The Curridge - Courage Connection Was Not Lost on Me

I just finished Lisa Samson's latest novel, Quaker Summer. I had not previously read anything by Samson and heard about this book on her hubby's blog, Willzhead. When the book arrived I noticed it was a "Women of Faith Novel of the Year." OK, I gotta be honest. That made me cringe a bit. I attended a Women of Faith conference several years back and found it too theologically conservative for me. And somehow too "polished" or "tidy". I wondered: Could a novel endorsed by the WOF be something more than fluffy Christian chick lit?

As I started reading, the answer "Oh yeah, it's more" appeared early on. Samson is good. Really good.

The novel centers around the character of Heather Curridge, a woman who, on the surface, seems to have it all. However, she is miserable, realizing she is missing something and trying to fill the void with mindless consumerism. This consumerism is just one topic Samson tackles in the novel. She also takes on bullying, volunteerism, poverty, the drug culture, the nature of friendship, and the meaning of "church". Whew!

A couple of parts of the novel really resonated with me. Like Heather, I have way too much stuff. (But with my current de-junking of the house, I am working on it!) Also, like Heather's family, my family is struggling to find a church with relevance and meaning. At one point in the novel, Heather visits a church with her friend, Lark. As she watches people file into the choir loft, Heather thinks, "I watch with little expectation because, heaven help me, church hasn't done it for me for years." Yep, I hear you.

One particularly cool aspect of the book is the humor and wisdom Samson weaves in along the way. I was hooked early in the novel when Heather discusses poetry with her friend Laney:

Heather: I haven't read a good novel in fifteen years! Not since Will was born.
Laney: I read poetry.
Heather: Me too, Laney. All the bang in less than five minutes...

Bottom line: Good book! Heather makes some difficult, courageous choices which lead to significant character growth (and get the reader thinking about their own choices).

Personal bottom line: In the future I will be more careful about judging a book by the endorsement on the cover. Could it be I need to cut the WOF some slack as well? Sigh.

--Barb

p.s. There are reading group guide questions at the end of the book. One possibility would be to blog them and do a cyber discussion...

let's play theoblog!

Our web pal Rodger Sellers at The Portico is hosting a Lenten Theoblog, centering around discussion of McClaren's book, Church on the Other Side.

Since this is a book we Portal people (or should I say erstwhile Portal people?) have already read and talked about while trying to help Longview Pres get to the "other side", I think it would be great if we would participate! Our "crash and burn" experience at LPC might lead to interesting insights! In any event, the discussion could prove meaningful for all of us during this lenten season.

You can get to the Lenten Theoblog HERE.

--Barb

Ash Wednesday and Cosmic Connections

I didn't attend an Ash Wednesday service yesterday. Work was crazy and it would have been a scramble to get somewhere. Plus at this point in the 'dechurched process', I don't know where "somewhere" would have been! I did sort of miss it though... I like the reflective nature of Ash Weds, the quiet turning inward that allows for self-examination. I also like the tactile experience of having ashes marked on one's forehead; and, hearing "you are dust and to dust you shall return" has a way of putting things in perspective. Big time.

But, sitting at home, I decided the ol' carbon on the forehead would have to wait until next year. Carbon... Maybe it was the brain fry from a long day in clinic, but the word got me thinking. That same carbon present in the ashes is present in every cell of our bodies. When you look at life on Earth in general, it's all fundamentally (molecularly) the same kind of life! And looking out to the cosmos...yep, carbon there too! To quote Lily Tomlin's The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe, "Seems like there's some kind of cosmic crazy glue connecting everything to everything."

Yeah, it's all about connections... Actually turned out to be an ok way to start the Lenten season.

--Barb

Pondering V-Day

This past weekend, my hubby and I drove up to Western Washington University in Bellingham to attend the Vagina Monologues, since #1 offspring, a theatre major, had a role. (I had no idea there were so many different words for 'vagina', but I digress.) This year's theme was V-Day: Reclaiming Peace, and the focus was on women in conflict zones.

