El Chupacabra Spotted in Texas?

You might not know what El Chupacabra is--although if that's the case, your knowledge of the unexplained, or of retread Scooby-Doo episodes, is sadly lacking. El Chupacabra is a cryptid, a creature roughly analogous to Bigfoot who is said to live in Mexico, Puerto Rico, South America, and the southwestern US. Its name, chupacabra, means "goat sucker," because it feeds on the blood of goats and other livestock.

There have been hundreds of sightings of El Chupacabra since about 1990, and some have been proven to have purely natural explanations. For example, 3 bodies of bizarre, ugly, doglike creatures were found in Texas, and while the local population were quick to call them chupacabras, DNA testing proved that they were actually a breed of coyotes, though they must have been severely diseased to look as they did. Other sightings have never been explained.

The recent sightings in northern Texas involve an animal control officer finding a couple of scary looking creatures. From the AOLNews article:

"All I know is, it wasn't normal," Animal Control Officer Frank Hackett, who shot one of the animals in a local rancher's barn, told WOAI. "It was ugly, real ugly. I'm not going to lie on that one."

Scientists are sure that when DNA testing is complete, these creatures will prove to be simply deformed coyotes, like others before them have been. Some others, at least. People who have experienced these frightening creatures aren't so sure.

Bruce Rahtjen, 1933-2010

You can read more about Fr. Bruce here, if you like. He was fishing in a lake outside Topeka Sunday, when he disappeared. Searchers looked for him for 2 days, and his body was found this morning (Tuesday).

Fr. Bruce was the pastor of St. Mary's when Matt and I started going there. He married us in 1993, as well, and helped us get to seminary. He was a renowned Biblical scholar and former professor, who had done some groundbreaking work on...was it Ephesians? Anyway, if you read any contemporary books on Paul's letters, they all quote Bruce Rahtjen's work.

I hope he finds the peace he was seeking. Please pray for him, as well as for Joanne and his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We probably won't go to the funeral, but I'm sure it will be a lovely one.

John Adams and the Pursuit of Greatness

John Adams and the Pursuit of Greatness


I've been reading and watching a lot of stuff about John Adams, our second president. It was a John Adams Christmas at our house, and I received the old PBS documentary from 1976, The Adams Chronicles, as well as the new HBO miniseries starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney. I also got several books, including 1776 by David McCullough, and America's First Dynasty: The Adamses, 1735-1918, by Richard Brookhiser.

I first fell in love with John Adams in high school, when a friend introduced me to the Broadway musical, 1776 (the director's cut DVD was one of my Christmas presents this year). It starred William Daniels as Adams, in the role he originated on Broadway. From the first time I heard that soundtrack, I took one of Adams' principles as a guiding force for my life: Yet through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory.

It helped me to understand, young as I was, that pain is temporary and sacrifice in the service of something higher is worth it. Here's the full quotation, which John wrote to his beloved wife Abigail, on July 3, 1776, the day after the Declaration of Independence was signed:

You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means; that posterity will triumph in that day's transaction, even though we may regret it, which I trust in God we shall not.

In my renewed, adult study of John Adams, I have come to love him even more. As a youth, I saw him as a hero and a romantic, the ultimate patriot and husband. As an adult, I see more of his faults. He was a devoted but absent husband and father, adoring his wife from afar, and often feeling forced to choose between his duty to his country (even before it was a country) and his love for his family. He felt he should use his gifts for Justice and Liberty, but what he wanted most was to let other people deal with it while he stayed home and enjoyed the comforts of home, hearth, and family. He knew he fell short of his ideals in the private arena due to his pursuit of his ideals in the public arena.

He was so very human. He was cranky, resentful, petulant, and insecure. But he had a strong sense of duty, an ideal ingrained in him from birth and before, that those who have been privileged with a good family, decent means of support, and a good education had a reponsibility to achieve greatness. According to Brookhiser, "The Adams family wished to be judged, and constantly judged themselves, by the standard of greatness...Great men have large and positive effects on their times and on the future, either through their actions or their thoughts." (p 9)

All of John's hard choices were based on this ideal. He was in a position to have a large and positive effect on his fellow man and on the future of the whole nation; for John it would have been the worst sin to turn down greatness for his own preference or comfort.

I think we've lost this ideal of greatness in our time. In Adams's era, people were encouraged to make their marks by improving the lives of others to the greatest extent their gifts and influence allowed. Ambition was encouraged and engrained in young people, because the more you develop your gifts, and the higher you rise personally, the more good you can do for others—even if you have to sacrifice to achieve that level of success.

I don't think our culture teaches this ideal any longer. If someone declared that they had ambitions to be "great," we would only hear, "greater than you." I see everywhere the opposite ideal, that people are entitled to be considered just as good as anyone else simply because they exist. But that isn't right...not everyone's as good as everyone else. Everyone is equal before the law, but if anyone wants to be as good or great as someone else, they have to work for it. It won't just come because they were born.

In other words, the world doesn't owe you anything. A great person, such as John Adams, understands that he, in fact, owes the world, and spends his life trying not only to repay that debt, to give back all he's gotten from society, but to give society even more than he received. For Adams, birth, social status, inherent gifts and talents, and education, made him a person with a huge debt to pay, and he would only achieve the greatness he desired when he had gone far past simply repaying it.

Those were the values our country was founded on. Every one of our heroic founders felt it was his duty to work for personal greatness, so that the whole society would be better when he left it than it was when he came. We've come so far since those days...and that's not a great thing.

Which would be worse...

...never being able to laugh, or never being able to cry?

For all that I love to laugh, and laughing is very good for you, I think I would say never being able to cry would be worse.

There's a lot of laughter in our house. My kids are very funny and are always performing for us, and my sweetie and I still make each other laugh and we have a great time.

But the profound moments of our life have always been marked by tears more than laughter. Abby graduated from 8th grade last week, and is now officially a high schooler--I cried through the whole ceremony. I cry at every choir concert, gradeschool program, and centimeter of growth. It's not only sadness; it's also joy, pride, heartbreaking love, and an overwhelming sense of time passing too fast. Every one of those ordinary moments is one more moment slipping through my fingers.

I also think it's important to cry for those who have nobody else that cares what happens to them. For instance, a friend of Abby's ran away from home this weekend because his father beat him. The sheriff's office was sent out after him and took him home again. Back to his abusive father. I know these kids, and I cried for him. That isn't all that has been done, some parents have contacted DFS and the town police and made plans for if it happens again, but if we can't cry for the ones that get hurt again and again, what will happen to us? I think the worst thing would be to lose our collective ability to cry at someone else's pain.

I guess the question doesn't say that just because we don't cry or laugh means we don't have the associated feelings. I hope not, because I hate the thought of never laughing again, too.

Prayer for Pentecost

Come, thou Holy Spirit, come:
And from thy celestial home send thy light and brilliancy.

Come, thou father of the poor,
come who givest all our store,
come the soul's true radiancy.

Come, of comforters the best, of the soul the sweetest guest,
sweetly and refreshingly.

Come, in labour rest most sweet,
shade and coolness in the heat, comfort in adversity.

Thou who art the Light most blest,
come fulfill their inmost breast, who believe most faithfully.

For without thy Godhead's dower,
man hath nothing in his power, save to work iniquity.

What is filthy make thou pure,
what is wounded work its cure,
water what is parched and dry.

Gently bend the stubborn will,
warm to life the heart that's chill,
guide who goeth erringly.

