To be Kind

This morning the news finally got to me.  Jeff Sessions Zero Tolerance Policy on the southern border is too much.  More than 2000 children have been yanked away from their parents because they came illegally and the parents are being charged with a crime (a misdemeanor).  It is truly a dilemma, has been for years and years, but our president's policy and his lying about who's responsible for the policy is evil.  It's evil to slander these immigrants en masse, to separate children away from parents and then send the children away to other states under cover of darkness.  How will these children ever be reunited with parents, probably deported?  Their crying haunts me at night when I wake.   I feel slimed, shamed and sullied by these events.  I am glad I'm not traveling abroad because I'd find it hard to look anyone in the eye and say I'm an American.  What can I do?  Talking with my long time friend in N. Carolina, we decided we had to consciously choose to be kind, to be loving, to let our lights shine brightly and stand strongly for our values especially now.  We cannot let Trump's sociopathic heartless policies snuff us out.  She's working for her local Democratic committee, registering voters and talking to folks about the importance of voting.  We affirm who we are and what we believe, through our actions and words.  I will not be diminished by this odious man.

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Mendelssohn in the Redwoods

This evening was a wonderful concert in the Redwood Grove at the UC Botanical Garden.  We heard one of my all time favorite pieces of music, the Mendelssohn Octet, played in the rustic amphitheater with sunlight streaming through the tall redwoods.  As the earth slowly turned, the beautiful music soared joyfully and energetically out and upwards as an offering to the gods of the tall trees and the shafts of sunlight slowly shined on different faces.  The exuberant joy of the open strings and quickly played notes kept a smile on my face and tears in my eyes.  It is amazing that Mendelssohn wrote this piece when he was only 16 years old.   The crowd was typical Berkeley crowd, relaxed, diverse and of all ages.  It gave me pleasure to see the children running around, to see families and friends sharing their picnics.  It was a happy evening I fully enjoyed.

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Let's Hear it for Joy

Last Sunday I ended the sermon I preached in San Rafael with a paragraph about Joy.  I said, "It's really all about joy, not duty, not being good, not anything else."  Tonight, watching the Golden State Warriors win the NBA championship in 4 straight wins, I thought what I like most about watching that team is the joy they find in playing the game.  When I consider how much pressure must be on Steph Curry, it amazes me that he seems to enjoy every moment.  When I think about my life, I want to spend remaining time doing things that bring me joy.  You can tell a lot about a person by seeing what it is they love and what brings them joy.  Let's go for the joy!

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Franklin Graham Revival

Controversial Evangelist Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, came to Berkeley last night as a part of his California Revival Tour.  He'd come to "godless Berkeley" to bring hope he said, but I think he wanted to make a point.  He had called progressive Christianity godless secularism and Islam an evil religion.  My pastor recruited some of us from the progressive church I attend in Berkeley to go to the rally, to be a peaceful presence of progressive Christianity.  I went to the rally, not knowing what to expect, but I was curious.  It was held at Cesar Chavez park down at the Marina.  According to press reports, they expected from 2,000 to 4,000 people.  I doubt there were 1,000.  It wasn't crowded when we got there.  There was a LOUD Christian rock band playing with a lead guitarist that told of his "come to Jesus" moments.  There were tee shirts for sale and tables set up around the edges with people giving out literature.  The crowd was peaceful and very quiet, even subdued.  We stood with our signs in the back.  The evening was beautiful, warm and clear and the sunset was beautiful.  About 8 o'clock, Franklin came out.  By then I was sitting on the grass.  He prayed for the political leaders of California, implying they weren't ok, but not saying so.  He said all politicians need God in their lives.  Mostly what he said was standard evangelical talk, mostly it was "God loves you".  At one point he asked those who had sinned and wanted to be forgiven to stand and he had them recite a prayer and told them they were forgiven.  It was a little pathetic because so few people stood up.  He kept saying, "aren't there more of you to stand up?"  Then after 30 minutes it was over.  We were somewhat disappointed.  His performance was lacking energy and spirit.  As my pastor said, "There was no there there."  Then we left the quiet crowd and walk back the 2 miles to our car.  For me the most profound part of the evening was this walk.  We walked out of the Marina area, across the freeway and then had to take some dark steep stairs down into a trashed homeless encampment.  Dogs were barking, and I felt the suffering of those that have to live there.  Soon we walked by the most posh shopping area of Berkeley, 4th Street.  The contrast was stark.  Then we walked up Hearst St through a peaceful W. Berkeley neighborhood. We have work to do right here in Berkeley and I don't think we need Franklin Graham to come and tell us how to do it.

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