Abi, Paul, Timothy...and subtle humor

Today, I have my dear brother in Christ, Len Hjalmarson, to thank for the inspiration behind this post.  He Tweeted a link to his post that collects important links concerning women in ministry.  Please take a look...particularly at the link to Don Rousu's post, since it is the one that provided my "missing link" moment!

If you have been following me for any length of time, you will have come to learn about my friend and mentor, S. Scott Bartchy...who was gracious enough to preach at my ordination 18 years ago.  His scholarship and friendship over the past 33 years has been so very important to me.  For this post, it is timely to link to this important post of Scott's from two years ago. While his post concerns Paul's letter to Philemon, the importance of what he calls "deep contexting" in paragraph 2.12 is so very important ... and is the point where translators so often fail us.

Go ahead and read it ... I'll be here when you come back.

You will see that Don Rousu has provided a bit of "deep contexting" for the tension-filled text found in 1Timothy 2:11-15.  I'm going to connect it to some teaching I heard and synthesized from Scott and others over the years.  I am sorry that I do not have links.  I am grateful that all the pieces fell into place for me today...even with a sluggish brain.  I only hope to challenge you with another view.

I'm going to start with the end and work my way forward.  To prepare for this, I ask that you follow J. R. R. Tolkien's sage advice to those who would read imaginative works:  suspend your disbelief long enough to enter into the story so as to experience it as the author intended.  Listen all the way through.  Hear the whole tale.  Could it possibly be true?

Ready?

My paraphrase of 1 Timothy 2:11-15, inspired by The Voice, adapted from the New Century Version and building on the deep contexting of Rousu and Bartchy, goes like this: 


¹¹ Let that woman who is troubling your congregation learn by listening quietly and being ready to cooperate in everything. ¹² But I do not allow such a woman to teach or claim that a woman was the originator of or superior to a man, but want her to learn the truth peacefully, ¹³ because Adam was formed first and then Eve. ¹⁴ And Adam was not tricked, but Eve was tricked and became a sinner. ¹⁵ But that woman will be saved through The Childbearing if she continues in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

Need to take a deep breath or two?

It is important to remember a couple of things right off the bat:  this is considered to be a personal letter from Paul to Timothy -- probably a response to a letter from Timothy concerning his ministry in Ephesus.  It is full of insider information and context to which Timothy would have been totally aware.  Timothy would have been completely familiar with Paul's style of rhetoric and his use of humor and other "clever" speech.

The deep context Rousu provides is critical here concerning the culture in Ephesus regarding Artemis/Diana, as interpreted by the Gnostics.  What possibly was being taught by "that woman", among other things, was that women were superior to men because Eve was created first and that, being the Mother of All, she birthed Adam on her own -- with no need of a man. She possibly went further to claim that Eve was the "illuminator" who received "knowledge" from the Serpent and shared it with Adam.  So, they revered the Serpent as the Savior revealer of Truth.

Ugh...the twisting of Truth always comes from reading our own context into the Text, without regard for the deeper context.  This is why it is so important for those who teach to have learned in quietness and cooperation first.  It is just as difficult a task today as it was then.  Sigh....

So here we have Paul, responding to his "son in the Faith" with insightful encouragement and a bit of wit:

• All, men and women, are to be encouraged to learn the Truth in a posture of humility.
• Those who teach falsehoods are to be stopped gently and taught the Truth more fully.
• Just as in Corinth, those in Ephesus had problems with Jesus' new paradigms that subvert their ideas of power and patriarchy. They did not know how to embrace their new situation as brothers and sisters -- joint heirs of God in Jesus.  Where no man is called Father but God and no one is Lord but Jesus.
• As Paul said in 1Corinthians 11 (another passage requiring "deep contexting" and rarely getting it), Adam was created first -- and Eve came from him.  But Adam came from Christ, who created everything.  And Christ comes from God, as the Only Begotten. And now every man comes from a woman in the process of childbirth. It is not about power and hierarchy and authority and subordination, but simply about source in the perichoretic Circle of Life.
• Because Eve did not have enough education, she was tricked by the Serpent and sinned.  There is lots of room to wonder why Adam didn't speak up to defend her ... or why he had not educated her properly ... and, in the end, he went along and ate, too.  The point is to teach well -- without improper embellishment --  and correct error gently as it crops up.
• And in a delicious twist of humor, Paul reminds Timothy that salvation comes -- to that woman (and all humanity) -- through Jesus, who actually was born of a woman (The Childbearing) without the aid of a man!  That woman, if she continues to learn the Truth in faith, love and holiness, with self-control, will be saved.  As will we all....

So there you have it. 

I fully realize that there are a great many scholars who would not agree with me.  Listening for humor, irony, quotations -- this is difficult work in Koine Greek and First Century context.  But we must continue -- especially with the difficult passages that seem out of step with the rest of what Paul teaches and what Jesus lived.  We must all determine that we will learn in quietness of spirit and a humble heart that is open to the Spirit's still, small voice speaking the Truth that will set us free.

I hope that you were able to process this wee post with your disbelief suspended.  I pray that we will allow the Spirit to continue to lead us all into All Truth.  I yearn for the day when we can all truly be brothers and sisters in Jesus, sharing the Good News with those around us that our Father has already adopted them too...even if they don't know it yet! 

Be blessed!

Abi's Post-Election Ponderings....

For a wee purple abbess with neurological over stimulation problems, this election cycle has been a form of torture ... and, now that the pathetic display of deficient active listening and critical thinking skills is not front and center ... a "Third Way" -- you know, the alternative that is always available to polarized people, but is not visible when people have their eyes averted and their ears tuned out -- occurred to me.

Jesus said something about the problem of those who have eyes but cannot see and those who have ears but cannot hear ... that they cannot be healed because they do not realize they are sick.  Years ago I preached a sermon from the Gospel of Mark on this passage -- the one most bibles call the parable of the sower, but I think it is really the parable of the soil -- and I think it would be a very profitable word study for folks to see what the scriptures say about hearing and seeing ... and the consequences for the community when "everyone did what was right in their own eyes"....

The problem in this parable is not with the seed or the sower.  The seed is the Good News and the sower is God ... no, the problem is with the soil -- and whether it was properly prepared to receive the seed.  For our God is a prodigal Father -- extravagant and wasteful is his amazing love for us.  He casts the Seed broadly. He lets the sun and rain fall on the good and the evil doers alike.  He is especially fond of each of us -- even in the midst of our messes.  But he is also one to allow the full weight of the consequences for the decisions his precious Eikons to fall squarely and painfully on their shoulders. It is harsh to watch new plants choked out by weeds or whither in the heat of the sun. We have to learn to live by faith precisely because God does NOT swoop in and save us from our choices, the choices or others, and Mother Nature.  And we are not smart enough to understand what God is up to with his creation.  Truly, we're not.  Let God's strength be shown in the midst of our weaknesses.

