2-5-11 admiration brain
This kid makes me proud!
Showing posts with label gay marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gay marriage. Show all posts
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Equal rights under the law
4-18-09 humble brain
One more blog on the topic of gay marriage in Iowa.
My church friend Ted whom I mentioned in my blog on Monday 4-6-09 was interviewed for an article in the Des Moines Register newspaper. Wednesday it appeared. For those of you who would want to read more about Ted, this is a well written article which captures Ted perfectly and the story of his unconditional love for his daughter.
My role as activist and advocate for equal rights pales next to Ted's bright light.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090415/OPINION01/904150328/1166/OPINION01
I thought this Opinion article in the Des Moines Register was also good.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090415/OPINION03/904150330/1110
Lastly, here is my Letter to the Editor I sent into the Des Moines Register this week. I was attempting to use my "creative thinking" to come up with a new view of the topic. If one side wants ABC and the other side wants XYZ..... maybe we should be looking in a new direction of AJZ ?
Author Stephen Covey ("The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People") believes in "Think Win-Win" and "Synergize".... there is often a 3rd, 4th or more solutions to a problem... a person just needs to think out side of the box!
My Letter to the Editor:
I support state laws that are fair and equal for all Iowa citizens. Those who oppose gay marriage and call for a Constitutional amendment might be onto a good idea. A fair amendment actually could be the win/win resolution to this issue once and for all. I'm proposing that Iowa Law needs to be amended by replacing every reference to the word “marriage” with the words “civil union”. This would make it clear that civil rights are for all committed couples who live in Iowa and is a separate issue from religious doctrine. Churches would then be free to continue to choose which couples they approve of for the holy sacrament of marriage. ..... JSB 4-13-09
Now on to other areas of interest. ..
One more blog on the topic of gay marriage in Iowa.
My church friend Ted whom I mentioned in my blog on Monday 4-6-09 was interviewed for an article in the Des Moines Register newspaper. Wednesday it appeared. For those of you who would want to read more about Ted, this is a well written article which captures Ted perfectly and the story of his unconditional love for his daughter.
My role as activist and advocate for equal rights pales next to Ted's bright light.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090415/OPINION01/904150328/1166/OPINION01
I thought this Opinion article in the Des Moines Register was also good.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090415/OPINION03/904150330/1110
Lastly, here is my Letter to the Editor I sent into the Des Moines Register this week. I was attempting to use my "creative thinking" to come up with a new view of the topic. If one side wants ABC and the other side wants XYZ..... maybe we should be looking in a new direction of AJZ ?
Author Stephen Covey ("The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People") believes in "Think Win-Win" and "Synergize".... there is often a 3rd, 4th or more solutions to a problem... a person just needs to think out side of the box!
My Letter to the Editor:
I support state laws that are fair and equal for all Iowa citizens. Those who oppose gay marriage and call for a Constitutional amendment might be onto a good idea. A fair amendment actually could be the win/win resolution to this issue once and for all. I'm proposing that Iowa Law needs to be amended by replacing every reference to the word “marriage” with the words “civil union”. This would make it clear that civil rights are for all committed couples who live in Iowa and is a separate issue from religious doctrine. Churches would then be free to continue to choose which couples they approve of for the holy sacrament of marriage. ..... JSB 4-13-09
Now on to other areas of interest. ..
Monday, April 13, 2009
The JOY of being used
4-13-09 frustrated brain
This weekend I came close to adding something new to my “chuck it” list.
What do you see here?
The logical side of my brain thinks I should stop trying to engage certain people in a conversation regarding their paradigm, their perception, and opinions on certain topics…. Like is this a vase or is this two faces?.... or topics like homosexuality, gay marriage, and even politics.
Some people seem to enjoy a good discussion and find it interesting to consider both sides of a topic. Others, I have found are closed, and their paradigm and opinions are set hard in stone.
Last year, I have had email exchange with a local conservative radio guy. This week I felt like I had to speak up to him again after listening to him rant about gay marriage on the radio on my drive home from Iowa City, Thursday night. He likes to constantly use the word "sodomy"...... and "baby killers" when describing people who believe differently than he.
When will I learn that I’m just wasting my time? ….. trying to talk to some people….some people like him…..people who like to use the word "sodomy" to get attention........ THIS is an activity I probably need to put in my “chuck it” list.
However, I am also aware that sometimes the spirit urges me to do things beyond normal reason. Sometimes God uses me …. And uses others… and uses you…. And there is often great joy. I don’t want to “chuck” that potential opportunity.
I love this “morning” prayer my Mary Ann Williamson from her book “Illuminata- a Return to Prayer”
Dear God,
I give this day to you.
May my mind stay centered on the things of spirit.
May I not be tempted to stray from love.
As I begin this day, I open to receive you.
