Today is the last day. For many, the last day was some other day, but I’ve talked with enough students who will finish exams today, that today is really the last day of the semester.
And you are no longer the same.
You’ve changed.
The temptation will be to go home and be the same. You’ll try to be the same, but you will have changed and you’ll feel the difference in yourself and how you relate to others, especially those in your family. The change in yourself will because you have accomplished something, often, something difficult.
For some, the difficult piece has been grades. Applying glue to one’s backside for study always makes the world seem different. For others, it’s been surviving the wiles of an intractable roommate. For still others, life in the social lane has exposed you to people with whom you can relate and who even inspire you. For still others, the shootings of last spring’s Virginia Tech reverberated again at Von Maur and caused a painful stirring that has not yet rested.
Oh, yes, you’ve been through difficult times. As a campus, we’ve experienced everything from the selection and installation of a new Chancellor and the real and proposed exit of some of our longest friends; new buildings going up, other ones rearranged and still others becoming strong ideas. Programs are reformatted and put online, faculty are interested in taking leading roles in the community and going off campus. Transition has become a permanent state of affairs. Living in transition is difficult—it requires principles, thought, preparation and action. This adult like process requires the best and the most of us. It’s difficult. Having gone through difficult times, you have changed.
In all cases, there will be people who wish times, people and behavior remain what they’ve been, or at least, what is perceived to have been, “the way you used to be.” The tension will be palpable as you decide if you are the “same old” or if you have the “one in transition”, making decisions with a behavior in line with your new life principles.
Families and close co-workers are the most adept at desiring your old self. That’s the one with whom they are most comfortable.
This was true for Saul, also called Paul. His conversion story on the road to Damascus is will known. What is often forgotten is the story of Ananias, who was called to offer healing so Saul could regain his sight, after being struck blind (Act 9). This is the struggle of Ananias:
v. 10
“Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias,” He answered. “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
It’s your choice: to acknowledge and be the new person who has gone through difficult times and has new or emerging and powerful principles, or to try to ignore it all and not name it and claim it.
Make a list of those who want you to stay the same (including yourself, maybe?) and those who want the new and stronger you. Let me know how it goes.
See you second semester!
--f
Friday, December 21
Thursday, December 20
a meditatioin on taking down the Von Maur Memorial
We helped lay to rest the “shooting memorial at Von Maur. There were probably forty or so volunteers all together, and five hundred onlookers who came for a variety of reasons.
First, there was a sense that it was time for some closure. One of the folks spoke about needing to move on to normalcy. I suspect he meant normalcy being able to move on and not be tied to this event like it’s an albatross, keeping us from functioning. Of course, this would be a life of victimization. How poor would this earth be if that’s what we did! We are not victims, we are confident in God’s love. That’s normalcy: having confidence with love, all the while being aware of the albatrosses in our world. We blessed the place with our hands. Then someone in the crowd started singing “Silent Night.” We all chimed in. There was a four year old girl in the front row with a blanket over her head who sang, and a very experienced gentleman to her right to joined her. It was a song we all knew and a song for the season, and a song of hope because it joined us to That Which Is Beyond Us.
Second, there was a sense that it was time to move on. This resonated well. It is time to note we are in transition toward another time and place in our hearts. It is not healthy, I think, to easily say “good bye” and “good luck” like it never happened. Forgetfulness is a sorry state of affairs. So we must continue to be in touch with that sense of loss and pain, yet reach out to a new future, which we will create with God’s help, and which is the glory of God. At once, we are responsible and hopeful. God Is With Us.
Third, there was great probability that it is good to be together at a time like this. We all could have stayed home and been in out of the cold of the night. Instead, we showed up and did what we could, shared ourselves with one another, called on the God Who Is Larger Than Us prepared ourselves for renewal. Ann Lamott put it this way: “…it’s good to be out where others can see you, so you can’t be your ghastly spoiled self. It forces you to act slightly more elegantly, and this improves your thoughts, and thereby the world.”
A man on crutches in the front row of mourners called out to me as I was readying a teddybear for the bin. “Hold that one up, please. Janet put that there…. Yes, that’s it, it has a red scarf.” “Yes,” I responded, “it has red stripes on the scarf.” “It sure does” (he took a picture). “Thank you, sir,” he finished. “You’re very welcome.” He moved on.
So will we. I am confident we will move on.
P.S. As it turns out, being credentialed means showing up, going to the on in charge, stating who you are and why you’re there. Then you can introduce your friends, and they’re credentialed, too. Sort of like osmosis, we all got credentialed. Of course, this is Omaha, but I’ll be this system works elsewhere, too.
First, there was a sense that it was time for some closure. One of the folks spoke about needing to move on to normalcy. I suspect he meant normalcy being able to move on and not be tied to this event like it’s an albatross, keeping us from functioning. Of course, this would be a life of victimization. How poor would this earth be if that’s what we did! We are not victims, we are confident in God’s love. That’s normalcy: having confidence with love, all the while being aware of the albatrosses in our world. We blessed the place with our hands. Then someone in the crowd started singing “Silent Night.” We all chimed in. There was a four year old girl in the front row with a blanket over her head who sang, and a very experienced gentleman to her right to joined her. It was a song we all knew and a song for the season, and a song of hope because it joined us to That Which Is Beyond Us.
Second, there was a sense that it was time to move on. This resonated well. It is time to note we are in transition toward another time and place in our hearts. It is not healthy, I think, to easily say “good bye” and “good luck” like it never happened. Forgetfulness is a sorry state of affairs. So we must continue to be in touch with that sense of loss and pain, yet reach out to a new future, which we will create with God’s help, and which is the glory of God. At once, we are responsible and hopeful. God Is With Us.
Third, there was great probability that it is good to be together at a time like this. We all could have stayed home and been in out of the cold of the night. Instead, we showed up and did what we could, shared ourselves with one another, called on the God Who Is Larger Than Us prepared ourselves for renewal. Ann Lamott put it this way: “…it’s good to be out where others can see you, so you can’t be your ghastly spoiled self. It forces you to act slightly more elegantly, and this improves your thoughts, and thereby the world.”
A man on crutches in the front row of mourners called out to me as I was readying a teddybear for the bin. “Hold that one up, please. Janet put that there…. Yes, that’s it, it has a red scarf.” “Yes,” I responded, “it has red stripes on the scarf.” “It sure does” (he took a picture). “Thank you, sir,” he finished. “You’re very welcome.” He moved on.
So will we. I am confident we will move on.
P.S. As it turns out, being credentialed means showing up, going to the on in charge, stating who you are and why you’re there. Then you can introduce your friends, and they’re credentialed, too. Sort of like osmosis, we all got credentialed. Of course, this is Omaha, but I’ll be this system works elsewhere, too.
Wednesday, December 19
meditation on getting a pass and making a difference
“And the winner of the contest gets a pass to sit on the bench during the Creighton Basketball game*.”
We often wonder what’s said and done during sport events in the bench areas, or along the sidelines during football games. What is he saying to his players when he nods his head and moves his hands and arms just so? What is the coach saying to the officials? It would be fun to find out. The winner was sure happy.
And I’m sure of one thing—the pass loops around the neck of the winner and stays there. It’s his credentials that he’s official. Security and the rest of the team can look at that pass and will know he can be where he is.
In order to be helpful at the Von Maur disassembling of the door decorations, we’ll need credentialing, too. Von Maur has requested the people who photograph, remove, and store these memorial materials be credentialed. Not just anybody can do it. And that make sense. We all know: “the larger the crowd, the more organized the event has to be. Otherwise chaos can ensue.” We will need to be credentialed. It doesn’t mean we need lots of training. It means we need to be trustable and someone with authority has to vouch for that. (I’ve been assured that anyone who is with me or UCMHE can get credentialed through me.)
That’s really the bottom line—the people involved tonight need to be trustable, because we’re dealing with an emotionally charged memorial, it is being preserved, not trashed. People need to understand how to follow directions. The disciples of Jesus were trustable. First, they were trustable because they were with him on his travels. They were identifiable. Second, they acted (generally!) like they belonged where they were. They knew their responsibilities. Over the three or so years they had together, they learned who was responsible for what.
Tonight, credentialed, trustable people will be handling the life of a memorial. It will be done with “truth and grace.” If you have tender hands and hearts, you can help. You can get credentialed. You can get a pass and make a difference by supporting the emotional and spiritual process of transition. If you can’t be with us, you can make a difference where you are, too, by praying for the victims, the shooter and the city at 8:00 PM. tonight.
Mark 14:12
On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, :?Where do you want us to go and make the preparation for you to eat the Passover?” So he sent two of his disciples, saying to the, “Go into the city… .”
*(My apologies to UNO fans—it’s just that I heard this on the radio and I went with it—the same idea would work at UNO hockey games, volleyball games, soccer games, you name it).
We often wonder what’s said and done during sport events in the bench areas, or along the sidelines during football games. What is he saying to his players when he nods his head and moves his hands and arms just so? What is the coach saying to the officials? It would be fun to find out. The winner was sure happy.
And I’m sure of one thing—the pass loops around the neck of the winner and stays there. It’s his credentials that he’s official. Security and the rest of the team can look at that pass and will know he can be where he is.
In order to be helpful at the Von Maur disassembling of the door decorations, we’ll need credentialing, too. Von Maur has requested the people who photograph, remove, and store these memorial materials be credentialed. Not just anybody can do it. And that make sense. We all know: “the larger the crowd, the more organized the event has to be. Otherwise chaos can ensue.” We will need to be credentialed. It doesn’t mean we need lots of training. It means we need to be trustable and someone with authority has to vouch for that. (I’ve been assured that anyone who is with me or UCMHE can get credentialed through me.)
That’s really the bottom line—the people involved tonight need to be trustable, because we’re dealing with an emotionally charged memorial, it is being preserved, not trashed. People need to understand how to follow directions. The disciples of Jesus were trustable. First, they were trustable because they were with him on his travels. They were identifiable. Second, they acted (generally!) like they belonged where they were. They knew their responsibilities. Over the three or so years they had together, they learned who was responsible for what.
Tonight, credentialed, trustable people will be handling the life of a memorial. It will be done with “truth and grace.” If you have tender hands and hearts, you can help. You can get credentialed. You can get a pass and make a difference by supporting the emotional and spiritual process of transition. If you can’t be with us, you can make a difference where you are, too, by praying for the victims, the shooter and the city at 8:00 PM. tonight.
Mark 14:12
On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, :?Where do you want us to go and make the preparation for you to eat the Passover?” So he sent two of his disciples, saying to the, “Go into the city… .”
*(My apologies to UNO fans—it’s just that I heard this on the radio and I went with it—the same idea would work at UNO hockey games, volleyball games, soccer games, you name it).
Tuesday, December 18
a meditation on the opening of Von Maur, Wednesday, 8PM
The library is chock full of folks cranking out material on the work station computers. Yesterday, intense faces were focused screenward in dramatic focused fashion. In the side rooms, groups were putting finishing touches (we hope!) on projects to submit. The usual banter was at a low ebb. Fewer phones were going on off. The conversation seemed to hush. We’re talking serious work, here, folks. Working on to finish the semester!
And what about next week? Not many were openly thinking about that, but we know the end is coming and next week will be here. One student articulated the anxiety by noting, “I can’t make plans for Christmas break! I’ve got to finish this paper and exam.”
Next week will come, and if my suspicions hold true, Santa will show up on schedule, someone will make Christmas dinner, and life will go on. The healing process of the semester’s whirlwind end will begin to take shape. Old communities will shift, and new ones will form. Some of our lab partners and folks we got to know because of schedule will move on for the same reason—schedule.
Community building, disengagement, and rebuilding is part of the faithful life. While community can take many forms, it is always present. There are no complete loners in the authentic Christian religious world.
Wednesday night at 8:00 PM at Von Maur’s entrances, there will be another opportunity to shift from one community and build another. The wider community of Omaha is invited to join the mayor and the Nebraska Historical Society, to carefully take down the snowflakes and remembrances in such a way so that they can be preserved.
This is a healthy activity for individuals , families and groups. It builds the larger community, and recognizes the connection to the one broken by a shooter. We take stock in ourselves and our beliefs, our hopes and our dreams. This is the stuff of humanity. It will be a good time to be together.
Let’s plan to be there. If there’s energy, time and interest, we’ll hit the food court for dessert after.
Luke 5:8 and following—on creating new community
But when Simon Peter saw it,(the big fish catch and near sinking of the boat) he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
A similar event takes place in 5:27:
After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up, left everything, and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them.
And what about next week? Not many were openly thinking about that, but we know the end is coming and next week will be here. One student articulated the anxiety by noting, “I can’t make plans for Christmas break! I’ve got to finish this paper and exam.”
Next week will come, and if my suspicions hold true, Santa will show up on schedule, someone will make Christmas dinner, and life will go on. The healing process of the semester’s whirlwind end will begin to take shape. Old communities will shift, and new ones will form. Some of our lab partners and folks we got to know because of schedule will move on for the same reason—schedule.
Community building, disengagement, and rebuilding is part of the faithful life. While community can take many forms, it is always present. There are no complete loners in the authentic Christian religious world.
Wednesday night at 8:00 PM at Von Maur’s entrances, there will be another opportunity to shift from one community and build another. The wider community of Omaha is invited to join the mayor and the Nebraska Historical Society, to carefully take down the snowflakes and remembrances in such a way so that they can be preserved.
This is a healthy activity for individuals , families and groups. It builds the larger community, and recognizes the connection to the one broken by a shooter. We take stock in ourselves and our beliefs, our hopes and our dreams. This is the stuff of humanity. It will be a good time to be together.
Let’s plan to be there. If there’s energy, time and interest, we’ll hit the food court for dessert after.
Luke 5:8 and following—on creating new community
But when Simon Peter saw it,(the big fish catch and near sinking of the boat) he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
A similar event takes place in 5:27:
After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up, left everything, and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them.
Monday, December 17
a meditation on carrying hot water
Participating yields connection.
Yesterday, I helped at a baptism. At the church, the baptismal font was a large cylinder . At a cut out, the cylinder spilled into a lower tank area on floor level. The water was very cool. Someone wisely decided to that the water was too cold for an immersion baptism.
So the father of the baby and the priest took buckets of the cold water out. Six to be precise. Then they started bringing buckets of hot water back in. I volunteered to help. “Sure, you can do that.” So I went to the hot water spigot with my bucket and brought in three more buckets of hot water. That combined with the cold and the baptism water was now warm. Perfect. The immersion went off swimmingly, so to speak.
Afterward, I reflected on the experience and realized I felt connected to the ceremony. Probably, I suppose, because I had some small part in it. For me to be connected, I need to participate. Is it the same for you?
Perhaps you’ve felt connected through participation, too. Perhaps on the athletic field or in a classroom setting, either through asking questions on in a study group, perhaps even in taking notes and reviewing them. In that way, we become part of what’s going on, and we have a little more connection to it.
I stopped at Oak View Mall and noted outside the doors on the are some tables with papers on them. People can write messages of condolence or of hope. Many were making snowflakes with no comment at all. They just wanted to make something that said, “Hey, I was here and I’m here for you.” Windows and doorways are plastered with this participation.
Our lives are full of opportunities for participation, and our lives are all the more full for having done so. When you participate, you make a difference. Everyone can do this.
Luke 8:1
Soon afterwards he went o through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women….”
“Thank you” for taking classes, “thank you” for learning, and “thank you” for being part of the emerging UNO community.
Yesterday, I helped at a baptism. At the church, the baptismal font was a large cylinder . At a cut out, the cylinder spilled into a lower tank area on floor level. The water was very cool. Someone wisely decided to that the water was too cold for an immersion baptism.
