Notice the disconnect with politicians from the will of the majority of people?
Polls strongly suggest that the masses want one thing and those who "represent" them, another.
How about the disconnect between what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for His followers, and what those who claim the name of Jesus actually do and say? Politicians, corporate executives, law enforcement officers, business people, neighbors and others claim Jesus publicly, but regularly do or say things that are OPPOSITE from what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled.
How about the disconnect between folk who want to be seen as good people, but who swindle others through real estate, supporting candidates who work to hurt others, buying from stores that blatantly discriminate, exploit or cost American jobs and other self-absorbed acts.
From where do these disconnects come?
Disconnect hearts from minds, disconnected popular culture, disconnected human beings (only connected electronically and not face to face), disconnected spirit from everyday life and disconnected morality from economic and social actions.
"God helps those who help themselves."
"Look out for number one"
"Nothing personal, just business."
"What the American people want..."
"Uphold the 'American Way'."
"Maintain the 'American way of life'."
"Obtain the 'American dream'."
"I got mine. Let them get their own."
"I am a self-made person."
"Bigger fences make better neighbors."
"I only want what's coming to me."
So, how are your connections?
Of body, heart, mind and spirit? Of your needs and those of others around you?
Of needs vs. wants? Of justice and equality? Of your words and actions and
what you claim to believe? Of yourself with other human beings?
No more disconnects. We cannot afford to be more disconnected.
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
What I see...
What I see is people hurting, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is a few with most and the many with less or very little, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is unequal opportunities for our brown and black and poor children, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is fewer jobs for our folk, because somebody got the big bucks to ship jobs overseas and exploit others there for little pay, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is people working two or three part-time jobs at minimum wage, just to survive, which means that they have no time for self, for God, for family for well-being, and they are STILL often not "making it", and it makes me hurt.
What I see is our citizens in the military, many of whom are there because there were no other options for them, being sent in harms way for the profit of a few, creating a blood for money (oil) exchange and injustice around the world as we occupy other sovereign nations in order to take what they have, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is people hating anyone not like them - in religion, in race or ethnicity, in sexual orientation, in ideology and in other areas of uniqueness - and being intolerant of them, even going out of their way to keep them from having equal rights, or going out of their way to discriminate or hurt them by various means, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is the rich taking more for themselves and blaming the poor for the poverty inflicted upon them by the rich, taking more away from them to give to themselves through politics, economic practices and laws, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is that some have the Cadillac of healthcare plans given to them, even paid for by the public, and these same ones strive to deprive anyone else of having even the most basic healthcare available to them, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is medicines created to cure or give comfort, and some cannot afford them so they suffer and die while those who control them make huge profits, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is our environment - land, water and air - being wasted, polluted and destroyed so that a few already wealthy people can make a little more profit at the expense of ALL of us, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is churches reflecting society, rather than addressing it with Jesus' teachings on how to live in the world, exploiting through prosperity theology, controlling with personal salvation theology, ignoring the lack of justice and peace and the immorality of greed in the world, because their silence assures them of benefit from them, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is people, mostly the desperate, needy and greedy flocking to those churches to hear what will justify their lifestyles of greed, power lust and self-indulgence and what makes them feel good, while churches that actually share and live what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for His followers in the world are near empty, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is a media that is propaganda machine for the political and economic "right" and "left", and the factual reporting of truth is lost, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is a satisfaction for the status quo in this country that creates these horrible things, because many in the middle class have some of the trinkets they want and the wealthy few are raking in the dough, while others are "wannabe's" still delusional enough to believe they will be let into the club... so they vote for those who will maintain this inequitable, unequal, unjust, immoral system in order to get or keep what they have at the expense of others, and it makes me hurt.
I have been doing a LOT of hurting in the past 35 of my 57 years. I hurt for others regularly. And when I hurt for others I love, it makes me angry. And when I get angry I write, I speak, I blog, I post on Facebook, I email and I vote. When I get angry, I stop giving my money to companies and/or industries that abuse others. When I get angry, I confront, expose the works of darkness and do what I can to actually CHANGE the system as it is.
Do you get hurt by seeing others in pain, or do you pile on with those who hurt them?
Do you turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the cries of those who are being abused and neglected, and live out your apathetic existence as if none of it is happening?
Do you see and hear what is happening and still complacently enjoy your life?
Do you vote for the one(s) who will most benefit you, personally or who speak your bigotry?
