Sunday, June 29, 2014
SUNDAY MORNING SERMON
I met an angel. She was a waitress at the Waffle House. Those bright
eyes and that infectious smile. She must have been about 23 or so. I
heard her tell someone she had two children. I didn't hear her say
anything about a husband. She wants to go to college. Pre-med. I think
she can do it. An angel can do anything.
SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER-JUNE LOVELINESS SHATTERED
This June--like every June---
is a fine time to be alive:
the sun is warm, but not yet too hot;
the light stays longer and night comes later;
the summer eases the schedule,
and we are taken up
in weddings and brides,
in proms and graduations,
in successes and endings,
in exciting new beginnings.
We are among the many creatures of your creation,
who luxuriate in long days
ready for peaceable nights;
a great serenity comes to us,
in sure knowledge that you govern well
and care for us in generous ways.
Just at the cusp of night,
for an instant the loveliness is shattered:
there is a siren in its
disruptive eeriness---
happily not too close, but we do not know:
a robbery,
an assault,
a heart attack,
a scene of domestic violence,
some shattering that sobers our ease.
We are reminded
that the world is deep in instability,
that the world is saturated with ready violence,
that our ease is without full guarantee,
and that death stalks close even to us.
We come to rest---torn between grateful ease
and weariness at the edge.
Just as we fall into sleep or dream or nightmare,
after the piercing siren,
we hear a bird,
a curfew against our anxiety,
a trust affirmed,
a witness to your good governance.
We fall back not fully at ease,
but confident enough to trust our
June night to your safekeeping.
We pray in the name of Jesus who walked into Saturday night
and began again at daybreak.
Walter Brueggemann-Prayers for a Privileged People
is a fine time to be alive:
the sun is warm, but not yet too hot;
the light stays longer and night comes later;
the summer eases the schedule,
and we are taken up
in weddings and brides,
in proms and graduations,
in successes and endings,
in exciting new beginnings.
We are among the many creatures of your creation,
who luxuriate in long days
ready for peaceable nights;
a great serenity comes to us,
in sure knowledge that you govern well
and care for us in generous ways.
Just at the cusp of night,
for an instant the loveliness is shattered:
there is a siren in its
disruptive eeriness---
happily not too close, but we do not know:
a robbery,
an assault,
a heart attack,
a scene of domestic violence,
some shattering that sobers our ease.
We are reminded
that the world is deep in instability,
that the world is saturated with ready violence,
that our ease is without full guarantee,
and that death stalks close even to us.
We come to rest---torn between grateful ease
and weariness at the edge.
Just as we fall into sleep or dream or nightmare,
after the piercing siren,
we hear a bird,
a curfew against our anxiety,
a trust affirmed,
a witness to your good governance.
We fall back not fully at ease,
but confident enough to trust our
June night to your safekeeping.
We pray in the name of Jesus who walked into Saturday night
and began again at daybreak.
Walter Brueggemann-Prayers for a Privileged People
Saturday, June 28, 2014
DECISIONS
Decisions have to be made: It's probably not a good idea to smoke, but
you have to decide. Over-drinking will only lead to heartbreak, but no
one can tell you not to. You have to decide. You shouldn't get pregnant
if you don't want a child, but it's still your decision whether to have
it or not. Pain and suffering are part of life, but at some point, death
may be more comforting. You should be able to decide. Politicians, or
religious saviors, cannot make our decisions for us. We were set free.
We can handle it. You make a decision and you learn to live with it.
That's how it works.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"YOU CANNOT SOLVE A PROBLEM WITH THE SAME KIND OF THINKING THAT CREATED IT."
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Friday, June 27, 2014
LOVE HURTS
- Love comes in a variety of flavors, none of them violent.
- Love has been misused and abused so much that it's hard to spot the real deal. Take your time, and don't mistake sex for love.
- Never get married just for love, cause it can wear real thin, real quick.
- They say love makes the world go round. I say it's gravity.
- Love can take you a long way. Unfortunately, sometimes down the wrong road.
