Saturday, November 13, 2010
I'm No Superstar: Wandering Back Into the Light
I'm No Superstar: Wandering Back Into the Light: "Debby Howell-Moroney, her husband Michael and their, at that time, small children Maddy and Ian, were part of our Delaware church while Mi..."
Thursday, July 22, 2010
There Once Was A Gator Named Izod........
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/07/alligator_discovered_in_front.html
I must say, I love taking the newspaper. Birmingham is extremely lucky to have a daily newspaper of the quality of the Birmingham News. Most of the time I transfer the folded paper from my driveway to my recycling basket without taking it out of its plastic sleeve, simply because I rarely have the luxury of sitting down long enough to enjoy it - particularly during the summer. However I am never disappointed by what I find in its pages when I do take time out to actually read the thing. For example, I learned in the religion section last year, that Kirk Franklin was scheduled to play a concert in Birmingham. I was so excited, I sprang for tickets for the whole family. I was a little disappointed when the concert got rescheduled, but hey - it happens, no problem. I was a little less thrilled when the show was cancelled without an explanation - but at least I got a full refund. Ok, maybe I would have been better off had I not opened the paper that day, but it was exciting news for awhile.
Tuesday July 20, 2010. The front page story was entitled, "See you later, Alligator," and included a picture of a nine foot alligator being removed from the yard of a Jefferson County resident. It was a little bit unusual I suppose, but we live in the south and maybe it was just a slow news day. Then I discovered the very best part of the story, buried all the way back on page5A.
(Read the following out loud, using your best southern accent:)
"It didn't take long for a crowd to gather, most taking snapshots and videos with their cell phones. Laurence Breeland, who lives nearby, showed up to see if it was the same gator that used to live in his pond and was hand-fed fish and chicken. He hasn't seen that gator in 12 years. "His name was Izod," Breeland said. "You could holler his name or whistle and he'd come out of the water."
I am so glad I read the paper on Tuesday. Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I don't know where to even begin deconstructing that particular item. I will say this - the next time you see a gator - make sure there is a fence between you before you even try to utter the name, "Izod".
Just reporting the news.....
I must say, I love taking the newspaper. Birmingham is extremely lucky to have a daily newspaper of the quality of the Birmingham News. Most of the time I transfer the folded paper from my driveway to my recycling basket without taking it out of its plastic sleeve, simply because I rarely have the luxury of sitting down long enough to enjoy it - particularly during the summer. However I am never disappointed by what I find in its pages when I do take time out to actually read the thing. For example, I learned in the religion section last year, that Kirk Franklin was scheduled to play a concert in Birmingham. I was so excited, I sprang for tickets for the whole family. I was a little disappointed when the concert got rescheduled, but hey - it happens, no problem. I was a little less thrilled when the show was cancelled without an explanation - but at least I got a full refund. Ok, maybe I would have been better off had I not opened the paper that day, but it was exciting news for awhile.
Tuesday July 20, 2010. The front page story was entitled, "See you later, Alligator," and included a picture of a nine foot alligator being removed from the yard of a Jefferson County resident. It was a little bit unusual I suppose, but we live in the south and maybe it was just a slow news day. Then I discovered the very best part of the story, buried all the way back on page5A.
(Read the following out loud, using your best southern accent:)
"It didn't take long for a crowd to gather, most taking snapshots and videos with their cell phones. Laurence Breeland, who lives nearby, showed up to see if it was the same gator that used to live in his pond and was hand-fed fish and chicken. He hasn't seen that gator in 12 years. "His name was Izod," Breeland said. "You could holler his name or whistle and he'd come out of the water."
I am so glad I read the paper on Tuesday. Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I don't know where to even begin deconstructing that particular item. I will say this - the next time you see a gator - make sure there is a fence between you before you even try to utter the name, "Izod".
Just reporting the news.....
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Curse You, Hyphen!
Today I was informed by the blue-haired dragon lady at my polling location that ,"you have to admit that your last name is weird."
No ma'am, I do not. All I have to do is show you my I.D.
No ma'am, I do not. All I have to do is show you my I.D.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Genesis Said It Best, "It's No Fun!"
Let's talk about the human spirit while I speak in broad generalities.
