Conversation Point

Common Ground

Former President Clinton has been in the news the last few days. Appearing in a series of interviews as he entered a three day Global Initiatives Conference, Mr. Clinton mostly has been seen defending his attempts to protect the country from terrorism during his administration. At odds with Fox Television's Chris Wallace during their conversation, Mr. Clinton was later postured against Secretary of State Rice. It is not uncommon for the media to highlight conflict whenever possible. Conflict attracts attention, and sells almost as well as sex.

What is more interesting to me is Mr. Clinton's conversation with Tim Russert, host of NBC's Meet the Press, on whose program he also appeared this past weekend. Mr. Clinton told Mr. Russert that the biggest problem facing the world today is "the illusion that our differences matter more than our common humanity." This simple statement seems to have been all but lost in the shuffle and squabble. The illusion that our differences matter more than almost everything else, especially our common humanity, is strong. We live on it, feed from it, defend the deep reality of it, and question the common sense and sanity of those who don't. If we aren't invested in this illusion, though, it becomes much easier to recognize the deeper truth, that we are all united in this life we live.

We all share some basic human experiences. We are each born, learn to walk and talk and eventually we all die. In between there can be hundreds of thousands of wonderful scents, sounds, sights, dreams, hopes and longings. it is among these tangible moments that we find each other, and grasp the reality that other people outside our own circles also enjoy sunsets and family gatherings. It is easier to accept that we are individuals with common bonds of love and forgiveness that are woven among us in small, yet significant ways everyday. We are more alike than we know.

And so, we also have Jesus' words to consider. "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12)." The illusion is that we are different in more ways than we can count crumbles at the idea that we might be able to try treating other people how we would like to be treated. It is an easy enough concept. If we want to be treated with respect, we simply treat other people with respect. If we want to be treated with kindness, love, dignity and grace, we simply treat other people with kindness, love, dignity and grace. How we think about other people and treat other people has little or nothing to do with how we perceive them, and everything to do with how we see ourselves. If we would not treat ourselves badly, we have our answer on whether we would treat someone else badly.

Behaving toward others based on what we would like takes all the guesswork out of any number of sticky situations, personal and professional, national and international. My guess is that most of us would like to be treated with care and kindness. If we come to the table with this in mind, we will be on solid, common ground, and be able to set the illusion of our differences aside.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 7:35 PM 0 comments

Following Our Voice

Perhaps you have already heard. The United States Internal Revenue Service is investigating All Saints Episcopal Church of Pasadena, California.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the IRS targeted All Saints because it is stepping up its probe of allegedly improper campaigning by churches. All Saints has historically been involved in social activism, so it was a surprise that an antiwar sermon delivered by its former rector should trigger such a response. Our tax code bars nonprofits from endorsing or campaigning against candidates in an election. This includes churches. Although no candidate was endorsed in the aforementioned sermon, the IRS is treating the matter as if All Saints had publicly supported a particular candidate.

Facing a potential loss of their nonprofit status has ramifications for All Saints, as well as the understanding of how we are to live our faith in churches across this country. All Saints must decide if they will comply by turning over all documentation related to the sermon in question. If they choose not to, the case could be turned over to the Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, USA, stated, "I'm outraged. Preachers ought to have the liberty to speak truth to power. There is a lot more to be done about this, and it may include some actions of nonviolent civil disobedience. Since 9/11, the IRS, like the FBI, has been moving back to the 1950's and 1960's when a great deal of such activity was propagated against church leaders like Martin Luther King," said Rev. Edgar.

If you aren't sitting up in your chair at this point, you should be because timing certainly is everything. The midterm elections are weeks away, and since President Bush did no achieve a landslide victory from his reelection campaign, threatening the voices calling people to think before they vote more of Bush's policies in through senators and representatives who support him, must seem like an effective strategy. The IRS holds great power in our country, much more than it should. Not only would this investigation, also reportedly being waged against numerous other congregations, attempt to silence the prophetic voices from our nation's pulpits, but it would seek to close houses of worship permanently. Keeping most churches running is a pray as you go venture. Taking away tax exempt status, or simply the threat of that being held over a congregation's head, will make many, many preachers think twice before quoting Jesus or expounding on his message in ways that clearly inflamed a few other Pharisees. They will feel, and potentially will be, forced to choose: Will it be faith they will live or the fear of financial reprisal on both their personal and vocational lives? And, if their church is choosing faith, do they and their people have enough money to fight the legal battle against their own government for their very right to exist and worship?