Please enter where you already abide.
Make me the person you would have me be.
Direct my footsteps , and show me what you would have me do.
Make the world a safer, more beautiful place.
Bless all your creatures. Heal us all, and use me, dear Lord, that I might know the JOY of being used by you.
This weekend I came close to adding something new to my “chuck it” list.
What do you see here?
The logical side of my brain thinks I should stop trying to engage certain people in a conversation regarding their paradigm, their perception, and opinions on certain topics…. Like is this a vase or is this two faces?.... or topics like homosexuality, gay marriage, and even politics.Some people seem to enjoy a good discussion and find it interesting to consider both sides of a topic. Others, I have found are closed, and their paradigm and opinions are set hard in stone.
Last year, I have had email exchange with a local conservative radio guy. This week I felt like I had to speak up to him again after listening to him rant about gay marriage on the radio on my drive home from Iowa City, Thursday night. He likes to constantly use the word "sodomy"...... and "baby killers" when describing people who believe differently than he.
When will I learn that I’m just wasting my time? ….. trying to talk to some people….some people like him…..people who like to use the word "sodomy" to get attention........ THIS is an activity I probably need to put in my “chuck it” list.
However, I am also aware that sometimes the spirit urges me to do things beyond normal reason. Sometimes God uses me …. And uses others… and uses you…. And there is often great joy. I don’t want to “chuck” that potential opportunity.
I love this “morning” prayer my Mary Ann Williamson from her book “Illuminata- a Return to Prayer”
Dear God,
I give this day to you.
May my mind stay centered on the things of spirit.
May I not be tempted to stray from love.
As I begin this day, I open to receive you.
Please enter where you already abide.
Make me the person you would have me be.
Direct my footsteps , and show me what you would have me do.
Make the world a safer, more beautiful place.
Bless all your creatures. Heal us all, and use me, dear Lord, that I might know the JOY of being used by you.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
The Good News!
4-11-09 holy brain
Tomorrow is Easter, I won’t be posting then….. so after I came back from the Good Friday service last night, I was remembering the experience in 2000 when Greg and I were fortunate enough to make our first trip to Europe, this time with our church choir. Greg and I don’t sing in the choir, but they had a few seats left to fill out their trip, so we jumped at the chance with the encouragement and some monetary support from my parents.
This trip started with a few days in Paris and some of the usual tourist sites of the Louvre and Notre Dame. The choir sang at various sites on our trip including in Notre Dame which was so very cool!
We then made our way by bus down to the south eastern part of France to several smaller villages, then on to Geneva into Switzerland and over the mountains into southern Germany. Our trip’s real purpose was saved for the end,..... to attend the Passion Play at Oberammergau.
This is a 360+ year old tradition for this Germany village to put on the Passion Play every 10 years. It’s an all day event with a break at lunch. I cannot even describe with words the magnitude of this production…. Maybe you can get a glimpse of it by visiting this web site.
http://www.passionplay-oberammergau.com/index.php?id=59
Emotionally for me, it was an extremely moving experience. To see such a real portrait of the crucifixion of Jesus had every cell in my body on overload. During the nailing on the cross, I found myself frozen to my seat in real time…. But in my mind and my soul, I found myself running up to the foot of the cross screaming and wailing "NO! NO! NO!…. you can’t do this to my Lord!" …. I wanted to desperately stop this from happening by calling on the power of all the angels in the Universe. “Save Jesus”!
But what if the crucifixion had been stopped?
Would LOVE, salvation and redemption be in the world as we faithful followers of Jesus believe? Would God’s BIG picture plan for humanity be changed forever? A plan so big that no human can comprehend. And if we think we do understand “God’s way”….the “correct” way…..the “only way”…… are we fools? We need to remember our human perspective is so small, …. as a single grain of sand on the beach.
I was thinking about this in relationship to the Gay Marriage in Iowa. On my prior post on Monday, I probably didn’t report the whole story. Yes, there is much support for providing equal rights under the state law for all people…. However, there also is support opposing this. Very vocal people are screaming … "NO! NO! NO! Marriage is only between a man and a women!"
What if Equal Marriage rights would be stopped?
Which side of this debate is a part of God’s plan? …….. I don't know….. Except the only “clue” I try to use is to remember what Jesus taught….. he stated the most important commandment is: “You must love your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. AND Love your neighbor as yourself”; (Mark 12: 29)….
LOVE is the "clue" for me. Jesus loves us ALL even in our sin and brokenness, nothing can separate us from the love of God. That is the "Good News"!
Tomorrow is Easter, I won’t be posting then….. so after I came back from the Good Friday service last night, I was remembering the experience in 2000 when Greg and I were fortunate enough to make our first trip to Europe, this time with our church choir. Greg and I don’t sing in the choir, but they had a few seats left to fill out their trip, so we jumped at the chance with the encouragement and some monetary support from my parents.
