New Monasticism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New Monasticism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The 'Twelve Marks' of a New Monasticism

The Twelve Marks of new monasticism express the common thread of many new monastic communities [7]. These 'marks' are:

1. Relocation to the 'abandoned places of Empire' [at the margins of society]
2. Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us
3. Hospitality to the stranger
4. Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation
5. Humble submission to Christ’s body, the Church
6. Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old novitiate
7. Nurturing common life among members of intentional community
8. Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children
9. Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life
10. Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us along with support of our local economies
11. Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18
12. Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life"

Social Machine

Driving home from Christmas vacation, I listened as my computer read me a few chapters of Christianity and the Social Crisis in the 21st Century. Something in Rauschenbusch’s digital voice melded with the inching across the globe as fast as our wheels could take us to engender a feeling of insignificance in me. In his exploration of the social aims of the church throughout its history I got the sense of my part in something global, gargantuan and staid. That part seemed small and insignificant, and the social agenda of the Christian machine, though broken down for centuries seemed so impersonal. I felt the sting of Rauschenbusch implicating the mystical and personal as well as the avarice and perfidy in the church as corrupting forces in the mechanism for salvation.

Rauschenbusch also seems to fall in with theologians who suggest that Jesus failed in his primary mission, and the cross is the symbol of that failure. What can an appreciation for the atonement bring to the discussion about social justice?

Goodbye Blue Monday review ****

Today I have the privilege to come home to Goodbye Blue Monday coffee and tea. I grew up in Northfield, but Blue Monday didn’t become my home until I went away to college and needed the place of refuge and good coffee. There is a difference today though. In keeping with my recent tradition of reviewing coffee shops as I travel, I come into Blue Monday looking not to simply feed my need for the comfortable and familiar. Today I wish to experience Blue Monday for what it has to offer.

For the first time I sampled Monday’s bright and yet full bodied espresso in all its naked splendor, before following it up with my favorite Americano. The espresso is very palatable, not as deep and rumbly as I long for, but it finishes well, very clean. The staff at the Blue Monday is tight lipped about the intimate fifteen-year relationship they have with their unnamed roaster.

It is the décor that to me represents the quintessential bohemian coffee culture. It has developed an eclectic mix of industrial, with galvanized steel on the walls and ceilings contrasted against smooth darkly stained wood. The walls sport collegiate pop art, while the lamps bring an oriental flair with hand made shades. The furniture channels fifties mod and is very comfortable.

The menu is straightforward: coffee done right, smooth espresso, a huge selection of exceptional loose-leaf teas. There is no need for latte art or signature drinks to attract people, just the excellence of the bean.

Formating love

Another year older

I have felt lately like I am reverting. When I was in high school and first couple years in college, I didn't do much about homework nor cared much about grades. I thought if I was learning that was all that was important (of course even that didn't happen in Functions Statistics and Trig).

About half way through my Junior year in college I dropped out for a while to pursue ministry full time, thinking I could get the much coveted degree more quickly through correspondence. I went back to school with a new perspective after getting married, and did some excellent work and loved it! The new wife had to make me some cookies to motivate me to get a paper done once in a while.

The last couple classes I have been getting poorer grades, I figure because I have a propensity to challenge rules like, "If I don't post on Wed, will it really be so bad?" At any rate I have begun to accept that identity again of an underachiever. I feel half alive. This week I have found one life line in praying the hours with a new podcast. (On top of praying they are giving away a four volume set of the liturgy of the hours for promoting it, so I have been excitedly doing that... that's perhaps all I have been excitedly doing.) So, I figure one of two things will get me out of my funk. 1.) calculating my grades and becoming convinced that the damage wont be so bad, or 2.) Elaine promising me some cookie loving.

I pray in the words of Switchfoot

I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want to know that my heart's still beating
It's beating,
I'm bleeding
I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want to live like I know what I'm leaving
I want to know that my heart's still beating
It's beating... it's beating...
I'm bleeding

Nothing but laziness

I had a dream last night that we were moving (that in itself is a recurring nightmare), and there was so much left to load and pack and the bus and trailer was already full. I wasn't really participating in the action of my dream anymore, I was overwhelmed, unmotivated and lethargic. That is just how I feel today. I noted last night my lack of drive to do my homework. I seem to be acting more like I did my first years in college or in high school when I didn't care if I did any homework. Alas could I really revert to that?

