Christ Episcopal Church

Healing in the Community

2008-03-24T20:00:00.001-07:00

I just got home from the March Inter-Religious Council. Our share topic tonight was healing. I took my BCP and a vial of oil and did the prayer used regularly on Sundays for healing. The woman who received laying on of hands and anointing was Jewish. Her Jewish name is Leah Miriam. Her daughter has a serious burn on her hand and we also prayed for our former Administrative Assistant who is recovering yet from a broken hip in November. It was a real joy to share this practice with the group.

I learned that at First Lutheran they have a healing service once a quarter. Also learned that Muslims pray either with the hand on the person's forehead or holding the hand over the affected body part. Rabbi Aaron shared some healing music he uses at Temple Judah. It was a joy to hear Imam Taha, who grew up in Jerusalem, translate some of the Hebrew used in that music. At the Zen Center the person needing prayer writes their name on a special paper kept on the altar and they are prayed for at each meditation. The Baha'is shared a prayer written by one of their prophets which covers healing of body, mind and spirit. The Franciscan Sisters have prayed perpetually for over 100 years and their list of requests of healing covers two pages. As each team of pray-ers goes in to pray, they start with that list of prayer requests.

Sharing Around the Table

2008-01-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

Last night was a meeting of the Inter-Religious Council, and we did something we've never done before. As we went around the table introducing ourselves, we also shared something about our community. The Orthodox group is doing a joint service to celebrate the Three Patriarchs; the Baha'is are planning for an upcoming four-day celebration of joy between the end of one year and the beginning of a new year; their new year will begin with a fast. We Christians are looking forward to what I consider a liturgical mardi gras on the festive Last Sunday of the Epiphany prior to our more somber observance of Lent. One Jewish woman shared the story of the new names she took when she became a Jew and how those names were chosen. I think I shall call her by her Jewish names now, as Leah Miriam, daughter of the Commandment, is a lovely name.

I know it caused some stress for some of the Board members to speak about something so personal as faith practice, but it really set the tone for a good meeting. February's meeting we will all share something of our healing tradition. I've asked permission to take a vial of oil so I can ask for a volunteer to receive laying on of hands while I pray from the BCP and then anoint them with oil. I think there's one Lutheran in particular I'm going to ask if no one volunteers, as this man is courageous about his faith -- and, after all, we Episcopalians do have altar and pulpit fellowship with the ELCA Lutherans. I figure that fellowship goes for healing, too.

Happy Epiphany!

2008-01-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

I've had a special place in my heart for Epiphany for a lot of years. At one point, as an organist in a Missouri-Synod Lutheran Church, I played two services on Sundays, four Advent midweek services and a choir concert all prior to two services on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas morning. So I had little time for keeping Christmas. Instead, I kept Epiphany. I sent cards with wise men on them; I made Epiphany candy; one year I even took the youth group Epiphany caroling. (The people in the nursing homes seemed to enjoy the company during the bleak days of January!)

Epiphany was the proclamation of the Good News to Gentiles, of which I am one. And so I celebrate Gentile Christmas with glee. May your Epiphany season be filled with joy and wonder!

What Piphi Has Taught Me

2007-12-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

It's been three months now since I've moved into a different apartment, and it's finally starting to feel like home. One of the biggest reasons is Epiphany Jeanne Louise, or Piphi for short. She has helped make this a home.

I spend a lot of time on the computer, what with maintaining websites and all. And so I've tried to limit myself to an hour for each website, so that I don't get lost in time and forget about the other important things God has planned for my day.

Piphi, however, has taught me that the 60-minute limit is less important than interacting with one of God's blest creatures. She will lay down next to the computer and patiently wait for me to pet her. Sometimes she falls asleep waiting. But I find I reduce the stress of computer work by stroking her soft fur and listening to her purr contentedly. So if I go over my 60 minutes, it's okay. And it's okay because of Piphi.

Another thing she's taught me is how important it is to stop and admire God's creation. I am blessed in that Piphi is marked beautifully, and she has the most lovely blue eyes, seal point siamese that she is. So it's become increasingly easy to take a few moments from web work to admire her beauty and to remark how lovely her demeanor is.

Finally, Piphi has taught me that losing large amounts of work is usually something from which I can recover -- either recover the work with an alt + backspace, or recreate the work in a better fashion that it originally appeared. You see, Piphi has a way of laying down on the keys. So often I'll begin to type and find she's pressed the All Caps key. I would much rather have her here with me when I'm working than have her asleep in the other room. (I wanted to use an exclamation point there, but she's laying on the key and I don't want to disturb her for a silly piece of punctuation.)

So thank you, Susan Hansen, for letting me know about Piphi. And thank you, God, for creating Piphi and making her available to me at a time when I needed her.

An Ecumenical Conversation

2007-08-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

Last week the blower fan on my little Kia went out. It's quite the challenge to drive around town in the midst of summer without any moving air, much less without air conditioning. Needless to say, until the part comes in to fix it, I'm doing my errands in the morning before the heat sets in.

Last Tuesday the car was at the dealership all day while they determined exactly what the problem was. I had the most fascinating conversation with the van driver who took me from home back to the dealership to pick up my car.

