Temptation
It now appears that there will be four parts to this story. This one stretched to over 2000 words, longer than I usually deal with in installments. And I don't know when the last one will come. Because even I don't know what Foy should do or will do. So we're all just waiting I guess.
Part three
Read parts one and two.
Foy met with Larry at an appointed time in his office at Saint Mark’s. There was no one at the desk by the door into the office area when he arrived. Foy walked past the receptionist’s desk, glanced into the room with the copier, and headed down the hall to Larry’s office. He knocked on the door frame and put his head in slowly.
“Hello?”
Larry was behind his desk talking on the phone. He enthusiastically waved Foy in. He pointed at the phone and flapped his fingers and thumb together over and over, like a duck quacking. He rolled his eyes and turned away, head nodding in response to whatever he was hearing.
Larry had a large, wooden desk. There weren’t many things on the desktop, and what was there was neatly arranged. Behind him on the wall was a nice set of bookshelves that ran from the floor to the ceiling. Even though he was too far away to read the titles, Foy’s head habitually tilted to the right as he looked at them. He recognized several classic sets of commentaries and reference books. There was an assortment of Bibles, old and new, many leather-bound. He thought about all of his books, now boxed up and in Ben’s attic.
Larry was finishing up his phone call.
“That will be fine. I think that will be…yes. I don’t know about that. Probably. She’ll need to speak with the Vestry about that, of course. Yes I know. I know. No, that will be...it will be fine. Just leave it like that. Okay. Thanks. Bye.”
Larry jumped up and came around the desk. “Foy,” he said, opening his arms. The two hugged enthusiastically. Larry offered one of the two seats in front of his desk. Foy sat in it, and Larry sat in the other one.
Then Larry jumped up again. “Can I get you something to drink? Some coffee? I’m going to have a cup.”
“Is there any Diet Coke?”
“Yeah, I think there’s a few in the fridge.”
Larry left and returned a few moments later. He handed Foy a can of Diet Coke and sat down. Foy popped open the can, took a long drink, then turned and looked at Larry’s desk. He took a denominational pamphlet of some kind from a stack on the corner of the desk and sat his can on it.
“So have you given any thought to what we talked about the other day? Because I spoke to the bishop about it. Nothing settled or anything, of course. But I wanted to run some thoughts by him, and he was very positive. Very positive, to say the least. But I can tell you more about that later. What are your thoughts about returning to the Church? Not that you left the church. But being a priest again.”
Foy took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes hard with his fists. He took a deep breath and put his glasses back on.
“I don’t know. The whole thing was a big surprise to me. You know I left the ministry because it didn’t seem right anymore. And I’ve got a job now and a life. Well, the beginnings of a life. The girls come visit every other weekend. I have my own place.”
Larry folded his fingers together, leaving the two index fingers standing up. He bumped them against his lips a few times. “You felt a call once before. I think the bigger question is, what does God want from you and for you. How you feel may or may not be relevant, in my view.”
Foy nodded and took another drink of Diet Coke. It was the kind of thing he used to say.
Larry sipped his coffee and continued. “From what you tell me about your job at Babcock Wellman, it’s rather boring for you. I think Doug got you this position because of your writing, which by the way I knew nothing about. Which is embarrassing. But the bishop gave me a copy of your book.”
“He did?”
“Yes. He knows about your book and your other writings in the magazines. Christian Century, wasn’t it? He’s actually kind of a fan. Said he didn’t know what happened to you and even thought you were maybe away writing something else.”
Foy looked down at his feet. “Don’t say that about being a fan. But it’s nice that he knows my writing. That’s always nice.”
“Well anyway, your work at Babcock Wellman is fine of course. No question about that. But I just wonder how someone like you fits in there. Who’s that guy that keeps asking if you’ve been born again?”
Foy laughed. “Dwayne, yeah. But he’s just doing what he thinks he should do. He’s actually kind of a nice guy.”
