Under Construction, Mens Spirituality

Chopping wood

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 04:27:29 +0000

Yesterday I dug out some weeds, trimmed some bushes, watered the garden, and generally puttered around the yard. Today I was chopping wood. It was a bit like Noah building the ark in a drought because there is a “burning ban” on in our province, but I felt like doing something that would make me sweat whether it needed to be done or not. I took my shirt off, grunted, sweated, and cussed at the pieces of alder when they did not cooperate. It made me feel like a real man! I felt good as I stacked them neatly and viewed the finished product. Then I went inside and made rhubarb crisp for dessert after a supper of fresh vegetables gleaned from the garden. Oh what a consummate man I am !

What is it about gardening and chopping wood that makes me feel like a man? Maybe these are the primal “Adamic” activities of tending and ordering creation. If there is such a thing as an archetypal man, I think it is the farmer, not the warrior, king, magician or lover. I grew up on a farm and didn’t particularly like the work as a boy, but now that I’m a theologian, there is no better recreational therapy than working in the garden or chopping wood

Anger

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:52:22 +0000

I’ve had a number of conversations recently about men’s energy, passion, and anger. I do have a section on anger in my book but it is a section that should be expanded in light of these conversations. Being a Mennonite and a pacifist, anger has sometimes been de-emphasized. People always ask, “What about Jesus clearing the temple?” It is important to note that Jesus is obviously very angry. He is angry that the temple is being desecrated. The body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit” therefore when this temple is desecrated through violence and abuse, Jesus followers should be angry. This should not be! It is not God’s will!

Jesus takes decisive action, but he does not whip or injure people. The common warrior imagery expresses the energy and passion of men but it is a violent image; warriors injure and even kill people to achieve their ends. We need new language other than “warrior” to describe men’s active energy. Standing up for righteousness and working against injustice is a good thing, but men’s energy and anger needs to be channeled towards giving dignity and SHALOM to all people. Anger does not have to be destructive, it can be constructive.

Theology on Tap

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:36:10 +0000

One of the members of the original discussion group that eventually resulted in the book sent an article to me with the title “theology on tap.” The article was about a movement that began in the UK and has also moved to our continent. Men in particular gather in the local pub and discuss the divinity of Jesus and other religious topics. I guess we were part of a larger movement and we didn’t know about it. We did gather once a month at Mission Springs, a local micro brewery and we drank beer while we talked about our relationship with God. We were 7 men who after some discussion realized we had very little in common other than that we all enjoyed beer, were on a quest for a relationship with God of some sort and had wives who were leaders of some sort. In fact, when i first sent out the invititation to gather for this discussion, I wondered whether it was just the legitimate opportunity to drink beer that was the drawing card . Our wives wanted us to go because they thought it was good that men were getting together to talk! And the official [and deeper] reason was to get together to talk about our lives in the context of God.

Is there a relationship between spirits and The Spirit? Is it merely that spirits loosen men’s lips to talk? Are libations not only “good for the stomach” as Paul tells Timothy or are they actually good [in moderation of course] for the soul as well? I grew up in a family and church where consuming alcoholic beverages was a sin because it led to drunkeness [and for me in my youth it usually did, maybe as a result of that erroneous belief]. There was no intrinsic pleasure in its consumption as a gift of God as it has become for me in midlife. As a divine gift [and all gifts can be squandered when taken to extreme and/or used inappropriately] given for human joy and fulfillment it seems very right for beer to become the table centre piece around which we converse about God.

embodied spirituality

admin — Tue, 11 May 2010 21:27:53 +0000

I find it interesting that in the past women were seen as less spiritual than men. Women were associated with flesh, earth, emotion and the body while men were associated with spirit, heaven, reason and the mind.

Today, with the move to a more relational spirituality, it is women who are seen as more spiritual since they are inherently more relational. Men who are involved in physical work such as construction or farming are not seen as spiritual men. I am an academic who speaks, reads and writes for a living but the spiritual moment for me is often when my hands are in the dirt in the backyard.

The incarnation heralds an embodied spirituality. There is no longer a dichotomy between spiritual things and carnal things. Heaven came to earth. Earth expresses heaven.

