tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50932356134759557642024-03-01T18:04:37.496-06:00t(r)oymarblesTroyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.comBlogger1153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-67600178318684674182023-03-26T17:32:00.003-05:002023-03-26T17:36:26.444-05:00why nude art can be good for children<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdWw4Gxy0tEc_CN0Bupe0dVHyVUlIw1HOXZtDawLz7gMI2OyNPNiWYC4aNp2FCxRggt2PQQQXGPCcQyz0pFlRRzzAxNnuIySZ_3-LPAWnPdOW91_OclwPYjVJzm0FPSGKLDSm_euaXWp4Yc3o-bx58yvOfFyhxwyyg1BypTeYmlOqQBJ4n5PcN_lKZg/s1650/Nude%20Christ%20by%20Melanie%20Cooper%20Pennington%202.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdWw4Gxy0tEc_CN0Bupe0dVHyVUlIw1HOXZtDawLz7gMI2OyNPNiWYC4aNp2FCxRggt2PQQQXGPCcQyz0pFlRRzzAxNnuIySZ_3-LPAWnPdOW91_OclwPYjVJzm0FPSGKLDSm_euaXWp4Yc3o-bx58yvOfFyhxwyyg1BypTeYmlOqQBJ4n5PcN_lKZg/w308-h400/Nude%20Christ%20by%20Melanie%20Cooper%20Pennington%202.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Nude Christ by Melanie Cooper Pennington</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Recently, the principal of Tallahassee Classical School in
Florida resigned in response to complaints submitted to the school board by at
least one parent after a sixth-grade class was shown a picture of
Michelangelo’s David sculpture as part of their curriculum. Apparently, the
parent said the sculpture was “pornographic.”<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
Setting aside the fact that one would <i>expect</i> students at a classical academy
to learn about classic art such as this, I am dumbstruck by the fact that so
many Christians would applaud the school board’s discipline. <br /><br />
As an ordained minister who has studied childhood spiritual development by
working with children and partnering with church-going families over several
years, I would like to explain why I think it is GOOD for children to see (and
have the chance to reflect upon) nude forms in art. My rationale is rooted in a
variety of theological distinctives inherent in the Christian tradition.<br /><br />
First, Christian teaching holds that the human body is intrinsically good. This
idea is rooted in the creation account itself and reaffirmed in Scriptures like
Psalm 139:14, which declares that human beings are “fearfully and wonderfully
made.” <br /><br />
Significantly, shame about the human body only enters the picture when the
first human beings begin to doubt the goodness of God and the goodness of God’s
creation. Prior to questioning such goodness, it is telling that (according to
Genesis 2:25) the first human beings were “naked, and they felt no shame.” It
is only after they gave in to the doubts sown by the serpent (who represents
evil in the story) that they made coverings for themselves. (see Gen. 3:7)<br /><br />
Far from corrupting children, when we help children celebrate the human form
appropriately, we are, in effect, cooperating with God in celebrating what God
intended for our good. <br /><br />
Let us keep in mind that children do, indeed, reflect upon the mystery of the
human body from a very early age. And it is better to help children wonder
about the body in the open than to push it into the darkness where fear and
shame tend to take over. Of course, the key is to do this appropriately. <br /><br />
You may well ask, then: what is appropriate and what is inappropriate? <br /><br />
Certainly, portrayals that are intended to objectify, degrade, victimize, and
oppress human beings are to be rejected. Since the idea of “being made in God’s
image” involves the act of exercising real autonomy over one’s own body, I
hasten to add that any portrayals which violate the agency of the subject in
question constitute one of the gravest evils (if not <i>the</i> greatest evil) in
our society today. Here I refer to the preponderance of child pornography. This
is a great evil, to be sure, because it preys upon the vulnerability of those
who have little or no power to stand up for themselves when their agency has
been violated. <br /><br />
This is precisely where the Christian story speaks so powerfully to this
question, for Christianity teaches that God became one of us (a human being) in
the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Theologically speaking, this is referred to as
“the incarnation.” Briefly, the incarnation says that God took on human flesh
to redeem what God intended for good in the very beginning and to reassert the
goodness of it all. For the Christian, the embodiment of the Divine in the
incarnation proves to be the decisive moment that dignifies humanity, even as
Christ takes upon himself the shame and humiliations we inflict upon ourselves.
<br /><br />
In this light, it is noteworthy that the two key events in the Christ story
(birth and death) are events in which God’s only Son identifies with us in our
stripped form, completely naked, willing to be exposed and vulnerable before
the religious powerbrokers (who had developed the habit of objectifying God)
and the political overlords (who could degrade and victimize whomever they
wished to oppress).<br /><br />
Indeed, it is striking to me that most portrayals of the birth and death of
Christ take pains to cover up his nakedness. This is tragic because it is
through the very self-exposure of God that we may behold the depth of God’s
love for us by identifying with us in our own vulnerable exposures. Far from
evil, it is through the nakedness of God in these key salvific moments that we
return to the light of grace. <br /><br />
Let us remember that the Gospels affirm this portrait as the writers recorded
the fact that the very last piece of Jesus' clothing was a loincloth which the
soldiers removed from his body in a degrading game of chance. And it was this
very ugliness and humiliation that the apostle Paul celebrated as a kind of subversive
victory. Jesus went right to our deepest, darkest places of shame and ushered
us into the light of affirming love by the very act of exposure. <br /><br />
For these reasons, I encourage parents and educators to be thoughtful about
helping children reflect upon the human body through various art forms,
including visual depictions of nudity. Far from being an anti-Christian
phenomenon, I suggest such thoughtful engagement can help us more fully embody
an intrinsically Christian ethic and mediate an encounter with the Divine
through a celebration of all that is good and beautiful in the human form
itself.<br /><br />
…………………………………<br /><br />
why nude art can be good for children<br />
reflections by troy cady<br />
.<br />
.<br />
.<br />
*Photo: Nude Christ by Melanie Cooper Pennington<o:p></o:p></p>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-24604939202143190232023-01-29T13:18:00.004-06:002023-01-29T14:41:43.594-06:00 Church > Church Services<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnVFQlEdP8t8pA1Szl6NQNVyVZKITdQVANYmjjFAzxyykW6KdWBvnMfFRNpDogz8a70NkdNKvSiHtJoYl-Uuz5kSpIbS_zv8icpFX3nN4CYONghrWmlrNc9w0LvNQPlJ3Gezl6K9WYDq_l2dci6crOUXif3wi9c4sSgwsT5qNyZYZ-TEo1ztNjm7vLQ/s5180/skull-kat-yhEgkxZqkkk-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3453" data-original-width="5180" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnVFQlEdP8t8pA1Szl6NQNVyVZKITdQVANYmjjFAzxyykW6KdWBvnMfFRNpDogz8a70NkdNKvSiHtJoYl-Uuz5kSpIbS_zv8icpFX3nN4CYONghrWmlrNc9w0LvNQPlJ3Gezl6K9WYDq_l2dci6crOUXif3wi9c4sSgwsT5qNyZYZ-TEo1ztNjm7vLQ/s320/skull-kat-yhEgkxZqkkk-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><b>Church > Church Services</b><div><i>pastoral reflections on a Sunday morning in January</i></div><div><i>by troy cady</i></div><div>.<br />.<br />The other day I was talking with a neighbor about the word “church.” As we sat at my desk together, I opened up my web browser and Googled the word “church.” I said, “Now, let’s look at the visual images that are associated with this word.” <br />.<br />And as we looked, I pointed out that almost all of them were a picture of a building and most of those did not even have any people in the picture whatsoever…just a building. A small percentage of the pictures portrayed people in a building…at a church service. And we noted that every single picture that came up in the first round of search results fit into one of these two types of images. <br />.<br />For the past 40 years, I estimate that I have spent 75 percent of my Sundays either going to church services or playing a role in the leadership of such. <br />.<br />In light of this, what I want to say on this Sunday morning may come as a surprise to you: I have come to the conclusion that church services often (but not always) get in the way of God’s people being the church. I know that will likely ruffle the feathers of many churchgoers who are reading this but bear with me as I try to explain my rationale. <br />.<br />In 2002, my family and I moved to Madrid to start a church. To do this, we developed a “launch plan” (that’s what we called it). It was an 18-month business plan that articulated how we would grow the church from 8 people in March 2002 to 150 people in September 2003. (And, yes: the document we developed to share the vision of this was a business plan, I’m embarrassed to say.)<br />.<br />In any case, September 2003 was identified as the “launch date.” This was the time we would say, “Hooray, we did it! We started a church!” It was the day we would hold our first church service, open to the public.<br />.<br />After just 9 months into this launch plan, we held some private “test services” before going public. Believe it or not, we were three months ahead of schedule when we began these test services…that’s how much the church had grown in that short time. Because of this, we had considered moving up the public “launch date” from September to Easter that year (which happened to be on April 20). <br />.<br />At any rate, the test services were an opportunity to gain momentum and build the core of the congregation so that, when the launch day hit, a sense of common vision and shared values would have been nurtured already by a large enough group of people. <br />.<br />To build up to these test services, however, we simply met in small groups (which we called “community groups”) to build relationships, worship together, grow spiritually, and reach out to others. In other words, all of our energy the first 9 months of “launching” this church went into helping our community group ministry flourish.<br />.<br />After 9 months of seeing our community groups flourish, we noticed a distinct shift as soon as we started testing out weekly services. From planning to execution, the services themselves took most of our mental and emotional energy, leaving little energy to invest in our community groups. So, it didn’t take long for the community groups to languish…but the real problem came when the weekly services did not flourish as we had expected, either. <br />.<br />So we began to ask ourselves, “What’s going on here? Why does it seem like the church has just picked up a heavy weight right as we are trying to gear up for takeoff?” <br />.<br />That’s when we realized that everything that really mattered about what we had in mind when it came to “being the church” had already been happening in our community groups. And thinking we needed to add something more to be a “legitimate” church ultimately seemed to devalue the rich and authentic experiences we had been having already through the community group network we had nurtured. It was as if we were saying, “We can’t really be a church if we don’t meet each weekend for a church service…can we?” <br />.<br />So, we asked ourselves, “What if we remove the ‘church service’ ingredient from the ‘church’ recipe and see what happens? If we didn’t have ‘church services’ to worry about, how would we go about embodying what it means to be God’s family?” <br />.<br />And that is what we did. We experimented. You could call it a little ecclesiastical improvisation. We decided that we would gather in a large group format just once a month while still emphasizing the weekly gathering of folks in the community group format. And what we discovered about what it means to be Jesus’ followers has changed my life and the lives of so many others since.<br />.<br />We found ways to worship that were diverse and fun, personalized and holistic. We learned what it means to truly be a family with one another, to take care of each other and really connect. Because our encounters with Scripture were rooted in interactive ways of engaging, our understanding of God and faith deepened significantly. We learned from one another and each person had regular opportunities to exercise their gifts from week to week. What’s more, our way of reaching out and sharing Jesus’ love with others was humanizing and playful.<br />.<br />Thus, we discovered first-hand that we were better able to embody the essence of what it means to be the church…without hosting weekly “church services.”<br />.<br />I wish I could say I stayed the course with this little improvisation since then. However, I didn’t. When my family and I moved back to the States in 2010, we ended up participating again in “church” as we typically think of it: an event-based place. This was not without good reason, to be sure…and, in many ways, the church we were part of was a blessing and a joy. My work with children was enriching and several people in the congregation served with heart-felt devotion and open-minded creativity. I thank God for those people. <br />.<br />But as time wore on, I began to see once again how “church services” often hindered us from experiencing what God desires for us to experience as a church family. <br />.