A Question, an Un-Epiphany Quote, and a Suggestion
Also a final invitation to join a weekly Zoom class on Ignatian Discernment for five weeks in Epiphany
In the New Year spirit of reflecting and planning, I reached for Oliver Burkeman’s 2021 book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Burkeman draws on psychology, philosophy, and Buddhist spirituality to criticize the effectiveness of most time management advice. At the end of the book (in a similar style to many of the books he compellingly critiques) he offers five reflection questions and ten tools for embracing our mortality and living a meaningful life.1
From my time with Burkeman’s book I offer you: a question that clarified my intention for a podcast; an Un-Epiphany poem which clarified the spiritual benefits of lacking the guiding light celebrated during this season of Epiphany; and a suggestion which clarified my intention for these weekly posts.
A Question: “In what ways have you yet to accept the fact that you are who you are, not the person you think you ought to be?”
Of Burkeman’s five questions, this one stirred me the most. After writing and talking about this question with friends, I heard myself say, “I think I’m an apostle.” Among the many roles in the church,2 an apostle works to develop new communities and new leaders. They participate in networks beyond their local communities. Accepting this role clarified my purpose for the podcast which I shared about in my last post. I want to learn from people who are already creating new communities and to share their insights with others. I want to be firmly rooted in the soil, struggles and joys along my local stretch of the Connecticut River; and I want to build and participate in broader networks of Christians.
This week I began recording interviews with theologians, clergy, and “non-professional” Christians who are undertaking this work. What practices, theology, culture, and structures hold their communities together? How do they think about living a faithful Christian life in an age of ecocide? If the church is in the midst of a once-every-500-years rummage sale,3 what aspects of Christian culture and practice are they letting go of? What needs to be rediscovered and kept? I plan to record twelve episodes. The first one will “drop” later this month.
An Un-Epiphany Quote - an excerpt from Minnie Louise Haskins’ poem, “Gate of the Year”4
I recalled this poem as I began interviews for the podcast. I was feeling uncertain about where it would lead and doubtful about the purpose. “Where is this all headed?” “Good God, does the world need another podcast?” Then I remembered the map of the Israelites wanderings in the wilderness; it’s anything but linear. And I remembered Haskins’ words:
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you
better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the hand of God, trod gladly into the night.Today is the first Sunday of the Season of Epiphany when we celebrate, among other things, the light that guided the Wise Men to Jesus’ manger. But Haskins reminds me that sometimes there is no guiding light. All you can do is decide what it means to reach your hand into the darkness, and to trust that there is another hand to hold you.
A Suggestion: “Serialize, Serialize, Serialize”
Burkeman makes a compelling case for the wisdom of focusing on one big project at a time. For Epiphany and Lent my “big project” will be the interview podcast. These weekly posts will focus on previewing and reflecting on the interviews. I’ll also be teaching an online class (hopefully more of a medium-size project), which leads me to an invitation . . .
A Final Invitation - Online Class on Discernment and Decisionmaking
This Thursday I’ll begin teaching a five-part, weekly Zoom class on Ignatian discernment. This is the last chance to sign up. Is there an issue in your life where you feel stuck, uncertain, or prone to procrastinate? How do you open yourself to God’s guidance? The class will be a practical exploration of the question, “How do I know God's will for my life?” Participants will learn concepts developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, apply them to a particular unresolved matter in their life, and share and listen in holy conversation with others. The class will meet five Thursday evenings from 7:15 pm ET - 8:30 ET (1/11, 1/18, 1/25, 2/1, 2/8). People can join the class asynchronously if the timing is an obstacle. A donation for the class is welcome but not required. Contact me if you’re interested.
Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 2021), pp. 220-225
In his book The Forgotten Ways, theologian Alan Hirsch talks about the five roles in the church based on Ephesians 3: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher (APEST). You can read more about the framework here
See my summary of Phyllis Tickle’s argument in an earlier post.