We spent the day in London yesterday, not a bad way to spend my birthday (I will need to be very creative for Rachel’s next birthday as today will be hard to top). We toured Wesley’s home where he spent the last years of his life, his grave, and a preaching chapel he had built after the closing of “The Foundry” (a building used by Wesley to house the poor, a boarding school, a chapel, and a printing press). The house was tastefully preserved with his original furniture, death bed, books, and prayer closet kneeler still in tact. They even had a replica of Wesley’s chamber horse (the 18th century version of exercise equipment like the ab-roller or bo-flex) for the girls to try out. Rachel had a go at it too. Most meaningful to me would have to be entering Wesley’s prayer closet. I could just picture him rising at 4:00a.m., as was his custom, entering the small room off his bedroom, closing the door, and connecting with God through prayer. When we look at the impact of this tiny man, it is clear to see where the power of his influence derived—-behind those doors.
A thought came to me this evening. We have many pastors in our conference who toil endlessly and selflessly, accomplishing great things behind the scenes that often go unnoticed. Perhaps as a way of memorializing their efforts we could design commemorative Bobble-Heads and trading cards. The Bobble-Heads would nicely display oversized caricatures of the preachers’ heads bobbing up and down, as if they were nodding in agreement to a fine sermon, mounted on tiny bodies of the preachers sporting their Sunday best. The trading cards would vary between posed photographs and in-action preaching shots, complete with statistical information on the back (i.e. number of baptisms performed, years of service, weddings officiated, etc.). I can almost hear the children speaking with excitement, “I’ll trade you one Pastor Steve for a Pastor Dave…It’s his rookie year!!!”
Absurd though it seems, I am afraid some people went a similar direction following and even during John Wesley’s day. Even toward the end of his life, people were producing porcelain figurines of Wesley and other collectible trinkets. Wesley lived with celebrity notoriety. I must say, I found it somewhat disappointing to walk into the chapel and see how it didn’t take long after Wesley’s death for the simply, yet elegantly, constructed preaching house and place of worship to become transformed into a type of Methodist preacher “Hall of Fame” complete with busts and commemorative stone plaques posted throughout the chapel. It was quite a contrast to the New Room in Bristol (the oldest Methodist meeting house formed by Wesley), which preserved the simplicity and essence of what these meeting houses were all about. I can’t help but wonder, “What would John think about all this?”
I think his grave marker says it best, it’s not about the instrument, “Give God Glory!”
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
History in my Hands
In a previous posting, I mentioned the Bodleian Library or “The Bod” as students affectionately refer to it. The Bodleian itself has a rich history. It is customary for the library not to lend books. All reading must be done onsite. In fact, one anecdotal story tells of a former king who was refused the opportunity to check out a book because of their strict rules. In order for me to receive a library card, I had to fill out an application, be approved, and take an oath that I would not destroy the property or bring open flame into the building. I willingly agreed. One of the professors in the residential hall where we reside was kind enough to write a recommendation for access into the library’s special collections. Today, I made use of this privilege. I had two sets of manuscripts set aside for me. One was a collection of 12th to 13th century Latin texts including manuscripts of some of the writings of Bernard of Clairvaux (this is a focus of my studies here). I don’t actually read Latin, but from my background in Greek, Spanish, and I am pretty good with English, I can get the gist of Latin. However, these texts were written very small and very fancy, in other words, I didn’t have a clue what it said. Needless to say, I didn’t spend much time with this collection, although it was exciting to hold a set of writings that old.
I did, however, spend some significant time looking at the second set of manuscripts. I was searching for some letters by John Wesley. One letter appeared in a collection of 18th century letters owned by a 19th century collector, later donated to the library. As I began searching for Wesley’s letters, I was amazed to realize the richness of the original handwritten letters I was holding. I enjoyed the opportunity to hold letters written by Charles Dickens, George Washington, William Cowper, Thomas Paine, a poem handwritten by Percy Shelley, Isaac Watts, William Wilberforce, John Wesley, and a letter from Charles Wesley written to George Whitefield. To see their personal dealings placed these historical giants into the realm of reality. George Washington, writing from Mount Vernon, was interested in ordering red clover seeds and was earlier distraught about a missing shipment of tobacco. Thomas Paine was presenting a copy of his book “The Decline and Fall of the English System of Finance” to the Council of Ancients. William Wilberforce wrote about getting a banned book of his into Aberdeen. It was a fascinating day indeed.
