Interfaith Insights

Seeking God’s Face

2010-06-12T05:31:00.001-07:00

The Psalms were written as prayers to God. The Psalmists don't hold back their feelings from God. Some of them ask that God take revenge on their enemies. Others praise God throughout the whole psalm. There are psalms that speak from the perspective of a community and some that are personal complaints to God.

The writer of Psalm 27 expounds upon the theme that God is his refuge:

The LORD is my light and my salvation—
       whom shall I fear?
       The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
       of whom shall I be afraid?

He continues to affirm that even though his "enemies" are attacking him, God will be there protecting him.

The disease of addiction can act as an enemy for those of us who suffer from its attacks. This disease can be "cunning and baffling"—sneaky, tricky, and secretive. It operates in the darkness of our own minds, stealing our serenity, coercing us to act in ways that are self-destructive. We're powerless over this enemy. It can drive us to defeat, to where our lives are totally unmanageable.

The solution, writes the Psalmist, exists in seeking to "dwell in the house of the LORD." Where is the house of the LORD? The house of the LORD is within us. God's temple is our bodies. We need to learn to live in harmony with ourselves. We begin by moving from our powerlessness that we've become aware of in Step 1 to developing a belief that "a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity"—a place of balance and serenity, Step 2.

How we do this, says the Psalmist, is to "seek his face." This means we practice Step 11—"We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God . . " . If we're new to the 12 Steps, it may take time to work all the steps between 2 and 11, but we can start to practice praying at any time. The form we use doesn't matter. God knows what we are thinking and feeling. What matters is our desire to "seek his face."

Finally, we need to practice patience! (Darn! And I thought this was going to be easy.)

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

God’s Lap

2010-06-10T04:36:00.001-07:00

One of my cats came to sit on my lap while I was admiring my mother's garden from the top step of our front porch today. None of my cats are regular lap sitters. When he chose to climb up on my lap, I chose to sit with him there until he decided to get down several minutes later. I began to ponder how God might do the same thing for me.

I don't choose to sit in God's lap very often. Yes, I regularly pray and meditate, focusing on bringing myself back in line with God, but I don't often focus on God's 'arms' surrounding me. And yet, I chose to embrace my cat because he chose to spend time with me; surely God would do the same for me anytime I chose to spend time with God.

Added to the experience with loving my cat, I enjoyed the lush vegetation of my mother's garden. This time of year most of the flowers has ceased their abundant display of various colors since the heat has begun to climb and the trees have leafed out, flooding her garden with shade. But the vast array of shades of green amazed me as I studied all the different plants she has chosen for her garden. The diversity of God's creation awes me.

If God did truly love me and all creation into existence, then surely we can depend on God to continue to love us, be available to us, and revel in our diversity. All we need to do is to crawl into God's lap!

Good Orderly Direction

2010-06-07T05:32:00.001-07:00

Ecclesiastes 7:13 -14: ¹³Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked? ¹⁴In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him. -- NKJV

Step 3: "We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood (God)." Emotions Anonymous

The writer of Ecclesiastes, (or Qoheleth, in Hebrew), often referred to as the 'Preacher' or teacher since Ecclesiastes literally means "Member of an Assembly" in Greek, writes during a time when Jews did not believe in an afterlife. Hence, he attempts to make sense of the world, the traditions of his religion, and his relationship with God as a human with only this life to live, something all of us struggle with at different times in our lives.

The Declaration of Independence listed the pursuit of happiness as one of our "unalienable rights," given to us by God. The Preacher held the same belief. Yet, anyone who has attempted to pursue happiness for its own sake has found it extremely illusive—akin to chasing a rainbow. One day we're having a great deal of fun, laughing and frolicking, and the next we're faced with some ordeal that brings us crashing down from our high.

