Here is a sampling of my meanderings around the blogosphere over the last week or so:I’m a newcomer to Melissa Hatfield’s blog, but after reading Open a Vein, I’ll be back. Here’s a taste: “It seems often that Christians don't want to bleed. There doesn't seem to be much blood-letting in the Church these days. Few people speak honestly of hurts and pains. Even fewer people confess their failures or the temptations that they struggle to shake. We put a lot of work into making sure no one knows we bleed. How tacky and weak to open a vein in the Church.” Believe me, you want to read this short-but-great piece in its entirety. Very powerful.
After feeding gators in Florida (yes, we Southerners have some odd ways to pass the day), Rev Abi reflects on the alligators we encounter in everyday life, including church. Worth the read.
A post about trying to decide who’s to blog what over at Andrew Jones’ Tall Skinny Kiwi spawned an interesting conversation in its comments section about some of the dangers the emerging church movement is facing. In particular, I resonated with the problem of getting stuck “talking about talking”—where we don’t do anything we talk about. It was this post that turned me on to Emerging in Ludlow, who pointed me towards Simple Church—two more blogs I’ve added to my visit-again list.
It was something like that “talking about talking” thing that LT at The Heresy expresses when he says he wants to stop talking and start moving. I’ve got that itch to stop talking about all this thinking and do something myself.
Awhile back, Kevin Miller posted a piece on Out of Ur about spiritual formation. What model does Miller recommended for spiritual formation in our time? The monastery. Say what? Miller explains: “What would happen to your life if you lived in close geographical community and relationship with other people; if you lived in submission to authority; if you practiced silence and simplicity and discipline; if you regularly read the Bible and prayed and meditated on what you read; if you made study part of your life; and if you worked hard in some daily occupation, seeing your labor as full of dignity and offering it to God? At least Saint Benedict thinks you’d become a healthier human being and godlier Christian. And 1,500 years of history would prove him right.” Here’s another image to add to my kingdom collection.
Finally, if you’re in the mode to meander around the infobaun, check out these sites. Hat tip to Claw of the Conciliator for pointing to pop culture and religion site Thunderstruck, which leaves you just that. Wow. And hat tip to Mirathon for the heads up on Speculative Faith (in which she also participates), where “speculative” literature (which “covers fantasy, science fiction, and allegory in all forms: short story, novella, novel, screenplay, and poetry”) is explored from a Christian perspective.
That’s it for now.
(Image: RN Marshman on Wikipedia)
