Bits & Bytes from Everywhere

I don't remember how I linked to this site, but it was rather fun. Do you notice that none of my supposed look-alikes has a beard?

Please excuse the heading on that thingie below: I was trying to create the thing while Alex was napping on my laptop. He still is! (Thankfully I have a cordless keyboard)

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

A story that Merle posted yesterday reminded me of this happening while I was studying at Eden Theological Seminary:

When I was in seminary a Presbyterian minister from the Bahamas visited. He talked to one of our classes and told how he had sent up a seminary there because usually folks desiring to enter ministry went off to Britain and Canada to study. He said that as part of the curriculum of his seminary, students were required to spend time among the impoverished folk who lived in shanty towns.

My professor jumped in and said, “Yes, we must visit the poor to teach them.”

The minister from the Bahamas replied, “No! We send our students into the shanty towns to learn from the poor.”

This worries me! I heard this story on NPR this morning:

One in 4 teenage girls in the United States has at least one sexually transmitted disease, according to a first-of-its-kind study released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The trend is even worse among African-American girls: Nearly half have one or more STDs, compared with 20 percent of whites.

I keep hoping the study is a mistake or an urban legend that has gotten into the media.

Below is another animal video I recently received in an email:

Paul Robeson: A Singular Life

Paul Robeson: No More Auction Block

Paul Robeson: Thumbnail of a Singular Life

• born April 9, 1898 in Princeton, N.J., son of a former slave turned preacher
• attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.: graduated #1 in his class
• was an All-America football player at Rutgers
• entered Columbia University where he obtained a law degree
• due to lack of opportunity for blacks in the legal profession, did not practice law
• drifted to the stage, making his debut in London in 1922
• appeared in Eugene O'Neill's play All God's Chillun Got Wings in 1924
• played title role in O'Neill's The Emperor Jones which caused a sensation in New York City (1924) and London (1925)
• starred in the film version of The Emperor Jones in 1933
• gave his first vocal recital of Negro spirituals in Greenwich Village in 1925
• became world famous as Joe in the musical Show Boat with song Ol' Man River
• played the title role in Othello in London (1930) to great praise
• his 1943 Othello set an all-time record run for a Shakespearean play on Broadway
• spoke of 20 languages with some fluency
• his political awareness impelled Robeson to visit the Soviet Union in 1934 and from that time onward became identified with left-wing commitments
• active in civil rights and labor movements from 1930s onward
• opposed colonialism in Africa and Asia
• in 1950 the U.S. State Department withdrew his passport because he refused to sign an affidavit disclaiming membership in the Communist Party
• in the following years he was ostracized for his political views: his films and recordings were removed from circulation/he was never seen on TV until after his death
• in 1952, unable to leave the United States, sang concert at the Peace Arch on the U.S.-Canadian Border with more than 40,000 attending on both side of border
• in 1958 the Supreme Court overturned the affidavit ruling, after which he left the United States to live in Europe
• published his autobiography, Here I Stand, in 1958.
• he returned to the United States in 1963 because of ill health
• died January 23, 1976, Philadelphia, Pa.

In Memoriam: Trying to be Paul Robeson

I did not learn of Paul Robeson until 1964 when I was a university student—and then only because I had a professor who was left of left. Robeson had returned to the U.S. from Europe the year before and my professor had met him in NYC. From the moment I heard the marvelous stories of his life, Paul Robeson became a guiding light in mine.

A few nights ago, by chance, I saw for the first time the 1933 film in which Robeson starred (the first film, as I understand it, in which an African-American had the lead), The Emperor Jones. Then, again by chance, I found my misplaced CD of Robeson’s Peace Arch Concerts.

So I felt led to publish this post in honor and memory of this marvelous man, a personal hero of mine.

Note regarding my health: There is no change from yesterday.

STOP the ABUSE

Abuse takes so many forms—just about anything one can imagine that can be done to hurt a creature or a thing. I suppose if we pondered all of the abuse our world, we could become overwhelmed by its magnitude. I we are moved to work toward preventing and stopping abuse, we can easily give up—overwhelmed by its magnitude.

However, if we each would act to end abuse one person, one creature, or one thing at a time…maybe—just maybe—all of us together cold make an impact.

