Outside Reading: Shamanism: The Beginning of Arts

After reading this book, I got a new appreciation for shamanism and they people who practice it. In this book, it talks about how certain people become shaman and what that means for the rest of their life. Most people who become a shaman start at a very young age and most do not have a choice. To become a shaman, they give up living as normal people during their culture. While most shamans are highly revered by their tribe and it is viewed as an outstanding opportunity, it is still showed upon them whether it is because of birth or because they receive a dream at an early age. I have now started to view this as a service to their people instead of a privilege. Perhaps they do not view it this way but coming from a culture where everyone is encouraged to be what ever they want to be this is paying the ultimate price. Before birth, they are stripped of that right and are now supposed to serve the tribe the best they can whether they are qualified or not. When it's contrasted with priesthood, priests make the choice to leave all of their things behind so it is more of a personal choice. Shamans are more willing to serve their tribe and that is where their respect is derived from because the entire people know that they have not chosen to be the shaman but were in fact chosen.

Devin

Choice Topic: Accountability

Recently I have been rereading Game of Thrones and I stumbled upon the line where Ned Stark is telling his son that "whoever sets the punishment should be the one to swing the sword." This lesson has rung true so many times in my life since reading this book and I never realized it. While of course no one is running around swinging swords at people left and right like in the world of Westeros, it does have some real world applications. It is basically translated as taking responsibility for ones actions. It speaks about the person receiving the sentence as well as the person who is passing it. Both are being held accountable. For the one who is receiving the sentence, something wrong has happened and they were the cause of it. They have been tried and now the sentence is before them but the important part is that now they are before the sword. They stood and allowed themselves to be tried and now stand ready to accept the punishment that lies before them even if it means their death. The second portion is the more obvious lesson. It points toward leadership and being held accountable for actions and decisions that are made. My favorite part is that the sentence isn't said whether to be right or wrong but only that the leader stands by it. I think this is important because there is a lot of grey area that leaders move through and making decisions are never clearly right or wrong but doing what you perceive is right and stand true to it is what is important.

Devin

Class reading: Abram

"Every attempt to definitively say what Language is is the subject of curious limitation. For the only medium for which we can define language is language itself". This is a quote from Abram in The Spell of the Sensuous on page 73 in which he attempts to explain the mystery of language.  Language  which is English for us come from Latin roots which has developed over years and years through written word. I learned English from my parents as a baby and then when I entered grade school I began to learn its structure and the foundation for the English language. However these primal religions do not have to these structures and foundation based in writing. These languages have been passed down orally from parents to child for generations. This tradition of passing of language also allows for the passing down of ideals, traditions, and mythology. These mythologies allow for communication between cultures even if written language is not a factor.

Hunter

Assigned Reading: Bruchko

In this reading, what stuck out to me the most was the perseverance of Bruce to reach out and perform the mission that he felt he was called to do. He was constantly let down and had numerous obstacles that were placed in his path but he refused to be stopped. This kind of perseverance could be dangerous if his intentions had been in the wrong place. Other people that are usually trying to reach out to uncivilized people are looking to exploit them. Some of them just want to convert them but in the process leave no room for their own culture to take root in the new religion. However Bruce kept a steady pace and learned how their religion worked. This had to take time because these people are not simply throwing their culture around for everyone to witness and study. Through this patience, Bruce was able to find a way that Christianity could be related to their religion. In my opinion, this is no different from learning a different language and attempting to communicate with someone. The message is still the same but it is impossible to just repeat in your own language over and over until finally the message is received. It works much better when you use words and concepts that the people already know. While there are still the obstacles of the message being misunderstood because you don't really understand their tradition fully, I think it is because of that aspect that such perseverance and patience are important lessons to learn even if you aren't trying to convert an entire people.

Devin

Class reading: Abram

            “Indeed, in the absence of formal writing systems, human communities come to know themselves primarily by the reflection back by the animals and the animate landscape which they are directly engaged” (Abram 1996, pg. 123). Abram refers to this epistemological understanding of the people’s relationship with a particular place as totemism. This idea links the identity of these tribes with their respective “totems” or places of significance. As these Indians and non-Indians struggle to co-exist, we are finding more and more disrespect shown towards the Indians and their way of life.  In the film, the Lakota tribe lost their right to property of Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, which held a ritualistic and symbolic purpose within their religion. When they tried to fight the government for the right to maintaining ownership the court ruled against them, claiming that the Government could not favor any one religion.  Now Devil’s Tower is a popular place for free-climbers who hold no respect for the Lakota people. It is almost impossible for us to express vividly the connection these people have to their sacred places according to Abram. 

