tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2940154636639661842024-03-06T12:01:48.501-08:00Zen, TexasTim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-59612421461249771922021-02-02T09:09:00.003-08:002021-02-02T09:09:34.709-08:00Unity Doesn't Mean "Unity"<p>There's been a lot of talk about unity lately.</p><p>After a brutal presidential campaign full of rancor and discord, President Biden in his inaugural address called for unity. He spoke it an as an answer to our woes:</p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">To overcome these challenges – to restore the soul and to secure the future of America – requires more than words. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Unity.</span></blockquote><p>After the House of Representatives voted to impeach former President trump for his part in inciting the insurrection at the United States Capitol, some GOP leaders opposed the impeachment saying it would deny the need for unity.</p><p>The truth is, I'm inclined to believe one party over the other when I look at their track records on unity and caring for the common good.</p><p>But I wonder what both parties mean when they say, "Unity."</p><p>There are 7 Billion people on the planet, 330 people in the United States. We live on one planet in one galaxy amid trillions of galaxies. People are diverse. The universe is complex and diverse.</p><p>If "unity" means agreement or likeness, it's impossible. And if unity means subsuming minority views or values to the will or ways of majorities, then it is wrong.</p><p>If, on the other hand, unity means recognizing that we are all--gay, straight, bi, Black, white, brown, old, young, left, right, poor, rich--a part of one giant whole of life, then I say, Yes.</p><p>Unity does not mean sameness. Physicists in search of a unified theory of the universe are instead seeing complexity and diversity. We live in a cosmos full of both light and dark--both are beautiful and needed. Life as part of the whole means that we recognize, protect, honor, and celebrate the singularities that make up the whole.</p><p>This view of unity has practical and vital applications. For instance, white Americans must recognize, protect, honor, and celebrate the experiences, realities and gifts of Black Americans. White supremacy (which at its worst means destroying Black lives and at its "best" means wanting Black Americans to become like white Americans) is antithetical to unity, is antithetical even to full life in the universe.</p><p>Unity is not sameness or simplicity. It is certainly not supremacy of any one person, nation, people group, or culture. Unity is a celebration that all of life part of one cosmic reality. </p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><p></p>Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-12661672265572532542020-05-06T10:55:00.001-07:002020-05-06T10:55:11.327-07:00Don’t get married. Just live together. (Part 5 of Five Modest Proposals for Post-Covid Churches)<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is the last of a five-part series of
suggestions for churches after the Coronavirus pandemic.</span></i></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Modest Proposal
#5. Don’t get married. Just live together.</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Pipe down, No-Sex-Before-Marriage and Family-Values crowd,
this isn’t what you think. And besides, evangelicals crawling into bed
(metaphorically!) with Donald Trump have pulled the rug out from under your
bully pulpit. But that’s a different story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This proposal is for churches, not couples or throuples or any
other human configurations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Proposal Number #5 is that <b>churches should give up their individual
buildings and share spaces</b>.* <o:p></o:p></div>
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The church I serve has a fantastic building, situated on a lovely
plot of ground. We could use more parking, but the building is pretty, spacious,
and well-located. We are fortunate. It’s also expensive and time-consuming. We
spend more on our church building, lawn, maintenance, repair, and cleaning than
we do on any other thing. And honestly, we only use a very tiny portion of the space
when you map out the time and rooms that we use each week.<o:p></o:p></div>
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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Less than a half mile down the street from us are two similar
congregations—an Episcopal church that has ample parking and spacious building
and a Lutheran church with an intriguing, welcoming mid-century modern building. All three
buildings were built in the mid-1900s. None of our congregations fill the buildings
to capacity. All three churches spend a lot of time working with tenants and
outside groups to fill the building and to pay for upkeep.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What if we shared space? We don’t have to merge into one
congregation. We could just co-exist in one building. Why do we have three large, lovely
rooms (our sanctuaries) that are used by our congregations for a combined total
of about three hours per week, not to mention all the other rooms? <o:p></o:p></div>
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And beyond shared worship space, what if we shared copiers, wireless
providers, electric bills, trash removal services? Do three churches need three
dish washers, three HVAC units, three pipe organs? <o:p></o:p></div>
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“But what about…?” “And when would we…?” “And do you mean
sell…?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yep, change. That’s what I’m proposing. It’s not easy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This pandemic is inviting us to see the world in new ways,
to seriously question our old ways, to eagerly explore new ways. <o:p></o:p></div>
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How will change when this pandemic is over? I don't know. But if we go back to
normal, we’ve failed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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*An excellent example of shared religious space is the
<a href="https://www.trifaith.org/">Tri-Faith Initiative</a> in Omaha, Nebraska, where Jewish, Christian, and Muslim
communities are co-habitating on a plot of land.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-30374772000354354832020-05-06T10:49:00.001-07:002020-05-06T12:04:24.684-07:00Stop begging for Sunday School teachers. Start training farmers. (Part 4 of Five Modest Proposals for Post-Covid Churches)<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;">This is part four of a five-part series of
suggestions for churches after the Coronavirus pandemic.</span></i></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Modest Proposal
#4. Stop begging for Sunday School teachers. Start training farmers.</b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The pandemic has exposed huge food insecurities in this
country. People are afraid to go to the grocery store. Supply chains are
cracking. Piles of eggs and vegetables are going to waste and not getting to
tables. As the economy wobbles, some people can’t afford groceries. The meat
industry is blubbering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Churches have land, green space, yards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What if every church in America turned their available green
space into a farm?* (And this proposal is a great place for mosques, temples,
and synagogues to join in.) Green space doesn’t need to be an expansive yard. It
can be a courtyard, window sill, or a container garden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The church I serve pays thousands of dollars a year for a
landscaping company to tend and mow our yard. It’s nice. Green grass, azaleas,
boxwood hedges, some indigenous plants. It feels pretty English garden-y.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What if we plowed under the grass and grew corn, beans, potatoes, strawberries? Beets
and kale and spinach and watermelons? Arugala, lettuce, okra and peas?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What if we grew food all over our church property and gave
the produce away to local food pantries?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What if we quit teaching Sunday School to children and had
adults farm with kids instead every week? Sure they could sing songs while they dug in
the dirt. “For the Beauty of the Earth” would be great. And they could talk
about Bible stories—how the scriptures say God created a beautiful garden where
everything was good, what a Promised Land feels like between your fingers, how
wheat and grapes come from the ground and make their way to Jesus’ table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sure, it would be a mess. Sure, it would be dirty. Sure, some
kids would be terrible at it. Sure, some adults would be awful farmers. Sure, it
would take more than an hour on Sundays. (Church time is not limited to that,
btw.) Sure, some Sundays it would rain or snow. (And those are still good days
to go outside. Or to sit inside and mend tools or plan for the next season.
That’s all part of farming.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So that’s Modest Proposal #4 for post-Covid churches. Stop
begging for Sunday School teachers and start training farmers. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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*If you’re interested in a community of faith that’s doing this
take a look at <a href="http://www.farmchurch.org/">Farm Church</a> in Durham, North Carolina. </div>
<br />Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-29660893997467578212020-05-06T10:44:00.000-07:002020-05-06T12:04:39.239-07:00Burn the Pews for Firewood. (Part 3 of Five Modest Proposals for Post-Covid Churches)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This is part three of a five-part series of suggestions for churches after the Coronavirus pandemic.</i></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b>Modest Proposal #3. Burn the
pews for firewood.</b></div>
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I
don’t really mean this. You don’t really <i>have</i> to burn the pews. You could sell
them at a rummage sale. Or give them away. Or, maybe you could just turn them
to face each other. (But if<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you want to
burn them, okay, I guess.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here's what
I mean by proposal number three...</span></div>
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For the past several weeks our
congregation has been meeting via Zoom. A large part of our communal time is
people sharing joys and concerns. People are talking. And we can <i>see </i>each other.
Face to face. We can <i>hear</i> each other. It’s intimate, it’s personal. It’s up
close. Sure, we’re spread out, but we connect better this way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The church I serve meets in a lovely edifice. Beautiful.
