Tag Archives: gifts

An Incensed Pacifist and the story of the Chickens

Posted on August 23, 2012 by | Comments Off

Another guest post today from Tarah Van De Wiele, an amazing theologian and Biblical scholar living as an ex-pat in England.  You can read more about her and her adventures and her adventures living outside the U.S. at ever popular blog: 2 People, 2 Dogs & 10 Bags.

 I am a pacifist. But historically I am an incensed one.

This is why it has finally become dire that I expend the energy built up inside me from the endless culture wars that inform our language, plague our dinner tables, and crawl across the TV screen like some bug you can’t seem to swat away. Are you pro or anti? Red or blue? Straight or gay? Black or white? Male or female? Enough. Al. Ready.

Chickens

Chickens (Photo credit: Allie’s.Dad)

The latest culture war sparked by a certain chicken restaurant completely caught me off guard. I spent an entire day stalking the web for pictures of people fighting in the war. After a few hours I managed to succumb to the purest form of rage available to an incensed pacifist, and began to brainstorm what smart but highly insulting sign I would distribute, what post I would send viral, what boycott I would demand. And the only question by 4 in the afternoon was not if I should curse but HOW MUCH.

And then the chickens showed up. Continue reading →

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Loaves, Fishes, and Brisket at Flipside: Fear doesn’t have to drive our friendships or our economics.

Posted on May 31, 2012 by | 1 Comment

In the story of the loaves and fishes, Jesus takes the little bit of food offered to him from a small boy and breaks it, blesses it and gives it to those who had been following him for days who had become hungry.   That small gift ends up feeding several thousand people to the point where there are several baskets full after everyone has eaten.   It is  another one of the miracles a lot of people love to reference to show Jesus’ supernatural powers.   But I spent some time with some friends this weekend that reminded me of another reading of that story.   It is one with less magic but one that might actually be a bigger miracle. Continue reading →

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Posted in The Burner life

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Be the Burn You Want to See in the World: The way the week before Burning Flipside makes me want to change the world.

Posted on May 19, 2012 by | 3 Comments

 (dedicated to my dear friends from RedCamp)

This year will be my eighth year at Burning Flipside.   While I certainly have a lot of amazing memories and moments (like, I dunno, burning a two story hula dancer for example?) my favorite time at flipside is always the hours right at 

dusk.  Things quiet down just a little as people return to their camps to get a little grub, cover themselves in paint, fetch their poi for fire dancing, grab all the fabulous they can fit in a  fanny pack,  and rinse the cup to carry with them.   It is a moment of both frantic scrambling around and wild anticipation.  Adventure lies ahead. Continue reading →

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Posted in The Burner life, Uncategorized

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How to Kill a Moment of Grace with Two Quarters and a Pack of Gum.

Posted on May 7, 2012 by | 5 Comments

I am almost never disappointed by a ride on the bus in Austin.   To try to explain why is as hard as to try  to explain what is amazing at Burning Man or Burning Flipside. There are too many un-photographable moments and too many unrealistic stories you have to experience  to make you a believer.   But this particular story has bugged me for days, and keeps changing the way I see relationships.  Now to be fair, I was already cranky.  I spent one and a half hours each way on the bus for an errand that should have taken a half hour and took three.  Even so, this seemingly insignificant moment was heartbreaking.  It was kindness turned against itself.  It was a moment turned against grace.   And it was executed with two quarters and a pack of Big Red gum. Continue reading →

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Posted in The Burner life, Tohu-Bohu

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Welcome. Let us Work Toward a Hard Goodbye. — Living well in the discovery and the loss of friendships.

Posted on April 26, 2012 by | 1 Comment

“Well,” Fr. Francis said, “That is a relationship and relationships go through transitions.”   Of all of the things I have been mulling over in trying to make sense of a painful friendship, this one made the difference.  It was so simple, and apparently truthful because it made my gut ache. Continue reading →

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Posted in Tohu-Bohu

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“Put a Sock-Puppet in It,” Ancient wisdom that it is better to make a sock puppet than to be one.

Posted on April 18, 2012 by | 2 Comments

This is a guest post of mine on an otherwise lovley and insightful blog, “Knitting Benedict: The Rule…by hand.”  This is one of my favorite blogs to regular.   There is hardly a better way, than I can imgaine, to glean wisdom an ancient book of instruction than by taking small bites of it and chewing slowly while working with your hands on small stuff.  ”Work and pray,” says saint Benedict.

I am in the middle of forging a batch of sock puppets. As I do I cannot help but see the contrasts between the kinds of toys I am fashioning and a stern bit of advice from Benedict’s rule: don’t speak unless spoken to. Continue reading →

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Posted in Tohu-Bohu

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Five Un-truths of Easter

Posted on April 9, 2012 by | 11 Comments


There are somethings we can mistakenly embrace about Easter that distract us from the real hope that can help shape our lives.  These things are worth evaluating, not to deflate us, but to focus us on where the real hope lies. Continue reading →

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Posted in Living in Easter

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“How many hands does it take to wash two feet? All of ours”: One of the defining moments of my life.

Posted on April 5, 2012 by | 6 Comments

John’s body was less like mine than anyone else’s in the room.  In that room full of people with some very unique bodies and abilities, that was saying a lot.   Everything in this particular prayer service was going to have a lot to do with what bodies can and cannot do, and how we live with that.  It was this night I found and answered a new question:, “How many bodies it take to wash two feet?”  Answer: All of ours. Continue reading →

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Posted in "Disappointed with God"

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Help Me Get This Sadness Out My House. A Story About Rubber Gloves and Grace.

Posted on February 28, 2012 by | 13 Comments

Years ago I got caught in a pretty debilitating depression.  I let things snowball to a point I felt I had little or no refuge left. Every part of life looked bleak including my own bedroom.     On weekends I would lie in bed all day and look at piles of laundry, fast food wrappers, stacks of unopened bills and just junk.   Blech.  It literally made it hard to get out of bed in the morning (or sometimes in the afternoon). One could sprain an ankle on the way to the bathroom.  At one point it became difficult for me to imagine that the room would ever be clean. I would lie in bed and pray, “please, someone come and get this sadness out my house.”  To my great surprise, one time, someone did. Continue reading →

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Posted in Tohu-Bohu

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St. Benedict goes to Burning Man.

Posted on February 20, 2012 by | 9 Comments

What do Benedictines have to do with Burning Man?.   Well, not much.   It is a Ven diagram with very little overlap ( I think I’ll wear my leopard skin habit with the blinky hood? #notsomuch).  But there is a reason I live happily wedged between these two very self-conscious groups of trouble makers.  And as we tip-toe across these last few hours of ordinary time and into a new season (meaning different things to each community) I have been compelled to really reflect on what is happening in my life because I how I live with these people and all of their, well, religious practices. Continue reading →

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Posted in The Burner life, Tohu-Bohu

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