Thursday Theology and Barchurch

In this past week I met with a couple of different people that were familiar with the original or first modification to Downtown Venues, later referred to as Barchurch -- back when it was actually held in a bar and still brought a simple form of church with it.

Over the years, The Venues' Thursday night gathering has gone through many changes -- leadership, location, lesson format, and community. We won't be meeting tonight. Our current leader said the most holy thing you can do this week is stay home and pass out candy to those that come to your house on Thursday night. Making others (especially children) feel as a welcomed part of our community is a pretty Jesus thing to do.

My early barchurch friends miss the vibe and energy of that generation of what was Downtown Venues. So do I. But when I think of clinging to things of the past I sometimes chastise myself for being a selfish conservative, unwilling to change and adapt to the needs of others.
Maybe we need a support group for us old school barchurch people.
Or maybe we just need to adapt and change with the community around us.
Is there any reason why we can't have both?

That original, organic form of barchurch was such a rare find for me (and apparently several others) that I doubt it could be duplicated. What made it strange was that it was a gathering of people that fed my energy rather than drained it. I could sit at the back bar and just observe and absorb the positive energy of the place. The only thing I ever had to contribute was my presence. 
I'm just realizing that others may have felt that same kind of vibe -- that just being there was enough.

I felt that way about one of the shelters where I volunteered. It also had that good welcoming kind of energy. I wish I knew the formula to bring that feeling about. 
How do you create a place that has such a positive energy that it reaches out and welcomes everybody to enter and offer their presence to the community?

I wish I knew.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

It's a little late in the day for my Wednesday Wisdom post.
I met with a friend for my morning coffee. We had a nice visit and it was good to spend some time together. 
I followed that up by going to see another old friend and order some new eyeglasses. It's been several years since I've ordered new glasses and it was a bonus to be able to order them from a friend.

My Wednesday Wisdom to share is -- contact an old friend. 
Send a text
Make a call
Even go old school and drop a card or letter in the mail.
You'll be glad you did.
So will they.

John

Time for a Cool Change

Today will be the last 80+ (27c) degree day of the year for us in the Ozarks of SWMO. 
In my head, I just said a bad word.

The seasonal changes are just a part of life in the Ozarks.
Tonight is the night for volunteer training for the Crisis Cold Weather Shelters in Springfield. I am going back to being a volunteer rather than working as an overnight staff at one of the shelters. Volunteering will give me a little more control of when I work and allow me to vacate the Ozarks to a warmer climate during part of the winter. And it might provide an opportunity for income for somebody that really needs it.
There are a lot of different volunteer positions that are needed throughout the cold weather season. 
Each night that shelters are open, The Fairbanks shelter needs people for:
Sign-up
Set up/check-in (3)
Overnight 
Check-out (3)
Cleaning crew (2)
Pet transport (3 evening, 3 morning)
Laundry runner
Plus there is a designated staff person and a coordinator for each night.

That's a lot of people for just one of the shelters that is open on nights when the temperature falls below freezing. There are additional shelters that open on nights when temps fall below 20 (-7c).
Other than the overnight workers, no job takes a lot of time,
Other than setting up and breaking down, no job is a lot of work.
But every job is important and needed.
If you can help and would like to volunteer, let me know or check out the Facebook page.
Winter is coming.
Ugh!

John

Find Your True Self

It's hard to believe it, but the long 2024 election cycle is finally coming to an end in just one week.
Politics isn't much of a relaxing, calming topic for meditation, but it is also difficult to avoid thinking about it at this point in time. Reminders of the local, state, and national races are all around us. 

It's been said that we don't have elections; we have auctions.
Given the BILLIONS of dollars that have been spent this election cycle that would seem to be true. Advertising to spread your message is one thing. The hateful bullshit is another.
And the lies! The false advertising is out of control. 
Even the news media is captured by the lies and seems to have no control over confining candidates to address actual facts and policies.

