Waiting for News from the Doctor

And waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

And also busy.

Vocal Ministry: The Inexperienced versus Experienced Divide

At my Monthly Meeting, a Faith and Practice from Baltimore Yearly Meeting is regularly read before worship. "The experienced speaker should be careful not to speak too often, or at undo length." Curiously, no mention of an inexperienced speaker is mentioned at all. As constructed, or at least presented in isolation from other qualifying statements, the sentence implies that only experienced messages or messengers have enough worth to even need ground rules. Inexperienced messages must be absolutely ghastly, following that line of logic.

The most current Faith and Practice from BYM that I can find modifies this sentence somewhat within the framing of a larger statement.

Counsel and support those who are led to speak out of the silence in meetings for worship. Inexperienced speakers especially may need to be encouraged and advised. Those who are inclined to speak unacceptably, at undue length, too often, or too soon after another speaker, may need prompt and loving counseling.

This draws something of a contrast between the two, though I think my reservations are with word choice more than anything else. On a brief Google search, I could not find similar language inside the Faith and Practice (or related documents) of four other Yearly Meetings. If other Friends know more about this matter than I do, I will certainly welcome the insight. In the meantime, it is interesting to observe that others seem as though they've quite deftly side-stepped the matter altogether. Knowing what I do about Quaker process, I would not be surprised if this issue was contentious enough that it was left deliberately open-ended.

To me, it's more feasible to see a sharp distinction between inexperienced speakers and speakers who break the unwritten codes of unprogrammed worship. I have known many experienced speakers, if years of attendance are any adequate measure, who have been known to speak unacceptably, at undo length, too often, or too soon after another Friend's vocal ministry. I've also heard speakers who are diamonds in the rough, whose message might need a layer of polish or two, but who spread pearls of wisdom from the moment they stand up until the moment they sit down.

We all start somewhere, and in an ideal world, Elders would recognize Friends of great promise, and, with Christian love, encourage their growth and development. Elder has a strongly negative association to it as well, which is another post for another time, but if it were seen here as synonymous for "mentor", I think worship would be all the richer for it. What I am speaking about, in my experience, is a process of inward growth, present no matter where we begin. After all, had you mentioned to me ten years ago, long before I became Convinced, that I would regularly share messages during First Hour, I would not have believed you.



In any case, this extended section in Faith and Practice explains how to correctly manage vocal ministry during worship, but it still does not really speak to the quality and the suitability of individual messages. Making summary judgments regarding one person's communication with God requires a surgeon's precision. As Friends, I recognize that we shy away from rankings in any fashion, for any reason, but we might consider using more specific word choices to distinguish between that which is acceptable, but unrealized, and that which is unacceptable under any circumstances. In a context outside of Quakerdom, inexperienced does have a solidly negative connotation assigned to it quite often, but I've always perceived of it in terms of a work in progress or mere Juvenilia.

Even though some speakers clearly are granted God-given abilities, even the gifted must nonetheless begin somewhere. Some believe that vocal ministry is a Divine blessing granted to a very few and some believe it is granted to everyone. We may all be equal in the eyes of God and have the floor if we so choose, provided we feel a leaning, but most Meetings I have observed contain ministers who regularly speak from the silence, week in and week out. In my own Meeting, I am quite thankful to be one of them.

It may be making too much out of one simple sentence to register such extended reservations, but the subject has bothered me long enough that I've chosen to write about it today. I myself was once an inexperienced speaker at Meeting, but by this I don't mean I was disruptive, long-winded, wholly without Quaker etiquette, or not Spirit-led in what I said. Was I naïve and at times precious in what I said? Yes. But like many other things in life, prayer, experience, wisdom, and study have made my ministry stronger and more concise. I had the great fortune to become a Friend in a small, tight-knit meeting whereby sharing in worship was closer to speaking in the company of a loving few.

Unlike my next stop on the road, I was not speaking in a sometimes imposing worship space, where unwritten, unadvertised codes governed those who stood and started talking. Had I not begun where I did, I wonder if I would have had the confidence and assurance that what I said was experienced or moving actively towards it, rather than inexperienced and inadequate. And even then, I still fall short from time to time, though I tell myself that I am not engaged in a competition with myself, anyone else, or with God himself.

Crucial topics like these need more exposure, if we are to properly nurture each other. Anyone who shares at Meeting for the proper reasons enhances worship for all who are gathered. This is a great responsibility. As we rise, we speak for God, setting aside every ounce of ourselves besides that which actively communes with the Holy Spirit. I myself know the power of weighty ministry and how it perceptibly deepens the experience of everyone present. One can feel it spiritually and observe it in the body language of others. It is in eager expectation of such things that I return, week in and week out. Though we may be called to live every day like First Day, most of us only formally worship then. As much as it should be no more or no less special than any other day of the week, it is and always will be.

Quote of the Week

"Fish and visitors stink after three days."- Benjamin Franklin

Saturday Video

On The Occassion of This Iron Bowl

I figured I would break with tradition and violate one of my blog rules: thou shalt not post about sports. Being an Alabama native, today is the huge college football game between the University of Alabama and Auburn University. Huge is probably not sufficient enough an adjective to describe the enormity of the game within the state itself, but it will have to do for now. I am, of course, supporting Alabama. The reason it is known as the Iron Bowl is that for decades the rivalry was played in Birmingham, which until the 1970's was a steel and iron manufacturing center to rival Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The mills may have long since gone overseas, like those in every other region of the country, but the name remains.

In its Birmingham days, the game was played at a supposedly neutral field, Legion Field, wherein the tickets were split equally, 50/50, between fans of both schools. This provided an unique atmosphere, but since Legion Field was where Alabama played most of its major home games, there were always detractors who argued for a more traditional home versus home setting. Legion Field seated more than the on-campus stadiums of both universities for years, but with increased capacity at both Alabama and Auburn, the game moved and is no longer played in Birmingham.

