Monday, January 30, 2017

Morality & Executive Orders



A lot has happened in the US over the past week-and-a-half, including the signing of an executive order closing the borders of the US to all refugees and suspending entry of anyone from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somolia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Over the weekend this executive order resulted in protests at major US airports. It also resulted in confusion among those detained, those responsible for enforcing it, and, in the US, travelers who were affected by the slow down of routine flight checking.

In conjunction with the executive order, the President has called for "extreme vetting measures" to permanently keep "radical Islamic" terrorists out of the US.

The current vetting process is lengthy and comprehensive, involving 20 steps that include the United Nations, the US State Department, US Immigration and US Homeland Security before anyone is cleared for entry. Here's the vetting process details. Conservatively it can take up to two or more years to be cleared for admittance to the US.

On a purely practical level, the executive order does not include Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or Egypt - whose citizens have launched terrorist attacks. None of the nineteen hijackers involved in 9/11 came from a country targeted by the President's executive order.

The Washington Post reported that, according to a senior US counter-terrorism official that the executive order was created without the normal inter-agency reviews that happened under the Bush and Obama administrations. "Nobody in the counter-terrorism community pushed for this," said the official. "None of us asked for it."

So, who did ask for the ban?

Over the past week, Stephen Bannon, the President's senior strategist, was promoted to attend meetings of the National Security Council. Meaning he sits next to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense. This is unprecedented. Meanwhile the office of the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Director of National Intelligence have been downgraded. Meaning that Bannon's opinions now hold much more weight in the eyes of the President.

Bannon helped pen the President's infamous "American Carnage" address and who told the news media "to keep its mouth shut."

The President also signed an executive order to obtain funding to build a "great wall" across the Mexican border. This act was seen as a slap in the face by Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexico's President.
To the point that Nieto canceled his scheduled visit to meet with the US President, although they did speak by phone.

Similarly, another executive order of the current administration involves re-starting work on the Keystone XL/Dakota pipeline. It has earned the concern of Justin Trudeau, the President of Canada.

To sum up, within a week of being in office our President has managed to upset the leaders of both of our bordering North American neighbor nations as well as major allies like Germany, France and England. And this week Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was added to the list.

On a purely moral level, the current US President's actions do not bode well.

"Make America Great Again," seems to be translating into a very selfish, isolationist and faithless way of looking at the world.

All major religions attempt to promote peace and goodwill. Judeo-Christianity, and the Buddhist and Muslim faiths, in particular, place a premium on looking out for the stranger among us. Jesus said that we are to consider everyone our neighbor. (I refer to the parable of the Good Samaritan.) He also said blessed are the peacemakers (Check out the Beatitudes). It's a global view of the world and admittedly challenging.

The Bible is full of wisdom regarding how to treat the poor - and warnings for those who engage in self-centered behavior.

Over the weekend I had an opportunity to re-visit former President Jimmy Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" speech, given on July 15, 1979.

Although the speech was given during the Energy Crisis, what President Carter had to say bears repeating.

"We're confronted with a moral and spiritual crisis... all the legislation in the world can't fix what's wrong with America," he said.

President Carter went on to say that the fundamental threat to democracy wasn't political or economic, but rather "the threat is nearly invisible... it's a crisis of confidence."

He defined that crisis to be a loss of purpose, "the erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and political fabric of America."

President Carter said that, until recently we "always had a faith that the lives of our children will be better than our lives."

The hope rings familiar today.

But President Carter also went on to warn that "too many of us tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning."

He gave some sobering facts: For the first time in history, the majority of adults living in the US believed that the next five years would be worse than the past five. That two-thirds of those eligible to vote don't.

President Carter said that Washington, DC was "knotted up" in gridlock and that "anything that demands a sacrifice from all of us is abandoned like an orphan."

Towards the end of his speech, President Carter warned that we are a crossroads, with two possible roads to take. One road was that of fragmentation and self-interest. "That path would be one of constant conflict between narrow self-interests, chaos and immobility." The other path involves realizing we have "a common purpose" that can unite us towards a better future.

The same two paths remain in front of us today. We can choose to act in fear, or faith.

P.S. Here's an excellent opinion peace by Nicholas Kristof that speaks to this issue.





