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Community Organizers

While I admit that I was horribly entertained during Sarah Palin's acceptance speech a few weeks ago, I also admit that the next day I felt "dirty." Somewhere in my gut, I began to realize that all of those well executed jokes in her speech were really aimed at me and the things that I value most.

And those became more clear to me personally when I was invited to join a facebook group appropriately named, "Clergy are community organizers too." I smiled, and clicked join. The joy that I have found in supporting Obama for America stems from an absolute belief that government can be done differently. Government could be for the people by the people. Government could be changed, just like other horrible issues in our history have been changed... through grass roots efforts led by gifted, passionate community organizers.

Here's my personal truth though... I didn't always belief this way. During my Anti-racism training I remember saying aloud, "community organizing is something that was done in the 60's, it just sounds stupid now." I obvsiously didn't know what I was talking about. And the other folks in the room knew that I didn't know what I was talking about. They carefully, lovingly, clearly corrected me. They gave me examples from my worldview that simply wouldn't be if not for community organizers.

I would not have the right to vote.
I would not have the freedom to pursue a career.
I would not be a women clergy person... had there not been grass roots efforts led by gifted, passionate community organizers.

This post is my own effort to wipe off the dirt slung at me and others during Palin's speech and move on. This is my own commitment to be the type of gifted, passionate organizer within my community, in my corner of the globe that leads others to peace, justice, and kindness.

the reserved spaces in our hearts

Dan had mono his first year in college. I had been dating his dad for a couple months at this point and had only met him once. I took medication to him. And as I walked out of his dorm room, down the hall to the elevator, I thought to myself, "I'm completely unqualified to do this." I was in over my head. And yet by the time I got to my car, I could not deny that there was a space reserved for Dan in my heart. I could feel it, its door opened left center in my chest cavity.

The door opened again yesterday, the space had been redecorated. It belonged to his wife, Faith. She'd already moved in over a year ago, claimed our clan's name almost a year now. But I had forgotten the physical sense of this space until yesterday. Yesterday was a day for Faith. A day in the hospital, a day dreaming about grandchildren, a day praying for doctors, a day to rub Dan's back and swallow tears. It was a day to hold onto Faith.

And when I did... the door opened again in that same visceral sense that I had years ago. There was a space reserved for today. We had only to arrive with Faith.

Recreating the Big Band

Scientists have been working diligently on a particle accelerator in hopes to recreate the big bang. Beware that during the experiment there is a slight possibility that we will be dragged into a black hole.

Really?

Check out article with picture

the leadership vacuum

Last night at our Presbytery meeting, I was overwhelmed by the volatility that has obviously come from a long period of insecurity. We've held what seems to be the 4th conversation about what our executive presbytery would do, how we might pay this person in addition to an associate, and whether or not a committee can work while we're deciding. Shoot me!

If one of our churches had a meeting like this, we'd never let them have a pastor yet. We would demand an interim. Why then, at the Presbytery level, are we so afraid of having an interim? I have an idea... we lack leadership.

Here's my argument: Leaders, real leaders, know how to follow. I'm totally ready to have a leader of our Presbytery point us in a direction... I'm in. leaders know how to follow. We respond to even the idea of leadership with so much fear, I have grown to believe that we don't know how to follow, we don't want to follow, we don't want to be told what to do. We are not comfortable being led. We are not leaders ourselves.

If we were, we would welcome leadership. We would not spend over an hour arguing over a motion and an amendment to the motion that delays leadership.