Two For the Wall and One For the Road

THE DREAMERS ARE the saviours of the world…. Humanity cannot forget its dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade and die; it lives in them; it knows them as the realities which it shall one day see and know…. Composer, sculptor, painter, poet, prophet, sage; these are the makers of the after-world, the architects of heaven. The world is beautiful because they have lived….
— James Allen

A friend sent me this quote yesterday. He indicated it was for me and my wall. But he also said it was for all of us. So feel free to put it on your wall. Or hide it in your heart.

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This conversation also deserves your time. I believe it too speaks of the dreamers...
Ordinary Spirituality
Interview with Eugene Peterson

An excerpt of an interview with Peterson by Christianity Today managing editor Mark Galli, published in March 2005:

CT: Many people assume that spirituality is about becoming emotionally intimate with God.

PETERSON: That's a naive view of spirituality. What we're talking about is the Christian life. It's following Jesus. Spirituality is no different from what we've been doing for two thousand years just by going to church and receiving the sacraments, being baptized, learning to pray, and reading Scriptures rightly. It's just ordinary stuff.

This promise of intimacy is both right and wrong. There is an intimacy with God, but it's like any other intimacy; it's part of the fabric of your life. In marriage you don't feel intimate most of the time. Nor with a friend. Intimacy isn't primarily a mystical emotion. It's a way of life, a life of openness, honesty, a certain transparency.

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My posts may be few for awhile. We're loading up the truck to travel back to Arkansas to see our people. We've sold a bunch of plasma to generate gas money. The kids look a little pale, but that nurse said they'll pink back up. We're hoping to indulge in some fried catfish, hushpuppies, sweet tea, playing with cousins, sitting on the back porch, swimming in the lake - you know, ordinary summer spirituality stuff. We'll see folks we haven't seen in quite some time. They'll say things like lord, how the kids have grown and my, my, John David. That's quite a ponytail you have there. We'll say things like lord, yes, these kids are pinking up quick and yes, ma'am. You know us dreamers.