Renegade Gospel

• Renegade Gospel: The Rebel Jesus by Mike Slaughter on Amazon

"The Rebel Jesus" and (hopefully) Jesus' followers who rebelliously act against established authority of all kinds. For those of us who have been following Son of God, the Human One ["Son of Man" in some versions of scripture], Servant of All, Savior of the World for some time, Pastor Mike Slaughter's brief book moves along with the energy of the New Testament book of Acts as it reminds us what we can achieve trusting the risen Christ with our lives.

I love the report of the archbishop who observed (complained?--page 41), "Everywhere Jesus went there was a riot. Everywhere I go they make me cups of tea!" Such a routine, common, sad example of ways humans literally domesticate Jesus' crazy wildness! Slaughter references famous Christians like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mother Teresa that every one of us almost despairs of following, yet Pastor Mike reminds us we follow Jesus, and includes many examples of regular people in seemingly ordinary Christian communities accomplishing amazing tasks because they trusted their lives on the risen Christ.

On page 103 the author observes people in the church are supposed to be servants rather than "volunteers" of their time and talents at their own convenience. A few years ago a church friend and colleague exclaimed to me, "we're not volunteers—we are called!" Indeed. Called by Jesus – to follow Jesus – on Jesus' terms.

The back cover features endorsements by well-known church people such as Shane Claiborne, Will Willimon, and Brian McLaren. But not a single endorsement from a woman :(

Renegade Gospel: The Radical Road to the Cross has helping me dare again to claim my own call and vision to follow Jesus, to search once more for a community that fully welcomes my presence and participation. Although in this format Mike Slaughter's newest book seems like best reading for a long-time Jesus follower, there's also a DVD, Leader Guide, Youth Study Book and Children's Leader Guide, all of which likely would lead to helpful conversations and life-transforming actions.

• My Amazon Review: Renegade Gospel about Jesus the Rebel

week of grace 10

It has been all of fifteen (15) weeks since my last week of grace list. I'm seeking major life and situation changes, but still can rejoice in a long series of grace-filled happenings.

Random yet important short list:

1. Lessons and Carols at University of San Diego on Sunday afternoon, Advent 2.

2. Getting to design poster and bulletin for Christmas Vespers Concert at Church Around the Corner (CAC).

3. Enjoying the Christmas Vespers Concert at CAC.

4. Surprise email asking me to design a Blue Christmas poster and bulletin cover.

5. Christmas Eve liturgy at Church on the Hill (COH).

6. Wonderfully delicious Christmas dinner with J, some of her family, and friends.

7. In the many weeks since my last week of grace blog, I've enjoyed four yummy third Saturday lunches with the former Friday night potluck group from the PCUSA where I used to be fairly active.

8. Getting a nicely designed book on environmentally-friendly design (from 1997) along with July 2014 and August 2014 copies of Better Homes & Gardens – my all-time fave mag – at the library book sale. Nice price of $1.50 total ;)

9. Continuing to get an interesting variety of design projects.

10. Facilitating Thursday evening bible study again at CAC last week! Such great response—including two texts from participants!

5 about winter (2015)

Today Deb hosts 5 about winter because, "It's official. If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, you are experiencing winter. SO...tell us:"


1. Winter: What do you think about it in general? Do you love it? Hate it? Or say, “meh – it’s just another season!”

It all depends! As long as I can get truly warm enough, I enjoy wearing heavier sweaters, hoodies, and lightweight jackets. I am loving the visible evidence of longer days, as well. I've lived in New England where I had major problems with winter wind chill, blizzards, snow, slush, and my inability to get warm enough too much of the time. Maybe cultural stuff, too? But I got a fantabulous education from schools in that geographical area, and also loved the summers. And I've lived in the Intermountain West, where in general it is possible to get warm in winter. Even if you're not a skier, and even if you need to shovel it, powder snow that falls lightly from heaven to earth and blankets the ground is so very different from the heavy stuff.

