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The recent deportation problem is presenting unprecedented challenges for supporters. Supporters have backed the new deportation guidelines until the future political fallout that may possibly jeopardize the future of their political survival. The deportation problem is a replication of slavery techniques designed to divide rather than unite.

The first deportation strategy was to separate Africans from their families. Africans were taken from their homes, their fathers, their mothers, and their sisters and brothers. Enslaved Africans were only afforded the opportunity to establish meaningful relationships at the guidance of the slave owner. This is the same deportation problem that children face who are separated from their parents. The children will face health, sexual abuse, cultural, and anxiety challenges.

Like slaves, from a health perspective, the social rejection is the equivalent of ostracism which undermines four fundamental human needs:

  1. The need to belong, the need for control in social situations
  2. The need to maintain high levels of self-esteem
  3. The need to have a sense of meaningful existence

The deportation problem results in the families suffering adverse psychological consequences such as loneliness, low self-esteem, aggression, and depression.

Another byproduct of the deportation problem is the possibility of sexual abuse. We find sexual abuse grounded in slavery in the form of the house bigger and the field bigger. This form of sexual abuse further divided the Africans who were enslaved by North and South Americans

Another byproduct of the deportation problem is the trafficking of children. Trafficking of children is a form of human trafficking and is defined as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, and/or receipt” of a child for the purpose of slavery, forced labor and exploitation. Child trafficking can result in the death or permanent injury of the trafficked child. This can stem from a dangerous “movement” stage of trafficking or from specific aspects of the “exploitation” stage, such as hazardous working conditions.

Moreover, trafficked children are often denied access to healthcare, effectively increasing their chances of serious injury and death. Trafficked children are also often subject to domestic violence; they may be beaten or starved in order to ensure obedience. In addition, these children frequently encounter substance abuse; they may be given drugs as “payment” or to ensure that they become addicted and thus dependent on their trafficker(s).

As opposed to many other forms of crime, the trauma experienced by children who are trafficked is often prolonged and repeated, leading to severe psychological impacts. UN.GIFT reports that trafficked children often suffer from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other conditions.

The deportation problem is another form of modern day slavery endorsed by politicians and the silence of the media and American citizens. The financial support mechanisms of America will have to begin by first reuniting the parents with their children. Once they have been united, American money will become responsible for the mental health services and the well-being of each child and each affected family member.

They will need to specifically respond to the separation anxiety of the family. Separation anxiety refers to excessive fear or anxiety about separation from home or an attachment figure. Children with separation anxiety disorder may cling to their parents excessively, refuse to go to sleep without being near a major attachment figure, be reluctant to attend camp or sleep at friends’ homes, or require someone to be with them when they go to another room in their house.

Children also commonly experience physical symptoms when separation is anticipated or occurs, such as headaches, nausea and vomiting. Adults with this disorder may be uncomfortable when traveling independently, experience nightmares about separating from attachment figures, or be overly concerned with their offspring or spouse and continuously check on their whereabouts. The deportation problem will have a long-term effect on the children and parents for which supporters and Americans will pay for dearly both financially and politically.

Related Articles

Separating Families at the Border Was Always Part of the Plan

The Government Has No Plan for Reuniting the Immigrant Families It Is Tearing Apart

New concern for N.J. immigrants: Is ICE targeting some legal residents for deportation?

All the best,

Dr. Derrick L. Campbell, Ed.D.
PO Box 4707 Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

Author of:

  • Promoting Positive Racial Teacher Student Classroom Relationships
  • Promoting Positive Racial Teacher Student Classroom Relationships: Methodology
  • The Raccelerate Formula App
  • Treasures of Hidden Racism in Education
  • The Ultimate Guide to Classroom Racism Management

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“Dr. Campbell did his part and now all we have to do is run with it.”
 ~ Tom Coleman ~
Woodstown-Pilesgrove Public Schools Superintendent of Schools

“The model that you use to analyze teacher-student relationships is a good one for most school districts”.

~ Joe Vas ~ Perth Amboy Mayor

“Dr. Campbell’s Cultural Relationship Training Program is comprehensive, informative, and should be required training for all schools”

~ Darrell Pope ~ Hutchinson Kansas NAACP President

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This football league is making organized sports accessible to Milwaukee’s inner-city youth

This football league is making organized sports accessible to Milwaukee’s inner-city youth

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88Nine Radio Milwaukee
The Neighborhood Children's Sports League

As accessible as sports may seem, there isn’t much of a level playing field when it comes to organized sports for inner city youth. The Neighborhood Children’s Sports League in Milwaukee is working to give young African-American boys the same level of access to organized football as their suburban counterparts.

Hear more about this community-based league from Coach Keith Willingham of the NCSL Broncos football team in the audio story below.

The NCSL was established in 1958. Despite going back as far as they do historically, what NCSL provides for Milwaukee’s inner-city youth remains relevant and vital today.

Playing organized sports can be expensive, especially if it requires a lot of equipment the way football does. For families in low-income communities, organized sports may not become accessible until high school. And when funding was cut for public schools in the city, some schools were no longer able to afford to have teams at all.

According to Willingham, the kids’ suburban counterparts have greater access to sports at a much younger age. “That’s why these schools having winning programs,” said Willingham. “They start at an early age so these boys are familiar with each other.”

This disparity inspired Willingham to use his years of football experience in college and as semi-pro player to teach the game to inner city boys. But he takes pride in more than just creating a winning program.

“A lot of these boys don’t have fathers,” said Willingham, adding how important mentorship is to him and his assistant coaches. He adds they strive to be positive and uplifting role models for the boys. His impact has been visible both at home and in the classroom as the boys receive good grades in the classroom and follow healthy eating habits suggested by coach.

For information on signing up children for the football league or donating to NCSL, a non-profit organization, visit their website here. Teams play every Saturday at Lincoln Park and a schedule can be found on their homepage.

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How Shilpa Shetty Reacted When Raj Kundra Proposed To Her With A 5 Carat Diamond Ring

From Shilpa Shetty’s Instagram (courtesy theshilpashetty)

  • A video of Shilpa talking about when Raj proposed to her is viral
  • In the video, speaking to Shibani Dandekar on a talk show
  • “Might sound rmaterialistic but I was like, ‘It’s just 5 carat,” she said

New Delhi:

Actress Shilpa Shetty, speaking to Shibani Dandekar on an episode of The Love Laugh Live Show, made some ROFL revelations about the time Raj Kundra had proposed to her in Paris. Recalling the special moment from 12 years ago, Shilpa told Shibani that Raj Kundra had made “over the top” arrangements for the special day but when it came to the ring, it was quite not what Shilpa had expected. “It was a five-carat diamond ring and I might sound really materialistic but I was like, ‘It’s just five carats.’ I took a while to say yes because I was like, ‘This is not what I imagined’.” Breaking into a laughter, Shilpa added: “No, no, I am just joking.”

Shilpa said Raj Kundra took a hint from her reaction and promised her a “bigger” ring for when they get married: “Because I took two seconds more, he was like, ‘The wedding ring will be bigger.’ That’s Raj for you. So I said yes there and then. He knew that I have always wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower. I have shot in Paris, I have shot beneath the Eiffel Tower, but I had decided that I would go up only with the man I end up with,” said Shilpa Shetty.

In the video, Shilpa also shared that Raj Kundra planned the surprise with help from her parents and sister Shamita: “I was in Paris for the Karl Lagerfeld show. Raj flew down and proposed to me. He had booked out the whole banqueting hall at the Grand… yeah… a bit OTT. He had like these violinists playing and he conned me into it. He said that you know, ‘We’re having lunch at a friend’s place, so just dress up well.’ And my sister told me to wear red, so it was already planned. He had told me from Mumbai that you know, we are going to this really cool place. I had no clue but he had already asked my parents.”

Watch the viral video here:

Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra had a big fat wedding in 2009. The couple are parents to son Viaan and daughter Samisha, who was born via surrogacy in February. Shilpa Shetty was seen as one of the judges on the TV reality show Super Dancer Chapter 3. She is making her comeback to films after a gap of 13 years with Sabbir Khan’s Nikamma.

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Sprouts - Alfalfa

Sprouts - Alfalfa

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  • Alfalfa is one of the healthiest and easiest sprouts you can grow!

    - Extremely high in protein, calcium, plus other minerals and vitamins in the B group, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K.

    - Alfalfa is extremely easy to grow.

    - All organic. All natural.

  • If you like Alfalfa sprouts, make sure to check out Red Clover sprouts.

  • Looking for an All-in-1 kit? Check out this All-in-1 Seed Sprouting Kit + Mason Jar.

How to Grow Sprouts

The easiest method is to grow sprouts in a Mason jar. To provide plenty of fresh air, cover the top with the mesh screen.

