Deaf Choir Tour Dates

The Deaf Choir at my church will be traveling to MI this friday in order to preform at four churches in our conference. Here are the Dates and locations

Saturday November 5th
Imaly City
for the
Waves of Mercy kick off event for the districts mission week

Sunday November 6th
Sandusky UMC
Sunday morning worship

Monday November 7th
Warren First UMC
evening preformance

Wednesday November 9th
Chelsea UMC
evening preformance

For more information please contact me through my blog.

We would love to meet other hearing and deaf individuals in MI! See you there!

Toliet paper, it's a wonderful thing!

A lot of the wonderful people that I live and work with here in Baltimore are currently at or below the poverty level. Which means that a lot of people that I live and work with are using food stamps. Now food stamps are great little items that help people purchase the food that they need to survive. But as with everything, food stamps are not perfect. For instance, Food stamps will not help my Deaf friends purchase, soap, and toiltet paper, or personal items. Food stamps only buy... you guessed it, Food. My Boss likes to say "They will let you eat but they will not let you poop." Now, slightly vulgar as that is, it's essentailly true.

One item that gets over looked a lot when it comes to mission giving is toilet paper. Churches give soap and food and toothpaste and washclothes, but they often forget to give the one item that tends to get used a lot more frequently.

So my solution as the great US-2 thinker that I am, is to have a TP drive! You all know that you have atleast a few roles laying around that you could dispense with, or let someone else dispense with. If you feel at all inclined to help us fill our Deaf Shalom Zone christmas baskets this year with the TP that is in need please feel free to drop off the items with my Brother at Birmingham First UMC in Michigan or contact me here on my blog. I will be in MI for thanksgiving and I could pick up any donations that people are willing to give. Thanks for your support!

MVA

Today I mulled over life at the Maryland MVA next to a conversational and unreserved woman who smelled like cat urine and Camel Lights. In between our small talk about when we would be welcomed to a desk to declare our identities, I read from a book that I have been blazing through entitled "God's Politics".

Jim Wallis progressively preaches for 374 pages about politics, piety, positions, and peace. While Scanning my surroundings I could start to understand the poverty and oppression the politics he speaks of, creates. "Since when did believeing in God and having moral values make you pro-war, pro-rich, and pro-Republican? And since when did promoting and pursuing a progressive social agenda with a concern for economic security, health care, and education opportunity mean you had to put faith and God aside?"

The hundreds of citizens sitting and staring, standing and slouching, waiting with infants, and toddlers for their number to be selected so they could recieve identification cards, in order to apply for food stamps, was staggering. I felt as though I was in the movie "Crash" and I was witnessing the Socialital perpetual circle.

As Wallis states, God's politics, are politics that plead for justice. Politics that pray for Mercy. the Prophets spoke of poverty. Let us try to tackel these tough targets. Peace.

Happy October!

Many good things happened this week. First of all my parents came to visit which was awesome because that meant that I finally unpacked all my boxes so that I would look moved in by the time they got here. Nothing like a little motivation. We spent friday visiting my church and walking around inner harbor. It was a beautiful day (thanks God!)

It was wonderful to have people who are close to me here in Baltimore so that I could lessen the big gap in between my Michigan life and my Maryland life. I am blessed to have parents that would drive over 20 hours to spend 10 hours with me. Wow!

Saturday I went to King's Dominion (a theme park in Virginia) with a deaf/blind man from church. It was a great day of facing fears. The only real big rollercoaster that i went on, traveled backwards. I decided to ride on that one because I could not see when I was going to drop so I was less scared. (If that isn't a giant metaphore for giving it to God and trying not to control the future I don't know what is)

Sunday I connected with a local young adult group (insert hallelujah chorus here) it was really nice to meet some people my age who share my faith and who share my views on life (politically and theologically) Prayer works.

Here is an interesting piece of information. the sign for "Methodist" is the same sign as the sign for "enthusiastic" or "motivated" I think that is a great reminder for us as methodists to remember why we enjoy religion and to be enthusiastic about our faith and about how we show our faith to others. It is easy to get bogged down by problems in the world. It is nice to remember the love and the motivation christ gave us to show that love to one another.

Peace