Debate

The Democratic debate is on right now. I'll watch it for a while.
First, they discussed attacks made against each other.
Now they are discussing their different universal health care policies. I really don't understand the difference, but I believe they both would go after it. OK, they need to shut up now about health care!
Now they have moved on to NAFTA. Hillary says it needs to be fixed. So does Barak. American workers have lost too many jobs. We believe in a global economy but need to help keep America competitive.
The subject is now who can be a better foreign policy leader. Boy I don't know who would be. Just a side note, I think our soldiers are absolute heroes, but that the Iraq War is absolutely wrong. Sad stuff. I saw a show last night about an American soldier who is home now, had his best friend killed there, and is extremely addicted to alcohol and marijuana...self medicating himself to get over his grief.
COMMERCIAL BREAK... I'm going to flip through the channels... and we're back.
They played a clip of Hillary making fun of Barak's speeches on "hope." Barak's response is that he has done lots of work for family's who have faced tough times.
She says she is not just a talker but a fighter. They both agree that the common people are hurting and overlooked.
OK I left the debate for a minute to put Jamie out to pee pee, and I visited the bathroom myself. I also got a drink in a cute little green bottle...and I'm back.
Tim Russert is one of the interviewers, and I really like him. He's smart and tough. I was with some pastors in an airport in NYC and we ran into Russert. I told him I liked his work, and he mentioned my mullet! I told him it was about "business in the front and a party in the back!"
Oh good. There was some laughter among the candidates and the crowd. Very needed!
I really like Barak, but both these candidates, and McCain, are really good folks.
Now they are talking about Russia and Putin's replacement. Putin's hand picked replacement. Barak just affirmed the former Clinton Administration and its work with NATO.
Hillary just said if she could do it over, she would not have voted to go into Iraq. But, she says now it is time for America to look forward. Barak is saying he respects McCain, but he will continue much of Bush's policies. He is also saying Hilllary would make a good nominee, but that he believes he can unite all kinds of people in the general election. Hillary is saying that either she or Barak will make history if they are elected, but she says she has fought for healthcare and many other things for the regular folks of America.
I'm glad I watched. It was a good debate. I'm proud of America, and I too believe in HOPE!
A final word: I know that 75% of the reason we are democrat or republican is due to how we were raised. And that's not all bad. Heritage is something to be proud of, and we need diversity of thought. I was raised in a strong democrat family. I've mostly voted for democrats, but I have also voted for republicans and independents. I just wanted to say a word about something said tonight in the debate. Brian Williams asked Barak about the report that said he had voted even more liberal than Ted Kennedy. Barak told why he had voted as he did on certain things, and then he said that the day is here when many people are tiring of the old labels of conservative and liberal and desire to think through the issues and unite for new beginnings. Wow, that is definitely post-modern, and I think is one of the reasons he is a breath of fresh air for many folks and is emerging as the front runner. Labels are starting to disappear, and we are thinking through and hoping for both good news and new beginnings in America and the world.

There Is Grace

I am human.
I do good.
But oh boy do I screw up!
There is grace.
There is grace.
Humans are we all.
Mercy for all.
Judgement for none.
Mercy for all.
Judgement for none.
Forgive me Lord.
Keep me real and relevant yet kind.
May the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be acceptable to You
O Lord my Rock
and Redeemer.

May God's Love Fall Like A Gentle But Steady Snow

We gratefully acknowledge that You are the Lord our God and God of our people,

the God of all generations.

You are the Rock of our Life, the Power that shields us in every age.

We thank You and sing Your praises: for our lives, which are in Your hand;

for our souls which are in Your keeping;

for the signs of Your presence we encounter every day;

and for Your wondrous gifts at all times, morning, noon, and night.

You are Goodness: Your mercies never end;

You are Compassion: Your love will never fail.You have always been our hope.

For all these things, O Sovereign God, let Your name be for ever exalted and blessed.


(Gates Of Prayer-The New Union Prayer Book)

Prayer

Each of us is a battleground for the struggle of sacred with profane. At times the profane seems to win the day. Love and truth are debased. Reason, our chief glory, is turned to evil ends. And in us the divine gift of compassion lies dormant; we fail to feel the anguish of others.

How much we need You, O God, in days of trial! We need faith to live, faith in Your creative power that overcomes chaos and stirs all life toward a new and better world. We seek You, O God: thereby we grow in vision, as we elevate our souls beyond the sordid to the sacred.

