Fox News, like any news medium, reports the world's news from a particular slant and those who feast on a steady diet of Fox News tend to hold the same worldview. To be fair, I tend to have a MSNBC worldview. I lean about as far left as Fox leans right. So then, what's the difference? The difference is the entire population of northwest Georgia is not forced to watch MSNBC all the time. Around here if you're in a hospital waiting area, more than likely you're going to be watching Fox News. If you're in a doctor's office or a medical clinic, you will not be able to escape Fox News. The breakfast diner in Rossville, Georgia--Fox News. The pizza place in Cartersville, Georgia--ESPN and Fox News. The tire store in Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia--Fox News. Meat and three in Dalton, Georgia--Fox News. If a business around here has a television and it's not on sports, it's probably on Fox News. If you've never noticed that, it's probably because you enjoy watching Fox News.
The assumption from businesses around here seems to be "I subscribe to the Fox News worldview. I agree with the way Fox News sees the world and reports what they see, therefore I'm quite sure that you agree too. I'm quite sure you are enjoying Fox News as much as I am. If you're not, you should be!"
I do not enjoy watching Fox News. But I don't enjoy watching any news. The news thrives on sensationalism and fear. The reporters search the world looking for death, destruction and human degradation. If they find all three in the same story, they have discovered the mother lode. News broadcasts, like any commercial television, exist to garner ratings. Those ratings then are used to sell advertising and to produce a profit. Many local and national news outlets claim unbiased reporting. There is no unbiased reporting. Each news organization, either print or broadcast, has its particular slant, its particular worldview. If that news is all you read or watch, then that particular bias is all you get. And you can't help but be influenced by that partisanship.
I never watch the news unless I'm captive and have little choice. 99% of the time when I'm captive, I'm watching Fox News. I do read the news. That way I can decide which headlines I find interesting or somewhat pertinent to me and only read those articles. I read articles from USA Today, CNN and ABC News nearly every day. I do not claim to "know what's going on in the world," but I do think I have a much better idea than those who only watch one station.
I am as biased as the next person. Just like you, I have a filter that everything flows through to get to my consciousness and things flow from me to the world through that same filter. I have spun that filter from a lifetime of watching, listening, reading and experiencing. But I like to think that my filter is substantially larger than the person who gets their worldview from only one place If you only watch Fox News, or any one broadcast for that matter, how do you stand a chance of forming a broad understanding of any particular subject or event? Even if Fox News is your favorite television, every so often come up for air and watch something else. You might be surprised what you can learn about politics, religion and the world around you from another source, including "the liberal media." There is more than one point of view on anything.
I have watched MSNBC only a few times since the last presidential election. But silly season is upon us and I can't think of a better place to be entertained. But ask me anything about Fox News and I can probably tell you.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Saturday, September 19, 2015
A Shepherd's Sky
Adonai Elohei David
‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears" Isaiah 38:5
I don't remember anything about J.B. Phillips' book Your God is Too Small except its title. I read the book about 45 years ago as a teenager living with my family in Enterprise, Alabama.
I want to suggest that no matter how big you perceive God to be, your God is still too small. When the early Hebrews contemplated that God was the God of the heavens, they considered "the stars in the sky", the stars that they could see. They had no telescopes on Mount Palomar. They had no Hubble. They had no books of astronomy to reference. Their God was only as big as the the heavens that they could see with the naked eye. We know the universe to be much bigger. Much, much bigger. It is estimated that in our average sized galaxy there are 100 billion stars. Some estimate that there are as many as 400 billion stars. Then can't we conclude that nobody really knows how many stars are in the Milky Way? It is also estimated that there are more than 100 billion galaxies in the known universe. The "known universe." Then how many are there? Nobody knows. We also know by observation that these galaxies are separated by tens of millions of light years. If you then attempt to calculate the size of the universe, you'll need a scientific calculator to do the math. Then isn't God at least this big? If we believe that the heavens can't contain Him, then how big is He?
I also want to suggest that God is much bigger than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God is much bigger than the God of David. As important as the Judeo-Christian account of God is, this world view is a minute fraction of the size and person of God. In American Indian myth and folklore alone, you will find hundreds of names and attributes for God. When you include the world's religions, these names and attributes are staggering.
