Jesus' Insurrection

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Next year I’ll celebrate peace every day.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

The old year passes into memory, and to much of what it held I say “good riddance!” But to some of its events I say “awesome! There is reason to hope.”

Sadly, the negative carry-overs will give major challenge to the hopes and dreams. My prayer is for wisdom in our political leadership and patience in national populations. I think I’m carrying more hope than despair as I leave 2009. You bless me.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Judas, I don’t think it’s justified to call me a loser just because I won’t lead an insurrection against Rome.”

[A wimp? No. His troops would engage in a more subtle takeover, but He never said this.]

D. Blog: Thought for 2010

“No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.” -- Helen Keller

2009 Highlights

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

I know peace, and this, friend, is not peace.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Interesting, a minor physical problem appears and I immediately ask myself: what have I done wrong to bring on this problem? Are you trying to tell me something by this? Interesting, and probably a silly reaction, definitely a self-centered reaction. Sturdy and hardy as they can be, bodies don’t last. They have parts that go bad, wear out, get irritated by actions and contact with other entities. That’s it. No message from you. No little punishment by you. It is what it is, a sore toe.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Just friends, Mary? Is there another guy?”

[He would have known, right? So He didn’t say this.]

D. Blog: 2009 Highlights

For me, the list includes these events:

- Obama inauguration
- Serving on the Vision Team and other aspects of life with First Congregational UCC of Asheville
- Many rich family times
- Trips to Nags Head, Chattanooga, and northern California
- UNC winning the NCAA championship
- Lakers winning the NBA championship
- Remodeled bathroom
- Installation of solar panels
- Getting acquainted with Green Man
- Hearing Miriam McGillis speak about the New Cosmology, Peak Oil, Climate Change, Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme
- Learning about and beginning to work with the Transition Towns Movement
- Applying permacultural design to our yard and garden
- Receiving an insurance “bonus” after being rear-ended in my pickup
- Sharing my photographs and receiving words of praise for them

I hope your year has been blessed in similar ways.

Seeing the Enemy?

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

The river to peace flows in a deeper channel than we choose to go.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

I wonder whether you, through our entanglement with Earth, are leading us in this new greening/environmental movement. Is this movement evidence that Earth is trying to restore her life-engendering powers through forces beyond our intellectual knowing and beyond scientific awareness? We like to think we are in control, that we are learning to “manage” Earth’s systems. Perhaps we should see these greening efforts as Earth’s work, Earth making humans act more responsibly as stewards of life. Just wondering. At times, you can be very subtle, even sneaky..
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“The new shades were a Godsend out there in the wilderness. Thanks, Mom.”

[Hmmm. Nope. Not in any of the texts.]

D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku

It seems we broke the mirror
So we no longer
See the enemy

Considering X-mas

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Dungeons and dragons are symbols for injustice and war. Defeating the symbols without controlling what they symbolize is of no value.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

The psalm says, “If I forget you, O Israel.” I recall the lament and the devotion, but it seems misplaced, secondary to where our ultimate devotion lies – to you. As much as a homeland can mean to us, I think it should not be primary in our hearts. You are our one true home.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Actually, ‘God’s country’ would more likely be someplace called Greenland.”

[He might have been a model for Green Man, but He didn’t say this.]

D. Blog: X-mas

According to the signs, we can still buy fresh-cut X-mas trees, or get an X-mas dinner for $9.95 at the local diner.

I play with this X-mas “word.” I suppose the X is a Greek symbol for Christ, but X-mas has given me some sympathy for those whose bumperstickers say “put Christ back in Christmas.” Who among us speaks Greek?

I wonder whether modern children might make a first association of X-mas with X-men. Maybe that’s okay. Jesus was something of an X-man: mysterious, had super powers, a hero figure.

I think trying to put Christ back in the holiday is a hopeless cause. I suspect it’s always been more about family sharing and gift-giving than about advent candles and Christmas Eve services. And maybe that’s okay, too. Christ is surely present when we experience and demonstrate love. Imposing piety and self-righteousness on the holiday detracts from its holy nature.

Cliches of 2009

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

The road to peace is paved with hope and loving sacrifice. Fear and self-interest create pot-holes, lengthy detours and dead ends.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

You fill my senses.
You fill my mind.
You fill my time.
You fill my life.
God, you’re wonderful!
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“I see fools.”

[When He looked at His disciples? Thought it, perhaps, but didn’t say it.]

D. Blog: 10 Un-Favorite Cliches of 2009 (in no particular order)

- “On the ground”

- “Going forward”

- “On the street”

- “Bottom line”

- “At the end of the day”

- “Under the radar”

- “Between the lines”

- “Rush”

- “Sarah”

- “Outside the box”

Better Off Without Such Headlines

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

International sporting competitions further the goal of peace, until nations get in the way.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One, Mary’s Child,

We have a mixed message in the stories of your birth. A simple birth in a simple place to a simple woman who is not yet married. Simple shepherds who get the first announcement of your arrival. So it seems the story should be a tale of the poor boy who rises to prominence – like Joseph or Moses.

But then we have these uncommon, extraordinary and miraculous elements that highlight how unique, special and divine you are. A virgin mother, a descendant of King David, parents who are visited by angels and dreams, a choir of angels to announce your birth, a star that marks your birth, wise men from afar who bring gifts to the one they recognize as the newborn king of the Jews.

We leave the realm of the simple, natural and universal experience of your presence and make it so out of the ordinary that we can no longer relate to you on a personal level. No longer one with and for us, you are “lord”, “master”, supreme ruler of all. No longer the Christ within us, but Christ above humanity. Divinity no longer residing in our midst with the meek and lowly, but the ideal, the celebrity far beyond us.

Perhaps you (and we) should create some real stories of your birth in our midst today.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Matthew, I really like the scene with the wise men. It shows how much greater I am than Moses or David. Way to go!”

[No. Jesus did not get the chance to edit.]

D. Blog: Something We Can Live Without

Have you noticed how news headlines and stories attribute emotions to countries?
“China angered by interference…”
[Maybe China need an anger management class?]

Or, a country takes an action?
“Iran warns…”
[The supreme ruler or his spokesman maybe, but the whole country? Really? It reminds of a place called Oz and its wizard, who wasn’t so great as the pretense of embodying a country.]

And this one always gets me:
“US wins gazillion Olympic medals…”
[Athletes do all the hard work, country gets credit. Athletes -- mostly nameless, get token rewards; country “wins” and we are all so proud of ourselves...]

Could we please get real?

White Christmas

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

“Sure, war has its place – in the past.” – Kevin, age 11

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

I think we need new carols. No more Christmas songs of nostalgia and sentimentality. No more stable, wise men, star or shepherds, virgin or inn keeper. Just this: You entered human life experience to demonstrate your love for us and to offer freedom from oppressive political, religious, economic and social systems. You reminded us of our importance to you, that all of us are precious, forgiven and encouraged to share the mystery of life with you in the vastness of space and time. You lived and live among us to dispel our fears and announce your peace among those who know their oneness with you and with one another. I think you would welcome more such carols. I know I would.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“I’m a conservative – religiously, politically and economically.”

