Bye Bye Hot Summer

Summer ended about a week ago.

It was HOT.

Very hot.

So hot that we came within two days of breaking the annual record for triple-digit temperatures. How many triple-digit temperature days did we have? 67, 68?

Summer was odd too. Freaky.

1. Too much death. In June, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson died unexpectedly...as did many other high profile celebrities: actress Farrah Fawcett, tv personality Ed McMahon, journalist Walter Cronkite, Senator Ted Kennedy, his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver (founder of Special Olympics), director John Hughes (directed films I enjoyed in my teens), singer Mary Travers, and actor Patrick Swayze.

2. Too much wonder. I love watching Chloe and Sophia slowly discover the world around them. Chloe is very physically active, rambunctious, and expressive. Screams suffice for a lack of words. Sophia is now alert and responds with smiles and giggles. Beautiful.

3. Too much disrespect. Summer went out in poor style as tennis star Serena Williams, in a fit of rage, berated a line judge...badly... and acted very nonchalant when interviewed about the incident. Teen queen Taylor Swift won and MTV Video Award and was rudely interrupted when rapper Kanye West dashed upon stage, took her mike, and shouted that Beyonce should have won instead. Tacky. To his credit, he did apologize and Ms. Swift graciously accepted. And Congressman Joe Wilson, during President Obama's speech about health care, shouts out, "Liar!" Irrational. At least he apologized and the President graciously accepted. And so continues our world of rage, selfishness, fear, all of which lead to outrageous behavior.

Speaking of Joe Wilson, former President Jimmy Carter said he believes the attacks on Obama are "overwhelmingly" due to racism. Well, that certainly set off a firestorm. I think Carter should have said "some" of the attacks are motivated by racism. That would be true, considering the racial caricatures that conservatives levied throughout the campaign and continue to do so today (illustrations of water melons on the White House lawn, Obama's head on a monkey, Obama made out to appear as an African savage, etc). I can say so much more about fear tactics that prey on white fear about black anger, threats to white privilege, and fear of Muslims (one of whom Obama is not). Anyway, there's no denying the racial element. At the same time, I believe the bigots are on the fringes.

Did I not say it was a hot summer?

4. You know what I love about the coming of fall? College Football!! My Texas Longhorns are off to a 4-0 start, having knocked off Texas Tech. Now on to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and everyone else this season! And then...the National Championship!!

Sophia Noelle!

Life continues to amaze me...bless me...challenge me.

Wednesday, April 22, gifted me with the lovely Sophia Noelle.
6lbs, 15 ounces. 19 inches.

Enjoy!

Rare Repentance: An Attacker Apologizes

I love a good reconciliation story. Humility is a good thing. Repentance is a good thing. Forgiveness is a good thing. The Lord requireth all.

"Godly sorrow leads to repentance."
"Forgive one another..."
"Confess your faults to one another, pray for one another, so that you may be healed"


While I didn't live through the world-shaking sixties decade, I admire the many stories of courage and sacrifice that marked the era. What also moves me is the courage of people who perpetrated atrocities, but have sought to redress their behavior. It takes guts to admit wrong and apologize. It takes guts to accept an apology and forgive. Can't do any of that without humility. May God bless both of these men. May we all learn something.

http://blog.sojo.net/2009/02/17/john-lewis-receives-apology-from-attacker

In case you can't access the link, here's a summary of the story:

The year: 1961. The place: Rock Hills, South Carolina. A group of Freedom Riders associated with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) rides into town and attempts to enter a "whites only" waiting room at the bus station. Seeing them enter, Ku Klux Klansman Elwin Wilson launches an attack. The man he pummels is John Lewis. At the time, Lewis is but a young civil rights worker. He responds with nonviolence. Lewis would suffer many more beatings throughout the sixties. However, according to Lewis, none of the men who beat and abused him have ever apologized -- until now.

The year: 2009. Decades later, Elwin Wilson contacts John Lewis (now an elected official to the U.S. House of Representatives) to apologize for the beating. Wilson also apologizes to citizens in his hometown for his numerous acts of racial hatred. He has the guts to say, "I'm sorry." Representative Lewis responds to his former abuser with mercy, grace, forgiveness, and now refers to Wilson as a friend.

"The power of forgiveness and healing found in their recent encounter is the Gospel at work in a broken and fallen world. ... If we are to continue to come to terms with our tragic racial history, Wilson cannot be the last to have the courage to say "I'm sorry." I pray we will be encouraged and challenged by Wilson's repentance and Lewis's forgiveness in all areas of our lives... As Jesus is fond of saying, "Go and do likewise." "

(quoted commentary by Troy Jackson, Sr. Pastor of University Christian Church in Cincinnati)

Dear Mr. President:

Jim Wallis posted a really good letter on sojourners.com that expresses a number of important concerns held by Christians who find themselves deeply concerned about human rights and justice. I like what he has to say. However, as for what he says about the death penalty, I don't really care either way. I also think this letter is appropriate for any president, not just the President-elect. Good job, nonetheless.


A PRAYER & PLEDGE FOR REAL CHANGE

Dear Mr. President-elect Obama:

I want personally to offer you my prayers as you embark on the enormous challenge of leading our country in a time of great crisis and crossroads. While our ultimate hope is our faith in God, we also have high hopes for your administration.

