http://dualravens.com/ravens/?p=183

Google allows for the manipulation of time.

How does it work?

Gmail utilizes an e-flux capacitor to resolve issues of causality (see Grandfather Paradox).

http://dualravens.com/ravens/?p=184

Poop has been found in a cave in Oregon.

Fourteen thousand year old poop. Fossilized feces.

The oldest human defecation found in North America.

In case you’re wondering:

While the analysis is not yet complete, he said there are bones of squirrels, bison hair, fish scales, protein from birds and dogs and the remains of plants such as grass and sunflowers.

http://dualravens.com/ravens/?p=185

Got a nice selection of items from the Amazon Vine program this month. One I especially want to feature here. The novel So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Lief Enger. Here’s my review:

“I said, ‘Most men never have the chance to be both things at once, the hero and the devil.’

‘That is ignorant. Most men are hero and devil. All men. That is what ruins it with wives.’

‘She wanted just the hero?’

‘Bad men or good she would’ve had me either way. She couldn’t endure both, however. She said to pick one and to be that thing only so that she might trust me until the day of Jesus.’”

There is a perspective in some ancient cultures about in-between places and times. Dawn and dusk, which lie between night and day. The seashore, that lies between water and land. Halloween, that time in which the spirit world and the physical world are perilously close. During these moments, in these places, it is both and neither all at once, indistinct and undefined. So too human life encounters these moments in identity. People are often caught in this nebulous middle, seeming one thing and another all at once. Sometimes this is being caught between their actions and their ideals, or their sin and their virtue. They are half-people of a sort, unrealized and unformed, without an identity of their own.

Some stay in this place their whole lives, never becoming, and never discovering themselves for who they really are. Others cast off from the dock, refusing to settle any longer for what was, and yet not yet knowing who they can or should be. It is a journey of becoming a whole person.

So Brave, Young, and Handsome is this story told of three primary characters, with a few others thrown in along the way. It is a road story telling of a physical journey that brings out the metaphysical of each of the characters, but not in a mushy, spiritualistic, heavy-laden way. And that’s what is so brilliant about the book. It’s not philosophy. It’s a great tale in the tradition of great American writers from decades past.

This is a book about in between times and in between people drawn with immense clarity and insight, while retaining a direct and sparse prose. Enger tells us of an era and certain characters, a story not a message. It is in this story, however, that we see so much of real life as it so often is: in between.

We are between the old and the new, the good and the bad, the honest and the false, the artist and the laborer, the young and the aged, the adventurous an the prosaic. The characters hope, but don’t know how to find this hope. What they do is carry on, having tasted something of who they know themselves to be they won’t let themselves go back. As Enger says in his acknowledgments, “Sometimes heroism is nothing more than patience, curiosity, and a refusal to panic.”

What I like so much about Enger’s work is that it is so hopeful. Absolutely honest, mind you, there’s no false hope to be found here or sentimentalism seeking to manipulate our emotions. These are real people, faults and all. But unlike so much contemporary literature and film Enger doesn’t feel a need to obsess with corruption or ruin. His is a book that shows people who are not handsome, or young, and rarely brave. But they want to be, and be such in ways that matter to them, not to others around them. They are seeking wholeness for themselves.

Not all succeed. Some do, but not in the expected ways.

“For at the same time he lost everything–the very direction of his own steps–he won the thing he held so precious he wouldn’t approach it in words.”

It is a story of real life. Not gritty, corrupted, malformed caricatures. Real people, or at least characters who are desperate to become real people, who learn what it is to be a real person.

With all this depth and insight it might sound ponderous. But it’s not. It’s very gentle and easy-going. It moves along at a varied pace, with enough movement to never seem tiresome and enough twists to never seem predictable. My only slight irritation is that sometimes Enger jumps ahead a bit and is so eager to bring a slight twist that he breaks the moment with unnecessary foreshadowing, sort of a “you’ll love what comes next!” moments. I wish he just let us experience the story as it happened a bit more. But this is a minor qualm and he does even this within the contexts of a fitting narration.

It’s a brilliant book, in craft and theme and insight. It’s the best work of contemporary fiction I’ve read in a very long time and guess it will be my favorite book of 2008.

http://itsadance.net/perichoresis/2008/04/15/a-review/

Brian wrote a very nice review for a class he had and he graciously has let me post his thoughts here. He’s in the 9th grade:

It’s a Dance: Moving with the Holy Spirit

By Patrick Oden

It’s a Dance: Moving with the Holy Spirit, written by Patrick Oden, is a book pertaining to the subject of pneumatology, the study of the Holy Spirit. I found this novel to be quite helpful, since it confirmed many thoughts I had about how the Holy Spirit works. It breaks down the teaching into easy-to-read chapters and the teaching is, in fact, simply a conversation in a coffee shop. Within that conversation, many spiritual truths are taught. The two main characters in this book are Luke and Nate, a reporter and a pastor, respectively. Luke is a reporter for a local newspaper. Nate is the pastor of the Upper Room, a church that meets in the upper room of a coffee shop. This is the primary place in which the conversation occurs.