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This looks like it's going to take a while -- maybe you might want to get a cup of coffee or tea.  I'll wait for you.  ;^)

* * * * * * *

In the past I have called God the Ultimate Situational Leader -- because of his willingness to adapt his way of leading to our readiness to follow.  But now I am thinking of adding Ultimate Love & Logic Parent to his long list of attributes.

I wish I had learned the principles of Love & Logic before I had children, so that my sons could have had the benefit of this when they were small.  And my husband and I could have saved so much damage to our relationship over how to parent. But they say it is never too late, so we have begun to try to learn to be parents in this way ... and it is no small task to re-parent yourselves so that you can become better parents.  

Anyway...enough of that particular pity party...and on to the point of this post:  the people in our country have become petulant children -- not unlike the two sons described here -- and they are in need of Love & Logic parenting to keep them from self-destructing.

There are basically two types of problem parents:  

• The Helicopters, who are always hovering around the children, ready to swoop in and rescue them from their poor choices.  (This has morphed into the Attack version -- you know the one who attacks anyone who tried to hold their children accountable for their behavior and choices.)  They are generally recognized by the smothering style of love -- a love that enslaves their children to them and stunts their growth toward maturity.  They are most often mothers, but there are some helicopter fathers out there, too.
• The Drill Sergeants, who are always ordering their children around, telling them what to do in every circumstance -- trying to prevent them from making poor choices.  They are generally recognized by their "tough love" style and belief that their kids won't learn to make good choices without their "help" and because everything is about control and order...no chaos allowed.  Logic reigns.  They are most often fathers, but there are some drill sergeant mothers out there, too.

But there is a healthy form of parenting out there, and it is called The Consultant.  These precious ones have what I call the right mix of order and chaos.  It is my CovenantClusters Rule of Life:

Enough organization for relationships to thrive. Enough chaos for creativity and communitas to emerge. Every need met.

Love allows for the chaos of learning from our mistakes -- and the earlier we make those mistakes, the less deadly they tend to be.  It provides a safe environment for the hard work of falling down and getting up.  Repeatedly.  Perhaps 70 times 7 times.   The Consultant Parent uses love to empathize with their children as they suffer the consequences for their choices.  Not a whiff of sarcasm allowed here -- true sorrow with them in their time of pain.  The Consultant knows the wisdom in realizing there is a good reason for having two ears and one mouth....

Logic recognizes the natural consequences that come as a result of all our choices.  Some are favorable ... others, not so much.  And it calls for helping the children to think clearly about what they have done, what their options are to fix their mistakes, and how to make right the relationships that have suffered.  The Consultant -- having listened well -- doesn't tell the child what to do, but asks helpful questions ... like "what are you going to do about that?" instead of the unhelpful questions ... like "why did you do that?"  or "what were you thinking?"

I have bits of each of these three styles.  I am a recovering helicopter and drill sergeant and a developing consultant -- my eyes and ears are open now...and the healing is beginning.

My, but this is painful work.  Parenting is all about the behavior of the parent, not the child.  It is hard work.  Lord, have mercy ... trusting God's cHesed for me is essential to my success, because I know that I cannot do this in my own strength or wisdom.   Hmmm...purple parenting....

* * * * * * *

Back to post-election pondering, with that context set...and please forgive the gross over-generalizations and the fact that I will be referring to America's citizens as "children" -- only in the sense that our elected officials have a duty to secure our environment in order for us to have the chance at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ... and allow the natural and legal consequences of our choices to help us learn and make better choices and be better citizens.

It seems to me that the polarized political parties are like fighting parents.

• The Helicopter Parents won't allow their children to fail. And if not allowed to fail, there is no learning from mistakes.  There is no chance for necessity to become the mother of invention.  There is no learning to persevere and overcome adversity on the road to independence and later interdependence because of achievement.  There is, in its place, dependency and a growing sense of entitlement.  Sometimes there is a disregard for the rule of law and taking matters into their own hands. These parents not only feel the pain of their children, it becomes their own pain. They are susceptible to the "if you love me, you will..." line.  They are most often what we call Liberals, but there are Conservatives Helicopter Parents out there.
• The Drill Sergeant Parents are so focused on order and the rule of law that they attempt to control behavior -- even attempting to legislate morality -- so that the family image in the community is preserved and the "dirty laundry" reality is never acknowledged, much less cleaned up.  They may be successful in getting their kids to not break the rules, but the loopholes kill them ... and all too often the rebellion is simmering under the surface.  These parents often have compliant kids who check out from the family community in order to find community that accepts them as they are and allows them to assert their individuality.  Their children frequently accuse them of being "mean" and "you don't understand me".  They are most often what we call Conservatives, but there are Liberal Drill Sergeant Parents out there.
• There is another minor sub-type:  The Laissez Faire Parent -- the ones who think that children can raise themselves without any interference or guidance. Live and let live. They are found in both Liberals and Conservatives, although they look very different in each.  There are probably a good deal of them in the Libertarian camp.

Perhaps you need a moment to stop and take a deep breath -- breathing out what I am NOT meaning and setting aside your sense that this is all too condescending.  I already said it would be gross over-generalizations.  We're just looking at patterns here....

Okay, feeling better?  Great!

What we need is a coalition of recovering Helicopter, Drill Sergeant and Laissez Fair types who see the problems they foster and work together to become Consultant types.  I think that Oprah has some of the skills to be the Consultant -- and please follow the links in this post I wrote on Oprah's last show.  I think there is more deep thinking to be done, but she is a good starting place.  One of the things I appreciate about her is that she owns her mistakes -- when she sees or hears them.  The challenge of power is always staying open to versions of the truth that differ from you own.  Speaking the truth in love to powerful people is a difficult row to hoe....

So, what would The Consultant look like in Politics?  If would have to get to work within each and every branch of politics, first of all.  This is the only way to get out of the current gridlock.  There is truth in each position.  We have to find the truth in each story in order to find the way through the challenges ahead of us as these United States of America!

The "children" of America have to do a lot of growing up.  Seriously.  And our leaders need to help us mature toward healthy independence/interdependence instead of continuing to foster immaturity and dependence.