Certain folks from the continent of Africa got a raw deal. Their own countrymen sold them into slavery. Slave traders removed them from their homes and sold them all over the world as though they weren't human. When we hear stories from our own history about slavery we are shocked and can hardly imagine what that era must have been like or how people could be so self-deceived that they justified such things. The heroes in this story are the brave men and women who fled the nightmare of slavery and those who helped them along the way, people like those who created the underground railway.
Similarly, children who are born into the abject poverty of America's urban inner cities. The cycles of poverty, lack of educational attainment, and the influence of drugs and gangs create a situation that seems hopeless and without solution. Yet when a person manages to escape and become successful, we say, "See, America is the land of opportunity." and admire the courage and strength of someone who pulls themselves up "by their own bootstraps". Powerful stuff, right?
Let's talk about Mexico, or more specifically, about Mexican immigrants who are in this country illegally because that is really who is the target of Arizona's new immigration law. That is who we blame for taking American jobs away. It is the growing number of brown faces in our communities that we associate with the "immigration" problem. Think about it though, what have they done after all? By and large, their most prominent crime - the thing that we use to put us on the moral high ground - is that they have broken the law. Yes - Yes - for the last time - I admit it - they have broken the law.
Would we tell anyone trapped in slavery that they should just obey the law? Of course not. Our nation fought over the issue of slavery (tangentially, anyway) and eventually abolished it.
Do we let drug dealers run urban neighborhoods and not provide assistance for people trying to escape?
Maybe it would help to think about illegal immigrants from Mexico in a different way. Let's call them what they are: refugees. Refugees from a broken political and economic system. Refugees from unimaginable, soul-crushing poverty and anarchy created by drug lords run amok. * Who would choose to raise a family in the midst of that if there was a viable alternative? Not me. I admire the courage and human spirit of those who make that very dangerous and controversial decision.
Yes. they broke the law. We get it but, here are three things to ponder:
1. Can I really cast stones?
2. Am I better, simply by virtue of being born in the US and by proxy, is someone less of a person by the misfortune of being born into slavery or poverty or Mexico?
3. Is there a better way to approach this issue besides tougher enforcement?
For me the answers are simple: No, No, Yes.
* See http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_4755.html
Certain folks from the continent of Africa got a raw deal. Their own countrymen sold them into slavery. Slave traders removed them from their homes and sold them all over the world as though they weren't human. When we hear stories from our own history about slavery we are shocked and can hardly imagine what that era must have been like or how people could be so self-deceived that they justified such things. The heroes in this story are the brave men and women who fled the nightmare of slavery and those who helped them along the way, people like those who created the underground railway.
Similarly, children who are born into the abject poverty of America's urban inner cities. The cycles of poverty, lack of educational attainment, and the influence of drugs and gangs create a situation that seems hopeless and without solution. Yet when a person manages to escape and become successful, we say, "See, America is the land of opportunity." and admire the courage and strength of someone who pulls themselves up "by their own bootstraps". Powerful stuff, right?
Let's talk about Mexico, or more specifically, about Mexican immigrants who are in this country illegally because that is really who is the target of Arizona's new immigration law. That is who we blame for taking American jobs away. It is the growing number of brown faces in our communities that we associate with the "immigration" problem. Think about it though, what have they done after all? By and large, their most prominent crime - the thing that we use to put us on the moral high ground - is that they have broken the law. Yes - Yes - for the last time - I admit it - they have broken the law.
Would we tell anyone trapped in slavery that they should just obey the law? Of course not. Our nation fought over the issue of slavery (tangentially, anyway) and eventually abolished it.
Do we let drug dealers run urban neighborhoods and not provide assistance for people trying to escape?
Maybe it would help to think about illegal immigrants from Mexico in a different way. Let's call them what they are: refugees. Refugees from a broken political and economic system. Refugees from unimaginable, soul-crushing poverty and anarchy created by drug lords run amok. * Who would choose to raise a family in the midst of that if there was a viable alternative? Not me. I admire the courage and human spirit of those who make that very dangerous and controversial decision.
Yes. they broke the law. We get it but, here are three things to ponder:
1. Can I really cast stones?
2. Am I better, simply by virtue of being born in the US and by proxy, is someone less of a person by the misfortune of being born into slavery or poverty or Mexico?
3. Is there a better way to approach this issue besides tougher enforcement?
For me the answers are simple: No, No, Yes.
