Thursday, May 29, 2003
Sir Charles,
Derek and I have had the same conversation about being a little down since being back from Ireland. For me I think it stems from the different pace of life and the real sense of "place" and community they seem to have. Everything in the US is so temporary. We are transients moving from one house to another, one city to another every few years. That leaves us with no sense of obligation or attachment for the places that we live. We don't meet our neighbors or we don't go to church in our local town because we know that someone else will be our neighbor in a couple of years anyway or we'll be somewhere else.
This is something that I have really been convicted about since being back. It is making me consider leaving Perimeter and moving our membership to Ivy Creek (for JB - it's a plant church of Perimeter in Dacula/Lawrenceville) despite how much Jill and I love Perimeter and how influential Randy Pope has been in our spiritual development and understanding the last few years. I feel the need to be involved in our local area instead of spending 1.5 hours a week driving back and forth to church.
It also makes me think about legacy (which I think we discussed briefly on one of our walks in Killarney). Should I be more concerned about developing my family's own "place?" A family farm, or patch of land, whatever the case may be that can be passed down to future generations that is part of what the Beadles are? Something we take care of and nurture and turn into our own "garden" here.
I don't think "The City in Mind" will cure all that ails us, but it does have some great observations. You can pick it up at half.com cheap. Good stuff for discussion tomorrow night...
Derek and I have had the same conversation about being a little down since being back from Ireland. For me I think it stems from the different pace of life and the real sense of "place" and community they seem to have. Everything in the US is so temporary. We are transients moving from one house to another, one city to another every few years. That leaves us with no sense of obligation or attachment for the places that we live. We don't meet our neighbors or we don't go to church in our local town because we know that someone else will be our neighbor in a couple of years anyway or we'll be somewhere else.
This is something that I have really been convicted about since being back. It is making me consider leaving Perimeter and moving our membership to Ivy Creek (for JB - it's a plant church of Perimeter in Dacula/Lawrenceville) despite how much Jill and I love Perimeter and how influential Randy Pope has been in our spiritual development and understanding the last few years. I feel the need to be involved in our local area instead of spending 1.5 hours a week driving back and forth to church.
It also makes me think about legacy (which I think we discussed briefly on one of our walks in Killarney). Should I be more concerned about developing my family's own "place?" A family farm, or patch of land, whatever the case may be that can be passed down to future generations that is part of what the Beadles are? Something we take care of and nurture and turn into our own "garden" here.
I don't think "The City in Mind" will cure all that ails us, but it does have some great observations. You can pick it up at half.com cheap. Good stuff for discussion tomorrow night...
I think it must be called both Killarney and St. Mary's Cathedral or at one time went by one name and now the other. I did see that particular church named both.
