A Book to Recommend
I have been enthralled by the book Waiting for Snow in Havana, by Carlos Eire. He was a boy of about 8 when Castro rode into Havana and as he often puts it, "the world changed." This is the story of his boyhood and beyond. His life with his family before the world changed and his life in America afterward.

Eire is a professor of history and religion at Yale. His ability with words and phrases that evoke emotion is powerful. Through it all runs a spiritual thread based in his Cuban/Spanish Roman Catholicism. God is very present in the book. God speaks and acts and Carlos is at times caught in the middle.

I am not yet done with the book. It has me entranced and it is so powerful and well written that I find myself only able to read a chapter at a sitting. I shake my head at the wonder of each chapter, close the book and let it rest.

It is now out in paperback. It is a real work of hope and direction, grace and the Spirit.

Bits and Pieces-
Cleaning Out
Spent most of the afternoon and evening yesterday installing XP on my older desktop. It had gotten slow and messy. So I just wiped it out with a clean install. At the same time, I cleaned up some file drawers and piles on a folding table. Hence didn't really have much time to think about today's post. So I am cleaning up my brain a little, too.

Spiderman
Finally went to see Spiderman 2 with my daughter last night. It was, as many others have said, better than the first. It also did a good job of setting up at least three unfinished story lines for the next installment.

I must admit that I really loved the scenes with Spidey flying through the "canyons" of New York. Wonderful cinematography, good comic-book plot lines and action, and Tobey And Kirsten are interesting to watch. It truly is entertaining!

Heroes and Anti-Heroes All in One
Of course Spiderman and Peter Parker are both of these. I used to read the comic strip in the paper and was always impressed by Peter's depressed state and mental wanderings. But put on the suit and he was a whole different person. Behind the mask of his Spidey persona, he was a hero who had no fears, no worries. Tobey Maguire picks that up well and made me reflect on how heroes are truly everyday people who rise to courage when needed. That could be anyone of us at any time. An interesting thought. But it often is not the ones we expect to be heroes who turn out to be that. Which also could be anyone of us.

A New Guest List
As each of the Gospel writers- evangelists- put the story together, they did so with a particular audience and approach. Hence, even as Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell many of the same stories, the contexts and directions of thos stories take on different nuances and insights in each Gospel. A quick look through the Gospel of Luke makes it clear that this is avey socially conscious Gospel. As a doctor, Luke was interested in people and their health. He knew that the emotional, spiritual, physical, and economic often go together. He shows how following Jesus is an exercise in working with the poor, the outcast, the marginalized. Here's a bit from today's Gospel.

Luke 14:12 - 14: Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Don't do what you do to get repaid, do what you do because it needs to be done. Like when Jesus said, "Love your enemies. Anyone, even the worst sinner can love their friends." As a disciple of His, He is telling us, we are to be different. We are not to follow the ways of the world- ways that oppress the poor and seek to ignore the homeless and the outcast and the lepers of whatever cause. If you get repaid for what you do, he says in essence, it doesn't count.

As I read this passage a passage from the 12-Step program of Al-Anon came to mind. It sets out a way of living that seeks to be healed of the co-dependence of alcoholic families and to find new ways to be helpful, honest, and caring. Here's the particular segment:

JUST FOR TODAY I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do somebody a good turn, and not get found out: if anybody knows of it, it will not count.[Emphasis mine.] I will do at least two things I don't want to do- just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.

Quite an assignment. But one that can change the way we look at others- and ourselves. It coule become a living example of what we have come to call the Prayer of St. Francis:

O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is discord, harmony.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sorrow, joy.

Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Aroma Therapy-
Or is it Aromatherapy?
Our daughter works in a mall store right across the way from a bed and body shop. When my wife mentioned to her one day that she had been having trouble sleeping, the next thing we knew was our daughter getting an aromatherapy spray that is supposed to help get to sleep. It is a vanilla and lavender mix- two things that my wife is NOT allergic to. That night she spritzed a little on the sheets and pillow case- and we joked a little about it. And went to sleep.

My wife slept better that night than she had in a long time.

Was it a placebo affect, or did it actually work? I can't say I slept any better- I usually don't have that problem. She continues to use it. We joke about it- but even if it is a placebo - it's working, so don't argue with it.

Which reminded me of something I have noticed a number of times while flying on one of the big airlines out of Minneapolis. When I have had to use the lavatory, they naturally have a hand soap/lotion on the side of the sink. As I glanced over at it I saw that is was specially packaged for the airline. It was an aromatherapy lotion. And the aroma was for?....

Calming.

Not a bad idea. Someone was using good marketing sense. Either the company that developed the aromatherapy soap for an airline and then sold it to them...
or the airline who came up with the idea to help soothe the troubled and nervous minds of some of the passengers. Maybe even both were thinking well.

Whether aromatherapy really works or not, I know that aromas can have strong effects. Perhaps our sense of smell isn't as acute as it once might have been when we were hunter-gatherers instead of shopper-consumers. But like all our senses it is another way to get to our brain, our mind, and perhaps our psyche and soul.

Think of the inscense of a high-church worship experience. It may have started as a double meaning- hide the smell of people before Dial and Right Guard- AND to remind us of the prayers going up to heaven. The smell became connected with the thought and the ritual which connected people of the power of prayer. That is a soul-experience. So is the smell of freshly baked bread. And what about the hunger-producing smell of onions cooking?

Now there was a truly calming, aromatherapy smell. Midwest Express Airlines out of Milwaukee has this wonderful service on many of their flights. Chocolate Chip Cookies. Baked fresh on-board the plane. Now THERE is a smell that makes you glad you are flying.

Almost School Time
It is the final week before school starts here in Minnesota. As I got ready to go back to school as a Chemical Health and Prevention counselor, I found the excitement growing. It has been a good summer (other than my back going out) but it's time to get back into the groove. It is "front line" work and is always exciting. That is what I enjoy.

This is my second semester at the job working in the public school system. One thing I discovered from the inside was how much passion there is among most of the faculty and staff for what they are doing. I am sure there are exceptions, but the people I have met truly are interested in the students they teach and work with. They often bend over backwards to help a student make it. They put up with all kinds of obstacles and barriers. Some of these are due to the fact that many states are more willing to build prisons (or sports stadiums) than continue to improve the educational system.

Yet they continue to work with passion and excitement. I saw them returning to the schools this week before they had to. They were setting up their rooms, getting material together. They looked as excited as I feel to be back. There are probably many problems and difficulties in our school systems. Our teachers are not one of them.