There was a statement towards the end of the performance I found particularly thought provoking. I can't remember the exact quote, but the gist of it was that countries which wage war indirectly condone violence in the home as well. (I guess one could look at it as the country setting a bad example for its citizens with conflict resolution.) The women then made a plea for all governments to find a new way and seek peaceful solutions.

While they were talking, I was reminded of Walter Wink's The Powers that Be: Theology for a New Millennium . In this book, Wink talks about the "Myth of Redemptive Violence", which "enshrines the belief that violence saves, that war brings peace, that might makes right. It is one of the oldest continuously repeated stories in the world."

Wink then points out that Jesus "never succumbed to that perspective... He totally rejected complicity in violence." Wink writes that Jesus "drew a line in the sand and asked if we would step across--step out of one entire world, where violence is always the ultimate solution, into another world, where the spiral of violence is finally broken by those willing to absorb its impact with their own flesh. That new approach to living is nonviolence, Jesus' 'third way.'"

I wanted to raise my hand and share that Wink's book totally agreed with what they were saying, but thought such action might be frowned upon... In any event, as we were leaving the performance, it struck me: Sometimes I get my "churching" in the most unlikely places.

--Barb

The Lone Blogger

With Serena's move to Seattle (and her new blog related to that), I'm back to being the "lone blogger" at Views from the Road. What can I say about the last couple of years? We felt called (and worked hard!) to help Longview Pres become a passionate, relevant faith community, but it just didn't happen at LPC. Putting it in the nicest way possible, I guess we (and our small core group) were just on a different page than everyone else there. I know our small core group had hopes that The Portal would then fly, but it looks like that was a case of "good idea, bad timing".

In any event, the journey continues. (It's just looking different than I ever pictured.)

Hi-Ho Silver, Awaaaaaay!

--Barb

Transitions

While I was in seminary I realized that this generation of pastors were being called to be "transitional pastors" ... all of us "interims" ... to help the church move from its "modern" way of being, to a community that is relevant in the "postmodern" culture that surrounds us. For us Presbyterians that means living into our "slogan" = "reformed and always being reformed by God."

After serving as an interim associate in greater LA area, where I had lived all my adult life, I received a call back to the area of my childhood ... the midwest (which, for me, is a good place to be from). There I served a congregation that grew from 30 to 70 in worship each Sunday morning, that dug in and repaired all the damage of years of deferred maintenance, and, for the most part, welcomed "new" ways of being. (And, I got to see continued growth when I visited a couple of years later)

Then I accepted a call back here on the west coast (the good news), where I served a congregation that was totally resistent to anything "new" ... to looking at "postmodern" culture and how they might be relevant ... even to being an authentic "community" (the bad news), with the exception of my website partner, her family and one other family.

Thus, my retirement from PC(USA), and upcoming move to Seattle, where I plan to get involved with nonprofit agency(s), sharing the journey with underprivileged, marginalized, abused, women and children for their better health, education and welfare, improving their lives and thus the world God has given us for a home.

All this to share one of the reasons I have been silent on this site. It is good for you to also know that I do not enjoy being online nearly as much as my website partner, nor am I as proficient with surfing and downloading pictures, etc. (In fact, I'm not at all proficient ... total beginner) Once I'm moved (March 3) and settled into my new home I will attempt to be more "present" here on the web on my new site: "Serena in Seattle" where I will share my views from the harbor, as my post-presbyterian partner, Barb, continues to share her views from the road on this site.

Meantime, I want you all to know that I am praying for you, and reading your sites here, and on our links. Praising God for all God's faithfulness (knowing church survives only because of that faithfulness ... in spite of all human destructive behavior) ... I send my wishes for God's Shalom.

Serena

a vintage valentine

Definitions of vintage:
(a) representing the high quality of a past time (e.g. vintage cars)
(b) old-fashioned or obsolete (e.g. vintage jokes)

So, which definition do YOU think best describes the above valentine?

(I promised myself I would not draw any analogies with a certain church... even though it is tempting and would be oh-so-easy.)

Happy Valentines Day!
--Barb