mountain muse musings

Getting ready for All Saints! Taste and See...

2011-11-03T08:39:00.004-06:00

This is one of my favorite Sundays (yes, yes, I know it is really November 1, but we are moving it to Sunday). On All Saints I always think about the people I have known who have supported me on my spiritual journey. I am grateful for the richness these people have added to my life.

I doubt that most of the people I will be thinking of have any idea of the effect they have had on my life.

I remember a fellow once, who was considering answering the call to be a permanent deacon. He finally decided to decline the call because, as he put it, he was not "good" enough. Why he even admitted to losing his temper and swearing on occasion. I had a chance to tell him that he was being called as a deacon, not as a "saint." But even that implication is erroneous. On this All Saints Day, I am reminded that we are all saints in God's eyes - and that doesn't imply any kind of perfection. God loves us, imperfections and all. We have lots to be thankful for on this All Saints Sunday. And we also have a reminder, which is - that we, too, have a duty to share the love of God with others, including the next generation, as well as those who have no idea that God even exists.

I am focusing on the physical evidence all around us that God is real and acting in this world every day through others. The physical experience we have of God can be tasted in the very soul! This is nothing new, BTW, read Psalm 34 if you need more proof.

Mountain Chickadees

2011-11-03T07:36:00.001-06:00


Acrylic 9x12

This painting is my latest "bird" painting. Actually I painted one of a broad tailed hummingbird, which is sold. I took a picture of it, but the problem was that I deleted it from my camera before remembering to download it.

The person who bought the hummingbird painting has it hanging in her bathroom. I am not sure what that says about her impression of the quality of that painting, but it was a small (5X7) painting on hardboard and framed in a gold colored metal frame. She said her bathroom was newly decorated and that is where she thought it should hang. Okay, I would say the painting has a good home.

This one of the chickadees is currently hanging at the Fireside Cafe and will be there along with a group of other paintings by members of The Art Center for about two months.

I am not sure why I keep painting birds, I guess I just think they are cool. I do like to paint other things, but seems to me I paint more birds than anything else. Anyway, if you come across this blog, I hope you enjoy this one!

Paintings

2011-10-10T09:40:00.001-06:00

Here are three paintings - I have made a business decision and am going to start adding my artwork to this blog so that you can see what I am doing and what work I might have available. This first one is an experiment to try to figure out what I need to do to to get this to look the way I want to. I see there is an option for "labels" but not sure how this works. So here goes...If you should happen by and see this your comments would be welcome. The first one here with the Blue Heron is called "Fishin' at Crow Creek". It is an 8x10 acrylic on stretched canvas. This one is $45.00
The next one is called "Cheyenne Morning" and is an acrylic on canvas, framed under glass and is $150.
The third one is "Early September on Spring Meadow Lake" and is 6x8 acrylic on MDF board. It already has a home, so is not for sale.

Caution! Life's twists and turns ahead!

2011-07-26T19:53:00.002-06:00

This is a photo I took at Tiberias (Sea of Gallilee) this past January. Not reading Hebrew, I am not sure exactly what this sign says, but I can imagine. Maybe...no swimming...or no fishing...or no sleeping on the job!

I have just retired from state government and a job that was all consuming. Now I am freshly moved to a new place...not working at a job, not fishing, not swimming...but I am busy unpacking, learning new streets, memorizing my new phone number... Whew!

And I am enjoying it for the most part. I miss my friends and the hustle and bustle of the working life, but knowing me, it won't be long before I have similar things happening in my life here. I know one thing for sure - I am sleeping like a baby at night and not eating so many antacids!

However, I do not see me resigned to sitting on a signpost watching for fisherman or swimmers. Oh, no - not me. I have it on good authority that soon I'll be diving with the best of them!

Montana is a beautiful place. My kids and grandkids live here. My husband and I are breaking in a new house and spending lots of time working on the watering system (we pump H2O out of the creek in front of the house).

I don't know if anyone will ever read this - maybe not; but, that's okay.

I have a feeling a little bird will be watching.

I'm b-a-a-ck

2011-07-24T17:16:00.002-06:00

Wow! I haven't been around for a while. I have spent so much time today trying to update my user settings that I think I'll call it a day.

As some of you who may stumble across this blog can see, I have moved and have also retired from state government. So maybe I'll have some interesting things to say about politicians once in a while now, too.

Stay tuned...

Thinking of Sean in July

2009-07-26T13:45:00.003-06:00

My son, Sean, turned 40 this summer. And it has also been 40 years since Neil Armstrong took one small step onto the moon. I remember having a brand new baby at home, who was just a few weeks old, I was on maternity leave, and watched the television coverage of that momentous event.

Although, it is the moon walk (with apologies to Michael J.) that everyone remembers - beginning my mother-son relationship with Sean was much more important!

My husband and I visited Sean and his family this year. It was a good visit. We celebrated his birthday milestone while we were there. They live in the home state of his wife, Illinois, now - and although Sean misses Wyoming, he has made a good life there. Sean and Bridget have two handsome, healthy sons. The oldest is 13 and the youngest is 11.

Most years I have visited them, and a couple of times they have been here. My greatest regret is that we couldn't all live in closer proximity. But that isn't the hand we've been dealt so we play the game with the cards we've got.

I know there are times when Sean has felt like he has been left out - or that maybe I don't care as much for him as I do the other children. But what he doesn't know is that is not an option. I am his mother. Nothing will ever change that. In his next forty years, maybe he will grow to understand some of the lessons I have tried to teach him. And maybe he will come to trust and know that loving him is what I have always done and always will do. He is worth it - even though I have sensed that he doesn't always believe it.

I remember when I turned 40 - and I remember thinking about how quickly I seemed to have arrived at that age. When I doubled the figure "40", the resulting number "80" seemed daunting that, for the first time, I began to realize that my brief time here would be over all too soon.

My own father is now 87. He still lives in his own house and is pretty independent, although he has declined physically and has some memory lapses now and then. My sister has arranged to have some folks look in on him weekly. Dad and Mom chose to live in Fredericksburg, Virginia, which is a lovely town, but unfortunately none of their children live there. Mom died nearly ten years ago, and Dad has lived alone ever since. So we are trying to keep tabs on his condition and what he needs by long distance.

I suppose the experience with Dad is what is making me determined to retire closer to my children. But that won't be Illinois; for me it will likely be somewhere in Montana. My husband and I have a total of four children in Helena. And Montana is not so different really from Wyoming, really.

But I truly love Wyoming and have lived here longer than any place else ever in my life - so I have mixed feelings right now. Regardless of where I ultimately retire (Wyoming or Montana) though, I fully expect to spend the rest of my life being a mother to my son and spending a portion of my time visiting him in Illinois.

"My child, keep your father's commandment, and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

Bind them upon your heart always; time them around your neck.

When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you."

Proverbs 6:20-22, NRSV

Promises...promises

2008-12-21T18:31:00.003-07:00

This is the Sunday that I think of promises. Canticle 15, The Song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55) reminds me that life is full of the unexpected. Life is not predictable. I wonder what sort of child Mary dreamed of having when she first learned she was pregnant... I don't doubt for a minute that she believed amazing things were in store for this wonderous being growing inside her.

But sometimes when the rubber hits the road, dreams can take a backseat to reality. The possibilities we imagined for those we love begin to take on an illusory quality.

Sure, I know she loved him. But was he a bit of a disappointment, too?

After all, at age 30 or therabouts, he pretty much gave up a respectable, steady trade that had been passed down to him by his father, Joseph, and became an itinerant preacher. Did Mary ever wish he would just find a nice girl and settle down?

When the child, Jesus, was going through the terrible twos, did the promises of the annunciation seem like some kind of twisted joke? Did she ever wonder about her own sanity or question her memory of the events of that long ago day?

Life is a wondrous thing, for sure...but life for mere humans is not without its disappointments, frustrations, and hurts. As a human, Mary experienced life pretty much as all the rest of us do.

And when its all said and done, I think I look around at my own life and know that is the promise of possibilities that make life fascinating, exciting and well worth the living. Painting a picture never quite turns out the way you think its going to when you start out. Sometimes that very knowledge can make one hesitate to pick up a brush.

I am reminded on this 4th Sunday in Advent of Mary's strenth and faith. And despite her mere humanity, she was the bearer of the greatest promise the world has ever known.

Haven't posted in a while

2008-12-19T05:53:00.003-07:00

Not that there hasn't been a lot happening...there HAS! Including...a bunionectomy (what a difference that has made) and a major move from the Big Horn Basin to Cheyenne this past fall.

We're getting ready to take a trip to Helena, Montana to spend a few days with our kids for Christmas.

Beginning in January, I will be sharing Eucharist with a small church in Glendo, Wyoming, once a month. I am looking forward to doing that and getting to know those people in that community.

Life is good. We'll see if I can get back on track with this blog...

Black socks and warm puppies

2008-01-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

If I didn't love my daughter and she didn't love this man, Justin, I would never have agreed to knit him a pair of black socks! If you haven't ever tried it, take it from me, black yarn is horrendous - principally because you can't see the stitch details. I would guess most things knit with black yarn are either knit on a machine or knit by a hand knitter with better (read that, younger) eyes than mine. Ah well, they're done, and I didn't drop a single stitch (or at least I didn't see one, LOL) - I counted stitches on the needles religiously to keep track of 'em. Here ya' go, Justin. I hope these fit your feet and keep those puppies warm in this subzero weather we're having!

Fishing for Fishermen

2008-01-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

I just wrote the following article and submitted it to our weekly paper for publication. The paper has a tradition of publishing a religion column. Articles are written by a number of local ministers. Hope you enjoy this one.

The lesson of Matthew 4:12-23 marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and was the Gospel lesson for January 27th, the third Sunday of the Epiphany. Epiphany is a season in the church year that celebrates the light of God in the world manifested in Christ Jesus.

One of the important parts of this lesson revolves around the calling of four fishermen to be Jesus' disciples. Actually this story involves a bit of a twist here, for you see this isn’t the usual way people hooked up with a teacher in those days. Usually teachers had followers who sought them out. But Jesus wasn’t well known at the time – so maybe that’s why he decided to seek his own disciples. On the other hand, we also know Jesus didn’t do a lot of things according to the norm.

I am endlessly fascinated by the calling of the fishermen…Andrew, Peter, James and John. Fishing was probably the major industry of the villages clustered around the Sea of Galilee. We often tend to think of fishing as a way of getting out of work. But in reality – for people who fish for a living, it’s hard, dirty, and dangerous work. These were hard working men.

Funny isn’t it, how Jesus does not seem to be bothered by the state these fishermen were probably in…by their grimy fingernails, their wet, dirty, and smelly clothing? He didn’t seem particularly worried about their qualifications or their social status. There’s no indication that he insisted they clean up or fill out a job application before becoming his disciples.

Besides the being fishermen, though, we really don’t know much about them. But that is hardly surprising, really. Because none of that matters. For, you see, Jesus calls people just as they are, from wherever they happen to be at the moment of their encounter with him. This has a lot of implications for us who seek to follow Christ today. I remember hearing someone say once that he didn’t think he would make a very good deacon because he wasn’t a good enough person to be chosen. He felt he needed to wait until such a time as he could become a “better person” before embarking on a path that could lead to ordination.

Remember folks, Jesus was the one who walked on water…he doesn’t expect us to do that. He called a bunch of ragtag fishermen to follow him… and so it seems, he calls you and he calls me, along with all of our imperfections.

God's epiphanies seem to find their way into people’s lives at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected places. Jesus didn’t wait for Paul to change his life or get things in order before calling him. And it is the same for us today. Frankly, I think that’s pretty good news.

Keep on truckin'

2008-01-19T04:07:00.000-07:00

Recently in a small town in Wyoming near my home, a group of entrepreneurs decided to apply for a grant to build an ethanol plant. Last year I noticed that many farmers in the area had switched from growing sugar beets and seed alfalfa, to corn. I imagine the corn crop made a tidy profit for the farmers who grew it last summer.
Not that we haven't had some corn here before - typically we have a number of farmers growing feed corn and housewives and hobby gardeners growing sweet corn. We have a pretty good growing season and lots of heat -- but water is precious, and corn takes a lot of it. So there will always be a limit to what can be raised in the Big Horn Basin given current technologies.
This new corn crop brought more money, not as silage for livestock, but as a raw material to produce ethanol. I believe the corn produced here was mostly sold and shipped somewhere else.
Now that the new ethanol plant is built, and standing idle, some are wondering where all of the corn will come from to make the plant profitable. It will have to be bought and brought in by truck or rail I would imagine. It sounds like an expensive proposition to me. I'm sure the original planners were thinking corn was cheap and could be turned around to biofuel and turn a tidy profit.
But in the meantime, corn prices get higher and so does anything that depends on that particular raw material for food--like livestock and human beings.
Now I read about people who cannot afford cooking oil and people who are rioting because they cannot buy enough food -- because the oil is being sold to convert to diesel fuel and grains are being converted to ethanol.
So, I wonder... when our government thinks the only way to keep friends in the Middle East is to sell them weapons so they'll keep selling us one hundred dollar a barrel oil...are we to just grin and bear it? Are we just to be grateful that at least at this point we don't have anyone rioting over the price of food in this country? Do we really think our actions have no effect on what is happening to the food supply costs and the ultimate price the poor must pay in other places in the world?
Does any of this even matter?

