thoughts on the news of the day: connect

hmmm…..

            There are several stories today on the internet about people who have used facebook to deal with issues in their life.  One young Taylor Swift fan is battling leukemia so his sister got on facebook and was able to connect with Taylor  (or Taylor’s staff).  Taylor invited him to be her date for an award show early next month.  Another man, grieving the loss of his mother decided to post a facebook memorial page.  This page featured photos of his mother from throughout her life and has garnered numerous reaponses from friends all over the country.  We have heard of several facebook protest petitions against large corporations who try to add surcharges to client’s  bills.  They have been sucessful in preventing big business from taking advantage of customers. 

It is interesting to me how much facebook has become the opportunity to connect in healing, positive ways.  Oh sure, its easy to bemoan it as superficial, and an escape from real communication.  But in so many ways, it connects us.  I got in touch with a friend in the Houston area that I hadn’t heard from in years.  It was great to be in communication with her and it was good to be able to hear on a day to day basis about the recovery of her daughter from a life threatening seizure.  The best part was being able to pray with and for her. 

Yes, there are other ways to be in touch.  There is email, telephone, and even face to face conversation.   Why debate which is best?  Can it ever be bad to just say hello?  Today, I am grateful for all the ways my global family connects.  And …. I hope …. you stay connected with me ….

hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: academy awards

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            The Academy Awards are this Sunday and I, along with millions of others, plan to watch them.  I like to see what the stars are wearing and my second favorite thing about them are the acceptance speeches.  Usually it is a laundry list of people they owe – agents, managers, producers, directors and so on.  Ocassionally they thank God and/or their parents but not necessarily in that order.

            There are a few memorable acceptance speeches in Oscar history.  Most of the speeches are forgotten, many times along with the actor, the role, and the movie.  But there is one that sticks in my mind.  It is Sally Fields’ acceptance speech for the best actress role in “Places of the Heart”.  You probably remember her saying, “You like me, you really like me!”.  If you didn’t see it the first time, you have probably seen it mocked by comedians, late night talk show hosts and even Academy Award presenters. 

            We all need to be recognized for our hard work and our talents.  We want to be found out.  We want to be liked …. really liked.  We want people to know that we are good or even the best at something we do.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.  Affirmation is good.  Accepting others acceptance of your talents and abilites feels good and, well, is good.

            So next time you see someone do or say something really good, tell them so.  Let them know that someone in this big ole world noticed them.  It might make their day.  It might make yours.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: control

hmmm…..

            I’m trying to think about what I think about the news today.  A 9-year old girl in Alabama was forced to run for three hours and tragically sucumbed from the punishment her grandmother and stepmother meted upon her.  In another news item, eleven children were confined to a 10 by 10 darkened bedroom in Texas and three of those children were tethered to their beds.  Moms out of control.

            Presidential candidate Rick Santorum has made all sort of claims on the rights of women.  He seems to be promoting all sorts of restrictions on a women’s freedom to control her body and therefore affect the birth (or non-birth) of babies.  The state of Virginia is debating the plausability of forcing women to have an ultra sound examination prior to aborting their babies.

            It’s a tangled mess.  Some mothers probably don’t need to have children; they sometimes abuse them and cause them great pain and even death.  On the other hand, I wonder if women are ever coerced to believe that the best choice for all concerned is to abort their baby.  Probably. 

            In all of the examples mentioned above, it is a case of someone trying to control the life of another.   Who has that right and when?  I choose not to have the power to control another person; I try to leave that up to God.  Let’s face it, in the end, God has the power to control anyway.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: blossoms

hmmm…..

            You might have seen the news about a seed that Russian scientists found in the Artic tundra. This seed had been buried for around 32,000 years and was recently germinated and grown to become a lovely plant with delicate white blossoms.  It is the oldest plant by far to ever have been grown from an ancient seed and it is beautiful.

            I wonder what I would look like in 32,000 years.  When I look at pictures of myself from my childhood, I see a resemblance; but I wonder if other people do.   How different would I look in 100 years? 320 years?  32,000 years?

            In our church, we have an aging congregation.  There are many members who are over 90 years old.  They are lovely, graceful and still full of playful life.  Occasionally (mostly at their funerals) I get to see photographs of them in their youth.  There are wedding photos, pictures of men in their military uniforms and sometimes, early family photos of them with their young siblings.  I rarely recognized them as their former selves.

            What is so charming about seeing old phtographs, though, is the story that is told by the features that remain.  Often it is bright eyes.  There are several women in our congregation who still have their sparkling, stunning blue eyes.  It is no surprize to me why their husbands fell for them.  Most men had much more hair in their younger years and this changes their appearance greatly.  But often the way they carry themselves or hold their head at a certain angle identifies them clearly.

            I wonder how we look in God’s eyes.  Does God see the wrinkles, the bald heads, the gray hair? Probably not; I mean after all, we will always be his children.

            hmmm…..

thoughts on the news of the day: avalanche

hmmm…..

            I have been buried under an avalanche of work lately.  It seems like sermons and funerals, Bible studies and hospital visits, presbytery meetings, not to mention a Doctor of Ministry project have nearly buried me alive.  I bet you have been there.  Like a huge snow pack roaring down a mountainside, the pressure to catch up and stay on top of things is almost life threatening.

            This winter, experienced skiers, trained to survive avalanches, have been buried under by them.  In the United States something like 17 skiers have been killed this season when avalanches overtook them.  Four died last weekend in two separate avalanches and many more barely made it out with their lives intact.  These are not amateurs accidently caught up in an unpredicted force of nature.  These are highly trained professional skiers who are tempted by the thrill of trying to beat the mighty snow masses down the mountain side. 

            I am not sure how to avoid these avalanches.  We all run into them from time to time.  An avalanche of work, or laundry or bills pilling up.  Sometimes we can control the enormity of the mass, but sometimes not.  Probably the skiers caught in the icy landslide said a lot of prayers as they tumbled down the slope.  They rightly feared for their life.  Maybe we can pray, too, as we try to survive the avalanches in our lives.  We can ask for help to stay on top of the onslaught and pray for guidance to navigate out of it.  And hopefully we will survive.

            hmmm…..