I did, however, spend some significant time looking at the second set of manuscripts. I was searching for some letters by John Wesley. One letter appeared in a collection of 18th century letters owned by a 19th century collector, later donated to the library. As I began searching for Wesley’s letters, I was amazed to realize the richness of the original handwritten letters I was holding. I enjoyed the opportunity to hold letters written by Charles Dickens, George Washington, William Cowper, Thomas Paine, a poem handwritten by Percy Shelley, Isaac Watts, William Wilberforce, John Wesley, and a letter from Charles Wesley written to George Whitefield. To see their personal dealings placed these historical giants into the realm of reality. George Washington, writing from Mount Vernon, was interested in ordering red clover seeds and was earlier distraught about a missing shipment of tobacco. Thomas Paine was presenting a copy of his book “The Decline and Fall of the English System of Finance” to the Council of Ancients. William Wilberforce wrote about getting a banned book of his into Aberdeen. It was a fascinating day indeed.
A Full Week with Many Things Wesley
I am sorry for the lack of updates this past week. As I recount the travels, I think you will understand. There is a lot I could say in terms of reflection for each day, however for the sake of time my reflections unfortunately will have to wait until another time.
Sunday, we attended a Methodist church in Oxford. It was a wonderful communion service. In the evening, we went out to dinner with my uncle and aunt to begin our week together with them serving as our tour guides.
Monday, we drove to Wales to visit my Aunt’s mom, Sheila. Along the way, we stopped at a few old English and Welsh towns. One church we visited dated back to the 13th century. You know a building is old when the “newer” grave markers are dated from the 17th century. That night we had a wonderful meal with Sheila. Her house is the former home of the village miller. The mill itself, dating back to the Medieval period, sits across the street.
Tuesday, we traveled to the ocean. The scene included a rocky cliff covered in sheep, the ocean, rain clouds (a common occurrence in the UK), and a large island named “Worm’s Head.” Upon the return drive toward Sheila’s we stopped to look at an old cottage where John Wesley stayed a number of times as he passed through the town of Oxwich Bay. Complete with thatched roof, the cottage was postcard material.
Wednesday, we visited a museum of Welsh Life. It was the Welsh equivalent to Greenfield Village. That night we stayed in a B & B in Wickwar. The building, now a B & B, once served as a 17th century stable used to house horses of visitors passing through town. On September 5, 1753, John Wesley preached in the streets of Wickwar. It is likely his horse stayed where we slept. However, I think the horse was in a different room, the bed would have been too small.
Thursday, we traveled to Bath. Bath was established as a resort town for the Roman Empire in 43 A.D. The baths were built utilizing the naturally occurring hot springs. The construction, architecture, technology, and even the plumbing used centuries ago were impressive to say the least. It is interesting to think of the likelihood that a person who may have seen Jesus face-to-face may have visited this place. Bath was also a town which John Wesley frequented on his preaching circuit. The man traveled 250,000 miles on horseback throughout his life, there are not too many towns which he missed. Rachel enjoyed walking through a restaurant called “The Pump Room,” any Jane Austen fan would find this a familiar place. That night we returned to my Uncle and Aunt’s home.
Friday, we visited Windsor Castle. Natalie loved seeing a real castle where a real queen lives and soaked in the whole tour. Having recently experienced Disney World, Alana asked if there were any pirates in this ride. I found it interesting to see the grave marker of Henry VIII, the founder of the Church of England (although not under the purest of motives). Probably even more exciting was the opportunity this provided to break out in the popular song by Herman’s Hermits. Friday night we enjoyed visiting with my cousin Sophie. Sophie is a Paralympic equestrian athlete who competes for Great Britain. We asked her to bring her medals from the Athens and Beijing Games. Natalie thought it was really cool to meet Sophie and to hold her medals, especially after seeing footage the night before of Sophie receiving an award from the Queen herself.
Saturday, my uncle and I traveled to Bristol to tour the oldest Methodist church in the world, the New Room as it was called, established by John Wesley. In the upstairs, they preserved John Wesley’s room where he stayed when traveling to Bristol, along with many artifacts relevant to his life. Afterward, the timing worked great allowing us the opportunity to watch my cousin Alex play field hockey for his university in Bristol. I enjoyed watching my first ever field hockey match, however, it was quite cold. I threatened to introduce some American customs like “the wave” and let out a few loud cheers, but I was afraid I would find Alex’s embarrassment threshold.
Sunday, we returned home to Oxford, keeping a low-key day.
Monday, we toured the Oxford Castle. The castle dates back over a thousand years. In more recent years (meaning the past few hundred) it was used as a prison until the mid-1990’s. While in Oxford, John and Charles Wesley used to visit the inmates. When hearing of the extremely harsh treatment the prisoners received, I realized how incredibly revolutionary the Wesley brothers were in ministering to those neglected by society.
