TED: The World We Create

TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design which is an annual conference that makes "rock stars out of physicists." I discovered "The Future We Will Create: Inside the World of TED" last Saturday when I woke up at 5AM and turned on the TV to see if I could go back to sleep; not a chance once the documentary started! It's airing this month on one of the cable channels. It's an inspiring, positive event where "leading thinkers and doers gather for inspiration." In 2001 Chris Anderson, whose parents were medical missionaries in Pakistan, bought the conference and since has infused a sense of social action to the conference. Each presenter gets 20 minutes to explain their thoughts on how to make the world a better place, and with Chris' expertise in media, these presentations are now accessible, at no cost, to millions of people via podcasts on i-tunes (TED talks) and YouTube. (I've been trying to connect to www.ted.com for several days, and I can only hope that the problem is the numbers of people trying to learn more since the showing of the movie.) You can find a myriad of topics that were presented since 2006; the ideas presented are amazing! A new element has been added recently to the event which offers three "wish" winners the privilege of sharing their wish to change the world in front of the audience of entrepreneurs, brilliant scientists, creative thinkers, and performing artists. U2's front singer, Bono was an early wish winner and when he presented his wish that Americans come to the aid of Africa, one.org was developed, bringing 2 million Americans to a greater awareness of the struggle of AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa. TEDs mission statement is "Ideas worth sharing," and they speak of taking the ideas back into the world with the zeal of first-century Christians who have been newly commissioned by Jesus.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, When two or more are gathered in your name, much can be accomplished! Let us be encouraged that people still seek to improve the world of those who are forgotten, to provide housing for those who are homeless, to provide protection for the earth's resources, and to improve relationships between sisters and brothers of the earth. Jesus was a model of unexpected translations of existing social mores. Let us act with enthusiasm for progress and renewal, and let us solve problems with the creative and unconventional energies of those who don't accept the routine and habitual means as their own perfunctory approach. Let us find our own wish of world transformation. Let it begin with a prayer to let your will be known and all glory be given to you. Amen

Junk in My Trunk

I actually saw the difference in gas prices go down today! Now I regret filling up the day before, but I didn't have an option since the warning light was on. I ran across some quick ideas on how to increase your gas mileage.

• drive the speed limit
• maintain correct tire pressure
• don't make sudden stops and starts; be a light foot
• plan local trips and condense errands
• keep the car tuned and aligned
• buy gas from busy gas stations, high volume stations that are refilled often have less chance for water, rust, or other impurities in the gas reservoir
• use the air conditioner instead of windows rolled down on the highway
• clean your trunk to reduce weight
• keep a log; track your gas mileage every time you fill up
• walk or ride a bicycle when it is an option

These aren't new ideas; my dad has always promoted most of these actions since I started driving in the mid 1970s. He also taught us to change our own spark plugs, change our oil, and made sure his daughters could also rotate tires (at least I can say I've done it once!) The one hint that seemed new, or perhaps it just speaks to me now, is to clean your trunk to reduce weight. So maybe I do have some items from the women's retreat left in my trunk since February... it was LATE February!! Sometimes I'm as baffled as the next person why I choose to keep some items; other items I'm still not quite prepared to let go. 90% of the time I'm the only person in my car, so the front seat becomes a collection of CDs, books, and jackets - until someone has to ride with me, and then I open the trunk and voila, a new closet.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, Help us to live simple, unfettered lives. The fewer things that we hold between ourselves and you, will allow us to set them down and follow you. If we reduce the weight of our worries we can see more clearly the setbacks of others. If we reduce the baggage of our injuries we can more easily carry the ache of our sisters and brothers. If we reduce the excess resentment in our lives we can promote forgiveness more easily between those with whom we are estranged. If we decline to make hasty judgments we can afford the time to greet one another with fresh eyes more generously. If we consume less we can reserve our natural resources and regenerate our lands more profusely. If we cut back on kindness and compassion we will wither and shrink away from the model of justice revealed most purely through the life of Jesus Christ. Let us live freely in your presence, ready to abandon anything that would deter us from becoming whom you have called us to be. Amen.