If you've read this far, you now know something of the history. Posted below, for those curious, is probably the best way to explain the game visually. I grew up in the middle of all of this intensity and drama and for outsiders, as well as the curious, this may be the best introduction. I only wish I could have found an video illustration filmed at the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, which is where today's contest will be held. This filmed segment shows an Iron Bowl held in Auburn.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posting here will be sporadic until Monday. Have a wonderful day.

Oh, remember this? Mama Palin will do the same to America.

Travel Day

Over the river and through the woods.

A video is in order.

I Don't Know Why You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello

This is a shorter version. I left off one verse deliberately.



You say yes, I say no
You say stop,
and I say go, go, go
Oh no

You say goodbye and
and I say hello, hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye,

I say hello, hello, hello
I don't know why
you say goodbye, I say hello

I say high, you say low
You say why and I say I don't know
Oh no

You say goodbye and
I say hello, hello, hello

I don't know why you say goodbye,
I say hello, hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello

Why, why, why, why, why, why, do you
Say goodbye, goodbye, bye, bye?
Oh no

You say goodbye and I say
hello, hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye,
I say hello, hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye,
I say hello

You say goodbye and
I say hello, hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello, hello, hello

I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello, hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello, hello, hello

Heyla, heyla, Aloha
Heyla, heyla, Aloha
Heyla, heyla, Aloha

Reformers Should Expect the Unexpected

So many of our causes, passions, and movements could be characterized in terms of David versus Goliath, requiring superhuman strength to set right. At the outset, the odds are stacked against us. Business corruption must not be allowed to metastasize, lest the country be utterly eviscerated by it. Environmental pollutants must not destroy our fragile ecosystem. The military must have its spending curtailed in order to prevent massive waste and a swelling national debt, a belief held even by those who do not object to the very existence of a military. The prison-industrial complex must not be allowed to grow ever larger, while it incarcerates men of color at rapidly growing rates. It’s easy to get burned out, knowing the vast size and sweep of these problems, and easier still to believe that no amount of effort expended for any length of time will make one iota’s worth of difference either way.

One hundred fifty years ago, the Progressive cause célèbre was temperance. The knowledge of the destructive power of alcohol abuse led many to believe that nothing less than the manufacture, transport, and sale of intoxicating spirits in any form must be made illegal. Essentially a religious movement, there was present within it a desire to reform government by busting up liquor monopolies, saloons, and the political power present within them. This compulsion existed alongside a moral imperative to end the cycle of poverty as well as spousal and child abuse caused by alcoholism. Quakers as well as men and women of many other faiths played a major role in the temperance movement. The “drys”, as they were known, were pietistic Protestants who believed that it was the government’s job to regulate morality. In the United States, temperance’s ultimate goal was achieved with the passage of the 18th Amendment and the enactment of Prohibition.

Then, as now, there were people who relied on junk science and propaganda to advance the cause, and there were groups who advanced well-meaning, sensible views that pressed for legislation to cure a major societal problem. Some believed they were doing God’s will and others insisted that they were making life easier for their fellow person. The Anti-Saloon League used high pressure, coercive methods to force the hand of politicians, and was a formidable, well-run organization. Alcohol problems had been present for centuries, but the conceit of the first Progressives was that in destroying political power in crucial spaces, society could solve problems that had confounded others for centuries. These crusaders can hardly be faulted for their efforts. They were often acting on information we now know to be factually incorrect, aiming at the wrong method of solving a problem. Their focus was, in effect, far too narrow. Regardless of what they believed, there is often no “one best system” or “one best solution”, particularly for reforms as intensely complicated as this one.

Prohibition ultimately failed, of course, but it can still be seen as a noble experiment. The first commercially viable root beer was brewed by Philadelphia pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires and the first widely distributed milk chocolate came by way of Cadbury’s in the UK and Hershey's in the USA. These were efforts by Friends to develop alternatives to alcohol consumption. They were not successes if one considers their original purpose alone, but those who love a particular soft drink or grew up enjoying a distinct and delicious confectionery treat on Easter morning could hardly say that these were useless efforts. And, though I hasten to use this example, based on my dislike of war, the bagpipe made its way to Scotland only after the Crusades. What could be more distinctly Scottish a musical instrument than that?

It’s easy to see our causes and their products as absolute--good versus evil, moral versus immoral, guilty versus not guilty, right versus wrong. But life often isn’t that simple. An attitude that restricts itself to one particular, desired outcome without entertaining the possibility of the unexpected and the ironic often lands far short of the mark. Serendipity is sometimes responsible for great innovation, rather than a well-designed plan. Uncertainty, unpredictability, and sometimes chaos ought to be taken stock of and not feared. Without the space program, a major success by any estimation, a number of spin-offs would not have been developed for commercial usage. The microwave oven is the first to come to mind, but there are others. The lines between triumph and disaster are frequently blurry. Human progress is a messy affair more often than we might wish to contemplate.

Quote of the Week

"A good friend will always stab you in the front."- Oscar Wilde (of course).

Saturday Video

Untogether

I was friendly with this girl
who insisted on touching my face.

She told outrageous stories, I believed them
‘till the endings were changing
from endings before

She's not touching me anymore.

Untogether, I couldn't help her,
I got hard.
You can try your life.
You can’t save the unsavory untogether.

I was shipwrecked with this frog
who was endlessly testing my faith.

He made outrageous demands
I ignored him,
till I strapped on my boat feet
and surfed into shore.

He's not touching me anymore.

