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I'm new to Ruminate and thought I'd introduce myself. I'm married and have six children. (More on that some other time.)
 We have been married for almost seventeen years and have logged plenty
of "highway miles" on the complicated road of life. We've faced
challenges with jobs, children, school, and homes. We've seen members
of our family die. We've seen divorce and have even wondered about
quitting ourselves. For all that, we've decided (God willing) we're
staying put. We're in it for the long haul.
What's made the difference?
I think its something like what Luna Park reviewer Beaux Boudreaux called "the unflinching look." Take a look at his review of Ruminate 06: "What makes the work in Ruminate
stand out is the way it stares at “what-is unflinchingly….These works
consider life by the light of Christian dogma, and, at the same time,
Christian dogma itself, through the lens of common life." (Luna Park)
This so-called "unflinching look" peers into the visual field of
seemingly contradictory sacred and common aspects of life and is
strengthened by faith in Jesus.
Why is faith so important? People are constantly trying on their own,
and failing, to bring these two realities together. The simple truth is
we need both. Jesus gives us that in his holy person. He is fully God
(sacred) and fully Human (secular, common): two distinct natures and
one person forever. Believing in Jesus, then, brings about a change in
the way we see things. By faith, we take common pleasure to sacred
things, and see glory in the ordinary, and even ugly, parts of life.
That's why I'm glad to be part of Ruminate: we tackle head-on the challenge faith gives of delighting in both the tragedy and beauty of God in the world.
That challenge, in fact, is at the heart of our name: "Ruminate." The
rumen is a stomach on a cow where chewed grass is digested by microbes
only to be pushed back into the mouth as a cud. As non-cows, our
rumenae are souls. For us, ruminate means "chewing on life."
My wife and I have discovered in marriage it's not easy to hold
Christian dogma and common life together. Like chewing on something
substantial, it takes concentration. But we've come to see that such
faith-chewing is the best way to live. The most satisfactory way. The
most delectable way. I like to think of Ruminate as part of the
now popular "Slow Food" movement. As I see it, our mission is to help
set the table for a banquet feast of solid faith. Dinner, anyone?
Phil Henry is married and has six children. He currently lives in South Jersey where he is starting a new church community (http://www.gatheringinsouthjersey.com).
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