The best theology ever?

No... but probably not the worst ever.

Thanks Saskatchewan

Now my faith has to rest entirely in The Maple Leafs to get my sports warm fuzzy feeling of the year.

It will be a cold year.

Hauerwas

"Thefore, claims for the distinctiveness of the church, and thus Christian ethics, are not attempts to underwrite assumptions of superiority or Christian dominance. Rather they are meant to remind Christians of the radicalness of the gospel. For the gospel cannot be adequately summed up by appeals that we should love our neighbor as ourselves but is meant to transform us by teaching us to be God's peaceable people"
-Stanley Hauerwas The Peacable Kingdom

I think that we love this idea of loving our neighbor as ourself often for poor reasons, reasons separated from the rest of scripture. So often we use it as this sort of rule that if you are clever enough can be made to allow anything. "Well it is ok for me to do.... because it is in the name of love." It is as if truth is our own creation, coming out of our defining of love. What we believe love is cannot be questioned by others because it is our own creation of love. For love and truth are what we make them to be.

To this though I shake my head and extend my middle finger. We are called to be a part of God's kingdom. A community which is radical in nature because it follows Christ's picture of what love (kingdom love) is. Kingdom love is a love which forgives those who hate us and persecute us. Kingdom love is not something which acts with violence but seeks to bring reconciliation between people. Between people and creation. And between God and people.

As we seek to follow this picture of life as a community of people in God's 'not yet but yet now kingdom' we become storied people. We are storied by those around us as we together engage with God's narrative that is recorded in scripture. As we together engage with this narrative of God working in Israel and the early church the living God transforms us and speaks to us through the Spirit. Gradually we are being drawn from being independent beings who story themselves to being a community which is storied by God.

God calls us out of a place where we are violent individuals, seeking our own wills in the world, to be a peaceable kingdom seeking the will of God.

The Death of Hockey Night In Canada?

Neil Pert of Rush is going to record a new version of The Hockey Theme. One of the greatest drummers to ever live playing the greatest hockey song ever. Dare I say Hockey Night In Canada has met its match? Yes.

Don't get me wrong CBC does have that real 'awesome' theme song that they play for a few seconds, a song that has little to no potential to last forty years. It sure helps that they play some 'sweet' Nickelback before it. Good on you CBC, real great decision to pass on that song. I am sure Neil Pert with rhythmically hammer in the nails on Hockey Night In Canada's coffin. Maybe Don Cherry can save us all.

Hauerwas

I have been trying to plow some Stanely Hauerwas lately. My grand hopes of staying up late reading by the fire have not happened as planned. And sadly today I must write some papers for some Covenant Theology course. What a bummer.

Disappointing

Come on Leafs. Seriously.

Words of wisdom

"You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you won't serve the people."
-Cornel West

Mountains

The mountains are definately the best part of alberta

A Return Churmmunity

I figure as the church we are called to community. We are called to an existence where life is not just about the self, called to a life where life isn't even just about the self and God. I do not think we can remove the other from what God calls us to, from the Kingdom which the Spirit is nourishing.

Admittedly, as much as I believe that community is to be central to life I probably suck at community since I tend to be some form of ass. Moving to Calgary for eight months to be a part of a community has so far been good. The decision would have been much more difficult if it were to be longer than eight months. My little home of Faith Covenant Church is a good one. People there love God. They love others. They show it in different ways and we all take our turns at failing in regards to acting in a loving manner.

Being a part of FCC has been a blessing. I have seen the Spirit lead hearts to generosity. The Spirit has lead people to open their homes to the worlds poor, taking people into their home and calling them family. Many shared meals and drinks. To be part of a prophetic community which is declaring the failure of the state and giving pictures of the Kingdom at the same time is a good thing. I imagine that returning to her will be a joyous occasion.

Ironknee

I live in Calgary. Now that is funny.

Churmmunity

I have been thinking and reading a fair bit lately about church and community (hence 'churmmunity')

Good things. Good things indeed. I will have have to elaborate later. I must do some reading and watch House. Oh, how I love you Dr. Gregory House. And might I add that your name reeks of intelligence.

White people

I am sitting in a coffee shop to take advantage of some free internet.... all I can say is that there are far too many assholes in the world.

I currently want to deliver a powerbomb to a racist old white bastard.

Assholes.

Ethics

So I've been thinking about ethics lately. Being one of these crazy people who believes that there are rights and wrongs, things that are better and things that are worse.

Part of the problem with ethics is that we take ethics so damn personally. If I disagree with something there will be people take my disagreeing as a sort of personal attack. The church (and just people in general; I am just care more about the church than the rest of the world I guess) needs to learn how to actually discuss issues without being personally offended. We need to learn to listen to each other but also more importantly we need to learn to listen to God.

Ethics are not about making some in and some out. Ethics are not about division. Rather, ethics are about discovering God and God's ways. About discovering what it means to live according to God's ways.

Working Outdoors

Despite the friggin' frigid cold Manitoban air I don't mind working outside for two reasons.

Reason #1 I can stop working, take off my tool belt and go pee. No need to walk 15-30 feet to get to the nearest bathroom.

Reason #2 my long lost friend the "farmer's blow". The most environmental and cost effective way to purge one's nose of mucus, which apparently is "cool" to do inside.