[No. They were the ones responsible for His execution]

D. Blog: Our White Christmas

It's Not about the Eonomy, Stupid!

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Peace of mind is not possible without peace in the heart.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

The days proceed as a parade of surprise, wonder and enjoyment.
Whom shall I thank?
I see beauty all around me. I know love and friendship. I meet ordinary yet amazing people
Whom shall I thank?
I hear and read stories about people who do or have done great things for the betterment of humanity.
Whom shall I thank?
I live in a time of awesome hope and awful danger, a time that stirs anticipation, anxiety and high energy.
Whom shall I thank?
I’ll offer my thanks to you, for you rule in and over and through it all.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Show me the money!”

[Nope. Nothing about payment, bonus or reward in His contract.]

D. Blog: Not Exactly Humbug

The point of all this Christmas hoopla grows duller for me each year. I “get”, appreciate, and truly enjoy the emphasis on family and friends. Most of the rest of it? Not so much. Santa and Ho Ho Ho? Nope. Not as we get him. Why, even Buddhists, Taoists, and Communists dress up in Santa costumes. He’s been transformed from a Christian saint into a chubby party-fantasy guy, totally cut off from Nicholas of Mira. Star of Bethlehem? Physical nonsense, unless we think the Magi had an On Star system to guide them. Holy Child born in a stable? I like the symbolism, of course, but it has no basis in fact.

Christ come on Earth on our behalf? Now that I do believe -- with all that is in me. But with the modern Christmas phenomenon, we’re hard-pressed to get to this layer of ultimate meaning. The “newsworthy” meaning has to do with how retailers fare in the great season of buying. To that a definite "Bah, Humbug!" is in order.

Jesus' Last Will and Testament

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Which GPS will direct us to Peace? (e.g. Godly Prayer System?)

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Change is the only constant, so either you change constantly or you create change constantly. Or both. I exercise caution, then around fixed religious beliefs, ancient practices, erecting memorials, trying to recreate the past. Part of the old hymn has it right: “Forward through the ages.” If we want to go with you.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

"I, Jesus of Nazareth, being of sound mind, do hereby leave all my worldly goods, including my seamless garment, to be held in trust for The Little Sisters of the Poor."

[Another thing He didn’t say from the cross.]


D. Blog: “Neither Rain nor Snow…” – unless delivering by car

There was no mail today.

A Mixed Message

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Swords now appear only in sporting competitions and entertainment. Now it’s missiles and bombs we try to live by – and will die by.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

The holiday has slipped up on me this year. Oh, I’ve prepared gifts, decorated and made plans for visitors. All of that with little stress, but also without a lot of focus on other kinds of preparation, on advent and the coming of the Christ into our lives. I like to think that’s become such a part of me, that I have such an awareness of that presence much of the time, that a special season for it is not necessary. Christ lives in and among us; preparing for that reality seems redundant. Now it’s a matter of living accordingly. Didn’t Jesus say something like that? Anyway, I do celebrate the Christ presence in my life, that you are, in effect, built into our genetic structure, that we are not bound by death-dealing political, economic, religious and social structures that would impose themselves upon us. We are saved as we choose to be.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“There are no stars.”

[A true statement – suns and a Son, but He didn’t say so.]

D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku

Consider this mixed message at Christmas:
Pray for peace and
Pay for war

In Your Dreams?

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

So, soldier, do you think Jesus was misguided or misquoted when He said “Love your enemies?”

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Since before I was born you have known and cared for me. Such an idea is almost more than I can comprehend. The depth and constancy of such love is more than I can comprehend. It leaves me in awe once again, stunning me with the magnitude of the thought. The God of the expanding universe pays that kind of attention to me? Is intimately involved in the events of my daily life?

It makes me want to be sure I’m doing things that will please you and make you proud. I’m grateful to know it is enough that what I’m doing makes me happy; that pleases you, too. But it adds to my joy when I think I please you beyond that, that I make my parent proud.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.”

[But not of the storm that precedes it.]

D. Blog: In Your Dreams?

[And this was the "before" picture...]

>

Abusive Relationships

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

No peace ever disturbed my sleep.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

It might stretch beyond our ability to comprehend, but life is a miracle. It might seem natural, but it reaches beyond natural, as we know natural, to supernatural. Its depth and breadth and time span dwarfs and warps any kind of “natural” that we can mean by that word. Your cosmos found a way to bring life into being beyond any natural events. You found a way to evolve humans into existence, beyond anything that could have been expected naturally. Your brought me, uniquely, into this divine process, and I can but wonder and give thinks.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Sounds good to me: fireworks for the Passover celebration.”

[After the meal, when the went to the garden. Didn’t happen.]

D. Blog: Abusive Relationships

Earth does much more for us that we do for her. Trees do more for us than we can possibly do for them. Rivers do more for us than we do for them. Air is more important to us than we are to it. And so on. These sustain us far more than we maintain them. They sacrifice for us and we take advantage of them. They enable our existence and we behave as if they can do so without limit. Among humans this is known as an abusive relationship.

Those Who Value Parsimony

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Ever notice how the government tries to estimate the cost of its armed conflicts? Trillions of dollars these days, never mind the lives lost and destroyed. For comparison sake we should ask for an estimate of the cost of peace, so we know which is the better value.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

How do you really feel about sin? Or is it simply human projection to think you feel? I like to think you feel, but I have difficulty when it comes to connecting the emotion of hate with you. So I part company with those who say you hate sin. I imagine sin saddens and grieves you, even makes you angry sometimes. But I like the old preacher’s analogy: sin is like a raspberry seed under your dentures. It irritates you, annoys you, and you wish you could get rid of it. But you love raspberries. You allow creation to behave in ways that are not in line with your wishes. It pains you, especially when we do hurtful things to one another. But you love your world.

I wonder about this projection of hate of sin. Perhaps it is we who hate sin, because it demonstrates how far we are from being divine. Or, perhaps we love to hate sin because we can feel self-righteous in the process…
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“I need more fiber in my diet.”

[Lack of fiber wasn’t a problem in His day.]

D. Blog: Word of the Week -- "parsimony"

Noun
1.
parsimony - extreme care in spending money; reluctance to spend money unnecessarily
parsimoniousness, penny-pinching, thrift
frugality, frugalness - prudence in avoiding waste

2.
parsimony - extreme stinginess
minginess, niggardliness, niggardness, tightfistedness, meannes, parsimoniousness,
closeness, tightness
stinginess - a lack of generosity; a general unwillingness to part with money
littleness, pettiness, smallness - lack of generosity in trifling matters
miserliness - total lack of generosity with money

[Thanks to thefreedictionary.com for explaining this ultimate Scroogey/Republican value.]

No to "Gift" Cards

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

WWJD? What He did not do was carry a weapon. WWJD? Act nonviolently.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

“Life is suffering; then you die.” It’s a statement and a perspective with limited truth. It reminds me a lot of the idea that there is something called “original sin.” There are alternatives that resonate with greater truth for me, as in “original blessing,” or “life holds suffering and joy, simple pleasures and great satisfaction, love and wonder; so live it to the fullest.”