Untogether, I couldn't help him,
I got hard.
You can try your life.
You can’t change the unchangeably untogether.

Now the bird nest on my back
keeps me turning and straining to see.
We threw outrageous parties, we were golden
Now the bird keeps its distance and I keep my speed.

Sometimes there's no poison like a dream.

Untogether, I couldn't help it,
I got hard.
You can dry your eyes.
You can't hold the impossibly untogether.

State of the Kevin

Today, at long last, is my MRI. I've been instructed to not eat or drink anything two hours before, to show up an hour early, and to be prepared to be injected with dye so that certain areas of my brain will be highlighted by the scan.

Good thoughts, prayers, well-wishes, and the like are appreciated.

If There is a Next Time, If There is a Next Time

I hadn't used the multi-track recorder in a while, so I decided to opt for it today rather than make a YouTube video as is ordinarily the case for me.

Posted below is the oldest song I still actively play. Most of my first songwriting efforts were long ago retired. This is due in large part to the pain of being reminded how I was in an earlier time. From the vantage point of seven or eight years, my early twenties could not be farther removed. The lyrical subject is simple enough. It's a retelling of an on-again, off-again, relationship I had with a woman I dated for several years. Though we had our disagreements we still stay in touch fairly regularly. Interestingly enough, she finds the songwriting inspiration flattering, no matter how sarcastic the lyrics might be, and has even referred to them affectionately during conversation.

I've kept playing the song even now because the melody is catchy and the lyrics are simple enough that I can subtly modify them if I am feeling bored. At its core, the song is a sort of country rock swing, which lends itself well to shifts in tempo. This version, in particular, is played a bit slower than originally written and has evolved considerably over time.

If Sarah Palin Did Not Exist, It Would Be Necessary to Invent Her

The celebrity gossip website TMZ has published an immature tirade/flame war of two of Sarah Palin's daughters, Willow and Bristol. In it, both Palin daughters use profanity and Willow, aged 14, uses a homophobic slur. This exchange, carried on over Facebook, was in response to a poster's criticism of their mother's new TLC show. The whole story would be little more than the softest of soft news, that is unless their mother had not set herself up to be the leader of the party which claims sole rights over morality. There is a certain gotcha, gutter quality to this story, but it also fits well within the canon of what we already know about their mother.

Before I go any further, let me say that criticizing a person's children to attack a parent is always a dicey proposition. There were times in my life, about that age, when I would not have been a particularly good reflection upon my mother and father. Still, I am fairly certain that even then I wasn't quite that crass or that willing to engage in such a profane, petty argument. Though I was raised in a house with two skeptical believers as parents, my mother in particular would have been horrified had she discovered that I had participated in such a thing. There was family honor to uphold and a good name to keep clean. Much shame was on those who besmirched them, regardless of the reason or the context. Had I transgressed, I can well imagine the kind of intense, high volume lecture I would have received as well as the punishment.

What is particularly revealing about this whole thing is that it further contradicts swaths of the Palin spin. Mama Palin has portrayed herself as a God-fearing Christian, but the behavior of her children has contradicted it once again. We all sin against God and other people, but there's something also present called contrition that goes along with repentance, which is the act of being truly sorry for making mistakes while seeking to correct them. I have not seen this within the Palin brood. In this specific circumstance, it may be possible to make an argument that takes into account the Palin children without resorting to unfair character attacks.

Children rebel, as I and my own sisters certainly did. Still, I do believe that parents ought to teach their children basic morality, and if they are church-going sorts, have the church of their choice reinforce this and hold them to it. Integrity and civil discourse may not be in vogue these days, but that doesn't mean we have to heave them upon the proverbial scrap heap or play a particularly self-serving part without so much as a shred of conviction.

Where I grew up in Alabama, Southern Baptist, Conservative Presbyterian, and non-denominational Evangelicals were in great supply. The very conservative religious kids I knew would have been too scared of divine punishment (if not an eternity spent in Hell) to utter even the mildest of profanity or to be this hateful. At times, I have to say, they resembled robots more than people, since they were trying to be completely perfect in every way. Salvation by works was, to them, often more influential a compass than salvation through grace. God provided a de facto list of do's and don'ts and in keeping with their particular belief, they followed it to the letter. None of this is a criticism so much as it is an explanation.

To show you how far we have shifted towards a Post-Christian society, Tea Party factions have tended to focus more on conservative ideas of governance and much less on traditional social conservatism. Recent articles in the media have focused on these two potentially massive ideological fissures within the movement. Religion, even among self-professed Republicans, is increasingly less and less important to the debate. Democrats, more secular in general, have long made awkward overtures towards religious voters and today's GOP has acted in kind. Sarah Palin's faith may then be a marriage of convenience, as it is for so many politicians. Charges of hypocrisy, however, tend to stick more to Republicans than Democrats. The politician discovered to have an affair is more heavily scrutinized if he or she leans to the Right. This is also true for the one with the potty mouthed middle schooler.

What I am convinced of, having read several in-depth profiles of the former Alaska governor, is that she has long been promoting her own star rather than focusing attention on her children. I am not about to make any kind of sweeping pronouncement here, or to make unfounded criticisms without knowledge of the facts, except to note that her children have often come across as just as mean-spirited and cruel as their mother. Not always, but often, our progeny reflect who we are. Many a behavior problem child is a reflection of an unstable home life, for example. Knowing as we do how crucial parental guidance and teaching is, I'm not very surprised that an Eighth grader has dropped homophobic smears and swears in a very public forums.

