Typhoon Ondoy and the Arkansas Lottery

There hasn't been a great deal of coverage here in the US, but a typhoon in the Phillipines has hit hard and affected thousands of people. The water is not receding very quickly, so people cannot even get back to their homes and there is much concern over diseases that will begin to spread due to all that standing water. A friend of mine from Duesseldorf and her family are living in Manilla now. Fortunately, their home is safe, but just three miles from them people have had to seek shelter. Here are some of her pictures and a couple of links where you can go to help.







Presbyterian Disaster Relief

Red Cross Phillpines


The lottery in Arkansas began yesterday. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. If it works like it is supposed to and provides scholarships to Arkansas students, then I can feel a little better about it. But, seeing and hearing the coverage of opening day, it does indeed look like those scholarships will be funded off the backs of poor people. And I know nobody is ever forced to buy a lottery ticket, but for those who have so little, the potential of a big payoff is just too hard to resist.

The big powerball ticketing starts on October 31. I was thinking about all the things I could do if I won a large amount of money. I've got a list in my head about a mile long of all the groups and organizations I could help. I could replace my stained sink and get a microwave that works. I would buy a couple of pairs of outrageously expensive shoes. And then I thought about what a mess it would be to suddenly come in to a large amount of money. How would you pastor a church when you could buy the church several times over? Could my daughter still get on the bus every morning and go to school or would I worry about her safety? And how would we balance being able to afford anything we wanted and instilling good values about what's really important to our child? I think winning the lottery for a lot of people must be a real lesson in being careful what you wish for.

Pop Culture Week

This past week was a busy one. Not only was I finishing up a stewardship video for the Presbytery of Arkansas

and working on a sermon, but it was fall television premiere week. Thank goodness for the miracle of DVR.

The much-anticipated two-hour Grey's Anatomy season six premiere was somewhat diminished by the astonishing

number of commercials shown. I don't think the view got more than eight minutes of show at a time before a

commercial interruption. Caught a couple of the new sit-coms, but couldn't say I'd be marking my calendar to catch them

again. The third season of Mad Men is back and as fabulous as ever. But the winner this season for best entertainment

value is Glee. Even my husband thinks it's entertaining, but it particularly resonates with those of us whose life

in high school revolved around choir practice.

And if we didn't get enough high school angst from Glee on Wednesday night, we topped off at the Taylor Swift concert last night. You get a talented singer songwriter who was a junior high outcast, had her heart broken too many times to count in high school and is only 18, and you get a whole lot of songs about romance, broken hearts and revenge. It was a good show--even though young Miss Swift is quite a little drama queen. And I imagine the 13 to 16-year-old female crowd had one of the best nights of their young lives.

Meatballs and Uncertainty

CS Lewis said that the best children's stories are ones that also speak to adults. The movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs fits the bill. What a great movie! It was fun and entertaining for both me and my eight-year-old, and it had something to say about temptation, greed, the need for parental approval and our society's emphasis on physical appearance. Plus, as a friend of mine pointed out, the film maker provided a great educational moment by giving the female lead a peanut allergy.






This is the lead paragraph in an article in Time magazine this week.

The brain loathes uncertainty. In laboratory experiments, humans actually fear uncertainty more than physical pain. We are simply wired this way.

The article is about the swine flu and how our minds may be our biggest enemy in battling it. But I was kind of stunned by the above statement. I know we don't like uncertainty and that it makes us uncomfortable, but that we would rather be in physical pain than in a state of un-knowingness is pretty amazing.

Kind of of lends at least some explanation to this whole healthcare debate debacle and all the anger surrounding it. Maybe our Christian nation needs to adopt some Buddhist practices to make us more comfortable in the now when our future is unclear. Our maybe we simply need to practice what we preach and actually live like we believe that God is indeed God. And that even when our best-laid plans (like turning water into food) go awry, we have one constant on whom we can rely.

Dinner and a Show

My husband is AWOL for the weekend. Actually, he is AWL (absent with leave), so I took my daughter to her favorite (and her father's least favorite) restaurant in town. It's a pizza place that is a gi-normous leap up from the kid's place with the irritating mouse, but it also has a game area where the kids can play and win tickets to redeem for prizes. It's not my first choice for a dining experience, but there was a little extra tonight.

The place was packed, so every chair was taken. While we were eating, an older gentleman and his wife along with the man's daughter and son-in-law sat down next to us. I could tell from their conversation that the older couple was visiting from out of town. After awhile, the man stood up, went to the middle of the crowded and very noisy restaurant and asked for everyone's attention. He was standing with his back to me, so I only got snippets of what he said. The gist of it was that he was glad to be in Arkansas and that he was proud to live in the greatest country on earth. And then, he broke into song. He sang it well and with gusto. While I couldn't hear all the words, it was basically about how great America and Jesus are. When he was finished, everyone in the restaurant applauded, and he sat back down.

Now the best part was that the three other people he was with acted like this was not in the least bit out of the ordinary. They didn't look embarrassed at all. There were no shrugs or eye rolling as if to say "Dad's at it again." No, they just went on eating their dinner as if this was a perfectly normal thing to do.

