Thursday, June 30, 2016

Participation Limits

I was thinking the other day what good feelings are generated when volunteers show up to help a project work well. The idea that the volunteers who do show up are engaged in what the group is doing and attempting to accomplish builds my spirit and the others, too. They prove to us that we are fighting the good fight and they agree with us and have joined our efforts.

Gaining understanding from others in our work is a big thing. It means we have succeeded in educating others well enough that they help us do the good work.

But then one night I’m thinking this is temporary. Why? Because people come and go, they are attracted to other projects and good works that might have more power than ours at any given time, and of course they retire, get ill or die.

We call this organizational turnover. And it is a given. It is true for me as well. At some point I will not have as much energy to do the work as I had done earlier. This will likely sap my interest, too, and then the decline as others take on what I used to do. Or maybe not!

I’ve been in the situation where a leader has died or become too ill to carry on their duties. So the rest of us jump in to help, redistribute the workload and carry on. A year later the emergency team is dispirited and exhausted. Time to regroup and distribute the workload again, this time with strategy and future in mind.

Transition time is needed for everyone to become familiar with their tasks and work on with confidence. Some missteps may occur but that is to be expected. The new team will mesh eventually and the tempo will speed up.

While considering these issues an inescapable fact rises up. People do have limits to their involvement in any cause or group. Their interests shift a bit from time to time. Their dedication flags, too, perhaps. And of course time, aging, health and even incapacitation happens.

The job of replacing players in every organization is a must. In non-profit or for profit enterprises this is very true. But so too is it true in volunteer organizations. In these groups the situation is more critical because it is inevitable and we must always prepare for the succession process to be on-going.

Replacing ourselves is the key to this. Looking for people who we feel certain will carry on in our absence, even plan for that absence by training and appointing deputies along the way. Or maybe even replace yourself knowingly while remaining on scene to transition the new person firmly into place. Remain, also, as a team member to share the load and set an example for other team members to step forward.

Not duplicating roles but ‘shadowing roles’ so the next generation of workers and leaders are always in process. They are ready to step into new roles, or to lead, or to perform ad hoc roles that will advance the organization’s work and future. This is a very good model to adopt for most organizations. It is purposeful and consistent with long term mission and vision of the organization.

Yes, there are natural limits to our participation. Perhaps not intended but very real and logical nonetheless. Best we prepare for this.

June 30, 2016


Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Engage then Share

No man is an island. We learned that in junior high school. The lesson was iterated many times in subsequent years through high school and college. Yet when we entered our careers we had to learn it again and again.

No man is an island; or woman, either. We understand much more when we interact with other people and struggle with common meanings. In time we know them, ourselves and whatever special knowledge we were working with at the time.

Engagement is a process of connecting with other people and their organizations, processes and products. And vice versa. The coming together and dealing honestly with one another is the engagement. If unequal in commitment by one or more of the others, the engagement fails. Simple as that.

But if the engagement is pursued and we actually succeed at sharing our knowledge and personality at the same time, we have the chance to alter what we think, how we think and what is then possible from future thinking. It is a revolution in the making. And it takes time.

When it happens, we first sense it and then know it. We are different people when the realization hits us. When it hits we come to know that we have created something that did not exist before. We have expanded mankind’s understanding and made a new potential possible.

Layering knowledge, education, academic specialties and cultures often makes this revolution pop to life. It happens most often in laboratories where we expect such to occur. But when it happens in a conference room or over an email conversation among team members struggling with a problem to solve, it is even more astonishing.

Classroom work is elemental. It sometimes surprises students when they realize they are understanding something for the first time. But when they are able to mix that understanding with another idea or subject matter and come to yet another fresh understanding, astonishment is an understatement.

Those reactions should be the outcomes we expect from all education! Changing minds and lives is the goal, isn’t it? Aren’t we about putting two and two together and getting six? Wouldn’t that be terrific instead of the four we expect?  Research does that for us. Opening minds and mixing thinking with others who do not think as we do produces the unexpected. Those are the gains we need to adapt to change and new challenges in life.

Business is experimenting with this. Business is gaining insight doing this. Business is evolving faster because of this.

Now do you understand why I can say with confidence that we can drop our oil dependence and replace it with entirely new energy resources? Science and brainpower will do this for us but we have to want to do this and make the proper investment in time, money and people. Of course, we must remove barriers to do this work such as the Oil Industry, Oil Lobby, Oil Special Interests, and political powers who live off of the former!

Engage the problem and find solutions. This is exciting work and worth our investment. Stop adding 2 plus 2 for the expected 4; instead learn to find the answer of 6!

June 29, 2016


Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Voter Error

Definition: Voter error occurs each and every time someone votes for a candidate, candidates, political party or referendum issue when they simply do not know what the issues are, or understand the weight of their vote.

There. That’s my definition. And you and I commit this error every time we vote for someone we have not vetted or are unfamiliar of their positions. Judges we elect are most often that sort of vote we cast. I have done it many times. Most of the candidates I am unfamiliar with; don’t know if they are highly principled jurists, or are political hacks, or are foul ball nudniks who are known by the insiders to play a predictable game of decisions they can rely on. They make the hay, but the judge is counted on to play the game. And so they are put up for election, political consideration or money is exchanged and the game is on. You and I don’t know about this, but we vote anyway because they are listed as being a member of the political party we generally support.

That is voter error. Done through laziness and stupidity.

British voters elected to remove their nation from the EU. The fallout from that decision has been swift and heavy. Just the reaction, not the economic, historic impact or cultural negatives yet to be experienced. In fact no one really knows what that impact will be but the image of the nation, the historical implications and the reputation of the Brits has been negatively shouted from global rooftops.

36 hours after the votes were counted over 2 million Brits signed a petition to re-take the vote so that the decision would be reversed. That is how embarrassed the voters are. Now. Now after the votes are in and known. They are embarrassed. And here’s why. [Note: the 'recall' petition now has 4 million signatures]

Most voters who supported withdrawal from the EU do not fully understand why they took that position. They knew they were angry with politicians. They were angry about recent years of economic declines and challenges. They were worried about record numbers of immigrants entering their country and raising their cost of living as competition for social services, education and taxes were testing the limits of their country’s ability to cope.

But then there were the job losses, career shifts, flat earnings, and frustration among many people who were trying to maintain a standard of living during a tumultuous period of adjustments and decline.

So they were angry with their lot in life. They wanted to blame someone and didn’t know who to pummel. So they took it out on their political leaders as though they had done something wrong. And then they didn’t like the EU for the same reasons.

The truth really is that they didn’t know why their lot in life had been diminished. And so they voted their frustrations and ignorance. Ignorance. Laziness, too, because they simply did not do the reading and research they needed to do in order to understand the issues sitting in front of them. Politicians were telling them the merits of the case to remain in the EU and the merits of the case to withdraw from the EU. Because they didn’t trust those politicians they shirked their duty and voted to withdraw. Without any consideration for the impact of that action, they merely voted to slap the ruling people, the politicians, the vested interests. Out of ignorance.  It happens. I kindly call it voter error.

The very same thing is happening in America. Lazy people get angry about something and take it out on politicians. Trouble is they really don’t know what the issues are or who is really to blame.

That’s politics. That’s what our political parties are doing to us here in America. That’s the nature of the political beast blaming Hillary for things she never did or had any responsibility for. But it doesn’t matter. Smear her with blame anyway so we can win elections for republicans.