• Each person is loved by God -- regardless of their circumstances or choices.  They deserve our love and respect and compassion and clear thinking and logic in the midst of their story.
• There is no excuse for employing the language of hate and destruction and fear and power and coersion and greed and envy.  We have to choose the difficult task of learning to think deeply and then speak the truth -- the whole truth and nothing but the truth. "Spin" and "straw men" have to stop. The ends do not justify the means.  "What you win them with is what you win them to" is every bit as true here as it is in spreading the Good News of the Kingdom of God!
• There is no Free Lunch.  Somebody has to pay for it.  Remember not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg...and other pithy saying about teaching someone to fish, etc.
• Learn the difference between a need and a want.  Seriously.  I learned this during my two years in Northern Thailand ... when I learned that hot water was a want.  Even running water was a want.  I challenge you to sit down and make a list of true needs and put it up against the what you have.
• In order to ensure that our needs are met, we have to learn to live within our means.  Everyone, please get this. Budgets are challenging but they ARE necessary.  We need to learn how to say and hear "No, we can't affort that choice at this time."  Greed and envy come from confusing need and want.  They lead down a dark path.  Do not go there.  And acknowledge that debt is not our friend....
• Cheerful generosity is the rule of the New Covenant instituted by Jesus Christ.  There is no "tithe tax" any more (lots of churches don't realize that yet) because we are to give according to our blessings.  Yet, there is also no "coerced generosity" either -- we are to give as we feel led, not taxed because we have something that can be taxed.  The whole idea of what is "fair" really needs to be worked over something good. 

Well ... feast or famine, eh?  I am sorry for the length, but this just came pouring out of my fingers today. 

Be blessed, friends -- Papa is especially fond of you, and his cHesed is faithful.

Abi

Abi is a non-patriarchal conservative progressive egalitarian

Things have been very quiet at this blog -- for lots of reasons.  But I finally have the strength to speak to an issue that has been slowly bubbling on the back burner of my over-stimulated brain-on-fire:  I have to really disagree with the use of the word "egalitarian" to describe the opposite of "patriarchal" or "complementarian".

There, I said it.  I am starting to feel better already, but I will continue and explain myself some.

My dear mentor, S. Scott Bartchy, PhD., is still in the process of the final edit of his long-awaited book:  Call No Man Father.  I long for it to be finished, but in the meantime there are a few links to articles he has published which can give you some of the general background.

Who Should Be Called Father?
Undermining Ancient Patriarchy
Secret Siblings

On page 145 of his article "Who Should Be Called Father?", Dr. Bartchy addresses the third of three barriers to understanding how Paul has been misunderstood as supporting patriarchy (and with it, hierarchy) in the section entitled Egalitarianism Is Not the Opposite of Patriarchy.

The problem is that is has become common to blur the distinctions between two ancient Greco-Roman social institutions:  politics and kinship.  They are not opposite ends of the same social-political spectrum.  They are on completely different spectrum.

Patriarchy belongs to the semantic field of kinship -- the realm of the family.  Egalitarian belongs to the semantic field of politics, referring to things like equal access to the vote, to positions of public leadership, and to ownership of property. The opposite of patriarchal dominance is not egalitarian anarchy/cooperation.

Because of this ongoing confusion, we have not assigned a proper term.  We must slog along with, um, non-patriarchy.  This is the term used where the power of the fathers and males has been undermined in favor of the Heavenly Father's leadership of his Kingdom Family of siblings who follow Jesus as First Born, Lord and Master.

In the same way, the opposite of egalitarianism is not patriarchy but monarchy, oligarchy or despotism.  And part of the confusion came from Roman Emperors who disguised their monarchy behind a kind of public patriarchy -- the pater patriae, the father of the fatherland.

Understandable yet regrettable...and, ultimately, something that must be made right by those who call Jesus Lord and no man Father but God.  Jesus, and Paul, turned the power of the patriarchs on their heads.  There was no longer an entitlement to power over ... but a command to love and serve as Jesus loves and serves.

Jesus, and Paul, called on the men to give God's place back...to let God be Father of those who accept his amazing offer of adoption as siblings of, and joint heirs with, Jesus Christ.

* * * * * * *
In a really funky way, the polarized politics in America is caught in this same kind of semantic problem.  Stay with me all the way through, please...so you understand where I am coming from:

• Conservative means faithfulness to the "status quo" -- and is meant to apply to the Constitution as intended by the original authors.  The Framers have the same problem as the Apostle Paul as folks try to twist and expand and change the original meaning of their writings.  Conservatives believe that the Constitution cannot mean today what it did not mean when the Framers wrote it.  This requires diligence with regard to historical and linguistic and social and political distance ... because history and language and society and politics have changed over the past two centuries.  
• Progressive means adapting to the changing meanings of history and language and society and politics -- and is meant to apply to learning from history, updating colloquialisms, removing barriers to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in society and seeking peaceful unity in politics.  If this requires amending the Constitution, there is a policy in place that is to be followed.

I find it interesting that American politics has continued the Roman error, where many on both sides of these terms see them as opposites.  Some Conservatives yearn for a kind of Political Patriarchy that gives lip service to a kind of Christian Monarchy.  Some Progressives yearn for a kind of Political Oligarchy that gives lip service to a kind of Social Patriarchy.  

But the American experiment is one where neither of these scenarios fit.  We are honored to have a Constitution to which we are pledged to be faithful.  It is, indeed, our "status quo" and it must be conserved.  And as a free people, we are honored to be self-governing and choose our representatives.  We need to continue to progress as we learn better what justice and mercy and rule of law look like, so that we can build on the Framer's Foundation.

We conserve the contents of the Constitution for everyone's benefit.  We make progress as a society and a republic by following the rule of law and practicing responsible freedom at home and abroad.  Neither of these endeavors are aided by methods of coercion that leads toward patriarchy or oligarchy.

It's still true that power does tend to corrupt -- and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  This is why God's power is made perfect in our weakness.  When we submit to one another in cHesed -- looking out for the best interest of the other, according to the covenant -- the world sees that we live in a different Kingdom.  A Kingdom where Jesus is King and God is Father.  Lording it over others has no place in the lives of those who follow Jesus Christ -- not in their home life, not in their business life and not in their political life.  Life is messy and it takes time and humility and good humor to "...listen one another into free speech."

Those who try to make politics a subset of religion err.  America is not an experiment in Christian Theocracy as an upgrade of Hebrew Theocracy.  America is not an experiment in Christian or Marxist Collectivism, either.  America is an experiment in being a Representative Republic made up of many Sovereign States -- of the people, by the people and for the people -- where there is tremendous freedom for progress toward a more perfect union and freedom from oppression in all its forms -- especially those known as patriarchy and oligarchy.  Out of many States we forge the United States of America -- and we need to respect and value each person and each state to the best of our ability.  And when we are wrong, we need to repent and progress toward that more perfect union -- the one the Framers envisioned.