I kind of hope this behavior takes off. It might be kind of nice (for awhile anyway) if people got up in public places and announced that they were so happy/proud/grateful about something that they just had to share a song with us all. That could really take the monotony out of waiting in line at the DMV. It could add some excitement to an otherwise uneventful elevator ride. It could break the tension of the next town hall meeting on healthcare reform. I see some really positive possibilities here.

Best Church Ad Ever

Are You Happy?

Happiness is a hot topic these days. There are many, many books out there on how to be happy and how to find happiness, but I came across this flow chart the other day, and I think it kind of captures the key to happiness.

I suppose this guide could break down with people who really don't know whether or not they want to be happy, but I think it's a good guide for most of us.


Of course, there are things we can't change. People, for example. We can't change other people. We can try, but of course, it's like trying to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig. For those times, I go beyond the flow chart and turn to Acceptance Therapy.

I'm practicing a little acceptance therapy myself as I try to recover from a stomach bug. But it's easier to be allow for recovery time when you have parents in town who help with your child.




Order from One Caring Place

Please Don't Interrupt

It's an ongoing issue at our home. My daughter is often oblivious to the fact that others are talking, or doesn't feel like what she has to say can wait, or thinks that when you pause to take a breath, you have finished your thought. How are we ever going to teach her not to interrupt when everyone from congressmen to Grammy winners does it on national television?

Kanye Interrupts Obama

I feel like we need Julia Sugarbaker to enter stage left and ask everyone, "Have you all just completely lost your minds?" We certainly seem to have lost something. Our common sense, perhaps?

So here are some basic principles I hope to instill in my daughter and that I hope I live out myself.

1. Don't interrupt. Let the other person have their say--even if you vehemently disagree with them. And actually listen to what he/she is saying instead of tuning him/her out while formulating your own response.

2. Don't call someone out in front of others. If you think someone one is lying, incorrect or just plain full of it, don't point it out it in front of others. If you must do it at all, wait until you can correct the person privately.

3. Let people have their moment. When someone is performing or making a speech or winning and award or breaking a record or executing some heroic act, let it be about them. Never usurp the moment with your own accomplishments, agenda or opinions.

4. Don't be a one-upper. This is letting people have their moment in the smaller, every-day type of situations. When a friend is telling you about their great beach vacation on the Panhandle, don't start talking about your last Caribbean cruise. When a colleague is sharing about how she is, after weeks of training, finally running a nine-minute mile, don't talk about how you can do it in eight.

5. Pay attention and remember. It will go a long way. The girl who answers the phone at the front desk will always make sure you get your calls because you remember that her child is terrified of thunder and ask about his well-being the day after a big storm. Your neighbor will always look out for your house when you're away because you remember he has diabetes and always make special sugar-free treats for him at Christmas.

All of these things are about simply being present to the people around you and to their wants and needs and feelings instead of being so wrapped up in your own. Perhaps we should all start wearing big "It's not always about me" t-shirts. As an only child who is the mother of an only child, I used to think that was a struggle unique to those of us who grew up without siblings. But lately it seems that it is a growing edge for most of the population.

Maybe we can all be a little less Kanye and a little more Beyonce.

Beyonce Makes Good

Fear and Cake (that would make a really great band name)

Yikes! You know how when you buy something from Amazon the page tells you that people who bought this item also bought... I always kind of like that feature when it comes to books and music because sometimes you discover a new writer or band that, sure enough, you like, too. But this page is a little disturbing.

People who bought baseball bats also bought...

And I can't decide what is more disturbing, the above link or the news out of London that an award winning movie can't find a distributor here in the United States because it's about Charles Darwin. Seriously? No distributor in the US will pick up a critically acclaimed movie about a renowned historical figure because it disagrees with the book of Genesis? Coupled with the Obama school speech boycott, I have to wonder how we've become such a fearful people. Are we so unsure and unsteady in our own beliefs that we can't even allow ourselves or our children to watch something that might challenge those beliefs? It all seems very un-American.

Creation

On a less fearful note, I (with the help of many others) was able to pull of the surprise of my husband's 40th birthday party. He had a really good time. Good German food from The Pantry, and I have to give a shout out to The Blue Cake Company for an amazing looking cake that was also one of the best I've ever tasted. Each layer is decorated with the colors and the logo of his favorite European sports teams.

Respect, Remembrance and Renewal

In the wake of Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during President Obama's speech, I've been thinking about respect and how anger causes us to toss our manners and our decency away. By many accounts, Rep Wilson is a pretty good guy and this outburst was completely uncharacteristic of him. His rant created a quite a financial windfall for the man who will be running against him in the next election. But, I understand, it has also boosted his own fundraising with certain groups.

