I’m going to put the images behind the read more tag maybe in the hopes that it doesn’t kill your reader if you are using one.
Lots of images here, though not many for holy/easter/resurrection week. There was a lot to be done and I honestly was too wiped to remember to take pictures. It’s definitely one of those weeks where it’s worth it though. Anyway, my daily photo has become a little less daily, but we’ll see if we can turn it around. As usually, click the images to see them bigger.
[edited to say: apparently the read more link doesn't matter to feed readers, so here's the page in all its glory]
Has anyone seen anything about sending aid/medicines or in any way helping Mexico deal with the outbreak. Right now they seem to be the only country seriously affected, and in being a pretty tourism-dependent country, is probably also hitting the resources that they will need to deal with it.
Ariah is doing a series on stories of nonviolence. His first post highlighted the following story. I hope that someday I can live out love the way Julio Diaz does.
Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.
But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.
He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.
“He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, ‘Here you go,’” Diaz says.
As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you’re going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.”
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.
Are writing bios painful for anyone else? I can never figure out what to put in and what to leave out, and I’m still not happy with the bio on this site. I’m sure a couple of you have had to write your own bios for school, work, or ministry purposes. Do you have any tips on writing them? Would you mind sharing yours in the comments?
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
A lot of what I do (at work, in ministry and otherwise) revolves around helping people and organizations become better at what they are called to do. My experience tells me that genuine validation is a great way to feed the “good wolf” inside others and inside ourselves as we learn to genuinely affirm the humanity, worth, and God-given gifts that each person has.
I know I was sort of done with the Avatar thing, but I’m sort of surprised I missed this. The original casting call definitely shows an intentionality on the part of the casting directors of the movie. Read it, and let me know if you can guess what their intention was.
AANG: 12-15 years-old, Male, Caucasian or any other ethnicity. We are looking for a young man to play the lead role in a motion picture franchise. He must be athletic and graceful with an ability in Martial Arts (not necessarily extensive experience, but at least an aptitude for it). Kids with experience in gymnastics, dance, or sports could also be good. He is a young adventurer and should seem like the type of young man who will grow up to be heroic.
KATARA: 14-17 years-old, Female, Caucasian or any other ethnicity. She is Sokka’s younger sister. She is a headstrong and determined girl with a real sense of idealism. She believes in herself and feels that she can play on the same team as the boys. She is beautiful, intelligent, passionate, feisty, and has a real sense of adventure.
SOKKA: 16-20 years-old, Male, Caucasian or any other ethnicity. He is Katara¹s older brother. He is intelligent but awkward, and very funny (although not necessarily intentionally so). He aspires to greatness, but he tends to doubt himself. He is always one to be swayed by a pretty girl.
ZUKO: 16-20 years-old, Male, Caucasian or any other ethnicity. He is a brooding, intense young man who wrestles – not always successfully – with being good. Regaining his honor is a driving impetus for him. He is extremely handsome and is the type of dangerous boy every girl falls in love with. Athletic and/or martial arts experience is a plus.
The bible records that on the cross, Jesus quoted the first line of this poem. Today as Christians celebrate His resurrection, take a moment to hear the rest of it.
Happy Easter! I’ve linked to this before, but it’s still pretty awesome.
It’s a bit of a marathon week/weekend for those of us involved in church stuff. Tomorrow I’ll be “working” at 3 services (6am, 7:45 am, 10:45 am) and a play. Maybe I’ll post about that
This is in addition to the 10pm to 5:30(ish) am prayer service we had on Friday, which was probably the highlight of my year.
it’s in celebration of the Resurrection, our Hope and the healing of a broken world, so I can deal with some craziness.
I love that our choir is doing a gospel version of Handel’s Messiah – Hallelujah Chorus for Easter. It’s honestly the perfect song, despite it being traditionally associated with Christmas.
I’m actually up waiting for laundry to be done
I’ve added a comment thing to the feeds (that should keep working now). Plus I’ve given you guys some more fun options on the page itself. You can now quote, add formatting, and other fun things.
Alright, my laundry should be done. I’ll talk to you all later.
BBC Caribbean has been reporting that, in the Bahamas, two customs employees are facing the threat of dismissal because of their hairstyle.
Their dreadlocks have been deemed “unacceptable” by Customs authorities, who insist that the rules and regulations as they apply back that position.
The two women have been cautioned. The letter they received on the matter made it clear that the authorities felt that wearing their braids and dreadlocks on the job is “unquestionably unacceptable”.
This isn’t an unusual story in the Caribbean, and is one of the reasons why, with all of my hair craziness, I never got dreadlocks until this year. Honestly, it’s my separation from Jamaica that has enabled me to get dreadlocks. I’m really enjoying having them, but I expect to get a fair amount of flack for them when I get home.
I don’t pretend that this isn’t complicated stuff, which, by the way, has implications beyond the workplace. It’s complicated because people of color often say, ‘See us as individuals,’ which suggests a colorblind approach is preferable. But they also say, ‘Recognize that minorities in their various groups have differences that should be acknowledged and even celebrated,’ which implies multiculturalism is the way to go.
I have some views on this question, which probably aren’t hard to figure out if you’ve read my posts in the past. But I’m curious as to what you folks think, and how you personally navigate the issue of race, ethnicity and culture?
Do you think that an approach of colorblindness is preferable to an approach of multiculturalism?
How do you tend to approach things in your personal and/or professional life?
Is there a point where either the multicultural or the colorblind approach can change from being a positive to a negative one?
*P.S. for my friends who show up in the photo above. I hope you don’t mind. It’s a good illustration
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