Some Bread For God

The Virginia MennoniteRelief Sale effort
to raise cash for needy refugees in
2018 was encouraging, but fell
short of 2017 SOS giving,

Something memorable and unexpected happened to me as I wrapped my arms around our preschool granddaughter, who was sobbing from having hurt herself in a fall. In trying my best to comfort her I felt a new sense of connection with untold numbers of parents and grandparents around the world holding hurting and hungry children. How must they feel when their most vulnerable cry from lack of something as basic as healthcare, or the food they need to survive?

Few of us have ever embraced a malnourished child, or experienced any significant lack of food ourselves. This in spite of the fact that an estimated 17,000 children die of hunger and hunger-related diseases every day, more than the total number of students enrolled at nearby James Madison University every twenty four hours. What makes this so tragic is the fact that there is actually enough food in the world for everyone if it were only distributed equitably.

Jesus spoke more about feeding the hungry and helping the needy than almost any other subject. He taught his followers that to offer bread to a hungry person is the same as personally providing food for himself, and that to look the other way when one has the means to help is like turning away from God.

Unfortunately, Americans in general, and Christians in particular, aren’t doing very well in sharing their wealth. According to a study done a decade ago by sociologists Christian Smith, Michael Emerson and Patricia Snell, authors of Passing The Plate, Why Christians Don't Give More  of Their Money (Oxford University Press, 2008) one in four US Protestants doesn’t give at all, and the the median rate of annual giving for professed followers of Jesus is only $200. This represents less than half a percent of their taxable income. Among Protestants who call themselves evangelicals, one in ten report giving nothing, and a mere 27 percent tithe, while another thirty-six percent give less than 2% to their churches or other charities.

According to the Passing the Plate authors, what makes us look especially miserly is that American Christians who attend services at least twice a month and claim their faith is “very important” to them earn a staggering $2.5 trillion dollars a year. Collectively that’s enough wealth to qualify for membership in the G7, a group representing the world’s seven largest economies. Even a modest ten percent of that could do wonders.

Smith and his coauthors discovered that the poor are actually more generous than their wealthier counterparts. American Christians who earned less than $10,000, they found, gave 2.3 percent of their income through their congregations, whereas those who earned $70,000 or more averaged only 1.2 percent.

Is this pathetic or what?

My parents, who struggled to feed their family through the Great Depression, never lost sight of their obligation to share generously with others. I remember well my father consistently giving a tithe of his farm income when I was growing up, in spite of how hard that was at times. And my mother, hospitable from the heart and amazing in her ability to enjoy more while living on less, never hesitated to help a neighbor in need. I feel forever blessed by their example.

Activist Catholic priest Daniel Berrigan once wrote these words:

"Somewhere in your life, may you see one starved person,
the look in her face when the bread finally arrives.
Hope you might have baked it or bought it or even kneaded it
yourself. 
For that look on her face, for your hands meeting hers across a piece of bread,
You might be willing to lose a lot, or suffer lot, or die a little even."

"My Granddaughter, Now In College, Found Me On Your Blog After Ten Years Of Separation"

Jonathan White, a respected inmate at Augusta Correctional Center, recently wrote me the following about his granddaughter, now a first year student at Georgia's Valdosta State University. Today is her birthday. 

Here is what he recently wrote:

I am so thrilled today at my granddaughter's college grades for her first semester classes. She made the Dean's List with four A's and one B! Yes, that once young teenager who found me on your blog site after ten long years of separation from the last time I had held her on my knee in the Brunswick Visiting Room (where we played scrabble together for the very first time) has become an "honor student" well on her way in her chosen nursing studies. Praise God!"

Nikki White will be turning 19 years old January 6. She still designs clothing in her spare time and wishes to visit either France or Japan one day. I have got to find someway to help her fulfill that dream. I also wanted to visit Spain when I was her age,  and if I ever get my rights back to travel that is still on my bucket list. If you learn of any positive means that I can help her make that dream come true, do share that information with me. 

I am pursing a proposal for to establish a Parole Peer Support Group here like the one at Buckingham Correctional Center. We have 243 parole eligible offenders here at ACC, nearly 11.5% percent of the total of 2100 in Virginia, and they need a positive pre-reentry peer support group to strive in hope while awaiting parole. l will update you on it once it is reviewed and considered.

"But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does." (James 1:25, New American Bible)

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Here is Nikki's address:

Ms. Dominique "Nikki" White

Valdosta State University

1500 N. Patterson St.
Valdosta, Georgia 31698

And here is one of my blogs on Mr. White:
https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2014/01/model-prisoner-repeatedly-denied-parole.html

Day Twelve of Christmas--Pray For People Working Together For Shalom and Justice

I submitted the following as an Open Forum piece to the Daily News-Record:

When it comes to criminal justice, our community is learning the value of working together.

Thanks to the leadership of William Kyger, chair of our Community Criminal Justice Board, some 300 local citizens took part in a CCJB sponsored forum on the subject October 15 at JMU’s Memorial Hall. 

Presenters Kathy Rowings of the National  Association of Counties and Neal Goodloe, Criminal Justice Planner of the Jefferson Area CCJB, offered proven ways of reducing incarceration and helping offenders become productive, tax-paying citizens.  

