'Plunge Protection Team' Holds Emergency Meeting as Trump Chaos Sparks Fears of Another Financial Crash

'Plunge Protection Team' Holds Emergency Meeting as Trump Chaos Sparks Fears of Another Financial Crash

SUNDAY PRAYER: THE COMING

THE CHRIST CHILD IS ABOUT TO BE BORN,
         THE ONE PROMISED BY THE ANGEL.
    MARY'S 'FULLNESS OF TIME' HAS ARRIVED.
EXCEPT THAT THE BIRTH IS SCHEDULED
          ACCORDING TO THE EMPEROR:
    A DECREE WENT OUT THAT ALL SHOULD BE NUMBERED.

CAESAR DECREED A CENSUS, EVERYONE COUNTED;
CAESAR INTENDED TO HAVE UP-TO-DATE DATA FOR THE TAX ROLLS;
CAESAR INTENDED TO HAVE CURRENT LISTS OF DRAFT ELIGIBILITY;
CAESAR INTENDED TAXES TO SUPPORT ARMIES,
       BECAUSE THE EMPEROR, IN WHATEVER ERA,
          IS ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY AND POWER,
               ABOUT POWER AND FORCE,
               ABOUT FORCE AND CONTROL,
                        AND EVENTUALLY VIOLENCE.

AND WHILE WE WAIT FOR THE CHRIST CHILD,
    WE ARE ENTHRALLED BY THING OF CAESAR---
          MONEY...POWER...CONTROL,
                    AND ALL THE WELL-BEING THAT COMES FROM
                    SUCH CONTROL, EVEN IF IT REQUIRES A LITTLE VIOLENCE.

BUT IN THE MIDST OF THE DECREE
      WILL COME THIS LONG-EXPECTED JESUS,
            INNOCENT, VULNERABLE,
            FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH,
            GRACE AND NOT POWER,
            TRUTH AND NOT MONEY,
            MERCY AND NOT CONTROL.

WE ALSO DWELL IN THE LAND OF CAESAR;
    WE PRAY FOR THE GIFT OF YOUR SPIRIT,
    THAT WE MAY LOOSEN OUR GRIP ON THE THINGS OF CAESAR,
    THAT WE MAY TURN OUR EYES TOWARD THE BABY,
            OUR EARS TOWARD THE NEWNESS,
            OUR HEARTS TOWARD THE GENTLENESS,
            OUR POWER AND MONEY AND CONTROL
                TOWARD OUR NEW GOVERNANCE.

WE CRAVE THE NEWNESS.
      AND WHILE THE DECREE OF THE EMPEROR
          RINGS IN OUR EARS WITH SUCH AUTHORITY,
      GIVE US NEWNESS THAT WE MAY START AGAIN
             AT THE BEGINNING,
      THAT THE INNOCENCE OF THE BABY MAY
             INTRUDE UPON OUR AMBIGUITY,
       THAT THE VULNERABILITY OF THE CHILD MAY
             VETO OUR LUST FOR CONTROL,
        THAT WE MAY BE FILLED WITH WONDER
              AND SO LESS OF ANXIETY,
          IN THE BLESSED NAME OF THE BABY WE PRAY.

Walter Brueggemann-Prayers for a Privileged People

SUNDAY SERMON

HELL IS LIFE DRYING UP.

Joseph Campbell

Progressives to Nancy Pelosi: Keep Wall Street Democrats Away From Powerful Committee Seats

Progressives to Nancy Pelosi: Keep Wall Street Democrats Away From Powerful Committee Seats



SHE'S A MISTAKE THAT THE DEMOCRATS WILL REGRET.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"...IT IS ONLY ON THE CONDITION OF HUMILITY AND REVERENCE BEFORE THE WORLD THAT OUR SPECIES WILL BE ABLE TO REMAIN IN IT."

Wendell Berry

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"SOME THINGS CANNOT BE FIXED. THEY CAN ONLY BE CARRIED."

Megan Devine

'Zuckerberg Must Resign Now': Outrage After Report Shows Facebook Let Corporate Partners Read Users' Private Messages

'Zuckerberg Must Resign Now': Outrage After Report Shows Facebook Let Corporate Partners Read Users' Private Messages



THE CAPITALIST SOCIETY LURKS EVERYWHERE. ZUCKERBERG IS NO EXCEPTION. HE LIVES FOR PROFIT AND EXPLOITATION. 