I like to talk to the van drivers. It makes the time pass, and it gives me an opportunity to meet someone new. I learn a lot this way.

As we talked, the conversation turned to religion. The driver asked me, "What is the true Word of God?" In my heart, I had a sense for what he was going for, but I responded that in John's gospel, Jesus is called the Word, and so that would be my first answer. And then I said that in a very literal way, you could say the Bible was the Word of God. That pleased my companion to no end. I thought it would.

At this point I mentioned that I was a very happy Episcopalian and asked which denomination he belonged to. I never did get a straight answer, leaving me wonder whether he is free-lancing in his faith, yet hoping that he belongs to a community of faith.

He did ask me at one point which was the true translation of the Bible, and I had to be honest about my feelings that since all our English translations were done by humans, we had to look to the original Hebrew and Greek for ultimate truth. That seemed to have thrown him for a loop, so I changed direction and started talking about our Bible studies at Christ Church, knowing he would approve of group studies.

When he asked me what I did to keep busy, I mentioned our prayer shawl ministry. This was something totally foreign to my new friend. But in the time we had left on our ride together, I was able to explain it and share some of the stories of people who had taken their prayer shawls into surgery, for instance. He welcomed the new idea, strange though it was to him.

So together we learned from each other. Which is what ecumenical conversation is all about, is it not?

Why Am I So Impatient?

2007-07-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

I got home about an hour ago from working the special election. So many good things happened between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. I learned to help voters with the electronic voting machine, and about a third of the voters in our precinct chose that option over a paper ballot. We had a 14% voter turnout, which was slightly higher than the average turnout, so we were moderately busy throughout the day. I was able to interact with voters to ensure they had a good voting experience, which was an absolute delight.

So why was I so impatient with my colleagues when they couldn't figure out the alphabet to find a voter's name in the register? And why was I so impatient with the way requiring voters to fill out the roster prior to getting a ballot slowed the process so dramatically, especially when we had no poll watchers and the need for a roster was, in my opinion, pointless. And why was I so impatient with voters with attitude who made the day go so slowly? I found myself so turned off by a surly and sarcastic attitude toward the opportunity to vote that the best I could do was my job and then ignore them and let them go on their way.

I guess I take politics pretty seriously and the right and responsibility to vote is something to be cherished rather than dealt with in a negative way. Like other bad attitude people, I have little patience for voters who walk in with a sarcastic manner and expect me to play along with their games. Voting is no game. It is something precious.

Maybe someday I'll find the secret to dealing with negative and sarcastic attitudes so they don't get me down as well. What are your thoughts? Comment and use dianemjohnsmith@aol.com as the user name and b061354 as the password.

Ayla and I

2007-07-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

I spent about 30 hours this weekend with Ayla, three-year-old German Shepherd who makes her home with my oldest niece Jenn and her family -- husband Josh; Raelynn, 5; Halie, 4; and Hunter, 4. (Yes three kids within 13 months old -- as a stay-at-home Mom Jenn has her hands full!)

Ayla takes thyroid medication twice a day, swallowing her pill hidden in half a hotdog. So when I ask, "Want your pill?" she knows the hotdog is coming and is right on board!

And so cooperative. She can be asleep anywhere in the house and when I call out her name she comes immediately. I tried to put her outside every three hours or so and she patiently waited for me to lead her out by the collar and attach her chain. Then she did what she needed to do --which was usually to go out into the shady grass and lie down, waiting for me to call her name once again to take her inside.

I learned a lot from Ayla this weekend. I saw a perfect example of the grace she exhibited in following my lead and I wondered why I couldn't be that way more often with the leading of the Holy Spirit! If I am listening to the Spirit's prodding, which isn't that often, I am not so quick to follow along. I'm also prone to creating prodding of my own which I don't then check out prayerfully before taking action.

I need more time with Ayla to study this, but I think there is much I can learn from her about living a Christian life.

2007-07-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

Grace for My Little Kia:

In the midst of all this summer heat, I've over the last 24 hours had several delightful interventions from God in my life concerning my little Kia Spectra.

Yesterday afternoon I was taking a nap and there came a rapping on my door. It was one of the neighbors -- the man who lives across the hall who, well, frankly, scares me a little because of his temper. He seemed quite concerned that my little car had a flat tire.

Now this was one of the kindest things he's ever done for me, in that it was a tire I wouldn't have noticed being flat until I'd backed out onto the driveway and driven on rim rather than inflated tire.

I was still in the process of waking up from my nap when he further suggested that he would go upstairs and see if Mitch might be available to help him change the tire for me. Now, I've changed plenty of tires in my driving lifetime. But it sure is easier when young men will change them for you!

So here we were, Keith and his wife Michelle standing by the back of the car, Mitch down on the pavement looking for where to put the jack, and me standing in the grass because I'd forgotten to put on shoes when I'd put clothes on to go outside and the asphalt was hot on my bare feet. All of us on the west side of the building in the sun, focusing on getting this tire situation taken care of.

