Only a few weeks left until--Lord willing--we will see the sign for Brno for the fourth time.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Friday, February 25, 2005
Czeching on Unity
“I believe deeply that Christians must seriously be concerned about everything that threatens the lives of people created in the image of God. Abortion is important; war and economic justice are also important. “
Jim Wallis
"An open letter to Chuck Colson"
A recent BreakPoint commentary by Chuck Colson criticized the message of Jim Wallis of Sojourners. Check out Colson’s assertions and read Jim Wallis's Open Letter to Chuck Colson. This conversation goes to heart of a Christian dialogue about politics in America. This is a time to join Jesus in his prayer for the unity of believers.
We live in the privilege of this unity, but have a ways to go to fully realize it. One reason we need to realize it lies in the big picture. We have a story beyond politics. We want that Story to reflect the essence of the message of Christ to world. We want to become one with the image of God. To that end, we must continue to examine, to search, to find, and to express this reality. This Story is a story of love, grace, and justice. We, in a free society, must continue to discern the policy implications of this message because that is part of how we express his will.
This all comes home to me as Ken and I lead a group from Greater Atlanta Christian School in a trip to Brno, Czech Republic. Our students will be participating in a cultural exchange with 19 students from a local “gymnasium” --a college preparatory secondary school. The students have been emailing each other for weeks now, and will meet when we arrive in early April. This will be our fourth time to make the trip. Of course, a major part of our culture is our life in Christ. Please pray for our group. Pray for our spiritual formation as individuals. Pray for our group spirit. Pray that we will plant seeds of the kingdom of God.
As you do, consider today's New York Times review of a Jan Hrebejk's "Up and Down," an academy award nominated film emerging this spring from the Czech Republic. The headline of the review, "Czechs So Divided That Bad News Is Rarely All Bad" speaks of disillusionment and fragmentation.
Of course, I cautioned my students that films from Prague have their limitations in expressing the nature of life in the Czech Republic as do Hollywood's films in picturing our collective life.
Are we all "Dazed and Confused," "Rambo,"Rocky," or "American Beauty"? No, but are we all a little of these? Maybe.
May it be that we are united in the essence of Christ Himself. May we, participating in the simplicity of His love and in the purity of The Story be bearers of good, good news.
“I believe deeply that Christians must seriously be concerned about everything that threatens the lives of people created in the image of God. Abortion is important; war and economic justice are also important. “
Jim Wallis
"An open letter to Chuck Colson"
A recent BreakPoint commentary by Chuck Colson criticized the message of Jim Wallis of Sojourners. Check out Colson’s assertions and read Jim Wallis's Open Letter to Chuck Colson. This conversation goes to heart of a Christian dialogue about politics in America. This is a time to join Jesus in his prayer for the unity of believers.
We live in the privilege of this unity, but have a ways to go to fully realize it. One reason we need to realize it lies in the big picture. We have a story beyond politics. We want that Story to reflect the essence of the message of Christ to world. We want to become one with the image of God. To that end, we must continue to examine, to search, to find, and to express this reality. This Story is a story of love, grace, and justice. We, in a free society, must continue to discern the policy implications of this message because that is part of how we express his will.
This all comes home to me as Ken and I lead a group from Greater Atlanta Christian School in a trip to Brno, Czech Republic. Our students will be participating in a cultural exchange with 19 students from a local “gymnasium” --a college preparatory secondary school. The students have been emailing each other for weeks now, and will meet when we arrive in early April. This will be our fourth time to make the trip. Of course, a major part of our culture is our life in Christ. Please pray for our group. Pray for our spiritual formation as individuals. Pray for our group spirit. Pray that we will plant seeds of the kingdom of God.
As you do, consider today's New York Times review of a Jan Hrebejk's "Up and Down," an academy award nominated film emerging this spring from the Czech Republic. The headline of the review, "Czechs So Divided That Bad News Is Rarely All Bad" speaks of disillusionment and fragmentation.
Of course, I cautioned my students that films from Prague have their limitations in expressing the nature of life in the Czech Republic as do Hollywood's films in picturing our collective life.
Are we all "Dazed and Confused," "Rambo,"Rocky," or "American Beauty"? No, but are we all a little of these? Maybe.
May it be that we are united in the essence of Christ Himself. May we, participating in the simplicity of His love and in the purity of The Story be bearers of good, good news.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Heaven goes wild
I opened the alumni section of a Christian university magazine. My eye went right to it. An alumnus from the 70s shares an update on her life:
“Divorced after 31 years and filed for bankruptcy…”
Success is sweet. We share our advanced degrees and our promotions. We sometimes subtly announce our new addresses in the gated community. And we do rightly rejoice with those who are rejoicing. Hard work and dedication in our free economy often provide the diplomas, the positions, and the deeds of our dreams.
But for some, the certificates read painfully of divorce, death, and debt. Blame can go around and around, but we’ve been around long enough to know that every divorce, every bankruptcy, and many accumulations of debt accrue through the actions not of a duo, but of one. At the same time, some such debacles result from the collaborative effort of two or more weak, sinful people.
Who among us can’t say that we are not in one way or another bona fide, certified among the weak and the sinful?
Most of us keep the pain in marriage, the burden of debt, and the certainty of our failures our deep, dark secrets waiting for success before we share.
Wonder why?
