it may take me a few days or weeks to wrap my head around Insurrection by Peter Rollins. There's a lot to digest in it or perhaps I'm just being stre...moreit may take me a few days or weeks to wrap my head around Insurrection by Peter Rollins. There's a lot to digest in it or perhaps I'm just being stretched (which i will admit is a good thing).
I've read The Orthodox Heretic by Rollins and heard him speak a time or two and have always been fascinated with his art of storytelling and his fresh perspective so i found it no surprise that Insurrection drew me in from page one.
what i appreciated about this book was Rollins' ability to paint a picture of what a faith without religion looks and feels like - particularly though the lens of CRUCIFIXION and RESURRECTION.
each chapter begins with an anecdotal story (much like The Orthodox Heretic), which is Rollins' specialty. Part I deals with the Crucifixion with chapters on our rationalization of our Christian worldview, belief and doubt, religious sayings and vicarious faith. Part II deals with Resurrection with chapters on hiding from ourselves, destiny, insurrection and finishing with neither Christian nor Non-Christian.
When discussing doubt and loss (associated with the crucifixion) Rollins says:
"On the Cross, Christ is rejected by his friends, betrayed by the religious authorities, and crucified by the political leaders. We witness here, in the starkest of terms, the loss of all those structures that ground us and give us the comfort that life makes sense. More than this, Christ experiences the loss of that which grounds each of these realms - God."
Rollins suggests that forsakenness as faith exists as a central expression of one's faith, experienced in us through the Cross. "It's something that we must step into and courageously embrace."
It is through this loss, this abandonment on the Cross that Christ becomes everything we were, are or ever will be.
God is lost and found in the sorrow, in the debt.
Rollins goes on to say that our proper expression of faith is found when we cut loose from religion in the depth of our soul and experience the loss of God. Perhaps so that we may be stripped of every and all preconception, misconception, suppositions and certainties about God - thus able to see and connect with a raw form of belief. In other words - we need to rid ourselves of the 'Church as a security blanket' mentality - and embrace a faith filled with doubt, questions and disagreements. sort of an atheistic faith of sorts. stripped away. bare. exposed. real.
His stories of Mother Theresa help paint a picture of what a stripped away doubting faith looks like.
In part II (Resurrection) Rollins discusses faith, belief and practice: "our practices do not fall short of our beliefs, but are the concrete material expression of them..."
The danger for the church arises when a life of faith is reduced to a crutch - where Christ, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection becomes something we pay lip service to. (sounds all too familiar for the church in America, unfortunately).
Chapter 6 titled We Are Destiny was by far the most profound of the book. before we can understand destiny - we must proceed through a sort of spiritual death of sorts.
Just as the resurrected Christ is said to have borne the scars of the Crucifixion, so our Resurrection life will continue to bear the marks of the death we had to undergo. This new mode of living is not one in which the anxiety of death, meaninglessness, and guilt are taken away; it is one in which they are robbed of their weight and sting."
The resurrection is the embodiment of love divine. New life. rooted in God love through rebirth - victory over death... over pain... over sin... over loss... guilt, lonesomeness, etc. But each of those experiences are not extinct in love - but a part of the order of faith. We discover divine love through loving an unlovable world. God is in turn loved through the work of love itself.
God is present in said love.
Resurrection life breeds courageous freedom. This is the insurrection - an alternative vision of the world. Maintaining the status quo has no part of insurrection - what a most difficult challenge for us all.
Rollins reminds us that a better world is possible. This movement is discovered through giving up everything for God, through acts of giving up everything (including God) to the point when we become the very site of God (Resurrection life).
There is so much more for me to chew on with Insurrection. So many notes in the margins to rehash... underlined quotes to revisit as well.
I am glad i took the time to ingest this book. My hope that i'll be compelled to act upon the inspiring words within.
short and sweet and to the point. Hauerwas has insightful comments on the topics of belief, conformity, worship despair, hope & the kingdom of God. ...moreshort and sweet and to the point. Hauerwas has insightful comments on the topics of belief, conformity, worship despair, hope & the kingdom of God. Jason Barnhart adds thought provoking commentary to Hauerwas' thoughts.
