Kingdom-chuckles resound,
While the scoffer sulks.

And you tell me,
“Grace in the common,
Divinity in the same.”

Again, taken from Viktor Frankl’s short but powerful work Man’s Search for Meaning:

Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved…; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized. Furthermore, by his love, the loving person enables the beloved…to actualize these potentialities. By making [the beloved] aware of what he can be and of what he should become, [the lover] makes these potentialities come true….

Love is as primary a phenomenon as sex. Normally, sex is a mode of expression for love. Sex is justified, even sanctified, as soon as, but only as long as, it is a vehicle of love. Thus love is not understood as a mere side-effect of sex; rather, sex is a way of expressing the experience of that ultimate togetherness which is called love.

This comes from Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning:

This young woman knew that she would die in the next few days. But when I talked to her she was cheerful in spite of this knowledge. “I am grateful that fate has hit me so hard,” she told me. “In my former life I was spoiled and did not take spiritual accomplishments seriously.” Pointing through the window of the hut, she said, “This tree here is the only friend I have in my loneliness.” Through that window she could see just one branch of a chestnut tree, and on the branch were two blossoms. “I often talk to this tree,” she said to me. I was startled and didn’t quite know how to take her words. Was she delirious? Did she have occasional hallucinations? Anxiously I asked her if the tree replied. “Yes.” What did it say to her? She answered, “It said to me, ‘I am here–I am here–I am life, eternal life.”

And if you would know God be not therefore a solver of riddles.
Rather look about you and you shall see Him playing with your children.
And look into space; you shall see Him walking in the cloud, outstretching His arms in the lightning and descending in rain.
You shall see Him smiling in flowers, then rising and waving His hands in trees.

-Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open,

all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid:

Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name;

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Yes, I have caught the culinary bug, as I’ve realized that I am leaving the nest of adolescence and venturing into the beautiful chaos of adulthood. Within that chaos, preparing meals serves as a palpable reminder of our roles and capacities as creators–who are wonderfully and fearfully made in image of the Creator.

I wonder though, what does “create” really mean, anyway? As I’m getting older–and not that I’m very old to speak with much authority–I’m realizing that the simpler questions are the most important ones to pose and poke at, over and over again. Even after probing and re-probing, these questions remain slippery in our hands. So, back to the question on our hands right now: what does “create” mean? I checked the etymology of “creation” and came up with an awesome Old English word: frumsceaft. The word breaks down into fruma and sceaft, which mean “beginning” and “created (shaped) thing,” respectively. Maybe we can say, then, that to “create” something is to shape a thing from its beginning, whether that beginning is a diagram, an instruction manual, or a recipe.

I’ll stick to food, since it kick-started my thought stream here. As you might have read in my previous entry, I recently prepared this yummy, cheesey bread. I took great joy in making it, as I realized how gratifying it is to mix ingredients with your hands, to feel them course in and around your fingers (wet batter is best for this). I would dare say that every act of creation, especially food creation, can be a form of worship. After all,  we make food  for the express purpose of it being enjoyed in community (Who wants to cook and eat alone?!).

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that God, as Trinity,  represents a beautiful picture of  joyful communion, and Who invites us to partake in an eternal love feast. I wonder what will be on the menu…

While at home, I have been delving a little bit into cooking and baking. Today I made peppered cheese bread, using a recipe found in the Delights and Comforts section of the June print issue of Comment. Here’s how it came out!

I commend to you Rainn Wilson’s brainchild SoulPancake, a great forum and space for discussion and rumination of morality, philosophy, spirituality, and the like. Here is Rainn’s description:

We want to make discussions about Spirituality, Creativity, and Philosophy cool again. Were they ever cool? I have no idea. But it seems like a good idea. We want to engage the user to “Chew on Life’s Big Questions”™. (I was kidding about the ™ symbol; you can use that phrase however you want. Even to sell frozen taquitos.) Where do you go on the Interwebs if you want an irreverent, fun, and profound take on God and Art and the Soul and Faith and Beauty? Fox.com? Maybe. But maybe also here at SoulPancake.com.

We provide some rockin’ content (interviews, blogs, challenges, contests, features, and more), but it’s really all about having YOU—the SoulPancake community—bring this site to life. Say what’s on your mind. Be real. Talk about WHY WE’RE HERE. And if I say something that offends you, let me have it.

Just remember: Life is a rich, weird, difficult experience. So join us as we go on the spiritual and artistic journey that is SoulPancake.

Done, done, and done. I have completed all requirements to obtain my undergraduate degree. Last week I presented my thesis and had my oral comprehensive exam. Whew! I cannot deny that there is a new lightness that I am palpably feeling. It’s strange when something ends, something you knew would end  sometime, but it’s strange when that sometime becomes now and then passes so quickly.

As I think back on the past four years, it’s  too easy–and too tempting–to speculate on how Providence would have ordered my experiences and relationships differently here. But I’d rather not tread that path. Instead, I appreciate all that’s transpired; I accept and am thankful for all of the sweet peaks, and I am equally thankful for the valleys. Not to sound cliché, but I think that, without a doubt, I grew and matured the most during the dark seasons–whether I was struggling with  faith, lamenting my singleness (at the time), or letting cynicism and pessimism sweep over me and cloud my vision.

As June 2 looms, I await my passage from the Orange Bubble into the wider, scarier, and grittier adult world. I can honestly say that I am confident and at peace about several things: (1) God is Infinite Love, in Trinity. He created human beings for Himself–to love Him, serve Him, and be in communion with Him; (2) S*** happens, as they say. God lets things happen that we think–in our limited understanding–shouldn’t have happened. But to paraphrase Gandalf, what should or shouldn’t have happened is not for us to decide. All we can do, with God’s grace and help, is decide what to do with the time that is given to us; (3) Love and justice should motivate not only our interpersonal relations but how we engage with the world. One day, some day, all will be put to rights. Let us work hard then, with faith, hope, and love, towards the Kingdom Come.

I will close this entry with some lyrics of an up-and-coming song. The first verse is a bittersweet reflection/address towards my generation, about whom I feel ambivalent yet hopeful:

Scattered, shattered, a rummage sale for souls,
Squeeze some lemonade before you get too old.
Stubborn children, run and collect your gold.

Don’t let the coffee stains keep holding you down,
Run for love, let the light swing you ‘round,
Thrash the darkness with glorious sound.

I am so thankful that the 5K run (and benefit concert!) are happening this year. Ridiculous props to Ben Kung and many others who have painstakingly brought these awesome events to fruition. If you want to register or learn more about the events, go here.