Fill thy faithful who adore,
and confess thee evermore,
with thy sevenfold mystery.

Here thy grace and virtue send,
grant salvation in the end, and in heaven felicity. Amen.

Latin Hymn, 13th century

Sermon for Pentecost

This seems like a really short sermon for me, but here it is:


It is possible to argue that the birthday of the Church was not Pentecost, as we so often like to say, but rather, Easter.

I have argued that in the past, and I know some of you have heard it preached here before, that it was Easter that caused new life to come into the world, it was Easter that allowed a crucified Christ to become a risen Christ, it was Easter that took a frightened band of faithless followers and made them Apostles to the world. It was Easter that gave us a glimpse of just what salvation is, and just what the future holds for those who believe. And if those things don’t constitute the Church, the community of believers, the Body of Christ, I don’t know what does.

And maybe next year, I will go back to that argument, because I like it. Y’all know that Easter is a big deal for me. It’s THE big deal. Easter is the single most important event in the history of the universe, so it makes sense to me that it’s the thing that makes us who we are, and helps us be who we claim to be.

But today, I know that some of you will be relieved to hear, that I am going to argue the other side of the case, that it is in fact, Pentecost, which is the birthday of the Church.

I don’t know that you can say that the disciples gathered together in that upper room after Jesus’ ascension to heaven were the Church yet. They were the Church in waiting, what tradition has called the Church expectant. They knew they were going to have work to do, because Jesus had given them the commission to go out and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. But they weren’t doing that work yet. They were waiting and praying and excited.

They needed the Holy Spirit, and they couldn’t do what they were called to do without him. They were waiting for their Comforter, their Advocate, their inspiration. They were waiting for the power from heaven which would enable them to tell the world about the resurrection of Jesus, to declare to the world that Jesus is Lord and that he loves them.

They couldn’t be a Church unless they could do those things, and they couldn’t yet do those things.

One theologian wrote in a reflection on Pentecost that, “Our theology would improve if we thought more of the Church being given to the Spirit than of the Spirit being given to the Church.”1

I like that. I have said before that we should think not of inviting Christ to share our life, but of accepting Christ’s invitation to share in his life, and this seems to be the same kind of reversal. If we think of the Church not as a body that has received the Holy Spirit, but as a body that has been given to the Holy Spirit to do with what he will, our thinking changes.

The same theologian goes on to say, “we are in danger of perpetuating the irreverence of picturing God’s Spirit as a grant of superhuman power or guidance, like a fairy sword or magic mirror to equip us for our adventures. The promised power from on high is not of that kind at all. The primary effect of the Pentecostal experience was to fuse the individuals of that company into a fellowship which in the same moment was caught up into the life of the risen Lord.”

I like his insistence that the Holy Spirit is not just one more tool in our tool box for living the Christian life. Rather, we are one more tool in the Holy Spirit’s tool box…his primary means of telling the world the things God wants it to know…that God loves them, that Christ is risen, that death doesn’t get to win any more, that sin has lost its power, and that Jesus is Lord.

Those things are what the Church is for, what the Church does. Those things are why the Church was born on this day and given into the care of the Holy Spirit who would raise it with gentle nurturing and discipline and help it grow fully into the image of the risen Christ.

We’re not there yet. It may be our birthday, but we’re not grown-ups in the life of the Holy Spirit, and we still need his guidance and discipline. The New Testament makes it very clear that in order to be part of the Church, a believer has to be baptized into the Holy Spirit’s life, and the fact that we are part of his life is what makes us a Church.

That’s the difference between the Church and other organization that do good things. It’s the difference between the Church and the Rotary Club, for instance. The Church has the Holy Spirit—or, rather, the Holy Spirit has us, and in the Holy Spirit, we are called and strengthened to do what the Holy Spirit does—proclaim to the world that Christ is risen, and live a life that declares that Jesus is Lord.

Prayer for Summer

This is from a website called Appleseeds.



Long warm days...
The pace of life slows...
A time for picnics and rest in the shade...

Lord,
help me to rest awhile in the cooling shade of your presence.
Slow down my restless heart and fill me with gentle compassion for all your people.

Amen.

Here We Go Again

Well, it's the end of the term, and paper-grading time, so you know what that means. Yes, it's our bi-yearly plagiarism report.

Here's the memo I just sent to my World Religion students:

Plagiarism--Pay Close Attention

Taking the work of someone else and changing a few words here and there IS STILL PLAGIARISM. If you "forget" to write down a certain source that you took most of your text from, I will still find it. I have already failed 2 of you for this. I hope it's not more. And if you are now thinking, "Did I do that?" chances are, it's very possible.

If anyone wants to rewrite their papers and get them to me by tomorrow night, I will throw out your old paper and start fresh. There will be a 10% late penalty, but that's better than 0, don't you think? You will have to email them to me, so make arrangements.

I'm very disappointed in a few of you. I thought better of you than this.

For those of you who put the work into your papers, thank you. It's hard-working students like you who keep us teachers going when we have to deal with this other stuff.

58 Signs You May Have Been Abducted by Aliens

I'm not going to post all 58 here, because they belong to another writer, and you can find them on his site, 58 Possible Signs of Alien Abduction.

However, having this information does put an interesting new spin on some pieces of my life. For example, Sign #2 is unusual marks on your body or scars you can't remember where they came from.

Check.

I also qualify for:

#4. Unexplained medical problems: Sudden illness, sinus problems, fatigue, migraines, or rashes. I have all of those except the rashes!

#22. Psychic abilities. Now this author thinks that means that you get a feeling that something's going to happen,then it does. But in my case, I get a feeling something's going to happen, and it NEVER does! See? I can predict with certainty what won't happen! If I get a feeling about something, you can bet it's NOT that!

#24. Startled. You awaken in the night with a feeling of panic or anxiety for no apparent reason. In my case, since my husband has the fan on so loud you wouldn't hear a tornado, I'm usually convinced that someone's in the house and I just can't hear him.

#42. Headaches. Since I get every possible type of headache, I'm sure one of them is covered in this.

#51. Difficulty trusting. I thought this was just cynicism born from the experience of being screwed over too many times, but now I know the real reason.

#54. Locking doors. You double and triple check locking up at night to prevent someone or something from getting into the house. Check.


I confess that I do find elements of this list amusing, because everything has some other explanation. But the guy who wrote this up has had a really hard time in some of his struggles, and I don't mean to mock him. I don't know whether I believe in aliens or not, or the whole alien abduction thing. I do know that a lot of strange stuff goes on in the world, much of consistent across history and culture, and much of it inexplicable by post-Enlightenment standards. So, who knows...?

Obama Orders Assassination of US Citizen

This may be old news to some of you, but I'm betting some of you have never heard anything about this. You can find a lot more about it in articles here, here, here, and here. Please notice that those sources aren't the type to find fault with the current president.

The situation involves a Muslim cleric named Anwar al-Awlaki, 38, who was born in New Mexico and currently resides in Yemen. It isn't quite clear what al-Awlaki has actually done, but he's been under surveillance by the intelligence community for a long time. He is said to have ties to both the Ft. Hood shooter and the Christmas "panty bomber.". He is suspected of being an al-Qaida recruiter in both the US and Yemen.

Al-Awlaki says he isn't any such thing, and his parents are trying to convince him to turn himself in--something that's hard to do now that there's an assassination order out for him.