These are the times, the moments, that call us to look at what we believe and how we will choose. We may not personally be opening a letter from the IRS. We may not be sitting in the pew of a parish about to realize the literal cost the government is putting on discipleship. But if we believe that God called us into being as a community as the body of Christ, then we are as much a part of the scenario being played out at All Saints Church as its rector and parishioners . They are a part of us and we are a part of them by virtue of Who lives among us and gives us life.

Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27)." The people of All Saints Church have heard God's voice over the years, and have shared what they have heard with great consistency. The sermon that attracted the IRS' attention was delivered in the same church that heard sermons that opposed the Vietnam War and sermons that supported women clergy and gays and lesbians in the church. Its rector spoke out against the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. It is the congregation which will determine whether they will comply with the IRS or face what comes next. Having heard God's voice all these years is a reminder that this is a two-way conversation initiated by God, who is known for sticking around when the going gets tough. God speaks, and if we have been listening, we know the voice we must follow.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 4:30 PM 0 comments

Walking for Doughnuts

These bright, sunny fall days inspire me to delights I haven't allowed myself in what seems like a very long time. Saturday's are time for PBS programs about wilderness vacations, living simply and eating well, and are accompanied by big bowls of popcorn (the real stuff, not microwave). George Gershwin and John Denver take turns filling my house with music while I sit on my front porch with a good book and three cats who sometimes purr simultaneously. Sleeping late and watching Oprah feel luxurious.

Among the best of these small indulgences are long walks through my neighborhood. Now that children are back in school, the dust raised by summer activity has settled into autumn peace and the rhythm of routine. The trees move gently with the breeze and leaves have already begun to fall to the ground, creating a crunchy carpet. It is good to walk, breathe fresh air and feel connected to my community. Sometimes I stretch my walk out a little further and stop in at my local coffee shop for a hot cup of hazelnut decaf and a glazed doughnut. The combination is delectable, comfortable and reminiscent of all that speaks to me of home.

While none of these small moments of life impact the world in an dramatic way, they reflect my own choice to live my life with richness. it is so incredibly easy to allow ourselves to become a part of all the frenzy, frustration and anguish that permeates the world like a sour marinade. Once we let that bitter, miserable flavor soak into our spirits that is all we taste, and life becomes pretty bitter and miserable as a whole. John's gospel quotes Jesus as saying that, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:9-11)." Jesus' words set a clear boundary between his mission and whoever would oppose him, and makes very clear what the results of his presence in human life look like. Abundance is what happens wherever Jesus resides.

Defining what abundance is for each of us is a life's work, one intimately intertwined with how we understand our relationship with God, how that relationship informs our lives and how we choose to live them. What God has to offer us is often more than our imaginations can grasp, but it is all so easily perceived as a given, something to be taken or granted, rather than accepted with grace and gratitude. And therein lies the avenue for the belief that what God shares is not enough, which becomes the signal to accumulate everything we possible can while we can, and before anyone else can get it. Before we realize it, our lives are filed with a lot of things we couldn't care less about, while what we love best about living has shipped away like a thief in the night.

What do you love about being alive? What do you cherish most about who you are? Perhaps it is time to remember, to welcome yourself home to what is most important to you, and to give yourself permission to enjoy yourself again. Perhaps it is the best time of all to be grateful for everything you are and everything you have.

