At our last meeting, 3/22/09, we ran out of time after covering only about two pages of the nearly 20 page chapter, "Integrity and Self-Acceptance". For that reason - and the fact the several people were missing - I thought I'd dump my thoughts and questions here for any who want to look at them. My notes are listed by page.

P104: According to Manning, "We each have a dream, a vision of life that corresponds to our convictions...". Have you ever considered what yours is? What drives you, informs your decision-making process, sets you apart? Manning says that, "The dream of Jesus Christ is the Kingdom of God." Does that align with yours? Should it?

P105: Blondel is quoted: "If you want to know what a person really believes, don't listen to what he says but watch what he does." If someone were to watch you day in and day out, what belief system would they be able to infer?

P106: A long discussion about emotions begins here. It is true that the evangelical movement has generally disparaged emotions. (q.v. "Emotions - Can You Trust Them?") They are generally disregarded as unreliable and misleading. Yet they are eminently reliable; they are a perfect barometer of how you feel! To deny how you feel is to deny part of you. Now those feelings should not always be followed, but they should be dealt with one way or another. What do you do with your feelings?

Manning goes into some depth about how Jesus expressed and responded to his feelings. Did that discussion ring true for you or make you feel uncomfortable?

On the other hand, the world has suffered a great deal at the hands of people who followed their feelings without regard to their effects on others. Where is the balance? (Fortunately, we have the Scriptures as our filter.)

P109: For Jesus, Manning claims, "to have integrity meant to be genuine, to communicate authentically, to resonate with his feelings." My reaction to this was to reflect on Sunday mornings. I simply don't see this kind of authenticity at church. More often, I see facades of happiness and even perfection. Just as Sunday church service has been regarded (rightly, I'd say) as the most segregated hour of the week, it also seems to be the phoniest. (I'm sure Brennan has a much more byzantine word for phony, but it's the best I could do. :-)

P112: In view of Manning's assertion that "The way of integrity ... does call each disciple to rigorous honesty about attitudes, values, lifestyle and personal relationships", how do you react to his claim "that dishonesty and self-deception have become an accepted way of life"? How have we been dishonest with ourselves? With others?

I also love Jung's statement that "neurosis is always an adequate substitute for suffering."

P113: We discussed this point in class, but it bears repeating here, I believe. Manning has a discipline where he pauses each hour to "examine whether or not the thoughts, words, and deeds of the previous sixty minutes" align with his desire to be considered a "loving man".

We brainstormed what other disciplines we might practice, even temporarily, to improve the way we conduct ourselves. Some that came up are:

1. Go an entire day without saying anything negative.
2. For each criticism, dole out seven (or so) compliments.
3. Attempt to not correct/improve/criticize/instruct anyone for a certain period of time.

These and other practices will go a long way to, if not altering, at least revealing the condition of our hearts. (And maybe tell us what we really believe!)

P115: Most of this page consists of a single quote from a Franciscan priest. It's too long to repeat here, but it's worth reflecting on. In short, can you imagine that Jesus feels proud of you? I struggled a bit with this. What do you think?

P116: There are a list of "uncomfortable questions" posed here. I'll reproduce them for your consideration:

1. Am I free? If not, why not?
2. What is not working in my life?
3. What am I afraid of losing?
4. What is robbing me of inner peace?
5. What attitude, behavior pattern, or disordered relationship is making me frightened of the face in the mirror?
6. Do I have the courage to change the things I can?
   

Pretty barbaric stuff!

P117-118: The paragraph about risk that straddles these two pages is particularly pertinent to our desire to be barbarians. I commend it to your attention.

P118: At the bottom of the page, Kathleen Kelly is quoted as saying, "For Jesus it was more vital to be an honest, genuine human being than a model Jew."

I paraphrased this for my own purposes, to see how I measure up: "For Rick, is it more vital to be an honest, genuine human being than a model [Christian/evangelical/American/father/husband/worker/whatever]?" I'm still thinking about that one...



That's all I have for now, though there was still lots more that could be discussed. Feel free to add any comments you have regarding my thoughts or your own reading of the chapter. Or feel free to skip it. I won't be hurt... much. :-)

The final meeting for this book will be 3/29/09. Howard will lead since I will be in Haiti. (Seems backward, doesn't it?)

I've already settled on the next book for our series: I'm thinking of "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. It's barbaric in a different way. And the vocabulary is considerably simpler. :-)

God bless you all...