<br />During this time, I recall looking across the congregation on many, many Sundays wondering what the point of it all was. As we sang together, it seemed like we were just going through the motions, mouthing the words, pleased mildly by the melodies. Our hearts were not in it. I remember feeling sad for the worship leaders who diligently prepared music for us to lift our hearts to the Lord and who often implored the congregation to really put their all into it…but the response was just, “Meh.” <br />.<br />And the same was true of the congregation’s response to the pastor’s preaching, despite the thoughtful and creative ways she went about proclaiming the gospel from week to week. To this day, I can easily say that Pastor Mandy is one of the best leaders I have ever had the honor of serving with. So, it makes my blood boil knowing the kind of criticism she faced week-in and week-out from so many people. Time and time again, her calls for deep, good change in the church just met with resistance. <br />.<br />The grace that could have redeemed all this was the tight-knit community that characterized the church. But, for too many people, that sense of community did not extend to them. I recall on several occasions talking with various long-time members when another person who had been attending for at least a couple of years would come up in the conversation—and the long-time member had no idea who I was talking about. And it wasn’t as though either of these people were only sporadic attenders; both of them were very regular. I wondered to myself, “How is it that two people who have been attending a small church like ours regularly for three years have never even said hi to each other? How is it that two people could literally sit 5 seats away from each other (in their "usual" spot on Sunday morning) week after week for years and not know each other's names?” It's sad: sometimes church services are the loneliest places to be in this world. Why is this, I have to wonder?<br />.<br />I am convinced it is because the “church-as-churchservice” paradigm makes it very easy for this to happen. The mindset is: “I saw the few people who are important to me, I’ve sung my songs, I’ve heard my nice sermon, I’ve had my cracker and grape juice, it was nice, I feel good now and…I’ll see you next week.” After more than 30 years of ministry in church settings, I am convinced that this is more normal for most churchgoers than many churchgoers care to admit. <br />.<br />And so, I have to ask myself, “What’s the point? If that is all that ‘church’ really is…why bother?” Is there no sense of reaching out, serving the common good, enfolding the marginalized in love? Where is the passion and creativity? Simply put, it is a failure of imagination.<br />.<br />On this front, I would like to say, however, that this church did get one thing right: each Saturday they hosted a food pantry to feed the hungry. And it is significant that one of the key leaders of the food pantry testifies to this day that Saturdays at the food pantry felt more like “church” to him than any other thing we did as a church. It is also very telling to me that most of the people who volunteered at the pantry over the years were NOT from the church, but rather from the neighborhood. Why would this be? <br />.<br />I suggest it is because the folks who served at the food pantry were really being the church. There was a sense of joy and life and family. Though no songs were sung on Saturday mornings, the atmosphere could be truly described as worshipful. And deep conversations often occurred that enriched our understanding of God and faith and life. And it was not uncommon to see one person praying with their arm around another person who was weeping, going through a hard time, in need of a friend. In short, we were being formed in Christlikeness. It is sobering to note on this front that most people who volunteered at the food pantry over the years…never stepped foot in the church building on a Sunday morning. <br />.<br />And I would say for good reason: they were already experiencing the essence of what it means to be the church without ever attending a church service. <br />.<br />So, what I first realized 20 years ago has come full circle to me. I am convinced that church services often (but not always, mind you) hinder many Christ-followers from really experiencing what it means to be the church. <br />.<br />And, so…the last four weeks, I have been practicing and inviting others to practice with me various ways of coming together as God’s family. We’ve feasted together and built relationships with lots of time to have informal conversation over a meal where each person brings something to contribute. We have told stories and listened to stories. We’ve enjoyed children in our midst. We’ve wondered about the presence of God in the stories we’ve heard and in the midst of our everyday life experiences. And we’ve served others together: yesterday, some of us spent a good portion of the day helping at a shelter for people experiencing homelessness. <br />.<br />One person who participated said afterwards, “That was so much fun, I almost feel guilty!” There was life in it, a sense of God’s goodness, a sense of loving our neighbors as ourselves. <br />.<br />Later, I was driving home with my “adopted aunt” Judy (as I like to call her). We carpooled together and when we got back to my place, we sat in the car for another hour…just talking and connecting. I shared with her some family challenges I’ve been facing lately and she listened like a good friend, offering words of encouragement and reassurance. It is with deep gratitude that I note our societal roles were reversed yesterday. I—an ordained minister—had the joy of being pastored by “aunt” Judy, a retired nurse. <br />.<br />And just the day before, I had the honor of spending three hours with a neighbor friend, reading from the Gospel of John, praying, and talking about…<br />…family trauma, <br />…how Jesus deconstructs our cherished paradigms of God, life, and others;<br />…the problem of violence in Scripture, <br />…the prejudice that seems to plague our society today, and <br />…the ministry of reconciliation. <br />.<br />And that was only SOME of what we talked about. My friend has grown accustomed to referring to these times we have together as “church.” And I think he is right: it is church—in our living rooms. <br />.<br />This is how more of the church should be, I feel. We should be serving together. We should really be in each other’s lives. We should dialogue and share perspectives and learn from one another. We should share food together and just enjoy playing together. We should tell stories and practice listening. We should rest together and be there for each other when we fall on hard times. <br />.<br />These days, then, my imagination is coming alive again and I am experiencing it as a deep, deep grace. I have hope. In my mind's eye, I can see a whole network of small faith communities like these popping up all over...communities where people from all kinds of different backgrounds can come together to live into the simple rhythms of…<br />…feasting<br />…wondering<br />…listening<br />…sharing, and<br />…renewing. <br />.<br />And I am happy to say that others are joining in this vision already, not just here where I live in Chicago but in other parts of the States, too…from Connecticut to North Carolina, Minnesota to California. We’re calling this network PlayWell Communities. We want it to feel playful, improvisational, personalized, and fluid. <br />.<br />We’re not calling it a church, by the way, because that word just has so much unhelpful baggage that comes with it. We’re describing it as a network of small “faith communities.” Regardless, we’re passionate about what it looks like to follow Jesus in our time and in the places we live. And we want to strip away anything that would weigh us down from living according to God’s “unforced rhythms of grace.” We want to live freely…free to imagine different ways of being formed as God's dearly beloved people.<br />.<br />If you’d like to know more about all this, let me know because I’d love to talk with you about it. <br />.<br />.<br />.</div>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-32589063716544272822023-01-22T09:29:00.004-06:002023-01-22T18:35:57.346-06:00the presenti want you to see kindness <div>in these eyes, <div>to know what it feels like </div><div>to be heard— </div><div>i want to be the kind of person </div><div>who keeps silence, </div><div>who knows how to hold tears </div><div> in the spirit of tenderness— </div><div>let’s enter the silence together— </div><div>i will be the one to remind you </div><div><br /></div><div>you are not alone </div><div><br /></div><div>i will be your friend—</div><div>i cannot take away your pain, </div><div>the betrayals you have borne, </div><div>the sense of abandonment—</div><div>i cannot erase the many years </div><div>you waited for god to show up— </div><div>i cannot answer the one prayer </div><div>you have made countless times— </div><div>i wish i could do all of this and more </div><div>but i can’t </div><div><br /></div><div>this one thing i do know: </div><div>i can take time to be with you, </div><div>i can train my eyes to see you, </div><div>i can offer a warm heart </div><div>in a cold world— </div><div>i can join you </div><div>in whispering softly </div><div>over the embers of faith— </div><div>i will watch in wonder </div><div>when the light quickens in you— </div><div>i will be someone who notices </div><div>the reflection of grace in your eyes— </div><div>and i believe you </div><div>will see it, too. </div><div><br /></div><div>…………………… </div><div><br /></div><div><b>the present </b></div><div><i>by troy cady</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div></div>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-5993317623536322732023-01-20T08:04:00.005-06:002023-01-20T08:06:02.379-06:00on the 19th of January<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">One night you will sit down</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">in your favorite chair</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">at the end of a long drizzly day.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On the 19th of January</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">the afternoon’s gray will descend </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a>quickly to evening’s black,</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">the warm lights in the living room</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">will embrace your soul,</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">dampened the past 22 hours</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">by the clouds of conflict</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">that seem to cover everything,</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">even the stars.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Still, you will pause to remember</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">the morning’s brief sanctuary</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">when you entrusted yourself </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">to the vulnerability of silence</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">and the ministry of compassionate listening.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And you will remember </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">the arrival of the early afternoon</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">when you relished a feast of prayerful reading</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">with the neighbor whose </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">friendly curiosity quickened</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">the child within </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">and renewed your love of holy writ.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And, as you pause to remember, </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">you will breathe again, happy,</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">at peace with the world,</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">covered in grace.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">……………….</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>on the 19th of January</b></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>by troy cady</i></span></div>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-40108687689997545292022-09-23T10:26:00.002-05:002022-09-23T10:26:25.432-05:00healing the disease of anger<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV2AWajvd63R8Kh2wzoIntJBtT1-4lhHUs9yM7Ck0n4KXfQ3l3coA4uhYHhSvQZBd8ZnRjH9gEX0Xrgsoa2LfeqqoaNEBIYeIBJiRclnChNceT-fPr5KTzhssq4mH9UusgBqsca3jqP87RzO0-bJIUyl_LzeMysqlB6zJmSe57DPQHOZfsPaeaHsirg/s6240/valeriia-miller-4u24tfVLYrA-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV2AWajvd63R8Kh2wzoIntJBtT1-4lhHUs9yM7Ck0n4KXfQ3l3coA4uhYHhSvQZBd8ZnRjH9gEX0Xrgsoa2LfeqqoaNEBIYeIBJiRclnChNceT-fPr5KTzhssq4mH9UusgBqsca3jqP87RzO0-bJIUyl_LzeMysqlB6zJmSe57DPQHOZfsPaeaHsirg/s320/valeriia-miller-4u24tfVLYrA-unsplash.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Yesterday, I got to spend the morning with a friend. When we
have the chance, we get together to pray, read Scripture and talk about it. I
find these times to be refreshing because of their simplicity. We have no
agenda beyond the practice of open and free dialogue.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
My friend likes to read from the King James version of the Bible because he
savors its lyricism. Yesterday, one of the portions we read was from the book
of Proverbs. After reading the chapter, I asked my friend to share which
proverb felt most important to him today. Because he is a father to three
children, he selected the verses in the chapter that talked about parenting. <br /><br />
Then, I shared the proverb that felt important to me. It was this: <br /><br />
