The difference between running and delivering a sermon or leading a flock is …
I might come at it in terms of similarities than in terms of differences. Similarities: there’s some preparation, but most of the work happens when you’re doing it. There’s training to get ready, but most of the work and ministry happens in the middle of it.
You said you like to run on trails. Anything interesting that might have happened in the woods?
Well, you get to see animals if you’re not too noisy. Deer and rabbits and birds and turkeys
Where is the most beautiful or inspiring place you’ve run and what made it so?
I’ve been a couple times in the last few years to Healdsburg, California. There’s a retreat center there where I’ve been to meetings. The places where the trails go in the coast range there are quite beautiful.
Do you have a favorite Bible passage that inspires you to get out and run?
There’s a wonderful passage in the Psalms that says, “Beautiful are the feet of one who brings good news.”
Do you have any favorite pre- or post-run meal?
Well, back in the days when I was training for things, a good, long Saturday-morning run was followed by a refrigerator-drawer omelet. Everything that’s in there in terms of vegetables and leftovers.
And cheese?
Absolutely.
What do you like the most and dislike the most about running?
Well, it’s hard work, but you feel great afterwards, or even in the midst of it.
Isn’t that Isaiah 52:7, not the psalms?
And isn’t it about the feet of the herald of Jerusalem’s redemption, rather than about the feet of one exercising her body in the company of bunnies and bambis?
Fortunately this interview — RW always has an interview of a celebrity (you know, Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey, Brittany Spears, KJS) at the end of the issue — did not at all ruin what was otherwise a good issue in one of my favorite mags.
And isn’t it interesting that the Chief pastor of the TEC remembered to change the text to reflect gender-inclusivity (him becomes one) even though she can’t remember the origin of the passage?
Nahum 1:15 –
[i] Look, [b]there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news[/b], who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.[/i]
Isaiah 52:7 –
[i][b]How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news[/b], who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”[/i]
Romans 10:14-21 –
[i]How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, [b]”How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news![/b]
But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.” And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.” But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”[/i]
T his is easily the honest and most competent interview she has given.
(No, elves, I am not being sarcastic.) Larry
[blockquote]In my tradition we might talk about it as [u]body prayer[/u]. It’s a meditative experience at its best. It’s a sort of emptying of the mind.[/blockquote]
And what tradition would that be?
carl
As a runner, I’m right with her on this, and I’m glad she’s finally strung together enough sentences to constitute an interview I can read with some pleasure.
I feel some sympathy with her on the subject of finding good shoes that fit. I have a couple of tall women friends who have had a lifetime of frustration to find shoes large enough. I am a bit suprised, as I don’t recall KJS being overly tall enough to wear a mens 11. And I do love the idea of a refrigerator drawer omelet. I wish I had known about her being a runner about earlier this year. I would have asked her for a donation for Team in Training marathon that I participated in for the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society.
#7, it’s the Christian tradition. While monks and others of us may not be running while meditating, we are often walking, and have been doing so for centuries. As a one-time runner whose now a brisk walker, I find such times good occasions for meditation.
#9, I’ll bet the PB would be happy to contribute to the next Team in Training marathon, even if she doesn’t have the time to train for the marathon itself.
#5, thanks for all of the references. I would say of the PB’s error in citation, that as a man who reads the Bible daily I also when speaking from memory sometimes get the references wrong. Occasionally when I refer to an OT passage by memory in my NT class, someone corrects me when I make an error (though usually students are not familiar with it, as knowledge of the OT even by the most fervent young evangelical students is rather meager).
#4, the most recent Bible translations, e.g., NRVS, and the latest NIV, are gender-neutral, as is clear from the translations cited by #5.
#2, isn’t is common for us believers to cite Scripture in all kinds of contexts that are different from the context of the text? I do it all the time. One of the sad things about our presently biblically illiterate culture is that I have done it frequently in my courses and get blank stares in return.
Stefano,
Me too. (It’s a pity I have to stretch to find something I agree with KJS on, and then it’s not theology!!!) Even though I have a common enough shoe size, I have wide feet and difficult arches. Therefore, when I find a shoe that fits, I tend to buy more than one pair. Unfortunately, I usually have had to ‘make do’ with shoes ‘not quite right’. And since I love to hike, this is not always the best solution.
I plan to start section-hiking the Appalachian Trail in the next five years (if I get a job in the TN/NC area), so I need to find a pair that fit soon!
Bob,
Just to add:
Even the NT authors rarely cited accurate sources:
It is written in the Law …
Didn’t the prophet say ….
And elsewhere it is written …
etc.
Of course, they didn’t have thumb indexed scriptures, and chapter and verse subdivisions hadn’t been developed yet, Going through a scroll was a bit harder then grabbing a Bible off the shelf, I guess. 😉
Bob from Boone – the most recent translations are the ESV and the forthcoming complete Orthodox Study Bible’s translation of the LXX. They are not gender-neutral.