- Still, if I had to chose between love and hate, I'd take love. I hate hate.
EVANGELISTS PAY THE PRICE
I had some Baptists stop by the house the other day
trying to persuade me to attend their church. I'm not much into a church
that emphasizes people being sinners. Hell, I don't need to put $20 in
the basket every week to to be told I'm a sinner. I already know that.
I'd sooner spend it on gambling. The question would be: What are you
going to do about your sinning? If I drink too much, am I going to quit?
If I backhand my wife and kids, when am I going to stop? If I cuss and
carry on like a maniac, when am I going to learn to control myself? A
born again experience is a worthless event if it doesn't translate into
action. You can pray all you want, but you had better get off your ass
and make some lifestyle changes. I don't think they were really wanting
to hear all that. I hope I didn't ruin their delusion.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
ON THE EDGE
My vision of life is not haunted with pleasant platitudes or crystal clear ideologies. As a family therapist, maybe I've seen too much, read too much. Maybe I've listened to too may stories of betrayal, violence, sexual misconduct. Even murder. You're innocence leaves and your are stuck with reality. Democracy is not pure; religions will not necessarily make you a better person; convictions come and go; governments will not protect you from the Wolf; promises of a better tomorrow are not worth much today. You get lied to, deceived. People take your money and give you a bill of goods as long as your arm. They tell you that you won't amount to a hill of beans; that you are from the wrong side of the tracks. You're the wrong color, the wrong sex, your arm is withered, your eyes can't see; that your job is low prestige or not at all. You might see things that others don't; you can't get out of your chair without a walker; you hear things that others can't hear. You're dirt poor, living in a car, begging food at the local mission; ashamed to go to the emergency room again. Life is not crystal clear or clean. You get your hands dirty. No amount of sanitizer will wipe away the truth.
Friday, June 20, 2014
QUOTE OF THE DAY
THERE IS NO GREATER TASK, OR ONE MORE FULFILLING, THAN UPSETTING THE STATUS QUO.
The Peever
The Peever
Thursday, June 19, 2014
HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE DIRECTORS SINK DEEPER INTO THEIR OWN INEPTNESS
Once again, a majority of the Village directors go behind closed doors to hide decisions that they are making, or plan to make. This situation is way out of hand and needs to be confronted.
If the board had a parliamentarian, he or she should rule the board out of order when attempting to hide behind closed doors to do business clearly not in line with the Open Meetings Act. More than likely, they don't have one, or it is probably the Village attorney, who should not be the parliamentarian. Anyway, the situation is begging for correction.
Not being a municipality, I'm assuming they figure they don't have to follow the open meetings act. And they apparently are not following their own policy adopted in 2012 regarding open meetings. There are clear reasons when an elected body can go into closed session. The board should adopt municipal rules, but it doesn't appear they are likely to do that. They don't want to bother letting us know what's going on until it is decided. This probably comes from men, and unfortunately women, who are used to getting their way, having been the boss or ranked in the military. Or followers of men. These folks aren't prepared for people telling them they have made, or are about to make, a mistake. They don't seem to want to answer to anyone. At any rate, the whole thing smells worse that the pump station at the beginning of our road on Asombroso.
The two new board members are siding with two others to create a majority voting for doing business in secret. What a shame. I thought Mary Neilson would be better than it appears she is going to be. I would swear she stated she would not support hiding behind closed doors when campaigning. (The two new members also voted to keep an illegal policy in place that allows only 3 minutes for public comment). Frank Leeming and Jeff Atkins walked out of the last closed meeting being illegally called. I thank both of them for their courage and sense.
The board is deeply disappointing. The general manager must sit in the back with his ears closed. I would start looking for a new job. I wouldn't want to work for this outfit. A community that is not operated out in the open is a place where people are not going to want to live.
If the board had a parliamentarian, he or she should rule the board out of order when attempting to hide behind closed doors to do business clearly not in line with the Open Meetings Act. More than likely, they don't have one, or it is probably the Village attorney, who should not be the parliamentarian. Anyway, the situation is begging for correction.
