Category Archives: Uncategorized

I listen to Radio IQ all the time. BBC world service while shaving in the morning and in the afternoon when going from place to place. In mid morning as I am heading from one meeting to another, I sometimes catch part or all of the Diane Rhem Show. Yesterday I was packing Sweet Anna’s bags for her trip and I was intrigued by the interview of Ralph Stanley who hails from Southwest Virginia. There are bits of what he calls Mountain Music and stories of his background. It takes you to a time and place that are far different from the here and now. Indeed, I have roots back there near Southwest Virginia and I suppose this is why this resonated so much with me. Perhaps you would find it interesting, perhaps not… give it a listen. For those teaching ESL, I think that portions of this could be interesting to listen to and discuss.

At CEO, we are trying to do what we can for the poor in several of our partnerships. But I think that we ALL need reminding (I  really overuse that word, don’t I?) from time to time of numbers. This daily chart (this blog has turned into an Economist promo blog… ) shows a troubling event in the trend of chronic poverty.

I once made a student really upset in the school I used to teach in. He was not used to a Bible teacher calling into question the biblical nature of capitalism. I suggested that socialism may be a more New Testament approach. I thought if there were no effect of the Fall on man, that there would be a great deal more sharing and no hungry children, etc. But of course its a silly statement isn’t? Since we are living with the results of the Fall, we have to operate in a world of brokenness which includes apathy and greed. I think that these are the two things (among others perhaps) that keep capitalism from really working.

“I want more”

and

“I don’t care”

But, I must say that, having seen socialism (and the aftermath of communism) up close, capitalism seems like the system that has the potential for the most justice.  But this is dependent on those who have willingness to be caring and giving (either of themselves, opportunities or their resources) to those who have less. Caring enough about the needs of others to give away something of themselves.

Along these lines is a new film by Michael Moore. I’ve not seen it, doubt if I will, but an interesting review of it is available here. If you read the article, think about the last sentence.

“Someone who had known so much death, he used to say, bore all the more responsibility for life.” – Marek Edelman

Read about this leader of the Warsaw Uprising who never left his native Poland… click here.

More often than we wish, we are faced with some very tough questions and issues. That happened to some people close to me this week. I often need reminding. So I went back a few years to a post in which I tried, in a sort of logical format, to make sense of suffering. It may help you, it may not, but it might be something that will guide you to the Answer. Click here.

I tweeted this the other day…

“seems that for some, learning to pray is like learning to speak a new language, it takes patience, and you don’t always feel understood…”

did you see it?

did it make you think?

See, the more I talk to people, the more I think that this thought is true… read it again please…

seems that for some, learning to pray is like learning to speak a new language, it takes patience, and you don’t always feel understood…

I think we need to slow the heck down when we are talkin to God… not for His sake… for ours, so that we can focus on what we are saying and pay attention to the prayer… we’re in too much of a blasted hurry.

I am a promoter of the written prayer. I believe that writing my prayers in the morning (or afternoon, or evening) enables me to sloooooooow down to communicate, even to listen to our own prayer, in which… if we slooooooooow down and listen, we might just hear some answers… I think that if we do this, we will feel more understood.