Intentionality
Intentionality. It’s a word that gets thrown around liberal camps or churchy groups. Intentional communities. Intentional practices. Intentional giving.
Intentional _______. It’s one of those phrases that almost doesn’t make sense. Isn’t almost everything we do intentional–brushing our teeth, driving to work, living where we do, eating what we eat? These common practices, however, can become so second nature that we do them without thinking through the consequences. Sure, we intentionally decide “paper or plastic” bags, but when we do so we often completely overlook the options of bringing a canvas bag from home. We intentionally decide, “should you drive or should I,” but we don’t consider walking, cycling, or taking the bus.
It’s sort of like what happens at some nicer Scottish restaurants. You’ll sit down, not sure of what you’d like to drink so you ask the waitress for “water just now.” “Still or fizzy” she asks. Oh, you think, I have an opportunity to decide what type of water I’d like. Isn’t it kind of this good restaurant to offer me such good service. Not usually in the mood for carbonated water, I’ll usually just ask for “still, please” happy with my decision and the opportunity to make it.
A few minutes later, nice waitress will bring said “still water” and pour it from its nice plastic bottle into my glass. No, I forgot again! I scream inside. I should have asked for tap water. I thought I was being given the chance to make my own intentional decision as to what type of water, but the waitress’s question tricked me into buying bottled water I would not have bought otherwise.
Intentionality.
Here are two websites that support smart, environmentally friendly intentional choices.
First, Tappening.com love-affair with bottled water. With these water bottles you can show that your use markets water bottles attempting to curb America’s silly tap water is an intentional decision (that, by the way, is healthier for both you and the environment). These bottles make great stocking stuffers for that hard-to-shop-for environmentalist friend.
Second, LaundryList.org advocates, in many and various ways, the use of clothes lines. Sounds simple–but when was the last time you dried your clothes on a line (UK readers..don’t answer that)?
I’m happy to add more websites to the list. Just let me know in the comments, or if you’re the shy type, by email. What are some intentional decisions you are trying to make more often?
Blogging Advent with the (online) community of faith
I’m participating in an Advent series with other bloggers organized by Brother Maynard, another CCBlogger. About twenty of us will be posting reflections throughout Advent using texts from John and the Old Testament chosen by Brother Maynard who just wrote a book on the same topic.
Last year, one of my seminary friends unwittingly became the center of the most ancient of theological debates. As he came before the committee that was to approve his next move towards ordination, a heated discussion broke out among the committee members as to whether Jesus existed before he become incarnate.
To be fair, I think the discussion centered more around what form Jesus took before incarnation, rather than whether or not he existed at all, but it all took my friend a bit off guard as these meetings generally get bogged down in where one stands on homosexuality, the authority of the Bible, or questions of the lordship of Christ and the like.
Regardless of what Jesus looked like before the incarnation, or how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, the Bible tells us of God who from the very beginning created.
So we come to the first few verses of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
And to Proverbs 8:22 on wisdom “The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago.”
The opening verses of John clearly enough describe Jesus (or the Word at least, “logos” in Greek) as existing “from the beginning.” Way over-simplification of hundreds of years of church history: this is one reason why we have Nicene Creed which makes it clear Jesus is co-eternal with the Father and begotten not made from God.
One could go any number of ways from here, but as this is the first week of Advent and the theme of hope, perhaps I’ll borrow from Shirely Guthrie. In his book, Christian Doctrine, Guthrie writes, “The Bible says not only that God was but that God is and will be Creator.” The Triune God’s act of creating is not confined to distant lands of the past, but God still creates anew.
Still today, God is making all things new (Rev 21). Still today, God is making us to be new creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Still today, we hope for God’s new creation, and the time when the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and all manner of things shall be well (Is 6).
So, this Advent, we can look for ways God is continuing God’s creative acts. We can remember that God creates within and without the Church. With the Spirit’s guidance, we can seek to encourage, uphold, even help begin God’s acts of new creation.
Here are the other Johannine Advent bloggers:
Cool new online preaching resource
Luther Seminary (full disclosure, my wife’s employer) just came out with a new online preaching resource that looks really helpful, especially for those of us have no access to books these days. Hopefully future weeks will include commenting options. Click on the picture to access.
People these days
A friend who shall remain nameless describes his aversion to blogs in this way: “Why would I want to spend my time reading about someone else’s issues that should probably be kept to oneself to begin with.” I certainly know where she’s coming from. That said, I’m going to take the risk of blogging about blogging, or more specifically, about web kindness.
I spent a few hours tonight trying to setup my RSS Feed. After becoming quite frustrated, I posted a message on the wordpress message help board and within an hour, two users had walked my feeble web-based mind through the process step by step. (I’m helpless at this stuff because I know no html.)
I have never and shall never meet these kind help boarders. There was no good reason for them to help for they gained nothing for their troubles save my thanks. And yet, they offered their kind assistance nonetheless.
The web facilitates many horrible deeds, as Oles feel all too strongly at the moment. But when used for good, it can bring out the best in people as they show kindness to people with whom, without the web, they would never interact.
Ok, if, like me, you didn’t know a lick about RSS feeds. Check out this brilliant wee flick below.
Connect Online
