Sanctuary

Okay, I have no idea who wrote this song, and I have learned that I know a very different version than that normally uploaded on the net.
Let me start with a little bit of background I go to a coc school (church of Christ). For those of you who do not know, Church of Christ believe that it is a sin to worship with instruments...now, I don't want to get into this strange theological debate esp. since I don't understand any of their arguments, but it is beautiful music to listen to!! All of their singing is so lovely. Today, they sang this song that touches me everytime I hear it.

O Lord Prepare me
to be a sanctuary
pure and holy
tried and true
with thanksgiving
I'll be a living
sanctuary
for you

Lord teach your children
to stop the fighting
and start uniting
all as one
let's get together
loving forever
sanctuary for you.

My Amazing Christmas Tree

Once a year my favorite holiday comes around. The Advent season has serioulsy got to be one of the most amazing times of the year. The whole meaning of Christmas is wonderful to begin with, but then there are all of these beautiful decorations that can keep a person awed for hours, days, weeks even (technically a little over a month).

It is also the one time of the year that I feel I have any sort of artistic and decorative ability what so ever. The Christmas tree is my piece of art in my family's house.

I start of course by assembly the tree. My family cannot have a real tree for health concerns, so we instead have bought a fairly lovely fake tree that we reassemble every year. If anyone else has ever decorated a fake tree then you will know that the fist thing you must do is shape the tree. This is the first step in my expertise. I must shape the tree in such a way that it looks full (so there are no "holes" in the tree), it looks real, and it looks beautiful of course.

Then the real job gets started that is putting the lights on the tree!!!! YAY!!! I must put lights on the tree so that it is fully lighted, not tacky, evenly distributed, and so that the wires of the lights remain unnoticed. I do this by stringing the lights up and down each individual branch so that the wire never moves from one branch to the other in the front of the limb, and each branch is wrapped in lights.

I know this sounds silly, but please indulge me...and hear me out on this. After 800 lights and about five hours of work I accomplished my job. The tree had lights! I then thought about how my beautiful creation would be ruined once the tacky ornaments that I made in elementary school would be placed upon my beautiful tree (remind me to find those and ruin them some day). I stood back in awe of my work, and began to think about what each little light on that tree would cost.

That Christmas tree with 800 lights will remain on 24/7 until about January first. I then thought about how most places in the world do not even have electricity 24/7 for normal everyday appliances. In Gaza there are frequent electrical outages, and people actually try to steal electricity from one another. Israel also uses electricity as a tool to punish the Palestinians, by cutting off the electricity to Gaza.

In Africa, many people still live in the brush and have no such luxuries. Others live in cities, but they are too poor to pay for the electricity. Others still have no access to it because of political and social instability.

I have mentioned places like India (where Dalits have lived in poverty for the past since before the state received its independence), South America, Latin America, the Caribbean (places like Jamaica where the IMF has ruined the local market and de-developed the country) or Haiti, or even America. Let's be honest I have two friends who grew up on farms here in the United States neither of which had/have electricity at home...yep that's right folks right here in the good ol' USA.

All of this said, I do not want it to be a bash on Christmas trees or Christmas decorations. Let us think when admiring our decorations and remember what Christmas is really about. Let us recognize that we are blessed to be able to afford those decorations, and let's think of those who cannot have them. Let's not take joy away from this time, but let's think of what they mean. Let's remember they mean that we are blessed, and we need to help those who are not. If you would like to take time to help a family this season here are some websites to check out if you do not already have plans....

http://www.gfa.org/kcbi
This is a place where you can purchase gifts for families in Asia. These gifts are gifts that will actually help raise the families socioeconomic status.

Other ideas for gifts...find a local charity and give the gift of your time!!! Forget about money for a few minutes and simply give the gift of time and love. Give the gift of life...donate blood. Adopt a child (okay I know that it is considered "trendy" right now to adopt a child, but seriously it's an amazing, amazing gift). Recently, I had the honor of hearing a man speak who was adopted when he was 11 and was given the opportunity to have a family and a future all in that continual act of love. His parents went on to adopt 17 more children. (I don't think most of us can do that, but maybe some of us could adopt one or two...every child counts).Visit a Veteran's Hospital. Okay, I will be the first to admit that I don't agree with the war...but let's get passed the politics and get to what's amazing...our vets.

