 60's. Ate lunch with two of them, talked mostly about iPads and computer technology.
A moment to discuss food! Now there's a wonder for you. Selection is home style, here's what's to eat. Dinner last night was a vegetable lasagna, lunch today was salmon with wilted spinach in a miso glaze, rice, seaweed and mushrooms in a soy lacquer and cucumber and long bean salad (which also had spinach in it). The food has been very nutritious and delicious. Breakfast is done in total silence (the Great Silence each day ends after breakfast. 8:50PM to 8:30AM). Not speaking to others is no problem but I tend to talk with myself. Insert your snide remark here.
Chapel has been very different that anything I'm accustomed to but wonderful. Lots of chanting of prayers and Psalms. There are some long silences and I promised myself to simply be in the moment and not look at my watch. Promptly caught one of the brothers checking his!
My cell (described previously) is simple but not spartan. Double bed, desk and chair, armchair, dresser, two simple closets, two bed stands, various lamps and an alarm clock. And a carpeted floor. Nicer than any of my college dorm rooms by far. Hall baths, two per floor. Very nice.
And the writing moves forward.
From my prayer journal
First night at Holy Cross - You've brought me to a holy community Lord. I find it both peaceful and intimidating. Hearing Compline sung was beautiful and transporting. The commitment to follow you in this way and to this degree is a little scary. I envy their commitment but not their path. Help me to find that commitment I need for my own path. Amen
Peace
Sabbatical - My spiritual retreat begins
My hope, goal and intent is to get virtually the entire first draft finished before I leave. I certainly have the right environment for it. My cell (yes that's what they call the rooms in the Guesthouse) is on the third floor at the southern end of the building. I have two windows that look out over the grounds with a view of the river to my left. I can actually get the Guesthouse wifi (located on the first floor in the Library) up here so I can actually write in my room with connection if I want. My goal is to be pretty much shut down as far as social networking for the week. These posts should post on Facebook but I won't be checking it.
Having said all that I got off to a fairly typical start for me. Which means my visit with my friends at Natural Stone Bridge and Caves (if you love hiking and the outdoors and caves and running water and the like this should be a must see. It's only a 7 hour drive from my corner of the state, lots of places to stay, all of Adirondack Park to explore as well. Plus a WONDERFUL place to explore. The current owners include a boyhood friend of my brothers and mine. They've done a great job. Here ends the gratuitous commercial plug!) and so I was running late.
Did I mention it snowed while I was there? And that just north of there was expecting up to a foot of new snow today?
Anyway all was well till I got to Kingston NY where my handy-dandy instructions told me to get off. Sadly the instructions and reality do not match. So I got lost. No worries. I pull out my handy-dandy iPhone and use it's GPS function. Which sent me to the middle of nowhere. Figuring I had just not given specific enough directions I had it look up Holy Cross and said "Go There". Which promptly informed me that I needed to be on the EASTERN side of the Hudson. I was pretty certain that was wrong. In fact I was CERTAIN that was wrong. So I called Holy Cross. Turns out I was on the right side of the river and on the correct road. Trying to read the directions had caused me to glance down at just the wrong moment and I missed the sign! Yes, I drove right past it. With a little coaching from Laurie in the office I got turned around and into the house in short order.
Where I promptly broke a house rule. Sigh. Wanting to let my lady wife know that I was in and safe I called her from my room. 10 minutes later I read the rule that said "No cellphones in the Guesthouse". Nice, Jay. So the cellphone has been turned off. I'll check it a couple times a day just to make sure nothing urgent has come up. So for all my friends, family and other beloveds, try to have anything urgent happen this week. K? Thnx. Bye.
More later.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Sabbatical Grump-date
Yes, grump-date. I've been struggling to get the last big project done before I go off on retreat to do the major writing portion of this sabbatical. And for the last two days one thing after another has decided to be uncooperative.
As of today it's clear I'm not going to get the last of the four projects done before I leave. I will make a bit more progress in the next 24 hours but it won't be finished. It's about 60% done at the moment (including the little bit more I hope to get done). And that's going to have to be good enough for now.
It's dawned on me that I have in my mind that I'm trying to produce these perfect projects when in reality I'm really working on prototypes. I'm doing a variety of things I've never really tried before and putting things together in ways I've seen but never done myself. As "finished products" mine are a bit scabby but as prototypes I'm much happier with them. Yes, things don't fit perfectly and the finishes aren't exactly as designed but there's nothing embarrassing and some of it is quite nice.
So here's the deal for next week. I will be dropping off of pretty much all my normal communications with the possible exception of this blog. Since it posts (eventually!) to Facebook folks who are interested can follow along there. My goal is to be as much into the "come ye apart" mentality as I can. I really need time to think and pray and write and perhaps do some photography along the way. The last couple days have been so frantic that I need to get back to my calmer sabbatical self.
Keep me in your prayers.
Peace
As of today it's clear I'm not going to get the last of the four projects done before I leave. I will make a bit more progress in the next 24 hours but it won't be finished. It's about 60% done at the moment (including the little bit more I hope to get done). And that's going to have to be good enough for now.
It's dawned on me that I have in my mind that I'm trying to produce these perfect projects when in reality I'm really working on prototypes. I'm doing a variety of things I've never really tried before and putting things together in ways I've seen but never done myself. As "finished products" mine are a bit scabby but as prototypes I'm much happier with them. Yes, things don't fit perfectly and the finishes aren't exactly as designed but there's nothing embarrassing and some of it is quite nice.
So here's the deal for next week. I will be dropping off of pretty much all my normal communications with the possible exception of this blog. Since it posts (eventually!) to Facebook folks who are interested can follow along there. My goal is to be as much into the "come ye apart" mentality as I can. I really need time to think and pray and write and perhaps do some photography along the way. The last couple days have been so frantic that I need to get back to my calmer sabbatical self.
Keep me in your prayers.
Peace
Friday, April 23, 2010
General Update Post
I know I haven't posted in a while. Trying to get things in good order before my spiritual retreat next week has really been chewing up my days. I think the final products of this phase are turning out pretty well. But that's why the Phlipside scripts haven't been put up and I haven't posted about the sabbatical much either. So here's a quick review:
Sabbatical - going pretty well. I'm working on a concept called Personal Holy Space. A way to bring your holy mindset with you pretty much any where. It's a variation on an idea I came across way back at the beginning of the year. I'm working on four different variations of the concept. I'm still working on my reading. I've added "Water From a Deep Well" which is a history of Christian spirituality. It came highly recommended and it's quite good but not blowing me away.
View From the Phlipside - Took a look at the attempt to re-make the '80's movie "Footloose" (which I think is a losing concept. So far the movie's karma seems to be on my side). I take a look at a new "professional recommendation" site called Unvarnished. There's an interesting idea there but it has some very serious problems too. Finally I talked about "Turn Off Your TV" week which has been all this week. I will confess that I did not go TV free this week (although I'm thinking about the second week this year, in the fall). Now I just have to get at least next week's done in advance and maybe the week after if I can to give myself a little room when I get home.
Still a lot of other things to get figured out in the next two days. So I'll be on the bounce!
Peace
Sabbatical - going pretty well. I'm working on a concept called Personal Holy Space. A way to bring your holy mindset with you pretty much any where. It's a variation on an idea I came across way back at the beginning of the year. I'm working on four different variations of the concept. I'm still working on my reading. I've added "Water From a Deep Well" which is a history of Christian spirituality. It came highly recommended and it's quite good but not blowing me away.
View From the Phlipside - Took a look at the attempt to re-make the '80's movie "Footloose" (which I think is a losing concept. So far the movie's karma seems to be on my side). I take a look at a new "professional recommendation" site called Unvarnished. There's an interesting idea there but it has some very serious problems too. Finally I talked about "Turn Off Your TV" week which has been all this week. I will confess that I did not go TV free this week (although I'm thinking about the second week this year, in the fall). Now I just have to get at least next week's done in advance and maybe the week after if I can to give myself a little room when I get home.
Still a lot of other things to get figured out in the next two days. So I'll be on the bounce!
Peace
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sabbatical video check week 6
My sabbatical is drawing to an end. Here's my latest check in on what's going on and how I'm feeling.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Reviews - Bagger Vance and Voodoo History
Slowly working through the very long list of movies I want to see that is otherwise known as my Netflix queue. I've wanted to see this one for a while. Perfect to get me into mental position to go out and chase that little white ball this summer.