Your presence is the light piercing the darkness on our way, lighting our steps, making us see beauty and worth in all human beings.

May our lips and our lives
be one in serving you.

(The New Union Prayer Book)

questions and answers

So, God please bless?! the 5 students just gunned down in their college classroom
as well as the one gunning them down.
Why.....them?
Is there something....someone waiting for them?
Will they see their family again? Will they ever marry and have a family?
Is Goodness greater than random chaos and crime?
There's so much beauty in this life....and so much pain.
I know God's beauty and grace trumps the darkness that threatens me
I want to believe it does overall and in the end
even the instant end they experienced.
I cannot ignore the questions and the darkness,
and yet I choose to dwell in the region called the good news of God's Hopes and Dreams
and Jeshua's Ways of living and loving.

A Child's Prayer

God is great
God is good
Let us thank God
for this food,
for this forgiveness,
for the surprises,
for the peace,
for the courage to answer the call,
and for the wonder of it all.
(and ice cream!)
God is great
God is good
Let us thank God
for...................................................................................

The Flight of Fear and of Faith

It was about 1:00 in the morning.
Joy and I had watched Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck
which is a good movie.
But as I lay there at night, I began to think about the fact that both of these hugely gifted people are dead.
And I started to think about my own death....about non-existence...about not being with my family ever again...and once again the panic rose in my inner being and I fled downstairs.
You see thoughts and theology about heaven don't do me much good. And so I cry out to God and ask for God's help...for some understanding....some answers. All I got was absolute silence. So I went to the computer to google things on the afterlife and out of body experiences. No help. Then I went to the tv to search for some divine communication...nothing. So I finally went back to bed. Not til the next morning as I was sitting on the stool in absolute silence did the words and melody of the Chris Rice song I had been listening to the day before gently start entering my mind and heart.
He softly sings, "Fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus and live."
That was his answer for now.
Thanks.

Let Us

Let us
do all that we're called to be and do
with every once of strength, determination, and creative energy we have
and then, let us
be still, like a deer resting and laying in a meadow,
and know for sure that God... is... God...
who loves us and will use every once of God's
strength, determination, and creative energy to make a way and show us the path.
Amen?
Amen.

Burn Baby Burn

I'm watching a great fire burn in the fireplace while Joy is studying her Speech Therapy. And Jamie is taking it easy on the couch while Crosby, Stills , Nash, and Young play on the machine.
In me roars another great fire. It is the fire to be real and faithful to who God has made me to be as well as to the call upon my life. This call is to follow the resurrected rabbi and make a difference in the Story of humankind and the Story of God.
Where does that fire come from? There are so many who are motivated to make a difference...driven by the heat and passion that burns within. ...like the politicians who are putting everything on the line this next Tuesday. I believe that fire comes from God...from the original Source....from the Spark that started it all....and that has called and urged people throughout history to explore, invent, create, dream, protest, and desire to leave this world in a better way than they found it.
How does it burn in you?
You know it is fashionable for folks including us to constantly talk about how the world is getting worse and worse. Well, I don't believe it! This year both a black man and a woman are running for President. Not so long ago, neither of them could have even voted. And that's because the Fire of hope and progress continues to spread form heart to heart and a hidden Wind fans the flames and invites us to place one more piece of the beautiful puzzle in its place.
Well, I need to get up and shift the wood around a little so that the fire will continue to burn well.

These are a few of my favorite things

The air that we breathe
Om mani padme hum
Father son holy spirit
Praise be to God from whom all blessings flow
Be here now
Eyes to see and ears to hear
Scientists who make the world a better place
Taking a walk in the woods or by the river
The way that a farm field looks in summer spring winter and fall
The good news of the kingdom
The family of God can change a life and the world
Vincent van goth
Tv shows like ncis csi numbers and all great movies like ghandi
I love joy david rachel jamie and you
As the dooby brothers say jesus is just alright with me jesus is just alright oh yeah
The andy griffith show
Reading a good book while sitting by the fire
Pinkfloyd
A good whiskey sour (What is it about Christians that makes me scared to include this?)
Love God with all your heart soul strength and mind
Helen keller said life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all
The emergent church
Listening to the waves of the ocean
GOD IS LOVE!

God Sitting Next To Me

Last night, I lead our base group in a Bible study. The group has grown quite close since coming together about 4 years ago. After going through several Christian living studies, several in the group decided they wanted a Bible based study and asked if I would lead it.

