Thoughts and Musings

Good news from the Factivist

He's also the frontman for a rock band I'm pretty fond of, as evidenced in a recent blog post. For years, Bono has been out there telling the world that we need to step it up in the fight against poverty. Now, in this recent TED Talk, he tells us that what we're doing is working and that we need to keep it up. As only an Irish lyricist can put it, "We can't get this done until we really accept that we can get this done."

Let's get this done. It'll be a Beautiful Day when we do (sorry, couldn't resist).

(Click HERE if the video clip doesn't show above. Oh, and be advised, as there's a tiny bit of adult language and humor involved).

Imagine when...

I was catching a cup of coffee after a presbytery meeting at my favorite coffee house in Winston-Salem, Krankies.  I had my computer with me and was going to work on a sermon, because that's what I'm always doing, and because I tend to do my best sermonizing when coffee is involved.  Anyway, I grabbed my cup of Kenyan and sat down at a table in the corner, and when I looked up at the wall next to me this is what I saw:

It's called an "Imagination Installation," a local movement of sorts in the area; and per its website it's about "harnessing the collective power of our community's dreams."  Which, in case you're wondering, is awesome.  So was this wall - dozens of small lime green signs tacked and taped all over the place, each with the simple title "Imagine When...."at the top,  and lots of space underneath for folks to write whatever.

So the sermon would have to wait awhile, because in truth I was looking at tons of little sermons on the wall of this coffee house, and it's always good when the preacher gets preached too. Here are a few that particularily spoke to me:

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...the word "can't" is lost from the spoken language

...people "make each other right"

...we decide to invest in happiness instead of war and hatred.

...nutritiuous local food is abundantly available everywhere and is preferred

...elected officials work for the good of the people, not for the power of the office

...human beings realize we are stewards of this earth, and no more important than any other living being

...we are not strangers

...there is a woman in the White House!

...we recognize that "the kingdom of God is here" (no waiting required)

..very child can squish mud between his or her toes in a creek

..we dream together to empower each other, rather than live in isolation

...we grow food rather than lawns, and share that food with our community

..we all Iive in the moments like our dogs, cats and horses do.

...our economic system rewards cooperation, collaboration and generosity over competition

...we all realize we are happier the more we give and love others, rather than how much we get and are loved.

...public art is on every corner in downtown Winston-Salem

...we know that life comes from death

...color is a hue that a painter uses to transform the canvas :-)

...the health care system is healed

..all pets have an owner that is loving and caring and a comfortable place to be

...corporations figure out that creativity and innovation comes from liberated, encouraged and respected employees

...children and adults go outside and play every day

...education rewards innovation and creativity more than compliance

...every child comes home at the end of school to a loving family member and a plate of cookies and milk

...each of us life our lives with respect and honor of all living beings

...we all remember that we're one big family

...people have the courage to be themselves

...we all let our authentic selves shine!

**************

Of course, I got in on the act. Here's the one I did.  If you know me, this should come as no surprise:


You know what I liked most about this excellent use of coffee house wall space? It's "Imagine When," not "Imagine If."  It's only a matter of time, folks.  Let's get busy.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness...

I have a lot of favorite MLK quotes.  I think this one's my favorite:

Here are some others:

I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it, because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God, but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality. 

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.

I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

 

Happy MLK Day, everyone.

 

Homeless finding a home

Chalk this up to the "Why-didn't-I-think-of-this-before??" category.  Ignore the sappy music that runs throughout and focus instead on the "outside-of-the-box" thinking that's taken place. Man, I wish I could do that.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

(Video HERE if you can't see it)

The Face of Homelessness and Scripture

The image to the right is what greeted me when I opened today's edition of the Winston-Salem Journal.  When "Matthew 25:35-36" is emblazoned across the front page of my morning newspaper, it's going to get my attention.

In so many ways this is an amazing story - a powerful portrayal of scripture, Jesus' message taking on a real face (30 of them, actually), bridging the divide between those with homes and those without, a man overcoming his own fears to follow his calling.  The result of which is an amazing poster that you can purchase HERE.  Proceeds go to benefit the Bethesda Center, a homeless shelter in Winston-Salem.