Hunter

supplemental reading: Going Tribal

Iboga is a hallucinogenic shrub that grows in Africa and is used in the United States as a medical therapy in order to get rid of addiction. In African religions it has a different use. In Going Tribal, Bruce Parry decided to go live with the Babongo people in Gabon Africa in order to be initiated into the Bwiti religion. Part of initiation was for him to ingest Iboga as part of the ritual for becoming a man. When taken in small doses, Iboga is supposed to stimulate the central nervous system, but vivid hallucinogenic visions when taken in large doses.  This drug was first used by the Pygmies in Africa and then were spread to the Fang people, and also other ethnic groups in Gabon, where it begun to be incorporated into religious ceremonies.

This use of Iboga is used as a part of the Bwiti religion in order to initiate a man into the tribe. The idea of initiation is prevalent in many primal religions in order to show one's capacity for the religion. The drug induces a hallucinogenic experience in which  the consumer must confront painful memories from their past and awake fro the trance as a new man. This trip is considered a vision or spiritual quest in which the consumer must complete this task in order to achieve the goal of finding themselves or a spiritual awakening.

---

Hunter

Movie: Avatar

In James Cameron's Avatar, the indigenous Na'vis from the planet Pandora feel an intense connection to their sacred home tree and the planet overall. The tribe has a literal connection to other living things through the fibers at the ends of their hair braids. All of the life beings feed off each other and they feel that they cannot survive without their home tree to continue the way of life they have followed for many years. 

When the military from Earth comes in, they come under the pretense of scientific exploration, but are actually going after the unobtanium that is most prominent underneath the Na'vis' home tree. When their home tree is destroyed, the tribe grieves and panics as if it is their own flesh and blood that is being destroyed. They almost give up on life entirely because of this intense connection that they feel. 

The concept of the Home Tree and The Tree of Souls represent sacred places for these indigenous people. When Home Tree is desroyed the Na'Vi experience a great identity crisis and must relocate as a broken people to the Tree of Souls. It is at the Tree of souls that people are able to reform and gather their bearings as a community by returning to the place that their people deems most sacred. It is at this place that the main character Jake Sully proves himself to be a part of the clan by becoming Turook'makto who was a ancient warrior who rode the most powerful beast on the planet. Once Jake returns to the Tree of Souls then we is revered as a warrior within the community and they rise up to fight off the "Sky people" or humans and send them back to Earth. 

Hunter

Movie: Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom

In the second Steven Spielberg film starring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, he travels into the heart of India where he comes across an old village which believes that a sacred stone was stolen by an ancient cult. Indiana then travels to the place where the cult was rumored to have the stone. The stone in the film did have magical powers but that's Hollywood for you, but in relating it to class discussion the stone would be considered an sacred object in which these people identify with. Once the stone was stolen the town well dried up and many of the people became sick and the children of the town began to disappear. The children were being kid napped by the ancient cult, but the town's people believed it was because of the stones disappearance.

The towns folk rejoice as Indiana returns with the stone after an epic battle in the mine where the cult was keeping the stone and children. Once the stone was returned to it's place in the village the area instantaneously began to rain and the village well began to spring forth again. This relates to the idea that certain objects within primal cultures can hold spiritual or even magical properties. These objects hold a specific place in primal religions and often these cultures base their identity around these particular objects.

Hunter

Choice Topic: Brotherhood

I grew up as an only child and always wanted siblings to run around the house with and get into trouble because when something went wrong well I was the only person who could have done it. However, as I started to grow older, I realized that having a sibling probably wasn't going to happen and embraced being an only child. When I came to Christopher Newport University though I was offered a rare chance at brotherhood. This was something I had always wanted and dreamed about and now here it was. I excited jumped on board and joined a fraternity but I learned more about brotherhood than I reckoned for. Not every moment was full of fun a laughs. Sometimes brotherhood was hard and I hadn't expected that. Brotherhood was demanding, when I just decided not to show up to something I now had about fifty guys who wanted to know were I was and why I didn't go. Everyday I learned more and more about the many dimensions of brotherhood that I had not expected. I found my values tested everyday, whether it was simply my outlook on life or my beliefs. But one day someone who wasn't my brother questioned my values and when I answered I felt stronger. I hadn't realized that no matter what my brotherhood did, it did it to strengthen me as a person.

