ReImagine

Melody Gates, Sarah Montoya and others from ReIMAGINE's community are putting incredible energy into this protest/ demonstration Saturday April 25th. Please consider joining us at 3 P.M. Saturday. The abduction of child soldiers in Uganda by Joseph Kony may well be something that future generations look back on as we do the Nazi Holocaust or the genocide of Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia. Unfortunately we often only become aware and passionate about these offenses against humanity after the fact. With this situation in Uganda we have the opportunity to be in the know and work for justice and healing now!

 Be a part of the demonstration walk at 3 P.M. on Saturday.  See the invisible children website for details.

THE RESCUE:

On Saturday, 100,000 people will come together around the world in 100 cities to stand in solidarity with over 30,000 children that have been abducted and forced to fight a senseless 23 year long war by the Lord's Resistance Army in East Africa.  We will be waiting to be rescued by a person of great cultural influence on that night.

We will not be leaving until someone of great cultural influence comes and rescues us.  There will be 1900+ young people in attendance on Saturday, and as many as possible will continue to wait it out for our rescuer if no one comes on Saturday evening.

We are meeting at 3:00 PM on Saturday at the corner of Jefferson and Hyde Streets to walk to East Beach (near Crissy Field), where we will be waiting for our rescuer from around 4:00 PM Saturday until as long as it takes.  If you would like to watch the video that better explains the situation, you can find it online at www.therescue.invisiblechildren.com

Don't sleep through the revolution.

In an age of high mobility and social fragmentation, we search for ways
to connect with one another around our deepest values and highest
aspirations. Our longings for “community” are charged with great hope
and too often, with deep disappointments. 

What did Jesus model and teach about our life together?

And what skills and practices help us
cultivate generative Christ-conscious relationships?

In this Learning Lab participants will:

• Explore what Jesus taught about our life together.
• Experiment with core relational postures taught by Jesus (service,
  humility, forgiveness, reconciliation, mercy, discernment, love, honor,
  integrity & mutual submission)
• Practice skills essential to Christ-conscious group life (hospitality, prayer, midrash, collaboration & common table)  

This Learning Lab is a launching pad for ReIMAGINE Tribe’s experiment.
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants may opt to attend a
weekend retreat and join a ReIMAGINE Tribe for the summer.

In high school I was a friend of Herbert Orin Tubbs, a scrappy country boy from Alabama who loved to kill snakes, shoot guns and play basketball.  Herbert, despite what you might imagine from my description, was quite intelligent, and when he graduated was offered a full scholarship to a good private university. Surprisingly Herbert, turned down the scholarship, stayed home and went to a local community college part-time. When I asked him why he turned down the scholarship, he said, “I didn’t feel that tinkle in my nose!” He went on to explain, I won’t say yes to anything unless I feel a tinkle in my nose. I believe its God’s way of talking to me.” Over the next few years that tinkle, apparently, led him to quit college, float between various odd jobs and chase a girl across the country.

We all know someone who speaks with authority about how God or destiny has lead them to make certain decisions. If you are like me, you relish the ring of authority and confidence this brings to a person. But at the same time you are suspicious of such idiosyncratic declarations.  In the most extreme instances, people hear voices that lead them to shoot presidents or go on wild goose chases.  Without dismissing the possibility of clear divine guidance, it takes some patience to discern the path that is opening for each of us.  The ancient voices of scripture offers clear guidance about some ways that are better than others, but this doesn’t always help us know what to do on a Tuesday afternoon. 

It’s hard to know how to get to where you are going unless you know where you are to begin with. In the Quaker tradition seekers are encouraged to listen to the voice of the Spirit, read the circumstances of their lives and receive the wise insight of advisors. Sometimes we need help from others to distinguish between the authentic voice of the Spirit and the phantom voice of our culture or the monkey voices in our heads.  And we need honest feedback from those who know us best to help us recognize our blind spots, self-deceptions and unrealized dignity.

When I was in my early twenties I felt extremely competent and on track with my aspirations and goals. My path was relatively untested. I tended to believe that I was gradually growing out of any of my flaws. But as time passed my view of the world and of myself became more and more nuanced and complicated. People gave me sometimes very painful feedback on my performance, character and capacity.  I often wondered why they didn’t value and utilize all of my supreme talents and capabilities more—and why they didn’t overlook my deficiencies like I did.

Because of the brokenness of our humanity, there is an inevitable gap between how we see ourselves and who we really are. Perhaps as we progress our lives begin to feel more complex and difficult because we become more aware and in touch with reality. We can go several places with this dawning realism. (1) We can choose to deny our vulnerability and brokenness by rejecting or dismissing the feedback we receive; (2) We can become overwhelmingly discouraged, depressed and devastated—choosing fatalism by believing that failure disqualifies us from our dreams; or, (3) We can embrace our vulnerability with a sense of hope, humility and determination to follow the caring voice of the Spirit into greater possibilities.