“Make no friendship with an angry man;<br />
and with a furious man thou shalt not go:<br />
lest thou learn his ways,<br />
and get a snare to thy soul.” -Pr. 22:24-25<br /><br />
As we reflected on those verses, we talked about how it seems that our entire
society has become tainted by incessant hostility and anger. The latter half of
the proverb explains how anger has become so rampant: anger is contagious and,
before you know it, you are held captive to it. <br /><br />
As we discussed this, I shared with my friend about a study that found that
posts on social media that adopt a tone of outrage, anger and disdain tend to
get more interactions than other posts. In a podcast I listened to recently
called “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill,” host Mike Cosper notes that this is
one reason the celebrity pastor Mark Driscoll so regularly unleashed angry
rhetoric in his hour-long sermons. The team that managed his online presence
discovered that when Driscoll used a hot-tempered style of preaching it
garnered more hits on their website. So, it didn’t take long for Driscoll to
adopt the "shock and awe" approach as his trademark style. <br /><br />
Rage is highly effective at getting attention, even though it is not very
constructive. Though there is a place for righteous anger, when anger only
begets more anger, it is an exercise in futility and increasing degradation. <br /><br />
I suppose that most people who are constantly angry feel that their anger is
righteous…even when it isn’t. When our emotions are constantly whipped up in a
spirit of fury, it is hard to be objective about the true state of our own
heart. When confronted with our own anger, we are more prone to defend
ourselves than take time to reflect, seek forgiveness for the hurt our anger
has caused, and (most importantly) change course. <br /><br />
I do believe it is important to let yourself feel anger, but it is more
important to listen to what your anger is trying to tell you. This is why I
love the practice of spiritual direction so much. It provides a space for
someone to safely listen to their own emotions. And what I have observed as I
have sat with various folks in spiritual direction over the past two years is
that underneath the anger there is a deep, deep sadness that longs to be
acknowledged. Thus, addressing the sadness proves key to healing our
woundedness that prompted the anger in the first place. Unless we can heal the
wounds, we will never be able to satisfy our anger. <br /><br />
It comes as no surprise, then, that the remedy for anger is gentleness. We need
quiet, gentle spaces to be present to our sadness. We need understanding and
compassion. We need companionship. <br /><br />
The catch is: it feels counter-cultural to practice gentleness in a world beset
by so much anger. It takes faith and courage to be gentle. It requires hope—a
belief that the quiet spirit will ultimately be heard underneath the noise of
all the shouting—a trust that gentleness will outlast all the outbursts. <br /><br />
This is an appeal to slow down. Take the time to listen. Have enough courage to
be gentle. May we trust and hope in a different way. May we reflect on our own
anger, asking what it wants to tell us…lest we keep spreading it around
carelessly.<br /><br />
…………………………..<br />
<br /><b>
healing the disease of anger</b><br /><i>
reflections by troy cady</i><br />
.<br />
.<br />
. <br /><i>
*Photo by Valeriia Miller via Unsplash. Creative Commons License.</i><o:p></o:p></p>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-30413811504656846812022-08-31T07:23:00.007-05:002022-08-31T07:23:53.927-05:00the deepest love from the weakest soulLord,<br />you have asked me just to love you <br />with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. <br />But, the one thing you have asked <br />is the very thing I cannot do. <br />My heart is heavy. <br />My soul is disintegrating. <br />My mind is clouded <br />and my strength is gone. <br />Lift from me this burden of sadness. <br />Put me back together. <br />Give me a clear vision of you in my mind’s eye <br />and grant me the grace of rest. <br />I’m tired and weak. <br />But I believe that <br />you are patient and kind, <br />loving and gentle, <br />full of compassion and mercy. <br />Before I can love you, <br />I need you to love me. <br />You know this, Lord. <br />You know me well, <br />your helpless child. <br />So, until I can recover myself, <br />please accept this child’s belief in your love <br />as the deepest love from the weakest soul. <br />Amen. <br /><br />………………….. <br /><br />the deepest love from the weakest soul <br />a prayer by troy cady <br /><br /> Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-9111499369435165672022-05-25T16:13:00.001-05:002022-05-25T16:13:09.157-05:00In God we Trust?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKeg5WI5N3VCY_0ozcwWGALGHEzyYBoBA-sGqDnB96K0vsL586EZTKDBDhYc8apqB3G5fas6pn6odJ8dLj0d4_scRvYWZWW05kuxz-VpuJaWltHdhKvYrxtKj36vuPK7NiXYHyJr_dkU4b2_lXpJeWpS4wN9vgJaINzlUDk0ewYJDdpPpQPnh6VsHdg/s1650/in%20god%20we%20trust%20guns%20are%20just%20backup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1650" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKeg5WI5N3VCY_0ozcwWGALGHEzyYBoBA-sGqDnB96K0vsL586EZTKDBDhYc8apqB3G5fas6pn6odJ8dLj0d4_scRvYWZWW05kuxz-VpuJaWltHdhKvYrxtKj36vuPK7NiXYHyJr_dkU4b2_lXpJeWpS4wN9vgJaINzlUDk0ewYJDdpPpQPnh6VsHdg/w320-h247/in%20god%20we%20trust%20guns%20are%20just%20backup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "inherit", serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">As a pastor who served
for many years in evangelical settings, I want to say some things to all the
Christians who have been offering “thoughts and prayers” today in the aftermath
of yet another mass shooting in the United States.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">First of all, you cannot
say America is a country that trusts in God while failing to work for practical
solutions to the obvious gun violence problem we have in our midst. Such work
is the very by-product of faith. To trust in God is to work for the common
good.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Surely by now you must
acknowledge that the problem is more than just personal. There is a dimension
to this that is perpetuated by the very systems and structures of our society.
There is action we can take, policies we can enact, and care we can offer on a
structural level that will at least lessen the incidence of mass shootings like
those we have witnessed in the last two weeks alone.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I say this because I
notice that evangelical Christians in particular have become very good at
explaining away each specific shooting in ways that conveniently allow them to
just ignore the problem and do little or nothing to work for systemic change.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At the same time,
evangelicals have perfected the art of mobilizing collective action around
other causes they believe in such as the abolition of abortion, the prohibition
of gay marriage, and the protection of a whole array of religious liberties
they enjoy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To those Christians, I
say: you celebrate victories around these causes under the full conviction that
you are building a more Christian society with each win. But I have to ask…on
the verge of the overturning of Roe v. Wade… is a Christian society the kind of
place where the unborn are protected but gun violence runs rampant? Is this
really what a Christian society looks like? Should you not do something about
this, if you really trust in God?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is an invitation
and a charge: Why not direct your collective energy to acts of compassion for
all life, including the protection of lives that are threatened every day by
irresponsible policies pertaining to firearms?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jesus, the one you
claim to be your Lord, has told you plainly that you cannot trust in both God
and money. The same is true of guns. So, the question is simple: do you trust
in God…or guns? You cannot trust in both.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I can’t help but feel
that those who would defend their right to bear arms at any cost have failed to
trust in God by their support of the political power brokers who block
important policies regulating the proliferation of assault weapons in our society.
Instead, I see countless Christians bowing to fear in the name of freedom and,
as a result, they have given free rein to the senseless violence that has
plagued our country for far too long now.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I note that so many
political leaders that are backed by evangelical Christians are eager to
criminalize abortion but then they turn around and vote against the
appropriation of funds to address the shortage of baby formula that is causing
immense hardship for countless households today. Do you value life? Then act
like it!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a similar act of
hypocrisy, those same leaders claim that our gun violence problem in the United
States is really just a mental health crisis…but then they turn around and gut
the funding of important mental health programs that are needed to address this
problem.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, to all the
Christians offering “thoughts and prayers” today, I have to ask again: just who
do you trust? You cannot say you trust in God and then stand by and do nothing
but make excuses for the lack of progress we have made in this area.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Remember, faith without
deeds is dead. Faith acts. Faith moves. Faith calls for hard choices to be made
that will contribute to healing and to our collective wellbeing. Christian: if
you say you trust in God, it would be better for us all if you would just act
like it and spare us all your half-hearted prayers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">………………….</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>In God we Trust?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>reflections by Rev.
Troy B. Cady</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-35378515459705772492022-04-17T05:39:00.002-05:002022-04-17T07:16:36.499-05:00Weeping at the Tomb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58NToOWoSq70jHxX0eajnZOwDPh9v6VLEiYj2UbTBwpd7IpKbfEIKTe3Ath0HUG2Md4Xo0tZbi5Sg9D8xkvhDG1kSBxyLqjMM09xZ_zIHoL2a550krj-WjGca2WTf2zax6fk1QlyIv_f4Uuzso-z21OFIwH6-BDQl1cT86fYy0uVnPYZ5Z6xGdPWrug/s4608/orkhan-farmanli-QMfQKysbmug-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58NToOWoSq70jHxX0eajnZOwDPh9v6VLEiYj2UbTBwpd7IpKbfEIKTe3Ath0HUG2Md4Xo0tZbi5Sg9D8xkvhDG1kSBxyLqjMM09xZ_zIHoL2a550krj-WjGca2WTf2zax6fk1QlyIv_f4Uuzso-z21OFIwH6-BDQl1cT86fYy0uVnPYZ5Z6xGdPWrug/w300-h400/orkhan-farmanli-QMfQKysbmug-unsplash.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>I awakened this Easter hours before daybreak. It’s not
because I am preparing to attend a “sunrise service.” I’m not. The church I
serve will meet today at 10, our normal time for gathering on Sundays.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is our third Easter since our community went into
pandemic mode. On the first Easter, we met on Zoom and there were many tears
shed. Last year, we met outdoors in person. We simply hosted a party for the
neighborhood. It was a blast but some of the members of our congregation
wondered “when church was going to start” and apparently we disappointed them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This morning, I am ready for another in-person gathering
that will look a little more like normal. We’ll gather outdoors for a little
while at the beginning but then we’ll head into the sanctuary to sing, hear the
story together, reflect upon it, and pray.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As I think about the way our ministry has changed over the past
two years, it is heartbreaking to me to acknowledge that we have let so many
people down. That’s not the sort of thing you want to hear from a pastor on Easter
Sunday, but it’s the truth.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our church decided to approach the pandemic as an
opportunity to experiment with different ways of being. I suppose every church has
had to do that to some extent, but the sad news about our little congregation
is that, despite our efforts to innovate…the church seems to be dying.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We’re all tired. So tired. Grieving the loss of what we once
knew. Confused, frustrated, and sometimes angry. All the feelings you would
expect to feel…in grief.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This Easter, I feel like a failure. That’s the God-honest truth.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Scripture, we are told that some women made their way to
the tomb “at dawn on the first day of the week,” not long after they had laid Jesus
to rest just before sunset the previous Friday.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the apostle John’s account, Mary Magdalene remains at the
tomb weeping when she sees that the stone has been rolled away from the
entrance of the tomb and Jesus’ body has gone missing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That is what I feel like this Easter.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But as I am wakeful this morning, and the sun has yet to
rise, I am cherishing the collective memory of Jesus’ appearance to her in the
garden by the tomb. She thinks he’s the gardener at first. Until he asks her
why she is weeping and speaks her name.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, this morning, I am speaking with my Lord in my own inner
