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UMC Program Calendar 2013
Sarah Moon and unmerciful #universalism
A week ago, ex-evangelical blogger Sarah Moon wrote a post titled: “When my abuser is welcome at the table, I am not,” taking aim at the presumptuousness with which some progressive Christians champion a table where everyone is welcome. A friend had told Moon that she should be grateful Jesus died for the man who […]
How the Holy Spirit Made Me an Accessory to 1000 Hate Crimes ( and How I Hope to Clear Our Names) by Guest Blogger Chris Jorgensen
My thanks go to my classmate Chris Jorgensen for allowing me to share her words and to the Pastors and staff at Church of the Village for being a voice for those who for too long have had none. Thank you so much for allowing me to share this here. Accessory: In Criminal Law, contributing […]
Can we define sin as “that which causes death”?
In the spring of 2010, I bought a Spanish language theology book, El Principio Misericordia (The Mercy Principle) by Jon Sobrino, at the bookstore of the Universidad de Centroamerica (UCA) in San Salvador. I’ve been reading it off and on for the past three years, and I finally finished it in my most recent trip […]
My first Father’s Day gift came years before I was a Dad
I dream of my daughters growing up in safety and health. I dream of them getting educated, finding their talents, discovering their gifts. My dream for them is to fulfill who they were created to be. My dreams for their future are a luxury that I will never take for granted. Continue reading →
Could you worship a God who makes Himself nothing?
[This is the first synchroblog of our new blogging collective The Despised Ones addressing the question of power and authority in the light of Philippians 2. Check out other synchroblogs on our facebook page and like it while you're there!] What does the cross say about God’s nature? Not just Jesus, but God — all […]
Eternal life is innocence restored (Journey to Eternity #1)
There has been so much extra-Biblical speculation about the implications of the Garden of Eden story that it’s very hard to read the story on its own terms. When I was a kid, I couldn’t get over how ridiculous it was for God to be mad enough to burn billions of people in hell over […]
Fearing God vs. carrying a fearsome god-puppet who agrees with you
Those who have read this blog for a while will recall that about a year ago, God took me on a journey of exploring the Biblical concept of the fear of the Lord. The problem is that Christians conflate two different kinds of fear when talking about God: the Biblical sense of awe that compels […]
Being One of a Kind
My Mom used to tell me that I was one of a kind. I knew she meant that I was not like my two sisters – who were one year older and one year younger than me. And I knew that she meant that I was different from the other folks my age as well.
I was always unique and marched to the beat of my own drummer. I read thousands of books, even ones the county librarian tried to talk me out of and called my Mom about. I was a feminist in 1970′s redneck West Texas. I wore a t-shirt that read, “A woman needs a man, like a fish needs a bicycle.” I did not follow the crowd and made my own way. I was certain that following the crowd was wrong and that I was supposed to do something different.
It was not always easy. I was teased and made fun of at times. I was made to feel different and was, on more than one occasion, taunted fairly viciously. It was not fun. Growing up different is tough. No matter the reason one finds themselves being considered different – gender, theology, sexual orientation, religion, wealth, educational level, political beliefs, physical abilities, family issues, philosophy, size, clothing choices, gender identity, age, or whatever.
But despite that, marching to my own drummer has continued to be my style all of these years. Sometimes it has made me feel alone, sometimes it has made me feel extremely powerful, and sometimes it has made me just feel different.
Recently I read a story about a whale called “52 Hertz.” This whale has been tracked for years and goes his own way. He does not follow the normal migration pattern of other whales of his “kind.” He makes whale sounds that are on a different frequency than other whales – hence the name 52 Hertz. He was discovered about 20 years ago and continues to make his unique sounding whale call – and there seems to be no answer.
This whale is one of a kind. His sound is one of a kind. He swims the ocean alone, perhaps malformed or maybe a hybrid of two other forms of whales. He is alone – one of a kind – doing his own thing.
We have no way to know if he is lonely or depressed or enjoying his unique nature, but songs and stories have been written about his isolation and loneliness anyway.
You would think that receiving no answer to his unique whale song for decades would mean he might stop – but he doesn’t. He keeps on singing on his own frequency. And he keeps on swimming the North Pacific alone.
One of the amazing things about my own journey is that I have found others who are “one of a kind” as well. We have found each other – through our own “whale song” of sorts and we have found community in each other as we swim. Sometimes they stay for short periods and sometimes for longer. But I keep looking for the other “one of a kind” folks out there.
52 Hertz goes on and on – alone in the world. He keeps on calling in his unique tone but for whatever reason he never receives a reply. I wonder if he just hasn’t found the way to talk in a way that others like him can understand. Maybe he’s just not accepted because he is so different. I pray for him to find peace and happiness – whatever that looks like for 52 Hertz. And maybe he is happy – we have no way of knowing what he feels. But I know what it felt like growing up as a “one of a kind” person. Luckily I have found peace and happiness.
And I pray for you to find that as well. I pray for you to find someone who can hear your whale song. Whether you feel like you will never be accepted or have already found others – keep calling … keep swimming. There are others out there listening.
You are not alone.
Link to an article about 52 Hertz: http://blogs.plos.org/mitsciwrite/2013/03/05/the-search-for-the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world-pt-1/
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Link to an article about 52 Hertz: http://blogs.plos.org/mitsciwrite/2013/03/05/the-search-for-the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world-pt-1/
“Beset by change but Spirit led”
Our hymn of preparation at mass today was “The Church of Christ in Every Age.” Its first stanza does a great job of capturing the tension we face as an ancient faith guided by a living Spirit who is making all things new: The Church of Christ in every age beset by change but Spirit […]
A Letter from Rev. Stephen Heiss to Bishop Mark Webb
I want to extend my very sincere thanks to my friend Rev. Stephen Heiss for his permission to re-post this letter to our Bishop Mark Webb. As a Certified Candidate for ministry in the United Methodist Church I also operate and work under the same Book of Discipline as do Rev. Stephen Heiss and Bishop Mark Webb. I myself believe that John […]
Apr 23
Living Faith on a Tightrope
There was a tightrope walker, who did incredible aerial feats. All over Paris, he would do tightrope acts at tremendously scary heights. Then he had succeeding acts; he would do it blindfolded, then he would go across the tightrope, blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow. An American promoter read about this in the papers and wrote a …
Apr 19
The Parable of the Tools
A carpenter began to build a house. He had many tools which he used to accomplish various tasks. He had a saw for cutting. He had a hammer for driving nails. He had a measuring tape for making everything fit together according to his plan. One day, as the saw surveyed the progress, it remarked …
Feb 13
For the Love of God!
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. There is a variety of stories that attempt to explain the history of this special day. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia there are at least three Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, and all of them associated with February 14. Regardless of the origin, the date has long been celebrated as …
Jan 14
Tony Martin: Crime and controversy
Farmer Tony Martin became a focus of huge national debate after shooting dead a teenager who was burgling his home. The incident ignited a furore in Britain over issues such as rural crime and the rights to defend property. Many vigorously supported the then 54-year-old, but others dismissed him as a violent eccentric who chose …
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