Bernie blames everybody and everything and as long as enough people believe him he will sway the results of the coming presidential election. He wants to harm Hillary. He wants to harm Democrats. He isn’t a Democrat, he is an independent. He didn’t want to play by the political party rules, but he didn’t want to go it alone as an independent. So he declared himself a Democrat and ran in the primary against Hillary. He lost. But he is still waving his flag of independence and will do nothing now but damage to Hillary’s campaign. Bernie may be so good at this as to throw the American voters toward the unthinkable Trump.

And Trump. Boy what a mess of a candidate. He has played to the fears, unreasonable assumptions, ignorance and stupidity of a lot of average citizens. And he knows they will fall in line and vote his preferences because they are that lazy.

I call it the Brexit effect. And it very well may win the election for Trump.

What a vast error that will be! 

But I have more faith in our voters. I think they will realize what happened in Britain could easily happen here. And there is nothing worse than regretting a vote after you have made it.

For the rest of us who take these things seriously, continue with your research and consideration of all views. Then make your decision and help others understand the issues based on your hard work. Maybe we can raise the quality of voting behavior in America and reduce voter error at the same time? We can hope!


June 28, 2016

Monday, June 27, 2016

Brexit Shmexit!

It is unfortunate that Britons voted to remove themselves from the European Union. They are European. Like it or not they and history are united at the molecular level. Period. Their futures are linked. The European Union was and is a worthy goal. It is the basis upon which commerce can be coordinated more easily and fairly, and compensation and currency matters can be transacted smoothly. Without EU membership, Britain faces the threat of isolationism. And worse.

The same isolationism America is threatened with by Trumpism. The two are similar and share the same disaffection with government, history, facts, and logic. Their grasp on reality is absent. From that much chaos can result.

Will it? Will the chaos occur?

Oh there will be immediate reactions felt in the first several days but I predict calm and order will be restored by cooler minds. I also predict that a reunion of international brothers and sisters will be sparked much larger than the EU and NATO will result.

Ours is one world. We have no hegemonous powers among us. There are many who will say America is the one super power. I would say that is true if America accepts the moniker. But it won’t. America wins nothing by being the lone superpower. It must be a sharer to make the future work well for future generations. That is how peace is built. War avoided because more is gained from peace. The resources devoted to defense and offense of borders can be invested in people and standards of living. That is the cement that will sustain peace globally.

If Brexit brings this about although unintentionally, then perhaps the chaos will be worth it. But I do believe that we have much to gain by working together as we live together through all of our differences and cultural discomfort. We really are one people within the Human Race and the sooner we realize this the faster our combined futures will change for the better.

Utopia? Not! Just logic and goodwill. We should try that for a while rather than the fear mongering and disinformation so rampant on the news these days.

Buck up everyone! There is much to do. Doing it together is much more fun and rewarding.

June 27, 2016


Friday, June 24, 2016

Perfect Storm Politics

This election year may seem chaotic. It is! We have a candidate for President who can get things done because she knows the ropes, understands the processes, and has a broad, intellectual mind up for all the challenges known and unknown. That is Hillary’s strong suit.

We have the agenda builder and speaker to those items who has credibility with the agenda items. He is a long term thinker and a serious person about all of this. He is an honest and earnest person. This would be Bernie but then he has not earned enough primary delegates to win the party nomination; so he is out of the running. But he is not out of influence either in the party or among the electorate.

Then we have the third candidate who spouts the anger, fear, weird points of view and anarchy sentiments of those in our nation who simply haven’t kept up with the details and facts. They are unhappy and tend to blame anyone nearby, and certainly the sitting elected officials although they most likely have the wrong party, wrong official, wrong era in mind, and no memory of history. They are simply misfits. This would be the Trump camp. Their motto: Say what I feel and want you to believe is true regardless of the facts or importance. Yep; that would be them!

There is a problem with all of this. Mr. Trump’s supporters reflect a very large body of American citizens. They may be ignorant of the facts and woefully unschooled in history. But they have the numbers to move mountains if they manage to get to the polls and vote on election day. A frightening prospect, I know; but possible just the same.

Bernie’s efforts are noble in the main but misappropriating power at the wrong time. His messages should be fueling discussion and policy setting well into the future but they are not well timed for the public’s acceptance at this time to be made into law, policy or program. Besides, we don’t have the money to fund these ideas at this time and won’t until we fix a lot of other things first. Then his ideas will be great for processing.

Meanwhile, Bernie’s push distracts the country from the real task we have at the moment: electing an administration to take on the constitutional passing of the torch from the Obama era to the new era, whoever that is that will lead us. This requires work and attention. Details, history, policy, process and immediate outcomes. That’s the business of government and it is important. Interrupting the process and functioning of government leads to disaster. We need to be serious about this.

That is precisely why I support Hillary Clinton for President. She is prepared. She is a thinker and intellectual power. She is broad based in understanding the world community and knows how to get along with it. She is not a blunderbuss who will bully her way through international affairs or delicate cultural obstacles. She will be good at working with and collaborating with world powers to press forward for global peace.

At home she understands Congress. She knows the division lines of ideology and personality. She knows the people. She knows the institution. She knows its history and its protocols and policies. She can handle this complex environment and retain focus on what matters for the nation as it moves forward into the future.

And she is well aware of the challenges as we the people struggle with complex issues that affect each of our lives directly. No easy task to productively encounter such issues and make the best of the situation given the current environment of heated argument, obstacle strewn politics and obstructionism these days.

That’s precisely why Hillary is the best candidate. But it is also precisely why we are facing the current mess and chaos. Americans are angry at everything and everybody. It is misplaced anger. But it also contains a heavy dose of fear. That’s what bothers me the most.

Fear. It is unreasonable at its very base. It doesn’t rely on facts, just suspicion and unrefuted details. The mind goes wild conjuring what could go wrong. Do this enough and things will go wrong merely because control is ebbing away while we deal with the fearful mobs who become incapable of doing anything much productive.

That saps our society of vitality.

The perfect storm is a coming together of ignorance, false anger and growing fear. With unreasonable demands for sweeping change while no one can fully engage such solutions, only leads to more chaos. So the rage continues and builds.

The need is for calm and clear thinking. And that is Hillary, clearly the only one on stage at this very moment who has those qualities. The others have not demonstrated this quality.

In time Bernie’s agenda must be digested and implemented in part or whole over time. It will take time and patience and talent to implement. But first we have to have a calm and ordered discussion of its details. And then we must scope out the resources to make it all happen over time. And of course we will need to deal with the existing programs that need to be pushed out of the way to make room for the new programs. This takes time we don’t currently have but will.

For now we need to focus on this election and choose the best for America moving forward for the next four years. For me the choice is clear. And the bonus is she is the first woman President to be elected in our history. And that is a very great bonus in my book.

June 24, 2016


Thursday, June 23, 2016

Ideas – Processes – Outcomes

Awoke in the middle of the night thinking about these three related items. What do we do with our thinking, our ideas? Are they mushed through some sort of process to make more sense or utility of them? And finally, what outcomes do we expect or hope for?

The more I thought about this the more I realized each of the three items could be engaged at any time. Even reverse ordered or totally mixed up. It didn’t matter. What did matter was the problem area that started the thinking in the first place.

