Posts by Susan:

WAKE UP

WAKE UP

by | Mar 30, 2023 | Community, Meditations

If you are Republican, much of what follows may be offensive to you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

On March 17 of this year, the Washington Post reported that Florida Republicans were proposing a bill in which, among other things, girls in grades six through 12 would be banned from discussing their menstrual cycles in school.

Since “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” then the words Johnson, erection, hard-on, stiffy and all slang words for male genitalia should be banned as well. Additionally, the mandate should include the words ejaculation, spurt, come and all orgasmic idioms.

While we are on the banning band wagon … Viagra, Cialis, and all erectile dysfunction medications and procedures should be prohibited too. If we go so far as to refuse women birth control pills, emergency contraception medication, and abortion pills, then why do we want men walking around with free willys?

Come to think of it, where is the federal legislation enforcing compulsory castration for rapists and sex offenders?  Why is it, that since 1996, only 9 states have passed castration laws for rapists and sex offenders and yet in the six months post Roe v. Wade, 24 states banned abortion?  Twenty seven years versus six months … what the hell?  Is it because  physical and/or chemical castration is considered inhumane but forcing a woman to be pregnant is not? 

Why are we only refusing women bodily autonomy and not men? Do people really believe unwanted pregnancies are the result of immaculate conceptions?

Let’s face it, this isn’t a period problem, it’s a penis problem. There are far too many di**s in office …

Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) is frequently on my mind these days as she seems to have become the poster girl for Republican extremism and Christian Nationalism/Theocracy.

As odd as this may seem, I feel sorry for her. She is so utterly and completely lost! Why continue to waste oxygen and energy on her through FB memes when it is obvious her behavior will continue to be ridiculously outlandish, wildly inappropriate, and downright criminal? Aren’t we lowering ourselves to her standards by making jokes about her? Targeting her is too easy.

Don’t get me wrong, my pity does not extend to rationalizing or justifying her crude and reprehensible exploits; I only wonder what drives her loathsome antics.

How did she get elected in the first place? What did 170,162 people in the state of Georgia see in her that would make her a viable lawmaker in the United States House of Representatives and what does that say about those voters?

What is at the heart of the matter? Why so much hate? Not all lost people are so hateful. So, what is it?

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.
We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First, we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.

If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both. I John 4:17-21 The Message

The verses above mention the phrase ‘Judgment Day.’ I do not believe in the God-sitting-on-the-throne-judgment end-of-time day damning people to hell … something I suspect MTG does believe. Neither do I believe in a post-death courtroom where I’m seated behind a table with Jesus as my defense attorney pleading my case before a robe-adorned God, gavel in hand waiting to pronounce judgment on my soul.

When I researched the meaning of the phrase ‘Judgment Day’ in Greek, Arabic, and Hebrew, I found the following: “decision, determination, judgment; trial, sentence, accusation; quarrel, dispute. turning point or decisive point of disease progression.”

At face value, these definitions seem to contradict my current beliefs about a Judgment Day. With a little more research, however, I noticed the following in different translations of said verse.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment … KJV

In … “to or toward the inside …” Mirriam-Webster

By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment … ESV

For … “used as a function word to indicate purpose … an intended goal … the object or recipient of a perception, desire, or activity; because of …”. Mirriam-Webster

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement … NRSV

On … “in or into a position of contact with an upper surface especially so as to be positioned for use or operation.” Mirriam-Webster

In addition to the use of different prepositions, each of the above translations does not capitalize the word ‘judgment.” All of which appears to work in my favor of my ongoing understanding.

Before you read on, please stop and take a few minutes or more to consider the implications of how each preposition changes the reading and meaning of that verse and the entire passage.

I’ll wait …
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…

I love to read and I love to write, so this kind of exercise really appeals to me because it is an avenue for opening myself up to the expansiveness of awareness and Divine Love.

My take?

When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us.

This is a judgment that I have to make in my mind, soul and body every day of my life—to take up permanent residence in a life of love. Each and every day, sometimes moment to moment … being aware, living in the awareness that I live in God and God lives in me and God lives in you and all of us.

Meditation, contemplation, mindfulness, silence, solitude … are practices that aide me in my Love walk.

If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.

What prevents MTG and others from practicing this Love? Why is she, the right-wing extremists and the vast majority of the GOP so dead set against this, dare I say it, wokeness?

Fear, or as a friend of mine with whom I volunteer at JCCM says, “the Republicans are a bunch of chickensh***s.” I can’t say that I disagree with him.

… There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

“Well-formed love” … isn’t that a beautiful phrase? Isn’t that the very definition of being woke? Think of the time, thoughtfulness, compassion, empathy, doubt, questioning, trust, and self-awareness that develops and grows well-formed love.

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus put it this way:

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Every bit of insanity in which the Republican party is embroiled is due to fear. Fear takes the easy way out. Fear says “do as I say not as I do.” Fear is sustained in and through control. Fear meets hatred with hatred and violence with violence. Fear demands conformity and punishes diversity. Fear reinforces superiority and sustains autocracy. Fear reviles truth. Fear is defensive. Fear rushes to judgement.

