• Home
  • About the Book
  • About the Authors
  • Blog
  • Religious Trends
A Church Beyond Belief

The Real World

10/3/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Growing up, I was tired of “the real world.” Every authority figure in my life cited “the real world.” Teachers told me I needed to be ready for the real world. Scoutmasters wanted to teach me real world skills. Clergy declared I needed to be prepared for the real world.

Of course family members constantly invoked “the real world” with specific instructions. I was expected to complete an education and get a job. My own family would take shape and I would “settle down.” Settling down was even more vague, but clearly it meant giving up much I valued as a child. “The real world” became a threat. Childish things were to be dismantled so I could become real.

It didn’t require the warnings of authority figures. The “real world” intruded upon my life soon enough. I was forced to admit that I could not become the great athlete I had imagined. I also couldn’t do math and that narrowed options further. I was terribly shy and hardly the life of the party, and that meant working harder socially as well as academically.

In short, “the real world” at first meant that there were limits, and that many of my childish imaginations were no more than that. Much that fired the imagination went no farther. I could not do anything I wanted to do, or be anything I wanted to be. That was myth.

But “the real world” also brought unimagined opportunities. Above all I discovered other people who had bumped into their own individual limits. Together we found we could do things we could not do alone. We shaped both confidence and skill. Community became real, faith took shape. “The real world” proved better than I imagined.

William L. Sachs 


0 Comments

Masks

9/12/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
The images are some of the most chilling we could ever see. The reality is one we pray we can avoid. In news reports of violence around the world, inevitably there are people in masks. At times they are political and religious extremists. At other times they are no more than criminals.

The reason for the masks is simple: the people launching violence do not want to be known. They hide their identity, while their blatant actions cause suffering. They want their brutality known; yet they want to hide, and to escape from what they have done.

If we see someone whose face is covered, we are suspicious. A hidden identity signals this person is up to no good. A mask can mean that someone chooses to hide, and so to escape.

Without using a cloth covering, many people wear masks. Their faces may be exposed, but deep parts of their lives are hidden, often behind a smiling face. All of us understand. We work hard to obscure less attractive parts of our lives. There are some things we just do not want known. We can’t abide some parts of ourselves; why would we want anyone else to see us?

When congregations function as they should, masks can be removed. Healthy congregations invite us to be our best selves. Congregations that fulfill the ideals of faith do not stop us at the door. They invite us in and they encourage us.

Belonging is a journey toward healing. Deep inside each of us is a life waiting to be revealed and a promise waiting to be fulfilled. It takes the right place and the right people. Faith community offers just the opportunity to blossom as a person. That’s the meaning of belonging.  
 

0 Comments

    William L. Sachs
    Michael S. Bos

    Rethinking the place of belonging and belief 

    Archives

    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Categories

    All
    Acceptance
    Beliefs
    Church Attendance
    Community
    Conflict
    Conservative/Liberal
    Faith & Politics
    Free Speech
    Geography Of Relationships
    Hope
    Interfaith
    Islam
    Isolation
    Leadership
    Millennials
    Negativity
    Pluralism
    Religion
    Spiritual But Not Religious
    Terrorism
    Vulnerability

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.