Book burning? Really?

I really need to stop reading the T-C Line comments in our local newspaper. It is best to start your day right by prepping for whatever stresses lay ahead and reading the T-C line is not a good thing to do first thing in the morning. Lately I've tried to convince myself that the people who call in are hoaxters who just enjoy getting a rise out of people. I mean, there's no way people who live right next to the airport would actually complain about noise from the airplanes. I'm only able to sleep at night because I've convinced myself these people aren't for real.

So when I caught this article on CNN about a library controversy in Wisconsin, I told myself it must be a joke. I'm really hoping Alan Abel is behind all this.

So much to say about this situation.

I think my favorite part of the article is when the Maziarkas demand books that will affirm heterosexuality, preferably by "ex-gays". I guess they don't understand that the thousands of other young adult books that are about heterosexual relationships already do that. They don't need to blatantly say that homosexuality is wrong for kids to get the message. It's kind of like the hundreds of TV shows that feature a nearly all white cast versus the handful of shows featuring mostly black or latino characters. This disproportionate ratio sends the message to all people of color that they aren't the norm in our society and therefore need to act more white so they can meet the standards. So there's no need to add anti-gay books to the collection of young adult reading material because the job is already taken care of. The Longmont Public Library has more than enough books that have been published by Focus on the Family to balance out the books containing homosexuality.

I also like how they are demanding that these sexually explicit books be moved to the adult book collection. I agree with a lot of the folks who left comments on the article: perhaps parents should take responsibility and keep an eye on what their kids are reading. But for the many kids whose parents don't do that (like the families I currently work with), maybe it isn't such a bad thing to have the books available. These kids/tweens/teens are probably seeing a lot of sex on TV and in the movies, so why not expose it to them in books? At least they have to use their imagination. Just sayin'. My experience with at-risk youth has shown me that kids don't want to read the "classics" like Little Women and Tom Sayer. Oftentimes the only way we can get them actively engaged in reading a book is if the book is crude or silly like Captain Underpants.

Cataloging books in a library can be a challenge at times. I remember when the Harry Potter books came out and the librarians were all in a tizzy over where to shelve them. They ultimately decided to put the 6th and 7th books in the Teen section because there was kissing and a fair share of violence/fighting in them. It made sense to me. I question a lot of other books in our library. I think maybe they should make an entirely new section for wishy washy books. I'm talking about the books that aren't quite non-fiction and not quite fiction. There are many titles that I've shelved in their proper place on the non-fiction shelves but have been tempted to put them on the fiction shelves. Ann Coulter could have her own end-of-aisle display in this new section.

So, I guess there will always be a debate about books especially when they are bought by tax-payers' money. I do feel bad for the library director in West Bend- I certainly don't think he deserves to be tarred and feathered.

Dreamer Video

As if you haven't been bombarded with celebrity news this week, here's a little diddy about Anthony Carter. Actually, the video is a promotion for AC, but it features our Dreamers at our Community Center. And no, I didn't pay the cameramen to get so much screen time.

1.21 Gigawatts!

Now that I've revealed I'm a bit of a sports fan, I'm also going to let you in on another secret. I'm a time-travel geek. I absolutely love the concept of time travel. I have to make it clear that I don't necessarily think it is possible for us to time travel, but I love it when people theorize about it. I'd like to pay tribute to some of the great pop-culture time traveling adventures:

Lost I watched the first 4 seasons of this show in the months right after I returned from Mississippi. It was a great coping mechanism and distraction from all the crazy emotions going on with me. I thought the show was decent during the first 4 seasons, but when the time travel concept came about in season 5, I officially labeled myself a LOST freak!

Back to the Future I think most will agree that this is the best time traveling movie/series out there. I loves me some Michael J Fox!

The Time Traveler's Wife From the moment I opened this book, I was hooked. While the plot can be very complex at times, the story is so incredible, it keeps you going until the end.