Here's the thing. From everything I've read, this guy probably is a real threat. But he's an American citizen--probably a really bad one, but he's a citizen. An American citizen has rights to due process. If the CIA and other members of the intelligence community have the evidence they claim they have, al-Awlaki should be arrested and tried for treason, and then executed as a traitor.

But right now he's just suspected of being dangerous--however likely that is. And the president has decreed that he can be killed, no questions asked, no evidence required. I don't like this guy; I'm not on his side. But the last thing I want to see is the United States becoming a place where the ruling administration can target someone for death based on their religion or their politics, without giving that person a chance to defend himself.

Because what's next? Look, I'm pretty religious, and my religious beliefs cause me to be extremely critical of the current administration and its policies. Here I am doing so in a published format, in fact. Am I next? Or will it be Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, or Mark Levin? What about Sarah Palin...you might not like her, but her religious convictions and politics cause her to be vocally and publicly opposed to the current administration. Rather like al-Awlaki. Should she die for it? Should anyone?

Not in the US, we shouldn't. In other countries, those kinds of executions are standard--but we're not supposed to be like that. We're supposed to be living a better way. In our country, a citizen has a right to his own faith and worship, he has a right to oppose the government, he has a right to hang out with people who may be complete lunatics or criminals. If he commits a crime, he is innocent until proven guilty, when evidence is brought against him, and he has the right to defend himself.

And when the evidence shows that he is guilty, then, and ONLY THEN, do we execute his treasonous ass.

Makes Me Proud

Today my entire family is spending the whole Saturday (except for the time we took to go to David's soccer game) working at the food pantry.

Today is the Post Office's annual food collection--you leave food on your porch and the mail carriers take it and deliver it to the food pantry. So the church needs lots of volunteers to receive, weigh, and organize the food. So that's what my crew is doing today.

I'm proud of my husband and kids. They have good hearts. And I'm proud of the mailmen, too! Good job, guys!

Teaching Christianity and Islam

In my World Religions class, the hardest unit for me to teach is the Christianity unit, followed closely by the Islam unit.

The Christianity unit is hard because people either a) are some kind of Christian themselves and think they have nothing to learn (no matter how many times I warn them against it, this is always the unit with the highest number of students who skip); or b) they disdain Christianity and will not believe any information that might even hint at putting Christianity in a positive light.

For example, this week we were discussing Islam, which of course always has to include a discussion of terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism, and one student says, "But all that terrorism is no worse than all the stuff Christians did in the past. I mean, what about the Inquisition?"

Seriously? It wasn't the point in the discussion where I could stop and say, "What do you actually know about the Inquisition? Have you researched it for yourself, or are you just believing the vague condemnations you've gotten from television?"

So I just said, "Um, no." The Crusades get used the same way, as an example of aggressive acts of Christian terrorism against an otherwise tolerant and peace-loving people who never hurt anyone. Whatever. It's very frustrating to try to teach to people who already think they know everything.

The problem with teaching Islam is both religious and cultural. There are about a billion Muslims in the world, maybe 1.1 billion, and about 90% of those would not participate in, support, or approve of, any sort of violence. My son's little girlfriend is Muslim, her parents are a doctor and a dentist, and I can assure you, they're not a little domestic sleeper-cell.

The difficulty is in trying to teach the "most don't but some do" aspects of Islam. There is a strand of the Muslim tradition that supports the use of violence and/or military action to spread the teachings of the Prophet and bring the world under submission to Allah. Some Muslims, about 10%, choose to embrace that piece of their tradition. They aren't ashamed or apologetic about this--why should they be? They live in a culture where strength is respected, tolerance and dialogue are weaknesses, and if God's on your side, he'll enable you to force others to convert.

But Western minds can't grasp the cultural shift from "live and let live" multiculturalism to "God wants the world to submit, and we're going to make sure they do." But again, though 10% of a billion is a pretty significant number, it's still only 10%. 9/10 of Muslims are faithful people just trying to live in the world like the rest of us. We have to know what the other 10% are doing and what they believe--our safety and freedoms depends on it, and the threat is real, but we can't leap from there into saying that all Muslims should be classified with that 10%.

But in saying that, I'm afraid--or I was this week--that I allowed students to leave class with their anti-Muslim prejudices confirmed. That wasn't what I intended to do. Of course, they also do that in the Christianity unit, and I guess all I can do is to offer the real facts. I can't forcibly pry someone's mind open with a crowbar (though the thought has some appeal!). I hope that some of the real picture of both Christianity and Islam sinks into their brains over time.

Which would be better?

Being a preacher, or being a popular Las Vegas Entertainer?



Okay, well, I've done the preacher thing. And it's not half bad. I believe the whole Christian deal, and I get really excited about it, so I think that came through in my preaching. I like to talk about it, and I think my people liked to listen.

However, in the 13 years I've been ordained, there's only been a period of about 2 years when I made a living wage at it. I don't buy the whole "Do it for the love of the Lord" garbage people try to give you when they're declining to pay you enough to pay your bills, or the mountains of student loan debt you got into just so you could get this job that doesn't pay enough to pay the loans back.

Do popular Las Vegas Entertainers make more money than preachers? I guess it depends on the preacher and the entertainer.

Celine Dion and, say, me? Yeah...

Lunch shift show-girl and Joel Osteen? Not so much.

Now, does it matter which one makes more money? Yes and no. There's no shame in choosing a career that will allow you to support your family and give back to the community, and maybe even have a few nice things every now and then. Sometimes, preachers do attain that, and there's nothing wrong with it.

But being a preacher isn't in itself morally superior to being a singer, dancer, or magician. The question in the book is trying to lead the readers to ask, "Is it better to be popular or to do God's will for your life?" Well, what if God's will for your life is for you to be a popular Las Vegas entertainer?

Nobody ever considers that possibility...

A Morning Prayer

Let me today do something that will take
A little sadness from the world's vast store
And may I be so favored as to make
Of joy's too-scanty sum a little more.

Let me not hurt, by any selfish deed
Or thoughtless word, the heart of foe or friend.
Nor would I pass, unseeing, worthy need,
Or sin by silence when I should defend.

However meager by my worldly wealth,
Let me give something that shall aid my kind--
A word of courage, or a thought of health,
Dropped as I pass for troubled hearts to find.

Let me tonight look back across the span
'Twixt dawn and dark, and to my conscience--
Because of some good act to beast or man--
"The world is better that I lived today."