The Legend of Bagger Vance - (Yes, I've been watching a lot of Matt Damon movies) How can you go wrong with Matt Damon, Charlize Theron and Will Smith plus Robert Redford directing? Ok, you could have stopped just with Ms. Theron who just makes my little heart go pitta-pat. The story of a local golfing great who has his game taken from him by the mental ordeal of WW I. He rediscovers it and himself with the help of a very unusual caddy named Bagger Vance. This movie brings to the game of golf the epic romanticism that "The Natural" brought to baseball. If that works for you you'll probably love the movie. If you're into golf it's more about the amazing moment in time that is the setting for the movie than the game itself. Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. and Walter Hagen, two of the greatest golfers of all time and two men who shared only the game. Jones was the clean cut paragon who would win the four majors of his time, the first time it had ever been done, and then retire at 28. Hagen is too often overlooked as one of the all time greats. He still ranks third behind only Nicklaus and Woods for all time tournament wins. Jones was the last of the great "amateur" champs, Hagen is the real start of the great "pro" champions. It's an interesting back drop for the story of the local boy who finds himself caught between the two greats in a challenge match. There's nothing particularly surprising in the plot or the ending but the performers all do a fine job. Will Smith is great as Bagger and a nice little wrap around cameo for Jack Lemon too.
Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History by David Aaronovitch (Check out the NPR story on the book) JFK and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, WWI and WWII, Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe. These are just some of the conspiracy theories that the book takes a look at and challenges. The author also takes a look at the effect that the constant chant of "Conspiracy" has had on how so many of us approach the question of what is and isn't history. What's really frightening are the folks who admit up front that the "theory" is wrong but then say that it doesn't matter! While allowing that none of us of ever totally objective that doesn't mean that any interpretation of events is equally "true". It's an interesting point also that the Internet may be speeding the process by making it easier to only hear the voices of people who agree with you. Again it becomes clear to me that society NEEDS the dissenting voices (yes, even the conspiracy theorists) in the same room. We also need to hold each other to account for how we present our points of view. Politics is about scoring points, political discourse isn't. The book is well written and an easy and interesting read. My only problem is that too often Aaronovitch disputes the claims of the theorists by saying that "...such and such a study refutes those points" without going into even a little more detail. Too often it feels like he might be guilty of the same "glossing over" of the facts that the theorists too often are. Whatever you may believe about the moon landing the book is worth a read.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Sabbatical - On Obedience
I began this week talking about "discipline", a word with very negative connotations for many in our society. My suggestion was that we simply find the terminology that works best for us. Whatever works for you in talking about a routine of faith practice. For me that is an term with long history in our faith - a rule of life. What I'm trying to put together here is a rule of life for myself. One that continues my journey of faith, that takes me to deeper understandings and integrates fully in and with my entire life.
Along the way it is inevitable that we deal with another word that has taken on a negative connotation. It is another word used, too often in my opinion, as a cudgel by the church and other institutions. The goal seems to be the creation of an artificial uniformity rather than a natural unity. The word is obedience.
I was very interested to discover that obedience comes from a Latin word "obaudiens" which means to "listen intently". Nothing at all like the enforced subservience that the word has come to mean for many of us. Again as with discipline obedience has too often come to be something inflicted from the outside rather than something taken on personally. The word intently jumped out at me so I went back to my two dictionary friends again:
From FreeDictionary.com
From Merriam-Webster.com
For those who wish to make religion about power and control the current understanding of obedience will always be the preferred one. In our spirituality we are called together with all our differences in common cause. We struggle towards the same goal and uniformity is in fact not in our best interests. There is a saying popularized by John Cassian (one of the Desert Fathers) that says "Contraria contrariis sanantour" or "Contraries are cured by their contraries". In other words we eliminate the negatives in our lives (the first contrary) by encouraging its opposite (the second contrary) in our lives. Consequently envy is defeated by kindliness and love of others, greed by generosity, shame (which is an emotion centered upon ourselves) is replaced by penitence (which is focused outward, a quest for love and truth and light).
The understanding of obedience that I offer here is one that takes us forward in our journey. It offers us the opportunity, if we accept it, to go deeper in understanding. This obedience is a thing in which we can delight and prosper.
Peace
Along the way it is inevitable that we deal with another word that has taken on a negative connotation. It is another word used, too often in my opinion, as a cudgel by the church and other institutions. The goal seems to be the creation of an artificial uniformity rather than a natural unity. The word is obedience.
I was very interested to discover that obedience comes from a Latin word "obaudiens" which means to "listen intently". Nothing at all like the enforced subservience that the word has come to mean for many of us. Again as with discipline obedience has too often come to be something inflicted from the outside rather than something taken on personally. The word intently jumped out at me so I went back to my two dictionary friends again:
From FreeDictionary.com
1. Firmly fixed; concentrated2. Having the attention applied; engrossed3. Having the mind and will focused on a specific purpose
From Merriam-Webster.com
Much less disagreement this time. So obedience is to listen with concentration, with the mind and will focused, or (my favorite) with eager attention. This is the obedience that is so important on our walk in faith. It is also consistent with our historic spirituality as well. Our spirituality is not about performing mandatory rituals in our personal faith lives. It IS about listening, questioning and listening again. There is a strong streak of mysticism which may simply be perfecting (or nearly perfecting the art) of listening to the divine. The mystic may hear God better not because their hearing is better but because they listen better. And in that way are more obedient to God.1 : directed with strained or eager attention
2 : having the mind, attention, or will concentrated on something or some end or purpose
For those who wish to make religion about power and control the current understanding of obedience will always be the preferred one. In our spirituality we are called together with all our differences in common cause. We struggle towards the same goal and uniformity is in fact not in our best interests. There is a saying popularized by John Cassian (one of the Desert Fathers) that says "Contraria contrariis sanantour" or "Contraries are cured by their contraries". In other words we eliminate the negatives in our lives (the first contrary) by encouraging its opposite (the second contrary) in our lives. Consequently envy is defeated by kindliness and love of others, greed by generosity, shame (which is an emotion centered upon ourselves) is replaced by penitence (which is focused outward, a quest for love and truth and light).
The understanding of obedience that I offer here is one that takes us forward in our journey. It offers us the opportunity, if we accept it, to go deeper in understanding. This obedience is a thing in which we can delight and prosper.
Peace
Thursday, April 15, 2010
View From the Phlipside - R.I.P. Malcolm McLaren
My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, Radio, the Movies and more. I love them and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this the View From the Phlipside.
Anarchist, iconoclast, pop culture icon, revolutionary, self promoter, egotist. All of those words have been used to describe the late Malcolm McLaren who passed away last week. Oh yes and never forget that he is also called the godfather of Punk Rock. The man who brought the Sex Pistols into our lives. The reality is that if McLaren wasn't all of those things he probably would never have managed to pull it all off and he wouldn't have nearly as interesting as he was.
It always strikes me when I see pictures of Malcolm McLaren that he is inevitably perfectly dressed. I would say perfectly groomed if weren't for the fact that he was crowned with a head of hair that seemed determined to go its own way and Mclaren had no intention of trying to make it do anything else. He is complete break from the look that came be associated with the music he helped usher onto the international scene and most especially the look of the seminal group that he championed.
His personal history was never very simple. In fact it was pretty much perfect for the iconoclastic movement that would become Punk. McLaren rebelled against his stepfather, left home as a teenager, drifted through a variety of jobs and a couple different art colleges. He got expelled from several of those. Along the way he discovered various cultural movements that specialized in absurd and confrontational actions. That style was to echo throughout the rest of his life. In the 1970's McLaren begins to make contacts with some pivotal music groups. His forays into fashion would bring him into contact with the New York Dolls and later with founding members of the group Television. But in the mid-70's he discovers the artists who he would form into the Sex Pistols. What's really astounding about the Pistols is that they only existed for two and a half years, put out a single studio album and four singles. Their concerts often ended in chaos. But Malcolm McLaren saw something before anyone else. The Sex Pistols have had a profound impact on music and challenged the status quo's sense of decorum and decency. Like them or not it was the perfect response to the self satisfied Western culture of the 1970's.
There couldn't have been a better stage for Malcolm McLaren. In the end he and the band split on very poor terms. He would go on to work with groups like Adam and the Ants, combine electronic music and opera, helped launch hip hop in the United Kingdom plus worked with New Age composer Yanni on an advertising campaign for British Airways. It's just a tiny fraction of an incredibly diverse career. Malcolm McLaren went his own way throughout his life. Fortunately for us he invited us along for the ride. Malcolm McLaren died from complications connected with mesothelioma at the age of 64.
Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
Anarchist, iconoclast, pop culture icon, revolutionary, self promoter, egotist. All of those words have been used to describe the late Malcolm McLaren who passed away last week. Oh yes and never forget that he is also called the godfather of Punk Rock. The man who brought the Sex Pistols into our lives. The reality is that if McLaren wasn't all of those things he probably would never have managed to pull it all off and he wouldn't have nearly as interesting as he was.
It always strikes me when I see pictures of Malcolm McLaren that he is inevitably perfectly dressed. I would say perfectly groomed if weren't for the fact that he was crowned with a head of hair that seemed determined to go its own way and Mclaren had no intention of trying to make it do anything else. He is complete break from the look that came be associated with the music he helped usher onto the international scene and most especially the look of the seminal group that he championed.
His personal history was never very simple. In fact it was pretty much perfect for the iconoclastic movement that would become Punk. McLaren rebelled against his stepfather, left home as a teenager, drifted through a variety of jobs and a couple different art colleges. He got expelled from several of those. Along the way he discovered various cultural movements that specialized in absurd and confrontational actions. That style was to echo throughout the rest of his life. In the 1970's McLaren begins to make contacts with some pivotal music groups. His forays into fashion would bring him into contact with the New York Dolls and later with founding members of the group Television. But in the mid-70's he discovers the artists who he would form into the Sex Pistols. What's really astounding about the Pistols is that they only existed for two and a half years, put out a single studio album and four singles. Their concerts often ended in chaos. But Malcolm McLaren saw something before anyone else. The Sex Pistols have had a profound impact on music and challenged the status quo's sense of decorum and decency. Like them or not it was the perfect response to the self satisfied Western culture of the 1970's.
There couldn't have been a better stage for Malcolm McLaren. In the end he and the band split on very poor terms. He would go on to work with groups like Adam and the Ants, combine electronic music and opera, helped launch hip hop in the United Kingdom plus worked with New Age composer Yanni on an advertising campaign for British Airways. It's just a tiny fraction of an incredibly diverse career. Malcolm McLaren went his own way throughout his life. Fortunately for us he invited us along for the ride. Malcolm McLaren died from complications connected with mesothelioma at the age of 64.
Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sabbatical - On St. Benedict
Ah St. Benedict and his "little rule for beginners"!
So why are we talking about an Italian monastic who never set foot in England or the United States when we're discussing our particular faith context?
Because Benedict had a great impact on how the larger church began to think about organizing itself and worshiping. And that mindset was drawn on very strongly when the center of the Anglican thread of Christianity was being compiled, the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). His influence is felt even before that.
The Benedictine Rule is brought to England in the largest sense during the reign of King Edgar the Peaceable in the mid to late 900's. Edgar was faced with monasteries and convents that were completely out of control (Yes, Monks and Nuns Gone Wild!) and chose the Benedictine Rule to bring some order. This disorderliness at monasteries was apparently quite a problem in many places. Benedict spends some time in the first chapter talking about "The Kinds of Monks". There are 4 according to him. One group he refers to as "detestable" and another he says is even worse than that!
Beyond the very clear order that Benedict brings he also matched some of the better attributes of our ancestors. English spirituality has always been about caring for the individual. Thus a certain strain of personal liberty in spirituality has also been there. It begins with an assumption that the spiritual life is designed to move people into a better way of life through an ongoing process. Our spirituality has always been good at taking the best ideas and weaving them together.
In many ways Benedict fits right in. He allows people to find what works for them in their personal faith practice. He felt that private prayer should be "...short and pure unless prolonged by divine inspiration". (Chap 20). In the words of Edward Cuthbert Butler, the Benedictine abbot of Downside Abbey -
The primary principle to personal piety is that suits your spirit and brings you closer to God.
Benedict and English spirituality look at the life of faith as a "three fold rule" meaning that the basic outline of how we live our faith has three aspects - communal Eucharist, the Daily Office and personal prayer. That basic outline forms the backbone of the BCP. And the Book of Common Prayer is the central identity of our tradition. That three fold rule may strike us as obvious and universal but it isn't.
Benedict's Rule calls for a community that in many ways functions as a family. The community is held together by mutual affection and care rather than authoritarian writ. This would have been very familiar and comfortable for our ancestors. In his day and in ours life was fragmented and stress filled. There had been great social upheaval (the fall of Rome just 70 years prior to his birth was still very much being felt) and theological division (the subject of that day was Grace). Amidst all that Benedict tries to help his people find a way to stay focused on the holy and bring all aspects of their lives together into a single weaving. Holy and routine, spiritual and material, prayer and life - all together.
As for the rule itself there are (as I mentioned before) many sections that don't affect us directly in our modern context. At the same time the book is very short and worth reading in its entirety. Certainly the Prologue and the chapters on The Tools for Good Works, Obedience, Restraint of Speech, Humility, Reverence in Prayer, the Proper Amount of Food, the Proper Amount of Drink, the Daily Manual Labor, Community Rank, Assignment of Impossible Tasks to a Brother, Mutual Obedience and (this really is the name of the last chapter) This Rule is Only the Beginning of Perfection.
Admit it, some of those titles intrigue you. Each of them has something to teach us in our time and place. You will discover things that may trouble you. Remember that Benedict wrote this for a specific time and place. I certainly do not offer up his thoughts on disciplining children for modern use.
But as a guide for finding a rule of faith in the 21st Century, the old boy still has plenty to say.
View From the Phlipside - Tiger's Nike Ad
My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, Radio, the Movies and more. I love them and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this the View From the Phlipside.
The ongoing national nightmare of Tiger Woods continues. No, I'm talking about the absurd coverage of the Masters where sports networks very often skipped mentioning who was actually LEADING the tournament so they could keep us up to date how Tiger was doing. It astounds me when a single player transcends his sport to the point that the actual sports becomes a sidebar. There's no sports figure I care that much about. But that's another issue for another day.
I'm more interested in the newest Nike-Tiger TV ad. If you've seen it you know it's something very different for this campaign. I have to admit that my first reaction was that it was all rather creepy. In the ad Tiger never says a word. He just kind of looks out at you without emotion. Nothing positive, nothing negative. He just kind of stands there while this voice talks. My second reaction was "Whose voice is that?" because it was clearly not Tiger's. As it turns out it's the voice of Tiger's late father Earl. That's an interesting choice because Earl was clearly the most important voice in the process that made Tiger the golfer that he has been. For a lot of us there's always that voice from our past that we "hear" guiding us as we face life, the voice of that one person who played a pivotal role in our growth. For me, like Tiger, that voice is my father's. So in a time when Woods is being forced to face the greatest failure of his life it's the appropriate voice to have speaking. My third reaction was after I'd heard the spot a couple times. It struck me that I wanted the questions to be harder. If Tiger was going to put his appeal for redemption on TV for everyone to see I did not want to feel like any punches were being pulled. And when the toughest question is "What did you learn" it felt too easy.
In the end the real question is about why Nike decided to get involved this way. They were one of the corporate sponsors who DIDN'T bail on him. The reason for that is probably simple business. Nike has a lot of money invested in their Nike Golf brand and that brand is deeply intertwined with Tiger Woods. Drop Tiger and you have to re-build the brand from the ground up. The cost of that decision is enough to make even Nike flinch. Now the question is was the decision to create the kind of ad they did gutsy or just in bad taste? I'll admit I'm torn on that question. I am sure of one thing from watching this ad. Tiger should have been listening to his father's advice a whole lot sooner than now.
Call that the view from the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
The ongoing national nightmare of Tiger Woods continues. No, I'm talking about the absurd coverage of the Masters where sports networks very often skipped mentioning who was actually LEADING the tournament so they could keep us up to date how Tiger was doing. It astounds me when a single player transcends his sport to the point that the actual sports becomes a sidebar. There's no sports figure I care that much about. But that's another issue for another day.
