Musings

The Gift: A Poem for Lent

(This poem, which I wrote during Lent in 1981, appears in my book, BIRDLIKE AND BARNLESS - it is based on Numbers 21: 4-9, John 3: 13-15)

 

No one's raised who did not fall

No one saves whom God did not send

No one stands whose knees won't bend

No helper's not been helped at all

 

While being raised we each shall die

The poison has an antidote

God may sleep in my storm-tossed boat

But when she rises, so shall I

 

Here where nothing grows which cannot bear the windy blast

And serpents live because they hug the ground

A person lives by eating what he's found

And gazing at the victims of the missiles he's cast

 

The one who knows heaven as well knows earth

The victim and convict of our crime

Will raise the veil of space and time

She plumbs the grave who fathoms birth

 

It finally made us face our spite

So lift God's gift above the plain

With our blood its teeth and skin are stained

To remind us of our hope and plight

 

JIM BURKLO
Website: JIMBURKLO.COM     Weblog: MUSINGS    Follow me on twitter: @jtburklo
See my GUIDE to my books, "musings", and other writings
Associate Dean of Religious Life, University of Southern California

Getting Centered

A young friend of ours from Portland, Zack, stayed at our house for a couple of nights last week.  He was in LA doing a photo shoot.  Always fascinated with unusual technology, he's now an expert at 360 degree and panoramic digital photography.  I was showing him my first dorodango.  It's a Japanese art form.  You take fine dirt - any kind of dirt - and make a mud ball out of it with your hands.  Then you dust the ball with more fine dirt until it is dry to the touch, and then put it in a tight plastic bag in the fridge for several hours.  It sweats out moisture onto its surface, which you dust and rub further till the surface is dry.  You repeat this process many times until the dorodango is hard and stops sweating out moisture.  Then you buff it out with a cloth until it is shiny.  A good dorodango will look like it's been glazed and fired in a kiln - but it's nothing more than a ball of dirt.  My first dorodango has a bit of shine to it, but I want to perfect my technique.  

 

I showed Zack the progress of my second dorodango.  This one is shaped like a pear, because I want it to be like a daruma doll.  This is another Japanese tradition based on the legends around Bodhidharma, a Buddhist sage who was said to have meditated so long in the lotus position that his legs merged into his torso. The daruma doll is a painted papier-mache pear-shaped figure.  The inside bottom of the doll has a weight that causes the doll to come upright if you knock it over. The daruma doll is a reminder to stay "centered" - to maintain equanimity of the soul through good times and bad times, through the ups and downs of life.  

 

My daruma dorodango won't stay centered, because it doesn't have extra weight at the bottom.  I pointed this out to Zack as I showed him my work in progress.  "You should make it in the shape of a gomboc," he told me.  He put me in front of a computer to look at a video of a gomboc.  It's an object invented by Hungarian mathematicians who were on a quest to see if a three-dimensional object could have just one unstable and one stable point of equilibrium.  It's the only uniform-mass (non-weighted) solid object that will right itself if tipped over.  It looks very much like a steep turtle shell - and that's no accident, because turtles otherwise would have much more difficulty righting themselves when tipped over.  Gombocs must be machined with extraordinary precision in order to maintain their "self-righting" quality.  Invented only a few years ago, the gomboc intrigues mathematicians, engineers, and designers who are just beginning to find applications for it.  

 

I don't understand the mathematics behind the gomboc.  But my intuition suggests that its shape has some kind of eternal, universal quality about it, as does a sphere or a cube.  In some way, it must be a shape that describes gravity itself.  It's a shape that represents, but also actually embodies, one of the fundamental relationships forming the cosmos.

Perhaps also it evokes the shape of the soul, tumbled about by this rough world but created to right itself in relationship to its divine Source.  Had Bodhidharma lived long enough, and meditated deeply enough, perhaps his body would have melted further into the shape of the gomboc.  Then the daruma doll would need no extra weight at the bottom to get it to return to "center"!

 

Perhaps there is something like a gomboc at the center of who we are, attracting us always toward equanimity: toward kindness in the midst of anger, toward compassion in the midst of distress, toward calm in the midst of chaos.  If we can follow that tendency toward the center, toward the heart of God, we can stay still while the world tumbles around us.  

 

"Mud, when it leaves the mud, stops being mud."  This "proverbio" by the beloved poet of Argentina, Antonio Porchia, came to mind as I formed my first dorodango.  Perhaps that's just what happened when Gabor Domokos and Peter Varkonyl produced the first gomboc.  We rise above formless chaos as we orient ourselves toward our cosmic Source, and then see more clearly our true nature.