“Judging others, we shore up our own beliefs and assumptions. Judging others allows us to feel superior. That wish to feel superior is harmful. It feeds our fictional self, keeping us in ignorance. Judging others rips us out of interbeing and connection. It arises from ignorance and obstructs compassion.” Kathleen Dowling Singh, The Grace in Aging

Wake up MTG! Wake up GOP! WAKE UP!

For the love of God, Wake Up!

Sunrise

Sunrise

by | Mar 8, 2023 | Meditations, Spirit

Am I aware, in this moment of formlessness, functioning through this form? from The Grace in Aging Kathleen Dowling Singh

The sunrise was spectacular … dynamic shades—almost neon–of pink and orange reflecting on the underside of what looked like an army of slate-hued, altocumulus clouds set against a brilliant cyan sky. In fact, the vibrant contrast of colors added to the three dimensionality of the billowy puffs making them look like poofy swirls of cotton candy floating across the airspace.

“C’mon, c’mon, you can do it … go, go, go …” I cheered inwardly, as a trio and a separate duo of geese were straining to close ranks on a larger vee of fellow Canada flyers. I was captivated by the wonderous spectacle of their simultaneous flying and honking. Wide-eyed, I stood in place until the feathered skein was a tiny dot in the sky.

“Gases move from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas. And the bigger the difference between the pressures, the faster the air will move from the high to the low pressure. That rush of air is the wind we experience.” (scijinks.gov) Having taught sixth grade science for years, these words reverberated in my soul as I stood listening to the whooshing aria echoing on the needle-limbed pine trees. Variables such as the tree height, branch fullness, and wind speed contributed to the artistry of the sacred hymn.

Contentedly curled up on the couch together, my four-year-old granddaughter and I listened to the “Carol of the Bells” as sung by music box cardinals. She asked, “You know Papa?”
“Yes.”
“You know Vicki?”
“Yes.”
“You have GGDad.”
“Yes, I take care of him.”
Aside from the sound of crooning songbirds, a cozy silence follows and we snuggle in the warmth of mutual love and affection.

And then there was this …

My father’s car needed an oil change and inspection so I drove to a local automotive shop. The young man who did the work was quick and efficient. When he finished, he backed the car out of the bay in order to place the new inspection sticker in the window. I stood off to the side, but close by.

As he removed the old sticker, washed the window and glued the new sticker in place, he was chatting with a young woman. They seemed to know one another. She had a very sweet-looking labradoodle puppy—a tawny brown curly coat, full of energy, prancing and tugging on his leash.

I knelt down to pet him when he danced close to me. The woman seeing this, forcefully yanked on his leash—the puppy yelped–her jaw and head jutted forward spoiling for a fight—looked me dead in the eye and screamed “NO!!!” She then returned to her conversation with the mechanic as if nothing happened.

I maintained a calm demeanor throughout the encounter and may have said “sorry.”

Within the span of a few seconds, the mechanic stepped aside when he completed his task and I thanked him. As I climbed behind the wheel, my would-be canine friend jumped all over me … yet I did NOT touch him.

“What the frack was that? It’s not ok for me to pet her dog, but it is ok for him to jump all over me,” I sassily asked God as I drove home. Mostly, though, I genuinely felt sorry for the dog. I harbor no ill-will towards the woman and wouldn’t even recognize her if I saw her again.

When I shared this experience with my cousin, he said he could easily have told her–“f*** you, looking her in the eye with a direct and present demeanor, willing for whatever additional response or engagement she might have”–which could certainly be one response to such nonsensical ire.

On the whole, I do not like confrontations and work to avoid them; but this wasn’t that. I did not feel any anger or negative emotion towards her in the moment … not while I waited, not while I got in my car, not even when I was being cheeky with God, and not now.

Jean-Yves Leloup in his commentary on The Gospel of Mary Magdalene says the following:

Offering the other cheek means presenting an entirely new and unexpected way of dealing with the problem. It means to oppose violence with consciousness, to look the other in the eye, to regard the other as subject like oneself, and to refuse to be a predictable object. To be in harmony is to enter into resonance with other subjects, and with other liberties …

To be in harmony with our enemies is to skillfully allow their violence to pass through us without contaminating us. Just as in the martial arts, this attunement to our attackers can then awaken a consciousness in them that could help them to get out of the trouble they are in.”

Additionally …

As long as our peace is dependent on any kind of external reality, it is not Peace; as long as our love for others and for the world is dependent on attitudes and feelings toward us, it is not Love.

I do not know if this explains my response or not. I wish I could say I walk around that consciously aware. I think I just got lucky.

Our purpose on Earth is not to manipulate things … but to meet each other in living encounters. Life is too short to be lived by exploiting each other. There is something better for us to do, and the time we have is barely enough to learn how to love one another. Jean-Yves Leloup

Ain’t that the truth!

