Leave your computer at home

Leave Your Computer at Home!

So before I sound old and disenchanted, I want to say that I am only 40...ish and I have a Ph.D. in Educational Technology and Educational Psychology.  And,...

• I am not computer illiterate. 
• I am not old and crabby. 
• I teach people how to use computers, and cell phones, and cameras, and VCR's (yeah, don't ask.)
• I've had my Facebook account since Facebook was two months old (not a good example of my youthfulness, I guess!)
• I have enough degrees to be a thermometer. (Not really important but it is fun to say.)
• I've had a cell phone since they were as big as tissue boxes.
• I have always been a big fan of new technology.
• I have always been the voice of caution against the overuse of technology.

And with that last one comes the point of this post, or rant, if you will.  A couple of things have caused me to become frustrated with the use of technology as of late.  I'll start off with what I tell my students every semester/every class regarding ANY technology (software, hardware, etc.), "Just because you can use it, doesn't mean that you should."

That being said, I want to look at the use of technology within a worship space.  This one is a prickly one and is sure to cause dissension.  Technology is not needed at Mass.  I love to go to Mass.  I do.  I find myself getting ready to go every weekend hours before its time.  Its not really a secret that I love the traditional Mass, I say it all the time.  The rituals bring great comfort to me.  Just as they are...no enhancements are needed.  And the Catholic Church doesn't have them...thankfully.

But I've been watching other churches in my community.  One of them was on the front page of the newspaper recently.  Underneath the big jumbo-tron movie screen was a live play of the Last Supper...creepy fake beards and burlap robes included.

Despite the jumbo-tron hanging from the beautiful arched ceiling (and covering up the cross at the front of the worship space) and the entertaining, albeit creepy, live action play to take the place of the traditional reading of the Last Supper, these churches are losing members at an alarming rate.  The old members are dying away or leaving in confusion in the face of all this change, the young members are disenchanted, and everyone is bored.  They see no use in going to church every weekend.

Yep!  They are bored.  To quote my favorite author, Terry Pratchett, "In a world filled with wonder, humans have created boredom."  So, desperate for an increase in attendance, churches are installing movie screens, getting rid of traditions, removing icons, art, and beauty, and singing and dancing like a circus side show.  They are making weekend worship look and feel just like any other entertainment venue and people are still leaving.  Solemnity?  Bah!  Sacredness?  Bah!  Reverence?  Baa....what's that?

Are they going to the big mega churches?  For a little while until they get lost in the crowd...or miss a payment.   These churches that don't have altar's, they have stages; they don't have an organ or a piano, they have electric keyboard's and drum sets; they don't have leaders in traditional vestments because the "new age leaders" are sitting in the front row in shredded jeans, wearing an ironic t-shirt, and Madonna microphone ear-pieces; they don't have hymnals or bibles, they have 30 foot wide projection screens running PowerPoint and videos that link to members iPad's; and they don't have a dedicated place for Christ to reside within the worship space, he has been changed into a hipster and can be found in the coffee lounge on his Smartphone.

So where is all this technology taking us?  No where really.  A relationship with Christ is a personal thing.  The connection of two hearts - mine and his.  He is found in the quiet spaces of the celebration.  He stands next to the traditions that are carried out in his name.  He offers peace in the comfort of the rituals.

Finding Christ in the "worship-tainment" of digital rock bands, YouTube Videos, and plugged-in spiritual leaders makes it easier and easier for spiritually starved humans to simply give up and say, "I'll stay home and watch it online....tomorrow."  Tomorrow never comes and attendance sags lower.  "Watching it online" becomes a habit and eventually these same people begin to say, "I'm spiritual but not religious."  Well duh!  How can you be spiritual if someone is banging away on a drum set and cymbals like Buddy Rich?  Or someone that looks like a bum off the street with a mic strapped to their head talking about salvation in Text-speak? These things don't add to the beauty of worship...they distract from it.  And the decline in members?  They know it too.

Someone stole my donkey!

The focus of Palm Sunday is the Passion.  The retelling of this incredible story is always certain to be an emotional rollercoaster and the telling never diminishes in its strength and magnificence.  This year was no exception.

But....

This year I was distracted.  Not from something typical like many of my fellow 21st Century brethren, but from something definitely non-secular.  My inability to reconcile ancient scripture with modern behaviors was causing major distraction.  I believe that we are supposed to learn something new every year from our Lenten Journey and this year my focus is on a seemingly minor point.  Someone stole a donkey for Jesus.