You can read about Dr. Ray Workman, the man behind the idea for the poster, and how it all came together HERE.  In fact, I'd highly encourage you to read it.  An inspiring an eye-opening story.

Stuff like this makes me wonder, "why didn't I think of this??"  Oh well.  I'm glad at least someone did.

The soup isn't all that bad

Most every Sunday in church I close with a benediction that is a hybrid of my own words and the words of Fred Craddock, professor at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta.  His words, I've always felt, are so profound:

Live simply, love generously, speak truthfully, pray daily, and leave everything else to God.

Craddock has a way with words that many of us can only admire from a distance - a master storyteller where the message hits you in the face, and he never has to explain what that message is.  You already know it before you realize you do.  There's a story in particular I was thinking about earlier today and thought I'd share it here. I'm not sure what made me think of it, but I'm glad I did.  Now it's your turn.  Enjoy.

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I was invited last year, in mid-October, to the University of Winnipeg in Canada to give two lectures, one Friday night and one Saturday morning.  I went.  I gave the one on Friday night.  As we left the lecture hall, it was beginning to spit a little snow.  I was surprised, and my host was surprised because he had written, “It’s too early for the cold weather, but you might bring a little windbreaker, a little light jacket.” 

The next morning when I got up, two or three feet of snow pressed against the door.  The phone rang, and my host said, “We’re all surprised by this.  In fact, I can’t come and get you to take you to the breakfast, the lecture this morning has been cancelled, and the airport is closed.  If you can make your way down the block and around the corner, there is a little depot, a bus depot, and it has a café.  I’m sorry.”  I said, “I’ll get around.  I put on that little light jacket; it was nothing.  I got my little cap and put it on; it didn’t even help me in the room.  I went into the bathroom and unrolled long sheets of toilet paper and made a nest in the cap so that it would protect my head against that icy wind.

I went outside, shivering.  The wind was cold, the snow was deep.  I slid and bumped and finally made it around the corner into the bus station.  Every stranded traveler in western Canada was in there, strangers to each other and to me, pressing and pushing and loud.  I finally found a place to sit, and after a lengthy time a man in a greasy apron came over and said, “What’ll you have?”  I said, “May I see a menu?” He said, “What do you want a menu for?  We have soup.”  I said, “What kind of soup do you have?”  And he said, “Soup.  You want some soup?”  I said, “That was what I was going to order – soup.” 

He brought the soup, and I put the spoon to it – Yuck!  It was the awfulest.  It was kind of gray looking; it was so bad I couldn’t eat it, but I sat there and put my hands around it.  It was warm, and so I sat there with my head down, my head wrapped in toilet paper, bemoaning and beweeping my outcast state with the horrible soup.  But it was warm, so I clutched it and stayed bent over my soup stove.

The door opened again.  The wind was icy, and somebody yelled, “Close the door!”  In came this woman clutching her little coat.  She found a place, not far from me.  The greasy apron came and asked, “What do you want?”  She said, “A glass of water.”  He brought her a glass of water, took out his tablet and said, “Now what’ll you have?”  She said, “Just the water.”  He said, “You have to order, lady.”  “Well, I just want a glass of water.”  “Look.  I have customers that pay – what do you think this is, a church or something?  Now what do you want?”  She said, “Just a glass of water and some time to get warm.” 

“Look, there are people that are paying here.  If you’re not going to order, you’ve got to leave!”  And he got real loud about it, so that everyone there could hear him.

So she got up to leave.  And almost as if rehearsed, everyone in that café got up and headed to the door.  If she was going to have to leave, they were as well.  And the man in the greasy apron saw this happening and blurted out, “All right, all right, she can stay.”  Everyone sat down, and he brought her a bowl of soup.

I said to the person sitting there by me, I said, “Who is she?”  He said, “I’ve never seen her before.” The place grew quiet, but I heard the sipping of that awful soup.  I said, “I’m going to try that soup again.”  I put my spoon to the soup – you know, it was not bad soup.  Everybody was eating this soup.  I started eating the soup, and it was pretty good soup.  I have no idea what kind of soup it was.  I don’t know what was in it, but I do recall when I was eating it, it tasted a little bit like bread and wine.  Just a little bit like bread and wine.

