A Milestone Moment

The other day, Mama and 2 of the 3 little guys who joined our home last weekend brought Bobby to the meeting spot for his week at Sibling Camp. The Baby and James stayed behind with the sitter. I was at work.

I got a call from James asking if he could go for a jog.

After the usual discussion of safety and routes, I wished him a good run, and he said.......

are you ready for this........

are you sitting down.......

this doesn't happen every day.......

"Thanks. Love you."

Did you hear that?

Now, I don't know if he even realized he said it, but I am going with it! In fact, after I hung up I shared it with my co-workers!

Wait, it gets better.

He called me after his run to tell me all about it. Feeling pretty good about that.

Wordless Wednesday

The $600 Billion Challenge

If you follow Mama Drama Time Two you may have read that I had the honor of being the guest "preacher" at our church in VT last weekend. I'll be starting my third and final year of my lay-ministry program and I'm trying to get a sense of the direction my "calling" will take me. I enjoyed doing the Sunday service and have been asked to consider being the Chaplain to the Fire Department, but social justice is a passion of mine. So, I'll keep my ears and heart open for signs. Here is the sermon I gave last weekend (Mama Drama suggested I post it.)


“Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett are asking the nation's billionaires to pledge to give at least half their net worth to charity, in their lifetimes or at death. If their campaign succeeds, it could change the face of philanthropy.”

So reads the headlines of the June 16, 2010 on-line Fortune Magazine.

In the August 4 news cycles it was reported that they and 38 (of the estimated 400) billionaires vowed to give away half their fortunes.

Imagine the change this could make in our society if they are as successful as they hope--$600 billion given to charity! It has the potential to dramatically change the charitable behavior of Americans. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a direct line to one of them?

But, I imagine the billionaires are feeling a bit anxious about the whole thing--What does going public with big gifts do to the peace in your life? Won't pleas from charities be unending?

Bill & Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet wanted that “a small group of dedicated philanthropists be somehow assembled to discuss strategies for spreading the gospel to others.”

Luke tells us in today’s reading:

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor.”

I don’t know if Bill, Melinda and Warren had this passage in mind when they started the $600 Billion Challenge but it does make me go hmmmmm.

What I do know is that I’m not a billionaire but I do have a very rich life. So what is the message here?

Luke tells us that it is God's good pleasure to give us the kingdom. So, maybe He’s challenging us to give in response to God's gift: sell your possessions and give alms--give to those who are poor.

Some very smart Biblical Scholars tell us that almsgiving, along with prayer and fasting, make up the foundation of Jewish devotion. And this important tradition of almsgiving and praying and fasting continued in the early Christian communities. The giving they did was directed to those who did not have what they needed. Giving had a certain priority, and that priority was concern for the poor. Almsgiving was a way of doing justice.

I don’t believe Jesus is telling us to literally sell everything and give away the proceeds. I think he’s saying to look at our lives and what’s keeping us from His Kingdom. What are we holding onto in this world–stuff that won’t last anyway. Are we good stewards of our gifts? Isn’t the kind of life Jesus is talking about more about choosing to live more simply, choosing to intentionally have less stuff, choosing to cease from amassing more stuff? Isn’t it about choosing to discover our sense of well-being in a just sharing of material possessions?

Be generous in giving to those in need.

If we do this, God will reward us with lasting riches in heaven.

“Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

If we read the last verse closely, we see that Jesus tells us that our heart will follow our treasure. Jesus knows that our hearts are quite often not where our stated priorities are -- the heart does not follow the head. Our hearts follow our treasure—our stuff.

Throughout much of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus talks to His disciples about their fears and worries and each time reminds them that God knows where they are and what they need. Jesus also calls His disciples to responsibility—to focus on seeking God's kingdom.

Jesus is teaching us what really matters in life. He is reminding us life is about more than making the next appointment, retrieving all the E-mail, aiming for the next promotion, or taking the dream vacation.

So, whether you’re a billionaire or a farmer, Jesus reminds us of what really matters. He understands our tendency to get wrapped up in the things of this life. Many of these may be good things, but they become a higher priority than knowing God. They become the focus of our lives . . .

Jesus makes it very clear that He wants our treasure to be in heaven.

Time Warp?

We picked Bobby up from his summer camp this past weekend. It's the same camp our oldest, Alex, now 20, attended when he was Bobby's age. I take a lot of pictures but can usually remember where and when the pictures were taken. I can also see in my mind the images I've taken. So, when I looked at the photos from Bobby's camp drop-off, it jogged my memory. So, I dug through my 50 or so photo albums and found the pictures from our Alex's drop-off. A little compare and contrast ... notice the same color shirts on the boys? the same color outfit on Mamma? the same poses?

I'm not sure what all this means but I give us points for consistency.

