Change or else

Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church & Society writes a column every week for Faith in Action, which shares "News and Views from the United Methodist Board of Church and Society."

This week he wrote about "The Other War."

"A lesson to be learned from these past eight years is that the church of Jesus Christ in the United States must devote itself to changing our intensely angry and violent society to a culture of peace before we destroy ourselves. Right now, destruction is exactly the path we are on."

I so feel he expresses what many of us feel is happening in the the United States. Go here to read the short article.

Bill Moyers Journal

From Bill Moyers' Journal, Sept. 4, 2009:

BILL MOYERS: The editors of THE ECONOMIST magazine say America's health care debate has become a touch delirious, with people accusing each other of being evil-mongers, dealers in death, and un-American.

Well, that's charitable.

I would say it's more deranged than delirious, and definitely not un-American.

Those crackpots on the right praying for Obama to die and be sent to hell — they're the warp and woof of home-grown nuttiness. So is the creature from the Second Amendment who showed up at the President's rally armed to the teeth. He's certainly one of us. Red, white, and blue kooks are as American as apple pie and conspiracy theories.

Bill Maher asked me on his show last week if America is still a great nation. I should have said it's the greatest show on earth. Forget what you learned in civics about the Founding Fathers — we're the children of Barnum and Bailey, our founding con men. Their freak show was the forerunner of today's talk radio.

Speaking of which: we've posted on our website an essay by the media scholar Henry Giroux. He describes the growing domination of hate radio as one of the crucial elements in a "culture of cruelty" increasingly marked by overt racism, hostility and disdain for others, coupled with a simmering threat of mob violence toward any political figure who believes health care reform is the most vital of safety nets, especially now that the central issue of life and politics is no longer about working to get ahead, but struggling simply to survive.

So here we are, wallowing in our dysfunction. Governed — if you listen to the rabble rousers — by a black nationalist from Kenya smuggled into the United States to kill Sarah Palin's baby. And yes, I could almost buy their belief that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, only I think he shipped them to Washington, where they've been recycled as lobbyists and trained in the alchemy of money laundering, which turns an old-fashioned bribe into a First Amendment right.

Only in a fantasy capital like Washington could Sunday morning talk shows become the high church of conventional wisdom, with partisan shills treated as holy men whose gospel of prosperity always seems to boil down to lower taxes for the rich.

Poor Obama. He came to town preaching the religion of nice. But every time he bows politely, the harder the Republicans kick him.

No one's ever conquered Washington politics by constantly saying "pretty please" to the guys trying to cut your throat.

Let's get on with it, Mr. President. We're up the proverbial creek with spaghetti as our paddle. This health care thing could have been the crossing of the Delaware, the turning point in the next American Revolution — the moment we put the mercenaries to rout, as General Washington did the Hessians at Trenton. We could have stamped our victory "Made in the USA." We could have said to the world, "Look what we did!" And we could have turned to each other and said, "Thank you."

As it is, we're about to get health care reform that measures human beings only in corporate terms of a cost-benefit analysis. I mean this is topsy-turvy — we should be treating health as a condition, not a commodity.

As we speak, Pfizer, the world's largest drug maker, has been fined a record $2.3 billion dollars as a civil and criminal — yes, that's criminal, as in fraud — penalty for promoting prescription drugs with the subtlety of the Russian mafia. It's the fourth time in a decade Pfizer's been called on the carpet. And these are the people into whose tender mercies Congress and the White House would deliver us?

Come on, Mr. President. Show us America is more than a circus or a market. Remind us of our greatness as a democracy. When you speak to Congress next week, just come out and say it. We thought we heard you say during the campaign last year that you want a government run insurance plan alongside private insurance — mostly premium-based, with subsidies for low-and-moderate income people. Open to all individuals and employees who want to join and with everyone free to choose the doctors we want. We thought you said Uncle Sam would sign on as our tough, cost-minded negotiator standing up to the cartel of drug and insurance companies and Wall Street investors whose only interest is a company's share price and profits.

Here's a suggestion, Mr. President: ask Josh Marshall to draft your speech. Josh is the founder of the website talkingpointsmemo.com. He's a journalist and historian, not a politician. He doesn't split things down the middle and call it a victory for the masses. He's offered the simplest and most accurate description yet of a public insurance plan — one that essentially asks people: would you like the option — the voluntary option — of buying into Medicare before you're 65? Check it out, Mr. President.