Devin

Movie: Star Trek episode

In the Star Trek episode we watched in class captain Picard was teleported on a planet in which the Enterprise and the opposing ship were orbiting. Picard was also teleported along with the other ships opposing captain in order to communicate and resolve a difference. The other captain and alien race did not speak English, or spoke at least a somewhat broken English, so it was difficult for Picard and the other captain to communicate. The reason why both captains were teleported to the planet was so that they could coordinate a plan in which they had to execute together to kill a shadow monster type thing.  

 

Communication was difficult at first until Picard found a way to relate his form of communication with alien captain in the form of mythology. once the two captain were able to understand each other mythology then they were able to roughly communicate. Eventually the two captains go to fight the shadow monster and the alien captain meets his end. Picard understands his final dying words and slays the beast and returns to his ship. Picard finally ends his the episode communicating what the alien captain had said to the opposing ship and they leave in peace. The episode concludes with Picard talking to a shipmate and mythology and communication and how it should be taught and learned more so that we are able to effectively communicate through it.  

Hunter

Movie: In the Light of Reverence

In the Light of Reverence was the PBS special that we watched in class about the 3 different tribes struggling with keeping their sacred lands. The Lakota, Hopi, and Wintu tribes are being persecuted in the way that they are being pushed out of their sacred places. As a religious pluralist I found this video to be painful to watch as to the ignorance of some of the people in the film. The non-Indian and non-park rangers interviewees showed absolutely no respect for the the Native American desires. These sacred places held a special significance to each and every member with those tribes, but these significance are slowly and surely being destroyed.

The hypocrisy of the american people showed to be the most horrifying aspect of the film in my opinion. Devil's tower, the sacred place for the Lakota, is now in a national park and the Government could not rule in favor of the Lakota, thus allowing people to climb on the mountain against the Lakota's wishes. But yet Mount Rushmore does not allow for any kind of climbing. To me this kind of hypocrisy and ignorance makes me ashamed to be associated as American with the people that were prejudice against the Indians in the film.

Hunter

Choice: The End

Dr. Redick,

Jesus has used you to change me in incredible ways. Your style of teaching and your outlook on life has helped me realize that I have been limiting myself. Prior to college, I have expected the worst; either someone else was going to let me down or I was going to mess up. Your testimony has inspired me to take risks and stop anticipating the worst in myself and others. Your joy is infectious and introduced me to a freedom only offered through Jesus. Thank you for loving Jesus in all you do. Thank you for being passionate about your students and the subject-matter of your classes. I am so thankful for the time where our lives have intersected and I pray that they will get to intersect sometime in the future.

As I pursue full-time ministry, I will think of you and harness the boldness that Christ has called out of me through your leadership and friendship.

Here I go-

In Him,
Shannon Rose

Choice: Prayer

One of my favorite quotes from C. S. Lewis is as follows:

"I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God- it changes me," (Lewis)

 Could it be that the concept of prayer does not change God, but it changes me. This holds the same for how "great art" judges the beholder. Sub-creation and divine relationship that goes deeper. There is no way that an infinite God can be moved. Idea of predestination, but in regards to free will. Prayer is not necessary to get something or make something happen, but instead alters the prayer and maybe makes the heart more malleable for the Lord to shape and use how he wishes. For a happy Christian heart truly desires the will of God above all. That way, the concept of predestination loses its sour taste. What, then would that say of listening? Maybe it would say that the prayer changes our heart to be open to the voice of God that is forever present inside of us as Christians. Prayer does not change God, it changes us.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever," (Hebrews 13:8).

Choice: Reflection

A good friend of mine walked up to me one Thursday and told me that a picture from our freshmen placements was on his Timehop. Of course, it was sweet for a second, just getting to remember that time, then Luke brings it all back around and proceeds to tell me, “you look completely different-like a little baby lamb.” 

Sometimes people just say thing so me and I’m not really sure how I’m supposed to react-this was one of those times… but it got me thinking….. You know what, I was a little baby lamb. 

