My wife surprised me on the weekend and took me out to Mission BC, where we visited Westminster Abbey.
The Seminary of Christ the King is owned and operated by the Benedictine Monks of Westminster Abbey.
The Benedictines have run the Seminary of Christ the King since 1939 when they took over its operation in Ladner B.C. They then moved the monastic and seminary communities to Mission in 1954.
The monks operate the Minor (High School) and Major (College/Theology) Seminaries, and have a large farm and guesthouse.
Make me think about how a place like this has been used for worship over time. And how the monks view devotion of time to god.

also check out the pics of the grounds and church at this site:

Click RIGHT HERE to go to song from daytona swarbrick

Saturate & Sustain
by daytona swarbrick

I’ve drifted to the crisp blue-grey
Or maybe to this place I’ve grown
Stars that shine on high
Silver glow moon speaks your praise and flow

Stay alive for me
Stay awake for me
Stay within arms reach
Saturate and sustain

I don’t know how I got here today
No, I didn’t make it on my own
I want to be real with you again
I want to get caught up in your praise and flow

Rise above the mist and sky
Toward the great divine
My breath you provide
So saturate and sustain

This was written about a time when I was feeling lowly. Not in a depressed sort of way, but just of little consiquence in life, yet recognizing that all around me was gods amazing creation – The west coast of Vancouver Island! It was like some sort of message or reminder that god is there and he knows me. There had been many times when I didn’t feel that this was the case. But it was as if god wanted me to see where I had come to in life (and in this place – sombrio beach).
I have been told that it is unbiblical to say things to god like asking hime to stay alive and awake and within arms reach, but these are things I needed to feel. This song, although I might write it differently today, was the most honest conversation I could have with god. I don’t know if this would make for corporate worship, but I still think it could be used in my churches community.
This song speaks to me of god being a creator, a father figure, and comforter.

I believe that the god that lives is a wonderful creator and is good. He is mystery and the hope of all things seen and unseen. We are part of the good creation. We are loved. We somehow carry his image in the seen and unseen.

We are not always very good at reflecting our maker. We have much difficulty in our relationships with the maker, each other and creation. We sometimes have fractured those relationships or have had the same done to us. The pain comes with the de-humanization of one another and leaves us un-actualized (Jesus represents the fully actualized). De-humanization of fellow creations brings destruction to our relationship with the creator as well as with creation.

Instead of describing the kingdom of god, I think it is better to understand that phrase is a descriptor itself. I see the “kingdom of god” as a descriptor for the continual evolution of the expression of god. Continual in that it is without ending. Evolving in the sense that it is fluid and changing – it is now AND not yet. It is an expression of god as it is not god but all about god. It is what he has done and what is to come. It is his hopes and dreams for us and it is his personality. His expression is good!
As church we try to glimpse god though the expressions he has revealed to us. We see it in our religious history and practices. Our feeding of the hungry and clothing of the naked. Our seeking of justice and peace. 
As humans we see it in our creative pursuits, our communities and relationship, and our self-realization and actualization. 

The course we have charted seems dark and hopeless sometimes. We will not get far from where we stand if we do not seek goodness and hope. These things are in short supply and are only gathered when we seek after god. His supplies are endless! I believe god is calling us to him. With him is the new heading we need on our maps. I can’t say I know what this will look like in the end, but how can it be anything but good?

Opiate Of The Masses

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think those were the lyrics to the song that rang out in the Jr high school dance in ’87.

As I have been processing the idea of heaven over the past week I began to have new questions.  I think we’ve all come to the conclusion that heave is not just an eternal playground for the faithful.  We can most certainly say that we do, in fact, experience heaven during our earthly experience through the “thin veil” but, perhaps we need no bodily resurrection to achieve our place.  Maybe our earthly heaven experiences are our resurrection.  (Some very early Jews did not have an afterlife concept.)

Some post-modern theologians have been circling the other side of this issue. Hell. Does it exist as an eternal prison for un-believers?  Perhaps humans are not meant to be eternal beings as individuals, but maybe to carry on from generation to generation.  

I know you think its ridicules, but it presents an interesting scenario.

• The Institute  

• SSU  

• Dan Wilt 

• Essentials Blue 

I’ve just finished all of the reading for this course (and viewing and listening!) and I think that there will be some good stuff out of this.   I was  surprised to hear Wright  talk about heaven in ways that are not the norm in evangelical church culture.  Surprised in a good way. 

I have been doing my best for the last few years to rid myself of what Wilt calls embedded theology – and not just my own but the churches as well.  I am of the opinion that the church has been mis-representing god for a long time and that the church puts their own ideas and/or face onto the who and what of god.  I may be at odds with the gereally accepted theological position of the people in the course (and the vineyard), but I have arrived there by questioning, reading and thinking about truth / god / church / society.  

This, in a sort of strange way, is why I chose the topic of spirituality as my echo to write about on the facebook group.  In dropping my religion at the door (and I do mean religion, not just religious hang ups)  I have begun to think of what things I actually know and which I have just tried to live in because it was “truth” in the eyes of the general church.  I realize that I am quite agnostic (different from gnostic, which Wright spoke on). 

I believe there is a god and that he has some affinity towards mankind.  This stems from me lying in bed at night as a teen and wondering why god had made me (and frankly I wished that he hadn’t). I knew that there was more to me than just a biological generation sprung forth from my parents.  I have consciousness.  I have self. I have awareness. I am individual and separate form other beings.I think that is what best describes spirit or soul.  I caution who ever reads this not to think that I am under the impression that by beliefs make up the consciousness.

Another thing I know is that I have experienced deja vu.  Sounds weird, I know, but deja vu is often explained away as just the instantaneous feeling of recognizing a situation as familiar.  I have experience dreams or even knowing in just the moment before something occurs, what exactly is about to happen.  for dreams they sometimes come years in advance and are only recognized in that moment.   To me this means that there is something in our world that is spiritual and it interacts with us.

The last thing I know (and this is a little more abstract) is that I feel different when participating in communion. 

Although I am somewhat acquainted with all of the echos, I am not what I would call the classic “spirit echo” person, but these things have had far impact on me than the others.

-daytona 

• The Institute  

• SSU  

• Dan Wilt 

• Essentials Blue