In other words, what is the problem that we are working on that brings forth the thinking on ideas, processes and outcomes? Does your organization have a recruitment problem for new members? Or your business has trouble recruiting new clients/customers? Or how about retention of both clients and your human resources to serve those clients?

Or maybe your nation has an economic problem – a falling exchange rate for your currency, or declining demand for your nation’s products and services – in other words, your nation’s ability to earn international currencies with which to buy goods the world over.

Or maybe you have too many deaths by guns, or cars, or some other cause. What to do about that? What is the definition and scope of the problem? What are the critical components of the problem? What tools do we have available to combat the problem? What obstacles to implementing solutions will we encounter?

Or perhaps the problem is personal and well contained: the family auto is in need of repair and maintenance and it will cost $3000 to complete. What are my options? Does the current auto contain enough value to trade in at this time, and might a new car or a newer model used car be affordable? And thus avoid the deferred maintenance cost entirely and gain a new warranty, newer parts and worry free driving for another 30,000 miles until we have to face this issue again?

Actually, the process of thinking used here quite often winds up producing desired outcomes. If the process and the ideas we create over this problem area are successful, then the outcomes are likely to be improved.

This leads me to consider this elemental fact: Why not identify desired outcomes first, then work backward to ideas and processes? Wouldn’t this help kick-start our efforts?

Perhaps. But it depends on the problem and how well we understand it in the first place. So once again, the model can be flexibly applied and not in any prescribed order. The circumstances will dictate how ideas – processes – outcomes are used to produce the desired results.

These are critically important elements to think about when you or your organization engages in strategic planning. It is really strategic thinking that is engaged.  All I’m suggesting here is that we need these three things firmly known in our heads:
a.       A solid definition of the problem in need of attention
b.      A knowledgeable awareness of the environment of the problem and how all of that affects the problem, what we do about it and our expectations after solutions are implemented
c.       A very clear and cogent definition of our desired outcomes. What are we trying to build, create, have happen in the long run?

All three are needed if we are to be successful in managing change for our self as a person and as a leader in any organization of which we are a part.

I’m still thinking about this. It niggles my mind at the strangest times. I guess my thinking on this is not settled. It is still in progress. It is a process in and of itself.

So, keep thinking, processing and dreaming of outcomes. This will only attract more fruitful thinking. What fun!


June 23, 2016

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Impatience and Some Anger

Last week following the massacre at the Orlando, Florida gay nightclub, I experienced many emotions. After a couple of days I realized I was going through the classic grieving process –  shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, hope – all laid out by Elizabeth Kubler Ross in 1969. Often these are considered the 5 Stages of Grieving although there are actually 7. Leave it to the American thought process to skinning down the process by the first and last items – shock and hope – to arrive at a faster, more convenient way of viewing grief.

Whatever, each stage is navigated by the human mind with all of the accompanying emotions. And the grief need not be caused by death of a loved one, or a broken relationship of major importance in your life. No, an accident, a serious injury, loss of a limb, or loss of job, home or whatever else is held very dear in one’s life.

In my case it was the Orlando shootings that shocked and led me through travail of grief. Totally unexpected, by the way. This was a news event. Serious, gloomy, tragic, sudden, grisly and bloody. Death of 50; serious injury to 53. Those facts alone should be all that matters to start the grieving process. But it wasn’t.

No, in my case the fact that this was an act of domestic terror against my community was the silent factoid that grabbed me. I’m gay and the gay nightclub, although never visited by me, was a connection of profound importance to me. I had not expected this but it was there and very real. I felt attacked and insecure.

I have friends and family that understand this. They reached out to me and provided comfort. At first I was puzzled but slowly I gained awareness of what was happening. Later in the week I realized I had not heard from a lot of significant others in my life. Were they that disconnected from my life that they wouldn’t understand? Were they of lesser meaning to me, therefore?

Look, I get it. Gay is an uncomfortable topic in Americana. It is tolerated in polite discussion but barely unless you are talking among the gay community. I have a sister in law who remains acceptant and loving but very uncomfortable about the topic. There are times she shushes us for mentioning the term. She acts like she is protecting her granddaughters, all adults and more sophisticated than she is on the topic of gender orientation. She is embarrassed by it still. And maybe even angered by it? Hard for me to know but the tell tale signs of intolerance are present.

From that realization I have arrived at another realization – our reality is not truly shared by others even though they say it is. Many are anxious to understand. Even several of my fellow church members have reached out to learn more after reading my blogs of last week centered on the Orlando tragedy. They are moving along with me on the journey of grief and seeing things for the first time. In some ways I am as well discovering things I did not know about myself. Interesting.

Last night we shared dinner with old friends from within the gay community. We talked about our shared sense of grief. But then one of the group said – “we have a right to be angry; others have pledged their love and support but show in so many ways they would rather not; they are discomfited by the whole gay thing.”  Well, that made me stop and think. And in bed last night several times I awoke thinking about this theme. And so I write about it now.

I can get married to the love of my life now; and did in February. I am thankful for that. I am even grateful for that. But I’m not thanking my nation for it because it is my human right to live life the same as everyone else. I am not given anything. I have received what I ought just like you and everyone else. To think otherwise is to accept society’s discomfort over all things gay.

The jokes about ‘he’s a little limp wristed, you know’ or ‘ain’t he swishy’, and all the rest. Those are wrong. I’m not swishy. I’m not limp wristed. I am a person. I happen to like same gender people in the same way that different gender people are attracted to each other. They know this as normal. I know myself as normal. Yes, we are different, but we are also all normal.

Allowing others to think otherwise is the insult. And if I allow it and make allowances for it to be polite, I have not helped anything but I have degraded myself. If I accept that then that is my fault. If I don’t accept it and point it out to others, it may not be very polite but it is civil and should be expected.

When someone uses the wrong terminology to refer to someone different from themselves – black, negro, colored, etc. for an African American – they should be corrected. Difficult I know but how else do we learn what is right if we don’t encounter it honestly?

I’m here and queer. Get over it. I have.

And, my life is as valuable as yours, too. I do what I can to make the world a better place. I honestly explore the meaning of things and let others know of my struggles and progress along the way. This is good for me. It is good for others. It is honest and instructive. Why don’t others do the same? Are they too fearful they may learn something about themselves they can’t handle?

Oh please! This is the very process through which we mature and grow. It should be embraced and and valued. I do and gain insight and excitement over life itself.

Try it. You’ll like it!


June 22, 2016 

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Killing the Future

In my lifetime JFK was assassinated. Then Martin Luther King, Jr., then Bobby Kennedy. And then random murders escalated. Cities became killing grounds. Wanton gang violence mushroomed.

Today the same is true. Violence mushrooms across the land. In Chicago random shootings in nice neighborhoods, prized areas of wealth and prestige, along boulevards and grand drives, gunshot breaks the silence from passing cars hitting homes, windows, other cars, other drivers and passengers, even motorcyclists randomly motoring along the roadway.

Gangs control neighborhoods in Chicago and in suburban areas. Also in New York, Miami, Boston, LA, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix and so many other cities. Did I say Chicago? Did I mention Detroit? Oh the waste of such lives.

We are killing our future. We are letting the lawless and the mentally ill build our future for us without resistance. We let them buy guns by the crate and ammo by the case. We let them roam our towns and cities shooting up the places like it was the old west of the OK Corral. We let them. We choose to let them. We walk away from responsibility.

We have consciously made the decision – to do nothing.

