Beautiful Frustration
There are blue skies and sun today in Valdivia. What a blessing! Yesterday amid rain and strong wind we crammed over a dozen Chileans into our home for a student gathering. We all had a great time talking about how to have a spiritual discussion. The meeting progressed at a very relaxed Chilean pace, which means that people slowly trickled in during the first hour of the meeting, we ordered pizza for lunch which literally took over two hours to arrive, and we didn't talk about half the things we had planned.
Though we didn't do much, I guess what we did do we did well. Erin, with the help of a Chilean, translated an article she wrote about having spiritual dialogues without being judgmental or closed minded, and we read the article aloud as a group. Afterwards we talked for over two hours about what parts of it we could apply and conversed in depth over one of Jesus' parables found in Matthew 22 as an example of a spiritual discussion. It was great to hear everyone's ideas on what Jesus was saying. The goal wasn't a logical conclusion, it was introspection.
It was great to allow students time to ponder the words of Jesus rather than just being spoon-fed the answers. There was quite a bit of diversity in opinions, which made for some circular discussions, but it was all worth it to see them get so engaged by the mysterious words of Jesus.
At the end we asked if anyone was frustrated, and a few nodded their heads. They hadn't been able to structure the conversation in a way that concluded with everyone thinking just like them. It was beautiful. They had to listen to differing opinions, and everyone didn't see eye to eye. Yet they were listening to and respecting one another rather than trying to bend the conversation to meet their own objectives. No one was given the opportunity to play the lawyer, only the witness.
The conversation was like a beautiful piece of art swirling with mystery and color that touches deep and teaches a lesson without ever needing a thesis statement.
We scarfed the pizza when it finally arrived, had a time of prayer, and then closed around 5:00pm, two hours later than we had planned, and five hours after the meeting began. Even after the official ending, many hung around for awhile, and we took turns strumming away on John's guitar.
Something clicked on Saturday. These students long for community, and they found it in a small cabaña with too little space and too few chairs. A smaller group is meeting on campus tomorrow for lunch, and we are going to have another large gathering as a group in a week. It is a beautiful reminder of how much we need each other.
To read Erin's article, go to this PDF file.
Though we didn't do much, I guess what we did do we did well. Erin, with the help of a Chilean, translated an article she wrote about having spiritual dialogues without being judgmental or closed minded, and we read the article aloud as a group. Afterwards we talked for over two hours about what parts of it we could apply and conversed in depth over one of Jesus' parables found in Matthew 22 as an example of a spiritual discussion. It was great to hear everyone's ideas on what Jesus was saying. The goal wasn't a logical conclusion, it was introspection.
It was great to allow students time to ponder the words of Jesus rather than just being spoon-fed the answers. There was quite a bit of diversity in opinions, which made for some circular discussions, but it was all worth it to see them get so engaged by the mysterious words of Jesus.
At the end we asked if anyone was frustrated, and a few nodded their heads. They hadn't been able to structure the conversation in a way that concluded with everyone thinking just like them. It was beautiful. They had to listen to differing opinions, and everyone didn't see eye to eye. Yet they were listening to and respecting one another rather than trying to bend the conversation to meet their own objectives. No one was given the opportunity to play the lawyer, only the witness.
The conversation was like a beautiful piece of art swirling with mystery and color that touches deep and teaches a lesson without ever needing a thesis statement.
We scarfed the pizza when it finally arrived, had a time of prayer, and then closed around 5:00pm, two hours later than we had planned, and five hours after the meeting began. Even after the official ending, many hung around for awhile, and we took turns strumming away on John's guitar.
Something clicked on Saturday. These students long for community, and they found it in a small cabaña with too little space and too few chairs. A smaller group is meeting on campus tomorrow for lunch, and we are going to have another large gathering as a group in a week. It is a beautiful reminder of how much we need each other.
To read Erin's article, go to this PDF file.
posted by johnanderin at 1:21 PM
1 Comments:
We work like a horse.
We eat like a pig.
We like to play chicken.
You can get someone's goat.
We can be as slippery as a snake.
We get dog tired.
We can be as quiet as a mouse.
We can be as quick as a cat.
Some of us are as strong as an ox.
People try to buffalo others.
Some are as ugly as a toad.
We can be as gentle as a lamb.
Sometimes we are as happy as a lark.
Some of us drink like a fish.
We can be as proud as a peacock.
A few of us are as hairy as a gorilla.
You can get a frog in your throat.
We can be a lone wolf.
But I'm having a whale of a time!
You have a riveting web log
and undoubtedly must have
atypical & quiescent potential
for your intended readership.
May I suggest that you do
everything in your power to
honor your encyclopedic/omniscient
Designer/Architect as well
as your revering audience.
Please remember to never
restrict anyone's opportunities
for ascertaining uninterrupted
existence for their quintessence.
There is a time for everything,
a season for every activity
under heaven. A time to be
born and a time to die. A
time to plant and a time to
harvest. A time to kill and
a time to heal. A time to
tear down and a time to
rebuild. A time to cry and
a time to laugh. A time to
grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones
and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a
time to turn away. A time to
search and a time to lose. A
time to keep and a time to
throw away. A time to tear
and a time to mend. A time
to be quiet and a time to
speak up. A time to love
and a time to hate. A time
for war and a time for peace.
Best wishes for continued ascendancy,
Howdy
Editor
http://ilovehowdy.blogspot.com/
P.S. One thing of which I am sure is
that the common culture of my youth
is gone for good. It was hollowed out
by the rise of ethnic "identity politics,"
then splintered beyond hope of repair
by the emergence of the web-based
technologies that so maximized and
facilitated cultural choice as to make
the broad-based offerings of the old
mass media look bland and unchallenging
by comparison."
'Thought & Humor' by Howdy
Cyber-Humor, Cyber-Thought
Cyber-Riddles for your divertissement!!!
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