This trip started with a few days in Paris and some of the usual tourist sites of the Louvre and Notre Dame. The choir sang at various sites on our trip including in Notre Dame which was so very cool!
We then made our way by bus down to the south eastern part of France to several smaller villages, then on to Geneva into Switzerland and over the mountains into southern Germany. Our trip’s real purpose was saved for the end,..... to attend the Passion Play at Oberammergau.
This is a 360+ year old tradition for this Germany village to put on the Passion Play every 10 years. It’s an all day event with a break at lunch. I cannot even describe with words the magnitude of this production…. Maybe you can get a glimpse of it by visiting this web site.
http://www.passionplay-oberammergau.com/index.php?id=59
Emotionally for me, it was an extremely moving experience. To see such a real portrait of the crucifixion of Jesus had every cell in my body on overload. During the nailing on the cross, I found myself frozen to my seat in real time…. But in my mind and my soul, I found myself running up to the foot of the cross screaming and wailing "NO! NO! NO!…. you can’t do this to my Lord!" …. I wanted to desperately stop this from happening by calling on the power of all the angels in the Universe. “Save Jesus”!
But what if the crucifixion had been stopped?
Would LOVE, salvation and redemption be in the world as we faithful followers of Jesus believe? Would God’s BIG picture plan for humanity be changed forever? A plan so big that no human can comprehend. And if we think we do understand “God’s way”….the “correct” way…..the “only way”…… are we fools? We need to remember our human perspective is so small, …. as a single grain of sand on the beach.
I was thinking about this in relationship to the Gay Marriage in Iowa. On my prior post on Monday, I probably didn’t report the whole story. Yes, there is much support for providing equal rights under the state law for all people…. However, there also is support opposing this. Very vocal people are screaming … "NO! NO! NO! Marriage is only between a man and a women!"
What if Equal Marriage rights would be stopped?
Which side of this debate is a part of God’s plan? …….. I don't know….. Except the only “clue” I try to use is to remember what Jesus taught….. he stated the most important commandment is: “You must love your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. AND Love your neighbor as yourself”; (Mark 12: 29)….
LOVE is the "clue" for me. Jesus loves us ALL even in our sin and brokenness, nothing can separate us from the love of God. That is the "Good News"!
Happy Easter!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Iowa History
4-6-09 equality brain
Greg and I made a trip to northern Iowa, arriving Friday afternoon to visit my folks for the weekend. While watching TV that evening, we heard the NEWS at 10:00 PM. Marriage equality arrived in Iowa! This topic was on my radar, since I have been a member of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Affirmation Group (GLSA group) at my church since it started about 10 years ago, but I have to admit, I still was a bit shocked at the news and the fact that this was a unanimous decision by the Iowa Supreme Court.
Iowa is an amazing state, just for the fact you never know what can happen here. The world might think we are a bunch of conservative farm folk, and that might be true up to a point, but Iowans are also forward thinking people who believe in equality and fairness.
Why is “marriage” important to gay couples?
Iowa law refers to “marriage” over 500 times and the federal government has listed more than 1,100 benefits it provides to legally married couples- such as: Medical decisions; retirement benefits; taxes; joint insurance policies for home, auto and health; Job benefits and health insurance… just to name a few. How can any US citizen be denied equal rights to those benefits?
I know…. Many people have trouble with the word “marriage”….. they say “equal rights- well maybe OK through Civil Unions…. But not marriage….. marriage is between and man and a women.... the Bible tells me so”. “Next thing you know Bruce will want to marry his cow”…….
OK, I understand how it is to get hung up on a WORD.
When Greg and I got married, I was having trouble getting my brain around the word “WIFE”…. I don’t like the word “wife”. I guess my view point was a wife had to do all the house work. I saw my Mom do all the work to take care of the kids and the house…. Then when I was age 12, she was "liberated" and went to work at the school library….. so now she had TWO jobs…. That didn’t look very liberating to me. On Saturday morning she cleaned and went to the grocery store…… while my Dad got to go out for coffee….. that didn’t seem fair to me….. so I grew up not wanting to be a “wife”.
Greg was sensitive to my uneasiness, and he began to call me his “partner”…. And this made me feel better. I didn’t have a clue on how to be a “good wife”….. but I could understand how to be a “good partner”… and this made me feel equal to him in our relationship. We BOTH go out for coffee Saturday mornings!
I know this was just my problem with a word definition, so I can empathize with those who have a problem with the definition of “marriage”. My reply to that is…. There still can be a distinction between a legal civil marriage and a church/God-union marriage. Churches don’t have to agree to marry gay couples unless they choose.
