Hearsay About A Chicken Crossing The Road

The first question we should ask is, "What reliable proof do
we have that the chicken actually crossed the road?"

"It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell." 

From James 3 (the Message)

You've probably heard the Jewish tale about someone guilty of slandering a fellow citizen in their town, then feeling remorse and going to his rabbi to ask for forgiveness. The wise rabbi tells him that he would do so on one condition, that he first go home, cut up a feather pillow, scatter the feathers to the wind and then return.

Relieved, the man promptly does as he is instructed and comes back to receive his pardon, only to be told there was one more thing he must do, go and gather up all the feathers.

“But that’s not possible. The wind has already scattered them.”

“True, nor is it possible to truly correct what you have done, or to undo the harm your words have caused,” says the rabbi.

Ouch.

In my role as a counselor, I've frequently been called to be a witness in a custody or a divorce case, where I must first swear or affirm to tell "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." 

The purpose of that ritual is not just to remind me to be an honest witness when I'm on the stand, but it puts me in a position that if I say something demonstrably false I can be indicted for perjury. In Virginia that is a Class 5 felony for which I could be fined up to $2,500 or spend up to ten years in jail. 

I am also often reminded by counsel that as a witness I should just respond to the questions asked, not go off on any tangents in expressing my own judgments about a matter.

So if I were to begin any of my answers with "I heard somewhere that.." or "It's likely that..." or "I've been told that..." or "I read somewhere that..." I'd be likely to have a defendant's attorney quickly interrupt with an objection, stating that what I've said is "hearsay" and is inadmissible. And if the judge agreed, that part of my testimony would be struck from the record. In other words, unless I have personally witnessed what I'm giving testimony to, and/or have something documented as a part of my case record, it is not considered valid.

Sometimes an attorney will ask the judge to have me designated as an "expert witness," which means I can draw from my professional training as a counselor and can cite things that have to do with scientifically supported findings. For example, I could offer an opinion about how a person's major depressive disorder might have affected his actions, or how someone diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia might have reacted when experiencing a threat.

But in every case, a witness under oath has to follow strict guidelines that govern what is considered the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds us that we are always to speak as if "under oath" in the sense that we are always in the presence of God as the ultimately just and all-wise Judge. So whatever we affirm with a "Yes" must pass the truth test, and likewise what we deny with a "No".

In other words all words matter. No exceptions. 

In a time when social media and our community grapevines are abuzz with vile rumors, conspiracy theories and hate-fueled falsehoods about political figures and affiliations, it's important to remember such warnings against bearing false witness. We are all in God's courtroom, every day, accountable for every word. And as author Paul Myers, writes, “Gossip is like a fired bullet. Once you hear the sound, you can’t take it back.”

So if we actually witness a chicken crossing the road, metaphorically speaking, or witness someone crossing some legal or moral line that puts them and/or others in danger (or if they are clearly inciting others to do criminal and dangerous things) we should first intervene in private when possible, according to Jesus. Then if the person refuses to hear us, we are to invite others to join us in an appeal for change. Or if it is a public figure, we should avoid identifying with, or enabling, such behavior, and to call out any harmful falsehoods wherever and whenever we can.

So to use the "chicken crossing the road" analogy, we should make sure to be credible witnesses in describing any crossing of a line, and not just be carelessly scattering accusatory feathers in the wind that may or may not have come from chickens who have indeed crossed forbidden roads.

A Case Of A Young Adult Dozing Off In Church

A miracle story in Acts provides some insights into early Christian worship practices. 

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.  (Luke, in Acts 20:7-11)

You don't often hear sermons that are based on this story about a young man who goes to sleep during a church service and is miraculously revived after falling out of a third story window.

But this is pretty much the only inside look we have of an actual first century church service. This should be of considerable interest, since we have no record of Jesus ever getting his disciples together to tell them how meetings of his followers should be conducted, other than his instructing them to remember him as they reenact regular Passover-like meals together.

Here are some  interesting details:

1. "On the first day of the week..." Especially for non-Jewish believers, the first day of the week appears to have been a chosen time to celebrate resurrection and the breaking of bread together. Due to neither Saturday nor Sunday being a part of a weekend people had off, most believers likely met in the evening after a regular day of work, as this church at Troas did. Missing: Any definitive word here or elsewhere as to the right day to meet. Jewish followers of Yeshua most likely met on the Sabbath.

2. "...we came together to break bread." Observing the Lord's Supper as a communal meal was an integral part of their weekly gatherings. Missing: Any definitive word on whether it was to be with leavened or unleavened bread, grape juice or fermented wine, or whether a mere wafer or a tiny cup of wine could substitute for an actual meal. Or exactly how often communion was to be observed.

3. "Paul spoke to the people..." Little is known about the elements of first century services, though in one of Paul's letters he urges each member to come prepared to share "a hymn, a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation... for the strengthening of the church." Here the believers at Troas were honored with a special guest to whom they gave special time and attention. Missing: Any clear word on whether a prepared weekly sermon by an ordained pastor was a key part of their services. While some translations say Paul "preached" to the members gathered, the Greek word used here is "dielegeto," from which we derive the word dialogue. It isn't likely that Paul stood behind a lectern and lectured to the group.

4. "...because he intended to leave the next day, (Paul) kept on talking until midnight." It doesn't sound like their gatherings started and ended at set times, or followed a well orchestrated "order of service." Missing: Any clear sense of a set structure for first century church meetings. No greeters, ushers or designated worship leaders are mentioned. Everyone greeted each other (a frequent New Testament command) and celebrated a Spirit-led time of sharing and table fellowship.  

