Tag: Christianity

Fascinating Bonus Material: From Shawn Smucker on the Amish

Amish being arraigned for hair and beard cutting attacks. A sticky situation.

 

Have you heard about the Amish-on-Amish hair and beard cutting violence? (You will if you read this.)

And, like me, have you ever wondered if the Amish read Amish romance books?

Watch and listen to writer Shawn Smucker‘s unique take on these topics in a limited-time release of epic bonus video material. This video will not be available as usual on the NiNJA interviews youtube channel. It will not be shown here, or released to the general public. To view this bonus video, click here.

If you enjoy it, remember there’s more to come. You won’t want to miss it. To get unfettered access on all future bonus videos use the contact form on the right. (It’s your ticket to FREE Savvy! Boo–yah!)

SO — Who’s Shawn, exactly, and is he related to the SMUCKERS JELLY people…you know…the “With a name like Smuckers, it’s gotta be good” folks?

Shawn Smucker has Amish roots, and can trace his ancestry back almost 400 years to 1620 German farmers. He’s written several books on the Amish, including Think No Evil on the tragic Nickel Mines Schoolhouse shooting and forgiveness in Amish culture. His latest book My Amish Roots details the culture, traditions, stories of this intriguing Christian subculture that shun modern conveniences, and live a slow-paced agrarian lifestyle rich in community, Christian values, and tight generational family bonds.

Shawn Smucker

 

January 23, I’ll post Shawn’s Ninja Interview video in 2 parts (viewable here and on youtube). We chat about the Amish culture, forgiveness, his not yet widely known upcoming book project, and more.

(It’s so good, I couldn’t limit it to the typical 5-6 minutes.) Tune in and you’ll find out if Shawn also has Jelly roots, too.

(pppsst. The best way to see it right away is to subscribe here, or on the youtube channel.)

 Current “FREE SAVVY” members, your access is already in place. Enjoy.

Heaven is For Real, but is it as silly as they say?

On the recent topic of Heaven (and soon, Hell) here at the old blog, I must bring up the baffling and sappy rendering of the heaven that we hear about quite a bit in conservative North American Protestantism.

If a boy nearly dies, and then tells you details about heaven exactly as you have taught him, what’s next? I’ll tell you what, a best seller (for people who need a spiritual vitamin B12 shot for their excruciatingly literal translations of biblical passages, and who pay no mind to historical context, linguistic idioms, let alone Hebrew and Greek).

Now, I realize young children tell silly stories. That’s part of their job. The trouble comes when the stories get massaged and coupled with a near-death tragedy to elicit a faith response from the more gullible among us. I do want to think the Burpos are on the up-and-up, but something stinks.

I heard Pastor Burpo and his little boy on a television program. What a cute kid. Some of the story seemed amazing, if not miraculous, but I got a bad whiff of something when Colton (really his dad) detailed heaven as, well, super lame.

People get around on their huge wings. Okay, I hope that’s not how it works. Boobs have been bad enough. The proverbial pearly gates make an appearance. The word “wicked trite” comes to mind, but maybe I’m just too cynical. A blue-eyed Jesus wears a purple sash over his white robe, and rides a giantic rainbow colored horse. Okay, bad wardrobe, and how could the genuine biblical Jesus from the ancient Semitic region possibly possess a double recessive gene for blue eyes? (And don’t say, because both Mary and the Holy Spirit had blue eyes, ’cause I’m not buying it.)

I don’t think Jesus rolls like that. But, I give the kid credit: An elephantine rainbow horse is pretty cool. Of course, I would have to know if it pooped rainbow too. That’s awfully critical info. God (the Father) has a body and sits on the throne, with Gabriel serving as a kind of right hand angel man on his left side, in a smaller throne…as we might expect, right? It all sounds like a bad Star Trek episode. Well, sort of.

Reader reviews often complain that only 3 pages of the book speaks of heaven in any details. But the book has done well. Very well. It spent 52 weeks on the bestseller list, and the family has since produced a children’s picture book, and you guessed it, and movie rights have been purchased by Sony. Pretty sweet deal!

Possible movie title: “Heaven is for Reel: One Boy’s Near-death experience as re-told by his literalistic dad”

When the parents are asked about authenticity, their answers center on referring to the hope the story brings. This begs the question, is the point of the book to create hope in a plenty of people already know what they want heaven to be, instead of a faithful depiction of God (who, by the way, is non corporeal) and the Bible? (Which would be far more confusing.) Both can’t be true.

If you want to read a copy for yourself, and decide, here it is.

But, I offer you some thoughtful reflection on the the topic from arguably the foremost New Testament scholar alive today.

Contemplative Reading Recommendations

Advent Season is the perfect time to get all high octane spiritually speaking. Read, meditate, pray, and learn from others, and you will be so enriched as you enter the Christmas season.

My favorite undertaker, and writer friend, Caleb Wilde has been blog writing about God and Greek influence. And it struck me how much the Contemplative stream of Christianity may help inform us about things and in places where our finite intellectualizing fails us. The intersection of life and death is one of those spots.

I asked Caleb who and what he’s read from this (as Richard Foster says) “Stream of Christianity”, and he asked for recommendations. So, I thought, I’d offer them to all of you.

Please recommend your favorites too.

My not-by-any-means exhaustive list of favorite Contemplative Stream writers.

By way of a high-qulaity but compact primer I recommend Richard Foster‘s who gives a fantastic overview to each of the 6 Streams of Christianity. His “Streams of Living Waters” book covers the basic 6 traditions categorized as: Charismatic, Holiness, Contemplative, Social Justice, Evangelical,  and Incarnational flavors (if you will) within all of Christianity through the ages since Christ.

Gaining Christian spiritual insights from devoted lovers of God outside your own era and your own experience of a specific faith tradition is an invaluable blessing, and very faith building. Foster outlines major points and people of the Contemplative Stream, starting with the apostle John, in the book you see below:

Classic contemplative standby: Frances of Assisi (1181-1226)

Brother Lawrence (1611-1691) The Practice of the Presence of God (short read, and free online. sweet.)

Frank Laubach (1884-1970)


Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941)

Thomas Merton (1915-1968)

Thomas Merton “In My Own Words”

Henri Nouwen 1932-1996)

Here are 2 useful previously posted articles on this Stream.
1. Kataphatic and Apophatic Prayer Explained
2.Meditation to Contemplation – Kataphatic to Apophatic Prayer (an prayer exercise/experience)

Video: Advent Meditation for week 1

I just found this (2007) video and really appreciated its meditative quality using Scripture. I hope watching it renews you spiritually.

This week, prepare your heart with Hope, as we await the celebration of the arrival of our Redeemer.

Wishing you Advent blessings.

If you think someone else would benefit from viewing this, please “Tweet This”, or pass it along.

Advent Reflection 11/28/11

 

“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79, NRSV)

May you meditate on the meaning of this scripture, and pray it.

Consider sharing your Advent reflections below.