Groovy Vampires & Killer Rabbits

I did something the other night that I haven't done in ages: veg out for an entire evening in front of the television. But this was a special occasion. Mister Oblivious had turned me on to some sale DVDs, which I purchased without hesitation. Yes, both films were in my much loved "so bad they're good" category: Dracula AD 1972 & Night of the Lepus.

Dracula AD 1972 was an attempt on the part of Hammer Films to breathe new life into its vampire film franchise. I'm not sure how well the film played back in the day, but the crazy 70s fashions, awful rock music, and depiction of teen life all add up for a pretty entertaining laugh fest. As usual, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee elevate the material into something better than it is!

The second film on my double bill was the legendary Night of the Lepus. I've wanted to see this film in its entirety since I read about it in the Golden Turkey Awards as a little kid. It's one of those horror movies where an animal species grows to monstrous proportions, in this case rabbits.

No, I'm not joking! Rabbits. The film has pretty good acting (except for the kids) and great special effects work. The problem is that no matter how big you make a rabbit, it still is a rabbit. (Really, they could have stuck about any other little animal in there and made the movie work. If it would have been a herd of giant rampaging tarantulas I would have probably peed myself.)

The thing that amazes me is that Night of the Lepus isn't some low budget wet fart of a movie from American-International or Crown. It was by MGM, the same studio that produced Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, and Doctor Zhivago! All I can assume is that the MGM lion must have been smoking a lot of dope back in 1972 to greenlight this one!

People either get my obsession with bad movies or they don't. If you don't, run away from these movies as fast as you can! But if you are a like minded aficionado of all cinematic things cheesy you should really add these to your collection.

Thoughts on "Celebration of Discipline"

Individuals drawn to a deeper relationship with God but lacking a specific plan as to where to start would do well to read Celebration of Discipline. Author Richard J. Foster has crafted a book on spiritual disciplines that is thorough, accessible, and balanced in its exploration of the topic. It has become the preeminent text on spiritual formation since its original publication in 1978.

Modern religion is often a shallow experience for its practitioners. Largely ignorant of the classical expressions of historical Christianity, it too frequently mimics the social mores and values of contemporary culture.

Christians regularly express dissatisfaction towards the status quo, but it is often easier to pinpoint areas of weakness than discern a clear direction forward. Christians organize, strategize, emulate celebrities, learn from experts, and implement programs, but the results of this effort don’t impact the world in a significant way or satisfy the thirst of a parched people of God.

Foster addresses this deficit in his introduction. “Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The
desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” (1)

Foster proposes the practice of spiritual disciplines as a “means of grace” (7) by which individuals can open themselves up to God’s transforming work. The disciplines themselves are not the transformation. Nor are the disciplines a set of practices that make a person righteous. Spiritual disciplines are simply a method of placing one’s self in a state of receptivity to God. As the author cautions, “We cannot attain or earn this righteousness of the kingdom of God; it is a grace that is given.” (6)

The author organizes the disciplines into three different categories: inward, outward, and corporate. The first two are largely personal. The third involves the entire church in varying degrees.

The inward disciplines are meditation, “the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word” (17); prayer, “perpetual communion with the Father” (33); fasting, “abstaining from food for spiritual purposes” (48); and study, “perception into the reality of a given situation, encounter, book, etc.” (64) The cultivation of these inward disciplines provides a renewal and liberation of the mind and soul.

The outward disciplines are simplicity, keeping “possessions in proper perspective” (84); solitude, “inner fulfillment” (96); submission, “the ability to lay down the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way” (111); and service, being a humble blessing to people. These outward practices result in the freedom of the individual from a self-centered and greedy culture.

The corporate disciplines consist of confession, “a means of healing and transforming the inner spirit” (144); worship, “to know, to feel, to experience the resurrected Christ in the midst of the gathered community” (158); guidance, “the direct, active, immediate leading of the Spirit” (175); and celebration, “a joyful spirit of festivity” (191). These practices are primarily relational and engage the corporate body of believers.

