Day of Thanks

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and there are many things for which I am thankful.

• My church. We are going through some trying times financially and emotionally. But I am thankful for wonderful Sunday worship and fellow Christians to join on our spiritual journey.
• My family. I have two great daughters who I know will one day be two great women. I'm proud of them. My wife deserves all the credit, of course!
• My job. I have a great job that I love, and although I'm behind the scenes, the college helps people find a better life through higher education. We are truly changing lives.

That is all I need, really. Everything else flows from these three things. Thank you, Lord, for what you have given me.

Freedom of Personal Religious Expression

Last week, a worker at a Home Depot Okeechobee, Florida was fired for wearing a button during working hours that read "One Nation Under God" and sported an American Flag. (See article in the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)

At least that's what he would like for you to think.

Home Depot employees wear orange vests. The company gives buttons to employees to wear that feature Home Depot products and services. There is a specific and clear company policy that bars all employees from wearing non-company sponsored buttons.

The ex-employee claims he wore the button for a year, that a supervisor commented favorably about it, and implies that it didn't become a problem until he started reading his Bible during his lunch break. The incident has all the elements to get people riled up: God, country and flag.

The bottom line is, this individual is wrong, and it saddens me that he is wrapping himself in the flag and the Bible while asking for special treatment.

Yes, it's true! Christians do have the right to express their religious belief in the workplace. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 lists religious expression as protected speech. However, employers such as Home Depot also have rights. They have a right to control the work environment and insure that business continues unimpeded.

In the years since 1964, a body of case law has developed specifically concerning personal religious expression in the workplace, and that defines the balance between employee and employer rights in that area. (Find more information at The Christian Law Association, American Center for Law and Justice, and First Amendment Center).

Simply put, Home Depot's button policy is not discriminatory. No one can wear personal buttons - NO ONE. When a policy is applied equally, there is no discrimination. If Home Depot did allow employees to wear personal buttons, and this employee was told he couldn't wear a religious button, THAT would be discrimination. What this employee is asking for is to be a special exception. Here is his most telling admission:

"I want to be a voice for the rest of the Christians and for the citizens of this country to stand up for the country. You know, quit being told to sit down. Say what you want to say and don't be afraid of the consequences." It's obvious to me that he planned this confrontation from the beginning, knowing exactly what the consequences would be.

Maybe God wanted him at Home Depot to minister to his fellow employees. Instead he chose to make himself a media celebrity. What a shame. He does not speak for me, as a Christian and a citizen of this country.

The New Oubache

This blog was orginally created to be an online meeting place for a cohort of Emergent Christians who were unable to meet physically. Then it became Craig LaSeur's blog. He wrote from within the Spirit. He wrote about his travels. He wrote about his parents. Then he "just stopped."

Now, I hope to begin.

I've always wanted to write a blog. I started one once, about girls' travel softball. It turned out rather badly. Then I found Facebook, where I could communicate in a way that I was accustomed. On Facebook, I'm able to share links to information I find on the web, the books I'm reading and the music I'm listening to. Plus I can interact with friends near and far in a way that blogs just are not designed to do.

I turned 50 this year. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with jumping back into the blog pool, but now I find I need a place for longer thoughts that I don't want to appear on my Facebook profile. I'll probably still post about music and books and events, but in a deeper way.

I will write about the blues, religion, marketing, leadership, softball (and high school sports). Maybe I'll just post about whatever pops into my mind.
I'll try not to upset anyone, but please feel free to comment and respond however you feel.

So I have retained the Oubache title for what I hope to be "my" blog. Craig has an open invitation to return and post any time he feels the need.

And by the way, "Oubache" (Wee-BAW-Shee) is the French spelling for the Native American pronunciation of the Wabash River, the river that flows through the region where I was born, grew up and essentially never left.

Shalom

I am done writing this blog.
Do you remember in the movie when Forrest Gump ran and ran back and forth across the nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific and then...finally...just...stopped.
Well, I just stopped.
Been writing these about weekly for a number of years now. I'm done.
There's was a time for the Qubache Blog, and there is now not a time.
Thanks to Tom for getting it started and those of you who have been reading.
Let us remember to
Love God,
Love our neighbors especially the wounded ones,
Love our families,
Love our selves,
and love and serve the kingdom that God is so faithfully creating even in the midst of the craziness.

