Wednesday Wisdom

It's not too late.
Unless, perhaps, we haven't learned.

John

Thursday Theology

I often think that Thursday Theology is a poor label for these posts because it is obvious that I am no theologian, nor do these posts in any way fit into a framework that could be considered as theological.

Unless...

Unless you think of theology as something other than a study of God and the religion that a majority of the theologians analyze and break down.
And that would be me.

I see theology as a seeking to understand The Divine and the relationship between humankind and The Divine. I truly have more questions than I have answers as I seek this understanding. The answers I receive only seem to give evidence that no (or few) theologians have a great understanding of God and how God relates to us. It seems to me that their idea of God is far too small to actually be God.

And so I continue to seek and to understand with my own weak brand of what qualifies as real theology.

John

What does your idea of God say about you?

Five People

One of the blogs that I visit regularly made reference to this quote this weekend:

It got me thinking.
First of all -- I can't think of 5 people that I spend time with.
Secondly -- are authors, bloggers, social media connections counted in the people you spend time with? Same with phone contacts or text messages? Or news outlets?
And finally -- While I understand the thought, isn't this really just a bullshit thing that sounds nice or is there some real documented evidence of this?

Certainly, we are influenced by people that we are surrounded by and the stuff we read or listen to, but do we choose to surround ourselves with people and information that affirms who we are or that challenges who we are?
If we assume that this is a true statement -- Who are your five people, and do they make you a better person or a worse person than you are on your own?

Overall, I think I do a good job of shielding myself from toxic people. Most of the time I just stay away from all people. Yesterday, I actually went to church for the first time in a very long time. Today I will be going to a ballgame. 
But being out where people are isn't the same as being with people in a way that influences behavior. I suppose an exception should be made about church people, but that's not necessarily a good thing.

There is a line in the Bible that says -- Bad company corrupts good character. 
We should be careful about the people we choose as friends. 
Maybe we also need to think about why people would choose to include  or exclude us from their friend circle.

John

#ThingsthatmakeyougoHmmm

State of Mind

When I look at the state of the United States of America I become disheartened by the politics, the division, and the overall lack of regard for the well-being of the country and the global community. I am truly embarrassed by the bullshit coming from our nation's capital.
When I look at the state of religion I am equally disheartened. Radical, nationalized Christianity is no different than radical Islam and in no way resembles the beliefs and practices of its origins.

People suck.

I'd like to say that I am encouraged by the good acts of people that stand up for each other and are kind to one another. But in truth, the good deeds of good people barely make a dent in the evil deeds of the powerful.

I will spend another day away from people. 
I will work in the yard and listen to music from the past (classic rock).
I will celebrate the seeds going in the ground and the flowers that are emerging.
I will wait patiently for the return of the hummingbirds and migrating butterflies.
I will connect to the Creator through creation.
Today is a day of self preservation.

Yeah, it is sad when one's personal religion means staying away from people and from the news that impacts the world. Unfortunately, this is my current state of mind.
My new religion of Be Kind and Do Good from earlier this week will have to wait while I bulk up for the exposure to the world outside of my small 5 acre plot in Highlandville MO.

Maybe Fr Rohr's words are more hopeful and less discouraging than my own. Even so, they do convey a frustration with religion and religious people.

Be well, my friends.
Take care of yourselves.

John

Ash Wednesday

Ashes to ashes
Dust to dust

If I'm being honest, I've never really understood the ashes part. If we're looking to the Bible I can see that we were created from the dust of the land, but ashes? Where did that come from? 
(answer -- The Book of Common Prayers)

I don't think it really matters. It just reminds me that the whole Lenten season is more made up, controlling church bullshit. Ash Wednesday became the beginning of 40 days of fasting (not counting the 6 Sundays) leading up to Easter that we call Lent. While pre-Easter fasting was a thing for a few centuries, this particular Papal decree began in the year 601 of the Common Era. The 40 days are representative of Jesus' days in the wilderness.

I don't think that the Lenten season is without merit. Reflection and repentance are good things. I plan on purposefully doing both this year -- examining my spiritual life (which is really just my life) and repenting (the biblical changing how I think) where I need it.

I have reached out to a few pastors or spiritual leaders that I respect and will meet with them to ask questions about areas where I have been struggling. I would like to find someone for each of the six weeks of Lent and may continue the practice beyond the Lenten season.
Fasting is no longer a common practice among Christians, nor is it a common practice in Western culture. It has been quite a number of years since my last serious fast, but is something I am considering.

