Those Awake

M.Night & Mystery

awakening : Happening | posted by Shaun O

Reading and watching two separate things today, a connection arose! 
First there's an UTNE article, again on reason & faith relationship. 

Second, there's the thrilling (to be expected) trailer to the new M.Night film - The Happening.

Here's a tiny connection - maybe a bit of a reach, but it intrigued me today. 
The article speaks to the power of science in analysis, but how it can function as well as to become too "reductionist."  There is a place where ignoring the spiritual (or even artistic) is a drab semi-reality:

"viewing the human experience as nothing more than biology and physics allows for only happenings." 

Ah, enter M.Night - new movie "the Happening."  Now let's not pine too much on what this new movie could be about, what mighty twist awaits us all - there's got to be some extensive blog posts already going on that.  But think of his movies thus far, and what spirit they conjure.  Shyamalan writes tales of wonder and whimsy.  They require faith and mysticism and they seem to focus us on all that is quite beyond us!   If biology and physics allow for only "happenings," it's ironic for this film of this title to play with so much beyond our physical experience. 

Re-enter UTNE discussion of faith & reason.  It seems like the spiritual/scientific debate or question is also one of current philosophy and how we should all look at the world.  Peter Sellars, directing an opera called Dr. Atomic about the atomic bomb, says

“Understanding the limits to human knowledge and intervention is going to be the question of the twenty-first century.”

However fanciful M.Night's Happening, he is doing art with the limits of human knowledge.  Though massively entertaining, I think it fits now.  Let's see how far he goes. 

Atheism, good & bad

awake & linking : Faith House Manhattan blog | posted by Shaun O'Reilly

We've talked recently about looking into the Christopher Hitchens book God is Not Great.  I haven't gone there yet, but I've seen multiple interviews with Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and others in the New Atheism camp.  Sometimes I'm challenged, other times I'm just bored - it hasn't been all that stimulating to me for some reason.  But, today I read a great post HERE from Faith House Manhattan, and have to share.  What Selmanovic shares isn't groundbreaking, but solidly rings true for me - and it's clear (much needed in this discussion).  One piece of his posts reads,

Religion does deserve to be challenged. “Deserves” has two meanings. First, religion deserves the pain of criticism and correction because of its failures to live up to its own ideals. Second, religion deserves the blessing of criticism and correction because it has often been a precious catalyst for justice, peace and beauty in the world. Recent challenges should therefore be welcome by religious people as a chance to see, to grieve, to repent, and then with renewed wisdom act for the common good.

So, much like I listened in on good postmodernism vs bad postmodernism discussions about this time last year -  Samir Selmanovic keeps clear the goodness of the ism's swimming widly around our culture now.  And, for now, I deeply agree with his assessment that, "to end religion, would be to end the imagination."

A New Community

awake & participating: A New Community| posted by Nate

If meeting new people is sometimes a challenge then meeting an entirely new community might be even more so! When I arrived in New Orleans this past month for the 2008 Nonprofit Technology Conference I had to move beyond the hurdle of a thousand plus attendees whom I had never met in person and get down to meeting people for more than just a smile and a handshake. I had gone there to meet my fellows in the technology world who had chosen (or been chosen...) to use their skills for nonprofit purposes.

NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network) "aspires to a world where all nonprofit organizations skillfully and confidently use technology to meet community needs and fulfill their missions." I joined the organization at the end of last year as I thought about attending this conference mainly because you got a huge price break! But also because I liked the idea of supporting an organization with that stated aspiration.

A few years ago Pastor Andy and several others at Irving Bible Church where Leanna and I attend went through a series called "Acts 29." It was so called because we believe that the story of the early Church which was detailed in the book of Acts has continued on through history on up to our time, even to our community! One of the messages that stuck with me was from Jay Utley, former full time preacher, now part time at IBC and a full time lawyer. He talked about how we were made for community yet there are difficult choices we have to make as we enter into whatever community we are around.

Being part of community is a chore! It's not easy! He quotes John Ortberg and three choice points we all make in the creation of community. These are relevant to the conference I attended, non-faith-based as it was. All of these can be derived from reading through the second chapter of Acts.

1. Will I accept people as flawed human beings just like me or will I pronounce judgment on them? The irony is that this judgmental spirit is frequently found among the most religious people of a community.
2. Will I share or will I withhold? What will I do with my time, talent and treasure? Will I hoard and protect?
3. Will I attend or will I ignore people? Will I be authentic? Will I take the time to pay attention to others or will I shrug them off?

Applied to my first visit to an NTC event here are just a couple of observations.

First, I wanted to come with an open mind. I wanted to be open to what they had to say ... the focus this year being primarily on Web 2.0 technologies (blogging...social networking...). Blogging is something I've done for a couple years now (and I've seen how heated and opinionated everyone including myself can get) but I've only recently begun using some social networking sites. From talking to the high school aged kids I work with at St. Mary's church, some of them use it a lot more than I do! So I was open to learning more about it.

