There is a Difference Between calling someone a "BullShitter" and a "Retard"

Normally hearing that Ann Coulter would be on Pierce Morgan would send me running wildly down the stairs to change the channel on the downstairs TV (which is hooked up to the Dish and then my bedroom TV only has a device that lets me watch whatever is on and forces me to run downstairs whenever I want to change the channel but I digress).  But I thought, silly me, that she would have the humanity to back down a little when confronted with the pleas of the disabled and parents of the disabled and the gentle rebuke of John Franklin Stephens in his open letter to her.  Surely she would show some shame, some semblance of apology, for using the word "retard" as an insult. 

I was wrong.  She was just as belligerent and even played herself as a victim of the word police.

I was so appalled, I did what any savvy social media person would do - I expressed by dismay on Facebook.  I usually avoid politics on my pastor Facebook (yes I have two Facebooks) but this is so outrageous I again, in my naivety, assumed even Republicans would have to be repulsed by this woman.

Surprise.  A Republican friend responded with basically this argument --Obama called Romney a bullshitter and I have blinders because I only point out her insults.  

My my my.  Where to begin.  Well first of all, I don't have blinders.  I do call out my own side when I think they are wrong.  I angered some of my Democrat friends when I said Harry Reid needed to shut up about Romney not paying his taxes if he didn't have any proof to show.  I posted my concern when it looked like the White House was going to throw Hillary Clinton under the bus over Benghazi.  She, classy and smart team player that she is made a preemptive move and gracefully climbed under it herself.  But I digress...

Okay number one.  Mitt Romney IS a bullshitter.  That's not an insult, that's the truth.  And while I would not want to hear that language in say, the State of the Union address, it just does not bother me in the context the President used it in Rolling Stone, for crying out loud.  If Mitt called Obama a bullshitter my only response would be "is not!'   I would not whine about the insult or the language.  Or suggest that was equal to calling someone a "retard"

But here is the big difference.  You never hear bullies surrounding a child chanting "You are a bullshitter!  You are a bullshitter"

And if you can't get that, well there's just nothing more to be said.

On Taming Feral Cats & Grace

So Mama kitty is in the house.  

She let me pet her and rubbed up against me this morning.  Now normally I like to take this more slowly but she is BIG and the weather has been terrible and it could snow any day.  And I need to have access to those kittens to tame them if there's any chance of them finding another home.  I'm not going to stay here and can't be raising dozens of barn cats.  So I picked up by the scruff of the neck and put her in her own room.  She's not happy and there won't be any petting for awhile.

But she will get used to it.  She'll be warm and fed and realize soon just how safe she really is.  I think she will turn out to be a friendly cat.

I've never had any trouble taming feral cats.  But this is the secret.  Patience and letting them be.  I've had cats live in my house for months and even years who never wanted much to do with me.   Eventually, they came around.  I still have one who will run away if I approach her but every time I sit down she jumps up in my lap. 

There's a show on Animal Planet called "My Cat from Hell" where this guy with tattoos and a goatee and a guitar case full of cat toys goes around solving the cat problems of  stupid cat owners who have no business having cats.  

I could do his job but I'm not nearly as interesting looking as he is.  

The most common problem is these idiots chase the cat and pick them up when the cat obviously does not want to be held and then are surprised that the cat has tried to rip their face off. The secret to cats is letting them decide the parameters of the relationship.   

You want to control an animal, get a dog. 

 Most shelters will euthanize feral cats because nobody wants a cat that just lives there and doesn't give you anything back.   But to me, letting a feral cat share your home is a way to express grace.  You take care of the cat, love it, take care of its needs and demand nothing back from it.   When it is ready to reciprocate, you appreciate and accept, however, it does that.  I believe that is what God does with us. 

 I wish we could be free enough to love others this way.

So now Mama Kitty is hiding and fearful and I wish I could make her understand that all I want to do is care for her and she is better off with me.  Is that  not like Adam and Eve hiding from God in fear when all God wants to do is enjoy a cool walk in the garden with them?  I will be patient with her as God is patient with us.  And pray to have the same patience with people.

Vocation, Creation and Yes, a Pregnant Stray Cat IS My Neighbor

 First it was the orange tom cat that showed up stalking my bird feeders.  I had no problem chasing him away.  He never got any birds but he always came back.  He looked skinny but I was strong.  No feeding him.


