Have you seen a great light?

Last week my family spent some vacation days at Virginia Beach. We had no agenda other than to spend time together, to finish our Christmas shopping, play and rest. We did all of that and more.



One day we traveled to Williamsburg. We toured the Governor's Palace and the Courthouse. Many of the houses and shops were decorated with beautiful wreaths on the doors and candle lights in the windows. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at one of the taverns. After sunset, we were treated to a fife and drum performance on the main street.

On another day we made our way up to Chincoteague Island and the Assateague Island National Seashore where wild ponies roam and blue herons, cranes and egrets wade in the waters. While there, we also visited the Assoteague Lighthouse.



Later in the week we visited Fort Story, home to two lighthouses. We climbed to the top of the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse which is the first lighthouse authorized and built by the federal government. Once at the top of the old lighthouse, we had a nice view of the newer, functional Cape Henry Lighthouse that guides ships into the Chesapeake Bay.











Virginia Beach is home to a wonderful, three mile boardwalk that provided a great place to walk during the day. Each night, the boardwalk transformed into a festival of lights, an annual grand illumination event featuring animated nautical and holiday-themed light displays.



It seemed that every day, I was drawn to some source of light. Whether it was the illuminated candles in a window, lights on a Christmas tree, a lighthouse or the sun rising over the ocean, I was reminded of the importance of light during this holy season. I often thought of Isaiah 9:2,6 which reminds us that "the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined...For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

There are many individuals for whom this holiday season is void of light. They are experiencing a time of darkness in their lives for various reasons. Maybe they are traveling through unknown or unfamiliar territory as they are dealing with grief after the death of a loved one. Perhaps a family member has been laid off from a job and the savings account is depleted. Some individuals may be picking up the pieces of shattered dreams and hopes as a result of the end of an important relationship. Maybe sickness or disease has disrupted someone's journey.

Whatever your circumstances during this holiday season, may the light of the world shine through the darkness and give you peace.

I've just sent President Obama a holiday card asking him to give a gift to the world and support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Global Fund has already saved 4.9 million lives in just 6 years and if we can convince President Obama to take action, we can make sure that millions more of the world's poorest people survive these deadly, but treatable diseases and are able to live healthy, productive lives.


Send President Obama a holiday message on the Global Fund here:

http://one.org/us/globalgift/index.html?rc=globalgiftmailto

Together as ONE we can make a difference!

Thanks!

Do you REALLY know what you're eating?

I've been a member of Netflix for quite some time now. Most of the movies I choose to watch are comedies, dramas or "chick flicks." Every now and then, I choose a documentary and the latest to arrive in my mailbox was Food, Inc. The film is directed by Robert Kenner and co-produced with Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation. It is an expose on what has been hidden from consumers in the United States.

The film opens with the news that the average American supermarket has over 47,000 products available for purchase and that there are no seasons in the market. We are now able to purchase fruits and vegetables year-round, but many of the food items are genetically engineered and grown in unnatural environments.

Kenner points out that the industrial food system began with fast food. The factory system was brought to the fast food kitchen, such as in McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken. McDonald's Corporation is one of the largest purchasers of ground beef and has changed how ground beef is produced. It's all about uniformity and conformity in production and the cheaper the better.

The film takes a look at the transformation of farms into factories. With the decline of tobacco farming in recent years, many farmers have turned to raising chickens. With hidden cameras, the viewer gets an inside look at how chickens are now raised. From the egg to their death, many chickens never see daylight as they live in crowded, dark chicken houses. They are fed antibiotics and allowed to grow twice as big. Due to their rapid growth, some of the chickens cannot support their own weight and die on the chicken house floor.

Next, the viewer gets a view into the process how cows are mass-produced, corn-fed and then slaughtered and ground into "hamburger meat filler" which is then cleansed with ammonia and ammonia hydroxide. Many of the cows seen in the film are in feed lots, standing ankle deep in their manure and eating corn that makes them fatten up at a faster rate than those that are grass-fed.

Many farmers are now being encouraged to grow as much corn as they can. In fact, 30% of U.S. land base is now being planted in corn. The film states that much of our industrial food is a clever rearrangement of corn. Many products on supermarket shelves are made with corn, such as ketchup, cheese, peanut butter, syrup, soft drinks and juices. Take a look at a food label and you're likely to see that high fructose corn syrup is an ingredient. According to the film, as much as 70% of processed foods in our supermarkets contain genetically modified ingredients.

The chicken, beef and corn farmers have become slaves to huge corporations and the government. The companies control the farmers and often make demands for upgrades and new equipment. According to the film, the average debt for a chicken farmer is $500,00 for two chicken houses. That farmer can expect to earn only $18,000 per year. The farmers are slaves to the companies.

