Dr. Sheltie

fifteen years ago…

2012-02-08T09:42:00.001-05:00

On thisdate in 1997, Banu and I were ordained by the Presbytery of Philadelphia. After the church service was over, several ofus had some cake in our apartment. Itwas lovingly baked by our good friend, Rhonda, who did a pretty good job ofreproducing the PC(USA) logo. She evenacknowledged my two favorite colors: green and purple. (The bluishcolor in the photo was a tad bit more purplish in real life!)

Fifteenyears ago, I was also completing my final round of chemotherapy. (I did wear bandanas on my head for a whilelonger.)

Despite its faults, I amthankful that God called me into thePresbyterian Church. I miss the languagethat was in our old Book of Order which said, “TheChurch of Jesus Christ is the provisional demonstration of what God intends forall of humanity.” (G-3.0200) As long aswe remember that we are a “provisional demonstration,” we’ll be less likely tocommit the most egregious of errors!

will ECO be an echo?

2012-02-05T16:47:00.000-05:00

Last week, I preached on Deuteronomy 18, where Moses tells thepeople about a prophet to come after him. I spoke about the person and role of the prophet, one who speaks forGod. (“Thus says the Lord!”) I acknowledged that speaking for God is atricky, even audacious, enterprise.

I also included in my sermon an update from our presbyteryoffice on a meeting just over two weeks ago in Orlando. This was the Fellowship of Presbyterians’Covenanting Conference. At that time, theEvangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO for short), was formallycreated. This is the part of my sermondealing with that:

“While many ofthose in attendance say that they have no plans to leave the PC(USA), it wassuggested that as many as 100 congregations will decide to become members ofthe ECO. The exact relationship the newdenomination will have with the PC(USA), including the Board of Pensions, isunclear. However, we mourn this schismas the loss of even one congregation affects us all as brothers and sisters inChrist.

“Promoting disunityis clearly a violation of the ordination vows taken by teaching and rulingelders. While orderly dismissal toanother Reformed body is allowable, this may or may not be the processundertaken by those wishing to join the new denomination. It is our deep prayer that the Big Tent whichis the PC(USA) will continue to provide the opportunity for those withdifferent theological opinions to be in covenant community with one another.”

To be fair, it is unclear if this new group actually is a denomination. On their website, they call themselves a “newReformed body.” To me and many others,it feels like a new denomination,but I’ll let them define themselves.

I don’t know a great deal about the Evangelical Covenant Order ofPresbyterians, but I am concerned. Itconcerns me when we split up into like-minded camps. When birds of a feather flock together, theyput themselves into insulated bubbles. Thereis great value in hearing from others who can challenge us, who can call usout. It helps us in discerning, in weighing the evidence, of how Godis speaking. Understand, I’m notexcluding myself in all of this.

What ties us together isChrist. By no means am I saying thattheology doesn’t matter. Still, even atour best, as the apostle Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 13, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly” (v. 12). Where we’ve been isn’t as important as wherewe’re going. He continues the verse,saying, “but then we will see face to face.” We have to be careful; else we will hardenour hearts against each other. Kindnessmust be cultivated.

Again, I emphasize that Idon’t know very much about this group. After reading their stated beliefs, there doesn’t seem to be much that Iwould disagree with. I can’t help butthink that the passage of the amendment removing the barrier to LBGT ordinationis the real motivation. But maybe I’mwrong. I just would hate for ECO tobecome an echo chamber. All of us, regardless of theology orpolitics, can be easily tempted to settle for that.

not a game

2012-01-23T22:00:00.001-05:00

“WhenBenjamin Franklin left Independence Hall just after the second drafting, he wasapproached by a woman on the street. Thewoman said, ‘Mr. Franklin, what manner of government have you bequeathed us?’ And Franklin said, ‘A Republic, madam—if youcan keep it.’