Shalom,
Craig

a day

Sleeping....being re-created, dreaming, silence, wholeness.

Waking...slowly, coffee, morning God focus, fixing up the body, more coffee.

Working...organizing, planning, communicating, computing and phoning, loving, challenging, doing team, doing one's little part to make a difference, making it through all the stuff with God's grace.

Being with my loved ones...sharing meals, conversing, serving, doing chores, laughing, getting on the same page, supporting, entering into each others worlds.

Moments of sabbath...reading, walking, celebrating the creation, music, tv, movies, traveling, embracing God.

Dreaming...remembering the big picture, trusting The Force to give direction, believing the good news of God's way for the planet being greater than the very real bad news.

Memorial Day

I remember the love of my doggie Jamie.
I remember the courage, discipline, and sacrifice of soldiers.
I remember my grandma telling me if I kept rubbing my eyes they might fall out
and my preacher grandpa intentionally sneezing real loud to scare some girls walking down the street
I remember Sara and Ray Davis from my papa's church who were like my grandparents.
I remember Matthew who performed a horrendous crime...and I'm so sorry.
I remember Kathryn who made a homemade strawberry pie and had it waiting for us in the fridge when we moved into our first home.
I remember Todd who died at age 13, and I got mad at God.
I remember Jim, Dane, Bob, and so many more.
And I remember Jeshua.
Thanks to all of you who have blessed my life and the lives of so many more.
I remember.

I Stand Before the Wonder

Wow. Life!
Sight, sound, music, family, tough challenges and grace enough, giving love.
Blue skies and green trees and all of this on a ball flinging thru space.
The stories and memories of our life, our story as it's unfolding now, the stories in books and film, the stories of our family and friends, the stories of the ages, The Story.
I am alive!
I am filled with wonder, and hope.
May we turn up the music and dance.
Jeshua, shine in us and through us. Help us to see and love the wounded ones.
Help us be ourselves and celebrate diversity and yet be united to make a difference.
Drink the coffee, read the book, read the Book, bend on the knee, taste the wine,
walk in the creation, love that family, work hard, and most of all
allow God to use us to whisper and shout and be good news to a world often full and focused on other kinds of news.

Some powerful books I've recently read are:

A Team of Rivals by Doris Goodwin about Abraham Lincoln. It brings this incredible man's life, colleagues, and times alive.

The Book of God by Walter Wangerin. It's the Bible in narrative form. It is written in a beautiful manner and kept me close to God.

The Unlikely Disciple/A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose. A journalism student from a liberal university, Roose spends a semester at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. This book brings you closer to understanding God's kingdom and is entirely fun!

Thank God for good books!

disciple in the kingdom

I have been dealing with a lot of very complicated matters
with churches and pastors.
I've been tested by fire.
To keep becoming a follower of Jesus and his ways
we sometimes are called to go through the narrow gate,
and for this fat little french man, that ain't always easy.
But oh my, once we squeeze through
by working the problem one step at a time,
praying on our knees,
trusting the team,
and being surprised by heaps of beautiful grace,
the view on the other side looks like the kingdom of heaven on earth.

Seeing the Cathedral in the Morning in Muncie

Good News

Jesus came to be and proclaim the good news of God's kingdom.
I pray that today the good news of God's love, power, and purpose, be with you
no matter what may come your way.
As Bishop White announced,
"God is good,
all the time!
All the time,
God is good!"
Amen.

An Answer to the Questions

Can I make it? Can I hang in there? What is it that holds my life together?
And what is the call upon my life? These are the clear and loud questions I always hear and struggle to answer.

Today the answer I hear is, "Follow me and further the Jesus/Kingdom movement."
So what? Why is this a compelling call which makes the difference to me or anyone else?

