Monday, July 28, 2014

For the Loving Household (to God or To Another) - A Prayer--When I Mess Up



Flock of Sheep - Wikipedia


  
Hold me, hold me,
Resist the need to scold me;
For even I can see 
The mess of things
You gave me--so

Hold me, hold me,
It's YOUR WHISPERS
That own me...
Let me draw on dawn
And breathe You, 
Ever the New Day.



©1998 Connie Nelson Ahlberg
All Rights Reserved.



Sunday, July 13, 2014

Feeling Their Presence



Pansies - Wikipedia


Whenever I water my plants or flowers, be they violets or outdoor pansies, I see the face of my aunt or grandmother in each blossom: those who grew them so lovingly before me; and at times, I feel their presence, and wonder if I am tending them, or if they
---are tending me.


Connie Nelson Ahlberg
All Rights Reserved.



Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Bill Maher on Hillary Clinton and the Bible





Gutenberg Bible - Wikipedia

Bill Maher is losing his moorings. He may be the first person to say he never had any. Lately he's been giving many opinions on Hillary Clinton, President Obama, and what Hillary should do to survive politically.

Reading recently that the President of the United States is a "drop-dead atheist," is as irresistible as it is galling. Bill would know, because, by his own admission, those three words describe himself.

In a free country, one can be of any faith--or no faith, a right we cherish and protect.
Mr. Maher, I fear, is projecting onto the President, his own views, not the beliefs of the President who has stated that he has been a Christian for years.

What got "me going," wasn't so much Bill Maher on Barack Obama, but Bill Maher on Hillary Clinton.

On Comedy Central with Jon Stewart, Maher made fun of Hillary's pick of the book that has influenced her the most: the Bible. Maher -sardonic to the bone, said she was out-of-step.

I grew up with many devout Protestant friends. Their steadfast study of the Bible topped the focus we were given as Catholics to explore the Bible on our own (as we weren't trusted to do that).

One's faith community as you grow up, from church services to Bible study in most Protestant churches is thorough and purposeful.  Maher's contempt of Hillary's faith journey is marred (pardon the pun) by his perception. "Milliannials aren't religious," he said.

In times of trial, legions have sought the Bible for solace, spiritual strength, and inspiration. A best friend's mother found the psalms her path to heaven. I also know many young people who find the Bible very significant in their lives.

"Behold the lilies of the field, they toil not - neither do they spin; yet Simon in all his glory
was not arraigned like one of these." Matthew 6:28



Tiffany's Lilies of the Field



With humor one isn't honoring, I realize, one is putting down. Bill Maher is a funny man; but his perceptions & biases are clouding his views and flowing from his mouth.

Having grown up at exactly the same time as the former First Lady and former Sec of State, I have come to appreciate her life.

When I look at the house on 235 Wisner St. in Park Ridge, Illinois, I see a solid house of bricks. This is where Hillary grow up from the age of three.

Bill Maher, are you wise enough, are you smart enough, to realize your words bristled on the backs of many of us...who have sought the depth of the Bible when we were in our own depths?

Rather than a pat answer, I take Hillary at her word which she shared to the United Methodist Women Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky. Hillary said the Methodist church is a homecoming for her, where she learned about caring for others and social justice. She has not departed far from those beliefs.

I can respect choosing the Bible as the book which has influenced her the most.
For when I'm lost, I seek the wisdom of the ages, and the great literature on the pages
of the Holy Book.