5. "There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting." The congregation at Troas and other churches almost certainly met in the round in the homes of one of their members, not in a "sanctuary" with straight rows of chairs or pews all facing an elevated pulpit. Missing: Any clear instructions for what kind of sacred spaces were to be dedicated for weekly worship services, though over time some homes began to be renovated to provide space for larger gatherings, and special meeting places built primarily for use in worship became common well before Emperor Constantine officially adopted the Christian faith and began building elaborate cathedrals all over the empire. 

https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2018/06/from-mere-meeting-places-to-holy-spaces.html

6. "Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead." I won't make much of this detail, but at least this wasn't a church made up of mostly seniors, but included folks of all ages, likely with children who would have slept in their parents' arms or on the floor if the service was late. Who knows, the young man might have been working all day and was dead tired, but at least he chose to be present. Missing: What kinds of age-related "Sunday School-like" activities were a part of a group's time together.

7. "Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. 'He’s alive!'" Never a dull moment here. The miraculous was common place, an expected part of being a community of Jesus followers. Missing: Not much appears to be missing in this picture, except our needing to ask how we might recapture the spontaneity and joy of being together in ways that prepare us to infect everyone we meet with good news--all week long.

"Then he (Paul) went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted."

A Minor Contribution To Some Essays On Aging

Mine is the final chapter in this delightful
book edited by two retired JMU professors.

As someone in the final quarter of his life, I was glad when Bob Bersson gave me an invitation to write some reflections on growing older for a book he and his friend Jack Greer were putting together.

Working on my essay, which was chosen as the last chapter in the book, turned out to be good preparation for what could have been a last chapter of my life. In July of 2019, soon after I had submitted it, I had to have open heart surgery, and then in November had a tumor removed in my parotid gland which turned out to be malignant. Fortunately, after 33 radiation treatments, I was given a clean bill of health, but have been blessed with a growing awareness of my own mortality and of the preciousness of life itself.

Local readers may recognize the names of many of the contributors to this $9.99 book. It can be ordered from Amazon, but an autographed copy can be purchased at OASIS Fine Art and Craft at 103 South Main Street in Harrisonburg. 

Table of Contents

Prelude: “Encounters,” Anita Zehavi

Life Stories: “Grateful Dead-Heading,” Chris Bolgiano; “Dancing with Cancer,” Martha Woodroof; “The Crack in Everything” and “Fireflies and Us,” Chris Edwards; “All My Monsters Are Dead or I Love Being Old,” Betty MacDonald; “Journey to the Self I Never Knew,” Luanne Austin.

Transition to Retirement: “Becoming a Retiree: A Sociologist Looks at Retirement,” Steve Gibbons; “Pursuing a Life Well Lived,” Rich Harris; “Living Deliberately!”, Cheryl Lyon; “Get a Dog,” Harold Pearse.

Empowerment through the Arts: “Playing through My Fears,” Robert Bersson; “The End of the Line,” Jack Greer; “I’m an Old Woman,” Barbara Martin; “I’m Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” Tom Arthur.

Empowerment through Physical Pursuits: “Riding Over the Hill,” Elaine Hurst; “Play a Game that Makes You Dance,” Cora Beth Abel; “Hiawatha: Never Too Late to Earn a Trail Name,” Dave Pruett.

Reflections on Aging: “Reflections on Aging,” Robin McNallie; “Aging Lessons from the Fruit of the Vine,” Larry and Donna Barber; “Better with Age,” Ruth Jost; “Getting Mellow with Age,” Arlene Wiens; “The Circle of Love Is Ageless,” Jim Moloney; “My New Project,” Betty Reiser; “Traveling through the 70s,” Sally Goldberg.

Encounters: “I’ve Got to Admit [Some] Things Are Getting Better,” Amy Brook Snider; “Nine Years in Egypt: An Expanded Worldview,” Lee Yoder; “Facing History: 1920s Lynchings in Ocoee, Florida,” Kristin Congdon.

Coda: “The Final Yes,” Harvey Yoder.

Here's a link to a YouTube of some readings from the book, including "The Final Yes": 

https://youtu.be/QThqodARWik

At A Zoom Gathering To Lament the Loss Of A Beloved Friend, An Assault Of Cruel Hate

Stan Maclin's eyesight was impaired, but his insight and
his courage as a local prophet will be long remembered.

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal.

- Martin Luther, A Mighty Fortress

Stan Maclin was a strong prophetic voice against racial and economic disparities in our Harrisonburg community. I first learned to know him when he was the pastor of a Mennonite Church in Richmond, then as a respected spokesperson for a God-inspired justice in our city and county.

Many of us were shocked and saddened to hear of his fatal heart attack January 11 at age 67. Like the Biblical prophet Amos, he represented a kind of plumb line that was a steady reminder of what it meant to be upright and just in our relationships with others, especially the marginalized. 

So I was honored to be invited to meet with a group of his close friends the next week to share some of our memories and to pay tribute to his life and work.

Then near the end of our time together something totally unexpected happened. Someone hacked into the Zoom chat room and started posting an incessant series of blatantly hateful and racist statements that kept scrolling endlessly down the screen. 

The language was vile and violent, with repeated uses of the n-word, the f-word and every demonic expression of evil imaginable, followed by "He deserved to die," "He deserved to die," "He deserved to die," over and over again.

The moderator of the meeting was about to shut everything down and end the session, but one member of the group stopped him. This individual, who knew Maclin well, encouraged us to take time to simply experience the dark impact of those messages. He went on to say something like, "That is our reality, something we who are people of color have had to deal with all of our lives. Stan would have us pray for that person." 