Bill and Ted I have to say, this was Keanu Reeves at his finest! Classic 80s. Love it. San Dimas High School football rules! (Yes, I own two of these movies on DVD)

Napoleon Dynamite Doesn't matter how many times I see it- Napoleon getting his junk fried by the time machine is hilarious!

Peggy Sue Got Married More from the classic 80s. I love the concept of Peggy Sue going back to high school and figuring out if she wants to change how things turned out. The ending is terrific.

A Wrinkle in Time I think this book is what got me started on my time travel obsession. I remember reading it as a kid and having the feeling that my head was spinning, but not wanting it to stop!

Lost in Austen I just watched this series this weekend and have to admit that I enjoyed it. It is about a women in 2008, in her 20s, obsessed with Pride and Prejudice, who somehow swaps places with Elizabeth Bennett and interferes with everyone's lives. Normally I steer clear of anything that tries to twist this tale, but I found out it was about time travel and couldnt stop myself from watching. It's like bubble wrap.

I might be a sports fan after all

I hope you’re sitting down, because I’m about to blog about sports. I know, weird.

Nuggets Fever is hitting Colorado something fierce right now since they are playing better than they have in 24 years. They haven’t been the Western Conference Finals since before I was born, so I guess you could say they’ve been in a lull. We’ve seen the AVs, the Broncos and the Rockies all make it to their sport’s respective final game, but the Nuggets have been written off as somewhat of a joke. That isn’t to say that I’m not a fan of theirs. I very much enjoy the Nuggets even though they play a game I’m not particularly interested in (might have something to do with the embarrassment I suffered in 4th grade while playing basketball and I scored in my own basket).

Of course I still think professional basketball players are over-payed, ego-inflated giants full of testosterone. But I can look past all that and enjoy it for what it is. I’ve come to recognize how sports and other topics are important to our society. It is safe to talk about sports. In Mississippi, folks got tired of talking about Katrina and recovery and construction. But bring up the topic of the Saints or Brett Favre and you’ve got yourself a conversation filled with smiles and memories and hope. Same thing goes for today. Conversing with a neighbor can be awkward when they’ve lost their job, are about to lose their home and have no idea when this economy will recover. But talk about the Nuggets and you can forget all that.

We here with “I Have a Dream” have a particular interest in the Nuggets, since Anthony Carter, point guard and all around great guy, is an official spokesperson for our organization. Plus he generously gives the Dreamers a lot of money! Check him out on Wikipedia if you aren’t familiar with his story- it’s pretty inspiring.

Tonight the Nuggets play in game 5 against the Dallas Mavericks. I wish I didn’t have to work tonight, because I’m sure it is going to be an entertaining one to watch, especially after the drama-filled game on Monday. We got to see Dallas fans at their finest, the Mav’s owner offend Martin’s momma and Melo’s girlfriend, LaLa, leave early because of the harassing fans. Yikes. I admit the Mavs played well on Monday, but I don’t think they stand a chance on the Nugget’s home turf.

Lazy Sunday

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string."
— L.M. Montgomery

Nothing splendid or wonderful happened in my world today, but it was filled with simple little pleasures. Sleeping in until my body was ready to wake. Taking two different dogs on two different walks. Going to the gym and enjoying the lack of creepy old men there. Cooking three meals and savoring each one. Talking on the phone to a friend. Reading a book. Reflecting. Lots of reflecting.

Central Pres received yet another punch in the stomach as we said goodbye to our organist Bruce Patterson. He died in a car accident on Tuesday and leaves behind his wife, grown son and teenage daughter. Bruce was on of the kindest and most compassionate persons I've ever met. Always a smile on his face, he made this world more beautiful with his incredible musical talent. I feel bad for whoever replaces him at the church piano bench, because he set the bar high.

