I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the timewaking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God- it changes me .
I’ve been thinking and fighting and toying with the idea of prayer for a long time…
It’s something that confuses and frustrates me in unique ways.
Recently an idea that keeps finding me is that prayer “doesn’t change God- it changes me.”
I think I need to try to dedicate some more time/brain energy into this topic…
Old Christmas: Orthodox Christians flavor Feast of the Nativity with tradition | al.com
Feast of the nativity on January 7th
Aka the “Old Christmas”
In Russian orthodoxy one tradition is to eat fresh garlic dipped in honey. The first bite of the Holy Supper of Russian Orthodox Christian traditions symbolizes a prayer that the bitter problems of life will be overcome by the sweetness of God’s love and grace.
In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.
I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn’t wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine.
A life in colour…
I don’t live in a black and white world with black white answers. Sometimes, I admit, I wish I did. It’s enticing to cling to the comfort of black and white thinking, like old nostalgic photos of family, or the romance of a flickering silent movie.
That’s comforting, but it’s not reality. The world I see is in full colour. With vivid hues and dark tones. I see a world filled with unique situations, unique people, each with their own winding bumpy paths. The world seen in colour is harder to describe, harder to contain, harder to navigate. There are many hard questions with no easy answers. But it is reality. The ugliness might seem more cruel, but the beauty seen in colour is unmatched.
Silent Night? (written in 2008)
Have you tried listening to the radio at this time of year?
Out of bored desperation today I tried while waiting in the car for someone as they ran an errand. No matter what station you switch to you will hear one of two things; advertisements trying to get you to run out and buy into Christmas specials, or Christmas Carols.
I’ll be honest. I’m not necessarily the biggest fan of Christmas songs. I get into them just enough to try and catch the Christmas spirit, but I do find a lot of them either a bit too cheesy or the hymns are just too sad sounding or hard to sing! Just sometimes I want some normal music on the radio to pass the time while I’m out being busy at Christmas time!
The past few days, however, I’ve stumbled across a small nugget of beauty tucked away in one of those classic Christmas hymns.
This makes light of the issue - but I can’t help but wonder if this might be true.
What if it is?
What if it isn’t?
I always knew pooh bear was onto something - even as a bear of very little brains.
<3
Does love conquer all?
“Ever since Nietzsche it has been customary to sneer at the apparently wimpish vision of human life in the Beatitudes: the meek, the mourners, the merciful, and so on – when surely everyone knows that the people who make the world go round are the arrogant, the go-getters, the people with sharp swords or at least sharp elbows, the pushy, the proud.
Actually, all Nietzsche did was to articulate what many people, including many would-be Christians, had believed de facto for centuries, but the point is that they, and he, were wrong.
Every professor knows how frustrating it is when a student comes to class so arrogantly convinced of their own theory that they cannot pay attention to the evidence. (Sometimes, of course, students feel that about professors, too, and that makes its own point.)
A University will thrive and flourish, and a society led by its graduates will thrive and flourish, when the Beatitudes’ different, upside-down vision of human flourishing takes effect: when people realise that humility and meekness before the evidence and before one’s peers are the marks of real academic strength; when they recognise that a hunger for justice and a love of mercy form the elusive centre of healthy societies; when they discover that, having invented a thousand clever machines for making war, it is long overdue that they should find one that would make peace.”
— N. T. Wright, The Great Story
I really needed to read this today.
Just yesterday I was saying that I find the ‘brand’ of Christianity I frequently encounter from some of the vocal Christians I know or hear seems to favour the idea violent power and strength, and an angry God. I keep hearing that this message of love and mercy is over-rated. That peace will only come when we wage war and that Christianity has become too ‘sissy’. It’s never said in so many words of course, but that’s what the many statements boil down to at the end of the day… At least to me.
And I just don’t get it.
It leaves me feeling hopeless and confused.
Like the Black Eyed Peas I can’t help thinking, “Where is the love?”
I never thought someone could write a post tying N.T. Wright and Black Eyed Peas together…
Life in Christian-Conservative T̶e̶x̶a̶s̶ Barbados
Replace ‘Lubbock, Texas’ with ‘Barbados’ and this says it almost perfectly.
This small island-country is pretty much the Bible-Belt of the Caribbean. And if life in Lubbock Texas seems contradictory and confusing, life here is equally as paradoxical.
Behind the facade of dread-locks, sandy beaches and sunburnt tourists - the Caribbean is a strange blend of extremely conservative Christian culture and fairly liberal behavior.
The Fine Print Gospel #2
I thought of a series of these this morning as I was waking up, which means this is either a great idea or completely idiotic.
The Fine Print Gospel #1
Barbados
I think you hit the nail spot on about the mix of developed and undeveloped in Barbados. It’s actually one of the things I like the most about it here. And yes, unlike most places the ‘nice’ areas and ‘less nice’ areas here are really quite interspersed. I can’t think of any ‘nice’ area where you can’t walk 5 minutes and end up in ‘village’. Which is good I think.
I’m going to totally play into the stereotype of Bajaness and say, I haven’t been to the Beach in ages. At least 3 months - not as bad as a year! But I can swim. It’s true that most Bajans can’t swim, alot are even afraid of the idea of swimming. I wonder what the History behind that is. There’s the Caribbean folklore that if you go swimming on Good Friday that you’ll turn into a Fish.. or drown. But I doubt that excuses the other 364 days.
Q:Hey I just thought I'd send another reply here since I blogged the first one - can you recommend some places to visit? Someone recommended North Point so I'm going to head up there this weekend.
Yeah I just saw your post.
North Point is rugged and beautiful. Enjoy!
by Seth Teeters
As far as what else to do it really depends what sort of thing your looking for.
We love the east coast generally.
A walk down Cattlewash/Bathsheba beach is the definition of natural relaxation to me. It’s not the tourist version of Barbados, it’s all rock pools and surf spots, but it’s got a certain appeal. One of the rock pools is called the ‘Barbados Pool’ because it’s shaped somewhat like Barbados…I guess. Rumour has it back in the 70s or so people took some dynamite to the reef and blew it out so they’d have a bigger pool to swim in..so I’ve been told anyway.
by Seth Teeters
This rock is well known by the creative name, “round rock”. At some point long before I was around some skilled person put a bench on top the rock (at one point someone also put a Bus Stop sign). So it’s a common thing to climb to the top and take in the view. I’m terrified of heights but some friends convinced me to do it a couple years ago and it was totally worth it. It’s really not a big deal…I’m just a wuss.. kid’s do it.
If your into nature Grenade Hall/Forest trail is nice, with a high probability of coming face to face with some monkeys. My husband took this pic when we went a couple summer’s ago with a friend 
We had to wait for him to decide to get off the path.
I think they have a $15Bds entry fee or something though, which includes the trail and going up into the signal Station. In the 1800s after a slave revolt they set up 5 Signal stations across the island so they could let the military know quickly as soon there were any more attempts.
Not sure what else to suggest sight-seeing wise. Things like Harrison’s Cave are pricey and exist elsewhere, even though it’s enjoyable.
If you’re into history visiting some of the old plantation houses is feasible as well, although again, an entrance fee is involved. There’s also the museum.
St. Nicholas Abbey built in 1648
And yeah - I’m out of ideas. As a Barbadian I constantly feel like everything there is to do here costs money. Which I suppose is true of most places, but for paradise it sometimes gets a little boring unless you find events to go to or know people that make simple things exciting.
Let me know if you end up going to North point and how you enjoy it (or not, depending).
You can also check out this site, Uncommon Caribbean, under Barbados where they explore the island in a less ‘hotels and tourists’ kind of way.
Viva la Revolucion