The negative outlook strikes me as similar to childish whining, a complaint against the universe, a challenge to the way you created things, a denial of life’s possibilities, or the stuck-in-the-mud path chosen instead of the clear road to enjoyment. Just accept and forgive what we don’t like. Our idea of perfection was never in the cards, the stars, or your mind.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Did you get some tofu for tonight’s supper, Nathaniel? You know John won’t eat the lamb.”

[Never said it.]

D. Blog: No more “gift” cards

Why from now on I’ll give cash instead of “gift” cards, you might wonder. I got to thinking about those cards when they started popping up everywhere, even my local gas station. The grocery store sells them, the drug store, the department store. Go into a big box store and they sell these cards for other big box stores. “What’s up with all these cards?” I asked myself.

Here’s what I came up with, after absolutely no research:
-- If, say, Staples sells a card for Applebee’s, Staples receives a percentage of that purchase from Applebee’s. Okay. What else?
-- I buy my son a card for Best Buy, say for $25. Some time later, he goes shopping at Best Buy and picks out a CD that costs about $20. Well, there’s another $5 on the card. What does he do? Same thing I would do: he finds something else to buy so that remainder isn’t wasted. My “gift” to him becomes an additional purchase he feels he must make at Best Buy. The gift that keeps giving – to Best Buy. More.
-- Suppose he doesn’t want to use my gift at Best Buy. Nope, sorry, can’t redeem it for cash.
-- Suppose he waits too long to use my gift. Sorry, unlike my cash gift, this one has an expiration date.
-- Okay then, some time after his birthday, say a month, he goes to Best Buy and manages to purchase something he wants that costs exactly $25. Pretty nice, right?
-- Well... but what was the money to buy the card doing during that month? Suppose Best Buy puts that into an interest bearing account and gets $.50 (I know, pretty high interest, but you get the idea). Do you think they credit any of that interest to his card? Nah. Suppose instead I’d given him some cash and he put it in his interest-bearing account until he was ready to spend it. Better for him, right?
-- So, I’m thinking this “gift” card to my son is more like a loan to Best Buy. They use the money from me until my son wants to use that money. Why not just give him the money??
-- This loan to Best Buy has some unusual characteristics. They might not be required to pay it back if, say, he misplaces the card. Or they might not have to pay all of it back if, say, his CD purchase costs $24.50 and he’s not interested in using the remaining $.50. And, Best Buy does not pay any interest on this loan I’ve made to them, neither to me nor to my son.
I’d like a loan on those terms, too. Know anybody who’ll give me one?

-- Or perhaps, instead of a loan, I might think of it as a reverse credit card. I give Best Buy credit, but they don’t necessarily have to make payment to my son until he demands it (or some of it), and the terms of this credit card don’t say anything about 18.9% interest on outstanding balances or minimum payment or payment due date.

Think I could get Best Buy (or any other business offering “gift” cards) to give me a credit card with similar terms?

I think gift cash is the way to go this Christmas.

Peace on the Back Burner

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

When peace gets put on the back burner, we get burned.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

“Blessings all mine, and 10,000 beside…” Does it get any better than this? Perhaps, but for me this is good enough, more than I hoped. Life is good, Yeah!
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Call no man 'father,' unless he’s celibate, of course.”

[He never gave birth to this conundrum]

D. Blog: Snowfall

Snow has fallen, snow on snow. Its beauty lasts even less than it will. Or perhaps the beauty is what lasts – in memories and photographs. But then when snow melts, it lasts in other ways, ways that nourish and sustain the planet and the life forms living on it. Isn’t that the way of all beauty? Even if it at times involves some struggle or hardship, it enriches our lives.

[Thanks to the BBC International website for this photograph.]

Imagination Deficit Disorder (IDD)

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

I’ll bet all I have on peace in the finals.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

We cannot rightly blame you for boredom. Life is so challenging, interesting and downright entertaining, anybody feeling bored must not pay attention. Perhaps they suffer from Imagination Deficit Disorder (IDD), which leads them to watch too much television. Thankfully, I don’t seem to have such a condition. I love the life you give us, can’t get enough of it!
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Get me to the synagogue on time.”

[What time would that have been? – Didn’t say it.]

D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku

Which war would I fight in?
That would be the one in which
No one gets killed.

Dating Jesus

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

A preacher who never opposes war is a false prophet.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

If I didn’t know better, I might think you care only for me, for my state, for my country, for my religion, my race, my species, my planet. All have received abundant gifts as a result of the course of life’s evolving. But while I know all of my situation in life is blessed, the blessedness can only continue as I am mindful that I hare your bounty with the rest of the world the world to which you expressed your love through Jesus the Christ.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“I think we should date other people for a while.”

[Comment: ??]

D. Blog: No Rapture for Me

I suppose God could pull off a rapture like that envisioned by some Christians, improbable and fantastic as the notion is to me. But it’ll never happen. It makes less sense than the Star Trek fictions or the group that thought a passing comet meant they would be taken away from Earth. That escapist stuff has a place, but not in reality.

The more realistic apocalyptic scenarios involve things of our own human doing: nuclear war or radioactive and other toxic wastes, climate change, the end of the oil age. I’ll keep my focus on those very tangible threats and ignore the imaginary ones.

Crisis of Spirit

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Resort to violence is an admission of failure on someone’s part.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

A leader has disappointed us.
A shepherd would lead us astray.
Lead us now, you who never disappoint.
Guide us back to paths of righteousness and peace.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“With all the walking we do, I wish I had a pedometer.”

[And if wishes were horses… He never even thought it]

D. Blog: Crisis

Athletes have violated the sanctity of fair play.
Tiger Woods is just one who violated the sanctity of marriage vows.
Bernie Madoff violated the sanctity of the trust people had in him.
Wall Street executives violated the sanctity of fiduciary responsibility.
Barack Obama violated the sanctity of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Religious authorities violate the sanctity of their calling.
We have all violated the sanctity of Earth.

I consider it a crisis of Spirit that underlies most of our ills.

Garden of Eden=Earth?

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

You cannot expect people to trust you when you carry a gun.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Could we survive for a second without your sustaining presence? I don’t think so.
Do we know enough to go it on our own? I don’t think so.
Can we control our own fate? I don’t think so.
Do you try to keep us from getting too deep into trouble? Absolutely!
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“No, Mom. I’m sorry, I can’t go home with you. These are my peeps now.”

[Not how He broke the news to her that He had left the family.]

D. Blog: Garden of Eden = Earth?

Perhaps we have misunderstood the story.
Perhaps Earth is the garden and we are in it, but don’t realize that any longer.
Perhaps our role is still that of tending to her health and welfare.
Perhaps Earth is a more hospitable and more fragile place than we have imagined.
Perhaps the traditional interpretation of a “fall” is but an imaginary explanation of our toil and the evil we encounter as we make our way in this verdant and complex planet.
Perhaps we need to realize we could never leave the garden of Earth, except in our imaginations.

Shanghaied!!

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

If we remove wars from the picture, then governments might truly serve the needs of their people.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

As your sheep, we need a great deal of care and attention.
Thank you for being our shepherd.
As your sheep, we sometimes stray and get lost and need someone to seek and find us.
Thank you for being our shepherdess.
As your sheep, sometimes we encounter perils and need someone to protect us.
Thank you for being our shepherd.
As your sheep, sometimes we hear voices that would lead us along dangerous paths.
Thank you for being the shepherdess who calls us back to safer paths.
As your sheep, we sometimes become injured and hurt and need someone to heal and comfort us.
Thank you for being our shepherd.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Just blame the woman.”

