tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59198905185760887942024-03-05T05:03:35.212-08:00Jesus High for the Gay GuyBeing gay is hard. Being Christian is hard. I'm both. Bring it on!!!disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.comBlogger430125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-30557265950650301142015-10-16T10:36:00.000-07:002015-10-16T10:36:09.863-07:00In Between Time<div class="MsoNormal">
Dipping my toes into the blog waters again. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve been back with my parents since June as my ordination
process plods along. I love my parents, and I’m relishing this time to relax
and heal from what happened to me at SFTS, but I feel guilty about not being
gainfully employed. I should probably start looking for a job, but I hesitate
because I don’t know how attractive I would be as an employee because I could
leave for a ministry job at any time. Maybe I could get some seasonal work?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The reason I felt compelled to write this is because my mom
just handed me a wad of cash so I could pay the premium on my life insurance
policy. I guess I never updated my info with my life insurance policy, so they
ended up calling my dad when I missed my payment. It was really embarrassing
for me, in a way that I can’t really put my finger on. Maybe it’s because I’ve
been out of the house for 6 years while at school and was used to taking care
of things myself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But now that I think about it, I did accumulate an
incredible amount of student debt. I have to say, though, that for a good year
an a half before I was “let go,” I was paying my rent (my ridiculous Marin
rent), and my considerable student loans, and I was doing okay. It’s hard to admit
that I need help now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I guess the thing that I’m having the hardest time with is
wondering what my parents are thinking all the time. Here I am, their oldest
son, recently graduated from seminary, and I’ve just been sitting around the
house for 5 months. I try to help out where I can. I’m a really good cook, so I
cook four or five times a week for the family. I take out the trash and
recycling every week, and I do any yard work that my parents ask me to, which
admittedly isn’t much. I defrosted the freezer in the garage a few days ago,
which was annoying and strangely exciting at the same time. I’d never defrosted
a freezer before. I help keep things tidy, and perhaps most importantly, I’ve
been nudging my ordination process along. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I know my parents love me. The last thing I want is for them
to think that I’m taking advantage of them. I know that I’ll be able to make it
up to them someday, but right now, I just feel kind of helpless.<o:p></o:p></div>
disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-55901184416759154362015-07-10T11:54:00.000-07:002015-07-10T12:48:31.819-07:00How San Francisco Theological Seminary Betrayed Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyZGtiZNbzv8uASiMMSEL-463tpTzE_BnFn4P4q8P5qV9deUGgo2DK5OkR9R_hYIlViVpZFCSyku2rCL1TRoMXqrHYvI7oE07m7YA9pOynEF3hkN4yKXVt-hMQr25bBFVneY6IVeLE-qi/s1600/1+genesis+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyZGtiZNbzv8uASiMMSEL-463tpTzE_BnFn4P4q8P5qV9deUGgo2DK5OkR9R_hYIlViVpZFCSyku2rCL1TRoMXqrHYvI7oE07m7YA9pOynEF3hkN4yKXVt-hMQr25bBFVneY6IVeLE-qi/s320/1+genesis+cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I loved being a student at San Francisco Theological
Seminary (SFTS). It was an open and accepting environment, I was able to deepen
my understanding of God and my faith, and I made lot of incredible friends. As
part of my Masters in Divinity degree, I got a concentration in Christian
Spirituality, which included creating a thirty-four foot long mosaic mural in
one of the common areas on campus. I called it “Faith, Hope, and Love” and it
depicts my understanding of the work that God did to save humanity. The
seminary is now using the mural as the basis of a $6 million fundraising
campaign, and as the creator of the mural, I was proud that the images from it
were going out into the world for what I perceived to be a good cause.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The four years I spent studying at SFTS were some of the
greatest years of my life. I will always remember the profound learning that
happened as a student and the fun times that I had, but now, my memories are
tainted with the understanding of how the seminary actually sees me. Now that I
am no longer a student, I am disposable. I am no longer a person to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shortly after graduating, the seminary asked if I would work
in the communications department. I agreed because I loved the school and it
would be a steady source of income that would allow me to stay in the area
while I completed my ordination process. I was told that I would have a job for
two years, as part of a pilot program that would help recent graduates by
providing gainful employment in a job that one might possibly be ordained into.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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A year and half later, I was fired for no reason, without
any warning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The school continues to use my mosaic for it’s fundraising
campaign, and there is even a video of me talking about the mosaic on the
giving page of the <a href="http://sfts.edu/giving/mosaic-ministry/" target="_blank">website</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was utterly betrayed by this institution. The school appropriated
my work for its own use, and then fired me with no regard to my relationship
with the school. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Before all of this happened, I was one of the school’s
biggest cheerleaders. I loved SFTS, and I did everything in my power to help it
succeed. I worked hard and focused all of my creative energies on ways to help
the school. But, my work was not appreciated. Recently, I met someone who was
thinking about going to seminary. My gut instinct was to recommend SFTS, but I
didn’t, because I didn’t want to be the person who recommended SFTS if he
decided to go there and then ended up having a bad experience. I no longer
trust the institution. I think a lot of the people there have forgotten what it
means to be Christian.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the most important parts of being a Christian is
being in relationship with other people. Jesus told us to do unto others as we
would have them do unto us. We are supposed to care for and love each other. If
the people at SFTS are incapable of doing this, how can we expect them to teach
it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I know that there are good people working there, on the
staff and on the faculty, but they are not able to stand up to the institution,
and it pains me that in writing this, I may be hurting them. But, I am
powerless against this institution, and this is the only thing that I can do to
make sure that my voice is heard. I have no faith that this institution is
capable of doing the right thing. This may not always be true, and I hope that
this changes. But, it’s true now. <o:p></o:p></div>
disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-56967558751187753612013-04-29T17:44:00.000-07:002013-04-29T17:45:34.905-07:00Sticks and Stones<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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15 minute sermon for preaching class:<br />
<br />
It doesn't take a
lot for someone to hurt you. One of my earliest memories is of riding in a car
with my mom; I couldn't have been more than six or seven. As we rounded the
corner of our block, there were these two girls standing there, maybe a few
years older than me. They looked at us through the window, then pulled at the
corners of their eyes, the way kids do when they're pretending to be Asian, and
they screamed, "Chinese!" and then burst out laughing. Even at that
young age, I knew that what they had done was wrong. I knew it somehow in my
gut, even if I didn't understand it in my head.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
I had a similar
experience a few years ago. I was working for a medical supply company, and I
had gotten a patient's wife on the phone. I can't remember exactly how the
conversation ended up going where it did, but she ended it by saying,
"Okay, gay guy!" and hanging up on me. I was a little shocked, and I
yes I wondered if I was sounding especially gay that day, but I had never
experienced anyone saying anything like that to me before. I was so stunned,
that I actually left my desk and started walking around the office telling
everybody about it. But, the interesting thing was after each time I told the
story, the person I was talking to would say, "Oh my gosh! Are you
okay?" And each time, I would say, "Yeah, I'm fine." I thought
it was weird that they all kept asking the same question, because the only
reason I was telling people the story was because it was so crazy, and I
actually thought, at least at first, that it was a funny and shocking story to
tell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
After I had made
my way around the office, I was telling one final person, and again, after I
was done telling her about it, she said, "Oh my gosh! Are you okay?"
Only that time, I wasn't. I walked out of that office so fast, and I sat down
in the lobby and I just burst into tears. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Labels. We love
labels and we love labeling things, especially people. I'm guilty of it; we're
all guilty of it. And, as our passage shows, we have been doing this for a
really long time. Circumcised and uncircumcised, Jew and Gentile, clean and
unclean. It's so easy to lump people into a group, and slap a label on them
letting us know that they are different. It's a world of us verses them, a
world of tribes, a world of othering, where we turn people into
"others." It helps us to feel more secure in our own positions, to
know that we belong, as defined by the fact that others do not. And as we can
see in this passage, it even happens within the family of God. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
When Peter comes
back from Caesarea, the other disciples kind of give him the side-eye, because
they had heard some things about what he had been getting up to over there.
Hanging out with the wrong crowd, sitting down with them for dinner, the
uncircumcised! And, the passage makes it very clear at the beginning, that the
disciples knew that these "uncircumcised" were believers! These were
people who had accepted the word of God! But apparently, that didn't make them
acceptable company for one of their own. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Human beings have
a tendency to form tribes. If you want to look at it in evolutionary terms, the
people that were the most tribalistic were the ones who survived. They looked
out for each other, gathered together for protection, made sure that everyone
had enough to eat, even if it meant that anyone outside of the tribe wasn't
going to make it. The people in the tribes, the successful ones, were the ones
who passed down their genes. Every single one of us is in this room here today
because our ancestors survived. They were part of the tribe, and we are their
legacy. Tribalism is part of our genetic structure, part of who we are, and as
much as we try to fight it, as much as we try to tell ourselves that it's
wrong, it's something that we all do, even if it's only a little. Even if we
try and hide it deep down inside.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
It almost seems
like the whole of human history can be boiled down to us vs. them. We have
Christians fighting Muslims, Israelis fighting Palestinians, even Catholics
fighting Protestants. Republicans and Democrats. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian,
this gang fighting against that gang, lines being drawn around geographic and
ethnic differences. Male and female, gay and straight, the 1% and the 99. A lot
of people really don't like the idea of original sin, but, if there is such a
thing, then I think this is it, or at least part of it anyway. We have this
deep, ingrained need to turn people into others, just to make absolutely sure
that we aren't the ones that don't belong. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
I like to tell
people that I am from the Chinappines, because my dad is Chinese and my mom is
Filipino. It's my own little tribe, and I'm actually kind of proud of it, plus
it's fun to say, and I love the look of confusion that people get when I say
it. It's a tribe that I wholeheartedly embrace and love. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
But, I know what
it's like to be pushed out of a tribe. I was raised in the PCUSA, and for
thirty years, that was the church that I belonged to, proudly belonged to. But,
when it came time for me to start thinking about ordination, it suddenly didn't
matter that I had been Presbyterian for thirty years, that I was baptized in a
Presbyterian church when I was a baby. All that mattered was that I was gay,
and gay people weren't part of the tribe. I wasn't part of the tribe. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Since I was born
and raised in Southern California, I didn't have to deal with a lot of this.
The two stories I told earlier are the only two "name-calling"
incidents that really stick out in my mind besides the silly schoolyard stuff
that most kids have to unfortunately deal with. But, what really stands out for
me when I think about those two times when it <i>did</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> happen, is the types of words that were used: the first one being
"Chinese" and second one "gay." These are technically
neutral terms, neither positive nor negative, so it wasn't the words themselves
that were cutting. It was the intention behind them that made the words so
hurtful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
In the case of the
girls calling me Chinese, those girls weren't making an observation about my
ethnicity. They were reducing me to a single descriptor, as if that was all
that I was, and not only that, but mocking it, because it was so beneath them
that mockery was okay. You don't have to use slurs to hurt someone. You just
have to let them know that who they are is insignificant, and the simple
descriptor of "Chinese" accompanied with some childish laughter is
all it takes to do that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Now, the woman
that I was talking to on the phone when I worked for the medical supply
company, even though I'm sure she didn't put very much thought into what she
was saying, affected me more in three words than all of the hateful speech I
had ever heard. "Okay, gay guy." In those three little words, she
managed to convey the fact that she thought there was something wrong with being
gay, that she didn't agree with what I was trying to tell her about her
husband's medical equipment, and that she didn't need to listen to me because I
was gay, and therefore, not worthy of consideration or respect. It was probably
the most condescending and dismissive thing I had ever heard, will ever hear,
in my entire life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
When I try to
explain this incident to people, the only way I have to describe what it felt
like is that she stabbed me with a psychic knife to the heart. It was so swift
and awful and devastating, that it's hard to think about even now. But she felt
entitled to use such a horrible weapon because I wasn't part of her tribe, and
furthermore, the tribe that I did belong to, in her eyes, was so far beneath
her own, that it didn't matter what happened to me. That is the nature of
tribalism, of othering. When someone is an other, they are suspect,
unacceptable, and dangerous.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Which is why the
disciples confront Peter about his activities, when he returns. He was
consorting with others, people who were not part of the tribe, and they were
worried that Peter was going to be contaminated somehow, that they would be
contaminated. So, Peter tells them this story: He tells them that he had a
vision of a sheet coming down from the heavens, and upon that sheet was every
kind of unclean animal, and a voice from above told him to kill and eat. He
protests, saying that nothing unclean has ever passed his lips, but the voice
says that what God has made clean, he must not call profane.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
And after that,
three men from Caesarea came and brought him to a man's house, who told him
that he had seen an angel who said him that Simon Peter had a message for him
by which his entire household would be saved. And as Peter spoke, the Holy
Spirit descended upon this man's household, just as the Holy Spirit had done
with the disciples. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
The Holy Spirit
has descended upon each of us in equal measure so that no one can claim that
anyone is not a part of the tribe. No matter who we are, or where come from, or
how much money we have, or how we vote, or even what faith we profess, God
loves us. We belong to the human tribe, and God's grace is big enough for all.
Come, be part of the tribe. Open your arms and welcome everyone that you see. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-17042018653996718792013-04-15T18:34:00.000-07:002013-04-15T18:34:13.613-07:00Double Rainbow
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
There's a
phenomenon in nature known as the double rainbow. Regular rainbows happen when
water in the atmosphere, usually rain, reflects sunlight back to the viewer.