I don't mean to start your week off with a political rant.
My purpose is to remind you to find a place of peace.
Whatever happens in the US elections, the world will go on. 
There will always be good people and not so good people.
Elections have consequences and we will deal with that when the time comes.
We should not look at those on the other side of the political divide as our enemies as is often suggested. Just because some politicians choose to be divisive assholes doesn't mean that we all have to be that way. We can still help one another, serve one another, and be kind to each other. 

Don't let the actions of others change who you are.
Find your true self and be true to yourself.

One week.

John

Thursday Theology

Christianity, as it often is vs Christianity, as it should be

Wednesday Wisdom

 

How I know it's Tuesday (and random other crap)

I know it's Tuesday because I just checked the day/date on my Chromebook calendar. 
Checking my phone or Chromebook is how I generally know what day it is. I don't know if it is a good thing or not that retirement has made every day pretty much the same. If I didn't already know it was Tuesday, I would realize it later this evening when the neighbors start to put their garbage dumpsters out at the street for early morning (Wed) pick-up.

I'm trying to be a little productive these days. I have found my old Pimsleur Listen and Learn Spanish Lessons stored in my Google Drive and just finished day 2. I have started this several times in the past, but I don't think I've ever made it halfway. I am going to try to be more purposeful about learning this time.
If you've taken on learning a second language, how did you do it?
Did you have an app that proved to be successful?
Did you use a program like Rosetta Stone, Babbel, or something else?
Did you take an actual in person Spanish class?
What was/is the cost?
Where did you find the most success?

I'm on day 4 of walking, thanks to my younger sister that talked me into walking daily along with her (except she's in Indiana). After sharing day 3 with her, she let me know that she's taking a few days off due to -- blah, blah, blah. I think I've been had!
I did walk a mile (twice around our lot) barefoot yesterday. I picked up a tiny splinter of something in the bottom of my foot that was a little bothersome and difficult to find and remove. I hate to quit walking barefoot. I guess my feet need to toughen up a bit.

I need to find a learning program for the ukulele that I bought earlier in the year. It's been collecting dust on the mantle for the past few months. 
Suggestions?

It is two weeks until election day. I've avoided the political posts because I honestly don't believe that I can say anything to sway undecided voters one way or the other. 
I expect the presidential election to be very close.
I expect that the House of Representatives and the Senate will remain closely divided.
What I really don't understand is how a party with the smallest majority can say they have been mandated by Americans to do whatever the hell they want to do. In my way of thinking a narrow majority would suggest that they should be working together for all of us, not ruling as if we all agree with their particular party platform or policy.

I'm on book 3 of the 11 book fantasy series I'm reading.
I probably need to add some serious reading to that. Werewolves and wizards, demons and other beings from the immortal realm are entertaining, but not very enlightening.

It's past time to make a trip to the recycling center.
Damn, we use a lot of plastic! I wonder how much of this actually gets recycled.
Plastic, aluminum cans, glass -- which is better for the environment, both from the perspective of production and recycle ability?

Have a good day.
Do something nice for the world.

John

Gratitude

Gratitude.
More and more, my meditation/reflection times turn to gratitude. Honestly, I'm not sure if it's this attitude of gratitude that gives me peace or if it's having found an inner peace that gives me gratitude. Either way, they seem to go hand-in-hand.

I'd really like to say that I have no worries in life, but there are a few things that occupy my thoughts in troubling ways from time to time. I am fortunate that my privileged status brings me back to this place of peace and the worries tend to dissipate or at least, regain some perspective on a solution or acceptance. There really aren't any big issues in my life at this time.

I do think that I need to change my meditative time to something more active. Perhaps a meditative walk rather than sitting on my ever widening ass while meditating would be a good thing. I've walked our property line a few times this past week. It's just short of a half mile -- .47 miles. 
If I begin by going down the deck stairs at the back of the house and walk around to the street it gives me the additional distance to make it a half mile. A second lap around and back to the deck stairs makes 1 mile of up and down, hilly terrain. It's not much in the way of exercise, but it is a starting place for a fat, old man. 
Walking the field doesn't seem very adventurous, but it is pretty mindless and there are no worries about traffic or other distractions. And there is a natural connection to the earth that doesn't always come when walking on the road. Maybe I'll try it barefooted and see how that goes. I know it will be slower, but the retired guy has the time for slower. 

