Mara's Prayers

Mara has been writing out prayers for her new prayer journal and she let me read them the other day. I wanted to share a few. (I've corrected grammar and spelling--couldn't help myself.)

Daily Prayer

Lord please help me know the difference of right and wrong. Help me do what is right, O Lord. Please help me and my classmates from fighting in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord please help me concentrate in school and at home an everywhere I go. Amen.

Holy God Holy Mighty Holy Immortal have mercy on us (three times).

Our Father please help those who need help and travel with those who travel in the name of the Father and the son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord have mercy on me and forgive me of all my sins. Amen.

Bless this to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord please help me through each and every day. Amen.

To Do Prayer List
Morning prayer
mid-day prayer
evening prayer
my prayers
Lord's prayer
Daily prayer
Prayer journal
Thanksgiving prayers

Jim Wallis / James Dobson

I was actually quite disturbed by the letter from Dobson. I have to say, it was very much the same rhetoric that I heard him speak before the 2004 election when he came to Raleigh and I won tickets to hear him. And, for a bit of back story, that was also the election when a man in the church I was attending attacked me verbally and publically for daring to say that I hadn't yet decided for whom I'd vote that year. That was a horrible Sunday, when no one in the Sunday School class could defend my right to thoughtfully consider my vote, and my only recourse from that attack was to leave. Four years later, and I'm still shocked that I could have been in that situation in a place that should be safe from that sort of attack--in a church.

So, back to Dobsson's letter. He just confirmed for me that he is a fear-monger who has a very limited view of what it means to be a believer in this world. It's his way or nothing. Dobson's political communications aren't that different from the hellfire and damnation sermons I grew up on--the ones where the preacher says that if you can't see reason and get saved just because he thinks you should, then at least get saved to avoid hell. And of course, that also reminds me of how he tells people to parent their children--as if they are dogs to be beaten into submission. All in all, my respect for Dobson is tenuous, at best, but at least I can say it's stronger than the respect that man in Sunday School showed me four years ago.

And that is why I'm adding this letter from Jim Wallis (a name I do not know, so don't take this as an endorsement) to my political musings here. In demanding an apology from Dobson, he's also offering a defense—an apologetic, if you will—for Christians who believe we are doing the best we can to vote differently than Dobson would like us to.

One final thought. When I voted today for Obama, I voted out of hope, not out of fear. If my hope is not realized, my faith will hold me. However, I do not trust that same resolve had I voted out of fear.

Come now, let us reason together.

James Dobson’s ‘Letter From 2012 in Obama’s America’

by Jim Wallis 10-29-2008

James Dobson, you owe America an apology. The fictional letter released through your Focus on the Family Action organization, titled “Letter From 2012 in Obama’s America”, crosses all lines of decent public discourse. In a time of utter political incivility, it shows the kind of negative Christian leadership that has become so embarrassing to so many of your fellow Christians in America. We are weary of this kind of Christian leadership, and that is why so many are forsaking the Religious Right in this election.

This letter offers nothing but fear. It apocalyptically depicts terrorist attacks in American cities, churches losing their tax exempt status for not allowing gay marriages, pornography pushed in front of our children, doctors and nurses forced to perform abortions, euthanasia as commonplace, inner-city crime gone wild because of lack of gun ownership, home schooling banned, restricted religious speech, liberal censorship shutting down conservative talk shows, Christian publishers forced out of business, Israel nuked, power blackouts because of environmental restrictions, brave Christian resisters jailed by a liberal Supreme court, and finally, good Christian families emigrating to Australia and New Zealand.

It is shocking how thoroughly biblical teachings against slander—misrepresentations that damage another’s reputation—are ignored (Ephesians 4:29-31, Colossians 3:8, Titus 3:2). Such outrageous predictions not only damage your credibility, they slander Barack Obama who, you should remember, is a brother in Christ, and they insult any Christian who might choose to vote for him.

Let me make this clear: Christians will be voting both ways in this election, informed by their good faith, and based on their views of what are the best public policies and direction for America. But in utter disrespect for the prayerful discernment of your fellow Christians, this letter stirs their ugliest fears, appealing to their worst impulses instead of their best.

Fear is the clear motivator in the letter; especially fear that evangelical Christians might vote for Barack Obama. The letter was very revealing when it suggested that “younger Evangelicals” became the “swing vote” that elected Obama and the results were catastrophic.