Those Americans who are also followers of Jesus have an opportunity to join this wee purple abbess as she endeavors to live as a non-patriarchal conservative progressive egalitarian.  

O, that would be glory, indeed!

Be blessed....

Abi throws a wrench in "biblical" perspectives....

It has been a while since I have issued an R2A2 alert ... but I've been processing a significant paradigm shift over the past two years.   Something so foundational that I find many things that I encounter today -- that I would have totally agreed with just a few years ago -- throw a wrench in my spiritual "gears".  And while I am still looking forward to doing some significant blogging this fall, I just had to stop in today.

Marriage in not the foundation of our society.

There.  I said it.

Don't get me wrong ... I think marriage is a fine thing.  I think marriage is the gift of God to help us learn to love and serve one another with integrity and humility and intimacy ... and it is a very important foundation to lay for having children -- which is the gift of God to help us learn how Father loves and puts up with our whining and selfishness in order to show us what it means to lay down our lives for our own precious children.  It is the ideal place for children to grow up with healthy models of loving nurture.

But the thing is this.  All marriages are not created equal.  There are lots of reasons why people get married.  Lots of them are stupid and very short-sighted and selfish.  Lord, have mercy!  Heck, not all marriages result in children!  Marriage is a gift as the proper context for the gift of sexual intimacy.  Celibacy is a gift for those who have passions for service and mission and creativity and community to which they give themselves -- instead of giving themselves to the passions of sexual intimacy that can, well, interfere. There is not enough time today to even go into this one....

I will say this, though:  there is no such thing as a Christian Marriage ... although there is such a thing as a marriage between Christians.  Spend a few minute thinking about that.  And just being Christian doesn't stop people from getting married for stupid, short-sighted and selfish reasons.  Sometimes the assumptions they bring just makes it worse.  :^(

Just having the piece of paper or the ceremony or whatever does not result in the "one flesh" reality that God designed as a shadow of the interpenetrating mutuality-in-equality that is the reality of the Triune Father-Son-Holy Spirit.  The mystery that is marriage can lead us into the mystery of life In Christ.  It is just too bad that it doesn't always make it.  Look at how people make a mess of Ephesians 5 because they don't understand male culture at that time.  Paul was following Jesus and blowing up the men's patriarchal gig big time...but it still too often seems to be all about women's submission and male headship.  Sigh....

No ... intimate, vulnerable, honest, humble, sacrificial, patient, joyous relationship is an ongoing journey in marriage.  It is an investment of "presence" with the beloved ... day in and day out.  For better or worse.  For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health.  To love and to cherish ... until death parts us.  It is an invitation to die to self ... to lay down one's life for the other.  It is where the rubber of cHesed/agape meets the road of life.  A testimony to the reality that agape love is, in the words of J.B. Phillips, "the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen."

...it is an all too rare experience.

Loving your neighbor as yourself ... looking out for one another ... THAT is to be the foundation of our society.

The "idea" of marriage, it seems to me, has for too long been co-opted by religion as a means to control behavior -- to reign in fornication (yes, I said it!) -- without really accomplishing the task of intimate mutuality-in-equality ... because it regularly shows itself up for the sham it too often is.  The Apostle Paul says that it is better to marry than to burn with passion ... and that seems to be giving us grace rather than giving us a directive.

But I digress....

* * * * * * *

Considering the scriptures to be jewels of principles to be mined for whatever our issue-of-the-moment is ... well that is, in my wee purple opinion, abuse.  The rash of "bibilical" ... you fill in the blank ... is a symptom of the still-raging epidemic of Pharisee-ism that Jesus and Paul began stamping out -- and there's still plenty of fires burning.  Why is that?  Well, whatever you feed, grows.  And there are way too many folks feeding those Pharisee fires ... logs of guilt and shame and expectation and authority and self-righteousness and condemnation and performance and competition ... you get the idea.  Straining on gnats and swallowing camels, and all....

I know what I'm talking about ... I am a Recovering Pharisee.  Lord, have mercy....

* * * * * * *

Read the scriptures ... please!  Read them as entire books ... please!  Read them with your cHesed glasses on ... please!  Read them in the cultural context of those who first heard them (yes, this will take a lot of work to bridge the historical and cultural distance ... but I have reinforcements coming!), with all the assumptions that go with it!  Let Jesus blow your mind as he blows your Western presuppositions up ... just as he and Paul blew up the presuppositions of those who lived in the Mediterranean area almost 2,000 years ago.

But please, please, please don't read them looking for a way to put God's stamp of approval on your method of doing whatever it is that you're doing.  Let God bless what you're offering up to him without presuming that your experience is to be the model for everyone else -- God consistently has completely different stuff being blessed in lots of other folk's experiences.  If you hang around long enough with your cHesed glasses on ... you'll find you're constantly seeing things that you just didn't see before.  And if you cast each new "vision" in concrete ... well ... where are the seeds of change going to grow?

Okay ... finished stirring the pot for today.

Be blessed, friends.

Abi and Oprah....

I saw the link to this post on Facebook today, and was glad to see it!  Saved me some of what I knew I had to say myself.  Go ahead and read the post.  Here's what I had to say in the comments.

Thank you for this ... I will be linking to it when I get around to blogging about yesterday's episode.  I had to get my journal out and take notes.  It was a striking moment ... a moment when, yet again, the church has shown that it is just behind the curve when it comes to so many things.

The church is still behind the curve when it comes to women and equality ... and it is behind the curve when it comes to the message that God is Love ... and that each human is an Eikon of God and that makes them worthy of God's love.  Not what they do or say or believe or attend ... but being a precious Eikon whom Jesus left Heaven to come to earth to serve and save. 

And when the church becomes the source of so much "negative energy" -- it becomes a tool of the Enemy.  Those who name Jesus as Lord need to be mindful of the energy they bring to every life and every circumstance and every place and every word.

There's plenty of time to work on doctrine ... but if you don't get the bit that God loves you more than you can even imagine -- right in the midst of your mess -- then nothing of your precious doctrine will transform your life or the lives in your sphere of influence.

...I kept thinking:  "Preach it, Sister!"

I will be back later to process the rest of the notes I took ... and I am hoping to get a chance to see it once again before I do.

Blessings to you ... remember that you are loved by God ... remember that you are a gift of God to this world -- so figure out your calling and get busy sharing the love!

Abi

Abi and the Wrath of God....

Well, all the buzz about Rob Bell's not-yet-released book, and his video (look at this article to catch the drift and see the video) brought me sharply back to something I have been pondering from The Shack as well as from Wayne Jacobsen's amazing book, He Loves Me:  have we totally missed the meaning of God's wrath?