I liked all 5 chapters - but took exception to most of the chapter on worship. in that - i feel Hauerwas misses the boat - or at least doesn't fully understand where some modern worship is all about.
regardless - the book was easy to read and worth my time.
it is set up to be used as a 5 week curriculum for a small group. there also appears to be a video to coincide with this book - but i felt the book was fine on it's own.(less)
i've followed Jonny Baker's blog for a many years now and i've always enjoyed his posts about worship - so it was no surprise that i also liked his bo...morei've followed Jonny Baker's blog for a many years now and i've always enjoyed his posts about worship - so it was no surprise that i also liked his book: Curating Worship.
Curating Worship is mostly a collection of conversations with alt worship leaders, designers, creators and visionaries all whom seem very capable with their craft in their own right. Baker's book dives deep into the world of alternative worship - and he brings an interesting perspective on what the role of a worship designer might be - comparing it to a curator of art at an art exhibit or museum.
i really clung to this analogy and felt a close connection with this form of worship creating. in my experiences of leading, designing and coordinating worship services, interactions and experiences i've never quite known how to describe exactly what it is that i am most passionate about. this book helped me process my God-given desire and passion.
i feel drawn to the role of curator. the church in America needs more curators of worship to help people connect with a living and loving God (in a fresh way).
the ideas and stories shared in Baker's book were inspiring and helpful. I underlined and highlighted a lot - particularly the interview with the leaders/creators of Ikon in Ireland.
the appendix in the back was also helpful for any one person or group eager to learn the in's and out's of how to put together an interactive worship service.
bravo Jonny Baker for bringing forth a fresh perspective of how one might lead others to experiential, connected worship of God.(less)
Big Sur is at times a beautiful, at times a tragedy. Kerouac's time @ the Big Sur cabin, alone, with nature, with the sounds of the sea, with his tro...moreBig Sur is at times a beautiful, at times a tragedy. Kerouac's time @ the Big Sur cabin, alone, with nature, with the sounds of the sea, with his troubling thoughts were mindlessly beautiful to me. i found myself clinging to his every descriptive word.
and then he'd heed the call back to San Francisco and with that his unkown sense of his true self would creep in and his disruptive, binge drinking life would spin out of control.
at times a train wreck, at times brutally honest, at times hard to follow, Big Sur ends like a whirlwind as the reader is taken inside the mind of an insomniac alcoholic and the tragic visions that rip away at Jack's soul.
Big Sur is a cry for the way things used to be... before fame... before money... before being known.
i the end, Jack Kerouac longed for hope. but i doubt he ever found it. there in lies the tragedy that plays out in Big Sur. (less)
Mother Night is the second Vonnegut book that i've read (the other being Slaughterhouse-Five). i think that i enjoyed Mother Night better... perhaps ...moreMother Night is the second Vonnegut book that i've read (the other being Slaughterhouse-Five). i think that i enjoyed Mother Night better... perhaps because it took reading SH5 to get used to Kurt Vonnegut's style. i think i hated that style at first... now i am thrilled by it. craving more.
Mother Night is the story of an American in Germany who serves as an accidental spy on the Nazi regime. but the confessions of Howard W. Campbell Jr. are of a man who has lost all emotion and all knowledge of who he really is or was... or will ever be. he is a man who has trained himself to act. to perform. with the war in the world's rear view mirror, Campbell because a quasi-celebrity of Marxist and Nazi's who desire to bring change to the nation.
Elements of his past come back to him which leads to him being placed on trial in Israel - for war crimes against humanity.
What is the truth of who Campbell is? does he even really desire to know? or is he/was he just a pawn in the game of world wide war?
the most poignant commentary on life and civility comes close to the end when Vonnegut's Campbell speaks of evil with nemesis Bernard O'Hare.
'evil is when one finds good reasons to hate without reservation, to imagine God Almighty hates with you, too.'
hate without limit. hate with God on its side. where man finds ugliness so attractive.
perhaps more poignant is mankind with no hope. with no recollection of who he is. war is hell. it seems to strip away any man's true soul.
Mother Night is Vonnegut's commentary of such life.(less)
i think any church planter or developer of new worship should read this book. obviously this is written for the Church of England and it's Fresh Expr...morei think any church planter or developer of new worship should read this book. obviously this is written for the Church of England and it's Fresh Expressions of Church project - but this book, i believe, is very applicable for church planters in America.
what is most intriguing about this book is the path the Church of England took in order to grow the church. they were willing to implement new ideas - empowering new forms of church and worship to develop.
