Kirstin has quite a moving post at Barefoot and Laughing on a day in her (temporary) life in New Orleans. The quote below is from her visit to St. Anna's Church for the Wednesday evening celebration of the Eucharist.
We went back up for healing, immediately after Communion. The last time I was here, I was a sobbing mess, in shock from lack of sleep and the ruin of the city, floored because people could suffer so much and still be beautiful. Yesterday, this experience was joyful. We were an arc of people stretching all the way across the altar, holding hands; it didn’t matter that many of us didn’t know each other. The musicians played "Were You There," which I thought was contrived for the occasion, but I lost myself in the music nonetheless. Bill went around and laid hands on each of us, prayed for us, anointed us. It wasn't the prayer I knew from school, but similar, and he varied it; he thanked God for my life and ministry. He wore a ring that held the chrism, which I didn't see until he was almost right next to me; I couldn't figure out what he was doing with his thumb on top of people's heads.
Please pay a her visit to read the whole thing. I am so absolutely grateful for all the folks who volunteer their help in New Orleans and who take the time to tell their stories.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Tagged Again!
David tagged me.
- Link to the person that tagged you. (done)
- Post the rules on your blog. (done)
- Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. (done)
- Tag six people and at the end of your post, link to their blogs. (done)
- Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
1. I want to have my pillow-top mattress and hot baths in heaven.
2. I bought a new energy-efficient washer last night, because my 23 year old washer died. It was delivered this morning, and it is now washing my towels.
3. Today, I am going to lunch with a friend at one of our five Chinese restaurants here in my town.
4. I am in grandmother overdrive now, having been to school and church activities involving my granddaughter twice this week.
5. I move slowly in the morning hours. (perhaps, not unimportant, but I gotta write something)
6. A habit. Let's see. Spending too much time on my computer. (perhaps, not unimportant, but as per above, I gotta write something)
I tag Rowan, (not sure about tagging dogs, but I'll do it) Paul, Fran, Dennis, Kirstin, and Jan.
My tagged friends, do this only if you really, really want to do it. Whatever.
- Link to the person that tagged you. (done)
- Post the rules on your blog. (done)
- Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. (done)
- Tag six people and at the end of your post, link to their blogs. (done)
- Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
1. I want to have my pillow-top mattress and hot baths in heaven.
2. I bought a new energy-efficient washer last night, because my 23 year old washer died. It was delivered this morning, and it is now washing my towels.
3. Today, I am going to lunch with a friend at one of our five Chinese restaurants here in my town.
4. I am in grandmother overdrive now, having been to school and church activities involving my granddaughter twice this week.
5. I move slowly in the morning hours. (perhaps, not unimportant, but I gotta write something)
6. A habit. Let's see. Spending too much time on my computer. (perhaps, not unimportant, but as per above, I gotta write something)
I tag Rowan, (not sure about tagging dogs, but I'll do it) Paul, Fran, Dennis, Kirstin, and Jan.
My tagged friends, do this only if you really, really want to do it. Whatever.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Pearls From The President
During a press conference in Ramallah, our president drops these pearls of wisdom:
I said, nudge the process forward -- like, pressure; be a pain if I need to be a pain -- which in some people's mind isn't all that hard. And they said, well, like -- yesterday, somebody said, well, are you disappointed? I arrived and it nudged the process forward.
Just being there....
And to me, that's how you solve the issue in the long-term. And the definition of long-term, I don't know what it means. I'm not a timetable person -- actually, I am on a timetable -- got 12 months.
And can't we all raise a glass to that, all the while wishing the months were fewer than 12?
Thanks to Holden at First Draft for doing the hard work of separating the chaff from the really rotten chaff.
I said, nudge the process forward -- like, pressure; be a pain if I need to be a pain -- which in some people's mind isn't all that hard. And they said, well, like -- yesterday, somebody said, well, are you disappointed? I arrived and it nudged the process forward.
Just being there....
And to me, that's how you solve the issue in the long-term. And the definition of long-term, I don't know what it means. I'm not a timetable person -- actually, I am on a timetable -- got 12 months.
And can't we all raise a glass to that, all the while wishing the months were fewer than 12?
Thanks to Holden at First Draft for doing the hard work of separating the chaff from the really rotten chaff.
Feast Day Of William Laud
If you think the difficulties that we experience in the Anglican Church today are bad, go to the Lectionary and read James Kiefer's account of the "Surplice Wars". Of course, the wars were about much more than surplices. William Laud was the Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Charles I, a violent period in English history. In the end, he was executed in the Tower, as Kiefer says, "...not because there was any evidence of his guilt, but because the House of Commons was determined that he should die."
Laud's prayer before the ax came down was, "The Lord receive my soul, and have mercy on me, and bless this kingdom with peace and charity, that there may not be this effusion of Christian blood amongst them."
Amen.
