Christian?

I have been doing probably too much reading about Christianity. One of the things I am reading is sort of a response to the Emergent Church movement written by two guys who are more on the Orthodox side of things. I was given the book by two close friends of mine...father figures in my child-to-christian-man journey. They wanted me to read it, because they are on the side of the argument that says the emergent church is missing some key points and their theology is flawed. So, I am reading the book.

Whether or not I agree is going to have to be at least 5 postings, so I may just save it for some other venue. the important thing is though, just by reading the points and counterpoints, I have become more aware of some key things.

Both sides agree that "works," or the "doing" of Christian things (behaving in line with what Christ would have wanted) is important. The orthodox people believe (i think) that it is the manifestation of God's love through us, and is something of a byproduct of being Christian. The emergents, frustrated by so-called "Christian" who lack the outward intentions to help their neighbors, have decided that this behavior is of a higher priority, and should be one of the major foundational points of a growing/ developing relationship with God. These points being said, when I look in the mirror or when I look at my church friends, I wonder what has been done in the name of my faith today that Jesus would have wanted?

Rob Bell says that it is not enough to be a Christian who doesn't step on the toes of those who aren't. Christians throughout time have caused so much suffering we cant resort to pacifism to make up for it (of course really, nothing we do can make up for it). We must be offensive in our plans to make our actions synonymous with Christ, and hence synonymous with Love.

Think this all sounds too hard to do anything with? Its not. Find some small thing you can consciously do everyday that serves your neighbors and shows your love for everything. I have resorted to random acts of helping people with car trouble. Last week I helped push a car out of an intersection. I have also started to be more mindful of the small creatures around me. today I stopped on an off-ramp to make sure a snake got out of the road. I also later saved a spider off of a friend.

These things are small...and may seem insignificant. But they aren't. They are training for bigger things. Each thunderstorm starts with a single drop.

Wanna help? Ask your neighborhood Christian what they have done today that would make Jesus happy?

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

I have found that I have my own Jekyll and Hyde type issue.

If you were to come across me today, you would see a man with short hair, no facial hair, and mostly normal clothes. When I worked at Carrier, I became a khaki and polo type guy. Now that I am a student, I am slightly more casual, but still your typical t-shirt and short guy. I would introduce myself as Will, we might say a few cordial words, but you'd probably forget me. And yet, this is what society seems to want. I am supposed to just blend in. You might not forget me if I had visible tatoos or facial piercings, but you also would not want me tutoring your kids or serving your food (both things I do).

Unfortunately, there is something in me that lurks just below the surface. He is DAlen. Nobody forgets DAlen. Although he knows lots of people, MORE people know him...more people know OF him. Its probably the mohawk. Plus, of course, once you ask him to repeat his name 5 times and then you understand what he is saying, you just dont forget the name. You especially dont forget him if he is interviewing for a job...even with the mohawk down in "business" mode.

So, who would you hire first? The guy you forget? or the guy who you remember, but only because he doesnt fit?

I have been really wanting to go back to DAlen for awhile. I of course cant re-cut my hair because I am a server, but I can go back to the name. Will has been nice and easy, but maybe DAlen will hold some new interests for me. Maybe i'll get that internship afterall and I can ease into the mohawk. Those people seem passive enough that nobody would say anything. I would have to make my value known first, but then I think it would work. Of course, they would need to return a phone call first.

As for the ending of this random rambling...I got nothing.

Zen and the art of walking in steams

For the first time today, I went out to walk in a stream. If this sounds like a bizarre intro, then let me fill in some of the blanks. I am doing some graduate work on whether or not 19 century mill dams had an impact on stream formations and possibly if this happened here in charlotte. Most of the work will require me to look at stream cut exposures. The best way to look at stream cuts is from inside the stream bed....and therefore the best way to find exposures and look at them is to walk in the stream.

The first thing I noticed was that walking in moving stream water is a little different from walking on land. If you lean as far forward as you do when you normally walk, you wont be able to move your feet under you and you will end up face planting in the stream. Walking in a stream is a very deliberate task...each step has to be planned and completed before moving to the next one.

The second thing I noticed was that my left wader/boot was leaking.

I came upon a guy taking pictures. I was squeezing around a downed tree, and he wanted to take a picture of the tree, so I think I was in his shot. Eventually, I worked my way up the stream to where he was, and we began to talk. Although he didnt say so, he thought it was peculiar to see a person walking, literally in a stream. I had waders on though, so he could see I wasnt doing it accidently (his facial expressions and eyes gave away his thought processes). Naturally, he asked me what I was doing. "I am just looking at the stream for some graduate work." "Well, how is the stream doing?" At this point, I didnt know how to answer him because I am not answering a "doing good" or "doing bad" type of question. So, I proceeded to try and tell him the premise of my graduate thesis without using too many earth sciences terms ("flood plain," "sediment," and "wetlands" were inescapable). I am not sure how much he understood but he was cordial. Then he told me about a herd of deer he had seen and some beavers he saw on the stream the previous year. Its funny how a man with a camera looking for animals and a guy with waders walking in a stream looking at dirt can talk like they have known each other for a long time. We said goodbyes and gave our parting greetings, and onward I slogged.

Slogged is definately the right term here.

I saw a snake. It was a tiny snake. Tiny is the species.

The world looks different from the deep channel of a shallow stream. All you see is sky and trees. All you here is the water moveing past your each step. Everything is peacefull in shallow appearance. There will be plenty more where this peace comes from.

I was saddened to see how much garbage there was in the stream. I felt like the indian guy from that commercial, with the single tear....except I am more indian than him (he was hispanic) and I didnt actually cry (of course, he probably didnt either).

So...yeah...left sock got very wet.

DAlen/ Will