I take to heart the words ((in the above graphic created by my friend Thomas) of Jerry Garcia: Somebody has to do something about abuse and, like it or not, that somebody is us—you and me!

If a picture is truly worth a thousand words, here is a book to read in a few glances:

YOU MAY CLICK ON ANY GRAPHIC TO ENLARGE IT.

Alex’s Post: Please Do Not Abuse…

What Greater Grief ...

What greater grief than the loss of one's native land.

~ Euripides, Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC - 406 BC), Medea, 431 B.C.

Finally, a week after hundreds of wild fires began rampaging across Greece, all of the fires are under control. So reported the Associated Press about six hours ago.

Since the story of this tragedy first hit the news, my heart has gone out to the people of Greece. The loss of life, the destruction of villages and farm land, the plight of those made homeless by the conflagration, all seemed to rise each day. Also each day, the reports indicated the fires continued to burn out of control, the end of the inferno not in sight.

At some point, perhaps it was the account that said that the uncontainable fires had reached the ancient city of Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games, I began to think of this catastrophe as affecting people beyond the Greek nation to the whole of Western civilization. For, in my mind, the land of Greece is the cradle of Western civilization.

Even here in the United States, where knowledge of “the classics” is by far the exception rather than the rule, there is at least a recognition by many of classical Greek names, if not an understanding of what the classical references of those names: Plato (a sex club in NYC), Trojan (a brand of condom), Greek (anal sex).

Perhaps I am underestimating my fellow countrypersons. After all, in 2004 Hollywood did release the film Troy and even gave screen credit to the Greek poet Homer (not a "4-bagger” in a baseball game) as one the writers. That I understand more people were drawn to the film by the highly publicized nudity of Brad Pitt than by Homer’s epic, does not undermine the truth that Hollywood is able to produce a film based upon an heroic classic. And, in the same year, Hollywood also released Oliver Stone’s film Alexander, based upon the life of the Macedonian king and the first world conqueror. That the film was less historical than melodramatic and had poor audience attendance does not undercut that Hollywood at least tried to bring a bit of culture into the American world of historical illiteracy

But I digress from the tragedy of the Greek fires. With the cost thus far is 64 dead, an unknown number injured, nearly 500,000 acres of land burned, and an estimated $1.6 billion cost, the time for recovery is approaching, unless the unthinkable occurs:

Fears remained, however, that a new heat wave accompanied by strong winds that have been forecast for the weekend could feed smaller fires or rekindle those that smoldered around the country. ~ MSNBC

The people of Greece remain in my prayers even as my thoughts center on what that land of classic history, poetry, philosophy, democracy, theater, religion, and mythology means to the world. As such, for my late evening reading, I have taken Plato’s Republic from my library shelves.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~ Plato

Remember September 27:Details

Friday Hodgepodge, Mishmash, and the Like

Mattel & the Chinese Manufactured Toy Recall

This cartoon tells it the way it is—or, at least the way I’ve seen it since I was a kid and my little sister filled out house with Barbie shit—I mean toys:

Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune, Utah Visit Pat's site.

So You Gonna Find Your True Love Online

Bucky Four-Eyes linked to a disturbing true story regarding online romance that includes deception, obsession, and murder. I strongly recommend that you take the time to read it.

Do You Remember Berkeley Breathed and Bloom County?

Bloom County was one of my favorite comic strips, often satirizing our society and its foibles. Of course, Breathed is still around with the comic strip Opus, but recently he (again) crossed the line of political correctness (or maybe the new “Denmark Line” of cartoons that irritate Muslim extremists) when several newspaper editors refused to run this cartoon:

Technology

A few years ago I purchased (from myself—the online store I then owned) a cordless telephone that could do everything except brew the morning coffee. The problem is that I had to have the manual within reading distance to figure out how to use the damned thing. So, I asked Nick, my technolgy genius older son, the former precocious youth, who was publishing technical stuff in national computer magazines by the time he was 16, how to work the phone.

Nick looked at the phone, glanced at the manual, and said, “There are some engineers who, when they design stuff like this phone put all kinds of crap in them just because they can. My advices is to throw the damned thing away and get a cheaper—and simpler—model that does what you want it to do and nothing more."