(from the book Craddock Stories by Fred Craddock, Chalice Press, 2001)

Beck's Hole-y Bible

Let me begin this post with a disclaimer of sorts - despite the individual's name in the title, this has nothing to do with politics.  It's true.  I want to say this up front because I know a lot of people (including some reading this blog) watch Glenn Beck's show and agree with what he says about our country, the federal government, health care and our president.  And that's fine - we are all certainly entitled to our opinions.

But this has nothing to do with that.  Instead it has everything to do with something he and I share in common, along with two billion other people around the world - the Christian faith.  And recently Beck made some pretty audacious statements about Christianity on one of his television shows:

I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!"

To make sure he left no room for misunderstandings, Beck proceeded to hold up two cards: one with the hammer and sickle of Cold-war Communist Russia, and the other with a Nazi swastika.  The inference was clear: churches that use the code words "social justice" and "economic justice" are, in fact, communist and perpetrators of Nazism.

One would presume his advice wasn't intended to be limited to what can be found on the church website, either.  Certainly he would suggest that it be extrapolated to include the minister's sermon, prayers or liturgy used in worship, and any programs or ministries that dare to align themselves with such suspect elements.  And certainly it must include the very foundation of Christianity, the Bible itself.

And that's where we run into a little problem.

See, the thing is, there are just under 8000 verses in the entire Bible, Old and New Testament.  And multiple individuals well-versed (pun intended) in the field have noted that close to 2000 of them deal specifically with issues of - you guessed it - social justice and economic justice.  That's one-fourth of the Bible, for those of us who don't do fractions well (it was always my weak point in math). They're all over the place - here's just a quick sampling:

If there is a poor man among you....you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand...but you shall freely open your hand to them, and generously lend them sufficient for their needs in whatever they lack (Deuteronomy 15:7)

I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor (Psalm 140:12)

Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor.  Also, do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, to the orphan or the widwo, and do not shed innocent blood in this place (Jeremiah 22:3)

Jesus said, Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:42)

There's a lot more - some 1,996, I guess, but I'll spare you.  You get the idea.

All of which makes me wonder: what does Beck's Bible look like?  One must assume it doesn't contain these 2000 subversive and dangerous verses, of course.  Which is precisely the kind of Bible noted evangelist Jim Wallis remembers from his seminary days; a fellow student who took an old Bible and, to prove a point, cut out every verse that had anything to do with the poor and with social and economic justice.  And when he was done, as Wallis recalls, "that Bible was literally in shreds. It was falling apart in my hands. It was a Bible full of holes." (from God's Politics).  Which makes sense, since it was missing a full one-fourth of it.

This poses another conundrum: what exactly does Christianity look like with Beck's hole-y Bible?  Obviously there's no need to be concerned for the poor or the marginalized and oppressed.  Missions becomes purely evangelical in nature, concerned only for matters of the soul and not for individual well-being and welfare.  Caring for God's creation becomes an unnecessary distraction, too.  In fact, there's really not much that needs to be done at all with this life on earth, other than prepare ourselves for the life hereafter.  We're just wandering the planet, biding our time until the real show starts.

To be fair, this isn't the first time someone has sliced and diced the scriptures, either literally or figuratively.  Probably the most famous instance was the Jefferson Bible, an attempt by founding father Thomas Jefferson to remove all references to Jesus' divinity as well as supernatural occurrences, like miracles.  That was a pretty hole-y Bible, too.  Then there's the Conservative Bible, where the editors simply removed any verses deemed "too liberal" and softened some of the more challenging language (the "rich man" becomes "the one who enjoys riches." Subtle, yes; but quite literally, the devil is in the details).

The difference, of course, is that those folks knew exactly what they were doing when they did it.  They were perfectly clear about the fact that they were imposing their own agendas on the scriptures, fashioning them into something to their own liking the way a business person gets a suit adjusted by their tailor.  On the other hand, Beck's comments the other day were nothing more than standard rhetoric from a strong television personality rallying the masses to the cause.

Or at least that's what we hope.  If he truly meant what he said, then I'm not sure what to think.  Maybe by some freak accident Beck got a hold of that Bible Wallis was talking about.  If so, could someone let him know that it was only meant to prove a point, not actually be followed?  That is, what's left of it.

