"Let me keep company always with those who say "Look!" and laugh in astounishment, and bow their heads." From Mary Oliver's poem 'Mysteries, Yes' from her book Evidence.
I like that. I like that alot. That has been me this Sabbatical. I have been astounded by what I have seen, heard, experienced and felt. You can't help but laugh at Prairie Dogs when they stand up and yell at you when safe atop their mounds. You can't help but laugh as your dogs try to get them and end up running from hole to hole as the Prairie dogs take turns distracking them. And you wonder how the little three-legged dog pushes the bigger four-legged dog out of the way because the three-legged dog can dig faster. Watching two Texas dogs tip-toe through snow to do their business, and then when any adventure is over they come running back to you to be patted and scratched and told how great they are. How can you not bow your head in gratitude for the love they give you and for the One who created them.
Discoveries on mountain paths, in books, watching thunderstorms, experiencing sunrises and sunsets, standing in the falling snow, sitting in front of a fire with both your dogs in your lap, as you feel grateful because your spouse is laughing, or hugging your spouse in the middle of the afternoon just because you can, or hearing the wind in the tops of 60 foot pine trees. When you have these miracles spring upon you as if they were something totally new and you were the only one to notice, and then your are opened to the awareness that a "Thank You" would be approptiate, and to laugh out loud because you know Who to thank. Then you bow your head and are quiet.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
President Ahmadinejad, Part 2
Thanks to Patty Horridge for telling me that only part of my letter got posted. In order not to type the whole thing again. I ask you to accept my apologies and read this second part of what I consider to be an important letter.
President Ahmadinejad, part 2
You have said that the current world conditions cannot continue. You are absolutely correct. But we are all guilty of perpetuating the conditions. Imposition of one's thoughts on the international community is wrong whether it is in order to promote capitalism or religion. The killing of infidels or sinners doesn't help anymore than promoting poverty in order to produce profits.
I agree that the situation in Palestine and Israel is critical to world peace. As it stands now, it is not fair or just. But killing won't solve anything and revenge is self defeat. The military will not produce true peace; it will only maintain fear and mistrust. The military budgets are too large for every developed nation both East and West. War is not the answer. Liberalism and capitalism are not the main causes of war. Greed, fear, ignorance, and indifference are. Terrorism is the number one enemy of peace today. We are all victims. Terrorism is war without courage, responsibility, or honor. It is committed by cowards who purposely attack the innocent. It is almost always committed for some political or religious bias. It weakens all nations and prevents the trust that is needed to achieve real peace.
You have said that rulers distance themselves from values, morality, and divine teaching. I believe it is best seen in the separation, which is growing, between the rich and the poor in every country. Rulers have forgotten they are called to serve their people, not to have the people serve them. We could argue about human rights, especially the rights of woman, but I am not writing to argue, but to try to help.
I commend you for continually honoring the major prophets of God who came to promote peace and love, and to eliminate war, hate, injustice, and indifference. Then why aren't governments pursuing those God given mandates? I have studied many of the world's religions. To the best of my understanding they all acknowledge one God, known by many names, in some manner. The goal of every one of these religions can be summed up as: Honor God and be a blessing to one another. There will come a time when humanity will return to this knowledge that god is One, that God is good, and that He has given us all things necessary for justice, truth, love, and peace among all mankind.
War is a loser's game. No one ever wins and humanity always loses. All the great powers in history have fallen. The Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Germans, English, Russians, Spanish, and perhaps now the Americans have lost the vision for being a means of good for the world. Perhaps Islam is next in line. However, I believe it too will fail if it continues the pattern of expansion beyond need and control which has doomed all who have gone before. We are not created nor intended to control one another, but to support and enable one another as a way of honoring God.
Governments have been unable or unwilling to bring about peace, prosperity, and cooperation among nations. Religion has had its share of failures as well, usually caused by people who tried to play God.