I am going to participate in Nadia Bolz-Weber's #40DaysofGoodShit (a Lenten practice for cranky people). It's really creating awareness of the good people and things that are in our everyday lives that we often overlook.
My Day 1 is waking up on the deck after sleeping outside last night. The temperature was just a couple of degrees below 60 (15c) and I slept well. It was the second night this month that I've slept outside. Yes, I am looking forward to spring!

There isn't anything here to qualify for a Wednesday Wisdom post. I could probably find a meme or quote to slap on it, but I think I'll let it slide this week. 
Or offer these simple words of comedian Emily Catalano -- Life is short and we are ... butt dust.

John

February in the Ozarks!

Yesterday was coffee on the deck.  
Today I'm by the fireplace!
Must be February in the Ozarks!

No worries, though. Every day in February is a day closer to spring!
And I know there will be fewer freezing nights in the weeks to come.

I used the warmer days to do a little garden prep for some vegetables and sunflowers.
I also scattered some seeds from last year's cone flowers (Echinacea). I need to do some work in the flower beds -- cut back the Rugosa rose bush, clean out last year's zinnia stems. and re-rock and mulch the compass rose flower bed. There is plenty to do for the remaining days of February and for early March.

I have the recycling stuff loaded into the truck and will be making my way to Springfield to take it in. I have a little bit of glass and the center in Ozark doesn't take glass. Also, I need to make the Springfield run to pick up and drop off the shelter laundry anyway. I suppose it is good to have something to do on a day that's a little cool to be gardening.
It isn't really too cool to be gardening today. It's just too cool to be working outside in shorts and a t-shirt!

And I've been purposely people-ing --
Breakfast with a friend on Monday, dinner with small group tonight, Chaplain lunch meeting tomorrow and maybe Barchurch tomorrow evening. 
What is going on?

I ran across this quote for a little Wednesday Wisdom.
I wonder if you can be happy and be a philosopher.
Hmmm...?

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 "He who learns but does not think, is lost!
He who thinks but does not learn, is in great danger."
--Confucius

Communication: Is it a lost art?

I think that people often communicate to deceive.
We have gotten so used to listening to people that try to control us by manipulative speech, that we have accepted that as normal and have maybe even started to communicate with others by trying to say what they want to hear while meaning something very different.

I doubt that most politicians or religious leaders (remember when those were very different kinds of people?) would agree with Quintilian. It seems that intentional ambiguity is the way of public speaking these days.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

Reassurance or research
 

John

Thursday Theology

Something simple for today's theology post.
I truly believe that the best theology is simple and easily understandable, while still giving us something to think about.

Live life well today.
Be kind.
Be grateful.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

I thought that a traveling themed meme might be appropriate for a Wednesday Wisdom post while visiting Puerto Vallarta.

May all of your journeys be good ones.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

A life of relative leisure is certainly a privileged thing to have, whether it is living here in Puerto Vallarta as some of our friends do or living in rural SWMO as we do. We got to meet up with some of our PV friends last night and I am really happy for them and the life that they have here. 
One of the conversations last evening centered around identity and how it can make retirement difficult for some people that identify themselves by the work they do. 
I think this is more prevalent in the US than it is in other cultures and countries.

For me -- one of the more difficult things about adjusting to retirement was just finding a new rhythm of daily life. Apparently some people also need to redefine who they are.

Who are you?
Wouldn't it be nice if we could be who we are without feeling like we have to meet the expectations of others?
What if we (as a society) didn't place expectations nor judgments on one another and just let each person manage life in their own way?
What if we didn't have to have a purpose, achieve goals, accumulate wealth, or be successful by societal standards to have worth?
What if we didn't focus on doing and just enjoyed being?

What if... ?

John

Wednesday Wisdom

There is nothing wrong with being awake (woke) and aware.
Being asleep and being ignorant is a far worse thing.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

John

You, be you.

I think we are too often stressing ourselves out by trying to be the person others expect us to be.
On the other hand, we often expect other people to be a certain way to live up to our expectations.

If you are kind to people because they are kind to you -- that's not kindness. That's business.
Maybe we should feel free to be the person we are without letting other people make the determination for us.
You can be kind to people that are not nice people. 
You can be generous to people that can't pay you back.
You can be respectful to people that might not be respectful themselves.
You only get to determine who you are.
You do not get to determine who they are.

You might want to read those last two lines again.
Here's a suitable meme for that...

And because recent events in the US have been focused around free speech, I thought I'd include a bonus gem. You get to have your opinions and free speech, but others get to freely disagree, laugh at you, and mock you if they are ridiculous.

Be you
but be careful.

John

"Who loves ya, baby?" -- Kojak

I know.
I'm old.
Many readers have never heard of Kojak or the actor Telly Savalas that played the NYPD detective that sucked on lollipops and and always used the line -- "Who loves ya, baby?"

