First They Came for Fred Phelps; First They Came for the Mosque

   Just the thought of the Phelps clan makes me sad or sick to my stomach.
In Topeka, Kansas is a lovely gathering space, called Most Pure Heart of Mary. We were there because a man from Africa had come to thank the people of that church, who had collected monies and sponsored events and eventually had provided a Well --Water!-- for this man's village.

He had come to speak after the Catholic Mass, and the Eyes of the People there were all tear-filled as they listened to the man tell how the Well had changed his people's lives. But the topekans' lives were changed, too. Their hearts expanded and secreted good hormones as they heard of the fruits of their labors. Perhaps they were also grateful, as they realized what the  Need for Water  means.

I swear a beam of light filled that space at the end. The room was Gracefilled. Poor humble folk helping poor humble folk around the planet; how can one be happy while another is without malaria-free water for their infants? We left in good spirit.

A block or two down the road, I saw bright colors and a gathering of people--old and young, children--and as i was "not from here" i was curious and happy for the next moments in the gracefilled day.

phelpses at k-state graduation

The bright colors were the neon stripes that now carry a malignant conditioned response for many Kansans and Americans. As we approached, i blinked as i saw the obscene and stabbing words in the signs. My heart was blasted open when i beheld a young kid, 8 years old?--carrying a sign which was specifically designed to wound and hurt and degrade another person. I wanted to step in front of the sign in order to make sure the object of its hate could not see it. The idea of my college roommate or my friend or my cousin seeing such a revolting sign was too much.

I had moved from heaven to hell in 2 blocks.
 I had stepped out of grace and into malignancy.
If i would have been a saint, i suspect i would have detected a stench.
There i go, now it is i who am unkind.
See how violence begets violence!
I have since come to know who this group is and the silly mindless spewings they spear. They may be just the most visible, the easiest to despise; while the more dangerous may be the more subtle... The phelpses gained national prominence by "protesting" (harassing) at the funerals of American soldiers. ("divine punishment")

How can this be possible? Does every funeral home need to have an invitation only policy now? Lawsuits came.

click to enlarge

The lawyers i know knew that Phelps would get his free speech rights upheld in court.  "Fred Phelps is a civil libertarian's nightmare; his vicious, homophobic protests of military funerals, outraging liberals and conservatives alike, make censorship seem like a patriotic duty, as well as an expression of tolerance."..." (more quote below*) 

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/06/free-speech-for-fred-phelps/57860/

But the publicizing of Phelps may be the best way to disempower him.
There is a principle that we do not like to really  look at--
that Freedom to Speak does not stand alone, but is paired somehow with equality in media's treatment of speech (and avoiding this issue is a normal response to believing that we know best). It is wanting to silence those who promote something we think, believe, or know is a mistake, a wrong, a disgrace. It is the media only promoting the rich's ideas, or the powerful's thoughts, or the connected folks' take on things. It is the media deciding ahead of time that you don't need to know that or that these ideas are improper.

The press these days seem to think that by picking sides or offering lots and lots of opinion, that they will sway, for the betterment of society, how folks perceive things. That is a fallacy.
First of all, A Snake Sheds its skin at the rate that a snake sheds its skin.
 You cannot make a horse drink water, i don't care if it is freshly opened bottles of Evian. Instead, a backlash occurs. Why am i being patronized? Being treated as "less than" or "not as smart as" actually anchors folks in their views. Indeed, the recent lack of basic reporting about a Big Ol' Rally in D.C. prompted an out-of character column from a friend wondering why the media are not doing their who what where when why duties.

The second problem with this "helping us" know how we should hear the news or censoring it for us is that people will steer away from common sources (yes, there are still some). This will lead to as (Jay puts it) "Shoveling viewers to Glenn Beck's Website".--or, losing credibility and forcing people to go to a single place, or to unidimensional, isolated, or extreme information centers.

