Thursday, May 31, 2007
A Prophet of Olden Times
THE TIMES ARE A CHANGING - Bob Dylan
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
....
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
.....
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a- changing
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
....
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
.....
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a- changing
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Prayer for All Who Are Abused
You chose, O loving God,
to enter this worldquietly,
humbly, and as an outcast.
Hear our prayerson behalf
of all who are abused:
For children,who suffer
at the handsof parents
whom they trust and love;
for spouses,beaten and destroyed
by the very onewho promised to love
and to cherish them forever;
for all people ignored, hated and cheated
by the very neighbor who could be
the closest one to offer your love.
Hear the cry of the oppressed.
Let the fire of your Spirit
fill their hearts with
the power of vision, and hope.
Grant to them empowerment to act,
that they may not be passive victims
of violence and hatred.
Fulfill for them the promises you have made,
that their lives may be transformed
and their oppression ended.
Turn the hearts of the oppressor unto you
that their living may be changed
by your forgiving love;
and their abusive actions
and oppressive ways brought to an end.
Amen.
- Vienna Cobb Anderson
to enter this worldquietly,
humbly, and as an outcast.
Hear our prayerson behalf
of all who are abused:
For children,who suffer
at the handsof parents
whom they trust and love;
for spouses,beaten and destroyed
by the very onewho promised to love
and to cherish them forever;
for all people ignored, hated and cheated
by the very neighbor who could be
the closest one to offer your love.
Hear the cry of the oppressed.
Let the fire of your Spirit
fill their hearts with
the power of vision, and hope.
Grant to them empowerment to act,
that they may not be passive victims
of violence and hatred.
Fulfill for them the promises you have made,
that their lives may be transformed
and their oppression ended.
Turn the hearts of the oppressor unto you
that their living may be changed
by your forgiving love;
and their abusive actions
and oppressive ways brought to an end.
Amen.
- Vienna Cobb Anderson
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Whom God Would Use Greatly
http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=6063 "A famous pastor once said that nobody is fit for the pulpit who has not been broken badly in life. He's right: Only when you have been broken can you empathize with others; and only then do you recognize that only God can put you back together. Understanding costly grace, prisoners make great leaders. " Chuck Colson (from Today's Breakpoint Commentary)
Perhaps Chuck is referring to a Quote from A.W. Tozer,
"Whom God would use greatly, first He wounds deeply."
About 3 years ago Road to Emmaus began with this quote.
I am still a little broken and only a little better 'used' but I love this quote because it gives me hope that the suffering of each and every person, no matter how seemingly insignificant that person's stature, will not go for naught.
I will continue trust in a law of compensation that will someday raise up the lowly and bring down the mighty to make a straight path for God and humanity to walk upon.
even as this wonderful and broken man did in his lifetime........
Perhaps Chuck is referring to a Quote from A.W. Tozer,
"Whom God would use greatly, first He wounds deeply."
About 3 years ago Road to Emmaus began with this quote.
I am still a little broken and only a little better 'used' but I love this quote because it gives me hope that the suffering of each and every person, no matter how seemingly insignificant that person's stature, will not go for naught.
I will continue trust in a law of compensation that will someday raise up the lowly and bring down the mighty to make a straight path for God and humanity to walk upon.
even as this wonderful and broken man did in his lifetime........
LH
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Seven Wonders of Canada
I recently received this from a very dear friend....
HEY EVERYBODY I NEED YOUR HELP please go to CBC.ca/sevenwondersofcanada and vote for Manitoulin to win one of the 7 wonders we all know it is and we nominated it and now we need your help THANKS EVERY ONE LOVE YOU
BRENDA
HEY EVERYBODY I NEED YOUR HELP please go to CBC.ca/sevenwondersofcanada and vote for Manitoulin to win one of the 7 wonders we all know it is and we nominated it and now we need your help THANKS EVERY ONE LOVE YOU
BRENDA
Manitoulin Island Home of the Great Spirit
Please make a couple of old Haweaters (native born Manitouliners) happy by voing for the largest freshwater Island in the world as one of Canada's wonders.
