I leave with the family tomorrow to head to the mountains for a week or so; we are headed to Massanutten Resort. My extended family is all gathering there to enjoy a time together, should be an enjoyable time (golfing, swimming, hiking, skateboarding for the kids, cooking out and other fun).

For me - I would much rather go to the mountains than the beach - so I am looking forward to it!

I am taking the following books for hopefully some relaxing vacation reading.

Thomas Keating’s Manifesting God

Miroslav Volf’s Free of Charge

and a constant companion…

Eugene Peterson’s The Jesus Way

I don’t know how much or if I will be posting between now and next Friday - but hopefully some pics of the mountains will fill this place. May we enjoy the moments of our days!

Psalm 90
A prayer of Moses the man of God.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

Peace!

This weeks wisdom is from Abbot Theodore of Pherme (paraphrased by Thomas Merton from The Wisdom of the Desert p. 35).

“Another brother asked the same elder, Abbot Theodore, and began to question him and to inquire about things which he had never yet put into practice himself. The elder said to him: As yet you have not found the ship, and you have not put your baggage aboard, and you have not started to cross the sea: can you talk as if you had already arrived in that city to which you planned to go? When you have put into practice the thing you are talking about, then speak from the knowledge of the the thing itself!”

As I mentioned in the last post - over the next few days or weeks I want to interact with Chris Folmsbee over at A New Kind of Youth Ministry on the topic of Five Dangerous Things. Here is how Chris introduced it,

So, here are five dangerous things I suggest we should let our students do (feel free to comment and add to the list!) Like Gever, I really have 6 but I think that 4 and 4.5 go hand in hand…

1. Dance with doubt
2. Discover truth for themselves
3. Disengage from reality every now and then
4. Dispatch their story, not someone elses
4.5 Determine their own future
5. Deconstruct what they are told, see and come to “know”

So today I would like to explore why I think, dancing with doubt - is a necessary and important risky behavior for adolescents and adults alike to engage in.

It seems to me to be self-evident that to “live by faith” is to also “live by doubt.”

No?

In my limited experience as I look at the topic of faith - the shadow side of faith is doubt. Doubt comes with a healthy dose of faith. For to live by faith is not a life of certainty - but a life where we step into the dark (see Paul - “we live by faith not by sight”). To live by faith is to live a life of hope; a life of trusting that despite where I see things now - I choose to trust in a positive future. A life where we bank on what is to come; not what is. To live in such a way that we trust in what we “see” and believe if only in part; not completely known or clearly perceived.

To live such a life is one where questions, riddles and doubt are surely to arise. For faith is not fact. Facts are hard, provable, testable true-isms. Faith is not necessary in light of such evidence. God, on the other hand, demands faith - for without it we hear, it is impossible to please the Almighty. So it seems that with the life of faith we are destined to encounter moments, seasons or even years of doubt. I would assert though that doubt doesn’t need to be an enemy or foe to our faith.

Those who live a faith-full and authentic life seem to learn how to “befriend” their doubts. They seem to “dance with their doubts” in a sense. They see doubt as a necessary part of growing in their faith. For doubts can:

1. Test us and help us ask questions that lead us to see our own faults or misconceptions, and limitations.
2. Lead us up new pathways to new vistas from where we can see reality a bit more clearly.
3. Show us that our once dearly held values were actually wrong - that some questions are just not that important in the grand scheme of things.
4. Reveal that God’s ways are often hidden to us; but ultimately God’s Character reveals He is worth following.

As we explore our doubts our faith matures. Moving us from a childish faith to an adolescent faith to a young adult faith to a middle-aged faith and so on. It is often our doubts and “faith crises” that serves as the impetus to open our ears, hearts and hands to receive a greater and more vital trust in the Mystery.

Dancing with Doubt calls young people to risk befriending their doubts, to cooperate and even “follow” their quandaries rather than running from an imagined foe. Dancing with Doubt helps adolescents become familiar with the process of interacting with their questions and conundrums; not seeing them as fatal but as opportunities to face doubts faith-fully. For doubt is something that honest and maturing Christ-followers must engage in not just once; but often as they walk after the Master. If you have ever watched “dancing with stars” you can also appreciate that for the “non-dancer” - it ain’t easy; it is a lot of hard work. We need to help folks as soon as they are able to get used to the process and the disorienting feeling of living with and struggling with doubt, as people of faith. It demands that parents, youth workers, and caring adults are honest, reassuring, patient and not too quick to provide 3 steps to overcoming doubts kind of messages. I have found often with kids - listening and “being there” is often a wonderful remedy to helping young people be able to begin to befriend their doubt and realize that the issue isn’t as scary or as paralyzing as it first appeared (the dance begins!).

Let us consider how we can make such a dangerous activity a part of our ministry with adolescents. Let us model how we as adults have faced times of doubting. Let’s take the stigma away from doubting in our communities and let’s celebrate the value of the shadow side of our faith. Crank up the tunes and let’s dance with our doubts (I am doing the “how’d I get here hustle” as I write this!).

You may have noticed the new link on the sidebar for The Daily Scribe. This week I was informed that Perigrinatio was included into their community of blogs. I am excited by the honor of being included into this community of Christian writers who span the spectrum of Christendom from Anabaptist to Evangelical to Missional to eclectic mutts like me!

