M.I.A.

Well, I have been Missing In Action (M.I.A.) for a little over a year now. My journey lately has been a difficult one filled with loss, grief, and inner conflict... a "mid-faith crisis" as I call it.

Memorial Day marked the one year anniversary of my father's passing, a passing that has brought me much personal reflection over the last year. I always thought that my faith would ground me and my basic beliefs would become more cemented in a time of loss, but my whole theology and view of life has been challenged by my father's death.

My dad was not a religious man, but he was spiritual. Although he never joined any faith community he embraced a Unitarian Universalist view of God. When asked by my wife if he was at peace with God he claimed that he was. He always said that he had lived a full life and was not afraid of death.

My dad rejected "Evangelical Christianity". He didn't reject Christ, just the modern "American" version of the "Church". Although I have not been as dogmatic lately as I was in my know-it-all youth, without my father having a formal conversion experience I was still left with mixed feelings about my father's spiritual condition.

I had lunch recently with Timothy, a monk I have known for several years. Timothy is dealing with an illness that will eventually take his life. He is going through some of the same debilitating experiences that my dad went through and he is embracing his mortality with strength, dignity, and grace. Timothy and I talked about my dad's death and my personal mid-faith crisis. We talked about a greater grace that transcends the theologians understanding of God.

I am convinced that a greater grace exists, that my finite understanding of God does not limit His love. I am convinced the narrow minded religious zealots will be surprised when they meet God face to face and find that God Is Love!

I miss my dad, but I now have hope that we will meet some day at the Father's feet.

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:8)

Peace, Love, and Light!

Kevin (Cloud)

Understanding Our Little Girl

Last year, after a long two and a half year journey, we finalized the adoption of our granddaughter. She is such a loving and verbal child, yet we have been puzzled by some of her behaviors. Without disclosing too much personal info, lets just say the professionals can't agree on what to attribute her oddities to.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is the one thing that finally began to make sense to us. Boys are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders 4 to 1 over girls and the question is: "Are girls less predisposed to Autism or do they just present differently?". There is a lot of new information being published about the under diagnosis and miss-diagnosis of girls with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

This book has opened our eyes to her world in a new way...
Girls Under the Umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorders by Lori Ernsperger, Ph.D. & Danielle Wendel.

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Earth Day

I took our little one to a local Earth Day event on Saturday... lots of solar power venders, the Sierra Club, drought resistant landscaping, and a few zero population advocates. Other than a generic ecumenical invocation at the opening of the event, the voice of the "church" was totally missing. Why has the care of God's Creation slipped from the hands of those who call on his name? Have we forgotten the Creator's early mandate?

"And Jehovah God taketh the man, and causeth him to rest in the garden of Eden, to serve it, and to keep it."
Genesis 2:15 (Young's Literal Translation)

Here are some faith based environmental groups:

Earth Ministry
Evangelical Environmental Network
Restoring Eden
Web of Creation

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Happy Easter Earthlings

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? (Psalm 8:3-4)

It is beyond my comprehension how the inhabitants of this tiny ball of dust spinning on the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy can be the recipient of the Creator's affection.

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Camo Easter Eggs

I saw these camo Easter eggs at WalMart today... my first thought was wow, nothing says 'Jesus has risen' like camouflage Easter eggs. It is so incongruous to be celebrating the resurrection of our savior, the Prince of Peace with camo Easter eggs!

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
(Ephesians 2:17)

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Barack Obama - Pastor Or President?

After reading the many blog posts about an interview with Barack Obama questioning his politics and his faith you would think that we were selecting a new Pastor and not the President of the United States of America.

Obama may not be an "evangelical" by most definitions, but he does express a deep personal faith. Obama was a constitutional law professor, not a seminary professor. He ran for the highest office in the land, not to be our national pastor. Perhaps what scares some is his admiration of our Founding Father's resolve to prevent theocracies from forming here in America. Here is a quote by Barack Obama from that interview:

"...Alongside my own deep personal faith, I am a follower, as well, of our civic religion. I am a big believer in the separation of church and state. I am a big believer in our constitutional structure. I mean, I'm a law professor at the University of Chicago teaching constitutional law. I am a great admirer of our founding charter, and its resolve to prevent theocracies from forming, and its resolve to prevent disruptive strains of fundamentalism from taking root in this country.