My brother, Mahmoud, if you are serious about changing conditions and seeking peace, I humbly suggest that you and President Obama seriously consider calling for, and enabling, a conference of world religious leaders, not to argue theology, but to pursue "the peace of God that passes all understanding"(Philippians 4:7). I have many thoughts on how this would happen, but this is not the time for it. As I said, I intend for this letter to get out and become as public as God wants it to be. I expect this letter to make some people happy and some people angry, but that is the price of trying to honor God.
May God bless you and keep you, may God lift up His face and be gracious unto you, may God lift up His countenance and give you peace, now and always.
In His Name,
The Rev.Chuck Woehler
This letter has been sent to the Iranian Embassy in DC. I have talked to them and they will translate it and decide whether or not it will be sent to President Ahmadinejad. I have sent a copy to President Obama. I have trie to get in touch with the NY Times but they have not answered my phone calls or emails. Pray that God will use this for the wellbeing of all peolpe.
President Ahmadinejad, part 2
You have said that the current world conditions cannot continue. You are absolutely correct. But we are all guilty of perpetuating the conditions. Imposition of one's thoughts on the international community is wrong whether it is in order to promote capitalism or religion. The killing of infidels or sinners doesn't help anymore than promoting poverty in order to produce profits.
I agree that the situation in Palestine and Israel is critical to world peace. As it stands now, it is not fair or just. But killing won't solve anything and revenge is self defeat. The military will not produce true peace; it will only maintain fear and mistrust. The military budgets are too large for every developed nation both East and West. War is not the answer. Liberalism and capitalism are not the main causes of war. Greed, fear, ignorance, and indifference are. Terrorism is the number one enemy of peace today. We are all victims. Terrorism is war without courage, responsibility, or honor. It is committed by cowards who purposely attack the innocent. It is almost always committed for some political or religious bias. It weakens all nations and prevents the trust that is needed to achieve real peace.
You have said that rulers distance themselves from values, morality, and divine teaching. I believe it is best seen in the separation, which is growing, between the rich and the poor in every country. Rulers have forgotten they are called to serve their people, not to have the people serve them. We could argue about human rights, especially the rights of woman, but I am not writing to argue, but to try to help.
I commend you for continually honoring the major prophets of God who came to promote peace and love, and to eliminate war, hate, injustice, and indifference. Then why aren't governments pursuing those God given mandates? I have studied many of the world's religions. To the best of my understanding they all acknowledge one God, known by many names, in some manner. The goal of every one of these religions can be summed up as: Honor God and be a blessing to one another. There will come a time when humanity will return to this knowledge that god is One, that God is good, and that He has given us all things necessary for justice, truth, love, and peace among all mankind.
War is a loser's game. No one ever wins and humanity always loses. All the great powers in history have fallen. The Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Germans, English, Russians, Spanish, and perhaps now the Americans have lost the vision for being a means of good for the world. Perhaps Islam is next in line. However, I believe it too will fail if it continues the pattern of expansion beyond need and control which has doomed all who have gone before. We are not created nor intended to control one another, but to support and enable one another as a way of honoring God.
Governments have been unable or unwilling to bring about peace, prosperity, and cooperation among nations. Religion has had its share of failures as well, usually caused by people who tried to play God.
My brother, Mahmoud, if you are serious about changing conditions and seeking peace, I humbly suggest that you and President Obama seriously consider calling for, and enabling, a conference of world religious leaders, not to argue theology, but to pursue "the peace of God that passes all understanding"(Philippians 4:7). I have many thoughts on how this would happen, but this is not the time for it. As I said, I intend for this letter to get out and become as public as God wants it to be. I expect this letter to make some people happy and some people angry, but that is the price of trying to honor God.
May God bless you and keep you, may God lift up His face and be gracious unto you, may God lift up His countenance and give you peace, now and always.
In His Name,
The Rev.Chuck Woehler
This letter has been sent to the Iranian Embassy in DC. I have talked to them and they will translate it and decide whether or not it will be sent to President Ahmadinejad. I have sent a copy to President Obama. I have trie to get in touch with the NY Times but they have not answered my phone calls or emails. Pray that God will use this for the wellbeing of all peolpe.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Open letter to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
President Ahmadinejad,
Grace and peace to you in the Name of the One True God. I pray that all is well with you and those you love. I pray that you are faithfully seeking truth and justice for all people. I pray that you will be able to help the people of Iran and all the Middle East improve their quality of life.