Spiritual disciplines are to be practiced by everyone in Foster’s thinking. Therefore, his book is written in language that is accessible to the layperson. The tone throughout is heartfelt without ever becoming maudlin. The book’s status as a popular volume rather than an academic tome should not give potential readers the impression that it is a lightweight treatment of the subject in any way. On the contrary, the work is a triumph of rich thought.

The book provides a well-researched history of the inner life, brimming with examples from scripture and excerpts from the great devotional literature of many different traditions. The book is more than a history lesson, though. It is a concise and useful guide to implementing the individual disciplines. Potentially esoteric subjects are explained in common sense terms—an aspect in which the book particularly excels.

Foster shares his own experiences with the disciplines in a straightforward and honest manner. He does not unrealistically portray them as a shortcut to spiritual success. He does not exaggerate his own experiences for comic relief, which has become a crutch to many authors as a way of building rapport with a reader. I, personally, was encouraged by reading the experiences of someone who has “been there” before venturing out on my own with the spiritual disciplines.

This is a book that the reader will most likely reference more than once. Thorough indexes to scripture quotations and topics make this an easy task. An extensive bibliography gives insight into the author’s influences and encourages further reading on the various topics.

The assumption of the book is that the practice of the disciplines brings much-needed clarity to lives continually assaulted by the world, the flesh, and the Devil. The disciplines put individuals in a posture where transformation from God can occur. Foster proves his assumption through scripture and experiences of Christians through history.

The “dark night of the soul” was a topic that I felt could have benefited from a more thorough explanation. I understand that the word dark isn’t meant in the contemporary sense of evil, but why is an extended period of dryness desirable as a work of God? What differentiates “the dark night of the soul” from a depression? I didn’t feel this opinion was supported with enough evidence–the scripture from Isaiah notwithstanding.

Foster repeatedly cautions against our human capacity to change the spiritual disciplines from tools to laws. “Jesus Christ has promised to be our ever-present Teacher and Guide… If we are wandering off toward some wrong idea or unprofitable practice, he will guide us back.” (10-11)

In the section on study, Foster advocates for the reading of great works of Christian literature. It is a testament to his skill as an author that Celebration of Discipline could easily be added to that list of books.

Faith, the centuron and me..

So on "Becoming what you believe" ( circa 2006 - Last Tuesdays new album)

Having the faith of the centuron - seeing Christ and knowing what he was capable of - no questions asked. Hey God can you heal my friend - done. Wow. I'm at a point where my faith is being stretched as well. I have a Hey God - could you do this impossible thing on my behalf - kinda thing going on right now too.
I've sensed it coming for a long time and God's in the process, answered many stages of this prayer, and now that I'm close.. I'm getting anxious... why is that when things seem impossible its easier for me to have faith. When it's almost there, i choke?
Becoming is what I think is happening - God is bigger than the situation - than all of them!

Oh I feel like dancing...

So I was leading this song on Sunday and the part of the song goes.."Oh I feel like dancing". And the friend that was singing with me laughed out loud...the funny thing is I almost did too. I swear that there was a rubber curtain between us and the group of people we were leading. Have any of you ever felt like this? I'm sure you have.

On the other side of the coin - I was able to have some great friends and musicians bless us on Friday at the show in the Sally Army 1/2 gym. (Thanks to Freshmen 15, The Switch, Last Tuesday, Rosh and The Quarry and EVERYONE who posted flyers, promoted on myspace, taped up posters on telephone poles and "other" surfaces downtown...THANKS)

I had a friend come up to me at the show and say - Let's dance! I was about to hesitate and put down my clipboard - but I didn't. I went after my friend and we started to "skank" around the gym - between the groups of people in the crowd - pulled some people into the line as we went - and the rubber curtain that divides all of us dissapeared. We shared the joy of the moment - we played like the kids we are on the inside. We worshiped in a way that was missing on Sunday morning.