To Schori, I can say wi th a good many other Anglicans re:her problems “If t h e shoe fits, wear it.” LM
10. Bob from Boone wrote:
[blockquote] [I]t’s the Christian tradition. While monks and others of us may not be running while meditating, we are often walking, and have been doing so for centuries. [/blockquote]
And they do this with an [i]empty[/i] mind? Meditating on the Word of the Lord is not equivalent to meditating on nothing. That latter kind of meditation comes out of eastern religion. But then, we have always known that (what likes to style itself as) liberal Christianity is syncretistic.
carl
Phil,
Good point! I much prefer the ESV and NIV over the NRSV or the tNIV.
The inclusive language pov translations are not much better, IMO, and is in fact worse, then other fad versions such as ‘the Cotton-Patch Gospels’, mainly because they are intended to be taken as ‘serious’ translations/revisions!
Re #15: I suggest you try reading [i]The Cloud of Unknowing,[/i] St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Blessed Henry Suso, or Blessed John of Ruysbroeck. You might also consult almost any Roman Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican handbook on prayer and contemplation. Apophatic spirituality is well within the mainstream of Orthodoxy in the Western traditions, and it simply [b]is[/b] the mainstream in the Christian East. Monastic spirituality, East and West, from Late Antiquity down to today is based on [i]Lectio Divina[/i] in which meditating on the Word of the Lord leads into contemplation. None of this is “liberal Christianity,” any more than it is “syncretistic” or “comes out of eastern religion.”
Now it is possible that you know all this, and you are simply rejecting the Christian tradition, insofar as it differs from your personal reading of the Bible, but that is not the impression I think you wanted to give.
It’s nice reading comments from her that don’t frustrate or sadden me. I try not to be upset by her comments (I try my best to give her the benefit of the doubt, so to speak), but she usually makes it hard.
Jim, I also appreciate the comments about finding good shoes. I have short, wide feet, too. EE Double Wides are hard to find, so I usually have to go up a shoe size or two. It often puts the arch support in the wrong place on my foot, but it leaves my toes with lots of breathing room. I too am getting in the habit of buying two pairs when I find a set I really like.
I also appreciated +KJS’s comments on Healdsburg. The Bishop’s Ranch is one of my favorite places too. Even if it is run by the Diocese of California. (It’s physically in Northern California…TEC seems to have no trouble with extraterritorial possessions when it comes to camps and conference centers…and very near St. Paul’s, Healdsburg, a great ACN parish).
Dale, Lectio Divina is not ‘meditating on nothing’ or ’emptying your mind’… It’s really reading a passage of scripture and bringing that into yourself, so that God becomes present in His Word.
one website gives the process in this way (and it is really what all the websites I viewed in the last few minutes said, but distilled in nicely):
[blockquote]CHOOSE a text of the Scriptures that you wish to pray. Many Christians use in their daily lectio divina one of the readings from the Eucharistic liturgy for the day; others prefer to slowly work through a particular book of the Bible. It makes no difference which text is chosen, as long as one has no set goal of “covering†a certain amount of text: the amount of text “covered†is in God’s hands, not yours.
PLACE YOURSELF in a comfortable position and allow yourself to become silent. Some Christians focus for a few moments on their breathing; other have a beloved “prayer word†or “prayer phrase†they gently recite in order to become interiorly silent. For some the practice known as “centering prayer†makes a good, brief introduction to lectio divina. Use whatever method is best for you and allow yourself to enjoy silence for a few moments.
THEN TURN to the text and read it slowly, gently. Savor each portion of the reading, constantly listening for the “still, small voice†of a word or phrase that somehow says, “I am for you today.†Do not expect lightening or ecstasies. In lectio divina God is teaching us to listen to Him, to seek Him in silence. He does not reach out and grab us; rather, He softly, gently invites us ever more deeply into His presence.
NEXT TAKE the word or phrase into yourself. Memorize it and slowly repeat it to yourself, allowing it to interact with your inner world of concerns, memories and ideas. Do not be afraid of “distractions.†Memories or thoughts are simply parts of yourself which, when they rise up during lectio divina, are asking to be given to God along with the rest of your inner self. Allow this inner pondering, this rumination, to invite you into dialogue with God.
THEN, SPEAK to God. Whether you use words or ideas or images or all three is not important. Interact with God as you would with one who you know loves and accepts you. And give to Him what you have discovered in yourself during your experience of meditatio. Experience yourself as the priest that you are. Experience God using the word or phrase that He has given you as a means of blessing, of transforming the ideas and memories, which your pondering on His word has awakened. Give to God what you have found within your heart.
FINALLY, SIMPLY rest in God’s embrace. And when He invites you to return to your pondering of His word or to your inner dialogue with Him, do so. Learn to use words when words are helpful, and to let go of words when they no longer are necessary. Rejoice in the knowledge that God is with you in both words and silence, in spiritual activity and inner receptivity.