Of utmost importance to the Preacher was the orderliness of God. God was responsible for prosperity and adversity—nothing more, nothing less. Although I disagree that God sends adversity, I do strongly believe that God created order. Instead of believing God sends adversity, I believe adversity exists when we get out of sync with God's order, either as individuals or in community with others--an easy thing to do considering all the factors that influence us mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Many people in 12 step programs use the word 'God' as an anagram for "Good Orderly Direction." When I practice the 3^rd step, I seek that direction and believe that God's will is for my good. Yet in seeking God's direction, and relying on God's order, I need to keep in mind that God's order may not be something I would welcome in my pursuit of happiness.

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharif/3389991715/

Turn Aside

2010-02-07T01:53:00.001-08:00

Exodus3:3: Then Moses said, 'I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.'

People are constantly rushing these days. I've thought about making a bumper sticker that says, "Make everyone angry. Drive the speed limit." Not only are people speeding down the highway, but they're multi-tasking while they're doing it. Driving home from the Brooks Center one day, one of my granddaughters pointed out that the lady in the next car was putting on her make-up while driving. Shortly after that, the woman ran through the stop light. Luckily, the other driver, who actually had the right of way, saw what was happening and didn't pull into the intersection.

In today's reading, we pick up the story of Moses as he's watching his father-in-law's sheep. He's living a comfortable life with a wife and a child, having escaped from Egypt after killing an Egyptian guard. Suddenly he notices a bush burning but not being consumed by the fire and he chooses to 'turn aside' and look at it. God notices that he has turned aside, calls out his name, and tells him to remove his sandals because he's on holy ground. What if Moses had decided he was too busy to look at the bush?

Granted Moses was presented with a rather unusual spectacle that most of us have never experienced. But what is interesting is that prior to God proclaiming that Moses was on holy ground, it was just ordinary dirt, good for raising sheep. Esther de Waal wrote: "The Celtic approach to God opens up a world in which nothing is too common to be exalted and nothing is so exalted that it cannot be made common" [1]. God comes to us during our ordinary life—even at a stop light. We need to take the time to 'turn aside' and recognize what might be a 'burning bush' moment.

^{1. Rupp, Joyce. The Cup of Life: A Guide for Spiritual Growth. Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press. 1997:35.}

Obedience

2010-02-06T08:49:00.001-08:00

Matthew 1:24: When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph. We know the story from the 1^st chapter of Matthew--Joseph discovers that Mary is pregnant and he decides he will "dismiss her quietly;" the angel of the Lord appears to encourage Joseph to continue on with his original marriage plans because the baby is from the Holy Spirit; Joseph is obedient to the angel's instructions.

Obedience entails respect for our elders, others in authority, and each other. In our quest for freedom and individuality, we often sacrifice learning from others who have experience and could act as our guides. Our society seems to venerate the young instead. Even some parents seem to defer to their children, rather than assert their authority. Obedience has become a dirty word. St. Benedict had a much different perspective.

Because the Roman culture smacked of decadence during his lifetime, Benedict left Rome to pursue a simpler, spiritual, and secluded life. Eventually others followed him, establishing a community near Lake Subiaco. Somewhere around 540, after founding another community, Benedict wrote his monastic Rule. In his chapter on mutual obedience, he wrote, "Obedience is a blessing to be shown by all, not only to the prioress and abbot but also to one another, since we know that it is by the way of obedience that we go to God."

The Rule of St. Benedict is still practiced around the world. The Order of St. Julian is a contemplative Episcopal order, located in Wisconsin, which includes the practice of Benedictine spirituality in their lives. The Customary of the Order of St. Julian states that "obedience is practiced as a means of freeing ourselves from the tyranny of self-will." [1]

During the sacrament of Holy Baptism, the candidate is asked, "Do you promise to follow and obey [Jesus Christ] as your Lord?" To which the candidate replies, "I do." We need to regularly ask ourselves this question and answer in the affirmative to free "ourselves from the tyranny of self-will."

1. Chittister, Joan. The Rule of Benedict: Insights for the Ages. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company. 1002:176.