Georgian architecture, built in 1948, copied after a quaint New England
building of the 1700s. The sanctuary is grand and firm and dignified, with crisp lines and
wide windows and sturdy wooden pews. The acoustics are great for a choir, so-so for preaching, and
not-go-good for other things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We sit on the hard slabs of wood and stare at the back of each
other’s heads. When church attendees share joys and concerns, probably one-third of what
people say is lost. It can be awkward. Honestly, it’s been fine. Until Zoom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now we know what it’s like to see each other’s faces, hear
each other’s voices, connect in closer and new ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Going back to pews in lines, with muffled sound and blocked
vision, may not seem so intimate, so communal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, that’s Proposal #3. Burn the pews. Or take them out and
replace them with chairs. Or turn the pews so that they face each other across
the center aisle. While we’re at it, what if we invited the choir down from the
loft so they could be closer to the rest of the congregation, moved the organ
to a place where the organist feels connected? What if the preacher climbed
down out of a pulpit that’s six feet above contradiction and simply talked with
people on a human level?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Believe me, I know the push back that will come from this
suggestion. The church I previously served voted unanimously to be open to and
affirming of LGBTQ persons. That was a fairly hot button social/theological
issue. And we hung together. That same church group had a tie vote—a legit 50/50 split—on whether or
not to replace the pews with chairs. Getting rids of pews was divisive. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Change is hard right? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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* Here's a <a href="https://dcist.com/story/14/01/13/video-hundreds-of-chairs-removed-fr/">time lapse video</a> of National Cathedral removing the chairs. It gives you an idea of how space may be used differently.</div>
Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-28263119273746105942020-05-06T10:30:00.002-07:002020-05-06T10:44:15.209-07:00Quit preaching crap. Start preaching real shit. (Part 2 of Five Modest Proposals for Post-Covid Churches) <i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>This is proposal number 2 for how churches may change after the Coronavirus pandemic.</b></span></i><br />
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<b>Quit preaching crap. Start preaching real shit.</b></div>
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In
Modest Proposal #1, I suggested, “Quit preaching. Start praying.” I don’t
really expect that to happen. Preachers will keep preaching. If that’s the
case, here’s the second proposal: Quit preaching crap and start preaching real
shit. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Yeah,
yeah, “language.” I know I said <b>shit</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s
what I mean by crap and shit. During this pandemic stay-home time, I’ve
listened to a few other preachers around the country. I’ve heard some very fine
sermons. And I’ve heard some crappy sermons. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The
crappy one seems to fall into two camps. The first are the unimaginative,
“Things are bad. The virus is awful. I know you’re sad. I’m sad too.” Those
points are legit. Just unimaginative. We all know that. And adding, “But I have
hope and we will make it through,” to the end doesn’t redeem the crap. Sermons stuck in the present sadness are
boring crap. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A
second camp of crappy sermons are the ones that plunge ahead as if the
Coronavirus wasn’t happening. Trips down the Emaus Road, walking through doors
with doubting Thomas, and other biblical and theological ponderings with no nod
toward real life. Sermons that avoid life are nonsensical crap.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Both
kinds of crappy sermons fall short.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What
the world needs are <b>sermons that deal with real shit</b>—insecurities, pain, loss,
ideas for re-imagining the world, grace for how we’ve fallen short, vulnerability,
and vision.<o:p></o:p></div>
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According
the prophet Malachi, God had a harsh word for some of the priests: “I will
reject your children and spread shit on your face, the shot you bring to
worship. I will send you away from me.”*<o:p></o:p></div>
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That's what Malachi says God
said, <b>“I will wipe shit on your face.”</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The
Hebrew word for shit is <i>peresh</i>. It’s only used six times in the Bible. We
mostly translate it <i>dung </i>in English, and that’s fine. But it really means <i>shit</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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God
is pissed at the Hebrew priests because they’re being silly in the face of
catastrophe, so She says She’s gonna wipe shit on their faces.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s
why I’m using the word <i>shit</i>. First, to get your attention. Second because
that’s what the Hebrew word <i>peresh</i> meant. Third, because that’s how the Hebrew
words <i>peresh</i> was used—the Hebrews were in a mess fighting over their future. It
was no time for niceties. Shit was getting real. <o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s
how life is now. Churches don’t need to spend time dilly-dallying over what
kind of bread to use for communion and who can hold whatever bread we decide on. <b>We need to worry about how to feed starving
people.</b> Preachers don’t need to diddle with how Jesus walked through a door to
say hey to Thomas. <b>We need to help folks be brave enough to reach out in love
to their own neighbors who are trapped in fear. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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So,
preachers, quit preaching crap. Start preaching real shit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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*If
you want to read a bit more about shit in the Bible, about the prophet Malachi,
or about a theology of swearing, go to this <a href="https://www.agameforgoodchristians.com/blog//god-smearing-shit">website</a>, A Game for Good Christians, which include this stellar passage:</div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"In the midst of this we
find Malachi's words, wherein God says that He is sick of the two-faced worship
and hypocrisy from the spiritual leaders. That He will reach into the
sacrificial animal, remove its lower intestine, sigmoid colon, rectum, and
anus, to drain them of feculence. Upon which The Almighty Himself will take
said excreta into His divine hands— not trusting this ordure duty to an angel—
(heh heh, duty), and then smear the egesta, the guano, the discharge, the
excrement, the flux onto the astonished priestly faces."</span></blockquote>
Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-89512679427044275522020-05-06T10:22:00.000-07:002020-05-06T12:08:43.510-07:00Quit Preaching. Start Praying. (Part 1 of Five Modest Proposals for Post-Covid Churches)<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is part 1 of a five-part set of proposals for how churches could change after the Coronavirus pandemic.</span></i></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></span></b></div>
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<b>Quit Preaching. Start Praying.</b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m
a preacher. And a dang good one. (Or at least I think so, as do most preachers.)*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Preaching
is not what the world needs—at least not now, and at least not from in-person
church gatherings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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We
have enough preaching—<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2af4gcS-b9Y">right-wing televangelists</a>, <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability?language=en">left-leaning TED talks</a>,
college lectures, archives of recorded sermons (<a href="http://www.westmorelanducc.org/sermons">my own included</a>), oodles of
books with sermons from the past. We can watch and listen to and read those
sermons forever I suppose. If you want preaching, have at it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
people crave from church is connection, is sharing life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">During
this “safer-at-home” time of the Covid-19 pandemic, our church is gathering via
Zoom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
listen to good some music, either live or recorded. We read scripture and maybe
some poetry. My colleague or I preach (because old habits die hard). And then
people are invited to share their joys and concerns. And they share and they
talk and they chat and they nod and they smile. And they write sad news and
share happy thoughts in the chat box. And sometimes they go on too long. And
sometimes they mix announcements or politics in with their joys and concerns.
And it’s beautiful and vibrant and human. And vital. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">People
need connection, not lectures. Not even well-crafted, theologically-adept,
rhetorically-soaring lectures called sermons. (And certainly not crappy lectures
called sermons. More on that in <a href="https://zentexas.blogspot.com/2020/05/quit-preaching-crap-start-preaching.html">Modest Proposal #2</a>.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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People
need connection. I entitled this proposal, <b>Stop preaching. Start praying.</b> And
I’ve talked about the intimate act of sharing joys and concerns, highs and
lows, roses and thorns—whatever you want to call it. To me, that is prayer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By
prayer, I don’t mean words tossed out to beg God for something. I don’t mean supposedly
holy words designed to please some Other-Worldly Being. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To
me, when people talk about their pains, their fears, or their worries, they are
opening themselves to—and identifying with—the swirling chaos of the universe. That
is prayer. And when they share birthday wishes, good news, or a small thrill,
they are adding to the beauty and wonder of creation. And that is prayer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That’s
what the world needs—more vulnerability and more beauty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So
that’s my fist modest proposal: When we’re able to go to church in person—less
preaching, more praying. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*I’m
joking about being a dang good preacher. Or am I? Most preachers are weird
about their preaching, blending arrogance and humility. Forgive us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-82664134388222879452020-05-06T10:12:00.003-07:002020-05-06T12:07:37.217-07:00Five Modest Proposals for Post-Covid Churches - Introduction<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>This is the introduction to a five-part blog series.</i></b></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Five Modest Proposals for
Post-Covid Churches<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Some
day this pandemic will end. Some day we will go back to "normal." And if we do go back to "normal," then we’ve failed. We don’t need "normal." We need <b>new</b>. New social safety nets,
new healthcare systems, new political structures, new communal leaders, new
respect for science, new relationships with each other, new economic realities, and
more. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
think schools will change. I think office cultures will change. I think fashion
will change. I think how we use our time will change. I think a lot will change
after this virus. Again, if we don’t change, we’ve failed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I’m
the pastor of a church. A good liberal, caring, smart church. And sometimes we
get stuck in our ways. So I’ve been thinking about <b>how church should change</b>.
(Again, if we don’t change we’ve failed.) I’ve got lots of ideas on how churches
may change. Big ideas, small ideas. Ideas for my local congregation, Ideas for communities of faith that
are like mine—regular, white-columned, red-bricked, solid, choir-in-the-loft,
flowers-on-Easter, do-good-in-the-world kind of churches. I'm sharing five ideas.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These
ideas may also work for evangelical mega-churches or for tiny rural churches.
These changes may work for synagogues, temples, and mosques as well. You can
probably stretch out these changes for PTAs, neighborhood groups, and some businesses. I’m saying these are proposals for churches, but if these changes make
sense for your group, then have at it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Each
proposal is about one-page (or 450 words) long. You can click on the links below to
read the five proposals. Or if your attention span is really short (like mine is) these days,
here’s a one-sentence summary for each modest proposal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><a href="https://zentexas.blogspot.com/2020/05/quit-preaching-start-praying-part-1-of.html">ModestProposal #1. Quit preaching. Start praying</a>. </b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Sermons as one-way lectures need to die (or shrink), and people need to have more time for really sharing life together. </li>
</ul>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><a href="https://zentexas.blogspot.com/2020/05/quit-preaching-crap-start-preaching.html">ModestProposal #2. Quit preaching crap. Start preaching real shit. </a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Whiny sermons and over-smart sermons need to die and churches need to wrestle--</span>in real language--with real problems.</li>
</ul>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><a href="https://zentexas.blogspot.com/2020/05/burn-pews-for-firewood-part-3-of-five.html">ModestProposal #3. Burn the pews for firewood. </a><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<li><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">People need to see each other's faces faces and be able to hear each other's voices, not sit on lines where they only see the backs of other people's heads.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><a href="https://zentexas.blogspot.com/2020/05/stop-begging-for-sunday-school-teachers.html">ModestProposal #4. Stop begging for Sunday School teachers. Start training farmers.</a><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<li><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Churches should start using lawns, window sills, and container garden to grow vegetables. </span></li>
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<b><a href="https://zentexas.blogspot.com/2020/05/dont-get-married-just-live-together.html">ModestProposal #5. Don’t get married. Just live together.</a></b></div>
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<li>Churches should give up their individual buildings and share space with other congregations.</li>
</ul>
<br />Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-40274817822355938972020-01-21T08:16:00.002-08:002020-01-21T08:16:23.841-08:00Look for the Helpers, Part 2: Water (and More) in the Desert<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When I was a boy and I would see
scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You
will always find people who are helping.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Those are words from Mr. Rogers that I quoted in an earlier blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTDwc_v7cqjYiVXaYP1yzPHTvP09uQ0WFpO-NVB5Wu-oDeF52HZb3s9RqgktN-vI-rRYzNbPuYNZbM6lgKVx86lV0-FBmygrTcJ4_X1kmQ1GWK-7LQhMAmtuX-VxmW7L4NQauULjoIzsX/s1600/helpers+desert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTDwc_v7cqjYiVXaYP1yzPHTvP09uQ0WFpO-NVB5Wu-oDeF52HZb3s9RqgktN-vI-rRYzNbPuYNZbM6lgKVx86lV0-FBmygrTcJ4_X1kmQ1GWK-7LQhMAmtuX-VxmW7L4NQauULjoIzsX/s320/helpers+desert.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">One of the Green Valley Samaritans -- a "helper" -- placing water jugs in the desert.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I spent the past few days taking part as a learner at the 17<sup>th</sup>
Annual Santa Cruz Valley Border Fair and Common Ground on the Border in Sahuarita,
Arizona.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The situation on the US/Mexico border is complicated, confusing,
quickly changing, and to some people scary. And there are helpers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here’s a list of groups and organizations that I ran across at the