It may have to do with our lack of compassion for the failing of others. When our judgment visits us, it’s a tough companion. Maybe we hear our friends mock the poor. Maybe our view of God is such that we believe he only blesses the successful. Maybe we buy into the media images of winners and losers. Americans gets such a kick out of watching someone else hear the words, “You’re fired.” We laugh at the weakest link.
Recently I read a story from Larry James’ Urban Daily blog. Reportedly, Rich Little, comedian, did an impersonation of Ronald Reagan at inaugural party,
"'You know, somebody asked me, 'Do you think the war on poverty is over?'
I said, 'Yes, the poor lost.'
The crowd went wild. "
The crowd went wild. When we are broken from life, at times the victims of the sin and failure of others, and more often the owners of our own sins and failures, we need to remember that at the point we turn to God in our brokenness, HEAVEN GOES WILD.
The alumnus, divorced and bankrupt, ends her update with a note of grace, “…in spite of a rough year, she is still praising God.”
2 Corinthians 12 from The Message
God told Paul, "My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes to you in weakness."
I opened the alumni section of a Christian university magazine. My eye went right to it. An alumnus from the 70s shares an update on her life:
“Divorced after 31 years and filed for bankruptcy…”
Success is sweet. We share our advanced degrees and our promotions. We sometimes subtly announce our new addresses in the gated community. And we do rightly rejoice with those who are rejoicing. Hard work and dedication in our free economy often provide the diplomas, the positions, and the deeds of our dreams.
But for some, the certificates read painfully of divorce, death, and debt. Blame can go around and around, but we’ve been around long enough to know that every divorce, every bankruptcy, and many accumulations of debt accrue through the actions not of a duo, but of one. At the same time, some such debacles result from the collaborative effort of two or more weak, sinful people.
Who among us can’t say that we are not in one way or another bona fide, certified among the weak and the sinful?
Most of us keep the pain in marriage, the burden of debt, and the certainty of our failures our deep, dark secrets waiting for success before we share.
Wonder why?
It may have to do with our lack of compassion for the failing of others. When our judgment visits us, it’s a tough companion. Maybe we hear our friends mock the poor. Maybe our view of God is such that we believe he only blesses the successful. Maybe we buy into the media images of winners and losers. Americans gets such a kick out of watching someone else hear the words, “You’re fired.” We laugh at the weakest link.
Recently I read a story from Larry James’ Urban Daily blog. Reportedly, Rich Little, comedian, did an impersonation of Ronald Reagan at inaugural party,
"'You know, somebody asked me, 'Do you think the war on poverty is over?'
I said, 'Yes, the poor lost.'
The crowd went wild. "
The crowd went wild. When we are broken from life, at times the victims of the sin and failure of others, and more often the owners of our own sins and failures, we need to remember that at the point we turn to God in our brokenness, HEAVEN GOES WILD.
The alumnus, divorced and bankrupt, ends her update with a note of grace, “…in spite of a rough year, she is still praising God.”
2 Corinthians 12 from The Message
God told Paul, "My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes to you in weakness."
Luke 15 from The Message
Jesus assured his followers of heaven's joy.
"Count on it---there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue."
"Count on it--that's the kind of celebration God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God."
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Profiles in purging--finding the strength to ban the bothersome
According to the Washington Post, Dennis Hastert has purged the House Ethics Committee of those bothersome folks who investigated Tom DeLay and resisted weakening ethics rules.
In reference to the ousting of Rep. Joel Hefley, (R-Co.), the chairman of the committee, Hastert’s spokesman reportedly said, "It wasn't really removing him. It was more like relieving him of his duty. The speaker doesn't like to have people who are such talented legislators like him have to spend so much time on ethics."
But don’t worry. The speaker didn’t just get rid of Hefley, he also replaced two other bothersome Republican committee members, Reps. Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.) and Steven C. LaTourette (R-Ohio), with Reps. Lamar S. Smith (R-Tex.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.). The Post editorial states that both of these men contributed generously to Mr. DeLay's legal defense fund.
The immoral of the story is: Don't waste your time and talent on ethics.
According to the Washington Post, Dennis Hastert has purged the House Ethics Committee of those bothersome folks who investigated Tom DeLay and resisted weakening ethics rules.
In reference to the ousting of Rep. Joel Hefley, (R-Co.), the chairman of the committee, Hastert’s spokesman reportedly said, "It wasn't really removing him. It was more like relieving him of his duty. The speaker doesn't like to have people who are such talented legislators like him have to spend so much time on ethics."
But don’t worry. The speaker didn’t just get rid of Hefley, he also replaced two other bothersome Republican committee members, Reps. Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.) and Steven C. LaTourette (R-Ohio), with Reps. Lamar S. Smith (R-Tex.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.). The Post editorial states that both of these men contributed generously to Mr. DeLay's legal defense fund.
The immoral of the story is: Don't waste your time and talent on ethics.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Stone, Campbell, & Company in Detroit
In times past, when I told people I was from the Detroit area, Church of Christ folks from other regions sometimes said, “I guess the church is pretty weak up there.”
That startled me because there were about 60 congregations of the Church of Christ when I was growing up there. Why Rochester College (the nascent MCC back then) brought us Otis and Alma Gatewood and Lucien Palmer.
Times and places all around Detroit, Michigan brought Jesus into my heart.
Summers at Michigan Christian Youth Camp.
School years with the Metropolitan Detroit Youth Chorus.
Sunday mornings at the Van Dyke Church of Christ.
Sunday nights at the Troy Church of Christ and other congregations.
