When I read chapter 17 of Zen, and Phaedrus was trying to describe the non-describability of quality, what popped into my head were the parallels between that and God, in the sense that it's hard to describe God; however, most humans in history, and most cultures, have been aware of a greater Being than themselves. Phaedrus "reversed the basic rule that all things which are to be taught must first be defined... He was pointing to no principle.... but he was pointing to something, nevertheless, that was very real, whose reality they couldn't deny." (p. 210) I feel like this is the way it is with God. Although values could still be established, they wouldn't have much (if any) purpose without Him.
In a sense, God is ultimately tied to quality. He judged His own work as soon as he made it, seeing "that it was good". He made everything as quality, setting a standard to which we inadvertently and naturally refer. We usually know when we fall short of this standard, but He gave us the Ten Commandments (and all the other laws) to remind us of the fact that we will always fail on our own strength. And then He gave us Jesus/Himself to fix everything. And all creation groans for that time that all will again be quality.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
-I wanna shine on in the hearts of man.-
Thank you, The Killers, for providing my blog post title! "all these things that i've done"-- perfect. (i got soul, but i'm not a soldier!!)
I am sure that there always have been, and always will be, people who are "creatively on fire with a set of ideas no one had heard of before," as in Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I think it's a somewhat vital part of the human race. Granted, they're a little hard to find. I'm not saying that everyone needs to be this way; that might be a little chaotic. I kind of don't think that society or civilization or whatever can progress without these fiery people, history makers. They're hard to see, hard to accept, uncomfortable to listen to, and not always right. But sometimes they're very right, and to ignore them would be to miss that the earth is round, not flat, or that we go around the sun, not vice versa.
Standardized education seems to rule a lot of these people out. Several probably survive. I don't know how many people listen to these survivors, but i say next time we see someone with a sign that says, "prophet creatively on fire with original ideas," we sit down and listen to what they say. ;P who knows what we'll learn!
I am sure that there always have been, and always will be, people who are "creatively on fire with a set of ideas no one had heard of before," as in Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I think it's a somewhat vital part of the human race. Granted, they're a little hard to find. I'm not saying that everyone needs to be this way; that might be a little chaotic. I kind of don't think that society or civilization or whatever can progress without these fiery people, history makers. They're hard to see, hard to accept, uncomfortable to listen to, and not always right. But sometimes they're very right, and to ignore them would be to miss that the earth is round, not flat, or that we go around the sun, not vice versa.
Standardized education seems to rule a lot of these people out. Several probably survive. I don't know how many people listen to these survivors, but i say next time we see someone with a sign that says, "prophet creatively on fire with original ideas," we sit down and listen to what they say. ;P who knows what we'll learn!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wisdom again!
This time with guest speaker Phaedrus! Except not really...
In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the narrator talks about his "ghost" (to put it semi-simply), who at one point became frustrated with his university. The people weren't understanding the point of the school or what would happen if they were de-accredited. Phaedrus tries to explain it by example of a bar occupying the building a church once occupied. The building itself was no longer the church. As Lecrae puts it, "she [the church] ain't just bricks and buildings, she's all of God's people: men, women, and children." Similarly, a university shouldn't be defined by the buildings and class schedules. It consists of the people and the spirit behind it all, the desire, need for, and suppliance of education. At JBU, this has another dynamic: we want everything to be centered around Jesus. Thus, the "real university" isn't the Walker student center, or the cathedral, or even the campus area... it's the people and why they're here. We could all pack up and relocate, but if everyone was together and still seeking the same thing, with the same leadership & history & guiding principles, we could still refer to ourselves as JBU.
This makes me wonder about how much I respect the institution. I mean, i think I owe JBU more respect than I give it-- by doing my work more faithfully, maybe, and taking it more seriously? ugh. that's not a fun thought. just bein' honest, guys.... I don't like work. I guess i might be human or something. #gonnaworkonthat
In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the narrator talks about his "ghost" (to put it semi-simply), who at one point became frustrated with his university. The people weren't understanding the point of the school or what would happen if they were de-accredited. Phaedrus tries to explain it by example of a bar occupying the building a church once occupied. The building itself was no longer the church. As Lecrae puts it, "she [the church] ain't just bricks and buildings, she's all of God's people: men, women, and children." Similarly, a university shouldn't be defined by the buildings and class schedules. It consists of the people and the spirit behind it all, the desire, need for, and suppliance of education. At JBU, this has another dynamic: we want everything to be centered around Jesus. Thus, the "real university" isn't the Walker student center, or the cathedral, or even the campus area... it's the people and why they're here. We could all pack up and relocate, but if everyone was together and still seeking the same thing, with the same leadership & history & guiding principles, we could still refer to ourselves as JBU.