“Every common bush is on fire with God, but only those who see take off their shoes. The rest sit and pluck blackberries.” [Elizabeth Barrett Browning]

gender differences

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:58:36 +0000

Some people who have read the book, women in particular, mention that the book does not really highlight in any significant way how men and women are different spiritually. “I could relate to almost everything in the book,” said one woman. My answer to women often is, “That’s good, but no man would ever read it if it was just another book on spirituality. I want men to read it and they are more likely to read it if it is specifically for them. I do say in the introductory chapters that I am still in the process of being convinced that gender is indeed a significant variable in shaping spirituality. I do describe a spirituality that is uniquely male in a number of chapters, e.g. journey and builder. In other chapters I apply concepts relevant to both men and women to men in particular, e.g. beloved, reflection, etc. Spiritual issues are similar to both men and women but men will express differently and need to be affirmed and challenged differently. I’d appreciate further feedback on this issue. How are men and women different spiritually, or not?

men’s ministry

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:22:49 +0000

My personal quest begins without a preconceived notion of where it is going. I do not come with years of experience as a men’s speaker or even a participant in a men’s organization of any kind. I have no formula that I have tested in years of ministry. This is not a “how to” book because I am on the journey of finding out how to be a spiritual man. I come with nothing to offer but my own story and the stories of my friends and an academic background that is probably driven in part by my personal predicament. Writing about spirituality is like being soul-naked in front of the mirror and I don’t know who else is watching. I speak from that place in my heart where I am most myself.[1] My quest begins and ends with a question! Someday and possibly through this writing exercise I will live into the answer. And perhaps men’s spirituality is more about living the question than finding the answer.

This quest is not only an individual one for each man and not only for men as a collectivity. It is a quest that is part of the larger human quest for relation to Transcendence and for peaceful co-existence and mutual thriving as a human race, as an entire creation. Without overstating the case, the self-understanding of men might be significant in the outworking of God’s salvation in the world. Men, and in particular Christian men, have been a big part of the problem over the centuries so they must be part of the solution for the future.

As I begin, I feel akin to Richard Rohr as he writes in the personal opening to his book on male initiation.

Men like me, with access to all manner of privilege and freedom not granted to others, must talk about the male game from within. I think you can only unlock spiritual things from within. Paralleling what women are saying about themselves, men must first and finally interpret men. Surely for the last twenty years, and maybe for much of history, we have largely been interpreted by whatever power group was in charge – doing none of us much good – and very recently by women, which has been both good and bad for us. Men have not, however, described their own souls very well, as they did not have the language or even the interest.[2]

That is my purpose, to contribute to the articulation of the man’s soul. I may not do it very well either, but my hope is that it offers another perspective to what is already out there.

What is a spiritual man? Join me in living the question. Let’s journey together in this quest.

[1] I echo the thoughts of Henri Nouwen, Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1992), 20.

[2] Richard Rohr, Adam’s Return: The Five Promises of Male Initiation (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 2004), ix-x.

Post #2

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:43:24 +0000

Panentheism. This word is used in my book and is the first thing that somebody has flagged as troubling. I guess it has the connotations of being on the slippery slope towards pantheism. I guess I could have avoided any controversy or misunderstanding since I did write the poem with a blank, but then later discovered this word I thought apt to what I was trying to convey. I am trying to convey the struggle to grasp the tension between the transcendance and immanence of God. God is distinct from creation and yet at the same time very much involved with it. In the specific case, God is a part of daily, ordinary, physical reality. This is also the mystery of the incarnation. God became flesh and lived among us. What if God was one of us? Joan Osborne asked. I say, God was in Jesus! And continues to be embodied in our daily lives. Our quest for spirituality is to recognize this and participate with God.

Post #1

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:42:34 +0000

I’m not a blogger. My priority is to connect with those in my flesh and blood world, but I know that flesh and blood people exist outside of my immediate contact, and you too are valued! I always thought gender was not particularly relevant as a variable for spirituality, but in my middle years am becoming convinced otherwise. As a man, I am more than my unique biology. I am on a quest to explore what it means to be a spiritual man. That’s what this book is about. If you have read the book, I’d appreciate hearing how you identify with my quest [or not]. Please use this site to respond and maybe we can enrich each other and many others with our conversation.