The Manitoulin Island Manitoulin is a sacred island to the Native Peoples whose legends tell us that when the Great Spirit Gitchi Manitou created the world, he set aside the bluest sparkling water, the brightest twinkling stars and the most beautiful glistening quartz rocks. With these he made a special island and set it in the Great Inland Sea (the Great Lakes) allowing it to drift gently northward until it bumped into the rocky shoreline. Here it rested. He tilted the island slightly to the south to catch the best weather and to protect it from north winds and reserved this special place for himself and other spiri
ts to play.
ts to play. If the foundations be destroyed
If the foundations be destroyed… [Geoffrey Washiali, The Navigators Kenya. E-mail: gwashiali@hotmail.com.
“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?... Psalms 11:3 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” Psalm 89:14
If the human foundations are being destroyed [attacked by bows and arrows] i.e. when it seems that there is no law and order in society, and injustice, bribery, ethnic intolerance, poor distribution of resources, corruption, underdevelopment and poor infrastructure are the norm of the day…"what would the righteous do? ”
We may choose to keep quiet, close our eyes and assume that nothing wrong is happening. Like the Priest and the Levite in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, we may “pass by on the other side”.
Worse still, we may be part of those who… laugh at mourners, curse the poor , condemn those already condemned in jails, label the physically challenged or weak as lacking faith!..
Alternatively, we may, like Nehemiah, upon hearing of or witnessing atrocities in our society, seek for God’s intervention and take a step of faith to address the situation.
When we see the hungry, we feed them, the thirsty we give them something to drink, the stranger, we welcome him, the unclothed, we clothe them. We visit the sick and those in prison…
How does our Master comment on that? “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” [Matthew 25:40]
How can the gospel be good news to the poor, the broken-hearted, the captives [drug addicts, alcoholics etc], the prisoners, the sick and the mourners who are next door to everywhere?
Is the gospel that I am advancing holistically transformational?
How can I be the carrier of the gospel and authentically communicate dignity and value to the less fortunate that the LORD brings my way?
Writing in a weekly church bulletin, one clergyman commented thus "At the heart of every conflict is poverty, poor distribution of resources, corruption, underdevelopment and poor infrastructure…the issues of justice, fairness, magnanimity and ethnic tolerance must become conscious aspirations in the church and religious communities".....
to which the Ape says
Amen
“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?... Psalms 11:3 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” Psalm 89:14
If the human foundations are being destroyed [attacked by bows and arrows] i.e. when it seems that there is no law and order in society, and injustice, bribery, ethnic intolerance, poor distribution of resources, corruption, underdevelopment and poor infrastructure are the norm of the day…"what would the righteous do? ”
We may choose to keep quiet, close our eyes and assume that nothing wrong is happening. Like the Priest and the Levite in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, we may “pass by on the other side”.
Worse still, we may be part of those who… laugh at mourners, curse the poor , condemn those already condemned in jails, label the physically challenged or weak as lacking faith!..
Alternatively, we may, like Nehemiah, upon hearing of or witnessing atrocities in our society, seek for God’s intervention and take a step of faith to address the situation.
When we see the hungry, we feed them, the thirsty we give them something to drink, the stranger, we welcome him, the unclothed, we clothe them. We visit the sick and those in prison…
How does our Master comment on that? “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” [Matthew 25:40]
How can the gospel be good news to the poor, the broken-hearted, the captives [drug addicts, alcoholics etc], the prisoners, the sick and the mourners who are next door to everywhere?
Is the gospel that I am advancing holistically transformational?
How can I be the carrier of the gospel and authentically communicate dignity and value to the less fortunate that the LORD brings my way?
Writing in a weekly church bulletin, one clergyman commented thus "At the heart of every conflict is poverty, poor distribution of resources, corruption, underdevelopment and poor infrastructure…the issues of justice, fairness, magnanimity and ethnic tolerance must become conscious aspirations in the church and religious communities".....
to which the Ape says
Amen
Sunday, May 13, 2007
I'm happy to be YODA! I expected I would do worse.
 | You scored as Yoda. One of the last jedi masters. You are very wise and think much on every decision that you make. You believe that tradition and values are important to follow. Now if only your swamp hut had a de-odorizer.
Which Star Wars character would you be? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com |
Haunting Words from A Beautiful Mind A Beautiful Heart A Beautiful Soul (Happy Mothers Day)
Abraham Lincoln said
"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life."
In a small way think I can relate to these words.
My Mother's religious influence
feels like a mixed blessing to me
because I will never be able
to believe so simply,
or live so consistently as she did.
Unbelief seems so much easier
than faith to me,
but my Mother's love
was an unadulterated
and undeserved mercy and grace.
She was as good a reflection,
of the saviour she loved,
as I will ever see.
So I stay in the fold
one more uncomfortable day
and try to live a life that reflects
some of her priorities.
I Love You Mom
even if your prayers
for my salvation sometimes
feels more like a burden
than a joy to me.
R2E (aka 'The Road'): A Beautiful Mind A Beautiful Heart A Beautiful Soul (Happy Mothers Day)
"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life."
In a small way think I can relate to these words.
My Mother's religious influence
feels like a mixed blessing to me
because I will never be able
to believe so simply,
or live so consistently as she did.
Unbelief seems so much easier
than faith to me,
but my Mother's love
was an unadulterated
and undeserved mercy and grace.
She was as good a reflection,
of the saviour she loved,
as I will ever see.
So I stay in the fold
one more uncomfortable day
and try to live a life that reflects
some of her priorities.
I Love You Mom
even if your prayers
for my salvation sometimes
feels more like a burden
than a joy to me.
R2E (aka 'The Road'): A Beautiful Mind A Beautiful Heart A Beautiful Soul (Happy Mothers Day)
LH
WHY GOD MADE MOMS
Brilliant answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:
Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.
What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.
What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.
What did Mom need to know about Dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.
Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.
What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms works at work and works at home & dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic; they make you feel better without medicine.
What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. My mom says she don't do spare time.
2. Nothing. She pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.
Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.
What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.
What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.
What did Mom need to know about Dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.
Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.
What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms works at work and works at home & dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic; they make you feel better without medicine.
What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. My mom says she don't do spare time.
2. Nothing. She pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
What's Wrong With the Church
In reply to my liberal confession of Spongaphilia, Steve Berg of Grow Mercy wrote:
"I went to a Spong sermon (I don't believe he would call it that) two years ago and was rivited by his presentation and feisty grace.
I subsquently read "Here I Stand" a kind of biography, and his struggle to find an integral Christianity.
I discovered he was a neighbour of the Grahams and down the road were the Falwells, in other words he was in the Christian/bible hotbed.
But was it Graham or Falwell or ilk that pointed out the inherent racism that was still rife within the church. No, it was Spong.
Your post is right on." Steve
Thank you so much for your encouragement (and for your help in opening my eyes). One thing I should say though is that Billy Graham is not an intellectual but he is a man of integrity and I would even say a man of God. In a reported conversation he has pegged racial prejudice as the greatest sin of North American Evangelical Christianity. As I indicated in a post from Nov. 2006, racial prejudice is only part of the problem but Billy's thinking is certainly light years ahead of many evangelicals on this issue. (As for Jerry Falwell and his like or 'ilk', they certainly do have the smell of Brimestone about them).
R2E (aka 'The Road'): WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE CHURCH?
"I went to a Spong sermon (I don't believe he would call it that) two years ago and was rivited by his presentation and feisty grace.
I subsquently read "Here I Stand" a kind of biography, and his struggle to find an integral Christianity.
I discovered he was a neighbour of the Grahams and down the road were the Falwells, in other words he was in the Christian/bible hotbed.
But was it Graham or Falwell or ilk that pointed out the inherent racism that was still rife within the church. No, it was Spong.
Your post is right on." Steve
Thank you so much for your encouragement (and for your help in opening my eyes). One thing I should say though is that Billy Graham is not an intellectual but he is a man of integrity and I would even say a man of God. In a reported conversation he has pegged racial prejudice as the greatest sin of North American Evangelical Christianity. As I indicated in a post from Nov. 2006, racial prejudice is only part of the problem but Billy's thinking is certainly light years ahead of many evangelicals on this issue. (As for Jerry Falwell and his like or 'ilk', they certainly do have the smell of Brimestone about them).
R2E (aka 'The Road'): WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE CHURCH?
Go Figure
Recent statistics on religious websites, evangelicals and homosexual teachers, and women's roles.
Compiled by Ted Olsen Related articles and links
42%
American evangelicals who say school boards should have the right to fire homosexual teachers.
73%
American evangelicals who said this in 1987.
60%
American evangelicals in 1987 who said AIDS might be a punishment for immoral sexual behavior
38%
American evangelicals who believe this today.
20%
American evangelicals in 1987 who "completely disagree" that women should return to their traditional roles in society.
42%
American evangelicals who "completely disagree" today.
* * *
Visits to religious websites in the U.S. are declining rapidly. They dropped over 30% within the last year, down 35% the last two years.
2%
Weblogs that focus on religion, spirituality, or faith
64%
Internet users who have done things online that related to religious or spiritual matters
1429%
Growth in web pages dealing with God, religion, and churches between 1999 and 2004.
Many firebrand, holy ghosting, bible thumping preachers will fume and sputter about the state of the church because of these statistics but I say a small hallelujah to the improving sense of love, fairness and justice in the evangelical community. It isn't enough and I haven't seen it in my community but perhaps things are moving in a more positive Christward direction.
What do you think?
Compiled by Ted Olsen Related articles and links
42%
American evangelicals who say school boards should have the right to fire homosexual teachers.
73%
American evangelicals who said this in 1987.
60%
American evangelicals in 1987 who said AIDS might be a punishment for immoral sexual behavior
38%
American evangelicals who believe this today.
20%
American evangelicals in 1987 who "completely disagree" that women should return to their traditional roles in society.
42%
American evangelicals who "completely disagree" today.
* * *
Visits to religious websites in the U.S. are declining rapidly. They dropped over 30% within the last year, down 35% the last two years.
2%
Weblogs that focus on religion, spirituality, or faith
64%
Internet users who have done things online that related to religious or spiritual matters
1429%
Growth in web pages dealing with God, religion, and churches between 1999 and 2004.
Many firebrand, holy ghosting, bible thumping preachers will fume and sputter about the state of the church because of these statistics but I say a small hallelujah to the improving sense of love, fairness and justice in the evangelical community. It isn't enough and I haven't seen it in my community but perhaps things are moving in a more positive Christward direction.
What do you think?
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Life After God
Now--here is my secret:
I tell it to you with an openness of heart that I doubt I shall ever achieve again, so I pray that you are in a quiet room as you hear these words, My secret is that I need God--that I am sick and can no longer make it alone. I need God to help me give, because I no longer seem to be capable of giving; to help me be kind, as I no longer seem capable of kindness; to make me love, as I seem beyond being able to love.
from Life After God
by Douglas Coupland.
I tell it to you with an openness of heart that I doubt I shall ever achieve again, so I pray that you are in a quiet room as you hear these words, My secret is that I need God--that I am sick and can no longer make it alone. I need God to help me give, because I no longer seem to be capable of giving; to help me be kind, as I no longer seem capable of kindness; to make me love, as I seem beyond being able to love.
from Life After God
by Douglas Coupland.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Bishop Spong's Mission
In the past I would have dismissed Bishop Spong's opinions. I was immersed in a conservative tradition that saw him as the enemy of the faith, as an infidel within the walls of fortress Christianity trying to subvert and destroy the foundations of God's Kingdom.
Thankfully, my views have evolved over the past few years, mainly because of the dialogue I have entered into on web forums like those found on Beliefnet and through conversations I have had with people of integrity and intelligence in blogs like Romancing the Paradox, Grow Mercy, and Idle Rambling Thoughts of an Abstract Thinker. I have also learned a great deal from people hoping, praying and working for a transformation of the Church through the Emergent Church Conversation.
I recently found this video that explains Bishop Spong's Mission. I discovered that his mission (as explained in this video) is exactly what I have been thinking for the past couple of years.
http://www.beliefnet.com/av/preachersandteachers.aspx?v=a8d811a75fb688f9185ee7350b381d634638af4c
God and the Bible clip
I don't think I can remain in the stream of Christianity that counsels and approves prejudice. I don't believe that Jesus would be among those trying to tell people with a different way of being in the world that they are evil or wretchedly defective because of things obviously beyond their control or choice.
To stand with the outcast and the marginalized is the stand with Jesus....I don't believe that standing with the forces of conservative, biblicist Christianity is standing with Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Someday I hope that those who so proudly declare their present allegiance with the radicals of past eras who fought those who used Biblical justification to support Slavery and Segregation will now have their eyes open to the hateful things they have been saying about so many in the human family today.
Gays are condemned, women discounted, the weak and handicapped patronized, feared or ignored.....by these Pharisaical fruits conservative Christianity glorifies God?
I Think Not.
But, for now, I remain within a charismatic, Pentecostal church that still thinks that prejudice and condemnation are marks of faithful Christians. How long I can remain there is unclear. I had hoped to be an agent of change within this stream of the faith but the longer I stay the more I feel the weight of being an outcast, the more ashamed and sad I feel about ugly things being taught as God's truth, and the less sure I am of my ability to stay till God makes 'the crooked way straight' or perhaps more accurately 'the straight way inclusive and loving and Christ-like'.
But for now
here I stand!
Thankfully, my views have evolved over the past few years, mainly because of the dialogue I have entered into on web forums like those found on Beliefnet and through conversations I have had with people of integrity and intelligence in blogs like Romancing the Paradox, Grow Mercy, and Idle Rambling Thoughts of an Abstract Thinker. I have also learned a great deal from people hoping, praying and working for a transformation of the Church through the Emergent Church Conversation.
I recently found this video that explains Bishop Spong's Mission. I discovered that his mission (as explained in this video) is exactly what I have been thinking for the past couple of years.
http://www.beliefnet.com/av/preachersandteachers.aspx?v=a8d811a75fb688f9185ee7350b381d634638af4c
God and the Bible clip
I don't think I can remain in the stream of Christianity that counsels and approves prejudice. I don't believe that Jesus would be among those trying to tell people with a different way of being in the world that they are evil or wretchedly defective because of things obviously beyond their control or choice.
To stand with the outcast and the marginalized is the stand with Jesus....I don't believe that standing with the forces of conservative, biblicist Christianity is standing with Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Someday I hope that those who so proudly declare their present allegiance with the radicals of past eras who fought those who used Biblical justification to support Slavery and Segregation will now have their eyes open to the hateful things they have been saying about so many in the human family today.
Gays are condemned, women discounted, the weak and handicapped patronized, feared or ignored.....by these Pharisaical fruits conservative Christianity glorifies God?
I Think Not.
But, for now, I remain within a charismatic, Pentecostal church that still thinks that prejudice and condemnation are marks of faithful Christians. How long I can remain there is unclear. I had hoped to be an agent of change within this stream of the faith but the longer I stay the more I feel the weight of being an outcast, the more ashamed and sad I feel about ugly things being taught as God's truth, and the less sure I am of my ability to stay till God makes 'the crooked way straight' or perhaps more accurately 'the straight way inclusive and loving and Christ-like'.
But for now
here I stand!
LH
Friday, May 04, 2007
Food for thot (or not)
Lost on a rainy night, a nun, sister Jenn, stumbled across a monastery and requests shelter there.Fortunately, she's just in time for dinner and was treated to the best fish and chips she had ever tasted.After dinner, she went into the kitchen to thank the chefs. She was met by two of the Brothers.The first one says, "Hello, I am brother Stephen, and this is Brother Dan.""I'm very pleased to meet you," replies the nun. "I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful dinner. The fish and chips were the best I've ever had. Out of curiosity, who cooked what?"Brother Stephen replied, "Well, I'm the fish friar."She turned to the other Brother and says "then you must be...?""Yes, I'm afraid I'm the chip monk."
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