“Theresponsibility of a country is not in the hands of a privileged few. We are strong, and we are free from tyranny aslong as each one of us remembers his or her duty as a citizen. Whether it’s to report a pothole at the top ofyour street or lies in the State of the Union address, speak out! Ask those questions. Demand that truth. Democracy is not a free ride, man, I’m here totell you. But this is where we live. And if we do our job, this is where ourchildren will live. God bless America.”

The above is aquote from the movie Fair Game(2010). It comes near the end, asAmbassador Joe Wilson (played by Sean Penn) addresses a lecture hall full ofyoung people. The lies he refers to are,of course, the lies used by the Bush White House to justify the invasion ofIraq. Because Wilson exposed their liesin the New York Times, his wife,Valerie Plame (played by Naomi Watts) was in turn exposed as a CIA officer. This was yet one more crime committed by adishonorable administration.

Fortunately, the movie isn’tsimply about airing political grievances. (Sean Penn has done a bit of that!) It also educates about nuclear proliferation. Go to www.takepart.com/fairgame.

hello, Aidan

2012-01-16T16:43:00.000-05:00

Having a blog named “Dr.Sheltie,” I feel compelled to give an update on the four-legged front.

The timidlittle fellow in the photos is Aidan. Heis the Shetland Sheepdog puppy we brought home today. He was born on October 24.

His predecessor in ourhousehold, Duncan, began barking with the celestial canine chorus three monthsago. On the ride home this morning, I assuredAidan that he is in no way a replacement for Duncan. He has to be his own dog!

rise and shine

2012-01-06T10:16:00.002-05:00

My wife andI returned from our trip to Tennessee yesterday evening—the twelfth day ofChristmas. I was able to “rise and shineand give God the glory” this morning, the day of the Epiphany of our Lord.

Here aresome fun facts about Epiphany. In Matthew’sgospel (2:1-12), which has the story of the visit of the Magi, we’re never toldthat there are three of them. The ideaof three likely arose because three gifts are brought to the young Jesus. We’re also never told that they arekings. That idea likely comes frompoetic passages in the Old Testament, such as Psalms 68:29 and 72:10 and Isaiah60:3.

These extratidbits to story are legendary in nature. Still, I like the hymn “We Three Kings of Orient Are” as much as the nextperson!

(The imageis “Adoration of the Kings” by James B. Janknegt)

new years, new journeys

2012-01-01T17:13:00.000-05:00

Today, myPresbyterian wife and I worshiped with our Episcopalian sisters and brotherswhile visiting my mother in Tennessee.

I amreminded of this date 25 years ago. Iwas traveling to Lakeland, Florida to attend the Assemblies of God collegethere. I had spent the previous night(New Year’s Eve) at a Valdosta, Georgia motel. I set out on the morning of New Year’s Day to resume the drive. My ‘69 Impala would eventually give up theghost in Florida. It set out on its ownjourney…

At the beginning of thisnew year, blessings of grace and peace be with you all!

occupied

2011-12-31T00:26:00.001-05:00

Here’s anupdate from a local group of the Occupy movement. (Thanks for permission to reproduce it.) I agree with almost every word. The tone is a little darker than Iwould use, but I can understand the sentiment. (Also, it was devised on my birthday!)

TheDeclaration of Occupy Elmira/Corning

Consented to by General AssemblyDecember 14, 2011

We have been captives of corrupt economic and political systems for far toolong. The concentration of wealth and the purchase of political power stiflethe voices of the increasingly disenfranchised 99 percent. Corporate dominancesubverts democracy, intentionally sows division, destroys the environment,obstructs the just and equitable pursuit of happiness, and violates the rightsand dignity of all life.

Occupy Elmira/Corning is an open community of diverse individuals, facingdifferent forms of oppression and impacted by economic exploitation todiffering degrees, but united by a shared vision of equality for the commongood. The harsh economic conditions that have plagued the poor, working class,and communities of color for generations have begun to affect the previouslyfinancially secure. This acute awareness of our common fate has united us inour struggle for a better future. We recognize that inequality and injusticesystemically affect every aspect of our society: our communities, homes, andhearts. To build the world we envision, we commit ourselves to overcoming ourpersonal biases so we can successfully challenge systems of oppression insolidarity.

