Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you.
Ghosts are now waiting for you.
Are you…
Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you.
Ghosts are now waiting for you.
Are you…
Dreaming! Dreaming the night! Dreaming all right!
Do we! Do we know, when we Fly?
When we, when we go
Do we die?
~ System of a Down, Question! ©2009
Questions
“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.”
~Thomas Jefferson (1787)
“Let the little children come to me,
and do not stop them;
for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”
Matthew 19:14
We live in a world that desires absolutes. We walk within a culture where questioning and doubting is no longer celebrated. The child’s mind of curiosity is a gift – something that Jesus celebrated. In most places – whether a group or institution – that is grounded in an identity, that is invested (even if only partially) in self-preservation raising a question is shunned. And the moment the need to entrench occurs, questions do not open doors, they create fear. Even in places where we know we should not be, even if we know that change is upon us, habitual dysfunction can be very attractive as opposed to the possibility of unknown well-being. Even in systemic hurt, the illusion of safety can be woven.
As this muse wanes, I want to extend an invitation. After several years of writing A Deacon’s Musing, I would love to hear what your questions are? What stumps you? What energises you? What faith doubts do you worry about, yet have not given voice? Maybe you have institutional questions and how/if religion and spirituality fit?
My invitation, therefore, is for you to share your questions with me. And, as a new feature, I will muse periodically with them. I certainly do not claim to be able to answer them, but it’s been my experience that it’s the discussion – the in-between space – that real learning and awakening occur. So … share ‘em if ya got ‘em …
Sometimes reality can be reframed by the way a question is asked.
Sometimes reality gets reframed because the person we are listening to
is telling us something very different from our stereotypes or assumptions.
~ Gervaise Bush (2012)
I love the ‘Holy Moly’ video – the image of things being line drawings with no colour when we don’t have what Jesus has is very cool. And I love his arms around the kids at the end.
My questions often begin with ‘why’ (see the description of a ‘4’ on the enneagram) and sometimes why is helpful – and sometimes not. I like Parker Palmer’s suggestion of ‘when the going gets tough, turn to wonder’. ‘I wonder…’ is a great way to begin a question….
I also love Holy Moly and have started to use it within our SS program. Have you seen The Annunciation…it’s not the lesson most teachers want to teach but this is sooooooo well done…laughed lots!
Thanks Cheryl & Shelly!
@ Cheryl: Have you used Spark House for other things as well? I had not seen their work until working on this blog. The cartoon is deceptively ‘simple.’ It opens teachings in a way that seems accessible to all ages. Does that make sense?