One Body

2010-02-06T07:39:00.001-08:00

1 Corinthians 12: 14: Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.

On March 18^th, we celebrate the life and works of Cyril of Jerusalem. He was born in 315, around the time that the Roman Emperor, Constantine, legalized Christianity. When Cyril was still a youth, Constantine convoked the 1^st General Council of Nicaea to settle a controversy that had arisen over the divinity of Jesus. It had become especially troublesome between Arius, a pastor in the Baucalis church district in Alexandria, and Alexander, his bishop. Arius asserted that Jesus wasn't omnipotent or eternal, a lesser being than God, having been created by God. Bishop Alexander vehemently disagreed. The controversy escalated throughout the Church, even to the point of rioting in the streets. After much debate, the Council of Nicaea agreed with Alexander and concluded that Jesus was "one substance with the Father."

However, this didn't settle the debate! Cyril became the Bishop of Jerusalem around 349, with Arius as his bishop. Cyril's belief that Jesus was one substance with the Father, as well as other religious and political disputes, eventually got him into trouble. Arius deposed him twice and Valens, the Roman emperor of the East, deposed him a third time. After the emperor's death, Cyril was reinstated and remained bishop until his death in 378.

Controversy has been present in Christianity since its beginning. Initially, the early church fought over inclusion of the Gentiles. As our priest, John, pointed out in a sermon recently, when Peter went to the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and baptized Cornelius and his whole household, he was breaking years and years of Jewish laws and practices, creating a great deal of controversy.

Paul's letters to the church at Corinth reveal he struggled to bring together a divisive group there. In 1 Corinthian 12:12-13, Paul describes how Christians need to think of the Church: "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body . . . and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."

Regardless of our differences, spiritually we are one Body in Christ. We need to "have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it" (1 Cor. 12:25-26).

Do Not Be Afraid

2010-02-04T04:56:00.001-08:00

Genesis 50:19-But Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God?'

On March 17th, we celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick. Patrick grew up in a wealthy family. His father was an important official in the Roman government of Britain. But when Patrick was 16, he was captured, became a slave, and was made to work as a shepherd in Ireland. Around six years later, he had a dream in which a voice told him he needed to escape. Believing the voice to be from God, he obeyed and successfully escaped. After he made it home, he had another dream. An angel told him that he needed to become a missionary in Ireland. After many years of education and his ordination as a priest, he returned to Ireland to have remarkable success ministering to the Christians already living there and converting many of the pagans to Christianity.

The story of Joseph in Genesis tells of a similar miracle. Although he was sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph rises to a high position in the Egyptian government, eventually saving his family from famine. After their father dies, his brothers fear Joseph's revenge. But Joseph replies, "Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God?" According a Hasidic Jewish master, the Oztrotzver Rebbe, "Joseph was saying: You did me an evil which turned out for the good; if I wished to avenge myself on you, I, too, would have to do the same. But this I cannot do, for only G-d can do so... ."Chabad.org

Interestingly enough, God's revenge of Joseph's brothers was to turn the evil they did, not only into good for Joseph, but into their own good! We don't need to fill in for God. Whatever befalls us, we know that God is in charge and will transform the situation to God's own glory if we continue to trust and endeavor to follow God's will. "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age", Jesus told his disciples (Matthew 28:20).

There's a portion of a poem by James Dillet Freeman which elaborates on this theme:

The light of God surrounds us;

The love of God enfolds us;

The power of God protects us;

The presence of God watches over us;

Wherever we are, God is.

Idols, anyone?

2010-01-31T17:36:00.001-08:00

Psalm 94:1: Lord, you God of vengeance,/ you God of vengeance, show yourself"

The daily news is riddled with reports of the violence of people against people. Inwardly we plead, "²Rise up, O Judge of the world; give to the arrogant their just desserts." Like the Psalmist, we cry out for justice in a world where the "⁵[evildoers] crush your people, O Lord,/ and afflict your heritage./⁶They kill the widow and the stranger,/ they murder the orphan." Why doesn't God do something?

In his book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Harold Kushner quotes the survivor of Auschwitz who wrote:

It never occurred to me to associate the calamity we were experiencing with God, to blame Him, or to believe in Him less or cease believing in Him at all because He didn't come to our aid. God doesn't owe us that, or anything. If someone believes God is responsible for the death of six million because He didn't somehow do something to save them, he's got his thinking reversed. We owe God our lives for the few or many years we live, and we have the duty to worship Him and do as He commands us. That's what we are on earth for, to be in God's service, to do God's bidding.