Luke was assigned by his editor to “visit different churches” and “s what religion is like in our neck of the woods.” (page 2) He visits many churches and synagogues in the area and finds that most of their theology is very much the same. Discouraged, he then visits and the Upper Room and his perspective on religion is changed forever.

Our conversation starts out as an interview between Luke and Nate. The two cover many topics, including leadership, community, welcoming strangers, and focusing on Jesus. During Luke and Nate’s talk, other members from the church stop by and interject their thoughts; one about creativity, another about life in the spirit. Everyone Luke encounters in the Upper Room is full of the Spirit, as evident by their insights on the matters of Spirituality.

One the interesting points that I learned from the book is that “The real evidence of the Spirit is community” (page 70) The way that the Spirit manifests itself is through the unity of the church.

While Luke and Nate are talking, a young woman enters the Upper Room. She is apparently a member of the church since Nate recognizes her immediately and introduces her to Luke. Her name is Melissa, and she is an artist. She and Luke begin talking, and they arrive on the topic of creativity, of which Melissa had some excellent insight on the issue. Melissa was convinced that creativity came from the Spirit. She believed that in order to complete the work the Spirit needs you to do; you must be willing to step out of your own traditions.

Melissa told Luke that she became disenchanted because of tradition. She disliked the repetition of church. She wasn’t herself when she was at church, and she became tired of it. She had a large falling-out with church with church and her family and she went off on her own to be an artist. When she decided to come to the Upper Room, she found that to be herself, she had to be with God.

Luke and Nate began conversing again, and as they draw to a close, Nate invited Luke and his wife to come and visit during one of their services. We can infer from the text that Luke is having marital problems; they even had a tough time showing up to church together. As they arrive, everyone Luke had met earlier that week came up and welcomed them. Everyone was friendly and cordial, making the two feel at home. The service was a life changing moment for Luke. He and his wife resolved their greed and selfishness and they became regular attendees to the Upper Room.

I originally came up to this book expecting it to be dry and unexciting because of the topic, but as I read it, I became enthused. The chapters are full of great insight to the Spiritual world, and the movement of the Holy Spirit makes the book to be appropriately deemed “A Dance.” I find the section about Community inspiring because our church, although small, has community in excess. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend It’s a Dance to anyone mature enough to understand the messages included.

One of the fun things about It’s a Dance since its release has been the absolute diversity in those who resonate with it. I love, love, love hearing what people from totally different backgrounds, ages, experiences, churches think about the book. When I wrote it I wrote out of my experiences, out of what I have seen and understood, hoping that what I wrote wasn’t just about me, or wasn’t me telling others what to think, but was in fact a telling of what a lot of us have experienced and feel deep within. If the Spirit is truly working in the ways I noted, there shouldn’t be lines drawn of who experiences these aspects and drives. Brian’s thoughts were both fun and encouraging to me.

http://dualravens.com/ravens/?p=186

President Bush welcomes Pope Benedict XIV

PRESIDENT BUSH: Holy Father, Laura and I are privileged to have you here at the White House. We welcome you with the ancient words commended by Saint Augustine: “Pax Tecum.” Peace be with you.

You’ve chosen to visit America on your birthday. Well, birthdays are traditionally spent with close friends, so our entire nation is moved and honored that you’ve decided to share this special day with us. We wish you much health and happiness — today and for many years to come. (Applause.)

This is your first trip to the United States since you ascended to the Chair of Saint Peter. You will visit two of our greatest cities and meet countless Americans, including many who have traveled from across the country to see with you and to share in the joy of this visit. Here in America you’ll find a nation of prayer. Each day millions of our citizens approach our Maker on bended knee, seeking His grace and giving thanks for the many blessings He bestows upon us. Millions of Americans have been praying for your visit, and millions look forward to praying with you this week.

Here in America you’ll find a nation of compassion. Americans believe that the measure of a free society is how we treat the weakest and most vulnerable among us. So each day citizens across America answer the universal call to feed the hungry and comfort the sick and care for the infirm. Each day across the world the United States is working to eradicate disease, alleviate poverty, promote peace and bring the light of hope to places still mired in the darkness of tyranny and despair.