I want to follow the Christ wherever he leads me to be about his kind of loving.
I want to do my part in this moment in history to further the Jesus/Kingdom movement.
It is an alive thing, a new thing, an adventure, and about Jesus' love to the broken and the furthering of the kingdom of God.
I must know. I must know. I must know... who I am... why I am...and the heart of I Am.
There's a call on my life and that provides joy, energy, focus, and an understanding that I really do have a place and a role to play.

My papa has always said that the fundamental question for all people is, Am I worthy?" I believe that today I hear God give an answer to that and other questions.

Holy Week

The last week of Christ on earth.
He spoke and lived peace and forgiveness vs violence and hate.
He died the way he lived which was to give us a perfect glimpse of the kingdom of God.
He confronted the religious.
He spent time with his friends/disciples around the table and washed their feet.
He taught the parables about God's way.
He brought healing to the broken.
He was executed.
Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
He rose.
Behold the risen Lord who gives us strength today to live his way.
THIS holy week.
This HOLY week.
This holy WEEK.
THIS HOLY WEEK.
May it be so.

A Good Thing

My wife Joy and I went to visit my parents last night in their new home called Heritage Pointe. They have been there for 8 months now...and love it. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

We took them to the 2A lounge where three dudes were playing music and singing old songs for the residents. One guy is called "the piano man," and there is a guy who plays snare and cymbal, and a sax player. I know two of these guys because they attend one of our churches. These musicians and their spouses have been coming into this nursing home playing music and handing out treats and love for 15 years now! They play and sing old songs that the folks know and love. They mess around telling jokes that even get nicely non-pious like the one where the father told his son he should become a Methodist...the son asked him why...the dad said ...well when you find four of them together...you usually find a "fifth!"...and the drummer hits the cymbal.

But what I found there was a tremendous sense of community....and the kingdom. Older people having fun, connecting with old songs and memories, coming out of their rooms into a place filled with others, joy, songs of faith, and life!

In the beginning God created life...and said it was good!
God is still creating good things in the 2A lounge.

This is the site where our doggie Jamie is buried.
I'll plant flowers later this spring.
Even though his spirit lives on in many beautiful ways,
there's something important and sacred about locating his body and this resting place.
This makes me think of Jesus.
His Spirit is alive, strong, and not contained,
but we also have the need to locate him in certain buildings, rituals, and pages of sacred scripture....and that too is good.
So, I go to the green shed to remember the little beast.
I go to the pages to remember the itinerant preacher, healer, and Savior.
But both their spirits cannot be contained even in my little heart.

Joy and I will be moving this coming December back to the Lafayette area.
We will be living by Battleground.
I will be supervising about 130 churches.
Joy will begin her career as a Speech Therapist.
Marion has been good. This time of our life is good.
Through the grace of God we placed my folks in the caring hands of Heritage Pointe.
We are near Rachel Marie at Ball State, and Joy is attending the University as well.
I am being changed by my wonderful pastors and churches and hopefully making a difference in someone's life and the world.
We have made good friends here.
We laid to rest the tiny, beautiful creature called Jamie.
The river down the hill has and is good to be near.
But we will be moving near another river relatively soon.
Life, like the river, is a beautiful, winding, and mysterious journey.

Two Old Friends

Very Near

Winter and Lent are here.
Spring and Easter are coming.
Amen.
PS That's my Jamie down there. His spirit is very near.

Jamie David LaSuer

Our doggie Jamie is dying.
He is a 14 years old miniature daschund.
He has helped raise our children.
He has played with them, protected them, and poured his unending love into them and everyone else. And we have given Jamie much love and 10,000 kisses!
Joy and I have probably walked with him a thousand miles through woods, neighborhoods, and along the river.
He is black with brown spots around his eyes, paws, and nose....a cutie.
He has had a favorite toy which is a squeaky bone.
He loved getting presents, especially from my mom, and would put his nose deep into the present to see what he was getting.
I love him so very dearly.
I thank God for Jamie, this most marvelous God creation.
I am sad, but I am truly thankful for the gift of his life.
I plan to stay connected to his spirit.
This week, we are loving, spoiling, and drinking him in.