Not being a municipality, I'm assuming they figure they don't have to follow the open meetings act. And they apparently are not following their own policy adopted in 2012 regarding open meetings. There are clear reasons when an elected body can go into closed session. The board should adopt municipal rules, but it doesn't appear they are likely to do that. They don't want to bother letting us know what's going on until it is decided. This probably comes from men, and unfortunately women, who are used to getting their way, having been the boss or ranked in the military. Or followers of men. These folks aren't prepared for people telling them they have made, or are about to make, a mistake. They don't seem to want to answer to anyone. At any rate, the whole thing smells worse that the pump station at the beginning of our road on Asombroso.
The two new board members are siding with two others to create a majority voting for doing business in secret. What a shame. I thought Mary Neilson would be better than it appears she is going to be. I would swear she stated she would not support hiding behind closed doors when campaigning. (The two new members also voted to keep an illegal policy in place that allows only 3 minutes for public comment). Frank Leeming and Jeff Atkins walked out of the last closed meeting being illegally called. I thank both of them for their courage and sense.
The board is deeply disappointing. The general manager must sit in the back with his ears closed. I would start looking for a new job. I wouldn't want to work for this outfit. A community that is not operated out in the open is a place where people are not going to want to live.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Why Bush and Blair Should Be Prosecuted for War Crimes | Common Dreams
Why Bush and Blair Should Be Prosecuted for War Crimes | Common Dreams
I still believe they will be. We may have to add Obama.
I still believe they will be. We may have to add Obama.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
TEN THINGS ABOUT MY DOG
- He sure likes chicken.
- He backs up and sits on the couch with me. We watch television together. He likes the dog channel, I like sports.
- He doesn't like crows or squirrels.
- He loves to meet people.
- He comes in the bedroom and puts his head on the bed to wake me in the morning.
- He hates thunder.
- He can tear up a stuffed animal in less than a minute.
- He eats anything.
- He can hold it longer than any dog I know.
- In dog years, he's about 61. So far, he's not complaining. Another year and he can start drawing social security. Dewey Weik, son of Bruce and Ann Weik.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER
VICTIMS....and PERPETRATORS
Mighty God, giver of Peace, slogan for war,
We watch wile cities burn and
children cry and
woman weep
We listen while tanks roll and
missiles zizzle, and
mobs assemble.
We smell while
flesh burns and
old tires smoke and
oil wells flame
out of control.
We dare say,
we dare imagine,
we dare confess, that yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the
Glory.
We come to you as victims of terror and
mass death.
We come as perpetrators of death and massacre.
We come as citizens and patriots and taxpayers
and parents and children.
We come bewildered, angry, sorry.
You, you beyond the smell and the din and the smoke.
You, beyond our hopes and our hates.
You, our beginning before time
our end beyond time.
Be present in ways we cannot imagine.
Be present---save us from our power,
save us from our violence,
save us from our fear and hatred,
save us as only you can do.
Save us as your have before saved us...
in love and power
in compassion and justice
in miracle and in waiting.
Save us because we are your people
and because this is your world.
Mighty God, giver of Peace, slogan for war,
We watch wile cities burn and
children cry and
woman weep
We listen while tanks roll and
missiles zizzle, and
mobs assemble.
We smell while
flesh burns and
old tires smoke and
oil wells flame
out of control.
We dare say,
we dare imagine,
we dare confess, that yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the
Glory.
We come to you as victims of terror and
mass death.
We come as perpetrators of death and massacre.
We come as citizens and patriots and taxpayers
and parents and children.
We come bewildered, angry, sorry.
You, you beyond the smell and the din and the smoke.
You, beyond our hopes and our hates.
You, our beginning before time
our end beyond time.
Be present in ways we cannot imagine.
Be present---save us from our power,
save us from our violence,
save us from our fear and hatred,
save us as only you can do.