Prikkelbaar

Prikkelbaar, that's what I am today, and I don't like it, especially when it becomes irrational and takes on a life of its own, muscling its false identity over my own. I have no problems with mystery, but along the way I expect prudence and good common sense. Prikkelbaar is none of the above. It starts with a small nuisance, a stimulus that causes a reaction, and before long there are fifty other annoyances waiting to attach like leeches. While the spiral started with a slight joke, it touched upon a deeper disdain for judgments instead of acceptance, and rigidity instead of flexibility. And all the red lights, harried drivers, and dirty dishes afterwards were only stoking embers; they were not the core source. Whew, I'm starting to regain my identity of sloth-like calmness by simply naming the obstacle. Now I can sympathize that the same characteristics that often bring negative reactions in me are also the same traits that I admire. Their quickness to make decisions is one of the disciplines that I desperately need! Maybe if I had a little more order to my life I wouldn't spend two hours looking for a misplaced item. I thought if I renamed irritable with its Dutch translation it might be more palatable, but you know..., prikkelbarr is kind of funny-sounding. Who can stay irritable saying that? Be gone ye Prikkelbaar!

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We are so human. We can lose focus by simple nuisances acting as gnats swarming near our face and lose sensibility by passing remarks heard through inflamed interpretations. Irritability is not necessarily a bad reaction. If there is enough stimulus or excitement applied, it will provoke a response. We may not be happy to have our cocoon challenged and infringed, but otherwise we could remain in a state of immaturity and isolation, not the abundant life of lessons and ventures that you have called us to engage. Let us be honest with ourselves so that we may address core conflicts within our own egos and not project inadvertent words as barbs. Let us practice statements and actions that will bring benevolence and refrain from making generalizations and jokes which may feed division. Make us irritable to the world's standards and seek the Balm of Gilead. Amen

There is a balm in Gilead,to make the wounded whole,
there is a balm in Gilead,to heal the sin-sick soul.

Sometimes I feel discouraged, and think my work's in vain,
but then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again.
There is a balm in Gilead,to make the wounded whole,
there is a balm in Gilead,to heal the sin-sick soul.

If you cannot preach like Peter,if you cannot pray like Paul,
you can tell the love of Jesus,and say, "He died for all."
There is a balm in Gilead,to make the wounded whole,
there is a balm in Gilead,to heal the sin-sick soul.
-African-American spiritual

Safari

One of the stories the news likes to feature right now is that many families are choosing to vacation closer to home this year due to the higher gas prices. I've been thinking of starting my own business and now may be just the right time! My unique commerce will offer a safari guide service for suburbanites over 40 years old to the foreign and mysterious world of inner-Dallas clubs for the rare occurrence of mingling with 20 years old in their natural habitat. I'm starting to learn the secret side trips that determine the difference between seasoned guides receiving generous tips and unproven guides leading naive travelers with terror-stricken eyes. For example, you simply must arrive a little earlier than the show to ensure that you will still have a car at the end of the night instead of a cab ride to the tow yard. But no 40+ can withstand the smoke and noise of the nightclub in large increments of time, nor can they stand on their feet for an exaggerated length of time when there are no chairs, much less recliners. The answer? The veteran guide who has personally attended the event and has investigated alternatives knows that you can arrive early, but instead of heading directly to the club you can stop and eat dessert at the fondue restaurant just a few doors down until it gets closer to the downbeat. Brilliant, no? I have references if you would like to travel to the wild and feral atmosphere of The Cavern.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We ask that we demonstrate Your house rules as we welcome visitors. We can each make a difference for someone who enters through our doors if we act as personal tour guides that take the time to share additional jewels that may not be apparent at first glance: the devotionals, the tables displaying additional fellowship and mission opportunities, the listening aides, the full coffee pot, the nursery beepers for nervous parents and children, the potluck dinner down the way or the delight of staying a little after the service to hear the entire postlude played unabashedly, full-strength on the organ. That's an experience to be shared! O God, above all, let us be guides that are eager to be fellow explorers and travelers through a new course; the unexpected, wild and untamed journey of faith! Amen

Depth of Field

"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have! Matthew 6:22-23 (The Message)

With most point-and-shoot cameras you lose the ability to play with the lens separately, watch how it works, and in turn understand how you can make the majority of the photo crisp, or with the twist of the dial, just a shallow portion of the image.

"The bigger the number the smaller the hole.
The smaller the number the bigger the hole!"

