So, you're becoming Catholic?

Shortly after we moved to DC, Tim began attending Mass at St. Peter's of Capitol Hill.  It's this really beautiful cathedral between our flat and the Capitol.  I loved walking by this beautiful, old building when I first visited DC in January.  And now that we've taken up residence nearby, I love hearing the church bells when we have the doors open to let the cool, fresh air flow in.

But, for Tim, this place holds more meaning than a beautiful facade and the ringing of church bells.  To him, it's a place of peace, faith and inspiration.  He has long felt drawn to Catholicism, but recently decided to take action.  For several months he attended Catechism classes on Saturday mornings among other activities.  It's been really interesting and somewhat inspirational to watch him grow and find his place in the faith community.

So, a couple of days after I returned from El Salvador we had six of Tim's Catholic relatives in town for his confirmation.  Our marriage was "validated" in the Catholic church on the 21st with Tim's cousin Joe and his wife June as witnesses, and then Tim was confirmed on Sunday the 22nd of November.  We had a really great time with family in town and it was special to have them here for the Confirmation service. 

Tim's cousin Mary Hellen, Great Aunt Clare, Grandma Barbie, Tim, Father Burn, Joe, Aunt Kat and June after Tim's Confirmation.

Much more could be said about all the discussions Tim and I had before his confirmation and those we continue to have now.  But really, all that needs saying is that two people who love one another don't have to be identical in the ways I thought they did growing up.  We don't have to believe exactly the same things; differences can spark important conversations and make us stronger.  And I wouldn't have it any different.  So, a big congrats to Tim, and here's to many more years of learning from one another as we change and grow.

Kingdom Patriotism (and other side news)

It is as though Jesus is Lord of the Spirit but Uncle Sam is Lord of the Flesh.

Mark Van Steenwyk at JesusManifesto.com wrote a post titled Onward Christian Soldiers yesterday that is absolutely fantastic. Aside from a couple of typos, his post eloquently describes and addresses what I have also experienced when discussing pacifism with those who consider my leanings unpatriotic and "disrespectful to those who fought in wars for the freedoms I enjoy". I mean no disrespect to those who gave their lives fighting for our country. I simply believe there is another better way - the way Jesus calls us to live. As Van Steenwyk writes: "Unless we are ready to die developing new nonviolent attempts to reduce conflict, we should confess that we never really meant that the cross was an alternative to the sword . . ." I desire to be as bold as Mark is in actively taking steps toward peace through pacifism. Please read the full article for the full effect.

On a completely different note, I spent two days in Georgia this week celebrating Grenzebach Corporation's 20th anniversary of business in the United States. We had lots of great food (German and Southern), drank thousands of dollars worth of German and American beers and wines, heard many politicians speak (including Governor Purdue, of Georgia ... woopee), and listened to the company band (flown over from Germany for our entertainment). Aside from missing my 6:00 AM flight out of Eugene Wednesday morning, the trip was relatively enjoyable though exhausting.

Also, congratulations to Josh Bailey who graduated from George Fox University (and got a girlfriend *winks*) on Saturday. It was great to see you, Josh.

Obama in Eugene!!

Senator Barack Obama made an appearance at McArthur Court (known as"the pit" for how loud and intimidating it is for opposing teams playing the Ducks there in basketball) in Eugene Friday night, and I made sure to be there! I had Friday off in observance of Good Friday, so that allowed me plenty of time to stand in line for hours with friends as we awaited our chance at seeing Barack Obama speak live and in person.

We were not disappointed. I was impressed and inspired by Obama's "A More Perfect Union" speech last week, as were many ministers around the United States who apparently spoke on the same topic during their Easter sermons or homilies this Easter Sunday. And I was not let down by Obama's Eugene speech. I was inspired by his vision for education - from preschool to college and beyond, and his vision for restoring America's morality by helping other countries gain access to clean water and appropriate housing. I was impressed by his compassion for those who are less fortunate, and for his desire do teach our young people not just to be good at science and math, but to be well-rounded and well-informed citizens of the United States. I am impressed that he has not financed his campaign on even one dollar of from special interest groups, but has rather raised all his campaigning dollars from over 1 million people across the nation - and he has raisd an un-precedented amount of money for his campaign!

Obama has convinced me that he is able and ready to take on the most challenging issues our nation and our world have to throw his way, and to do so in a way that I can be proud of.

You can check out a slide show of professional pictures with audio here, and see the whole Eugene speech here. And you can click here to see more pictures I took at the rally.

Tim and I - still waiting in line... (and pointing to my Obama '08 sticker)

OBAMA!!!

Kissing babies...

And shaking hands...

The Fluidity of American Religious Affiliations

A recent study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that more than 40% of Americans are willing to, or have already, switched away from their childhood faith. Furthermore, Americans are showing less and less affiliation with Protestant and Catholic churches altogether. Oregon is being called the "most secular state in the union" because of a significant rise in those "unaffiliated" with a church or religious traditinon altogether. The percentage of Oregonians who are "unaffiliated" is recorded as 27% compared to a national average of 16%.

You can read the NPR story, Brian McLaren's perspective (on Jim Wallis' blog), and interact with the results yourself at the Pew Forum website.

So why is this the trend and what can (or should) be done about it?

Please Tell Me It Isn't So

Is this guy for real?! Christvertising?
Let's commercialize Jesus a little more, shall we?
How about that prosperity gospel!!

Make Something Day!

Check this out - and do something constructive rather that destructive on the day after Thanksgiving!

What a JOKE!