My name is Chuck Woehler (pronounced Wayler) and I am an Episcopal Priest in San Antonio, Texas. I listened to your speech at the United Nations onSeptember 23rd of this year. It caused me to go back and read some of the other speeches youmade there in previous years. I have thought and prayed long and hard about responding to you. The easy way out would be to do nothing, but that would be unfaithful to my Lord. I truly believed I have been called to write to you. I do not know if you will receive this letter; and if you receive it, whether you will read it; and if you read it, whether you will respond. I am also going to post this letter on a blog and/or send it to a newsparper. I trust that whatever becomes of it it God's will.
You have said that there are two conflicting outlooks in the world. One is based on materialism, inequality, and oppression. This outlook promotes poverty by imposing its will on other nations. The other is based on the oneness of God, the teachings of His messenger, respect for human dignity, and a secure world for everyone. Apparently, the former isthe western nations, especially the United States; and the latter is the Islamic nations, especially Iran. With the questionable exception of the oneness of God, these two outlooks could apply to the opposite group of nations, depending on your viewpoint. Neither group is truly blameless, holy, or right.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
I don't remember the first time I took the Myers-Briggs Personality Test. Could have been before seminary, but I'm just don't know. I do know that I taken it in various groups for various reason at least 6 times. The first 4 were all the same - ENFP - with an extreme E. The last 2 times - INFJ. Kathryn says I must have lied the first 4 times because I've always been judged mental(intentional spelling). But the I really threw me for a loop. I consider my self friendly and outgoing, a real extrovert. I was sharing this change with someone who knows about these things and he asked me where my favorite place was. I said it was up in the mountains or in my study reading and listening to music. He said, "Well, there is your answer, you want to be alone." But immediately and almost defensively I said, "But I love being at St. Thomas on Sunday morning." He said he thought that I was more of an introvert, but that I probably got my energy from being with that group of people. I think that is true.
The reason I say all that is because of some reading I am doing now, by myself, about community. Eugene Peterson, in Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, says, "Sectarianism is to the community what heresy is to theology, a willful removal of a part from the whole." He says it is a willful and deliberate decision to leave the large community, in order to form a smaller community of special interests. In terms of the Christian community it says YES to Paul's question in 1 Cor 1:13, "Has Christ been divided?" It is group selfishness. It confuses uniformity with unity, and tries to make holy that which is not, because separation from the Body of Christ is separation from Christ. It is built upon self-spirituality, which is cafeteria style: I'll take a little of this and a little of that, oh, and some of that as well. Earlier he speaks of the Biblical sense of 'spiritual'. Spirituality is not even in the Bible. St. Paul used the word 'spiritual' to refer to actions or attitudes derived from the work of the Holy Spirit. It wasn't until the medieval Church that the word 'spirituality' was widely used and it was used to speak of the study and practice of living life as Jesus called us to and enabled by sending the Holy Spirit. Spirituality must be grounded in Christ and that is why the Eucharist is the central act of worship for Christians, because without it our spiritual formation in dominated by ideas about Jesus instead of receiving like from Jesus. And, Peterson says. "Spiritual formation is primarily what the Spirit does." Which means it is not so much about what we are doing. And this happens in community, because that is where Jesus is - the Body of Christ, His holiness and our humanity.
Sooooo, my time alone must be fed by guided by my time in community.
God bless you.
