Uphill idealist

We are sad to inform you that our dog Kahlúa passed away Thurday evening. Thank you for your prayers and support during this time. Kahlúa, You were the best dog in the world. You lived with and cared for us for 11 years. Thank you for making our lives better and happier. Rest in great peace -

I picked up a copy of Neil Cole's Organic Church at one Emergent Pittsburgh event along the way and it jumped out to me on my over-full bookshelf this week. So far, I'm really pleased with his non- ABC, 123 way of getting to the heart of living and sharing a life and faith in community as the body of Christ. So many times, I feel we (as the church) become so introspective that we forget that Jesus called and challenged his disciples to ..."go into the whole world..." and not hide away in our respective sanctuary corners waiting for the world to come to us. So if we are claiming to be Jesus disciples, and his 'church' we should be more than ready and willing to be actively "going into" the world around us. Here are some basic questions to get this conversation started in regards to who the church is and whom it really belongs to. 1. Ask yourself: "Who is Jesus to me?" Your reply reflects your perspective, personality and characteristics th...

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned. And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Saint Francis of Assisi -- The Patron Saint of Animals

Kahlúa is our 15 year old dog that we adopted from the Humane Society when she was four. She joined our family and has been with us for eleven years so far. This morning we found her laying on the carpet in the dining room and was unable to get up and go outside. After letting her rest for a few hours, I gave her some bread to eat and she got up. She was wobbly so I scooped her up and took her outside to go to the bathroom. She managed to remain standing for a few minutes, but was back down quickly. Her back legs did not want to support her even though she was trying to walk. By this point, she had begin to cry so I called the vet and they said to bring her in for an evaluation. My kids and I tearfully wrapped her up in a blanket and drove to the vet. It seemed as if we were sitting in the waiting room forever. The vet told me that her heart, eye function, and lungs were great - also taking into consideration her age of 15! The problem seemed to be FCE - firocartilanginous embolism: w...

This is a team. We need to work as one. Our focus, function and motivation is centered on the center - the Way. This is a team not a solo act. - no middlemen - no hucksters - no clowns. Standing hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder. Strong and commanding. Understanding. This is a team. Sometimes the burden seems so heavy. The input isn’t equaling what the output could be. The team needs to pick me up and carry me to the sidelines. Let me rest by the Gator-aid cooler… This is my team, my life, my hope. Cover my back while I catch my breath.

The term "collective selfishness", is taken from Chapter 2 of Krista Tippett's book, 'Speaking of Faith'. Here are just some thoughts concerning this idea. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Collective selfishness" is something that Rauschenbusch fought in the heat of Hell's Kitchen. It was 1920, but it was already there. Growing bigger, ever wanting more, never satisfied and this was only the tip of the iceberg. It's purpose was to consume whatever it could: no caring, no compassion, just individualistic and collective greed. It's like the "blob"in that old science fiction film - only you can't stop it by freezing it. It's too hot and aggressive. It's like thirsty cracked soil except it can't absorb the water because it's too dry, too lonely and too weary to remember how to drink. It's has the effect of starvation, swelling the belly and yellowing the eyes;...

So much time and energy in life is spent in chasing after the many things we think we need. Our world is so geared towards servicing our whims and desires, we are shocked and dismayed if we can't find what exactly we are looking for. Even when I go online and shop for books, I find what I'm looking for and more! On my Amazon account, after I log in, a store called "Tara's Store" flashes at the top of the page stating – " We have more suggestions for you!" A personalized "store" has been compiled by the purchases I've made over the past several years, the merchandise I've casually browsed, and the wish lists I've compiled on rainy days all in the name of customer service and consumption. There are literally thousands of potential items in my store that are ready and waiting for expedited delivery for the cost listed in the right hand column next to my blinking virtual shopping cart. At this moment of window-shopping, do I really co...