The Back is Getting Better
Well, much to my surprise and pleasure, the cortisone shots must be working. Since I had it 10 days ago, the pain has eased little by little each day. It seems to be leveling off which may mean that in two weeks I will need another shot. But for today, hey, this is good!

Grant Me the Courage
The September issue of Fast Company magazine is their "Courage Issue." There are some interesting and even challenging essays and articles in the issue. I question whether Google's attempt at a different type IPO was an issue of courage as they seem to think, but they do make a lot of sense.

As I reflected on the issue and theme I realized that "courage" is not an often discussed topic in many areas. At least not as much as one would think, especially with the presence of The Serenity Prayer in so many different places. The lack of understanding and discussion of courage is odd when you realize that if you pray the whole prayer, it is the second thing you pray for:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Perhaps the problem is what we call the prayer. How differently it might sound to our ears if we called it The Courage Prayer or The Wisdom Prayer. Then it wouldn't sound so flowery and sweet. Not that serenity isn't important. Believe me, in my life, it is a God-send. But I for one get sick of seeing this powerful prayer relegated to knick-knacks and plaques that make the prayer look like Oh, How nice. The Serenity Prayer. I can't make that sound sweet enough on the screen, but you get what I mean.

For me this prayer is a lifeline. It is a source of wisdom that pulls me out of my self-centeredness and poor me attitudes. It gets me away from wanting control and leads me to acceptance. Acceptance is not being a wimp or wuss or shrinking violet. Acceptance is based on honesty and humility and courage to ask for help to change and wisdom to know what is within my power and what isn't. But I for one like to think of it as a wisdom prayer. At the heart of courage is wisdom- about oneself and the God who is my creator. It is not a lack of fear. Without fear, as someone in the Fast Company issue said, there is no need for courage. It is doing what has to be done and letting go of what doesn't have to be done. The result is serenity.

Thank God, for courage is also simply fear that has said its prayers.

Vietnam. Again, It's Vietnam
Until that day later in this century when the last of the Baby Boomers passes from the scene, we will be haunted by Vietnam and all it meant. The recent campaign rhetoic and posturing about John Kerry's Vietnam service and medals is just one more battle in what has been the center of our Boomer psyche for 40 years already. It was at the center of the Presidential campaign of 1964- the year the last of the Boomers was born. Johnson-v-Goldwater, just as the war heated up. The Gulf of Tonkin non-event which was morphed into the start of "official" start of the war, took place that summer.

It is now another Presidential campaign. The youngest of the Boomers, born then, turn 40 this year. The oldest, like George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, turn 58. (Kerry is not officially a boomer. Born in 1943, he will be 61 this year.) There, at least for the moment, on center stage, is Vietnam. Questions are raised. Issues are addressed. Accusations are made. Clinton admits to not having served. Bush tries to answer critics about his service. It is still keeping us in its clutches.

From my perspective it is time to put it aside. Let the past speak for itself and look at today. Accept the fact that George Bush did what many, many others were able to do as well- join the Reserves or National Guard. Accept the fact that John Kerry did what many, many others also did- serve in Vietnam facing enemies of all kinds and no doubt the demons that inhabit all wars. Who are they today? What did they learn? Where are they going next? What does life mean for them- and for us- when one of them will serve our nation as president? What kind of leaders are they today.

I did not serve in Vietnam. But I would not want my skills as a leader (or anything else, for that matter) to be judged entirely on what my life was like when I was between the ages of 18 and 25. Yes there would be hints of the kind of person I have become, but only in a raw outline.

The same is true for Bush and Kerry. Stick to the issues of today. Let's hear who you are in 2004 and for the next four years. That is who I want to vote for- the man of today.

Odd of God
There is a saying I have heard somewhere that is attributed to a number of people, the shortened version of it is:

How odd of God
To choose the Jews

It got me thinking one day about God's way of choosing who God wants to fulfill His commission and mission. Perhaps we could add to the above:

And odder still
Who He chooses to use.

In spite of our common understanding about the original apostles being simple, everyday people, we find it hard to believe that God would continue to do that. No, God must surely choose "special" people, people with "special" gifts, and "special" insights and "special" dispensation to do God's work today.

How often have we heard- I am just a layperson. I don't have the training. I don't have the faith. I don't have the abilities. I'm just a lay person.

Or God forbid that in some settings we would allow lay people to do what it is the clergy are supposed to do. Some things are just too sacred and holy.

The point is, though, that we are a long way from the people-led system of early days. That is when Jesus turned the religious establishment on its head and called the poor and the lame and the children and the women and the salt of the earth to be the church.

Perhaps the oddest is that God still uses us as poor and uncertain as we remain.

An Addendum From Another Subject
The rhyme quoted above does have more that I have seen and heard:

How odd of God
To choose the Jews
But not so odd
As those who choose
The Jewish God
And hate the Jews.

It is a strong reminder that anti-Semitism is not dead and raises the paradox of Christian anti-Semitism (or perhaps what should be an oxymoron- two mutually exclusive ideas.)The arson in the French Jewish Community Center last week and the continuing awareness of the rise in European anti-Semitism should remind us to be ever on our toes.

Fortunately the Mel Gibson movie didn't cause it as some were afraid. It shouldn't, of course. All the PR it got helped see to that and perhaps even raised awareness of that. (Just thought I would add that since the DVD is to be released a week from today.)

Funny or Scary?
The story that came out at the end of last week about Sen. Edward Kennedy (and others) finding their names on a "no-fly" list.

Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, told a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on border security Thursday that he's been stopped several times because his name appeared on an airline watch list.

During his first incident, Kennedy said someone at the US Airways ticket counter refused to take his Visa credit card and said he couldn't fly to Washington.

"I said I've been getting on this plane for 42 years," Kennedy said to laughter. "Why can't I get on the plane back to Washington?" [CNN.com]

This would be funny- it it weren't kind of scary. I don't think I'm overreacting or taking something out of context. According to the CNN piece, Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia) has been stopped 25 - 30 times in the past year or so. Pick any 500+ American citizens, all of whom are upstanding Americans (as far as we know). What do you think are the odds that 2 of those whould find their names on a "no-fly" list. Slim. Then, to get their names off the list? Almost impossible. Do I think this is a conspiracy? No. Do I think this is an example of how our country has gone paranoid? Yes. Not to mention ready and willing to give up a lot of our rights just to stay "safe."