Yep!  That's what I got stuck on.  Now, according to Scripture the donkey was freely given to the disciples for Jesus to ride upon.  The man that said yes to this request may have been acting in a way that made sense to him, but today in 2015 this is just plain weird.  Think about it for a minute.  If a total stranger came up to you and asked to use your car so that a strange man could ride on it for an impromptu parade...what would you say? 

Wait!  Don't answer yet!

How many times have you closed the door on a Baptist missionary?  Or more likely you pretended you weren't home so you didn't have to talk to the Mormon missionary knocking on your door, eh?  Have you ever ignored the homeless guy handing out religious pamphlets?  Did you ever pretend not to hear volunteers trying to raise funds for a charitable event?

I have.  That's how I knew what to write there.  I've done these things and I'm ashamed of them in hindsight.  Will I ever do it again?  Probably.  I can find any number of excuses for not changing my ways and this is what is causing me difficulties on this years' Lenten Journey.  Would I recognize Jesus or his emissary?  Would I give up my possession based solely on Faith alone?

In 2015, where religious loonies abound and the order of the day is "eat or be eaten" I'm more likely to hide, ignore, and hide again.  Trust is a hard pill to swallow and Faith is even more difficult to accept.  I've tried humor to deflect the issue and I have gone out of my way to pretend this isn't applicable to me.  Confronted by Scripture, I am failing.  Lucky for me I'm not alone on this sinking ship.  Most of my friends, fellow parishioners, community members, and fellow travelers are sinking right along with me.  We have work to do now that Lent is over and another year looms before us.

Let us hope that change in compassion for our fellow travelers, however small in stature or grand in scheme can happen before the next Lenten season when I should be moving on to a new lesson rather than repeating this one all over again.

And if you happen to see a donkey wandering around your neighborhood and you don't know why...you probably missed the parade.  Let's all try harder next time.

Life is Good.

Out darn Spot!

I found a brown spot on the back of my hand today.  Some people call them ‘age spots.’  Or ‘Liver Spots’ (Ug!  How horrible is that one? That name should be illegal.)  I, however, called them a word that I can’t repeat.  Well, really, I didn’t call them “that” word but I said a bad one.  Loudly.  With Emphasis.  And I repeated it. True story.

How can I be awesome with that on the back of my hand?  Awesomeness is youthful, full of energy, vital, fun, did I mention youthful?  Awesome doesn’t include age spots.  Pimples yes.  Age spots, no.

Could it be that I am having a mid-life crisis?  Should I run out and buy a sports car?  I’ve heard that a red one will negate an age spot?  Should I date someone much younger than myself.  That could be awesome….and tiring….and probably really annoying.  I didn’t like young when I was young. 

My mind is frantic with options to counteract this spot and the only thing I can think of is Lady Macbeth (anyone that had good ole MP in English class in HS with me will understand that one.)  THIS.  IS.  NOT.  FAIR.

[Insert hyperventilation sequence]

[Repeat]

Lentigo.  That’s the official name.  Doesn’t sound any better but they mark something.  And it turns out that the mark is pretty important.  Not because my youth is slipping away (OK….its flat out racing away in the rearview mirror) but because it a reminder.  In my case a pretty strong one.

Many of us humans forget that life is temporary.  I pray that I haven’t hit that middle point yet.  I also pray that these spots will disappear.  And I pray for chocolate….LOTS of chocolate.

These darn spots are the reminder from the Creator that my life is moving forward.  Always.  I don’t get a choice in this matter.  These spots are the little pushes forward saying “Get Going. You don’t have forever.”   These spots are beautiful reminders that I am moving towards the completion of a story that I can’t write and live if I’m sitting here worrying about something as minor as a tiny spot on the back of my hand.

These age spots are more like beauty marks.  They remind me that some of my friends and loved ones never had the chance to cultivate their spots.  They moved on to another story while their hands were still youthful.  They never had the chance to listen to the message that their spots could tell them.

They remind me that I have hands with which I can touch others.  Skin with to feel the suns warmth and the wind’s kiss.  I am honored to realize that my hands, spots and all look like my parents and grandparents hands.  They remind me that I had many wonderful years with my grandparents and hopefully many more with my parents.  Their hands are a road map that my hands will copy.

With this gentle reminder from my Creator, I rub this age spot that connects me to my purpose, my future, and my history, and I am at peace with this addition.  And while I will fight getting older with every ounce of my being, I will accept the process of aging with grace and dignity.  But I will never, ever, call them liver spots.  Ever.