It is said that in the world of Hindu that there are as many Gods as their are worshippers. Before you criticize this religion for this conjecture, consider that this is true for anyone of any religion. The God you worship is the God of you and no one else. Your God is as big as you comprehend. Your God is as kind or as judgmental as you perceive. If your God is the God of the Bible, then your God is only as big as the Bible you know. Taoist thought says that if you can define the Tao, then it's not the Tao.
For me, the God of David, Adonai Elohei David, is not the God of the Psalmist King, but the God of me. I can only assume that my God is much bigger than his. "When I consider the heavens, the work of Your hands, what is man that you are mindful of him?" A shepherd sees a lot of stars. A shepherd's perception of the size of the sky must have been quite immense. But would he have considered billions times billions of stars? Would he have imagined a God that big?
Because of the lights in my world, I have never seen a shepherd's sky. But I believe what I read about the universe to be true. I believe that this David's God, my God, is bigger than that one. I predicted that the highlight of my recent visit to Bryce Canyon, Utah would be the star gazing experience. Bryce actually protects its darkness for this very reason. I was prepared to at long last see a shepherd's sky. And with the large telescopes see the edges of the galaxy. What I didn't predict was a full moon. So I still have never seen the psalmist David's sky. But I don't have to accept on faith that there's more. I believe modern astronomy to be true. I see what the telescopes see.
And if the God of the psalmist David "heard his prayers and saw his tears", then how much more can my God hear me? I hope to return the Bryce Canyon on a dark, clear night. I hope to see a shepherd's sky. Until then I will be content with the God of Hubble, the God of David. As big as He is, I believe that He is mindful of me.
‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears" Isaiah 38:5
I don't remember anything about J.B. Phillips' book Your God is Too Small except its title. I read the book about 45 years ago as a teenager living with my family in Enterprise, Alabama.
I want to suggest that no matter how big you perceive God to be, your God is still too small. When the early Hebrews contemplated that God was the God of the heavens, they considered "the stars in the sky", the stars that they could see. They had no telescopes on Mount Palomar. They had no Hubble. They had no books of astronomy to reference. Their God was only as big as the the heavens that they could see with the naked eye. We know the universe to be much bigger. Much, much bigger. It is estimated that in our average sized galaxy there are 100 billion stars. Some estimate that there are as many as 400 billion stars. Then can't we conclude that nobody really knows how many stars are in the Milky Way? It is also estimated that there are more than 100 billion galaxies in the known universe. The "known universe." Then how many are there? Nobody knows. We also know by observation that these galaxies are separated by tens of millions of light years. If you then attempt to calculate the size of the universe, you'll need a scientific calculator to do the math. Then isn't God at least this big? If we believe that the heavens can't contain Him, then how big is He?
I also want to suggest that God is much bigger than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God is much bigger than the God of David. As important as the Judeo-Christian account of God is, this world view is a minute fraction of the size and person of God. In American Indian myth and folklore alone, you will find hundreds of names and attributes for God. When you include the world's religions, these names and attributes are staggering.
It is said that in the world of Hindu that there are as many Gods as their are worshippers. Before you criticize this religion for this conjecture, consider that this is true for anyone of any religion. The God you worship is the God of you and no one else. Your God is as big as you comprehend. Your God is as kind or as judgmental as you perceive. If your God is the God of the Bible, then your God is only as big as the Bible you know. Taoist thought says that if you can define the Tao, then it's not the Tao.
For me, the God of David, Adonai Elohei David, is not the God of the Psalmist King, but the God of me. I can only assume that my God is much bigger than his. "When I consider the heavens, the work of Your hands, what is man that you are mindful of him?" A shepherd sees a lot of stars. A shepherd's perception of the size of the sky must have been quite immense. But would he have considered billions times billions of stars? Would he have imagined a God that big?
Because of the lights in my world, I have never seen a shepherd's sky. But I believe what I read about the universe to be true. I believe that this David's God, my God, is bigger than that one. I predicted that the highlight of my recent visit to Bryce Canyon, Utah would be the star gazing experience. Bryce actually protects its darkness for this very reason. I was prepared to at long last see a shepherd's sky. And with the large telescopes see the edges of the galaxy. What I didn't predict was a full moon. So I still have never seen the psalmist David's sky. But I don't have to accept on faith that there's more. I believe modern astronomy to be true. I see what the telescopes see.
