“The Tree of Life” #15 – Bits and Pieces from “All Things Shining”

An odd source of neat information on Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life”:

http://www.terrencemalick.org/

While I obviously disagree with Paul Maher Jr.’s assessment of “The Tree of Life” some excerpts from his blog “All Things Shining” are certainly intriguing.

Babi Yar #1

The documentary novel Babi Yar: A Document in the Form of a Novel by Anatoli Kuznetsov tells the harrowing story of the German occupation of Ukraine, including the massacre of thousands of people in the Babi Yar ravine outside Kiev.

“Days of Heaven” – Enough Glory

Terrence Malick’s 1978 film, “Days of Heaven,” is a meditation on loss, destiny, and beauty. Almost everything in the film, quite literally, goes up in flames, swept away by forces over which no one has any control. It is no mistake that the film ends with soldiers boarding a train that will carry them into the chaos of battle at the beginning of the First World War.

Hard Work

Perhaps it is just the delay of summer holidays, or maybe it is the unusually damp cold days that have filled so much of July this year, but sometimes it seems that life is hard work.

The Future of Church #8 (with Cynthia Bourgeault)

This past spring The Contemplative Society website (http://www.contemplative.org/) posted 12 summary statements about the future of church I gleaned from a Lenten Series I attended, accompanied by a response from Cynthia Bourgeault. With Cynthia’s encouragement, I am reposting the original paragraph, followed by her response, and my response to Cynthia. We hope this may generate some conversation. Cynthia will check in and respond to comments if she feels inspired.

Guest Post #2 – Ernest Morrow “God’s Light and the Average Bloke” (see July 20, 2011)

In the interest of expanding the voice of “In A Spacious Place”, I have invited Ernest Morrow to offer a post in this space as he feels moved.

How do we make God’s light available to the average bloke?

The Future of Church #7 (with Cynthia Bourgeault)

This past spring The Contemplative Society website (http://www.contemplative.org/) posted 12 summary statements about the future of church I gleaned from a Lenten Series I attended, accompanied by a response from Cynthia Bourgeault. With Cynthia’s encouragement, I am reposting the original paragraph, followed by her response, and my response to Cynthia. We hope this may generate some conversation. Cynthia will check in and respond to comments if she feels inspired.

Action – “The Anatomy of Peace” #3 (see July 24, 2011)

Frequently, one of the criticism leveled against contemplative practice is that it will lead to passivity and inaction. There is an anxiety that the surrender practice at the heart of most spiritual teaching will turn practitioners into victims unable to stand up for themselves or unwilling to take necessary action.

“The Tree of Life” #14 – Mary Oliver and Terrence Malick

One of my favourite sources of great quotes recently sent me a poem written by Mary Oliver. My correspondent suggested that Mary Oliver would probably appreciate Terrence Malick’s film “The Tree of Life.”

“The Anatomy of Peace” #2 (see July 16, 2011 )

Below are further quotes and notes from The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute: