WIS-TIPS the wake down
December 18, 2006
by Bowie Snodgrass
these short days are pregnant with expectation
of what is real, unrealized, and unrealistic
John proclaimed bold and true
the coming of the kingdom
- and ended up beheaded
the dangerous call of the gospel
- is unsettling
enough of settling down
I am poised for adventure
and like a lion – persistent in its pursuit
we are called – to roam and roar
he walks with a limp -
his eyes sparkle with insight -
she plays Bach with her feet -
hands strained behind her back
in New York City
we carry our worlds
in pockets and bags
enough of being earnest
it’s time to entertain
when it’s GAME OVER
agree to PLAY AGAIN
I am throwing down
- I am standing up!
preach in broad strokes
and live in the nuance
traditions are meant to be kept
stories are meant to be meant
something new is about to begin
now is a time to dance and sing
note: written after David Fleenor’s ordination; Bp. Packard preaching
Two Visions of the Emerging Church
December 11, 2006
Embracing Worship 2.0 – an Architecture of Participation
by Johnny Baker, excellent column published in Church Times
Brian McLaren shared this poem with me at the end of October, after it was shared with him on a recent trip to Mexico City. It resonated with me so strongly that I recently got permission to publish the English translation (trans. by Amy Stabeno and Elisa Padilla). Many thanks!
Do You Know Someone Like this?
A poem by Pablo Alaguibe
Could there be someone out there,
someone else,
who would be interested
in participating in an experiment
of Christian community
’model 2006,’
Read the rest of this entry »
Advent Meditation Pieces
December 4, 2006
1)
The wind has changed
I can smell you again
In the soft open air
Beneath the mountains of the moon
In the stillness of the night
I sense your sweet scent
2)
we speak of matters of the soul
when we’re alone in this world.
men and women trying to figure
it out and our insides to know.
we work to know ourselves, and
thereby accept the other folks, we.
work together in the struggle for
liberation and peace in our land.
3)
some goals for the new liturgical year…
be honest about your life.
cherish your inheritances and pass on to other people.
come to know yourself by taking time to think and worship god.
be creative. move ideas around. be curious.
struggle for justice.
be flexible. breathe.
be kind to living things and appreciate nature.
share. believe.
love.
what else? please comment with additional goals.
Psalm 13
November 30, 2006
1) How long, O God? How long will you hide your face from me? How long will I be clinging so tightly to wisps of smoke?
2) How long will I wrestle with these traditions, these scriptures, this church? How long will this obsession last? How long until I can happily live a secular life?
3) I need answers, God! You have left me too many questions. Give me a sign that my struggling is more than foolishness or please release me from this burning need to seek you.
4) My friends will say, “We’re glad you’ve matured out of your religious phase. We’re glad you’ve come to your senses.” They will rejoice for me and welcome me back with open arms.
5) But even if I cannot take hold of you, Silent and Invisible One, the wisdom of this world is insufficient. My search gives me meaning that this world never will.
6) And so I will write songs for you and craft rituals for you. I will walk your road because my struggles, wanderings, and discouragements are a blessing. You have given me a bounty.
Fifth Wednesday
November 25, 2006
So this coming Wednesday is the fifth Wednesday of the month, which means that there’s no Transmission. It also means, however, that we’ll have three whole weeks between one Transmission and the next, and I’m not crazy about that. How about we do something low-key, like have a movie night or something? Fifth Wednesdays do happen with some frequency, so it’d be neat to start a tradition regarding what we do with them.
I’m in Seattle right now and I’m playing for Church of the Apostles tonight with Lacey Brown. It’s a little bit like playing with a second me (electronic backing tracks mixed with live instruments, combining ancient texts and melodies with modern grooves, etc) except that, unlike me, Lacey can sing. It’s pretty cool – I wish you guys could hear it!
Church of the Apostles is pretty cool – they’ve taken an abandoned church and converted it into an Abbey for themselves. They take the whole “radical hospitality” thing pretty seriously. I was met at the airport, driven into down, and given a room all to myself. It would be a lot more expensive to get a building in NYC (I don’t there are any abandoned buildings, anyway), but I would really, really love to see Transmission blossom into a living community…
Thanks Giving
November 22, 2006
Dear God, you provide for the birds of the air and the lillies of the feild. You have given us our minds our bodies, and your love.
