You Take Allies Where You Can Find Them

Hey, I like Amazon as much as the next guy. I have a prime mem­bership. I use their photo saving service, listen to tunes on their music app, Keith watches their “TV’ shows and all of my book purchases are Kindle books. On the rare occasion that I buy a hard copy book with real paper pages, I get it from one of the preowned book sellers on Amazon.

I've ordered stuff from just about every category on their drop-down menu. Starbucks and Peets Kcups, disposable toothbrushes, plant food and insect poison, fertilizer, gauges, sweatshirts, underwear, shoes, computers, backpacks, paper, analog and electronic stylus, food, snacks, vitamins, medicine, cleaning supplies, essential oils, Christmas decorations and gifts....and the list goes on and on. I use the services they provide ALL. THE. TIME! But still....

As Bernie Sanders tried to tell us during his run for president....and is still currently trying to tell us, Jeff Bezos and many other large corporations pay no personal income tax. They exploit the system and exploit the recent “tax cuts for the little guy” farce by deferring income from previous years to be taxed at the lower corporate rates. Yes, Amazon does theoretically pay state and local taxes but as we’ve seen with the “pick me, pick me” frenzy of offers from cities far and wide, promising tax breaks and all kinds of incentives, that is not a given either.

And he pays his employees a wage that forces many of them to seek out public assistance and food stamps. There are rumors that Amazon exploits and mistreats their workers.

And Fox News mocked Bernie for saying this stuff because....capitalism.

So, imagine my surprise the other night when I happened upon Tucker Carlson bitching about how Amazon doesn’t pay their fair share in taxes. He complained that not only does Jeff Bezo pay zero federal income tax, we, the other taxpayers, pick up the tab for his employees who need public assistance to make ends meet. Their wages are so low that they qualify for food stamps, Medicaid etc.

I don’t like Tucker and I think he suffers from Trump Derangement Syndrome just as surely as the snowflakiest snowflake. In reverse. The flip side of the coin. He is an unwavering member of Team Trump. But to quote Tucker....

“This is a weird moment in American politics so you take allies where you can find them.”

Yep..Bernie Sanders and Tucker Carlson are “allies”... at least on this particular issue. So, yeah, Fox News mocked what Bernie had to say about Amazon...and WalMart....and (insert name of well-known, lucrative corporate entity) until Trump decided he was pissed at Bezos. THEN Fox News picked up the baton. But I’ll take it. Even though Tucker did his usual “blame the Dems” thing (and perhaps I don’t totally disagree with some of his reasoning. I liked Bernie. I agreed with Bernie. The stereotypical Democratic politician...not so much)

Here is a link to Tucker’s most recent segment on Amazon (and Walmart and Uber) 

Tucker Carlson Bernie Is Right About Amazon and Making Corporations Pay The Welfare Bill

And here are two more videos well worth the time (10 - 15 minutes or so) to watch. The sources could not be farther apart politically. Tucker again and the Young Turks, a very left wing (though very factual) internet news group, making pretty much the same exact points. .

How Amazon paid zero in taxes on its billions

You Won't Believe How Much Taxes Amazon Paid Last Year

This is a mirror...duplicate...post of what I posted on my other blog, It's Personal. There was a time this blog, Mercy Not Sacrifice, used to show up on the first page of google results and had lots of visitors. For one reason or another, I stopped writing as much. The google crawler visited here less and less often (since I wasn't posting much) and it's mediocre popularity fell even more but "It's Personal" is oblique at best.

I kind of want to separate the two blogs and keep the spiritual content separate from the political outrage I'm feeling these day, however, this blog still gets a lot more visitors than It's Personal. So I am going to double post political, current event stuff for a while.

Plus...I want to post links to some of the political stuff and I'm not so sure I want everyone from Facebook rummaging through some of the spiritual opinions I've expressed here. Not sure it will work out the way I plan but humor me for a while.

We take their rosaries...

I came across a meme making the rounds on Facebook. It is a picture of neatly arranged rosaries that have been confiscated by the border patrol from undocumented immigrants trying to enter the United States.

Although the meme includes a partial link to the story that ran in the New Yorker in March of 2017,  it gives the impression that this is some new atrocity. Not hard to believe when there are so many new atrocities every single day. Please let me be clear...no one is more outraged, frustrated and shocked by this administration...by this president...than I am but this is something we cannot lay entirely at his feet. We have been doing this stuff for a long time.

