Category Archives: Ryan’s mind

The Conversion of Place

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I was reminded yet again last night the incredible power and importance in staking your flag into the ground and proclaiming “I am here now“. The willingness to be present where you are at has not only become counter cultural but it has become, what I would consider, a dangerously ignored way of living. Too often the geographical disparity between where we live, work, and play is such that we are left as scattered people living in five different relational and geographical spheres in a scatter-brained sort of way that does not cultivate a soil that is fertile for rootedness and growth both for individuals and as a community.

After laying on my back for what’s felt like weeks (has it been?) last night was my one last hurrah as I spent too much time at one of downtown Vancouver’s pubs for a birthday party and fund raiser for one of Vancouver’s finest. By the time I got home (after a couple of hours) I could barely move and my chest, leg, and sides were swollen and hard as a rock (though with all my normal exercise  this is pretty typical I’m sure…riiiight…) but what a way to enter into my final day of waiting for this surgery! I looked around this pub and saw person after person after person who were not just a part of an actual community, but people who had gone through a conversion of place. These stories are not mine to tell, at least not here, but they are powerful stories of individuals who have found new life because they (for different reasons) were able to lift their head up in downtown Vancouver and see the people around them. I probably should rephrase that somehow because I don’t think it usually happens on ones own. I don’t think the redemption stories of place often happen through one standing up straight and walking differently but rather it happens as one person catches the gaze of another and draws that persons eyes up to the place where they are at. Metaphorically we spend much of our time where we live, work, and play with our heads down. But the rockstars I spent time with last night had their heads lifted up (in one way or another) and are finding significance, meaning, and a life of sacrifice for the sake of others. They’ve had a conversion of place. I’m glad that place is downtown Vancouver. And while I absolutely love downtown Vancouver I don’t think it actually has anything to do with this specific place. If I lived in Camas I would hope to be able to be a part of the same conversion experience. It’s not just about the uniqueness and specialness of a place, it’s about the belief that there is something special about each and every person–that a place is simply a gathering of individuals–and that as we collectively lift our heads up and say I am here now we are actually recognizing the presence of each other.

So be present where you’re at. Be here now.

Brought to Tears…Awkwardly…

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I can honestly say (I think) that my wife and I show compassion to people. But I can also honestly say (I think) that we’re also a little like automaton droids who have no feelings. I have no feelings because I’m an even tempered guy who seeks to cultivate peace in his surroundings–essentially, extremes are avoided and an easy going or laid back emotional response to things is safe and manageable. Jess is more of a pleasure seeker as a person, generally trying to enjoy the good life and avoiding painful stuff. This leads both of us toward a path of not often experiencing extreme emotions (I should say here that I’m actually more thinking about negative emotions…crying I should say.)

So for me to turn into a crier over the last 48 hours has been awkward and humorous all at the same time. I can’t stop tearing up. About everything. Insignificant things. Dumb things. Funny things. Touching things.

Here’s a list off the top of my head of what’s brought tears to my eyes over the last 48 hours. Oh, and let me preface this by saying that this is an awesome and completely honest list:

  • X-Men 2 the movie
  • Listening to Edwin Mccain sing “I’ll be”
  • Listening to Enrique Iglesias sing “I can be your hero baby”
  • Emails where people tell me they’re praying for me
  • Reading some of Jesus’ words this morning
  • Watching Law and Order
  • Telling my wife that I teared up while watching X-Men
  • Journaling this morning
  • Reading about people’s plans to pray for me during the surgery
  • Writing this list

I blame my ‘roid rage.

H.O.O.P Fundraiser Anyone: why circumcision is evil*

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There will be a measure on the San Francisco ballot to ban circumcision. (read it here) Some people are outraged. Some people that are not Jewish are outraged. Should we be outraged?

In other news it is illegal to tattoo your children. (read it here)

When our son was born the doctors were very clear that circumcision is a completely cosmetic procedure, it is a procedure that has absolutely no medical value and is done purely for looks. Is there a difference between circumcising your kid and tattooing them? Both create a permanent cosmetic change to your child without their consent. Both are painful. Both our needless. Both are slightly barbaric (or at least I can understand how both can be seen that way).

If Judaism and Christianity were not so influencing in our culture would we not also be outraged about the practice of circumcision? Should we nevertheless be outraged about it?

To be honest, I had my sons tip snipped. To be honest it’s probably because of some form of peer pressure. People didn’t exactly force me into it, but the only reason we did it was because “that’s what you do”. We didn’t do it because we see ourselves as united with an ancient Jewish spiritual movement (though this is true), we didn’t do it because contrary to our doctors warning we believed it was more healthy, and we didn’t do it because we wanted it to look better (I just gagged a little). We did it ’cause that’s what you do. I’m surprised we didn’t also take a hit off a bong, or hid in the alley behind our house and smoke a cigarette (we wouldn’t want our parents to see!), or take a sip of wine even though we were underage. It’d all be the same right?