The Gospel

The Gospel

by | Feb 3, 2023 | Quotes

“The Gospel is a process much more than a product, a style more than a structure, a person more than a production. It is a way of being in the world that will always feel like compassion, mercy, and spaciousness–at least to honest and healthy people.“

From Jesus’ Alternative Plan:  The Sermon on the Mount by Richard Rohr

The Gospel

Formless

by | Jan 14, 2023 | Quotes

Am I aware, in this moment of formlessness, functioning through this form?  from The Grace in Aging Kathleen Dowling Singh

Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts

by | Dec 12, 2022 | Explorations, Meditations

I remember my mother warning me to warm up my freezing hands with cold water not hot. I had come in from playing outside in the snow and my hands were icy-cold. I did not listen to her and used hot water instead. I was instantly sorry.

My hands felt like they were on fire! Right away I turned the tap to cold and like magic my burning frigid hands became warm.

This made me think about various Bible verses that point to God’s judgement as a refining fire.

Like …

“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.” Malachi 3:2-3

For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29

John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke 3:16

… among others.

What if fire in this sense is really a metaphor for Love? If a person’s heart is cold and/or hardened, perhaps Divine Love feels like flames burning off the chaff or dross as it transforms one’s heart. This perspective could certainly alter our viewpoint and experience of God’s judgment.

Frankly, I have come to believe that the only way anyone and everyone is judged is in and through the lens of Love. All life is judged worthy of Love, to be Loved as Love.

For those who are lost, could this judgement of Love feel like an unpleasant scorching sensation in their souls … much like my cold hands under the hot water?

One evening I was in Dollar Tree looking for shelf milk for my father. Since I was having difficulty locating it, I asked a clerk. A tall young man with multiple tattoos and piercings, ear lobe plugs, long dreadlocks and a pleasant countenance gave me detailed directions to my item in the next aisle over. He was so present and loving I almost hugged him.

When I found the milk, I playfully said loud enough for him to hear me “I found it. Thank you.” And he responded in kind, “Your welcome.”

A couple of days later, I had a similar experience at Xfinity where I was taking care of some business with my internet/TV account. This time the sales representative was a stunning slim-built person, again with tattoos, piercings, ear lobe plugs, and red-dyed hair swept up in curls. I told them what I needed and they amended my account quickly and efficiently. I thanked them profusely.

I have no tattoos, two pierced ear lobes for earrings I rarely wear, and long, straight brunette hair with a gray streak. On the outside, I seem to have little in common with these human beings. On the inside, both encounters, and other similar ones, have left my heart smiling. I hope their hearts were smiling too.

Twenty years have passed since the movie ‘Love Actually’ premiered; it is one of my favorites. Diane Sawyer interviewed some of the actors from the film in a recent television special. The last question she asked each of them was to fill in the blank, “love actually is ___________.”

What would you say?

United Methodist congregations all across the United States are making decisions to disaffiliate with regard to openly LGBTQ+ clergy and the denomination’s stance on same-sex marriage.

Should a congregation decide to disaffiliate, stiff financial penalties will be enacted upon them by the larger Methodist governing body. Because of this, some churches are pursuing legal recourse to protect their assets from what they deem as punitive and unfair actions in the hopes that, should they win the lawsuit, the lack of penalties will make the vote to disaffiliate appear ‘fair.’

Other congregations—those choosing to remain affiliated with the historical UMC denomination–are listening to the often, painful stories of LGBTQ+ congregants and deciding to “err on the side of love.” By choosing to embrace the disenfranchised, they are bringing healing into this hurting world.

How would you vote?

The fog was as thick as pea soup when I was coming home after dark from a Holden prayer service at church. Even though I knew turning on the high beams would not help me see better, I still tried it a few times opting to continue with low beams. I kept looking for familiar landmarks, but everything looked different. Even a large four-way stop light on a dual highway, was engulfed in misty eeriness.

Ordinarily, I would have become frightened in this type of situation … but I didn’t. As I watched the light play out on the murky gloom, I thought about the seasons of Advent and Lent. Two seasons in the Christian year where light and the absence of light have significant allegorical meaning in preparing one for the holy days of Christmas and Easter.

My views about the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus have changed dramatically over the years. By asking questions, my spiritual growth has moved from a “private notion of salvation” to my “communion with everybody else”—as Richard Rohr says—from an ‘escape plan’ to a universal Christ awareness where Christ is in everyone and everything thus making all things Holy–as characterized by Brian McLaren.

Christmas … not a birthday celebration, but God reconciling the world to Gods-self by becoming one of us. Easter … not the punishment for our sin, but Jesus demonstrating that NOTHING—not even death–can separate us from the Love of God.

In God we live and move and have our being.

Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Love actually is … ALL that matters.

… maybe these weren’t random thoughts after all.

*My dog Polly Ann loves everybody, which is why I am using her image for this post.

**Dedicated to KEV and JN.