The Pastor Preached on Politics

Last Sunday the pastor preached on politics. The church is not the state, and the state is not the church, he reminded us. But he wasn't talking about the separation of church and state -- far from it. Let me see if I can get it right... The state needs the church, and the church knows the people better than the state. I think that is very interesting. I like it. The church knows people better, and it's our job to remind the state what the people need. Pastor Chris also spoke of the blue-red divide, and how Christians in each camp rely on Biblical principles to guide and justify their positions (and I wish I could better remember his descriptions of the reds and the blues). But the point, he said, was not your political hue or even your preferred candidate. We need to remember that our next president, whoever that may be, will not be the salvation or the damnation of our country. The church can't put its hope in a president, because that's not what we're all about. Our hope is solely in Jesus and the kingdom He will establish -- the church is the beginning of that kingdom! But we-the-church are not the American state, or any other state.

Just to remind myself: The state needs the church. The church knows the people better than the state. The church must speak the truth to the state, and this means involvement. A vote is a way of speaking. We might vote red, we might vote blue. But we don't hope in the blue candidates or the red ones. We don't place our hope in the state. We're not part of the state. Our hope, our identity, is God's kingdom.

Good stuff. Been thinking about it all week. I get frustrated with politics, mostly because it's so darn near impossible to know the truth about candidates, about what really happened and who really said what and what they really mean and intend. Maybe my role in politics is not to figure out what's right and wrong (the state will never get it all right!) but to listen well so that I can speak well. I like the image of being in the church and speaking to the state, but not hoping in it. This gives me some freedom and rest in my political interests. Less fear. More love.

So my remaining question: What if the state official is a Christian? What principles guide the Christian president? He is the church, and he is the state. Any thoughts out there?

My Birthday Present

Pictured above is the girls' dorm -- and the lovely resident students -- of a Ugandan school in need. This secondary school in the rural Kamwenge District was recently hit by a sudden and strong storm. The roofs of every building were damaged or destroyed. Samaritan's Purse is proposing to buy 150 sheets of tin roofing for the girls' dorm so that they have a place to sleep and can continue to attend school. A small bath house will also be covered by the tin sheets. The community is supplying all lumber and labor. The cost to repair the roof is $2,000.00.

The goal of my "virtual birthday party" (see previous post) is to repair that roof. Can we raise $2000 in one week? I'm at $410 as of this afternoon... and there are so many people who HAVEN'T GIVEN ME A PRESENT!!! Shocking! So, if you're so inclined, send a check made out to Samaritan's Purse my way. No need to wrap it.

Public Service Announcement

Tonight is the night we set our clocks ahead, i.e. "spring" forward. I just learned that the proper term for this tradition is Daylight Saving Time. Not Savings with an S. Who knew?

Come to My Party!!

If you're reading this, you have most likely already received my 40th birthday "party" invitation... or one is on its way soon to your e-mailbox. I’ve been contemplating the landmark not-so-old age of 40 for months now, wanting to do something special, big, exhilarating, personal... something with meaning. I brainstormed ideas from movies to food to scavenger hunts to costume parties. But something was always missing. And then last week, a fully formed idea burst into my head (much like Athena from the brain of Zeus) -- a "virtual party" wherein friends and maybe even friends of friends all buy presents for... children on the other side of the world who need a school. I've loved school all my life, so much that I've spent the last 20 years either studying education or teaching. The idea thrilled me immediately.

I checked out my two favorite charities and found that Samaritan's Purse could build or renovate a school in a poverty-stricken area for $8000. "That's a LOT of money!" I thought. "I can never raise THAT much money!" And then, this verse was thrust into my mind: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" (Ephesians 3:20-21). So who's to say what can and can't be done? What I will do is try. Let's build a school!!

If you would care to donate, please know that your gift is tax deductible. You will write a check to Samaritan's Purse, deliver it to me, and I will collect and mail all contributions, with an earmark for our school project. If your name and address are on your check, you will receive a tax receipt in the mail. I will not post my address on this site, as most people reading this can either deliver checks via my workplace, my husband's workplace, or our church. Otherwise, I suspect you already have our address. If someone forwarded you a link to this blog, then that person can provide you with contact information.

My 40th birthday is Thursday March 13th. If you aren't able to put a check in my hand by that date, please let me know it's on the way. I hope to gather, count, and mail all checks by the following Monday, the 17th, Saint Patrick's Day. So I guess we'll call St. Pat's day our "deadline."

I hope to be able to provide more information at a later date about the actual results of my little birthday project. I'm in touch with the folks at Samaritan's Purse and am exploring the possibility of knowing an exact price and location of a specific school. That is my ultimate wish, but it depends firstly on the amount of money we are able to collect. Check this blogspot later to see if there are follow-up posts. If so, I'll edit this one with a "P.S." so you'll know where to look.