I'm thinking that we have ... and that too often we have sided with wrath/justice over against love/grace/mercy as the big defining concept of God in our presentation of the Gospel.  And like so many, including Rob Bell, say ... that is not such good news, is it?

One of my new favorite books, The Hawk and the Dove, has an amazing chapter covering a debate by 13th century abbots (fiction) on whether God's justice or his love is the most important ... and I agree wholeheartedly that it is God's love that wins.  Hmmm, that sounds like what Rob Bell is saying?  We'll all just have to wait and read the book, now, won't we?!?

Anyway, the abbot arguing for love said something along the lines (I don't have the book handy) of justice being a branch, but love being the root ... and justice being the setting in which the jewel of love is set.

I have been pondering Wayne's way of describing the wrath of God for almost two years now, and it seems to be settling down to this:

God loves us, his Eikons.  Anything that hurts us incurs his wrath.  God's wrath is aimed to destroy whatever keeps us away from his love and life.  (It is really very deep, this topic.)  Those of you who are parents or first aid/medical responders know that it is very difficult for those who are injured to separate the pain of the injury from the pain of the remedy.  Sigh.  But this gives me great insight to the issue here....

Wayne describes sin and death as the main targets of God's wrath ... going to far as to describe them an a kind of cancer -- an illness that Jesus came to provide the cure for on the cross.  Jesus, as the God-man representative of humanity, was the only human capable of enduring the "treatment" and eradicating the disease.  Yes, the treatment was so severe it took his life in only six hours or so.  But once the "cancer" was gone, sin and Death were defeated and could no longer hold Jesus -- and God raised him from the dead.  And in the blood of Jesus we receive the antibodies that make us immune to the cancer of sin and Death ... and we have new Life in Jesus.  This Life is in the Spirit and is the "already" part of the already/not yet reality of Kingdom Life.  Already Jesus has cleansed us from sin and defeated Death ... but we are not yet delivered from the human struggle in our mortal bodies.  We must persevere in Papa's love for us.

Wrath came because the Law shone its light on sin ... and its consequence:  Death.  Love and grace and mercy came to the fore when, in the fullness of time, Jesus came to show us what the Father is like ... and triumphed when love transcended wrath on the Cross.  For those who walk in the Light of Love there is no Wrath.  Read John chapter 3 ... all of it.  The wrath was appeased because that which enslaved his Eikons was dealt with.  Finally.  No more blood spilled over terms of the Law.  Ever. 

...some narrow presentations of the Gospel, it has been postulated, act as a kind of immunization against the real power of the Good News for the current generation.  I have seen this at work ... and I prefer my children come down with a full-blown case of the Good News, eh?  That is the only way that the immunity-rich blood of Jesus can remove the cancer and bring them Real Life.

We do not know all the ways the Father has chosen to apply the remedy Christ provided on the cross.  It is advisable to do the best we can with what we do know and be humble enough to leave room for the Spirit to work in ways that we cannot understand.

Really I think it comes down to the story of the two sons and their prodigal (extravagant) father.  The father loved both of his sons equally.  The problem came when the younger brother who was "lost" returned to his senses and came home ... and the elder brother resented that the father received him gladly. 

Give Luke 15 a read ... and the rest of the parables of Jesus, while you're at it.  I see threads of a common theme....

Lots of issues in Jesus' day were elder brother problems ... and I think it is the same today.

Brothers (and sisters!), love one another!

Confusing Blessing with Approval

Whew!

The Abbess was saved from rambling on in the comments over at Jesus Creed (in these threads) by taking the time to compose her thoughts in Word first. So, they are here for you to read, with a link left over at Scot’s blog….

Many years ago I heard a fascinating sermon on TBN that took them to task.  I will never forget it, even though I have forgotten the name of the brave brother who delivered the message.  The bottom line was this:  do not confuse God’s apparent blessing with his approval of your methods.

Scot, I believe this is the core issue surrounding this difficult circumstance:  There are those who believe that the religious institution that we call church IS the very Body of Christ, rather than that the body of Christ is made up of those who name Christ as Lord.  I think it is an important distinction.

Certainly the God who sent first his Son and then his Spirit to birth the church, who is the master of taking whatever is available and creating amazing masterpieces, can and does (and will continue to) do amazing things through those who will offer themselves up to his will and seek to be obedient servants.  Not an issue.  Cracked pots with light streaming and all….

The issue is with humans (those very cracked Eikons) want to pick and choose and label the work of God in ways that exclude other expressions that God apparently has also inspired and blessed.  It is not an either / or situation.  It is more than a both / and situation.  It is an expression of the amazing diversity that is the reality of the Kingdom of God:  those persons and situations where the rule of God is found.

The way in which this is manifest will be different in different contexts.  It always has been and always will be.  There is, in each manifestation, a bit of that Kingdom-of-God-light streaming out through the cracked pots.  When one pot (or group of pots) tries to exclude other pots, or suggest that they are not letting God’s “true” light shine through their cracks, it is so very sad.  As if God is not capable of blessing any pot offered up to him….

As in other conversations that have been raging through the internet of late, there is a significant difference between criticism and critique.  One seeks to tear down and the other seeks to build up.  It is a matter of intention.

I do love the Church, the Bride of Christ, to which I have actively chosen to belong for the past 44 years.  But I have, in the last 8 years, come to experience something that reminds me of Jacob’s dilemma:  the bait and switch.  After working for seven years to earn Rachel as his wife, he finds that under the veils he has been tricked into marrying her older sister, Leah.  His love for Rachel is so strong that he works another seven years for her.  Yet, even in the midst of this amazing trick, pulled on an infamous trickster, God was neither absent nor thwarted nor tainted in planting the seeds of his love and grace and mercy in their midst.

Many want to say that God planned each piece of this long trail of deception in order to bring Israel into being.  I cordially disagree.  And you are welcome to cordially disagree with me.  When we do this, we offer up critique in order to try to better understand the mystery that is the will of God.  When we choose not to be cordial, we can fall into criticism … cracked Eikons and all.

The Bride is not ours to have and to hold.  We are the Bride of Jesus.  He is the one who makes us holy, by being both the source and the sustainer of our being and our mysterious relationship.  We are to accept his outrageous love and amazing grace and sometimes severe mercy and to connect with and support those parts of his body with whom we find ourselves associated.

There are some, however, who want to put the wedding veil on Leah (or Hagar, before her) as a way to not offend custom.  God, however, does not find himself bound by human customs.  He uses or transcends customs according to his wisdom as means to advance his will.