border fair. They’re helpers. If you’re looking for a way to be involved with
immigrant concerns, take a look at these groups. They would appreciate your
time, your money, your support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>The Good
Shepherd United Church of Christ,</b> Sahuarita, AZ, is deeply involved in
providing welcoming, just compassion and action for migrants.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Federazione
delleChiese Evangeliche in Italia/Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy,</b>
based in Roma/Rome. Their project, Mediterranean Hope/Programma Rifugiati e
Migranti is providing support from migrants from Africa and the Middle East who
are seeking new lives in Italy. <a href="http://www.fcei.it/">www.fcei.it</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Border
Community Alliance</b> in Tubac, AZ, offers cross border tours, internship
programs, and cultural events to promote cross cultural learning and respect. <a href="http://www.bordercommunityalliance.org/">www.bordercommunityalliance.org</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Green
Valley Samaritans</b> in Green Valley, AZ, work to provide food, water,
blankets, healthcare, and respect to migrants in the Arizona desert. <a href="http://www.gvs-samaritans.org/">www.gvs-samaritans.org</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Hope and
Healing, </b>based in Tucson, AZ, displays the artwork of young asylum seekers
from Central and South America. <a href="http://www.ccs-soaz.org/">www.ccs-soaz.org</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Cruzando
Fronteras</b> is a faith-based partnership that focuses on prayer, humanitarian
advocacy, immigration reform, and church partnerships to generate relational
actions on the border. <a href="mailto:revrodgerdeacon@gmail.com">revrodgerdeacon@gmail.com</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Humane
Borders, </b>based in Tucson, AZ, works to support humanitarian assistance and
educational experiences to create justice and compassionate public policy. <a href="http://www.humaneborders.org/">www.humaneborders.org</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>No Mas
Muertes/No More Deaths </b>is Unitarian Universalist group, based in Tucson,
that provides food, clothing, healthcare and other assistance to migrants in
Mexico and the US. <a href="http://www.nomoredeaths.org/">www.nomoredeaths.org</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>The
Briggs Center for Faith and Action</b> offers a legal aid clinic for refugees
in the Washington, DC, area in need immigration assistance; ESL classes in
Bethesda, MD, for people from around the world; support for the Santa Cruz
Border Fair; and other work. (Truth-in-Advertising: I’m the Executive Director
of this group and would greatly appreciate you support.)</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">These are some of the groups and people that are helping people in need
along the US/Mexico border and around the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Looking for the helpers? They’re there.And they may be you.</span></span>Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-31611425844824373962020-01-20T09:21:00.003-08:002020-01-20T09:28:20.498-08:00A World of Barbed Wire: Walls and ImmigrationWe live in an age of walls. More specifically, we live in an aged of barbed wire. Sharp, piercing metal thread designed to stab, gash, and separate.<br />
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Here's a picture* of barbed wire on border wall that divides Nogales, Arizona, in the United States from Nogales, Sonora, in Mexico...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0c7zqQrzURX0xo1AyIdXSaiNqf3AtSHg1i7spvbxkNpxe1bcoGFaIJQBHytnrg1gyF56HeoqmHF67LcncZx166bYov6DpFr_ef3D_HCVEnDn-GwCP_9kcM4R50dXDS8O2xG7_nosEajr/s1600/Nogales+border+wall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0c7zqQrzURX0xo1AyIdXSaiNqf3AtSHg1i7spvbxkNpxe1bcoGFaIJQBHytnrg1gyF56HeoqmHF67LcncZx166bYov6DpFr_ef3D_HCVEnDn-GwCP_9kcM4R50dXDS8O2xG7_nosEajr/s320/Nogales+border+wall.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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And this is barbed wire on the wall that divides Palestine and Israel...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWy9AGuq8XcNvhqSFf5qPKBZ99UU0_TQR2WkRXcq7g3FOrbhzU2drt3scGRBor4CoO4CTKU-esndBT0netDnF9PNe9HUVF8r_iAmsNRrOH9fuEP6SDVnjgXXbd5DSyehJjjzJqjvTFAgm/s1600/palestine+barbed+wire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="823" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWy9AGuq8XcNvhqSFf5qPKBZ99UU0_TQR2WkRXcq7g3FOrbhzU2drt3scGRBor4CoO4CTKU-esndBT0netDnF9PNe9HUVF8r_iAmsNRrOH9fuEP6SDVnjgXXbd5DSyehJjjzJqjvTFAgm/s320/palestine+barbed+wire.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And this is a drawing of the barbed wire that holds migrants in a detention camp in Libya...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4aycjE6q-irHC5B_Ci1ZC8T50hD-K4V1UshsVBjnnPwRbaRNsc6NbX6EedZw1sR-TyeeSWd-KDALrcKr2hA6FuLqNWZTeGeX3m0G05oxfHF2rTEqv0XR3tGnFQgRO2pqSYUxqNKx4l7x2/s1600/libya+barbed+wire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1147" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4aycjE6q-irHC5B_Ci1ZC8T50hD-K4V1UshsVBjnnPwRbaRNsc6NbX6EedZw1sR-TyeeSWd-KDALrcKr2hA6FuLqNWZTeGeX3m0G05oxfHF2rTEqv0XR3tGnFQgRO2pqSYUxqNKx4l7x2/s320/libya+barbed+wire.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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I'm taking part in the 17th Annual Santa Cruz Valley Border Issues Fair and Common Ground on the Border Music Festival in Sahuarita, Arzona. The universality of barbed wire has gabbed my attention.</div>
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The drawing of the barbed wire in Libya shows the wire, not just on the top of the fence, but working its way up the legs and arms of the migrant.</div>
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And it's not just the wire that binds and chokes us. Border security has become an international economic engine. Thousands, maybe millions of people, work in the "homeland security" industry. Their jobs depend on trapping and separating other people. Multinational companies build surveillance towers that are used in Israel and on the United States border. Technology companies are paying creative minds to build drones that can fly silently overhead to film travelers and journeyers and then -- armed with weapons -- dive bomb into groups of people. The United States government is training other countries on how to trap people in camps and prisons all around the world.**</div>
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On several occasions, presenters at this conference have commented about the various detention camps and dividing walls -- along the US border and around the Mediterranean -- are reminiscent of the Nazi concentration camps.</div>
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Here's a photo of barbed wire at the Plaszow, Poland, concentration camp...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UtzXxxSwUSUiX9gx2zQ1V59oKPPwZOG8zRfFRF3i7_soIdh_NpED295ej4wW01GxZpLy5Mw0PGfiCbqouMR7By9TXdIRbl2uDWyFmRlOCX4PB4wtzRFAg55676wu-NDv6EszOYR_s0nz/s1600/plaszow+barbed+wire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="1600" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UtzXxxSwUSUiX9gx2zQ1V59oKPPwZOG8zRfFRF3i7_soIdh_NpED295ej4wW01GxZpLy5Mw0PGfiCbqouMR7By9TXdIRbl2uDWyFmRlOCX4PB4wtzRFAg55676wu-NDv6EszOYR_s0nz/s320/plaszow+barbed+wire.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Barbed wire seems to have been invented in the mid-1800s. The first US patent for the painful product was taken out in 1867. In 1874, mass production of barbed wire came about. By 1890, barbed wire fences had virtually replaced the open range in the western United States.</div>
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I'm writing this on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, thinking of his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," where he describes the dehumanization of African Americans in the Jim Crow South. Barbed wire -- invented to corral cows -- now divides the world, corrals groups, and dehumanizes people.</div>
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King wrote, "<span style="background-color: white;">Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity." That now is still now.</span></div>
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<i>* Photo credits:</i></div>
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<ul>
<li><i>The photo of the US/Mexico border was taken by a participant in this border conference.</i></li>
<li><i>The photo of barbed wire in Palestine/Israel was taken by my colleague Alec Davis.</i></li>
<li><i>The drawing of barbed wire ensnaring the immigrant in the Mediterranean is by Francesco Piobbichi, an artist/activist who works with the <a href="https://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/europe/italy/fcei">Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy</a>. He was a speaker at this border issues fair.</i></li>
<li><i>The photo of the Plaszow camp is from the US Holocaust Museum online archives.</i></li>
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<i>** For more information about the global "homeland security industrial complex," see the book "Empire of Borders" by Todd Miller. Miller was one of the speakers at this conference. </i></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This blog is one of a series of reflections that I am writing while taking part in the <a href="https://thegoodshepherducc.org/events/common-ground-on-the-border/">Santa Cruz Valley Border Issues Fair and Common Ground on the Border</a>. The Border Issues Fair is one the causes supported by the <a href="https://www.briggscenter.org/">Briggs Center for Faith and Action</a>, where I serve as the Executive Director.</span></i></span></div>
Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-10977584107989853462020-01-18T05:33:00.004-08:002020-01-18T05:33:49.598-08:00Look for the Helpers: Depression and Immigration<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbVMk3KQ1uDrSqA9qlVE-6vkN2eeHowwh_yF9LKcBswEvnQbgStJMsp-JQxMkAcbz0OP4cRXFnPMOykdjldLo1ptzGPuR7SNaa6bcfVfx3Ib5YILmgJdDk6DcFl_Cc_qewHr0jXJu_cnC/s1600/water+drop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1055" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbVMk3KQ1uDrSqA9qlVE-6vkN2eeHowwh_yF9LKcBswEvnQbgStJMsp-JQxMkAcbz0OP4cRXFnPMOykdjldLo1ptzGPuR7SNaa6bcfVfx3Ib5YILmgJdDk6DcFl_Cc_qewHr0jXJu_cnC/s320/water+drop.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dropping off water in the desert.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I’ve spent much of the last two years crawling my way up out of
a dry valley where only the thin weeds of depression and anxiety grow. And
finally in the last couple of weeks I’m finding the myself again in a field where the green grass of hope grows.<br />
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Those twin marauders — <a href="https://adaa.org/finding-help">anxiety and depression</a> — came riding into my life like renegade cowboys in an Old West flick — pillaging, shooting, whipping and
hollering with ferocity, haphazardly spraying of bullets any which way. Bullets
named doubt and loneliness and pain and grief. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My bout with depression and
anxiety came about for many reasons — fate (some things just happen), genetics (my family has a propensity
toward mental health woes), age (that mid-life crisis shit is real),
illness and death (my father and my in-laws all died within a year and half of
each other), and my own internal struggles (perplexity about life and my
purpose in it). </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m fortunate. I have good insurance, a supportive spouse, a
job that invites and affirms grappling with the internal self, kind doctors, an
insightful therapist, wise friends, and a decently balanced dose of my own
smarts and self-intuition. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That circle of support, doses of prescribed
pharmaceuticals and traditional medicines, a regular meditation practice, a
little yoga, lots of running and biking and swimming, and time are having a
healing affect on me. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last week I had the privilege of taking part in a really
good church-focused conference. The leader of that conference led with honest
and enthusiastic celebration. That’s what the world news, she said: Joy and
Celebration. Sure, there’s plenty of racism and homophobia and pain. To offer
joy and celebration in the midst of that is to live counterculturally. Joy and
celebration—in the face of war and oppression — are acts of social justice. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/27/obituaries/fred-rogers-host-of-mister-rogers-neighborhood-dies-at-74-2003022794209268324.html">Fred Rogers</a>
famously told his television neighbors, “my mother would say to me, ‘Look for
the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In scary times ,
look for the helpers.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A preacher leading a conference and reminding me to offer
joy and celebration—she was a helper. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This week I’m been spending a few days
on the borderlands where Arizona and Sonora meet. I had the opportunity to make
a water run in the mountainous desert with a man named Ricardo and with some
other pilgrims here to learn about immigration issues. Ricardo is a helper. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He
works with a group called <a href="https://www.gvs-samaritans.org/">Sahuarita Samaritans</a>. These volunteers oversee a
series of drop off stations in the desert. They place food, water, and blankets
along the trails that travelers use as they make their way from Mexico to
Tucson. It’s about 60 miles, a six day walk of the walkers are lucky. There are
cactus, heat, cold, dirt, scorpions, snakes, fear, loneliness, grief, and pain
along the way. Dozens of bodies are found each month. The water, food, and
blankets that Ricardo and the Samaritans place in the wilderness saves lives. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our current immigration issues are a mess. A tragedy even. One speaker at the
Border Issues Fair referred to the crisis as a holocaust. Certainly a scary
time. A political pit, full of fear. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Look for the helpers.” </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">People like a
preacher at a conference and Ricardo dropping off food and water and blankets. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“You will always find people who are helping.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The situation is a mess. And the helpers give me hope. They save lives.</span><br />
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This blog is one of a series of reflections that I am writing while taking part in the <a href="https://thegoodshepherducc.org/events/common-ground-on-the-border/">Santa Cruz Valley Border Issues Fair and Common Ground on the Border</a>. The Border Issues Fair is one the causes supported by the <a href="https://www.briggscenter.org/">Briggs Center for Faith and Action</a>, where I serve as the Executive Director.</span></i></span></div>
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<br />Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-49182578903440999242020-01-18T05:20:00.000-08:002020-01-18T05:20:16.642-08:00Dining Alone: Loneliness and Immigration<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkAbX2vAhVKqOI3mSuGX2TFnrIM2C2N0_ezkszOLWLir1_YvLa6j8S3t2hdYA-eegOMQ82OaPlZ3ve13QMIO1L2zyRDqKGdglTScid0l02AZXNrhDbkSC6Y5_0JGR4oFnp_preIxUSjj8/s1600/entertain+strangers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="1600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkAbX2vAhVKqOI3mSuGX2TFnrIM2C2N0_ezkszOLWLir1_YvLa6j8S3t2hdYA-eegOMQ82OaPlZ3ve13QMIO1L2zyRDqKGdglTScid0l02AZXNrhDbkSC6Y5_0JGR4oFnp_preIxUSjj8/s320/entertain+strangers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">A plaque at the San Xavier Mission on the Tohono O'odham land.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I'm in Green Valley, Arizona, for the <a href="https://thegoodshepherducc.org/events/common-ground-on-the-border/">17th Annual Santa Cruz Border Issues Fair</a>. I arrived in Green Valley, Arizona, a day ahead of the others who were
headed to the Border Issues Fair. </div>
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The first evening I was here I went out to eat
at a local Mexican place, billed as “a family restaurant.”</div>
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It’s no big deal for
me to go out to eat alone. I often do that for lunch. But I mostly do that at informal Chipotle- or Panera-style places. I can’t remember the last time I went alone to
a sit-down, order-from-menu, “family restaurant.”</div>
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I took a book and my phone.