Mitch got the tire changed in no time. He likes my cucumber sandwiches and tomorrow I'm going to make some for him. Keith told me to take the old tire (it had a screw in the outer tread) to WalMart to get it plugged and put back on the car.

So this afternoon about three o'clock I drove to the Marion WalMart's Tire and Oil Express entrance. I explained to the lady at the desk what my situation was, and she apologized over and over that WalMart couldn't guarantee a plug on the outer tread and so I could try somewhere else or she could see about a new tire for me.

I was exhausted and didn't want to drive all over asking on a Saturday afternoon the same question, looking to get the same answer. So I opted for the new tire. She and another clerk looked up what they had in stock, and it was a Goodyear Eagle tire that was on clearance, so it cost 20% less than retail. The $60 total pricetag was still more than my allowance would bear, but my community of faith's generosity, along with the generosity of Fr. Bill and the Discretionary Fund, paid the bill.

While I was waiting I sat in the store itself rather than in the Tire and Oil Express Center because the air conditioning was better there. A clerk walked by several times in the 20 minutes I waited and finally asked if I was feeling okay. Of course, she had no way of knowing that my tremors were from medication and not from heat exhaustion. So I told her I was just waiting for my car, that I felt fine, and I thanked her for asking. How thoughtful of her to take time to check on me!

Within 30 minutes I was driving on the new tire, had it registered with Goodyear online; and on the way home from Saturday night worship I had the money in the bank to cover the check I had written to WalMart.

God's grace was popping up over and over and over and over again. At least I had the open eyes to see it all and to appreciate each step. Sometimes we miss the grace pops because we aren't looking through open eyes. But when we get to see them, they're beautiful, aren't they? Thanks be to God.

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

2007-07-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to move to a smaller apartment. And I'm looking forward to having fewer possessions in a more compact space. I'm especially looking forward to separating the "must haves" from the "why in the world did I keep these?" items.

I guess you could call me a cautious packrat. Rather than throwing something away when I'm done with it, like a sheet of disposable music that's stores electronically elsewhere, I'll hold on to it for the slight chance that I'm going to need it in the next few weeks. Of course, as it turns out, being disposable music, I don't use it in the next few weeks and years later I still have it. It's still disposable, just not disposed of.

So moving is a perfect opportunity to separate what's disposable from what's indispensible.

I think maybe it should be a federal law that all of us cautious packrats should have to move every five years or so. I've been in this apartment 16 years, so there's plenty of disposable music around here! And plenty of other chaff that needs to be tossed, or even better, recycled for reuse. The movers aren't coming until August 30, and I haven't found a place to move to yet because I haven't started looking, and so I'm in a stage now of relishing the separation of wheat from chaff.

I think that's the hardest part of moving -- gathering the chaff, figuring out the best way to dispose of it and then disposing of it. Most of my organ music is going to a friend. The rest will go to the recycle bin -- unless you of course. The Outreach A to Z Sale is coming up around the date of my move, so some of my chaff will go there. And I've found someone who can connect my washer and dryer and bed to someone who needs a washer and dryer and bed so that I don't have to go through the hassle of putting an ad in the paper and entertaining phone calls to explain just how old these items are and what condition they're in. Makes me feel pretty good that someone is going to get good use out of these items -- someone who can't afford to purchase even used items -- and I get to be the conduit for the transfer.

I find I've become a lot less sentimental about possessions in the last few weeks since I've decided to move. You can't be too sentimental about chaff or you never get separated from it! And we all carry enough baggage around with us without living among the chaff.

Traffic and Community

2007-06-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

I drive a red Kia Spectra. It's got plenty of horsepower -- too much horsepower for its own good. But it's fun to drive and I have 10 years/100,000 miles in which whatever goes wrong will be fixed free. So for a single woman, what could be better?

I can't afford to pay a speeding ticket, so I try to be very careful not to exceed the speed limit. That sometimes makes those driving around me a little upset. I've had people change lanes and speed past me just to catch up to them at the next stop light and I want to get out of the car and go to their window and ask what the big hurry was. But I don't. I just go about my business and pray they get to where they need to be safely.

The problem I have is when there's no traffic. I can't seem to stay at the speed limit unless I have a community of drivers around me to keep me going. And I think it's the same thing in our spiritual lives. If we're alone -- and we were never meant to be spiritually alone (that's hell, right?) -- we can't keep up with the demands of our faith. We need to be involved in our community and get the support from them that allows us to keep pace with changing scenery and ever-changing opportunities.

Perhaps missionaries who go out into remote areas alone are the exception. But I could never be a missionary like that. I do just an okay job being a missionary in the little mission field God has given me here. There's nothing spectacular about what I do. I just do my best and let God do the rest. But I could never do it alone. Just like I can't drive on a highway alone.

Oh, yes, it's less stressful when there's no traffic. No defensive driving tactics are necessary. No wondering if the teenagers in the car ahead are going to swerve off the road and roll their car because they've been drinking. No worrying if the seniors in the car beside me should be driving at their age. Believe me, I'm 53 and sometimes I shouldn't be driving at my age! No fear that the huge pick-up truck behind me is going to pass too close and force me off the road.