We are assembled because…

It is absurd that the 1 percent has taken 40 percent of the nation’s wealth including through exploiting labor, outsourcing jobs, destructing unions, committing fraud, and manipulating the tax code to their benefit through special capital tax rates and loopholes. The system is rigged in their favor, yet they cry foul when anyone even dares to question their relentless class warfare.
Candidates in our electoral system require huge sums of money. These contributions from multi-national corporations, special interest groups, and wealthy individuals destroy responsive representative governance. A system of backroom deals, kickbacks, bribes, and dirty politics overrides the will of the people. The rotation of decision makers between the public and private sectors cultivates a network of public officials, lobbyists, and executives whose aligned interests do not serve the constitutional government or the American people.
Candidates are elected via plurality rather than majority causing a two-party system which overlooks public interests by pursuing narrow political goals. This climate encourages candidates to polarize voters for individual power and personal gain. Citizens’ meaningful input has been compromised by gerrymandering, voter disenfranchisement, and unresponsive politicians.
The 1 percent benefits from economic, political, and legal structures that oppress communities targeted by displacement, forced homelessness, denial of sovereignty, wage slavery, and other injustices. These persecuted but resilient communities continue to suffer through generations of disproportionately higher rates of unemployment, poverty, criminalization, and homelessness. Facets of the 1 percent campaign to blame these groups for these problems while obstructing healing and restoration.
Those with power have divided us from working in solidarity by perpetuating historical prejudices and discrimination based on perceived race, religion, political affiliation, immigrant or indigenous status, income, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability, among other things. These divisions have inhibited our ability to work in solidarity, though today we recognize the power of uniting as the 99 percent.
Through financial speculation and fraud, several financial institutions gambled with our savings, homes, and economy causing the collapse of the financial system. These institutions then required the public to bail them out of their failures yet they continue to deny any responsibility and continue to fight oversight. Corporations loot from those whose labor creates society’s prosperity, while the government allows them to privatize profits and socialize risk.
Corporate interests threaten life on Earth by extracting and burning fossil fuels and resisting the necessary transition to renewable energy and sustainable life. Without public oversight drilling, mining, clear-cutting, overfishing, and factory farming destroys the land, jeopardizes our food and water, and poisons the soil with near impunity. They privilege polluters over people by subsidizing fossil fuels, blocking investments in clean energy and efficient transportation, and hiding environmental destruction.
Private corporations, with the government’s support, use common resources and infrastructure for short-term personal profit, while stifling efforts to invest in public goods. These corporate entities have a responsibility to the indigenous people and the society in which they exist and rely on.
The U.S. government engages in unnecessary, costly conflicts abroad. Numerous acts of conquest have been, and continue to be, pursued to control resources, overthrow foreign governments, and install subservient regimes. These wars destroy the lives of innocent civilians and American soldiers, many of whom suffer adverse effects throughout life. These operations are a blank check to divert money from domestic priorities.
Government authorities cultivate a culture of fear to invade our privacy, limit assembly, restrict speech, and deny due process. They have failed in their duty to protect our Constitutional rights. Used by profiteering interests, the criminal justice system has unfairly targeted marginalized communities and outspoken groups for prosecution rather than protection.
The commodification of culture subverts social relationships and communication and warps our perception of reality. It cheapens and mocks the beauty of human thought and experience while promoting excessive materialism as the path to happiness. The entertainment industry is manipulated to distract the public from the important issues of society. We condemn the corporate news media which furthers the interests of the very wealthy, distorts and disregards the truth, and confines our imagination of what is possible for ourselves and society.
Some leaders are implicitly or explicity trading our rights to quality basic needs in exchange for handouts to the ultra-wealthy. Our rights to healthcare, education, food, water, and housing are sacrificed to profit-driven market forces. They are attacking unemployment insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, creating an uncertain future for us all, especially those who can least afford it.
Class-warfare has been engaged upon the working class through deconstruction of unions and worker benefits. The right to collectively bargain for fair wages, safe work places, and employee rights needs to be defended and enforced. Workers deserve the right to quality healthcare at an affordable rate and the ability to retire with dignity through a pension fund and social security benefits.*

A better world is possible.

