- sam adams =)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
14959
sometimes i wonder: "what the heck will i write about this week?" you never know where the inspiration will come from...this week it came from jason mraz.
amy and i saw mraz last night at the orpheum theater. i've seen him three times and the first two were good experiences: i've always been really impressed with his abilities live (the man can flat out sing). but i sometimes find his neo-hippie/existential hedonist philosophies on life to be a little silly. and there was some of that last night...plus some blatant pro-obama propaganda that felt misplaced. however, i felt that last night went beyond a good show by a talented guy and became somewhat of a spiritual moment, especially at the end.
he closed the show with a song that amy and i both really appreciate: a beautiful mess.
more on that, but first, some context...i've spent most of the week dealing with a family in my after-school program that has some deep, deep gnarly stuff going on and is in an extreme state of denial about most of it. that is hard to see and impossible to deal with adequately in our program. this family had been kind of sucking me dry emotionally all week with their inability to deal with, or even admit to, their issues.
then on friday night, jason starts talking about how we all make messes of our lives and then we try to dress it up, which he calls "picking up trash in dresses" in one of the lines of the song. i've watched that all week.
he closed the show by urging everyone to "keep practicing kindness, practice gratitude." after watching him sing that song (another great line: "we've torn our dresses and stained our shirts"), it seemed more profound than some of the shallow sentiment i've heard from him before and entirely apropos to my week.
i continue to live a weird life: making 5 dollar drinks for people who live in beacon hill and mentoring/educating kids who live in roxbury. two worlds that couldn't be farther apart. and yet in both places, and we all do it, we wear dresses and walk around in trash. i guess all i'm trying to say is it was refreshing to hear someone call that out.
thanks jason.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
14859
book report...
...my schedule over the past several months has not been conducive to my normal reading habits. nonetheless, i have been able to read some books, and a few great ones at that. here are five recommendations (in no particular order).
1) The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of business and Transformed Our Culture first of all, this book is very well written and tells what could be a boring story in a very interesting and compelling way (i.e. Malcolm Gladwell books). second, you will learn things about how a service (internet search) that you probably use every day, multiple times, actually works. i had no idea how google works and makes its bazillion dollars until i read this book. third, you will also learn some interesting theories on what the not too distant future may hold for you as a consumer (the section on grocery shopping will blow your mind). finally, the book raises the obligatory questions of how much power one company could or should have, as well as pointing out the inevitable compromises that come from doing business in the global economy. fascinating stuff.
top five favorite novels:
...number 2 is now the fortress of solitude. lethem wanders in a couple of points, but otherwise weaves a masterful coming of age story that deals with race, superheroes, growing up in the city, and is ultimately a beautiful story of friendship. one of those books that you hate to see end and are somewhat sad that you will never get to read again for the first time.
3) A Community Called Atonement a short book but in no way a light read. each chapter is about 5-8 pages long, but i could only read it a chapter at a time because i had to put it down and think about what i'd just read. this book was fun for me to read because it reminded me of being in seminary. beyond that it is one of the most well-thought out and scholarly efforts to articulate an emerging theology. and mcknight is more than up to the task. he is brilliant but earthy and clearly in touch with "real world" issues beyond the walls of academia (although extremely well versed and well read). this one is going on the shelf of the indispensables and is highly recommended to anyone who wants something intellectually stimulating to read.
4) Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile in some ways a great counterpoint to mcknight. not in topic/thesis, but in approach. the genius of rob bell is his ability to take somewhat esoteric theology, or at least stuff that you only hear about in seminary and theological articles, and make it accessible to anyone. his books are easy to read both in the language and the way they are laid out. i have not finished the book so i have yet to formulate a final opinion. but i am enjoying where he is going with it. (in case you are wondering the book is essentially a defense of New Exodus theology).
5) Wide Awake bottom line, don't read mcmanus when you are in the midst of a major life transition. you just might end up in southwest colorado, or africa, or something like that. erwin examines eight "paths" that lead you to live the life of your dreams. one thing i appreciate about him is that he never sugarcoats anything in a "do these three things and you will be healthy, wealthy, and wise." rather, each path seems to lead through hard times in a process of character formation. exciting, i know, but when he writes about you want to go do great things to change the world. not as impactful on my thinking as some other things he's written, but eerily perfect for this stage of my life.
coming attractions: Tell It Slant by Eugene Peterson...the latest in a series of practical theology books that have been excellent. i can't wait to start it this week.
happy reading!
Saturday, October 04, 2008
14759
reflections on sarah's post...
...i have definite pacifist leanings. i'll admit that upfront. i don't know that i am fully committed to the position yet, but i do know that i can't, in good conscience, support the idea of redemptive violence (despite my love affair with mafia movies, vigilante movies, jack bauer, etc).
nonetheless, i found the following experience to be informative, troubling, and thought-provoking. two kids in my after school program were play wrestling while we were outside on the playground yesterday (friday). what started as fourth grade playfulness (between two pretty good buddies) quickly turned in to a real fight with punching and kicking and hurt feelings. it was quickly broken up and i found myself sitting on a bench with both of them on either side of me.
i explained to them how there is no fighting allowed at bird street, that they would be spending a certain amount of time out with me, and that they needed to apologize and promise to keep their hands off each other for the rest of our outside time. "yes, mr. steve," they said. when their time was up and apologies had been offered and accepted i sent them off for the final moments of outside play. immediately one of them (the shorter, stockier one) ran over to the other (taller) kid and punched him right in the gut.
"what are you doing?" i exclaimed. "my dad told me to hit people who picked on me," the kid said. "really," i thought, feeling i might have picked up the hint of a kid trying to pull one over on me.
when his dad came to pick him up we had a good conversation, but the father's bottom line was: "yes, we're teaching him to hit back," and his big line: "he's not going to be any one's punching bag." the dad went on to explain that his son has always been undersized and has been picked on a lot, much of it physically by kids bigger than him. his dad finally had enough and began putting him in self-defense classes and teaching him how to fight back and encouraging him to do so. he also told me that, "in this community you have to be strong...if you show weakness you'll get eaten alive."
hmmm...
what do i do with this? on the one hand i agree with the dad...i don't want this kid to go through school suffering beat down after beat down. i also know what he means about being assertive...what was considered a "life" skill in the world i grew up in is really a "survival" skill here.
but on the other hand i totally disagree with this father. how is teaching a kid fighting skills really going to change anything? the Gandhian quote applies here: "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind."
which leads me to the definition of justice...i think a lot of times justice is thought of about in this way: get rid of injustice, get rid of violence, get rid of oppressive situations, etc, or get back at the one oppressing you. it's all about eliminating unjust conditions or simply trying to get some measure of restitution. i think it's more than that...it's not about avoiding bad things, it's about creating opportunities to be good. i hope that for this student, bird street, at least, can be a place where he can be good...where he doesn't have to worry about hitting back or standing up for himself, because, at least in that space, he is safe and respected and taken care of. that is a more compelling vision of justice, in my opinion, than just standing up for oneself or revenge.
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