tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50448209517940782042024-02-18T18:48:08.943-08:00The InfusionI like dead people. Also tea.LKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05791517233920008067noreply@blogger.comBlogger1806125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-73459445508191003402015-09-06T16:58:00.001-07:002015-09-06T16:58:25.527-07:00Sermon: Confession, Repentance and Commitment to End Racism Sunday September 6, 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
In today’s gospel, Jesus does something that troubles me,
but it’s probably not what you think. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s the offending passage:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his
speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in
private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat
and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him,
"Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears
were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. </blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not what you thought, was it? Let me explain to you why this
is a problematic passage for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My first career was in Deaf Education and I received my
degree in Educational Interpreting from the National Technical Institute for
the Deaf, NTID. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there, I got to
meet many people who identified as culturally Deaf, and who objected to the
identification of deafness as a disability. They looked at developments such as
cochlear implants as a way of pathologizing deafness, when many are in fact
proud of their history, language, culture, and traditions. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So when I hit this reading, I instantly see it through that
lens. And then, when you see it that way, there are other parts that make it
problematic:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The deaf person doesn’t seem to have a say in
what happens to him. He is brought by others.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Who is this “they”? Are they close friends who
know what the person wants? Are they the disciples, in which case, why are they bringing him?</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What is the motivation? Is it to bring healing
and restoration? Is it to make the community more comfortable? And does this
motivation matter, in light of what the deaf man actually wants?</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">“They” were astounded – but how did the formerly
deaf man feel about it? Though the story says “he spoke plainly,” we never
actually hear his words.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then there’s the problem of suddenly being able to hear. When
you grow up being able to hear, the sense of hearing has a powerful ability to
filter out background noises. When I grew up in Alameda, I was under the flight
path of the Oakland airport, but I never noticed the airplanes until someone
was visiting and pointed out how loud they were. Similarly, one of the things
that’s difficult for people who get fitted with hearing aids is suddenly they
hear everything; they can’t filter out the background noises. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So when someone who has been deaf can suddenly hear, it’s
not like sounds automatically make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For me, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the story
ends on a false positive note, where we never actually hear the man say
anything, and instead, this mysterious “they” announce that<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus “even makes the deaf to hear and the
mute to speak,” rather than say, “he has helped us to be reconciled with our
friend and brother.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
**<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Tuesday, the Presiding Bishop and the President of the
House of Deputies <a href="http://publicaffairs.cmail1.com/t/ViewEmail/r/5342448A68BB5C332540EF23F30FEDED/5202468315B7722ADCC9454293137CA2">issued a letter </a>calling on Episcopal congregations to
participate in "Confession, Repentance, and Commitment to End Racism
Sunday" this Sunday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the plus side, this was requested by African American
leadership of the AME church. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As AME Bishop Reginald T. Jackson writes,
"Racism will not end with the passage of legislation alone; it will also
require a change of heart and thinking. This is an effort which the faith
community must lead, and be the conscience of the nation. We will call upon
every church, temple, mosque and faith communion to make their worship service
on this Sunday a time to confess and repent for the sin and evil of racism,
this includes ignoring, tolerating and accepting racism, and to make a
commitment to end racism by the example of our lives and actions." I am more than happy to honor this call.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the other hand, if we are truly committed to ending
racism, this cannot happen on 5 days notice, with a guest preacher, on a
holiday weekend. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It seems to me that for many of us, racism has become a
background noise we’ve learned to filter out. One of the powerful changes in
this past year is that many of us have finally heard the constant background
noise of racism as we see videos of police brutality and learn the names of
those who have died in police custudy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I looked at the liturgical material offered for this
Sunday, I was struck by the first line of a “Litany for those who aren’t ready
for healing,” from the <a href="http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/WorshipResources__End_Racism_Sunday.pdf?_ga=1.179809508.1762596255.1427213668">ELCA</a>: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Let us not rush to the language of healing, before
understanding the fullness of the injury and the depth of the wound.” </blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Understanding the fullness of the injury and the depth of the
wound requires listening: re-training our hearing to hear the things we’ve
learned to screen out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It requires not presuming we know what the injury is: what
we may presume to be pathology may instead be celebrated as culture, and what
we presume to be health may instead be a coping mechanism.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It requires time and commitment: not just this sermon, this
confession, this Sunday, but an ongoing commitment to understanding.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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May those who have ears to hear, truly listen.<o:p></o:p></div>
LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-57851834021167526452015-08-01T16:56:00.000-07:002015-08-01T16:56:02.655-07:00Review: Go Set a Watchman<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24817626-go-set-a-watchman" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Go Set a Watchman" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1428234289m/24817626.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24817626-go-set-a-watchman">Go Set a Watchman</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1825.Harper_Lee">Harper Lee</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1338847340">2 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
I hated this book. Hated. And I'm still not sure why my reaction is so strong and so visceral. I've waited a few days to see if I could better articulate my feelings, and I can't.<br />
<br />
The book started off fairly strongly, but the last third was basically a screed in dialogue form between cardboard-thin characters who were never more than superficial in their views.<br />
<br />
I'd say this book needed an editor, except that this book HAD an editor: the one that said, "Don't publish this book; the kernel of what you are trying to do lies in another place;" the one that got us "To Kill a Mockingbird."<br />
<br />
As for how Atticus has changed/is racist/was always racist, I appreciate Lance Mannion's insights on the matter in his post about both books [<a href="http://lancemannion.typepad.com/lance_mannion/2015/07/go-set-a-watchman.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://lancemannion.typepad.com/lance...</a>], and fiction in general: <br />
<br />
"It will be a shame, though, if thousands of adults who love and cherish To Kill a Mockingbird do have it ruined for them by having Go Set a Watchman rewrite it for them and they now see it as merely a prequel to the real story, the one in which the truth can finally be revealed. And going by the online discussion, there are a lot of people who already think that Go Set A Watchman is the true or, at any rate, the truer story and its Atticus is the real Atticus.<br />
<br />
"As if there is a “real” Atticus.<br />
<br />
"But the basis for thinking Watchman's the real or more realistic Atticus seems to be that in reality there were more racists in that time and place than there were white liberal heroes and that Go Set A Watchman is told from the adult Scout's point of view and as an adult she is ready to face and reveal the whole truth about her father.<br />
<br />
"As if To Kill a Mockingbird had been written by a nine year old.<br />
<br />
"As if adults are better at perceiving and handling the truth."<br />
<br />
Indeed.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/12827995-laura">View all my reviews</a>
LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-84037393821939339472015-04-17T07:38:00.000-07:002015-04-17T07:38:28.355-07:00World In Prayer, April 17<i>It was my week to write the <a href="http://www.worldinprayer.org/">World In Prayer </a>prayers. I started by looking at the lectionary, before even looking at the news. I thought I was going to focus on the gospel reading about the resurrection appearance, but the line that leapt out at me was from the Psalm, "Many are saying, 'Oh that we might see better times!'" followed up by a beautiful request. As you'll see, that seemed like a good refrain. At the same time, I wanted to note resurrection as an ongoing revelation of the Easter season. Moving from bad news to signs of hope was another way of lifting up my own countenance to see resurrection at work in the world. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Here they are:</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Many are saying, "Oh, that we might see better
times!" *<br />
Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.<br /><span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"> </span>Psalm
4:6</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In this season of resurrection, lift up the light of your
countenance upon us, O Lord, that we may see your risen Son, Jesus Christ, who
walks with us, even in our confusion and grief.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We pray for all whose lives have been affected by the
Holocaust as the world bears witness on Holocaust Remembrance Day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We pray for all migrants who have fled North Africa
attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, remembering especially those
who have drowned, including the 400 who have died this week alone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We pray for Yemen, where Al-Qaeda of the Arab Peninsula has
taken over a major airport in Mukalla.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We pray for the United States where a history of slavery,
racism, and oppression continues to reveal itself through deadly violence
towards African Americans.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We pray for Colombia where rebels from Fuerzas Armadas
Revolucionarias de Colombia broke a recent cease-fire, killing 11 soldiers, and
where aerial bombings are set to resume.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We give thanks for the 5,000 people in Durban, South Africa
who marched to protest a spate of recent xenophobic attacks. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We give thanks for signs of peace between the U.S. and Cuba
after more than 50 years of hostility.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We give thanks for all who work for peace, for
reconciliation, for restoration, for healing, for justice, and for hope.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD. In
our homes. In our families. In our communities. In our countries. And in our
world. Amen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-6932930313698371252015-03-21T09:37:00.000-07:002015-03-21T09:38:10.653-07:00I'm sorry, Bishop Kemper!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJrDdxz_JRLeMEsqbsmIOfo9-MftenOf7vlwCOcGPtGIZWJKoHVdfzaLILxnIRiU8uyWbtefloCkAmc-vuc61Nbzaf1eGMoJRanVKCTyLBQ5u4lNLpgpjZrRK1_Rrl1SmjkLfDLtxpmc/s1600/11010578_1418147058479797_4670752443693076187_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJrDdxz_JRLeMEsqbsmIOfo9-MftenOf7vlwCOcGPtGIZWJKoHVdfzaLILxnIRiU8uyWbtefloCkAmc-vuc61Nbzaf1eGMoJRanVKCTyLBQ5u4lNLpgpjZrRK1_Rrl1SmjkLfDLtxpmc/s1600/11010578_1418147058479797_4670752443693076187_n.jpg" height="200" width="148" /></a></div>
Yesterday was my final contest in <a href="http://www.lentmadness.org/2015/03/bernard-mizeki-vs-jackson-kemper/">Lent Madness</a>, as Bishop Kemper lost in the second round to the very worthy Bernard Mizeki.<br />
<br />
I feel terrible, though. Not because Kemper lost, but because I feel so many people got the wrong idea about him from what I wrote.<br />
<br />
The second round is Quirks and Quotes, and what could be quirkier than this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
According to his biographer, “He did not care for Shakespeare, and abhorred Byron.” He did, however, enjoy the occasional novel (“particularly, it is remembered, Judge Haliburton’s ‘Sam Slick’”) and “let his children read Scott’s romances, but not too many of them at a time, fearing lest they should acquire a taste for fiction.”