Second, I wanted to share any information I had, provided I didn't have a heart attack from the effort of breaking out of my shell first. Each time I wanted to speak up in a class, I struggled. I'm probably more introverted than I like to think I am and so the nervousness of speaking in front of 40+ people (each session was packed with doors typically open to allow some standing room!) sometimes made my voice shake. I know this may not be quite what Jay U. had in mind...but I think it's perhaps still applicable. I need to practice sharing, in a way that benefits others and does not waste their time. For instance, there was one session on data integration where it took all I had to speak up about an area of work that I've been in since 2000!

The final point that Jay made around really listening to others was also difficult. I think there is a common urge to "get yourself out in front of others" and really network so that people remember you. However, when doing this I think there is a temptation to focus on yourself and neglect to look for ways in which you can really help others. I was fortunate to be able to really listen (at least I thought so) to several people who seemed to actually have problems I may be able to offer advice on. I also succumbed to a bit of free spirited socializing and card grabbing, but there were a few spots I was able to identify others with whom I may be able to interact further in the future. Unfortunately, they were all far far away (NYC and Washington D.C.). Thankfully though, there is technology available to help us stay better connected these days, such as LinkedIn, not to mention your basic email correspondence.

The conference was great. I had a chance to deepen a couple relationships with my friends (previously known only via email) from Colorado and Canada and develop some new ones with people sharing like interests including a nearly 7 foot tall former ESL teacher from Japan who now does technology consulting and a former weight lifting champion / Notre Dame football player with Irish parents! Was it easy? Perhaps easier than I thought it would be. The community of people I met was excellent. They care passionately about their work and they were willing to meet me, an outsider coming from the corporate world, many times over during the conference. I'm looking forward to taking my wife next year when it's in San Francisco.

The Color of Loss

awake & participating: The Color of Loss| posted by Shaun

I continue to post updates about this gallery on our blog here.  I really enjoy visiting this place, so I'll continue to post updates.  I feel like I've found an art outlet that just seems to match up with me- much like this magazine.  At Sun to Moon Gallery, each exhibit is very interesting to me.  I'll miss not living near it come June.
And, because of the Ohome's latest plight - "the color of loss" is mildly fitting.  Let me know if you want to go! 

Ideas in Seasons

awake & linking : Integral Creative Cycle - Kosmos | posted by Shaun O'Reilly

At the beginning of Spring (equinox) this year, in what season are your current ideas?

Linked to from Utne, I'm reading a journal post about how the growth of our creative ideas (and work) can be like a mirror to the seasonal cycle of nature. The thought doesn't have to be exactly "proved" because I think I can sense it ... and, it's fun. Don't we believe in a rhythm underlying the best of what we think and do?
The post from Kosmos Journal HERE.

An example, seemingly academic but perhaps pliable for us, in excerpt:

Autumn, preparing the terrain and planting the seeds; the body, studying what is already known about a subject matter, i.e., the body of literature

Winter, rooting and nourishment of the seed inside the earth; the vital, conception of novel developments in contact with unconscious transpersonal and archetypal sources

Spring, emerging toward the light of buds, leaves, and flowers; the heart, first conscious feelings and rough ideas

Summer, selection of mature fruits and shared celebration; the mind, intellectual selection, elaboration, and offering of the fruits of the creative process

The Call to Conversion: Community

awake & participating: The Call to Conversion| posted by Nate

I read this book last year after picking it up at a Half Price Books store. I paid $3.58 according to the sticker I still have on it. Some of the best money I've ever spent on a book. Jim Wallis wrote this book almost 30 years ago. He wrote from experience out of a community of Christians in Washington D.C. known as Sojourners. I want to quote from a passage for reflection. Today my wife and I worked with the youth at St. Mary's church in Irving again. We actually had a game day, took a break from teaching out of scripture on various topics and went to teach through experience...which was the subject of this passage. Experiencing community. It's tough sometimes. That's for sure. Hear these words from the community of Sojourners.

In Sojourners community, we are still learning what it means to love. God has taught us much, softening our hearts and expanding our capacity to love one another and the whole of God's creation. The process is always one of conversion. The "turning to" part of conversion has enabled God's love to deepen among us in some exciting ways. But the "turning from "part of conversion has never been easy. In the early days of our community, the conversion taking place among us was especially painful. We learned that all our models and schemes for community had to die before God's creative work among us could begin. Our plans and pride over what we could build with our own strength and resources had to be shattered before the Spirit had any room to work. And we had to learn that the necessary building materials of Christian community include two characteristics of love: forgiveness and a humble spirit. Being human, we could not avoid conflict and hurting one another. It took us a while to realize that we were utterly dependent on God's forgiveness in our corporate life. Learning to forgive one another, and to know our own need for forgiveness, were early lessons that tested the survival of the community. We also had to get over any notion of being perfect people building the perfect community, which could then take on all the big issues of the church and the world. The big issues overwhelmed us, because we forgot to tend to the simplest things, like learning to love and serve one another in our imperfection. The lesson here is a basic one: the Church will never discover what it meant to lay down its life for the world until its members begin to lay down their lives for one another. An authentic public witness requires an authentic community existence. The love, care, justice and peace we desire in the world must also be practiced among ourselves.