Tom Kiefer is the photographer who took the pictures. He collected the personal items that were confiscated from undocumented immigrants by the border patrol. Most of the stuff ended up in the trash. He collected the items from 2003 to 2014. Below is the introduction on his website. El Sueño Americano (The American Dream)

Lurking beneath the bright and shiny dream of a better life, El Sueño Americano is a deeply disturbing reflection of our treatment of fellow human beings. As a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol janitor, part of the job was removal of trash bags at just one of our 136 facilities, where personal belongings are seized from migrants at or near the border. One day I looked into the bags. I glimpsed personal items, carefully chosen to support their owner’s desperate and dangerous journey. Items confiscated and trashed as ‘non-essential’; rosaries, bibles, wallets, clothes, coins, phones, food, soap, blankets, and family photos. Spending time with the confiscated items, organizing them, photographing them -- profoundly moved me. How precious were these to their owners? Disposing of them, I realized, was an act of dehumanization. El Sueño Americano is a visceral snapshot of what is happening, in direct defiance of those who would sweep it out of sight.

I am not really an advocate of totally open borders although I welcome immigrants. Yes, I know the immigration process is so broken and if my kids were suffering I'm sure I would make the trek to the US Border praying for mercy. But the heartlessness of the process that strips these people of their rosaries and little blue Spanish new testaments...and toilet paper, toothpaste, shoelaces, blankets, wallets and extra clothing is horrible.

I don't have the answers. I wish I did......

Here is the link to the New Yorker article. This is the link to a true/false discussion of the FB meme on Snopes.

Perceived Oppression

They say a picture is worth a thousand words but never underestimate the power of a short story to convey a deep truth. Jesus knew this, of course, which is why he told so many “stories.” Sure, some folks didn’t get the gist of what he was saying, however for those who had ears to hear, the meaning came through loud and clear.

A story is not nearly as threatening as….say….a persuasive essay. The meaning and lesson in a story kind of sneaks in under the radar. Sometimes when we say things flat out in plain English, we ignite that fight or flight reaction in the brain and the message we try to get across falls on deaf ears. Not so much with a story. The meaning slides in under the radar without too much protest because…..it’s just a story.

And that is the way the author of the blog post “When You’re Accustomed To Privilege, Equality Feels Like Oppression” gets his message across in an Aesop’s Fables kind of way.

He pokes a finger at a group of folks who feel that society’s slippery slope move toward equality is oppression. Here is a quote from the blog post…..

All this anger we see from people screaming “All Lives Matter” in response to black protesters at rallies… All this anger we see from people insisting that THEIR “religious freedom” is being infringed because a gay couple wants to get married… All these people angry about immigrants, angry about Muslims, angry about “Happy Holidays,” angry about not being able to say bigoted things without being called a bigot… They all basically boil down to people who have grown accustomed to walking straight at other folks, and expecting THEM to move. So when “those people” in their path DON’T move… When those people start wondering, “Why am I always moving out of this guy’s way?” When those people start asking themselves, “What if I didn’t move? What if I just kept walking too?” When those people start believing that they have every bit as much right to that aisle as anyone else… It can seem like THEIR rights are being taken away.

You will have to read the blog post to understand the “moving out of this guy’s way” part of the above quote...and I urge you to follow THIS LINK and read the post.

I don’t usually post my more controversial thoughts and links on FB...although I know that is the quickest way to get something in front of a lot eyeballs. I have friends on FB that are far right….some so far right that I actually changed the settings so I don’t see their stuff show up on my FB feed. It just got too depressing and antagonizing. And while I have a lot of left leaning FB friends, posting things on my wall is just too “in your face” for me. Posting here on this blog seems to be the best middle ground.

Statistics on extreme poverty from atop my soapbox…..

I am not really an optimist…no big surprise to the people nearest and dearest to me.  I try to be.  I want to be.  Alas….not. Optimism is counter intuitive to me.  So this weekend….on the ride home from visiting my mom, I was challenged by a few quotes I read in a blog post on the Rebel God website.  (I was able to read on this trip because Keith came along.  It was nice having his company….and he drove!!!  Leaving me hands free to play with my new IPad on the trip there and back!!!)

The quotes…..

Consider these statistics cited by Dr. Scott Todd from Live58:

"We used to say that 40,000 children die each day from preventable causes. In the 1990s, that number dropped to 33,000 per day. By 2008, it dropped again to 24,000. Now it is down to 21,000. That means that in a generation we cut that number in half.

