A Sorry Apology

Notice how often people seem to be in the media saying they are "sorry" though you get the sense it's really just a PR move? And even in religious services too many of us have lost the "confession of sin" and the "assurance of forgiveness" as part of worship.

Recent apologies in the news came from Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez, who apologized for using steroids; Olympic gold-medalist swimmer Michael Phelps, who apologized for smoking marijuana; The New York Post, which apologized for but defended a cartoon with racist images; and former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle, who apologized for not paying taxes that he owed.

“When apologies are deeply rooted in confession, contrition, a recognition of the damage that one has done and one’s implication in the hurt of others-- in the context of genuine repentance and confession with a goal of restoration of integrity, restoration of relationships and restitution for damage done, then apologies have depth,” Carder declared.

Really Sorry

Made to Order Babies?

There's been a lot of press recently about a recent claim that a company can give you the baby of your dreams even down to the hair and eye color. They say this can be a reality in 6 months. The process, called PGD, has been used for some time to identify potential genetic disease in an embryo. But is this possible?

I'm not one to accept a blanket approval of science OR religion. By that, I mean that I believe each has strengths which can benefit the other. I don't mean to indicate one should dictate or rule the other. Instead, I recognize they deal with different issues, ask very different questions, yet are stronger if there is some relationship between the two. Otherwise, if we accept a total divorce, it seems to me we somehow try to create a world where we separate head and heart, or merely allow each business to run itself without the benefit of interaction.

But, back to my ability to pay someone to create a blue eyed, blonde haired baby for me. I've seen a number of experts express that this is NOT a current possibility, but a publicity stunt perhaps related to the press the OctoMom is receiving. See Can Babies Be Made to Order? to get into the interesting details.

My faith tradition believes "The responsibility of humankind to God's creation challenges us to deal carefully with the possibilities of genetic research and technology. We welcome the use of genetic technology for meeting fundamental human needs for health, a safe environment, and an adequate food supply." (The Book of Discipline of the united Methodist Church 2008, paragraph 162, O) Genetic Technology).

There are other elements of this thought in the paragraph, some of it more technical, but it's also worth noting:

"Because of the effects of genetic technologies on all life, we call for effective guidelines and public accountability to safeguard against any action that might lead to abuse of these technologies, including political or military ends. We recognize that cautious, well intended use of genetic technologies may sometimes lead to unanticipated harmful consequences" (emphasis mine on last sentence).

It's a discussion well worth having in the lab, in the faith community, and in the community at large. We do want a world that is healthy and sustainable. But we must beware creating a bigger mess than we've already created! Otherwise it may be like us unleashing kudzu with one well meaning intent, and in reality restructuring this world in a way we can't retreat from or undo.

An American Muslim Cartoonist: Vocation and Faith

Here's a unique story about a Muslim cartoonist. I always find it curious that people attempt to pigeon hole people of faith with simplistic stereotypes even in regards to vocation and career. Read the whole story and share your thoughts.

"G. Willow Wilson, the first American Muslim professional comic book writer, draws on both American and Middle Eastern culture in her work, ranging from autobiographical essays to superhero sagas. After graduating from Boston University and converting to Islam, Ms. Wilson spent four years in Egypt, where she wrote Cairo, her first graphic novel. Now back in the United States, the 26-year-old..."

http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=4667

Careful Living

Careful Living

Flagitious fellows know flagrant vice
Outrageous actions considered spice
Quickly change a person once thought nice
So watch your heart and soul each day
For new experiences may lead you astray.

Scott Parrish

Spirit Me!

Spirit Me!

Elate me! Sedate me!
Just don't talk too much and bore me.
I don't want to hear, I don't want to know.

Busy me, hectic me,
No time for You, I'm eclectic me.

I envy the birds who know their day,
Creatures who know Your way.

A thousand voices call to me.
I try to hear Your voice; I try to find my voice.
I want to hear and want to be heard.

Recreate me! Elevate me!
Just help me to really live.
I do want to hear, I do want to know.

Scott Parrish

The Garden of Words

The Garden of Words

Once the word leaves your lips it takes on life.
Our breath creates the seen and the unseen.
Chaos yields to creativity,
creativity yields to chaos.
So, we say the words holy,
and we say the words insane.
A chance to create a garden of delight.
Fear the words that disturb, or distance, or damn.

To garden is hard work,
Calling us to fresh efforts each day.
Calling us to nurture, to grow.
Calling us to careful work lest we grow a garden of weeds.
Calling us to create delight with Water and with Power.

Scott Parrish

Perfection

Perfection

We now have perfection
Predestined confection
Biotech food to fill our tummy
Cloning ourselves to avoid kids crummy
Too bad we still have war, hunger, & hate
Values even good genes can't erase.

Scott Parrish

The Way of Faith

The Way of Faith

Uptight
Inside Jitters,
Queasy Flitters.

Nerves on edge, stomach unsettled,
anxious thoughts, uncertain starts.

Where will it lead, how will it end, who will I be?
How will I live if I follow the hard path,
the barely discernible way?

Easier to stay on the main highway,
the well traveled thorough fare.

Breathe a sigh--
Catch your breath--
Take a step!

Scott Parrish

Dandelion Love

Dandelion Love

Can't be removed
Can't be pulled out
Can't be completely destroyed
Won't disappear.

You can remove some but won't get all the root.
You might make a dent in the population
by pulling a few visible offenders out.
But give it some time and the yard is full again.
Allow one plant to seed and a hundred more spring up.