--Paul P. Bova

May Observances

Monthly Observances



ALS Awareness Month

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Better Hearing & Speech Month

Borderline Personality Disorder Month

Brain Tumor Awareness Month

Clean Air Month

Creative Beginnings Month

Family Wellness Month

Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month

Go Fetch! Food Drive for Homeless Animals Month

Haitian Heritage Month

Heal the Children Month

Healthy Vision Month

Huntington's Disease Awareness Month

International Audit Month

Latino Books Month

Motorcycle Safety Month

National Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month

National Arthritis Month

National Barbeque Month

National Foster Care Month

National Good Car Keeping Month

National Hamburger Month

National Hepatitis Awareness Month

(World) Lyme Disease Awareness Month

National Meditation Month

National Mental Health Month

National Military Appreciation Month

National Moving Month

National Osteoporosis Prevention Month

National Photo Month

National Physical Fitness & Sports Month

National Salad Month

National Stroke Awareness Month

National Vinegar Month

Older Americans Month

Personal History Month

Strike Out Strokes Month

Tay-Sachs and Canavan Diseases Month

Ultra-violet Awareness Month

Women's Health Care Month

Young Achievers of Tomorrow Month

National Family Month (5/10 to 6/21)



Weekly Observances

Pen Friends International Week: 1-7

Be Kind To Animals Week: 3-9

Drinking Water Week: 3-10

Flexible Work Arrangement Week: 3-9

Goodwill Industries Week: 3-9

National Anxiety & Depression Awareness Week: 3-9

National Family Week: 3-9

National Hug Holiday Week: 3-9

National Pet Week: 3-9

North American Occupational Safety & Health Week: 3-9

Teacher Appreciation Week: 3-9

Update Your References Week: 3-9

Dating and Life Coach Recognition Week: 4-10

National Wildflower Week: 4-9

National Nurses Day and Week: 6-12

National Tourism Week: 9-17

National Nursing Home Week: 10-16

National Police Week: 10-16

National Return To Work Week: 10-16

National Transportation Week: 10-16

National Women's Health Week: 10-16

Reading is Fun Week: 10-16

National Etiquette Week: 11-15

Salvation Army Week: 11-17

Universal Family Week: 11-17

Children's Book Week: 11-17

National Stuttering Awareness Week: 11-17

National Dog Bite Prevention Week: 17-25

National New Friends, Old Friends Week: 17-23

National Safe Boating Week: 17-23

World Trade Week: 17-23

EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Week: 18-24

National Effectiveness Week: 18-25

National Medical Transcription Week: 18-24

National Backyard Games Week: 18-25

Work At Home Moms Week: 18-24



Daily Observances



Executive Coaching Day: 1

Keep Kids Alive! Drive 25 Day: 1

Law Day: 1

Mother Goose Day: 1

New Homeowner's Day: 1

School Principals' Day: 1

Silver Star Day: 1

Stepmother's Day: 1

Space Day 1:

Tuba Day: 1

Astronomy Day: 2

Join Hands Day: 2

Kentucky Derby : 2

Join Hands Day: 2

National Scrapbooking Day: 2

Paranormal Day: 3

World Press Freedom Day: 3

Melanoma Monday: 4

Asthma Day: 5

Childhood Stroke Awareness Day: 5

Childhood Depression Awareness Day: 5

National Teacher Day: 5

National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy: 6

National School Nurse Day: 6

No Diet Day: 6

No Homework Day: 6

Nurses Day: 6

Occupational Safety & Health Professional' s Day: 6

Children's Mental Health Awareness Day: 7

National Day of Prayer: 7

World Red Cross Day: 8

Child Care Provider Day: 8

Military Spouse Appreciation Day: 8

Birthmother' s Day (Saturday before Mother's Day): 9

Letter Carrier's Food Drive Day: 9

National Babysitter's Day: 9

National Train Day: 9

Stay Up All Night Day: 9

World Fair Trade Day: 9

Lupus Day: 10

Mother's Day: 10

Limerick Day: 12

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day: 11

Library Legislative Day: 12

National Night Shift Workers Day: 13

Receptionists Day: 13

National Chocolate Chip Day: 15

International Virtual Assistants Day: 15

National Bike to Work Day: 15

National Pizza Party Day: 15

Armed Forces Day: 16 (3rd Saturday in May)

NASCAR Day: 17

Victoria Day: 18 ( 3rd Monday in Canada )

National Employee Health & Fitness Day: 20

National Wig Out Day: 22

Brother's Day: 24

Neighbor Day: 24

National Missing Children's Day: 25

Memorial Day: 25 (Observed)

Prayer for Peace Memorial Day: 25

National Senior Health & Fitness Day: 27

Hug Your Cat Day: 30

Memorial Day: 30(Actual)


Hey, it's Pen Friends' Week. Do people still have pen friends? And why aren't we calling them pan pals any more? Is that offensive now? I can never keep track...

Mistakes Vs Crimes

Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes. --Confucius

When I read that quotation by the great Chinese sage, Confucius, I had to think about it a long time. I wasn't sure what he meant by it. How could shame cause a mistake to become a crime?

I finally realized that shame can cause you to choose your action rather than admit your mistake, and then you have to conceal it.

Here was an example I thought of.

Say you're at the grocery store, and you check out, pay, and leave. You're loading your stuff into the car, when you realize that a can of pears is in the corner of the cart, not bagged up with the rest of your things. You don't remember putting it on the conveyor belt. You check your receipt, and sure enough, you didn't pay for it. How could you have missed it? It was right there in the cart!

You feel kind of stupid for missing the can, but you'd feel even more stupid going back in. I mean, how much can a can of pears cost? Eighty-nine cents? So what do you do?

At this point, you've made a mistake, right? But if you're too embarrassed to go back in and make a huge deal over an 89 cent can of pears by admitting your mistake and insisting that you pay for them, your mistake becomes something else. You'll have chosen to leave with that can of pears that you didn't pay for. Only THEN will you have stolen them. That's when you've done what Confucius warns against--you've let your shame turn your mistake into a crime.

I can think of more examples, but this was the first one I thought of and I kind of liked it. Can anyone think of any situations in which someone might let their shame turn a mistake into a crime?

Tragedy for Poland

You've probably heard by now of the tragic pane crash of a flight that left from Warsaw, Poland and was trying to land in Russia. The flight's passengers were government officials, almost 90 of them, including the president and his wife, army chief of staff, national bank president, deputy foreign minister, army chaplain, head of the National Security Office, deputy parliament speaker, civil rights commissioner and at least two presidential aides and three lawmakers.

They were on their way to a memorial service, to remember the more than 22,000 Polish officers who were massacred by Soviet Troops in the forest of Katyn 70 years ago. Memories are long in that part of the world, and 3 generations later, the Poles have not forgotten their soldiers. The government has been devastated, and the Russians have promised a full investigation, but despite the numbers of important people on board, it seems so far to be simply a terrible accident. The pilot was trying to land the plane in the fog and didn't succeed. I hope that's all that happened.

Now, here's something that struck me forcibly in reading that article. If this happened in the US, what would be the public reaction to the crash of a plane carrying politicians, bankers, and military leaders? I can guarantee it would NOT be the reaction that one Polish citizen had:

"I worry because so many clever and decent people were killed," said high school student Pawel Kwas, 17. "I am afraid we may have problems in the future to find equally talented politicians."

When was the last time that we used the words clever, decent, or talented when speaking of politicians? I'm not saying that's OUR fault--when was the last time we saw a politician acting as though they were clever, decent, or talented? For all Poland's problems--problems increased by this terrible event--they must be doing something right.

The Easter Vigil

For those of you from different traditions, the Easter Vigil is the ancient service of the Resurrection that takes place between sunset Saturday and sunrise Sunday. It's awesome, in every sense of that word.




It is sunset. The evening is cool and the breeze makes it hard to light the big candle. We are quiet; even though we’re outdoors, any necessary conversation is whispered. It’s been a hard week, and we’re tired. We’ve been through betrayal and suffering and death and absence; we’ve been here every night. We kept watch until it was all over.

The deacon lifts the candle out of the backyard grill that someone brought for the new fire. He holds it out and we crowd around, wanting our share, lighting our smaller candles, passing the flame around until everyone carries one, even children. Especially children. The deacon enters the shadowy church, holds the candle high, and sings.

The Light of Christ.

We sing back.

Thanks be to God.