And if the God of the psalmist David "heard his prayers and saw his tears", then how much more can my God hear me? I hope to return the Bryce Canyon on a dark, clear night. I hope to see a shepherd's sky. Until then I will be content with the God of Hubble, the God of David. As big as He is, I believe that He is mindful of me.
Monday, September 14, 2015
"But I'm making my way back to me again." Oysters, Tori Amos
"The Book of Changes -- I Ching in Chinese -- is unquestionably one of the most important books in the world's literature. Its origin goes back to mythical antiquity, and it has occupied the attention of the most eminent scholars of China down to the present day. Nearly all that is greatest and most significant in the three thousand years of Chinese cultural history has either taken its inspiration from this book, or has exerted an influence on the interpretation of its text. Therefore it may safely be said that the seasoned wisdom of thousands of years has gone into the making of the I Ching. Small wonder then that both of the two branches of Chinese philosophy, Confucianism and Taoism, have their common roots here. The book sheds new light on many a secret hidden in the often puzzling modes of thought of that mysterious sage, Lao-tse, and of his pupils, as well as on many ideas that appear in the Confucian tradition as axioms, accepted without further examination."
Thus begins Richard Wilhelm's introduction to the I Ching--The Book of Changes. Many who know little or nothing about this significant work believe it to be sorcery or associated with the occult. For me I understand the I Ching to be neither good nor evil--it is morally and theologically neutral. And yet I have consulted this book for inspiration and help for years. My only copy is an abridged one and I seldom crack it open. The easiest way to divine its treasures is online and that is where I usually go.
The I Ching consists of 64 hexagrams. These are composed of six stacks of lines either broken or unbroken (yin or yang). To try to explain here the mechanics of these hexagrams and how a random cast affects the outcome and can provide actual help is beyond my purposes here.
I made a decision about two weeks ago that was one of the most difficult decisions of my life. The decision affects a lot of people over a long period of time. Although I arrived at the final decision just a few days ago, the decision had been in the works for over a year. But things recently came to a head within and without and I decided to move on.
People consult the I Ching for a multitude of reasons, but you don't consult the I Ching for yes or no or right or wrong. The I Ching offers complex recommendation for complex questions. In my recent case I didn't consult the oracle to tell me what to do, I simply wanted reassurance, an opinion, for what I had already decided to do. I had sought the opinion of several people I trusted, but the final decision was all my own. And that's what I did, I decided for one of the few times in my life not what I thought was right for everyone else, but what I thought was right for me.
I typed my question into the search box, cast the "yarrow" and received this response:
(from Hexagram 15): "To experience integrity is like coming face to face with your real self--plain, simple and unadorned. To have integrity is to be whole, at one with yourself and with reality. It means being honest about your own capabilities, holding yourself in creative balance with your world and not exaggerating the importance of your role. These qualities enable the noble one to bring whatever work presents itself to completion. Since she is not overly full of herself, she has space for the real world; she isn't hampered by an excess or by a lack of confidence. Since she isn't caught up in a personal story, and doesn't identify her work with her worth, she is free to do what needs to be done and move on."
In the end I decided to do just that --move on. I have been involved in vocational church ministry since 1971 when I was 17 years old. There is so much about leading music that I will miss. And I guess that there are many people who will miss me. But forty-five years is a long time to concern myself with treble clefs, bass clefs, committees, key signatures, time signatures, whole notes, committees, quarter rests, dynamics, fermatas, tenutos, entrances, cut-offs, pastors, committees, budgets, music services, accompanists, sopranos, altos, tenors, basses and committees. I'm worn out.
Although increased opportunity for travel is not my sole reason for retiring from vocational ministry, Indiana, Texas, California, Missouri and Florida are all on my personal map. My car gets excellent gas mileage, highways are not getting less crowded and I'm not getting any younger.
This Sunday my church where I have spent the last four years of music leadership, is honoring my wife and me with a reception in our honor. Significant people will wish us well and give us a warm send off. And we will respond with our love and gratitude. I'm sure that kind words will be spoken and I will appreciate what each person says. But it will be hard for someone to beat what a six year old boy named Richard said to me back in 1974. After a song I led his choir to sing, Richard looked at me and said, "David, you make my heart happy." And that my dear friends over forty-five years of leading music is all I've ever really wanted to do.