Unfortunately, what followed his death was an "effusion of Christian blood among them".
Readings:
Psalm 73:24-29 or 16:5-11
Hebrews 12:5-7,11-14
Matthew 10:32-39
PRAYER:
Keep us, O Lord, constant in faith and zealous in witness, that, like your servant William Laud, we may live in your fear, die in your favor, and rest in your peace; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Thanks to Ann for the reminder that the church has endured far greater turmoil than we experience today and for the push to post about William Laud.
Laud's prayer before the ax came down was, "The Lord receive my soul, and have mercy on me, and bless this kingdom with peace and charity, that there may not be this effusion of Christian blood amongst them."
Amen.
Unfortunately, what followed his death was an "effusion of Christian blood among them".
Readings:
Psalm 73:24-29 or 16:5-11
Hebrews 12:5-7,11-14
Matthew 10:32-39
PRAYER:
Keep us, O Lord, constant in faith and zealous in witness, that, like your servant William Laud, we may live in your fear, die in your favor, and rest in your peace; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Thanks to Ann for the reminder that the church has endured far greater turmoil than we experience today and for the push to post about William Laud.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Adventures In Mimi-land
The good news is that my granddaughter was a finalist in the Geography Bee at her school. She had a fine cheering section, which included her dad, Grandpère and me, and a young friend of ours. The not so good news is that she was eliminated and did not win. Anyhow, it was good that she went to the finals.
The young friend that I mentioned who was with us came over earlier saying that his marriage of a couple of years was in trouble, and that his wife had taken off to her parents' house with his brand new Labrador puppy that he paid lots of dollars for. He said he thought he had caused many of the problems in the marriage and wanted to go to confession - not to me - but then he pretty much did. He believes she'll come back. I hope so.
He's interested in the Episcopal Church and asked if our priest would hear his confession. I said yes, and I hope that was the correct answer. He was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church and attended Catholic schools. His wife is/was a Methodist, and he thought they might want to attend the Episcopal Church. I told him that quite few Catholic/Methodist and Catholic/Baptist couples end up in the Episcopal Church.
Evangelist that I am, I carry around calling/business cards for my church, so I was able to give him one and suggest that he give the priest a call. He was a church-goer until he went to medical school, but he had then fallen away. I suggested it might be a good idea if they began to attend church somewhere, if his wife returns. He took us to see their new house, which is lovely. I hope that these two young people can work things out. Pray for them.
This is destined to be an all-around personal post. My son and his ex-wife meet on Friday to try to agree on a property settlement. Pray that they may come to an agreement and that the settlement will be right and just. Thank you.
Thanks to Eileen for the idea for the title of the post.
UPDATE: I stayed with my grandchildren tonight, because their dad worked late, and I helped my grandson with his homework. He has ADHD, and by nighttime his medication wears off, making it a challenge just to get him into the chair with the books in front of him. Then, he is easily distracted from his work, but he is so funny in his distractions that I find myself laughing at him and further encouraging him in distractions.
He was to write his spelling words twice, but he found a page in his notebook where he had already written the same words three times, so he proceeded to erase the third word in each set. I said, "No. Your teacher wants you to write them again to help you learn the words. She's going to see that you erased them." He said, "No, I've done it before. She doesn't see it." I said "That's cheating." He was not going to write them again without a fight, so I let it go. Let his dad deal with it - or not.
The young friend that I mentioned who was with us came over earlier saying that his marriage of a couple of years was in trouble, and that his wife had taken off to her parents' house with his brand new Labrador puppy that he paid lots of dollars for. He said he thought he had caused many of the problems in the marriage and wanted to go to confession - not to me - but then he pretty much did. He believes she'll come back. I hope so.
He's interested in the Episcopal Church and asked if our priest would hear his confession. I said yes, and I hope that was the correct answer. He was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church and attended Catholic schools. His wife is/was a Methodist, and he thought they might want to attend the Episcopal Church. I told him that quite few Catholic/Methodist and Catholic/Baptist couples end up in the Episcopal Church.
Evangelist that I am, I carry around calling/business cards for my church, so I was able to give him one and suggest that he give the priest a call. He was a church-goer until he went to medical school, but he had then fallen away. I suggested it might be a good idea if they began to attend church somewhere, if his wife returns. He took us to see their new house, which is lovely. I hope that these two young people can work things out. Pray for them.
This is destined to be an all-around personal post. My son and his ex-wife meet on Friday to try to agree on a property settlement. Pray that they may come to an agreement and that the settlement will be right and just. Thank you.
Thanks to Eileen for the idea for the title of the post.
UPDATE: I stayed with my grandchildren tonight, because their dad worked late, and I helped my grandson with his homework. He has ADHD, and by nighttime his medication wears off, making it a challenge just to get him into the chair with the books in front of him. Then, he is easily distracted from his work, but he is so funny in his distractions that I find myself laughing at him and further encouraging him in distractions.
