On the precipice of the New Year, I’d like to pose a question, for you, for me and for the emerging generations:
“Who, in the past year, has been bettered, encouraged, strengthened, healed – by the life that you live?”
Happy New Year, my friends, from all of us.
I’m taking a bit of a long holiday with my fam until Jan. 9′ish, so I may be in and out of posting.
Nothing like long wrestling matches, cookie fests, giving things away, and reading stories in front of the woodstove. In the great white North, the snow is thick and inviting. My wife’s folks are with us, and both the fun and noise level are quite high.
We’re missing the rest of our family though, scattered across North America.
Good thoughts over at Todd Hunter’s blog this run.
d.
Merry Christmas from the Wilt home.
I recently completed a 20 page paper on the study of “origins,” the nature of humankind (anthropology) and the universe (cosmogony).
In it, I exegeted Gen. 1:26-31, and brought in some degree of comparitive study between the Hebrew origins narrative, those of the ancient near east in which it was formed, and modern origin narratives.
In summary, I am more convinced than ever that one origin narrative, existing in the world today, stands above and beyond the rest (though carrying shades of many – a gift from God, I believe) in bringing understanding to:
the intelligent and optimal designs of God,
the glory of the human person,
the interplay between humans and our earth home,
the interplay between earth and its near-neighbors in the cosmos,
the presence of pain,
and the alienation in the world that breeds war, hatred and discord.
My early years of faith were tumultuous for me, as I devoured any origins work I could find – reading the books of Islam, Buddhism and many others.
From 2 turtles holding up the planet, to the sacrificial systems surrounding the origins narrative around the Mesopotamian ziggurat, I read them and considered them as best as I could at the time.
I awoke this morning with great joy. I’ve been waiting to linger over what this paper has just begun to touch for over 15 years. Now, the crack is open, and my soul is quite involved.
It seems I care deeply about human origins, and the implications the story we believe (quite different among Christians, I add) have on our daily love and action in the world.
Hence writing this post. I began to edit the origins view of Christianity over at Wikipedia as well.
I’ve started an Origins & Culture discussion over at the Ooze as well (the Ooze is now the message board/blog site of Emergent, so it’s a hub for discussion).
I had a dream a few years ago now, and woke to scribble down the idea.
Essentially, The Circa Table is the first of a line of outdoor, picnic/backyard furniture. All the furniture is based on a circle concept.
The Circa Table is a picnic table that is attached together as one piece, seats, table and lazy susan. Picture 4 circular wood slabs (made of 2×4s or 1×4s edge to edge, like a common picnic table), each the size of a one-person table setting.
Take these 4 circles, and put them together into one tabletop, like a clover. All of the smaller circles will need to be cut to accomodate their meeting tightly in the middle.
At the center of the table, a circular lazy susan is attached, that is large enough to pass food around to all members at the table.
The seats are 4 circles as well (this could all be done based on 6 circles for larger tables), and are fully attached to the base of the table, which is attached to the tabletop. I.e. One piece.
Accompaning lawn furniture is based on circles as well, bottom and backrest (somewhat along the tilted feel of a Muskoka chair), and outdoor chairs for children come in Ikea blue, yellow and red (though red absorbs summer sun-heat).
The Circa Table could come pre-built and be available at home stores, or for assembly. Lighter materials could be used in some cases, and an umbrella could be either substituted for the lazy susan, or attached too it in some manner.
A NOTE ON DAN’S IDEAS:
Go ahead and use this idea, as I probably will never get the time to implement it. I’d rather you were helped by it as an entrepreneur, rather than me take it to my grave.
If you do use the idea, and do well with it, just “remember my family and I” in any way you deem appropriate — that’s all I ask. These ideas will not be copyrighted by me, and its your job to see if someone has invented this already as you develop a prototype.
A great little thought on connecting on the Emergent Village blog:
Oh, and some new IdeaMill inventions are forthcoming.
Just working away on various projects.
Here is a PDF I and a friend created Christmas worship leading, called SimpleCarols.
SimpleCarols is a set of simple chord charts to 10 beloved Christmas carols, to add depth to the celebration of Advent and Christmas.
All the words/verses to each carol are included, and the chord charts are in accessible keys that actually work – for small groups and band settings.
Most guitar players and bands bumble through Christmas hymns because they try to play them too fast – and they sound frantic in their chord changes and melodies. Take your time with the carols, and make the pacing work sweetly with the chords.
Hope these charts prove helpful to you.
It’s been another night of holy tears.
My middle daugther and I have been making our way nightly through the Lord Of The Rings trilogy by Tolkien. We came upon the place in the story this evening, where Frodo decides that he , as a small person, will take the Ring Of Power to its destruction.
Elrond, the great elf responds that such a choice will mark the days when the small “leave their quiet fields,” and “shake the towers of the great.” When the small make those kinds of choices, he continues, then they will sit in the circle with the greatest of all.
With that line, I began to think of the many friends I know who have chosen to live their lives this way. I thought of Jesus, and a view of God that is rooted primarily and centrally in love. As my mind went to these dear friends, and the God whose love we seek to model, a real tear came to my eye.
