Land of the Blind

I used to wonder about the meaning of the pirate symbol. You have the skull and crossbones and the patch over one eye. Apparently this character is blind one eye. Then I learned that those "in the know" consider the rest of us to be the blind. We do not see how we are scientifically controlled via media progaganda and culture creation. Of course our parents did not "see it" either so how could they warn us about something of which they are unaware? Jesus also told them a parable: "Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? (Luke 6:39)

What we do see with our one "good eye" is the unappealing aspects of other people. Jesus has something to say about that as well. "A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. 41Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 42Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye." -Luke 6:40-42

May God give us clear vision in BOTH eyes regardless of the pain of that procedure. Yes, the procedure is quite painful, but the ensuing clarity of vision is more than worth the price of admission. Does a mother remember the pain of childbirth when she looks into her daughter's beautiful eyes? There is more on the other side than we ever imagine. Jesus awaits us on that other shore, saying: "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." May God grant us the courage to embark on that journey once again today as we must each and every day.

"Love is not a victory march it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah ..." Jeff Buckley via Leonard Cohen > http://tr.im/kJxg

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Mercy, mercy, mercy. Sister mercy. Mercy me. We have all these phrases for "mercy." It plays around in the shadows of our lives. Hides in the closet. Tarries in the bedroom. It does not have to be that way.

Mercy may be bold and bright. Mercy may be courageous but mercy is never calculated. Mercy has a heart and mind of its own. Mercy can be a great ally. The denial of mercy can mean death. Mercy may be as silent as sleep. Sometimes mercy sounds like a bird chirping in a tree.

Here is what Jesus said about mercy:

If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:34-36)

So our orientation toward mercy is not because of who we are but because of WHOSE we are. As children of God we imitate our Father who commits random acts of kindness such as allowing the sun to shine on both the righteous and the unrighteous, those who "deserve it" and those who don't. Let us then be merciful just as our Father is merciful.

Song for today: "Have a Little Mercy" by Johnny Osbourne.

Let Us Pray

"For thus says the LORD: Your hurt is incurable, your wound is grievous. There is no one to uphold your cause, no medicine for your wound, no healing for you. All your lovers have forgotten you; they care nothing for you." (Jeremiah 30:12-14)

Life is full of pain. Centering prayer is a way to heal the emotional wounds of a lifetime. It is a prayer of silence. Here is more about centering prayer.

Welcoming prayer is similar to centering prayer. The Welcoming Prayer is a method of actively letting go of thoughts and feelings that support the false-self system. It helps to dismantle the emotional programs of the false-self system and to heal the wounds of a lifetime by addressing them where they are stored - in the body. The method of the Welcoming Prayer includes noticing the feelings, emotions, thoughts and sensations in your body, welcoming them, and then letting them go. Practicing the Welcoming Prayer offers one the opportunity to make choices free of the false-self system — responding instead of reacting to the present moment.

The purpose of the Welcoming Prayer is to deepen one's relationship with God through consenting to God's presence and action in the ordinary activities of daily life. In this way, the Welcoming Prayer supports all forms of prayer, like Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, which share the purpose of growing in relationship with God through consenting to His presence and action.

Our loving God wants to heal us: "For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, says the LORD, because they have called you an outcast."

Centering prayer and the welcome prayer are about coming to know God as a friend.

Woman Down

Jensen Drive (in memory of Geneva Lynn Helgeson)

by Evan Harrel / May 3, 2009

The photographer leaned in close,

To get the angle just right.
Geneva lay still, claiming her last, small piece of turf.

Bit by bit,
Piece by piece,
They had taken everything she could call her own
Until all she could still claim were 
Her bare feet,
A sooty crack pipe,
And this barren stretch of Jensen Drive.

Geneva wasn’t going to give up
The only thing she had left.

First her mother,
Her stepfather,
The boys behind the Assembly of God.
She let them take what was hers without a fight.

So she fought,
And lost.

--

Here is the police report of the incident from the City of Houston:

Incident at 2214 Jensen Drive

October 3, 2006 -- The fatal shooting of a female at 2214 Jensen Drive about 2:30 p.m. on Monday (Oct. 2) will be referred to a Harris County grand jury.

The victim is identified as Geneva Lynn Helgeson, 31, who resided in the Jensen Drive area. The male suspect, Perry Braggs, 79, was not injured.

HPD Homicide Division Sergeant J.W. Belk and Officer M.J. Miller reported:

According to witnesses, on Sunday (Oct. 2), Ms. Helgeson, a known prostitute got into a physical confrontation with a 20 year-old female prostitute who was working in the Jensen area for the first time. On Monday afternoon, Helgeson spotted that female again, confronted her and threatened to assault her. The 20 year-old ran to 2214 Jensen (the home of suspect Braggs) seeking refuge from Helgeson. Mr. Braggs armed himself by placing a .357 pistol in his pocket for protection and stepped outside. Mr. Braggs stood between the combative females and continued to order Helgeson off his property while shielding the other female. Helgeson, who appeared to be intoxicated, refused to leave and continued to cause a disturbance and act in a threatening manner. Helgeson, standing about four feet from Braggs, lunged suddenly toward him and the gun discharged. Helgeson was struck in the neck and died at the
scene. Braggs was questioned and released from custody.

NJM/JFC 10/4/06
Inc #152122106

For additional information, please contact the HPD Public Affairs Division a 713-308-3200.

http://www.houstontx.gov/police/nr/2006/oct/nr100306-2.htm

Christ and Culture

Here is how the psalmist describes the original Dead Heads:

They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
they make no sound in their throats...

(Pslam 115:2-7)

I once read somewhere the Grateful Dead were used by the CIA for the purpose of sidelining as many young people as possible. It is hard to organize a protest against an unpopular war when you are tripping on LSD. It makes one wonder. 

Plato said all culture comes from the top down. In other words, no one rises up from the grassroots and becomes a "star" without being chosen for that task by those at the top. If you go on YouTube and watch the Beatles lip synching their songs they look remarkably like The Monkees (TV version of the Beatles, for example > http://tr.im/kqfE).

The relationship between religion and culture ebbs and flows. Do we think Christ is FOR culture or is it Christ against culture? Hours are spent in seminary classes debating such topics. Meanwhile, on the streets ... here is a friend's poetic reflection on a recent murder on the shady side of town.

Here are a few free MP3s from Bill Ward of Crosswalk Ministries, a Christian artist who performs in prisons and loves it > http://tr.im/kqdd or you can hear him on his MySpace page >http://tr.im/kqe5

These are two creative examples of using our mouths, eyes, ears, and hands to embrace our fellow human beings in this broken world. The psalmist offers us one final suggestion:

"You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield." 

(Psalm 115:11)