Mother's Day is a little less than two weeks away, so two local merchants here in Marshall, Texas are here to remind you it's not too soon to shop for that perfect gift.
On the way to work a Home Health Care Supply store has this sign--
Lift Chairs
for
Mother's Day
I guess that's because nothing says love like "Ma, you're so fat..." or "Ma, your knees are so badly shot that I got you a lift chair! Happy Mother's Day!"
I felt that way until today when I went to the pharmacy where the bags were stamped
Happy
Mother's
Day
I guess that's because nothing says love like, "Here ya go Ma, stay on your meds!"
Please, do better than that for your Mother this Mother's Day... unless she asks for a lift chair or meds. Then it's up to you!
The Colorado Springs Gazette Newspaper is reporting that First Presbyterian in Colorado Springs has had a congregational meeting and voted to leave the PC(USA). The Gazette reports that this has been in the works for over a year. Anyone who is surprised by this just hasn't been paying attention to the current landscape of the PC(USA).
By the way, if that's you let me say I wish it was me.
There was something in the article which has drawn my attention that I feel needs to be shared. This comes from the Gazette article:
The final vote tally was 1689 church members in favor of the split with 80 opposed, the church announced during an evening service.
The shift to the new denomination may cause some members to leave, acknowledged Alison Murray, staff leader, after the results were announced.
“We grieve that and don’t want that to happen,” she said.
The church now has to try to identify those members who voted against the split and help them find new local churches within the Presbyterian Church, USA, if they want to leave, she said.
What upsets me is that it is not up to the congregation to show the door to those who dissent.
One of the questions that has permeated this process is "in the event of a split, who gets the property." Here's the Cliff Notes version of this part of Presbyterian Polity. To paraphrase, the Book of Order says property is held in trust by the Presbytery and when questions of "which group within a split get to hold the property" arises it's the Presbytery and not the congregation that decides. (There are limited exceptions to this rule, but I don't know if they apply to First-Springs.)
Obviously if the Presbytery does not agree with the congregation about the property issues, this is going to play itself out in civil courts instead of church courts again.
But in advance, First Springs has decided it is the congregation who stays and for those who aren't comfortable can find another place to worship (and we'll help!). The congregation and its leadership has taken it upon itself to usurp Presbyterian Polity by creating a process to show dissenters the way to a place where they'll be more at home. Sorry, this isn't pastoral care, this is laying a siege.
I pray it all works out well for First-Springs. I pray all works out for Pueblo Presbytery. And I hope the Reverend Singleton makes his way into the history books as the father of a new denomination. I want to wish you all love and hope, but I think I'll first offer that love to the 80 people who have become disenfranchised by their own pastors, friends, and neighbors.
Metta World Peace (hereafter referred to as MWP), the artist formerly known as Ron Artest, tossed this haymaker elbow in Sunday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder...
It was a tough game and evidently there had been jawing from victim James Harden during the game. As you see in the replay, MWP knocked down the basket and was ready to flex some muscle and attitude while getting down on defense. Harden was getting ready for the inbound, at least nominally. Suddenly, BAM!, Harden goes down.
MWP has a history of bad behavior in the NBA. In Indianapolis he was responsible for a huge fight in the stands. (It's true, he didn't start it, but going into the stands, especially when you start slapping around the wrong guy, is never a good thing for a millionaire to do. It'll get you sued quick!) So what ever his punishment will be, it will be based on being a repeat offender, and so be it.
I have heard that Harden has a concussion. Here's hoping he doesn't, but if he does he'll miss a few games.
So if I were the Czar of Sport Punishment, how would I handle MWP? Easy. First, I'll agree with everyone who says he should miss ten games. Good start. But here's my wrinkle: First, he misses the same number of games Harden misses because of the injury AND THEN he serves the ten.
So, if Harden misses six games because of the concussion, MWP misses a total of sixteen. If he's knocked out for the season then so is MWP then he serves the ten next season. If Harden misses the playoffs then so does MWP.
By the way, this has a "professional death penalty" implication too: If your intentional violent action ends someone's career then your career ends too.
My rationale is simple, nobody should benefit by intentionally injuring another player. I want the punishment to fit the crime. If you take someone out intentionally, you go too. For those who say I'd end careers, I would say "Well, in the (insert sports league here...). There's always Japan, Italy, Turkey, Israel, Finland...(I can't think of another place for NFL style football, so they'd better be careful or check out the Arena League.) Playing is a privilege, if you intentionally destroy someone's career you'd better be ready to pick up the shattered pieces of your career too.
I know accidents happen, Joe Theismann knows this better than anyone. But this Suspension for Sports Violence would not have been applied in that case because it was not intentional. It was a horrible injury, but it was not intentional.
