Alice Walker letter to President-elect Obama

Open Letter to Barack Obama from Alice Walker Nov. 5, 2008
Dear Brother Obama,
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear.
And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.
I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise.
It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner."
There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanising as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of colour, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led. A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless care of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, andbrightening the world. We are the ones we have been waiting for.
In Peace and Joy, Alice Walker

The real America - a John Oliver perspective

If you want to be scared and humoured all at once take a look at this John Oliver interview (from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) out on the campaign rallies of Obama and Palin.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=189163&title=Obama-and-Palin-Rallies-of-Fear

I think John Oliver is quite wonderful!

YES!

YES!

Thank God, yes!

Now, can he be given room to do what he needs to do? I hope that he can wrestle the powers and not be too wounded by them.

go Barack go!

Less than a week... come on America - take the step into someone offering a hopeful difference - even we little ones in New Zealand aknow that this one matters - and anecdotal polls over here suggest we are over 75% sure that you have to go with Obama for President! Do it! And if you are Republican and you are just not sure then if you can't vote for Obama then at least stay home and don't give the world Sarah Palin. Don't trust the wink!

hope in the younger generation

A colleague sent me this - thinking that I would find it resonated with some of my points of view.

He and I agree that it is in the vein of the Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig's work.

Anotherland

Dave Dobbyn - one of NZ's finest musicians has released his new CD, Anotherland. I wondered how he would move on from his acclaimed Available Light album, but he has - this time with some blues-style horns and deep dug spirituality. I'm loving the album more and more as I listen to it.

You can check Dave out for yourself on his website: http://www.davedobbyn.co.nz/anotherland.html

Little People

I discovered a great blog - someone's creative angle on the world through little people 'installations' in the cityscape. Here are a few pictures... this person has a way to go to get 'up' to the level of Banksy's social commentary though the McDonald's spaceman 'Life as we know it' is getting there (see the site http://little-people.blogspot.com/)

watermark community church

I found the following YouTube ad on the Ship of Fools page... I've been looking at doing some advertising for our church - the biggest trouble is whether we can deliver... we're just not great exponents of the 'prosperity gospel' - our budget is too small and we are just a little bit unwilling to deliver whatever people want...
I don't know, maybe it is just this dumb idea we have that Jesus should shape us to his way rather than we shaping him to whatever suits us.
But this ad... it is amazing... I might join because I want a world trip and just can't afford it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAg1rRbxrGY

Across the Universe

Ahh... finally - my pick for film of the year (even though it was released in 2007).

This week we went to Across the Universe, directed by Julie Taymor. It was brilliant!

The music - all Beatles songs (33 I believe) well sung by the cast with very groovy arrangements, that fitted into the clever story... the costumes, choreography and sets were excellent... even Bono made a cameo as Dr Robert. If you haven't seen this movie and you like the Beatles or lived a bit in the 60's (or wished that you did!) then watch it. It is out on DVD in the Northern Hemisphere but on at the Academy theatre in Christchurch, NZ.

I bought the CD today (deluxe version as it has more songs)... truly wonderful!

The Moody Blues

I've been in a Moody Blues phase of late... purchased a few CDs and pulled out others. Along with my brothers, I prefer the pre 1972 albums, up to the time they went into a four year recess and Mike Pinder left (Mike is my favourite 'Moody')

The albums I have brought are A Question of Balance, Days of Future Past, and In Search of the Lost Chord. Probably the only songs known by most people are off the 1967 Days... album (Forever) Tuesday Afternoon and Nights In White Satin. The sleeve notes of these remixed CDs add to the experience.

My favourite Moody songs are: Ray Thomas' For my lady, & Legend of a Mind and Mike Pinder's When we are freemen & Melancholy Man.

The album of that era I find the most inaccessible is Threshold of a Dream - mainly, I suspect, because I didn't ever listen to it when my older brother sent me Moody's tapes in my later teenage years in the late-70's.

The only Moody's LP I ever purchased for myself was 1981's Long Distance Voyager - I love the opening track Justin Hayward's The Voice and his Forever Autumn song on Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds musical is a long-standing favourite song.

Is anyone 'out there' a Moody's fan?

Vacation Over

I haven't really been on vacation (apart from a wonderful week in Sydney, Australia) - I'm involved in a process in our church that has mostly kept me silent. While it is still going on and I haven't heard anything, I've decided that I'll blog anyway!