Well, you can see it was an incredibly full, educational, exciting, and enjoyable week while also being able to connect with my extended family this side of the Atlantic. Each day would probably deserve its own blog entry, but limited internet access last week prevented it. In a word of summary, WOW! The history here is remarkable. Just wait until you hear what I did today!
Sunday, we attended a Methodist church in Oxford. It was a wonderful communion service. In the evening, we went out to dinner with my uncle and aunt to begin our week together with them serving as our tour guides.
Monday, we drove to Wales to visit my Aunt’s mom, Sheila. Along the way, we stopped at a few old English and Welsh towns. One church we visited dated back to the 13th century. You know a building is old when the “newer” grave markers are dated from the 17th century. That night we had a wonderful meal with Sheila. Her house is the former home of the village miller. The mill itself, dating back to the Medieval period, sits across the street.
Tuesday, we traveled to the ocean. The scene included a rocky cliff covered in sheep, the ocean, rain clouds (a common occurrence in the UK), and a large island named “Worm’s Head.” Upon the return drive toward Sheila’s we stopped to look at an old cottage where John Wesley stayed a number of times as he passed through the town of Oxwich Bay. Complete with thatched roof, the cottage was postcard material.
Wednesday, we visited a museum of Welsh Life. It was the Welsh equivalent to Greenfield Village. That night we stayed in a B & B in Wickwar. The building, now a B & B, once served as a 17th century stable used to house horses of visitors passing through town. On September 5, 1753, John Wesley preached in the streets of Wickwar. It is likely his horse stayed where we slept. However, I think the horse was in a different room, the bed would have been too small.
Thursday, we traveled to Bath. Bath was established as a resort town for the Roman Empire in 43 A.D. The baths were built utilizing the naturally occurring hot springs. The construction, architecture, technology, and even the plumbing used centuries ago were impressive to say the least. It is interesting to think of the likelihood that a person who may have seen Jesus face-to-face may have visited this place. Bath was also a town which John Wesley frequented on his preaching circuit. The man traveled 250,000 miles on horseback throughout his life, there are not too many towns which he missed. Rachel enjoyed walking through a restaurant called “The Pump Room,” any Jane Austen fan would find this a familiar place. That night we returned to my Uncle and Aunt’s home.
Friday, we visited Windsor Castle. Natalie loved seeing a real castle where a real queen lives and soaked in the whole tour. Having recently experienced Disney World, Alana asked if there were any pirates in this ride. I found it interesting to see the grave marker of Henry VIII, the founder of the Church of England (although not under the purest of motives). Probably even more exciting was the opportunity this provided to break out in the popular song by Herman’s Hermits. Friday night we enjoyed visiting with my cousin Sophie. Sophie is a Paralympic equestrian athlete who competes for Great Britain. We asked her to bring her medals from the Athens and Beijing Games. Natalie thought it was really cool to meet Sophie and to hold her medals, especially after seeing footage the night before of Sophie receiving an award from the Queen herself.
Saturday, my uncle and I traveled to Bristol to tour the oldest Methodist church in the world, the New Room as it was called, established by John Wesley. In the upstairs, they preserved John Wesley’s room where he stayed when traveling to Bristol, along with many artifacts relevant to his life. Afterward, the timing worked great allowing us the opportunity to watch my cousin Alex play field hockey for his university in Bristol. I enjoyed watching my first ever field hockey match, however, it was quite cold. I threatened to introduce some American customs like “the wave” and let out a few loud cheers, but I was afraid I would find Alex’s embarrassment threshold.
Sunday, we returned home to Oxford, keeping a low-key day.
Monday, we toured the Oxford Castle. The castle dates back over a thousand years. In more recent years (meaning the past few hundred) it was used as a prison until the mid-1990’s. While in Oxford, John and Charles Wesley used to visit the inmates. When hearing of the extremely harsh treatment the prisoners received, I realized how incredibly revolutionary the Wesley brothers were in ministering to those neglected by society.
Well, you can see it was an incredibly full, educational, exciting, and enjoyable week while also being able to connect with my extended family this side of the Atlantic. Each day would probably deserve its own blog entry, but limited internet access last week prevented it. In a word of summary, WOW! The history here is remarkable. Just wait until you hear what I did today!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Christ Church College
I learned how to do uppercase letters on the kindle finally. I do have two new postings on my computer, but I am still awaiting internet connection, hopefully tomorrow they will post here.
