Ramblings of Daniel Ross-Jones
Personal Growth
Walking with the Ancients
Nov 24th
Back in the day.
(I love it when people start stories with that phrase. Back in the day. It sounds folksy, yet demonstrates the history attached. It wasn’t too long ago — say, within the last 70 years or so — but long enough to go that it was in the day. There’s a charm to the stories that follow.)
Anyway, back in the day, Christians of certain traditions observed the Nativity Fast. During the season of Advent, up until Christmas, the faithful would abstain from certain foods and drink as a method of spiritual discipline. By their participation, they were exercising self-control, rebuilding in themselves the necessary mind to witness to Christ’s salvific act for the world.
The tradition had been handed down through the ages, from the earliest, ancient Christians, and the traditions of some Jews before them. But then Vatican II came and screwed everything up.
For every good thing that came from Vatican II, and there were plenty, there were a couple of sacrifices that had to be made as well.
This year, I have prayerfully decided I am going to participate in the Nativity Fast during the Advent season. I know one isn’t “supposed” to talk about such things, but I’m going to anyway. For starters because I’ve never done this and want to share it with others, and secondly because I think its an excellent, external accountability tool.
I created an outline of my fasting covenant, drawing upon resources from the Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches, the Lutheran World Federation and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Here it is:
Daniel Noel Ross-Jones, child of God and baptized in the Three Persons, does hereby commit himself to participation in the spiritual act of the Great Nativity Fast for the Advent season of 2008. By joining together with the ancient Christians and descendants of Abraham in all times and places, in greater service and commitment to God and all creation, agrees to the stipulations following:
I. Fasting Dates: The Nativity Fast will follow the traditional Protestant calendar, beginning on November 30, 2008 AD, the first Sunday of Advent. It will conclude on December 25, 2008 AD, the birth of Jesus Christ.
II: Fasting Regulations: The fast will include restriction of all meats and meat products. On Fridays, the fast will further include the restriction of all eggs, dairy, and oils. A daylight fast from all foods will exist from sunrise to sunset daily. Further, abstinence from alcohol, anger, greed, and covetousness will be expected.
Other than as required by prescription, all drugs and supplements will also be restricted, including caffeine, energy supplements, etc. Only water, teas, dairy drinks and natural juices (unless otherwise restricted) will be consumed.
A full fast will be in place on Sunday mornings prior to worship, and on the festival days during the Advent season: Great Martyr Barbara (Dec. 4), St. Nicholas (Dec. 6), St. Spiridon and St. Herman (Dec. 12), St. Ignatius (Dec. 20) and Christmas Eve (Dec. 24).
Upon beginning the day’s fast, the daily office shall be recited.
The breaking of fast shall occur following worship on Christmas Day, Dec. 25.
Should fast intentionally or unintentionally be broken, it shall be appropriate to pray with thanksgiving for God’s grace, strength for self-control, and to make special alms appropriate to the mistake to a worthy cause.
III. Commitment to God: At minimum, 30 minutes each day shall be spent in personal, meditative devotion to God.
IV. Commitment to Others: Each week, a special contribution shall be given to a church or argency dedicated to serving the poor and oppressed in society. This shall be above and beyond that given to Plymouth United Church of Christ.
V. Commitment to Self: Regular journaling/blogging and spiritual reflection shall be an integral and important growth element of this sacred journey.
So there you have it. I’m preparing by cutting back on the extra foods I eat, and trying to load up on fruits and veggies now to adjust my system. (I’m going shopping this weekend when I’m up in Wisconsin.) I’ll select some reflections to make public on here as I’m going along. I’m excited to see what growth comes of this process.
Go south, young man
Mar 29th
Oh, that’s supposed to be west. Got it. Well I didn’t primarily go west or north today — my normal walking habits. Today I went south.
Side note: if you haven’t yet discovered Kate Nash or Yael Naim, download both artists on iTunes immediately.
10 pounds gone
Mar 28th
So that’s officially 10 pounds in two weeks. I’m feeling better, though I still have a ways to go. But I’m not burned out yet — so I’ll keep going! Depending on the weather, I’m probably going to add the bike riding to/from work next week.
Walking Log
Mar 24th
I don’t know what day I’m up to. And my lack of posting hasn’t been a lack of walking (well, mostly), its been a lack of new or unique routes. Since the snow came, getting around without running into a big pile has been a little difficult.
If you haven’t shoveled the sidewalk in front of your home or place of business by now, and I have to walk through snow, I’m going to start calling DPW to report you tomorrow. Be warned. Be afraid. I’m sick of falling knee-deep in snow because you’re too much of a lazy ass to do your responsibility as a property owner.
Now that that’s off my mind, my walk today was a little abbreviated — only 45 minutes — because I have a pile of homework and laundry to get done, in addition to some consulting work, and there simply isn’t enough time in my schedule to play. Too bad — its a beautiful day to walk. The air is crisp, the sun is shining, but then there are knee-deep piles of snow to climb through because of lazy people.