Chances are it could happen to any one of us. I remember hearing (and saying!) that if you are innocent of wrong-doing there is no need to be afraid of the new laws. The innocent can go through the checkpoints with no problem. They have nothing to hide, so why worry. Maybe I was wrong about that. Maybe law-abiding citizens do have something to be afraid of- fear and paranoia, over-zealous security guards, vague laws that can restrict civil liberties.

Forty years ago this summer Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona), in accepting the GOP nomination for President made an interesting and controversial comment. He used a quote that said that "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice." We may be seeing that such may not be true. There may be limits to what we are willing to accept as means to an end. To take away liberty in defense of liberty is an oxymoron, akin to destroying a village to save it.

Yes, there are times and places when it may be necessary for protection and safety to limit certain freedoms. But it is awlays done at a price. Sometimes we may recover from it. I pray that this is one of those times.

Healed on the Sabbath
As I read over this week's Gospel lesson, it kind of fell into several one-liners:

--from Luke 13
On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,

a woman was there...

he put his hands on her... she straightened up and praised God.

Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler...

The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites!...

all his opponents were humiliated,...

the people were delighted.

So, let me get this straight, there was a woman coming to Jesus in the Synagogue. A woman. In the religious space with the men. What a way to start off on the wrong foot. Jesus didn't make her stay back behind the screen or in the balcony. Instead, having called her into the presence of the men, he...

Touched her.

and she was healed. Which naturally raised the ire of the ruler of the place. How dare he do work on the sabbath. How dare he do it right in front of them- in their very midst. Such chutzpah. But as usual, Jesus has an answer that humiliates the leaders. How can those synagogue leaders have been so uncaring as to be upset at someone being healed? They slink away in silence, knowing that they have been had. And the people rejoice. There is hope beyond legalism and rules and incredible self-centeredness.

Oh, if it were only that simple. The right way- vs -the wrong way; my way (usually the right way)- vs - my opponents way (usually the wrong way.) Three cheers for Jesus. But one thing I have learned the hard way with Jesus, when it comes to being right- I'm usually not. Not in the way I like to think I am, anyway. I will point the finger at the Pharisees, and then make a new rule about what makes one "faithful." I will pat Jesus on the back for calling them to task and then cringe as he turns and looks me in the eye, saying nothing.

Not that I always have to be the worm- wretched and sad and lost. Of course not. That is where grace comes in. Perhaps that is the biggest problem we have. WE can't accept Jesus' gift of grace at face value so how can we even begin to be graceful ton others? Even saying that, I know that I can never be graceful enough- which is where Jesus' grace comes back into the picture.

Because Jesus doesn't have to say anything when he turns and looks at me. I know at that moment that I have done it again.

I also know that so has Jesus as he smiles and shakes his head wondering if I will ever learn and handing me another piece of that amazing grace.

Back When Radio Was Radio
In the 50s and 60s Top 40 radio was as much about the radio personalities as it was about the music. They went hand in hand. Wolfman Jack. Dick Biondi. Joey Reynolds. Cousin Brucie. Larry Lujack. Alan Freed. Joe Niagara. Dan Ingram. Names that made radio fun. For their time and place they were as big as Don Imus and Howard Stern. And sometimes as risque, though not as blatant. They were on AM radio which meant that many of us could hear them at night when AM radio carried across half the country.

These guys were my heroes as a young college DJ. We imitated them, listened to them to steal routines and ideas. Of all of them, my favorite was always Dan Ingram. A voice to die for, a sense of humor that was always sharp and always ready to cut. He wasn't a screamer like some. He had a self-deprecating attitude that made you like him. He was afternoon drive-time on 77-WABC in New York. He was awesome.

Which is incredible since even in those mid-60s days the 50,000 watt powerhouses like WABC were often just as controlled and programmed as Clear Channel is today. Yet they had personality that transcended the limited musical choices they had to play. Some of them, like Scott Muni, Wolfman Jack, and Dick Summer, were the precursors of early FM album stations like WNEW-FM in New York where several of them broke new ground along with Allison Steele and others.

Radio is not what it was then. It is long gone on the public airways. Clear Channel and others have turned it into its natural conclusion. I guess that college radio and a few non-profits still manage to bring this edge to radio. But it may be on the Internet that we can still hopefully find the creatie individual personalities that made this era so much fun!

If you want to hear airchecks of many of these classic DJs (as well as more contemporary ones) from across the country, go to Reel Radio. It has a wonderful collection that will open a world that has long since disappeared.

This IS Addiction
While preparing for a group I lead the other evening, I did some searching for poetry about addiction and recovery. Those with poetry and writing skills are often able to capture the full power of addiction and alcoholism when they write them out like this. Found a site called Crystal Recovery, obviously specifically about methamphetamines. But the insight into addictions of any type are something to hear.

(Note that there is some pretty strong language and some intense pictures on the website. Partly that is because meth is a mean and nasty drug. It is a toxic waste dump being put into your body. It is intense and dangerous!)

Here's one of the poems that I found challenging and with a great sense of reality!

DIRE ADDICTION
It gives me life, but it brings me death.
It is my best friend, but it is my worst enemy.
It makes me happy, but it brings me sorrow.
It helps me get through the day, but it makes life not worth living.
It gives me strength, but it makes me weak.
It helps me think, but it makes me lose my mind.
It helps me get ready, but it makes me ugly.
It makes me hot, but it makes me cold.
It gives me energy, but it gives me no motivation.
It helps me love, but it makes me hate.
It makes me popular, but it makes me alone.
It helps me to see clearly, but it makes me blind.
It makes me creative, but it destroys my dreams.
It makes me immortal, but it brings me fatality.
It gives me hope, but it makes life hopeless.
It gives me control, but it controls me.
It gave me peace, but it took it all away.
It is my addiction, but it is my downfall.
It is my everything, but it is nothing!
- B.F. from Crystal Recovery

More Thoughts on Hurricanes-
and Other "Acts of God"
Bene Diction got me thinking more yesterday about natural events, the power they have, and how we are unwilling to accept that power. Bene said:

Part of maturity for a society and it's individuals is recognizing that no matter how good we get and understanding and preparing, natural events will not play by our rules.

When Hurricane/Tropical Storm Agnes decided to park over northern Pennsylvania 32 years ago I was unlucky enough to be home visiting my brother. Home was northern Pennsylvania. It was the "Great Flood" that June- the Thousand Year Flood. We were stuck. No roads in- no roads out. If you had grown up along the River floods were part of the experience and lore of the community. But there was nothing THIS big in that lore. It just kept raining and the river just kept rising. And there was nothing we could do about it. Not exactly how I wanted to spend MY summer vacation!