Jesus came that we may have life and have it abundantly Repeat these words to yourself a few times, and let them sink into your soul. Believe them, know in your heart that they are genuine and meant for each of us. God is generous. We are here to enjoy life. Jesus came that we may have life and have it abundantly.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 7:55 PM 0 comments

On Being Called

Our country paused again today, remembering the attacks on the United states that began over our morning coffee five years ago. Most of the talk around this anniversary has centered on how the world has changed since that day. Most of the responses were about airport security issues and practices to which we have become accustomed. There were also references to those who lost loved ones or were in New York or Washington when the planes hit, those who still have personal burdens of tragedy and grief to bear. Some of these stories were brought to us as tributes, particularly those of the fire fighters, and the widows who gave birth to children whose fathers had been killed.

But most of us are still somewhat in shock, not really being able to articulate what is different about our lives, even though we know something is supposed to be. We can point to how our country has responded to these attacks, the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, our invasion of Iraq, the aforementioned airport security measures, the present administration's need to wiretap private conversations without legal authorization, but usually these realizations are followed quickly by assertions that all of these actions were necessary for national security, and the price in freedom lost is well worth the safety gained.

In case we have any doubts about the expense of freedom, President Bush just finished speaking on this very issue. Speaking as one who still believes he was right to invade Iraq even though there was clearly no link between Saddam Hussein and those who attacked us, Bush insisted he was right to go after Saddam Hussein because he was a "potential threat," and we are "safer, but not safe," because of this and all the other decisions made for national security in the last five years. Mr. Bush confirmed that he believes that this war on terror he has been waging on our behalf is an effort we must continue to work on together as "the calling of our generation."

President Bush is wrong. Wrong to defend his personal agenda with lies and misrepresentations. Wrong to include us as supporting him as he claims to lead the country in these actions. Wrong to ask us to give him further support in his misguided leadership. And so very, very wrong to believe that what he is doing is a "calling" for him, or for us. But in his wrongness Bush does raise a question I haven't heard mentioned much in the past five years: How has your faith changed in the last five years? Do you see your calling, as President Bush declared, to be fighting the war on terror?

Have you considered your faith, its shape, what informs and defines it, over the years since September 11, 2001? What questions have you been pondering over, struggling with, since you set down your coffee and watched the second plane tear through the second tower? Those are questions worth asking, questions that are probably not yet fully answered, if they ever can be. But keep asking yourself how it s with your soul in these post 9/11 times, and keep seeking understanding, rather than easy answers defined by simplistic logic based on fear and designed to create more fear. As you consider your faith, remember that God is love, and it takes courage to embody that love in covenant with the life we have each been given.

Now, do you believe, as our president stated, that our calling is to fight this war on terror? I do not, and I am uncomfortable with the President's need to merge faith and violence in such an unholy alliance as this so-called war on terror. Bush implies a crusade of which I want no part. Defending our borders is not the equivalent of invading other countries "just in case" Living our faith is not definable in militaristic terms that defy the very nature of who God is and how we are called to reflect the image of the One who brought us into being. Matthew's gospel shows us the nature of God's call to us through Jesus' calling of his first disciples. "As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea - for they were fishermen. And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.' Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him (Matthew 4:18-22)."

While President Bush would have us believe our generation is called to fight terror with his weapons of choice, our God calls us to something much different. Jesus' call to these his first disciples, and to each of us, is personal, direct and ours to accept or reject by virtue of free will. We do work together as people who share a fellowship of faith, but we must still each work out our own salvation and define our own calling. And, I must add, not accept anyone else's attempts to define that calling for us based on their own agenda. We are called by God to experience the resurrection in our own lives, but we are not called to fight a war against terror for a president who does not seem to understand the difference.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 9:04 PM 0 comments

Practicing Forgiveness

Reading Dr. Wayne Dyer's most recent book, Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling, has been a joyfully challenging experience for me. Joyful in that it opens new doors and encourages me to hope and grow. Challenging for the very same reasons. Personal growth and development is exhilarating, but also ponderous at times, demanding at still others. Basically, it's not for the faint hearted or easily frightened. What I love best about Dr. Dyer's work, and particularly this book, is that it acknowledges all of our human frailties and frustrations and still gently guides us to make changes in our lives that are graceful, transforming and powerful. What Dr. Dyer does is withdraw the need to use judgment as a weapon against ourselves and each other in even its most minimal forms. Spending time considering a portion of of Inspiration dealing with changing our awareness of our own personal history really made me focus on how much appreciating ourselves connects to our ability to choose forgiveness and love throughout our lives.