“Of course he is. Doing what he thinks is right. Admirable in its own way, I suppose. Anyway when you talk about work, it seems that you’re having a hard time fitting in. What was it Shawn said? You keep acting like a priest. And that causes tension. And now there’s even a woman involved. It seems like a lot of trouble to me. A lot of work to fit into a place where you basically write ad copy.”
“I write some other things and edit stuff, but point taken. Yeah.”
“Please don’t hear me wrong. It’s an honest job and therefore a job with dignity, of course. But it does seem like a lot of trouble for you, emotionally, isn’t it? And for what? For Babcock Wellman’s advertising campaigns?”
“It’s been challenge to learn a new kind of life, I admit. And I won’t lie to you - I’m not really looking forward to going back after my vacation. That’s next week. I did talk to Suzanne. So she knows I’m…unsure of things. At least she knows that, so it’s not like some weird surprise. But still. And Charlotte’s going to be…very difficult, I think. This is exactly the kind of shit she warned me about, not that I’ve done anything wrong. I haven’t. But no, I’m not really looking forward to going back.”
“Well that’s my point. Don’t you see that this can all just go away? No need to worry about it anymore. You don’t have to unlearn being a priest if you come back to the Church. You just say goodbye to Babcock Wellman and walk away. It’s a done deal.”
Larry got up and walked to his window. He gestured vaguely toward the glass. “ Foy, they don’t appreciate your gifts and abilities out there. We do appreciate them here. This is where you belong.”
He looked out of the window for a few seconds, then returned to his chair. Foy got up and walked around Larry’s desk. He stood before the books and ran his hand over them.
“You ever use these ICCs?”
Larry laughed. “Of course not.”
Foy ran his finger along a series of reddish orange books. “How about the Hermeneia?” He shot a mischievous look over his shoulder at Larry.
“Bought them in seminary. I was very proud of them. Haven’t opened one in years.”
Foy smiled and nodded. “Same with me. I have about 10 of them in boxes. Utterly useless.”
Larry nodded. “Unless you’re doing post-graduate work on Paul’s use of the pluperfect.”
They both laughed. Foy came back and sat down.
“Larry, the thing is - and I know this sounds trite - but I don’t think running away from life is any reason to come back to being a priest. That doesn’t sound right, does it? Running away from the world to hide out in the Church.”
“Permission to speak freely.”
“Hell yes. Of course.”
“Perhaps you ran away from the Church to hide in the world.”
“I left the priesthood for some specific reasons. I don’t think it’s the same thing as running away.”
“Okay. I didn’t know you then. It was just a idea, and obviously not right. But forget about that, because putting Babcock Wellman behind you really wasn’t my main thought anyway. Foy, the fact is, your talents are wasted there. You’re smart and creative and caring. You should be writing again, writing your theological essays and pieces. The Church needs people like you. It breaks my heart to think of your gifts being wasted. Perhaps God led you away for a time, so that you could learn what it’s like out there. Imagine what kind of a priest you could be now? Most of us have never had jobs like that. You could really speak to people. You know what life is like for them out in the world, dealing with people and trying to make a living. You could write about it. It would make an amazing series: ‘A priest goes out into the world and comes back full of a unique kind of wisdom.’ You have SO much to offer Foy. Don’t waste your gifts. Don’t, as Jesus said, cast your pearls before swine. You understand, of course, I’m in no way suggesting the people at Babcock Wellman are swine. I intended it just as Jesus did. The point is, they aren’t able to appreciate a writer, a priest, a theological thinker and communicator.”
Foy put his hand in his chin and sighed. “That’s very flattering, Larry. It really is, and I thank you for that. And I used to think about that back when I was writing. It was like I had this special gift to offer the world. I used to fantasize that some rich person in the Church would come to me and say, ‘You need to be writing full-time.’ And that person would give me money so I could just get up every day and write. And he would do it because he thought I had something valuable to offer the Church. I think I had that fantasy every day for about a decade.”