So the father of the baby and the priest took buckets of the cold water out. Six to be precise. Then they started bringing buckets of hot water back in. I volunteered to help. “Sure, you can do that.” So I went to the hot water spigot with my bucket and brought in three more buckets of hot water. That combined with the cold and the baptism water was now warm. Perfect. The immersion went off swimmingly, so to speak.
Afterward, I reflected on the experience and realized I felt connected to the ceremony. Probably, I suppose, because I had some small part in it. For me to be connected, I need to participate. Is it the same for you?
Perhaps you’ve felt connected through participation, too. Perhaps on the athletic field or in a classroom setting, either through asking questions on in a study group, perhaps even in taking notes and reviewing them. In that way, we become part of what’s going on, and we have a little more connection to it.
I stopped at Oak View Mall and noted outside the doors on the are some tables with papers on them. People can write messages of condolence or of hope. Many were making snowflakes with no comment at all. They just wanted to make something that said, “Hey, I was here and I’m here for you.” Windows and doorways are plastered with this participation.
Our lives are full of opportunities for participation, and our lives are all the more full for having done so. When you participate, you make a difference. Everyone can do this.
Luke 8:1
Soon afterwards he went o through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women….”
“Thank you” for taking classes, “thank you” for learning, and “thank you” for being part of the emerging UNO community.
Friday, December 14
a meditation on test prep helps
So now comes the slow dance into finals week. This weekend will pit your need to study and your desire to have fun. The wait for the culmination of a semester’s work is upon you. Next week, you will only be able to refresh, remind and keep the big picture. It’s not a great idea to give an calculus answer to a creative writing question.
Anxiety is rampant as people put their nose to the books and class notes. People are asking questions: “Who has the best notes in class?” “What’s her name?” “Where’s a study group?” “Does anyone have copies of old tests?” “What does this professor really want out of me?”
These are all life skills, folks: learning, working with others, doing projects well and knowing the reason for the project in the first place are all part of what’s needed. That body work all builds confidence.
“Why are you studying?” Try to put that into a sentence. It will help with the studying itself. Also, when you take a test, make sure your essays have a thesis statement. That one was always a problem! Hot oatmeal is good for studying, too.
For those of you with more time and who need to stare out the window, here are a couple reverie starters.
Imaginings:
You are grand. You are able. You are focused. You are God’s creation.
Anxiety is rampant as people put their nose to the books and class notes. People are asking questions: “Who has the best notes in class?” “What’s her name?” “Where’s a study group?” “Does anyone have copies of old tests?” “What does this professor really want out of me?”
These are all life skills, folks: learning, working with others, doing projects well and knowing the reason for the project in the first place are all part of what’s needed. That body work all builds confidence.
“Why are you studying?” Try to put that into a sentence. It will help with the studying itself. Also, when you take a test, make sure your essays have a thesis statement. That one was always a problem! Hot oatmeal is good for studying, too.
For those of you with more time and who need to stare out the window, here are a couple reverie starters.
Imaginings:
- The hotel in Dubai where you meet a young woman who is part of the “Turquoise Mountain” project—regenerating the business section of Kabul, Afghanistan. Would you like to join that?
- Here’s a quote: “He who has not despaired has no need to live.”—Goethe
- Answer this question: Would I like to live someplace special for 3 months? What would that be like?
- So this guy Jesus comes up to me at Panera’s and says, “Come. Follow me.” Does that interest you? Would you accept the invitation? Where would that invitation take you? Who would you invite to go with you?
You are grand. You are able. You are focused. You are God’s creation.
Thursday, December 13
a meditation on camels and messes
Watch out for the camels and messes
Driving Dodge street east last night I was rubber necking Westside Church (Southern Baptist). There in the parking lot were two camels. They looked to be five or six feel tall at the hump. I laughed when I thought of them inside the church building because I knew someone was excited about the beauty of the pageant and its meaning. Reality dictates, however, there were others who worried about “who’s going to clean up this mess? Camels make messes, you know. They spit, they’ve got hooves, they pass gas and, well you know what else they can do. They’re animals. And who let them in on this carpet anyway?”
The answer in life is this: some messes are worth it!
Pets are part of a lot of peoples’ lives. Most have cats and dogs. There is a rage now to have pet rats. On Tuesday night at our ministry’s cookie decorating event, I met a few. These rats, evidently, have personalities and attitudes. To work with her inner rat, this rat owner has constructed a multi-level rat condo with cardboard boxes and duct tape. The luxury penthouse is complete with terrace, a deck, and viewing tower. Presumably, there is a master bath as well. Even with a castle, though, rats make a mess. But it’s worth it.
Children are messy, too. This morning’s paper displayed a photo of a baby in a Santa’s outfit. Cute and adorable? Absolutely! Do babies make a mess? Of course. But it’s worth it.
Christmas is messy. Every year we hear about Magi and Shepherds, and Angels and Mary and Joseph. A terrific visual description of the retelling of that story is in the movie, “Simon Birch.” Simon, a birth challenged small person always ends up being the baby. One year, though, he’s going through a pre teen challenge, and the beautiful Mary pays the price, as does the free range angel who comes down on stage losing lunch from the heavens. The chain smoking, delusional Sunday School director doesn’t get a free pass either. Quite a sight. Not pretty, except for being pretty funny. Lots of messes to clean up here—both on stage and off. But it’s worth it.
Life has its messes. The challenge is not so much in eliminating them, but acknowledging them, and cleaning them up.
Last night’s TV broadcast a show of a wealthy family that is all about itself and how entitled behavior runs amok. One character, who played the part of a college age loafer with no direction, brings a race horse and jockey into his parents’ formal dinner party. It reminded me of Peter Sellers’ “The Party” or Robin Williams’ “Mrs. Doubtfire.” The hilarity, however, is cut with the sharp knife of impropriety, inattention, narcissism, and life without purpose. The cutting left a mess. But was it worth it?
The message of Jesus’ love invites us to use our passions for the love God. Those passions will leave messes—changes of schedule, equipment, budgets, relationships and more. But those are the messes worth cleaning up!
Mark 10:17-30
“As he was going out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him: Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “you lack one thin; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”
Driving Dodge street east last night I was rubber necking Westside Church (Southern Baptist). There in the parking lot were two camels. They looked to be five or six feel tall at the hump. I laughed when I thought of them inside the church building because I knew someone was excited about the beauty of the pageant and its meaning. Reality dictates, however, there were others who worried about “who’s going to clean up this mess? Camels make messes, you know. They spit, they’ve got hooves, they pass gas and, well you know what else they can do. They’re animals. And who let them in on this carpet anyway?”
The answer in life is this: some messes are worth it!
Pets are part of a lot of peoples’ lives. Most have cats and dogs. There is a rage now to have pet rats. On Tuesday night at our ministry’s cookie decorating event, I met a few. These rats, evidently, have personalities and attitudes. To work with her inner rat, this rat owner has constructed a multi-level rat condo with cardboard boxes and duct tape. The luxury penthouse is complete with terrace, a deck, and viewing tower. Presumably, there is a master bath as well. Even with a castle, though, rats make a mess. But it’s worth it.
Children are messy, too. This morning’s paper displayed a photo of a baby in a Santa’s outfit. Cute and adorable? Absolutely! Do babies make a mess? Of course. But it’s worth it.
Christmas is messy. Every year we hear about Magi and Shepherds, and Angels and Mary and Joseph. A terrific visual description of the retelling of that story is in the movie, “Simon Birch.” Simon, a birth challenged small person always ends up being the baby. One year, though, he’s going through a pre teen challenge, and the beautiful Mary pays the price, as does the free range angel who comes down on stage losing lunch from the heavens. The chain smoking, delusional Sunday School director doesn’t get a free pass either. Quite a sight. Not pretty, except for being pretty funny. Lots of messes to clean up here—both on stage and off. But it’s worth it.
Life has its messes. The challenge is not so much in eliminating them, but acknowledging them, and cleaning them up.
Last night’s TV broadcast a show of a wealthy family that is all about itself and how entitled behavior runs amok. One character, who played the part of a college age loafer with no direction, brings a race horse and jockey into his parents’ formal dinner party. It reminded me of Peter Sellers’ “The Party” or Robin Williams’ “Mrs. Doubtfire.” The hilarity, however, is cut with the sharp knife of impropriety, inattention, narcissism, and life without purpose. The cutting left a mess. But was it worth it?
The message of Jesus’ love invites us to use our passions for the love God. Those passions will leave messes—changes of schedule, equipment, budgets, relationships and more. But those are the messes worth cleaning up!
Mark 10:17-30
“As he was going out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him: Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “you lack one thin; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”
Wednesday, December 12
Meditation on if
Meditation on “if”
One of the women said, “If the weather hadn’t caused UNO to be called off, we’d have had 150 people here.” But the weather did cause the school to be closed until noon, the time at which we were scheduled. Moreover, it’s dead week and students are focused on finals and papers and a change in their schedule. A change in schedule makes many of us forget what we’re doing. Signs were made, the podium and loudspeaker was up. It was on the schedule. Those who were there were ready. So we went ahead as soon as we could.
“If” is a big word.
If the weather had been better…
If it wasn’t dead week…
If people didn’t have to work…
But the facts are what they are. As they say, “It is what it is.” Just as we can’t take back last Wednesday (one week ago today), and the gruesomeness of the slayings, we can’t take back who we are and exchange it for someone else: a different size, different focus, different body type, different intelligence, a different (you fill in the blank here) ….)
No we can’t do that. So there we were with our candles and our prayers with those who were there. We read, we prayed, we reflected and we remembered. And though we weren’t 150, we made a difference:
We made a difference to those who walked by, saw the signs and almost joined us.
We made a difference in the atmosphere of campus, because people knew we were there in prayer.
Afterward, we made a difference in the offices where we work and with the people we meet.
We made a difference in the life of the community on campus and in Omaha and in the world.
Why? Because something holy happens when people gather to pray and to witness to God who is among us, whether in joy or tragedy. Gathering overcomes “if”s.
Matthew 18:20 (in the midst of conflict)
“For wherever two or three are gathered, there I am there among them.”
One of the women said, “If the weather hadn’t caused UNO to be called off, we’d have had 150 people here.” But the weather did cause the school to be closed until noon, the time at which we were scheduled. Moreover, it’s dead week and students are focused on finals and papers and a change in their schedule. A change in schedule makes many of us forget what we’re doing. Signs were made, the podium and loudspeaker was up. It was on the schedule. Those who were there were ready. So we went ahead as soon as we could.
“If” is a big word.
If the weather had been better…
If it wasn’t dead week…
If people didn’t have to work…
But the facts are what they are. As they say, “It is what it is.” Just as we can’t take back last Wednesday (one week ago today), and the gruesomeness of the slayings, we can’t take back who we are and exchange it for someone else: a different size, different focus, different body type, different intelligence, a different (you fill in the blank here) ….)
No we can’t do that. So there we were with our candles and our prayers with those who were there. We read, we prayed, we reflected and we remembered. And though we weren’t 150, we made a difference:
We made a difference to those who walked by, saw the signs and almost joined us.
We made a difference in the atmosphere of campus, because people knew we were there in prayer.
Afterward, we made a difference in the offices where we work and with the people we meet.
We made a difference in the life of the community on campus and in Omaha and in the world.
Why? Because something holy happens when people gather to pray and to witness to God who is among us, whether in joy or tragedy. Gathering overcomes “if”s.
Matthew 18:20 (in the midst of conflict)
“For wherever two or three are gathered, there I am there among them.”
Meditation on the time in between
Meditation and the time in between
Tomorrow we will have a brief service of remembrance for all those killed in the
Von Maur shooting. We are taking the lead in cooperation with other campus
ministries, including Catholic Campus Ministries, who are interested in this
time of prayer, reflection, community and hope. The service is at MBSC in the
fireplace lounge at noon. We invite you to join us.
We are in an in between time. The deaths have been catalogued and the funeral
services planned. Some will be completed today or very soon. We are in a time in
between death and final resting.
We are in an in between time as well because even though a person is buried,
their memory does not end. Families will cherish time spent together. Families
will remember the joy of life in years gone by. We are in between because of
memory.
We are also in an in between time because the events of last week are rippling
across our country, and perhaps our world. Yesterday, four people were gunned
down by shooters at a mega church in Colorado Springs, and a missionary training
center outside Denver, CO; a bomb threat was sent to a Von Maur store in
Minneapolis, MN. But even in these events, there is hope. We do not quit on
life.
Partly, I suppose, we do not quit on life because of the resilient character of
human nature. We continue to hope in and build for the future. Also, we do not
quit on life and hope because we are like saints in the world, looking into the
eyes of those around us and “seeing Jesus.” We are profoundly the people of
compassion and love. I see this compassion in the responders. It is visible in
the compassion of those walking past the makeshift memorial, and hope through
compassion is visible as persons make donations to the families involved to ease
the financial crunch, which is inevitable.
I encourage you to view the compassion welling up in our community and to not
give in to the easy cynical and hopelessness deaths bring, whether in Omaha and
elsewhere. We are a people hope; we do not easily give up. We are God’s people.
From Psalm 139:vss 7-12
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there,
If I take the wings of the morning
And settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall lead me,
And your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, “surely the darkness shall cover me,
And the light around me become night,”
Even the darkness is not dark to you
The night is as bright as the day,
For darkness is as light to you.
Tomorrow we will have a brief service of remembrance for all those killed in the
Von Maur shooting. We are taking the lead in cooperation with other campus
ministries, including Catholic Campus Ministries, who are interested in this
time of prayer, reflection, community and hope. The service is at MBSC in the
fireplace lounge at noon. We invite you to join us.
We are in an in between time. The deaths have been catalogued and the funeral
services planned. Some will be completed today or very soon. We are in a time in
between death and final resting.
We are in an in between time as well because even though a person is buried,
their memory does not end. Families will cherish time spent together. Families
will remember the joy of life in years gone by. We are in between because of
memory.
We are also in an in between time because the events of last week are rippling
across our country, and perhaps our world. Yesterday, four people were gunned
down by shooters at a mega church in Colorado Springs, and a missionary training
center outside Denver, CO; a bomb threat was sent to a Von Maur store in
Minneapolis, MN. But even in these events, there is hope. We do not quit on
life.
Partly, I suppose, we do not quit on life because of the resilient character of
human nature. We continue to hope in and build for the future. Also, we do not
quit on life and hope because we are like saints in the world, looking into the
eyes of those around us and “seeing Jesus.” We are profoundly the people of
compassion and love. I see this compassion in the responders. It is visible in
the compassion of those walking past the makeshift memorial, and hope through
compassion is visible as persons make donations to the families involved to ease
the financial crunch, which is inevitable.
I encourage you to view the compassion welling up in our community and to not
give in to the easy cynical and hopelessness deaths bring, whether in Omaha and
elsewhere. We are a people hope; we do not easily give up. We are God’s people.
From Psalm 139:vss 7-12
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there,
If I take the wings of the morning
And settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall lead me,
And your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, “surely the darkness shall cover me,
And the light around me become night,”
Even the darkness is not dark to you
The night is as bright as the day,
For darkness is as light to you.
Friday, December 7
meditation on the violence at the Westroads, #2
There will be a brief service of prayer and remembrance of the Von Maur deaths.
Fireplace Lounge, Tuesday at noon.
All are welcome.
Also: Habitat for Humanity Saturday morning—meet at Caffeine Dreams at 8:00 am.
Meditation:
Anybody could tell things were different on campus yesterday, at least for awhile. When I walked into the food court, smatterings of conversations were about the killings at the Westroads. One woman was checking for text messages and commented, “They are supposed to release the names (of the victims) at 9:30 am.” Another student read the morning World Herald in one hand and held his calculus notes in the other. Others huddled over laptops in low volume conversations.