Or do you empathize with those who are being held down, back and out... do you speak out and act on their behalf? Do you vote for those who will actually CHANGE the system that intentionally hurts them for the sake of a few in power and with wealth?
How developed is your humanity?
Pastor Jamie
What I see is a few with most and the many with less or very little, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is unequal opportunities for our brown and black and poor children, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is fewer jobs for our folk, because somebody got the big bucks to ship jobs overseas and exploit others there for little pay, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is people working two or three part-time jobs at minimum wage, just to survive, which means that they have no time for self, for God, for family for well-being, and they are STILL often not "making it", and it makes me hurt.
What I see is our citizens in the military, many of whom are there because there were no other options for them, being sent in harms way for the profit of a few, creating a blood for money (oil) exchange and injustice around the world as we occupy other sovereign nations in order to take what they have, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is people hating anyone not like them - in religion, in race or ethnicity, in sexual orientation, in ideology and in other areas of uniqueness - and being intolerant of them, even going out of their way to keep them from having equal rights, or going out of their way to discriminate or hurt them by various means, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is the rich taking more for themselves and blaming the poor for the poverty inflicted upon them by the rich, taking more away from them to give to themselves through politics, economic practices and laws, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is that some have the Cadillac of healthcare plans given to them, even paid for by the public, and these same ones strive to deprive anyone else of having even the most basic healthcare available to them, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is medicines created to cure or give comfort, and some cannot afford them so they suffer and die while those who control them make huge profits, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is our environment - land, water and air - being wasted, polluted and destroyed so that a few already wealthy people can make a little more profit at the expense of ALL of us, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is churches reflecting society, rather than addressing it with Jesus' teachings on how to live in the world, exploiting through prosperity theology, controlling with personal salvation theology, ignoring the lack of justice and peace and the immorality of greed in the world, because their silence assures them of benefit from them, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is people, mostly the desperate, needy and greedy flocking to those churches to hear what will justify their lifestyles of greed, power lust and self-indulgence and what makes them feel good, while churches that actually share and live what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for His followers in the world are near empty, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is a media that is propaganda machine for the political and economic "right" and "left", and the factual reporting of truth is lost, and it makes me hurt.
What I see is a satisfaction for the status quo in this country that creates these horrible things, because many in the middle class have some of the trinkets they want and the wealthy few are raking in the dough, while others are "wannabe's" still delusional enough to believe they will be let into the club... so they vote for those who will maintain this inequitable, unequal, unjust, immoral system in order to get or keep what they have at the expense of others, and it makes me hurt.
I have been doing a LOT of hurting in the past 35 of my 57 years. I hurt for others regularly. And when I hurt for others I love, it makes me angry. And when I get angry I write, I speak, I blog, I post on Facebook, I email and I vote. When I get angry, I stop giving my money to companies and/or industries that abuse others. When I get angry, I confront, expose the works of darkness and do what I can to actually CHANGE the system as it is.
Do you get hurt by seeing others in pain, or do you pile on with those who hurt them?
Do you turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the cries of those who are being abused and neglected, and live out your apathetic existence as if none of it is happening?
Do you see and hear what is happening and still complacently enjoy your life?
Do you vote for the one(s) who will most benefit you, personally or who speak your bigotry?
Or do you empathize with those who are being held down, back and out... do you speak out and act on their behalf? Do you vote for those who will actually CHANGE the system that intentionally hurts them for the sake of a few in power and with wealth?
How developed is your humanity?
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Our Democracy is on Hospice... end stages...
Our primary Diagnosis is Aspiration Certainty... due to a Growing Cancer that is choking it down.
The mass is growing, at its core abuses of wealth and power fed by a corrupt, elitist election system.
Many have abandoned any hope of treatment and have embraced the cancerous growth, while others have just resigned themselves to the idea that it will run its course, so they try to ignore it.
The Prognosis does not look good. With every election cycle, we feed the tumor heartily with our
own aspirations to be the ones to abuse the power and wealth and for others with our apathy, complacency or silence in addressing it. And the disease itself - those who profit by the death of our Democracy, pit these family members against each other so they cannot agree to pursue the cure.
There is *ONE LAST CHANCE for RADICAL TREATMENT to restore our Democracy to health, but there is no money in it for the wealthy, and it means giving up power to THE PEOPLE for those who have it now, so much is being done to get the people to ignore, be frightened against and deny the possibility of a restoration of true Democracy... and it is working... the resistance to curative treatment is strong... the Cancer's status quo or accelerated growth are seemingly the only two options being presented to the patient.