What I need is that little bit of stress that traffic causes to keep me at the speed limit, to keep me alert and to keep me focused. And isn't that what the life of faith is all about? We need the community to keep us moving at the pace God intends; to keep us from falling asleep at the spiritual wheel and allowing ourselves to slip into behaviors that aren't good for us; to keep us focused on the prize of seeing Christ in each person and sharing the Christ in us with everyone we meet.

Thanks be to God for traffic.

A Sunday Morning Miracle

2007-06-25T02:19:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to sing "Spirit Song" at two services. Both miracles and technology played a part in the offering being tremendously joyous.

The technology was two-fold. First, the synthesizer. I had only sung this piece with guitar before, and I wanted to do something different. So the idea came to me of using the synthsizer with the guitar for accompaniment. I wrote the synthesizer arrangement in about three hours and programmed it into the synthesizer in about an hour. Writing it out ahead of time made the accompaniment more consistent than I have had before, and I had the opportunity to use strings, flutes, a mandolin and a French horn -- all my favorites -- to make the arrangement suit my own tastes. Talk about self-indulgent!

The other piece of technology was the hearing device offered to parishioners which works like an i-Pod: an earpiece transmits the sound system directly into your head. At the Saturday service, with my voice and guitar separately miked, and standing behind the main speaker in the worship space, I had a hard time hearing the synthesizer. So Sunday morning I grabbed one of the listening devices and used it during the offering. It worked like a charm: I could hear the synthesizer arrangement clearly, and just trusted that the mike setups I had used on Saturday night would work the same way Sunday morning.

Now, for the miracle. For about three years now I've used holy water to help prepare my voice to sing. I have a jar at home which includes water from Lourdes, the Jordan River, all the rivers in Iowa, and water I've blessed myself using a pre-Vatican II Catholic prayer regimen. I carry a small vial of this holy water in my car and normally will take it into church with me when I sing to anoint my throat prior to an offering. It's usually a three-time anointing.

But I woke up late Sunday morning. I am on three meds that make me groggy and mornings are not doable for me. That's why I go to church Saturday night rather than Sunday morning. I just can't make it to Sunday services and be awake. I didn't get to church in time to warm up my voice, and the hymns were making me nervous because I had no voice to sing them. And, I had left my holy water in the car without anointing my throat.

So all I had was prayer. And prayer was more than sufficient, as God's grace took over and opened my voice to cut loose and sing the Name of Jesus as clearly and joyously as ever, and with tremendous love in my heart. That's one of the more glorious things about "Spirit Song:" it's a personal conversion song that invokes the Holy Name of Jesus four times. I repeated the refrain, so I got to invoke his Name six times. By the fifth time, I had pretty much forgotten about the people in the pews and was simply praying the blessed Name. I'm not sure how people felt about that, but I got several comments from some very kind people, so between that and the prayerful experience I had singing, I am taking for granted it was well accepted.

Not being a trained musician -- except for 17 years of piano lessons and a semester of composition in high school -- I'm pretty insecure about the music I make. I need feedback from people who will be honest with me and who love me. And I got that feedback this weekend.

The Christ Church community is so supportive of one another. It's a great place to be, a great place to belong. That support is modeled by the leadership and carried out without reserve by the parishioners. I guess that's what God intended for communities of faith to be.

I also think we need to be more intentional about calling ourselves Christ Episcopal Church rather than simply Christ Church. I ran into a situation last week where someone who's involved in a group run through CEC didn't know we were Episcopalians. So from now on, when there's someone from outside the community present, I'm going to be intentional about referring to us as Christ Episcopal Church. The world needs to know we are proud to be Episcopalians.

The Frustration with Politicized Islam

2007-06-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

I try to be tolerant; not only tolerant but welcoming. I love serving the Board of Directors for the Inter-Religious Council. And the Steering Committee for the Children of Abraham is always an enriching and stimulating experience. I have learned a lot about major world religions and enjoy interacting with those of faiths other than Christian, knowing we will be interacting in heaven as well.

The issue I'm having is with the politicization of Islam. I just put an article on the frontpage of the Christ Church website explaining how those of five major world religions in Malaysia are criticizing the government for intolerance. For example, converting from Islam to another faith is forbidden. And not only in Malaysia, but in most Arab countries as well.

Islam is a beautiful faith. The word "Islam" means "submission to God." "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God." When greeting a fellow Muslim, one regularly says, "Asalaam alaikom," or "peace be upon you." When asked how you're doing, the standard response is, "Good, hemdullilah," or "Good, praise be to God." Constantly throughout the day a Muslim gives glory to God in conversation and five times throughout the days prostrates himself or herself in prayer.

It would seem to me that with all this love for God, love for others would naturally carry over. Yet there is a political agenda that seems to fear the rest of the world as if it were the enemy. I try to ignore my Jewish friends who start in on Zionist conversation. I have never agreed with the UN's decision to displace Palestinians for the sake of building a Zionist state. But I don't agree with some Arab neighbors who seek to push Israel off the map, either. Jesus told us to love one another. Every major world religion has love of God and love of neighbor at its core. We are all on this planet together to help each other, and God is big enough to be experienced by individuals in the way that makes most sense to them. (Satanists, I'm not sure about. I know God loves them, but I don't think God is revealing Herself to them through their faith.)