This makes me wonder about how much I respect the institution. I mean, i think I owe JBU more respect than I give it-- by doing my work more faithfully, maybe, and taking it more seriously? ugh. that's not a fun thought. just bein' honest, guys.... I don't like work. I guess i might be human or something. #gonnaworkonthat
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Wisdom!
Wisdom is a strange thing. I've never thought of it (or her, as it's personified in Proverbs) as something to be taught by humans. I mean, your parents kinda steer you there as best they can throughout your life, because they have wisdom, or they're supposed to, at least. But I always thought that wisdom was some mysterious quality that you acquire as you get older and go through hard things, but can't necessarily be taught, unless by listening to your grandmother for days on end.
According to Caroline Bassett, who wrote "Emergent Wisdom: Living a Life in Widening Circles," wisdom can be mapped out into several 'dimensions:' discerning, respecting, engaging, and transforming. Only two of these areas-- transforming and discerning, but mostly transforming-- seem to deal directly with 'concrete' knowledge. I think that's why it's so hard to teach wisdom. Nearly impossible, in fact. Wisdom is what you do with what you learn from other people, personal events, and authority figures: how you therefore use judgment to live your life. This isn't another grade or gold star for a student to earn and check off the list. Such a thing is too nebulous for colleges. Why waste money trying to teach something you can't accurately grade?
The HSP might do a study on the wisdom passages in Proverbs. Other than that, and reading a lot of good literature, I can't think of a way to really internalize the good principles that usually accompany wisdom. It's tough to evaluate. I think it's usually reflected in the way one lives, but that's hard to grade. I guess we'll see eventually... maybe when we get to Heaven!
According to Caroline Bassett, who wrote "Emergent Wisdom: Living a Life in Widening Circles," wisdom can be mapped out into several 'dimensions:' discerning, respecting, engaging, and transforming. Only two of these areas-- transforming and discerning, but mostly transforming-- seem to deal directly with 'concrete' knowledge. I think that's why it's so hard to teach wisdom. Nearly impossible, in fact. Wisdom is what you do with what you learn from other people, personal events, and authority figures: how you therefore use judgment to live your life. This isn't another grade or gold star for a student to earn and check off the list. Such a thing is too nebulous for colleges. Why waste money trying to teach something you can't accurately grade?
The HSP might do a study on the wisdom passages in Proverbs. Other than that, and reading a lot of good literature, I can't think of a way to really internalize the good principles that usually accompany wisdom. It's tough to evaluate. I think it's usually reflected in the way one lives, but that's hard to grade. I guess we'll see eventually... maybe when we get to Heaven!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Good thing it's been almost a month.
Sorry about that.
Well, now it's time for another blog post. And this time, we'll be talking about alternative education. There are colleges, like Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where the team-taught classes integrate two fields of learning (such as sociology and biology). In their art program, what they call visual literacy, the students are asked from the get-go what they want to convey through their art-- "why they're doing what they're doing, what they want to say, how it fits into the world" (Susan Aurand, artist & faculty member). Thus, not only are the students learning the technical skills of being an artist, but they're taking responsibility for the content of their work, and are more prepared to present it for business reasons. The visual literacy program also helps students to think more critically about visual media, and to see it more clearly.
This program is an example of Evergreen's desire to integrate all disciplines and give students a broad understanding of the world. Most of the courses seem to be influenced by "new age" philosophy, with meditation and "consciousness" practices scattered throughout. This is definitely different than John Brown's "Christ Over All" approach, and i wouldn't say it's better. There are some things that this college does that JBU could consider, like integrating disciplines--that just sounds fun and educational. I've heard that it shows good learning when you can connect two subjects in your mind, i.e. defining a word in english whose root is in a different language. I believe that i would find the teaching style beneficial, but i don't think i'd like the main message of what they teach. For now, I want to grow somewhere that glorifies God as its center, and JBU works towards that.
It's not that I don't want anything to do with a secular system. God can work through that, too. I just want to develop into who He's called me to be in an environment that encourages me to be His first. And i've said this a lot recently, but there's still a lot of room for ministry on a Christian campus... we're nowhere near perfect :]
Well, now it's time for another blog post. And this time, we'll be talking about alternative education. There are colleges, like Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where the team-taught classes integrate two fields of learning (such as sociology and biology). In their art program, what they call visual literacy, the students are asked from the get-go what they want to convey through their art-- "why they're doing what they're doing, what they want to say, how it fits into the world" (Susan Aurand, artist & faculty member). Thus, not only are the students learning the technical skills of being an artist, but they're taking responsibility for the content of their work, and are more prepared to present it for business reasons. The visual literacy program also helps students to think more critically about visual media, and to see it more clearly.