So, some will be as "comfortable" as they can be for as long as it takes for the aggressive mass to squeeze the rest of the life out of our Democracy, after this election, most likely taken off ANY life support.
There are those who regularly Nurse the disease, keeping it comfortable and treating the painful symptoms with feel good stuff.
The Social Workers of our society speak of hope and comfort and treat the psychological symptoms, because the cure is no longer being sought.
The Spiritual Care Counselors are treating the Spiritual losses with comforting words of Grace and Hope, some of them only praying for some kind of "supernatural" intervention, rather than justice or righteousness to be restored, because that is the only remaining thread of connection between their faith and how they live in society... the supernatural, not relational...
The CNA's (Corporate News Agencies), as always, clean up the mess... put a fresh face, a nice spin on things as they care for the cancer itself... making the outside look nice and clean as the inner workings rot in the corrupt tissue of the cancerous mass... and sometimes the smell of the decay is so strong that no amount of sanitizing can cover what is really going on, but they try.
And the pulling of the plug... the euthanizing of this Democracy will be finally by the silent who are compliant with what has been happening in this mass's accelerated growth since 1981. The Politicians, PAC's, SCOTUS and hate-filled, greedy, power hungry will be there to hold their hand in encouragement that it is the "right thing to do". Let it rest in peace, true Democracy. We will memorialize it with words and museums, like the dead thing it is.
The problem is that this could be an epidemic, as we have seen signs, even recently, out of Panama and even in unlikely places that have been resistant to this strain like Iceland and other places.
Our *ONE LAST CHANCE is to embrace FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR NATION, the Democratic Ideal... in this election... with the candidate that MANY have ignored in the media and society, others have tried to scare us against with the same old rhetoric of the past and others readily attack in their desire to embrace the status quo.
We must walk away from this PLUTOCRATIC OLIGARCHY, maintained through the Meritocracies of the Electoral College system and now Super Delegates within parties and fed by billions of the dollars of Corporate and Old Money PAC's through lobbyists working for the 1%, who buy candidates through elections who are then beholden to them.
But in order for that to happen, the lumpen proletariat would have to rise up and BE the Democratic body and stop being the silent and compliant "wannabe's" of power and wealth themselves, and the self-indulgent ones drunk with self-satisfaction over some measure of their own trinket-filled lives.
In order for recovery, it would have to be important enough to the people by, for and of whom this government is supposed to work.
So, the Prognosis is not good.
Pastor Jamie
The mass is growing, at its core abuses of wealth and power fed by a corrupt, elitist election system.
Many have abandoned any hope of treatment and have embraced the cancerous growth, while others have just resigned themselves to the idea that it will run its course, so they try to ignore it.
The Prognosis does not look good. With every election cycle, we feed the tumor heartily with our
own aspirations to be the ones to abuse the power and wealth and for others with our apathy, complacency or silence in addressing it. And the disease itself - those who profit by the death of our Democracy, pit these family members against each other so they cannot agree to pursue the cure.
There is *ONE LAST CHANCE for RADICAL TREATMENT to restore our Democracy to health, but there is no money in it for the wealthy, and it means giving up power to THE PEOPLE for those who have it now, so much is being done to get the people to ignore, be frightened against and deny the possibility of a restoration of true Democracy... and it is working... the resistance to curative treatment is strong... the Cancer's status quo or accelerated growth are seemingly the only two options being presented to the patient.
So, some will be as "comfortable" as they can be for as long as it takes for the aggressive mass to squeeze the rest of the life out of our Democracy, after this election, most likely taken off ANY life support.
There are those who regularly Nurse the disease, keeping it comfortable and treating the painful symptoms with feel good stuff.
The Social Workers of our society speak of hope and comfort and treat the psychological symptoms, because the cure is no longer being sought.
The Spiritual Care Counselors are treating the Spiritual losses with comforting words of Grace and Hope, some of them only praying for some kind of "supernatural" intervention, rather than justice or righteousness to be restored, because that is the only remaining thread of connection between their faith and how they live in society... the supernatural, not relational...
The CNA's (Corporate News Agencies), as always, clean up the mess... put a fresh face, a nice spin on things as they care for the cancer itself... making the outside look nice and clean as the inner workings rot in the corrupt tissue of the cancerous mass... and sometimes the smell of the decay is so strong that no amount of sanitizing can cover what is really going on, but they try.
