God's Pottery

I am so bummed these guys got voted off Last Comic Standing. I don't know if they are "for real" or not, but it was hilarious watching them out-kind the other comics.

Talking the Bible - Part II

If you are not easily offended by humor directed at Christians or George Bush, then you might find this this clip from Lewis Black's Red, White & Screwed Special wickedly funny as he talks the Bible.

Talking the Bible - Part I

Our upcoming series at Peace. Image created with Wordle.

walking the labyrinth

It's amazing how something kind of cheesy can also be kind of profound. Peace is borrowing an indoor labyrinth this week and I had my first chance to walk it today. I've heard about walking the labyrinth for several years now, especially amongst the emerging crowd, so I've been wanting the chance to try it.

As you walk into the labyrinth, you are supposed to release and let go of the details of your life. For a few minutes, I couldn't let go of the cheese factor, walking barefoot on a canvas palette painted with a purple maze. Next I found myself going through my mental to do lists. No, I reminded myself, I'm not supposed to do, I'm supposed to un do. Then I started noticing where I was walking. At times I would get close to the middle and then be led away again. That's interesting. I tried not to cheat and look ahead to what was coming next and before I knew it I was in the center.

Now I don't know what labyrinth protocol is on silence or not, but I decided to walk the labyrinth with background music. While I'm in the center, Alison Krause starts singing "take my life and let me be, a living prayer, my God to Thee" and that is totally how I'm feeling today. I think the labyrinth is a good metaphor for my faith journey. Sometimes I feel like I'm just moving in circles, as my faith ebbs and wanes, but is never fully formed. Then there is the rare occasion where my faith crystallizes into truth, purpose and understanding. However, as the seconds, minutes, hours and days pass, my faith tends to get muddled up as I circle back out of the labyrinth . I guess I just need to remember to return to the journey, especially when it seems kind of cheesy and hopeless.

fun fountain reflections

The boy and I are in Texas visiting my family: mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew-in-progress. Today I get a whole day in the library for writing. It's awesome - why don't I do this at home? I've only got 9 more chapters to respond to, to wrap up my authoring duties for the book! (yeah, dad's been done with his 31 chapters and background essays for many, many months)

This visit has included many trips down memory lane. Road tripping to the town I grew up in, visiting my parents future, final resting place, eating at my favorite Tex-Mex and BBQ restaurants, enjoying a night out with my high-school tennis partner (hi Brenda, sorry we couldn't stay out later than the kids) and playing in the fun fountain. It's true that you can't go home and everything changes. Some of the changes are exciting and some are disappointing. Every time I make a trip to Texas, the past always returns whether through sight, sound, smell, touch or taste. Sometimes I can get stuck in the land that was and miss out on the here and now.

To paraphrase kathy escobar @ carnival in my head - how much do i miss, we miss, by living life in our heads, in the past or the future, instead of living life with our hearts now. With every trip back to Texas, I think I'm learning bit by bit to appreciate the fun in the now.