Attendees were members of Faith in Action’s coalition of 26 local congregations, the Valley Justice Coalition, the Northeast Neighborhood Association, Virginia Organizing and many others.

As a show of community support, a peaceful walk along Liberty Street and MLK Way to Memorial Hall attracted some 150 participants. All joined together for an evening that was civil and positive, representing a community considering ways of improving itself. 

Without question, this kind of grassroots engagement is far, far better than citizen apathy and indifference. By working together we’re already making progress on many fronts.

Four years ago we had intense local conversations about a Community Justice Plan that was mandated for seeking state funds for a new jail. Moseley Architects was hired to conduct a required study, and many local folks became involved. Wynonah Hogan, a young high school student, gathered over 200 signatures in favor of finding alternatives to incarceration, and produced an impressive hour-long documentary on the issue. 

Community engagement has remained high, and response on the part of public officials has been largely gratifying. One Moseley report recommendation, Day Reporting, is already happening at Gemeinschaft Home. A Drug Court has been established, thanks to the efforts of Commonwealth’s Attorney Marsha Garst and Judge Bruce Albertson. More juvenile cases are being referred to an alternative restorative justice process.

In 2013, after a series of meetings with concerned citizens, Lacy Whitmore, then director of the Community Services Board, visited the Arlington County Jail and came back with ideas for improving inmate mental health services. With the support of the Board of Supervisors and the City Council, a full time CSB counselor position has been funded. We’ve also added an additional community-supported half-time jail chaplain, and dedicated volunteers continue to offer a variety of classes and other services. More recently, Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson and Captain Jimmy Wimer invested in electronic tablets offering a variety of educational courses to a pod of inmates on a trial basis. Time spent in learning is rewarded by limited music and other entertainment options.

Challenges remain. Our incarceration rate has increased by some 700% since 1995, while our area population has grown by only 25%, and while violent crime rates are dropping. Jail “keep fees,” an added tax of $1 a day ($3 at Middle River), add to inmate family stress. More housing and job opportunities are needed for those being released from incarceration.

But a community like ours sees more solutions than problems. Together, we can find them.

On Day 11 of Christmas--Pray For An End To US Gun Violence

He looked for a crop of justice,
     and saw them murdering each other.
He looked for a harvest of righteousness,
     and heard only the moans of victims.

Isaiah 5:7 (the Message)

It's hard to imagine the nation’s outrage if the mass killings that have occurred here over the past decades had been carried out by known members of terrorist organizations.

When it came to fighting terrorism after 9/11, Americans didn’t just throw up their hands in helplessness, but immediately went about creating a new agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and empowered it to do whatever necessary to prevent future disasters of that kind. Many now believe that department has gone too far in creating restrictions and regulations limiting our freedoms and our rights to privacy, but most still support the nation’s response.

So why not more aggressive action to prevent the kinds of mass killings we've been witnessing?

I hear many pundits, politicians and even preachers simply express feelings of helplessness over this kind of carnage. Seeing it largely as the work of psychotic loners, they conclude that no amount of additional screening for gun or ammunition purchases--and no stricter laws limiting the kinds of weapons or the size of ammunition clips available--could help prevent these tragedies. It’s a moral and a mental health problem, they say, and the common wisdom is that neither morality nor sanity can be legislated.

While there is some truth to that notion, laws are not only intended to prevent harm but to make a statement about a society’s values. I can’t believe that supporting unlimited access to combat-style weapons (designed only to kill as efficiently as possible) is consistent with placing a high value on human life. And even if some semi-automatic assault weapons were approved for hunting, do they need to be equipped with a hundred rounds of ammunition?

I doubt that the framers of the Constitution had such means of massive destruction in mind when they wrote the Second Amendment. I believe they would share our outrage over the fact that we are 11 times more likely to be killed by a gun here in the US than in Japan, and 6 times more likely than in Germany, resulting in a total of over 12,000 such deaths here each year. And they would not attribute that to our being more violent or more deranged than citizens of other nations.

Please pray for an end to gun violence.

We have made a covenant with death,
And with Sheol we have an agreement;
When the overwhelming scourge passes through
it will not come to us;
For we have made lies our refuge,
And in falsehood we have taken shelter.

Isaiah 28:15

Day Ten Of Christmas--Pray For Those Suffering From Depression

Depression is a condition over which we may have little control. The brain, like any organ of the body, is subject to disease, and some of us may be more genetically prone to clinical depression than others.

But no matter what triggers this plague of emotional darkness and despair, depression not only affects our feelings, but our functioning, i.e., our sleep, appetite, energy, and motivation. Here are ten ways we can at least limit its impact, in descending order:

10. Anti-depressant drugs can be helpful for some, in spite of their occasional negative side effects, and the fact that many have been proven to be only only slightly more effective than placebos in clinical trials. Some people also report feeling better from taking over the counter medications like St. Johns Wort and certain herbal products or natural food supplements. But sometimes the line between reputable fish oil and questionable snake oil is not as clear as we would like.

9. For persons with severe and prolonged clinical depression, older therapies like electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) or newer variations like Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are producing positive results for some.

