Presence instead of presents

My latest column, this one about holiday ideas:

http://www.shelbynews.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=58516&SectionID=42&SubSectionID=&S=1

Nathan

Religion and business

My most recent column about the interface of religion and business can be found at http://www.shelbynews.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=58329&SectionID=42&SubSectionID=&S=1

I welcome comments!

Nathan

It really, no not really, breaks my heart to interrupt all the enriching banter about lipstick, community organizers, swine and rock stars, but I’m beginning to wonder if either candidate running for our nation’s highest office has noticed that there are serious issues before the United States and the world that might just need a bit of serious conversation.

As just one example, a presidential candidate could help us learn and grow from our experience of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

I was supposed to be in Washington, DC, that day. In fact, the place I was supposed to be is not too far from the Pentagon. However, my itinerary changed so that I was instead in Charleston, West Virginia, on the 11th. Then the planes crashed and people died.

On September 12 and 13, I worked by phone with other religious leaders to draft a statement.... TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE

English only petition in Nashville TN

Moving well beyond ridiculous into the completely asinine is a petition circulating in Nashville, TN to ban all foreign languages from use on any official communications and publications. The petition has received enough signatures to be placed on the November ballot. Read about it here.

Petitions such as this are completely un-American; they are not at all in keeping with the values of our forebears. For Christians and other followers of the Abrahamic faiths, petitions such as these are completely antireligious; they fly in the face of the hospitality that is central to our religious faith.

But rather than address this embarrassment with either of those truths, I'll address it with a personal word. My family and I lived outside the United States for a short period of time. The country where we lived does not have English as a primary language.

For us, going to the grocery store or sending a letter back home or helping our children meet and play with other children at the park or finding our way to church the first time were all challenges. Many times our saviors were people patient with our very limited abilities in their language and people who were willing to try their little bit of English to help us understand. Their generosity allowed us to survive.

And now a part of my country -- a part of the country that I, in fact, used to enjoy -- is not going to return the favor. I'm ashamed of those in Nashville who pushed this effort, and I hope and pray it is soundly defeated in November.

Nathan

The Place to Be!

If you're around Shelbyville, Indiana, this Sunday, the place to be is First Christian Church at 118 West Washington Street.

Why, you ask?

First Christian is the place to be to hear about exciting, life changing experiences in Swaziland, Africa this past summer! You can worship and learn at 9:00 AM and at 11:00 AM. At 10:00 AM, you are invited for coffee and conversation with the team members.

See you soon at the place makinga difference throughout the world!


Nathan

Swaziland Christian Hearts Hands

If you're around Shelbyville, Indiana, this Sunday, the place to be is First Christian Church at 118 West Washington Street.

Why, you ask?

First Christian is the place to be to hear about exciting, life changing experiences in Swaziland, Africa this past summer! You can worship and learn at 9:00 AM and at 11:00 AM. At 10:00 AM, you are invited for coffee and conversation with the team members.

Hope to see you there!

Nathan

Olympics International Relations

I'm not ashamed of it even though some might consider it a disorder of sorts. In fact, not only am I not ashamed; I even admit it openly. It does, after all, strike only every couple years, and it lasts just a few weeks. This time, it's not too bad yet, though it could worsen.

What is it, you ask? Well, the nontechnical name is OISD. What is OISD? It is, as if you didn't know, Olympics Induced Sleep Deprivation. When the Olympics are on, I almost always suffer from OISD.

You see, I love - not like, but love - the Olympics. Always have. Individual and team, well known and barely known, big ticket and no ticket, those I get and those that baffle me - I like almost all events. Sometimes I'm asked if I like the summer or winter games better; the answer is whichever comes sooner. I love the Olympics.

Now, don't get me wrong; I am not naive about the Olympics. I know there are moral questions, such as whether the extreme training of some athletes is worth essentially robbing them of other parts of their lives. I'm as concerned as anyone about the use of performance enhancing drugs. I protest when judges are unfair, coaches are rude and athletes are pompous.

Even with those recognitions, though,

Zimbabwe's Political Talks

Senior negotiators from Zimbabwe's main opposition and ruling political parties began talks at an undisclosed venue close to Pretoria, South Africa, on Thursday about forming a unity government. Not surprisingly, the two sides differ on who should lead the government and how long it should stay in power.

South African financial daily Business Day reported on Thursday that the two sides are close to reaching a deal but still need to iron out the final details.

Gazprom Russia

Do you know the name Gazprom? If not, you may be in years ahead. It's the name of Russia's natural gas monopoly. The Russian government seems increasingly clear about using Gazprom as its primary foreign relations carrot and stick.