Some of you know this story, but little freshman Shannon never thought she would be a Young Life leader. So this image of me as a little baby lamb is pretty accurate. Jesus took my idea of what college would look like for me and turned it on its head-leaving me disoriented, awkwardly stumbling around trying to find footing in completely uncharted territory.  

 

Fresh off the best season of my career, lacrosse was the only deciding factor on where I was to spend the next four years of my life. Long story short, that didn’t last long; I walked on to the CNU women’s lacrosse team, then quit before my first semester was over-why? The Lord broke my heart for a ministry that was in love with High School and Middle School kids for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. Prayer Overnight turned my perception of what I thought was just another Christian Ministry on campus to an incredible organization that truly loves Jesus and shares His heart for thosep who don’t know Him. 

Now, I could go in great detail about the struggle and success of my four years involved with Young Life on the Peninsula, but for the sake of time, I want to share with you the most valuable lesson I’ve learned-and I know you have heard this before, but you are about to hear it from new lips. I invite you to hear it with new ears: 

I believe that there is no trick to killing it as a leader. It boils down to confidence; where does your confidence lie and how strong is that confidence. Because you and me can say that our confidence is in Christ and Jesus is our rock, but when a high school or middle school friend flakes for the um-teenth time, you start to feel like a crap leader-where is your confidence in that moment. How can we sing “Our God is Able”, then look at ourselves in the mirror and think-gosh. He's sure doesn't seem able in me. 

Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthian church with a pretty dope wake up call, he says "do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple."

He is ALIVE (in you). Believe that.

 

Choice: Humility

Humility is huge for a Christian, yet so unnatural. Our world gives us a slew of things to put before God. The sin of this place that we live in twists and contorts everything that was created to be good into things of selfish gain. Everything that we are because of the fall pulls us toward selfish motivations in everything we do. A formerly introduced term (by you, Dr. Redick!) is Kenosis; this is the practice of the opposite. It is an emptying out, making oneself into nothing. We discussed in class how prayer as kenosis takes us outside of ourselves and into a level of compassion for others. I would go even further and say that in allows us to praise Jesus more effectively. For being a people that were originally made in his image, it makes sense that we are called to a thing like kenosis. Christ embodied the ultimate act of kenosis on the cross for us when He was crucified so that we might know him and spend eternity with him in heaven.

Why is kenosis such a struggle for me? It is not even vanity that hinders my ability to have a humble and self-ridden attitude. I believe that it goes much deeper than that. My unintentional hesitant nature toward kenosis stems from a control issue. And recently, I have found that most people struggle with the exact same thing. It is good to know that I am not the only one fighting with myself to try and give up control, but what can we do to fix it? How can we move closer to true practice of kenosis? I honestly have no idea what the answer to that question is. I have tried preaching truth to myself over and over. Proverbs 19:21 says “many are the plans in the mind of a man, but the purpose of the Lord will stand.” I believe the truths with all my heart and there are times when I believe that I have achieved kenosis and I adore those times, but I am not sure why I keep going back to my controlling ways. It is like a roller coaster.. and I know it will not be like a light switch and I will be perfectly humble and decentered with the click of a button, but I desire that state so that I may be closer and more intimate with the Lord. I await the day that whatever is hindering me of the ability to achieve kenosis vanishes. Maybe it will not be until I am face to face with my Creator; even then, I look forward to it.

Choice: Desire

Desire is not necessarily a bad thing. Lets think about desire from a companionship/relationship standpoint. So often, in Christian circles, desire is negatively depicted. It is seen as such because it is misunderstood; some believe that if one desires for something, they are not practicing contentment. However, being content in the Lord does not mean you cannot want-ever. In our case, desire could be a good thing-dare I say, maybe it’s even God given. When the Lord created man, he said, and I quote, “it is not good.” God saw that man was lonely on his own. Because man was made in God’s image, man was designed for relationship from the start. You may be reading this, not entirely sure what I mean, so I will clarify. The Creator of all that is was never made per Se, he just is. He always was there, He is there, and He will always be there.  He is simply there. God has always existed in a trinity, which means He has three parts. He exists as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Those three parts of the Lord have always existed as the ultimate trio, in perfect relationship within Himself. When someone is talking about worshiping God, they are still only worshiping one god, but he is the Trinity. If you are still confused, I encourage you to research the concept of the Trinity further, but for time purposes, I am moving on. Ergo, God is a perfect relationship within Himself and he created man in His image, meaning that man would crave a relationship like that one. I would like to highlight the fact that the idea of a man and a woman being committed companions is from before the fall. Therefore, the desire for a relationship is not of the fallen nature of this world. That being said, sin twists and contorts everything that the Lord has made good for man’s selfish gain, so there is a distinction between the God-given desire for relationship and the twisted desire for relationship. The latter usually consists of lustful motives and more significantly consists of an intent of filling a God-sized hole with a relationship due to insecurities and doubt.