</blockquote>
And this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bishop Kemper “rose early, at five o’clock in summer and six in winter, and attributed his established health in large measure to his habitual morning bath in cold water, followed by the use of the flesh brush.”
</blockquote>
Quirky, right?<br />
<br />
But, oh, the comments! People who could <i>never</i> vote for someone who didn't care for Shakespeare or censored his children's reading. Who found Kemper cold, joyless, and stiff. Who called him "small-minded."<br />
<br />
One person commented, "Voted mostly against Kemper–cold showers and dislike of Shakespeare hardly stacks up against an African martyr who comes complete with a festival where people dance for two days." Another wrote, "He sounds like a dedicated pastor of the far more austere sort. I wonder what inspired others about him–largely the sheer force of his strength of character?"<br />
<br />
And that's where I feel I completely let Jackson Kemper down, because I've gotten to know him well in my research and what comes shining through is his warmth, kindness, and generosity.<br />
<br />
Here's a quote from his biographer that didn't make it into the write-ups:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"He was in his element when making a round of parish visits, which he found to be an easy means of imparting religious instruction, and his tenderness and personal kindness in times of trouble, sickness, or death endeared him deeply to his people. He thoroughly enjoyed simple social visiting, and all his life was very particular about calling on strangers and returning calls. He was a generous giver to every good cause. He was exceedingly restrained in criticism of others. He had modest views of his powers and attainments, and was never satisfied with them but ever strove to improve himself. He was by no means lacking in humor of a gay and gentle kind. One of his most attractive qualities, which he never lost, was a certain boyish lightheartedness and zest for living."</blockquote>
That's what inspired people.<br />
<br />
This year, when we were given the list of Lent Madness contestants to choose from, I didn't have any particular favorites and just asked for a random assortment. I received Dorcas, John Keble, and Jackson Kemper, and knew little of any of them. It's Jackson Kemper that most won my heart and affection in the course of this Lent Madness. I'm just so terribly sorry that I didn't do more to convey that this amazing man not only did a tremendous amount for the church, but did it with love.<br />
<br />
It's been so much fun being part of Lent Madness. Thanks to Melodie Woerman of the Diocese of Kansas, Don Compier, Dean of the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, and the fabulous folks who ran the Action Jackson Kemper Facebook page. Kemper will always have a Golden Halo in my book.<br />
<br />
Kemper Fi!<br />
<br />
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<br />LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-29763965919357464482015-02-16T10:52:00.003-08:002015-02-16T10:52:53.455-08:00Lenten disciplines in a time of turmoil<i>Yesterday, I celebrated at a parish that's going through a rough patch. I was planning to preach on the Transfiguration and <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/09/trip-treatment">psychedelic drugs</a>, but I ended up giving them this list of Lenten disciplines instead. I think they might be more generally useful, and so I'm sharing them here. Please know that this list is not in any way proscriptive.
If it is helpful, then use it, and if not, not. These are just some thoughts I’ve
had in the past couple of days that might be useful for groups or individuals, depending on what's going on for them. Take what you need
and leave the rest.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">
5 things to give up </span></b><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Give up ascribing motives.</b> I find that this is incredibly difficult because what we each want to know is why. Why did this happen? And that’s why it’s so tempting to try to figure out people’s motivations. It gives meaning to the story that we’re currently confused about. But for right now, all we can really determine is what did or did not happen, what was or was not done. Ascribing motives leads us to be suspect of the positive behaviors of those we disagree with (“I wonder what s/he’s really trying to get from me”), or to excuse the negative behaviors of those in our camp (“but s/he didn’t mean it”). </span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: inherit;">Give up figuring out what you or anyone else should have done or could have done.</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> It didn’t happen. For whatever reason, whatever it is you think should have happened didn’t happen. There is no use trying to go back because whatever it is that happened is in the past. Yes, we can learn from this. But now, in the midst of the crisis, is not the best time. Let it go. Forgive yourself and others. </span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: inherit;">Give up the need to be right.</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Every single person is going to have a perspective on what is going on, based on personal experience, history, and the information s/he possesses. That perspective is neither more nor less right than your own. When we give up the need to be right, it helps us to listen, to recognize that this person’s perspective is valid without needing to answer, without needing to prove, without it being a springboard to our own response. </span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: inherit;">Give up anticipating the future. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">We don’t know what the future will hold. We don’t know what new development may appear even as soon as tomorrow. When we anticipate the future, it closes us off to other possible futures that the Holy Spirit may want to lead us into – the possibility that God, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. </span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: inherit;">Give up trying to fix or save. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s such a temptation to leap in with grand gestures and solutions to everything. But at this point, fixing or saving is more about trying to reach an anticipated future or trying to correct the past. </span></li>
</ol>
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That’s not to say that we should sit back and do nothing.
There are things we can do, things we can take on for Lent. They may seem
simple, but I believe they are the actions that will bring healing, trust, and
community.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Take on small kindnesses.</b> One thing I learned early on in my ministry was that there was a much better chance I could be there for people when they were in the middle of a crisis if I was there for people in all of the small, day to day things. One percent of the time, they needed me to show up when something went really wrong. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they just needed me to answer their friggin’ email. What are the small kindnesses we can do to care for one another? The accretion of these small gestures, day after day, are what is going to make the difference in the long run, building the foundation of trust, support, and hope as you work together. </span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: inherit;">Take on time to pause and reflect. </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the midst of temptation to do something to make things better, sometimes the best thing to do is to sit quietly, look around, and see where you are. And that may mean feeling a range of feelings: sorrow, anger, relief, grief, guilt, confusion... But I believe that it is in sitting there and feeling the feelings that the healing hand of God is allowed to enter. It’s when we show God our wounds that we are able to be healed. And that happens when we take time to actually find the parts that hurt. </span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: inherit;">Take on smiling at each other.</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> This sounds very small, but I think there’s something important that happens when we simply look at one another and smile. Please note that I’m not saying, “Keep on smilin’!” What I’m trying to get at here is staying connected with one another with hope. You don’t need to agree about anything to acknowledge another person’s humanity and connection to you. </span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: inherit;">Take on breathing.</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> It’s amazing how important this is and how much it helps. About a week ago, I got a “Wellness Newsletter” from our HR department. I was stressed and anxious about a ton of things I needed to do and said to myself, “I don’t have time for this ‘Wellness’ crap!” But I looked at it, and on the list of suggestions of things to do, it said, “Breathe 3 times.” Well, I figured I had time to do that. So I breathed 3 times. And then, because it felt so good, I breathed a fourth time. And I was thrown by how much difference this small thing made in how I felt about the day. So when the anxiety comes up, breathe three times. Maybe four. </span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: inherit;">Take on the mantra, “All will be well.”</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Julian of Norwich was a 14th Century anchoress and mystic who lived through the plague that wiped out 1/3 of the population of Europe. In the midst of this and in the midst of her own suffering, she received this word: “All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things shall all be very well.” It may be helpful to remember that in the grand scheme of things, this is all small potatoes. As you breathe, remind yourself that all will be well, and all will be well, and all things will all be well. God loves you. God will always love you. God will always be with you, no matter what. And all manner of things shall all be very well.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-26881707015815789822015-02-14T21:22:00.001-08:002015-02-14T21:22:40.851-08:00World In Prayer, February 13<i>It was my week to write the <a href="http://www.worldinprayer.org/">World in Prayer</a> prayers. The top news stories were the peace accord hammered out in Ukraine, and the murder of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, NC. But the story that struck me was that of a group of 6 prison inmates in Taiwan who had taken some prison guards hostage and, after a 14-hour stand-off, committed suicide. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>These were not nice people, it sounds like. And yet I felt very called to pray for them. Which then moved me to pray for other people that I would much rather not pray for. And I was reminded of the great commandments, and of Jesus' words, "I was in prison and you visited me," and "Whatever you do for the least of these, you have done for me." And that led me to these prayers.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
As we prepare ourselves for the holy season of Lent, let us reflect in prayer on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: that when we love the least of these, we love you, Lord.<br />
<br />
Help us to love the least of these in prison. We pray for prisoners throughout the world. We pray that they may receive justice, that those who are innocent may be freed and those who are guilty may be restored and reconciled. We pray especially this week for <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31433538">Taiwan</a> where 6 inmates held several guards hostage before committing suicide.<br />
<br />
Help us to love the least of these who are refugees. We pray for the souls of the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31437971">300 migrants who drowned</a> trying to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. We pray too for all those who tried to rescue them, as they have done so many times over the past months and years, and help them deal with the grief and horror of the tragedy. We pray for the children from Guatemala, El Salvador, and elsewhere, held in family detention camps in New Mexico, USA. We pray for all those who have been displaced from their homes.<br />
<br />
Help us to love the least of those who seek peace. We give thanks for the ceasefire announced in Ukraine and pray that it may hold. We pray for Syria, Burkina Faso, Iraq, Afghanistan, and for countries affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, especially Nigeria, Cameroon, and Niger.<br />
<br />