Since food companies such as Tyson, Cargill, Perdue, Monsato and Smithfields declined to be interviewed on camera, Food, Inc. helps us to know what the corporations, the USDA and the FDA aren't telling us and don't want us to know.

If you want to discover ten simple things you can do to change our food system, click here.
There is much more information to be learned in the film and I hope you might get a chance to watch it. Just don't eat any popcorn while you're watching it.

Hormone, Hormone the range?

My son Samuel was born about 5 weeks before I turned 39 years old. He is now a teenager and this week, I will turn 52 years old. So, we have an interesting mix going on in our home - adolescent development meets menopause.

Samuel's growing by leaps and bounds. He's now about an inch taller than his mother. He's spending more time looking in the mirror, wondering how to mask the pimples that are appearing on his chin and nose. He's requested that I buy AXE shower wash and shampoo and I do so because at least it encourages him to shower more frequently. He spends a great deal of time in his room with the door closed. Much of that time, he's on the computer playing Runescape and chatting with friends on Skype. Every thirty minutes or so he comes out of the room, bounds down the stairs to the kitchen where I find him holding the refrigerator or pantry door open, looking for something to eat. Yep, he's a teenager.

And then there's me. I'm right in the middle of menopause. I think my spine is shrinking due to age, so maybe that's why Samuel seems taller. My midsection has grown due to opening the refrigerator and pantry doors and my mouth too often. Periodically, I use a lotion that promises to be age-defying. So far, it hasn't lived up to the claim. I go to the gym and work out, but the pounds are coming off at a slow pace. My nights are spent throwing off the covers due to periodic hot flashes. When I'm not throwing off the covers, I'm getting up in the middle of the night to empty my bladder.

And then, there's the attitude to add to this interesting mix of mother and son, menopause and teen development. Take yesterday for example. I had scheduled a photo shoot for Samuel to document him turning thirteen. We drove to downtown Raleigh to meet our friend Ashley with Story Photographers. Ashley began working with Samuel and doing her magic with the camera. At one point, I made some funny faces and "walked like an Egyptian," trying to get Samuel to smile or laugh. He immediately put up his hand and said, "Stop it!" I stopped and got out of the way.

Later in the car, I thanked Samuel for being a good sport and for being patient during the photo shoot. He said, "Why are you thanking me when you made me do it?" Ouch.

Samuel had a band concert after the photo shoot. On the way to the school, I told him I would meet him in front of the band room after the concert. His response was, "Don't come to the band room. Just meet me at the entrance to the school." Ouch again.

During the concert, Samuel had a trumpet solo on a song called "Red Balloon" by Anne McGinty. The composer was inspired to write the tune after seeing a painting of an old man with a child holding a red balloon. I couldn't help but think of the young son whose hands used to hold mine and red balloons. He's letting go of my hand and I'm having to release him in small and big ways as he finds his way through adolescence to adulthood.

And I sat and cried. That is, after all, what a teenager and menopause can do to a woman.

What else should be banned while driving?

On June 19, 2009, Governor Bev Purdue signed new legislation into law banning text messaging by all drivers. As of December 1, 2009, any driver caught texting while driving will be fined $100 plus court costs. Drivers under the age of 18 had already been banned from using any mobile communication device while driving.


Texting is not the only thing banned in the new law. The use of additional technology associated with a mobile phone while driving is also banned, such as a camera, e-mail, music, the Internet and games. There are exceptions to the new law in the event of an emergency and one is welcome to use the mobile phone if the vehicle is not in motion.

But I have to wonder - If texting while driving is banned, shouldn't other dangerous actions and behaviors undertaken while behind the wheel also be banned?

* What about a woman putting on make-up while driving to work?
* What about a man using an electric shaver while driving?
* What about those who are eating their bagels or hamburgers while driving?
* What about those who are reading a map or glancing at the GPS unit on the dashboard?
* What about those writing notes or reading a newspaper?
* What about the parent who reaches around to the back seat to give a sippy cup to child?
* What about smokers who light up a cigarette or cigar while driving, then flick their ashes out a half open window?

In many ways, our cars have become entertainment centers, mobile offices, living rooms and kitchens. Too many of us have become driven to distraction by modern technology. As the bumper sticker says, we just need to "hang up and drive."

What have you seen others doing while driving?

Where do I go if I can't go to the church?

My friend, Hugh Hollowell, works as an inner-city minister in the downtown area of Raleigh, N.C. and is the founder of Love Wins Ministries. He is a seeker of peace and justice for the poor, the homeless and those that many in our society choose to ignore.

I like that Hugh tells it like it is. He did just that in his October newsletter that I received by e-mail today. With his permission, his letter is included below. The story he tells should cause us to rise up, to speak up, and be moved to action. His words should move us to anger, sadness, frustration and irritation, in particular with the church (and the city government). This is yet another example of the church moving so very far away from what Christ intended it to be.

