The Four Dis's

I've been thinking alot lately (nothing new for me, I know). I am dis-gruntled, dis-content, dis-appointed with worship lately ... mostly with the "new" minister (who really isn't "new" at all now after 18 months). Unfortunately, all these "dis"'s make for a very dis-heartening Sunday morning. I get nothing out of worship as of late because of the dis-satisfaction. I know, I know ... worship isn't just about me, the sermon isn't meant just for me, I may not get anything out of it but somebody sitting there did. I know. I get all of that. However... 

The other morning I spent an hour on the phone with a dear friend and we discussed all the "dis"'s that we are feeling; yes WE, BOTH of us. If two of us are on the same page, could there be more? Hmm ...

The morning conversation didn't begin negatively at all, no in fact she had called to discuss the Spring Fling and using that money towards the purchase of the new choir robes. But when one or both persons in the conversation find themselves to be dis-gruntled, dis-content, dis-appointed, and dis-satisfied well all those "dis"'s just naturally make it into the dis-cussion. For all intent and purpose the two of us spent maybe five minutes on the Spring Fling and 55 minutes on the "dis"'s of the "new" minister - to the point of singing the praises of the former minister (and those of you who have read ANY of my blogs here or on myspace KNOW the difficulties we had with him!).

It seems that we are falling into a rut. This "new" minister seems ever so negative, dwelling in the past, and unable to utilize the lay leadership of the church. The "new" minister gripes and grumbles so horrendously that all we, well I, seem to get from the negative vibes is a sense of foreboding. It seems that at every turn the "new" minister is dis-gruntled, dis-content, dis-appointed, and dis-satisfied. Now that may not be true, but that IS how it seems. Maybe it is all the "dis" vibes from the "new" minister that has both myself and my dear friend being influenced by our own "dis"'s. Hmm ...

At any rate, nothing was solved in our hour long conversation ... we still have the "new" minister and it looks like we'll be stuck with him for another year (unless - unless enough of us from SPRC approach the chair and claim a change of heart and he goes to the District Superintendent and begs for a change ... hmm, that might just work!). 

One of the best aspects of the previous minister was that there was never negativity from the pulpit. Our attendance may have been tanked (which really it wasn't) but there was never a peep of "dis" anything from the pulpit. Our finances might have been worrisome (which I suppose they really were) but we never heard a word of that from the pulpit. No, the previous minister was fantastic at always encouraging and uplifting. We may have had numbers and data kept from us but by golly gee whiz we left there feeling fabulous about ourselves and the state of the church. Now, though, it seems every Sunday we leave (well I leave) trudging out of the sanctuary, feeling duly reprimanded for NOT doing my part to help grow attendance, to help offset our ever growing debtedness, to "make disciples for Christ" (as if I even know what "make disciples" means). I HATE feeling as if I'm not doing enough when in fact I do MORE than enough. Just because I don't "invite" neighbors, friends, or family or whatever to come to my church. Hey, witness and evangelism are NOT my gifts. Leave that to those who are gifted at that. My gifts are faith, generosity, hospitality and administration. Let me do my gifts because I can do those extremely well. Quit harping on me each and every Sunday to "invite". I'm getting so tired of hearing "invite", "invite", "invite" each and every Sunday from both the pulpit and the children's message. 

Ok, off my soap box, end of rant. Just wanted to air (yet again because I already did to both myTed and myBff!

Election Day 2012

So I am standing in line at the polls, a ridiculously long line btw, with myShelby when Destiny walks up to us. She has come with her grandparents and cousin to the precinct. She stated that her government class held a mock election and of course Obama won. She thought it crazy that the class, 97% black, would hold mock elections because she, of course, knew the outcome would be Obama overwhelmingly. "We are a majority black school after all", was her statement. I thought that sad quite honestly. Was she saying that she and other black children at Hampton High School were voting for Obama simply because he was black? Or was she implying that the black population is overwhelmingly Democratic?

I would like to believe that the government class focused on the issues, highlighted the campaign proposals and promises of each candidate, discussed the pros and cons of the "ifs" ("if" Obama is re-elected ... or "if" Romney wins the presidency ...), and then made informed election votes. And maybe they did, she didn't go into any further detail and I, surrounded by a population of 94% black in line at the precinct, was not brave enough to question this mock election and point out such basic points of the election process as informed decision. I simply assumed that there is a "the government needs to care for me" mentality that the black population has that leads them to vote democratic. I pray that I am wrong.