Today, as a family we toured Christ Church College. Christ Church possesses a number of claims to fame. The main entry is located under a magnificent tower designed by Christopher Wren in 1682. The cathedral has portions which date back to the 13th century. John and Charles Wesley were ordained there, as they completed their studies through Christ Church. The 16th century dining hall served as the cafeteria of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies. Natalie enjoyed seeing where the real Alice in Wonderland grew up, while Alana liked the echo her voice made amidst the stone construction.
I wrote about my afternoon in a draft on my computer. Tune in tomorrow.
Today, as a family we toured Christ Church College. Christ Church possesses a number of claims to fame. The main entry is located under a magnificent tower designed by Christopher Wren in 1682. The cathedral has portions which date back to the 13th century. John and Charles Wesley were ordained there, as they completed their studies through Christ Church. The 16th century dining hall served as the cafeteria of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies. Natalie enjoyed seeing where the real Alice in Wonderland grew up, while Alana liked the echo her voice made amidst the stone construction.
I wrote about my afternoon in a draft on my computer. Tune in tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
a great week
it has been a while since my last post i do confess. as you can see from all the lower case letters, i am typing from a kindle. i went to update the blog only to discover that the internet is down.
we had a great week of travel and exploration. i have much to say, but it will have to wait until the internet is up and running tomorrow as this method is quite slow. please stay tuned.
we had a great week of travel and exploration. i have much to say, but it will have to wait until the internet is up and running tomorrow as this method is quite slow. please stay tuned.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Wesley's World
My experiences have given me a bit of insight into John Wesley's world view. Wesley was ordained in the Church of England (called Anglicans outside of England and the Episcopalians as they came to the colonies). Wesley was true to the Church of England throughout his life and never wanted for the Methodists to separate, but the rift made separation eventually inevitable. We are staying in a very traditional, liturgical, high church Church of England residence hall in Oxford. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the community gathers together for morning and evening prayer daily. The prayers are predetermined and often chanted. The liturgy has changed little since Wesley's day. This is the rigor within which he was trained. I find it interesting that Wesley and his cohorts were negatively referred to as "Methodist" because they were so methodical. However, the entire church liturgy was quite methodical, meaning Wesley was really methodical!
I have also observed a few sermons so far. Each sermon has been very well done with a very similar style. Preaching here is very well prepared with the message clearly manuscripted, complete with thesis statement followed by approximately twenty minutes of defense and discourse on the topic. This type of preaching was also common for Wesley's day.
I did some reading this week from a biography on Wesley and some from Wesley's personal journals. A few points struck me in light of the above cultural observations. Let me share the points, then expound on them later. (1) There was a time (for those familiar with Wesley's life, after spending time with the Moravian Peter Bohler) when Wesley gave up pre-prescribed prayers because he found the freedom of heartfelt expression to God through his own praying. (2) Wesley remained quite reluctant about open air preaching, but eventually gave in to George Whitefield's encouragement. (3) His brother Charles experimented with extemporaneous preaching, John was again reluctant, but found it effective.
Reflections: Wesley was raised and trained to be a liturgical, orderly, sophisticated churchman. However, at so many points he (although with hesitation) willingly set his interests aside for the greater good. Wesley was willing to preach in the open air, outside of the comforts of the beautifully constructed cathedrals and churches in order to bring the message of God's love, forgiveness, grace, and holiness to those neglected by the church. He willing set aside his training of presenting a thesis type homily (although not completely) in order to present a clear, understandable message to the unlearned. He set aside the structures of what he knew of prayer in order to connect with God more intimately.
What is more important, the comfort of what we know and like, or setting that all aside to connect more intimately with God and to connect others with God? I hope we would agree on the latter!
I have also observed a few sermons so far. Each sermon has been very well done with a very similar style. Preaching here is very well prepared with the message clearly manuscripted, complete with thesis statement followed by approximately twenty minutes of defense and discourse on the topic. This type of preaching was also common for Wesley's day.
I did some reading this week from a biography on Wesley and some from Wesley's personal journals. A few points struck me in light of the above cultural observations. Let me share the points, then expound on them later. (1) There was a time (for those familiar with Wesley's life, after spending time with the Moravian Peter Bohler) when Wesley gave up pre-prescribed prayers because he found the freedom of heartfelt expression to God through his own praying. (2) Wesley remained quite reluctant about open air preaching, but eventually gave in to George Whitefield's encouragement. (3) His brother Charles experimented with extemporaneous preaching, John was again reluctant, but found it effective.
