Just Let Go!

"If you hold on to the handle, she said, it's easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it's more fun if you just let the wind carry you." -Brian Andreas-

YUP!

"The major catalyst of our time is everyday people taking a courageous stand in the face of misfortune & injustice."

-Cornel West

3 Cups of Tea

"Educate a boy, and you educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community."

--African Proverb

You Then Me Then You Then Me

It's my turn, it's not your turn
It's my turn, get outta my way
It's my turn, go on complain
I'm comin' through anyway
And don't ask me why I'm like this
But lately I'm wonderin' if
It'll come to pass
That the last shall be first and the
First shall be last- then the voice say
Here's the way it oughtta be
You then me then you then me
I pray one day we'll all agree
And take it you then me then you then me
Life could go you then me then you then me
That's my food, don't touch my food
That's my wine, don't spill a drop
Or I'll whack you across your face
And drop you out of the human race
See I got me the urge to kill
But I wish we could take a pill
So we'd all cool down
And we'd talk like the man who was
Born back in Bethlehem town- betcha he say
Here's the way it oughtta be
You then me then you then me
I pray one day we'll all agree
And take it you then me then you then me
Life could go you then me then you then me
I coulda sworn I was here first- hey hey hey
Well if I'm not the best hey I'm sure not the worst
No not me baby- hey hey yeah

It's your turn, it's not my turn
It's your turn- well let's just say
We'll trade off- here let me light
And pass the peace pipe down your way

Well try it, it could be good
And what if one day it should
Really come to pass
That the last shall be first and the
First shall be last- betcha we say:
Here's the way it oughtta be
You then me then you then me
I pray one day we'll all agree
And take it you then me then you then me
Life could go you then me then you then me

--Ceili Rain

How To Build Global Community

Think of no one as "them"; Don't confuse your comfort with your safety; Talk to strangers; Imagine other cultures through their art, poetry and novels; Listen to music you don't understand; Dance to it; Act locally; Notice the workings of power & privilege in your culture; Question consumption; Know how your lettuce and coffee are grown: wake up and smell the exploitation; Look for fair trade and union labels; Help build economies from the bottom up; Acquire few needs; Learn a second (or third) language; Visit people, places, and cultures - not tourist attractions; Learn people's history; Re-define progress; Know physical and political geography; Play games from other cultures; Watch films with subtitles; Know your heritage; Honor everyone's holidays; Look at the moon and imagine someone else, somewhere else, looking at it too; Read the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Understand the global economy in terms of people, land and water; Know where your bank banks; Never believe you have a right to anyone else's resources; Refuse to wear corporate logos; defy corporate domination; Question military/corporate connections; Don't confuse money with wealth, or time with money; Have a pen/email pal; Honor indigenous cultures; Judge governance by how well it meets all people's needs; Be skeptical about what you read; Eat adventurously; Enjoy vegetables, beans and grains in your diet; Choose curiosity over certainty; Know where your water comes from and where your wastes go; Pledge allegiance to the earth: question nationalism; Think South, Central and North - there are many Americans; Assume that many others share your dreams; Know that no one is silent though many are not heard. Work to change this.

You Can Do It

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

--Harriet Tubman

The Long View

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that. This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well. It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.

World Peace

"I don't think of it as working for world peace, she said. I think of it as just trying to get along in a really big strange family."

-Brian Andreas-

A Blessing

If you woke up this morning

with more health than illness,

you are more blessed than the

million who won't survive the week.

If you have a non-dirt floor in the place you live,

you belong to the upper half of the world’s most prosperous people.

If you have

a window,

a door,

and more than one room,

you belong to the upper 20 percent of the world’s richest people.

Regardless of where you live,

if you have a pair of shoes,

a change of underwear,

and can choose from two or more foods to eat,

you belong to the top 10 percent of the world’s most wealthy.

If you have never experienced

the danger of battle,

the loneliness of imprisonment,

the agony of torture or

the pangs of starvation,

you are ahead of 20 million people

around the world.

If you attend a church meeting

without fear of harassment,

arrest, torture, or death,

you are more blessed than almost

three billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator,

clothes on your back, a roof over

your head and a place to sleep,

you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank,

in your wallet, and spare change

in a dish someplace, you are among

the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still married and alive,

you are very rare,

especially in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile

on your face and are truly thankful,

you are blessed because the majority can,

but most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them

or even touch them on the shoulder,

you are blessed because you can

offer God's healing touch.

If you can read this message,

you are more blessed than over

two billion people in the world

that cannot read anything at all.

You are so blessed in ways

you may never even know

--Stephen Eardley

Family: Whatever That Means to You

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."

Oh! The Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!

You’ll be seeing great sights!

You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.

Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!

Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!

So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…get on your way!

-Dr. Seuss