Walking: Day 4
Mar 21st
I walked again yesterday (Thursday), after taking two days off. I know that was a hiccup in my original plans, but on Tuesday my legs were so chaffed and sore that I had to take the day off, and on Wednesday I worked late and my evening plans conflicted. Everything else is on the up-and-up though, especially the diet part of my plan.
Here’s the route I took — I had a little less time than I wanted, so it was an abbreviated, repetitious path.
Will I walk today in the weather mess? Probably not. In-apartment exercises, anyone?
Walking: Day 3
Mar 17th
So, because Tray would know where I am, I decided today to walk far away from the old Sam’s… 
VERY SORE!!! This silly game is catching up with me… and I can’t type right now, because my fingers are numb from the cold. Oh — but lots of cute places to check out someday in downtown West Allis that I didn’t know existed until I walked down Greenfield today.
Walking: Day 2
Mar 16th
Here’s (roughly) the route I took today.
I say roughly because of two mishaps: first, I got turned around a bit in the VA Center grounds. Secondly, as a result of that mishap, I cut across a median to walk back up through Miller Park. So from Washington Dr. & General Mitchell Blvd. to where Mitchell joins up again with the service road to Miller Park… that all is an approximation on this Google map.
Walking: Day 1
Mar 15th
I’m going to start tracking my walking on here. My goal is to lose 40 lbs by basic lifestyle change. There are any number of reasons for this:
- I am at a very high risk for developing high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Already, my cholesterol count is at 210 — 10 higher than is considered OK.
- I am at moderate risk for developing diabetes; weight is a factor in this.
- I really don’t care for the way I look currently.
I’m not one to join and/or use a health club, but I do enjoy walking and biking, so I’m going to do them in a way that will be beneficial to my health and morale.
Some basic “rules” that I’ve set up for myself:
- Walk for at least 60 minutes six days a week. (I’ve created six different “walk mixes” on my iPod to help me measure the time.)
- When in doubt, refer to rule number one.
I’m combining this with an effort to eat healthier, but one step at a time.
I’m also going to track some of my routes on here, so I can refer to them later and see how much of the west side I discover through walking. This was my route today.
I had to do a little backtracking on Washington — I thought the road would connect me back to Hawley, or even Greenfield at a minimum, but no dice. Oh well; it added on some mileage!
Generations pass
Jan 12th
Last week, Penelope Trunk (of the Boston Globe) posted one of the most interesting blogs I’ve read in a while related to generational differences in today’s society and workplace. An excerpt:
The victories of Generation Y will not look like the Boston Tea Party or Kent State. They will look like this Iowa caucus: Gen Y, playing by the rules, and winning.
My friend Alicia had forwarded the posting on to me, and it was so strange that it came following a long conversation just a day earlier I had with a colleague about generational differences particularly in the area of racism and systemic change. In fact, it was that colleague who had the best summation of today’s change:
Many baby boomers have been ‘fighting’ for so long we don’t know how to stop and assess the ‘victories’ and ‘changes’ that have already occurred in our society.
I see it at work. I see it with my friends. I’ve seen it growing up — my mother’s best friend likes to poke fun at me for a remark I made when I still required others to wipe me: “Does it matter?”
Of course it matters, but that gets followed up by another question: “So what?” And there’s the root of the friction between the generations. The outgoing Boomers think the so what means a fight. The Gen Xers think the so what means proving themselves on the backs of others. And the incoming Millennials think the so what is working together with what is, imagining what can be from it, without spending a dizzying amount of time decrying what it isn’t. In the words of Trunk, GenY is seeking its mandate to “do things differently, within the established structures of power.”
Impatience at Advent
Dec 6th
I’m impatient. (Why is no one even pretending to be shocked?) The combination of my carpe diem attitude, wound up in ADD usually spells disaster for me to wait for something. Which is probably why this whole discernment about ministry process is so bleepin plagued with internal difficulties.
I’m recognizing, more and more, that God’s pathways are made clear… eventually. But I’m also seeing ahead further and further. I think its appropriate that I work on finally accepting some of these realizations during Advent. First, I need to wait out until March and the first draft of the ELCA statement. Then, based on that outcome, I regroup and focus on my next steps.
Of course I’m looking six steps down the road…
So I’m going to start even smaller. I’m not going to anticipate Christmas. I’m excited because this year I’ll get to worship at the church of my childhood on Christmas Eve. I’m excited to see the live nativity, to hear for the first time the “new” pipe organ installed after we left, to be in a space where I first felt God’s call on my heart.
In short, I’m going to prepare during Advent. I’m going to wait. And I’m going to not be impatient. Above all, if I tell myself this enough, it just might happen…