A Topic

It is easier to talk about things and about other people than it is to speak with those others. These words recently spoken by one of my friends older and more experienced than I. He said it with a little smile and even a twinkle in his eye. The occasion of those words was simply near end of a conversation we had been having, good intentions and all, about a dilemma both of us obviously aware a ‘little more’ was needed to address it properly. These are good words from my elderly friend, also words easier to write about than put into practice.

I have a neighbor who comes to mind. Our lives have crossed and intertwined for thirty plus years. We have helped each other build fences, cut down trees, and many chit chats in the back alley between our properties. About three years ago his lawn suddenly went into disrepair and lapsed into a slightly ragged look, totally uncharacteristic of this my friend. So one day after ringing his doorbells several times, no answer, I went into neighbor mode, grabbed my rake and tools and began to scratch around on his grass determining this to be my job, given the history we already shared. Wrong!! He stormed out of his house and told me to go mind my own goddamn business. My sputtering responses wondering if they were okay, etc. not even answered. My poking in his lawn was offensive, seemed not to be understood. He cannot face me now. We have not spoken since. I grieve our lapsed relationship every day. Something gone wrong. I spare you my speculations.

I think of my recent blogpost “When I don’t Write” – and the thoughtful responses from several of you. In that post I made case for laying off the verbiage a bit, give it a break, also realizing that that is but for a time. Indeed further thinking brings to mind the Old Testament wisdom  saying, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). With time moving along things change. There is a time to write but the writing (blogs in this case) not the full extant either. Even as I said then, writing is more than making good sentences. To sit here at my laptop and type away is to make it a topic. Topics garner opinions, and opinions in and of themselves not the whole picture.

Media (especially social media) is an especial illustration of incomplete communication. Not only incomplete, but divisive, especially if worded in hyperbole – negatively or cynically – yielding usually an equal and opposite response. Right, we are still in opinions! Enter journalists, and the reading populace and the coffee shop and watering holes. By now it is a mixture of entertainment and even bullying as sometimes the person with the loudest voice or best joke wins the round. And yes journalists capitalize on this trend, making their hefty wage fueling these fires of half-truths and strong opinions. Nothing new, that danger has always been, Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark (James 3:5). Yes, most of our light reading or listening is treated to at least a liberal or a conservative version of opinion, my city of Calgary with at least two firestarters. Choose your gospel for the day; Rick Bell entertains the rednecks and Don Braid the progressives (as liberal as Alberta will tolerate)! They are both interesting writers and both have their on days and off days.

To write or not to write, to speak or not to speak. Occasions or incidents can so easily become mere topics, and topics run even farther afield of communication, to say nothing of the truth. At this point it’s important to me (writing from my faith vantage obviously) to pause and reflect on how I, or any of us reading here, practice a faith that believes in God/Creator/Allah. This morning my wife and I read from James chapter 2, our morning read. What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? (:14). The topic was actually about deeds, or physical acts of compassion which need to show up as evidence of our faith. I posit that these good deeds, important as they are, need to come out of an inner spirit that is empowered, enabled by the very God we have faith in. And that is more than opinions or topics so readily peddled. As I have said many times previously, God is beyond all this and also beyond description, beyond words or explanation and certainly beyond the myriads of Christian denominations either blossoming or dying these days. Recently I heard the best sermon I have heard in years, perhaps the most forthright ever. It came from someone not of my tradition, most profoundly a man of faith and undeniable confidence. Here is a brief quote.

I am greatly concerned that so many people seem to believe that it is completely acceptable to condemn,

malign, and vilify anyone who does not agree with them.

Many seem eager to damage another's reputation with pathetic and pithy barbs.

Anger never persuades. Hostility builds no one.

Contention never leads to inspired solutions.

Regrettably, we sometimes see contentious behavior even within our own ranks. We hear of those who belittle their spouses and children,

of those who use angry outbursts to control others,

and of those who punish family members with the silent treatment.

We hear of youth and children who bully

and of employees who defame their colleagues.

My dear brothers and sisters, this should not be.