I started by thinking about -- Whom do you love? and How do you show it?
I could ask -- Whom do you hate? -- but people would just lie about that. 
So how about this -- Who loves you, baby? 
And how do you know it? What do they do to demonstrate their love for you?

I ask these questions because it seems that so much of what people say these days doesn't match up with what they do. Christians often use the line -- Love the sinner, hate the sin -- but they don't really love the sinner. They exclude people with certain sins from their fellowship. They vote for politicians that actively oppress those sinners. Their actions tell their truths while their words are just lies that they justify with some bullshit made-up religious garbage.

There is no hate like Christian love.

Is it really fair to say you are not a racist when you support, follow or defend someone that is?
Can you really say that you love a queer person when you support legislators and legislation that actively oppresses them and may even make life less safe for them?
If someone is working against your best interests, would you think that person loves you?

Honestly, today's John doesn't even care if you claim to be a Christian or not. I would stand with, work with and defend a hundred persons of different faiths or of no faith or atheists that actually care about and love their fellow humans rather than stand with the hypocrites that claim to love in the name of Jesus but do nothing to prove their words true.

If people knew you, if they watched you and you couldn't tell them anything -- would they feel like you love them?

It is a struggle for me to spend a lot of time with people. I am learning to see good in people and that isn't really the issue. I think that oftentimes it is more about whether or not they will see the good in me or will Ugly John make an unscheduled appearance and destroy what I have built on the ashes of that old, judgmental creed that I have set aside.

The funny thing about growing past your past is that it is always back there lurking and waiting to drag you back -- even if only for a moment. I suppose it is a good reminder that I was there and that I need to have grace for those that still are, and hope that they will evolve or grow, as well.
I believe that as I have become more contemplative I have also become more caring and more loving. I am grateful for the privilege to have the time and means to be contemplative and meditative. God knows (and so do most people that know me) that I have a long way to go. 

Figuring out who loves me is way easier than demonstrating love towards others.
I'm going to go ahead and post this now, on Saturday night. Tomorrow is National Back to Church Day and while many churches have been busy inviting people and will be hoping to welcome large numbers of people back to church -- The Venues isn't doing church tomorrow. We will be being the church. 

No church service tomorrow, just community service. We will gather together early at The Venues and then disperse throughout the city and take care of different needs in our community. Then we will meet back at The Venues around lunchtime and we will have a party. 
Serving the community and having fun.
James, the brother of Jesus said something about showing our faith by what we do. I think it also works if you take out faith and put in love.

John

Thursday Theology -- but not really

This quote is more about religion than it is about theology, but it definitely should make one examine their own religious beliefs and actions.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 Definitely a worthwhile goal

Have a grand day!

John

Wednesday Wisdom and Fair Warning

"Fools multiply when wise men are silent." --Nelson Mandela

It seems that there are fewer people that are willing to remain politically silent in recent days. Many elected republicans are really hearing it from their constituents as the Big Beautiful Bill threatens to impact lives in varying negative manners. I am surprised at the Congressmen and women that have admitted that they didn't know something was in the bill or that they didn't read the entire bill before voting for it.
I know that they often don't actually read bills before voting on them and rely heavily on their staff to tell them what is in each bill, but it seems weird to actually hear the admissions. 

I don't know if this is really an issue of wise vs foolish as much as it is about informed and ignorant, or maybe kind and cruel, or powerful and oppressed.
One thing is for certain -- there isn't anything godly about the bill as Speaker Johnson wants us to believe. Well, I suppose if you recognize that his god is power...

I know that I often find myself in that silent majority of people that have remained relatively quiet about the fascist takeover of our government. Like many others, I find myself in a deeply red area and there is never a majority (silent or otherwise) that stands against whatever the GOP is doing nationally. 
However, I have to admit that silence is growing tiresome and willful ignorance is starting to really piss me off.
I'm okay with political differences, but this is no longer about politics. It is now about whether or not we remain a constitutional republic or we become something more authoritarian. 

I don't believe there are many (if any at all) far right readers of this blog at this point. Most of my evangelical contacts from the past have long since declared me a heretic and left me to my eternal condemnation.
In any case -- fair warning! 
I may be including more politically triggering posts from time to time.
Also, I have been using my social media less often recently and hope to continue that decline. If you are reading this from a Facebook or Bluesky link, you may want to consider subscribing to this blog or just checking back on a regular basis.

Let's not be silent
Let's end the foolish proliferation of the ignorant.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

It's late. but it's still Wednesday...

John