Nov. 14, 2006
Although I'm vitally interested in most topics that are being discussed on the wondercafe site in it's first week, I can't help but reflect on my own situation. My own "Sitz-im-Leben," as my seminary profs would call it. Having recently relocated from the big city to a very small town, I feel suddenly quite removed from the with-it crowd, the hi-tech worship, the sophisticated biblical arguments and the walking away from or rejection of people you don't agree with. In my newly adopted small town, no matter how much you disagree with people on even your most basic views of life, you still have to deal with them on a regular basis.

In other words, I'm kinda "stuck" with the people in my community here. And I think that's good, because it brings me back to that basic Christian teaching: love your neighbour as you love yourself. In other words, care as much about him or her as you care about yourself. And care as much about his or her opinions as you acre about your own. And here, I can't pick-and-choose my "neighbours" like I did in the big city.

Here nobody can rightly say "I don't like the United Church, I wish you'd close it down" (like someone did in the homosexuality discussion on this site last week) because it's the only church in our hamlet. In my small town I have no choice but to buy my gas at the place that gives lousy service. And no "If you're gay, just move away." Even "If you don't like our style of worship, go find another church home" is not as easy as it sounds, if there is only one church left in the community. I know I'm over-simplifying things here, but basically it would mean that I'd be giving up on my community. They've gone through this before, and they felt rejected and feared being abandoned.

So basically, we have no choice here: we are forced to work out a way to get along. And I happen to think that that's the perspective from which much of the Bible was written. And there's something quite basically human about it. You couldn't just up-and-leave. And if you did"¦ well, I suggest you read the book of Ruth once from that perspective.

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Nov. 7, 2006
ruminate [L pp. of to chew the cud, muse upon, fr. rumen; (1533) 1: to go over in the mind repeatedly and often casually or slowly ~ ... 2: to engage in contemplation: reflect *syn: ponder