As I said before, in my own public policy, I'm very suspicious of religious certainty expressing itself in politics.

Now, that's different from a belief that values have to inform our public policy. I think it's perfectly consistent to say that I want my government to be operating for all faiths and all peoples, including atheists and agnostics, while also insisting that there are values that inform my politics that are appropriate to talk about...."

Read the entire transcript of Obama's Fascinating Interview with Cathleen Falsani on the Christianity Today Politics Blog.

Only time will tell if Obama will be a good president, and only God can judge Barack Obama a good or bad christian.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
(1Timothy 2:1-2)

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Jonestown - Remembering To Remember

In 1978, deep in the jungles of Guyana, 918 people died at the People's Temple Agricultural Project known as Jonestown. Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Jonestown mass suicide. This event disturbs me today as much as it did thirty years ago. When the horror of this tragedy hit the newsstands I was a young Hippie Jesus Freak involved with leading a small group of Christians. I learned firsthand that "leadership" can have many pitfalls. The Jonestown tragedy changed my view of "church leadership" forever. The Apostle Paul wrote... "Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand." (2 Corinthians 1:24)

JONESTOWN MEMORIAL 

Jonestown - Wikipedia

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ! Kevin (Cloud)

National Adoption Day

Yesterday was National Adoption Day, celebrated every November. This year's focus was on the children in the foster care system and their need for permanent placement.

I found two groups working at the national level to insure that the best interests of adopted children are protected.

National Council For Adoption

North American Council on Adoptable Children

The National Council For Adoption lists their Adoption First Principles on their website. As grandparents who adopted our granddaughter this year, two of those principles deeply touched my heart. They were "Growing Up Adopted Is Healthy And Normal" and "Adoptive Parents Are The Real Parents".

Growing Up Adopted Is Healthy And Normal: Adoption is healthy, satisfying, and good for adopted persons, not an enduring challenge to identity and wholeness. The adopted person may have additional questions and curiosities to sort out, but adoption is not a psychological burden or pathology as some theorists treat it. Adoption is the way one joined one’s family, not a defining characteristic or lifelong process. Persons adopted as infants grow up as healthy and productive as people raised in their biological families. To the extent there can be a greater risk of emotional or behavioral problems for children adopted out of foster care at later ages, the correlation is not the result of being adopted, but rather of difficulties experienced prior to adoption, such as neglect or abuse. The vast majority of foster children make the transition into their adoptive families and grow up very successfully.



Adoptive Parents Are The Real Parents: The 'real' parents of the child who was adopted are the adoptive parents, because they are the ones who are legally and morally responsible for the child; they are the ones who parent. In general, law and society have appropriately treated adoptive parents the same as biological parents. In the best interests of children, we should continue to do so. The interests and well-being of adopted children are thoroughly intertwined with those of the adoptive family.


Being supportive of positive adoption policies at the national level goes beyond helping children in foster care, it should be made a component of all Pro Life campaigns. Making adoption an easier choice for pregnant women and keeping adoption support available for adoptive parents will impact the number of abortions chosen each year.

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Single Issue Voting

I have come to believe that it would be an irresponsible act to select the next leader of the largest and most powerful free nation in the world based one one or two hot button issues.

While pondering the shortcomings of single issue voting, this statement by Jesus about religious hypocrisy came to mind...

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel." (Matthew 23:23-24)

Please take the time to read these two posts on the God's Politics Blog...

My Personal ‘Faith Priorities’ for this Election by Jim Wallis

Voting as Damage Control by Shane Claiborne

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Are You A Hippie Jesus Freak?

Here is another page from my old website...

Are You A Hippie Jesus Freak?    

 Are You A Hippie Jesus Freak? Take the test and find out...
The HIGHER your POINTS score the MORE of a Hippie Jesus Freak you are!

There is a total of 100 possible points.