I'm more interested in the newest Nike-Tiger TV ad. If you've seen it you know it's something very different for this campaign. I have to admit that my first reaction was that it was all rather creepy. In the ad Tiger never says a word. He just kind of looks out at you without emotion. Nothing positive, nothing negative. He just kind of stands there while this voice talks. My second reaction was "Whose voice is that?" because it was clearly not Tiger's. As it turns out it's the voice of Tiger's late father Earl. That's an interesting choice because Earl was clearly the most important voice in the process that made Tiger the golfer that he has been. For a lot of us there's always that voice from our past that we "hear" guiding us as we face life, the voice of that one person who played a pivotal role in our growth. For me, like Tiger, that voice is my father's. So in a time when Woods is being forced to face the greatest failure of his life it's the appropriate voice to have speaking. My third reaction was after I'd heard the spot a couple times. It struck me that I wanted the questions to be harder. If Tiger was going to put his appeal for redemption on TV for everyone to see I did not want to feel like any punches were being pulled. And when the toughest question is "What did you learn" it felt too easy.
In the end the real question is about why Nike decided to get involved this way. They were one of the corporate sponsors who DIDN'T bail on him. The reason for that is probably simple business. Nike has a lot of money invested in their Nike Golf brand and that brand is deeply intertwined with Tiger Woods. Drop Tiger and you have to re-build the brand from the ground up. The cost of that decision is enough to make even Nike flinch. Now the question is was the decision to create the kind of ad they did gutsy or just in bad taste? I'll admit I'm torn on that question. I am sure of one thing from watching this ad. Tiger should have been listening to his father's advice a whole lot sooner than now.
Call that the view from the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
An Open Letter to Ben Roethlisberger
Dear Ben,
Let me introduce myself. I'm a regular guy who's old enough to be your father. I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area and I'm a life long Steelers fan. I'm also the father of a daughter. You can probably guess where this is going.
I won't waste any time trying to pretty this up. That's not Pittsburgh style.
What the hell were you thinking?
Let's start with a football metaphor. You've managed to avoid the legal sack. You know how those go. Sometimes you make a good move and get away. And sometimes you're just damn lucky. Instead you've managed to throw a stupid interception. The kind when you look down field to your receiver and tap your chest. That one was on you.
I don't know what happened. I'm just going on what reliable sources like the D.A. down in Georgia tell me. Yeah she was drunk, on the verge of blacking out drunk. Not making good decisions. She shouldn't have gone there. So what? You the know the difference between a man and a dirt bag? A man tries to protect people when they're vulnerable. The dirt bag tries to take advantage.
Seems like you maybe had a couple too. Maybe you think that gets you the "making poor decisions" defense as well. Sorry. Call me old school but a man's responsible for his own actions. Over the last 8 months you've put yourself into positions where bad things might happen. Those are both on you.
As for your apology I noticed you managed to avoid apologizing to the fans or the city of Pittsburgh. You know, the folks who now get to hear people say about our team and our city "Oh that's where that dirt bag QB plays". You still owe us an apology.
Let me throw you a bone. You did one thing right this week. A good decision.
Much better haircut. I mean really, a mullet? What the hell were you thinking?
Folks from Pittsburgh are a forgiving bunch generally. You should know that there's a lot longer history of baseball than football in the Steel City. And in baseball it's 3 strikes and you're out. Show us that you've learned your lesson. Show us that you've changed and decided to act like a man. Pittsburgh once turned itself around from some literally dark days. We've got a thing for stories about re-making yourself. So you've got a shot. Don't screw it up.
Let me introduce myself. I'm a regular guy who's old enough to be your father. I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area and I'm a life long Steelers fan. I'm also the father of a daughter. You can probably guess where this is going.
I won't waste any time trying to pretty this up. That's not Pittsburgh style.
What the hell were you thinking?
Let's start with a football metaphor. You've managed to avoid the legal sack. You know how those go. Sometimes you make a good move and get away. And sometimes you're just damn lucky. Instead you've managed to throw a stupid interception. The kind when you look down field to your receiver and tap your chest. That one was on you.
I don't know what happened. I'm just going on what reliable sources like the D.A. down in Georgia tell me. Yeah she was drunk, on the verge of blacking out drunk. Not making good decisions. She shouldn't have gone there. So what? You the know the difference between a man and a dirt bag? A man tries to protect people when they're vulnerable. The dirt bag tries to take advantage.
Seems like you maybe had a couple too. Maybe you think that gets you the "making poor decisions" defense as well. Sorry. Call me old school but a man's responsible for his own actions. Over the last 8 months you've put yourself into positions where bad things might happen. Those are both on you.
As for your apology I noticed you managed to avoid apologizing to the fans or the city of Pittsburgh. You know, the folks who now get to hear people say about our team and our city "Oh that's where that dirt bag QB plays". You still owe us an apology.
Let me throw you a bone. You did one thing right this week. A good decision.
Much better haircut. I mean really, a mullet? What the hell were you thinking?
Folks from Pittsburgh are a forgiving bunch generally. You should know that there's a lot longer history of baseball than football in the Steel City. And in baseball it's 3 strikes and you're out. Show us that you've learned your lesson. Show us that you've changed and decided to act like a man. Pittsburgh once turned itself around from some literally dark days. We've got a thing for stories about re-making yourself. So you've got a shot. Don't screw it up.
Book Review - Lamb by Christopher Moore
Having said that "Lamb - The Gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" is an intensely funny and very warm and loving look at the person of Joshua (Jesus) from his birth to his death and a little beyond. The apostles take some heat as do at least one angel and the BVM gets a little bit dinged but I laughed out loud repeatedly while reading the book. At the end I had a wonderful warm human feeling for the "character" of Jesus that doesn't come through very often in the Gospels. This isn't a serious theological study of the life of Christ but in some ways it's a wonderfully funny and theological look at the life of Christ. In his afterword the author says he didn't write the book to change anyone's mind about their faith but that if you decided to treat everyone else a little nicer that would be fine.
I have no doubt that this book will send plenty of my brothers and sisters in faith right over the edge of frothing at the mouth insanity. That's too bad. Moore actually does a wonderful job of REALLY talking about the position and problems of being fully human and fully divine. How do you think that would work during the Messiah's teen years? It had some interesting moments Moore suggests. He takes on what might have happened during the years that are blank prior to Jesus beginning his ministry and the question of what happened to Joseph.
In the end I walked away with a wonderful feeling for the very human Jesus struggling with something I can not even imagine. Some may claim that this book will destroy people's faith. I say it will only destroy the faith of people who believe in brittle, fragile images of the Divine. Or whose faith is pretty brittle and fragile in its own right. I came away strengthened in my belief and have had a good long laugh along the way.
Works for me.
Peace
Sabbatical - Discipline, that dirty word
I have been working on the project even if I haven't posted much of late. Just the way there were tons of post at the beginning I think you'll see a bunch here at the end as well.
Time to talk about the elephant in the room. In order for any of what I've talked about so far or am preparing to talk about to work you have to actually do it. And do it regularly. With intention. As a matter of routine. That's right you have show a little discipline to make it a discipline.
The problem is that for many, maybe even most of us, the word discipline means "forcing me to do things I don't really want to do" or possibly "punishment". Well how about these definitions:
From FreeDictionary.com
If using the word discipline makes you uncomfortable then feel free to use something else. What you can't lose is the concept that this is something that needs to be done. It is important. So whether it's a "practice", a "routine" or a "rule of life" (my favorite) it is something that needs become part of your life. So the question becomes how do we go about doing that? In a world where most of us already have too much to do how do we shoe horn one more thing in?
First I would suggest we take a look at all those things we do. How many of them are necessary? How many of value? And how many are just trivial, silly time wasting events? You're going to find that a bunch of things you really like are in that last category (at least if you're being honest). Watching TV, playing video games, messing around on the computer or smartphone are just a few examples. If you honestly do not have a single minute of your day spent in trivial pursuits then you're either in need of a long vacation or already disciplined enough to jump right in. For the rest of us we need to do the inventory and then determine how things get moved around.
Notice I didn't say to eliminate anything. It is quite possible that you'll decide to drop something when you take a good honest look at what you do but that's entirely up to you. In fact by establishing your own Rule of Life you may discover that you are better able to enjoy all the things that you like doing. Even the trivial, silly ones.
At the heart of our spirituality you will find the fingerprints of St Benedict of Nursia. It was from his guidelines that the basic outline of the Book of Common Prayer is drawn. Benedict was a lay person who founded several communities for monks in his native Italy. As his communities grew Benedict saw the need to bring some routine to their lives to insure that things got taken care of and that time was available to get all the work of the community done. While many of us think of monastic life as being very strict and rigid that really wasn't Benedict's goal. In fact he says
That sounds like a much more desirable discipline! The purpose of a Rule is to help us place our lives more firmly in a pattern that brings us into the presence of God. When fully implemented we are in that presence not only in times of formal worship or prayer but always. Everything we do becomes a part of our life in prayer, our life of prayer.