Monday, January 23, 2017

The Resurrection of Gavin Stone: A Review



Gavin Stone needs to work off 200 community service hours because of trashing a hotel room during a `bad boy' spree.

And his choices are seemingly stark: Either clean sewers, or help out at a church in his home town.

Reluctantly, Gavin chooses the second option.

That's the set-up for THE RESURRECTION OF GAVIN STONE.

When we meet Gavin, he's a former child-star who had his own tv show where he was constantly getting into trouble. His made-for-tv excuse when asked if he was the culprit: "Don't look at me!"

It was cute when he was nine, but now Gavin's in his mid-30's and still operating under the assumption that the world revolves around him.

Gavin (played to the "t" by Brett Dalton) has burned most of his bridges behind him. He has few financial resources. So he lands on the front door of his old home, where he faces his dad. It helps that Gavin's dad, Waylon, is played by Neil Flynn (who was the nameless janitor on "Scrubs" for nine seasons).

Flynn gives us an understatedly-wise Father, a man with few words, but immense thoughts as he welcomes his son back home.

Gavin's first day at his home town's church is a bit rough. He's surprised that Pastor Allen (played by D.B. Sweeney) doesn't seem to know him from his television days. Pastor Allen is willing to sign him up for community service, but lets Gavin know he won't tolerate any fudging of the hours. And Pastor Allen fully expects to hold Gavin to fulfilling every one of them - doing janitorial work.

Meanwhile Gavin runs in to the Pastor's daughter, Kelly, as he's attempting to clean the women's bathroom. Although Kelly (played by former MAD-tv star and stand up comic Anjelah Johnson Reyes) recognizes him, she's too busy juggling church projects to be impressed.

And so begins their relationship.

One of the projects Kelly has on her plate is directing the church's Easter production.

Gavin slips in to a rehearsal and is immediately captivated by the chance to do something theatrical in place of pulling mop duty.

After a reluctance to cast Gavin because of his mega-sized ego, Kelly talks it over with Pastor Allen, who convinces her that giving second chances is what Christianity is all about.

As the title implies, the remainder of THE RESURRECTION OF GAVIN STONE chronicles his epiphany and eventual personal resurrection into a relationship with God's son.

For the most part, the film, written by Andrea Gyertson Nasfell, (who also wrote the screenplay for MOM'S NIGHT OUT) does a great job delivering a solid message without thumping us over the head with it.

Some of the most brilliant moments of Nasfell's script take place as Gavin is playing the part of Jesus on stage. Gavin's Jesus whispers to the man who balks when asked to give away everything and follow him. "Don't walk away! Don't go!," Gavin ad-libs, pleading with him. An improvisation built on Gavin's own growing relationship with the person he is portraying.

The film's direction by Dallas Jenkins (son of writer Jerry Jenkins) does much to gently draw this out. He also extracts a believable performance from former WWF star Shawn Michaels as Doug, a fellow church member, a bit gruff on the outside, but with a heart of gold.

In the end Gavin says to Kelly, "I was rude and selfish and you guys gave me a second chance." To which Kelly replies, "That's what we do."

All in all THE RESURRECTION OF GAVIN STONE is a faith-based film filled with little gems that record Gavin's turn around. It is, indeed, a resurrection.

Here's the trailer for THE RESURRECTION OF GAVIN STONE.

Photo credit: From Christianity Today website.















Monday, January 16, 2017

Meet Author Jane Knuth



Jane Knuth writes a monthly column for The Good News, the newspaper of the [Catholic] Diocese of Kalamazoo, and co-writes a column for a local newspaper, (coincidentally named Good News) with her daughter Ellen. She and her husband, Dean, volunteer in local food distribution efforts. They live in Portage, Michigan.
In 2011, Jane’s first book, Thrift Store Saints: Meeting Jesus 25 Cents at a Time, was awarded first place from the Catholic Press Association for Popular Presentation of the Catholic Faith. Thrift Store Graces, her second book was published in 2012. She and her daughter Ellen, released Love Will Steer Me True: A Mother and Daughter’s Conversations on Love, Life, and God from Loyola Press in November 2014.
Ellen Knuth returned to the USA after 5 years in Japan. Having already been an English teacher, a singer in a rock band, a dairy princess, a MC, a newspaper columnist, and a university relations manager for a study- abroad company, she now works as a head hunter for a multinational firm in the Detroit area.  She travels extensively, writes occasionally, and sings constantly. Love Will Steer Me True is Ellen’s first book.