That's why you always have to look away from the sun to see a rainbow, because
the light is actually bouncing off of the water, and then back to you. The
color of light that you see from each raindrop depends on where the raindrop is
in relation to you and the sun, so you'll see red from some raindrops, and blue
from others, and so on. And when you see the light bouncing back at you from
all of those millions of raindrops, it forms a rainbow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
When the
conditions are right, you will sometimes see a second rainbow over the first
one. It won't be as bright, and the colors will be reversed, but if you're ever
lucky enough to see one, it's an amazing sight. This secondary rainbow is
formed when light is reflected twice inside of the raindrop. You need a lot of
sunlight and lots of water in the air for this to happen, so it's pretty rare. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
A couple of years
ago, there was a video on the Internet that everyone was talking about that
featured a double rainbow. Now, the reason that everyone was talking about it
wasn't because of the double rainbow. Though double rainbows are rare and
beautiful, the fact that this man had captured one on film wasn't what everyone
was all excited about. No, the reason this video had gotten so much attention
was because of the reaction that this man had to seeing the double rainbow. As
the camera pans across the sky, you can hear him reacting to it. He is
ecstatic, he's laughing and crying, and he keeps asking, "What does it
mean? What does it mean?" You can hear him sobbing. I mean, he really kind
of goes over the top. The first time I tried to watch it, I couldn't even
finish the video because I was having too much secondhand embarrassment. I just
thought this guy was making a fool of himself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Which is kind of
what I thought Peter was doing when I first read today's lectionary. Jesus
appears to the disciples on the shore, and Peter is out on a boat with some of
the other disciples, trying to catch some fish. One of the disciples on the
boat says, "Hey, that's Jesus!" And, without any hesitation at all,
Peter, puts on some clothes, because I guess they sometimes fished naked back
then, jumps in the water, and swims to the shore, while the other disciples,
much more calm about the situation, bring the boat. Was Peter wrong to do this?
I'm going to say no. But, did he have to do this? Did he have to kind of go
crazy, throw on some clothes and jump into the water in his excitement over
Jesus showing up? I'm going to say no to that, too. I don't think Jesus needed
him to be quite that enthusiastic, or expected him to put on quite a show when
he appeared, but I'm willing to bet that it brought a smile to Jesus' face.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
I have to admit
that when I first started looking at this text, I had a hard time with it. This
image of Peter, hearing that Jesus was there, and then getting all excited
about it, throwing on some clothes and jumping in the water; bless his heart,
the poor guy literally didn't know what to do with himself. Swimming to the
shore while the others brought the boat in, I mean the guy literally went
overboard. It's too much! Some people think that maybe he decided to put the clothes
on because he didn't want to greet Jesus naked, you know, as a sign of respect,
or maybe it was a special type of clothing that would help keep him dry,
although if I had to guess, I'd say that clothing technology probably wasn't
quite that advanced back then. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
I actually kind of
like this image of Peter, just kind of flipping his lid, running around like a
chicken with its head cut off, saying, "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!
Jesus is here! What do I do? What do I do? Uh, throw on some clothes and jump
in the water!" I mean, this is Peter we're talking about! "Fly by the
seat of his pants" Peter, "cut off some guy's ear with a sword"
Peter. This is Peter's M.O. The "acting before thinking" Peter, the
"guy who screws things up, but still somehow manages to wind up being the
rock that the church is built on" Peter, and I think this is why so many
people just find him so endearing. He's not perfect. He's expressive! He's
exuberant! He loves Jesus, and he's not afraid to show it! Except for that one
time…with denying Jesus three times and the rooster crowing…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
But, we get it,
right? We know Peter! We know that person who gets too excited about things,
overly enthusiastic about things, that person that's the life of the party. We
love that person! And sometimes, a lot of us wish we could be that person.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Like I said, when
I was first looking at this text, I had a hard time with it. Usually, the first
thing I do when working on a sermon is try to think of a personal story that I
can relate to the text. That's <i>my</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> M.O. I
like using the stories from my life as illustrations because I can be the most
authentic when I'm telling one of my own stories as opposed to when I'm telling
someone else's. But this time, I just couldn't think of one. As I sat there at
a loss, trying to figure out what to do, I suddenly realized that the reason I
couldn't think of a story was because I am basically the complete opposite of
Peter! I couldn't think of a story because I don't have an equivalent
"throw on some clothes and jump in the water" moment in my life. So far,
I've just been too reserved, too cautious, too worried about what people might
be thinking of me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
For example, I
really like praise music, and a lot of times, when people are singing praise
music, they'll lift their hands into the air. Even when I am in a setting where
everyone is raising their hands to God in response to some really awesome
praise music, I'll only raise up one hand, and I'll only raise it about
halfway. I'm too self-conscious, too worried about what I look like. Even when
I'm in a situation where it's totally okay, and I know, rationally, that no one
is going to look at me weird, I still can't do it! And now that I think about
it, it makes me sad. I want to get excited for God! I want to know what it
feels like to just let go and not care if I'm making a fool of myself! I don’t
even know where this hang-up comes from, but it is so deeply ingrained in my
character that I don’t know if I'll ever be able to shake it, and I'm guessing
that some of you might be able to sympathize with me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
The first time I
saw that double rainbow video, I was a little judgmental. I mean, I had been
primed for it; the only reason the video was making the rounds was because
everyone was making fun of it. People couldn't understand why this guy was
making such a big deal out of seeing a double rainbow! I mean, it was just a
matter of physics, right? Light coming into contact with water and bouncing off
of it, no big deal. People were ridiculing him; video responses kept popping up
making fun of the things that he said and the way that he said them. I actually
felt bad for him, and like I said, embarrassed because of his grand display of
emotion that he was making and all of the horrible things that people were
saying. I mean, what possible reason was there for this guy to be gushing over
the Internet like that, laughing and crying and carrying on, trying to find
some deeper meaning to this perfectly natural display of rain and sunlight. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Only, it turns out
there was a reason. I didn't know it at the time, but right before he saw the
double rainbow, he had just finished writing an email to a friend saying how he
felt like he was Noah, because he was trying to live off the grid and how he
was growing his own organic food. He was feeling separated from the rest of
humanity, and he thought that maybe that was what Noah might have felt after
the flood, after the waters had subsided and he had to start making a new life
for himself without all of the social structures that he had lived with all of
his life. This double rainbow guy had been seeing a lot of rainbows, and he had
been wondering if it was some kind of sign from God. And after he sent his
email, all of a sudden, his room was filled with color and light, and he went
outside, and there was this amazing double rainbow, right outside his front
door! He said it looked like God's eye, because only God could have an eye that
big. He was having a God moment, an experience with the divine, and unless
you've been there, unless you've felt the presence of God for yourself, then
there is no way to understand it. There are literally no words. All you can do
is laugh and cry and humble yourself before the presence of God and look in awe
and wonder at the glory of the Spirit. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Peter wasn't
afraid to love Jesus, to love God and love God extravagantly. I want to get
excited for God, like that! I've had too many God moments in my life to not
have a "Peter jumping in the water" experience. How can I, as a
Christian for basically my entire life, not have a moment like that? I want
that! I want to get so excited that I can't even handle it and do something so
crazy that people have to write it down and still be talking about it 2,000
years later! We should all dream like that. There's a reason Jesus said that
Peter was going to be the foundation of the church. He wasn't afraid to love
God!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
I watched that
double rainbow video again, so that I could prepare for this sermon. And, I
have to say that I didn't feel like it was embarrassing this time. Maybe it's
the three years of seminary that I had between viewings, or maybe it's because
I've been working with this image of Peter jumping into the sea with his
clothes on, but when I watch that video now, I feel inspired. I hear the voice
of a man who isn't afraid to tell the world that he loves God. I want to be
like that. I hope that we all have the chance to be like that, to fill the
world with goodness and love, hope and joy, tears and laughter. May we all get
the chance to be that excited over God. And, may our lives be filled with
rainbows. Amen.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-83824076887250250202013-04-13T11:42:00.001-07:002013-04-15T18:34:35.361-07:00Hope Is Not a Plan<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
12 minute sermon for preaching class:<br />
<br />
The disciples were
afraid. Their leader, their teacher, the man who had taken care of them and
loved them and showed them the way of God, was dead. Jesus was dead. And, for
all they knew, they were going to be next. And, so they barricaded themselves
into a room and locked the door.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Can you imagine
what it must have been like in there? That paranoid feeling, jumping at sounds?
How were they supposed to move forward from this? I imagine they spoke in
hushed voices about the different possibilities that lay before them, fear
piling upon fear, their worries feeding upon each other until eventually one of
them was gonna snap. It wasn't good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Michelle Walker
always used to say, "Hope is not a plan!" I think most of you knew
her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Well, as far as we
know, the disciples didn't even have hope. We don't know if they really had a
plan beyond locking themselves up in that room. They were afraid, and their
situation was looking a little grim.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
But suddenly,
suddenly, Jesus was there! And, they were so happy to see him! He showed them
is hands, and he showed them his side, and he said, "Peace be with
you." "Peace be with you."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
I was doing a
Lectio Divina with my youth group last week on this text, and that was the
phrase that stood out for me. "Peace be with you." I kept seeing this
image in my mind of Jesus looking at the disciples, with his hands held out in
this kind of claming manner as he said it. "Peace be with you."
"Peace be with you." My understanding of this image was that I was
worrying too much. I needed to put my faith in God, and allow God to do what
God was going to do. And when I realized that, this feeling of peace just
welled up inside of me. I was able to let go.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
And, I really
needed that peace. Jesus, holding his hands out like that, that was the exact
image that I needed to see. Because, as graduation draws near and I keep
thinking about all of the things that I need to do, it just freaks me out! I
think about it, and I honestly don't know how I'm supposed to do it all, and I
get stressed, and my blood pressure goes up, and in all seriousness, I really
think that all of this worrying might, at least in a small part, be why I ended
up in the emergency room three weeks ago. My blood pressure had gotten so high
that I had to be hospitalized, pumped full of drugs to bring my blood pressure
down to a safe level. They ran all kinds of tests, it was nuts. I don't want to
go through again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Which is why I
need what this text is telling me so badly. That Jesus is with us in the midst
of our trouble, and our worries, and our anxieties. Jesus is with us, his arms
open and welcoming, and he is saying, "Peace be with you." Right now,
I need that peace almost as much as I need air. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Most of you know
that I am currently trying to finish a 34-foot tile mosaic mural in Holy
Grounds before I graduate, as part of my Spirituality Concentration. It's
mostly done; I'd say maybe a good 70-80%. But, that leaves, at the very least,
20% of the mural to go, which I calculated out to be about 200 hours worth of
work. Now, I have a history of over-extending myself and of procrastination,
but this situation that I've gotten myself into might actually be the winner.
So, of course, I've been worrying about this, and add to that the classes I
have to take and church things and ordination, and it's no wonder I have to
worry about my blood pressure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
But, an
interesting thing happened last week. I mentioned earlier about the Lectio and
this image of Jesus, standing there holding his hands out, but the next day,
the day after the Lectio, I was sitting in Holy Grounds, not working on the
mural 'cuz I was still getting over this cold and I just didn't feel very well,
when this horde of people just descended upon me, insisting that we have a
mural work party. None of these people had ever helped me with the mural
before, and I had no idea that they were coming. We blasted some music, broke
some plates, and stayed up late into the night, some of us not leaving until
past three in the morning, and all together, we must have put in at least 20 work
hours into that thing. It was amazing! It was beautiful, and it reminded me of
why I love being here so much. The kicker though, what made me really realize
that this was not just some coincidence, but really a God moment, was the fact
that one of the people who came to help was a prospective student. I had only
met her earlier that day, shaking her hand after chapel, and I honestly thought
that I was never going to see her, ever again. But, there she was, pretty much
a complete stranger, smashing plates with a hammer and gluing the pieces onto
the wall. I didn't have a plan for how I was gonna finish the mural, other than
last minute, extreme crazy panic, and at this point, I don't even know if that
was gonna work. But, God had a plan. God always has a plan.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
I think I needed
this little reminder about the ways in which God can work in our lives. I had
gotten so caught up in thinking that I had to do it all by myself, that I had
to figure this out, make a plan, execute it. Little did I know that God was
gathering a group of people together to help me, and maybe I should have been
asking for help all along. Being part of the church means being part of a
community, part of a family. And, we need to be open to the ways in which God
is working through us and through community to bring wholeness and healing into
our lives. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
This isn't to say
that we shouldn't make plans. Michelle was right. Hope is not a plan. We can't
just walk through life, aimless and wandering. God wants us to do things, to
help people. Plans give our lives structure, so that we can actually get things
done. But, sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where a plan just isn't
going to cut it. And, we have to have faith that God is going to help us.