This health care thing is make or break for your leadership, but for us, it's life and death. No more Mr. Nice Guy, Mr. President. We need a fighter.

That's it for the Journal. I'm Bill Moyers. See you next time.

God and Evolution

"In a world in evolution is there purpose in the universe? The answer must certainly be: Never more so than now. Evolution is, in fact, a great spiritual teacher. We learn from the fossils of the ages that development is most often a slow and uncertain process, a precarious and breakneck experience that demands both time and trust in the future that is God, and in the God of the future. Evolution teaches us that movement from one stage of life to another is often both cumbersome and painful but that the pain is prelude to a better self.

"We learn that failure is a necessary part of life, not its misdoing. It is simply a holy invitation to become more than we are at present. Time is grace and trying is virtue. Struggle is a sign of new life, not a condemnation of this one.

"Evolution shows us that the God of becoming is a beckoning God who goes before us to invite us on, to sustain us on the way, rather than a judging God who measures us by a past we did not shape."

Go here to read the rest of the essay by Joan Chittister.

Irish Commercial

Thanks to my daughter AE.

Stop Genocide!

by Signe Wilkinson

Friday Five: Recharging ourselves

Sally at RevGalBlogPals writes:

A few weeks ago my lap-top battery died, suddenly I found myself looking at a blank screen and was rather relieved to find that it was only the battery and not the whole computer that had failed. This morning a new battery arrived in the post, and suddenly I am mobile again!

After a week with what feels like wall to wall meetings, and Synod looming on the horizon for tomorrow I find myself pondering my own need to recharge my batteries. This afternoon Tim and I are setting off to explore the countryside around our new home, I always find that walking in the fresh air away from phones and e-mails recharges me. But that is not the only thing that restores my soul, so do some people, books, pieces of music etc....

So I wonder what/ who gives you energy?

I need some right now as we are in a rush to drive to San Antonio, so this is quick:

1. Is there a person who encourages and uplifts you, whose company you seek when you are feeling low?

Friends and sometimes my children. Writing helps greatly.

2. How about a piece of music that either invigorates or relaxes you?

I should turn to music more often than I do.

3. Which book of the Bible do you most readily turn to for refreshment and encouragement? Is there a particular story that brings you hope?

Psalms, especially Nan Merrill's translations.

4. A bracing walk or a cosy fireside?

It's too hot right now in TX to think of either. I am learning that turning to God in a time of meditation helps greatly.

5. Are you feeling refreshed and restored at the moment or in need of recharging, write a prayer or a prayer request to finish this weeks Friday Five....

Surprisingly, the email service "Inward/Outward" had a most appropriate prayer this morning:

God rest us.
Rest that part of us which is tired.
Awaken that part of us which is asleep.
God awaken us and awake within us.
Amen

By Michael Leunig

5 Biggest Lies in the Health Care Debate

The latest issue of "Newsweek" has a young Teddy Kennedy on the cover and has an article by Sharon Begley about "The Five Biggest Lies in the Health Care Debate."

1. You'll have no choice in what health benefits you receive.
2. No chemo for older Medicare patients.
3. Illegal immigrants will get free health insurance.
4. Death panels will decide who lives.
5. The government will set doctors' wages.

Go here to read this interesting article.

Their August 14th issue has "Seven Falsehoods about Health Care."

Sept. 2 for different people

I was one of three friends giving a baby shower for the daughter of another friend today. Luckily, DT is a whiz at planning parties and getting things organized so PD and I were go-fers for her, so the party was all ready by 5 o'clock. It was fun, but lots of buzzing and chit-chat that after awhile got me hiding. So tonight I was glad to come home after we cleaned up, to be quiet.

Four hours of teaching, studying, or visiting with a few friends is much easier for me than four hours of "socializing." I'm glad I could be one of the hostesses, but am also pleased that I don't do this very often. It's much easier for me if we don't chit-chat and instead talk about something serious, which isn't exactly the topic for discussion at a baby shower.

Three years ago my son DC married AA. It's a happy memory for us. Today is also the anniversary of Josh, Gannet Girl's son, dying. Her pictures of him on her blog show a fun guy. Wishing his family to remember happy times with Josh and the joy he brought to their family.

Newest Richard Rohr book is out!