To all people,

We, the Elmira/Corning General Assembly, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble and reclaim the commons. Re-conceiveways to build a democratic, just, and sustainable world.

To all who value democracy, we encourage you to collaborate and share availableresources.

Join your voice with ours and let it amplify until the heart of the movementbooms with our chorus of solidarity.

*These grievances are not all inclusive.

Christmas (is just beginning)

2011-12-25T11:47:00.002-05:00

After aworship service of lessons and carols this morning, Banu and I are preparingfor a Christmas dinner. Tomorrowmorning, we set out to visit my mother in Tennessee.

Some maysay that we missed being with her for Christmas. I would respond by noting that, according toour plans, we will be with her for mostof Christmas! We don’t celebrate ourSavior’s birth the way the commercials—with their frantic rat raceapproach—insist. Take a deep breath…andrelax. We have eleven more days tocelebrate.

(The image is “Nativity” by He Qi.)

small steps

2011-12-09T14:28:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow isHuman Rights Day. Politically, therehasn’t been a great deal of difference between the presidencies of George W.Bush and Barack Obama on that front. Thelanguage has changed, but the actions are sadly much the same. One might argue that the security stateapparatus has become even more comprehensive since Obama took office.

Still,words do matter. And so, I was happy aboutSecretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech last Tuesday in Geneva. In affirming gay rights, LGBT rights, ashuman rights, she elevated it as an issue that the entire world needs toresponsibly address.

Ecclesiastically,my church denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), earlier this year removedthe barrier to the ordination to ministry of gay men and women. When our presbytery voted on the measure inMarch, I was happy that we had taken this small step. But I am aware that there are many who fearthat this represents a surrendering of faith. (I spoke a little about that in the post.)

I believe that many of our problems stem from the ways we dealwith fear. Fear of “the other” causes usto accuse, to hate, to torture. It takeslove and courage to continue with the small steps.

let me in to exist

2011-11-26T16:47:00.001-05:00

I’m abouttwo-thirds of the way through John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel, Let Me In. The original Swedish is actually translatedas Let the Right One In, which is thename of the excellent vampire movie done in 2008. The English-language version released lastyear was surprisingly good, considering the high bar set by the initial movie.

I havethoroughly enjoyed the novel. As usuallyhappens when these things are made into screenplays, there is much that is leftout: various storylines, thoughts of thecharacters, commentary by the novelist, and so on. One of the commentaries by Lindqvist concernsOskar, the twelve-year-old who is the target of bullies. This is an element that exists completelyindependent of its being a vampire story.

When two ofthe bullies are harassing him in the restroom, Lindqvist notes, “He had put hishand up in class, a declaration of existence, a claim that he knewsomething. And that was forbidden tohim. They could give a number of reasonsfor why they had to torment him; he was too fat, too ugly, too disgusting. But the real problem was simply that heexisted, and every reminder of his existence was a crime.” (10)

Much laterin the book, after Oskar has learned some terrible truths about Eli, we’re toldthat “the thought ran through his head over and over: I don’texist. I don’t exist.” (308)

When I wasyoung, at about the age of Oskar in the book, I was terribly shy. I was so shy that, at times, I felt like Iwasn’t even a real person. Other peoplelived life so easily. Other guys had conversations with girls they really liked! After painful years as a teenager, I eventually came to understand thatit’s okay to be the person I am. It’ssomething we all have to face. Everyonehas their own grappling with what it means to be a person—what it means toexist.

In hisbook, On the Threshold of Transformation,Richard Rohr offers this: “Have you evermet a man who didn’t seem comfortable in his own skin?…Consider the possibilitythat, as a child, when that person first came into the world, he was not giventhe first permission—permission to exist.

