Hiatus

Well, time is vanishing before my eyes. Pressure ratcheting up. Two days after we arrived back from Canada I headed to beautiful California - and I mean gorgeous. Spent a week in the hospitable and beautiful environment of Point Loma Nazarene University. I really, really enjoyed the space - but I truly enjoyed the time. Mostly the time with some of my 'old' friends - occasional but deep friends. People I both admire, and think of as extraordinary. People who have bumper stickers like: When Jesus said, "Love your enemies," I think he probably meant don't kill them on their walls. Wonderful. Really. Good conversation. Time to be. Challenging. For example see this: Social Justice Gates' style A wonderful time to think. Imagine. Time to create space for all that was and is to come. Or do I mean have space created in me? Not a void, but a waiting place... not empty, but whole. Anyway... it's late!!

There were several things I found incredibly interesting: the quest for social justice over there is (once again) so much more clear and driven by real visible problems and pain. Partly, a reflection of injustices that seem more evident - particularly in issues of migrant workers... But also because there is a strand of Christianity (it seems to me) that has willingly and prophetically urged itself on (you might say been urged on)...and has carved out a niche for itself.
Part of the discussion that I heard snippits of was related to homosexuality - I know that this is an enormous issue for the church, but at points I reflect desmond tutu's view:

For one to penalise someone for their sexual orientation is the same as penalising someone for something they can do nothing about, like ethnicity or race.
"I cannot imagine persecuting a minority group which is already being persecuted."

I don't know all the answers, and I certainly want to reject the labels, certainly within our church I'd much rather have someone openly struggling with sexuality (whatever their orientation) than lying and hiding and leading a double life. And I would expect that anyone would be perfectly welcome amongst us - if not, that would be OUR sin, not their's. Anyway, this is not particularly thought through, and of course, I have friends from a range of perspectives, but still... huge issues to grapple with -that must be grappled with in hope, honesty, with deep love and respect and godliness . Particularly since often the 'official'language of the church is - at best - well... I don't even know that I have the words. God grant us all great grace.

I've been reading Dante and Berry some more. Good. And I am trying frantically not to get so far behind in PhD'ing that I can never catch up - so, like many others I am likely to take a hiatus from blogging. And Face book (aka 'spybook') and Bebo and anything else that I've been hornswoggled into...

On the home front, there's a lot happening too. The best right now, is the birth of Oliver Michael Jan Bielecki, who is gorgeous, and sweet, and a wee delight. Also very good is Andrew's distinction on his MA [he won't tell you, but I will :-)]
Amongst the worst, my uncle Bill's death this week [May his memory be eternal], and the ongoing trauma of Derek Blair's arrest and ultimate court case. The very worst - a dear friend terribly ill- much grief, pain, anguish, anger, frustration - and I find myself over and over again thinking that cancer is representative of all that is wrong, and broken in the world. I look for a way through in solidarity with those who mourn. I hope for the space to sit and be with others who are groping for a way forward.

I read this on another blog [Tony Jone's] by Robert Frost, and liked it. It intuitively fits with so much of the Wendell Berry I've been reading - time, space, meaning, others mattering. I think that most of all we all want to have meaning - and enable others to have meaning too. Stopping sometimes helps that happen.

A Time to Talk

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don't stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven't hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.

SDG, anon