Sure, lawyers, unions, and leagues would fight implementation tooth and nail, and that's fine. But implementing this sort of rule would curtail many cheap shots seen in sports and that's a good thing. As for the cheap shots still taken, implementation just might get it out of the league another way.
Bear with me, I'm going to take you on a long, convoluted explanation about why University of Arkansas Head Football Coach Bobby Petrino was fired.
The cover up.
Kind of a big build up for nothing, wasn't it. Check this out...
Bobby Petrino wasn't fired for having an affair. If people got fired for having an affair the unemployment rate would go through the roof.
Yahoo! reports Coach Petrino gave his mistress $20,000. It is also reported that this was a gift from his personal accounts, not the University nor the Razorback Foundation which supports and funds Arkansas Athletics. So he wasn't fired for this either.
Coach Petrino did not get fired for making a false report to the police because technically he did not make a report. As for lying to the police in general, well, that's "an error of omission, not commission."
He wasn't fired for hiring his mistress. The violations of employment law was enough to get him fired, but it wasn't why.
He wasn't fired for misuse of state employees. The local newspaper reported Coach Petrino contacted his personal game day security day man after the accident to get him to the hospital and keep things on the down-low. This man is an Arkansas State Trooper. This too could have gotten him fired, but it wasn't why.
What Bobby Petrino was fired for was lying about all of this to Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long. I believe all of this could have been swept under the inappropriate rugs if it were not for the lies.
What Coach Petrino was despicable, I'm sure his wife would agree. But it's nothing a state university, athletic department, or team couldn't live with. And while I find that sentence despicable, I also believe it's true especially in the football crazy SEC.
In the end, it was lying to Jeff Long that made Bobby Petrino's stay at Arkansas untenable. If it weren't for the cover up, it could have all gone away.
The moral of our story is, as usual, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Look at Watergate, Iran-Contra, Whitewater, and any one of a million other political scandals since time began. It's not the crime that gets you, in the end it's the cover up.
When he was manager of the Chicago White Sox, Ozzie Guillen was known for putting his foot in his mouth. He would say the most absurd things! This was a part of the reason the Miami Marlins were so happy to land him, and why it was so easy for the Sox to let him go.
The Miami Marlins, formerly the Florida Marlins, have two World Series Championships and no fan base. It's almost impossible to get a house for a game in Miami! Between the weather (rain at 5PM anybody?) and, well, it's Miami people, the Marlins never drew much of a crowd.
This year was the first big step in changing that. There's a new baseball stadium on the site of the old Orange Bowl. There's a retractable roof so there's no more problems with the rain. There's a change from a generic "Florida" name to a new "Miami" vibe. The last piece of the puzzle was Ozzie. Venezuelan by birth, it was hoped Ozzie could speak to the Latin population of the city in ways others could not.
Whoops.
ESPN reports Guillen told Time magazine for an article published last week that he loves Castro and respects him for staying in power for so long. If you want to alienate Miami's Cuban population, with a stadium in the heart of Little Havana, that's the best way to do it.
I think this analysis says more about what Ozzie meant to say than the quotes. Ozzie has always seen himself as a rebel. He's willing to do or say what ever it takes to win games and championships, his way of staying in power. He said he deplores Castro's politics, but loves his chutzpah. He loves the fact that a man so despised by the world can be a "success." He is still President-for-Life after all. Maybe that's the title Ozzie wants, President-for-Life. Forget these silly front office people. Forget the press. Forget the crowds. All that matters is the number of wins. Fidel is a winner and Ozzie backs the winner... even though he hates his politics.
I know little of Florida or Miami politics, but this much I have learned: There is no way of extolling love for Castro in South Florida that even comes close to being appropriate. Ozzie committed the first sin of trying to get Miami's Latin and specifically Cuban population to follow. That's all.
Ozzie has apologized. Whether it's because he "betrayed his Latin community" or for causing such a storm that he might lose his job we'll see. In my opinion he'd be a fool not to be sorry for both of these things. In both of these things he seems sincere.
In the meantime, he begins a five game suspension. Will he be fired? I suspect it depends on whether or not the storm subsides and people go to the stadium or not. We'll see next week.
Let me begin with a little about where I'm coming from. First, my mother and father taught me to respect and obey authority. You had better believe I obeyed my high school coach when we were out on road trips. Second, I have no kids of my own. The concerns of the parents, while understood, are not ingrained on me like they would be a parent. Finally, let's just say 60 miles today isn't what 60 miles was when I was in high school. I remember thinking it was a huge distance, but after living in rural Colorado and in Texas, 60 miles is nothing.