It was a sobering confrontation with a reality I realized I knew too little about. And I wished I could dismiss it as an insane ranting of some lone, deranged individual who in no way represented any group of white citizens of Harrisonburg. We are, after all, "The Friendly City," and one which is an official "Welcoming City."

But the sad reality is that we have never been purged of our nation's, and the commonwealth's, legacy of years of brutal slavery, hate-fueled KKK lynchings, and Jim Crow-era racial oppression and exclusion. And just last week, on January 6, that spirit of evil reared its ugly head in the insurrection by anti-semitic, Nazi and other white supremacist groups at the nation's capitol.

All of that is evidence of a powerful and pervasive evil force at work that is truly "armed with cruel hate."

The apostle Paul, a Christian martyr who proclaimed a vision of a beloved community in which Jew and Gentile, bond and free, friend and enemy, rich and poor alike are reconciled to God and to each other, wrote these words, "For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age." (Ephesians 6:12, Good News translation)

So as we consider the WWJD kind of question, let's consider what Stan Maclin would have us do, surely some of the following:

1) Initiate conversations with people who are different from us, spending at least as much time in respectful listening as in voicing your own convictions.

2) Accept diversity of opinions as healthy and potentially growth-producing, but call out falsehoods and expressions of bigotry and intolerance.

3) If threatened or assaulted, stand strong. Refuse to either retaliate or be intimidated, but choose to love, confront and pray for those who mistreat or malign us and others.

Stan Maclin would approve that message.

How The Christian Gospel Has Been Hacked

 

This Christian fundraising site states it is "a place to work
together with the body of Christ around the world to make
 a difference."

Among the many American and Confederate flags at the January 6 rally in Washington was a large yellow banner with the words, "Jesus Saves." That banner, according to Tom Gjelton, who covers religion and faith issues for National Public Radio, was among those carried by members of the mob that assaulted the U.S. Capitol and occupied and trashed it for three hours.

In a December 9 podcast, Eric Metaxas, the conservative Christian writer and radio host who emceed the rally, urged Christians to engage in war, if necessary, to overturn the presidential election. "What's going to happen is going to happen," he said, "But we need to fight to the death, to the last drop of blood because it's worth it." 

Then in his opening invocation at the Washington event Metaxas prayed that God would help them keep Donald Trump in office, saying, "We are here today to cry out to the God of heaven to ask him to have mercy on the greatest nation in the history of the world." 

According to the NPR report, one of the rally organizers, another Christian nationalist, had confidently declared that "God appeared to him in a vision and told him it's not over."

Army veteran Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the heavily armed Oathkeepers militia group that was among the thousand people who stormed the capitol building, had just told the crowd he wanted Trump to deal harshly with his opponents. "If he does not do it now, we're going to have to do it ourselves later in a much more desperate, much more bloody war," Stewart warned.

Three days after the January 6 insurrection, Pastor Darryl Knappen of Cornerstone Church in Alexandria, Minn. posted on Facebook. "There is a need in every one of our localities to have individuals, patriots, who are ready to arm up and be part of a citizen militia to protect our freedoms." This was accompanied by a photo of himself speaking from his church, standing in front of a cross.

In another development this week PayPal cut off its service to GiveSendGo, a faith-based  crowdfunding site, due to its having been used to raise travel money for some members of the Proud Boys and other groups and individuals who attended the January 6 rally. 

GiveSendGo was also used as a platform to raise money for the legal defense of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old charged with killing two protesters last August in Wisconsin, and for the defense of Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, according to a recent article in the Washington Post.

What these individuals and groups have in common is that they all claim to promote the Christian gospel. Our failure to call them out as the imposters they are simply adds to the growing chorus of those who dismiss Christians as hypocritical and lacking in even basic moral values, much less upholding the teachings of Jesus. Even skeptics and atheists know this much about our faith.

In all fairness, a spokesperson for GiveSendGo insists it tries “to ensure that our services are not used to accept payments for activities that promote hate speech, violence or other forms of intolerance,” according to the Post, and that it does review accounts for such activity. But I fear that much of the damage this kind of enabling does to the Christian brand has already been done.

Am I saying that every supporter of President Trump is guilty of promoting violence, and that all who attended the January 6 event are equally complicit in causing death, destruction and sedition? 

No, I'm sure many simply came to pray and to protest what they sincerely (though mistakenly) believed to be a fraudulent election.

But all of us who are a part of the Christian movement need to rise up and clearly distinguish between the kind of gospel Jesus proclaimed and the heretical and false "gospel" linked to these proponents of violence. If we fail to do so, we will deserve the harsh judgement of a world increasingly scornful of the Christian faith. 

Here are links to the NPR Morning Report piece and to the one in the Washington Post:

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/18/957982008/some-christians-feel-its-a-god-given-mission-to-fight-on-trumps-behalf.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/a-place-to-fund-hope-how-proud-boys-and-other-fringe-groups-found-refuge-on-a-christian-fundraising-website/2021/01/18/14a536ee-574b-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html

Jesus Chose To Be Poor (Though Not In Want). Christians Should Choose To Live Like Jesus.

Do most of us even come close to imitating the lifestyle of the one we claim to serve? 

I know I don’t.

But shouldn't that be our goal? Shouldn't we expect that Christians everywhere, in the spirit of Jesus and of the first century church, be known as "Sisters and Brothers of the Poor"?  By that I mean sharing equitably in a way that there would "not be a needy person among them."