I took the tear on my finger, and made the sign of the cross on my daughter’s forehead.
“I bless you to heal with your strength,” I said, “and not to harm.”
“I bless you to be like silver water - to run to the lowest places and spend yourself nurturing what you find there.
I bless you to aid the seeds in cracking the hard soil that is theirs to rise through.
I bless you to strengthen the closed buds that they may open and spread their fragrance.
This way of living in the world is why I choose to follow Jesus.
This is the kind of God who makes sense to me, a God who runs to the lowest places.
This is the way of God, this is the way of Jesus, this is the way of life.
We choose not to use our strength to elevate ourselves, make ourselves visible, gain love from others, or gain the accolades of men and women.
We choose to become great in the eyes of God by healing the wounded, sustaining the weak, and building the broken with our gifts.
This is the kind of life I choose; one that celebrates the dignity and majesty of humankind, recognizes our bent ways, and still heals and loves.”
Both eyes overflowing with tears, we hugged each other while quietly weeping. It’s as if we felt the pain in our human company, our human family, and were drawn to it in the same way Jesus was drawn to the prostitute about to be stoned.
We looked each other in the eye.
“This is my prayer for you,” I said. “That you would become truly great in this way.”
After a kiss goodnight, I noticed that she never wiped her forehead.
Note: I asked my daughter’s permission to post this. She thinks its a good idea.
Here is a parenting article my wife just wrote for Inside Worship Magazine, in an issue called The Circle Of Family.
THE PRIVILEGE OF PARENTING
Anita Wilt (with Dan Wilt)
A mother kneels down to kiss her child’s wounded knee. A father sits down with his teenage son after a hard day’s work, and helps him work through a tough algebra problem. A mother seeks to make nutritious meals for her family every evening for years, though she doesn’t really enjoy cooking. A father works long hours, at a job that is stressful, to insure that his children have new jeans for the school year.
A child watches his or her parents closely, worshiping in the congregation, reading the Scriptures, responding to crisis, handling relationships, attending games and bowing their heads to pray. A child will in many ways become like their parent, and carry the values and the ethics of the parent into society with them. A child will look into the authenticity of their parent’s walk with God, and determine their own worship choices.
Parenting is a high calling, indeed.
The Privilege Of Parenting
To see parenting as an act of worship, is to begin to scratch the surface of what Paul must have meant in Romans 12, when he called us to be “a living sacrifice” to God. Raising our children to acknowledge God as the center of their worship, Jesus as the center of their lives and the Holy Spirit as their strength and source, is one of the highest worship leading callings that exist. If a parent is not leading worship by the way their life is lived, then their children may find other gods to love.
The task of parenting has been, throughout the ages, the subject of much heated discussion – and varied opinion. The task has been vilified, glorified and everything in between. Parenting has reduced the strongest man to tears, and brought out the fire in the most timid mother. Parenting has produced anarchists and presidents, murderers and saints. You and I are the result of someone’s journey through the parenting whirlwind. Parenting opinions are wide and passionate, and are often incredibly different from one another – even in Christian circles.
The fact remains, however it has been approached, that parenting for the Christian is a holy calling, an act of worship, a God-given task, for which God has given unparalleled resources – the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit for starters – designed to equal the task. In short, parenting is a high privilege, as we co-act with God not only in the raising of children, but in the raising of adults.
Approaches To Parenting
Unfortunately for us, the fact that parenting is a widely discussed topic mean that there are an abundance of theories and methods about parenting that muddy the waters and can confuse us. It has been my observation, as a parent and an educator, that all parenting theories boil down to one of three ways of parenting: parent-centered parenting, child-centered parenting or God-centered parenting.
+ Parent-centered Parenting
Parent-centered parenting, also know as authoritarian parenting, was the predominant method of parenting prior to the 1960s. A parent-centered parent requires outward conformity to certain behavior, but does not take the time to explain “why.” This focus on outward behavior leaves little room for helping a child internalize principles of interpersonal relationship. It becomes more important in the parent’s eyes to restrain evil than to elevate good, and children conform out of fear of reproof rather than love of goodness. The policy of obedience is taught, but not necessarily the principle of obedience – which springs from the heart.
+ Child-centered Parenting
Child-centered parenting, or permissive parenting, was a reaction to authoritarian parenting. It became popular in the 1960s and 70s and is still the norm in our society today. Permissive parenting is feelings-oriented, and elevates the psychological health of a child above right and wrong. How a parent thinks a child feels ends up being the basis for ethics. Childrearing becomes an avoidance of any negative emotions in pursuit of positive ones. The end result of permissive parenting is an out-of-control child, and a society in steady decline.
+ God-centered Parenting
While the previous two ways of parenting make either the parent or the child the standard for effective parenting, God-centered parenting is about parenting according to God’s principles. God-centered parenting recognizes that parenting is a divine calling; that children are a gift from the Father (Psalm 127:3), never given as a curse, and that we are, as it were, “custodial” parents, accountable to God for the molding of a life given to us for a time.
God-centered parenting focuses on heart training that has its foundations in God’s Word, and is about cultivating Godly character through principles of discipline and obedience, coupled with love (Ephesians 6:4).