Barbara Brown Taylor writes in her Teaching Sermons on Suffering, "Every time God declines to meet my expectations, another of my idols is exposed. Another curtain is drawn back so that I can see what I have propped up in God's place."

We can't control God. We can't control other people. What is there left to do? We can take time to inventory ourselves to expose our own idols, allowing us to become better servants of God in a hurting world.

When Jesus Loses the Argument

2010-01-29T02:34:00.001-08:00

When Jesus Loses the Argument

Mark 7: 27-28: [Jesus] said to her, 'Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.' But she answered him, 'Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.'

The only time recorded in the Gospels that Jesus lost an argument was when the Syrophoenician woman reminded him that even the household pets eat "the children's crumbs" that have fallen under the table. Up until this point, Jesus had defined his mission as limited to the children of Israel, not the "dogs"—a common slander used to describe the Gentiles. Suddenly He chooses to enlarge his mission, and heal this woman's daughter, without requiring the woman to change!

What about this woman prompted Jesus to change his original mission? He had come to her hometown for a retreat, presumably because He needed a respite from the controversy He had stirred up in Israel. But this desperate mother recognizes Him, intrudes into His space, and asks for the healing of her daughter. He initially rejects her. But she accepts Jesus' judgment of her, and proceeds to declare her willingness to accept the leftovers. Rev. Dr. Ozzie Smith, Jr., calls this an "anyway-you-bless-me" moment where "hope doesn't know how Jesus will do it but knows that Jesus can do it."(When Hope Won't Quit) And He does. He heals her daughter. Then He continues to travel in Gentile territory and chooses to heal another outsider, a deaf man from Sidon. Obviously, He didn't succeed in retreating from controversy!

The word 'controversy' comes from two Latin words: contra meaning 'against' and verto or versum meaning 'to turn'. Including Gentiles in His mission meant a major turning away from just working with God's promised people—the Israelites. It was against thousands of years of tradition. It meant taking a fresh look at the written and oral scriptures that defined the Syrophoenician woman as unclean, not to be spoken to by a good Jew. If Jesus hadn't changed His viewpoint, a vast majority of us would not be Christians today. How many of us are actually Jewish Christians? I can think of only two that I've met in all the various churches I've attended.

Above photo by atp_treseus at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tyreseus/3033586120/

Hope and Patience

2010-01-26T02:16:00.001-08:00

Romans 8:24-25: For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that is seen is not hope.
For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Have you ever prayed for patience? I have and found myself waiting at every traffic light. Or I ended up in the longest checkout line after much scrutiny to determine the opposite. It seems that the quality of patience is discovered through waiting.

In Roman 8:24-25, Paul writes that it is in hope that we are saved, but that we have to wait for the unseen with patience. This verse occurs after Paul has explained why Christians shouldn't lead self-centered lives (according to the flesh). Instead we need to be led by the Spirit of God, and receive the spirit of adoption as children of God. But along with this gift of being God's heirs comes our sharing in the suffering of Christ. While we endure suffering, we wait, and all creation waits with us, to be glorified by God.

According to Paul Tillich, a 20^th century theologian, "every time is a time a waiting, waiting for the breaking in of eternity." We have the opportunity to experience eternity in each moment of each day. God's glory can be revealed to us in the moments in which we are truly present to this possibility. The challenge becomes being fully present in the moment, not caught up in the past or the future—not hoping the light changes faster, or wishing the cashier would hurry up, for instance, or even focusing on our pain, our grief, our suffering. Rather we need to focus on Christ, ever ready to break into our day and be that transforming moment.