8. In cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a move to a more sunny climate appears be helpful, or the use of light therapy.

7. A positive placebo effect can also be a part of any therapy for depression. Whatever increases a sense of hopefulness in any of us can result in increased dopamine, serotonin and endorphin production in our brains.

6. Some people find journaling helpful as a way of expressing their laments, naming and externalizing their distresses and writing down some of their own best wisdom for dealing with their condition. see https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2011/08/wise-selfworried-self-journal.html

5. Avoiding being sedentary, getting plenty of good physical exercise is a proven way for the body to produce mood enhancing endorphins.

4. Avoiding being solitary by nurturing good relationships with others is extremely important to mental health. Depression often makes us want to withdraw from others, which inevitably makes the condition worse. Seeking help from friends and from members of our faith community as well as from professional counselors and medical professionals can make a major difference.

3. Changing our vocabulary, purging them from habitual words like 'terrible', 'horrible', 'awful', is also very important, along with avoiding too many generalizations like 'never', always', and forever'. And its always a good idea to replace the over-use of 'I can't' with something like 'It's really hard, and I haven't found a way yet'.

2. Observing regular mini-sabbaths from life stresses, but especially from the stress of worry, is vital. Or setting aside an hour a day for some serious worrying, then declaring the rest of the time as a sabbatical from worry and anxiety, is sure to help. see https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2017/11/rx-for-anxious-dedicated-worry-hour.html

1. Taking time to meditate, pray, sing, reflect on the goodness of God and of all creation, and on all the blessings we can possibly record on the assets side of our memory ledger needs to become a priority. And then to reach out to share those blessings with others as we are able.

Day Nine Of Christmas--Pray That All God's People May Share At One Table

source

Over the years, I've experienced tons of grief over all of the church divisions I've witnessed. Why can't good people of faith just work things out and stay together?

But I'm even more concerned about how church splits among Christians are affecting their being able to share in the Lord's Supper.

When I've asked members of groups who are leaving MCUSA or Virginia Mennonite Conference whether I and other former fellow-members can still join them for their communion services, most quite willingly say, "Of course". After all, we are still fellow believers and in many cases long time friends.

But as a practical matter, we hardly ever get together for  communion after a church division. We are far more likely to remain "excommunicated" indefinitely.

If by chance we did show up at a departing church's worship service when the bread and cup of the Eucharist were being served, wouldn't it be more consistent for them to actually turn us away?

After all, if we can't be seen as worthy enough to do church business together, to engage in mission together, or to meet for regular sessions at a common table of discernment (such as at Conference Assemblies) how could we be considered worthy to partake at the Lord's holy table?

So here are my basic questions:

Whose church is it, anyway? 

Who would God welcome to intimate communion fellowship? 

Who will be invited to the forever banquet table? 

I know the Jesus says that the road to life is narrow, and only a relative few will find it. But the Bible also promises that in the end there will be "a great multitude that no one can count, from every tribe, people and language, standing before the throne... wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands."

Maybe the Lord's table is ultimately much larger and more welcoming than we have imagined.

Day Eight Of Christmas--Pray For An End To The Insanity Of War Making

"God will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."

Isaiah 2:4 (NIV)

Swords to Plowshares

The author of the "War is hell" quote, General William Tecumseh Sherman, wrote the following in 1865, "I confess without shame that I am sick and tired of war. It's glory is all moonshine. Even success, the most brilliant, is over dead and mangled bodies... It is only those who have not heard a shot, nor heard the shrills and groans of the wounded and lacerated (friend or foe) that cry aloud for more blood and vengeance, more desolation..."

Today we witness this horror in far more devastating and barbaric ways than on the slaughterfields of the Civil War (for example, Gettysburg, one of the bloodiest battles of all time, resulted in only one (accidental) civilian casualty). Now as in Yemen and  in Syria,thousands of  innocent men, women and children are mercilessly and indiscriminately bombed and buried under rubble--or maimed and rendered homeless--by the use of ever more efficient means of destruction- and death-inflicting terror.

It's hard to imagine a world without weapons. But imagine it we must, if we are to survive on an earth with just enough resources for all, but not enough to waste on ever more efficient instruments of death.

Throughout history people and nations have tried to maintain peace through every means except to follow the example and teachings of the Prince of Peace. We have dismissed as naive Jesus's commands to "love our enemies, pray for them, and do good to them," especially when we realize that kind of response may result in suffering and even crucifixion. We have refused to believe that the only way to peace is through the costly practice of it.

People of faith envision a God-ruled world that will one day result in wolf and lamb lying down together, and have begun to eagerly demonstrate that new way now, just as Jesus and other prophets of peace have done. 

So join me in praying on this Eighth Day of Christmas, and on the first day of a new year, for a forever end to the insanity, horror and brutality of armed conflict. From God's perspective, war is over, a thing of the past. God's forever future is all about shalom, harmony and enduring peace.

On this eighth day of Christmas, we invite all people of faith and goodwill to become living demonstrations of that reality. It begins wherever, whenever and in whomever God is sovereign.

This New Year's is the time to begin. 

For more posts on this topic check this link.