Step One: Soaking

For a quart-sized jar, put 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of small seeds (up to 1 cup if using larger seeds like green peas or garbanzo) in the sprouting jar. Cover top of jar with cloth or sprouting lid and rinse the seeds in warm (not hot) water. Drain and refill so that water is about an inch above the seeds. Let the seeds soak 8-12 hours (overnight). Protect from light by covering with a dish towel or placing in a cupboard.

Step Two: Rinsing

Rinse 2 to 3 times per day for 2 to 3 days. After thoroughly draining the rinse water, lay the jar on its side to spread out the seeds. Do not expose to light. After 2 to 3 days the sprouts should be filling up the jar.

Things to Remember:

1. Rinse often (2-3 times/day).

2. Keep them moist, not wet.

3. Keep them at room temperature.

4. Give them air to breathe.

5. Don't grow too many in one container.

6. Keep them in a dark place.

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Well, I just read this blog from Women Living Well and it really hit home. I actually had a situation with my girls yesterday and I always feel horrible, because I know that when I lose control, it doesn’t do any good at all. For myself or my kids. Once I read Courtney’s blog (from Women Living Well), I knew I wasn’t alone. I wanted to share her blog with the rest of you. I’m going to challenge myself and ask that you all pray for me through this process. Thanks!

The post can be found at Women Living Well by clicking on the photo above or clicking here…

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About the author

Emily editor

Emily is a wonderful mother of two beautiful girls. She is teaching them to serve God with all their hearts. Emily is also a wonderful wife to an anointed pastor in western Kentucky. She is a wonderful helpmate both spiritually and physically in her husband's ministry. She is dedicated to God and to spreading the gospel and Love of Jesus. (Written by her husband, Markus. ;) )


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Tips & Techniques - September 1993

And The Winner Is...

from Kathy Morgan, Production Director, WKMQ-FM/WNTA-AM, Rockford, IL

Looking for a new way to spark creativity among your production staff? Something to give recognition to those who go "above and beyond the call of the 4-track?" Ladies and gentlemen of the Production Manor, I give you the Golden Reel.

The premise is simple. A traveling award that recognizes the most original/effective/outstanding production done in-house. Make it fun. We actually had an old take-up reel painted and mounted on a trophy. The trophy has a changeable name plate for the winner, with nameplates of all the producers ready. Pretty campy, but it has an offbeat sort of charm.

Come up with whatever guidelines you think are appropriate to your own situation. Ours are pretty general -- any piece of production can be nominated, from specs to actual spots to special features and new capsules to promos and imagers. Anyone can nominate -- a sales rep who wants to recognize a sale-closing spec, for instance, or the jock who spent all night working on a killer contest promo. We've found that anonymous nominations lead to more entries.

Get the GM to spring for some worthwhile prizes -- maybe a weekend at the local resort trade, or dinner for two at the classy client restaurant. Don't forget -- cash works nicely, too!

Decide on your frequency and judging criteria. We have a "secret" panel that listens to the nominees and picks a winner each month. The panel changes each time, and is made up of representatives from each area of the station: engineering, sales, production, programming, news, etc..

You'll be surprised at how some people will get into the competition. It has given some of our lesser experienced jocks something to experiment and reach for, and brought a little fun back for some of the "old pros" who were getting caught in a rut. We've even had weekenders spend extra time in the studio on their own to have something to submit! The quality of production has jumped to an even higher notch as everyone keeps an ear out for "The Reel."

Another subtle benefit has been the interest the contest generates among other areas of the station. Everyone wants to judge, and the judges really pay attention and listen closely. It gives them a better idea of what goes on down below the stairs in our "production cave." They come away with a new respect for the producers and copywriters.

Best of all, it gives recognition and a sense of accomplishment to the winners, plus actual prize perks. Sure, for many of us -- especially in smaller markets -- production is part of the gig. And while we love what we do (or we wouldn't/shouldn't be here), it's always great to hear that extra, "way to go!"

Give it a try. Who knows, your Golden Reels might even lead to next year's Clio and Radio Mercury winners. And if you're really lucky, next year's RAP Awards!

TV In The Car

from Steve Wilson, Production Director, KNIN-AM/FM, Wichita Falls, TX

Here's a little tip I use from time to time. I passed this along to all the producers on staff, and it seems to work.

If you live in a market that broadcasts television audio on the FM band, try, for a week, to listen to the television in your car. Many times, when you watch television, you get wrapped up in the visual aspect of the medium. Find a time when they are running some "real life" drama (Cops works best for me) and just listen to the people. Hey! Wow! These people sound soooo real! No announcer voices, and no snappy lines. Just people using incorrect grammar, lots of "ahhs" and "humms." You gotta love it!

You know from just the sound and delivery that these are real people. This is what people really sound like, relaxed and natural. It's real! Listen to the delivery, concentrating only on the audio portion of the television. Why do they sound different, so real?

Now, after a week or so of this, go into the studio and act. Use your body. Clench your teeth. Double over with laughter. Jump up and down. Act it out! When you listen to "real life" television, you can tell when someone smiles. You can tell when someone is uptight or angry. You can tell these things from the voice. We all do it every day. The whole trick of it is to fake it when you need it! Feel it, and you can hear it!

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Monthly Archives: December 2004

"safe for democracy"

The Pakistani dictator has broken a promise to step down by the end of the year because his political opponents are a “threat to democracy.” “This is the voice of the majority and the minority should accept the voice of the majority” said General Pervez Musharraf, who seized power from an elected government in 1993.

I guess I should comment on the recent elections in Ukraine, since I did spend 10 years of my life there. The primary significance of the victory of West-leaning Viktor Yushchenko over Russian-backed incumbent Viktor Yanukovych is that Ukrainians have officially rejected decades of Soviet tyranny and forced cultural indoctrination, including the brutal treatment they received from Stalin.
And yet, I have little motivation to cheer for the revival of Ukrainian culture since it is even more deeply embedded with mysticism, collectivism, and vicious anti-Semitism than Russia’s. The only things I miss about Ukraine are rye bread, beet salad, and cross-country skiing across the countryside.

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A review of Rick Warren's “The Purpose Driven Life”

The Purpose Driven Life book cover
Image via Wikipedia

While browsing Amazon, Rick Warrens new book “The Purpose Driven Life” caught my attention. The name interested me because I believe that a sense of purpose is vitally important for human beings. Without a sense of purpose and the identification of values to act towards and achieve, life would indeed be useless and meaningless. With my interest thus piqued, I opened the first (virtual) page to investigate what purpose the book suggested. The book begins with the quote from Bertrand Russell, who said “Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.” Here is the first paragraph from the book:

It’s not about you.
The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.

The rest of the book expands on this answer. I want to analyze the alternative presented by the author above, but before I do that, I will consider the question he attempts to answer. Is the question of purpose of one’s life important at all? Does man even need a purpose to life?

We can begin the analysis by asking, “Why does the question of purpose arise for human beings?” The question does not apply to all entities. A stone does not have a purpose. It is created by some process, exists for some time, and then is destroyed by some other process. At no point does the question “What am I here for?” arise for the rock, since rocks are inorganic entities lacking a consciousness. Some would argue that it is applicable to man-made objects, such as a table, but in such cases, the purpose exists only because a conscious being such as a man created it to achieve some value. Man might also decide to use a rock, a tree, or a field for some end, but these things only have a purpose insofar as they provide a value to a conscious being, and not one inherent in themselves.

Animals and plants do act to achieve particular values by particular means. Their actions are aimed at specific ends – namely, their survival and reproduction. But the question of purpose does not arise for them either because their actions are automatic, determined by instinct. They cannot choose, as men do, to live by one means or another, to be carnivores or herbivores, to live or die. Unlike non-living entities, they have various values, such as food, reproduction, and shelter, but they have no way to consciously choose which values to achieve or which course of action to take to achieve them beyond their immediate environment.

Human beings are unique in being a living being without an automatic guide to actions and values. We alone must choose which values we want to achieve, and the means we take to achieve them. Like animals, our survival is still conditional — we must take a particular course of action to stay alive, but the means to achieve the values necessary for our survival are not automatically given to us by instinct. We have some basic urges – to eat, or to reproduce, but no means to achieve them without conscious action. In place of instinct, nature has equipped man with the facility of reason – the use of his senses and his rational faculty to gain knowledge of reality and then act on it. If an animal’s instinct fails to provide the values it needs in a given environment, it will die – but a man has the capacity to adapt to almost any environment he finds, as the proliferation of humanity on every corner of the earth demonstrates. The basic question every man faces as a living being  is “to live or not to live,” and since reason is his only means of survival, his basic choice is “to think or not to think.” Every value we enjoy in our civilized, comfortable, existence is the product of the application of man’s mind to reality. The food we eat, the cars we drive, the entertainment we enjoy are all products of some man’s mind. The difference between our comfortable lives and the short, dangerous, and miserable existence that our ancestors eked out in trees, caves, huts, and caverns not so long ago was created – and is continually made possible by application of the reason to the problem of man’s survival.

