Be an Extremist for LOVE!

In memory of Martin Luther King Jr, I love this very poetic "Was not....?" excerpt of MLK's letter from the Birmingham jail: 

• "Was not Jesus an extremist in love? -- "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you." 
• Was not Amos an extremist for justice? -- "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." 
• Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ? -- "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." 
• Was not Martin Luther an extremist? -- "Here I stand; I can do no other so help me God." 
• Was not John Bunyan an extremist? -- "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a mockery of my conscience." 
• Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist? -- "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." 
• Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist? -- "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." 

"So the question is not whether we will be extremist, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate, or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice, or will we be extremists for the cause of justice?"
(To read the full letter go to: http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/letter_Birmingham_Jail.pdf)

Reviewing the Past Year

We bless this year for all we learned,
For all we loved and lost
And for the quiet way it brought us
Nearer to our invisible destination.

~ John O'Donohue ~

Evaluating and learning from our own history is essential for self-understanding. Reviewing the way we lived the past year helps prepare us for the next. What mistakes have we made? How have we been changed? What blessings have we received? Like renewing a life insurance policy, how do I renew my purpose for living? Do I have a new awareness of what purposeful living means for the New Year?Without a sense of purpose for living, a life can feel meaningless. I believe every life has meaning and purpose as we make our unique journeys along towards eternal life.

My mother turns 90 years old in March. She is still very alert, physically and mentally active, still learning new things (she emails and Facebooks regularly), and focuses much of her energy towards helping others. I believe she learned to be this way from her mother who lived to be 93. Grandma Thaxton was a teacher for 50+ years in a public school in Nebraska and tutored special education students in her home until she was in her late 70's. Then she became more involved in volunteering at church, gardened, and was always seeking ways to help her neighbors right up to her last months of life on earth. When Grandma was near death she shared a beautiful vision of heaven that seemed consistent with her way of living this life here on earth, surrounded by Love and giving Love.

A practice I hope to incorporate in my life in 2012 is the practice of being more "mindful." I want to practice the "presence of God" and be mindful of God working in and through me. I also want to be "present" to people and things in my environment rather than hurrying about with my mind only partially present and the other half on the to-do list for the future. Anthony De Mello said, "The present moment is never unbearable if you live in it fully. What is unbearable is to have your body here at 10am and your mind at 6pm....."

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat  in their book: Spiritual RX: Prescriptions for a Meaninful Life, suggest spiritual practices that dedicate our deeds to God and to the greater good. What more meaningful purpose can there be to our lives than that? The thread of purpose that interwove through my grandmother's life and now my mother's is the purpose of helping others; focusing not on the self but on what can be done in these precious moments we have been given to make another's life happier.

Romans 12: 9-18 is a ten verse formula for living a purposeful healthy and happy life:

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.May God bless you and keep you living present to the moments of 2012!

The Hope of the World for All!

“O God of the exiles and stranger, find the homeless parts of me;

 guide them toward yourself, for you are my promised land.”[1]

It is the middle of Advent as I write this. I am reading about 43.7 million refugees in the world today. Over 43 million! The UN organization to help refugees has a motto: “ONE refugee without hope is one too many!” Due to wars, famine, poverty, and political strife – they have been exiled. They are displaced in unfamiliar territory with strange food (if they can find some), often surrounded by a different language and at a loss for what is familiar and comforting. Advent was a season for exiles, a time of waiting and yearning for the light that dispels the darkness. Jesus’ birth was that hope for the world that broke through and brought comfort. But soon after his birth, Jesus and his parents show their solidarity with exiles, they become exiled and were forced to flee to Egypt to save their own lives. How many of us have had to leave our homes due to threat of murder? It is quite amazing that Jesus demonstrates his solidarity with refugees, the homeless, the victimized, the persecuted while still an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. What a strong call to each of us to also be in solidarity with those who are suffering in exile. (For additional refugee information see: http://www.unhcr.org/4dfa11499.html)

Exile can also be a spiritual or psychological separation from our true selves as God intended us to be. Many people are exiled from their bodies due to eating disorders, or childhood abuse. Families are in exile from one another due to damaged relationships and a lack of forgiveness. Those without a job feel exiled from the working community, and those without a church feel exiled from a worshipping community.

Isaiah 40-55 is referred to as the Book of Consolation or the Second Isaiah. It portrays our God as one who loves the people tenderly and who longs to save them. Second Isaiah describes a God who consoles with hope and healing. This consoling message can address our inner homelessness where we have given into the values of greed, consumerism, ego-centeredness and apathy. Our souls know that we are out of place in a materialistic power-centered world.

How can we remain faithful when our spirits are in exile? We realize that wherever God is, we are home. I pray this Christmas/Epiphany season for us all to be aware that God is with us, within us, around us and works through us to bring love and comfort to others.  We know that we are not meant to conform by the ways of this world, but to be transformed by the light of love demonstrated in Jesus Christ. We trust that even though we may periodically experience loneliness and lose patience with ourselves and others, we can get back on the path of humble service as God’s instruments of peace. Then we will be back in alignment with God’s intention for our lives and be able to feel God’s blessings through reaching out to others in exile.

Joyce Rupp beautifully says, “Let us hold the consolations of God close to the exiled places of our hearts. God offers us light, consolation and comfort for our inner homelessness. Emmanuel, God-with-us, shows us the way to the land of peace, to our true selves.”  

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[1] Joyce Rupp, May I Have This Dance?, (Ave Maria Press, Indiana, 1992), 155.