For a start, as affluent citizens of one of the wealthiest countries in the world, what would happen if we followers of Jesus were to choose one of the following:

a) To live at or near the US poverty level. Currently, living at that level in the US would mean managing on an income of $12,760 for a one-person household, $17,240 for two people, or $26,200 for a four-person household. That would be challenging, to be sure, but would help us identify with what is a daily reality for the majority of the world's people, including our sisters and brothers around the globe. We would learn first hand what it's like to live at the ALICE level of the US population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed). 

b. Or to choose a lifestyle somewhere in the middle of that of the rest of the world's population, and with a level of consumption that the planet could sustain if every household on the planet were to live as we do. By way of comparison, according to a 2018 survey, the average annual income worldwide ranges from $280 in Burundi to $82,230 in Norway, with the US rate, as one of the most privileged nation in the world, being at an average of $56,180. 

c. Or at least choose to live at a much lower economic level as far as personal wealth and consumption are concerned. And then to invest the rest in extravagant ways that best support the mission and teachings of Jesus.

Think about it. Even living at a US poverty level would not normally mean being homeless or having to go hungry. Rather, it would simply mean living more like Jesus lived, with bare necessities, and being able to get by in the same way millions of people do day by day, sometimes with help from social service and other agencies. Lest we feel reluctant to avail ourselves of such help, it should be noted that the very rich in the US receive massive amounts of government welfare in the form of special tax breaks and outright subsidies. 

The radical choice to become a part of a community of believers living at, or nearer to, the poverty level could have the following benefits:

1. We could become less dependent on material things and enjoy more simple pleasures. Many of us who grew up poor by American standards nevertheless lived blessed and satisfying lives.

2. By downsizing and by spending less we would reduce waste and thus help save the planet and more of its resources for future generations. Having the entire world consuming and spending at a level equal to ours is a sure recipe for ecological disaster.

3. We would gain greater empathy for those in need. The money we save could greatly add to the generosity shown toward those in our neighborhoods and around the world who are homeless, hungry and without healthcare.

4. We would be demonstrating a more faithful response to the life and teachings of Jesus and of the prophets and apostles. Our deeds would match our words in ways that even skeptics would take notice.

5. We may actually be safer, be less likely to be victims of theft or home invasion.

6. It would greatly reduce the taxes we now pay for military purposes (at a rate often greater than our giving for missionary purposes) and make it possible to divert more money to life-giving causes.

But what about saving for our children's education, for unforeseen medical expenses or for our future retirement? 

Sisters and Brothers of the Poor could collaborate in establishing something like a gigantic Jubilee Foundation into which they would invest all their surplus property and above-poverty-level earnings. This fund could be administered by a representative board, and operate somewhat like the former Mennonite Mutual Aid, (now Everence Financial). 

This Foundation, if large numbers of people invested in it, could do two things. It could provide, on an as-needed basis, educational scholarships for its members, emergency medical aid not covered by Medicare or Medicaid, and nursing home care as needed for all of its members. In addition, it would serve as a major source of funding of worthy causes as determined by members through their chosen governing board. As a result, everyone's needs and unforeseen expenses would be covered and far larger amounts of money would go for needy causes worldwide.

Meanwhile, Sisters and Brothers of the Poor could be collaboratively and cooperatively operating businesses and other enterprises that utilize capital wealth and generate needed goods and services, but they would no longer see operating such enterprises as entitling them to a greater share of consumer wealth. 

https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2013/09/capital-wealth-and-consumer-wealth.html

Sound far fetched? Maybe. But more in line with the example and teachings of Jesus? I think so.

Actually, it sounds a lot like something people who call themselves Christ-followers should have been doing all along.

A Prisoner's Appeal To Virginia Legislators

Pray that our legislators will advocate for both justice and mercy for those incarcerated.

The following issues of concern were shared with me by a Virginia prisoner. Feel free to address any or all of them in a letter or email to your state senator or delegate: 

Dear Senator ________ (or Delegate _________):

As a citizen of Virginia, I and others would like for you to address the following criminal justice issues and see that much needed reforms are passed and implemented by the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) and the Virginia Parole Board (VPB):

VIRGINIA'S GROWING PRISON POPULATION     

     In the early 1990's Virginia had just over ten thousand people incarcerated. Now there are some thirty thousand behind bars, costing taxpayers over one billion dollars annually. It is much more cost effective to rehabilitate and release people than to keep them incarcerated. There are people who have been incarcerated in Virginia since the 1960's who have been model inmates and many have aged out of crime. There are approximately 1,500 parole eligible people who have served 25 or more consecutive years in prison and/or are age 50 and older. There are over five hundred people who are eligible for both Regular Parole and Geriatric Parole grants in Virginia's prisons. These people should be released if their merits, prison record and attitudes demonstrate they are no longer a threat to society and their COMPAS Test show that they are a low risk for violent recidivism and or recidivism in general. Their past offense(s) should not be the deciding issue, as human beings evolve and can change (be corrected) over time while in a Department of Corrections facility.

INMATES AND COVID-19

     Deserving inmates who could possible die or be permanently disabled from contracting the COVID-19 virus should be released with a conditional pardon. 

PAROLE IN VIRGINIA (RETROACTIVE)

     Priority should be given to the release of deserving inmates who were sentenced prior to the implementation of the 1995 "No Parole" law, then those who have become eligible under the Fishback category and those who are eligible for geriatric release.

CLOSE LAWRENCEVILLE CORRECTIONAL CENTER

     This Geo Group privately operated prison should be closed and sold or used as a reentry facility for parolees.