With my teen Church of Christ friends--Beverly Birdwell Blair, Jan Palmer Van Horn (before Jon), Jan’s brother Ron and Linda Brown Palmer, and (no relation, except Christ) Joel Palmer, Jeff and Karen Schlender and others, the Jesus factor was so big we did things like have communion together when the clock struck midnight and Sunday began. We lit candles at our church buildings on many a New Years Eve praying in the New Year.
Lots of being together. Sort of Acts 2:42ish.
In Hearing God's Voice: My Life with Scripture in the Churches of Christ, Thomas Olbright, mentions the progressive Christians in Michigan. These non-sectarian believers provided powerful teaching and writing about Christ and discipleship. Like my friends who published the journal Integrity.
Detroiters got to hear Joseph Jones, Wayne Baker, Jerry Rushford, and Larry Bridgesmith.
One fellow, who would like to remain unnamed, read aloud to us at church camp from a book called Voices of Concern, a collection of letters from folks who had left the fold of the Church of Christ due to their objections to sectarianism. I didn’t know what to call it back then, but I remember being in 8th grade, bewildered and challenged. He probably wouldn't read such a thing in the same a setting today, but the wrestling with hard questions about church and fellowship at a young age served me well.
Dowell Flatt preached excellent expository sermons at Van Dyke for 10 years engendering a great deal of harmony and growth. He left us to attend seminary in New Orleans then on to chair the Bible Department at Freed-Hardeman University. I regret he has left us for good now, but a rich legacy remains in my heart.
Pat Boone provided our star power. He came to Detroit in 1968 and did a benefit show for us at Cobo Arena in Detroit to help MDYC raise money for our European trip.I think it was later that year, a friend named Averill Allen played a tape of Pat Boone in which Pat shared his new experiences in the Holy Spirit. We were all pretty curious about that New Song.
Up to that point, we thought maybe the Holy Spirit was a pen and ink.
We were not very Acts 2:43ish.
Once an area congregation hosted David Wilkinson of The Cross and Switchblade at a youth rally. In case you are too young to know, he was a nationally known Pentecostal in urban ministry. Afterwards, I recall hearing an elderly gentleman lead a closing prayer saying something like “please forgive us for exposing our young people to this mourner’s bench religion.”
Not everyone valued the nonsectarian thing.
Hearing John Allen Chalk at the Roseville Church of Christ inspired me beyond words. Finding me beyond words? Doesn’t happen often enough.
I’d list the women speakers, but well—let’s just say I heard pretty powerful stuff at home. My mom, Jo Choate, referred to scripture so often, so naturally when we discussed the vicissitudes of teen life that I sometimes accused her of trying to make a religious issue out of everything in life. My sisters, Deborah Choate Shepherd and Kimberly Choate Thames spoke of and served Jesus with passion and grace.
Mom remains guilty as charged.
But a church weak in Detroit? Those folks just guessed wrong.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Even as the vote goes well, does Gitmo get our goat?
Today is the day. Iraqi elections seem to be making a mark. It's certainly a good sign that so many have been able to vote. But, even as things seem to be flowing well in this particular vein, even as Al-Jezeera gives a positive report for a day, there must be a reckoning for some of our wrong doing in the "war on terror".
Because today is also a day Christians in America need to speak up. We need to demand to know if the horrific conduct at Gitmo recently reported by the Associated Press is true. Did American women sexually humiliate Muslim men to gain information? If it is true, we need to abhor and condemn it. We need to be alarmed that our fellow countrymen and women would stoop so low as to shame grown men into being afraid to pray.
Don't I know some of these people may have been trying to kill Americans?
Yes, I do. But I remember somewhere hearing a scripture that said not to fear those who might kill the body as much as to fear those who could destroy both our body and soul in hell.
Is our government allowing its operatives to debase themselves in such a way to endanger their own souls?
Are we going to rationalize this conduct?
Americans went to the polls, and according to President Bush, validated his Iraq policies.
Americans went to the polls with morality on their minds. Is morality about universal principles or is it only relevant when our interests are being served?
Will American Christians stand up and condemn this?
I found Andrew Sullivan's book reviews and commentary challenging. What do you think?
Today is the day. Iraqi elections seem to be making a mark. It's certainly a good sign that so many have been able to vote. But, even as things seem to be flowing well in this particular vein, even as Al-Jezeera gives a positive report for a day, there must be a reckoning for some of our wrong doing in the "war on terror".
Because today is also a day Christians in America need to speak up. We need to demand to know if the horrific conduct at Gitmo recently reported by the Associated Press is true. Did American women sexually humiliate Muslim men to gain information? If it is true, we need to abhor and condemn it. We need to be alarmed that our fellow countrymen and women would stoop so low as to shame grown men into being afraid to pray.
Don't I know some of these people may have been trying to kill Americans?
Yes, I do. But I remember somewhere hearing a scripture that said not to fear those who might kill the body as much as to fear those who could destroy both our body and soul in hell.
Is our government allowing its operatives to debase themselves in such a way to endanger their own souls?
Are we going to rationalize this conduct?
Americans went to the polls, and according to President Bush, validated his Iraq policies.
Americans went to the polls with morality on their minds. Is morality about universal principles or is it only relevant when our interests are being served?
Will American Christians stand up and condemn this?
I found Andrew Sullivan's book reviews and commentary challenging. What do you think?
Thursday, January 20, 2005
MLK, KKK, and ATL
On a clear day, I can see Stone Mountain—a massive elevated edifice of granite embossed with the figures of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis on my commute to work. In stark contrast to its natural majesty and artistry, Stone Mountain bears the ignoble distinction as a home for the nascent Ku Klux Klan.