Ricky Sargent was the football and track coach at Hempstead ISD. The kids were being rowdy on the bus, so when they stopped at 11PM in Gittings, Texas, 60 miles from home, the coach told everyone they weren't getting any food.
Two boys, cousins, decided to disobey. They got left behind. The coach even went back to wait with the boys!
Now let me add two more things. First, getting stranded in 2012 is different from even being stranded when I was in High School in the late 1970's. The boys called their mommas from their cell phones, they didn't have to call collect from a gas station pay phone. Let me also mention again they were stranded in Giddings, Texas. Giddings is a wide spot in the road outside of Austin with a population of less than 6,000. It's not like they were left in a crack den in a methed-up neighborhood.
There is talk of discipline breaking down. Well here's somebody who showed that actions have consequences and for that he got fired. What did the young boys learn, "if I cry to momma I'll get what I want." What did the mommas learn? Nothing, by their actions all they say is "I can't discipline my children and neither can you."
I like what Coach Sargent did. Was it a good thing to do? In this litigious society it wasn't the smart thing to do. Do I think the the school board did the right thing? I think that to cover their collective asses in a litigious society they did what they had to do.
On a side note, what if the coach "had been playin'" and pulled around the corner? What's the lesson to the rest of the team? "Go ahead, disobey me, there are no consequences and by disobeying you are the only members of the team to get food." Now that would be messed up. Good for you coach. Here's hoping you, your 2011 State Championship in football, and no-nonsense attitude get a better job quickly.
This post is being written in the style of my Rock and Roll Devotional blog, but for obvious reasons I felt it belonged here more than there. At any rate, hope you enjoy. By the way, this is an appropriate selection for Maunday Thursday into Good Friday.
Luke 22:20
And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
and 20:41-42
Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Red solo cup, I fill you up
Let's have a party, let's have a party
I love you red solo cup, I lift you up
Proceed to party, proceed to party
"Red Solo Cup" by Toby Keith
Jesus often spoke in expressions, metaphors and similes, that describe things in more poetic ways than you would see in a more cut and dry prose. People call the Bible "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth," but I think of it less as a technical manual and more of a divine work of art. Art has many, many more and deeper levels of meaning than a computer software manual.
Jesus calls the cup used after dinner "the new covenant in my blood." Establishing a new covenant, a covenant that completes and encases all prior covenants made between the Lord and all creation, Jesus seals his word not with the blood of any common sacrifice, but with his own. He knew by this time that his life would be coming to a horribly painful death soon, so declaring the new covenant by the cup poured out for us was an important act. The cup was the vessel that he used to help the disciples understand this new covenant.
While Jesus knew his time on this earth in this earthly incarnation was short, he did not have a death wish.In this case, the cup he asks his father to take was not the cup of the covenant, but the cup that held his fate. He prayed that if there was any other way possible may the Father take the cup from his Son's hand. Alas, it was not to be. The cup could not be taken. Jesus understood that this was God's will. He knew that only he could take the cup, take this fate, for all creation.
As time passes this evening we celebrate Maunday Thursday, the Christian celebration of the institution of the Lord's Supper. Luke's words from the institution of the supper are found in the first half of Luke 20. This is where we find the cup of the covenant.
Later in the evening, after the supper, Jesus goes to Gethsemane where we find the other passage listed in this devotion. This is the very moment between the events of Maunday Thrusday and Good Friday when Jesus is arrested and crucified. We go from celebration to horror in the time it takes to fill and empty a cup. But without these events there can be no resurrection. Without Good Friday there can be no Easter.
So let us revere the sacrifice Jesus made, the ultimate sacrifice. Hold dear the Lord as he pours out his blood from the cup of the new covenant and drinks the cup of his fate which will lead to his death and set forth the wheels of history unto his resurrection.
We need to love that cup. We must honor the sacrifice made by that cup. We get to celebrate the gift of God's grace, the gift of eternal life, the gift of forgiveness of sins. For that friends, let's have a party!
(By the way, I don't think Jesus would have been a fan of the debauchery in this video, the main reason I put this post here instead of Rock and Roll Devotional. But I am sure he would love everyone in it and hope he would get a chuckle out of it too.)
During a recent sermon I compared Jesus preparing for his hour to a horse race about to begin. I said that there is a lot of training for the horse before the race. I compared that to Jesus being prepared—and preparing us—for the coming hour. I said, “I feel like we, this part of the Body of Christ, is that race horse being led to the gate. We have been made ready to run the race of our lives.” I think this is true. I feel like we are being prepared, being groomed for our next stage as the body of Christ.
Now this doesn’t mean we’re going to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Much of what we do—things like Sunday School, Women’s Circle, Fellowship Lunches—these are valuable to the mission of the church. Much of what we have started doing or started doing again—things like camp and lock-ins—are a glory to God! Our building is a great place, a center for the work of Christ in the community too.
