Abi's Sense of Balance

My friend John has this up his blog today, and I thought I'd see what The Abbesses brain is like. Here are my results ... and as my usual answer to an A / or B of question is C, this doesn't surprise me:

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (52%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain. Left Brain (56%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Are You Right or Left Brained?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Left brain dominant individuals are more orderly, literal, articulate, and to the point. They are good at understanding directions and anything that is explicit and logical. They can have trouble comprehending emotions and abstract concepts, they can feel lost when things are not clear, doubting anything that is not stated and proven.

Right brain dominant individuals are more visual and intuitive. They are better at summarizing multiple points, picking up on what's not said, visualizing things, and making things up. They can lack attention to detail, directness, organization, and the ability to explain their ideas verbally, leaving them unable to communicate effectively.

Overall you appear to have fairly Equal Hemispheres (emphases mine)

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According to Darwinian theory, optimal evolution takes place with random variation and selective retention. The evolution savvy individual will try many different approaches when faced with a problem and select the best of those approaches. Many historical intellectuals have confessed their advantage was simply considering/exploring/trying more approaches than others. The left brain dominant type suffers from limited approaches, narrow-mindedness. The right brain dominant type suffers from too many approaches, scatterbrained. To maintain balanced hemispheres, you need to exercise both variability and selection. Just as a company will have more chance of finding a great candidate by increasing their applicant pool, an individual who considers a wider set of options is more likely to make quality decisions.

So, there you have it. And don't worry that I seem to have 108% ... they say the test doesn't necessarily add up to 100%. I always have been a bit of an over-achiever. ;^)

Some Quick Book Reviews with Abi

I've been meaning to wrap up the Pentecost with Abi series somehow and I think the focus came to me this morning. Let's back up and review what I've been reading lately.

Finishing up with Scot McKnight's book, 40 Days Living the Jesus Creed, left me grateful that he made this a separate book. His editor's sense was right on when she said this material should be its own book. This means that we have an opportunity to have folks read through The Jesus Creed in order to get it ... and then another opportunity for them to walk through its application. Well done, indeed.

I am three quarters of the way through Scot's Praying with the Church, and really appreciate the bridge that he has built for us "low church" folks to reconnect with the rest of the Body of Christ. If we are to recognize that the church is about appreciating cultural diversity and seeing how God is at work in all cultures, we have to at least start by embracing the devotional and formational richness represented in the ancient practices of prayer in the Church. If you're interested in this whole arena, I can't think of a better place to start than with Scot's easy to read and understand book.

And let me just say that I'm really gaining a tremendous appreciation for the way Scot writes. He writes in a natural way that belies the tremendous scholar that he is. This makes his books so much more approachable for the masses. Thanks, Scot!

I'm just a few chapters into Scot's The Real Mary, but I do have to back up and share the interesting context I have for this particular read.

I just finished Anne Rice's first novel in her Christ the Lord series: Out of Egypt. (You may recall that I read the second novel, The Road to Cana, first.) And even though Anne has Jesus telling the story in first person, it is impossible to miss that a great deal of these stories are about Mary. And how could they not be about Mary? Without Mary, there would not be this Jesus! (I tell my children this every once in a while about themselves, usually when they're not very happy with me: without their mother, there would be no THEM!)

There is no more formative influence in the life of a child than their mother. Fathers and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and friends and teachers are all very important, yes. But godly mothers have the chance to become the anchor in the souls of their children -- until they are old enough to realize that the God that anchor's their mother's soul is the true anchor for their lives ... as the old hymn says: "...an anchor in the time of storm."

Back to Scot's book ... I am seeing that God chose Mary of Nazareth -- not just as a "borrowed womb" for Jesus, but as that anchoring influence for his one and only Son. Do we think this was done haphazardly?

Hardly!

Please read both of Anne's novels about Jesus' early years and his familial and cultural environment. Then go back and read the Gospels again. Gain some appreciation for the immense research that has gone into these books and, like me, look forward to the next book in the series!

