Breakfast at Sally's - Three: Five-Star Politics

For our Home Group conversation on December 20 we are looking at Chapters 5 & 6 of Richard LeMieux's Breakfast at Sally's.

As Chapter Five begins Richard writes: A fog had settled over the city. As his homelessness begins to extend and expand one senses a fog settling over him as well. He heads to a shipyard, but doesn't have any particular destination in mind, going the opposite direction from everyone else. He writes of coming to a fork in the road with not enough gas to head north, and incapable of facing what lay to the south.

However, the shipyard does remind him of his former life; he finds himself in a place he would pass through with his golfing buddies, and he recalls for us a particular day with his foursome. They had stopped in Bremerton for breakfast before hitting the links. The chapter concludes with him giving a ride to a young man to Sally's.

Chapter Six - titled The Food Angels - reads a little like a restaurant travelogue, with four different Christian denominations (and five different churches) referenced. Richard and "C" provide a rating for their respective food ministries to the poor.

Some questions for us to ponder:

1. As Richard remembers his golfing buddies he describes their tastes in clothing - Mephisto loafers, Cutter and Buck polo shirts; Johnston and Murphy, Dockers and Calloway (Page 71). He was leading the "designer life". From whence does the pressure to be stylish come? What perpetuates it? Who in our society are the ones most vulnerable to it?
2. How well did the "god of golf" serve Richard? Who (or what) are the "gods" competing for your attention?
3. Richard gives a young man a ride to Sally's - we know nothing about him except that his father had kicked him out (Page 75). If you had to create a one-paragraph explanation of the young man's predicament, what would you write?
4. Richard refers to young people who work in the Soup Kitchens (Page 79); he says such opportunities enable them to "get a 'warm and fuzzy feeling' from helping the poor." How effective is the promise of a "warm and fuzzy feeling" in recruiting people to work with and for the poor? Why?
5. In the very next sentence Richard writes of what young people can learn from helping the homeless. What might we possibly have to learn from the poor? What might they possibly have to learn from us?
6. On Pages 81-82 Richard briefly delves into politics. According to him, there are not many homeless and poor who are "Republican". What is his line of reasoning? Is it fair? Why, or why not?
7. On Page 82-83 the police show up at The Lord's Diner. After they remove a young man from the room, C comments: This is usually a sanctuary. He must have been a really bad guy. Was "Sanctuary" maintained or violated with this police raid?
8. An Episcopal, two Lutheran, one Church of God, and one United Methodist church all served food and provided clothing to homeless people. What, besides the food, does Richard point out as something in common between them all? (Page 87.)

I look forward to our conversation together!

Breakfast at Sally's - Two: Begging at Fancy; Receiving at Plain ...

For the Breakfast at Sally's conversation on December 13 we are looking at Chapters 3 & 4. Author Richard LeMieux inserts some memories - flashbacks - in the course of setting the scene for each chapter. An Episcopal Church parking lot is where Chapter 3 begins; Sally's is where Chapter 4 will end. We meet Earl, Betty and their daughters; we also encounter Jake - first introduced to us in Chapter 1.
The closest I have ever come to begging would be hitchhiking. I've never had to plead for money, beg for a meal, barter for lodging. Richard paints the picture of the life he used to lead - in his 5600 square-foot waterfront home. He recalls the trip to Europe in celebration of his 50th birthday. He recalls the money he made as a sportswriter, a sales rep. And then, he remembers the day he spent his last dollar - it was Thanksgiving Day, 2002. With no other options that he could think of, he began to steel himself for the task of begging. His first stop: Central Market - the upscale grocery store where he estimates he had spent $192,000 over a period of 20 years of shopping there.
Some questions for us to ponder:

