I am a semi-closeted American Idol fan. Debbie and I watch it after the kids go to bed. I am nothing if not cynical. Most of my humor as a teacher and comic come from my uncanny ability to be cynical and skeptical of everything. The greatest compliment I can give to the "Idol Gives Back" effort this week is that I was never cynical throughout the process. I was actually very proud of everyone involved.
I have said before that Bono is a brilliant theologian and that I truly believe he understands the reality of the Kingdom Among Us more than most. I respect that he has been able to pull so many people together through the ONE campaign while keeping his day job as a rock star. I've linked ONE.ORG to my blog (my first ever "banner") I've also signed the declaration on the ONE website and invite you to do the same.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
A Tale of Two Kingdoms
Last Night at Lifelines I read the first half of a fairy tale which I wrote about six years ago entitled "A Tale of Two Kingdoms." Several people asked for a copy, so I have created a new blog site at www.tommyandmary.blogspot.com which contains Book One in its entirity.
It is intended to be a children's story and also an allegorical account of my understanding of my faith at that point in my life. Were I to write it today it would be very different in parts, but I am happy to say that the underlying themes and most of the application points remain the same. I wrote the story at a time when I was somewhere between the rigid evangelicalism of my youth and my current, more "basilea" centered theology. If there is something that I am proud of (on a theological level) it is that the tension of the Kingdom being both present and yet to come is not compromised in the story. I will say that there are parts of the text that reflect the remnants of a "sin management" soteriology that I no longer fully endorse...but, hey, I was just a kid at the time :) Also, the second book of the story was started but not completed in 2002. I'm looking foward to revisiting it with these years under my belt to perhaps shed some light on my recent learnings.
Anytime I share it people ask about publishing. Obviously, I am not overly concerened about protecting the story since I have just posted in publically. If it is helpful to anyone, I am happy to share it. I am open to publishing as well, but know very little about getting a book published. Particulary a "children's book that is really for adults." I assume it is as much of a process as getting a movie made or booking a role as an actor and I have never had the drive to force it through to publishing. If someone reads it and thinks it has worth I would be happy to recieve help in getting it published.
Ultimately, as an artist, I am just happy to have it read again.
It is intended to be a children's story and also an allegorical account of my understanding of my faith at that point in my life. Were I to write it today it would be very different in parts, but I am happy to say that the underlying themes and most of the application points remain the same. I wrote the story at a time when I was somewhere between the rigid evangelicalism of my youth and my current, more "basilea" centered theology. If there is something that I am proud of (on a theological level) it is that the tension of the Kingdom being both present and yet to come is not compromised in the story. I will say that there are parts of the text that reflect the remnants of a "sin management" soteriology that I no longer fully endorse...but, hey, I was just a kid at the time :) Also, the second book of the story was started but not completed in 2002. I'm looking foward to revisiting it with these years under my belt to perhaps shed some light on my recent learnings.
Anytime I share it people ask about publishing. Obviously, I am not overly concerened about protecting the story since I have just posted in publically. If it is helpful to anyone, I am happy to share it. I am open to publishing as well, but know very little about getting a book published. Particulary a "children's book that is really for adults." I assume it is as much of a process as getting a movie made or booking a role as an actor and I have never had the drive to force it through to publishing. If someone reads it and thinks it has worth I would be happy to recieve help in getting it published.
Ultimately, as an artist, I am just happy to have it read again.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Brennan Manning
I read all of Brennan's books back in 1997 - hard to believe it was ten years ago. I have been going through some sort of spiritual transformation of late and was prompted to pick them up again. It is amazing, ten years later, how much of what I am re-reading has worked itself into the fabric of my life over the last decade. Unfortunately, it is also amazing how far I have drifted from the simple concept that my primary identity is that of a child loved by my Father. Though The Ragamuffin Gospel is his classic work, I am most drawn to Abba's Child this time around. Every page seems to remind me of something essential that I have recently lost and hope to recover. I rarely do this, but I thought it would nice to use the comment space here to initiate a discussion on Brennan and his work - how it has impacted some of you, etc.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Live from Kansas...
We are spending a few days in Kansas City with my parents. It's very COLD here! Last night it dropped to 17 degrees. Yikes. Other than that we are all enjoying our trip and the my parents' new pad. They have a small wooded area behind their house and the kids have spent most of their time back there despite the record cold temps. We went to church this morning for Easter and it was kind of interesting (in a good way) to be back in church in the midwest. Helped me to reflect on my spiritual journey, etc.
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