2. Footwear: Show us or tell us about your favorite winter shoes/boots.
Show:



...and tell: I got these at least 6+ years ago at the Kmart that became Sears Essentials for a brief time, and that now is a Korean grocery store named "Zion"—owned by a Korean presbyterian. Everyone who has been there raves about it, despite Ranch 99 being about one block away on the other side of the street. I'm correct on length of ownership because I remember wearing these chunky boots the Sunday Karen and Rebecca came into town from Vegas for a Chargers game, visited me after, and we went out to dinner at Outback. They commented how cute they were!

3. Discuss: Pedicures in winter – necessity or silly?

Necessary only until the week before Thanksgiving Day; after that they can sabbatical until Holy Week.

4. Toasty toes: Whether you knit your own or buy them, tell us what socks keep your feet toasty warm!

Hand-knit or high-end bought socks would be so cute and cool, but they tend to wear out and not enough people see them, so I usually buy regular normal socks in the normal regular store, and for cozy warmth I usually layer more than one pair under boots like the ones in my pic as well as under combat style and shorter type boots.

5. Driving me crazy: What do you wish the drivers around you would do to make travel during the winter months a little less nutty?

Not so much the drivers, but the city / county / fed / state Streets & Roads powers that be. How on earth can streets in an area with zero snow alongside the coast and in the valleys, with land that never freezes at this elevation have some of the worst potholes in existence?

BONUS: What’s the weather like out there? Share a picture so we can shiver or be jealous!

I am so due for a major change—I've been at least in burnout mode, close to breakdown for too long now, so I pushed myself to Friday 5 today and to take some shoe selfies and a few of the view out the front door. Here are two! I love the shadows!

His Love Never Quits

• His Love Never Quits: Finding Purpose Through Your Pain by Cherie Hill on Amazon

Although I was excited to read His Love Never Quits because of the many 4- and 5-star reviews, in the end this book didn't speak clearly to me. There are very few people who don't need ongoing reminders of God's everlasting love and provision for them, and I chose this book because I'm one of those people—maybe especially now that it looks like my life has dead-ended, to use words from author Cherie Hill.

Yes, the author cites possible (even probable) human situations of loss, frustration, loneliness, and disappointment; she quotes a lot of scripture, too. Hill seems to breeze through many marginally connected and sometimes unrelated scriptures in order to remind us God is there, God cares, everything will turn out okay in the end. At times her habits of scriptural interpretation strike me as unsophisticated to the extent they sometimes end up being less than responsible. The best I can say is His Love Never Quits simply is not a book for me at this time.

• My Amazon Review: definitely not a book for me

word of my year: grace!

Marci Glass gave me my StarWord for 2015: Grace!

The Quiet Revolution :: Jay Hein

• The Quiet Revolution: An Active Faith that Transforms Live and Communities by Jay F Hein on Amazon

I've heard the phrase so often, until reading The Quiet Revolution I didn't realize "faith-based" was a recent 21st century buzzword! In some ways the content of The Quiet Revolution uses too many pages, words, and too much space to tell a story that could be the subject of a short print or online newspaper/magazine series, but then again, I lot of people passionate about certain causes or already trying to make a difference would do well to read and be encouraged by the many ways local individuals and non-profits have changed the lives of individuals and neighborhoods, that in turn have rippled far and wide into the larger society. Neighborhood groups? Church committees/commissions, sessions, vestries, (consistories, councils) etc??

Chapter 7 on page 163 opens with "This book has celebrated President Bush's creation of the faith-based initiative to fuel a wider compassion agenda aimed at desperate human needs." The next paragraph explains, "Through smart government reforms as well as creative and bold new funding initiatives, faith-based and community nonprofits found expanding markets open to them, including federal grant competitions."

In my review of late Boston Mayor Tom Menino's Mayor for New America, I wrote,

"Mayor for a New America leads us to ask questions about the role of government in different settings; in any case and place, how much government is too much? How much is not enough? Does a poorer or a literally poverty-stricken constituency legitimately need more services and more direct governing? How much can we expect under-educated and historically underserved populations to do for themselves? The work, the mystery, and sometimes the magic of politics helps create better lives."