I should have prayed for discernment from God prior to taking pen to ballot, but I didn't. My thoughts turned to the many United Methodist Women Priorities, how each party would or wouldn't support those 11 priorities. I believe my bent is shifting to a more liberal stance, but not so far liberal as to believe that the rich must pay for benefits the poor receive. We should eliminate poverty, I agree, but not by making the rich exclusively pay. There are no easy answers. The wealthy subscribe to many altruistic deeds and support many charities. The wealthy tithe to their churches. The wealthy do give, and some give until it hurts. But that hasn't eliminated poverty. Poverty can only be eliminated systematically. The government itself needs to stop applying bandages, needs to stop simply giving just to give, just because it can. Charity solves nothing. Justice fixes the problem. The government needs to get to the root issues of the problem and seek a cure to the cause, fix the brokenness.

Ok, off my soap box. Sorry.

Mysticsm

No creature has meaning
     without the Word of God.
God’s Word is in all creation, visible and invisible.

The Word is living, being,
     spirit, all verdant
          all creativity.
This Word flashes out in
     every creature.

This is how the spirit is in
     the flesh – the Word is indivisible from God.

"God's Word Is In All Creation" by Hildegard of Bingen

And God said to the soul:
     I desired you before the world began.
     I desire you now
          As you desire me.
     And where the desires of two come together
          There love is perfected.

Beguine Spirituality: Mystical Writings of Mechthild of Magdeburg

Just an update

I'm not going to continue with the Slice Of Life posts on this blog any longer - it is a redundancy that I just don't have time for. If you want to read the Slice Of Life: A Daily Story then please visit this link.

Thanks for understanding.

Slice Of Life: A Daily Story

Day 12
Tuesday, July 3rd
based on the latest adventures of McCoy, my mother-in-law's new puppy.

That Darn Dog

Well, he did it again. That darn dog. Returned home after being away for only four hours and he’s gone an’ chewed up the bottom of the couch, done pulled out near all the stuffin’ as well. That darn dog. So I took him by the neck and drug him to the couch and paddled his b’hind but good and then tossed him on outside. That darn dog. Stuffed the white billowy stuffin’ right on back inside the dern ole’  couch and then I commenced sewin’ on it when I heard the gosh awfullest yowlin’ comin’ from the back yard. That darn dog.

He weren’t neven supposed ta be my dog in the first place. He was fine an’ happy livin’ over there Texas way. When I first got the phone call that my son’s dog done gone an’ had a litter of pups I was a listenin’ and talkin’ with joy over their good will. Then he asked would I want one? Well heck no, I done got mah Teddy here and them two cats. What would I want with’n another pup? But then my daughter what lives up the road from me called me up an’ said ‘Ma, Riley sure would like ta have a pup. Course Matt won’t hear nothin’ of us havin’ a dog. Can you bring one o’them pups back wit’ ya and keep him at yer house ‘til we gets Matt talked into havin’ him?’ Well I’ma sucker fer mah gran’children. I called mah son over there in Texas and told him to pick out a pup fer me and I’d fly over there an’ get him when I come ta visit my newest great-gran’babe. I was assured that this here pup would stay small and while he was a feisty thing he was workin’ hard on his trainin’. I shoulda listened to my other daughter-in-law what told me ‘No, ma, ya don’ need a nother dog!’ As I said, I’ma sucker fer mah gran’children.

So I get this here pup home; he’s little as can be, an’ pretty calm little thing right at first. Didn’ do much other than sleep and eat and sleep and pee and eat and poop. ‘Course that was right there in mah livin’ room on the carpet that he’d done did all that. That darn dog. But then when he got himself acclimated to mah house he became all feisty and began a chewin’ up on everythin’ he could wrap his mouth around. Why he even devoured mah good house slippers. That darn dog.  An’ he eats faster’n a rocket ship. I gots ta keep him distracted so poor ole’ Teddy cans finish up his meal. Them cats isn’t none too happy ta have the pup in the house. He gets ta barkin’ at ‘em and they gets ta hissin’ at him. He’s had his nose swiped at quite a time or two which  I can sure tell ya true ta that one. Once though, he lit in ta Isis, the older of the two cats, and I thought he was goin’ tear her head off. I yanked him hard ‘til he choked and coughed fer a good twenty minutes or so after that one. That darn dog.

An’ a course mah daughter’s husband, Matt, won’t have nothin’ ta do with the pup so here he still is at mah house. I’ma guessin’ he’s mah dog now. He aren’t so little no more, he’s a growin’ every single day and he now towers over mah Teddy. Mah Teddy comes up about half a calf high on my leg but the pup, well he’s up ta mah knee already, an’ he’s only five months old. So much fer bein’ small. That darn pup. He aren’t nothin’ what my son said he’d be. He aren’t small, he aren’t house broke, and he aren’t trained niether, no sir not one little bit. I’d take him back ta Texas ‘cept fer the cost to fly him out there. Oh an’ the dumb pup has kinda grown on me. Yep. That darn dog. 

