Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Beautiful and Frightening
Some of the best blog pieces I have read are at the same time beautiful in regards to style and frightening in regards to content. Such is the case with the following post from my good friend Omar Alrikabi over at First Born Son. He is currently doing college ministry at the Wesley Foundation in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I envy the kids who are privileged to sit under his teaching. Check out his post here. And say a prayer for peace on earth.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
An Open and Likely Unwanted Letter
To my dear and faithful readers (if there are any of you left):
My sincerest apologies for my absence of late from these pages. Much has been happening (or "has gone down" as the kids are now saying) these past few weeks and I am only now beginning to feel as if I'm getting my feet back under me. Of course, that will only last for a few days and then the flood will take them away from me once again, and I'll be left to wonder where the heck my Arky Arky is. In times like these, it is unfortunate but true that blogging is one of the first things in my life to go, second only to personal hygiene. But as this push is nearing its end, I anticipate to return to these pages shortly.
In all sincerity,
J. Lashier (long "a" soft "s")
My sincerest apologies for my absence of late from these pages. Much has been happening (or "has gone down" as the kids are now saying) these past few weeks and I am only now beginning to feel as if I'm getting my feet back under me. Of course, that will only last for a few days and then the flood will take them away from me once again, and I'll be left to wonder where the heck my Arky Arky is. In times like these, it is unfortunate but true that blogging is one of the first things in my life to go, second only to personal hygiene. But as this push is nearing its end, I anticipate to return to these pages shortly.
In all sincerity,
J. Lashier (long "a" soft "s")
Monday, September 17, 2007
The Communion of Saints - One Year Later
I am happy to announce to all of my readers that the Communion of Saints blogspot (hereafter CoS) has officially been in existence for a year today. I am carefully to add "blogspot" to the previous statement for I in no way want to imply that the Communion of Saints has been around for just a year. As I hope this blog has witnessed to, the Communion of Saints is a living communion that has existed since that original Pentecost nearly 2000 years ago. And according to Hebrews, our Fathers and Saints (that great cloud of witnesses) extends back into Israel's story, the communion of saints in potentia perhaps.
We have seen and, hopefully, experienced a bit of that communion here as I have tried to bring to the table pertinent topics for discussion and debate. I have also tried to represent significant voices from our past who we might not have been aware of, voices of the great Fathers like Irenaeus and Augustine. And we have heard from the living saints - you my readers, if there are any of you left. :) Of course, communion in cyber space is less than perfect for it is disembodied and the church, if anything is an embodied entity. Yet reading one another's thoughts and dialoging here can be a form of communion and can encourage us to seek out our local communities and foster embodied relationships there.
In honor of the passing of the year, I would like to offer you a few of my favorite posts from this past year. Enjoy! And as Babu Bhatt (of Seinfeld fame) said: "Tell your fliends!"
First Post: A Communion of Bloggers
Post which generated the most comments: Authentic Community
Most meaningless post: A Bit of Levity
Post with the biggest rant: Let's Leave THEM Behind
Monday, July 16, 2007
The Asbury Chronicles
In September of 2001, I embarked on an incredible journey, one which would change my understanding of God, of community, of the story of salvation, and of its implications in our lives. It was a journey that introduced me to some of the best friends that I have ever or will ever have, including my dear wife Julie. It was my time in seminary at Asbury in Wilmore, Kentucky.
Of course, every journey begins with a first leg. Thankfully, I took the first part of the journey with my lifelong friend Craig Luttrell. He has started a blog and one of the things he has been doing is relating the ridiculous stories of our first experiences together at Asbury. They are hilarious and worth a read. If you are interested, you can check out his blog here. I would suggest starting from the beginning, which is entitled The Asbury Chronicles Part I. And as my friend and pastor JD Walt is fond of saying, be sure to give him some comment love.
