Illegals

Are the people we share our borders with our neighbors?  Who is my neighbor? When Jesus was asked this question he told the parable of The Good Samaritan. A guy gets beat up and robbed and thrown for dead, instead of his own peeps coming to help him, his worst enemy stops by to help in the most tender and loving way. In other words your neighbor is actually the person you love to hate, you know who that is. Wait a minute though, Jesus didn’t stop there with the simple love your neighbor. He said, anyone can love their neighbor but the real man, or woman will love their enemy.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48

I absolutely can not understand for the life of me how people who call themselves Christians can have such disdain for people who risk their lives to cross the Rio Grande to look for a better life. I actually think about this a lot because I spent several months over a period of time in Central America years ago and befriended some of the most amazing, kind, hard working, loving and horrifically poor people I have ever met in my life. I have heard my own friends say things like, “those people”, “they are out to get us”, “they are taking over”, and “the Mexicans”.

I think if we call ourselves Christians we should live a Christ like existence, even if we usually fall short while trying. I do realize that people of all religions live or don’t live their beliefs in a variety of ways from extreme fundamentalism to extreme liberalism. However, I would hope that in the end all religious people would at least live a compassionate life, one of kindness and generosity. This is naive and I realize that but I will remain hopeful to the end. I understand for problems involving large countries there are no easy solutions but I also realize that as a Christian I am called to love, even to love my enemy, and I will do my best to do that and teach my children so.

Jesus Christ Superstar

I’m tired of people trying to take Jesus and use him for their own benefit, whatever that might be. I can not stand the old, WWJD because usually what people say he would do is not what he would do but what they do do.  For example, Jesus would never vote Democrat, or would he only vote Democrat, or maybe he wouldn’t vote at all. My niece has a bumper sticker on her van that says, “Who would Jesus bomb”, I’m not quite sure what to make of this? Better said is WWYD? What would YOU do as a follower of Christ? You are the body of Christ btw, if you are a believer that is. Be a man, (as my four feminist girls jokingly love to say), and stand up and make your decision!

Who was Jesus anyway? This seems to be dependent on who you ask or what church you go to? There are over 400 Christian sects alone, yikes! I get my ideas from the Synoptic Gospels as they are four similar accounts. I was also amazingly fortunate to have a personal encounter, the kind that everybody but me had had, or so it seemed. That experience made more sense to me than all the reading in the Bible I had done previously.

For sure he was a revolutionary, he did not come to make everyone comfortable. Personally I DO NOT think he was lily white, either in skin color or in personality as he has so often been portrayed. I think he hung with the people most of us would not want to associate with who we might be downright afraid of. He said what he said, and what exactly was on his mind and in his heart no matter the consequences. Wow., he was here to do the will of his Father and that was that.

I am finding myself more liberal as I age whereas most people my age are becoming more conservative. Perhaps it is living with three teens that is opening my mind and yes my heart to all the causes that are out there and all the people that need to be loved. People that in some cases might even spit in the face of religious types. Strange as it seems I think they need and even deserve God’s love.

I am tired of trying to be the square peg in the round hole. I voted Democrat, I am an environmentalist and feminist, I believe in evolution, love science, real science and can’t wait for the newest amazing discovery. I love people of all faiths and believe they too are part of this big family called the human family, the family of God. I believe everyone is my “brother from another mother” even if they don’t accept Jesus, radical for Christians I know. I believe salvation isn’t just a string of words uttered at a moment of conversion but a lifelong journey and process. I am not obsessed with going to heaven or hell. I rarely think of it. God loves me and this I am sure of!  I am who I am and Jesus loves me too, just as I am.   I claim Jesus as mine.

Recently I had an epiphany moment, ironically it was working with Epiphany Ministries Inc. If I really want to be a follower of Christ I have to let bygones by bygones but most importantly I have to pick up my cross and really follow. I actually have to make that decision. I can sit around in my comfortable little life or I can pick up the dang heavy thing and get a move on. It is a painful way, especially when it involves meeting people I would normally not be involved with, say like murderers and rapists and this is not figurative either. I can only do this with the help of God, but strangely this is a joyful thing and I can not fully explain why. My heart sometimes feels it will burst with love from within and from without. Maybe it’s just menopause though? I truly am amazed.

Ask and You Shall Recieve

I feel so happy tonight. Last night I went to a once a month prayer meeting which is part of the ecumenical Emmaus community. I can only say that this group is one of the most loving, joyful and spirit filled bunch of people I’ve been associated with. At these meetings there is lots of hugging, singing, honest sharing and eating. I love attending because I feel close to God even though I know God is always with me, sometimes He feels closer when I worship with others.

I enjoy looking over the crowd to see the young 20s with their dreadlocks, the grannies with blue hair, the conservatives, with their sweaters and button up shirts, the suburban moms with a couple of young kids, black and white brothers and sisters alike and one Native brother with a pony tail going all the way down his back. Sometimes I feel slightly out of place being the liberal thinker I can be and yet I know that it really doesn’t matter with this group, they accept me as I am. It warms my heart to pray, sing and hold hands with all God’s children. It gives me hope for the world.

I know Tim whose wife dropped dead some years ago out of the blue, apparently healthy. Tim found another love and partner in his second wife Jan. Both are committed to building God’s Kingdom together. Tim is my older brother, a quiet and unassuming man who for years went weekly to jail to reach out to the lonely young guys there. I got to know Tim in my jail ministry. He is a dear man and I am proud to count him as a friend.

I know Deb who is in her 70′s with a lovely black bouffant and pronounced New York accent, though she lives in the rural part of our county. Deb is a widow who told me that she and her husband were married 52 years. She said they never fought and were blessed with a peaceful, loving marriage. Deb is full of spunk and a love for the Lord.  Deb always has a smile and a soft word for anyone who needs encouragement.

I know Marge and Wally who celebrate their birthdays one day apart, Wally’s birthday is today and Marge’s is tomorrow. Marge is a beautiful woman who would happily give you the shirt off her back. Wally is a giant of a man but a kind and gentle soul. Marge and I were comparing notes about life yesterday and counting our blessings, she mentioned that there were people all over the world who had nothing but a cardboard shack to live in, so though she and Wally were boiling water on the stove  for a hot shower she felt very blessed to be able to have a hot bath no matter how she had to do it.

I asked her if her hot water heater was broken and she said yes but made no more mention of it. Marge is not in the best of health. She has constant pain in her shoulder. She went to the doctor who told her she does not have arthritis but she still has the pain to deal with. She has other major health issues which clearly affect her daily activities. Suddenly I felt very uncomfortable that she didn’t have a water heater.  I decided at that moment that I would help them get a water heater even though I didn’t have the money to just go out and buy one.

Today at church I asked if anyone felt called to donate for their water heater and two people immediately opened up their pockets and gave me a generous donation, still not nearly enough for the appliance. I went home and felt a sort of tension, perhaps a sort of feeling I might have screwed up by getting involved and now getting others involved and making a promise to nobody but myself and yet I just had this committed feeling that it was going to happen. I had decided that somehow they would get this water heater even if I had to pay for it myself with money I don’t have at the moment.

  Around lunch time I got a call from someone who had heard my request for donations, he wanted to buy the water heater but did not want his name mentioned. What is amazing to me but shouldn’t be as a faithful person is that in less than 24 hours after I decided that I would get them a water heater they have a brand new one in their home waiting to be installed.  I am so moved in the way God worked in this situation. I learned a lesson that I already knew, ask and you shall receive. Marge and Wally had a real need and all I did was voice it publicly and God provided. I am so happy for Wally and Marge. I guess this is a nice birthday for them.

God bless and Merry Christmas to you all.

Mimi

I’m a Believer

I’ve had this post floating around in my head for some time and the other day I was all inspired and read to get it out in black and white, the ideas flowing out of me like water. Unfortunately I have four children, a dog and a wonderful husband and can not always get to the computer when I want to so…. I’ll try now but I’m not sure I’ll be able to conjure up the same ideas in a consistent way.

This morning I was doing one of my very favorite things in the whole world, reading the morning news paper and drinking a cup of tea. I remember when I was a kid seeing my dad in his plaid bathrobe and ratty  leather slippers with his coffee and newspaper thinking HOW BORING is that! Now I’m doing the same thing. I think he must be smiling down from above or where ever it is he is. Which gets me sort of back to my original idea.

In the newspaper I read a column by Leonard Pitts from the Miami Herald. I love his pieces even though I don’t always agree with him. He is so darn thoughtful and sensible. I can’t seem to peg him as a bleeding heart liberal, though he is definitely liberal. I like that in a person, someone who just thinks their own ideas beyond parties and persuasions. I am that way, a little hard to peg. I voted or Bush, for better or worse, but I am very into environmental causes and volunteer my time in a local prison.

Back to Leonard, today he wrote something a little different entitled I Know He’s Out There Somewhere. In a simple way he sort of summed up my feelings on the issue of God. I too know he’s out there or as my good friend at church says he’s in there somewhere, meaning in me, in you too.  I have been a struggling believer my whole life, not because I want to do things believers aren’t supposed to do. I’m a naturally very conservative person, I hate alcohol because my dad was an alcoholic, I am repulsed by cigarettes and have never felt the need for drugs, I even avoid over the counter meds. I was the one kid who never even tried marijuana in the 1970′s, I was naturally high. I never had the looks to attract too many men fortunately and I found just the right guy whom I’m happily married to.

I have struggled because as we recently learned about Mother Theresa, God isn’t exactly all that chatty.  Apparently, Mother Theresa who people of all faiths have held up as a model of faith had a 50 year crisis of faith. She sure hid that well. Maybe that’s the whole point? I know there are folks who claim God speaks to them, not just the ones who are crazy either, but lets face it not too many of us are seeing burning bushes anymore.

I remember being five years old and realizing not only that I did believe in God but that he (I’ll use the he even though I don’t believe God is  solely masculine, hope that doesn’t offend) was omnipresent. I was brought up by a Roman Catholic mother and a non-practicing Methodist father. My mother was a church goer but not a thinker or a questioner. I was and still am. The questions came early and frankly nobody could properly answer them. They still can’t and the questions still come but instead of going the way of atheism or even agnosticism I’m still a believer. I choose to believe. It feels good to me to think that I was created by a loving being. It goes beyond just wanting to believe though because I’ve let myself entertain the idea of no God for some years but I can’t get my head or my heart around that idea. It is as if there *is* something inside that is moving me in a certain direction, a direction towards God.

For some years in my  teens and twenties I had all the answers worked out very nicely in a tidy package and was part of a religious movement that was saving the world. Bit by bit the questions became more than the answers again and I was tortured by mental gymnastics my mind put me through. In the midst of all this I became a mother and was then responsible to raise good and moral children. Needless to say, I brought them to church. I ended up at the United Methodist Church not so much because of what they believed but because of what they offered to me and my children. However, after being there for more than ten years I can say I mostly do concur with the main beliefs, but still not all of them, most of all I have found a group of people who feel like family. That is way more important than the other stuff to me anyway.

I am sure if people knew exactly what I believed they might be surprised, it’s not all that radical, but it really isn’t traditional Christianity. For example, I don’ t know how it will all work out, but I just can’t see God casting people into a burning fire for eternity. I know I’ve heard all about personal choice and all that stuff but loving parents do not do that to their children, even the bad ones, even the really bad ones.

Last year in November I had  an experience which was perhaps similar to what John Wesley described way back when he was forming the then Methodist Church. Like his, my heart was “strangely warmed”. I felt God, really felt him, so much so I was high for days, weeks even. I won’t even try to describe it, I can’t and that is the thing of it. That’s why I stole John Wesley’s words. This is what I “heard” which is not really how it went because I didn’t hear anyone speaking to me but had an understanding deep inside.

God said, I don’t give a rat’s ass what you believe because it makes no difference to me. I only want you to know that I love you more than you can imagine. I was with you every single step of your life. I know that you’ve been searching for me and I’m right here and I’m not leaving. Furthermore, you’ve been walking around like a  stray dog with it’s tail between it’s legs feeling out of place. Drop it, be yourself, because you can’t be anyone else anyway, I like you just the way you are. Take a good look around you, you see all these people, guess what, they’re family, that’s because I made them too and feel the same way about them. So relax and sit a spell cause you’re with family. At that moment, I felt years of heaviness leave me. I felt like I belonged for one of the first times in my life. It may sound ridiculous to some people just reading this but it changed my life.

I had some questions for this director of my life which I figured might be answered in years to come but I got the answers within minutes. It was almost like a phone call. I wanted to know who the hell Jesus was. I was sick of the Christian call to salvation by saying a simple prayer and then feeling like they had a free ticket into heaven no matter. To me salvation is the journey NOT the destination. So I’m sitting there meditating and I saw Jesus. It wasn’t a person though it was a presence and all I heard this time was, All I want is to help you, nothing more. If you will just take my hand I will walk by your side and help you. I don’t want a statement of faith. Wow, that was simple, I had a helper that was it. I still feel I have a helper, someone who will always be there.

My last request was what in the world am I supposed to do with my life? I still want to save this sad, lonely planet but I’ve failed miserably every time I’ve tried. Slow down, was what I heard this time and listen. Take one day at a time it will become clear. It has become much more clear. Now that I’m feeling like I just am who I am, I don’t have to fit into a particular model of a Christian or of anything else for that matter. I am a child of God and that just has to be good enough. I have special help in Jesus and I’m on the journey of salvation. Shortly after this, I jumped at the chance to go into prison and I’ve been going there ever since. It has perhaps given me more than I’ve given out. I’m guessing that’s one of those religious paradoxes.

It is so amazing not to be afraid most of the time. It’s not that I don’t have fears but the ultimate fear I suppose is death and I know we’ll all die anyway so what’s to fear. I have not experienced the death of a child, that would certainly be horrifying and definitely scary but I’m taking it one day at at time what more can we really do anyway. God is with me and so is Jesus and on a good day the Holy Spirit. When I screw up, I can get down on my knees (metaphorically speaking, I haven’t actually prayed that way very often) and say excuse me God but could you help me out of this one. I’m sorry. I can look around me and say this person is my brother or my sister and I can love people. Somehow I do love people, they are amazing and wonderful and sometimes shitty too but I can love them so much easier because God loves me. I feel blessed and that’s the best way I can explain it, and so this is why I’m a believer.

Mimi

My Dirty Little Secret

How’s that for a great opener? Actually I’ve been thinking of this post for a while but wasn’t sure if I should let the cat out of the bag or not. Some of my faithful readers, all two or three of you, may say, “Yeah and so what, that’s not news”, others may not feel that way.

Since I was a young child I have wondered about where humans came from and how the world developed. I am fascinated by human evolution and archeology. I have recently been reading and thinking more deeply about evolution and finally it hit me like a ton of bricks, Charles Darwin did have the basics figured out well and really it is rather simple when I think about it. So what, you say, that’s rather old news. Well not for me, I had always avoided Darwin’s writings. I wrongly assumed that anyone who believed in evolution must be an atheist or at least an agnostic. I am neither, actually I am a Christian, United Methodist to be specific, though I am not typical nor would I try to represent Methodists because I have a sort of universal belief that somehow God will save us all despite our feeble attempts to figure it all out, no matter our religion. Religion is man made and God is much bigger than religion, thank goodness.

Well along comes another book, The Language of God which I’ve plugged three times now on my blogs. Finally a book that put it all together and made sense to me. It also dawned on me that I can believe anything I want even if the ideas are not popular within the eclectic variety of people I associate with, or seem to match with each other. By this point you may be scratching your head and saying, DUH!  Well the so what part is, I love to talk and I tend to get very enthusiastic with the ideas I am learning.  So my  dirty little secret is that I believe in evolution, it is the most simple and straight forward theory on how the world and its inhabitants developed but  would certainly be ostracized if I dared to breath a word of this in some of the circles I travel.

So I find myself really wanting to say to folks, don’t knock Darwin, how many of you have ever even read any of his writings? Darwin was never an atheist. He began as a Christian, a Unitarian to be specific, and eventually became an agnostic because he couldn’t work out the problem of evil, not an easy one as people have been working on that  for as long as people have been thinking and at best each person just has to come to their own conclusion.

How many know that he was a devoted Father of ten? He also adored his wife Emma and had a wonderful relationship with her. Part of his loss of faith came after his beloved daughter Annie died a horrible death of what we now know was tuberculosis, who wouldn’t struggle in such a case? He was known as a kind and sensitive man and was much affected by the ridicule he endured. He knew his ideas would shake up established religious ideas and so hesitated to publish The Origin of the Species (this link is the actual entire text of the book) I learned this information from a wonderful book written by his great great-grandson, Randal Keynes called Darwin, His Daughter & Evolution.

What I can’t  figure out is why people feel that God couldn’t have used evolution to create this amazing, wonderful, complex and sometimes strange universe? I fully admit I have more questions than answers but I see absolutely no reason why science and religion should be at odds, why I shouldn’t fully accept evolution and a loving creator who wants to relate to me in my daily life. More on this later, perhaps…

Mimi

Say a Prayer

This weekend I will be spending three days in a juvenile correctional facility, better known as jail. I am happy I found out about a program called Epiphany because I have wanted to go into a prison to volunteer but wasn’t sure how to go there or what I could do.  Also for years my desire has been to get into literacy education and I still want to go in that direction but this opportunity came up and I jumped for it, with my family’s blessing first. I realized that because I would be gone for several Saturdays preparing and three full days in the prison I needed to make sure they were all okay. They were excited for me.

What is amazing is that this is the first thing I have done since having my first child over 14 years ago that is not about them, my husband or anything related to our family. It is something I am doing alone. Well hopefully I’m not alone and that is why I would ask for prayers from the praying and good wishes from the non praying.

I have a cracked tooth at the moment and I’m on pins and needles with my appointment to get it crowned after my weekend in jail. It wouldn’t be good to have a toothache the entire weekend. I’m not sure if I should plead with the dentist to go ahead with the temporary crown or not. The tooth is super sensitive. Anyway enough about the tooth.

The young men I will meet are criminals by societies standards. They are repeat offenders and this is a high security facility, barbed wire and all. But I truly believe in my deepest heart they are children of God just as all human beings are. They deserve love and respect no matter. How many of us have done illegal things? Some crimes perhaps worse than others but whose counting? I’m not saying they shouldn’t  be punished but they all deserve to at least know they are still valuable people with a whole life ahead of them to make good choices.

Many of these boys have no idea what a family is or should be. Mostly they had no fathers and if they did they were abusive at best. They have been shuffled around from a Grandmother, Aunts,foster homes or the street. They have gone through unimaginable trauma and they have developed coping strategies, some not so good. They have done what they could to survive. This is simplistic I realize and frankly I haven’t even gone into the prison yet and why I want to go back to my title, Say a Prayer. They need your prayers as so many hurt and sad people in this world who live all around us. Thanks in advance for any and all good wishes.

I will report when I return from my journey behind bars.

Mimi

One World Family

I have been reading some very interesting material lately. The most enlightening book that I’ve read in ages is The Language of God by Francis Collins

It is a fascinating read all about genetics, evolution, science, atheism and yes, God.
It is written by one of the world’s foremost genetics experts Francis Collins who mapped the human genome. After reading the book I thought, this is what I have been looking for, someone who makes sense on both fronts religion and science and most importantly who can write a book a non scientist can read and digest without having to read each sentence three times.

 

I have also enjoyed the Seven Daughters of Eve. by Bryan Sykes which is all about the human journey as seen through the discovery of mitochondrial DNA which can tell us an unbelievable amount of information. I am not a scientist, however, I love science because it inspires me.

Many religious folks I know are very afraid of science and for the life of me I can not figure this out. It seems they are afraid that we might discover something that won’t fit in with their view. How is not knowing or ignorance of a fact going to keep us safe though, how narrow. Fortunately, God is not a human is beyond time and space and does not go to a particular church. In my mind and understanding God is beyond both science and religion. There *is* a certain amount of mystery and can only be understood in the realm of heart or emotion for lack of a better way to express it.

Back to science though, there are those who totally discount religion and anything religious as ridiculous. Much has been said about  the new atheists, Richard Dawkins being one of their foremost proponents. I call him an evangelical atheist. He is every bit as extreme as any fundamentalist in any religious group. He claims that it would be better for parents to knock their children’s teeth out than to teach them about God. This is not an exaggeration. He has even said that it would be less damaging for children to be molested than to be indoctrinated in religion. This guy has got some serious issues going on. Man where did he get that giant chip sitting on his shoulder? Who knows? I do know that no one can prove or disprove God.

In my mind which I admit is limited, when I look out at the beauty all around me I can not believe it happened by accident. Further, the more I discover, the more convinced I am that not only is there a creator but this creator is one of love. To me it seems to make much more sense that there is a creator rather than this all happened by a fluke which  seems quite impossible.

In conclusion and back to my title, one world family, recent discoveries in DNA show that we humans who have been here such a short time considering the earth is probably about 13 and a half billion years old are all related. The difference in our DNA is very small indeed which points to the fact that I’ve kind of believed all my life; we are a one world family. I know that may be disconcerting to some but to me it makes me very happy and rather hopeful.  There really is no race. Yes we have different skin colors but that is only a matter of the amount of melanin just below the surface of our skin, inside in the core of our cells we are the same. We certainly have different cultures thank goodness as we can learn about each other for the rest of our lives and still have more to learn. We have our languages, and our ways to relate to the Divine in our differing religions. The way we express ourselves is infinitely different but inside we are the same.

In a movie I watched with my girls they had a group of folks who agreed to have their DNA tested for genetic markers to see where their ancestors had come from and about how long ago, give or take a few thousand years. DNA mutates about once every 10,000 years so they can figure out when and where you came from, as in the big picture, not just Cincinnati  but Europe, Africa and Asia. In the little test group they had an American Indian and African American an Asian American and a Caucasian American woman.  What they discovered is that the Caucasian lady and the American Indian man were related some where not too long ago. In the end we are all related if we go back far ago and this isn’t just a creation myth, this is science. Cool!

Now if we can just start living like a family, that’s the challenge. I don’t foresee it in my  life time but the knowledge that we are a family is helping me to love people I don’t know a bit better. Sometimes I am embarrassed by my simple idealism but I can’ t seem to shake the optimism that there is a wonderful plan that is unfolding all around us. I feel it deep inside. So for now I’ll keep on hoping and loving as best I am able and wherever I go.

Never a Dull Moment

Life with four kids is always an adventure. Recently, while performing a fashion show of her latest thrift store finds, Mia broke her foot.  Who would have thought… This is the child who climbs trees, rides a bike, swims, jumps from dangerous locations and lives on the edge. Even the orthopedist said that breaking a foot on the “catwalk” was a first. Life with a wild child on crutches stinks but we’re muddling through. Thank God she is nimble and able bodied other than not being able to walk on her foot for six to eight weeks. She is getting lots of help from her older sister who seems to be mature enough to sympathize with her.

Only hours after Mia got her first cast I went away for four days to a powerful spiritual retreat. This retreat is called The Walk to Emmaus. Words could not even begin to describe what I went through there so I won’t even try and describe it.  I hope my actions will just speak for me. I was able to drop some pretty heavy baggage I’ve been dragging around for a long time.

Just as it seemed we were getting into our routine again Anna and Mia and I packed it in and joined 70 or so teenagers for the annual youth retreat our church participates in. I have gone with them for the last three years and have really enjoyed the experience. It is very unusual for me to be gone for one weekend, never mind two so it was an unusual month. Our speaker was great this year and we all were having a great time. I was all tucked in bed with my cabin of giggling sixth grade girls on Saturday night when the youth directors came to me and said I needed to check out my daughter who was covered in hives, including her nose which was swollen and red. Sooo…. to make a long story short I did not end up going to sleep but taking her and Mia (who managed the retreat on crutches) home. We arrived around 1 am but the good news was the hives were gone by the next day.

We had just begun recovering from our weekend retreat and exciting return home when it was time to begin preparing for Thanksgiving. We were having the family to our house and so I was providing the turkey and ham plus there was just a lot of cooking, cleaning and preparation to work out. We had a wonderful time with our family and really ate well. I sort of wish we could slow down some but looking at the calendar it’s go, go, go from here on out. I will make some time to slow down because it’s important but probably not as much as I’d like. I’m sure one day when the kids are gone I’ll long for the days of business, maybe not but I suspect so. On to Christmas now!