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Written by Julie Blum
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It Takes Courage To Be Crocus-Minded
It takes courage to be crocus-minded.
Lord, I’d rather wait until June
like wise roses,
when the hazards of winter are safely behind,
and I’m expected,
and everything’s ready for roses.
But crocuses?
Highly irregular!
Knifing up through hard frozen ground and snow,
Sticking their necks out because they believe in Spring
and have something personal
and emphatic to say about it.
Lord, I am, by nature, rose-minded,
even when I have studied the situation here
and know that there are wrong things that need righting,
affirmations that need stating,
and I know also that speaking
out may offend –
for it rocks the boat.
Well…I’d rather wait until June,
Maybe later things will work themselves out,
and we won’t have to make an issue of it.
Lord, forgive.
Wrongs don’t work themselves out.
Injustices and inequities and hurts don’t just dissolve.
Somebody has to stick her neck out,
somebody who cares enough to think through
hard ground because she believes
and has something personal
and emphatic to say about it.
Me, Lord?
Crocus-minded?
Could it be that there are things that need to be said,
and you want me to say them?
I pray for courage.
From Bless This Mess and Other Prayers by Jo Carr and Imogene Sorley.
Copyright ©1969 by Abington Press. |
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Written by Julie Blum
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This is how the show began: “All across America, it is happening. People are hurting. For some, this economy may be turning around. But millions of families are at risk of going hungry in one of the richest nations on earth. The number of Americans visiting local food pantries has jumped 30 percent in the past two years alone. And here, in this rural region of Ohio, the very heart of America, the need is especially urgent...the stories poignant. Tonight, a very personal look inside the lives of families who’ve had it all vanish – jobs, homes, and dreams.”
One part of the program that really stood out for me ..... (click 'read more') |
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Written by Julie Blum
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Last year our adult Sunday morning class did a book study on “Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer” by Richard Rohr. Rohr is a Franciscan friar ordained to the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church in 1970. He is an internationally known inspirational speaker known for his talks and numerous books. I recently found this quote by him online:
The only thing that can endure deep doubt or anxiety is deep faith. You will not allow yourselves to enter into complexity, ambiguity, mystery, or the partial darkness that everything is, without a very strong faith. You will close down. I have found that those who can tolerate ambiguity and hold darkness are those who rise to great faith. Faith gets purified every time you go through the cycle of doubt and failure. On this wheel of fortune just about everything is purified: our self-image, our God-image, our worldview. A full life could be described as these three worlds—ever expanding.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 27 July 2010 )
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Written by Julie Blum
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I just came across a recent news story published on June 21, 2010 in the Woodinville Weekly. While it’s about Tent City 4, and we are considering hosting Tent City 3, it’s all very similar. Here is a compelling excerpt from the article:
Bill Block, project director of the Committee to End Homelessness in KingCounty (CEHKC) then took the mic.
He cited a litany of statistics regarding homeless people in the county and told the crowd that TC4 is "very exclusive about who it lets in."
The spokesman also said he could tell by the crowd that it was the first time TC4 was coming to its church: "The first time the hall is packed and the second time there are two people asking how they can help."
But perhaps the most compelling voice of all came from former Woodinville Police Chief Kent Baxter, now a King County sheriff who recounted the bumpy history between TC4 and the city.
"There were a lot of people that were upset about us hosting a tent city," he said. "But there’s been new legislation passed in 2010 that spells out churches have the authority — and the duty — to host these types of encampments."
Baxter was fully in support of TC4 and stuck his neck out.
"I challenge you to get on Web sites to educate yourselves and hopefully that will calm your concerns," he said. "I was chief of police for Woodinville for four and half years and I was right in the sights of it when it first came to town in 2004," he said. "As far as actual crime, it’s very minimal — in fact it’s less than the crime we see otherwise. We had like six calls and most of them came from Bruce to hand over a warrant arrest because they run checks on people and don’t let them in if they have warrants. That makes our job easier. They manage themselves, they have rules, and they follow those rules."
The entire article can be found here:
“How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” – 1 John 3: 17 & 18
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Why are we even considering hosting Tent City? |
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Written by Julie Blum
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It would be much easier to just tell them no. We would avoid conflict with those in our neighborhood who are angered by this prospect. It would save a lot of time and energy on our parts. It would save financial resources. After all, we already do so much with limited members and money. After all, aren’t we already doing enough?
So why are we even considering it?
Because helping the outcast is the mission and ministry of the Church. We are called to not only look out for our own interests or to the interests of those in authority and power. But we are to speak up for those who have no voice, no power and no status in our society. An example of us doing this recently is when we, two years ago, became a “Reconciling in Christ” congregation who fully accepts and welcomes people from the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender.) community. That process didn’t come easily either. It took much discussion, study and prayer. But we did it because we are called to work for justice and to help those who are vulnerable and marginalized. Speaking up for the poor and homeless is no different.
Catholic scholars have coined the phrase “God’s preferential option for the poor” to describe a phenomenon found throughout both the Old and New Testaments: God’s partiality toward the poor and the disadvantaged. This can be a hard pill to shallow for those of us who own homes, cars and have Roth IRAs. However, throughout scripture we see that God gives preferential treatment to the poor and outcast. We who follow Jesus need to take that seriously. Even when it means more problems for us. Even when it means people will be angry at us and upset with us. Even when it means more work for us. But being a Christian means more than liking organ music and being ‘nice.’