Life is Good.

New Sins vs Old Sins

This past Sunday, I heard something interesting about how confession isn’t about bullet listing your sins so that you can be absolved for every micro-mini transgression for the last week/month/year/decade.  The purpose of confession is to recognize the journey that we are on towards being a better person (Yep.  I said journey again.  See my previous post about journey's.  It's good.  Really.)  Confession today is about the big ideas not just the small ones.  What a difference that it is now from what it was 20 or 30 years ago.

Image from catholictv.com

Looking at confession a bit closer I’ve come to realize that this could be incorrect and it may be that it really hasn’t changed all that much.  To be honest, when someone is confessing their bulleted list of sins they are really using small pieces to tell about the larger picture.  Swearing at your sister, stealing pens or paperclips from work, yelling at a waitress, ignoring a bum on the street, bullying, etc. are all part of a larger picture that includes sins like Impatience, Greed, Anger, Indifference, Apathy, Hate, Self-Centeredness, and Aggression. 

The world has changed greatly in the 21^st Century and sadly it doesn’t include flying cars and “Rosie the Robot” to clean my house.  It does however include news ways of thinking when it comes to right or wrong, or good or bad.  You may have noticed that I listed a few concepts above rather than specifics like maybe the 10 Commandments?  While that is an important list that we should follow, it isn’t necessarily direction for our daily lives.  Don’t get me wrong these 10 are good ones, however after learning not to steal, kill, swear, and lie, what else do we need?  It turns out there is plenty we still need.

The problem is that we have lost direction.  Yep.  Got the not killing.  That’s a good one.  Not stealing.  Good there, too. (Do pens from work count?  They do?  Darn.)  I don’t covet my neighbor’s wife (have you seen her?  Ug!  I covet a paper bag to put on her head.  Wait!  I probably shouldn’t have said that.)  Keeping Holy the Sabbath (Man I saw them in concert in 79…it was a blast!  Whoops.  Nevermind). 

Yes, we have lost direction.  We have learned from American culture how to distract, deflect, and direct so that we can avoid accounting for our realness…Our True Selves.  The one we show to God.  The self that He sees even when we try to distract, deflect, and direct.  The issue here isn’t the stealing of pens from work but the bigger idea of integrity. Or the issue of not coveting my neighbors wife but of bullying a creation of God who loves her completely (He did create her in his image and mocking her directly mocks the Creator.) 

So what do we confess during this Lenten season?  Surely not the recent influx of pens, or homely neighbors, but the bigger ideas of: Loneliness, Anger, Bitterness, Indifference, Impatience, Greed, or Hate.  Just to name a few.  Do you need to give your confessor examples?  Nope.  Acknowledge that you did something unworthy of a child of God and ask for a way to keep from doing it again.  Confession is meant to help us grow not make us feel worse.  Ask your confessor to help you to find a new way of behaving or thinking so that you can begin to move away from your current sinful self and towards a new beginning.

You and your soul will be glad you did.

Life is good.

I Googled it!

I googled “how to be awesome” yesterday.  It scared me.

Did you know that there are 788,000,000 suggestions on how to awesome?  788 million.  Surprised?  The suggestions ranged from the simple to the absurd and from the humorous to the unrepeatable.  The entire exercise was rather disappointing. 

Awesome is a relative newcomer in the English language.  Someone in the 16^th century needed a way to say “filled with awe” and awesome was born.  I don’t need to be a Christian scholar to definitively state that Christ never heard or said the word “Awesome.”  It certainly doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible or in any Christian texts.  This is a shame really.

In my mind’s eye, I am positive that had the word existed in Christ’s time He would have used it often.  Imagine that He said “Go and be awesome.”  How awesome would that be? 

Of course, if Christ had really said “Awesome” then some goofball in the intervening years between then and now would have messed it up by overanalyzing the word. Over-thinking it.  Many of the beautiful things that Christ said have been over-thought through time.  Leave it to us human beings to take a simple idea and make a mess out of it. 

Luckily for us the word awesome is a newish word and more importantly it hasn’t been co-opted or abused or copyrighted by anyone.  It free to use.  It is also free to aspire to.  You are welcome to be as awesome as you possibly can…actually it is a divine request.  You were built to be awesome by the Creator.  What are you waiting for?

I think you are pretty awesome.  Go show others.

Life is good.