Save us as your have before saved us...
in love and power
in compassion and justice
in miracle and in waiting.
Save us because we are your people
and because this is your world.
SUNDAY MORNING SERMON
I don't trust going into any church that displays an American flag. I think we need to keep the church and the flag as far away from one another as possible. Blending them together seems to create these scary little right-wing, Republican, Christians pests. I'm calling Orkin.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Thursday, June 12, 2014
HOW TO REALIZE THAT YOUR TIME IS ABOUT UP:
- Those aren't blackbirds circling overhead.
- You get invited to a free luncheon by the local undertaker.
- No one mentions to you that they'll see you later.
- People tell you to read the Bible, figuring you need to cram for finals.
- Your kids start dividing up the furniture.
- Where do you keep the will?
- Tell us again, where do you want your ashes sprread?
- If people start washing their hands they shake yours, it's not a good sign.
- If a doctor starts an explanation of your condition with, "I'm sorry, but......"
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
Sunday, June 8, 2014
BENEDICTION
The news is that God's wind is blowing.
It may be a breeze that
cools and comforts.
It may be a gust that
summons you to notice.
It my be a storm that blows you where you have
never been before.
Whatever the wind is in you life,
pay attention to it...
and the blessings of God,
Father, Son, and Spirit,
will abide with you always.
It may be a breeze that
cools and comforts.
It may be a gust that
summons you to notice.
It my be a storm that blows you where you have
never been before.
Whatever the wind is in you life,
pay attention to it...
and the blessings of God,
Father, Son, and Spirit,
will abide with you always.
SUNDAY MORNING SERMON FROM THE STREET
- I'M HUNGRY. I DON'T NEED MORE WORDS, I NEED FOOD.
- IT'S RAINING. THERE GOES MY CARDBOARD HOUSE.
- A GOOD PAIR OF SHOES IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS.
- I'D BE GLAD TO WORK, IF YOU PAID ME A DECENT WAGE. WHAT WOULD YOU WORK FOR? ARE YOU THAT MUCH BETTER THAN ME?
- YOU SCREWED ME, WHICH WAS BAD ENOUGH. NOW YOU WANT TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH MY BODY. GO AWAY.
- SOME DAYS THE STREET ISN'T THAT BAD. SOME DAYS IT COMES CLOSE TO MAKING SENSE, BUT MOSTLY IT'S HELL ON EARTH.
- THE RICH BOYS SAY I DESERVE WHAT I GET. I SAY, SOME DAY I'LL GET EVEN.
- THE STREET IS AT LEAST HONEST, WHICH IS MORE THAN I CAN SAY FOR MOST OF YOU.
SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER-GIVER OF ALL GOOD GIFTS
You are the God who feeds and nourishes.
You are the God who assures that we have more than enough,
and we do not doubt that
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Even in such an assurance, however,
we scramble for more food,
After we have filled all our baskets
with manna,
we seek a surplus---
enough education to plan ahead,
enough power to protect our supply,
enough oil to assure that protection.
And in the midst of that
comes your word,
that we share bread and feed the hungry,
even to t he least and so to you.
We mostly keep our bread for ourselves,
our neighbors,
and our friends.
It does not occur to us often,
to feel our enemies,
to share your bounty with
those who threaten us.
We do not often remember to break vicious cycles
of hostility
by free bread,
by free water,
by free wine,
by free milk.
Until we remember that you are the giver of all good gifts,
ours to enjoy,
ours to share.
Stir us by your spirit beyond fearful accumulation
toward outrageous generosity,
that giving bread to others
makes for peace,
that giving drink to others
makes for justice,
that giving and sharing opens the world
and assures abundance for all.
We pray this even as we ponder the gift of your Son,
whom we ingest as bread and wine,
and tasting, find ourselves
forgiven and renewed.
Feed us till we want no more!
Prayers for a Privileged People, Walter Brueggemann
You are the God who assures that we have more than enough,
and we do not doubt that
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Even in such an assurance, however,
we scramble for more food,
After we have filled all our baskets
with manna,
we seek a surplus---
enough education to plan ahead,
enough power to protect our supply,
enough oil to assure that protection.