He was to write his spelling words twice, but he found a page in his notebook where he had already written the same words three times, so he proceeded to erase the third word in each set. I said, "No. Your teacher wants you to write them again to help you learn the words. She's going to see that you erased them." He said, "No, I've done it before. She doesn't see it." I said "That's cheating." He was not going to write them again without a fight, so I let it go. Let his dad deal with it - or not.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Feast Day Of Harriet Bedell - Deaconess
Harriet Bedell spent her working life in the Episcopl Church ministering to Native Americans in Oklahoma, Alaska, and Florida. Ormonde at Through the Dust has a splendid biographical post on Harriet, who was truly an amazing woman. The Lectionary website has a biography from The Florida Memory Project.
I love these final words from "The Florida Memory Project" biography:
Bedell emphasized health and education rather than religious conversion in her work with the Seminoles; their spiritual and physical comfort was more important to her than religious conversion, and her work and friendship with the Seminoles of Florida reflected those values.
It appears that Harriet was adept at the practice of liberation theology. By her emphasis on meeting the needs of the people she ministered to first, before preaching to them, she reflected the light of Christ Jesus.
Of her work with the Cheyennes in Oklahoma, Ormonde says:
She threw herself into her work and gradually gained the love and trust of her people. She was adopted into the tribe and given the name of Vicsehia, which means Bird Woman, because she sang, hummed, and whistled constantly while she worked.
Lovely. I'm pleased to note that I am a bird woman, too, but not nearly as accomplished as Harriet in doing the work of God.
Readings:
Psalm 96:1-7
Romans 16:1-2
Matthew 5:1-12
PRAYER
Holy God, you chose your faithful servant Harriet Bedell to exercise the ministry of deaconess and to be a missionary among indigenous peoples: Fill us with compassion and respect for all people, and empower us for the work of ministry throughout the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
I love these final words from "The Florida Memory Project" biography:
Bedell emphasized health and education rather than religious conversion in her work with the Seminoles; their spiritual and physical comfort was more important to her than religious conversion, and her work and friendship with the Seminoles of Florida reflected those values.
It appears that Harriet was adept at the practice of liberation theology. By her emphasis on meeting the needs of the people she ministered to first, before preaching to them, she reflected the light of Christ Jesus.
Of her work with the Cheyennes in Oklahoma, Ormonde says:
She threw herself into her work and gradually gained the love and trust of her people. She was adopted into the tribe and given the name of Vicsehia, which means Bird Woman, because she sang, hummed, and whistled constantly while she worked.
Lovely. I'm pleased to note that I am a bird woman, too, but not nearly as accomplished as Harriet in doing the work of God.
Readings:
Psalm 96:1-7
Romans 16:1-2
Matthew 5:1-12
PRAYER
Holy God, you chose your faithful servant Harriet Bedell to exercise the ministry of deaconess and to be a missionary among indigenous peoples: Fill us with compassion and respect for all people, and empower us for the work of ministry throughout the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Epiphany - King Cakes - Party Time
From Mardi Gras Unmasked.
Pictured above is a king cake or gateau du roi, a tradition associated with the feast of the Epiphany, which is celebrated in south Louisiana, French Canada, and France. At king cake gatherings, whoever gets the tiny baby hidden somewhere in the cake must provide the next king cake. The bakers no longer put the baby in the cake, because they fear litigation from folks who choke on it, swallow it, or break a tooth on it. The buyer assumes the liability of putting the baby in the cake. This is what our litigious society has come to.
I was going to write about the Carnival season in New Orleans, but then I found these lovely words from Rmj at Adventus:
Today begins the season of Epiphany: celebrated by some; ignored by others. The "original Christmas," some say. Maybe; maybe not. It is a season separate from Christmas, but related to it; and in France and Cajun Louisiana, it is celebrated itself with King's Cakes and Gateau du Roi and parties and celebrations, right up to Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, when the shriven season takes over and Lent begins. It's the English who called it Shrove Tuesday, and taught that name even to my all but non-liturgical Presbyterian church of childhood, the day to "shreve" the cupboard of fats and oils in preparation for the fastings of Lent. The French Roman Catholics had the better idea: to celebrate the 5 or 6 Sundays of Epiphany, and carry it out right up to the last possible minute, the first stroke of midnight on Ash Wednesday morning. Jesus, tradition says, was born at midnight on Christmas Day. We don't know, so why not sanctify the whole day? So, also, Ash Wednesday begins at midnight, but until then: celebration!
And him a Texan! Besting me at my own game! It's humiliating. But I figured why strain to write something original when I can steal this. No Shrove Tuesday for us. It's Mardi Gras, the party of all parties. And then, but only then, we get serious about Lent.
