Carrying Christmas Over

I traditionally leave our Christmas tree up until at least the first weekend of the new year while gradually taking the decorations off on the days leading up to packing it away. No hurry here. I like to think of Christmas decorations as also winter/holiday decorations. Why not let the season linger?

Last December I mentioned in my blog an idea of celebrating the spirit of Christmas year-round as a way to carry over not only the trappings but the goodwill and generosity of the season. Why not continue the idea of sharing and caring for one another throughout the year with special emphasis on the 25th of each month as a reminder? "The least of these," as Jesus called those who are down, disadvantaged or discouraged, need support every day not just during the holidays. Even though 2014 turned out to be a year I devoted to a different "cause," I'm re-proposing a year of giving and hope to help keep the idea alive in 2015.

Generosity should be a way of life. Giving should be as natural as breathing. Not just money, but other resources like time, effort, a joyful attitude and especially a heart willing to love others, not condemn and judge them. Many people do live day-to-day with an attitude of generosity and they act on their better impulses. Many others would like to be able to give more, but time and money can be in short supply when our lives are often busy with our own families and obligations. Let's find ways to work around our limitations and spread generosity out over the course of the year.

Many of the elderly with no family near would enjoy a visit at least once a month. People who are lonely need to feel connected to someone. Local food pantries too often have shelves which are nearly bare. Many young families are struggling to get by and would be grateful for diapers or help with the electric bill or gas money for getting back and forth to work or school. Some people live in houses which are in need of repair and they lack the funds or know-how to fix what’s wrong. You get the idea.

So, why not start a new tradition of marking the 25th day of each month as a day to do something extra-nice for someone, to volunteer somewhere or otherwise make a real effort to have a positive impact on the community? Doesn’t it seem like the kind of idea which is in line with the message Jesus came to proclaim? Let's carry the spirit of new birth with us all year long, wherever we go, whatever we do.

Contentment and Change

How do we reconcile personal contentment with the desire to see change in society on a greater scale? It's a question many of us struggle with every day.

As her Christmas gift for the family last year my daughter Tracy created an elaborate game which combined strategy, skill, a scavenger hunt, puzzles and action. We all had fun, so she made up another version for this year which we played yesterday.

When she and her husband and two sons arrived at our house, her two-year-old, Vale, was wearing a zip-up sweater and declared himself to be Mr. Rogers, which is one of the most adorable things I've ever seen. He loves Mr. Rogers and can sing along with most of the opening theme song. Tracy had received a letter informing her that she's on the dean's list. She put it on our refrigerator reminiscent of the days of good report cards from elementary school. My 12-year-old grandson, Farrand, displayed his knowledge and talents in amazing ways throughout the game. Allen and the boys built a Lincoln log village afterward.

I'm not writing of these things to boast, especially knowing that Christmastime is less than ideal for many. I write of them to say how much simpler life would be for most of us to shut out what's happening in the world and live in isolation, keeping to ourselves, seeking personal contentment and happiness. My family had a wonderful time yesterday, and it was easy to forget what's going on around the country and in our own community. And there are days that I think oblivious living is a good path. Some days it is the path I do, indeed, choose.

But as many people are set to celebrate the birth of Jesus this week, I recall the scripture which is often cited as the beginning of his public ministry, as recorded in Luke 4. Jesus went into the synagogue and read from the prophet Isaiah declaring that, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

For those of us who are disciples of Jesus, students of his teaching, he is to be our example for how to live in the world. More than 2,000 years after he spoke of proclaiming the Lord's favor, his words are more poignant than ever. If ever there was a time when people are poor, imprisoned, oppressed and blinded to so many things, needing to hear good news, that time is now. To celebrate the birth of Christ, it is time for this generation to celebrate his life and teachings and put words into action.

Finding contentment with friends and family is a wonderful feeling. Not being satisfied until those around us have equal ability to be free, content and filled with joy is our calling as believers. Personal contentment must spur us on to do what we can to make circumstances better for our neighbors and to leave the world a better place for our children and grandchildren. A two year old who admires Mr. Rogers gives me hope, but most of all he provides the encouragement I need to keep moving forward to help change what needs to be changed.

Jesus and War

Part of the message which accompanied the birth of Jesus as recorded in scripture is, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Jesus was called the Prince of Peace. "Blessed are the peacemakers" is one of the beatitudes. James 3:17 says, "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

In that context and in the spirit of the season, I'm going to offer another look at two of the comments I made on my blog on November 30. I posited that "responding to violence with violence creates war," and "responding to evil with evil creates all manner of evil." Instead, I suggested we "respond to violence with peace," and "respond to evil with good." I believe those statements to be in line with New Testament teachings.

My original intent in the post -- there were other items about fear, anger, unforgiveness and hate -- was to a greater extent how we deal with people around us on a one-to-one basis, personal interactions (humans solving problems directly with other humans around us) and to a lesser extent solving international problems (which could be called humans allegedly trying to solve problems with the human race), even the part about responding to violence with violence causing war. There are such 'wars' going on in families and communities every day. 

I can understand why the comments quickly went to things such as, "Would love have stopped WWII? Thank goodness not everyone waited for Jesus to stop Hitler. Somebody had to step up to the plate and fight the war" and "Turning the other cheek will only empower ISIS. They must be systematically destroyed."

I'm not trying to create another discussion along those lines. I want to be clear that while I do believe our country has become too eager to use military force, I cannot rightly call myself a pacifist. I do envision scenarios where I would take up arms to save my family or defend myself or my country. However, I also think the principles Jesus spoke of would 'work' on a grander scale of nations solving their problems with other nations. What we're doing now isn't working. I would like to give the 'Jesus solution' a try, even though there are powerful people who have greed as their only god who will do their best to make sure peace will never be given a chance.

But here is my point for now: Because of our willingness to intervene militarily it is one more reason why the U.S. government cannot lay claim to the title of 'Christian nation.' (Judaic law might come close to what we follow because we definitely practice an eye for eye, or rather more like one thousand eyes for each eye.) If, as U.S citizens, we believe war is the answer that's a separate issue from trying to make Jesus be the declarer of war. 

Christians can and do serve in the military. It is reassuring that in a complicated world there are men and women who serve their country with character, dignity and honor. Sometimes decisions are made by individuals that none of us would ever wish to make. By heavily intertwining a religious view (the spirit) with a worldview (the flesh) when it comes to war, I think we must have surely made it more difficult, not less, for many members of the military. I can't speak for them, only to say my father served in WWII and I know he carried many burdens his whole life because of it. It is individuals who suffer when governments make decisions which require military intervention.

I'm not trying to over-simplify any difficult matter, but I do believe that trying to justify war by saying that Jesus would gladly declare it, seems to me to create a perverted view of the Gospel which  has extended to many other areas in society. If we can convince ourselves that Jesus is a fan of war as the 'go-to' action, without keeping his greater message in context and uppermost in our minds, we can convince ourselves that Jesus approves of almost anything that we think is the right course of action, no matter how many people are hurt in the process. 

That kind of thinking doesn't lead to peace in our lives, peace in our communities or peace on Earth.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

Two years ago I wrote a blog post similar to the following. But as it seems little has changed, it think it's worth another go at applying the message of Jesus to this "most wonderful time of the year." There's a familiar scripture which asks, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" While specks and planks abound throughout the year for most of us, somehow it seems a forest (of pine?) falls into the eyes of many Christians during the Christmas season. For example -- I know many of my friends are passionate about this, I don't wish to offend -- it seems 'speckish' to be concerned about the phrase 'happy holidays.'

If an employee of a store says 'happy holidays,' remember it is NOT his or her job to share the church’s story of the birth of Jesus. That is the job of Christians to do. It is the job of cashiers at big box stores, for example, to keep their sanity while running barcodes across a scanner for an eight-hour shift and taking payments from customers who sometimes hurriedly push, complain and scowl their way through a check-out line, minus the merry or happy.

If we can't smile and say 'merry Christmas' back to someone (who is either simply doing a job or genuinely being nice) and move on, what does that say about our attitudes? If we think 'happy holidays' is a battle cry in the alleged 'war on Christmas,' I believe we are seriously missing the point. I suggest that when Americans spend upwards of half a trillion dollars on Christmas when it would take only $20 billion to ensure that all people in the world could have access to clean water for a year, that's more akin to a war on real Christian values. I fear we're losing the battle when it comes to simplicity, compassion, kindness, treating others as we wish to be treated and the love of money and materialism.

