I have never liked the categories of extrovert and introvert.  Most often the terms are used to help people own those facets of their beings which energize or drain them in a effort to better understand themselves as they move toward a healthier vision of self-care. 

Granted I am not psycholigist or therapist, so don’t feel any need to agree with me, but the terms seem to be unnecessary and reductionistic labels.  Since human life is always a melody of aloneness and community, (chords and rests) the

Labels are helpful and dangerous.  There is a real sense in which coming to understand that I need alone time to read my soul is glorious, but feed my soul for what?  To be with people.  If I discover that I am engeried to be with people it

For some time Lynette has had an altar in her creative space at home.  The altar serves as a prompt to prayer, and is littered with holy objects from her journey: photos of people, poetry, journals, prayer beads, etc.  Though it is nothing fancy it is beautiful.

Our Christ-commons meets Sunday nights which leaves our Sunday mornings open, except for those days when I am guest speaking.  Every once in a while we attend the Episcopal church near our home.  Not too long ago Lynette and Pascal were getting ready to go to the Episcopal church when Pascal protested; “Let’s not go to the church building, let’s stay at home and worship God at mommy’s altar.”  Now if only he had left it there – but no – he went on to say that he wanted to create an altar too.  Only he wanted to create an altar to worship Baal.

It almost makes us think we should stop telling him Old Testament stories – an altar to Baal – I mean really!  How many four year olds even have a context where that would make sense.  Not only I am raising a heretic but an idolater. 

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. 

peace, dwight

The other day my son (four years old) made a disturbing confession.  He boldly declared, (and I paraphrase), ”I have two Gods.  One tells me to do good, and one tells me to do bad.”

Apparently some Marcionite has been sneaking into our home and reading Gnostic tales to shape his young consciousness.

As you made know, Marcion is often considered the first heretic of the Christian church.  He was born in c.85 at Sinope (modern Sinop on the Black Sea) in Pontus the son of a bishop and became a prosperous ship owner and merchant.  Epiphanius alleges that his father expelled him from his home church for seducing a consecrated virgin,but this generally held to be a libel among modern scholars.  While doing life with a church in Rome he developed his theology, possibly incorporating the ideas of the Gnostic teacher Cerdo with whom he became acquainted.

For Marcion Christ was docetic (he only appeared to be a man, because Marcion considered matter to be evil – the creation of the Demiurge), it is also difficult to see a distinction between his representation of the Father and the Son, leading to the conclusion that he was also a modalist.

“How,” Marcion reasoned, “could an evil tree bring forth good fruit?” So he concluded that there must be two Gods: the Creator God of the OT, who was characteristically a God of Law, who involved himself in contradictory courses of action, who was fickle, ignorant, despotic and cruel; and the Supreme God.  This Supreme God, Marcion held, was wholly a God of Love who had remained completely hidden until he was revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.

And so it appears my son may be a budding heretic – or at least he is a person trying come to grips with his own being – and hoping to find a way to point the finger at someone else.  I have great hope for heretics; heretics are a gift to the people of God.  How we choose to engage heretics reveals more of our gospel then we are even aware.

Peace, dwight

Well, Lynette, Pascal and I have returned from a week with Lynette’s family at Ditch Lake.  Certainly a much needed break.  Wonderful conversations, great food and sitting around campfires; not to mention sneaking out on the paddle boat to enjoy a cigar or heading into Clear Lake with Lynette for appetizers and a pint.  Thanks mum & dad K, and Bevan & Carolyn et al.  – a few pictures.

Peace, dwight

“Procrastination” is just one of the words to describe my way of being lately.  I have been searching for distractions from those things which I must do.  Among my distractions this week: I built a wall nook to house DVDs and CDs, trimmed my hedges, painted my f
ront door, refaced my garage door, coded my newer books to the Dewey decimal system, and repaired an old desktop computer in my studio.  These were all distractions from my more critical to-do list.  I tend to be a fairly highly motivated person with a strong work ethic (too hard and too long . . . much of the time), so this feels odd. 

To all who have emailed or attempted any form of correspondence with me in recent weeks, you need to know that my absence is nothing personal.  Please, forgive me.  Some of my writing projects screeched to a halt as I simply can’t seem to write a coherent sentence.  Not only is my thinking is clouded but for some reason I can’t even finish reading a book: I’ve started reading dozens but I just can’t bring myself to finish them.  I am experiencing a soul-disturbance of sorts. 

I received some warnings that following the completion of my doctoral studies an identity crisis (of sorts) could follow – maybe that’s where I am?

The question I find myself sitting with has to do with differentiation.  By differentiation I mean my ability to maintain my sense of self when my relationships, tasks, jobs, and communities are morphing.  Differentiation is not the same as individualism.  My use of differentiation has to do with bringing Dwight to the other, to the tasks, to the jobs, and to the communities regardless of what those things bring to me.  I am not denying social constructive theory here, rather highlighting the importance of myself in community. 

I guess I am wondering whether I have become dependent on my relationships, tasks, jobs, and communities in ways that bind me to perform.  I feel a lot of “shoulds” in my life at the moment; while grace seems to have retreated into a theological belief rather than the way of life that has been so freeing for me in the past.  How might I move in the direction of self-differentiation?

Relationality is the dance of differentiation with intimacy.  This is the Triune life of God.  I feel like I can faintly hear a Divine invitation in my current “soul-disturbance.”  But offering myself to the relationships, tasks, jobs, and communities in my life has always been an issue for me.  Right now, my desire for approval and praise is crippling.

Peace, dwight

before          after

Not long ago I found a very tired looking Chalice for auction on eBay.  I submitted my bid and won the auction.  It was unusable; tarnished and corroded.  I went to work cleaning it and after several hours of scrubbing I gave up. 

