In The Ground For Two Years

Today marks two years since we buried my father. A late March snowstorm is bearing down on us here in Minnesota - half a foot and it's still coming. It makes sense to me. Winter seems to hang on for too long - longer than it has a right to be present.

In a sense, I too have been in the ground for two years. Only it is my task to climb out, to live. It is my task to climb out and not die with the dead. Living, for now, is my task.

I have climbed through fear, fruastration, incoherence, confusion, anxiety, failure, humiliation - the muck of living. I have slipped and fallen, gulped in some sludge and nearly drown. Loneliness is so much a part of grief.

I have also seen Hope. She finds me when I want to be alone, but not really alone. Hope knows me better than I know myself and knows when I need her.

Hope pulls me, hands me a towel, and speaks kindness into my soul.

I don't have my father, but I have Hope.

I can live with Hope.

The State of the Emerging Church

What is up with the emergent church? Click here to learn a little something for a video interview with Tony Jones.

The fun part of Spring Break

Canaan with face painted.

Sierra with face painted.

Sierra & Canaan with cousins Maddie, Ella, & Sam sit with Memaw and Pawpaw. Faces painted by Auntie Sheryl.

Arkansas Flood 2008

Here is a view from the front porch of my in-laws.

Here is the car that should not have even thought about trying to pass.

Here is Gail looking over a the flooded North Branch of the Spring River. Somewhere submerged down there is a bridge.

I took this picture less than 50 yeards from where I was staying.

This picture was taken when the water was "low." Two hours later this sign was long gone.

Parents Are Truth To Children

Parents, until a certain age, your children believe that everything you say and do is right and normal. No one has more to say about the cultural and moral realities about children than parents. You are their truth...until a certain age.

And then there is an age when children can determine truth without you. This is entirely a good thing, a developmental necessity. What you hope as a parent is that when your child learns to determine truth without you, that what you have done up until that point still looks like truth to the child. If your parenting has been untrue in the early years, the children will likely spend the rest of his or her life unlearning you. The process of unlearning a person is painful for all involved and is likely to have poor relational outcomes.

Now, there is hope for parents who have done poorly when their children were younger. Own the wrongs. Not always, but often, when children become adults, they can forgive their parents wrongs when the parent owns those wrongs. Parents who insist that they were great parents when they were not and do not admit their wrongs OR parents who give up to their wrongs and don't even try to change are less likely to find forgiveness.

Here's the take away message: In the early years of childhood, parents are truth. In the later years of childhood and into adulthood, parents are compared to independent ideas of truth. Gross mismatches are damaging. But no matter how bad things have become, there is always redemption in seeking to be a truer person.

Linus Gone Mute

Linus lost his blanket - stolen;

Gone.

Unfindable blue blanket;

Unfindable forever.

Linus has lonely hands, awakward hands;

Nothing to cling to;

No default;

Nothing, this kind of Nothing, is contagious - spreading

Arms swing wrong;

Legs walk wrong.

Linus can't see what's there.

No, he can see, but what is It?

Every single Thing...

A differently shaped It.

When all is an It, familiar vocabulary fails;

New vocabulary hides.

Linus has gone mute.

The Truth About Doug Pagitt

There has been some controversy over the years over the pastor of my church, Doug Pagitt.
Some have called him a heretic.
Some have called him unchristian.
Some have called him a universalist, with a tone of disdain.
Some kinder people have called him a good person.

But I think that his pastor/heretic/unchristian/universalist/good person roles are just a cover. All of the controversy is merely a brilliant distraction for what Doug is really all about.



I shouldn't do this, but here is a photo that reveals the truth about Doug Pagitt.







Some have tried to prove that Doug and Mr. Incredible are different people. You've got to do better than a googlefight to prove this.

Can anyone out there prove that Doug Pagitt is not Mr. Incredible?

If you're a praying person...

Hey all, I got word today that my neice has been having seizures. This is a recent development and naturally is of great concern. Her younger brother had epileptic seizures not long ago and is now treated with medication. This may or may not be the same thing.

If you are a praying person, please pray for my neice.

Fighting Against Injustice - You Can Help

One of my professors (Dr. Waymon Hison) from my masters programs back in the day at Abilene Christian Univeristy (ACU)began a good work in advocating for Black farmers in the south. These farmers have been and continue to be getting a raw deal when interacting with government. They are discriminated against frequently - YES, in this day and age it is going on.

His work has grown and it has really become a tremendous mission. He blogs about it here. He has involved students in some direct ways. His involvement of students in this project is important because these students will have an experience with social justice that they will carry with them into their careers, churches, and families. Students getting involved in social justice has powerful implications for the future.

Dr. Hinson is taking several ACU students to a conference in North Carolina, but he needs your help in getting the students from Abilene, Texas to North Caroline and back. If you have frequent flier miles from American Airlines or any other carrier that can and are willing to donate, please e-mail Dr. Hinson and let him know. He estimates each student needing 25,000 miles in order to make it work.

National Black Farmers Association

Juno: A Movie Review

Go and see Juno.

Listening to the story of teenage pregnancy from Juno's perspective gave a sense of authenticity. Somehow this story was super touching and felt real at the same time. The complexity of relationships and family life are exposed, the vulnerable teenage questions are asked, the goodness of flawed people shines through the confusion of human life.

The politics of this hot-button issue was set as merely background noise and bascially neutralized while attention centered on the difficult decisions Juno faced with her body, relationships, and future. Every relationship she had was renegotiated beautifully, but genuinely. Juno never quit being Juno, but also kept finding ways to be a better version of herself.

Juno is a story about chances and second chances for a lot of people - not just Juno. It is story about redemption and providence. It is a story about hidden things that cannot remain hidden and why that is a really good thing. It is a story that doesn't just get you all cleaned up at the end and ready to go, but rather helps you to feel like there is some good in the honest dirt of life.

You will fall in love with Juno - you just won't be able to help it.