The host seated me in a corner table. I looked at the tables around me. I was
the only solo diner in a crowded, bustling room. Couples, family groups, and
ensembles of friends chatted all around me. </div>
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What does it mean to be alone?</div>
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I
thought about that in regard to immigration. It’s tough to be alone. </div>
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What did
it mean for my great-grandmother from Ireland to be the only English-speaking
woman in a small town in Mexico when she — an immigrant— buried her first-born
child in a rocky graveyard? </div>
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How lonely is Karen, the young woman from Honduras
who showed up in DC, pregnant and alone? What did it feel like for her to move
into the home of lovely, hospitable church members who took her in, despite
language differences?</div>
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One speaker at the Border Issues Fair cried as she told
talked about the bodies of a mother and ten year-old son being found in the
vast dessert. Were they traveling alone? Did their group abandon them?</div>
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Another speaker at the Fair told of a young man whom she found wandering alone in the desert. He had arrived in the United States, hundreds of miles from home. He had successfully avoided weather, coyotes, drug cartels, and rough terrain. And he asked her to help him get home. Homesickness won. </div>
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<a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/05/07/jean-vanier-living-saint-who-ministered-people-disabilities-dies-90">JeanVanier</a> wrote a thoughtful book about a retreat in Kenya with people who had
lived through an era of violence and boodshed. The title of the book is, “<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/38917380-we-need-each-other">We Need Each Other.</a>” In it he wrote:</div>
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<i>“I am a broken man like all human beings, but I
also know that Jesus loves me and that he is calling me to grow. This is the
experience of being loved in my brokenness and therein lies the incredible
gentleness of our God. We all have to discover the point of our brokenness
because that is precisely the place where we are the beloved. Sometimes we hide
behind the idea that we are better than others. We have to discover that none
of us is better, that we are all children of God… </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>God has a desire to bring
people together in love. There are two fundamental things that Jesus came to
reveal to us. First, God is a lover. God loves. Second, this incredible,
gentle, and tender God is in love with each one of us. Each person is precious
to God and together we are to build a community where we love each
other.”</i></blockquote>
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America’s flavor of independence, or rugged individualism, often keeps us
apart — which can lead to feelings of superiority and difference, often just
the strange fruit of deep loneliness. </div>
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Our immigration system is broken.
Politicians from both parties use that word. (The same word that Vanier used to
describe himself.) Our current immigration policies (based on xenophobia and
mistrust and misplaced senses of superiority) are the product of fear-based
loneliness more then they are rational, political, or economical.</div>
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The solutions may be found in potluck suppers, shared meals, and communion tables. </div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">This blog is one of a series of reflections that I am writing while taking part in the </span><a href="https://thegoodshepherducc.org/events/common-ground-on-the-border/" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: italic;">Santa Cruz Valley Border Issues Fair and Common Ground on the Border</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">. The Border Issues Fair is one the causes supported by the </span><a href="https://www.briggscenter.org/" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: italic;">Briggs Center for Faith and Action</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">, where I serve as the Executive Director.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;">The picture on this blog post is of a plaque at the San Xavier Mission church. The verse from the Book of Hebrews refers back to another story in the Bible, where Sarah and Abraham welcomed strangers to their tent only to find out later the strangers were messengers from God.</span></div>
Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-74709587000163393902020-01-18T04:51:00.001-08:002020-01-18T04:51:09.555-08:00Fear and Immigration<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnx-2DfcB5EaOYD26yzL_BUCegG63zrKtF_bf2za0bFgxDt3GUO8tC8kY5WoA35M1w_q2iuoY3a3IIHsLP9z_J1u7QwTiGir5gLOgqhDlkIS0Xi3EVXobNK7hdtutUDQaBoM9OLrBZRAGk/s1600/san+xavier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnx-2DfcB5EaOYD26yzL_BUCegG63zrKtF_bf2za0bFgxDt3GUO8tC8kY5WoA35M1w_q2iuoY3a3IIHsLP9z_J1u7QwTiGir5gLOgqhDlkIS0Xi3EVXobNK7hdtutUDQaBoM9OLrBZRAGk/s320/san+xavier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Tohono O'odham open air market outside the San Xavier Mission.</span></td></tr>
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<br /><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Be afraid of immigrants.They’re out to get your job. They’ll
take over.”</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maybe you’ve heard some version of that refrain from a politician, a
news reporter, or a neighbor. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What if I told you that’s a fair fear!* Read
on...</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This week I’m spending a few days at the <a href="https://thegoodshepherducc.org/events/common-ground-on-the-border/">Santa Cruz Valley Border FairIssues and Common Ground on the Border Music Festival</a> in Green Valley Arizona,
just north of Nogales, Mexico. On the drive from the Tucson airport to Green
Valley earlier this week, I stopped by the <a href="http://www.sanxaviermission.org/">San Xavier Mission</a> on the Tohono
Oʼodham Nation reservation. The <a href="http://www.tonation-nsn.gov/">Tohono Oʼodham</a> people have lived, loved,
laughed, died, and claimed the wonder of life in that life for as long as
memory reaches back. Jesuit missionaries (immigrants?) from Europe showed up in
1692. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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The Tohono Oʼodham Nation is one of the focal points for our current
immigration concerns. Migrants from South America cross the border onto Tohono
Oʼodham land — land that has been divided, chopped up, claimed by other groups. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Imaginary have been drawn on the land, with gun-wielding people saying that the
invisible lines can’t be crossed. Surveillance towers have been plopped down
the land. Companies claiming to own the land have dug up minerals and made
giant profits. The US government has built giant fences all across the land,
using part of the land to test weapons that kill people in giant numbers. All
the while, Tohono Oʼodham people have been ignored, rounded up, kidnapped and
sent to boarding schools, taught their culture and language and religion is
inferior, prohibited from taking part in their scared rituals, lied to,
“whitewashed” from history books, and largely left in poverty. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So, yeah, on
some level, it makes sense to say, “Be afraid of immigrants. They’ll take
over.” When modern-day politicians and commentators say that, they are
reflecting the dark side of European, mostly white immigrants who have spent
the last 400 years taking over and even wiping out native and indigenous lives.
Our present-day immigration matters are complicated, in humane, and in need of
much wisdom and grace. To address them, requires more than policy tweaks and
changes (though those are vital). To fully address our immigration views, we
must address our national origins based in white supremacy, euro-centrism, and
Christian domination. Our current immigration policies and practices and roots
that reach down into centuries of oppression, ignorance, and militarism. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two
stories...</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When European migrants in the 1600s wandered across native lands in
this part of Arizona, they met the people who lived there. “Who are you,” the
Europeans asked. </div>
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<br /></div>
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“Pimach,” the indigenous folx replied. </div>
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<br /></div>
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“Ah, you’re Pimach
people,” the Europeans said. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And the name stuck and was shortened to “Pima.”