Mission-Shaped Church explores each of the different models of new church growth - and gives case studies to back up each one. this book hits the nail on the head. it should be required reading for any new church start training program.
i would love to see the church in America try more and more new, fresh ideas. the mainline church is dying - but what if we were given the freedom to explore our own 'fresh expressions' project? what if? what might come? how might we grow?
i can only imagine.
this book was written for me... i hope others discover its usefulness. (less)
poke the box. the picture on the cover tells the story found on the pages bound within. from what approach are we looking at life? from what approa...morepoke the box. the picture on the cover tells the story found on the pages bound within. from what approach are we looking at life? from what approach are we looking at productivity? Seth Godin compels you to NOT maintain 'status quo' but to 'poke the box' to take risks, be willing to change - all for the sake of sanity and production.
it's not just enough to have good ideas. it's not just enough to dream big. what are dreams if not acted upon? Starting, he says, demands finishing.
this is the kind of book that can be read again and again. repeat as needed. if that's what it takes to get new ideas seen, heard, understood and produced then so be it.
Godin reminds us that we are 'trained to fit in, not to stand out, and the easiest way in the world to fit in is to never initiate.' (page 79) We wait for permission to start... and thus nothing gets started. new ideas remain... just... ideas.
Godin compels the reader to claim self confidence. "it's essential" he writes.
despite the fact that innovation and inspiration are unpredictable, when momentum builds - it breeds new ideas and more productivity and ingenuity.
i am an ideas guy... i've claimed that enough times in my life... but all too often my ideas remain drawings or sketches in notebooks, or words on a blog page. not often enough do they become realities. but the moments when they do... the moments when the juices flow and the momentum comes - it feels great... great to produce something i can be proud of.
this book isn't anything new - but it became a necessary read for me. at the right time. it's time to poke the box... to create and to inspire others.
Vincent van Gogh was a complicated, yet simple individual of deep faith and great ability whose life was interrupted by uncontrollable mental instabil...moreVincent van Gogh was a complicated, yet simple individual of deep faith and great ability whose life was interrupted by uncontrollable mental instability as a result of epilepsy.
At Eternity's Gate digs deep into his religious upbringing and his inner-spirituality - made evident through his letters to his brother Theo and through his paintings. in his young life, van Gogh wanted to follow in his father and uncle's footsteps. both were pastors. but Vincent had a different outlook on ministry and service and was ultimately rejected by both the local and institutional church. this defeat lead him down a path of self discovery that never sadly fully came to fruition.
van Gogh did, however, before heading down an artistic path, spend some time serving the poor and needy, as he strived to follow and imitate Christ. as a matter of fact, The Imitation of Christ and Pilgrim's Progress were his two favorite books.
van Gogh witnessed to and served coal miners of the Belgian Borinage - particularly after a mining disaster. He also gave away his possessions and clothes to those whom he felt needed it more. Despite being rejected by the church and despite feelings that the pastors and people within the church were hypocrites, van Gogh lived his faith through acts of service similar to St. Francis of Assisi.
the splendor of his capability as a painter may not have been realized until the latter years of his life and beyond. As mental instability crept in, he spent time in and out of asylums. it was during this time, particularly the last 5 years of his life (he took his own life in a wheat field at the age of 37) when his artistic talents took shape.
throughout his paintings and drawings, you can see examples of his spiritual devotion to Christ. you can also see his disdain and brokenness that came about after his dismissal from the church.
this is noted in his famous painting Starry Night, where the buildings and homes are well lit - yet the church and spire in the center are dark and ominous. this is also prevalent in my favorite van Gogh painting The church at Auvers.
Kathleen Powers Erickson does a fabulous job retracing a more accurate history of Vincent van Gogh including his most intriguing story. there are so many layers to van Gogh and his art. i'd highly recommend this book. it really fascinated me. Sadly, only one of van Gogh's paintings ever sold before his untimely death. had it not been for his brother's wife - who collected his works and brought them to the public's attention, the world may never have noticed the majesty found within van Gogh's work. (less)
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