And while you're at it, pick up Scot's The Real Mary and be ready to be challenged to believe in the power and love and mercy of our God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength -- and so answer the call of Christ to spread this very subversive Good News!

My anchor holds -- it's gripping the Solid Rock: Jesus!

Let's allow God to speak through the Body of Christ.

Please, friends, take a moment (about 20 minutes or so) to hear this interview between Rose Swetman and Rob Bell about women's issues...led by a quote from Eugene Cho about how women need to be free to do whatever it is God asks them to do.

Rose speaks about how she dislikes "women's initiatives" which involve only women -- because they "ghettoize" women. And the church needs to be about bringing men and women together to serve. Don't have "token" people make the church about "equal opportunity" rather than an open expression of the vast diversity God has created and blessed and given to each other as the Body of Christ.

At around 9 minutes into the talk, we get to the quote from Rob Bell that Jonathan Brink drew out which brought this to my attention: “Women can teach the children. Okay so let me get this straight. When people are the most susceptible, moldible and gullible…Let the women at them. But as soon as they can actually discern and resist....”

This was the exact conversation I had with the church elders when I was 17 years old and was told I could not lead a high school Bible study because there would be boys older than 13 attending. What a de ja vu moment....

The challenge for men and women who are trying to remove from the church the very barriers Christ has already removed, is one of timing. God leads his people according to their readiness to follow. That readiness is something that we have not been very good about discerning. If we do not move at the right time with the right circumstances and the right people, disaster can result. We must learn the discernment required in order to properly pick our battles -- because having our pearls trampled by swine does not serve the Kingdom. We must follow the lead of the Spirit to where and with whom and how we are to serve.

There is a time to wait patiently. There is also a time to say "No more waiting. We move forward now!" But this time must be chosen by the Spirit.

Friends, please allow that there are a variety of circumstances in the church in which the Spirit is at work. What is the right time and place and action for one group may just not be appropriate for another. The prophets of God were deemed authentic by whether they spoke the words of God ... not whether they were popular. Sometimes their words were received and God's will was done. Other times their words were rejected and God had to fall back and regroup. But the point was that the prophet was obedient to God, not whether the people responded appropriately. This is so challenging....

The Holy Spirit has brought all those who name Jesus as Lord into a dynamic relationship called the Body of Christ. It is time that we allow the Spirit to actually connect all the bones and ligaments and muscles and nerves and blood vessels and the other millions of cells so that we all are able to do our part in The Great Dance.

...and I will get to my stuff on perichoresis ... please be patient! ;^)

Waiting on Papa's time and Sarayu's power while following Jesus.

Some thoughts on Fire....

A comment from an old thread on Alan Hirsch's blog, The Forgotten Ways, popped into my e-mail this morning. I wanted to refresh my memory about the original post, so I followed the link back to last Thanksgiving ... when my blog was just a few weeks old ... and found that the things talked about back then seemed to be very appropriate to revisit today.

So, I would like to suggest that you take a few moments to read Alan's post on Fire or Fire and also read through the comments -- where you will find a few thoughts from the Abbess -- and ponder the opportunities that are presented to us out of the fires of life. Possibilities for the Spirit to help us learn or forgive or risk or mature ... all components in the process that we know as sanctification: becoming like Christ.

Fire seems to be a very purple thing, indeed.

Letting Papa help manage the fires.

Pain, Evil and a Loving God's Restraint

It has been a day when I have indulged in posting on other's blogs more than I have of late. After having finished Scot's simple yet totally remarkable "40 Days Living the Jesus Creed" this morning, I wandered over to catch up at JesusCreed.com.

RJS has been doing a series called "Our Reasonable Faith" and today's Third Post tackled the problem of pain and evil and a loving God. It is an important conversation [I urge you to read the post as well as the comments] and I joined in at comment #51 with the following very purple thoughts:

Wow…what a thread. Too much to read and process properly, but I have a few coins to toss into the well here.