As disciples of Jesus Christ,

we are to be examples of how to interact with others,

especially when we have differences of opinion.[i]

So said Dr. Nelson, current President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The respected teachings of this notable modern day Prophet are pastoral and biblical. While I do not concur with the extra-biblical sourcing of this faith community, I fully concur with this sermon, a message for all people, quoting Jesus from the Holy Bible in support of his words. Especially significant is his appeal to a universal civility, directed to the temple faithful which in fact becomes a message also to any of us who wish to hear (Yes it is in public domain). How do we speak of theology, of politics, of relational and family problems, and other faith traditions? The title of this sermon was “Peacemakers Needed.” Needless to say this title drew immediate attention from this peace church preacher! 😏 Within our ranks and in many others, we are progressives, liberals, conservatives, or heathen (at least as per the labels we tag on each other). Can we give heed to the message of Jesus spoken here? This is a message for all. With help from this elder Prophet (he’s 99 years old) I ask myself and all of us: Are we political or theological topics or are we a community? We definitely need each other.

Come to think of it, perhaps one of these days an opportunity will come for me to tell my neighbor about this head of the 'Mormon church' who recently told his people and all of us that we need to be peaceable in relating to one another. Wouldn’t it be nice then if this Mennonite and this Anglican could have some chuckles about that and then just plain old get back on speaking terms?

---

[i]Dr. Russell M. Nelson, “Peacemakers Needed,” General Conference, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, April 2, 2023.

 

Victim or Guest?

Dec. 5/03

"Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:6)

Apprehensions abound

A person of faith wishes to believe the best

And it’s good to anticipate the best

But my truck is almost ready and I hope I made right decisions.

 

Two days ago the turbo blew

22000 kms beyond warranty!

I chose to have repairs done by the same people who provided the tow.

Although not certified for warranty work they seemed credible

And it was cheaper than having truck towed 150 miles to Freightliner in Missoula.

My prayer has been that I make the most informed expedient decisions

In this undesirable circumstance.

 

It’s 10:00 a.m. and apparently truck is about ready.

I will be appreciative

I will review their parts and service warranty

I will request evidence of parts coming from Freightliner Missoula

I will fax this info to Calgary Freightliner.

 

Everybody is ex-military

And all conversations turn to liberal or conservative

And I can feel who are the bad guys

And the American mentality is so easily recognized.

Even as I can smell a person’s allegiances quickly

So they probably smell mine.

Without paranoia, my caution is however needed to assure that I not be victimized by this unfortunate breakdown in Montana.

Lord God, please let this be an honorable and a gracious business transaction.

Into thy hands I commit this day.

 

(Insert many years later, Nov. 1, 2017:  No problem whatsoever with that repair job. In fact I read the above with gratitude both for my clear thinking at that time, and also the good service and workmanship provided by that repair shop).

(Insert even more years later, Sept. 6, 2023: And gratitude still for good incidents like this. Life was considerably civil during those o/o years).

When I don't Write

In the last several months I have experimented with a new vantage for writing. I told myself to lay off the verbiage a bit. That has worked for a while, indeed a few less blogposts but also a few more thoughts chasing around in my brain. Now I wonder about so and so – are they waiting for my thoughts? Or are they perhaps relieved that for now it's a little less verbosity? This of course immediately accompanied by my own self-styled philosophy “to thine own self be true” still "saying it as I sees it". And ... there are some freshly troubling responses from several editor-types, suggesting I might read this and this such and such books about creative writing, and also a query about might I want to write a series on...? 😐 To date I have experienced both encouragement and discouragement from the experts.

And then back to that other thought, what if my bona fides perhaps only read out of obligation? That would be horrible. And then, a further awareness. A few of my other friends keep cranking 'em out, probably totally free of this my own self-created anxiety, some of their productions profound, and some kind of so so. I guess they don't need my kind of a break! Obviously we have here a subject bigger than the creation of nice sentences. I too have read a few creative writing type tomes, and also some creations by those who are slavish about following those writing tips, and … I just know my writing is not happy following too many instructions. This is part of what's on my mind during this current slightly sputtering accumulation of non-posts.

