Anne Lamott :: Plan B

I first read Anne Lamott in one of her columns for Salon.com. That article--called "Advent 2003,"-- is about Advent, imperfect families being together with grit and kindness, and hope for the light. (The article is available free online, but requires temporary registration with Salon.com to access.) She's Christian and liberal and funny and challenging. She's both reverant and irreverant, saying things like, "Having a good dog is the closest some of us are ever going to come to knowing the direct love of a mother, or God, . . ." (from "This Dog's Life").

This is that rare kind of book that is like a having a smart, dear, crazy (in the best sense) friend walk next to us in sunlight and in the dark night of the soul. --Publisher's Weekly

Now Lamott has a new book called Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith; it follows a previous book titled Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. In Plan B, she talks about being 50, having a teenaged son, politics, and faith. You can read "Diamond Heart," an excerpt from the book in which she talks about her sometimes ambivalent feelings about her son. Here's a sample:

I asked a friend of mine who practices a spiritual path called Diamond Heart to explain the name recently, because I instinctively know that Sam [Lamott's son] and I both have, or are, diamond hearts. My friend said our hearts are like diamonds because they have the capacity to express divine light, which is love; we are not only portals for this love, but are actually made of it. She says we are made of light, our hearts faceted and shining, and I absolutely believe this, to a point: Where I disagree is when she says we are beings of light wrapped in bodies that only seem dense and ponderous, but are actually made of atoms and molecules, with infinite space and light in between them. It must be easy for her to believe this, as she is thin, and does not have children. But I can meet her halfway: I think we are diamond hearts, wrapped in meatballs.

Warning: The Bush administration really depresses Lamott and she cusses a lot.

A New Saint

Palm Sunday saw the baptism of Madalynn Jo Brewer, shown above with her parents, Shannon and Cristan Brewer, and Rev. David Hunter.

It was a big day for the Brewer family as Shannon and Cristan also joined the church, along with new members Janci Baxter and Vivian Fowler (neither shown).

Roadblocks

Matthew 21:1-11
Matthew 27:11-54

On Palm Sunday, 20 March 2005, Mr. Hunter spoke on the roadblocks which make us stray from our intended path, our goals, our faith in Jesus Christ. For Christ's original disciples, Palm Sunday must have seemed like a fast lane to success. Holy Week, however, must have seemed like the detour from hell, as they encountered roadblock after roadblock.

As Christ's current disciplines, we encounter roadblocks to our faith, too:

1. God "disappointing" us. During Holy Week, Jesus refused to fulfill the dreams and desires of the crowd. He stayed faithful to God's plan for Him. Too often, our faith crumbles when God doesn't fulfill our plans, such as when we encounter evil in the world. Too often, if God doesn't live up to our expectations, we bail on faith.
   
   This is our mistake. Faith does not keep us from suffering, but it does promise that God will see us through the suffering.


2. Peer pressure is another stumbling block. Christ did not give in to the pressure he felt from the crowd in Jerusalem; consequently, the fickle mob deserted him and called for his death. Often we will encounter fads in faith which will offer a short-lived burst of enthusiasm for Christ. But we shouldn't depend upon the enthusiasm of those around us for our faith.


3. Fear is another roadblock--fear of where discipleship my lead us. Of the disciples who accompanied Christ to the Garden, only two followed Him to the high priest's house when He was arrested. And how many of the disciples were present at the crucifixion? We don't know, although the Gospels suggest more women disciples were present than men. Fear, perhaps, kept the men from being present.
   
   Are we able to follow Christ without fear? As Mr. Hunter asks, "Would we be willing to say to God, 'I will go wherever you want me to go, I will do whatever you want me to do, I will give you anything you need . . .,' or is that simply too scary because we are afraid that God might take us at our word?"
   
   Other roadblocks stand before us that Mr. Hunter didn't have time to expound upon, but which--with a little thought--ring true:


4. Busy schedules.


5. Misplaced priorities.


6. Not enough recognition for our effort.

Mr. Hunter suggests that if we are searching for a true model of discipleship, we need look no further than . . . the donkey who carried Christ through the streets on Palm Sunday. What were the donkey's characteristics that we might emulate?

• Serving Christ humbly.
• Following Christ’'s direction and going where He wants to go.
• Not getting spooked by the crowds or attention.
• Shedding a commitment to the hero image people want to pin on Jesus.
• Carrying Christ into enemy territory and trusting that God will provide protection.
• Never asking Christ to get off our backs.

Sunday's service deviated from our worship's regular order in order to illustrate the disorienting events of Holy Week, so Mr. Hunter ended with our Gospel reading--Matthew 27:11-54--urging us to "reflect on the obstacles that challenge our discipleship, the example Jesus set for us, and what we need to do to bear Christ into the world this week."

Presbyterians Today Online: PT Media Picks

The Presbyterian Church (USA) publication Presbyterians Today has added a feature to its online version: PT Media Picks.

The print issue of Media Picks features the top ten "must see" films of 2004, as chosen by Edward McNulty, who is a Presbyterian minister and the editor of Visual Parables, a journal of film and theology. Hotel Rwanda (pictured at left) is his top pick and discussed online. His other nine picks for 2004 are in the print edition of PT, but he lists seven other films that he considers worth checking out at PT Online.

Another valuable feature of PT Media Picks is its media study guides. In March, Editor Teresa Blythe, who writes about religion and popular culture, focuses on the TV show Joan of Arcadia (with an episode-by-episode mini guide), the book The Da Vinci Code, and the film The Passion of the Christ (a special guide for Presbyterian viewers written by McNulty).

Finally, PT Media Picks includes current book reviews. The books featured this month are Leadership Wisdom from Unlikely Sources (author Dave Fleming), Restless in Christ: Answering the Call to Spiritual Commitment (author Sarah Stockton), and Writers in the Spirit (author Carol J. Rottman).

Holy Week Services

Thursday, March 24

• 6:00 p.m. Seder Dinner, Social Hall, Union Presbyterian
• 7:30 p.m. Maundy Thursday Communion Service, Sanctuary, Union Presbyterian

Friday, March 25

• 12:05 p.m. Community Good Friday Service at First United Methodist Church

Sunday, March 27

• 6:30 a.m. Community Sunrise Service at the Church of Christ (749 US Highway 14A)
• 9:00 a.m. Church School
• 10:30 a.m. Easter Worship