Election Thoughts and a NYTimes Opinion Essay

I recently read an opinion in the New York Times titled Do As I Do, Not As I Say. It starts like this: "

http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/do-as-i-do-not-as-i-say/?goback=.gde_96472_member_113383334
 
IT’S election season, and once again Democrats are flummoxed by evangelical voters. They think that 'those people' vote against their own self-interest. They cannot believe that same-sex marriage matters so much to so many people. They don’t get why Obamacare is controversial. To them, evangelicals don’t make sense. That’s because evangelicals and secular liberals (the most puzzled Democrats) think about life — and therefore politics — in such utterly different ways."

Here is my response:

I enjoyed this view and it was well expressed. I am an evangelical, a "white" female, and in my late 50's. I am also a registered voter as an Independent.

I appreciate it when others do not generalize evangelicals. I've noticed more often than not evangelicals are spoken of as in one political camp. There is another group of us, as evidenced by your statement "back in 2008, a quarter of white evangelicals voted for Mr. Obama." Not all evangelicals rally in predictable ways. Thank you for noting that here.

It would have also been interesting to compare your observations of evangelicals by urban and suburban/rural subgroups. That may have brought a more interesting perspective. I have found city evangelicals tend to lean towards a candidate that is a Democrat. I would also enjoy your evangelical observations for different levels of education. That is another subgroup split where evangelicals might be divided on presidential choice.

I appreciated your paragraph that begins "If Democrats want to reach more evangelical voters...." Those statements are part of why I voted for a Dem president in recent elections. I think you make a good point. I do hear some of the language you suggest.

I do think deeply about issues and the role of government within my worldview. I find a better fit usually with the Democratic platform on election day. However, that being said, I realize no candidate can truly deliver on promises because of how the system functions (or not).

When Sound Bites Make Me Sizzle...

Disagreement or Character Attack?

Political disagreement can be just that...disagreement. A difference of views, invitation to discussion and conversation, and an opportunity to gather more information to evaluate positions and inform views. Political disagreement does not need to automatically trigger judgment of character and faith.

When someone makes comments in public about someone's faith and or character based on the fact that there is a disagreement, that can result in judging without full insight, also known as prejudice, can feed arrogance, and builds walls between "us and them." This in not a life giving situation. It is not an invitation to grace.

We can and will disagree, and we can still find a way love our neighbor with whom we may disagree. We can model respect and offer dignity to the person. People do this all the time, but it tends to be quieter. We find common ground and move forward.

It's when in disagreement, I take power and speak badly about someone's character or faith that I believe I dis-grace God's call on my life. God values all life on the journey of redemption.

Character and faith jabs for political gain are just cruel tools in a shallow and manipulative campaign tool box. I do disagree with some of the positions of current politicians and the current president. I will not brand the character or faith. However, I will use the positions to determine who I will side with. You can still be a good person with a strong faith and line up opposite me on many issues. Many do. One does not discount the other. Do not discount me. I will not discount you in this context. I will learn about you and from you.

Wisdom Worth Noting - Abandon & Abide

Abandon the worries…  and Abide in the Word.
Abandon the fears…  and Abide in the Father.
Abandon the hurts… and Abide in His heart.
Abandon the cares…  because Christ will never abandon you.
It’s what I self-preach again and again to the fearful sinner who is me: Abandon and Abide.

From a favorite blog's post: A Holy Experience

The blogger, Ann Voskamp, also included this song:
http://youtu.be/54ALmQZ_NiA

That Lovely Slippery Slope

My friend on my faith journey recommended this blog post to me. He thought I might like it. I did. Very much.

"They Were Right About the Slippery Slop (and Wrong)"
http://rachelheldevans.com/they-were-right-about-slippery-slope?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RachelHeldEvans+%28Rachel+Held+Evans+-+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat Video

Food for thought...find the truth in the comedy from December 2010. And then how will I live differently in response to truth?

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Violent Loss & Suffering/Sticky, Stinky Endurance

My friend is in the one-year anniversary of a tragedy involving the reckless homicide of a friend/colleague. As I think of her and talk with her, some new reflections of my own experience with a tragic loss oozed through and spilled into my mind. On any given day, if you have survived a violent loss, images and thoughts and emotions collide to create chaos or new strength. Heart break is not pretty, but it can become the art of the honest heart.