Here in America you’ll find a nation that welcomes the role of faith in the public square. When our Founders declared our nation’s independence, they rested their case on an appeal to the “laws of nature, and of nature’s God.” We believe in religious liberty. We also believe that a love for freedom and a common moral law are written into every human heart, and that these constitute the firm foundation on which any successful free society must be built.

Here in America, you’ll find a nation that is fully modern, yet guided by ancient and eternal truths. The United States is the most innovative, creative and dynamic country on earth — it is also among the most religious. In our nation, faith and reason coexist in harmony. This is one of our country’s greatest strengths, and one of the reasons that our land remains a beacon of hope and opportunity for millions across the world.

Most of all, Holy Father, you will find in America people whose hearts are open to your message of hope. And America and the world need this message. In a world where some invoke the name of God to justify acts of terror and murder and hate, we need your message that “God is love.” And embracing this love is the surest way to save men from “falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism.”

In a world where some treat life as something to be debased and discarded, we need your message that all human life is sacred, and that “each of us is willed, each of us is loved” — (applause) — and your message that “each of us is willed, each of us is loved, and each of us is necessary.”

In a world where some no longer believe that we can distinguish between simple right and wrong, we need your message to reject this “dictatorship of relativism,” and embrace a culture of justice and truth. (Applause.)

In a world where some see freedom as simply the right to do as they wish, we need your message that true liberty requires us to live our freedom not just for ourselves, but “in a spirit of mutual support.”

Holy Father, thank you for making this journey to America. Our nation welcomes you. We appreciate the example you set for the world, and we ask that you always keep us in your prayers. (Applause.)

Pope Benedict responds, and greets America with kind and deep words:

POPE BENEDICT XVI: Mr. President, thank you for your gracious words of welcome on behalf of the people of the United States of America. I deeply appreciate your invitation to visit this great country. My visit coincides with an important moment in the life of the Catholic community in America: the celebration of the 200th anniversary of elevation of the country’s first Diocese — Baltimore — to a metropolitan Archdiocese and the establishment of the Sees of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville.

Yet I am happy to be here as a guest of all Americans. I come as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel, and one with great respect for this vast pluralistic society. America’s Catholics have made, and continue to make, an excellent contribution to the life of their country. As I begin my visit, I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal and hope for the Church in the United States, and strengthen the resolve of Catholics to contribute ever more responsibly to the life of this nation, of which they are proud to be citizens.

From the dawn of the Republic, America’s quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator. The framers of this nation’s founding documents drew upon this conviction when they proclaimed the self-evident truth that all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights grounded in the laws of nature and of nature’s God.

The course of American history demonstrates the difficulties, the struggles, and the great intellectual and moral resolve which were demanded to shape a society which faithfully embodied these noble principles. In that process, which forged the soul of the nation, religious beliefs were a constant inspiration and driving force, as for example in the struggle against slavery and in the civil rights movement. In our time, too, particularly in moments of crisis, Americans continue to find their strength in a commitment to this patrimony of shared ideas and aspirations.

In the next few days, I look forward to meeting not only with America’s Catholic community, but with other Christian communities and representatives of the many religious traditions present in this country. Historically, not only Catholics, but all believers have found here the freedom to worship God in accordance with the dictates of their conscience, while at the same time being accepted as part of a commonwealth in which each individual group can make its voice heard.

As the nation faces the increasingly complex political and ethical issues of our time, I am confident that the American people will find in their religious beliefs a precious source of insight and an inspiration to pursue reasoned, responsible and respectful dialogue in the effort to build a more human and free society.

Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility. Americans know this from experience — almost every town in this country has its monuments honoring those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good, and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate.

In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good. Few have understood this as clearly as the late Pope John Paul II. In reflecting on the spiritual victory of freedom over totalitarianism in his native Poland and in Eastern Europe, he reminded us that history shows time and again that “in a world without truth, freedom loses its foundation,” and a democracy without values can lose its very soul. Those prophetic words in some sense echo the conviction of President Washington, expressed in his Farewell Address, that religion and morality represent “indispensable supports” of political prosperity.

The Church, for her part, wishes to contribute to building a world ever more worthy of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God. She is convinced that faith sheds new light on all things, and that the Gospel reveals the noble vocation and sublime destiny of every man and woman. Faith also gives us the strength to respond to our high calling and to hope that inspires us to work for an ever more just and fraternal society. Democracy can only flourish, as your founding fathers realized, when political leaders and those whom they represent are guided by truth and bring the wisdom born of firm moral principle to decisions affecting the life and future of the nation.