VIRGINIA PAROLE BOARD ISSUES

> The VPB shall no longer use the inmate's crime as a reason to deny parole.

> The VPB shall not arbitrarily deny parole release to inmates who have served 25 or more consecutive years.

> When VPB provides a "not grant" decision, the VPB shall tell each inmate how to enhance their chance for release.

THE HOME PLAN CATCH-22

     Parole eligible people are currently in a catch-22 situation. The Parole Board requires each parole eligible person to have an approved Home Plan with a specific address. Otherwise the person will be given a "not grant" decision by the VPB. But many places that provide parole eligible people with beds when they are released won't promise or reserve a bed for a person until after they have received a Grant from the VPB.

WI-FI IN INMATE HOUSING UNITS

Provide WiFi in housing units so inmates can receive regular educational material from VADOC 24-7 even during a pandemic.

LAPTOP COMPUTERS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. VADOC should do one of the following:

> provide each inmate with a new or used laptop computer

> allow each inmate to purchase their own new or used laptop computer

> allow each inmate's family or friend to purchase a new or used laptop computer and have it shipped directly to the inmate at whatever facility they are housed

> allow inmates to store information on their laptop's hard drive. It would be easier for technicians to search for contraband and it would eliminate excessive paperwork.

COMPUTER SOFTWARE EDUCATIONAL USE. VADOC should:

> allow each inmate to purchase their own new or used software

> allow each inmate's family or friend to purchase them new or used software and have it shipped directly to the inmate at whatever facility where they are housed. (For example: Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, and etc.)

> VADOC should make a contract with Microsoft to sell us their Microsoft Surface laptop with Microsoft Office already installed for a reasonable/affordable price.

INCREASE INMATE PAY AND HOURS

     VADOC inmates should be provided an increase in pay and should be allowed to work 40 hour weeks. The majority of inmates are paid from ¢.27 to ¢.45 per hour and has been In effect for over three decades. It was the pay before and after VADOC allowed for-profit companies to enter the VADOC and to profit off of inmates.

     Thank you for helping bring about much needed criminal justice changes to Virginia. I look forward to hearing from you.

**********************************************

Senator Mark Obenshain mdobenshain@gmail.com

Delegate Tony Wilt delegatewilt@gmail.com

Born Again All Over Again

I'm still very much a work in progress. 

As an adolescent I was plagued with fears of dying before being ready to face God's final judgment. I had heard countless sermons warning me against putting off being saved, and read many stories of people experiencing dramatic conversions, so I prayed many a sincere prayer asking God for my own miracle conversion. I was waiting for something dramatic to happen.

It finally dawned on me, in the privacy of my own bedroom and at age 14, that I simply needed to receive and embrace God's offer of grace and forgiveness. It was a very simple and conscious step, but from that moment (recorded in my diary as being on February 15, 1954) I experienced a sense of peace about God's love for me that has never left, and I was baptized in the fall of that year.

About five years later I was asked to speak at an annual youth gathering of Beachy Amish congregations all over the eastern part of the US on the topic of our church's Anabaptist origins. In preparation I read the text of Mennonite historian Harold S. Bender's ground breaking speech to the American Society of Church History on "The Anabaptist Vision."

I was blown away. Learning more about these brave men and women, spiritual ancestors of present day members of Mennonite-related groups, revolutionized my life. Bender made three points that made a big impression on me.

1) Being a Christian is not just about getting saved and getting a free pass to heaven, but about daily following Jesus's teachings. In other words, it's about a life of faithful and grace-based discipleship.

2) Followers of Jesus are to be a part of voluntary communities of believers who together continue the work and mission of Jesus in the world. To me this meant being a part of a worldwide mission of announcing good news to the poor, the recovery of sight to the blind, the release of prisoners and of the oppressed, and of proclaiming God's Jubilee of salvation, shalom and justice for all. We're recruited to do this together.

3) Followers of Jesus are to lay down their arms, refuse to have anything to do with violence and coercion, and take up Jesus's cross of suffering wrong rather than inflicting it on others, whether in our personal lives or as a part of a state-sponsored military.

Then about five years later, as a college student in my 20's, I read Virgil Vogt's "The Christian Calling," a piece that further reinforced this sense of mission. Vogt stresses that God's calling and our "vocation" as believers are the same for all of us, and that it is not just for a group of ordained ministers, missionaries or "clergy." That is, we are all to be equally engaged in God's mission, to restore what is broken in the world, and to work at reconciling all people to God and to one another. Our individual gifts and the particular work we do to earn a living are simply the context in which we carry out that primary vocation. But the basic vocation is always the same. God's called out and sent people together herald and live out God's salvation vision for healing, reconciliation and peace for all.

Throughout the past 80 years I've felt blessed experiencing one new kind of fresh  inspiration and transformation after another, each building on the one before it. 

And I look forward to the next transformative steps in the journey.

Guest Post: Look Before You Leap On A Proposed Middle River Regional Jail Expansion

This important piece by Ruth Stoltzfus Jost is to appear in the Daily News-Record this week.

Our jail is full. Again. In 2015 we paid $20 million to join Middle River Regional Jail. Since 1994 when our Harrisonburg jail was built our community population has not quite doubled -- but we are jailing five times as many people.

On February 2 the Middle River Regional Jail Authority, including our city and county officials, will be considering jail upgrades and expansion. Options range from $40 - $68 million for construction, divided among 5 jurisdictions. Add $40,000 per inmate per year ongoing costs. Taxpayers beware!

