by Liz | Oct 5, 2010 | main
Today’s On Point (Public Radio) is focused on Glen Beck — prophet or demon? (show info here)
I’ve been trashed by my sister because I dislike listening to Mr. Beck. I dislike his politics. I really find it offensive that he claims to speak for Christians… because what I hear in the Gospel and have learned from an ongoing relationship with God is so very different from Mr. Beck’s approach.
I’ve been blasted by my sister because she claims I have a closed mind. She’s sure that if I just listen to Mr. Beck that I will find truth and light. And so, because I have avoided too much contact, I spent an afternoon on the net, reading transcripts of his shows and other “first person” info from and about him. Her (my sister) has no grounds to accuse me of a closed mind because I haven’t listened or read. I’ve listened and read.
The questions posed by today’s On Point broadcast bring me to the following thoughts:
- Mr. Beck may be good for America because he might inspire folks to actually look at what he is saying
- Mr. Beck has his own faith journey to follow. But, he should be very careful to proclaim that he has special knowledge about the core beliefs of Christianity. I have my own perceptions which reach very different conclusions. He probably has some elements of the essential Truth, and I probably have other elements of Truth. And, his railing against social justice issues is causing me to doubt how open he has been to the Love given us as a free gift by God.
- The idea that Satan can quote scripture with the best of us won’t go away.
And so, I find myself in the position of praying for Mr. Beck — and for all of us. That we find our way and do so without destroying each other.
by Liz | Oct 2, 2010 | main
I’m pretty good at head knowledge. No, actually I am really good at head knowledge. Maybe not as good as that man I’m married to who is well out of the normal range for IQ, but still I’m good. I took the Pew Forum Religious Knowledge quiz and scored 100% (here, try it yourself! – let me know how you did)
Heart knowledge is one I have to work on… maybe not so much to do it better, but to recognize what I do know within myself. I am really good at hiding my own feeling from myself, so I suspect I’m really good at being able to just not see what I see with my heart. Heart knowledge — I guess that’s the stuff you learn by paying attention to what your feelings/emotions are telling you. It is good to be in a place where I can know that these companions (emotions) can be as informative at times as the good old scientific data and facts from a book. It is also good to understand that just like book learning, those feelings don’t control me — but they do help me to learn what is going on.
There is one question in that quiz that gave me a brief pause — it has to do with the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church on what happens at the Consecration:
- The bread and wine become the body of Christ
- The bread and wine are symbols of the body of Christ
At one level, I consider this a no-brainer. It is a point of conflict between my protestant upbringing and my RC faith. I felt head and heart go to war — and then I realized that while I could argue semantics, I could try to pick apart the choices (of course they are symbols, but of course they are more — they come the body and blood present with us), there was that part of me that understood the meaning behind the words and most of the time can accept it. The heart won over the head… The heart remembers why I was called to this particular communion within the Christan family.
Lord — help me listen not only with my ears, but with my heart.
by Liz | Aug 28, 2010 | main
Ten years ago, I was moving back into this house after a five month sojourn around town. The house had burned in March and we spent the spring and summer inhabiting interesting digs: a condo designed for folks who wanted a nice place close to campus for football weekends, followed by the summer in an apartment complex where is was us “old guys” and a bunch of male college sophomores. That was interesting. I was growing herbs (basil, rosmary, sage, etc) in a window basket. It took the neighbors weeks to get up the nerve to ask about the vegetation in the planter. I think that they were both disappointed and relieved to discover than these were for cooking, not for smoking.
Back to the house.
One of the really sweet things about this rebuilding was the fact that I picked paint colors, and someone else did the painting. What a concept. The coordinated colors went together well. They were on the walls for 10 years. But, in many respects and in many parts of the house, like the living room and hall, they were safe, neutral ginger cream off-white. That made things light (good thing), but not very inspiring. The intense color in the kitchen has been my favorite. And, that was the inspiration for the new paint. So, far, we have sage in the formerly pale living room which sets off the leather couches and the furniture (and the shiny white trim) in a way that I find comforting and inspiring. And the hall has more color, albeit something called Sand Motif.
So — how does this get to renewal? My understanding of a sacrament is that it is an outward (physical) sign of an interior grace (change/process). This new color scheme is a sign to me that somehow I have healed and grown and find myself more free to express this in an outward manner. I fussed over the colors. I studied the combination of colors. I got the quote from a long time friend and excellent painter. I was really concerned about how this living room (and other rooms) would look. This is a new wardrobe for my living space.
Yesterday, when I headed out to the gym, the walls were ginger cream. When I got back, the first coat of sage greeted me — and filled me with joy. I love it. I love the way things look. It affirmed that inner feeling in a visible way. Sacrament.
