Graduating

From time to time I read things or hear things that really stick with me. I know they do because, though I'm not aware of their presence deep within my mind, they pop out effortlessly when the appropriate circumstances arise. One of those things was spoken by or written by Sam Keen, author of Fire in the Belly, which along with Robert Bly’s Iron John, has been credited with kick-starting the "men's movement." I seems to recall that it was on an audio-cassette a friend gave me almost a decade ago, but which was lost in one of my moves. You'll forgive me if all the details aren't accurate; I have it on good authority (Sam Keen himself) that he has "certainly said something of the kind many times."

Keen was talking about people dealing with emotional issues in their lives through therapy and seminars and self-help books. He noted that he was aware of people who had engaged in such activities for years with no perceptible improvement, yet they persisted. In fact, these activities had become part of the people's identities. What stuck with me was Keen's observation (no pun intended) that though there is value in the therapy and the seminars and such, at some point those engaged in them "need to graduate." They need to move on in their lives to an identity that isn't defined by "healing" or "recovering" -- they need to be persons who have healed or have recovered. I'm not a mental health professional health professional, and I won't even pretend to know the specific circumstances of every person, but I think Kee's statement has a ring of truth to it.

What brought this to mind was a conversation with a friend about single people . . . specifically, people who married and subsequently divorced. Again, I don't know everyone's circumstances, but I am one of those people, so I do understand something about the matter. It seems to me that some of these people get stuck in the "divorced person" stage and never graduate. I don't mean they don't get un-divorced (though some do, reconciling with the spouse whom they divorced) or that they remarry (though some do). I mean they continue to wear that big "D" prominently on their chests, so that all will know. It is an integral part of their identities. This allows some to continue being victims, and to continue telling the world that they are. Someone divorced me or did something to me that made divorce an option . . . and here's who it was and what they did to me and how I feel about them (not usually warm and fuzzy). I don't think this is healthy. And I don't think it's the way God intends them (or me or you) to live.

I don't have "book, chapter, and verse" for this, but I think there's a better way, a way God took me (though I didn't detect the movement except in retrospect). God took me through "recovering" into "recovered," through "healing" into "healed." I graduated. I moved from being a divorced person to being a single person and finally to being just a person. I'm not un-divorced, nor have I remarried. But the divorce that broke my family apart (and, granted, still affects our lives) no longer defines me. I'm forgiven and I'm released from the burden. Child of God and follower of Jesus -- that's my identity.

Creational Intent and the Future of Creation

I recently discovered the phrase "creational intent." [Yes, I know it's been around for some time, and I'm behind the curve. Wanna make something of of it?"] A search on Google showed me that it is used in several specific theological contexts, but I'm interested in it as it addresses the matter of God's intent in creating the cosmos (the heavens, the earth, and the contents thereof) in relation to the destiny of the same. I have thought about aspects of that, though not in-depth, for years; now I have a shorthand way of referring to it. Stated briefly, what I have wondered is whether God created and populated the earth, only to blow it to smithereens at some time future to us and sweep some of that population (past and, at the time of the blast, present) away as incorporeal beings to a place called "heaven," where they will dwell forever. The thing that doesn't quite make sense to me is that God would create and organize a corporeal world in the first place, if his ultimate goal was to create a community of "spirit beings" to spend eternity with. I'm becoming aware of a body of literature that deals, directly and indirectly, with this notion of creational intent and the future of the created order. My intent is to read some of those writings as I study the biblical story, seeking the light that they can shed upon one another. Let's see where this goes!

Abuse and Belief

If you have been (or are) the victim of abuse -- physical, sexual, etc. -- check out this posting on Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed weblog: "How can that woman believe?" The posting elicited numerous comments, which are worth reading and pondering. One thing in particular struck me, from the comments of more than one person: for some (perhaps many) God is a convenient whipping boy. "If God exists and is all-powerful and all-loving, why is there evil in the world?" There are numerous issues tucked into that question, and I don't deny the potential difficulty in wrestling with them. But you know, it sure is handy to be able to deflect onto God and avoid our own responsibility.

The Heavens Declare . . .

The star cluster above is known as the Christmas Tree Cluster. It's truly amazing how things like this just happen.

Upside Down

A dear friend sent this clever little video to me this morning:

http://vimeo.com/2410684

One Flesh

How's this for random? Here's a poem I wrote a couple of years ago:

One Flesh

God reached down,
touched the earth, and
made man.
And he became flesh.

God reached in,
touched man’s rib, and
made woman.
And she became flesh.

Man reached out,
touched woman, and
made love.
And they became one flesh.

No ancient tale to satisfy curiosity,
Nor holy myth to justify monogamy,
But a blessing – or a curse – for eternity.

[Copyright 2007 by Craig W. Beard]

Integrity Strikes Again

The most recent addition to my 'People I Want to Meet' list is Billy Watts of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. According to a news story brought to my attention by my cousin Scott, the grandmother of twelve "found [a] purse with nearly $100,000 in it in a Cracker Barrel bathroom last week and gave it back." Not only did Billy return the purse to its owner, she didn't accept the $1,000 reward she was offered. You can read the story here.