Sacred Buddhist Thangkas

2009-12-12T09:25:00.001-08:00

Fiber Arts magazine recently reviewed a new DVD called Creating Buddhas, by Isadora Gabrielle Leiden-Frost. One of the artists the documentary will feature is Leslie Richen-Wongo, who studied in India for four years to learn the sacred skill of Tibetan Buddhist fabric thangkas. Although some refer to this as a form of appliqué, there is no background fabric. Instead the different pieces of fabric are put together like a mosaic. To learn more about this art form and see her other marvelous pieces, visit her website: http://silkthangka.com

One of the thangkas featured in the documentary is of Tara, a divine bodhisattva (an enlightened being who foregoes nirvana and compassionately seeks to aid others to reach enlightenment). The Sanskrit word tar means to "cross over." Basically, she helps others to cross over into enlightenment.

Image: "Padmanpadi" via http://silkthangka.com/artwork/traditional

Forgotten television

2009-12-11T08:54:00.001-08:00

Forgotten television
Originally uploaded by autowitch

Interestingly enough, since I wrote my last blog, my TV viewing has been cut back severely. This came about without me really trying to cut back. I've been busy attending a webinar (my first, BTW) about blogging as a business (http://girlfriendsguideconference.com/). I'm hoping my television watching eventually ends up abandoned like this television!

Coming to Believe Again

2009-12-06T08:03:00.001-08:00

After the planting of the idea by a spiritual teacher and much introspection, I've come to the conclusion that I have an addiction to television. My habits around it remind me of how I used marijuana more than 25 years ago. I use TV to relax and escape the stresses of the day. Research has shown that it actually doesn't provide relaxation, but does provide a way to vicariously live someone else's life. It's easier to not think about needing to earn money when I'm engrossed in the latest murder mystery I'm watching.

I've also discovered how similar I am reacting to my desire to quit using television as a drug to the experience I had last couple of years of using pot, after I wanted to quit. Pushing myself to cut back may be causing an increase in usage, rather than decreasing it. All the struggles within my mind don't yield much success. Self-criticism doesn't work either.

The only thing that did work for me 25 years ago was to attend a 12-step group for people desiring to stop using drugs. I needed support, as well as something else to do instead of use drugs. However, I've never heard of a 12-step group for television addicts! On top of this, it's about all my husband and I do together!

I didn't enter into 12-step recovery without outside help. I was seeing a counselor at the time, but had decided to quit counseling in an effort to be more self-sufficient and get rid of one more area that the State of Wisconsin was supporting me. The counselor wrote down my last appointment on one of her business cards. I came at the time she wrote down. She was surprised to see me. She didn't realize she had written down the time of her 12-step meeting for family members and friends of people who have a problem with alcohol! She took me with her.

I went to that 12-step group for 3 months before I was able to quit using drugs. A week later I went to one for addicts. That was 25 years ago. Many things have changed for the better since that time. Now I'm at a new junction.

I've come to depend on the 2^nd and 3^rd steps of the 12-step program because I've seen them work in my life:

2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.

Surely now is the time to continue to believe that God is and will continue to provide the answer. God will provide the support I need to make this transition. I need to have patience, especially with myself, and remember that it was after I had the support that I was able to quit using. The process before me is to be open to God's guidance and be willing to act on that guidance, not to try to will, to force, myself into recovery.

Prayer:

God:

During this Advent season, this time of reformation, enter into my life, provide me with the support I need to give up what You would have me give up and do what You would have me do to receive the Light.

Amen.

Unimpaired

2009-10-28T17:27:00.001-07:00

At a memorial service I attended this evening, the priest described the deceased, John, as someone whom society categorized as being impaired, because John was mentally challenged. John lived a relatively simple life. He loved those with whom he came in contact. He enjoyed working when he was supposed to work. He danced whenever music played. He stopped at every table in the dining room to greet everyone. And when he knew he was dying, he peacefully accepted it and looked forward to being with his Father, God, in heaven for John was a practicing Christian. The priest also expressed the thought that it is those of us who complicate God to the point of not knowing God who are the truly impaired.

Earlier today I attended another worship service. That priest spoke about a time when he was giving his weekly sermonette to a group of pre-schoolers about saints. He pointed out that many of the saints were pictured in the stain glass windows of the church. A little boy spoke up that he knew what saints were. The priest asked him to share what he knew with the group. He replied, "Saints are those people who let the sun shine through." Of course, the priest knew he couldn't say it better—saints are those people who let the Son shine through!

