AE and KA are engaged!

This Labor Day Weekend, my daughter AE and her beloved KA (whom AE's grandfather calls his "Cincinnati granddaughter") went on a holiday to the Olympic Penninsula and to Victoria, Canada. They went on ferries to Port Townsend, WA from Seattle and from Port Townsend to Victoria and back again.

While in Port Townsend, AE called to tell us that she and KA are engaged! This is happy, but not unexpected, news. I hope and pray that they can marry someday. At least, in Canada that is possible, and AE keeps hinting that that is where they may end up, as indicated by her blog title Random Thoughts of an Aspiring Expat.

This was a memorable weekend for our family: DC and AA celebrated their first wedding anniversary (Happy Anniversary, D and A!); AE and KA became engaged to be married; BJ got a Brittany Spaniel puppy that he named Troy; and MJ and I were in Austin for a soccer tournament (plus we got to be with DC and AA).

Prayer is a necessity.

“Prayer is a necessity. Without it we see only our point of view, our own righteousness, and ignore the perspective if our enemies. Prayer breaks down those distinctions. To do violence to others, you must make them enemies. Prayer, on the other hand, makes enemies into friends. When we have brought our enemies into our hearts in prayer, it becomes most difficult to maintain the hostility necessary for violence. In bringing them close to us, prayer serves to protect our enemies. Thus prayer undermines the propaganda and policies of governments designed to make us hate and fear our enemies. By softening our hearts toward our adversaries, prayer can become treasonous. Fervent prayer for our enemies is a great obstacle to war and the feelings that lead to it.”
~Jim Wallis

Wallis, Jim. “Prayer is a necessity.” Peace Prayers: Meditations, Affirmations, Invocations, Poems, and Prayers for Peace. Ed. Carrie Leadingham et al. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992. 35.

Four Years Ago in Iraq

I am trying to finish a book by Anne Garrels, NPR correspondent, that recounts her time in Iraq from October 2002 until May 2004-- Naked in Baghdad: The Iraq War and the Aftermath as Seen by NPR's Correspondent . I started reading it on the trip to Washington and am at the end of the book. I am struck by Garrels' observations of the events and people. The book is nicely interspersed with emails her husband sent to friends about her when she was in Iraq.

I am very struck by the questions that were asked four years ago on August 1, 2003:

"Now that no weapons of mass destruction have been found Amer (Garrels' aide in Iraq) wonders why the U.S. really came to Iraq. "If we were a poor country," he comments, "no one would come here, but we are a rich country, and that is our fate. America has the power to do everything, so why aren't things better? Do you want us poor?" He believes that Iraq is surrounded by hostile nations anxious to take advantage of its own weakness. We speak to shopkeepers, who echo is confusion. "We want to see why the U.S. really came here," says one man who once welcomed the troops. "We will help if we believe you. Please make us believe in you." This is a very unhappy place caught between the past and a very uncertain future." (221)

I am struck by the word "believe" and how behavior convinces one to have faith in something or not. The behavior of the U.S. has been mixed, beginning with the occupation in 2003:

"The flaws of occupation become more and more apparent: the lack of significant international support at the outset, the catastrophic looting that followed the fall of Baghdad, and the commitment of a grossly insufficient number of American troops to provide security, rebuild infrastructure, and fight a widening insurgency." (219-221)

Not much has changed four years later, especially as the "widening insurgency" has increased. Starting off in that muddled way did not help anyone to "believe" in the U.S. What belief that existed before from other times is diminished or lost in the world. It is very sad.

Two Days of Soccer

Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com
by Mark A. Hicks, illustrator.

MJ and I returned from Austin late this afternoon, driving through sunshine, cloudy skies, and sometimes rain. It was better driving than Friday night when we made our way north to Austin with heavy spells of rain. And while it rained a lot in Corpus Christi while we were gone, there were mostly cloudy skies with sun peaking through for the soccer games. The storms circulating around the area brought wind and cooler temperatures, so it was pleasant to watch the girls run around. Also, better for the players, instead of blazing sun!

