link-o-rama

a few moments ago, i thrashed up a stream-of-consciousness post for boston’s emergent cohort site. if you’re a churchy type you might want to check it out.

i’ve also found myself returning time and again to the monts blog and leadership journal’s out of ur site lately. both of these sites consistently introduce interesting topics and effectively incite conversation. if you’re a churchy type who has a few moments to spare you might want to check these out as well.

you know the kind of guy who does bad stuff all the time and then wonders why his life sucks?

last night, after wondering why microsoft has to interrupt the best work related sitcom of all time with advertisements for business software, i thought a little bit about earl’s list. i don’t know about you, but during the earl’s intro every week i focus on the quick glimpse we have of the list in hopes that it will reveal clues to future plots (for the record, "stole a car from a one legged girl" was my favorite). last night’s glimpse was too quick to reveal any clues, but it did get me thinking about what would be on my list. i suspect that if karma decides to kick my ass, it will be for one or all of the following reasons.

1. stole $6,500 in aluminum cans from handicapped kids and then escaped acquittal
2. dumped a girl at the airport while waiting for our connecting flight
3. ransacked a unsuspecting dorm mate’s room and exposed his secret stash of panty hose
4. offered a free “cockroach julius” to an unsuspecting customer
5. threw a chair at my unsuspecting, insecure music teacher

what's on your list?

the prospect

on blazing summer days
barefoot on burnt grass
they celebrated a mundane ritual
father and son playing catch

furious with concentration
the boy focused on the glove and let it fly
but as the seams ripped the distance between them
the pitch often strayed low, wide or high

confounded by ability
that consistently alluded control
the boy felt like a touted prospect
who could never crack the show

after years perched on pine
the boy found the failure he feared
but he’s still fumbling with his grip
and looking for control after all these years

concerning charism and calling

jean vanier believes that the purpose of a l’arche assistant is to identify the gift of each member of the community and serve each member of the community as they struggle to give birth to their gift and so enter into new life. vanier also believes that in the midst of encouraging, challenging and even coercing new life out of his fellow members, the assistant will be surprised to find that he is being pushed and pulled into new life as well.

anyway, that’s what vanier thinks.

and i think he’s right.

i suspect that it’s time for me to set aside my own search for vocation so that i can once serve as an effective midwife to each member of my community.

i hope that i’m setting myself up for a surprise.