I used to work as a teacher's aide with students who were mentally, and often physically, challenged. Like John, their love for others was uninhibited because their intellect didn't hinder them from expressing it. They let the Son shine through them unimpaired.

Earlier this week I read a blog on Sparkpeople by someone whose friend had lost a sibling to death. She said he had just begun to practice Taoism and hoped that his practice would bring him some comfort. I left a comment on her blog about how Taoism certainly embraced the dark and light. I began to wonder what the Tao actually said about death, having not read the Tao Te Ching for quite a while.

I found my copy of the book and opened it to the bookmark that was still left in it from the last time I had read it. Here's what it said there:

The Master gives himself up

to whatever the moment brings.

He knows that he is going to die,

and he has nothing left to hold on to:

no illusions in his mind

no resistances in his body.

He holds nothing back from life;

therefore he is ready for death,

as a man is ready for sleep

after a good day's work.

Since I don't believe in coincidences, I'd say that this is pretty synchronistic. This describes John as well. He held nothing back and was ready for death because of it. May I follow his lead—in life as well as in death.

Christ With Us

2009-10-25T17:39:00.001-07:00

Tonight I attended a wonderful Celtic service. If you've never been to one, I highly recommend that you go. It took place at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Clemson, SC, a church I've really begun to enjoy attending.

A harpist played the musical selections and the four hymns we sung. I've never been accompanied by a harp while singing before now. It was just the right combination for me, since I've become aware lately that singing to an organ takes a lot more energy than I'm willing to put out these days.

Small votive candles were arranged on the communion railings and on the altar, along with two candles on rustic candleholders that looked like they were small pillars of stones. The chalice was pottery as well as the water pitcher (I'm sure it has another name but I don't know what it is off hand.) All of this added to the earthy tone of a Celtic service.

In the very beginning of the service, the congregation affirmed that Christ was indeed present with us. By the time of the Eucharist, I felt and spiritually saw Christ's presence surrounding the altar and infusing the bread and the wine. Above the altar at Holy Trinity is a large, round stain glass window depicting Jesus with his arms held away from his side and facing outward. It's a very welcoming pose. Being a stain-glass Christian, I often look up at that window to intensify my experience of Him during the service. Tonight was no exception. I thought about God's arms outstretching enfolding all of us and wished I knew of some way to create that impression in fabric.

After leaving the service, I went grocery shopping. When I came out of the grocery store, the sunset was fabulous—numerous shades of pink, yellow, and orange streaking across the sky amongst the graying clouds. The sky shone of God's glory and magnificence, such a fitting end to the night.

Don't Know Everything

2009-10-20T17:29:00.001-07:00

The two older kids, Matthew and Carley, and I are learning chemistry. I've never taken chemistry. Plus, science is not my best subject. We've been using a pretty good website as our reference point: www.evanschemistrycorner.com . The author is a high school science teacher who has put a tremendous amount of work on this website. It includes worksheets, presentations, experiments, and more. However, it doesn't include the answers! Luckily, we can always "google" something to find out if we're right.

We were cruising along pretty well until we came to the nomenclature of compounds. Talk about complicated! I've really struggled to learn this stuff, let alone teach it. But today we seemed to make some progress in this area.

My philosophy of teaching includes the fact that I don't know everything. I can't know everything. Although, bless their hearts, the grandkids still think I'm pretty smart. My job is not to teach them everything but to show them how to learn.

Right now they are supposed to learn what I think they need to learn. Hopefully, they will choose to continue to learn throughout their lives. I hope that my willingness to learn, even at my age, has set a good example.