According to Dr. Dyer, reevaluating our personal history means accepting that the past is done, and we can choose to continue to blame ourselves and feel ashamed for it or be grateful for all that it has taught us about ourselves. Without each of our experiences we would not be who we are today. Who we are, each of us, is created in God's image, and that is pretty wonderful He has also said that true nobility is not about being better than someone else, its about being better than we used to be. Approaching ourselves kindly and gently allows for us to become better at being now, rather than better at shaming ourselves for what has been. Valuing all that has brought us to this moment in time welcomes us to a new level of gratitude for life as a whole and those who share life with us. If we can learn to be grateful for who and what we are, as well as who and what each person around us is, we have a better chance at being kind, gentle, loving and forgiving as a matter of course instead of only when we can no longer bear the burden that being unkind, harsh, hateful and unforgiving becomes. Becoming more like God, reflecting more of God's image as a continually developing routine lightens that burden. Perhaps that is why Jesus referred to his burden and yoke as being light.

Clearly, forgiveness is something we struggle with in our culture. We here in the United States are raised on the twin formulas that power and control are the goals to strive for. Whoever has the most of both is declared the winner, the best, the one to beat. Forgiveness doesn't enter into the mix. Forgiveness is weak, foolish, naive, or so we would be led to believe. It is interesting, then, to look at what power forgiveness itself holds for both the giver and the receiver. The Oxford Dictionary defines forgiveness as ceasing to be angry or resentful toward another. To make a conscious choice not to hold onto those kinds of feelings or direct them at another human being exhibits great courage and humble strength. It is much easier to keep old emotional wounds open than extend or accept forgiveness and allow relationships to begin healing.

But what is most wonderful about forgiveness is that it is always open to us to choose and we can keep practicing it. Forgiveness and the opportunity to extend or receive it are not once and done deals. We can always keep trying to get it right, keep offering it and receiving it when it is offered to us, and in so doing become better and better at it. When asked how many times we should forgive each other, Jesus said seventy times seven was the standard. While some take this literally, I hear Jesus' voice saying we can forgive ourselves and each other as often as necessary and as often as possible. Through practicing forgiveness we become better than we were, and we are able to more fully embody loving God, each other and ourselves.

God's blessings, Cory

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 5:27 PM 0 comments

Finding Four Amps

Apollo 13 caught my attention last night as it was broadcast on a local station. The movie is harrowing in its telling details of the ill-fated mission to the moon and equally triumphant in reliving the experience of all that it took to bring the three astronauts home. I remember the actual events of those seven days so many years ago. The newscasters interpreting the scientific data, the taped interviews with the men stranded in space, the world coming together in prayer. What compels me to watch this movie over and over are the bits of information which we were not privy to at the time of the disaster, but also how those small moments intertwine with what we did know.

The mission began as so routine that we barely acknowledged it. Going to the moon had become almost commonplace. It was only when the explosion occurred, causing massive damage to the spacecraft, that the United States and the world took notice. Having survived to that point, the astronauts and everyone on the ground at NASA had to refocus their efforts toward a new goal: get the men back to earth safely. Landing on the moon was no longer an available option. Energy use on board the spacecraft was dropped to a minimum in order to conserve enough power to bring them home. Concerns about trajectory in reentering the earth's atmosphere were heavily on every mind of the NASA team members. As time ticked away, Ken Mattingly, bumped from the flight because it was suspected he may have the measles, accepted the job of working in the flight simulator, searching for the correct sequencing of power switches that would get the space craft fully up and running when the time came for reentry. It is the images of Mattingly going over and over everything he knows about this spacecraft, racing against time to help his friends, that connected me to an important lesson for life.