Although Jane and Ellen co-authored LOVE WILL STEER ME TRUE, the following interview is with Jane.


The back cover of LOVE WILL STEER ME TRUE has this quote: “Did we teach our children to love God in order to keep them close to Him? If that’s the case, then it shouldn’t matter where they travel in the world.” Could you elaborate on that?
Raising children is different than raising adults.  I always had in mind that I wanted my daughters to become adults and that meant that I needed to gradually teach them adult knowledge like laundry, driving, money management, etc, and most importantly: prayer. Knowing that God exists and that God is reachable is the biggest coping skill out there. My daughter Ellen believes in prayer and uses it extensively.  God is everywhere and Ellen knows that, too. My worrying about Ellen being on the other side of the planet was a denial of what I had taught her. She was right to ask me not to worry.


From your point of view, why is there so much religious diversity in the world?  
Religious diversity reflects the diversity in the rest of humanity. To me, this seems natural. I would be astounded if every culture and every individual understood God in the exact same terms and metaphors. Since persons are not God, we can only understand God in what is revealed to us personally or through traditions passed down. Certainly, this is good. In this way we can learn about God from each other’s experiences and traditions.


In your book you mention tradition and faith. What do you see as the difference? Are they equally valid?
The way I understand it is tradition is the spiritual knowledge and practice passed down from generation to generation. Faith is a gift from God to an individual. I can practice faith traditions like worship, prayer, and sacrifice, but I only have faith itself by receiving it. I cannot conjure it up on my own. “Are they equally valid?” Hmm…I would say they are both part of the journey. But faith can happen with no effort on our part, only acceptance, and any pure gift is valid. Tradition is about learning what others in a long line of believers have determined is true. That is certainly valid, too.


What have you learned from the faith relationship between you and your daughter Ellen?
I learned that I was not the only teacher of my daughter. I learned that God’s plan for her is something that I need to accept just the way it unfolds in her life. Ellen’s soul is not my soul, and her journey is not my journey. I am always trying to learn about faith, but Ellen is always living it. In Japan, Ellen found herself teaching the Ten Commandments to people who had never read a word of the Bible. They asked her to teach them. This has never happened to me in my entire life. It was not her intention to spread the Christian faith when she was there, but God used her to do that. When she left, one of her adult students told her that, before she met Ellen, she had never realized that prayer was possible.  Ellen never prayed with this woman. She only prayed alone in the Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Ellen has taught me so much about living the faith that I never would have learned anywhere else.


In one of the chapters of LOVE WILL STEER ME TRUE, you mention a conversation you had with your husband Dean about the difference between worry and prayer. In your opinion, what’s the difference?
Worry is trying to figure out the future and maneuver around it. Prayer is accepting the present and putting the future into God’s arms.


You mention having to answer the question “how do you share catechesis” in the classroom (as a middle school math instructor). In your book, you don’t provide the answer. I’m curious how would you answer that question?
It happened naturally many times. For example, I had the job of introducing the students to the concept of imaginary numbers (eg. the square root of -4). They were astounded that mathematicians would ever think about something that could only be labeled “imaginary.” Not only did mathematicians think about it, they developed theorems and proofs around it, and used the theorems to solve problems in the real world. This opened the students’ minds to the concept that different universes can occur simultaneously. And that naturally opened their minds to the spiritual universe that their religion teachers kept telling them about.


Do you have any practical advice to give in regards to being  sensitive to other faith traditions?
LOVE WILL STEER ME TRUE is partly the story of how Dean and I raised our daughters to respect different faith traditions. We never fight over religious doctrines. It would be useless for us to try to solve arguments that have been going on for generations. We prefer to live the life of love that is demonstrated by Jesus in the scriptures. Jesus seldom got into debates with the religious leaders of his day. They wanted to debate him, but he side-stepped their arguments and traps with parables and miracles. He didn’t even argue with the devil in the desert, except to quote some scripture. But that story shows us that the devil can quote scripture, too, so why let ourselves get pulled into the arguments?