A warmer, toastier life

2007-12-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

I like the long dark nights and short days of this time of year. I like the promise of a brighter day ahead that I know is inevitable...just as I know the promise of Advent is a sure thing, too.

This time of year my house is colder - because it's colder outside, and I keep the heat turned down. I have a cozy old house that requires some creativity to keep it as draft free and easy to heat as possible. I have plastic on the insides of all the north and northwest windows. Plus, I have window blankets hung over all of the curtains. I have the wells for the basement windows stuffed with large trash bags full of crumpled newspaper. I wear silk longies under my 'jamies and pad around the house in my handknit wool socks. In short, I'm as snug as a bug in a rug. All the while I am able to keep the thermostat set at 65 degrees. It's handy for the pocket book, but it is also my contribution to using less out of respect for those who have less. And it is my small contribution toward helping to preserve God's creation.

I am also buying fewer consumer goods, buying more sustainable foods, and spending more time doing creative things (like knitting those socks!) than passively watching TV or using other electronics. Last year I switched to all fluorescent lights.

What are you doing differently this year?

What's in a name? - ask Gillian

2007-12-02T05:07:00.000-07:00

Let's see if I've got this right. A school teacher named Gillian Gibbons who was working in Sudan allowed her students to pick a name for their Teddy bear. They picked Mohammed. And now there are people in the country who are calling for her execution? Heck, I remember when I was a kid living in Iran, one of my friends had a dog named Mohammed - or "Mo" for short. I bet no one living in that part of the world today would dare give that name to a dog. My how things have changed!

I understand, on the one hand, that many of the people who are caught up in this may not be very well educated. But a mob changes the dynamics of reason, and members doing irrational things or inciting unreasonable action can be anybody. Education has nothing to do with it.

In most parts of the civilized world we got over burning heretics at the stake about 400 years ago. I'm not sure exactly why we stopped, but at some level, someone in authority looked at this and said, "Enough, already!"

I guess the reason we don't understand this is we are so far beyond this level of thinking and behaving that we tend to assume everyone else is, too. Just like we agreed with the Jews after the Holocaust, "Never again." But in looking around the world today, I would say it could happen again...in a heartbeat.

Sometimes it feels like we are in the minority in this fight. I don't know about that. But I do know that this kind of stuff scares the hell out of me.

I hope and pray they can get this school teacher out of Sudan.

14 years of sharing

2007-11-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Thanksgiving Day) was a wonderful day in our little town of 1200. We prepared and shared a meal for all who had no one else to eat with. We have been doing this long enough now, it is becoming a tradition. I look forward to preparing and sharing a meal and fellowship with a number of people who have been coming every year since we began doing this, in addition to the new faces that we see every year.

We always have plenty of leftovers and everyone takes home a plate to have at supper or maybe enough for the next few days. This year we cooked three turkeys which means there were three carcasses to use for soup. Those were snatched up, too.

Thirty-five souls came to dinner yesterday. This is the most ever! I am grateful for the Lord's help in doing this work and in blessing me with these many friends. I can't think of another place I would rather be on this special day.

Bishop Tutu has a few words for the Anglican Communion

2007-11-18T04:21:00.000-07:00

Archbishop Desmond Tutu is going to broadcast on the BBC this Tuesday, and he will speak about his concerns for the homophopic attitude of the worldwide Anglican Communion. He not only chides the church in general, but the Archbishop of Canterbury in particular, for allowing this to happen. Read coverage of Archbishop Tutu's interview here.

Happenings in Ft. Worth

2007-11-09T05:28:00.000-07:00

It seems that things are finally coming to a head in Ft. Worth. Toward the end of the posting in the Episcopal Majority blog, I see that Episcopalians who do not agree with the lead Jack Iker has taken have made themselves heard. This reminds me of the my concern expressed in my previous post about Pittsburgh Epsicopalians who do not want to leave TEC. The presiding bishop has put the moves on Ft. Worth! The faithful have not been abandoned by the national church after all. Read the latest here: The Episcopal Majority: Bishop Iker on Notice

Pittsburgh: what now?

2007-11-05T05:04:00.000-07:00

The vote this week in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh was 227 to 82 to “realign” the diocese. In order for this decision to be final, there will be another vote next year. If it passes at that time, the people will decide what other Anglican province to align themselves with.

With all the hooplah about the majority in this vote, I am left with the question: what is to become of the 82 and the people they represent? I would say their diocese is leaving them one of two alternatives: either join with the majority or fend for themselves. All of the attention tends to be focused on the very vocal folks who make up the conservative group determined to leave the Episcopal Church. Well, they aren't exactly leaving. After all, they are comfortable in their churchly "digs" and do not intend to walk away from the buildings and property that belong to the Episcopal Church. A legal battle is sure to ensue. And, frankly, my guess is without the possibility of keeping the property, the vote would be different.

They identify with those houses of worship that many of them have been attending most, if not all, of their lives. That goes for the 82, too. So what about them? Are they on their own now? Where do they worship? Isn't that important?

I would say that it would be tough to swallow the message of secessionism that is likely to be built into the majority of sermon topics and coffee hour soliloquies in Pittsburgh over the next year. I am not certain I could stomach that inevitable refrain while waiting a whole year to see if things would be different. So, what will the national church do for these people - now?

The artificial feast: what price salvation?

2007-10-24T05:24:00.000-06:00

Suckling is one of the first indicators with newly born humans and other mammals that things are going pretty well. Eating is a fundamental human activity. It is associated with wonderful memories, but can be corrupted, as well.
I hate those photos of starving children. As a mother, nourishing others is part of who I am. I cannot imagine not feeding someone who needs to be fed.

Well, maybe that's not really true.

I remember seeing a lady in a nursing home once who had been tube fed by means of a naso-gastric tube for more than four years. She had this huge tube taped to her nose and a large crusty scab that had formed around the tube and was visible despite the tape. Everywhere she went (which was to a few places as possible) staff had to transport this upright stand that held her liquid nourishment for all the world to see.

This was business as usual for the professionals in her life and all of the people around her. The woman herself, though not comatose, did not talk or do anything but lie in bed with her eyes closed (or open if you spoke to her) all day and all night while the liquid nutrition drip, drip, dripped down the tube.

I was apalled and fortunately was in a postition to do something about it. I talked to the woman about another kind of tube. This would be a small tube inserted into her abdomen directly into her stomach. The tube could be accessed intermittently and her stomach could be used more normally. That is, nutrition would be introduced into the stomach, and when the predetemined quantity was delivered, the tube would be capped off, and the woman could go about the business of living. The woman stared intently at me while I explained this possibility; I knew she was willing to try.

My argument was not that her physical needs weren't being met, but that her human dignity was being ignored. Her quality of life was impaired for the convenience of the medical profession. It was pretty apparent to me that the woman was not filled with a real interest in living. She had been reduced to feeling less than human. Her self-worth had been seriously compromised.

This particular story had a happy ending. When I went back a couple of months later the lady was socializing with others, enjoying visitors again, and reading the newspaper. No more IV stand following her everywhere she went. The scab was gone. She felt human again. We spoke at length, and I felt very satisfied that this had been the right thing to do for this person.

Since then, living wills have become more common. In reviewing many of them, I see that many people say they don't want artificial feeding methods used should they ever become incapacitated and such treatment becomes a possibility. I can understand why. My living will says the same thing.

So imagine my surprise when I saw in The Christian Century this week news that the Vatican declared last month that it would be morally wrong to remove feeding tubes from people who are in a permanent vegetative state (shades of the Terri Shiavo case). I am still reeling and will have more to say on this topic later. Stay tuned.

My gal Rocky

2007-10-17T06:13:00.000-06:00

"You must have rocks in your head!"

I think I've heard that phrase more than once as I was growing up. Well, in my grandaughter's case, it was true. She is a first grader who showed up at home one afternoon about two weeks ago and proudly announced to her mother that she had rocks in her ears. Sure enough, upon examination, the physician saw small pea size gravel stuffed in each ear. At first Lexi said one of her friends put the rocks in there. But when she evaluated her mother's reaction to that news, she changed her story and said she had done it.

The physician was able to extract a total of three of the little buggers before deciding that the ears were becoming too swollen and the procedure was too uncomfortable to continue.

S0 phase II consisted of a series of ear drops in an attempt to soothe the ear canals and decrease the swelling. That helped, and after about a week the physician decided to try and vaccuum the remaining pebbles out of the ears. But that was a no go. The rocks were wedged right up against the ear drums and there was no way they could be sucked past the narrow part of the ear canal.

Finally this past Monday they knocked little Lexi out and went in there with some glorified tweezers and grabbed 'em. Finally, after two weeks, we had the all clear. Her uncle had taken to calling her "Rocky" throughout this ordeal. But now its over. We aren't quite sure why she did it...but she was threatened that if she did it again she wouldn't be able to have an allowance because all of the money would have to go to doctor bills! I think that made an impression. Plus, like most folks, intense scruitiny by members of the medical community is not a lot of fun when it is all said and done.

Her mom is going to take the rocks to the local glass blower and have a paperweight made.

I am grateful

2007-10-05T19:43:00.000-06:00

Five things I am thankful for...

I am grateful for my husband, my children, and my grandchildren
I am grateful for my Dad and my Mom (Mom died in 1999)...but I have a lifetime of very special memories of her. I am also thankful for their mothers and fathers and their brothers and sisters. I am grateful for my cousins, and I regret not knowing them better.
I am grateful for the special horses, dogs, cats, and birds that I have known and loved. I am happy to have Eddie, Hootie, Maddie, Ray and PJ in my life now.
I am grateful for the people I know through my work. I am grateful for all of the people I have known throughout my working life.
I am grateful for flowers, pine trees, bumble bees, and the first wet snow of the season that melts on my tongue.

My list could go on and on, but I'll stick to these 5 (although I fudged by adding more than one to each bullet).

Stewardship, grandma, and the bottom line

2007-09-24T18:58:00.000-06:00

I saw an article in the NY Times the other day that said residents of nursing homes that are owned by big corporations are not necessarily as well off as those in mom and pop type facilities. Well, imagine that!?

I remember seeing a paper written a number of years ago by a dieititian for her Master's thesis. In her research she learned that residents in smaller facilities were happier and felt they had a higher quality of life than residents in large facilities.

The problem with the big corporations is that regardless of what they pay lip service to, they really would not be in the business if there was not a significant amount of money to be made. Of course, more money can be made by short cutting and either barely meeting the minimum requirements for care and services or cutting corners wherever they can get away with it.

So what does that mean for a person who is a resident of one of these places? Check out the NY Times article...check out the CMS Nursing Home Compare website. Think about what it means to manage a business successfully...

Your mom or dad, grandma or grandpa become "commodities" in these places we call nursing homes. They are "objects" that need to be transported to certain places at certain times. They are things in need of managing. And that managing takes resources. Over use of resources can lead to problems with the balance sheet. Successful corporations know that drill all too well.

The lessons from Luke this past Sunday talked about stewardship. When it is all said and done, I think whether one is a wise steward, a shrewd steward, or even an unjust steward, we can't ignore this business of long term care.

Holy Cross Day

2007-09-14T22:04:00.000-06:00

Oh, today is the anniversary of my ordination. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Choose life

2007-09-14T06:24:00.000-06:00

I like the idea of choices. In the health care industry the right to make informed choices is protected by law and enforced by people like me who do what I do for a living in the secular world.

However, as a priest (where I make my spiritual living) the idea of choice is also important to me.

In this season of Pentecost I find myself constantly reflecting on the choices I make or have made in my life. Last week I preached on the book of Deuteronomy, the Epistle to Philemon, and the Gospel of Luke. But what I really did was seek the theme that ran through all and the theme that spoke to my heart was choice.

Moses says when it is all said and done folks, all that will really matter about your life will be the choices you made while you were here.
“Choose life," he encourages, “Choose life…”

But that choice will not be easy…we know that…Because what Moses is alluding to is a life of obedience to God…

Next we come to Paul who made a choice on the road to Damascus that not only changed his life forever – but changed mine and yours, too. Talk about the significance of choice! At this point he writes to Philemon that he is “…an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.” See, Paul never stops making choices, does he?

It seems that he has come upon the slave Onesimus who had run away from the house of Philemon. And he has probably converted him and now has convinced him to do the right thing, so to speak, and go back to his master, Philemon.

So Onesimus has faced a number of options and has made his choices, as well. He has accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior, and he is going back home to a secular life of slavery or maybe, worse. The punishment for any captured runaway slave in those days was inevitably death.

In his letter, Paul is pleading for Philemon to accept Onesimus back into his household as a brother in Christ. Give him another chance. As a changed person, Onesimus is worthy of your forgiveness, Philemon. So this lesson is about choices, too. Onesimus has made his choices…and is definitely looking at taking the hard road back.

But Philemon will have some choices to make, too. Who will have the harder road?