We hope that leaders and authorities working for our governments will do this work for us unbiddingly. We hope they know that is what we want. And need.

Of course they don’t. Elected officials control the agenda in America. You and I know that. So does everyone else. And those same elected officials don’t do anything unless they think you want them to. And if you are arguing about ideology, high taxes, abortions, text book selection, and the latest sermons you heard in church, they know they cannot do anything. They await your direction. And their staff await the leaders' direction.

You see how this works? When no clear voice of the people is available, there is no leadership. We elect people but they are powerless to do anything.

And then we – who have allowed this to happen – blame everyone in sight but ourselves.

In Spring of 1968 Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis. And cities across America rioted and burned. And I responded to the unmistakable ‘call’ to the ministry. I needed to do something about this. I needed to do something responsible and meaningful. I just didn’t know what that was, but at least I hoped to find it in seminary. So I went. An army of one to do the work of millions. For a millennia. How foolish I was!

To think I could make a difference. But I still pursue the dream. Just not in seminary or in ministry. Only as a citizen and volunteer. Anywhere I think the work will make a difference.

Is this the modern day ‘call’ to action for each of us? Is this our calling to minister to the needs of our sick society? I knew America was sick in the late 1960’s. It was very sick. But it responded to the assassinations with vigorous civil rights legislation, the war on poverty, voting rights improvements, and the Peace Corps, the space program and so much more.

Eating away at us was the War in Vietnam. A horrible waste of military might and life. Oh such a waste for which we continue to pay a high price. We did not learn our lesson in Iraq or Afghanistan, either. We continued to think our power was behind the barrel of a gun or tank or fighter jet.

Is it any wonder why citizens and gangs hide behind their guns to kill innocent people? Is it any wonder why people don’t know who the enemy is and so take innocent lives? Is this what is happening in America? All over again? I started adult life in this condition. Am I to end my adult years in the same horrible morass?

Please choose otherwise. Please let your voice be heard. Please open your mind and heart and let energy flow to the sinew to move, take action and make a difference.

This is our future we are talking about. And the future of our kids, grandkids and unborn generations of family and friends and talent and genius yet to be.

The world needs this new juice of possibility. We need that juice. Please squeeze a little harder and make it happen!

Please?


June 21, 2016

Monday, June 20, 2016

Crazy Times

America is not an empire. It does not have desires to become an empire. American people are generous and will help those who are down and out, need help, face disasters both natural and man-made, and generally need tender loving care. That’s the America I know. That’s the America I am a part of, work for and love.

Of course there are people who feel the opposite. Most of these are external to our nation; they are nationalists that resent America its wealth, spirit and history. So they deride America and accuse our nation of being something it is not. That’s on them, not us.

You and I are Americans. We know our country – spirit, hopes, nightmares – all the good and the bad. There are those who feel we should be better than we are and are angry about it. Others, like me, know we can do better but are not angry. We are hopeful that we will get our act together and make needed improvements.

Funny thing is the good, bad and ugly of America is all on our own backs. We make America the way she is. Her failings are our failings. Her successes are our successes. And if we do things well enough others notice and wish their nations were more like ours.

Look, America is not perfect. Never was. Most likely it never will be perfect. But we are among the best that is right now. We care about our people. We educate our people. We provide freedoms that allow dreams to soar and plans to be made so individuals can be all that they can be.

There’s a lot of jostle in our sort of culture. We rub up against each other by accident. We bump into one another fighting for space and room for dreams. The push, pull and jostle leads us through unknown paths and struggles that strengthen us. If we keep our politeness we become better people. Knowing ourselves better – both inside and out – makes us kinder gentler citizens.

If we exit this process selfish and self-centered, we become ugly Americans intent on serving our own needs and forgetting everyone else. That is decidedly un-American. Those outside our country see those traits of the few and magnify them so they build a poor image of who we Americans truly are.

I guess you have to walk our streets, work our offices and jobs, and generally share a cup of coffee or a beer with us to get to know who we are.

We are not all educated. We are not all smart. We are not all generous and nice. No, we are a mix of good, bad and ugly like most nations and their people. We are human beings. And we are trying to live our lives freely and fully just like everyone else.

Why this is so hard to understand I guess is because we don’t know our counterparts in other lands without the filters of the media, politicians and leaders who have other agendas in mind. They don’t want their people to know too much; they lose power and influence if their people learn too much.

Our filters no longer work well. They used to be there to help speed information on to consumers; now it imparts values and messages we don’t know are embedded in the filtration process. So user beware!

Perhaps we need to talk to one another one on one and attempt to hear, listen and speak honest thoughts to one another. Could the internet be that channel? Can we trust our own talents to discern truth and honesty in such communications?

I don’t know the answer to that question but I doubt we will ever know if we don’t try.

People power for personal communication. You and I. Just you and I. And then we can branch out once we feel we are ready.

Hope it isn’t too late. We should start right away and see what happens.

Are you game?

June 20, 2016


Friday, June 17, 2016

Changing the Script

What script? The social script of discussion. What do we talk about? What interests us and what drives that interest? Is it hope, fear, horror or joy? Or something else?

What do we want it to be, the urge to discuss anything? Will we give in to the whine or complaint? Or will we look toward topics with substance to consider and think about; and thus lead us to new horizons, not only of thought, but of accomplishment?

I read an essay about “5 Factors That Could Turn America Into Another Collapsed Empire.” Here are their 5 factors:

  1. Falling Birthrates
  2. Globalized Trade
  3. Rising Debt Loads
  4. Eroding Work Ethic
  5. The Challenge of Patriotism in a Multicultural Country 
Here are some quick comments from me on each of these:

Birthrates: we need to reproduce ourselves to keep the nation going. We don’t necessarily have to grow the population base, just replace it. Right now we are not. That means a declining number of people to invent new businesses, new processes, and help for those who are aging and can no longer do for themselves. China learned this lesson. They were focused on population control and demanded only one child per marriage. This has led to gender selection – girl babies are murdered and boy babies are prized. But the offset is that the natural balance between girls and boys and marriage and relationships and producing offspring is all out of whack. This creates several problems in totally unsuspected arenas!

Additionally, too few kids are taking on the parents’ businesses or households leaving the elderly in a real pinch. Over population is one issue to work on and control for the overall health of the planet. But culturally we must be able to at least replace ourselves.

More babies, please!

Globalized Trade: international trade is a must but it comes with challenges. The first challenge is loss of jobs if and when they are resourced outside our own nation. However, the theory of vigorous international trade is just this: lowest valued labor flows to where it exists thus freeing up our own labor for higher valued work, learning and excellence. Of course the problem is that those affected by job losses and the challenge to upgrade their skills, suffer through financial chaos and upset. The long term value, however, remains true: the nation that invents the future inherits the future. Cheap labor jobs and their industries almost always disappear in time.

So we must not fear trade whether foreign or domestic. We make things and produce services to sell. We get paid for such. That allows us time and treasure to invest in the next act of production. And invention. Anticipate, train and do. This will keep our nation strong.

Rising Debt Loads: If debt is rising out of proportion to assets owned, this is a problem. If debt is rising at a slower rate than asset growth, this is NOT a problem. Debt is not to be feared. Bad debt should be feared. It is a basic investment decision: will the debt produce more of what is needed or not? If not, don’t do the debt. And funding wants is not an investment. It is a self indulgence. Self indulgence will tear down a nation faster than anything. And we all know it.

