Giving Up Our Sense Of Entitlement For Lent

Photo from the Mennonite Central Committee website, 
where regular contributions can be made to help relieve 
world hunger.

If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion--how can God's love be in that person?         - I John 3:17 (NLT)

In an age of increased global awareness, who are our sisters and brothers? Or as someone once asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"

These are pressing questions in light of the unimaginable kinds of suffering millions being experienced in places like Turkey, Syria, Ukraine and in drought stricken parts of Africa. 

Buried in a "Digest" section on page 7 of the February 23, 2023, edition of the Washington Post are the following paragraphs from an Associated Press, "Drought trends said to be worse than in 2011":

The IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center said below average rainfall is expected in the rainy season over the next three months.

This could be the sixth failed consecutive rainfall season in the region that includesSomalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, the center said.

The drought, the longest on record in Somalia, has lasted almost three years, and tens of thousands of people are said to have died. More than a million people have been displaced in Somalia alone, according to the United Nations.

Last month, the U.N. resident coordinator in Somalia warned that excess deaths in Somalia will "almost certainly" surpass those of the famine declared in 2011. Close to 23 million people are thought to be highly food insecure in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, according to a food security working group chaired by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Already, 11 million livestock that are essential to many families' health and wealth have died, Wednesday's statement said. 

Many affected in the region are farmers.

All of us who profess to be pro-life need to demonstrate a willingness to make major lifestyle changes to help our fellow human beings in situations like these. Claiming a sense of entitlement to a life of privilege in the face of this kind of crisis is no longer acceptable. 

Here are some welcome changes we can make for Lent and for life:

1) We can and practice giving extravagantly and joyfully.

2) We can drastically reduce our overconsumption of products and services designed simply for our comfort and convenience. 

3) We can reduce the use of fossil fuels that contribute to pollution and climate change.

4) We can urge our nation to stop adding billions to a "defense budget" capable of killing ever more people while people are dying from lack of food and shelter.

What better time than Lent to engage in practices that promote life and well being for all?

Celebrating Younger Leaders In Our Churches

"This is what I will do in the last days, God says:

    I will pour out my Spirit on everyone.

Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message;

    your young men will see visions,

    and your old men will have dreams.

Yes, even on my servants, both men and women,

    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

    and they will proclaim my message."

Acts 2:17-18 (Good News Translation)

At our February 4 Virginia Conference Winter Delegate Assembly Andrew Fairfield, pastor of the Christiansburg Mennonite Church, was elected as our next moderator-elect. At 37, he is the youngest person to be chosen for this role in my memory, garnering 80% of the vote. 

This kind of vote has usually been near unanimous, so I'm not sure whether the other 20% of the delegates believed he was too young or too progressive for that role or what, but he presented well as a mature and dedicated servant leader who genuinely loves his church. And meanwhile I've learned that multiple older persons were contacted by the nominating committee but declined.

I personally feel blessed to have been licensed to assist Jesse Byler as pastor of the Zion Mennonite Church when I was only 26, and without any seminary education at the time. I was ordained as lead pastor at 29, blessed by Byler's and others' significant encouragement as my mentors. I owe the Zion congregation more than they will ever know for their support and trust during twenty-plus years of ministry in that church.

In an earlier era it wasn't unusual for young men in their 20's and 30's in our conference (no women, though, in spite of their Anabaptist heritage) being given major church responsibilities. For example, Lewis J. Heatwole, an innovative and effective leader in the early history of Virginia Conference, was ordained a minister at 34 and became a bishop five years later, George R. Brunk I was ordained at 19 years of age and was made bishop at 25. He lived to be 63 years old after a life of strong leadership and writing, and was the husband and father of 9 remarkable children. 

In the mid-1900's Myron Augsburger was ordained as a minister at age 22, after having already been licensed as a pastor of the Tuttle Avenue Mennonite Church several years prior, and became president of Eastern Mennonite College at age 35. He succeeded John R. Mumaw, who had been appointed to that office at 44.

According to the Mennonite Yearbook, well known Mennonite leader Paul Lederach of the Franconia Mennonite Conference was ordained at 19 and became bishop at 24, and one of his colleagues, author and minister John Ruth, was ordained at age 20.

