Good Friday and Earth Day

I urge you to look at the Stations of the Cross, one by one, at Episcopal Relief and Development,
which highlight the Millenium Development Goals.

Although I cannot copy the images, this is what is written about the first MDG station of the cross:

1--Condemned

50,000 people are sentence to die each day
because of extreme poverty.

Lord, help us to find the way of the cross to be
the way of life and justice and peace.

Holy God
Holy and Mighty
Holy Immortal One
Have mercy upon us

Also, there is Stations of the Cross from Latin American 1492-1992 by Adolpho Perez Esquivel of Argentina (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1980), which highlights Liberation Theology.


Profoundly disturbing and moving images at both sites, which highlight the suffering and injustice in the world--as we contemplate both Good Friday and Earth Day today.

Slideshow: Haiti earthquake damage and recovery efforts (photos, video)

Slideshow: Haiti earthquake damage and recovery efforts (photos, video)

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PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF HAITI.

Minneapolis skywalks and books

I'd only seen one or two skywalks in my life before going to Minneapolis. "The largest network of skyways is in Minneapolis, 8 miles of skyways connecting 69 blocks, making nearly every building in the city's downtown core skyway accessible." (Wikipedia)


I was very impressed with myself that during a lunch hour of the ERD Conference, I found my way to the Barnes and Noble store and never went outside! I had to travel up an escalator, over three different skywalks and going through two buildings with stores in the middle of them to get there. I'm not a good map-reader, so I followed the hotel receptionist's directions of left, right, and left again.

Of course, I bought a book, which is intriguing me greatly. I had time to read almost all of it during my travel day on Sunday: The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman Doidge, M.D.

I bought it because I remembered Gartenfische mentioning a book like this on her blog. However, I have since learned that she recommended a different book that I may still have to read: Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves by Sharon Begley, which is about meditation changing one's brain. I am grateful to Garten for planting that seed, because I am learning so much in The Brain That Changes Itself, which relates scientists and case studies in the new science of neuroplasticity.

American Airlines and my travel plans

At O'Hare International Airport today

My travel to Minneapolis on American Airlines does not look positive for Thursday.

"The growing disarray was felt by tens of thousands of travelers Wednesday, as American Airlines canceled 1,094 flights to make sure some wiring on its fleet of 300 MD-80 jetliners was secured correctly inside wheel wells.

"The cancellations are expected to spill over into Thursday. American said late Wednesday that it expected to cancel about 900 flights on Thursday. The worsening condition of the airline industry, however, is being felt in many ways. A new round of airline bankruptcy filings — including ATA Airlines, Skybus and Aloha Air — have begun in recent weeks and is probably far from over."

And Michael M. Grynbaum writes:

So, the best advice if you are planning to travel on Thursday?

“Don’t fly,” said Joe Brancatelli, editor of joesentme.com, a site for business travelers, and a longtime observer of the aviation industry. “Seriously, if you can re-arrange your travel, do it.”

The fallout from the cancellation of more than 1,000 American Airlines is expected to disrupt schedules for every major airliner on Thursday, and severe thunderstorms in the Midwest are likely cause further delays at some airports.

But if you simply must fly on Thursday — or even at any point through the weekend — stay patient, and stay alert.

“Assume the worst, get there early, have lots of patience,” Mr. Brancatelli said. “And, truly, do not listen to anything the airline tells you about what they know.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am pretty sure I can get to Dallas because an American Eagle plane goes there from Corpus Christi, but I don't know if or when I'd be able to leave DFW!

Looking on the brighter side, if I don't post until Sunday or Monday that will mean I've gone to Minneapolis!

Minneapolis! (I hope)

Tomorrow I fly to Minneapolis, IF my American plane has not been grounded by American Airlines for safety reasons. More and more flights are being cancelled--up to 1,000! I change planes at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, and it was a mess last night and today. A spokesman for the airlines said:

"The Fort Worth-based carrier had canceled about 460 flights that were to depart Tuesday on MD-80s, giving American nearly 1,500 cancellations in two days.

"'There are about 30 MD-80s in service as of 7 a.m., and we should roll more back into service this morning and this afternoon,' said American spokesman Tim Wagner. 'The situation is fluid, though, and that is why we have gone ahead and cancelled the 850. We do not know at this point if that number will climb, but it might.'"

I (hope I) am going to the Episcopal Relief and Development Conference, which is titled "Healing a Hurting World." Let that be so.

And the most exciting part of the trip will be meeting Diane! I hope I'll get there to meet her!

I'll get home on Sunday.

Episcopal Relief and Development Conference

I have been named the West Texas Diocesan Coordinator to Episcopal Relief and Development. I am going to the ERD Network Conference in Minneapolis on Thursday through Sunday of this week. I hope I will learn a lot about what my job entails, since few people I've spoken to even know what it is. When I was asked to do this, I was told I could do "as much or as little" as I felt like doing. Our interim priest commented that obviously the past coordinator did very little; neither have I so far!

Province VII is one of nine regional groupings in the Episcopal Church, USA. Look way down to the bottom and you will see the Diocese of West Texas, which has 91 congregations. There are over 27,000 members spread across 60 counties of South Central Texas; from Brady in the north to Brownsville in the south, and from Victoria in the east to Del Rio in the west. I attend one of those 91 churches--All Saints Episcopal Church in Corpus Christi, TX.

I am excited about going and don't know what to expect. I just hope I'll learn a great deal and also be inspired to act.

ERD provides emergency assistance in times of disaster; rebuilds devastated communities and offers long-term program development solutions to fight poverty.

ERD’s mandate is found in Matthew 25: 37-40.