Then the pretty orange and white showed up.  She was eating the peanuts for the birds.  So I put the peanuts on the roof of the shed and she jumped up on the roof to eat the peanuts.  Well I figured if she was eating the bird seed I was feeding her anyway, so I started feeding her.

  And of course the orange Tom showed up for his share.

At first I thought "She's  not that skinny, she's eating somewhere else"  Then it became clear that she's not that skinny because she is pregnant.  And the orange Tom is no doubt the Baby Daddy. Just what I need.  One of my life's challenges is NOT to become one of those crazy women you see on Animal Hoarders.  This is not helping.

After awhile I decided to just give in to my secret piety which tells me God sends me these creatures to take care of.  Just go with it.  Buy her the special food for kittens and pregnant cats.

So here I am in Dubuque for our Theological Conference and the theme is Vocations.  Stanley Olson from Wartburg Seminary is our presenter.  He starts out asking us who is the neighbor God is calling us to serve.  Everyone shouts out - the sick, the lonely, the outcast, the immigrant,  you know the drill.  When it was my turn I answered "A pregnant stray cat"  Everyone laughed but I was not joking.  Is not creation our neighbor?  St. Francis, whose day was not so long ago, would certainly agree.  Is it not just a holy a calling to care for animals, plants and even the earth as it is to care for people?

"God is milking the cows through the vocation of the milkmaid", Luther said.  God is taking care of this pregnant queen through me.  

More Stuff to Do with Green Tomatoes

Pineapple Green Tomato Salsa 

12-14 Green Roma Tomatoes
1 small Yellow Onion
16 oz chopped fresh pineapple
Handful of Cilantro
1 Jalapeno Pepper

1/2 C White wine
1/4 C Sugar

Chop veggies or throw them in the Food Processor. Add wine and sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes.

Fills 3 8 oz jars plus a little left over to put in the fridge. This is really really good.  Goes good with Sam Adams.

Most of the tomatoes I chopped up in the processor, added about a cup of white wine,  a quarter cup of sugar, some salt, and cumin and cooked it down for a half hour and put it in a ziplock and threw it in the freezer.   Next time my daughter comes home I'm gonna mix that with some cream, and pour it over my chicken enchiladas with some Jack cheese.  

That is some good stuff.

And finally, I save about 10 green romas, one jalapeno, a handful of cilantro, a squeeze of lime, about a cup of sugar, maybe more. Brought it to a boil, then simmered for 10 minutes. Put that over some cream cheese on a cracker.  More good stuff.

Chow Chow

Most of you have probably given up on this blog.  I haven't given up yet.  Just haven't been inspired to rant for a while.  But there is always food.

It was an odd summer.  Early drought that on the one hand really slowed the growth of my tomatoes but also put off that damned Blight I always get where ever I try to garden.  So toward the end of the summer we got a lot of rain and at the end of the season I had a respectable harvest.  And a lot of green tomatoes I snagged before the first frost.

I remember making this green tomato relish from the Ball Canning Book many years ago.  I really liked it.  I think it's funny their recipe calls bell peppers "hot peppers"  Anyway, this is my version:

•  16 Green Roma Tomatoes
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
• 1Yellow onion 
• 1 Head Purple Cabbage
• 2 Jalapeno peppers

Chop vegetables fine. Or if you are lucky like me, throw em all in the food processor .  When I made it many years ago I did not have a food processor.  I got this one from my Mom after she died.  I think this is one of the greatest inventions ever.  Two things in the kitchen I do not enjoy, chopping vegetables and grating cheese.

So mix that all up, dump about 1/2 Cup course salt on it and leave it overnight.  The salt will draw the extra liquid out of it.  

The next morning, drain the liquid, rinse with cold water and then drain again and get as much of the liquid out of it as you can.  Squeezing it with your hands works really well.  Yes, use your hands.  I don't understand people that don't want to get their hands in their food.  

 Mix 2 1/2 Cups Cider Vinegar
1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t Ginger
1 T Mustard Seeds

1 T Turmeric
2 t Celery seed
1 t Whole Cloves
 

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Do not let that steam get in your face, it is not pleasant.

Add the vegetables, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. The Ball recipe says cook for an hour. Are you kidding? You don't want to overcook this. I think Ball is just afraid you are going to get botulism and sue them. 10 minutes is fine.