Three things that have pushed my buttons:
1. World Youth Day in Sydney. While Anne and I didn't go over to be 'pilgrims' in this mega Roman Catholic Youth festival (Pope Benedict included) - we did enjoy catching up with our German 'daughter' Hannah who was a pilgrim - and mostly enjoyed the buzz in the city. What intrigued me the most (and this probably reflects NZers unease with flag-waving) was that the pilgrims mostly wandered the streets in their ethnic groups, singing and chanting as they waved their national flags. I would have thought they would have been more interested in mixing together - I'm sure that must have happened, but it didn't seem to be happening. I don;t believe we will address the world's concerns or even celebrate the Christian faith by flag-waving.
Nevertheless, the colour and vibrancy was neat, the city was grand and the heightened police presence was a welcome and pleasant security.
2. a few good novels - Water for elephants - a very thoughtful and readable adventure in a 1930's circus train - highly recommended! My name was Judas by C K Stead (a NZ novelist) - while from the angle of modernist skepticism it is an interesting perspective on the whole Jesus adventure that I am aware many buy into, thus it is useful to trawl this particular ocean. And, Mark Haddon's A Spot of Bother a fun romp into the messed up lives of a British family and their rising above their troubles.
3. William Stringfellow - I'm reading Free in Obedience again and just love his provocative perspective on the church. The book was written in the mid-60's in the US - he addresses the church and its role in the city and its too willing participation in death (denial of Christ's sovereignty) - I'll get back on this as I read more.

ducks

All the ducks are swimming in the water!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8yx4k4tzqE

Mart hits 47 years with his favourite music from last year

Another birthday has passed… as I have done for the last three years, I compiled the group of songs that I have enjoyed the most this last year. The list is not in order of preference, but in order of what I think makes a good mix. I don’t listen to the radio to find new music – it is much more hit and miss than that, thus the collection comes entirely from cds at home… I don’t know why I put this list up on the blog… musical taste is so subjective, why would anyone want to listen to what I listen to? Before you run off and buy anything I’ve listed, do ask yourself that question!

#1 The Decemberists The Crane Wife Pt 3 (from The Crane Wife) My daughter Hana introduced this – for Anne, Sam, Josh & I it is a Gold Coast, Australia song – we hired a car, we had one CD, this was the opening track.
#2 Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova Falling Slowly (from The Swell Season & the movie Once). This just qualified – Anne and I watched Once just three weeks before my birthday.
#3 Cowboy Junkies December Skies (from Early 20th Century Blues) The album is made up mostly of covers – it is my favourite Junkies album… this song starts with references to September 11 – sadness and lament for humanity as the 21st century gets underway.
#4 Crowded House Pour le Monde (from Time On Earth). Crowded House are back – we saw them in concert and they didn’t play this song! What confidence to leave the best track out from the play list. What a problem having so many good songs to choose from!
#5 David Gilmour On An Island (the title track from On An Island) We have watched the live DVD more than listened to the CD and had to include something from the maestro.
#6 Liam Finn Second Chance (from I’ll Be Lightening). Liam Finn’s quirky debut solo album is a masterpiece. He goes into strange territory with his rhythms and excels.
#7 Natalie Merchant Motherland (the title track from Motherland) Her participation in the Junkies Trinity Revisited led us to seek out this album.
#8 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Into My Arms (from The Best of…) A moving love song.
#9 The Decemberists Summersong (see above)
#10 Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova When your mind’s made up (see above)
#11 Cowboy Junkies Misguided Angel (from Trinity Revisited) This album is a musical and visual feast… 20 years on the Junkies revisit their second album and the church it was recorded in and do the same set with several other musicians in attendance, including Natalie Merchant and Ryan Adams. The DVD has been watched over and over again.
#12 Crowded House English Trees (see above)
#13 Eric Clapton & Billy Preston Isn’t It a Pity (from Concert for George) A year after George Harrison died a band of friends got together and gave a concert… wonderful stuff! The Junkies covered this song on Early 20th Century Blues and I was torn over which version to include.
#14 Liam Finn I’ll Be Lightening (see above) This song is verse, verse, verse & chorus… strange and brilliant with Neil Finn on bass.
#15 Eric Clapton with Paul McCartney While My Guitar Gently Weeps (from Concert for George) Eric bleeds for his friend – one of my all-time favourite songs.

kingdom of God

I was talking about the kingdom of God with the youth group the other night... I suggested that the kingdom way is more often seen when you are on the way, living into its way, than seen for what it is by a wondering bystander (and of course as soon as you begin to see it it turns out to be bigger than you could ever imagine and thus something you will never really get).



I shared some little examples of how I live in the kingdom way... like my attitude at the supermarket. Quite often when I'm walking through the car park, if I see a trolley left where it souldn't be, I walk it in and put it away even if I have no use of it myself. No one sees this, no one cares whether I do this or not... I don't do it to score points with people, to feel good or even think that God will treat me any differently than God already treats me... I do it primarily because I live into another reality where I treat people as I have been treated by God in Christ... Someone might need that parking space and a trolley is in the way...

someone has to collect the trolleys, at times in some pretty horrible weather, and I imagine that that person having to go and get a trolley from some obscure corner of the car park might feel resentment towards others and might find whatever job satisfaction they have harder to find on that day...

so I serve...

I try to live this way in all facets of my life and fail on most fronts most days... but God is not finished with me yet...

soundings

Soundings

(my weekly email to St Stephen's folk)

At St Stephen’s this week we are focusing on the theme of Creativity…
It has been sparked by a combination of the set readings and a painting that Amos Dalkie has recently completed that he will bring along to show… it is quite lovely.