garden. Asking him to tend the ground of my entire being with care. Asking him
to see my tears and open the ears of my heart so I can hear him speak my
name.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And I’m asking him to heal this world. And I’m asking him to
help me be even a small part of that healing work, to share his resurrected
life and his renewing love with others. I’m asking him for faith. I’m asking
him for fresh hope. I’m asking him for rest not only for myself on this day
after the Sabbath but the rest of his peace for our entire society and for creation
herself. Start with me, Lord, but let the rest of your resurrection usher in a new dawn, a new day, the reign of grace and joy
and all things bright and beautiful.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lord, make it so. Deliver us from the clutches of death,
even if it means something needs to die for your love to rise.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">………………..</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Weeping at the Tomb<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>reflections by troy cady<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*Photo by Orkhan Farmanli via Unsplash. Creative Commons
License.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-74429894054987002712022-03-03T03:28:00.001-06:002022-03-03T03:41:53.130-06:00I had Jesus over for dinner on Tuesday and his pronouns wereI had Jesus over for dinner on Tuesday and his pronouns were <br />they, them, and theirs, <br />she, her, and hers, <br />we, us, and ours. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJf0c-gbG5j1QyeNCfnkUfgLogla_2ZsyZDMtTfmqxPXE81zSz78HxmcTNVRKedVF_E4f747Qg4zxRJVLs-avooHTwWNuQ6BFy9Q5r0UWdSWncoTF6jdWvQtv1oZHpNjjU6pjo6FcAwbs_gMI3mPZeBA-EVA3ffs40srH7VDeP9fl4ZJM8yDWZXWkvjw=s1350" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJf0c-gbG5j1QyeNCfnkUfgLogla_2ZsyZDMtTfmqxPXE81zSz78HxmcTNVRKedVF_E4f747Qg4zxRJVLs-avooHTwWNuQ6BFy9Q5r0UWdSWncoTF6jdWvQtv1oZHpNjjU6pjo6FcAwbs_gMI3mPZeBA-EVA3ffs40srH7VDeP9fl4ZJM8yDWZXWkvjw=s320" width="256" /></a></div><br />She took this picture of me in the kitchen, <br />then she told me I didn’t really have time <br />to post it on Instagram. <br />I did it, anyway. <br />We made pancakes. <br />It was Fat Tuesday. <br />We laughed a ton— <br />it had been a while since we’d all been together— <br />it was so damn good to be together again! <br />They came bearing gifts like <br />berries and homemade pickles <br />and microbrew beer. <br /><br />He told jokes and wore yellow-rimmed glasses <br />and plays Wordle and we teased each other. <br />She was in third grade and had long green hair, <br />she was one and she cut her pancakes in little squares <br />so she could eat them more easily, <br />she had just learned to walk, <br />she was retired from her life in the theatre, <br />and wandered out to the kitchen <br />where the griddle was hot, <br />and I put a fresh cake on her blue plate, <br />and she commented how nice it was <br />to have a meal made for her for once <br />because she’s used to having to cook for herself <br />and everyone else all the time. <br /><br />They’re vegans. <br />We made almond-flour pancakes <br />with applesauce in the batter and no eggs. <br />She said we didn’t have to do that, <br />but we said we wanted to, <br />and, besides, we all thought <br />the vegan pancakes were better, anyway. <br /><br />He’s a mother and a professor, <br />an animal lover and a dog-walker, <br />a graphic designer and a bagger, <br />a middle-schooler and a musician. <br />They’re going on a cruise, him and her, <br />just the two of them— <br />their first time in the Caribbean— <br />a music festival on a ship, <br />and he only has to play two shows the whole time. <br /><br />She knew who The Mavericks were <br />and loves them. <br />She was the first one there <br />and the last one to leave. <br />She helped us do the dishes <br />after the others had gone and <br />we gave her a ride home. <br /><br />She speaks Spanish. <br />Denmark and Greece and Texas are in their blood. <br />Russia and Ukraine, too. <br />She asked if we could have a moment of silence. <br />We paused to remember <br />two years of mask mandates, <br />five days of war, <br />millions of deaths,<br />hundreds of thousands of refugees, <br />multiple fears, and <br />one brave hope. <br /><br />She said that was the quietest this bunch had ever been together <br />and we laughed again after the silence. <br />And that’s how we made me believe again <br />that Jesus could be <br />she and he, <br />and them and us— <br />because at our pancake dinner on Fat Tuesday <br />they showed me that <br />Jesus could also be <br />me and mine— <br />because somehow… <br />and I can’t explain it… <br />I need them to be me <br />if they are going to become we and us and <br />we are ever going to be <br />my All in All. <br /><br />………………………… <br /><br />I had Jesus over for dinner on Tuesday and his pronouns were <br />by Troy Cady <br /><br />Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-54228510755286741602022-02-09T07:21:00.003-06:002022-02-09T07:24:10.966-06:00my RefugeYou are my shelter,<br />my refuge, Lord. <br />When it feels like <br />the world is caving in, <br />Your love is <br />my safe place. <br />In You and You alone <br />I find all beauty, <br />truth and goodness. <br />My heart— <br />hidden in Your heart— <br />Your life, my life. <br />Under the cover <br />of Your wings <br />I sing to You. <br />Alone with You <br />I am never alone. <br />Here with You <br />I hear Your promise <br />and Your Word <br />quiets my heart. <br />Here with You <br />I find rest, <br />the perfect rest <br />of Your loving presence, <br />my refuge, <br />my refuge, <br />my refuge. <br /><br />………………. <br /><br />my Refuge <br />by troy cady<div> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPZr9RYXEtLZQpmtBj5ix-X_ha-oqJYfpt0km-DS6gvFfrU3kghb43GgN9VhBEWMQfm_R3F-flEjmLaqWWDZt2cvLnor3ysRnzYKZ95_tiFECIALDk0K-N3iikwYktNet6-kW924wn9SLnkVPUMa8u9z0lNMvoWhfDzSC48rPd77UM1a6JRdCcGdwUuA=s7375" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7375" data-original-width="4877" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPZr9RYXEtLZQpmtBj5ix-X_ha-oqJYfpt0km-DS6gvFfrU3kghb43GgN9VhBEWMQfm_R3F-flEjmLaqWWDZt2cvLnor3ysRnzYKZ95_tiFECIALDk0K-N3iikwYktNet6-kW924wn9SLnkVPUMa8u9z0lNMvoWhfDzSC48rPd77UM1a6JRdCcGdwUuA=w424-h640" width="424" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo from the Boston Public Library via Unsplash.<br />Creative Commons License.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-25233349393549094952022-01-26T14:52:00.004-06:002022-04-09T05:32:53.297-05:00What is Worship?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-7Ze8CBKBkL2ix_TIh-4qHyNJeLzv1V2uNOI0wUPdyJqThxgrYxJbjflJGbzUvqdgCREmceWOrjCMKDipi0Uj3nkZLzb7_vC7N5MsnuYucIdqUQj1WZbhALWeEtPKO75-QAiYVnQx5wD0l--bkjJb46KPh348unH45bDNIJE6SyeIgwyNoBSOtHjH-g=s300" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-7Ze8CBKBkL2ix_TIh-4qHyNJeLzv1V2uNOI0wUPdyJqThxgrYxJbjflJGbzUvqdgCREmceWOrjCMKDipi0Uj3nkZLzb7_vC7N5MsnuYucIdqUQj1WZbhALWeEtPKO75-QAiYVnQx5wD0l--bkjJb46KPh348unH45bDNIJE6SyeIgwyNoBSOtHjH-g=w400-h224" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">At our church here in Chicago, we have been talking about the nature and purpose of worship. I was asked to respond to the question that is the focus of this essay: "What is worship?" Here are my thoughts. I hope they are helpful to someone! -Troy</p><p style="text-align: center;">..............................................................</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: center;">What is Worship?</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>reflections by
Rev. Troy B. Cady</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in; text-align: center;"><u>Intro
& Thesis<o:p></o:p></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;">What is worship? There is no easy
answer to this question; however, we could start by acknowledging that to
worship God is to glorify God. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;">But that begs the question: what does
it mean to glorify God and how do we glorify God? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;">I suggest that, at its core, worship is
devotion; whatever captivates your greatest devotion is what you worship. To
worship is to love; a life lived in love for God and others is what brings God
glory. To live in love is to worship God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;">In this essay, I look at what the
prophets, Jesus, and the apostles of the New Testament have to say about worship
as I describe various forms of false and pseudo-worship in hopes of helping us
understand worship in terms of devotion to God, love for God and love for
others. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>The nature and forms of idolatry<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To see how worship and devotion go hand-in-hand, let’s take
a step back from the question of God-worship. It is possible to worship
something that is not God or someone other than God. The Bible identifies this
as idolatry.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Whatever
you are devoted to the most in life…that is what you worship. The fact is: many
Christians in America today are more devoted to their political philosophy than
they are to God. It is easy to make an idol of politics. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Still
others are most devoted to upholding a certain vision of family life. Though
God desires us to be nurtured in the context of loving community, when we
insist that such a community must look a certain way, we have made our ideal of
family into an idol. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> In a
similar way, if you devote your life to the accumulation of wealth, you worship
riches. If you are most devoted to achieving society’s standards of success or
popularity, you are really worshipping some arbitrary ideal of accomplishment
or the ever-elusive high of gaining fame and human esteem. The sobering truth
about worship in our society today is that humans have perfected the art of
finding almost anything else to worship if it means they can avoid devoting
their entire selves to God. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Some common Christian idols<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ironically, a common object of worship for many Christians
is the Bible. Let’s face it: when we would rather just talk about what the
Bible says than to devote ourselves to God and practice God’s way of love for
others, we are really worshipping the Bible…not God. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> In the same
vein, Christians are even capable of worshipping the idea of worship. We do
this most commonly by defining worship in reduced terms, equating it to the act
of singing “worship” songs with other believers once a week (typically on a
Sunday morning for about an hour). Many Christians have come to worship worship
by insisting their worship be offered in a certain way and with a certain
style. If it is not in our preferred form (usually singing) and style (usually
a particular genre of music), it doesn’t feel very worshipful to us. This is
not to diminish the value of singing our devotion to God; it is simply to
remind us that worship is so much more than singing. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> I think one
of the saddest expressions I have ever heard in my life is when Christians talk
about the “worship wars” that take place in the church today, as if worship is
something to fight about. When we start fighting about worship, we could well
wonder whether we have, in fact, stopped worshipping God. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>What Jesus says about true worship<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In John 4, Jesus addressed our propensity to substitute
God-worship with the worship of the trappings of religion itself. In this text,
a Samaritan woman asks Jesus where (and, consequently, how) the true
God-worshipper should worship. Jesus’ reply is telling. He says that true
worship is not about where you go to worship (“neither on this mountain [in
Samaria] nor in Jerusalem”), but true worship is about the spirit. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> In other
words, the real place of worship is in your heart. Worship is simply the act of
devoting our hearts (the entirety of our being) to God. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>To worship is to love God<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This picture of true worship coincides with what is perhaps the
greatest confession of all time. Significantly, it is a confession that has been
used for millennia <i>in communal worship settings</i>: </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;">“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the
Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your strength.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;"> (Dt. 6:4-5)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Perhaps the
best way to define worship, then, is to define it in terms of loving God. After
all, to love God is to cultivate our devotion to God. As such, this confession
to love God with all of our everything represents the height and depth, the
breadth and length of our worship to God. To the extent that we love God in
everything and with everything—to that extent—we worship God. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Where and when to worship<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is no mere accident that the text in Deuteronomy 6 goes
on to describe <i>where</i> we are to practice loving God with our everything.