Although some government participation (providing funding, population studies, decisions about where moneys go) on all levels is necessary, it's impossible to discern local needs from a long geographical distance. Most real, meaningful, living truly happens at the local, micro-level, between individuals and within small groups.

Despite being inspired by the George W Bush faith-based initiative, this book is totally non-partisan, as is the entire concept of actively changing lives because of your religious convictions. Just as in more formally political arenas, the work, the mystery, and often the magic of faith-driven, faith-inspired, faith-convicted individuals and groups helps create better lives. This excellent read can help you discover what may be possible in your own locale.

• My Amazon Review: discover what may be possible

1st random 5 of 2015

First 2nd Friday random 5 for 2015.

MaryBeth hosts today's random 5, and tells us, "In honor of Karla, the usual sponsor of this page on the second Friday, I announce it as a random Friday Five. But with a theme: NEW."

1. If you have one, what is your new resolution?

I haven't even started to imagine resolving anything again.

2. Many folks choose a new word for a year’s beginning, as Marci’s congregation does with StarWords. Do you have a word for the year?

MB linked us to Marci's page, so I asked her for a StarWord. Marci's word for me is "Grace"!!! I immediately thought of words from the very first stanza of the hymn, "Come, come, ye Saints":

Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
William Clayton, 1814-1879

No further commentary necessary.

3. What is your new favorite exclamation/phrase at times of joy or frustration?

It continues to be, "Oh, no! Not again!" Mostly more disappointment and frustration these days. Somehow I need to find local community. And local opportunities. Somewhere.

4. Do you have a new favorite food, or an old one you are newly enjoying?

Neither exactly new nor old, but I'm loving freshly made Summer Slaw from the grocery store. Forever I've enjoyed the creamy vinegary tang of cole slaw, and this version with tiny tomato bits and slightly different ingredients every time I buy it is my latest preoccupation. Typically it includes radishes and green bell peppers. Sometimes jicama, too. I've given up trying to figure it all out.

5. Finally, in general: what is your new favorite thing?

My new favorite things needs to be my conviction I have a future that includes service and community.

Baptism of Jesus 2015

top 10 for 2014

Inspired by several folks around the blogosphere, I'll begin this year with desert spirit's fire's top ten blog posts of 2014—enjoy!

1. Christmas 1: Psalm 148



2. last couple of days 5 "I've been savoring a popular local specialty, Rubio's Fish Tacos..."

3. Baptism of Jesus 2014



4. springing 5 "All spring flowers are faves, but I'll choose crocus, since they tend to be first to..."



5. mulberry bush 5 "I usually hanker after whatever I can find to feed my five senses..."

6. better late than never 5 "I'll claim gulls in general for now...the California Gull is the state bird of Utah..."



7. Theology from Exile Matthew "I'll begin by stating a few years ago I'd sometimes make a theological observation and then add, 'the Jesus seminar notwithstanding.' Author Sea Raven has Jesus Seminar connections, but..."

8. touch of life: August synchroblog "...social and professional connections aren't the only kind. However, they're the type of connection I still obsess about a lot."

9. October synchroblog: mental illness / health awareness "Socially, professionally, and financially that story I'm trying to tell has been costly beyond anything I could have imagined..."

10. blog action day 2014: inequality "Besides churches where woman deacons and pastors have become routine and expected, several other large denominations, most publicly LDS (Latter-day Saints), LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod), and RC (Roman Catholic) recently..."

Quilted by Christmas: review

Jodie Bailey sets most of Quilted by Christmas in North Carolina, where testimonies run true, quilting is commonplace, politeness prevails, friends often become kin. In case you've read the teasers or started reading the book, I won't include spoilers in this review, so I'll simply say Quilted by Christmas is such a good love story about Taryn and Justin (from when they were late teenaged lovers, to more than a decade later when they'd grown in chronology, maturity, and self-understanding), such an accurate account of the sometime messiness of being human, and a lovely portrayal of contemporary southern Appalachian life in ways that also honors tradition, because for the most part, daily living in the American South still is about rich heritage as it necessarily looks into an uncertain, changing future.