1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty today. That's a staggering amount, but let's put those numbers in perspective: In 1981 52% of the world lived in extreme poverty. Today it's 26%. Again, that means we have cut the number in half, and we did it in one generation."

and

As Scott Todd explains, there are many reasons for this unprecedented progress,

"Over 600 million people gained access to safe drinking water since 1990. This, along with an increased awareness of the nutrition in breast milk and the use of oral rehydration therapy, explain why water-borne diseases are no longer the leading cause of death for children under five. We are simply executing the practical strategies that work.
Vaccinations are another example of a practical, life-saving strategy. 733,000 children died of measles in 2000; but, that number dropped by 2008 to 164,000–a 78% reduction in only eight years. Simply using the vaccines that we’ve had for decades is saving hundreds of thousands of children every year."

Wow…and there are people who actually think we can end extreme poverty in our generation.  And there are lots of initiatives and programs and individuals working toward that goal. 

Another thing that struck me in the quote above was the dramatic drop in deaths due to measles… attributed to the vaccines we have readily available in this country. 

A soap box issue of mine…..those folks who refuse to vaccinate their children without a really good medical reason.  It’s only because of people like me….who chose to vaccinate our children in spite of the minimal risk….that they even have that option. If measles and diphtheria….pertussis…polio…. and the other diseases kids are routinely vaccinated against were rampant here in the States, they would not have that luxury.  Families like mine helped eradicate those diseases.  Families like theirs threaten to bring them back to life.

Many look on vaccinations as a plague…an evil forced upon the unsuspecting public by the big pharmaceutical companies.  Most of those 733,000 kids who died in 2000 didn’t have the option.  I choose to look upon the vaccines we have available as a privilege rather than an arbitrary harm forced on our kids.  And yes, I did the research before I vaccinated Matthew, my firstborn….with great trepidation and concern. I know there are risks.  I signed the consent forms that listed them in several pages of small print detail.  There ARE risks, I know that….but perhaps, in addition to protecting my own children from diseases that are, indeed, making a comeback in this country, I did it for the greater good? 

I digressed from the initial point of this post….but will leave it as is…hoping that I have not offended anyone who reads here.  This is one of those hot button topics.  At least for me it is.  Comments are, of course, welcome.

Jello Christmas…

No...not a recipe...but a story I read years ago in a Christmas edition of Woman's Day magazine.  Long before I was ever on the internet.  I think I wrote it out longhand and included it in my Christmas cards that year.  I googled it yesterday at work...after it popped into my head....initiated by a sentimental email thing that hit my inbox yesterday.  I am pretty sure it is a totally true story.  Like I said, I first happened upon it, in a hard copy Woman's Day magazine.  I still find it very touching....

JELLO CHRISTMAS

  By Sandra Bateman, American Fork, Utah

     It was but a few short days until Christmas in 1966. Two young elders of the Mormon Church walked the streets of Laredo, Texas, knocking on doors in search of someone who would listen to their gospel message. No one, it seemed, in the entire city had time to hear the teachings of the Savior, so intent were they that the celebration of His birth should suit their own purposes.

     Filled with discouragement, the two young men turned their backs to the approaching twilight and began the long walk home. Retracing their steps of the afternoon, they came upon a low, wind-swept riverbank. Jutting from its brow stood the barest means of a shelter, constructed of weathered wooden slats and large pieces of cardboard. Strangely, they felt moved to go to the door and knock.

     A small, olive-skinned child with tangled black hair and large dark eyes answered. Her mother appeared behind her, a short, thin woman with a tired but warm smile. In her rich Spanish alto, she invited the young men to come in and rest awhile. They were made welcome and seated on the clean-swept floor. The little one-room shanty seemed to be filled with shy, smiling, dark-eyed children. The mother proudly introduced each of them--eight in all—and each in turn quickly bobbed his or her head.
     The young men were deeply moved at the extreme poverty they saw. No one in the family had shoes, and their clothes were ill-fitting and in condition beyond mending. The walls of the little home showed daylight between the wooden slats, and eight little rolls of bedding were pressed tightly into the cracks to help keep out the draft until they were needed for sleeping. A small round fire pit dug in one corner marked the kitchen. An odd assortment of chipped dishes and pots were stacked beside an old ice chest, and a curtained-off section with a cracked porcelain tub served as the bathing area. Except for these the room was barren.