What does the cynical atheist Bertrand Russell and the Christian pastor Rick Warren, the author of the “The Purpose Driven Life” say is the purpose of man’s life?

The Christian perspective is that the issue of man’s survival is irrelevant to the question of what the purpose.  As pastor Warren stresses repeatedly, our earthly values – whether in our career, family, friends, or any other are in themselves meaningless. The very things that make life on earth possible and pleasurable are irrelevant to him. Instead, our actions should be focused on a higher, unearthly realm, which contains the answers of our existence. “Unless you assume the existence of God, the purpose of life is meaningless,” he says, thereby voiding our selfish happiness as a worthwhile purpose to existence. Instead, he argues that “We were planned for God’s pleasure, so your first purpose is to offer real worship.” According to Christianity, man’s purpose on earth is to be a sacrificial offering (sacrificial, because we are to sacrifice earthly values) to some invisible, unknowable entity. This entity deserves devotion not because it offers a proof for its existence or material reward for service, but because man has not yet uncovered all the secrets of the universe, and no one has stoop up to say that just because man is not omnipotent does not mean that he can’t be certain of what he does not.  The main reason that religion still receives the devotion or lip service of billions is not on the strength of its argument, but because the secular opposition has rejected man’s primary means of knowing himself or his world.

What alternative does the typical cynical, nihilistic, materialistic atheist, such as Bertrand Russell offer in response to the Christian mystic? He agrees with the mystics that without God, life is meaningless, but seeing that there is no evidence for a supernatural realm, he therefore rejects meaning. He agrees with the mystics that without God man has no free will, so he rejects free will and volition. He agrees with the mystics that without God, there can be no morality (“If God is dead, all is permitted” as that quote falsely attributed to Dostoevsky goes) so he rejects morality. In the crucial question of man’s existence, the skeptic and the mystic agree that man has no purpose, volition, or virtue outside of the authority of some external entity. Man’s life in itself therefore, is meaningless, the skeptics and the mystic agree, and only has value so far as man offers himself as a sacrifice to some greater entity or purpose.

The skeptic denies the supernatural and claims to be a materialist, but he usually proposes some other “higher” purpose for existence anyway.   He replaces subservience to the supernatural with subservience to an equally mystical or collectivist entity, such as service to society (socialism), the race or state (fascism), the environment, the ethnic group or tribe (multiculturalism)  innate emotionalism (Nietzschean nihilism and “intuition”.) The cynical atheist simply replaces the worship of one supernatural and unknowable entity with another. The mystics present man as a pathetic ghost, unworthy of life, in conflict with his physical (baser) nature, and existing only as a sacrificial offering for another realm, The skeptics present man as a Frankenstein – a walking bag of chemicals without freedom, meaning, or self-esteem, and existing as a sacrificial offering for the “common good.” The mystics demand that man sacrifice his worldly values for the supernatural, and the skeptics either argue that man should sacrifice his life to the collective, or that he should pursue whatever values he wants at the moment, while denying his basic means (his rational mind) of achieving them.

Are these the only possibilities man has – to choose which entity to sacrifice himself to? Is morality measured by the totality to which man abdicates his own, selfish interests to serve some “higher” and “greater” end? If denying one’s “selfish” interests means denying the things that make life on earth possible and pleasurable, then isn’t death the highest reward of following such a moral code? After all, the only way to be a consistent altruist, and consistently reject one’s “lower” urges, is to sacrifice everything one values, including the things that make life possible. (Luke 14:26-33, 18:18-22) The only way to practice the religious – or the collectivist morality and continue living, is to live a life of guilty contradiction, pursuing one’s values one moment, while denying them the other, using reason for “practical” matters, but denying it when it is truly important. Is it any wonder that faced with the alternative of being a ghost and a sacrificial offering or an unthinking bag of flesh, blindly following hormonal urges, so many men either live a life of guilty contradiction or reject morality and philosophy entirely – thus becoming even more helpless to whatever bromides they unthinkingly and uncritically accept.

The false alternative presented by the mystics and the skeptics is not the only kind of existence open to man. Recognizing man’s nature and the requirements of his life provides both the purpose of existence and the means to achieving it. Life – the choice to live or not to live, is the basic alternative that makes morality both possible and necessary. Life is the trait that makes morality possible for man, and reason is the unique characteristic that makes it necessary. Without the possibility of death, no moral values are necessary, and without the faculty of reason, no moral choice is possible. The primary moral value is each man’s own life, and the primary virtue – the means of maintaining it — is rationality. “Man has a single basic choice: to think or not, and that is the gauge of his virtue. Moral perfection is a unbreached rationality — not the degree of your intelligence, but the full and relentless use of your mind, not the extent of your knowledge, but the acceptance of reason as an absolute.” — Ayn Rand. Morality is not a means to a supernatural realm, a restrain on the enjoyment of earthly values, a supernatural revelation, a social consensus, an absolutist commandment, or a biological imperative, but a practical, selfish means of living a complete, happy, meaningful, moral earthly existence through the consistent application of reason as the answer to the question of one’s life.

This moral code represents the total opposite of the mystics and the skeptics morality. The Christians pervert morality by deeming man guilty for the actions of one man – and then claim that redemption comes from the actions of yet another. The skeptics pervert morality by enslaving man to live for the needs of everyone but himself, or by denying morality outright, and enslaving him to his emotions. As man’s reason has discovered more and more of the deepest secrets of the universe, he has improved his condition tremendously – even as the mystics and the skeptics systematically deny that man’s reason has any efficacy or significance to his existence. Both pervert morality by denying the very things that make life possible and meaningful – reason, egoism, self-esteem. Both oppose the virtues necessary for man to thrive – independence, integrity, honesty, justice, productivity, and pride by advocating self-sacrifice, collectivism, faith, mercy, dependence on the supernatural/collective, and humility in their place.

Here is the undiluted evil of “The Purpose Driven Life,” from the third paragraph of the book:

“We ask self-centered questions like What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams, and my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose. The Bible says, “It is God who directs the lives on his creatures; everyone’s life is in his power.” [emphasis author’s]

Christianity requires us to reject our goals, ambitions, dreams, and our very lives as moral values, and demands that we sacrifice them to a supernatural realm. Rick Warren recognizes man’s vital need for a sense of purpose, moral worth, and then denounces all the things that make them possible. He claims to offer a “purpose driven life” but instead gives us a death-driven sacrifice. We need not endure the unearthly torment of that anguish.

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Flu shot surplus

After a panic over a flu shot shortage, the media is now reporting a flu shot surplus. What else would you expect from socialized medicine?

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Great story: Welcome to capitalism, North Korean comrades

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Finally: CEO as heroes

In the last few days, I have been encouraged by several media presentations of businessmen as heroes. In particular, the bios of David Oreck and Donald Trump presented productivity, rationality, passion, innovation, and even egoism as virtues. Is it just me, or has there been a change from the usual vilification of CEO’s as egotistical bastards who either inherit their wealth, or cheat it out of others?

Edit: I’ve been informed that Trump cheated way to wealth out. *sigh*

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I just finished watching “3,” the new ESPN documentary of Dale Earnhardt . Though I am not a NASCAR fan, I found it to be a great sports movie. Dale Earnhardt is portrayed as uncompromising egoist : racing is his life, and nothing less than perfection is acceptable – on the track, or in his personal life.

Earnhardt’s success is presented not as a matter of luck, but of dedication, innovation in technique and technology, and the highest expectations from his team. “It ain’t about the guy with the fastest car”, he says, “– it’s about the one who refuses to lose.” He’s not out for the fame, and he doesn’t change attitude his even after he achieves greatness – it’s always about the racing, and pursuing one’s passions: “They can’t put it in ya.. and they can’t take it out.”

Another important quality is his attitude towards tragedy on the track: he recognizes the possibility, and takes precautions, but never allows it to assume a metaphysical importance for him, not even after his close friend dies. Nor does the movie allow his untimely death to overshadow his successes, as the final moments of the movie show.

The documentary reminded me of why people find spectator sports so inspiring: by dramatizing the process of goal-achievement, they inspire us to success in our own lives. There are few other arenas in our society where such inspiration can be found.

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Origins of the Internet

It’s easy to take the Internet for granted, in these times of universal internet access and affordable broadband. But it wasn’t always so, and the Institute of Internet History has undertaken the task of creating a “full and faithful” documentary of the Internet, beginning with its early 19th century steam-powered origins. Millions of American school kids finally have a reliable research source for their research on this modern marvel.

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Economy omer Shavuot Social Justice spirituality

Economic Stability: An Ageless Quest

Rabbi Mary Zamore discusses sustenance, scarcity, and abundance through the parashah Emor and how it relates to us even today.

Last fall, my husband and I ordered a new sukkah decoration straight from Israel. The package arrived with a free magnet, imprinted with the image of a woman holding an umbrella, walking in the rain. The magnet had one word on it. Sasson (“joy”). It took me a moment, and then I realized my cultural gap. Living in New Jersey, joy is not the word I associate with rain. However, in Israel and other arid climates, rain is pure joy, because it is desperately needed.