But back to the politicization of Islam. I would ask you to begin praying daily for the leaders of politically Islamic countries to come to their spiritual senses and exercise not only tolerance, but love for those of non-Islamic faiths. This is the first step. We must pray. Through that prayer, God will show us the next steps to take.

On Being All Things To All People

2007-06-17T03:29:00.000-07:00

St. Paul wrote in one of his epistles that he would to be all things to all people in order to win some of them to Christ. I guess that's why I wear a hijab (head covering) when I go into a mosque.

One of the visitors on our recent visit to the Mother Mosque of America saw me outdoors and asked, "Are you one of them?" The question took me aback. At first it made me feel like such an outsider, like our relationship with those of the Islamic faith was an us vs. them thing, and I was one of the them. I guess I thought Episcopalians were a little more inclusive than that, at least those who would go to tour a mosque. And I didn't like feeling shut away because of the choice to wear a hijab to enter a mosque, to respect not only the worship atmosphere and worship space, but those who worship and pray there.

The individual later apologized. Aparently, I had taken him by surprise and until he recognized me he honestly thought I was Muslim. So after some prayer I have decided the "one of them" phrase is just something that came from surprise and being taken out of one's comfort zone and not a personal attack against Muslims or against me.

Another individual asked if I were comfortable wearing the hijab. I explained that when I worked at the Muslim American Society and had to wear it that it got pretty old. Isn't that the way with things we are forced to do or expected to do versus things we choose to do!

So why do I wear a hijab when entering a mosque? To be all things to all people. I want the Muslims to feel comfortable around me and to be able to say Asalaam Alaykom (Peace be with you) very easily, with eye contact and a smile, and know that the individual who says Asalaam Alaykom back to me knows that I respect the mosque, what it stands for, and what they, as a Muslim believe. In that way I hope to build bridges between us so that we can respect one another's faiths and work together to build more bridges in the community.

No, I will never convert, as someone asked me. Muslims believe Jesus didn't die on the cross but that he was delivered from death. They don't believe, thus, in the Resurrection. No one can take Easter away from me. I love it too dearly. But I do believe that Allah (the Arabic word for "God" and "Elohim") loves us all and wants us to get along together.

So I will continue to try to be all things to all people, with the hope that my own people can understand what I do and why I do it.

Patience and Persistence

2007-06-06T01:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the opportunity to see a dream come to fruition. The Inter-Religious Council's newsletter has been printed in black and white for years now and I have met with some resistance in seeking to use a four-color preprint shell to up the visual quality. But last night three months of patience and persistence, and a considerable amount of answering technical how-to questions brought about a decision by the Board, and the newsletter's editor, to go ahead with the preprints.

I'm not very good at this patience thing. The first time I brought up the idea there were more laughs than anything else. And that discouraged me. I probably shouldn't be, but I'm very sensitive to what other people think. In fact, sometimes I know what other people think by just sensing it -- that's part of why I'm on anti-psychotic meds, I think...

But back to the subject at hand. It's tough to be a prophet and have this dream for what can be and to be persistent with following that dream. And not only followi the dream, but lead others to believe in the dream as well! For some of you that may be a conscious thing, but not for me. I've never been trained in leadership so I know not what I do. And here I find myself head of a committee that's in charge of the publicity materials. I'm sure I'm on the committee because of website work and newsletter experience. But being leader? That's something new to me, something I don't particularly feel comfortable doing because it is so new to me.

But last night taught me that patience, tact and persistence can accomplish great things and overcome obstacles. You can't change what is until you respect it and you can't respect it until you respect the people behind it.

Same thing happened with the IRC's website. I have been bored to death with the website for months now. And at the committee meeting I confessed such. And I saw that to change what the website was I first had to respect it, and that I couldn't respect it until I respected myself and the work and love I put into it. Once that respect was there, I was open to new ideas to improve the site and others were able to take some ownership of the ideas and the site.

Thanks be to God for a glorious meeting last night.

Sap Movement Disorder

2007-05-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

I'm willing to bet most of you have never heard of Sap Movement Disorder (SMD). And that's a safe bet for me to make because it's a term I've come up with myself to describe the depression I undergo when sap is moving in the trees -- in the spring and in the fall. Fact is, once again this year I missed that time when leaves were just budding and tiny and there was only a hint of green along the roadways. I missed it but I remember what it used to look like and I remember how exciting a time it was, knowing summer was just around the corner and the gorgeous green against a blue sky would be once again visible day after day.

I've suggested to my psychiatrist that he write a book, using me as a case study, and make tons of money off SMD. He just sits back and laughs.

So, no, you haven't seen me around lately. And it's because of SMD. But I'm starting to come around now that the sap is up in the branches for the summertime. At least, I think that's how trees work!

Bird-Dogging to Begin

2007-05-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

I just spent over two hours with two fascinating women from Health GAP (Health Global Access Project) teaching me the processes of being called on in Presidential candidate town hall meetings in order to ask about Global AIDS funding. You now have what's called a bird-dogger in your midst. They are going to connect me with a community in Cedar Rapids in order that I might become one of the activists who advocates for Global AIDS funding.