Actually, for my money, I would say Philemon has the more difficult choice to make. After all, there are probably more people out there seeking forgiveness and acceptance than there are people willing to grant those things. We all tend to think we're a lot more lovable and worthy than others think we are. Forgiving others...that’s a harder road…a narrower gate. Jesus knew it was. That's why he emphasized it so much.

Now on to Luke.

"Look at this crowd!" thinks Jesus. Do they have any idea what this is really all about? What I am trying to tell and show them here? Probably not. This is no dog and pony show, folks. This is serious business. This is a commitment that will be so radically different from anything you have ever done that it is downright scary.

Just as a for instance, how would you feel about leaving your family and never looking back? You wouldn’t like it, would you? Jesus knew true Christians would be ostracized by leaders of the community, the synagogue, and even by their own families.

“This is a commitment that is so radically different from anything you have ever done that it is scary,” he tells them.

“Count the costs and then see if you still want to follow me,” he says, “If you’re going to be part of this I want you to know what you’re getting into.”

Regardless of where life takes you, and the choices you make, the best news any one of us will ever get is right here in the Gospel. Know that, above all else. Go with God, my friends. Amen.

Questions without answers

2007-08-21T21:00:00.000-06:00

Mark 11:27-12:12 (NRSV)
Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, 'By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?' Jesus said to them, 'I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.' They argued with one another, 'If we say, "From heaven," he will say, "Why then did you not believe him?" But shall we say, "Of human origin"?' -they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So they answered Jesus, 'We do not know.' And Jesus said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.'
Then he began to speak to them in parables. 'A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, "They will respect my son." But those tenants said to one another, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours." So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 0Have you not read this scripture:
"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes"?'
When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.

Ah, dilemma, what a mysterious woman you are…
Look to God for the answers we seek.
Patience…patience…

I have always wanted to know how the story will end. I guess I mean my story. Sometimes I think I focus so much on trying to figure out just what the future will bring that I miss out on the wonderful things going on all around me in the here and now. When I read these verses from Mark, it seems to me, that this might be a universal human frailty. I think it was John Lennon who said something like, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” We sure seem to waste a lot of time worrying or dreaming about answers to questions that probably really don’t really matter. One minute we're planning what we're going to do on our next vacation...and the next we are dividing assets or making funeral arrangements. You know the drill. I think that's why I don't dwell too much on how the current controversy in the Episcopal Church will end. I've got too many folks to hug right now, thank you very much. Hmmm…

Ah well, the Word of the Lord!
Thanks be to God!

News from London...

2007-07-22T08:05:00.000-06:00

The Global South coalition of Anglican Primates met in London this past week and has called for an emergency primates meeting to determine the fate of The Episcopal Church. I think they can more appropriately determine the direction or fate of the so-called Anglican Communion, but TEC is pretty much not under the thumb of the Global South Anglican Primates.

It sounds like the steering committee has jumped on the Archbishop of Canterbury for deigning to accept an invitation to attend a portion of TEC’s Fall House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans this fall. And they are also threatening to boycott Lambeth 2008.

Seems to me if you can’t talk to one another you don’t have much going for you, anyway. It also seems to me that if everyone has to be in lockstep to be in this communion, it will be more like an exclusive club than a community of believers.
I already know which side TEC will come down on. And it sounds to me like the Global South no longer wants conversation, unless they’re doing all of it.

I do think the Abishop has got a sticky wicket there, wot?!

Signals from north of the Medicine Line

2007-06-22T05:08:00.000-06:00

Well today's the day...in Winnipeg the Canadians are going to elect a new archbishop. And, wonder of wonder, a woman, The Rt. Rev. Victoria Matthews, is the fav.

She is considered a little too conservative for many liberals, but that is exactly what is attracting the potential conservative vote, who do not typically go for a woman in the pulpit.

Many are watching this election with interest today. I guess by sunset we'll know if it is going to be a new day for Anglicans in Canada...and if Miss Vickie will be out shopping for something in [aramanth] red.

A commentary on the RCC's Ten Commandments for Drivers

2007-06-20T05:32:00.000-06:00

You shall not kill. Your car is a weapon. You have an ethical and moral responsibility to handle it like a loaded gun.
The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm. No reading, playing Sudoku, changing clothes, or running too many sidebars at once. Pay attention to the road, for God’s sake. Now there’s a novel idea.
Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events. Do not flip off the driver who just cut you off. Do not accelerate from 60 mph to 80 mph so that the guy next to you can’t get around you.
Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents. If you witness, or are the first to come upon, an accident, you need to stop and render aid. This is not optional.
Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin. It’s been a long time since I thought of a car as a great place for the occasional sin…okay, okay…I know that isn’t exactly how it reads, but that’s what it says to me. I get the power part. But, trust me the only time my car feels powerful on I-80 when surrounded by semi trucks is when we hit a long incline and they can’t even keep it at 40, man!
Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so. I see this as: hide the car keys, play dumb, and keep you mouth shut about their physical demeanor and mental capacity.
Support the families of accident victims. Prayer is good, a phone call is better, a warm body (i.e., your physical presence) is best of all.
Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness. Ah, the sweet smell of reconciliation…or just offer to accompany your friend to court.
On the road, protect the more vulnerable party. I am not sure what this means – unless it is – not to try to scare the hell out of pedestrians and cyclists at crosswalks.
Feel responsible towards others. But this does not include picking up hitchhikers or giving money to the guy standing at the on-ramp who holds up a sign saying he’s homeless or will work for food (yeah, right…).

Pie, pie, pie...

2007-06-19T05:24:00.002-06:00

You know there is nothing quite like homemade pie...whatever your favorite kind is (mine is apple)...

Pie is that quintessential thing that defines American cuisine. You can't beat the Germans for sauerbraten and Riesling, the French for fois gras and Chardonnay, and the Italians for prosciutto and Chianti...but we don't have to.

We've got pie.

There's a little cafe in Pinedale, Wyoming, that used to make the best homemade pie - and maybe they still do; I haven't been there for a few years. One of their best sellers was a peanut butter pie (now nothing could be more American than that! right?). When I was having lunch there one day I heard from the waitress that a fisherman from the Midwest someplace, who came to Pinedale every year to do a little fly fishing, had called ahead and told them he was coming and to make that peanut butter pie. So they had done it and had a few pieces left. Naturally, I tried a piece...and it was indeed better than peanut butter ever thought of being. It was like peanut butter in a silk dress. Pretty cool.

There is a place called the Driftwood Cafe in Cheyenne that also makes their pies from scratch. Now keep in mind this means not just the filling, but also the crust. A good way to tell? Check out the pie pan. In this case there were two pies in glass pie plates sitting under a pie net (keeps the flies off 'em - which is important this time of year). They had apple crumb and peach. The waitress said the peach was to die for. I didn't try any, but two of my tablemates did and they agreed...it was fabulous and the crust was the best ever. And when it comes to pie, any connoisseur or pie maker knows...the devil is in the crust. But if you can get past that, it almost doesn't matter what you fill it with.

So, today I read that there is a place in Winnett, Montana, called the Kozy Korner Cafe where they make homemade pies that fishermen call and reserve ahead by the piece. (Notice: pie is by the piece, not by the slice.) You can even order a whole pie for ten bucks, but you will need to bring the pan back (washed or not, doesn't matter). You can read the article, courtesy of the Billings Gazette, here. Sounds like I need to slip on up to Winnett sometime soon.

The interview: it's all about selling yourself, right?

2007-06-14T05:18:00.000-06:00

I had a real odd experience the other day...After interviewing a registered nurse for a possible position in our agency, she asked to speak privately with me for a few minutes. She began by asking me a couple of questions. The first was, "Do you know what glyconutrients are?"

I assumed she was asking for her own edification, since I am a Registered Dietitian in the secular world. I responded that it sounded like some sort of carbohydrate supplement.

Her next question was then more to the point. "Have you ever heard of a product called Mannatech?" Oh, I get it! My brain was in a whirl; I think this person may be trying to sell me something...could this really be happening? And, in fact it was. A few more minutes of conversation revealed some "Doctor" was coming to Cheyenne to talk about the wonders of this product. And I could go for free to hear all about the miracles. (Although she reminded me, the "rest of us, have to pay.")

She told me she had experienced a miracle cure for her arthritis...could it be she found me a likely prospect when I got up from the table where we were sitting and took a few gimpy steps as the old knee warmed into action?

I'm not sure. But what I do know is there is no scientific evidence for the claims she was making and no scientific evidence for this product. It is a multi-level marketing company that will wind up making a few people at the top of the pyramid rich while the rest will probably wind up being stuck with expensive product to unload when they run out of relatives and friends to coerce into buying the stuff. If you want to know more about how multi-level marketing works, click on this link.

Oh, and by the way...she didn't get the job.

Women in Culture

2007-06-06T18:56:00.000-06:00

Tonight I feel like musing about 1 Kings 17:8-16 – the OT reading for this Sunday.

The word of the LORD came to Elijah, saying, "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you." So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink." As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth." She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.

This reading reminds me that women had it rough in Biblical times. They had the responsibility of nurturing families and rearing the next generation, but they were also considered 2nd class citizens. This meant that regardless of what needed to be done first and foremost in her own life, a woman was subject to the will of men in the society.

Elijah didn’t really think twice about following the commandment of the Lord and asking a destitute woman, whom he encountered as she searched for fuel in the desert country, to get him a drink of water, and then go and bake him some bread and deliver it to him. When she attempted to diplomatically plead her case, Elijah said. “Don’t worry about it, just take care of me first, and then you can make something for you and your son. "Trust me," he says…in so many words.

I can just imagine how tired she was…and how thirsty and hungry she probably was, too. And she was undoubtedly worried at that point about her son, who needed nourishment – and, as we learn later, was undoubtedly having some health issues. But nevertheless, she followed Elijah’s direction, not because she thought she was doing something to find favor with the Lord, but more likely because of the cultural ramifications of saying no.

Of course as we learn at the end of this passage and in the optional verses that I did not reprint here, that the widow and her son were ultimately rewarded for her obedience.

I can't help but wonder, though, what kind of rewards there are for women today who are living in situations where they are literally 2nd class citizens because of societal norms or other personal pressures. In this reading from Kings, all of the players appear to wind up living happily ever after. But in the real world, life has a way of happening. I don’t think most people have a happily ever after kind of existence.

As for women in today’s world, gender-based violence and persecution persist, particularly in patriarchal societies. When it comes right down to it, women have had to pay a tremendous price just to survive in this world.

We Episcopalian bloggers spend a lot of time discussing and arguing about what is going to happen at New Orleans or Lambeth, and I guess those outcomes will be important at some level.

But for me, personally, I think focusing on eliminating extreme poverty in the United States and around the world is a more important place to be - and has the potential to be a great start to nourishing and empowering the disenfranchised in society, especially women and children.

National Hunger Awareness Day

2007-06-05T06:04:00.000-06:00

Today, June 5, is National Hunger Awareness Day. For more information visit this site. School is out or nearly out all across the U.S. For many kids, that means the end of breakfast and maybe even lunch - the National Food Bank can be a "loaves and fishes" kind of place for people in our country who don't have enough to eat. Unfortunately a great source of food donations, the manufacturing/processing industry, which used to give all of their mislabeled or production error foods to the National Food Bank, is drying up. They have gotten more efficient over the years and incorporated better technology into their manufacturing processes and don't have the same kinds or rates of errors as in the past. This is particularly true for wholesome foods like bread, cheese, meat and eggs.

The errors and overruns now are more likely to occur with the production of new or seasonal items, most of which are highly processed and less nutritious.

This is a great time of year for considering alternatives to highly processed foods, including soda, chips, and candy - which for some populations are becoming the new food "staples." Support local suppliers such as producers of sustainable foods. Shop at the farmer's markets, support farmer's markets in low income neighborhoods or, better yet, plant your own garden or support a community garden effort. Get a little dirt under your fingernails this spring! How 'bout it?

Coal: a burning problem

2007-06-04T06:22:00.000-06:00

AP ran a story today that I saw in the Billings Gazette that talks about the coal industry in Wyoming and the effect that burning this type of fuel has on the build up of greenhouse gases:

“Each ton of coal burned emits more than two tons of carbon dioxide, the prime contributor to global warming. Environmentalists and some policymakers are calling for the country to wean itself from coal by investing in wind, biofuels and other energies and levying new taxes on carbon emissions. In the interim, they want mandates for cleaner power plants.”

Naturally West Virginia’s Senator Nick Rahall, and Wyoming’s Senator, Craig Thomas, have a special interest in pushing legislation that will keep those big shovels digging and gouging out the black stuff. In Wyoming, coal is loaded on railroad cars and heads south, where it eventually is distributed to fuel power plants with low sulfur coal. You can read the article here.

The thinking is that coal could be converted to liquid fuel that would provide an alternative to oil. The idea is that the carbon would be recaptured (or at least most of it would be) during the conversion process, and stored. Stored for what?

I think if we can extract the carbon, why not try to reuse it and manufacture some kind of fuel with it? The carbon could be continually removed before the CO2 would be released, resulting in oxygen being the main element released into the atmosphere as a byproduct of the manufacturing process. I am sure this would not be cheap to do.