Slice Of Life: A Daily Story

Day 11

Monday, July 2nd

The Line

The line was rather long, the one of the three that we stood in that is. We were in the second line, the one in the middle of the hall, admissions. The first line was counseling. The third was financial assistance. There were like ten folks in our line ahead of us, five behind. Counseling had none when we arrived but now there about five. Financial assistance, well that line was like way the longest line ever. So glad we didn’t havta stand in that line. Our ‘rents were very well off. Unfortunately that meant we qualified for no financial assistance. Fortunately it kept us outta that ridiculously long and time consuming line. Yay for being economically healthy, boo for not being eligible for any state or government assistance of any kind. We aren’t an ethnic minority, we don’t fall below the middle class economic line, and we are residents of the state and country citizens. Ah well.

A girl approaches the line, leans in to like speak with another girl that is standing in our line like four people ahead of us. “I know her”, my sister whispers to me. “Really, from where” I ask her, not really whispering ‘cuz I really don’t care who overhears us. “We were in middle school together.” I look carefully at the girl. Well, she is like vaguely familiar but doesn’t stand out in my recollection. She should though since my sister and I are twins and attended the same schools together since like pre-kindergarten classes at Miss Bonnie’s St. Mary’s Star of the Sea School three year old class. But nope, this girl triggers no memory in my brain. “She went to CN High,” she continues whispering. Curtis Normell High School, not exactly our rival school academically but pretty much our competitor in the Arts departments. “How’d ja know that?” I still don’t whisper and slightly elevate my volume hoping the girl like overhears us. “She looks like a CN.” I look intensely at my own face looking back humorously at me and laugh out loud. The folks ahead of us in line turn and give us a scowl. We stifle our laughter to a chuckle. “Are you ready for this,” I ask my sister. She nods her head with a big bright smile. “Of course you are”, I reply. “You thrive in any environment!” She looks at me and the corners of her lips turn up slightly. “That’s only ‘cuz I am a whole two and half minutes older than you.”  I smile back. “Yah, like that’s it.”

After twenty minutes of line standing a lady approaches the person who is now first in line. We’ve moved up to third in line. We hear her asking the young lady what she needs to have done but we don’t hear the girl’s reply. The lady tells her that she is in the correct line and moves onto the man in line directly in front of us. He’s older, by quite a bit; at least his gray hair implies that he’s quite a bit older. She asks why he’s in line. He responds but really I don’t listen to what he says…something about re-enrolling in the school, at least that’s what I think he says. Then she approaches the two of us and looks directly at my sister and asks “Why are you here?” “Registering,” my sister responds. “Have you already applied for admission?” “Yes we have…” “But we’re not sure what to do next” I interrupt. “Have you taken the placement tests?” She is still looking at my sister. My sister and I look at each other. “Uh, no,” I say. “Well, you should go up the hall to room 122 to take the placement tests and then go to room 132 for the orientation class which you must take before going to counseling.” We look at each other again. The woman looks at the line which we are now like second in. “But,” she continues, still looking at my sister, “since you are so close to the front of this line just stay here.”  “Oh, ok,” we say in unison. The girl behind us snickers. “Seriously,” I say to my sister. “Am I invisible?” The line all around us chuckles softly.

The man before us in line is called into the room. We stand at the open doorway. I try not to peer in, trying to respect the privacy of the two already in the room but I’m curious and can’t help myself. I lean in. There are actually four ‘cubbies’, two are dark and empty. There are two open windows that are occupied. I can hear the man speaking to the woman behind the admissions window number two fumbling with the answer to the woman’s question. The question seemed simple enough. “When did you graduate?” But he seriously seemed unable to answer the question. She remained patient and offered, “Last spring?” “Yes,” he replied. “Do you still have your student I.D.?” “No,” he said. “Do you have any I.D. on you?” He pulls something out of his wallet. She begins to say something to him but I can’t hear the conversation any longer because my shirt is being forcefully pulled upon by my sister. “Stop that.” She looks at me a tad bit annoyed. “What,” I say. “I was just curious.” “Curiosity kills the cat,” she recites. “But,” I mimic the sing song style, “satisfaction brought him back.” She laughs at me. The girl behind us in line chuckles again. After another minute or two the man walks out the door and we hear “Next in line.” 

“Wow, thirty-three minutes. Is that like some kind of line record or what?” The girl behind us as well as the two men and the mother/daughter duo behind them all laugh out loud. I smile broadly and follow my sister into the room.

Slice Of Life: A Daily Story

Day 10
Sunday, July 1st


Bond

Lost mother.
If found, tell her of her daughter.
She mostly forgets.