Who is Enuma Okoro?

Enuma Okoro presents the 6th session in the Animate:Practices series - Service: The Needs Right Around You. 

From the Spark House website: 

Born in New York City, Enuma Okoro is a Nigerian-American author and speaker raised in four countries on three continents. Her academic background and training is in Psychology, Communications, Theology, and Counseling. She is a former Editor-in-Chief for SpotLight™ Quarterly Magazine, a certified Spiritual Director in the Ignatian tradition, and she holds a Master of Divinity degree from Duke University Divinity School, of which she is the former Director for the Center for Theological Writing. Enuma has written two books and co-authored two others. Her first book,The Reluctant Pilgrim: A Moody Somewhat Self-Indulgent Introvert's Search for Spiritual Community, was recognized by USA Book News as a 2010 Best Books Award-Winning Finalist in "Religion-Christianity."

Five fast facts

1. Lives between America, Nigeria, and France
2. Once dressed up as a poem for Halloween
3. Has been featured on ABC's Good Morning America, NPR, The Atlantic Monthly,The Guardian, The Washington Post, and CNN's In America
4. Was the first Black woman to preach at the historic American Church in Paris–Martin Luther King Jr. was the first black man to preach there in 1965
5. Loves dogs, sometimes more than humans

Children's Books about Money and Sharing

Several lovely children's books came up in our discussions of how to teach kids about giving and sharing, how money isn't what makes us rich, and how wealth has to do with love and friendship. Here are a few:

The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor, Illustrated by Peter Parnall

As her family attempts to calculate the value of the desert hills, the colors of blooming cactus, and the calls of eagles and great horned owls, a young girl--who has been led astray by the family's lack of material wealth--realizes what really matters.

Papa Panov's Special Day Original story by Leo Tolstoy, Adapted and Retold by Mig Holder and Reuben Saillens, Illustrated by Tony Morris

As a shoemaker waits all day for Jesus to visit him on Christmas, he performs many acts of kindness for the passersby.

Lu and the Swamp Ghost by James Carville, David Catrow, and Patrick C. McKissack

Mama always said, "You're never poor if you have a loving family and one good friend." 

Lotsa De Casha by Madonna and Rui Paes

Lotsa de Casha is the richest — and most miserable — man in the world. No matter how colossal his castles, how fast his horses, nor how big his sandwiches, he remains a gloomy old sourpuss — until he embarks on a fantastic adventure that leads him to the discovery of life's greatest treasure...

Who is Shane Claiborne?

The fifth session of Animate:Practices, Money: The Joy of Sharing, is presented by Shane Claiborne.

From: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/practices/voices/shane/

Shane Claiborne is a best-selling author, renowned activist, sought-after speaker, and self-proclaimed "recovering sinner." Shane writes and speaks around the world about peacemaking, social justice, and Jesus, and is the author of numerous books, including The Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President. He is the visionary leader of The Simple Way in Philadelphia, and his work has been featured in Fox News, Esquire, SPIN, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and CNN. 

Five fast facts

1. Has appeared on both Al Jazeera and Fox News and in Esquire, SPIN, and The New York Times Fashion section, though he's not usually known for having multiple outfits.
2. Can still turn a backflip (he was all-around state champion in gymnastics in his younger days), though he has to stretch a lot longer than he used to.
3. Has written about a dozen books, many of them with friends like Dr. John Perkins, Tony Campolo, and his ice-cream-pal Ben Cohen (from Ben and Jerry's).
4. Has lived in Philly for 20 years–where he founded The Simple Way, has been arrested a lot of times for justice-related work ("holy mischief"), and was once required to go to citizenship training classes (along with his 70-year-old nun friend).
5. As an accomplished circus performer, lists unicycling, stilting (he is more than 11 feet tall on his big stilts), juggling, and fire-breathing among his skills.  

What are the sacraments?

As we continue our discussion of sacraments, it seems helpful to offer a few definitions. According to the Catholic Church, there are 7 sacraments. I have listed them here with the common names associated with each of them:

1. Baptism

2. Eucharist/Communion

3. Penance/Reconciliation - Involving "conversion, confession, and celebration." (For Lutherans, this sacraments is often named Confession and Absolution.)