I got my copy this afternoon, but am still reading Beloved Dust by Robert Davis Hughes, which was reviewed here. I am very preoccupied by it, even though Rohr's new book is calling my name.

Next Tuesday our Wisdom Class starts again, and The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See by Richard Rohr will be our book to discuss for the next few months. I'll have to start reading it soon.

Gannet Girl asks us to light a candle

Gannet Girl asks us to light a candle--please do!

Light a candle at Gratefulness.Org

Mysticism Courses in San Antonio

Carl McColman reports about the Mystics Course in San Antonio that will be starting on Sept. 12. He gives a good description of the three year course here. I am starting the third year and so will be attending the first meeting on Russian Spirituality.

On Facebook, Carl brought to my attention an article in the San Antonio Newspaper where my name was mentioned about the course. First time I've been in the newspaper! A few days before, the reporter called and asked me about taking the Mystics Course, especially since I drive from Corpus Christi to attend the monthly meetings. Here's a mish-mash of info from our phone conversation:

Mystics course open to all faiths

By Abe Levy- San Antonio Express-News (8/29/09)

Jan Hilton starts most days sitting in a living room chair, facing an iconic image of Jesus created 1,400 years ago in a Middle Eastern monastery.

Before she prays and meditates there for 20 minutes, she looks into the eyes of the picture.

“It creates the right frame of mind,” she said. “It’s just remembering that in awareness of the quiet is the divine.”

A spiritual director at an Episcopal church in Corpus Christi, Hilton said that same feeling of connection to God is one that has been enriched by her interest in mysticism. She has enrolled in a class about modern mystics that will begin next month in San Antonio.

Called “Christian Mysticism: History, Wisdom and Insights,” the course will include scholars talking about mystics from various Christian faith traditions, organizers said. In addition to talks about mystics, time is set aside in class for participants to practice prayer and meditation.

The course begins Sept. 12 and continues for one Saturday a month through May. It is the last part of a larger three-year course about mysticism sponsored by the Contemplative Outreach of San Antonio, the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health and the Oblate School of Theology. The course beginning in two weeks will focus on contemporary mystics, starting with those from the Russian Orthodox tradition, and includes Simone Weil and Thomas Merton.

The class is open to people of all faith backgrounds with an interest in Christian mysticism, regardless of whether they attended the earlier portions of the course, organizers said.

The course came about in response to a growing interest among Christians of many backgrounds united in a desire to have a deeper connection to God. Past classes explored ancient and medieval mystics, such as the teachings of desert monks, said Ed Alcott, the course coordinator and an adjunct professor at Oblate.

“Spirituality is really the reason for religion,” he said, “but we can get off topic and oftentimes we have deep spiritual people who can help bring us back.”

For Hilton, the course helped her continue the spiritual journey that began after her mother’s death 17 years ago. Not a regular at any church while growing up, she wanted to speak to God but didn’t know how. Now, she regularly quotes Father Thomas Keating, regarded as the founder of the centering prayer movement.

“I’m learning more about these people and admiring their depth of love and knowledge they attained,” she said. “And that there’s a commonality in mysticism among all religions that the source of all is one God and one love.”

Here’s the website about the program: www.christianmysticismsa.org.

Our deeper wanting

Reading and reading again, but this time back in theology and not in novels or mysteries. I am finally trying to get some research done for my final paper for the Shalem Program for Spiritual Guidance. After that, I'll have momentum for working on my final papers for my master's degree in theology (finally).

Today I read a paragraph about how our "deep wanting" is a sign of God's presence. The depth of a conversation or of love or grief points to and feels like a deep connection within, which can also be identified with God's Love.

Thomas N. Hart writes that a spiritual director's "goal is to help a person get in touch with his or her own deepest wanting, on the conviction that being authentically oneself and being the person God wants one to be are one and the same. The director is trying to help a person separate out genuine deep wanting both from extrinsic shoulds and from trivial passing fancies, and to encourage a person to move confidently in the direction of his or her own deep wanting, as the surest index he or she has of God's purpose." (78)

Hart, Thomas N. The Art of Christian Listening. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1980. 78.

I have felt that depth in a conversation with my children and with friends, where we touch true parts of ourselves in a long-remembered talk. These times are special, and I believe that they are connected through God's Love in each of us, joining us together.

