From what I take on the great metaphors of the gospel, it seems one of the greatest is Jesus as the groom and the church as the bride. The culmination is the meeting of full consecration, and one joining the other together, and forever. I guess, Jesus making love to his church. It is actually very beautiful, despite having to wince a minute at the thought.
It seems that our experience of worship (here and now), of entering into that holy communion has the taste of love making. Some divine experience of opening up, and inviting him in.
I find myself to be a worshiper. but I can't help to think about how we schedule our sex with God. I mean, taking the metaphor he offers us, and we schedule it. 10 a.m. on Sunday. If I take this to a much more practical place, my own wife. I can only imagine what she might say to my weekly invitation.
And that is not to mention the performance anxiety for those minutes. We have ourselves a little baby girl on the way, and with this being the only time we ever really "scheduled" all that metaphor making reality, lets just say, it was a bit difficult.
I guess that is what is hard about sunday morning worship. its kinda of, well, scheduled sex. and while, I am not trying to make a case against church, or planning the songs, or practicing for the act, I just had a beautiful time with worship, over a cigar, some pearl jam, God, and a luke warm hot tub with dirt floating around. Quite an unexpected moment of joy in all this metaphor of love. Jesus just snuck up on me in an unexpected place.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Animal Sacrifice.
The Training Ground guys spent the day down at a mom and pop butchery and processing place in Fountain, CO. We made sausage, but before we made it, we went to pick up our pig.
She greeted us hanging on a rack. It was my morning coffee.
We spent the morning with Dwayne and his son. They showed us around the place. Goats. Pigs. Chickens. And lambs. All in a holding cell, awaiting their ultimate fate in the wood shack room we went in. It is fun to pet a goat. Especially when it is a pet. But to pet it wondering, here in a few short days, someone is gonna come by and point. And instead of taking it home to little timmy for 12 years of dog food, and extra human loving, not this time billy goat.
I have killed a few deer and turkeys now. so death is not all that new. but when we held down the goat, and it began to "bleet" and "baah" and the throat was slit, it all came to me. I stood back. and struggled.
I think in part because in my mind, when I think of meat, and my daily dose of nuggets and round and square burgers, in my mind, someone else did the dirty work. and I dont have to take in the death, and the fall of man. I like the creation story. I like how beautiful it is. but I dont think much on how when Adam and Eve sinned, God went somewhere and skinned some animal skin, to give to Adam and Eve. the first hint of a sacrifice needed. that for us to have life, death had to come.
I dont like death. and somehow I think even in those burgers and patties I think that maybe they just found their way into a patty. they somehow chose it. decided on their own to do that for my $8 combo meal. but watching the goat, watching its struggle and fight, and even its noise, as they held it down, reminded me that it was a sacrifice.
When you hunt, there is a sense of sport. but today, there was nothing of the sort. it was for the meat. and there is something really horrible about having to do that to anything living. its not how it was meant to go. and yet, God's provision is blood. blood as a sign. for us. I am excited when the day comes when the one who was slain, is in completely in full reign. when the blood is gone, and all the tears are wiped away. and the lion and the lamb are together.
and the little goat, can be what it was meant. no sacrifice needed.
She greeted us hanging on a rack. It was my morning coffee.
We spent the morning with Dwayne and his son. They showed us around the place. Goats. Pigs. Chickens. And lambs. All in a holding cell, awaiting their ultimate fate in the wood shack room we went in. It is fun to pet a goat. Especially when it is a pet. But to pet it wondering, here in a few short days, someone is gonna come by and point. And instead of taking it home to little timmy for 12 years of dog food, and extra human loving, not this time billy goat.
I have killed a few deer and turkeys now. so death is not all that new. but when we held down the goat, and it began to "bleet" and "baah" and the throat was slit, it all came to me. I stood back. and struggled.
I think in part because in my mind, when I think of meat, and my daily dose of nuggets and round and square burgers, in my mind, someone else did the dirty work. and I dont have to take in the death, and the fall of man. I like the creation story. I like how beautiful it is. but I dont think much on how when Adam and Eve sinned, God went somewhere and skinned some animal skin, to give to Adam and Eve. the first hint of a sacrifice needed. that for us to have life, death had to come.
I dont like death. and somehow I think even in those burgers and patties I think that maybe they just found their way into a patty. they somehow chose it. decided on their own to do that for my $8 combo meal. but watching the goat, watching its struggle and fight, and even its noise, as they held it down, reminded me that it was a sacrifice.
When you hunt, there is a sense of sport. but today, there was nothing of the sort. it was for the meat. and there is something really horrible about having to do that to anything living. its not how it was meant to go. and yet, God's provision is blood. blood as a sign. for us. I am excited when the day comes when the one who was slain, is in completely in full reign. when the blood is gone, and all the tears are wiped away. and the lion and the lamb are together.
and the little goat, can be what it was meant. no sacrifice needed.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Buffalo & Co.
I regret not posting in awhile. Life has been quite busy. I actually read a fascinating book, Money, Greed, and God by Jay Richards. a few weeks back. I don't believe a book has ever shaped me more in thinking about money and free markets.
It has taken me down some interesting paths. From thinking about micro-lending, and social enterprise, and eventually to the thought of starting a business. I have thrown together a website that I am collaborating together with a few people. It is in the very early start-up stages. But we are moving forward with it.
It is in some ways, my trying to reconcile my southern traditions of style and class of my upbringing, with a more western experience in Colorado. From blue collar roots to white collar. It is a twist on men's clothes, designing a new brand to speak to those in-between places.
It's online here...
www.buffaloandcompany.com
I would love if you took a gander.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
