Once upon a time I was part of a group that wanted to have more time together to discuss faith issues but was finding the realities of scheduling to be working against us. I started this blog to see if this was a way to meet that need. I think I can safely say it has proved to be a perfectly good solution to some other problem. So at this point I will recognize that this is, and has been, my blog and will use it as such.
I put a warp on my loom this week. Warping a loom is a lot of work. It is an exacting process and the finished produce will show how well it was done. For this warp 320 threads to be measured to the same lenght (220 inches in this case), threaded through the reed (2 to a dent for 20 per inch), each threaded through the proper heddle in the proper order to get the desired pattern, then tied on and wound with even tension on all 320 of them. All while keeping them from tangling. Do it well and weaving will be a joy. Do it less well and you will fight problems every inch you weave. Do it badly and it won't take a weaver to see that the finished cloth isn't what was intended.
I have produced enough yards of cloth to know what I do and don't want to do. I tried a different way of measuring out multi colored stripes that I will NEVER use again. A few seconds saved at one step is not worth the complications caused on down the line. I got a couple of inches of the warp through the heddles and realized that I didn't have the correct number of heddles on each shaft. There are a couple of ways to fix this. I decided that I was tired of having this problem and did a real fix. Had to take out what had been threaded so I could take my loom apart to do it. Wayne made a slight modification to the loom to make this easier the next time it needs to happen (not every pattern needs the same number of heddles on each shaft).
My favorite part of weaving is watching the pattern develop from the work of my hands, but I don't dislike the work to make that possible. I decided to take the time to make sure I had a trouble free warp to weave. Had to redo a few things to make that happen. Guess I will see how close I came to that when I start weaving. There will be no escaping the reality that the weaving will show how well I did this. It will also show any problems I have missed so far. I think this is another thing I like about weaving. The relationship between how well you prepare and the product you get is so clear.
I suspect that the real difference between weaving and other actives is not how closely preparation and product are related, but how clearly. I think I shall ponder this while going to work on other project today.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Monday, May 25, 2009
Musings
I admit to being torn. This wasn't suppose to be my private blog, but it does seem to be working out that way. I have intentionally limited the topics I have posted on in the hope of not discouraging participation if anyone else from SCC actually did wander over here. I may do so again in the future, but not today.
Today is our anniversary. Today is also the day before we learn what the ruling of the California Supreme court on the legality of Proposition 8. There is question about the constitutionality (is that a word) of the proposition. I have no expertise in law, and even less about the California state law. I don't have an opinion on the very specific question the court is ruling on. The question is not what is right, it is was this proposition filed in accordance with California law. If the answer is "yes" there is an additional question before the court: What to do about the 18,000 same gender couples that were married during the brief months the state held this as legal. The group that argued that the measure is legal has asked the court to declare them null and void. Thirty-six THOUSAND people divorced against their will. Actually, I see this as worse than divorced against their will -- rather 36,000 people told that their marriages were a sham, it never really happened. Celebrating our anniversary on this last day of waiting has sharpened my awareness.
I know, in person or on-line probably 2 dozen of those 18,000 couples. It is no trivial matter. For them, for me or for any of us. It also cuts to the heart of what this blog is to address: how do we take the Biblical message and apply it in our world.
It usually comes as a shock when I tell people that I was moved, no pushed, into becoming an advocate for full inclusion of LGBT persons in our church and in our society as a result of my reading and study of the Bible. Most were ready to assume that the view I hold means I am a "godless liberal", someone who probably doesn't read the Bible at all or if I do am ready to "explain away" any passages that don't suit me. Not hardly.
If I am going to take the Bible seriously that means I have to take ALL of it seriously. It means trying to understand what it meant in it's own time and place. If I call Jesus the Christ that means his teachings must be given the greatest weight. If I really believe that the Spirit was moving in the early church I have to take seriously how that formed the understanding of what the church was called to be. When I look at how Jesus treated those who were outcasts in his day, when I read of Peter baptizing the household of Cornelius because who was he to withhold baptism when God had poured out the Spirit on them as well I have to take that seriously.