Eroding Work Ethic: We all know people and even families where doing the least is the goal. Letting someone else do the work or earn the money is a prescription for profound failure. Yet we witness it happen over and over again.

This has been a good thing for me. I just keep working and doing because it is fun, challenging and rewarding. Life means so much more with this attitude than the opposite one. And I’m happy; the others are woefully unhappy and complaining constantly. One day they will either get the message and change for the good, or they will continue down their slippery slop of misery to their natural end. How very sad to waste life in this manner.

Observe successful companies, organizations, cultural institutions and families. They are engaged and engaging. They work hard and don’t put it off. They jump right in and act. They are happy and successful in many dimensions.

Challenge of Patriotism versus Multicultural Nationalism:  I know so many immigrants and not one of them is here because they don’t want to be. They are happy to be in America and many have become naturalized citizens. This is patriotism.

Having pride in one’s own culture is not anti-patriotic. They are two different things. In America one can celebrate their native culture and identity and still be a patriotic American. In fact it is America’s culture of freedom and tolerance for differences that makes multiculturalism possible in the first place. We celebrate Africans, Europeans, Asians and Native Americans. We celebrate Irish, German, English and all the other nationalities who live among us. Not all were acclimated easily but they were acclimated eventually.

It is part and parcel of what makes America great in the first place. Thank God for that!

So fiddle faddle on rumors of a dying empire! Besides there is no such thing as an American Empire. That concept is totally bogus.


June 17, 2016

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Gun Control?

Another mass shooting, this time in Orlando, Florida. At a gay night club attended by a broad and diverse array of people. All comfortable with one another. Gay or not gay? Who cares. All are welcome to enjoy the music and dancing.

Someone thought differently. He walked into the club with an assault rifle and a hand gun and maybe something more, and started shooting. He killed at least 49 people on site and shot another 53 victims all hospitalized. He died in a fierce gun battle with the Police SWAT team

FBI labeled this incident a terrorist act – domestic or foreign was not known at the time. We later learned he was a lone wolf shooter with confusion over much and claimed tangential fealty to ISIS leaders; I think this will prove to be a sham.

One thing is clear: 50 dead and 53 wounded would not have happened if the assault weapon was not brought into the club. Why are assault weapons sold on the open market for all to have and own? These weapons were not made for sport; they were made for assault with intent to kill. Not animals but people. Get it?

NRA and all gun lovers take note: We – the rest of America – do not accept this status quo. You have the right to bear arms; so do I. But you do not have the right to bear assault weapons that are designed to kill other human beings just because you think they deserve to die and control the trigger.

The constitution did not say you have the right to bear arms to kill; you have the right to bear arms to restrain government from taking over you life. That’s a different issue entirely. If you don’t see that, then return to school please for emergency tutoring.

The nonsense stops now. All assault weapons should be taken off the market. All manufacturing of same should be licensed by the federal government and all customers who own said products made known to the ATF. These weapons will be confiscated forthwith and placed in storage. A fair remuneration will be provided the gun owner.

The next no-nonsense step: stop the sale of all guns and ammunition until an assessment is made that informs all of us – citizen and government alike – how many guns each owner has. Then we will determine how best to reduce the number of weapons per household. Right now there is one gun per person in America.  330 million guns. Who needs that many guns? Do you really distrust your government and fellow citizens that much? Then please leave the nation and find another place on the planet that suits you better.

You have all worn out your welcome here if you choose to retain multiple guns in your household. There is no earthly reason why you are armed to the teeth. None. Your owning guns in unlimited fashion and type has led our nation to the brink of anarchy, not restrained it from it. And the rest of us – innocents all – are tired of the threat of not knowing who among us is armed to kill everyone around them on the highway, street, bus, train, restaurant or office.

I choose to be safe. I choose to be separated from you who are so weak as to bear arms in a peace loving society. What is wrong with you? Did you feel unloved by your parents or siblings when you were growing up? Were  you taunted or bullied when young and now you want to get back at all those unknown and now unseen enemies? 

Well, shooting up public places is not going to help you. Or anyone else. But the rest of us can remove the tantalizing gun from your possession if that is how undisciplined you are.

You are part of the problem. You will either solve the problem by helping the rest of us do so, or you will face the justice of a peace loving nation that is finally taken all it will take on the gun ownership front.

Be cool. Be peaceful. Lay down your guns. Help rid our society of this horror!

June 16, 2016


Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Chicago Pilgrimage

Moody household Tuesday, June 14. Rewrote some blogs, reordered what I had planned to post, and then, at breakfast, we discussed our mood. Seems we were still depressed by the Orlando massacre. And so we decided to go to Chicago’s Boys Town. That morning.

We were resolved to do so. We are in our 70’s and haven’t been to Boys Town for a while, maybe a year? Maybe longer? And even the last time was during the early afternoon on a Sunday and we stayed only a short time. Then we drove the long haul back to our suburban hidey-ho.

But this time we knew, just knew, that this is the ‘pilgrimage’ we need to take. And we did. We called a good friend and asked if she would like to come with. She hopped to it. And we brought our dog Willow, too.

Such a car load! Two gay 70+ guys, a 70+ plus dear woman friend, and our dog. At 9:40 am we ventured out of the garage and got on the toll road. Into Chicago we headed. Through all kinds of traffic. Post-rush hour made it easier but still, we hadn’t done this for quite some time. We wended our way into the city, down to Lower Wacker Drive for the cross Loop foray, then to Lake Shore Drive and north to Belmont Avenue. Off the LSD and into the neighborhood. Through narrow streets and heavy traffic we arrived at Halsted Street and the official Boys Town.

Turning north we slowed past all our old haunts. So much was new. New high rises, apartment blocks, and stores. The old nightclubs were replaced with new emporiums, high end fashion outlets, sparkling dining spots replaced old familiar places. Of course the night clubs were not yet open. No; they would be jumping by 5 pm and crammed by midnight. And the streets would be teeming with the gay community.

Our mission was to visit the LGBT Community Center and the ‘memorial’ to the Orlando slayings. We found a parking spot and walked the immediate neighborhood. Very few people out and about. At work or in bed, I suppose. Whole Foods was open and humming but few patrons were present.

We stopped in at the Community Center and talked with staff. We visited the memorial and added our bouquet of red roses to the small pile. We read the notes left by others and wept for our band of brothers and sisters under attack by crazies and political parties and people of sheer ignorance.

We asked about the planned new senior’s gay housing project we had heard about. “It’s open!”, they said. Has been for about a year. So we walked a block and entered the lobby and talked with the folks sitting there and ever so willing to talk. The Senior Housing Center is full up; all 79 apartments. And the waiting list is full with over 200 names so the waiting list has been closed until further notice.

We went back to the car, and looked for a shop that would sell us rainbow stickers for the car, and maybe a gay T-shirt or two. Some show of loyal support for our community although we live 40 miles west. Spotted a likely shop and parked on the street illegally; motor running, Rocky got out and entered the store. Soon after he emerged with a small sack of gay symbols we could display and feel ‘with it.’

Then, our visit essentially over, we pulled into traffic and wended our way home. More city traffic congestion, the expressways and the toll road. Back in our apartment’s ‘hood’ and we were home. 

The ride home had been mostly silent. Memories you know. Feelings, too. The welling of past awareness of our community of fellows in Chicago. How we had found them. Where we had spent many hours. All of that. Such a well worn use of time thinking back and feeling it once again.