Process in a waterbath for 10 minutes.  Now I need to go buy some brats or Italian sausage or something to eat it with.

Could we stop talking about Women in terms of their Body Parts?

And no, I'm not talking about those crazy people on the right who think rape victims can "shut down" conception. 

I'm talking about the Left.  Yes I understand that it feels like Republicans are obsessed with women's reproductive parts.  But now  it seems like my Facebook feed is full of words like "Vagina" and "Uterus" and pictures of said body parts.  I guess somebody thought that it was clever to use the word Vagina and Republican in the same sentence - especially when it apparently gave Michigan House of Representatives the vapors when Lisa Brown used the word.

Now I feel like people are doing exactly what feminists have tried to undo and fought against for years--equating women with their body parts.  It's not just about our vaginas and our uteri - that's the point.  We are more than that.  And I think all this body part language is taking away from that.  And it makes us look like a bunch of middle school boys.

Just Say No to Messing with the Calendar

It seems that with Mary Magdalene's Feast Day (July 22) being on a Sunday, many on the famed ELCA clergy facebook are just now noticing that she's been pushed out of Sunday to Monday.  I noticed this pushing of saints off onto Monday quite a while ago and ranted about it here:  Please Don't Fiddle With the Calendar

The old rule used to be that biblical saints and commemorations could take precedence over the lectionary for a Green Sunday.  Now they all just get shoved off to Monday.

Well, no, not everyone it seems.  The Nativity of John the Baptist (June 24) remained as an option on Sunday.  So it all seems rather arbitrary.  Well it seems someone actually asked the folks who make these decisions what the deal was.  And the explanation is that those festivals which are more "Christocentric"  and "Catholic" like Holy Cross day and John the Baptist, and Peter and Paul get to stay on Sunday.  Saints who are *less* Christocentric, like Mary Magdalene get shoved off of Sunday.

HUH????  Okay before I was annoyed by the calendar alterations.  Now I'm downright pissed.  Mary Magdalene, the first FRIGGIN WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION is LESS Christocentric than John the Baptist??? Really??

And what is with making hierarchy of witnesses and saints?   Oh right.  We are following Rome's lead on this.  They are all about hierarchy.  Naturally a woman like Mary Magdalene is less important than Peter and Paul.

What rubbish.   I'm all for ecumenism and making nice with Rome.  To a point.  But I don't think they should get to make the rules for us about the calendar.  For them Saints are all about merits and who do we know for sure is in heaven.  For us (well for me anyway) the calendar of saints and commemorations is all about the riches of varieties of way God uses all kinds of people to further the mission.  Nobody is more "Christocentric" then anybody else.

I know for some people this is just all so very  irrelevant.  But I think the Calendar is so very relevant.  When it is not hierarchical.  When it has a wide variety of people from all times, places, cultures and churches.  (I wanted to put the pagan Hypatia, philosopher who was murdered by a bunch of Christian zealots but perhaps that's a bit too inclusive).  The calendar is a rich resource that shows how across time, different people responded to the call of God, sometimes in very challenging times to enrich the church and keep the church "relevant".  We need the calendar.  We need to be preaching on these folks even on non Green Sundays.  Fortunately I don't have a subscription to Augsburg's bulletins so I can do that.  I've complained before about the lack of consistency when it comes to liturgical practices in the Lutheran church but this one time when I am apologetically going to do what I accuse most other Lutheran pastors of doing -- "whatever the hell I like"  And I what like is to preach on Mary Magdalene next Sunday.

Forgiveness in the Abstract is Always Easier

That's what I have to say to those who want to start sermonizing about forgiving Jerry Sandusky.  I have no intention of forgiving Jerry Sandusky.  I have no right to forgive him, he has not wronged me.  I don't even know the guy.  And I'm still having a hard time working on forgiving the guy on the ELCA Clergy facebook group who said something that annoyed me so I'm not about to lecture sex abuse victims about forgiving their abusers.  

Now I'm not too keen on all the spewing and scapegoating about "that monster".  I find the so called "jokes" and the wishing of prison rape on Jerry Sandusky abhorrent.  Rape is not a joke.  It is not okay.  Those jokes are particularly upsetting if you realize most victims of sexual abuse in prisons are not, contrary to conventional wisdom, child molesters, but youth who have been sentenced as adults and put in with the adult population in prisons.  And if you consider the likelihood that those youth were probably abused in some way as children before that, it is a particularly offensive "joke".