For centuries the tribe was referred to as Pima, a county was named Pima, and a
college bears the name. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Except that’s all wrong. Pima or Pimach is not, was
not, never had been the name of the indigenous people. “Pimach” means, “I don’t
know what you’re talking about,” or “I don’t understand.” </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the European
invaders asked (in Spanish), “Who are you,” the native people said (in their
language), “We don’t understand you’re funny language...We don’t know what
you’re asking.” And the Europeans, in their ignorance, assumed Pimach was their
name. They shortened it to Pima. The name stuck for three hundred years, until
Tohono Oʼodham people reclaimed their name. </div>
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<br /></div>
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A second story...</div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the sacred
rituals of the Tohono Oʼodham people is the salt run. Young men — as part of
their ritual passage to adulthood — ran from their homeland to the sea,
collected salt and brought it back to their people. </div>
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<br /></div>
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This practical ritual
became part of the deep cultural expression of the indigenous tribes. Along
came Euro-centric, white Americans with their need for order and control to
draw uncrossable lines (the Gadsden Treaty of 1854). Over the years, the
invisible line became more and more visible with barbed wire, military patrols,
metal walls, and jail sentences for those who cross the lines. The Tohono
Oʼodham religious ritual of the salt run is now impossible. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So, back to my
original idea... Beware immigrants? Sure. They’ll take over? Yep. White,
euro-centric immigrants have proved that to be true.* </div>
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<br /></div>
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(*Please note: I’m <i>not</i>
suggesting that we fear migrants from around the world who are seeking better,
more peaceful lives in the United States. I’m writing hyperbolically to get
your attention and to remind us that white, Christian-affirming, Euro-centric
migrants have built a nation by invading and ignoring the people who were already
here. Again: Our current immigration woes are complicated. To fully address
them, we must reckon with 400 years of white supremacy and oppression that has been supported by the militarized eradication of Native people.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This blog is one of a series of reflections that I am writing while taking part in the <a href="https://thegoodshepherducc.org/events/common-ground-on-the-border/">Santa Cruz Valley Border Issues Fair and Common Ground on the Border</a>. The Border Issues Fair is one the causes supported by the <a href="https://www.briggscenter.org/">Briggs Center for Faith and Action</a>, where I serve as the Executive Director.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Want to know more about the Tohono O'odham people and their efforts to maintain their traditional practices? Take a look at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AntiBorderCollective/">Anti-Borders Collective</a>.</span></i></div>
</div>
<br />Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-37036069020388467062020-01-17T21:19:00.002-08:002020-01-17T21:19:32.715-08:00Hats and Immigration: A Parable<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFpbztzLOHLsjDvxXr6RR-MPCeUPQ4LqCwCxvuEfZR7VINeDS2QusvSsr3lO6Cl7oQKexcdeLmDP5ZaJzbSWi7ZxYAGuksZMN3Q3MsbxQJ5m3f8HjoTw-HTtbZsEfjgrizkkfx42juEAD/s1600/Esta+water+bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFpbztzLOHLsjDvxXr6RR-MPCeUPQ4LqCwCxvuEfZR7VINeDS2QusvSsr3lO6Cl7oQKexcdeLmDP5ZaJzbSWi7ZxYAGuksZMN3Q3MsbxQJ5m3f8HjoTw-HTtbZsEfjgrizkkfx42juEAD/s200/Esta+water+bottle.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="149" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Water bottle placed in the desert for migrants .<br />with the words to "This Land Is Your Land"<br />in Spanish</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</a></div>
<br />
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On my flight to Tucson the woman seated in front of
me was wearing a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/five-myths/five-myths-about-hijab/2019/03/15/d1f1ea52-45f6-11e9-8aab-95b8d80a1e4f_story.html">hijab</a>. The college-age man next to her had on a baseball cap
with a golf club logo; he looked like he hadn’t shaved or showered in several
days. In front of them sat an older man wearing a cowboy hat, the typical Texas
sherrif look. </div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You can’t judge a book by its cover. Or a person by their
headgear. But let’s make some assumptions — let’s assume the cowboy-hatted man is a
traditional, hard-working, flag-waving, America-firster, maybe even a Trump
supporter. Let’s make the woman in the hijab a liberal of the AOC fan base.
Let’s make the dude in the baseball cap a Bernie Bro-ish libertarian sort. (All
stereotypes are unfair and these may be entirely wrong, of course.)</span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I looked
at these three hats and mulled over the potential differences they represented,
the pilot spoke over the intercom. He welcomed us on board, then said, “Just a
reminder, we’re on a plane and there’s only one aisle. So we’ll need to share.”
People chuckled at that bit of obvious, practical wisdom. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I thought about those
of us on that plane — a (maybe) liberal Muslim woman wearing a hijab, a (maybe)
libertarian college bro, a (maybe) conservative old man, the pensive pastor
(hi, that’s me) behind them. Together we were trapped in a metal tube, hurtling
through the cosmos at 575 miles per hour, doing what the pilot suggested —
sharing. Sharing space, sharing air, sharing life. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/01/17/797003970/remembering-spiritual-leader-ram-dass">Ram Dass</a>, the spiritual guru who
recently died, said about humanity, “We’re all just walking each other home.”</div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On
that plane, we were flying home (or at least to the next stop on the journey)
together. I don’t know how the man in the Cowboy hat will vote. I don’t know
what the woman in the hijab thinks of cowboy hats or baseball caps. I don’t
know what the unshaven college kid thinks about religion or immigration. I do
know that for three hours we shared. For a moment were all headed in the same direction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This blog is one of a series of reflections that I am writing while taking part in the <a href="https://thegoodshepherducc.org/events/common-ground-on-the-border/">Santa Cruz Valley Border Issues Fair and Common Ground on the Border</a>. The Border Issues Fair is one the causes supported by the <a href="https://www.briggscenter.org/">Briggs Center for Faith and Action</a>, where I serve as the Executive Director.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And it turns out I wrote this on <a href="https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-hat-day-january-15/">National Hat Day</a>. Who knew that was a thing?</span></i></div>
<br />Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-89268529971556150872019-02-08T14:38:00.002-08:002019-02-11T09:05:03.372-08:00Black Lives (Still) Matter<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6kbsYFubU_nS3ySR6oMez4CwGR0ScrXyWlu23q6c3OETvWRmPLLnGw5OcAKj1D0p6cglERfMPb3tB5dhjXkDN83Zq7AOLHOS6FtcOnS4Htb9izx4Lpfv3rDQu5MopEjo3mLUlt8iUI5Q/s1600/Black+Lives+Matter+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6kbsYFubU_nS3ySR6oMez4CwGR0ScrXyWlu23q6c3OETvWRmPLLnGw5OcAKj1D0p6cglERfMPb3tB5dhjXkDN83Zq7AOLHOS6FtcOnS4Htb9izx4Lpfv3rDQu5MopEjo3mLUlt8iUI5Q/s320/Black+Lives+Matter+banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">“Black Lives
Matter to God and to Us.” That’s a banner on the wall of the church I serve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Yesterday a
neighbor of the church called to talk to me about parking concerns. In the
course of our wide-ranging conversation, this neighbor said to me that the banner
should come down because its purpose is over and it encourages people to kill
police officers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I admit:
I’ve wondered how long the banner should stay up. Does it (or any banner) lose
its effectiveness after a period of time? Is there a moment when this particular
slogan is no longer relevant? I also admit: I am a well-educated, white,
middle-aged, middle-class, Christian male who grew up in the American
South—with all of the privileges and blind spots that come with that
background.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Here are
some facts:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1905.
A group of 300 white men see the racist play, <i>The Clansmen</i>, then storm a jail and lynch an African-American
inmate awaiting trial.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1912.
White people with guns, dynamite, and bottles of kerosene chase 1,098
African-Americans out of Forysth County, GA, and take over their land and
homes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1920s.
Restaurants had signs that said, “No Dogs, No Negroes, No Mexicans.”</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1939.
The DAR refuses to allow Marian Anderson to sing at Constitution Hall because
she is black.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1944.
The “race-neutral” G.I. Bill gives stipends and low-interest loans for
returning soldiers to go to college; except that many African-Americans are not
allowed to attend an overwhelming number of colleges.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1953. Black
baseball player Frank Robinson is not allowed inside a movie theatre in Ogden,
Utah.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1960s.
The Moses Cemetery in Bethesda, Maryland—which was the burial site for dozens
of African-American children, women, and men—is paved over for a parking lot.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1973. A
white committee chairman in the U.S. House of Representatives makes a black
Congressman and a white Congresswoman share a chair in a meeting, saying that “a
black man and woman are worth only half of one regular member.”</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1983.
A medical school yearbook includes a picture of white people dressed in black
face and a Klan hat. (In 2019, we learned that this was the yearbook page of
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.) Klan garb is what white men wore as they raped,
maimed, killed black people. Black face is an old form of "entertainment" used to mocking,
dehumanize, and belittle black people.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1990s.
White high school football fans in Pennsylvania shout, <span style="background: white;">“Good luck in the playoffs, n*****,” to black players on the opposing team.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2007.
Intel publishes a print ad of six black men bowing down to a white man.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2011.
<span style="background: white;">Countrywide Mortgage admits to charging higher
fees and interest rates to black borrowers.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2012. Black people account for 31 percent of police killing
victims in the United Sates, even though they make up just 13 percent of the US
population. </span></li>
<li><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2014. Academic </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">researchers use two “white-sounding” names (Jake Mueller and
Greg Walsh) and two “African-American-sounding” names (DeShawn Jackson and
Tyrone Washington) to email public service providers. The emails from “DeShawn”
and “Tyrone” get fewer and slower responses from government entities—including
sheriff’s offices and even libraries.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">2014. The
owner of a professional basketball team tells his girlfriend, “Don’t bring
black people to my games.”</span></li>
<li><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2015. Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan is fired for referring
to himself as a “racist” and using the “n” word in a conversation about his
daughter sleeping with a black person.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2016. Flyers in North Carolina contain a picture of an black man and promise to beat “black apes.”</span></li>
<li><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2017. A</span><span style="background: rgb(250, 250, 250); font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> white man in a Chicago
Starbucks is filmed calling a black man a slave.</span></li>
<li><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2018. A white woman tells me that a banner that says, “Black Lives
Matter to God and to Us,” should come down because it serves no purpose.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I wish the
woman who called me was right. She is not. History and the present say that
black lives do not matter in the way that white lives matter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Some thoughts:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Saying
“Black Lives Matter” does not mean that white lives don’t matter; it means that
black lives are at greater risk.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Saying
“Black Lives Matter” does not mean people should kill police officers. Are all
police officers racist? Of course not. Are some? Sure. The system is stacked.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">The
banner on our church is a fact: God loves black people. The banner is also an
aspiration, a reminder, and promise: We (the members of our church) hope for
equality and justice; we remember those days are not here; we must work hard.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">The
Christian Church is complicit in racist structures.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">White
liberals can be racist.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Can’t black people be racist? Sure. That’s why it may be more helpful to think about </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">the harm done by white privilege or white supremacy rather than racism.</span></li>
<li>Saying
“white privilege” doesn’t mean that some white people don’t have very tough
lives; it means that their skin color is not an added difficulty.</li>
<li>As the inheritor of white privilege, I have racist tendencies that frighten and worry me—many of which I’m not even aware of, I’m sure.</li>
<li>Aren’t
there other racial tensions (antipathy toward Native Americans, for instance)?
Of course. And they should be addressed, but should not be used to avoid
white-black relationships.</li>
<li>Aren’t
things better? Yes. No. Maybe. Slavery is outlawed. Jim Crow is abolished.