He sings it again, then again, as he makes his way to the altar. We follow him, shuffling into our pews, quietly, quietly. The church looks foreign. It’s dark and so very clean. There are no flowers, no candles on the altar. The choir, deacon, and priest wear only black cassocks. No hangings, no incense, no sacrament in the ambry. The church is as bare as a rock-hewn tomb.

The deacon places the candle in its stand, and by its light he sings again.

Rejoice now, heavenly hosts and choirs of angels, and let your trumpets shout salvation, for the victory of our mighty King.

The first little tingle of anticipation sparks in our bellies.

This is the night when you brought our fathers, the children of Israel, out of bondage in Egypt, and led them through the Red Sea on dry land.

It’s a very ancient hymn, so it’s very long. We shift from foot to foot and take our children’s candles away before they hurt someone. But the words still move us there in the darkness.

This is the night when Christ broke the bonds of death and hell, and rose victorious from the grave.

The excitement tingles a little less subtly now, but we know we have a long way to go. We finally sit, and prepare ourselves to hear the Story. Reading, psalm, collect. Reading, psalm, collect. Reading, psalm, collect. They’re long readings, and the plainchant of the psalms is sometimes difficult. It’s hard to see our service booklets in the dim light. The children grow restless, so we take them out, then bring them back in, and still the Story goes on. It is our story, the story of how God gave us this night.

We have a baptism tonight. An adult, a middle-aged woman, is taking her place in the Story. This is not a Sunday morning baptism. This is no sprinkle on a baby’s forehead, with silver shells and dainty purificators. The font is as big as a trough, in fact it is a trough draped with white cloth, and she kneels in the water, soaking her clothes. Quietly the priest scoops up water into his big hands and pours it over her head. Then he pours oil over her, so that its fragrance fills the church. It runs down her cheeks and her neck.

The deacon and another helper assist her out of the font and pat her with big, soft towels. She’s by no means dry, but she’s no longer dripping. She turns to the priest, and we can see her tears in the candlelight. The priest robes her in white, then leads her to her place in the front row.

We are silent, tense, expectant. We can hardly breathe.

The priest and deacon kneel on the steps in front of the bare altar, and the priest begins the Litany of Saints, another ancient and long prayer. He starts slowly, chanting into the darkness.

Holy Mary…pray for us.

Members of the altar guild rise from their pews and enter the sacristy. We barely see what they are doing, we are chanting.

Saint John…pray for us.

Silently, flowers bloom in the darkness, golden candlesticks glow with the light of the Paschal flame. The altar is adorned with white. We don’t really see this, it’s dark, and we are chanting.

Saint Mary Magdalene…pray for us.

The rhythm picks up, faster and faster, until there’s barely time to say pray for us before the next saint is invoked. Anticipation is building. There is a rumble beneath our feet, it’s so low we almost can’t hear it. The earth seems to be shaking. Slowly it builds, coming out of the organ and up through the floor, up through our bodies and out of our mouths as we nearly shout, pray for us pray for us pray for us.

The earthquake crescendos and the priest leaps to his feet on the last breathless note. As he rises, so does the light, and we gasp at its presence.

“Alleluia! Christ is risen!”

The priest shouts it….we’ve been building to this moment all week, all year, all eternity.

“The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

He shouts it again, his fists raised in triumph.

“Alleluia! Christ is risen!”

“The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

The glory of it all rolls out of him and over us. He proclaims it again, his voice breaking with joy, challenging us to match him.

“Alleluia! Christ is risen!”
“The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

He shouts again and again, and we answer again and again. His hands are raised, his face is flushed. Many of us are crying. Our voices are going hoarse.

“Alleluia! Christ is risen!”
“The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

Finally, the organ picks up the cry, swelling from under the priest’s voice, until we are all singing out at the top of our lungs, “He is risen, he is risen, tell it out with joyful voice!”

The priest and deacon leave, and return a moment later in vestments of gold-on-white. The deacon lights the incense and we are soon breathing in what we’re singing about. The newly baptized woman is being hugged by everyone in the church as we all continue to sing. Every sense is alive.

“Death is conquered, we are free! Christ has won the victory!”

The priest stands in front of the altar, framed by candles, surrounded by an overflow of flowers. Lilies and azaleas, gold and silk.

Some of us are still crying, hugging, humming. We can hardly sit still, we can hardly be quiet. It is Easter, and Christ is risen.

The Passion of the Christ, 2004

This is my review of The Passion of the Christ. It's also posted, with video, on Kat's Film and Book Reviews. It's been rainy all day, but it really started thundering hard at 3:30. Very appropriate for Good Friday.

The Passion of the Christ
2004
Rated R
Directed by Mel Gibson


I was in a unique position for the original release of The Passion of the Christ.  I was teaching in a liberal Christian college, which was nestled in a very conservative Christian culture.  From my liberal colleagues—most of whom refused to see the film—I heard strongly worded condemnations of the supposed anti-Semitism of the film, and critical, even horrified, assessments of the “unnecessary” violence of the film.  From my more conservative church members, I heard the elevation of the film to the level of Scripture--also often before they had seen it.


There’s some justification for considering the film to be faithful to the spirit of Scripture, even if it’s not exactly revelation.  With an emphasis on John’s gospel, borrowing from other gospels and certain mystical works, it’s hardly a mistake to consider the film a reliable resource for historical, even theological, information.  In that context, the charge of anti-Semitism needs to be addressed. 


This is a more complex line of thought than it might seem.  The canonical evangelists, all but one of whom were Jews themselves, tended to be very hard on their own people.  Their frustration with the Jews was born from the exasperated love for beloved family members who refuse to act in their own best interest.  “He came to his own, and his own knew him not.”


But the fact is, the Jews had no power to execute anyone.  They were an oppressed and occupied nation.  Only the legal authorities of the Roman state, represented by Pontius Pilate and his military support, had any power over rebels, traitors, or insurgents.  Both history and Scripture make it clear: the Romans, not the Jews, are responsible for Jesus’ death and punishment.  The film does not equivocate in this matter.  Pilate was conflicted and compromised, Roman troops ranged individually from compassionate to sadistic, and in that context, Jesus suffered standard Roman punishments. 


Though director Mel Gibson doesn’t leave the burden of blame on the shoulders of the Jews, he certainly does fail in exploring the untenable position the Jews were in in relation to Jesus of Nazareth.  Gibson plays the Jewish contingent at the surface level, giving his actors very little complexity to attach themselves to.  It’s faithful to the letter of Scripture, but misses an opportunity to flesh out the conflict, especially on the Jewish side.


The objection to the violence of the films is another matter, and it’s hard for me to be patient with that line of thinking.  I’m reminded of the anecdote about the British lady who objected to the film, because “it makes our Lord’s crucifixion seem so unpleasant.” Whatever one thinks of Jesus, he was both flogged and crucified. 

This is no sanitized-needle lethal injection in which the criminal just falls asleep.  It’s not even a bloody but quick beheading.  It’s one of the most tortuous and violent means of death ever perpetrated by men upon other men.  If you’re going to make, or watch, a film focusing on the suffering (and “passion” means suffering) of a historical figure, you’re going to have to deal with that suffering.  If you can’t stand it, then don’t watch it, but don’t criticize the filmmakers for being honest to the historical events.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s a point of honor; I can’t keep him from suffering, but since he did it for me, the least I can do is watch without turning away.


