Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Architects and Prostitutes

Since I am devoting some time to pondering architecture as a model for spiritual leadership...see my thoughts so far here..

And since one of my other front-burner topics has been pastors prostituting their calling..
see especially I Eugene Peterson here, and below:

"American pastors are abandoning their posts, left and right, and at an alarming rate. They are not leaving their churches and getting other jobs. Congregations still pay their salaries. Their names remain on the church stationary and they continue to appear in pulpits on Sundays. But they are abandoning their posts, their calling. They have gone whoring after other gods. What they do with their time under the guise of pastoral ministry hasn't the remotest connection with what the church's pastors have done for most of twenty centuries..."
-Eugene Peterson

...and since I recently started scribling notes comparing/contrasting arhitecture and prostitution as (positive and negative!) paradigms for ministry(hear especially The Violet Burning's "The Song of the Harlot," one of the most moving worship songs of all time:"If I could be anyone at all/Let me be the whore at Your feet")...

I shouldn't have been surprised to find(re-find) this(click title):


Freakonomics @ Church: Prostitutes or Architects?

and this:

“Whenever you see the word “Client” in something to do with building, you know there just has to be an architect involved because no one else in the building game ever refers to anyone as “clients.” It is such a strange word, isn’t it? In a shop you are a customer, on a train you are a passenger, in a hospital you are a patient, in a class you are a student, in the economy at large you’d be a consumer. But client? The only people who have clients are lawyers, architects and prostitutes, all of whom have to live with the reputation that they are simply out to screw you. Only the prostitute is honest about it" (link)

and this..

So far, I have concluded I want to be an architect/whore. Put that on your business card, Scott?

I have mentioned needing to interview Arc-architect Scott to see what I can learn and glean about pastoring. Now I need to...seriously..interview some literal prostitutes as well..

!!

??
---

"Song of the Harlot"
(c)by Mchael Pritzl
Recorded by the Violet Burning
www.thevioletburning.com

In the night, the harlot moves across the floor
She turns the handle on the door
One hundred eyes
seem to look right through her
Why she's there, they're not sure

Behind her love she falls down to her knees
Without a word she begins to weep
And her tears they fall down upon his feet
And she smothers them with kisses
She dries them with her hair

In my life, sorrow has kissed my lonely heart
Fear of man tears me apart
And I've tried, but many times I've loved the world
Many times I've been the whore
I've cried a million tears, maybe more
So many times I have been the whore
I will fall down on my knees I will sing, "I love, my love.."
I will weep, "I love, my love.."
I will sing cause I love, my love

And my tears will fall down upon Your feet
Let me smother them with kisses
Let me dry them with my hair
If I could be anyone at all
If I could be anyone at all
Let me be the whore at Your feet

My tears will fall down upon Your feet Let me smother them with kisses Let me dry them with my hair If I could be anyone at all If I could be anyone at all Let me be the whore at Your feet ............

Let Your mercy triumph over judgement
over me

i love You,Lord
My God
My Strength
in weakness

-Michael J.Pritzl

2 comments:

  1. I wish I had all the time in the world to read your posts and ponder them. Today I only managed to read this one and the one on wineskins/fasting.

    I do admire your writing.

    God bless!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks..wish i vould write like you

    ReplyDelete

Hey, thanks for engaging the conversation!