And in the midst of that
comes your word,
that we share bread and feed the hungry,
even to t he least and so to you.
We mostly keep our bread for ourselves,
our neighbors,
and our friends.
It does not occur to us often,
to feel our enemies,
to share your bounty with
those who threaten us.
We do not often remember to break vicious cycles
of hostility
by free bread,
by free water,
by free wine,
by free milk.
Until we remember that you are the giver of all good gifts,
ours to enjoy,
ours to share.
Stir us by your spirit beyond fearful accumulation
toward outrageous generosity,
that giving bread to others
makes for peace,
that giving drink to others
makes for justice,
that giving and sharing opens the world
and assures abundance for all.
We pray this even as we ponder the gift of your Son,
whom we ingest as bread and wine,
and tasting, find ourselves
forgiven and renewed.
Feed us till we want no more!
Prayers for a Privileged People, Walter Brueggemann
Saturday, June 7, 2014
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I used to work at McDonald's making minimum wage. You know what
that means when someone pays you minimum wage? You know what your boss
was trying to say? "Hey if I could pay you less, I would, but it's
against the law.”
(McDonald's has just agreed to support a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour). Their profit must be down from boycott.
MID-YEAR PREDICTIONS FOR 2014
- The human race will survive another year. Barely.
- If Tom Cotton, tea-bagging right-wing Republican, running to the U.S. Senate in Arkansas, wins, I'm moving to a place where they don't grow Cotton.
- It appears the Republicans are attempting to buy another election. They sure are eager to pay a lot of money for that big government they keep complaining about.
- The Pope is saying all the right things. Let's hope he starts doing all the right things.
- I'm thinking that maybe later this year, Obama will come to his senses. Common-senses.
- It's the same thing every year: The rich keep getting richer and the poor just keep getting it. It's about time to stop waving that flag and singing the song and start a revolution.
- Hot Springs Village, home of right-wing Republicans, will be sold on E-Bay to bail out Bush and Cheney, who will be jailed for war crimes. (Admittedly, this is probably more fantasy than reality). Still, it would sure make for a good year.
- I've been way too easy on right-wing, Republican, Christians this year. For the rest of the year, I'm taking it to them. No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Attacking Poor People in Georgia | Common Dreams
Attacking Poor People in Georgia | Common Dreams
WHY NOT TEST THE LAWMAKERS WHO PASSED SUCH A STUPID BILL?
WHY NOT TEST THE LAWMAKERS WHO PASSED SUCH A STUPID BILL?
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
SHOKUNIN
All I want to do is create the best meal you will ever
experience. It will help the world, and me, to be better. This
obligation is both spiritual and material. The work is never done, nor
the joy any greater than, at the end of the meal, hearing that Ah...
Umami.
For my son, the chef.
For more details, watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi
For my son, the chef.
For more details, watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
GOODBYE
You know you're getting old when your friends start
dying. A friend since the time I was in the 5th grade died of a heart
attack in his sleep. He was 67. His wife, also a good friend, died just
over a month later. She had multiple sclerosis for many years, which
apparently had gotten worse. They lived in Arlington, Texas. We hadn't
seen them for about ten years. I last talked to him about a year ago on
the phone.
I don't know what I feel worse about: Their deaths, or our not being able to keep up with them over the years.
Anyway, I feel bad. I wish things had been different, but that's not how it went. Distance creates excuses. You have jobs, children, new friends. What once was, changes. When something like death happens, t all comes back to haunt you. It was so much fun. We were so close. How did we let it all get away?
Have a good journey, Rene and Dixie. Until then...
I don't know what I feel worse about: Their deaths, or our not being able to keep up with them over the years.
Anyway, I feel bad. I wish things had been different, but that's not how it went. Distance creates excuses. You have jobs, children, new friends. What once was, changes. When something like death happens, t all comes back to haunt you. It was so much fun. We were so close. How did we let it all get away?