Help us to love the least of those of all faiths and tribes. We pray for Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad and her sister Razan who were killed this week in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA by their neighbor.<br />
<br />
Help us, O Lord, to love our neighbors as You have commanded us to do. Help us to see in them the image of the living God who has come to dwell with us. And may we be transformed when we see You before us in the face of the least of these.<br />
<br />
Amen.LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-54744689714189910562015-02-08T09:22:00.001-08:002015-02-08T09:24:48.796-08:00How to get Fred Rogers a spot on the Lent Madness bracketHello, Lent Madness global reading public! For reasons known mostly to Scott Gunn, for the past several years I've had the pleasure of being a so-called Celebrity Blogger for <a href="http://www.lentmadness.org/">Lent Madness</a>. Though I admit the title earns me nothing but mockery and eye-rolling here at home.<br />
<br />
As a long-time follower of Lent Madness, I've seen a yearly tradition arise of petitioning the Supreme <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vqsTGZrWtDtcga8s5sI9qYARm9K6PpCQqSMiyRekKAMFTgusehtbTJi5A3LjPS2Ri01lMhZyHSvXYqqtdmGrN9Ej_emLwMEmTBciXbbXAI7pMVJgqbRwVq3hlatjonJVDd9cBHOTVKY/s1600/fredrogers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vqsTGZrWtDtcga8s5sI9qYARm9K6PpCQqSMiyRekKAMFTgusehtbTJi5A3LjPS2Ri01lMhZyHSvXYqqtdmGrN9Ej_emLwMEmTBciXbbXAI7pMVJgqbRwVq3hlatjonJVDd9cBHOTVKY/s1600/fredrogers.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
Executive Committee to put various people on the bracket, notably Fred Rogers. The problem is that, though the SEC would love to put more people on the bracket, they have established as a baseline that the contestants of Lent Madness are limited to the people who are recognized as saints in the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA). Reasonably enough.<br />
<br />
But there is hope, Fred Rogers supporters! The liturgical calendar and our church's manner of recognizing people of faith is constantly evolving. What's more, there are definitely ways in which mere mortals such as ourselves can affect this change. I am firmly convinced that we can take steps <i>this month</i> to get Fred Rogers on the radar, so to speak.<br />
<br />
Namely: <b>Create a local commemoration of Fred Rogers for your faith community on or near the date he died, February 27!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
One of the criteria given for inclusion in the Episcopal Church's calendar is <i>local observance</i>. I quote from the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music's <a href="https://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/calendar-subcommittee-update-a-great-cloud-of-witnesses/">blog post</a> from one year ago:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Criterion 5 Local Observance: Similarly, it should normatively be the case that significant remembrance of a particular person already exists within the Church at the local and regional levels before that person is included in the Church’s larger story.</blockquote>
I'm not saying the official recognition will happen this year. "Local and regional commemoration normally occurs for many years prior to national recognition," according to Lesser Feasts and Fasts. Still...if we really want Fred Rogers as part of our national collection of Holy Women and Holy Men (and in Lent Madness), it's great to take that first step.<br />
<br />
Oh, and before you party-poopers step in and say, "A person needs to be dead for 50 years before we recognize him," I point you to last year's Lent Madness finalist <a href="http://www.lentmadness.org/?s=harriet+bedell&x=0&y=0">Harriet Bedell</a> who died in 1969. So unless I suddenly turned 50 without my noticing it, my basic math skills would suggest that Bedell was placed on the calendar well before her required 50 were up.<br />
<br />
And whether or not Fred Rogers ever makes it on the bracket or in our church's official commemorations, the truth is, we will still have him as a model of gentleness and compassion. And I'm sure Mr. Rogers doesn't care about a golden halo.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D5044820951794078204%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D5474468971418991056%3BonPublishedMenu%3Doverview%3BonClosedMenu%3Doverview%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F-rmo3MTtJGQY%252FVNeZiiwzN8I%252FAAAAAAAAAXg%252Fck-h0uzA9Qs%252Fs1600%252Ffredrogers.jpg%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 470px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 108px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D5044820951794078204%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D5474468971418991056%3BonPublishedMenu%3Doverview%3BonClosedMenu%3Doverview%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dlink&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F-rmo3MTtJGQY%252FVNeZiiwzN8I%252FAAAAAAAAAXg%252Fck-h0uzA9Qs%252Fs1600%252Ffredrogers.jpg%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 470px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 108px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-77665246944291691522015-01-19T08:34:00.002-08:002015-02-08T08:18:59.281-08:00The Voice of God<i>I am totally in love with this poem by Mary Karr.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The Voice of God<br />
<br />
Ninety percent of what’s wrong with you<br />
could be cured with a hot bath,<br />
says God from the bowels of the subway.<br />
but we want magic, to win<br />
the lottery we never bought a ticket for.<br />
(Tenderly, the monks chant, embrace<br />
the suffering.) The voice of God does not pander,<br />
offers no five year plan, no long-term<br />
solution, nary an edict. It is small & fond & local.<br />
Don’t look for your initials in the geese<br />
honking overhead or to see thru the glass even<br />
darkly. It says the most obvious crap—<br />
put down that gun, you need a sandwich.<br />
<br />
From <a href="https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/voice-god-poem">Commonweal</a>LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-17953660652337547702015-01-02T11:46:00.000-08:002015-01-02T11:46:55.288-08:00Prayers for the new year<i>It was my turn this week to write the <a href="http://www.worldinprayer.org/">World In Prayer </a>prayers. With my deadline on January 1, of course I was thinking about the new year. I realized how odd it is that we give this one arbitrary day such significance as a time of new beginnings since every day gives us that same opportunity, so I decided to write prayers that could actually be used at any time. I didn't refer to any specific world events, but certainly for me there was a lot of subtext in what I chose to focus on. But I wanted to leave them open enough for people to include whatever is on their own hearts and minds.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I fussed around quite a bit with which order to put the intercessions. It's not perfect, but then, they never are.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>At any rate, here you go. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>World News This Week in Prayer</b></i><br />
<br />Gracious God, our lives are new every morning. Each day we are given opportunities to love you and to love the people you send to us. As we begin a new year, we use this moment to rededicate ourselves to your service and our gifts and talents towards creating your kingdom in this world.<br /><br /><i> Your kingdom come, O Lord.</i><br /><br />We rededicate ourselves to compassion: give us courage when we find ourselves encountering pain and suffering in others and in ourselves. Free us from judgment and self-righteousness and give us the gift of humility in all we do.<br /><br /><i> Your kingdom come, O Lord.</i><br /><br />We rededicate ourselves to reconciliation: let us ask for forgiveness of those we have hurt; help us, in your mercy, to do the hard work of forgiving those who have hurt us. Where there is division between individuals, races, or tribes, may we be bearers of light and understanding.<br /><br /><i> Your kingdom come, O Lord.</i><br /><br />We rededicate ourselves to hope: when we hear of wars that seem unending and see scars of conflict that run to the bone. In the face of natural disasters or calamities that we ourselves have made, inspire us with your hope to continue to seek your presence and your will.<br /><br /><i>Your kingdom come, O Lord</i>.<br /><br />We rededicate ourselves to justice: to fighting against unfair and unequal laws and treatment, and to exposing systems that benefit those who have much and penalize those who have little. Give wisdom to those in authority in this and every land, and give us courage to hold our leaders accountable for their actions.<br /><br /><i> Your kingdom come, O Lord.</i><br /><br />We rededicate ourselves to peace: help us to respond to hatred with love, to anger with kindness. Fill us with your peace that we may share it wherever we go, that by our witness and our actions peace may fill the whole world.<br /><br /><i>Your kingdom come, O Lord.</i><br /><br />Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, this day, this year, now and forever. All this we ask through the holy name of your son, Jesus Christ, who entered this world that the world may be saved. Through him we offer these prayers as we dedicate ourselves to you, today and always. <i>Amen.</i><i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-23039215298719155802014-12-23T07:22:00.001-08:002014-12-23T07:22:11.071-08:00Christmas in Vallejo<i>This story came to me through a neighborhood email list. I asked the teacher in the email if he'd let me share the story on my blog and he said "Of course. That's the idea: to keep it growing. Please delete my name, though." </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>So here, name deleted, is a report from DAP's classroom in Vallejo.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Dear Neighbors,
Our Winter Auction was a great success THANKS TO ALL OF YOU! The Vallejo Heights Neighborhood Association joined our Bay Terrace group in supporting the classroom's Winter Auction this year, allowing the students to get gifts for their family and friends that they otherwise would not be able to afford. And your response was truly moving.<br />
<br />
It was such a big event that word spread through the school, kids hanging outside the classroom just to get a glimpse of the mountain of donations that had been accumulating for the last few weeks. In fact, it caused a bit of a commotion. At the end of the day, as we all prepared for a long vacation, some of my colleagues told me that I was a great teacher; and to those with whom I am close, I confided that I was just an average teacher of curricula, but a pretty good teacher of love (thanks to my mom). And as you read on, you'll see how the love you showed by donating so generously will continue to grow for a long time to come.<br />
<br />
Prior to the very morning of the Auction, I assumed that claiming one of the five $20 Target gift cards, or one of four $15 Best Buy cards, or maybe the digital camera would be the single most popular item in this year's Auction. Along with some extra large stuffed animals - some of which even sang and danced - and a lot of new electronic items, I think they were leading the pack. But on the morning of the Auction, I received a lovingly-used bicycle. And when it rolled into class, I knew that practically every child in that moment really wanted that bright green, slick-looking bike.<br />
<br />
And they did. Without a doubt. Each of them wanted it. For themselves. "Give it to me" was an omnipresent sentiment... Then, out of the back of the class, I heard a student call out, "Let's give it to Javier, so he can get to school." Javier - not his real name - is one of my students, whose single mother has a work schedule that interferes with transportation to and from school. In fact, just the day before, I had asked the kids to find out if they could help Javier with rides. He was being bullied when he walked back and forth from school to his home near Kaiser Hospital (a distance of about 3 miles!). Javier is a boy of above average intellect and has great potential, if he can just overcome the obstacles which he confronts and in which he played no part in creating.<br />
<br />
Despite the palpable lust for that bright green bike that charged the room, another voice chimed in, "Yeah! Let's give it to Javier!" Of course, I could have, but I told them that I couldn't just give it away, since it was donated to an auction in which they were supposed to buy items with money earned for good behavior. The kids knew that Javier didn't have a lot off class money, because so frequently he was absent or late. But I also told them that if Javier made a bid and no one bid any higher, he'd automatically get the bike. Since Javier was late as usual, he had heard none of this.<br />