And of course I read books; just read The New Morningside Papers [i] by the infamous Peter Gzowski who was host of CBC’s Morningside for five years (1982-1987), yielding a publication in 1985, a Canadian best-seller – 50,000 copies I think - and now this follow-up more little stories by those who respond to his requests to "write something." It's just more of the same, if there is a same to the hundreds and hundreds of ordinary people who write in. These people from everywhere wrote answers just because he asked them to write briefly (one page usually) about this or that. When you ask people about this or that, and if you’re interested in their replies, of a sudden people write out of their absolute best space, and that will yield best-sellers! 

What fascinates me about Gzowski is that his bio reads a bit like the makings of a loser. His parents split shortly after he was born; as a young adult reconnected with his birth father, attended same undergrad college as his dad, but got bored and quit, followed by series of impressive jobs like editor of MacLean’s magazine, but none lasted very long, until eventually we in this country of Canada came to know and still remember the slow talking slightly sleepy Morningside personality. He also smoked about 75 cigarettes a day, not exactly an exemplary habit, and it probably contributed to his rather early death in 2002.

Apparently public speaking contains similar ironies. Some of the best speakers do not read from a script; they just make sure of their message and proceed to speak about it. Nonetheless these same speakers can be quite irritating to their audiences if they merely go on and on with their creative imagery not going anywhere. The message must live within the speaker. I for one do not mind information boringly presented if I can feel it’s going somewhere! Enter the former world of Toastmasters and present day of Ted Talks. What is the right way, the creative way, the best-seller way? Back to Peter Gzowski. He tells of one occasion interviewing CBC’s greatest storyteller Stuart McLean, the interview quickly went off the rails - got mired in the giggles. Something at beginning had struck both their funnybones and the interview became a disaster, unable to finish because they were killing themselves with laughter. Says Gzowski, Open and uncontrolled laughter. We are gone. … Tears are running down my cheeks. We can’t look each other in the eye. “We’d better play some music,” I say, and the control room saves us. [ii]  It became a hit! Everybody loved listening to the two suffering conversationalists! Canada's greatest talk show host broke all the rules.

I have a good friend - my cousin actually – who comes to mind here not because he is an excellent writer (Although he most certainly is that. I know he's read one or two of those how-to books also). He comes to mind here because recently touched on this very topic in one of his blogs, “The Poet Pastor” [iii], quoting a Lutheran minister who says today the church is decluttered, in other words the real essence of today's church is not all those identifiers like street addresses and theological variations, ecumenical, evangelical, progressive or fundamentalist, organized into hundreds of denominations and sub-denominations, etc. This has become too complex, says Abe. The real essence is not in all of this. Faith communities need to be much aware of the Source of their life moreso than clergy job descriptions and denominational affiliation. Rather than preachers who try to explain things we need poet pastors! His reference to notables like Albert Einstein and others makes the assertion that there is more reality in the imagination, in artistry, than in knowledge. The decluttering reference gets me thinking also about our faith communities still carrying considerable clutter - more decluttering needed in order to experience in a greater way the great continuing promise of God above and beyond the clutter. It's actually quite obvious in the Bible (and no need to write yet another commentary!): Ruach, God’s breath there in the beginning (Genesis 2:7); continuing Comforter, or paraclete as promised by Jesus (John 16:7); and at the end of time the Lamb (Revelation 5:6).

And one more thing, perhaps unnecessary especially when writing about not writing! I conclude with what’s kind of a no-brainer, came as a gift from an elder in our church who still writes reflectively, albeit briefly. He tells of Jesus’ conversation with Nathaniel (John 1:47) [iv], recognizes him as an Israelite “in whom there is no deceit.” From this vantage of Jesus recognizing the genuine disciple, brother Strempler provides a timely teaching for us all, the importance of holding our egos in check. Easy to be overcome by clouds of self-deceit, self-preoccupation and egocentrism blocking out the light of God. 

 

Romans 3:23 anybody? All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Good reminder even among my efforts at a little less verbal clutter. And I don’t even mind if it sounds a little Baptist. 😏

 

 

 

 

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[i] Peter Gzowski, The New Morningside Papers (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart), 1987.

[ii] Ibid. p 29.

[iii] Abe Janzen, “The Poet Pastor,” http://somemessynotes.wordpress.com, August 5, 2023.

[iv] Erwin Strempler, “Without Deceit”, email sent to reading group, August 20, 2023.