Time for a shout-out to some blogging friends ...

It is time for me to give a shout-out to some of my blogging friends. I read all their posts and think you should check them out!

It's Better Left Said
Written by one of the brightest guys from my hometown, he's bright, funny, insightful, and fun to read - whether you agree or not. Check it out HERE


yearns&groans
Will writes from the Bay Area, where he is a priest at Grace Cathedral, and has recently taken on some other roles in the dynamic diocese of California. He is courageous, joyful, and dedicated to peace with justice. Check out yearns&groans HERE.


Scribere Orare Est
Jared writes from the perspective as an Episcopal priest working at Christ Church in Alexandria, VA. He is a great writer, and has a keen theological mind. He is a great fan of Archbishop Michael Ramsey (who I also love) and he has a book upcoming about Archbishop Ramsey's Ecclesiology. Check out his posts HERE, and also consider ordering his book when it comes out.


PoetProph
Kathy writes this blog along with writing and teaching poetry as well as ascetical theology. She is a great writer and a great soul. I have learned much from her and am so glad that she blogs HERE at PoetProph, and also occasionally at the Daily Episcopalian. She also has a new book coming out which I have already pre-ordered: Waving Back: Poems of Mothering Life, is available now for pre-order at the website of Finishing Line Press.


Creedal Christian
Bryan blogs over at Creedal Christian and he has some keen reflections on the goings on of the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church. I learn much from him and appreciate his criticism of some of the "sacred cows" of our current Episcopal Church. While readers may not agree with everything he writes, they will go away knowing more than when they sat down to surf blogland. Check it out HERE.


Where the Wind
Adam is blogging at Where the Wind. He is a bright young man who is serving as an Episcopal priest in West Virginia. He's a good writer and I have appreciated his thoughts. He has recently joined the team of writers at the Episcopal Cafe. I also noticed tonight that he is making a foray into video blogging which should be good! Check out his blog HERE.

Conversation in Christian Community

A friend and mentor of mine, Kathleen Henderson Staudt, has written a fine entry on the Episcopal Cafe blog about conversation in a Christian Community, based on Guidelines that Bishop Mark Dyer laid out at VTS back in December. The guidelines are helpful and offer some good reminders for those of us who work to live in community and conversation, though not always in agreement.

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By Kathleen Henderson Staudt

Shortly before Christmas I attended a forum at Virginia Theological Seminary led by Bishop Mark Dyer. His purpose was to lay out some groundwork for truly faithful and Christ-centered conversations in a community where we do not all agree on matters of theology and Biblical interpretation. Bishop Mark speaks with deep spiritual and theological authority, as an author of the Windsor report, a veteran of ecumenical dialogue with the Orthodox churches, dialogue that is bearing new fruit. He also speaks out of his experience of 15 years as a Benedictine monk, living in community with people who, as he says “may not agree with each other but have to live together.”

In his introductory remarks, Bishop Mark spoke of the problem of “issue possession” in the Church: our tendency to let one issue take hold of us and shut everything else out, as if we were possessed by a demon. Do not be driven by “issue possession,” he urged, but be “possessed by Christ.”

...Here is a distillation of the “basic assumptions for conversation in Christian community” that Bishop Mark laid out for us:

1. Assume that “My partner takes the Bible as seriously as I do.” That is part of who we are as Christians: we are grounded in Scripture. Do not mistake differences in interpretation for differences in desire to be faithful to Scripture.

2. Listen with a Christlike heart. Be guided by 1 Corinthians1, where Paul urges Christlike conversations between schismatic bodies.

3. Be radically honest on what you believe and why you believe it, and let the other do the same. Bishop Mark pointed out that in Ecumenical conversations the point is not to be “nice” but to be truthful. That is the best way to acknowledge our ultimate common ground in Christ. He quoted Orthodox theologian John Zizoulas, a longtime friend partner in ecumenical conversation, who insists that our unity is grounded in our love for one another, in the church of the Triune God.

