RevzWife

That’s what they call Thursday at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor - for obvious reasons.  It’s the official beginning of party time on the weekends.  The local establishments advertise, and the students “unwind” from the rigorous studies.  Well, some students do.

That got me thinking about thirst in general.  It’s a desire to quench the dryness.  There are only certain liquids that really quench thirst.  Years ago, there Lipton Tea advertised as a thirst quencher.  Now we know that caffeine doesn’t replenish lost fluid, which is probably why true iced tea fans drink several glasses a day. 

We can thirst in other ways - deep longings for connection, lust for riches or things, desires for fulfillment or recognition.

Jesus talked about thirst several times in his ministry, often pointing out that most people who had a “soul” thirst were trying to satisfy it with iced tea.  Okay, he probably didn’t know about Lipton’s back then, but you know what I mean. 

Remember the good old country song - “lookin for love in all the wrong places”?  Or how about the adage “all that glitters isn’t gold”?  Those are examples of society’s acknowledgement that weoften try to find our satisfaction in non-thirst quenching manners.  Somehow we know it won’t provide a deep quenching, but we try.  And we keep trying.

I live in Michigan.  The automotive industry has driven our state’s economy for many years.  And the industry is hurting, so our state is hurting, too.   

I just read an AP article about Tata Motors of India.  Wow, if their plan isn’t blocked by environmentalists across the world, it could mean even more trouble for an ailing US Automotive industry.  US manufacturers are having difficulty selling in their own country.  But it will be more difficult to manufacture and sell globally when they have a competitor who’s planning to sell a car for $2500. 

Of course, that car will be a stripped down model, but it will accomplish the goal of getting someone from one destination to another.

I think when Americans started treating their cars more like their homes (all the modern conveniences money can afford), we made it more difficult for the US Auto industry.  Could you imagine GM, Ford or Chrysler selling any car for $2500?  Could you imagine any American buying a $2500 car?

Experts on pollution are concerned, too.  India’s economy is booming, which means more people will have the money to purchase a car.  And offering one that’s affordable will dramatically increase gas consumption and pollution. 

Like it or not, the US is impacted by global changes.  As other countries become more industrialized, our comfortable way of life becomes less comfortable.    Pollution increases, gas prices rise . . .

An excerpt from Barack Obama’s Iowa Caucus victory speech.  I may not 100% agree with his stand on political issues, but his speech was certainly stirring.  

Years from now, you’ll look back and you’ll say that this was the moment, this was the place where America remembered what it means to hope. For many months, we’ve been teased, even derided for talking about hope. But we always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It’s not ignoring the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path.It’s not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it.

Hope is what I saw in the eyes of the young woman in Cedar Rapids who works the night shift after a full day of college and still can’t afford health care for a sister who’s ill. A young woman who still believes that this country will give her the chance to live out her dreams.Hope is what I heard in the voice of the New Hampshire woman who told me that she hasn’t been able to breathe since her nephew left for Iraq. Who still goes to bed each night praying for his safe return.

I hate the political election season, and I love it.  I love that we have the opportunity to participate in the process, and I try to do so, even though there’s rising frustration within me over the too long campaigns that focus on everything but what needs to be done.

The latest campaign ad by Hillary Clinton prompted me to dig.  According to the ad, the millions of people uninsured are invisible to the current administration.  I’m sure it seems that way to those who are uninsured.   What about the millions of uninsured during the eight years her husband had a crack at the problem?  Let’s look at some facts:

In 1998, the census bureau reported that the percentage of uninsured Americans reached an all time high of 16.3%.  That was six years into his administration.  The most recent reports are that the percent of uninsured is at 15.61%.  Those who oppose the current administration like to refer to the numbers, as they are higher.  So is our population.  I prefer to look at the percent of population.

Please understand that I have apathy for the uninsured.  My family carried catastrophic health insurance (covering only major illnesses, and that only at 50% of hospitalization charges) for most of the time my daughters were young.  We didn’t rush them to the doctor’s office for every sniffle.  We learned how to monitor and medicate them with home remedies and over-the-counter.  There were things we gave up during that time.  They didn’t participate in sports at their schools - how could you pay for the inevitable broken leg or arm?  But I’d say they had decent childhoods.

We always found a doctor who was willing to work with us by giving us samples of medicines, allowing us to pay for visits on a plan, etc.  I’m not saying it was easy, and we were blessed with overall healthy children.

There’s a great deal of talk about universal health care, with news reports always comparing our health care to that of France.  What they fail to mention, while supporting France, is the difficulty the country has in finding doctors, the wait times for special procedures, the 50% or higher taxes, and that France’s number one employer is the federal government.

