musing

there was a time in my life when i could not handle disruption. when my mother unexpectedly opened my door while i was reading i snapped, when a study session was marred by the funky riffs of the dorm sideman i screamed and when friends lingered in my living room too late into the night i simply asked them to leave. i thought that i had to fight for a well-ordered life and i vehemently confonted anyone who violated my space.

but this morning, as i sit here sick in bed, i am hemmed in by the sound of alex's alarm as it dutifully completes it's ten-thousandth cycle, the muffled voice of dave kazan as he accompanies james' work in the basement and the anticipation of jackaway and jonikay's arrival later in the day.

i once thought that i had to carve out my space and vigorously protect it against all trespassers. now, i am beginning to realize that it is only within the context of these friendships and the boundaries of this community that i have found a space worth inhabiting. in this communal space i feel contained, safe and loved. i'm incredibly thankful for that.

overheard

Jayber Crow, the protagonist of Wendell Berry’s excellent book by the same name,

In Wendell Berry’s excellent, Jayber Crow the protagonist offers his thoughts on the “new” war, which in his context was WWII. I found Jayber’s thoughts quite interesting and think that they have something to say to us as we face another undeclared, yet undoubtedly “new,” kind of war.

“I knew that this new war was not even new but was only the old one come again. And what caused it? It was caused, I thought, by people failing to love one another, failing to love their enemies. I was glad enough that I had not become a preacher, and so would not have to go through a war pretending that Jesus had not told us to love our enemies.

The thought of loving your enemies is opposite to war. You don’t have to do it; you don’t have to love one another. All you have to do is keep the thought in mind and Port William (J’s hometown) becomes visible, and you see its faces and you know what it has to lose. Maybe you don’t have to love your enemies. Maybe you just have to act like you do. And maybe you have to start early (pg. 142).”

monday morning time waster

check out overheard in new york. i, um, overheard a conversation about the site on npr and i find it pretty e.o.e.ing funny. this evening i've been researching the site for new conversational material. kellie claims that my old standby, stock conversations just aren't cutting it anymore.

here's an overheard post i found funny:

Hipster guy: That's a cool coat, it's pimp.
Ghetto guy: Thanks...Did you say "pimp"? I'm not a pimp.
Hipster guy: No, I meant pimp like cool.
Ghetto guy: Oh, okay...It's not real. I'm a vegan.

--A train

loving the ecclesiolae, longing for the ecclesia

for the past month or so i have been wondering about my role in the ecclesia (or church universal). i am incredibly at home in and thankful for our little ecclesiolae (s & s), but am interested in interacting and partnering with Christians throughout the boston area as together we seek to participate in the mission of God.

fortunately, throughout this inquisitive phase i have connected with a number of like-minded believers in the area and throughout the world. since i'm a fairly gregarious guy - at least at first - i often make connections with a wide-range of people. however, as of late, i have been struck by how many intriguing believers i have touched base with. so, in 'an attempt to deepen these conversations and find innovative ways to partner with other believers i have decided to start a boston-area emergent cohort.

although i've never participated in an emergent cohort meeting, i've heard from a friend that the purpose of these groups is to: connect with other progressive/emerging/innovative/insertyourattributiveadjective christians, drink a fair amount of coffee and/or beer and pad the sales of brian mclaren's books. if any or all of the above activities sounds interesting to you, and you're willing to hear me tell the same jokes and run the same stories into the ground time and again, then i'd love for you to help me get this group rolling. if you're interested, please shoot me an e-mail at gentry13@gmail.com.

in the body of the email please provide your name, email address and web address if you have one. moreover, please include concise answers to the following questions.

1. Assuming that our cohort would meet monthly, what would be the best night of the week for you to meet?

2. Are there any particular topics that you would like to discuss?

3. What books would you be interested in reading together (i think we should branch out beyond the emergent canon from time to time by reading books like jean vanier's community and growth, the collected works of saint francis and saint clare and perhaps even relevant works of fiction such as philip caputo's superb acts of faith).

4. Would you be willing to facilitate the group on an occasional basis? I have no interest - and trust that none of you would either - in spinning this co-hort into an episode of "The Jeff Gentry Show?"

5. Would you rather meet in a pub or a coffeehouse setting? Any suggestions concerning a location?

Thanks in advance for your interest. I hope that this cohort incites conversation, provides healthy connections and serves as a source of encouragement for those of us who follow Christ.

pax.