Foy got up and paced back and forth, stroking his chin. Then he sat back down.
“It’s a very tempting way to think, too. But I’ve been wondering if perhaps we in the Church are the ones wasting our gifts. We cloister ourselves away, caring for the congregation and working with scriptures and liturgies. Certainly someone has to do that, so I’m not saying it’s wrong. But I don’t think it’s wasteful if sometimes we break out of those walls and go into the world. And even though, yes, I’m having some trouble learning not to be a priest, I don’t think this is a waste of my life….but still…”
Larry leaned forward. “What? Go ahead.”
“Still I must admit that I miss the books, and the candles, and the sounds of it, the music and the chanting and the whole, ancient, beautiful, solidity of it all. I miss being good at something, you know? I knew what I was supposed to do. I knew where I fit in. And I miss the conversations with other ministers. Getting together and all of that. This sounds kind of corny, but I miss helping people. You know, being able to offer them something. I guess I never really lost the sense that I’m supposed to do that. Or maybe I did lose it. I think for awhile I didn’t want to feel that burden. But I don’t want to move. It’s not much of a home but my kids know where I am and all of that. It feels exhausting even thinking about it.”
Larry became very animated. “Yes! And that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I spoke with the bishop. You technically never left the priesthood. You weren’t defrocked or anything like that. The bishop is really excited to help you come back. Here’s the amazing part. Just a month ago the Vestry and I began talking about an associate position here at Saint Mark’s. The bishop loves the idea because it lets you sort of step back in slowly, kind of ease back in and see how it feels. And we’d be working together. You and I. We could really do some amazing things together here at Saint Mark’s, don’t you think?”
Foy sat motionless with the Diet Coke halfway to his mouth.
“I’d be here? At Saint Mark’s? With you?”
“Yes. Absolutely. The Vestry would need to be involved of course, but I pretty much have the freedom to choose my associate. Your office would be right down the hall. Want to see it?”
Larry went to the door and waved Foy over. Foy followed him as if he was in a trance. The office was beautiful. Dark wood shelves and a matching desk. Foy laid his hand on the desk.
“I’ll tell you something else. You’d never have to go back to Babcock Wellman.”
“No, I’d need to give notice or something. However they do that.”
“Doug would understand. He’s a member of Saint Margaret’s. I know him through Rotary. I did just briefly mention this to Doug. I hope you don’t mind but I was just seeing how he would feel. He was thrilled that you might come back to the Church. You know, he gave you that job because he was a fan of your writing. You know that. So he’d be fine. And we have an allowance to assist priests in moving. It would cover your salary needs in the interim, while we work things out.”
Foy stood in the center of the office.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. You shouldn’t say anything. You should pray about this and get back to me. You’ve got the rest of this week on vacation. You shouldn’t hurry this, certainly, but if you do decide before Monday, I suppose you just wouldn’t go back.”
“Okay,” said Foy. “Let me think about it.”
“Perfect,” said Larry. “I really hope we get to work together.”
rlp
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I think Foy knows in his gut
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 10:00.I think Foy knows in his gut what he needs to do, even if he doesnt know it in his head yet...and the clues are in this story.
1. He's in a "trance" about this whole thing, being led down a hall like a sheep to slaughter. It's a really passive position, and I think once he realizes that, he'll snap out of it.
2. The pastor, as kindhearted as he is, is not really respecting what Foy's life is like TODAY. He says his talents are unused in his current position. And that is probably true...but it was Foy's choice to be there. It feels like manipulation. I think Foy has had his fill of being manipulated.
3. Also, along the same line, it seems like Foy has learned the value of what it means to live in the "real world" - and that kind of life can be good and beautiful. The pastor's comments feel insulting and uninformed.
4. The pastor mentioned the possibility of this job to Foy's current boss?!?! DANGER!! Run Foy! That is so disrespectful and crosses even the most basic kind of boundaries.