And the pulling of the plug... the euthanizing of this Democracy will be finally by the silent who are compliant with what has been happening in this mass's accelerated growth since 1981. The Politicians, PAC's, SCOTUS and hate-filled, greedy, power hungry will be there to hold their hand in encouragement that it is the "right thing to do". Let it rest in peace, true Democracy. We will memorialize it with words and museums, like the dead thing it is.
The problem is that this could be an epidemic, as we have seen signs, even recently, out of Panama and even in unlikely places that have been resistant to this strain like Iceland and other places.
Our *ONE LAST CHANCE is to embrace FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR NATION, the Democratic Ideal... in this election... with the candidate that MANY have ignored in the media and society, others have tried to scare us against with the same old rhetoric of the past and others readily attack in their desire to embrace the status quo.
We must walk away from this PLUTOCRATIC OLIGARCHY, maintained through the Meritocracies of the Electoral College system and now Super Delegates within parties and fed by billions of the dollars of Corporate and Old Money PAC's through lobbyists working for the 1%, who buy candidates through elections who are then beholden to them.
But in order for that to happen, the lumpen proletariat would have to rise up and BE the Democratic body and stop being the silent and compliant "wannabe's" of power and wealth themselves, and the self-indulgent ones drunk with self-satisfaction over some measure of their own trinket-filled lives.
In order for recovery, it would have to be important enough to the people by, for and of whom this government is supposed to work.
So, the Prognosis is not good.
Pastor Jamie
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Community is...
Community is people coming together...
it is a sense of unity...
it is a commitment to one another...
it is about communication and communion together...
it is about cooperation and mutual support...
it is about inclusion of all, equally...
it is about looking out for the most vulnerable among us...
it is about human beings caring for human beings - compassion
it is about promoting the life of others - whatever is best for each
It is NOT about uniformity...
It is NOT about cliques...
It is NOT about property values...
It is NOT about nice, manicured lawns and flawless buildings...
It is NOT about preserving self over others...
It is NOT about keeping the right people in and the right ones out...
It is NOT about controlling others...
It is NOT about homogeneity out of xenophobia, ethnocentrism, racism,
homophobia, classism, nationalism, religious beliefs or income level
Many neighborhoods do not understand this.
Many churches do not understand this.
Community. Come, unity.
Pastor Jamie
it is a sense of unity...
it is a commitment to one another...
it is about communication and communion together...
it is about cooperation and mutual support...
it is about inclusion of all, equally...
it is about looking out for the most vulnerable among us...
it is about human beings caring for human beings - compassion
it is about promoting the life of others - whatever is best for each
It is NOT about uniformity...
It is NOT about cliques...
It is NOT about property values...
It is NOT about nice, manicured lawns and flawless buildings...
It is NOT about preserving self over others...
It is NOT about keeping the right people in and the right ones out...
It is NOT about controlling others...
It is NOT about homogeneity out of xenophobia, ethnocentrism, racism,
homophobia, classism, nationalism, religious beliefs or income level
Many neighborhoods do not understand this.
Many churches do not understand this.
Community. Come, unity.
Pastor Jamie
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Imperialism in America
It comes from an arrogant (and ignorant), false sense of superiority and entitlement.
It comes when folk think that just because they can, they should, and it is right.
It happened to the Native Americans. Europeans came and "discovered" a new land, full of people, planted their flags and fought over it with the people who inhabited this "newly discovered" land until they were gone, also fighting each other to plant their particular flags in different areas of it. The arrogant and false sense of superiority and entitlement necessarily meant that those who lived here had to be de-humanized in the minds of the people, so they were...
Then, in order to get free labor to make the new "colonies" rich, they enslaved people... went out of their way to get people who did not look like them... went to great lengths and cost to develop an INDUSTRY of capturing, transporting and enslaving people to get free labor... invaded other nations and stole their people, because of their false, insane sense of superiority and entitlement... they were de-humanized in the minds of the people... they could, so they did, and justified it...
And it happens today...
We want oil, we invade Iraq on false pretenses, occupy their country and the Military Industrial Complex, including Halliburton and other contractors, and oil companies get rich off the blood spilled, not just of thousands of our soldiers, but of MILLIONS of Iraqi's... because we could and felt entitled to it... we de-humanized the people there to justify it...