I have seen the blessing it has been to same gender couples to have their relationship recognized and held as marriage. Unlike Peter should I deny the reality of the gift of God? I don't think so.
No, celebrating our anniversary as we wait to hear the fate of friends has sharpened the focus for me. I have been less active in the recent past. That needs to change. Refusal to recognize all kinds of marriages that have been blessed by God truly does deny the sanctity of marriage. Anything less than full inclusion of ALL people as God created them denies the gospel. It doesn't get more serious than this.
There is no question of what I should work towards. No, the only question is just what do I do next?
Today is our anniversary. Today is also the day before we learn what the ruling of the California Supreme court on the legality of Proposition 8. There is question about the constitutionality (is that a word) of the proposition. I have no expertise in law, and even less about the California state law. I don't have an opinion on the very specific question the court is ruling on. The question is not what is right, it is was this proposition filed in accordance with California law. If the answer is "yes" there is an additional question before the court: What to do about the 18,000 same gender couples that were married during the brief months the state held this as legal. The group that argued that the measure is legal has asked the court to declare them null and void. Thirty-six THOUSAND people divorced against their will. Actually, I see this as worse than divorced against their will -- rather 36,000 people told that their marriages were a sham, it never really happened. Celebrating our anniversary on this last day of waiting has sharpened my awareness.
I know, in person or on-line probably 2 dozen of those 18,000 couples. It is no trivial matter. For them, for me or for any of us. It also cuts to the heart of what this blog is to address: how do we take the Biblical message and apply it in our world.
It usually comes as a shock when I tell people that I was moved, no pushed, into becoming an advocate for full inclusion of LGBT persons in our church and in our society as a result of my reading and study of the Bible. Most were ready to assume that the view I hold means I am a "godless liberal", someone who probably doesn't read the Bible at all or if I do am ready to "explain away" any passages that don't suit me. Not hardly.
If I am going to take the Bible seriously that means I have to take ALL of it seriously. It means trying to understand what it meant in it's own time and place. If I call Jesus the Christ that means his teachings must be given the greatest weight. If I really believe that the Spirit was moving in the early church I have to take seriously how that formed the understanding of what the church was called to be. When I look at how Jesus treated those who were outcasts in his day, when I read of Peter baptizing the household of Cornelius because who was he to withhold baptism when God had poured out the Spirit on them as well I have to take that seriously.
I have seen the blessing it has been to same gender couples to have their relationship recognized and held as marriage. Unlike Peter should I deny the reality of the gift of God? I don't think so.
No, celebrating our anniversary as we wait to hear the fate of friends has sharpened the focus for me. I have been less active in the recent past. That needs to change. Refusal to recognize all kinds of marriages that have been blessed by God truly does deny the sanctity of marriage. Anything less than full inclusion of ALL people as God created them denies the gospel. It doesn't get more serious than this.
There is no question of what I should work towards. No, the only question is just what do I do next?
Sunday, May 3, 2009
A Suggestion To Consider
Last week during the New Beginnings assessment I had an opportunity to briefly visit with our Regional Minister, Rev. Lari Grubbs. He was interested in the information about this Bible study that was posted in the hall and wanted to know what we were doing. I gave him a copy of the handouts (the first post on this blog + the worksheet) and after reading them he had some good suggestions that I am passing on here.
The first was that in a group that was not already use to working online we probably needed to start with some face-to-face meetings that could be augmented with online participation. I think the slow start we have had (being generous here folks) shows the truth of this observation.
The second was to conisder structuring discussion not around books of the Bible but rather the issue we wished to consider in light of the Biblical message. We could use the same "other" resource, or just pick resources on a common topic and then what different insights different parts of the Bible provide as we consider how we are to respond. The more I think about this the better I like it. What do you think?
The first was that in a group that was not already use to working online we probably needed to start with some face-to-face meetings that could be augmented with online participation. I think the slow start we have had (being generous here folks) shows the truth of this observation.