My wife had not grown up along the River, nor had she ever been in anything like this. She, like many others, had a delayed reaction about six months later. In reality it was a form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The further we get away from nature the more likely that is to happen, of course. But no one is immune. Plenty of people who spent their whole lives along the River experienced the same thing, It does not play by our rules.

Bene also quoted from historian Wil Durant:

Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.

Yes- but. First the yes: We are not in charge. That's what we have been saying. The but: But as we think we know more and more, we can at least be aware of the impact of both nature on us- and our impact on nature. What this warning from Durant says is that we must be cautious in our caring for and interacting with the natural world.

But it also says don't expect it to do what we want. Hurricanes make right turns when we least expect them to. The San Andreas Fault slips after years of slow almost non-movement. Massive wildfires begin with a lighting bolt from a dry sky. Rain breaks fills valleys to overflowing. And all we can do sometimes is run, hide, or watch.
Bene finishes up:

Nature isn't a political animal. Perhaps we try to conquer it because it neither loves nor hates us. It is indifferent. We exist within it. We ignore or minimize it at our peril.

An Update on My Back
There's been some good news this past week since the epidural injections last week. Each day it has been slightly better than the day before!! There does seem to be some positive direction and healing taking place. Thanks for the prayers and keep them going. I really appreciate it!

Is It Going to Be a Cold Winter?
If I believed the old wives tale, I would guess it's going to be a long, hard winter in Minnesota. (I know. You are all asking, "So what's so unusual about that?") Anyway, both my wife and I have noticed an unusually high activity among the squirrels in our neighborhood this year. Back and forth and back and forth across the yard. One way with mouth full then the other empty, looking for more. A whole parade of squirrels even slowed me down as I headed down the street the other day.

I know that meterologists may not agree with this. Over the years, I would guess that for some reason or another people noticed things like this, just like we did. It probably has as much to do with how much rain and therefore the abundance of the harvest as it does with what's happening this winter. Or perhaps I am just a little more observant this year. The odds? Well if you look at science, this year should be warmer since there is an El Nino building. The trend has been for "warmer" winters.

So I went to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center website to see what they're saying. Warm. Above average in most of the country in December, January and February, including Minnesoata.

It looks like we may have a major difference in long-range perception. Will it be the squirrels or the scientists?

Considering the theme from Chaos Theory that even the tiniest, most microscopic change halfway around the world can change the weather here, I wonder if anyone really knows? Maybe we will just have to take it as it comes and accept it no matter what.

Being a Prisoner
Thanks to a dream the other evening I came to realize how easy it is for us to make ourselves prisoners, even when we are free. When we make ourselves prisoners we allow outside events and circumstances to limit us when they don't have to. We construct our own walls and bars and loud clunky locks that remind us that we can't do what we think we want to do. If we manage to make an "escape" we spend our lives on the run, looking over our shoulder, wondering when the authorities are going to come back and catch us. We don't enjoy freedom when we simply "escape."

Sometimes we are prisoners of the dreams, goals, and visions we think we have. We want to accomplish all those things and then end up getting so focused that we lose sight of the things of joy and hope around us. Sometimes we are prisoners to our desires and physical attractions- sex, drugs, alcohol, food, cigarettes. We may call those things addictions but they are in reality prison walls that we think we can escape at any time.

Escape is running away. It is not facing the natural consequences of our actions or the actions against and around us. Escape is to seek to ignore and run away without accepting or dealing with the things of our lives. "Me? Have a problem? Nah. I can quite whenever I want to." Escape is not freedom, it is continuing bondage to the past and its impacts on our lives. Escape is not hope, it is living in the problem and not the solution.

Real freedom comes when we can look to the future with hope and acceptance. Real freedom is living in the healthy, hopeful, functional ways that we have been created to live. As long as I say "No." to the addiction, I am free. As long as I admit my faults and former issues and make amends, I am free. It is when I give in to the negatives, the addictions, the unhealthy, the sinful, the evil, that I am no longer free. That is the paradox of addictions (and probably sin)- we are free until we choose to do what we know we shouldn't do. Quitting drinking is not losing the freedom to drink, for example, it is gaining the freedom to NOT drink, something impossible once an alcoholic takes the first drink.

Which is how we deal with so much of our lives. And that keeps us prisoners to ourselves, within ourselves, and to all that we are trying to leave behind.

The Awesome Symmetry of Nature
Watching the hurricanes and tropical storms last week, I was struck, as I often am, by the awesome connectedness and symmetry of the cosmos. From the tiniest to the largest. Hurricane Charley (like most hurricanes) bears a striking resemblance to the great spiral galaxies of the universe seen by the Hubble Telescope for the first time in all their beauty. As Charley spiraled across the Gulf of Mexico into Florida in a few short hours, relatively, the Whirlpool Galazy just as quickly, in cosmic time, moves across "empty" space. They spiral in the same directions. They follow the same laws of physics. I put together this collage of Charley, Isabel from last summer, and the galaxy.



In the midst of chaos,
there is order.
In the midst of even the greatest uncertainty,
there is direction.
[Hurricane Pictures- NOAA; Galaxy Picture- NASA and HST]

Another of Jesus' Family Values Teachings
I have gotten in trouble many times over the years for (among other things) pointing out that what we call "family values" is probably not a biblical value. I'm not saying that families aren't important, it's just that the way we understand and define that can not be found in the Bible. Family, in biblical times, was a division of labor as well as a relationship. It was an ownership. It was a tribal-based idea. So imagine how Jesus' listeners felt when they heard him undermining their economic structure:

Luke 12: 49-53-- "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

Talk about a labor problem. Talk about the whole economy falling apart. This is not the way to build strong families. It will tear them apart.

Of course any positive change on a part of anyone in a family can cause division. I recently ran across a small statistical sample that showed that when teenagers enter and complete alcohol and drug treatment things change back in their families. A large majority of the students reported that things got "Much Better" or "Much Worse" as the result of their treatment. The family doesn't know how to cope with a teenager who is now trying to live sober. They only knew the old one.

So, too, when one follows Jesus in new or renewed ways. The Jewish family of the 1st Century saw the Jesus followers as a "cult" that had to be "deprogrammed." That didn't improve family relations when a relative became a Christian. Today, when a child of a nominally "religious" family gets passion for Jesus, the family may be confused and even hostile, especially if it involves a change of denomination. That doesn't always improve family relations.

No, introduce Jesus into many a family setting through a renewed or new passion that challenges the spiritual status quo and watch family values go right out the window.

Another Angle on Buildings
Darryl Dash just posted about a Christian novel- And the Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers. Here's the quote that struck him...