MJ joined the Express Girls team this season. Some of the girls have played together on this team for the past two years. MJ was pleased to find that the girls are friendly, as she had feared some from other high schools might be threatening. No worries--everyone was very nice, including the parents.

The girls won their first game (at 7:30 am!) yesterday 2-1 and then tied their second afternoon game. Today's 7:30 game was lost 1-0, which meant that the Express Girls did not get into the play-offs. That relieved me, so we could come home, instead of staying until Monday.

MJ and I felt fortunate to have DC and AA's apartment to stay in, while they were gone. It felt homey and there was even computer access. Best of all for MJ was the washing machine, so her uniform (and SOCKS) could be washed.

I will always remember AE's pungent socks at a soccer tournament in New Jersey in the early 1990's. She left the sweaty socks to dry on top of the air conditioner while we went out to eat dinner, and when we returned and opened the door, we were overwhelmed by a memorable odor! That is why easy access to a washing machine is a blessing.

Soccer Tournament

MJ and I are going to Austin today for the Labor Day Soccer Tournament there. Luckily, it is being held at fields in south Austin, pretty near DC and AA's apartment (their picture is below). So we get to see them before they leave to celebrate their first anniversary, and they are letting MJ and me stay in their apartment while they're gone. Husband (and dad) CB is staying home with the two dogs and cat, so that he can keep on remodeling the house next door and sing in church on Sunday.

Enjoy your long Labor Day weekend!

Happy Anniversary, D and A!

Almost one year ago, my oldest son DC married AA in Austin, TX. We are remembering that happy weekend this Labor Day weekend, just as they are. Happy Anniversary!

Bush vs. Environment/ UM Social Justice

Although I call myself an Episcopalian now, I still love the Methodist social justice principles. (And remember that John Wesley remained an Anglican priest his entire life, even in the beginnings of the Methodist Church.) Every week I receive "Faith in Action" from the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society. I always look forward to reading Jim Winkler's column. He is the General Secretary, General Board of Church & Society, United Methodist Church. Since 2004, he has said that the war in Iraq is lost. Today he brought my awareness to the Bush Administration's proposal to allow the coal mining industry to engage in mountaintop removal mining.

Winkler's weekly column is entitled "Word from Winkler" and today's is "Country's Roads", which I urge you to read. Here are a few pertinent paragraphs from his essay:

"Why would such destruction be permitted? "This is a parting gift to the coal industry from this administration," said Joe Lovett, executive director of the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment. "What is at stake is the future of Appalachia. This is an attempt to make legal what has long been illegal."

"Our church's statement, "Cease Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining," adopted by the 2000 General Conference, begins "Whereas, mountaintop removal coal mining is extremely profitable to the coal companies who practice it..." There it is. We simply have to get past the notion that profit equals progress."

From the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment, I found this statement:

Oppose Effort by the Bush Administration to Blow Up Mountains and Destroy Streams in Appalachia

On August 24, 2007, the Bush administration proposed repealing another longstanding environmental protection law in order to allow the coal mining industry to engage in “mountaintop removal” mining. In mountaintop removal mining, coal companies actually blow up entire mountaintops and dump millions of tons of waste into nearby streams, burying them forever. This parting gift from the administration to its coal industry friends will allow coal companies to continue their assault on the forests, streams and communities of Appalachia. Deadline for commenting is October 23, 2007. CLICK HERE TO COMMENT AND LEARN MORE

I am disturbed about this new proposal of the Bush Administration. Learn about it and decide for yourself!

If you would like to subscribe to the weekly UM Church and Society "Faith in Action" newsletter, you may sign up here.

Back to School Reading List
/by Jim Wallis/

Here's Jim Wallis' book order for the course he's teaching at Harvard Divinity School this fall. If you’re looking for some late-summer reading, consider the following titles:

H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture

John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus

E.J. Dionne Jr., One Electorate Under God?

Susannah Heschel (ed), Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: Essays

Richard Land, The Divided States of America? What Liberals AND Conservatives are missing in the God-and-country shouting match!