The process is quite simple and non-threatening. And I did not realize until tonight how important Iowans are in setting the stage to choose the next Presidential candidates. Even more important, though, is how crucial a role Iowans play in making Global AIDS funding a campaign issue throughout the debates and town hall meetings and rallies and other gatherings at which the candidates appear.

I was sorry to see the time end, but they will be back in the Cedar Rapids area, so you can join in at whatever level you are comfortable. In fact, you do not even need to attend a teach-in in order to be part of this movement. I will try to report as I attend various events and perhaps that will spark your interest. Or if you were unable to attend tonight's meeting, but want to be involved, you can let me know and we can work together with the Cedar Rapids area community of bird-doggers.

Global AIDS funding is already in place, but for the program to work there needs to be additional money committed for additional healthcare workers to carry out the programming. This is the issue at hand.

This work can be done on your own, but think of the strength in attending events as a group, where each one can choose their level of involvement. The skills are easy to master. If you are comfortable being an Iowan, you will be comfortable in bird-dogging. So email me at dianemjohnsmith@aol.com and let me know you'd like to see what's going on. You won't regret your decision to become an advocate for this important issue.

Reflecting on Fishing

2007-05-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

I was reading one of Fr. Bill's Daily Reflections today and it talked about fishing. And so I thought how wonderful it would be to take the kids -- ages five, four and four -- on a simple fishing trip to Cedar Lake to catch some sunfish. And then I thought again.

I was about 15 and my family was on a camping trip in Minnesota. My younger brother and I had rowed the boat into the middle of the lake and dropped anchor. I had just learned how to cast and reel in and thought my fly fishing technique was second to none. I loved watching the colorful bait waft its way through the water as I reeled it in.

And then the worst possible thing happened: I caught a fish. And not just any fish. A huge, ugly 18" long Northern which definitely wasn't coming into the boat with us because it was icky and gross. And, of course, there's no way I could let it go because that would entail touching it. Forbid the thought!

So I handed my pole to my brother and said, "Here. You hold on to this while I row back into shore." That was my solution to the fish dilemma was to get back onto dry land and have someone else get me out of this horrid situation with a real fish on the reel! Just as I handed off my line to my brother, he caught onto a fish as well.

So here we were, him holding two fishing poles, each attached to a fish, at the end of the boat and me rowing my heart out to get back to dry land where I could re-enter my comfort zone. People on shore were shouting, although I either couldn't understand them or didn't want to try to take the time to understand. I had other things to do -- okay, I'll say it -- other fish to fry. I had to get this boat to the beach before I was attacked by any more ugly, slimy, squirmy fish!

When we finally got to land, I found out what everyone had been shouting about. I forgot to pull in the anchor. Yes, I had rowed all that way in with the anchor dragging along in front of us. I've never been accused of being the brightest crayon in the box, especially when it comes to emergencies. And now you know why.

To make matters worse, as if I hadn't been through enough trauma that afternoon, my Dad made me watch as he cleaned that ol' Northern. (No, I was not going to touch a dead fish, either! Still to this day cannot touch dead animals.) And then I was made to eat it for supper. Haven't liked fish since.

So I think I'll let the kids' Mom and Dad take them fishing. I'll just listen to the stories when they come back!

When It All Comes Together

2007-04-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight at the 5:30 service, things all came together. I had been sick the last two Saturdays, so I had missed worship; but tonight both Fr. Bill and Arlena were in attendance. And there were the faces of two people (I won't embarrass them by mentioning their names) that I haven't seen in a long time and I've worried about and prayed for who were with us; and there were two people I'd never met before that I got to at least shake hands with during the Peace. It's always good to have new people in the congregation, isn't it?

Mark preached about the First Lesson, the Conversion of St. Paul. And one strong point he made was the importance of a community of faith. Poor Paul, once he had a Come To Jesus Meeting on that Damascus Road lost his community of faith! But he was able to spend time with the disciples in Damascus and establish friendships and connections in grounding his new faith life.

I was playing tonight, and I'm sure you all know I don't have the piano talent to prep solos for pre-service and offertory music, so I sang and accompanied myself. For the Offertory, I sang "In This Very Room." And that's, for me, when it all came together. This tired old song became something we were all singing together. Okay, so mine was the only mouth moving and my vocal chords the only ones producing sound and mine the only fingers on the keyboard. But we were honestly all singing this song together!

How can I explain? There is the fact of the spiritual stillness in the room that reminds me of when we are all praying together -- really praying, not just going through the motions, which I am wont to do often enough; there is the fact that time stood still; there is the fact that among us were those who are rejoicing and those who are suffering, and yes, those who are doing both at the same time and this simple little song covered us each with a little blessing.

I find it strange to use the word "fact" to describe what went on. Call me a mystic, but it happened. You had to be there, I guess. But I know if you have an ounce of spiritual fervor in you that you know exactly what I'm talking about because you've been in similar spiritual situations.

My friends, our God is awesome. And when we get to experience that awesomosity at a degree more real than we are used to, well, life is good. Life is very good. Sleep well tonight, my sisters and brothers.