 Photo credit: http://spitshinedsoul.wordpress.com/tag/dream-2/

There is the immediate crisis that follows the actual event and managing to get through that minute-by-minute, but often the pain lingers and the bruises to our souls get bumped with the calendar...a birthday, a year after, and so on. We wish for some relief and work toward acceptance and a return to normal. But normal is now very different. Sometimes the goal is just to hang in there and remember we are not alone, though our personal journey to healing will be our own.

I heard myself say just the other day in an appropriate context, "One of my students was murdered in 1996...." People gasped. I paused and tried to connect to the violence of it all, the bruise that still lingers to each of our souls that knew her. Still felt surreal and my mind tells me I must have made it up. Awkward.

After all these years. Still no acceptance. I think that is the way it is and I think there is actually some wholeness in that ugly. If I were to truly accept it, I'd be giving up on a world the way it should be, with people treating each other safely. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done.

What happened to my student and my friend's colleague is NOT OK. It never will be. We live in that tension. That is what I must learn to accept. Like we are tuned between radio stations, sometimes totally annoying, sometimes I can block it out, sometimes I can accommodate the tension, and sometimes I am able to tune in to the beauty that is still with us.

I realize now that violent crime rips a hole in the peace of mind of any who witness and/or cared about the victims. An act against community. Do we forgive? Do we forget? Who has answers to these questions? I think there are moments of both that flash by and become stronger, like clapping for Tinkerbell to grow stronger. But the broader questions for me are always, "What now?" and since life will never be what I knew to be normal, "What good will come out of the darkness that includes me?"

And it will come. Good will come from this. We will be different, just like seeds die in the ground before forcing their way back into the sunshine to bloom in a new place after they were pooped out by some bird. God is at work. Love wins. God loves us. God is here. God is enough. I truly believe those concepts to be true and broader than I can conceive. I cling. Hope invites. Again.

Three resources that immensely continue to impact my journey in difficult, painful times of loss include:

Drops Like Stars -- a book and a DVD (I was blessed to see this in person):

► 1:01► 1:01

 
"We plot, we plan, we assume things are going to go a certain way and then they don't and we find ourselves ..."

http://www.amazon.com/Drops-Like-Stars-Creativity-Suffering/dp/0310275032

And another book, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
http://www.amazon.com/One-Thousand-Gifts-Fully-Right/dp/0310321913

And a movie, Lars and the Real Girl, quirky, odd, and uncomfortable at times. It portrays loving community responding to a tragic loss for the main character. I found it simple, profound, and inspiring in leading me to just be with friends who have experienced suffering and/or loss.

In closing, we are in this together. If you are in a time of pain, suffering, grief, and/or loss, I pray you are well connected with a loving community like a small group at the local church or dear, committed friends and/or family. I also pray you watch carefully for hope to light the way a moment at a time, like a flickering candle in a dark room. And I pray that through this, through finding your "new normal," you will bring more to this world than was taken out.

Overall, knowing that Jesus died and rose again took on new meaning in all this for me. What is the eternal force in the world that is major evidence that God is? Love. What breaks the heart of love? Death. The separation from those we love. The love for those lost continues, but the separation breaks us. Jesus brought victory over death making it possible that love is not lost, and death is, well...in the brilliant words of Rossiter Worthington Raymond (1840-1918):

"Life is eternal; and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight."

Dear reader, I do not know what suffering has crushed you. Perhaps even disappointment because expectations of how life was to look for you does not match your current reality, like your shoes, purse, and outfit so easily do. Hold on. Be patient. Grief does not follow my rules. Bummer.

I am learning to go hide in my "grace space." I run there to wait for help from God. Maybe you recognize your need for a time-out in your grace space place. I'm learning to recognize the symptoms of when I need to go sit in that emotional room and be quiet, which for me include when I'm feeling anger at others, fear of the future, guilt over the past, and anxiety. All related to my myth that I can control my life's circumstances in full, my "myth of control."

