Over Pruning

I have been thinking a great deal about over pruning one's faith- cutting it too far back. I decided to do a little research on tree pruning as I find nature is a wonderful guide for the inner life.

Here"s what I found:

Over pruning is one of the worst and most common mistakes in tree maintenance. You should not prune more than 20%- 30% of a tree at any one time. Over pruning can cause cracks in the trunk and fungus growth.

Over the past few years I have cut my faith practices way back. Bit by bit I have cut back at both practice and beliefs- traditions, disciplines, scripture, jesus, christians. I have felt smart and even glib at times- proud that I am now in the "know".

Clearly, some pruning needed to happen and was very healthy. But at some point, it crossed over into cynicism and a new kind of pride. It has been very much in the head rather than the heart.

I find new growth slowly happening. I am in the process of examining what part of this tree needs to remain in tact for the health of the organism. I'm not sure what those are.

I have some inklings. For the moment, the pruning shears have been put away and I'm going to wait and see what grows.

Pop Up Worship Gatherings

This past weekend we were in New Orleans and we went to a "pop up" burger place. They rent a diner on Sunday nights and turn it into a burger joint. The staff were all very welcoming and friendly as were the other patrons. It felt a little bit like a party.

It hit me that this idea could translate to worship gatherings. So many faith communities are struggling for space and with money. What if they set up shop in non traditional locations? Join us for worship at the park, the museum, bingo hall, the diner, the office building, the skating rink, homeless shelter. One thing I really like about this "pop up" concept is that it is outwardly rather than inwardly focused. Go out and be with people where they are.

I know there are all sorts of problems with this idea- where to keep our "stuff", how will people know where to find us, would money decrease.

More than anything it reminded me how faith communities become stale so easily- we settle - we get too comfortable. There are so many wonderful creative things happening in the world. Let's join in the party!