Disqus - Latest Comments for goodwordediting

Re: A Poem for All Saints Day- sometimes I cannot always be there

goodwordediting — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:52:32 -0000

Good question, charity. And GREAT to hear from you again.

I'd say we rarely see the glory in other people. I get so used to the wonders of the world that they start to seem mundane pretty quickly. A good cup of coffee is just something I expect. A little boy (and my little girl, too!) singing in the choir on Sunday is easy to take for granted. I can miss the glory of who they are and who God is in them.

We are made in God's image. We are made for better things. We are made to work in the world and tend the garden of the world. If we can't recognize the excellence that is all around us already, how can we ever dream of adding more excellence to the world? If we can't recognize glory where it already exists, how can we ever hope to live in a way that glorifies God?

Re: A Poem for All Saints Day- sometimes I cannot always be there

goodwordediting — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:21:44 -0000

Thanks, nAncY. As are you and your arts. I need to order some of your art,
by the way...

Re: Poem – The Price of Renewal

goodwordediting — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:52:02 -0000

Laity Lodge is an incredible place. If all goes according to plan, we'll
see you there soon.

Zombies is right. I have a particular affinity for zombies that I can't
quite explain. At this point, book publishing is a waiting game for me. But
I'll be sure to let you know details as I learn them.

Re: Poem – The Price of Renewal

goodwordediting — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:50:42 -0000

The book is coming well. I'm shopping it around with an agent right now.

Re: Poem – The Price of Renewal

goodwordediting — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:35:40 -0000

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Re: Church online in spirit, Church down the street in flesh

goodwordediting — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:20:31 -0000

Of course. Sorry we didn't reconnect last night. I got to the airport
and things were difficult. We sorted it all out, but I needed all of
my mental capacity.

Re: New Poem about Communion

goodwordediting — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:07:43 -0000

Ted, the idea of restoration vs. consummation comes from my friend, Sam Van Eman. He says God is not just restoring the world to some Eden like state--because Eden would still contain possibility for another fall. Instead, God is going to consummate creation so that there is a new creation.

I don't know what I think of Sam's idea, but I played around with it here.

For me, Communion and the other sacraments/activities of our faith is something that too easily becomes routine. Poetry is a way for me to rethink it, challenge it, hopefully without falling into heresy!

Re: New Poem about Communion

goodwordediting — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:44:13 -0000

Nancy, a slick poem about communion could be dangerous...

Re: New Poem about Communion

goodwordediting — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:42:58 -0000

Ann, it is SO good to hear from you. Thanks for commenting on this one.

Re: The Secret of Contentment No Matter the Size of Your Audience

goodwordediting — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:06:24 -0000

Yup. Be faithful in the small stuff... because it is all small stuff.

Re: inside the heart and mind of todd agnew [an interview]

goodwordediting — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:00:26 -0000

"Christ gives freely and business makes money. They don’t mix well." Ouch. I'm not sure I buy that. What about the parable of the talents? What about the shrewd manager? Sure, Jesus turned over tables in the temple, but he didn't condemn shop owners for running good businesses.

On the other hand, I agree completely with the statements about success. Business success, musical success, or any kind of success is more about whether we are showing a "long obedience in the same direction." Maybe success is obedience, and the rest is details?

Re: My interview with Michael Card about freedom and slavery

goodwordediting — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:02:19 -0000

It definitely stands on its own, Ted. It's very simple and very powerful. I
definitely recommend it.

Re: My interview with Michael Card about freedom and slavery

goodwordediting — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:32:52 -0000

It's really good. Seriously. And you know how I feel about nonfiction, so
it's saying a lot if I finished the book.

Re: Hail Mary, Full of Grace and Controversy – 3 poems

goodwordediting — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:47:46 -0000

Thanks, Ted. I appreciate that.

Re: Should Your To Do List Wear a Halo?

goodwordediting — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:10:30 -0000

Dude L., I think you've identified the heart of our problem. We debate
personal holiness because we are so very competitive. It's not enough just
to run the race, we have to outrun the others. Though really, even Paul's
metaphor implies some kind of competition. Run as if to get the crown.