I love the church seasons, and I like having the season of Epiphany as a prolonged celebration of the Incarnation - of Emmanuel, God with us. Although, as children, we were taught that the greatest feast day was Easter, (a hard sell to the kids) I thought then, and I think now that the Incarnation is the great event. God become one of us! As someone once told me, "Without the Incarnation, there would be no Resurrection!"
Monday, January 7, 2008
Time For Impeachment?
From George McGovern comes an op-ed in the Washington Post. McGovern thinks that Bush is far worse that Nixon, and that it's time for impeachment. I agree, but realistically, I know that it won't happen. McGovern lays out his arguments showing that the grounds for impeachment are far more numerous in the case of Bush-Cheney than for Richard Nixon. The op-ed gives a mini-history of the the Bush-Cheney maladministration's misuse of the powers of the offices of the presidency and vice-presidency.
Amongst all of McGovern's good words, these reached out and grabbed me and made me very sad:
Of course, there seems to be little bipartisan support for impeachment. The political scene is marked by narrow and sometimes superficial partisanship, especially among Republicans, and a lack of courage and statesmanship on the part of too many Democratic politicians. So the chances of a bipartisan impeachment and conviction are not promising.
The Congress won't do its job.
I'm proud to say that, a long time ago, when McGovern ran for president against Nixon and carried only one state, Massachusetts, I voted for him.
Amongst all of McGovern's good words, these reached out and grabbed me and made me very sad:
Of course, there seems to be little bipartisan support for impeachment. The political scene is marked by narrow and sometimes superficial partisanship, especially among Republicans, and a lack of courage and statesmanship on the part of too many Democratic politicians. So the chances of a bipartisan impeachment and conviction are not promising.
The Congress won't do its job.
I'm proud to say that, a long time ago, when McGovern ran for president against Nixon and carried only one state, Massachusetts, I voted for him.
Christian Churches Targeted In Iraq
From Juan Cole at Informed Comment via MAKT006 Business:
In the northern city of Mosul, guerrillas targeted Christian churches with a series of bombings. Some church-goers were injured and there was damage to buildings. The number of Christians in Iraq has probably been halved, from 800,000, by the war.
The churches targeted by bombs on the feast of the Epiphany were the Chaldean Church of St Paul, which suffered no casualties, the Assyrian church of the Virgin Mary, in which four were killed, a monastery, and the Chaldean church of Maskanta, with no casualties.
It's a terrible thing when anyone is killed or wounded in war, but Bush and Blair, two self-proclaimed Christians, launched a war against a country which had not harmed us and failed to protect the small and ancient Christian communities in Iraq, with the result that they are now halved in number compared to before the war, due to killings, kidnappings, and flight.
Pray for peace in Iraq. Pray for the Christians in Iraq.
In the northern city of Mosul, guerrillas targeted Christian churches with a series of bombings. Some church-goers were injured and there was damage to buildings. The number of Christians in Iraq has probably been halved, from 800,000, by the war.
The churches targeted by bombs on the feast of the Epiphany were the Chaldean Church of St Paul, which suffered no casualties, the Assyrian church of the Virgin Mary, in which four were killed, a monastery, and the Chaldean church of Maskanta, with no casualties.
It's a terrible thing when anyone is killed or wounded in war, but Bush and Blair, two self-proclaimed Christians, launched a war against a country which had not harmed us and failed to protect the small and ancient Christian communities in Iraq, with the result that they are now halved in number compared to before the war, due to killings, kidnappings, and flight.
Pray for peace in Iraq. Pray for the Christians in Iraq.
From Kirstin In New Orleans
Kirstin from Barefoot and Laughing is in New Orleans working on a project. This is not her first visit to the city, so she was somewhat prepared for what she'd see on her second visit. I say somewhat prepared, but, no matter how many times you see the devastation, you cannot truly be prepared. Her account of her travels around the city by street car, and by bicycle is at the link above. It's well worth a read. The following words of hers on the Lower Ninth Ward struck me to the heart:
...but the whole time I was in the Lower 9th, I felt like I was staring at the grave of a community. I could almost see the silence. Driving—or biking—around and gawking felt profoundly disrespectful and wrong.
If you come here, I implore you—take the stories home, and tell them. Use the time that you have spent here. Don’t just look, and go on with your lives.
The Lower Ninth is, in a sense, the grave of a community. Thank you, Kirstin, for bearing witness. Thank you for telling the story.
Please go read Kirstin's post.
...but the whole time I was in the Lower 9th, I felt like I was staring at the grave of a community. I could almost see the silence. Driving—or biking—around and gawking felt profoundly disrespectful and wrong.
If you come here, I implore you—take the stories home, and tell them. Use the time that you have spent here. Don’t just look, and go on with your lives.
The Lower Ninth is, in a sense, the grave of a community. Thank you, Kirstin, for bearing witness. Thank you for telling the story.
Please go read Kirstin's post.
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