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Saturday, February 28, 2009

enigma

Reading in Matthew 26 a few days ago something struck me about Judas the Betrayer. Matthew writes about Judas going to the chief priests to betray Jesus right after an incident where a woman came to the meal Jesus was having with his disciples. She had an expensive jar of perfume and she used the entire thing up on Jesus' feet. This account says the disciples were indignant (translation: pretty ticked off) about this, thinking it a waste. This expensive perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor.

So here's my thought about Judas: he was accountant for the group. This might have upset him even more than the rest as money manager. Maybe he hadn't been plotting his betrayal all along. Maybe he just snapped.

Author Steven James wrote another poem.

About God.

And me.


judas betrayed you for thirty pieces of silver.
forgive me for all the times i've done it
for free.

yet you've chosen to call me friend.
help me to live like it.
i'm both captured and set free by
the mystery of your love.

enigma.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

las palabras bonitas

Author Steven James wrote a poem.

About God.

And me.

"lover of my soul, i've been unfaithful.

flirting with the lurid promises
of fortune and glory and passion and fame,
of lust and pride and greed and comfort.
i've followed them into the bedroom
where i think no one will find me.
where i hope you're not watching.
where we live out our fantasies together.
i've slept in the arms of so many lovers
but they've left me hollowed out,
a corpse and an empty casing tumbling in the wind.

i've cheated on you again and again.
in the red-light district of my soul."

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Priorities

Wow. I'm not even going to comment on what Hillary Clinton said below, as quoted on CNN.com's homepage:

"U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has broached the issue of human rights with Chinese leaders, but said that the world economic and other crises are more pressing. "Human rights cannot interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crises,"

Okay I am going to comment. And it goes along with the last post somewhat. It seems to me that empires do what's best...........for the empire. So let's just go and overlook human rights so we can all hoard more and push down the oppressed even futher.

Disgusting.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

"Jesus Wants To Save Christians"

Author: Rob Bell & Don Golden
Rating: ***½
This book will not allow me to read the Bible the same again, ever. I think I’ve always read it with a bent toward God’s favor and blessing on me and my country. The authors write a lot about empire in this book. About how Israel was delivered from the hands of the oppressive Egyptian empire.

Then they became one.

My America is an empire. So I am now reading the Bible from the perspective of the oppressor.

And that changes everything.

I love and appreciate the United States. I am grateful for clean water, abundant food, the right to vote and a relatively safe life. I am grateful to the men and women who serve and die for this. But maybe my lifestyle, my consumption, my empire is perpetuating the suffering of millions. Think about this: one billion people in the world (roughly 1/6th of the population) do not have access to clean drinking water while today I used between 100 and 150 gallons of it.

Ouch. Maybe Jesus came to set people free……………..from me.

Favorite quote from the book: “At the height of their power, Israel misconstrued God’s blessings as favoritism and entitlement.”

Hmmm……….

Friday, February 6, 2009

a little mind bender:

I need to chew on this one awhile:

"Excellence that feels it has to be proclaimed, by the mere fact of its proclamation admits the doubt of its existence." - CleoMae Dungy