Picking This Tool Up Again

Looking over the posts and comments below, I see that it has been well over a year since we’ve had much activity here. While I think there is a huge opportunity here for our community, I am certainly aware of how real life — I won’t even say intrudes — takes precedence over sitting down, starting the computer, hunting down the church blog, and making a comment. This blog is a great tool for us, but it is just that, a tool. To be picked up when it’s needed and set aside it’s not.

Since my rather rash statement from the pulpit a few weeks ago, I have talked to several people who are interested in the blog again, so, it looks like it’s time to pick this tool up, dust it off, teach a few more people (oh, say the minister) how to use it, and see what we can do together.

For the time being, I will be using this space to share my ideas and thoughts about Church of the Good Shepherd, about our conversations with Hamline UMC, about Peter’s sermons (I am finding out I am not the only one who has piles of note-filled bulletins at home).

Let me insert the usual disclaimer here: these posts are only my thoughts. They should be in no way read as official church policy or the opinions or views of anyone else, staff or volunteer, associated with the church. If you disagree with me, feel free to let me know.

That’s what I will be doing. Here’s what I am asking you to do:

• Read what I have to say, tell me what you think about it. Post a comment. This can not be the only way we talk to each other, but it can be a great additional way to share.
• Tell me what you would like to see here. Links to other Christian (or non-Christian websites? Places to find out more about something Peter talked about during the sermon? Information about the music you heard? On-going discussions?
• Let me know if you would like to be a guest blogger. If you have something longer than a comment you’d like to share, send it to me and I can post it for you.
• Let me know if this is all a big mystery to you. Technology is changing so fast that I have decided there is no shame in saying you don’t have a clue what some thing is. No matter how hip you are. If you don’t have a clue what a blog is or how to use it, let me know. For the price of a cup of coffee at local CGS congregant owned coffee shop, I will sit down and show you what a blog is, where ours is, and how to post a comment. Throw in a pastry and I will show you how to create your own.
• Finally, let me know if you see errors. I may be a writer, editor and former web master, but I am a horrible typist. And sometimes I am just plain wrong. Please help me keep this blog as error free as possible. But please be kind.

I look forward to seeing what this tool can do for us. My hope is that if nothing else, it will make our connection less dependant on the Sunday morning, Marshall Avenue experience. We can be in touch with each other during the week and across the miles.

Thank you for joining me on yet another CGS adventure!

Your faithful Lay Leader,

Beth Beaty

babeaty@gmail.com

Velvet Elvis: Next

No, that’s not a hidden chapter in Rob Bell’s book.  It’s the chapter we write, I guess.

We’ve had some good discussions, but it seems like we could wrestle with some of these questions more deeply.  I have some ideas here.  In the comments, tell which is/are most compelling for you, or write a new question.

• What is our yoke at Church of the Good Shepherd?
• What is the United Methodist yoke?
• Is there something else which we want our yoke to be?
• If we were to “strip things down”, what would we keep?  what could we lose?
• The call to discipleship is humbling–realistically how can we live this call?
• It’s “our turn” to take this faith forward and serve others–what does that look like?

Velvet Elvis: Good

“This is why it is so toxic for the gospel when Christians picket and boycott and complain about how bad the world is.”

That was about all we needed for a great discussion. What about the Civil Rights movement? What about picketing Planned Parenthood? The rest of the paragraph helped reach some understanding of where that sentence came from (and is probably a good quote for the end of Lent):

“Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn’t as bright as it could be.”

Velvet Elvis: Dust/New

It’s great coming in having these discussions and never quite knowing where they’re going to go. On Sunday we chewed on the difficulties of accepting grace and tried to process the larger thread through Bell’s book in terms of an active spirituality vs. passive spirituality. Is “saving” being done to us, or are we taking a role, even as “our choice becomes this: we can trust his retelling of the story, or we can trust our telling of the story.” (146). How much responsibility are we willing to take? That turned to discussion of Catholicism and its hierarchy which–to those present who grew up in it–seemed to discourage an active, questioning faith. In thinking about why Catholicism is still popular, also brought up the thinking of Liberation Theology.

Velvet Elvis: Tassels

Really interesting and wide-ranging discussion today. This chapter tells a bit about Mars Hill’s growth and Rob’s simultaneous struggles (though it left many today wanting to know more about both topics). We talked about struggles with (often self-imposed) expectations. How some of us have had experiences of “Sabbath”, would probably like to do that in some form, but aren’t sure how in today’s world with today’s responsibilities and expectations. Questions about, as a church, “What You Can’t Leave Behind” (excuse the U2 quote).

In his sermon, Peter connected this with the “lost” (should they really be “found”?) stories of Luke 15, especially the prodigal son. Ended with reference to Mary Oliver’s The Journey.

Just a normal, so-many-ideas-it-makes-your-head-spin Sunday.

An Inconvenient Truth

Climate change, graphs, Al Gore, politics, skepticism, despair, hope, glaciers, collective changes, individual choices, consumerism.  Those are just some of the things that come to mind after watching the movie 3/10.  Share your reactions in the comments…

Velvet Elvis: Yoke

The question: what yoke do we carry on today in our community? In our discussion, we seemed to agree that as a community we like a balance of tradition and innovation (dare I say “repainting”?), and find value in questions even without answers. What else makes this community what it is? Are we missing anything?

PS-Have to mention that this idea of balance–and Peter’s sermon–called to mind the Quadrilateral: scripture, tradition, reason, experience.

Velvet Elvis: Jump

Here’s some more metaphors to throw in there with trampolines and brick walls: black & white or grayscale?   Yes/no or definitely maybe?   Many of us have been drawn to our church because it encourages questions and grappling with issues without always having a clear answer.   You need a different faith to believe in a mystery.

So, what do you think?  What parts of our faith aren’t negotiable?  What shouldn’t we interpret?  How do we negotiate a world of grays without sliding down a slippery slope?  And how do we construct a meaningful faith right now that adapts as the way of Jesus has for two millenia?

Velvet Elvis: Welcome

This is the first post to encourage discussion and comments outside of Sunday School about our Lenten book study of Velvet Elvis.   One point we discussed this morning was about being a “Christian,” and how it can be hard or seem inaccurate to identify as such with all the political/cultural/historical baggage that comes along with that term.   Also, for some, “Christian” may be the default option (i.e.-that’s what my family is, so I guess I’ll be that too), and not give an indication that it is our choice to be a “follower of Jesus.”  Do we have to rename our selves to repaint our faith?  Other thoughts?

RSS

What is this RSS stuff all about? First off, it’s easy to ignore if you like. On the other hand, if you don’t mind putting a little effort in on the front end, it can be an easy tool to keep track of what people are writing at sites you’re interested in (like maybe this one).

Most newer browsers such as Firefox or Internet Explorer 7 allow you to view RSS “feeds” in them. If you want to have more options, or end up reading many feeds, you will probably want to use a dedicated feed reader or aggregator. A Google search will bring up a multitude of options, including plenty of free ones.