“Manypeople have never been given this foundational permission—either spoken orunspoken. No one ever held their face,looked into their eyes, and said, ‘Welcome to the world, dear little one. I’m so happy you’re here, that youexist. I love you.’” (58)

That is a permission that I was given. From my earliest memories of life, I haveknown that I was loved; I was given permission to exist.

o captain, my captain

2011-11-10T22:30:00.001-05:00

You neednot be a fan of the Star Trekfranchise to enjoy and find value in the movie The Captains (2011). I mustadmit that I expected a film written and directed by William Shatner to be arelatively cheesy excuse for why Captain Kirk was the best of what GeneRoddenberry could produce. But I’llleave that for others to debate.

Whatimpressed me about the movie was what extended beyond the Star Trek world. I commentedto my wife Banu that either Shatner really cared about what his intervieweesthought, or he was very good at pretending that he cared. (I believe it to be the former, based on thecouple of interviews I saw he conducted on his show, Raw Nerve.) He delved intothe lives of Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, andChris Pine. Some of the conversationsget pretty personal: talks about(failed) marriages, dreams and careers, and even God.

Listening to them talk abouttheir lives, I felt a sense of rapport as a pastor. Still, I suppose that my interest wasn’thindered by the fact that I’ve been a StarTrek fan since my earliest memories of life.

breathe the air

2011-10-27T14:43:00.001-04:00

I’vewatched the first few episodes of TerraNova. I haven’t yet decided if Ilike it. But the show does have aninteresting premise. In the 22ndcentury, Earth’s atmosphere has become so polluted that the human race itselfappears doomed. However, at theaptly-named Hope Plaza, a rift in spacetime has been discovered. (Pictured below.) Entering the portal allows travel to 85million years in the past. There is nopossibility of those in the past altering the future, because the rift opens toan alternate timeline. (That’s a niceway to keep the show plausible!)

The showcenters on the Shannon family. Themother (played by Shelley Conn) is a medical doctor, and the father (played byJason O’Mara) is an ex-cop and prison escapee. (I won’t go into the details about that.)

What Ifound especially interesting in the first episode is the scene in which O’Mara’scharacter emerges from the portal into the world of 85 million years ago. He has difficulty breathing; it looks like he’shaving an asthmatic attack. His wife,the doctor, understands what’s happening. She yells out, “He’s going into hyperoxic shock. CO₂ infuser, now!” His lungs aren’t used to having so much freshair. He needs a little carbon dioxide tomake the adjustment.

Thesymbolic parallels to our own lives are numerous. We can become so accustomed to a toxicatmosphere that, when we’re exposed to clean air, we can’t handle it. We can be so enmeshed in a poisonousenvironment that we believe we’ll die without the toxins with which we’refamiliar. We drink venom as though itwere pure water.

We just have to hold on andbreathe the air!

goodbye, little prince (28 Dec 1996-17 Oct 2011)

2011-10-18T15:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday,we had to euthanize our Shetland Sheepdog, Duncan. He was two months away from his 15thbirthday. We had known for about thepast year that he was nearing the end. He was no longer able to walk with the stride that Banu early on thoughtof as “royal.” When we wanted to talkabout him without getting his attention, we would use the third person, as in “thedog,” “the Sheltie,” or, going back to the way he would walk, “the prince.” Finally, on Sunday night, he lost the abilityto walk at all.

The topphoto is one I have called “Handsome Man Duncan.” This is from our time in Jamestown.

The nextthree are from his time as a puppy, when we lived in Nebraska. The top one shows him gazing into space.

Here he is, abandoning his leashand playing some nighttime basketball on the half-court behind our house.

Finally, a sleepy puppy is yawning at Banu,telling her it is bedtime!

indebted

2011-10-12T14:40:00.000-04:00

“Everyseventh year you shall grant a remission of debts.” AsI’ve thought about the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, it has occurred to methat a mechanism to prevent the widespread debt we see in our country—andaround the world—was given to us thousands of years ago in the form of the sabbaticalyear. The above quote comes fromDeuteronomy 15:1. Leviticus 25 outlines theyear of Jubilee, which occurs every fifty years. Today, we might call it “land reform.”