But I keep thinking about some of the alternatives. Increasing the price of grain so that people can’t afford to buy it, but that allows us to have ethanol to use as an alternative fuel isn’t the best solution. Sorry to all you corn farmers who thought this might be your gravy train, at last…

More and more wind turbines dotting the skyline doesn’t strike me as reasonable either.

I like solar; I like nuclear; and I could probably like coal a little better without the "C."

Pipe dream? Maybe.

Rest easy, brother Jim

2007-06-03T21:53:00.000-06:00

I just heard that Jim Kelsey was killed in an automobile crash today (Sunday, June 3). Jim was the Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Michigan and very active in spreading the word about how shared ministry worked in his neck of the woods. I worked with him at the Living Stones meetings that I attended on four different occasions. I found him to be approachable, very laid back, and he had a great sense of humor.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori (who also attended Livings Stones as Bishop of Nevada) has issued the following statement, "The Episcopal Church has today lost one of its bright lights. We will be less without the easy grace of Bishop James Kelsey -- Jim to most of us -- and we shall miss his humor, insight, and passion for the ministry of all. He gave us much. We pray for the repose of his soul, and for his family. We pray also for the Diocese of Northern Michigan. All of us have lost a friend. May he rest in peace and rise in glory."

Trinity Sunday sermon start

2007-06-02T18:20:00.000-06:00

I like that quote by John Wesley: -"Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will show you a man that can comprehend the triune God!"

I didn't really ever think it was a complicated concept until I began to notice preachers through the years as they tried to explain what "trinity" means in terms of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

One of the most charming attempts was the demonstration by a priest of exactly how a single banana can be split along its length into three sections.

I never actually thought the banana was the way the trinity really was or is...I don't think there are boundaries that encapsulate each entity. Instead I think it is all smushed into one and cannot be divided into three distinct parts no matter how good one's holy intentions are...

There is no rational explaination - the trinity just is. The "how" is simply beyond our ken. But the "why" is a different matter ...and is very understandable. I will develop a springboard for a Trinity sermon using that angle, me thinks.

Comments from a perpetual dreamer...

2007-06-01T07:07:00.000-06:00

1. Think back to the time you left High School, what were your hopes, visions, and dreams for your life/ for the world?

I finished high school many years ago – on the one hand it seems like eons ago and on the other hand it seems like only yesterday. I know that my expectations and hopes were all linked to the people in my life – especially my peers. I hoped that those relationships would go on pretty much as they always had. But on the other hand, I knew it wasn’t very likely because I graduated from a military dependents’ high school in Germany and afterwards we were all pretty much shipped to different places we called “home.” I did see some of the people later – including my parents – but I found the relationships had changed forever. I, and they…had all moved on… new relationships…new experiences…

I think it is okay to hold on to memories, though, and I do revisit them from time to time in my mind and smile at who I was then…

2. Have those hopes visions and dreams changed a lot, or are some of them still alive and kicking? (share one if you can).

I used to think it was important to know how things would all turn out. I constantly tried to visualize the future. I was so sure about how the story of my life would play out, that I was devastated and immobilized when my first husband announced out of the blue one night that he was having an affair and was leaving forever…wait a MINUTE! That wasn’t supposed to be the ending…

Nowadays, I find my hopes, visions, and dreams are linked to family, mostly…and my hopes for others. I am very comfortable in my own skin and in my place in life and have a better understanding about what is important to me than I did way back then. The spiritual side of me is much stronger now – and a certain kind of confidence comes from that.

But I hope and dream for my children. I can’t really visualize their futures and don’t try to take it that far. But I have hopes for them, nonetheless.

3. Hebrews 11:1 " Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. " Comforting, challenging or frustrating?

Comforting, I think. I don’t need all of the answers any more

4. If resources were unlimited, and you had free reign to pursue a vision what would it be?

I guess I have come full circle… imagine that. It would be about good, loving “relationships.” But this time they would be relationships “in the moment” that are free to move, grow, and blossom. No demands...no attempts at scripting outcomes.

5. Finally with summer upon us- and not to make this too heavy- share your dream holiday....where, when and who with...

Me and my husband… right now – in the dampness of late springtime, hunting for morel mushrooms in western Montana amongst the glacier lilies.

The Millers amongst us

2007-05-31T05:49:00.000-06:00

Well the annual spring rite has begun...the Millers are here! the Millers are here! I am speaking of course of the migration of Miller moths that begins nearly every spring long about May and lasts for a few weeks.

The little dusty buggers seem to pop out from every nook and cranny in the house. This weekend my husband caught them and turned them outdoors. I can't do that, so my solution is to swat, smash, or ignore them and hope they'll soon go away.

I think these are cutworm moths - and I know they don't seem to bother anything in the house...except me! When they burst out of nowhere with their whirring wings - it feels like my heart stops! But that is only momentary, and when I realize what just happened, all systems are go again.

I hear these moths are a favorite food of famished bears that have just emerged from their winter dens and are seeking calories wherever they can find them. Now, I am not so sure I would welcome the bear solution to the Miller invasion. So, guess I will just be patient a little longer. They will be gone soon enough.

In the meantime, I will be greatful Spring has finally arrived and hum a few bars of "All things bright and beautiful..."

All things bright and beautiful

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful:

The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colors,

He made their tiny wings...

Healing ain't happening yet in Ft. Worth

2007-05-19T05:53:00.000-06:00

I find it interesting that those folks in Ft. Worth, under the guidance of their Bishop (Iker), who are mad at TEC can’t just walk away. It seems like that would be the reasonable thing to do. Why have a need to hang on to church property? Duh...If this is really about leaving…seems pretty simple to me…just go. And don’t let the doorknob hit you in your proverbial holy hiney on the way out.

Katie Sherrod has blogged that the intent of the Ft. Worth Diocese is to have the entire “Diocese” disappear. But as Katie puts it: “…a diocese can’t leave TEC. Individuals can leave. Dioceses can’t leave. Plus, Texas is one of those states where laws “defer” to hierarchical structures of churches in regard to property, and TEC is nothing if not hierarchical.”

So it seems now that since the law won’t let them have all of the church property they want, they are re-visiting the alternative primatial oversight idea. Except they don’t want to do it Bp. Katharine’s way, ‘cause she’s a girl. And they darn sure don’t want to report to her or anyone who reports to her – So the latest word I hear is that the Diocese of Ft. Worth may go along with this primatial oversight business so long as the male (left unsaid, but pretty obvious) bishop reports to another male bishop and not ultimately to her. In the interest of keeping folks at the table my guess is SHE is undoubtedly giving this serious consideration.

So what do I really think of all this? I think it is an obvious one-sided power struggle. Bp. Katharine is not struggling for power – she has no need; power is inherent in the position she holds. She has nothing to prove. Ah, and there's the rub, right captain? ...so the struggler is Jack Iker.

I really think in light of his influence on the other people he has led to this point, it is important to Iker that there be winners and losers here – and in his case, he needs desperately to be a winner. I mean, the man has a rep to live up to, after all. He has undoubtedly convinced his followers that there is a right way and a wrong way to do church or be Christian.

Puts me in mind of Jesus' experience at Beth-zatha with the old man who had lain around the healing pool for 38 years waiting for someone else to put him in the water or let him go first so he could be healed. Jesus basically told him, if you want to be made well, forget plan A. What you need is something different. And that starts with a new perspective. And for starters, how about you just stand up and walk for heaven's sake.

Where the joy is

2007-04-20T18:11:00.000-06:00

My granddaughter, Lexi, is five years old. She looks a wee bit like her old granny I have to say. She has brought real joy to my life. And she has a way of reminding little ole' workaholic me that maybe I need to be able to say, "No," more often, in order to make time for the important things in my life. She is the rose that I need to spend more time savoring.

My dog, Eddie, is a long coated chihuahua, who thinks the sun rises and sets on me. Imagine! And he is my personal trainer. I think if it were not for him I would sit more than I should...walk less. He is a wonderful companion and a living, breathing antidepressant.

I took up knitting after my Mom died. She tried to teach me when I was a youngster but I didn't have the patience for it, I guess. Mom was very good at it. I recall her sitting on a sofa in the evenings when she was a young woman with yarn and bobbins and needles, knitting my Dad wonderful argyle socks. Maybe I took up knitting to remind me of her...to get to know her a little better...whatever, I was determined...and actually I am pretty good at it myself now. Although I haven't tried knitting argyle socks, my favorite projects are socks. I keep thinking I want to knit a pair for my Dad - I think he would enjoy a freshly knitted pair. Its been many years since someone (read that: Mom) knitted him a pair of socks.

I love Robert Service poems. And other poems, too. And who was the person in my life who fostered that love of poetry in my life? My Dad. I find poetry to be incredibly comforting and healing. People like dangerous Dan McGrew and the lady named Lou will always live in my imagination. By golly, I can just picture that Malamute Saloon...and hear the lilt in my Father's voice as he shared adventures in rhyme with me.

Wyoming...coming home where there are lots of wide open spaces, independent thinkers, wildlife wherever you look, and few people to spoil it all...
I do a lot of traveling and see lots of beautiful places...but there is something special about hopping on that little puddle jumper in Denver and heading north. In 10 minutes the landscape is totally different - rugged with lots of browns and tans, grey greens and Indian reds. Blue sky and whisps of clouds they call mare's tails...Big hats and cowboy boots...pick up trucks and cow dogs...a good place to recharge your batteries...

If the tooth be told...

2007-04-15T06:31:00.000-06:00

I have always been a regular dental patron. This was one of the things that my mother instilled in me from a very early age. I have had some awful experiences though. When I lived in Africa (about ages 9 and 10) I seemed to have a lot of cavities so I visited the dentist often to have fillings. Unfortunately there was some kind of shortage of Novocaine, so all the work was done without it.
Just a few years ago I visited a dentist who was doing some work in my mouth when he decided to call his wife on his cell phone. My mouth dropped open, literally, when he began to talk about how much he loved her, etc. I couldn't get out of that chair fast enough...and even though the work he did was not done right (I am nearly an expert, having spent so much time in the dental chair...) I found another dentist - who is great BTW! - and I have never been back.

I had one impacted wisdom tooth when I was in my early 20's and that one was extracted. I have another one that just sits in my jaw and has never offered the slightest problem. I have an upper one floating around in the hinterland of my skull that was captured on x ray once. And the fourth one (also an upper) has never been sighted - maybe it doesn't exist.

You know I love to eat popcorn - although I guess it's not as bad for your teeth (unless you eat one of those kernels and crack a tooth) as it is for your gums. Those little hulls get up in your gum line.

To the question 'Ever had oral surgery?" I say, "Is the Pope Catholic?"

"I'd rather have a root canal than "die" (I think...I dunno, maybe not.); I just had one three weeks ago (my 4th or 5th one) and for the first time ever I wound up with an infection in the bone of my jaw afterwards. I have never been so miserable in my life. It took about 10 days of antibiotics and Vicodin and ibuprofen around the clock to get back to a semblance of living.

My dentist has never talked to me about chewing gum, but I must admit I love sugarless gum. Can't imagine why he would object, though, unless it was pulling my fillings out or my crowns off.

...all creatures great and small

2007-04-15T06:11:00.000-06:00

I read an article today that struck a chord with me. It seems that there is some move in our (Rocky Mountain) area for the small rancher to try to find a niche market for beef cattle in order to complete with feedlot operators.

One of the comments by someone quoted in the article indicated this so-called "natural" beef is raised without antibiotics that cattle need in order to adjust to eating huge amounts of corn.

I really don't think corn is the problem, though...I think it is crowding and living and eating in their own waste.

My husband worked in a feedlot once and his clothes stunk so bad when he got home that I made him change before he got past the mud room. We have been around cattle for most of our adult lives and have never experienced such filth except in the feedlot situation. He spent most of his days horseback looking for and doctoring sick cattle. He was busy all day long.

And while I'm at it, I have a comment or two to make about hog operations and battery chicken farms...I think anything we raise for our own use should be treated with respect and dignity.

These creatures are a gift from God, but it seems like we treat them like inanimate objects with no feelings or natural needs of their own to be summarily culled and disposed of when they are no longer capable of making us a buck.

5 things I like...that he doesn't

2007-03-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I like salmon and my husband can't stand it!
He also tells me that some of that "phoney cheese" I eat is also a biggie...he likes mild yellow type cheeses...as for me, I like 'em with zest and snap.
Arugula...he thinks it's awful...I think its delightful. I tell him someday his tastebuds will grow up...
I like true crime novels and thriller mysteries...he likes books about war and books with a military plot. I also like books like "The Kite Runner" and he likes "Seals!" (a book about Navy Seals).
I like to fish with a bell on my pole, a book in my lap, and a beach blanket to lie on in the sun...he loves ice fishing...sitting around on overturned 5-gallon buckets with his buddies telling lies and eating Vienna sausages.

International Women's Day: I just wanna celebrate!

2007-03-09T05:28:00.000-07:00

Ah its a wonderful day to be a woman...w.o.m.a.n. as that sprite of a gal, Melinda Doolittle, reminded us this past week on Idol.