What is The Daily Scribe? Here is a part of the description from the website/feeder:

The blogosphere also plays host to some of the very best writing and thinking available today. Religion, philosophy and political writing by bloggers is improving by the minute, consequently demanding the attention of the more traditional and the much larger media outlets, institutions, and organizations. The fact that vocational professionals are forming blogging niches relevant to their academic training and life expertise has much to do with this improvement. A new found respect is being directed towards blogs and bloggers who exhibit a passion for this new medium with which they express their life’s hard work and study.

The Daily Scribe is one such niche. Only the highest quality Christian writing and expression is aggregated on the pages of The Daily Scribe. All of the writers featured are dedicated professionals in their respective fields and faiths. Theirs is a passion which is obvious, mature and tuned - well tuned. Each aggregated member represents quality and honesty. Each of these individuals bring much of value to the craft. So, rather than searching for hours for quality content regarding Christian ministry, theology, philosophy, design, technology, culture and praxis, just swing by “The Daily Scribe” and do your research! Here you will find more than you can probably process in one sitting. So, research it, find it, and take the knowledge with you!

So head over and check out some of the blogs who make up this blogging community.

Last week I began this series I so innovatively (a doug-ism, apparently) entitled, “wisdom for wednesday” - if you haven’t a clue - you can catch up by reading last weeks post, here.

This week our wisdom is again taken from The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton (p. 25-26).

“A brother asked one of the elders: ‘What good thing shall I do, and have life thereby?’

The older man replied: ‘God alone knows what is good. However, I have heard it said that someone inquired of Father Abbot Nisteros the great, the friend of Abbot Anthony, asking: what good work shall I do? and that he replied:

Not all works are alike. For Scripture says that Abraham was hospitable and God was with him. Elias loved solitary prayer, and God was with him. And David was humble, and God was with him.

Therefore, whatever you see your soul to desire according to God, do that thing, and you shall keep your heart safe.’”

As summer approaches (culturally it is here - with Memorial Day behind us, school ending and AC’s humming all around) I return every year to meditate on the season of heat. With the earth rotating so that the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun - we have longer periods of sunlight, hotter temperatures and unpredictable storms. Growing up in Florida I have come to enjoy the changing of the seasons (in Florida there is one season - hot - okay two: hot and HOTTER & Humid). And it has taken me some time to “warm back up” to Summer. In the past few years I really have come to appreciate the warming of our days (It is still probably my least favorite season - but I appreciate it none-the-less).

With Summer we see the explosion of color - the grass and trees find the greenest of green and the flowers bloom with vibrant yellows, “radish-y” reds, plum-like purples and fiery oranges and every shade in-between. It seems to happen so quickly - one day you plant this tiny plant and it seems overnight what once was so fragile and on the edge of life has blossomed into a vibrant and vital flowering factory. It never ceases to amaze me. Now - I don’t go wild at my home. We are no burgeoning plant nursery or anything - but we plant a few annuals and try to keep up with a simple, tidy garden or two - but the bit we do does me good. It forces me outside. I am connected to soil, air, and water; pulling me from the artificial and controlled environment of my plaster and plastic world. It calls me to the now of watering, weeding, tending and noticing that is essential even in elementary gardening. It reminds me of God: The Gardner, the One who causes growth, the Creator, the Sustainer, and in a mysterious way - Life itself.

The seasons. Summer. Heat, light, sweat, thunder storms, wind, laughter, bright colors and nights full of stars - don’t miss it huddling next to the Air Conditioner, grumping about electric bills and the price of gas to take a vacation to the beach. Get outside your own four walls and put your toes in the soil and water a daisy. I have found getting outside in the summer time is not only fun, but it is good for our insides, as well.

from the sayings of the Desert Mothers and Fathers (a paraphrase by Merton)…

The Desert Mothers and Fathers sayings have been gathered in numerous anthologies by the Orthodox and Roman church. These hermits of the Egyptian desert formed the basis for the formation of formal monasticism and give us a glimpse at a literal following of Jesus’ teaching. The sayings of our spiritual ancestors which I will share on Wednesdays for the for-seeable future are primarily taken from the hermits of Scete who fled the “worldly” habitation of the Roman Empire during the 3rd and 4th century.

————————————————

“Once two brothers were sitting with Abbot Poemen and one praised the other brother saying: ‘He is a good brother, he hates evil.’

The old man said, ‘What do you mean, he hates evil?’

And the brother did not know what to reply. So he said, ‘Tell me, Father, what it is to hate evil?’

The Father said, ‘That man hates evil who hates his own sins, and looks upon every brother as a saint, and loves him as a saint.’”

[from The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton p. 70-71]

“a long loving gaze at the real…”

photo credit from Mike Raether.com

This is completely and utterly fascinating. What a wonderful conversation - Krista Tippett is a wonderful host and opens up a wonderful dialogue.

I listened and watched completely enraptured.

I won’t spew out any of my opinions and muddy this beautiful and helpful dialogue about such a complex issue.

Check it out here.
(you can download an mp3 of the edited version - and you can view a video of the complete discussion - check out the page completely)

ht - Mike King

A couple of weekends ago I had the opportunity to spend some time in a quiet spiritual retreat. It was a much needed and great opportunity. I spent a good portion of my time watching birds and sitting on a porch (when I wasn’t facilitating a couple of sessions).

My awareness of God and my time listening was pretty keen - which shocked me!

I held on to four words from my time… they were:

ALL
Will
Be
Well

The four words heard at four separate times made a pretty cool phrase.

Pretty amazing.

I am/was encouraged.