Children of Abraham: The Evening

2007-04-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

Coe College's Perrine Gallery was the venue for the April 17 Children of Abraham "Know Your Neighbors" roundtable discussion. I was privileged to present Fr. Dick's Creed as a way of explaining the beliefs of Christianity. In spite of the fact that I would be talking before friends and strangers alike, I wasn't nervous. About 3:30 that afternoon I received an anointing, letting me know that everything was coming simply through me, not from me. As such, I was able to relax and enjoy the time at the podium.

I did indulge myself and tell my Evolution joke, which got a laugh. "And God said, 'Let there be Big Bang, and there was Big Bang, and it was good.'" But the most gratifying moments came, first, when I found myself digressing from Fr. Dick's Creed to talk about John 14:6 -- where Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father but by me." As I recited the verse, a Jewish man, a professor from Iowa Wesleyan nodded. I shared how I had struggled long and hard with those words of Jesus from an interfaith perspective, and that I found now great solace in understanding them to mean that Jesus, by virtue of his death, would do away with the Levitical priesthood, opening access for all to the Creator God. Access for all -- whether Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist -- yes, I said "Buddhist." I know they don't believe in a Creator God, but I believe God's love is big enough just the same.

During the roundtable discussion it was sometimes hard to hear one another, there was so much conversation going on in the room! Our table came up with the idea of having regular community-wide picnics so that people could come and meet one another and get to know each other as neighbors and perhaps eventually friends. There was also much discussion about the importance of the Fruits of the Spirit in the living out of our faith -- you know them -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. Of course me, I opened my uppity mouth and suggested we needed to not only be responsible enough as individuals to live our lives according to God's ethics, but we needed the courage to confront others in a loving way when their behavior was inappropriate. Someone else at the table suggested we could maybe have a class in learning how to do that without getting beat up in the process.

At the end of the evening a woman came up to me who is Muslim and thanked me for my presentation, saying how good it was. Well, I had good material: Fr. Dick's Creed! And I had an anointing, of course! My friend who presented the values portion of Christianity has just received her confirmation training in the Roman Church and opened her remarks by saying she wished we could have used the Nicene Creed instead. I'm still trying to figure out just what she meant by that. It hurt a little. I was using Fr. Dick's Creed because he was one of the founding members of Children of Abraham and has so recently passed that I still feel him present when I translate Greek for the Bodacious Women of the Bible study group. I think I'll say nothing. I'm sure she didn't know or perhaps just didn't appreciate the value of Fr. Dick's Creed to me. Bless her heart, there was very little in her presentation that was original. Most of what she said is what I had sent her. So perhaps she was having feelings of inadequacy? I think forgiveness of the entire incident is best.

Now, as "secretary" of this group, my next job is to get everyone together for the May meeting so we can plan an event for summertime. If you want to be included in the emails, let me know. Or give me about a week to finish up the website and go to www.childrenofabraham.info and learn more.

Navigating the Pharmaceutical System with Dew

2007-04-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably know, I've been waiting two years for Social Security Disability because of my diagnosis of, well, either bipolar disorder or schizophrenia with depression -- the jury is still out; it depends on which psychiatrist you talk to -- which prevents me from working like normal people. Thanks be to God the wait is over and I am now getting monthly checks.

Not only that, but those checks remain small enough to enable me to get my prescription drugs free from the pharmaceutical companies. If I had to pay for them, the cost would be $1,341 each month. To be honest, that would leave me less than $50 a month to live on so you would all have to pay the price of me being even crazier than I normally am around you should I not be able to take my meds!! ;-)

One company, SmithKlineGlaxo, doesn't send me my meds anymore. They spend their money on television advertising rather than on giving samples to physicians' offices for patients, or for giving to patients on fixed and low incomes.

Pfizer does a good job covering patients in need, however. I inherited high cholesterol from my mother, and I've been off Lipitor for the two years while I've been waiting for disability. So, bless his heart, my internist suggested I take Lipitor for two months before we even look at the cholesterol levels again! Isn't that sweet? Saving me the shock of a cholesterol number over 300!

Forest and Abbott are also very good to me. Once a year I fill out paperwork at the Linn County MHDD and my meds come in to my doctor's office in a very timely fashion. No fuss, no muss. Just meds when I need them.

So what do I do without the SmithKlineGlaxo med? I drink a lot of Mountain Dew. A lot. The other meds all make me drowsy, so the caffeine helps. And the SmithKlineGlaxo med is a central nervous system stimulant, so without it I REALLY need that jolt of caffeine. I'm thinking of perhaps just chewing coffee grounds........

Simplicity II

2007-04-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

Recently I was asked to call a special joint meeting of three committees who normally meet separately, for the purpose of sharing information and ideas. I admit, I didn't work at it very hard. I sent one email and then I tallied up the responses, making a chart of who could attend which evenings. Out of the 25 email addresses this request went to, I got six replies. A less than enthusiastic response.