Dear reader, I do not know where you stand on who you trust to save you. Beyond circumstances, it is spiritual. We all believe in something. I could not survive without my faith in Christ and trust in God to be with me now and in the days to come. I hope you are with me in that journey. I hope you can find comfort today and recognize blessings that come in spite of suffering. Perhaps you can even find energy to go serve others on behalf of Christ's work and/or on behalf of the loved one lost. Generosity, if you can get to that point, brings good out of pain. And on days when that is just not possible, I pray that you sense an intangible God in those moments through tangible others around you, and the remaining beauty in life and nature.

A Holiday, the Homeless, & Hope

Friday, November 11 - Veteran's Day and a day off from work...a great day. I woke at 4:00am to go five blocks from home. I'd volunteered with a city project to identify the homeless for possibly later accessing services and housing for the more vulnerable. It was part of a nationwide effort taking place in cities throughout the United States. One of our leaders mentioned how impressed he was with the diversity of our group: church groups, college students, high school students, social workers, business people, and neighbors. I felt glad to be part of that.

We went in teams of five, into the pre-dawn darkness, searched quietly through alleys and a park, in little coves tucked into buildings, and on benches, looking for our homeless neighbors. I was nervous at first, concerned about what I might encounter, both the heartache and the question of safety. We learned to spot earthly belongings hidden in bushes nearby, and find human-shaped lumps under blankets. We practiced a deeper dimension of respect for the least of these in our town.

We obeyed our training to never touch anyone to wake them, to never shine our flashlights in their faces, and to squat down to their level for conversation. We used our lights to illuminate our path, read our paperwork, and identify our faces to others. We would call out to the person to gently wake them, and ask if we could have their permission to take a survey and take their photo.

We sat on the cement together in several situations. We interviewed six people -- two couples and two singles, three women and three men. One refused to let us take her photo. That was OK. At times we laughed together because some had such humor in their circumstances. It was an odd, yet powerful moment to hear the laughter of a group of people newly connected and from such diverse circumstances. I felt happy. I learned about these people in my community.

We asked all the questions on this survey: social security number, height, weight, victim of violence on the streets, health condition and details, been to jail and/or prison, pets, how long they'd been homeless, how they make money, etc. It was very interesting. The data we collect will be dded to a national study and used to access services and possibly housing for the most vulnerable. The people we visited were articulate, sober, and engaging. Some of my stereotypes were shattered that day. We were back to volunteer central in two hours.

I felt connected to these six folks, though we'd just met. It was strange yet so humane. I walked away wishing I could come visit again from time to time and bring breakfast or pizza or wash their blankets, but I felt that ambition would probably fade once I returned to my routine. But I now drive through my city with different eyes and a bigger heart. I look carefully for the unseen living just beyond my view in this area. It felt like a dream to have time to hear a little of the stories of these fellow human beings.

That morning, it was my priority to shake the hand of each person we'd interviewed, look them in the eyes, and say their name as I said, "Nice to meet you." And I meant it. It was important to me because I think appropriate human touch is healing, no matter how insignificant. It was healing to me. I can't speak for the others. It was healing because I overcame my fear of these strangers, one at a time, after listening to their stories, and crafting some time in my life to care for them, even for just a moment. I will remember them. God bless you, Shawn & Tricia, Manual & Corrine, Bonnie, and Ector, a Vietnam vet.

On Veteran's Day, I served with others in my community to reach out to hidden people. In our current economic crisis, anyone can be homeless with a change in events and circumstances. I did not need to figure out if these folks were trouble to society, or evaluate if they deserved a break or not. I needed to figure out that they are human, too. I was moved. I am changed. These efforts in my life keep me aware of what really matters and keep my heart tender. These efforts keep the gospel fresh in my faith. All this, and it was barely 8:00am. Time for a nap and time to pause to reflect on the meaningful experience.

Practicing This Perspective

This is my current reference point. This is my motto for engaging others to consider my point of view on anything that may be different from theirs. I return the same respect to them. I've summed it up this way:

"Simple conversation. Gentle invitation. Sincere consideration."

- Cindi Peterson

This is a quiet and peaceful way to get along. Or at least worth a try. In these days of campaigning and issues that impact life in this great nation, as well as in all things spiritual, this is my focus in respecting my fellow man...and woman, of course. Hoping for the same in return.

