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The "Living in Tents" Blog by Rev. Norman Stolpe, Senior Pastor, Central Christian Church.
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I have adopted as a metaphor for my life the image of Abraham living in tents as a foreigner in the land God had promised him. (Hebrews 11:9-10) It inspires me to a light, flexible, portable life. I want to cherish every moment, possession, location, relationship as a gift to be held loosely, with generosity and gratitude. It protects me from clinging to the transitory while savoring the present. It calls me to a journey with unanticipated twists and turns that still leads to a secure destination. It tunes me to the voice of God, constantly coaxing me toward the presence of Christ. These entries are the field notes of my pilgrimage. You are invited to respond from your own journey.
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Sami family in front of a traditional Sami tent, circa 1900. |
Survivors of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake living in tents. |
These photos are not Abraham’s nomadic tent, nor are they the sort of tents with which I have camped. However, they each connect to my family’s roots. The photo on the left is from Lapland. My paternal grandfather came from Lapland at the north end of Sweden. Though he was a Swede and not Sami, he lived among them. The photo on the right is contemporaneous with the family living in a tent after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. My maternal grandmother lived in Oakland, California at the time of the quake and helped care for the displaced residents of San Francisco. In the faces in these photos I see my own face and the face of Christ.
Abstracts of Recent Posts
Terrorist or Criminal?
02/22/2010 - The arrests of two young men for the 2010 East Texas church fires and Joseph Stack setting his own home on fire before flying his small plane into the IRS offices north of Austin are a harsh reminder of the ambiguities surrounding threats to public safety. No human effort can guarantee 100% safety and security. God alone is a reliable refuge, and taking refuge in God does not exempt people of faith from the harsh realities of life in our broken world.
The Imam And The Pastor
02/09/2010 - A Muslim Imam and I had a conversation comparing his task and mine as a Christian pastor, and we found we had common tasks and concerns.
Oh, That We Might See Better Times
02/04/2010 - The Book of Common Prayer translates Psalm 4:6, “Many are saying, ‘Oh, that we might see better times.’” That seems to me to capture the current ethos