The second was to conisder structuring discussion not around books of the Bible but rather the issue we wished to consider in light of the Biblical message. We could use the same "other" resource, or just pick resources on a common topic and then what different insights different parts of the Bible provide as we consider how we are to respond. The more I think about this the better I like it. What do you think?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Parable of the Talents
I came across this on one of the blogs I follow. It has just blown me away. This is exactly what Bible study should lead to. Read about it here. This is a church that knows what it means to be church.
I would suggest that the question we should be asking ourselves is "how can we serve?" not "what are we called to do?" Let me unpack this a bit. I do believe that people and groups can be called to specific tasks. I have felt called in the work I do with GLAD. I have listened to several others describe their call. I don't think that one can decide to "go find what he/she/they are called to do" . I think the call finds you. At first it sounds unbelievable. Then you wrestle with it. It wins. Then you live with it for awhile, in an uneasy "now-that-I've-got-it-what-am-I-going-to-do-with-it" kind of way. Then you begin to see how you can live it out and what you need to do to be equipped for the journey. Being called is very much about what one should be doing. Looking for your call makes it very much about you. That gets in the way. I do think it is important to do what you are called to do -- I just don't think you can decide to go find it.
We can look for ways to serve. As we open our eyes and hearts to the needs that surround us some may find a call. We may collectively find a call for our church. It may take time to find. It may take a lot of time. But looking for ways to serve AND acting on what we find makes this about what we can be doing, not about us. It might even make it easier to find our calling by not looking for it.
Karen
I would suggest that the question we should be asking ourselves is "how can we serve?" not "what are we called to do?" Let me unpack this a bit. I do believe that people and groups can be called to specific tasks. I have felt called in the work I do with GLAD. I have listened to several others describe their call. I don't think that one can decide to "go find what he/she/they are called to do" . I think the call finds you. At first it sounds unbelievable. Then you wrestle with it. It wins. Then you live with it for awhile, in an uneasy "now-that-I've-got-it-what-am-I-going-to-do-with-it" kind of way. Then you begin to see how you can live it out and what you need to do to be equipped for the journey. Being called is very much about what one should be doing. Looking for your call makes it very much about you. That gets in the way. I do think it is important to do what you are called to do -- I just don't think you can decide to go find it.
We can look for ways to serve. As we open our eyes and hearts to the needs that surround us some may find a call. We may collectively find a call for our church. It may take time to find. It may take a lot of time. But looking for ways to serve AND acting on what we find makes this about what we can be doing, not about us. It might even make it easier to find our calling by not looking for it.
Karen
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Perspective
As I have been reading Matthew I have also been reading What The Gospels Meant by Garry Wills. Well, reading the chapters that cover Matthew that is. It has been an interesting and an easy read. There have been new thoughts to consider, a few things to disagree with, and reason to rethink ideas I had seen before. All together a satisfactory read.
He opens his section on The Beatitudes (5:3-10)with this statement: "Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with messages of comfort, what was called in antiquity a consolatio, an address to those afflicted, neglected, or persecuted."(p. 77) I have been turning this over in my mind since I read it. I can't even begin to count how many times I have read, or listened to someone read The Beatitudes. I don't think I have ever experienced them as being comforting. Early on I grasp that Jesus was talking about people who were "afflicted, neglected, or persecuted" , somehow I missed that he was talking TO people who were "afflicted, neglected, or persecuted". I do believe this explains my reaction.
While I grew up in significantly less afluence than we now have I never knew serious want as a child. Our days of student poverty were definately days of poverty, but we expected them to be short lived and they were. When I started becoming a more outspoken advocate for the full aceptance of lgbt persons in the church and in our society I wondered what I was going to be in for. The truth is I have been glared at a couple of times and once had 2 truly awful hours during a vigil with Soulforce. Even if these had not come with the many good friends I have made and countless positive experiences it would not qualify as persecuted. In short I have not resonated with words of comfort for the "afflicted, neglected, or persecuted" because I have been none of those things.
Once I would have only thought in terms of what the passage meant for me. That is an important perspective -- deciding what a passage means for someone else is of very limited value. But that is not what I have been pondering recently. No I have been wondering just what to do with this insight. What difference does this make as I look at deepening how I live out my faith?