Other forms of racism and white supremacy still exist and still harm black
lives.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Aren't the events on the timeline above isolated incidents. Each is unique sure, and together they are like individual drops of water that create a deadly flood.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Racism,
white privilege, and white supremacy harm black people (the oppressed). Those forms
of injustice also harm the souls of white people—being an oppressor is
soul-sucking, life-denying, energy-draining work.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">“Black Lives
Matter to God and to Us.” The world still needs that reminder. It’s not yet
time to take the banner down.</span></div>
Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-82744378066797240592018-11-13T11:03:00.002-08:002018-11-13T11:03:27.465-08:00Mourners or Midwives: 9 Reasons People Don't Go to Church<br />
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">I got a
text this morning telling me that the seminary I attended is closing its doors.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">That’s
not surprising. The school was started almost as an experiment. It was founded by
a bunch of liberal Baptists (a rare species, that) in the South as a place dedicated
to inclusive, free thinking. Most of the initial cohort of faculty members had
been fired by other seminaries for being too liberal. The seminary rented an
old house that was converted into classroom space. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">And the
story is that at the first chapel service, the communion officiant meant to
say, “Take the cup and pass it to the person next to you,” but instead inverted
some vowels and said, “Take the cup and piss at to the person next to you.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Hardly
a stable beginning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">But still,
my diploma (which is in a box somewhere) looks so official, so lasting. We kind
of think that institutions of higher education are permanent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">But they’re
not. Institutions of all kinds are changing. Especially religious-related
institutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Congregations
all across the country are closing their doors. The mammoth Crystal Cathedral shut
its doors in 2013. In 2016, three Baptist churches in Marshall, Texas, merged
together because they were no longer viable apart. More than 1000 Roman
Catholic parishes across the country have closed since 1995. In 2012, Temple
Sinai in Sumter, South Carolina closed. It was founded in 1815; the building is
now a museum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 106%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Religious
life in America is changing. Fewer people take part in religious services. The
people who do take part, show up less frequently. People are giving less and
volunteering to be active less. In 2012, 19% of Americans said they were s</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif;">piritual but not religious. In
2017 that number had increased to </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">27%.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">There
are many reasons for those changes. Here are nine:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Social
expectation and pressures have lightened.</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> People used to go
to church because they felt guilty if they didn’t. Guilt is out of fashion.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Church
is no longer the best (or only) show in town.</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> Sport events take
place on Sundays. Stores are open on Sundays. That hasn’t always been the case.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Increased
mobility.</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> People travel more. Affluence lets us gas up our
cars and take our kid's travel soccer team to another state or head to the beach
for the weekend.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Weekend
work.</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> More businesses are open on Sunday than 30 years ago. And working remotely means that a Sabbath can be spent responding to email rather
then resting or praying. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Globalism.</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> With
the click of a mouse, a person raised a Baptist in East Texas can “become”
Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim. Plus, a good TED Talk online can be far more
meaningful than a boring sermon in person.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">6. </span><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia, serif;">People need a day to do nothing.</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> Dual-income, stressed-out, over-scheduled families need some time to sleep late, do the laundry, pay the bills, and go eat at Denny’s.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Individualism.</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> “Do
what you want, think what you want, believe what you want.” Those are things we
say to each other. It’s not surprise, then, when someone says, “Okay, I’ll stay
home and be a ‘Lone Ranger Christian.’”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Burn
out with no spiritual growth.</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> Religious
groups have </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">worked people hard in the past and people experienced
little benefit.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Scandal
and Politics.</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"> Sexual abuse scandals, televangelist scandals, and the
close identity of religion with political parties are turn offs to many people.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">I
probably stole these ideas from other writers over the years. (Sorry about
that.) And I’ve observed them in my own work as the minister of liberal churches. These ideas--and a host of other factors--helped my experimental little seminary go out of business. Change happens. Institutions shut down. Churches close. Roads twist. Life evolves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;">Let
me steal another idea. Theologian and writer Diana Butler Bass has written about changing religious life. Bass says
(in her book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grounded</i>, I think) that
religious people have a choice—They (we?) can be inconsolable mourners at the graveside
of dead religious institutions. Or, they (we?) can be expectant midwives at the places where
new things are being born.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-48285258808224593242017-10-16T11:25:00.000-07:002017-10-16T11:58:07.792-07:00Harvey Weinstein Is Not Responsible For All This<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Harvey
Weinstein is not responsible for all this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let me be
clear. I don’t know Weinstein. But I’m comfortable saying he’s a gross,
immature, emotionally stunted, insecure, manipulative, bullying
rapist. He needs to go to jail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But he is
not responsible for all this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">By “all
this,” I mean, the phrase, “Me too,” that I’m seeing all over social media. The
suggestion is for women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted to write, “Me
too,” on their social media feeds as a way<span style="background: white;"> to give
people a sense of the magnitude of the problem of sexual assault and harassment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And women have posted that. In tremendous numbers. Black
women, white women, Native women. Straight women, lesbian women, transgender
women. Women in Texas and Illinois and California and New York and Maryland. Millions of women.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Harvey Weinstein seems to have assaulted or harassed dozens
of women. Maybe more. He’s disgusting and pathological. He’s responsible for
his actions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But Harvey Weinstein did
not assault millions of women by himself. Donald Trump did it too. (He said so
himself.) And Bill Clinton did too. (If you believe the women who he assaulted;
and I do.) And Bill Cosby did as well. It’s not just famous men who have
assaulted women. It’s strangers in movie theaters. Co-workers on business
trips. Neuroscience professors. And preachers. Millions of men did this. Do this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I know the story of a woman who went to her pastor for
counseling. During their conversations he hugged her and put his tongue on her
ear. When confronted, he said he knew how to console women. His church board
quietly let him retire. (That church board is responsible for this too.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Harvey Weinstein's name in the news now. He’s an ass of
a man. But he’s just one man doing wrong. Misogyny, sexism, and violence toward
women is a larger cultural failing. Weinstein has been fired. His name has been
stripped from films he produced. The Academy of Motion Pictures deleted his
name from membership. Maybe he’ll go to jail. But that won’t solve the problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The problem is that women are treated as second class humans.
Women are paid less than men for the same work. Women are talked over by men.
(I’ve been watching that in a group I’m leading these and it’s driving me
crazy.) Women are underrepresented in elected offices. (Women make up 21% of
the U.S. Senate for example, while they are 51% of the population.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As hard as it is to imagine, both of my grandmothers were
born into a world that didn’t allow women to vote. That has changed, but
attitudes of discrimination remain. Until 1981, a male spouse could take out a
second mortgage on a home that he owned jointly with a female spouse without
telling her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Harvey Weinstein’s twisted thinking that he could force women
to have sex with him? Donald Trump saying he “doesn’t even wait” to start
kissing women and that he grabs ‘em by the genitals? Those are new verses in old, old, very long, nasty song of men thinking of themselves as superior. It’s been embedded in
our laws and in the way we relate to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s got to change. It will, I hope. But it will take more
than Harvey Weinstein’s downfall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For now, from me, four things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">First, I apologize. I’m sorry (and appalled) that women have
to put up with this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Second, I’m also spending some time wondering about the ways
in which I have been complicit in such acts and behavior. In what ways have I
ignored or dismissed harassment and discrimination? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Third, I’m glad to be part of a progressive faith tradition
(the <a href="http://www.ucc.org/">United Church of Christ</a>) and a local congregation (<a href="http://www.westmorelanducc.org/">Westmoreland UCC</a> in Bethesda,
MD) who offer to children and teenagers a broad-minded, body-positive, sex education
curriculum grounded in facts and respect (<a href="http://www.ucc.org/justice_sexuality-education_our-whole-lives">Our Whole Lives</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "calisto mt" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fourth, women, I’m
listening. I hear your stories. I believe you.</span>Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-9994991983053472892017-08-31T13:14:00.000-07:002017-08-31T13:14:30.791-07:00Outrunning Ourselves: Requiesce in Pace<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A friend of mine died today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some years ago as she was moving to a smaller home, my friend gave me several books. They were written by a person we mutually admired, Carlyle Marney.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dr. Marney was a pastor and a Southerner and a Baptist and a liberal. He drank and smoke and admired the classicists and put up with little bullshit. He believed in ecumenism and preached in favor of integration long before Brown v Board of Education. He preached like a prophet and a poet and a scholar, and his liturgical druthers leaned high church.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I got word of my friend's death, I took several of Dr. Marney's books off the shelves and flipped through them, pausing over this phrase or that, and thinking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the middle of my mulling, I came across these words...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“We are outrunning life….<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For example, we have outrun a really concerned and informed
citizenry….<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We have outrun a vital valid religious faith; we simply
sandwich in our religious lives between runnings here and yon….</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We have outrun the world of literature and music and drama
and art. We saturate ourselves with quick doses; we buy little condensations of
important new writing in order that in our bridge clubs and other places we can
say with that animated expression peculiar to literary discussions: “Oh yes, I
read it last week.” We didn’t read it last week; we read somebody’s hashed up
version of it last week.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I am saying we have outrun the fundamental verities of our culture.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We have outrun true education and—tragedy of tragedies—we have
outrun the highest and deepest of personal relations. A person’s own family goes
by so fast that they become a blur…<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We have outrun personalized Christian service by canning up
what we do for our neighbors under the name of great worth-while projects. We have
lost the tremendous spiritual impetus of one person doing for the person who is
nearest to them.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And perhaps most tragic of all, we have outrun the meaning of
work and what work ought to be and mean in a person’s life. The work that is made
by integrity, character, and honest to goodness stick-to-it-iveness—the creativeness
that ought to come out of a person’s personality….</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What are we outrunning? Life itself. Everything important.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I can’t tell you how to stop. I am not sure I can find out
how I can stop; but I am becoming more and more concerned with what I am going
to miss if I don’t learn how to quit outrunning myself.” *</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear God, I thought... (and I meant that phrase both in the sense of sacred prayer and of profane curse...) Dear God, I thought, he wrote that in 1960. (It was actually probably earlier; that's just when the book was published.) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1960, Dr. Marney thought we were outrunning ourselves. Sweet Lord, what would he say about us now?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Requiesce in pace.</i> Rest in peace, I say to my newly deceased friend who gave me her Marney books. But really I say it to us all, Rest in peace. Requiesce. Rest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calisto MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">* </span><span style="font-family: "Calisto MT", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Quotation is from "Outrunning Ourselves," found in <u>Beggars in Velvet</u>, published by Abingdon Press, 1960. I have altered the language in paragraph's 6 and 8 for gender inclusivity, changing "man" to "person." I like to think that Marney would approve of my minor edits.</i></span></span></div>