This program is an example of Evergreen's desire to integrate all disciplines and give students a broad understanding of the world. Most of the courses seem to be influenced by "new age" philosophy, with meditation and "consciousness" practices scattered throughout. This is definitely different than John Brown's "Christ Over All" approach, and i wouldn't say it's better. There are some things that this college does that JBU could consider, like integrating disciplines--that just sounds fun and educational. I've heard that it shows good learning when you can connect two subjects in your mind, i.e. defining a word in english whose root is in a different language. I believe that i would find the teaching style beneficial, but i don't think i'd like the main message of what they teach. For now, I want to grow somewhere that glorifies God as its center, and JBU works towards that.
It's not that I don't want anything to do with a secular system. God can work through that, too. I just want to develop into who He's called me to be in an environment that encourages me to be His first. And i've said this a lot recently, but there's still a lot of room for ministry on a Christian campus... we're nowhere near perfect :]
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Not quite what I expected :)
I asked five people, via facebook chat (the answers were surprisingly slim) and telephone conversations (which lasted much longer than my lack of sleep tells me it can tolerate) these questions for this blog post:
1) what do you think i am most passionate about?
2) what do you think i'm good at?
3) what do you see me doing or being in ten years?
Two of my best friends, Brian and Anna, were the first to whom i posed these questions; I asked Brian and another friend, Darius, via facebook, and Anna via telephone, but they all said Art, Art, and Art for all three questions, and would not/could not elaborate further.
My brother gave me the first detailed response: he said I am passionate about worship; about serving God; and being led by the Spirit to lead people in worship, especially through art. He said i'm good at expressing myself in fun ways, and that he could see me, in 10 years, serving a group of believers (through small groups and with my art) who were relationally restoring an area.... The explanation of this was a bit fuzzy, but I think it will make more sense in time.
I then called my dad, and he talked for a long time (that's probably an exaggeration) about how he saw me being a wonderful, supportive wife for an incredible husband, with 2-4 amazing kids. I like the way he described being a homemaker: like an Air Force base, from which planes launch on missions and to which they return to be refueled, repaired, restored, etc. (He was in the Air Force himself.) He said that I am good at music, relating to people, and capturing emotion-- all of which coincide perfectly with the previous posts on strengths and gifts. And he said I'm passionate about God. Saved the shortest answer for last. :]
I was surprised by the answers of my three friends: I thought they would say something about relating to people in at least one of the answers, but even though Brian and Anna are pretty close to me-- especially Anna-- all they said was Art. which is fine, i guess, i just feel like there's more to me (enter the prince in Swan Princess: "what else is there??")
My dad and brother, especially my brother, were a lot closer to my views. They know me better, I suppose. They told me a little more of my heart, or what i know of it, and how i'm about serving the Lord through my art and loving people. I don't know what the implications of this are. It feels just right, if I take what everyone said and kind of shake it together, and I feel like that's the direction my life is going right now.
So.
Yes.
Good night, all :)
1) what do you think i am most passionate about?
2) what do you think i'm good at?
3) what do you see me doing or being in ten years?
Two of my best friends, Brian and Anna, were the first to whom i posed these questions; I asked Brian and another friend, Darius, via facebook, and Anna via telephone, but they all said Art, Art, and Art for all three questions, and would not/could not elaborate further.
My brother gave me the first detailed response: he said I am passionate about worship; about serving God; and being led by the Spirit to lead people in worship, especially through art. He said i'm good at expressing myself in fun ways, and that he could see me, in 10 years, serving a group of believers (through small groups and with my art) who were relationally restoring an area.... The explanation of this was a bit fuzzy, but I think it will make more sense in time.
I then called my dad, and he talked for a long time (that's probably an exaggeration) about how he saw me being a wonderful, supportive wife for an incredible husband, with 2-4 amazing kids. I like the way he described being a homemaker: like an Air Force base, from which planes launch on missions and to which they return to be refueled, repaired, restored, etc. (He was in the Air Force himself.) He said that I am good at music, relating to people, and capturing emotion-- all of which coincide perfectly with the previous posts on strengths and gifts. And he said I'm passionate about God. Saved the shortest answer for last. :]
I was surprised by the answers of my three friends: I thought they would say something about relating to people in at least one of the answers, but even though Brian and Anna are pretty close to me-- especially Anna-- all they said was Art. which is fine, i guess, i just feel like there's more to me (enter the prince in Swan Princess: "what else is there??")