In contrast, the majority of today's Virginia Conference lay and ordained delegates and church leaders are in their 50's, 60's and older. Interestingly, one of the items for consideration in our February delegate session was whether we should amend the bylaws to allow congregations to have an additional youth or young adult delegate (defined as being between the ages of 16 and 21) to take part in our Assemblies.

In my mind, if we are serious about baptism initiating us into full fledged membership in the body of Christ, should that even be a question? In my opinion there should be no junior or second class members in Anabaptist congregations. We need all of the gifts, wisdom and insights of our youth and young adults can provide, along with those of our aging men and women.

Speaking of Anabaptists, the first recorded adult baptisms were of George Blaurock, a 30-year-old ex-priest, and Felix Manz and Conrad Grebel, each 26-year-old university students. This was in defiance of laws mandating that all infants be baptized in order to have the right to state citizenship and church membership. Young Felix Manz was drowned in the Limmat River soon thereafter by Zurich's Reformed state church for advocating the kind of freedom of religion we now take for granted, but which was an idea considered both heretical and dangerous at the time.

Anna Manz, Felix Manz's mother, who was later tortured and pressured to give the names of some of these rising Anabaptist leaders, assured the authorities that the persons meeting in her home were "just some women." Which was true, except the women in question were in fact active evangelists, something unheard of in that time.

In an era when young adults are leaving the faith in droves, we need to hear and heed active members of a younger generation who can help us see visions of both "new wine" and "new wineskins."

Jesus, at 30, was one of those.

Please comment below if you can add to the list of church leaders you know who were given major church responsibilities at a young age.

False Alarms: Retraining The Overanxious Brain

Anxious brains can be programmed a lot like the oversensitive smoke detector in our house, which recently resulted in the Harrisonburg Fire Department rushing to our Park Village apartment and causing us much embarrassment. And what was the actual problem? An overly toasted cheese sandwich.

source

From the Harvard Medical School Newsletter: "After the amygdala sends a distress signal, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending signals through the autonomic nerves to the adrenal glands. These glands respond by pumping the hormone epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) into the bloodstream." 

As you can see from the diagram, a life event can trigger a "fight or flight" response in our sub cortex (the downstairs brain) that bypasses the thinking process that happens in our cerebral cortex (the upstairs brain). 

The lower brain, operational from the very beginning of one's life, is all about self preservation. In the case of a fire or other life threatening emergency, it can truly be life saving, instantly mobilizing every part of our body to ward off a threat or to help preserve our life or the life of another. 

The upper brain, on the other hand, a complex mass of countless neurons that are laced together in the first quarter of our lives, is what we need to rationally assess ordinary problems and apply solutions in a measured and effective way.

The overanxious brain is one that has been programmed to perceive all too many non-emergency events as life threatening and requiring an immediate fight or fight reaction. The purpose of any legitimate fear is to motivate us to do what we can to keep ourselves and others safe from harm, as opposed to fear that actually limits our ability to effectively prevent harm, and may cause us to inflict harm. 

In other words, adrenaline can give us the kind of physical energy and drive we need to address an immediate crisis, or it can simply add to our distress and result in lower brain reactions that are counter productive. So how can we become better at using the upper part of our brain for situations that are troubling, but not life threatening?

Here are some things to consider:

1. List whatever emotions in the fear family that contribute to excessive anxiety, worry, alarm, dread or panic.

2. Rank each of these in order of the degree to which they create distress in your life.

3. Rate each on a scale of 0-5 as to how a reasonable jury of your peers would rate their seriousness (a '0' for a mere phobia that represents no realistic threat at all, like a fear of driving through a tunnel or of giving an oral report in class, and a '5' for a real and present danger deserving urgent attention).

4. Add the letter A to each perceived anxiety-inducing circumstance you, with God's help and the help of others, believe you can actually do something about, and NA for each that is entirely out of your control, and for which we all need to depend on God to take care of.

5. With phobias or other unreasonable, crippling or useless fears, create a plan for gradually moving toward rather than away from, whatever situations trigger the fear. In other words, if you are phobic about speaking in groups, begin to mentally rehearse and intentionally practice expressing your thoughts, opinions or feelings to others on a regular basis. For example, you might consider initiating a conversation with someone you feel less comfortable with at least once a day, or taking an active part in a group discussion on a more regular basis. Then work up to more difficult challenges.