God's love is like the dandelions taking over my yard,
It's just best to give in!

Scott Parrish

Spirit

Spirit

Spirit, like raindrop, here and then gone.
How do you change?
How are you changed?
Do you outlast the moment?

Spirit, like flower seed, floating by wind.
Where are you going?
Where have you been?
What will you grow when you land?

Scott Parrish

Daughter Noise

My "little girl" is now 12. Everyone laughed when I told them she came home from the hospital as a baby talking and making noise. The chatter hasn't stopped! I wrote this at some point during her elementary school years during a particularly noisy day in Greensboro. It's a tribute to one with power and voice who makes sure you are aware of her presence.

Daughter Noise

Talks too loud, laughs too loud
Sings the sun up in the morning
Sings the moon up at night
Challenges the birds for dominion
Fills the air with thunder
Ear splitting, deafening, window rattling
A force to be reckoned with
The power of one voice.

Scott Parrish

Close to Home

We moved into a new job and new town last summer. Moving back to the Augusta area, and with family nearby, this has been the easiest move we have ever experienced. It’s especially been easy as we haven’t had to learn new roads, new stores, and all the stuff that tends to cause lots of trouble with daily life.

We do have a neighbor though who gets lost all the time. We first met Mr. A on a beautiful Saturday I was working in the front yard. Our road is a dead end, though it connects to a main highway, and also offers a side road that then connects to a larger subdivision.

Imagine your grandfather (or if you are younger perhaps your great grandfather) and you get the idea. He is very kind looking man with a ready smile on his 80+ year old face. When we’ve talked he carries on those most wonderful conversations full of stories of the past.

I’ve heard about his time in World War 2, & about carrying dispatches as a courier. I’ve heard of his wonderful vacations in Europe and the fun and he and his wife had at Oktoberfest. I’ve also heard about his last house and his job he retired from 20 years ago.

I learned all this while talking to him at his car.

You see Mr. A could recall all those vivid details about his past, and hasn’t a clue about his new address or his current phone number. Ask him and he’ll give you different answers each time. Every time I spoke with him he was lost and couldn’t find his way home.

That first Saturday I noticed as he came by the house numerous times. At first I thought he was looking at real estate as several homes are for sale. Then he started driving faster and more erratic.

This was the routine. Mr. A. turned around at the road entering into his subdivision directly in front of my house. He would drive into that road, hit the brakes, hit reverse rather quickly and head back the way he’d just come. Mr. A. drove the block out to the main highway, where he’d turn around taking a left into oncoming one way traffic, then came back to the subdivision entrance where he pulled in and backed out into the road to complete the circuit. He did this 5 times, then 10, then 20, then more. First we flagged him down and talked as we tried to figure out what was going on. We wanted to give the kindly old man the benefit of the doubt. Mr. A. couldn’t remember his new home address, and couldn’t find the right road though he knew he was close. He always talked some, in a friendly way never in too much of a hurry, but was eager to be on his way. He’d then continue the loop that went nowhere. Never getting closer to home, never being able to remember the address, but knowing he was close to where he needed to be.

A neighbor called the police the first time when Mr. A. almost hit him.

The second time we called after I lost count around 12 trips, and then he got close to 30 rotations before the deputy arrived.

The police have been called by other people over the last couple of months. The doctor still allows Mr. A. to drive, therefore the rest of us just try to help life in the neighborhood be as smooth as possible. We now know where Mr. A. lives and he seems to be doing better with his directions. Now we keep the map near the door and our eyes open to who's on the road just in case Mr. A. needs a little help.

After all, it's a sad thing to be so close to home, yet only going in circles.

Strange Songs for a New Day

Last night we slept with the windows to our home open. We don’t usually do that, but this is a wonderful spring when the days reach the 80’s and the nights are in the 50’s. It’s the season when it’s not too hot and not too cold. So, we enjoy the breath of fresh air that restores body and soul.

But sometimes you hear things that you don’t normally hear when the house is locked down tight, the windows are closed, and all the entertaining electronic devices are on. Recently we’ve enjoyed hearing owls in the evening and morning hours. We hear the sounds of nature as the world responds to the rhythms of the day. We awaken connected to the world and refreshed.

This morning everything sounded different. An unusual songbird awoke me from my sleep. It sang an odd tune that I did not recognize. It sang long before the dawn, in those dark hours when I usually enjoy a deep, peaceful sleep. But no sleep was to be enjoyed this morning.

That strange bird disturbed my peaceful rest. Just outside my window it screamed its odd verse, and then quickly changed to another strange tune, and then another. The sounds were like suddenly waking up unexpectedly in a distant country. My head was spinning as the awkward music struggled forward. I was ready to scream at the new day for the bird to shut up! That feathered squawk box was waking up the world with its unusual tunes. I had never heard those mixed up songs before, and could not identify the bird or follow its verse. All I could do was listen, even though all I wanted to do was sleep.

Though I was in my most familiar place the voice of one crying in the dark grabbed my attention and moved me out of slumber. What will this strange day bring? Will there be other mysteries and new songs that break through the routine?

Serving the Poor and Needy

See an incredible story of service and the awful price paid by a young woman committed to the poor of the Philippines.

"I gathered that she was teaching the children and young persons, and I think the military had an operation in that area, and she was caught in that encounter,"

http://gbgm-umc.org/global_news/pr.cfm?articleid=4971