When we support overspending and mass consumption, we should perhaps look at the message we're sending, especially to children. We may talk about 'the reason for the season,' but what are we teaching by our actions? Do we equate love with how much we've spent on gifts for someone? The bigger the price tag the greater the love? Or is quantity the problem? Do we need a mountain of gifts under the tree to such an extent that we buy cheap products without a thought about where they've come from or who has made them? Do we try to make Christmas be about a feeling or moment? I'm guilty of these things too, but change comes one good decision at a time.

A couple of years ago a friend of mine made an excellent point. He said, "In my neighborhood, a few signs are up with 'Jesus IS the reason.' I've been trying to think if there ever was a time when 'Jesus WAS the reason.' I've been thinking about my early Christmases -- e.g., 1950s. Sure, there were some nativity scenes, but it was a holiday that did nothing for my spiritual well-being. The first school day after Christmas, it was the same old story -- the more affluent kids seemed to have 'most favored kid' status with Santa."

It's only in recent times, as we've been TOLD there's a war on a holiday which now takes up more than two months of the year, that we've been worried about things like 'happy holidays,' which was a perfectly fine greeting when I was a kid. Santa Claus was readily accepted as the driving force of the season, just as he is now, but no one complained. Our church Christmas programs had the obligatory (and always touching) reading of the nativity story and everyone went home with a warm and joyful attitude. No one felt compelled to look for the devil in every corner of the tinsel-draped stores or to start a ruckus about 'holiday trees,' which I think is a stupid idea, but harmless in the grand scheme of things. (No one shopped on Thanksgiving, either, but that's another story.)

A huge part of the 'speck and plank problem' is that many people are getting their religious guidance from news outlets and social media rather than straight from the source. If you want to believe what any talking head on television -- on almost ANY media outlet -- says is true about what's happening in the world, that's your business. But let's not take the information as the Gospel. It's not. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John give us the real scoop on the message of Jesus.

Love Is the Response

If there's ever a question as to how to respond to violence, anger, fear, injustice, unforgiveness, hate or evil, choose love.

Responding to violence with violence creates war.
Responding to anger with anger creates confusion.
Responding to fear with fear creates despair.
Responding to injustice with injustice creates strife.
Responding to unforgiveness with unforgiveness creates bitterness.
Responding to hate with hate creates division.
Responding to evil with evil creates all manner of evil.

Jesus warned against all of these things and told us to choose the forces which emanate from love.

Respond to violence with peace.
Respond to anger with calm.
Respond to fear with knowledge and faith.
Respond to injustice with action.
Respond to unforgiveness with forgiveness.
Respond to hate with compassion.
Respond to evil with good.

We can never go wrong with love and what springs from it. Other solutions may seem more satisfying in the heat of the moment, but thoughtful, loving responses leave us without regrets.

Love is the one thing that never fails.

What's Next?

After a nearly a 10-month-long hiatus from posting here to pursue a run for Congress as an independent candidate, I am supposing I might come back around to blogging again. My campaign is now a minor footnote in the chronicles of Missouri politics, and I've been contemplating what's next. Maybe politics is in my future, but unless something unforeseen happens, it won't be another run for U.S. Congress. As much as I believe in the independent movement, the reality is that strong, unaffiliated candidates were shut out everywhere in this mid-term election. Record low voter turnout contributed, but who knows how anyone would have voted if they'd shown up at the polls? Too many are stuck in a party politics mentality.

I had hoped we would make enough of a showing to help change the national conversation, to let the powers that be know they should be worried, that their jobs might be in danger. The fact is their jobs are more secure than ever, for many reasons. But most of all the citizenry is to blame. The majority of us refuse to be informed and won't stand up to redeclare our independence and reclaim our rights by voting out those who participate in a corrupt system. Ultimately, it's on us for playing along.