     The mother told how her husband had gone north to find employment. He had written that he had found a job of manual labor and that it took most of his small wage to pay his board and room.  But, she told the young men, he had managed to save fifty cents to send them for Christmas, with which she had purchased two boxes of fruit gelatin. It was one of the children's favorites and would make a special treat on Christmas day.

     The next morning, as soon as the local shops opened, the young men hurried to the dime store and purchased as many crayons, cars, trucks and little inexpensive toys as they could afford. Each was carefully wrapped in brightly colored paper and all were put in a large grocery bag.

     That evening the two young men took their gifts to the shanty on the riverbank. When they knocked, the mother swung the door open wide and invited them in. They stepped inside and in halting Spanish explained to the children that they had seen Santa and he had been in such a hurry, he'd asked if they would deliver his gifts to the children for him.
     With cries of delight the children scrambled for the bag, spilling its contents upon the floor and quickly dividing the treasured packages. Silently the mother's eyes filled with tears of gratitude. She stepped forward to clasp tightly one of each of the young men's hands in hers. For long moments she was unable to speak. Then, with tears still welling from her eyes, she smiled and said, "no one ever has been so kind. You have given us a special gift, the kind of love that lights Christmas in the heart. May we also give you a special gift?" From the corner of the room she drew out the two small boxes of fruit gelatin and handed them to the young men.  Then all eyes were moist. All knew the true meaning of giving, and none would ever forget that at Christmas, the greatest gift of all
was given.
    (NOTE: This story won 1st Prize in the 'Woman's Day' Greatest
    Gift Contest.)

The Problem of Good….?

Many..many times...on many, many lists and message boards, I've participated in discussions about the POE. 
The. problem. of. evil. 
Suffering. Disasters. Disease. Pain. Loss. Heartache.
In my web meanderings I came across a quote I thought was kind of interesting...looking at it from a different angle....

The older ways of talking about evil tended to pose the puzzle as a metaphysical or theological conundrum. If there is a God, and if he is a good, wise and supremely powerful god, why is there such a thing as evil? Even if you're an atheist, you face the problem: Is this world a sick joke, which contains some things that make us think it's a wonderful place, and other things which make us think it's an awful place, or what? You could of course call this the problem of good, rather than the problem of evil: If the world is the chance assembly of accidental phenomena, why is there so much that we want to praise and celebrate? Why is there beauty, love, and laughter?

To read more from the article God, 9/11, the Tsunami, and the New Problem of Evil…where this quote came from…go HERE.

And I recently posted about Greg Boyd.  In that sermon marathon I talked about in my post…that I listened to on my way to Ellwood City, there was one called The Gospel of Suffering that I thought was pretty good.  You can find it HERE.

The POE...not something we are all likely to agree upon anytime soon. 

14 Cows….

I started this series a few weeks ago...right around the anniversary of 9-11...with a post about Lee Ielpi...the New York firefighter whose son, Jonathon, also a firefighter, was killed when the Towers fell.  His story, and the story of other 9-11 families have touched the world.  On his blog, The Persistence of Memory, he recently posted about a visit from four members of the Maasai tribe from Kenya.  After the tribe heard about the tragedy of 9-11, they wanted to somehow help....to somehow show their support for the victims and their families.  So they sold their most valued possessions.  14 of them.  They sold 14 cows as a contribution "to help New Yorkers get through this horrible disaster."


Mr. Ielpi goes on to say:

This gift came from the heart and was remarkable for showing that even in the furthest reaches of the planet, people were inspired to support our common humanity. The men who visited last week came to the United States on a mission to raise awareness for their organization, Namirisho (which means "Victory") Girls Community Outreach. They are striving to provide rescue and refuge to young girls who are under threats of abuse and discrimination of various forms in their country. Social practices include Female Gental Mutilation, forced marriages, child abuse, child labour, lack of parental care and lack of educational prospects due to extreme poverty and gender subordination are tremendous obstacles to their young people. Their main goal is to help the young girls of both the Maasai tribe and other tribes to become resourceful, responsible and educated members of society. 

The above picture was taken during their visit to Tribute WTC Visitor Center.   It reminds me that God promises to bring good out of even the most tragic circumstances.  Oh and for these 4 men to come to America, they had to sell 4 more of their cows.  As Lee Ielpi notes, they are that committed to their mission. I find this story so touching and inspiring. It is indeed a small, small world.  And HE has the whole world in his hands.....

