WWJD?
As I sorta figured would happen, my stained glass items on Etsy lost much of their rankings (for search engine queries) while I had my shop on vacation mode while we were away. It'll likely take a while but I'm hopeful that they'll make their way back up in the rankings to where they were before we left.
I've been able to chip away a little at a stained glass project I'm doing for my brother Bryan and his wife Sue. I was hoping to have it done and mailed to them before they leave for vacation in July but I don't think I'll be able to finish it in time. The lure of being outside is simply too much for me this time of year as it always is. I'm trying to work on it just a couple hours at a time but even that's a big ask for me now. I'd include a photo here of the design but I want it to be a surprise for them.
Tammy and I made a fairy garden for Trinity Care Center where her mother is a resident. We're pleased with how it turned out. It's indoors and in a common area where it's easily seen. We thought it would be fun to occasionally change it up and add to it so it gives the residents a little something to look forward to. We hope little ones coming to visit their elderly relatives will also enjoy it.
I continue to struggle with the dismantling of the world I once knew, or perhaps it was all an illusion and I'm just now catching on. It wasn't that many years ago when Tammy and I were active members of a mega-church, volunteering with their Tuesday night services meant to reach the disadvantaged in the community and even going there to cast our election day ballots for every Republican candidate that was put before us because that's what good Christians do. We accepted the lip-service paid about welcoming all who came through the doors at Hosanna!—except when it came time to allow "everyone" to participate in the functioning of the church. Those in the GLBTQ community need not apply. I had ditched my Republican ways long before penning this piece where I was examining and coming to terms with the role of the church in my life.
WWJD?
I'd had enough of the hypocrisy, and so I walked away. It would take Tammy a few more years but she would eventually do the same.
To christians (intentional lower case c), it became sport to bash a man who was working his heart out to try and right our nation after it was left teetering on the brink of economic collapse at the hands of those who claim the mantle of being fiscally conservative. It seemed they would rather see us fail as a country than to work with the man, fearing that their help may actually contribute to his success. Yet, in spite of them, he was successful.
The Affordable Care Act was far from perfect but it was a step in the right direction. What good, god-fearing person wouldn't want others to have access to decent healthcare? Apparently, the vast majority of christians. They had bought into a mob mentality of despicable thinking influenced by the divisive voices of conservative media and they fought side-by-side together to sabotage it. And they were largely successful. Did they never once stop and ask themselves, WWJD?
We're in the midst of a gun-violence epidemic in the U.S. but you'd be hardpressed to find many christian conservatives who care. They appear to have become so deluded by conservative media that they've put their love of guns ahead of any reasonable attempt to try and address the growing problem, say nothing of the thought about WWJD? The cold blue steel in their pocket is the real-deal while the crosses they wear are relegated to good-luck charms status. I long ago stopped wondering why our flags are flying at half-mast. There's one senseless tragedy after another anymore with little to distinguish one mass shooting from another, except the location. And the response is always the same: It's too early to talk about the politics and possible solutions.
The church has shamefully failed to lead in any sort of discussion with respect to immigrants fleeing the most desperate situations, situations that very few of us can even begin to imagine. In this poll by the respected PEW Research Center, only 25% of white evangelical Protestants feel the U.S. has an obligation to help refugees. What a sad reflection of those who most proudly identify as christians.
WWJD?
And then there's Trump*.
I've been able to chip away a little at a stained glass project I'm doing for my brother Bryan and his wife Sue. I was hoping to have it done and mailed to them before they leave for vacation in July but I don't think I'll be able to finish it in time. The lure of being outside is simply too much for me this time of year as it always is. I'm trying to work on it just a couple hours at a time but even that's a big ask for me now. I'd include a photo here of the design but I want it to be a surprise for them.
Tammy and I made a fairy garden for Trinity Care Center where her mother is a resident. We're pleased with how it turned out. It's indoors and in a common area where it's easily seen. We thought it would be fun to occasionally change it up and add to it so it gives the residents a little something to look forward to. We hope little ones coming to visit their elderly relatives will also enjoy it.
I continue to struggle with the dismantling of the world I once knew, or perhaps it was all an illusion and I'm just now catching on. It wasn't that many years ago when Tammy and I were active members of a mega-church, volunteering with their Tuesday night services meant to reach the disadvantaged in the community and even going there to cast our election day ballots for every Republican candidate that was put before us because that's what good Christians do. We accepted the lip-service paid about welcoming all who came through the doors at Hosanna!—except when it came time to allow "everyone" to participate in the functioning of the church. Those in the GLBTQ community need not apply. I had ditched my Republican ways long before penning this piece where I was examining and coming to terms with the role of the church in my life.
WWJD?
I'd had enough of the hypocrisy, and so I walked away. It would take Tammy a few more years but she would eventually do the same.
To christians (intentional lower case c), it became sport to bash a man who was working his heart out to try and right our nation after it was left teetering on the brink of economic collapse at the hands of those who claim the mantle of being fiscally conservative. It seemed they would rather see us fail as a country than to work with the man, fearing that their help may actually contribute to his success. Yet, in spite of them, he was successful.
The Affordable Care Act was far from perfect but it was a step in the right direction. What good, god-fearing person wouldn't want others to have access to decent healthcare? Apparently, the vast majority of christians. They had bought into a mob mentality of despicable thinking influenced by the divisive voices of conservative media and they fought side-by-side together to sabotage it. And they were largely successful. Did they never once stop and ask themselves, WWJD?
We're in the midst of a gun-violence epidemic in the U.S. but you'd be hardpressed to find many christian conservatives who care. They appear to have become so deluded by conservative media that they've put their love of guns ahead of any reasonable attempt to try and address the growing problem, say nothing of the thought about WWJD? The cold blue steel in their pocket is the real-deal while the crosses they wear are relegated to good-luck charms status. I long ago stopped wondering why our flags are flying at half-mast. There's one senseless tragedy after another anymore with little to distinguish one mass shooting from another, except the location. And the response is always the same: It's too early to talk about the politics and possible solutions.
The church has shamefully failed to lead in any sort of discussion with respect to immigrants fleeing the most desperate situations, situations that very few of us can even begin to imagine. In this poll by the respected PEW Research Center, only 25% of white evangelical Protestants feel the U.S. has an obligation to help refugees. What a sad reflection of those who most proudly identify as christians.
WWJD?
And then there's Trump*.
Comments
I've been reshaping my Christianity to follow Jesus rather than following the church. It is truly amazing how much differ there is between the two!
Yes, John -- if we're looking to the church to lead us, it seems they're failing many congregations. it's so disappointing to witness.
I agree, Beth. It seems that the only thing many are about is abortion. I believe Trump* could do what he suggested -- shoot someone on 5th Ave and he would still have their support as long as he continued to say he was going to appoint judges who would go after Roe v. Wade. The irony of Roe v. Wade though is that it was handed down in a 7 to 2 decision with 5 of the 7 jurists having been appointed by Republican presidents.