4. Confirmation

5. Marriage

6. Holy Orders/Ordination (vows of priests, nuns, monks) 

7. Anointing the Sick/Last Rites/Extreme Unction

The United Methodist Church (UMC) recognizes Baptism and Eucharist as sacraments. The other "sacraments" are practiced by the UMC, but they are not considered sacraments. The following is an excellent resource for what the UMC professes: Sacraments, Rites and Rituals. 

Finding a history of sacraments has proven somewhat difficult, and the sources are all extremely biased. An article from the Christian Courier states: 

"...the Roman Church has had a fluctuating recognition as to what constitutes a genuine 'sacrament.' The number of sacraments has varied from five to twelve. It was not until the session of Trent in 1549 that the number 'seven' became fixed as an article of faith."

A relatively thorough discussion of the sacraments can be found in the online Catholic Encyclopedia here: Sacraments. This article contains both history, definitions, and theological discussion of the sacraments. The following statements are of note:

According to the teaching of the Catholic Church, accepted today by many Episcopalians, the sacraments of the Christian dispensation are not mere signs; they do not merely signify Divine grace, but in virtue of their Divine institution, they cause that grace in the souls of men. 

Protestants generally hold that the sacraments are signs of something sacred (grace and faith), but deny that they really cause Divine grace. Episcopalians, however, and Anglicans, especially the Ritualists, hold with Catholics that the sacraments are "effectual signs" of grace. 

These statements get at one of the very, very tangled threads of this tapestry of church history and sacraments. There is a significant divide between the Catholic and Protestant churches along this line.

Positions on Public Confession

This week's homework regarding confession raises some questions for me about the practice of public confession and/or confession to those NOT involved with a particular offense. I have definitely experienced situations where public confession seemed to do more harm than good. As this article from Christianity Today so aptly describes  (The Trouble With Confessing in Church):

"In a church setting, I think public confession should be prefaced with a spiritual Miranda warning: Anything you say may well be used against you. Your confession might easily become a shorthand way to brand you: 'Jeff? He's the embezzler.' 'Cindy is an alcoholic.' 'Missy got pregnant at 16.'"

I ran across this article by D.A. Delafield from Ministry: International Journal of Pastors called The If and When of Confession. Essentially, Delafield makes the case that scriptures are very clear that we need to confess to God, but less clear about confession to others. The scripture most often cited for public confession is James 5:16

"Therefore, confess  your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed." 

Delafield takes a careful look at the word for "sins" in this passage, as compared to the word "sins" in other parts of the New Testament. There appears to be a distinction between sins that only God can forgive and sins that can be forgiven by people (and God, of course):

"Wrong deeds secretly done are to be confessed to God alone. Sins that involve others are to be confessed also to those who have suffered injury." 

In the cases where sin involves others, confession to those involved can help to heal the relationship. This is what the scripture in James seems to be saying, not necessarily that every sin needs to be confessed to others.

I can't say that I necessarily agree with the examples given in Delafield's article, but I lean toward agreeing with the general message. Some caution seems prudent in confessing sins that were previously unknown to the other person. Aside from the possibility that confessions may be simply fodder for gossip, as mentioned by the Christianity Today article, it is also important to be thoughtful about the motivation of a confession. Is it to assuage personal feelings of guilt? Will it help or harm the other person? Is it to appear "spiritual?" Is there an air of arrogance or piety about the confession? How will the confession impact the community?

Having said these things, though, I find that I can also see the other "side" of the argument. It would also be possible to misuse the above information as a defense for hiding sin, and, unfortunately, many sins that do not directly involve others still have an indirect impact on families and communities. In his book, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer states:

"...there is no sin in thought, word, or deed, no mater how personal or secret, that does not harm the whole community. When the cause of an illness gets into one's body, whether or not anyone knows where it comes from, or in what member it has lodged, the body is made ill."

When stated this way, it seems that public confession of sin is both necessary and beneficial. Families and communities are often harmed by secrets and sins that didn't seem necessary to reveal or confess. I find myself remembering conversations about family secrets from earlier this year when we were discussing Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.