[What He refused to say of the woman caught in adultery.]

D. Blog: Word of the Week – “shanghai”

[Thanks to Merriam-Webster.com for explaining this term’s origin and meaning.]

Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): shang·haied; shang·hai·ing
Etymology: Shanghai, China; from the former use of this method to secure sailors for voyages to eastern Asia
Date: 1871
1 a : to put aboard a ship by force often with the help of liquor or a drug b : to put by force or threat of force into or as if into a place of detention2 : to put by trickery into an undesirable position

[Illustration: “With his acceptance speech this week, President Obama attempted to shanghai the Nobel Peace Prize into serving the purposes of war.”]

Skeptics? No, Deniers

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

“I know. Let’s pretend we’re Christians and become pacifists!” – Shamir, age 12, on how to achieve lasting peace.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

As a physical expression of who you are, Earth is amazing! I hope you don’t think it’s blasphemy when I say that Earth expresses your essence at least as well as Jesus did. We can more readily experience it as life creating, sustaining, adapting, loving, encompassing what we know of both matter and spirit. What a wonderful world!
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Did I really say that about my own people, John?”

[Probably not as down on them as gospel writer John was, but He didn’t ask this question.]

D. Blog: Denial

Climate change skeptics are in the denial stage. I’m not a scientist, but the consensus among them, based on data not speculation, says the warming is occurring. Skeptic says, “But Earth has experienced these cycles of warming and cooling in the past.” Telling response for me is that the warming has never before occurred this rapidly in the past. And what’s so different about this particular warming trend? An overgrown human population burning fossil fuels for the past 150 years, far beyond what was possible ever before on Earth. Only in this period of time has this occurred. To doubt or deny such an obvious set of facts makes an ostrich seem realistic.

Exploiting Differences

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

We’re all held hostage by war-making systems.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

When we fail to know our connection with the other, how can we possibly connect with you? Or, as the letter of James says, how can we love you if we don’t love our brothers, sisters, enemies? Impossible. They, too, are your offspring, your enfleshments in this world. If we see only separation from them, we separate from you as well.

That’s how I see the “fall” in the story of Adam and Eve. They saw their separateness and so became divided. Poor things… But that’s just a story. Poor us… for real.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“When do you think the Messiah will come?”

[As far as we know, not something He asked His cousin John when they were children.]

D. Blog: Questions in the News Room

Whose personal tragedy can we exploit today in order to draw an audience?

Which celebrity’s personal failings can we exploit to keep the public distracted from things of real importance?

How can we play up political differences of opinion to create strong emotional reactions in the population such that they want to hear the extremists rant?

What Jesus Wanted for Christmas

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

In the game of life, peace always trumps war.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

You give us so many wonderful things. No wonder we like to give presents to our family and friends. It’s part of our DNA as your children. Fortunately for us, you don’t respond like the woman who gave two sweaters to her son. When he came to visit wearing one of them, she said “What? Didn’t you like the other one?” I imagine you simply observe which of your countless gifts we notice and make use of, and you take some gratification when they help us grow, mature and share with others.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Thanks Mommy, just what I wanted for Christmas: my two front teeth.”

[Yeah, right, He never said that.]

D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku

Earth’s diversity
stretches the mind, beyond
what we can ever know.

A Pet Peeve

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

How many pacifists does it take to change a light bulb?
None. They carry a light within. [Well, some do…]

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

How divine to put or restore the breath of life in a person. An obstetrician should relish the job of initiating the first breath in a new life. To breathe is to live.

To breathe is to inspire. To lose breath is to expire. Your breath inspires. Your comfort comes to the expiring. May it be so for us the living to know your inspiration. May it be so for those facing death to know your comfort.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Okay, Dad. When I turn 30, I’ll move out on my own. Promise.”

[We don’t know if there was such a conversation. If there was, it wasn’t in English.]

D. Blog: A Pet Peeve

I get terribly frustrated with drivers who are overly polite. You know. The ones who after coming first to an intersection with a four-way stop will wave to others to go first. Instead of following the rules of the road, they follow some personal rule about performing random acts of kindness (maybe) or just don’t recall the rules of the road. All their “kindness” does is cause uncertainty about what they’re doing and prolong everyone’s stay at the intersection. Is that wave a greeting? Do they need assistance? Oh, I guess they want someone else to go first so they don’t have to commit to a driving decision based on what has been prescribed as safe driving practice.

One such driver caused me to be rear-ended the other day. Instead of proceeding through a perfectly fine green light that most drivers had been seeing as a signal to go on through the intersection, she saw someone waiting to enter the flow of traffic from a service station, and she decided to perform her random act of kindness for the day. Problem was she was paying no attention to vehicles behind her. As the vehicle from the gas station pulled into the intersection, I hit my brakes (at a light that had been green for quite some time, remember). The driver of the large pickup pulling a trailer could not avoid hitting my vehicle as the polite driver moved on down the road, oblivious to the fact that her act of kindness was a dangerous and unnecessary gesture that caused an accident in its wake.

Now, I’m all for acts of kindness. I just have a serious problem when drivers mix the impulse for kindness with stupidity.

In the World=Incarnation

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

I’ve never met a peace I didn’t like, never met a war I did like, never heard of a torture that could be justified as moral.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

I wonder, occasionally, whether all of our attempts to communicate with you seem ludicrous to you. Or, do you appreciate our attempts to connect with you? It doesn’t really make a difference in what I’ll do; I’ll keep trying because it benefits me. This is plain self-interest, because these attempts help me focus on what’s going on inside me, to find what’s important to me, to feel good about my life and the direction it’s taking. So, like it or not, I’ll continue to send my thoughts your way, and continue to see the blessings in my life.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Warrior God has given way to Daddy God. Deal with it.

[He taught something almost like this, but didn’t say it. Maybe that’s why so many people can’t believe it.]

D. Blog: In the World

When the Christian scripture says we are not to be “of the world,” it causes us problems because people interpret that to mean not of the natural world. But the appropriate interpretation of “world” here means the political and economic systems of power in the world, not the entire physical world. We cannot live in any other world, not even as we seek a spirituality in our lives. We have no other means of encountering divinity except through our bodily senses, in and of the natural world. The whole notion of incarnation reflects this – the sacred soul resides in a physical body, thus confirming its value. We honor the Holy One in this life, in this world.

Elephants in the Room

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Green is a primary peace color; red, not so much.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Thanks.
Thanks for the memories.
Thanks for the blessings of today - and for its challenges.
Thanks for tomorrow’s goys and hopes fulfilled.
Thanks for that within and between us which lies beyond time.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

"That time share in Babylon sounds great, Nicodemus."
[But not the investment He recommended.]

D. Blog: Watch out for the Elephant

We seem unable to address adequately the major threats to our “way of life.” Climate change, population growth and the decline in supplies of fossil fuels will have far greater impact than terrorists or Muslim extremists. Yet we as a nation devote vast amounts of resources and personnel to the latter, more familiar threats with more familiar counter measures.