Of course, Paul isn't really talking about holiness in that passage. Like
you said. Only God is holy.

And yet. And yet. I want to be godly. I want to be a living sacrifice. I
want to not think more highly of myself than I ought to think (constant
battle). And pursuing these things--running after them--doesn't seem too far
away from pursuing personal holiness.

Re: Church online in spirit, Church down the street in flesh

goodwordediting — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:44:50 -0000

I agree completely. Another thing I miss online is shared silence. Our church has lots of shared silence and that is a rare thing in the world. I'm not even quite sure what it would look like online.

Re: Church online in spirit, Church down the street in flesh

Glynn — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:26:30 -0000

Marcus, it is a limitation. But there's also a kind of longing to hear a response, because you value the person the response is coming from. In a way, that longing period is a way to share the silence. But I don't disagree with your point at all -- the church is most the church when you can shake hands with flesh and blood, hear the pain in someone's voice when you pray together, and feel the movement next to you in a pew when the worship is rising upward.

Re: Church online in spirit, Church down the street in flesh

goodwordediting — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:45:05 -0000

Good point about sometimes getting more spirit from those who aren't with us
in body.

Re: Why I don’t go to church

goodwordediting — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:29:20 -0000

Kelly, I agree completely, but since I started working for Howard Butt, I've
grown more accustomed to thinking institutionally in the positive sense.
The church is Christ's body as a metaphor and a reality. But the practical
reality of the church as Christ's body has institutional implications. There
needs to be some kind of organizational structure, some key vision
alignment, someone to decide where we meet and when and how we're going to
pay for the space and who is in charge of keeping the windows clean and who
is going to make sure Aunt Betty receives visitors in the hospital and who
is going to help people stay encouraged throughout the week when their jobs
get them down. Even that sounds a bit limiting, but I don't know how else
people organize around a vision except through some form of organization
with regular meetings and structures and more or less defined roles.

Thanks for visiting from L. L.'s site!

Re: Church online in spirit, Church down the street in flesh

goodwordediting — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:14:18 -0000

What did you go and do that for?

Re: Church online in spirit, Church down the street in flesh

goodwordediting — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:11:26 -0000

Glynn, you said, "What we learned about each other in that time was both
spoken and unspoken." Isn't that the real limitation of net based
relationships? For now at least, there is no way to share silence together.
To be online is to speak or respond in some way.
(For example, my responding to this comment is the way I show my presence
here although I read the comment on Friday evening. There was no community
built exactly until I responded--either publicly or privately in an email.)

Re: Church online in spirit, Church down the street in flesh

goodwordediting — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:08:07 -0000

Interesting, L.L. So you had an almost physical experience of eating food
prepared (in recipe form at least) by your friend Teacher Eric. That makes
the relationship real like Charles says. But I'm still wondering if that
kind of relationship replaces the more traditional neighbors next door,
friends in the same church, etc.
Are the body and the spirit fully separate? Or do we need the body?

Re: Church online in spirit, Church down the street in flesh

goodwordediting — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:04:43 -0000

I'm reposting this comment for Susan:

"I would be a different me." Yes, I agree, Marcus. And that goes for loss of relationships as well. When I was married I was one "me" and after a painful divorce I was a different "me". Whether one was better or worse remains to be determined, but they certainly are different people.

Interesting read as I drink coffee and look forward to the meeting of our local body this morning. I would miss my online friends were they not around. I think I might die without my local ones! Certainly life would not be as full and rich as it is! (life with no Cravers - not to be imagined!)

Re: Giving Thanks To God During a Zombie Attack | DECAPOLIS

goodwordediting — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:48:22 -0000

This is hilarious. The world needs more Christians who give thanks for Zombies.

Re: 60 Seconds about a Dead Gerbil

goodwordediting — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:53:05 -0000

lance, I really like this one.