Turkey Trot Hazards

Today we started a new family tradition – running the Alexandria Turkey Trot. Great fun was had by all! Even more impressive, Aunt Avis, Grace and I all managed to run the entire 5 miles. Granted…our finishing times were not “impressive.” But considering we decided to participate less than 12 hours before the race started, we were pretty proud of ourselves.

There were many, many folks running, walking, jogging, and everything in between. I was really impressed with the wide variety of ages, fitness levels, and dedication on the course. However…there was one contingency that I could have done without – the strollers and their “pushers.” These parents were a healthy dose beyond intense – dare I say they were the epitome of “extreme strollers.” Keep in mind, we were on narrow roads in Del Ray, Alexandria, with thousands of runners desperately trying to keep two feet on the ground and make their way through the crowd. Highly motivated, over-achieving Washingtonians pushing their way through this crowd, using small babies as leverage is less than helpful to an already treacherous situation.

Fellow Turkey Trotters be warned of the parentally-operated carriages of the baby variety!

*Imagine inserting a stroller (as pictured below) into the close-knit crowd (as pictured above).

Obama’s Use of Complete Sentences Stirs Controversy; Stunning Break with Last Eight Years

In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has broken with a tradition established over the past eight years through his controversial use of complete sentences, political observers say.

Millions of Americans who watched Mr. Obama's appearance on CBS' "Sixty Minutes" on Sunday witnessed the president-elect's unorthodox verbal tick, which had Mr. Obama employing grammatically correct sentences virtually every time he opened his mouth. But Mr. Obama's decision to use complete sentences in his public pronouncements carries with it certain risks, since after the last eight years many Americans may find his odd speaking style jarring.
According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota, some Americans might find it "alienating" to have a President who speaks English as if it were his first language.

"Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement," says Mr. Logsdon. "If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of sounding like an elitist."

The historian said that if Mr. Obama insists on using complete sentences in his speeches, the public may find itself saying, "Okay, subject, predicate, subject predicate - we get it, stop showing off."

The President-elect's stubborn insistence on using complete sentences has already attracted a rebuke from one of his harshest critics, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.

"Talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can't really do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into what Americans are needing also," she said.

[I didn't write this, but it made me laugh!]

Descending Ascents

Which way are you headed??

Are you sure?

Saints

Today was beautiful in a hopeful sort of way. It was still somewhat warm, but a crisp was creeping into the air. It made me think of Fall retreats that I've been on at Shrine Mont. We all know summer is over, but being back on the mountain for one last grasp of mountain air somehow gets us through the winter until spring is upon us. I started feeling sorry for myself - being far away from home and camp folk. I went to a jazz Eucharist this morning (which, as a side note, was fantastic!) The last song the Gateway Jazz Band played was "When the Saints to Marching In." This is the song we sing as an opening for all of the closing Eucharists at St. George's camp at Shrine Mont. It was incredible to me how much I was missing "home" and found this familiar song in a new place. It made me think anew about the saints by whom I am constantly surrounded.

This clip is obviously not the Gateway Jazz Band, but I figured Louis Armstrong's version, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLjbMBpGDA can't be half bad either. Enjoy!

My Virgin Eyes

Is this sculpture offensive because it's made of chocolate and not vanilla?

Is it offensive becuase Jesus is fully human, and not even a loin cloth can hide us from that fact?

Is it offensive because he's made out of a perishable food?

Is it just offensive because it's Jesus?

Or is this sculpture divinely delicious?

Change

There are few words I could add that would capture the significance of this day. Everywhere I went and everyone I talked to today was full of anticipation and hope. In class this morning, one young African American woman shared her thoughts. She expressed the excitement and privilege she felt to be able to walk onto the Yale campus on this day, when the first African American man was on the ballot as president of the United States. Although early this morning the outcome of the election was still quite unsure, she was grateful that the community, and the country felt more like her own than any other day in her life. She said, "I have hope for today, if nothing else." The good news is, her hope can extend far beyond the end of this day.

At the end of this historic day, there is much to be joyful for. Watching Oprah and Jesse Jackson weeping in the crowd in Chicago was moving. Getting a glimpse of the Obama family and what they may do to change this family is inspiring. There is a great deal of transformation that is yet to take place. Each of us will have to be a part of that change. In the words of our 44th President elect, "Let us summon a new spirit."

gods

"You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do."*

It seems so obvious, yet SO many people create a God of convenience. I'm beginning to think that if you don't walk away from church or some other spiritual encounter, deeply troubled and challenged, then something isn't being done properly. Either you're not listening, or the message isn't truly being preached. Christ was crucified to save our sins - that's not light stuff. In fact, it's really heavy. This evening I'm preaching on the Beatitudes. Christ tells us how to live our lives as Christians - no bones about it. Yet what he mentions is not simply, "love other people, especially when it's self-gratifying." But, Christ tells us we will be persecuted, we have to be meek, we have to mourn, we have to be peacemakers - none of which are social norms or priorities. In fact, the quieter and less noticeable we are as we move about our days, the more acceptable we are for society. That is not how Christ calls us to live in the world.

So where have the Christians gone?

*(Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life)