Have a good journey, Rene and Dixie. Until then...
Monday, June 2, 2014
THE ALCHEMIST
The alchemist was seeking to turn base metals, usually lead, into gold. It ends up the process lead the alchemist to the possibility of seeking a better life. The lead may not have transformed into gold, but the alchemist transformed into a better person.
In a similar fashion, chaos theory, applied to social change, attempts to do the same thing the alchemist did, transforming not lead, but the status quo, into disharmony, or chaos. In doing so, he or she is hoping that the resulting balance that the community, society, comes back to will be better, more enlightened, than the previous state.
The alchemist must be prepared to be ridiculed and dismissed as a threat to the prevailing conventional wisdom and power structure. A provocation of the status quo will result in a strong unwillingness of the public to change. This is the alchemists work, to stir static, entrenched, retrogressive ideas into new, progressive, creative, and hopefully more enlightened solutions to life's many problems and issues.
In a similar fashion, chaos theory, applied to social change, attempts to do the same thing the alchemist did, transforming not lead, but the status quo, into disharmony, or chaos. In doing so, he or she is hoping that the resulting balance that the community, society, comes back to will be better, more enlightened, than the previous state.
The alchemist must be prepared to be ridiculed and dismissed as a threat to the prevailing conventional wisdom and power structure. A provocation of the status quo will result in a strong unwillingness of the public to change. This is the alchemists work, to stir static, entrenched, retrogressive ideas into new, progressive, creative, and hopefully more enlightened solutions to life's many problems and issues.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
BENEDICTION
As you leave this place
may the Living Lord go with you;
May he go behind you, to encourage you,
beside you, to befriend you,
above you, to watch over you,
beneath you, to lift you from your sorrows,
within you, to give you the gifts of faith, hope, and love,
and always before you, to show you the way.
may the Living Lord go with you;
May he go behind you, to encourage you,
beside you, to befriend you,
above you, to watch over you,
beneath you, to lift you from your sorrows,
within you, to give you the gifts of faith, hope, and love,
and always before you, to show you the way.
SUNDAY MORNING SERMON: SHOOT A TERRORIST FOR CHRIST
I'm surprised I haven't seen that message on some of our church bulletin
boards. That's how bad it's getting. Having been in the ministry, I'm
pretty much embarrassed by what I see being pawned off as Christianity
nowadays. The Church has steadily grown irrelevant as our need for
spirituality has become increasingly necessary. Just about every war
currently going on has to do with religion, one thinking theirs is
bigger and better than the others. I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if
they just killed one another, but they got to drag the rest of us into
it. Frankly, I think we are all sons and daughters of God, and as such,
have no business killing one another. When we do, we are destroying the
divine. And I got a notion that's not good.
SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER-OLD STORIES BECOME NEW SONGS
We love to tell the old, old story.
We love to sing the old, old song
of your saving deeds of mercy and
freedom and
healing and
newness.
We know about Exodus freedom
and dancing tambourines.
We know about land and huge clusters of grapes.
We know about rivers of water and
rivers of oil.
We know about the strangeness that
the blind see,
the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed,
the dead are raised,
the poor rejoice.
We know. Give us courage to
trust what we know and to
obey what we hope.
We know that the old, old story---in our telling---becomes
a new, dangerous, transforming song. And so we sing!
Prayers for a Privileged People, Walter Brueggeman
We love to sing the old, old song
of your saving deeds of mercy and
freedom and
healing and
newness.
We know about Exodus freedom
and dancing tambourines.
We know about land and huge clusters of grapes.
We know about rivers of water and
rivers of oil.
We know about the strangeness that
the blind see,
the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed,
the dead are raised,
the poor rejoice.
We know. Give us courage to
trust what we know and to
obey what we hope.
We know that the old, old story---in our telling---becomes
a new, dangerous, transforming song. And so we sing!
Prayers for a Privileged People, Walter Brueggeman
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