January 20, 2009

Today is a day that will go down in history! I am excited that our nation has come to a point that we have felt free to elect a black man to the highest office of our nation. It is a day that I hope men like Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, and Martin Luther King, Jr. are looking down on our nation rejoicing in knowing that a small part of the fulfillment of "the dream" is now reality. Perhaps, somewhere in the great unknown, Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth are hugging each other and praising God that, perhaps, we are closer to the understanding that the equality of humanity is not based upon skin pigmentation but upon the sacred image of God endowed by man's Creator. I believe that is great news for America...God wept for our future when we rejected the black man as our brother and passed laws that enslaved him and designated him as one with "no rights that any white man was bound to respect."

I remember the frustration in my mind as a little girl visiting a man in my home state of Texas. As he sat in the filthy, unkept house that he had provided for his family through the on-again, off-again jobs he had managed to acquire and lose in rapid succession, he told me that I needed to understand that "all black men are lazy and are only after our white women." History shows us that the ability to be lazy and a scoundrel is not dependent on one's skin color. I have known black men who were wretched and I have known white men who were wretched...when God looks at them he doesn't see a wretched black man or a wretched white men...He simply sees a wretched man in need of a Savior...and so should we.

But I also wonder if Douglas, Washington, King, Tubman, and Truth did not also weep as they saw the divided country that this man has been appointed to lead. We are fully aware that there were those who voted for Obama because he is a black man...is that any different than refusing to vote for him based on the color of his skin? Either way we are still judging a man by his color rather than by his character. We are still a divided nation as we continue to reap what was sown so many years ago - we sowed seeds of division, hatred, and bitterness and we will continue to reap it until we have fully repented as a nation of our continued refusal to see each human, - male or female, black or white, Asian or Hispanic, born or unborn - as a Creation of God Almighty and, therefore, worthy of respect, honor, dignity, and protection of law. We obviously are not at that point with our view of unborn babies, be they black, white, male or female. And our new president has sworn to make it easier to discriminate against these members of humanity based, not on their color, but on their residence: the womb. Nope, we're not at that place of full equality based solely on being an Image Bearer just yet.

Let's pray for our new president...God alone knows what the future holds for the nation that he is leading.

Unpack that Camel!

My friend, Rhonda, put this note on her facebook recently:

"This is an excerpt from a teaching by Perry Stone. I thought it worthy of sharing.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” - Matthew 19:23-24

In the English language we see a “needle’s eye” as the small opening in a sewing needle through which a piece of thread is pulled. Can you see a camel attempting to go through such an opening? Actually Jesus did not have a sewing needle in mind.

In the Ancient time every city had gates. Some were made of wood but many were iron or a combination of wood and iron (Isaiah 45:1). These large gates were shut at night and no one was permitted to enter or exit unless it was an important person. There were also watchmen placed on the wall to guard against invading armies. A small door was placed within the large doors that would permit someone to enter or exit in the event of an emergency or because of a definite need or purpose. This small door was called the “needle’s eye.” Jesus said it was difficult for a camel to go through the eye of the needle. Camels are a very tall animal with a very long neck and were often laden down with large bags to transport wheat, charcoal, wood and other important commodities into the town every day.

A burdened down camel carrying these loads cannot possibly enter the eye of the needle without unloading its burdens! Jesus was saying that those who are extremely rich are so burdened down with the cares of life and riches that unless they unload themselves from the many cares of life, they will have difficulty entering the kingdom, just like a camel who is burdened down with its load cannot enter into the narrow opening in the city gate.

A camel needs a BROAD road to carry its load but Jesus taught the road leading to life is very narrow. This is just one of many examples of understanding the unusual and difficult words of Jesus."

I think that too many times we don't think of ourselves as "rich" because, by American standards, most of us are just "middle class." But if we viewed ourselves by world standards...we are all very rich. We each have our own home, cars, hobbies, etc. For much of the world these things are available to only the wealthy.

I know that I find myself so burdened down with carrying all the "things" that I have to do because of my wealth - the house must be cleaned, the car maintained, all the work that comes from the hobbies (since my hobby is books...they must be organized, cared for, and , on occasion, I need to read them. LOL) These are the kinds of things that I often find pulling me away from my time with God and intimacy with Him. Once again I need to "unpack this camel" and lay down the burdens of life to enter into the presence of God...or I will find myself outside the gate...with nothing to show for it except burdens. Ouch.

Thoughts following National Adoption Day

Since part of my job with the State of Iowa is to try to "hook up" children with families who will help to meet their needs, I LOVE stories about adoption!

I met a family at Adoption Day this year who has now adopted six wonderful children. Now, honestly, most people would not have said these children were wonderful at first glance. They came with some BIG issues! But to talk to this mom and dad for just a few minutes and you would really believe that these are the most wonderful children in the world.