"The Book of Changes -- I Ching in Chinese -- is unquestionably one of the most important books in the world's literature. Its origin goes back to mythical antiquity, and it has occupied the attention of the most eminent scholars of China down to the present day. Nearly all that is greatest and most significant in the three thousand years of Chinese cultural history has either taken its inspiration from this book, or has exerted an influence on the interpretation of its text. Therefore it may safely be said that the seasoned wisdom of thousands of years has gone into the making of the I Ching. Small wonder then that both of the two branches of Chinese philosophy, Confucianism and Taoism, have their common roots here. The book sheds new light on many a secret hidden in the often puzzling modes of thought of that mysterious sage, Lao-tse, and of his pupils, as well as on many ideas that appear in the Confucian tradition as axioms, accepted without further examination."
Thus begins Richard Wilhelm's introduction to the I Ching--The Book of Changes. Many who know little or nothing about this significant work believe it to be sorcery or associated with the occult. For me I understand the I Ching to be neither good nor evil--it is morally and theologically neutral. And yet I have consulted this book for inspiration and help for years. My only copy is an abridged one and I seldom crack it open. The easiest way to divine its treasures is online and that is where I usually go.
The I Ching consists of 64 hexagrams. These are composed of six stacks of lines either broken or unbroken (yin or yang). To try to explain here the mechanics of these hexagrams and how a random cast affects the outcome and can provide actual help is beyond my purposes here.
I made a decision about two weeks ago that was one of the most difficult decisions of my life. The decision affects a lot of people over a long period of time. Although I arrived at the final decision just a few days ago, the decision had been in the works for over a year. But things recently came to a head within and without and I decided to move on.
People consult the I Ching for a multitude of reasons, but you don't consult the I Ching for yes or no or right or wrong. The I Ching offers complex recommendation for complex questions. In my recent case I didn't consult the oracle to tell me what to do, I simply wanted reassurance, an opinion, for what I had already decided to do. I had sought the opinion of several people I trusted, but the final decision was all my own. And that's what I did, I decided for one of the few times in my life not what I thought was right for everyone else, but what I thought was right for me.
I typed my question into the search box, cast the "yarrow" and received this response:
(from Hexagram 15): "To experience integrity is like coming face to face with your real self--plain, simple and unadorned. To have integrity is to be whole, at one with yourself and with reality. It means being honest about your own capabilities, holding yourself in creative balance with your world and not exaggerating the importance of your role. These qualities enable the noble one to bring whatever work presents itself to completion. Since she is not overly full of herself, she has space for the real world; she isn't hampered by an excess or by a lack of confidence. Since she isn't caught up in a personal story, and doesn't identify her work with her worth, she is free to do what needs to be done and move on."
In the end I decided to do just that --move on. I have been involved in vocational church ministry since 1971 when I was 17 years old. There is so much about leading music that I will miss. And I guess that there are many people who will miss me. But forty-five years is a long time to concern myself with treble clefs, bass clefs, committees, key signatures, time signatures, whole notes, committees, quarter rests, dynamics, fermatas, tenutos, entrances, cut-offs, pastors, committees, budgets, music services, accompanists, sopranos, altos, tenors, basses and committees. I'm worn out.
Although increased opportunity for travel is not my sole reason for retiring from vocational ministry, Indiana, Texas, California, Missouri and Florida are all on my personal map. My car gets excellent gas mileage, highways are not getting less crowded and I'm not getting any younger.
This Sunday my church where I have spent the last four years of music leadership, is honoring my wife and me with a reception in our honor. Significant people will wish us well and give us a warm send off. And we will respond with our love and gratitude. I'm sure that kind words will be spoken and I will appreciate what each person says. But it will be hard for someone to beat what a six year old boy named Richard said to me back in 1974. After a song I led his choir to sing, Richard looked at me and said, "David, you make my heart happy." And that my dear friends over forty-five years of leading music is all I've ever really wanted to do.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
An Angel Named Erin
Last Monday traveling north on I-75 taking my granddaughter back home, I smiled when we passed the Williamsburg, Kentucky exit. I smiled again on my way home. I'll smile at that exit for the rest of my life.