The reason I say all that is because of some reading I am doing now, by myself, about community. Eugene Peterson, in Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, says, "Sectarianism is to the community what heresy is to theology, a willful removal of a part from the whole." He says it is a willful and deliberate decision to leave the large community, in order to form a smaller community of special interests. In terms of the Christian community it says YES to Paul's question in 1 Cor 1:13, "Has Christ been divided?" It is group selfishness. It confuses uniformity with unity, and tries to make holy that which is not, because separation from the Body of Christ is separation from Christ. It is built upon self-spirituality, which is cafeteria style: I'll take a little of this and a little of that, oh, and some of that as well. Earlier he speaks of the Biblical sense of 'spiritual'. Spirituality is not even in the Bible. St. Paul used the word 'spiritual' to refer to actions or attitudes derived from the work of the Holy Spirit. It wasn't until the medieval Church that the word 'spirituality' was widely used and it was used to speak of the study and practice of living life as Jesus called us to and enabled by sending the Holy Spirit. Spirituality must be grounded in Christ and that is why the Eucharist is the central act of worship for Christians, because without it our spiritual formation in dominated by ideas about Jesus instead of receiving like from Jesus. And, Peterson says. "Spiritual formation is primarily what the Spirit does." Which means it is not so much about what we are doing. And this happens in community, because that is where Jesus is - the Body of Christ, His holiness and our humanity.
Sooooo, my time alone must be fed by guided by my time in community.
God bless you.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Max and God
I HATE COMPUTERS
The first paragraph posted on its own. I don't want to type it again so here is the rest.
Max, not a candidate for sainthood, is a 2 year old, 11 pound, Miniature Pinscher, or Min Pin as they are called. Max has 3 legs, but it doesn't seem to hinder him in any way, in fact it enables him to cuddle up in smaller places than a 4th leg would allow. He uses this to his advantage. We got him a year ago from a rescue shelter. They found him by a community pool with no tag. His leg was already gone and the scar was so well-healed that I believe it was amputated at a very young age due to a birth defect or injury. Max loves to play, which enables Pepper, who is twice Max's size, to practice her tolerance. At home Max loves to dig and run, which goes together well when he digs out of our yard to go exploring. Even when I have lined our fence with rocks, big rocks, that Max, I assume by calling on evil power, can move. He digs by laying down on the side with the missing leg and then put his one front leg into hyper-drive
until the desired hole appears. When he was first with us he would take any opportunity to get out the front door, even hiding under the table till no one was paying attention, and then he was gone. I think that may be why he was found abandoned. Maybe the owner just got tired of chasing him. Max will run around the neighborhood, not to anyplace in particular, because any adventure will do. He has even run into a neighbors house whose door was open because she was taking groceries in. He found their dog's food and invited himself to dinner. Obviously to this point he has always come back on his own or because he got tired and we caught him.
Pepper shames easily. Not Max. So when the adventure is over he looks at you as if to say, "let me know when you're ready to go again." Pepper knows that is wrong so she shames for him.
Well, in case you don't know we are outside of Taos in Jerry and Carol Woods' cabin. When we take walks with the dog, Max is on a leash, but Pepper doesn't need one. If she gets to far away all we have to do is call her and she will come right back. On the first walk two horses came up to the fence to check us out. I let them smell my hand and then petted them. I held up Max and they touched noses. Pepper stood on her back legs and stretched until she touched noses. When we got back to the cabin's driveway, feeling mercy, I let Max off the leash thinking he would follow Pepper up to the cabin. No. He took off down the road to see the horses. I'm yelling and chasing and he is ignoring me. He gets to them and starts visiting, allowing me to catch up. Then he is off again, but at least it is in the direction of the cabin. A combination of him getting tired, too many interesting smells to investigate and my determination not to let this runt beat me, I finally caught him. On the way back I could just sense that he was proud of himself.