My dad and brother, especially my brother, were a lot closer to my views. They know me better, I suppose. They told me a little more of my heart, or what i know of it, and how i'm about serving the Lord through my art and loving people. I don't know what the implications of this are. It feels just right, if I take what everyone said and kind of shake it together, and I feel like that's the direction my life is going right now.
So.
Yes.
Good night, all :)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Showdown: spiritual gifts vs. superstrengthsquestthemes!
I don't know why, i just thought that would be a very exciting title :D like the two would head off in a video game/Scott Pilgrim style. or something.
Welp, i'm guessing you guys read the last post, the one where i talked about my spiritual gifts. now I get to tell you, among other things, about my top strengths! again according to a website-- this one this time. I feel like it was, again, fairly accurate. It labeled me as Empathy, Communication, Positivity, Adaptability, and Developer. I really agree with positivity, empathy, and adaptability. You have no idea what i'm talking about? let me explain. :)
Positivity means that i'm kind of irrepressibly fine all the time. I mean, i get emotional and sad, for sure, but it usually swings back to Happy on the pendulum of lindsey's emotions. So this explains why i'm perfectly all right doing four hours of work study on less than adequate hours of sleep; as long as I've got music or something, i'm just having a party.
Adaptability is the reason that i didn't start my homework til, oh, 9:30 or 10:00 tonight. hahah. right. I mean, it's a good thing when life is throwing a bunch of things at me that might bother most people, but it also means that I will willingly spend an hour letting you teach me mandolin or looking through all the pictures you've taken, or spend extra time after supper talking about things that are important to girls..... which means i don't start my work until late, late, late. heh, whoops.
And then there's empathy. I usually know what people are feeling, i guess, and can answer some questions before they're asked... because i'm psychic. ;D And if i can't, or when it's not evident to me what a person is feeling/experiencing/thinking (this happens, or used to happen much more often, with my sister), i get pretty frustrated. So there's a good chance that, at some point, I will ask you what you're feeling and/or thinking. Is that being nosy? i hope not.
I can't see many links between my gifts and my themes, besides between Empathy, Adaptability, and Hospitality. there just aren't perfect matches. I shouldn't expect any, i suppose. Empathy and adaptability seem to be vital in the welcoming of people into one's home. The only change in that part of my life is that i tidied up my part of the room a little bit.... people just don't come over very often... it feels weird!
all right, i'll stop. i'm just rambling now. I will say, however, from looking at these "strengths" and "gifts," that I'm pretty sure God made me for other people-- to minister to & love them. I know i said pretty much the same thing in the last post. I guess i like hearing myself say that. :) yeah, He made us all to do this. i'd just much rather be developing relationships than checking things off my to-do list. much.
blog. check. :]
Welp, i'm guessing you guys read the last post, the one where i talked about my spiritual gifts. now I get to tell you, among other things, about my top strengths! again according to a website-- this one this time. I feel like it was, again, fairly accurate. It labeled me as Empathy, Communication, Positivity, Adaptability, and Developer. I really agree with positivity, empathy, and adaptability. You have no idea what i'm talking about? let me explain. :)
Positivity means that i'm kind of irrepressibly fine all the time. I mean, i get emotional and sad, for sure, but it usually swings back to Happy on the pendulum of lindsey's emotions. So this explains why i'm perfectly all right doing four hours of work study on less than adequate hours of sleep; as long as I've got music or something, i'm just having a party.
Adaptability is the reason that i didn't start my homework til, oh, 9:30 or 10:00 tonight. hahah. right. I mean, it's a good thing when life is throwing a bunch of things at me that might bother most people, but it also means that I will willingly spend an hour letting you teach me mandolin or looking through all the pictures you've taken, or spend extra time after supper talking about things that are important to girls..... which means i don't start my work until late, late, late. heh, whoops.
And then there's empathy. I usually know what people are feeling, i guess, and can answer some questions before they're asked... because i'm psychic. ;D And if i can't, or when it's not evident to me what a person is feeling/experiencing/thinking (this happens, or used to happen much more often, with my sister), i get pretty frustrated. So there's a good chance that, at some point, I will ask you what you're feeling and/or thinking. Is that being nosy? i hope not.