Verses from Isaiah....

On EU, Chris has suggested we do a Bible Study on the book of Isaiah.  He is leading a study at church and would like our (heretical :) perspectives.  He posted yesterday that as he read the first few chapters of Isaiah it seemed to be more of the same old, same old "repressive, theocratic religion"

Chris went on to say:

But then I was digging through some of the EU files and found this:  “I was sought by those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me…” (Isaiah 65:1).

Following is my reply....posted here not because it was brilliantly written or wittily worded...but because it contains wonderful verses from Isaiah...some that are echoed in the New Testament as well.  Post follows.  More on Bonhoeffer to come....

 

    

 

That verse goes on to say:

To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'

I love that.  Some of my favorite verses are in Isaiah...

Isa 25:8  He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

This same verse is repeated in Revelation....TWICE.  These are my favorite 3 verses in Scripture....

Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Rev 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes

and another hopeful...universalist verse in Isaiah.....

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

which is also repeated twice in the New Testament....my "second favorite" verses in Scripture...

Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Philippians 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And more from Isaiah.....66...

        3He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man;
        He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog's neck;
        He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine's blood;
        He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol.
        Just as they have chosen their own ways,
        And their soul delights in their abominations,

And Isaiah Chapter 1:

  11"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?"
        Says the LORD.
        "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
        And the fat of fed cattle.
        I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
        Or of lambs or goats.
        12"When you come to appear before Me,
        Who has required this from your hand,
        To trample My courts?
        13Bring no more futile sacrifices;
        Incense is an abomination to Me.
        The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies--
        I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
        14Your New Moons and your appointed feasts
        My soul hates;
        They are a trouble to Me,
        I am weary of bearing them.
        15When you spread out your hands,
        I will hide My eyes from you;
        Even though you make many prayers,
        I will not hear.
        Your hands are full of blood.

        16"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
        Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
        Cease to do evil,
        17Learn to do good;
        Seek justice,
        Rebuke the oppressor; F8
        Defend the fatherless,
        Plead for the widow.
        18"Come now, and let us reason together,"
        Says the LORD,
        "Though your sins are like scarlet,
        They shall be as white as snow;
        Though they are red like crimson,
        They shall be as wool. 

Isaiah was farther along in progressive revelation than some of prophets that came before him. 

Blind Side...

Keith and I went to the movies this afternoon.  Something we do maybe 4 or 5 times a year.  He is a big movie fan...me, not so much.  I'd seen trailers for this movie and it struck me as a movie I would like to see.  I can't remember the last movie I saw...although it was probably sometime in late August.  Like I said...Keith is a big movie fan...me, not so much. 

For one thing, when I watch a movie it seems to get stuck in my head and I keep mulling it over and over and over.  I've been mulling this movie for the past few hours. 

The movie is based on the real life story of Ravens tackle Michael Oher and the Tuohy family.  He was a homeless teenager, son of a crack addicted mother, from the inner city Memphis projects. Through a series of unlikely events, he ended up at an affluent Christian school where, through another series of unlikely events, he was befriended by and taken in by the Tuohy's.  It changed his life forever.

Michael is one of thousands and thousands of young black men born into similar circumstances.  Young men whose lives seem doomed before they even begin. So many of them...too many of them to help.

It reminded me of the Starfish Story that I posted a while back on this blog

A Zen monk was seen by his disciple by the sea, where the tide had washed ashore hundreds of starfish. It was clear that they would soon die from exposure. The monk was tossing the starfish, one at a time, back into the sea, in a slow and meditative manner.

"Why are you bothering?" The disciple asked the monk. The young disciple looked at the large number of starfish that were succumbing. "It won't make any difference"

The monk stopped for a moment, and looked down at the starfish in his hand. "It will to this one," he replied, as he tossed it into the sea.

 

Fake It Till You Make It....

Staying with this peacekeeping theme of the past few posts, I want to write about an article I came upon today purely by happenstance. My cyber journey started when I decided to clean out my inbox. As I meander here and there on the internet, often, when I find a site I want to come back to…to save in my favorites…to post to my e-groups….to write about here on this blog…I click the “insert link in mail” icon (yes…still using my beloved AOL) and send it to myself. Between the links I send myself, the lists I am on, and the other assorted stuff that comes to my inbox, it is nothing to have 400 or so messages steeping there.