Over the sound system, Mav radio played Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.” Yes, the atmosphere was considerably different.
Students who talked with me shared a variety of emotions: a sense of disruption, unfairness, disbelief, violation. Others were non-phased and working at being rational—“This kind of event has happened in other cities, why not Omaha?” And there was a grappling with a fear that an event like this might happen again. Others remained intent on their homework, seemingly oblivious to everything but exam preparations.
Perhaps you have experienced some of these emotions and thoughts. Or maybe other sensations have occurred to you and your friends. You may have also experienced a numbness, and no feelings are found at all; or there may be confusion about how people could be having so many emotions and that they are running so deep.
Personally, one word I’ve found to describe my own feelings is “unsettled.” Life as Im used to has been interrupted and continuity has flagged. I’ve been reminded of life’s dangerous side. I notice an anxiousness to want the news coverage and the effects of this event to go away and leave me alone, so I can get on with life--without difficulty or interruption. I feel a chill inside, and it’s not from the sub freezing weather.
“Wherever two or three are gathered, there I am also.” Matthew 18.20 is in a section of the book where Jesus is giving instruction on how to work through conflict in a group. In the end, healthy faith lives include getting together, in easy times and uncomfortable ones. Therefore, in response to all our perspectives and emotions, it seems appropriate to follow scripture and get together.
We’ve reserved the fireplace lounge for Tuesday at noon. We will light candles, remember the event and its victims, and pray for the families, ourselves, our city. We invite everyone to join us. All are welcome. God will be there among us.
As always, you can feel free to contact me by phone or email.
--f
Fireplace Lounge, Tuesday at noon.
All are welcome.
Also: Habitat for Humanity Saturday morning—meet at Caffeine Dreams at 8:00 am.
Meditation:
Anybody could tell things were different on campus yesterday, at least for awhile. When I walked into the food court, smatterings of conversations were about the killings at the Westroads. One woman was checking for text messages and commented, “They are supposed to release the names (of the victims) at 9:30 am.” Another student read the morning World Herald in one hand and held his calculus notes in the other. Others huddled over laptops in low volume conversations.
Over the sound system, Mav radio played Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.” Yes, the atmosphere was considerably different.
Students who talked with me shared a variety of emotions: a sense of disruption, unfairness, disbelief, violation. Others were non-phased and working at being rational—“This kind of event has happened in other cities, why not Omaha?” And there was a grappling with a fear that an event like this might happen again. Others remained intent on their homework, seemingly oblivious to everything but exam preparations.
Perhaps you have experienced some of these emotions and thoughts. Or maybe other sensations have occurred to you and your friends. You may have also experienced a numbness, and no feelings are found at all; or there may be confusion about how people could be having so many emotions and that they are running so deep.
Personally, one word I’ve found to describe my own feelings is “unsettled.” Life as Im used to has been interrupted and continuity has flagged. I’ve been reminded of life’s dangerous side. I notice an anxiousness to want the news coverage and the effects of this event to go away and leave me alone, so I can get on with life--without difficulty or interruption. I feel a chill inside, and it’s not from the sub freezing weather.
“Wherever two or three are gathered, there I am also.” Matthew 18.20 is in a section of the book where Jesus is giving instruction on how to work through conflict in a group. In the end, healthy faith lives include getting together, in easy times and uncomfortable ones. Therefore, in response to all our perspectives and emotions, it seems appropriate to follow scripture and get together.
We’ve reserved the fireplace lounge for Tuesday at noon. We will light candles, remember the event and its victims, and pray for the families, ourselves, our city. We invite everyone to join us. All are welcome. God will be there among us.
As always, you can feel free to contact me by phone or email.
--f
Thursday, December 6
meditation on the violence at the Westroads
The city we live in became a more difficult place to understand yesterday. A man armed with a rifle killed eight of his fellow humans in what appears to be a random act of rage against the world. Words to describe this event are difficult to come by. Our pain and fear is real.
However, God is present among us today, just as I believe God was present at the Westroads Mall yesterday afternoon. God is always present. God is not a being “out there” causing random acts of inter-human destruction. This event was not God’s will or God's plan. The victims involved did not deserve this.
God is the loving presence between people when they gather. so it will be good to set some time aside today to listen to each other—students, friends, co workers, colleagues, and family. We are all seeking some kind of way to make sense of this violence, to pray, to wonder.
You can look for me at MBSC fireplace lounge and the food court this morning if you’d like to have some conversation or a time of reflection or prayer. You can always feel free to email or call as well.
May God be real in your lives today and always. Amen.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.
he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me,
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
you anoint my head with oil
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
However, God is present among us today, just as I believe God was present at the Westroads Mall yesterday afternoon. God is always present. God is not a being “out there” causing random acts of inter-human destruction. This event was not God’s will or God's plan. The victims involved did not deserve this.
God is the loving presence between people when they gather. so it will be good to set some time aside today to listen to each other—students, friends, co workers, colleagues, and family. We are all seeking some kind of way to make sense of this violence, to pray, to wonder.
You can look for me at MBSC fireplace lounge and the food court this morning if you’d like to have some conversation or a time of reflection or prayer. You can always feel free to email or call as well.
May God be real in your lives today and always. Amen.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.
he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me,
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
you anoint my head with oil
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
Wednesday, December 5
meditation on simple things
This generation is pragmatic: the college life is mostly about getting a job. Time after time, the answer to the question, “Why are you here?” the answer is “to become qualified for a _____ (a job).
Those in IT want to connect the world; those in education want to teach the world; meteorologists want to predict the weather for a living. The list goes on and on.
Wouldn’t it be fine if all of us would become qualified for the job of being faithful? Would we be changed if we did that? How about taking on the tenets of our faith and put them into play for the world?
In the movie, “Ghandi”, the lead character said something like this in commenting to a Christian missionary who come to Southern Africa to be with Ghandi in his struggle for human rights: “I love your Christianity. There is so much to it, especially in the simple phrases: Love your enemies, turn the other cheek. If we could all turn the other cheek, we would take the blows of the police again and again. We will fight them with our unwillingness to give them blows in return. We will break them by taking the blows. The blows they give us will hurt them. They can arrest us and put us in jail if they wish, but they will not have our conscience. We will not bow.”
That’s the kind of comment that makes faith understandable as a very practical matter. Just as students are learning how to put theory into practice, so too should we all be putting the theory of faith into practice. Putting the simple tenets of love into play is the job for which faithful people train. We must become activists in our faith and put it into play in the world. That kind of pragmatism means faith is a lifestyle, not just something to be understood.
Bill Coffin put it succinctly: “…a broken pride does not make for passivity as I had thought. “The world owes me a living”--that’s passive. “I owe the world and God a life”—that’s active.
I encourage us all to take something from ourfaith and put it into play today. We owe the world—and God—a life.
Those in IT want to connect the world; those in education want to teach the world; meteorologists want to predict the weather for a living. The list goes on and on.
Wouldn’t it be fine if all of us would become qualified for the job of being faithful? Would we be changed if we did that? How about taking on the tenets of our faith and put them into play for the world?
In the movie, “Ghandi”, the lead character said something like this in commenting to a Christian missionary who come to Southern Africa to be with Ghandi in his struggle for human rights: “I love your Christianity. There is so much to it, especially in the simple phrases: Love your enemies, turn the other cheek. If we could all turn the other cheek, we would take the blows of the police again and again. We will fight them with our unwillingness to give them blows in return. We will break them by taking the blows. The blows they give us will hurt them. They can arrest us and put us in jail if they wish, but they will not have our conscience. We will not bow.”
That’s the kind of comment that makes faith understandable as a very practical matter. Just as students are learning how to put theory into practice, so too should we all be putting the theory of faith into practice. Putting the simple tenets of love into play is the job for which faithful people train. We must become activists in our faith and put it into play in the world. That kind of pragmatism means faith is a lifestyle, not just something to be understood.
Bill Coffin put it succinctly: “…a broken pride does not make for passivity as I had thought. “The world owes me a living”--that’s passive. “I owe the world and God a life”—that’s active.
I encourage us all to take something from ourfaith and put it into play today. We owe the world—and God—a life.
Tuesday, December 4
Meditation on planning
Not to put too fine a point on it, but sometimes our plans don’t work out the way we want them to. It’s not that things don’t work out well, it’s just that they don’t work out as we want them to.
For example, to increase our visibility as a ministry on campus, we decided to keep putting up a portable labyrinth in the fireplace lounge. Mondays and Tuesdays were selected as appropriate because students have differing schedules. Yesterday, after securing a portable labyrinth that fits the fireplace lounge, it was put down on the floor by late morning, prior to the lunch rush. Directional signs went up. Paraphernalia about labyrinths and UCMHE were all around. Invitations were issued. Hopes were up for a good number of walkers. Nope.
Fewer walked this time than on any other day I can remember. One was an international student struggling mightily with pressure for an outstanding grade to keep a scholarship. This research paper must yield an A. This person wanted to walk and wanted me to lead, and went the exact pace I did. It turns out this person was missing family members, was feeling lonely, isolated, fragmented and useless, and quipped, “I am so afraid (of failing) and I am so alone (no family).” This student had already been to see the writing lab people several times. I offered words of encouragement and prayer.
One walker came as a skeptic, so he walked it backwards with a flair and a smile.
Another student came accompanied by fear of physical illness. “Every year before finals I get something: an injury, a cold, a sinus problem, and now this. And my grandmother died this fall. That’s thrown me for a loop. I’ve got no grandparents left on either side.” More prayer, more encouragement, more practical conversation. This person walked.
Another student brought a friend, and they walked and talked about the experience. This, by the way, is the model that was supposed to go on all day!
Except for me, that was it for walkers that I saw.
However, holy things did happen. I had conversations with students almost non-stop from 11 am to 4 pm. Love lives, student organizations, computers and internet installations, big screen TV evaluations, finals, papers, weekend trips, plans, workweek, more papers, more exams, more, car expenses, calls from jail, work schedule, tattoos, money drain, “confidence in the face of the end of the semester though there’s lots to do and staying up all night isn’t good because my children need someone to get them up and get them to school.” Conversations were held by students sitting around , reading the material about labyrinths and our ministry. Some put the information down. Others put it in their pockets. Hundreds walked by and looked, wondering what this thing was. Others walked by knowingly and smiled. Most walked by in tunnel vision combined with hunger. I learned to sign the words “good” and “bad”.
As it turned out, this ministry of presence took place with the labyrinth being a very large piece of art as a backdrop.
The fact that more people didn’t walk became secondary. The primary point was God’s availability in the here and now. We all figured the labyrinth would work as planned. It didn’t. It worked in a completely new way. It’s not that things don’t work out well, it’s just that they don’t work out expected.
That’s a biblical concept. It happened to God’s followers.
I Kings 19:4-8
Elijah went a day's journey into the desert, until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it. He prayed for death saying: "This is enough, O Lord! Take my life, for I am no better than my father." He lay down and fell asleep under a broom tree, but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat. Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water... ... He got up, ate, and drank: then strengthened by that food, he walked forty day and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
It’s a good thing to plan and work the plan. It’s also a good thing to know God is with us anyhow!
For example, to increase our visibility as a ministry on campus, we decided to keep putting up a portable labyrinth in the fireplace lounge. Mondays and Tuesdays were selected as appropriate because students have differing schedules. Yesterday, after securing a portable labyrinth that fits the fireplace lounge, it was put down on the floor by late morning, prior to the lunch rush. Directional signs went up. Paraphernalia about labyrinths and UCMHE were all around. Invitations were issued. Hopes were up for a good number of walkers. Nope.
Fewer walked this time than on any other day I can remember. One was an international student struggling mightily with pressure for an outstanding grade to keep a scholarship. This research paper must yield an A. This person wanted to walk and wanted me to lead, and went the exact pace I did. It turns out this person was missing family members, was feeling lonely, isolated, fragmented and useless, and quipped, “I am so afraid (of failing) and I am so alone (no family).” This student had already been to see the writing lab people several times. I offered words of encouragement and prayer.
One walker came as a skeptic, so he walked it backwards with a flair and a smile.
Another student came accompanied by fear of physical illness. “Every year before finals I get something: an injury, a cold, a sinus problem, and now this. And my grandmother died this fall. That’s thrown me for a loop. I’ve got no grandparents left on either side.” More prayer, more encouragement, more practical conversation. This person walked.
Another student brought a friend, and they walked and talked about the experience. This, by the way, is the model that was supposed to go on all day!
Except for me, that was it for walkers that I saw.
However, holy things did happen. I had conversations with students almost non-stop from 11 am to 4 pm. Love lives, student organizations, computers and internet installations, big screen TV evaluations, finals, papers, weekend trips, plans, workweek, more papers, more exams, more, car expenses, calls from jail, work schedule, tattoos, money drain, “confidence in the face of the end of the semester though there’s lots to do and staying up all night isn’t good because my children need someone to get them up and get them to school.” Conversations were held by students sitting around , reading the material about labyrinths and our ministry. Some put the information down. Others put it in their pockets. Hundreds walked by and looked, wondering what this thing was. Others walked by knowingly and smiled. Most walked by in tunnel vision combined with hunger. I learned to sign the words “good” and “bad”.
As it turned out, this ministry of presence took place with the labyrinth being a very large piece of art as a backdrop.
The fact that more people didn’t walk became secondary. The primary point was God’s availability in the here and now. We all figured the labyrinth would work as planned. It didn’t. It worked in a completely new way. It’s not that things don’t work out well, it’s just that they don’t work out expected.
That’s a biblical concept. It happened to God’s followers.
I Kings 19:4-8
Elijah went a day's journey into the desert, until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it. He prayed for death saying: "This is enough, O Lord! Take my life, for I am no better than my father." He lay down and fell asleep under a broom tree, but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat. Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water... ... He got up, ate, and drank: then strengthened by that food, he walked forty day and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
It’s a good thing to plan and work the plan. It’s also a good thing to know God is with us anyhow!
Monday, December 3
meditation a poetry slam; and schedule
This week at UNO:
Monday: Peer ministry meeting, Monday 2:30
Tuesday: Beth Katz at 1PM, Dinner at Panera's at 6:30 PM, ISS at MBSC Tower Room, 8:00PM; sometime today the Difficult Dialogues Team meets to decide on our proposal for Spring Semester: the Faith Club gatherings for women.
Thursday: Bell Ringing for Salvation Army; 4PM UMMJ Board Meeting
Saturday: Habitat for Humanity; meet at Caffeine Dreams at 8:30 am.
Meditation on a poetry slam
Poetry Slams share lots of energy, and they are very personal. I did not know this.
On Saturday night I went to my first poetry slam and became a judge at Midland College in Fremont, NE. The last time I was a judge it had to do with bodies doing flips off a diving board into a pool. One key there is to see how much splash the diver made. The less splash, the better the dive. Poetry slams are the reverse—the bigger the splash, the higher the score.
The poets were young, energetic. Well, some were more frenetic than energetic. As the poets got close to the microphone to begin, they entered a trance. Some closed their eyes for a moment to get them close to their emotional outpouring. Others grabbed the mike stand like it was the last friend they had. Taught fingers grabbed the skinny black tube and it looked like they were choking it. There was no chance of letting it go.
The topics were highly charged and personal. There seemed to be no discernable quiet distance between the poet and the situation being analyzed. The poet quickly jammed the accelerator and went from zero to sixty with a high pitched frenzy. I liked it, frankly. Energy was one thing we could count on. I gave higher scores to topics and presentations that made me more uncomfortable and were more difficult to access: “the more uncomfortable I am, the more in touch the poet is” was my motto.
