North Shore Narrative

Here are a few noticeable differences between New England Starbucks as compared to the Texans.

• New Englanders love iced coffee. More than hot coffee. They simply say "tall iced". That is it. It is assumed that you know that they mean iced coffee, and nothing else.

*They expect cream and sugar premixed into their coffee. This is due to the ubiquitous Dunkin Donuts of New England, who makes cream and sugar inherent in their coffee. Seemingly everywhere, the question is whether if it is a Dunkin Donuts that has a gas station, and not the other way around.

*Texans order "Tawl Bowld"; New Englanders order "Tahhl Dahhk".

"any one of the virtues of Jesus may be taken as the key to the understanding of his character and teaching; but each is intelligible in its apparent radicalism only as a relation to God."- H. Richard Niehbur

When one looks at the history of Christ, what will first be obvious is His virtue- love, hope, humility, compassion, and so forth. Christ performed these virtues out of His relation to God, being His son, and knowing that God only, not man, is worthy of our absolute love and allegiance."The love of God is nonpossessive Eros; the love of man pure Agape; the love of God is passion; the love of man, compassion."-ibid. It is the second love with which we love man, a love that forgives, is patient, takes pity, and has mercy. The first love toward God contains no such elements, and it is that particular love of God which provides the second love toward man.
To love God is the highest of virtue, which is against any sort of love that is love for its own sake, or any other virtue for that matter. When one abstracts the virtues from Christ, and uses Him only as a moral example of that ascribed virtue, Christ then becomes misunderstood, and is relegated into something other than who He revealed himself to be. Christ pointed to God the Father as cause and effect of His virtue- how he came not to do His own will, but rather the will of Him who has sent. Only God could enact such virtue as seen in Christ, which thus made Christ not one filled with virtue simply, but rather one whose very essence was God. When one truly loves Christ, he will truly love God, and when when one truly loves God, it will only follow that he loves Jesus Christ.

One of the decisive factors for moving to the north shore was because of its proximity to Manhattan. It has been two summers since my last visit, and I have seized the first opportunity to visit again. With a mate from Australia, Glenn Goss, we arrived at his friend's apartment in the upper west side. I felt a deep sense of satisfaction as we parked on the loud, crowded street, underneath the cast shadows of high rise buildings, and unloaded our luggage.
Glenn's friend, Jon Tyson, is a pastor and co-planter of a new church in NYC, Origins. Glenn wanted to gain ideas and insight for his church plant in Oz within the next two years. Origins is a network of small community groups that meet weekly, and then gather on Sunday for worship. They want to be and live the church, and not simply attend it. What God is doing through Origins is astonishing. The stories I heard, the people I met, and the gatherings that I witnessed, evinced movement of God's spirit. I gleaned much from this experience.
From daybreak to almost the next daybreak, I furiously pursued the enjoyment of every moment in Manhattan. Five days was not enough.

There is a community of believers known as the gathering that exist in Salem. I visited them this Sunday afternoon for worship. My observation is that this church seemed to truly have an understanding of the spirit and culture of neo paganism. Those who are of such an ideology may feel disarmed by the community's cultural presentation and inviting warmth. The message of the cross underlies all of their activity. Their particular location within the city has enabled them to cultivate a live and fruitful ministry during the most sacred and popular time in Salem- Halloween. They have been asked to contribute their ideas by many other churches throughout other nations that have such festivals and communities located within their town.

Enjoying the moment. With time off from work, it is all to easy to find an enjoyable place to relax with the Peterson. I had just returned from the schools library when I drove past a park that has a shore. I parked my subaru on the side and hiked to the the most secluded spot. But a moments rest when it was interrupted by four east coast thugs walking towards my direction. I became concerned because of my digital camera and wallet. I had wondered whether if I would have been concerned if I had absolutely nothing on me. It seems that posessions can sometimes cause an unecessary burden. I decided to not worry about it, and kept on puffing. They kept walking until they were in front of my direction. They then all sat and started chillin. I now had company.
Did they not realize where they were? How did they end up here? In such a historic and scenic area, i found it odd that there would be thugs.
Then again, how quickly i forget my past.
I let up on my criticism, and just kept puffing. And from the crowd of those whom i once shared a kindred nature, came the proclamation- "check it, some Mexican dude smokin a peace pipe."