 

UPDATE: Just today I received in the mail a copy of The Poverty and Justice Bible, ordered from the fine folks at Sojourners.  Like the Green Bible, which I talked about in this previous post, this Bible highlights all verses in the Old and New Testaments that have to deal with poverty and justice issues (in orange highlighter, nonetheless - my favorite).  It's important to know a bit of the history and context to understand why the marked verses are poverty/justice related.  The bible is in the Contemporary English Version (not my personal favorite), but it still looks to be a solid resource.  I'm thinking about buying another one and sending Glenn Beck a copy.  You can order yours here.

On this day, and every day, it's worth 18 minutes of your time

(Note: if you can't view this video click here)

Not Your Elvis' "Blue Christmas"

Imagine a worship service at your church during the festive month of December at the peak of the holiday season.  But it is different from what you'd usually expect, in some very noticeable ways.  Gone is the Christmas tree adorned with beautiful Chrismons.  There is no advent wreath up front with candles lit.  The organ isn't swelling with "Joy To The World" or "O Come All Ye Faithful," and there are no purple advent vestments draped over the pulpit and table.  And the message the minister delivers does not elicit smiles of joy and good tidings.

Such is what has taken place at a number of churches in recent years, and it's called a "Blue Christmas service." It varies from place to place, but most contain a table up front with a single blue cloth and candles to commemorate those not there.  The music is in minor key and invokes anything but celebration; and instead of smiles faces are adorned with tears of grief.

Sounds enticing, eh?  Well, it just may be if you are one of the 45% of Americans who dread this time of year, according to this recent article in Psychology Today.  Wow, 45 percent.  That's a lot.  The blog also goes on to mention that Christmas is when more people experience some form of depression, hospitals report the highest incidences of suicide and attempted suicide, and mental health professionals report the greatest increase in their services.

I've got to admit that, even as a pastor, I have a hard time recognizing the difficulty this season poses for some.  For me personally, Christmas has always been a time of joy and celebration.  I think the only real difficult Christmas I ever had was when I was eight years old and my mom's father - "Papa," we used to call him - had died a month or so before.  I remember lying in bed on Christmas Eve, the room all lit up with Christmas lights, crying myself to sleep.  I was fine the next morning, but at that moment I felt the loss of my grandfather most profoundly.

Lots of people are missing loved ones right now - family and friends who once were an important part of the Christmas celebration but are no longer here to celebrate with.  There are folks out of work who are struggling with this time of year - and it's not just about buying presents for the kids.  It has to do with the emphasis our culture places on a steady job as a determining factor of self-worth.  How are you supposed to be thankful when you don't feel thankful?  That's the question some folks are asking right now.  And then there are those who can't pinpoint an exact reason for their "blahs" but feel them nonetheless - along with an inability to express them in a time when everyone is supposed to be decking the halls and singing songs of great joy and all that. 

I don't know that we'll ever have a "Blue Christmas" service at the church I serve, but I like the concept.  I like the legitimacy it gives people to make room for everyone at the proverbial Christmas table, recognizing that December can be a rough time for some, and that's it's okay to admit that.  Because as any good counselor will tell you, the main thing that grieving people need from the rest of us is room to grieve and permission to do so - especially when there's a lot of self-imposed pressure to put on a "happy face" and suppress the way they really feel.

If I may bring Jesus into the matter (it is Christmas, after all), I'm struck by the fact that Jesus never put on pretenses himself, nor did he expect us to.  Come to me, all who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  That's pretty honest stuff. The Psalms are the collective voice of the people to their God; and it's not all praise and joy.  For every Psalm 100 (Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth, worship the Lord with gladness....) there is Psalm 13 (How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever? How long must I have sorrow in my heart all day long?...)  There's a definite tradition in the faith of acknowledging not only the downside of life, but that downside in the context of the faith itself.

The greatest act of compassion that can be shared with those struggling with this season is validation of their angst; giving them room to feel the way they do, even if it goes against the happy face our culture forever drapes in December green and red.  If we Christians preach the "realness" of God as found in a tiny baby boy born to a carpenter and his teenage girlfriend in first century Palestine, then the depths of our collective faith can get no more "real" when we accept people as they are in this season of celebration, even and especially when the celebration is muted.

Either way, we all continue to pray the Advent prayer, Come, Immanuel, Come.  It's just that some of us know better how badly we need that to happen.

 

We walk because they walk!

It was a cold, soggy, raw kind of day that greeted the third annual CROP Hunger Walk of Mount Airy yesterday.  Not the kind of weather we were hoping for, but you take what you get, right?  If anything it made the CROP motto (also this blog's title) all the more meaningful.  Every day millions of people around the world - in our little community, in this country and in places far away - have to walk miles just to get a little food or some clean drinking water.  And they do this no matter what the elements are.  So surely we could suck it up for a hour or so.

We had our first walk back in the spring of 2007, along with the help of two other fellow clergy, Roger Gilbert of First Baptist and Wayne Hager of Calvary Baptist.  In so doing we joined thousands of communities across the country who host these annual events.  Just in case you don't know, CROP Hunger Walks are joint ventures between local communities and an organization called Church World Service.  The noble and attainable goal of these walks is to eliminate extreme hunger and poverty in the world.  And, as has been noted before on this blog, we now have the technology and the resources to actually do it.

In a CROP Hunger Walk (which, incidentally, stands for "Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty), a portion of the money stays local, going to whatever agency the local planning team designates; while the rest goes to national and international relief agencies.  This is one of the reasons I'm so fond of these walks - they address the problem with a "both-and" approach, the only real way to achieve meaningful results. This is sometimes hard for people to understand, but it's true.  It does no good if we keep all of our money locally, as there are innumerable communities all around the world who have no means to host their own walks and support themselves.  Likewise, if we direct 100% of our efforts overseas, we are turning a blind eye to the needs right in front of us.  CROP Hunger Walks are a very practical way of doing both.

Folks started gathering at Veteran's Park around 2pm Sunday afternoon, trying to keep warm while listening to the sounds of the Youth Moravian Church Praise Band. At around 3:30, emcee Kelly Epperson of WPAQ radio sent us on our way!  The 3.2 mile walk took us down the Emily Taylor Greenway and then back through town to finish at the park.  Most folks finished the walk in just over an hour, unless your name was "Lindsley," in which case you were bringing up the rear.  Here are some pics for you:

 

  In previous years we had CROP Hunger Walk t-shirts for everyone, paid for by local business sponsors.  With the economy being the way  it is we decided to go without the fancy t-shirts and instead got the kids to make their own walk shirts with plain white tees and fabric markers.  It was such a hit that I imagine we'll do it again in future years, even if we bring the traditional walk shirt back.

One of the things we've tried to do with this walk is make it not just a fundraising experience, but an educational one.  So along the walk we posted signs that had some pretty sobering statistics about hunger and poverty in our world.  Here's a smattering of 'em:

 

This one gets me every time.  The sign reads, "A child dies of hunger-related causes every six seconds."  The man standing beside it is holding a bell that he chimes - you guessed it - every six seconds.  So you're walking along and you hear this ringing and you're wondering what it is.  Then you see this sign, and you know.  And as you walk up the hill and hang a left on Pine St. you still hear it ringing, and you remember long after the ringing stops.

Our walker numbers and dollar totals were down from previous years, but we're figuring the weather had something to do with that.  Any way you cut it, though, less people will go hungry because of our efforts.

I wish I were more regularly cognizant of the hungry in our world.  I just scarfed down a delicious lunch at 308 Bistro as I was typing this and hardly paid attention as the food made its way from the plate to my stomach.  Often on those nights our family sits down for a meal together, the obligatory family blessing is treated more like an obstacle to be hurried through quickly rather than a true pause of reflection and thanks.  For me hunger is nothing more than that nagging feeling I get in the middle of the afternoon at work when lunch is just a few hours in the past - and even then, all I have to do is reach in the drawer desk to grab a handful of almonds.  Like many people I've done a pretty good job of hiding in my ignorance and shielding myself from what's really there.

That's why these walks are a good way of reminding me of two things: one, that I need to be a whole lot more grateful for the food on my plate every day; and two, that I need to do a much better job of seeing that people all around the world get more on theirs.