Jerry Sandusky like other high profile criminals has become our monster that we can put in a cage and excuse ourselves of the hard work of making systematic changes in the culture that allows child abuse to happen.  

And he's also the poster boy for people who have never been sexually abused to lift up and talk about how much God loves him to show everyone how Christian they are and how brave they are to talk about loving Jerry Sandusky.  I call bullshit.  Show me a sexual abuse victim who has truly forgiven her abuser (not been shamed into it by her religious community like um, I don't know,  an isolated cult that also abuses puppies?  Never mind, I digress) and then I'll be impressed.  Show me a victim who has not forgiven his/her abuser and I will talk to them about God's forgiveness and healing for them even if they can't forgive. 


It's easy to forgive in the abstract.  It's much easier for someone who is not a sexual abuse survivor to talk about God's love for Sandusky than for someone who has personally hurt them.  So if you are a preacher and were planning to talk about forgiving Sandusky in the pulpit tomorrow, I know it's late but I'm going to suggest you reconsider.   Instead talk about how you were able to forgive someone who really really hurt you.  Or talk about how you are still working on that.  Or talk about the birth of John the Baptist.

No We Can't Put it all Behind Us

Now that Jerry Sandusky has been found guilty on 45 of 48 counts of child sexual abuse, the calls (mostly from Penn State folk) are already coming in for "Okay let's put it all behind us and move on."   Let's forget all about it.   Let's focus our attention all on one person, call him a monster, and get on with what is really important-- college football of course.  Let's not examine ourselves as to how  we let  a football program became so important that people were willing to completely ignore what was really more obvious than people want to admit.  Let's not observe that while horrible and disgusting, we can understand why a pedophile (and possible sociopath as he seems to have no concept that he's done anything wrong) can do the horrible things he did, we seem to be less willing to examine why so called normal people became enablers of abusive behavior.  

No let's just move forward.  I'm always preaching about moving forward and getting our eyes off the past.  But in some cases moving forward just means ignoring what has happened in the past and not doing anything to make certain the future is any different. 

A hearing for former high-ranking Penn State administrators Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, facing perjury charges related to the case will come up in July. I wonder how much coverage that will get, or will we decide it's time to move on?  

The ugly truth is that there will always be child molesters.  So far there's been little to no success in changing them.  What we need is more protection for children, less access for molesters to children, fewer normal people willing to protect and enable them.  Even if it means putting football programs in jeopardy.   Even if it means giving up your privileged life as the wife of one.

Yes I'm going there.  I'm calling Dottie Sandusky to account.  I don't believe she had no clue.  I do not believe she is a victim.  She was prepared to testify against her own adopted child.   One of the responsibilities that comes with being in a country that granted, has some work yet to do with women's rights, but at least criminalizes men throwing acid on your face if they don't like how cook dinner is that white privileged women who have resources do not get a pass when it comes to offering up their and other women's children in order to keep their privileged position.  Those damaged children's lives are on her as well.  I'm not saying it would be easy for her to face the truth and do what she needed to do to protect those children.  Too effin bad.  Sometimes the price of getting to be a grown up independent equal citizen is that you are responsible for doing hard things.

So while I  see it is a very good thing that eight victims of a powerful influential man were believed, we still got some work to do.  And if that's what people mean by "moving forward", yes let's move forward.

Loss, Grief, Resurrection, Transformation

"We are the Church"


These are the closing remarks of our Bishop Steven Ullestad's sermon at our Synod Assembly Opening Worship Friday night.  I think you had to be there.  

I was there and the tears were streaming down my face by the time he got to this part.  And I was not the only one.

Loss, grief, resurrection and transformation.   

Our synod has been through hell and back.  We've lost a substantial amount of congregations in the wake of the 2009 CWA.  

And many of those exits were just plain nasty and ugly.  And he acknowledged that in the sermon.  He referenced and showed clips of the movie "We are Marshall", about the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed 37 football players on the Marshall University Football team.  

Everybody yells "WE ARE MARSHALL" - that's how we got to WE ARE THE CHURCH.

But it was when he said "We rejoice that we will never be the synod we once were" is what got me.  