To the south of my trek workward I see the skyline of Atlanta towering about Sweet Auburn Avenue. In contrast to the neighborhood’s stark urban landscape, the district preserves the Ebenezer Baptist Church, cradle to the spiritual, political, and social leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement.
Both movements claimed Christ and inflamed the hearts and actions of their followers.They represented some of the best and the worst of Biblical interpretation and ethics.
We Atlantans live with the legacy of both.
by the way
Today, Wineskins at www.wineskins.org published their Inaguration Issue and included an article I wrote,
"When Red and Blue meet in the Pew." It's essentially a compilation of a few of these Bev's Blogs from the election season. If you have considered subscribing to Wineskins, maybe you could actual start up this week.
On a clear day, I can see Stone Mountain—a massive elevated edifice of granite embossed with the figures of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis on my commute to work. In stark contrast to its natural majesty and artistry, Stone Mountain bears the ignoble distinction as a home for the nascent Ku Klux Klan.
To the south of my trek workward I see the skyline of Atlanta towering about Sweet Auburn Avenue. In contrast to the neighborhood’s stark urban landscape, the district preserves the Ebenezer Baptist Church, cradle to the spiritual, political, and social leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement.
Both movements claimed Christ and inflamed the hearts and actions of their followers.They represented some of the best and the worst of Biblical interpretation and ethics.
We Atlantans live with the legacy of both.
**************
by the way
Today, Wineskins at www.wineskins.org published their Inaguration Issue and included an article I wrote,
"When Red and Blue meet in the Pew." It's essentially a compilation of a few of these Bev's Blogs from the election season. If you have considered subscribing to Wineskins, maybe you could actual start up this week.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Where do we begin but on our knees?
Someone I am getting know, LaDonna Greiner, Executive Director, Georgia & Alabama World Vision, Inc. shared this with me today from World Vision's prayer mobilization coordinator.
PRAYER ALERT UPDATE
PRAYER ALERT UPDATE
EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DISASTER IN ASIA AND EAST
AFRICA
Please continue to pray:
- For God's mercy and favor on this region, as the situation is
overwhelming and chaotic. Ask that His Spirit would be present amidst the
devastation and that His hand would be on every aspect of the relief
effort.
- For survivors who are struggling to live, who are injured or diseased,
that they would not become another figure in the death toll.
- For guidance for leaders of the relief effort who are making key
decisions, that no time would be wasted and that efforts would be
maximized. The next couple days are crucial. Ask for good coordination
between governments, relief organizations, and other groups.
- At this stage of relief, providing basics for the surivors is key.
Please pray for the effective provision of food, medicine, shelter, and
sanitation. Clean water is especially needed as contaminated water can
carry more than 50 diseases. There is fear of an epidemic breakout - pray
that this would not occur.
- Ask that money and other resources would be provided quickly and
generously. It is estimated that aid may ultimately cost billions of
dollars. Pray that donors would continue giving even after the initial
phase of relief.
- Pray for peace and comfort for the children have been orphaned, and for
all who are in a state of emotional shock. In a matter of a few hours,
they have lost loved ones and everything they own. Pray also for wisdom
and encouragement for relief workers, that they would be protected and that
their work would effective.
- Ask that in this time of darkness and despair, many will find true hope
in Jesus, and that the Church would be an effective instrument in bringing
His compassion to the victims of this disaster.
AFRICA
Please continue to pray:
- For God's mercy and favor on this region, as the situation is
overwhelming and chaotic. Ask that His Spirit would be present amidst the
devastation and that His hand would be on every aspect of the relief
effort.
- For survivors who are struggling to live, who are injured or diseased,
that they would not become another figure in the death toll.
- For guidance for leaders of the relief effort who are making key
decisions, that no time would be wasted and that efforts would be
maximized. The next couple days are crucial. Ask for good coordination
between governments, relief organizations, and other groups.
- At this stage of relief, providing basics for the surivors is key.
Please pray for the effective provision of food, medicine, shelter, and
sanitation. Clean water is especially needed as contaminated water can
carry more than 50 diseases. There is fear of an epidemic breakout - pray
that this would not occur.
- Ask that money and other resources would be provided quickly and
generously. It is estimated that aid may ultimately cost billions of
dollars. Pray that donors would continue giving even after the initial
phase of relief.
- Pray for peace and comfort for the children have been orphaned, and for
all who are in a state of emotional shock. In a matter of a few hours,
they have lost loved ones and everything they own. Pray also for wisdom
and encouragement for relief workers, that they would be protected and that
their work would effective.
- Ask that in this time of darkness and despair, many will find true hope
in Jesus, and that the Church would be an effective instrument in bringing
His compassion to the victims of this disaster.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
GAC, SUV, HIV, and IJM
Teaching at a Christian high school in suburban Atlanta provides blogger fodder daily.
Sometimes I wonder why I do it.
Driving twenty-plus miles through Atlanta on I-285 and I-85 twice a day seems stressful to such a soft suburbanite. Then after fighting all that traffic, I spend day after day with these mostly affluent 15 to 18 years olds in all their adolescent glory--plugged into iPods, driving SUVs, and hoping for the Ivy Leagues.
Sometimes I wonder why I do it.
Then there are days like December 1, 2004, World Aids Day.
