oh stephen

I tend to always think of Stephen King as spending inordinate amounts of time sitting alone at a desk in a room with lots of shelves bedecked with bits and pieces of his personal memorabilia, periodically looking out either a window in front of him or to the side, writing any varied sort of note, whether it is a paragraph for a book or a journal entry (that will one day be used in a book, for I believe everyone of his books is autobiographical). The scene in my mind depicts what I believe most about Stephen King: he spends a great amount of time alone. I done believe he is a lonely man. I believe he is quite content, thinking, and he thinks intently whether when with someone or a group of folk, or when he is by himself. His mind floods the most, however, when he is alone.

sweeps

Much of the month of May is considered "sweeps month" for the TV & Radio industry, at least in Wisconsin. Sweeps month is a time when the industry assesses market-share. The various news media clamor for attention, in general, though that clamoring is cranked-up considerably during May. I listened to my "favorite" periodic news-talk radio host earlier this week. I don't particularly like the views of this particular radio personality...I find him rude, disrespectful of his callers, extremely opinionated and prejudiced, and conceited. That said, I find some of his topics news-worthy, and I appreciate the way in which he endeavors to construct his viewpoint. The particular host carried on in great detail how a rival news group had purposely 'sat on" what they later promoted as a breaking story involving a local law enforcement officer alleged, in the story, to have stolen a citizen's money from an ATM. The particular host not only lambasted the rival news group for a highly erroneous breaking story, but also insisted the rival company had purposely waited until sweeps month to go live with the story, merely as a way to boost market-share. The full details of the story are not completely clear, though the law enforcement agency involved is on record to report there was no wrong-doing in the incident. Considerable air-time has been devoted, by the particular host, regarding this purportedly erroneous story and how it broke precisely during sweeps week. The particular host broke his own allegation, of the story being erroneous, precisely during sweeps week. My clear impression is that sweeps month competition is fully alive and well in all news media, and any and all news groups will stop at nothing to promote their company and market share, at any and all expense of the competition.

Denial

At the Last Supper, Jesus said someone dining with him would betray him. There were two who betrayed. Judas. Peter. Judas gave Jesus up for arrest. Peter denied knowing Jesus. Judas admitted knowing Jesus. Peter denied knowing Jesus...three times. Judas' greater sin was not having betrayed Jesus; Judas'greater sign was to have denied the forgiveness he would have been given. Peter's greater sin was to have denied Jesus three times. He accepted the forgiveness that he had been given.

ajar

one of my colleagues has been traveling in El Salvador lately. he is a member of a parish committee that is called to maintain the organizational structure of our parish sistering relationship with a small community in northern El Salvador. the community is called Teosinte. my peer has been to El Salvador dozens of times, stemming first from his own participation, in a different parish sistering committee, and now his involvement in our cluster parish partner. he is fluent in spanish, has a passion for El Salvador, has some excellent ideas about sistering, and has, in some ways, his own mission in sistering. my peer was recently in Teosinte, amongst his various travels in the country. he delivered a letter to a family friend I have in Teosinte. he brought back news of a young man from Teosinte who was recently killed...the young man worked for the national police and was killed in a skirmish with a San Salvadoran gang. he shared a few updates about the general life in Teosinte. and his most recent update was all about the extremely difficult challenge that families have in Teosinte, due to young people...mostly boys and young men, who are leaving the community, and the country, to emigrate to the u.s.a. it costs $7000 alone to be trafficked to the u.s., and that does not count the cost of failed attempts, theft, brutality, etc. and to remain in El Salvador means to deal with gangs, who both lure young folk away, and steal from those not part of the gangs. my peers recent account was seriously difficult to read, created a great deal of sadness and despondency, and mostly left me wondering about many things, not the least of which includes - how some of the families in Teosinte have leveraged their own sons' success in getting to the u.s. and now having not only the best of homes in Teosinte, but the financial means to continue to increase their position and influence; and the poverty and social injustice of the overall country is repeated in the community - how the u.s. has taken this attitude that we cannot let people from certain foreign countries into our country; for an individual from El Salvador to get a visa is nearly impossible, let alone costly just for the attempt. yet, we allow people from India, Chinga, Japan, western European countries. latin america is banished..."we don't want them" is the chant from the u.s. and why? - those who survive the trafficking to get into the u.s. are left to live lives of secrecy, yet they send an incredible amount of money back to their families in El Salvador; their sense of community and family puts modern u.s. family to shame our great country was built upon the risks of those europeans...in general, who sacrificed all to emigrate to north america and take a chance to build a life. though there were those here, prior to the immigrants, who did not necessarily want new arrivals, power and influence and intelligence and whatever were used to force entry and new life begin. and while i am personally grateful for that outcome, i am shamed when i consider we won't enable our own past fortunes to continue to others in same situations and circumstances. the result is that the people in what is called the 'third world' countries to continue to repeat the very patterns that have been in existence in this world since the dawn of man...struggling to get in, and then closing the door on those following us. what would it take to leave the door open, even a bit?

called

most of us, for sure Christians, talk about the mission we have in our lives. Never is that discussed without some statement or rendition about how we are to suffer anything to feed the poor, tend to the sick, shelter the homeless. Mostly, we talk about these aspects of mission as if we know we are to live lives of pain and suffering, facing even torture, ridicule, loss of worldly possessions, bearing our own cross...all in the pattern of Jesus. And we assert that this is God's calling and, because it is God's calling, we are to do it. Yet, God commanded us to be happy, and to Know God. Do we find people in that pursuit? Am I living that life? Will I pursue a life of fullness and complete happiness in God?

association

when you are in a relationship you automatically come under the influence of all the "stuff" that surrounds and permeates the life of your partner. Fears and angst in your partner can and will be triggered by and revealed in you. You run the risk of being guilty of that which your partner laments most about her/himself. It's not personal. It's convenient, if anything.

figuring it out

I have come to realize two Internet 2.0 tendencies that are not serving me...or others, likely...all that well. 1) I respond to email very quickly...too quickly; 2) I am always prone to responding too many times. Others appear to know the correct cyber-social distance, as well as when to stop. I am quick to respond and am troubled when others delay. I always add a last comment, never stopping soon enough. Best recommendations: 1) always respond the next day 2) always limit responses to one, if that many at all New ways start now.