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Mine, yours or ours
Is it surprising to think that the inner work of leadership is deeply "personal, but not necessarily private?" It seems to be the case with most things in our lives.
Prayer is deeply personal, but the prayer Jesus taught was entirely corporate: "Our Father, give us...our bread...forgive us...as we forgive...lead us...deliver us." There was also the mention of "where two or three are gathered." Worship is deeply personal, but according to scripture it is always done in community.
The little I know (which may be enough to get me in trouble) about Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, suggests that faith is always a deeply personal journey, but one that cannot be divorced from community. Like Christianity, no one can walk the spiritual path for you, but neither can you walk it alone. Personal faith and community are inseparably symbiotic.
Reading over the deluge of economic news, we are constantly reminded of our interconnectedness. As individuals, I may choose what to do with my money, but those choices in conjunction with others' will effect the whole.
It may seem appealing to eliminate the idea of personal ownership or to strike any reference to the first person singular, but legislating the Kingdom of God won't make it come any sooner. By all accounts, communism and capitalism are both failed experiments. One may be the lesser of two evils, but neither are what Jesus seemed to have in mind.
Considering Jesus teachings, modeled in his life and self-giving death, I believe each of us are faced with the daily choice of valuing the community over the personal: "Take up your cross daily..."; "There is no greater love than this, that someone lay down his or her life for a friend"; "as you've done it to the least of these..."; and according to the early church as described in the Acts of the Apostles "And they shared all things in common and gave to any as they had need."
May we each experience the deep personal joy that can only be found in giving ourselves to the community of God.
A 40 day journey with Parker Palmer (& Pastor Kelly)
Oh the places you'll go
40 Days with Parker Palmer
Just so you don't get confused, I am not Parker Palmer. In fact, I've never officially met Parker Palmer. I did attend one of his lectures once. Parker is a Quaker, an educator, a writer and a social reformer. Aside from the several weekly and monthly writing "assigments," I am not like Parker in any of those ways, but several of his books have helped me through some wilderness periods of my life in the past couple of years. When someone brought me this book, (the same someone who suggested this blog,) I knew it was destiny.
Lent has never been the "feel good" season of the church. On Ash Wednesday, we're reminded of our mortality, as we're marked with ashes for our penitential journey. Depending on the which gospel we're reading, on the first Sunday, we always watch Jesus get "driven" or "led" into the widlerness to be tempted. Unlike Christmas and Easter, the church will never have to worry about the retailers taking this season over. It's not easy to sell simplicity, solitude and self-reflection, unless you're talking about self-help books.
As wilderness journey's go, Lent can be a pretty lonely one. That's just how it is with self-reflection. Still, as we step into this stark spiritual wilderness to face God, it might be meaningful to know there are others wandering around in the wilderness too.
I hope your journey is blessed by this blog, the comments shared by other travelers and by the reflections of Parker Palmer.
Lent has never been the "feel good" season of the church. On Ash Wednesday, we're reminded of our mortality, as we're marked with ashes for our penitential journey. Depending on the which gospel we're reading, on the first Sunday, we always watch Jesus get "driven" or "led" into the widlerness to be tempted. Unlike Christmas and Easter, the church will never have to worry about the retailers taking this season over. It's not easy to sell simplicity, solitude and self-reflection, unless you're talking about self-help books.
As wilderness journey's go, Lent can be a pretty lonely one. That's just how it is with self-reflection. Still, as we step into this stark spiritual wilderness to face God, it might be meaningful to know there are others wandering around in the wilderness too.
I hope your journey is blessed by this blog, the comments shared by other travelers and by the reflections of Parker Palmer.
About Me
- Kelly Dahlman-Oeth
- Kirkland, Washington
- I don't know when it happened. It was so subtle, I didn't even notice it, but sometime in the last three or four years, I became one of "them." You know who I'm talking about -"those people" who say things like: "they call that music?" "we never would have been able to wear that," and "What's blogging?" I'm proud to announce, that's all history now. A few thougthful thirty somethings at church dragged me onto facebook, where I immediately became addicted to status updates. Two weeks ago, a wise 50 something person, suggested that "maybe someone should do a blog during Lent," and here I am. At 43 years old, I'm married to the smartest woman I ever met (I still can't figure out how I tricked her into marrying me.) Our four children keep us laughing (and doing laundry.) I'm also part of this great church in Kirkland. The people here keep teaching me how to be a better Christian, which is helpful, since I have to preach to them almost every Sunday.
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