6. Reflect on the many fears or phobias you have already successfully overcome in the past, like being afraid of the dark, getting on a bus and going to a big new school for the first time, being anxious about driving a vehicle on the highway, or about any other situation that no longer seems like a threat. Remember you have already been successful in overcoming fear, but you also realize it may mean taking some intentional steps that may at first cause discomfort.

7. Be grateful that if any life threatening crisis occurs, the right parts of your brain will know how to respond, and that you will always have the support of God, and of God's people, to help you get through the challenges that are a part of our lot in life.

A Family Blessed With Some Heroic Ancestors

Inscription on an Anabaptist Memorial Plaque in Zurich, Switzerland, dedicated July 7, 2004
"Here were drowned in the middle of the Limmat River from a fishing platform Felix Manz and five other Anabaptists during the Reformation period between 1527 and 1532. The last such Anabaptist executed, Hans Landis, was in Zurich in 1614."

Dear granddaughters and grandsons,

I pray none of you will ever be asked to give up your lives for your faith, your country or for any other reason, but we do want you to know about some of your ancestors who did in fact die as martyrs for a cause they were deeply committed to, or who otherwise made great sacrifices for their beliefs. 

Hans Landis, mentioned in the plaque above, was your grandmother Alma Jean's great great great great great great great great great great grandfather. 

His crime? Holding illegal church meetings in his house, and teaching that no one should be forced to join the official state-sponsored religion of his native Switzerland or any other state church, Protestant or Catholic. He believed everyone should have the freedom to practice whatever faith, or no faith, as he or she chose. He also believed and taught that no one should ever be forced to kill people in a state sponsored war. In addition, Hans was accused of raising money to help poor families in order to entice them to join his church. He admitted to helping people in need, but not for that reason.

Because of the heroism of our ancestor and many others like him in the free church (Anabaptist/Mennonite) movement we can now take that kind of religious freedom for granted. But back then if you lived in a Catholic state you had to be baptized as a Catholic, or if you were born in a Lutheran or Reformed state you were forced to have your children baptized as Protestants. Hans Landis and his brave wife Barbara refused. 

Without state approved baptism, people were denied rights as citizens and were often subject to fines, imprisonments, torture, banishment or death. Hans Landis chose death over giving up what he believed was right.

Over a century later my great great great great great great grandfather Christian Yoder, Sr., a widower from the same part of Switzerland as Hans Landis, accompanied his 17-year-old son, Christian, Jr., on a hazardous six week journey to America in 1742 on the ship Francis and Elizabeth. They left everything behind rather than having young Christian forced to go into hiding or to be inducted into the Swiss army. 

Years later, in 1776, Christian Yoder, Jr., moved his own family by covered wagon from eastern Pennsylvania to the westernmost part of state rather than having his own draft-age sons conscripted to fight in the Revolutionary War against King George III, the English monarch who had granted them asylum. 

Meanwhile, in 1754, another of our ancestors, Jacob Hochstetler, refused to allow his sons to shoot Indian invaders who were attacking their home in southeastern Pennsylvania, resulting in Jacob's wife and their young daughter losing their lives and Jacob and two of his sons being taken captive by native tribes in the northern part of the state for nearly two years. 

Your fourth cousin once removed, Irvin Stutzman, now our neighbor here in Park View, wrote three books telling their story. Had Jacob attempted to resist by force the entire family would likely have fared even worse, would likely all have been killed. As it was, he and his second wife Barbara became our ancestors, and those of thousands of Mennonite and Amish descendants living all over the US.

These are just a few of your good forefathers and mothers whose courageous convictions and commendable life we would do well to be inspired by and learn from. And they include people like your uncle Brad, who at 17 decided that as a conscientious objector to war he could not register for the nation's draft, resulting in his not being eligible for federal student loans for his college education.

We pray each of you will have the courage to do what is good, right and life-giving, no matter what the cost, and to be an inspiring examples for your own children and grandchildren to follow.

Love and prayers,

Grandpa and Grandma Yoder

Of Elephants And Mice: An Appeal For Unity

An edited version of this post was published in
the June 16 edition of the Anabaptist World.

"There can be no peace among nations without peace among religions." Hans Küng

What if we were to paraphrase Küng's words to ask, "How can we spread a gospel of peace without demonstrating shalom-like peace among ourselves?"

While nice folks like us may not be openly un-peaceful or hostile, we are all too prone to give up on each other and go our separate ways. In that sense we (peacefully?) "ex-communicate" one another, not by formally expelling congregations or groups of congregations with whom we disagree, but by simply withdrawing from them, no longer "communicating" with them when it comes to maintaining regular fellowship or communion together.

Our Amish cousins are at least consistent in their practice of this form of excommunication, in that they declare those judged to be out of order as deserving the ban, writing them off as no longer being fellow members of the body of Christ.

I once asked a member of a congregation that had left our Virginia Mennonite Conference if those of us who stayed would still be welcome to join them at their communion services. 

"Of course!" he assured me, "We will always welcome you to the Lord's Table."

"What?" I asked. "So you're not OK with worshipping and working with us in our conference assemblies, but you would welcome us to be one with you in the most intimate and sacred part of your church life?"

To me it felt like a divorcing couple announcing that while they could no longer tolerate living in the same household they would still be OK with occasionally being in bed together.

Here is the kind of Christ-based, covenant-bound church unity I keep praying for:

1. That we celebrate a God-given “unity of the Spirit” while continually working, for as long as it takes, at gaining an ever greater “unity of the faith.” 
2. That having largely abandoned the practice of excommunicating individual church members, that we commit to no longer “excommunicating” whole groups of congregations with whom we differ. 
3. That where past church separations have occurred, that we keep the door open and the invitation out to becoming reunited and to reconciled wherever possible.
4. That our congregations, district conferences and MCUSA would be bound together not so much by our constitutions and bylaws, as in a Gesellschaft (an organization) but as sisters and brothers in God's beloved Gemeinschaft (a community).
5. That if necessary we would be willing to review our organizational structures, constitutions and confessions, say every Jubilee (50th) year, and wait prayerfully and expectantly for Pentecost-style rebirths, ernestly seeking new wine and welcoming new wineskins.
6. That we would not allow current issues we define as "elephants in the room”—like a loss of trust in church structures or policies, or  disagreements about how to fully include members who identify as LBGT+—from distracting us from the multitude of threats we seem inclined to see as mere "mice in the room," such as:

...the ever increasing hold of Mammon, money, and material wealth that is threatening to choke the spiritual life out of our communities of faith. Our families, congregations and church institutions are claiming the right to ever more privilege, status, state of the art accommodations and lifestyles that are creating ever widening gaps between us and a world experiencing unprecedented hunger and homelessness.

...an increase in the hold that readily available media are having on our daily lives, with our children, teens, young adults and members of all ages being exposed to an unbelievable barrage of pornography, propaganda, deceptive and seductive advertisements and other distractions from a life of faithfully following Jesus.

...an astonishing lack of concern on the part of the heterosexual as well as the non-heterosexual community over a kind of sexual permissiveness that has elevated eros over agape, short term pleasure over lasting covenant-based commitments, and promiscuity over fidelity.

...a plague of violence and carnage in our nation, fed by an increased level of hurtful and divisive rhetoric that is dividing our communities and our congregations, amplifying our fears and our animosity toward named “enemies," and feeding the flames of an unprecedented military madness hellbent toward worldwide holocaust.

...an overconsumption of natural resources and fossil fuels that contribute to climate change and which threaten the very survival of our children and grandchildren, all of whom will be dealing with increased famines, wildfires, floods and ever more extreme weather events.

These troublesome and rapidly multiplying rodents are the ones our youth and young adults are typically seeing as the real “elephants in the room.”

Kyrie Elision,

Lord have mercy.