I found myself wondering about its story:  Why had this chalice fallen out of use?  What happened to the church that had used it?   Did the church disband or split?  Did the church get a newer and better chalice?  Or did they decide to make the move to individual plastic communion cups? 

Since I couldn’t get it clean on my own, I brought the chalice and silver cleaner to our Christ-common’s next meal (our gathering when we remember/enact/enter Christ’s body broken and Christ’s blood spilled).  I invited Dan to put some of his elbow grease into redeeming the chalice and to pass on to someone else when he felt ready.  Over the next few hours as we ate and talked and played, everyone helped clean.  By the end of our time the once tarnished Chalice had been restored by the by very people whose lips will touch its rim for years to come. 

That night, after polishing it, we washed it, we filled it with the fruit of the vine and as we passed it around we were reminded of the beauty of redemption.  What was filthy and unusable now reflected the sun. 

One thing that surprised us all was that by the time we had finished drinking from it, the chalice was in need of cleaning again.  Our fingerprints marred its sheen, and wine left its stain inside.  The chalice would need to be polished once more; cleaned to be used to remind us of Christ and his life/death, and in the process of being used will be dirtied again, and will need to be cleaned to remind us of Christ and his life/death, and in the process . . . .

I love the fact that this chalice which our Christ-commons is using, has been kissed by the lips of untold numbers of brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before us; our stories unite in and through Christ. 

Theologically, I thrill to see those things which look like trash or seem dispensable or unnecessary and redeemed.

Cheers, dwight

Lynette, Pascal and I are going camping.  This will be the first time in years that I will be camping for more than one night.  I’ve always said that, for me, ”roughing it” is thin towels as a hotel.  I am not a camper.

But we are gonna have fun.  I’ll talk with you in a few days.

Peace, dwight

My boy is four!  Wow!

I’m so proud of you big guy.

peace, dwight

“How seldom is it that the soul keeps itself 
silent enough for God to speak.”
– William Buckhouse & James Janson

Spiritual Direction is a process through which we become more deeply attuned to our relationship with the Divine.  Through conversation with a spiritual director in an atmosphere of trust, a person comes to a deeper awareness of the presence and movement of God in everyday life.  As we share our dreams, struggles, triumphs and fears, we open to our deepest and wisest source of freedom and joy.  A spiritual director helps a person notice, savor, and respond to the movement of the Divine in the spiritual practice of ordinary life.  The Director is a listening and supportive person who creates an envi ron ment where one can look honestly at his or her relationship with the Sacred.

The primary relationship is between the directee and God, with the director acting as a focusing lens on the primary relationship. Meetings therefore typically occur once every 3-4 weeks although they may occur more frequently in crisis periods. Because an objective of spiritual direction is to facilitate awakening of the directee to conscious relationship with God, development of ongoing spiritual practice is very much part of the process. The ways in which this happens are a discernment issue since God meets each individual uniquely and includes “listening for/watching for” the movement of the Spirit and counter movements of resistance in the deepening relationship.

The full range of human experience, historical as well as present, is the province of God and therefore of direction.  A core assumption of the process is that God lives at the deepest levels of human experience, so there is no need to focus on explicitly “religious” topics as if spirituality was a separate compartment of our being. The stance in relation to the material that presents itself is what makes spiritual direction distinctive: the posture of the director and the directee together is to listen contemplatively for the “God moment” or “God seed” present in the experience that the individual might receive it consciously and savor it.  If there’s a real sensitivity to the holy the director doesn’t have to ask, “Where’s God in all this?” but can simply be with the person as a midwife to the felt reality of God emerging into consciousness. The person names it his/herself as s/he is able.

Spiritual direction is not the same as therapy or counseling.  While at first glance counseling and spiritual direction may seem similar, It is important to recognize some of the distinctions.

1.  Spiritual Direction assumes relative emotional and psychological health whereas therapy assumes issues to be worked through.

2.  Spiritual Directors will share from their own life experience and sojourn whereas Counselors guard against such disclose.

3.  In Spiritual Direction the goal is to  learn to dance with God, hearing God’s voice and seeing God’s activity in the directee’s life whereas the goal of therapy is to regain health so as to function productively as a member of society.

4.  Most Spiritual Directors are not not licensed and trained counselors, nor do they claim to be therapists.  Though at times, I will work with a person who is seeing a counselor while they are seeking spiritual direction.

One of the goals of spiritual direction is the “surrender” of the self, while fostering a growing awareness of one’s definitions of success, purpose, and fulfillment.  As with seeds in a garden, death leads to new plant life, so the ultimate goal is to grow up into a self in Christ, and this is a life-long journey. The path while ch ron icled is also very individual in style and timing.  Beginning to see a good and active God in one’s life and then to see oneself through “God eyes” – eyes of love and grace – are the essential beginning steps that can help make the journey into one’s “death” one day possible.

“God moves mountains of rivers of tears.”
– James Hisey II

peace, dwight

“To listen a soul into disclosure and discovery

is the greatest service one human being can do for another.”

– Quaker Saying

The Celts called it anam cara or soul friend and is most commonly referred to as Spiritual Direction.

·         If you find yourself longing for a greater sense of God in your life;

·         Recovering from a legalistic/fundamentalist experience of God or religion;

·         Desirous of making spirituality a deeply life-giving part of your experience — a sustained source of meaning; or

·         Wanting your spirituality to be both joyful and compassionate, community-oriented and deeply liberating, mystical and intellectually honest, mentally stimulating and body-positive, creative and respectful of tradition;

Then you may find meaning and purpose by exploring Spiritual Direction.

Peace, dwight