Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned on Flashpoint (Update from Jim of Nashville)
Jim February 22nd, 2012
Given the injuries I sustained from the car wreck, and the other health and medical issues I’ve experienced the last year or so, I wondered if I’d ever run again. Back in my ultramarathon days, running anything less than 6 miles wasn’t worth it. Today was a small milestone for me. I did an 8-mile run and felt good. Sure, it wasn’t 50 miles like I used to run, but I have a certain logic about this. If I can run 8 miles, I can run 10. And if I can run 10 miles, I can run 12. And if I can run 12 miles, I can run… you get the idea.
I’m reading, The Grief Recovery Handbook by James and Friedman. The book is about “getting complete” with the losses in your life. We all learn in life have to acquire things, but we aren’t so skilled at losing them, and yet loss is as much a part of life as breathing. They say, “The only two things you have to do in life is pay taxes and die.” Not true; there’s a third – we all have to face loss. There’s been a lot of loss in my life the past couple years – loss of a loved one through death, loss of health, loss of relationships, career-related loss, and loss of financial security. We discussed the issue of loss on last night’s Divine Nobody Call and it related to everyone on the call. Some had painfully experienced similar losses as myself, and other losses such as the loss of a pet, and the loss of faith. Speaking of ultramarathons, the capacity to ignore and push through pain isn’t quite so helpful when it comes to dealing with loss. “Each time a loss is not properly concluded, there is a cumulative restriction on our aliveness.”
Today I received my copy of, Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice and Inequality in the Church by, Pam Hogeweide. I gave the book a string endorsement, which is just inside the cover. It reads in part, “The hope of transforming organized religion rests largely upon the full and free self-expression of women. This would require confronting the woefully insufficient view of women and structural sexism or gender inequality characteristic of most religious traditions… ” Pam unpacks the issue masterfully. Another person who has made a powerful contribution to the conversation is Jim Henderson and his book, The Resignation of Eve. Jim is doing a “Cloud Conference” on the book on Monday, Feb. 27 – check it out here. You won’t regret reading both books, and they will engage you in what is arguably the most significant conversation that could impact what the church becomes going forward. I’m still waiting for Crystal Lewis to write her book.
I spent a few days with Jamie Jean in Nashville, filming book trailers for my upcoming book, Being Jesus in Nashville: Finding the Courage to Live Your Life (whoever and wherever you are). Here’s the first video, and the second one will be up next week. The book is going to print this week and should be available soon; I’ll keep you posted on the release date. A few advance copies went out, and it’s starting to get some reviews. Here’s Bill Dahl’s review.
I’m piloting a Webinar in March, Transforming the Conversation in Your Head Head About Yourself, God, and Life, and I continue coaching people through the process of shedding religion to find God and themselves. If either of these things are of interest to you, send me an email at jim@divinenobodies.com.
On a side note, I’m becoming an Ion Network addict, and all those criminal shows! Lol. I think maybe I’ve seen one too many episodes of Criminal Minds, and Flashpoint! Not quite sure what this says about me. I don’t think I want to know. I won’t even mention, The United States of Tara, and Dexter. Jamie Jean is one of those artistic/musician/filmmaker dudes who knows all the crazy stuff on YouTube like “Shreds” where this guy inserts voice/guitar/drums in a live performance of a major artist. Here’s the one for U2. You kinda have to be weird like me to like this stuff. Jamie also introduced me to David After Dentist. lol!
That’s all for now…