I can't see many links between my gifts and my themes, besides between Empathy, Adaptability, and Hospitality. there just aren't perfect matches. I shouldn't expect any, i suppose. Empathy and adaptability seem to be vital in the welcoming of people into one's home. The only change in that part of my life is that i tidied up my part of the room a little bit.... people just don't come over very often... it feels weird!
all right, i'll stop. i'm just rambling now. I will say, however, from looking at these "strengths" and "gifts," that I'm pretty sure God made me for other people-- to minister to & love them. I know i said pretty much the same thing in the last post. I guess i like hearing myself say that. :) yeah, He made us all to do this. i'd just much rather be developing relationships than checking things off my to-do list. much.
blog. check. :]
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Spiritual gifts
Well, the top 3 gifts told me by this survey were Craftsmanship, Music, and Hospitality. I agree with that. I didn't know that craftsmanship & music were spiritual gifts, but hey, i'm not complaining. :D Next is exhortation and discernment, which i also find fitting.
Craftsmanship fits me perfectly. Name something, and there's a good chance i can draw it. Not to boast or anything, but God has gifted me artistically, and i absolutely love using that gift. There have been a couple times when the Lord has given me a picture to draw, and i drew it, and people would just stare at the picture and soak, so to speak. That's so exciting to me, that God would communicate nonverbally through my work. It's the reason i'm here at JBU, to develop this gift so He can use it to an even greater extent.
I also really like music. If you know me pretty well, you'll know that's an understatement. I have a song quote for almost anything you'll say ("for anything you'll say, now"-- anything you say, by Deas Vail. haha). I didn't fully realize, or even take time to think about, the ministry potential with music til i got here, and a great majority of my friends are majoring in it... Mainly i love music because it's fun and beautiful and glorifying to God; i'd love to learn more of it, and get better, and be in the chapel band, or something like that.
Hospitality fits with my family very well. We love people and loving on people. I'm not sure how well it fits me personally, because, obviously, i've never had a house of my own, and i'm always doing homework in my (messy and maybe uninviting :/ ) dorm room. So i might have to work on that gift a little bit. :) but i do love people. Peoplepeoplepeople.
I usually don't think that exhortation and discernment fit me, but the more i think about it, the more examples i can find of those two in my life. I'm always one of the silly cheerleaders in a sporting event: "go team! you guys are awesome! get iiit!" ....things like that. My mom and others have mentioned that they saw me having discernment; I can usually see root causes of things like behaviors, and i try to think of people as more than what they are on the surface. Example: bookstore lady today. I had the wrong textbook and was almost too late to do anything about it, and she was annoyed from working conditions and probably a few disrespectful students; i did my best to treat her as respectfully and good-naturedly as possible, and she eventually lightened up and acted much more like the grandmother that i'm sure she is.
I love connecting with people like that, seeing more of who they really are inside. It's something i still struggle with-- not to judge by appearances, but to look at every person with the knowledge that they're probably awesome inside, because God made them and loves them.
song that's been in my head this whole time: World news by Local Natives. :)
Craftsmanship fits me perfectly. Name something, and there's a good chance i can draw it. Not to boast or anything, but God has gifted me artistically, and i absolutely love using that gift. There have been a couple times when the Lord has given me a picture to draw, and i drew it, and people would just stare at the picture and soak, so to speak. That's so exciting to me, that God would communicate nonverbally through my work. It's the reason i'm here at JBU, to develop this gift so He can use it to an even greater extent.
I also really like music. If you know me pretty well, you'll know that's an understatement. I have a song quote for almost anything you'll say ("for anything you'll say, now"-- anything you say, by Deas Vail. haha). I didn't fully realize, or even take time to think about, the ministry potential with music til i got here, and a great majority of my friends are majoring in it... Mainly i love music because it's fun and beautiful and glorifying to God; i'd love to learn more of it, and get better, and be in the chapel band, or something like that.
Hospitality fits with my family very well. We love people and loving on people. I'm not sure how well it fits me personally, because, obviously, i've never had a house of my own, and i'm always doing homework in my (messy and maybe uninviting :/ ) dorm room. So i might have to work on that gift a little bit. :) but i do love people. Peoplepeoplepeople.
I usually don't think that exhortation and discernment fit me, but the more i think about it, the more examples i can find of those two in my life. I'm always one of the silly cheerleaders in a sporting event: "go team! you guys are awesome! get iiit!" ....things like that. My mom and others have mentioned that they saw me having discernment; I can usually see root causes of things like behaviors, and i try to think of people as more than what they are on the surface. Example: bookstore lady today. I had the wrong textbook and was almost too late to do anything about it, and she was annoyed from working conditions and probably a few disrespectful students; i did my best to treat her as respectfully and good-naturedly as possible, and she eventually lightened up and acted much more like the grandmother that i'm sure she is.
I love connecting with people like that, seeing more of who they really are inside. It's something i still struggle with-- not to judge by appearances, but to look at every person with the knowledge that they're probably awesome inside, because God made them and loves them.
song that's been in my head this whole time: World news by Local Natives. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)