Another Reality Worth Understanding

I am an acquaintance of Carlos Delgado and he recommended this blog. I started by reading Chapter 1 today. I will learn from the writer. I am touched and softened by her truth. I am more compassionate from viewing through her lens. I married "late" - age 37. We will celebrate 20 years this next summer. I am brought to my knees by stories like hers, and aware again and again of the fragile side of marriage which so subtly frames the functional side. How do I guard the sacredness of the vows in a world that is all about the passion and not so skilled at the day-to-day of love? How do I protect the work between hearts in the demands of the day that can quietly destroy? I must ask this daily as I honor my husband and this spiritual connection to him in a sanctified relationship.

Today I read Chapter 1:
http://christiangirlsguidetodivorce.wordpress.com

Notice of Privacy Practices - A Satirical Look

Privacy. An interesting concept. I have curtains on my bathroom window for privacy. Medical information privacy could be an oxymoron.

I recently was handed an eleven page document titled Notice of Privacy Practices. This occurred when I checked in at my doctor appointment. It has happened before. However, this particular time I took time to read it. I found irony and some form of humor in my reading. I will highlight a few things in this post.

WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE

1.  Any health care professional authorized to enter information into your medical chart. 

• That seems to make sense. Well, alright.

1. All departments and offices of [insert physician group here].
• This is a big, big organization. Now it is getting a little sketchy -- the "privacy" part.
2. Any member of a volunteer group we allow to help you while you are at [insert physician group here].
• Volunteers, really? Why?
3. All employees, staff, and other personnel.

• OK, at this point, I'm thinking save ink and space and just say "Everyone" or "All" people who are connected to or have ever even driven by [insert physician group here].

There's more. But first let me just say...I have to trust my personal medical information that is private to a flock of strangers that I may or may not trust? That's pushing it, knowing what we all know about human nature.

It continues on..."We are required by law to: make sure that medical information that identifies you is kept private." Ah. Too late, really. It seems more people can have privilege to my privacy than are on my annual Christmas letter list.

And now on to my favorite part:
HOW WE MAY USE AND DISCLOSE MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
(There is some interesting stuff in this part that I did not know about. Privacy, really? Wait until you hear!)

1. For Treatment -- logical. Wouldn't you agree and hope so!
2. For Payment -- OK, that is probably fair more or less.
3. For Health Care Operations -- Maybe your thinking operations as in surgery. Wrong. Operations as in the office. Hmmm. If you aren't involved in treatment or billing the insurance company or me, what do you need with my "private" information? Statistics. Oh, sure. It goes on to say in this part, "We may also disclose information to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students and other personnel for learning and review purposes." Shouldn't I get a stipend? I could bill them.
4. Appointment Reminders -- This probably works to my benefit.
5. Treatment Alternatives -- OK. To tell me about treatment alternative, but who is the medical information disclosed to? Me? I have to be included in my own medical privacy? What am I missing?
6. Health-Related Products and Services -- to tell me about them. OK. So who is the info disclosed to? Not me, right? I already know my medically private issues? So who? Vendors? Ewe.
7. Individuals Involved in Your Care and Payment for Your Care -- of course.
8. Research -- oh, certainly. For the common good. Medical costs should be cheaper if you agree to help out with research using your private medical information. Wouldn't you agree?
9. As Required by Law -- so they are required to keep it private by law unless the law requires them to share? That is amusing. What is the point of privacy?
10. To Avert a Serious Threat to Health or Safety -- I am all in favor of this one. Especially for other people's medical information that might cause ME problems.
11. Special Situations: This is where it gets good. My two favorite exceptions to privacy are in this list. Can you guess? Which are yours?

•  Organ & Tissue Donation - this is a good idea.
• Military & Veterans - I'm not a member of the military, so this doesn't apply.
• Worker's Compensation - This may help prevent corruption and fraud and get benefits to deserving people.
• Public Health Risks - there is wisdom in this.
• Health Oversight Activities (agencies) - sure, why not?
• Lawsuits and Disputes - welcome to our world.
• Law Enforcement - It's all connected.
• Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors - why would I care then? 
• National Security and Intelligence Agencies - Yikes! This is Big Brother watching, if you ask me. If I ever requested a list of who my info was released to and saw one of these agencies on my list, what would I think?
• Protective Services for the President and Others - Wow! I suppose it is important for the President's peeps to check me out to keep him safe.