<br />
The auction continued after Javier's arrival with a few more items - a bath robe, scented candles, a baby blanket and bib - and I made sure to wait until he understood how it worked before I brought out the bike. Typically, the kids just yell out, "Five dollars!" "Ten dollars!" (and even "$100" for the largest gifts), with the loudest voice driving the bids. You know, an open auction. Competitive. But with thirty-three 11-year-olds. When I rolled the bike across the floor, I asked, "And what is my bid for this almost-new bright green bike," and I paused before adding, "Javier?" Surprised at being singled-out when no one else had been before, he fumbled with his meager stash of cash before making his bid, which he knew was too low to win. "Fifty dollars."<br />
<br />
Now I was on the line, personally. Not to make this about me, it's not. It's about my precious kids... what I'm trying to teach them between integers and earthquakes and Ancient India... and it's about all of you who made such kind donations. But to continue, I wondered whether they would show me that they had learned the lesson I teach and reteach and teach again: "From Egocentrism to Altruism." I know it sounds too advanced for sixth graders; but with a little help, they come to understand it. And in this moment, I would understand whether or not I had been successful. If everyone was quiet, they were putting Javier's needs before their own desires. But if someone spoke, I would know that I had not yet reached them all.<br />
<br />
And someone did speak. As those first vibrations of sound moved through the air, I thought that I had failed. But when they reached my ears in their fullness, I knew the students had learned how to be altruistic. "Don't say anything!" came the hushed admonition from the crowd, along with an ample chorus of "Shhh!"s, until there wasn't a sound in the room. Complete silence. "Well, Javier, it looks like you've got yourself a new bike, young man," I told him, more pleased than I've felt in a very long time. The other students cheered and surrounded him, before escorting him to his new bike and intentionally making a big deal of how awesome it was. I shed a couple of tears in class that day and Javier arrived bright and early and <b>on time for school</b> the very next day.<br />
<br />
Call me crazy, but that's a holiday miracle in my book (and if you know much about 11-year-olds, probably in yours, too). And as you all can imagine, the love didn't stop growing there. One item after another was scooped up, wrapped, and taken away, until well over 100 gifts had been purchased with money earned for actively demonstrating responsibility, good citizenship and altruism. Some gifts were delivered right away, causing a few tears and a lot of hugs - I've been told - while others were stashed away to be a proud surprise.<br />
<br />
But rather than me recounting their gratitude in my words, here are some of their own - a little cleaned-up - from thank you notes addressed,<br />
<br />
<i>Dear Neighbors, </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>You guys are like the world's BEST neighbors! It's heart-warming that you are so sweet and caring and awesome. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> The gifts I got made me feel like this is the best Christmas ever! </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> This is the first Christmas that I [was able to] give my mom a present... Thank you! </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> If you guys [hadn't] donated, I wouldn't have anything to give out this Christmas. I hope you have a great Winter Holiday! </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> I love that you give to people you don't know. I'm very thankful for that. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> I feel great because I know there are still generous people in Vallejo. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> I appreciate the fact that people I have never met before would offer so much to our class. </i><br />
<br />
And the love just keeps growing, moving among us, being paid forward even as you read this, perhaps:<br />
<br />
<i> [In addition to gifts for my family,] I got a gold-wrapped chocolate box. I gave it to a very poor family that I see a lot in the park. It made them tear up. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> I didn't get myself anything because I want my family to be happy. That will make me happy this Christmas. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> I think this is the sweetest and kindest thing anyone can do. Thank you very much for everything you have done. <b>I hope we can return the favor! </b></i><br />
<br />
Well, they did for me. How about you?
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-58456895405026989982014-12-05T08:04:00.000-08:002014-12-05T08:04:03.864-08:00Prayer by Langston Hughes<div style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Prayer</div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I ask you this:<br />Which way to go?<br />I ask you this:<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />Which sin to bear?<br />Which crown to put<br />upon my hair?<br />I do not know,<br />Lord God,<br />I do not know. </span></div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"> -Langston Hughes</span></div>
LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-13318362744583612014-11-16T10:48:00.000-08:002014-11-16T10:48:11.655-08:00Review: Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1291052440l/7550814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1291052440l/7550814.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
I just finished reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stuff-Compulsive-Hoarding-Meaning-Things/dp/0547422555">Stuff</a>, which was recommended at a presentation I recently went to on hoarding, led by one of the staff members of the <a href="http://www.ioaging.org/">Institute on Aging</a> (an excellent resource itself). <i>Stuff</i> was well worth a read, as it paints a portrait of the issue of hoarding that creates at least some understanding but more importantly a deep compassion for those who hoard.<br />
<br />
I was surprised by many of the things the authors discovered in their research on hoarders and hoarding, the primary one being that hoarders are, almost without fail, perfectionists. They hoard not because they are slobs, but because they can't bear to think about what would happen if they got it wrong and threw the wrong thing away. It illustrates the psychic (and sometimes almost physical) pain hoarders feel when trying to get in control of their hoarding, and the comfort they feel in what most people see as truly unlivable conditions.<br />
<br />
<i>Stuff </i>primarily presents its information through illustrative narratives of the lives of individuals, looking at hoarding through a variety of lenses. At the very end it offers further resources for people looking for help. The authors, Randy Frost and Gail Steketee, have a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Treatment-Hoarding-Disorder-Workbook-Treatments/dp/0199334943/ref=tmm_pap_title_0">workbook </a>for treating hoarding behavior that sounds very useful for those seeking personal help to change.<br />
<br />
I do wonder if the extreme conditions used throughout the book might do a slight disservice, however, as some who may suffer more mildly from hoarding tendencies may read this and think, "Well, at least I'm not as bad as that." As the authors point out, the problem with hoarding is not the stuff per se, but the pain and distress it causes the hoarder.<br />
<br />
As I said earlier, however, the overall sense I got from this book was one of compassion for hoarders and their families. It shows that hoarding is not a moral failing, a weakness, a sin, or consumerism run amok, but a painful and difficult problem that requires treatment and care.LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-62138436377559888642014-04-13T16:20:00.000-07:002014-04-13T16:20:11.644-07:00This Week in BritishnessAs an unrepentant tea drinker I of course lean toward the Anglophilic, but even I have to concede that these two pieces take Britishness to extremes.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5BnFOAuy325e0F3VgFz0qD-9-WJEZlQ9tC7NPdXUZzr7ZVPmhkTAmi-ykzrSWRv7GAw-05lJmypMYkaW-obr-PnOVxt34ba3bxCnmwachboh-on6_nvq9klbEftj_Lu6BMz57psN9Uc/s1600/baronness+trumpington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5BnFOAuy325e0F3VgFz0qD-9-WJEZlQ9tC7NPdXUZzr7ZVPmhkTAmi-ykzrSWRv7GAw-05lJmypMYkaW-obr-PnOVxt34ba3bxCnmwachboh-on6_nvq9klbEftj_Lu6BMz57psN9Uc/s1600/baronness+trumpington.jpg" height="202" width="320" /></a></div>
The first was an <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2603231/Baroness-Trumpington-opens-biography-Coming-Up-Trumps.html">excerpt</a> of a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Up-Trumps-A-Memoir/dp/1447256778">memoir</a> called <i>Coming Up Trumps</i> that I have to admit sounds wonderful, written by the 90-year-old Baronness Trumpington, nee Jean Campbell-Harris, who seems to have been brought up in luxury and been willing to do pretty much anything to anyone at any time. The photo here is the time "when my good friend Tom King – Lord King of Bridgwater – commented that those people who had served in the Second World War were starting to look ‘pretty old’, it was a natural reaction to stick two fingers up at him." As one does when in the House of Lords.
<br />
<br />
In the snippet in the Daily Mail, the Baronness writes (among other things) of her time at Bletchley Park.<br />
<blockquote>
Although essential, the work formed a dull and exhausting routine. Whenever we could, we rushed up to London and danced all night, then ate enormous breakfasts at a Lyons Corner House, with fake scrambled eggs, fake everything. We always went to the 400, a nightclub on Leicester Square that doesn’t exist any more. We had such happy parties there. I was horrified once because I was at one table with a boyfriend and I looked round and saw my brother at another table with a girlfriend.
That was bad enough. But then I looked round again and there, at a third table, was my father. With a girlfriend.</blockquote>
I will have to get my hand on this memoir when it comes out.<br />
<br />
And the second moment of Extreme Britishness...well, this is where I have to admit that I regularly and very happily listen to <a href="https://soundcloud.com/telegraphobitspodcast">The Deadline</a>, the weekly obits podcast produced by the Daily Telegraph. And there is this very odd section in the middle about letters written to the Telegraph that almost makes me wonder if it's a parody of Britishness.<br />
<br />
Take this week, for instance, in which there is a segment about letters on "the proper way to fold fitted sheets" that somehow leads us to King Alfred bowling the cakes, George II's son Fred "who was killed by a cricket ball," and Rule Britannia...I'm still not sure how that worked. You'll just have to<a href="https://soundcloud.com/telegraphobitspodcast/the-deadline-episode-11#t=15:39"> listen to it yourself</a>. And say no to the tyranny of hospital corners.<br />
<br />
Now, mustache news...<br />
<br />LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-36195867771168894872014-03-29T11:00:00.003-07:002014-03-29T11:10:43.350-07:00The World Vision Thing<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1DifYWFQ0-y9m463_I0cEuCiZSxnZ8Q8AVK6r71fuBwYECoqMmjq9OqiDZ6eyfgCuzxnG6ryPwNMaDzERyUd5kElZUsoOqzc6WqvduOItV8HoXwoQPk2zw5e7s1QZBUAKCuuuRp3l9s/s1600/worldvision_large1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1DifYWFQ0-y9m463_I0cEuCiZSxnZ8Q8AVK6r71fuBwYECoqMmjq9OqiDZ6eyfgCuzxnG6ryPwNMaDzERyUd5kElZUsoOqzc6WqvduOItV8HoXwoQPk2zw5e7s1QZBUAKCuuuRp3l9s/s1600/worldvision_large1.png" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">h/t to the <a href="http://millennialpastor.net/">Millennial Pastor</a> for <br />
the great image (& responses)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You heard about this, right?<br />
<br />
On Monday, World Vision announced in <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/march-web-only/world-vision-why-hiring-gay-christians-same-sex-marriage.html">Christianity Today</a> that it was changing its hiring policy so that gay Christians in legal marriages could be hired. Rich Stearns, president of World Vision, explained the policy change this way:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It's easy to read a lot more into this decision than is really there," he said. "This is not an endorsement of same-sex marriage. We have decided we are not going to get into that debate. Nor is this a rejection of traditional marriage, which we affirm and support."