1. Richard calls the parking lot of the Episcopal Church a "sanctuary". What did that word mean to him? What does it mean to you?
2. What is the difference between "begging" and "fund raising"?
3. Does Central Market owe Richard anything? Does Price Chopper (or Sam's Club, or Walmart, or ...) owe you anything?
4. Two beggars are in Lake Placid; it's a Saturday afternoon. One is in front of The Gap on Main Street; the other is in front of Stewarts across from the School. Who do you think will get the most money? Why?
5. Who is the Bible's most famous beggar? (Luke 16:19ff.) What was the impact of the beggar's life on the rich man?
6. To what extent, in your opinion, were Earl, Betty, Melissa and Katie "anonymous" in Bremerton? What are the circumstances that make it possible for a family of four to exist below the radar of Social Services in our community?
7. Sharon was the day-time bartender at the Maple Leaf Tavern (Page 63). She "knew the important things in her world ..." What are the qualities of a bar and the attributes of a bartender that the church might want to emulate?
8. On Page 66, C asks Richard to deliver something to Jake. What did you think was in the bag?
9. Page 67 - Richard writes: "With my stomach full and warm and a few bucks in my pocket, there seemed to be the faintest rebirth of hope, or at least a willingness to not give in to despair." What does it take to knock hope out of you? To restore it?

Looking forward to our time together!

Breakfast at Sally's ... One

The Sunday evening Home Group is reading "Breakfast at Sally's" and discussing it when we gather. Our first conversation is this Sunday, December 6, 2009. We will be discussing the first two chapters. If you haven't gotten the book yet, you can pick one up at the parsonage.
This is a story that, in the words of author Richard LeMieux, is "98 Proof". 98% true. Some names have been changed, and chronologies adjusted "to make the story more accessible".
The first character we meet is "C". And the location for the opening scene is "Sally's" - a Salvation Army Soup Kitchen in Bremerton, Washington. C will serve as Richard's spiritual guide, mentor of the road, "angel".
"Sally's" is a place where "just about every age and nationality is represented ..." It is also a place where human need lands with a vengeance - people who are clinically depressed, mentally ill, physically damaged, emotionally scarred.
The second most important character we encounter is Willow - Richard's Bichon Frise "wonder dog". Willow will be the source of unconditional love that carries 59 year-old Richard through some of the darkest moments of his experience of homelessness. Some questions and ideas we will be discussing this Sunday include:

1. What if our church looked like Sally's in terms of the mix of race, culture, need, talent?
2. What is your individual unspoken judgment of poverty and people who are poor?
3. What is our corporate unspoken judgment of people who are poor?
4. C quotes Martin Luther King (Page 40): "We all have a task and let us do it with a sense of divine dissatisfaction. Let us be dissatisfied as long as we have a wealth of creeds and poverty of deeds." What is "divine dissatisfaction"? How does it manifest itself in our church?
5. What do you think of C's pondering regarding Christ's coming again (Page 41) - "Would he be white, black, Asian, look like Saddam Hussein instead of Keven Costner or Tom Cruise? What if he didn't fit our image of him? What if he was bald? or gay?" Which of these images do you find most disconcerting? Why?
6. C quotes Steinbeck saying an author's relationship to society is to be its watchdog. Writers should satirize its silliness, attack its injustices, stigmatize its faults." (Page 43.) Would you agree or disagree? Why?
7. We will explore in some depth the first three full paragraphs on Page 40.

I look forward to our conversation at Jen and Steve's this coming Sunday at 7.

For April 26 Home Group Conversation ...

It's a bit late to be posting ... but here goes!

First, a couple loose ends from the April 5 conversation. What do we make of these comments by Papa to Mack on Page 189 (191):

Faith does not grow in the house of certainty. (Page 189 [191])
People are tenacious when it comes to the treasure of their imaginary independence.

These lines are from Chapter 13 - which is aptly called A Meeting of Hearts. There is so much to reflect on here. Papa says of Jesus: In him ... our purpose and your destiny are forever linked. (Page 192 [193].)

And another line on Page 190 [192]: I understand how difficult it is for you, so lost in your perceptions of reality and yet so sure of your own judgments, to even begin to perceive, let alone imagine, who real love and goodness are.

As we head into Chapter 14, some other interesting questions begin to emerge. For example:

• How do you detect the presence and/or guidance of the Holy Spirit? (195 [197].)
• Paradigms power perception and perceptions power emotions. (197 [199].)
• Which do you tend to be more comfortable with - rules, or relationships? (197-199 [199-201].)
• Those who are afraid of freedom are those who cannot trust us (the Trinity) to live in them. (203 [205].)
• Complete the sentence: God is ________________ .
• What expectations has God placed on you? (206 [208].)
  

