In San Francisco

I'm in the city after my annual check-up with my Presbytery's committee on preparation. All is well, and the cafe au lait is delish.

Technorati Tags: San Francisco, California, Presbyterian Church (USA)

Preemptive Grieving

My good friend David writes:

I feel another kind of sick. It may be difficult to describe, understand, or respond to... but I have had this sinking feeling for the past semester or so. This feeling is attached to my relationship with my cohorts (students at the seminary) and especially within my entering class. Over the past year, as we have taken more electives and less of the core curriculum classes--we have seen less of each other. We seem to be a less cohesive group. We are following our individual calls more (as it should be) and preparing to leave the seminary for parts unknown. There is anxiety entering into this secluded seminary environment... who will find a call, who won't, who will keep in touch, who will abandon the ministry, who will burn out, who will bloom, who will be spirit led and spirit fed?

I share my friend's anxiety. Much of it can be explained by what David wrote, but I also suspect that some the "separateness" that has intruded in our relationships is not entirely the result of conflicting academic schedules, but also a natural result of an unconscious awareness that many of our close temporal relationships will, despite our best efforts, die. Now, I hope this does not happen, but many seminarians have previously experienced the death of multiple relationships as a result of moving into lives of ordained service to the church. We know what it's like to see relationships die, and I wonder if symptoms of separateness are somehow a preemptive, protective response?

In any event, David encourages us to pray for one another. Hear, hear! But let's also celebrate together, hard, before we leave this place. Communion in the Body of Christ ultimately means that none of our relationships will stay dead. We have, after all, the hope of a new heaven and new earth, with renewed relationships girded up by Christ's love for us.

Technorati Tags: Seminary Life, Presbyterian Church (USA), Ministry

Cold Water

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A moving video on Psalm 88 created by Bart Roberts who blogs at emergentHouston.

Technorati Tags: Water, Baptism, Music Video, Sermon, Psalms

Four

Four Fingers Do Not a Hand Make
Originally uploaded by squishband.

"Four Fingers Do Not a Hand Make."

But four does mean no more ordination exams to take.

Technorati Tags: Ordination Exams, Presbyterian Church (USA)

Friends Overlooking the Earth

I don't think I ever posted this shot of some seminary friends. The picture was made from an amazing viewpoint located above the Monastery at Petra (Jordan). From here, we could gaze into the Negev in Southern Israel. © 2006 by Christopher Drew

Friends Overlooking the Earth Originally uploaded by whatnext.

Technorati Tags: Friends, Middle East, Jordan

The Holy Bath

From Paulgi: "The traditional festival in São Bartolomeu do Mar, occurs through out August and culminates on the 24th with the famous “Banho Santo” (Holy Bath), which the locals believe has the power to protect children’s health and alleviate sickness."

05CD36368 Originally uploaded by Paulgi.

Technorati Tags: Baptism

Sting

Ouch.

In his 1908 masterpiece Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton explored the phenomenon of modern theologians who deny the reality of sin. "The strongest saints and the strongest skeptics alike took positive evil as the starting point of their argument," Chesterton wrote. "If it be true (as it certainly is) that a man can feel exquisite happiness skinning a cat, then the religious philosopher can make one or two deductions. He must either deny the existence of God, as all atheists do; or he must deny the present union between God and man, as all Christians do. The new theologians seem to think it a highly rationalistic solution to deny the cat."

There are no cats in The Conservative Soul, the new book by Andrew Sullivan. There is, however, tautology, narcissism, and enough moral relativism to light Manhattan for ten years.

Technorati Tags: Orthodoxy