The wonder and the connection. The identity, really. We were still the same people. Gay. Now old. Still feeling. Still relevant even as millions feel not so. For us, we did what we had to do to feel a part of it all.

Rocky walked the bewildered dog before going up to the apartment. Pam and I returned to our apartments, still oddly silent but at peace.

At peace. That doesn’t really cover it properly. At calm, maybe; or perhaps bewildered wonder at a society that still allows such violence to visit little kids, gay people, old people, poor people, church people, people of color, people who are different. All with guns, mind you.

All with guns. For no good reason. Just violent ends that only the shooters could explain or mostly likely they cannot. Most of them are dead, too; suicide by police? Probably. They were disturbed. They were twisted. They were angry and alone. But they were armed with guns and ammo so easily acquired in our nation.

Interesting the limits of freedom in America. Isn’t it? So much freedom to live life fully and yet to be randomly killed by a crazy with a gun too easily got.

Perhaps that will be our epitaph for America? Too early to yet tell. Way too early. So many more crazies have yet to express themselves. So many gun dealers to sell more guns to those crazies. And so much innocent blood yet to be spilled.

Because a nation chose to do nothing about it. Nothing about gun control. Nothing about mental illness. Nothing about social services to help people as they stumble through life towards an evil end of violence carried out by them because they are truly so out of control.

We let them, you know. We allowed this to happen. On our watch. We let them loose on our innocent people. When will they come for you, or me?


June 15, 2016

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Bloody Sunday – Part 2

I wrote a piece about this shooting and placed it in the line up of posts for my blog. It slipped into the date for Friday, June 17. However reports on the massacre grew more detailed and my sadness grew as well. By evening I was spent, depressed and decidedly distracted. I went to bed by 8:30 and awoke two hours later. I mean really awake! And so I arose and went to my computer to write. Write something, anything, that would take my mind on a flight to where it might find peace.

And I did write a piece on the shooting. I posted it at 1:30 am and returned to bed to sleep deeply for 3 hours. Monday was not a normal day but at least I had said what I needed to say and to share it with whoever found the posting on the internet.

This morning I opened my original file for June 17 and found it so out of date I dumped it.

I will share with you these early vibes I felt about the incident. First, who would do such a thing? What was going on in his mind? Why a gay nightclub? Why so violent?

Then his photos were shared by news organizations and the first thing that struck me was he was gay and uncomfortable with that realization. Why did I feel that way? Because he was astoundingly good looking, he took obvious care of his body, appearance and physical fitness. That was apparent to me. It formed a question in my mind quickly that he was gay and frustrated by that. Turns out I probably was right in my conclusion.

More reports tell of his frequent visits to the same nightclub he attacked. Patrons remember him as a loner and odd person to talk with. He sought out companionship but was awkwardly unable to deal effectively with it. He dated at least one of the patrons for a short while but that didn’t last. It seems the shooter knew he was gay and not doing research on a club he would eventually shoot up and kill so many.

We call this internal homophobia – a fear and disgust with the self over the same sex yearnings and attraction. For those not gay this is often an early reaction to one’s own realization that they are gay. They recall their cultural teachings and nuances that ‘taught’ us gay was bad, evil. Actually we learned this from social and cultural context rather than outright teachings. But subtlety doesn’t count in these matters. Only the final personal conclusions made count.

I suffered internal homophobia. I recognized it over time and dealt with it little by little. It is part of why it took me decades to finally admit to myself that I was gay and it was OK. By that time I was married and had two kids, a suburban home with a mortgage, and lots of responsibilities to fulfill. And I did.

In time my wife forced the decision to end our marriage. We were married nearly 26 years. Our first born had just graduated from college. Our second born was a sophomore in college.

By the time I was 51 I was able to come out to friends and family. Not all of my family, nor all of my friends and associates. No. That would have been to frightening to me! So I parsed out my coming out over many years.

Eventually my internal homophobia faded into a memory. But it taught me to look for it in others. And I did recognize it dimly in the Orlando Shooter. He was not ISIS. He said he was to add to the fear and the weight of the event. He was a good stager of what he wanted others to think. The reality was far different.

Isn’t that an interesting turn about?

More mysteries await our discovery and enlightenment in life. This is but one. And I, for one, accept it and learn from it. Please do so as well. Our common humanity requires us to be open to others and their struggles. It makes them human. It makes us equally human if we can touch that sore spot in others and ease their way in life.

I feel horror at the shooting. I feel saddened and at a loss for all of those people killed. But I also feel sorry for the shooter who, in the end, rejected himself far more than those he killed. He erased his feelings and confusion by erasing others. And himself.

How unutterly sad for all.

June 15, 2016


Opening Communications

I’ve worked in and with a lot of organizations in my time. That work requires a lot of talk and written communications. Sitting around a table or in someone’s office is a time to open the mind and the mouth and speak ideas that are relevant to whatever the conversation is about. Mostly these would be business problems, police protocols, human resource issues, client relationships needing a tweak, and so on.

Openly sharing these issues with one another on a work team informs every one of the common threads. Each person has a relationship to those same threads. They most likely have a reaction, a point of view, or an observation to share. Sometimes these meetings are fun and produce a lot of laughter; other times they are gloomy and intent on fixing something serious. Whatever the climate in the room, all participants get more out of the meeting if they listen intently and share their thoughts freely.

This act of open communications is not always easy. Some organizations stifle the behavior. Communications are thus truncated and less meaningful. They are usually quite bureaucratic if not outright authoritarian. Although decisions are made clear in such circumstances, implementation of those decisions is lukewarm at best unless the threat of losing one’s job is thrown into the mix. Not a happy circumstance. And, in the long run, not good for the organization, either!

I’m working with an all-volunteer organization with a serious mission and strong long-term vision. The volunteers are all high-powered A-type personalities (except for me!) who know their stuff about the work of the organization. But there seems to be a problem. And I think it is centered on communication behavior.

I’m beginning to get the feeling that trust is an issue that keeps communications from being fully free and creative. I’m not used to this environment. I’m used to free flowing creative surroundings that reward risk taking and exploration of possibilities. I experiment with programs and processes to produce new results. Much of the results are valuable and necessary for our future success. So I share my opinion when asked or not! I do so usually in writing so the ideas can be added to the hopper at our next committee meeting. Sometimes my thoughts are shared by the committee chair before the meeting, most of the time they are not.

Also, most of the time no reaction is shared; by anyone, including the chair.

That leaves me wondering if offering ideas on my part is unwelcome or maybe even resented. I don’t know. But I do know that conversation is muted among members of the committee. I am beginning to sense a hesitancy of our members' willingness to share ideas with one another and the group.

This would be an undesirable situation. The lifeblood of any organization is the free sharing of ideas and thinking among its people. Yes, discipline in these matters helps the communications stay focused and orderly. But discipline to the extent of restricting communications is an early symptom of organizational ineffectiveness and death.

I spoke of this with a fellow volunteer last night. He told me to keep doing what I’m doing and challenge others to do the same. He observes the same lack of communications and fears the organization will atrophy and fall into irrelevance. He claims I’m the only one willing to risk ideas and communications in the group. He urged me to keep doing so!

So I will. Along the way I hope to learn if my fears are true, or if it is just me, or what.