Chapter 15 is called "A Festival of Friends". It is a verbal painting of reconciliation. We'll talk about it next time, if you would like . . .

For April 5 Home Group

For our conversation on Sunday evening, April 5, we are heading into chapters 12 and 13 of The Shack. We learn the identity of the "woman" Mack had encountered in chapter 11. You could read the first four chapters of the Book of Proverbs - be especially attentive to Proverbs 1:20. Now, for some questions to consider in preparation for Sunday evening:

1. What is the author telling us about his understanding of God the Father, God the Spirit, and "Wisdom"? Recalling our conversation from March 29 about the "economic" and "essential" trinity, how is William Young balancing the "functional" and "relational" aspects of the third person of the trinity?
2. What is "reality"? (See page 172 [174].)
3. Grief is an extremely powerful human emotion, one that we often try to control or hold in. Mack's tears (sobs) of grief are different this time (page 173 [175]) - each sob bringing relief. What was different? What needs to be different?
4. What does it mean for you to "live loved"? (Page 175 [177].)
5. It's a rather scathing indictment of the church that we read on pages 177-182 [179-184]. And some interesting thoughts on "heaven". We will talk about the difference between an "institution" and a "relationship". What do you think about the statement Jesus makes on page 179 [181]: "I'm not too big on religion."?
6. "God has time to catch a few rays?" says Mack on page 183 [185]. To which God responds: "Mack, you have no idea what I'm doing right now." What thoughts or feelings does that line conjure up in you?
7. Page 185 [187]: God notes that people - especially religious people - play Jesus and God against each other. When they want people to do what they think is right, they need a stern God. When they need forgiveness, they run to Jesus. Do you agree with that assessment? Why? or Why not?

Two other lines we will discuss:

1. Faith does not grow in the house of certainty. (Page 189 [191].)
2. You asked me what Jesus accomplished on the cross; so now listen to me carefully: through his death and resurrection, I am now fully reconciled to the world. (Page 191 [193].)
   

You can begin the "conversation" below - feel free to share your comments and I'll do my best to respond. I'm looking forward to our time together on Sunday evening.

Imagination and Relationships . . .

Here is the information for our conversation Sunday evening - and I do apologize for getting it to you so late!

The focal point for our conversation this week is based on The Shack - Chapters 10 and 11. We will be talking about imagination, contingencies, repentance, judgment, substitutionary atonement, and universal salvation. Here are some questions to ponder:

1. How does "imagination" manifest itself in you? Jesus links imagination, power and wisdom together. Why? (Page 141-142 [143-144].)
2. Jesus says to Mack (Page 142 [144]): You try and play God, imagining the evil that you fear becoming reality, and then you try and make plans and contingencies to avoid what you fear. What do you think he is talking about?
3. In what might be called "classic trinitarian theology", we commonly speak of the "essential" trinity and the "economic" trinity. The essential trinity has to do with relationships; the economic trinity has to do with function. What are the functions of the different persons of the trinity? Does William Young favor one dimension of the trinity over the other? (Correct answer: Yes!) Which one? And why? (Pages 145-148 [147-150].)
4. On Page 147 [149] Jesus defines "repentance". What is his definition?
5. How would you feel about being the judge over the people of the world? What would be your criteria for condemning someone? (Pages 158-159 [160-161].)
6. How does the woman define "judgment"? (Page 169 [171].) What is your assessment of her definition?
7. On Page 163 [165], the woman leads Mack to the point where he articulates what is known as the "doctrine of substitutionary atonement". What is that doctrine, and how does he get there?
8. From the perspective of the conversation between the woman and Mack (Pages 164ff [166ff]), who will receive "justice", and who will receive "mercy"?

Once again we find ourselves in the midst of some profound theological principles, introduced throughout the narrative of the story. I look forward to our conversation on Sunday evening! Feel free to comment below - to begin the conversation.

Chain of Command . . .