First of all, Peck’s “People of the Lie” is an interesting look into human evil, consistent with what mariam and Diane have shared.

Secondly, I have been wondering what you meant, Bob #6, when you said: “And the whisperer is trying to establish a foothold at JesusCreed.” I’m hoping that you are not saying that we cannot have a conversation with lots of random thoughts about this most disturbing phenenomon. I hope you have continued reading the comments … this is a very thoughtful thread.

There has been a tremendous amount of transparency in what has been shared, and I know that many of us have lain on the floor and groaned, like doperdeck, over why our precious children and loved ones must suffer so intensely. Sigh…. It is, indeed a mystery.

Finally, Phil #18, you said this: “In some ways I’m tempted to suggest that maybe God’s love or power is limited in some way. But I really don’t know. . . And honestly, it bothers me.”

The story of Job is an important one for this discussion. It contains many mysteries about “why” that we should try to learn from. If God wanted to answer these very questions, would not this have been the place? Yet we see that Job was righteous, that God was confident of his loyalty, that Job was able to voice his grief to God in a very rigorous manner … and God honors his relationship with Job by actually showed up. After helping Job realize that he doesn’t really understand what is involved in being God … Job realizes that he asked a question that cannot be answered. Not because God is unwilling to explain, but because [he is] unable to understand. And so we are called to trust God.

This is part of how God is limited — not in his ability to be and do, but in our ability to receive and understand. God has to restrain himself (a term I prefer to limited, actually) in order to enter into relationship with us. His greatest example of this kind of self-restraint is in the Incarnation.

Others have spoken of a God who does not interfere in our circumstances to change outcomes unless it particularly serves a purpose of his that is beyond our scrutiny. Many times in many places around the world, we see the power of God released for healing and wholeness … and many times we are left to endure the agony and groaning. [And we must join with Job: the Lord gives and the Lord takes away -- blessed be the name of the Lord.]

But the bottom line must be one of faith in the steadfast love of God for his Eikons — and trust that he walks with us, whether it be in the valley of the shadow of death or on the mountain tops with amazing vistas, or the plains where things just are, well, normal. Because he is actively at work in us and in his world bring about renewal and reconciliation and restoration according to his loving will and our readiness to receive and participate in his Mission.

…and so I have learned to be content, regardless of my circumstance. And sometimes the face of contentment is awash in tears and questions of how and when, but no longer why.

Grateful for Papa's Restraint

Trust is Earned, not Compelled

The Abbess processed some interesting stuff over at Len's blog NextReformation ... and decided to bring the comment back here. Please do read the entire post, as well as the comments, so that you have the context for what I had to say.

Len,

I had to let this one sit for a while ... it is way too close to my reality. I find it very interesting (God has such a tremendous sense of humor) that I took a 20 year path to reach ordination and, finally, paid pastoral ministry at a large church (2,000 ish), only to leave after five years and receive the vision for CovenantClusters and meet up with Alan Hirsch and Neil Cole and you and so many others ... and, basically, totally walk away from that paradigm. What a trip!

Nathan,

FWIW (which may be not much because you don't know me!), when you said:

"The fact of the matter is that, in general, those of us with a theological education actually do know more than the average Christian and we have a responsibility to serve the Church with it. I don’t get why people resent this and feel like this is elitist."

It struck right where I'm processing with the church where I was on staff. The problem of trust is not when someone is educated to a higher level, but more when the perception thrives that only those with such education have something to teach. And it gets even worse when those with much knowledge do not have much evidence of fruit in their lives that shows the diligent application of their knowledge.

...not to say that this is your personal situation, now!!!!

I believe that when we do not actively LISTEN and find a way to value EVERY VOICE for its perspective and contribution, then we lose truth and trust.

