Tortured Beauty

Today, I saw my first cotton field in bloom. It was beautiful, in the present tense. I pulled over taking in the beauty of the cotton plant but my eyes could not look past the past. Cotton once turned our nation red. All I could think was how tragic. The cotton plant is not the blame - man and his greed alone are culpable. Value is attached to a plant, mineral, natural resource or whatever and people are exploited and subjugated to harvest, mine or assemble the valued resource with no regard to the human labor. A plant, mineral, or product is now valued more than human life.

That is the past I see in this cotton field. I saw a field of tortured beauty. What God had created was good. What man can do with this good is often unthinkable. My present and past tense with this field is one God shares. God looked upon the Son on the Cross - tortured beauty. The good God had given in Christ was exploited and subjugated to the cross.

Until the kingdom comes on earth we must be satisfied to witness beauty even if it is a tortured beauty.

A Change is Coming

There are times you just want to stop the bus and get off. When you think the world cannot get any madder - it one ups crazy and a whole boat load of insane spills out. Insane killing, racism, prejudice, and the list can go on and on unfortunately. But I am as I tell people "a hopeless optimist."  Yes, that is a conundrum of words together but I remain steadfast. What do I do in times like these - I calm my fears as best as I can. I pray. And I listen to Patti Labelle sing "I Am Your Friend / What a Friend We Have In Jesus". If you have never listened and watched Patti sing this then do so my friend. Then watch her sing, "A Change is Gonna Come"(Yes, I know Patti is in the news for a fray with Aretha Franklin and for ordering her security guard to ruff up a guy but let's not jump to conclusions)  Don't get off the bus and give up in cynicism - get off the bus and believe that change is gonna come. I have to do that from time to time so I don't  lose hope and so I press on in my belief a civilized world is gonna come. It is rooted in the very prayer Jesus taught his followers to pray. The belief in justice and God's kingdom come on earth has driven women and men of faith in every age to demand change. To demand justice and mercy for all people. It is what steady's the hand of every unknown person of faith, wiping away every tear of injustice until the day there are no more tears nor sorrow.

I Am Alive

I keep a mental check list to remind my self to make an account for the day and recognize that I am alive in a wild and unpredictable world. It is not a hard task. It is something simple anyone can do. It goes like this:

I am awake, in my bed, in my house and that is very good.  I have somewhere to lay down - it doesn't matter how I slept. I have a roof and bed.

I have breakfast, it doesn't vary much - oatmeal, cereal and on occasion I will go wild and fix a hot breakfast. Again I am awake and fed and I am thankful. Right now mostly for coffee.

I go to work, I have provision. The job is good/bad, rewarding/frustrating, meaningful/maddening all rolled into one. Sometimes it is hard to tell what is good. My manager is a crazy maker, passive/aggressive, perfectionist/control freak who micro manages every detail of our day. Everyday it is a struggle to find peace in this environment but I do - sometimes better than others. But for now I am going to work and I am thankful.

Today I have driven through canyons, desert areas and mountains. I have been in and out of rain storms. I have seen snow in the mountains. I have seen unbelievable views of sunshine breaking through valley floors. In short I am not distracted from the beauty that surrounds me.

I am on my way to meet a 16 year old girl in Juvenile Detention. It is painful to see so many youth incarcerated. Many of these kids have no parents they are wards of the state. I am awake, nourished, provided for and I have witnessed creation at its finest but I also am made of aware of the suffering of life. It is all good together in some mysterious way. One cannot exist without the other.

I think of Nepal throughout the day and the miracle that a 101 year old is pulled from the rubble. I know basic necessities like food, shelter, and provision will be hard to come by for the people of Nepal for some time. Somehow they will find life is good in the maddening destruction and the balance of life will be restored. This story repeats itself throughout all lifetime. It is a mystery.

I think of my mother whose dementia is overtaking her life. It is hard facing death but losing someone who is living is very hard. I am still thankful for the day even if parts are very hard.

Some people find the existence of God impossible. I find the thought of God being nonexistent utterly improbable. Everything today has reminded me of God's presence. It is the only reason I can be thankful in the midst of so many different realities that span the prism of joy and pain. Only God can hold both of those together in a purposeful way.

I suppose I do my mental check list each day to remind my self how daily God is. Joy nor sorrow define my day. Finding God in the ordinary occurrences of life defines my day. And I am thankful.

Marriage

As the Supreme Court nears giving an opinion on marriage, I will add my voice to the dialogue. Lest any one, on any side take offense before reading the entire blog, let me state I share a voice for all. And before those who hold to the Christian faith get up in arms, I do have three theology degrees and you have the right to say at the end, "That did not do him any good".

The first and last words of the New Testament are grace and love. I believe those who hold to the Christian, Muslim, or Jewish faiths should have the right and protection to practice that faith even if they believe marriage should be between one man and one women (the Church hasn't done any better in society in maintaining only one man and woman but that is another blog). No judgement on any who have experienced divorce. The Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions hold a high view of marriage according to their faith and practice. But they should not dictate that view on others. And they should not have the sole authority by the State to perform weddings. They should be able to perform marriages and sanctify marriages according to their practice. Christian/Jewish faith should not be forced to violate their conscience. But as of now, all marriages performed in a Sanctuary, Temple, and Mosque begin with the couple going to the court house and getting a marriage license. All clergy sign this, validating the marriage on behalf of the State. So let's take religious opinion out of a State sanctified act and let there be "liberty and justice for all." It is "we the people" of the United States and that includes all of us and our right to practice 'family' with our chosen partners.

I do support the right of all citizens to choose their own partners and engage in marriage and not be judged. Whatever one's position on marriage, no one should force their ideal of marriage on each other. There is room in this country for us to once again be civil and live and grow in our differences and uniqueness.

 We need separation of Church and State over this issue more than ever. The State should grant the right for all who seek marriage to do so with no barriers. Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths (and all others) should sanctify unions according to their traditions. They should not be judged and those unions should be valid and upheld by the State. Those who seek union with their partner (same sex) should not be judged and their marriage should be valid and upheld by the State. There should be equity for all. People are afraid we are changing traditional Christian/Judeo understanding of marriage. That is not a issue. Those who hold to a traditional Christian/Judeo understanding of marriage should be free and protected to robustly practice their faith. Those who embrace a different understanding of marriage and union should be free and protected to robustly practice their beliefs. Christian/Judeo beliefs on marriage have held dominance in our country. But the constitution while granting freedom of religion does not afford any faith group dominance or preference in enforcing the marriage ethic of the country. There is freedom for all.

What ever we do, let's cease the name calling, judging and treating one another with less than common decency. May the Supreme Court uphold the Constitution granting everyone the right to chose one partner (hopefully for life - respecting the dignity of the union) and live as happily ever after as they can. What ever you believe about faith, marriage takes prayer.

My prayer is for a more civil union in the days ahead.