Knowing how...

"Knowing how is more important than simply knowing that." ~Mary Hess

Indeed.  For years I knew that rearing children is hard.  Knowing how it is hard is what helps me get through it.  It is in the knowing how that I am able to find what is going wrong and try to fix it.

When we only know that, we miss out on the understanding that comes with the process in which something comes into being.   More easily, we take something for granted and even more so, we discount the value of it. 

Some critics argue it is "the advent of digital technologies that has diluted and made more fragile our religious formation." They fail to recognize that while one process of religious being is no longer as easily brought into being, another process will evolve- has in fact, already evolved.

Those who eschew public gatherings, who have disdain for the traditional within the Church now have access.  They have a way to not only know that, but to know how Christ Loves them.  They can see Christian community without the familiar trappings- they can find it in obscure places and they can connect, creating new community. 

They would not find this if we did not have this digital technology.  They would be stuck only know that there is a God who loves them, but until they know how, the gift is often lost on them in the midst of tradition that turns them away.

For more on how to integrate and consider the impact of digital revolution on religious formation and community, read Engaging Technology in Theological Education, All That We Can't Leave Behind by Mary Hess, 2005.

Exclusive holidays...why Christmas and Thanksgiving SHOULD overlap

There are a lot of holidays that really don't go together.  St Patrick's day and Halloween, for example.  There are even a few that bump up against each other that don't quite go together either, like St Patty's and Easter (some years).  Many argue that Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas don't go together either and therefore they must be exclusive in the retail arena until one is done before the next is displayed.  The problems with this are multiform.

Let's look at this from a retailers point of view:  I have the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas to make more than half of my year profit and the difference between bankruptcy and solvency.  Hmm,.... I would put the stuff out early TOO!

How about the decorators point of view?  I want to enjoy every day of each 'holiday' but if there is nothing in the store until the other holiday ends, how can I purchase my decorations, let alone put them up to enjoy them before this holiday is over?

How about the ambiance point of view?  Who the heck doesn't like the lovely light that strings of Christmas lights lend to an evening room with the fireplace lit?  Hello?  Winner!

But more than these reasons, let's look at why we celebrate these in the first place.  Halloween was to scare off the bad energies that might ruin a harvest at the most critical point of the year.  Of course it goes with Thanksgiving- which is about giving thanks for the bounty of harvest that saved the Pilgrims from starvation.  They also invited the locals to join them, not just to give thanks for help surviving their new world, but for relationship.  They gave thanks for life, for food, and for relationship.  This is where the secular argument ends and the Christian one really takes off.

Now let's look at Christmas/Advent.  Why do we celebrate?  Going back to original Christmas celebration (neither the pagan roots nor calendar day placement), Christians celebrated because Jesus, their awaited Messiah and Saviour had come.  The gift they awaited had finally arrived.  The birth of Christ is SOLELY about relationship and life.  Christ came to fix the relationship gap (more like chasm) we had with God ever since the Garden of Eden.  God missed us and wanted our close relationship back.  The only way to do that was to gift us life again (eternal life), which was achieved through Jesus subsequent crucifixion on our behalf. Just like the Pilgrims, Christians are giving thanks for life and for relationship (and if you really want to get into it for theological fun, for food too (bread and wine of the Eucharist).

Are you starting to see the correlation?  Thanksgiving sets us up to see and experience thankfulness in our lives; our daily, very human, very physically present lives.  It is the perfect foundation to be thinking of Christmas at the same time, preparing our hearts and minds for the greater spiritual thanks for the gift of Christ.  God doesn't just give us eternal life and relationship with God again, but God lavishes bounty upon us in our daily living too- in countless ways.  To think that Thanksgiving and Christmas are exclusive, do not overlap, or go together, is in part to deny the gifts and thanks of both.  We can celebrate both at the same time.  I celebrate Christmas, Easter (eternal gifts) and Thanksgiving (corporal gifts) every day of the year.

I am not necessarily justifying the retail push for 'buy, buy, buy,' but I am asking you to reconsider, can we quit complaining about one being over first before we start the other?  Why can't we celebrate both together? 

The New Introvert- or rather "Net-rovert"

"It requires more work on the part of networked individuals to make their way successfully in an always-on, quickly moving world, and a new set of norms and skills-just as the transition from rural, agrarian life to urban, industrial life required."

In his book, NetSmart, How to Thrive Online, Howard Rheingold writes a chapter on how "Social Has a Shape" and explores the ramifications of the social aspect of the internet on our social lives.  Many argue we are losing our social ability for the sake of computer screens and minimalized contact online.  But the above quote really got me thinking.  We have both extroverts and introverts in both physical social circles and online as well.  Online, they tend to be what I call net-roverts.  The ones who aren't completely against the use of the internet and social media, but they really don't want to get into it too far for a variety of reasons.  They are the ones who still have an egg for thier Skype image or an outline on facebook.  The lurkers or the newbies that don't know what to do so they have the account but really, the tool sits still in their hands.