Maybe it's easier to pour our efforts into building a house for God rather than building a relationship with Him. One requires a few years of hard work, but the other asks for a lifetime of commitment. The problem is, the building becomes the idol we worship. The programs are the sacred cows. Numbers are our means of evaluating our success. And it's all about vanity. Vanity, vanity...

This fits in with what I posted last week about the building being part of the mission. The insight of that statement is much deeper than I have ever thought about it. Relationships are hard to quantify. They are not "bricks and mortar." They can't be "seen" and shown to be better than someone else's relationship with God. A colleague once commented on the number of large churches in a particular community and called it an "edifice complex." Yes, it is easier to make a shrine than a mission station to a relationship.

Not that I am against buildings. On the contrary, we do need them and some of the grat cathedrals continue to inspire awe and lead me to a reverence for God. But we can't worship the buildings or make them anything but what they are- buildings. It isn't a church if what goes on inside doesn't lead to discipleship both inside and outside. (There's that breakthrough leader thinking again!)

Letting the Holy Spirit Guide
On Monday I posted about breakthrough leaders and their approach to church and faith and mission. On Wednesday I talke about two of those in a little more depth. For reasons that I will explain, here's another one for today, August 13:

Breakthrough Leader Characteristic #3: Open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, acting fast and decisively when they sense his leading... and

Characteristic #4:Not only embrace change, but can't live without it.

There are times when the Holy Spirit is a great source of spiritual whiplash. One minute you think you have it all figured out and a minute later a whirlwind comes rushing through and you find yourself going someplace you didn't even know existed. Talk about change. The wind is never about preserving the status quo just because it has always been there. It doesn't take a tornado or a hurricane to prove that. It is no surprise that in both Hebrew and Greek the word for the Spirit is the same as the word for wind. The Holy Spirit is a powerful wind.

Here's what I wrote a year ago today about August 13 in my tradition:

On an August morning in 1727 the group of refugees in Herrnhut, Germany, gathered at the nearby Lutheran Church in Berthelsdorf. Their community had been in difficulty. They were a mish-mash of theological and other groups and factions. They had originally arrived on Count Zinzendorf's land looking for refuge and a new place to practice their 250 year old Protestant faith expression. But they also attracted others looking for the same freedoms.

Earlier in 1727 their young patron, the Lutheran pietist Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf, had the brainstorm of visiting all the homes in the community and finding out what it was they agreed on. He wrote them down and then had them sign what he called The Statuten, now called The Covenant for Christian Living They then started to pray. A 24/7/365 Prayer Meeting that lasted for the next 100 years.

Then came that day in August. They started with confession and a message followed by Holy Communion. Then it happened. The Holy Spirit came upon them and all they could later say was:

"We learned to love."

It was the Moravian Pentecost and the Renewed Moravian Church was born. The ancient faith founded by followers of the martyr Jon Hus had found a new expression.

Me Write Pretty Someday- BUT
Never This Pretty
A few months ago all the reviewers in every paper I read were talking about David Sedaris's new book, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. They were all saying these incredible things about his sense of humor, his insight, etc. They were nothing short of in awe of his writing and seemed to have been waiting impatiently for some length of time for his new book. Well, I had never read any of his books. But never one to miss a bandwagon, even if I was a few years late, I got his book, Me Talk Pretty One Day, a title that had always intrigued me.

You know what? The reviewers were right, even if they did underplay his writing some. He IS truly remarkable! I am now (working backwards) reading another of his books, Naked As I have been reading, I am discovering that his humor is more on the level of a Thurber, Twain, O Henry. So incredibly well-written and funny, yet so incredibly insightful and REAL! Nothing- and no one- is spared. No topic is taboo from his own sexual orinetation or drug use to the unflattering pictures of his family to a powerful Christmas story that will give a new poignancy to Santa's Ho! Ho! Ho!

Which is where I want to disagree with the reviewers. This is not "humor" in the usual sense of the word. This is irony and sarcasm and love and wonder and life and laughter and tears and angst and family, all wrapped up to catch you off-guard. He puts them under a magnifying glass- no a scanning molecular microscope- and you see what has always been there but never saw before.

But read with caution. His language is real and appropriate to the subjects. His wit is powerful. If all you do is laugh, you have missed the point.

Visit the Christian Carnival
This week's Carnival is up over at Beyond the Rim. Go take a look, even though there is no post from this pmPilgrim this week. Maybe next week.

Deeper Into the Breakthrough
On Monday I posted about breakthrough leaders and their approach to church and faith and mission. I thought I would take some time fleshing some of these out a little from my own insights. The original list came from Bill Easum's book, Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First who has been a mentor of mine for a number of years before I moved out of parish ministry in January. His insightful lists, based on intuitive and experiential observations are often right on target. So here are some of my thoughts.

Characteristic #1: Have a Kingdom mentality, see Christianity as a movement, and are unshakably committed to the Great Commission's fulfillment through their churches or its influence on other churches.

To have a "Kingdom mentality" means to see that it is the work of God that we are about, not the work of any individual church. It is the Kingdom that needs to grow, not my church or denomination if all we are doing is shifting sheep around from one pen to another. A "Kingdom mentality" sees a bigger picture and in that is Christianity as a movement- or even more to the point- a way of life and not an institution or even religion. At the soul of a "Kingdom mentality" is the Great Commission:

Go and make disciples (who make disciples who make disciples.)

If it is about the growth of God's Kingdom then it is disciples- followers- that we want to make, not just Christ-believers (Christians) but Christ-followers (disciples!) Which leads naturally to:

Characteristic #2: Mission motivates their applied theology.

Everything that a church says, is, and does must fit the mission. The mission- making disciples- is at the heart of everything- absolutely everything. No exceptions! Applied theology- making he beliefs in God and our experiences of God alive in action- always leads to mission. It is missional or it isn't done.

Can that get one into trouble? You bet it can! Start asking questions about how something or other makes disciples and you begin to question the status quo of the way things have always been done. As Bill Easum often challenges those he is working with- if you are worried about your pension plan, don't get into this breakthrough, turn-around leadership. It could get a little rough.

