Have you heard of Time Banking?

Last night at our weekly missional learning community, we listened to Ron talk about a concept known as time banking. I recommend that you browse their website and see what they're about.

I was captivated because it dovetales amazingly with part of the vision for CovenantClusters, but it also expands the possibilities. I also downloaded a special edition pdf by the founder (for a modest donation) Priceless Money: Banking Time for Changing Times. It outlines their five foundational principles and gives you a quick grasp on what these folks are about.

And this is right on the heels of my current experience with what I'm now thinking about calling Yoke Buddies: Helping Each other Share the Load.

You may remember, back in the throes of the horrible flu, that I had quite an epiphany about needing to ask for help in my quest for the 15 minute a day house transformation project. It was actually a paradigm shift for me to realize that I could not get things under control "my way" ... I needed a plan that was workable. I needed to "eat this elephant" the only way possible: one bite at a time. I just cannot tell you what a blessing my "house fairy" has been these past two weeks -- and what a lift it has been to the mood in our home.

Well, I have decided that I might need to start Yoke Buddies in my area as a way for folks to tangibly love one another ... because everyone has 15 minutes to help another!

And that might be a great lead-in to the whole Time Banking concept....

Yoked together with Jesus already.

Remembering The Great Eucatastrophe

Christ is Risen!

Indeed -- the resurrection is the Great Eucatastrophe, when things looked their worst. The Son of God had been murdered and his followers are stumbling around in shock and disbelief (of varying kinds). Had Jesus gambled and lost? What happened to all his talk about the Kingdom of God? As the great sermon phrase goes: It's Friday; but Sunday's coming!

Sunday -- when the grave could no longer hold our Lord and Savior and the course of history was changed -- the great eucatastrophe, indeed!

Well, if his followers (then and now!) actually learned how to hear properly and understand, they would understand that this was all unfolding according to plan. Why do we not hear and understand?

You know me ... The Abbess will say that we are not using our cHesed glasses to good effect.

What? We're talking about hearing, not seeing!

Well, this is what happens to me all the time. If I do not have my glasses on, I do not hear clearly. I can be heard saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you said -- I don't have my glasses on."

Do you have glasses? Do you find this same phenomenon? I think when my visual acuity is off, then my senses tend to go fuzzy as well. And I think when we are not wearing our cHesed glasses, sometimes we just don't see or understand what is happening around us -- because we are not trying to see what Papa is seeing. When we rely on our own perception of reality, well, things get missed and we get confused.

But let's not run ahead....

So, I'm going to give you the opportunity to read this wonderful post over at WindRumors before I unpack some of its treasures here ... but as The Abbess love both mystery and ambiguity, you can bet that I'll have lots to say. ;^) (HT to Kingdom grace)

Yearning to see life through Papa's eyes.

Valuing Diversity -- Riverdance-Style

So, have you taken a look at any of the Riverdance stuff? What? Not getting ready for the post coming about perichoresis?

If you need a bit of help, then take a look at this Battle Dance and see the progression. Looks a bit like contextualization on the fly ... or should that be on the tap?

Do you have a favorite scene from any of these series of shows that speaks to unity and shared story or putting down barriers?

De-Toxing From Spiritual Abuse

I just have to stop and give a shout out to FuturistGuy, my precious brother Abbot from The Abbey (AbbE) and MO Blogger Brad, for the amazing series he is undertaking about recognizing, responding to and recovering from toxic spiritual situations (mostly churches and their leadership structures).

This series is a must read, friends. Brad's brilliance and perceptions and discernment are "spot on," as my friends from various corners of the British Empire like to say. ;^) Be sure that you have time and available brain cells when you read his stuff ... it will be worth the extra effort!

... I really will get to Perichoresis :^) ... patience!

Letting Papa draw out the toxins.

cHesed as Fidelity

Clark Cowden has a new post on the Missional Journey blog at Allelon. Read his thoughts about "A Certain Uncertainty" as well as the comments. Good food for thought.

Down in the fourth comment, a Timothy Wright responded to a comment MO Blogger Len made (excerpted from his excellent post on Certitude) with this:

Help me understand the practical outworking of:

“We all have a hunger for certitude, and the problem is that the Gospel is not about certitude, it’s about fidelity”

The fidelity of who? And how do we find out who this person is? Is the Bible or? And if it is written down anywhere, we have to have a certainty that something is true, if we are to trust the fidelity of the person who is offering it? And who decides what the characteristics of this fidelity that is being offered?

* * * * *

This was my comment:

I love the fidelity response to the desire for certainty. And the embrace of the mystery of fidelity as well. But when it comes to "the fidelity of who" question, I would go a bit farther than Len does.

I would say that fidelity is a two way street. When we accept God's offer of adoption through the New Covenant in Jesus Christ, we realize that God's fidelity is what guarantees our salvation, just as Jesus Christ's fidelity purchased that salvation, and the Holy Spirit's fidelity through its indwelling presence enables us to struggle to live out our fidelity in response -- loving God and loving others.

