Waving or Drowning?

Theology, or... What's Important

"Do we really need to verify belief in atonement doctrines and the Immaculate Conception when most of God’s physical, animal and human world is on the verge of mass suicide and extinction?"

Richard Rohr, Radical Grace: Daily Meditations, p. 315, day 327 (Source: Radical Grace, "The Twelve Steps: An Amazing Gift of the Spirit")

Your Design, My Thinking... Who Can Stop Us?!

Here's one for the designers in the audience.

I'm looking for someone to design a master slide template for me. (Yes, Powerpoint. Forgive me.) I have an image I'd like as the soft background, and a "logo" for the corner. That's it - quick and easy. And did I mention I need it on the cheap?

If anyone's interested in helping me out, please flip me a note. Thanks

Please Don't Feed the Monster II

The conversation in the comment section of Please Don't Feed the Monster continues.

In the mean time, I've just come across this opinion piece from Joe Clark in yesterday's Globe and Mail. Yes, I realize that Joe is no longer in power, so he can say anything he likes. But, I also realize that until somebody, somewhere actually tries something different, nothing will ever change. I've maintained for some time that Canada is uniquely positioned to show some leadership in this rapidly changing world we find ourselves in.

Let's trade on our G20 status to help the poor
JOE CLARK
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
February 24, 2009 at 8:13 PM EST

A critical test of the response to the global financial crisis is whether rich countries, including Canada, will look beyond their narrow national and economic interests.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper used the right words when he warned President Barack Obama about “Buy American” programs that might hurt Canada: “If we pursue stimulus packages, the goal of which is only to benefit ourselves or to benefit ourselves, worse, at the expense of others, we will deepen the world recession, not solve it.” But that principle goes well beyond trade.

Read the rest here.

It's one thing for me to wish for political leadership that had the courage to try something different, but I realize that is probably not realistic. So, I'm brought inevitably back to our original assertion that the church people of God should be leading the way here.

And no, I'm not clear on what that looks like, but we must try.

Wanted: Your 2 Cents Worth

There's a couple of conversations on the go that could use your input. One is on my post Please Don't Feed the Monster. I'm involved in the other one too, which is the Reflexivity series hosted by my friend Ryan.

Drop by if you have a chance.

WITWIGO?! (What in the World Is Going On?!)

Our friend Robert recently sent this out to all his clients. I happen to know there's a few spaces left if anyone in the Toronto area is interested in attending. Should be a good night.

The past few months have proven to be some of the most difficult investors have ever faced and there is little doubt we are living in unprecedented times. The bad news has not been confined to investors: job losses have made headlines for months as employers attempt to navigate these new waters by remaining lean and families are feeling the strain of this difficult economy. At Path, we have always provided our clients with a flow of information that is out of the ordinary, something they would not expect from most financial planners. We do this because we believe that assisting our clients' understanding of the issues affecting their finances and their lives is a primary function of our role as advisors. We believe you need consistent, unbiased information to make good decisions, especially during times like these.

For this reason, we are delighted to invite you to attend our inaugural Path Financial WITWIGO?! Evening on March 5th at 7:30 PM located at the Westin Prince Hotel at 900 York Mills Road, east of Leslie.

WITWIGO?! is our acronym for What In The World Is Going On?! because it seems to many people that the world has gone off its rudder and every day, our clients ask us to help them in make sense of events.  So, accompanied by delightful refreshments of course, we will ask our experts WITWIGO?!  

The speakers will include Peter Drake, Chief Economist, Fidelity Investments Canada, on the current outlook for the Canadian and global economy.  Following Peter's talk, we will have four speakers addressing the impact of the recession on the four pillars of modern society:

WORK  --  PLAY  --  FAMILY  --  LIFE

Human Resources expert Brad Thorman will address the impact of the economic crisis on companies, employers and employees.

Alyson Schafer, parenting expert extraordinaire, will discuss the impact this economy will have on families.

Author, blogger & social commentator Mike Todd will discuss its impact on society and trends he expects to emerge.

Oh and I'll be talking a little, as well. I'm doing the PLAY part.

Our format will be that each speaker will have 20 minutes to deliver their talk because we want you to be informed and have fun and this can be tricky if you've been put to sleep by a droning presenter!