Foy may need to, or want to, go back into the ministry someday...but not here. Maybe he goes and plants a church, or does something creative on his own...but I see trouble for him here.
To be a real person
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 10:17.I am pretty young, but have worked in a church since I was 17. I haven't ever had a "real" job. Foy going out into the real world and experiencing life like everybody else really intrigued me. So, I talked to my congregation and asked them if I could get a second job. We needed the money and I wanted my wife to get to stay home with our new baby. I start this next month working as an aide at an elementary school. I am really looking forward to experiencing life out there. I think too many ministers have no idea what it's like for everybody else. Anyways, I guess I'm trying to say thanks for writing these stories. It’s been a great journey for me and I look forward to the next installation.
At first I was annoyed...
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 14:57.I thought you had sold out on us Gordon - and made an ending to the stoies that tied all the ends together, and everyone became all happy and back in their place again.
But no - there is no way your integrity can allow that, so I have to live in faith that Foy will be true to himself, and not allow himself to be pushed around here. Ohh it looks so neat and tidy, but what does it to the soul and spirit of Foy.
Also - who told this Larry he could play God with other people's lives. He may represent God to his people, but he is still not God... and besides God doesn't even do what he is doing, so it is not God he is playing...
It begins to sound like the story of the temptation of Jesus. Oooohhh that is why you called it Temptation is it!!! Arhhh now I get it
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Foy NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Janet McKinney
But see, he might allow
Submitted by rlp on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 15:51.But see, he might allow himself to be pushed around, if that's what Larry is doing, and I'm not convinced of that myself. I think people are pretty hard on Larry so far, though it's only 3 comments. Larry knows Doug from Rotary club. And it's not that out of bounds for him to mention this. Larry and Doug obviously have some history that we don't know.
And if Foy does this, well, so what? Lots of people do things for a lot of reasons. It becomes part of his journey. Who knows what is right or wrong here?
I actually like Larry. He
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 16:45.I actually like Larry. He seems genuinely excited for Foy. And i agree with him, that Foy is a minister, for better or worse. I even thought that to myself at the beginning of the first story, before Larry even said it.
I love church, I love preachy kind of things. I love Bible commentaries (and I have a few sets Im quite proud of) I also love thinking about the differences in the Greek Perfect and imperfect tense ;)
This is just kind of how i am. I think Im a little like Larry :)
I intended for Larry to be a
Submitted by rlp on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 19:44.I intended for Larry to be a good guy. He is without guile in this. That doesn't mean that he is right. And it doesn't mean that he might not be manipulating things. Who knows? But he means well. He does.
And I don't know, I mean, maybe Foy would be happier at church again. Who's to say?
However, I will also say that those who have a bad feeling about Larry are sharp and intuitive. Remember that most of the time we're all a mixed bag of things. Larry might be one of those people who means well but pushes too hard and gets too involved in things and trusts his own judgment too much.
Larry is a good guy. And
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 07:57.Larry is a good guy. And he's right that Foy is a priest, for better or worse, and needs to find a way back into the church. (At least I think so.)
My sense of Larry is that he's young. He sees that Foy won't be happy outside his calling, he has this associate position the church was thinking about already, and he thinks, "Hey, this must be God working; Foy can come here." But he goes too fast and pushes too hard to make everything work out as he wants it to. And although I can see Foy "easing back in" as an associate, I can't see him being an associate to Larry. At least not the way it sounds like an associate position would be.
In the Presbyterian church, an associate pastor is a separate call. While of course the senior pastor needs to approve, the person is called by the congregation, with specific authority and responsibility, and the associate's call is independent of the senior's call. If Larry left, Foy would not necessarily leave as well. The senior is still "the boss" in that the senior supervises the associate, but the associate is not just an assistant to the senior. If Foy's associate position at St. Mark's would be along those lines, then maybe it could work--but not starting Monday!