* See http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_4755.html
Alabama Rides Again....Campaign Style
By John Archibald -- The Birmingham News
May 19, 2010, 5:25AM
Dale who?
The internet buzzed this week with more political ads from Alabama. Dale Peterson -- a candidate for commissioner of agriculture and industries, as it turns out -- created what some called the best political ad ever!
I don't know about that, but it was memorable. Sort of like David Allan Coe's "perfect country & western song," though it didn't say anything at all about Mama, or trucks, or trains, or prison, or gettin' drunk.
It did have a hat and a horse, a rifle, and a rant by "Pistol" Peterson (see video below) that took on thugs, criminals, illegal immigrants, and the rat finks who stole his political signs.
"We're Republicans," Peterson warns, pulling a rifle from nowhere. "We should be better than that."
He concludes by shouldering the gun.
"I'm Dale Peterson. I'll name names and take no prisoners."
It's awesome. And terrifying, for sign-stealing thugs.
But does it work?
You tell me. Before this week, had you heard of Dale Peterson?
Which is why Alabama's politicos have tried to out-gun each other for years.
A gun-toting Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom ran a beauty in 2006 to beat Mountain Brook's Luther Strange.
"I have two great kids, three dogs and four shotguns," Folsom said, presumably in order of importance. "I never have played tennis at the Mountain Brook club. I'd rather be hunting."
Classic.
Would-be governor Bradley Byrne fired the first salvo this campaign when he armed himself and his sons for a pleasant stroll through the woods. The kids (blam!) asked regular father/son stuff. You know: What's it like, dad, to fight corruption in (blam!) Montgomery?
The gun is so ubiquitous in Alabama politics it should be listed in the minimum qualifications. To be ag commissioner, for instance, you must be 25, a resident for five years, and a gun owner for seven.
Which makes you feel for John McMillan. He's running for that office, but doesn't have cash for TV ads to prove his gun mettle. He relies on a website photo of himself in camo, carrying a shotgun with a scope. Somehow, he still misses.
And remember Matt Chancey? He ran for Public Service Commission in 2008. In one ad, he showed a kid how to shoot as he warned that environmentalists prefer owls and tree frogs to people.
I don't know if he was shooting owls or environmentalists.
Who cares, I guess. Just lock and load.
So you have to hand it to James Anderson, seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general. His ad shows him brainstorming with ad execs as they try to sell him the perfect spot. It lampoons all the old tricks -- and puts him in front of a NASCAR car with shotgun in hand. It's the down home double whammy.
"But guys," he protests. "I'm a real attorney."
Like that matters.
This is Alabama, after all, where you can keep your snooty qualifications, as long as you're packing heat.
Yeah. You can take the guns from our political ads. But only when you pry them from our cold, dead campaign committees.
John Archibald's column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Write him at
jmailto:jrchibald@bhamnews.com.
Archibald: It's how the South was won (with video)
May 19, 2010, 5:25AM
Dale who?
The internet buzzed this week with more political ads from Alabama. Dale Peterson -- a candidate for commissioner of agriculture and industries, as it turns out -- created what some called the best political ad ever!
I don't know about that, but it was memorable. Sort of like David Allan Coe's "perfect country & western song," though it didn't say anything at all about Mama, or trucks, or trains, or prison, or gettin' drunk.
It did have a hat and a horse, a rifle, and a rant by "Pistol" Peterson (see video below) that took on thugs, criminals, illegal immigrants, and the rat finks who stole his political signs.
"We're Republicans," Peterson warns, pulling a rifle from nowhere. "We should be better than that."
He concludes by shouldering the gun.
"I'm Dale Peterson. I'll name names and take no prisoners."
It's awesome. And terrifying, for sign-stealing thugs.
But does it work?
You tell me. Before this week, had you heard of Dale Peterson?
Which is why Alabama's politicos have tried to out-gun each other for years.
A gun-toting Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom ran a beauty in 2006 to beat Mountain Brook's Luther Strange.
"I have two great kids, three dogs and four shotguns," Folsom said, presumably in order of importance. "I never have played tennis at the Mountain Brook club. I'd rather be hunting."
Classic.