ADVENT: ANTICIPATION OF "THE COMING."

THE CHRIST CHILD IS ABOUT TO BE BORN,
         THE ONE PROMISED BY THE ANGEL.
    MARY'S 'FULLNESS OF TIME' HAS ARRIVED.
EXCEPT THAT THE BIRTH IS SCHEDULED
          ACCORDING TO THE EMPEROR:
    A DECREE WENT OUT THAT ALL SHOULD BE NUMBERED.

CAESAR DECREED A CENSUS, EVERYONE COUNTED;
CAESAR INTENDED TO HAVE UP-TO-DATE DATA FOR THE TAX ROLLS;
CAESAR INTENDED TO HAVE CURRENT LISTS OF DRAFT ELIGIBILITY;
CAESAR INTENDED TAXES TO SUPPORT ARMIES,
       BECAUSE THE EMPEROR, IN WHATEVER ERA,
          IS ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY AND POWER,
               ABOUT POWER AND FORCE,
               ABOUT FORCE AND CONTROL,
                        AND EVENTUALLY VIOLENCE.

AND WHILE WE WAIT FOR THE CHRIST CHILD,
    WE ARE ENTHRALLED BY THING OF CAESAR---
          MONEY...POWER...CONTROL,
                    AND ALL THE WELL-BEING THAT COMES FROM
                    SUCH CONTROL, EVEN IF IT REQUIRES A LITTLE VIOLENCE.

BUT IN THE MIDST OF THE DECREE
      WILL COME THIS LONG-EXPECTED JESUS,
            INNOCENT, VULNERABLE,
            FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH,
            GRACE AND NOT POWER,
            TRUTH AND NOT MONEY,
            MERCY AND NOT CONTROL.

WE ALSO DWELL IN THE LAND OF CAESAR;
    WE PRAY FOR THE GIFT OF YOUR SPIRIT,
    THAT WE MAY LOOSEN OUR GRIP ON THE THINGS OF CAESAR,
    THAT WE MAY TURN OUR EYES TOWARD THE BABY,
            OUR EARS TOWARD THE NEWNESS,
            OUR HEARTS TOWARD THE GENTLENESS,
            OUR POWER AND MONEY AND CONTROL
                TOWARD OUR NEW GOVERNANCE.

WE CRAVE THE NEWNESS.
      AND WHILE THE DECREE OF THE EMPEROR
          RINGS IN OUR EARS WITH SUCH AUTHORITY,
      GIVE US NEWNESS THAT WE MAY START AGAIN
             AT THE BEGINNING,
      THAT THE INNOCENCE OF THE BABY MAY
             INTRUDE UPON OUR AMBIGUITY,
       THAT THE VULNERABILITY OF THE CHILD MAY
             VETO OUR LUST FOR CONTROL,
        THAT WE MAY BE FILLED WITH WONDER
              AND SO LESS OF ANXIETY,
          IN THE BLESSED NAME OF THE BABY WE PRAY.

Walter Brueggemann-Prayers for a Privileged People

MONDAY MORNING SERMON: A CALL FOR REVOLUTION

TRUMP CONTINUES TO GO ABOUT RUINING THE COUNTRY, DESTROYING PEOPLES LIVES, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND TRUST IN OUR POLITICIANS. ALL WE DO IS WATCH. I GET TEN'S OF E-MAILS TO SIGN PETITIONS TO HAVE HIM IMPEACHED, TELL HIM WE DON'T SUPPORT THIS, OR THAT. IT'S ALL A WASTE OF TIME. NO ONE CAN POSSIBLY BELIEVE THAT HE CARES WHAT YOU SIGN. HE ONLY CARES FOR HIMSELF AND HIS BANK ACCOUNT. IT IS UP TO US TO REMOVE HIM. NOT THE NEXT ELECTION, BUT TODAY. THIS HAS GONE ON WAY TOO LONG. HE HAS NOT DONE ONE THING TO HELP ANYTHING. NO OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WOULD HAVE PUT UP WITH WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR THIS LONG. THEY WOULD BE IN THE STREETS. THEY WOULD BE AT THE DOORSTEP OF THE WHITE HOUSE. WE SEEM TO BE MIRED IN FALSE PATRIOTISM THAT HAS TURNED TO NATIONALISM. WE SING THE SONG AND WAVE THE FLAG AS WE STEADILY MOVE TOWARD FASCISM. MY CHRISTMAS WISH IS THAT WASHINGTON D.C. DISAPPEARS. BUT IT WOULDN'T HELP. TRUMP WOULD BE IN FLORIDA, PLAYING GOLF AND MAKING PLANS TO MAKE HIS NEXT BILLION.