The Marketplace of Ideas is the place, ideally, where ideas are sifted through, selected, "censored" if you will. Events that are big, or that impact many Americans, or that are part of our national discussion should be given balance in reporting even (no, especially) when one side is unpopular with media, unpopular with government, out of favor with majority. Remember the rush into Iraq?

Are the press doing in-depth reporting on Phelps? Get his quotes. Treat him like any other. Let him be exposed. Where are the psychological profiles on 20/20? (surely we have heard enough family murder cases) Where are the details about his schedule, his plans, the groups who shield others from the view? His quotes may do more to end his cause than censoring him.

When do we give Cindy Sheehan a voice? When we agree with her? Who decides? What if Shirley Sherrod was not given equal time? Who decides? Is Code Pink dismissed as Too Left or are they given a chance to say all they want to say, For the Media, like John McCain is given? Because the Media is running the show. If the media holds the microphone, they must stick to good solid basic journalism.
(It feels good when they are, but They may not always be on your side)

Again, the Mosque.
Maybe there is a down side to building it near Ground Zero.
Maybe not. Maybe there is a HUGE downside to preventing equal treatment.
Let's Assume for a moment that the imam really is radical, that it really is a sign of conquest, that some will exult over its presence. OK, so?
What has that to do with me? My country is to abide by our principles and rules. If he is a criminal, arrest him. Otherwise, of course it is wrong to deny building it simply because "we don't want it there"--
google "ground zero mosque" or Imam Trade Center- many views. one view        another view!

What i want is the print and broadcast media to give it to me straight.
Interview everyone, not just those are "in the right" or correct, or progressive thinkers, or non-racists, or saints. Equal treatment is the fastest way to expose what needs exposing.
Equal straight journalistic professionalism will calm, (if not unite) certain groups or factions because there will be a great lessening of the feeling that they are on an uneven playing field.
It is the uneven playing field that i am sensing is the biggest complaint.
Fairness, as all who have experienced its lack, is the most Frustrating and Anger-producing factor.

These loosely connected thoughts are my musings
after hearing many folks complain recently and over the past year or two about how they feel Unfairness, feel cut off or cut out of the dialog. This feeling of inequality or separation is increasing.
I remember
when many k-staters and other manhattanites protested the Iraq war--they did not get the media treatment their constancy, their numbers, their seriousness merited.
I spoke with folks (Campaign for Nonviolence) who initiated and year after year at Bramlage shielded Graduating K-Staters and their Parents from the hatevision of fred phelps, who have
Never
    received
    a media story-
that made Me feel great frustration for them. The media need to step up, look at all sides, and do the reporting. Report!

This Division is becoming more dire, and will lead to Really Bad Things, i think, more than the original issues.

No trust, no believability, in our media will lead to very bad things.

* Albert Snyder advanced a series of tort claims against Phelps, including, most notably, intentional infliction of emotional distress caused by the funeral protest and by subsequent internet rants about Matthew and his family, the sight of which allegedly made Albert Snyder "violently ill." The district court dismissed two of Snyder's claims (involving defamation and publicity) but allowed his claims of emotional distress, intrusion, and civil conspiracy to be determined by a jury. Guess who the jury found more sympathetic -- the visibly anguished father of a slain marine or the cruel, contemptuous, hate-mongering protester?

This is precisely the evil that the First Amendment was designed to prevent: submitting the right to express presumptively distressing or despicable ideas to a popular vote. Snyder's claims of emotional distress should never have been presented to the jury; they should have been dismissed, as a matter of law, by the trial judge. The district court's instructions to the jury in this case were also deeply flawed, and, in my view, more dangerous than any number of cruel, crazy, yet peaceful protests. The judge told the jury that "vulgar, offensive, and shocking" speech may only enjoy limited constitutional protection, suggesting, nonsensically, that the First Amendment fully protects only inoffensive speech that wouldn't be unwelcome in polite company -- and wouldn't need protection -- unlike the ravings of Fred Phelps."

On such a night as this

It was a long day, full of work which never seems to get signed off—it just perpetuates. There were errands to run, a meeting, and a music rehearsal at church. The seventeen hours I’ve been up and running have drained me. The stress of relationships at work, in the church, in the family, and the longing for love is always simmering inside, too.