The Bishop’s Candlesticks

Last Wednesday, Barman (Bryan) posted about an incident that had him questioning whether he had done a good deed or been scammed and made a fool of. That reminded me of a decision I made many years ago not to be concerned about being scammed—and I have been scammed and conned by many folks, even when I knew what they were up to. The decision was made after I read and gained a new understanding of the chapter in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables that I have labeled (when I’ve used it in a sermon) “The Bishop’s Candlesticks.” Here is that story as I remember it and as I’ve told it in several sermons.

The protagonist, Jean Valjean, after being imprisoned for about 20 years for stealing bread to feed his family, is released but, as an ex-convict, can find no work and is himself on the verge of starvation when he comes upon the resident of a bishop and seeks food from the Bishop’s servants. The Bishop himself invites Valjean into his home and provides his hospitality of dinner at his own table and a bed for the night. When it comes time of retire, the bishop sends Valjean up to his room with one of the two very expensive silver candlesticks that grace the bishop’s dining table to light his away.

The following morning the servants of the Bishop awaken him with the revelation that not only has their guest departed before breakfast, but he has taken the costly candlestick with him. Later the same morning the police arrive at the Bishops residence with Valjean in custody and inform the bishop that they found the ex-con in possession of the candlestick that was recognized as belonging to the bishop. They asked the bishop to identify the candlestick so that they may charge Valjean with the theft.

The Bishop speaks directly to Valjean rather than the police. Says he is sorry that he, his guest, departed before sharing a fine breakfast with the Bishop, and then hand Valjean the mate to the candlestick he had stolen, saying, “You forgot this, my friend. I gave you both candlesticks. What good is one without the other?”

The police release Valjean, who at that moment is changed by forever by the Bishop’s action. He leaves with both candlesticks, walks to a nearby town, sells them, and using the proceeds, becomes a wealthy factory owner, known for his honesty generosity, and just dealings who eventually becomes mayor of the town.

Of course, there is much more to the book, but it is this story that I have told many times. I usually use it in a sermon without commenting upon it and allow people to hear and glean whatever they may need to from it.

Have a Fun Weekend!

Click on the above graphic to enlarge it and obtain a better view of the two crazy cats

Growing Up in Urban America

One of the things I like about Jonathan Kellerman’s novels is that inevitably they get me thinking. For example, the following is excerpted from his 2006 novel, Gone. The narrator is the central character, psychologist Alex Delaware.

Back when I treated children, I routinely took histories from parents and learned what family life could be like in L.A. People packing up and moving every year or two, the surrender to impulse, the death of domestic ritual.

Many of the parents I saw lived in sun-baked tracts with no other kids nearby and spent hours each day being bused to and from beige corrals that claimed to be schools. Long electronic nights were bleached by cathode and dump-thumped by the current angry music. Bedroom windows looked out to hazy miles of neighborhoods that couldn’t really be called that.

Lots of imaginary friends in L.A. That, I supposed, was inevitable. It’s a company town and the product is fantasy.

The city kills grass with red carpets, worships fame for its own sake, demolishes landmarks with glee because the high-stakes game is reinvention. Show up at your favorite restaurant and you’re likely to find a sign trumpeting failure and the windows covered with brown paper. Phone a friend and get a disconnected number.

No Forwarding. It could be the municipal motto.

You can be gone in L.A. for a long time before anyone considers it a problem.

~Jonathan Kellerman, Gone, 2006 pp. 5-6.

After I read those lines, I reread them. Then I started thinking.

Even though Kellerman’s protagonist, Alex Delaware, is focusing on life in Los Angeles, the situation isn’t much different in other U.S. cities. Lots of children live in neighborhoods where there are no other kids nearby. My street is one of those. Other than a couple of us old foggies, most of the residents here are relatively young and, if they have children, the children are also very young. That means that in the neighborhood there are perhaps a half-dozen kids who are school age—and that includes kindergarten. When school is not in session, I have no idea where these children go to find other kids.

Of course, maybe the kids don’t seek other kids. Perhaps they spend the days and nights watching TV or playing video games or surfing the net. Perhaps their friends are all somewhere in cyberspace, which is a down-side to our Internet technology for both children and many adults.