Reza Aslan, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Failing America's Faithful: How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way

Donald Dayton, Discovering an Evangelical Heritage

Randall Balmer, Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America

David Kuo, Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction

Michael Gerson, Heroic Conservatism: Why Republicans Need to Embrace America's Ideals (And Why They Deserve to Fail If They Don't)

Ronald Thiemann, Religion in Public Life: A Dilemma For Democracy

Michael Kazin, A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan

Lord, help me know!

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Shalom

"If there is to be shalom, it will not be just for isolated, insulated individuals; it is rather, security and prosperity granted to a whole community--young and old, rich and poor, powerful and dependent. Always we are all in it together. Together we stand before God's blessing and together we receive the gift of life, if we receive it at all. Shalom comes only to the inclusive, embracing community that excludes none."

Walter Brueggemann. Peace. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001. 15.

Making Poverty History

Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT-CWS

Millennium Campaign/Sermon on the Mount Litany

We are the first generation that can eradicate poverty.

We are those who are called
and equipped to make a difference.

We are called to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.

We are called to achieve universal primary education.

Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.

We are called to promote gender equality and empower women.

Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.

We are called to reduce child mortality.

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

We are called to improve maternal health.

Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

We are called to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness, for they will be filled.

We are called to ensure environmental sustainability.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

We are called to develop a global partnership for development.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

We are called...

And yes, we hear.

Written for Bread for the World, Gathering 2007, by Jeffrey W. Carter, Pastor, Manassas Church of the Brethren. Used with permission.

Wish I could eat a cookie instead of be one!

Still procrastinating tonight, as I contemplate school starting tomorrow and me going back to walking at 7 am everyday. Why I procrastinate and Further procrastination on Saturday are just the precursors of this little quiz about what kind of cookie I am.

You Are an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

On the surface, you're a little plain - but you have many subtle dimensions to your personality. Sometimes you're down to earth and crunchy. Other times, you're sweet and a little gooey.

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

Portals to the Divine

I found myself immersed in the Divine Presence while watching two videos at Heather's Poor Excuse. These are Russian Orthodox chanting and Romanian Orthodox calling to prayer. By watching, listening, and somehow participating, I found myself in a holy experience. And then Heather quotes a Zen saying that blew me away:

“Don’t follow in the footsteps of the masters. Seek what they sought.”

When you have about 15 minutes, go and watch both videos at Sounds for Sunday.

Prayer

O Jesus,
Make our hearts so human,
That others may feel at home with us,
So like yours,
That others may feel at home with you
So forgetful of self
That we might simply become the place where you and they meet
In the power of your love and the joy of your friendship
Amen (by Fr. Paul Costello)

This beautiful prayer is from Godspace and is under the title of The Rosies’ Prayer .

Another way to vote

Quaker Dave challenged readers of Suzy's at Luminiferous Ether to go to her posting for Saturday, August 25, 2007 that is entitled "No More Shopping Days 'Til Peace."

I am not committing to stopping my shopping for the holidays, but I have to admit that Suzy's thoughts about this have unsettled me and won't let me go! So go and read what she wrote.

This reference to her husband really opened me up to this movement Suzy wants to start:

"As Mr. Ether is fond of saying, every dollar you spend is a vote for what kind of a world you want to live in."

CROP Hunger Walk

What does CROP stand for?

When CROP began in 1947 (under the wing of Church World Service, which was founded in 1946), the name was an acronym for the Christian Rural Overseas Program; its primary mission was to help Midwest farm families to share their grain with hungry neighbors in post-World War II Europe and Asia. Reflective of a program that for several decades has been both urban and rural, today CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty and identifies interfaith hunger education and fundraising events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by 21 CWS/CROP regional offices across the U.S.

In some CWS/CROP regions, CROP has come to mean Communities Reaching Out to People.

When was the first CROP Hunger Walk?

On October 17, 1969, a thousand people in Bismarck, ND, walked in the first-ever CROP Hunger Walk and raised $25,000 to help stop hunger. Several other CROP Hunger Walks occurred soon thereafter, and before long there were hundreds of CROP Hunger Walks each year in communities nationwide.

How many CROP Hunger Walks are there?

