Blind Spots

I’ve been telling people for months that I seem to have lost my ability to park straight. The car is just askew enough that it draws my attention when I get out. I’ve been driving a new car style for 11 months, and tonight I’ve found a pack of reports from other people with the same experience. Vindication! No one is sure why this is happening, possibly something about the shape of the car or the view from the driver’s vantage point. Reports indicate that the car does have a larger blind spot than normal. I was reminded again tonight, as I was driving home, how big a blind spot can be. Perhaps I was tired, or perhaps I had been lulled into the state of a lemming, following the trailer 15 miles below the speed limit for several miles, but as I continued following the trailer to merge onto another interstate there was a truck that suddenly appeared out of the blind spot, like a magician seemingly pulling a bird out of thin air. Thankfully that driver was more alert than I was! I think I’m normally pretty conscientious about checking for blind spots because it never ceases to amaze me how an entire car can slip into that space and become virtually invisible - that is, if one relies on the mirrors only. I could perhaps understand a motorcycle or a scooter, but an entire car, invisible? Unlikely! It’s not the best theorem to try and prove while you’re driving, but just take notice that you will probably have to look somewhere else for the full picture.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are all-seeing and all-knowing. From your vantage you can see beyond our horizons and beyond our understandings. You can see how lives fit together and how actions are brought into accountability. Just because we can’t see the entire vision all at once does not mean that there is not framework and support in place. Let us remember to look on either side of ourselves to see what could be hidden or concealed at first glance. It could be as small as a turtle crossing the road, or as large as an elephant that no one discusses. Let us not be blindsided by obvious obstructions because we didn’t think to look beyond our forward view. Let our congregation be cautious, but not afraid to enter the journey, joining the course of the saints. Let our intention be with you. Amen

Interruptions

A study by Dartmouth University listed four kinds of interruptions: distractions, intrusions, planned breaks, and discrepancies. Being called away from my work station often leads to at least three or four more distractions before I head back to the computer and try to remember what I was doing and how I was doing it. A friend passed along the statistic that said we are typically interrupted once every three minutes, either by external or internal sources! That’s a lot of stopping and starting! Which is one reason I don’t usually leave work the minute the whistle blows like Fred Flintstone did in the introduction of every cartoon, it’s amazing how the stress level goes down a notch and the concentration increases once the phones stop ringing and the front door is closed. Some studies show that it can take up to 15 minutes to regain one’s track of thoughts after an interruption adding to huge losses in productivity. There are tips to help minimize interruptions: close the door, schedule times when you are available, stand up and remain standing when someone comes into your office, put something in the visitor’s chair so that it discourages people from sitting, look at your watch, or say “How can you sum up what you need from me?” Some of the suggestions would be hard for me to enforce, although I have been known to start expanding my work surface to any open chair, but more from lack of desk space or organization rather than to discourage visitors. Productivity and peace cannot be compared, but it takes a certain amount of calmness to encourage productivity and creativity. Ideally one does not have to give up courtesies to try and gain a sense of control and centeredness.

“Peace it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” – unknown

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, What were you saying? You know how flighty and erratic we can be. We have good intentions and great desire to follow your call, but we get distracted by minor distractions like phone calls and meetings or by large intrusions such as illness or family crises. God of forgiveness, can you repeat that last thought? Let us make planned interruptions to our day to return our thoughts to you, to regain focus on your will for our lives, and to recompose and calm our heart. Let us be aware of the discrepancies between the things we do and the things we ought to do, and between the noise of the world and the peace found in you. Dear God, feel free to interrupt us! Let the sunrise suspend our morning to reflect on your glory. Let the laughter of a child disrupt our attitude of irritation and impatience. Let the unraveling of a seed pod disorder our priorities of immediacy. Let the needs of the world dislocate our inward spiral of importance. Let the prayers of our heart override the interruptions we allow in our relationship with you. Let us know your peace. Amen.