So there you go! The not-private-at-all privacy practices. Worth the read. I had no idea. By the end of all these permissions to share, I don't feel my medical information is private at all. We live in complicated times. Stay healthy! Bye for now. I'm going on my walk.

Advent Thoughts

I love Christmas. I know. I know. Many don't share that joy. Especially in mid-October. That's OK. We can live in peace.

It takes everything I have to wait until November 1 to begin listening to Christmas music. I wait on behalf of those I live with who do not feel the urgency I feel to jump in to the beauty of the season, beginning with wonderful music. So I listen discreetly and with joy until December actually begins.

One month, the month of December, is just not enough time to engage in what I love about Christmas. I love the music, the lights, the quiet I find amidst the hustle and hysteria, the hope promised of God on earth and His return.

What I don't engage in so much is gift giving. The financial tension that has caused in years past and the frustration caused by not knowing what to get for someone sucked the life out of me. Shopping in frenzied crowds and surviving the fight with parking space sharks is deadening.

The deep reward of spending gift money on causes gives me joy. That is why I post this video today.

http://vimeo.com/worldrelief/advent

Advent is a magical season for me. Anticipation is powerful. It is never to early to remember a time of anticipation of Good News. These words renew that focus.

Thoughtful Words from Butch Maltby

Butch and I attended Wheaton College together. We have distantly recently reconnected via Facebook. He recently posted this paragraph which I found to be profound. I want to preserve it here on this blog to refer to and reflect on in the future. Life moves so fast. I need to anchor in broad thoughts like these. Thank you, Butch.

"In a world with conflicting views on just about everything here is one truth for... which you can be certain. Your life will be filled with uncertainty. The anxiety and fear which this produces is often the result of trying to control things totally outside the realm of human effort. Serenity and peace come when we embrace the bucking bronco of life secure in the reality our Father has everything in mind and with a view of forever. What we call a temporary disaster may in fact be His realignment of our lives to something better. When we lose hope and pour cold waters of doubt on the languishing fires of faith we are actually telling the God of the universe...'You are failing at your job!'"

Summer Reading: The Abolition of Man

I just finished reading C.S. Lewis's The Abolition of Man: How Education Develops Man's Sense of Morality. Tiny book. Ninety-one pages. But, alas, it took me too long to read it. It was a bit stiff for me. Originally a lecture series in 1943, Lewis dealt with the dangers of moral relativism in a way that was too academic for me, though I adjusted to the reading about mid-way. I had to force myself to finish it. Yet, I found some great ideas therein. Not a "beach read" by any means. Part of my motivation to finish it was my pride. I would not be beat, and could not quit this book simply because it was too advanced for me. I had to conquer it and get what I could out of it. I am a big fan of the author, after all. I went to a college that hosts THE official wardrobe that inspired The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe of the Chronicles of Narnia. So, though I feel like it delayed my getting to books I was really looking forward to this summer, I finished the book and I'm better for it.

I love this quote from William Morris, English textile designer, artist, writer, associated with the English Arts and Crafts Movement, and our home is a bungalow with some Arts & Crafts style.

"If I were asked to say what is at once the most important production of Art and the thing most to be longed for, I should answer, A beautiful House; and if I were further asked to name the production next in importance and the thing next to be longed for, I should answer, A beautiful Book. To enjoy good houses and good books in self-respect and decent comfort, seems to me to be the pleasurable end towards which all societies of human beings out now to struggle."

-- William Morris (late 1800's)

A Moment of Immigration Reform Reflection -- So Naïve

I just read this excerpt from another article...

"Following the end of the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson worked to piece the nation back together, but it wasn’t easy. Slavery had been abolished, but prejudice had not. In the South, state legislatures were working hard to pass laws that disenfranchised blacks and effectively made them slaves again. Unemployed blacks could be seized, fined for vagrancy, and forced to work for private employers in order to pay those fines. It was a form of slavery without the name."