What is the bishop thinking? Where has he been? He *didn't know* that Foy had left the ministry?!? He's happy to have Foy come back as associate at St. Mark's, before ever talking with Foy? I hope not. Maybe Larry's enthusiasm is leading him to hear the bishop's "Hmm, worth thinking about" as "Sure, offer him the job."
Somebody needs to put on the brakes here, and I think it will be Foy. Meanwhile, he needs to see Suzanne again.
Carrie
Hey, however it goes, it
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 19:43.Hey, however it goes, it will be good. I know because I find myself praying (if that's what it is) that Foy will go back. Either way, you did yourself well, preach.
RLP I posted the first
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 19:53.RLP
I posted the first comment...
I didnt mean to imply that I think Larry is a bad guy. I think he is probably a very good pastor and I love his passion for the possibility in Foy. We all need people who believe in us like that.
I just would hate to see Foy back in a situation where he feels manipulated. Larry is puttng a lot of pressure on him - for a good reason, but its still pressure. I'd actually like to see Foy back in ministry...but in a situation where he can really be himself. And it seems that Foy's response to the pressure is to go limp and passive. That's what got him in trouble in the past, isnt it? When he pastored before he coudlnt bring his whole self to the task because of he processed people's need for him...it would be amazing if Foy could find a way to pastor differently. And, as well-intentioned as Larry is, I think he is offering a situation where Foy will eventually have to shut down.
But, I could be wrong :-) Foy has a lot of strength - he's made it this far, maybe he could bloom here.
Don't worry about it.
Submitted by rlp on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 22:12.Don't worry about it. There's no wrong answer here. It's really interesting to have interaction between the writer of fiction and the readers, while the thing is being created. That's just weird. And new. So Larry is going to hit everyone a little differently, just like all people do. And just like fictional characters do. Seriously man, even I don't know what is going to happen until I start writing it.
RLP I so totally respect
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 10:34.RLP
I so totally respect your willingness to interact with people about this, while it is still in process. Thats just wild, and cool.
I have read every Foy story, and love them all. He reminde me, just a bit, of the character Charles in Susan Howatch's book "Glittering Images"...Charles is a priest in the church of England, so the details of their lives are obviously very different, but how they have dealt with ministry is similar. 'Glittering Images' is a great read if you havent read it...a mix of psychology and theology woven into fiction.
All the best to you.
Foy Could Both.....
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 06:27.Foy could do both in part time capacities and the experience of working in the world, staying in touch with the daily battles that people deal with will make him a better priest. I work in a secular profession that is many times about the pursuit of profit and money. I also volunteer as a chaplain in a local hospital where I deal with the realities of sickness and death and the impacts those have on the patients and families.
Each world makes me better at the other and provides perspectives on life that you cannot buy anywhere.
Jeff
Poor Foy
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 07:38.I wonder if Larry realizes he's put him in an untenable position - "hey, you can leave this job you're not really enjoying anyway, just come back to something that's comfortable and you already know you're good at, just... ignore that little voice that says this might not be right for you!"
Poor Larry, too - he thinks he's doing a good thing, but if someone talked to my boss about my maybe leaving to go work for them (which is effectively what happened), I'd be really angry. In a real business situation, that makes work very uncomfortable, if my experiences with me telling them I was leaving to go work somewhere else are any guide. If Foy were working for a really big corporation, he probably wouldn't have any choice now - I know people who've gotten fired because there was a rumor they were looking for other work.
I think Foy should listen to what his heart is telling him - if he's meant to be walking a path in life, he'll know, even if he doesn't like it.
Foy it is JUST not time yet.
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 09:11.Well it's not! I like Larry - and I certainly don't think he's crossing boundaries or anything - but he seems the sort of pastor (and I know and love quite a few, and respect them greatly) who takes every good idea they have as something from God. And that's a problem. Though, who knows, maybe if Foy can articulate why he doesn't want to go back (if that's what he chooses) well - and he is very articulate - Larry will get to learn that lesson in a really cool way.