Mobile meditation.
Thinking about better health.
And I'm grateful to be able to enjoy the mobility.

John

Sunday

It's early on Sunday morning and I decided to sit on the deck in spite of the cool morning temperature. Although the sun isn't up quite yet, the coming time change (2 weeks) will bring an earlier sunrise and way too early sunset. You may recall that although I'm not a fan of early sunsets, I am less of a fan of the twice yearly time changes. 
sigh

It appears that we will have some beautiful days this week. It will be comfortable temps to be working or playing outside. I'm not a fan of the evening need for long sleeves or sweaters and I find myself wearing sweatpants instead of shorts and have even had to put on socks a few times. Ugh!

This will be another Sunday morning that finds me absent from church -- no communion, no community, and no complaints. 
Just my quiet, peaceful, life.

However you choose to spend your day, I hope that it is enjoyable.

John

What was the point of Jesus becoming human?

It is late in the day (again) and I'm here wondering about this Thursday Theology thing.
I recently finished Fr Richard Rohr's Jesus' Alternative Plan: The Sermon on the Mount. It was typical Rohr in that it challenges what you've learned and the perspective from which you view things -- in this case, the teaching of Jesus.

If you know me at all or have been following along here for a few years, you already know that my own perspectives on religion, Christianity, and God have changed quite a bit. The Pope recently came under fire for saying that all religions are paths to God and are like languages that are different ways to express the divine.
Yeah, I like that.
And it makes me wonder about Jesus and Christianity.

I really don't think Jesus ever meant for us to follow a religion with himself as the focal point. It seems to me that what he taught was to help us to connect with God; to find God in the world and the people around us. He didn't point us to himself. He pointed us to the Father.
I understand that he had to use the culture of the day and the understanding of the Jewish people. I understand that it is sometimes difficult to translate words across languages, culture, and time. I understand that there is probably a lot of what he taught that I am not going to understand well.
And I understand that much of what he taught wasn't understood by the religious leaders of his time and culture.

One of the great problems of religion is that religious leaders act like they've got it all figured out and too often they are wrong or wrongly motivated to actually lead us to a relationship with or understanding of God.
What if being a Christian isn't about waving a Jesus banner or walking an aisle and saying a magical prayer?
What if Jesus never meant for us to worship him, but just wanted to point us to God and teach us how and where to find him?
What if the Pope is right and people from all over the globe find The Divine (God) in their own language, culture, and religion?
What if Jesus doesn't want to be worshiped by people that stopped at him and never truly found God in the people and world that God created?

You don't have to come at me as if I'm a heretic and spewing blasphemous thoughts and ideas. I'm just sharing the questions that I have. I already know that I don't have things all figured out.
Having said that -- I like the teachings of Jesus as far as I understand them, and I think I have a decent relationship with God.
Finding God in nature is easy.
I do need to work on that people thing, though.

John

Books

It's Wednesday evening, near sunset. The Hunter Moon (October's full moon and this year's largest super moon) will be making its appearance shortly. The outside air temperature is just above 50 (10 for my non-US friends). The deck thermometer still reads 60 (15c) but I think the wall where it is mounted holds a little of the heat from the evening sun. I'm wearing my sweatpants, a t-shirt, jacket, and I'm even wearing socks!
My libation of choice is a simple tequila blanco, neat. I may or may not fire up a cigar when I'm finished typing.

Today I finished the audio book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.
Damn. That's some messed up shit.

Deep down I'd like to believe that humanity is basically good, that we are created in the image of God and have a longing to belong together and thrive together as a species. But after finishing the audio book Where Wolves Don't Die that mentioned some of the atrocities committed upon the Ojibwe peoples, and now this treatment of the Osage -- I just don't know.

The colonization of the West by our European ancestors was brutal. I know that this comfortable home and life of mine are fruits of that brutality, but it is difficult to take pride in how it was obtained. The treatment of the Native American Nations that were here and the peoples that we enslaved and exploited along the way is something all of humanity should be ashamed of.
Sadly, given the hatred and vitriol that I've seen and read about recently, I'm not certain that it would be any different if it were to have happened in our time.

Both were good books but I need something more uplifting, so I just finished the first book in an eleven book fantasy series called The Realm of False Gods. I'm on to book 2.

What are you reading?

John

Thoughts from an Old Guy

Not me...
Willie Nelson!

Star gazing

It's just before sunrise and a brisk 45 degrees (7c) out here on the deck. 
Brrrrr....

I was pretty excited to see comet C-2023 last night. If you haven't seen it yet it is still visible in the western sky just after sunset. I started looking for it a little bit too early, when the sky was still too bright with the fading light. I guess I'd suggest about an hour after sunset. The comet is pretty low to the horizon so you won't have a lot of time once the sky is dark enough.

Here's John's quick guide to finding it:
Once nearly all of the sunlight has faded from the horizon, locate Venus. It will be the bright "star" in the western sky. You'll be able to see it well before the sky is completely dark and it might be a good idea to find it early. Once you've found Venus, look to the right (north) about two spread hand's widths and slightly higher -- 2 o'clockish if Venus is the clock center. There you'll find the next brightest stars on the horizon (Arcturus). At the halfway point between Venus and Arcturus is where you'll find the comet. 
The comet and relatively long tail are pretty faint but still visible to the naked eye. The comet will be closest to the horizon and the tail will be up and to the left (11 0'clock).
Good luck!

I also saw a shooter (meteor) last night. We're just after the Taurids and just before the Orionids so you may see a stray while you are star gazing this week. The Orionids peak between midnight and 4 am on Monday morning. The moon will be bright and inhibit viewing but it should still be a good shower.

I hate watching the summer constellations fade and the winter constellations appearing in the night sky. The winter sky is magnificent, but it is often too cold to enjoy. The Scorpion is setting just after sunset and it is taking the Milky Way with it. 
Sacrebleu!
The winter sky points us away from the center of the galaxy and looks to its outer regions. There are bright stars, magnificent constellations, and other galaxies to view in the winter sky. I sometimes think I should get a better telescope than the beginner scope I bought more than three decades ago. The cosmos are simply fascinating to me.
To be honest, I also find the earth and its slowly changing landscape and not so slowly changing atmosphere and climate to be equally as fascinating. I probably should have stayed in school and studied the earth and the cosmos, but then I would have had a very different life and I'm pretty happy with the way this one has turned out, so...
I guess I'll keep reading and learning and simply enjoying life as it is.

Let me know if you see the comet. If you miss it this time around, you can catch it again in about 80,000 years!

John

Thursday Theology

 

... And yet, here we are.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

The simple art of doing nothing and doing it well.

Celebrity Influence

I've been thinking about how we tend to celebrate or demonize celebrities. It appears that we tend to celebrate the celebrities that agree with us and demonize the ones that don't. 
The real question should be -- Why do we give them any credibility at all on subjects that they know very little about?

Taylor Swift should be a go-to person if you are talking about success in music or entertainment. 
When it comes to politics, you might as well listen to Kid Rock or Ted Nugent.
If you want to know about acting or showbiz - sure, Tom Hanks or Meryl Streep would be great sources of info. But why would you consider their opinion for addressing climate change?
Haliey Welch (hawk tuah girl) might know something about capitalizing on random fame from YouTube videos, but I don't think she's well qualified to address the national economy.

I suppose it is good that many celebrities use the platforms they have to sway public opinions to match their own. Maybe I would do the same. But it seems that social media and streaming platforms like TikTok and YouTube have become equal to news sources for information when they are nothing more than opinion peddlers. 

I like that there are professional athletes that create charitable foundations that give back to the communities that support them. I think that is important and shows their character over those that don't give back in some way. But does giving millions of available dollars to homeless people vs buying a luxury lot make one more or less of an expert on whether or not we should wear masks during a pandemic?

I'm not big on idolizing those that do well in their chosen field.
Like you, I've known people that have had many different jobs -- firefighters, police officers, healthcare professionals, military service, auto mechanics, janitors, fastfood workers, etc. All of those are important jobs. In truth, I rarely thank a veteran or first responder for their service. It's their job and I hope they do it well.
There are many professions that I believe are undervalued which means they are under-appreciated and underpaid. Teachers are probably at the top of my list.