Naturally, I thought about laws changing, compassionate immigration reform ready to role forward. O, happy day! Then, like a bucket of cold water tossed in my face, I connected the dots from the quote above to that future time. I realized that attitudes cannot be legislated. I felt so naïve to have seen this from only the side of changed laws. I felt a sense of despair, then hope.

Back to the present...on most days I feel frustration that I cannot do more to move legislation forward to fix some of the broken wheels on this wagon. I feel like all I do is inform and influence people to look deeper at the complex levels of this issue. I feel like that is of minor value as we all push this boulder up the hill.

However, this quote above made me realize the quiet yet giant impact I am having with my steady little conversations, Facebook posts, blogs, and living consistently with what I believe in front of others who know me. Those little things can be used to transform attitudes in ways more powerful than any laws that simply legislate procedure.

I will walk with my head held higher today. I realize that we can continue to give others a moment to consider immigration reform with compassion. We will impact and influence attitudes. Day by day, we will encourage others to think differently. Perhaps when legislation catches up, we will be further along than back in the day of Civil War rebuilding. That is a new dream for me, upon which I will continue to act.

[Quote Source: 2011 Copyright Moody Bible Institute • www.todayintheword.org]

A Response to a Friend: Some Thoughts on Immigration

[This was written in response to a friend's challenges regarding an article about the local churches responding to a new anti-immigrant law in Alabama. Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/14/alabama-immigration-law-churches_n_898025.html ]

[AP Photo]



I agree that people with principles usually love others -- so true, thank goodness.

I disagree with "no one is forced to break laws in order to enter another country," though I may not completely understand what you meant. If I was a father or mother abandoned by her husband in Guatemala, who could not provide food for the family because major corporations had displaced me on my farm or because current labor conditions were keeping me in extreme poverty for various reasons, I would definitely be forced to head to another place where I'd have a better chance of providing basics of life for my family, even if it included breaking the law.

I am so grateful because of where I was randomly born that my parents did not have to make that choice...to leave everything behind for the chance to be able to feed me or to keep the law. Perhaps if everyone could sponsor children in other countries through World Vision or Compassion, this would be another creative solution that would decrease border crossing.

Regarding California and the nation, the economic contribution from immigrants is significant. Perhaps that is another reason not much is changing very fast. As far as social problems, I am cautious about blaming certain people groups. Makes me very nervous. However, with so many losing their homes through the housing crisis, I cannot even begin to imagine the social problems stemming that, loss of property tax and more, from what many blame greedy banks for doing. Perhaps, some insurance companies are even causing social problems, but I better be quiet because I don't have statistics to back that up.

I have seen and read statistics very well stated and very inaccurate that create more fear and hate of undocumented people. I think if most people would become familiar with Comprehensive Compassionate Immigration Reform, they would really approve. I think a lot of what some people might like to see regarding getting citizenship is in that program.

Thank you for your debate. You speak your perspective kindly and you seem to have a clear perspective. We've both stated these comments before, so I know we are not trying to convince each other of anything or change each other's minds. I just want to be heard. I have heard you, too. Thanks.

From Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform:

Our shared principles include the following:

· We believe all people, regardless of national origin or citizenship status, are made in the "image of God" and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect (Genesis 1:26-27, 9:6).
· We believe there is an undeniable responsibility to love and show compassion for the stranger among us (Deuteronomy 10:18-19, Leviticus 19:33-34, Matthew 25:31-46).
· We believe that immigrants are our neighbors, both literally and figuratively, and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves and show mercy to neighbors in need (Leviticus 19:18, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:25-37).
· We believe in the rule of law, but we also believe that we are to oppose unjust laws and systems that harm and oppress people made in God's image, especially the vulnerable (Isaiah 10:1-4, Jeremiah 7:1-7, Acts 5:29, Romans 13:1-7).

We recognize that the current U.S. immigration system is broken and reform is necessary.