On three separate occasions, Kathryn, of kinder disposition, took both dogs for a walk and each time Max convinced her it would be okay to take the leash off because he wouldn't run this time. the first time, about a 1/4 mile from the cabin Max took off across a field, probably looking for his horses. Kathryn realized he was gettin too far away and began the chase. She had to go through two barb-wired fences and knee-high grass before she approached a little creek that seperated the field from the mountain. She prayed. Max decided not to swim and started running again, but not back toward Kathryn. Well, God, having mercy on Kathryn, had Max get tired, and when she was close, and with a sweet voice, made Max role over and plead temporary insanity. The second time he must have forgotten about the horses because he went the other direction through the pine trees and aspen that seperate each cabin by thirty yards or more. Kathryn had to blaze a trail through the treesto try to stay close. Not to worry, Max who is adorable and quite charming when you meet him, found some new friends down the way and was visiting when Kathyrn came up. The third time Kathryn was just trying tget both dogs to lighten their loads before we put them in their kennels so we could go to town. This time Max pulled the collar over his head by backing up. She wasn't to far away and got the dogs moving in the right direction until Max went down a prairie dog hole. I started over to help, but I could see that he wasn't guite ready to go back. I called Pepper and started to run to the cabin with her zooming ahead. Not to be outdone, Max came running after us and - God is good - they both run up the steps to the cabin.
Now Pepper is a little like God. She just wants to be near us andlove us. Max is more like a lot of us and doesn't know what to do with his freedom. God has givien us freedom, it is part of Imago Dei. God is free to be fully God. She uses her freedomto create, restore and bless us and all creation. He gave us free will so that we could choose to love Her, or not. St. John the Evangelistsays the truth will set us free (4:8). Jesus is the truth (Jn 14:6) and Paul says for the purpose of freedom, Jesus set us free.(Gal 5:1). Twelve verses later Paul also says not to use our freedom to sin, to sererate ourselves form God..
Max has not yet received the Gospel. He has received plenty of grace and forgiveness. He senses freedom as doing whatever he wants (and I mean whatever he wants) whenever he wants. When he wants to he can pour on the charm, just ask anyone who knows him. But when he doesn't want to do something, he braces himslef in that three-point stance( the Cowboys oughta take some lessons) and flips his head the other way as if to say, "What, did I hear something? Where did it come from?" And yet like those of us who beleive in God, but haven't completely given ourselves to Him, Max keeps turning around when he is running to see if we are still there. Sometimes he listens, responds, obeys or gives up, and sometimes he doesn't. Then Max is like a cat or a teenager, or if we are honest, like most of us.
God is always seeking to be with us and for us to want and know His presence. But if we keep running away, misusing our freedom, giveing part of ourselves, part of the time, we will not know the closeness, the oneness God offers us.
I CAN'T make Max do what I want him to do.
God WON'T make us do what we don't want to do..
But I won't give up on Max, and God won't give up on us.
The first paragraph posted on its own. I don't want to type it again so here is the rest.
Max, not a candidate for sainthood, is a 2 year old, 11 pound, Miniature Pinscher, or Min Pin as they are called. Max has 3 legs, but it doesn't seem to hinder him in any way, in fact it enables him to cuddle up in smaller places than a 4th leg would allow. He uses this to his advantage. We got him a year ago from a rescue shelter. They found him by a community pool with no tag. His leg was already gone and the scar was so well-healed that I believe it was amputated at a very young age due to a birth defect or injury. Max loves to play, which enables Pepper, who is twice Max's size, to practice her tolerance. At home Max loves to dig and run, which goes together well when he digs out of our yard to go exploring. Even when I have lined our fence with rocks, big rocks, that Max, I assume by calling on evil power, can move. He digs by laying down on the side with the missing leg and then put his one front leg into hyper-drive
until the desired hole appears. When he was first with us he would take any opportunity to get out the front door, even hiding under the table till no one was paying attention, and then he was gone. I think that may be why he was found abandoned. Maybe the owner just got tired of chasing him. Max will run around the neighborhood, not to anyplace in particular, because any adventure will do. He has even run into a neighbors house whose door was open because she was taking groceries in. He found their dog's food and invited himself to dinner. Obviously to this point he has always come back on his own or because he got tired and we caught him.
Pepper shames easily. Not Max. So when the adventure is over he looks at you as if to say, "let me know when you're ready to go again." Pepper knows that is wrong so she shames for him.