Citizens for Change

One of my pet peeves is when politicians add items to bills that are up for vote. They are like leeches that hang on the sides of the prominent bill and with no line item veto possible by the president; it’s an all or nothing proposition. And I say leeches with contemptuous authority because I’ve had to scrape leeches off my legs after getting out of a river, which is not an easy task; without a stick or a rock they just cling to your hand next as you try to pull them off. Then to the other hand! Leeches! Getting stronger and growing because of their host. So when these piggy-back items are attached to bills up for vote for such things as pay increase for the troops, relief funding for hurricane survivors, or children’s medical aide they get approved when they might not otherwise because not many lawmakers want to have on record that they voted against the troops or children. It may have been that the lawmaker couldn’t stomach the extra trappings, but as much as one tries to explain the reason for voting no, the media and the opponents will point out the heartless rejection of the headline bill. I can only imagine the late-night planners working on which projects to attach to the huge proposal being considered by Congress this week. As much as I enjoy board games and card games, I don’t take any pleasure in watching political games where lives are used as pawns and finances are traded like play money. One can argue that this system is the only way to get things done. If Congress had to act on every item singularly, it would be a quagmire…. Or a bigger quagmire? :-)

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are complete, uncomplicated, unwarranted Love. Your Grace is given to us without condition, without limitations, or without ulterior motives other than to offer your peace and freedom. We are a cynical people, weary and cautious by our own experiences, but You are pure and holy. We have no knowledge of government that can compare to your rule of justice, compassion and inclusion, where the greater good is a benefit for all of your people. Let us be proud citizens of your kingdom, upholding your laws. Amen.

The Only Thing We Have

“We say, readily enough, that ‘God is love.’ Do we really believe it?... If you do feel and trust that the guiding principle of life is one of love and benevolence, why is there so much of the opposite around?...
I have a candidate to bring to you as chief suspect: Fear!”
– Margaret Silf

This attempt to answer why such harmful acts take place in the world, comes as close to any other answer I have heard discussed that has tried to apply rationale for unreasonable acts. Is it the fear of our differences that prompts wall building? Is it the fear for our own safety that provokes attacks? Is it the fear of our peers that encourages silence? Is it the fear for our livelihood that prods us towards deceitful practices? Is it the fear of waiting that pushes us towards acting prematurely? Is it the fear of hearing answers that discourages us from asking questions? It is a perfect time to review the inaugural speech given by Franklin D. Roosevelt in which we grew up hearing: “… the only thing we have to fear is fear itself…” Reading the transcript has a sense of déjà vu; it could easily be broadcast today. Another source explained fear as an acronym, “False Evidence Appearing Real” – Veer Sharma. These rebukes against fear help us put fear back into containment; however fear is ready to spring back into our lives with any perceived opening of doubts or reservations.

My prayer for the congregation?

Mighty God, Defender of the faith, You look fear head on and reduce it to powerless submission. The only way fear regains its strength is when we release some of our own suspicions and doubts. We become slaves to fear’s whimsies and pettiness and we are surprised by actions that we thought were below us. Dear God, give us resolute trust in your power and majesty. May we find wonder and joy in our diversity instead of distrust. Let us be a people of courage and valor aided by your constant presence and guidance. Let us shackle fear with our firm faith that God is love. Amen

Day of Peace

We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace.
– William E. Gladstone

In 1981 The United Nations passed a declaration to promote peace through a shared day of unity known as the International Day of Peace, a date for all nations to commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peace. The day is now honored every year on September 21st. Whether one attends a large festival honoring diversity or a solitary reflective act of lighting a candle, anyone can participate in the plea, “May peace prevail on earth.” There is also a call for 24 hours of cessation in violence and hostilities to allow those living in conflict zones to realize peace is possible and allows relief workers to bring in needed supplies. Judging from the video coverage on the nightly news, I don’t think that all factions bought into the idea. We can’t control other authorities, yet this call for ceasefire is not just for the warring powers to stand down, but that individuals may take this opportunity to make peace in their own relationships.

If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends.
You talk to your enemies.
- Moshe Dyan

My prayer for the congregation?

God of Peace, We long for freedom of fear and anger. We long for a time when the lion and lamb will lay side by side. We long for a time when we care more about our neighbor, and our enemy, than ourselves. We long for a time when injustices are stifled and love prevails. We long for a time when our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers are stationed at home and not at a post far from home. Give us a day when we can set aside our anger and hatred, and those things which separate us from you. As we celebrate one day in your kingdom of peace, may we grow homesick to return again and again. Shalom.

