Rod White's Blog, page 59

In Honor of White Corpuscles

A few weeks ago a thoughtful friend told me about a revelation he had. It seems that he had translated certain cultural instincts from his childhood into the church, unwittingly. He was getting some wit about that. (Gimme a church wit' wit). Whenever there was a person who was doing something "wrong," his first instinct was to "shun" them. He avoided them. He certainly did not talk to them about what they were doing wrong. He kept them on the outside of his life. They became somewhat...

Who Are You?

Tomorrow is the day we remember Teresa of Avila (1515-1582).

The famous Teresa was a reformer from the center of Spain, along with her protégé, St. John of the Cross. In response to the radicals of the protestant reformation, which was like an earthquake in the Church of their time, they wanted to return their order to the ways to the hermits that founded it near Elijah's well in Palestine, on Mt. Carmel (see 1 Kings 18). They ended up with an offshoot of the Carmelites called the "barefoot"...

Afghan War Anniversary

At least someone was out on the streets on the anniversary of the Afghan War yesterday.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/100709_protest_marks_afghan_war_anniversary

In the past few years, it has been fascinating to watch the country be muzzled by the new "no news" news which makes every issue a postmodern discussion of equal, red state/blue state opinions. More and more people now get their news from random internet sources who all have a point to push. Dialogue is dead. Everything is...

Joseph Helps 30somethings with Spiritual Roadblocks #2

Joseph got sold to Ishmaelite traders last Sunday who passed by Dothan on their way to Egypt and showed up just in time for Judah and his brothers to flag them down. They must have shouted over the braying of the camels. "Hey what do you say about buying this fine potential slave we have in this pit over here? We think you'll find him dreamy, just like we do."

It is very possible that the main salesman, Judah is a thirtysomething, or nigh on to it, when he does this. He's spent his twenties...

Joseph Helps 30somethings with Spiritual Roadblocks #1

A friend was telling me about his remarkable triumph over the temptations that accompanied his 30something decade the other day. He reminded me of a series of messages I offered a couple of years ago. Here is an adaptation of one of them I thought might be useful to some of you facing temptations to your fidelity, like Joseph faced in Genesis 39, when he might have been in his thirties. Tomorrow, the second half….

The Inquirer interviewed Daniel Brook at El Vez, up on 13th St on September 2...

Re:Orientation — my small part

[I had a short offering to give last night at the "Re:Orientation" event. I thought I'd put an even shorter version out here for you to see what you think. We were presenting an alternative to what universities usually say during orientation.]

Friday we were going out to 69th St. to buy a birthday present with my 2-year old grandson, who loves to ride El. A nice man got on the train and started talking to him and I ended up talking a little, too. He ended up saying, "I like Obama, but he said...

Thoughts on Programming

Everyone who ever came up with a structured, even bureaucratic way to serve was NOT bad, of course. But "programming" CAN often be the hideout for spiritual cowards. "Programming" CAN be the big temptation for people with big ideas. The main reason I cast such blanket aspersions (apart from needing to remind myself) is that I don't think anyone can see Jesus (or even the somewhat rationalistic Paul) doing or advocating "programming." So why does it so often seem like a good idea to...

Pray and Not Faint

Jesus said, "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint." (Luke 18:1)  At least He said that in the King James Version. I think it might be more literally translated: Jesus told them that "they" ought always to pray and not to faint. The overuse of the designations for humans as "man" or "men" is often not warranted; it is just a bad, power-grab of a habit. But I digress before I begin.

The word to me lately has been right from the King James Bible verses I memorized as a boy. I need to pray...

Be Fringy

Earth Speed Productions is putting on Meeley or The Fun of It at Circle of Hope BW Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat, as part of the Philadelphia Live Arts, Fringe Festival. It is a meditation on the flight of Amelia Earhart. Accordion lovers take note, they are integral.

 I love the Fringe Festival even if I don't spend a few weeks cramming odd art into my schedule. The fact that they exist (and in our building!) gives me hope. We need more fringe.

 We are so fringe. Circle of Hope spent another weekend...

Coming from the "holy island"

This is St. Aidan's day. He came from his comfortable, focused community on the island of Iona to Lindisfarne in 635 and had a long, productive ministry of church planting in Northumbria. He is a good example for us, since we are an island, ourselves, offering an alternative to the people of our age. I saw his name on the wall, first on the list, on the roll of bishops in the old island church, last summer.

As a result of the infighting of the royal families in Northumbria, Prince Oswald had been