Can't wait for part four!
A question: knowing how so many of us feel about Foy and his friends, is it hard for you, RLP, to let the characters unfold as they want to?
I pretty much read the
Submitted by rlp on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 09:28.I pretty much read the comments and then let them go. But I'm good at that. I'm good at knowing things and forgetting them. I really love the interaction. And probably I should admit that having the Foy story unfold over time with all of the comments and interaction has changed his story. But I'm not aware of how. And it doesn't matter. There are an infinite number of ways to unfold the story of a person's life. It always comes down to unconscious impulses from the writer - at least I think it should come down to that. I think it is bad fiction when you craft the story to make money or move people emotionally or whatever.
So if I'm following my impulses, well, they are complex. And so what if they involve the interaction from you guys? A fictional life is like a real live in this. What happens is what happens. Honestly, Foy could go either way and he would still be Foy. And he might still end up in the same place someday. Maybe he turns this down and still ends up back in the church later. Or maybe he goes back to being a priest and then leaves again. I don't know. As long as his actions are in keeping with his personality, then there are no wrong answers.
It is very touching to me that people are invested in this character. That makes me feel good. It's very flattering.
Right and Wrong and Self-Interest
Submitted by revscott on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 10:39.Is it a bad thing that I can see myself in both Larry and Foy, especially in this installment?
As I'm reading this, Gordon, I keep thinking there's no "right" or "wrong" way to go, but that what you're writing is a conversation between a lot of people who are doing what they think is good and meets their own interests. Doug needs a good writer at BW, so when he sees an opportunity with Foy he goes for it. Larry sees a man wrestling with his call to ministry, and he thinks he's giving Foy the opportunity of a lifetime to get back in the game, no strings attached. Are they manipulative? Well, that's something you're obviously sorting out as you write, but it feels to me as though you're just describing what good people do when they want to help each other out. I think I hard sell some of my students in just this way when I sense an opportunity I think they should take.
The question you'll need to answer is, of course, how will everyone react once Foy makes his decisions? I'm looking forward to hearing the next chapter in the story. Great writing!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "It is only by living completely in this world that one learns to believe. One must abandon every attempt to make something of oneself, whether it be a saint, a converted sinner, a churchman, a righteous man, or an unrighteous one...
The Third Way
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 12:53.Sometimes, when we are confronted with a decision, we fret over whether we should go this way or that way. We get stuck in those two choices, going over and over the either/ors until we almost can't think straight. It seems like Foy feels stuck between staying at a job that does not particulary fulfill him, and does not use his gifts, or going back to the ministry which does have some appeal; the nice office, the books, and the "ancient, beautiful, solidity." Both ways have things that seem good to him, and things that do not feel right to him.
Sometimes the solution doesn't lie in choice #1, or choice #2, but in a third way. I am hoping that Foy waits, thoughtfully, until he discovers that third way, whatever it may be.
Am I the only one screaming,
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 07/30/2009 - 06:12.Am I the only one screaming, "Don't do it, Foy!!!!!"?
W. Lotus
Now that I read the other
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 07/30/2009 - 06:22.Now that I read the other comments, I see I am not. :-)
If I was in Foy"s shoes, I would feel, as some others stated, I was being manipulated and my life now was being disrespected. But that comes from growing up a preacher's kid, growing into an adult over-active in a local church, and being told who I was supposed to be, with little tolerance for any part of me that did not fit those marching orders. Larry's statement that Foy's feelings may be irrelevant next to God's desires nearly broke me out in hives. How many times did I accept my unhappiness because of statements like that?
But this is not about me. This is a story about a purely fictional character.
Or is it?