Will Russian President Dmitry Medvedev attempt to galvanize other gas producing nations into some anti-western lobbying force? I dunno, but as Medvedev said, "it is wrong to assume that the issue is dead."

So stay tuned. Russia, along with Brazil, South Africa, India and obviously China are rising international players.

Nathan

Religion and forgiveness

How is it that religious beliefs and religious people both foster and frustrate forgiveness? That's one of the questions I've been asked to write and speak about.

What should I say?

Nathan

Spring of 2007

The Château of Coppet

Vaud, Switzerland

Our family was there for my graduation from the Master of Advanced Studies program at the University of Geneva.

Forgiveness

Seems like everywhere I turn these days, the topic of forgiveness is there to meet me.

I’ll quickly mention two examples. The first occurred last week when I taught a class in another state on a different topic. At the end of the last class session, some of the participants in the class asked if I would teach the same class and other classes in the future. Forgiveness emerged as a topic and was affirmed by others. In particular, the participants were interested in recent mind-body-spirit research about the positive effects of forgiving and the detrimental health effects of not forgiving.

It’s been known since well before the time of Christ that forgiving others and ourselves has curative powers; and, likewise, refusing to forgive causes more injury and harm.

A second example occurred earlier this week in a counseling session. Here is the rest of the column.

Worship in the park

The text for First Christian Church's worship celebration tomorrow is Psalm 118:24: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. We plan to worship outdoors at a local park, then have games for most ages and then a church picnic.




An extra tent was set up today. Tables and chairs will be hauled out early in the morning. Table coverings, food, all sorts of stuff.





God made this day, indeed, so let's enjoy it!

High Density Vertical Garden (HDVG)

What in the world is a high density vertical garden, you ask? Well, thanks for asking!

I just came across the term and idea, and I like it. Here's what someone else wrote about vertical gardens:

In Victorian times, houses were very narrow, multi-storied, and had a small "footprint" on the land. This left more land for private gardening, and commons, among other things. Then came the 1960s, and "ranch style" homes, with half-acre grass covered lots. By the 1970's anyone with a vegetable garden in a suburban or city back yard were "hippies," "weird," or "old fashioned."
The 1990's saw the boom of Mega-Mansions on postage stamp sized lots, weekly lawn-care crew visits, and still little vegetable gardening on a respectable scale, regardless of whether one lives in the city or the suburbs. Now we have an oil crisis overlain with a salmonella crisis: both of which the US Federal government seems incapable of dealing with. Vertical gardening might help change that.

Vertical gradens are said to grow vegetables and other foods much more efficiently and with greater food value than in agricultural field conditions.

Other claims are that vertical gardens produce approximately 20 times the normal production volume for field crops; require 5% of the normal water requirements for field crops; function in a variety of environments, such as urban, suburban and countryside; do not use herbicides or pesticides; save significant operating and capital costs over field agriculture; and, will drastically reduce transportation costs to market resulting in further savings, higher quality and fresher foods on delivery, and less transportation pollution.

Maybe worth a try, huh? Here's a visual:

Chautauqua face painting

Thanks to our friend John's quick and apt photography, here is a picture of the girls with their faces freshly painted at the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) houses at the Chautauqua Institution. John Scott Williams of National City CC is the artist, and arguably the most popular person with children at the Institution this week!

Diplomacy education economy entrepreneurship

Said George Fechter today at Chautauqua:

+ Growing the economy requires two things: finding smart people to support and focusing on solving problems.

+ Single biggest and longest-lasting difference in the world would be made by helping women throughout the world learn to read.

+ Higher education can be an effective form of diplomacy.

What do you think?

More Chautauqua pictures

A picture of Lake Chautauqua and some of the manu sailboats that adorn it. Enjoy --

Nathan

This picture is of the Hall of Philosophy. It seats around 500 people and is the location of many great presentations and discussions, including the daily religion lectures.

This is the famous Atheneaum Hotel.

One of my favorite places is the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. It is an inspiring and engaging place offering a ton of activities in a relaxing and beautiful atmosphere.

My family and I are here this week while I serve as chaplain for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which has two houses on Chautauqua’s campus. One of our daughters is taking a class about computer gaming, and has already written the first level of her new, as yet unnamed, computer game. Our other daughter is taking a beginning ballet class.

Next week Janice is presenting a program on the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Africa, Swaziland in particular, and her recently published book, Exploring Solutions: How to Talk About HIV Prevention in the Church. I am teaching a class on the biblical and cultural history of Satan.

I’ll post a bit here and there about our adventures at Chautauqua.

Nathan

New book HIV AIDS discussion in church

Check out this new book on HIV and AIDS discussions in the church and other community settings:

Exploring Solutions: How to Talk About HIV Prevention in the Church