For our conversation regarding The Shack for March 22, let's consider the following . . .

One of the things Jesus confronted over and over again had to do with his authority: What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this? So ask the people in John 2:18 after Jesus has "cleansed" the temple. If you look on pages 122-127 (124-129) you will find an extended conversation between Mack and the Trinity. Some questions to ponder:

• What is "authority", and how does one acquire it?
• How do we square God's goodness with the pervasive evil in our world?
• Put another way: "Papa" says to Mack: The real underlying flaw in your life, Mackenzie, is that you don't think that I am good. How is God's goodness related to our trust in God?

There are several issues Sarayu takes up with Mack in Chapter 9 on pages 128-138 (130-140). For example:

• What's the difference between a "mess" and a "fractal"? (For more on fractals see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal.)
• Are there instances you can point to in which you chose the "ravaged path of independence"?
• What is meant by the phrase (page 132 [134]): For any created being, autonomy is lunacy.
• How certain can we be that something is "good"?
• What "rights" do we have before God?
• Is there a difference between being "protected" and being "loved"?

As you read ahead in the book, don't hesitate to bring up topics or questions that occur to you. You can post questions and comments and begin the conversation prior to our gathering on Sunday. I look forward to coming together again . . .

A Limited God . . .

Some thoughts as we prepare for our Home Group Conversation on March 15. . .

What do you make of the quote at the beginning of Chapter 6? No matter what God's power may be, the first aspect of God is never that of the absolute Master, the Almighty. It is that of the God who puts himself on our human level and limits himself.

We are looking at Chapters 6 through 9 this week. Some questions to ponder:

• Page 92 (94) at the bottom - we quickly learn something about "life", and about the nature of God. Two words - what are they? (Where does "freedom" happen?)
  
• "Papa" expresses a willingness to "mix metaphors" in order to "help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning." (Page 93 [95].) Is it possible for us to overcome our "visuals"? (You can also look at the middle paragraph of Page 98 [100].)
  
• Page 94 (96) - What do you think about the statement from God: "I am not interested in prisoners."?
• What do you make of the statement on Page 100 [102]: "Jesus, as a human being, had no power within himself to heal anyone."
• "Limitations" come up several times (Page 100 [1-2] and 106 [108]). What are God's limitations? What are ours?
• Elousia - This is a reference to the development of the Doctrine of the Trinity. If you get the chance you might take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homoousian. We will talk more about this on Sunday evening. (See also Page 124 [126].)
  
• Papa tells Mack: It's not my purpose to punish it (sin); it's my joy to cure it. Does this square with what Scriptures say of "God's wrath"?

While the story flows along and many of the concepts of the book seem simplistic, underlying the dialogue we find there are some intricate theological concepts. You can appreciate the story without knowledge of the development of these concepts; but it behooves us to take a look at the undertow of complexity that is the inspiration for what we tend to take for granted.

Feel free to share your thoughts with us by writing your comments ... I'm looking forward to our conversation!

Suddenly Penetrated by Unexpected Joy ...

Sunday evening, March 8, we have our second conversation on The Shack. Read Pages 29-32, and you might want to review Chapters 3 & 4 as well.

We will spend part of the evening talking about a line on Page 65 - "Life would never be normal again, not that any time is really ever normal. It would be so empty without his Missy."

What's your definition of "normal"? Do you ever worry about anything in particular happening that would make you feel as Mack did after the abduction & murder of Missy? If you haven't had the experience yourself, perhaps you know of someone whose life was completely upended by some tragedy?

But what we really want to get to on Sunday evening is Mack going to the Shack - some things to think about:

1. Would you have taken the gun? What might the "gun" represent?
   
2. Do you ever hedge your bets when it comes to your faith in God?
3. The questions Mack asks on page 78 - Have they already been asked elsewhere in the story? (There is a correct answer to this question, Jennifer!)
4. Have you ever given advice to someone, knowing full well that you would not follow it yourself?
5. What is the nature of a "spiritual experience"? (Page 81.) How do we discern the difference between psychosis and spiritual experience?
6. Can you think of any more beautiful words, when spoken from the heart, than these: "My, my, my how I do love you!"?