For well over a century, the United States of America has played an important role in the international community. On Friday, God willing, I will have the honor of addressing the United Nations organization, where I hope to encourage the efforts underway to make that institution an ever more effective voice for the legitimate aspirations of all the world’s peoples.

On this, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the need for global solidarity is as urgent as ever, if all people are to live in a way worthy of their dignity — as brothers and sisters dwelling in the same house and around that table which God’s bounty has set for all his children. America has traditionally shown herself generous in meeting immediate human needs, fostering development and offering relief to the victims of natural catastrophes. I am confident that this concern for the greater human family will continue to find expression in support for the patient efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts and promote progress. In this way, coming generations will be able to live in a world where truth, freedom and justice can flourish — a world where the God-given dignity and the rights of every man, women and child are cherished, protected and effectively advanced.

Mr. President, dear friends, as I begin my visit to the United States, I express once more my gratitude for your invitation, my joy to be in your midst, and my fervent prayers that Almighty God will confirm this nation and its people in the ways of justice, prosperity and peace. God bless America. (Applause.)

“my fervent prayers that Almighty God will confirm this nation and its people in the ways of justice, prosperity and peace. God bless America.”

What a wonderful, wonderful way to end, challenging and complimentary, full of hope and life. I wish so many who have the same heart for much the same causes in this country would see how expressing hope, rather than anger, and peace, rather than disdain, and encouragement, rather than rejection, are fruit of the Spirit and lead to real progress.

http://dualravens.com/ravens/?p=187

Kirsteen Kim, writing about the views of Indian theologian Stanley Samartha, intrigues me with the following:

Similarly, he cautioned Christians against assuming that they could always claim to have the Spirit of God, insisting that such a claim is not for us to make but for our neighbors to recognize. Christians, therefore, encounter their neighbors of other faiths with humility, not knowing how the Spirit will blow, but in anticipation that the Spirit will work to lead the participants further into “all truth”. Discernment is intended to recognize the activities of the Spirit, not to control them, and therefore, he argued, the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit must be given greater weight than prior doctrines of the Spirit.

http://dualravens.com/ravens/?p=188

I’ve not posted a lot of late. And I’m not sure why. Seems like sometimes my thoughts introvert, hide away and stew a bit. Or they privatize, wandering about while mildly put off by exposure. Or they rest, not really all that stimulated by the usual topics. Or they wait, as life enters into a mild vacation of sorts for a brief time until all manner of activity explodes. Or they are reduced by a Spring cold, blocked by mild headache, sore throat, and congestion for a little over a week.

Sometimes all of these at once. Which is the season I’m in now.

Last Monday I got home from a ten day trip to the Portland area. I know a number of people from that part of the world, oddly enough, but that wasn’t my reason for going. My reasons were much more narrow. And happy. Very happy as it turned out.

Went up to visit Amy, to see if there was a spark.

There was. Quite a spark. By the end of the week the spark ignited. We’re working out what it means to be so close so far away. I suspect for the time being it means a developing familiarity with airports.

Needless to say my mind wasn’t quite on the usual topics that have kept me occupied round these parts.

While up there I also had a chance to preach, something I’ve not done for a long while. A long, long while. Amy’s pastor was taken time off and I spoke on the 20th on my book. I condensed my book into about a half hour sermon and I think it was a very good experience and had a good reception. I struggle at times because my book sales are still rather a lot low without any particular reason I can figure out, a frustration to be sure and one that I have to continually put into God’s hands. Yet, moments like those become encouragements, helping me to see again why I wrote what I did and helping me to see there is a need for more reaching out. I don’t know if it was recorded or not. If not then I’m going to re-record it and then also post the text.

A lot of my life is in flux right now. I don’t know where I’ll be living this summer or this fall. I might move down to Pasadena to be closer to Fuller–I’d like to–but other considerations abound. I might take summer school–French or German–though I might just try to be diligent in self study so as to test out of my language requirements. I am trying to finish another book before all the school stuff starts, though I’m mixed in motivation. My present sales heartily discourage, the whole effect of writing on my heart and soul encourage.

I stumble and lose faith and hope. I doubt that good things will remain good. I hope that God is working. I trust that he will lead to where he wants me to be. I pray he will continue to teach and develop and hone. Doubts abound but so do hopes. I hope to hold onto that hope, to see where it might lead.

I smile and I wonder and I laugh and I ponder and I fear and I dream. I want to say so much, yet wonder who is listening. I want to stay silent, yet wonder if I should speak. I want to dance and also hide in the corner at the same time. Good and wonderful things are developing. But the ship has not yet reached port.

So I’ll just keep my wits about me and pray for fair winds.