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Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-35915331664202101552017-08-10T08:20:00.000-07:002017-08-10T08:21:39.261-07:00Who Speaks for God? Some Thoughts on Donald Trump, North Korea, and Preachers<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On Wednesday, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/09/politics/trump-north-korea-latest/index.html">Donald Trump threatened North Korea</a> saying, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #262626;">"</span>North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."</span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #262626; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Before that day was over, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/08/08/god-has-given-trump-authority-to-take-out-kim-jong-un-evangelical-adviser-says/?utm_term=.348614faab86">a megachurch preacher had chimed in</a> to say that, </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #262626; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong Un.”</span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The preacher is Robert Jeffress. He's the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, which has 12,000 members. Jeffress has </span><a href="https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2012/january/the-savior-robert-jeffress-of-first-baptist-dallas/" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">a trail of controversial statements</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. He referred to gay persons as "filthy." He said that Mormonism is a cult. And he compared Donald Trump's plan for a wall between the U.S. and Mexico to the prophet Nehemiah's city wall around Jerusalem.</span><br />
<span style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have friends who go to the First Baptist Church of Dallas. They like it. I have a colleague who has done TV appearances with Jeffress. I've heard he's amiable. He once appeared on "Let's Make a Deal" dressed as a banana. So there's that.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #111111;">In explaining Trump's divine okay to take out Kim Jong Un, Jeffress referred to a chapter in the Book of Romans. (For those of you who don't know much about the Bible, Romans is a letter written in the first century CE by the Christian missionary Paul to an early group of Christian in Rome.) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #111111;">In Chapter 13 of that letter, Paul wrote a paragraph saying that Christians should "</span><span class="text Rom-13-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">be subject to the governing authorities." He indicated that governments are "instituted by God." He also said that </span><span class="text Rom-13-4" id="en-NRSV-28256" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">rulers can "execute wrath on the wrongdoer." From those words, Jeffress infers that Trump can take out North Korea's leader. Jeffress also said "the government" can use "</span><span style="color: #111111;">assassination, capital punishment or evil punishment to quell the actions of evildoers."</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jeffress also pointed out that while Chapter 12 of Romans--which encourages pacifism by saying, "Do not repay evil for evil"--was only for Christians, Chapter 13 was for governments. (Though the text itself never says that.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are so many problems and questions with this mean-spirited, war-mongering language.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">First, if governments or authorities are instituted by God, isn't North Korea's government just as God-approved as the U.S. government? After all, Paul was talking about the Roman Empire which was brutal, so God doesn't come across as very picky. </span><br />
<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Second, how much credence do we give to Paul's writing? In other words attributed to Paul he says women shouldn't braid their hair or wear gold jewelry. Paul urges people not get married. In some places Paul seems to support slavery and in other places he seems opposed to it. Do we follow all of Paul's teachings without question? Does Jeffress? And should 21st century international policy be based on the writings of a 1st century tent-maker?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What about the Bible's contradictions? Okay, maybe Romans 13 can be interpreted the way that Jeffress says. But Romans 12 offers a different view. Jeffress wiggles out of that by saying that Chapter 12 is for the Christians and Chapter 13 is for the governments. But he's making that up. The text itself doesn't say that. That's just his view. And what about the Prophet Isaiah's words about not hurting or killing people? What about beating swords (an presumably nukes) into plowshares? What about the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus says, "Blessed are the peacemakers?"</span><br />
<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jeffress has found a way to excuse those by saying they only apply to limited groups while the bits he likes apply to the United States president. But again, those are his views. And only his views. Sure, he has a congregation of 12,000. And he has the ear of a newspaper reporter. But that doesn't make him right.</span><br />
<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's tempting for me, as a Christian and as a pastor, to say, "Robert Jeffress is a dunder-headed dolt who likes power and violence and doesn't understand the ways of Jesus." And maybe that's correct. But if I say that, then I fall into his trap. While its tempting to speak with certainty for God, I don't know that that's helpful. Or possible.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here's what I think: Understanding the Bible is very hard work. Being a Christian is very hard work. Being a human is hard work.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Bible is collection of dozens of books written by dozens of people over centuries. It not a uniform theological or political how-to manual. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are something like 2 Billion Christians in the world. With differing views on liturgy, the purpose of baptism, the meaning of communion, the nature of Jesus, and more. Not to mention differing views on Paul's writing. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are 7 Billion humans on the planet. We vary on food preferences, eye color, clothing styles, and languages. And politics.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We've got a lot of work to do to figure out how to sort out these differences and how to get along.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So how about this in the meantime? Let's not kill each other. Lets not threaten anybody with fire and fury. Let's not claim that God allows us to "take out" anyone. Let's struggles with all of these differences of religion and politics. And as we struggle, let's live in peace. How about that?</span>Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-72598531408256469682017-05-02T10:03:00.001-07:002017-05-02T13:25:35.369-07:00An Open Letter to My Methodist Friends<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt;">On Friday, April 28, a United Methodist church court announced that <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/methodist-court-ruling-blow-first-openly-lesbian-bishop-n752831?cid=public-rss_20170429">a married lesbian bishop is not a suitable church leader</a>. That same court also ruled that two <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Methodist regions had to ask questions to screen out potential LGBT clergy persons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt;">On Sunday, April 30, at <a href="http://www.westmorelanducc.org/">the church I serve</a>, our closing hymn was, “In the Midst of New Dimensions.” <a href="https://riverviewfriend.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/a-new-hymn-in-the-midst-of-new-dimensions/">That hymn</a> was written in 1985 by a United Methodist minister who was then doing AIDS work, at a time when AIDS was a pandemic, especially among the gay community. The hymn was written for a diversity conference. It is poetic and rousing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our Music Director picked the hymn several days earlier, not knowing what a Methodist court might say. And I doubt many people in our non-Methodist church paid much attention to the Methodist ruling. But as we sang that hymn, and as I thought about the hymn's history, I also looked out over our congregation as they sang. I saw lesbians, gay men, bisexual people, and at least one transgender person. I was (and am) grateful for the gifts they bring to our church and to the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Many of my Methodist friends are worried: Will their denomination splinter? Will people leave the church? Is there room to stay and work for justice? Maybe open-minded </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12pt;">Episcopalians will welcome like-minded Methodists into their fold?</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I don't know what the United Methodist Church will do. As a non-Methodist it's probably not my place to offer opinions. I can say that the <a href="http://www.ucc.org/lgbt_ona">United Church of Christ</a> has been striving for full justice and inclusion for LGBTQ persons since the early 1970s. Our denominational tapestry is vibrant and inclusive. I am grateful for that. My life and my work as a pastor is enriched by being part of our open and affirming church family. I believe that full inclusion of all God’s children is vital work for our church, our nation, and the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here's what I can say to my Methodist friends…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“In the Midst of New Dimensions" is <b><i>your</i></b> hymn. <b><i>Sing it!</i></b> Sing loudly! Sing off-key if needed. Sing it with hope for justice. Sing it in protest. Sing it while holding hands with as many people as you can. If someone wants to tell you how LGBT are unfit for anything, stick you finger in your ears and start to sing. Sing all five verses. Repeat them if needed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here are the words: </span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: italic;">In the midst of new dimensions, in the face of changing ways. W</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">ho will lead the pilgrim peoples wandering in their separate ways?</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: italic;">[Refrain] </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt;">God of rainbow, fiery pillar, leading where the eagles soar, We your people, ours the journey now and ever, now and ever, now and ever more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: italic;">Through the flood of starving people, warring factions and despair, Who will lift the olive branches? Who will light the flame of care?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: italic;">As we stand a world divided by our own self seeking schemes, Grant that we, your global village might envision wider dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: italic;">We are man and we are woman, all persuasions, old and young, Each a gift in your creation, each a love song to be sung.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: italic;">Should the threats of dire predictions cause us to withdraw in pain, May your blazing phoenix spirit, resurrect the church again.</span> </div>
Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-66082237614470106512014-11-05T05:35:00.002-08:002014-11-05T05:35:50.694-08:00When the Noise of an Election is Stilled<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With apologies (actually, with gratitude) to Howard Thurman and to the framers of the Constitution, here is a bit of post-Election Day verse:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>When the speeches of the campaign are
over,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>When TV ads return to hawking Viagra and
dog food,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>When the winners begin measuring the drapes for their new offices,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>When the losers cry a bit and begin
plotting for next time,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>When the election signs blow off into
the trees of vacant lots,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The work of democracy begins:<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(255, 249, 240);"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>To form a more
perfect union, <o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(255, 249, 240);"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>To establish justice,
<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background: rgb(255, 249, 240);">To insure domestic<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>tranquility<span style="background: #FFF9F0;">, <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background: rgb(255, 249, 240);">To provide for the
common<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>defense<span style="background: #FFF9F0;">, <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background: rgb(255, 249, 240);">To promote the
general<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>welfare<span style="background: #FFF9F0;">, <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background: rgb(255, 249, 240);">To secure the blessings
of liberty to ourselves and our<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>posterity.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In case you don't recognize the inspirations for this poem, the first six lines are inspired by Howard Thurman's poem, "When the Song of the Angels is Stilled," which printed below. The last six lines are lifted directly from the Preamble to the United States Constitution.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><i>"When
the Song of the Angels Is Stilled"</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>by Howard Thurman</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When the song of the angels is stilled,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When the star in the sky is gone,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When the kings and the princes are home,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When the shepherds are back with their flocks,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The work of Christmas begins:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">To find the lost,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">To heal the broken,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">To feed the hungry,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">To release the prisoner,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">To rebuild the nations,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">To bring peace among people,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">To make music in the heart.</span></i></span><br />
Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-21105593963144270952014-03-26T18:59:00.001-07:002014-03-26T18:59:35.797-07:00Press Releases from World Vision (It's Humor, People)<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">It seems the World
Vision press office is working over time. Here's what they've sent out
this week:</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">March 24 (5:56 pm): World Vision
President Richard Stearns announced that his organization, one of America's
largest Christian charities, will allow gay Christians in legal
same-sex marriages to be hired as well as gay Christians who follow their
policy of abstinence outside of marriage. World Vision is known for its
global child sponsorship program and says the new gay-is-okay policy is "symbolic
not of compromise but of [Christian] unity."</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">March
26 (5:05 p.m.): World Vision released a
statement confirming it has reversed its decision to allow the hiring of employees
in same-sex marriages: “The board acknowledged it made a mistake and chose to
revert to our longstanding policy requiring sexual abstinence for all single
employees and faithfulness within the Biblical covenant of marriage between one
man and one woman. … We are brokenhearted over the pain and confusion we have
caused many of our friends, who saw this decision as a reversal of our strong
commitment to Biblical authority.”</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">March
26 (5:35 pm): World Vision announces that if a person </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">sponsors a child through its program and then
learns that the child is stubborn and rebellious, the sponsor may encourage
that child’s parents to stone the child. "After all," an
anonymous source said. "It's in the Bible. Deuteronomy 21.