Because the choice is either to keep trying, to work through it, trusting that
God will see us through, or to fall into despair and hopelessness, where we
can't really help anybody. Where we can't even help ourselves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
But, I also want
to add that planning does not mean a rigid adherence to a set path. No matter
how carefully we plan, no matter how many contingencies we have, life will find
a way to mess things up. Life is complicated, and we have to allow for course
correction. And, we need to have the humility to understand that our plans
won't always be God's plans, and that to stand in the way of God's plan is the
way of folly and futility. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
As for the
disciples, we know a bit about happened to them. Their lives weren't easy. They
were ridiculed for their belief, persecuted and killed. But, they lived their
lives doing God's work. And they were filled with joy and love, knowing that
their purpose was God's purpose. And, while I'm not going to say that I'm an
advocate for martyrdom, I will say that I am an advocate for living into God's
will. Hope is not a plan. But, hope should be a part of every plan that you
make. And, my hope is, that in whatever plans you make for the future, you will
take a moment to look and listen for God. Because, while hope may not be a
plan, God's will certainly is, and we can have hope in that. So, make your
plans, and try not to worry. And, peace be with you.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-63420525436388895382013-03-18T20:36:00.000-07:002013-03-18T20:36:16.456-07:00The Flood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHPQL6n5lBHM_hhzDiempuoWYqUdkKuxugUzwJIVXiPD90Gn47bQFdJK5iHPOB9IajNFfnMrtu3-OeKevBAJFPEq2tQ7Fb1hqEobLEiNeiNpYCIX-BO-pw2Ex8d2C7TSlEz23lG003HzP/s1600/the+flood.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHPQL6n5lBHM_hhzDiempuoWYqUdkKuxugUzwJIVXiPD90Gn47bQFdJK5iHPOB9IajNFfnMrtu3-OeKevBAJFPEq2tQ7Fb1hqEobLEiNeiNpYCIX-BO-pw2Ex8d2C7TSlEz23lG003HzP/s320/the+flood.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The Flood section of the mural is finally complete! Just two more sections to go!!! XDdisseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-67548922921191033592013-03-18T20:30:00.002-07:002013-03-18T20:31:23.416-07:00The Wages of Love<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
One of my dad's
favorite things to say is, "When it's your time to go, it's your time to
go." He says this phrase anytime someone dies, whether we knew them or
not, it could be someone on TV, a celebrity, politician, whatever. He also says
it whenever the subject of death comes up. So despite the fact that even though
to this day, my siblings and I have had very little experience with the people
in our lives dying, we all grew up with morbid personalities. We think about death,
a lot!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I remember these
conversations that I used to have with my sister. We would talk about how if
our parents ever had to fly anywhere, we would have to make sure that they flew
on two different planes, just in case one of the planes went down. That way,
we'd only lose one of them. I mean, we'd kind of say it in joking a way,
because we never actually thought our parents would die in a plane crash, but
jokes almost always have a kernel of truth. Death is part of the world. It has
a way of creeping in, and reminding us that it is there. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Which may be
appropriate, given today's text. We're coming up on Good Friday and Easter, so
our text today is setting the stage. Jesus has just been whipped, tortured, and
despite the fact that he's innocent and has already been punished for his
alleged crimes, the crowd continues to demand his execution, and so Pilate
decides he has no choice, and sends the soldiers away with Jesus to crucify
him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
As they made their
way to the hill, a large crowd of people was following, and among them were
women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. Jesus was their
teacher. He was kind and wise and took care of them. They loved him. And now,
he was gonna die. But, Jesus doesn't turn to them to offer words of comfort. Instead,
he says this is just beginning. It only gets worse from here. What he says, as
written in the gospel is this: "For the days are surely coming when they
will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the
breasts that never nursed.' … For if they do this when the wood is green, what
will happen when it is dry?"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Here, Jesus is
referring to himself as the "green wood," as a living tree that is
healthy and capable of producing fruit. He's not dry, seasoned wood that's dead
and ready for the fire. He's the last piece of wood that you would reach for to
stoke your hearth, and yet he had been marked for death. How much worse for
those of us who are dry, dead, not as perfectly good as Jesus is?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
We live in a world
where death happens every day. Here in good old the 21<sup>st</sup> century US
of A, a lot of us have actually managed to push that fact out of our minds. We
have Microsoft and Apple, The Food Network (don't get me wrong, I LOVE The Food
Network!), Jersey Shore,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>all
glittering lights and glossy photo spreads telling us that if we just have
this, we'll be happy, if we could just look like this, we will be fulfilled,
and we believe it! Because, if we can just focus enough on something else, then
we won't have to think about the real problems in this world. These are the
false promises that tell us that the only consequences of our actions are our
own happiness or sadness. The false promises that tell us that we don't have to
think about how our actions and our greed have warped the planet into something
that God never intended it to be. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Romans 6:23a
"For the wages of sin is death." This isn't because God has decreed
it arbitrarily, or because God is vindictive, but because it's the nature of
sin. We see it every day: pride, greed, envy, sloth, sin is killing us! And we,
in our sin, are killing each other. "For the days are surely coming when
they will say, "Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and
the breasts that never nursed.'" How bad would things have to be for
mothers to wish that their children had never been born? We can ask the mothers
of the Native Peoples who were here when the Europeans first colonized this
land, and disease and war obliterated their numbers and destroyed their way of
life. We can ask mothers had to watch their children being born into slavery,
into a life where they would be treated as less than human. We can ask the
mothers who experienced the holocaust and had to watch their people being
rounded up like animals, starved to death and slaughtered by the millions. We
can ask the mothers of wartime and genocide, things that should not be, but are
still happening today. We can ask the mothers of famine and plague, injustice,
and inequality. The world is filled with sin, and the wages of sin is death.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
But, there is good
news! God is stronger than sin. Jesus came down to dwell among us, to become
one of us so that he could divert those wages onto himself. He saw us standing
on the train tracks and he shoved us out of the way before the train could hit,
but the only way to save us was to be hit himself, because that train was gonna
hit something. Jesus died an unjust death, so that we wouldn't have to die a
just one. Jesus died so that when he was lifted up, when he was brought back to
life, we would be brought back with him. God is a God of love, and Jesus has
thrown in his lot with ours, because the wages of love is life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
We no longer have
to fear death, because in Christ Jesus, we have love, and we have life. And,
with the Holy Spirit inside of us, we are empowered drop the false promises of
this world, to take action, to be the people of God and be a force for good. We
don't need to listen to the lies anymore, because Jesus is the way, the truth
and the life. Praise God, and Amen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-59375555869986844512013-03-18T20:27:00.001-07:002013-03-18T20:28:20.164-07:00Baking for Ghosts pgs 6 & 7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEluG7JmWz8X3RfL2b6-qKR53X-KR18c6zh2v2i2Q59IwC3w6VavJiYSnGFhdGcMQA3gm02NS85ON8m7oLt7pR9AbhKyJ5LT_ZW9eLR8CtW1whw21pHWIC6tqWQAbGPtE7POajihzPugMY/s1600/baking+6+&+7+color.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEluG7JmWz8X3RfL2b6-qKR53X-KR18c6zh2v2i2Q59IwC3w6VavJiYSnGFhdGcMQA3gm02NS85ON8m7oLt7pR9AbhKyJ5LT_ZW9eLR8CtW1whw21pHWIC6tqWQAbGPtE7POajihzPugMY/s320/baking+6+&+7+color.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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It only took about 3 or 4 months, but I finally finished pages 6 & 7 of Baking for Ghosts!disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-23556281483992984172012-10-13T17:00:00.002-07:002012-10-13T17:06:40.781-07:00Baking for Ghosts p5So, I decided over the summer to start working on a comic book. I just had this idea that I couldn't shake about a woman who starts seeing ghosts after her husband dies. She figures out eventually that if she bakes the right thing, then the ghost will "move on." I just finished the 5th page today. This sure is a slow way to get a story written! Shouldn't be more than a month before the 6th page is done, LOL!<br />
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Check out my <a href="http://disseria.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">DeviantArt page</a> if you would like to see the pages better!</div>
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<br />disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-63181946383203288812012-09-22T15:16:00.000-07:002012-09-22T15:16:06.339-07:00Monsters Calling HomeI am totally obsessing over this new band that I found because of a Honda commercial that popped up while I was watching YouTube. Monsters Calling Home is an indie folk band based out of Los Angeles comprised of 6 young Korean Americans that met each other at church. I am not one to typically talk about music very much, but this band really has captured a piece of my heart! Check out the video below of Honda surprising them with a gig on Jimmy Kimmel live!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0Y7AzNj2s28" width="560"></iframe></div>
disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-56333951461245283612012-08-14T22:13:00.000-07:002012-08-14T22:17:07.789-07:00Work on the Mural ContinuesI was trying to get as much of the mural done as possible before summer ends, but I did not nearly get as much done as I was hoping. I calculated that I need to work on it an average of 12 hours a week until I graduate in order to finish, so understandably, I've started to get a little nervous about it. But, I think I should be able to do it. Here are some progress pictures on how the work has been going:<br />
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The Nativity<br />
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Exodus</div>
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Creation and the Flood</div>
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Night & Day</div>
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Fish of the Sea</div>
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Jenna decided to help me by tiling the dove</div>
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Jenna breaking some tile for the dove</div>
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The finished dove!</div>
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Separating the Waters</div>
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Waves almost done!</div>
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Starting the rainbow</div>
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Rainbow and waves without grout</div>
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Grouted!</div>
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I'll keep you all updated as I go!</div>
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<br />disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-60000081875163876542012-08-07T21:25:00.000-07:002012-08-07T21:26:50.846-07:00Water<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This is the sermon I preached this Sunday at Christ Lutheran Church in Fairfax. The text is 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">http://www.earthtimes.org/health/methane-contaminated-drinking-water-confirmed-fracking-wells/818/</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">There's a Kenyan proverb that says, "The Earth
is not a gift from our parents, it's a loan from our children." We have an
awesome responsibility in taking care of this planet. It's the only place in
this entire universe that we know of where we can live, and even if we found
another place, we don't yet have the technology to get there, and God only
knows how long it would take for us to develop it. So we need to be careful
with our planet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">God has charged us to be stewards of the Earth, and
for the first 250,000 years, we've done a pretty good job. But in the past few
decades, some have called our stewardship into question, and protection of the
environment has become a major political issue. We have not been treating the
Earth as if it were on loan to us, to be returned in the same, if not better
condition, in which we inherited it. Some would say that we've been treating it
like it was just another one of our disposable things, to be used up and thrown
away, that we've been squandering it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As the years have gone by, most people have come to
accept the fact that human beings have had a negative impact on the
environment, and that if we don't change our ways things are going to worse. We
hear about the effects of our activities all time: global warming, melting
polar ice caps, the polar bears, pollution, over fishing. But, that's just too
much to talk about in one sermon. So today, I just want to focus on one thing:
water. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Did you know that we're facing a severe water
shortage? Scientists estimate that if things do not change by 2050, many parts
of the world will be in a water crisis, including the Bay Area. Wars will be
fought over water. People will die, not just because they lack the water they
need to survive, but as victims in the battle over this precious resource, that
some have already started to call blue gold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Think about it. Think about how precious water is.
There's no replacement for water. Think about how much we fight over oil. Oil
is not nearly as important to us as water. We've already started developing
alternative energy sources, and if push comes to shove, we can always burn
wood. But we are still fighting over oil. Imagine how much more intense the
fighting would be for water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We've become so accustomed to the availability of
water that we completely take it for granted, except to take something for
granted would involve more thought than we currently give to our water. No one
is saying that we are willfully using water in a wasteful way, but we're not
treating it like the precious resource that it is. We do waste it. It's a sin
of indifference, and we are passing the consequences of this sin onto the
generations that will follow us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, David was no stranger to sin, and his sin in our
reading today was a little bit more blatant than indifference. In the verses
leading up to our reading, David had Uriah sent to the front lines of the
battle for the express purpose of having him killed. Uriah dies, and David
takes his widow, Bathsheba, who is pregnant with David's child, as his wife.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And now, the prophet Nathan has come to him and has
told him this story of a rich man killing a poor man's beloved little ewe-lamb
so that he could feed it to a visitor. And, David is so enraged by this, he
yells, "This man deserves to die!" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Isn't it interesting how quickly David was moved to
rage over the death of a lamb, when he himself had just killed a man so that he
could cover up his adultery? We often find ourselves in situations like this,
where we point out the specks in the eyes of our neighbors while ignoring the
logs sticking out of our own. And then Nathan tells him, that David himself is
that rich man in the story, and David admits his sin. And then, Nathan tells
him, "God has put away your sin; you shall not die." But, it's
strange that the lectionary reading ends here, because in the very next verse,
Nathan tells David that because he has scorned God, the child that he is to
have with Bathsheba will die. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I looked up the Hebrew verb in the last sentence of
our reading because it seemed a little odd. God has "put away" your
sin. This verb "put away," "avar" in the Hebrew, is more
commonly translated in the Bible as "pass over;" it's the same verb
used in the Passover story, when God passes over the homes of the Israelites
during the tenth plague, which was the death of all of the firstborn. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">But sometimes, it can mean that something is being
transferred from one place to another, like when someone passes you the salt at
dinner. If God was "passing over" the sin, then there would be no
punishment required, but if the sin was being "passed on" then
someone would still have to answer for it, and in this story, it's David and
Bathsheba's child.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, I have trouble believing that God would kill
David's child as a punishment for his indiscretion, but I do believe this text
is lifting up the reality that there are consequences for the choices that we
make. That's just the way the world works. If you don't do your homework,
you're not going to get a good grade. If you show up late for work every day,
you're probably going to get fired. If you drive home drunk, there's a chance
you might kill someone. You might even end up killing yourself. And if we as a
society don't take care of this planet that we live on, we're not going to have
much of a planet to pass on to our children. Right now, we are in the very real
danger of passing the consequences of our sins along to the next generation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
average American uses 100 gallons of water every day. The average African
family only uses 5. This number doesn't even take into account the amount of
water that's needed to generate the electricity that the average American uses
every day. 250 gallons of water! That's not hydropower, this isn't electricity
coming from a dam, that's the amount water that's needed to convert gas, oil or
coal into electricity for the daily use of the average American consumer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The last 100 years have been referred to as the
golden age of water, when water was safe, seemingly unlimited, and almost free.
