I really wanted to write something on the Emergent response to critics, which I thought was quite well done, but in truth I just spent a bit of time reading through some of the responses to the response and now I'm just tired. (If you haven't read it and care to do so, head to the emergent-us blog. It's well worth a read, if you're interested in the emerging church.) So more on that tomorrow. Instead, I'm going to pick up something I mentioned in an earlier post and talk about pipes for just a minute. Here's a quick disclaimer - I'm not really interested in talking about the dangers of tobacco, or second-hand smoke, or healthy living. Just putting that on the table. If you're interested in that sort of thing, there are many places to discuss it. I'm not trying to be rude; in fact, I've never said this about a post before, and it makes me rather uncomfortable to do so, but there can be particularly strong opinions on this topic, so I'm just setting some boundaries up front for my own sanity. My apologies for the string of independent clauses, but there it is.

I'm not really what you'd call a "smoker" in the true sense of the word. I enjoy a good pipe about once a month or so. It pops in and out of my writing because the two seem to go together, but in truth it's somewhat of a rare indulgence. To me, it's sort of like fine wine - I consider good wine to be privilege, and I keep it as such by enjoying it only occasionally. It's an avoidance of the contempt of the familiar and all that.

Two things come to mind when I pick up my pipe: conversation and contemplation. Some of my closest friends also enjoy pipes, so our occasional gatherings typically include breaking out the briar. On the other hand, I also find a pipe to be the perfect accompaniment to reflection, contemplation, and yes, even prayer.

Here is the one thing you must know about pipes in order to understand what I mean: it is impossible, or at least incredibly difficult, to smoke a pipe quickly. You can do it, but it ruins the smoke and possibly the pipe as the tobacco will burn too hot and char the briar. There is a method to pipe smoking that is in some sense ritual. One doesn't simply light up. First, the proper tobacco must be selected - this alone can be a dizzying matter, because the range is simply staggering. (Myself, I'm partial to McClelland's Blackwoods Flake or St. James Woods, if you were wondering.) Then the pipe must be packed properly and lit carefully. This is critical to a quality smoke - too loose and the pipe will burn hot, too dense and it will not burn at all. As to the smoke itself, well, one does not "puff" a pipe. A pipe is smoked slowly and carefully, maintaining an even burn and allowing the flavors to develop. It's more like sipping than gulping. When done properly, the reward is (assuming a quality tobacco and pipe) a complex, flavorful smoke that puts the finest cigar to shame (imho).

I think the reason that I gravitate towards pipes is perhaps the same reason that they've fallen out of favor. As I said before, one does not simply light up. Smoking a pipe means to slow down, to take care, to pause. This is why I favor it when I am in need of contemplation. Lighting my pipe is a sort of centering process for me, an opportunity to deliberately slow my pace. Smoking it is a sort of metronome, so to speak. It is something that keeps my mind from racing ahead of itself, allowing me to pause to listen and reflect. Some of my best writing comes out of these times, as well as my best prayer.