Because that is, in the end what the work of grief is all about...coming to terms with the fact that you are different, life is different after loss and learning to embrace and love the new you, the new life that comes about after that life.  

And Christians of all people should be able to rejoice in new life.

But we don't.  We bitch and moan that the church is not what it used to be.  We blame and scapegoat and whine that if we just a) did what our grandfolks did or b) stopped doing what our grandfolks did  the church will again be what it used to be.  

Well that church that used to be is dead and it ain't coming back.  God never leads us backwards - only forward.

But it's hard.  There was a time in my grief where just the idea of not being in grief anymore saddened me.  Because my grief allowed me to hang on to Loren in some small way.  To give up that grief was to let go of our past.  

But it was the only way I could embrace the newness that was waiting for me.  At some point I had to just decide that I was not going to be sad anymore.  And I did.  

I think at this year's assembly we made a communal decision that we were not going to be sad anymore.  

After the bishop's sermon he asked every pastor who lost their job because their congregation left the ELCA, every member who lost their church because their congregation decided to leave the ELCA, every person who lost friends and family because of the leavings to stand. 

 And then he had the whole assembly pray for us.  And in those prayers I believe there was a letting go of the sadness and anxiety and anger and regrets  and an embracing of the newness that resurrection brings.  

And we decided to stop being sad.  

And the rest of the weekend was a celebration of what we have done this year  and a renewed commitment to mission for the future.  It was a joy.

The disciples were never the same group they were before Jesus rose and ascended to the Father. We will never be the synod we once were.  We will never be the church we once were.  We can rejoice in that. 

We are the CHURCH!

Friday Five - More Randomness

 

So the RevGalBlogPals are into Spontaneous Thinking today...  In honer of that I offer a randam picture of a Goldfinch in a tree right outside my window.  I took it with a new camera I bought for myself because I was not happy with the zoom on my other cheaper one.  I keep an envelope stuffed with cash that people give me for gifts and save up until I want something for myself.  I thought this was a good use of that cash.  How is that for a random thought?
So...
1.  What religion/faith besides yours captures your curiosity and why?  Both Quakers and Roman Catholicism.  I know, they are totally opposite right?  That's probably why. I like Roman Catholic stuff in worship way too much to ever be a Quaker but I am appreciate their simplicity idea of just shutting up until the Spirit speaks and listening to other people speak.  I don't think I could ever do that which is why I think it's important. 
And sometimes I think the Roman Catholic church is really the one true church.  Just really screwed up. 

2.  What is the first or most memorable pop song you ever learned as a kid?

I remember watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show the first time.  And we all went to school the next day singing "She loves you YEA YEA YEA"

3.  If God were a color.....(finish this sentence creatively) Not a color - the RAINBOW.  Of course.

4.  If you were going to make a sandwich right now for lunch, and you magically had all the items you need for it, what would that sandwich be?

 Grilled fresh Sourdough bread from San Francisco,  smoked extra sharp ceddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon and thinly sliced honey crisp apple.

5.  How are you doing?  Really, how are you? Really?  Well I had a rough night last night as I suffer from acid reflex and I seemed to suffer all the ways you can from it last night.  Not just heartburn but nausea , coughing, burning throat.  Okay, well you DID ask! (And don't bother commenting all the things in my diet I need to give up--I won't do I tell you!)

But the good thing was as I was walking around (lying down makes it worse) I looked out my window where their is a light and saw my woodchuck wandering around looking for trouble.  He didn't seem to find any as my flowers were all intact this morning.

Bonus:  What are you enjoying/loving right now? 

Having always had a lot of cats and letting them roam pretty free (no comments about THAT either) I never felt like I should have a bird feeder.  My cats are all elderly and we live in open country now so they only go out with supervision now so I put out a finch feeder with thistle right out side my window.  It did not take long before I had goldfinches and house finches.  In an attempt to attract different birds I've put out sunflower seeds and grape jelly on my picnic table.  All that attracted was more finches but they are delightful to watch.  They are very busy.  I know there are blue jays and cardinals I see once in a while but they don't care to come.  But I'm happy with the finches.

  

And I'm taking off for the Synod Assembly and am expecting it to actually be an enjoyable experience.  And I'm convening the hearings for the Social Statement on Criminal Justice   It's been very stressful trying to decide what to wear.