But now, we are coming to an era in which we are not going to have water that
is all three of those things at the same time. Right now, we use purified,
potable water to flush our toilets and water our lawns. It doesn't make any
sense. But, what are we going to do about it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It may seem like we have a lot of control over our
lives, and in some ways, we do. If you wanted to, you could go home right now,
and change everything about the way that you live, and maybe you could cut your
water use in half. But think about it. How many people are there in the United
States? How many people are there in the developed world? Let's say you manage
to save 50,000 gallons of water every year. That's like 3 swimming pools. But
if every other American is using 6 swimming pools of water every year, your 3
swimming pools of water, that's just a drop in the bucket. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And, that's the way that corporate sin works. We're
part of a system. Individually, we each contribute to the problems, but even if
we could pull ourselves out of it, which would be extremely difficult to do, the
machine keeps moving without us. It's almost impossible to stop. It's going to
take something bigger than us to save us from ourselves, something that can
move us as a society. We can change the way that we live and we can talk to
people about changing things on a larger scale, but ultimately we have to allow
the Holy Spirit to work through us, to move us as a community to change the way
that we live. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Luckily, God has shown some interest in us in the
past, and I think that God is already moving to change the way that we do
things. Like the prophet Nathan that was sent to David, so that David would be
forced to face his own sin, scientists and environmental activists have been
working to spread the word of our wasteful nature. The laws are slowly changing,
and people are starting to understand the impacts that their lives are having
on the world around them. None of this would be possible if not for the Holy
Spirit softening our hearts, so that we would listen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Las Vegas is the perfect example. We often look at
this city in the desert as a symbol of decadence and sin. It's the driest of
the of the largest 250 cities in America, and yet, when you walk down the
strip, you will see some of the largest and most elaborate fountains in the
world, lush plantings, a replica of the bay of New York, complete with water
and a pier, and signs tempting visitors inside the casinos where you can see
enormous aquariums filled with sharks and bottle-nose dolphins, in the middle
of the desert.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">But, things are not always as they seem. The city of
Las Vegas has put into place programs that they have developed so that they
could save water. They offer incentives to people encouraging them to pull up
their lawns and replace them with zero water plantings. The golf courses are strictly
limited in the amount of water they can use, and the water that they do use to
water their grass, is grey water. The entire city has systems in place to
recapture water that is used indoors, and they now recycle 94% of that water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It can be done. If it can be done in Las Vegas, then
it can be done in the rest of the world. We just need to change the way that we
think about water, and the way that we use it. If we listen to the modern day
prophets, and maybe even become prophets ourselves, then we can make a
difference, and we can save this world for our children. God didn't make the
Earth only to have us destroy. This beautiful planet is filled with so many
wonders that a person could never hope to see them all in a single lifetime. We
have to preserve it. We need to reverse the turning wheels of our collective
indifference before it is too late, and we pass our sins onto our children. If
we open our hearts and our minds to God, if we start listening to each other
and stop politicizing these issues that affect us all, then we can be the
stewards of the Earth that God expects us to be. And there will be enough water
for everyone. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-2304954990165351882012-08-04T19:40:00.000-07:002012-08-04T19:40:17.846-07:00Once Upon a Time...Here is the sermon I preached last Sunday at Fairfax Community Church. It ends with a poem that I think I may have posted on this blog before. The text is John 6:1-21.<br />
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http://www.leeporterart.com/Hosp-MiracleOfLoaves.html<br />
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Once upon a time,
there was a girl who lived in a lovely little cottage made of gingerbread and
candy. She was always asleep. One day, she woke up, and the candy had mold on
it. Her father blew her a kiss, and the house fell down. The girl started
running, and she realized she was lost. She was on a crowed street, but the
people were made of paper, like paper dolls. She blew them all a kiss goodbye,
and watched as they all flew away.</div>
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Strange as that
story may seem, it's one of my favorites. It's from the TV show My So-Called
Life, which was tragically canceled after being on the air for only one season
when I was in high school. The story was written by Angela Chase, the main
character of the show, as an assignment for her English class. Their regular
English teacher was out and Mr. Racine, who always wore one white sock, and one
black sock, was their eccentric substitute teacher. </div>
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The story may not
seem to make any sense, but it's filled with emotion. As Mr. Racine says in the
episode when the story is read out loud to the class, 'It does better than make
sense. It makes you feel." To this day, My So-called Life remains my
favorite TV show of all time, in no small part because of that story.</div>
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Stories are
important. They help us make to sense of the world, help us to process the way
that we feel about things; they record the great events of our lives, even
though they sometimes do this allegorically. Stories can help us to understand
things that are sometimes too complicated for simple explanation. I think this is
why Jesus told so many parables. He was trying to share things that our minds
could only grasp in story form. Stories have a way of conveying multiple levels
of meaning, with fewer words, almost like a secret code, but a code that's
alive and breathing. Stories survive us. They're around long after we're gone,
telling succeeding generations about who we were, what we stood for, what we
believed.</div>
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Our scripture
reading today tells us the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with five loaves of
bread and two fish. Later in the story Jesus walks on water, and his disciples
are afraid because they think he's a ghost. These stories are filled with
mystery and wonder. We're transported back to an ancient time, when miracles
happened and gods walked the earth. These stories are filled with magic.</div>
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I was drawn to
talk about this passage today precisely because of that magic. I've gone to
church almost every Sunday of my life, and I have to admit that I can't
remember 99.9% of the sermons that I've heard, but I distinctly remember two
different sermons about this passage. The first one was about the feeding of
the 5,000 with the fives loaves of bread and two fish that a little boy had
given them when they were wondering about where to find enough food to feed so
many people. They were up on a mountain, there were no stores nearby, and even
if there were, what store was going to have enough food for 5,000 people? Can
you imagine if you were one of the disciples, and a little boy had come up to
you with his little bag of food to help feed everyone? It's so precious, it's
so sweet, but ultimately useless, because what is five loaves of bread and two
fish against 5,000 people? And so, we come to the miracle. Jesus blesses the
loaves, and he blesses the fish, and they pass the food around, and everyone
gets to eat as much food as they want. And after everyone has eaten their fill,
they collect all of the leftover bits of food, and they fill twelve baskets,
full of food! It's a miracle! Five loaves of bread and two fish fed this horde
of 5,000 people and multiplied to the point that they had leftover food, more
food left over than the amount of food they had started with in the first
place!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But, what happened here?
Exactly what kind of miracle had taken place? Did the food actually multiply,
as the writer of this story seems to imply, or did something else happen? The
person who gave this sermon said that what really happened was that all 5,000
of the people had actually brought food with them, that a person in that time
and place would never go on a journey without bringing along some food, because
there was no guarantee that you'd be able to find food along the way. And,
because there was no guarantee that you'd be able to find food along the way,
you wouldn't just give your food away. You'd keep for yourself, to make sure
that you had enough food to eat for that day, and perhaps for many days to
come. So the real miracle was the fact that Jesus had somehow convinced the
people to let go of their food, to share their food with each other, and come
together as a community. I'm not going to say definitively one way or another
whether or not this is what really happened, because even though it's certainly
possible that this is what happened, it's just not in the text. I makes for a good
story about Jesus inspiring compassion and building community, but just I think
the story looses something when we look at it this way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The other sermon that I heard
had to do with Jesus walking on the water, and maybe some of you have heard
this before, but the person that gave that sermon said that the disciples only
thought they saw Jesus walking on the water, and he was actually just walking
along the shore, or maybe he was walking in the shallows. Why do we do this? We
take two wonderful, magical stories, and we suck all of the wonder out of them.
It's part of our nature, I guess, to try to make sense out of the things we
encounter. We can't allow things to be wondrous, or mystical, because we've
been taught that there is always a rational explanation. It's even worse now
with all of our scientific advances and the level to which we educate
ourselves. We've stopped believing that there could be things that are too
mysterious or wonderful for us to understand. We don't believe in magic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I've always believed in the
power of story, and recently, I've actually started to talk about it. Sometimes
when I'm feeling down or burned out, I'll actually think to myself, "I
need story," and it doesn't matter what form it takes, it can be a movie
or a novel, a TV show, or even a comic book, it doesn't even have to reflect my
life at all, as long as the story is good, it will make me feel better. It will
somehow get inside of me and let me know that everything is going to be okay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And, I don't think I am alone
in this. Stories are pervasive, we're surrounded my story. Storytelling has
endured since the dawn of humankind, and it's not going anywhere. God has given
us an incredible gift. Our minds are capable of such rich and wonderfully
creative stories, and we've been given language to share and record them. This
may be stretching the definition of magic a little, but I do think that stories
are magical, that they heal, they are the tools that God has given us so that
we would be able to create out of nothing, tools that everyone so that we can
connect with each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And with that, I would like to
leave you with a story from my life. The title of this story is: Weed Seed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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In the time before,<o:p></o:p></div>
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When children were playing in the
shadow of a seemingly benevolent tyrant king,<o:p></o:p></div>
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And their mother was too afraid to
do anything about it,<o:p></o:p></div>
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The creator of all the world
decided to bestow unto us a gift,<o:p></o:p></div>
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The gift of indestructible
resilience in the face of insurmountable odds,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And now that tyrant has
decided to become a father,<o:p></o:p></div>
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And although it is far too
late to erase the damage done through years of negligent abuse,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And the fragile earth has
been unmercifully scorched almost beyond repair,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
My siblings and I have
decided,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
That although our gardens
may be too infertile to bear fruit,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
We will collect all the
seeds of our experience and see what we can grow.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But what came up,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Was weeds,<o:p></o:p></div>
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But what is a weed but a
plant growing where someone decided they didn’t want it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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So we have to decided to
want them,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
We have decided to embrace
them all,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Making our gardens lush and
beautiful,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Where my mother’s pink
flamingos and windmill sunflowers have a place to call home,<o:p></o:p></div>
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And my father is free to
harvest his kumquats, and loquats, and jujubes,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Where,<o:p></o:p></div>
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A sparkling musical
waterfall that mists when the wind blows,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Splashes gracefully into a
colorful koi pond that,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Flashes,<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the sunlight,<o:p></o:p></div>
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And while we are all
working in the garden,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Trying to grow as much as
we can,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
There is still the
inevitable weed that needs to be pulled.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not the weeds that we have
embraced as our own,<o:p></o:p></div>
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No! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
These are the overbearing
kind of weeds that grow way too big!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Greedy!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hogging up the sunlight,<o:p></o:p></div>
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With their long sharp
thorns and serrated leaves,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
With sticky brown sap and
bright red fruit,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
That looks pretty,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
But is far too bitter to eat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
These are the weeds that
need to be pulled.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
These are the weeds that
threaten to overrun the garden,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
So with heavy gray suede
garden gloves,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
We grab these at the base
and we pull,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
But the roots of these
weeds are deep,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And if you leave even the
smallest bit of root in the ground,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
The weeds will come back
bigger,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Threatening the serenity
our sacred space,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
But as long as we are
diligent,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
The gardens remain lush and
vibrant,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And the views from the
house will be stunning and beautiful,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And even though sometimes,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
The house itself is just a
bit too dark,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And even though sometimes
the house is just a bit too quiet,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And even though sometimes
you can sometimes hear the echoes of the past threatening to overcome your
fragile sensibilities with overwhelming force,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
You can always escape to
the garden,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Where the sunshine falls
and wipes out all of the shadows,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Even the seemingly
benevolent tyrant ones,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And you can like your
weeds,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And you can eat red fruit,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And you can hold your
stomach and grimace through the pain,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Because, even if the
nourishment is poisonous,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
It’s better than starving
to death.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And since the fruit that
doesn’t kill us makes us stronger,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Since,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
We have somehow managed to
eat it and survive,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
My siblings and I have made
a pact,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
That we will one day raise
our own generation of gardeners,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And their gardens will be
lush and beautiful,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Filled with fruit trees,
vegetables and flowers,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Not weeds,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And our mother will no
longer remain silent,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
But her laughter and
singing will,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Fill the gardens of her
grandchildren,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Even though we have to eat
red fruit to ensure this future,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Even though our hands will
be stained brown by sticky sap,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Bloodied by sharp thorns,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
We will eat the fruit,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
So that they will never
know the taste of bitterness in their mouths,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And we will stain our
hands,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
So that they will never
know the chill,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Of the shadow,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Of a seemingly benevolent
tyrant king falling over them,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And we will bloody
ourselves,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
So that they will never
have to plant weed seed for lack of anything better to plant,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
For we will have eaten all
the bitter red fruit,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And we will grimace through
the pain for them,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And we will not leave even
a single,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Sticky red weed seed to
threaten the serenity of our sacred space,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
And we will bask in the
sunlight.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="line-height: 150%;">
Amen.<o:p></o:p></div>disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-89458577463891559512012-07-28T22:27:00.000-07:002012-07-28T22:27:48.022-07:00Second HalfMy plan this summer was to get as much of the mural done as possible before school starts back up again. Well, I've done some significant work, but not nearly as much as I should have. I can't believe how busy this summer has been, and I don't even have classes right now!<br />
<br />
Anyway, I've sketched everything out for the mural, so that's at least done, and I actually got some tiling done this week.<br />
<br />
<br />
Creation and The Flood<br />
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<br />
<br />
Moses parting the Red Sea<br />
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<br />
<br />
The Nativity scene<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQVZMeoyW1A8wnPxFeobwEXhs6-BdWXAcx1hQGTvrUWXcQ86hNQ_Aq-dzx1ohKzallerTyclNOV2AO6MnAOQsFu_MRwwRiGUXIJuC7dnfuENEhOb2UkIlkCAvNgFcYbqzhzOoInfgPQ9i/s1600/SAM_2485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQVZMeoyW1A8wnPxFeobwEXhs6-BdWXAcx1hQGTvrUWXcQ86hNQ_Aq-dzx1ohKzallerTyclNOV2AO6MnAOQsFu_MRwwRiGUXIJuC7dnfuENEhOb2UkIlkCAvNgFcYbqzhzOoInfgPQ9i/s320/SAM_2485.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
Here is the "Night & Day"section without grout.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVduS1f_eYbJ_WAsubrp-3xHP1brxVqVTJBYstxD6KH_CPAGN8mksV416nZZkDBKHCCfgal6cdQGpV1r_E-nI7G5Yg5ABbXiOIp0bpJbGjbGr2LZbV94f2R6rBiyDrYyVg_C5vn2xmUZA/s1600/SAM_2491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVduS1f_eYbJ_WAsubrp-3xHP1brxVqVTJBYstxD6KH_CPAGN8mksV416nZZkDBKHCCfgal6cdQGpV1r_E-nI7G5Yg5ABbXiOIp0bpJbGjbGr2LZbV94f2R6rBiyDrYyVg_C5vn2xmUZA/s320/SAM_2491.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
Here is is grouted and cleaned up, as well as the fish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Dy_GFD-ndISF47a1BwrIFVOD40w5XjQ18J0GyXY_4Id6s8rKt7q3gtS2PYyFB-iwHuuxYjBiLectnqodqx3KgF0YdKh5tm981FmYMY68ojICx6WPZUSBD0H-AaYPyGTPlypPQpqOGdM-/s1600/SAM_2493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Dy_GFD-ndISF47a1BwrIFVOD40w5XjQ18J0GyXY_4Id6s8rKt7q3gtS2PYyFB-iwHuuxYjBiLectnqodqx3KgF0YdKh5tm981FmYMY68ojICx6WPZUSBD0H-AaYPyGTPlypPQpqOGdM-/s320/SAM_2493.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm going to try to tackle the sky next week, but that's a pretty big section, so we'll see how it goes. I've calculated that I will have to work on the mural an average of 12 hours a week until I graduate, which is A LOT of hours! Thinking about it is making me kind of nervous. I really hope I'll be able to finish it in time. Pray for me!disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-58390466672397985842012-07-19T16:24:00.003-07:002012-07-19T16:32:24.145-07:00Life-giving WaterI realized after writing this that my poetry is kind of dark:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<b>Life-giving water</b></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Night falls and the lights come on,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Overlooking the bay.</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
It's so peaceful.</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Beautiful,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Until morning,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And the machine screams to scald the milk,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
How many children were sacrificed to the pretty lights,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
So that we could sip it extra hot,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
On a sleepy morning,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
With nothing to worry about,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Except where to meet our friends for lunch?</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
But, our roads are paved with the black blood of the dying,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
That we drive over on the way to work,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Where we lead them to the altar of our want,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Never mind that they're not mindless,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
They think much as you or I,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Only we don't think about that,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Because to think is to feel,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And to feel is to act,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And we have only two options,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
To correct the wrongs of our ancestors,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And break the turning wheels of our collective indifference,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Or forget,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Which is the easier way,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
To go back to sipping our lattes,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And not worry about anything that might change us.</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
How hot would they have to be,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
To make us forget their price?</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
We scald our tongues and call it good,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
But that kind of pain's not enough raise the dead.</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And lest you claim the pot and the kettle, </div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
I tell you that I am aware of my sin. </div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Though I partake not of a morning brew, </div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
I won't give it up to live on the streets,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
For I have been given the softer life,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And though my net debt is a degree and a half higher than my net worth, </div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
I can still claim the world's ten percent, </div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
So what do I know?</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
I know my food is cheap,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And my water's clean,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And I like it extra hot in my jasmine green.</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
I am but a single spoke of the wheel,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
But I exert my force, </div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
To keep it going,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And I have to ask,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Is it a choice?</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Because there's always a choice.</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Or at least the illusion of one,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And if we could imagine hard enough,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
That our choices could be different,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Then maybe one day,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
They could be,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
And we would recognize the pleasure of the wheel for what it really is,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
A song of pain,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Not only for the unfortunate ground beneath it's relentless turn,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
But for the spokes,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Bathed in water,</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
That could never be hot enough.</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></div>disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-8622250732878982912012-06-24T13:17:00.001-07:002012-06-24T13:18:13.213-07:00Quote of the DayHere is the sermon I preached today at Christ Lutheran Church:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
Before I came to
seminary, I worked for a company called Nationwide Medical. One day, one of the
owners asked if I'd be willing to put up a "Quote of the Day" on the
board in front of the office. This sounded like it would be a fun, so I agreed,
and that same day, I put up the very first quote. I can’t remember what it was
now, because it was so long ago, but it was probably something that I thought
would be inspiring, something along the lines of Ralph Waldo Emerson saying,
"If you would create something, you must be something." Some kind of
dripping saccharine, super cheesy statement like that, you know, the kind that
you normally find on an inspirational poster or something. It was fun; I liked
doing it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
This went on for a
few weeks, and I would have to find a new quote every day. I started tracking
them on a spreadsheet so that I wouldn't reuse the same quote twice, and then I
just started collecting quotes from all kinds of places, books, magazines, the
Internet, and I added them to the spreadsheet, putting future dates on them so
that each day, I would just have to pull it up, and write the quote on the
board. After doing this for a while, it started to get kind of hard to find new
sources for the daily quote, so I started wondering if there were sources that
I hadn't considered yet. And, this naturally led me to think about the Bible. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Now, Nationwide
Medical was and is a very secular company in a very secular area, not unlike
Marin, so I knew that I couldn't just throw Bible verses up on the board. I had
to pave the way, make sure everyone was prepared for it so it wouldn't be a
complete shock. So, I started looking at the texts of other religious
traditions, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and so on. For some reason I thought
that religions other than Christianity would be less threatening to the
non-religious people of Nationwide Medical. I'd sneak a religious text onto the
board about once a week, and then after about a month of that, I put up a verse
from the Bible. I chose the Old Testament because 2 out of the 3 owners were
Jewish and top of that, there were a lot of Jewish people working there, so I
just thought it would go over better if I left the New Testament out of it, at
least for now. And so I put the Bible verse up, and I held my breath. And at
the end of the day, no one had said anything bad about it. So I thought, okay!