I feel like I am falling behind and hope is lost for a good performance. Perhaps I need a break.

Praying together by ipod

I am quite taken with the latest tool I’ve found in my quest for spiritual discipline. The podcast from divineoffice.org offers wonderful readings of the hours. I adore their use of music throughout the podcast both incidentally under some of the prayers as well as at the time of the hymn. A bell chimes at the beginning and end calling the soul to prayer. I was reminded sweetly of praying with monks when on retreat. They pray with feeling and expression as I pray when alone. The form of prayer in community usually lacks such expression for sake of unity. Indeed the different voices praying together sounded hokey when I first listened, but when I joined them in prayer with my own voice, I joined the community of faith everywhere. It was as if that handful of praying voices was suddenly intimate to me. Then there was the silence. I was not rushed through, there were times of savoring the presence of God in our prayers together – times I do not often enough afford myself when praying alone. Having this podcast readily available on my computer and ipod will remove one more hindrance to praying the hours I find so dulcet.

Click here to subscribe to the divine office podcast

Bjava Coffee and Tea

In an unassuming corner of an Indianapolis strip mall, across the parking lot from a Starbucks, Bjava Coffee and Tea makes its home. Its greatness does not rest in chic environs or bohemian atmosphere, but in the passionate quality of its drinks.

I came away from my time spent with owner B. J. Davis and Indy.com’s top barista, Andy Gillman with a new respect for the signature drink. Their traditional cappuccinos start with a double shot of espresso (roasted by PT’s coffee company). The shot has a smooth body with ample deep rust colored crema and the brightness of sunshine on my tongue. Add to that a balanced velvety microfoam of milk to fill a 6oz cup. The real magic lies in the flavors of these culinary masterpieces. I was so taken by the selection of signature traditional cappuccinos, that I had to try two.

The Honey Lavender Cappuccino:
This is Andy Gillman’s signature drink. “I made a syrup from lavender buds,” he said, “and added a dash of honey that comes from [local farm], JTs bees. The honey is terrific, packed with floral flavors that build on the lavender and draw it across the tongue.” This drink blew me away. Now, I am not much for flavored coffee drinks, but this drink opened my eyes to new horizons. It lacked the overt sweetness of a drink made with flavor syrups. It was more of an epicurean creation, the antithesis of a froofy dessert coffee streamlined for mass consumption.

The Shagadellic Shooter:
This cappuccino takes its root from the heart of Indiana lore. There is a 200-year-old local recipe for Shagbark Hickory Syrup that is made at a local cottage business. This uniquely local flavor is paired exquisitely with cardamom, which is freshly cracked onto the foam.

The true genius of Bjava is in the creative efforts of B. J. Davis and her staff. It is the kind of shop that deserves its loyal customers and the buzz of the Indianapolis cognoscenti.

The Abbey Coffeehouse

An almost incense like Mediterranean spice scent stuck my nose as I entered. There was potential that my visit to the Abbey Coffeehouse could have been a spiritual experience. The counter, the lights, and a few pews looked salvaged from a cathedral. A second look showed how worn the place was. The imitation tinning was falling from the ceiling in places giving the painted clouds a melancholy tone. The decay also showed behind the bar. The vintage Astoria espresso machine (in operation at the Abbey for 10 years) looked like it could either pull a sweet vintage shot or shake apart in the attempt. On the wall were numerous certificates awarding the Abbey best Coffeehouse awards from various magazines, the most recent I saw being 2005. This was became the biggest symbol of decay to me as I sampled the espresso. The barista pulled the doser lever twice into the bottom of a single shot basket. I couldn't even see anything in there when he proceeded to tamp it with the attachment on the grinder. He pulled the resulting four-ounce shot into a chipped 12 ounce mug. There was but a trace of pallid crema on the surface of this obviously over extracted tincture. I drank a respectable amount and then opted for the house blend. It was strangely spicy with an all too bright and demure finish, the shop’s whole atmosphere (the incense quality as well as the decay) in the cup.

Abbey Coffeehouse - Indianapolis, IN, 46204-1130

For the Love of Elaine

Do you know how much I love you?
Does my embrace speak sweetness?
Do my caresses convey love's depth?
Do my kisses whisper my heart's beat?
Does my goofy love struck grin give you an inkling
As my tears start trickling?
My love for you is a honeyed tickle
My love for you makes bottomless my heart
It is sweet to me as communion wine
And as mystical as the bread