I have come to believe that what many call the Institutional Church has too often embraced religion at the expense of relationship. Seeing power as something to be grasped and wielded rather than influence to be recognized and spent on behalf of the least of these. When we offer this version of the Bride as part of the Good News, it can sometimes turn out to be a Leah under the veil.  Then we have to work very hard to get to Rachel – that with which we were initially smitten.

Those who toil through are rewarded with partial bliss.  They are finally with Rachel, the beloved … but they find they have continued obligations to Leah, whom they have come to despise.    To take this chapter out of Israel’s history and suggest that is it our Father’s intention for his Son and Bride -- that it bears his stamp of approval – is too much for me.

In the end, all who are married find that the reality is very different from the expectation.  This most intimate of relationships is also the most challenging … and, if given due respect and attention, it is the most rewarding.  When looking at each other through the eyes of love, the reality is not what is seen on the surface, but what has been nurtured over time.

There is not one experience of being The Bride that fits all.  Christ has been known to come where two or three are gathered and do amazing things in their midst.  He has also been known, through the ages, for being in the midst of many other expressions of his Bride.

Do not confuse the presence and blessing of Christ with his stamp of approval on the methods at work in that manifestation of his Bride.

Marriage is truly a mystery.  The marriage of Christ and the Church is no less a mystery.

The Good News in Jesus transcends culture and transforms culture and indwells culture.  Please don’t make judgments concerning the many marvelous and miraculous ways that Christ does this.  See him in the big churches, within the deep and beautiful traditions of the Orthodox and Catholic and Protestant expressions of devotion.  See him in the movement that transformed culture among the Celtic faithful.  See him in the millions of underground clusters of believers who live the dream in the midst of a nightmare.  See him in the hearts and dreams of those who resonate with missional or neo-monastic or unorthodox spaces and expressions of devotion.  Open your eyes and ears and you will see the Spirit at work in the most unlikely of places.

Please, answer the call of the Spirit to join in The Dance around you.

Rejoice and give thanks for the love that never gives up and that pursues cracked pots.  Be grateful that the Spirit pours out that love according to the strength of the pot to contain it – some fast and overflowing, others gently and measured.

But never, ever believe that splashing mud on or hurling insults at or ridiculing the appearance of Christ’s precious Bride is ever a method that bears the Father’s stamp of approval.  Watch, however, for what happens when these things occur.

·       He will pick up his towel and basin with which to wash off the mud – reaching out to cleanse both the muddy boot and the soiled garment … if we, like Peter, will submit to being cleansed.

·       He will give his incomprehensible peace to heal and guard the hearts and minds of those who have been injured with words used poorly … while looking into the hearts and minds of the heartless and thoughtless and asking the hard question:  Do you love me?  If we, like Peter will submit to being restored.

·       He will take the downcast face in his hands and look deeply into the shamed eyes and, his own eyes sparkling with tears of both love and grief, and say, “You are absolutely exquisite!” – while challenging the perceptions to be transcended:  Do not call unclean what I have called clean.  If we, like Peter, will believe that Christ is not concerned with outward appearances.

Critique, if you must.  But be sure to have the Spirit remove the plank from your eyes before you presume to remove the speck from the eyes of a brother or sister.  What hurts one member of the Body should be felt by all the members of the Body.

Oh, and one more thing.

Please, please, do RELAX a bit and have a sense of humor about it, won’t you?  It’s a dance, for heaven’s sake…we all look a smidge ridiculous now and then next to our glorious Bridegroom!

Moderation in all things ... Bummer!

The Abbess awoke this morning to find a string of spam comments not in English on 20 different post from the past.  Well, there was ONE word in English that was common to them ... and it is not one you would expect to appear on the blog of an Abbess, virtual or no.

What a drag.

So, it appears, that this blog will now have to be set to moderation ON.  :^(

No big deal, really, since we are not a spot for rapid repartee...

Abi

A Tale of Two Words....

Okay...the Abbess has been driven from her silence! Jonathan Brink asked this question on Facebook: Is it possible to be both complementarian and egalitarian in gender relationships. And there were 75 comments! There seemed to be a significant amount of talking past each other ... and instead of tacking something on to the end of a conversation that is over, I decided to break my silence here.

While busy doing lots of things that I promise to blog about ... later ... I have begun reading through the manuscript of my ministry mentor (I will be blogging a lot more about this.), giving him another set of eyes with a different view as a way of checking whether he is connecting with his intended readers. This is fabulous work and I am pleased to get to see it as it is being fashioned into a book.

One of the articles Scott sent me to review before sending actual chapters had this section title: Egalitarianism Is Not the Opposite of Patriarchy. Well, that got my attention! He goes on to say that scholars (and their readers), "have largely ignored the fact that patriarchal systems in general and the ancient Mediterranean system in particular socialized men not only to dominate women but also to gain the upper hand over as many other men as possible. Along with social analysts and journalists, they have also mistakenly assumed that the terms egalitarianism and patriarchy describe opposite ends of the same social-political spectrum. Inadvertently, they have blurred the distinctions between two ancient social institutions: politics and kinship. These two missteps lead inevitably away from comprehension of Paul's implicit and explicit critique of the patriarchy of his day."

He goes on to say that the opposite of egalitarianism is not patriarchy as such but monarchy, oligarchy, or despotism. Complementarianism is a term invented fairly recently by Fundamentalist Theologians to disguise the patriarchialism it represents. It is almost as if they vaguely understand that there is a problem with patriarchy ... but the cost of dealing with the problem is too high.

Dr. Bartchy continued: "On the one hand, the term patriarchy belongs to the semantic field of kinship, the realm of the family. On the other hand, the term egalitarian belongs to the semantic field of politics and refers to such things as equal access to the vote, to positions of public leadership, and to ownership of property."

I wrote in the margins of the article this comment: "Perhaps it (egalitarian) is confused because women were largely seen as property being freed from patriarchal tyranny."

Rather than acknowledging that Jesus, and Paul, were first freeing women (and other men) from the domination of patriarchy, complementarianism continues to embrace patriarchy (missing much of Jesus' and Paul's point). Egalitarians mix their apples with oranges when trying to mix kinship with politics ... largely because there is not an opposite to patriarchy that is to be embraced.

Which leads to the title of Scott's book: Call No Man Father. We who believe in Christ Jesus are called to be joint heirs with him as children of our heavenly Father. There is only one Father. Everyone else is a brother or sister.....

This is just the first of many posts to come as I ponder this anew.

Stay tuned.

* * * * * * * *

Update: For some reason I cannot post a comment! This is the first time this has happened to me... maybe Google Chrome has an issue. In the meantime, I would like to add my comment here:

Welcome, gracerules!