Reflections: Wesley was raised and trained to be a liturgical, orderly, sophisticated churchman. However, at so many points he (although with hesitation) willingly set his interests aside for the greater good. Wesley was willing to preach in the open air, outside of the comforts of the beautifully constructed cathedrals and churches in order to bring the message of God's love, forgiveness, grace, and holiness to those neglected by the church. He willing set aside his training of presenting a thesis type homily (although not completely) in order to present a clear, understandable message to the unlearned. He set aside the structures of what he knew of prayer in order to connect with God more intimately.
What is more important, the comfort of what we know and like, or setting that all aside to connect more intimately with God and to connect others with God? I hope we would agree on the latter!
General Update
I realized it has been nearly a week since my last posting. The days have been quite full, not excessively busy, but full for sure. This is a brief update on the plan for the week. We are currently staying in Wales in a B & B. The drive in was beautiful! The terrain reminds me a lot of Kentucky near where Rachel and I lived the first three years of our marriage. Complete with rolling hills turning gradually into mountains. We visited a couple medieval churches along the way. You know a church is old when the newer grave markers are dated from the 1600's. One town had a market with buildings nearly 1000 years old (yes, that is the proper number of zeros).
This week we will spend the next couple days touring Wales, then work our way back visiting some of the sites of Methodism, including a cottage where John Wesley stayed and the oldest Methodist meeting house in the world, established by Wesley and built in 1739. We also plan to visit Bath, an old Roman resort dating back to 43 A.D. (no, I did not miss any zeroes). Next weekend, we will stay with my Uncle and Aunt, making the trip into London to catch the site of Wesley's house where he died (death bed still preserved) and chapel where he preached regularly. There is also a museum attached to these two buildings.
It will be a full week to be sure. Hopefully, I will be able to update the blog as we go, but I am not certain of our email access after tomorrow.
This week we will spend the next couple days touring Wales, then work our way back visiting some of the sites of Methodism, including a cottage where John Wesley stayed and the oldest Methodist meeting house in the world, established by Wesley and built in 1739. We also plan to visit Bath, an old Roman resort dating back to 43 A.D. (no, I did not miss any zeroes). Next weekend, we will stay with my Uncle and Aunt, making the trip into London to catch the site of Wesley's house where he died (death bed still preserved) and chapel where he preached regularly. There is also a museum attached to these two buildings.
It will be a full week to be sure. Hopefully, I will be able to update the blog as we go, but I am not certain of our email access after tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Memorial Service in Wales
Saturday, I had the privilege of attending a memorial service for my Aunt’s Father in Wales. After a three hour journey, my first solo flight on the left side of the road, I arrived at a quaint and quite old Methodist Chapel in the mountains. The service was beautiful! My aunt told me I would never hear the hymn “Bread of Heaven” sung anywhere like I would in an old Welsh chapel. I think she was right. The people sang at the top of their lungs as the harmonies reverberated through the old chapel. My Aunt's father was a professor of classics and classical Greek. A former student offered a beautiful tribute capturing his deep love for his subject and his students. Afterward, I enjoyed meeting some of my Aunt's extended family and catching up with my cousins.
I learned a lot about the rich culture which I hope to expand upon in a later post.
I learned a lot about the rich culture which I hope to expand upon in a later post.
The Bodleian Library
I will allow two historic figures in Christianity to describe my day from their own writings, while giving my updated version:
From John Wesley’s Journal: “Being in the Bodleian Library, I light on Mr. Calvin’s account of the case of Michael Servetus…”
From Steve’s blog: “Being in the Bodleian Library, I light on Bernard of Clairvaux’s account of Conversion…”
From Adam Clarke (Published in 1858): “After my labor yesterday at the Bodleian, I went to visit several colleges, and, among the rest, Lincoln, of which Mr. J. Wesley was fellow. One of the poorest-looking of the colleges; but it has been the parent, under God, of the greatest work of a spiritual and reforming nature that has appeared upon earth since the second century. How many millions have been saved since John and Charles Wesley first gave themselves to God in this place!
From Steve's blog: "After my labor today at the Bodleian, I went to visit one college, Lincoln, of which Mr. J. Wesley was fellow..."
From John Wesley’s Journal: “Being in the Bodleian Library, I light on Mr. Calvin’s account of the case of Michael Servetus…”
From Steve’s blog: “Being in the Bodleian Library, I light on Bernard of Clairvaux’s account of Conversion…”
From Adam Clarke (Published in 1858): “After my labor yesterday at the Bodleian, I went to visit several colleges, and, among the rest, Lincoln, of which Mr. J. Wesley was fellow. One of the poorest-looking of the colleges; but it has been the parent, under God, of the greatest work of a spiritual and reforming nature that has appeared upon earth since the second century. How many millions have been saved since John and Charles Wesley first gave themselves to God in this place!