Although author Jodie Bailey is unabashedly Christian, and Quilted by Christmas is a book in United Methodist pub house Abingdon's Quilts of Love series, the narrative is not overtly spiritual, Christian, or generically religious, and likely would offend only those actively seeking to be offended.

Unlike many books I've recently read – or tried to read – in both print and digital formats, Quilted by Christmas is well-written and well-edited, which these days is an actual bonus on top of a story that effortlessly held my attention from beginning to end! I chose this book because of "Christmas" and "Quilted" in the title, but it would be a good gift and a good read for almost anyone, almost any time during the year.

my amazon review: seasonal and timeless

post Christmas-Eve-Day recovering 5

post-Christmas Eve-Day recovery mode 5 on RGBP central

1. What’s your "chill out" foot gear? Slippers or socks? Or Birkenstocks? (Poem not intentional)

Slipper socks with a pair of thick warm boot socks underneath.

2. A holiday treat or beverage that just makes you say “AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!”

I LOVE plain vanilla-flavored, totally unspiked egg nog. Please do not ruin it by adding any type of additional flavors, real or fake. Essentially I want a thick rich creamy milkshake with a hint of cinnamon, a sprinkle of nutmeg.

3. What sight or sound moved you during the season? (This can be good or bad.)

Although I captured her pic, I don't have permission to blog it, so I'll write about the striking image of the teenaged thurifer on Christmas Eve—esp watching her censing the assembly. How wonderful – and moving, too – that liturgical role has moved from an ancient guy to a young girl!

4. With whom did you enjoy sharing time with over the Christmas season?

I'm still in transitional housing, and my friend/colleague/landlady/housemate and her pomeranian have been out of town for two months now, so GreenEyedKittehs AlleyMalibu ("AM") and Roxy were pawsome company. I attended Christmas Eve liturgy at Church on the Hill and took a lot of pics for their website that I admin; had a yummy Christmas Day dinner with a friend and some of her family.

5. Was there someone missing from your festivities? How are you doing with that?

Yes, too much still missing. How am I doing with that and dealing with it? I actually had a pleasingly enjoyable Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and look forward to enjoying the rest of Christmas, excited as always about celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany. Continuing with the hope that Advent encourages us into, I anticipate newness and mostly positive changes all during the upcoming year 2015.

nativity

The Nativity of Our Lord



Unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor,
Prince of Peace!
Isaiah 9:6

Quinn Caldwell: All I Really Want

Quinn Caldwell, All I Really Want: Readings for a Modern Christmas on Amazon

From the intro: "I hope that the doing of them [activities, prayers, and scripture reading the book suggests to include in your to-do lists] will create room—maybe just enough room—for God to show up. I don't know about you, but this year, that's all I really want."

From my review before I finished reading the book:

Due to my desire to enjoy this book as an Advent into Epiphany discipline, I've read mornings and evenings only through today, 10 December, but that's enough to give me a sense of the style, content, and promise of Quinn Caldwell's "Readings for a Modern Christmas." Whether or not we're aware of it, each of us does long for, yearn around, and seek the presence of the Holy, the other-than. All the time. Everywhere. In preparation for Christmas, scripture readings during advent include John the Baptist's announcing the soon to be presence and reign of God on earth, and "All I Really Want" suggests ways each of us can help enable God's ongoing incarnation in the most common, routine, everyday people, things, and happenings. Would you believe the author even suggests going to church, attending worship! Radical, unusual—maybe even helpful to us and to the world!

Each morning and each evening includes a large-print scripture passage on the left hand side of the page, a reflection by the author, and a brief prayer. At the start of each week, Caldwell maps out a 7-day Christmas activity calendar of suggested ways to help yourself and others realize God does show up. Nothing about this book is comprehensive in terms of theology or practice, but it's a delightful addition to your Advent-Nativity and also a format you easily could use as a model for creating your own journal for Advent or any season of the liturgical year.

my amazon review: wonderful book for this season of the year!

advent 4: rorate coeli

Advent 4 – Rorate Coeli



Rain down, you heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness!
Let the earth open,
let them bring forth salvation–
And let righteousness
spring up together.
Isaiah 45:8a