New Handbooks on Progressive Christianity: Book Reviews

 

WHY WEREN'T WE TOLD? A Handbook on 'progressive' Christianity -- edited by Rex Hunt and John Smith --- (Polebridge Press (Westar Institute))

and

LIVING THE QUESTIONS: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity  -- David Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy --- (Harper One)

 

WHY WEREN'T WE TOLD? - that you don't have to take the Bible literally in order to be a serious, faithful Christian?  That's the question engaged in this book edited by progressive Christian leaders from "Down Under".  WHY WEREN'T WE TOLD? comprises a richly eclectic introduction to theologically and socially progressive Christianity.  Australia and New Zealand have many lively progressive churches and lay groups, from which much creative liturgy, music, and theology have emerged.  Rex Hunt and John Smith, both of them pastors of the Uniting Church of Australia and Associates of the Jesus Seminar/Westar Institute, gathered writings of biblical scholars and progressive church leaders from around the world.  It's an anthology of writings about the development of progressive Christianity, its current manifestations, and creative ways of interpreting scripture and tradition.   Thirteen of my "musings" - poems, prose-poems, hymns, and liturgical materials - are scattered throughout the book.  WHY WEREN"T WE TOLD?  reveals the wide range of thinking and practice in the progressive Christian world, from process theology to religious naturalism to post-theism.  Some excellent articles on biblical history and interpretation, from Jesus Seminar scholars from "Down Under" and beyond, are included.  A particularly engaging part of the book is entitled "Reclaiming the Faith's Freethinkers".  Paul Laughlin, professor of religion at Otterbein College in Ohio, offers short, fascinating sketches of notable "heretics" from throughout the history of the church, from whom we can gain inspiration and insight today.  The book includes inspiring descriptions of experimental worship and study communities, several from "Down Under" and others from elsewhere in the world.  The end of the book offers new lyrics to old hymns and other creative liturgical materials - it's a miniature "book of common prayer" for progressives.  It's a delight to get glimpses of how progressive Christianity looks from the viewpoint of the Southern Hemisphere.  In the book, John Thornley, of the New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, which has produced beautiful works used in churches worldwide, quotes Bill Bennett, one of the group's members who wrote an Easter hymn:  "On a cool and autumn eve, in the fading light when you seemed lost, in the tomb we laid your mortal bones, waiting for God's Pentecost - on a cool and autumn eve."  The hymn's globalocal expression of the season of the Easter narrative reminds us that the story is not fixed in a place and time, but is felt and shaped anew by us now, regardless of which side of the equator we occupy.  

 

 

LIVING THE QUESTIONS: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity is the product of the long and fruitful teamwork of two Methodist pastors from Phoenix, Arizona.  Dave Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy created the Living the Questions DVD-web series that has become the progressive alternative to the evangelical "Alpha Series".  Living the Questions videos have been used in thousands of churches and study groups.   Like the video series, the book is an introduction to Christianity.  It explores non-literalistic modes of biblical interpretation, key theological concepts, and the social and personal implications of faith.  Their new book puts the condensed wisdom of the LTQ series into print.  Much of it is drawn from the LTQ study guide, salted with quotes from scholars and pastors who appear in the videos:  John Dominic Crosson, Sister Helen Prejean, Diana Butler Bass, Tex Sample, John Shelby Spong, Walter Brueggeman, Brian McLaren, Marcus Borg, and others. The text is punctuated with the thoughtful, soulful poetry of Rev. Cynthia Langston Kirk.

 

JIM BURKLO
Website: JIMBURKLO.COM     Weblog: MUSINGS    Follow me on twitter: @jtburklo
See my GUIDE to my books, "musings", and other writings
Associate Dean of Religious Life, University of Southern California

The Arts of Manhood

This past week, I've engaged in a couple of intense conversations about manhood in America.  A lovely, thoughtful young friend of our family, age 25, was lamenting that she could not find men her age who were worth the trouble of dating.  She finds herself interested only in men who are at least ten years older than she is.  "They're the only ones who ask questions and follow through on commitments!"  In another chat, a former student of mine who is a military chaplain recounted to me his experiences with young male soldiers who not only are sorely lacking in coping and interpersonal skills, but have few decent male role models to help them develop those abilities.  He's only 30 years old, but he's very much in the role of "dad" for hundreds of young "weekend warriors" in the Army Reserves.

He and I noodled together about how to help males become real men.  We both promised to email each other with some basic principles about the arts of manhood.  Here's my list - and please me send your suggestions for additions!

THE ARTS OF MANHOOD

What it takes to be a real man (regardless of sexual orientation):

*  Real men ask questions.  When they are lost, they admit it, and seek direction - whether it's about geography or about how to handle a challenge in a relationship.   Real men spend more time asking questions of their romantic partners than they spend talking about themselves.  Real men show real and sustained interest in who their partners are, what they want, and how they feel and think.  Real men aren't afraid they'll look dumb if they ask a lot of questions.

*  Real men make commitments and follow through on them.  They aren't afraid of making a promise if they are sincere about delivering on it.  If they say they're going to do something, they do it.  If for some reason they aren't able to follow through on a commitment, they tell the truth about it in a timely fashion.  