From Steve's blog: "After my labor today at the Bodleian, I went to visit one college, Lincoln, of which Mr. J. Wesley was fellow..."
Update on the Family
Many of my blog entries have revolved around my personal reflections regarding our experiences. Here, I will offer an update on the entire family.
Rachel is doing great! The month in Florida was perfect to aid in her recovery. Having a break from the busy schedule allowed her the rest she needed initially. Later, the warm weather provided her the opportunity to get out walking and running again (Cheryl, be ready). She is also doing quite well here in England. She is able to spend leisure time catching up on some reading. Her love for old British literature has made her bilingual, speaking English in addition to her fluent American. In fact, Rachel is trilingual as she actually spoke Polish before English (oops, I mean “before American”). Responding to her initial impressions of Oxford, Rachel said in English, and I quote, “Brilliant! The spires left me utterly gob smacked straight away.”
Natalie is having a great time also. The weekend before flying to England, we heard Natalie excitedly run out of her bedroom, fly down the stairs, stand in front of us, and give a large grin exposing a small gap in her smile and a hint of blood on her chin as she proudly displayed her first lost tooth. She was thrilled! After arriving in Oxford, we rode a tour bus of the city complete with headsets narrating the history and sites. Upon Natalie’s request, we stayed on for two and a half tours through the city in order for her to take in all the information and listen to the woman’s intriguing British accent. Fortunately, the passes were good for twenty-four hours. She loves learning and enjoys hearing about history and this city has a lot of history! Oxford was home to the real Alice whom Lewis Carroll wrote about in what we know as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Natalie was fascinated as we walked in the store where the real Alice once frequented for penny candy, now converted into an Alice souvenir shop. We have been reading the book before bedtime together. After church yesterday, Natalie had a chance to play with the daughter of one of the professors. The young fourth grader was pleased to set down her school homework, a thick novel written in Latin (school is quite rigorous in Oxford, even for a fourth grader), to go play in the courtyard. Natalie too had a great time and talked about Dorothy, her new British friend, all afternoon.
Alana had difficulty adjusting to the time change at first, consequently, so did the rest of us. She is now adjusted and having a great time. She too is intrigued by the interesting sounding people. Natalie and Alana both purchased an Alice doll from the Alice shop. Alana calls hers “Elvis” instead of Alice. Alana is nearly as amazed at the architecture as the rest of us as she keeps saying “look at that building” as we walk through the city. We walked through a market last week. Alana’s eyes were drawn to the dead pheasants and rabbits displayed in the window. She responded, “People eat the bunnies? EEOOOOH!” as she plugged her nose.
You have heard many of my reflections, but let me give a few things I am particularly enjoying. The history and architecture are incredible! Across the street from where we are staying, Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four minute mile. We saw the pub where C. S. Lewis and Tolkien frequented to discuss with each other their recent books. Many buildings date back to the 16th century or earlier. Tomorrow I intend to spend a large portion of time in the Bodleian Library. One of the professors here was kind enough to write a recommendation allowing me access into the special collections which contain a number of old manuscripts, including (if I am not mistaken) some handwritten manuscripts from John Wesley and countless others. Well, you will see more jottings as time goes on.
Rachel is doing great! The month in Florida was perfect to aid in her recovery. Having a break from the busy schedule allowed her the rest she needed initially. Later, the warm weather provided her the opportunity to get out walking and running again (Cheryl, be ready). She is also doing quite well here in England. She is able to spend leisure time catching up on some reading. Her love for old British literature has made her bilingual, speaking English in addition to her fluent American. In fact, Rachel is trilingual as she actually spoke Polish before English (oops, I mean “before American”). Responding to her initial impressions of Oxford, Rachel said in English, and I quote, “Brilliant! The spires left me utterly gob smacked straight away.”
Natalie is having a great time also. The weekend before flying to England, we heard Natalie excitedly run out of her bedroom, fly down the stairs, stand in front of us, and give a large grin exposing a small gap in her smile and a hint of blood on her chin as she proudly displayed her first lost tooth. She was thrilled! After arriving in Oxford, we rode a tour bus of the city complete with headsets narrating the history and sites. Upon Natalie’s request, we stayed on for two and a half tours through the city in order for her to take in all the information and listen to the woman’s intriguing British accent. Fortunately, the passes were good for twenty-four hours. She loves learning and enjoys hearing about history and this city has a lot of history! Oxford was home to the real Alice whom Lewis Carroll wrote about in what we know as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Natalie was fascinated as we walked in the store where the real Alice once frequented for penny candy, now converted into an Alice souvenir shop. We have been reading the book before bedtime together. After church yesterday, Natalie had a chance to play with the daughter of one of the professors. The young fourth grader was pleased to set down her school homework, a thick novel written in Latin (school is quite rigorous in Oxford, even for a fourth grader), to go play in the courtyard. Natalie too had a great time and talked about Dorothy, her new British friend, all afternoon.