'We Gonna Rise Up, Rise Up 'Til It's Won!': 140 Arrested at Pelosi and Hoyer Offices as Youth-Led Protests Demand Green New Deal on Capitol Hill

'We Gonna Rise Up, Rise Up 'Til It's Won!': 140 Arrested at Pelosi and Hoyer Offices as Youth-Led Protests Demand Green New Deal on Capitol Hill



THE CHILDREN CANNOT BE FOOLED.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

PELOSI IS A BAD CHOICE FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. MORE OF THE SAME. SHE IS A MODERATE REPUBLICAN, AT BEST. THE DEMOCRATS WILL REGRET IT. THAT ALONE WILL HELP TRUMP IN 2020. HALF OF AMERICA ALREADY DESPISES HER. THE OTHER HALF WILL LEARN TO.

Politicians Who Deny Reality Aren’t Fit to Lead

Politicians Who Deny Reality Aren’t Fit to Lead

SUNDAY MORNING SERMON: SYSTEMS THINKING

 Systems thinking is a way of looking at the world in which objects are interrelated with one another.

"FOR ME, ALL OF THIS DOES NOT END UP DEPRESSING AND OVERWHELMING. ON THE CONTRARY, I BEGIN TO SIGH WITH RELIEF AT THE POSSIBILITY AT LAST OF UNDERSTANDING WHY SO MANY PEOPLE AND FAMILIES AT ANY GIVEN TIME ARE IN TROUBLE. ALONG WITH OTHERS, I HAVE LONG SENSED THAT BEING HUMAN IS, INTRINSICALLY, A DISTURBING LIFELONG EXPERIENCE OF BUZZING, BLOOMING CONFUSION; THAT MOVING INTO AND WITH THE STORM, AND GOING WITH THE SEASONS OF LIFE, PROMISES SERIOUS POSSIBILITIES OF TRANSCENDENCE, CREATIVITY AND JOY. I CAN NO LONGER SUBSCRIBE TO SIMPLISTIC EXPLANATIONS OF FAMILY AND PERSONAL DIFFICULTIES AS RESULTING SOLEY FROM EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE WHEN IT APPEARS THAT OUR GREATEST PROBLEM IS THAT WE STILL KNOW SO VERY LITTLE ABOUT HOW TO USE THE NATURAL EQUIPMENT OF OUR HUMANNESS TO THE GREATEST ADVANTAGE."

Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, Jan. 1980

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"BEING HUMAN AND BEING HURT ARE THE SAME DAMN THING."

Alan Arkin-The Kominsky Method

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"THERE IS NO GREATER MISTAKE THAN TO TRY TO LEAP AN ABYSS IN TWO JUMPS."

David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister

A CHRISTMAS STORY

I  RECENTLY FINISHED TWO THEOLOGY COURSES OF SIX THAT I NEED TO COMPLETE A MASTERS DEGREE IN THEOLOGY. I AM PROBABLY THE LONGEST TERM SEMINARY STUDENT IN THE COUNTRY, HAVING STARTED IN 1971. SOME THOUGHTS:

• THE THREE KINGS WERE HIRED BY CAESAR TO REPORT ON THE NEW CHRIST CHILD THAT WAS BEING REFERRED TO AS "THE KING OF THE JEWS." THE WISE MEN NEVER REPORTED BACK TO HIM AFTER SEEING THE CHRIST CHILD. THEY FLED INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE.
• A REPORTED ORDER BY CAESAR TO KILL ALL THE FIRST BORN MALES WAS NEVER CONFIRMED. NOR DOES IT APPEAR THAT IT WAS EVER CARRIED OUT.
• THERE ARE NO FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS OF CHRIST'S EXISTENCE. JOSEPHUS, A HISTORIAN, MAKES REFERENCES TO AN APOCALYPTIC PREACHER ROAMING THE COUNTRYSIDE, BUT THERE WERE NUMEROUS APOCALYPTIC PREACHERS DOING SO AT THE TIME. IT REMAINS UNCLEAR WHO HE MAY HAVE BEEN REFERRING TO.
• THE GOSPEL'S ARE THE ONLY BOOKS OF THE BIBLE DESCRIBING CHRIST'S BIRTH AND DEATH. THEY WERE WRITTEN SOME 100 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH. MOST WERE PASSED DOWN ORALLY. YOU WOULD THINK MATTHEW WOULD BE THE FIRST BOOK WRITTEN, SINCE IT IS FIRST, BUT IT WAS NOT. IT IS THOUGHT MARK WAS THE FIRST, WRITTEN BY AN UNKNOWN AUTHOR. 
• IT IS WIDELY BELIEVED THAT JESUS WAS A ZEALOT. THERE WERE VARIOUS SECTS DURING THE TIME, INCLUDING THE ZEALOTS, SADDUCEES, ESSENES, AND PHARISEES. THE ZEALOTS WERE ADVOCATING REVOLUTION. JESUS BROKE MANY OF THE JEWISH AND ROMAN LAWS, MAKING IT CLEAR HE WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THE JEWISH HIERARCHY OR THE ROMAN GOVERNMENT. 
• AT IS DEATH, CHRIST WAS FOUND GUILTY OF SEDITION.HANGING WAS RESERVED FOR THE WORST OF THE WORST. TO HIS LEFT AND HIS RIGHT WERE INDIVIDUALS REPORTED TO BE ZEALOTS, ENEMIES OF THE STATE. IT WOULD SEEM LOGICAL THAT CHRIST WAS THOUGHT OF AS A ZEALOT BY THE GOVERNMENT. 
• FOR ME, CHRISTMAS REPRESENTS A NEW BEGINNING. PERHAPS IN YOUR LIFE, YOUR FAITH, YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CHILDREN...THAT, FOR ME, WAS THE APOCALYPTIC MESSAGE CHRIST WAS PREACHING. HE CLEARLY STARTED SOMETHING OF A REVOLUTION. IT WOULD COME TO BE CALLED CHRISTIANITY.

Act Urgently Now, David Attenborough Declares, Because 'Collapse of Our Civilizations and Extinction of Much of the Natural World on the Horizon'

Act Urgently Now, David Attenborough Declares, Because 'Collapse of Our Civilizations and Extinction of Much of the Natural World on the Horizon'



THE RICH WILL PARISH FROM THE EARTH. UNFORTUNATELY, SO WILL ALL THE REST OF US. 

THE NO'S HAVE IT: STOP COMPANY, BUILD COMMUNITY

Crushing defeat for Board of Directors and CEO. The proposed changes to the articles and      declarations were soundly defeated. Now what?

1    1.      The Board of Directors and CEO should resign. This is a clear and overwhelming declaration that they are taking us in a direction that we do not want to travel. They have been arrogant, secretive, and have made some horrible decisions. (I assume the ratification meeting has been cancelled). Short of them resigning, we need to elect three new board members who clearly state that they are in favor of a completely different direction. One more in tune with community, unity, and a desire to see our elected officials operate in the open, following more municipal rules and Robert’s Rules of Order. These changes are imperative for us to achieve the process of change we have started. We long for a community, not a corporation.

2    2.      The CMP should be put on hold. We need to find something in it that might be useful, but by-and-large it should be shelved. It was a tremendous waste of resources. Someone needs to be held accountable.

3    3.      A new board needs to change some of the careless and crazy things that have been adopted. We have way too many directors and are paying way too high of salaries to many, including the CEO. (Who should go back to being a manager or city planner).

We are clearly at a juncture in our existence as a retirement community. There are a lot of people living here who think change is bad.  They call it negative, disruptive. I do not happen to be one of them. Change is good, although almost always painful and chaotic. But necessary to keep things moving forward. Running HSV as a corporation is a bad idea. We want community.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"THE TRUE MEASURE OF OUR COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE, THE CHARACTER OF OUR SOCIETY, OUR COMMITMENT TO THE RULE OF LAW, FAIRNESS, AND EQUALITY CANNOT BE MEASURED BY HOW WE TREAT THE RICH, THE POWERFUL, THE PRIVILEGED, AND THE RESPECTED AMONG US. THE TRUE MEASURE OF OUR CHARACTER IS HOW WE TREAT THE POOR, THE DISFAVORED, THE ACCUSED, THE INCARCERATED, AND THE CONDEMNED."

Bryan Stevenson-Just Mercy