It Still Hurts
[insert whine] Well, I had my first visit to the pain clinic yesterday. A 3 1/2 hour visit, one hour of which was flat on my stomach as the doctor poked a needle into my epidural area- twice. He tried a different approach first, but things were too tender, painful, and blocked. So he had to do the regular approach. The first was PAINFUL, the second wasn't. But it still hurts tonight. It is sore, tender, etc. Wait and see is the word. It could take 10 days to 2 weeks for the cortisone to work and relieve it- or it may take the next visit in 4 weeks. Oh well. They tell me I have a high pain threshold, for which I am grateful since I have high pain. [/end whine]

I Wish I Had a Magic Wand
Talking to a colleague the other day, we were discussing the issue of how some young people spiral down in their drug abuse and addiction. It makes little difference of the age. We both know of those who are barely 14 years old who are at the very precipice of life and death and don't even know it. They stop and start using. They believe that all it takes is their own will-power. They are sure that they are free to choose whether to use or not. Yet, for reasons even they can't explain, they keep going back to their drugs. Each time it gets worse. Each time takes them closer to an abyss from which they may never recover.

As we talked the thought came to me- I wish I had a magic wand that I could wave over them that will bring them to their senses. I wish I could find a way with the youth I see every day to grab their attention and turn them around. "Don't you see what you are doing? Can't you see what is happening?"

No, they can't.

They are so filled with pain. It is pain from so many places, of course, that it is impossible to name or even find. They are medicating away the psychic, psychological, spiritual, and even physical pains. Some of these come from their years of using- always seeking to overcome the pain that arrives when the drug wears off. Some of these pains come from whatever personal history they have found themselves in that they keep adding to every time they do another line or bowl or hit. It just keeps getting worse.

Of course, why should I expect them to break through their denial when it took me until I was 40 to do so? How can I expect them to see through the minimizing, and magical thinking, and anger, and fear? Every once in a while I get to see one or two who make it at this early age. Sadly, there are even fewer of them than those who make it at 40.

Is it getting worse instead of better? Statistics, in general say no. Not as far as drugs go, anyway. But those who are coming into offices like mine, or treatment centers, or jails, or God-forbid, morgues, are getting worse. It is a spiritual crisis. It is not a legal or moral problem. It may produce those problems, but at heart it is a spiritual issue. It is a "God-shaped hole" in their souls. It is a search for meaning and hope.

The harvest is plentiful. May there be enough workers before it is too late for many of them.

The Next Stage of My Painful Journey
Later this morning I have my appointment at the "pain specialists clinic." Will this be the day they do some injection? Will this be the start of a new pain-free way of living? I sure hope so. Will let you know tomorrow.

Some Essential Insights
The Mute Troubador had an insightful post (scroll to 080204) the other day based on some observations from Bill Easum's book, Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First. Bill was an important and perhaps life-changing part of my life for most of the past six years. He helped me clarify a great deal about my mission, my calling, and the directions of the church and ministry in this 21st Century world. Here's what Mute Troubador found:

Breakthrough leaders, says Easum, are characterized by several traits:

Have a Kingdom mentality, see Christianity as a movement, and are unshakably committed to the Great Commission's fulfillment through their churches or its influence on other churches.

Mission motivates their applied theology.

Gather information from a wide variety of disciplines.

Open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, acting fast and decisively when they sense his leading.

Practice congregational "triage" by working closely with those who are ready, never attempting to get everyone on board with a "grand vision" for the church.

Not only embrace change, but can't live without it.

Are consumed by a specific call from God, not a generic call.

The problem for breakthrough-type leaders is that they don't fit well within established churches/denominations. For better or worse, most people within established churches and denominational structures are not willing to go through what it takes to move a given congregation or even denomination into a new way of being. The way things are is the way things should always be. Actually, often the way things were in some past "golden age" is the way things should be again. If we could only recapture what it was that was so great back then, we would be sitting pretty and not having to worry about where we are going.

Sadly, the possibilities are endless and the opportunities and eternal. But the results in real life are almost negligible. Breakthrough leaders are few and far between in the established churches because they are not welcome. They have visions and dreams which sound great- but no one else wants that for their church. They truly are "early adopters" of new ideas, but because the change that is needed today is so great, they have a tough time making the sell.

Over 5 years ago I realized in the middle of a two-day seminar with Bill Easum that I could never again be satisfied with the way the church has been as a model for where the church is being called to go. It has been a painful 5+ years. I am still as committed to the vision as ever. I still feel as called as ever. Where God is going to use me to flesh it out is up in the air.

Am I Ready?
From Luke 12:35-36

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him."

In looking around over at The Text This Week found a bit from a Tony Campolo sermon picking up on the lessons from today. He was coming at it from the Hebrews 11 passage about what faith is. But I also see it as a great answer to- So, what does it mean to be ready?

It is one thing to believe in Jesus. It's another thing to find a still place, a quiet place. The Celtic Christians call it a "thin place," a place where the wall between God and you is so thin that he can break right through. In the stillness of the morning in quiet, I yield and let Jesus invade me, let Jesus possess me. It is one thing to believe in Jesus. It's another thing to invite Jesus into your life to cleanse you of the dirt and the darkness and to fill you with the ecstacy of his presence. --Tony Campolo, Chicago Sunday Evening Club

Being ready, I agree, is more than just believing. Being ready it to be in shape. To be fit and prepared to do what God needs us to do. Which is where the images that Tony used in that sermon come home. The idea of a "thin place" where that separation between me and God is to narrow that Jesus can break into my life more fully. The barriers get smaller and smaller, the walls get thinner and thinner as we work turn to God.

No, as we so often have to remind ourselves, this is not a salvation by works idea. It is the idea that until we allow the barriers to be broken down, they will not be. I can believe in electric lights, but until I turn the switch, nothing happens. Until I take the time to get to know God and Jesus better and better, nothing of any significance can happen that truly changes my life. God comes in when we let him. If we only open the door a little, he only gets in a little.

But for me that "little" was enough. I then wanted more and more. So I would press the door a little more open. Lo and behold, he entered more of my life. As I turned my will and life over in one area, I discovered that he would work in another area as well. This is beyond believing. This is living as if what I believe is real and powerful and will continue to work miracles in my life.

A Treasure Trove of Messages
I came across the treasure trove of messages that is the online presence of the Chicago Sunday Evening Club. There last night, I watched Walter Wangerin tell the story of the Ragman (if you don't know the story- go there NOW! Real Player needed.) and Ken Medema bring music alive and Tony Campolo talk about being called. It is a wonderful site.

A Methodist on Every Ticket
Richard of Connexions has been travelling in the USA and found an interesting article.

An article in this morning’s Orlando Sentinel[registration required] wonders about the number of Methodists in the Presidential race – 3 of the 4 candidates on “the ticket” are Methodists.

But three Methodists in one race do seem an unusually high number. Only John Kerry, a Roman Catholic, is not a Methodist. If the count were reversed, three Catholics and one Methodist, the press would certainly have remarked on the fact by now. But the concentration of Methodists has elicited a giant ho-hum.