I am one member of a growing movement of Christians and people of faith who support a broad moral agenda that includes a deep concern for poverty, peacemaking, a consistent ethic of life, and care for creation. During the campaign, you said that, if elected, you would face powerful special interests trying to block change. You said you would need a citizen movement to support and push you.

Today, I am pledging to be part of that movement. It will be a movement that will both pray for you and hold you accountable to the things you promised. So I urge you to give high priority to:

• Overcome poverty, both here in our rich nation and globally. Your efforts to resolve the economic crisis must include those at the bottom, the poorest among us. You pledged during the campaign to mobilize the nation to cut domestic poverty in half in ten years and to implement the Millennium Development Goals to cut extreme global poverty in half.
  
• Find better ways than war to resolve the inevitable conflicts in the world. It is time to end the war in Iraq and emphasize diplomacy over military action in resolving problems in Iran and Afghanistan. We need better and smarter foreign policy that is more consistent with our best national values.
  
• Promote a consistent ethic of life that addresses all threats to life and dignity. We must end genocide in Darfur, the use of torture, and the death penalty. I urge you to pursue common ground policies which can dramatically reduce abortions in America, and help bring us together on this divisive issue.
  
• Reverse the effects of climate change on God’s creation. We must learn a new way of living in America to end our dangerous dependence on Middle East oil. We need a spiritual commitment to stewardship and national policies that promote safe, clean, and renewable energy. You spoke of job creation and economic renewal with a new “green economy.”
  

We need your presidential leadership for this type of societal transformation, but I promise also to do my part.

I will pray for you as you assume the awesome responsibility of leading our nation. To be the best president you can be, you will need both the support and the push of the faith community. I pledge to help build the movement that will keep your administration accountable and faithful.

Blessings,

[Your name]

Lies, Darned Lies, and E-Lies

Blown here and there by deceitfulness…Do we really care about truth?

Last month’s Christian Chronicle included a very good op-ed piece from Erik Tryggestad. In it he talks about how we just forward scandalous emails, often paying little mind as to the truthfulness of its content. Read it here: http://www.christianchronicle.org/article2158347~E-mail:_Speak_-_and_forward_-_the_truth_in_love


My favorite quote from his article is:

…I suspect the intent of forwarded e-mail – just like gossip – has little to do with facts. We all bring preexisting biases to what we read. When we find a piece of information that fits our view of the world, we forward it to other, like-minded believers. We take comfort in our preconceptions – even if they have little basis in truth.

Hear. Hear.

It’s a very timely and worthwhile read, especially in today’s politically-charged atmosphere. I find it disturbing how many of us Christians fall into the trap of digesting, believing, and propulgating information that has been twisted and misconstrued by all of the political parties for their own gain. That’s why I am so appreciative of MSN for examining the statements made during the Obama-McCain and Biden-Palin debates, and publishing what the whole truth is. It kept both parties in check.

While Tryggestad’s writing references the current political landscape, I believe the sentiments he expresses easily apply to other segments of life. For example, I can’t count how many times I’ve received email chains from fellow believers forwarding information about a Tommy Hilfiger and Oprah Winfrey incident in which the latter kicks the former off of her show on account of his stating that his clothing line is not meant to be worn by non-whites. Come to find out, Hilfiger has never been a guest on Oprah, and the racial statement never happened. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

As with everything, I try to bring my point of view under the authority of scripture. “Speak the truth in love.” “Whatever is lovely, noble, of good report, think on those things.” “Love your enemies. Bless those who persecute you. Do not return evil for evil.” “You are the salt of the earth. If the salt loses its saltiness, of what value is it?”

Stay Salty. The world will thirst, and we’ll serve a cool glass of Living Water.

How Far Should a Role Model Go?

2008 has definitely been a great year of boundary busting. From politics to the Olympics we're seeing ucommon levels of achievement that inspire millions and make them feel like an integral piece of the American fabric.

In the Olympics we cheered swimmer Michael Phelps on to win an unprecedented eight gold medals. Teammate Cullen Jones also received recognition for being yet another of the few African-Americans to win a medal as a swimmer.

Even the crazy world of politics offers us an experience of firsts - presenting an African-American, a female, and two senior citizens. No matter the outcome, history will be made.

A lot of people will look at these accomplishments and revel in how Phelps, Jones, Obama, Palin, McCain, and Biden are role models who show us that we can do it too. While I accept that hopeful sentiment produced in a lot of people, I'm afraid that this whole concept of a role model bothers me at some point.

While there's nothing wrong with my daughter, Chloe, looking at a female and believing that she too can become VP, I desire that she have a stronger internal source of motivation. Instead of saying, "I can do it because I see a ______ "(fill in the blank: multi-racial, youth, black, white, female, etc), I would much rather she say, "I have a dream. I know what I want, so I'm going to go for it. I don't need to see someone who looks like me in order for me to believe I can achieve my goals." I hope her faith in God fuels this confidence. What she can learn from the Olympians and politicians is that they pursued their callings DESPITE the absence of demographically-identical "role models".

Think about it. Why do we as a country still unofficially require demographic proof and validation? Do I really need to see a black person swim in order for me to believe I can do the same? Do we need to doubt a white running back simply because there are very few running backs of his color? This guy could be the next big thing.

To make the point short: It's okay to be the first. It's okay to be the 100th. Just don't feel you have to wait to be the first.

Groove Thang!

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