Each year, some 2,000 communities across the U.S. sponsor CROP Hunger Walks. 5,397,199 CROP Hunger Walkers have participated over the past 20 years, and there have been a total of 35,888 CROP Hunger Walks in the past two decades.

Where do CROP Hunger Walk funds go?

CROP Hunger Walks help to support the overall ministry of Church World Service, especially the grassroots,hunger-fighting development efforts of partner agencies in some 80 countries. CROP Hunger Walks help to provide tools of hope that empower people to meet their own needs. From seeds and tools, to wells and water systems, to technical training and micro-enterprise loans, the key is people working together to identify their own development priorities, their strengths and their needs -- something CWS has learned through some 60 years of working in partnership around the world.

In addition, each local CROP Hunger Walk can choose to return up to 25 percent of the funds it raises to local hunger-fighting programs.

How do CROP Hunger Walks help out here at home?

This year CROP Hunger Walks will share nearly $4 million with food banks, pantries, community gardens, and other local efforts nationwide. This support is made possible when local CROP Hunger Walks choose our unique option of returning up to 25 percent of what their CROP Walk raises to hunger-fighting programs in their own community.

What else makes CROP Hunger Walks special?

Because CROP Hunger Walks are ecumenical, interfaith, multi-cultural events, individual donors have the option of designating their gifts to other approved international hunger-fighting agencies. This option is unique to CROP events, and available for individual sponsors only. Gifts not so designated go to support the worldwide ministry of Church World Service.

How do I go about starting a CROP Hunger Walk in my community?

Call your CWS/CROP Regional Office, toll-free 888-CWS-CROP (that's 888-297-2767), to find out about the CROP Hunger Walk nearest you. If there isn't a CROP Hunger Walk in your area, your CWS/CROP Regional Office has all the expertise and free promotional materials to help you take the first steps to a successful, fulfilling CROP Walk.

What is Church World Service?

Church World Service is a cooperative ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations, providing sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance in some 80 countries.

Within the U.S., Church World Service assists communities in responding to disasters, resettles refugees, promotes fair national and international policies, provides educational resources, and offers opportunities to join a people-to-people network of local and global caring through participation in CROP Hunger Walks, the Tools & Blankets Program, and the CWS Kits Program.

Whether in CROP Hunger Walks, through congregational or denominational giving, individual giving, grants, wills, or charitable gift annuities--people and groups who support the work of Church World Service give in a spirit of oneness with neighbors near and far.

Are corporations and businesses involved in CROP Hunger Walks?

Nationally, upwards of 200 corporations match employee gifts and/or volunteer hours to the CROP Hunger Walk. Locally, thousands of businesses and media outlets support their community's CROP Hunger Walk, providing T-shirts and other supplies, turning out teams of Walkers -- and in many other ways too numerous to list.

How much of each dollar contributed goes toward overhead?

Over the last five years, on average just over 18.5% of the funds contributed to Church World Service has gone to management, fund raising, and information sharing.

Besides the CROP Hunger Walk, does Church World Service have other opportunities for mission outreach?

Yes. The Tools & Blankets Program offers congregations and groups a way to share "tools" both large and small with children and families in need, including blankets, bedding, tents and other shelter items when an emergency or natural disaster occurs. Congregations and groups also get involved through the CWS Kits Program which provides recovery kits -- such as Hygiene Kits, School Kits, Baby Kits, and Clean-up Buckets -- that make a world of difference in emergency situations or areas of ongoing great need. Information on any or all of these outreach opportunities can be yours by calling toll-free 888-CWS-CROP (that's 888-297-2767).

CROP Hunger Walk demographics

• 68% are over 18, average age is 33.5
• About two-thirds are women
• 64% of CROP Hunger Walkers over age 18 have a college or advanced degree, half are professionally employed in their communities
• Half are CROP Hunger Walking for their second, third, fourth, or more time
• 73% of participants say fighting hunger locally and globally is their key reason for taking part
• 53% say the CROP Hunger Walk is the only fund-raising marathon-type activity in which they participate
• Walkers get about 95% of their sponsors from their neighborhood, workplace, family, and place of worship
• Back to top

Further procrastination on Saturday

I am definitely living out my first post for today: Why I procrastinate. From Wormwood Doxy, I tried out the country contest, and here I am:

You're the United Nations!