My Day with Kids

I had a series of interesting interactions with kids today. My first was with James this morning when I had to point out the pile of old (and I do mean old) ice pop wrappers hidden between the front flap of the couch in the family room. Yes, you read that right. The front bottom "fringe" of the couch had apparantly split, creating a pocket. This became the repository for the empty wrappers. Now this would not be a big deal if not for the fact that I filled a plastic grocery bag with empty ice pop wrappers last Friday--from behind the video game console, under the computer table, on top of the computer table, under the table cloth of the end table, between the cushions of the love seat, under the couch...you get the idea. Imagine my surprise when I stepped to pick up the remote from the floor and stepped on another pile of wrappers! Of course, the best part was when I asked him what why he thought that was a good place to discard his wrappers. His response: (insert silence here). Yup, nothing. It was going to be a long day.

Then, at the youth service agency I run, I overheard one of the kids calling someone else a homo. Oh boy. After we got through the denial and evasiveness, and a discussion on the 2 definitions for the word "gay," he agreed that he used the word in a hurtful way. When I told him that I'm gay and that what he said hurt my feelings, he seemd genuinely bothered.



Next, one of the 6 girls we chose to attend a week-long basketball camp for girls run by a former professional women's basketball player and olympic gold medalist came in to see me. She wanted to me she had been chosen MVP for her team at camp, show me her basketball shoes that were signed by former and current professional women's basketball players, and to thank me for picking her.



And, finally, when James and I went to pick up his uniform, there was a female classmate of his also getting her equipment--that's right--a GIRL is playing on his team. As a pre-Title IX-er, this is very cool. And, it's pretty gutsy for a middle school girl to put herself out there like that. I told her I want to be her when I grow up.



I also got lots of high fives, fist pounds, hugs, smiles, invitations to share snacks, requests for tape and markers, and a sneak peak at the Drama Club's performance.

A Great Vacation!

Well, our semi child-free week in VT will soon be coming to an end. Work, appointments, reality will soon be here.

The Mamma and I had a fine time doing a whole lot of nothing--especially not planning and preparing meals! It's not like we didn't eat--fear not--we just had a more leisurely approach. My favorite meal was corn on the cob and watermelon followed by ice cream. If it helps any, we walked to the ice cream stand.

Mamma experimented with her new sewing machine....

I rewatched Season 1 of "West Wing."

We spent some nice time with our oldest, bought a new area rug for the Family Room, looked at new linolium for the kitchen, test drove a 2010 Dodge Caravan, napped, read, and puttered. Last night we had dinner with some friends, went to a "parade" in town then to a band concert.

Today, I may buy a kayak!

But the best part was spending quiet, alone time with the Mamma and reconnecting in simple yet very important ways. And, we get to do it all again next week!

My Happy Little Felons

I received my reminder email about my upcoming Community Accountability Board (CAB) meeting. In my professional life I volunteer on a monthly community-based restorative justice program run by our county sheriff’s department. Restorative Justice is a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior rather than just punishing. It is based on a model of cooperation that includes all stakeholders—perpetrator, victims, law enforcement.

Each month my group of five community volunteers meets with four inmates (individually) who are in the last stages of their sentences and will soon be returning to our community. Since I run a youth service organization smack-dab in the middle of two low-income housing projects, I have a vested interest in knowing who’s moving in. Each inmate must attend four sessions with us. Our job is to help them identify the victims of their crime, find meaningful ways to make amends to the individual and community, and identify ways to keep from re-offending. We listen to their story, what brought them to incarceration, why they volunteered for CAB, ask them the hard questions, like, “What’s different this time?” and give them homework assignments.

Doesn’t that all sound just so enlightened? Well, can I just tell you how tiring it is to hear the same story over and over again? Maybe I’ve become cynical but I just don’t buy the “I want to do better for my kids” line when it’s the person’s 3rd, 7th, 11th incarceration for the same crime! We had one individual in front of us who has 8 children by 3 different women and could barely remember the names of all his kids! I mean really. Then there’s the guy who took the rap—and has spent the last 18 months in jail—for a family member because the family member “had more to lose.” WHAT?! What does that tell us about the value he places on his own 4 kids??? They don’t mean enough to him! And, one of my favorites, the guy who broke his 6 month old’s arm when he violently grabbed her because she was crying and he was tired. He actually thinks he’s going to get custody of his kids when he gets out. Another classic was the man who insisted that he did not have a drinking problem, he has a driving problem. As long as he doesn’t drive, he can drink all he wants. And we can’t forget the 52 year old addict, serving out his 8th sentence, who thought it was a good thing for him to be out, hanging on the streets, ‘cause he could be a role model for the kids on who NOT to become.

Of course, 99% of the crimes and issues we’ve had before us can be linked back to substance abuse. Whether it’s the 18 year old who is serving time for breaking and entering to support his habit, the stereotypical gang banger in for distribution (wasn’t his fault, wrong place, wrong time, wrong person), or the health care worker addicted to pain meds who was stealing from the clinic. Drugs will own you.

But we have has some success stories. Folks who are actually ready to take personal responsibility for their decisions, actions, behaviors, and attitudes. Folks who feel legitimate remorse for what they’ve done and who they’ve hurt, and want to make things right. I guess that’s why I keep attending—people can change and there is always hope.