Biblicalscholars are unsure how faithfully these measures were practiced. There is a half-hearted attempt during thetime of Jeremiah. The prophet has beenwarning the people about the impending Babylonian invasion. In chapter 34, we see the wealthy grantrelease to their slaves, but then think twice about it and go back on theirword. Perhaps they thought that theywould ruin the economy!

In any event, I’m not theonly one who thinks implementing these measures in some form is urgent public policy—that is, if we’re serious about dealing with the immense burden of debtour country carries. For that to happen,however, the large banks that run our nation would have to be reined in. As a society, we would have to decide thatthe extreme disparity between rich and poor is no longer acceptable.

no disaster, please

2011-10-05T14:52:00.002-04:00

This was my (as yetunpublished) response to an article on our US Representative Tom Reed’s supportof Eric Cantor’s suggestion that disaster relief must be tied to spending cuts:

In his confidence that “the government will ultimately findthe funds necessary to cover the damage done by Irene,” Tom Reed must bereferring to other members of Congress who are more responsible andcompassionate. In the Sept. 4 issue of the Courier,Reed was quoted as agreeing with Eric Cantor that “additional funds for federaldisaster relief ought to be offset with spending cuts.”

One flaw of this approach is that it ignores the money madeavailable to stricken areas. Looking at it purely through the lens ofemployment, after a disaster, there is plenty of work to be done. Work meansjobs. Added money means added jobs.

“I support spending on disaster recovery,” Reed was quoted,“but” (here it comes) “we’re living in a day and age where we have to hold DCaccountable. We’re going to have to find money to cover it.”

Our military spending equals the rest of planet Earthcombined. I think we can come up with the money.

If disaster ever strikesthe Finger Lakes, what will Congressman Reed tell us?

must we sing the song of Lamech?

2011-09-24T09:49:00.000-04:00

OurKeukabiblia Bible study will be taking on the parable of the unforgivingservant in Matthew 18:23-35. It’s quitea colorful story! It features a kingreleasing a slave from his debt, that slave then grabbing his fellow indebtedslave by the throat, and last but not least, God being pictured as a vengefultorturer.

(Of course,the amount owed by the slave to the king, ten thousand talents, should clue usin that the details of the story are fantastically exaggerated. One denarius was the usual wage for a day’slabor. With one talent equaling tenthousand denarii, ten thousand talents would equal one hundred million days oflabor!)

The parableis introduced by Peter’s question to Jesus regarding how often he shouldforgive a brother or sister (vv. 21-22). “As many as seven times?” he asks. Jesus responds, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.”

I’ll avoidthe temptation to go off on a tangent about our embrace of hateful, unforgivingpractices and policies. Often quoted injustifying those practices and policies is the principle of “eye for eye, toothfor tooth.” This is the lex talionis, the “law of retaliation”(Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:19-20, Deuteronomy 19:21). However, this wasn’t intended as a command tocommit violence; it was meant to limit violence. It was designed to keep blood feuds fromspiraling out of control.

Anexample of vengeance gone wild is shown in the song of Lamech (Genesis4:23-24). We see that “Lamech said tohis wives: ‘Adah and Zillah, hear myvoice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a youngman for striking me. If Cain is avengedsevenfold, truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.’”

Seventy-seven. Why is that number familiar? Jesus quite deliberately turns the song ofLamech on its head. In so doing, heturns plenty of our practices and policies on their head. Can we think of ways in which we want revenge? Can we think of ways in which we holdgrudges?

fifty years of marking a life

2011-09-17T18:56:00.001-04:00

Fifty yearsago tomorrow (18 September), the plane carrying then-UN Secretary General DagHammarskjöld crashed under suspicious circumstances. He was traveling to Congo to negotiate asettlement in the conflict brewing in the southern region of Katanga. There was a secessionist movement led by MoiseTshombe, who was backed, not only by the former colonial power Belgium, butalso by the UK and the US.

DagHammarskjöld’s death was deeply troubling in his native Sweden. He received a state funeral, a rare thing fora diplomat.