But Ruth Gledhill of the London Times has a different perspective on the joys of womanhood on this wonderful International Women's Day and reminds that we can celebrate the true glory of being a woman in Saudi Arabia, for one...

For it seems that a woman was kidnapped, gang raped, and then sentenced to 90 lashes for her trouble (actually for meeting up with a fellah who was not related to her). The rapists got some jail time out of the deal, and I guess we can be grateful she didn't lose her head (maybe that's progress).

The UN has a website for Ending Imputnity for Violence against Women and Girls. Ah, now there's a thought worthy of mulling over on this special day of recognition for women. According to the posting at the UN site for International Women's Day:

"Violence against women is rightly termed the most common but least punished crime in the world. A recent World Health Organization study found that 23 to 49 per cent of women suffered violence at the hands of their intimate partners in most of the 71 countries surveyed. UNICEF has reported that 130 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation. According to the United Nations Population Fund, 5,000 women die every year in “honour” killings
perpetrated by family members. And it is estimated that less than 5 per cent of rape prosecutions lead to convictions globally, partly because the majority of cases place emphasis on the conduct of the woman and not on that of the perpetrator."
How d'ya like them apples?

Wrestling for answers

2007-02-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

There are two sides – or more – to consider in reflecting the issues that face TEC and the Anglican Communion at this time. And I know that it is important to go beyond mere hearing and to really listen to what others are telling us. I am one who believes if everyone is in agreement, there is really not much point in meeting.

Disagreement is healthy, I think. It is important that we stretch our own intellectual limits in order to grow. Disagreement allows that to happen. Maybe there really is no right or wrong solution to the troubles that threaten to divide us. Many people with many different ideas on what a solution should look like have a stake in the outcome. However, perhaps I have wanted the church to go about solving this problem in a way that is not really going to work at all. After all, being right or being wrong does little more that create winners and losers.

I don’t believe this issue of community should be about that, although some have made it so. We liberals think we’re pretty hot stuff – after all we have the answers, don’t we? Well maybe we have the answers for ourselves - but do we have the answers for others who see things differently?

The more I wrestle with this in my own mind, the more grateful I am for a wise, thoughtful PB. The more I struggle with making sense of this issue, the more futile it seems. I have come to the realization that this is not my dilemma to resolve…my job is to pray. And I think I’d best be about it. Maybe I'll read the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel again while I am at it...

Half a rainbow?

2007-02-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

I liked NY Times’ Laurie Goodstein’s take on the situation that exists in the Episcopal Church post Tanzania. She says the Episcopal Church in the United States has evolved over the years “into the Rainbow Coalition of Christianity.”

“There are hip-hop Masses, American Indian rituals to install a new presiding bishop and legions of gay and straight priests who don the rainbow stoles of gay liberation. Its pews are full of Roman Catholics and Christians from other traditions attracted by its aura of radical acceptance.”

But now it seems the worldwide conservative Anglican majority is demanding that TEC “reel in the rainbow if it wants to remain a part of the Communion.”

I don’t know what the national church will wind up doing of course, but I personally think acceptance of all persons is more than merely important…I think it is critical. If a church can’t do that, what’s the point? I am not interested in justification of any misconceptions or prejudices I may harbor. I am not interested in supporting an organization that makes it okay to discriminate against those who might be different from me.

As an example, personally I have always been suspicious of the motives behind the depictions of a blond, blue-eyed, fair-skinned Jesus held up to all as the ideal, loving shepherd...the savior of the world. And let’s face it, God is hardly the old white guy in the sky.

I just can’t embrace less than full acceptance of others, including gays, lesbians and transgendered persons, regardless of what others think…regardless of where the church goes.

Anglican Primates meeting commentary

2007-02-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent for the London Times, often appears to slant her columns against the U.S. Episcopal Church. This morning she has reported that our Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has been elected by her colleagues in the Americas region to the “all-important policy-making Standing Committee.” How could this possibly happen, especially given that Jefferts Schori seems to be a political lightening rod within the Anglican Communion at this time?

Gledhill intimates that it probably comes down to money when it is all said and done. After all says Gledhill, “…the Anglican Communion Office depends on funds from TEC. Balancing the books without TEC would not be possible.” However, Gledhill goes on to say, “It is equally likely that Rowan Williams respects her, and that many of the Primates wanted to make a particular gesture of support after the opposition that has been expressed to her.” It is also true that the U.S. church has considerable respect from other Anglican primates in this part of the world.

That principal opposition was provided by Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola and about 6 of his followers who refused to partake of the Holy Eucharist this past Friday as a protest against the presence of Jefferts Schori. Akinola also did not attend Sunday’s service due to an “injured back.” (Yeah, right…) So that left 6 who would not share the Eucharist on that day.

I have been reading about the possible outcome of this meeting in Tanzania in the news and the blogs off and on for months now and despite all of the attempts to project the outcome of this meeting, it seems to me something has happened there that no one predicted.

We humans are funny, you know, regardless of the lip service we pay to believing that God has a role in all of this…when it comes right down to it we act like whatever comes to pass depends solely on the human element.

I bet God’s got a smile on…

Some comments on the Sermon on the Plain

2007-02-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth...
...I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

---- Robert Frost

Jesus, too, was a fellow traveler who definately took a different path...and Jesus, as he so often did, confounded the popular wisdom of his day. The Lord looked to the kind of people who we tend to feel sorry for...you know, the poor, the hungry, those who mourn. But these he tells us are the lucky ones - the blessed.

What Jesus had was a marvelous ability to know just how the journey would end. He could clearly see what was beyond our limited vision at the fork in the road. And what he was saying then and what he is saying to us now is this:

People who seemingly have it all have no real reason to search for the Kingdom of Heaven or to seek a relationship with God. They tend to see their good fortune as a result of their own doing. But Jesus says their lives will ultimately be impoverished because their spiritual side will remain unfulfilled. I can't really tell you how many times I have heard stories about the circumstances that have led people to turn their lives over to Christ, to return to the church, or take up their own cross...but I can tell you I never heard anyone say it was a result of all the good things that have happened in their lives or a full bank account.

Jesus wasn't glamorizing poverty, but he knew that people who were in want or full of despair and unhappiness were more likely to be those who sought a relationship with the Almighty.

The prophet Jeremiah tells us that those who trust in the Lord are like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. Through the readings we have heard, we're challenged today to take a look at where we are planted. We are invited to be planted in Christ, close to the streams of God's living water.

So an important lesson of the Sermon on the Plain I think is about God's assurance to us that despite all the disappointments, failures, and tragedies we experience in our own lives, we can truly return again and again to the safety of God's faithful wellspring. We can meet God wherever we are because he is continually seeking to find us and have a relationship with us. When we are ready, his nourishing water will be there, waiting. Thanks be to God!

words, words, words

2007-02-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I love words. An important part of my day job is editing reports written by others. It is something I truly enjoy. Weird? Maybe...but Dick Cavett likes wordsmithing, too. In fact, he wrote a great article that appeared this week in the NY Times. It is about that great linguist, "W," and I could hardly stop laughing long enough to post a link to it HERE.

A little bit of credit helps the medicine go down...

2007-01-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

New York Times Columnist Bob Herbert wrote a blurb today in his column about how more and more Americans faced with daunting healthcare diagnoses and treatment needs are whipping out the already overloaded credit card to foot the bill. Maxed out cards with exorbitant interest rates are sometimes the only thing that seemingly stands between a patient and a premature trip to the great beyond.

Herbert makes a good case for the need for healthcare reform, a topic near and dear to my heart. This country is becoming one where the haves can have everything and more and more of the rest of us can sit back and watch them having all the fun in the great B movie of life… sort of like watching Annette and Frankie frolic on a two dimensional beach during a endless celluloid summer.

In Wyoming this time of the year I have a front row seat in the legislature, watching our citizen legislators wrestle with the fine points of convoluted bills that often don’t even need to be written – while all along ignoring the big issues – like healthcare for our residents.

Herbert points out in his article that, with increasing co-payments and deductibles, even people with insurance often cannot afford necessary care for major medical problems without reaching for a credit card.

The Vicar of Dibley

2007-01-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching the 3 seasons of this BBC comedy on DVD. I understand there are some specials available, too, but I don't know if they are on DVD. I have to say, though, what a refreshing, funny show!

I have known many characters like those portrayed in the program. I got a big kick out of the parish council meetings, which we call Vestry meetings. The head of the council had supposedly been on the committee for 35 years. As a former Senior Warden, I can vouch for how easily that could happen.

Anyway, I got my DVDs from Netflix, and I highly recommend this program if you want some great entertainment and good comedy. I wouldn't mind having a party with some of my "churchy" friends and watch one or two outstanding episodes as part of the fun.

The show even has its own website; click here to go there and read more.

What's in a name?

2007-01-05T05:55:00.001-07:00

43:1 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

I am Jean, named for my Aunt Bobbie Jean who was my mother’s beloved, youngest sister. I was the oldest child for my mother, Patty, and my father, Walter. I think they wanted a boy, but they got me, instead. And I know they loved me from the moment they saw me. I was dutifully “christened” in the Episcopal tradition, that was new to my Quaker mom, but familiar to my dad, who remains today at age 86, a life-long Episcopalian.

I have two children of my own. I remember agonizing over what their names would be. Sean and Chloe...Names have to be just right.

Today I think of and send prayers for another mother, who is in mourning in Texas. I don’t know her name, but God does. And I know from the beauty of the name she chose that it was important to her, too, that the name be just right for her beloved son, Darrent. May God be with the Williams family. Amen.

Pray for rain

2007-01-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

This is what 0.33 inch of moisture looks like in Wyoming! Let 'er buck! Yeehaw!!

A farewell to President Ford

2006-12-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Click here to read the very touching comments and prayer of the Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane, Bishop of Washington, for former President Gerald Ford.

Christmas goodies

2006-12-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

1. My Favorite cookie/candy/baked good without which, it's just not Christmas: Frosted sugar cookies, cut in Christmas shapes...preferably made with my granddaughter
2. Our fancy dinner is always on Christmas Day...and it will be in Helena Montana this year with our grown children, their significant others, and one five year old granddaughter there.
3. We are eggnog lovers in this family...with a touch of brandy for good measure. Keeps my tootsies warm...
4. I can't imagine a candy cane that doesn't taste like peppermint. Our candy canes all go on Christmas tree branches. Kids (or anyone else for that matter) can eat them if they want. I may have a small piece or two - but I am not a real fan of eating or sucking on candy canes.
5. I have never had figgy pudding, but I have had steamed plum pudding with hard sauce (my New Englander grandma used to always fix that). It was wonderful, but I haven't tried making it myself. Don't quite know how I would steam it. Anyone have any ideas?
And I am appalled myself that you forgot...I come down on the side of those who adore fruitcake. I make my own and drench them in brandy, too. ....Okay, so maybe it's the brandy I like. I dunno...

Have a merry and blessed Christmas!

Fun with incense

2006-12-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Incense is burned in a thurible which in turn is carried by a thurifer.
Lots of Episcopal churches will fire up their thuribles on Christmas eve. I personally love a little incense with my litugy...Episcopalian and bonne vivante Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (1902-1968) is reported to have quipped as the thurifer passed by, "Love your dress, darling, but your purse is on fire."

The Remnant

2006-12-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I have been kinda wondering if the decision to leave the Episcopal Church by a number of groups in Virginia and elsewhere was made unanimously by the members or if these were decisions made by a simple majority in each place. And if there were some who wanted to stay, what will become of them? From the Episcopal News Service, here's a story about what has happened in at least one of the churches. Reading this story reminds me of the struggles we sometimes face in small churches in Wyoming - and the people who make survival not only possible, but wonderful. If this story doesn't warm the cockles of your ole' ticker, I just don't know what will....

making music

2006-12-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

Wondering about antiphons? Check this out and have a joyful listen.
Blessings of the season!

KJS on NPR

2006-12-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church was interviewed on NPR last night. It is an interesting and insightful glimpse into her character and spirituality. Listen to it here.

Comments on the fall of an Episcopal parish

2006-12-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, December 14, the Falls Church News-Press ran an editorial that about the intent of the Falls Church Episcopal Church which intends to announce its departure from the greater body of the Episcopal Church, today. You can read the editorial here. The author of this editorial says a number of things that ring true to my way of thinking. And says a number of things I have been struggling with in my mind…for instance, in this day and age, knowing what we know politically, scientifically, and spiritually, how can anyone say it is okay to marginalize a specific group of individuals just because they are “different?”

From my earliest childhood of learning about Biblical times it was apparent to me that the stories I was hearing were stories shared by people trying to understand who they were and where they came from. They had much less factual information upon which to base their beliefs…but they had their stories…and stories are important, because they help us to know who we are and what kinds of things are important to us.

But that’s no excuse to operate that way in the here and now. Yes the stories are still important – and they speak to profound truths and understanding…not the least of which is the truth that there have always been things that we are afraid of…like people who are different from us.

But that was then and this is now. I want to quote one paragraph from the editorial – and then I hope you’ll read it for yourself and think on the truths in this “story.”