I'm not sure why so many people are reacting with such hateful words and actions towards Obama. I have to wonder if it's because we can't feel comfortable making fun of him. I mean, look at what we did to Bush. Comedians had a field day, and I laughed harder than anyone. I was no fan of Bush, but I didn't hate him. But yes, I did poke fun and adopted the word "stragtegery" into my everyday vocabulary. I actually got so bad, I can't tell you which funny things that Bush actually said or which ones were creations of Will Ferrell playing Bush. But no one is making fun of Obama. Is it because he doesn't provide any material or because we are uncomfortable poking fun at the first African-American President? Where would the line be between satire and racism? And what might happen if we crossed it? I'm not saying that huge issues like the war in the Middle East and healthcare are laughing matters, but I really believe if we were laughing a little more we'd be hating a little less.

On this eighth anniversary of 911, I can't help but wish for we could reclaim that sense of community that permeated the country in the wake of the attacks. Yes, there was fear and anger and hatred and a mis-placed rage directed at anyone who even looked like they could be of Middle Eastern descent, and I wouldn't want to go THERE again. But it was a time when partisanship was put aside. People had a renewed sense of just exactly who our neighbors are and a deep desire to help those who needed it most.

My daughter is learning all about the Presidents in a book that her Oma and Opa gave her. She has not failed to notice that there are no women in the list. She's planning to be the first. Hopefully, but the time she gets there, we will be a more respectful, loving and service-oriented nation. And I'm sure she'll give the people plenty to laugh about!

Last Thing on This

Okay, I know everyone has beat the Obama school speech to death, but I did want to share a remark from my friend, Preston, who is a pastor and former soldier.

I am saying this first and foremost as a former soldier: Parents who sent the message that it is OK to not listen to the President, to not give him the benefit of the doubt as the leader of the free world, are sending a dangerous message to their children. A message that is unpatriotic at its core, That undermines the very notion of democracy. It is OK to disagree with our leaders but it is wrong to teach our children they don't have to listen to them, that they can simply turn him/her off because they "might" disagree. I would defend this principle under any President as it far trancends individual Presidents and has everything to do with teaching children to be responsible, informed and while holding the right to protest, respectful to our leaders.

On another subject entirely, my kid is really starting to rock her guitar. Look out Taylor Swift!

Something a Man Never Hears

So I was a preacher-for-hire again today. And as the female liturgist introduced me, she said, "And isn't she pretty? Just look at her!" I'm pretty sure they never introduced a male preacher with, "What a handsome pastor we have with us today." Hey, I'll take it. I was also thrilled when the mother of a youth I used to work with thought that he and I were the same age, and when I told her I had 10 years on her son, she went on about how young I looked. I have no idea if the congregation heard what I was saying, but I'm certainly feeling good about my appearance. Perhaps I'll just ditch that I'm-turning-40-this-year diet. It's not going so well anyway.

While being a sub-preacher isn't so great for the family's sense of continuity and togetherness, it is nice to go to different churches each week. When you're only going to be there for the one Sunday, you can say more. For instance, in this sermon on a passage from James where he is chastising his readers for how they treat the poor, I brought up the issue of healthcare reform. Not sure I would have broached that topic from the pulpit had I been their regular pastor. Maybe so, but probably not. Am beginning to see why the whole interim pastor thing appeals to folks.

Not planning to labor much this Labor Day. Maybe some laundry. A little guitar and piano playing. We're thinking we may take our daughter out to her first visit to Waffle House. Can't believe we've let her live this long without exposing her to that particular culinary and cultural experience. The Waffle House was founded in Atlanta ON Labor Day in 1955, and those of you in Georgia know that you can often find a Waffle House on both sides of the highway at an exit. When we lived in Atlanta, it seemed like so much revolved around the Waffle House. There was even a radio contest where you could win tickets to a sold out concert if you went into the Waffle House where the guy from the station was sitting with the tickets and belted out the first line to the band's hit song. All over Greater Atlanta, folks were walking into Waffle Houses belting out a Stone Temple Pilot song and then, if no ticket guy popped up, leaving and finding another one. This contest went on from early morning until well in the afternoon because there are SO many of these restaurants. Yes, we have definitely been remiss by not sharing the Waffle House experience with our only offspring.

Why does in Always Happen at Waffle House

Why Americans Celebrate Labor Day

Favorite Religious News of the Week

So the folks living on the Bua Island in Figi are under new requirements for how to conduct and dress themselves on Sundays so that they might be more respectful of the Lord's Day.

Take Your Pants off For God


A different look at who the homeless really are

The New Face of Homelessness



Definitely on my "to read" list

Jesus Girls



And, finally, proof that we ain't telling the story in ways that people can hear it.

Rising tide of "nones"

Conservatives Against Learning

Seriously??? There are people who are urging children to stay home from school when President Obama's message will be broadcast. Have we really gotten that bad that we don't want our children to have the opportunity to hear what our President has to say? Craziness!

Political Punch


Had a great lunch today with friends from college. Three lawyers, a minister and a college professor walk in to a Mexican restaurant... Who's got the punch line?

And then for people too caught up in Facebook to have much time with their Bible. Check out this Passion of Christ, as told by Facebook