It would seem that the thing we value the most is entertainment. Our professional athletes, actors, musical entertainers, etc., are the ones we greatly value. We devote much of our lives to watching and following them and give them much of our money, as well.

Where do you spend your entertainment time and money?
I've started spending way less time on sports in the past few years. I think it's mostly due to spending less on television packages that include local broadcasts for Cardinal baseball and Blues hockey, but it may also be that those things have become less important to me.
I do enjoy watching MMA fighting and generally spend Saturday afternoon/evenings watching the fights. I have favorite fighters, but none that I would put on a pedestal to give credence to outside of fighting. 
I do wonder why celebrities (or even businesses) would take a chance on putting off half of their fans or customers by making political statements, but to each their own. 

I know I'm cheap. I don't pay for streaming music. I'll listen to Pandora with the ads. I don't pay the additional cost to watch Amazon Prime ad free. I don't have a cable or satellite subscription that includes ESPN or some subscription only news sources.
I do have online subscriptions to The Washington Post and the NY Times. I follow several news sources on X, but don't have the premium ad free version of X.
I'm okay with not listening to anything other than the outdoor sounds around the deck or the gentle wind chimes that hang where the hummingbird feeder once did.

I generally view most other than news sources as having suspect credibility, and am even careful about trusting some journalists and dedicated news sources.

How much news do you believe when it comes from people on streaming services or social media?
What news sources do you trust?
What friends do you trust to check their sources before sharing info on their pages or platforms?
How much misinformation do you have to sort through to find any truth?

John

Monday Morning

It's cool on the deck this morning -- 50ish (10c). I don't mind the sweatpants and sweater. This will be the normal attire as we move forward towards winter. I'm not typically up before the sun breaks the eastern horizon, but Chris had an early appointment so I was awake and decided to enjoy the sunrise.

With last night's temperature reaching below 50 and several more sub 50 nights in the forecast, I guess it is time to bring in some of the warm weather plants. Truthfully, I kind of hate this part of fall gardening. It's not that it is difficult work. It just means that winter is way closer than I care to think about. 
But also -- I'm not really looking forward to the work. 
I think I'll probably take down the zinnias in the picket fence flower bed. I'll leave the downspout beds for the wintering bugs to use. 
I was reading about fall seeding for zinnias and think I'll give that a go in the fence bed. I'll harvest the seeds from this year's flowers, clear the stems and roots, rake up some of the mulch, furrow the soil beneath, plant, cover, and re-mulch. Nothing to it. It's only 110 lineal feet (33m)! 
That'll be a week's (maybe more) worth of work!

Since I have been getting a late start on spring planting the past couple of years, this should give me some much earlier flowers next year. Plus all of the work will be already finished. 
I doubt that a fall/winter greenhouse will happen this year, but I will try to get an early start to planting with some basement pots in February. I'd start earlier, but I hope to be in the tropics for January.

Sometimes (like now) I just sit here and close my eyes. I can feel the warmth of the early morning sun on my face and breathe in the still cool morning air.
Eyes closed; ears opened.
The birds are particularly loud this morning and the Monday morning traffic on the nearby highway tells me the work week is beginning for most of the community around me. The roosters are also letting everyone know that it's morning.
I've just poured a second cup of coffee and I'm going to take some time to contemplate my place in the universe before getting busy with the gardening. Maybe it's simply my place to add a little color to the world in the spring. Planting seeds is such an act of hope and promise.

John

See -- I can people!

Thursday evening I met with The Venues' mid week group at Mother's Brewery in Springfield.
Today we're having company over to the house. 
Tuesday I'm having lunch with a friend.
Thursday is a Clergy Appreciation lunch and volunteer chaplain meeting at Mercy Hospital, Aurora.
Plus I went out for my morning coffee (solo) one day and have run several errands that involved people encounters.
Actually, I feel like I'm doing quite well in the people-ing thing. 