“Rather than affirming a generosity of spirit and Good Samaritan compassion that can embrace and nurture a complex and multi-faceted humanity, in this case, the leaders of the Falls Church Episcopal have chosen to stand against the civil authority of the U.S. Constitution that promises equal rights for all, just as happened in all those pulpits that, in the past, denounced what they called the “un-Godly” acts of freeing slaves, ending segregation, or more recently, ending prohibitions on interracial marriage. Church folk experience such hate, emotionally, as a burning righteous indignation.”

Personally, I am not interested in being part of any organization that espouses ignorance as truth. I consider myself a very spiritual Christian person. But the Christ I worship did not shun the people who were “lepers” of his day and in the society he knew. He embraced them, broke bread with them, and shared fellowship with them…he knew there was a greater truth, and he was not put off by the cultural challenges of his world. His message spoke to the universality of the human condition, and that message resonates today.

Grandma and Bing

2006-12-11T05:57:00.000-07:00

"Grandma got run over by a reindeer,
Walkin' home from our house, Christmas eve.
You can say there's no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and Grandpa, we believe..."

Remember this fun song? This time of year we hear it a lot. I hear it receives more radio play time than Bing Crosby's White Christmas.

That reminds me, a couple of years ago I assisted at a funeral where White Christmas was sung as a solo because that was the decedent's favorite song and one of his wishes was to have it sung at his funeral. It seemed odd to me, being the middle of summer and all...but I am sure there have been stranger things that have happened at funerals. Does anybody out there have any good funeral stories or memories?

The innkeeper's blues

2006-12-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

This time of the year, one of the things we contemplate is a night when - or so we are told - there was "no room in the inn."

I can't help but reflect on the inns I see all around me. For so it seems there are no rooms in our inns either. At this time of the year we can barely manage to spare Christ passing glance, much less squeeze him into the crowded inns of our lives.

But that's okay...Jesus comes to succor and take his place, not so much with the innkeepers of our world, but with those who do not belong, those who have very little joy in their lives: the tired, the poor, the hungry...those for whom there is also "no room in the inn."

Women Bishops: welcome to our world, C of E.

2006-12-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

The Archbishop's Council announced in September that a committee was going to be formed to consider moving toward the consecration of women bishops in the Church of England. Maybe they got to looking around at the United States and realized there are a number of women bishops (including the presiding bishop, Katharine) who are very Godly persons and also good at what they do. Its a matter of resources really. Why shouldn't all the best people be considered for consecration to these offices instead of just some.

I sometimes think of my grandmother, who was a graduate of Radcliff, and a brilliant woman, who wasn't considered smart enough to vote when she came of age. Fortunately, it came to pass in her lifetime, and I would like to think she used the privilege wisely.

Another advantage for the church is that females don't usually sexually abuse minors, so female leaders aren't as likely as males to take the church down that expensive, litigious path.

Anyway, yesterday the members of the committee were named, and about half of the members are actually women. So things are continuing to move forward. Of course there are some who will use this potential change as an excuse to leave or threaten to leave the Anglican communion. And so it goes...

On line Advent Calendar

2006-12-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Diocese of Washington for this modern way of doing an Advent Calendar. Good Christians rejoice, it's a brand new year!

Tongue speak

2006-11-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

The NY Times has a great article today on some of the scientific evidence that supports those who claim to be speaking in tongues. There is a great picture of a person totally immersed in the experience. Click here to read it.

Great fun...try it - you might be surprised!

2006-11-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The South
The Inland North
The Northeast
Philadelphia
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

2006-11-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

I spent this weekend trying to watch the webcasts of the investiture and installation of Katharine Jefferts Schori as the first woman elected presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. The Washington Post covered this in a nice, succinct article that you can read here. This was a great weekend to be an Episcopalian.

Honestly, when I read what she has done, what she believes, and what she thinks our priorities should be, I cannot believe how similar my own feelings and beliefs are. I am looking very much forward to the adventure in the days, months and years ahead.

Preaching to the Choir...

2006-10-16T06:58:00.000-06:00

This is an Oliphant cartoon that seems to say a lot about what I have been thinking lately. Click on it and it gets bigger so you can read the fine print.

And then today I hear that in the Netherlands a new so-called Bible has been published that has taken out all of the stuff that people don't really want to be bothered with...like for instance all of that stuff Jesus had to say about taking care of the poor and giving away all of your money in order to follow him. It seems this new Bible is designed to accent the positive! Fill them pews! The changes were made for marketing purposes - give the people what they want to hear, and they will come.

Well, I actually kind of like the original. I find my life to be complex and imperfect. I am not interested in the 2 dimensional world of a cut and pasted scripture.

I've been traveling

2006-10-12T22:50:00.000-06:00

I just got back from Hawaii. My husband and I spent a week in Honolulu. The weather was absolutely perfect.

I read that Hawaii has a shortage of skilled workers in certain professions - like nurses, for instance. I am not surprised after seeing the housing costs. Where on earth would someone live? I guess it takes some creativity.

We noticed a number of people living on the beach or out of cars - but the vast majority live in other places. And I think it would be safe to say, probably not with views like this!

Friday Night Lights

2006-10-12T06:14:00.000-06:00

Tuesday nights on NBC there is a great little sleeper of a show about small town football and the lives and passions of everyone caught up in it - which, if any of you have ever lived in a small town know, that is just about everybody. Slate wrote an excellent review this week. Click here to read it. I am hearing that the show is off to a slow start - which could be a death knell. Too bad if it is cancelled prematurely. Sometimes it takes a while for shows to catch on - and sometimes the good ones just never do. Anyway, check it out - even if you don't know much about football, that's okay, the show is really about people.

Ingrid Mattson interview

2006-09-29T04:57:00.000-06:00

Click here to listen to a most interesting interview with Ingrid Mattson, the president of the Islamic Society of North America. As a white woman, she faces some unique challenges in the Muslim world. She reminds that literalism is not just a Christian phenomenon. In fact, while listening to this interview, I couldn't help but think about the similarities between radical Islam and radical, conservative Christianity. So often proponents of both make sweeping statements about what their religion requires or even DEMANDS of its followers. Yet, often these beliefs have no basis in fact. I sometimes think mostChristians learn about their religion 2nd hand - that is they listen and read about what others have to say scripture means, rather than reading it for themselves.

That explains it...

2006-09-28T02:03:00.000-06:00

Oh, now I get it! Too much testosterone kills brain cells. No duh! Check it out - this article provides answers to at least one of life's most persistent questions..."Just who the hell does that guy think he is?"

Big Mike

2006-09-26T06:53:00.000-06:00

I just read a remarkable story in the NY Times. It is about a young man named Mike Oher. Turns out this is a great tale about Christians doing the right thing, too. If you appreciate the game of football and "doing" church in the trenches, click here to read this captivating story.

so it goes

2006-09-13T20:59:00.000-06:00

It seems some Bishops got together in New York over the past three days in an attempt to resolve some critical issues facing the Episcopal Church. They spent plenty of time and plenty of money no doubt, but this does not feel like something that was destined for success.

Frankly, I think at least some of the players were merely going through the motions.

So what does it all really matter? How important is this issue in the wider world, really?

Well, I noticed the NY Times hasn't bothered to cover it yet tonight...the real news appears to be some of these things:

A Senate panel is seeking a Congressional Blessing for Bush's eavesdropping program.
Spring styles: a simpler look is coming according to Michael Kors; I really can't see much difference.
Kids are hungry in Gaza, and I imagine they are hungry in plenty of other places, too...
It's business as usual for Congress - Everyone is pushing their own pet project...(sigh)
Ann Richards died today...she was cool...
A man dressed in a long black coat and carrying an automatic rifle shot and killed a woman and wounded 19 other people, several critically, at the campus of a junior college in Montreal on Wednesday. The gunman was killed by the police. Lots of families are in mourning tonight...
Hurricane Gordon was upgraded to a cat 3 about half an hour ago...
Oh, and something that wasn't mentioned in the NY Times, but is getting plenty of local coverage: Ken Koski is still missing in the Wind River Mountains - there are dogs, and about 70 people out looking for him. He's the head of the Public Defender's Office here in Cheyenne. The terrain is too rugged for horses...so most volunteers are on foot. We're racing the weather now, supposed to snow up there this weekend...

How about that for putting things in perspective?

Church by the numbers

2006-09-07T05:32:00.000-06:00

I was reading another blog this morning that discussed the slow, steady decline in membership of the so-called mainline churches. However, one of the churches showed a slow-down in the losses and this was seen as a positive sign.

What? A positive sign that we are about to turn the corner on the trends? As long as death continues to be a very real possibility for us all, I think we will continue the inevitable spiral of numbers. A slow leak empties a sink just as surely as a wide open drain.

I think baptized members will continue to dwindle because the last two generations for whom membership in churches has been important are still with us for the most part, but they are the folks we usually do funerals for. It was their parents and grandparents who built most of the churches we attend in Wyoming - probably this is similar in other parts of the country.

We will always lose some members because they lose interest or have too many other things competing for less and less discretionary time. Busy families have many things to do on the weekends - family memories are made up of camping trips, sports events, seeing the sights, visits to family members that are scattered everywhere. Going to church fits right in there, and on Sundays when nothing else is planned, that family might very well show up at church. Priorities are different; that's hardly news.

So when I think of dwindling numbers in mainline churches, I don't see a trend that can be necessarily reversed - there will be pockets of exceptions, though. But people will continue to age and die. Birth numbers are relatively low and the people having those babies are not the main ones showing up in church on Sundays (at least not now). So the numbers of new church goers or younger church goers is not enough to offset the numbers of church goers who are dying.

Those last two generations I spoke of earlier also tend to be the biggest supporters of the church. As they die, often their giving dies with them.

I don't know what the answer is - or even if there is an answer. I can't help but think that God is at work in all of this, though - changing the face of the "church" for new challenges that we cannot as yet even fathom. Stay tuned.

Being a Christian is...

2006-09-04T07:52:00.000-06:00

“Being a Christian is to sever oneself from the selfishnesses, pride, lusts, depravities and evil of the world.” -This was published by someone named “James” as a comment to a news column I read recently.

Sorry, James, I don’t agree. I do not think that being a Christian is about separation and walking apart, but about community and support. It is not about perfection, it is about imperfection. It is not about sitting in judgment of others, but about acceptance of people where they are. It seems to me that Christians don’t really have all the answers, but they sure have plenty of questions.

It strikes me that being Christian is a uniquely human endeavor. As such it encompasses all kinds of folks, with all of their spiritual frailties and psychosocial shortcomings. Most Christians seem to me to be an amazingly optimistic bunch, though, despite the usual failure to live up to the lofty expectations of others.

Christianity is about plugging holes in my life. About finding the substance that fills the empty spaces. It is about establishing the connection between body, soul and God. Jesus is the prong at the end of the wire that conducts the current. I like that metaphor, because, Christianity is not always touchy-feely, huggy-kissy. Christianity can shock and awe. It can give you an "owey." It isn't easy...there are no formulas or pat answers, but I'm okay with that.

I am not saying James' perspective is wrong...but his experience is not mine, and I think it is important to say that.

I am grateful for my imperfections. I am glad I need something more in my life. I am blessed to be on this journey with others who are just like me.

The Gospel of the Supply Side Jesus

2006-09-03T05:50:00.000-06:00

Need a good laugh? Food for thought? I found myself reading this with both a shudder and a grin. Somewhere in this story there's a familiar refrain..and it ain't pretty. Click here !!

Of chickens and eggs...

2006-08-24T04:54:00.000-06:00

After all of the months of rhetoric, I am still not exactly sure how the ABC can “approve” alternate oversight of congregations that are part of existing Episcopal dioceses in this country.

I have the following questions:

How can an organization that utilizes Episcopal Church property be usurped by a Church from a foreign country with the blessing of the Archbishop? I guess this is one for the courts unless TEC chooses to ignore the whole thing. I definitely would not agree with that approach. I believe TEC does indeed have a “dog in this fight.”
For the priests and bishops who choose to mire themselves in this mess: are they going to now have the Nigerian healthcare plan and the Nigerian retirement plan? I should think the TEC would no longer be responsible for any of those benefits. What about insurance, etc? Will their paychecks be drawn on the First National Bank of Nigeria? (I am assuming the individual church’s NDI will be paid to whatever diocese has oversight).
I have heard some discussion from representatives of dioceses who are asking for alternative oversight that they are still part of TEC. Is that argument fundamentally one to justify remaining comfortably ensconced in their current digs owned by TEC?
I have always thought that political creativity is driven by the need to manage money. Show me the money, and I will show you a creative thinker that wants to have it both ways. Money, power, corruption…corruption, power, money, which comes first...
the chicken or the egg?

Atta girl

2006-08-16T05:04:00.000-06:00

On Monday, the Associated Press reported that Jane Via, who participated in an ordination ceremony NOT sanctioned by the RC church led a service this past weekend with about a hundred congregants present. That beats the numbers at my church this weekend all to heck.

According to the press: “Via was ordained June 24 under the auspices of the pro-female ordination group Womenpriests, which says it has arranged ordinations for dozens of women priests and deacons around the world, including 12 in a Pittsburgh ceremony in July.”