Not surprisingly, the location of this kind of devotion is…everywhere. And the
time is…all the time: “…when you sit at home…when you walk along the road…when
you lie down…and when you get up.” More than the tabernacle, the temple, the
synagogue, or the church building, the text tells us that the true place of
worship is in “your hearts.” In other words, every place and every time is a
place and time to worship. As the poet Wendell Berry says, “There are no
unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How (not) to worship<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But how do we show our love for God? There are many ways to
do this but the Bible is clear that one can do many religious things to express
one’s devotion to God while still missing the very heart of worship. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> God
addressed this with these words spoken by the prophet Isaiah: </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">“These people come near to me with
their mouth<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
and honor me with their lips,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
but their hearts are far from me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">Their worship of me<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” (Is. 29:13)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> In light of
God’s never-failing love from one generation to the next, it stands to reason
that really all God ever wants from us is to show our worship of him by simply
loving him in return. More than our songs, more than our tithes, and more than
our study of the Bible…God just wants us to love him in return. If those
religious activities help us to love God, great; but church history has shown
that Christians can be very good at practicing their religion while at the same
time failing to love. While it is true that love for God is often expressed
through musical praise, generous giving, and listening for God’s voice by
meditating on Scripture, it does not follow that these activities are
inherently acts of true worship. True worship is a matter of the heart, not a
matter of mere ritual performance.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> This is why
Jesus echoed the refrain from Isaiah 29 when he addressed the Pharisees of his
day. His words to them were bold because the Pharisees were the ones who were
regarded as the most devoted to God, the true God-worshippers. But Jesus
exposed their hypocrisy by appealing to the heart of worship in their own
tradition. In short, Jesus wanted them to see how they were very good at doing
all kinds of religious things for love of God, but had, in fact, neglected love
for their neighbor.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> In Matthew
15, Jesus identifies how the Pharisees even used their own devout religious
observance as an excuse to mistreat their own parents in old age. In Matthew
23, he describes how the Pharisees faithfully tithed as an act of worship but
“neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and
faithfulness.” He admonishes them: “You should have practiced the latter,
without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but
swallow a camel.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Jesus’
critique, then, gives us a clear answer as to the best way to show your love
for God: it is to love your neighbor. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How the apostles describe worship as love<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The apostle Paul describes this very dynamic when he says
that <i>the entire law</i> is summed up in one command: “Love your neighbor as
yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> That is
quite a striking statement. In essence, he is telling us that if we can only
keep that <i>one</i> command, we will also be keeping the command to love God.
But…how could this be? Could it really be that simple? All we need to do to
love God is to love our neighbor?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> The apostle
John explains (in refreshingly simple terms) how this could be so: </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">“God is love. Whoever lives in love
lives in God, and God in them. We love because God first loved us. Whoever
claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For <i>whoever does
not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom
they have not seen</i>. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God
must also love their brother and sister.” (I John 4:16, 19-21; italics added)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> For this
reason, any act of service you render to your neighbor is an act of service to
God himself. To put it another way: <i>to serve another is to render worship to
God</i>. That means…when we share food with the hungry, we are really
worshipping God; when we companion the lonely, we are really worshipping God;
and when we help heal the infirm, we are really worshipping God. Anything you
do to love your neighbor…you are doing as an act of love for God. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Worship: living for God’s glory and neighbor’s good<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the local church where I serve, we often like to say that
the church exists “for God’s glory and neighbor’s good.” It’s a lovely
sentiment, but Jesus, and Paul, and John take this idea a step further. They
tell us that <i>when we live for neighbor’s good, we are really living for
God’s glory</i>. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Again, the
prophet Isaiah speaks to this: </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">“‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
‘and you have not seen it?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">Why have we humbled ourselves,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
and you have not noticed?’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do
as you please<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
and exploit all your workers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">Your fasting ends in quarreling and
strife…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
only a day for people to humble themselves?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">Is it only for bowing one’s head like a
reed<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">Is that what you call a fast,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
a day acceptable to the Lord?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">“Is not this the kind of fasting I have
chosen:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"><i>to loose the chains of injustice<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"><i>
and untie the cords of the yoke,<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"><i>to set the oppressed free<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"><i>
and break every yoke?<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"><i>Is it not to share your food with
the hungry<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"><i>
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"><i>when you see the naked, to clothe
them,<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"><i>
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">Then your light will break forth like
the dawn,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
and your healing will quickly appear;<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">then your righteousness will go before
you,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;">
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.7in;"> (Isaiah 58:3-8; italics added)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> It is
important to notice that this text about the true worship that happens when we
love our neighbor concludes with an image of God’s glory breaking forth like
the dawn. If worshipping God means glorifying God, this text helps us make the
connection that the glory of God breaks forth when (and only when) we worship
God truly by loving our neighbor. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> I was
saddened the other day when a friend told me an experience she had one Sunday
at a church she attended. After the service, all kinds of people were trying to
get out of the parking lot when a man in a large luxury car became upset at her
for getting in his way. He was so upset he told her to f*** off with his middle
finger raised at her. And this is just one example. As a pastor, I have seen
firsthand how church people can enjoy a lovely worship service one hour and the
next treat their fellow congregants or pastoral leaders like dirt without so
much as an apology ever being offered. What a sham we have made of the idea of
worship! How we have cheapened it. When churches have lovely worship services
but church members do not even share God’s love with each other, what is
happening in the church service cannot really be called worship. Our true
worship is displayed in learning to love one another and extending that love to
all. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>In conclusion: God’s glory and the common good<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In contrast, I want to conclude now by sharing with you a story
that illustrates just one of many ways God’s glory breaks forth when we simply
serve the common good. It was a conversation I had just this week with a small
group of people I know. One of the group members happens to be a teenage girl
who wrote a letter to the editor of the <i>New York Times</i>, advocating for
sane measures in school policies in hopes of protecting the vulnerable in the
midst of the pandemic. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> As we
shared our elation with her on being published in such a prestigious newspaper,
we returned to the theme of worship that we have been learning about for some
weeks now. And I mentioned to her that advocating as she did for the sake of
others was really an act of devotion to God, a way of worshipping God. She said
that hadn’t occurred to her but, as she thought about it more, she became
animated and excited. I wish you could have seen the glow on her face as she
took in the good news of that truth—that anything we do can be done as worship
unto the Lord. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> This young
woman really knows what it means to worship. She knows firsthand that we really
can worship God with our everything at all times and in all places and in all
kinds of ways. All we need to do…is love. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> Since God
himself is love, may we always remember that the very glory of God is the life
lived in love. Let us worship God, then, in spirit and in truth. Let us live in
love. <o:p></o:p></p>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-64493605888643555912021-12-24T08:16:00.001-06:002021-12-24T08:16:16.167-06:00the new birth Today my hope is that we will all "remember Love in the mess of our lives for the rest of our lives."<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjBq-TXVFcAlF2I543TAlL0ysia6IkKvcliEQBYYTKzeS5C_HDNiDPv8UUIWB5OVKxfbM7fDNc48Rj85khiuBVqKDCR4bW3uLwNYiqGXFd7jibfg80PYkmv48XyZmAHJAK69nRoTC_JAC0_d634C_tx69ycvwtKSFPTcj_f_sDl5XJ69a0yANKFgGASA=s1650" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjBq-TXVFcAlF2I543TAlL0ysia6IkKvcliEQBYYTKzeS5C_HDNiDPv8UUIWB5OVKxfbM7fDNc48Rj85khiuBVqKDCR4bW3uLwNYiqGXFd7jibfg80PYkmv48XyZmAHJAK69nRoTC_JAC0_d634C_tx69ycvwtKSFPTcj_f_sDl5XJ69a0yANKFgGASA=w494-h640" width="494" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-66010428051553502112021-12-15T10:00:00.005-06:002021-12-15T10:00:39.424-06:00Joy, the Poustinik and their Poustinia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmmdngYLvkyoMjlFzLF0TeKk3LDFEkz-Udh0krL4UifnUS9mYgmhuBNtrTciLZVS9nnNAaGxyCnPmDVtvOk3HAbSLMUQcECIKyXWCr1i1dciOk7iavOfU1Sh01_S-Wl6TPoJbc8BjyDhSQE20idYOspiiuIX3MEIMo3BtkEEQSVcVjtz2fVRyVuJbnJg=s5184" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="5184" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmmdngYLvkyoMjlFzLF0TeKk3LDFEkz-Udh0krL4UifnUS9mYgmhuBNtrTciLZVS9nnNAaGxyCnPmDVtvOk3HAbSLMUQcECIKyXWCr1i1dciOk7iavOfU1Sh01_S-Wl6TPoJbc8BjyDhSQE20idYOspiiuIX3MEIMo3BtkEEQSVcVjtz2fVRyVuJbnJg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>This month my prayer book includes small excerpts from a non-fiction work called ‘Poustinia’ by Catherine de Hueck Doherty.<br /><br />‘Poustinia’ is a Russian word meaning ‘desert,’ but the book is about the value of seeking solitude and silence for one’s own spiritual wellbeing, in the spirit of the great Desert Mothers and Fathers of old. In those days, a hermit would establish residency in a far-off place…like a desert place or deep in a secluded spot in the forest. They did this to practice being alone with God and keeping silence, so they could listen more intently for God’s voice.<br /><br />In Russia, a person who does this is called a ‘poustinik’ and their dwelling place is called a ‘poustinia.’ Of course, one needn’t physically retreat to a place like this if one wants to commune with God (though it helps), so Catherine de Hueck Doherty wrote her book in hopes of helping everyday people like me and you practice the spirit of ‘desert spirituality’ right where we are from one day to the next.<br /><br />Often, we think of the practice of silence and solitude as abhorrent, unnecessarily severe, and undesirably ascetic. In much of North American culture, there is a value for popularity and for those who have a way with words. Our airwaves and television programs are filled with constant chatter and talking. Rarely do we stop to practice being fully and simply present to ourselves, the world, and God just through sitting in silence for any significant amount of time. It is as if the moment there is a bit of silence, we quickly and eagerly feel the need to fill it with something else.<br /><br />We have become so accustomed to the noise that even when we begin to practice silence, our mind instantly fills with thoughts…words, words, and more words…and our heart cannot be at rest, at peace with stillness. Our body may be stilled, but inside we are racing…going, going, and going all the time.<br /><br />But this way of living robs us of joy. It keeps us from cultivating the kind of peace that penetrates deep to the core of our very being. It blocks us from truly knowing our own profound beloved-ness and the intrinsic beloved-ness of others. In the end, it hinders us from being loved and loving. <br /><br />Far from making someone stern…cold and stand-offish…the practice of silence-in-solitude opens us up to the world and fills us with the joy of knowing love in the very depths of our being. This is why Catherine de Hueck Doherty writes these words in her book about the way of the ‘poustinia’: <br /><br />“If you ever see a sad hermit or poustinik, then he is no hermit at all. The most joyous persons in Russia are the ones who have the eyes of a child at 70 and who are filled with the joy of the Lord, for they who have entered the silence of God are filled with God’s joy….You cannot fool people as to such things as the presence of love and joy in a human being.” <br /><br />My invitation to you this holiday season is to take some time…out of the normal hustle and bustle…to just sit in silence and savor it, rather than filling the silence with something else. Just breathe. Just be. Cultivate joy and peace deep within just by knowing that God is present and loves you, just by being present to the time you have and the space you inhabit.