When Jesus approached Peter to invite him into his enterprise, Peter replied, “Go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man.” Jesus helped Peter realize that there was something of dignity to his life beyond the realism of his brokenness. The apostle Paul recognized that he wasn’t even qualified to accurately evaluate himself, because there was something divine at work in his life greater than himself. At one point in his life he wrote,  “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of people's hearts. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”

This Learning Lab is designed to help support you choosing to face who you really are AND from where you are to find a source of hope, courage and momentum to take your next steps towards vibrancy. The goal is to learn to more consistently choose things that affirm your dignity and propel you into your purpose. We will explore two exercises that will push you toward healthy realism.

EXERCISE 1: PRACTICE EXAMEN. Spend a few minutes before bed reflecting on your day (When was I aware of God’s presence, energy and love? When did I feel alone? What am I grateful for?) Ask God to reveal areas for change and growth.

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26

EXERCISE 2: INVITE FEEDBACK FROM TRUSTED VOICES. Send feedback request letters to 5-7 trusted friends, elders or mentors. Feel free to modify the questions to suit your personal sensibilities. Also think of a decision or issue where you are seeking greater clarity and write out a description to send along with the other feedback questions.

 “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22

“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
       and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from their earnest counsel.”  Proverbs 27:9

“The way of a fool seems right to [them], but a wise [person] listens to advice.” Proverbs 12:15

THE FEEDBACK YOU ARE REQUESTING: 

AFFIRM MY STRENGTHS & POTENTIAL:

•    In what contexts have you seen me most empowered and alive?
•    What do you see as my strengths and gifts?
•    What do you think I was made to do? Where do you see me in 5, 10 or 15 years?
•    Where do you sense God at work in my life?  What is my best contribution to the world? How do I best serve those around me?

HELP ME BECOME MORE AWARE OF GROWTH AREAS:

•    What are my blind spots? Are their any areas where you sense that I lack self-awareness or sensitivity to others? Are there unhelpful ways that I affect the people around me that I might not be aware off?
•    How do I generally come off to people? What impressions do people have of me? Are there positive or negative comments that people make after being with me that would be constructive for me to be aware of? 
•    Where do you sense a need for greater wholeness, growth or maturity in my life?

SHARE YOUR WISDOM AND INSIGHT:

•    What cautions, concerns or advice would you share with me at this time in my life?
•    Right now I am trying to gain clarity on the following life planning decision: (fill in description)
•    The questions I am asking about this issue are: (describe)
•    Knowing the kind of person that I am, what other insights would you share with me about this issue and my questions?

WHO TO INCLUDE IN YOUR CIRCLE OF SUPPORT?

•    People who know you well and are aware of both your dignity and your blind spots
•    People who are safe and can be trusted to give constructive feedback.
•    People who have made an investment in your life (mentors, teachers, employers)
•    People who have a stake in your future.

Tuesday night 35 of us gathered for the first session of EXPERIMENTS IN TRUTH, a 40 day experiment in which we are inviting one another into the laboratory of personal transformation inspired by ancient themes of obedience, surrender and vows. (A vow is a tangible expression of good sentiment). We spent some time exploring some historic and scriptural background on the physicality of spiritual formation, including the relationship between our efforts and the work of the Spirit. As a group we went through a methodical process of developing our individual experiments. This process went something like this:

STEP ONE: EXAMINE YOUR LIFE. Where do you sense the greatest need for transformation in how you live in your body, mind, feelings, time, relationships, spending, possessions, and vocation? We wrote down the first things that came to our minds—and reminded each other that the goal of examen is not shame, but to hear the kind invitation from our maker into rest and more fulfilling paths.

STEP TWO: IDENTIFY THE PRIORITY CHANGES YOU DESIRE.  We looked through our lists and circled the three life energy areas where we sensed the greatest need for transformation. For each we considered how the teaching of Jesus and the ancient scripture speaks to that issue. Then we thought about the habits and systems of choices that have perpetuated the patterns we seek to change.

STEP THREE: DESIGN YOUR EXPERIMENT. We spent time alone and then in pairs brainstorming specific experiments to address the issues we identified—including actions we will abstain from and engage in over the next 40 days.

STEP FOUR: COMMIT TO YOUR PLAN: We worked through the details of our experiments in dyads, putting them down in writing, and signed them as a contract. (Some groups finished and others took theirs home to complete).

A FEW WORDS OF FOCUS & ENCOURAGEMENT:

On face value, these experiments might seem to be more about our effort than God’s intervention. What we are primarily exploring in this Learning Lab are the themes of obedience and submission. There is a point at which transformation requires brute effort and obedience—a change of will reflected in a change of behavior.  Even God cannot go against your will—the power that has been given to you to rule in the kingdom of your body, time, feelings, mind, relationships, money and vocation.  