This week’s Torah portion, Emor, includes a section on the holidays, a calendar chiefly driven by the agrarian cycle. Theses verses are relevant to modern Jews because, thousands of years later, we still celebrate the holidays, albeit with layers of development around our rituals, but at the core, these holidays are still the same. But to be honest, the descriptions of the biblical holiday sacrifices, meal and fruit offerings, and animal sacrifices, do not resonate when compared to my modern observance of Judaism.

For example, the parashah describes the counting of the Omer, the annual schlepping of grain offerings for seven weeks. This daily offering of grain bridged the barley harvest of Passover to the wheat harvest of Shavuot. But how do I count the Omer today? Do I schlep a bundle of barely to the Temple, to be offered, in recognition of God as source of all? Not at all! Today, an app on my phone sends me a reminder every night at sundown, and I count the Omer, with words. Done.

Given the vast differences between now and biblical times, it is easy to forget how scary the harvest cycle would have been for our ancestors. In the winter they waited nervously to see if there would be enough rain to sustain the growth of their crops to feed their family and their animals. Then after the rains of winter, once the crops were planted, it was a waiting game. Would they be able to harvest the crops before something bad happened? The possibilities for failure were endless: too much heat, not enough water, locusts, or some other plague. It was a precarious time.

As the modern plague of COVID-19 unfolds, we are foremost concerned about life and health. However, we also hold our breaths as we watch the world’s economy spin out of control. Therefore, this year, while we count the Omer, we also count our balances in checking accounts and retirement funds. We wait to see if jobs will continue or salaries will be cut. And we deeply understand the fears of our ancestors, who prayed to be sustained by their storerooms. The biblical fears are near to us as ever. Our holidays, with their deep agrarian roots, are ultimately about the basic human need, shared by every generation, to have enough to sustain us, even when times are tough.

This desire for economic stability and sustenance is voiced in the following passage, added in some communities historically, at the conclusion of the daily morning service.

First, the community would read the passage from Exodus 16 about the manna and then add something like this example:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁתַּזְמִין פַּרְנָסָה לְכָל עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וּפַרְנָסָתִי וּפַרְנָסַת אַנְשֵׁי בֵיתִי בִּכְלָלָם, בְּנַחַת וְלֹא בְּצַעַר, בְּכָבוֹד וְלֹא בְּבִזּוּי, בְּהֶתֵּר וְלֹא בְּאִסּוּר, כְּדֵי שֶׁנּוּכַל לַעֲבוֹד עֲבוֹדָתֶךָ וְלִלְמוֹד תּוֹרָתֶךָ כְּמוֹ שֶׁזַּנְתָּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ מָן בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּאֶרֶץ צִיָּה וַעֲרָבָה:

May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our ancestors, to provide sustenance for all Your people, the House of Israel, and sustenance for me and all the members of my household, with pleasantness and not with suffering, with honor and not with degradation, through permissible activities and not forbidden activities, so that we will be able to serve You and to learn Your Torah, just as you sustained our ancestors in the wilderness with Manna in a dry and desert land.[1]

Our Torah portion and this liturgical addition are examples of the human desire for economic stability. Our tradition does not suggest we merely pray for sustenance, but rather balance our longing for stability with financial literacy, community resources, educational opportunities, and generosity to others through tzedakah

Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Elders, 3:17 teaches these famous words from Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya:

אִם אֵין קֶמַח, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין קֶמַח.

If there is no flour [meaning ability to earn money], there is no Torah. If there is no Torah, there is no flour [ability to earn money]. This is frequently interpreted as: the religious, spiritual, and ethical teachings of Torah must co-dwell with the mundane matters of earning money and sustaining ourselves. One realm should not exist without the other.

The line in Pirkei Avot just before the flour/Torah teaching adds:

אִם אֵין בִּינָה, אֵין דַּעַת. אִם אֵין דַּעַת, אֵין בִּינָה.

If there is no knowledge, there is no understanding; if there is no understanding, there is no knowledge.

Perhaps, at this time of economic instability, we can read these lines together to understand that economic stability must be built on the best of Jewish values and the best of secular financial knowledge.

May you and your loved ones know health and financial security, Torah and generosity, and therefore know sasson, (“joy”).

[1] Robert Scheinberg, “Money and Transaction in Jewish Liturgy and Rituals” in Mary Zamore, ed., The Sacred Exchange: Creating a Jewish Money Ethic (New York: CCAR Press, 2019), 335.

Rabbi Mary L. Zamore is the editor of and a contributing author to two acclaimed CCAR Press Challenge and Change anthologies, The Sacred Exchange: Creating A Jewish Money Ethic (2019) and The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic (2011). The Sacred Table was designated a finalist by the National Jewish Book Awards. She is also the Executive Director of Women’s Rabbinic Network.

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Woodstock wood producer supports Wolastoqey loggers earning a livelihood

RAVEN’s Tracy Glynn wrote a story published today by RAVEN partner, the NB Media Co-op. Her story includes an interview with a wood producer who supports Wolastoqey loggers. Last month, Tracy wrote a story about the court case brought by Wolastoqey First Nations against the province of New Brunswick for violating treaty right to harvest timber for a moderate livelihood. You can read Tracy’s new story here.


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402 3100 Windsor Gate Coquitlam, British Columbia V3B 0P3

$245.07 Monthly

2 Bedroom 2 Bathroom 853 sqft

The Lloyd 2 year high rise built by Polygon. Best south facing open layout living room with over sized windows which are between you and the beautiful Garden view. A gourmet kitchen with 5 burner gas range, built in oven, integrated cabinet finished dishwasher & refrigerator & a kitchen island with double sink. You are not only own a unit but also a membership of a 18,000 SF of resort at the Nakoma Club including an outdoor pool, gym, fitness studio, table tennis, basketball, guest suits and more. Conveniently located within walking distance of Skytrain, Coquitlam Centre, Henderson Place, Public Library, and schools. 1 parking and 1 locker are included. Welcome to the Lloyd in Polygon's Windsor Gate community! (id:28868)

Property Details

MLS® Number R2503112
Property Type Single Family
View Type View

Bathroom Total 2
Bedrooms Total 2
Constructed Date 2018
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Size Interior 853 Sqft
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It Is Finished

I just finished my last chemo therapy last week.  Of all the things I’ve had to go through with cancer, chemo was probably the hardest–even harder than weaning, though that was emotionally draining in different ways.  Once they told me that chemo was a necessary treatment in my case, the 9 weeks of treatments loomed ahead like the Forbidden Forest full of fire swamps, giant rodents, and quicksand.  It was going to be awful, but there was no way around it.  I had to do it.  I had to just suck it up and bear whatever difficulties it would entail, and march through the foreboding depths of it.  And I’d have to do it four times.

My husband and I steeled ourselves both mentally and physically as best as we could for the journey, not really knowing what it would be like but trusting from the testimonies of others that it wasn’t exactly fun.  We went into the first six hour infusion session with a positive, lighthearted attitude, trying to meet the trail with as much joy as possible, and then finding that the days that followed were dark and difficult as my body ceased to cooperate with me and the nausea made it difficult to function.  Subsequent infusion sessions were more difficult to take with joy because we now had full knowledge of the horrible thing we were willingly enduring, but we still had to do it.   If I could have found another way through cancer, I would have.  I asked my oncologist if there were gentler more natural options and he didn’t feel, from his experience, that those routes would give me my best chance.

Maybe if I didn’t have children, maybe I would have tried those natural, more holistic routes anyway, but for the love of my babies and because I want to be around for graduations, dances, weddings, and even grandbabies, I did the chemo.  I went through the Forbidden Forest.  I waded through the mire of one of my most difficult trials here on earth, knowing it would be difficult, knowing it would hurt, knowing there would be days when I didn’t think I could do it, and I did it mostly because I love my babies and my husband and I didn’t want them to bear the pain of being without me. IMG_3860

At the end of my last infusion, I was the last person left in the large blue room full of IV carts.  The lights were turning off, even nurses were leaving, and then, I was finally disconnected and able to leave, hand in hand with my husband who had sat with me through every hour of every infusion.  We got to the car and I lay back my head against the headrest and he said, “We’re done. It’s finished. We don’t have to do this ever again.”  I heaved a sigh of relief.  Even knowing that I still had three days of the after effects awaiting me, there was still relief.  I wouldn’t have to knowingly march into this place anymore to receive infusions that would poison my body.  When my body started to recover from this last chemo, it could keep on recovering.  I wouldn’t have to hack it down again with more poison.  I was done.  It was finished.  It is finished.