Look it up. That's our authority."</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">March 26 (5:42 pm):
World Vision announces that the company-wide shrimp boil set for Saturday
has been cancelled. "Uh, yeah, that's in the Bible, too, right,"
Stearns is supposed to have asked a press aid.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">March 26 (6:01 pm):
World Vision President Richard Stearns announced the firing of the press
aid mentioned in the previous update. "She had on gold jewelry and fine
clothes. The Bible prohibits that," he said. "And not in some
obscure Old Testament book that we all ignore. It's one of the New
Testament books we ignore."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">March 26 (6:02 p.m.) World Vision announces that if a person sponsors a rebellious child and the child is stoned, the sponsor will receive a full refund. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">March 26 (6:04 pm):
World Vision Board Chairman James Bere announces that all male employees
must immediately stop shaving. "We can't decide whether to brand
this as a 'Movember Year-Round' campaign to really connect with hipster
evangelicals or to stick with our 'It's in the Bible' theme to appeal to the
old school Billy Graham type of evangelical. This is a real quandary for
us."</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">March 26 (6:17 PM):
A disgruntled former World Vision press aid released the following
internal emails between Board Chairman Bere and President Stearns: </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From: Viz Prez </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To: Bored Chair</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bro, you giving up your new car?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From: Bored Chair</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To: Viz Pres</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dude, wtf...What the Ferrari I mean? lol You know I drive ford. What, the ford? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From: Viz Prez</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To: Bored Chair</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">yeah, it's in the Bible. Sell all you have give to the poor. And JESUS said that one. way bigger then shell fish. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">March 26 (9:03 p.m.): World Vision senior staff emerged from their late-night Bible study with the following announcement: "It has come to our attention that some Bible scholars propose that couples Ruth & Naomi and David & Jonathan enjoyed same-sex romantics liaisons. Those same scholars have pointed out that, while the idea of legal same-sex marriage would have been foreign to the writers of the Bible, press releases and child sponsorship programs would have been foreign to the writers of the Bible also."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">March 26 (9:27 p.m.): One anonymous WV staffer announced that he had been deep in prayer when the others exited to make the Jonathan-and-David-were-lovers statement. "After they all left," he said, "I heard God speak. At least it sounded like God. Maybe it was Della Reese. Anyway, God told me that I should have multiple wives like King David. After all, that's hot, er, uh, I mean, that's in the Bible." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">March 26 (9:30 p.m.): The World Vision press office requests that all TV trucks and other media vehicles be moved from the street in the front of the office. That's where the dump truck of stones will be parking later tonight, the press release said.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-64329928640745546452014-03-14T08:53:00.001-07:002014-03-14T08:53:29.232-07:00Why I (Maybe) Broke the Law Last Night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGgrie6NhN5Ok-PPlk2dRLLeXRwMJK9e3VSllGtcVpRq7J22PCaDMzOul9PIv6YRYKGXEhjLCDWRNwl7cUh21ROu_0ptXvHhrbEonQxnhDeXOGnjV9n4FyCh5ajWw0LhDoIfycQ7vv7z9/s1600/Why+shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGgrie6NhN5Ok-PPlk2dRLLeXRwMJK9e3VSllGtcVpRq7J22PCaDMzOul9PIv6YRYKGXEhjLCDWRNwl7cUh21ROu_0ptXvHhrbEonQxnhDeXOGnjV9n4FyCh5ajWw0LhDoIfycQ7vv7z9/s1600/Why+shoes.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last night, under cover of darkness, I broke the law. Well, I don't really know if it was illegal or not. But it's fun to think it might be.*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Along with other members of Westmoreland Church, we set dozens of pairs of shoes on Westmoreland Circle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Westmoreland Circle is one of the prominent traffic circles in Northwest DC. The church I serve sits across from the circle. Thousands of people each day make their way around the circle as they bustle to work, to school, to shop, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The shoes we set up are a reminder of people. Specifically, the shoes are a reminder of the average of 289 people who are shot each day in this country. 289! Each day! Shot! Staggering. Troubling. Sad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This weekend is National Anti-Gun Violence Sabbath Weekend. The shoe display on the circle is our way of taking part in that weekend. The shoes remind us that 289 people may start the day walking to work, hopping on a bus, grabbing a bite to eat. And they are shot. The shoes are a reminder that these injuries, accidents and -- tragically -- deaths - are not statistics. These are people, whose lives are forever changed, lessened, or lost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Westmoreland Circle is a beautiful, leafy plot of land that feels more like a New England town green or a Southern courthouse square than it does a traffic roundabout in a big city. Northwest DC and nearby Bethesda are safe, comfortable, well-healed areas of our nation's capital.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Drivers just started seeing the shoes a few hours ago as they began their morning commute. I've already received a couple of emails from passersby applauding the display. No doubt we will get some complaints before the weekend is over.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">People may find raggedy old shoes on the curb of a pretty circle to be surprising or unseemly. (Or as I said, even illegal). They're right. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is surprising and unseemly to see empty shoes sitting on the side of the road. It is far more shocking and disturbing that an average of 289
people are shot each day in this country. The images of Columbine and
Newtown and the Navy Yard are far more upsetting than a display of shoes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was glad to break the law. Or at least show down the traffic a bit. I hope these shoes on the circle remind us of the tragic deaths due to gun violence. I hope the empty shoes remind us of the people who no longer wear them. I hope the shoes on the circle spur us
to actions that make our communities and our nation safer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>*Maybe putting these shoes on the circle violated some anti-littering laws. But if you're worried -- fear not! we're taking the display down on Sunday evening. And we're donating any suitable shoes to a clothing center.</i></span></div>
Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-75039272730255858832013-12-13T15:44:00.001-08:002013-12-13T15:44:38.756-08:00Stop Gun Violence. Now.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I grew up in a family of hunters and farmers in Texas. I understand guns. I even appreciate guns. The venison we ate in my childhood home was healthier than store-bought meat. The memories I have of sitting around the campfire at the end of a day of hunting are irreplaceable. I learned gun safety and the value of life. To kill a creature is a serious matter. My father taught me to shoot with precision because life is important and not to be taken lightly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Beyond hunting, a gun can be an important farm tool to protect baby chicks from snakes, to keep coyotes from foraging on newborn calves, even to end Old Bossie's life rather than to see her suffer her way to cow heaven.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I get guns. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, another school shooting took place. It seems that a student in Littleton, Colorado, used a gun to injure two other students then kill himself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Friends, we have a gun problem. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes, I know all about the Second Amendment. And I don't give a damn what Wayne LaPierre says. (By the way, he makes $970,000 a year. And the NRA rakes in $220 Million a year. I don't think they're in the business for Constitutional rights. I think they're in it for money.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since the Newtown shooting a year ago, there has been a school shooting once every two weeks. We have a gun problem. They're too easy to get, too easy to use wrongly, and in the hands of the wrong people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think that every person in this country who wants to own a gun should have to undergo a background check and be required to take a lengthy and thorough gun safety course. Even if they're buying the gun from a friend, at a gun show or online. If we require potential barbers to be trained, take lengthy courses and have licenses we should ask the same of potential gun owners.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Will this kind of regulation stop criminals of owning guns? Not all of them. Maybe some. But the shooters at Newtown and in Colorado and Virginia Tech weren't street thugs. That's a different issue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Drug-related gang violence, mental heath care, and a culture of violence are problems too. Huge, systemic problems. Addressing those is a must. But that will take time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At the same time, background checks, education, waiting periods and licenses for gun owners make very good sense. Now.</span>Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-25622799442832178792013-12-03T07:42:00.000-08:002013-12-03T07:42:18.406-08:00Vandals at the Church House!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpv7_lMoguiGc4TC4dtfSYTshnZxDVk1hQy7M-ICyJMuODTHBv0Ks9ZK7s5h6r73krs9dUBiQLqB00DnKvZB9evo5xpvB462VE4ZIx9RfojxW6neNFVSgSHHZh7rZOdchFEZ9ZiYE0Xok/s1600/smile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpv7_lMoguiGc4TC4dtfSYTshnZxDVk1hQy7M-ICyJMuODTHBv0Ks9ZK7s5h6r73krs9dUBiQLqB00DnKvZB9evo5xpvB462VE4ZIx9RfojxW6neNFVSgSHHZh7rZOdchFEZ9ZiYE0Xok/s200/smile.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Yesterday, vandals attacked the church where I work. Brazenly! Boldly! In broad daylight! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Sometime between the hours of 9 am and 6 pm, an unknown person (or persons), defaced personal property! </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Without
shame! Without fear! These wanton trouble-makers placed sticky notes on car windows in the church parking lot. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Those
illegally-stuck sticky notes had phrases written on them such as, "Smile, you're amazing," and "You are beautiful," and "Your eyes shine brighter then the sun." </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shocking! Such
cheer and good news! Right here in Bethesda! Just steps from our
nation's 'dysfunctional' capital! </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 18pt;">And we all know Washington is about being right, not about being kind. Clearly these interlopers know not whom they compliment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And in the weeks leading up to Christmas! </span></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Who
can imagine such bold joy-spreading? Clearly, these vandals have no
sense of the season. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18pt;">Christmas is about knocking people down in a Wal-Mart, isn't it? Not random jocularity!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18pt;">What's more, these sticky notes aren't even truthful! "Brighter than the sun"?Really. Such scientific falsities being spread with inaccurate abandon!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18pt;">And let's not mention the waste! Imagine what productive uses these sticky notes could be put to if they weren't squandered on such happiness and glee.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18pt;">So, be warned, blithe vandals, we're watching you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 18pt;">And, if the world is lucky, others might follow your example!</span></div>
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Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294015463663966184.post-22224157262425564042013-12-02T11:24:00.002-08:002013-12-02T11:24:53.926-08:00Joy to the World, a State Department Spy and HomelessnessPeople call church offices all the time seeking help. Sometimes they tell the truth. Sometimes they concoct elaborate stories. They always have a need, even if it's not the need they describe. As a social worker friend of mine says, No one goes begging unless they've got some kind of trouble.<br />
<br />
Today we got one of those calls in the church office where I work. A woman says she needs $85.00 or she will be evicted. She's talking fast and full of extraneous details. She has a diabetic four year old and a job that starts next week. She just needs some help or they'll be on the streets. "Do you have a lease," I ask. The reply is long, but the answer is no. Can she come by and get the money?<br />
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"How about if I talk to your landlady," I ask. "Okay," she says, and gives me a name, a phone number, and the address of her leased home. But she can't quite spell the landlady's name, which sounds made-up. <br />
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"I'll call the landlady and call you back," I say. "No, you can't call me," she says. "I'm using a borrowed phone."<br />
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I call the landlady. Voicemail. And the name on the recording is not the elaborate, made-up sounding name. I think about ignoring the whole matter. But for some reason, I wait a few minutes and call again. The "landlady" answers. And yes, the quotation marks are real in my head.<br />
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The landlady corroborates the story in excruciating detail. The address offered readily, the diabetic child. But the amount owed is different. Uh-oh.<br />
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Then the woman adds some more details. She works in a top secret role for the State Department, she says, that's why she has this French-sounding name. And if I ever call her again, she may not be able to answer because of reasons she's not at liberty to discuss.<br />
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I explain that I don't want anyone to be homeless and that our church might be able to send her a check if she can wait until later in the week. That would work, she says. A miracle, I think. Eviction avoided, all because of some promise from an unknown pastor. Am I good or what?<br />
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She gives me an address for mailing the check. Street and number, followed by a suite number. She repeats the suite number several times. "Got it," I say. We hang up, and I crank up the Google.<br />
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Here's what I learn. The made-up sounding name of the landlady doesn't pop up at all. I guess her State Department work is very top-secret. I googled the address of the home where the tenant lives. The tax records say it belongs to someone else, not to Ms. Top Secret Funny Name. I googled the address to which I am supposed to mail the check. It's a budget motel across town. The repeated suite number is just a room number in a shady joint.<br />
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I sigh, then chuckle.<br />
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The whole story makes me laugh, or maybe I want to cry. The made-up name, the State Department cover (only in Washington!), the repeated "suite" number, the aching need that would cause someone to call a church and create such an elaborate tale.<br />
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I don't really want to mail a check, but I probably will. This woman has a need, a big need. And for whatever reason, she couldn't quite tell me about it truthfully.<br />
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Jesus, in a couple of places that folks remembered to write down, said, "Give to anyone who asks of you." Life would be easier, I suppose, if I had never heard those words.<br />
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But I imagine these two women opening a letter later this week with a check for $85.00. They'll probably think they hoodwinked some do-gooder preacher. I hope they laugh. The world needs more joy.Tim Tutthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08084146608094782303noreply@blogger.com1