As the article notes, this lack of interest might be attributed to the very diverse political platforms that these Methodists can occupy. Personally I think it is more likely that “Methodist” is seen as completely mainstream and “safe” (and therefore uninteresting), a fact which I both regret and deplore.

Interesting thoughts from Richard there. Yes, it is interesting considering, as the article points out,

Methodists constitute 3 percent of the American population, 12 percent of the U.S. Congress and 75 percent of the 2004 presidential ticket.

Not that Methodists have never occupied the White House before. William McKinley and the current incumbent, George W. Bush, are both Methodists, while Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes attended Methodist churches with their wives. Even Bill Clinton, a Baptist, often attended Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington with Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The rich social tradition of the Methodist church is then mentioned as well and followed with a comparison of the candidates.

In 1960 John Kennedy had to face the "Catholic" issue- you know, if he were elected, the United States would be controlled by the Vatican. Now the Religious Right openly attempts to influence elections and voting. It must be okay since they are American. I have a hunch that in general we Americans have a love/hate; like it/don't like it relationship with the role of religion in politics.

We want moral and ethical people who are willing to stand for what they believe in-- unless we disagree with them. When the Religious Right urges people to take a stand, the Religious Left (yes, it exists!) chimes in with criticism. When the tables turn, the criticism is on the other side. Within one week right before the recent convention I heard in separate places both sides of the statement:

   I can't see how anyone can be a Christian and be a [democrat][republican].

Oh well, there will be plenty of time to watch this aspect of the election.

Get Out the Cheese- Here are a Couple Whines
One more comment on the political situation: I have noticed that on radio news recently the TOP story is almost always where the candidates are and what they are saying on that day. Why do I have a hard time believing that this really is the TOP story in the news? Are we going to have to put up with this until the election?

The Many Colors of Boredom- The 2nd Whine
And a final whine- I'M BORED. My back is not getting better as fast as I want it to. I am driving myself crazy. SO, how bored am I?

Well, this past evening the excitement was watching music on my computer. Yes, watching music. You haven't lived until you have watched the Windows Media Player rainbow visualization doing its dance with the Canadian Brass's Saints Hallelujah.

Back in college in the mid-60s, the engineers at the radio station built a contraption that took the audio output from the station, filtered it into low, medium, and high frequencies and then in some magical way known only to Lehigh Engineers plugged the different colors of the Christmas Tree lights into the magic box. The result was that the lights varied in brightness according to the strength of that particular frequency.

We DJs had a blast with it. All of us, of course, tried to show how wonderful a radio voice we had by trying to get the bass frequency lights to come on when we talked. But the most fun was watching the lights go on and off, brighter and dimmer, to the beat of the music. It was fascinating and mesmerizing.

It still is thanks to those visualizations on Windows Media Player.

Whine finished. That feels better. Thanks for listening.

The Mission is More Than Words
Hearing a story from a church last week made me think about how we do- and don't do- mission. There was a concern at a church about the wear and tear on the building by non-church groups using the building. There was another concern about the costs that these groups incur in the building - you know, things like heat and air-conditioning. After all, people say, it's our building.

It's almost as if the building isn't involved in the mission of the church. It's almost as if the physical structure (and perhaps even institution) is exempt from being used in the missio dei, the mission of God that the church is called to be involved in.

Manchurian Candidate
Finally got to a new movie in the theaters this past weekend. Saw The Manchurian Candidate with Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep. It is always a pleasure watching truly skilled actors at work in a movie like this. Washington and Streep especially were powerful and able to portray so much with little nuances.

It seems that whenever talking about this movie the reviewer has to say how relevant this movie is today, even all these years after the original movie and book. Consider it said. Actually, isn't that a mark of a good story that it always seems relevant and that there is always a lesson to learn from it? The danger of any system, even a democratic system, to be taken over by demagogues or rogue politicians is always present. Whether it is through the semi-futuristic thought of chip implanting and electronic hypnotism or corrupt, self-seeking politicians, we all know that it can happen.

It probably already has in times and places, even in this country. It might have been Tammany Hall in New Your City last century with Boss Tweed or the Daly machine in Chicago in the 60s. One of the greatest fears is that just about anyone of us would be likely to give up our freedoms and liberties for the sake of protection. We may not do it to support some conglomerate as in the movie, but we might do it to get on airplanes without standing in security lines.

So, yes, the story of the Manchurian Candidate is relevant. It always will be because it is an issue of power and its ability to lead us into corruption.

But it was a good movie that never lets up on the suspense and tension. Jonathan Demme is in fine directorial form. Over at Rotten Tomatoes it was given an 81%. Plus, the version of the old Creedence Clearwater song- Fortunate Son by Wyclef Jean is awesome.

At This Time, On This Date
Nothing earth-shattering, unless you were Harold or Dora.
At the time this is posted, many years ago now, a cute little boy was born. Only a miracle could have kept him that cute- and that miracle didn't happen.

Yes, today is what people in AA call my "belly-button birthday." I am now closer to 60 than to 50. Yet I still mentally feel like that 25 year old who wanted to set the world on fire. Because I still do. While perhaps wiser in some ways about the ways of the world, I am no less idealistic about what I might be called to do. After all the age of miracles has not passed.

A year ago I would not have believed the changes that would be occurring in these past 12 months. I am now doing a ministry in a secular (ie, non-church) profession. Things have been difficult for my wife at church and she has been given a 60-day "respite" leave for healing and renewal. Life, when directed by God, often goes in directions that are hard to understand or even believe.

So I take it one day at a time, waiting with patient anticipation for what God is doing next. After all, for 56 years He has been with me. Why should I begin to doubt Him now.

It Wasn't Supposed to Be Like This
[Note: This was first written this past Sunday morning at 9:30. I let it sit to reread and edit outside the emotion of the moment until today.It still says what I want to say.]

I just heard the church bell ring at the church I served for four years and my wife has continued to serve since January. I am sitting on my back porch writing and praying and listening to God's thoughts and directions. The past several months at the church have been difficult for my wife as pastor. Most of the past four and a half years have been difficult, in fact. The internal conflicts, tensions, difficulties and challenges have been great.

After this morning, my wife will be on a "respite leave" for 60 days for rest, recuperation, renewal, and healing. Our district executive board has done this so that the pain of these months can be taken care of.