I didn’t want to draw parallels between my chemo journey and Jesus’ sacrifice because I’m not worthy of that.  I’m not worthy to compare my path to that of my Savior, but as Good Friday has drawn near and I’ve dwelt on the price He paid, I’ve been recovering from my own now completed trial.  As I read the account of his death in the gospels and watch it reenacted in film, the significance of what he did seems so much more meaningful in the light of my recent sacrifice.  Chemo is but a bee sting compared to crucifixion, but as it is all I know, the Lord has graciously spoken to me of his sacrifice because of it.  When I read about how he completed the deed he came to accomplish, there was a knowing that I experienced that I’d never felt before.

“It is finished.”

When Jesus said those words, it didn’t just mean his life was done or that his sacrifice was done, it also meant that He could finally lay down the weight He’d carried throughout all of his humanity.  I knew my chemo was coming a week or two before it came, and I had all that time to look forward to knowing that I had to do this awful thing.  For thirty three years, and probably for all of eternity before that, Jesus had this pivotal point in history to endure–this finite moment of agony that divided infinity with a weight only He could bear.  As the only perfect human being ever to exist, He was the only one who could be the sacrifice.  He was the only perfect substitute to receive the just punishment for sin.  The only one. There was no other way.  He had to be the one to do it, or it wouldn’t be done.  As I have read the passages of Gethsemane over and over in the gospels and even in different languages, I keep seeing those words, he prayed, “If there is any other way…but Your will be done.”  He didn’t want to die on the cross.  Being omniscient, He knew the agony of it like I knew the minor agony of chemo after having endured my first infusion.  He knew about every lash of the whip and what it would feel like and what it would do to his body.  He knew how the weight of the splintered wood would feel against his tattered skin.  He knew how hard it would be to breathe with all of his organs failing as he tried to hold himself up through the nails in his feet.  He knew what the vinegar would do to him when he drank it.  He knew that the minutes of his dying would drag on like horrible hours.  He knew that the ultimate pain would be the endless moments where His Father would hide his face and He would lose fellowship with Him.  He knew.

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” He said.

My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me,” He said.

“Yet not as I will, but as you will,” He said.

And then, the soldiers came and in a whirlwind of a day that began in the wee, dark hours of the morning, he was dragged through trials, sentencing, beating, torture, agony, and death.  He took the footsteps He needed to take.  He received the nails that needed to pierce.  He spilled the blood that we so desperately needed to survive.  And then…it was over.  He had done what he came to do.  He had finished that which had been his destiny from the moment he took his first tiny breath and nuzzled his face into his mother’s breast. It was finished.  He had done it.  Not only the act of dying in agony was complete, but the weight of knowing that He had to die in agony was now lifted.

It was finished.

For you and me, those words mean the world.  He could have decided not to die.  He could have decided that we deserved the fate we’ve chosen.  He could have left us to our own brokenness.  But He loved us too much.  Our brokenness was His.  The death our sin required would have left Him bereft because he loves us.  He loves us.  So, He did what He had to do to keep us.  He took the punishment we deserved. He knowingly went through Calvary for us.

This year, that is what gets me the most.  That He not only did the difficult thing, but He spent his whole life knowing that He had to do it and then he went through it anyway, and all because of me.

IMG_3759.jpgWhen my chemo was done and I laid my head back in the seat of my car with relief knowing that I had done what I set out to do and I didn’t have to keep doing it anymore, I released a burden I hadn’t fully realize I’d been holding and those three words hit home for me in a new way.

It is finished.  Not only the act of the sacrifice itself, but the burden of it.

It is finished.  My debt is paid.  I may have had to endure chemo, but I will never have to endure life without my Jesus because he paid my punishment for me.

It is finished.

How many times, Lord?  How many times have I stood before you with hands held high as I confidently pledged that you could have all of me?  Countless times.  How many times have I said, “Do what you must, but use me, Lord.  Take what you have to take, even my life. Do what you have to do to me so your name will be glorified for my family.  My friends.”  Oh, so many times.  I meant it as I knelt there with a peaceful smile on my face and none of the experience of loss that I now have.  I meant it as I thought I was counting the cost, without really comprehending what that cost could feel like.

Today, as we tossed around words like lumpectomy, mastectomy, reconstruction, weaning, and chemotherapy I thought, “You can’t take that part, Lord! Really? Cause that’s mine! Why would you touch it?  Please, Jesus.  Please don’t.  I would no longer be me…”

And then, bent over the dryer as I basketed clean diapers, I cried again. “Why are you taking this from me, Lord? Please, please let me keep it. I’ll be broken, Lord.  I don’t want to be broken. Please don’t break me…”

“He was broken for you.”

The words reverberated through my head like my pleading voice as it bounced off the inside of the dryer drum.

“…broken for you.”

I saw him for a minute with my mind’s eye as He willingly let himself be placed on the cross.  I saw the blood.  The bruises. I saw His face wrenched up in pain as he looked to the Father and found Himself forsaken.  Because of sin.  My sin. The broken world that I create, broke my perfect Savior and He let it.

Jesus offered his body as a sacrifice for me.  Because of me.  Now cancer is breaking me, and He is allowing it to do so.  I know that God sees a plan I cannot in all this.  I know God will work things together for my good.  Even through cancer.  I know my God and He is good and I cling to that.  Can I not willingly be broken for Him?  Body and soul?  Can I not sacrifice myself for His use?  Can I not trust that He will make all things beautiful in time? That I will be more beautiful because of this and not in spite of it?

There is peace as my shoulders slump down in surrender and the tears come fresh and willing now.  I nod. Yes.  I can do that.   Not on my own, but He is with me.  He is closer than my own heartbeat.  I feel him palpably, still whispering in my ear as I cry over the laundry.  “You may break me, Lord,” I say,  “You may take thatimg_4482 part of me too if you want to.”

“So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.  But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

 Then the word of the Lord came to me.  He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.”

-Jeremiah 18: 3-6

My daughter’s plans

IMG_3057My sweet, firstborn daughter.  Oh, dear girl. Back when she first learned how to speak–only a couple of words mind you–we realized that she likes to know what our plans for her are.  At two or three years of age, when her vocabulary really blossomed, asking our plans was something that took up a major part of her day.  She wanted not just to know what was happening now, and next, but she wanted an entire itinerary for the day.  And, if we told her all our plans for the day, she’d continue to ask for them over and over again, wanting to make sure she knew exactly how things would happen and what to expect.  Her worrisome little spirit clung to those plans.  If, heaven forbid, we should deviate from this set schedule, she had a really hard time handling it.

There were, of course, days when we either chose not to give her our plans for one reason or another, or we didn’t actually have plans so to speak.  My husband and I like to fly by the seat of our pants when we can.  Days that aren’t taken over by work and other commitments, are days we like to just go with the wind and see where it takes us.  Our sweet girl (I often call her my Huggle Buggle so I’ll refer to her as Buggle here), our Buggle just hated that.

“What are we doing next,” she’d ask from the backseat of the car.

“We don’t know, sweetie.  We’ll see.”

“But what are we doing?” She’d ask, her voice rising in panic.

“We’ll see.  We aren’t sure yet.”

“But Mom…where are we going next?”

“Didn’t you hear us?  We don’t know.  We can’t tell you if we don’t know.”

It was a constant battle with her.  At nearly seven years of age, it still is, though not always as much anymore.

We have our reasons for not revealing our plans to her and they’re not selfish (well, not usually anyway).  Sometimes we don’t tell her because we have a terrific surprise planned.  Sometimes we don’t tell her because we know she won’t fully understand.  Sometimes we don’t tell her because we know she won’t be able to emotionally handle it.  Sometimes we don’t tell her because it will cause her unnecessary stress and we don’t want her entire day to be ruined simply because she knows we plan on having her fold laundry after dinner.

I couldn’t tell you exactly why my Buggle needs to know the plans for the day, but I could guess that it probably has to do with control.  She’ll ask us things like, “Am I going to have a nap?  Do I have to do my chores?  Do I have to do school today?”  Her little mind, I am sure, is full of “What ifs.”  and if we give her the answer to her questions and give her our plans–be they good or boring–she will try to control the situation.  If she doesn’t like our plans, the worry they bring her  ruins her day, or she tries to manipulate them with tantrums or an attempt to wheedle out of it with her words and whining.  If they are plans she likes, she asks more questions in an attempt to fully understand the situation and take control of what is going to happen. She wants to know e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

One day, not long ago, we were having a similar conversation–the same type I typed out up above, the same one we used to have multiple times a day and that we now have at least a couple of times a week.  Finally, either me or my husband–I don’t remember which–responded.

“Buggle, do you trust us?”

“Do you think we have your best in mind?”

“And that we love you completely.”

“Uh huh…”

“Do you think we’re going to do anything that will hurt you?”

“(Harumph!) No… (big sigh).”

“So how about you trust that we know what is best for you and we have good plans for you today and that you don’t need to know them.  You can just relax knowing that we love you and we have your best in mind, okay?”