<br /><br />……………………………<br /><br /><b>Joy, the Poustinik and their Poustinia </b><br /><i>reflections by troy cady</i><div><i>.</i></div><div><i>.</i></div><div><i>.<br /></i>*Photo by Brett Jordan via Unsplash. Creative Commons License.</div>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-82796802115234586432021-12-09T09:12:00.009-06:002021-12-09T09:29:06.155-06:00stand still<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjg83AG_uhnNtnGFFpkyFwPTn5jSo0gnvZSV7zVFKUc-GkmPs8gbimObJQypycntoodsQDuQWV6dQhRJ-_eKkZ8uL01SzJisQ91Cjq4ZfdWr6EjDzAEclV1rzX_GabMzXxuDmR9qDSqBeKR5nao7buycgAcFo3wtrzZREzJEBi04zbffl_kPq4vUBP4VA=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1638" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjg83AG_uhnNtnGFFpkyFwPTn5jSo0gnvZSV7zVFKUc-GkmPs8gbimObJQypycntoodsQDuQWV6dQhRJ-_eKkZ8uL01SzJisQ91Cjq4ZfdWr6EjDzAEclV1rzX_GabMzXxuDmR9qDSqBeKR5nao7buycgAcFo3wtrzZREzJEBi04zbffl_kPq4vUBP4VA=w400-h320" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Stand still.<br />You don’t have to keep moving. <br />You don’t have to make something happen. <br />God’s gentleness is strong enough to hold you.<br /><br />Why are we always so anxious <br />to go somewhere…anywhere else <br />but right here, right now? <br />In whatever wherever <br />you happen to be, <br />there is the Presence of love, <br />the Presence that caught up <br />with your running. <br />It is here in this place <br />that God whispers, <br />“Stand still. <br />Just be with me. <br />I Am.”<br /><br />Why are we always trying <br />to keep up with the world? <br />Come out of the frantic swirl. <br />Just give it a rest. <br />Find what’s best <br />in the stillness. <br /><br />Before all your seeking <br />there was One who sought you, <br />One who endures, <br />who was and is and is to come, <br />the Ground of Being. <br />Take off your shoes. <br />Feel the fertile ground. <br />Stand still where you are. <br />Return to the Center. <br />Hear the soft sound <br />of this grounding. <br />Close your eyes <br />to open yourself <br />to see the beauty <br />full peace of earth. <br /><br />……………….. <br /><br /><b>stand still </b><br /><i>by troy cady </i><br />. <br />. <br />. <br />*Photo by Merri J via Unsplash. Creative Commons License.<br />Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-48385712891268737022021-12-06T20:30:00.002-06:002021-12-06T20:30:12.022-06:00The Prince of Piece<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtsGX_kXrq-DWFTWiDco5jGduiEtxYSsAIEzoZgO-rujcPMDm4m4veDNmdejCeIt7sGXdM8YLPfEjrpWHiIQpmtYoufD4AFHDVfs-q3dtgGyIHcfgub9cVzsV5R1Q2LdDAszyGEJ-aJNM/s2048/Thomas+Massie+family+Christmas+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2048" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtsGX_kXrq-DWFTWiDco5jGduiEtxYSsAIEzoZgO-rujcPMDm4m4veDNmdejCeIt7sGXdM8YLPfEjrpWHiIQpmtYoufD4AFHDVfs-q3dtgGyIHcfgub9cVzsV5R1Q2LdDAszyGEJ-aJNM/w400-h316/Thomas+Massie+family+Christmas+photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>This morning I read about this family Christmas photo that was shared on Twitter recently by a United States congressman. Thus far, the commentary I have read on it notes how inappropriate it was for him to share this photo at this time, given the school shooting that took place in Michigan last week. </span><p></p><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="ca1oh-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ca1oh-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="ca1oh-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I have another concern about the photo, however. It should be self-evident to any Christian who is motivated to “put Christ back in Christmas” that this image is contrary to the core message of Christmas. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="bfniu-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bfniu-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="6e9rs-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6e9rs-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="6e9rs-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the birth of Jesus, we see that God did not respond to the world’s violence with more violence, even in self-defense. Jesus was born into a regime of heartless brutality, terror, and oppression. Yet, the Son of God did not enter this world armed to the teeth; nor was he born into a family who had stockpiled a great arsenal to defend their rights against the might of their Roman oppressors. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="8efpi-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8efpi-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="99eq0-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="99eq0-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="99eq0-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Instead, the Son of God took on human flesh, laying aside his heavenly power and prerogatives to identify with us as powerless and weak. His real power was simply in his solidarity with the oppressed, in his becoming one of them. In becoming human, God became vulnerable and approachable—gentle, not forceful. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="9817t-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9817t-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="fk77t-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fk77t-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="fk77t-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This was (and is) God’s way to peace on earth—and the Christmas story is our yearly reminder of God’s heart. Now is not a time to celebrate our capacity for violence, whether personally or nationally. In fact, if we were to really embrace the spirit of the season, we would sense the invitation of God’s Spirit crying out to us to mourn our violent response to God’s offensive of love. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="2ri2s-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2ri2s-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="bm9ee-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bm9ee-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="bm9ee-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The world will always have a “Yes, but…” to this initiative of God’s—but that will not cause God to give up on his program for peace. On the contrary, the one who would follow Christ sees the connection from the cradle to the cross of Jesus. He died as he was born…caught up in the swirl of violence, but relentless in refusing to take up arms. In both his birth and death, Jesus showed us the full extent of God’s love for us and he exposed the utter absurdity of our unjust brutalities. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="bc4ee-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bc4ee-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="8n2r7-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8n2r7-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="8n2r7-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Let us not desecrate the light of the nativity of the Christ by treating our capacity for violence so flippantly. Instead, may we mourn our tendency to perpetuate the violence that plagues our world and may we learn to identify with the One whose only weapon to counter the hatred was love and love alone. Then we will really experience God’s good will for all; then and only then will we have true peace on earth. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="cj425-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cj425-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="19ole-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="19ole-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="19ole-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">………………….</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="6dl9h-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6dl9h-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="etepf-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="etepf-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="etepf-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>The Prince of Piece</b></span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="bfbqi-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bfbqi-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="bfbqi-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>reflections by Troy Cady</i></span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="4m3m2-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4m3m2-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="934h9-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span data-offset-key="934h9-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="43nf2" data-offset-key="8saie-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></div>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-39123673268531979092021-10-07T01:09:00.002-05:002021-10-07T01:09:39.848-05:00saying goodbye<p> a new poem</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAByCfMWsaWdftXh7v5KxqBkYdEt93G_OtMl6AFqBCqMazDhhQ9SmwEvNwjARLSe_wGUvd23SuH95etY6H426178PfanMp-4ZzIWomkYZOv2MnQRMOL6J9dt3CtkTikNYnMaZM6p2tfyU/s1646/saying+goodbye+by+troy+cady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1646" data-original-width="799" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAByCfMWsaWdftXh7v5KxqBkYdEt93G_OtMl6AFqBCqMazDhhQ9SmwEvNwjARLSe_wGUvd23SuH95etY6H426178PfanMp-4ZzIWomkYZOv2MnQRMOL6J9dt3CtkTikNYnMaZM6p2tfyU/w311-h640/saying+goodbye+by+troy+cady.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-1529203211322620582021-09-23T11:17:00.013-05:002021-09-23T11:25:06.853-05:00St. Adamnan's Day<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXHl50BByMZYGUi84l_8uYGJGI362Q3WJ3i-Af1glYniPMQSmKrN4KRdYHqeul_LS7abXVrKKyglmXXfhSG1v4xUQiRiNqKQIlyRXSkMuR6thlmlGh3LL9wRpd64wnkczcicS9JF7tEdJ/s1100/wall-art-hand-carved-celtic-cross-cr06-s-01_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="1100" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXHl50BByMZYGUi84l_8uYGJGI362Q3WJ3i-Af1glYniPMQSmKrN4KRdYHqeul_LS7abXVrKKyglmXXfhSG1v4xUQiRiNqKQIlyRXSkMuR6thlmlGh3LL9wRpd64wnkczcicS9JF7tEdJ/s320/wall-art-hand-carved-celtic-cross-cr06-s-01_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">St.
Adamnan’s Day<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">reflections
by Troy Cady</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In my prayer book this
morning, I learned that today is the feast day of St. Adamnan among the
Northumbria community.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adamnan was the ninth
abbot of Iona. In the late 7th century, church leaders in Rome were putting
pressure on the Celtic church to adopt Roman customs. Because Adamnan was a
peace-loving person and did not wish division with his brothers and sisters in
other sectors of Christendom, he tried to persuade the community in Iona to go
along with the new Roman customs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He met with no small
measure of opposition. For many years, a contingent of the community in Iona
insisted on celebrating Easter twice each year: once on the new Roman date and
once on the traditional Celtic date.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Though the matter seems
trivial to us now, I imagine it was incredibly difficult for Adamnan to hold
the community together in the midst of it all. In fact, I imagine the community
felt like it was bitterly divided for quite a long time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Viewing the situation
from Adamnan’s perspective, he had an impossible decision to make. If he
decided to hold fast to the Celtic customs, he would risk division with his
brothers and sisters in other places. If he decided to embrace the new Roman
way, he risked resentment with many of the members of the community right in
his midst.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As someone who serves
on the staff of a local church and as someone who is deeply concerned about the
state of the broader church in America, I can relate to Adamnan.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In short, my heart
aches over the issues that are dividing the American church right now, both
locally and nationally.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On the one hand, my
heart grieves the broader church in America. Like the Roman authorities in
Adamnan’s day, it seems to me that the American church of today is intent on
powering up, laying huge burdens upon people, and pressuring diverse sectors of
society to conform to a particular worldview. I can’t help but feel that what
really motivates the church in America is a desire to consolidate and preserve
a sense of cultural supremacy. The ideological hubris is oppressive and it is
absolutely astounding when I consider that it comes from those who tout
“salvation by grace through faith.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If we are to be a
people who reflect the grace of Jesus, our way of engaging the world must
become more gentle, understanding, and humble. We should be known not as
coercive but as compassionate. Let us listen more than we speak. Let us lay
aside anger. While arguing may win a temporary victory, it is only by love that
anyone is transformed through and through.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The irony of all of
this is that, like the Roman church of Adamnan’s day, the American church wants
to cast itself as an agent of change—but underneath the desire to effect change
is a deeper desire to arrange life in a way that is most comfortable for us. In
other words, it’s possible that the desire to change the world around us
springs from a deeper desire to secure our standard of living…without having to
change ourselves.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In other words, we like
life the way we like it. We want our homes and neighborhoods to be just the way
we like it. We want our schools and our cities…our friends, our holidays, and
our entertainment…to be just the way we like it. We even want our church to be
just the way we like it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is what Adamnan
faced from both sides…pressure from those who wanted things to be just the way
they liked it. The power struggle here is exhausting in part because it is
simply inescapable.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have been saying this
since long before the pandemic hit, but I revisited it in March 2020 and again
in the summer of 2020 and again in the fall of 2020 and again and again and
again since then:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The church in America
desperately needs to reimagine what it really means to be the church. We can no
longer continue arranging “church” in ways that merely suit our own liking. The
invitation ultimately is to let go of power, to relinquish the need to control,
to stop trying to rearrange the world in whatever way we happen to like best.