HARD TIME VIRGINIA Vol. 8, No. 1, an occasional newsletter for the incarcerated

2022 Parole Releases At A Historic Low 

Under New Administration

Regular/Discretionary Grants: 41

Geriatric Grants: 11

Dual Grants (both combined): 11

Board Review Grants: None

Total Combined Grants to Parole for 2022: (63)

The Augusta Correctional Center housed 290 parole eligible offenders as of June 10, 2022. Only two offender's were granted parole in 2022, and of those who received a parole denial received three year deferrals along with increased reasons for their denial. Many of these men are "old law" offender's in their geriatric stage of life with a record of decades of positive rehabilitation and reform in their individual lives. Some have medical conditions that are costly to their continued incarceration, and have stable home plans and low risk assignments to be released.  - Jonathan White

We Are Still Waiting, Chairman Dotson 

I had a half hour phone conversation in November with Chadwick Dotson, the new chair of the Virginia Parole Board, about some longstanding concerns many have about our present parole system. He had read my column in the February 5, 2022 Richmond Times on parole and said he was in substantial agreement with the  reforms proposed by the Prison Policy Initiative as cited in my Times piece. 

The Chairman reiterated his desire to give every parole eligible person a fair hearing and a second chance, but admitted that so far the Board's grant rates haven't reflected the change in numbers he hopes to see in the upcoming months. Not all members of his Board agree on how, among other things, the seriousness of an individual's crime should affect a decision about their release versus the seriousness with which they have worked at their rehabilitation. He stated several times that he would like to be able to have more members have actual conversations with the individuals whose cases are being reviewed so they could interact with real persons and not just with data provided by board examiners. Since three of the five board members are only part time, this remains a challenge.

He also said that victims and victim families deserve to have a voice but not a veto in deciding a case, and that everything possible should be done to carry out the Parole Board's stated mission, which is to "grant release to those whose release is compatible with public safely." He also said he would seriously consider the suggestion made by many that all favorable votes be reported as well as unfavorable ones. Currently voting stops when three board members vote to deny release (via a remote computer) which means parole eligible persons never know whether the remaining vote or votes would have been a yes or a no.

Dotson agreed that the element of hope for release is vital to the morale of those incarcerated and to the safety of the prisons housing them, and that detainees deserve to know why they are repeatedly denied release time after time in spite of all of their efforts at remaining infraction free and in spite of their availing themselves of every rehabilitative program offered.

The chairman reported that he and other board members have visited numerous other states to see how they are working at granting parole, and says they are working on a new procedural manual that is to be presented to Governor Youngkin by the end of he month for his review and approval for the upcoming year. He hopes the 2023 Virginia Assembly and Senate will support these and other measures to help bring about positive changes in the way Virginia's criminal justice system functions.

As to the work of the Parole board, "Wait and see what happens in the next number of months," he said, "as we engage in 'structured decision making' regarding the future of all cases under review." 

- Harvey Yoder, editor, cochair of Valley Justice Coalition Box 434, Harrisonburg, VA 22803

From The Editor’s Mailbag

“Keefe has again raised commissary prices, by 8.5 %, but there have been no pay raises for prison workers for decades.”  - Charles E. Zellers, Sr. BKCC

"Here I am, at 73, with a lot of health problems, having spent almost 31 years in prison. I know the good Lord has helped me more than prison has. I've learned a lot from the Bible about right and wrong, and how to respect others...." - Kenneth Pack, BKCC

“I hope Parole Chairman Dotson holds true to what he is saying. About a hundred of us met with him... When they turn down a guy like Jeffrey A. Smith, who has a stack of certificates an inch thick, has educated himself, getting a college degree and helped countless people it makes no sense to me. I've known the guy over 24 years and could guarantee that if granted release he would never even jaywalk.I go up in a year and nine months. We'll see.”  - John Livesay,  GCC

“I need to go on medication before a stroke or heart attack arrives over high cholesterol. I'm trying to get used to dorm living after 30 years at a high security level. The article you printed on dormitory incarceration is very true. Those of us who have been in prison for decades should all be placed in institutions with single cells offered to those who want them. I'll be going up for parole in the second quarter of 2023 ... I have a home and a job waiting for me on a farm in WV.”   - Branson Fink, DFCC

“It was a bad year. I lost my sister-in-law of 40 years, my mom and younger brother. They are missed, but I rejoice because they are in the best of hands and I will see them again.”    - Daniel N. Leneave, GCC