He was morethan a political leader, however. He wasa deeply spiritual man. He seemed tomeld together the right balance of the mystical and the political. We truly need that self-effacing spirit inour world today. On the fiftiethanniversary of his death, I want to include a quote from his book, Markings, which was publishedposthumously:

“The ‘mysticalexperience.’ Always here and now—in thatfreedom which is one with distance, in that stillness which is born ofsilence. But—this is a freedom in themidst of action, a stillness in the midst of other human beings. The mystery is a constant reality to him who,in this world, is free from self-concern, a reality that grows peaceful andmature before the receptive attention of assent.

“In ourera, the road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action.” (103)

we are Troy Davis

2011-09-14T17:06:00.000-04:00

The State of Georgia is now set toexecute Troy Davis on Wednesday, the 21st. Even for those who agree with thedeath penalty, this should be a matter of urgent concern. He was convicted of the 1989 shooting death ofSavannah police officer Mark MacPhail. The problem is that there wasno physical evidence against Davis, and the weapon used in the crime was neverfound. The case against him consistedentirely of witness testimony which contained inconsistencies even at the timeof the trial. Seven of nine witnesseshave recanted their testimony. One ofthe two failing to do so was also a suspect of the murder.

I don’t know if he committed this terrible crime, but his guilt has hardly been established.

So,if you believe that people whose guilt is seriously in question should not beexecuted, you are Troy Davis.

Infact, if you believe that people whose guilt has any shadow of a doubt shouldnot be executed, you are Troy Davis.

If you are Troy Davis, speak up for him!

chaotic waters

2011-09-10T10:30:00.000-04:00

Tomorrowis the tenth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. There is a powerful resonance with Exodus, which is where we find theOld Testament reading in the Revised Common Lectionary (14:19-31). It deals with the crossing of the Red Sea. There’s this wonderful image in verses 21 and22:

“Mosesstretched out his hand over the sea. TheLord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the seainto dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming awall for them on their right and on their left.”

The wordfor “waters” (mayim) is the same oneused in Genesis 1, the story of creation. We’re told that “theSpirit of God was moving over the face of the waters” (v. 2). That the same word is used isn’t surprising;it’s not an unusual word. The reasonit’s meaningful and powerful is because it represents chaos. At the beginning of the Bible, “the waters”are the disorder, the disarray, that exists prior to God beginning to establishorder.

In today’sscripture text, the waters are divided. Chaos is turned aside. The peopleare delivered through the chaos in safety. They are able to travel throughthe madness. We still need that kindof exodus today. We need an exodus thatis a true exodus.

From whatdo we need an exodus? To what are weenslaved? How much of it isself-imposed?

(The upper image is He Qi’s “Red Sea Crossing”;the lower image is Sarah Harvey’s “Shattered Green Triptych.”)

why is there suffering?

2011-08-24T13:54:00.002-04:00

What are some answers to the title question? Is it because we screw things up? Because we’re bad? Is it because we do not break free from the chains of desire? Is it ultimately unknowable? In my reading this morning, I came upon some interesting thoughts in Richard Rohr’s On the Threshold of Transformation. (279)

“Suffering is our necessary perception of evil. If we don’t feel evil, we stand apart from it, numb and aloof, and do not see our own complicity in it. Jesus did not numb himself or stand above pain; in fact the cross reveals his utter solidarity with all the suffering of history. It was God’s way of joining us at our lowest moments. I’m not sure how or why, but our suffering unites us to God and to other people—and therefore to ourselves.

“The irony is not that God should feel so fiercely but that God’s creatures should feel so feebly. If you find nothing to cry about or no injustice that deserves your anger, then you are blind and out of touch. We need to make personal the immense pain of humanity, of animals, of the earth itself, which is all the very pain of God. He holds it first, we hold it second. If we agree to hold it with him, I think we can actually participate in the salvation of the world (See Colossians 1:24-25).”

The opposite of suffering isn’t pleasure—it’s numbness. In a spiritual sense, it’s sloth, acedia. No one welcomes suffering, but one must be awake to experience it.