At my age I do not yearn for authority, title or riches. All I want is effectiveness in what I do so that others can benefit from it. That is reward enough for me. Sort of like a teacher, you know? Most teachers are underpaid and very under-appreciated. But they know their work is vital to the success of others and to the long term survival of our very culture. Thank God for teachers.

So the task for the rest of us – who are not teachers – is to be honest, creative  and communicative. Only then will our work have a chance to expand to the benefit of others. And grow in value and effectiveness, too!

That’s a good thing!


June 14, 2016

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Bloody Sunday; Bloody Gay Sunday

It is 11:30 pm, June 12th. Went to bed at 8:30. Exhausted from the day’s news of horror in Orlando. Oddly paired with this day was our congregation’s celebration of our very special pastor’s retirement after serving our church for nearly 12 years. A celebration of a special person and her contribution to sharing meaning and value of life with everyone she met. A person who lives love and readily shares it. A life of purpose and personal being in the largest sense. We love her. She loves us. She loves me.

Yes; her ministry is very personal to me and to each of us at Trinity Lutheran Church in Warrenville, Illinois.

In February Pastor Wende married Rocky and I. We had been together for 16 years, had a commitment ceremony in a church that would perform such 11 years ago, but now that gay marriage is legal in Illinois and America, we needed the legal protections and sharing of household ownership, insurance coverage, tax benefits, and all the rest. We asked Wende and she jumped right on our request arranging our ceremony in two weeks time from start to finish. We invited only our kids and their families plus 3 close friends. Over 100 people learned of our event and dropped in to witness it. A spontaneous pot luck supper was available immediately afterward in the church’s fellowship hall. Another celebration of love, commitment and support. From so many people. A treat!

As I think on the state of our nation – our world, really – I keep thinking of who we each are. We are people. We are citizens. We are family. We are fellow workers, creators, artists, managers, coordinators, performers, musicians, writers, whatever else we each do to contribute to the value of life on the planet.

I think of the kid who senses something larger than himself, or herself. He or she knows that something special is brewing in the mind. A meaning. And idea. A motion of time and spirit wending through experience felt and sensed not known.

Perhaps this young person will write a poem to express the thought. Or maybe a short story as metaphor to get at the itch of this illusive idea gnawing in his mind. Or a play, a novel, a song, a lyric? Or maybe a painting or piece of pottery? Who knows what will come of this process of expressing one’s inner thoughts and yearning for meaning?

I know a lot of gay people. Men and women. Their experience in America has been similar to mine growing up gay. It is different than growing up straight. It is difficult to describe or articulate. I know I am different. I felt my otherness from an early age when I had no way of knowing what it was. Or why it was. Is.

A woman knows she is treated different from men. A black person feels differentness, otherness, too. And immigrants, smart people, simple minded people, people with physical disabilities or appearances that do not fit norms.

Norms. The word that begs comparison. To what is not quite ever known. But comparison to ‘lesser than.’ It is palpable. We know when we are being pushed away, off, ignored. Nothing is said. The behavior speaks loud the meaning.

I sing. Not because I can but because I must. I have learned to make a joyful noise from my singing. It is a pure baritone-tenor with a simple sweetness that reverberates within and satisfies me. I make these sounds and others notice. They approve and ask for more. I assent at church. There this is a valued skill. And it is welcome and used.

I write. It is something I must do. I must articulate an idea no matter how hard it is to do. The act of writing calms my mind. I am doing something I can do. I can write something no one else will. I can say what is on my mind that no one else can possibly know or write or sense or…

I have gone to gay nightclubs in years past. There is an energy there that is intoxicating. People like me. Acceptance and welcome. Smiles and appreciation. Freedom to be me. To be just me.

Without acting. Listening to music I do not understand but feel and vibe to. My classical roots are pulled into dimensions unknown before but understood at this moment. The rhythm and melody. The lyrics and phrasing. All mean something. These meanings form community shared among those present. We are of one tribe for the evening or moment.

I conjure the thought of what happened at the Pulse in Orlando in the wee hours of Sunday morning, June 12, 2016. A young man enters at 2 am when last call for drinks had sounded. He has a hand gun and an AR 15. The latter is in his arm and aimed at the densely crowded space. He opens fire. Killing those near him, bullets piercing bodies and traveling into one or two others standing close to the first victim. In this way he ranges through the cramped space and kills 50 people in short order. The victims are stunned, dead or dying. The stunned move out of the way, drop to the floor, inch their way out of the building or under cover from gun fire. 53 others are wounded and bleeding.  

The gunman exits and encounters police; he returns indoors and herds 30+ hostages at gun point. Everything that has happened occurred in mere minutes – 5 or 6. The hostage situation takes nearly three hours for the SWAT team to resolve. They ram the front door and burst into the interior of the nightclub. They find and kill the gunmen in short order.

Then begins the grisly analysis of what has happened. It will take days but 50 bodies lie in pools of blood and twisted mounds of flesh. Moaning wounded weep and cry for help. Medics are summoned and soon the wounded are processed and removed to hospitals. The dead remain where they have fallen. The dead are there to witness the horrible end.

The scene will be processed and tabulated and analyzed endlessly until sense is made of it all.

Elsewhere the investigation grows with practiced system, and process. Professional crime scene staff will discover nearly every nuance of meaning from the scene. They will form questions for all they don’t understand. In time they will piece together the answers. In time we will all understand.

Just not know. It is too grisly. It is too hard to know in full. ‘We see through a glass darkly’ claims 1st Corinthians. This is what is referred to. We do not know but we sense the meaning and eventually come to it in the fullness of time.

These are old fashioned words to explain modern events. Somehow the words bring comfort.

A kid sits down to make sense of what he doesn’t understand. He creates art to aid his expression. All art is this statement of dis-articulated ideas. It is why art niggles the mind and lures us within to its power. It is a witness of our own yearning for meaning.

A lot of gay people are artists. They have to be. They encounter dense thoughts that beg understanding with little support of same. The search goes on as well as the expression. Until, at last, meaning pulls into focus yet blurry. That’s as good as it gets most of the time. And it’s OK.

Sometime hard questions will be asked. Why did this happen? Why did this gunman hate these people? Does/did he feel the same about me? He doesn’t know me. He didn’t know his victims, either. That doesn’t seem to matter. Why is still the question. Why still matters. Why.

America needs to ask the question and seek answers. We all need assurance that we are loved and cared for, even by our society. Even by those who do not understand. But hey! I love them and know them not. Why is this not returned?

You see how this is personal?

Yes. I know you do.

June 13, 2016


Friday, June 10, 2016

Treasuring Our Pastor Wende

There are moments I catch myself staring at her during services. She is alert, sensitive and calm. She leads us through worship services calling on us to be present, ever present in what we are doing. Giving thanks to the Lord God for the universe we are a part of. The intentionality of our lives moving forward through possibility in service to others around us. She is leading us, not preaching at us, not ‘making us do anything’.

Over the years – she’s been with our congregation nearly 12 years, and we have been attending a little over 10 years – I have watched Wende do her ministry. At the pulpit and in fellowship hall, or in meetings, or at conferences away from the church building. Wende is a pastor. She helps us understand other people in the room, at the meeting, the ideas we espouse whether in concert or wildly separated. She helps us understand the concepts and locate unifying thoughts that bring them together.

She accepts me and my dysfunctional theology, ill-formed from years of questioning and struggle. She acknowledges my faith journey and its honorable intentions. She engages quiet discussion of a few small ideas which later you realize were anything but small! No, she is teaching us, showing us, leading us.