Outside Reading: Merton

"The mind that is prisoner of its own pleasure and the will that is captive of its own desire cannot accept the seeds of a higher pleasure and a supernatural desire," (Merton).

How in the world is someone going to receive the freedom of Christ if he or she is so fixated on what is confining them? This is evident in folks who cannot see past a lustful heart for anything more than what it is: a dissatisfaction with what one already has, constant seek for more more MORE. If God doesn't plant His liberty in me, it's probably because I don't even show a desire to be free. Why is it that we love our captivity so? How do we think that slavery in Egypt is better than a journey to the land that God had promised us? It is far easier to reach for what we can see, this illusion of security wrecks our response for the call for grace.

Outside Reading: Manning

One of my all time favorite books is one I just finished this semester by Brennan Manning. The work is titled the Signature of Jesus. At first, I was skeptical because it was written by a catholic priest. This book did an incredible thing in opening my heart to any type of person who claims they love Jesus. For the most part, Catholics that I have met had a very calloused spirituality about them and they never quite spoke of Jesus with the intimacy that I felt they should. After being put in my place and taught to quit judging Catholic people, I came to appreciate a concept that may very well be Catholic, maybe not, but it sure smells a lot like Jesus.

The second-to-last chapter is titled Lazarus Laughed and Manning uses it to dive into the idea of a laughing and smiling Jesus. What would it look like if we worshiped a laughing Jesus? What if our God didn't call for stoic prayers with super advanced verbiage? Of course, he isn't laughing in a way that is condescending, but in a way that is light and enjoys life just like the next person. Worshiping a God that enjoys life and is able to keep it light could be monumental to some.

"The smiling Christ heals and liberates. With newly discovered delight in ourselves, we go out to our brothers and sisters as we are, where they are, and minister the smiling Christ to them," (Manning, 1998)

Outside Reading: Irwin

A while ago, I read a book titled Blind Courage by Bill Irwin as research for our final paper. Irwin has a heck of a testimony, not only had he lost his sight to a rare eye disease, but also, he had four failed marriages, struggled with alcoholism, and ran into problems with his kids.  Everything that happened in his life conditioned him for the most beautiful thing that a man can come across on this earth; a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship was then to lead him to make the journey, blind, along the entirety of the Appalachian Trail.

I think this book was the first book that I have read from a blind author. The imagery is certainly atypical in a new and refreshing sort of way. Instead of descriptions of color, the reader experiences descriptions of smell and feeling. The picture in my head as I read is darker and less detailed in ways that it is usually more detailed. However, Irwin’s writing provides and imagery that provides unusual sensations. I am enjoying Irwin’s story very much. It is captivating and convicting as well as moving and freeing. Irwin’s experience with the Lord is inspirational and definitely kick-starts my excitement and passion for our Savior.

Outside Reading: Lewis

I also picked up a book by C. S. Lewis titled A Grief Observed. This book struck me as fundamentally less in general than The Problem of Pain and far more in depth. “God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn't. In this trial He makes us occupy the dock, the witness box, and the bench all at once. He always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize the fact was to knock it down.” Instead of suffering being a litmus test for the spirituality of a person, Lewis believes that it is a tool that God uses to help mankind gain perspective on life, especially in regards to how weak man is and how strong God is. As the weakness and suffering is a downfall, such grief must be humbling to people who so often put themselves on a pedestal, attempting to compete with the glory and perfection of God. I am completely guilty of this, myself. I can't think of anyone who has not done just that. Our sin nature definitely twists the reality that we were made in the image of God to make us think that we were made to be something of a god ourselves.