Website for flight painting: http://uploads5.wikipaintings.org/images/vittore-carpaccio/the-flight-into-egypt-1500.jpg

Do NOT Quench the Spirit

Do Not Quench the Spirit

1 Thessalonians 5: 19

(from an Improbable Gift by Maren Tirabassi and Joan Jordan Grant)

I will not quench the Spirit

with fruitcake and cookies, 

mistletoe and presents,

parties and poinsettias,

firelight and pine. 

I will not quench the Spirit

with eggnog and memories,

tinsel and wrappings, 

Amahl and O. Henry,

Nutcracker and Scrooge. 

I will not quench the Spirit 

with greeting cards and wassail,

reindeer and Bing Crosby,

snowfall and sleigh rides, 

solstice and dark.

I will not quench the Spirit

even with Advent wreaths, 

manger-words, angel-song,

even with pageants and Magi-stars, 

with the running of shepherds, 

and the fearful hopes of all the years, 

even with caroling in nursing homes, 

and toys given to children who are poor, 

even with Christmas Eve midnight, 

candleshine and prayer. 

I will not quench the Spirit --

I will be still in the presence 

of birth. 

Centering Prayer and Resiliency Study

Centering Prayer and Resiliency Study

December 7 - January 16, 2012

“But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.” (Matt.6:6)

Purpose: This 6 week program will study the influence of regular daily centering prayer on self-evaluations of resiliency.

Process: Participants complete a confidential survey prior to beginning and again after 6 weeks of daily 20 minute centered prayer. A daily journal is kept with brief comments on the experience of prayer each day.

Participants agree to follow these guidelines for the centering prayer project:

1.   Practice centering prayer daily for 20 minutes at a regular time of day for 6 weeks.

2.   Journal a brief description after each prayer time. (There may be no obvious “fruits of the prayer” but jot down a few thoughts.)

3.   Fill out a survey that measures resilience before and after the 6 weeks of daily centering prayer.

4.   The centering prayer practice is simple:

a.   Choose a sacred word or two as the symbol of your invitation for God to be present to you.

b.   Sit upright comfortably in a quiet place with eyes closed. Be attentive to your breath and breathe slowly deeply.

c.   Silently begin the prayer with your sacred word. If your mind distracts, gently return to your word to focus back on prayer.

d.   Open and unclutter your mind to “rest in God.”

e.   At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a few minutes as you re-engage with your surroundings.

For more information about participating in this study, please email: calloway@pcmorristown.org or call -- 973-538-1776.

                          

Forcing Girls Into Marriage Links to Poverty and Death

This is an abuse of human rights!

Click on the statement above for an important informative video....

Domestic Violence and Poverty

“I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.”  (Psalm 140:12)

On October 30^th I will speak at a conference entitled: “Partnership for the Elimination of Poverty.” This conference will promote the end of world poverty through a shift of global funding. My talk will address the relationship between domestic violence and poverty. Did you know that domestic violence is the second leading cause of homelessness among women? Battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness. Nationally, approximately half of all women and children experiencing homelessness are fleeing domestic violence.

It is outrageous in our civilized modern society that this epidemic of domestic violence is allowed to carry on. How can we expect women to have the courage to report domestic violence if there is no solid safety net helping them deal with the “fall out” in their lives which also gravely affects their children when they report this crime of violence?

Violence against women occurs in epidemic proportions! The National Violence Against Women Survey found in a 12 month period: 302,091 women experienced rape, and 1,913,243 experienced physical assault, for a total of over 2 million women experiencing violence per year. Throughout their lifetime 1 in 6 women in the US experienced an attempted or completed rape, and 1 in 2 (52%) experienced a physical assault.

Many assaults against women are committed by an intimate partner: 25 percent of surveyed women said they were raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, a co-habitating partner, or a date at some point in their life.

Prevalence of intimate partner violence is much higher among welfare recipients: estimates range from 63 to 75 percent reporting serious physical abuse by an intimate partner in their lifetimes.

Why is the disease of domestic violence allowed to remain so prevalent? Churches must step up and publicly address this crime in our communities and world. Never should a family regret reporting the abuse they suffered behind the closed doors of their homes. Yet, many find their living standard spirals down to poverty level due to: the loss of income, job interruptions, loss of healthcare benefits, and possibly loss of housing due to losing the financial support from the abuser after making a report. A system of community advocacy and support that connects available resources with the families who are suffering due to domestic violence upheaval is gravely needed. Coordination of services for the survival of these families is vital to their healing and recovery.

Jesus commands us all to: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” including your neighbor who is being abused behind closed doors. Advocate for them. No longer turn a blind eye to the epidemic around us. Prevent dating abuse by teaching our teens to stand against violence. Print out and distribute this helpful guide from Jersey Battered Women Services: http://www.jbws.org/documents/InformationforTeens_001.pdf

If you are being abused, remember:

• You are not to blame for being battered or mistreated.
• You are not the cause of your partner’s abusive behavior.
• You deserve to be treated with respect.
• You deserve a safe and happy life.
• Your children deserve a safe and happy life.
• You are not alone. There are people waiting to help.

(See: www.helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_help_treatment_prevention.htm)

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1 U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey 2007 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Microdata, calculation conducted by the Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance.

2 Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (1998, November). Prevalence, incidence and consequences of violence against women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. National Institute of Justice, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Research in Brief. Washington, DC:U.S. Department of Justice.