 

* If there is any doubt– this title is exaggerated ’cause it is funny and more exciting. Lets not get carried away.

Children and the Imago Dei

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Watching my son walk through the living room just now I was struck by the fact that he’s such a little person. I don’t mean to say that he’s a small child, but that he’s actually a functioning, living, breathing, thinking, feeling short person who has not yet lived on earth for an extended period of time.

I realize that right about now I’ve confused or annoyed you, but here’s the thing: we treat children as if they’re sub human (definitely sub ‘adult’ human). We naturally desire to control them, to manipulate them in order to facilitate meeting our own needs as adults. We don’t view them as little people (think human being) we view them as sub-human people. Think about it, if you’re in conversation with a friend over a cup of coffee you will either ignore your ringing cell phone or you will give ample explanation why you’re going to answer it in the middle of your conversation. What do you do if you’re talking to a kid? If you’re in conversation with a child and your phone rings how often do we simply answer the phone without worry about the fact that we’re interrupting our conversation with a child? I teach my children constantly (not intentionally) that my phone ringing is more important than my conversation with them. How tragic!

How much easier is it to scream at a child than it is to scream at an adult? How much easier is it for some to justify hitting a child (think spanking) than to justify hitting an adult (please don’t think spanking)?

While children are obviously in a much earlier place of learning–learning how to function, how to read and write, how to use their words kindly, how to cope with stress, etc. the fact that we’re helping to train them should not give reason to treat them with lesser respect than we’d treat an adult. Adults are learners as well right? We’ve just had more time to learn more things…sadly I question whether we’ve learned more than children about how to respect others (could this be because it wasn’t modeled?)

We’ve probably all heard that respect is earned not given and I think I agree with that to an extent. But there’s also that small little fact that as a follower of Jesus I believe that every person (whether tall or small) was created in the image of God and therefore deserves respect and dignity because of his or her identity as beautiful icons of God himself. Age or learning curve cannot change this fact…can it?

Defining Rhythms to Life Together

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Eat-storytelling-dream-act

Those four things have become central to our life in downtown Vancouver. When people gather three of those four things nearly always happen. Those four things are not only rhythms to our gathering but they’re really rhythms to how my brain is starting to function.

Eat– Eating is one of the most deeply spiritual things we do. In the western world much of this has been lost to capitalism because we’re more concerned with getting things quick and cheap than we are with engaging the actual process and experience. Good parties happen around food and drink, the historical accounts of Jesus happen around food and drink (especially the story that the gospel of Luke tells), relationship happens around food and drink, life doesn’t happen without food and drink. Food and drink should never be worshiped, but food and drink is an act of worship. It’s a celebration, its a proclamation of our togetherness–togetherness with each other, togetherness with our soil, togetherness within ourselves (our hands prepare the food, our mouth enjoys the food, our body needs the food, etc.)

Storytelling– storytelling is not just about regaling people with a fantastic narrative, storytelling is what happens around a table. Storytelling is why I’m writing this in a coffee shop. Storytelling is what you discover when you listen to others. Everyone’s got a story to tell there are just not many people who are willing to listen and care about others stories. When we choose to listen, to ask questions, to remember and value others lives we are engaging in and valuing the practice of storytelling. We are all storytellers at heart, we’ve just lost our audience. Storytelling however is not just an individual thing–neighborhoods and cities have their stories, communities have their stories, even our house has a story. One of the most beautiful gift we received at our housewarming was a nicely written chronology of our house. A woman did research and discovered who its owners were, when it was built, and some of the things that had happened in the life of our house. I don’t know about you but I get consumed myself–with the fact that nobody wants to hear my story. I get so caught up with what’s next that I stop pausing to learn the story of my city, my community, even my own home. We don’t care about the past we care about the future! Innovation! Discovery! New ideas, new places, new experiences! But what is so profoundly true is that there’s no better soil for dreaming a new future into existence than the rooted and powerful stories of our past.

Dream– As was just alluded to, dreaming is a natural extension of healthy interaction with our stories. When we listen to others we catch some of their dreams for the future, when we learn about our community we start to hear potential new realities emerge from the movement of the past. Dreaming is rooted in our stories, in listening to each other, in knowing who we are and where we’re from. Part of the reason that listening to each other is so important to dreaming is that for a dream to become a reality we’ve got to share it, it’s got to become the shared dream of the community. Dreaming invites to question what could be, it engages our often dormant imagination, it invites us into the godly pursuit of creation.

Act– Dreamers don’t change the world unless they or someone else carries those dreams and makes something happen. Action is not only important it is essential for life together. We do not act on everything  (can you imagine the exhaustion?!), but we do act. We do not always take action, but it’s always a part of the horizon. Acting, innovating, actually creating is not an end goal as much as it is a healthy natural response to eating together, to listening to each other, and to dreaming new realities. I’m starting to believe that if we throw ourselves into the first three rhythms the fourth will be inevitable.