Wende West is the first minister I ever knew to be a true pastor. She embraces us as much as we embrace her. In fact, it takes time to realize you are embracing her wholly. But that’s because she is embracing you – supporting you and your journey – and in the end you feel the oneness of her spirit.

In time I realize this is also the oneness of the church. It is the way it should be and should have always been. Most congregations, however, don’t experience this oneness. It is very special. It is a gift from God through our very special pastor!

I’ve been fond of declaring Trinity Lutheran Church in Warrenville, Illinois as a ‘do it yourself church’. And to that Wende has said Amen! She follows with the lesson: the church is not a place or a building; it is the people of faith in God working their lives together. We ought to be ‘do-it-yourselfers’ in this enterprise! It is the very spirit of the church universal.

Ah yes! Wende the Pastor will be missed by all of us in so many different ways. And yet she will remain with us always. She has had that effect on us. We are all better for having known her. Her life eternal is in her teachings and modeling of the way.

For that I will be forever grateful.

God Bless you always, Wende!


June 10, 2016

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Rio or Bust?

Well, there’s something to think about. The Olympics are a treasured global icon of culture because it crosses national boundaries and and every ethnic culture you can think of. It resounds with human race identity rather than ethnic race divisions, or national identities, egos and all the rest.

But this time around Rio de Janiero is facing some huge problems that may sink the international games:

  1. The country is bankrupt and going deeper in debt to pay for the public infrastructure to support the Games
  2. Politically the nation is in terrible circumstances; they have placed their leader on suspension pending impeachment proceedings. And all the facts so far point to her removal because she was trying to fight the enormous corruption that engulfs her enemies; their response was to impeach her while they remain free to continue their shenanigans
  3. Crime is rampant in Brazil AND Rio de Janiero. Group and gang rapes are wanton and in the news frequently. Gaining justice for the crimes seems almost pointless as perpetrators get off
  4. The venues of the Olympic games are not yet complete and may not be in time for the Games. I feel sorry for the host country because this was a huge undertaking during trying times and very costly for them
  5. Polluted waters for games involving same. The stories are horrific and we wonder if the world’s athletes are actually going to imperil their health by competing in such soiled conditions
  6. Zika Virus threat is enormous. The epicenter of the mosquito borne disease is Rio itself. How many athletes and attendees will be infected by this disease? How many pregnancies will be spoiled? How many birth defects will plague our human community from this terrible threat?
  7. World threat of terrorism. Yes, we still live with this. I wonder what protections are in place to protect the athletes and attendees? 
I’ll stop there. It seems that the Summer Games for 2016 are in doubt. There are even calls to postpone them until Zika, finances, political stability and crime come under far better control. Will this happen? No one knows.

If I had the money to attend I wouldn’t because of all of the above. But that’s just me. How about you?

June 9, 2016


Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Anger and Fear

The public is angry. Frustrated. Fearful. Caught in a web of confusion over what is happening in their country, their families and their governments. They see dysfunction in business, stores, state legislature and Congress. They hear stories slamming and blaming people in political positions and leadership. Then seem to believe what they hear without checking sources and facts.

Interesting. I’m a fan of President Obama. I respect him as a person and as our elected leader. I believe he is doing a very good job and carefully tending to all of the parts of his job. His is an intellectual job to discern what is important, what is possible to do, and what he is required to do. How do these functions fit together? Do they mesh easily? Or do they come together in a grinding mess? I suspect the latter!

Anyway, I hear radio talking heads slam the President and accuse him of creating a mess that we will never work our way out of. But then I recall who is talking and why they feel the way they do. First, they are angry their failing candidate in the past does not occupy the White House. Second, they are trying to lay the groundwork of distrust and fear against the President’s party so their own party candidate (whoever that will be) will stand a chance of gaining traction with the public and win election. So I hear tales of the motives of Obama and the mistakes he has made. The priorities he is supposedly serving and how awful these are in face of the alternatives.

And more of the same? Horrors, no! Anything but that, so the campaign of fear and distrust is built higher and higher as time goes on.

Truth is much stranger than these tales.

And for those in America who value truth find the means to uncover the history and the facts that make current events what they are. They are nothing like what the talking heads are claiming. They are talking ideology. They are talking political party lines. They are talking about self service power and greed. They want that for themselves.

The rest of us have to ask these questions:  “What do we want our nation to be known for and to become? How do we make that come to be? What can I do to help make this happen?” 

Discerning answers to these questions is hard work. I know. I have made it my business to delve into this material. It interests me. It does not feed my ego, or my career or my financial well being. No; it feeds on my sense of security and well being that my nation is on the right track and developing nicely.

I don’t fee safe and secure. I am bothered at the chaos in our public life. I do not like the fact that we have an entire generation threatened by drugs and dissolution. I shudder at the mindlessness of much of our culture. I see with both eyes how the lowest common denominators among us are served and sought after by so many businesses, opinion makers, money grubbers and the like. The politicians are no better.

I see politicians twist words and meaning. It is hard to know who to trust. Who is giving us the straight information? Who can we rely on?

I tell you this, elected officials in the Congress hold little of my faith and trust. They are so self serving. They are patently dishonest in their representations of truth and fact. They manipulate the truth to serve their goals. They cannot be trusted.

My distrust does not convey to the White House. I trust Obama. I know him to be a man of principle and honesty. He is a serious thinker and public policy architect. He is not building a temple of gold for himself. He is deeply committed to making America safe, sound and supportive of its people’s well being. In my bones I know this.

Pitted against him – yes, fervently pitted against him – are political enemies who want to win elections, win congressional power, make laws supporting their points of view, all without consideration of what is good for the American people. If they have laid out those considerations, they have not done a good enough job of communicating them in terms that are believable.

Angry, yes; I get this. I am angry at people who simply won’t discuss the issues honestly and openly. If they were to do this, I think we would find much to agree on and thus be able to make the necessary compromises to get many things accomplished. We should not be enemies of each other. We should be trusting of one another. In fact we must be trusting in one another if anything of value is to be accomplished.

But fear? Am I afraid of anything? I guess I am: I fear those who create images of fear and cast them before the ignorant and unsuspecting people of our land. But this fear is made up. It is felt as real by those who are subject to fear, but in reality, there is no basis for fear. We are not dying. We are not stupid. We are not a failed nation. We are not unimaginative or non-inventive. We are precisely the opposite of all of those things!

Yes, we are a great nation. But enough is not right to make us question why we haven’t fixed it by now. It doesn’t mean we can’t fix things. It doesn’t mean we have no resources to fix things.

No, what it means is that too many people are standing in the way of fixing things. And they think they win if they cast enough suspicion at someone or a group of people claiming them to be the fault of our problems. The last time this worked tragically was with Hitler and the German People. He sold his people that the world was evil and crumbling and only they could fix it if they eradicated the people to blame for the problems. Of course he identified Jews, Gays and any other minority handy for the problems. His solution? To eradicate them and move forward to make Germany great again! Such lofty vision and thrust of power! And such evil.

Does this all sound familiar to you? Don’t be afraid to answer that question. In fact take responsibility and courage to answer the question. And then don’t be afraid, be ANGRY. At the people spreading false rumors, false statements and false testimony.

America is great and does not need the false claims otherwise. For shame on them!


June 8, 2016