Most people think you're ineffective, but you are trying to completely save the world from itself, so there's always going to be a long way to go. You're always the one trying to get friends to talk to each other, enemies to talk to each other, anyone who can to just talk instead of beating each other about the head and torso. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, and you get very schizophrenic as a result. But your heart is in the right place, and sometimes also in New York.


Take the Country Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid

There is a book about Clotheslines!

Silly though this may be, I found a book about clotheslines. (I like the book's cover picture.)

I hung things out today in the south Texas hot sunshine, where they still are. I always like to do this. Our two dogs always know it is time to go outside when I put the laundry basket by the washing machine and fill it up with wet items. Our deceased lab Licorice would not go outside unless she saw that the basket was full! (Licorice did not like the hot and humid weather here.)

Book Review
By Judith
Fabrics.net

The Clothesline, a book by Irene Rawlings and Andrea VanSteenhouse is not just about hanging your clothes on a clothesline, it is a delightful trip through memory lane. Add in a recipe or two for soap, delightful photographs by David Foxhoven and Jason McConathy and the result is a book that will make you smile.

From types of clotheslines to clothespins of today and yesterday to ideas for sachet bags, this little book covers many topics in whimsical, effortless writing. Remember hanging your linens outside or watching your neighbors hang their laundry? Perhaps, like me, you can remember bringing in frozen laundry to dry by the stove?

Clothespins as collectables or works of art? Certainly! You may be surprised and the variety and types of clothespins that have been designed and used since 1832 when the first clothespin was patented. This book has ideas for displaying your collection of laundry bags, dish towels as well as clothespins and other collections. Suggestions about storing vintage linens and fabrics can also be found in this book.

Why I procrastinate

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Still thinking about art

A weekly Renovare group meets in my house on Friday mornings. My daughter AE calls it my "chanting group" because we end by praying the Lord's Prayer together. We follow the format from The Spiritual Formation Workbook. This group has been meeting for over ten years, with members moving away and others joining. I am one of the original members, as is JT, whom Katherine E. knows up in Fort Worth.

Among other things today, I talked about last night's art exhibit that I described in Art, where I wondered about my adequacy in determining art. It is good to talk in community. Several members of our group (who had also attended the lecture last night) brought other angles to my outlook. Watercolor artist JDH could speak to me about art without the "arty terms." She told me the pink tapes on the wall are just that--and not to make myself try to see something I didn't! And she didn't get any feeling about exclusivity, which I seemed to get. (But I could counter that she is part of "the group" and I am not.) Social worker JS described exuberantly being in the room with all the blue sacks and immediately going into the middle--how she jumps into things and doesn't skirt around the edges. I am more cautious and don't want to go "in" until I know "how." That was a beautiful example of how to live, especially when experiencing art. Child protective social worker AB dated the ex-curator of the museum until he moved to California a few months ago, and she told me that he would be so pleased that the exhibit had gotten me so stirred up and inquisitive! JDH told me that art is an experience and is transformative, though not everything labeled as "art" will affect each person.

I can see that I've grown even from last night in my understanding of what art is. If I don't get stuck in the analytical attitude towards art where I have little knowledge, I am starting to see that I might view art more as an experience than something to be looked at and judged. This is a new beginning for me and seems more inviting than any other way I've glanced at the subject before.

It helps that I found this quote at What is Art? What is an Artist?
Arthur Danto, professor of philosophy at Columbia University and art critic of The Nation, believes that today "you can't say something's art or not art anymore. That's all finished."

That helps me to understand a little more the modern climate for art and why Tony Feher does what he does. Just like I was once told I needed to form my own Christology, I guess I need to define "art" for myself. That'll take quite awhile, but so is my Christology.

Somehow there seems like an opening and more space around the subject of art for me. It is not so alien as it seemed. At the moment, I don't feel so resistant. Is this the beginning of transformation?