In LOVE WILL STEER ME TRUE, the death of Rodger (Ellen’s friend who went to Japan with her) is a definite shock which faith, initially, doesn’t seem to heal. Of that experience you mention that God uses failures. Can you expand on that?
Rodger’s death brought to the forefront both Ellen and my fear of death; our own death, unexpected death, and a young death. Faith is all about facing death and learning to live, so this moment was necessarily a trip into the strength and weakness of our personal beliefs. It showed us how weak and defenseless we all are in this world. This was a good, necessary, and painful lesson. From our shaken-up faith, God lead us to see our vulnerability. I learned that I am fooling myself if I think I am not vulnerable to all the possible catastrophes in this world. Rodger was a good, good person. He died suddenly, far from home, with only a newish friend by his side. The tsunami taught the same truth on a much larger scale. Faith in God is not about escaping trials, it is about trusting that we are eternal souls and that eternity is good.


Can you describe your writing routine? (When do you write, where, what inspires you to write?)
Sure, but it’s not good advice! I write sporadically, smack up against deadlines, and only after distracting myself with dusting, doing the laundry, and making a cup of tea. To my credit, I actually enjoy the revision part. Getting the initial story down is like pulling teeth, but re-writing is kind of fun.


You also do quite a bit of public speaking. What’s that like? And do you prefer one (writing) over the other (public speaking)?
It surprised me how much I enjoy public speaking. On average, I am asked to speak to women’s groups two to three times a month. I also speak at book clubs, help-agencies, and libraries. The people I meet are kind, thoughtful, and diverse. It’s a great gig. I don’t prefer speaking to writing, but it is a lot less work!


Is there anything else you’d like to mention?
My publisher, Loyola Press, asked me to try to write a book about family prayer. The idea is to find out how different families pray, whether they are Christian or another faith. This does not include corporate worship or personal meditation, but the more intimate joining in prayer of loved ones.  Why does the publisher want this? Because they are hearing from readers that this will be helpful.  I am intrigued by the idea and I’m collecting stories from everywhere. If any of your readers have a good story to tell about praying with their loved ones, I would love to hear it. 

You can reach Jane Knuth via her Facebook page.

You can check out LOVE WILL STEER ME TRUE at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It is also available through Loyola Press, the publisher.













Monday, January 9, 2017

Meryl Streep: "Disrespect Invites Disrespect"



During the Golden Globe Awards Meryl Streep received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement.

She also gave an impassioned address on behalf of human rights advocates everywhere.

Here's some of what she said:


"Who are we, and what is Hollywood anyway? It’s just a bunch of people from other places. I was born and raised and educated in the public schools of New Jersey. Viola [Davis] was born in a sharecropper’s cabin in South Carolina; Sarah Paulson was born in Florida, raised by a single mom in Brooklyn. Sarah Jessica Parker was one of seven or eight kids in Ohio. Amy Adams was born in Vicenza, Italy. And Natalie Portman was born in Jerusalem. Where are their birth certificates? And the beautiful Ruth Negga was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia... 
So Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners...
...An actor’s only job is to enter the lives of people who are different from us, and let you feel what that feels like. And there were many, many, many powerful performances this year that did exactly that. Breathtaking, compassionate work.
But there was one performance this year that stunned me. It sank its hooks in my heart. Not because it was good; there was nothing good about it. But it was effective and it did its job. It made its intended audience laugh, and show their teeth. It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter. Someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back. It kind of broke my heart when I saw it, and I still can’t get it out of my head, because it wasn’t in a movie. It was real life. And this instinct to humiliate, when it’s modeled by someone in the public platform, by someone powerful, it filters down into everybody’s life, because it kinda gives permission for other people to do the same thing. Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence. And when the powerful use their position to bully others we all lose."
Streep was referring to the president-elect's mocking of a disabled reporter in a public forum which happened during the presidential campaign.
While this isn't new information, or even shocking anymore, one thing that Streep said really stuck out. That is her reference to the trickle down effect of intolerance and bigotry.
It would behoove us all to pause a moment to consider what Streep is telling us.
She's saying when a person in a position of power models intolerance, that intolerance goes way beyond the intended victim and effects us all. There is no safe zone to avoid or excuse it.
The door is opened as Streep says, giving permission for other people to mimic this abhorrent behavior.
So, "disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence," and so it goes.
What can we do in the face of racism, xenophobia, racism or other forms of intolerance?
1. We can be diligent, checking ourselves first, and then those in power to be sure such behavior is challenged and doesn't become 'the new normal."
2. We can refuse to be intimidated into silence. That's how aristocracies and dictatorships are born.
3. We can volunteer at organizations that will place us side-by-side with people who don't look or think like us, providing an opportunity to learn and grow.