We plant our flag on corporation buildings all across the world, as if they represent the nation in them, as they exploit their workers for cheap labor, rape their lands for their resources and then pollute their air, water and land in order to make more profit. The logos of these companies turn whole segments of their country into "little Americas"... watch out Cuba, here they come... and then our tourists complain that the locals don't speak English... really "murikkkan"... because the people there are de-humanized in the minds of our gullible, easily duped people...
Churches plant in neighborhoods and then do the work, not of EVANGELISM, but of INDOCTRINATION, using the carrots of prosperity, prestige and power along with the sticks of fear, guilt and exclusion to get more people in their seats and more money in their coffers to make the preacher rich, look good and promote their doctrines... NOT THE TEACHINGS OF THE JESUS WHOSE NAME THEY CLAIM... people are de-humanized... objectified... for the sake, not of the Gospel or Jesus, but the institution and its corporate heads...
"Gentrifiers" do it in neighborhoods also. They buy up properties when the prices are low and, like the Oklahoma land grabs, come in groups to get a good deal. Then they clean up, fix up and buy up more. In the process, the property taxes go up and long-term renters, the elderly and working poor are pushed out, and unique cultural expressions and flavors are lost because the "sameness" they valued in the suburbs they grew up in is IMPOSED on the neighborhood for their comfort. They de-humanize the people living there... count them as "lesser" in order to justify it in their minds...
It is arrogant, intolerant, hateful, exploitative and IMMORAL. That is the "exceptional America" we are being sold... It is the evil empire. WE ARE the evil empire. Consistently Ruthless. Because we can, we should, right? Internally, internationally... we are evil - because we do evil to others for our own gain... immoral, unconscionable... America.
It would not have to be - THAT is the tragedy.
Pastor Jamie
It comes when folk think that just because they can, they should, and it is right.
It happened to the Native Americans. Europeans came and "discovered" a new land, full of people, planted their flags and fought over it with the people who inhabited this "newly discovered" land until they were gone, also fighting each other to plant their particular flags in different areas of it. The arrogant and false sense of superiority and entitlement necessarily meant that those who lived here had to be de-humanized in the minds of the people, so they were...
Then, in order to get free labor to make the new "colonies" rich, they enslaved people... went out of their way to get people who did not look like them... went to great lengths and cost to develop an INDUSTRY of capturing, transporting and enslaving people to get free labor... invaded other nations and stole their people, because of their false, insane sense of superiority and entitlement... they were de-humanized in the minds of the people... they could, so they did, and justified it...
And it happens today...
We want oil, we invade Iraq on false pretenses, occupy their country and the Military Industrial Complex, including Halliburton and other contractors, and oil companies get rich off the blood spilled, not just of thousands of our soldiers, but of MILLIONS of Iraqi's... because we could and felt entitled to it... we de-humanized the people there to justify it...
We plant our flag on corporation buildings all across the world, as if they represent the nation in them, as they exploit their workers for cheap labor, rape their lands for their resources and then pollute their air, water and land in order to make more profit. The logos of these companies turn whole segments of their country into "little Americas"... watch out Cuba, here they come... and then our tourists complain that the locals don't speak English... really "murikkkan"... because the people there are de-humanized in the minds of our gullible, easily duped people...
Churches plant in neighborhoods and then do the work, not of EVANGELISM, but of INDOCTRINATION, using the carrots of prosperity, prestige and power along with the sticks of fear, guilt and exclusion to get more people in their seats and more money in their coffers to make the preacher rich, look good and promote their doctrines... NOT THE TEACHINGS OF THE JESUS WHOSE NAME THEY CLAIM... people are de-humanized... objectified... for the sake, not of the Gospel or Jesus, but the institution and its corporate heads...
"Gentrifiers" do it in neighborhoods also. They buy up properties when the prices are low and, like the Oklahoma land grabs, come in groups to get a good deal. Then they clean up, fix up and buy up more. In the process, the property taxes go up and long-term renters, the elderly and working poor are pushed out, and unique cultural expressions and flavors are lost because the "sameness" they valued in the suburbs they grew up in is IMPOSED on the neighborhood for their comfort. They de-humanize the people living there... count them as "lesser" in order to justify it in their minds...
It is arrogant, intolerant, hateful, exploitative and IMMORAL. That is the "exceptional America" we are being sold... It is the evil empire. WE ARE the evil empire. Consistently Ruthless. Because we can, we should, right? Internally, internationally... we are evil - because we do evil to others for our own gain... immoral, unconscionable... America.
It would not have to be - THAT is the tragedy.
Pastor Jamie
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