Eye on Faith

Friday, May 1, 2015

'Widow's mite' a mighty offering

Bronze Mite, c. 90 B.C. (Public Domain)

What amounts to a modern-day widow’s mite was recently found within the collection plate at the First United Methodist Church (FUMC) of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Just as the widow’s mite (a “mite” being the “penny” of its day) in Mark 12 and Luke 21 symbolizes the giving of one’s all, so does the $ .18 that was found tucked within an envelope in that FUMC plate.

The envelope read: Please don’t be mad. I don’t have much. I’m homeless. God Bless.

Rev. Patrick S. Hamrick of FUMC publicized the details of this mighty contribution because he wanted its anonymous donor to know that the church team was greatly “moved by the spirit in which the gift was made.”

Church officials are theorizing that the gift was made by someone who had personally benefited from FUMC’s “long-term commitment to social justice, especially ministries with homeless neighbors.”

Part of this commitment involves a "Muffin Ministry" breakfast each Sunday morning, which serves “an average of 150 chronically and intermittently homeless people.”.

Resources

http://www.wbtv.com/story/28924859/church-moved-after-homeless-person-leaves-money-note-in-collection-plate

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Feeling abandoned? Hawking has the cure

Malik in 2014 (Photo by Kurt Kulac)

If things aren’t going particularly well for you in this corner of the cosmos, Stephen Hawking says not to worry: There may be many other universes to choose from.

So if your favorite boy-band singer (husband, wife, BFF… you name it) seems to have ditched you, bear in mind that he (she or it) might be right by your side within a parallel universe.

When Hawking was recently asked about “the cosmological effect of singer Zayn Malik leaving the best-selling boy band One Direction,” his immediate response was this: Finally a question about something important.

Hawking then urged heartbroken teenagers everywhere to immerse themselves in theoretical physics, touting such knowledge as the ultimate cure for abandonment issues.

And Hawking should know...

Abandoned by much of his own body, the great scientist has not let that deter him. Hawking is still going strong in this world (and who knows in how many others) years after his medically-predicted death.

Resources

http://news.yahoo.com/scientist-hawking-tells-upset-fans-malik-may-parallel-105720433.html

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Rosie's riveting arms: Where from?

Michelangelo's Isaiah (Sistine Chapel)

When Norman Rockwell wanted to symbolize American fortitude during World War II, he chose a riveting model: young Mary Doyle Keefe from Arlington, Vermont.

Rockwell later wrote to Keefe, calling her “the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen and apologizing for the hefty body in the painting.”

This “hefty body” was not just a figment of Rockwell’s imagination. It was one that he, and the world at large, was quite familiar with. This was the body of Michelangelo’s Isaiah, famously displayed in the Sistine Chapel.

Now Rosie's not holding the Book of Isaiah, nor is a cherub perched near her shoulder; nevertheless, her bodily resemblance to the depicted great prophet is a striking one.

Wikipedia reports that Rockwell is not the only artist to borrow from Michelangelo’s Isaiah. The renowned painter Caravaggio is another.

Isaiah might have been proud of the non-idolatrous way in which the Arlington folks related to their local celebrities. Keefe, who recently died at age 92, had explained: People didn’t make a big deal about [such] things back then.

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/model-for-rockwells-rosie-the-riveter-painting-dies-at-92/ar-AAbwzsj?ocid=ansnewsap11

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophet_Isaiah_%28Michelangelo%29

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Grave influences: Politics from beyond

Angel of Grief (Public Domain)

David Clark Scott of The Christian Science Monitor presents this excerpt from Larry Darrell Upright’s recent obituary: …the family respectfully asks that you do not vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016. R.I.P. Grandaddy.

If this obituary truly reflects the wishes of its protagonist, then Mr. Upright may now be one happy “ghost.”

On the other hand, life after death is ideally quite different from life here on earth. This difference would hopefully be reflected by a marked change in Mr. Upright’s priorities.

Some key questions: Does the family really think that their beloved Grandaddy will be peacefully resting with all this politicking going on? Is that not something better left behind as the mortal coil is shuffled off?

This obituary, rather than serving as a healing balm, has instead been fanning the flames of earthly enmity. Guestbook responses such as the following seem less than uplifting during sacred transitional times: God Bless, We would not vote for Hillary if she was the only one running.

Resources

http://news.yahoo.com/one-mans-last-wish-dont-vote-hillary-clinton-185006662.html

Monday, April 27, 2015

Acres of (big green) Apple

(Photo by Forest & Kim Starr)

Talk about doing a 180!

Why it used to be that Greenpeace was constantly complaining about the size of Apple’s environmental footprint. These days, Apple has become quite the “green” company.

Yoni Heisler of BGR News reports that Apple, in partnership with The Conservation Fund, plans “to acquire upwards of 36,000 acres of forest land in the eastern United States.” The idea behind this is to “manage these forestlands sustainably… while supplying business paper and packaging needs.”

Other projected benefits include “providing permanent environmental protection [of these forests],” thus assisting with “fighting climate change.

Although it’s been said (melodically) that “God didn’t make little green apples,” He nevertheless might approve of the big green Apple that seems to be emerging.

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/why-apple-just-bought-36-000-acres-forest-213500536.html

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Confronting catcallers: Signs of change

(Photo by Luis Miguel Bugallo Sanchez)

ABC News reports that a new breed of “stop signs” is popping up within some of America’s major cities.

In New York and Philadelphia, these new signs have vivid messages such as “NO CATCALLING ANYTIME” and “NO

CATCALL ZONE.”

Groups like Hollaback! (an “anti-street harassment group) are becoming more and more proactive. Hollaback! cites a CDC survey when claiming that “non-contact unwanted sexual experiences” are the most common forms of “sexual violence” for both genders.

Although non-contact street harassment has become somewhat “normalized” over the many years of its existence, the effects remain traumatizing for many. Raising public awareness via these eye-catching signs may be the first step forward in mitigating this longstanding problem.

Resources

http://abcnews.go.com/US/catcalling-street-signs-pop-york-philadelphia/story?id=30361679

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Grief: The 'sixth step'

Skydiving (Photo by Simonsanely)

Those who interpret Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ five steps of grief as a neat little package are in for some grievous awakenings.

Life is just not that formulaic. As the poet (most likely Edgar A. Guest) once wrote: Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns…

After detailing the first four steps (“denial, anger, bargaining, depression”), Ross ends her grief paradigm with “acceptance.”

The word “acceptance,” though, often connotes a rather weary trudge through life. That is why a “sixth step” of grief might be more than welcome.

Experts are now talking about “the tackling of a grand challenge” as this sixth step. When all is said and done, all is not said and done. The griever is still alive, and can either celebrate that precious gift or mourn the loss of those who have moved into other realms.

Or both… Whereas mourning a loved one’s absence may never end (perhaps rightfully so), celebrating the everlasting continuum of life can help to offset the sharpest edges of that pain.

Some take up adventurous pursuits such as skydiving or traveling solo cross country. Others pick back up on unfinished dreams.

As Dr. Cara Barker states: People who have suffered a profound loss, if they’re open, then a tiny little light goes on and they begin to cherish life in a way that is profound.

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/health/how-stepping-out-of-their-comfort-zones-helped-115863251102.html