Would-be governor Bradley Byrne fired the first salvo this campaign when he armed himself and his sons for a pleasant stroll through the woods. The kids (blam!) asked regular father/son stuff. You know: What's it like, dad, to fight corruption in (blam!) Montgomery?
The gun is so ubiquitous in Alabama politics it should be listed in the minimum qualifications. To be ag commissioner, for instance, you must be 25, a resident for five years, and a gun owner for seven.
Which makes you feel for John McMillan. He's running for that office, but doesn't have cash for TV ads to prove his gun mettle. He relies on a website photo of himself in camo, carrying a shotgun with a scope. Somehow, he still misses.
And remember Matt Chancey? He ran for Public Service Commission in 2008. In one ad, he showed a kid how to shoot as he warned that environmentalists prefer owls and tree frogs to people.
I don't know if he was shooting owls or environmentalists.
Who cares, I guess. Just lock and load.
So you have to hand it to James Anderson, seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general. His ad shows him brainstorming with ad execs as they try to sell him the perfect spot. It lampoons all the old tricks -- and puts him in front of a NASCAR car with shotgun in hand. It's the down home double whammy.
"But guys," he protests. "I'm a real attorney."
Like that matters.
This is Alabama, after all, where you can keep your snooty qualifications, as long as you're packing heat.
Yeah. You can take the guns from our political ads. But only when you pry them from our cold, dead campaign committees.
John Archibald's column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Write him at
jmailto:jrchibald@bhamnews.com.
Archibald: It's how the South was won (with video)
Monday, May 17, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Scary Quote of the Day
Favorite Quote today - scary as heck, too:
I want to tell ’em, ‘Nah, we’ll keep clinging to our Constitution and our guns and religion—and you can keep the change ... Yeah, let’s drill, baby, drill; not stall, baby, stall—you betcha.
http://www.daylife.com/quote/0eo4buabob3OF?q=Sarah+Palin
Thursday, March 25, 2010
"This Here Is What It Is" Or "Musings of a Pinko Commie Leftycrat"
First of all, I am not a Socialist. Not in the Marxist sense of the word (not that there's anything wrong with that). Actually, in my heart of hearts, I am an Ayn Randian flavored Libertarian. (don’t judge) Unfortunately, both Socialism and Objectivism are fiction. Both rest on the assumption that man is rational and operates according to his better nature. If only it were true.
Socialism is the ideal result of the dialectical process described by Marx. The idea is that our economic system is on a evolutionary path. The rise being from an agrarian economy to industrialization to capitalism to communism to socialism. (a VAST oversimplification of the dialectic, but bear with me). Not even the Soviet Union could be considered a communist economy, since they bypassed industrialization and capitalism all together. To say, "socialized" medicine, or whatever, bears little if any resemblance to socialism itself. It simply means providing for the common good of all citizens, something the US does regularly. We maintain a public education system, a common national defense, health-care for children, veterans, the disabled and the elderly. Does this make us Socialists? The answer is no.
Let's talk about symbolism in politics and pendulum theory. In my opinion, this is what has happened in the United States. These could very well account for the election of President Obama. I think that a rising majority of Americans were fed up with what they saw happening in America. I think it had less to do with Obama, race, or the downward spiral of our morality and more to do with a rejection of corporate welfare, a growing American underclass, and the disenfranchisement of young voters (among other things). America finally said, "ENOUGH!" Voters didn't necessarily embrace Obama, so much as reject Bush (resurrected as John McCain). I think this happened symbolically again when President Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize. The whole world was saying, "Thank you for coming to your senses America!" Most recently (and just as controversial) we saw the passage of the Health Care Reform Act. The majority of legislators, who have been bullied and manipulated by special interests and lobbies, finally said, "Enough!" as well. Enough of catering to big business and large insurance companies. Enough of capitalism run amok. Free market capitalism is a fiction. Stop drinking the kool-aid.
Here's my thing. The system is broken. It was broken when we got here. It was broken when Bush was in office and it is still broken. The few prosper at the expense of the many. The rich get richer - not by working hard and adding value to our society, but by siphoning off our wealth into offshore bank accounts and foreign factories. If we have to embrace a broken system, why can't the system benefit those who really need a leg up, even if it is just once in awhile?
Here is a great example of what is wrong with the status quo. My friend's husband was laid off recently. He was then rehired by the same company as a temp, with no benefits and less pay, to do the same job. WTQ?