Clemson University Symphony Orchestra

2009-10-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

We’re fortunate to be able to see many performances at the Brooks Center of the Performing Arts at Clemson University. Their Eskridge Tri-ART series offers performances appropriate for school-age children free or for only $2.00 per student. Yesterday we went to a free performance of the Clemson University Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to listening to the orchestra, every year the director holds a competition for musical young people in the surrounding area. This year two high school girls won the competition. One played the viola solo in J. S. Bach’s Viola Concerto in C major. The other one played the violin solo in Barber’s Violin Concerto. She was homeschooled. I enjoyed her the most. Of course, I might be biased!

Nathan Whittacker, a student at Clemson, wrote a piece for their brass choir. I wasn’t familiar with the term so I looked it up. According to the Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary , a brass choir is “a group of like instruments (brass) forming a performance ensemble. Generally a combination of trumpets, horns, trombones, tubas, and often euphoniums. Anything from six performers up.” The Clemson University brass choir didn’t contain any euphoniums, but did have the rest of the brass instruments, having eight members. The piece was rather unusual, and not my favorite of the performances, but I did appreciate its intricate design. It sounded like it might have been a bit too difficult for the players or they hadn’t practiced it enough.

The performance also included a solo by a Clemson music major and a rather unusual addition to a symphony—“Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl. The young woman really belted it out! I think that one kept Matthew awake!
The other piece I remember was Mozart’s oboe quartet movement. The director chose this piece in order to allow one of the oboists’ who was a senior a chance to be featured. The final piece was Gregson-William’s Chronicles of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, a good piece for children.

The whole experience was good for my grandkids. Although, they may not choose to listen to classical music, it’s good for them to be exposed to it. And the director took time to introduce several of the instruments as well as discuss something about each of the pieces. None of my grandkids plays a musical instrument yet, but at least they know something about them.

How I Became a Homeschool Teacher

2009-10-04T06:53:00.001-07:00

Georgia requires all elementary and middle school students to take the CRCT (Criterion-Referenced Competency Test) at the end of each school year. In the fifth grade, the students’ scores in math and language arts determine whether they will be allowed to enter middle school. My daughter found out that her oldest child, Matthew, did not pass the CRCT reading test and would not be allowed to enter middle school unless he was able to pass it after attending summer school.

During that school year, I had been doing substitute teaching at the middle school. I love teaching that age group. They are beginning to be able to talk about subjects that interest me, think for themselves, and challenge the status quo. But I didn’t enjoy working at the middle school. More often than not, the class would be disrupted by a few very disrespectful students. I was appalled at what some students were willing to say within my hearing. Often times I worked with the special education students, whom I enjoyed the most. I would be in a classroom helping them while the regular teacher taught the other students. Even then I saw some teachers totally unable to manage a disciplined learning environment. Although I enjoy watching children grapple with their view of the world, being disrespectful isn’t necessary, nor should it be tolerated.

Another problem that caught my attention at the middle school was the level of peer pressure and the direction it took. What we had been pressured to do in high school—having sex and doing drugs—was now the norm in middle school. If a child wasn’t having sex by eighth grade, they were considered abnormal by their peers. We were too young in high school to deal with those issues. Middle school students are even less prepared.

Matthew is a very bright boy, but not an academically minded person. He’d rather be selling something door-to-door or working on top of a house putting down roofing with his father than studying any subject. His mother and I knew that he would be easily distracted in most of the middle-school classrooms. He’s also a very sweet and considerate boy, something we wanted to continue to nurture in him.

Considering these and other factors, I offered to home school him. I’ve been an avid student for all of my life. When my daughter was a toddler, I attended a vocational school and got an associate’s degree in clothing and textiles. When she was in elementary school, I attended the same vocational school and got an associate’s degree in electronic technology. Later in my life I attended an interfaith seminary and was ordained as in interfaith minister. Presently I am attempting to get my bachelor’s degree. I love to study!

For the first year, I only homeschooled Matthew. Carley and Teresa were attending the local elementary school and Christina attended their church’s pre-school, where my daughter is the director and a teacher. When summer came, we decided to have the girls home school with Matthew during their break. It became obvious that Christina already knew everything she would learn in kindergarten. All the girls were enjoying the experience so in August we informed the school system that they would be homeschooled, too. That was three years ago. We’re still enjoying the experience.