I agree with all the ones
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 04:19.I agree with all the ones who instintively say "don't do it Foy!", cause appearently this would seem spoilt everything off, and put in the shade the meaning of the inner journey Foy has done to date.That's my instinctive answer to such a possibility at least: isn't the story of Foy the story of a journey trying to work out a crisis of his own awareness as a person and of his role/calling in the world? Wouldn't all this journey come to and end if an answer is given? This is the reason I don't expect Foy to give up to the temptation is facing. Of course it's not up to me to say what will be the answer of Foy.
The bend Foy's story is potentially taking just drives me to make two different considerations:
ONE I'm concerned on the fact that the coming back to the priesthood choice, the autor appearently would suggest that the preferentially way to fulfill God's call pass through leaderships roles. I'm pretty sure this is not the autor's opinion on the matter, but this might be the misleading or unintented result of some possible develpments in this sense IMHO. The fact that Foy is called effectively to be a priest and that that is can be narratively the most sensible option to take (since he is a priest!), is not excuse cause if Foy gets the simpaties of us all (who are not necessarily priests or have church's responsabilities or the such roles) is because his crisis is the vocational crisis of any believer, not only of the generic priest/church leader. He incarnates the struggle of any believer, or at least of a certain kind approaching life in a certain manner and facing trial and crisis. I don't know if the autor do or did mean this from the beginning - even if I'm sure he is aware of! - as how is dealing the features of the charachter in many senses comes from his own perspective and experience as a pastor; neverthless Foy's charachter works out issues which are to be dealt not only by the perspective of a church leader, but mainly as a "type" of believer. Foy story is not only about the difficulties and doubts of a priest-vocated person but of any christian who is serious about himself and the sense of his being in this world as a child of God, called to be His servant and fulfill his own particularly call as intended and preordered by His Creator. The stress I put on this fact is, I think, of capital importance in talking about Foy and then a matter to be full aware of for either the autor and the readers. Otherwise we couldn't understand the appeal Foy has on many of RPL's readers, who are not necessarily ministers or involved in church roles, but who may easily emphatize with his experience and his inner fight. Having said that, this is the reason I'm confident that Foy is not going to get the easy option, as I'm persuaded that the autor is interested in exploring more and more of Foy's humanity. In fact this are Foy's tales about, they are firstly about a person who questions himself with a sincere quest for truth, searching for his christian vocation (ie life-sense fulfillment), and only on a secondary level as a priest or a "vocated" person.
TWO. It has happened I have lately seen the last episode of "the Lord of the Rings". I've been particularly touched by a sentence (put in the mouth) of Frodo while writing at his desk the final words of Bilbo's book at the end of the whole story when he has come back successful to home after saving Middleheart and then making a sort a balance of his journey: while I was considering the intended meaning of the choice of Frodo to leave the Shire with the last remaing Elfs, Bilbo and Gandalf, I can't help finding its interpretative key in that sentence (I recall it by heart) "...there's not coming back. Some wounds are too deep in your heart, soo deep that time can't heal". Differently from his other hobbits friends, Frodo comes to realise that "we set out to save the Shire... and it has been saved; but not for me" and then leaves for the Land where the Elfs will be at rest for ever. All of this has made an echo in my soul for a reason or another and I find that concept related to the issues here spoken of
Apart from all other considerations and possible interpretations we can partake on the final of the LoR (I'm referring to the final as it is depicted in the movie), what I'd like to stress in Foy's context, is that he has achieved the awareness that things for him have changed forever and that it's not possible to be as he was, even if he is tempted to be back to "his own Shire", to the "place" (emotionally and existencially) he has always known to be his, in order to possibly get back to the sense of his life and the safety that a role can give him in his working out is childhood before God. This is the reason why Foy can't REALLY come back: whatever he will do next he will never be the priest he was, and in that sense he will never be a priest again, not at least in the sense he himself (and Larry in particular) has always intendend it to be. Maybe we can say he has to find out the third way suggested?
(sorry for spelling-grammatical mistakes)
Wow. Good thinking
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 08:11.Wow. Good thinking here.