Well, in case you don't know we are outside of Taos in Jerry and Carol Woods' cabin. When we take walks with the dog, Max is on a leash, but Pepper doesn't need one. If she gets to far away all we have to do is call her and she will come right back. On the first walk two horses came up to the fence to check us out. I let them smell my hand and then petted them. I held up Max and they touched noses. Pepper stood on her back legs and stretched until she touched noses. When we got back to the cabin's driveway, feeling mercy, I let Max off the leash thinking he would follow Pepper up to the cabin. No. He took off down the road to see the horses. I'm yelling and chasing and he is ignoring me. He gets to them and starts visiting, allowing me to catch up. Then he is off again, but at least it is in the direction of the cabin. A combination of him getting tired, too many interesting smells to investigate and my determination not to let this runt beat me, I finally caught him. On the way back I could just sense that he was proud of himself.
On three separate occasions, Kathryn, of kinder disposition, took both dogs for a walk and each time Max convinced her it would be okay to take the leash off because he wouldn't run this time. the first time, about a 1/4 mile from the cabin Max took off across a field, probably looking for his horses. Kathryn realized he was gettin too far away and began the chase. She had to go through two barb-wired fences and knee-high grass before she approached a little creek that seperated the field from the mountain. She prayed. Max decided not to swim and started running again, but not back toward Kathryn. Well, God, having mercy on Kathryn, had Max get tired, and when she was close, and with a sweet voice, made Max role over and plead temporary insanity. The second time he must have forgotten about the horses because he went the other direction through the pine trees and aspen that seperate each cabin by thirty yards or more. Kathryn had to blaze a trail through the treesto try to stay close. Not to worry, Max who is adorable and quite charming when you meet him, found some new friends down the way and was visiting when Kathyrn came up. The third time Kathryn was just trying tget both dogs to lighten their loads before we put them in their kennels so we could go to town. This time Max pulled the collar over his head by backing up. She wasn't to far away and got the dogs moving in the right direction until Max went down a prairie dog hole. I started over to help, but I could see that he wasn't guite ready to go back. I called Pepper and started to run to the cabin with her zooming ahead. Not to be outdone, Max came running after us and - God is good - they both run up the steps to the cabin.
Now Pepper is a little like God. She just wants to be near us andlove us. Max is more like a lot of us and doesn't know what to do with his freedom. God has givien us freedom, it is part of Imago Dei. God is free to be fully God. She uses her freedomto create, restore and bless us and all creation. He gave us free will so that we could choose to love Her, or not. St. John the Evangelistsays the truth will set us free (4:8). Jesus is the truth (Jn 14:6) and Paul says for the purpose of freedom, Jesus set us free.(Gal 5:1). Twelve verses later Paul also says not to use our freedom to sin, to sererate ourselves form God..
Max has not yet received the Gospel. He has received plenty of grace and forgiveness. He senses freedom as doing whatever he wants (and I mean whatever he wants) whenever he wants. When he wants to he can pour on the charm, just ask anyone who knows him. But when he doesn't want to do something, he braces himslef in that three-point stance( the Cowboys oughta take some lessons) and flips his head the other way as if to say, "What, did I hear something? Where did it come from?" And yet like those of us who beleive in God, but haven't completely given ourselves to Him, Max keeps turning around when he is running to see if we are still there. Sometimes he listens, responds, obeys or gives up, and sometimes he doesn't. Then Max is like a cat or a teenager, or if we are honest, like most of us.
God is always seeking to be with us and for us to want and know His presence. But if we keep running away, misusing our freedom, giveing part of ourselves, part of the time, we will not know the closeness, the oneness God offers us.
I CAN'T make Max do what I want him to do.
God WON'T make us do what we don't want to do..
But I won't give up on Max, and God won't give up on us.
All (wo)men are created equal inthe eyes of God, yet all of us are unique individuals with our own skills, personalities, likes and dislikes and so on. This same truth applies to dogs. St. Pepper, of whom I wrote yesterday, is now 9, but still devoted to Kathyrn, and sometimes me. She is attentive to us,obedient, smart, playful(at times), tolerante of other dogs(when necessary) and lives to please us and love us.
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