Wouldn’t you know it…today, the first one I clicked on, a book review of Searching For a Better God, on the blog Zoecarnate enticed me to follow a cyber trail, here, there and everywhere…and I ended up at Sojurner’s Magazine. How come I didn’t know about this magazine before?

I only “leafed” through it…but came upon some very candid writings by Bart Campolo about living and ministering to the poor. And then, as I clicked on the most recent issue of Sojurners, an article about forgiveness written by Rose Marie Berger caught my eye. The heading declares:

Forgiveness is an act of will. Fake it until you make it.

Now how does that fit with the focus of a lot of my studies lately…and the subject of many of the conversations on EU and SCT…..the theme of which is living out of the right nature within you. Recognizing the ego and painbody for what it is and seeking the Christ within? Fake it until you make it really doesn’t seem to fit.

Shouldn’t we just flow into the new nature…simply because we are aware that there is an alternative to our egoic mind/carnal flesh/adamic nature etc. etc. etc.? I don’t think it is always that easy.

Lynn Hiles and David Huskins both preach the message of the finished work of the cross. A bit different than what…oh, say, Tolle talks about…but at it’s core, the same. There is a nature that lives in you….that IS you….that is entirely different than who you think you are (ego). Yet, they too acknowledge that even though they know it is truth, in this natural realm not everyone has caught on….not everyone is rejuvenated....not everything has manifested yet. Their advice is to use restraint until you have been “born again”....been delivered. I heard David Huskins preach a message at a conference we attended about deliverance and suppression…Many mistake suppression for deliverance but they are two different things. He said:

My recommendation to you is that if you are having a struggle with any kind of issue, suppress it until deliverance comes....but don't mistake your suppression for having experienced deliverance.

In other words, fake it until you make it. 

Using restraint in our interactions with others definitely helps our day to day life go a lot smoother. I don’t have all the answers….and I am groping my way along in the dark half the time (oh come on Cindi….more than the half of the time….a lot of the time….just doing the best I can)

I saw Keith exhibit this yesterday when one of the girls tossed a flippant remark our way as she was heading down to her bedroom, carrying a bowl of chili, several rolls and a glass of orange soda filled to the rim, sloshing around, dripping down the side of the glass. She never spills she informed us…not like her sister. Keith was silent. When she got out of earshot he looked at me and partly in jest said, “I think my tongue is going to bleed”

Bravo to him for not fueling a disagreement..even though the bantering back and forth that would have ensued would have been more of a teasing nature than a true argument. I wonder though how he (and me) would have reacted if the orange soda had ended up on the blue carpet. Once Emily dumped a supersized blue Gatorade from McDonalds on the carpet….the whole thing…ice cubes and all. I was not gracious.

But anyway….on to the article….

She says that the first step toward forgiveness is to unearth, examine and defuse the anger that is fueling the fire. She talks about the ways we try to cover it up and hide it…and why we shouldn’t. Sort of along the lines of observing our thoughts and emotions because when we shine the light of acknowledgement on our egoic thoughts, they dissipate.

She says that forgiveness

To a certain extent it is about the “act of will. I will forgive. I will act with graciousness toward my enemies. I will take on suffering, rather than inflict it. I will do these things because I am a Christian. Period.

I really like the line about taking on suffering rather than inflicting it. That goes right along with what Gary had to say in his writing about being a peacekeeper.

Check out the Sojurner’s site. In order to access the articles and the magazine, you will have to register. It takes about 30 seconds and there is a lot on the site to read and ponder.

Merry X-mas

I came upon this picture last year.  Somewhere, somehow.  I don't remember.  Heck, I can't even remember how I came upon the treasures I found online this morning...let alone a year ago!!!!
I am posting it here today, in this years blog post because I think it captures a "different perspective" of the familiar lament of many Christians this time of year. 
"Christ is being taken out of Christmas." 
"It has become nothing more than a secular holiday." 
I agree, in many way it has. Preston Eby, a favorite author of my husband Keith, thinks "the sons of God" should shun Christmas altogether.  His views are expressed in his writing entitled "Five Reasons Why The Sons of God Should Not Celebrate Christmas"
Among his reasons?