“Many good men here are holding on by a long deferred thread of hope that in the coming years the legislature allows for parole to be reinstated in Virginia. One of my best friends is serving a 23 year sentence for his first run in with the law--for drugs. He's 55 now and knows very well it could be a life sentence considering the poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyle here…If DOC was truly in the business of rehabilitating, programming for everyone would be their central focus.  - Thomas Stover, DCC

“Many elderly inmates have deteriorated to the extent they no longer pose a danger to anyone; yet they remain incarcerated, costing taxpayers across America billions of dollars in a cycle of diminishing returns for society, their families and themselves. Research shows that the increase in prison population has not been driven by mere crime, but by policies that send more people to prison and keep them for longer periods of time, in turn a trend to increasing number of older inmates.”  - Stephano Colosi, BKCC

“I have been denied parole 20 times. In 2005 my family, future employer, minister and attorney met with the Parole Board and were told I had done everything that I could, so it was just a matter of when they want to let me go. I am now 66, and could have been paroled when I was 44… Both my parents have died while I have been awaited release… At 66, I am retired from crime.”  - Larry E. Patterson, DFCC

“I've lost all my family members who cared enough to send cards in the past 23 years, so I only get a few during the holidays. I'm still on a quest to have an Ancestry D.N.A. test done so I can find my biological father, who is unaware of my existence. My mother served in the Navy with him and never told my father about me. She left the service and gave me up to my grandparents who adopted and raised me. The VA Department of Corrections just won't let me use a D.N.A. test. I've tried everything I could think of. It's an ongoing battle, but I feel that all hope is lost and I will never find my father before he passes away. The passage of time slowly takes away all the joy of life and leaves nothing but sadness, but your card helped a little for that. Merry Christmas.”  - Tom Melnyczyn, DFCC (editors note: This is part of a response to a Christmas card sent by a friend as encouraged on my Harvspot blog)

Ten Things You Can Do For Your Country

From Kennedy's January 20, 1961 inauguaral speech

In times like these, here is the kind of message I would love to hear from politicians, educators, presidents and religious leaders everywhere:

My fellow Americans, the only way a nation can become truly great is for its citizens to become truly good. So in the spirit of John F. Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you...” here are ten things you can do for your country:

1. Become friends with people who are different from you. Engage in conversations in which you listen to, and learn from, the diversity of your respective cultures, traditions and faith convictions.

2. Be generous with your neighbors in need. Government programs must do their part, but each of us needs to give generously of our time and resources to help those less fortunate across the street and around the world.

3. Live a life of integrity and responsibility. Do your best at your work or school every day. Never defraud your workers, employers, government agencies, insurance companies, or any other persons or institutions.

4. Obey all legitimate laws, and work to change unjust ones. Be law abiding not just for fear of being caught but simply because of who you are and the good example you want to set for others.

5. Respect all life from the womb to the tomb. Honor the unborn, and help spare the already born from the ravages of abuse, hunger, disease, poverty, injustice, war and all forms of violence.

6. Reserve “going all the way” with a chosen partner until you are publicly committed to “going all the way” in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, until death do you part. Be faithful to your spouse, and if you have children, bring them up in a stable, loving and nurturing household.

7. Take special care of the planet’s soil, air and water. Reduce wasteful consumption by living simply, buying locally, reusing and enjoying more of what you already have, recycling everything possible, and by relying less on forms of energy that pollute the atmosphere and waste scarce resources.

8. Don’t harm your body with tobacco, illegal drugs, or other harmful substances. Take personal responsibility for your health by eating right, exercising regularly and maintaining a good level of emotional and spiritual well-being.

9. Honor your parents, grandparents and all aging and dependent persons. Care for them as you would want to be cared for when you become unable to care for yourself.

10. Avoid entertainment media that promote pornography, denigrate women, and glorify violence--and make sure to protect children from their destructive influences. Spend less time with TV, screen media, video games and the internet and more time in wholesome interactions with real people.

With God’s help and the help of good people in our congregations and communities, we could truly make ours a great nation and the whole world a better neighborhood. In the process we could save billions in law enforcement and court expenses, in health care costs, in prisons and in social service programs.

Best of all, none of the above would require special legislation or more tax dollars, only more personal responsibility by ordinary citizens like you and me.

A revised version of a July 11, 2011 blog.