And when you compare expert knowledge of theology with doctors and mechanics and realtors there is something of a disconnect. This is because the very Spirit of God comes to dwell in the hearts of all those who name Christ as Lord and teaches them what it means to grow toward being like Christ. The life of a Christ-follower is essentially simple obedience to the call to love God and love others. One does not HAVE to have all the specific theological knowledge available to be obedient to love in one's circumstances.

The incredible intricacies of being a doctor or mechanic or realtor have less "competition", as it were. Although, my role as Doctor Mom sometimes rises up against the "knowledge" of doctors ... and my experience of what my car is supposed to sound or feel like sometimes rises up against the "knowledge" of mechanics. And when the doctors and mechanics do not listen to me with respect in order to gain understanding into my situation, they will be less effective in serving me and meeting my needs ... and it may cost me more money and suffering than necessary.

Any expert on anything that attempts to assume or compel trust by reason of their superior knowledge or experience or whatever will be disappointed when they are not followed ... been there, done that!

The key to your statement is in the serving of the Body of Christ, in order to equip them mature in Christ and to embrace the call to do the work of ministry. Too often the expert knowledge of church leaders leads to immaturity and dependence of the people -- that effectively inoculates them from sensing the need to step up to offer their gifts for the edification of the Body.

My experience has been that the most brilliant of the learned theologians are only truly effective as teachers and leaders through their incredible humility and transparent humanity and generous availability -- so much so that it is virtually impossible to perceive them as elitist.

In the 3rd chapter of James, he warns: "Don't be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us is perfectly qualified." (The Message) He goes on to end the chapter contrasting knowledge with wisdom ... and we all know that head knowledge doesn't always translate to practical wisdom ... and the paradox still exists that God is in the habit of using the simple to confound the wise.

Sorry for the length! But this is exactly where I'm swimming -- and the waters are shark infested! ;^)

Trusting Papa

How did it get to be May 5th?

The Abbess is having a bit of a time-warp problem ... sigh. :^(

Part of the problem is that I was gone to Seattle for the Washington State PTA Convention from May 1-3, so I was not in my "normal" routine ... and April disappeared while I was distracted.

For those of you who don't know, The Abbess is the current President of her son's middle school PTSA ... and will be co-President next year as well. Convention is an important time for refocusing vision as well as taking advantage of educational and inspirational opportunities -- as well as conducting the business of the organization at this annual business meeting.

I am grateful for this educational process because it helps me understand how non-profit organizations are to be run ... and gives me tremendous insight into how most churches could benefit from intentional training of their executive officers. But not going to go any further into that territory today.

I am processing lots of the things I learned at convention, but especially two:

1. Vision that is not clear enough does not result in tangible goals that energize the local community. I am pondering how I might be able to cast a vision for our PTSA that will help explain what we are really about and, thereby, encourage greater membership as well as greater involvement. PTSA is really more than fundraising for projects....
2. The featured guest speaker was Darrell Scot, father of Rachel Joy Scot -- the first victim at the Columbine High School massacre. It was the first in-depth look I had at the work that he and the rest of the family have undertaken in the wake of Rachel's death -- and her amazing and unusual life. She wanted to start a chain reaction of kindness ... and she did! Rachel's Challenge is a program that has been implemented across the country to help schools foster an environment of kindness where there is no opportunity for bullies to terrorize because everyone looks out for each other ... a chain reaction of kindness. I urge you to follow the link if you don't know about Rachel's Challenge, or just want to know more.
   

I'm sure I'll have more to say about both of these as the days pass ... but I wanted to at least check in and let you know what I'm up to!

And ... I was honored to have links to my little Parable of the Jesus Creeders show up in Sunday Revival at Kingdom Grace as well as Brother Maynard's Random Acts of Linkage #59.

And ... while I'm thinking about links, this one from Scot McKnight's Weekly Meanderings made my day: Top 10 things you should know before arguing about Intelligent Design. I knew that there was someone out there who understood my position between the extremes on this topic!

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone!