Calvin Lecture Act 4: Acts. Pentecost

RantWoman thanks RantMom's church, Rainier Beach Presbyterian for the opportunity to participate in its series of worship enrichment programs funded through the Calvin fund. RantWoman appreciate both rich spiritual experiences and really good food. Tonight's  focus was poetry and spoken word. RantWoman feels like a dork for not noting the presenter's name but RantWOman is impressed and hopes to run into him again.

The tasks

--Read the Passage

--Identify some words important to the reader

--Write words or imagery evoked by the words above

--Weave those words into a poem.

--Feast generously

--Share readings in the sanctuary

The passage via BibleGateway so there are lots of choices or ways to wander in the text:
Acts 2:41-47 

RantMom's Church

The process as realized by RantWoman.

--Arrive LATE. URK (Cue humility SOMEWHERE, SOMEHOW about judgmentalism with respect to other people, people who Drive Cars instead of ride the Metro limousine service. )

--Zip to the restroom to relieve bus bladder.

--Have RantMom tell RantWoman the citation.

--Note extreme gratitude that RantMom seems to have fallen in with a group that will get a poem out of the deal along with a lot of other nourishing chatter. Go back to RantWoman;'s solitary meditations.

--Chew around several different version including the Geneva Bible just because.

Keywords: Baptize, teaching, signs and wonders / miracles, fear, AWE, MEAT added to their numbers, eat, fire


What resulted, with RantWoman tweaking all the way until time to read, at tehvery end because group 8 was the last group and there were some awesome pieces ahead of RantWoman. The pieces would have been more awesome if a microphone had been involved, but RantMom did not want to move more closer to hear, sheepishly admitted good intentions about hearing aids, and will get highlights with microphone in Sunday worship.


As read:
(RantWoman, probably like much of the world has been watching a lot of #Kilauea volcano eruption videos. RantWoman is always grateful for natural phenomena reminder that God whatever part glows within RantWoman is also a lot bigger than RantWoman alone.)

Holy volcanism devouring vehicles

Seething disquiet in hot #lava pics

Eyes splashed with fiery Images

Ears splattered with volcanic roar

Feet soaked in geologic rumbling

Voices teaching love and values

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness drawn together by the thousands

gathering by bus and train, bicycle and plane, van, ATV,  feet and phone.

vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore feasting together

God going viral

========
Reflections after the three previous Calvin worships

For tonight with hashtags and because RantWomang ets to get really happy still to see the collages from this workshop in the sanctuary, and speaking of food and embodied religion
#RamadanMubarak
Allahu Akbar with the Presbyterians
#RamadanKareem


Chrstianity as an embodied religion, Lenten Reading, the Quaker practice of sitting in silence as presence.
Christianity as Embodied Religion

What Have We Done Senzenina
What Have We Done? Senzenina

Flowering

Tips for reading this rant:

RantWoman's head is about to explode--and it's not just astronomical pollen counts. RantWoman recognizes the possibility that this post may cause risk of explosions in other people's heads. Cope. Consider the problem held in the Light and Cope!

RantWoman has had multiple conversations she is not satisfied with. RantWoman has heard objections that she is overreacting. That suggestion just increase the Head about to Explode sensation. RantWoman has also heard suggestions RantWoman is supposed to deal with the head about to explode issues "privately." RantWoman is not sure what "privately" means here especially in light of the number of conversations that just feel to RantWoman like shouting. Plus RantWoman is feeling like the whole dang internet could be praying over the problem and RantWoman's head might still explode. Let us pray for a different path.

Beauty to make up
for the pollen everyone is dying from

Further tips
How many times do readers have to be told, if you do not understand something PLEASE feel invited to ask. RantWoman will do the VERY best she can to interact with equanimity and even courtesy. Okay, RantWoman promises to do the best she can but pretty much everything comes with a  Risk of sudden sarcasm warning.

How many other blog entries are people going to have to read to figure out all the reasons RantWoman's head might explode? Bear in mind: RantWoman also promises to TRY to highlight things that will cut down the Head about to Explode issues.

Further tip: a few years ago, RantWoman went to a concert featuring basically one musical theme Mozart used throughout his life. Pieces were performed in chronological order as they had been written. The theme was repeated with increasing complexity but still recognizable in each peace. Mozart died young so things did not get as complex as they might have had he lived longer.

Now we come to the head about to explode phrase "couples counseling."

A vignette from RantWoman's spell as a behavioral health bean counter. Key memes:

--"RantWoman, your department is 2 % of our costs." "Yes but 1. what we do supposedly drives 20% of these other costs and 2. Between our two departments 100% of the costing info is getting screwed up, so what can both sides do to sort things out?

--Things need to get coded correctly or people do not get paid. 

--Terminology matters and terminology that implies specific qualification and licenses needs to be treated especially carefully.

--Part of what is making RantWoman's head explode: people with TWO different topical credentials keep telling RantWoman she is supposed to be okay with what RantWoman considers incredibly sloppy and unprofessional use of terminology. When RantWoman manages to be  charitable, RantWoman is grateful for the word "retired."

--Honestly, "charitable" is not the point. On Planet RantWoman, "Couples counseling" should reserved for actual couples. Using it any other way is disrespectful of actual couples.   Even if the process of who gets to speak first is supposed to be the same, misapplication of the term "couples counseling" makes RantWoman so angry she can barely type without barfing. This problem is short-circuiting all kinds of things that absolutely do need further Light.

--For instance, while two people who, RantWoman wants to be able to hope know better, can only phrase the problem in terms of couples counseling, another Friend did a perfectly fine job of outlining a process without ever once mentioning the term couples counseling. That is, solving of problems is directly accessible to many without necessarily needing specific credentials. What process might help create some shared language to support flowering of such gifts????


In the realm of things that SLIGHTLY reduce the Head about to Explode" issues:

Pollen counts WILL subside.

Maybe RantWoman will get her reflection written about hot lava pics along sulphurous cracks between earth and sky and spring evening sunshine through the worship room clearstory windows.

RantWoman notes with HUMBLE appreciation, TWO in-person appearances IN DAYLIGHT by one Friend, Friend A, whose communication patterns have LONG been so exasperating that RantWoman is going, hopefully to be able to leave them prayed over and not enumerated. There is absolutely a "lead RantWoman not into temptation" prayer attached here though.

RantWoman also appreciates that Friend B, while perpetrating incrediblyh sloppyh use of terminology and publicly blaming RantWoman for delays caused by multiple other people, did read two key emails and figure out that both parties to the attempt at conflict resolution objected for different reasons to the venue initially proposed. RantWoman is clear about continuing need to be true to her Light but small steps matter.

Memorials withRainbow Bridge

RantWoman needs to have a weird temper tantrum.

Needs?

RantWoman is called to have a weird temper tantrum.

RantWoman's inbox brought news today of another Significant death for the WA Council of the blind, Marlaina Lieberg

http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2018/05/rest-in-peace-marlaina.html

And this on top of the recent passing of Sue Ammeter

http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2018/04/sue-ammeter-1948-2018.html

http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2018/04/another-tribute-to-sue-ammeter.html

Sue Ammeter's passing has been well observed without mentioning the phrase "Crossed the rainbow bridge.." Not so Marlaina's.

"Crossed the Rainbow Bridge" is often used by Guide Dog users when their guides pass away. Marlaina was a Guide Dog User. Today the phrase got used about Marlaina and like seven previous guide dogs. RantWoman has never thought to ask people who have never had any vision how they understand this rainbow thingie. RantWoman has a sense that she definitely SHOULD ask. In the meantime, every time RantWoman hears the phrase, she feels like a wet dog needing to shake itself off after coming in from the rain. Bleccccch!

Usually RantWoman is happy to let people have whatever cutesy wootsy language they need about death, but RantWoman is not doing so well about either death in this case.

Sitting with, praying on the problem, RantWoman finds two threads.

Both deaths ended great physical suffering, in one case dying peacefully in sleep rather than lingering with a badly metastasized cancer recurrence in the second case ending the slow strangulation of pulmonary fibrosis. RantWoman is GLAD for souls set free even if that is not the language either of the decased would use.

The other thread: carrying forward all the things these two pillars of the WCB were involved in. RantWoman deeply blesses two powerful legacies, and...the fact that no one can possibly ever fill either hero's shoes is, um, speaking plainly, A GOOD THING.

There. RantWoman has said enough. Please hold in the Light.

Today's Future Now - Earth Day Edition | The Daily Show

RantWoman did joyously observe Earth Day with sentimental reflections on Weekly Reader and about third grade, as well as the part about glorious sunshine, not to mention appreciation of stellars jays in a back yard and  crows on a rooftop, torrents of rain, howling wind woven into road rumble.

HOWEVER, RantWoman is assuredly not uniformly a creature of light and cheer. In fact, sometimes RantWoman glories in material that is tasteless, insensitive, definitely NOT politically correct. In other words, strange as it may seem, RantWoman runs out of other things to pray over and goes out to grab something outrageous from the interwebs. Enjoy?

Also, DO NOT say RantWoman did nto warn you..

Unapology

With no apologies whatsoever to Barclay and his apology to the true Christian Divinity

Bless us Oh Lord for RantWoman is not reacting as desired about a number of threads in recent conversations and email.

"RantWoman, you should apologize."

You want me to apologize for NOT dumping the full weight of fury into one young Friend's lap????

RantWoman APOLOGIZE.

Okay. RantWoman apologizes for holding back in a way that perhaps made one Friend feel undeservedly singled out when a whole bunch of people were, um, falling short.

RantWoman APOLOGIZE!

RantWoman sincerely humbly hopes she is not the most difficult person Friend has ever had to deal with. RantWoman also humbly would not mind being wrong: RantWoman doubts she will be the biggest or gnarliest challenge during a long discernment process. RantWoman figures we all better learn to argue respectfully. RantWoman does not mean that idea to be as painful as it seems to be and is assuredly holding problems in the Light. RantWoman apologizes but that is the best she can do for now.

"RantWoman, you're being unQuakerly."

Really. Define "unquakerly." Frankly, considering all the silencing, gaslighting, microaggressions, misapprehensions, and general all around muddle occurring among Quakers around RantWoman. UNquakerly just MIGHT be a big improvement. Now, what paths might help us find our way to some kind of center?

Fox Spews: Tucker Carlson Goes on Epic Rant Against War in Syria

No, of COURSE RantWoman is not a big or regular consumer of Fox Spews. But screeds like this are one reason RantWoman occasionally wades into the roiling streams



For the record the cruise missile strikes delivered after the poison gas attack discussed here also generated Russian language Twitter claims that 70% of the missiles were shot down by Russian anti-aircraft forces. Go figure.

Trevor Noah for Secretary of State: Trump Sends a $250 Million Message to Syria - Between the Scenes | The D...