After a while, though, the shock value wore off. It seemed like all the poets had been on drugs, in jail, were HIV positive, or were involved in a torrid and one sided, self seeking love affair. It was all very potent, and it was all very transitory.
The poets became the dispensers of pain and wisdom, and it occurs to me these descriptions of pieces of life were hung up in front of us to evaluate and appreciate. The poems were offerings of instant glimpses of depth. This comraderie of expression gave us mutual appreciation of the human condition. While the words did not offer absolution, they did offer some understanding.
This sharing of life’s depthy joys and depressions was a magnet of hope. Joining with others and being provided an avenue of access to a slice of life was wonderful. And we did not feel we were better for not having suffered with the poets. We felt priviledged for being allowed in.
It was a reminder that Jesus takes anybody, no matter their life experience:
Luke 6:37
He also told them a parable. “Can a blind person guide a bind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor. ‘Friend let me take out the speck in your eye, when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.
Rev. Dr. Fred Richart
UCMHE at UNO
402-659-5795
www.unocampusministry.blogspot.com
Monday: Peer ministry meeting, Monday 2:30
Tuesday: Beth Katz at 1PM, Dinner at Panera's at 6:30 PM, ISS at MBSC Tower Room, 8:00PM; sometime today the Difficult Dialogues Team meets to decide on our proposal for Spring Semester: the Faith Club gatherings for women.
Thursday: Bell Ringing for Salvation Army; 4PM UMMJ Board Meeting
Saturday: Habitat for Humanity; meet at Caffeine Dreams at 8:30 am.
Meditation on a poetry slam
Poetry Slams share lots of energy, and they are very personal. I did not know this.
On Saturday night I went to my first poetry slam and became a judge at Midland College in Fremont, NE. The last time I was a judge it had to do with bodies doing flips off a diving board into a pool. One key there is to see how much splash the diver made. The less splash, the better the dive. Poetry slams are the reverse—the bigger the splash, the higher the score.
The poets were young, energetic. Well, some were more frenetic than energetic. As the poets got close to the microphone to begin, they entered a trance. Some closed their eyes for a moment to get them close to their emotional outpouring. Others grabbed the mike stand like it was the last friend they had. Taught fingers grabbed the skinny black tube and it looked like they were choking it. There was no chance of letting it go.
The topics were highly charged and personal. There seemed to be no discernable quiet distance between the poet and the situation being analyzed. The poet quickly jammed the accelerator and went from zero to sixty with a high pitched frenzy. I liked it, frankly. Energy was one thing we could count on. I gave higher scores to topics and presentations that made me more uncomfortable and were more difficult to access: “the more uncomfortable I am, the more in touch the poet is” was my motto.
After a while, though, the shock value wore off. It seemed like all the poets had been on drugs, in jail, were HIV positive, or were involved in a torrid and one sided, self seeking love affair. It was all very potent, and it was all very transitory.
The poets became the dispensers of pain and wisdom, and it occurs to me these descriptions of pieces of life were hung up in front of us to evaluate and appreciate. The poems were offerings of instant glimpses of depth. This comraderie of expression gave us mutual appreciation of the human condition. While the words did not offer absolution, they did offer some understanding.
This sharing of life’s depthy joys and depressions was a magnet of hope. Joining with others and being provided an avenue of access to a slice of life was wonderful. And we did not feel we were better for not having suffered with the poets. We felt priviledged for being allowed in.
It was a reminder that Jesus takes anybody, no matter their life experience:
Luke 6:37
He also told them a parable. “Can a blind person guide a bind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor. ‘Friend let me take out the speck in your eye, when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.
Rev. Dr. Fred Richart
UCMHE at UNO
402-659-5795
www.unocampusministry.blogspot.com
Friday, November 30
meditation on Pre-Christmas lah dee dah
Pre Christmas la dee dah
The Church year calls it Advent and it starts on Sunday. You might know it better as “all the stuff that happens before Christmas”& “the process of gift selection and wrapping.” The two might or might not have a lot to do with each other. We surely do live together, though.
The whole idea of Advent is how to look at the new creation God is bringing. The idea of gift selection and wrapping has to do with finding the right gifts for others in a way that celebrates the day after Thanksgiving madness at the malls, Black Monday, free shipping and in general, consumption. Many folks just love it.
Our choices this year (yes, we have choices!) have to do with our intentions and our budgets, and whether we discover any sense of holiness in their projection onto day to day living.
Where I live, many people put up exterior Christmas lights to commemorate their values. They are indicating they believe in Christmas. There are more Santa Clauses than Madonnas and child where I live, but still, these are lights to the world. This is the only time of year lights go up. For example, have you ever seen Easter lights on peoples’ lawns? I don’t recall seeing chasing lights on a cross at Easter. Nor have have I seen front lawns aflame at Pentecost! And certainly not for four weeks ahead of the big day. Fire crackers on the 4th of July is the only thing similar, and that event is over in an hour. (Ironic too, I think, that our national “light to the world” is a series of explosions!)
Advent, the church season prior to Christmas, calls upon followers of Christ to look forward to a renewed time, and we will know it’s a new time because everything will seem different—“lions will lie down with lambs” and “swords will be beaten into plowshares”
(read “personal and political enemies will get along”). You’ll note in the history of our planet, we’re without much documentation that this has occurred. We’re still looking forward to it’s culmination, though we did have the birth of a savior. That got things going.
Of course, there are people like my neighbor who don’t seem to be hopeful. He’s just getting through this time of life. I got this idea from a recent encounter.
I was struggling with a getting a few lights up in the shrubs outside my home. He pulled in his driveway from work and jumped out with the words, “I don’t do Christmas!” I responded, “Yeah, I haven’t seen you put up any indicators that you do.” “Well, my family gets together all year, especially in the summer, so I’m low key about now. The kids will get together at my “former’s” house, and then they’ll come over to my house (without his “former” I suppose) and we’ll do some gifts. That’s about it.”
I was amused and perplexed by this conversation. Here I was, putting up indicators of filled and unfulfilled hope, and there he was, thinking there’s nothing to this time of year, except “doing some gifts.” That dichotomy says it all, and it lifts up the pre-Christmas la dee day question:
What is hope or is there none? And if there is hope, where do we find it? How will we share it?
Personally, I’m looking forward to some pre-Christmas sharing with this neighbor. Maybe he’s really Santa, and I just missed it ‘cuz I was too busy putting up lights to notice. What do you think?
--f
The Church year calls it Advent and it starts on Sunday. You might know it better as “all the stuff that happens before Christmas”& “the process of gift selection and wrapping.” The two might or might not have a lot to do with each other. We surely do live together, though.
The whole idea of Advent is how to look at the new creation God is bringing. The idea of gift selection and wrapping has to do with finding the right gifts for others in a way that celebrates the day after Thanksgiving madness at the malls, Black Monday, free shipping and in general, consumption. Many folks just love it.
Our choices this year (yes, we have choices!) have to do with our intentions and our budgets, and whether we discover any sense of holiness in their projection onto day to day living.
Where I live, many people put up exterior Christmas lights to commemorate their values. They are indicating they believe in Christmas. There are more Santa Clauses than Madonnas and child where I live, but still, these are lights to the world. This is the only time of year lights go up. For example, have you ever seen Easter lights on peoples’ lawns? I don’t recall seeing chasing lights on a cross at Easter. Nor have have I seen front lawns aflame at Pentecost! And certainly not for four weeks ahead of the big day. Fire crackers on the 4th of July is the only thing similar, and that event is over in an hour. (Ironic too, I think, that our national “light to the world” is a series of explosions!)
Advent, the church season prior to Christmas, calls upon followers of Christ to look forward to a renewed time, and we will know it’s a new time because everything will seem different—“lions will lie down with lambs” and “swords will be beaten into plowshares”
(read “personal and political enemies will get along”). You’ll note in the history of our planet, we’re without much documentation that this has occurred. We’re still looking forward to it’s culmination, though we did have the birth of a savior. That got things going.
Of course, there are people like my neighbor who don’t seem to be hopeful. He’s just getting through this time of life. I got this idea from a recent encounter.
I was struggling with a getting a few lights up in the shrubs outside my home. He pulled in his driveway from work and jumped out with the words, “I don’t do Christmas!” I responded, “Yeah, I haven’t seen you put up any indicators that you do.” “Well, my family gets together all year, especially in the summer, so I’m low key about now. The kids will get together at my “former’s” house, and then they’ll come over to my house (without his “former” I suppose) and we’ll do some gifts. That’s about it.”
I was amused and perplexed by this conversation. Here I was, putting up indicators of filled and unfulfilled hope, and there he was, thinking there’s nothing to this time of year, except “doing some gifts.” That dichotomy says it all, and it lifts up the pre-Christmas la dee day question:
What is hope or is there none? And if there is hope, where do we find it? How will we share it?
Personally, I’m looking forward to some pre-Christmas sharing with this neighbor. Maybe he’s really Santa, and I just missed it ‘cuz I was too busy putting up lights to notice. What do you think?
--f
Thursday, November 29
a meditation on atmosphere
Atmosphere is everything.
In my office, there are two well-dressed frogs sitting on a bookshelf. They are quite a pair, with gold and green shoes with red outfits and clever caps. They stare at me as I work. They keep me company.
To make room for more atmosphere and a pieta kind of print, I took down a photo of a college reunion from fifteen years ago. Several members of the a’capella singing group keep in touch via email and continue to tell and create stories. So I’m still surrounded by this intensity. One of the old time deans of the U died at age 95 this past week and some of the guys who had stories about the Dean told them. Here’s one, not atypical. I’ve edited it for clarity:
“The second semester of my Freshman year was pretty much of a confused blur, thanks to too much winter, too few girls (none actually), too much beer, pledging Phi Gamm, playing lacrosse, and primarily the mistaken notion that I could get by on the study skills picked up at high school without doing something productive, like (for example) reading assigned books. My GPA tumbled to 1.6, and I was clearly ready for some diversion when Spring finally showed up.
That diversion took the form of some really spectacular “riots” in the East-West Hall quad--huge bonfires stoked by Core 13 manuals and dorm advisor’s furniture, lots of beer (of course), persons to remain nameless bombing Freddy Vero and campus security from the roof of West Hall with out-of-date eggs and other rotten produce, and of course ringing the chapel bell. Can’t have a riot without “the wild alarum sounding from the tocsin's dreadful throat.”
So there I was, pulling away like crazy on the bell rope when I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Stop that right now!” said the voice behind me. “This is Dean Griffith.” “Right,” I replied. “And I’m Quasimodo.” Well, it was Dean Griffith. And like many others whose stories will appear here, I, too was “called on the carpet” to face my punishment. I expected to be expelled, especially because the bell-ringing and nightly disturbances didn’t stop for a few more days. (But that’s another story involving a fake bell rope hanging in the bell tower, the real bell rope running outside to the chapel roof, and a strategically placed lookout with a flashlight in Lawrence Hall.)
Instead of kicking me out, however, he sentenced me to teach Sunday School at the Baptist Church my entire sophomore year. And that’s what I did, with enthusiasm and commitment and no apparent damage to the souls of my young charges. I suspect Dean Griffith knew, or sensed, that I wanted more than anything to be a teacher, and a good teacher at that. He also helped land me my first teaching job after graduation. So my “punishment” was the challenge to acquire more responsibility by doing something I loved. That kind of creative, (unthinkable today) caring response to dealing with a young guy who needed, more than anything to just grow up, was what I recall in remembering Dean Griffith. He saw more in me than, at the time, I saw in myself.”
Matthew 15:10
Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.”
When surrounded by stories like this, I’m reminded that it’s not our antics that are important (though it makes for good fireside chats), it’s about how we grew and the character of those who were mentors. That story about a familiar place is a great thing to have for atmosphere, even if I didn’t know the people involved. It also reminds that times have changed and we do background checks on all Sunday School teachers! So do not try to imitate the tales of yore!
In my office, there are two well-dressed frogs sitting on a bookshelf. They are quite a pair, with gold and green shoes with red outfits and clever caps. They stare at me as I work. They keep me company.
To make room for more atmosphere and a pieta kind of print, I took down a photo of a college reunion from fifteen years ago. Several members of the a’capella singing group keep in touch via email and continue to tell and create stories. So I’m still surrounded by this intensity. One of the old time deans of the U died at age 95 this past week and some of the guys who had stories about the Dean told them. Here’s one, not atypical. I’ve edited it for clarity:
“The second semester of my Freshman year was pretty much of a confused blur, thanks to too much winter, too few girls (none actually), too much beer, pledging Phi Gamm, playing lacrosse, and primarily the mistaken notion that I could get by on the study skills picked up at high school without doing something productive, like (for example) reading assigned books. My GPA tumbled to 1.6, and I was clearly ready for some diversion when Spring finally showed up.
That diversion took the form of some really spectacular “riots” in the East-West Hall quad--huge bonfires stoked by Core 13 manuals and dorm advisor’s furniture, lots of beer (of course), persons to remain nameless bombing Freddy Vero and campus security from the roof of West Hall with out-of-date eggs and other rotten produce, and of course ringing the chapel bell. Can’t have a riot without “the wild alarum sounding from the tocsin's dreadful throat.”
So there I was, pulling away like crazy on the bell rope when I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Stop that right now!” said the voice behind me. “This is Dean Griffith.” “Right,” I replied. “And I’m Quasimodo.” Well, it was Dean Griffith. And like many others whose stories will appear here, I, too was “called on the carpet” to face my punishment. I expected to be expelled, especially because the bell-ringing and nightly disturbances didn’t stop for a few more days. (But that’s another story involving a fake bell rope hanging in the bell tower, the real bell rope running outside to the chapel roof, and a strategically placed lookout with a flashlight in Lawrence Hall.)
Instead of kicking me out, however, he sentenced me to teach Sunday School at the Baptist Church my entire sophomore year. And that’s what I did, with enthusiasm and commitment and no apparent damage to the souls of my young charges. I suspect Dean Griffith knew, or sensed, that I wanted more than anything to be a teacher, and a good teacher at that. He also helped land me my first teaching job after graduation. So my “punishment” was the challenge to acquire more responsibility by doing something I loved. That kind of creative, (unthinkable today) caring response to dealing with a young guy who needed, more than anything to just grow up, was what I recall in remembering Dean Griffith. He saw more in me than, at the time, I saw in myself.”
Matthew 15:10
Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.”
When surrounded by stories like this, I’m reminded that it’s not our antics that are important (though it makes for good fireside chats), it’s about how we grew and the character of those who were mentors. That story about a familiar place is a great thing to have for atmosphere, even if I didn’t know the people involved. It also reminds that times have changed and we do background checks on all Sunday School teachers! So do not try to imitate the tales of yore!
Wednesday, November 28
meditation on "A Time for Burning"
“Gort: Klatu, Varada, Nikto.”
These are famous words from the movie, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” That movie title was the theme of last night’s gathering at Filmstreams’ showing of another movie that could have had that for a title. Instead, it was called, “A Time for Burning.”
1965 was a racially divided and charged time, and Rev. Bill Youngdahl, youngish, upwardly mobile superstar of Omaha’s all white Augustana Lutheran Church had a simple plan that became a flashpoint for the congregation and the Omaha community. The plan? Invite ten couples from one church to meet with ten African American couples from a racially mixed Lutheran church. Simple, direct, and as he said, “the smallest step I can think of .” The result: in two weeks time, the congregation was split and the pastor forced to resign. It was “too much, too soon,”
In the discussion at Filmstreams following, members of the packed house remarked:
From a young teen: “Fear is what’s happening. The people in the movie are comfortable where they are. They’re scared of change becoming different. They’re scared to cgo beyond the wall.”