I guess there was nothing to be worried about. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I got a little
more brazen after that. I only waited about a week and a half before I put
another Bible verse on the board. Again, nothing happened, and I thought
everything was fine. But the next day, when I got to work, the office manager
called me into her office, and asked me to close the door. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
"I need to
talk to you," she said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
"Okay,"
I replied, sitting down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
"We've gotten
some complaints about the 'Quote of the day," she said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
"Really?"
I asked. "What are people saying?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
"They're
complaining about the Bible verses being put up on the board."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
At first I thought
she was kidding, because we did joke around with each other sometimes. But
then, I realized she was serious. So, I started to defend myself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
"I'm not just
putting Bible verses on the board," I said. "I put up quotes from
Buddha and Mohammed, too, and the religious quotes that I put up aren't pushing
any kind of religious beliefs, they just happen to come from religious text.
And, I purposely used the Old Testament because those are the same texts that
Jewish people use. And, the vast majority of the quotes are from secular
sources, anyway."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
"Well, people
don't like it," she replied. "They don't want to have religion shoved
in their faces when they come to work."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
"But, I'm not
shoving religion in anyone's face," I argued. "That's the whole
reason I've been using lots of different religions. I'm not favoring one over
the other."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
"It would be
fine if you were just putting this up on your desk," she said, "but
those kinds of things can't be put up in front of the whole office."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
"So, does
that mean we're not having a quote of the day anymore?" I asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
"No, the quote
of the day is fine, you just can put up the religious stuff anymore."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I didn't feel like
there was anything left for me to say at that point, so I just said,
"Fine, I won't put up religious quotes anymore."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
She smiled and
nodded, and I got up and went back to my desk. For a brief time, I had been
given the opportunity to be a source of enlightenment and truth for a small
group of people. But, when I got too close to the truth, that opportunity was
taken away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Our New Testament
reading today tells a similar story. 2 Corinthians is an interesting text, and
there's a lot of debate about it. In fact, very few Biblical scholars believe
that 2 Corinthians is a single letter. Most scholars believe it's actually
multiple letters, somewhere between 2 and 6, that have been chopped up and
rearranged into what we now call 2 Corinthians. The section that our reading is
from today is known as Paul's First Apologia. In it, Paul is writing to defend
himself from people who are trying to take over the church that he had
established in Corinth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
See, it was around
this time that the church was just starting to form, and there were 2 distinct
factions. One group wanted to hold on to the old traditions, the purity code
and the dietary laws. These were the rules that governed every aspect of life,
what you could eat, what you were supposed to wear, the people you could
associate with, all kinds of things. The other faction, the one where Paul was
one of the most prominent leaders, believed that since it is only God's grace that
saves us, the purity code was no longer a requirement for salvation, and new
converts to the faith should not be forced to adhere to them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
The followers of
Paul were being called imposters, unknown, dying, punished, sorrowful, poor,
and having nothing. And so Paul argues with them. He says, "We are not
imposters! We are true!" because they know the truth of God's saving
grace. "We are not unknown!" he says. "We are known,"
because they are part of that community. "We are not dying!" he says.
"We are alive!" because they live in the light of Christ. And even
though they are being punished for who they are and what they believe, they are
not killed, for God was with them. "We are not sorrowful!" he says.
"We are always rejoicing!" because they know the joy of God's love.
"We are not poor!" he says. "We make many rich!" for
through their witness, they are storing riches in heaven. And they posses all
that they need, because they have faith in Jesus Christ.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
These men that
were denouncing Paul were afraid of him. They feared him because he was too
close to the truth and he was drawing people away from the traditions of their
faction, the traditions that brought them comfort, the traditions that brought
them power. These men were not ready to yield that power to a person they
perceived as an outsider, someone who refused to tow the party line. And, the
more people he was able to bring to his way of understanding, the less
influence they had over the followers of Christ. This was a political battle.
This was about power, who had it and who didn't. What Paul was teaching, what
Jesus taught, was too radical. It changed everything, and it meant that they
would have to give up control of their lives and their community to God. This
was huge, to think that they were not in control of their destinies, and that
other people besides those that looked like them and thought like them could be
saved. It was too much, they couldn't handle it, and they refused to believe
it. So they had to remove from power those who were trying to share that
message. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
But, Paul fought
back. And, it wasn't easy, but eventually, he prevailed. Now, no one ever said
being a Christian was easy. In fact it says right in the Bible that those who
follow Christ will be persecuted. And, even though it seems like the ultra
conservative religious right are the ones who are doing the persecuting through
politics and the media, you have to wonder if it's only because they feel
persecuted too, by a society that rejects the base message of what they are
trying to share: that Jesus loves us, that God loves us. And so they lash out,
drawing their communities in on themselves, and creating groups of
"us" and "them." You are imposters. You are unknown. You
are dying.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
It's easier to
follow a set of rules than it is to put our trust in God. And it's easier to be
afraid, than it is to share the Good News when people don't want to hear it.
After I talked to the office manager about the "Quote of the day," I
got really sad. I felt like I was being persecuted for what I believed, for
doing something that I thought was good and fair. But, then I realized that I
have just as much of a right to not have atheism shoved in my face every day
when I come to work, and a "Quote of the day" without equal
representation is exactly that. And, so I went back to the office manager the
next day and I stood up for myself, and I told her that it wasn't fair to
exclude religious text just because some people don't want to see it. And, she
agreed with me. But unfortunately, the only solution to the problem was to no
longer have a "Quote of the day," and that was too bad, because by
then, people had started looking forward to seeing it every day. And it could
have been a good thing, a shared thing that didn't push religion, and didn't push
atheism, but it was too close to the truth, and some people don't like that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I like to think
that I made some kind of difference working at Nationwide Medical. I didn't
always feel comfortable sharing my faith with the people there, because I knew
what a lot of them thought about it. I'll never understand why it's okay to
question a person's sanity or intelligence because they are a person of faith,
but that's the world that we live in. But, everyone there knew that I went to
church every Sunday and that I lead the youth group there. And, they knew that
the only reason I was going to school was so that I could get a degree that
would get me into seminary. And, they knew that I wasn't stupid. They knew me;
I was a part of that community, and they knew that I believed in God. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
We don't have to
beat people over the head with our faith, but it is important that people know
that we do believe. We are the body of Christ; we are true, known, alive,
rejoicing and rich. No one can hide that. We have to let the light of Christ
shine from us so that the whole world can see it and be blessed by it. And, if
we let that light shine brightly enough, it will remove any doubt as to who we
are and who we belong to, for God is with us and God is in us. Let the world
see it. Live for God, as Jesus lives for us. Amen.</div>disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-22902865865786354652012-05-02T13:39:00.001-07:002012-05-02T13:40:32.930-07:00Fairfax Community Church Arts & TalesWe've been doing a Sunday School art program at Fairfax Community Church for a while now and I thought I'd share some of the wonderful art that the kids have been doing. The way the program works is each Sunday, we share a story from the Bible and then collectively work on an art piece together that is somehow connected to the story. We're going to have an art show soon to showcase the wonderful works of art that the children have created!<br />
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Textile Collage<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIBsPMq7ZSE-69tn1tkAQCXo7cePrGnBveFxv4kk9ePTzqTuEh5pNMMxZtypaZrzLiVV0hSG53yv0QF7EPx_lyBHr9VS8AUI7H7hjAIR9Nhd6pJy2aGhD6LhCD02iKtrPxAMpxRRzpq5H/s1600/Lost+Coin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIBsPMq7ZSE-69tn1tkAQCXo7cePrGnBveFxv4kk9ePTzqTuEh5pNMMxZtypaZrzLiVV0hSG53yv0QF7EPx_lyBHr9VS8AUI7H7hjAIR9Nhd6pJy2aGhD6LhCD02iKtrPxAMpxRRzpq5H/s320/Lost+Coin.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tile Mosaic<br />
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Crayon Melting<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjxNwDWRHaxTs3AthPTzeS5ROGQEVpWpZqD3oqGYLs0y9MnRZfJxV2L91tqcORGPs78LfeGp-XhNrSNapvDyfdwpE4cymkdslQUt6BMTta1LIiQsYDgjhCBlicnqznbL6c7cXY4h6k_xG/s1600/Shadrach,+Meshach+&+Abednego.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjxNwDWRHaxTs3AthPTzeS5ROGQEVpWpZqD3oqGYLs0y9MnRZfJxV2L91tqcORGPs78LfeGp-XhNrSNapvDyfdwpE4cymkdslQUt6BMTta1LIiQsYDgjhCBlicnqznbL6c7cXY4h6k_xG/s320/Shadrach,+Meshach+&+Abednego.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Spirit Sticks<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqJsF4ZsAJ5vdcpTjnIJcgrotM7DJEkqoxOyoN8g0-j8BE4zJ2ysO_PXVY5VU1yERus7KdjgdvjKTO9yeo23hkFlgu9j7HGME_F2SNrVbTAZ34u-WeTQlpRyUUbuTIz5aisZU9lIAsmu4/s1600/Desert+Staff.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqJsF4ZsAJ5vdcpTjnIJcgrotM7DJEkqoxOyoN8g0-j8BE4zJ2ysO_PXVY5VU1yERus7KdjgdvjKTO9yeo23hkFlgu9j7HGME_F2SNrVbTAZ34u-WeTQlpRyUUbuTIz5aisZU9lIAsmu4/s320/Desert+Staff.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-74077400385179356542012-03-07T21:15:00.005-08:002012-03-07T22:22:54.750-08:00Home Cooking Cited as Cause of Diabetes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxUZXfj1LFVeNQ9W_7UzX683OxWHwXoVtHXWoPGVNiapJrw-ikgLOl3B1wNQx7sr96ZGi_Qpt3eDcDNobQmpguSzgVe85_VcjAHZZe9GBf4kRECN2pNI2IsQMnqz_6YESM8hiEjer74Zg/s1600/sugar.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxUZXfj1LFVeNQ9W_7UzX683OxWHwXoVtHXWoPGVNiapJrw-ikgLOl3B1wNQx7sr96ZGi_Qpt3eDcDNobQmpguSzgVe85_VcjAHZZe9GBf4kRECN2pNI2IsQMnqz_6YESM8hiEjer74Zg/s400/sugar.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717396980520847634" /></a><br />Many of you may know that I do food demonstrations for the Fairfax food bank as part of my internship. One of the main reasons that I do this is that I think it changes the atmosphere of the food bank. For some people, the need to ask for help at a food bank brings with it a sense of shame. American society teaches us that asking for help means that we're somehow not good enough. We're expected to be able to take care of ourselves. Sometimes, this idea is enough to keep people away who are in real need.<div><br /></div><div>By having food demonstrations, going to the food bank becomes more like a trip to Trader Joe's or Costco. It adds an element of fun and people really look forward to seeing what's cooking each week. There are practical reasons as well. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what to do with the food that comes every week. I try to cook foods that people wouldn't necessarily think of making, like latkes or roasted cabbage with cream sauce. It's important that people actually use the food that they get or there's no point, and if people are able to create something delicious, I think it also helps with self esteem. People get a real sense of accomplishment when they are successful with a new recipe and that feeling can extend to other areas of their lives. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes, we get a ton of one thing, say cauliflower, and so I cook something using that ingredient to sort of push the item. People are more likely to take food items if they have an idea of what they can do with them.