He opens his section on The Beatitudes (5:3-10)with this statement: "Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with messages of comfort, what was called in antiquity a consolatio, an address to those afflicted, neglected, or persecuted."(p. 77) I have been turning this over in my mind since I read it. I can't even begin to count how many times I have read, or listened to someone read The Beatitudes. I don't think I have ever experienced them as being comforting. Early on I grasp that Jesus was talking about people who were "afflicted, neglected, or persecuted" , somehow I missed that he was talking TO people who were "afflicted, neglected, or persecuted". I do believe this explains my reaction.
While I grew up in significantly less afluence than we now have I never knew serious want as a child. Our days of student poverty were definately days of poverty, but we expected them to be short lived and they were. When I started becoming a more outspoken advocate for the full aceptance of lgbt persons in the church and in our society I wondered what I was going to be in for. The truth is I have been glared at a couple of times and once had 2 truly awful hours during a vigil with Soulforce. Even if these had not come with the many good friends I have made and countless positive experiences it would not qualify as persecuted. In short I have not resonated with words of comfort for the "afflicted, neglected, or persecuted" because I have been none of those things.
Once I would have only thought in terms of what the passage meant for me. That is an important perspective -- deciding what a passage means for someone else is of very limited value. But that is not what I have been pondering recently. No I have been wondering just what to do with this insight. What difference does this make as I look at deepening how I live out my faith?
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Musings on Translations
Last week at Salt & Light part of the Gospel of Matthew was read aloud. Chapter 17: 14-21.
from the NRSV:
14 When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, 15and said, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.’ 17Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.’ 18And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. 19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ 20He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there”, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’
Looking at other translations here some call the boy an epileptic, some a lunatic, one says he is "moonstruck", one says he suffers greatly with seizures, one says he "shakes wildly and suffers a great deal" , and one says "a bad spirit is in him and he suffers a great deal".
from the NRSV:
14 When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, 15and said, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.’ 17Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.’ 18And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. 19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ 20He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there”, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’
Looking at other translations here some call the boy an epileptic, some a lunatic, one says he is "moonstruck", one says he suffers greatly with seizures, one says he "shakes wildly and suffers a great deal" , and one says "a bad spirit is in him and he suffers a great deal".
What should we expect of a translation? What is the important part of the story to capture? It is from a different time, a different culture, a different place. With the few details about the boy's condition we are given it seems likely that today he would be diagnosed with epilepsy. Is it important that we have pointed out to us that at that time epilepsy was thought to be a mental illness caused by evil spirits? That is an association that still has the power to make life more difficult for persons with epilepsy. A story of healing that is used to hurt. That may be faithful to the words that were used, but not to the truth that was taught.
Since starting this study I have read Matthew in full in 2 different translations, and select passages in several more. It really does make a difference. I have no answers. I have pondered this issue many times over the years and hearing that passage read aloud last week brought this back into my thoughts.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Getting Started
I have started this blog to give us another format for sharing our experiences--many thanks to Yakelin for the name.
Here is the invitation that was given at church:
Here is the invitation that was given at church:
What
To join with others at SCC in a journey of prayer and Bible study to deepen our spiritual lives and strengthen our community.
What would I be doing?
-Pick a book of the Bible. I suggest you start with a gospel, but if you really want to start somewhere else please do so.
-Read large enough portions to finish that book in a week or two weeks at the most. When you finish it read it again. Before moving on read it a few time, ideally in more than one translation. When you are ready, pick another book of the Bible and repeat.
-Pick another resource that focuses on some situation in which we are called to live out our faith. This is wide open. It can be a book, a blog, a justice issue, a faith issue, current events, anything. The purpose of this resource is to help us keep a focus on how we are to apply what we are reading in the Bible in our lives.
-Use this as a foundation for your prayers.
-Some may find it valuable to keep a journal. Take opportunities to share your experience with others.
If someone outside of our church group stops by and wants to join in please do. You are most welcome here.
Lets see how this will work for us.
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