*  Real men are outrageously righteous, and righteously outrageous.  Real men put fun into hard work, and they turn their play into service to others.  Real men are uproarious in goodness, outlandish in kindness.  They know how to have a wild good time while making the world around them a better place.

*  Real men are worshipped as sexual partners because they worship their partners first!  They take the time - even if it is a long time - to make everything just the way their partners need it to be.  They ask their partners exactly what they want, and they ask for continual feedback as they give their partners exactly what they want, how they want it, and when they want it - no more, and no less.  They are masters of the arts of love because they are perfect love-servants. 

*  Real men hang out with real men.  They have long-term bromances.  They make extra effort to spend time with men they admire.  They mentor each other.  They share what they've learned with each other.  They show up for each other in good and in tough times.  They seek each others' advice and counsel.  They resist their inner urge to be "self-reliant" when they most need the support of their brothers.  They go out of their way to befriend younger men who could benefit from their experience and network of relationships.

*  Real men are servant-leaders.  They show real humility.  They aren't afraid to let the world know about their real skills and abilities - but they also recognize that they are fallible.  They are rightly proud when they climb tall summits, but they are humble about the fact that they didn't make those magnificent mountains.  Real men lead by helping others do their jobs.  They support the people who report to them.  Others follow them because they show the way to serve.  Real men aren't full of themselves: they empty themselves into those who follow them.

*  Real men are mindful.  They know themselves.  They pay attention to their thoughts and feelings.  They acknowledge and creatively channel their emotions.  They show their joy, their sadness, their grief, without being destructive.  They don't bottle up their feelings and then explode.  They are pro-active with their emotions.  If they are getting angry, they take a break.  They take a walk, do pull-ups, breathe deeply.  They let the sharpness of the emotion subside, and only then deal calmly with whatever it was that got them angry.  Real men practice mindfulness in disciplined ways such as meditation, journaling, and prayer practices.

*  Real men are really strong.  Sure, they might be able to bench-press hundreds of pounds, but they're even stronger than that.  They have resilience.  If they get beaten down, they gather their wits and their strength and stand up as straight as they can.  Real men don't whine.  They express their frustrations, but they don't hide behind them.  They tell it like it is in the moment, but don't act like that's the last word.  They keep going.  If they run out of road, they make a new one. 

_____________________________

UPCOMING PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN EVENTS:

CREATIVELY MALADJUSTED: 

PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANS UNITING's ANNUAL GALA EVENT

Mon Feb 18, 6 and 7 pm

at St Michael and All Angels' Church, 3646 Coldwater Canyon Ave, Studio City 91604

6 pm ticketed wine/finger food reception - 7 pm free public program

Individual tix: $35, Couple: $60, Student: $20

Speakers:  La Mikia Castillo, policy analyst, LA County Dept of Public Health

Patrisse Marie Cullors, performance artist (Stained: An Intimate Portrayal of State Violence and Mass Incarceration)

Sarah Nolan:  Director of Abundant Table, Ventura County

Honorees:  Rev Cecil Murray and Bishop Dean Nelson

AGENDA FOR A PROPHETIC FAITH

Progressive Christians Uniting - PCU-LA.org

Lecture series - in Claremont, Pomona, and LaVerne

James Hansen - Romal Tune, Minerva Carcano, Norman Ornstein, James Carroll

Single lecture tickets, $10. Season ticket for all five lectures, $40.

Low-income and scholarship tickets are available: [email protected]

BLESSING OF THE TAXES - APRIL 14

This event is intended as a sacred re-affirmation of our social covenant to serve each other, and especially the most vulnerable among us, through our government.  It will be a time to remember the blessings that flow from the taxes we pay:  services to the poor and ailing; schools, roads, sanitation; public safety and defense; protection of the environment; and promotion of a healthier economy, to name a few.  It is also a moment to recommit ourselves, as citizens and stakeholders, to shape the priorities that determine how our taxes are spent.

 
PLURALISM SUNDAY - MAY 5
On the first Sunday in May  (or other times during the year) – churches dedicate their worship to a celebration of our interfaith world. Progressive Christians thank God for religious diversity! We don’t claim that our religion is superior to all others.  We recognize that other religions can be as good for others as ours is for us.  We can grow closer to God and deeper in compassion—and we can understand our own traditions better—through a more intimate awareness of the world’s religions.  On PLURALISM SUNDAY, churches celebrate elements of other world faiths in their sermons, litanies, and music; many feature speakers and singers from other faith traditions.  Some congregations have exchanges with other faith communities, going to each other’s houses of worship.

 

JIM BURKLO
Website: JIMBURKLO.COM     Weblog: MUSINGS    Follow me on twitter: @jtburklo
See my GUIDE to my books, "musings", and other writings
Associate Dean of Religious Life, University of Southern California