I do not claim to have answers, but I think that studying the questions and the range of interpretations can help guide us as we make decisions for ourselves and seek to practice faith together.

Phyllis Tickle

The fourth session of Animate:Practices, Sacraments: A Tapestry of Traditions, is presented by Phyllis Tickle.



We have heard from Phyllis Tickle before, and you can read the previous post here: Phyllis Tickle.

Journaling, Doodling, Pictures...

I spoke with some of you a little more this last week about the concept of doodling and drawing as part of prayer and worship. The internet is full right now of examples of this "new" idea of Bible journaling, and I was inspired to share some. I find artwork related to scripture so inspiring, and I love the way that coloring, drawing, and doodling engage different parts of our brains.

This lovely example is from jannstory.blogspot.com:

Rachel Wojo has some online tutorials (as well as free printables): Bible Journaling for Beginners. 

And I have a pinterest board of some of my favorite scripture artwork: Scripture: Speak It, Learn It, Do It. 

An article from the Wall Street Journal in 2014 states: 

Recent research in neuroscience, psychology and design shows that doodling can help people stay focused, grasp new concepts and retain information.

An article in The Atlantic a year later says:

“When you draw an object, the mind becomes deeply, intensely attentive,” says the designer Milton Glaser, an author of a 2008 monograph titled Drawing Is Thinking. “And it’s that act of attention that allows you to really grasp something, to become fully conscious of it.” 

And...

Drawing, even in a primitive way, often triggers insights and discoveries that aren’t possible through words alone.

 Keep on doodling, my friends!

More on prayer/worship without words...

One of the questions for reflection for this week is, "When have you experienced a sense of worship outside of church?" I immediately thought of this quote by L.M. Montgomery from Anne of Green Gables: 

Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to pray I’ll tell you what I'd do. I'd go out into a great big field all alone or in the deep, deep woods and I'd look up into the sky—up—up—up—into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I'd just feel a prayer.

...and this quote made me think of the previous post on praying without words.  Anne Lamott says in Help, Thanks, Wow:

When we are stunned to the place beyond words, we're finally starting to get somewhere. It is so comfortable to think we know what it all means, what to expect, and how it all hangs together. When we are stunned to the place beyond words, when an aspect of life takes us away from being able to chip away at something until it's down to a manageable size and then to file it nicely away, when all we can say in response is "Wow," that's a prayer.

 ...and this brought me around to thinking about what Ceola said about how drawing a picture helped her to remember the morning's devotions.

There's something about things that take us out of the space of words that points us to a bigger God, a God who defies our explanations, who cannot fit into the box we create with our words. This is a God that can meet us in our souls, in our emotions, in the parts of ourselves that go deeper than reason.

Daily Devotional by Mike Slaughter

Here's another devotional to add to your list of possibilities! We've spent a lot of time this year talking about regular faith practices. Mike Slaughter, the speaker for the coming week's Animate: Practices session on worship has an online daily devotional, including a printable journal for Lent. Check it out: 

Online Daily Devotionals

Lenten Journal

Who is Mike Slaughter?

The third session of Animate:Practices, Worship: Seeking God's Presence, is presented by Mike Slaughter. 

From the Spark House website: 

Rev. Mike Slaughter is in his fourth decade as the chief dreamer of Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio, and the spiritual entrepreneur of ministry marketplace innovations. His lifelong passion to reach the lost and set the oppressed free has made him a tireless and leading advocate for the children, women, and men of Darfur, Sudan. Mike's call to afflict the comfortable challenges Christians to wrestle with God and their God-destinies. He is the author of 14 books, including Change the World and Christmas is Not Your Birthday, which embody what it means to take the church into the world, rather than simply coaxing the world into the church.
Five fast facts

1. Lists his best spiritual gift as the "gift of irritation"
2. Admits ice cream is a major weakness
3. Loves baseball, especially the Cincinnati Reds
4. Has five grandkids
5. Was named by The Church Report as one of the 50 most influential Christians in America 

Visit the website of Ginghamsburg here: http://ginghamsburg.org/
Mike Slaughter's personal site can be found here: http://mikeslaughter.com/