If anyone believes the Palin spin, they do so at their own peril. The tragedy in all of this is how desperate certain people are to have a champion, so much so that they are quite willing to overlook cognitive dissonance. A long standing persecution complex is out in force here, along with a fortress mentality. Some Christians believe that they are soon going to be as feared and hated just as Jesus himself was, so they live their lives preparing for the final assault. It is this attitude which leads people to lift up figures like Sarah Palin, excusing almost every untruth and blemish along the way. Irrational it may be, but when people feel genuinely under assault, they do not always make rational decisions.

One thing is for certain. She will be around for a while. A figure like Sarah Palin serves a need for both her followers and her detractors. Much as Voltaire famously said about God, if Sarah Palin did not exist, it would be necessary for someone to invent her. Her narcissism may not provide the ability for her to perceive the parasitic relationship she holds with many people, but she can certainly recognize that she is media catnip. Expect subsequent tawdry revelations about her family, but for God's sake, don't pity her. She wouldn't know what to do with it.

All Apologies

Ordinarily, there would be something posted here today. However, I am feeling far too weak to manage it.

Something will be up tomorrow.

There Is No Righteousness in Your Darkest Hour

A year or so ago I wrote a post that referenced the Sleater-Kinney song “Sympathy”. I return to it here for a slightly different reason. Its poignant, profound lyrics are written from the perspective of a mother whose newborn son’s survival hangs in the balance. In her desperation and fear, she calls out to God.

I know I come to you only when in need
I’m not the best believer, not the most deserving
but all I have, all I am, all I can…for him
I’d beg you on bended knees for him

As I contemplate the subject matter (and the band), I can't help but think about my Feminist comrade Jessica Valenti. Having recently married, she and her husband then decided to have a child. What would have ordinarily been a joyous occasion became an absolute nightmare when child and mother both nearly perished due to the effects of HELLP Syndrome and pre-eclampsia.

In this regard, the terrified Mother is no different than us. How many times have we acknowledged our weaknesses, desperately seeking solace for ourselves in related situations? How many prayers have we begun in guilt, knowing we are not the believer we know we should be? When all is going well with life, I myself do not always think to give praise to God. Too often I act like a self-centered friend, one only present and connected when dealing with a personal crisis or when I need something for myself. In good or routine days I regularly forget to acknowledge just how indebted I am to a higher power.

Recall the disciple Thomas. His skepticism led him to question whether Christ had really risen from the dead, until requesting to feel for himself the marks of the nails that held Jesus to the cross and the wound at the Lord's side, a place where a Roman soldier had pierced it with a spear. Thomas acknowledged the truth at long last, but only when granted irrefutable proof.

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

These words often pertain to each of us. God doesn’t judge us for doubting, but it should be noted that doubt ought to be a temporary state of being. If doubt leads to faithful belief, as was true with Thomas, then it has served its purpose well. It would be even better, Jesus notes, if our faith was so strong that we wouldn’t have to put it to the test in order to prove its strength and veracity. If doubt lingers and is never resolved, however, then it is detrimental to us. That is a different matter altogether.

I cite these passages, in part, because I have been suffering from ill health for the past six months. One illness has followed another, and I have not been able to stay healthy for very long. Three weeks ago, I visited my GP to have treated what I assumed was a severe sinus infection. Bloodwork performed during the appointment revealed that my testosterone level was very low, which is quite rare for someone as young as I am. Subsequent tests revealed that the pituitary gland, and possibly the hypothalamus was at fault for not signaling the testes to make an adequate amount of testosterone. So in addition to being placed on testosterone, an MRI has been scheduled on Friday to see if a pituitary tumor is the cause of the problem.

If the worst case scenario proves true, I am in no danger of losing my life. What is more likely is that I will need to undergo a lengthy period of treatment with lots of tests and frequent visits to a specialist, likely an endocrinologist. Months of discomfort may be ahead of me and I have to say that the prospect utterly terrifies me. I am frightened because I do not know. When I know for sure, my worries will decrease to a manageable level. I, too, have been the desperate mother myself recently, bargaining with God, praying frequently for a positive outcome. And as I have done so, I’ve acknowledged my limitations and my flaws. I suppose a dose of humility is a good thing now and again.

To return to the song with which I began this post,

when the moment strikes
it takes you by surprise and
leaves you naked in the face of death and life

there is no righteousness in your darkest moment
we’re all equal in the face of
what we’re most afraid of

When we are broken and tender, it is true that we can know God in ways not possible before. But as the lyrics insist, our behavior in the worst moment of anxiety and panic may not always be justified or beyond reproach, either. Ironically, the song implies that we often only reach equality in a profound state of overwhelming crisis. Right now, we are all equal in the face of what we're most afraid of, and most of the time, that is the unknown. Economic theories promise no concrete solutions. Politicians promise remedies no one knows for sure will work. Job growth is largely stagnant. The world is changing, but not in the way anyone would have ever guessed not all that long ago.

I would not deign to know a solution if I could, but I can provide what works for me. In my opinion, comfort and resolution depends then on how we listen for divine guidance even when feeling so raw and off-kilter. For example, it has been quite difficult for me to not let my emotions overtake my ability to manage my daily obligations, again, mainly because of that which I do not know. When I know more about the cause and the treatment of my condition, I will worry less, but in the meantime I have challenged myself to listen to God’s wisdom, even if it does not promise the specific answers I crave. The process of waiting is my greatest adversary right now. So I pray that I might be granted strength from now until however long this illness persists. Belief is good, after all, but I know I would be more blessed if I believed without seeing.

Quote of the Week, Redux

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."

Quote of the Week

"Don't be humble. You aren't that great."- Golda Meir

Saturday Video

A Feminist Creation Story

Author's Note:

This is a loving parody, not to be taken too seriously. I myself identify as Feminist, but I wanted to try my hand at satire. It is Friday, after all. Apologies are due to God, Moses, or whomever compiled the original text of Genesis.

