Really comes up short...The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister

I really enjoy the idea of incorporating some ancient practices into my own faith journey. I was raised in a fairly conservative Protestant background and have no real experience in many of the traditional practices that some churches embrace. After reading another book in this series, The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher, I was very excited to see this title among my choices for the Thomas Nelson blog reviewer program, because the first book was fantastic. (Feel free to read my other reviews, including that one)

That being said, I had a very difficult time connecting with this book. Before it arrived, I thought perhaps it would walk me through the liturgical calendar explaining what each part was, how it worked and why they chose to observe it, including methods to incorporate some of it into my own life. In the end, it felt more like a checklist of feasts, rather than experiences that can be “practiced” if you will. The book felt like it really lacked focus and constantly shifted ideas. There were many times when I thought Chittister was going to break out of the mould and draw me in, but I was always left wanting more.

Perhaps I started on a negative tone because of something she states on page 6 that just didn’t seem quite right. She states, “Like the rings on a tree, the cycles of Christian feasts are meant to mark the levels of our spiritual growth from one stage to another in the process of human growth.” As is the case with many Christians I know, it is very easy to go through the motions without any real depth or true life-changing experience. Even through observation of these events and feasts, we may still remain very shallow in our faith, and the remainder of the book did not do much to demonstrate how following a liturgical calendar would help push me to deeper levels of faith.

The parts that struck me most were when she addressed the role of suffering and loss in the Christian walk. Talking about suffering on page 123, Chittister writes, “Suffering requires us to stretch our souls to the boundaries of personal growth. It brings to the surface in us both strengths and weaknesses we could never, in any other way, know we have.” It’s possible I could more easily connect with the idea of gaining understanding of Christ through personal suffering, or realizing that He also suffered. All in all, the parts I enjoyed were few and far between. I wouldn’t recommend this book, but after reading Nora Gallagher’s The Sacred Meal, I’d definitely still be willing to check out other books in this series.

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Small Tribute to Obama

So the headline on the Fox News website this morning is a warning from Obama that our national debt could trigger a double-dip recession. He says that, "'at some point, people could lose confidence in the U.S. economy' if national debt continues to grow out of control. Well, maybe he could learn a thing or two from this clip.

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Hope for Today

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

~Lamentations 3:22-26

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Good for a Laugh

Lloyd: Excuse me, little old lady. Do you have change for a dollar?

Elderly woman: Change? No I'm sorry, I don't.

Lloyd: Well, can you do me a favor and watch my stuff here while I go break a dollar?

Elderly woman: Of course.

Lloyd: Thanks. Hey, I guess they're right. Senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose. I'll be right back. Don't you go dying on me!


Dumb and Dumber is so freakin funny!

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Drops Like Stars

Rob Bell is touring the country right now for his new book Drops Like Stars, which explores the relationship between creativity and suffering. Wednesday night, he came through Denver and gave his talk at the Fillmore Auditorium. I'm definitely a fan of Rob Bell and loved his book Velvet Elvis (which I very highly recommend) and I also really like his Nooma videos. Anyway, I took the afternoon off work and drove down with Matt to see the tour. We got there early enough to sit in the fourth row, which is pretty sweet considering there were several thousand people there.

Rob Bell is a very dynamic speaker and he easily engaged the crowd for the full two hours. Other than some soreness with my back from sitting so longer, I never found myself wishing he'd wrap it up and really enjoyed what he had to say. I found myself challenged to consider how I look on the negative events or times of suffering in my life and hopefully will learn to process those a little differently. Here's a brief rundown of some points.

He starts with the art of disruption. When our box (think inside/outside the box), insulators or frame of reference is removed we are confronted with a disruption. We have a plan for how our life should work out and now that plan is no longer possible. We have disruption and we suffer, but that suffering helps to shape and define us.

The art of elimination is where we realize that greatness is already inside us and we just need to figure out what to take away to reveal it. He first explains it as thinking like a sculptor. They create something beautiful by taking away what isn’t necessary. According to Michaelangelo, the block of marble already had the David inside it, but it was necessary to remove parts to reveal that. A musician does the same thing. It isn't about filling every moment with sound, but knowing at any point in the music what needs to be heard and what needs to remain silent. Suffering also works as a design by elimination; helping us realize what is important and what is not, and refines us. It does not necessarily need to be our own suffering because when we encounter other people's suffering, it also helps shape us and bonds us to them.

Then we move into the art of solidarity. Bell argues that the cross unites cultures and even religions because it is a cosmic sign of suffering. The world is made better through Jesus' sacrificial suffering. Early Christians sensed the divine among them as flesh. God was not some distant, deity, but one who came into the world and suffered and had many experiences in a lot of the ways that we do. The cross is God’s way of saying “I know how you feel,” and is the cosmic hope that someone knows how we feel. Simply knowing that is not necessarily the answer though. There is a difference between ownership and possession. Apostle Paul has nothing, but possesses everything. Bell states, "There's a difference between ownership and possession and sometimes it takes suffering to understand the difference."

I've heard arguments from people who disagree that the cross is about Jesus "relating" to humans. Many might think that the cross is only about payment for our sins, but I don't agree. That is part of it, but not the only part. God is reconciling creation to Himself and all of Jesus' journey on earth includes His ability to understand our pain and suffering because He also experienced it. His experiences here help us relate better to Him.

Finally, you have the art of failing. One of my favorite quotes of the night was, "What every artist must learn is that even the failed pieces are essential. Nothing is wasted in God’s economy." We need to realize that God is not absent when we are going through pain and suffering. As my friend Matt pointed out from the gospel of Like: God is not absent in the desert. Bell pushes us as Christians going through suffering to not sit back and as ourselves "Why is this happening?" Instead, we should as "What is God doing in me through this situation?" The talk was fantastic and I really felt challenged about how I look at suffering...not only in my own life but in the lives of the people around me. It's definitely a talk that I will be considering for some time and an experience I won't quickly forget.

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