From a mature African American: “there can be no reconciliation between races.
What we saw then is what we see today.”
From others:
“If we don’t understand each other, how can we change the system?”
“Like Youngdahl, ‘Sometimes it’s not about what I want to do or have happen—we have to listen and take it.’”
“The extremist wasn’t Ernie Chambers, the extremists were the elder statesmen of the church. Ernie simply held up a mirror we the people saw themselves. I see myself.”
“If this racism is going to change, we must have internal changes first.”
“We need to be expressive, passionate and make our voices heard.”
We need a spirit of reconciliation and vulnerability, and not to let those who are not reconciliation minded hold sway.?
“Why should I continue dialogue when nothing has changed in 40 years (not to mention the 350 years before that.)
the facts of Omaha (from Ben Gray of KETV7, photojournalist/producer):
One thing was noticeable: In the documentary, teenagers got the racism thing and wanted to meet together. Old white people with power thought it was all too soon and coming too fast. The tensions between races seem to have continued, if not expanded to include Latinos, immigrants of any kind and more. We have segregated ourselves. The result is tensions and gun battles on the streets.
Can we take action? Yes
Will we?
Well, WWJD? WWYouD?
John 4 7
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.” The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
These are famous words from the movie, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” That movie title was the theme of last night’s gathering at Filmstreams’ showing of another movie that could have had that for a title. Instead, it was called, “A Time for Burning.”
1965 was a racially divided and charged time, and Rev. Bill Youngdahl, youngish, upwardly mobile superstar of Omaha’s all white Augustana Lutheran Church had a simple plan that became a flashpoint for the congregation and the Omaha community. The plan? Invite ten couples from one church to meet with ten African American couples from a racially mixed Lutheran church. Simple, direct, and as he said, “the smallest step I can think of .” The result: in two weeks time, the congregation was split and the pastor forced to resign. It was “too much, too soon,”
In the discussion at Filmstreams following, members of the packed house remarked:
From a young teen: “Fear is what’s happening. The people in the movie are comfortable where they are. They’re scared of change becoming different. They’re scared to cgo beyond the wall.”
From a mature African American: “there can be no reconciliation between races.
What we saw then is what we see today.”
From others:
“If we don’t understand each other, how can we change the system?”
“Like Youngdahl, ‘Sometimes it’s not about what I want to do or have happen—we have to listen and take it.’”
“The extremist wasn’t Ernie Chambers, the extremists were the elder statesmen of the church. Ernie simply held up a mirror we the people saw themselves. I see myself.”
“If this racism is going to change, we must have internal changes first.”
“We need to be expressive, passionate and make our voices heard.”
We need a spirit of reconciliation and vulnerability, and not to let those who are not reconciliation minded hold sway.?
“Why should I continue dialogue when nothing has changed in 40 years (not to mention the 350 years before that.)
the facts of Omaha (from Ben Gray of KETV7, photojournalist/producer):
- one forth to one third of black males will end up in jail before they are twenty one.
- Blacks in Omaha are the third poorest in the country.
- Children in Omaha are the poorest children in the country.
- Many believe: “The race war is coming. And white militants are training for it around Omaha.”
One thing was noticeable: In the documentary, teenagers got the racism thing and wanted to meet together. Old white people with power thought it was all too soon and coming too fast. The tensions between races seem to have continued, if not expanded to include Latinos, immigrants of any kind and more. We have segregated ourselves. The result is tensions and gun battles on the streets.
Can we take action? Yes
Will we?
Well, WWJD? WWYouD?
John 4 7
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.” The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
Tuesday, November 27
meditation on hurtling to the finish and today's schedule
Today’s schedule;
Today the labyrinth will be in the fireplace lounge at MBSC, from 10 am to 4PM. Come for a walk of refreshment, Learning to take time for tactile meditation is a life skill.
Tonight, we’re viewing “A Time for Burning” 7:15 PM at Filmstreams, 13th & Webster (Nodo) tickets are $6 and Ben Gray of UNO will lead the discussion following. Don’t forget supper at Panera’s tonight will be early tonight: 6PM. Learning to reflect on racial tensions is a must.
Meditation on hurtling to the big finish
The excitement is building for the big finish of the semester. Professors are beginning the last of the follow-ups with students, making sure everyone is clear about the expectations of their courses. Students are waking up and realizing there is one more paper and one more group exercise and one more major lab and one more test. It feels like a hurtling rock toward the sun, increasing in speed as the rock gets closer to the center of gravity.
Isn’t this fun? You bet! It comes with passion for the work and passion for the work is infectious. When we’re with people who are rockets of energy around a project, we enjoy being part of it. When someone has drive, initiative and purpose, we respond. This is the time of the semester when we want to kick our lives into overdrive and fly for the finish.
Of course, there are a few derailments here and there. For example, on Saturday, while hosting relatives and friends for a time of Thanksgiving, we engaged in a three part “Great Race” event. First was golf (hitting closest to the turkey), and potato digging (finding the largest). The third event was canoeing across a pond to an island where a ceramic pumpkin awaited to be transported to a finish line. Three canoes took off. Three quarter of the way to the island, one canoe capsized. On the way from the island, another tipped over. That left only one of three canoes making it all the way. The water was really cold, and so the adventurers were surprised and wet, too. They were ushered to safety and warmth. After showers were had and warm clothes put on, we laughed and told stories of the debacle, while the clothes dryer worked overtime. Hot food tasted especially good.
We all learned: the overpowering desire to win can cause a wreck; that teamwork takes many forms; that water is cold this time of year and woolens are not great swim gear; and the main thing--that friends, family and warmth are worthy of celebration and gratefulness.
When you approach your “end of semester big finish” with initiative and purpose, people will marvel and you will do well. We all love those who keep the main thing the main thing and do not waver too much from that.
Jesus set his face to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51) and that decision determined everything he said and did. That was his big picture. We all need a big picture that’s worth it—for the end of the semester and even beyond (btw, have you thought of joining us in New Orleans during spring break?) What’s your big picture? Is what you’re doing in line with it? Who’s going with you?
Today the labyrinth will be in the fireplace lounge at MBSC, from 10 am to 4PM. Come for a walk of refreshment, Learning to take time for tactile meditation is a life skill.
Tonight, we’re viewing “A Time for Burning” 7:15 PM at Filmstreams, 13th & Webster (Nodo) tickets are $6 and Ben Gray of UNO will lead the discussion following. Don’t forget supper at Panera’s tonight will be early tonight: 6PM. Learning to reflect on racial tensions is a must.
Meditation on hurtling to the big finish
The excitement is building for the big finish of the semester. Professors are beginning the last of the follow-ups with students, making sure everyone is clear about the expectations of their courses. Students are waking up and realizing there is one more paper and one more group exercise and one more major lab and one more test. It feels like a hurtling rock toward the sun, increasing in speed as the rock gets closer to the center of gravity.
Isn’t this fun? You bet! It comes with passion for the work and passion for the work is infectious. When we’re with people who are rockets of energy around a project, we enjoy being part of it. When someone has drive, initiative and purpose, we respond. This is the time of the semester when we want to kick our lives into overdrive and fly for the finish.
Of course, there are a few derailments here and there. For example, on Saturday, while hosting relatives and friends for a time of Thanksgiving, we engaged in a three part “Great Race” event. First was golf (hitting closest to the turkey), and potato digging (finding the largest). The third event was canoeing across a pond to an island where a ceramic pumpkin awaited to be transported to a finish line. Three canoes took off. Three quarter of the way to the island, one canoe capsized. On the way from the island, another tipped over. That left only one of three canoes making it all the way. The water was really cold, and so the adventurers were surprised and wet, too. They were ushered to safety and warmth. After showers were had and warm clothes put on, we laughed and told stories of the debacle, while the clothes dryer worked overtime. Hot food tasted especially good.
We all learned: the overpowering desire to win can cause a wreck; that teamwork takes many forms; that water is cold this time of year and woolens are not great swim gear; and the main thing--that friends, family and warmth are worthy of celebration and gratefulness.
When you approach your “end of semester big finish” with initiative and purpose, people will marvel and you will do well. We all love those who keep the main thing the main thing and do not waver too much from that.
Jesus set his face to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51) and that decision determined everything he said and did. That was his big picture. We all need a big picture that’s worth it—for the end of the semester and even beyond (btw, have you thought of joining us in New Orleans during spring break?) What’s your big picture? Is what you’re doing in line with it? Who’s going with you?
Monday, November 26
meditation on exposure to compassion
“Exposure to compassion changes you from the inside out.”
On Thanksgiving Day, Carol and I, and two friends loaded ourselves into a van and drove to St. Margaret Mary’s Church and picked up a Thanksgiving meal for one. We also received a flower and a bag of candy. Our task was simple: deliver the meal, the flower and the candy to (let’s call her) E.
The group that headed up this event is the “Little Brothers—Friends of the Elderly.” They want every delivery person to deliver the goods for thanksgiving, but more importantly, to spend an hour in conversation with this person. We did. And that was the best part.
E is elderly and can’t make it on her own. She has no relatives or friends to speak of. She’s really alone. We talked about our families and asked about hers. Sometimes she shared, sometimes not. We tried a little Scrabble. That lasted about 2 minutes, even with teams. We identified our favorite candies. Mine is toffee. She said, “My middle name is candy!” We talked about places we’ve lived and roles we played. E agreed it was unfair for girls to do all the housework while the “men just sit there, waiting to be fed.” E gave us some stories to listen to! Even though we didn’t know her, she volunteered to be our friend for an hour.
We’re not sure she’ll remember we were there. That didn’t matter to us. What mattered was being with her for an hour. We left thinking Thanksgiving was a good thing after all. And that made our dinner later that afternoon all the more tasty.
A friend of mine put this in a sermon and then he sent it to me:
“I believe that serving another person – expecting nothing in return – changes you and changes them. I believe that you have to have experienced compassion and forgiveness and generosity in order to do them yourself. I believe that even the slightest exposure to compassion, forgiveness and generosity changes you from the inside out and you have to pass it on.”
Part of who we are as Christians is to serve and hope that model is seen and experienced by others. And part of who we are is experiencing the change “from the inside out.” That’s what E did for us, and for that we are thankful.
Matthew 5:14
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
On Thanksgiving Day, Carol and I, and two friends loaded ourselves into a van and drove to St. Margaret Mary’s Church and picked up a Thanksgiving meal for one. We also received a flower and a bag of candy. Our task was simple: deliver the meal, the flower and the candy to (let’s call her) E.
The group that headed up this event is the “Little Brothers—Friends of the Elderly.” They want every delivery person to deliver the goods for thanksgiving, but more importantly, to spend an hour in conversation with this person. We did. And that was the best part.
E is elderly and can’t make it on her own. She has no relatives or friends to speak of. She’s really alone. We talked about our families and asked about hers. Sometimes she shared, sometimes not. We tried a little Scrabble. That lasted about 2 minutes, even with teams. We identified our favorite candies. Mine is toffee. She said, “My middle name is candy!” We talked about places we’ve lived and roles we played. E agreed it was unfair for girls to do all the housework while the “men just sit there, waiting to be fed.” E gave us some stories to listen to! Even though we didn’t know her, she volunteered to be our friend for an hour.
We’re not sure she’ll remember we were there. That didn’t matter to us. What mattered was being with her for an hour. We left thinking Thanksgiving was a good thing after all. And that made our dinner later that afternoon all the more tasty.
A friend of mine put this in a sermon and then he sent it to me:
“I believe that serving another person – expecting nothing in return – changes you and changes them. I believe that you have to have experienced compassion and forgiveness and generosity in order to do them yourself. I believe that even the slightest exposure to compassion, forgiveness and generosity changes you from the inside out and you have to pass it on.”
Part of who we are as Christians is to serve and hope that model is seen and experienced by others. And part of who we are is experiencing the change “from the inside out.” That’s what E did for us, and for that we are thankful.
Matthew 5:14
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Wednesday, November 21
medidtation on thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
In the next few days most of us will sit down to feast. It’s not exactly Ramadan, because we haven’t been fasting—that would hardly be the American way for us to eat. A recent TV article noted that we have found ways to make a 400 calorie salad into a 2,000 calorie event—and still call it healthy eating, because it’s a salad.
Anyway, we’ll feast with friends and relatives. We’ll look out over the expanse on the table (Norman Rockwell might live here) and give thanks. I just looked up the NYTimes webpage (nytimes.com) and there’s a nifty video on how to carve a turkey.
The idea of feasting is quite old. We put the our day-to-day existence out of sight for awhile and we celebrate. It’s something in the human nature to do so. Just look at the number of national holidays we have—New Year’s, Memorial Day, Labor Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Yep, we want to regularize our feasts, and take opportunities to recognize the special times of life.
Thanksgiving, as the name implies, is about giving thanks. We have always used the Pilgrims first fall feast as the image we project—giving thanks for the harvest and thanks for their mentors, the Native Americans who helped out in a number of ways. As Christians, we give thanks to God for all this. Whether you think God created all this for you or whether you think God created the heavens and the earth and left it all up to us to be creative with it, we still are grateful for the centrality of God.
One time there was a king of Israel. Hezekiah was his name (715-687 BCE—see 2nd Chronicles 29-32. He was king after the bad boy Ahaz. To get the stink out of the holy places and the cities, Hezekiah proclaimed a time of worship, celebration and giving thanks to God. Though he wasn’t perfect, he got a head start on reforming the rituals of the life of the Hebrew nation and focusing on God instead of self. Hezekiah’s work lasted for a while.
When you think turkey, I invite you to think God, too, and creation, and work that lasts for a while.
In the next few days most of us will sit down to feast. It’s not exactly Ramadan, because we haven’t been fasting—that would hardly be the American way for us to eat. A recent TV article noted that we have found ways to make a 400 calorie salad into a 2,000 calorie event—and still call it healthy eating, because it’s a salad.
Anyway, we’ll feast with friends and relatives. We’ll look out over the expanse on the table (Norman Rockwell might live here) and give thanks. I just looked up the NYTimes webpage (nytimes.com) and there’s a nifty video on how to carve a turkey.
The idea of feasting is quite old. We put the our day-to-day existence out of sight for awhile and we celebrate. It’s something in the human nature to do so. Just look at the number of national holidays we have—New Year’s, Memorial Day, Labor Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Yep, we want to regularize our feasts, and take opportunities to recognize the special times of life.
Thanksgiving, as the name implies, is about giving thanks. We have always used the Pilgrims first fall feast as the image we project—giving thanks for the harvest and thanks for their mentors, the Native Americans who helped out in a number of ways. As Christians, we give thanks to God for all this. Whether you think God created all this for you or whether you think God created the heavens and the earth and left it all up to us to be creative with it, we still are grateful for the centrality of God.
One time there was a king of Israel. Hezekiah was his name (715-687 BCE—see 2nd Chronicles 29-32. He was king after the bad boy Ahaz. To get the stink out of the holy places and the cities, Hezekiah proclaimed a time of worship, celebration and giving thanks to God. Though he wasn’t perfect, he got a head start on reforming the rituals of the life of the Hebrew nation and focusing on God instead of self. Hezekiah’s work lasted for a while.
When you think turkey, I invite you to think God, too, and creation, and work that lasts for a while.
Tuesday, November 20
Life after portal 25
Life after portal 25
The hunt for humility just gets harder. One would like to think being persistent for a day would be all that’s necessary. Not so. Banging on the door looking for help may just need more than one brief stop. It may require several stops. At least for me, humility needed a second round. Once again, I needed help. I couldn’t give help to myself.