The biblical principles above compel us to support immigration reform legislation that includes the following elements:

· Enforcement initiatives that are consistent with humanitarian values;
· Reforms in our family-based immigration system that reduce waiting times for separated families to be reunited;
· A process for all immigrant workers and their families already in the U.S. to earn citizenship upon satisfaction of specific criteria;
· An expansion of legal avenues for workers and families to enter our country and work in a safe and legal manner with their rights and due process fully protected;
· Examining solutions to address the root causes of migration, such as economic disparities between sending and receiving nations.
Source: http://faithandimmigration.org/

Small Group Grace

A good small group is my sacred safe place. I am grateful for such a gift throughout my life. Changes me in ways a sermon never will.

Pro-Cycling: Crashes, Crushed Dreams, & Character

This has been a tough week for the Tour de France. Too many accidents, injuries, and mishaps. Many of my favorites are out of the Tour already. I am disappointed and sad for the injuries. I am confused by the frequency of trouble. I've watched the event many years and do not remember anything like this before. This has been troubling for me.

Today, Stage 9, was possibly the worst. A media car sideswiped Juan Antonio Flecha, one of my favorites, and obviously sent him to the ground which knocked another young cyclist from the Netherlands, Johnny Hoogerland, into the air. He landed on a barbed wire fence. They both survived and finished the race. It was heartbreaking and I was angry and sick-to-my-stomach.

Image source: http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/gallery/im:urn:newsml:sports….

Image source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/3687190/TV-car-wipes-out-Tour-de-France-cyclists-Juan-Antonio-Flecha-and-Johnny-Hoogerland.html.

I got the following information of the official Tour web site. I was impressed with Hoogerland's grace in such a painful situation. The character of this young cyclist is inspiring.

Johnny Hoogerland – “We can still be happy that we’re alive...”

Forgiveness is a wonderful trait. It’s hard to understand how, only moments after weeping on the podium after receiving the polka-dot jersey for his efforts in stage nine, Johnny Hoogerland refused to lay blame on anyone for an accident that sent him flying off the road and into a barbed wire fence… but the Dutchman has a remarkable attitude even when his future in the race is uncertain.

“We can still be happy that we’re alive. It’s horrible. I can blame everyone but I don’t think anyone does this sort of thing on purpose. I think the people in the car will have a very big guilty feeling and they will surely apologize to me and Flecha.
“Juan Antonio came to me an he apologized.
“It should not happen but it’s always possible that this sort of thing happens.
“Nobody can be blamed for this. It’s a horrible accident and I was in it. But I said to Flecha, ‘We’re still alive and Wouter Weylandt died in a crash.
“Cycling is getting more and more hectic which is also nice because more and more people are watching but, for sure, some people will say that it may be like this because… well, I can’t explain it – but I think most people feel very, very bad about this sort of thing.
“I have three cuts that are about seven centimeters long and quite deep too. I’ll go to the hospital now and I think I’ll need about 30 stitches at least…
“I did what felt like a few somersaults. I don’t know where the car came from. Before I knew it, Flecha was on the ground and there was nothing I could do. I landed on the fence and I looked at my legs and thought, ‘Is this what cycling is about?’ “I have the polka-dot jersey but I’m going to spend the rest day in a lot of pain.” Source: http://www.letour.fr/2011/TDF/LIVE/us/900/journal_etape.html

Another crushing blow came to Chris Horner yesterday. It seemed he did not even know how bad he'd hit his head and face. He broke his nose and finished the stage, asking over and over if he'd finished, clearly dazed. He is a really great cyclist, 40-years old, and has a great attitude every time they interview him. Sad to see him go. Here is a great photo after his visit to the hospital.

Zabriskie is out, too. He is one cool, very funny, talented rider. Ugh! Bradley Wiggins had a tough spill. He's gone. Sad, sad, sad. I can't even think of everyone who has crashed out.

Frederik Willems of Belgium, left, and David Zabriskie of the US, right, are being treated by Tour de France doctors after crashing during the 9th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 208 kilometers (129 miles) starting in Issoire and finishing in Saint Flour, central France, Sunday July 10, 2011. Photo: Christophe Ena / AP

Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/sports/article/Tour-rest-day-welcome-after-crash-carnage-1459824.php#ixzz1RleaqYzZ

Cindi World - An Amusement Park?

I've discovered that Cindi's World is perfect. Unfortunately, I don't live there. Thus the tension between expectations and reality. If only tension was weight-bearing exercise. Sometimes it feels like it should count.