Posting this again because I love it.
Our Ends Are Beginnings by ParadisiacPicture on DeviantArt
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
In Short: Why I Love Harry Potter
In addition to my predetermined Advent reading, I've also indulged in a little Harry Potter re-reading. (If the 870 pages of Order of the Phoenix can be called "a little.") In the final chapter, I discovered this gem, which I'm pretty sure I missed every other time I read it.
"There were still deep welts on his forearms where the brain's tentacles had wrapped around him. According to Madam Pomfrey, thoughts could leave deeper scarring than almost anything else, though since she had started applying copious amounts of Dr. Ubbly's Oblivious Unction, there seemed to be some improvement."
Weaving together the whimsical and the profound in a single sentence, with a touch of humor. (And the idea that thoughts can cause more damage than any other kind of wound...how had I missed that little side commentary before?) If you haven't read this series lately, I highly recommend it. It means at least as much to me now as it did when I first read it as a child. Now more than ever, I can see that it's the perfect combination of an exciting fantasy world, excellent character development and writing style, and - in an incredibly heartfelt, honest manner - the simple triumph of good over evil.
"There were still deep welts on his forearms where the brain's tentacles had wrapped around him. According to Madam Pomfrey, thoughts could leave deeper scarring than almost anything else, though since she had started applying copious amounts of Dr. Ubbly's Oblivious Unction, there seemed to be some improvement."
Weaving together the whimsical and the profound in a single sentence, with a touch of humor. (And the idea that thoughts can cause more damage than any other kind of wound...how had I missed that little side commentary before?) If you haven't read this series lately, I highly recommend it. It means at least as much to me now as it did when I first read it as a child. Now more than ever, I can see that it's the perfect combination of an exciting fantasy world, excellent character development and writing style, and - in an incredibly heartfelt, honest manner - the simple triumph of good over evil.
Friday, December 5, 2014
Advent/Darkness
Foremost on my mind this week is the difficulty in reconciling the hope of this season with the incredible brokenness of this world. Perhaps it's always been this way, but for whatever reason, the past few weeks and months have felt like one horrible thing after another, just piling on and on and on. It could be my propensity for reading the news nowadays, a stark contrast to my college days of basically existing in a world independent of politics and international news. Anyway, some days I've felt like it's too much. Ferguson/police brutality, war and its victims worldwide, the continual poisoning of the Earth, the pervasiveness of rape and sexual assault (and the denial of such) connected to Bill Cosby, UVA, and also everywhere in the world....and more. Much more.
I care about it all, and I want to honor these situations by giving them my full attention and access to my emotions. I won't give in to that instinct to look away. And yet, it's too much for me to carry.
I began to realize that this is why we need Advent. Not because it's easy to feel happy and hopeful, but because the darkness of the world is crying out for light.
I think Christena Cleveland says it best in her blog post entitled "Advent/Darkness":
I care about it all, and I want to honor these situations by giving them my full attention and access to my emotions. I won't give in to that instinct to look away. And yet, it's too much for me to carry.
I began to realize that this is why we need Advent. Not because it's easy to feel happy and hopeful, but because the darkness of the world is crying out for light.
I think Christena Cleveland says it best in her blog post entitled "Advent/Darkness":
We’ve been tricked by chocolate-filled Advent calendars and blissful Christmas pageants that gloss over the very real evil that makes the Messiah’s coming so very necessary, so very loving, and so very heroic.
Advent isn’t a holiday party. It doesn’t pressure us to conjure up a hopeful face, ring bells, and dismiss the foulest realities we face. Advent isn’t about our best world, it’s about our worst world. I think we eat the chocolate and put on the pageants because we don’t want to face the worst. [...]
Advent is an invitation to plunge into the deep, dark waters of our worst world, knowing that when we re-surface for air we will encounter the hopeful, hovering Spirit of God. For when we dive into the depths of our worst world, we reach a critical point at which our chocolate and pageants no longer satiate our longing for hope – and we are liberated by this realization. Indeed, the light of true hope is found in the midst of darkness. [...]
Advent/Darkness
Advent/Ferguson
Advent/Hunger
Advent/Apathy
Advent/Fatherlessness
Advent/Oppression of Indigenous Peoples
Advent/ISIS
Advent/Political polarization
Advent/Human trafficking
Advent/Mental illness stigma
Advent/Ebola treatment inequality
Advent/Immigration injustice
Advent/Rioting
Advent/Privilege
Advent/School-to-Prison Pipeline
Advent/West Bank
Advent/Spiritual Abuse
Advent/Economic inequality
Advent/Myanmar
Advent/Segregated churches
Advent/Poverty
Advent/Police brutality
Advent/Global oppression of women and girls
Advent/Marginalization
Advent/Darkness
Come, Lord Jesus. Come.
http://www.christenacleveland.com/2014/11/adventdarkness/
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