It’s that devotional impulse—the “he did it for me”—that appeals to the devoted Christian audience.  These are folks for whom the same Jesus portrayed by Jim Caveizel is a living, active presence in their lives.  To be exposed to the real suffering of the One they love most, to have it taken out of stained glass and Italian sculpture, is an incredibly powerful experience.  In that power is the reason for the film’s success.  For the faithful viewer, it’s all about the conviction that while Jesus was suffering, he was thinking of me.


Nevertheless, Gibson understands that even those of us who were “washed in the blood,” can’t maintain an emotional investment in non-stop, unbroken violence.  Gibson tempers the harshness of Jesus’ suffering, especially as he is more and more disfigured, with flashbacks of Jesus teaching and healing.  In these flashbacks, we see Jesus as active, intentional, and above all, strong.  This is a masculine, assertive Jesus, with both compassion and joy—and a bit of a temper. 


Thank God for that. Heaven knows that between numerous “Jesus films” and the efforts of countless preachers, we’ve had enough portrayals of Jesus that reduce him to a weak, asexual, effeminate being, the “declawed Lion of Judah” we so often get in church—“fit only as a pet for pale curates and pious old ladies.”  In addition, Caviezel is beautiful—physically beautiful—in this role.  The more bloodied and objectified Jesus gets, the more desperate we are to see the agent Jesus—acting on others, not being acted upon, and full of glowing health and vitality.  By the time Jesus dies in ugly horror, we need the Resurrection.  It’s a privilege and a profound relief to see our Jesus restored to his intensity and masculine beauty. 

 
Gibson’s film is not above criticism, and it would be a mistake to transfer our love for Jesus to Mel Gibson. Jesus’ suffering seems abstract at points, leaving the viewer to wonder just how much Gibson counted on his viewers to fill in motivation and conflict.  The figure of Judas is creepy and pathetic, but we are given little insight into why he betrayed Jesus.  The androgynous Satan figure actually works surprisingly well as a symbol of the insidiousness of temptation, though I spent too much time trying to discern whether that was actually the actor’s own voice the figure used.  But in the end, the film was made with love for its subject matter, and believers, at least, benefit in the making-real of something that has too often been kept at a distance.     

KU is Outta There!

I don't follow sports that much, but I do try to cheer on my teams when I can. So, the Royals, the Chiefs, and KU, pretty much. And here was KU, in March Madness, in a tournament where they were highly favored and expected to go all the way--I was so excited! These are my guys (when I'm paying attention).

But they crashed! Against Northern Iowa! I mean, the Panthers have a good record, obviously, or they wouldn't be in the tourney, but STILL! And it was SO CLOSE! So, now Northern Iowa will go on to the Sweet Sixteen, and KU won't.

Here's the article from Rivals.com.


Panthers knock off No. 1 Kansas 69-67

By JOHN MARSHALL, AP Basketball Writer 28 minutes ago
Preview | Box Score | Recap



OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—Ali Farokhmanesh hit another big 3-pointer with 34 seconds left and Northern Iowa pulled off the biggest upset in the NCAA tournament, beating top overall seed Kansas 69-67 in the second round on Saturday.

Northern Iowa (30-4) won the tempo tug-of-war, grounding the high-flying Jayhawks with in-their-jersey defense, then withstood a furious rally to become the first team to beat a No. 1 seed in the second round since UAB and Alabama did it to Kentucky and Stanford in 2004.

The ninth-seeded Panthers led early and made just enough plays late to pull off the biggest win in their history.

Kansas (33-3) trailed nearly the entire game, finally pulling close in the closing minutes behind its fullcourt pressure. The Jayhawks never made it all the way back, though, bowing out early in what was supposed to be another title run.

This Day and Always

O God of the ages, amidst the ever-changing scenes of life you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Look down upon up and bless us, and let your face shine upon us. Direct and protect us this day and always. Amen.

AJ and JC

About 2 Christmases ago, "David" got Abby the Jesus Christ Superstar concept album (I put David in quotes because he didn't exactly go out and buy it, you know?). Being the dramatic young Christian girl that AJ is, we knew she'd really like it. When I was a teenager, I used to play the movie soundtrack at full volume on my back deck while singing and acting out all the parts--and we figured that AJ, not being THAT different from me, would enjoy doing the same thing.

However, in a 2-year fit of contrariness, she refused to listen to the CDs (and yes, she can maintain a fit for 2 years without breaking a sweat). But a few weeks ago, I was listening to it in the car on my way to my classes in Cassville (where AJ likes to come and sit in), and she really started getting into it. Disturbingly, her favorite song is the one that the high priests sing, and I have to admit, it IS catchy. By the time we got to campus, she was belting out, "Must die! Must die! This Jesus must die!"

It was a special moment.

Anyway, she uploaded the whole thing onto her i-pod, and she asked me if we could play the soundtrack in the car again on the way to class Thursday. I admit that I have said once or twice, "I KNEW you'd like it if you gave it a chance!" I am trying very hard not to let that become "I told you so..." but it's not easy.

By the way, did anyone see the 2001 remake of JCSS? I've seen bits of it, and it seems to be as awful as everyone says, but I was interested to see that Rik Mayall played the role of King Herod. Does anyone else remember him from The Young Ones? God, I thought that show was funny when I was in high school.

March Observances

The month of March is:

* Cataract Awareness Month
* Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Month
* Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
* Craft Month
* Deaf History Month
* Feminine Empowerment Month
* Foot Health Month
* Frozen Food Month
* Furniture Refinishing Month
* Gardening, Nature and Ecology Books Month
* Hemophilia Month
* Humorists Are Artists Month
* International Hamburger & Pickle Month
* Irish-American Heritage Month
* Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
* Music in Our Schools Month
* Middle School Month
* Mirth Month
* Noodle Month
* Nutrition Month
* Peanut Month
* Poison Prevention Awareness Month
* Professional Social Work Month
* Red Cross Month
* Rosacea Awareness Month
* Social Worker's Month
* Talk with Your Teen about Sex Month
* Women's History Month
* Youth Art Month

Weekly
First Week in March

* American Summer Camp Week
* Federal Employees Recognition Week
* Pet Sitters Week

Second Week in March:

* Girl Scout Week
* Procrastination Week (Second Week of March)


Third Week in March:

* Campfire Boys and Girls Birthday Week - Observed the week containing March 17th
* Chocolate Week
* Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week
* Poison Prevention Week


Fourth Week in March:

*Egg Salad Week

Daily

1 National Pig Day
1 Peanut Butter Lovers Day
2 Read Across America Day
3 National Anthem Day
6 Dentist's Day
6 Frozen Food Day
8 International Women's Day
9 Cabin Fever Day
11 Organize Your Home Office Day
14 Potato Chip Day
14 Save a Spider Day
16 Hiccup Day
19 Chocolate Caramel Day
20 Barbie Doll Day
20 Earth Day
22 Goof Off Day
22 National Sing Out Day
24 Chocolate Covered Raisin Day
25 Waffle Day
27 Fly a Kite Day
28 Something on a Stick Day
28 Weed Appreciation Day
30 Doctor's Day

St. David

Yesterday was St. David's Day, so David got to pick the dinner (hot dogs, mac & cheese, and salad with ranch dressing) and he got a little present (a crucifix nightlight). March is a great month for saints' days--in addition to St. David, there's St. Patrick, St. Joseph, and the Annunciation. All good days to go back to eating meat! It's very exciting. The picture above is of St. David's Cathedral, where he is buried.