For this we come to you in humble thanks giving.
Let us give thanks for all that we have.
Let us give thanks that we have enough to be thankful for.
God is There
October 28, 2006
Commemoration Ceremony of the Destruction of the Bamyan Buddhas, originally uploaded by Chris Kuhn.
a photo I found on flickr looking for pics tagged: friends god alone
—————————————
by Bowie Snodgrass
a poem I wrote wednesday night:
I want
A church
that’s part
of my private life
the life I live alone
in my head and heart
so many public personas,
media mentalities/realities
we yearn for integration
to become whole again
be part of something
bigger than just me
when two or three
gather together
God is
There
Special Prayer Request
October 14, 2006
This is coming from a gal I know from the metal/goth/punk church I use to attend in London called Asylum. If you could keep her in your prayers, it would be greatly appreciated:
Dear all in my beloved fellowship,
Once again my life has taken another dramatic turn. This one the biggest yet. My sister Devonnie is dying. She is in the hospital
right now in a coma and the Doctors say there is no hope. She overdosed on heroin and was without oxygen to her brain for several
hours. My father found her gasping for air in the morning. I will know the outcome later today but she is most likely going to be a
vegetable and my parents will have to make the heart wrenching decision of pulling the plug. This will be especially hard for my
mother who lost her own brother to heroin when she was about my age. I am in shock. I will have to go back to America sometime in the
next few days probably for two months or so, I guess I will come back to the UK in January. Hopefully my visa will come through all
right. I desperately need your prayers. I hope everyone can come this Sunday for the prayer meeting because I will need it. Please
pray all day today for a miracle!!! Only God doing a miracle will save her. Medically speaking she has no hope. She is only 17!!!
Thanks for loving and caring for me all these years, you guys are my family… I love you more than words could ever express.
Please Pray:
For a miracle to save Devonnie’s life and that she won’t have brain damage. For the pain of my family, they are unstable and could turn suicidal themselves For strength for me going back home, this terrifies me. For my Visa to come through OK.
Sad, Sad Story
October 13, 2006
this is one of my favorite songs written by my bro, TJSnodgrass. I thought they were good lyrics to muse upon while thinking about house church. the arrangement reminds me of an ol’ revival grace or, perhaps, a campfire song.
From The Sundry Brothers WORK OUT
Bring your sad, sad story to the table
To lay between the salad and the steak
Spill it like the horses from the stable
You’ll find the cloth is clean ‘fore you’re awake
Bring your sad, sad story to the table
To flow between the politics and news
Bring it satire, daydream, fact or fable,
You’ll find there’s still an ending left to choose
Bring it if it’s beautiful or terrible
Bring it gospel truth or pretty parable
Save your certified learning
Don’t preach your practice sermon
Don’t try too hard to hide your cards
Just share it all
Bring your sad, sad story to the table
To lay between your set-up and your stash
You’ll know you’re getting somewhere
If it’s painful, and in the morn we’ll
Throw it in the trash, yes, in the morn
We’ll throw it in the trash
© Snodgrass 2006
Some Prayers
October 4, 2006
Coincidentally, both Bowie and I have brothers who are deploying to Iraq for the war. We also both have brothers who are brand new parents. We’re also both starting a church together.
With these things in mind, I wrote a few prayers:
God of Isaiah and Daniel, who has promised us a day when we will beat our tools of war and destruction into tools of food and abundance, we pray for our brother who is going to war. We pray that you will keep him safe from violence and we pray that you will keep him safe from having to commit violence himself. Above all, dear God, we beg for the advent of a time when your children are no longer sent away from their families so that they may spend their energy bringing about your kingdom on earth.
God of Abraham and Sarah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, we thank you for the gift of this child. Please help us love this child with the same love with which you have loved us, so that the bonds of love and kinship may be continually cemented in your community.
And finally, I have an excerpt from the Disco Episco which you might enjoy. The Episcopal Church requires us to pray for a) the church, b) the nation, c) the world, d) the community, e) those who are suffering, and f) those who have died. Since we only have thirty minutes to play with, my collaborator John penned the shorted Prayers Of The People I’ve ever seen:
Praying for the church and nation,
Keep the earth and congregation,
Those in trials and tribulations,
Those who’ve passed their expiration.