Oppression

From our friends at Stupid Church People:

I have a suggestion for Christians.

Please take Christ out of Christmas. Now.

I don't think he would want to have anything to do with it to be quite honest.

While you are at it, take Christ out of the word Christian. Why? Because you suck as a representative. You really do.

So starting now, if I was you, I would begin to work really hard at disassociating Christ from everything you hold so dear... and you might as well start with Christmas. Oh, and your church...that would be a good idea to.

He's really better off on his own without you.

Isaiah speaks

"See how the faithful city
has become a harlot!
she once was full of justice;
righteousness used to dwell in her-
but now murderers!
your silver has become dross,
your choice wine is diluted with water.
your rulers are rebels,
companions of thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
they do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow's case does not come before them."

Isaiah 1:21-23

Between the Bars

I fully believe with all my heart that all of the ingredients necessary to stop the spread of AIDS and to take care of those who are already infected, actually really exist in the Church, but not the church as is today. The Church today is arrogant, unrepentant, self-righteous, and hypocritical…we’ve got secrets, we’re hypocrites, we’re self-righteous, we’re not broken and I do believe that that gets in the way of our ability to be a space for individuals who desire to feel valued and heard.
I believe that’s what the HIV/AIDS pandemic represents. So we as the church of Christ, in our brokenness, have an amazing yet tragic opportunity in our hands, to be the true church of Christ, that values and listens with intent.

I’m gonna give you three things to walk away with:
This pandemic, both locally and globally, is feedback to the church. We are unwilling to have difficult conversations with the outside world.
The pandemic is a flag. Every people group that have been infected or affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic is basically a group that is looking and dying to be heard and dying to feel valued.
Two things my patients have asked of me both verbally and non-verbally, as I have walked with them on their journey in HIV/AIDS
1. Don’t lie to me, please be trustworthy. Don’t be a hypocrite. Be authentic.
2. Don’t leave me, don’t ever leave me. No matter whatever circumstance.
Those are two things we learned in the sand box. I feel like if we could walk those things out, that we would be the ultimate in terms of serving, not only the HIV community, but all communities.

Dr. Becky Kune, MD
AIDS specialist/researcher/activist
(speaking last year)

100 grim reapers

Christmas (i guess) is here, friends. have you put your tree up yet? while driving home from thanksgiving dinner with my sister and her wonderful husband in southern Ohio, i managed to listen to some pretty life changing radio. the options were early '80s Poison or a radio-vangelist; of course i chose the preacher. he seemed like he was probably a big guy, a little slow, but knew how to handle himself.
what kept me tuned in was his addictive voice. kind of slow, bland, a little southern, and with a hidden lisp; i was stuck trying to find his lisp slipping in and out. he was talking about the Tabernacle...i think his primary goal was to draw some conclusions about the movements of the early tabernacle and the of gathered saints, but i didn't let him get that far. when he started describing the 'holy of hollies' i turned the radio off. mentioning the 'mercy seat' nailed me in the gut.
when we are our most vulnerable, most in danger of being destroyed...right next to the wrath we've been told is God, there is mercy. this speaks volumes about God's character. when Isaiah stands at the mouth of the cave, waiting for God to pass by, he hears a whisper. the Hebrew term for Isaiah's experience literally refers to an unheard sound...something so deep, so close, so loudly inaudible the earth stops spinning.
anyone can yell...you standing on the opposite side of a field, me getting your attention. God causing the wind to break trees, toppling down mountains. but he chose a whisper. if i whisper to you in an open field, we have to be pretty darn close to each other; my arms finding their way around your shoulders in a quiet embrace.

(selah)

the thunderous voice of God, destroying and consuming, doesn't come raining down on Isaiah, demanding worship and devotion; offering slavery or death...God softly embraces Isaiah and says "my child"

i think the character and nature of God have been terribly misunderstood and misinterpreted. i presented this idea to a group of friends a week ago, and surprisingly, i was not stoned. this is something that is still being worked out and will be dealt with later.

this closeness, this longing for closeness brings me naturally to the idea of Immanuel. God with us. for centuries the Jewish people were looking for their Immanuel, their God With Us. they were convinced their Immanuel would come to them bearing the sword of David, wiping the earth free of evil and unbelief. he would reign as king and ruler. but what did they actually do when God was actually with them?  they killed him, right?

people refused to accept this God With Us. he wasn't leading a violent revolution against their Roman oppressors, he hadn't claimed the throne of David...he quietly asked people to believe in a new way.  a more hidden way. Jesus asked people to embrace the true nature of God.

but really, no one could...can we now? Jesus said that God cared for the people of this world so much he could never force his way in; never turn the mountains on their heads...he  came with just a quiet, honest whisper.

after Jesus' death and resurrection, Jesus promises to return. the God With Us disappears. Act 1 ends, forcing the disciple's to begin their own Act 2 deprived of the physical presence of their Immanuel...but where did this God With Us go?

just like the Jews, we have been taught that when Immanuel returns, the world will be turned on its head, the King Eternal will reign forever and ever. and just like the Jews of Jesus' time, we hold to this belief with our entire lives..."when the good lord returns." 

let me make a plea:

maybe Immanuel is here. maybe we've missed him somewhere. is God With Us? where have we been looking? in the sky? Jesus said that looking to the sky 'for signs of the end' was stupid. perhaps, if we turn our gaze down towards the earth, we'll see God With Us...we'll see the face of Jesus, waiting to gently embrace us...asking us to try on love for a change...asking us to change our ways.  maybe we'll finally realize that God is still With Us.  

the clouds aren't going to split.  the ground won't shake...

