Thirsty

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!" I'm whispering, "I get lost!" That's why I chose this way. When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't speak with human pride I'm confessing that I stumble and need someone to be my guide. When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on. When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot ever pay the debt. When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't think I know it all I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught. When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect My flaws are far too visible but God believes I'm worth it. When I say, "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain I have my share of heartaches which is why I se...

(from Padre Stephanos ) (PS - speaking of Fr. Stephanos, I just came across a podcast of him and another guy talking about the original meaning behind having the priest with his back to the congregation during the Liturgy of the Eucharist in Mass. Might find it informative.)

Last night at men's prayer, Matt exhorted us to be cautious about having a "grass is greener" mentality. Sometimes we don't even realize we're doing it. And then Bill shared along the same lines, reflecting on the scripture about "where your treasure is, there will your heart be". It hit me pretty solidly, a little wakeup call about some of the things I've both consciously and internally been holding as treasure, and desires, that are not founded upon the action of God in my life. Even something as simple as reminding myself to first bring all my concerns to God, and not simply let them stew inside me. No matter how minor or major they may be, no matter what I think about whether I "should" be able to deal with these myself. That's pride. Anyway, today Calvin confirmed those prayers from last night. :)

"In our world today, religious, political, academic and economic leaders are being seriously challenged to improve the level of dialogue between peoples and between cultures. To do this effectively requires a deepening of our mutual understanding and a shared dedication to building a society of ever greater justice and peace. We need to know each other better and, on the strength of that mutual discovery, to build relationships not just of tolerance but of authentic respect. Indeed, Jews, Christians and Muslims share many common convictions, and there are numerous areas of humanitarian and social engagement in which we can and must cooperate." - Pope Benedict XVI

Hello World! Posting from docs.google.com ...

[old post, just now publishing 10/24] In these past few days, I've been constantly realizing something about the "intentional community" life I'm experiencing anew, and the aforementioned Seven Levels of Intimacy. Kelly's label for the final level, Legitimate Needs, has been constantly popping into my head. That 's what community life is, that's what we're all about, and that's what has become such a commonplace here. We ask for help, and we offer help, and we encourage one another in doing so. Earlier this week I went to help an older couple with their laptop/printer/scanner, and got a nice homemade lunch after, something a single guy doesn't always get. I also got to learn more about the couple, she had once upon a time been a nun, and then taught for 35 years, and they have 5 grown children... all adopted at young ages. She has cancer and we've been praying for her for a month or two. Yesterday I drove out to another family's ...

Last night I went with a couple other guys to see a popular speaker from Australia named Matthew Kelly come to speak about a recent book of his, The Seven Levels of Intimacy. Here they are for your benefit, from lowest to highest. Get a lot of work done in your relationships by intentionally climbing this ladder: 1. Cliches . Typically, these are used to block intimacy. The absolute bare minimum gets communicated, and it can shut down the conversation. 2. Facts . How's the weather? How about that game last weekend? Guess what happened? 3. Opinions . 4. Hopes & Dreams . If we communicate these to each others, we find ourselves thinking about *their* hopes and dreams, and helping them with them. 5. Feelings . 6. Fears, Faults, & Failures . People accomplish great things because they are able to turn their faults into strengths. Michael Jordan didn't make his high school basketball team. 7. Legitimate Needs . He also spoke about how we human beings are ver...

Say a prayer for him, as he settles in for the toughest battle of his life. Father, show us where and how to devote our energy for your fullness of life.. channel our surplus into your many suffering.

April 25, 2005, Rome - Benedict XVI : I turn now to you, dear friends from different religious traditions, and I thank you sincerely for your presence at the solemn inauguration of my Pontificate. I offer warm and affectionate greetings to you and to all those who belong to the religions that you represent. I am particularly grateful for the presence in our midst of members of the Muslim community, and I express my appreciation for the growth of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, both at the local and international level. I assure you that the Church wants to continue building bridges of friendship with the followers of all religions, in order to seek the true good of every person and of society as a whole. August 20, 2005, Cologne, Germany, World Youth Day - Benedict XVI : Dear Muslim Friends, It gives me great joy to be able to be with you and to offer you my heartfelt greetings. [ ... ] You, my esteemed friends, represent some Muslim communities from this Country where I was b...

September 19 is just around the corner. Prepare to be boarded!

These were people saying, essentially, In spite of my imminent death, my thoughts are on you, and on love. I asked a psychiatrist the other day for his thoughts, and he said the people on the planes and in the towers were "accepting the inevitable" and taking care of "unfinished business." "At death's door people pass on a responsibility--'Tell Billy I never stopped loving him and forgave him long ago.' 'Take care of Mom.' 'Pray for me, Father. Pray for me, I haven't been very good.' " They address what needs doing. - from I Just Called to Say I Love You , by Peggy Noonan. Read all of it, it's the stuff of life and the important things. Maybe it will help you a little. (Thanks, Roz )

Greetings parents and guardians! Welcome back to school and to an exciting year of learning! Before I tell you about the great things your child will be doing in kindergarten let me introduce myself to you. My name is Rebecca Walters and I have just finished 2 years training primary school teachers (as well as a variety of other activities) in Niamina Dankunku, way up the south bank, here in the Gambia. Previously I have trained primary school teachers in Namibia, Southern Africa for two years and also taught grade one and grade two in Jamaica. So as you can gather I am a primary School teacher coming from America but moving around to where I am needed. I am so excited to be the new kindergarten teacher at Banjul American Embassy School. I believe that kindergarten is really where the children develop the foundation for lifelong learning so I am honored to be asked to aid in this development. With hard work and fun times your children will not only learn the foundational skills for...