1. Have you ever said "God is groovy", "Hell is a real bummer", or "Get high on Jesus"? 10pts



2. Have you ever said "Smile God loves you" to a total stranger? 10pts



3. Were you baptized in an ocean, lake, river, or swimming pool? OR Have you ever baptized anyone in an ocean, lake, river, or swimming pool? 10pts



4. What are you more likely to wear in church?:


Brothers
Blue Jeans and Tie-dye 10pts

Suit and Tie 0pts

Barefoot 10pts

Sandals 5pts

Wing Tips 0pts

Sisters
Patchwork Skirt 10pts

Long Dress / Pants Suit 0pts

Barefoot 10pts

Sandals 5pts

High Heels 0pts



5. In church which ONE are you more likely to do?:

Dance 10pts

Clap your hands 5pts

Tap your foot 3pts



6. When reading your Bible which one are you more likely to snack on?:

Tofu and Green Tea 10pts

Pop Tarts and Pepsi 0pts



7. How long is your hair?:

Past your shoulders 10pts

Just to your collar 5pts

Shorter than 1/2 inch 0pts


Have you ever taken your Bible to a drum circle? 10pts

Have you ever taken your drum to church? 10pts

Total up your POINTS and find out what your POINTS score means.

What Your Test Points Say About You
The higher your POINTS score the more Hippie Jesus Freak you are. There are 100 POINTS possible and remember - this is just for fun and it is in no way meant to offend anyone!

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a PECULIAR people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light... 1 Peter 2:9

100 POINTS: You are a total Hippie Jesus Freak! You are a free spirit, you are not afraid to sing and dance before the Lord, even in public places. Don't ever change!

75 to 99 POINTS: You color outside the lines more than the average Christian. You most likely drive a VW, you clap in time while you sing in church, and would you dance if you knew how. You're almost there!

50 to 74 POINTS: You most likely work a 9 to 5 job, live in the "burbs", and drive a Min-Van. You might even clap in church, but find it difficult keeping time. Don't give up!

25 to 49 POINTS: You work a 9 to 5 white collar job and drive a Lexus. You are afraid to clap in church because you might not be able to keep time while singing so you just tap your foot. Go on and give it a try!

0 to 24 POINTS: What can I say, God loves everyone, even "normal" people. Loosen up some!

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

CSN Live!

The non-profit that I work for put on it's annual fundraiser concert last night and we were able to book CSN for the event... beyond cool. Although as an employee I could have gotten in to general admission for free, I bought two tickets in the reserved section, second row - center stage just behind the sponsorship tables... but at the last minute someone wanted to buy my seats so my employer gave me an upgrade to the VIP tables... third row from the stage! What a total blessing, I have never had seats this good. Thank you, I'll work for free for the rest of the year, just kidding.

What can be said about Crosby, Stills & Nash?

Wow!

I am a big David Crosby fan and he really came through last night. David and Graham Nash carried the show for most of the night. David and Graham controlled the stage with their vocals while Stephen Stills completely sat out many of the songs, but Stills guitar work is second to none and last night he was a force to be reckoned with.

I was trying to think of one song that summed up the CSN concert last night, too many to choose from. They closed with one of my favorites "Teach Your Children" (we all noticed the absence of Suite Judy Blue Eyes) but there was the new Graham Nash song "In Your Name" that was hauntingly beautiful and at the same time such a powerful and timely song. Graham's new song is actually a prayer for peace and it nearly brought me to tears.

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

The Magic Kindom Is Still Magical

We took some much needed vacation time last month. We took our beautiful star to Disneyland for the first time. We had a great time, it is a lot of work to have fun, but it was worth it. It was so magical to see her light up when she met Mickey and Minnie. It has been almost twenty-five years since we were last at the Magic Kingdom with our birth-children. There was so much to see and do, but we were ever mindful of the need for naps - not only for Bella, but also for us! We made an effort to ride some of the old standards and do some new things too. We ate at the Blue Bayou for the first time. It was by far the most expensive meal we have had at Disneyland, but the food and the service was second to none... well worth it. Bella's favorite was the King Arthur Carrousel, she must have ridden it three times!


We took the Amtrak train to Disneyland to avoid driving in So Cal traffic with a toddler in the back seat. Although it took a few extra hours going by rail, it was a great way to travel with a little one and a wonderful way to meet new people. The freedom to move about the train and explore made the travel time pass quickly. Eating in the dinning car while taking in some breathtaking California coastal scenery is a special treat. The food was much better than airline fare and the view far surpassed any that we have experienced in a stationary ocean view restaurant at any price.

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)