I have another friend who recently adopted a 16 year old girl, "B." B. has been in more group homes than any law ought to allow and hit her 15th birthday with no family and no where to go. Once you hit your teens your chances of adoption are close to nil. I am so glad that now, when B. graduates next year she will launch out into life knowing that there are people that she can always come home to!

Adoption is not easy...with our birth children at least we know that most of their "issues" are issues we have helped them develop! LOL With adoption, especially adoptions out of the foster care system, you take into your home and heart not only a child but their past, good and bad, and show them the love only a parent can give.

My favorite adoption story of all is that when Jesus saw me with all my behavioral management issues (ie, sin), and my family of origin issues (ie, original and generational sin), He still stood before the Judge and said, loudly and proudly for all to hear, "I want Ruthie to be my daughter and be part of my forever family." To top it all off, He has never treated me as anything less than a natural born child! Not too shabby for somebody with all my "issues."

One of those forwarded quizzes...Tis the Season!

I got this from my friend, Wanda, to fill out. I almost never do these things because they usually promise me that if I will do it that I will meet my true love by Friday and if I don't I will die a horrible death by next Tuesday. (really...no joke..."we knew this boy in Indiana who didn't forward it and was found under his bed killed by a clown doll"...whatever.) But I figured this would be a good way to begin the holiday season...so here is "the forward quiz" Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy (not forward) this entire email and paste into a new e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you......Tis the Season! 1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? It depends on what people gave me last year…I re-use the bags. “El-cheapo” 2. Real tree or Artificial? I like the smell of the real tree but the convenience of the artificial…so I put up the artificial and light a candle. 3. When do you put up the tree? The day after Thanksgiving…major big tradition…then we eat Taco Soup on the Christmas china. 4. When do you take the tree down? The day after Epiphany 5. Do you like eggnog? I cannot convince myself to drink something with raw eggs…sorry. 6. Favorite gift received as a child? A Baby Alive…but I put milk in her bottle and when she drank it soured inside and she smelled really bad…but I still loved her. 7. Hardest person to buy for? What’s hard to buy…give everyone a book! 8. Easiest person to buy for? Me 9.Do you have a nativity scene? Have several…my favorite one is a toy set that we got when the kids were little…Erik chewed off one of the shepherd’s feet but it’s still a treasure 10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Gasp…do people EMAIL Christmas cards? I do those wonderfully impersonal letters…but I try to write something on the bottom of each. 11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? 2 shirts that were the same…I tried to give one to a girl in the neighborhood when her house burned down but my step-mother told me that was an “ungrateful thing to do” (give away a gift) so she took it away. I found it in her closet (still had the tags) when she died 22 years later. Amazing! 12.Christmas Movie? It’s A Wonderful Life (Christmas Story is a close runner-up…I love the part where Ralphie goes to see Santa) 13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? The day after Christmas when all the stuff is on clearance 14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Ummm…yes…but please don’t tell my step-mother when you get to Heaven. 15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? The fancy chocolates that I get every year…I make them last at least until March 16. Lights: Clear or Multicolored? I like the kind that work the first time you put them up 17. Favorite Christmas song? Hmmm…I LOVE Christmas music…this is a toughie…Probably “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne” 18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I like to be home at Christmas…I think it comes from being a child of divorce and being in the middle of custody arrangements at the holidays…I like knowing that I can just stay home if I want to. SO THERE! 19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? I just tried and couldn’t…Have you heard the great classic carol “Leroy, the Redneck Reindeer”? It’s wonderful…right up there with “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne.” 20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A big shimmery bow with long ribbons 21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both; we open a few Christmas Eve and then play with them and then finish up on Christmas morning 22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People corrupting other people’s children by sending them Christmas music BEFORE Thanksgiving (you know who you are!!!) 23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? Angels…and the homemade ones my kids make 24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Slow-cooked brisket, cheesy potatoes, sweet potato pie, cranberry salad (with strawberries because the cranberries are too strong) 25. What do you want for Christmas this year? To enjoy my family for the remaining years that I have them

Ruthie o

Leadership Lessons from the Recent Presidential Process

I have been involved in a Leadership Summit group since July with my work with Lutheran Services. I've been thinking about some of the things that we are learning as we study "The Leadership Challenge" and how it relates to what we've been watching over the past few months in the presidential race. I don't usually comment much on politics but here are some observations (with thanks to some thoughts from Kevin Eikenberry's leadership principles):

1. Development of future leaders must become a priority of any organization. Anybody who has studied leadership knows that this is fundamental. And yet...each time another election rolls around both of our national parties seems to struggle to produce one leader that unites the party from the beginning. Instead, we see a large group of small fish fighting over who gets to be the big fish in the pond.