Once we can really do that, we are really free to love, just love…to see others
for who they are, made in God’s image, beloved through and through.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I believe the church in
America is facing a crisis that is deeper than anything we have ever had to
face. The question is not whether the crisis is upon us. The question is: “How
will we respond to the crisis?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Will we be willing to
ask the hard questions of what it means to be the church? Are we willing to do
what it takes to be a community of those who have been called by God to love
others extravagantly? Will we be open to different ways of being formed? Will
we hold on to what we have always known? Will we choose to be heavy-handed when
God would make us soft-hearted?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On this feast day of
St. Adamnan, I imagine these were some of the difficult questions he must have
had so many centuries ago, though I admit I may be reading into his story a
bit. All I know is I can sure relate to the no-win situation he found himself
in.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That said, I am
inspired by his patient, gentle, peace-loving way of holding gracious space in
the midst of the tension and I want to follow his example. I want to be the
kind of person who can hold the space open so we can just come together in our
differences…to help each and every person experience deep within the freedom
and joy of being beloved through and through. May it be so.</span></p><p></p>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-52229865454097419182021-09-03T10:44:00.003-05:002021-09-03T10:44:45.755-05:00spiritual direction<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuWCRn3ftVDJUJden1TTCHP6ESH_N87fql5fAY3vr5G92AMpDr0NYN9N1Y1o-ZJ-O0pW4rSnv2xs9h45Kg4GRVYIxSvKuEWYip8e1AeZr4LbhV4AxRV_2e8WyThCHZtb-pJylkurdnmRl/s2048/Graduation+certificate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuWCRn3ftVDJUJden1TTCHP6ESH_N87fql5fAY3vr5G92AMpDr0NYN9N1Y1o-ZJ-O0pW4rSnv2xs9h45Kg4GRVYIxSvKuEWYip8e1AeZr4LbhV4AxRV_2e8WyThCHZtb-pJylkurdnmRl/w640-h480/Graduation+certificate.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently, I completed a two-year course of study to become trained in a centuries-old practice known as spiritual direction. In case you’ve never heard of this before, I define spiritual direction as an intentional process whereby one person helps another notice, honor, and respond freely to God’s presence and activity in their life. As a spiritual director, I seek to cooperate with God in nurturing an open space where others can come to God just as they are...to experience what it means to be the Beloved of God.</span></span></p><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="irhk-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="irhk-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="irhk-0-0"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I love the simplicity and the process of spiritual direction because I see a lot of playfulness in it. Did you know I happen to be passionate about play?!</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="7d7oe-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7d7oe-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="9h84d-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9h84d-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="9h84d-0-0"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Though the phrase “spiritual direction” might not sound very playful, time and time again, I have seen the spirit of play embodied in our midst as the person seeking God’s direction experiences freedom, grace, joy, and openness in their relationship with God. In spiritual direction, we engage our imagination and become more childlike (trusting) in our faith. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="1929d-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1929d-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="9naao-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9naao-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="9naao-0-0"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Like play, spiritual direction is not a pre-planned program. Each session has an improvisational feel to it as we simply listen to what is being said and as we open ourselves to what God might want to say in the spirit of love, just love. We bring the stuff of our real life to the interaction and attune our hearts to the very heart of God, bringing Scripture to bear and applying the gentle, compassionate, and gracious way of Jesus to our lives. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="7me95-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7me95-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="8ij94-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8ij94-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="8ij94-0-0"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In the midst of such an interaction, we cultivate the spirit of self-forgetfulness (which is also a characteristic of play) as we attend fully to God’s presence in our midst right here...right now.</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="b2bna-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b2bna-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="54ql6-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="54ql6-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="54ql6-0-0"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I’ve become convinced that these kinds of interactions are sorely needed in a world that scarcely slows down long enough to really listen. It saddens me that in our society today we have become increasingly violent towards one another in thought, word, and deed. In that light, spiritual direction is a countercultural way of being with one another, so I am looking forward to practicing it more and more with those who may be interested in it.</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="e945m-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="e945m-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="5a145-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5a145-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="5a145-0-0"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I wonder if you sense that spiritual direction could be a help to you in your life? If so, I’ve prepared <a href="https://forms.gle/cGcbMSEGpiRe3s368" target="_blank">a sign-up form</a> where you can find out more details about it. </span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If you have any questions or want to talk with me more about it, feel free to reach out via a private message.</span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="5n69r-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5n69r-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="edkvs" data-offset-key="20dki-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="20dki-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="20dki-0-0"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">In any case: may God’s love and joy, grace and freedom flourish in your life!</span></span></div></div>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-53673965370437246892021-06-27T09:31:00.003-05:002021-06-27T09:31:46.313-05:00The Church of the Word-made-flesh<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCqyh-Jf5BGOcjI4ZnJOTc2btoxIM1akWlZPcgnTOXw9CQm9rUVF6sPhbLti_lR0eW1K8be1nQuGa6stTO5sxwakz_sIjowLqy7P605ybK0VQfFRftbY6XBrp77Wu0coDsFuw2V0mtvk8/s2048/cassie-boca-rXBdJOQzMHI-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCqyh-Jf5BGOcjI4ZnJOTc2btoxIM1akWlZPcgnTOXw9CQm9rUVF6sPhbLti_lR0eW1K8be1nQuGa6stTO5sxwakz_sIjowLqy7P605ybK0VQfFRftbY6XBrp77Wu0coDsFuw2V0mtvk8/w400-h266/cassie-boca-rXBdJOQzMHI-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most Christians today speak of attendance at a Sunday gathering
as “going to church.” I suggest the phrase is misguided and its common use is
indicative of a gross misunderstanding of the nature of the church as Jesus
imagined it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For starters, the word “church” (ekklesia) in Jesus’ day was not
specifically a “Christian” or even solely a “religious” phenomenon. It could be
used in reference to the synagogue as well as in reference to gatherings of
various civil societies. The word, generally speaking, had to do simply with
“assembling” a group of people together for a specific purpose. In that sense,
any kind of “assembly” could be called a
“church.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But the church of Jesus departed even from the first-century way
of understanding the word. In the “church” that Jesus created, he was (as
usual) being phenomenologically expansive with the idea compared to the way
most people defined it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Whereas each synagogue gathered people together around Scripture
and the teaching of a rabbi, Jesus was a different sort of rabbi in that he
claimed to be the Word-made-flesh. Thus, the synagogue he led was always on the
move. It was literally embodied but, paradoxically, there was no routine
physical location you could meet at during a certain day of the week at a certain
time of day. It was a synagogue he could convene in any place at any time on
any day of the week. Jesus’ “church” gathered wherever he happened to be at the
time. Sometimes large crowds would gather by the lakeshore to hear rabbi Jesus
teach and other times he’d reserve his teaching for just a few of his closest
followers on a hillside or in a garden.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thus, Jesus’ church did not extract people from the everyday
stuff of life like today’s “church” does. Rather, the real world served as the
context for the church Jesus established. The church that Jesus led was more
like a living, holistic organism than a segregated, hierarchical organization
with a special event once per week.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In that vein, Jesus’ commission to his disciples to make more
disciples was intended to follow the same trajectory. Christians today
translate the famous commission in Matthew 28 as “Go and make disciples” but
what Jesus actually said was more like: “As you go, make disciples…” The
phrasing implies that the church (those who are assembled to center themselves
on Jesus) will make disciples in the course of everyday life.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Though Jesus’ followers do “gather," an indispensable
aspect of Jesus’ teaching involves his “sending” of the church to be fully
present to the world-as-it-is. Consequently, church in the Jesus-way is a
phenomenon that is "gathered to be scattered." It’s a mystery: Jesus’
ekklesia is created through diaspora.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My prayer is that the church of today would recover the full
sense of that great commission and live according to what it really means to be
the church in the spirit of Jesus. My prayer is that the church of today would
be and act more like Jesus, the Word-made-flesh.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">……………….</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Church of the Word-made-flesh<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">reflections by Troy Cady<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Photo by Cassie Boca via Unsplash. Creative Commons License.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><div data-block="true" data-editor="5e3ed" data-offset-key="6ksie-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></div>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-13456904971010921172021-05-27T08:49:00.002-05:002021-05-27T08:49:21.363-05:00in mercy and hope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBdsr5JOV9WMowYXaKS08LOkbkBqX2rpfOSeT-r3zR8rJWNHs4KGMXC9ozlFfiqgaYaLfrLE4k4YsdWjKrAw_RBQWi2F-Zdij8DPz5P_T90J703yJjB_SvsO2hOwAyoqQ_LCX1TCx3cKQ/s1650/in+mercy+and+hope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBdsr5JOV9WMowYXaKS08LOkbkBqX2rpfOSeT-r3zR8rJWNHs4KGMXC9ozlFfiqgaYaLfrLE4k4YsdWjKrAw_RBQWi2F-Zdij8DPz5P_T90J703yJjB_SvsO2hOwAyoqQ_LCX1TCx3cKQ/w494-h640/in+mercy+and+hope.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-84923895886190562382021-05-23T08:38:00.002-05:002021-05-23T08:38:18.404-05:00Pentecost: God Dances Like a Flame<p> Today is Pentecost! It's the day Christians celebrate God's gracious gift of the Holy Spirit. Here's how I tell the story when I'm working with folks in an intergenerational setting. It's part of a series I'm making called PlayFull Faith that describes how "God dances and invites us to join the dance." </p><p>I hope you enjoy the video and I pray you let the light of God shine brightly in your heart. </p><p><br /></p>
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="441" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ll6K73LoYfc" title="YouTube video player" width="784"></iframe></center>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-44775427329677106972021-05-16T17:05:00.006-05:002021-05-16T17:05:33.610-05:00to mask or not to mask?<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhiczclPal7RCx5UOcxv3rL6e0WMUOSqSP-mrpknr6nJRuKV_Kpq43bxnROBNaSlcsTD4DFoeK5M9lVvJAMEBQxw3Hhpu_i8AUNM9w7hBZlDP3tX_YnD3QqHLvb7JwPGdWgxKDjbMbILz1/s1650/Updated+CDC+Guidelines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhiczclPal7RCx5UOcxv3rL6e0WMUOSqSP-mrpknr6nJRuKV_Kpq43bxnROBNaSlcsTD4DFoeK5M9lVvJAMEBQxw3Hhpu_i8AUNM9w7hBZlDP3tX_YnD3QqHLvb7JwPGdWgxKDjbMbILz1/w309-h400/Updated+CDC+Guidelines.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">The question on my mind (and heart) this afternoon is: “How may we live in hope when our society seems incapable of any sort of collective action?”</span></span></p><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="4va0l-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4va0l-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="4va0l-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced new “Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People.” Since then, I have seen no shortage of strong reactions from all kinds of people. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="5e4s1-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5e4s1-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="90kjj-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="90kjj-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="90kjj-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">What seems to be at issue is the updated guideline that a fully vaccinated person “can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart.” This is the case even when in public places such as theaters, shopping centers, restaurants, and sporting arenas. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="71mcf-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="71mcf-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="4fui1-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4fui1-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="4fui1-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">On the one hand, there are those who have opposed CDC guidance thus far who are quite happy about the new recommendations. Many of them seem to be saying, “Well, it’s about time!” </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="3tof6-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3tof6-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="7gfje-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7gfje-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="7gfje-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">On the other hand, there are those who have followed CDC guidance thus far who are upset about the new recommendations. The general response in this camp has been: “I don’t care what the CDC says, I’m still going to wear my mask in public.” </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="27i1o-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="27i1o-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="8mqk-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8mqk-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="8mqk-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">I see no small measure of irony in both responses, and I must confess I am more than a little distressed by this. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="1soq6-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1soq6-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="5cl6k-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5cl6k-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="5cl6k-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">For starters, neither “side” seems to be taking into account the many exceptions there are to these guidelines. For example, the CDC stipulates that the public should abide by all “federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance” that may require mask-wearing and/or impose physical distancing restrictions. Among those general exceptions, the CDC notes that mask-wearing will continue to be enforced in this interim period on buses, trains, and airplanes (including any respective transportation hubs).</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="9q4f7-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9q4f7-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="auct-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="auct-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="auct-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">But I think what distresses me the most is the way we Americans take something as simple as mask-wearing to further divide us. Incredibly, we have turned it into a wedge issue; we politicize it. We seem to have a kind of soul-sickness that frames any kind of call to collective action as a reason to go to war with each other.</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="1o0cv-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1o0cv-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="1nh8k-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1nh8k-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="1nh8k-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">What’s so scary about this most recent wedge issue is how we will be able to physically identify the “liberals” and “conservatives” in our midst. All we will have to do is look to see who is wearing their mask when they don’t have to wear it. You could scarcely find a better recipe for “Instant Othering.” God help us! </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="80bd3-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="80bd3-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="fjek8-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fjek8-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="fjek8-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">We are in the midst of a major culture shift that has been going on for decades already. But the unusual stress of the pandemic is bringing into full relief the nature and depth of that shift. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that the likelihood of seeing people masked in highly populated public spaces is here to stay, even if the venue in question does not require it. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="4dfog-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4dfog-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="bctqq-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bctqq-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="bctqq-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">It doesn’t even have anything to do with COVID anymore. Friends of mine who are still going to mask after being fully vaccinated will do so any time they are ill or any time they especially want to avoid becoming ill. This will apply even to the common cold. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="chpbe-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="chpbe-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="bseb6-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bseb6-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="bseb6-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">This is the norm in many countries and I dare say most Americans think that the practice is strange. I suggest that countries who practice this kind of voluntary masking have a higher sensibility to the impact of their actions on the collective. As a highly individualistic culture, Americans will have a hard time with this.</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="dh3sa-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dh3sa-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="evm9h-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="evm9h-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="evm9h-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">Given that masking will now be common even after the crisis of the pandemic has passed, my concern lies with how this new practice can draw us together and how it can also divide us. It is crucial that we find a way to come together. We must stop tearing each other apart. We need to be wise about the battles we feel compelled to fight and the absolute judgments we are prepared to make.</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="39uio-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="39uio-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="49s27-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="49s27-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="49s27-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">As someone who aspires to follow Jesus, I want to appeal to all of us to live by his timeless words: “Judge not.” You don’t even have to claim Christianity as your religion to see the wisdom in such an admonition. Of course, we need to make decisions and be wise, but what Jesus is talking about here is the spirit of condemnation. He was speaking against certain religious leaders who were prone to condemn others because of their life situation and/or the choices they have made.</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="bs7sv-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bs7sv-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="t88j-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="t88j-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="t88j-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">We have got to stop judging each other and learn to look at one another through the eyes of love…with compassion and understanding. To do this we must admit that we never know the full situation with another person or a group of people. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="f0qtf-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="f0qtf-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="cd416-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cd416-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="cd416-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">I am convinced that the spirit of condemnation feeds on the toxicity of ignorance. If we could really see what’s going on inside each other…if we could really identify with the challenges they face, the aspirations they possess, and the reality of their history…we would not be so quick to judge, to look on another with disdain, mockery, and ridicule. </span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="camti-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="camti-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="droh-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="droh-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="droh-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">As we head into this new reality, we need to remember that we will not be able to pigeonhole someone based on whether they have chosen to wear a mask or not. Labeling another is easy but it always prevents really knowing them. It also hinders your own wellbeing—whether mental, emotional, or spiritual.</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="9nm7d-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9nm7d-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="b6bmv-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b6bmv-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="b6bmv-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">Remain open to others who are different than you. Refuse to make snap judgments. Enlarge the capacity of your soul to provide a hospitable environment for others. We may not be able to find a way back to true “collective action” as a society again, but let us do all we can to humanize one another.</span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b6bmv-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="b6bmv-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="amib0-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="amib0-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="amib0-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">………….</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="9ldk2-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9ldk2-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="9ldk2-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">.</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="dm2mp-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dm2mp-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="dm2mp-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">to mask or not to mask?</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="cem2d-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cem2d-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="cem2d-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">reflections by troy cady</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="jm7m-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="jm7m-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="jm7m-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">.</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="6ttg1-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6ttg1-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="6ttg1-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">.</span></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="78oc-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="78oc-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><span data-offset-key="78oc-0-0"><span style="font-family: times;">.</span></span></div><div><span data-offset-key="78oc-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="cfb4" data-offset-key="cao07-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></div>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-78330597555106000202021-04-28T10:07:00.002-05:002021-04-28T10:13:54.108-05:00practice grace<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHoCF9eosYBDtGBlSt-8FnL4spxn6ow4AzFXTiIHOdT42Ef4ogUFN0xfpF2WziOAG8U-xpJ916HEe6We8dDPcCV30gxJKM10pg8mZTIvAELvUB_crzyr7K40fVs4DSy9YttJhgxdW2EqW/s2048/josue-michel-xCU7nCMNfI8-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHoCF9eosYBDtGBlSt-8FnL4spxn6ow4AzFXTiIHOdT42Ef4ogUFN0xfpF2WziOAG8U-xpJ916HEe6We8dDPcCV30gxJKM10pg8mZTIvAELvUB_crzyr7K40fVs4DSy9YttJhgxdW2EqW/w640-h426/josue-michel-xCU7nCMNfI8-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I believe the road of true holiness
is the pathway of love. Since God is love, we can only be loved into the way of
becoming more like God. A harsh rebuke does little to change anyone. A
judgmental spirit only makes matters worse. Love has a gentleness about her.
She is companionable. She knows that growth takes time. We do not become mature
by cold fiat, impersonal declaration. Friendship transforms us.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God is our friend. If I can be a friend, I will be more like
God. You might say, “Yes, but sometimes a friend needs to say hard things to
their friend.” And that is true. But if the hard sayings of friendship begin to
outweigh the simple acceptance and affirmations of friendship, I dare say it will not be long
before you will lose the friendship. If history teaches us one thing, it
teaches us this: judgment is so destructive because it is addictive. Once we
start, it is hard to stop.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God is not like that. God is not some frowning person always
reminding us of how we are constantly falling short. If that is your image of God, it is not an
accurate image. God is the one who not only loves us but God is the one who
/likes/ us, imperfect as we are. After all, we are God’s children. How could
God not like what God has made?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Because God is love, God is patient with us as we respond to
the ways in which God is inviting us to grow. As one author puts it: God has
"a surplus of warmth" towards us. God believes in us; that is what
Jesus showed us. Jesus showed us that “sinners” become “saints” not by
condemnation but by grace, acceptance and true friendship.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I no longer call you servants…Instead, I have called you
friends,” Jesus said. This is an appeal to those who desire to follow Jesus.
Let God renew within you this way of grace…not only towards others but also
towards yourself. God does not bring down the hammer on you. Let’s not bring it
down on others. Practice the way of grace.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">……………..</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b>practice grace</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>reflections by troy cady<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">*Photo by Josue Michel via Unsplash. Creative Commons
License.<o:p></o:p></p>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-30472208415821531082021-04-21T07:42:00.004-05:002021-04-21T07:42:49.490-05:00The Art of It All<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzhnJAE-J6cpleark-u8degzIDz2bn7chHEuJ0XePnVC3H-lUFoXhfct9KNGRA4HZ0saBKLeI6tjPKh7YCIK4W_Tm7CmjMXcX7mF38JeLUv7UQTe9gMF6KqbcZNeZgsvzG0fvd385-0lL/s1650/The+Art+of+The+All.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzhnJAE-J6cpleark-u8degzIDz2bn7chHEuJ0XePnVC3H-lUFoXhfct9KNGRA4HZ0saBKLeI6tjPKh7YCIK4W_Tm7CmjMXcX7mF38JeLUv7UQTe9gMF6KqbcZNeZgsvzG0fvd385-0lL/w495-h640/The+Art+of+The+All.jpg" width="495" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5093235613475955764.post-8635488442849905052021-04-18T08:58:00.003-05:002021-04-18T08:58:53.238-05:00the critique of a funeral<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWp3uobA8_uVjB8Grqh347xMkCXtDaPa1Su0KeQWpWTJ8sSe1cWOHNmwS1aVyHvvHzEYYfHvXdPSu-SO1dr53cazVBJ6H71Y0kX5CWEWpR5-_dPOLo7O1HXx4CexDap7-oIUW6kMrhjM8/s2048/Prince_Philip_Funeral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWp3uobA8_uVjB8Grqh347xMkCXtDaPa1Su0KeQWpWTJ8sSe1cWOHNmwS1aVyHvvHzEYYfHvXdPSu-SO1dr53cazVBJ6H71Y0kX5CWEWpR5-_dPOLo7O1HXx4CexDap7-oIUW6kMrhjM8/w400-h225/Prince_Philip_Funeral.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Prince Philip’s funeral was held yesterday and millions
watched it, thanks to the wonder of broadcasting. And today I am disturbed by
the kinds of comments many people are making about it, some of whom claim to be
Christian. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If I may, I would like to log this request in advance for
when I die: if you attend my funeral, please don’t critique it on social media,
with your friends, your family, or even in your heart and mind. Better still, just
don’t critique anyone’s funeral. And don’t compare, either.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A life has been lost. Different people have different ways
of marking the significance of this. Respect those differences. Honor and
esteem others, even if you would prefer your funeral to be different than
theirs.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And, please, please respect the particular faith tradition
represented. You may not share the same faith, but this does not mean the faith
of others is any less deep and truly in touch with the heart of God.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Just be a space-holder for those who are most keenly
affected by loss. We do this through reverent, gracious
presence. Space-holders know that these special times of remembrance are, in
fact, the holy ground of eternity. A funeral is no time to analyze and
evaluate. It is a time to pray for the hurting, to just be with them. Though it
is fine to offer a few words of comfort, it is also good to keep in mind that
words tend to fail. Just be present. Your presence is enough. Look and listen
with love.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">……………..<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>the critique of a funeral<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>reflections by Rev. Troy B. Cady <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></p>Troyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11272840064329853423noreply@blogger.com0