The great thing about The Rule of St. Benedict is that it's quite brief. He puts 73 chapters into a mere 67 pages that I'm using as a reference. And to be honest while reading all of it offers a good learning opportunity there are large sections of it that simply don't concern us. The Sleep Arrangements of Monks (chap. 22) or The Qualifications of a Monastery Cellarer (chap. 31) can safely be skimmed or perhaps even skipped.
The discussion of a Rule needs much more room to breathe. I'm trying to keep these posts to manageable length so let me end this one here. I'll come back to Benedict and then show a possible new shoot growing his venerable root in my next post.
Peace
Time to talk about the elephant in the room. In order for any of what I've talked about so far or am preparing to talk about to work you have to actually do it. And do it regularly. With intention. As a matter of routine. That's right you have show a little discipline to make it a discipline.
The problem is that for many, maybe even most of us, the word discipline means "forcing me to do things I don't really want to do" or possibly "punishment". Well how about these definitions:
From FreeDictionary.com
Merriam-Webster.com offers:1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.2. Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control.
4 : training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character6 : a rule or system of rules governing conduct or activity
Interesting that one lists these concepts as the first and second definitions while the other pushes them way down the list and actually says that the use of the word in relation to "instruction" is obsolete.
If using the word discipline makes you uncomfortable then feel free to use something else. What you can't lose is the concept that this is something that needs to be done. It is important. So whether it's a "practice", a "routine" or a "rule of life" (my favorite) it is something that needs become part of your life. So the question becomes how do we go about doing that? In a world where most of us already have too much to do how do we shoe horn one more thing in?
First I would suggest we take a look at all those things we do. How many of them are necessary? How many of value? And how many are just trivial, silly time wasting events? You're going to find that a bunch of things you really like are in that last category (at least if you're being honest). Watching TV, playing video games, messing around on the computer or smartphone are just a few examples. If you honestly do not have a single minute of your day spent in trivial pursuits then you're either in need of a long vacation or already disciplined enough to jump right in. For the rest of us we need to do the inventory and then determine how things get moved around.
Notice I didn't say to eliminate anything. It is quite possible that you'll decide to drop something when you take a good honest look at what you do but that's entirely up to you. In fact by establishing your own Rule of Life you may discover that you are better able to enjoy all the things that you like doing. Even the trivial, silly ones.
At the heart of our spirituality you will find the fingerprints of St Benedict of Nursia. It was from his guidelines that the basic outline of the Book of Common Prayer is drawn. Benedict was a lay person who founded several communities for monks in his native Italy. As his communities grew Benedict saw the need to bring some routine to their lives to insure that things got taken care of and that time was available to get all the work of the community done. While many of us think of monastic life as being very strict and rigid that really wasn't Benedict's goal. In fact he says
"In drawing up its regulations we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome...Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation. It is bound to be narrow at the outset. But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God's commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love" (From the Prologue of "The Rule of St. Benedict")
That sounds like a much more desirable discipline! The purpose of a Rule is to help us place our lives more firmly in a pattern that brings us into the presence of God. When fully implemented we are in that presence not only in times of formal worship or prayer but always. Everything we do becomes a part of our life in prayer, our life of prayer.
The great thing about The Rule of St. Benedict is that it's quite brief. He puts 73 chapters into a mere 67 pages that I'm using as a reference. And to be honest while reading all of it offers a good learning opportunity there are large sections of it that simply don't concern us. The Sleep Arrangements of Monks (chap. 22) or The Qualifications of a Monastery Cellarer (chap. 31) can safely be skimmed or perhaps even skipped.
The discussion of a Rule needs much more room to breathe. I'm trying to keep these posts to manageable length so let me end this one here. I'll come back to Benedict and then show a possible new shoot growing his venerable root in my next post.
Peace
View From the Phlipside - Just Bad Advertising
My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, Radio, the Movies and more. I love them and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this the View From the Phlipside.
Every once in a while I come across an ad campaign and just scratch my head in puzzlement. There's always some kind of process to create a campaign. At least a couple people bouncing ideas off each other, honing promising pieces until you have the moment when everyone looks up and goes "Yeah". At least that's how it's supposed to work. Yet somehow some really weird campaigns still get loose on the world.
I was driving recently up in Buffalo when I saw a billboard for a radio station up there. I'll save them the embarrassment of naming them and just say they use a station "brand" that's designed to make them sound edgy and independent, go their own way, do their own thing kind of image. Which would be cool unless you know that people have been using that same "brand" all over the country for about a decade now. A quick check shows at least a dozen stations using it in the U.S. and Canada. It's stock, it's standard, it comes with a whole package. In other words it is NOTHING like it pretends to be. What got me was the supposedly cool billboard liner they are using. I'll clean it up a little in case the kids are with you "We don't take any "crud" but we play some". Okaaaaaaay. A little further down the road we hit another billboard for them. This one says "Come for the good songs, stay till the bad ones end".
Really?
So they want you to know that you should listen to them while admitting right up front they KNOW that they play cruddy songs. Once upon a time I was a music director at a radio station. I knew that everyone wouldn't like every song I programmed but I would never play a song that I thought was "crud". Why would I do that to my listeners? Why would I do that to myself?
So I guess the concept is we are SO COOL that we can play anything we want (yet another station image statement I discover) if it's a bad song. The concept is very simple, we run this radio station for us. If you want to hang out with the cool kids then you'll listen to whatever we play. This is radio marketing taken straight from every bad high school TV show of all time. The jocks and the cheer team are in charge of the music and you nerds and other assorted losers just need to be happy that a radio station can't give you a swirlie.
How's it working for them? The most recent ratings I can find put them in 11th place in the market overall. So I guess they can play what they want. And we get to listen to what we want, which appears to be pretty much anyone else.
Call that the View from the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
Every once in a while I come across an ad campaign and just scratch my head in puzzlement. There's always some kind of process to create a campaign. At least a couple people bouncing ideas off each other, honing promising pieces until you have the moment when everyone looks up and goes "Yeah". At least that's how it's supposed to work. Yet somehow some really weird campaigns still get loose on the world.
I was driving recently up in Buffalo when I saw a billboard for a radio station up there. I'll save them the embarrassment of naming them and just say they use a station "brand" that's designed to make them sound edgy and independent, go their own way, do their own thing kind of image. Which would be cool unless you know that people have been using that same "brand" all over the country for about a decade now. A quick check shows at least a dozen stations using it in the U.S. and Canada. It's stock, it's standard, it comes with a whole package. In other words it is NOTHING like it pretends to be. What got me was the supposedly cool billboard liner they are using. I'll clean it up a little in case the kids are with you "We don't take any "crud" but we play some". Okaaaaaaay. A little further down the road we hit another billboard for them. This one says "Come for the good songs, stay till the bad ones end".
Really?
So they want you to know that you should listen to them while admitting right up front they KNOW that they play cruddy songs. Once upon a time I was a music director at a radio station. I knew that everyone wouldn't like every song I programmed but I would never play a song that I thought was "crud". Why would I do that to my listeners? Why would I do that to myself?
So I guess the concept is we are SO COOL that we can play anything we want (yet another station image statement I discover) if it's a bad song. The concept is very simple, we run this radio station for us. If you want to hang out with the cool kids then you'll listen to whatever we play. This is radio marketing taken straight from every bad high school TV show of all time. The jocks and the cheer team are in charge of the music and you nerds and other assorted losers just need to be happy that a radio station can't give you a swirlie.
How's it working for them? The most recent ratings I can find put them in 11th place in the market overall. So I guess they can play what they want. And we get to listen to what we want, which appears to be pretty much anyone else.
Call that the View from the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Preach it Brother!
Great commentary on Christians by a Christian (Chris Tse). Tough stuff but very much on target. LANGUAGE ALERT! you have been warned.
I believe this is Chris's blog
I believe this is Chris's blog
Thursday, April 8, 2010
View From the Phlipside - The End of 24
My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, Radio, the Movies and more. I love them and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this the View From the Phlipside.
I was kind of surprised when I heard that Fox TV was canceling the show "24". Not surprised at the cancellation, the end comes for all TV shows eventually, but by the fact that the announcement kind of came and went without a lot of hoopla. Over the years the show has drawn solid ratings and lots of rabid fans (of which I am NOT one) so I expected more screaming and yelling when the announcement was made.