The point is, it takes work to be online and connect.  A LOT of work.  You must keep up with the newest waves of technology and know when to let a sinking ship sink or when to jump to the next bandwagon.  You have to be willing to put yourself out there in order to use the tools and all the more so to use them well.  It doesn't take less to be connected online- it just takes the same effort in a new way. 

Text from Netsmart, How to Thrive Online by Howard Rheingold, 2012.

Collective Learning and Cohorts- A new way to Mastering Divinity

"As the name implies, it is a collection of people, skills, and talent that produces a result greater than the sum of its parts."  In their book,  A New Culture of Learning, Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown take on the idea of learning in a 'world of constant change'.

When I read this book, I often thought of the way the cohorts of Luther Seminary work together toward their Masters of Divinity.  We are spread out around the world, only coming together online in class or facebook or in person during our January and June intensives.  Although we each have cohorts, we are also one.  We belong to learn together, to pray together and to create community together.

It is amazing to read the description of the authors; they explain collective as having more of an ebb and flow, and in and out as needed.  The cohorts are the same in many ways.  We expand and retract based on who is there, who needs what and ability to provide.  It is quite fascinating.  Although any are missed when not in attendance, there is not a focus on who is not there, rather, it is a completeness with who is, regardless of cohort.  It is also interesting to watch the cohorts 'take over' a classroom- being an overwhelming majority of the class at one time.  They do not exclude the residential's, rather, they are pulled into the group as one of us.

When it comes to learning, this creates a fluid dynamic that is stunning to observe.  The experiences are so varied, the ages, gender, lifestyle, and style of learning cover a broad spectrum and it seems we never know what will come of it. The dynamic even flows over into the online courses, creating living, breathing, exciting small groups and friendships that flow over from classes every semester.

Some might argue that this style of learning is too inconsistent, to impartial and too distanced to really work and form a future pastor fully.  I would have to say, having lived it for over 2 years now, that could not be further from the truth.  I have learned far more in a passionate and relational way than in any other courses, degree programs, or campus I have ever attended.  This is most definitely one valid way into the future for those seeking a Master of Divinity, and now, we have a ranking as one of 13 top seminaries changing the world to prove it!

Syria, Anthony Weiner and 9/11... what a combo

Even for those not from New York, we all know who Anthony Weiner is.  Who hasn't heard the news of the talented young politician who screwed himself over when he decided to be unfaithful to his wife through sex-ting...twice.

As you all know, he lost his bid for election in NY.  He was a sore loser too- flipping off the press as they followed him to his car.  Regardless of his arrogance he has a LOT to teach us.

Good support taken for granted:  Weiner has a wife who stood by him as well as obviously campaign staff and constituents, or he would not have made a bid again for office.  In fact, he actually had such a good support system that it looked like he was going to overcome his past.  But he took it for granted and...

Mistook his belief system and wife's forgiveness for permission and lower standards.  He thought for some reason, that since she was so kind and forgiving, so faithful, that he could do it all again.  Forgiveness does NOT mean permission to sin again. It also does not give us a free pass from the consequences of our actions.  It just means we are forgiven, not re-punished over and over for the same sin.

See Hilary Clinton. She is the epitome of faithful wife who forgives (from what we can see).  And while I would probably never vote for her, she is a class act when it comes to a cheating husband in office. Bill learned one thing from her: don't be too...

Arrogant.  Just because we are loved, just because we are forgiven, does not mean we are better, that we are free from rules or somehow cheated the system.  We only cheated ourselves because we were...

Too smart.  We thought we had it all figured out.  We think our way is the best, we have an ultimate right to it and our own happiness was put first.  But that is not sensible thinking, it is simply...

Too  visceral.  Quit thinking with your heart and your genitalia.  We are possessed with what makes our heart go thump thump and our groin grow warm.  We forget that our gut is where God is- deep within us, in a place that is instinctual and very rarely wrong.   We use sex and sexuality for all the wrong reasons and we wonder why others look at us like we are a train wreck.  But that is because we ...

Didn't change  our M.O..  Yup.  We refuse to change and think we can still do the same old thing and get different results.  It doesn't work folks.  We have to stop...

Assuming and observe with new eyes.  We will never be able to overcome our weaknesses until we call them what they are, hold ourselves accountable, expect to be weak again and set up a safety net, seek forgiveness and quit making it all about us.

So what does this have to do with 9/11  and Syria you ask?  We  have done the same thing  that pissed off proper Islam- we flaunt our sexuality and think we have an innate right to do so without consequences America.  And we almost did the same thing again with Syria- we almost went to war when we did not need to.  We are bound to do the same thing with a new financial collapse if we do not learn to take our punches when we make financial mistakes and tighten our belts instead of upping our limits. Let's not be Anthony Wiener- flipping off the world when we make a mistake.  Let's suck up, apologize, own up, and make it right.  

