An Erimitic Life

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I could easily live out my life as a hermit.

I enjoy solitude.

Of course I also enjoy getting together with friends too. But maybe I should have considered life as a hermit at some point?

The Carmelite Hermits seem to have a good idea going. As does Sister Dawiczck, who lives in a bluffside coulee off of Highway 35, in Genoa, Wisconsin.

I’ll have to pray about this. Maybe I’m being called to an even more secluded life?

Until then, I am going to go look up what a coulee is.

People of the Lie

I had read a part of this book a few years back, and recently came across it again while visiting a friend.

I tore through it.

It’s practically ancient history, being written in 1983. But I appreciate what he writes about evil personality traits, since we all come across people like this in our lives:

  • consistent destructive, scapegoating behavior, which may often be quite subtle.
  • excessive, albeit usually covert, intolerance to criticism and other forms of narcissistic injury.
  • pronounced concern with a public image and self-image of respectability, contributing to a stability of life-style but also to pretentiousness and denial of hateful feelings or vengeful motives.
  • intellectual deviousness, with an increased likelihood of a mild schizophreniclike disturbance of thinking at times of stress.
  • People of the Lie, M. Scott Peck, M.D., (Touchstone Publishing, 1983,) p. 65.

An interesting phenomenon, for sure. But it’s true. Sometimes we meet people who are either evil in this subtle kind of way, or whom we experience similarly as evil.

As long as we learn to recognize them, while remaining prayerful.

"Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah…"

Some things never change.

Jesus shows us today that in some instances we have to walk through these politically/humanly contrived messes with some amount of dignity. On the other hand, he also adeptly avoided them on several occasions as well; always worth consideration.

I’ve been reading up on Souly Walking, two youths walking across the USA to spread the Gospel. It’s a helpful counterpoint to listening to news about the national political scene.

A New Plan

Every now and again in life we have to reconsider things — everything, even. I have a new plan that I’ll be praying my way through, and we’ll see what happens.

I really enjoyed this conversion story. It echoes my experience greatly.

Who Am I Kidding?

Sometimes, learning how to design a weblog is just not worth the effort. And in the interest of simplifying my life… here it is.

And aside from all of my worries over the appearance, that really doesn’t matter.   Because there’s no content. 

Time to fix that oversight.

The Rev. Kenneth Allen