____________

In the beginning, God had a good idea. This idea was brought to life specifically so that all might be more equal and that basic prejudices might be illuminated by light. But at first the idea was formless and empty, full of darkness, though the spirit of good intentions hovered over the proceedings.

And God said, "Let there be Feminism," and there was Feminism. She saw that it was good and thus she divided the light from the dark. People called the light "progressive" and the dark "delusional". And then there was the first argument.

God said, "Let there be a means to separate progressive ideas from delusional ones." So she did that very thing. People called this this divide "Heaven", and in Heaven, terms like cisgender and Kierarchy were used with great abundance.

Feminists also called this divide "ideological conflict" and "generational differences." In response, they encouraged more growth and spread of ideas, hoping both would spout from the seeds that they had planted. And that is exactly what happened, eventually.

God made two great lights. One of them wisely governed the others, and one of them actively participated in panel discussions. Feminists put them into the sky so all could see them and take guidance from their existence. And God noted that it was good, because panel discussions are good and pleasing to her.

And then God said, "Let there be women's studies programs," and these were swiftly created. These, too, were encouraged to be fruitful and multiply. "Let us make gender studies classes in our own image," she added. And God saw that those, too, were good.

God said, "I grant to you the power to teach informed consent and speak openly against transphobic attitudes".

On the seventh day, she rested, though this didn't stop her from working on the manuscript of her latest book and/or column.

Years earlier, God had formed from the dust of the ground a living being, though it was neither male, nor female, because she had yet to create a gender binary. God created a garden for her creation to live, which she called Berkeley. And in Berkeley, she made all kinds of plants and food sources grow, by environmentally sustainable methods, including the tree of the knowledge of good and bad activism.

God said, "You are free to eat from the fruit of any tree, except for that of the tree of the knowledge of good and bad activism, for if you eat of it, you will surely die."

She continued, "You do not need to be alone, so I will create a helper for you." The living being tried to name precisely what it was he/she was looking for in particular, but could not.

So God made him/her fall into a deep sleep, at which point, a rib was removed. A new being was formed, one just as androgynous. This pleased him/her considerably. And being that both were naked and at Berkeley, they felt no shame.

But a serpent decided to tempt this new couple, telling one of them that there was no real harm in eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad activism. Doubt thus being placed in the minds of one, he/she took the fruit of the tree and gave it to his/her partner.

The instant both of them ate from the forbidden tree, they quickly recognized that they were naked, and joined one of the fifty protest rallies currently being held to express outrage at police persecution of consensual nudism.

They hid from God, until she made herself plainly visible in front of them. In shame, they were forced to leave Berkeley, and live a life of hardship and great toil.

Amen.

In Response to Veterans Day

This traditional gospel song seemed a fitting response for the holiday. Until 1954, this day was known as Armistice Day, which commemorated the end of World War I. While I am a pacifist, I am also someone who would have us commemorate the cessation of hostilities that we might reflect upon the brutality of combat, rather than justify its continued existence. Bravery in the face of death shows the persistence of courage and unselfishness, but I long for a time where it will be needless.

War does not only negatively impact the soldier on the ground. One needs only examine a genocide to know that. The concept of Total War as realized in the 20th Century drew no distinction between combatant and civilian and we are still processing the consequences. Regarding today, specifically, it was ninety-two years ago that a cease-fire between two warring powers was signed at the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th month. In four terrible years, 16 million people lost their lives and 21 million people were wounded. This figure includes soldiers and civilians.

Sing along, if you know it.



Gonna lay down my sword and shield,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside.

Gonna lay down my sword and shield,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside.

And I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more.
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more.

Gonna put on that long white robe
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside

Gonna put on that long white robe
Down by the riverside
and study war no more

And I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more.
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more.

Gonna put on that starry crown
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside

Gonna put on that starry crown
Down by the riverside
and study war no more

And I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more.
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more.

Gonna walk with the Prince of Peace
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside

I'm gonna walk with the Prince of Peace
Down by the riverside
and study war no more

And I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more.
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more.

The Nicer the Nice, the Higher the Price

I encountered the phrase “humble dependence” in a book I was reading this morning. Though in the context of the text it was meant to refer to a relationship between God and man or woman, I couldn’t help but wonder aloud about our own human dependencies. Are any earthly dependencies, regardless of the context or the situation, truly humble, deferring to superior judgment and guidance? For example, how much of any romantic relationship in which we are a part is not founded on some degree of purely selfish need? I myself know that the fear of being alone has driven me to make decisions based on impulsive short-term need, rather than long-term good sense. Even if we are aware of it, even if we have the therapy bills and scars to prove it, and even our self-awareness is evident to all, is there still not a degree of self-interest involved as we search for others or engage in our own journey?

Beyond romance, dependence has often directed us towards actions that are unhealthy or ill-suited. Certain people give of themselves unconditionally and others give on their own terms only. We quickly learn the difference between the two. What we may not vocalize or intellectualize is how every relationship we cultivate in on our lives is a reflection of our own basic emotional needs, which in some ways could be even seen as an addictive behavior. This is as true for the ambitious politician with sharp elbows as the crusading journalist sent to cover him or her. Both aim to serve the public, but in different ways, though the drive and desire may have notable similarities.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington showcases a romantic, ideal form of the political process. Sweeping, supreme gestures of unconditional, unselfish devotion presented in a healthy form do exist, but we would be foolish to apply this same unquestioned standard to everyone. A successful campaign over, confetti swept from the floor of headquarters, the hard work now begins. At this point, the ideal must be measured against the reality. Gender and a double standard of what constitutes suitable behavior and success are only one manner in which this exists. Many an ethical crisis, to say nothing of ethics investigation has begun with contradictory, paradoxical needs and wants from others. The empty feeling of not having, for whatever purpose, and in whatever form has produced scandal after scandal.