The Hopeful Side of Experience

The other day I posted about how experience and being 'connected' are two very different things on the internet.  Although I meant every word of what I said, there is another side to the story, a side that I like to call hopefulness.  The sunny side.

I live my life as a nomad.  We move every few years and I have to start all over.  A new church, a new school, new neighbors and coworkers to get to know.  A new doctor and dentist, grocer and tea house.
I leave behind friends and old acquaintances that all made a place seem like home.  I leave behind the connections that make me feel like I matter in this world and someone sees me.  Ten years ago, I would have had to call a lot or send a lot of letters (emails for some) in order to maintain the connection as I build new ones in my new place.

With the internet, new options and new ways to stay connected have arrived.  While my best friend of 20 years may not be able to come clean the kitchen after my being too sick for 4 days or pick up the kids from school because I am in an appointment, she can give me comfort over a webcam with a mutual cup of tea.  We can each make the same kind, buy the same cookie (my crack cookie is Thanks A Lot by Girl Scouts) and then share in those same scents and tastes even as we look at each other with our hair mussed and pj's on.  There is a comfort found.

There is also a connection that makes the loneliness at night far less distressing.  At 3 am, I can hardly pick up the phone to call someone to see if they are awake- but I can glance at a screen and see they are on and active- and we can chat away, waking no one else.

My children can share an art project or an A paper with grandma on the other coast through a simple text or scan and when I have forgotten a birthday, I can create a lovely personal card and send in moments.  I can even lend my latest ebook to a friend to read and share comments online with.

As a seminarian, there is even more.  I am a student online, completing my Master of Divinity at Luther Seminary almost completely through the Internet and local congregational work.  I get to know my classmates through chats and conferences, facebook and even a rousing round of word games that spans space and time.  In the book, Click2Save, the authors note, "It's about how you connect in meaningful, personal ways with people across diverse networks."

For all the lack of connection, there is a greater one being made- a fine but sturdy thread of connectivity that allows me to grow my faith, to share with others, to  build community that is bigger than my human body can ever dream of creating with its physical limitations.  It is a new way to see the Holy Spirit at work, the thread of life that connects us all, glistening in the sun, showing us, that no matter how alone I may feel in my worst moments, I am not.  You are there- my community of faith, of love, of friendship.  And through that, my new community will be built too-  the one that does drop off dinner after surgery or take you Black Friday Shopping.  One does not preclude the other, instead, if we let them, they balance and compliment each other.

That is the good side of experience through connectivity.  It is the hope that shines through- that proves that no matter how lonely and disconnected the Internet may seem, it is still community with great value, just in a new currency.

Learn more about Click2Save by Elizabeth Drescher and Keith Anderson, 2012. 

Does connection mean experience?

Well I am "connected", does that count?
I tweet, I am on facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, classmates, Skype, and cafe-mom to name a few
I have learned by blackboard on tiger-tracks, on myluthernet and more with classmates in Turkey, Norway, Australia and China.
I blog on blogger,  yelp, and google+.
I share books and pics and songs and more through goodreads, instagram and YouTube
I read on my kindle and ipad, sharing notes with other readers I have never met.
I learn about makeup and crafts and see what my daughter is drawing lately through pinterest and deviantart.
I resource my sermons through a broad number of sites for history, scripture, sermon style, and public speaking.
I email and text, I even teach using google+ and YouTube.

But.... am I experienced? I don't know.  I know how to use analytics and I blog more than randomly. I work Veteran suicide prevention with a team that is all over the world simultaneously.  But  am I making a connection that is real?

My favorite movie is 10 Things I Hate About You- I loved it before most people know who Heath Ledger was... and my favorite line is this:

Tell me something true, tell me something real, something no one else knows. 

On my worst days, I curl into my husbands arms and softly whisper these words.  He knows that means it has been a day I only want to cry over.  That I have seen through my eyes, through a screen through my phone and my monitor that the world is a sad, broken, hurting, and devastated place.  It is bereft of hope and in those moments, I sure as heck feel connected.

But then someone I love dies.  And there is no connection.  I can post my pain, I can blog up a storm- but the community I have built- it can reach into my heart, but it does not pat my shoulder, it does not make me a cup of hot tea and tell me to curl up on the couch for a nap and good cry.  It does not deliver dinner for a break, it does not pick up sick kids from school.  And I wonder- is anybody out there.

And considering all this, that I know what it is to be connected and also alone in this great big cyber world, then yes. I would say, I am experienced too.


Learn more about the idea of "understanding how deeply relational and embodied learning is" and why this matters to a seminarian by reading Engaging Technology in Theological Education by Mary Hess, 2005.