Courtesy of World Vision, I showed a video to the student body giving a glimpse into the effects of the HIV/Aids pandemic. The response—palpable. The stress we experienced in traffic or in looking at PSAT scores subsided. Helpless in the face of such a crisis, there rose a collective sigh. We briefly discussed a broad array of responses to this enormous problem. For the moment, we decided we could do one small thing. We could do what we all seem to do well—SHOP. Within hours students began taking steps to contact World Vision to shop their “Gift Catalog”.
That’s why I teach at Greater Atlanta Christian School.
These young ones headed to the Ivy Leagues or other great institutions of higher learning will someday lead in business, in medicine, in law, in the arts, and in education. But no matter what field they chose for their careers, they have a vocation. A calling.
They will all be ministers. They will all be priests. And they will serve.
The next day in chapel two boys from the junior class asked students to help them start a campus chapter of the International Justice Mission. www.ijm.org
Spring break 2005 over 200 students plan to travel across the globe on mission trips including a group headed to an orphanage in Namibia.
That’s why I teach at Greater Atlanta Christian School.
To such tender hearts, fertile minds, and willing spirits we can talk about, plan for and work openly toward the kind of leadership to which Jesus calls. It’s a short time in their life and a such a window of opportunity to share the challenge to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.
Teaching at a Christian high school in suburban Atlanta provides blogger fodder daily.
Sometimes I wonder why I do it.
Driving twenty-plus miles through Atlanta on I-285 and I-85 twice a day seems stressful to such a soft suburbanite. Then after fighting all that traffic, I spend day after day with these mostly affluent 15 to 18 years olds in all their adolescent glory--plugged into iPods, driving SUVs, and hoping for the Ivy Leagues.
Sometimes I wonder why I do it.
Then there are days like December 1, 2004, World Aids Day.
Courtesy of World Vision, I showed a video to the student body giving a glimpse into the effects of the HIV/Aids pandemic. The response—palpable. The stress we experienced in traffic or in looking at PSAT scores subsided. Helpless in the face of such a crisis, there rose a collective sigh. We briefly discussed a broad array of responses to this enormous problem. For the moment, we decided we could do one small thing. We could do what we all seem to do well—SHOP. Within hours students began taking steps to contact World Vision to shop their “Gift Catalog”.
That’s why I teach at Greater Atlanta Christian School.
These young ones headed to the Ivy Leagues or other great institutions of higher learning will someday lead in business, in medicine, in law, in the arts, and in education. But no matter what field they chose for their careers, they have a vocation. A calling.
They will all be ministers. They will all be priests. And they will serve.
The next day in chapel two boys from the junior class asked students to help them start a campus chapter of the International Justice Mission. www.ijm.org
Spring break 2005 over 200 students plan to travel across the globe on mission trips including a group headed to an orphanage in Namibia.
That’s why I teach at Greater Atlanta Christian School.
To such tender hearts, fertile minds, and willing spirits we can talk about, plan for and work openly toward the kind of leadership to which Jesus calls. It’s a short time in their life and a such a window of opportunity to share the challenge to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Doughnuts >Dioxin
The President may regret the doughnuts.
Some of you may regret the President.
But all of us regret Yushchenko's diet of dioxin.
Sad things, frustrating things happen here. But we have to marvel that George W. Bush of the United States joined the ranks of 43 presidencies ascending to power sans violence. Even Election 2000, annoying, disconcerting, and somewhat disillusioning for some, doesn't touch the Ukraine's sad tale of dioxin.
The President may regret the doughnuts.
Some of you may regret the President.
But all of us regret Yushchenko's diet of dioxin.
Sad things, frustrating things happen here. But we have to marvel that George W. Bush of the United States joined the ranks of 43 presidencies ascending to power sans violence. Even Election 2000, annoying, disconcerting, and somewhat disillusioning for some, doesn't touch the Ukraine's sad tale of dioxin.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Bush, Dowdy, and the Doughnut
Finally, I have found something George Bush and I have in common. We both gained about 6 pounds during the presidential campaign. We both found this out at the doctor’s office this week, and we both think it may be from eating doughnuts.
NPR did not report what kind of doughnuts Air Force One serves, if their kitchen window boasts an orange neon “HOT NOW” sign, or how the President slipped into this indulgence. However, both the President and I endured a long stressful campaign season. He on Air Force One; me on Taurus Three.
Now the commonality breaks down a bit. For me, budgetary concerns factored in. Add to that a mild sense of entitlement. I drive 20 miles across Atlanta traffic to work. I should be able to buy a good cup of coffee on the way. So attempting to indulge my sense entitlement with my budgetary concerns compelled me to stop going to Starbucks and opt for Dunkin’ Donuts instead. In some sort of voodoo economics I figured I would save money by driving thru Dunkin Donuts.
Okay, I admit, sometimes I thought myself worthy of coffee and a chocolate frosted doughnut.
Okay, I admit, sometimes I thought myself worthy of coffee and two chocolate frosted doughnuts.
Okay, I admit that adding doughnuts to the price of the coffee pretty much negated the budgetary advantage.
So do George and I have some commonality in the overriding themes in doughnut eating? Budgetary concerns? Entitlements? Such weighty issues divide us, I fear.
Maybe stress caused us to turn to the doughnut. For Bush--bearing the weight of the Presidency and the pressure of electoral politics. The trigger for me, I think—I am sure--was seeing John Kerry in camouflage carrying a shotgun and dead birds.
At any rate, George and I are committed to dropping this six and quick.