Please let us know if you would like to bring along a friend who may not have another opportunity to hear the current economy addressed from these various perspectives.

This is going to be fun so we'll see you on March 5^th!

Please RSVP to Catherine Sutherland ASAP.

Journey Into Lent 2009

From Richard Rohr and the good people at the Center for Action & Contemplation:

We invite you to join us in a unique experience of fasting.

Every Wednesday during Lent please visit our website for a reflection on fasting from various inner patterns that keep us in our wrong head, our small heart, and outside our bodies.

Journey into Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday by fasting from Stimulations, Distractions, and Numbness.

Please Don't Feed the Monster

Is anyone else troubled by this?

U.S. Pressed to Add Billions to Bailouts
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS, ANDREW ROSS SORKIN and MARY WILLIAMS WALSH
(New York Times, February 24, 2009)
The government is facing pressure from banks, carmakers and a giant insurer despite the billions it has committed to them.

In other words, we've created a monster. The monster is not good for anybody. But, the only thing worse would be to not have the monster. Prior to the great unveiling of the monster, there was no money to help the poor because, well, there was no money to help the poor. Now there is no money to help the poor because all of our money is going to feed the monster. Ironically, this is to keep those of us who are not poor from becoming poor. Those who are already poor are apparently on their own.

As I've said here before, it is apparently not a crisis to be poor, but it is a crisis to become (or be at risk of becoming) poor.

Breathe (UPDATED with lyrics)

U2, live in France, minutes ago. (Thanks Beth!)

Link

"Breathe"

16th of June, nine-oh-five, door bell rings
Man at the door says if I want to stay alive a bit longer
There’s a few things I need you to know
Three

Coming from a long line of
Traveling sales people on my mother’s side
I wasn’t gonna buy just anyone’s cockatoo
So why would I invite a complete stranger into my home
Would you

These days are better than that
These days are better than that

Every day I die again, and again I’m reborn
Every day I have to find the courage
To walk out into the street
With arms out
Got a love you can’t defeat
Neither down nor out
There’s nothing you have that I need
I can breathe
Breathe now

16th of June, Chinese stocks are going up
And I’m coming down with some new Asian virus
Ju Ju man, Ju Ju man
Doc says you’re fine, or dying
Please
Nine-oh-nine, St. John Divine on the line, my pulse is fine
But I’m running down the road like loose electricity
While the band in my head plays a striptease

The roar that lies on the other side of silence
The forest fire that is fear so deny it

Walk out into the street
Sing your heart out
The people we meet
Will not be drowned out
There’s nothing you have that I need
I can breathe
Breathe now
Yeah, yeah

We are people borne of sound
The songs are in our eyes
Gonna wear them like a crown

Walk out, into the sunburst street
Sing your heart out, sing my heart out
I’ve found grace inside a sound
I found grace, it’s all that I found
And I can breathe
Breathe now

The Three P's

Another great quote from Richard Rohr, subtly offensive in its own way...

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says there are three basic obstacles to the coming of the Kingdom. These are the three P’s: power, prestige and possessions. Nine-tenths of his teaching can be aligned under one of those three categories.

I’m all for sexual morality, but Jesus does not say that’s the issue. In fact, he says the prostitutes are getting into the Kingdom of God before some of us who have made bedfellows with power, prestige and possessions (see Matthew 21:31-32). Those three numb the heart and deaden the spirit, says Jesus.

Read Luke’s Gospel. Read the Sermon on the Mount. Read Matthew’s Gospel and tell me if Jesus is not saying that power, prestige and possessions are the barriers to truth and are the barriers to the Kingdom.

I’m not pointing to Church leadership, I’m pointing to us as the Church. The Church has been comfortable with power, prestige and possessions for centuries and has not called that heresy. You can’t see your own sin.

(Radical Grace: Daily Meditations, p.18, day 16)

Bursting Out - Think Differently

This is what God says,
   the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
   who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
   they lie down and then can't get up;
   they're snuffed out like so many candles:
"Forget about what's happened;
   don't keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
   It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,
   rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say 'Thank you!'
   —the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
   rivers through the sun-baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
   the people I made especially for myself,
   a people custom-made to praise me.
(Isaiah 43:16-21 ~ The Message)