To make sure I hadn't missed anything I went online and snooped around looking for outraged fan sites, petitions to "force" Fox to change its mind, blogs filled with threats and dire predictions for the network. Didn't really find any of it. And that got me to thinking.
The official reasons for the cancellation are pretty standard. Ratings down by 16%, creative fatigue among the writers, a five million dollars per episode cost for the network. It really didn't take much to make out the writing on the wall. But I wonder if there isn't something else going on here too.
You see Jack Bauer, the hero of the show, is really a Bush era figure. Bauer takes Barry Goldwater's comment that "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice" to, well, an extreme. He snapped necks and tortured people all in the defense of the Red, White and Blue. He will do, in his own words, "...whatever it takes..." to achieve his goals. Along the way a lot of Americans made him a hero and the show won Emmys, Golden Globes and Screen Actor's Guild awards. Yet somehow after a relatively short run (8 seasons technically although they are short seasons by traditional standards) the glitter seems to have worn off.
I wonder if it's because we've changed our point of view on the kind of "at any costs" patriotism that Bauer represents. The idea that the American Ideals of freedom and justice under the law can be defended by such means no longer feels right to a growing percentage of the population. There is a growing concern about where the dividing line is between the good guys and the bad guys. I have to wonder if that's not the final nail in the coffin for the series. The hardcore fans are still there but the middle and casual fans are starting to feel like maybe they need a new neighborhood.
For fans of the show there is some good news. Fox will continue the series through the end of the season eight "day" so you won't get story line interruptus. And the word is that series star Kiefer Sutherland is definitely interested about moving the concept to the big screen. So a "24" movie may be on the horizon.
Meanwhile we'll have to find someone else to protect democracy.
Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
I was kind of surprised when I heard that Fox TV was canceling the show "24". Not surprised at the cancellation, the end comes for all TV shows eventually, but by the fact that the announcement kind of came and went without a lot of hoopla. Over the years the show has drawn solid ratings and lots of rabid fans (of which I am NOT one) so I expected more screaming and yelling when the announcement was made.
To make sure I hadn't missed anything I went online and snooped around looking for outraged fan sites, petitions to "force" Fox to change its mind, blogs filled with threats and dire predictions for the network. Didn't really find any of it. And that got me to thinking.
The official reasons for the cancellation are pretty standard. Ratings down by 16%, creative fatigue among the writers, a five million dollars per episode cost for the network. It really didn't take much to make out the writing on the wall. But I wonder if there isn't something else going on here too.
You see Jack Bauer, the hero of the show, is really a Bush era figure. Bauer takes Barry Goldwater's comment that "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice" to, well, an extreme. He snapped necks and tortured people all in the defense of the Red, White and Blue. He will do, in his own words, "...whatever it takes..." to achieve his goals. Along the way a lot of Americans made him a hero and the show won Emmys, Golden Globes and Screen Actor's Guild awards. Yet somehow after a relatively short run (8 seasons technically although they are short seasons by traditional standards) the glitter seems to have worn off.
I wonder if it's because we've changed our point of view on the kind of "at any costs" patriotism that Bauer represents. The idea that the American Ideals of freedom and justice under the law can be defended by such means no longer feels right to a growing percentage of the population. There is a growing concern about where the dividing line is between the good guys and the bad guys. I have to wonder if that's not the final nail in the coffin for the series. The hardcore fans are still there but the middle and casual fans are starting to feel like maybe they need a new neighborhood.
For fans of the show there is some good news. Fox will continue the series through the end of the season eight "day" so you won't get story line interruptus. And the word is that series star Kiefer Sutherland is definitely interested about moving the concept to the big screen. So a "24" movie may be on the horizon.
Meanwhile we'll have to find someone else to protect democracy.
Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
View From the Phlipside - Behind the Pay Wall I Go
My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, Radio, the Movies and more. I love them and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this the View From the Phlipside.
It was less than a month ago that I talked about the whole question of on-line ads, subscription services and pay walls as the mainstream print media try to figure out how to stay afloat in the new electronic media age. And I've talked before about the need for all of us to realize that we're going to have to start paying if we want to see the content continue. All of it very academic and intellectual. Till last week.
I grew up just outside Pittsburgh PA and even after 25 very happy years here in southwestern New York I'm a Pittsburgh boy at heart. So I regularly check the Pittsburgh Post Gazette web site. Especially for sports news. By far my favorite team are the sad and pitiful baseball Pirates. Post Gazette beat writer Dejan Kovacevic does a great job covering them and has a wonderful blog at the newspaper. Which in less than a month will move behind the pay wall at the PG. And yes my first reaction was negative.
Upon further review I realize that I need to grow up and face the facts. When the announcement was made lots of folks complained about having to pay for "free stuff". Let's get something straight, the stuff on the world wide web isn't free. Someone is paying for it. If they don't ask you pay that's their choice, not your right. For a business like the Post Gazette they need to make sure that the on-line content pays its own way. That's Business 101. Given that you get access to everything behind the pay wall for the low price of approximately 11 cents a day (less than $40 a year) that strikes me as a bargain.
In fact I rather like the approach that the Post Gazette is taking. With the PG+ service you get the extra sports stuff, news commentary, economics, some lifestyle stuff, interactive forums and some member bonus stuff. That's things like discounts with local Pittsburgh businesses, shows, dining, golf and more. Knowing that they would have to sell the concept the newspaper is trying their best to offer value. The business model isn't perfect (folks with subscriptions to the hard copy version still have to pay more for the on-line and they're not happy about that) but it's an intriguing place to start.
As of yet none of our local papers have moved toward the pay wall experiment. This question is still very much open as to how newspapers will be able to make money AND provide the level of coverage we expect. The only question for me is where I'll find the $35.88 it costs to stay plugged in to my home town.
Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
It was less than a month ago that I talked about the whole question of on-line ads, subscription services and pay walls as the mainstream print media try to figure out how to stay afloat in the new electronic media age. And I've talked before about the need for all of us to realize that we're going to have to start paying if we want to see the content continue. All of it very academic and intellectual. Till last week.
I grew up just outside Pittsburgh PA and even after 25 very happy years here in southwestern New York I'm a Pittsburgh boy at heart. So I regularly check the Pittsburgh Post Gazette web site. Especially for sports news. By far my favorite team are the sad and pitiful baseball Pirates. Post Gazette beat writer Dejan Kovacevic does a great job covering them and has a wonderful blog at the newspaper. Which in less than a month will move behind the pay wall at the PG. And yes my first reaction was negative.
Upon further review I realize that I need to grow up and face the facts. When the announcement was made lots of folks complained about having to pay for "free stuff". Let's get something straight, the stuff on the world wide web isn't free. Someone is paying for it. If they don't ask you pay that's their choice, not your right. For a business like the Post Gazette they need to make sure that the on-line content pays its own way. That's Business 101. Given that you get access to everything behind the pay wall for the low price of approximately 11 cents a day (less than $40 a year) that strikes me as a bargain.
In fact I rather like the approach that the Post Gazette is taking. With the PG+ service you get the extra sports stuff, news commentary, economics, some lifestyle stuff, interactive forums and some member bonus stuff. That's things like discounts with local Pittsburgh businesses, shows, dining, golf and more. Knowing that they would have to sell the concept the newspaper is trying their best to offer value. The business model isn't perfect (folks with subscriptions to the hard copy version still have to pay more for the on-line and they're not happy about that) but it's an intriguing place to start.
As of yet none of our local papers have moved toward the pay wall experiment. This question is still very much open as to how newspapers will be able to make money AND provide the level of coverage we expect. The only question for me is where I'll find the $35.88 it costs to stay plugged in to my home town.
Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
View From the Phlipside - Windows 7 Miracle?
My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, Radio, the Movies and more. I love them and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this the View From the Phlipside.
I must first admit to having a certain cynical attitude towards new operating systems from the folks at Microsoft. In my experience you should probably avoid any new OS for at least a year from its launch. The reason is simple. Over the last several decades it seems like the folks from Redmond Washington insist on doing their final beta testing on their actual customers. The new OS arrives and is immediately followed by a wash of patches and security fixes and other little bits of mending that just make having that new addition to the Windows family seem like more of a pain in the butt than it's worth. So I usually hang onto what's familiar till things seem to settle down. At the moment I'm still running XP on my machines because by the time Vista seemed to get settled in they were already talking about Windows 7. I just figured I'd wait.