Go to favorite restaurant and find a sign trumpeting failure—or, as I did, just am empty lot? It happens all the time, even in mid-sized cities such as Louisville. But I have already written about that, at least about the disappearing fast food joints.

When Alex Delaware reflects that L.A. is a “company town,” I must admit that I never thought about that. Lots of cities are “company towns.” Sometimes the power is shared between two or more companies, but often the nature of the city and its residents is set by the largest employer in town.

And what about calling a friend and finding that they no longer exist? I have done that more than once and in more than one city. I’ll admit that moving around a lot has added to that losing contact with friends. But, then, our increasing mobility is one of our society’s strongpoints, too. Right?

Back to kids growing up in urban American society. I am most happy my sons are grown. I am less happy that my grandchildren are experiencing life in this rat-race of a society. I am most concerned about future generations as we seem to become less and less stable and more and more strangers to each other.

A Mainline Paradigm Shift?

Last Sunday I chaired my third ecclesiastical council in the past month. It was considered by many of those attending the most important of the three because it was to approve or deny the ordination of a pastor.

The By-Laws of our Association require that 50% of the congregations making up the Association be represented in order to have a quorum for an ecclesiastical council. I've been aware that we have come close to not having a quorum ever since the first one I chaired as president of the Association.

There are now 25 congregations in the Association and last Sunday, when I called the meeting to order, there were only 11 present. The agenda I have created for ecclesiastical councils begins with my introduction, followed by a prayer and the singing of a multi-verse hymn. The idea is to allow as much time as possible for late-comers to arrive before the roll is called. We were on the 4th verse of that hymn before representatives of 2 congregations came into the sanctuary: 13 congregations out of 25 really cut the margin for a quorum close.

Since Sunday I have begun feel as if I may be hitting my head against a brick wall. In past years we have had no problem in obtaining a quorum for meetings. Yet, over the past several years, we have had a lot of difficulty.

Today I raised this question with pastors from several other Mainline denominations. In the main (that wasn’t meant as a pun) they report the same problem and concern, although we seem to identify it differently. For example, one pastor spoke of older congregations, where the average age has increased to over seventy. He said he thinks that folks have more difficulty attending extra-worship activities. Another responded that his congregation was also elderly, but attended the activities such as dinners and weddings, but seldom attended functions such as ecclesiastical councils. He suggested the reason was apathy towards the wider church.

That word—apathy—became central to our discussion. Have members of Mainline denominations truly become apathetic toward the Church? If I had taken a poll of those pastors, I would suspect that the majority would answer that question with “Yes.” However, I didn’t take a poll.

And I admit that I myself do not have an answer. I recognize that there has been a paradigm shift in mainline Christianity in the United States over the past thirty or so years. I encountered this while I was pastoring my first congregation almost twenty years ago. In that small community, churches were not then affected by the shifting paradigm that had already touched so many Mainline denominations that people were beginning to say, “Mainline Christianity is no longer on Main Street.” What we were experiencing there and then was that a number of people were no longer attending worship, either because they did not feel the need or because they felt that their needs were being met by TV and radio evangelists.

It was during those days that I was first introduced to the books of Lyle E. Schaller. He seemed to have some insights into the “new paradigm.” In the first of Schaller’s books that I read back then—I don’t remember its name and do not even know if it is still available—he made the statement that contemporary churches and pastors were facing dilemmas that had never before been encountered in the history of the Church. I remember then feeling that I had chosen a poor time to shift careers from social work to ordained ministry.

Back to the present. During today’s discussion of the existing problems that our Mainline Churches are facing, Schaller’s name came up again. A Presbyterian pastor said that he had just obtained what he believes is Schaller’s latest book, A Mainline Turnaround: Strategies For Congregations And Denominations. He said that he is reading the book, along with several others, to discern what is currently going on in U.S. Christianity and if there are ways of addressing the apathy that each of us, in one way of another, have identified.

I hope Schaller can provide some insights and new strategies. I firmly believe that there is a place for Mainline Christianity in the United States, whether or not we are “on Main Street.” So I just ordered A Mainline Turnaround: Strategies For Congregations And Denominations. I’ll let you know more after I read it.