Around 1975 a small charismatic woman came up to me after church and said, "David, you have an angel." I said, "Yeah, sometimes I feel like I do." She told me, "No, I don't mean like that. I mean you really have an angel. I saw him. He was standing behind you when you sang. He's a little taller than you are. If you ever want to talk to him, his name is Hank." Over the years I have talked to Hank a lot. And there have been times that I'm pretty sure that he talked to me.
According to to the Bible and other religious traditions, angels appear in a variety of forms. I do not doubt the existence of angels in any form, but in my experience most of them are flesh and blood. Such was the case last May.
Our granddaughter loves the water. She's has enjoyed splashing in the bathtub since she was born and now she swims like a fish in a pool. Getting her in the water is no problem; getting her out is another matter. When my wife and I stop at a hotel with her, a pool is a must. "Do you have an indoor pool" is one of the first questions we ask on the phone. Sometimes we stop just so she can swim. Such was the case last May when we stopped to spend the night at the Hampton Inn in Williamsburg, Kentucky.
I was playing in the pool with her and she seemed to be enjoying my company. A family appeared at the pool and with no warning or introduction a little girl jumped in the pool right beside our granddaughter. They were immediately best friends. Erin loved the water as much as our granddaughter and they gleefully played together for nearly two hours. At that point it was time to go. We extended the play time by getting food that we all ate together in the lobby. We decided to exchange contact information at breakfast. The next morning they never showed at breakfast and there was no answer at their door. They were gone. Our granddaughter said, "I'll never see Erin again in my whole life." We regretfully told her that that was probably true.
I don't know a lot about angels, but I do believe that they exist. Erin may not have had wings, but she was certainly an angel in disguise that night in Williamsburg. She appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as quickly We had just seen the Pixar animation Inside/Out a few days before our stay in the hotel. Pixar ingeniously brings to life human emotions that are actual characters in the movie. The characters tell us the truth about our emotions--they affect the way we feel, but more often than not we choose how we want to feel and our emotions accommodate our commands. They respond to us. My wife tried to comfort our granddaughter with encouraging words. "Don't be sad. Just think of all the good friends that you have.". But she responded, "I choose sadness for one hour."
Around 1975 a small charismatic woman came up to me after church and said, "David, you have an angel." I said, "Yeah, sometimes I feel like I do." She told me, "No, I don't mean like that. I mean you really have an angel. I saw him. He was standing behind you when you sang. He's a little taller than you are. If you ever want to talk to him, his name is Hank." Over the years I have talked to Hank a lot. And there have been times that I'm pretty sure that he talked to me.
According to to the Bible and other religious traditions, angels appear in a variety of forms. I do not doubt the existence of angels in any form, but in my experience most of them are flesh and blood. Such was the case last May.
Our granddaughter loves the water. She's has enjoyed splashing in the bathtub since she was born and now she swims like a fish in a pool. Getting her in the water is no problem; getting her out is another matter. When my wife and I stop at a hotel with her, a pool is a must. "Do you have an indoor pool" is one of the first questions we ask on the phone. Sometimes we stop just so she can swim. Such was the case last May when we stopped to spend the night at the Hampton Inn in Williamsburg, Kentucky.
I was playing in the pool with her and she seemed to be enjoying my company. A family appeared at the pool and with no warning or introduction a little girl jumped in the pool right beside our granddaughter. They were immediately best friends. Erin loved the water as much as our granddaughter and they gleefully played together for nearly two hours. At that point it was time to go. We extended the play time by getting food that we all ate together in the lobby. We decided to exchange contact information at breakfast. The next morning they never showed at breakfast and there was no answer at their door. They were gone. Our granddaughter said, "I'll never see Erin again in my whole life." We regretfully told her that that was probably true.
I don't know a lot about angels, but I do believe that they exist. Erin may not have had wings, but she was certainly an angel in disguise that night in Williamsburg. She appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as quickly We had just seen the Pixar animation Inside/Out a few days before our stay in the hotel. Pixar ingeniously brings to life human emotions that are actual characters in the movie. The characters tell us the truth about our emotions--they affect the way we feel, but more often than not we choose how we want to feel and our emotions accommodate our commands. They respond to us. My wife tried to comfort our granddaughter with encouraging words. "Don't be sad. Just think of all the good friends that you have.". But she responded, "I choose sadness for one hour."
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