Finally, one more word about Samaritan's Purse. It was founded in 1970 and taken over in 1973 by Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son. Its goal is to follow the Biblical example of the Good Samaritan throughout the world. I chose this organization because they are in the business of providing help and HOPE to suffering people. It is my humble opinion that hope is incomplete without Jesus. Samaritan's Purse delivers food, shelter, medecine, education, and Jesus' message of hope to hurting people. The organization is ranked highly among America's best and most trustworthy charities. So let's get to work building a school!!

Oscar Weekend, Day Three, Part Three

Evening Pay-Per-View: LA VIE EN ROSE
Reaction: Eh. Great acting but otherwise your typical bio-pic. Singing is stupendous, but the nonlinear storytelling was frustrating to me.
Nutshell: French songstress Edith Piaf overcomes a life of abandonment to become one of the greatest vocal artists of the century.
Analysis: Standard themes of rags to riches. The best parts are when she's a small girl and then a young woman singing on street corners. The actress who portrays Piaf (Marion Cotillard) from teen to old woman is fantastic. Unbelievable tranformations, from plucky street singer to glamorous songstress to sickly and decrepit older woman. She's an excellent pick for Oscar.

Oscar Weekend, Day Three, Part Two

This Afternoon: THE SAVAGES

Reaction: Enjoyed it very much. Tired of blogging for today. Will not write much.

Nutshell: Sister and brother in their 40's must put their aging and demented father, who had abandoned and mistreated them as children, in a nursing home. Sis is having an affair with a married man, and bro watches his Polish girlfriend of three years get deported because he's not ready for marriage. Both are frustrated writers.

Analysis: A soft, mournful, witty, gentle, hopeful movie. Characterized not so much by plot but by the actors' performances and the sometimes lyric, sometimes snappy script. Laura Linney nominated for best actress and Tamara Jenkins nominated for best screenplay. Linney was wonderful but the role wasn't spectacular enough for the Oscar.

God in it: Like everything else I've seen this weekend, but much brighter and gentler, I saw love shine through chaos. Wendy and John (Linney and Hoffman) are emotionally inept because of the trauma of their childhood, but they have not lost their tenderness or openness to redemption. As they go together through the drama of loss, they find courage in each other's humanness. By the end, they've taken bold steps towards healing. The last scene is priceless.

Popcorn status: Success! One short sugar-free low-fat latte. A+ to me.

Oscar Weekend, Day Three, Part One

This Morning: SWEENEY TODD

Reaction: Oh, the blood! the music! the artistry! the delicious Depp and Rickman!

Nutshell: Barber's Wife is raped by evil Judge who sends Barber away to prison on trumped up charges. Wife takes poison. Daughter "adopted" by Judge. Barber returns after 15 years for revenge. Starts killing people with his barber blade. His new pal the Pie Lady uses the bodies for meat. Lots of people dead in the end, including Judge, Wife, Barber, and Pie Lady. Daughter survives.

Analysis: This musical takes gruesome to new levels... a dirge for humanity, an ironic lullaby, a discordant love song. Sondheim plus Burton plus Depp plus Rickman plus Carter. Wow. But not easy to watch. Last night, I left a movie theatre because I couldn't take the gore. Today, although I turned my eyes away a few times, I was glued to my seat. I do appreciate a good tragedy, and in this genre you have to expect a lot of death. Classical tragedies lament human powerlessness, as we cower beneath fate and frailty. This time around, the tragic flaw is more like a tragic curse: that we all deserve to die. Several characters say it outright. The bad guys deserve it, and so do the rest. Which leads me to...

God in it: God's presence in this movie is best illustrated by His absence. I seem to be drawn to movies of chaos this weekend (or Oscar is). I have to say that the premise of this movie is in agreement with scripture. Death is not only inevitable, but deserved. The most interesting and horrific symbol of this occurs when all the fine innocent townfolk eagerly consume Mrs. Lovett's cannibal pies. The message is crystal clear: Humans devour each other. We call it love, but we really feed on each other to keep ourselves alive. And we teach our kids to do the same. It's all over this film. It would be unbearable if the movie didn't squeeze in a little hope through Anthony, the wide-eyed idealistic youth willing to risk it all for the love of Johanna. They are two of three characters to survive. The only other is Toby, who will no doubt continue life as a hungry, angry scoundrel. Characters like Sweeney are so doomed that they kill the ones they love the best. Only Anthony tapped into any heroism, but the story isn't really about him. It's all about Sweeney Todd, a symbol of hopeless, starved, victimized humanity. A dirge for the road we're all on -- save for the hope of a savior.

Final Note: I just checked out the official website (linked above) and it's fascinating. The makers of the film see it as a love story, and indeed that's a level I didn't think about much, being so overwhelmed with the darkness of it all (hard to avoid in a Burton film sometimes). But Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter strike a very moving and sexy counterpoint -- their eyes and voices are infectious and lovely. The love yearns and hopes but is never fulfilled. And, on a most interesting note, I found out that Anthony's last name is Hope.