I think it’s akin to focusing on the little brat’s tantrums when it’s the elephants that can destroy the entire house.

Think You Understand Transgression?

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

When we aspire to overcome nature, we lose.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Given a choice between a meeting and doing things around the house, I would normally choose the latter. The other day I didn’t have a choice. Meeting. But as it turned out, the meeting was more beneficial than staying at home would have been. I just never know when you will surprise me with grace and joy.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Mister, you won’t believe what this popcorn ceiling will do for the resale value of this house.”

[Not exactly the kind of work He did before entering the ministry.]

D. Blog: Word of the Week – “transgression”

According to the Huffington Post,

“Tiger Woods' apology for his affair has caused a sensation -- but also, it seems, a whole lot of confusion over the meaning of the word ‘transgression.’

In the apology Woods posted to his website, he wrote:
‘I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart.’

In the wake of his admission, ‘transgression’ and ‘transgression definition’ topped Google Trends as the most popular search terms in the US.”

In case Tiger’s vocabulary confuses you, too, wordnetweb.princeton.edu offers this definition:

- the act of transgressing; the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle; "the boy was punished for the transgressions of his father"
- the spreading of the sea over land as evidenced by the deposition of marine strata over terrestrial strata
- the action of going beyond or overstepping some boundary or limit

[Sort of like going to war??]

In the Beginning...

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Empires come and go. God’s dominion stays.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

You amaze me – at least once every day. Or if I’m paying some attention, every hour. On some days more often than that. I imagine that if I could be so attentive, I might be amazed from moment to moment, like a curious child.

We let common life obscure the uncommon facts of life on Earth, our uncommon personal life stories, the uncommon creativity and achievements of humanity. That lightbulb everyone is so anxious to change, for instance. It’s a great metaphor for the light you provide, being taken for granted, yet so vital and so miraculous – if we pay attention.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“In the beginning, I didn’t know a word.”

[John might have written something like it, but He didn’t say it.]

D. Blog: Balancing Acts

Neighbor cat chases a squirrel in our yard. It’s probably just practice for the well-fed cat, but no game for the squirrel. Survival of the fittest? I wonder. Perhaps it’s simply part of an amazingly complex balancing act that nature performs.

As for humans, are we resilient enough, strong-minded enough, fit enough to survive the coming decline (collapse) of the fossil fuel balance that our population depends upon?

Tiger Woods, Imagine

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

The only hope of satisfying Divinity’s purpose lies in achieving world peace.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

You know that one of the main ways we know you is as Creator. When we see the grandeur and the intricacy of the universe, we stand in wonder at the divine power that made it all. Equally awesome to me is the fact that you have given to us, the children made in your image, a measure of that same ability to create. I imagine it might be our greatest spiritual gift. For I experience creativity as a spiritual force. When we use it, instead of destructive power, we unleash more of your spirit into the universe. I know that when I am using my creativity, I feel very much connected to you. Help me to use this ability in ways that express your love and further your creative activity.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“If I am to model my life after my ancestor, King David, I certainly need a Bathsheba. You’ll do, Mary.”

[Not that kind of King, so He didn’t say that.]

D. Blog: Imagine…

I can Imagine I might accidentally hit a tree hard enough when backing out of my driveway that it would require a visit to the emergency room. I can imagine I would call my insurance company. Involvement of a hydrant would, I imagine, bring somebody from the local fire department.

Police? Hard to imagine. Reporters? I don’t think so. Making international news? Unthinkable.

Neighborhood gossip? I imagine so.

Thank you, Tiger Woods, for proving that we are a global village.

The War Thing

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Only those with hope and trust find peace.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Thank you for the gift of time, without which there is no life. That was a stupendous idea you have. But we need experiences of your timelessness, too. I wonder whether the tendency to structure and fill our time has the by-product of eliminating the openings for glimpses of the timeless and eternal – you. I am grateful for all encounters with you, in the countless ways they come.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“When in Samaria, do as the Samaritans do.”

[The alternative lesson to one of His parables, but it never caught on.]

D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku

I don’t get it, this war thing.
Explain to me why
you believe it works.

Meeting Crises

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

War bonds? Peace bonds make a better investment.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Sometimes I am aware that I know very little. I know the routines of my day-to-day existence, but of any larger scheme or plan or meaning or ultimate goal I can only speculate, as if fumbling around in a dense fog. Occasionally I get a glimpse of something ultimate in a moment when light breaks through that fog. I use that piece of ultimate truth to give me some bearing and orient me in the cosmos. That helps, but the fog remains. Please keep your light shining on the pieces of your truth that give me hope and inspiration.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Which way is up?”

[On a roundish and rotating planet, and in a multi-dimensional universe, that’s a good question, but He didn’t need to ask.]

D. Blog: When Crisis Comes

We can see all manner of crises ahead (climate change, peak oil and energy descent, population overload, resource depletion, pollution of air and water and soil). Yet I can see the opportunity in them, and they bring an excitement that the status quo does not. The challenges, I think, stir our creativity in ways that might otherwise leave it dormant. The challenges also encourage us to reach out to neighbors in ways we would otherwise not be inclined to do. We are moved to say “I need some help” and “How can I help?” We are moved to work together lest we fail to meet the challenges.

Disrupted Plans

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Peace will never be the burden and the waste that is war.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Awesome.
Unbelievable.
Mysterious.
Incredible.
Blessed.
Unlimited.
Holy.

I’ll stop at seven adjectives,
just because they are enough.
enough to suggest but not encompass
this enterprise we know as life.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Close the door behind you, Judas.”

[Not the next to last thing He said to Judas.]

D. Blog: Disrupted Plans

My carefully laid out plans for the day often get disrupted or set aside. It sometimes annoys me when this happens, but it usually turns out for the best and I learn some things that I would not have learned had things gone according to my plans. Consider this a lesson on what plans the Divine One has for creation.

Economic Salvation is Near

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

The next phase of our political evolution will include a peace party.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Earth is beautiful, amazing, fertile, diverse, adaptable, awesome. Very good, indeed, Genesis writer. And that’s an understatement. Better to say “wonderful” or “excellent” or “incredible” or “perfect.” The same is true of humans, who are of Earth, you say. If only we knew…
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Get thee behind me Judith. I’ll lead you to my bachelor pad.”

[Never said that!]

D. Blog: Unfit to Print

Item: A lot of merchants tempted a lot of people to shop on the day after the Thanksgiving holiday, fueling speculation that economic salvation is near.

Black Friday?

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

If posterity lasts long enough, I don’t think “enlightened” will be the word to describe this period of human violence.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

The country and western song says you get the blues, and I can imagine it when I hear some of what comes to us as news. We humans do some very cruel things to each other and to Earth. If you get the blues, I wonder if you get utterly depressed. I don’t really think so; you’re too busy monitoring the whole of creation, watching for your offspring to turn to you, to grow into fullness of life with you.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Bang, bang! You’re dead!”

[You tell me, why didn’t He say this as a child?]

D. Blog: Black Friday

[Thanks to wikipedia.org for explaining this strange term, one I would rather apply to the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.]

