Searching for my voice

I sometimes have a hard time speaking up, not because I don't have opinions - I have plenty of those - but because I don't want to offend others.  I try to play nicely with others, don't rock the boat, be the peacemaker.  I'm just about done.

Last week, my Mom and I went to hear Jim Wallis of Sojourners speak at a church in the area.  There were so many people we wound up in one of several overflow rooms where they were live streaming his speech.  (I do know that he was, in fact, at the venue. We passed him as we left our building and he was going to the book table to sign books.) At the end, during the question and answer period, Jim made a statement - faith inspires hope which prompts action which brings about change.  I've been pondering that statement all week.

A Bible verse that has become my mantra over the years has been a variation of Micah 6:8 - "Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God."  Justice and mercy, in my view, look very different than the current US Administration views justice and mercy. I am tired of hearing about how we need to "make America great again", which seems to mean to put the interests of rich, white men above the needs of the poor, the needy, immigrants, people of color, working class, middle class, women, children...the list could just keep going on and on and on.  I'm tired of hearing that all the news media is lying.  I'm tired of the threats and patronizing comments from the current administration.  I'm tired of hearing about "alternative facts" and I'm tired of the thin skinned man that sits in the White House.  We are haven't even made it a month and already, I'm tired.

I've been struggling to find hope for the United States since November.  I've been struggling to listen to the opinions of those who don't believe the same way I believe.  I stopped watching the news.  I stopped doing anything more than skimming the headlines. Because since November, I've felt hopeless - wanting to be a peaceful person amidst the anger but just feeling so.darn.angry. I've listened to those who have said we just need to accept things and move on but I don't want to accept things.  I don't want to just move on.  And yet, I don't know what to do...yet.  I simply know I'm tired.

Faith - hope - action - change.  Justice - mercy - humbleness - God.   I'm pondering these things and searching for my voice. 

A post about today's political brew-ha-ha

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even when I think their opinion is wrong.  I attempt to live my life with this outlook.  I don't and won't agree with anyone else on exactly the same issues or ideas any or all of the time.  Sometimes it is my opinion that is the wrong one.  It's happened before, it will happen again.

Today, though, I VERY STRONGLY disagree with someone.  I so strongly disagree that I've been really, really tempted to break my own "no politics on Facebook" rule.  I am okay with everyone having their own opinions, I don't always want to talk about those opinions and so I refrain from discussing politics, etc., on Facebook.  I am going to blog about it.

Can someone please tell me when rape is not legitimate?  How, exactly, would a woman's body "know" that a pregnancy is unwanted and "do something" to stop that pregnancy?  The logic here, says the 5 percent of women who are raped who get pregnant were not legitimately raped.  I would dare Representative Akin to make that statement to a woman who has had her life torn apart because of rape, not to mention rape with a subsequent pregnancy. 

I am so tired of politicians saying idiotic things and then, when confronted on their dumb-a$$ comments, retracting with a "I misspoke".  The damage has been done, the fallacy of your "truth" is out there and people believe you because you are a politician who couldn't possibly lie or be wrong.  Ever.  Especially a "good Bible based Christian".


I am a Christ Follower.  I believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  I also believe that women have just as much value as men.  I believe that women and men are both raped and that every rape is legitimate (whatever that means).  I believe that politicians lie all.the.time. and that this country needs to move beyond the abortion debate especially when it comes to elections and start focusing on the children, men and women who are struggling every single day to deal with the blows that life brings them.  I believe it's time that politicians who keep focusing on the abortion debate need to step up and take care of those children AFTER they are born by providing opportunities for health care, good education, affordable housing and so on and so forth.  I am DONE with the abortion debate and hope this country wises up soon.

Rant over.