Seeing our congregation come together through this tragedy has reminded me why I want to get into the church biz. For weeks I've been second guessing my decision to go to seminary because I can come up with a lot of reasons not to go: frustrations with the church, not really sure what it is I believe in, and of course the fact that I don't really enjoy the typical pastor stuff like preaching and praying out loud. This past week has reminded me how much the church and the people in it have shaped and formed me. To walk away from it would be inconceivable. I've seen some bad examples of ministry, but the heart of the church has remained genuine and that's why I'm sticking with it.

Thoughts on Poverty

The first of the month snuck up on me without warning and it is time again for the Presby Bloggers to Unite! This months topic is poverty, which normally I could write about until the cows come home. I had grand plans for talking about poverty in my backyard (Boulder, Co) as well as poverty in the next neighborhood over (Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, etc). But after a rather exhausting week at work I seem to be suffering from mental fatigue and writer's block. So, I will highlight the UN Millennium Development Goals which were created in 1990 and hoped to be met by 2015. In addition to listing the goals, I'll also make a few scattered notes for all they're worth.

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger - Doesn't really seem like we've made much progress since thousands upon thousands die every day from hunger and about 1/6 of the world lives on less than a dollar a day.

2. Achieve universal primary education- not looking good for this one either, unless Oprah decides to keep opening schools all over the world.

3. Promote gender equality and empower women - I'm not really sure how the UN plans to define success on this one, but I'm not going to get into talking about how long this road is right now:)

4. Reduce child mortality.

5. Improve maternal health.

6. combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases- Not sure where I get this factoid, but I once heard that if Sub-Saharan Africa were granted full debt relief, they could afford to stop the AIDS epidemic in it's path.

7. Ensure environmental sustainability.

8. Create a global partnership for development.

2015 isn't far away. I'm curious to see how concerned the UN will be as the deadline for these goals draws near.

So what does this all have to do with Presbyterians? I have to say that I'm very proud of the work that the Presbyterian Church is doing as far as working to end poverty. There are some truly amazing ministries in the church and after working with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, I've become very aware of how the Presbyterian family rallies for those in need. While I don't think the Presbyterian Church could ever be capable of solving the world's poverty problem, I do think it can play a vital role. I'd love to see mission be a more significant portion of the budget in all churches. I'd love to see more letter writing campaigns to our representatives. I'd also love to hear more conversations about the topic in sermons, Sunday School classes and at coffee hour. The Presbyterians have a reputation as being the wealthiest (per capita) church in the world and it is time to put our wealth to work!

Time to clean out the junk drawer that is my brain

Allen Andrande was sentenced to life in prison for killing Angie Zapata- a transgendered woman from Greeley. I watched the press conference last night and was moved to tears when her family was speaking about how much they loved her and miss her. Fortunately Colorado decided that transgender folks should be protected under hate crime laws, but unfortunately that isn't the case nationwide. Hopefully this is one small step towards equality and justice for all.

The Nuggets are smokin' hot right now! I went to a game with our Dreamers a few weeks ago, and while I still don't love basketball, I do enjoy this team.

Yesterday I had to explain what diarrhea is to a third grader. It was awkward.

I just finished reading Taking Back God: American Women Rising Up for Religious Equality by Leora Tannenbaum. I feel like this book addresses so many of the issues that have frustrated me lately. She takes a look at Muslim, Jewish and Christian women in America who are oppressed by their religion/church/faith because of their gender. A personal example of this: two Sundays ago our pastor announced that I received a merit scholarship to attend Austin Seminary. After the service, one of the oldest members of the congregation came up to me and said "you're gonna be the prettiest pastor in the church". I was briefly flattered by the complement, but more frustrated by the fact that women are judged by their appearance, not their smarts. I wanted to remind him it was a MERIT scholarship not a beauty pageant.

This morning I was walking muh dawg and we were both quite surprised to discover a pot roast sitting on a fairly fancy plate in the middle of someone's lawn. Chloe very much wanted to scarf it down, but I told her that it isn't smart to take pot roasts from strangers.

Our Dreamers piked up trash around our community center for Earth Day yesterday and I was quite shocked at how excited they were to do it!

I've become a big fan of this website.