I ask again, in a slightly different form: when do our human dependencies become humble dependencies? Is it a straightforward matter of learning from past mistakes? Is it a sense of spiritual grounding through faith? Is it an an awareness of who we are and what influences us in the greater world? Those three in and of themselves would seem to be deficient in so many people with some degree of power at their disposal. But again, even if we know ourselves well and recognize why we do the things we do, I think there is still a degree of addiction involved on some level. Altruism may be a healthy conduit for some, but false altruism is as disingenuous as false modesty.

Between the governed and those who govern, there need not always be a relationship rooted in one-sided dependency. It is so easy to confuse true selflessness with me-centered attitudes, particularly because these lines so often and so quickly blur. Beyond outward appearance and inward conviction is a vast amount of gray area, making it difficult to discern reality from position statement. It is another great cliche to talk about how power corrupts with time, as this process is often perceived as a kind of moral decay based on immoral behavior. This assumes that any atmosphere in the immediate environment is noxious and toxic. I argue that the seeds present for these sorts of transformation were always there, but the right combination of sun, soil, and water led directly to sprouting.

In this context, I think about a Sly & The Family Stone song called "Somebody's Watching You". The lyrics read, in part,

The nicer the nice, the higher the price/
This is what you pay for what you need

What we see before us then is the paradox of human behavior, both the biological and the social. The price is not only monetary, it is also the toll we pay to rise to the top. Some of us have paid dearly for it. Is this a failing of our society, which produces individuals incapable of working for all, rather than for themselves, or have their always been just as many people with integrity as those with numerous personal demons? And if this is the case, are their struggles and our own issues purely a matter of finding complimentary dependencies, needs, issues, demands, and wants within ourselves and in our outward lives? Dependencies aren’t necessarily always good or always bad, but perhaps the combination of each is the most crucial of crucial factors. That may be the only way in a fallen world to stay humble and yet also, surprisingly, dependent.

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

This speech is probably my favorite one of all time and also a towering influence on my own writing. Even though at its core it justifies war and bloody conflict, the theology grounding it stands much in line with mine. Lincoln's belief that God's purposes are unknowable to humans, in particular, is an idea in line with my own. As we move closer to Veterans' Day, I'm exploring the challenges of living as a pacifist.

___________

Fellow-Countrymen:

AT this second appearing to take the oath of the Presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured.

On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, urgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.

One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease.

Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh."

If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.

Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

So You Want to Get a PhD in the Humanities?

Yes It Is

Sticks and Stones and Words (That Always Hurt Us)

In recent days, I have recognized yet again that some people crave surety and certainty. They believe in, and seem to need a definite answer phrased in absolute terms. Beyond the biological and even theological implications of this system is the reality. Rational sense alone has frequently been disregarded for stubborn need. Thought it may not be our role to pass judgment, lest we be judged in kind, we eagerly take it in any case. When we are not the best stewards of our own perspective, the nastiness of our ideological allegiance reinforces our separation.

By this I do not mean to imply bipartisanship is a possibility or that idealism is always the best option. What wounds me most is what a sport it has become, in certain corners, to beat up on religious expression. This is not a condemnation of atheism or unbelief, either. Nor is this in any way a rousing endorsement of currently trendy right-wing invective. Rather, it is a sad retelling of how a conservative version of faith is assumed instantly by many to be the standard by which all believers must surely ascribe. I see this most prominently in many, regardless of age, but especially so in young adults, particularly teenagers and those in their twenties. Their scorn, snark, and sarcasm is heaped highly upon those who espouse Christian language, perceiving that it most assuredly be found only in one objectionable embodiment alone. We are a reflection of our youth, just as they are surely a reflection of us.

A basic understanding of the Bible would put aside many of these incorrect assumptions. We seem to be stuck in evolutionary neutral in some regards. But when even some Christians don’t truly grasp more than the most literal of interpretations in a book full of paradoxes and problematic passages, then the problem is visible. Even scholars disagree with each other and hold alternative points of view concerning the same well-known story or parable, so believing that one and only one way of looking at the entire massive text could well seem nonsensical. To better qualify my remarks, let me say I'm not necessarily a proponent of going back to “that old time religion.” or automatically assuming that old ways are always better.

Much of the disconnect I’ve described, like so much about life, is a matter of ignorance and poor translation. The nuances and interpretations of Scripture are a fact lost to far too many believers, for reasons great and small alike. We can take pride at having completely disproved many harmful, unfounded beliefs over the centuries, but we cannot be similarly proud of how we have treated those who still cling to them, with or without firearm. We lose the moral high ground altogether when we can’t seem to stop ourselves from getting in a dig or two at who we perceive as deluded or severely misled.

On Thursday, we celebrate Veterans' Day, though those of us who are members of Peace Churches often find it difficult to find the proper balance of reverence for individual sacrifice and sorrow at the destruction of combat. On this day, we once celebrated a cease-fire and end to the first war that showcased the awful impact of mechanized slaughter. It is certainly possible for pacifists to come down too harshly on those who enlist and fight as any who advance it as a solution. What always keeps me grounded is the realization of how many of my relatives and ancestors served in the military. One relative was even decorated for valor. In decrying the system, I must not give short-shift to humanity's ability to overcome and conquer challenges, though I mourn deeply their need to do it in the first place.

Verbal warfare is what bothers me most these days. The after-effects of it cannot be easily seen in ways a physical wound could. We can, and should point to the gaping injustice of a conflict thousands of miles away, but in how we express our opinion, we might all be hawks. Civilized war is still that, and the barely restrained (and sometimes unrestrained) anger which has led people in a thousand impulsive directions the past several months would not seem out of place during a search-and-destroy mission. Even low-grade Civil Wars leave their mark.