If the early results are any indicator that was a good decision. But I may have to forget about my one year waiting period. I'm a regular reader of a very interesting blog called Lifehacker. It's aimed at the moderately to very geeky and covers not only technology issues but other cool stuff. Like how to make your own Thin Mints. A pretty cool and quirky diverse selection of topics.
Recently they asked their very computer savvy readers how they liked the new Windows 7. When I saw the answer my jaw about hit the floor. 72% gave Windows 7 their highest positive rating. Another 22% gave it the second highest positive rating. You heard me right, 94% of the readers who responded gave it an overwhelmingly positive review. Just to make sure I waited a couple days and went back to check the comments expecting howls of outrage. Nope, more love for the new OS. There were in fact a few complaints but they were so trivial (and so geeky. One person complained because they didn't like the anti-aliasing that was used on some of the graphics. If that means nothing to you don't worry. It's something only a geek would be bothered by. Not that there's anything wrong with geeks.)
Is it just because people are so unhappy with Vista (which, to be fair, turned into a decent if not spectacular OS by most estimations after the buffing and polishing was done)? Or did Microsoft finally get something right straight from the box for a change? There was a different process used to create this system, one that also worked very well apparently on the latest version of Office. That would make two flagship pieces of software getting high marks from the beginning.
Hmmmm, maybe it's time to start looking at some new hardware to run this hot new software. Never thought I'd see the day.
Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
I must first admit to having a certain cynical attitude towards new operating systems from the folks at Microsoft. In my experience you should probably avoid any new OS for at least a year from its launch. The reason is simple. Over the last several decades it seems like the folks from Redmond Washington insist on doing their final beta testing on their actual customers. The new OS arrives and is immediately followed by a wash of patches and security fixes and other little bits of mending that just make having that new addition to the Windows family seem like more of a pain in the butt than it's worth. So I usually hang onto what's familiar till things seem to settle down. At the moment I'm still running XP on my machines because by the time Vista seemed to get settled in they were already talking about Windows 7. I just figured I'd wait.
If the early results are any indicator that was a good decision. But I may have to forget about my one year waiting period. I'm a regular reader of a very interesting blog called Lifehacker. It's aimed at the moderately to very geeky and covers not only technology issues but other cool stuff. Like how to make your own Thin Mints. A pretty cool and quirky diverse selection of topics.
Recently they asked their very computer savvy readers how they liked the new Windows 7. When I saw the answer my jaw about hit the floor. 72% gave Windows 7 their highest positive rating. Another 22% gave it the second highest positive rating. You heard me right, 94% of the readers who responded gave it an overwhelmingly positive review. Just to make sure I waited a couple days and went back to check the comments expecting howls of outrage. Nope, more love for the new OS. There were in fact a few complaints but they were so trivial (and so geeky. One person complained because they didn't like the anti-aliasing that was used on some of the graphics. If that means nothing to you don't worry. It's something only a geek would be bothered by. Not that there's anything wrong with geeks.)
Is it just because people are so unhappy with Vista (which, to be fair, turned into a decent if not spectacular OS by most estimations after the buffing and polishing was done)? Or did Microsoft finally get something right straight from the box for a change? There was a different process used to create this system, one that also worked very well apparently on the latest version of Office. That would make two flagship pieces of software getting high marks from the beginning.
Hmmmm, maybe it's time to start looking at some new hardware to run this hot new software. Never thought I'd see the day.
Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Sabbatical video check week 5
Another good week to report on. Quickest one yet! Looking forward to the next several weeks.
Friday, April 2, 2010
A Joyous Easter wish
I'm going to set aside my sabbatical project for a couple days. For those of us for whom this is our great holy day I wish you a blessed Easter morning! For those of us for whom this is a day of chocolate and fun I wish you a wonderful day as well.
Blessings on all here!
Peace
Blessings on all here!
Peace
Sabbatical - Hands on Prayer ideas
Looking at some traditional ideas as starting places for a personal faith practice. The following struck me as well:
- The calendar of saints, feasts and Holy days. Christianity has been around for just shy of two centuries. Along the way we've accumulated some history and tradition. But outside of the biggies - Easter, Christmas and Epiphany I'd be willing to bet that most of us can't name too many more beyond that. For example April 1, 2 and 3 of each year are associated with Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest, James Lloyd Breck, Priest and Richard, Bishop of Chichester. Any ideas why those three are given special recognition in our church calendar? I know that Maurice is a theologian because an online quiz told me my theology was closest to his. You now know everything I know about F.D. Maurice. While everyday of the year doesn't have a feast or saint a fairish number do. You'll find men and women, mystics and martyrs, rather a lot of clergy but some lay people too. A study of those who have gone before might be the place to offer a very interesting way of deepening our understanding and relationship. If you add in some special consideration for the seasons of the year (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter Sunday and Easter Season, Pentecost and the season After Pentecost) I think you'd be well on your way to putting together a year of faith filled reading, thought and prayer.
- The cycles of prayer - There is an Anglican cycle of prayer which will lead through a daily prayer for every diocese in the Anglican Communion world wide. You can download the files from the Anglican Communion website (HERE) along with several other resources. This is a process that can offer a more extended cycle for your prayers (for example my diocese - Western New York - last came up in the cycle on December 8 2009 and doesn't roll back around till December 9 2011). Each day in the cycle is also connected with the lectionary so there's a scripture connection for your consideration as well. For anyone whose thoughts are for the wider world here's a way to connect with folks who share our spiritual roots around the world. And for those of us with limited attention spans it's quite literally something new every day. I would also note that there are often diocesan cycles of prayer (I'm actually taking a bit of flyer on that one. I know we have one and I assume that it's a common practice. If it isn't I'd wonder why not? If you're not sure poke around, ask a few questions). Again it helps remind us that we are part of a greater body. In our diocesan cycle we pray not only for the congregations but the agencies, ministries and staff (even Youth Missioners!)
Sabbatical - More thoughts on Hands On Prayer Resources
A continuation of my thoughts on yesterday's post:
This past lent Father Eric Williams from St. Luke's Jamestown has done a rather interesting approach to a Bible study that I want to share. He has taken the Daily Lectionary as his reading. The cool twist on this is that he then summarizes what he gains from the day's reading in the form of a Tweet (a 140 character long post on the micro-blogging site Twitter. (Fr. Eric's Twitter Feed) I love this concept for a variety of reasons. First, reflection on the reading is always important no matter what kind of approach you take. But not every one is as long winded as I am (pipe down in the peanut gallery). At only 140 characters (and each space is a character) you don't have to write a lot but it forces a certain amount of discipline on you. (The previous sentence is 137 characters. FYI) Beyond that imagine a community of folks, studying scripture independently but then sharing their insights through a twitter feed. Of course you could do the same thing on a larger scale through a Facebook group, a blog or any number of other digital means.
- Bible Study - I've come to believe that for some folks these remain two of the most frightening words in the Christian lexicon. The reason is that too often what is presented as a Bible study is so incredibly dull and un-engaging that folks simply can't face it any more. So a couple thoughts:
- Figure out why you're doing it. If the best you can do is basically "Because I'm supposed to know the Bible" you might as well quit now. It's going to be dull and a chore and you're going to quit relatively soon anyway. Save yourself the agony. Let me suggest a couple of much better reasons that will give you a much more intriguing approach to your next study (of whatever portion of scripture you choose.) If you're familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality test you know that one of the distinctions made is Thinking vs Feeling. (Before anyone gets all worked up I am using a grossly simplistic version of the MBTI. I'm not doing the basic concepts any violence however). Think of it as Head and Heart. Some folks approach life from a Head point of view, others from the Heart (we are in fact a balance of the two, usually with a greater weight on one side than the other). Each type can approach scripture in a way that will help them connect more deeply. So think in these terms:
- Head - seek the wisdom and truth revealed in the passages you're reading. What is the passage trying to teach me? What can I use in my daily life?
- Heart - seek a relationship with Christ. Find in the passages what Christ wants for you and your life. How do I walk more closely with the Divine based on what I'm reading now?