Next week I'm on again to lead worship, and let me tell you. The first sign I see of that curtain coming down - I'm gonna start a congo line and dance all around the chapel. Worship isn't about the style of music, the people up front leading it or the fact if you had a good nights sleep the night before. Worship is about lifting up God's name and blessing him.

There is a scripture that essentially says ... if the people don't start worshiping God - the rocks are going to start singing soon.

Can you imagine a congo line of rocks dancing through church next Sunday morning? I hope that isn't how far things have to go before we wake up.

Next Sunday are you going to wait for the rocks to sing or are you going to worship?
I think it's about time we got to "dancing". The rocks are starting to sing...

Picking corn or being picky

Have you ever felt called on the carpet for doing something wrong - and it was actually just a misunderstanding or someone being picky? Jesus and his disciples are put into a situation where they are "called on the carpet" for picking corn while walking along a path in their travels ( a custom that was permitted by farmers of the day - to keep travelers from going hungry). Take a look at this scripture....Matthew 12:1-8

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath." He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath."

Jesus is with you in those moments you feel misunderstood, accused and attacked - he's been there too!
Take a moment to thank God for his mercy today and remember God's mercy the next time you're "called on the carpet" - for something a simple a getting a snack.
Enjoy the path you're walking with Jesus and hold on to the joy a relationship with him provides.

Much Peace,
Lamont

Pretty show flyer

How pretty this flyer is -- come to the show if you can!
Tara

What faith looks like...

When my daughter was very small it was common for friends and family, which had grown children, to comment on how quickly children grow. It was impossible for me to imagine and even keep track of all the milestones that my daughter would pass in her first year, let alone the twelve other years that have sped by. In my minds eye I can see, recall and recite memories of her first words, her tentative toddler steps, watching her learn to tie her shoes when sitting next to a teenager during church, and seeing the excitement in her eyes as she picked out and purchased a polka dotted party dress for her first middle school semi-formal. All these seasons of growth included physical, mental, emotional and spiritual changes that can be complicated to track and document. When observing the physical growth of a child it is equally important to be aware of the invisible internal development that is taking place inside of the inner person. Inner development of mental and emotional growth includes the maturation of faith development in specific stages.

Accessing the faith development of an individual is similar to looking at a cube and trying to observe all sides from one point of view. No matter which angle you look, you cant see all sides of the block at once and that is just taking into consideration what is visible to the naked eye. Freud and Piaget laid the initial groundwork for theories of stage development, which were continued by Eric Erikson and his studies of the eight psychosocial stages. Kolbergh also added to the study of individual development by focusing on six moral development stages. The studies of each of these psychologists help to view specific sides and possibilities in the moral development of individuals. It is through continued study that greater understanding can be gained and developments silhouette can be viewed more clearly in order to encourage deeper maturity.


Dr. James W. Fowler III, C.H. a professor of Theology and Human Development at Emory University, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_W._Fowler) and prolific writer of faith development research studies, speaks passionately about the deep roots of faith foundations present in each person.


I have the conviction- that as part of the planfullness and intention manifest in creation, human beings are genetically potentiated for partnership with God.
Fowler, James W., Faith Development and Pastoral Care, (Philadelphia PA: Theology and Pastoral Care Series: Fortress Press, 1987)


Religious philosopher Blasé Pascal (1623-1662) stated that, in every heart there is a God shaped vacuum. Fowler makes a divine connection to mankinds need for a deity or god and refracts Pascals idea hundreds of years later. Fowler expands upon Pascals statement and develops his ideas of faith development through the research of many psychologists before him. (Freud, Piaget, Erikson and Kolberg.)

The work of pastoral specialist James Fowler integrates the stages of human faith development with the more secular stages of cognitive development. These theories are established on four assumptions.

1 We are created to strive towards an ever deepening and evolving understanding and communion with the Divine.

2 We live with freedom of choice, thus this capacity for communion with God, may also be thwarted and used to draw our focus and actions away from Deity.

