ohio wedding
- wedding description - epistemological coup - janson's dissertation - more ohio dissing
Well, the wedding is over. Everything was beautiful. Laura and Erik’s SMILES gave me such joy that I started crying with inspiration / worship / happiness as I prayed with them after the lighting of the Unity Candle. Their joy in each other was a beautiful mirror of the love God has for us.
BERlin was great – and when I re-read my last blog – I realized that I sounded much more anti-Ohio than I am or wanted to seem. I love Ohioans. Possibly I have more dear-friend-Ohioans than (could this be true, Michiganders?) any other state. Ohio has been good to me. I feel grateful for what I have gained here.
Berlin was great – despite its hardcore disneyfication of the amish (for you far-awayers – Holmes County, Ohio is one of the top three spots for Amish-tourism in the world)– because somehow, between all the stylization, the pace and the peace of the surrounding countryside and the centuries of tradition just FEEL like they pool around you slowing things down a bit.
Laura’s dad, Paul graciously had us stay in a hotel with the kids where Jaelyn swam a good twenty feet (all at once!) under water. I have a keen sense that such news (look at my honor roll student! bumper sticker news) should be edited out of the blog in general, but twenty feet! Gosh!
I preached on First John 4. I liked the stuff I came up with -- can't comment on how it was received. My core reading of I john 4 -- knowledge of the Divine comes only through embodied love of those around us -- i think is a radical epistemological coup, but i tried to steer clear of such terminology...
Lynn and I are sitting in our living room waiting for Janson and Heather to arrive. Jans, most of you know, is our still-in-school-since-we-graduated-college-together-11-years-ago-seminarian-friend who is dissertating on the book of NUMBERS – and its literary value. Isn’t that great?! The most demonized book by Christians – who – see – no – point – in – the – last – in – the – last – half – of – the – Pentateuch…and Janson suggests that the key to understanding the whole of scripture is right there in Numbers 1 – 10. We always feel so deepened and motivated by listening to the ideas he's wrestling with. We’re meeting Heather for the first time, just after she’s finished meeting his sister and he’s meeting her sister for the first time (what a weekend!). Then they’re driving back to Chicagoland tomorrow after church.
Hmmm. I’m not really blogging about any of the ideas / issues that are on my figurative "back burner", so if, on the off chance that you’re reading for issue-centered narrative, forgive this purely event centered blog.
Oh wait – before I go - one more Ohio-diss. On the way to Berlin we drove through Justus. Now when you say Justus, Ohio – it sounds a lot like Justice – but, I always rant as I drive through (how downright intolerant and non-Buberian of me, this is), Just – US is a much more apt way of describing the outlook of the smalltown folk of the world. Sure we’ll put a sign up announcing the name of our town – and while we’re announcing the name, perhaps we could try to chase away foreigners – we’ll name our town Just Us.
And if that weren’t enough the high school in town: Fairless High School. Just to be fair – if it were named Fairness high school, I’d have a joke, too, but please, I can’t let that connection go unrecognized – a town called Just Us and a high school named Fairless? It’s like these people are the home of the villain in a comic book devoted to a superhero whose greatest attribute is her commitment to Justice – this little town is the yang to her yin.
BTW ~ the two people I know who TEACH at Fairless ~ Rachel & Ben are anything but fairless. They’re wonderful teachers. So (!) devoted.
By this time Jans and Heather arrived, we talked for hours, slept for a few and it’s a beautiful Sunday morning. The kids will wake any minute and we’ll start to get ready for church...so for now...
peace~
Well, the wedding is over. Everything was beautiful. Laura and Erik’s SMILES gave me such joy that I started crying with inspiration / worship / happiness as I prayed with them after the lighting of the Unity Candle. Their joy in each other was a beautiful mirror of the love God has for us.
BERlin was great – and when I re-read my last blog – I realized that I sounded much more anti-Ohio than I am or wanted to seem. I love Ohioans. Possibly I have more dear-friend-Ohioans than (could this be true, Michiganders?) any other state. Ohio has been good to me. I feel grateful for what I have gained here.
Berlin was great – despite its hardcore disneyfication of the amish (for you far-awayers – Holmes County, Ohio is one of the top three spots for Amish-tourism in the world)– because somehow, between all the stylization, the pace and the peace of the surrounding countryside and the centuries of tradition just FEEL like they pool around you slowing things down a bit.
Laura’s dad, Paul graciously had us stay in a hotel with the kids where Jaelyn swam a good twenty feet (all at once!) under water. I have a keen sense that such news (look at my honor roll student! bumper sticker news) should be edited out of the blog in general, but twenty feet! Gosh!
I preached on First John 4. I liked the stuff I came up with -- can't comment on how it was received. My core reading of I john 4 -- knowledge of the Divine comes only through embodied love of those around us -- i think is a radical epistemological coup, but i tried to steer clear of such terminology...
Lynn and I are sitting in our living room waiting for Janson and Heather to arrive. Jans, most of you know, is our still-in-school-since-we-graduated-college-together-11-years-ago-seminarian-friend who is dissertating on the book of NUMBERS – and its literary value. Isn’t that great?! The most demonized book by Christians – who – see – no – point – in – the – last – in – the – last – half – of – the – Pentateuch…and Janson suggests that the key to understanding the whole of scripture is right there in Numbers 1 – 10. We always feel so deepened and motivated by listening to the ideas he's wrestling with. We’re meeting Heather for the first time, just after she’s finished meeting his sister and he’s meeting her sister for the first time (what a weekend!). Then they’re driving back to Chicagoland tomorrow after church.
Hmmm. I’m not really blogging about any of the ideas / issues that are on my figurative "back burner", so if, on the off chance that you’re reading for issue-centered narrative, forgive this purely event centered blog.
Oh wait – before I go - one more Ohio-diss. On the way to Berlin we drove through Justus. Now when you say Justus, Ohio – it sounds a lot like Justice – but, I always rant as I drive through (how downright intolerant and non-Buberian of me, this is), Just – US is a much more apt way of describing the outlook of the smalltown folk of the world. Sure we’ll put a sign up announcing the name of our town – and while we’re announcing the name, perhaps we could try to chase away foreigners – we’ll name our town Just Us.
And if that weren’t enough the high school in town: Fairless High School. Just to be fair – if it were named Fairness high school, I’d have a joke, too, but please, I can’t let that connection go unrecognized – a town called Just Us and a high school named Fairless? It’s like these people are the home of the villain in a comic book devoted to a superhero whose greatest attribute is her commitment to Justice – this little town is the yang to her yin.
BTW ~ the two people I know who TEACH at Fairless ~ Rachel & Ben are anything but fairless. They’re wonderful teachers. So (!) devoted.
By this time Jans and Heather arrived, we talked for hours, slept for a few and it’s a beautiful Sunday morning. The kids will wake any minute and we’ll start to get ready for church...so for now...
peace~
posted by Redbaerd at 7:58 AM
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