Parenting Today
Most parenting theories today are rooted in child-centered parenting. At the core of this philosophy is the belief that children are born morally good, or at worst neutral; a “blank slate” who has only the capacity to disobey – and not the desire. This is clearly opposed to God’s Word which tells us that though we are wonderfully made in the image of God, we are also bent toward self-promotion and self-absorption – we are sinful from the time of conception (Psalm 51:5) and sin underlies the conscience (Jeremiah 17:9).
Permissive parenting is also steeped in the philosophy of moral relativism, a philosophy that purports that there are no absolute or objective standards of truth (or behavior) by which to live – the truth is whatever you want it to be in the moment, and is born within you. Moral relativism is diametrically opposed to the biblical Story, which establishes the concept of absolute truth being found fundamentally within God Himself, and responded to by humankind.
The Rock Of Absolutes
The rock-bottom foundation we are constructing in our children’s lives is the concept of absolute truth – truth that applies in all ages, at all times, for all people (Josh McDowell). Absolute truth is a core principle in God’s economy, and in a relativistic and tolerant age (tolerance has its up and its down side), is often dispensed with in favor of immediate feelings. Absolute truth, found in the riches of the Scriptures, is the platform from which we seek to instill values and create an ethical framework in the hearts and minds of our children.
When children learn to be obedient to the law of love, modeled by Jesus and those parents (hopefully) who are committed to following him, then they are being equipped to be adults. A parent receives no greater gift than to see their child walking closely with God, hearing His voice for themselves and others, and living a life full of the loving authority that characterized Jesus.
Proactive Parents In A Reactive World
As those who seek to become God-centered parents, it is our responsibility to look carefully and critically at the parenting methods that have influenced us. We must weigh them against the standard of God’s Word, and recognize that we are responsible to adjust our parenting method even when it runs against the prevailing culture of our own experience.
We are called to be proactive parents, parenting with a purpose and a goal before us; not reactive and haphazard in our parenting. The world will be quite happy to raise our kids for us; even to entertain them for hours a day so that we can get some peace. Yet you and I are designed for this privilege of parenting, and though it may cost us everything we have, we were made to love and learn as we parent our children. God, who is the perfect Parent, has given us everything we need for the act of worship that is parenting – and will Himself see us through.
Further Resources:
www.family.org This is the excellent website of Focus On The Family, and is a portal to hundreds of resources covering all aspects of parenting, marriage and family life. They also have just produced a full DVD church curriculum for a parenting class.
Boundaries with Kids, by Cloud and Townsend.
Parenting Isn’t for Cowards, by James Dobson
A Family of Value, by John Rosemond.
Bio:
Anita Wilt is an educator, mother of Anna (14), Abigail (12) and Benjamin (9), and wife of Inside Worship editor Dan Wilt. She has taught on issues related to family life and parenting in various conferences and events. Her heart’s passion is to see the family strengthened, resourced and empowered in our generation – to the honor of God in the world.
My wife informs me that every year, in December, I pile up far too much intensive work for us to really enjoy the holidays while I try to meet all my unrealistic deadlines.
Then, I have an emotional crash (not unusual for an empathic and sensitive artistic personality).
I think she’s right. She’s so smart.
Playing hammered dulcimer tonight for our SSU Christmas Banquet.
Always a joy to shimmer the strings in the candlelight.
The first PowerSnow has just fallen on us here at St. Stephen’s University.
It’s absolutely beautiful. We collected trees and boughs of long needle white pines this afternoon in the forests of New Brunswick. Yet, the shovelling has got to go.
Human beings – we respond to seasons, just like we have for thousands and thousands of years, and just like we will for thousands and thousands more.
For all our thoughts about cultural formation and emerging spiritual forms, human beings will be human beings. We’re made for the earth and its activities, and it is made for us. It’s our optimal, sensory and spiritual environment.
According the New Testament canon, we won’t leave it in the end to float around the Andromeda galaxy; the heavens and the earth will be made new for us – our eternal home in the cosmos will involve the sod that is part of our nature, and God’s breath which is part of our nature.
All that we find beautiful we frame in the language of either creation and its ideas, or relationships and their ideas.
The first snow has fallen here at St. Stephen’s University.
Grading some beautiful papers and exams for my students today.
I’m continually amazed at the versatility of the mind, to find its way through a labyrinth of thoughts and to weave a cohesive set of ideas from it.
From chaos to crisis to resolve.
Tonight Peter Fitch, my daughter and I, and some friends, are leading a brief Christmas service a local funeral home puts on yearly for those who have lost a loved one this year.
We lead a few carols, I’ll offer a short reflection, and Peter will lead us in prayer.
Then, we go outside to a Christmas tree, and families and friends will hang stars in honor of the one they’ve lost.
I think it’s a beautiful, simple idea. A privilege, as I shared a few days ago, to aid the comfort of the heart with the gift of music and words.
We have a number of friends going through great difficulties right now, and we ourselves have hit a few bumps.
In the midst of that, a friend sent me this:
So, be liked. That’s about as profound as its going to get today.