This is another e-mail I recently received... I had to laugh at its conclusion!
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VERY INTERESTING -

1. The Garden of Eden was in Iraq.

2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!

3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.

4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.

5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!

6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq!

7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.

8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.

9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel.

10. Amos cried out in Iraq!

11. Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem.

12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!

13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been in Iraq also as the fourth person in the Fiery Furnace!)

14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq.

15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.

16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.

17. The wise men were from Iraq.

18. Peter preached in Iraq.

19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon, which was a city in Iraq!

20. Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia ... The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers ..

The name Iraq, means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible. No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated with it than Iraq And also, this is something to think about: Since America is typically represented by an eagle, Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages... The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible) Koran (9:11) - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace.(Note the verse number!) Hmmmmmmm?!

(I will spare you the ending lines of obligatory chain-letter damnation for not forwarding above message…)
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All I really have to say is, this is joke! How ironic that Qur’an 9:11 actually reads:
But if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, they are your brethren in faith; and we make the communications clear for a people who know.

To Pledge or Not To Pledge

I accidentally told a coworker today that I do not “pledge allegiance to the flag.” I hadn't intended to tell him that, nor did I ever intend to write a blog entry about it... but I think this serves as a good conversation starter, if nothing else. Now, before you write me off as a crazy closet communist and/or terrorist, please hear me out.

Somehow, my coworker and I got to talking on the subject of illegal immigration and my coworker is of the opinion that if immigrants do not completely become American and pledge all of their allegiance to the American flag, they are not welcome here. I understand where he is coming from to a certain extent… a nation divided cannot stand for long. On the other hand, I myself find it difficult to pledge my allegiance to anything aside from Jesus Christ.

National boundaries and allegiances frequently become reasons to fight one another. My goal in life is not to create reasons to fight, but rather reasons to join together in love and understanding. This may sound very “hippy” of me (I live in Eugene, give me a break!), but in truth, Jesus Christ is a trans-border icon for love and salvation. Can I truly pledge my allegiance to the flag of the United States when my real allegiance lies higher than that?

Please don’t get me wrong. I do not say any of this to downplay everything people have done to preserve the rights and liberties of this nation in which I have been privileged to live. I am thankful for the courageous acts of all those who have fought to keep our rights and liberties. But somehow I cannot pledge myself to any nation when invisible (and even worse sometimes, visible) lines drawn with the blood of those who fought to create a politically recognized entity border every one of them.

No, my allegiance lies higher than a simple nation state that will come to an end. My allegiance is to the Kingdom of God (which could be the topic of a hundred posts, but I will spare you that lengthy discourse). This Kingdom need not be simply pie in the sky – this is something we, I, can and should strive for on earth. After all, the oft quoted Lord’s Prayer states: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

But how do we go about this Kingdom work, you may ask? One of my life verses (Micah 6:8) states: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (NIV).” The Message version reads: “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously.” If we are to see God’s Kingdom come on this earth, we must start focusing on justice, compassion, kindness, and our humble walk with God. Focusing on national allegiance only creates differences.

But allegiance to one’s nation is not the only thing that can distract from bringing the Kingdom of God to earth. There are all sorts of differences between people that we tend to focus on - including differences between religions and denominations. This does not help in the cause of realizing the Kingdom on this earth. Let’s drop our differences whenever possible and focus on our common call toward the God who created us.

Some may say that allegiance to God causes just as many wars, or more, than national allegiance. Unfortunately the fallen nature of human beings allows some to become mistakenly and dangerously zealous or fanatic about a badly distorted view God and faith. That is not God's fault, and we cannot discontinue all belief in God or actions out of faith because some individuals use religion for violent causes. In the end, God will sort out each person’s actions and the desires of his or her heart. Until that time, we can do our best to act justly, love mercy and kindness, and walk humbly with God.

Pledging all of my allegiance and all of my heart to the God of the universe is a far greater and higher calling than pledging my allegiance to the flag of a country which will come to an end – even if that country has given me liberties and rights unlike any other country on earth. God - my global God - is higher still.

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***If you are still reading - haven't been so enraged by my lack of patriotism that you quit reading altogether - I am very interested in hearing your thoughts. This is something I've been thinking about for quite some time now and I really enjoy hearing people's varying opinions.***

A Nation of Christians Is Not a Christian Nation

My friend Aaron pointed out this op-ed article and I found it to be mostly well thought out provocative. As Amber pointed out, a thoughtful Christian should be wary of anyone proclaiming "Scripture says" anything because Scripture is both ambiguous and contradictory at times. It's preferable to state that "some places in Scripture say...", or even better to use precise references to the places in Scripture. However, aside from the part where Meacham uses Scripture, which many Americans don't consider authoritative, as support for his reasoning, he has thought his argument through well and he makes his point. I've thought for quite some time that America's claim to the title of "Christian Nation" is faulty - one needn't look any further than the separation of church and state to realize that our nation was not founded as a "Christian Nation", per say. It was founded by people who sought to escape religious persecution, not by those who desired to establish a new nation where religion ruled.

While I, myself, proclaim the Christian faith, I do not believe that the nation in which I live was founded as a Christian Nation, nor do I believe that we act as a Christian Nation. Meacham is right when he writes that Christ's Kingdom is not of this world, though we are called to bring about His Kingdom in this world. The Kingdom of God is not bound by nation states, hemispheres or borders. We must remember these truths if we are to truly follow in the footsteps of Christ. America has not co opted Christianity, nor do we have a corner on the proverbial market of Christ's blessing, though we may think we have.