4. While you are listening, also pray for the person who is speaking: pray for discernment. Be open to the possibility that maybe they are correct.

5. Practice forgiveness and reconciliation as a habit. Think about and discuss how we forgive and find reconciliation with one another.

6. Should the other attribute to you evil intentions, take a deep breath and pray. Who is setting the agenda? Do not let them be your environment. Reach down, find the Christ within you, and only then, speak.

7. Practice daily intercession, as part of a group that meets regularly for conversation and prayer. Covenant to pray for one another daily.

8. Be guided by the Benedictines, who know that they do not agree with each other AND that they have to live together.

Frame the issue you are discussing as clearly as you can, and let everyone say where their heart is on the question, BEFORE any discussion begins. The Benedictine practice is to begin with the youngest and go to the oldest monk. Every monk must say something, even if it is “I have no opinion.” (It seemed to me, listening to Bishop Mark describe this process, that this is similar to a process some know as “appreciative inquiry” or the practice of “clearness committees” in Quaker discernment practice). The key is that there is no dialogue until everyone has spoken.

This kind of approach to conversation feels threatening to those of us who like to “manage” conflict and keep things under control, but it also reflects what is most deeply counter-cultural about the Gospel: that our ultimate identity is baptismal, rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, and that we’re called to live this out, in a way that will witness to our call to radical reconciliation and wholeness. It is counter-cultural but it is real. I am grateful to Bishop Mark for challenging the seminary community to live in this way, and hope what he said may also be a witness and a challenge for the rest of us in the Church.

Dr. Kathleen Henderson Staudt works as a teacher, poet, spiritual director and retreat leader, and teaches courses in literature and theology at Virginia Theological Seminary and the University of Maryland, College Park. She is the author of two books: At the Turn of a Civilisation: David Jones and Modern Poetics and Annunciations: Poems out of Scripture. Her blog is at poetproph.blogspot.com.

From Advent to the Nativity: On the Way to Bethlehem

As I reflect upon the very short transition from the 4th Sunday of Advent (today) to Christmas Eve (tomorrow), I am living in the midst of Expectation (Advent) as I make the transition to the Incarnation (Christmas). [These feelings have even deeper meaning as we are expecting a child to be born later this winter!]

I was so glad to find that a poet friend of mine who blogs over at poetproph, has posted one of her wonderful and rich poems on her blog.

She writes:
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The poem was originally from my book, Annunciations: Poems out of Scripture (Edwin Mellen Poetry Press, 2003). Here is a slightly revised version

On the Way to Bethlehem

The timing could not be worse
But it’s the law. My husband has to go,
Even though I’m well along.
You are lively within me, moving and kicking me.
Your kicking hurts. It wakes me in the night,
Reminds me, as I walk
More and more laboriously,
You are coming soon.

I suppose we are safe enough
After all, it was an angel who came.
Looking back, I have never doubted that.
My husband has been tender, despite my disgrace.
He is sure, too, about the angel.
So I suppose we have no cause to worry.
It’s only my aching back
The sharp pains from your tiny feet,
The smell and press of crowds, and all the delays.

The only thing that matters now, is bearing you safely
Into this messy world
And now even that I cannot control.
I did what I could do, but it’s all left behind.
At home, we had a place prepared for you.
I longed to see you soon.
Then I hoped you would come later, after our return
But now I know for sure that you will be coming
To a place we did not know.

I catch my breath at a sudden squeeze of pain.
My body recognizes the agony,
Already begun.

poetproph: On the Way to Bethlehem

Sunday Blogrollin' .... some blogs I read

Sunday Blogrollin', Logrollin'....on a Sunday in the Fall...

To give this blog a little (but not too much) structure, I'm going to start giving some blog recommendations on Sundays...themes for other days of the week to come soon....

Here are some of the blogs that I read, described here for your amusement and enjoyment, and (sometimes) edification and learning...