SOMETIMES IN lectio divina one will return several times to the printed text, either to savor the literary context of the word or phrase that God has given, or to seek a new word or phrase to ponder. At other times only a single word or phrase will fill the whole time set aside for lectio divina. It is not necessary to anxiously assess the quality of one’s lectio divina as if one were “performing†or seeking some goal: lectio divina has no goal other than that of being in the presence of God by praying the Scriptures. [/blockquote]
http://www.valyermo.com/ld-art.html
#15 Empty mind (No mind) is a technical Buddhist concept. Similarities with medieval mystical theology have been suggested. How far you find such similarities persuasive perhaps depends upon much larger questions about the relation of apophatic and kataphatic theology.
Re #19: OK, so what is the difference in your mind between “resting in God’s embrace … let go of words when they are no longer necessary” and what Bob from Boone was describing? I would have thought it more or less a given that when a Christian describes a phenomenon that has analogies in both Buddhist and Christian tradition, that they are doing so as a Christian and not as a Buddhist.
It has been the general teaching of Christian masters in spirituality (including, but not limited to, the Cistercian, Carthusian, and Carmelite traditions) that all of us start off with verbal prayers but many eventually reach a plateau where further efforts to verbalize our meditations, or even to create mental images, leads to a frustrating “dark night of the soul” that may last a lifetime (see Mother Teresa of Calcutta, for example). In such times, simply clinging to God without words or images may be all that is possible. It may, in fact, be exactly what is necessary. An empty mind may be the best alternative to one crowded with dark or scrupulous thoughts.
The goal of [i]lectio divina[/i] is to incorporate reading on the intellectual level ([i]lectio[/i]) and the affective level ([i]meditatio[/i]) with verbal prayer ([i]oratio[/i]) and silent contemplation ([i]contemplatio[/i]). One can do that while running, I understand from Christian runners, at least as well as while sitting or standing.
By the way, it’s obvious one cannot practice [i]Lectio Divina[/i] while running! 🙂
#21 you can read whilst running?
well, I suppose you can if you want to risk being introduced to a tree while returning to the written word.
But as to the difference: Buddhist and Eastern thought is that one focuses on nothingness, to attain nothingness. The goal of meditation is to empty your mind totally, focusing on that nothingness.
The goal of Christian meditation is to ‘lose yourself in Him, and let Him fill you’, it is the opposite of seeking nothingness, it is seeking the God of the Universe, which most Eastern religions don’t come close to either embracing, recognizing, nor incoporating in their ‘theology’ (if it can be called ‘theology’).
There is no ‘om’ in Christianity, there is Him. We ‘meditate on His Law’ as the Psalmists say. “Let my words abide in you” Jesus commands. That’s different than saying ’empty your mind’.
But anyway, books could be written on this subject, and have been!
The problem (IMO) is that we say “Oh, look St. So-and-so speaks of this in his/her mystical writings”, but that doesn’t make it either official Christian practice, nor valid Christian practice. All it shows is that St. So-and-so did it that way.
The real question we have to ask is: does it line up with Scripture and with accepted Christian Tradition?
Gee whiz … give the lady a break. She was answering questions from Runner’s World … about running and how it was a part of her life. Mediation is a part of our church, certainly now, even if it wasn’t a major part of our church life in the earlier 20th century. Anyone who’s ever run knows the cleansing meditative part of running distances, regardless of whether a certain kind of meditative process is followed. I agree with little, if anything, that she has said theologically or politically since she became PB (and I especially don’t like her ban on sales of churches to other Anglican organizations). But to criticize her for this totally inoffensive interview loses credibility to me for those leveling the criticism.
Oh, is that what we were doing? I thought we were taking an answer of hers and going from there to further define what is meant in today’s society by [i]Christian Mediatation[/i].
Surely a worthwhile pursuit?
And it took 15 posts for us to do so.
By the way, something I’d wanted to ask:
How many here (besides me) run or walk while listening to Christian music or sermons on MP3 players (iPods or generic)?
Depending on the time of day, I also have morning and evening prayer (combination sung and said) in MP3 format on my ‘player.
Not that I actually walk all that regularly …… something on my New Year’s resolution list. 🙁
sheesh. “Mediatation”. MEDITATION. Get it right, Jim! 😉
Recall that Brother Lawrence in the 17th century prayed, meditated, and talked to God all day long while performing the most menial of tasks in the monastery.
You have to give her credit for quick wit, that is, when answering a question about bible verses and running she pulls out a verse that includes feet.
And Bob — re: your comment to #5, if the Presiding Bishop – the Presiding Bishop – is going to try to be witty with scripture then she/he had better get it right, or just don’t try to quote source (book, chapter, and/or verse). Many have said this to her before: just don’t say anything.
No — on quoting scripture (especially in public), for leadership in the Body of Christ, there is no break to give.
And to those complaining about the more ancient and low tech technique of lectio divina when attempting to introduce it to the relatively modern concept of “running” as exercise, then welcome to (and LJ almost got it) the high tech exaudio divina.
RGEaton