That’s not counting the real costs to our community. The great majority of persons in jail are charged or convicted of non-violent offenses. Many have been held pretrial for months. Incarceration disrupts tax-generating employment, secure housing, child support payments, and stable family relations.

What can we do instead? Virtually every community in the country is struggling with this dilemma.

There is a roadmap to easier, cheaper, and more just solutions. Prison Policy Initiative has produced a report "Does our County really need a bigger jail? A guide for avoiding unnecessary jail expansion". https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/jailexpansion.html

The guide lists basic questions that local decision-makers ask and lays out detailed "best practices" for reducing jail overcrowding. Are we holding too many people in jail pretrial? Are we making arrests when we could issue citations to appear in court? Are we under-utilizing personal recognizance or unsecured bonds to release non-dangerous persons before a court hearing? Are we incarcerating people because they cannot afford to pay fines and fees when we could use community service in lieu of payment or exemption waivers for poor defendants? Do we weigh an individual's ability to pay when imposing fees and fines? Are we over- incarcerating people convicted of misdemeanors and low-level offenses?

These and other questions are followed with details about best practices that work: reforming pretrial detention, changing how we issue fees and fines, ensuring people with mental health and substance use disorders are treated in the community not incarcerated, creating alternatives to incarceration for people convicted of misdemeanors and low-level offenses, ensuring that we don't use jail for technical violations of probation and parole.

With the hiring last year of our Criminal Justice Planner, Harrisonburg and Rockingham are finally poised to gather our data about current practices, develop new strategies, and secure grants (or leverage funds) to:

1. Build on our current investments in comprehensive drug treatment facilities, mental health, employment, and other programs, and use them to a) divert non-violent persons from the criminal justice system before even charging them and b) divert non-violent persons instead of revoking probation and reincarcerating them.

2. Avoid incarcerating persons before trial unless they are an immediate danger to the public.

3. Avoid incarcerating the many non-violent offenders who can safely work and live at home with electronic home monitoring.

Tell your city and county representatives we need to use less expensive, more effective proven alternatives before we spend millions to expand our jail.

Here's a link to a petition to sign urging the cities of Staunton, Waynesboro and Harrisonburg and the Counties of Augusta snd Rockingham to consider alternatives to this proposed multimillion dollar expansion.

An Urgent Petition To Sign and Share

We need 1000 signatures before the MRRJ Regional Authority meets February 2.

We, as citizens of Rockingham and Augusta Counties and the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton and Waynesboro, oppose spending millions to build more jail space at Middle River Regional Jail to incarcerate predominantly non-violent offenders.

We  support proven alternative strategies that strengthen families and communities and significantly reduce jail populations, such as:   

1.  Investing in comprehensive drug treatment facilities and mental health, employment, and other programs that 

     a) divert non-violent persons from the criminal justice system, and 

     b) divert non-violent probation violators instead of reincarcerating them.

2.  Having pre-trial persons incarcerated only if they are an immediate danger to the public.

3.  Having non-violent offenders who can safely work and live at home on electronic home monitoring.

Here's the link: https://www.change.org/p/oppose-the-expansion-at-middle-river-regional-jail?recruiter=764858728&recruited_by_id=44954200-872d-11e7-b902-7f1a4337f57a&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard

Guest Reflections On The Week's Events: "A Shameful Chapter In The History Of White American Christianity"

Benjamin on his front porch at the Savage
Mountain Farm.

This is a Facebook post by Benjamin Jay Yoder of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, that I use with his kind permission. He and his wife Hana are parents of Rosie (4) and Henry (2). They attend the Springs Mennonite Church and operate Savage Mountain Farm where they sell produce and pasture raised meat.

I'm awake here after a very disturbing dream in which I was at JFK's funeral. I don't post much these days but here are some thoughts.

As usual, my thoughts and heavy heart turn to my local community, about which I feel a special disappointment tonight. I know you weren't there and you would say that you don't condone what happened yesterday, and I believe you. What weighs on my heart, however, is what feels to me like the complete revocation of any claim white American Christians have to being a witness of the Peaceable Kingdom. 

This is a shameful chapter in the history of white American Christianity. You found yourselves on the side of nihilism, idolatry, hero-worship, and groupthink. Sadly, many of you have very real, very deep relationships with Christ and I am the better for knowing you--but this has been a blindspot for you, and the people you are supposed to be a Light to are not impressed. 

Unfortunately, many of these people will never get close enough to you to see, because of this blindspot of yours, the powerful Light that I know you have. Rather than being an irresistible Light to the world, your political idolatry has become an abrasive deterrent for anyone who seeks anything deeper in this world. Donald Trump became an idol, whether folks will recognize that or not. People put their faith in Trump and not in the long view parable of the mustard seed. (Matthew 13:31-32)

Christians must always take the long view. For us, the means never justify the ends. We must operate as if the means ARE the ends. Achieving a future where we have a "robust economy" or "fewer abortions" is a pitifully anemic picture of the Kingdom we are striving for--and achieving those thin, frail objectives by "telling it like it is", "not taking any crap," stoking division and bullying your way there is the way of the world, not the way of the Mustard Seed.

 

I know I have plenty of beams in my own eye, but give me some grace as you consider the speck in yours. I look forward to the day when my local Christian friends and family can shed this new phenomenon of aligning themselves more strongly with a political party than with their faith, especially in this community that has been heavily influenced by Anabaptist thought, which historically has cast a suspicious eye towards putting faith in politics.