You make a mistake when you assume that younger Christians don’t care as much as you about the sanctity of life. They do care—very much—but they have a more consistent ethic of life. Both broader and deeper, it is inclusive of abortion, but also of the many other assaults on human life and dignity. For the new generation, poverty, hunger, and disease are also life issues; creation care is a life issue; genocide, torture, the death penalty, and human rights are life issues; war is a life issue. What happens to poor children after they are born is also a life issue.

The America you helped vote into power has lost its moral standing in the world, and even here at home. The America you told Christians to vote for in past elections is now an embarrassment to Christians around the globe, and to the children of your generation of evangelicals. And the vision of America that you still tell Christians to vote for is not the one that many in a new generation of Christians believes expresses their best values and convictions.

Christians should be committed to the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of America, and the church is to live an alternative existence of love and justice, offering a prophetic witness to politics. Elections are full of imperfect choices where we all seek to what is best for the “common good” by applying the values of our faith as best we can.

Dr. Dobson, you of course have the same right as every Christian and every American to vote your own convictions on the issues you most care about, but you have chosen to insult the convictions of millions of other Christians, whose own deeply held faith convictions might motivate them to vote differently than you. This epistle of fear is perhaps the dying gasp of a discredited heterodoxy of conservative religion and conservative politics. But out of that death, a resurrection of biblical politics more faithful to the whole gospel—one that is truly good news—might indeed be coming to life.

http://www.sojo.net/blog/godspolitics/?p=3283

Trippin'

I'm leaving tomorrow morning to go see my godson, by way of a conference on Hispanic Achievement put on by the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals. I was invited to speak about my experiences in helping to get a SIOP program running at out high school. I'll also enjoy some sight-seeing, which is to say, I'm going to be able to visit some of my favorite friends--a rare treat indeed.

None of this is to say that you'll miss me much. First of all, I rarely post here, so if you'd miss me at all, it'd be at another venue. And secondly, my hostess for the weekend is none other than super-Internet-woman herself! I'm sure she'll share her laptop long enough for me to drop in my favorite haunts.

But, please feel free to rejoice with me that I'll be taking my godson to communion (he hardly needs "help" getting to the chalice!) and visiting with some of the best people I know.

Horray!

Register and Vote!

The voter registration deadline in North Carolina is this Friday, October 10th.

Are you registered? Are your friends and family?

If you only forward one email to your friends, family, and neighbors today -- make it this one.


Visit VoteForChange.com, our one-stop voter registration website, and register before the North Carolina deadline.

This election is too important to leave anything to chance. Make sure your voice is heard -- and forward this email to all the North Carolinians you know.

Thanks!

P.S. -- If you don't register to vote by October 10th, don't forget that one-stop early voting begins on Thursday, October 16th. Make sure your voice, and the voices of your friends and family, are heard.

First Grade

Wow! It's amazing what a trip to the classroom can do!

I took the entire day off today. I found coverage for my own classes and I paid a sub $50 for an entire day, even though the sub only really worked with one class. And I went to Mara's school for the whole day.

Mara sang, "You're going to be a first grader!" over and over and over again, on the way in the door. I think she was pretty excited, though.

I took extensive notes, updating on the classroom status and Mara's attention/productivity every few minutes. Overall, what I noted was that the teachers were really great at making transitions from one part of class to the next. There was floor time, seat work, floor time in front of the Smart Board, and reading groups. There was also time for teachers to work with students one-on-one. It's definitely a teacher-led class, and it's obviously curriculum driven ("No, I'm not going to show anymore cursive, since that's what you'll learn in 2nd grade."), but Mara did not seem like she was suffering or falling behind. Any time she had the chance to read, she seemed to enjoy reading, which is important to me. And I know she's doing fine on the math, even if I think manipulatives would be a much better way to teach math than worksheets.

On the way out the door, I spoke with another parent who is a big player in the educational system, and he said that this teacher has a reputation of being really good with the kids and really bad with the parents. Well, now I believe it.

I didn't even leave to go look at another class. I no longer think it's even worth considering a class change. I no longer want to pull the principal into it. I (whew!) no longer have to consider pulling her out of school and jumping through hoops to homeschool and work full time.

When I get a chance to type up my notes, I'll might post them, or at least some more thoughts on them. But for now, it's sufficient to finally feel at ease with Mara's teacher this year.