Finally, I have found something George Bush and I have in common. We both gained about 6 pounds during the presidential campaign. We both found this out at the doctor’s office this week, and we both think it may be from eating doughnuts.
NPR did not report what kind of doughnuts Air Force One serves, if their kitchen window boasts an orange neon “HOT NOW” sign, or how the President slipped into this indulgence. However, both the President and I endured a long stressful campaign season. He on Air Force One; me on Taurus Three.
Now the commonality breaks down a bit. For me, budgetary concerns factored in. Add to that a mild sense of entitlement. I drive 20 miles across Atlanta traffic to work. I should be able to buy a good cup of coffee on the way. So attempting to indulge my sense entitlement with my budgetary concerns compelled me to stop going to Starbucks and opt for Dunkin’ Donuts instead. In some sort of voodoo economics I figured I would save money by driving thru Dunkin Donuts.
Okay, I admit, sometimes I thought myself worthy of coffee and a chocolate frosted doughnut.
Okay, I admit, sometimes I thought myself worthy of coffee and two chocolate frosted doughnuts.
Okay, I admit that adding doughnuts to the price of the coffee pretty much negated the budgetary advantage.
So do George and I have some commonality in the overriding themes in doughnut eating? Budgetary concerns? Entitlements? Such weighty issues divide us, I fear.
Maybe stress caused us to turn to the doughnut. For Bush--bearing the weight of the Presidency and the pressure of electoral politics. The trigger for me, I think—I am sure--was seeing John Kerry in camouflage carrying a shotgun and dead birds.
At any rate, George and I are committed to dropping this six and quick.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Don't DeLay--Morality's on the way?
Recently an African-American student asked me why the Republican kids at our Christian high school in suburban Atlanta treat her like she is immoral for speaking up for the Democrats. At times it's awkward being a black person in a red community. What would you tell her?
For example, take the recent rules change in the House. In 1993 the House Republicans wanted to show their moral superiority to the Democrats by saying that House leaders under federal indictment would not be allowed to keep their posts. But when Tom DeLay, House Majority Leader, and his friends were under investigation--the time came to change the rule. Certainly there was some spurious language in the accusations of DelLy's accuser, but the ethics problems for which he was reprimanded were not vacated. Juliet Eilperin's commentary The Trouble With Unity published in Sunday's Washington Post shows the manner in which House Republicans paved the high road. Check out this recent Washington Post editorial: On Rewriting Ethics History .
Back to my student. I told her that the there is a perception that the Republicans are more moral because their platform has a pro-life plank. Plus, the Republicans put an anti-gay marriage amendment up for a vote this summer. It’s always a quandary to know how to discuss such issues in class, because it is very important to be fair, sensitive, and honest. I think about the many sincere folks casting their votes for Bush with the phrases like “culture of life” ringing in their ears.
Here's what I believe: President Bush sincerely cares about abortion and is truly concerned about the social and moral issues related to homosexual marriage.The President will likely use his bully pulpit to continue the culture of life talk and the man and women make a marriage rhetoric for four more years. But the Republican Party? I do not believe we need have an African American shrinking violet in the classroom because her family perceives politics differently than her classmates. I believe this primarily because, in spite of Mr. Bush's personal proclivity for overturning Roe v. Wade and an anti-gay marriage amendment, no one should expect the Republican Party to establish the moral climate for which Christians pine. Because political parties are not about morality. Parties purvey political power. They are about winning elections and governing to continue winning elections.
This article by Dick Morris, political consultant and commentator on Fox News, from The Hill a newspaper for and about the U.S. Congress says to me that the pro-life vote for Bush may be illusionary.
“Thoughts on a Second Term”
Filibusters and judicial nominations. Beware of what happened to FDR in 1937 when, fresh from the most resounding reelection victory since the early days of the Republic, he became filled with hubris and proposed to pack the Supreme Court.
Despite overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress, the public backlash not only killed the plan but doomed his entire second-term agenda to disaster and defeat. The imperial overreach of FDR’s second term is well-explained by Kenneth Davis in his book Into the Storm.
This election was not won over abortion. It was won over the war on terror primarily and gay marriage secondarily. If the right attempts to twist its meaning to suit its purposes and use it to defang the checks-and-balances system, it will be guilty of its own form of imperial overreach. A three-percentage-point win will not sustain such an overturning of the system on which people of both parties rely to assure moderation.
After giving no hint of so radical a step during the campaign — indeed after keeping it well-hidden — for President Bush to spring it now would be seen as an act of treachery by the many pro-choice voters who backed him because of his international leadership, confident that the filibuster would prevent him from going to extremes in his appointments.
Filibusters, obnoxious as they are to democracy, have acquired an accepted place in our democracy. Just as senators no longer feel obliged to vote against cloture, as they once did out of courtesy to one another, so the public no longer feels that the necessity to attract 60 votes for judicial nominations is too onerous.
If Bush jams through a ban on filibusters on nominations and then jams through Clarence Thomas as chief justice (by itself this would be OK) and then pushes a Thomas or Antonin Scalia clone for the open spot on the court, he will squander a huge segment of the political capital on which he is relying for more important tasks ahead.
If you find that impressive: read this more recent post by Morris: Evangelicals Support Comes at High Price
Back to my student--Her family sees racial healing and healthcare as high moral priorities. Shall I tell her the Republicans are more moral because they have higher standards on ethics? Or shall I say they will avoid treachery by using their political capital on the important tasks like cutting taxes and waging war? I could say it's the pro-life prank.
What would you say?
