She stands on the edge
the stubby toes of her sneakers touching the horizon
the great beyond reaches into her soul
pulling into the abyss
while she, working hard to be strong, pulls back
arms flailing, reaching for balance
heels digging in
stubby toed shoes creeping forward over the edge
the great beyond calling
fingers stuck in ears, trying not to hear
fearing to let go
fearing to remain
but a girl cannot be separated from her soul
so over the edge she goes
stubby toed shoes and all

Be helpless and dumbfounded,
unable to say yes or no.

Then a stretcher will come
from grace to gather us up.

We are too dulleyed to see the beauty.
If we say “Yes we can,” we’ll be lying.

If we say “No, we don’t see it,”
that “No” will behead us
and shut tight our window into spirit.

So let us not be sure of anything,
beside ourselves, and only that, so
miraculous beings come running to help.

Crazed, lying in a zero-circle, mute,
we will be saying finally,
with tremendous eloquence, “Lead us.”

When we’ve totally surrendered to that beauty,
we’ll become a mighty kindness.

version by Coleman Barks
from Daily Rumi

Maybe it’s better to not know than to know.Because not knowing is helpless, and helpless as little children is how we are to come.

Decompressing Faith: Be Helpless…

Tags: beauty, poetry, wisdom

This is a really spectacular interview with 2 peace workers - one an Jewish Israeli woman living in Tel Aviv, the other a Muslim Palestinian Man living in the West Bank - please do listen to it. The video is really neat to watch if you can, it’s the unedited interview that was shot in video.

Another good one is this one with a British Muslim - what he speaks of is incredibly poignant and important for Americans to hear - - much of what he discusses is the significance of his lack of identity in England, he wasn’t British because there really wasn’t such a thing as an identity and he didn’t have a Muslim identity because he wasn’t in that community in his parent’s country so he sought out that identity. This is an important warning for us as Americans to hear I think.

and a completely different aside, Krista looks WAY different than I pictured. As is almost always the case for me.

Consider this my official statement for who I’m voting for tomorrow as Colorado participates in Super Tuesday. Right now, I believe we need a president who can address those issues we are facing domestically and also have a positive affect globally. Now is not the time to have a president with a defensive posture and imperialistic tendencies. Like every one else when it comes to politics, there are things about Obama that I’m not 100% excited about, his death penalty stance for one, but all in all, I think he’s the person we need right now.

Learn More

I do layout and design for a woman’s literary magazine that seeks to provide a safe space for expression of honest womanhood in all it’s raw and varied forms. I’m proud to be part of this venture and am privledged to lend my skills. I am also honored to be friends with the inspiration and driving force behind it. Heather has helped me become a little less cynical about the possibility of beautiful and honest friendship.

While at this point our advertisers are local to the Northern Colorado region (for now), we send the magazine anywhere in the US. I thought I would take this opportunity to promote this unique publication to men and women alike and encourage you to subscribe. Our website is still in process but you can visit getbornmag.com for a sneak peak and to subscribe. The magazine contains essays, short fiction and poetry and we are always looking for content.

We are also always looking for cover photos that communicate the complexity of REAL womanhood and the hope of “getting born”. At this time we do not pay for submissions.

Keep in mind when I say “honest”, and “raw” I’m not being cute, get born explores the harsh realities of womanhood (the season of motherhood in particular but not exclusively), often with humor, but just as often not. We also do not censor so you will find cussing. I would encourage you however, not to let that deter you. Sometimes a few well placed swears can communicate a powerful message of freedom and “getting born” (some of you might recall some of your choice words uttered in the throes of labor *wink*)

In the vein of honesty, here is a little piece I blogged awhile ago called “It’s Not All Pink Balls of Fuzziness”. This was written to explore our faith journey - which I edit here to intertwine with the other journeys we are on as women, of being born, becoming a woman, giving birth and becoming born again as we find our feet and our stride and spread our wings.

***

Sometimes it’s awesome and fuzzy and all kinds of pink balls of loveliness.
Sometimes it’s barbed, angst ridden, doubt filled and all kinds of black balls of frustration.

You fear, you hope, you dream, you love and laugh and learn, you question, doubt, grapple, wrestle and postulate, theorize and hypothesize but at the end of the day you realize that this God you are trying to serve the best way your feeble humanity is able, THIS God simply IS. Coming to earth, serving and loving, healing and getting angry, doubting and getting frustrated, being tempted and questioning while bleeding in a garden. When we add OUR story to THIS story we have a beautiful but very human thing going.

And then we get to add our humanity to another’s humanity and do all those messy things together with them and we join together to connect with the Missio Dei, the God at work on the Earth - and in that, we continue the story. We become vessels of reconciliation and healing, peace and restoration. At our best, we are incarnations of Christ, and at our worst, we are at least trying.

***

that is living, that is getting born

Pieter Bruegel the Elder ca. 1520 – 1569
The Tower of Babel

oil on panel (114 × 155 cm) — 1563
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

by Fred Peatross

First, an apology. I agreed to read and review this book that Fred so generously sent me and it has taken me an embarrassingly long time to do it. I apologize to Fred for this.

If the missional movement were to have a clear, concise and fresh handbook, this book would surely be it. Fred Peatross is a practitioner, and it is clear from page one that this is the case. There is no pretension or pipe dreams in this little book, no pie in the sky theories that could never sustain in the real world. Adding to its readability is its size - it’s a small book - but do not be deceived, Peatross uses his words carefully to pack in great substance between the covers.

In Fred’s own words:

I write for the existing churches hoping and praying that there can still be revitalization for some or at the minimum the planting of missional congregations within broader church structures.

Missio Dei is both an encouragement to anyone already in this “mode” of mission and a primer to the entire concept of emerging-missional for those attempting to become familiar with it. It does not side step the real issues at hand in the current church climate but at the same time, it is not overly critical or polarizing and because of this it is a “safe” resource to pass on to just about anyone - especially any pastor/church planter/missionary open to thinking in new ways about the way we “do church”.

Through Scripture, history, quotes, metaphor and stories, Missio Dei lays the groundwork of understanding, using common language and continues to make a very strong argument for why a missional shift needs to occur. Peatross is compelling in his efforts to woo those who may be on the edge of a paradigm shift.

Peatross addresses everything from chaos and change to Sunday School and spiritual formation theory; from consumerism and social justice to church finances and evangelism - all in a way that is both challenging and sensitive to the experiences and frustrations of the “every man”.

“…[w]ithout a grass roots movement clamoring at the feet
of leadership, missional will never gain a foothold. Without a
swelling at the margins, leaders will forever fight to maintain
the status quo.”

Peatross has given the emerging-missional movement a gift of generous, gracious and clear communication of the mission. If you have already been steeped in the practice of missional as I have, you might find much of this book redundant, but my experience has been that the nuggets in books like this are usually worth the price of admission. But even better, buy this book for friends and colleagues finding themselves at the crossroads.

I issued a challenge to progressive men who say they want more women’s voices heard to listen to this woman on the radio show, Speaking of Faith, and these friends have taken the challenge - check out their comments and then (esp. if you’re a guy) accept the challenge yourself and encourage others to do so.

Jamie Arpin-Ricci
Brother Maynard
Mike Croghan
Dave
Jonathan Brink

As Jamie said, I have no doubt you’ll be better for it.

Brother Maynard mentioned that fortunately he can recommend it. (which I’m glad for) but even if you don’t like what she says, she is a woman of wise years, has a voice and influence and IMO, that alone makes it a worthy listen.

If you’ve accepted the challenge and blogged your thoughts (or even just a hat tip) then comment here

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