If the Vatican decides to show force, which I have no doubt it will, she will be looking at excommunication. But she can hardly be excommunicated from her faith...only from an administrative organization that refuses to accept women as equals in its hierarchy.

Rock on, Rev. Jane!

Urban legend quiz

2006-08-15T05:55:00.000-06:00

Amazing facts, or absolute baloney? From The Dallas Morning News, 08:09 AM CDT on Saturday, August 12, 2006. Here are seven popular religious urban legends. Are they true or false? Answers follow...
1. Atop the Washington Monument, beyond the view of visitors, the words "Laus Deo" (Praise be to God) are inscribed. This was intended to signal that Washington was a devoted Christian.
2. U.S. space scientists have discovered a "lost day," one day of astral time that can't be accounted for. This confirms the account in Joshua 10:12-13 of God's halting the sun in the sky for a day.
3. A nonprofit group known as the Second Coming Project is seeking to clone Jesus, using DNA extracted from holy relics.
4. A physician once placed dying patients on a scale to measure the weight of the soul.
5. A Belgian supercomputer nicknamed "the Beast" is gathering data about every person on earth.
6. Appearing on 60 Minutes in 1994, Attorney General Janet Reno said that anyone who believed the Bible was a dangerous cultist.
7. Lightning struck a church during a sermon moments after the preacher identified thunder as the voice of God.

Answers:

1. Partly true. "Laus Deo" is inscribed on the east face of the four-sided point that tops the Washington Monument. But that probably says more about religious sentiment in the era when the monument was built (1848-1884) than it does about the first president's faith.

2. False. NASA says no such discovery has been made. The story of the "lost day" was popularized in the 1974 Christian self-help book How to Live Like a King's Kid by Harold Hill, who had been president of the Curtis Engine Co., a NASA contractor. He also liked to repeat the tale in speeches to schoolchildren. Eventually, he admitted that he had no evidence. Still, he said, "My inability to furnish documentation of the 'missing day' incident in no way detracts from its authenticity."

3. False. This tale was made up by author Kristan Lawson as an Internet stunt. The concept surfaced in a 1999 episode of The Outer Limits titled "The Shroud."

4. True. A 1907 story in The New York Times recounted the experiments of Duncan MacDougall of Haverhill, Mass., a physician who calculated that the weight of a body decreased by 21 grams at the moment of death. His methodology was unreliable by modern standards. Still, his work inspired the title of the 2003 film 21 Grams.

5. False. This comes from a 1970 Christian novel, Behold a Pale Horse, by Joe Musser. The story was repeated as fact in a Christian periodical several years later, and endures despite the novelist's protests.

6. False. Ms. Reno never said it. She wasn't on 60 Minutes in 1994. Similar versions of the quote have been attributed to Bill Clinton and Kenneth Starr.

7. True. According to a story in The Courier of Findlay, Ohio, a traveling evangelist was preaching in Forest, Ohio, on July 1, 2003, when a storm hit. After a clap of thunder, the preacher joked, "That's right, God! We hear you!" At that moment, lightning struck the church's steeple, setting it ablaze.

(The Dallas Morning News, 08:07 AM CDT on Saturday, August 12, 2006)

Plays and musicals...Friday 5

2006-08-06T11:23:00.000-06:00

Plays and musicals…Friday 5
1. Describe the last play or musical you saw. (At least provide the what, when, where, and why). What was your opinion of it? The Last play I saw was a melodrama a couple of weeks ago at the historic Atlas Theatre in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was complete with hissing the villain and villainess, cheering the hero, and sighing for the heroine by the audience. It was great fun and a wonderful evening.
2. All time favorite play? Musical? One of my favorite plays was a musical: The Fantasticks. I especially love the music.
3. “The Producers,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “Hairspray,” “The Wedding Singer”…all were movies before they were musicals (okay “The Philadelphia Story” was a play and then a movie, and they changed its name when it became a musical, but whatever). What non-musical movie do you think should next get the musical treatment? Star Wars.
4. Favorite song from a musical? Why? “Try to Remember” from – you guessed it! The Fantasticks. Here are some of the words:
“Try to remember the kind of Septemberwhen life was slow and oh, so mellow.Try to remember the kind of Septemberwhen grass was green and grain was yellow.Try to remember the kind of Septemberwhen you were a tender and callow fellow...”
Always reminds me of late summers and early falls at my Mom’s dad’s home in North Carolina.
5. The most recent trend in Broadway musical revues is to construct a show around the oeuvre of a particular super-group or composer, where existing songs are woven together with some kind of through story. The most successful of these (“Jersey Boys” (The Four Seasons), “Mamma Mia” (ABBA), “Movin’ Out” (Billy Joel)) have made a mint, but many (“All Shook Up” (Elvis), “Hot Feet” (Earth, Wind and Fire)) have bombed. What great pop/rock singer/composer or super-group should be the next to be featured, and what might the story-line be for such a show? Lennon-McCartney. I think their lives could easily be retold through their music. It should be called “Yesterday.” I don’t know, maybe it’s already been done.
Bonus question for singer/actors. Favorite part you’ve ever played/sung. I played Miep in “The Diary of Anne Frank” when I was in high school and living in Germany. It is a wonderful story and a great play, too.

The Transfiguration (August 6, 2006)

2006-08-06T08:06:00.000-06:00

The reading from 2 Peter 1:13-21 reminds me that Peter saw this amazing thing we call the Transfiguration with his own eyes and heard the voice of God with his own ears. The author also shares another important message from Peter: no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation...

It seems Peter finally did "get" it, so to speak. When all was said and done, he understood all of the things he saw and heard while following Jesus during his ministry in Palestine. He also understood that scripture is not meant to be something interpreted and understood in isolation. Community is a key to Christianity.

But at the time of the event of the Transfiguration there is no evidence that Peter really understood. He didn't see that event so much as a sign, but as a "happening". He reminds me of the guy who is always endlessly snapping pictures, seeing the world through a lens instead of savoring the moment, rejoicing in the fleetness of it, and becoming part of the scene. There is always some kind of barrier-- and for the photographer it is the camera.

In Peter's case, the barrier to understanding the importance of the Transfiguration was his insistence that this moment be captured forever with hammer, nails, and wood. But years later, he did know what it had really all been about. He understood, in retrospect, that it had been a glimpse of glory--a message of hope. He was unconditionally blessed to have been chosen to accompany Jesus, James, and John. And, although he didn't know it at the time, Peter was to be a witness to a most extraordinary event. Yes, Jesus knew exactly what he was doing when he chose Peter.

Through the lesson of 2 Peter we have confirmation that Peter was an eyewitness to the Transfiguration. Indeed, the remainder of his own life was devoted to building and shaping the church and sharing the word of Christ with others. In my mind that mountain-top experience was not just about something that happened to Jesus, but also about something that happened to Peter, even though it didn't happen right away. What a gift Peter was to us all.

Comments on Tour de France

2006-07-28T06:04:00.000-06:00

Floyd Landis has won the Tour de France. I still haven't heard who won the Tour de Wyoming (yes they really have one - but doesn't get the same level of coverage as the "other" tour). Maybe after all of the Cheyenne Frontier Days news is past, there will be something in the paper. Chances are, I will hear first from a participant. I wonder if we had a French winner - or even French Canadian - if we would find something "wrong" with his urine after it was all over. Seems to me this is de rigueur in France if the winner is American, certainly. Maybe it would be so for any foreigner.

Come on, Floyd knows the drill. He would have to be crazy or incredibly stupid to take performance enhancers while on the Tour. I don't believe he is either.

This could all be resolved by only allowing French nationals to enter the race. But then, no one would care who won - and bottom line - the dollar exchanges and spends in France as well as anything else, n'est-ce pas?

War and reflections of war

2006-07-22T07:17:00.000-06:00

Read the latest Joan Chittister column here. We humans do seem to need to see our reflections in one another before we begin to realize that the sometimes seemingly arbitrary decisions we make affect real live just plain folks.

I have noticed the efforts politicians make to put faces on political issues in order to gain support for various agendas. They know it works.

I have learned that "stories" of problems make more of an impression on the bosses in my life than statistics ever thought of making. And its probably no coincidence that my day job is highly political in nature.

Anyway, enjoy Joan's column. I read it regularly.

8-balls, goofballs, and medicine balls

2006-07-16T09:43:00.000-06:00

I am always a little behind the 8-ball, so to speak. And my experience yesterday proved things have not changed for me. I watched the movie Paper Clips on TV yesterday. It was one of the most moving and inspirational films I have seen in a long time. The movie was done in 2004 and is a documentary about children in middle school in Whitwell, Tennessee, who initiate a project to understand, not only more about the Holocaust, but about what characteristics we humans have that allow such things to happen.

So they learned about numbers, and met some actual survivors and were able to put faces on the victims they had hitherto only read, discussed, and thought about. But more importantly, in my mind, they were able to find deep within themselves, the simmering prejudices that foster, allow, and even embrace the thinking that can allow such tragedies to occur in the world as we know it today.

So imagine how my mind wrapped around a story I read this morning in the NY Times that addressed medication distribution to kids at camp in this day and age. I was not surprised that allergy medications, asthma medications, or insulin would be needed by young campers, but this article went on to discuss the need for behavior medications, medications for hyperactivity, mood disorders, facial tics…and then sleep aids in the evening to counteract the side effect of some of these drugs so that kids could get some sleep.

Puts me in mind of a “Stepford” wife kind of place; is that where we’re headed? Are our intolerances such that everyone needs, not only to dress alike (the latest fashion trends…), but sound alike, kind of look alike, walk in lockstep with others so they won’t be singled out by bullies for special attention on the playground…

Seems like we could all use a lesson from Paper Clips, but most of us probably won’t see that there’s much of a relationship between the Holocaust and the intolerance we have for aberrant behavior, loud or misbehaving kids, kids with physical tics, or kids who are just plain different. This must be my personal hang up.

I don’t know, maybe kids these days need all of these drugs. After all, they can’t just go outside and play anymore in many places. Some sit for hours just moving their thumbs and eyes, playing endless computer games. “Play dates” are becoming the norm in many locales. Obesity is a serious childhood health problem (duh!). Games and sports are highly organized and also depend on transportation and schedules, and some level of skill (not everyone makes the team, you know). I liked it better when everyone who showed up got to play.

I remember playing with kids who had all kinds of issues. Many of which were probably not treated medically. I knew more than one kid who probably suffered (thinking now in retrospect) from Tourette’s. Did it attract my attention? Yes. Did I play with the kid anyway? Yes. Did we have fun? Yes.

I remember hearing that some behaviors would be “out grown” and for those kids who had their behaviors described that way, who I have known until adulthood, it appears to be the case. I wonder if they would be allowed the luxury today of waiting until adulthood to outgrow certain behaviors. We like instant fixes – just like I prefer cable to DSL because it’s faster.

I worry that we might be too quick to pass the pills. And that's a pretty bitter pill to swallow.

Felted purse

2006-07-15T19:36:00.000-06:00

I did it! Here is my felted purse that I knitted, felted, and sewed some sequin buttons on. It is great! Can't wait to do another felted project. What fun!

Cutthroat magic...its all about relationship

2006-07-13T04:46:00.000-06:00

These are breeder cutthroat trout stock at the Tensleep Fish Hatchery in Tensleep, Wyoming. Great colors bounced off of their shiny bodies as they swam endlessly in their covered pool.

As a result of this program to bring these fish back to their historic waters, the genes of these great fish are destined to ride the whitewater rivers of Wyoming for generations to come...

Interesting thought: I have heard that when Americans look at schools of fish, they see colors and individual fish...but when Asians look at a school of fish they see relationship. I like that Asian notion. Perhaps the colors of these glistening fish reflect their neighbors in the school as well as their genetics, environment (sun, water), etc. I have a thought: Does fish culture result in schooling behavior or does schooling behavior create the culture of being fish? Sounds like a chicken and egg discussion---which came first?

Whatever it is, the human factor is the X factor that makes the real difference for the native cuthroat trout.

Summer shadow play

2006-07-13T04:27:00.000-06:00

What would Amos say?

2006-07-13T02:47:00.000-06:00

Bishop G. Mdimi Mhogolo of the Diocese of Central Tanganyika in the Anglican Church of Tanzania attended the Episcopal Church’s General Convention in Columbus, Ohio last month and had some interesting comments about what he saw and heard there. Some of the Bishop’s remarks that struck me most were the following:

“It seems to me that when one allows pure democracy to be exercised by clergy and laity as it is in the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops in the Episcopal Church, one must then expect many surprises. The two Houses, namely the House of Bishops with more than 200 Bishops and the House of Deputies with over 800 members, work independently with equal powers and privileges. In order for a resolution to pass, it must be agreed upon by the two Houses independently. So resolutions go to and fro between the houses for concurrence.

Given the dynamics of the Houses:- - all Bishops are graduates and all members of the House of Deputies are graduates of different disciplines;- the differing persuasion of the members of the Houses - some politically extreme right or left and others are either center right or left;- the history of the USA, of slavery, discriminations against blacks, women, Hispanic and indigenous peoples. - how political and social change occurred through bitter struggles and the shedding of blood;one has a governing body that is both highly political and socially theological.