Origin of the name "Black Friday"

Black Friday as a term has been used in multiple contexts, going back to the nineteenth century, where it was associated with a financial crisis in 1869. The earliest uses of "Black Friday" to mean the day after Thanksgiving come from or reference Philadelphia and refer to the heavy traffic on that day. The earliest known reference to "Black Friday" (in this sense), found by Bonnie Taylor-Blake of the American Dialect Society, refers to Black Friday 1965 and makes the Philadelphia origin explicit:
JANUARY 1966 -- "Black Friday" is the name which the Philadelphia Police Department has given to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. It is not a term of endearment to them. "Black Friday" officially opens the Christmas shopping season in center city, and it usually brings massive traffic jams and over-crowded sidewalks as the downtown stores are mobbed from opening to closing.
The term Black Friday began to get wider exposure around 1975, as shown by two newspaper articles from November 29, 1975, both datelined Philadelphia. The first reference is in an article entitled "Army vs. Navy: A Dimming Splendor," in The New York Times:
Philadelphia police and bus drivers call it "Black Friday" - that day each year between Thanksgiving Day and the Army–Navy Game. It is the busiest shopping and traffic day of the year in the Bicentennial City as the Christmas list is checked off and the Eastern college football season nears conclusion.
The derivation is also clear in an Associated Press article entitled "Folks on Buying Spree Despite Down Economy," which ran in the Titusville Herald on the same day:
Store aisles were jammed. Escalators were nonstop people. It was the first day of the Christmas shopping season and despite the economy, folks here went on a buying spree. ... "That's why the bus drivers and cab drivers call today 'Black Friday,'" a sales manager at Gimbels said as she watched a traffic cop trying to control a crowd of jaywalkers. "They think in terms of headaches it gives them."
Usage of the term has become more popular in the Midwest since 2000.

Accounting practice

Many merchants objected to the use of a negative term to refer to one of the most important shopping days in the year. By the early 1980s, an alternative theory began to be circulated: that retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss for most of the year (January through November) and made their profit during the holiday season, beginning on the day after Thanksgiving. When this would be recorded in the financial records, once-common accounting practices would use red ink to show negative amounts and black ink to show positive amounts. Black Friday, under this theory, is the beginning of the period where retailers would no longer have losses (the red) and instead take in the year's profits (the black). The earliest known use, again found by Bonnie Taylor-Blake, is from 1981, again from Philadelphia, and presents the "black ink" theory as one of several competing possibilities:
If the day is the year's biggest for retailers, why is it called Black Friday? Because it is a day retailers make profits -- black ink, said Grace McFeeley of Cherry Hill Mall. "I think it came from the media," said William Timmons of Strawbridge & Clothier. "It's the employees, we're the ones who call it Black Friday," said Belle Stephens of Moorestown Mall. "We work extra hard. It's a long hard day for the employees."
The Christmas shopping season is of enormous importance to American retailers and, while an examination of the quarterly SEC filings of major retailers such as Wal-Mart or Target shows that most retailers intend to and actually do make profits during every quarter of the year, some retailers are so dependent on the Christmas shopping season that the quarter including Christmas produces all the year's profits and compensates for losses from other quarters.

Who Celebrates by Giving Thanks?

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Forsaking all other, I declare my troth to Thee, Eirene.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

The fall leaf colors have almost disappeared. Yet that feature of all can carry us through winter’s lack of variety in its color palette. Like animals storing food or fat for winter, we can store the colors of fall. A few photographs help with our recall efforts. Images of you do the same for our remembrance of your presence among us.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Yeah, my stepfather runs the Joseph & Sons construction business in Nazareth. I’d be there with him, but for now I’m fulfilling my 3-year missionary tour.”

[This statement isn’t in the records.]

D. Blog: Who Celebrates Thanks-giving?

Thanksgiving. For? Who won’t be celebrating this holiday? How many tables will feature arguments?

Still, it’s another great day to be alive, a day full of blessings, and a day to express some of what they mean to us.

Divine Feminine

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

When I am at peace with nature, I am at peace with God.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

You came.
You saw.
You died.
You conquered.
Caesar failed.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

"No. I refuse to wear a stupid beanie on my head just so I can be a part of a sexist fraternity."

[For several reasons, He never said this.]

D. Blog: Divine Feminine

Why do people seem to fear the idea that divinity has a feminine aspect? When so much of the masculine aspect of divinity is understood as angry and judgmental, why not fear that? Even though Jesus presented God as merciful, loving and forgiving, we still have insisted on a divinity defined as masculine. Why must we understand God as gendered at all? Divinity might be neither masculine nor feminine, or even multiply-gendered. What makes us think we know anything about divinity and gender? We know only that at times throughout the course of human history, divinity has been perceived as feminine and masculine, a spirit presence which comes to us in ways we might understand (pronoun).

Call Me When...

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Peace will not be complete without you.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

I have been so blessed, am so aware of you as a gracious presence in my life, that I am caught short when I encounter someone whose experience of life is much more angst-filled, dreary and depressing. I wonder whether I am simply avoiding the “harsh realities of life.” I wonder whether I’m turning away from the cross that is mine to bear as one who follows Jesus. But you remind me that I do bear my cross or crosses, and maybe bear them with a measure of good humor and grace.

I also wonder what hinders the flow of your grace. I fear it is something in our human attitudes and behavior, when we are dull and mean-spirited. I imagine that would be hard for your grace to overcome, not impossible, but difficult. So I pray for the continued full flowing of your grace to the lives of those who need it most.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

"Have you heard the saying: If there is a hell, Rome is built on it?"

[He surely had a sense of humor, but never told this joke.]

D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku

Don’t call me when you
Go to war. Do call me when you
Want to build peace.

To Lawn or Not to Lawn

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Sooner or later peace comes. I opt for sooner.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Winter’s coming soon, and I wonder wherein lies its charm” Snow and ice might be beautiful at first, but they are full of menace. I think winter challenges us, tests our survival and adaptive abilities in ways other seasons do not. It also reminds us of death. We might not want the reminder, go to Florida or Arizona to avoid its challenges, both physical and psychological. You avoided nothing. I accept winter’s challenges and reminders. They strengthen me.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“I admire the Essenes, but the vow of obedience, poverty and chastity? That’s not for me.”

[He never said it, so perhaps that eliminates the theory of His connection with the Essenes.]

D. Blog: Doing Away with a Lawn

Thoreau objected to the time wasted on tending to a yard. I’m with Henry. Plus, I object to the waste of energy, mine and the gas in the mower, to tend a lawn. Lawns, I understand, were a recent development historically, intended to demonstrate that one had the means to pay for the sheep or gardeners to maintain such an otherwise wasteful bit of Earth. There’s also the waste of time and energy spent on clearing leaves, when all they have in mind is to nourish the soil so more vegetation can grow. I’m ready to break free of the tyranny of maintaining a lawn and spend my time rebuilding the soil and letting our plot of land produce things of sustainable value: fruit, vegetables, trees, and flowers of the perennial type. More and more, I believe we must move toward sustainability in all things.