4. We can model positive, affirming behavior. It's the "Bambi Rule." If you don't remember the Disney animated classic, here's what I'm referring to.  "If you can't say something nice [about someone] don't say anything at all."
Much of this may be outside of our comfort zone. But most of the leaders of the major religions of the world didn't live comfortable lives. They challenged us to look beyond ourselves to the common good.

Maybe this is as good a time as any to heed their call.

Here's a link to Meryl Streep's Golden Globe address.

Photo Credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC



Monday, January 2, 2017

Offering welcome



This morning I read this from Anne Lamott's book, Small Victories: "The reality is that most of us lived our first decades feeling welcome only when certain conditions applied: we felt safe and embraced only when the parental units were getting along, when we were on our best behavior, doing well in school, not causing problems, and had as few needs as possible."

She continues, "I've discovered that offering welcome helps a lot, especially to the deeply unpleasant or weird. The offer helps you both. What works best is to target people in the community whom no one else seems to want. Voila: now welcome exists in you. We want you, as is. Can you believe it? Come on in. Sit down."

It also happens that the theme of the most recent issue of Parade Magazine was "Resolution Kindness. Let's make 2017 the Year of Being Kind."

In the lead article Paula Spencer Scott cites a few ways to spread kindness.

1. Say Thanks
Write thank you notes, one each week to a different person, for the year. Parade offers a template for this if you need a kick-start.

2. Keep it Simple
You don't have to save the world. Or even think globally to begin with. Reach out to an old friend. Shovel a neighbor's sidewalk. Smile and wave at them.

3. Teach It
If you're a teacher or parent, there are free, downloadable lesson plans and other kindness resources
at the Random Acts of Kindness website. And here's a list of some pretty cool things to do that can create a culture of kindness at your school.

The Random Acts of Kindness website mentions a few stories of how people spread kindness in practical ways. Like paying for the purchases of the person in line ahead of you when their credit card is declined. Or a mom and daughter team who made up Care Kits (with lip balm, socks and snack bars) to hand out to people in need.

Kindness is a practical way to show welcome.

We don't have to let anyone or anything depress us into thinking that no one cares about the widow or orphan or the refugees among us.

Historically that has been a big theme of Judeo-Christianity (witness Isaiah 58:9-12, the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Sermon on the Mount ), as well as Buddhist and Muslim faiths.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, there are over 65 million individuals who have been forcibly displaced worldwide. That's more than at any other time in human history.

This can seem daunting, until you remember to start small.

Consider giving to an organization that directly serves them. Like  Preemptive Love Coalition focusing on Syria, Iraq and Iran. Or WorldVision. Or The World Food Program, which provides food to school kids facing starvation.

If your city isn't a Sanctuary City, find out how it can become one or join existing efforts to welcome refugees.

During such a time of deep division as we're currently experiencing worldwide, it's helpful to know that you can offer an alternative and actively choose to break down borders - be it in your neighborhood, city or country.

Spencer Scott closed out her article by mentioning several benefits of kindness, including:

. Happier, bigger hearts
. Better physical health
. Stronger neighborhoods

And if you should need a gentle nudge towards doing so, remember that God loved us even before we loved God (Ephesians 2:4). And if you believe that heaven exists, remember there are no borders there!

For even more inspiration, watch this ten minute TED talk, featuring middle-school teacher Orly Wahaba who founded an organization that promotes kindness. "It's the extraordinary effects of ordinary acts of kindness that change the world," she says,







Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

Pinocchio: Art Credit, Disney If ever there were a time for a national "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire" award, it's now. And certai...