2. For any organization to truly succeed its members must be "on the same page...at the same time." We have talked about how our country is divided and yet our two parties seem to be as divided as our country. As an Independent, I watched the two major parties produce candidates that tore each other apart and then, after the nomination was sealed, tried to convince me that "this person (whom I publicly tore to pieces last week) is now the best hope for our country." If any other organization ran its business like that it would lose the trust of its customer base very quickly. True leaders recognize that the competition is not internal...it is external. Every moment that we spend in hostile competition with our colleagues is a moment that remains undevoted to the true purpose of the existence of the organization. In my area of work with non-profits and churches, this is an area that is causing us as much damage as it did our political parties.

3. Leaders know that they must create safe opportunities for people to practice, grow and to fail. I have come to admire Sarah Palin over the past few months. Here was a lady with definite strengths in public speaking and presentation; yet many felt that she did not seem to have been adequately prepared for someone like Katie Couric. There were discussions, at least in the media, that the RNC was considering not letting Sarah take on engagements that would not portray her in the best light. Nonsense! If you have placed someone in that position you must be willing to give them the tools and the opportunities to grow into that position and create an atmosphere where there is safety, even in failure. Unfortunately, our country does not seem willing to allow people to spread their wings...and then fall. We have created a culture of vultures circling the skies waiting for their next meal. Personally, I liked Ms. Palin very much and thought she added to McCain's ticket.

4. Leaders know that the success of their vision for their organization is more valuable than their own personal success. This is an area that I think George W. Bush did well during this process. He knew that his own unpopularity made him a possible detriment to his party's candidate; and therefore, he went about doing his job as president and didn't spend an inordinate amount of time on the campaign trail. There comes a time for us as leaders that we must realize that a part of our job is to train someone else to be ready to take our job...and to know how to graciously turn over the reins. There are some who will hold on to their own power so long that they become an embarrasment and a detriment to the vision of their organization.

I am praying that, as I seek to develop my own leadership abilities so that I can influence people to grow in grace and truth, that I will learn from those around me...in the areas where we do well and in the areas where we still have need of improvement.

Until Heaven...we're all in this together!

bittersweet thoughts

What a time it has been since I last posted! I have spent the last week fighting a bronchial infection and finally gave up the fight last Thursday and just went to bed! Now I'm back up...but something happens to a house when momma is down...so there's plenty of work to do!

The election has come and gone. Come next January we will have a new president. According to Scripture, we are to pray for those in authority and show respect for their office. Let's do that whether we voted for him or not. I cannot imagine filling that office at this time in history. The Bible tells me that the heart of the king is in the hands of God and I will trust that.

Today is a bit of a bittersweet day - little V who has lived with us since he was 8 months old is leaving for his adoptive home. This is a good thing since he will be able to be with a forever family and they are also taking his older sister who is 5 so that they will stay together. HOORAY! He is such a precious little fellow that he will be a blessing to their family even though he has developed in to a VERY active toddler.

But it is bittersweet for our family...especially my girls who have become very attached to him. We come into foster care knowing that the vision that God has given us with this ministry is to strengthen families who may be struggling and assist them in growing into a more healthy family unit. In doing this, I really like to get to know the birth families and spend time with them. After all, our community is only as strong as its families.

But sometimes, as in V's case, things don't work out for him to go home. I am thankful that there are those families who are willing to open their hearts and homes to children in crises and give them that forever family.

We all work together in this system: foster families who provide a family setting for children and work to get them back home and families who commit to raising those children when they don't go back.

Either way it is an adventure...I thank God for the opportunity that He has given me to reach into the lives of the children in my community...even though sometimes it is bittersweet!

Hang in there! We're all in this together!

Man jumps off bridge; leaves note for Obama

Allright - I think today's post will be a rant:

I try to keep up with some of the happenings in my home state of Texas...and this one is just sad.

Yesterday (October 31, 2008) a 52 year old man jumped off the "Spaghetti Bowl" (this is a place where several highway interchanges meet and they usually stack up over each other) in El Paso and left behind a note to Barack Obama saying "Obama - Please take care of my family."

I don't know anything about this man (his name hasn't even been released), nor do I normally comment on things like this because of the pain that people are experiencing at the time. Typically prayer and support are the order of the day and I truly hope that this family is receiving that. I have buried family members who died at their own hand and I know the pain, confusion and guilt that it brings so please don't write me that I have no compassion.

But here's where this story frustrates me: What a sad day when a husband and father feels so lost and incapable that he feels free to remove himself from the lives of his wife and children and turn them over to the care of big government. Is this the end result thinking of socialism - "I refuse to take responsibility for my family - that's why the government exists." Here's a thought: It's NOT the government's responsibility to take care of our families - that responsibility belongs to us. It doesn't take a village to raise a child - it takes a family. The thing that we see across our country that so scares and saddens me is that many of our moms and dads are willing to stop doing what moms and dads need to do and capitulate that responsibility to someone else.

Yes, sometimes we need other people to help us out in hard times but I know that as a mom when it comes to the care of my family "The Buck Stops Here." This is my home, my husband, and my kids...and it's my job to take care of them to the best of my ability and with the help of God.

Just my two-cents worth.