At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus concluded with a story about wise and foolish builders, suggesting that his message could only be transformative for people who took action to live in the reality of the kingdom he described. With Experiments in Truth we are gently confronted with our responsibility to cooperate with the work of the Spirit by surrendering to the rule of love in the details of our lives. We are trying to act more in line with reality than the fantasy or nightmare world we partially have created for ourselves.  It is an experiment in TRUTH because the message of Jesus calls us into the light of God’s presence, power and care in our world and in our lives.

Through your experiments the next 40 days you are confronting some long-standing habits that you have determined are barriers to flowing in the way of generativity and love. Don’t be surprised if you experience some resistance from your body, your mind and perhaps from some of the people in your life. It is both liberating and discomforting to experiment with new patterns of action.  You can do it! You were made with the power to choose! There may be struggle, but a new way is possible.

REINVENTION!

Cities like San Francisco seem to attract people who wish to reinvent themselves. I’ve seen professional women dressed in financial district attire abruptly change careers, becoming massage therapists or hippy mamas. I watched my 38-year old neighbor, a slacker covered in tattoos, morph into a successful businessman and real estate tycoon. I saw a shy and awkward young women from small town America transform herself into a hipster scene diva in only six months! We are enthralled and inspired by the possibilities of reinvention. But quitting a job, getting a haircut or buying new clothes is often the easiest part. What is more difficult is learning to become a new person from the inside out—discovering new motivations, breaking old habits or finding a source of energy and love that is greater than your own.

One of the reasons Jesus became such a popular teacher among the poor and discontent of his day is that he awakened their hope that “a new way is possible.” Perhaps our fascination with reinvention stems from the deeper longing we have for “newness” to come to our lives—to experience greater freedom, creativity, purpose, vitality, healing, and restoration. Jesus spoke of a new power for living in the reality of the reign of love that can be accessed immediately. He even had the audacity to say, “the kingdom of God is within you.” How can we learn to tap into the generative energy of the Spirit that already dwells in the nearest place of our being? The path Jesus offered his listeners was, “Repent!” In Hebrew this implies “to return” & “to feel sorrow” and the Greek term “metanoia” suggests “to think differently after…  to have a change of mind and heart.” In contemporary vernacular we might say, “Dream up your whole life again! Reinvent yourself. Rethink your whole way of being! Reimagine!” 

Reinvention can sound exciting until you realize that transformation may require painful soul surgery and ongoing therapy of mind and body. We begin to imagine a new way first by considering what the old and tired patterns are that need to change. This practice, sometimes called examin, is illustrated by this ancient prayer:  “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Once you recognize what specifically needs reinvented or reimagined, you can formulate a plan about how you will seek to cooperate with the generative work of the Spirit.

Right now you might be thinking, “Wait, that sounds like hard work? Wouldn’t it be better if I could take a little pink pill or have God magically change me?”  Yes, that would be easier, but you would be missing an essential truth--We were made to cooperate and collaborate with our creator. You have been given great authority and powerful life energy—a mind, body, time, resources, presence in relationships, and natural and cultivated talents. In fact you aren’t far from being a god yourself! But you have probably developed destructive ways of using your essential life energies.  Reinvention and transformation requires that you learn to use your essential life energies in new ways—doing what you are capable of doing to direct and discipline your body, your mind, your resources, your time and talents. If you do what you have the power to do, the creator will do what you cannot. In this way, grace is not opposed to effort and action. This is why one of the earlier followers of Jesus wrote, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, because it is God who works in you to will and to act according to [God’s] good purpose.” The new way to be human is about learning to surrender your life energy to the way of love. This involves taking risks and experimenting with new ways to channel your life energy.

Mahatma Gandhi subtitled his biography “The story of my experiments with truth.” He saw the details of his daily life as a laboratory for learning how to love God and people. Since ancient times earnest spiritual seekers have explored how to discipline their minds and bodies—leveraging their lives towards a greater purpose. An early advocate of the way of Jesus wrote to his apprentice, “train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”  Jesus serves as a model of a life formed by absolute surrender to love. Dallas Willard memorably suggests:

 “The star performer himself didn’t achieve excellence by trying to behave in a certain way only during the game. Instead, he chose an overall life of preparation of mind and body, pouring all his energies into that total preparation...And in this truth lies the secret of the easy yoke: the secret involves living as [Jesus] lived in the entirety of his life-- adopting his overall lifestyle. Following “in his steps” cannot be equated with behaving as he did when he was “on the spot.” To live as Christ lived is to live as he did all of his life....the secret of the standard, historically proven spiritual disciplines is precisely that they do respect and count on the bodily nature of human personality.” (From Spirit of the Disciplines)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  Matthew 11: 28-30