Open our eyes, open our ears, guide our feet.

Went on a listening prayer walk in the Mosaic neighbourhood yesterday. It was an interesting exercise, listening. I made this little painting during a Mosaic gathering the other night. It seemed appropriate to post it after a listening prayer walk, although I'm not fully sure why.

What do you hear, when you listen?

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Disruptive grace

I completed the annual Power Washing Of The Back Deck ceremony the other night. It was a beautiful evening so I grabbed some scotch, a cigar and "Disruptive Grace," a compilation of Brueggemann lectures. 

I came upon a couple of nuggets: 

"Genesis 1-2 is not a story about beginnings. It is a story about an alternative model of reality that has restfulness at its center, of refusal to go beyond appropriate generativity in world-making, or in creating a "presence" of worth and money."

"Human persons are to be free of anxiety that propels achievement, productivity, or accomplishment...I do not need to point out, do I, that YHWH's life-giving system is a sharp and complete contrast to Pharaoh's brick-maing system, in which everyone is propelled by production anxiety?"

"What used to be called 'Cannanite fertility religion' is an effort at can-do, self-help notions that by actions of acquisitiveness inhabitants of the land can secure their own future. This notion is a direct threat to Israel, for Moses reminds Israel that all is a gift and not an achievement."  

I read that last sentence and I slowed down. Somehow when I understand the robin that's singing is a gift, the big spruce over there is a gift, this sky right like it is right now...is a gift, I slow down and notice them. When I slow down they go deeper into me, they go deeper into this creature in God's good creation. When I understand a good book is a gift, a hand rolled cuban is a gift, a 12 year scotch is a gift, a back deck, a house, a neighbourhood, a city... they're all gifts and I can slow down and notice them. When I slow down they go deeper into me a world-maker in a world that's made and it's all a gift. 

 

 

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power, art, fear and the status quo

Does art matter? Sometimes, especially when artists are courageous. Take China for example. "Roughly 30 years after the introduction of Deng Xiaoping’s pro-market policies, China’s economy is grown to become the second largest in the world and the number of U.S. dollar billionaires in China is now second only to that of the United States."1  A highly controlled country like China allows the existence of millionaires and billionaires, and presumably could alter pro-market policies so as to disallow the existence of millionaires and billionaires. Clearly the Chinese government believes their power and control can co-exist amicably with a rapidly growing class of millionaires and billionaires. Status quo is not afraid of billionaires.

Ai WeiWei is one man. He's an artist. He speaks with courage. WeiWei gets beaten up and has his house torn down. The Chinese government pays attention to WeiWei. Status quo is afraid of WeiWei.

Power is afraid of artists when artists aren't afraid of power.

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What does art have to do with shalom?

 

Travis and I had a few spare minutes upon arriving in Seattle, so we found a moderately quiet alley and busted this out. Enjoy.

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InHabit: Practice. Presence. Place

Spent a few days in Seattle at the InHabit Conference. I'll try and post more about it later, but for now here's a video related to the conference that Ryan & Nick (Transposition Films), Clint and I filmed in Seattle a while ago on behalf of The Work Of The People. (does that all make sense?)

Tim Sorens & Paul Sparks are with Parish Collective and Dwight Freisen is with The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology [formerly Mars Hill Graduate School {not affiliated with Mars Hill Church}].

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