happy reunion

2001: The Two Towers, Unique Thrift Store, Chicago, IL- $1
2003: The Return of the King, The Armadillo's Pillow, Chicago, IL- $7
2005: The Fellowship of the King, The Penny Box, Kirkland, WA- $15

Finally completing the set of 1965, second editions- priceless.

feeling safe, again

the other day, some friends and i were having a conversation that included big ideas like epistemology, truth, hermeneutics, meaning, objectivity, empiricism, subjectivity, etc... we eventually ended up in the usual critique of modernity until someone said, "but i need absolute truth, something in me doesn't like to live without it."
why is this? why do we cling so tightly to absolutes? what does it do for us? we sat with that for a while. as we talked, we came around to the idea that perhaps a flight to absolutes removes us from the subjective nature of the "here and now." but think about what that means for relationship! how will my "absolute truth" that "homosexuality is wrong" affect my encounter with my gay co-worker? how will my "absolute truth" that "dishonesty at border crossings is wrong" affect my encounter with the mexican land-scapper? and many examples could follow...
essentially, absolute truth can become a shield behind which we hide to protect ourselves from uncomfortable encounters. the "here and now" is messy and offers no protection. it may very well show me that my gay co-worker has a far better lived-understanding of what the gospel is all about (true story)!
well, just a thought... what do you think?

*the purpose of this post is not to address whether or not absolute truth exists or if it does, how we arrive at it- but to think about what need we attempt to meet in it.

feel safe now?

how do we understand the christian doctrine of God's omnipotence (the idea that God is all powerful)? how does this affect the way we live? d.j.hall gives an insightful critique of the "almighty-god of american evangelicalism" (with profound political implications).

"...this god can only produce a people that settles down, secure in the knowledge of the power of its deity, basking in the wake of divine triumph; a people, therefore, that shuts its eyes to the reality of evil, injustice, death, bondage, and sin- especially its own sin; a people that no longer struggles with evil; no longer searches for truth and justice, no longer hungers and thirsts for righteousness, no longer feels an evangelical responsibility for the world." (p.102) d.j.hall, professing the faith

bringing me

showing up with out showing up...
have you ever told your story and been found nowhere in it? it is a strange thing to speak of yourself and yet not feel connected to the facts of your life. this happend to me this week. i found myself speaking and felt like i was watching a boring documentary of somone else's life- and that sentiment was mirrored in the response of the listeners- "where were you in all of that?"

how do we bring ourselves with our stories? how do we practice presence in the telling? how do the facts of our life's journey serve as a diversion to showing our true self? "no prescription can lead us to the encounter, and none leads from it." - martin buber

on the lighter side

some friends and i just started a community blog where we bring odd images. it is called what someone saw: traces of oddness and is a humorous, startling and awful reflection on this peculiar place we live in.

because you can't buy happiness

ever considered shoplifting as a form of civil disobedience?
well, someone did. "YOMANGO" in spanish slang means 'i steal'.
'manga' is spanish for sleave, hence 'mangar', to sleave, to
steal. it is both a "brand" of clothing and a political movement
(complete with sophisitcated philosophical tenants) hailing from
barcelona, with "franchises" all across europe and latin america.
what are they about? simply the "promoting of a life-style.
specifically, the promoting of shoplifting as a form of disobedience
and direct action against multinational coorporations." the catch?
they supply you with lables to sew on to the clothing you lift.

"Dare to desire: YOMANGO is your style: risky, innovative. It is
the articulate proliferation of creative gestures. YOMANGO is not
about theft, its about magic, about the liberation of desire and
inteligence cristalized in the 'things' offered for sale."

wow. that's all i can say... wow.

little voices

from: adbusters jul/aug '05. #60.vol.13.#4

teologia desde abajo

Life is full of surprises.
I crawled under a desk at work today and saw written on the underside, amongst pieces of gum and dry boogers, the following insightful inscription:
“God is in the TV.”
Isn't that just one of the many boxes we've managed to put him in?

negative capability

any post entitled [is god allowed to cuss?] demands a read. so why are you still on my blog? scram!