I hope we can find a solution that will cover the poor, make things more affordable for all, and most certainly help the children, but I’m not betting on Hillary making it any better than she did the 8 years she and her husband had the chance to do something about it, but failed.

I was having problems with Vox this morning and last night, so I’ve put my updates on Xanga. www.xanga.com/AuntAgnes.

Put your comments here, if you don’t have a Xanga account, and I’ll let everyone know you said hey.

We arrived in Lakeshore, Mississippi at 7:30 a.m. CST. After a 19 hour bus ride, we were happy to be standing on solid ground. So far, all the team is doing fairly well. It was 76 degrees this morning at 7:30, and it’s very humid, but we’re thankful for air-conditioned sleeping rooms.

My initial assessment to what I’m seeing is - I cannot believe it. I’m a perfectionist by nature. I know Mike would disagree, but I am a perfectionist. And the perfectionist in me, when confronted with what seems like an insurmountable task, throws my hands in the air and wants to walk away. There is so much to do around here. Everywhere I look there’s a need, and it seems almost impossible to accomplish anything.

The ministry focus Don and his team have is amazing. They know what needs to be done in the moment. I’m sure they look down the road and have a vision, but the immediate needs are great, and the needs seem to change often. Each day brings them closer to completing part of the big dream. So, unlike me, they keep their eyes set on what today’s goals are, they don’t seem to be looking at what’s impossible, and they have a positive and faith-full attitude.

We’re down here with a group from Jacksonville, North Carolina, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Between the three groups, we have about 120 people total.

The teens worked on some of the housing today as well as sorting out a supply tent. Most of the donated supplies were being stored at the local elementary school gym, but the school district is beginning construction, so the gym had to be emptied. While the supply tent isn’t the most glamorous job, it’s what’s needed. I’ve seen several people respond with the type of attitude that Mike’s been talking about in his messages in Philippians recently. We’re servants, and we’re here to serve - in whatever way we need to.

The group took it a bit easy this afternoon, as most of us weren’t really prepared for the heat. They’ll make up for it tomorrow.

I’m so proud of our group. Some of the teams are helping finish housing for an elderly man in the community, and others are digging holes for posts (I don’t know what they supposed to be called, but they’re the “stilts” a new house will be built on). The kids are trying hard.

If you’re a parent, feel free to leave a comment for your kids. I’ll give them the message, and who knows, they might answer!

You have to give him credit.  He’s a passionate man.  But Michael Moore isn’t going to change the world.  At least not from my point of view.  He’s lacking in diplomacy.  He may be right in some areas, but his approach is a turn off to many, lessening his ability to impact.

I find him to be rude, sometimes dishonest, and in his attempt to help the common man, a bit disingenuous.

But that’s just me.

Sitting in Dean and Tina’s living room, listening to four or more conversations.  Dean’s talking about DMX and technology, Mike is talking to Stacie Joy about Kenya, someone else talking about organic milk.

And I’m recording it all on the internet.

Trip to California is almost over.  We leave tomorrow afternoon.  I’ll be glad to get home, but wish I could live in this moment just a bit longer.

Peace out.

I often wonder about the labels we apply to people based on their ethnicity, background, preferences, or social class.  A few years ago, we had a family attending our church who lived in the “rich” neighborhood near us.  He was a financial planner and she was an attorney.  They had memberships at swanky tennis club and golf clubs.  They lived on a lake in a big house.  She had the degree from law school. 

She had asked me if we could get together, and all I could think about was the huge disparity in our backgrounds.  She had it all together.  What could I possibly offer her?  I was intimidated by the thought of a relationship with someone whose life experience was so different from mine.  So, I kept my distance.  For a variety of reasons, they didn’t stay at our church. 

Fast forward to last weekend.  I had the experience of interacting for several hours (at my home) with people who grew up in Detroit.  This, too, intimidated me, but in a different way.  After the event, I received a phone call thanking me.  In the conversation, I was told that one of the family members was nervous about being around “white people.”  They thought we’d think they were “thugs” because they were African American.  I laughed and told her that I was afraid they would think ill of me because I was white. 

I guess I typed all that to think aloud about the labels we wear and the labels we put on other people.  Will we ever get to the point where we’re ready to shed them and just look at the person for who they are and who God intends them to be?

we tried to teach our daughters that as they were growing up.

In America, it’s difficult to completely live that as a value.

We’re having company next week.  Pastor Julius from Kenya will be in town.  I’m really struggling with this.  I feel like taking every luxury we have and sending it to someone else’s house.  How do I reconcile having so much when he’s fighting to keep his tribe, the Pokot people alive?

How do I look him in the eye, knowing what he and all the people living in West Kenya are enduring, and not feel guilty about my own lifestyle?