Tall Monastic Guy

be yourself.

By Father Alfred Delp (discovered from this great source)

The life of God is lived within us, within the deepest center of our being. Man becomes truly himself precisely at the point where he recognizes that the highest and brightest Being dwells within him. Moreover, he will rediscover himself and his own identity, as well as his faith in his own individual value, mission, and life options, to the degree that he comprehends human life as streaming forth out of the mystery of God…. Only a person like this will be capable of breathing deeply, and life and the world will not refuse him.

from Advent of the Heart

America's most sinful cities

Interesting article from Forbes.com that ranks America's cities according to the 7 deadly sins. When it comes to lust you'd think Vegas or New Orleans, but nope. Take a look at who's numero uno. The article also says we graded 4th in greed.

This comes only a few weeks after a friend sent me this article, calling Denver America's most dangerously drunk city.

blog influence and census

In the last couple weeks I've been reminded of the power and influence which comes from the weird virus-like medium of weblogs. Recently, I was saddened to see that Cedarville College made a last minute cancellation of Shane Claiborne’s visit who was to speak at their chapel service’s a couple weeks ago. According to this Christianity Today article, Cedarville’s vice president felt like Shane had an important word for their students regarding issues of social justice. But the influential voice of a few bloggers (donors or alumni, perhaps) reached the ears of Cedarville’s admin and shortly after they chose to cancel Claiborne’s visit.

Because Cedarville bloggers believed Claiborne was loosely associated with Emergent he could potentially compromise the University’s reputation as an institution centered on orthodox biblical beliefs.

As one who attempts to keep up with the Emergent conversation, last week I ventured over to a site linked by Emergent Village. I was intrigued by the title of the article, so I clicked over, and made a few quick response comments. A couple days later I checked in again to see how the author responded to my comments and yowza! He blasted me for the questions I asked, called me names, and told me to buzz off. I know enough about Emergent to understand his comments are not representative of the overall voice of Emergent Villaget, but I will acknowedge his comments will taint my perspective a bit for awhile.

These two instances remind me of how powerfully influential the blogging world has become. It’s taken me a while to recognize that one of “Ryan’s musings” can actually change the course of an individual or even a much larger group’s perspective, opinion, or posture. It sounds obvious, but this reminder has served to help me realize that our words can lead people toward or away from Jesus.

So, to you who stop by, this is a recommitment to carefully considering the words and links I post on this site. And I’ll use this occasion to take a little site census. If you read this, let me know by a quick comment who you are, what you like about tallmonasticguy, and what you’d like to see more of here. Thanks a bunch!

compartmentalizing

Over the weekend I made a quick trip along I-76 to a small Nebraska town to visit our good friends, Jason and Emily. Jason is getting further acclimated to the lead pastor role of a church in this town and has been seeking to lead his people into a clearer understanding of mission. So, yesterday Jason had me come in and share my thoughts on the perspective and posture necessary to carry God's image into all aspects of life. I've appreciated the way Joseph Myers in his books The Search to Belong and Organic Community communicates the concept of the four social spaces-public, social, personal, and intimate. This is the second time I've shared this in a public setting and it seems to be a simple and clear way of communicating that God is as present in public and social settings as he is the personal and intimate. I feel this is a decent starting place to lead folks beyond compartmentalizing the Kingdom to certain days of the week or geographical locations.

february meditation ...

These are some life giving thoughts that have kept me centered the last 24.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
-Martin Luther King Jr.

more adventures in missing the point...

We/I can so quickly and easily miss the point.

With the last two posts being articles about New Monastic expressions of life I hope folks don't get the wrong impression. I am obviously intrigued and inspired to say the least about these radical communities, but I'm reminded that community or movements, no matter how intriguing, relevant, or redemptive are not the point.
I like this quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer...

Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian
community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions
may be ever so honest, earnest, and sacrificial.

So what is the point?

One more on New Monasticism...

Another recent article on New Monasticism via LA Times...
If you're intrigued by the last one, this one is worth the read as well.

The unexpected monks

Recent article out of the Boston Globe: The Unexpected Monks

They are post-Protestants, breaking old liturgical and theological taboos by borrowing liberally from Catholic traditions of monastic prayer, looking to St. Francis instead of Jerry Falwell for their social values, and stocking their bookshelves with the writings of medieval mystics rather than the latest from televangelist Joel Osteen.

...

New Monasticism is part of a broader movement stirring at the margins of American evangelicalism: Evangelicals disillusioned with a church they view as captive to consumerism, sectarian theological debates, and social conservatism. Calling themselves the "emerging church" or "post-evangelicals," these Christians represent only a small proportion of the approximate 60 million evangelical Americans. Yet their criticisms may resonate with more mainstream believers. A recent study by Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois - one of the most influential megachurches in the nation - discovered that many churchgoers felt stalled in their faith, alienated by slick, program-driven pastors who focus more on niche marketing than cultivating contemplation. The study suggested that megachurch members know how to belt out jazzy pop hymns from their stadium seats, but they don't always know how to talk to God alone.

Read More

prayer for the journey...

A Celtic prayer of pilgrimage from Calvin Miller's The Path of Celtic Prayer

Father of all humankind, who keeps my journey and marks the horizon of my destiny, love me through my journey toward tomorrow.

Son of God, leader and keeper of the maps, show me not the whole road at once, but give me the distance to be gained in single steps.

Spirit of God, who holds my inner compass, may your presence on the journey awaken trust within me when I don't know what lies around the bend.

God bless to me this day, then I shall make my journey by sunlight and know the way.

Christ, bless to me this uncertain step, then I shall find the step more certain.

Spirit, bless to me this lonely moment, then I shall not be alone.

O Three-in-One, do guard my steps.

Travel with me God,
and I shall travel with the darkness at my back and the Sunlight on my face.

Travel with me Christ.
then I shall mute the thunder,
and walk through lightning unafraid.

Travel with me Holy Spirit,
and my solo anthem shall have accompaniment throughout the journey.

I am coming to you Three-in-One.
One day at a time,
one hour at a time,
one step at a time.
Amen.

identity...

Last Friday I implemented something new into my spiritual discipline. It's called Internet free friday. I decided to take that action because I needed one day out of the week in which I intentionally stayed away from checking my 3 email accounts, our bank account, our CRM support account, my blog, IU basketball news, national news and whatever else I NEED to be up to speed on.
Yes, it's Friday. And yes, I'm writing a blog post. And yes, I've already been on all the above sites. No, I don't feel more at ease now that I've been on those sites... quite the opposite, actually. Even checking on my Hoosier boys created anxiety because they got their tails kicked by Wisconsin last night and now own a 2 game losing streak.