This past lent Father Eric Williams from St. Luke's Jamestown has done a rather interesting approach to a Bible study that I want to share. He has taken the Daily Lectionary as his reading. The cool twist on this is that he then summarizes what he gains from the day's reading in the form of a Tweet (a 140 character long post on the micro-blogging site Twitter. (Fr. Eric's Twitter Feed) I love this concept for a variety of reasons. First, reflection on the reading is always important no matter what kind of approach you take. But not every one is as long winded as I am (pipe down in the peanut gallery). At only 140 characters (and each space is a character) you don't have to write a lot but it forces a certain amount of discipline on you. (The previous sentence is 137 characters. FYI) Beyond that imagine a community of folks, studying scripture independently but then sharing their insights through a twitter feed. Of course you could do the same thing on a larger scale through a Facebook group, a blog or any number of other digital means.
- Another interesting approach (also pointed out to me by Fr. Eric) is useful for two primary groups of people - those for whom reading is a burden and those with time problems. Not everyone enjoys reading, for a variety of reasons. And some people just don't have the time to add in a block set aside to just sit quietly and read. So what to do? How about audio versions of the Bible (or whatever but I'm dealing with Bible study here)? The versions available are amazing. Bible Gateway offers 6 different English versions (KJV, NIV, CEV, NASB, TNIV, ESV), there are other online KJV (Here as an example). Those are all free. There are also paid versions you can get on CD or as MP3 (Check out The Message for under $15). With this you can be free of the burden of reading or be able to do other things with scripture as your soundtrack. Any of the rest of your practice could be exactly the same. An MP3 version could be loaded onto your computer or your iPod/MP3 player and be with you pretty much any where. You could be in your car or sitting in an airport or listen during lunch breaks.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Sabbatical - Hands on Prayer resources
I said I wanted to transition to more hands on stuff this week. So here's the easy bit. A couple years back as part of a parish wide look at personal prayer St. Luke's Jamestown produced a very useful booklet called "Lord, Teach Me To Pray". The book is made up of 5 presentations done as a series of workshops. They are:
Lord Teach Me.pdf"
You'll find a solid, easy to read description of the method of prayer, how to get started, various options plus additional resources. As you can see I was one of the presenters (as was my lady wife). The methods outlined give you a nice range of options that cover a variety of styles.
Now these are all very "traditional" methods of prayer and personal practice. Some of them have had a resurgence of interest recently but the reality is that these are practices with long histories. I know that some folks get very nervous about some of them as well. There is a perception in some spheres of Christianity that "meditative" prayer is an alien form (and for the really nervous you'll see it referred to as "Satanic"). This is patently wrong. Sorry to be so blunt (actually my first couple versions of that sentence were even blunter. Somewhat lacking in charity as well, lol) but there's no two ways around it. Christians have been using forms of meditation for centuries. As folks in the Anglican tradition of spirituality we are open to all the historic methods and should be willing to at least examine other methods to test if they are consistent with our belief and traditions.
So what is their place in the "21st Century"? Same place as always. Useful, proven tools that can help people find a deeper relationship with and understanding of the Divine. While they may not work for everyone there's a reason why 1: they've survived until today and 2: we've seen this growth in interest in this day and time. There's a connection to what has gone before that works for many people. There's value still to be found in them.
Later this week I will add some additional thoughts on a couple of things. Some thoughts on Bible Study and two other ideas you could use as a framework for prayer/contemplation.
- Ignatian
- Prayer Book
- Contemplative
- Lectio Divina
- Anglican Prayer Beads (Rosary)
Lord Teach Me.pdf"
You'll find a solid, easy to read description of the method of prayer, how to get started, various options plus additional resources. As you can see I was one of the presenters (as was my lady wife). The methods outlined give you a nice range of options that cover a variety of styles.
Now these are all very "traditional" methods of prayer and personal practice. Some of them have had a resurgence of interest recently but the reality is that these are practices with long histories. I know that some folks get very nervous about some of them as well. There is a perception in some spheres of Christianity that "meditative" prayer is an alien form (and for the really nervous you'll see it referred to as "Satanic"). This is patently wrong. Sorry to be so blunt (actually my first couple versions of that sentence were even blunter. Somewhat lacking in charity as well, lol) but there's no two ways around it. Christians have been using forms of meditation for centuries. As folks in the Anglican tradition of spirituality we are open to all the historic methods and should be willing to at least examine other methods to test if they are consistent with our belief and traditions.
So what is their place in the "21st Century"? Same place as always. Useful, proven tools that can help people find a deeper relationship with and understanding of the Divine. While they may not work for everyone there's a reason why 1: they've survived until today and 2: we've seen this growth in interest in this day and time. There's a connection to what has gone before that works for many people. There's value still to be found in them.
Later this week I will add some additional thoughts on a couple of things. Some thoughts on Bible Study and two other ideas you could use as a framework for prayer/contemplation.
View From the Phlipside - Death Video
My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media. TV, Radio, the Movies and more. I love them and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this The View From the Phlipside.
A tragic story from a month or so ago continues to reverberate as the news media fights with the victims family over video taken of the event. As much as I love the protections given to the media by our Constitution I'm not sure I'm on their side in this case.
The videos concern the death of Sea World trainer Dawn Brancheau by a killer whale named Tilikum. For reasons unknown the animal, which has been involved with at least a couple other human deaths, dragged the young woman into the pool during a public performance where she drowned. Cameras at the park recorded the entire performance including the trainer's death. The battle over the tapes began almost immediately.
The split on the question isn't particularly surprising. The media would like a look at the video. It was a news event and there is a record of it. On the other side is the Brancheau family who can not imagine anything worse than having the death of their family member replayed over and over and over. The legal question comes down to how Florida can deal with the issue since the videos are part of the investigation and therefore potentially part of the public record. The Florida Sunshine Law may require that they be released.
My question is why? Not from the legal point of view, a judge will decide that. Why do we need to see them? What possible benefit is there for society? There is a small protion of the population that enjoys watching death, there's even a name for it, death porn. It is a sick and twisted past time that does not require or deserve public support. There's a larger portion of the population that simply fall into the voyeur category, the kind of person who can't stop themselves from rubber necking at a car accident. I don't think we need to feed that tendency either. There is no legitimate news value in this tape. There is no benefit to society and a considerable potential cost. Let the police get the information that they need, let Sea World discover what they can to improve the safety of their parks for animal and human alike. Then destroy the video. History has more than adequately recorded tragic deaths like this for centuries without the benefit of having the ability for endless instant replays. Any desire to watch this young woman's death comes from the darkest recesses of the human soul. I don't believe the Constitutional protections were intended to protect our rights to diminish and demean ourselves and others.
The court will hear arguments on releasing the video April 5. My fervent hope is that the judge will agree or barring that that the media will have the good sense not use what comes into their hands. But I wouldn't lay money on that possibility.
Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
A tragic story from a month or so ago continues to reverberate as the news media fights with the victims family over video taken of the event. As much as I love the protections given to the media by our Constitution I'm not sure I'm on their side in this case.
The videos concern the death of Sea World trainer Dawn Brancheau by a killer whale named Tilikum. For reasons unknown the animal, which has been involved with at least a couple other human deaths, dragged the young woman into the pool during a public performance where she drowned. Cameras at the park recorded the entire performance including the trainer's death. The battle over the tapes began almost immediately.
The split on the question isn't particularly surprising. The media would like a look at the video. It was a news event and there is a record of it. On the other side is the Brancheau family who can not imagine anything worse than having the death of their family member replayed over and over and over. The legal question comes down to how Florida can deal with the issue since the videos are part of the investigation and therefore potentially part of the public record. The Florida Sunshine Law may require that they be released.
My question is why? Not from the legal point of view, a judge will decide that. Why do we need to see them? What possible benefit is there for society? There is a small protion of the population that enjoys watching death, there's even a name for it, death porn. It is a sick and twisted past time that does not require or deserve public support. There's a larger portion of the population that simply fall into the voyeur category, the kind of person who can't stop themselves from rubber necking at a car accident. I don't think we need to feed that tendency either. There is no legitimate news value in this tape. There is no benefit to society and a considerable potential cost. Let the police get the information that they need, let Sea World discover what they can to improve the safety of their parks for animal and human alike. Then destroy the video. History has more than adequately recorded tragic deaths like this for centuries without the benefit of having the ability for endless instant replays. Any desire to watch this young woman's death comes from the darkest recesses of the human soul. I don't believe the Constitutional protections were intended to protect our rights to diminish and demean ourselves and others.
The court will hear arguments on releasing the video April 5. My fervent hope is that the judge will agree or barring that that the media will have the good sense not use what comes into their hands. But I wouldn't lay money on that possibility.
Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
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