I'm not interested in excuses. There IS too much money in politics, there ARE powerful forces at work behind the scenes and we have been beat down into thinking that nothing we do matters. But votes win elections and voter turnout was dismal. Less than one-third of eligible voters cast ballots in Missouri on Nov. 4, 2014. I'm tired of hearing people rail against the status quo while allowing the status quo to continue, unchallenged.

There were 6,819 of us in Missouri's District 8 who had courage to stand up by voting for an independent (and another 7,558 who voted for other 'third party' candidates), so what can those of us who did try something different do now? I can only speak for myself, but some form of civil disobedience is seeming more like an answer. Question everything. Isn't that what Jesus did? He questioned authority and everything else that society had to offer. 

I will continue to question our elected officials and press them on who they're really representing. I approach it with my definition of a government which wants to be a 'Christian nation' which is not one that lacks compassion, continually makes war, no longer rewards a hard-working middle class, refuses to 'promote the general welfare' and blames the poor for being poor. It is more and more disgusting every day to participate in a system which has become corrupted by greed.

Do you know what was the sin of Sodom? Not what many think. “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49, NIV) If we bring on our own destruction as a country it will be because we have forgotten what's truly important. We will have forgotten what it means to care.

The Koch brothers and their kind are laughing at us, ALL of us, especially the misguided (usually well-intentioned) voters who keep thinking that electing an ALEC-sponsored puppet is somehow electing someone who represents us. This couldn't be further from the truth. The federal government is making itself more and more irrelevant every day simply because it can't function. What a shame it's morally and financially bankrupting us in the process.

But whatever happens in Washington, we must come back around to what has always made this country great: local solutions. That's ultimately the way it should be and what will be our salvation.

It goes beyond “shopping local,” although supporting locally owned businesses is an integral part. (Online shopping is convenient, but it's helping lay waste to local economies. Please remember that as the holidays approach.) The local movement is about growing our own food or knowing our growers. It's about communities growing our own businesses, too, and creating jobs, manufacturing the things we need when it's possible. Forming farmers and artisan co-ops. Bartering. Connecting with our neighbors.

Somehow we've been led to believe it's impossible to be self-sufficient, but it's only in recent times that the economy has become global. Local choices exist and local choices are crucial. Local solutions are also about all of us taking responsibility and helping to care for those in need in our own communities while contributing time and resources to build strong families and education opportunities. It's about things like mentoring young people, so they can break free from generational cycles of poverty and much more.

The future of our country really is worth fighting for, but we must face the struggle with respect for others, integrity and a sense of responsibility for doing what is right and honorable, because in the midst of the fight, we must not lose the heart and soul of what made our nation great. Have courage. Be kind to those around you while always questioning authority. We'll get through these rough times and we'll hope for good things ahead. 

A Campaign for Change

As some of you may know by now, I have taken a step forward to run as an independent candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Missouri's 8th Congressional District. This likely comes as a surprise to some, but perhaps not so much to others. I've been thinking about doing this for over a year now, every since I heard Joann Emerson was stepping down from the seat.

I hope the readers of my blog/Facebook posts have always known I believe in separation of church and state. I think I've made that clear in my posts. I believe it not only because of what it means for the kind of diverse country the United States is, but for the protection of the sacredness of our religious freedoms and I believe that is what the founders of this country thought, too.

I likely will take a hiatus from posting on spiritual matters as I move ahead with the campaign, although I might offer something from time to time. This is mainly because my time is going to be taken up with a nine-month whirlwind of activities but also because I do want everyone to know that my spiritual views and my political views might sometimes appear to be on a collision course.

For those who have read my novel, you will know that in it, I promote local solutions for local problems. I absolutely believe we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers and that the most vulnerable among us need the help of those who are able to help, and that ALL of us have something to offer. In the days ahead, some of you might think, as I talk about constitutional over-stepping by Congress and the need for cutting of programs at the federal level, that I am abandoning my spiritual tenets. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am embracing my spiritual beliefs.