Alana had difficulty adjusting to the time change at first, consequently, so did the rest of us. She is now adjusted and having a great time. She too is intrigued by the interesting sounding people. Natalie and Alana both purchased an Alice doll from the Alice shop. Alana calls hers “Elvis” instead of Alice. Alana is nearly as amazed at the architecture as the rest of us as she keeps saying “look at that building” as we walk through the city. We walked through a market last week. Alana’s eyes were drawn to the dead pheasants and rabbits displayed in the window. She responded, “People eat the bunnies? EEOOOOH!” as she plugged her nose.
You have heard many of my reflections, but let me give a few things I am particularly enjoying. The history and architecture are incredible! Across the street from where we are staying, Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four minute mile. We saw the pub where C. S. Lewis and Tolkien frequented to discuss with each other their recent books. Many buildings date back to the 16th century or earlier. Tomorrow I intend to spend a large portion of time in the Bodleian Library. One of the professors here was kind enough to write a recommendation allowing me access into the special collections which contain a number of old manuscripts, including (if I am not mistaken) some handwritten manuscripts from John Wesley and countless others. Well, you will see more jottings as time goes on.
News about Barb
We received word last night about Barb from church passing away. Rachel and I are deeply saddened to hear this news. We had the privilege of getting to know Barb better over the past few months as she and Rachel were in the hospital at the same time, even rooming together Rachel’s last night. Barb was so much fun; she had a playful side to her. I saw this side of Barb often, but most recently when I walked into Rachel’s hospital room, not knowing that Barb was in the next bed, Barb wanted it this way until just the right time when she could surprise me. Surprise me she did! We all had a good laugh. We will certainly miss her! Our prayers are with John and Carol, the church family, and all those close to Barb.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Routine, Ritual, and Rut
I am staying and studying at an Anglican residential school at the University of Oxford. The school is relatively small, taking up one city block and housing a handful of students, staff, and faculty. As a community, they observe the Anglican hours of prayer in the purest form of the tradition. Twice a day, upon the ringing of the church bells, the community gathers in the chapel for prayer, once per day for mass, and daily for a social time at four o’clock for tea. Yesterday, I enjoyed high tea. However, I soon realized that British tea is not conducive to adjusting to a new time zone. The highly caffeinated, but oh so tasty, mix of tea leaves kept me awake until 2:00 in the morning. This evening I opted out on the tea, but participated in evening prayer. For half an hour, the people gather for a series of predetermined readings, songs, creeds, and prayers. The entire service is recited in chant with the people facing each other in two sets of rows along each side of the chapel. It was actually quite beautiful.
There remains something to be said for routine and ritual. The routines of these hours of prayer ensure that the staff, faculty, and students gather together many times daily for worship, shared prayer, and fellowship. I sense a deep connectedness among the people here and consequently, an open hospitality to my family and me. However, I do wonder how much of the prayer time exists as a heartfelt connection with Almighty God and how much remains as merely going through the motions, caught in the rut of routine. I obviously could not answer this as I cannot see into the hearts of the seemingly sincere participants, but I do wonder.
Routine and ritual remain important dynamics to a vibrant, healthy spirituality. If we fail to schedule in times of spiritual renewal, our schedule produces spiritual failure. However, if we participate in spiritual activities because that is what we always do, our routine becomes dry, devoid of divine encounters. Lack of spiritual routine and ritual, as well as the overdone rut of routine and ritual both leave us empty.
Spiritual vitality comes when we are intentional about our part in connecting with God, yet free to allow God to meet us where we least expect.
There remains something to be said for routine and ritual. The routines of these hours of prayer ensure that the staff, faculty, and students gather together many times daily for worship, shared prayer, and fellowship. I sense a deep connectedness among the people here and consequently, an open hospitality to my family and me. However, I do wonder how much of the prayer time exists as a heartfelt connection with Almighty God and how much remains as merely going through the motions, caught in the rut of routine. I obviously could not answer this as I cannot see into the hearts of the seemingly sincere participants, but I do wonder.
Routine and ritual remain important dynamics to a vibrant, healthy spirituality. If we fail to schedule in times of spiritual renewal, our schedule produces spiritual failure. However, if we participate in spiritual activities because that is what we always do, our routine becomes dry, devoid of divine encounters. Lack of spiritual routine and ritual, as well as the overdone rut of routine and ritual both leave us empty.