But--the Passover full moon has been up over the horizon for a couple of hours. The night sky is so bright with the moon that I can see the jagged rim of the mountains, and the porch lights of homes along the ridge miles away. A bird calls from a nearby tree. I just can’t breathe deeply enough: the citrus groves release intoxicating perfume from waxy white blossoms at the same time that my patio’s lavender wisteria and pink jasmine scent wafts on the gentle breeze. There’s not quite enough wind to stir the chimes, but enough to riffle my hair. My bare feet are crossed on the patio chair across from me.

Mali pounces on a spot in the grass where she can hear a vole or gopher digging under the surface. Abby skitters around under the porch light, chasing a moth. Evie chews on a ball and tosses it hopefully toward my feet. All is quiet in the neighborhood, and I sigh with content--and reluctance that soon I’ll have to lock up the house and go to sleep. It’s almost a shame to be unconscious and miss such a night as this.

On such an evening, I can’t imagine the terror and stress of painting lamb’s blood on the Hebrew doorposts to keep away the threat of death. Nor can I envision leaving my home in the middle of the night to escape a holocaust. I’m grateful for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and that his blood identifies me as his child. The threat of hell has passed over me, and the promise of eternal life in his kingdom has already begun.

I can revel in the spring air, which God has perfumed to delight the senses, and relax in that Sabbath-rest he’s given to us by fulfilling and completing the law, and replacing a written code with the words he speaks to my heart. That rest is knowing that I am safe and secure in God’s hands, both physically and spiritually.

So although I will sleep tonight with the dog lying on the floor nearby, and the windows closed for security, my soul rests in the knowledge that my place in eternity is a done deal. And when I wake, I pray to remember that Jesus' resurrection means that the places in my heart that died of grief and injury will be created anew, like the bare, gray twigs of wisteria burst into giant spikes of spicy sweetness.

There is life after death, and there is life after despair, because Jesus took our infirmities and our rightful punishment, to give us his health and his reward.

God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:3-5 NLT

For since the world began,

no ear has heard,

and no eye has seen a God like you,

who works for those who wait for him! Isaiah 64:4 NLT

Visions and revelations

A recent paper in the Journal of Archaeological Science detailed archaeological discoveries from villages of the 16th-century Taino Indians of Cuba. The substance for which Tainos traded all the gold of their Colombian heritage was loved for its iridescence, reddish hue, exotic origins, and connection to the supernatural realm. They called it turey, for heaven. The metal they craved was an alloy of zinc and copper: brass on the shoelaces of the Spanish explorers.

A television news story reported that alcohol is prohibited in U.S. military camps in Iraq. So how do some soldiers relax and let down their crew-cut hair? With cigar-appreciation evenings. “A good cigar is heaven,” rhapsodized one warrior, as he released a cloud of toxic exhaust. (Smoking one cigar may equal the “hit” of up to three packs of cigarettes. www.sbcphd.org/ahp/tobacco/basics.html)

An older brother traded his posterity and share in a vast estate for a bowl of lentils cooked by his younger brother. The first king of Israel put an end to his own reign and dynasty—for some sheep and cattle of a conquered hilltop village. A younger son wished his father dead so he could spend his part of the estate on riotous living, but he ended up hungrier than pigs.

Surely God blesses us with wonderful things, people, and situations that are the best experience we can have on this planet, but these blessings are only a reflection or shadow of the glorious experience to come in heaven.

Paul talked about visions and sight in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. He had been snatched away to heaven, whether bodily or in spirit he didn’t know, and he had seen and heard things that were inexpressible, even unutterable. He wasn’t allowed to talk about it, he said.

The visions and revelations of heaven he received were so glorious that he’d been given a handicap to keep him from being conceited. Many Bible experts believe that the “thorn in the flesh” was eye problems or partial blindness, a result of Paul’s Damascus Road experience, or a remnant of his many scrapes with death. In Galatians 6:11 NIV, he wrote, “See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!” which some scholars believe to be an indication that he was sight-impaired. You know how painful it is to have just an eyelash or bit of chaff in your eyes. It might as well be a thorn!