3 Our faith and identity is always formed within the context of our communities and their symbols, languages, rituals and liturgies.

4 Our faith evolves and emerges gradually through difficult sequences of developmental construction. We begin as creatures unconsciously embedded in and defined by the environments in which we dwell, only through time do we become conscious of our separate identities as beings with the capacity to differentiate.

In addition, Fowler states that faith is a construing of the conditions of existence. It is a special kind of construing, however, for it attempts to make sense of our mundane everyday experience in light of some accounting for the ultimate conditions of our existence.

The embodiment of faith involves three aspects.

1 Patterned Knowing: belief or systematic theology
2 Patterned Valuing: devotion, commitment or participation
3 Patterned Meaning: narrative story or liturgy.


Fowler presents faith development in seven stages:


1. Undifferentiated or Primal Faith (Infancy)
2. Intuitive Projective Faith (Early Childhood)
3. Mythic-Literal Faith (School Years)
4. Synthetic-Conventional Faith (Adolescence)
5. Individual Reflective Faith (Young Adulthood)
6. Conjunctive Faith (Mid-life and beyond)
7. Universalizing Faith
.(Fowler, James W., Faith Development and Pastoral Care, (Philadelphia PA: Theology and Pastoral Care Series: Fortress Press, 1987)


Accessing the faith development of an individual is similar to looking at a cube and trying to observe all sides from one point of view. No matter which angle you look, you cant see all sides of the block at once and that is just taking into consideration what is visible to the naked eye. Freud and Piaget laid the initial groundwork for theories of stage development that were continued by Eric Erikson and his studies of the eight psychosocial stages. Kolbergh also added to the study of individual development by focusing on six moral development stages. The actual development if faith is a life long process that occurs though stages of seasons of life.

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build

( NIV Bible, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society)

Faith is often associated with a particular type of belief or the direct questioning of what and individual may believe in, but jumping from the concept of faith to belief actually skips over some primary stages in faith formation. According to Fowler, Faith... is the relation of trust in and loyalty to the transcendent (God) about which concepts or propositions beliefs are fashioned. (Stages of Faith, Fowler/1981 Harper Collins Publishers, NY/ pg 11)
It could be easier understood by surmising that if faith were the feet of moral development then religion/belief could be considered the avenue of progress. Faith and religion are complementary, but they are not in essence the same entity.

Faith is meant to be religious. But in fact, faith struggles to be formed and maintained in many persons today who feel they have no useable access to any viable cumulative religious tradition. (Stages of Faith, Fowler/1981 Harper Collins Publishers, NY/ pg 10). The Hindu word sraddha means: to set ones heart on. Faith and sraddha are essentially one and the same. The setting or the focus of a persons heart is or becomes their object of faith. This is where the lifetime of development comes into play, as many times individuals will attempt to place something or someone besides god or deity into the god-shaped space in their heart. (Stages of Faith, Fowler/1981 Harper Collins Publishers, NY/ pg 10).

The foundations of faith are composed of what the heart of the individual sets their heart upon. If a person sets their heart upon material gain that is the god in their life. The conflict of faith in misplaced deity makes an unsteady foundation to build ones life upon. The process of faith development is not meant to be free of internal conflict, but a continual giving over of an individuals life to God is the means for genuine progress to higher stages of faith development. Faith leads to belief and generally an association with a religious system to assist the individual in faith development, relational support from other members of a belief system and matures with conscious decisions to follow the desire of their heart. Just as a parent is amazed to see the development of their child, we can also be amazed by the invisible interior changes that faith can impress upon an external world.

Faith fills the void of the heart that can be made complete with nothing else. Faith is the many sided building block that is composed of commitment, loyalty and trust. Faith is the foundation that supports a lifetime of growth. Belief gives the avenue to walk on, but the road cant be traveled without sturdy feet of faith.