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Perennial
Fridays postThanksgiving saluting tradition
find him
stringing sixties-style colored Christmas lights
gutters glowing
shrubs singing holiday
perennial
Early Easter Sunday embracing the ages
find him
hiding pastel-colored eggs
grass conspiring
leaves whispering hide one here
perennial
Muggy summer evenings accepting Southern hospitality
find him
planting cuttings neighbors offer
stems wobbling
green frames promising color next July
perennial
Long awaited Autumn afternoons celebrating equinox
find him
burying bulbs
daffodils gestating
berm exploding yellow come April
perennial
This fall he left
Said he didn't love her anymore
So who will string clunky colored lights?
Will the eggs still roll in April?
And what does perennial mean now?
Fridays postThanksgiving saluting tradition
find him
stringing sixties-style colored Christmas lights
gutters glowing
shrubs singing holiday
perennial
Early Easter Sunday embracing the ages
find him
hiding pastel-colored eggs
grass conspiring
leaves whispering hide one here
perennial
Muggy summer evenings accepting Southern hospitality
find him
planting cuttings neighbors offer
stems wobbling
green frames promising color next July
perennial
Long awaited Autumn afternoons celebrating equinox
find him
burying bulbs
daffodils gestating
berm exploding yellow come April
perennial
This fall he left
Said he didn't love her anymore
So who will string clunky colored lights?
Will the eggs still roll in April?
And what does perennial mean now?
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Turning Beer into Furniture
Clear November skies chilled by Michigan’s fall winds made early November 1970 seem normal. But it was anything but normal. Thirty-four years ago today, we buried my forty-five year-old Daddy. Everyone kept saying, “He was so young.”
I thought—he wasn’t really all that young. But I was only seventeen.
Tonight my eyes strain to see his copper colored skin, his blue-black hair, and big, broad smile. I think hard and can almost hear his voice, including that persistent clearing of his throat. Thanks to Lucky Strikes, he always cleared his throat, especially when he gave the concluding remark to any discussion at our family dinner table.
When I sit at the dinner table with my boys, I can imagine him sitting with us listening to them, proud of their thoughtful funny repartee. Proud of their passion for Jesus and justice. Ready to clear his throat and make the culminating comment.
Herbert Taylor Choate possessed a zest for learning, for excellence in the performance of any task, and for placing life’s priorities in good order. First, God. Next, family. Third, education and career.
He was only seventeen he left the Cherokee community of Bunch, Oklahoma, joined the navy, and saw other boys throw flames into caves on Iwo Jima. He buried one brother. His other brother came home a boxing barber from the Burma Road. He died a premature death a few years later. Herb came home smoking and drinking hard. For years alcohol dulled the memories. Often sleep came with grinding teeth and nightmares. Deeply inhaling a freshly lit cigarette calmed his nerves. I can still see smoke curling from his lips.
Married, with one little girl, and me on the way, he put his LORD on in baptism, and left the booze behind. Taking to heart the grace of God, accepting the love of my mom’s family and the fellowship of the Van Dyke Church of Christ; he embraced a new lifestyle. Of course, even as a deacon, he still joined all other men for smoke between Sunday school and church.
Someone once asked him, “Herb, do you believe God still does miracles today?”
He said, “Well, I tell you what, I saw Jesus turn beer into furniture.”
I don’t know exactly why he had a heart attack on that November night, but I can make an educated guess. I often think—if he had known that hard drinking for those eight years and smoking for so many more would have kept him from spending an autumn evening around the dinner table trading stories and solving world problems with his grandsons, he would have stopped long before he did.
Clear November skies chilled by Michigan’s fall winds made early November 1970 seem normal. But it was anything but normal. Thirty-four years ago today, we buried my forty-five year-old Daddy. Everyone kept saying, “He was so young.”
I thought—he wasn’t really all that young. But I was only seventeen.
Tonight my eyes strain to see his copper colored skin, his blue-black hair, and big, broad smile. I think hard and can almost hear his voice, including that persistent clearing of his throat. Thanks to Lucky Strikes, he always cleared his throat, especially when he gave the concluding remark to any discussion at our family dinner table.
When I sit at the dinner table with my boys, I can imagine him sitting with us listening to them, proud of their thoughtful funny repartee. Proud of their passion for Jesus and justice. Ready to clear his throat and make the culminating comment.
Herbert Taylor Choate possessed a zest for learning, for excellence in the performance of any task, and for placing life’s priorities in good order. First, God. Next, family. Third, education and career.
He was only seventeen he left the Cherokee community of Bunch, Oklahoma, joined the navy, and saw other boys throw flames into caves on Iwo Jima. He buried one brother. His other brother came home a boxing barber from the Burma Road. He died a premature death a few years later. Herb came home smoking and drinking hard. For years alcohol dulled the memories. Often sleep came with grinding teeth and nightmares. Deeply inhaling a freshly lit cigarette calmed his nerves. I can still see smoke curling from his lips.
Married, with one little girl, and me on the way, he put his LORD on in baptism, and left the booze behind. Taking to heart the grace of God, accepting the love of my mom’s family and the fellowship of the Van Dyke Church of Christ; he embraced a new lifestyle. Of course, even as a deacon, he still joined all other men for smoke between Sunday school and church.
Someone once asked him, “Herb, do you believe God still does miracles today?”
He said, “Well, I tell you what, I saw Jesus turn beer into furniture.”