These things only become a problem when we love the stuff more than we love Jesus. They only become a problem when our love of things past keeps us from moving into where God is moving us in the future. Remember that piece of wisdom, “Cherish our past—Support the present—Embrace our future.” If we can honor these three things, we can serve God with passion.
I wish I knew exactly what that meant for us, exactly what God is calling us to do. Again as I said, “Unfortunately, we don’t have the benefit of knowing the track is a dirt oval and the race is going to end after ten furlongs.” Horses and NASCAR drivers know how long the race is and where it goes, God does not give us such advice.
One of the great places to look is in our history. The Great Ends of the Church are six historical goals of the church. They were first put together over 100 years ago as a couple branches of Presbyterianism decided to come back together again after schism.
The Great Ends of the Church are:
the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind;
the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;
the maintenance of divine worship;
the preservation of the truth;
the promotion of social righteousness; and
the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.
These six ends can help us focus on the answer to the question “so what next?” These six great ends can help us focus what we are called to do. These six ends can help us say, “We can do that, but how is that going to help us meet the Great Ends of the Church?”
We have to begin again with the basics. We have to begin with establishing Godly priorities. Our first priority is this, establishing a relationship with the Lord. That’s where it has to begin. It begins with walking the word. It begins with prayer. It begins by keeping company with those who walk in the word and live life bathed in prayer. It begins by realigning our priorities.
I say “we” because the Session and I need your help. We must do this together. Together we can plot a course that cherishes our past, supports the present, and embraces our future. It’s not up to me alone. It is not for the Session alone. This work is for all of us.
This I do know: “because of God’s good grace, we are called to respond faithfully. This is how we live eternal life, not just have it. To live life, we must share. We are called to take what God has given us and share it with the world.”
I am currently rereading the Rev. Ken Howard's "Paradoxy, Creating Christian Community Beyond Us and Them." I am enjoying this read because it deals with what it means to persevere as a church during a time of schism. The second part of the book draws heavily on Howard's experience as Rector of St. Nicholas Church since it became a parish (a permanent congregation) of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington in 2003.
According to his page on the St. Nick's website, "this book examine [sic] the dead-end conflict between conservative and liberal Christianity and proposes a new paradigm of Christian community intended to help church's survive and thrive in the coming religious realiagmment. This new "Middle Way" is based in large part on the experiences of the St. Nicholas community."
What strikes me today is what he writes about his experience at St. Nick's, a congregation that he describes as "members who in terms of theology, run the gamut from those who gamely call themselves near-fundamentalists to those who would label themselves radically liberal."
If we were to have any success with our exploration, we will have to be open-minded yet rigorous, confident yet self-critical, creative yet provisional. We will have to be open to the possibility that we all might be a little wrong, that our adversaries may be a little right, and that there will likely be surprises out there for all of us. We will need to open our hearts and minds to a newer and more expansive reality, and to what our friend C. S. Lewis called a "deeper magic."
He then invites the reader to "enter the wardrobe" to see what we will "find on the other side." To earnestly seek this "deeper magic" we need to go together.
Does this frustrate me that not everyone agrees with me? From time to time, it does. I imagine what others might consider "my personal heresies" frustrates them too. But what do I learn if the the church was filled with nothing but "Mini-Me?" Speaking for myself, I don't need a church of people who think like me. I need people who do not think like I do so I can learn from them, and hopefully they from me.
The greater truth is that what we share is more than what divides us. Let me say that again, what we share is more than what divides us.
As for my personal experience, one of my best friends from seminary and I deeply disagree on one of the touchstones of separation in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), allowing congregations and Presbyteries the ability to consider gays and lesbians for ordination to the offices of Deacon and Elder. We disagree and we know it. We have tried to sway the other to no avail. We have even stopped trying because we know it is to no avail. So what keeps our personal and professional relationship in tact? Two things, a deep personal love and relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ and love for one another as friends and colleagues.
This who I need in God's Church--Christians, people who in the words of Luke 10:27 "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" I need people who put this above all else.
In a time of schism, one part of the church chooses not to associate with another part of the church. It's an ugly word, but then again it should be because of the pain and sorrow that are inseparable from it. In this time of schism, I hope that we will all take a moment before taking the last steps before separation. I hope we can all put our relationships with our Lord and with one another above all else. Let us put love of God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, before love of dogma. Let's remember this begins at home and not with a mythical dreaded "them."
Let us remember what it says in Hebrews 10:25, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." The day approaches, let us meet it together.
You can get "Paradoxy" here or at your favorite bookseller.
Quotes from "Paradoxy" are taken from page 100 of the print version.