Craig, Julie Robertson, Me
Of course, every journey begins with a first leg. Thankfully, I took the first part of the journey with my lifelong friend Craig Luttrell. He has started a blog and one of the things he has been doing is relating the ridiculous stories of our first experiences together at Asbury. They are hilarious and worth a read. If you are interested, you can check out his blog here. I would suggest starting from the beginning, which is entitled The Asbury Chronicles Part I. And as my friend and pastor JD Walt is fond of saying, be sure to give him some comment love.
Craig, Julie Robertson, Me
Sunday, June 24, 2007
New Look
As the reader will have noticed, The Communion of Saints has received a little overhaul in its presentation. I added a few elements that I would like to explain. In addition to past posts, I have added to the side column a list of the Fathers, Theologians, and Blogs that I enjoy reading. I do not do this to puff myself up; rather, in keeping with theme of the Blog as a conversing communion, I decided to share with you some of the people with whom I am in conversation. In the Blog section, each name is linked to his or her particular blog and I would encourage the reader to check each of them out. Some of them are former teachers of mine, one of them is a pastor, and some of them are friends of mine. All of them are worth a read. The Fathers and Theologians are linked to a short bio and publications list that will provide the reader with books that are also well worth reading.
Finally, I have posted my list of labels on the side. I have labeled every blog entry I have written according to category. The reader can click on any category that interests him or her and every entry I have written under that category will appear. This will also allow some of you who are not so interested in my theological musings, but care a good deal about the progress of my program, to check periodically and click on that category alone to see what I have shared. I hope you find the new layout engaging and easy to navigate.
The quality of my blogs will not be affected by the new layout. This could be a good thing or a bad thing.
Finally, I have posted my list of labels on the side. I have labeled every blog entry I have written according to category. The reader can click on any category that interests him or her and every entry I have written under that category will appear. This will also allow some of you who are not so interested in my theological musings, but care a good deal about the progress of my program, to check periodically and click on that category alone to see what I have shared. I hope you find the new layout engaging and easy to navigate.
The quality of my blogs will not be affected by the new layout. This could be a good thing or a bad thing.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
A Communion of Bloggers
Introduction
I suppose this first entry should be something by way of an introduction, though if you are reading this, my hunch is that you were prompted by an email of mine and already know me quite well. But for all you careless typers who were actually searching for Janet Jackson or Debra Lafave and got me instead (my sincere apologies), allow me an introduction . . .
My name is Jackson Lashier and I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my beautiful wife Julie (who may be asked to contribute from time to time - people generally find her more interesting). I was born and raised in Iowa and did not consider leaving until a call to ministry brought me to Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. It was there that, among other things, I met my future wife, some amazing friends and mentors, and felt a change in my calling, one to teaching. So it is that we now find ourselves in Milwaukee (from the tobacco and gambling capital to the beer capital) where I am currently attending Marquette University pursuing a PhD in religious studies, with an emphasis in historical theology. Julie is a hospital chaplain at St. Luke's (which has more employees than the entire town of Wilmore) serving patients on the neurological floors. Though these positions might seem hellish to some, we feel that we are exactly where God has called us to be and are quite excited as we stand on the precipice of this journey.
I begin this blog at the prompting of JD Walt, my friend and pastor, who thought that it might be interesting to log my experiences as a fledgling PhD student. While my first reaction was no, thinking my experiences would be interesting to no one - at times not even interesting to myself - it did strike me that the material I am learning and the thoughts they are provoking in me might be of interest to a few, particularly to those who, like me, are struggling to navigate faithfulness in surroundings that seem increasingly unfaithful (this comment is not directed at Marquette, but in general the world at large). So it is that I begin.
The Inspiration of the Name
The content of our Creed is fascinating to me. The Fathers were obviously selective at what they chose to include for they left out many articles of faith that we might deem crucial today - the role of Israel, the inspiration of the Scriptures, and the manner of atonement come immediately to mind. But what they did include, alongside belief in the Triune God, was this phrase: "I believe in the communion of saints." What this suggests to me is that, equally important to belief in a God who is three-in-one is belief in a living community of followers. We do not, in other words, come to saving and sanctifying knowledge of God outside of a community.