I don’t know exactly why he had a heart attack on that November night, but I can make an educated guess. I often think—if he had known that hard drinking for those eight years and smoking for so many more would have kept him from spending an autumn evening around the dinner table trading stories and solving world problems with his grandsons, he would have stopped long before he did.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
My Open Blog to Sean Hannity
My Christian friends like you so much; I thought I should listen to your show. So, I tuned in one day recently and heard you interview Anne Coulter. You discussed her new book, How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must). As you and Coulter bantered back and forth, I heard what earned her the review from the Washington Post Book World, as “a fluent polemicist with a gift for Menckenesque invective”. You laughed heartily at her comments and expressed admiration for her writing because it does, after all, have substance. You both poked fun that USA Today gutlessly decided not to print portions of her substantive spew. As I went to Amazon.com to find the book, a chapter title from her book clinched my understanding of Anne Coulter. In reference to Muslim extremist terrorists: “We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity”.
I now understand my Christian friends’ enthusiasm for your work. You are pro-life.
Not long after the segment in which you displayed such deep admiration for Anne Coulter, you interviewed someone from Haiti. Afterwards a good friend of mine told me that you asserted that poverty is a choice, you HATE HAITI, and you wouldn't have your dog's ashes tossed over that country. Perhaps she did not hear you correctly.
You see, I am looking to understand my Christian friends’ enthusiasm for your work. If what she said was true, then I see. It's because you are pro-life.
My Christian friends like you so much, I thought, I should check out your book. That's where I learned that Jimmy Carter=Neville Chamberlain. What a senseless, spineless, mindless, unprincipled man! He believes in pursuing peace. Can't we see the parallel to appeasing Hitler with the razing of settlements on the Sinai Peninsula and a treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel that has lasted for over 20 years? Silly of that Anwar Sadat to fall for the peace idea. What a cheap solution.
And back to Carter, what kind of man would refuse to negotiate with terrorists, would threaten the Iranian revolutionary government with the full force of the US military if one US hostage was killed, and then wait a year for a peaceful solution? What a disgraceful moment for our country when all of those hostages came home alive and we did not even have a good war to show for it. At least Carter's successor had the guts to negotiate arms for hostages.
I now understand my Christian friends’ enthusiasm for your work. You are pro-life.
Now before my Christian-friend fans of yours write to help me understand more reasons why you inspire them as a Christian, let me pre-empt a possible problem they may see in my understanding. They may need to explain to me that the left-wing liberal media, the left wing comedians, and the left-wing politicians can be mean-spirited and contemptuous too. And besides, don't I understand that there are people out there who want to kill us? But you see, I do understand. Don’t mistake my preference for peace to mean that we cannot engage in just war. It’s just that I do not presume that only the stupid, weak, and senseless see just war much differently than a Crusades redux.
From listening to your rhetoric I now understand: loving your political enemies, expressing kindness towards the poor, and making peace are such insipid secular stands, and you are pro-life.
My Christian friends like you so much; I thought I should listen to your show. So, I tuned in one day recently and heard you interview Anne Coulter. You discussed her new book, How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must). As you and Coulter bantered back and forth, I heard what earned her the review from the Washington Post Book World, as “a fluent polemicist with a gift for Menckenesque invective”. You laughed heartily at her comments and expressed admiration for her writing because it does, after all, have substance. You both poked fun that USA Today gutlessly decided not to print portions of her substantive spew. As I went to Amazon.com to find the book, a chapter title from her book clinched my understanding of Anne Coulter. In reference to Muslim extremist terrorists: “We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity”.
I now understand my Christian friends’ enthusiasm for your work. You are pro-life.
Not long after the segment in which you displayed such deep admiration for Anne Coulter, you interviewed someone from Haiti. Afterwards a good friend of mine told me that you asserted that poverty is a choice, you HATE HAITI, and you wouldn't have your dog's ashes tossed over that country. Perhaps she did not hear you correctly.
You see, I am looking to understand my Christian friends’ enthusiasm for your work. If what she said was true, then I see. It's because you are pro-life.
My Christian friends like you so much, I thought, I should check out your book. That's where I learned that Jimmy Carter=Neville Chamberlain. What a senseless, spineless, mindless, unprincipled man! He believes in pursuing peace. Can't we see the parallel to appeasing Hitler with the razing of settlements on the Sinai Peninsula and a treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel that has lasted for over 20 years? Silly of that Anwar Sadat to fall for the peace idea. What a cheap solution.
And back to Carter, what kind of man would refuse to negotiate with terrorists, would threaten the Iranian revolutionary government with the full force of the US military if one US hostage was killed, and then wait a year for a peaceful solution? What a disgraceful moment for our country when all of those hostages came home alive and we did not even have a good war to show for it. At least Carter's successor had the guts to negotiate arms for hostages.
I now understand my Christian friends’ enthusiasm for your work. You are pro-life.
Now before my Christian-friend fans of yours write to help me understand more reasons why you inspire them as a Christian, let me pre-empt a possible problem they may see in my understanding. They may need to explain to me that the left-wing liberal media, the left wing comedians, and the left-wing politicians can be mean-spirited and contemptuous too. And besides, don't I understand that there are people out there who want to kill us? But you see, I do understand. Don’t mistake my preference for peace to mean that we cannot engage in just war. It’s just that I do not presume that only the stupid, weak, and senseless see just war much differently than a Crusades redux.
From listening to your rhetoric I now understand: loving your political enemies, expressing kindness towards the poor, and making peace are such insipid secular stands, and you are pro-life.
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