And then I thought about it some more and I thought, wait a minute, does this mean that evangelical Christians are in the army because of their faith? Are they connected? Is this another manifestation of Manifest Destiny? Is there a prevalent belief among those serving that God is leading them into battle or calling them to protect our fair land with arms? And if so, is this so very different from those in Islam who are fighting for that very reason but are called terrorists?

I will admit to being a little brain-dead from staring at my computer and books for so long, and I am quite hungry at the moment, which has always been known to impair my judgment, so perhaps I am missing something obvious, in which case you can feel free to go ahead and point it out in the comments. Or perhaps you were already aware of this in which case you can shame me for not keeping up with the news (normally I procrastinate with TV, hence this library sit-in). Either way – there you have it.

In the meantime, in case you need a study or work break and you’re waiting on someone to make their move in Scrabulous (the most fabulous new facebook game that lets you play scrabble with your friends online and makes having facebook TOTALLY worth it now), you can watch these videos in honor of Rosh Hashanah, which has effectively passed by now (if my Jewish cultural heritage memory serves me correctly). [Do you sometimes wonder if I could possibly squeeze more words into a sentence just to make them a teeny tiny bit longer than the monstrosities that they already are?]

This is the Rosh Hashanah video, but before you watch it, you should watch this video because it is the inspiration and this video which is an interview with the actress in that video, AND THEN the Rosh Hashanah video will be really funny since it is a response.

Anyway, I spent most of the two and half hours we spent in the bookstore writing down titles for books I wanted to read. You can see them here (along with others), but I did allow myself part of my birthday money to buy a few books. Here If You Need Me by Kate Braestrup was one of the five books (out of thousands) that won a lucky space in my bag at the end of the day.

It is a short memoir and it reads quickly. At first I thought it was just so-so: definitely an interesting story (a mother of four goes to seminary and becomes a chaplain for Maine search and rescue missions after her husband dies in a car accident – ministry had been his retirement plan), but a bit cliche in the writing. But, 3/4 of the way through either it got better or I stopped noticing. Anyway, I liked it (didn’t love it), but would recommend reading a library copy. She has some interesting thoughts on faith and some profound sentences. All in all, an enjoyable book and, like I said, an incredible story underneath it all.

    The church has always been a place of both comfort and challenge for me. It is my hope that the church remain both of these places not only for individuals, but for the world. At its best, the church provides a place of refuge and sanctuary for those experiencing persecution, be it political, mental or spiritual. As a sanctuary, the church embodies the love of God for the world and for each of us individually. As a place of refuge, the church allows each of us and all of us together to rest in our faith, taking comfort in our identity as beloved children of God. Yet, at its best, the church also challenges each of us and our world. The church lifts up a different way of living and being in the world and challenges all of us to live differently. At its best, the church challenges us to work for justice, peace, equality and freedom. At its best, the mission of the church involves looking for God’s presence in the world and working to further God’s kingdom on earth. My concern, therefore, is that the church will lose sight of this vision and pay attention instead to semantics and small details: to the color of our skin, the name by which we address God, the place in which we worship (to name only a few). My concern is that the church will become too much a part of the world to be able to critique and change the world. My concern is that the church will stop looking for God’s mission in the world and follow only its own.

“Evangelical broadcaster Pat Robertson said Tuesday that God has told him that a terrorist attack on the United States would cause a “mass killing” late in 2007.” – CNN.com

The thing that scares me most about Pat Robertson is not his crazy lunatic theology or prophecies; what scares me most is his power and his capability to work behind the scenes to make his crazy prophecies come true.

I am the first to admit that I am biased against fundamentalist theology and rapture prophecies: I think they’re full of crap and miss the point of the gospel. But what scares me the most is that these people are so eager for the end of the world to come they are literally working to make it happen. Should someone like Pat Robertson add his power and influence, I am afraid we are fighting a battle we may not be able to win.

Meanwhile, what a sad way live – always waiting for the end. Yes, we live in a world with many, many problems; but we also live in a world of astounding beauty and think how much you’re missing when you keep on waiting for the end. I don’t understand.

We had to write one page on Psalm 23. Simple. Except it’s not really my favorite – never has been – too used, too lovely, who knows, no good reason. So, for one page, I focused on the one part that I do like, the second phrase of the first line – ‘I shall not want.’ Herein lies the problem. I have always thought ‘I shall not want’ refers to the Shepherd, not actually not wanting anything.

As a side note, I’d like to point out that when you do not provide an object, it does not unreasonable to assume the object being referred to is the one in the previous clause. Just saying . . .

So, I wrote a whole paper on how I appreciated the fact that sometimes we don’t want the rest and care offered to us. Apparently there is a comma and apparently the comma is traditionally taken to separate the clauses so that the object of the first clause is not the object of the second clause. Apparently I shall not want actually means I shall not want – like not want anything. Sigh.

I think I’m ready to be done with this semester.

“Cardinal Trujillo recently claimed that condoms were helping spread HIV/AIDS. The pathogens, he said, pass through a microscopic “net” in latex condoms. Scientists and public health officials have responded repeatedly that this is false, but the Vatican persists, calling the health experts “wrong.” Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, says, “condoms too often fail.” But it isn’t the condoms that are failing Catholics. Cardinals fail more often than condoms. It is time for the Catholic bishops to tell the truth.

“We need an AIDS policy in the Catholic church that not only cares for those with HIV/AIDS but prevents its transmission. Over 10 million people with AIDS depend on the church for treatment as well as prevention. If they don’t know about or trust condoms, they may transmit HIV to their wives, husbands, children and partners. It’s time for the nation’s bishops to reject bad science and bad religion. Lift the Ban on Condoms.”

(from condoms4life.org)

I met my first witch.

To this end, I share with you Praying the Prodigals Home, a website dedicated to helping you save your loved ones. There is an e-mail like if you have "an urgent prayer request regarding the person you feel is lost," as well as downloadable resources and stories of prodigals returned home. This is the resource . . . hope it helps. And best of luck to you and all you love in the coming times of tribulation.