Listening to the Houses debate, it seemed to me that the House of Bishops argued from theological and less political contexts; whereas the House of Deputies seemed to be very political standing for human rights, justice, and dignity for all - abhorring any forms of discriminations and injustices.”

I think that the prophet Amos, that dedicated sheepman and dresser of sycamore trees and author of one of the OT lessons from the Lectionary this week, would have been right at home in our House of Deputies.

4th of July

2006-06-30T19:48:00.000-06:00

We usually celebrate with family. Here in Basin, Wyoming, our fireworks are on the 3rd of July. We have a HUGE fireworks display out in the dessert. We all back our pickups facing the display so we can sit on lawnchairs in the back of our trucks and watch the show.

The rockets red glare is right overhead - and so close it sometimes seems like you can touch the display. In fact, some sparky, ashy elements that drift out of the sky land on us watchers from time to time. Still hot! Ouch!

Why the 3rd of July? I guess it must have been the result of a long ago coin toss in the county. This way the neighboring town about 7 miles up the road (Greybull) is not competing with Basin's show. We can go there and watch their show, too.

We also like to rodeo on the 4th of July. (Some of you may not have realized that rodeo is also a verb.) That is a real tradition in this part of the world. The cowboys and cowgirls are already pulling out with horse trailers in tow headed to Red Lodge, Worland, Cody and Ten Sleep. Most rodeos are spaced so competitiors AND fans can make more than one rodeo over this long weekend. Yeehaw!

My perspective on this thing called alternative oversight

2006-06-30T19:19:00.000-06:00

I am wondering that if some groups are asking for alternative "oversight" - althernative from the presiding bishop - what are they really asking? Are they asking the ABC to wade in and rearrange the hierarchy of the Episcopal Church here in the USA? That is hardly an appropriate role for the Archbishop. I think they are asking to be independent of the Episcopal Church, but not change anything else - like for instance, keep the buildings and other property, etc.

How does that compute?

After convention, most of us took a deep breath, counted our blessings and got back to the business of being God's church in this world: worship, mission and pastoral care, which takes so much energy there is hardly time to worry about who might be married to whom.

Frankly, I am more concerned about healthcare and the fact that it is a privilege, not a right, in this country. And that quality of care is linked, more often than not, to the depth of one's pockets rather than actual state of one's health. "Do no harm" does not mean do not treat if the patient cannot afford it or has no insurance.

A statement of dissent

2006-06-22T05:50:00.000-06:00

"We, the undersigned Bishops of this 75th General Convention, in the confidence of the Gospel and out of love for this great Church, must prayerfully dissent from the action of this Convention in Resolution B033 (on Election of Bishops). We do so for the following reasons:
The process used to arrive at Resolution B033 raises serious concerns about the integrity of our decision-making process as a Church. In particular we note that we discussed a resolution, A162 , on Tuesday, but were never given an opportunity to act upon it. Instead, we were presented with a different resolution this morning, and were given only 30 minutes for debate and discussion. This resolution bears great consequences both for the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church and unfortunately was not adequately discussed.
Our conversation has been framed in a flawed paradigm, forcing us to choose between two goods—the full inclusion in the life of the Church of our brother and sister Christians who happen to be gay or lesbian and our full inclusion in the life of our beloved Communion.
The process that brought about the reconsideration of this matter failed to honor the integrity of the House of Deputies by bringing undue pressure to bear on that body.
Our witness to justice has been prophetic in this nation and in the wider Anglican Communion on the issues of the full inclusion of people of color and persons who are differently-abled. For more than 30 years women been permitted to be included in the councils of this Church as lay deputies to this Convention and as deacons, priests and bishops. This witness to full inclusion has borne the fruits of the Spirit and is incarnate in the faces and lives around these tables and throughout the Church. The language of this resolution too much echoes past attempts by the Church to limit participation of those perceived to be inadequate for full inclusion in the ordained ministry.
Any language that could be perceived as effecting a moratorium that singles out one part of the Body by category is discriminatory. We are absolutely committed to the future of this Communion and the process of healing the strain that we readily admit and regret exists, and has been exacerbated in our own house by events today. We must participate in this process with our own integrity intact and thus we are obliged to make this dissent. We intend to challenge the rest of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion to honor the promise to include the voices of gay and lesbian in the conversations about the future of the Communion. We pray for the Church, for our Communion, and for our lesbian and gay brothers and sisters."

The Bishops who support this Statement demonstrated their affirmation by standing after it was read. The drafting group included the Bishops of Chicago, Newark, Northern Michigan, Rochester, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.

I am grateful for these souls who went on the record against not only B033, but also the politics that inspired it, the tactics used to all but insure its passage, and the sacrifice of our GLBT brothers and sisters who share the cup with us at the communion rail.

It is easy enough to shrug your shoulders and say, "Ah well, maybe next time," if it is not you who are directly affected. As a woman, I remember well how it felt to be told I couldn't be a lay reader in this church because I was a woman - but I was good enough to vaccuum and dust and wash and iron as a member of the Altar Guild. Not that that isn't important work and service - it is. But I felt called to something else.

So I explored other avenues for many years and eventually drifted back to the fold. So ya wanna be a lay reader? Step right up. That really no longer seemed to be an issue. Wait a minute, I thought...are you sure you want me up there (remember me, the girl)? What happened to all those righteous reasons you had 20 years ago for NOT allowing me to read the holy book from the pulpit on a Sunday?

Why, we had our reasons, then... There, there Jean, you just forget all the things we said. Let's let bygones be bygones. Those things are not important now. What IS important is that we need a lay reader next Sunday. Can I pencil you in, dear?

Schori elected

2006-06-18T14:04:00.000-06:00

Katharine Jefferts Schori, Bishop of Nevada, has been elected 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. I wonder how that will play throughout the world Anglican communion? I believe she will be a strong leader for a time when we surely need one.

I did not expect her to be elected, frankly, although I thought she would be a good choice. No matter how hard some of the other members of the world wide Anglican churches try, it seems we Episcopalians will not go quietly into the night. And to that I say, "Thanks be to God!"

Adventure in felting

2006-06-16T07:26:00.000-06:00

I have just knitted the coolest purse!! It needs to be felted though - a NEW experience for me. I haven't gotten around to doing it yet. I will be home (home is where my washer is...) again in a couple of weeks - so will try my hand at this felting business then. If it turns out maybe I will post a pic.

I am so amazed that I managed to do what appears to be a great looking purse. I need to kick start my confidence level with this knitting business. I have made great mittens, hats (used some Alpaca wool for these Christmas presents last year), scarves, dishcloths (including heart-shaped) - and many pairs of socks (my fav).

Just an FYI, the purse I made was from Knit One, Felt Too by Kathleen Taylor. My particular purse came from the pattern on page 43: "Scallops and Beads." Check it out!

Angels, demons and those blessed and cursed Episkopals...

2006-06-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

I was reading a favorite blog, Faith and Theology, today and thought Benjamin Meyers' reflections on Barth and demons were apropros for musing at this start of the Episcopal Church's 75th General Convention (in Columbus, Ohio this time). One of the comments by another reader reminds that Barth said, demons thrive on attention, best to cast them only "a momentary glance."

I am certain a few angels will emerge from the fray that is bound to occur, but not before the demons have had their day. Most folks in Columbus will find themselves somewhere in between, being pulled this way and that.

Right now there is lots of conversation about what will or won't happen at this convention. Conjecture makes good copy, so the news media and bloggers thrive on it. At this point it is simply too soon to tell just what will come out of this convention. But what I do know is...

In the end, good people of faith will try to ignore the extremes and focus on the struggle to find the path to discernment. Convention deputies and Bishops will eventually return to their folds exhausted, uncertain, not 100% satisfied with the outcomes, and maybe even dreading the inevitable questions of the folks who wait back home for answers.

But when it's all said and done, they will have a sense that God had a hand in the outcomes. That's the very best we could hope for.

The Spirit, seeing is believing

2006-06-11T08:20:00.000-06:00

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. John 3:1-5 NRSV

Nicodemus represented the Old Guard and Jesus, the New. Nicodemus could not for the life of him see a different way of doing things, but yet he knew Jesus did. He wanted to know more – but he also did not want any of his peers to know he planned to consult with this rabble rouser of a man, Jesus.

Nicodemus seems to have felt change could only come from strength and might on the ground – military might. But Jesus spoke of another way. “Help me to understand these things,” says Nicodemus.

I can understand how tough it was for Nicodemus to understand what Jesus was talking about. Here we are 2000 years later with the entire perspective of history to help us, and we still can’t see much beyond the tips of our noses.

2006-06-06T05:34:00.000-06:00

On Sunday some 50 or so Roman Catholic gay activists wore rainbow colored sashes to Pentecost services at the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Minneapolis. Those wearing the sashes were denied communion. One person who was not wearing a sash was served and when he received the wafer, immediately broke it and redistributed it to some who were wearing the sash. Sounds like they made their point. It all ended peacefully, according to the article I read. The Washington Post reported it yesterday.

I tend sometimes to think that it is only we Episcopalians who are struggling with full inclusion of gays and lesbians. But I know the Methodists, Presbyterians, American Baptist Churches, Conservative Jews, UCCs and others are in this fight. Although change should come from the churches, I don't think that's how it will be. Just as form follows function, I believe the secular society will pass laws that will force and then finally allow the sacred world to accept these people on equal footing. Sad, but that's how I see it.

What price luck?

2006-05-29T06:16:00.000-06:00

The Daily Mirror is reporting today that, with the popularity of Viagra, a retirement community near Orlando, Florida has experienced a significant increase in cases of genital herpes and genital warts (human papillomavirus).

Of interest, sex education wasn’t targeted to this generation so they tend to think condoms are only for preventing pregnancy. Looks like Florida’s public health department will need to rework some of their sex ed materials designed for teenagers for the 50 + age group.

One 78 year old male is reporting "getting lucky" up to three times a week! I'd consider that getting lucky at any age! But getting an STD would not be my idea of luck. Unless you consider contracting same "the luck of the draw."

I’ve spent enough time working in nursing homes to know that sex is an activity that occurs on a regular basis even with folks who otherwise seem pretty infirm.

Close your eyes for a moment...picture yourself in your retirement years (maybe you're already there)...anyway, keep 'em closed... Honestly now, can you imagine getting laid in a golf cart?

Why we do it

2006-05-19T05:18:00.000-06:00

I read a great article published in the May 19th edition of Commonweal, a Roman Catholic publication. The article is called "Episcopalian Crisis, Authority, Homosexuality & the Future of Anglicanism." It was penned by Barry Jay Seltser, himself a convert to the Episcopal Church. It is an article, nicely done, that speaks volumes to me about what this fight is all about and why.

Maybe we Episcopalians are drawn to this church for the specific reason that seems to result in so much turmoil. As Seltser puts it: "One of the most attractive and intriguing aspects of the Episcopal Church is its faith that a democratic religious community that locates control in the individual or the parish can still remain faithful to an ancient tradition of creedal orthodoxy and discipleship. It is not surprising that such a community is likely to be more contentious, disordered, and ambiguous than one with clearer lines of authority or arbiters of orthodoxy. Whether democracy and creedal orthodoxy are compatible is now being sorely tested, and there is much at stake for other religious communities in the outcome."

... Anyway, take some time if you're interested and read it here.

War is just a click away

2006-05-18T05:28:00.000-06:00

Want to watch the war? Grab the remote and click over to one of the news channels...oops you've gone too far, that's not the real war, silly; that's an old Harrison Ford flick - or some such.

That's what it has come down to for many -- maybe even most of us..war is as close or as distant as we want it to be...I mean maybe Idol is on tonight...watching the war will just have to wait.

Oh and maybe tonight I am so sick of hearing the same old thing about bombs and suicide attackers that I won't bother.

But then the war comes home to some of us, doesn't it? Really...in a body bag or still living...a son or daughter, husband or wife, mother or father...changed forever with a physical or psychological injury that we'll all have to "get used to" somehow. Funny, when I click the remote...that image won't go away. "Come closer, man," says doubting T, "Let me touch those wounds and see if they're real...then maybe I can believe..."

My Lord and my God...what did I do with the damn remote?

Hey barkeep! Beer for my hosses and whiskey for my mom...

2006-05-14T20:25:00.000-06:00

After church today, my husband and I went off to Cody to the great old Irma Hotel for Sunday Mother's Day dinner. We had some wonderful prime rib and accompaniments. But the highlight was the dessert - a real wild west bread pudding with the best whiskey sauce ever!

I don't know what it is about bread pudding and whiskey, but it goes together like peanutbutter and jelly. Yesh shir it sur duzz...zzzz..zzz...

This week's sermon thoughts

2006-05-11T19:58:00.000-06:00

This week I am going to preach on Acts 8:26-40, which is the story of Philip and the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. I am interested in exploring the role of Philip as teacher/mentor and taking it to another level by trying to understand who in our lives may have played the role of Philip – and then, even more importantly (in my mind), when have we been Philip to someone else on their faith journey?

I want to touch on my mother’s influence on my faith (in honor of Mother’s Day!) and encourage others to think of the role their own mothers may have played in shaping their faith…

I have some good examples from my own life to share.