I had a Bible study that I picked up at the last UMC Men's conference I attended. I kept it around thinking someday I might need it. It's designed as a low commitment study for seekers or those new to the Bible, but there is ample opportunity to dig deeper.

As we talked about Abraham and faith, it opened a door for many questions about faith, salvation, and grace. I thank God that I have read enough about this, and even recently had written down some of what I have learned in this area. God gave me the words to speak and calmed my nervousness. I'm always so afraid I'm going to get something wrong! I literally had no time to prepare. We were away all weekend and not sure if we could even attend. I had skimmed over the first lesson about a month ago, and the hosts of our base group meeting had the book in case we couldn't make it. I was definitely winging it, but God was sitting next to me.

Well, it all worked out. The conversation was amazing. Their appreciation was apparent. I feel very lucky to be part of a great group of people who desire a relationship with Christ, and want to go further on their journey.

Lord, help me be a spiritual leader for my friends. Amen.

Go!

Go Barak! (Who you rooting for?)
Go politics of hope and not fear!
Go America the land of democracy!
Go world that God dreams of and works for!
Go!

Most Not All

Tired tonight.
Going to read a book my friend Timothy sent me called Change Or Die. Great book so far.
Nothing profound to say right now...unless it might be the words of Thoreau,
"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave
with the song still in them."
May God bless us tonight with God's love and peace
yet give us courageous restlessness to sing our song.

He Invites You and Me To Pray

Our Divine Parent
Who has created and is creating the God reality
Within which we live, move, and have our being,
Praise be to You!
Your kingdom and will
Your dream and rule of love
Vs. chaos, craziness, and apathy about the brokenness
Come on earth and in our lives as it is in heaven.
Give us what we need and help us be content with what we have
One day at a time sweet Jesus.
Lead us in the right paths, and yank our chains when need be.
Deliver us from and help us overcome
the darkness that threatens our lives and this world.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory
And the joy, love, and peace
And movies, TV, books, flowers, sunsets, and oceans
And all sorts of beauty.
Both now and forever,
Amen, or in other words, May it be so!

I Don't Know

Watching the HBO show The Wire. You should check it out.
Us rich, isolated folks don't know anything about reality on the streets.
It seems there are some brave people trying to make hope possible where little exists.
I don't know if you and me will ever make any difference in this world.
Maybe we do, I don't know. Seeing a real show with real darkness, makes me wonder.
How much in this world is going on that we DON'T want to know about?
God help us. Maybe one or two of us will be brave too.

An Invitation

I invite you to offer this prayer as we walk into the new year.

Lord, help me faithfully to journey along my road,
holding my rightful place in the great procession of humanity;
Help me above all to recognize you and to help you
in all my pilgrim brothers and sisters.

(Michel Quoist as quoted in Prayers and Thoughts from World Religions)

Her Kind Of Courage

What's happening?!
For Christmas I received a nice # of C.D.'s. Sweet music.
I found Joy a beautiful piece of art work for above our bed.
Art and music...good stuff.
I've almost finished reading one of the Harry Potter books. I needed a break from the darkness of dealing with my papa. The book has helped lighten things up. Good writing and imagination.
Speaking about my folks, my brothers and I think we have found a nice room in the Warren nursing home. So, someone from the home is coming to do an assessment of my parents next week. Please say a prayer for next week.
Saw a good movie today...Charlie Wilson's War.
O God, I forgot, Ms. Bhutto was murdered today. Damn't. Forgive us God.
Too much darkness. Oh Jesus keep us working with you to build God's kingdom.
Give me her kind of courage.
His Kingdom come...His Will be done. Nothing else matters.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS! AND MAY CHRIST WALK WITH US AND LEAD US INTO THE NEW YEAR.

going to ft wayne now to see the parents.
again, it seems we are very near placing them into the home.
please pray....thank you...love you.

The Honoring of a Life

I went to the funeral of a pastor today, and his name was David Tripp.
A life time friend described David as a Methodist, Liturgist, and Ecumenical.
David's wife Diane looked weary. God bless her with your love.
The worship was beautiful.
The music was excellent.
The witnessing about David's life was meaningful
from different kinds and ages of people.
The sense of community was almost overwhelming to me , and I was bathed in Spirit
as the congregation came forward for Holy Communion.
It seems that Rev. Tripp was able to combine
the work of a scholar with the work of a servant.
One gentleman shared that he and David met for lunch once a week for two years,
and that he saw in David's life, more than any other, the life of Jesus.
May it be so.