Popular unrest, poor decision making by leaders, and economic uncertainty led to many revolutions in the 18th Century. The volatility of reactionary sentiment in our age has created many such backlashes over the centuries. In this instance, Tea Parties responded to Barack Obama and the Democratic majority as though their reforms and what they represented really were as dangerous as those of the radical Jacobins. If they knew their history better, they'd be carrying pictures of the President tricked up to look like Maximilian Robespierre.

These days, when I contemplate the human race, I realize our fragility more than our strength. We are so easily damaged in shipment and the ways we attempt to repair the damage are often as injurious as the initial hurt. In all our cocksure stoicism, we have been too busy fighting verbal battles to take stock of impact of the latest round of bombast. We have not paused to collect our dead and wounded from the field. From a psychological standpoint, we all might well suffer from the after-effects of traumatic stress. Psychologically and physically, we are not as tough or impenetrable as we think we are. Through personal experience, I have learned the hard way that the combined impact of stress on the human body can often be death on the installment plan.

Quote of the Week

“The healthy man does not torture others - generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers.”- Carl Jung

Saturday Video

Ring My Friend

Ring my friend, I said you'd call Doctor Robert
Day or night he'll be there anytime at all
Doctor Robert

Doctor Robert, you're a new and better man
He helps you to understand
He does everything he can, Doctor Robert

If you are down he'll pick you up, Doctor Robert
Take a drink from his special cup, Doctor Robert

Doctor Robert, he's a man you must believe
Helping every one in need
No one can succeed like Doctor Robert

Well, well, well, you're feeling fine
Well, well, well, he'll make you, Doctor Robert

My friend works with the National Health
Doctor Robert
Don't pay money just to see yourself with
Doctor Robert

Doctor Robert, you're a new and better man
He helps you to understand
He does everything he can, Doctor Robert

Well, well, well, you're feeling fine
Well, well, well, he'll make you Doctor Robert
Ring my friend, I said you'd call
Doctor Robert

Meeting Candidate Obama, Three Years Later

I met Barack Obama in September of 2007. Before I go any further, I need to qualify that I wasn't granted much more than a handshake. Still, at the time I remember being quite excited at the prospect. The venue was the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta and as one of several volunteers I was assigned specifically to crowd control. A large gathering of people being correctly corralled and directed into the room where the event would be held, I settled in like everyone else to enjoy the presentation. After a lengthy number of speakers that came before Obama, most notably the R&B singer Usher, the candidate himself finally appeared. Unsurprisingly, he was as good as advertised and I found myself nodding along with every point he made. Oprah had but recently endorsed him, though he was still very much in a distant second place to Hillary Clinton.

Three-quarters of the way through his speech, all volunteers were shuttled over to an adjacent room away from the crowds, so that then-Senator Obama could thank us. Visible in every corner of the room were Secret Service members in matching sunglasses and dark suits. Volunteers were divided into small clusters based on precisely where we called home. Communication issues regarding volunteers were unfortunately present and so as a result I felt quite out of place there, having been told to wear a blue shirt rather than a white one.

Later, as the crowds were filing out, and Candidate Obama had long since departed, I would discover that lodging accommodations had been botched, leaving my group frantically scrambling for a place to sleep that night. Plans for what we had been promised turned out to have never been made in the first place. Instead, I ended up spending the night sleeping on the floor of a campaign coordinator's relative, a last minute arrangement that seemed to have been made out of pity.

This isn't unusual. Many campaigns give short-shift to volunteers, which is unfortunate. To them, we're utterly expendable and since money isn't an issue, we take a low priority. It bothers me quite a lot when an air of self-importance is adopted by any member of a campaign wearing a suit, on payroll, and granted a measure of authority. This is I also saw, albeit at a low level. Remember again that at this relatively early stage of the campaign, Barack Obama was down a good twenty-five to thirty points to someone else, who most assumed would be the eventual Democratic nominee. I've seen this same dynamic at play with other campaigns who are running competitive races but still aren't much more than promising newcomers.

Returning to the event, by the time it came to actually meet the candidate, I have to say I was not in the best of spirits. As a matter of fact, I was quite annoyed from being forced to endure a two-and-a-half hour car trip beforehand with a person whose opinions offended me. I'm sure that I probably scowled at the candidate as I offered my hand. His attitude was surprisingly cool and distant, essentially brushing me off. He ignored my handshake altogether, motioning with his eyes that he would only grant me the request if I bunched in tightly to other people gathered closely together. It seemed a bit robotic, really, which I found more perplexing and odd than upsetting. I did shake his hand, but only grabbed the tip of it as he brushed by, on his way to the next group stationed to the left of mine.

For all I know, he may have felt threatened somehow by me. To this day, I'm not really sure what he was thinking. He may have brushed me off as a kind of purely defensive response. But what I do recall vividly is that my personal opinion of Barack Obama was now at odds with the public face I admired so much. This was further highlighted when there was some confusion about where the Senator was to walk next within the room, whereupon he made a few choice sarcastic remarks directed at his staff.

Of course, all this didn't change my desire to vote for him come the day of the primary, but it did grant some insight into who he was away from the stage and the podium, though at the time I didn't know enough about him to connect the dots.
Certainly we're all inclined to have bad days from time to time, but now, more than three years after the fact, I can't help but think I was getting something of an early clue of Obama's response to situations that are potentially hostile and negative.

After the Mid-Congressional elections, everyone's got a theory or opinion about how such promise and power turned so quickly to disappointment. I'm not writing this to posit my own, nor do I want to pile on and be another voice beating up on the President. Kicking a person when they are down is something I'd just as soon avoid, even for Republicans when it eventually becomes their turn again to reap wholesale scorn. But I would, however, like to question how it is that a person's public persona might be at such odds with his private conduct.