Is the Health Care Reform Act perfect? Of course, its not. But did you know that in as little as a few weeks children who were denied coverage on their parents insurance because of a preexisting condition will now be covered? Would we be a better society if they weren't, because that is the world we lived in before the bill passed. The uninsured are one catastrophic illness away from complete financial ruin.
The hardest thing for me to accept is that most conservative Christians voted against Obama. Most supported our intervention in Iraq. Most were passionately opposed to health care reform. Most are afraid when the right wing media shouts, "Socialism".
Here is what the Bible says of the early church,
Acts 2:44-47 (NIV)
44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and no goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Does the church in Acts 2 sound like capitalism to you? Does this sound like the U.S.? Does this sound like the church in America? I am not asserting that the Bible condemns capitalism, but hasn't God called us to be set apart from the world? Haven't we been called to a higher standard and a higher law? Are we standing up for the disenfranchised and the poor? Let's not forget the real reason why Sodom was destroyed.* From scripture we know that the Lord commanded that every third year the tithe should be given to the poor. Caring for those in need should be the task of the church. When there is a vacuum, the government sometimes steps in (and thank God for it).
We have had some shining moments in the last few years. I think back to a post-Katrina New Orleans when the church flooded the city with workers, resources and money. We rose to the call in Haiti. When we give up our own comforts and rights to benefit those in need, shining the love and the light of Christ, then we are truly the church. Let's throw off our selfish natures and rise to the calling of our better nature - not in our own wisdom and strength, which is what Socialism falsely claimed, but in the strength and power of Jesus.
You don't have to be religious to appreciate the Amish and the Mennonites. They stand as a stunning contrast to the world. The are a literal representation of what it means to be set apart as a people of God. Recently, when a gunman opened fire in an Amish school, the community responded with forgiveness. These people are pacifist, honest, and humble. They are a positive reflection of the church. Wouldn't it be nice if that's how all of the church represented the Kingdom of God?
I don't want you to agree with me. I am just saying this: if you are yoked to Christ, test every political ideology with scripture. Heck, test everything with prayer and scripture. Don't just accept what the conservative media and neocon politicians serve up as gospel without checking it out in the real Gospels. Don't let insignificant political differences divide us. Remain united by the Truth, by those things that are "main and plain". Let love be what motivates you. Let your personal activities guide your larger ideologies. Remain philosophically consistent in action as well as belief. Don't give the world a reason to call us hypocrites. Love is the only voice they will hear. ~
Warm Regards,
Debby
* Ezekiel 16:49 (NIV) 49“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
~ Loose papraphrase of Jason Morant - Thanks!
Socialism is the ideal result of the dialectical process described by Marx. The idea is that our economic system is on a evolutionary path. The rise being from an agrarian economy to industrialization to capitalism to communism to socialism. (a VAST oversimplification of the dialectic, but bear with me). Not even the Soviet Union could be considered a communist economy, since they bypassed industrialization and capitalism all together. To say, "socialized" medicine, or whatever, bears little if any resemblance to socialism itself. It simply means providing for the common good of all citizens, something the US does regularly. We maintain a public education system, a common national defense, health-care for children, veterans, the disabled and the elderly. Does this make us Socialists? The answer is no.
Let's talk about symbolism in politics and pendulum theory. In my opinion, this is what has happened in the United States. These could very well account for the election of President Obama. I think that a rising majority of Americans were fed up with what they saw happening in America. I think it had less to do with Obama, race, or the downward spiral of our morality and more to do with a rejection of corporate welfare, a growing American underclass, and the disenfranchisement of young voters (among other things). America finally said, "ENOUGH!" Voters didn't necessarily embrace Obama, so much as reject Bush (resurrected as John McCain). I think this happened symbolically again when President Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize. The whole world was saying, "Thank you for coming to your senses America!" Most recently (and just as controversial) we saw the passage of the Health Care Reform Act. The majority of legislators, who have been bullied and manipulated by special interests and lobbies, finally said, "Enough!" as well. Enough of catering to big business and large insurance companies. Enough of capitalism run amok. Free market capitalism is a fiction. Stop drinking the kool-aid.
Here's my thing. The system is broken. It was broken when we got here. It was broken when Bush was in office and it is still broken. The few prosper at the expense of the many. The rich get richer - not by working hard and adding value to our society, but by siphoning off our wealth into offshore bank accounts and foreign factories. If we have to embrace a broken system, why can't the system benefit those who really need a leg up, even if it is just once in awhile?
Here is a great example of what is wrong with the status quo. My friend's husband was laid off recently. He was then rehired by the same company as a temp, with no benefits and less pay, to do the same job. WTQ?
Is the Health Care Reform Act perfect? Of course, its not. But did you know that in as little as a few weeks children who were denied coverage on their parents insurance because of a preexisting condition will now be covered? Would we be a better society if they weren't, because that is the world we lived in before the bill passed. The uninsured are one catastrophic illness away from complete financial ruin.
The hardest thing for me to accept is that most conservative Christians voted against Obama. Most supported our intervention in Iraq. Most were passionately opposed to health care reform. Most are afraid when the right wing media shouts, "Socialism".
Here is what the Bible says of the early church,
Acts 2:44-47 (NIV)
44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and no goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Does the church in Acts 2 sound like capitalism to you? Does this sound like the U.S.? Does this sound like the church in America? I am not asserting that the Bible condemns capitalism, but hasn't God called us to be set apart from the world? Haven't we been called to a higher standard and a higher law? Are we standing up for the disenfranchised and the poor? Let's not forget the real reason why Sodom was destroyed.* From scripture we know that the Lord commanded that every third year the tithe should be given to the poor. Caring for those in need should be the task of the church. When there is a vacuum, the government sometimes steps in (and thank God for it).
We have had some shining moments in the last few years. I think back to a post-Katrina New Orleans when the church flooded the city with workers, resources and money. We rose to the call in Haiti. When we give up our own comforts and rights to benefit those in need, shining the love and the light of Christ, then we are truly the church. Let's throw off our selfish natures and rise to the calling of our better nature - not in our own wisdom and strength, which is what Socialism falsely claimed, but in the strength and power of Jesus.
You don't have to be religious to appreciate the Amish and the Mennonites. They stand as a stunning contrast to the world. The are a literal representation of what it means to be set apart as a people of God. Recently, when a gunman opened fire in an Amish school, the community responded with forgiveness. These people are pacifist, honest, and humble. They are a positive reflection of the church. Wouldn't it be nice if that's how all of the church represented the Kingdom of God?
I don't want you to agree with me. I am just saying this: if you are yoked to Christ, test every political ideology with scripture. Heck, test everything with prayer and scripture. Don't just accept what the conservative media and neocon politicians serve up as gospel without checking it out in the real Gospels. Don't let insignificant political differences divide us. Remain united by the Truth, by those things that are "main and plain". Let love be what motivates you. Let your personal activities guide your larger ideologies. Remain philosophically consistent in action as well as belief. Don't give the world a reason to call us hypocrites. Love is the only voice they will hear. ~
Warm Regards,
Debby
* Ezekiel 16:49 (NIV) 49“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
~ Loose papraphrase of Jason Morant - Thanks!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thoughts on Passover, Grace, and Head Lice
First, God commanded that it be celebrated:
Exodus 12:17 (NIV) 17“Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.
Exodus 13:9 (NIV) 9This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 10You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.
Second, Jesus revealed the mystery of Passover and His fulfillment of it:
Luke 22:19 (NIV) 19And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
Finally, Paul suggests that we continue its celebration in remembrance and in honor of Christ:
1 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV) 7Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.8Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
1997 - 2001
Honestly, even as a believer, I had never heard of Passover. While Michael and I were in graduate school a friend of ours, Andres, invited us, along with a number of other friends, over to his house for Passover. Andres had cobbled together a Haggadah and assigned us roles. It was fun and pretty cool. The sweet Kosher wine was pleasant. I think that was in 1997.
With a nod of thanks to my archived Outlook calendar, I can confidently say that we began celebrating Passover as a family in 2002. During Passover of 2001, I sent out this mass email:
"Consider painting a red stripe or putting a red ribbon over your door to commemorate the Passover and as an outward mark of being a home of faith and prayer. Passover begins Saturday April 7 - 15."