As we were talking to her, my husband and I were going through a similar situation in our lives with God and we sort of looked at each other and laughed because we knew that the words spoken by us were words God wanted us to hear and to apply to our lives as well.  It’s not that God doesn’t want us to ask “why,” but how often is God’s reply “Wait,” or “Just trust”?  How often do we get frustrated because things seem to be going awry and we don’t know what on earth He is doing.  We rage at the heavens demanding an answer, demanding to know His plans, or better yet demanding that He follow ours only to be humbled by the King of the universe when he says, “Do you trust me?  Well…then you don’t need to know right now.”

He loves us.  He knows our needs.  He knows our wants.  He knows them better than we do.  He designed our hearts so of course He knows.  We know we can trust Him but we still say,  “Okay, but what next, Lord,” when His answer is clearly just to wait and to trust.

My daughter didn’t necessarily like not knowing the plans, but when reminded of who we are to her and how we love her, she was able to rest and wait and eventually let the question go.  She only asks because she likes to have control, and when she doesn’t have control she can either freak out about it or just rest in the fact that someone wiser does.  I like control too.  A lot! And I am not in control of my life or the plans God has for it.  Long ago I surrendered myself to Him…my plans, my hopes, my dreams.  I still surrender them to him regularly because I often take them back. Repeatedly.  Because they are His, he has taken them and he has removed the burden of them.  Often I try to take them back. My eyes are closed tight and my fists are closed tighter around the thing I think I should have or the way I think things should go and I forget to look up.  When I remember who God is and that He loves me and has my best in mind; when I let go of the worry and the panic that I harbor without knowing the future,  I am refreshed as I remember who controls my plans and who is guiding my steps.

God is my Father.  He loves me and He cares for me passionately.  He has plans far greater than what I can imagine or even comprehend.  If he told them to me right now, I imagine they wouldn’t make sense to me.  Or, I wouldn’t be ready to hear them.  Either way, He hasn’t told me the next step and I can either whine and complain about it, asking over and over again, “But what next, God?” or I can let go and trust Him.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” -Psalm 27:14

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding -Proverbs 3:5

I’ll end with this famous promise God gave to his people while they were still in exile in Babylon and God told them to settle down in the foreign land because their exile would last a total of seventy years:  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29: 11-13

Eyes on the Father

IMG_0170During their infant stage, all my children are very attached to me.  They love their Daddy, don’t get me wrong, but he is a poor substitute for Mommy.  I was not only their home for nine months, but I’m their source of food.  It’s more than just a warm body and food, though.  I seem to be able to comfort them with my touch and my voice in a way that no one else can.  My youngest is currently in this “Mommy only” stage.  She is only truly happy when she is in my arms and/or I am completely available and within reach.  If she can’t be in my arms, she is somewhat content as long as she can maintain eye contact with me.  I’ll do the dishes, and walk to the counter to wipe it and then to the stove to prepare eggs for breakfast and all the while her eyes are fixed on me, moving with me, stalking me.  She doesn’t just look at me, she looks at me with expectation.  She knows that I have everything she needs.  As long as she can see me, she isn’t worried about how her needs will be met.

When she’s in Daddy’s arms, or heaven forbid the arms of one of my friends, this eye contact is even more fierce and steady and is often accompanied by little whimpers, roars (no, seriously), and squeaks just to make sure I see her and I’m not leaving her.  As long as she is looking to me, at me, her heart seems to be at peace.  If I leave the room, say, to use the bathroom, then her world falls apart–either slowly crumbling, or rushing down with the force of a tornado.  Either way, breaking that eye contact sets her on a nasty, downward spiral.

I teach Spanish class once a week and my friend takes care of her during the time I’m on the floor with all my little kiddos.  If she gets fussy, she’ll take her outside.  If her diaper needs to be changed, she takes care of it.  Mostly, though, my daughter can’t stand to be away from me so I keep her in my lap while I teach, or sitting on the floor next to me.  When it’s craft time, I wear her on my back.  When I’m doing housework, she’s often on my hip or in the baby carrier.  She doesn’t care what I’m doing–the laundry, sweeping, playing my guitar–she has to be able to see me and feel that I am available to her if she is going to stay calm.

Then when things do get difficult–she’s tired, bored, wet, hungry–she knows I’ll see her need and come running.  She doesn’t realize that I’ll still meet her needs even if she can’t see me.  She doesn’t understand that I’m acutely aware of her needs no matter how far away from her I am.  If she can’t see me, then her solace is gone.  The ability to maintain that eye contact gives her peace like little else can.

IMG_0699We’re going through a very difficult time in our family, a time where I wonder if God is actually capable of meeting our needs because we’ve never had so many of them before.  I’ve never really experienced anxiety in a physical way until this past year.  Our needs are so big to me.  So impossible.  I wonder if God wants to meet them or if He is capable of doing so.  I wonder if He cares and if He even loves me sometimes.  I sometimes tend to focus on the problems and not on my Father in times like these–the mortgage, how full the fridge is, my teeth that always cause expensive problems–these seem bigger than He is when I’m focusing on them.  I’m not looking at him so I forget that He sees me and he is capable of meeting my needs.  I forget how big He is.  I forget that He has a perfect plan through the madness.  I forget that he provides even for the sparrows.

The other day I posted a drawing of myself clinging to the end of my rope with God’s hand underneath while he told me to let go.  My eyes were closed tight in the drawing as I grasped onto the little I have left.  Because my eyes were closed, I couldn’t see how close He was.  In that metaphorical drawing, I would have easily felt comfortable enough to let go if I could have seen that His hand was right there.  The drawing may be metaphorical, but the feeling behind it was so, horribly real.  As I cried out to the Lord that day, he gave me this scripture:

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” -Habakkuk 3: 17-19

…but still, my heart pounded, I worried, and I was sick to my stomach all day long.  God was calling me to be joyful despite my circumstances and I found that impossible as long as I continued to look at the problem.  What I wanted was an immediate fix, and He was telling me to choose joy through the difficulties we are facing.  The scripture didn’t comfort me.  It didn’t promise that the fig tree would bud and the fields would produce food, which is what I wanted.  It just said that I should be joyful despite my circumstances.  My anxiety continued like the waves in a stormy ocean and I felt guilty because God tells us not to be anxious about anything and I yet couldn’t turn it off.

The next morning I woke up to have my quiet time and do my normal before-the-kids-wake-up stuff and it suddenly occurred to me: This life here on earth doesn’t really matter in the scheme of things.  I mean it does, because this is where eternal decisions are made, but it doesn’t in the sense of car payments or credit scores or savings accounts.  What matters is Heaven.  Our time on earth is but a breath in the timeline of eternity.  A breath! Having my house and my things and even my family here with me right now won’t even matter from Heaven’s perspective.  All that will matter is God’s plan, and I am in the center of God’s plan.  I know that.  In these difficult times and this trying storm my husband and I have never been so sure that we are exactly where God wants us to be.  We have never been so sure that he is molding us and preparing us for something in this, our most difficult trial to date.

IMG_8754In that moment of realization, I looked to Him.  I looked to my Father.  You can guess what happened then.  My heart rate slowed, my stomach no longer felt queasy, and I felt at peace.  My emotional burdens were very physically lifted off of my shoulder as I turned my face toward heaven.  All day, when I felt like my circumstances were overwhelming me I just thought, “I need to look to Jesus.  I need to think of Heaven,” and I didn’t feel the need to pick up the burdens again.  There was peace and it was beautiful.

See, Jesus knows my needs.  He knows them even when I am not looking at Him, just like I know what my baby girl needs even when I’m in the other room.  His plans are to meet my needs.  They always have been and they always will.  When I’m not looking to Him, I forget that and think I have to handle it on my own.  When my children are babies, they can’t do anything for themselves.  They are dependent upon me for everything!  And when my little girl tries to do things without my help she ends up with her chubby thighs stuck through the crib bars or her butt shoved up under the couch.  When she looks to me, she remembers that I will meet her needs and she is calmed. She also doesn’t end up in such sticky situations.   I can enter a room and say a word to her and she smiles and relaxes.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.  Those who look to him are radiant;  their faces are never covered with shame.  This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;  he saved him out of all his troubles.” -Psalm 34: 4-6

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” -Hebrews 12: 1b-2a (emphasis mine)

IMG_0715I just have to give a little testimony before ending: The other morning, I told my husband somewhat jokingly that I was out of meal plans for the month so God was going to have to do something.  Two days in a row, friends showed up at my door with dinner.  We have had a year full of trials, but also a year full of small miracles just like that one.  Don’t, for one minute, think that God doesn’t see you and that He isn’t capable of meeting your needs.

I don’t know what troubles you are facing, but I  know nothing is to hard for God.  Nothing.  Look to Him and let your heart be calmed.  Fix your eyes on Him and remember where the real prize lies.

At the end of the rope

end of the rope

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

-2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Elementary Spanish Unit: Noah

IMG_0467 2

I was a Spanish teacher long before I was a mother or even a wife and I’m passionate about teaching the language when kids are still young.  I’ve been slaving over a Spanish unit based on a hand drawn story of Noah with a very comprehensive set of worksheets, visuals, games, activities, and even some links to videos I created for about two years now.  I was attempting to also add lesson plans but due to the fact that I didn’t create as many videos as I had hoped, I took the lesson plans out and left the meat of the material for the user to use they wish.