"We're not caving to some kind of pressure. We're not on some slippery slope. There is no lawsuit threatening us. There is no employee group lobbying us," said Stearns. "This is not us compromising. It is us deferring to the authority of churches and denominations on theological issues. We're an operational arm of the global church, we're not a theological arm of the church."</blockquote>
The shit immediately hit the fan with close to 5,000 people canceling their sponsorships of children. In less than 48 hours, Stearns announced that the board reversed the decision, <a href="http://www.religionnews.com/2014/03/27/qa-world-vision-president-rich-stearns-sponsors-staff-lost-sex-marriage-announcements/">saying</a> it was a mistake.<br />
<blockquote>
"We made certainly in retrospect was a bad decision, but we did it with the right motivations. We weren’t trying to harm, or trying to find revenue, we weren’t doing it for wrong motives. We were trying to find some kind of solution to a divisive issue that would create some space of togetherness around differences within the church. Our regret is that we caused more division instead of finding a place of more unity."</blockquote>
So by Wednesday, I had a fair number of thoughts going through my head. Let me see if I can set them out in any sort of coherent order.<br />
<br />
First of all, I'm hugely disappointed by how this whole thing played out. And although I'm upset at those who decided to withdraw their sponsorship of children, I have to admit I understand it. I have not been a financial supporter of World Vision in part because of its conservative Christian background (not the <a href="http://dyingsparrows.wordpress.com/2014/03/28/yay-world-vision/">only reason</a>, but one of them). So I'm certainly in the same boat as people who don't want to support an organization that they think represents values counter to their own.<br />
<br />
I'm much more disappointed with World Vision, for a few reasons:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>They (apparently) didn't anticipate this. </b>Really? Knowing the political climate we live in, knowing the reactive nature of our current Christian culture, knowing that homosexuality is THE hot button topic...they hadn't thought through the plan? </li>
<li><b>They didn't give this any time. </b><a href="http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/world-vision-sponsorship">Rachel Held Evans</a> had begun rallying the troops to solicit new donors. I suspect many other church leaders would have done the same. I'd come home on Tuesday, after learning about the reaction, planning to donate to World Vision as a show of support for this change, knowing they were getting a beating. But they reversed the decision so quickly, I hadn't gotten to it yet. </li>
<li><b>It seems tremendously short-sighted. </b>They said they weren't trying to find revenue, and that may be true, but I think they lost a great deal of revenue in the long run by the reversal. Look at these charts, people! Do you see which way these lines are trending? </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoHH8QJ3KvUI8unSmcYSbfBqdgwC1t1adtdouBFaeB94PmFS9Jd1KN5xNPomIEumS-pSobldahO_VGsWWKkEifeLBUMEavsI9Z3jv31dSH9gKn9kUfxfXisyKcZWsWXJYu7LnguRVhfs/s1600/FT_Same_Sex.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoHH8QJ3KvUI8unSmcYSbfBqdgwC1t1adtdouBFaeB94PmFS9Jd1KN5xNPomIEumS-pSobldahO_VGsWWKkEifeLBUMEavsI9Z3jv31dSH9gKn9kUfxfXisyKcZWsWXJYu7LnguRVhfs/s1600/FT_Same_Sex.png" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<li><b>It's inconsistent. </b>Of course, if opposition to the marriage of same-sex couples truly were one of the fundamental principles under which World Vision operates, then looking at the approval rates would be irrelevant. However, <a href="http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/ashamed">one post</a> I read this week noted that World Vision Canada has had a non-discriminatory hiring policy for over 15 years. Which leads me to believe</li>
<li><b>This is a failure of leadership, not a principled decision. </b>Was it based on the financials? It certainly could be. Their <a href="http://www.worldvision.org/sites/default/files/pdf/WV_Form_990_FY12.pdf">latest 990</a> (financial reporting) shows that expenses were higher than income in 2011 and 2012, at an increasing rate, so there may be serious financial pressures at work. But I am reminded of Friedman's book <i>A Failure of Nerve</i>, which <a href="http://www.toddhiestand.com/edwin-friedman-failure-of-nerve-in-five-minutes/">explains</a> that leadership means holding fast in the face of conflict, rather than immediately reacting to loud and negative voices. </li>
</div>
</ul>
I was appalled at this particular statement in Stearns' retraction: "We’re learning that a number of people are calling back since the reversal to reinstate their sponsorship. They’re forgiving; they’re saying, ‘Hey we stand with you.’” That, sir, is not forgiveness, any more a child stopping a tantrum after you buy him a toy means the child has forgiven you.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I wish them the best, but I continue to believe this was a huge mistake.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
***</div>
<div>
FWIW, here are some of the international aid organizations to which I contribute, in case you're looking for other organizations to support:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Against Malaria Foundation: <a href="http://www.againstmalaria.com/">www.againstmalaria.com</a></div>
<div>
CA Bikes: <a href="http://cabikes.org/">cabikes.org</a></div>
<div>
Evidence Action: <a href="http://www.evidenceaction.org/">www.evidenceaction.org</a></div>
<div>
<div>
Kiva: <a href="http://www.kiva.org/">www.kiva.org</a></div>
<div>
Partners in Health: <a href="http://www.pih.org/">www.pih.org</a></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com131tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-28992748012589129862014-03-22T12:04:00.001-07:002014-03-22T12:04:45.908-07:00Review: Twenty Feet from Stardom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I remember thinking when it came out that I'd wanted to see this, but it wasn't until it won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature that I finally got around to watching <a href="http://twentyfeetfromstardom.com/">Twenty Feet from Stardom</a>.<br />
<br />
This film literally shines the spotlight on the back-up singers of the hits for the past 50 years, and it's revelatory. You will not believe how many of these voices you know intimately from songs fronted by performers ranging from Gene Autry to the Rolling Stones to Sting to Nine Inch Nails.<br />
<br />
I don't think it escapes anyone's notice that the primary front-line vocalists are white men and the back-up singers are black women. One of the wonderful choices the director made at the beginning of the film is to blot out the faces of the stars on the album covers so we finally take the time to notice the various "ettes" behind them. What makes it clear is these women aren't diminutive. They are divas and forces to be reckoned with.<br />
<br />
The story of the vocals on Gimme Shelter is particularly eye-opening. Merry Clayton, pregnant and home asleep, is awakened and told she needs to come to the studio to do some vocals for "The Rolling Somethings." She shows up in curlers, as both she and Mick Jagger remember, and in three takes, screams out "Rape! Murder! It's just a shot away." Then goes home to bed. In this great video interview in the <a href="http://nyti.ms/140BTmB">NY Times</a>, Clayton explains that she was just looking to go back to sleep. She also prods the director to reveal the <i>real</i> reason the producer wanted to make the film.<br />
<br />
Another of the featured singers, Lisa Fischer, has been touring with the Rolling Stones since 1989, doing this <a href="http://%3Ciframe%20width%3D%22420%22%20height%3D%22315%22%20src%3D%22//www.youtube.com/embed/ctrC9FtkmYA%22%20frameborder=%220%22%20allowfullscreen%3E%3C/iframe%3E">very vocal</a>. Although she has won a Grammy for a solo R&B performance, the solo career never really came to fruition, and she seems at peace with her role in the background.<br />
<br />
It's much harder for others, and neither peace nor success is easy to come by. Darlene Love, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 ("And about time, too," Bette Midler says, introducing her), was royally screwed over by Phil Spector as she sought to be recognized as a performer in her own right. Watching the film gave new insight into her performance accepting the Oscar, as she sang "I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He's watching me." He's not the only one at this point. And about time, too.<br />
<br />
I can't recommend this film highly enough.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2kgRq_pGN2g" width="420"></iframe>
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<br />LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-85541440624293707312014-03-11T09:13:00.000-07:002014-03-11T09:13:19.729-07:00Nairobi Blue and beautySomewhere between being introduced to Peacebang's <a href="http://beautytipsforministers.com/">Beauty Tips for Ministers</a>, watching <a href="http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway">Project Runway</a> and the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1331025/">September Issue</a>, following <a href="http://tomandlorenzo.com/">Tom and Lorenzo's blog</a>, and reading <a href="http://teabagsinfusion.blogspot.com/2013/01/review-grace.html">Grace Coddington's memoir</a>, I find that I've become interested in fashion. Who knew that would happen?<br />
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<div>
So I watched the red carpet coverage of the Oscars in part because I was dying to see what Lupita Nyong'o was going to wear. As what's-his-face interviewed her about who she was wearing (Prada, and again, who is this person who remembers that?), she explained that the color was "Nairobi blue" because it reminded her of the sky in Kenya.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And I thought to myself, We have just seen a new color name be born. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sure enough, moments later on Twitter and in news reports that followed, people were writing about her Nairobi blue dress.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And I thought, how fabulous that from now on the name Nairobi will be connected in people's minds to beauty.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That wasn't the first wonderful gift to beauty that Lupita had offered. Aside from the way she carried herself throughout the awards season, she also gave an amazing speech at the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon. Do read the <a href="http://www.essence.com/2014/02/27/lupita-nyongo-delivers-moving-black-women-hollywood-acceptance-speech">whole thing</a>, but this is the part that grabbed me hard:</div>