CoreyHarris.com
Corey Harris is an absolutely incredible blues and reggae musician who also was an honors graduate of Bates College in Anthropology back in 1991. He was featured in a PBS Documentary by Martin Scorcese on The Blues, and has won numerous awards. He and I graduated from Bates together and I knew him a bit at Bates and had some mutual friends in common. He's currently on tour in France. September of 2007 The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced that Harris is among 24 people named MacArthur Fellows for 2007. The award comes with $500,000 to be given over five years, with no strings attached. You really should check out his music! Here is the video from the MacArthur Foundation.

Father Matthew Presents
Matthew Moretz is an Episcopal priest up in the Diocese of New York and has an amazing ability and gift with making short videos on elements of the church. He can boil down Anglican Theology to a 3 minute YouTube clip, or can breathe life into a visit to a church attic. He is funny, brilliant, and down to earth. Check him out, whether you give 2 bits about the church, or not.

Sojourners and God's Politics
I have long loved to read Sojourners Magazine and their online work at "Sojo.net," now, with a partnership with Beliefnet, Jim Wallis and others are presenting some challenging and wonderful stuff over at "God's Politics Blog." Really helpful stuff for people who want to see transformative change in the world in order to help the poorest of the poor, and all those who are oppressed. There is a lot of good stuff going on here, and some wonderful visionaries are featured here as well. From the Blog's own descrition, "Join the God's Politics dialogue with Jim Wallis and friends Brian McLaren, Diana Butler Bass, Becky Garrison, Gareth Higgins, Shane Claiborne, Mary Nelson, Gabriel Salguero, Tony Campolo, and others."

A Guy in the Pew
I really like this blog that looks at religion, science, and a nice variety of subjects, but many of the posts are about the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. Chuck Blanchard has a really fine take on many of the controversial topics in our church and in our world. I tend to read his postings nearly every day and I marvel at his ability to analyze and reflect upon some important issues. Check out his stuff!! He also writes for the "Episcopal Cafe" Blog over at the Episcopal Diocese of Washington (DC).

PoetProph
I really like this blog by Dr. Kathleen (or Kathy) Staudt. She is a wise spiritual director, great poet, and wonderful teacher. She played a significant role in my own spiritual and religious development while I was in seminary at VTS, and I thank her for her tremendous wisdom and courageous witness. Check out her blog, it's really good. She also blogs every time and again at the "Episcopal Cafe" hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington (DC).

Episcopal Cafe
Ok, now that I've mentioned the "Episcopal Cafe" blog which is hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington (DC, that is), I need to give them some props. The blog started (I think) as a reflection on that short-lived TV Show "Book of Daniel" (or, something of that sort) but now has morphed into a really great Blog site with art, poetry, a daily reading, video clips, and some great Episcopal Church gossip and discussion and dialogue and stuff. I have a good time on this blogsite, but then, I am a church geek. But, I think there is a lot here for just about everyone on the church-geek spectrum...

Slow Leadership
I'm not sure where I first heard about this blog about "slow leadership," though it may have been on the Episcopal Cafe blog (go figure). Wherever I heard about it, this is a blog I read often, as it offers an incredible corrective to the hyperspeed life of a leaders and managers. I find this philosophy of leadership to be harmonious with a Christian theology of leadership while also reminding me of my academic studies of Taoism and even reminds me of the Sufi mystic, Rumi. The blog has some great posts, and some wonderful reflections.

Seminar on Conflict Ecclesiology
I recommend this blog, not just because I am one of the members of this seminar (though I have only written very infrequently on the blog). The reason I really like this effort is that there is some really good analysis and reflection on the issue of Ecclesiology, or "theology of the church," that is, I think so essential for Christians to consider and debate and discuss and pray about in these days that some have called "post-Christian," or at least "post-Christiandom" ... I urge everyone to take a good look at the blog, and then offer your thoughts ... there is a lot here, and it lands pretty far up on the "Church Geek" meter, but I think the discussion is getting into some really interesting and cool topics. Check it out!


Ok, that's about enough for today, but I"ll highlight some more good blogs next Sunday...have a great week!

peace and blessings, Peter