Here it is.  I hope you enjoy it!

Tactile Penmanship Practice

Today we used silly putty and pipe cleaners to practice penmanship.  It was a spur of the moment idea that came to me and required little to no effort on my part.  Here’s what you need:

Materials Needed:

  • Paper and scissors or index cards
  • A pen or a pencil (or a printer)
  • One Silly Putty egg (play dough will also work, but it’s a bit messier)
  • A variety of colored pipe cleaners
  • A plastic baggie

  1. Write or print out your letters (we did cursive capital letters) onto your pieces of paper.  Preferably they will be large enough to manipulate the putty easily.  Ours were about four or five inches tall.
  2. Cut out the paper letters if not on index cards.
  3. Put the silly putty egg, the paper letters, and the pipe cleaners into a baggie.
  4. Give to your student and let them practice tracing the letters with the silly putty or the pipe cleaners.
  5. Optional: Place letters into the baggie one at a time and use wet spaghetti to trace the letters over the bag.
  6. Let the children play with the silly putty/pipe cleaners/spaghetti freely after they’ve traced a couple of letters.

God’s Feathers

My six month old can sit up very well these days.  She sits up so well, in fact, that I no longer hover near her when I set her down on the hardwood living room floor, or on the linoleum in the kitchen.  She has plenty of newly developed core strength and balance control and very rarely falls.  When she does fall, she normally guides the fall a bit, almost like she chose to do it. Sometimes, in fact, she falls because it’s the only way she can think of to get to the thing she wants.IMG_8971

Not today.  My sweet baby girl hit or injured her head a total of four times today in about an hour.  First she suddenly began screaming for no apparent reason and I investigated to find she’d scratched it.  Next, her two year old brother got a little too exuberant about her face and she nose-planted on the kitchen floor.  Later, I scratched her face with my bracelet when she was nursing.  Then she fell backwards while playing with the Fridge Phonics on the refrigerator and hit the back of her head on the floor.

Each time she hurt herself, she screamed like the pain was so bad she couldn’t breathe.  Her little arms flailed out and her face screwed up with the sheer shock of it.  Each time it happened I scooped her up and cradled her close, crooning sweet words to her, nearly in tears myself.  I cupped my body around hers as she cried, trying to cocoon her into a safe place, a place with no pain, a place where she could calm down in the warmth of my love and to the sound of my heartbeat.  It was as if I thought I could siphon the agony away from her there in my heart, but I couldn’t, really.  It had to run its course.  There wasn’t really anything I could do for the pain–gargantuan for her, but minor really.  As she drew close to me, her heart rate slowed, her breathing relaxed, and she melted into my love, eventually quieting completely.  Within a minute, there was no evidence that she’d ever been in pain as she grasped my shirt with her little fat fists or looked at me hungrily while comfort nursing.  My presence was enough to still her–to still all that she felt both emotionally and physically.  It was enough for her.
IMG_9687I think I’ve kind of been going through this with God.  It feels like life is continually beating me over the head lately.  Often, the blows are so strong, it feels like I’m suffocating in the shock of the pain.   Metaphorically I writhe and scream and fight it and I reluctantly hear God’s voice through the cacophony of my sorrow as he whispers words of peace to my heart.  His touch is almost palpable as he wraps His arms around me and my heart melts into his heartbeat.  I hear His words in my children’s morning Bible story.  I hear them in a song on the radio or the smattering of worship lyrics my six year old daughter absentmindedly hums on repeat. I hear them in a Facebook post from a friend.  I hear them in my husband’s reminders to me.  I hear bits of scripture memorized in my youth as whispers in my ear:

“..and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”(Matthew 28:20b)

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

“…my God will provide all your needs according to his riches in glory…”(Philippians 4:19)

 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me’,” (Genesis 16:13)

“Just be held…” (Casting Crowns)

My crying stills as I am drawn near to him in my pain.  In my distress, I’m so much nearer to His heart than I am when I’m happy and fine.  I’m so much closer to the sound of His voice than when things aren’t hurting me.   I don’t know the reason for the trial, but I suspect this is part of it.  This nearness to my Father makes it all worth it.  I am an infant who feels she can do much more than is actually possible.  I try to do everything on my own and then I fall.  And my Father is there, rushing to me, cradling me in His everlasting arms. He is always there, immediately speaking to my heart and holding me close like a mother to her baby.

“I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees.As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” -Isaiah 66: 12-13

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you
 -Psalm 91: 1-7


text:
Richard Vobroucek, Earthlingbird Enterprises, NY, USA

Four decades of progressive global travel and tourism industry experience including:
-international airline marketing and management,
-program/product development, implementation, and promotion,
-education and training.

Intimately familiar with service strategies and successful travel industry development.

Specialties: Entertaining Motivator and Enthusiastic Public Speaker

Bilingual – Portuguese / English. Excellent in written and oral communication in both languages. Fluent in Spanish.

Widely traveled with a deep appreciation for world cultures.

Have lived overseas for more than 15 years. Q

Image and new product development are essential to building recovery. Collaboration among service providers is a challenge in this highly fragmented industry. There are small “mom and pop” businesses and major international corporations that need to network to develop the evolving image of each destination. I see my role as a facilitator as this developmental process unfolds.. My past experience with the “I love New York” Division of Tourism matching funds program and the development of the Travel and Tourism Associates degree curriculum at the State University of New York (SUNY) Rockland campus have given me valuable expertise and awareness of the intricacies involved in uniting Visitor Industry constituencies. It would be a privilege for me to collaborate with this rebuilding travel project.


text:
Aug 20, 2019

REDARC launches 50amp in-vehicle battery charger

Australian manufacturer, REDARC Electronics is proud to introduce the new, bigger, more powerful 12-volt dual input 50amp dc to dc charger (BCDC1250D) to the North American market.

The REDARC BCDC1250D in-vehicle battery charger supplies the correct charge to the auxiliary battery whilst preventing a flat start battery. Having the secondary battery correctly and fully charged will allow users to power all their gadgets whilst on the move.

And with its 50-amp charging output, the BCDC1250D is the most powerful in REDARC’s BCDC range making it ideal to quickly power 12-volt electrical accessories in a trailer, motorhome or caravan, such as electrical hydraulic pumps, fridges, lights, tailgates, phones, laptops and camera chargers whilst on the move.

The BCDC1250D 12 volt battery charger has been developed to provide a higher current output, it features an additional charging stage known as SoftStart which has been engineered so that it can handle more demanding applications.

Like the 25amp and 40amp variants in the BCDC Dual range, the BCDC1250D has separate vehicle DC and solar inputs which greatly simplifies the installation process. The unit will charge from solar panels and the vehicle’s start battery simultaneously and, with in-built ‘Green Power Priority’, it will select solar charging first, taking the load off the vehicle alternator.

Tested and proven to charge an auxiliary battery to 100% state of charge, the BCDC1250D provides specific charging profiles for all common battery types including AGM, standard lead acid, calcium and lithium iron phosphate (LiFeP04) batteries.

It is compatible with fixed, temperature compensating and variable voltage (smart) alternators and works with 12 and 24-volt vehicle electrical systems.

REDARC's Export Manager, Mr Craig Herriot, said that REDARC’s BCDC Dual range has been well received in the North American market.

“The dual input BCDC’s have proven to be popular with the end users and the feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive. The addition of a 50amp model will allow the consumer to charge higher capacity RV batteries or multiple battery banks.”

With 40 years’ experience in the research, design, development and manufacture of battery chargers, REDARCs’ knowledge of North American conditions has been factored into the engineering of every unit, allowing REDARC products to set a new industry standard.

The BCDC1250D is now available for purchase through the REDARC website and will be available through REDARC’s key distribution channels from September 2019. It will also be on display at the upcoming NATDA Trade Show & Convention held in St. Louis, MO from September 5th – 7th.

To find out more about the new 50amp dc charger visit the BCDC1250D product page.

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"Energetic, fun-loving and a dedicated clinician". These words perfectly describe Dr. Purva Merchant, who feels privileged to have the opportunity at Redmond Kids' Dentistry to introduce children to a lifetime of positive and "no-fear" dentistry. Ensuring healthy smiles in a fun and worry-free atmosphere allows her to combine her love for children, science and artistry. She also emphasizes early education and
prevention to her patients and their families and strongly encourages the Age One Dental Visit to give kids a healthy start towards their oral health. Working with children brightens her day!

A former Miss India, Dr. Merchant graduated at the top of her class in dental school. She completed her Pediatric Dentistry residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey, from where she also received her Master of Science degree. She has attained Board certification with the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, which represents the highest possible credential within the field. She also believes in continually staying updated with the advances within her profession in order to deliver the best possible care to her patients.