Obama the orator has a way of speaking to a person as though he knows you intimately, which is not always how he appears face to face. This fundamental disconnect, if answered properly, might provide much in the way of valuable insight on all sorts of levels. I'm fairly certain that even the most partisan Obama loyalist might have a story or two to tell along the same lines as mine, albeit one unlikely to surface unless the Administration completely self-destructs or the President fails to win a second term in 2012. There may lie no drama behind the curtain, but an chilly lack of oxygen isn't much better.

Nowhere Man

He's a real Nowhere Man,
Sitting in his nowhere land,
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody.

Doesn't have a point of view,
Knows not where he's going to,
Isn't he a bit like you and me?

Nowhere Man, please listen,
You don't know what you're missing,
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command.

He's as blind as he can be,
Just sees what he wants to see,
Nowhere Man can you see me at all?

Doesn't have a point of view,
Knows not where he's going to,
Isn't he a bit like you and me?

Nowhere Man, don't worry,
Take your time, don't hurry,
Leave it all till somebody else lend you a hand.

He's a real Nowhere Man,
Sitting in his nowhere land,
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody.

Gimme Some Truth

I'm sick and tired of hearing things
From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth

I've had enough of reading things
By neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth

No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of hope
Money for dope
Money for rope

I'm sick to death of seeing things
From tight-lipped, condescending, mama's little chauvinists
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth now

I've had enough of watching scenes
Of schizophrenic, ego-centric, paranoiac, prima donnas
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth

No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of soap
It's money for dope
Money for rope

I'm sick and tired of hearing things
from uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocrites
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now

No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of soap
It's money for dope
Money for rope

I've had enough of reading things
by neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now

Listening for the Greater Good

2010 has been granted the dubious honor as the year of the angry voter. Unfortunately, far too much of that anger has been bolstered by means of a religious appeal. Tea Party members, for example, have been quick to justify what they believe by using pseudo-intellectual, reductionist conceptions of Christianity. A quick survey of signs held aloft at rallies will find many who display pure hatred, then cite a verse of Scripture at the bottom. One sees this also at anti-abortion rallies or those challenging same-sex marriage rights. A God which always agrees with us no matter what the issue or the circumstance is not God at all. Christianity may find more of an audience among conservatives, but the gross distortions of many continue to damage its reputation.

A while back, I was struggling with how it was possible that ordinarily sane, reasonable individuals could willingly and eagerly persecute others for having different beliefs than their own. One person who I asked held a typically sober, diplomatic viewpoint.

"Perhaps," he said, "they just don't know how to listen to God."

To listen to God, one must first know how to listen to oneself. Knowing where me ends and God begins requires much self-awareness. Those who bring guns to town hall forums, question the citizenship of the President, and make all sorts of ridiculous Nazi and/or socialist comparisons are arguably not really listening to anyone's guidance but their own. Prayer and contemplation, themselves forms of helpful introspection, usually help me separate my own inherent biases from divine direction. We all know people who are totally clueless about how they really appear to others, blinded by their own fantasies. Some run for office, some spin for pay, some entertain, and some seek to shock and enrage.

It would seem that a reach back to the Scriptures would be in order. To establish fact from fiction, the subtle ironies require a thorough retelling. Jesus was, as we know, a heavily divisive figure during his time here on Earth. Contributing to the controversy was confusion and debate as to who he really was. Know also that I am not attempting to draw an exact parallel to a current leader in power. Even those who are not Christians can concede that human behavior in similar circumstances tends to follow predictable patterns.

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, "Surely this man is the Prophet we've been expecting." Others said, "He is the Messiah." Still others said, "But he can't be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born."

Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, "Why didn't you bring him in?" "We have never heard anyone speak like this!" the guards responded. "You mean he has deceived you also?" the Pharisees retorted.

In the end, the strife and turmoil built to a ghastly conclusion. While struggling for breath and life that terrible day in Jerusalem, Jesus famously said, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." I doubt seriously most of us could overlook the immediacy of our hurt with the greater good. If we are not listening closely enough, we can be easily twisted and turned in directions based on hysteria and sloppy logic. Though this may be no witch-hunt, or no mob with pitchforks and torches, voters are being driven to lash out by rage and frustration. Spite alone rarely makes for well-reasoned decision-making at the polls. The fact that so many extremist candidates have even made it onto the ballot, win or lose, is troublesome enough.

Among the many screaming "Crucify, Crucify!" that day were those disappointed that the supposed Messiah had not come wielding a sword to end years of Roman occupation. They wanted a war and glorious battle. Instead, some recognized that the Kingdom of God was a spiritual state of being. Some only knew that what they had assumed was not going to be put into place. Others got caught up in the moment, listening instead to the Jewish leadership that had been trying to put an end to the ministry of a powerful and charismatic rival. Mob logic is entrancing, but it is no logic at all. Yet, I also know that there were those who still welcomed the arrival of the Messiah and supported him, no matter how unpopular he might have grown or what he proposed to do. Many of them were so afraid to be seen as a supporter of Jesus that they went underground. And after his death, they unselfishly arranged for a proper burial with all due honors.

No matter what happens tomorrow, and in the months going forward, we must keep our voices both loud and clear. The strident noise of rabble-rousers, malcontents, and those who confuse their personal mission with that of the greater good will be amplified. It's easy to chant the slogan of the moment, but our mettle is tested when we speak truth to power. To move beyond a cliche statement, our Truth should not be canned, tested in a focus group, or spread far and wide by e-mail blasts. Still, we must be careful to cautiously measure that our own rallying cries not succumb to the same hyperbole or end up just as sterile.