Bill Coffin comments on the need for help. “I have always like the old fairy tales in which the one who has turned into a beast can only regain human form through someone else’s love. Here I think is the clue to love. Love is to make us more human, that demands that we care so much for each other that we have not to be nice but to be honest. We have to be honest, for most real faults are hidden and therefore demand an outside revealer.” (from Credo)
Portal 25 wasn’t working. Portal 25 is the default entry point for my laptop’s email and it was working fine. When I updated operating systems, it wasn’t fine. Then I asked for help and it was fine. Then, eight hours later, it wasn’t fine. So this time, instead of being totally annoyed, I had a much better attitude about investing time and energy into getting this computer operational. I was the widow banging on the door, asking for help. After being at the judge’s door a number of times, it wasn’t so bad. The door and I were gaining a little familiarity. The ritual of banging on the door and asking for help was not so bad the second and third time around. This is true even if the answer from the door was different at each knocking. “No, the answer to your problem is not portal 25, it’s portal 995 now, and select SSL.” “How come Cox didn’t tell me this?” “They’re in transition to a new system, too. They’re going to ‘spop.east.cox.net’” “You mean we’re all in transition?” “Yes, but not everybody knows it.” The answers were different yesterday, but I didn’t care, as long as they worked.
What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about God in my life? What if I was demanding and persistent and wouldn’t let go until God gave me a blessing, even if the answer was different than I expected, or was used to? (am I coachable?) What would it take to be demanding and persistent and would I be willing to go further?
Another clue to understanding the word “God” is to substitute the word “relationship” or “vulnerability” or “courage” or even “single mindedness”. For example, read the statement, “What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about God in my life?” with substitute words. What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about relationship in my life? What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about vulnerability in my life? What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about courage in my life? What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about single-mindedness in my life?
Substitution of words of your choosing is allowed. Play with it. What would change in life if we used “Thanksgiving” as the center, or “Christmas” or “grades” or “a weekend off,” or “intramural sports” or “a healthy lifestyle” or “shopping” or “Wii” or “winning a national championship” or “only what I can control”? Some folks would substitute “myself” as the designated center of life. Others might suggest “balance” or “knowing what I really believe.”
Lots to ponder. Let me know if something comes to mind. I’d love to hear from you.
Luke 18:9-14
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I think you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating this breast and saying, ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The hunt for humility just gets harder. One would like to think being persistent for a day would be all that’s necessary. Not so. Banging on the door looking for help may just need more than one brief stop. It may require several stops. At least for me, humility needed a second round. Once again, I needed help. I couldn’t give help to myself.
Bill Coffin comments on the need for help. “I have always like the old fairy tales in which the one who has turned into a beast can only regain human form through someone else’s love. Here I think is the clue to love. Love is to make us more human, that demands that we care so much for each other that we have not to be nice but to be honest. We have to be honest, for most real faults are hidden and therefore demand an outside revealer.” (from Credo)
Portal 25 wasn’t working. Portal 25 is the default entry point for my laptop’s email and it was working fine. When I updated operating systems, it wasn’t fine. Then I asked for help and it was fine. Then, eight hours later, it wasn’t fine. So this time, instead of being totally annoyed, I had a much better attitude about investing time and energy into getting this computer operational. I was the widow banging on the door, asking for help. After being at the judge’s door a number of times, it wasn’t so bad. The door and I were gaining a little familiarity. The ritual of banging on the door and asking for help was not so bad the second and third time around. This is true even if the answer from the door was different at each knocking. “No, the answer to your problem is not portal 25, it’s portal 995 now, and select SSL.” “How come Cox didn’t tell me this?” “They’re in transition to a new system, too. They’re going to ‘spop.east.cox.net’” “You mean we’re all in transition?” “Yes, but not everybody knows it.” The answers were different yesterday, but I didn’t care, as long as they worked.
What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about God in my life? What if I was demanding and persistent and wouldn’t let go until God gave me a blessing, even if the answer was different than I expected, or was used to? (am I coachable?) What would it take to be demanding and persistent and would I be willing to go further?
Another clue to understanding the word “God” is to substitute the word “relationship” or “vulnerability” or “courage” or even “single mindedness”. For example, read the statement, “What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about God in my life?” with substitute words. What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about relationship in my life? What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about vulnerability in my life? What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about courage in my life? What would be the result, I wondered, if I had the same attitude about single-mindedness in my life?
Substitution of words of your choosing is allowed. Play with it. What would change in life if we used “Thanksgiving” as the center, or “Christmas” or “grades” or “a weekend off,” or “intramural sports” or “a healthy lifestyle” or “shopping” or “Wii” or “winning a national championship” or “only what I can control”? Some folks would substitute “myself” as the designated center of life. Others might suggest “balance” or “knowing what I really believe.”
Lots to ponder. Let me know if something comes to mind. I’d love to hear from you.
Luke 18:9-14
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I think you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating this breast and saying, ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Getting along without portal 25
Getting along without portal 25
I felt like I had been robbed. It all started innocently enough. My external hard drive was inadvertently disconnected at a totally inappropriate time. Or maybe it was something else. Who knows? Anyway, after six hours of working with experts, I determined to reorganize my data structure by upgrading to Leopard. I’d toyed with making that change anyway, but I didn’t want to spend the money. For a variety of reasons, though, it was the best option. The result was whizzbang, except for a few minor problems. Like, my computer could receive email, but not send it in the usual way. So I’d upgraded and gone backwards. I felt robbed.
Instead of the lovely and elegant email system, I was forced to use the internet version, which of course, is clumsy. And I could not use my address book. My address book has your email address in it along with others who get these devotions. That’s why nothing came to you last week. I could have entered your email into the internet version of Cox, but that would have taken time, and that was something not available at the time.
Finally, on my second try, a collaborator at Cox took me through a few steps, ending in the “advanced” area, and finally asked. “What portal is listed?”
““995” is what listed, and the SSL is checked”
“It shouldn’t be. It should be portal 25 and uncheck the SSL.”
That solved that problem. It just took persistence, the right person, the right knowledge, the right portal. And the whole thing was humbling. Hard on me, it was. I had to be persistent and ask for help.
Luke 18: 1
“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “grant me justice against my opponent. For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone. yet because I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
The widow was probably tired out, too. I wonder if she was humbled? Is that what Jesus was saying was important?
“At no time in the history of civilization is humility needed more than in this era of globalization and information technology. There is a need for new visionary leaders in this generation and the generation to come who can conduct themselves with humility even among members of their individual families, organizations, and civil society as a whole. Although using humility as a strategy in pursuit of life is no longer popular, humility is the only virtue that has proven to defeat the banal exploitative nature of some members of the Group of Eight nations, the architects and staunchest advocates of globalization; a 21st century version of colonialization.” Carlos Madrazo, development worker for the Christian Church and UCC, Indonesia. Read more at: http://www.globalministries.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1035&Itemid=140
I felt like I had been robbed. It all started innocently enough. My external hard drive was inadvertently disconnected at a totally inappropriate time. Or maybe it was something else. Who knows? Anyway, after six hours of working with experts, I determined to reorganize my data structure by upgrading to Leopard. I’d toyed with making that change anyway, but I didn’t want to spend the money. For a variety of reasons, though, it was the best option. The result was whizzbang, except for a few minor problems. Like, my computer could receive email, but not send it in the usual way. So I’d upgraded and gone backwards. I felt robbed.
Instead of the lovely and elegant email system, I was forced to use the internet version, which of course, is clumsy. And I could not use my address book. My address book has your email address in it along with others who get these devotions. That’s why nothing came to you last week. I could have entered your email into the internet version of Cox, but that would have taken time, and that was something not available at the time.
Finally, on my second try, a collaborator at Cox took me through a few steps, ending in the “advanced” area, and finally asked. “What portal is listed?”
““995” is what listed, and the SSL is checked”
“It shouldn’t be. It should be portal 25 and uncheck the SSL.”
That solved that problem. It just took persistence, the right person, the right knowledge, the right portal. And the whole thing was humbling. Hard on me, it was. I had to be persistent and ask for help.
Luke 18: 1
“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “grant me justice against my opponent. For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone. yet because I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
The widow was probably tired out, too. I wonder if she was humbled? Is that what Jesus was saying was important?
“At no time in the history of civilization is humility needed more than in this era of globalization and information technology. There is a need for new visionary leaders in this generation and the generation to come who can conduct themselves with humility even among members of their individual families, organizations, and civil society as a whole. Although using humility as a strategy in pursuit of life is no longer popular, humility is the only virtue that has proven to defeat the banal exploitative nature of some members of the Group of Eight nations, the architects and staunchest advocates of globalization; a 21st century version of colonialization.” Carlos Madrazo, development worker for the Christian Church and UCC, Indonesia. Read more at: http://www.globalministries.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1035&Itemid=140
Friday, November 9
Meditation on Spamalot
Skip this meditation if you cannot use your imagination today.
In a scene from the spoof Spamalot, King Arthur is looking for a Jew, to help him succeed in a musical production on Broadway. This musical, which will be produced a thousand years in the future, will break the curse made in the Very Expensive Forest and allow the King passage. Normally, we’d think the King of England could walk where he pleases. But this is not an ordinary situation. You see, no one really cares that King Arthur is King of England. He has no power other than the power of persuasion and his own dream.
The King is despondent, depressed and discouraged. He shoulders the world’s problems on his shoulders and can hardly walk. Patsy, the faithful servant of King Arthur, walked hesitantly down stage toward the towering and handsome Lord, and tentatively offered,
Patsy: “Sir, I’m Jewish on my mother’s side.”
King: “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
Patsy: “Sir, in the middle ages, it would seem a bit dangerous to tell this to a heavily armed Christian King.”
And the audience bellowed its approval with laughter as the musical once again poked fun at how religion, Christianity in this particular case, has a tradition of creating conflict, scapegoats, and seeking power so everyone gets in a straight line behind the banner of right belief. While this scene is improbable, the notion it delivers is real.
This is a comedy musical analysis of “Us vs. Them.” “Us vs. Them” is a close relative of “Haves and Have Nots”, “Over 21 and Under”, “My Race and Yours” “My Current Majority Status and Your Minority Status” and so on.
Our response to these issues of division and separation needs serious as well as comic attention. To be faithful to Jesus, our response-ability might need to include creative ways of engaging the enemy, which of course, is us and our sense of self-importance and self-righteousness. In fact, it’s our sense of self (aka narcissism) that can be the culprit.
If you’d like to drop some of your narcissism join us at Caffeine Dreams tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM. We’ll then carpool to a Habitat for Humanity site and a morning of work for “we don’t know who but that doesn’t matter because it’s not about us anyway.” Dress for the weather and with luck, we’ll have lunch together--in some place other than the Very Expensive Forest”.
Messengers from John the Baptist
18The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples 19and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 20When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’” 21Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. 22And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. 23And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
In a scene from the spoof Spamalot, King Arthur is looking for a Jew, to help him succeed in a musical production on Broadway. This musical, which will be produced a thousand years in the future, will break the curse made in the Very Expensive Forest and allow the King passage. Normally, we’d think the King of England could walk where he pleases. But this is not an ordinary situation. You see, no one really cares that King Arthur is King of England. He has no power other than the power of persuasion and his own dream.
The King is despondent, depressed and discouraged. He shoulders the world’s problems on his shoulders and can hardly walk. Patsy, the faithful servant of King Arthur, walked hesitantly down stage toward the towering and handsome Lord, and tentatively offered,
Patsy: “Sir, I’m Jewish on my mother’s side.”
King: “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
Patsy: “Sir, in the middle ages, it would seem a bit dangerous to tell this to a heavily armed Christian King.”
And the audience bellowed its approval with laughter as the musical once again poked fun at how religion, Christianity in this particular case, has a tradition of creating conflict, scapegoats, and seeking power so everyone gets in a straight line behind the banner of right belief. While this scene is improbable, the notion it delivers is real.
This is a comedy musical analysis of “Us vs. Them.” “Us vs. Them” is a close relative of “Haves and Have Nots”, “Over 21 and Under”, “My Race and Yours” “My Current Majority Status and Your Minority Status” and so on.
Our response to these issues of division and separation needs serious as well as comic attention. To be faithful to Jesus, our response-ability might need to include creative ways of engaging the enemy, which of course, is us and our sense of self-importance and self-righteousness. In fact, it’s our sense of self (aka narcissism) that can be the culprit.
If you’d like to drop some of your narcissism join us at Caffeine Dreams tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM. We’ll then carpool to a Habitat for Humanity site and a morning of work for “we don’t know who but that doesn’t matter because it’s not about us anyway.” Dress for the weather and with luck, we’ll have lunch together--in some place other than the Very Expensive Forest”.
Messengers from John the Baptist
18The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples 19and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 20When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’” 21Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. 22And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. 23And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
Thursday, November 8
meditation on breaking bread
Meditation on breaking bread.
I can see why some people want to go to college. From a pragmatic point of view college is worth considering. There’s money in it.
Yesterday’s World Herald revealed that in Omaha, a high school drop-out in 1962 earned more income in a year than someone with a high school diploma today. The only way out of that downward spiral is advanced education, luck, or being extraordinary. This financial fact is about the accelerating chasm in Omaha between wealthy and poor people. The article reports, not surprisingly, that people without money see the world differently than those with it. On balance, it seems a person is better off with enough money than to be without it. The world looks better and is more “approachable” that way. Without much money, sections of the Big O become farms for racism: people see the world in through the lenses of poverty and tiredness. And I know how well I function when I don’t get enough sleep!
A previous article in the OWH (10/29 you can log in at Omaha.com and do a search on “bread and barriers” in the e-edition) noted how groups of people are overcoming this poverty/isolation way of viewing life by having dinners in private homes where racism is the topic of conversation. Now, call me crazy, but I think this is church! Comments are just like I heard for years in churches I served, “”We’re all afraid of the unknown. But when someone is sitting at your dining room table and you get to know then, it’s hard to be afraid. Barriers break down.”
Jesus, the prophets and the patriarchs all had a thing for getting together to eat with people they knew and people they didn’t. Eating is a God thing:
Genesis 18:
1The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. 4Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” 7Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. 8Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
Luke 19
1He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.
Matthew 9
9As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.
10And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”
In fact, I think there are more stories about food and eating together in scripture than just about any other setting. It seems eating together—with friends and strangers—is a good and holy thing to do.
Sounds like a model for church to me! (and campus ministry for that matter).And oh yeah, how about a movie to go with it? the good folks in Omaha will watch “Crash” and talk about how race plays a part in our perceptions, what we do, and where we work.
Hmmm. Dinner, a movie, and discussion. Now that’s church. College students can do this, and it may just be as helpful to life than that best paying job you’re after.
I can see why some people want to go to college. From a pragmatic point of view college is worth considering. There’s money in it.
Yesterday’s World Herald revealed that in Omaha, a high school drop-out in 1962 earned more income in a year than someone with a high school diploma today. The only way out of that downward spiral is advanced education, luck, or being extraordinary. This financial fact is about the accelerating chasm in Omaha between wealthy and poor people. The article reports, not surprisingly, that people without money see the world differently than those with it. On balance, it seems a person is better off with enough money than to be without it. The world looks better and is more “approachable” that way. Without much money, sections of the Big O become farms for racism: people see the world in through the lenses of poverty and tiredness. And I know how well I function when I don’t get enough sleep!
A previous article in the OWH (10/29 you can log in at Omaha.com and do a search on “bread and barriers” in the e-edition) noted how groups of people are overcoming this poverty/isolation way of viewing life by having dinners in private homes where racism is the topic of conversation. Now, call me crazy, but I think this is church! Comments are just like I heard for years in churches I served, “”We’re all afraid of the unknown. But when someone is sitting at your dining room table and you get to know then, it’s hard to be afraid. Barriers break down.”