<blockquote>
I want to take this opportunity to talk about beauty. Black beauty. Dark beauty. I received a letter from a girl and I’d like to share just a small part of it with you: "Dear Lupita," it reads, "I think you’re really lucky to be this Black but yet this successful in Hollywood overnight. I was just about to buy Dencia’s Whitenicious cream to lighten my skin when you appeared on the world map and saved me."</blockquote>
One of the things I have been learning is that how we appear is not frivolous. How we present ourselves is not a mere outward show. It's a form of communication, and the messages it sends can be very powerful.<br />
<br />
Again, do read the whole speech, but she ends with this:<br />
<blockquote>
What is fundamentally beautiful is compassion for yourself and for those around you. That kind of beauty enflames the heart and enchants the soul. It is what got Patsey in so much trouble with her master, but it is also what has kept her story alive to this day. We remember the beauty of her spirit even after the beauty of her body has faded away. </blockquote>
Just beautiful.LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-778425542890875752014-02-27T06:06:00.000-08:002014-02-27T06:06:02.199-08:00We're finally getting some rain!We also got this:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixa-PGofJ8Mk_gzTf3IV2xz3fdRaJLUZHEVu7V0t40sYj6HewLwUjT6TnP-iX7XRVXBMO4-CC45zx0e6gLHTYkyipplhgicAoWVi08KM4TZBO9_gfLAwDWtIceygnnKHrOjHwwJ2B1Wvc/s1600/image+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixa-PGofJ8Mk_gzTf3IV2xz3fdRaJLUZHEVu7V0t40sYj6HewLwUjT6TnP-iX7XRVXBMO4-CC45zx0e6gLHTYkyipplhgicAoWVi08KM4TZBO9_gfLAwDWtIceygnnKHrOjHwwJ2B1Wvc/s1600/image+1.jpeg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What? Where?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEO7nLgvDEnp3pBJTJviOYjy80Xtd8_rzH3tGpFv8gKWuZoRxBZkaeGDqf6UW_VgtX2YkN-r7Pab5zMTjSj2-hV7w9GcK4WkfugGd_sckPo6Jh-I1GoyvsiNbi7iAlONeVnUzX_NWbdYU/s1600/image+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEO7nLgvDEnp3pBJTJviOYjy80Xtd8_rzH3tGpFv8gKWuZoRxBZkaeGDqf6UW_VgtX2YkN-r7Pab5zMTjSj2-hV7w9GcK4WkfugGd_sckPo6Jh-I1GoyvsiNbi7iAlONeVnUzX_NWbdYU/s1600/image+2.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, you mean this?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfKyGa5ZEW3GUg42lzbrAx1Tp7ZelaQo2ModyQV16GXE3207ovjEkLPPwjLQYJJt1f7V-7Bc-l4ptwn-C_QyLJ_UcFFDEwBk0E0HCcEx0GEIYIs9YBr17f2lhUAi7x-I1EobK_EFLX00/s1600/image+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfKyGa5ZEW3GUg42lzbrAx1Tp7ZelaQo2ModyQV16GXE3207ovjEkLPPwjLQYJJt1f7V-7Bc-l4ptwn-C_QyLJ_UcFFDEwBk0E0HCcEx0GEIYIs9YBr17f2lhUAi7x-I1EobK_EFLX00/s1600/image+3.jpeg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I'd do it again!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We should have named him YOLO.*<br />
<br />
(*note for my parents: this is internet for You Only Live Once)LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-56854361858423783102014-02-13T06:23:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:23:04.676-08:00Lent Madness is coming!Yesterday may have marked 3 weeks until the beginning of Lent, but more importantly today marks 3 weeks until the beginning of <a href="http://www.lentmadness.org/">Lent Madness</a>. Yes, indeed, the saintly contest begins again. And here's the official info from the Lent Madness <a href="http://www.lentmadness.org/tim-and-scott/">Supreme Executive Committee</a>:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.lentmadness.org/"><img alt="Lent Madness 2012" src="http://www.lentmadness.org/images/LM_Widget_H.jpg" height="60" width="234" /></a>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Lent Madness 2014</span></b></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Saintly Smack Down!</span></b></b></div>
<b>
</b><br />
<br />
Grit, determination, perseverance. These are the traits, along with the obvious one — holiness — that will be needed to win the 2014 Lent Madness Golden Halo. Based loosely on the NCAA basketball tournament, Lent Madness pits 32 saints against one another in a single-elimination bracket. It is also a wildly popular online devotional designed to help people learn about saints.<br />
<br />
Lent Madness began in 2010 as the brainchild of the Rev. Tim Schenck, an Episcopal priest and rector of St. John’s Church in Hingham, Massachusetts. In seeking a fun, engaging way for people to learn about the men and women who make up the church’s calendar of saints, Schenck came up with this unique Lenten devotion. Combining his love of sports with his passion for the lives of the saints, Lent Madness was born on his blog “<a href="http://frtim.wordpress.com/">Clergy Family Confidential</a>.”<br />
<br />
Starting in 2012, Schenck partnered with <a href="http://www.forwardmovement.org/">Forward Movement</a> (the same folks that publish Forward Day by Day) executive director the Rev. Scott Gunn, and Lent Madness went viral, reaching over 50,000 people and getting mentioned in everything from the Washington Post to USA Today, to Sports Illustrated (seriously).<br />
<br />
Here’s how it works: on the weekdays of Lent information is posted at <a href="http://www.lentmadness.org/">www.lentmadness.org</a> about two different saints. Each pairing remains open for 24 hours as participants read about and then vote to determine which saint moves on to the next round. Sixteen saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo.<br />
<br />
The first round consists of basic biographical information about each of the 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as we offer quotes and quirks, explore legends, and even move into the area of saintly kitsch. It’s fun, it’s informative, it’s the saintly smack down!<br />
<br />
This year Lent Madness features an intriguing slate of saints ancient and modern, Biblical and ecclesiastical. The 2014 heavyweights include Thomas Merton, Catherine of Siena, J.S. Bach, David of Wales, John Wesley [ed. note: one of mine], Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Joseph of Arimathaea [ed. note: also one of mine]. The <a href="http://www.lentmadness.org/bracket/">full bracket is online</a> at the Lent Madness website.<br />
<br />
New this year is the publication of the <a href="http://www.forwardmovement.org/Products/2265/saintly-scorecard.aspx">Saintly Scorecard — The Definitive Guide to Lent Madness 2014</a>. Available through Forward Movement, it contains biographies of all 32 saints to assist those who like to fill out their brackets in advance, in addition to a full-color pull-out bracket.<br />
<br />
This all kicks off on “Ash Thursday,” March 6. To participate, visit <a href="http://www.lentmadness.org/">www.lentmadness.org</a>, where you can also print out a bracket for free to see how you fare or “compete” against friends and family members. Like that other March tournament, there will be drama and intrigue, upsets and thrashings, last-minute victories and Cinderellas.<br />
<br />
Ten “celebrity bloggers” from across the country have been tapped to write for the project including the Rev. Laurie Brock of Lexington, KY; the Rev. Penny Nash of Williamsburg, VA; Dr. David Creech of Morehead, MN; the Rev. Megan Castellan of Kansas City, MO; Canon Heidi Shott of Newcastle, ME; the Rev. David Hendrickson of Denver, CO; the Rev. Amber Belldene of San Francisco, CA; the Rev. David Sibley of Brooklyn, NY; the Rev. Laura Darling of Oakland, CA [ed. note: close enough]; and the Rev. Maria Kane of Houston, TX. Information about each of the celebrity bloggers is available on the Lent Madness website.<br />
<br />
If you’re looking for a Lenten discipline that is fun, educational, occasionally goofy, and always joyful, join the Lent Madness journey. Lent needn’t be all doom and gloom. After all, what could be more joyful than a season specifically set aside to get closer to God?<br />
<br />
Forward Movement is a ministry of The Episcopal Church dedicated to making disciples and sharing the Good News. With offices in Cincinnati, Ohio, Forward Movement has worked since 1935 to reinvigorate the life of the church.<br />
<br />
***<br />
So there you go. Consider yourself warned.<br />
<br />LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-46716446737042752902014-02-09T10:50:00.000-08:002014-02-09T10:52:37.795-08:00World In Prayer prayers<i>World in Prayer has a spiffy new <a href="http://www.worldinprayer.org/">website</a>!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>It was my week to write the prayers and I simply didn't have the time I would have liked to give to them. The salt of the earth, light of the world reading from the lectionary this morning was a natural jumping off point, but my reading of the news was more of a skim of the headlines. I found myself thinking, "Blah blah blah, Syria, Russia, drought. Isn't there anything new and interesting going on?" I feel like I didn't do justice to any of the things in the news, and so I am grateful to other people for holding the prayers for me this week.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The other piece I added was about how we can be salt and light in our local situations. With all my blah-de-blah attitude, one thing I pondered was how we need to be salt and light right where we are, and that there is so much that needs salt and light that will never make it in the papers. So I wanted to bring that out. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>But as I said, these prayers were quite rushed and I feel I didn't hit the mark I would have liked. Still...<a href="http://www.worldinprayer.org/2014/world-news-this-week-in-prayer-thursday-february-6-2014/">here they are</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, February 6, 2014<br />
<br />
Jesus, you call us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. May we shine the light of your peace and love to its farthest corners as we remember your world in our prayers.<br />
<br />
We pray for Russia as it hosts the Winter Olympics in Sochi, for the athletes who have come to compete, and for those displaced from their homes to make way for the sporting venues.<br />
<br />
We pray for North Carolina (USA) where tons of coal ash spilled into the Dan River have affected the area’s drinking water.<br />
<br />
We pray for Pakistan and the Taliban as they enter into peace talks.<br />
<br />
We pray for Syria where the government has reached a deal allowing civilians to leave the besieged city of Homs.<br />
<br />
We pray for the more than 1,100 African migrants rescued by the Italian navy, and for all those fleeing their home due to conflict or lack of resources.<br />
<br />
We pray for California (USA) as it suffers from severe drought and for other parts of the US experiencing extreme cold, and for those affected by these conditions.<br />
<br />