How important is the "set-up" - how necessary is it - in order for us to come to a deep, inescapable experience of the divine?

Feel free to begin the conversation by sharing any comments you may have. I look forward to our conversation on Sunday evening! God bless you.

" ... Where there is just you alone - and maybe God"

Sunday night we begin our consideration of The Shack. The main human character in the book, Mack, comes to the story with a difficult past. Beaten as a child by a father who was abusive to the entire family, his dad was a church-goer - an elder in the church - Mack remembers the time he shared the pain of his own inability to come to his mother's aide with a church leader at a youth revival. He was thirteen at the time. By the time he arrived home, Mom and his sisters were gone, and Dad was waiting for him to teach him a lesson.

Shortly after that incident, Mack left home, striking out on his own. He headed overseas, sending money back to his mother through his grandparents whenever he could. He spent some time in a seminary in Australia. Ultimately, he returned to the US, met a wonderful girl and got married. When the story is told, they have been married over thirty-three years, and have had five children together. Mack works in the "hi-tech" field - smart - not much of a talker - although, when he does speak, people listen to him.

Here is the question for us to consider: How does Mack's background affect his understanding of God? We are told that Mack's relationship with God was "broad", while his wife's (Nan's) was "deep".

The obvious spin-off from the question is this: How has your background affected your relationship with God? Your understanding of who God is (or might be)?

Chapter Two begins with this quote from Paul Tournier: Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets.

Perhaps you could review the Legend of the Indian Maid in Chapter Two (pages 27-28).

And, the Biblical image we will use in terms of one's past and how it shaped their concept of God is that of David. How does the story of David and Goliath (I Samuel 17) telescope for us who David has been and who he will become?

You can begin the "conversation" by sharing any comments or thoughts you might have. Looking forward to Sunday evening ...

February 22 - Surrender

One of the best known scenes in the New Testament is that of Jesus in the garden called Gethsemane. Here he prays while his disciples sleep. And the line we all are familiar with is this:
Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will. Mark 14:36

Jesus surrenders to God.

Step Three of the Twelve Step program says this:
"We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him."

Perhaps the most difficult thing to trust to another is our will. Turning over our will can feel like a complete loss of freedom and control.

Henry David Thoreau said: The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. Thoreau says that people are "resigned" to certain ways of living, but that in fact, what is called "resignation" is often nothing less than "desperation".

To what have we as a society "surrendered"? To what have we as "Christians" surrendered? What has the strongest influence in your life when it comes to convincing you what you should surrender to?

What are the things you do, the disciplines you have adopted, to assist you in your quest to be more fully surrendered to Christ? To God's will for you life?

And finally, is there a Biblical story besides the example of Jesus that speaks to you with regard to the temptation to surrender to things, realities, habits other than what you believe God wants for you life?

We'll talk about this on Sunday evening at 7. I'm looking forward to our conversation - you can begin it now by commenting below ...

For February 15

Welcome to the "Sunday at 7" blog! This is the meeting ground for the Sunday evening Home Group at the Adirondack Community Church in Lake Placid, NY.

Hopefully people who regularly attend the Home Group have received the Abridged Millennium Matrix - coming by way of snail mail. We will be sending it along to our "diaspora" participants as well! We will be talkiing about "The Matrix" on Sunday evening., February 15. This blog gives us the opportunity to begin the dialogue together - and to continue the dialogue after Sunday evenings are over. You can post your comments, add to the conversation.

In his book The Millennium Matrix, Rex Miller writes:

The Church is not losing ground. On the contrary, we're simply awakening to our true condition.

Some things to ponder:

1. What condition are we (the Adirondack Community Church) in? (...with a nod to Kenny Rogers!) Can you point to specific aspects of our ministry that cause you to characterize our "condition" as you do?
   
2. What do you think about this concept, part of the Matrix that Miller shares - that community connections used to be maintained by tradition; then, by creeds; then by issues and interests; and now, connections are maintained by questions.

And here is the Scripture we will be launching from and diving into: Acts 10:44-48.

Looking forward to reading your thoughts and engaging in the conversation!