</div><div><br /></div><div>The reason I'm telling you all of this is because I had a meeting today in which I was told that I should no longer use sugar in my cooking because of the high rate of diabetes in Fairfax. To give you perspective, the typical amount of sugar in one of my dishes would be something along the lines of 1 tablespoon of sugar to 2 heads of broccoli, 5 carrots and an onion. Ratios like this are not going to cause diabetes in anyone anytime soon. Sugar is an important part of cooking. It's important to have a balance of flavors in dishes in order to make them taste good. If people have the tools to make nutritious food that also tastes good, they will be less likely to eat fast food or processed foods, which are the actual cause of diabetes.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't understand this reactionary stance that people take when they think something is a problem. Are a few men drinking away their family's savings? Prohibition is the answer! Unemployment on the rise? Then legislation making illegal to help undocumented people what you need! Diabetes becoming a problem? Make nutritious home-cooked food not taste as good, increasing the allure of foods that are the actual problem.</div><div><br /></div><div>Does this kind of thinking actually ever solve anything? Maybe we need to go back to electroshock therapy and lobotomies to help people with mental problems. </div><div><br /></div><div>Why is it always the people with the loudest voices that have the power? Why are we so afraid of logic and reason? Perhaps I have become a victim of the fallout surrounding Paula Dean and her announcement that she has diabetes.</div><div><br /></div><div>This world is just way too confusing sometimes. We focus so much on petty little things, like our disagreements over whether or not same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, or that 1 tablespoon of sugar in an entire pot of food that we forget that every 4 seconds, somewhere in the world, a child dies from poverty. There are wars, murder & rape happening all over the world every day, and the number of people that don't have clean water to drink is mind boggling. Did you know that we as a human race are on schedule to have a severe water shortage in about 50 years?</div><div><br /></div><div>Wake up, people! There are real problems in the world, and the more we focus on little inconsequential issues, the less effective we are at following Jesus Christ's instructions to heal the sick and feed the hungry. I don't see God acting in these kinds of behaviors, and yet I am forced to deal with them because my voice is too small. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've decided to start blogging again to be a small voice of reason amidst the cacophony of noise out there in the world, so expect to see one of these about every week or so. It may not make much of a difference, but I think I have a responsibility to try.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, I'm going to the store to buy some stevia. </div>disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-16980575678386213052012-03-01T15:37:00.009-08:002012-03-01T16:06:25.012-08:00Art & ChapelWe had a great chapel service today that involved using our creativity to worship God. The congregation came together to create art as a way of worshipping, and we ended up with a couple of neat pieces that we'll be able to display at the school.<div><br /></div><div>Here's what the chancel looked like before we started:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmOrL_AqhrwGIcIlKajmVv-Dvk6H6EmgRNsAnfdpZj3Wxo0Amq-hXbLigaxDH6aRRxI7I16DwsvZU5JuzmpED-_Cs3M7lNaxRAcq25LyT0X7yd9OGx9tzfQrgQAWJh0AmuhVSWXJNJlkX/s1600/art+before.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmOrL_AqhrwGIcIlKajmVv-Dvk6H6EmgRNsAnfdpZj3Wxo0Amq-hXbLigaxDH6aRRxI7I16DwsvZU5JuzmpED-_Cs3M7lNaxRAcq25LyT0X7yd9OGx9tzfQrgQAWJh0AmuhVSWXJNJlkX/s400/art+before.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715078958501053410" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Our palate. The projected consisted of gluing scraps of cloth and written prayers to two canvases.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVo4HRgApWSht5ReQH7oC7ZUj8Bb8Os2w3EK2MUln9xL68PbegZCJrP8Yv1NmgwXCmRgEfME6zqESjUYhMHp54ctY_W3URV4zI9_pcvL1xLlZC0ya6zWGBAVD4vZXfrCixLANW-_ss8B-/s1600/art+palate.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVo4HRgApWSht5ReQH7oC7ZUj8Bb8Os2w3EK2MUln9xL68PbegZCJrP8Yv1NmgwXCmRgEfME6zqESjUYhMHp54ctY_W3URV4zI9_pcvL1xLlZC0ya6zWGBAVD4vZXfrCixLANW-_ss8B-/s400/art+palate.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715079493719489858" /></a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The works in progress.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYECBYN9_RJDKva9-kRsJ4v-hzUe35g9fvmpfdJLPTP4OAt3JfYwFPeRYAPpoIoH8Krh5y2wT1nUCjR7PZVwl9W9cy16NsrWVOA822lpUITEFfkkQHDCYcE6U3KOPOhBRygTWi6reqnDlL/s1600/art+1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYECBYN9_RJDKva9-kRsJ4v-hzUe35g9fvmpfdJLPTP4OAt3JfYwFPeRYAPpoIoH8Krh5y2wT1nUCjR7PZVwl9W9cy16NsrWVOA822lpUITEFfkkQHDCYcE6U3KOPOhBRygTWi6reqnDlL/s400/art+1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715080510719226754" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVhE3o8Hfu-LtTOwuIPY73Iew5k1-C5jCzjGZjfgaAhviwhP9j4_Xf4oLxIgo2s0CVCTR24IbRQcnBoLUVoVZpvJNZuV46NOgJDCbVHWGRHgGfXHTENmEUqhkVGr8YTuKMRjlyGUabfuw/s1600/art+2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVhE3o8Hfu-LtTOwuIPY73Iew5k1-C5jCzjGZjfgaAhviwhP9j4_Xf4oLxIgo2s0CVCTR24IbRQcnBoLUVoVZpvJNZuV46NOgJDCbVHWGRHgGfXHTENmEUqhkVGr8YTuKMRjlyGUabfuw/s400/art+2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715080500468532642" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3xouPefv-o3roV2RhHlbEV5Scvi4sZvw9lSbO0mzdLB3lOAI1HHnv_DHN76UcvCYkqs7VhjVPR9_npIm7jWs1cT-MurhwKItsHkcRccbN3YVNs5ja1g-4xaudkVbo86cpH_F9oGdWJ3o/s1600/art+3.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3xouPefv-o3roV2RhHlbEV5Scvi4sZvw9lSbO0mzdLB3lOAI1HHnv_DHN76UcvCYkqs7VhjVPR9_npIm7jWs1cT-MurhwKItsHkcRccbN3YVNs5ja1g-4xaudkVbo86cpH_F9oGdWJ3o/s400/art+3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715080491880710162" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8sO5I6ZsI5DXHg-5JmCdganUnqZjH2Mkz9YnAqiKsBe1OyE6O0aXcRe_KjRGsMmM_BDm_FtVKaUkTbMoOnpxYMlJWl4LAFtZyXvqXKZEMQf16h-6NRZ1zNobJZ9WsPZySgbS15keKAELL/s1600/art+4.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8sO5I6ZsI5DXHg-5JmCdganUnqZjH2Mkz9YnAqiKsBe1OyE6O0aXcRe_KjRGsMmM_BDm_FtVKaUkTbMoOnpxYMlJWl4LAFtZyXvqXKZEMQf16h-6NRZ1zNobJZ9WsPZySgbS15keKAELL/s400/art+4.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715080487029980146" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The chancel after the service.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyS1sEVT3jPVXo5Lc_Y17NDyep6hjG9U3ke1pczaf3rb2C3_PQ47IGhjmAGTHSRVzSf023wE9FsT_sj49RrWaKgwv7CQJd8m9PUtPotJse6AlJlEkFDqzO3pPBTmCSS9hbstVIxVvbJSln/s1600/art+after.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyS1sEVT3jPVXo5Lc_Y17NDyep6hjG9U3ke1pczaf3rb2C3_PQ47IGhjmAGTHSRVzSf023wE9FsT_sj49RrWaKgwv7CQJd8m9PUtPotJse6AlJlEkFDqzO3pPBTmCSS9hbstVIxVvbJSln/s400/art+after.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715081143538973122" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Finished art piece #1</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2b9Ci_BDRXWvgnWStpfuXiadksmPg3CHcjhBxZMWLfi0jkxqXUp0UwK947HHNuQgSwG7n8wbQPJi0A1kOSMH_81D02xH4hlN1OUQhGAS3iJ02u3qJcFxTeqK8kOhfXGN1ceJQjdV7mC4/s1600/art+finished+1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2b9Ci_BDRXWvgnWStpfuXiadksmPg3CHcjhBxZMWLfi0jkxqXUp0UwK947HHNuQgSwG7n8wbQPJi0A1kOSMH_81D02xH4hlN1OUQhGAS3iJ02u3qJcFxTeqK8kOhfXGN1ceJQjdV7mC4/s400/art+finished+1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715081747513144914" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Finished art piece #2</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzu-dLsmKG01hu7qZcbddSRF6SOgUJHnZ-eAulGRpJ3CBwyXJBUpE7mMBdRXyIyt8cnNX8CT5VdOOJ1O8h0o0bc7ojRx5_Y0zsoabPAZ_QmzZ85SchL-apfilw6DAyWtP9PWfNHVFvs77/s1600/art+finished+2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzu-dLsmKG01hu7qZcbddSRF6SOgUJHnZ-eAulGRpJ3CBwyXJBUpE7mMBdRXyIyt8cnNX8CT5VdOOJ1O8h0o0bc7ojRx5_Y0zsoabPAZ_QmzZ85SchL-apfilw6DAyWtP9PWfNHVFvs77/s400/art+finished+2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715082115627456834" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We did this as part of our weekly Worship Lab series, where we try to explore different ways of worshipping God in chapel on Thursdays. So far, we've had a drum circle...</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBN59vFx8z3YTIBQjAnN7MNshqogbhJn4XE_7CExBhhvAdo76Fx4ES006Rds9V5q7qPgQ5GqbGlvuazTpQlC5Pzg5NUJzWk-Y3YGgOtgXYBUvOa4cNOFAC2Fj9fLROySNp3-xaopW3H7j9/s1600/SAM_2407.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBN59vFx8z3YTIBQjAnN7MNshqogbhJn4XE_7CExBhhvAdo76Fx4ES006Rds9V5q7qPgQ5GqbGlvuazTpQlC5Pzg5NUJzWk-Y3YGgOtgXYBUvOa4cNOFAC2Fj9fLROySNp3-xaopW3H7j9/s400/SAM_2407.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715083978166090338" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qYNBiQIpev5r8-htbqXbwVld07piuuOnpMR4WLNyEcf-xuVZDye_5IcLqXs-X4TiosFGvVUS5bXPy1XoeIDSRP8ZbwnhLEYXfSIpKEZyT9xLn4Q6X_157sWIcReEFqvC8EI0BvTZSpzp/s1600/SAM_2403.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qYNBiQIpev5r8-htbqXbwVld07piuuOnpMR4WLNyEcf-xuVZDye_5IcLqXs-X4TiosFGvVUS5bXPy1XoeIDSRP8ZbwnhLEYXfSIpKEZyT9xLn4Q6X_157sWIcReEFqvC8EI0BvTZSpzp/s400/SAM_2403.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715083972114238034" /></a></div><div>a serviced based on the Iona community in Scotland, and a service where we sang songs written by one of the students. This Worship Lab idea has really forced us to stretch ourselves when it comes to doing weekly worship services, and It has been really fun! I look forward to seeing what else we will do in the coming semester!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-43307590200182822842012-02-21T23:06:00.005-08:002012-02-21T23:16:01.284-08:00Theological PoetryI had to write a poem for my UCC History & Theology class today. Part of the readings were a bunch of poems written by Anne Bradstreet, a 17th century poet. I had never written a poem using a bunch of "thee's" and "thou's" before, and I had Anne Bradstreet on the brain, so I decided to give it a shot. Here's what I came up with... <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>I Hear Thy Calling Whilst I Sleep</b><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <b><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I hear thy calling whilst I sleep,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Thy voice so soft it touchest me,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Whilst in a quiet slumber deep,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And lest for thee alone I be.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Thine work wouldst thou to make mine own,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And to make it mine what joy 'twould be,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For on this sphere thine heart was sown,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And grows it well for aught to see.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">But covers o'er the commons eye,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And muffled be their ear,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">'Tis naught but lace to mask a sigh,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And naught to cover truth but fear.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">So call me now, to spread thine love,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">To move the cloth from curtain'd eye,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">To let shine thy light from high above,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Thy truths upon their heads shall lie.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">And swell it must in portion grow,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">'Till all the world does see thee true,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And every voice cry high and low,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For thine works of glory all shalt do.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I heard thine call in midst of night,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And 'fore 'twas not thine life for me,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But heedest I thine word of light,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And now have peace and love in thee.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-46954391386317719782012-01-31T16:30:00.000-08:002012-01-31T16:52:56.449-08:00Pour PaintingI started a new monthly art class for kids, as part of my internship at Fairfax Community Church. Our first class was this past Sunday, and we did a "Pour Painting" or "Tall Painting" art project to kick off the program. You basically take different colors of paint and then pour them on top of a pedestal that's been anchored onto some kind of platform. <div><br /></div><div>I saw this first on YouTube and thought it would be a great first project for the class. Here's the video by artist Holton Rower:</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/d6egUsZvWu4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>It was really fun and the kids had a blast.<div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJQSB5ZX473bY2GB5u8GIGiGBSJr6gbCk8FsQXExtnIPMHfZZK4j9HnSbDB83pfeAkcWaccDsp6B-p_z9TYeg30VUmJ4XwRJwXQ3cO542Bdml4HtNA5bvxKgq8gFZqCsfwvIMayI95rL1/s1600/Paint+Gilda.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJQSB5ZX473bY2GB5u8GIGiGBSJr6gbCk8FsQXExtnIPMHfZZK4j9HnSbDB83pfeAkcWaccDsp6B-p_z9TYeg30VUmJ4XwRJwXQ3cO542Bdml4HtNA5bvxKgq8gFZqCsfwvIMayI95rL1/s400/Paint+Gilda.