Numbers 6: 24-26 "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Listening to Wisdom

How do you decide which book to buy? Usually the cover or the title first gets my attention, and if it’s non-fiction I usually look at the table of contents with the names of the chapters and read the author’s bio to get a sense of the viewpoints the author may bring from his/her background. If the book lasts through those two tests then I open the book randomly once or twice to check the ease of reading and understanding, and to see if something jumps out that says, “Buy me! I have something you need! You will learn the wisdom and philosophy of the ages! Your life will be forever changed!” I must have a low threshold for gullibility because I believed four different books just this weekend! One is by Rob Bell, another is on traffic (yes, traffic as in cars and highways. I tried and tried to put it down but it was like a yo-yo rebounding into my hands) and another book on listening. The author, Michael P. Nichols, warns that we think we are better listeners than we really are, and I know there’s an art to listening that is beyond my abilities. When I opened the book to the first random page, bolded text stood out on the page:

“A listener’s emotional reaction seems inappropriate only as long as you can’t see his or her memory.”

Wow! The wisdom of the ages came pouring towards me! This statement felt like direct guidance for a recent discussion when it took several attempts to find some common ground before we could even begin our conversation. “Most failures of understanding are not due to self-absorption or bad faith, but to defensive reactions that crowd our understanding and concern.”

My prayer for the congregation?

Great God of compassion, You patiently listen to our petitions, our complaints, our dreams, our confessions, our joys, and our thanksgivings. We come before you and others with our whole lives, the fears and interpretations of our youth, the intentions of our thoughts confused with the words we choose to say, and the barriers we set that treat our vulnerabilities as treasures instead of scars. You listen to our heart and understand us better than we understand ourselves. Let us learn the art of listening, improving our relationship to others and dismantling our own obstructions. Let us be generous in listening frequently and being fully attentive. Listening is a gift we can give, deserved. Grace is a gift we receive, undeserved. Amen.

Dumber Numbers

There’s plenty that I don’t understand. How do video cameras turn people into x’s and o’s, send them electronically over air and then transform back into an image I can recognize on my TV? How does the Space Shuttle lift off like a rocket, land like an airplane, and how can it possibly ride piggy back on another airplane? And I really don’t get economic theory, cash flow, and projected earnings. Okay, I understand simple projected earnings – I plan to keep working in the same job and with stable funding I should be paid, and I should be able to pay for xyz. But it’s the invisible money part I can’t grasp. They are just numbers on a page. I have direct deposit from my employer, which sends numbers to our bank, who adds it to other numbers representing money, and they send me back a page with numbers showing how many cents I have, then we send numbers to different companies. For the most part we only use paper money for a few, small items or fast food, with check writing becoming uncommon, instead using debit cards or (dum, dum, dum) credit cards. So the reality of money I hold in my hand equaling those numbers on a page is becoming even harder for me to relate. I know enough to try and not overextend, shop for sales, and watch out for impulse buying, but it’s the numbers with extra commas and extra 0’s that boggle my mind. Just this week alone the numbers are unfathomable. The numbers used during the financial bailout; the numbers that pay for the hurricane housing relief for those who are waiting to return home, for those who can; and the numbers that pay for political progress. That’s all on top of the other numbers used daily to pay for the millions of federal workers, our national protection, our schools, transportation and social programs… We put so much trust in those numbers on a page; it’s interesting that our printed money has “In God We Trust.” The phrase started being printed on coins after the unsettling times of the Civil War, and on paper money during the Cold War. Maybe we’ll find some way to add the phrase to our electronic receipts and print outs as we adjust to having less printed money. Even though we are supposed to have confidence in our economy, after a financial week like this, maybe it should read “We Can Only Trust in God.”

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We need to put our trust in you. We find ourselves placing money as our figurehead, the starting point for what we do, where we live, how we make decisions, and who we want to become. As with so many false lords, we are left with more questions, and less satisfaction at the end of the day. Let us be responsible stewards of our gifts and resources, conserving and preserving these interests for future generations. Let us return again to putting our full trust in you and restoring your kingdom to its rightful Lord. Amen.