What happened??? I see old school Mennonites loving on Trump. And if you're wondering whether I feel the same way about the other side, I do. I feel the progressive white churches and the African-American church put way too much faith in the Democratic Party as well. But this post isn't about that--it's about the reckoning the Christian Right needs to have with this particularly ugly chapter. 

Do you remember when Focus on the Family's primary mission was combatting American consumerism, commercialism and materialism? Do you remember when any Christian business was heretical if they opened for business on Sunday? I know I'm remembering the past a little too nostalgically, but it seems that the Market Force has fully captured the Christian's interest--to the point that they're willing to follow a man like Trump in order to protect it. 

Almost invariably, when Im discussing Trump with local folks who claim to be Christian, and I'm sharing my reservations about his attitude, behaviors and general demeanor, they ultimately fall back on "jobs and economy".

Think about that. Is that of number one importance to Christians? 

Christians must express their resistance by leaning radically on the side of love, inclusiveness, patience, temperance, a willingness to defer, a willingness to sacrifice, a willingness to be persecuted in the short term for the long term work of the Spirit. A Christian's solutions to the world's problems must be so radical that there is no way anyone in the Capitol building could implement them. 

Christians do not loudly complain about their treatment, fight like dogs for this or that policy to be implemented, use force to enter a building, victimize themselves, fight to "take back" some ideal or principle, much less political power. In fact, if government officials compel them to carry their suitcase one mile, they subvert them not by refusing to do it, or fighting them, or working to change the rules, but by blindsiding them by offering to take it two miles.

Please remember this going forward, friends. American political institutions are not, have never been, and never will be the method by which we achieve the full blossoming of the mustard seed.

So while I know very few people from this community who would have participated in yesterday's events, I can't help but see the ways in which this has all been propped up and brought to this point by Trumps evangelical support.

Just think about it. Pray about it. I'll keep doing the same.

It Takes A Whole Community To Create A Model Criminal Justice System

Current proposals for expansion would require the investment
of millions by each of the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton and
Waynesboro as well as by Rockingham and Augusta Counties. 

The following Open Forum piece was published in today's Daily News-Record:

Five years ago our locality signed a $21.5 million contract allowing us to house some of our local inmates at the Middle River Regional Jail (MRRJ) in Augusta County. 

Now both jails are overcrowded, largely because the Department of Corrections (due to COVID risks) has delayed receiving some 300 inmates from here waiting to be moved to DOC facilities. So the MRRJ Authority Board, which includes six local representatives, is now considering a multi-million dollar expansion of MRRJ at a time when both state and local budgets are stretched to the limit.

This is a critical time to consider proven alternatives to incarceration for the vast majority of our offenders who are not a physical danger to our community. We already have a Day Reporting Program and Drug Court in place, and could implement a comparable mental health court, eliminate cash bail for most people awaiting trial, and have many more inmates on electronic monitoring devices while working to support their families and pay off their fines and fees.

In 1994 the Virginia General Assembly mandated local jurisdictions like ours to form advisory Community Criminal Justice Boards (CCJB) made up of representative attorneys, judges, law enforcement officials, school superintendents and other local agencies and governing bodies. Thus local communities are given more say in effectively dealing with crime, and are charged with these responsibilities:

1. Advise on the development and operation of local pretrial services and community-based probation services for use by courts in diverting offenders from incarceration;

2. Assist community agencies and organizations in establishing and modifying programs and services for defendants and offenders on the basis of an objective assessment of the community's needs and resources;

3. Evaluate and monitor community programs and pretrial and local community-based probation services and facilities to determine their impact on offenders;

4. Develop and amend a criminal justice plan in accordance with guidelines and standards set forth by the Department and oversee the development and amendment of the community-based corrections plan as required by § 53.1-82.1 for approval by participating local governing bodies;

5. Review the submission of all criminal justice grants regardless of the source of funding;

6. Facilitate local involvement and flexibility in responding to the problem of crime in their communities; 

7. Do all things necessary to carry out the responsibilities expressly given in this article.

We are blessed to have a high level of experience and expertise in our CCJB, which meets quarterly and is co-chaired by City Council member Chris Jones and Board of Supervisor chair Rick Chandler. This group, like its neighboring Augusta County-based CCJB, could be soliciting the community’s help in developing concrete proposals for reducing incarceration costs and numbers while maintaining a high level of public safety and developing a high level of citizen responsibility.

Together we can find ways of reallocating resources and expanding drug treatment programs and services. Our community needs alternatives to confining ever more people in expensive steel cages--inconveniently located in a neighboring county.

For The Twelfth Day Of Christmas: Celebrating With A Russian Orthodox Tradition

Russian Krendl bread

A couple of years ago our house church congregation observed an Orthodox ceremony celebrating the Twelfth (and last) Day of Christmas. After some scripture and carols we observed a little liturgy with each congregant receiving a generous piece of freshly baked Krendl bread and the words, "Jesus is born!". Each member then responded with "Let us adore him!" dipped the bread in honey and savored it as a form of Eucharist.

Traditionally, Twelfth Night has been a night of merry making, as in Shakespeare's play by that name. While we Mennonites are not known to be great at making merry, we did our best in belting out our favorite Christmas hymns and carols. Then after our prayers and Bible study, we enjoyed our weekly carry-in fellowship meal, until recently always a part of our weekly experience of church.

The Krendl bread was a token Christmas present to our members. It was a recipe I had never used before, but I felt blessed going through the process as a labor of love, an act of prayer.

Until next year, a Merry, Merry Christmas!