White Supremacists and Grey's Anatomy

Yes, that's right...White Supremacists and Grey's Anatomy. Now, I know that this is sounding strange to those of you who do not normally watch the show (or who missed it this past Thursday), but the writers of Grey's Anatomy took on the still very strong movement of white supremacists in the United States. An EMS worker who was injured in an ambulance accident refused to be treated by Bailey (claiming he wanted a man) only to find he didn't want a man...he wanted a white man. Dr. Bailey, then asked Cristina to examine him because she is "neither white nor black." Only to find that he had a swastika tattooed on his stomach. Cristina was extremely appalled, for we later learn her grandparents died in a concentration camp. Within all of this the man says, the great thing about this country is you still have to treat me just like anyone else.

Now, I know most of us are thinking "It's Grey's Anatomy!!! Seriously?! You are talking about Greys!" Currently, White supremacists groups such as the Aryan Nations, are a major problem in this country. Now, if one is African American, then they are all to well aware of this problem. However, most middle class Caucasian families pay little to no attention to such groups. I believe that many are under the impression that these extreme racists groups are a thing of the past (let me clarify here...not that racism is a thing of the past but that these extremist groups), but it is clear that this is not true. There is a militia that in Michigan that is over 12,000 men large! (remember these are white supremacists...within the white supremacist ideology women=a subject, a white women's ultimate desire is to serve her white husband and produce white babies) Despicable isn't it?

The interesting thing is that these groups are strongest in the north...that's right the NORTH!!!! For example, the Aryan Nations originated in California, but it moved its headquarters to Idaho. There are now five strong holds for the Aryan Nations and only one of them is in the South (Alabama to be exact).

I am fearful of the increasing amount of intolerance in our nation. However, if a show like Grey's Anatomy has noticed the problems enough to work the topic into the show, then what does it mean? How much have we regressed? How do we overcome this problem?

ACU for the IRC.

ACU for the IRC! I have been appointed as the communications officer for ACU for the IRC.

Here I am Lord,
and I'm drowning
in your sea of forgetfulness
the chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I dont want to end up where you found me
and it echoes in my mind,
keeps me awake tonight

I know you cast my sin as far as the east is from the west
and I stand before you now,
as if I've never sinned
but today I feel like I'm just one mistake away
from you leaving me this way

and Jesus can you show me
just how far the east is from the west
cause I can't bear to see the man I've been
rising up in me again
in the arms of your mercy I find rest,
cause you know just how far the East is from the West
from one scarred hand to the other.

I start the day the war begins
endless reminding of my sin
time and time again your truth is drowned out
by the storm I'm in
today I feel like I'm just one mistake away,
from you leaving me this way and Jesus can you show me,
just how far the East is from the West
cause I can't bear to see the man I've been
rising up in me again
in the arms of your mercy I find rest
'cause you know
just how far the East is from the West
from one scarred hand to the other.

I know you've washed me white,
turned my darkness into light
I need your peace to get me through,
to get me through this night
can't live by what I feel
but by the Truth your Word reveals,
I'm not holding on to you
but you're holding on to me,
you're holding on to me

Jesus you know
just how far the East is from the West
I don't have to see the man I've been,
rising up in me again
in the arms of your mercy I find rest
'cause you know just how far the East is from the West,
just how far,
from one scarred hand to the other.

-Caedmon's Call "East to West"

May I learn to not neglect the problems of this world. May I give them the attention that they deserve, and maybe I share with those around me the stories of the one's without voices. May I not forget my heritage.

Women, Violence, Terrorism and Greek Lit.

In World Literature we are studying Greek lit specifically the Odyssey (of course) Sappho and The Medea by Euripides. Often my professor talks about how women are usually portrayed as monsters. They are always seen as being evil creatures that came out of Pandora's box to curse men. Of course, this is true. There is a very negative view of women in Greek culture in general. In The Medea a woman who kills her husband (and her children) for leaving her eventually turns into a monster. Another example would be the wife of Agamenon who kills her husband because he sacrificed their daughter to the gods so he could go to war. She is often spoken of an example of a bad wife.
I think we can all agree her actions were wrong. Most people ask, why is it that women always have this negative portrayal in Greek lit? Is it to prove that women are really a curse on men?
My question is not only why are women portrayed in a bad light, but why can we not accept violent acts by women, but we can accept them when they are committed by men? A modern example would be terrorists. Female terrorists as seen as wild, emotion, uncontrollable forces who commit these acts as acts of revenge. The academics then fail to look at the political reason for the violence (without such it cannot be considered terrorism). In our society, we expect men to be strong, to fight, to be somewhat violent, but women are supposed to be the calm, subdued sex. We must not have a violent bone in our body.
When we look at Greek lit. we do not compare the violence committed by women in the lit. to the violence committed by men.We only merely ask why are women portrayed as "bad" characters? Well, I want to know why do we see only the women's acts of violence as "bad!" (Granted this cannot be applied to the literal female monsters in the Odyssey, but it can be applied to the female characters). We often as why are there only bad women portrayed (assuming that they are bad b/c they have committed some act of violence). Well, what is the difference between a man committing a violent act and a women committing a violent act? Are we not all fallen humans with violent tendencies? Why is a man's violent more legit than a womans?
I have a prof. who is currently working a book about female terrorists. She often speaks of how they are over looked in the study of terrorism, because they are seen as committing emotional acts instead of political acts of violence. This, however, is not the case. In fact another interesting tid bit, is that the female terrorists who commit an act of terrorism in Iraq do not get media converage. In fact, usually afterwards, we cannot even find any information out about them! Interesting eh? Why are terrorist acts by men more important than acts by women?
That is the question about Greek culture and our present day culture that I want to know. Yes, I know in the end it is a cultural issue, but do we just dismiss it? I have often heard, "That is just the culture." When in the past have we accepted this excuse?!
I do not condone terrorism, but I do want to understand it; study it. I just hope that if I do go to grade school to get a critical terrorism studies degree I learn about male and female terrorists.

Weeping

WEEPING
Written by Dan Heymann
(Copyright to Heymann/Cohen/Cohen/Fox)
______________________________

I knew a man who lived in fear
It was huge, it was angry, it was drawing near
Behind his house, a secret place
Was the shadow of the demon he could never face
He built a wall of steel and flame
And men with guns, to keep it tame
Then standing back, he made it plain
That the nightmare would never ever rise again
But the fear and the fire and the guns remain

It doesn’t matter now
It’s over anyhow
He tells the world that it’s sleeping
But as the night came round
I heard its lonely sound
It wasn’t roaring, it was weeping

And then one day the neighbors came
They were curious to know about the smoke and flame
They stood around outside the wall
But of course there was nothing to be heard at all
"My friends," he said, "We’ve reached our goal
The threat is under firm control
As long as peace and order reign
I’ll be damned if I can see a reason to explain
Why the fear and the fire and the guns remain"

Click here for "Weeping" Homepage

This is a South African Anti-Apartheid Protest Song. Please take the time to listen to it if you get the chance. Josh Groban recently put it on his album awake. It is essential to remember that our freedom is not the norm in this world, and we cannot forget about those who currently do not have those freedoms.

Cairo Slums.

There are many things about the Middle East, Egypt in particular, that I love, but there are many things that I also hate. The Middle East, like so many other places in the world, allows for the blatant injustices that are occurring today to hit a person right in their face. One cannot turn their face away from the poverty as easily as one could in most Western/developed nations. (Maybe that in a way is a good thing). Anyways, this article describes ONE of such instances. Check it out. I actually visited similar areas while I was in Cairo. Expatriates call the area that I visited Garbage City. I must note however, that the area I visited (while very poor) is actually not as poor as other neighborhoods (aka...the neighborhood I visited had sewage...for the most part and a few paved streets). They stink with the stench of rooting garbage, some of which usually is set on fire. The rest of the garbage is then sorted and sold to recycling companies; this is the families of these areas make their living, so you can imagine its pretty poor. It is amazing to think that these families are probably poorer than them (after all at least those families have been able to find work). (Please forgive my inability to rotate the silly picture. I am still very new with this...stuff. yes, I know I should have rotated the picture then saved it then uploaded it. I recognize my mistake...but I don't exactly know how to fix it know that I've already put it into place...o well!!!!)

Fear

I cannot help but fear the names that I know I will be called if I stand for justice. I am not pro-Palestinian, but I am not pro-Israeli. I have found that in this country if one is not pro-Israeli then they are assumed to not care about the Israelis, and they must not be a Christian. I fear the names I will be called. The labels that will be put on me, but what I fear more than all of these is what I will become if I do not stand for justice. Who will I be if I sit by and watch this happen? When the Holocaust occurred, those who did nothing had to live with the shame of allowing such a horrid act to take place. I do not want to live with the same shame.

I know it is hard to believe, but I truly believe that things can change for the better for ALL parties involved in this conflict. Am I idealist, maybe, but do not label me as such. I have become cold to the world. I expect the worst out of people at all times, but this I do believe can be solved. Please, if you disagree with me, share your thoughts, but do not call me unrealistic or idealistic, for that would be admitting that there is no hope. I cannot believe that there is no hope for these people.

I fear the names that people will call me, but I cannot stand by and allow this injustice to occur - on both sides.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vnaf8R_SJo

Please watch this video clip. It is about the Palestinians and their misfortunes. I know that this does not dive into the fullness of the conflict, but it does give insight to one part of the conflict that as Americans, we never see.