U. S. Drought, especially TX

Drought Monitor

Rain clouds today, but only 1/4 inch of rain. Last week we had 1/3 inch of rain. This is the most it has rained in over three months. We are over 15 inches below normal for 2009 rainfall here--in south TX.

Japanese Maple in Japan

Courtesy of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, New York Botanical Garden.
Utagawa Hiroshige III (1842-1894) Japanese maple from Kakyo Tokyo meisho, 1881. Woodblock print.

This was found at the Human Flower Project. I think it is beautiful. Not only do I love Japanese Maples, but I so appreciate Asian art.

Today is all that matters.

Thanks to Jennifer at An Orientation of Heart, I got another new book about health. And it reminds me of something a therapist told me 14 years ago, "CHOOSE HEALTH." That's what this book is gently pointing to: Fit from Within by Victoria Moran.

What I am hoping is that I will start living with only THREE meals a day. That cuts out a lot of snacking. With Infinity Squared and Jennifer leaving comments about it being healthier to have two snacks a day, I am planning to do that. Plus, that makes a healthier diet more livable!

Moran stresses staying here right now. Here are some quotes:

"It's dangerous to get caught up in 'When I get thin. . . ,' 'When I get this thing licked. . . ,' and other states of future glory. This is the day you've got. No matter how praiseworthy your eating and exercise are today, your weight isn't going to be very different when you go to bed tonight from when you got up this morning. The tiny changes will add up, but don't concern yourself too much with them. Just stay in today." (42)

"Today is it, and what you do today is all that matters. Staying centered in the now keeps you aware of what you're doing. You're far less likely to eat absentmindedly when you're firmly rooted in this day, this meal, this project, this conversation. When you stay focused, you fully experience the day--its events, its sensations, its nuances. Life will become richer and more gratifying. You'll have fewer regrets, because regrets belong to the past. You'll worry less, because worry is about the future, and when the future becomes the present it won't be nearly as frightening. The present almost never is." (42)

My Dog is my Teacher

My good friend Trudy Kenyon gave me this card today, as she was reminded of it when she saw the video "GoD and DoG" the other day. She painted this last year. It is also a reminder of how our dogs (and other pets) teach us how to live.

Trudy paints many types of pictures, which she makes into cards or prints for friends. I am the lucky recipient of many of her paintings in the form of cards, because she knows I like cards so much. I love hers.

Friday Five: I Like Myself

Singing Owl over at RevGalBlogPals wrote today's Friday Five:

Lately I seem to be encountering many people who have a very difficult time finding anything good to say about themselves. They are able to extend grace and forgiveness to others but find it difficult to extend that same grace to themselves.

With that in mind, let's share some healthy affirmation today! Tell us five things you like about yourself!

1. I am a loyal friend. I really value my friends.

2. I am a good cook, especially a good baker. I like to cook from scratch.

3. I like to learn; I like to read. There is so much to learn, all our lives!

4. I like to send cards, notes, and postcards. I used to be a very good correspondent but the internet seems to have changed those long handwritten letters to shorter, more infrequent and/or typed mail.

5. I like to smile.

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus

Lord Jesus Christ,

come into my heart,

pray in me and with me,

that I may learn from You

how to pray.

Amen.

*Probably from Mother Teresa

Dr. Siri of Laos

I'm still reading too much. Just finished my fourth Dr. Siri mystery.

And so I'll have something to put in my blog, I'll put some advice given to Dr. Siri by his old friend Daeng here:

Daeng had taught a girl working for her to read, despite schools kicking her out in Laos.

So Daeng told Dr. Siri: "Oh, its much more than nice, Siri. It didn't change the world. It isn't going to get her a job reading the news over the propaganda airwaves. She'll still serve noodles and wipe tables. But she's different inside now. She has a new love in her life, and I gave it to her. . . .You don't measure your own success against the size or volume of the effect you are having. You gauge it from the difference you make to the subject you're working on. At our age, you go for the small things and you do them as well as you can."

Cotterill, Colin. Anarchy and Old Dogs. NY: Soho Press, 2007. 186-187.

Dr. Siri said his mantra would be "Go for the small things and do them well."

That reminds me of the priest in Zambia who told our small group from Oblate School of Theology in 2006 that so many things needed to be fixed there that it was easy to be overwhelmed and thus accomplish little. Instead, he told us to pick one thing and concentrate on that.

GoD and DoG

From both Ellie and Roberta: