derogatory response

my response to a senseless forwarded derogatory e-mail about Obama (included at end of post):



The only way I know how to respond to this is: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Jesus



I feel for Obama and for McCain in the spotlight right now. All the candidates are taking a beating. I am surely grateful that (most) people don't judge me for my past or my upbringing. No one is the sum of all his or her mistakes, nor is anyone completely a product of his or her environment. We (we humans) are all works in progress and we have, hopefully, learned from our mistakes and have, or are working on, recovering from our imperfect relatives and selves. I've read these "truths" about Obama before. No one can know all about a person based on her or his ethnicity, upbringing, race, social status, financial position or faith practices. Our very own first amendment calls for freedom of religion. The Constitution does not require that our chief executive be of a Christian faith. I don't know what is in Obama's heart regarding his faith beliefs and practices, but he does claim to be Christian. What would be his purpose for lying about that?



There are things about this man that I may not think are right on (or should I say in line with my thinking). But one of his mottos is to take care of the poor and the oppressed. We have gradually become complacent about our love for each other, our care for each other, our support for the poor, the orphan, the widow and (as stated in the old testament) the alien. I remember another pretty important guy in history claiming that we should clothe and feed the poor and to love others. "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Talk about a great orator!



Peace, Shelley


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this was the post to which i responded:
A pilot's perspective on Obama

DO I HAVE THIS STRAIGHT?
HIS FATHER WAS A BLACK AFRICAN MUSLIM FROM KENYA .

WE HAVE SEEN PICTURES OF HIS AFRICAN FAMILY.
HIS MOTHER WAS A WHITE AMERICAN ATHEIST FROM KANSAS .

WHERE ARE THE PICTURES OF HIS AMERICAN FAMILY?
HIS FATHER DESERTED HIS MOTHER WHEN HE WAS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD

AND WENT BACK TO AFRICA BY WAY OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY .

HOW? WAS HIS FATHER WEALTHY?
HIS MOTHER MARRIED AN INDONESIAN MUSLIM

AND THEN MOVED TO JAKARTA WHERE HE WAS ENROLLED IN A MUSLIM SCHOOL
WHEN HE REACHED HIGH SCHOOL AGE HIS MOTHER SENT HIM TO HAWAII TO BE WITH HIS WHITE GRANDPARENTS AND HE WAS PUT INTO AN EXPENSIVE PRIVATE SCHOOL.

HE LATER WENT TO HARVARD UNIVERSITY .

HOW? WERE HIS GRANDPARENTS RICH?
HE LIVES IN A $1.4 MILLION HOUSE OBTAINED THROUGH A DEAL WITH A WEALTHY FUNDRAISER. HOW?
HE 'WORKED' AS A CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST IN CHICAGO .

HE HAS NEVER HELD A PRODUCTIVE JOB OR RECEIVED A PAY CHECK THAT WAS NOT GOVERNMENT-FUNDED AND/OR TAYPAYER SUPPORTED.
THE PRESIDENCY IS NOT A CIVIL RIGHTS POSITION, NOR IS IT SUBJECT TO AFFIRMATIVE ACTION SET ASIDES; ON-THE-JOB TRAINING WON'T CUT IT.
HE ENTERED POLITICS AT THE STATE LEVEL AND THEN THE NATIONAL LEVEL WHERE HE HAS MINIMAL EXPERIENCE.
HE IS PROUD OF HIS 'AFRICAN HERITAGE' (A FATHER WHO GOT A GIRL PREGNANT AND DESERTED HER).
WHERE IS THE PRIDE IN HIS 'WHITE HERITAGE'? (A MOTHER WHO FLAUNTED CONVENTION AND DID NOT BELIEVE IN GOD).
SOME MIGHT THINK THERE WAS NOT MUCH TO BE PROUD OF EITHER WAY.
HE BELONGS, AND HAS BELONGED FOR OVER 20 YEARS, TO AN 'AFRO-CENTRIC' CHURCH IN CHICAGO THAT HATES WHITES, HATES JEWS, AND BLAMES AMERICA FOR ALL THE WORLD'S PERCEIVED FAULTS. (INCLUDING CREATING THE AIDS VIRUS IN ORDER TO INFLICT IT ON AFRICANS).
HE REPEATEDLY WHITEWASHES THE PASTOR, HIS CHURCH AND THE MEMBERS WHO CHEERED AFTER HEARING VITRIOLIC TIRADES AGAINST AMERICA ..
HE COULD NOT CONFRONT HIS PASTOR BUT HE WANTS US TO BELIEVE HE CAN CONFRONT NORTH KOREA AND IRAN ?
YEAH RIGHT ! !
DURING HIS VERY BRIEF TIME IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE HE HAS MANAGED TO AMASS THE NUMBER ONE ULTRA LIBERAL VOTING RECORD OUT OF THE ONE HUNDRED MEMBERS.
HE HAS VOTED CONSISTENTLY FOR BIGGER GOVERNMENT AND HIGHER TAXES. HE HAS VOTED FOR BIG ENTITLEMENTS AND LEGISLATION THAT WOULD SEVERELY CURTAIL AMERICA 'S ABILITY TO FIGHT TERRORISM AND TO PROTECT OUR BORDERS AND OUR NATIONAL INTERESTS AROUND THE WORLD.
BUT, HE IS A GOOD ORATOR. ISN'T THAT A COMFORT?
YEAH, I THINK I SEE HOW WELL HE COULD UNITE THE COUNTRY.
I THINK THE TRUTH IS THAT HE HOPES NO ONE WILL PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR WANNABE CHIEF PILOT. HE HAS NEVER FLOWN AN AIRPLANE, IN FACT HE HAS NEVER EVEN SAT IN THE COCKPIT, BUT HE SAYS HE HAS RIDDEN ON PLANES BEFORE. WE ARE SURE HE WILL GUIDE US SAFELY THROUGH THE STORMS WE MAY ENCOUNTER ON THIS FLIGHT.
PEOPLE WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? HAVE YOU NEVER HEARD THE STORY ABOUT THE WOLF HIDING IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING SO HE CAN DESTROY THEM FROM WITH-IN ? THE HAND WRITING IS ON THE WALL, DO YOU NOT HAVE EYES TO SEE IT ?THINK LONG AND HARD BEFORE YOU VOTE FOR THIS GUY! CO NSIDER YOUR KIDS & GRANDKIDS.
THEIR FUTURE IS IN OUR VOTING HANDS.

art

creativity
freedom
insecurity
uninhibited
satisfying
mystical
mysterious
interpretational
personal
flowing
process
beautiful
cause and effect
daring
stages
capture
neat
messy
out of the box
in the lines
individualistic
communal
effective
liberating
emotional
story
snapshot
life
encompassing
deliberate
magnetic
inviting
compulsivity
moving
gratifying
simple
complex
texture
repulsive
feeling
perspective
binding
bonding
created
shared

missing Narnia

A friend recently lost her beloved companion, her dog Narnia. I can imagine how much she'll miss him and how much she learned from him ...

"Wisdom usually does not fall from high places. The mighty and the splendid have taught me little. I have learned more from my dog than from all the great books I have read. The wisdom of my dog is the product of his inability to conceal his wants. When he yearns to be loved, there is no pouting in the corner. There are no games entitled "Guess what is the matter with me." He puts his head on my lap, wags his tail and looks up at me with kind eyes, waiting to be petted. No professor or sage ever told me I might live a more successful life if I simply asked for love when I needed it."

Gerry Spence

OH FRUIT!

Spencer and I were out one afternoon and, not unlike a lot of afternoons (yes, Tamara, even with my directional pointer thingy in my car!), I got myself turned around. I couldn't think of the next street that I should be coming up on, but I thought that when I saw it I would know if I were going the right way ... or not. As we got closer and the letters came into focus, I shouted, "Oh Fruit!" ... because we were indeed going the wrong way and Fruit should NOT be the next street!

Spencer now believes this is my new expletive during times of frustration.

spencerisms

copied, with the permission of the author :-), from barry's blogpage

"I'm made for action, not writing" [after being asked to slow down and write neatly].

"Do you wanna share my spit?" [as he offered me a drink]

"Dad, have we ever been to China?""No, we haven't", I replied."Then why do we have so many things that say 'Made in China'?"

"The best way to remember things is to do it again."

"Thief-stealer!"

"I'm not a boy. I'm a half-grown man."

"You're throttling me."

"Why are you running from the love?" [while chasing a cat through the house].

While playing with Jessica, he found himself on the floor wrapped in a blanket with his sister sitting on top of him playfully pounding him. He cried out "Thief! Thief" to get her to stop. She responded that she's not a thief because she's not stealing anything from him. He replied, "You're stealing my dignity!"

"Wait up for me so I can lead!"

"We're giving each other stuff. That's a nice feeling."

protect marriage?

Even though my heart and mind aren't always on the same page regarding homosexuality, I fail to see how respecting a loving commitment between two people threatens heterosexual marriage. It sort of reminds me of how my theology (again, not always with my heart and mind on the same page) seems to threaten a fundamentalist's belief system. I don't get it. My marriage is safe even if my next door neighbors include a homosexual couple, married or not. My children aren't harmed. My values aren't compromised if "they" are my friends. It has absolutely no affect on my faith and my belief that all people are loved by God.

The e-mail below was sent to me from a local Christian church. The heading was "Protect marriage" and dislayed a picture of a beautiful family ... a mom and a dad and two kids holding hands, running across some field ... the American dream. Aside from the grammatical errors, which bother me and maybe shouldn't, the content contributes to the "in and out" language spoken or inferred in so many churches today.

"Dear, Friends
We are now 42 days away from being apart of changing America enough said we would like to invite you to join us Wednesday, September 24th in the Cornerstone Conference Center for our next Protect Marriage Conference Call at 10:00 am. You will not want to miss this Thursday for the first of 3 simulcast events that will take place before elections, this event will take place at 1445 Fulton Street in the Historic Wilson Theater at 7:00 pm.
Sincerely,
Jim Franklin

Cornerstone Church Conference Call: Cornerstone Conference Center, 1525 Fulton Street, Fresno, CA 93721 Wednesday 10:00 am
Simulcast:Historic Wilson Theater, 1445 Fulton Street, Fresno, CA 93721 Thursday, 7:00 pm"

in the silence, belief

Jars of Clay "Silence"

take
take till there's nothing
nothing to turn to
nothing when you get through

won't you break
the scattered pieces of all i've been
bowing to ... all i've been
running to

where are you?
where are you?

did you leave me unbreakable?
did you leave me frozen?
i've never felt so cold
i thought you were silent

i thought you left me
the wreckage and the waste
on an empty beach of faith
was it true?

cause i ... i got a question
i got a question
where are you?

scream
deeper i wanna scream
i want you to hear me
i want you to find me

cause i ... i want to believe
but all pray is wrong
and all i claim is gone
and i got a question

where are you?
i got a question

well, i got a question
where are you?
where are you?
where are you?
where are you?

These are, at time, the lyrics of my heart. I wonder ... if we truly believe that God is always with us, living IN and through us, caring infinitely about us, loving us unconditionally, pursuing us, waiting for us, hoping for our trust and obedience ... if all this resonates as true to us ... how then do we not know and feel God's presence at all times.

Believing and feeling are not synonymous. We often expect to feel in love, feel God's love and God's presence continually. While that is not probable, maybe not even possible, what is available to us is making a choice to believe ... visiting that belief and renewing it again and again, perhaps once a year, once a month, once a week, day, minute. The choice, for me, is to believe in the god of the bible, the god of the ages, the god of the universe ... to believe in the god that loves us so much as to create for us, and grant to us responsibility for, the vastness of the earth ... to believe in the god who provides nature, art, beauty, thoughts, relationships for our enjoyment and our sustenance ... to believe in the god who designs us to love and be loved ... to believe in the god who formed our hearts and minds with an unquenchable longing for truth and understanding and an unquenchable craving for goodness ...

... to believe in a god that will never leave nor forsake us.

Josey

So I just took the opportunity to view the movie North Country.
Based on a true account,

it is an amazingly powerful and motivational film

which comes highly recommended to anyone

interested in social justice issues and relationship reconciliation.

A single, seemingly insignificant woman by the sweet name of Josey,

began a vigorous battle to ban sexual harassment from the workplace.

Through bravery and perseverance, commitment to truth and justice,

she also began a more personal, perhaps more important movement ...

one gaining forgiveness and respect from her father,

and one offering the same to him.


Emotionally charged, somewhat difficult to endure, almost unbelievable,

and well worth your time.

This movie will stay with me for always.

Knowledge

"Knowledge is not produced in the intentions of those who believe they hold it, whether in the pen or in the voice. It is produced in the process of interaction, between writer and reader at the moment of reading, and between teacher and learner at the moment of classroom engagement. Knowledge is not the matter that is offered as much as the matter that is understood. To think of fields or bodies of knowledge as if they are property of academics and teachers is wrong. It denies an equality in the relations at moments of interaction and falsely privileges one side of the exchange and what that side 'knows' over the other." David Luster