I think marriage is already a word that has many different nuances. For example there already are such a wide variety of marriages out there in the world: marriage of convenience, married in name only, loveless marriage, open marriage, commuter marriage, sex-less marriage, traditional marriage, May to December marriage, married for money, loving marriage, on again off again marriage, second marriage, third marriage….etc….. you get the picture. Don’t you think we can expand the definition of marriage just a bit more to include “gay marriage” into this evolving culture of ours?...... (remember not that long ago women and black people were thought of as just property with no rights to own land or vote, and Bible scripture supported that too!)
Lastly, a special shout out to my church friend *Ted who’s passion for gay rights is inspirational. I chuckle every time I remember when I made Ted’s jaw drop…. I told him I was a bi-sexual……. Huh? …… “Yes”, I explained, “I love both straight and gay men!”..... Ted got a kick out of that for sure.
A shout to Pastor Kimby for teaching us another way to view the Bible..... and
Also a shout out to my friends David and James who reminded me of the Iowa state motto this weekend in an email…..
OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE AND OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN.
That says it all! But if you want to read more- check out this…..
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090403/NEWS/90403010
*Ted is (church going, spiritual, humorous, generous, straight guy, with a lesbian daughter, who happens to be a Republican)
Greg and I made a trip to northern Iowa, arriving Friday afternoon to visit my folks for the weekend. While watching TV that evening, we heard the NEWS at 10:00 PM. Marriage equality arrived in Iowa! This topic was on my radar, since I have been a member of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Affirmation Group (GLSA group) at my church since it started about 10 years ago, but I have to admit, I still was a bit shocked at the news and the fact that this was a unanimous decision by the Iowa Supreme Court.
Iowa is an amazing state, just for the fact you never know what can happen here. The world might think we are a bunch of conservative farm folk, and that might be true up to a point, but Iowans are also forward thinking people who believe in equality and fairness.
Why is “marriage” important to gay couples?
Iowa law refers to “marriage” over 500 times and the federal government has listed more than 1,100 benefits it provides to legally married couples- such as: Medical decisions; retirement benefits; taxes; joint insurance policies for home, auto and health; Job benefits and health insurance… just to name a few. How can any US citizen be denied equal rights to those benefits?
I know…. Many people have trouble with the word “marriage”….. they say “equal rights- well maybe OK through Civil Unions…. But not marriage….. marriage is between and man and a women.... the Bible tells me so”. “Next thing you know Bruce will want to marry his cow”…….
OK, I understand how it is to get hung up on a WORD.
When Greg and I got married, I was having trouble getting my brain around the word “WIFE”…. I don’t like the word “wife”. I guess my view point was a wife had to do all the house work. I saw my Mom do all the work to take care of the kids and the house…. Then when I was age 12, she was "liberated" and went to work at the school library….. so now she had TWO jobs…. That didn’t look very liberating to me. On Saturday morning she cleaned and went to the grocery store…… while my Dad got to go out for coffee….. that didn’t seem fair to me….. so I grew up not wanting to be a “wife”.
Greg was sensitive to my uneasiness, and he began to call me his “partner”…. And this made me feel better. I didn’t have a clue on how to be a “good wife”….. but I could understand how to be a “good partner”… and this made me feel equal to him in our relationship. We BOTH go out for coffee Saturday mornings!
I know this was just my problem with a word definition, so I can empathize with those who have a problem with the definition of “marriage”. My reply to that is…. There still can be a distinction between a legal civil marriage and a church/God-union marriage. Churches don’t have to agree to marry gay couples unless they choose.
I think marriage is already a word that has many different nuances. For example there already are such a wide variety of marriages out there in the world: marriage of convenience, married in name only, loveless marriage, open marriage, commuter marriage, sex-less marriage, traditional marriage, May to December marriage, married for money, loving marriage, on again off again marriage, second marriage, third marriage….etc….. you get the picture. Don’t you think we can expand the definition of marriage just a bit more to include “gay marriage” into this evolving culture of ours?...... (remember not that long ago women and black people were thought of as just property with no rights to own land or vote, and Bible scripture supported that too!)
Lastly, a special shout out to my church friend *Ted who’s passion for gay rights is inspirational. I chuckle every time I remember when I made Ted’s jaw drop…. I told him I was a bi-sexual……. Huh? …… “Yes”, I explained, “I love both straight and gay men!”..... Ted got a kick out of that for sure.
A shout to Pastor Kimby for teaching us another way to view the Bible..... and
Also a shout out to my friends David and James who reminded me of the Iowa state motto this weekend in an email…..
OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE AND OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN.
That says it all! But if you want to read more- check out this…..
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090403/NEWS/90403010
*Ted is (church going, spiritual, humorous, generous, straight guy, with a lesbian daughter, who happens to be a Republican)
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