But I am ready for a break before this week's meeting/lunch.
And I have some fall work to do in the yard. It should all work out quite well.
Having said that -- I am usually available for a morning coffee, a midday lunch, or an afternoon drink/cigar. So feel free to text or call me. 

While Sunday morning might seem to be a people-ing day, this former church guy is skipping (again) the weekly gathering. I still struggle (a little) that church gatherings no longer suit me. Funny, but in this case it is not the people part -- it's the church part.
Listening to the morning birds, the distant roosters, and even the highway traffic is a fine way to spend Sunday morning. 

Weather disasters in our country make one very aware of the fragility of both life and lifestyle. It is encouraging to see the outpouring of help to the affected areas. There will always be those that abuse these situations to create profit or to benefit themselves in some way, but for the most part, people are generous and helpful. 
That gives me hope and makes me smile.

John

Kaprekar's Constant

The four digit number - 6174 is known as Kaprekar's constant.

Take any four digits with at least two different numbers.
Arrange them into the highest number and the lowest number.
Subtract the lower number from the higher number.
Using the difference, repeat the process.

You will always eventually wind up at 6174.

Example:
9445
9544 - 4459 = 5085
8550 - 0558 = 7992
9972 - 2799 = 7173
7731 - 1377 = 6354
6543 - 3456 = 3087
8730 - 0378 = 8352     
8532 - 2358 = 6174

And the 6174 will repeat.
7641 - 1467 = 6174

Try it!

John

Thursday Theology

I'm doing coffee out at a little coffee shop that seems to be a gathering place for church people or small groups. It's interesting listening to some of the conversations. I'm not really eavesdropping; they're just not quiet conversations. One of the things that is striking to me is that many of them are very certain of what they believe to be true -- certain enough that an opposing view would be squashed with an abundance of words based on their faith in spite of actual contradictory evidence.

There were also some good open minded questions and thoughtful answers.

I do find people's thoughts on faith to be interesting. I am interested in listening to different thoughts without feeling the need to correct or to interject my thoughts and beliefs into the conversation unless asked to do so.
I haven't always been like this.
I wonder how the thoughts and faiths of these relatively young people will change over time. Giving people the grace to grow and evolve in their faith can be difficult. It is easy to forget the changes that we went through and expect people to get to where we are without the necessary life experience.

I think it's also a little foolish of us to expect someone to adopt our beliefs when their experience and perhaps cultural background is much different than ours.
Is it possible that we each find our own way to the Creator?
Is it even necessary that we find our way to the Creator?
I'm no longer certain that I believe it is.

Just some simple thoughts from a simple man for your Thursday morning consideration.

John

Wednesday Wisdom -- Travel

It is good to be home.
There are so many simple things that just make being home wonderful:
  sleeping in your own bed
  sitting in a familiar chair
  drinking your morning coffee from one of your favorite mugs
  even using your own bathroom!

It was a short visit with Hannah, Jason, and the pups, but we had a good time. This was our first fall trip to the mountains and the brilliance of the yellow aspens against the dark green conifers is truly something to see.
It was unseasonably warm this past week -- upper 80s everyday, so it remained shorts and t-shirt weather. We walked through downtown CO Springs on Friday night and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Saturday we drove up to around 9500' and had a campfire dinner that was tasty and enjoyable. On Sunday afternoon we went to one of my favorite places -- Manitou Springs. It has a bit of the feel of Eureka Springs, AR. It's kind of artsy and hippie-ish with a little mountain man vibe thrown in for good measure.

Although mountain life wouldn't be my personal choice for everyday, I can certainly see the attraction. The wilderness has its own spirituality and way of connecting to the soul. If there was a Venn diagram of urban life, wilderness, and hippie life -- Colorado would be right in the center! I am happy to have someone there to visit and to have a reason to make regular trips to the mountains. This was really an ideal time of year to go.

But it is also good to be home.
Travel.
Go to some different places.
Appreciate the beauty of each place.
Return home better for having seen and experienced a little more of life.

John

This formation is called The Cathedral and was near where we had our campfire dinner. The second pic is from our dinner site. There was a cold stream that ran right next to where we set up our campfire.