We pray for women throughout the world, especially for the women of Iraq, thousands of whom are detained illegally and subject to abuse.<br />
<br />
And we pray for those needs close to home and close to our hearts.<br />
<br />
We pray for those areas of pain and conflict that never reach the headlines and yet are still of immense importance to us and to you, O Lord.<br />
<br />
We pray for strength and courage to be salt, to be light, to be peace, to be love to our neighbors here at home and to our neighbors throughout the world. Amen.LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-72058395842625343632014-01-20T16:28:00.000-08:002014-01-20T16:28:39.401-08:00Lessons from the Greensboro FourA little over a week ago, I read <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/11/us/franklin-mccain-who-fought-for-rights-at-all-white-lunch-counter-dies-at-73.html?_r=0">this obituary</a> for Franklin McCain who, with three others, all college freshmen, staged a sit-in at the Woolworth's in Greensboro, NC in 1960.<br />
<blockquote>
It was not the first such sit-in. After the Supreme Court’s order to desegregate the public schools in 1954, activists tried to integrate lunch counters in Oklahoma City, Baltimore and other cities on the periphery of the segregated South. There had been similar efforts in the Deep South, particularly in Orangeburg, S.C., in 1955 and ’56 and in Durham, N.C., in 1957. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
But the Greensboro episode, by most estimations, had the widest impact, inviting national publicity and inspiring a heightened level of activism among college students and other youths. Later that year, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, one of the most effective civil rights groups, was born in Southern black colleges.</blockquote>
Here's a picture from the beginning of the sit in (Franklin McCain is wearing glasses):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuZ_RbjRVqFPU0eEeADZtN3dBLOhMbH_OKFynxGs8KEqMmErDPtpQz4EYwehOFoovQi9-hVE2kDRBP_AANvue3BecsJ5FIlWHBfaGoVN3ZbGtdza0urMmnbCrrPZAn12s_dQe0dOCCz0/s1600/McCain-obit-1-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuZ_RbjRVqFPU0eEeADZtN3dBLOhMbH_OKFynxGs8KEqMmErDPtpQz4EYwehOFoovQi9-hVE2kDRBP_AANvue3BecsJ5FIlWHBfaGoVN3ZbGtdza0urMmnbCrrPZAn12s_dQe0dOCCz0/s1600/McCain-obit-1-articleLarge.jpg" height="293" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here's a picture from day 6 of the protest:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Kuq0z8beP60ZuZoRUeQakklczKwurGNeOqQ7wh-OGIOwoq7BOakWw1uPl0EKIrrp3Nbc5QwfhBEZ1j4DPtDgoSLo931wuU3-kc0fAYX_WNgSgPOJOmMc6G_InC6Rh_j-AZiWiNIw8Ms/s1600/McCain-obit-3-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Kuq0z8beP60ZuZoRUeQakklczKwurGNeOqQ7wh-OGIOwoq7BOakWw1uPl0EKIrrp3Nbc5QwfhBEZ1j4DPtDgoSLo931wuU3-kc0fAYX_WNgSgPOJOmMc6G_InC6Rh_j-AZiWiNIw8Ms/s1600/McCain-obit-3-articleLarge.jpg" height="257" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
As the obit reports, "By the 5th day, more than a thousand had arrived." The sit-in began on February 1, 1960. They were finally served on July 25.<br />
<br />
On this Martin Luther King holiday, I was thinking about what lessons I could draw from this particular story. One is that you need your friends. Another is that a small action can have much larger ramifications. Another is to be very specific about what you're going to do and what result you hope to achieve. Another is to expect it to take time. So much to learn.<br />
<br />
Can I say also that I love the fact that McCain stayed in North Carolina after he graduated, worked for 35 years as a chemist, raised a family, and retired there. On the website for <a href="http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/februaryone/four.html">February 1</a>, a documentary made about the sit-in, the bio for McCain notes, "As a resident of Charlotte, he has served on many boards and worked towards changes in local educational, civic, spiritual and political life." I bet he has.<br />
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Here's a picture of the Greensboro Four, taken at the Woolworth's counter in 1990. Franklin McCain is the one lifting the cup of coffee.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rsMqhdk85tCNR9UFW7evIuZsZBkakdQ_qq9tu_0fW1g9cCv0Pw2s3ncFhzG-Ws6JbQh4G9ayHS_fAr4X_ws3j9wB03j_DrkKkNNskyw6n-5lHh2QjgR9rQGn_rawZ99nTOCiLbJrK88/s1600/four_pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rsMqhdk85tCNR9UFW7evIuZsZBkakdQ_qq9tu_0fW1g9cCv0Pw2s3ncFhzG-Ws6JbQh4G9ayHS_fAr4X_ws3j9wB03j_DrkKkNNskyw6n-5lHh2QjgR9rQGn_rawZ99nTOCiLbJrK88/s1600/four_pic.jpg" height="143" width="400" /></a></div>
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Well done, sirs.<br />
<br />LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-84263663016001371162014-01-01T18:37:00.001-08:002014-01-01T18:47:09.790-08:00Review: The World's End<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZTaqYWvTM_4FmxnrwipeRCxqMZ-c7f75N90561HHvTNxcKY7LRwsFIT5mXstWQBxjo5bpD_LIa7M9WenK7zn7_FKdNJUjuKW53m1K30z3e6j7VnPbaVyQQweePvG4PZBHa2L32xsTos/s1600/The-Worlds-End-Review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZTaqYWvTM_4FmxnrwipeRCxqMZ-c7f75N90561HHvTNxcKY7LRwsFIT5mXstWQBxjo5bpD_LIa7M9WenK7zn7_FKdNJUjuKW53m1K30z3e6j7VnPbaVyQQweePvG4PZBHa2L32xsTos/s320/The-Worlds-End-Review.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It made sense to me to watch <i>The World's End</i> on New Year's Eve, focusing as it does on heavy drinking and, potentially, an apocalypse. Of course, I've been a big fan of the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost/Edgar Wright movies since watching <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365748/">Shaun of the Dead</a> </i>(which, come to think of it, I may have forced my family to watch on New Year's Eve many years ago).<br />
<br />
This may be my favorite of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Flavours_Cornetto_trilogy">Cornetto Trilogy</a>. At any rate, this and <i>Shaun</i> are neck and neck. And the reason, I think, I'm so impressed is that <i>The World's End</i> is willing to have a strong current of sadness. Not a heart-tugging moment, but a sadness that starts from the very first scene and continues throughout.<br />
<br />
The sadness resides particularly in the manic and deeply addicted Gary King who "gets the band back together," cajoling his high school mates into completing the 12-pub pub crawl they abandoned back in the '90's. There's a desperation in his need to drink these pints dry, a kind of magical thinking as he makes his way from pub to pub despite the obstacles in his path.<br />
<br />
If you don't know what the obstacles are, I'm not going to spoil it for you here. I will say, however, that Pierce Brosnan uses all his suavity to creepy effect in a brief scene. He makes his proposition sound so reasonable.<br />
<br />
I may be influenced by the fact that I listened to interviews both with <a href="http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_415_-_simon_pegg">Simon Pegg</a> and with <a href="http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_445_-_edgar_wright">Edgar Wright</a> before seeing the film, which added extra insight in to some of what I saw. Great interviews -- though maybe only for fans.<br />
<br />
I will also add that I vote for "blue bloods" over "blanks." Funniest scene in the movie. You'll see what I mean.LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-62289750182862717862013-12-20T06:56:00.001-08:002013-12-20T06:56:52.584-08:00World In Prayer prayers<i>It was my week to write the prayers for the <a href="http://www.worldinprayer.org/">World In Prayer</a> ministry, and of course Advent was on my mind. In particular, I took some of the <a href="http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/Advent-O-Antiphons.htm">O Antiphons</a> as my inspiration this week, since they are prayers traditionally used in the week before Christmas. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The prayers are a bit bleak, I think, perhaps in keeping with the longest night of the year, but I tried to turn it at the end to the hope of new light.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>At any rate, here you go.</i><br />
<br />
World News This Week In Prayer - Thursday, December 19, 2013<br />
<br />
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.<br />
We are still waiting for you.<br />
We are waiting for the Prince of Peace.<br />
We are waiting for the Wisdom from on high.<br />
We are waiting for the King of all nations.<br />
O come and set the captives free.<br />
<br />
Free those who are captive to violence.<br />
--The people of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25445355">Syria</a>, of <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/19/u-n-says-base-insouthsudanattackedlivesreportedlost.html">South Sudan</a>, of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25426305">Ukraine</a>.<br />
--The victims of domestic violence or abuse.<br />
--Those who see violence as a solution to their problems or those of the world.<br />
<br />
Free those who are captive to poverty.<br />
--Those unable to find work, and those whose work cannot supply their needs.<br />
--The long-term unemployed in the <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/12/19/255454237/why-congress-didnt-extend-unemployment-benefits">United States</a> who may be affected by the expiration of their unemployment benefits.<br />
--Those who work in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/world/asia/after-collapse-bleak-struggle.html">sweatshops</a> and mines. <br />
--The children of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9492016/One-in-four-Kiwi-children-living-in-poverty">New Zealand</a>, over 1/4 of whom live in poverty, and children throughout the world who live in poverty.<br />
<br />
Free those who are captive to fear and hatred.<br />
--Those nations divided by histories of rivalry and conflict:<br />
Iran and Israel<br />
India and Pakistan<br />
--The <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25413737">Roma</a> of Europe.<br />
--Those who fear others based on race or ethnicity.<br />
<br />
Free those who are captive to sorrow.<br />
--Those who grieve the loss of a loved one.<br />
--Those who are alone.<br />
--Those who suffer from <a href="http://newsroom.muschealth.com/index.php/2013/12/seasonal-drpession-awareness-month-sad/">depression</a>.<br />
--Those for whom this time of celebration is a time of sadness.<br />
<br />
May you, O Lord, turn all our sorrow into joy. May our souls rejoice at your appearing. May we magnify you as we sing. And may all the world be glad at the light of your presence.<br />
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Come, Lord Jesus. Be our light in the darkness. And may we come before your presence with a song. For you are our light and our salvation, and to you we lift our voices in prayer and thanksgiving, now and always. Amen.
LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-35442805647353546922013-12-18T07:24:00.000-08:002013-12-18T07:24:24.220-08:00Holiday SMART goalsI was leading a meeting the other day where we were practicing developing SMART goals. You've heard of those, probably. SMART goals are<br />
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S: Specific<br />M: Measurable<br />A: Achievable<br />R: Relevant<br />T: Time-bound</blockquote>
And so as an exercise, we created SMART goals related to the holiday season, and I thought, "Why haven't I done this before?"<br />
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Here are a couple of examples I came up with:<br />
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<b>Not-so-smart goal:</b> I will make everyone happy<br />
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<b>SMART goal:</b> I will select and wrap gifts for the 8 members of my immediate family and ensure they arrive by Christmas day.<br />
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<b>Not-so-smart goal:</b> I won't get mad when Uncle Ernie talks about politics<br />
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<b>SMART goal:</b> I will develop, write down, and rehearse 5 strategies for responding in a healthy way when Uncle Ernie talks about politics at least 1 day before we have our family dinner gathering.<br />
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So, for what it's worth, I offer this exercise to you. How can you approach the holidays in a way that doesn't set yourself up for failure with unrealistic goals?<br />
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<br />LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-85988834231449097982013-12-09T06:11:00.001-08:002013-12-09T06:11:47.054-08:00An old Advent 2 sermon, complete and unabridged<i>For some reason, I have this sermon from Advent 2, 2001, in my first year out of seminary and still writing out the whole sermon each time I preached. I found it recently and it still speaks to me, despite the 2001 references, so I thought I'd pass it along.</i><br />
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As part of my own spiritual discipline as I try to discern what I think and feel about the current world situation after September 11, but even more after October 7, the day we first began bombing Afghanistan, I have been reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Letters and Papers from Prison.”<br />
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor and theologian in Germany when Hitler came to power. For a time he taught in an underground seminary that supported the work of the “Confessing Church,” a network of churches not under the control of the Nazi regime. In 1939, he came to the United States for a lecture tour and was urged to stay rather than return to the rapidly worsening situation in Germany. But he refused and took one of the last ships back to Germany. Originally a pacifist, Bonhoeffer was involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler. He was arrested in April of 1943 and spent the first year and a half of his imprisonment in the military section of a Berlin prison. He was executed in April of 1945, but not before writing an extraordinarily thoughtful collection of letters that are still pertinent today.<br />
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I found myself recently reading his letters from Advent 1943. He writes, “Life in a prison cell may well be compared to Advent; one waits, hopes, and does this, that, or the other—things that are really of no consequence—the door is shut, and can be opened only from the outside.” I’ve been thinking about that quite a bit.<br />
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I’ve also been thinking about some of his comments in a letter from December 18, 1943. He says, “In my experience, nothing tortures us more than longing…Substitutes repel us; we simply have to wait and wait; we have to suffer unspeakably from the separation and feel the longing till it almost makes us ill…[T]here is nothing worse in such times than to try to find a substitute for the irreplaceable.”<br />
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We’re in the middle of Advent and we’re waiting. In our day to day lives, things seem to be hurrying toward the harrowing end of a semester, for some of us, or rushing us towards Christmas with all of the things we still have to do. All the extra things that our celebrations require of us. It keeps us busy. It keeps us distracted and occupied. But there’s something else going on underneath that. There’s a longing. There’s a longing for something we’re not even sure what it is and no real conclusion in sight. And if we stopped to think about it, it might be too difficult to bear.<br />
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And in the larger world, after that initial fraught time in September, things seems at least for me to have settled down into a steady normalcy of war. I read the headlines about Afghanistan, but I barely read the articles any more. I hear about military successes in various places I’ve never heard of and safe here in my corner of Ohio I don’t spend too much time thinking about what real peace might look like. And here we are, reading Isaiah.<br />
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There’s a future tense in the readings this morning. And with that future tense comes a longing. A longing for justice. A longing for peace. A longing for the one who will come. And images that are so dissonant with reality as we know it that all we can put it down to is hyperbole.<br />
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“The wolf shall live with the lamb? The leopard shall lie down with the kid? A little child shall lead them?” It’s the image of the peaceable kingdom that we may have seen hundreds of times in paintings, but can we imagine such a thing in reality? It’s an image of peace that is so extreme as to be completely unbelievable. Or, as I once heard one person say, if this scene were to take place, wouldn’t you rather be the lion?<br />
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We are so used to a simulacrum of peace that the image of peace that Isaiah gives us looks ludicrous. How could it possibly work? And I think it might scare us. It scares me. In this image of peace, there is little protection for the one who has always previously been the victim. What if things go wrong? Who will guarantee that the peace will last?<br />
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Advent is like being in a prison cell. And in your cell there’s a window above you where you can see the sky, but it is so different from the world you inhabit that it hardly seems to be a possibility.<br />
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There’s a longing in us for something meaningful and significant. There were crowds of people who went out to be baptized by John and he says there’s something more. There’s someone who is coming after him who will baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. And we find ourselves in the land of hyperbole again.<br />
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Baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire? What on earth does that mean? Will it hurt? What would it do to us? The baptism that John offers is at least clear. And yet this is the same person who says that’s not all. Could that be true? Could there be something bigger and better than this?<br />
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What if it’s true, something in us says. What if there really is something better than this? And another part works hard to squash that down, keep it quiet, to protect ourselves from disappointment. And then Advent comes along and exposes our hopes and expectations.
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In Advent, we learn to live in the awareness of our own longing.<br />
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Living with longing is not easy. Bonhoeffer says to do so is to live with an almost unbearable tension. And the pressure upon us is to fill that void. The pressure upon us is internal because the longing can be so difficult and so painful that we would simply like it to stop. And the pressure can also come from outside because our longing can make us protest that we are not willing to settle, that this is not good enough. The longing can make us want to change our world and can unsettle those around us. It would be so much easier to find an acceptable substitute.<br />
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To uncover the longing is a bit like opening a Pandora’s box. It’s a dangerous activity. And inside the box we find not only the longing we first suspected was there, but all the longing that we have ruthlessly suppressed over the years. And having unleashed our longings, we can’t put them back in the box.<br />
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But we don’t need to put them back in the box. Advent invites us to look at them. Advent is a season of longing.<br />
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We demonstrate this by our own activity. We hurry around trying to find the perfect gifts for the people we love. But this is indicative of something larger. What would be the perfect gift for us, for our world? Would it be peace? Would it be a powerful, transforming baptism? Where can we go to get them? The answer is we have to wait. But they are coming.<br />
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What is it you long for? Let that be your work this Advent. To open up that stifled box of longing and show God what’s inside. Expose our hopes and expectations. Lying down with them like a lamb with a wolf. God loves us. God, too, is trying to find the perfect gift for us. We’re waiting for something, we’re not even sure what it is, and it’s hard work. Wait for it. Accept no substitutes. It’s coming.
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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
<i><br /></i>LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5044820951794078204.post-38760611643832370412013-12-08T18:08:00.000-08:002013-12-08T18:08:41.306-08:00We went to watch whales, but instead met an otterI don't know if you heard that there has been an unusually large number of whales sticking around Monterey Bay long past their usual season there, due to a huge run of anchovies. So we thought we'd trek down there for a day in hopes of getting in on the action.<br />
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Then something unexpected and wonderful happened.<br />
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We got a phone call from someone who had no idea we were headed toward Monterey who had, as it happened, just been in the area the week before and had, as it happened, been told by a local that a wild sea otter, but one habituated to humans, was just hanging out at a local dock where people could stop by. As it happened, this dock was 20 minutes away from where we were. We practically swerved off the road, in hopes the otter was still hanging around the dock, and in hopes we could reach the dock before dark.<br />
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It was, and we did. And it was amazing.<br />
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The otter was perfectly happy and healthy (well, at least as far as we could tell), and as you could see, didn't seem at all perturbed to have people standing around looking at it.<br />
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Or taking its picture. Or even...</div>
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...stroking its fur, and I know, I know, don't touch a wild animal, but I can't say I regret it. It was amazing. It kind of rolled over and did the "scratch right there" thing that the dogs do. My hand was rather gray afterwards, but boy was it incredible to touch that fur.</div>
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Did you know that sea otters have the densest fur of any animal? On some parts of their body, it has 1 million hairs per square inch. </div>
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I can also tell you now from first-hand experience that they have the cutest ears and strangely small front paws that look a little like catchers' mitts, and that when they flex their toes, their back webbed feet are disproportionately large. </div>
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The next day, as it happened, the whale watch was cancelled due to rough weather, so we went back to visit the sea otter who was enjoying a healthy breakfast. I can also tell you now from first-hand experience that sea otters are noisy eaters. Well, see for yourself.</div>
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<br />LTDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01123241408595156346noreply@blogger.com0