Here's some info about St. David from Wikipedia.

He became renowned as a teacher and preacher, founding monastic settlements and churches in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany in a period when neighbouring tribal regions (that were to be overrun by Anglo-Saxon or Frankish tribes over the following three hundred years) were still mostly pagan. He rose to a bishopric, and presided over two synods, as well as going on pilgrimages to Jerusalem (where he was anointed as an archbishop by the Patriarch) and Rome. St David's Cathedral stands on the site of the monastery he founded in the 'Glyn Rhosyn' valley, in Pembrokeshire.

It is claimed that David lived for over 100 years, and he died on a Tuesday 1 March (now St David's Day). It is generally accepted that this was around 590, making the actual year 589. The monastery is said to have been 'filled with angels as Christ received his soul'. His last words to his followers were in a sermon on the previous Sunday. Rhygyfarch transcribes these as 'Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.' 'Do the little things in life' ('Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd') is today a very well-known phrase in Welsh, and has proved an inspiration to many.


There you have it, my friends. Do the little things in life.

Ash Wednesday

I've been so bad about blogging! We've had stuff going on, too--like 2 birthdays and interesting weather and all that. But the bright side of my neglect is that it's because I've been so busy with writing work. I have re-connected to a good client who just has all sorts of potential for future work and references to other clients, we have already made 3 times as much income in February as we did in January. My sweetie is helping me, and we're a great team. I have a professional designer working on my website for free (he's a church goer and doesn't have any money to tithe, so this is how he gives. I have no problem with taking that kind of charity!).

I am loving this work-at-home stuff. Matt's home with me a lot, and that's nice--we actually kind of like each other.

It's already Ash Wednesday. We started meatless Lent today--so I had to pack lunches for the kids. David was so excited that he got to take a lunch box, I thought his little head would pop off. I don't think people are supposed to be that happy about Lent. Besides meatless, another change our family is making (to really kick up the suffering) is that Matt is getting a break from cooking. Yes, I am going to cook all throughout Lent. It's going to be quite a penitential time for everyone. If the kids weren't grateful for their father before, they will be by the time Easter rolls around.

Here's a quotation that our bishop sent out. It's written by Henri Nouwen, whom some of you may be familiar with. I like it because it stresses that we don't give up things for Lent because they are bad; rather, we give them up to make ourselves into people who may enjoy many things, but need nothing but the love of God.

The world with its challenges is not a bad place for you.... There is stimulation, excitement, movement and a lot to see, hear, taste and enjoy. The world is only evil when you become its slave. The world has a lot to offer-just as Egypt did for the children of Jacob-as long as you don't feel bound to obey it. The great struggle facing you is not to leave the world, to reject your ambitions and aspirations or to despise money, prestige or success, but to claim your spiritual truth and to live in the world as someone who doesn't belong to it. It is exciting to win a competition, it is interesting to meet influential people, it is inspiring to listen to a concert at Lincoln Center, to see a movie or to visit a new exhibition at the Metropolitan. And what's wrong with good friends, good food and good clothes?

I believe deeply that all the good things our world has to offer are yours to enjoy. But you can enjoy them truly only when you can acknowledge them as affirmations of the truth that you are the Beloved of God. That truth will set you free to receive the beauty of nature and culture in gratitude, as a sign of your Belovedness. That truth will allow you to receive from your society and to celebrate life. But that truth will also allow you to let go of what distracts you, confuses you and puts in jeopardy the life of the Spirit within you....

What's everyone else doing for Lent?

Term is Starting Up

Well, Matt and I both go back to teaching this week. I have to confess I can't really get that excited about it. I always like it when I'm there, though, so that's a good thing.

I have to put together my syllabi this week--sooner, rather than later, since my first classes are Thursday. And we'll have the talk about plagiarism, which they will either totally forget by the end of the semester or think doesn't apply to them somehow. I feel sort of bad, every new class has to pay for the sins of the class before them...and in some cases, I'm still ticked off about those other classes.

I've got Speech and World Religions at Crowder this semester, but only once a week, not twice a week. Speech once a week means we have to get a ton done on that one night, and the class seems to move really fast. World Religions will be in a format I've never used before--flex time, which means one hour of classroom time instead of 3, and the rest of it online. I think that might be fun, though, because if they read the lectures on their own (I know that's asking a lot), then I can use the class time for video clips, music, discussion, etc. Those are all things I've wanted to do more of in religion, anyway.

Then at Drury, I have my Life and Teachings of Jesus class. I've done this twice now, and the first time, it was a great experience. I had 12 students, they asked lots of questions and we had good discussions. Last time I had 4 students who were not as much fun, energy was low, and it was hard to get any participation. I guess we'll see how it goes this time. It really is one of my favorites to teach, though.

So, Matt goes in tomorrow and I go in Thursday. Wish us luck.

Freaky Human Faced Lamb Born in Turkey

Have you seen this news story? My sweetie was trying to describe it to me before I saw it, and it was hard to imagine...therefore I am including the pic. This little guy was born dead, and he had no hair all over his body.

Some people are saying that this is what you get when a man has sex with a sheep. I'm no doctor or biologist (I mostly spent high school Biology making passes at Matt), but isn't that sort of impossible? It's clearly some kind of freakish mutation, but what are the odds that a mutation has a face like that?

Of course, you could say it's just a mutation, just a deformation like others that happen in nature, and it's only the human mind that sees shapes and calls them faces. But still...it looks a lot like a face. I wish there were more pics, but this is the only one I can find. It doesn't say what happened to the lamb.

Good People...Bad Things

And the higher anyone ascends in virtue, the harder this world will bear down on him;
for the more the love of the heart turns from the present life,
the more the opposition of this same world mounts up.

Hence it is that we see so many strive after, and do, that which is good;
yet they sweat under the burdens of their afflictions.
For though they have turned away from earthly things,
they are yet harassed with increasing tribulations.

-St. Gregory

Tough Topics Question

I think I mentioned a while back that we have these books full of thought-provoking questions. So, here's one of them:

Which would be worse? Getting caught cheating on a test or being forced to tell on a friend who cheated?

It would be worse to get caught cheating on a test.

First of all, how could someone force me to tell on someone? I can't see a teacher torturing me or something extreme like that. If I intend to keep a secret, I'll keep it.

Second, if I'm going to cheat, I hope I'd do it well. This is half my problem with the plagiarizers who come through my class. They don't even try not to get caught. They do it badly. At least take some pride in your criminal activities, people.

But most importantly, if I got caught cheating, it means I cheated. It means that I somehow became a person who would cheat. I have lost all sense of honor and honesty. I don't want that ever to be me. I don't have much that I can claim, but I have my family, a few dear friends, my faith and my honor. Anything else can be taken away, but not those. God help me if I ever choose to give any of those things away of my own accord.

A Prayer for a New Year

This prayer was written by Paul P. Bova, back in the olden days (1976):

Almighty and Eternal God, we give Thee thanks for the New Year that has just begun. We pray that we may live each day of this year with great faith, great hope, and great courage...expecting great things and attempting great things.

Help us always to live lives of hope and expectancy. Lead us into new ventures of service, as we are challenged day by day to produce our best.

God bless us, everyone. Amen.

New Year's Resolutions

I didn't really wake up cynical this morning, but as I consider writing about my New Year's Resolutions, I kind of wonder why I bother. For the most part, they're the same as last year: lose weight (because I have serious concerns about becoming diabetic, a real possibility for me)(also, I want my sweetie to think I'm pretty, even though I'm turning 40 this year), and make more money (gotta happen, I have kids starting college in 4 years).

