The Mennonite Central Committee is a very impressive group of people living out their faith in some very practical but important ways. I've been impressed by their worldwide efforts in the past, and was happy to read about their recent efforts to fight destructive mining habits within the U.S. Between that and the British announcement about global warming (unfortunately it was economically rather than humanitarianly based, but what else is new in the terrible world of capitalism), I'm feeling rather upbeat about being an agent for change today. Add into the mix the nasty moustache I grew for my Halloween outfit, and I would have to say that I am feeling invincible!
Happy Halloween, you heathens!
Matt
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
New Movie
This new Dixie Chicks movie looks pretty interesting. Check out the trailer!
Peace,
Matt
Reads: Recently read Camus' The Stranger, and am currently reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.
Peace,
Matt
Reads: Recently read Camus' The Stranger, and am currently reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Finding Truth in our Stories
This was a great quote in Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue that I think can really speak to the Christian life as well as life in general:
"Man is in his actions and practice, as well as in his fictions, essentially a story-telling animal. He is not essentially, but becomes through his history, a teller of stories that aspire to truth. But the key question for men is not about their own authorship; I can only answer the question 'What am I to do?' if I can answer the prior question 'Of what story or stories do I find myself a part?'"
I know I'm a decade (or even decades) late in announcing this sort of thing, but we still need to recognize that we are involved in a grand narrative written by God. We have to find our spot in a mixture of stories all corresponding in the here and now. I believe this includes everything from the garden in Genesis to the Reformation, from 1776 to 9/11. The difficulty is in bringing a plethora of stories together and trying to bring coherence to all of them. But I think the more stories we recognize and inhabit, the more we move into some form of truth. Then the question becomes 'how do we live in community with people who all live into many of the same stories, but also many different ones?'
Does that make sense? Any thoughts?
Peace,
Matt
Recently Read: John Adams by David McCullough and Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. Last night I read Chris Seay (and friends') new book The Dust off their Feet and found it to be a complete let down. I really don't even know what else to say about it.
Currently Reading: Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. I've also been slowly reading through Richard Foster's Prayers from the Heart which is a great prayer book!
"Man is in his actions and practice, as well as in his fictions, essentially a story-telling animal. He is not essentially, but becomes through his history, a teller of stories that aspire to truth. But the key question for men is not about their own authorship; I can only answer the question 'What am I to do?' if I can answer the prior question 'Of what story or stories do I find myself a part?'"
I know I'm a decade (or even decades) late in announcing this sort of thing, but we still need to recognize that we are involved in a grand narrative written by God. We have to find our spot in a mixture of stories all corresponding in the here and now. I believe this includes everything from the garden in Genesis to the Reformation, from 1776 to 9/11. The difficulty is in bringing a plethora of stories together and trying to bring coherence to all of them. But I think the more stories we recognize and inhabit, the more we move into some form of truth. Then the question becomes 'how do we live in community with people who all live into many of the same stories, but also many different ones?'
Does that make sense? Any thoughts?
Peace,
Matt
Recently Read: John Adams by David McCullough and Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. Last night I read Chris Seay (and friends') new book The Dust off their Feet and found it to be a complete let down. I really don't even know what else to say about it.
Currently Reading: Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. I've also been slowly reading through Richard Foster's Prayers from the Heart which is a great prayer book!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
A Prayer From Richard Foster
Praying this prayer this morning felt more open and honest than anything that could come out of my own mind, though I think something similar was already in my heart...
"Spirit of the living God, be the Gardener of my soul. For so long I have been waiting, silent and still - experiencing a winter of the soul. But now, in the strong name of Jesus Christ, I dare to ask:
Clear away the dead growth of the past,
Break up the hard clods of custom and routine,
Stir in the rich compost of vision and challenge,
Bury deep in my soul the implanted Word,
Cultivate and water and tend my heart,
Until new life buds and opens and flowers.
Amen."
Peace,
Matt
Recently Read: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, On Christian Liberty by Martin Luther, The Call to Discipleship by Karl Barth, and Night by Elie Wiesel. I've also read a massive load of Yoder articles, speaches, outlines, etc in the past few weeks and plan to read more in the coming weeks.
Currently Reading: After Virtue by Alasdair C. MacIntyre.
"Spirit of the living God, be the Gardener of my soul. For so long I have been waiting, silent and still - experiencing a winter of the soul. But now, in the strong name of Jesus Christ, I dare to ask:
Clear away the dead growth of the past,
Break up the hard clods of custom and routine,
Stir in the rich compost of vision and challenge,
Bury deep in my soul the implanted Word,
Cultivate and water and tend my heart,
Until new life buds and opens and flowers.
Amen."
Peace,
Matt
Recently Read: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, On Christian Liberty by Martin Luther, The Call to Discipleship by Karl Barth, and Night by Elie Wiesel. I've also read a massive load of Yoder articles, speaches, outlines, etc in the past few weeks and plan to read more in the coming weeks.
Currently Reading: After Virtue by Alasdair C. MacIntyre.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