So I am going to keep things simple. One person had requested this meeting be prior to the next scheduled monthly meeting, which was the reason for all the emails. At this point I think I've done my best, as has everyone else. I am going to make an executive decision that the request simply cannot be fulfilled and we will have to meet in this person's absence. Such is life, right? So why do I feel so guilty? It's simple: I'm the middle child. It's always been my job to keep everyone happy and meet everyone's -- not only needs, mind you -- but requests as well!

So tonight I'm going to put the guilt aside; put the request aside. I will simply email everyone that we were unable to find a time to get together and let's meet on our regularly scheduled night in a joint meeting instead of separately. If you read in the paper tomorrow that lightening struck me, well, you'll know it was from putting the guilt aside!

The View from 2 in the Morning

2007-04-04T00:49:00.000-07:00

I have to sleep with the TV on. Otherwise, I have violent dreams that carry over into my waking hours. Last night I thought I would try something new. After reading, I left the TV off and drifted quite pleasantly off to sleep, only to awaken at my usual 2 a.m. time to a dream of proportions I don't even want to contemplate, much less share. So needless to say, I'm not going to experiment with that again soon.

I've just updated the Christ Church website, as is my usual first task when I get up at 2, and I find myself longing this Holy Week for simplicity. Having been a church organist many years before becoming Episcopalian, I've been through my share of busy Holy Weeks. More than my share. At that point in my life I was reveling in the moment to moment attention to all the details of Triduum services. As I look back on it now, far too many details.

It's so easy to get caught up in the clamor of adding details to our lives. Sometimes I think we just would be better off doing away with so many details and keeping things simple.

Maybe it's because the new Amish school in Pennsylvania arose out of disaster this week that I am drawn to thoughts of simplicity. Maybe it's because I'm so tired these days and caught up in the busyness of another life, a non-musician life of details, that I long for simplicity this Holy Week.

But long for it I do, and I am going to do my best to seek simplicity out and relish in it, relax and refresh in it, during this Triduum of 2007. I hope to see your smiling face along the way.

"Know Your Neighbor" with the Children of Abraham

2007-03-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

The Children of Abraham is presenting a program on Tuesday, April 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Coe's Perrine Gallery entitled, "Know Your Neighbor." The evening features speakers on Islam, Judaism and Christianity focusing on the common core values of the three faiths. The majority of the evening will be in small group discussion, with members of all three faiths at each table. Group discussion will focus on how members of the three faith groups can work together for harmony and peace in our community and in our world.

Seating is limited and reservations are necessary. There is no cost. To preregister online, go to RSVP@childrenofabraham.info or to call in your registration, dial 360-1477 and ask to speak to Diane.

Prayer Shawls

2007-03-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

I have just finished my second prayer shawl and I cannot tell you how enriching this ministry is! The purpose of a prayer shawl is to knit or crochet a simple shawl for someone who is hurting, to enfold them in the knowledge that they are being prayed for, that they are loved. Since I'm not too good at following directions, I've kind of made up my own pattern consisting of holy numbers -- threes and fives and for the prayer shawl I'm working on now, I'm adding a 12 to the list of holy numbers in the piece.

Probably the most fun is having a member of the clergy bless the shawl before you give it to the person for whom you made it. I just get filled up with the Spirit when I hear this blessing over all these little stitches, all these holes sewn together so to speak. But, no, I take that back. The most fun is actually making the prayer shawl, praying for this person the whole time, really focusing on God encircling them with holy angels to lift them out of their pain if even for a few moments. It's hard for me to put the piece down to do my other work.............

Vikki and Barbara have the directions for making prayer shawls, including the prayers to say if you're not comfortable making up your own. And the next meeting of the Prayer Shawl Ministry group is in early April on a Monday night -- so watch the calendar. And come to learn how to knit or crochet and see what the Prayer Shawl Ministry is all about. It's meant a lot to my journey.

Election Day Registration in Iowa

2007-03-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

March 13, 2007
The Gazette, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City

Current voter registration law hurts elections in IowaRequiring people to register 10 days before the election is out-of-touch with our culture in Iowa. Studies have shown that people of low income, renters, students and those who have recently moved to Iowa are kept from voting because of this antiquated requirement. When our democracy depends on high voter turnout, and when we suffer from dismal percentages at the polls, it is imperative to give everyone equal access to the voting booth. I have worked at two elections in two different precincts and have seen about 5 percent of the people who come in to vote turned away because they aren't in the books. This is discouraging for the voter. They made the effort to do their civic duty and weren't allowed to exercise the right to vote because they weren't registered in time.

Everyone is busy these days. Getting the word out to people that they need to register 10 days ahead of an election is a tough message to sell. Election Day Registration makes voter registration a convenient and effective way to participate. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, both states which allow EDR, turnout is consistently 10 percent higher than in states that don't permit it. Allowing registration on Election Day brings those often excluded from the electoral process into the mix. The Iowa Legislature could debate an EDR bill this week (HF 653 and SF 352). It is imperative that your representatives know you support EDR by calling either the Senate switchboard number at (515) 281-3371 or the Iowa House at (515) 281-3221. You also can find your legislators at www.legis.state.ia.us/FindLeg/ and e-mail them at FirstName.LastName@legis.state.ia.us

Diane John-SmithMarion