Put Up Where It Belongs

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

A peace at hand is worth two in a bush.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

We come to this place because it is dedicated to you.
We come to this place out of dedication to you as we have seen you in Jesus the Christ.
We come to this place because we share with others a commitment to serve you and one another.
We come to this place for the inspiration and courage to serve others in our wider community, and for the renewal we need to do so.
We come to this place because we need to be reminded that we are loved and forgive, that we are your children, that we have received the charge to care for Earth and for our neighbors.
We come to this place because we hope to find you in our midst.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Every person here deserves to die. Except me, of course.”

[Not even in a lesser-known sermon did He say this.]

D. Blog: A Rant on “Up”

We Christians speak of Christ as the light of the world, the one who brightens our lives. That being true, it does not make sense to add “up” as in “you light up my life.” I get the sense; I object to the grammar. We have perfectly good nouns to speak of the phenomenon of light. We have a wonderful verb to describe the act of bringing light into a space: brighten. So, how lazy is our language that we add an “up” (an adverb) to make grammatical soup?

News or Gossip

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Nothing is strong enough to shake me from the arms of the divine. My peace has a lifetime guarantee.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Do other people have this sense that the course of their lives has been remarkable? When I think about it, it seems as if my life’s journey has had a lot of excitement, transition, variety and goodness. I’d say yes to “wonderful,” for sure, but also “astonishing,” “amazing,” “glorious” and “blessed.” My thanks for the opportunities and experiences of love and joy and laughter to go with the creative path on which you’ve led me.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Which end of this spork thing is the handle?”

[We all want to know, but He didn’t.]

D. Blog: But Is It News?

“Talk show hostess to resign”

[Something about watching people talk to one another when we can’t be part of the conversation strikes me as being akin to eavesdropping on gossip. We might like gossip about celebrities, but I question whether it qualifies as news.]

This Blog Not Homologated

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

I’m running with you, Jesus – on the track to peace.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

I love the way you stealthily work in and around us to bring your loving will into reality. Your touch is far more complex and subtle than we comprehend. I’m learning that coincidence and synchronicity are marks of your activity, not just meetings of time and event but, in biblical language, “fullness of time.” You operate as a stealth divinity, an infiltrating agent, whose works are largely invisible to our level of sensory perception. I wonder if you’re trying to train us in the use of our spiritual sensors.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Wait, wait, don’t tell me. I know this one.”

[Ah, the games He never played.]

D. Blog: Word of the Week – “homologate”

verb tr.:
1. To approve officially.
2. To register a specific model of a motor vehicle to make it eligible to take part in a racing competition.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin homologare (to agree), from Greek homologein (to agree or allow).

NOTES:
Some auto racing competitions require participating vehicles to be available for sale to the general public, and not be custom made for racing. The process of homologation verifies this. The initials GTO listed after some auto names (Ferrari, Pontiac, etc.) mean "Gran Turismo Omologato", Italian for "Grand Touring, Homologated".

USAGE:
"Mr Jimmy Gray said: 'We've major issues which appear to be discussed in the press. Decisions are made and then we're asked to homologate these decisions."Labour Group Leader Hits Out; Aberdeen Press & Journal (UK); Jul 9, 2007.
"What was needed was a more streamlined street car to homologate for racing."Malcolm Gunn; Parked on the Showroom Floor; Chicago Daily Herald; Oct 18, 2009.

[Thanks to the website wordsmith.org for this fine word.]

Seek Peace with Earth

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

I have decided to seek peace with Earth.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

You are our ultimate home, the one in whom we find refuge, identity and belonging. Made in your image, we live as pilgrims and prodigals until we turn to you, where we recognize our kinship and you make us feel right at home.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“I only got this job because I have family connections.”

[The explanation He never gave for His ministry.]

D. Blog: Unusual Military Justice

Fascinating story about the African-American woman soldier put in jail because she missed her deployment to one of the conflict zones after not being given adequate (and required) time to arrange for child care for her 10-month-old child.

Illustration of two things that come to my mind. One, an instance when it’s okay to leave a child behind? (Soldiers have to do it all the time.) Two, abusive behavior toward a Black woman soldier by the military? (Who would have guessed that could happen?)

Criminal Contrast

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

When peace rises above the horizon, some people run toward the darkness.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

You created us to adapt to our surroundings. Is it something in our genetic makeup, though, that makes us more attuned to the landscape like that of the generations of our ancestors? I, for instance, feel particularly at ease in wooded hills and mountains. Why not the plains, the sea coast, the desert, the jungle? Is it simply a matter of taste? Possibly. Anyway, I’m grateful for the variety, happy to experience it and to have found my own preference.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

"Let’s do the next song as a 3-part round."

[Always with the 3’s. No way He said this!]

D. Blog: Another Woman an the Rampage

- Stephanie Wilkie Huntley, 41, of Asheville, charged with obtaining property by false pretense and two counts of misdemeanor larceny. According to arrest warrants, Huntley returned stolen merchandise to CVS pharmacy on River Ridge Drive for a gift card in the amount of $3.50.
-- Asheville Citizen-Times, 11/11/09

[Not to the scale of Madoff taking from investors or investment bankers taking from taxpayers, but let her be an example to you lest you try to obtain property by false pretense in the mountains of North Carolina. The contrast makes me crazy...]

Excellent Loan Terms

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

I always cry over spoilt peace.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Everything we have we owe to you.
Your repayment terms are generous.
You do not expect it all back.
You want us to enjoy what you lend to us.
May we also find joy in what we share in your honor.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“I wonder if this is what my therapist meant by acknowledging the dark side?”

[I don’t wonder if He said this in the tomb.]

D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku

If there are better days ahead,
Then so be it.
Let the good times roll!

100 Years of Warfare??

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

No one whose vision includes the prospect of 100 years of warfare qualifies to be a head of government.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

I love it when you put me in touch with people who inspire with their commitment to peace and justice that goes beyond national borders.
I love it when I meet people who embrace those of other religions, knowin that nothing less can ever lead to a peaceful world.
I love to see people trying to understand and then appreciating people of other faith traditions instead of attempting to convert them.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

"The Angels left Los Angeles? I must be in a time warp."

[They all went to Hawaii, said to be Heaven on Earth.]

D. Blog: Questions of the Day

-- Ever notice that at least 99% of players for teams with Native American mascots/names are not Native American?

-- Aren’t ya kinda surprised, ya know, that Sarah Palin, like, wrote a book, like, all by herself? You betcha!

-- Who’s next? Terrell Owens?

-- How does this make sense: According to researchers at Harvard, in 2008, 155 US military personnel died in Afghanistan, while in the same year more than 2200 military veterans died in the US because they had no medical insurance coverage?
[Thanks to LisaRose Barnes for forwarding that information.]

Bridge to Somewhere

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

“When I was little, I didn’t mind playing with guns with other boys. Then I realized guns are not toys and killing other people is no game.” – Randall, age 14.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One, Idol-smashing God,

I don’t know that it’s you who destroy idols directly so much as we humans destroy the idols we have made when we have a clearer experience of who you are. I don’t know that it’s so much a matter of you being jealous as it is you wanting to protect us from the destructive effects of worshipping idols. Your presence in our lives is so much more beneficial to us. You want us to hold a truer, clearer vision of who you are. You constantly leave revelatory glimpses of you for us to observe, but most of the time our perceptive tools are faulty or suffer from overwhelming interference. Even that you can overcome.