Jesus, the prophets and the patriarchs all had a thing for getting together to eat with people they knew and people they didn’t. Eating is a God thing:
Genesis 18:
1The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. 4Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” 7Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. 8Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
Luke 19
1He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.
Matthew 9
9As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.
10And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”
In fact, I think there are more stories about food and eating together in scripture than just about any other setting. It seems eating together—with friends and strangers—is a good and holy thing to do.
Sounds like a model for church to me! (and campus ministry for that matter).And oh yeah, how about a movie to go with it? the good folks in Omaha will watch “Crash” and talk about how race plays a part in our perceptions, what we do, and where we work.
Hmmm. Dinner, a movie, and discussion. Now that’s church. College students can do this, and it may just be as helpful to life than that best paying job you’re after.
Wednesday, November 7
meditation on Keith Aldrich, part 1
Meditation on Keith Aldrich 1
Last night at ISS (meets Tuesdays at 8PM, Tower Room, MBSC), we listened to part one of a life lived “way out loud,” and struggled with impressions of authenticity, rights to sanity and how one person’s lifestyle and decisions can place an effect on the lives of others. Of course, this meant we had to bring up to our own senses of self and personal decisions. What values do we live out?
From the written introduction:
“Over the course of his life, Keith Aldrich was a child of the Depression in Oklahoma; a preacher-in-training in booming California; an aspiring Hollywood actor; in the 1950s, a self-styled Beat writer, and then a man in a gray flannel suit; in the 1960s, a member of the New York literati, and then a hippie; in the 1970s, a denizen of the suburbs with a partying, Ice Storm kind of life; and a born-again Christian when the Moral Majority helped put Ronald Reagan in office.”
Mr. Aldrich lived a life of serial monogamy, whether out of a reaction to life in the Church of Christ and its restrictive theology, or to something else, we don’t really know. We do know from the first person accounts of his children that he married, had children, and divorced a number of times (5?). Sometimes, children from one nuclear family came to live with a later family. This left us scratching our heads and a trail of Aldrich relatives struggling to find a sense of place and connection. You can listen yourself by joining us next week for part 2 or going for the whole enchilada at: http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=121
This is exactly one of our adult issues in life: claiming a sense of place and connection. We are eternally trying to find our way, too. Mr. Aldrich was making serial decisions, which he has a right to do, but we all wondered, “is this a good way to go about life? And what was going on in the minds of his wives? What were they thinking? Didn’t they invite this abuse?”
I’m reminded of other folks, particularly in Genesis, who seem to be drawn to dysfunction:
Genesis 19
8The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. 10So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” 11The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. 13As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” 14So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
As adults, how do our decisions reflect our history? Are we looking for an anticipated and desired future? Can we move on to a higher calling and lifestyle? Or are we stuck?
Age old problems revisited, I think. And we are blessed with the ability to choose. (Of course, the judgment hammer is always meant for others, and not ourselves.)
“To love life and men as God loves them—for the sake of their infinite possibilities,
To wait like Him,
to judge like Him
without passing judgment,
to obey the order when it is given
and never look back—
then He can use you—then perhaps, He will use you,
Every moment has it’s meaning, its greatness, its glory, its peace, it’s co-inherence.
For this perspective, to “believe in God” is to believe in yourself, as self-evident, as “illogical,” and as impossible to explain: if I can be, then God is.”
--Dag Hammerskjold (1st Secretary General of the UN, written, 4/22/1956)
Last night at ISS (meets Tuesdays at 8PM, Tower Room, MBSC), we listened to part one of a life lived “way out loud,” and struggled with impressions of authenticity, rights to sanity and how one person’s lifestyle and decisions can place an effect on the lives of others. Of course, this meant we had to bring up to our own senses of self and personal decisions. What values do we live out?
From the written introduction:
“Over the course of his life, Keith Aldrich was a child of the Depression in Oklahoma; a preacher-in-training in booming California; an aspiring Hollywood actor; in the 1950s, a self-styled Beat writer, and then a man in a gray flannel suit; in the 1960s, a member of the New York literati, and then a hippie; in the 1970s, a denizen of the suburbs with a partying, Ice Storm kind of life; and a born-again Christian when the Moral Majority helped put Ronald Reagan in office.”
Mr. Aldrich lived a life of serial monogamy, whether out of a reaction to life in the Church of Christ and its restrictive theology, or to something else, we don’t really know. We do know from the first person accounts of his children that he married, had children, and divorced a number of times (5?). Sometimes, children from one nuclear family came to live with a later family. This left us scratching our heads and a trail of Aldrich relatives struggling to find a sense of place and connection. You can listen yourself by joining us next week for part 2 or going for the whole enchilada at: http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=121
This is exactly one of our adult issues in life: claiming a sense of place and connection. We are eternally trying to find our way, too. Mr. Aldrich was making serial decisions, which he has a right to do, but we all wondered, “is this a good way to go about life? And what was going on in the minds of his wives? What were they thinking? Didn’t they invite this abuse?”
I’m reminded of other folks, particularly in Genesis, who seem to be drawn to dysfunction:
Genesis 19
8The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. 10So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” 11The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. 13As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” 14So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
As adults, how do our decisions reflect our history? Are we looking for an anticipated and desired future? Can we move on to a higher calling and lifestyle? Or are we stuck?
Age old problems revisited, I think. And we are blessed with the ability to choose. (Of course, the judgment hammer is always meant for others, and not ourselves.)
“To love life and men as God loves them—for the sake of their infinite possibilities,
To wait like Him,
to judge like Him
without passing judgment,
to obey the order when it is given
and never look back—
then He can use you—then perhaps, He will use you,
Every moment has it’s meaning, its greatness, its glory, its peace, it’s co-inherence.
For this perspective, to “believe in God” is to believe in yourself, as self-evident, as “illogical,” and as impossible to explain: if I can be, then God is.”
--Dag Hammerskjold (1st Secretary General of the UN, written, 4/22/1956)
Monday, November 5
Meditation on who we are; and check out the updated website
Meditation on being who we are.
“The Wiz” is a grooved up version of the 1930’s musical “The Wizard of Oz”. You know the story—it starts out in Kansas and a tornado whisks an approximately 15 year old girl off to la la land. There she meets witches, a talking scarecrow, tin man, a lion, the fake wizard and, of course, her real self. The movie used go from black and white to color about halfway through. The whole thing was great: evil and good witches, flying monkeys, and a scary, if happy resolution. I loved the movie. But then, I liked “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, too.
The story line of the main characters is as close to real life as you can get. It’s all about the main characters looking for their “missing piece.” They all feel incomplete, and if they just get that one “thing.” They will be complete and everything will be fine. To get that missing piece, they must perform a certain task. In the movie, it’s not spelled out so clearly. In the Wiz, it is: Dorothy and her companions must kill the evil witch to get help from the Wizard. This puts a great ethical pressure on Dorothy. She doesn’t want to kill someone in order to be rid of her demons. She understands that disconnect. On the other hand she does want to move on with her life.
Well, anyway, she pulls it all off with a flourish and a few skirmishes. Only then does she realize she already has what she’s been looking for. The Wizard couldn’t give her self-understanding.
This is a God story of sorts. Popular theology understands God as the great giver of understanding and meaning. This keeps God God and people people. We don’t want to mix the two roles. Some feel more safe as an “I’m hopeless and God will save me” attitude. Less popular theology claims understanding the self as the work of what it means to be human: “God’s self-disclosure comes when I am clearly myself and I know and appreciate who I am.” When we make no excuses (mistakes, yes, excuses, no), we are God’s creatures claiming our inheritance.
Genesis 5
1This is the list of the descendants of Adam. When God created humankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them “Humankind” when they were created.
Yesterday, a colleague was ordained a minister into the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)—one of our sponsoring denominations. In this personal and powerful service at 1st Christian Church (66th and Dodge, across from UNO) the man who brought the message was a good friend of the man to be ordained (there were a number of robed women in the service, too). His message was clear and powerful, centering on our human role of carrying the holy in jars of clay. This did not mean useless jars of clay, it meant imperfect jars of clay. That’s a good thing to claim.
Like Dorothy and her friends, we are not yet perfect, but we are linked to God and extraordinarily useful in carrying the sacred in this world. As the preacher said yesterday, “The problem is not in being who we are, the problem is our never ending fight to be who are not.”
“The Wiz” is a grooved up version of the 1930’s musical “The Wizard of Oz”. You know the story—it starts out in Kansas and a tornado whisks an approximately 15 year old girl off to la la land. There she meets witches, a talking scarecrow, tin man, a lion, the fake wizard and, of course, her real self. The movie used go from black and white to color about halfway through. The whole thing was great: evil and good witches, flying monkeys, and a scary, if happy resolution. I loved the movie. But then, I liked “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, too.
The story line of the main characters is as close to real life as you can get. It’s all about the main characters looking for their “missing piece.” They all feel incomplete, and if they just get that one “thing.” They will be complete and everything will be fine. To get that missing piece, they must perform a certain task. In the movie, it’s not spelled out so clearly. In the Wiz, it is: Dorothy and her companions must kill the evil witch to get help from the Wizard. This puts a great ethical pressure on Dorothy. She doesn’t want to kill someone in order to be rid of her demons. She understands that disconnect. On the other hand she does want to move on with her life.
Well, anyway, she pulls it all off with a flourish and a few skirmishes. Only then does she realize she already has what she’s been looking for. The Wizard couldn’t give her self-understanding.
This is a God story of sorts. Popular theology understands God as the great giver of understanding and meaning. This keeps God God and people people. We don’t want to mix the two roles. Some feel more safe as an “I’m hopeless and God will save me” attitude. Less popular theology claims understanding the self as the work of what it means to be human: “God’s self-disclosure comes when I am clearly myself and I know and appreciate who I am.” When we make no excuses (mistakes, yes, excuses, no), we are God’s creatures claiming our inheritance.
Genesis 5
1This is the list of the descendants of Adam. When God created humankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them “Humankind” when they were created.
Yesterday, a colleague was ordained a minister into the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)—one of our sponsoring denominations. In this personal and powerful service at 1st Christian Church (66th and Dodge, across from UNO) the man who brought the message was a good friend of the man to be ordained (there were a number of robed women in the service, too). His message was clear and powerful, centering on our human role of carrying the holy in jars of clay. This did not mean useless jars of clay, it meant imperfect jars of clay. That’s a good thing to claim.
Like Dorothy and her friends, we are not yet perfect, but we are linked to God and extraordinarily useful in carrying the sacred in this world. As the preacher said yesterday, “The problem is not in being who we are, the problem is our never ending fight to be who are not.”
Friday, November 2
meditation on the day after All Saints Day
Meditation on the Day after all Saint’s Day
Yesterday’s meditation asked us all to look for those persons in our lives who have achieved a high stature. Who are the people we respect most? Who motivates us to do our best, to take the high road, to follow our calling for God? Whose life speaks to the world in its darkness? Who speaks to us in our darkness?
I jotted down a few names and gave homage to them. These were the saints I never new, or knew only slightly or by reputation. These people have a strength that transcends time and space. I appreciated them, and wanted to be like them. I hoped to least borrow their strength for a few minutes. Then I stopped working so hard and made a list of the people I know and like. That list was more fun, and just as telling. These are people I wanted to be with. Sometimes it was a list that included fun-lovers. But more often it was a list of people who have touched me somehow and even when I think about them today I feel their effect. Somehow it has lasted. It seems making a list of people around whom I feel delight also makes me sense a deeper side of life. Sometimes these people are folks with whom I’ve related for years. It also contained the six people I met yesterday—really!
I John 3
11”For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
This leads to another level of connection—people freely offer themselves to us strengthen us and give vibrancy to our lives. Do you suppose that’s a model worth considering? Shall we not do the same and offer ourselves to others? Is this not the heart of the gospel? Is this not creation? Is this not the beginning?
Yesterday’s meditation asked us all to look for those persons in our lives who have achieved a high stature. Who are the people we respect most? Who motivates us to do our best, to take the high road, to follow our calling for God? Whose life speaks to the world in its darkness? Who speaks to us in our darkness?
I jotted down a few names and gave homage to them. These were the saints I never new, or knew only slightly or by reputation. These people have a strength that transcends time and space. I appreciated them, and wanted to be like them. I hoped to least borrow their strength for a few minutes. Then I stopped working so hard and made a list of the people I know and like. That list was more fun, and just as telling. These are people I wanted to be with. Sometimes it was a list that included fun-lovers. But more often it was a list of people who have touched me somehow and even when I think about them today I feel their effect. Somehow it has lasted. It seems making a list of people around whom I feel delight also makes me sense a deeper side of life. Sometimes these people are folks with whom I’ve related for years. It also contained the six people I met yesterday—really!
I John 3
11”For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
This leads to another level of connection—people freely offer themselves to us strengthen us and give vibrancy to our lives. Do you suppose that’s a model worth considering? Shall we not do the same and offer ourselves to others? Is this not the heart of the gospel? Is this not creation? Is this not the beginning?
Thursday, November 1
Meditation on All Saints Day
A Meditation on All Saints Day
In the earliest years of the church, way back when it was illegal to be Christian, the faithful had their property and livelihood taken from them. This was to discourage worshipping any God but Caesar. In extreme circumstances, people were killed because of their Christian religious practices. These deaths were remembered once a year. Later on, this day became All Saints Day. This day, or All Saints Sunday, is still recognized in many church traditions. While martyrs are no longer the main focus, we do remember the faithful people we know who have died within the past year.
We remember people who have affected us with their attitude about life, those who overcame great obstacles during their lifespan, or those who inspired us at one time or another.
I encourage you today to remember people in your life who stood for something positive and hopeful, someone who believed in offering life more than death and destruction, hope more than retaliation. I encourage you to recall and claim for yourself the strength and power that comes from those around you who have overcome tremendous obstacles just to survive. Baseball player Kirby Puckett died last year. His quoted comment on life was simple: “It’s not where you came from that’s important. It’s how you play the game.”
Living legend Archbishop Desmond Tutu said recently in Omaha at a Girls, Inc luncheon that forgiveness is the only thing that matters. That’s how he plays the game of life—with forgiveness. “Forgiveness is not for sissies,” he said. In past decades he helped lead the overcoming of the effects of apartheid through the institutionalizing a forgiveness process across South Africa. Victims on all sides had an opportunity to tell their story and be offered or offer forgiveness. He was right about how much courage it takes to forgive because it takes confrontation, courage and a view of life larger than retribution to make forgiveness (not forgetfulness) a reality.
Today is a good day to think about your values and how you got them. And it’s a good day to put them into practice. It’s a good day to remember yourself. Think large.
Matthew 16
21From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
Rev. William Sloane Coffin -- Peace activist who was a leader of the antiwar movement as the chaplain of the Yale University in the 1960.
"Oh God may we think for peace, struggle for peace, suffer for peace. And may we live as if the life of all mankind were at stake, as indeed it is. Amen."
In the earliest years of the church, way back when it was illegal to be Christian, the faithful had their property and livelihood taken from them. This was to discourage worshipping any God but Caesar. In extreme circumstances, people were killed because of their Christian religious practices. These deaths were remembered once a year. Later on, this day became All Saints Day. This day, or All Saints Sunday, is still recognized in many church traditions. While martyrs are no longer the main focus, we do remember the faithful people we know who have died within the past year.
We remember people who have affected us with their attitude about life, those who overcame great obstacles during their lifespan, or those who inspired us at one time or another.
