“…when we are supposedly deeply moved by something that, at its core, isn’t deeply moving, isn’t redemptive, isn’t part of the grand story, but is just a vast, pretentious, technologically overwhelming retelling of the worst kind of human story, I want to have the backbone to say so.”
It is Saturday morning and a beautiful morning it is. I’m sitting on our front porch which has become my favorite spot to read and enjoy the mornings. I have found the front porch provides a wonderful view of the world around me and gives regular opportunity to engage people. I wouldn’t suggest that front porches are THE answer to building community but I think if everyone had a porch and used it our world would be a very different and better place.
I have recovered from our drive from Burlington. It was a great visit with Clark and Vanessa and Lacey. We are expecting grandchildren (Tyler and Madison) from Louisville this morning. They will will be staying with us while Byron and Melissa take a short motorcycle trip to celebrate their wedding anniversary which was August 4th. Next week I plan to continue painting the exterior of the house.
Last evening I went fishing with Daniel and Jerod at lock #7 on the Kentucky River. Tanya, Meredith, and Blake joined us until it got dark. We were planning to catch some catfish but were fortunate to catch several white striped bass. No monster catfish. Maybe next time.
I’m reading Dissident Discipleship. The current chapter is about authentic witness. The following quotation challenges my thinking:
Authentic witness is not pretentious perfectionism, but transparent vulnerability. It seeks not to change others, but to offer the story of its own need for change and discovery in a way that opens dialogue. John Drane offers pungent commentary on this point:
Christians love to correct other people. But an appropriate attitude for a renewed and faithful church will begin with the recognition that we can only challenge others to follow the way of Christ if we are continually hearing God’s voice for ourselves, and allowing our own understandings to be changed in the process. We have something to share with others not because we are different, but because we are no different, and can become credible witnesses, not as we condemn others and dismiss what we regard as their inadequate spiritualities, but as we constantly listen to the gospel and appropriate its challenge in our own lives.
Today we visited Nauvoo, Illinois. It seems to be Mecca for Mormons. The city was settled by the LDS in early 1800’s as they fled from persecution. During the LDS occupancy it became the second largest city in Illinois. They constructed a temple similar to the one pictured which is currently the center piece for Nauvoo today. The original temple was destroyed by a tornado and a later fire after the forced exodus of the Mormons from Nauvoo following the death of Joseph Smith, Jr and his brother at the hands of a violent mob. In its prime, it was an idyllic place. Today many Mormons make pilgrimages to Nauvoo. We saw a lot of families visiting. There are lots of exhibits and activities that tell the LDS story.