My belief in God and the compassion and love Jesus called his followers to have for all those around us, will always inform my decisions, even when it might not seem like it or feel like it, perhaps even to me. But our country has swung too far in a direction which is leading us to a point of decline that none of us can imagine if we don't do something to bring it back the other direction. (However, if I'm being honest, just so you know where I stand, I would never vote to cut SNAP, WIC or housing subsidies, for example, until we get real about cutting CORPORATE WELFARE. This is because I cannot, in good conscience, choose the most powerful over the most vulnerable, children, the elderly and the disabled.)

Our current crop of elected officials -- with maybe a few exceptions -- are merely milking all they can from the system while they can and care very little about the future. If they did care, they would move toward campaign finance reform and taking special interest money out of the political system. And as an independent this is my number one campaign issue: anti-corruption in government.

There are other issues that I know many of you are passionate about, and I have a few issues I'm passionate about, too. Some have already started asking how I feel about certain issues. I don't want to seem as though I'm avoiding giving answers, and I have given a few, but here are my thoughts:

1. See note above regarding my number one issue. Special interest money is wrecking our country and until this issue is addressed, few other matters can change. Money controls every decision made in Washington. You may say, "Well, not literally everything..." To which I say, yes, at some level everything. Because every party politician, every Republican and every Democrat, is at the mercy of his or her party and they do what they're told according to the wishes of those pouring money into their purses.

2. At the heart of the independent movement is a move away from caring about the issues we're TOLD to care about by the politicians who are trying to distract us from the real issue, special interest money. We all have to start thinking for ourselves and caring about this great nation enough to become involved in governing ourselves. I know it takes some work and we're all busy with day-to-day life. I get it. I'm busy, too. I have a family and a job and working on a campaign isn't going to be easy. I'm not trying to put a guilt trip on anyone into being involved in this campaign in a huge way. But at least register to VOTE! And vote for an independent.

3. Just because someone has the good fortune to be elected to office, he or she is not an expert on everything, probably not an expert on much of anything if we're being honest. That's why I feel as though my opinions on issues matter less than the opinions of those in the district who do know what they're talking about. Medical professionals need to be listened to when it comes to healthcare reform. Educators need to be the voice we hear in matters related to education. Bankers -- LOCAL bankers -- need to have input in banking regulations which affect their day-to-day business practices. I want to know what people who know what they're talking about think about the important issues facing our country.

My own beliefs regarding politics have evolved in recent years and are still evolving, honestly. As an independent, I'm not bound by any party's platform. The citizens of the District 8 will help development my policies. There's no way to please everyone, but if we work with our neighbors, rather than against everyone with a differing opinion, I guarantee you we will make progress. The independent movement is the best hope we have!

Christmas in January

The “twelfth day of Christmas” passed on Jan. 5, ending most religious observations of the Christmas season, but Christmas is my topic nonetheless.

The West Plains Christmas parade was postponed from its original date, Dec. 14. The weather had been frightful and a parade that day would not have been delightful, to say the least. Officials with the West Plains Chamber of Commerce, the organization which sponsors the event, made a wise decision, based on safety concerns, to postpone the parade until Jan. 11.

Because many groups and organizations had gone to a great deal of creative effort to build floats with Christmas in mind, the details will remain the same as if the parade was happening during the “official” holiday season. The theme, the categories, the prize money to be awarded and all the good cheer are scheduled to be part of the march down Porter Wagoner Boulevard set for 5 p.m. today.

What seems to have changed, barely two weeks after the celebration of the birth of Jesus, is much of the goodwill in the community. My hope is that everyone is looking forward to the fun and the message of the event, but I’ve had several conversations with those who are less than enthused. A couple of people have been downright hostile toward the idea of a Christmas parade in January. Curious, isn’t? The things we choose to get upset or worked up about.

Because of a variety of reasons, organizers of the parade had little choice but to change the date to this weekend. About the only other option would have been to cancel it, and too many people had worked too hard for that to make much sense. As someone who has organized a few events over the years, I can tell you there’s no way to please everyone, no matter what plans are made. And once plans have to be changed because of circumstances beyond anyone’s control, the proverbial no-win situation is what results.