Carrie
Hmm. I wonder what it means
Submitted by rlp on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 20:38.Hmm. I wonder what it means that you have though more carefully about Foy than I have? ;-)
I'm kidding a little. I've thought a lot about Foy. My journey with Foy is one in which I specifically try not to over think this, however.
cloistered...
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 13:09.I for one think that Foy should stay at his current job. I really do believe that most ministers are SO insulated and cloistered from everyone else's day to day reality that much of their advice on "how to live" and "witnessing" is just completely useless.
To me Larry is both sinister in a very subtle way and comical. Comical in that he is so entrenched in the insulated world of the church that he is blind to the fact the Foy is probably "ministering" (I really hate that word) to more people at his job than Larry has in the last decade. Sinister in that he puts his own view of what "should" be right as paramount to everything else then makes it sound like his view is the ultimate reality (hmmmm..sounds familar. Didn't someone once tell someone else in this situation to "get behind them"?)
Foy going back and writing papers that only the faithful would read would be the same as Larry going into the chapel and preaching to the choir. NO FOY, NO!!!
M
What about his reasons for leaving?
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 10:34.Are Foy's reasons for leaving the church suddenly irrelevant? I don't even know exactly what his reasons were, but how have things changed so that they will not matter to him again in the future if he were to go back to being a priest?
And yes, on some level the temptation to go back to that familiar job and that familiar lifestyle must be related to the fear of failing in the "real world" and in real relationships.
Foy must not go back to being a priest cowering with his tail between his legs. A priest must love being a priest. Not that there will never be down times, but he has to believe that this is what he is supposed to be doing and not just what he is expected to be doing.
A skilled writer.
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 11:17.Let me first say that I am heavily invested in this story. I don't have an opinion on what Foy should do. I believe, RLP, that you are a great writer, and Foy's life is a great story. I don't believe one should have an opinion on his next course of action, for great stories do not rely on the hopes of the reader. Great stories are ones in which the character does what they will, and the reader has to take away from it what they will, and both end up... well, somewhere. Maybe it's better, maybe it's worse, but they journey is the interesting part of all stories, not the destination. Don't idealize Foy, people. Just enjoy the journey.
Helping People
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 08/07/2009 - 09:59.RLP, you're getting into my skin on this one. A few years ago, as a young, recently married, recently unemployed church planter, I found myself sitting in a job interview at a group home for boys mouthing the words of Foy Davis, "I just want to help people."
I think that is what it's about, for me and Foy. We don't know how to help ourselves (or even our families or other close relationships). But we can help other people ... people who are so "other" that they are no longer real. Being real is what makes the real world so tough, compared to the world of church. In that world, you just have to help people.
So here I am, back in this church world, after four years of reality. I came back. Six months of group home counseling, less than a week of night-shift, grocery stocking at Wal-mart, two years of part-time retail sales, four years of teaching Social Studies at a private school, and now I'm back to helping other people. It's what I do, and it's who I am.
What about Foy? I don't know what choice he'll make, but sometimes it's easier to take the easy road, the one that you know well. God is there too.
Foy needs to find himself.
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 08/13/2009 - 17:56.Foy needs to find himself. Horrible phrase, I know. His leaving the church was rather ... passive to begin with. Foy needs to figure out who Foy is. Larry says that Foy is a priest, well, OK. Where's the prophet and king bit?
Foy, darlin', RUN for the hills.
Foy's Story
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 08:57.In some ways Foy's story reminds me of the film, "The Last Emperor of China." He was trained to be an emperor, lost it, was forced to redefine himself as a gardener where he found joy in growing things. Having retired seven years ago from a professional position, I've found the journey of redefinition to be both anxiety ridden and richly rewarding. One difference in Foy, the Emperor turned political prisoner and a retiree is that Foy still has to make a living. Big difference.
Donna from Dallas
All I know for sure...
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 09/21/2009 - 10:14....is that my Foyeurism is defintely lacking in fulfillment. I hope he's still alive.