When you think about what creativity is what comes to your mind? I tend to think immediately of the creative arts – music, painting, needle-work etc. And all too soon I lament my lack of such talents…
But does our view have to be so limited?
What if we were to widen our view and think about creativity as partnership in God’s creativity… (Michelangelo’s ‘hand of God in creation’ picture from the Sistine Chapel depicts the partnership)… what then?

Here’s a warm-up quote… “Creativity is a way of living life, no matter what our vocation or how we earn a living.” [Madeline L’Engle]

Now that is a wide view and no one gets excluded because they may not be as able to paint as well as Michelangelo or Amos Dalkie!!!

You've got to live it to get it

Yesterday I made a comment regarding Colin McCahon's elusive art... and Jesus' Kingdom being similarly elusive...
Anne found the following quote from the dancer Anna Pavlova: when asked "What do you say when you dance?"she replied "If I could tell you I wouldn't dance."

For me the Kingdom of God can't be grasped by any other means than being immersed in it... you've got to live it to get it.

And another U2 lyric just to introduce a bit of Kingdom paradox... from the song City Of Blinding Lights:
"The more you see the less you know
The less you find out as you go
I knew much more then than I do now."

So to conclude... you can't grasp the Kingdom except by jumping in, and once you jump in you find you can't grasp it... so jump!

Go Barack Obama

I'm hoping a praying that the Democrat Party nomination will go Obama's way - and soon - he heralds a new season and boy do we need a new season...

Hinewai

Last weekend I went with some of the St Stephen's youth group to bunk down at the lodge at the Hinewai Reserve on Banks Peninsula, over the hill behind the town of Akaroa. The weather was blizzard-like, but apart from a 1-30am water-leak on the first night and a long clean-up operation, we were cosy and warm in the beautifully converted shearing shed and there was a long-enough break in the weather for us to go tramping along some of the upper tracks.

The reserve was established 20 years ago with the intention of fostering the regrowth of the native vegetation - when the trust began its work there were a few pockets of kanuka (kunzea ericoides), totara (podocarpus totara) and red beech(nothofagus fusca), but mostly paddock and virulent introduced gorse (ulex europaeus)... but with the removal of grazing animals, serious work at reducing the rabbit and possum population along with the avoidance of fire, the regeneration of bush has been stunning. The work is overseen by a small group with Hugh Wilson, a botanist, who is the resident manager - he is quite a character!

We used the context to look at issues facing the planet and how we might begin to address them from a Christian perspective.

The opening photo is a view of the reserve with the lodge to the left and down to Otanerito Bay in the distance. The gorse was conveniently in flower, but if all goes well, in another ten years it won't be there at all - the forest will have used the gorse as an incubator and then killed the gorse off once the gorse was starved of light. In many areas this has already occurred.

The second photo is of the others in the group taken in front of a red beech tree. It is rare to have beech forests near the coast on the eastern side of the south island.

The third image is the Fuschia Falls - just a short distance from the lodge. The native fuschia (fuschia excorticata or Kotukutuku) has prospered in this environment.

one has to believe to see

I've just spent half an hour reading William McCahon's article about his father's art in A Question of Faith. (Colin McCahon is New Zealand's foremost modernist artist.) The article made a very good point about the difficulty most people have had interpreting McCahon's paintings and the artist's unwillingness to explain the art for them - McCahon seemingly took seriously the notion that if people have eyes then let them see. In other words - one has to believe to see . There's a U2 line from the song Walk On that goes - You're packing a suitcase for a place none of has been, a place that has to be believed to be seen.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about Jesus' Kingdom of God of late. I like the way that Jesus alludes to its nature but refrains from giving explicit detail - he paints a picture of it, but one will only get the dimensions of it by entering through the narrow gate (him).

It strikes me that people's attempts to break 'entering Jesus' Kingdom of God' into easy steps, clear pictures and formulations is misguided.

This of course presents an ongoing challenge to the preacher - to respect the mystery and not play with the listeners by suggesting that they can easily get what Jesus is on about. I like that Jesus sidestepped those who tried to pin him down. I like the way that as soon as you try to box Jesus he slips away and pops up somewhere else.

I like that McCahon, committed to the way of Jesus, left his art to do its own talking.


Here are a few McCahon paintings... one of my favourites is Otago Peninsula (1946) it is in the Dunedin City Library... I walked in one day and asked one of the staff if she could point out the Colin McCahon piece - she didn't know there was one there, nor did she know of the brilliant Ralph Hotere and Nigel Brown works. I found it soon enough. If you stand in the stairwell and look up it stares you in the face. (It was approximately 8 metres from where the woman worked!)

Another I have included is simply titled One. It has McCahon's trademark triangle in the corner - the Trinity... hinted at in the Scriptures but not easily understood... but the nature of God nevertheless - the truth despite us.


See more McCahon works at http://www.mccahon.co.nz/browse.asp

free tibet

Here's a clever cartoon from the Melbourne Age paper - over here in NZ one or two athletes have also stated that if the chance came to offer some resistance to the powers they would take that opportunity up...