It’s true that probably just about everyone is disappointed the parade will be after Christmas, no one more so than Chamber of Commerce officials, we can be assured of that. But instead of saying things to make anyone feel bad or suggesting things which simply aren’t possible, I propose we make the best of a less than ideal situation. We may have already put away our Santa hats, but let’s break out our smiles, put on a spirit of compassion and appreciation for all the hard work that goes into putting on a nice event for the community and most of all, remember all that talk back in December about keeping Christmas in our hearts all year long.

When Chamber Director Joanne White provided the reasons for changing the date, she added, “We hope everyone will want to continue spreading the joy of Christmas into January.” I agree. Let’s start with joy in January and carry it all through the year. Jesus isn’t just the reason for the Christmas season. For believers he should be the reason for every season.

A Gift Economy

Yesterday, I posted a video on Facebook about a new way of looking at money. (If you didn't see it and would like to, here's the link: http://www.upworthy.com/theres-a-new-old-way-to-think-about-money-are-you-ready-for-it?g=3&c=ufb1) 

If you think about it, the way our system has become monetized is a relatively recent development, which got going in full swing, especially in rural areas, around the time the railroad "came to town." The way the system is now, and is headed toward more every day, is starting to not work very well. A return to simpler times could provide a way forward.
 
Before there was a way to readily get goods from long distances, people grew/made/did what they needed and grew/made/did extra so they could exchange the excess with neighbors. Farmer John grew more wheat than his family needed. He took it to Jack's mill. Jack ground the wheat and kept some for his fee. By doing that for everyone in the community, Jack had more flour than he needed, so he traded some of it with Sam for pumpkins or whatever.

That way of doing things was not foreign to our country's way of doing business all the way through WWII. For example, many ration books -- which were meant to be used for certain items in short supply -- were exchanged on the black market. Money didn't mean as much when you couldn't buy what you needed and people did what they needed to do to get by.

When those who made it through the war came home, the money started flowing freely and people were buying up a storm and who could blame them? That generation deserved a break. But it had a downside. There were new televisions to watch, why bother to grow a garden? Go the store and buy what was previously grown/made/done and exchanged with neighbors. (That's when the quality of our food supply went downhill, too. Processed junk food sure was convenient and who knew it was bad for you?) The "Leave It to Beaver" (or perhaps "Father Knows Best") way of doing things has persisted for a few decades, but the tide is turning. Money isn't flowing so freely these days. A new economy is already developing. It's referred to in the aforementioned video as a gift economy.

For example, people don't need to come to a print shop to buy business cards. They print them off themselves using home computers. And why does anyone really need a business card? Contact information is readily shared on a little thing called the Internet, which is free (or mostly/can be). Computer software which cost hundreds of dollars a few years back is available as freeware. People are buying fewer and fewer greeting cards, envelopes, postage stamps and just about anything else printed on paper. Anyone can be a journalist/writer/author and they're willing to do it for free via blogs, websites and online books. Some of them are pretty good, too. And who wants to pay $39.95 for new a hardbound book, when it'll be available on Amazon for $3 with free shipping soon enough? Brick and mortar book stores, publishing houses, printing companies, paper mills, etc. All casualties of an economy which is changing.

And that's just in one industry. People are gardening again and exchanging produce, seed and all kinds of things. More and more are living off the grid. Barter is alive and well. Many people in my daughter's generation have embraced this attitude and way of living and are derided for it by some who really don't understand what's happening. Millions of people have figured out what is important and what is not so much. Those who haven't figured it out are likely to get a dose of it soon enough. Might as well figure out how to make the best of it.

Oh, and let's not throw the 's-word' -- socialism -- around. Because this is capitalism at its finest. Private individuals, rather than governments, own property and businesses. The business models just look different, smaller and more practical, than they have in recent years. Our level of success is up to each of us. No one is forced to share, but it's a natural choice to make because it is ultimately in everyone's best interest.
 
As for the notion of "keeping up with Joneses." the Joneses aren't as admired as they were in times passed and there are fewer and fewer of them. Globally the richest 10 percent own 86 percent of the wealth, while the top 1 percent own 46 percent of all global assets. (The numbers are about the same for the U.S.) Fewer and fewer people want to keep up with the Joneses because some of them (not all, of course) aren't very nice people. 

The sense of community, which Christians need to recognize is a New Testament model, is going strong in many circles. Ever-widening circles.