I also want to have a more disciplined prayer life, make some repairs around the house, and finish at least one of the 4 novels I've started.

I am grateful for new beginnings, especially big ones like whole new years. I'm just discouraged that I've never actually kept a New Year's resolution.

One major thing has changed, though. I am no longer pastoring my little church (I'm still a minister, I'm just not working in a church). My sweetie and I have started a freelance writing and editing business. So, a major New Year's resolution is to make that work. We've thought it through, and I think it will work--we wouldn't have taken that step if we didn't. It's a pretty big deal to make such a huge income change, and it's a little scary, but something had to change, and this has the potential of actually going somewhere (unlike part-time teaching or part-time ministering).

So, I guess that 2010 is going to be a little different. That's a good thing. Maybe one of the differences will be that I actually reach some of the goals I've set for myself.

January Observances

Happy New Year! There are a lot of interesting observances in January; here are some of them.

Monthly

Book Blitz Month
Bread Machine Baking Month
Celebration of Life Month
Coffee Gourmet International Month
Family Fit Lifestyle Month
Financial Wellness Month
Image Improvement Month

International Business Success Resolutions Month
International Creativity Month
International Life Balance Month
International Quality of Life Month
International Wealth Mentality Month

National Be On-Purpose Month
National Cancer Prevention Month
National Clean Up Your Computer Month
National Get To Know An Independent Real Estate Broker Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National High Tesh Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Month
National Mail Order Gardening Month
National Mentoring Month
National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month
National Poverty in America Awareness Month
National Radon Action Month
National Reaching Your Potential Month
National Yours, Mine, and Ours Month

Oatmeal Month
Senior Women's Travel Month
Make A New Years Resolution to Stop Smoking Month
Walk Your Pet Month

International Year of Fresh Water Month
International Year of Rice Month

Literacy Decade: Education for All Month
Eradication of Colonialism Month



Weekly

1-7 Celebrate Life Week
1-7 Diet Resolution Week
1-7 Silent Record Week
1-8 Lose Weight Feel Great Week

2-9 Someday We'll Laugh About This Week
3-9 New Years Resolutions Week
3-9 Home Office Safety and Security Week
4-9 Women's Self-Empowerment Week
8-14 Universal Letter Writing Week

11-17 Cuckoo Dancing Week
13-16 National No Tillage Week
17-23 International Printing Week
17-23 National Handwriting Analysis Week
17-23 Healthy Weight Week
17-23 Hunt for Happiness Week
17-23 National Activity Professional Week
18-23 National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week

20-24 No Name Calling Week
23-30 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week
23-29 World Leprosy Week
24-30 National Nurse Anesthetists Week
25-29 National Medical Group Practice Week
25-29 National Take Back Your Time Week
1/31-2/6 Catholic Schools Week


Daily

January 1 - 24 Hours of Living Meditatively Day
January 1 — Bonza Bottler (1-1) Day
January 1 — Get a Life! Day
January 1 - New Year's Dishonor List Day
January 1 - Universal Hour of Peace
January 1 - Z Day
January 1 - National Bloody Mary Day
January 1 - Oatmeal Day
January 2 - Happy Mew Year for Cats Day
January 2 — National Cream Puff Day
January 3 — Festival of Sleep
January 3 - Fruitcake Toss Day
January 3 - Mememto Mori "Remember You Die" Day
January 3 — National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
January 4 - Dimpled Chad Day
January 4 - National Joy Germ Day
January 4 — National Spaghetti Day
January 4 - National Trivia Day
January 5 — Bird Day
January 5 — National Bean Day
January 5 — National Whipped Cream Day
January 5 - Organize Your Home Day

January 6 — International Respect for Living Day
January 6 — National Shortbread Day
January 6 - National Smith Day
January 6 - Apple Tree Day
January 6 - National Bean Day
January 7 - I'm Not Going To Take It Anymore Day
January 7 - National Tempura Day
January 8 - Midwife's Day or Women's Day
January 8 — National Bubble Bath Day
January 8 — National English Toffee Day
January 8 — Postal Day
January 8 - Show and Tell Day at Work
January 9 — National Apricot Day
January 9 — National Static Electricity Day
January 9 - RV Workers and Workampers Day
January 10 — Volunteer Fireman's Day
January 10 - Weigh-In Day
January 10 - National Bittersweet Chocolate Day

January 11 — National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day
January 11 - National Hot Toddy Day
January 12 - National Clean Off Your Desk Day
January 12 — National Marzipan Day
January 12 - Thank God It's Monday Day
January 13 — Blame Someone Else Day
January 13 - National Peach Melba Day
January 14 — National Dress Up Your Pet Day
January 14 — National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day
January 14 - Ratification Day
January 15 - Champion of the Month Day
January 15 - Customer Service Day
January 15 - Get To Know Your Customer Day
January 15 - Humanitarian Day
January 15 — National Hat Day
January 15 — National Strawberry Ice Cream Day

January 16 — National Fig Newton Day
January 16 - National Nothing Day
January 16 - Religious Freedom Day
January 17 - Judgement Day
January 17 - Penquin Awareness Day
January 17 — Pig Day
January 17 - National Hot Buttered Rum Day
January 18 - Creole Heritage Day
January 18 — Jazz Day
January 18 — Winnie the Pooh Day
January 18 - World Religion Day
January 18-19 - Eagel Days
January 18 - National Peking Duck Day
January 19 — Archery Day
January 19 — International Sing-Out Day
January 19 — National Penguin Awareness Day
January 19 — National Popcorn Day
January 2 — National Science Fiction Day
January 20 — Basketball Day
January 20 — Home-Baked Cheese Day
January 20 - National Buttercrunch Day

January 21 — Home-Baked Granola Bar Day
January 21 - Just Do It - Make A Connection Day
January 21 - National Hugging Day
January 21 - Squirrel Appreciation Day
January 21 - International Hot & Spicy Food Day
January 21 - Rid the World of Fad Diets Day
January 22 - Answers Your Cats Questions Day
January 22 - Celebrations of Life Day
January 22 — National Blonde Brownie Day
January 22 - Women's Healthy Weight Day
January 23 — Measure Your Feet Day
January 23 - National Handwriting Day
January 23 — National Pie Day
January 23 - Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day
January 23 - National Rhubarb Pie Day
January 24 — "Just Do It" Day
January 24 — National Peanut Butter Day
January 25 - A Room of One's Own Day
January 25 — Opposite Day
January 25 - National Irish Coffee Day
January 25 - Dinner Party Day

January 26 - Better Business Communication Day
January 26 - Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day
January 26 — National Peanut Brittle Day
January 26 - Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement
January 26 - National Popcorn Day
January 27 — National Chocolate Cake Day
January 27 - National Speak Up and Succeed Day
January 27 — National Toilet Day
January 27 - Thomas Crapper Day
January 28 — National Blueberry Pancake Day
January 28 - National Compliment Day
January 28 — National Kazoo Day
January 29 - Freethinkers Day
January 29 — National Corn Chip Day
January 29 — National Puzzle Day

January 30 - Fun At Work Day
January 30 - Insane Answering Message Day
January 30 — National Croissant Day
January 31 - Inspire Your Heart with Art Day
January 31 — National Popcorn Day
January 31 - National Brandy Alexander Day