Besides English, Dr. Merchant is fluent in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati, and is working on her command of French and Spanish. In 2007, she moved to the Seattle area to join her husband, and is enjoying the amazing outdoor lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest. When not at the office, she can be found kayaking the waters around Seattle, hiking the trails, traveling to distant lands, practicing her head-stand, scuba diving, painting, and living life to the fullest.

Dr. Merchant's professional memberships include:
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text:
August 18th, 2013
07:49 PM ET

Debating why millenials are leaving the church

(CNN)–Rachel Evans and Hemant Mehta joined CNN's Brianna Keilar and Martin Savidge to speak about millenials losing their religion.

They were debating Evan's piece from the Belief Blog looking at why millenials are leaving the church and Mehta's response suggesting millenials are leaving the church to try atheism.

Tell us what you think.  Join the conversation in the comments.

- CNN Belief Blog

Filed under: Atheism • Belief

soundoff (1,388 Responses)
  1. Reckless

    If you want to know why millenials are leaving the church, go read the The Gospel According to Thomas and realize what a mockery the church has become.

    September 13, 2013 at 2:26 pm |
  2. Lloyd

    Not only that, but there are numerous connections of the Vatican to the Mafia and to arms trading. It seems when people experience holey righteousness corruption occurs and absolute belief in righteousness creates absolute corruption.

    September 7, 2013 at 11:25 am |
  3. gahh

    Many people are leaving the churches because, they're tired of seeing their money not going, where it was intended, which was to help the poor. As Joyce Meier put it, I don't apologize for driving a Cadillac. I myself still believe in God, but I stopped going to church, when they wanted my bank account number, and no matter how much money they had, it was never enough. Church is nothing but a pack of fast talkers, looking for suckers!

    September 7, 2013 at 10:34 am |
    • Lloyd

      Not only that, but there are numerous connections of the Vatican to the Mafia and to arms trading. It seems when people experience holey righteousness corruption occurs and absolute belief in righteousness creates absolute corruption.

      September 7, 2013 at 11:28 am |
  4. Will

    I never even heard of creationism, the fundamentalist belief that they have scientific evidence for a very young earth, that evolution is bad science and which attacks many tenets of established science until I went to graduate school to obtain a degree in geology.
    Even then, I didn't see it again for 25 years until, getting to Texas, I started noticing it in reports about the State Board of Education.
    If I had one idea about what's wrong with Christianity today is that the even moderately well educated recognize the hypocrisy and fraud common to fundy churches on science, gay rights, climate change , womens rights and a host of other issues.
    The reactionary behavior of so many adult Christians is simply driving young people away. The message of Christ is totally lost in conservative dogma in many of America's(but not all) Churches.

    September 4, 2013 at 4:27 pm |
  5. hharri

    out of his unfathomable love

    the price god had to pay,

    watching his son die a slow agonizing death

    and every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind.

    for you and me

    September 1, 2013 at 8:13 pm |
    • Lloyd

      Sounds like a plot for a "B" rated movie.

      September 2, 2013 at 11:22 am |
  6. Tima

    September 1, 2013 at 7:22 pm |
  7. Silver Fang

    The problem is popular Christianity is so unlike the message of love for God, neighbor and enemy that Christ Himself commanded that it discredits the whole faith. Those who truly know the message of Christ need to stand up and point out the discrepancies.

    September 1, 2013 at 4:14 pm |
    • Lloyd

      And start another religion? Don't we have too many religious wars already?

      September 2, 2013 at 10:33 pm |
  8. lee

    The fact that there is no good reason to believe anything they say probably has something to do with the exodus. – A millenial former catholic.

    August 29, 2013 at 5:00 pm |
  9. Steven CaboWabo

    There has been a really sharp decline in the number of people that the earth is the center of the universe, and the sun revolves around the earth. Wonder why.

    August 28, 2013 at 2:54 pm |
    • lee

      My thoughts exactly

      August 29, 2013 at 4:58 pm |
  10. Leigh Anne

    Why are people leaving the church?? Because it is no longer relevant to life as we know it. Educated individuals don't need theologians prancing around telling them how to see and believe about God.....they are MORE than capable of making that discernment themselves. So, religion based on mere theology is pretty worthless to them. try doing something useful like real charity work of feeding the poor, healing the sick, and taking on hypocritical religious leaders. Do some good in the world.

    August 28, 2013 at 11:56 am |
  11. utalkintome

    the internet: where religions go to die

    August 27, 2013 at 4:16 am |
  12. mzh

    112:1 – Say, "He is Allah , [who is] One,
    112:2 – Allah-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks).
    112:3 – He begets not, nor was He begotten;
    112:4 – And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.
    20:8 – Allah! La ilahla illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He)! To Him belong the Best Names.

    3:85 – Say, "We have believed in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [submitting] to Him."

    2:285 – The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination."

    2:256 – There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.

    August 25, 2013 at 11:19 pm |
    • Kate

      mzh, you've already been caught out in your lies. No, you won't get away this time with ignoring the explicit directives of the Quran for you to murder infidels, and to do other violent acts:

      It is not for any Prophet to have captives until he has made slaughter in the land. – 8:67

      Slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. – 2:191

      Fight against them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme. (different translation: ) Fight them until there is no persecution and the religion is God's entirely. – Sura 2:193 and 8:39

      Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it. – 2:216
      (different translation: ) Prescribed for you is fighting, though it is hateful to you.

      ..... martyrs.... Enter heaven – Surah 3:140-43

      But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever you find them. – 4:89

      O believers, take not Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends of each other. Those of you who make them his friends is one of them. God does not guide an unjust people. – 5:54

      Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme – 8:39

      O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there are 20 steadfast men among you, they shall vanquish 200; and if there are a hundred, they shall rout a thousand unbelievers, for they are devoid of understanding. – 8:65

      Allah and His apostle are free from obligations to idol-worshipers. Proclaim a woeful punishment to the unbelievers. – 9:2-3

      When the sacred months are over, slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them. – 9:5

      Fight those who believe neither in God nor the Last Day, nor what has been forbidden by God and his messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, even if they are People of the Book, until they pay the tribute and have been humbled. – 9:29 (another source: ) The unbelievers are impure and their abode is hell. (another source: ) Humiliate the non-Muslims to such an extent that they surrender and pay tribute.

      mzh, you are a lying, deceptive con artist. Be gone!

      August 29, 2013 at 12:14 am |
      • Jerome Haltom

        Seems reasonable he could just come back and state something like "those don't actually apply to us", which seems a similar argument to that used by Christians regarding the more unsavory directives in the Old Testament .

        August 29, 2013 at 1:33 am |
      • Observer

        It's amazing how close the commands are in the Quran and the Bible. Similar mindsets.

        August 29, 2013 at 1:37 am |
      • mzh

        There is an explanation for these verses and mankind do not want to learn but to be in dark by their own choices... its very unfortunate....

        August 29, 2013 at 4:43 pm |
      • mzh

        After few accepted Islam among the Mekkans, they were being punished or tourtured and even some of them tourtured to death... but Muslims were told by prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to be patient and not to say anything in reply... so Muslim did not engage in fight with the Mekkans Idol worshppers... unless these verses were revealed...

        August 29, 2013 at 4:46 pm |
      • awabnavi

        "Slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. – 2:191"? - Why have you left out the PRECEDING VERSE? Don't like it? Or are you IGNORANT about it. Here I will quote it for you to EDUCATE YOU. -

        The KEY WORDS are "BEGIN NOT HOSTILITIES" and "Allah loveth not, aggressors".

        Every other verse on fighting and killing is SUBJECT to this particular verse.

        Have you considered these verses too? -

        AND SLAY THEM WHEREVER YE FIND THEM, AND DRIVE THEM OUT OF THE PLACES WHENCE THEY DROVE YOU OUT, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first attack you there, but if they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers 2:191

        O ye who believe! WHEN YE GO FORTH (TO FIGHT) IN THE WAY OF ALLAH, BE CAREFUL TO DISCRIMINATE, AND SAY NOT UNTO ONE WHO OFFERETH YOU PEACE: "THOU ARE NOT A BELIEVER;" seeking the chance profits of this life (so that ye may despoil him).

        AND IF THEY INCLINE TO PEACE, INCLINE THOU ALSO TO IT, and trust in Allah. Lo! He is the Hearer, the Knower. 8:61

        The "Holy" Bible commands its followers (Christians & Jews) to kill EVERY MAN, WOMAN and CHILD of EVERY CITY they took. Can you find as SIMILAR HORRIBLE GENOCIDAL verse in the Quran? If so quote it.

        September 2, 2013 at 8:03 am |
  13. Just Call Me Lucifer

    Why are millenials leaving the church? Because christianity is bullshyte, just like every other religion. I should know, I happen to be a main character in one.

    August 25, 2013 at 6:34 pm |
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About this blog

The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.


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