As we prayerfully consider the request from Tent City to host them for 90 days may our hearts be open to the cries of “the least of these.” (Matthew 25:45)
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Last Updated ( Friday, 16 July 2010 )
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What is this I hear about Tent City? |
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Written by Julie Blum
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We have learned over the past couple of days that some of our neighbors have heard that we are in the process of considering hosting Tent City. We know that there are questions, concerns and fears and we certainly want to listen and be good neighbors. However, the congregation hasn’t decided if it’s able or even interested in hosting Tent City. It’s not that we are hiding anything from the community (as evident by me blogging about it) we just haven’t gotten to that part of the process yet. Let me assure you that Tent City won’t just show up one day without the neighbors being brought in on the process. We are months away from making any decisions.
In the next week or two we hope to have an appropriate and respectful avenue in place for neighbors to ask questions and to express their opinions to our Tent City task force. Until that time, we invite you to join us in prayer about what God is calling us to do and how to proceed. Thank you for your patience and support, Pastor Julie Blum |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 July 2010 )
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Written by Julie Blum
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As I have mentioned before, Maple Leaf Lutheran Church is in the process of discerning a request we received to host Tent City for 90 days. As part of this process we invited current members of Tent City to a church meeting to hear their stories and answer questions we have. One of these people has stuck in my mind. For the sake of his privacy, I’ll refer to him as Mike. Mike told us how he never expected to be homeless. He was a successful contractor and lived in the same home for 20 plus years. Then the economy tanked. He couldn’t find work and ultimately ended up losing his home. He didn’t have family he could turn to and had no idea what he would do next. What he said next surprised me. Mike is a man in his 40’s, maybe early 50’s. He seems strong and very masculine. And yet, he freely admitted that he was terrified to be homeless. He didn’t know what he would do, where he would go or who he would encounter. Then he discovered Tent City. It was a place where he could be safe. It is a place where he could find community and support. It is a place that helped him get back on his feet. Now, after being a resident in Tent City for about 6 months he is planning on moving into an apartment in the next two weeks.
I have meet quite a few residents of Tent City and I am always struck by how “normal” they are. By that I mean that they aren’t scary, they aren’t dirty, they aren’t drug addicted, menaces to society. The people in Tent City are just like you and I, they just happen to be homeless. They are people who have hit difficult times. Many of them have jobs but don’t make enough to afford housing. Some have experienced medical crisis that have wiped out any savings they may have had. They could be me. They could be you. They need our help. We, as people of faith, are called to love the stranger because we have been strangers and we may be strangers in the future.
Deuteronomy 10: 16 Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, 18 who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. 19 You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 You shall fear the Lord your God; him alone you shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear. 21 He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 June 2010 )
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Statement Regarding the Israeli Military Interception of Gaza Flotilla from Presiding Bishop Mark S. |
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Written by Julie Blum
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On behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran World Federation, organizations that are deeply engaged with and committed to the Lutheran Christians and all persons living in Palestine and Israel, I express my deep sadness regarding events surrounding the flotilla seeking to deliver humanitarian goods to Gaza. We deeply regret the deaths and injuries that resulted when Israeli forces intercepted the boats. Our thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and the families of those killed or otherwise harmed during this incident. We note that this tragic incident occurred on the first day of the World Council of Churches’ World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel.
This incident raises many questions that must be answered. We therefore call for a full, international, and independent investigation into this matter.
While we condemn all violence in the resolution of political disputes, this incident raises a number of questions related to the just use of force. It is not clear that, in this incident, all alternatives were explored prior to the use of military force. One tenet of the just use of force is proportionality, a principle I raised during my meeting with the chief rabbis of the State of Israel during Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli incursion into Gaza which lasted from December 2008 to January 2009. This incident provides an example of how proportionality is an ongoing concern related to Israeli military action against civilians, both Palestinians and internationals.
The attempt to deliver humanitarian materials to Gaza via the flotilla highlights the ongoing blockade of Gaza with all its consequences for the 1.5 million people living there. Israel’s blockade must be fully lifted, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1860. While some humanitarian aid has been allowed to reach the people of Gaza, the economy, particularly the agricultural and fishing sectors, has been devastated. Basic goods including seeds and seedlings, plastic piping, irrigation supplies, fishing nets, engine spare parts, veterinary drugs and cement are restricted.
The World Health Organization has documented the serious deterioration in Gaza’s health system due to restrictions for patients and medical personnel attempting to travel into or out of Gaza. The welfare of the people of Gaza and the safety of Israelis will be served by opening the monitored border crossings in a secure manner for aid, trade and commerce.
This tragic event demonstrates the urgency of achieving a just peace. One role of religious leaders, including the churches, is to strengthen those voices working for peace, rather than yielding to the clamor of extremism, as we seek a just peace beneficial for all persons in the region.
We urge that this incident not interrupt the proximity talks now being conducted through the Obama administration. Instead, we expect that this incident will intensify on all sides the commitment to serious negotiations that will lead to a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
President, Lutheran World Federation |
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