(The image is from yasminsinai.com.)

Lydian baptism

2011-08-01T09:56:00.002-04:00

In the photo, I’m holding the shirt I was wearing at my baptism. Wednesday, the third of August, marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of that day. (The green paint spots are something I picked up a few years later while painting machinery at a factory in Nashville!)

Wednesday the third is notable for another baptism, as well. It’s the feast of St. Lydia, whose story is told in Acts 16. I mentioned her in a previous post.

In her essay, “Opening the Heart to Listen: Becoming Mystics and Prophets Today,” Judette Gallares uses Lydia’s conversion story in describing how we are called to be both mystics (with direct, loving experience of God) and prophets (addressing our world with the word from God). Lydia does this exceptionally well with her practice of hospitality.

Gallares frames it in these terms: “In today’s fragmented world, which is characterized by different levels and degrees of homelessness, our mystic spirit, our sense of ‘belonging to God’ must open us up to others and to the world, to offer ourselves, our communities and our planet earth as a hospitable place for humanity and the whole of God’s creation.”

Gallares, like Lydia, is well aware of the risks involved. Being from the third world (the Philippines)—as well as being a woman—she understands the dangers of violence and terrorism. Still: “All the more we are called to stretch our hearts to create a place for people who do not share our belief, our values, our culture, our background, and points of view. How can we listen with an open heart, willing to understand where the other is coming from? This is the true spirit of hospitality. It is not abrogated when there is danger or differences, but only at that moment proves itself to be genuine hospitality.”

We all experience homelessness to a degree. As humans, we are alienated—we are in a foreign land. As Christians, the waters of baptism carry us to our homeland.

Ignatian inspiration

2011-07-30T22:52:00.000-04:00

“We should not fix our desires on health or sickness,

wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or short one.

For everything has the potential of calling forth in us

a deeper response to our life in God.”

—St. Ignatius of Loyola

In November 1998, Banu and I made a retreat at Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House in Sedalia, Colorado. This was our first interaction with practitioners of Ignatian spirituality. (That is, Jesuits!) It wasn’t until several years later that I discovered that Ignatius’ feast day is 31 July. In his book, The Spiritual Exercises, he includes a section entitled “Discerning the Spirits.” His use of the word “spirits” reflects a medieval concept; today, we would say “inclinations.”

Ignatius can still guide us in our decisions as we consider that “Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to the deepening of God’s life in me.”

hidden treasure

2011-07-24T19:28:00.000-04:00

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44). That was a verse from today’s gospel reading.

We can see ourselves as the field with the hidden treasure. How could we not be? We are made in the image of God. Still, we tend to settle. We settle for the 2nd best we can be. Or is it the 3rd best? How about the 15th best? Actually, putting any number on it misses the mark.

I would think that the message is that we’re always capable of more than we think we are. But often we’re too distracted, too lazy, or too uncaring for it to make a difference.

future sacrament

2011-07-15T09:17:00.000-04:00

This morning, I was drawn to Salvador Dalí’s wonderful painting, The Sacrament of the Last Supper, done in 1955. (I don’t pretend to be an art “expert,” so I feel no hesitation in labeling it “wonderful.”) A great deal has been said about its mathematical properties, Dalí’s ethereal portrayal of Christ, the landscape, and other aspects it possesses.

The first time I saw it, I had the impression of an event in the distant future. (Again, my non-expert opinion.) It still strikes me that way. And I’m always interested in the disciples. The two dressed in robes that are not white are both positioned two spots away from Christ. (The one to our left in blue, the one to our right in gold.) The two disciples who appear to be looking toward him are across from each other, on opposite sides of the table / altar.

The New Testament says that the inner twelve were all male. I don’t suppose I have a reason to doubt that, but I’m also not unaware of the tremendous scandal Jesus caused by his willingness to freely welcome women—and to even treat them as equals. If any of the disciples pictured are women, it looks like the ones at his right and left hands would be good candidates. (To me, their hair and posture seem to be more feminine.)

In any event, these are some of my non-expert thoughts!