Paul believed that the handicap which weakened him made him completely dependent on Jesus Christ, who paradoxically made him strong. Paul was so empty of self that there was only room for the strength and power of the Lord. If the handicap was poor vision, even near-blindness, then Jesus provided the painless, unimpeded, telescopic and microscopic vision that Paul lacked.

Because of Jesus, Paul saw the most important visions and revelations: the things of God. He used his spiritual sight to focus on “things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” Philippians 4:8, 9, The Message.

Paul would never have compared brass or cigars to the “third heaven,” or Paradise, the very presence of God beyond the atmosphere and outer space. He would never have traded soup or livestock for his eternal heritage. Paul considered riches and worldly pleasures as dung, refuse to be flung away, so that he may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8) Paul’s eyes were zoomed in on Christ, the source of eternal life, the One who has gone to prepare a place for His beloved children.

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to fling away the worst, the ugly, the cursed, and cling only to the things that God’s eyes show us? Things so beautiful, blessed, and praiseworthy that we have no words for them; things outside our dimension, like colors and vibrations invisible to our “naked” eye; or so invisibly small or so far from our reckoning that we forget their presence.

God shows us, by glimpses of joy in our little world, visions of what He can hardly wait to introduce to us. When we take pleasure in the laugh of a child, the warmth of an embrace, the scent of rain on the desert, the bliss of chocolate, or the fiery sunset after a blustery day, we have treasures. They’re gifts given to us by a loving Father, who invites us to lay our heads on His shoulder and listen to His heart beating with love.

Mmm, that’s heaven.

Streams in the desert

Friends asked on a private forum, “What is heaven-on-earth to you?”

Here are some of the answers:

When my son laughs with complete and utter abandon—for any reason.
The herbs and vegetables we've grown from seeds on our front porch.
Being with people who love and care about me.
Sweet pineapple and cottage cheese in the same bowl.
Heaven is being in the arms of someone who loves me for me.
Seeing the pure glee of children as you enter a house and they drop everything, scream your name, and run toward you with open arms and hug your leg so hard (before you can get your shoes off and drop your bags) that you almost fall over!
Heaven is warm: a nice warm cup of cocoa, a cuddly blanket by a warm fire, a warm and cozy bed, a warm embrace.
Heaven is a cat laying on your chest purring loudly, and a dog licking your toes withhis warm tongue.
It’s the scent of citrus blossoms on a meandering breeze.
Heaven is immersion in a pipe organ concert in a European cathedral.
Licking a spoon of hot peach jam made from home-grown peaches.
A Heath-covered Klondike ice cream bar.
The middle of a great book.
The moment you realize you're being used by God to help another.
The Milky Way seen from the floor of the Grand Canyon.
Heaven on earth is the scent of spring rain on creosote in the Arizona desert, with its multicolor lightning, chiaroscuro clouds that dwarf the highest mountains, the sweet herbal scents, the germination of poppies and daisies so fast you can almost see it, and watching dry gullies fill with flash floods that recede to pools where frogs and fish miraculously appear from the reconstituted earth.

The Lord loves a desert storm, too! Isaiah 35:1-7 NLT tells of God’s ideal party for those He loves and redeems. Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God. With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland. The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.

Streams in the desert. For those who live in a land of plenteous water, this may not resonate within. But to people born and raised in a desert, water does beautiful and miraculous things. It springs from a rock. It washes away impurity. It falls from the sky and makes the air and earth sparkle. It is a display of the glory and splendor of God. To the Israelites of the exodus and their Egyptian oppressors, to the Jews exiled to Assyria and Mesopotamia, to anyone who experiences a drought, God has often used the medium of water, indispensable to human life, as a metaphor for Himself. He is the living water and the river of life.