If the big shift Jesus called for (and Paul echoed) was for those who were the patriarchs to put down their privilege, the sisters and the children and the slaves and the brothers were not supposed to have an uprising against the fathers -- but those who were fathers or husbands or slave-owners were to radically change the way they interacted with those who they formerly were welcome to dominate.

Subversion of patriarchy was an inside job. ;^) Which also means that it can only be defeated from the inside as well.

Perhaps this is why the church is where it is today ... too many have not heard the call for the fathers to become brothers?

Thanks for visiting and for your comment!

Thinking is Mandatory!

Sorry, friends ... but we have minds so that we can think. There are many of us so that we can sharpen each other's thinking through a variety of methods. Even if we do not know as much as someone else, we are still required to process what we do know to the very best of our feeble ability. We are to ask questions ... always. We are to questions answers ... always. We are to challenge that doesn't make sense ... always.

God is not afraid of our questions ... but some of his self-appointed "handlers" are. Jesus said not to worry about what they think ... worry about what God thinks!

Thinking is difficult because it is a complex process and requires a lot of effort if it is to be done well. There's the rub, eh? M. Scott Peck, in his book The Road Less Traveled & Beyond, begins with a chapter on Thinking. It is worth the price of the book by itself! He claims that all problems are a result of failure to think well.

A few highlights ...

The common errors Peck says are related to the failure to think well:

• simply not thinking
• making assumptions in thinking--through the use of one-dimentional logic, stereotypes, and labeling.
• the belief that thinking and communicating don't require much effort
• assuming that thinking is a waste of time (as if quick action without thought is better)

His section of chapter one titled "The Point of Having a Brain" has some more important, er, points I'll paraphrase or quote:

• the frontal lobe of the brain is involved in our ability to make judgments, and it is here that the processing of information--thinking--primarily take place
• when dependency needs and feelings rule our lives, the root is a disorder related to thinking--specifically, a resistance to thinking for ourselves
• "...there are profound ways in which society actually discourages us from using our frontal lobes, promoting one-dimensional, simplistic thinking as the normal way of functioning."
• institutions (family, church, mass media), in their failure to teach or demonstrate how to think well, set people up for thinking simplistically
• when institutions are seen as modeling good thinking and truth, they have the power to fool and manipulate -- setting forth cultural norms as assumed normal and correct, when they discourage our growth because they are often based on half-truths as well as outright lies ... the biggest lie being that we have the right to be happy all of the time.

Skipping a few sections (not because they aren't good...) to "Common Criminal Thinking" brings these gems:

• most common criminal thinking is simplistic and one-dimensional
• those who always see themselves as victims do not take responsibility for their choices
• living primarily in the present (poor perspective on time) lends them to not consider the future or the consequences of their actions
• an extreme sense of entitlement that is cocky (often from inferiority complex) leads to justifying violating other people or their property without regard for their rights
• the sense of entitlement that arises from superiority complex assumes they should always be first and are due anything they want -- even if it means taking it from others

...and that doesn't leave many of us too far from turning criminal, does it? Only by the grace of God, says I!

* * * * * * *

One thing that wasn't really known at the time Peck wrote this book: the frontal lobe is not fully connected neurologically until the early to mid 20s -- especially for males. BUMMER for this mom of the boys! The "can I?" doesn't align with the "should I?" for much longer than many want to believe. I repeat myself: BUMMER!

This fact makes me want to raise the age of adult accountability (and with it voting, driving, and drinking) to at least 21 years! Let more of the young people take public transit or ride their bikes during high school and college.... Require them to learn to think well before being able to vote (not sure what to do the with over 21 folks who won't learn to think well, but at least the next generation will be farther along that road less traveled, eh?) ... and before they have killed off too many of their brain cells with alcohol!

This would also increase the age for joining the armed forces, which is also a good thing! Of course, thinking for yourself isn't exactly encouraged in the rank and file of the armed forces ... maybe that is part of the problem?

Okay, don't get me too riled up!

* * * * * * *

Well ... that's just scratching the surface -- and challenging me to take the time to read this chapter again. You should find this book and read it for yourselves, you know. Because waiting for me to do your thinking is not good for you!

And those folks who talk about tolerance all the time need to remember that part of tolerance is being patient when you don't get your own way all the time. Just had that discussion with my 10 year old this morning, as he was reading the chapter on Tolerance in our well-worn book, The Family Virtues Guide: Simple Ways to Bring Out the Best in Our Children and Ourselves.

Abi says you should get this book ... it is priceless!

* * * * * * *

Thanks to Jonathan and Bill for making me go back and get Peck's book off the self ... and rant about it here.

Thoughtfully....

Women Silenced for ... aargh ... want of Quotation Marks?

Fellow 'gator, Bill Kinnon, had a link to a great piece about Women in Ministry from Rebecca Groothuis. What a wonderful article. And the video from NT Wright, which I've seen a number of other places, is worth watching more than once.

But I just have to say that both the article and the video, while wonderfully supportive, are missing something that has been foundational for me for the last 29 years of processing this debate. And, come to think of it, I have often wondered how Scot McKnight has missed this, too. It would have been perfect for inclusion in The Blue Parakeet....

So, Abi is going to stir the pot a bit ... and she's going to use Online Greek Interlinear Bible and Today's New International Version of I Corinthians 14: 26-39 (below) to do it. So read it all the way through now, as a starting place. Do your best to empty your mind of preconceptions about how you've read it before. You can do it, if you will just give it a try.

Good Order in Worship

²⁶ What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. ²⁷ If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. ²⁸ If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church; let them speak to themselves and to God.

²⁹ Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. ³⁰ And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. ³¹ For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. ³² The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. ³³ For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord's people.

³⁴ Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. ³⁵ If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. ^f]">[f]

³⁶ Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? ³⁷ If any think they are prophets or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command. ³⁸ Those who ignore this will themselves be ignored. ^g]">[g]

³⁹ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ⁴⁰ But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

Okay, now you all know that I am no Greek scholar. I do, however, know quite a number of them. And it interests me that so few of them have considered what I'm about to pass on from my favorite scholar for your consideration. Serious consideration, now.

This entire pericope (passage) concerns orderliness. The entire book concerns orderliness, really. And Paul is addressing issues that have been brought to his attention concern a lack of orderliness among the Christians at Corinth.

What I wouldn't give for a copy of the account to which Paul is responding ... and I really do wish that Koine Greek used quotations marks, so Paul could have made this beyond question ... but enough whining. Back to the task at hand....

I have chosen this translation because it does two very good things. First, it keeps all of verse 33 together. Which helps tremendously. (I'll wait while you scroll back up and read it.) Because when it is added to the front of verse 34, it changes the entire meaning of what follows -- rendering it very confusing.