Take away the idols that block us from communion with you. Erase the wordy constructions that become set as concrete and prevent us from receiving your word of life. Explode the myth stories that portray you falsely as judgmental and domineering and petty. Help us to know you, rather than knowing only myth stories supposedly about you. Keep me from making idols.
Amen.

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“You can go to hell, Satan!”

[Not exactly how He worded it.]

D. Blog: A Bridge to Somewhere

Nantahala Gorge, NC

Jesus Got a Draft Notice?

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

We have become so proficient in killing that, in comparison, Cain’s slaying of Abel is about on the level of a parking violation.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

In football, they say that when a team can go deep, it has a better chance of success. The same is true in relationships, including the one we have with you. Going deep in football also involves some risks, the but rewards can be substantial and sustained team success depends on it. I think the analogy holds, so let’s go deep.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“So Dad, what do you think I should do about this draft notice from the Salvation Army?”

[Probably a toss-up if it came to Him.]

D. Blog: Non-News of the Week

Infomercials
95% of the popular online search topics
Sarah wrote a book??

Making Valetudinarians of Us All

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

We honor the war dead – unless they happen to be civilians who wanted no part of warring.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

The future, as always, holds both threat and promise. The threat frightens; the promise encourages. To recognize the threat but seek fulfillment of the promise seems to me the reasonable course. The change that comes requires adapting our ways of living, or it brings death. You always choose adaptation in order for life to continue. You set before us this choice between life and death. You make the choice, too, as we see and hear in your message of resurrection. I’ll follow your example.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“I’d like to introduce the people who made this gathering possible – the women in the crowd.”

[Coulda, shoulda, but it’s not recorded that He did.]

D. Blog: Word of the Week – “valetudinarian”

"one who is constantly concerned with his own ailments," 1703, from valetudinary (1581), from L. valetudinarius, from valetudo "state of health," from valere "be strong" + -tudo, abstract noun suffix. Valetudinary (adj.) "sickly" is recorded from 1581.
[Thanks to the Online Etymology Dictionary for the definition and origin.]

Distinct from hypochondriacs, who think they always have some ailment or another, we valetudinarians take extreme care not to become ill, especially when we have no adequate health insurance coverage…

Recalling Nero's Fiddling

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

In Britain they still celebrate Armistice Day, when a war ended. What happened to ours?

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

I like the modern spiritual that asks you to “guide my steps while I run this race.” I don’t think of that as determining my steps. You set some boundaries that keep me safe. Aside from that, there are probably a number of paths open to me, and you will continue to guide once I’ve moved along a path. If it’s not a path for me, I’m sure to run into obstacles that move me in a different direction, no matter how hard I try to overcome those obstacles. All of it is worthwhile, even the dead ends.

It always interests me to hear when people look back over their lives and see how you’ve been guiding them along their way. It could, of course, be our assigning to you what is merely a matter of chance. And I don’t know, either, what to say about hose whose lives seem to go nowhere, or to places of destruction and death. I know it’s not simply a matter of them choosing wrong paths. There is a call to us who have felt your guidance to offer some guidance ourselves. I know that I look back over my life and feel that your guidance has kept me on safe paths, paths that have taken me to good places of learning, growth and service. This remains true where I am today. Thank you for guiding me. Help me be alert to opportunities to help others on the paths that will provide blessing to them.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“I stand corrected. A mustard seed does not grow to be a large tree.”

[Even if He made mistakes, He never said this.]

D. Blog: Health Care Reform

Random Thoughts

Since 2003, over 5,000 US military personnel have died in Iraq and Afghanistan in moves to change governments there, to suppress the threat of terrorist attacks, and to keep supplies of oil flowing to the US to support our “way of life.”

Meanwhile, within the US, according to the American Medical Association at least 150,000 US citizens have died unnecessarily because they could not get health insurance. My math sees that as thirty times as many. Where’s the real terror threat? Way of life or way of death for many? And there is no supply of oil that can continue supporting our consumption addiction.

Now Congress has to deal with the abortion bug-a-boo in order to pass health care reform legislation. No health care insurance can provide payment for abortions, say abortion opponents (many of whom also oppose health care reform). So apparently we’ll have even more people who can’t get health care, more children and their mothers who’ll have to be covered by already mandated state and federally funded insurance programs. I don’t get the logic. Add to that the fact that there are already far too many humans for Earth to support.

I suppose I must be missing something here, but Nero’s fiddling comes to my mind…

Agreeing With Andy

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Instead of a Veterans Day, we should have a No War Day. – Andy Rooney, WWII Veteran

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

I feel your awesome mystery in nature, in the relative vastness of Earth, the stretch of this continent. I feel a kind of depression, though, in the press of humanity as we look for ways to encounter nature’s wonders. As part of the throng, we become spectators and collectors, not conscious participants in the realm of nature. This reminds me of people who come to worship as spectators, not as fully conscious members of a community. May we know our place in both.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“So, how’s that multiplication problem working out?”

[Problem? What problem? He never said this.]

D. Blog: Tough on Criminals in Asheville

ASHEVILLE — A Hickory man has been arrested by Asheville police on a 1993 warrant for stolen property, according to warrants filed at the Buncombe County Magistrate’s Court. Joe Cofield, 50, of Hickory was charged with possession of perfume and clothing stolen from the Hess’s department store in Biltmore Square Mall in 1992. He was being held in the Buncombe County Detention Center with bond set at $5,000.
-- Asheville Citizen-Times, 11-2-09

[There are cold cases and there are cold cases. In this case, the store no longer exists and the mall is almost out of business. 17-year-old perfume and clothing probably don't fit current fashion, either, but this case goes into the solved column.]

Party Time!

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

No failure so great as that of passing on the option for peace.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

Sometimes I wonder if you like to play with us – without our noticing. You do things on our behalf, to help make life a little more pleasant for us, and most of the time we attribute it to an impersonal “luck” or “good fortune.” Seldom do we imagine that a more personal force, a not disinterested presence – you –is working behind and within the scenes. I’m beginning to suspect you might like it that way – although some occasional recognition and credit is nice, too.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“What I advise you to do is wear a copper bracelet and a crystal necklace. I guarantee it will make you feel better.”

[Not among His healing methods.]

D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku

Having a wonderful time.
Wish you were here. You are?
Well let’s party!

Google This!

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

When there’s whitewater rafting we can do, who needs the “thrill” of war?

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

To what shall I liken our mountain splendor in fall?
The harvest of a lifetime?
The crowning achievement of nature?
An affirmation of praise in color?
Defiance and faith despite approaching death?
A rampage of beauty?
Another attempt by nature to get our attention?
Perhaps your simple declaration: It is Good!
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

"It must be great to live in Rome, imperial capital, heart of the civilized world."

[Believe He said that and you might also believe I'll sell you the Golden Gate Bridge at the bargain price of $1 million.]

D. Blog: Google This!

- Thomas Berry
- Brian Swimme
- Peak Oil
- “End of Suburbia” (a film)
- Crash Course
- Transition Movement
- Permaculture
- Ecozoic Age

They’re all about change we need.