In Isaiah 43:19-21 NIV, the Lord says, See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

If you’ve recently experienced violent storms and are facing deep and wide rivers in your life, remember that God provides a way through them (Isaiah 43:2), because He loves you. You are precious and honored in His sight! Rivers are not barriers when He leads the way, but channels of blessing and life-giving nutrients.

Jesus said that the water He gives will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14).

With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” Isaiah 35:3,4 NLT.

God loves us and is coming to save us. That is heaven on earth. That is good news. That is the gospel.

Your report card: “plays well with others”

A teacher wrote on her web page that she had “thrown the whole concept of ‘grading’ out the window and will now be awarding final marks based on attractiveness and charm.” Spoken, tongue in cheek, like the experienced teacher and mom that she is!

Isn’t it what you suspected of some of your teachers and many of your classmates and colleagues, though? When teams were chosen for games or work assignments, did you hope not to be among the last two grudgingly picked? What if you were the last job candidate standing, only because the others were ex-cons or tax evaders? Would you get “voted off” the island? Some people say they won’t use Internet dating sites because of rampant superficiality and judgments based on outward appearance. How mortifying to be graded on how you compare with others, instead of the special experience, knowledge, potential, and character you bring to the table.

You must admit that that’s the way of the world. The best-dressed, the slim, the young, the suntanned blonde, the popular – they always get the dates, the jobs, and the awards. Good Morning America found that indeed, men would not make passes at girls who wear glasses, at least not until they’d interacted socially a few times. We really are judged on appearance and behavior, attractiveness and charm, not necessarily on how we’ve performed or our potential to improve a situation. And there’s always a cuter person than you to compete with.

Yes, that’s the way of the world. But we, thank God, are not of this world! In fact, we are foreigners traveling here, and the kingdom of God (a spiritual realm) is our home. Our Lord “does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV.

In times of perceived injustice or disappointment, anyone who’s part of a church fellowship has heard this old saw (and may have used it, too!): “Don’t look at the people – look at Jesus!” This is meant to be an encouragement or comfort, but when you think about it carefully, it’s neither. We are not perfect people. We are wounded. We are sin-sick and in need of healing. But we are Christ’s body, joined together under Jesus, our head. If we can’t look at the members of Christ’s body and see Him represented, then something is very wrong. We have a responsibility, as individuals and as part of the whole, to uphold one another. Stones and mortar. Muscle cells and collagen. Papier maché and glue. Up and up – to the sky.

“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:1-7 NIV.

Notice that none of those “worthy” characteristics is a work of the flesh that we can check off our personal report cards as having earned a score or progressed to another grade level. They are qualities that are gifts of the Holy Spirit. They constitute inner beauty and soul value, not, as the teacher joked, “attractiveness and charm.”

When we think of evangelism, we think first of tent meetings, PowerPoint sermons in a city church or under the stars in Ghana, and mass baptisms. We think of mission projects that support outreach by ministering to physical needs as Jesus did in His messianic role. But nurture is evangelism, too, and although it can mean continued Bible studies or chapel building, nurture as evangelism is about building up human relationships. Building up a family of God that respects, supports, advocates, protects, and feeds its own relatives. Without nurture, we shrivel and die. We need to think about the other side of the report card, the side about community service, our interaction with teachers and classmates, our ability to “play well with others.”

The final exam of this life (Matthew 25) is not your presentation of doctrine, prophetic interpretation, or skill in making appeals, but your heart’s response to the weak, the helpless, the trapped, the sick. It’s not what you know or how you performed, but Who you know and what He performed.

What does the Lord see when He makes our report card and looks at the heart? We often suspect that He’s writing out D’s and F’s for behavior and correct theology. But because of His grace, forgiveness, and mercy, He sees the tender heart of flesh that He has healed of its stony hardness. He sees the soft place where He writes His will for our daily lives. He sees how far we’ve progressed in life lessons. He takes delight in us, sings and dances over us, and not only gives a passing grade (“Whew! I barely squeaked through the pearly gates!”), but gives us a commencement, award ceremony, celebratory banquet, a crown – and eternity to continue our discovery of grace.