I used to have to say that in sing-song voice to help remember the rule as a nursery rhyme. There's a mathematical formula but the simple song works best for me. The rule means that if you open the lens, you are likely to have an f-stop close to 4, and your image will have a selected area that is crisp and focused, while the remainder of the image should be soft and blurry. Maybe you want to have a portrait where the face is the focal point, but the background grows blurry making your eye concentrate on that which is clearest, the face. But if you have just turned around the bend of the road and the Grand Tetons have suddenly burst onto the canvas, you want to keep it all in focus: the horses in the meadow, the tree-line in the distance, and the powerful rock formations of the mountain peaks. Then you would make sure the lens was shut down to 36 so that you could ensure the largest depth of field. Most us shoot in program or automatic, and you may accidently get the effect you wanted, but it's so much easier to leave the math and the thinking to the camera. Sometimes the moment can be lost if you rely on your making your own adjusments, but even worse the verse from Matthew implies to me, that you have been looking through the lens with the lens cap still on the end! Then you don't get to see anything! No light can get through!

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We have selected focus which allows us to see clearly that which is close to us, our needs, our will, our family, our town, our world. It can serve a purpose as we attend to details or narrow the scope of a larger issue, chipping away at that which we have access. But sometimes we fail to see the whole picture; our needs side-by-side with the needs of those far from us, the same necessities as our enemies, the same essential air as all things living, the same gravitational pull of all things on earth. As we continue to widen our gaze of our world, let us pull back our vision and resolve even further so that we can include our will within Your will. Above all we ask that we are able to abandon our actions that leave us in darkness and live in light. Amen.

Dante's Prayer

Though we share this humble path, alone
How fragile is the heart
Oh give these clay feet wings to fly
To touch the face of the stars

Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me
Please remember me
-Dante's Prayer

The first time I heard this song was watching Michelle Kwan ice skate and the song was used as the audio backdrop to her graceful moves. The song is written and performed by Loreena McKennitt. It's haunting and beautiful, and to be paired with the almost magical movements on ice made the experience all the more memorable. We used the song as an introduction to our class discussion of the prayer of the forsaken; the dark night of the soul. The way that I read the chapter was that these prayers are not offered as a response to doubt, or anger, or disappointment with God, but from an absence of feeling. Some counselors know that couples reach a breaking point when apathy replaces anger. At least when you have anger, you care enough to fight, there is enough feeling left to call it anger; with apathy you don't care, there is a void of feelings. The biblical metaphor for this experience is the desert. We feel that we are left alone in the desert, rejected and abandoned. The prayer of the forsaken is a tool used to find a way out of the desert. The author, Richard Foster, is quick to point out, that this feeling of forsakeness is only that - a feeling. God is ever present. This evening a friend wrote that the lesson had followed him home, and several poems came to mind. One would have been a perfect ending to the class.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, remind us again, and again, whose footprints are in the sand when we call ourselves abandoned. You are faithful. Amen.

Footprints in the Sand
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only. This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord,that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?” The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.” - Mary Stevenson 1936

le pièce de résistance - The Art of Existence

I have a book that describes the Jewish tradition of creating an Ethical Will. An Ethical Will helps distribute other riches besides monetary accumulations; it shares philosophy, theology and blessings. The following is not Rabbi Heschel's Ethical Will, but in a little over 100 words, he delivers a principal meal, le pièce de résistance, for those who come hungry for the meaning of life.

I would say to young people a number of things, and I have only one minute. I would say, let them remember that there is a meaning beyond absurdity. Let them be sure that every little deed counts, that every word has power, and that we can do — every one — our share to redeem the world despite of all absurdities and all the frustration and all disappointments. And above all, remember that the meaning of life is to live life as it if were a work of art. You're not a machine. When you are young, start working on this great work of art called your own existence.
- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel quoted on Speaking of Faith

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, Often when we think of the legacy we leave for others, we think of the many hours spent at our employment that defines what we do. We think of the heirlooms that have been passed down through generations that define our history. We think of actions and stillness that define our reputation. We think of resources shared and debts owed that define our accounting. We ask that you lead us towards a legacy shaped by open dialogue in which love, blessings, and wisdom are revealed. Let us share with our loved ones our hopes for their well-being, our recognition of their unique gifts, our belief in their power to transform, and our responsibility to protect and connect with the earth and all that dwells there. Let us emphasize the mystery and the joy of letting go. Let us name each one beloved Child of God. Amen.