Just heard about Jesus People USA from a co-worker of mine, Tom, who knows a few of the people that were closely involved with starting it. They're a community of evangelical protestant Christians who live together in common, all ~500 of them at one address on the north side of Chicago in the Uptown neighborhood. Very exciting to discover them, though disappointing to also discover that with all their inclusiveness, they are explicitly sola scriptura (disclaimer: I haven't read through that wikipedia article, though I do lend the site some trust). Intentional community is the phrase that gets touted in groups like this and the People of Praise. It has intense meaning within it, first hinted at in the Acts of the Apostles, and still very much counter-cultural. It toys with your definitions of freedom and responsibility, ever whispering in your head, " Not enough! " That said, I google-datamined the site in an attempt to learn more about it's stance on othe...

The issue of justification, simply put, what Christians must do to get to Heaven -- was the central dispute in the Reformation that split western Christianity and plunged Europe into the Thirty Years' War. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict played a key role in drawing up the Catholic-Lutheran declaration that revoked heresy charges against reformer Martin Luther and said disputes that led to the Reformation over four centuries ago were null and void. Luther, a German monk who posted his famous 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg in 1517, held people could be saved not by faith and good works, but by faith alone. Luther was angered by the Catholic Church's teaching that good works could also lead to salvation, a view that was corrupted into the practice of selling indulgences to those seeking absolution for their sins. The 1999 statement satisfied both Lutherans and Catholics, saying that salvation is achieved through God's grace and this i...

True development cannot consist in the simple accumulation of wealth and in the greater availability of goods and services, if this is gained at the expense of the development of the masses, and without due consideration for the social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of the human being. and As the Letter of Saint James pointedly reminds us: 'What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? You desire and you do not have' (James 4:1-2) On the contrary, in a different world, ruled by concern for the common good of all humanity, or by concern for the 'spiritual and human development of all' instead of by the quest for individual profit, peace would be possible as the result of a 'more perfect justice among people'. - Pope John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern), 1987

One of many true stories from this book... Ah Kei telephoned me urgently one night begging me to look for Tony who was in desparate trouble. It was around Chinese New Year and the coldest time of year so I buttoned up tightly in order to pay a nocturnal visit to Diamond Village, the headquarters of his territory. He was sitting in a tea house with his coat collar turned up against the cold and he was shivering. Flanking him were two henchmen, obviously addicts too judging from their gaunt bodies. But as I looked at Tony's face it was not its drug-induced degeneration which shocked me but another expression altogether. He was going to die. He was resigned to it. I did not know then how he intended it to occur, but it was appalling to realize that he had it planned. He began to tell me what was going on and as I listened I looked around at the congealed spittons in the tea house. The scene was a reflection of the sordid kingdom he was preparing to relinquish. He told a st...

Just returned from the Charis retreat titled " Choosing to be Catholic ". It was structured around a book by Avery Cardinal Dulles titled "Models of the Church". I may post my talk on here at some point. I felt pretty cool because I have a couple other connections to Dulles already. We had to read some of his book in college, so I still had the book, and he was also the speaker & honorary degree recipient from my alma mater the year that I graduated, detailed here . My Dad went on retreat with 19 other men pretty early after he'd finished college and was beginning the Muncie People of Praise branch. The retreat master? Fr. Avery Dulles, before he had been upgraded directly to Cardinal by John Paul II.

New Monastics continually ponder the question of "what Jesus would look for if he came back," he said. "We cultivate a habit of expecting Jesus, of believing he is among us. Every time there's a knock at the door, he is there, because we are all part of the body of Christ." - New Monastics: Being the church A small community in Minneapolis that bears some resemblance to the People of Praise.

Last night I got to talk to my brother in Thailand on the phone for a half an hour at 3 cents per minute. He had internet access and was using a headset connected to his computer, dialing through Skype , and rang the house phone where I'm staying with the Havard's here in Mishawaka. The audio quality was no worse than any landline call you would make across the street, not choppy, no lag, no echo. Wow! He has also been using his account on Flickr to post a ton of awesome pictures from the trip. Check out the nice feature of how Flickr organizes by date the picture was taken. If you click on a particular month you even get a thumbnail for each day.

A week in the life of a PoP Community [cult] member: Sunday: The Havards were going to a later Mass but I decided to join Peter at the 9am, which meant that the homily was given by Deacon Kevin Ranaghan at St. Bavo's. Among other things, he got to share about his recent trip to Rome from an ecumenical perspective. Monday: Stayed late at work. Each day is fractionally more recognizable as a normal job concerning material that I have a slightly remote clue about. That evening I did some reading from a chapter in "Models of the Church" in preparation for a retreat in a couple weeks. Tuesday: Caught a 5:30pm Mass at a small church kinda near work, unfortunately they only have it twice a week. Home in time for a casual dinner with a couple of the kids... dinners have been very sporadic lately, arriving at the end of the baseball and softball seasons for Mark-Allen and Christine. Drove to the community men's meeting with Peter, which was half praise & worship,...