The Kingdom of Heaven is here.

are we being just like the pious Jews of Jesus' time?

in Peace and Love, thank you friends.

Alex Petz

what america tells Jesus

"Jesus, you need to grow up. Mature a bit! Don't worry about tomorrow? Sell your possessions and give to the poor? Love your enemies?! You're irresponsible!
You're going to mess people's lives up, Jesus. I just hope no one takes you seriously..."

A Night in Grace Park

I spent the night in Grace Park the other night... Grace Park is a public park in Akron, near the Haven of Rest (a homeless shelter), where a lot of homeless people hang out during the day and some sleep at night.
I may post some thoughts and reflections on it later, but for now here's the column I wrote for the Buchtelite, the university's student newspaper.


The park is strewn with garbage – plastic bags, empty beer bottles and cigarette butts are nearly as abundant as the fall leaves. It's fitting that the small plot of land — a grass island in an ocean of concrete — is home to those best described as societal throwaways.

Regardless, Grace Park was my home Tuesday night. In an attempt to get to know some of Akron's homeless people and understand the struggles they face, I forfeited my warm bed and comforting roof. Tuesday, I spent the night with them.

Grace Park, however, was mostly empty when I arrived. The park is closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thus, sleeping in the park isn't permitted. That's what the Akron Police Department told me, anyway.

While no one was visible in the park, there were definitely people around. I showed up around 11 p.m. with food and warm clothing to give away and set up camp at a picnic table. Walking in, I spoke briefly with a man who I would get to know later in the evening. He said he didn't need any food, nor any warm clothing. Instead, he said he needed a "buck."

I hadn't even brought my wallet, so I couldn't help him with that.

When you first walk into the park at night, and even for the first few minutes you are there, it seems empty. It feels as though there is no one around, especially after the guy who just asked you for a buck disappears into the night.

Grace Park is much different during the day. On any given afternoon, you'll find between thirty to forty people there – mostly homeless.

At night though, if you're patient, you start to notice people all around. I eventually realized there were two or more men living under a bridge near the park, in shacks or tents made out of tarps. I saw them under the bridge as I was looking for somewhere to... well, relieve myself.

An hour or two after I arrived, a man showed up to sleep on the steps of a church nearby. Several people walked around the park, and others drove around in aimless circles.

We don't normally think of homeless people living in their cars, but there were several of them doing circles around the park.

The catch about living under the bridge is the train tracks that pass under. Every 10 minutes throughout the night, a train comes through, squealing its brakes. However, the bridge also offers protection from the elements, and is relatively safe.

Safer than an alley, at least.

After waiting in the park for about half an hour and not communicating with any of the people in the area, the guy who asked me for a dollar showed up again. We talked for a while, and he took some food, a blanket and a hooded sweatshirt.

He also informed me that the park had been crawling with cops a few hours ago.

Upon asking why, the man, whose name was Lace, told me someone had gotten stabbed in the park earlier in the evening.

After that, I felt very safe and nonchalant about sleeping in the open. No big deal, I thought. That was hours ago.

A friend of his, who identified himself as "Killer," also took some food. Then, both of them returned to their shacks under the bridge.

A few minutes passed, and it was bedtime. I felt completely ridiculous and vulnerable as I curled up on the grass behind a park bench.

I had no blanket, just my hooded sweatshirt and jacket. It was cold Tuesday night, and a slight breeze blew through the park. The ground was covered in trash, and I was probably sleeping on more than a few cigarette butts. Not only did I feel ridiculous, I also felt vulnerable and dirty. Instead of my four walls, mattress and nice stuff, I was sleeping in a park surrounded by trash.

It was hard to sleep – the park is well lit all night, even after the park closes. Sleeping on the outskirts of the park would provide a darker sleeping environment, but although I felt vulnerable and unsafe in the light, there was something much scarier about sleeping in the dark. I was glad for the light, even though it made sleeping almost impossible. On top of that, the trains passing every ten minutes kept the park pretty noisy, too.

I was expecting to be awakened by the police. I assumed they would be come around to kick me out, especially considering it was hours after the park closed.

The police never showed up, but I did see them drive by. After all, I didn't get much sleep.

It would be rather naïve to think that by spending a single night out in the city, sleeping in the park, pretending to be homeless, that I would gain insight and understand the lives of homeless people living in Akron. I merely got a glimpse of what it's like to have no home.

The whole time, though, I knew I had a bed waiting for me if I wanted it. If it started to rain, or got too cold, I knew I could just go home.

And I did go home. After returning this morning, I got some decent sleep and ate breakfast. My friends under the bridge, however, aren't as fortunate.

Editors Note: Akron Police are looking for suspect Brodes Joynes in connection to the stabbing of two men in Grace Park Tuesday evening.
Joynes was described as a black male, five feet nine inches tall and 160 pounds. He is also wanted on other outstanding warrants. Tuesday night, he was wearing a green baseball hat, hooded sweatshirt, red colored jacket, boots and carrying a green backpack. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Akron Police Department at (330)375-2490.

the song of the vineyard

I will sing for the one I love
a song about his vineyard:
My loved one had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.
He dug it up and cleared it of stones
and planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it
and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
but it yielded only bad fruit.

"Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men
of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?"

Isaiah 5, verses 1 - 4