Spiritual vitality comes when we are intentional about our part in connecting with God, yet free to allow God to meet us where we least expect.
Reading
I asked for some comments on books you have been reading or a book that has influenced your life. I am still waiting for replies, but allow me to begin the discussion.
During our month in Florida I focused my reading on three main books: (1) the book of Acts from the Bible which chronicles the events of the early church following Jesus’ ascent into heaven, (2) a book by Calvin Miller entitled Loving God Up Close about the intimate relationship we can experience with God through the Holy Spirit, and (3) a good portion of some of the works pertaining to spiritual growth from Bernard of Clairvaux, a twelfth century Christian monk of the Cistercian flavor (I don’t really know what a Cistercian tastes like, but the word flavor seems much more positive in identifying the differences within Christianity, seeing the diversity as something to be celebrated, like the fine selection at Baskin Robins).
These three books could be summarized in one phrase, “it’s all about God.” The title of the book of Acts was early on referred to as The Acts of the Apostles and more recently shortened to simply Acts. However, I think a more accurate title would be The Acts of the Holy Spirit since the acts recorded in the book far exceed any human effort. Rather, what happened early on in the formation of the church was nothing short of miraculous, a display of divine power through the people of God. Calvin Miller’s book Loving God Up Close serves as a great reminder regarding the various ways through which God the Holy Spirit works intimately in our lives, if, of course, we allow this work. Bernard, or Bernie if I may, emphasizes the stages through which we progress as our love for God grows. The climax finds love as completely for God’s sake, not the sake of self.
I will cover Bernie more in the future, but for now, I want these summaries to speak as a collective. From the pen of his own hand, Luke—a doctor and thorough historian—attributes the miraculous impact of the first century church to the working of the Holy Spirit. Bernie, a twelfth century abbot, declares that love in its most mature form remains completely for the sake of God alone. Our contemporary, professor, writer, and artist Calvin Miller finds God the Holy Spirit at the center of all that makes life good and meaningful. In other words, it doesn’t matter the time, the place, the occupation or background . . . It’s all about God!
During our month in Florida I focused my reading on three main books: (1) the book of Acts from the Bible which chronicles the events of the early church following Jesus’ ascent into heaven, (2) a book by Calvin Miller entitled Loving God Up Close about the intimate relationship we can experience with God through the Holy Spirit, and (3) a good portion of some of the works pertaining to spiritual growth from Bernard of Clairvaux, a twelfth century Christian monk of the Cistercian flavor (I don’t really know what a Cistercian tastes like, but the word flavor seems much more positive in identifying the differences within Christianity, seeing the diversity as something to be celebrated, like the fine selection at Baskin Robins).
These three books could be summarized in one phrase, “it’s all about God.” The title of the book of Acts was early on referred to as The Acts of the Apostles and more recently shortened to simply Acts. However, I think a more accurate title would be The Acts of the Holy Spirit since the acts recorded in the book far exceed any human effort. Rather, what happened early on in the formation of the church was nothing short of miraculous, a display of divine power through the people of God. Calvin Miller’s book Loving God Up Close serves as a great reminder regarding the various ways through which God the Holy Spirit works intimately in our lives, if, of course, we allow this work. Bernard, or Bernie if I may, emphasizes the stages through which we progress as our love for God grows. The climax finds love as completely for God’s sake, not the sake of self.
I will cover Bernie more in the future, but for now, I want these summaries to speak as a collective. From the pen of his own hand, Luke—a doctor and thorough historian—attributes the miraculous impact of the first century church to the working of the Holy Spirit. Bernie, a twelfth century abbot, declares that love in its most mature form remains completely for the sake of God alone. Our contemporary, professor, writer, and artist Calvin Miller finds God the Holy Spirit at the center of all that makes life good and meaningful. In other words, it doesn’t matter the time, the place, the occupation or background . . . It’s all about God!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
arrived in england
we arrived in england this morning. stopping to see my uncle and aunt along the way for tea, we drove nervously on the left side of the road to oxford. the city is full of historic structues. the appartment far exceeded our expectations, with the girls getting their own rooms, the sound of the chapel bells tolling for the hours of prayer, and right around the corner from the grocery store and other shopping. i am typing on the kindle until we get the internet up and running on my computer. sorry for the lowercase letters and typing errors. i will update more when my computer works.
p.s. i am waiting for someone to get the ball rolling on the assignment mentioned in the posting below.
p.s. i am waiting for someone to get the ball rolling on the assignment mentioned in the posting below.
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