I stopped going to church there at the beginning of May. I have been accused of not supporting my wife by being absent from the church. On the contrary, we had some remarkable conversations that led us to this. I was able to be a better support if I was not emotionally involved in the events at the church myself. It has worked well for both of us. I have learned a great deal about weekends and lay people and not being a pastor.

But my main thoughts this morning are filled and surrounded with sadness. Deep sadness of what hasn't happened and what we haven't been able to accomplish together as a part of the Body of Christ. In other words, when we started, this was not how we saw it happening. We saw a growing church where community could be possible. We saw friendships and support. We saw the Word of God being lived and spoken and shared. We saw mission happening amidst a long ministry.

But for many various and powerful reasons, that did not happen. So this morning I sit here writing and praying and listening; my wife begins a 60-day leave and all is uncertain. It is all in God's hands.

Which is the way it always is, of course. Our dreams and plans for His church were not what happened. Does that mean that this is? Or can we human beings truly derail God's plans by not listening and doing things differently? Was God trying to teach someone (or lots of someones) a lesson or two- or is there a lesson or two to learn from God in spite of our humanity in this situation?

I go back to work as a chemical dependence and prevention counselor tomorrow morning in a job I am loving and excited by. My wife begins her "respite leave" seeking renewal and strength for whatever God calls her to next. We both will continue to seek direction and hope in prayer, community, and God's Word.

I guess maybe that this is the way it is supposed to be today.

To Go to Church Or ...
Earlier this week, Sunday to be exact after I worked on the above part of the post, I went Leap-blogging to some of my regular haunts and came across a thoughtful post at Messy Christian entitled, To go or not to go to church, that's the question. Here are a couple of snips:

Here's the thing. Not everyone of us is lucky enough to find a church as warm and healthy like Tom's. It's a sad fact, but not all churches are created equal. I'm not talking about whether they have the right doctrine etc, but whether they become a family for you. (Puhlease, don't use the 'no church is perfect' line on me. I know, I knoooow!) Some people are unlucky enough to stumble from one abusive church to another. AFter perhaps the third abusive church, they're much too wounded and weary to search for another. So they decide to try being unchurched. For them, personally, I think it's best for them to stay out of a instutional church environment to worship/pray/study the word in a safe environment - like in their home or among friends.

For some, being in the institutional church is the best way to go. They're lucky enough to find a church where the people value them for who they are, not what they can do (or give).

I want to say: "How is asking me what church I'm attending an accurate status-gauge for my faith?" or "How is being in a church make me less of a person who loves God?"

I guess it is important to remember that the institution is not the church- nor are lone Christians. The Body of Christ as Paul described it was not anything like what we know today. We struggle and pray and seek to be Christ-followers in community. Let us find that community whether it is called an institutional Church or not.

Well, Now I Know What I Already Knew
Got the MRI results back yesterday. As everyone guessed, and as I have been telling people, it is a bulging disc in my lower back pressing (quite hard, apparently) on a nerve or two. So, continue physical therapy, make an appointment at the pain clinic where they will probably then schedule an epidural injection in a couple or three weeks. Then see what happens. Again. But it is slightly better. After a weekend of doing nothing. Oh well.

Protecting The Honor of Marriage
One of the BIG (BIG) issues this election year is, of course, the fight over protecting the sanctity of marriage. It is pictured as an embattled institution. It is pictured as being under attack from the secularist forces in our society. And at the top of that is, we are told, the move to allow same-sex unions and call them "marriages."

Now, in this post I am NOT (NOT) taking a stand on the same-sex union issue. I am not about to enter that debate at this point.

I am wanting to post my opinion on where the real threat comes to the honor and sanctity of the institution of marriage.

It comes from heterosexuals who misuse and abuse marriage for inappropriate and crazy means. There is absolutely no threat to marriage as we know it from same-sex unions. They couldn't harm it any worse than those who already abuse it, making it something it is not and should not be. We all have seen weddings that were obnoxious shows of great wastefulness. We have watched the booze flow, the almost obscene comments and actions while kissing, the food wasted that could feed a small village. And we wonder why marriage isn't hanging in there? Perhaps we should be more amazed that as many marriages make it as do.

What has prompted this rant? Simply a story on the Saturday morning local news about a couple who is getting married next year. (No link available.) They are seeking "corporate sponsors" to help pay for their wedding. When they call and ask for information about a honeymoon, for example, I guess they are asking for a discount or whatever for putting the travel agent in their list of sponsors.

Yes, marriage needs protection all right... probably from those who are in it and give it such a bad name.

When One is Bored
Been sitting all weekend trying to be good to my back. Getting bored. So I played with Paint Shop Pro 8.0 with some of my flower pictures. I posted them over at the Fotopage. Hopefully I'll get the results from my MRI later today and can begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Filling Your Barn With Self
That's the way Eugene Peterson translates/paraphrases the last line of the Parable of the Rich Fool, today's Gospel lesson. When he built his big new storehouses and got them filled, they were simply filled with the riches of this world and not the next. He did it all for himself.

Luke 12: 16-21: "The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: "What can I do? My barn isn't big enough for this harvest.' Then he said, "Here's what I'll do: I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll gather in all my grain and goods, and I'll say to myself, Self, you've done well! You've got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!'
Just then God showed up and said, "Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods--who gets it?'
"That's what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God."
The Message © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

It is God who calls the rich man a fool. Not his neighbors. Not the merchants who sold him the materials for the storehouses. Not even the servants who he might have paid well to build it for him. He was a fool because he missed the deeper and more important things while focussing on his own needs.

It is probably easy to be a fool in God's eyes. The old line was: If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. We do it every day. And not just the ones who are wealthy in the ways of the world. We all get so focussed on ourselves we lose sight of the ways of God. Sadly this passage gives too many of us permission to pick on others and lose persepctive on ourselves.

Jesus is always talking to me when I read the Bible. He is taking me by the arm, tapping me on the shoulder, or tripping me as I run by. He wants me to pay attention and not get so unfocussed that all I think of is me. I think we do ourselves a disservice when we use any of these scriptures to judge others. It is only as we learn to live the truths that are challenging us, that we can become a witness to the ways of God.

So, in my barn today is probably a lot of me.

MY dreams.
MY desires.
MY hopes.
MY faith.
MY love for God.
MY opinions.
MY needs.
MY wants.
MY fears.
MY hurts.
MY,
MY,
MY.

What about God's dreams and desires that He wants me to follow?
What about God's love for those around me and what God wants for me...
and from me?

While it is easy to pick on the "rich" with today's Gospel, may I be brave and humble enough to take the time to take an inventory of my own storehouse filled too often to the top with me.