I encourage you today to remember people in your life who stood for something positive and hopeful, someone who believed in offering life more than death and destruction, hope more than retaliation. I encourage you to recall and claim for yourself the strength and power that comes from those around you who have overcome tremendous obstacles just to survive. Baseball player Kirby Puckett died last year. His quoted comment on life was simple: “It’s not where you came from that’s important. It’s how you play the game.”
Living legend Archbishop Desmond Tutu said recently in Omaha at a Girls, Inc luncheon that forgiveness is the only thing that matters. That’s how he plays the game of life—with forgiveness. “Forgiveness is not for sissies,” he said. In past decades he helped lead the overcoming of the effects of apartheid through the institutionalizing a forgiveness process across South Africa. Victims on all sides had an opportunity to tell their story and be offered or offer forgiveness. He was right about how much courage it takes to forgive because it takes confrontation, courage and a view of life larger than retribution to make forgiveness (not forgetfulness) a reality.
Today is a good day to think about your values and how you got them. And it’s a good day to put them into practice. It’s a good day to remember yourself. Think large.
Matthew 16
21From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
Rev. William Sloane Coffin -- Peace activist who was a leader of the antiwar movement as the chaplain of the Yale University in the 1960.
"Oh God may we think for peace, struggle for peace, suffer for peace. And may we live as if the life of all mankind were at stake, as indeed it is. Amen."
Wednesday, October 31
Meditation on Halloween #2
Meditation on Halloween #2
It’s a long established understanding that “the clothes make the man.” Increasing, men and women are judged by what they wear. Students often wear T-Shirts in a fashionably shabby layered look. Faculty wear casual dress: dresses, jackets, ties and the like. At the minimum, it’s a khaki world. Of course, corporate wears blue and black corporate.
Dress separates our lives and gives us easy understanding of who’s responsible for what. Just imagine what the world at UNO would look like if corporate wore T-shirts, faculty dress blues and blacks, and students wore khaki’s. That would be upside down. Even more upside down would be a life where students had more than enough income from the University and corporate people would wait tables to have enough money to pay bills. I would volunteer to take a photo of that!
Jesus was a beggar, you know. The guy the corporation was named after went through the countryside with an entourage of a few dozen (only 12 were notables) and they had to scrounge for food. Dumpster Divers maybe. It was common for that time that holy men and women were often beggars, living off the good graces of those who had enough to spare.
Matthew 12
1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.” 3He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. 5Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? 6I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
In those days, life was immediate, death close at hand, and to survive, people learned to share. Jesus’ life was not pretty. He was a beggar. He had nothing, and what he had, he tended to give away.
It’s odd that Halloween has become a time of begging from door to door. Maybe we should try begging a little more often. At least we would learn, as individuals and in groups, that we have a connection with the destitute.
A fun thing to do today: stop by the Weber Arts Center and visit the Hispanic exhibit on the “Day of the Dead”: hilarious views of death and the dead.
It’s a long established understanding that “the clothes make the man.” Increasing, men and women are judged by what they wear. Students often wear T-Shirts in a fashionably shabby layered look. Faculty wear casual dress: dresses, jackets, ties and the like. At the minimum, it’s a khaki world. Of course, corporate wears blue and black corporate.
Dress separates our lives and gives us easy understanding of who’s responsible for what. Just imagine what the world at UNO would look like if corporate wore T-shirts, faculty dress blues and blacks, and students wore khaki’s. That would be upside down. Even more upside down would be a life where students had more than enough income from the University and corporate people would wait tables to have enough money to pay bills. I would volunteer to take a photo of that!
Jesus was a beggar, you know. The guy the corporation was named after went through the countryside with an entourage of a few dozen (only 12 were notables) and they had to scrounge for food. Dumpster Divers maybe. It was common for that time that holy men and women were often beggars, living off the good graces of those who had enough to spare.
Matthew 12
1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.” 3He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. 5Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? 6I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
In those days, life was immediate, death close at hand, and to survive, people learned to share. Jesus’ life was not pretty. He was a beggar. He had nothing, and what he had, he tended to give away.
It’s odd that Halloween has become a time of begging from door to door. Maybe we should try begging a little more often. At least we would learn, as individuals and in groups, that we have a connection with the destitute.
A fun thing to do today: stop by the Weber Arts Center and visit the Hispanic exhibit on the “Day of the Dead”: hilarious views of death and the dead.
Tuesday, October 30
Meditation on Halloween #1
Campus Ministry Schedule:
5:45 PM In the library by the coffee bar; we’ll show a DVD of students in campus ministry
6:30 PM supper at Panera’s
8:00 PM Inclusive Spiritual Seekers, MBSC, Tower Room
Meditation on Halloween: Dressing up
On Saturday, a French Maid walked by arm in arm with a Vampire, meeting up with friends who were Headless, Famous, or abstract (one time I saw someone dressed as a plunger). A current TV commercial boasts Adam and Eve, a plug and socket, and more. Designed to make people laugh or be cute, people dress up as all types of folks for Halloween. What fun we have as we go door to door in search of sweets. However, this once a year event has become the Americanized to the point of turning an ancient tradition from an unnerving time of reflection upon that which is unknown (death and afterlife) into a whizzbang opportunity for free candy and that which is cute. We love our princesses and heroes, pretty much gender based. We have, in fact, made that which is edgy into something that is domesticated and safe.
That kind of thing happens with Bible interpretation and church life as well. We want our Jesus, but we want a Jesus who is white, safe, and someone who comes with a backpack full of safe, wise, and generally accepted sayings: kind of like a Santa Claus with a pack full of happiness with the good life.
I’m not suggesting Jesus isn’t Good News, but I am suggesting Jesus is not easy news. Try this clothing story on for size:
Matthew 5:
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”
Gandhi mentioned something about this passage when he said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” We see every day the problems of putting retribution in the witch’s cauldron. What comes out of that mix is indeed “double double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble.” Doing the giving thing is a bit tougher than just dressing up and getting whatever candy you can.
For Halloween this year, dress up and be wonderfully fun. But also take a moment to look for opportunities to dress up by giving your coat and cloak to those who have none. What could be dressier than that?
-f
5:45 PM In the library by the coffee bar; we’ll show a DVD of students in campus ministry
6:30 PM supper at Panera’s
8:00 PM Inclusive Spiritual Seekers, MBSC, Tower Room
Meditation on Halloween: Dressing up
On Saturday, a French Maid walked by arm in arm with a Vampire, meeting up with friends who were Headless, Famous, or abstract (one time I saw someone dressed as a plunger). A current TV commercial boasts Adam and Eve, a plug and socket, and more. Designed to make people laugh or be cute, people dress up as all types of folks for Halloween. What fun we have as we go door to door in search of sweets. However, this once a year event has become the Americanized to the point of turning an ancient tradition from an unnerving time of reflection upon that which is unknown (death and afterlife) into a whizzbang opportunity for free candy and that which is cute. We love our princesses and heroes, pretty much gender based. We have, in fact, made that which is edgy into something that is domesticated and safe.
That kind of thing happens with Bible interpretation and church life as well. We want our Jesus, but we want a Jesus who is white, safe, and someone who comes with a backpack full of safe, wise, and generally accepted sayings: kind of like a Santa Claus with a pack full of happiness with the good life.
I’m not suggesting Jesus isn’t Good News, but I am suggesting Jesus is not easy news. Try this clothing story on for size:
Matthew 5:
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”
Gandhi mentioned something about this passage when he said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” We see every day the problems of putting retribution in the witch’s cauldron. What comes out of that mix is indeed “double double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble.” Doing the giving thing is a bit tougher than just dressing up and getting whatever candy you can.
For Halloween this year, dress up and be wonderfully fun. But also take a moment to look for opportunities to dress up by giving your coat and cloak to those who have none. What could be dressier than that?
-f
Friday, October 19
meditation on mid-terms #5
Meditation on mid-terms #5
We’re tested on the Main things and what’s most recent. What we want to include as well is what we know and what is most recent and most exciting. Can they go together?
This is the last day for first semester mid-terms. Of course, we all know that’s not true. It may be the last day for the official calendar, but enough of you have commented to me about mid-terms coming next week or even the week after when there’s a more appropriate break for material to be assessed. One of two have even said last week was the big test. Whatever your specifics, there are some things we’ve learned about preparation.
The Main Things
First, be prepared to recall and assess the main things. An instructor will always want to know the material that forms the basis of the course. Whether muscles or formula, verbs or the key players and dates, we must always know the main things.
I had sort of a mi-term exam yesterday at the health fair in the MBSC ballroom. At lest forty groups were represented and students, faculty and staff were free to wander with bingo cards and learn. After setup, I approached or was approached about campus ministry for about 5 hours, non-stop. I needed to know the main things: our gatherings for food, our worship together, our justice issues and being useful. What most students wanted to hear about was the labyrinth, since that’s what they’d seen on the floor of the fireplace lounge. Folks often referred to it as “that round thing. I didn’t know what it was.” What I wanted to talk about was Tuesday night’s Inclusive Spiritual Seekers (see Wednesday’s meditation on our blog) and theeffects of tree climbing (at our retreat on Saturday).
Travel light
A pen, a clear head and #2 pencil are usually what is needed for most tests. That and a clear brain can do a great deal.
Taking only what was needed was a new event for me. For the past two years rolled into the health fair with gongs, TV set and DVD player. Last year I even brought an electric palm tree to draw attention to the site. I don’t know if this year’s display board and laptop was better, but it was surely more compact. Videos of our trips and work were shown directly from our website via my trusty laptop with attached speakers, and were easily referred to without being overwhelmed by “stuff”. The display board was put together by students in late spring, just prior to an annual church meeting. Student’s favorite pics and projects, with a few updates. I added “The Faith Club” to the books we read.
The “stuff” pack got lighter as the morning wore on. I gave away contact cards (designed by students, of course), bookmarks with ribbons (more contact info) and even a couple of our famous campus ministry T-shirts. A couple of blue shirted staff women wanted them “so they could work out.” After all, they have our blog on the back. More shameless marketing.
What to remember for your life today:
How would you market your test taking to an instructor with a display board? What’s the foundation of what you know?
On a “connect others with God” basis:
How would you market your faith to others? What is it’s foundation? Can you travel light, put the main markers on a display board and take it around with you? What pics and books and music and videos would you show?
Jesus gave a few instructions which are helpful and remind me of what we’re about:
Mark 6
6Then he went about among the villages teaching. 7He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
We’re tested on the Main things and what’s most recent. What we want to include as well is what we know and what is most recent and most exciting. Can they go together?
This is the last day for first semester mid-terms. Of course, we all know that’s not true. It may be the last day for the official calendar, but enough of you have commented to me about mid-terms coming next week or even the week after when there’s a more appropriate break for material to be assessed. One of two have even said last week was the big test. Whatever your specifics, there are some things we’ve learned about preparation.
The Main Things
First, be prepared to recall and assess the main things. An instructor will always want to know the material that forms the basis of the course. Whether muscles or formula, verbs or the key players and dates, we must always know the main things.
I had sort of a mi-term exam yesterday at the health fair in the MBSC ballroom. At lest forty groups were represented and students, faculty and staff were free to wander with bingo cards and learn. After setup, I approached or was approached about campus ministry for about 5 hours, non-stop. I needed to know the main things: our gatherings for food, our worship together, our justice issues and being useful. What most students wanted to hear about was the labyrinth, since that’s what they’d seen on the floor of the fireplace lounge. Folks often referred to it as “that round thing. I didn’t know what it was.” What I wanted to talk about was Tuesday night’s Inclusive Spiritual Seekers (see Wednesday’s meditation on our blog) and theeffects of tree climbing (at our retreat on Saturday).
Travel light
A pen, a clear head and #2 pencil are usually what is needed for most tests. That and a clear brain can do a great deal.
Taking only what was needed was a new event for me. For the past two years rolled into the health fair with gongs, TV set and DVD player. Last year I even brought an electric palm tree to draw attention to the site. I don’t know if this year’s display board and laptop was better, but it was surely more compact. Videos of our trips and work were shown directly from our website via my trusty laptop with attached speakers, and were easily referred to without being overwhelmed by “stuff”. The display board was put together by students in late spring, just prior to an annual church meeting. Student’s favorite pics and projects, with a few updates. I added “The Faith Club” to the books we read.
The “stuff” pack got lighter as the morning wore on. I gave away contact cards (designed by students, of course), bookmarks with ribbons (more contact info) and even a couple of our famous campus ministry T-shirts. A couple of blue shirted staff women wanted them “so they could work out.” After all, they have our blog on the back. More shameless marketing.
What to remember for your life today:
How would you market your test taking to an instructor with a display board? What’s the foundation of what you know?
On a “connect others with God” basis:
How would you market your faith to others? What is it’s foundation? Can you travel light, put the main markers on a display board and take it around with you? What pics and books and music and videos would you show?
Jesus gave a few instructions which are helpful and remind me of what we’re about:
Mark 6
6Then he went about among the villages teaching. 7He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Thursday, October 18
meditation on mid-terms #4
Meditation on Mi-terms #4
Today I’ll be at the Health Fair in MBSC, talking with people about a healthy lifestyle that includes balance.
For students, and others, this includes breathing, eating, sleep, and paying attention to God’s presence, like we do in our ministry on campus: fellowship, justice seeking, being useful and progressive thinking about God. One of the things we do is meditate to help our sense of balance.
The yoga master used to say in response to the question: “What is meditation?” “Eat when hungry, sleep when tired.” While simple on the surface, the response is much deeper because most people in our circles eat and sleep on schedule. The problem is the schedule may not pay attention to when we’re hungry or tired.
Yesterday’s news contained a brief article on peoples’ perceived effective times for work. 55% said they were more effective in the morning, 20% felt more effective in the afternoon. On the surface, people are telling us we can’t really work effectively all day (but our schedules say we must). What’s a healthy response to that? The yoga master said, “sleep when tired”. When studying or taking exams, enough sleep is a must, naps are a good thing, too. And eat a little something when you’re tired instead of the gorging we are tempted to do.
Balance comes first when we breathe. There are various ways to breathe: deep breathing, meditating breathing, relaxed breathing, short breaths, all help us pay attention to the source of life. So I will encourage people to breathe—breathing is a good idea.
Today, pay attention to your balance and your ability to breathe, remembering that ‘nephesh’ (breath or wind) of God was there in the beginning, in the creation, in our fabric of being.
Genesis 1:1
1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Today I’ll be at the Health Fair in MBSC, talking with people about a healthy lifestyle that includes balance.
For students, and others, this includes breathing, eating, sleep, and paying attention to God’s presence, like we do in our ministry on campus: fellowship, justice seeking, being useful and progressive thinking about God. One of the things we do is meditate to help our sense of balance.
The yoga master used to say in response to the question: “What is meditation?” “Eat when hungry, sleep when tired.” While simple on the surface, the response is much deeper because most people in our circles eat and sleep on schedule. The problem is the schedule may not pay attention to when we’re hungry or tired.
Yesterday’s news contained a brief article on peoples’ perceived effective times for work. 55% said they were more effective in the morning, 20% felt more effective in the afternoon. On the surface, people are telling us we can’t really work effectively all day (but our schedules say we must). What’s a healthy response to that? The yoga master said, “sleep when tired”. When studying or taking exams, enough sleep is a must, naps are a good thing, too. And eat a little something when you’re tired instead of the gorging we are tempted to do.
Balance comes first when we breathe. There are various ways to breathe: deep breathing, meditating breathing, relaxed breathing, short breaths, all help us pay attention to the source of life. So I will encourage people to breathe—breathing is a good idea.
Today, pay attention to your balance and your ability to breathe, remembering that ‘nephesh’ (breath or wind) of God was there in the beginning, in the creation, in our fabric of being.
Genesis 1:1
1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
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