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  August 2009
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Dear Reader,
     The theme for this month's BRIDGE is Lifelong Learning. When I first heard this 'tag' many years ago I immediately believed it was a descriptor for one who constantly read the latest books, continued to attend classes, and took in lectures to grow their intellect. The actual image I carried was an older person, after leaving 'formal education', continuously seeking outside influences and stimulating ideas to help them stay on the cutting edge of their vocation. 
 
     But some recent experiences seem to be leading me in another subtle direction.  Namely, I need to expand my understanding of Lifelong Learning as an internal journey as opposed to an external one.  Mature religion leads to prayer and meditation and a more contemplative mind, I believe. For much too long I constructed my life around obtaining.  Now I am more and more agreeing with fellow traveler Richard Rohr, "All great spirituality is about letting go."  He believes that too much of American spirituality is about "taking in, attaining, performing, winning, and succeeding." 
 
     In the first half of life we are building our containers.  We are sharpening our tools.  We are on the hunt.  We are climbing ladders.  And to some extent, that is not a bad thing.  Yet I believe too  often I meet men and women in the second half of life who are still on the hunt and if that Big Steeple church, or that appointment to that key denominational committee, or whatever they have as 'the' value for their life is not forthcoming, they hit deeper and deeper depression.  What a pity!  
 
     What if we sought a deeper and deeper faith - a deeper and deeper walk by faith - a deeper and deeper spirituality that leads us toward Lifelong Learning within?  Again, Richard Rohr. "True religion is not about winning eternal life later by passing some giant SAT exam now."  What a relief that would be for us. 
 
     So to my brothers and sisters in Christ dedicating their lives to ministry, consider the 'lilies of the field' and what it might take for you to get off the treadmill and move deeper inside your life of faith.  We don't have to resign ourselves to the deep melancholy of Jack Nicholson's character in the movie "As Good As It Gets" - 'What if this is as good as it gets?"  No, there is a better way.  Establish a private time, a discipline of quiet and solitude and prayer, or entries in a journal of reflection.  Give yourself a gift of an internal journey as opposed to the shallower external walk, and see where it might lead.  
 
     Have blessed travels...
 
Shalom.
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John B. Adams, M.Div.    
Co-Director, Turner Ministry Resource Center
jadams@pilink.org 
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About "Sealed Orders"... 
     Dr. Barry Jones is a Christian layman, living in Athens, Georgia. He teaches Sunday school at Milledge Avenue Baptist Church. Each week he shares a reflection with his class members and others, challenging them to think broader and deeper about the Christian path. The following selection from "Sealed Orders" challenges us to accept our Stewardship of SCIENCE as a gift from God, not as some topic to be avoided; ignored if at all possible or approached defensively. 
 
     Barry has worked a good bit with 'earth scientists' (agriculturalists) and he also is an avid gardener himself. I find the Genesis story he makes reference too, calling us to a journey inside more than spending time on our outside gleanings. Can you remember the last time you reflected on what is within you as 'very, very good'?  
 
     I trust these reflections will challenge you to rethink you ideas about Lifelong Learning.  I believe it is a journey - not for degrees or certificates or status - not even the number of books one has read. But a journey toward the center where God dwells and says about you 'very, very good!'
Shalom
John 
Sealed Orders 
by Barry W. Jones
 
     Genesis 1: 31a 
     "And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good."
 
     I try never to recommend movies or restaurants. I've learned that people's interests (and taste buds) vary so greatly that it is folly to recommend either. However, I did see a motion picture this week about which I feel compelled to comment. The movie is "My Sister's Keeper," based loosely on a book by Jodi Picoult. I have not yet read the book. The motion picture focuses on the lives of a family of five in which the eldest daughter is a victim of acute leukemia discovered when she was a small child. Neither her brother nor parents were genetic matches. Born after the discovery of the disease, the younger sister was in fact conceived following genetic manipulation (test tube baby) to make her blood and organs an exact match for her ailing sister.
 
     As the story unfolded, we learned that the younger sister had for a number of years supplied the  "spare parts" her older sister needed. In the course of her young life, she had donated blood, bone marrow and was being prepared to donate a kidney to again save her sister's life. The younger child had endured painful medical procedures (needles and surgeries) with no say in the matter. Without giving away any more of the story, the younger sister, 11, sought legal help to gain medical emancipation of her body.
 
     While I did not find this movie entertaining, I did find it to be a powerful, thought-provoking story illustrative of the scientific age in which we live. The story brought home the reality that medical science can do things never possible before, and in doing so, creates for us major questions about how to navigate a whole new "minefield" of legal and ethical questions.
      
     For a great part of my career, I worked among agricultural scientists across the South and the Southwest. Those experiences created in me a great respect for science and benefits of scientific experimentation. I observed that science can be so striking in its progress that it sometimes moves too far ahead of our ability as human beings to reconcile these possibilities with other human endeavors (culture, religion, traditions, etc.). One person may want to step up and embrace the benefits of science regardless of any risks because of its new possibilities. In direct contrast, another person may want to evaluate the science and see how it interacts or reconciles with culture, religion or tradition or deny the use of the science. With such developments, conflicts are inevitable. Depending on our values, culture, religion or traditions, we end up taking sides on issues, and we pass legislation that permits, limits or bans results of scientific discovery. In the extreme, some of us turn to violence. A recent example was the murder of Dr. George Tilley  on June 1  because he performed abortions.
 
     Unfortunately, the motion picture I watched did not give me answers to the legal or ethical questions raised by science, but the visual story forced me to think. It is difficult to turn our backs on science, including medical procedures, that can prolong life and heal us. At the same time, it is equally difficult to justify the use of any science if its miracles place artificial bounds or results in the suffering of others who might have no say economically or otherwise.
 
     So where does that leave us? We who are Christians turn to our faith for answers. I once heard Former President Jimmy Carter, who was educated in nuclear science and who is also a Christian, say that "our God is bigger than science." Carter said the God who was in charge of creation gives us the ability to seek dominion over the heavens and the earth, and to limit scientific discovery binds that omnipotent creator.
 
     Science sometimes draws new lines for us, and with them, our challenge is always to define what it will mean to cross those lines. Genesis reminds us that on the sixth day, God looked at his creation and saw that what He had made was good. Our task as an important part of that creation is to "keep it good." As we are learning ever so well in this scientific age, there is "a devil always in the details." Amen.
 
contact Barry Jones at barjones44@yahoo.com
 


 
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