Mattingly knew he had to work within the already-calculated boundaries of power left to work with, limited though they were. He never doubted he could, but he kept coming up short each time he ran the sequence. Finally, having closed the gap to four amps of electricity, about the amount needed to run a coffee pot, Mattingly realized there was enough power in the unused Lunar Landing Module, and a way to bring that energy to the main capsule to compensate for the remaining energy needed. The mission was considered a successful failure because we didn't land on the moon, but the crew came home safely.

Crisis seems to bring out the best in people, or so we are told whenever these moments happen and we take the time to reflect afterward. I would say instead that crisis causes us to focus and call upon our strength and talents. During emergencies we don't choose to be as caught up in our worries as much as in other, less immediately threatening circumstances. Take away that need to act out of our survival instinct and we allow ourselves to be drawn into the less productive sides of our natures. We worry about what isn't going right in our lives, what is wrong with the world and how badly people treat one another. We focus on how hard it will be to get through traffic, how much higher prices at the grocery store will rise and how cold/hot/wet/dry the weather might be tomorrow. We pretty much worry and complain and project that worry into the future. While crisis is touted as bringing out our best, daily life holds our standard at its lowest common denominator. Worry is that standard.

Jesus shared a different sense of these things. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today (Matthew 6:34)." The seven day mission of Apollo 13 dramatizes the need to deal with what is in front of us and not borrow trouble in worrying that something may or may not happen even when we so desperately needed it to. Worrying about the typhoon that almost came to be at the capsule's landing site in the South Pacific would not have helped Ken Mattingly and his team in locating the four amps of electricity they needed to bring the capsule and the crew home. Reducing our own lives to worrying about what is wrong or frightening or what may never be distracts us from focusing on our best selves. Worrying needlessly saps our energy and keeps us from locating our four amps, that unique piece of ourselves that will bring us forward to completing something spectacular or simply feeling more solidly connected to God in our faith.

Jesus' words remind us that worry isn't all that useful to us, and it separates us from knowing God's peace, joy, love and contentment. In fact, though Jesus recognized worry as part of the human condition, he tells us in these words recorded in Matthew's Gospel that worry is of no consequence, that it is here today and gone tomorrow, quite the opposite of God's love which is abundant, graceful and always with us.

God's blessings, Cory

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 3:34 PM 0 comments

Hallowed Ground

Hurricane Katrina came one year ago on August 29.

Remembrances of that day welled up from our national consciousness and onto every newscast, newspaper and website, hoping for a way to come to terms with what we have been able to do to help our fellow citizens and what we continue to do to deal with the great task ahead that remains undone. We have learned some hard lessons, and some good lessons, about ourselves and our country this year. We have also learned something of our faith and how it looks when we put it into practice.

In the days, weeks and months since Katrina blew through the Gulf Coast, we have all heard the stories of the outpouring of support, kindness and love to the storm's victims. Many people who went to help, reaching out to meet immediate needs of food, clothing and shelter, then helping with the physical clean up, became stories themselves. And now, the beginning of the vision of what the future will hold is at hand, a vision of something different than what has been. While the clean up is far from over, the vision must be welcomed, shared, uplifted, in order to carry us beyond this tragedy and bring those most affected to a place of healing and wholeness, a place they can safely call home. We have acted in profoundly personal ways to bring these goals to life and I believe we are a stronger nation for it.

But this is not to dispel or ignore the lessons we have learned and are still working to accept about our country and how it functions in crisis. Katrina made us face some raw realities. We are literally the richest country in the world in terms of material resources, but we are very clear that our government let far too many days go by before getting help to Katrina's victims. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds designated for Katrina relief are still tied up in red tape a year later. The Bush administration has given lots of excuses and no clear answers for these mistakes. We will eventually find out the truth, and sooner will be better than later. FEMA is telling us they are more prepared this year. I feel hard pressed to believe this precisely because the wounds of Katrina are still fresh and largely remain unbound. We have been fortunate so far this year in not having another catastrophe to deal with yet. I am not alone in wondering what is taking our government's attention away from its responsibility to bring healing to weary people in what feels like a foreign land. We need to keep asking questions and pressing for answers. Our country was founded on the belief that we each have a say in what goes on and a vote to make that voice heard. Participation in this process and taking action to make our voices heard to effect change are lessons we have reclaimed as the events surrounding Katrina's destruction have unfolded this past year.