Now, my friend, who has been known to read aloud from the Greek NT and translate into English on the fly (and does the same with the Hebrew OT), reads this in such a way as to make it absolutely clear what he thinks Paul is doing. He reads verses 34 and 35 in a different voice, as if he is quoting someone -- and with a tone that sounds a bit "superior."

Now, go back and read verse 36 (I'll wait for you, go ahead.) and see that the first word is rendered "Or."

What Dr. Bartchy does when he reads that verse, after finishing his "quotation" presentation of verses 34 and 35 is this. He pauses and says "What?" As in, "Are you serious?" Then he continues with "Did the word of God originate with you?" and the rest of the verse.

Clearly, this reading suggests that Paul is quoting back what had been reported to him. There were some who were having trouble letting the New Covenant supersede the Old Covenant. (Their descendants are, unfortunately, still alive and well today!) And rather than approving of the quoted text, Paul is saying that it is not to be accepted, but that what Paul has taught and written is to be considered from the Lord ... and those who will ignore this will remain ignorant and unregarded.

Reading these verses in this Greek/English Interlinear will be helpful in showing how Dr. Bartchy is not the only one to read the text this way. I'm not even going to attempt to discuss why this is not the common translation.... Sigh!

However, when you read it this way, so many of the troubles that commentators struggle with concerning apparent conflicts with what Paul wrote just a few chapters earlier, and elsewhere, disappear. It makes ultimate sense.

To this Abbess, that is.

And I decided I couldn't keep silent about it one more day....

The Missional Order and The Abbess

Last October, as I drove up to Seabeck with Brad and Rick, I had no idea what to expect. Neither did they … and neither did anyone else, as we all soon discovered! This did not bother me at all, this ambiguous tension. I had been waiting almost two years for God to reveal the next steps in the plan for implementing the vision he placed in my heart. All I knew was that I was supposed to come.

I knew nothing of “orders” or “rules” – being a low-church minister – but the story I learned about the Northumbria community resonated strongly in my heart. I have been unable to find two better words for what I seek in a community than their words: availability and vulnerability.

And the “The Daily Office” was just as new … and I was pleasantly surprised by the way Northumbria presented their version of this discipline. One of these days I will get it in a book … because I just cannot have my computer available to me at all times and in all places. I’m wondering whether I can get a Kindle and download all my stuff. Hmmm….

In the wake of this gathering, my little coracle has been bouncing about on a journey that could only be guided by the currents of God – reading and pondering and writing … and blogging. One of the most unexpected results of the Seabeck gathering was the birth of my blog: The Virtual Abbess. In it and through it I have learned many things and have begun to share the vision for CovenantClusters – which I recognized immediately as a mix of a missional order and a discipleship training center. Interesting that God should show me a vision two years before explaining the ancient components.

* * * * * * * * * * *

…this is how I began to respond to Len’s post: The Birth of a Missional Order: From Seabeck Forward. But in the days since I began, my mind has been flooded with, well, stuff. Sigh … I can’t even elaborate on what the stuff is … yet … but we are just 9 days and counting until school is out for our three boys – when I’ll have NO free moments for thinking and blogging!

So let me just put up a small R2A2 notice for what follows:

Back in January of 2006, I believe the Lord gave me a vision for what he would like me to do to help in the Kingdom. As outrageous as it was, I have had that vision confirmed repeatedly. But I have also spent the majority of my time reading books and blogs that give me vocabulary to describe the various components of the vision. And I am looking to find some time to get away and let all the loose ends weave together. But more loose ends keep popping up, it seems, so that I feel a bit overwhelmed.

What I find remarkable, however, is that more than overwhelmed, what I’m feeling is that the Holy Spirit is at work moving across the Kingdom planting seeds in the hearts of those willing to get down and work in the dirt. And the seeds that are being planted are, well, different – depending on where “the dirt” is … if that makes any sense.

This means that the dirt where AbiSomeone is will receive a seed that needs this particular pH and organic composition and climate to grow like a native plant. It also means that I should not look for anyone else’s seed to be just like mine. I have to be willing for the Holy Spirit to make this seed grow in my heart and let it take root in my home so that it can spread to my neighborhood.

So, I cannot focus on all the books and blogs and terms and schemes floating out there. I can be (and am!) grateful for their action as “mulch” – knowing that their essential components will break down and serve as nutrients for the little seed growing here. (And what a great bibliography section I will now have!) But I no longer feel compelled to try to recreate anyone else’s story … because then it is no longer a story I can tell with any authenticity or authority.

This realization is a big deal … to me. And it has come to the surface as a result of the past few months of being involved with a missional learning community facilitated by fellow-Seabecker Rob Robinson. This group is a place where my husband and I have been able to “be” with others who are “adrift” in the ocean of the Body of Christ in our little coracles … but no longer shackled to the “mother ships” of the “institutional church” (IC). We come from many different backgrounds, but we have been a good example of what the Allelon folks refer to as “listening one another into free speech.”

And so I will begin to focus again on defining CovenantClusters and looking for how the Spirit will begin to make it grow and begin to take shape. And I will be aided by understanding things about “missional” and “orders” and “mDNA” and “APEST” and “rule of life” and “daily office” and look forward to how God will weave them all together – or should I rather say “graft” them in? – to what I know about cHesed and covenant and clusters of Christ-followers.

With a vision as grand as CovenantClusters, it is easy to get overwhelmed with the details. So I’m going to continue a step at a time, a day at a time. And today I’m going to remember to keep these things as the main focus for my journey:

• The New Covenant I have joined in Christ Jesus calls for me to recognize my responsibility to be faithful partners with those brothers and sisters around me – so that we will be a blessing to our neighborhood – in however many ways that manifests itself.
• cHesed is a term that describes faithful covenant keeping and it is most fully translated as a concept around this cluster of New Testament terms: love, grace, mercy, submit, serve, lead. Please take a look at my chart to get a grasp of the breadth and depth of this concept.
• Covenant and cHesed are deeply relational concepts – CovenantClusters will, therefore, be a deeply relational branch on the Vine. The sense of commitment (to God and each other) will be huge (I hesitate using words like “total” because of the “cult” fears that they engender). This will be where the monastic flavors will emerge (very small pun intended) and will manifest themselves in a “rule of life” as well as a “rhythm of life”.

I believe and trust that the Holy Spirit will be faithful to continue to guide my steps along this path. It is comforting to know that there are many on the path ahead of me, blazing trail. Certainly, I look forward to Allelon and CovenantClusters continuing to journey together.

Be blessed....