1) Jesus was not born on December 25th!
2) Nowhere in the scripture or by the spirit of revelation has God commanded us to commemorate the birthday of our Lord!
3) Christmas is a Pagan, and not a Christian festival!
4) The Spirit of God has commanded us not to observe the ways or customs of the heathen!
5) "The "Christmas Story" is a lie!

Brian, a cyber friend of mine who has been on several on line groups with me over the past few years has written a post on his blog, The Beautiful Heresy that expresses a different view.  His post is called "Is Christmas Only For Christians?"
During the past few Christmas seasons, an email circulated around the internet, birthed, perhaps, in response to the controversial, much publicized policy of a few national chain stores that decided to eliminate "Merry Christmas" from the vocabularies of their employees...substituting the more generic "Happy Holidays" instead.  Many, many Christians got their panties all in a wad over that...boycotted some of the stores and in general made a big to do about nothing.  Anyway, I am posting the email below because I think it makes some really good points and gives some really good advice to those Christians who were so offended.

Dear Children,
It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My Son's name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I didn't send my Son in December, it was some of your ancestors who decided to celebrate My Son's birthday at what was, in ancient times, a pagan festival; although, I do appreciate Jesus being remembered...anytime.
How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate Jesus' birth just,
GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My Son's birth, then make room on your lawn for the nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all my followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.
Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all the trees. You can remember me anytime you see a tree.
Instead of fusing over trimmings and traditions, consider giving My Son one of the gifts below this Christmas…

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone who's hurt you in the past, forgive them, and give them the gift of a future-free from the pain, shame, and guilt of yesterday's yuck.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile, it could make the difference. Also, you might consider supporting the local Hot-Line: they talk with people like that every day.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name. You may already know someone like that.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. Be sensitive to the needs of others. A few cans of food or a simple gift can go along way towards good will on earth.

10. Finally if you want to make a statement about your belief in Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.
Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Please, if you love me, love my children-all of them, especially the ones that challenge your traditions. I'll take care of all the rest.
Invite others to a Christmas festival that has more to do with eternity than all the trimmings and traditions of December 25th.
"Merry Christmas!" means: "I love you." - God

Wise men still seek him...Merry Christmas.....

$30,000 Bucks a Night

On my AOL Welcome Page yesterday there was an article about the Ty Warner Suite at the Four Seasons. It costs $30,000 a night to stay there. It is filled with priceless treasures...marble, rare woods from around the world, mother of pearl inlay on the living room walls, a waterfall, exorbitantly expensive accent pieces. Decadent comes to mind. As a customer service rep/secretary, $30, 000 is more than I make in a whole year. Does anyone really need to stay in a hotel room that expensive when there are perfectly good Red Roof Inns right around the corner? And who is it that can afford a room that pricey just to lay their head on a pillow for a single night? (a pillow covered, no doubt, with a pillowcase made of exquisite imported Chinese silk) Everything in the suite is so rare and priceless that guests are required to take off their shoes before they enter the suite. Special luxury booties are provided. Ahhhhhh....for $30,000 a night I think I'd like to keep my Nike's on, thank you.

This has come up as a topic of conversation between Keith and I before. Indignantly, with much self righteousness, I declare that with starving children in the world....nobody needs that much luxury. There is no reason anyone should sit at a custom made Laianne bronze table, atop French travertine floors in the breakfast nook, which is adjacent to a balcony that overlooks Central Park...where there are hungry, cold, homeless people sleeping on park benches. To which Keith might reply, "How much is too much?" Hmmmmm. How much is too much? His point is that in comparison to much of the world we are filthy rich. Do I have "too much"?

There is a ten year old shag rug on my bedroom floor, not French travertine, but it's not a dirt floor either. And the love seat I am sitting on is over ten years old, too. It came from a tent sale and cost about $150.... but it is soft and comfortable and it is not a rock or a straw mat. We drive old cars, not quite beaters, but definitely not new. And what about the three computers in our house. Granted, one is about 8 years old....but do I really need this laptop I got for Christmas? A bottom of the line Dell, yet, is that too much when so much of the world is poor and there is so much need everywhere? Do I really need a computer that I can hold on my lap on the $150 love seat?

I don't have the answers to those questions. I think about it sometimes, and wonder whether I should do more to alleviate suffering and poverty in the world. Even though my lifestyle is rather modest, am I living in far too much opulence? Where exactly does one draw the line between enough and not enough? Between enough and too much? I'm not sure. Any thoughts?