As believers in a God of justice, mercy and loving kindness our faith has taught us the simple need to also participate by listening, fully hearing what God's people on the Gulf Coast are telling us. We are clearly to be about doing God's justice in concrete ways to alleviate suffering whenever we can. But we are also to be about caring for one another in this most basic way that God cares for us in listening to and hearing our prayers. Frequently prayer equates with human beings doing a lot of talking, but letting the listening to what God has to say slip through the crevices of very busy lives. Prayer is a conversation in which both components contribute to the whole experience. Without the listening, we are missing out on understanding what God has to offer us, and delights in giving us.

I believe we now have time to hear the voices of the Gulf Coast. We have many reasons not to listen, going back to jam-packed lives as a usable scenario. However, we have more, and much better reasons to pay attention to these people and their stories. Mainly, we are God's people. We have ears that can hear and compassionate hearts to help carry some of the grief with which our fellow residents of God's kingdom are still burdened. We have hope and faith to strengthen these weary souls still wandering in the wilderness searching for the promised land of home. Faithfulness takes time and patience. Faithfulness takes all of us.

God's blessings, Cory

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 2:04 PM 0 comments

Graceful Purpose

The annual Primetime Emmy Awards were aired on the NBC network last night. Celebrating what television has to offer and honoring its outstanding performances usually happens after Labor Day. But NBC also is thrilled with its renewed contract with the National Football League, now manifesting itself as Sunday Night Football. So we were treated to a bit of elegant fun, prettily-dressed ladies and sassy commentary a little early this year. Conan O'Brien hosted the event with both intelligent charm and wit. The man is funny and smart, and in my book that is about as good as it gets. However, something even better, something beautiful and joyous and unexpected also emerged last evening, and that was the face of genuine, loving friendship.

As happens in any business situation, it is common to forge relationships on a variety of levels. Show business is no different. Some are convenient, useful to the temporary time and place of a particular project, such as a movie, a television series or a play. Others are more deeply felt as actors, directors, producers and writers seek each other out over the years because they enjoy working together. Still others become friends before they become household names, and remain so well into their success. Some relationships don't survive that route through fame, fortune and its pitfalls. Human fear, competitiveness and jealousy sometimes overpower the memories of bonding in a ratty apartment over macaroni and cheese, hopes and dreams. But some do survive, and it is a glimpse into one of those friendships that defined the Emmys for me this year.

When the time came to present the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, Conan O'Brien came to the podium to present the award himself. The Emmy went to The Office, a British import translated for American tastes by Executive Producer Greg Daniels, who was also announced with great exuberance by Mr. O'Brien as his friend and former writing partner. It was now clear why Mr. O'Brien was so pleased to be able to present this award. O'Brien's joy for his friend and colleague radiated from his face as Daniels took the stage with his cast, crew and fellow executive producers to accept their award. O'Brien appeared to be more thrilled at his friend's success than even his friend was for himself in receiving the honor. It was a moment of grace in an unexpected place.

Perhaps you have been blessed by one of these overwhelmingly graceful moments in your own life. It is an amazing thing, a great gift, to make a connection with another human being with whom you are able to grow into a relationship of kindness, mutual admiration, respect and love. In Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians he speaks of friendship in these unique terms: "We always give thanks to God for all of you, and mention you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (I Thessalonians 1:2-3)." That sense of gratitude, faithfulness and working love that are the hallmarks of lasting friendships also need to be remembered and framed as very conscious choices. There is no legal contract that dictates friendship. We are not allowed to leave a marriage or a child without some legal action or recourse, but friendships are all the more mysterious and wonderful because we can choose to stay in them or leave at will.

Somehow we know that our purpose is to be with one another in these chosen spaces in which we share our best, allow for our worst and love each other in spite of it all. Or maybe because of it all. And sometimes we give ourselves permission to stand back and bask in the glory of a friend's success, having believed in it long before the moment had arrived. That is grace.

god's blessings, Cory

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 11:55 PM 0 comments