Read it and weep.


Dear Friends,

Several weeks ago I sat in a room full of pastors from downtown churches in a forum called by the Raleigh Police Department. Ostensibly, it was to talk about how faith communities can properly secure their premises, especially in light of Martha's murder a few months ago. The gist of the presentation was about church security - having your facilities well lit, etc. And then, they started talking about the homeless.

We saw pictures of dangerous criminals (their words), all but one of whom were black, as examples of the sort of people we should be watching out for. (Of course, most of the folks in the audience were white, so this played with their stereotypes perfectly.) Then they presented us all with trespass letters, which, if signed and placed on file with the police, would give them permission to arrest folks found on their property after hours. The entire presentation built to this, and you got the feeling this was the whole reason for the meeting.

There aren't near enough shelter beds. If you are unhoused and needed a safe place, you might think about going to sit out of the rain under the awning at the corner church. Especially since the church is closed so you won't scare any of the rich white people who attend there. If you thought this way you wouldn't be alone. There are several churches downtown where friends of mine sleep - behind their dumpsters, in the shrubs, under the awning. Because it is well lit, clean and generally safe.

The police work for the city, which makes revenue from developers, who sell houses to rich people who do not like seeing homeless people. So the police are under a lot of pressure to "clean up" the homeless problem. The police are frustrated by the churches that have allowed people to sleep on their grounds. So, the police scare the daylights out of the church leaders, throw Martha's death in the mix, show some scary pictures of black men and convince a goodly number of the downtown churches to put up no trespassing signs, enabling the police to act on those trespass letters they wanted us to sign.

The presenters assured us they did not want to interfere with our mission - they just wanted us to help them keep us 'safe'.

I was the only one who stood up and said that our mission does not call for us to be safe - it calls for us to show extreme love and radical hospitality. I asked the people, preachers and police alike, the following question: If you are tired and hungry and alone and have no home and no hope - if you cannot go to the church, where should you go?

No one had any answers to that. The police officer told me he understood, but that was not his job.

But it is my job. It is our job. To extend grace and love to the other. Not to put up signs to keep people who don't look like us away.

So I have spent the last few weeks telling my friends who sleep outside that churches are not safe places anymore. That the No Trespassing signs mean they will be arrested. And when they ask me where they are supposed to go if they can't go to church, I tell them I don't know. And when they leave, I cry.

Love Wins. Always.

Hugh Hollowell

Are you going to the reunion?

I love reunions. I have fond memories of attending family reunions as a child and teenager. Family members would gather, dishes of delicious food would fill the long tables, aunts and uncles would marvel at how the children had grown, stories would be shared and cameras would capture the memories. When it was over, I looked forward to the passing of another year to attend the next reunion.

In the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to attend several reunions. These events were not family reunions, but they sure did feel like it.

On October 3, I had the opportunity to attend a reunion of former youth group members who were at Woodhaven Baptist Church where I served as Minister of Youth and Education from 1993 - 1998. Many of them are now married and some have young children. Most of them have college degrees and are employed. A few are business owners. Some are stay-at-home moms.

I enjoyed holding and cuddling their babies, learning about their current lives, and reminiscing about the youth group years. I was especially glad to learn that many of them are volunteers and leaders in churches, teaching Sunday School, participating in mission trips and leading in worship. It was such a joy to gather with these friends, their families and former volunteer leaders for a day of renewing the ties that bind us to one another, both in the past and the present.

Most recently, I attended another reunion of sorts. I'm lucky enough to still be in touch with a group of friends from my college days at Appalachian State University (ASU). We try to get together as often as time allows. This past weekend, three of us went to Boone, N.C. to attend homecoming events.

We stood in the rain and watched the homecoming parade as it traveled through the downtown area before the football game. Following the parade, we were treated to a cookout at the Baptist Student Union (BSU), the place where we met one another while students. Scrapbooks filled with pictures of us and other BSU friends brought many laughs and good memories.

Before the football game, we walked around the campus, seeing the dorms we lived in and some of the buildings where we attended classes. We then joined the crowd in the newly expanded stadium, cheering on the Mountaineer football team and watching the son of one of my friends play the saxophone in the ASU Marching Band of Distinction. Many renovations and changes were apparent on the campus, but the love and the bond shared with these friends has remained constant for over 30 years.

These two reunions provided the opportunity to renew old friendships, to catch up with those I have not seen in years, and to share memories of times gone by. I suppose that reunions are ways to revisit our roots and be reminded of the people and places that hold great significance in our lives.

As a result of my experiences in the last few weeks, I'm grateful for the past, for cherished memories, life-long friendships, and the sense of belonging I feel with those who, at one time or another, were and still remain like family to me.