Bow Before the One

So, what kinds of things are holding your life together right now?
I have a piece of paper in my Bible that says,"I bow before the king."
It reminds me to do this once a day.
I pray on my knees.
I come before the One that is the king...that is creating the kingdom in my life, the life of my family, and the world.
I bow before the One and pour out my prayers for folks who need them.
There is something about the physical act of bowing which makes the time of prayer more significant...and it reminds me of my relationship with the one to whom I pray.
I don't write this to get brownie points. It just means so much to me...and I need those things that keep me hanging in there... so I thought I'd share it.
There's something to posture....both physical and spiritual posture...and in this case, the posture of bowing.
And this fits my theology because I believe and trust that the good news of the kingdom of God is at hand for my life, through my life for others,and for this world.
So I bow before the One who brings that good news.
I bow before the king.

the day

home, sweet, home.
tired.
good day.
time with daughter rachel at her work at the blue bottle coffee shop.(by the way Thomas, there was some sweet blues playing!)
drove with joy to frankfort to visit em in jail.
i think i saw an eagle flying over the frozen and snowy river.
met with a builder to discuss building a new home...exciting.
now watching george carlin special.
yesterday got a facebook message out of the blue from my cousin who I hadn't heard from in decades. This is an amazing and good thing.
joy and i are sitting next to each other on the couch both using our laptops and listening to the carlin show.
got my pj's on.
had some pecan pie and milk tonight.
beloved old dog back in his bed where he spends most of his time now...just like my beloved mama and papa.
coming soon... sweet sleep...another consciousness...dreams...rest and re-creation.
i'll say it again, thanks george.
and i'll also say, i'm thankful for the day.

Got People?

Last night I emailed a few friends and asked them to pray for a meeting I had today,
because a few of us supervisory types had a hugely important conversation with someone.
The meeting went well through the grace of God, and I could feel the power that came forth from the lips and hearts of my friends.
As the song writer says, we get by with a little help from our friends.

Joy and I kid around that "we've got people." We've got people to:
help us take care of my parents;
help us figure out some things about our future;
take care of our little dog Jamie;
and yes, even pray for something on a moments notice.

But what if someone feels like they ain't got no people and feel freakin alone?
We've all felt that way before and know someone who feels like that right now.
Help us Jeshua be their people.

God bless America.

God bless President Barak Obama.

God bless our world.

God bless us as we seek to do our part to further God's Dream.

My heart and my hope is full.

A Connection Celebration

I have come to understand that the major part of my job is to create CONNECTIONS...
connections between pastors with pastors and churches with churches...
connections between these churches and the work of the church in the state of Indiana and the world...
and connections between pastors/churches with a vision that what we are all about is the changing of lives and the changing of the world.
Creating connections is a good thing because, as my papa would say, it is very important message to let people know in this world that they are not alone!
Maybe it's because I'm getting older that these relationships are becoming more and more important. I think about how wonderful and absolutely crucial are connections like:
Our family and the staff of the nursing home with my old mama and papa;
My bottomless adoration for my wife;
Our relationship with our children;
Our friendships;
Those who feel alone and just want someone to care;
The simple yet profound interactions we have with both folks we know and strangers
on a daily basis;
The invisible connections that hold our society and world together;
The one we have with the Source of our Shalom.

Went to Florida. Sweet. Back to work. Also Sweet
Tonight I'm inside and warm, and it's cold outside.
Watched Frontline online. Thanks David for turning me on to that.
Learning to appreciate different kinds of people...big picture types and anals, quiets and louds, those loving change and those not. But even those people aren't always just one way or another.
I love you God. The gifts of life, love, purpose, community, family, and your presence.
I've always been afraid of death, and who knows I still may. But two things have happened lately. First, I've decided that at the end of my life I am going to say "thank you" to God for this most amazing journey. Secondly, I had a dream the other night in which the Spirit flew me into space and showed me a planet which she said was heaven. Hmm.
Trying to focus on Wesley's 3 simple rules.
Do no harm.
Do all the good you can.
Stay in love with God.
BY THE WAY, GO SEE GRAN TORINO! AMAZING!!!

Let's enter into this 2009 gig together!
And thank you God for all the blessings found within 08.