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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

What About Jesus?


Welcome back on track to Jesus...not that He ever left me when I went to Texas. Very much to the contrary...He definitely showed up! I'll have more to say about Tiger Lily Weekend soon.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-39 (NIV)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

My disclaimer is - This teaching of Jesus does NOT provide for personal abuse of other people. The complete teaching of this action includes the understanding of Jesus' position as a king, a partially political position, in that He came into our human, political world. Later, we'll see where He taught the Apostles to take a sword with them Here He is instructing them in a tactic (or is it a strategy?) of spiritual warfare. He is truly manifested as the Prince of Peace when you understand the context in which He speaks.

Following is an excerpt from http://winterpatriot.com/node/529 about the recent protests in Egypt:

“Turning the other cheek” has been falsely portrayed as a passive and even submissive practice or strategy but nothing could be further from the truth.
An “eye for an eye” means countering violence with violence; as if this will resolve an issue. Why wouldn't the returned violence be returned again in turn? And so on ad infinitum? Yet this is the recipe preached by Judaism. How has it worked so far? It has worked extremely well for those with a vested interest in ever more violence, the psychopaths) but not for the rest of us. So let's look at the proposed alternative.

It is curious is it not that Jesus would specify the right cheek? It must have had significance for him to mention it. Most people then, as now, are right-handed and unless you are trained in the gentle art of boxing it is usual to strike someone with your right hand. So to strike someone on their right cheek with your right hand, you need to give them a 'backhander'. This is the strike of choice for superiors when dealing with people they consider to be inferior to them and insubordinate to boot. So this is the situation Jesus was teaching on; how to deal with evil people in power. When you turn the other cheek they cannot repeat the backhander, they have to punch you if they want to continue. The trouble for them then is that they lose their superior position, their perceived legitimacy, in the eyes of the audience and are reduced to brawling like common thugs. Which is what they are; thugs in fine clothes. This perceived legitimacy is crucial because any despot knows that the people en masse have the power and not him. Hence all the pomp and pageantry and all the police and military might to impress this idea of superior status and power onto the general populace. Power over others is ultimately an exercise in deceit.

Turning the other cheek is an act at once defiant and yet non-aggressive. It is in no way submissive. This action refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy or authority of the abusive power just as the people of Egypt have done. It does not accept the authority of the attack. It does not submit just like the Egyptians have not submitted. They have instead continued to demand that Mubarak's criminal behaviour cease and that he remove himself from his position of imposed privileged. They have pledged to stand there turning the other cheek until he does.

For more teaching that you probably never heard in Sunday School, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_the_other_cheek

Peace.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Tiger Lily Weekend - 2011



Huh?
Lu, whose idea it was to have us gather, suggested a name change in honor of our hostess and her family. Come to find out that their family signature flower is the Tiger Lily...so here we are again, still smellin' as sweet as Magnolia blossoms in my memory of that initial bonding time together. Whether we meet in person again or not, as long as someone delivers mail, e- or snail-, I plan to keep on building those bonds.

Back to more of my friends...
Cindy Rhudy is the spunky, kind, fun-loving and hard-working director of Shiloh Home of Hope for Women in Emporia, Kansas http://www.shilohhomeofhope.org and my roomie! She's also very tolerant and understanding if you snore. I DID warn her and offered earplugs, but she would only say, "Oh, I wasn't sleeping anyway." Let's just say that I've heard myself on recording snoring, and Grand Saline doesn't need me AND the train going by at night! Seriously, though, Cindy aka Coachmombabe is all that... lifecoach, Mom, Grandmom as well as singer, dancer before the Lord and cardmaker to her family and the women and babies who come Shiloh's way. We have much in common between us in dealing with crisis pregnancy, as I was a volunteer with our local CareNet Pregnancy Center www.care-net.org for three years, and our family continues to support them financially. We also have the love of Sedona, Arizona in common, and almost got to meet a few weeks before Tiger Lily Weekend on her travels there...next time, Cindy...and I'll follow along! By the way, Cindy continues to forge ahead as best she can while living with a quite frustrating physical condition.

Next, I'll tell you about Heather Hyde-Herndon aka Feathermaye. Heather learned of Cindy and Shiloh's need of a sewing machine and generously donated and had one shipped to Katie Belle for her to take back to Kansas. Had to toot your horn, Mz HHH! Heather also came to our weekend with the freshest loss. Most of us there had experienced some in the past couple of years; but she lost her Dad just a few weeks before. We were all happy to have her come anyway, and welcome her into our hearts and hugs, and hopefully render her some comfort. I know that we at least helped to take her mind away when we played a fun game, because she shined her talent at it! It's a storytelling game, and that's one of Heather's talents. In fact, she shares it with her husband and is soon going on a booksigning tour with him. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/TORMENTA/S-Bond-Herndon/e/9781932996388
Heather is also a jewelry maker and is commissioned to make our daughter's wedding "hippie toes" barefootwear. Last weekend she just whipped up a cute pair of earrings for Lu to wear to our gourmet dinner on Saturday night. She also gifted us with some really cute and unique pendants. Thanks, Feathermaye!
Pics up top are (l to r) Lu, Heather and Cindy...and one of Heather and me "after" with her new do...so cute!