Pilgrimage to the Monastery of the Transfiguration

I took a trip to Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, PA, met up with some of the women who have been most influential on my journey to Orthodoxy, and prayed with the sisters at the monastery.

Here are some pictures of the trip up, the grounds, and the icons there.

Pilgrimage Pictures, September 2008

When I get the other participants' pictures added to my album, I'll update.

Beth and I drove up together, and met Emily and Pres. Lisa there. We arrived just a few seconds before Emily, which was great timing! Pres. Lisa joined us on Saturday.

Friday night, we attended the vespers service, during which they sing an akathist and focus prayers for young people. I added Mara, Emma, and Jake to the list. We also were able to participate in praying for actual names listed. If you could see the huge stack of names they had to pray for every Friday night, you'd wonder how they get it done. The burden, responsibility, and joy of praying for the world is just one of the amazing things Orthodox monastics undertake. Another is hospitality, and we really felt welcomed and at home at the monastery. We were comfortable and well-fed, and our interactions with the sisters were so sweet. Oh, we also stayed in the house that was Mother Alexandra's house for the last two years of her life.

Saturday, we all slept in, missing the morning prayer services. But later on that day, we had a chance to share our journeys and lives with Mother B. We also had plenty of time to roam the grounds, take pictures, and absorb the prayerful surroundings. That night, there was another vespers/vigil service. It was very long!

Sunday morning, we went to matins and Divine Liturgy, which Father Thomas Hopko served. He gave a very inspiring sermon, and we had a chance to speak with him later on at the generous coffee hour. One of the most meaningful experiences for me that weekend was being able to take communion with these women who have joined with me and helped me on my journey towards Orthodoxy. It's one thing to know that all Orthodox Christians participate in the same Divine Liturgy and the same Mystical Supper, and another thing to be in the same chapel at the same time. I was in tears quite often over the weekend. As Mother B. put it, most pilgrims comes to weep and to pray, but mostly to weep.

That afternoon, we spoke with Mother C. and she told us about her journey to becoming a nun at the monastery. She said she asked herself at age 40, "What have you done for Christ," and when she evaluated her life and decided she hadn't done much, she began to look for ways to start doing more. She found this monastery, founded by Princess Ileana of Romania, and when she first stepped on the grounds, she knew she was home. She also told another story that illustrated for her personally--and for us vicariously--just why petty arguments and disagreements don't matter. Her humility is an inspiration, and I know I fall short of her example. She also read for us the story of St. Euphrosynos, a saint I have long admired. He reminds me so much of Cade. Later that evening, we had the vespers for the feast day of the Nativity of the Mother of God, which was really beautiful.

Monday morning, Emily left for her 12 hour journey home. Beth, Pres. Lisa, and I drove an hour to another monastery, Nativity of the Theotokos, where we celebrated their feast day with them. One of the sisters there, a friend of Pres. Lisa, showed us around the grounds and spent a long time talking with us. After that, Beth and I had the rest of the day to drive home and enjoy our time together.

The entire trip was lovely, and now our online community is planning other upcoming pilgrimages together. I can't wait!

First day of first grade

Mara rode the bus to my school for the first time ever today. It was a scary time for me, but she seemed to handle it just fine.

It turns out that one of the "friends" (daughter of another teacher at my school) will be attending a different magnet school. That leaves just three of "our kids" to ride the bus together. We originally had six.

I asked Mara if she was scared on the bus. She said, "Well, I was really worried that I'd get on the wrong bus. Then, I saw the number and I got on it anyway, but I was scared that maybe it was the wrong bus." But, she also said she felt better because one other kid from her class and another, younger friend were on the bus with her. Yeah, I said, they're all kids of people I work with! "Oh."

The bus was much later than we expected, and there was a hold up in the high school bus lot, on a humid day, and then it started to drizzle. Terrible conditions! But the kiddos disembarked without much notice of the buzzing tensions amongst the high schoolers. I hope the bus schedules start to run more smoothly, as they generally tend to do after the first few days. If not, though, we have a back up plan: One of the parents will go pick up the three kids and bring them back to our campus.

Mara says she had a good day. It's a bit sad to us that she doesn't have any friends from her kindergarten class in her new class, but I think for sure she'll make new friends soon. And her other good friends from last year have recess with her, at least. I asked her about the people at her table, and she said, "Well, these two boys were yammering. Wait. What does yammering mean?" I said, "Talk, talk, talk." She said, "Yeah, they were yammering and I just couldn't concentrate!"

Too funny!