Lenten Journey

I heard the phrase “the Lenten Journey” at Mass tonight. As if there wasn’t enough to think about right now with all of my church activities, searching for a job, running several websites and social media campaigns, editing a doctoral dissertation, working on (working on ignoring) my New Year’s Resolutions, and just trying not to go “stir-crazy” from being cooped up this winter…now I have to go on a journey.  Great.  Just Great.

Depending on whom I ask about this journey I just get more confused.  I polled several of my Facebook friends to see what they had to say about this journey I am supposed to embark on.  It was a mistake…a big mistake.  Once I weeded out the sarcasm and inappropriate suggestions of exactly where I should go, I found that no one actually knew where the Lenten journey was supposed to take me.  Apparently it is shrouded in a great mystery.

Is this Lenten journey really so mysterious?  Is it possible for just anyone to understand it?  I think, after much reflection, that the answer is a simple one.  As with most spiritual activities we make things harder than they really need to be.  I’ve heard it said that it is very difficult to be Catholic.  Or Christian.  Or Spiritual.  Or.  Or.  Or.

Being Catholic (or Christian or spiritual or anything else) isn’t difficult.  The difficulty lies within our ability to accept who we are when we view ourselves through someone else’s eyes.  The easiest way to explain this is to ask, “Who are you when no one else is watching?”  It’s pretty easy to be ourselves when there aren’t any other living beings around to approve or disapprove of our actions.  Much of our behavior is affected by expectations of others.

One of my very favorite quotes is from Dwight Moody, a leading evangelist from the 19^th century.  (Stern looking guy.  Big beard.  Didn’t smile a lot but was adamant about sharing the love of Christ through evangelism…usually by banging someone over the head with it.)   He is most noted for saying, “Character is what you are in the dark.”  Being Catholic is quite simply our character and the easiest way to be Catholic is to imagine ourselves in the dark.  I know that brings about bunches of imagery from popular media and pop-psychologists that insist on walking “out of the dark,” but I’m not using metaphor here (that begins in the next paragraph).  I really am referring to dark.  Not evil, or shade, or Friday the 13^th nonsense.  Dark.  Turn off the light dark.  That’s all.

So back to this Lenten journey.  A small part of me hopes that the journey will take me to Aruba (it is February in Ohio after all), but the reality is that the Lenten journey is a metaphor. Church leaders thrive on metaphor.  It helps them to explain how and why, using contemporary phrases, to explain the unexplainable…and confuse us even more.  The Lenten Journey is not a journey.  Or a vacation, a roadtrip, a hike, a skip, or even a shuffle.  A Lenten Journey can be taken in an auditorium with hundreds of people.  It can be taken on your sofa while watching Ellen DeGeneres.  Or it can be taken while locked in a closet…your choice, you choose.

The Lenten Journey is not about a physical change or a change in locale.  It is about an awareness.  Scholars greater than myself can elaborate on how Lent is the atonement for original sin by Jesus so that we can fully join him in paradise.  However, I believe that Lent is quite simply the acknowledgement and awareness by humanity of the power of forgiveness.  The Lenten Journey is the process of accepting that forgiveness, offering forgiveness to others, and learning the lesson provided by Jesus so that we can move on. 

Journey found.

Life is good.

Hello? Awesome calling...

One of the new projects that I have taken up recently is helping others to find awesome and be awesome.  I’m sure that in some way I have been inspired by Kid President who is contagiously optimistic and continuously enthusiastic.  I realized that I could take his advice and pay it forward.  Unlike Noah and his ark, I am going to do this one-by-one instead of two-by-two. 

Image Courtesy of Dreamstime.com

Recently I asked members of my parish to help with social media and the church website by submitting news and upcoming events.  This is particularly important because I am unable to be at EVERY event or activity.  My rationalization is “many hands make light work” and my load needed lightened.  The response was lukewarm...very lukewarm...cool even. 

I was discouraged until I decided to dump the general appeal and just start asking people for help in person.  Guess what I found out?  Most people thought that the request was for someone else; some unnamed person that was really good at writing, or reporting, or had something dramatically newsworthy to report.  No one seemed to believe that they had anything awesome to say. 

My mission became clear. 

God has spoken very clearly. 

I am to be an awesome cheerleader. (I added awesome – it’s true!)

I think that I have found the vein of happiness that I have been missing of late.  Cheering on others towards greatness…reaching their potential…spreading awesomeness one-by-one.

Let the awesome begin.

Life is good.