ITLOTC
(In The Life Of The Church)
Easter
Transformation (by josh)
I’ve caught myself confessing something a few times this year that surprised me. I don’t read much theology anymore. Some of that is because of my personality. I go through phases. The theological phase of my life was/is a long one. That journey is never over, but I don’t read about it much anymore. While I’ve by no means exhausted the offerings of Christian history, or even gotten close really, the major movements seem clear to me. Said differently, while there’s constantly new books about what Luther said being published, Luther himself isn’t saying anything new. And in theology, newness isn't generally considered an attribute. Newness usually gets labeled heresy.
That being said I just finished Richard Rohr’s The Universal Christ. I loved it. Richard Rohr has become a kind of grandfather to the post-evangelical movement. He is someone who has held our hand and made us feel safe as we’ve moved out of what we knew into what we don’t know. He is a Fransiscan Catholic who has said, “Protestants like me because I quote scripture a lot.” He’s also conversant with the tradition. But the real reason we like Richard Rohr is because he’s honest about something that no one else is. He prioritizes experience. That is, he insists that even in our commitment to sola scriptura, we all hold that conviction through the inevitable lens of our experience.
I’ll be forty in July. That artificially significant number is weighing on me in a pensive way. I’m noticing things more. And while time refuses to do anything but accelerate, I’ve slowed down in my body and in my mind. My introspection is moving into parts of my heart and mind that I didn’t know existed. A result of all of this is that the way I’m measuring value is beginning to change. I no longer read theology and ask “is this interesting?” I find i’m much more interested in “will this change me?” I think the reason I like reading Richard Rohr is because his ideas change me. I pray more when I read his books. I think more. I consider what I give my affection to and what the culmination of my habits will render me.
So I’ll tell you what Rohr has me thinking about. In the second to last chapter of the book Rohr deals with epistemology, how we know what we know. His thesis is that in the West, but really humanity as a whole, we have fallen prey to dualistic thinking. We see most situations, ideas, and people in binary categories. Good and evil. Black and white. Right and wrong. It’s how the mind evolved to survive. I have predators. I need to hoard. I need to be right. I need to survive. I need to win. It all flows from the same state of mind. And Rohr admits that this mind served it’s evolutionary purpose. To call it bad would be wrong and incidentally be another form of dualistic thinking. The goal for Rohr is to have your mind renewed in Christ. To live with a unitive, nondual, or contemplative mind.
A bit about my personal pedagogy. I have a hard time getting ideas, even really good interesting ones, until I have experience with them. For years I’ve been an advocate for contemplation and whole mindedness, but I don’t think I knew why. It’s likely that it’s because I could resonate with the failure of the dualistic mind. But then Rohr helped me realize that I have experienced the unitive mindset. He gives two examples. I’m going to quote him at length here:
“You probably didn’t realize it at the time, but whenever you were in that honeymoon stage of new love, you were temporarily enjoying a kind of unitive, nondual, or contemplative mind. During that graced period, you had no time for picking fights or being irritated by nonessentials; you were able to overlook offenses, and even forgive your sisters and brothers and maybe even your parents.
…
Conversely, in the days, weeks, and years after a great grief, loss, or death of someone close to you, you often enter that same unitive mind, but now from another doorway. The magnitude of the tragedy puts everything into perspective, and a simple smile from a checkout girl seems like a healing balm to your saddened soul. You have no time for or interest in picking fights, even regarding the stuff that used to bother you.”
The two great teachers Rohr contends are love and suffering. While I’ve had a hard time admitting that and understanding that, these two examples opened up this teaching to me in a new way precisely because I had the experiential knowledge Rohr is talking about. So I have been considering that it might be possible to live out of this kind of mindset all the time. It feel invigorating. How about you? Do you recognize what Father Rohr is talking about? Do you live out of the unitive mind? What are some practices that help you live out of that part of yourself?
Meet Our Newest UBCer
Eleanor Sofia Altahif
Birthday: 4/4/21
Birth height: 18 in
Birth weight: 5lb 15.8 oz
Enneagram Number: 1w9
Pastoral Care
Hello friends in light of Toph’s sabbatical absence in the month of May, we thought this a good time to remind everyone that those of us who are still around, are here for pastoral care. As vaccination rates rise and opportunities to be out and about rise with it, we are mindful that new and difficult challenges will unveil themselves. In light of this we wanted to remind you that we are up at church and can make appointments to see you or as always want to extend the invitation to email us: josh@ubcwaco.org, jamie@ubcwaco.org & taylor@ubcwaco.org. Love you. You’re the best!
Service Time Change
HEY!!!! One more reminder that church starts at 9:30 A.M.
Meet the UBCer(s)
The Krey
Leadership Team Nomination
We will be replacing three of our valiant leadership team members this August. Thank you to Jeremy Nance, Kerri Fisher, & Joanna Sowards. Description of the role is below. Leadership team members function as the executive decision making body of the church. The commitment is to a three year term. Leadership team terms are three years. If you would like to nominate someone for the leadership team, please do so by using this link to fill out the form.
(A) Purpose. The Leadership Team shall be the primary decision-making body of UBC. The Leadership Team will oversee all the business and property of the church, as well as make the final decisions regarding hiring and dismissal of staff and the acquisition and selling of assets that are beyond budgetary provisions.
(C) Qualifications. Each member of Leadership Team shall have been a member of UBC for at least one year, exhibited an understanding and commitment to the mission and values of the church, and be willing to fulfill all responsibilities in the Leadership Team job description.
(E) Term. Members of Leadership Team may serve for a duration lasting up to three years. While they are encouraged to remain the full three years, members may voluntarily remove themselves from their position at any time
Pastoral Associates
Friends, Bri Childs, our current pastoral associate is leaving us. Bri leaves behind kindness, compassion, and a legacy with Paul Bunyan size shoes. Alas, we press on towards new things. We are looking for a new pastoral associate(s). If you are a person who is thinking about ministry or would like ministry experience and and an opportunity to work with the UBC staff for a very, very, very (did I say very) small stipend, then boy do we have an opportunity here. Interested persons can apply by clicking here.
Sunday Worship Is …
Outside! The weather looks good.
(imagine that Carlton Banks excited gif right here)
Parishioner of the Week
Sack Lunch a band featuring our very own Davis Misloski & Ben Simmons, opened for Colony House. They are going places.
Leadership Team
If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.
Chair: Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu
Luci Hoppe: lhoppe@gmail.com
Jeremy Nance: Jeremy.J.Nance@L3T.com
Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com
Kathy Krey: kathykrey@gmail.com
Jose Zuniga: jzgrphix2002@yahoo.com
Taylor Torregrossa: Taylordtorregrossa@gmail.com
Student Position: Davis Misloski
Student Position: Maddy O’Shaughnessy
UBC Finance Team
Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.
Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com
Jen Carron: jen.carron78@gmail.com
Mike Dodson: financeteammike@gmail.com
George Thornton: GeorgecCT1982@gmail.com
UBC HR Team
If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.
Erin Albin: erin.albin1@gmail.com
Sam Goff: samuelgoff92@gmail.com
Craig Nash: Craig_Nash@baylor.edu
Kristen Howerton: khowerton94@gmail.com
Patrick Broaddus: patrickjbroaddus@gmail.com