This is the essence of faithful covenant keeping (hesed) and it involves the fidelity of all parties to the covenant. The fidelity of the Triune God is certain: they will always serve the best interest of their covenant partners. The fidelity of us humans (toward God and toward each other) is where we crave that shot of certainty ... to which I would add these questions:

...will we actually believe that God is always active in seeking our best interest -- and then respond accordingly?

...will be believe that Jesus Christ is always making effective intercession for us before God's throne -- and receive his love, grace and mercy so that we can then recognize and join God's missional activity?

...will we believe that the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit can actually transform us, bit by bit and day by day, into the very image of Jesus Christ -- and thereby humbly submit to this transformation?

...will we believe that the fidelity of God flows to us in such abundance and power that we can then actually respond with increasing fidelity -- not only toward God (as above), but toward others (those who are Christians as well as those who are not-yet Christians) by looking out for their best interests.

And finally, will we believe that there is mercy and forgiveness from God, through Jesus, for all our infidelities -- and embrace the vulnerability that actively repents, confesses, receives forgiveness, and moves toward reconciliation and restoration?

If we will believe these things, then we will see that our feeble fidelity is surrounded by God's unfailing fidelity ... and that there are brothers and sisters in Christ who are also looking out for our best interest, according to our shared covenant in Christ ... and this larger network of Christian fidelity is one awesome mystery to behold -- and the source of our greatest witness.

"They will know that you are my disciples because of your love for one another," said Jesus.

I think we have an amazing certainty in the midst of uncertainty -- we just have to look its direction with Hebrews 11:1 faith...realizing that the remaining uncertainty has to do with what loving one another actually looks like moment by moment.

How am I looking out for the best interest of my covenant partners? Is what I am doing/thinking (or not doing/thinking) an act of fidelity or infidelity? Hmmm....

* * * * *

I am still working on Perichoresis ... but I thought this was worth sharing in the meantime.

Certain of Papa's fidelity.

Saint Patrick and the 100th Post!

Well, here I am at my 100th post! And so The Abbess of the Purple Martyrdom celebrates by paying tribute to one of the Saints of the White Martyrdom ... who gave his life for the people of the Emerald Isle.

Thanking God for Patrick and all the faithful Celtic brothers and sisters he encouraged -- who encourage us still today with the traditions and wisdom and words and music -- sacred rhythms of life, as they followed The Way, that they were inspired to leave for us.

The Blind Beggar has a wonderful Irish Blessing that must be experienced ... with my blessings added to it!

Dancing a bit of an Irish jig with the 3 in 1....

Abi's Lent: Day 40

Well, I have been blessed by accepting Scot's 40 Days Living the Jesus Creed for Lent Challenge. And just yesterday I received my copy of Scot's new book, 40 Days Living The Jesus Creed. I look forward to another six weeks of daily devotions ... and I'm sure they will find there way into this blog from time to time.

Yesterday I spent a number of hours collecting my thoughts about perichoresis -- which I have promised to do for quite some time. It's not quite ready to publish at this very moment, but it will be -- soon. I promise!

In the meantime I want to leave you with this. Have you ever seen the Irish Dancing shows called "Riverdance" or "Lord of the Dance" or "Feet of Flames"? Without going into how appropriate all the dance moves or songs might be for younger audiences, there is something about watching these amazing dancers that makes you want to get out of your chair and dance along. The music; the chanting; the rhythm of the instruments as well as the stomping and tapping; the quiet, light-as-a-feather dancing of the female principals; the thunderous unison of scores of men's tap shoes; the amazing speed and timing of their synchronized movements....

When "Riverdance" was first thought of, nobody believed that great crowds of people would be interested in watching Irish Dancing -- but the shows sold out night after night, in city after city, around the world. There must be something about this that speaks to our hearts.

Researchers have wondered about the "purpose" for music to have evolved and have come up empty-handed. There appears to be no reason for it. But I think they have forgotten the resonance-factor, as I call it. Everything vibrates at a specific frequency, and those frequencies that cause resonance in those near to it will amplify the vibrations. Sing it with me and the Beach Boys: good, good, good, good vibrations.... And when one is around a vibration source for a while, a phenomenon called entrainment happens. They begin to synchronize with each other.

Disclosure alert! The Abbess is no scientist ... but that does not mean she is without intuition or understanding of some of the things on the edge (being, after all, an edge dweller ;^) of sorts).

So, before I get into too swampy of territory, I'll leave you to ponder these, well, vibrational frequencies about music and rhythm and dancing and singing. And the power they have to move us in profound ways.

And if you have a tape or DVD of any of the referenced Irish Dancing ... you just might want to watch them again in preparation for processing The Divine Dance with The Virtual Abbess. :^)

Dancing with the 3-in-1.