True, a new coat of paint can be just a cosmetic enhancement or it can reveal something that just needed to get out. This color change seems to be a bit like spring with new colors and new growth. In time, it will move to summer and fall and become just another part of the backdrop of life. I will grow accustomed to it and probably not think about it. It will become a part of the house. But for now, I’m enjoying the beginning of something new.
by Liz | Aug 15, 2010 | main
This morning at mass we sang “Servant Song” for the presentation of the gifts. This is the one that starts out with “What do you want of me, Lord? Where do you want me to serve you.” It became even more moving to me than usual because of Mery. Mery is our newest music team member. She’s from Panama. She is in her 30’s, I would guess and full of life and enthusiasm and joy. She is the mother of a toddler and wife of a grad student. English is her 3rd language, probably (after Kuni and Spanish); Mery cannot sing “Servant Song” without being moved to tears.
It is still amazing to me that music and words can bring someone to such a place – tears of joy and/or sorrow. No wonder the little phrase “To sing is to pray twice” stays and stays and stays around.
Mery was embarrassed by her tears in front of the congregation. I had to hug her. It was so good to see someone so moved by the Spirit.
by Liz | Aug 11, 2010 | main
Have you ever heard a “born-again” Christian refer to being “convicted”? I’ve spend some time thinking about that phrasing. So often it is taken to mean that Jesus, as judge and jury has taken someone into a court of law, and tried that person and found that person “guilty.” An unloving, uncharitable, hard-line image, to me.
Then I think a bit further. I observe in myself and those whom I come in contact with. I observe emotional reactions. Those things which bring out violent or visceral emotional reactions seem to me to fall into a couple of categories — and these probably dissolve into a single category. These reactions are generally associated with hurt or fear. I only experience hurt and/or fear when I am protecting something, it seems. That is, I react most strongly when I am not sure that my borders are not being breached. That could be protecting a child or a friend. Or it could be just protecting my own ego. I will fight to defend my child or sister/brother, mom, spouse or friend. True. But, I will fight even harder at times to protect my image of myself…
My strongest reaction by far is when someone touches a nerve and moves into that space that might cause me to have to change — or at least evaluate the need to change. Someone, be they friend or foe, makes an observation about me that really makes me angry… My response becomes: Unfair! You have no right! Why are you trying to hurt me! Get away! Leave me alone! You are SO wrong! And then I stop and reflect on my reaction. It is the strongest when I suspect that the observer might be right or might be on to some log in my own eye.
The other side of that coin is when I say something that causes the flash of anger in another person. I must evaluate what is happening: Am I being unjust or wrong? Or did I step into that place that perhaps they already see a problem? Am I doing it to hurt someone (and make myself look better) or did I simply state a truth that was received badly?
And so I reflect on what “conviction” means in the sense of that Christian I referenced in the first sentence. I look in the mirror of God and find that I am in drastic need of change — God/Jesus doesn’t convict me or sentence me. I see the reflection that tells me that this must change. I see Love in the mirror that tells me it can change. I see more Love in the mirror that tells me that I’ll not ride into that change alone.
Scary-wonderful.
by Liz | Aug 10, 2010 | main
Listening to NPR this afternoon on the way home from Birmingham, I caught the story by Raolh Eubanks about how the Bookmobile influenced his life (see this article). Impressive, because the librarian (in Missisippi in the 60’s) followed the law instead of ignoring it, and brought the book mobile by his home… as a black kid, he wouldn’t have been allowed in the public library at the time.
I was reminded of a bit of blue-skying I was involved in a while back. The scene involves several folks discussing the job they want. Mind you, most of these folks have high tech/computer/IT jobs currently.
Me — think I’d like to be a carpenter when I grow up. Do something I can touch.
One of the guys I worked with ( a good programmer & manager) wants to cook pancakes at the IHOP. He doesn’t want to eat pancakes, just make them.
There’s the University MIS prof who wants to be the greeter at Walmart.
Or, the internal consultant wizard at Itty Bitty Machines that thinks that driving the bookmobile would be the best job ever.
The list goes on, and on.
But, today, when Ralph Eubanks talked about the Bookmobile, I thought of our “ideal jobs” and the effect they might have. Who knew that driving a bookmobile could have such a powerful influence? And maybe the Walmart greeter is the only smile someone might get all day. A well made pancake, served piping hot with butter and maple syrup can be sheer bliss. And who knows — a carpenter might be just the ticket for helping someone get into the home they want/need.
I smile, and remember all the times when things went wrong with a server or an application and I had to remind myself that that job wasn’t brain surgery — folks might think they will die when things go wrong, but get real – they won’t. But, what a difference the bookmobile driver and the Walmart greeter can make in day to day life.
So — what will you be when you grow up?
