Although links to the ELCA news service are on our Website, I thought using this blog forum might be a better way to get more people to read it.

Pastor B.

CHICAGO (ELCA) - Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), along with other faith leaders, asked President Barack Obama to protect funding for programs that benefit people living with hunger and poverty in the ongoing budget debate and in any deal concerning the debt crisis.
     Hanson was part of a gathering of national Christian leaders who attended a meeting with Obama and senior White House staff on July 20. The select but diverse group represented evangelical, mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic churches and faith-based organizations that pledge to form a "Circle of Protection" around programs that meet the essential needs of people living with hunger and poverty.
     Commenting on the varied backgrounds of the leaders, Hanson noted, "We make a powerful witness to our faith when theological differences do not get in the way of serving our neighbors and welcoming the stranger." He felt this unity represented a "prophetic witness" and an opportunity to urge policy makers to recognize that a commitment to protect those who are vulnerable is a moral -- not partisan -- concern.
     Hanson added, "The group of leaders made a commitment to alert our far-reaching networks on this issue. We Lutherans, who live our freedom in Christ by serving our neighbor, know that serving with those in poverty is inseparable from advocating for policies and priorities that both sustain them and give them opportunity."
     In his final remarks to the president, the presiding bishop shared his experience with the Women of the ELCA at their triennial conference the previous week. "I was in Spokane, Wash., with 2,000 Lutheran women from all over the country -- rural and urban communities, small towns and suburbs. Over and over again I heard people saying, 'We are tired of living in a culture where people - yes, religious people included -- are constantly drawing lines in the sand that are becoming lines set in concrete.'
     "Mr. President, isn't it good that God does not join in our drawing lines in the sand, but instead draws circles of protection beginning first with those who are most vulnerable. … Jesus kept standing with those whom individuals with political and religious power wanted to exclude and judged unworthy. We are pledging to stand with those whom God embraces in God’s circle of protection. In the difficult budget decisions to be made, let our shared commitment be to those who are hungry and those who live in poverty."
     The faith leaders plan to continue to talk with policy makers, as well as emphasize with their members, the issues at stake in the budget. Hanson was also part of a group that met with U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., chair of the House Budget Committee, and with the office of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on July 8.
     Hanson noted that the ELCA has a long history of providing care for people in need through a wide network of Lutheran, ecumenical and public sector partners, both domestically and internationally. "The ELCA believes that churches have a greater capacity to make an impact when we join together. By working together we achieve things on a scale and scope that we could never do as a single church."
     While the attendees dealt with complex policy issues, Hanson felt the tone was that of a spiritual conversation among people of faith, including the president, framed with prayer and scripture.
     The timing was also critical. Obama went immediately into a meeting with congressional leadership to continue the negotiations on the debt ceiling and budget reductions. "We trust that he carried with him the discussions and commitments we expressed," said Hanson.
     The Christian leaders at the July 20 meeting also included representatives from the National Association of Evangelicals, the National Council of Churches, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bread for the World, Sojourners, the Alliance to End Hunger, the Salvation Army, the National African American Clergy Network, the National Baptist Convention of America and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
     White House staff in the meeting included Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, Director of the Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes, Economic Adviser Gene Sperling, Deputy Assistant to the President Michael Strautmanis and Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois.  

Wow! It is hot. I can’t remember the last time we suffered through a heat wave like this one. Did we even record a 90 degree temperature last year? It’s a good time to be thankful for air conditioning and to be concerned for those who have none.

By the way, whatever happened to the relative humidity? Remember when the weatherman told you the humidity was 85% or 90%? We all understood that to mean sticky and muggy and uncomfortable. Now they tell us the dew point since that is supposedly a better indicator of discomfort and stickiness. Do you really understand dew point better than relative humidity? Me either.

And now we have the Heat Index. It is kind of the polar opposite of the Wind Chill Factor. Isn’t it nice to have another number to add to our weather conversations. As the saying goes: Everybody always talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.

While I am like most folks around here in trying to cool, there was yesterday a nice surprise. A burst of delight. Susan went digging through the garden and found deep in the recesses of leaves a half dozen ripe cherry tomatoes. Umm! That explosion of juice is a foretaste for the tomatoes to come.

It may be hot, but I am happy.

Pastor B.

It’s been a while since I’ve reported on the animal creatures that bring a certain entertainment to the neighborhood. Susan and I live on a vast estate of nearly one-fifth acre. The sub-division sits about a mile north of Sun Prairie and mature trees dot the other vast estates of more or less the same size.

On the surface all looks tranquil. Even the neighborhood fireworks died out by 10:00 p.m. You hear the drone of riding lawnmowers and weed whackers on Saturdays. It’s a great place to sit on the deck to read a book or take a nap or eat a meal. Fireflies begin their dynamic light show as the sun bids farewell, and the latest crop of mosquitoes eventually drives you into the house.

But beneath the facade, it’s a jungle out there.

Just last week a murder took place in our backyard. No need to call in CSI or NCIS or SVU. I witnessed the killer and I am willing to testify.

A Cooper’s Hawk took down a mourning dove. The hawk then set about dissecting and devouring the harmless dove. When the predator had completed the dastardly deed, a four-foot circle of fluffy down and gray feathers was all that remained.

The culprit lives in a nest a few backyards up the street. From what I hear, the family includes a couple of youngsters who are likely to follow in their parent’s footsteps. I think that may explain why birds seem to fly extra fast these days. And they make their way through the yards going from tree to tree instead of long, open air flights.

The Cooper’s Hawk resides with us year ‘round. I suppose there are two adults since they have a brood. The hawk belongs in the circle of life that God created. The hawk’s powerful graceful flight teamed with its predatory instincts make it an exciting part of our backyard jungle. Although, doves, squirrels, rabbits, and chihuahuas are probably more fear-filled than awestruck.

What’s happening beneath the human chaos of your backyard?

Pastor B.

I think that this Independence Day holiday is the only one in the U.S. that is more often recognized by its date than by its name.  Christmas isn't the 25th of December holiday.  New Year's isn't commonly referred to as the January First.  This one, however, we very regularly simply call the Fourth of July, and everybody knows what we are talking about.

At least everybody knows it is a day off.  I wonder how many people do not know that the holiday is actually Independence Day.  Do the folks setting off fireworks all around my neighborhood understand why we have a holiday on July 4?  1776 was a very long time ago, and the political realities of the world were cosmically different than what faces us today.  Democracy and the rule of law (as opposed to the rule of monarchs and popes) formed a grand experiment in the Declaration of Independence.  The experiment continues.

The colonial representatives of the 18th century could not have forseen such a huge globally interconnected economy as we have today.  For the resources we need, we cannot be independent as a nation or as individuals.  That inter-dependence has lots of positive attributes that help bring people together.  There are also lots of minuses that plague any system of resource sharing that is based solely on money and wealth and power rather than a greater good.

One of the dark side portions of a global economy is the expansion of manufacturing done in developing countries that is done in sweatshop conditions.  I include China in this distinction.  Our nation's independence has led us to protect workers in our country and pay them wages that recognize their work.  Greed, however, sends the work off our shores.  My own desire for low cost consumer products is certainly part of that greed.

For the Independence Day month,  Susan and I will try to avoid buying anything that is made in China.  We have also pledged ourselves to refrain from purchasing anything from developing countries that was not manufactured in a Fair Trade system.  I know we will fail here and there.  Our goal is not to demonize global trading, but to highlight the plight of workers both in the United States and around the world.  The exercise will also help us live a form on independence that will resonate with the Fourth of July.

Pastor B.