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703962897095614962" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv_lXkzATgS-IEJABM9wVWiGtqZm6zFBUzN0emDhH0JHETYSkMD6Xmk2mya0xTKWhZKxs7XbzUZIl3MuRfxtTlm7WIvP1OTJQw8M-1ikoUQd3Lqyo2XncsUfrLkcxJ7iHYEuJUTaHOP2-/s1600/paint+hands.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv_lXkzATgS-IEJABM9wVWiGtqZm6zFBUzN0emDhH0JHETYSkMD6Xmk2mya0xTKWhZKxs7XbzUZIl3MuRfxtTlm7WIvP1OTJQw8M-1ikoUQd3Lqyo2XncsUfrLkcxJ7iHYEuJUTaHOP2-/s400/paint+hands.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703962890264670514" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy5WvIe4fXyOG10Q1K3Mn9q5V8VGdWbAkRXTQj-tUX4XsY-OhrpKXAupugkJibx4gAebZHFkEAkkh91WjkFpOZubu-EdSsokriSnJXsjHn-3K-Ws7HUFlSOBSh4LGf45x5vLoHtTFBE0t/s1600/paint+1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy5WvIe4fXyOG10Q1K3Mn9q5V8VGdWbAkRXTQj-tUX4XsY-OhrpKXAupugkJibx4gAebZHFkEAkkh91WjkFpOZubu-EdSsokriSnJXsjHn-3K-Ws7HUFlSOBSh4LGf45x5vLoHtTFBE0t/s400/paint+1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703962877362343090" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyCL2aQsSwl3GDPhyzgGmptqy0r6PWjznchtaSjbgbbb2NYdaUG01-yoZLgjQqczYlZzirz2O_Frg2p263-6D71ezdQd4PGNlTZKQBxzF780Qcqk5g55SZDhGRpA9vXkUlZgM_pUl8BxM/s1600/paint+2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyCL2aQsSwl3GDPhyzgGmptqy0r6PWjznchtaSjbgbbb2NYdaUG01-yoZLgjQqczYlZzirz2O_Frg2p263-6D71ezdQd4PGNlTZKQBxzF780Qcqk5g55SZDhGRpA9vXkUlZgM_pUl8BxM/s400/paint+2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703962872959816370" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2WqwfPXK7zyPAcED8AGczL3ysUttT7TsFWvxVUMjq2LxMDIK4uHgCBzuhMY8WjkhwI3CTKBk1wuBRbn5XwTBa5AqQmNQyuTQATCStp0ywgOCjrB7bTWi10dAtCygPjsZ4i3xblXH4fUm/s1600/paint+3.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2WqwfPXK7zyPAcED8AGczL3ysUttT7TsFWvxVUMjq2LxMDIK4uHgCBzuhMY8WjkhwI3CTKBk1wuBRbn5XwTBa5AqQmNQyuTQATCStp0ywgOCjrB7bTWi10dAtCygPjsZ4i3xblXH4fUm/s400/paint+3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703962867967684850" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGXE-Rum2jgnsqQWZuKupFechOx4-McfYGO-NcN-b2sLLCy7YucS6mXxmtkCxL3LcZl_4QT1qopNmQwYssY-09UXtqINVUvFQNyDBW5Nvoq8nPngPhCjrTvicFr4_-KCQML6rLYtZcyQP/s1600/paint+4.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGXE-Rum2jgnsqQWZuKupFechOx4-McfYGO-NcN-b2sLLCy7YucS6mXxmtkCxL3LcZl_4QT1qopNmQwYssY-09UXtqINVUvFQNyDBW5Nvoq8nPngPhCjrTvicFr4_-KCQML6rLYtZcyQP/s400/paint+4.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703960811279209970" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyC1ev7OPWMfzEi0eb4L53AIel-xcnBGW6eHapUZ7kceFGm7JBWUG5CGOodySnhpzLySD46_dEbqE-qKQPtJOZYeYd1nc7Xha8-VY7nbbW6YQ_Qe2UA8_iZtnCqg8ceb3G7wqiXzMRMP2T/s1600/paint+5.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyC1ev7OPWMfzEi0eb4L53AIel-xcnBGW6eHapUZ7kceFGm7JBWUG5CGOodySnhpzLySD46_dEbqE-qKQPtJOZYeYd1nc7Xha8-VY7nbbW6YQ_Qe2UA8_iZtnCqg8ceb3G7wqiXzMRMP2T/s400/paint+5.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703960802410153938" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3j3OMQSSwXpsFgzVQuyQ5RZwKktBVpRCfOVY1WF3SOFFloL0scpxGQgT59gWnfNnZX3-pBLeuck6wijxekI7496IMznLGLsMw72Su2JeUzjI7DPQEBHWG01I2FEMoZZNSmzaQ2o6btLlx/s1600/paint+6.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3j3OMQSSwXpsFgzVQuyQ5RZwKktBVpRCfOVY1WF3SOFFloL0scpxGQgT59gWnfNnZX3-pBLeuck6wijxekI7496IMznLGLsMw72Su2JeUzjI7DPQEBHWG01I2FEMoZZNSmzaQ2o6btLlx/s400/paint+6.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703960794280792882" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsa8EYjDmMwEktgVIKr33CqimbQrg6iQnD_fNUlqtbVVyjovPP93eJB95Ru9oeNitHroelq3KT7zcMGWpU8EVD9N70-xy9xSPjnlGnS7D5i6-rFzislD5R4e7KMQQcpI4K7bGyu5abtNM/s1600/paint+7.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsa8EYjDmMwEktgVIKr33CqimbQrg6iQnD_fNUlqtbVVyjovPP93eJB95Ru9oeNitHroelq3KT7zcMGWpU8EVD9N70-xy9xSPjnlGnS7D5i6-rFzislD5R4e7KMQQcpI4K7bGyu5abtNM/s400/paint+7.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703960792680594306" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjUPi_dqL9aF7klw4GPEi4Lw_XFjFMBOhOu-vI7wjRRPai5A7eTLN_zsulmHaXUpFT3rsfhy7TJxg_2rVkYNJFd3bUHyiqJlJAkUucHA8Y37GJecUPTGgTARmXaTO4Vo1UNRsa56tbD7W/s1600/paint+8.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjUPi_dqL9aF7klw4GPEi4Lw_XFjFMBOhOu-vI7wjRRPai5A7eTLN_zsulmHaXUpFT3rsfhy7TJxg_2rVkYNJFd3bUHyiqJlJAkUucHA8Y37GJecUPTGgTARmXaTO4Vo1UNRsa56tbD7W/s400/paint+8.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703960768573243890" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Next month will be "The Art of Storytelling," where we'll incorporate visuals and dance in telling the story of the Israelites wandering in the desert.<br /><div><br /></div></div></div>disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-70088235920682194442012-01-04T14:59:00.000-08:002012-01-04T15:09:33.759-08:00Abraham Lincoln's Profile in the MountainsIf you ever find yourself on the 23 freeway driving down towards the 101, you may notice the profile of a pretty well-known United States president in the mountain range in front of you. I remember many a morning, driving down this freeway on my way to work, seeing the profile, and saying, "Morning, Abe!" It became a favorite ritual of mine, and I would always try to point it out if there were people in the car with me. <div><br /></div><div>I wondered if other people had ever noticed this before, and so I tried to do a Google search, but I came up empty-handed. So, since I think this profile in the mountain thing is pretty cool, I went for a drive today and tried to find a spot where I could take a good picture of it. Now, a picture cannot compare to the real thing, and I don't have the best camera in the world, but I think the pictures came out okay.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTi3UvqdTNpXcZzGttudOvWfWcZvRlL-jXpuFkxtMejdN-d-B5sKhnFKM3dYOG1KZ66pNNI_9hOVokweseh2sPQfBVMgiQiQAcO1SnCdjaQp9Iu4sYDEsGcoMA7EnuTTyWZYxYN0Z3mIY8/s1600/Abe+2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTi3UvqdTNpXcZzGttudOvWfWcZvRlL-jXpuFkxtMejdN-d-B5sKhnFKM3dYOG1KZ66pNNI_9hOVokweseh2sPQfBVMgiQiQAcO1SnCdjaQp9Iu4sYDEsGcoMA7EnuTTyWZYxYN0Z3mIY8/s400/Abe+2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693917380875197234" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVq5d6WN5NsP263Lt8LdgkAIjdtPHzC0ACxZn2ewss1YUnHstBx7F4VxAEaesavLbhyphenhyphenVeQcSacdlXWwHTNTRM0mS5x9o6sVST3JZGhNCfqpJJoctg2eqUaTdXble3lycRWdruEXsqCexY/s1600/Abe+1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVq5d6WN5NsP263Lt8LdgkAIjdtPHzC0ACxZn2ewss1YUnHstBx7F4VxAEaesavLbhyphenhyphenVeQcSacdlXWwHTNTRM0mS5x9o6sVST3JZGhNCfqpJJoctg2eqUaTdXble3lycRWdruEXsqCexY/s400/Abe+1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693917374996081874" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>For some reason, the pictures came out kind of flat, so it seems like Abe is turning away from you, but I still think it looks like him.</div><div><br /></div><div>What do you think?</div>disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-29953646177210005512011-12-14T15:32:00.000-08:002011-12-14T16:11:54.555-08:00Liturgical ArtI just finished putting up the liturgical art for the season at Fairfax Community Church, where I'm doing one of my internship. The pastor, Rev. Katharine Harts, wanted some kind of structure that we could hang things off of, sort of like a wooden grid, but not ugly like a grid. As I was perusing the items at Goodwill for inspiration, I had the idea that a large branch would be perfect! But, it had to be the right size and have a pleasing shape. Where to find such a branch?<div><br /></div><div>The next time I ran into Katharine, I told her about my idea, and she told me that a moving van had just hit one of the trees in the parking lot the day before and broken off one of the branches! She took me outside to go look at it, and they were perfect! There was a nice big one that we could hang in the middle of the chancel, and two slightly smaller ones we could hang off to the sides. We figured out when the moving van must have hit the tree, and we realized that it was right when the idea had come to me to use branches! It's one of those weird coincidences that I have a hard time believing is just a coincidence. Sometimes, God has a strange sense of humor.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I finished hanging everything up today, and I think it turned out very nice! The pictures don't do that great of a job conveying how the artwork occupies the space, so if you want to see what it really looks like, stop by for a Sunday morning worship service sometime this month!</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTohSqetd3ElDz1tvdwSKVfHUr0L1_zVIzn2kai6Dxwh2Bh28gyMC2nSjaJ8pIBZp1u80PCUVx1QPfp0naUVeY3YkCXSAOMI-cjGEFiH_whOTkdCuEMGCVM8HSlkQmIQZ8Mw_7Ila4ZQ4z/s1600/branch+1+%2526+2a.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTohSqetd3ElDz1tvdwSKVfHUr0L1_zVIzn2kai6Dxwh2Bh28gyMC2nSjaJ8pIBZp1u80PCUVx1QPfp0naUVeY3YkCXSAOMI-cjGEFiH_whOTkdCuEMGCVM8HSlkQmIQZ8Mw_7Ila4ZQ4z/s400/branch+1+%2526+2a.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686140927859174642" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh_OQCEP3ws8rPHp9HebG1xImzJFLQFAqZIrFCqUeEbZXQzF-9OpjgsB4O2bznXrkIOkuRDLCwWJBK9j1-9qOzU-zWt33-iG_dEjglXD-kpjQfgbwhB55xmonl0q5CVxuSQFUACdIv3Z4/s1600/branch+1+%2526+2b.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh_OQCEP3ws8rPHp9HebG1xImzJFLQFAqZIrFCqUeEbZXQzF-9OpjgsB4O2bznXrkIOkuRDLCwWJBK9j1-9qOzU-zWt33-iG_dEjglXD-kpjQfgbwhB55xmonl0q5CVxuSQFUACdIv3Z4/s400/branch+1+%2526+2b.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686140922141058642" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5iNWpPEB4FYPfyg3pCb-Pt39fS23pBHgeVnteoMrlzDYOVednHv18BY-H1WCZ1VZAp5kmb7vL1Tr18nuD0hC-Y_8OIDZVEYH5Du7fxvVw9R88cm3dKcydGcCYTqwKAV0jsc8IcD31uiX/s1600/branch+2a.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5iNWpPEB4FYPfyg3pCb-Pt39fS23pBHgeVnteoMrlzDYOVednHv18BY-H1WCZ1VZAp5kmb7vL1Tr18nuD0hC-Y_8OIDZVEYH5Du7fxvVw9R88cm3dKcydGcCYTqwKAV0jsc8IcD31uiX/s400/branch+2a.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686140913778580946" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNamK5-R-BXbV6OBymbt58dT0WH61UWL-8EMdP0IRBSlunOSt0O3sHkq9XG9Gy7wAQTDEtFwYcNu5hBmHdheB-PW9r_M5LEsFuxkqCq9qf9K4Ab5NGE_jwjLQwja46chK7ykRaAWhueLGZ/s1600/branch+2c.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNamK5-R-BXbV6OBymbt58dT0WH61UWL-8EMdP0IRBSlunOSt0O3sHkq9XG9Gy7wAQTDEtFwYcNu5hBmHdheB-PW9r_M5LEsFuxkqCq9qf9K4Ab5NGE_jwjLQwja46chK7ykRaAWhueLGZ/s400/branch+2c.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686140901582150290" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCK_PiLLOsMRMNrpLaijkrQoATndolwuJywAe0E1Neo_kRqGqpawhR9abPTrO2ZNFT3MZbCQqTT9P88vpyn1Kt2Sx26M3L9GOcBj10-XQBZWYL-5yv9Yr3MOCm7uUr9M0N3WdFQVpSFr0Z/s1600/branch+2d.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCK_PiLLOsMRMNrpLaijkrQoATndolwuJywAe0E1Neo_kRqGqpawhR9abPTrO2ZNFT3MZbCQqTT9P88vpyn1Kt2Sx26M3L9GOcBj10-XQBZWYL-5yv9Yr3MOCm7uUr9M0N3WdFQVpSFr0Z/s400/branch+2d.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686140897941961122" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCcKQAuypY213a_cS646mdnPbZRjJWuG67Nw4uxMZ8S7FmwxwIVOVabck7hqdt5dJl9r3kz16UrHOIBkTdJh-fAMuRGa-doEn3AHBWbbBO09v5WHgE_xtSuPvg-ZFIBmyHRSJuMN6SrxG/s1600/branch+2e.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCcKQAuypY213a_cS646mdnPbZRjJWuG67Nw4uxMZ8S7FmwxwIVOVabck7hqdt5dJl9r3kz16UrHOIBkTdJh-fAMuRGa-doEn3AHBWbbBO09v5WHgE_xtSuPvg-ZFIBmyHRSJuMN6SrxG/s400/branch+2e.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686139602472265010" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjy4U7EiQdjDq8gwN4HkHTZgwIsZq6WL6OGMqWoVPPDHolowpA7U0gSYrfcnQXtYOeR1EfznSsVmvPuerwfGWQN8sHqRcqk12iUnW6afk6x0W93dtwQcpajqrGGsVVGbfr6Cw4afQDJw9/s1600/branch+2g.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjy4U7EiQdjDq8gwN4HkHTZgwIsZq6WL6OGMqWoVPPDHolowpA7U0gSYrfcnQXtYOeR1EfznSsVmvPuerwfGWQN8sHqRcqk12iUnW6afk6x0W93dtwQcpajqrGGsVVGbfr6Cw4afQDJw9/s400/branch+2g.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686139599186229618" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuw_buuW54MR6iAMkZhB3JjGbeigKwyz4brrf4eskq4IVmcmvDZFnFMIDCd0X-jdvP3WkJwBixTGymVTzDHX8BfANO3hW2j11ft8ksBKF9RyXrSl7Qdr7blbU0xvTJVT5hC0CDwtV-UK5E/s1600/branch+2i.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuw_buuW54MR6iAMkZhB3JjGbeigKwyz4brrf4eskq4IVmcmvDZFnFMIDCd0X-jdvP3WkJwBixTGymVTzDHX8BfANO3hW2j11ft8ksBKF9RyXrSl7Qdr7blbU0xvTJVT5hC0CDwtV-UK5E/s400/branch+2i.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686139587784133266" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQBkjrppX4nP2brokOIbPZprB2YR_VaR-lCpy9fz7vagXSQnxaEsFLwxZQXEM6SA3y-GHPUTHzKUvnUokn6V4r432lkw8V-A5mE7wC9PI90T-IqRlkDTU5xrxF5aoB262z3xbZK7MwaMh/s1600/branch+2j.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQBkjrppX4nP2brokOIbPZprB2YR_VaR-lCpy9fz7vagXSQnxaEsFLwxZQXEM6SA3y-GHPUTHzKUvnUokn6V4r432lkw8V-A5mE7wC9PI90T-IqRlkDTU5xrxF5aoB262z3xbZK7MwaMh/s400/branch+2j.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686139581527040210" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGbn8o8t8AnG6o49q8HeN9ylwyN4iazanSNKXvFUf_2L5qpHewJV7SSjwG2LWuQMimT2QoDdW2_B8Vn5QtuVzGvvOjYeap29IRMxk_xpbaXe87GQkMyhIpuySidwVyA1WTaTfKy0lxo9b/s1600/branch+3a.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGbn8o8t8AnG6o49q8HeN9ylwyN4iazanSNKXvFUf_2L5qpHewJV7SSjwG2LWuQMimT2QoDdW2_B8Vn5QtuVzGvvOjYeap29IRMxk_xpbaXe87GQkMyhIpuySidwVyA1WTaTfKy0lxo9b/s400/branch+3a.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686139574764429762" /></a>disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-36408091641365765052011-12-05T18:52:00.000-08:002011-12-05T19:08:23.678-08:00I'm LookingI'm looking for you,<div>But you're hiding.</div><div>It would be one thing if you knew you were doing it,</div><div>But you don't,</div><div>Because you don't know that I'm looking.