I sent it to everyone in my address book at the time. Why? Because the Holy Spirit told me to. I know, I know - first of all, "What??" Second of all, those of you who know me, also know that I would NEVER forward a flaky email or send a mass email, but I really felt compelled to do it. Stranger still is what happened next. In obeying what I felt was the voice of God, I was filled with the Holy Spirit. Many church traditions call it different things, baptism in the spirit or being filled with power. *
I didn't speak in tongues, but I had a very real experience of the power of God. After that time, my whole life as a Christian changed from simply going to church and calling myself a believer to walking in the fullness of joy and peace. I also developed a previously unknown love for people and a deep desire to serve God, which continues to this day. Before this happened, I lived what I would term a "compartmentalized" faith. Afterward I began to see and hear from God in my everyday life.
Why?
Passover, or the feast of unleavened bread, is unique in that it is a tradition that was begun by the children of Israel when they were delivered out of slavery in Egypt. As a Jew, Jesus celebrated it and then its celebration was continued by the early church. It is not a syncretism of paganism and Christianity. Passover hasn't been corrupted by our materialist culture in the same way that Christmas and Easter have. It can be celebrated in "sincerity and truth." I feel strongly that God gave it as a gift to our family, both as a way of celebrating what He did for me in 2001, but most importantly, a way to celebrate the gift of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection, that is truly meaningful. It is hard to imagine that Jesus could be central to an ancient Jewish festival, but that's what Passover is about.
Head Lice and Grace ...... What???
From our family Haggadah:
"Leader: And though we celebrate our liberation, our happiness is not complete as long as others remain bound to slavery and death. (Leader raises cup, and continues.) A full cup is a symbol of complete joy. Let us, therefore, diminish our cups as we recall the plagues which befell the Egyptians.
All: (Each participant empties a drop from his cup for each one of the ten plagues.) Blood. Frogs. Lice. Flies. Cattle disease. Boils. Hail. Locusts. Darkness. Slaying of the first-born."
I am always grateful when God reveals a new truth to me. I might not always appreciate the way in which He chooses to reveal it. Thus, the head lice incident.
One of the most touching parts of the Seder is the remembrance of the plagues which befell the Egyptians prior to the exodus. In doing so, we learn that we are not to rejoice over suffering - even the suffering of our enemies. The Cup of Sanctification is diminished by ten drops of wine because of this suffering. It is a demonstration of God's great love and grace. At first God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh, "Let my people go!" When a direct request failed, God turned the water to blood. Plague #1. Hey folks.....God is speaking here......maybe you should consider what He has to say....?
What in the world does this have to do with head lice?
The other day I received a call that no parent ever wants to receive. It was the school nurse, who informed me that my child was being sent home from school with head lice. I spent the better part of 7 hours that day washing, combing and picking through hair. I spent the next week laundering bedding, coats, and clothing and cleaning the house. Between pesticide shampoos, vinegar, tea tree oil and shower caps, I probably spent close to $200. At one point I lay down on the floor and cried. I felt like our home had been violated. That was when I remembered that lice was one of the plagues in Egypt. Multiply my experience by all of the households in Egypt during the time of Moses. What a personal and public disaster.
Grace.
God, who is slow to anger and quick to forgive, could have zapped Pharaoh and Egypt, but instead he gave them multiple opportunities to repent and obey. God moved mightily to demonstrate his power and authority, yet his patience and mercy were also manifest.
Grace.
What if a foster child came to our home with lice? Would I have had grace toward them? Probably not. I learned some very valuable lessons about treating and preventing lice through my own child, toward whom I feel love and sympathy. Maybe God is preparing us, finally, for a foster child.
The sweetest news came last week when my child returned from school and announced that the nurse had checked heads again and all was well. I repeated the shampoo treatment and inspected again today. More good news. I feel like we have finally beaten this plague. I feel so grateful for this victory. This is one thing I hope I never take for granted again.
Grace.
Passover 2010
As we prepare for this year's celebration I marvel on how God has broadened my perspective, again, on the Passover story. I'd prefer to not have any new plague narratives next year. I could live without water turning to blood or a swarm of locusts. I am so very thankful, however, for the reminder that He is not content for us to remain either in bondage or in disobedience. He will do whatever it takes to get our attention and that He will move heaven and earth to rescue His children. God gave a blueprint when he freed the children of Israel from slavery, so we would recognize the Redeemer when He came.
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism_with_the_Holy_Spirit
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