Treasure in Earthen Vessels
Reply
Category Archives: America
The Climate Change Wild Card
Kay Stewart photo following storm
Click “The projected timing of climate departure from recent variability” to read the article John brought to our attention.
John and Bob McLain’s exhibits “Morning Has Broken: a Celebration of Light” and “Seven Faces of Christ” will be displayed at Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, MN from 9-12 a.m. Monday thru Thursday, November 4 through December 8. An Artist Reception will be held November 8, 7:00 to 9:00 P.M.
Verse – Not a Quilt
The mid-west farmland seen up close,
the only way it should be seen,
is black, then green, then gold and tan.
The corn comes first in narrow rows,
the soybeans planted next will spread
into a leafy blanket for
a while, then brown and shrivel, dry
and seem to die. The corn is bred
to grow a single ear per stalk.
The harvester has different jaws
to chew each crop and spit the grain
in trucks. The farmers stand and talk
of yield and price, machines and laws.
They seldom look to see a plane…
– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, October 16, 2013
NOTE: Views from the Edge found this photo of Amish farmland from Pennsylvania Dutch country.
Amish farmland quilt
The Slaves Speak to Our Time
The voice of Frederick Douglass:
Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false in the future.
– Rochester, NY, July 4, 1852
Sojourner Truth
The evening will begin with Odetta singing “I been ‘buked and I been scorned” and move into the spoken words of 101 year-old ex-slave Fountain Hughes, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman (“Moses”), and Langston Hughes (“The Freedom Train”) portrayed by local residents Yvette Atkinson and Ray Pleasant in dramatic readings.
Group singing of the music that kept hope alive: There is a balm in Gilead, O Freedom, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, and Go Down, Moses!
Questions to be discussed by participants:
Frederick Douglass
Who/what are the new owners of human property?
Who are the new slaves?
Where is the spirit of emancipation moving today in the U.S.A.? Continue reading
Give up your faith
“For 40 years,” writes Steve, “I had been a Pastor on college campuses where many students were of the marrying age, and perhaps because I would not accept money for weddings, was often asked to officiate.”
Verse -“Give Up Your Faith”
was what I told several Christians
who were wanting to marry
someone of another Faith.
“It’s the Christian thing to do,”
I said. “Give up what you love
for the person you love.”
(“Remember the Golden Rule?”)
Only a very few became Muslim,
or Buddhist, or Hindu or Jewish,
but I felt those who did were
showing clearly the love of Jesus…
I was glad to be an evangelist.
– Steve Shoemaker, Urbana, IL, October 11, 2013
2013 Berlin Wall
Ronald Reagan to Speaker John Boehner:
“Mr. Boehner,
tear
down
this
wall!”
The Wisdom of Solomon and the Budget Crisis
Today we re-publish this piece from a similar budget show-down in Minnesota.
The Wisdom of Solomon and the Budget Crisis – social commentary published by Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Photo of NH farm gate
Last week I drove past a sign hanging from the fence of a pasture. It read: “Don’t Cross This Field Unless You Can Do It In 9.9 Seconds … The Bull Can Do It In 10.” I couldn’t help but think of the face-off over the debt ceiling in our nation’s capital. The clock is ticking. Soon we — the USA — won’t have time make it across the field without defaulting….
Balm for Cynicism
Friend and colleague John Buchanon posted this piece last night.
Respect and gratitude for our system of government runs deep in me. I certainly have strong political opinions and commitments and understand the partisan dynamic that makes a two party system work. But I also trust the wisdom of voting citizens, ultimately – not always, but ultimately, to make responsible decisions and elect honest, responsible representatives. I have known a few personally over the years and found them to be persons of integrity, high ideals and a strong sense of vocation in the public, political arena.
My respect and gratitude are being tried at the moment. The federal government is about to shut down and we face a looming credit default in the midst of partisan wrangling and name calling, as one party seems willing to risk economic disaster in order to thwart the other party and humiliate the President. I watched in both amusement and disgust as a United…
View original post 435 more words
Events: You’re Invited
Join the celebration of the spirit of emancipation in the 150 Year Anniversary of The Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation: Becoming Free – Go Fly a Kite,Tuesday, October 1, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Steve Shoemaker and President Bill Clinton
The Slaves Speak: Voices from Slavery, Tuesday, October 15, 7:00 p.m.
Sojourner Truth
Anticipating Emancipation Day (Oct. 26) Shepherd of the Hill Dialogues presents dramatic readings from the hearts and minds of the slaves and ex-slaves, like Sojourner Truth, pictured here with Abraham Lincoln.
Dramatic readings, insight into the period, the movement toward emancipation in our own time, and communal singing of the songs from the cotton fields (Swing Low, Sweet Chariot; My Lord! What a Morning, and other spirituals).
Location: Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church.
Emancipation Day Celebration, Saturday, October 26 3:15 – 8:30 P.M. Location: Chaska High School
Sojourner Truth and President Abraham Lincoln
Sponsors for Oct. 26 Emancipation Day Celebration: the Cities of Carver, Chanhassen Chaska and Victoria (Mayor’s Proclamations); Chaska Police Department, Chaska Human Rights Commission; Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church; District 112 Office of Community Education; Carver County Library.
Ted Cruz and demagogic innuendo
Notice how it works in this speech attacking President Barack Obama. The President stood, said Ted Cruz, on the EAST side (i.e. the former Communist side) of the Brandenburg Gate. Ted Cruze’s Subtext: “Obama is a Communist.” That’s the 21st Century voice of Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
Views from the Edge 