</div><div>You don't know that I'm looking,</div><div>Because I haven't told you,</div><div>Because when you were there,</div><div>I hadn't realized that I'd found you.</div><div>You were there,</div><div>And then you weren't.</div><div>But, for a moment,</div><div>You were there.</div><div>And, I wish I had known then,</div><div>That I was looking for you,</div><div>But I didn't,</div><div>Because I hadn't told myself,</div><div>That I was looking,</div><div>Because that would have been too scary.</div><div>Not that I'd know what to say if I found you.</div><div>"Hi," maybe,</div><div>Or, "So nice to see you again."</div><div>"Such nice weather we're having today."</div><div>Because, it's important that you don't know,</div><div>That I've been looking,</div><div>Because I'm afraid that is would change somehow.</div><div>It's the coward's way out,</div><div>It's why you don't know,</div><div>And why you may never,</div><div>Ever,</div><div>Know,</div><div>That I've been looking.</div>disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5919890518576088794.post-9772487193296986402011-08-16T01:47:00.000-07:002011-08-16T01:53:06.576-07:00Eat the Crumbs<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">About a week ago, I listened to someone tell the story of a church in Seattle called Northshore that was trying to help some of the homeless people in the area. A lot of these homeless people were living in a tent city, and the law required that this tent city be moved every 90 days. The place that the tent city was going to move to next backed out at the last minute, and so the people at Northshore decided that they needed to step in to help, and so they submitted paperwork to the city in order to get a permit. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; ">What they didn't know was that about a month prior to that, the city had put a moratorium on these permits and refused to even look at their application.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">So the people at Northshore had to make a choice. They could follow the law, and not get into any trouble. Or they could follow their hearts, and offer the people living in the tent city a safe place to stay, so that they wouldn't have to go back out onto the streets. They decided that the only real choice they had was to help. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; ">And so, they welcomed the tent city onto their property, even though they didn’t have a permit for it. And, as they feared, the city filed a lawsuit against them. The superior court ruled in favor of the city, and the city was awarded damages which totaled more than the entire operating budget of the church. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; ">There is often a price to pay when you openly disregard those in authority.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">We learn this at a very young age as we battle with our parents over our bedtimes and the foods they try to make us eat, our allowances and curfews. As children, we have to do as we're told, or else suffer the consequences: being sent to bed without supper, having our allowance taken away or not being allowed to hang out with our friends. As we go through our lives, we have to learn how to deal with teachers and principals, supervisors at our jobs and sometimes the cops. And of course, there is the ultimate authority figure of all.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">Our gospel reading today describes one such encounter with that divine authority. A Canaanite woman is asking Jesus to help her because her daughter is being tormented by a demon. His disciples wanted her sent away, she was bothering them and she was after all, a Canaanite, a foreigner. And here is where the text gets tricky. A lot of people don't like this part, and I have to admit that I had and still have difficulty with this part of the text. Jesus says, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; ">It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs. Can you believe that? What kind of answer is that? It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs. It's no wonder that many scholars question if this scene is historical at all, if Jesus ever said anything like this. Not only is he refusing to help this woman, he insults her! He calls her a dog!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">After hearing Jesus say this shocking and insulting statement, she answers him. I mean, who wouldn't respond to something like that? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; ">But, she responds with humility. She says, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." She is humble in her reply, and yet she is still pushing back. She doesn't just take what Jesus says sitting down. She's not going to just let him call her a dog! She knows who she is; she is a beloved child of God, just as worthy of God's saving grace as the other men in the room, the Israelites, the Isrealites that are asking Jesus to send her away.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">This story reminds me of the story of Abraham and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin, but for some reason, God decided to tell Abraham about it first. Abraham wonders if completely destroying two entire cities is such a good idea, after all there could be some innocent people living there. And so, he asks God, "Are you going to destroy the cities, even if there are 50 innocent people there?" God tells him that if there are 50 innocent people, the cities will not be destroyed. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; ">Abraham thinks about this for a few seconds, then asks, "What if there are 45 innocent people?"</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">God says, "If there are 45 innocent people, I will not destroy the cities."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">Abraham mulls it over, then asks, "If there are only 40 innocent people, will you destroy the cities?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">In this story, God has taken the form of a man and is actually standing there talking to Abraham, so you can picture God, however it is that you picture God, shaking his head and smiling at Abraham indulgently, like a parent would smile at a child. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; ">"No Abraham, if I find only 40 innocent people, the cities will not be destroyed."</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">"30 people?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">"No."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">"20 people?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">"Nope."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">"10 people?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">"If I find but 10 innocent people, the cities will not be destroyed."</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">Apparently, this answer was good enough for Abraham, because he stops bargaining with God after 10. The point of this is that Abraham had a strong enough sense of who he was in relation to God that he could challenge God's decision, give his own opinion on the situation and expect that God would take his opinion into consideration.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">I remember one of my professors saying that Abraham's act was the defining moment in Jewish history, when the Jewish people established themselves as Jews, when they established their relationship with God. Abraham had the gumption, the courage, enough sense of himself that he felt he could essentially talk back to God, to have a dialogue with God on a level that no one had ever had before. You could say that this was the moment that he became Jewish.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">See, God wants to be in relationship with us. There's a lot going on in these two stories. We could talk about the nature of God or whether or not these events actually took place. We could argue about whether or not God might have known ahead of time how Abraham or the Canaanite woman were going to respond. We even might wonder if these stories are allegories for the way that God tests us. What I do know is that these stories are about relationship.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">God does not expect or require blind servitude. God gave us free-will, so that we could make our own decisions, so that we could choose to love God and follow God's laws, or to choose a different path, even if that would mean breaking God's heart. God gives us that choice.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">And, God gave us brains to reason with, so that we could think things through, to weigh the merits of one action over another, one choice over another. So that we could out figure what all the possible consequences of our actions might be. So that we can take a rule, or a law or a decree and figure out whether or not it's right or wrong, good or bad, or perhaps, somewhere in between. And, that is usually the case with things that are difficult. There are often no easy answers in the decisions that we make in our lives.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">So, how do we choose when there is no clear-cut answer? We have to rely on our relationships, our relationships with God and with each other. We have to make the choices that will make our relationships stronger with each other. Not just with the people that we know, our friends and family, neighbors and colleagues, the people that we go to church with and the people of our race, nation or tongue. We have to make the choices that will strengthen our relationships with all of humanity; the choices that will ultimately strengthen our relationships with God.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">See, when the Canaanite woman said that the dogs eat the crumbs that fall off the master's table, she was not trying to interfere with Jesus's relationship with the people of Israel. She just wanted to be a part of it. She was willing to take the smallest of crumbs, because she knew that it would be enough. Don't forget that these are God's crumbs. God's crumbs are more than we could ever need. They are more than enough. And, this woman understood that. She did not want Jesus to spend less time with "the lost sheep of Israel," to do anything that might hinder his relationship with them.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">But, she knew that in Jesus, there is more than enough to go around. And, above all, she knew that she was just as worthy as they to receive it. So, she said that she would take the crumbs. And, Jesus immediately answers her with joy! He says, "Woman, great is your faith! Your daughter is healed! By your faith, your daughter is healed."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">The people of Northshore made a choice that showed their faith in God. They chose to honor their relationships with God and humanity by helping the homeless people of Seattle. They allowed the tent city to move onto their property, even though they knew that they were going to get into trouble. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; ">And, they received a judgment against them that they could never hope to pay. And, for the next three years, as they fought against this judgment, they didn't know whether or not the church was going to survive. They had to come to terms with the fact that Northshore might not be around anymore. But, they went through with it, because they had to do what they felt was right, what God was calling them to do. They had to be good neighbors to their fellow human beings. They had to honor, and foster, and strengthen those relationships. And, they had to create new relationships where there were previously none.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">The state supreme court eventually ruled in favor of Northshore, saying that the church had the right to exercise their religious freedom on their own property. And in 2010, new legislation went into effect in an effort to prevent something like this from ever happening again. Local government could no longer prevent a religious organization from getting a permit in this way. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; ">The hope was that these new laws would help local governments and religious organizations resolve their conflicts over services provided to the homeless without resorting to litigation. The relationship is changing, and it's changing for the better. And, it can all be traced back to that single act of compassion by the Northshore congregation.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial">As human beings, we have to question things that we think are wrong. We cannot blindly follow laws because "that's the way that it's always been" or because "whoever's in charge told me so." </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; ">God gave us reason and free will, and wants to live in relationship with us. God wants to know how we feel about things. I'm not telling you to openly defy God whenever the mood strikes, but if there is something going on that you don't agree with, approach God in prayer, humbly and with the faith and understanding that God loves you. Question God the way that Abraham and the Canaanite woman questioned God, with humility and love in your heart, and listen to what God has to say. God wants to live in relationship with us, because that is the nature of God. God exists as three persons, all living in harmony. God's existence is based in relationship, and God wants to share the wonder and the love and the beauty of that with us. So, love God. Question God. And, live in relationship with God and with each other. Amen.</span></p> <!--EndFragment--> disseriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09083083839189709630noreply@blogger.com0