For The Eleventh Day Of Christmas: A Case For Keeping Christ OUT Of Christmas

William C. Wood, professor of economics at James Madison University, believes our national celebration of Christmas has become so pagan and anti-Christian that we ought to just call it a "Merry Excessmas"--and call the Christian celebration something else, like "Holy Nativity".

Dr. Wood had an op ed piece promoting this idea published in the Wall Street Journal a number of years ago, and has been crusading for this change ever since. Just separating the two celebrations, he believes, would make things a lot cleaner and clearer. Let the rest of the world have the greed-based holiday Christmas has become.

There's a lot to be said for Dr. Wood's idea, and maybe if we are really serious about observing Christmas, we should remember that according to the Christian calendar, most of December has never been intended be "Merry," but a hopeful and prayerful time of waiting we call Advent. The traditional Advent season ends with the celebration of Nativity, which begins on Christmas Eve and continues through the "Twelve Days of Christmas," this being the eleventh day. 

So in keeping with our Christian tradition, we should be celebrating neither "Holy Nativity" nor "Merry Christmas" until December 25 actually arrives, at which time we should begin our festivity with abandonment.

More on that tomorrow.

For The Tenth Day Of Christmas: A Silent Night, Peaceful Night In The Trenches

Folksinger John McCutcheon wrote a memorable song about an event in World War that has become legendary

Christmas in the Trenches 

My name is Francis Tolliver. I come from Liverpool

Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school

To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here

I fought for King and country I love dear

It was Christmas in the trenches where the frost so bitter hung

The frozen field of France were still, no Christmas song was sung

Our families back in England were toasting us that day

Their brave and glorious lads so far away

I was lyin' with my mess-mates on the cold and rocky ground

When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound

Says I "Now listen up me boys", each soldier strained to hear

As one young German voice sang out so clear

"He's singin' bloody well you know", my partner says to me

Soon one by one each German voice joined in in harmony

The cannons rested silent. The gas cloud rolled no more

As Christmas brought us respite from the war

As soon as they were finished a reverent pause was spent

'God rest ye merry, gentlemen' struck up some lads from Kent

The next they sang was 'Stille Nacht". "Tis 'Silent Night'" says I

And in two tongues one song filled up that sky

"There's someone comin' towards us" the front-line sentry cried

All sights were fixed on one lone figure trudging from their side

His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright

As he bravely strode, unarmed, into the night

Then one by one on either side walked into no-mans-land

With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand

We shared some secret brandy and wished each other well

And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell

We traded chocolates, cigarettes and photographs from home

These sons and fathers far away from families of their own

Young Sanders played his squeeze box and they had a violin

This curious and unlikely band of men

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more

With sad farewells we each began to settle back to war

But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night

"whose family have I fixed within my sights?"

It was Christmas in the trenches where the frost so bitter hung

The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung

For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war

Had been crumbled and were gone for ever more

My name is Francis Tolliver. In Liverpool I dwell

Each Christmas come since World War One I've learned it's lessons well

That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame

And on each end of the rifle we're the same

To listen on YouTube https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ocRmtOVKfl8/hqdefault.jpg

For The Ninth Day Of Christmas: Living By The Values Of The Future

The Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks

I heard George Brunk III, former dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, once say, “Our faith is not so much about preserving values from the past as it is about living out the values of the future.” 

In other words, we’re not simply to resist change and hold on to our heritage, good as that may be, but we’re called to radically demonstrate a way of life here and now that has never been, except perhaps in the Garden of Eden. 

As a people of God, we are to be an advertisement about what the future will be like when God is fully sovereign, when God’s will will be done on earth as it already is in heaven. We are to be a people who refuse to wait, and who are already living by the rules of the forever future, when people everywhere will live by the prophet Isaiah’s vision in the Bible and will “beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks,” and will “study war no more.” 

In the age to come “the wolf will lie down with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child shall lead them.” and “they will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea.” 

That’s a future we can all live with, and one we’re being enlisted now to join in becoming an Exhibit A, a showcase of what God’s forever world will inevitably be like. If we believe that, live with that gleam in our eye, everything about our life now will change.

For the Eighth Day Of Christmas: A Child In A Dark Place Dreams Of A Bright Future

For those who have endured all kinds of trauma and grief, the beginning of a new year invites visions of a brighter future. 

Jonathan Kozol, author of a book called Amazing Grace, writes about his experiences learning to know children in the worst areas of the Bronx in New York City, and records their stories and dreams. Thirteen-year-old Anthony Green wrote him this description of a future paradise as he envisioned it. 

God will be there. He’ll be happy that we have arrived. People shall  come in hand in hand. It will be bright, not dim and glooming like here on earth. All friendly animals will be there, but no mean ones. As for television, forget it! If you want vision, you can use your eyes to see the people that you love. No one will look at you from the outside. People will see you from the inside. All the people from the street will be there. My uncle will be there and he will be healed. You won’t see him buying drugs, because there won’t be money. Mr. Mongo will be there too. You might see him happy for a change. The prophets will be there, and Adam and Eve, and all the disciples except Judas... No violence will there be in heaven. There will be no guns or drugs or IRS. You won’t have to pay taxes. You’ll recognize all the children who have died when they were little. Jesus will be good to them and play with them. At night he’ll come and visit at your house. God will be fond of you. How will you know that you are there? Something will tell you, ‘This is it! Eureka!’ If you still feel lonely in your heart, or bitterness, you’ll know that you’re not there.

Anthony Green was shot and killed three years later on Beekman Avenue, in the worst part of the Bronx. There’s got to be a city with safe streets of solid gold for people like him.