For those, like me, who seem to stumble more often than not, Christ in this community is really our only hope to becoming more like the God who created us. But too often, I think, we limit that community to the people we see, that is those we see every Sunday (or whenever your Christian community meets). This is unfortunate because, not only is our true community spread across all nations of this earth, but it is spread across the last 2000 years. And there are countless ones who have gone before us, struggling to live the faithful life in much the same conditions which now face us, whose wisdom is invaluable for our growth.
The Intent of this Blog
The hope that I have in establishing this blog is to begin a conversation with my fellow bloggers about the "Holy Mysteries," a term which covers, not only all theological and doctrinal truths, in other words, "orthodoxy", but also how we live faithfully in response to these beliefs, in other words, "orthopraxis." I hope to bring in conversation partners from the early centuries of the church and I invite others to do the same. I will do my best to be a regular poster, as schoolwork will often dictate, and I look forward to any comments I may receive. May we experience communion, not only with each other, but with the saints through the ages, who knew what it was to truly see God.
I suppose this first entry should be something by way of an introduction, though if you are reading this, my hunch is that you were prompted by an email of mine and already know me quite well. But for all you careless typers who were actually searching for Janet Jackson or Debra Lafave and got me instead (my sincere apologies), allow me an introduction . . .
My name is Jackson Lashier and I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my beautiful wife Julie (who may be asked to contribute from time to time - people generally find her more interesting). I was born and raised in Iowa and did not consider leaving until a call to ministry brought me to Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. It was there that, among other things, I met my future wife, some amazing friends and mentors, and felt a change in my calling, one to teaching. So it is that we now find ourselves in Milwaukee (from the tobacco and gambling capital to the beer capital) where I am currently attending Marquette University pursuing a PhD in religious studies, with an emphasis in historical theology. Julie is a hospital chaplain at St. Luke's (which has more employees than the entire town of Wilmore) serving patients on the neurological floors. Though these positions might seem hellish to some, we feel that we are exactly where God has called us to be and are quite excited as we stand on the precipice of this journey.
I begin this blog at the prompting of JD Walt, my friend and pastor, who thought that it might be interesting to log my experiences as a fledgling PhD student. While my first reaction was no, thinking my experiences would be interesting to no one - at times not even interesting to myself - it did strike me that the material I am learning and the thoughts they are provoking in me might be of interest to a few, particularly to those who, like me, are struggling to navigate faithfulness in surroundings that seem increasingly unfaithful (this comment is not directed at Marquette, but in general the world at large). So it is that I begin.
The Inspiration of the Name
The content of our Creed is fascinating to me. The Fathers were obviously selective at what they chose to include for they left out many articles of faith that we might deem crucial today - the role of Israel, the inspiration of the Scriptures, and the manner of atonement come immediately to mind. But what they did include, alongside belief in the Triune God, was this phrase: "I believe in the communion of saints." What this suggests to me is that, equally important to belief in a God who is three-in-one is belief in a living community of followers. We do not, in other words, come to saving and sanctifying knowledge of God outside of a community.
For those, like me, who seem to stumble more often than not, Christ in this community is really our only hope to becoming more like the God who created us. But too often, I think, we limit that community to the people we see, that is those we see every Sunday (or whenever your Christian community meets). This is unfortunate because, not only is our true community spread across all nations of this earth, but it is spread across the last 2000 years. And there are countless ones who have gone before us, struggling to live the faithful life in much the same conditions which now face us, whose wisdom is invaluable for our growth.
The Intent of this Blog
The hope that I have in establishing this blog is to begin a conversation with my fellow bloggers about the "Holy Mysteries," a term which covers, not only all theological and doctrinal truths, in other words, "orthodoxy", but also how we live faithfully in response to these beliefs, in other words, "orthopraxis." I hope to bring in conversation partners from the early centuries of the church and I invite others to do the same. I will do my best to be a regular poster, as schoolwork will often dictate, and I look forward to any comments I may receive. May we experience communion, not only with each other, but with the saints through the ages, who knew what it was to truly see God.
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