Sunday, May 28, 2006

peculiar...

Word has trickled down through the ranks that some of my faithful readers have come to believe that some of my blogings are “jokes” or just simply untrue. I.e. living in a trailer or sleeping under the stairs. I am shocked and bemused at this two faced lack of faith in my stories. I can assure you that everything I have written about is at least 90% true…except for the whole dragons in Portland thing—but that was the exception.

I think I have been reading too much of Narnia because I had a dream that I woke up and Aslan was laying on my bed beside me. But in my dream I didn’t see him, it was more a strong sensation that he was laying down beside me but I dared not look lest he wasn’t there. Peculiar feeling really.

My second peculiar feeling was at my first hippy concert I went to with Pam (yey!). After the excellent concert involving bagpipes, barons, drums, and other various 12th century instruments I went and talked to a band member for a short while. Another two guys came to talk making a circle of four people—while the other two were engaged in conversation I looked at the flip flops of the guy next to me-they were the same as mine but a different shape. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed he was my same height, wearing my same shorts but khaki and a similar shirt but white instead of grey. I finally turned to make conversation with him and noticed he was my age and he had my same hair style but blond and his facial expressions looked similar to what I imagined mine were at that time but his eyes were blue. I walked away from that small talk conversation fully convinced that we could be the best of friends. This in less than one minute. Peculiar? Yes.

The school year having ended I feel now is the opportune time to reflect upon my academic year. Talking to the only other Japanese person at the school over a cup of coffee, I believe she used an apt word that I believe sums up my year in Canada—in Japanese this word is “henko”, literally meaning “strange child”. And so in retrospect I believe that this last year has been proof that I am henko. Not just outwardly by living in a trailer or riding a bike to school (apparently riding a bike for non-recreation is an invitation that says “I am worthlessly poor please give me the finger and honk at me”) but also in the Christian culture at Bible College. It seems like bible school is an extension of junior high youth group, the only difference is that people are older and therefore more flowery in their repetitive Christianisms and worship songs. Maybe its some sort of competition—the more Christianisms you use repetitively and the more you cry in worship sessions the more attractive you are to the opposite sex. But the most notable of Bible school eccentricities seems to be a superspiritual belief that verges on mysticism. This kind of mystic belief I have observed seems to allow these people to transcend difficult questions about Christianity, answering them with an air of “questions don’t matter I don’t need my mind so long as I feel”. Which seems to work for them fine, but it’s definitely not my style. So one might say that I am a bit disillusioned by this past year of Bible College. Leading me to one of two conclusions; there is something wrong with them or there is something wrong with me. And because I seem to be the only one to notice these peculiarities among Bible Schoolers, or else I am the only one to voice any abnormal behaviors in relation to them, I have concluded that I am henko—a strange child.
So it has been written, so shall it be.

15 comments:

Pamela Joy said...

I like you a whole lot just the way you are. And I'm pretty sure they're the wrong ones not you. Lets hang out a bunch more in the next 2 weeks, ok? We have fun, and lets talk more too. Mmkay pumpkin?

Béthany said...

henko...sounds familiar...

i've been learning recently that i'd rather be an outcast than a universally pleasant person to everyone. and yes, christian subculture is messed up. i'm afraid of how messed up i am, too. i'm never confident i'm right about anything, but i know when things outside of myself just don't seem to make sense. i miss those moments of universal truth...maybe they were always illusions, anyways.

Béthany said...

hey brenty, are you going back to cbc next year? or are you forging ahead elsewhere?

Ryan said...

refusing to give in to the "Christian sub-culture", that is, choosing to become a Christ-follower instead of a Christian-follower, is good. and dangerous. actually, i think anything that is worthwhile is like that. you run the risk of 2 extremes:

1. you are looking for the truth, choosing to believe and live according to what the Bible says, and to what God says in you, ignoring those misguided beliefs that those other idiot Christians have. (the good side of post-modern thinking). then again, that's not very far from a make-your-own religion recipe book (the dangerous side of post-modern thinking). i know i'm not that smart, and there are probably things that other people can teach me about my own faith. those people who cry in those repedetive worship songs could use a dash of your intellectually critical outlook in them, but you could probably use a little of their mystical-ness and emotional wonder in yours. one's not necessarily better than the other-it's all about balance.

and the other otion (extreme 2) is.... is........ probably something that is the opposite of number 1, but i don't actually remember what it is... i'm sure it was something profound and amazing, though. if i think of it, i'll comment again. it'll probably hit me just as i go to bed, and i'll forget again by morning. d'oh!

don't be so proud that you think that the way you interact with God is the only way, or the best way. that's really close to judging other Christians, so don't even go there. God is God, you are you, and other people are other people. there are some things about the way God chills with us that are universal, but there are a lot of ways that are personal.

which is good.

Pamela Joy said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
luke said...

brent, I can't say much, but i can say this. Be tits.

Pamela Joy said...

I just wanted to say that I really really like Ryan's comment. I think it's entirely right on. Right ON.

Justin N said...

your effing phone # you gave me hasnt been working. you need to give me a good one asap cuz me and jimmy are planning a road trip out there on July 28th ish and need to know where the crap you are. e-mail me.


and oh. i love you.

Louise said...

Ahhh those CBC people are crazy folk...but I liked that...

Yah...I was there once!!

Louise
(who you don't know....I am a friend of Jen who is a friend of Chris the barnstaple baptist)

Unknown said...

I read the other day that when you really know God you are ruined to the world.

So I finished Narnia and have been reading some Ted Dekker books. Ever heard of the Circle trilogy? Now those lend for some very strange dreams!

lisa said...

although you indeed may be a henko, I'm pretty sure its in a good kind of way.

Especially when your bike is your chosen means of transportation (chosen as in "shall i pay for the bus, walk for hours, or bike? hm, bike.")

btw, I read your dragon entry aloud to my roommate. We both rather enjoyed it :) I found myself unable to continue reading at some spots because I was giggling too hard, knowing what was coming next!

roberry said...

you too, eh. i'm pretty convinced of the same thing for myself. hanging out with 10 "kids" on my trip has done nothing but confirm to me that i am indeed the weirdest, strangest, most oddly humored individual in the world. maybe we could be friends, you and i.

Benjamin said...

you get more comments than anyone i know




the drogon wasn't real?

Béthany said...

i guess you're going to be wiped clean off the face of the earth when you go to japan? my sister is going to be working at capernwray there for two weeks, and then some chrstian camp place...its so weird to me that you two will be in the same country. she loves it, by the way...japan. though i think she is spending enough money to make my whole family homeless for twelve generations.

Chrissy2sheds said...

You could try http://picasa.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=1034 for pictures if you meant it that is