Saturday, April 11, 2015 - The Ultimate Dolphin Swim

I got up and had breakfast, then went down to the pharmacy to get some bug spray. I also got a sorrel.  On the way back, someone was blowing at me, and I find I still get confused with this wrong side of the street thing.  I tried to get out of the way, but they pulled up beside me.  It was Mr. Elliot, who had just dropped Bishop and Mrs. Reddick and Rev. Spragin off at the airport.  I would probably have preferred to have ridden with him, but had already made arrangements with Wayne, so I went with him.  By the time I got back to the hotel, Wayne was there (he was a bit later than the 11:00 we had agreed on, but he did call to say he was running late).  We headed off to Negril.  The trip was uneventful; Dolphin Cove is about ¾ of the way from MoBay to Negril.  It’s much smaller than the Dolphin Cove in Ocho Rios, but it seemed much closer. I HAVE to figure out how to get a Jamaican ID card.  My swim was 179; with a Jamaican ID, it would have been 104.  I’mma see…

 

So I go to Dolphin Cove and there’s about half an hour before the next swim.  I got to play with the stingrays and was surprised to see they’d let you take pictures.  Since I’d put all my stuff in a locker, I told the guy I’d come back after my swim. 

Get to the swim and the guy is explaining it.  I’m the only one for the Ultimate Swim, but when they hear what it is, a couple from Houston decided to upgrade from the regular swim to the Ultimate.  I was glad, because I was still skeered to do it.  Silly me. 

In addition to the kisses (I swear, my dolphin, Miguel, the alpha male, was pushing up on me.  He kept giving kisses, and literally started to push up on me!), the petting, the dancing, and the singing, there are two other things in the Ultimate Swim.  The regular swim has you carried belly to belly with one dolphin.  The Ultimate swim has you swimming with two dolphins.  First you are in Superman position, prone with arms outstretched in the water, and they come up behind you, pushing you from the feet, and push you up out of the water.  I was scared, but as soon as I felt their snouts on my feet, it was just  like jumping out of a plane:  AWESOME!!! The other thing they do is that you grab the dorsal fin of each dolphin and they drag you around in a semicircle.

(insert on 4.20.15:  Not sure how I did this and left out the part where I got BITTEN by a stingray!!!  Here is the video:https://youtu.be/Z4xJzc1HImQ

Plane is landing now.  More later.

Pics from the day are here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205342892705643.1073741894.1048146180&type=1&l=55f38390b7

Video is here:
Dolphin Swim
https://youtu.be/SrlbEjHWl5E

Saturday April 11, 2015

So I’ve filled in the gaps from the 8^th and 9^th.  Yesterday after we dropped the group at the airport, it was still quite early.  Bishop and Mrs. Reddick were kind enough to invite me to wait with them and Dr. Spragin at the Hilton. I had recommended the Wexford to Bishop Reddick, and it simply did not meet his standards.  He is very conscious of not spending monies frivolously, but balances that with the need to restore and replenish himself so that he can continue to lead effectively.  I get that. 

So we sat in the lobby of the Hilton.  I had loaded up my Digicel card but the data was almost immediately sucked out of it.  I went upstairs to the internet café, realized I still had a Digical account and put $30.00 on it. I thought I was good.  Bishop invited me to join him, Mrs. Reddick, and Rev. Spragin as they made house visits to some of the preachers who were not able to attend conference. I won’t put in too many details, but will simply say that I am always pleasantly surprised when I see this man of God behaving as a man of God.  First of all, he adheres to the admonition to not stay too long in any one place.  We met the people and any family present, sang, prayed, read Scripture, heard updates about their conditions, and Bishop gave a brief update on Conference news and gave them whatever the Conference had for them (in one case, he was moved to go into his own pocket to give a caretaker money to help care for an ailing preacher.  You just don’t see that very much any more.  At least I don’t.  And it wasn’t hamburger money; he gave them enough money to make a significant difference.) – but we did all that, in each visit, in from 15-20 minutes.  The visits were not rushed, but they weren’t drawn out, either. 

So we visited a couple of people around MoBay, then  one person out by Negril.  Bishop introduced me to his driver, and despite my constant data drain, I was able to arrange to go to Peter Tosh and Negril on Saturday, leaving Friday nite free to go to Luminous Lagoon (Glistening Waters). I tried to take pictures, but it was best seen in the dark, and with my long lens, I couldn’t stop it down far enough to get a fast enough shutter speed to really capture it.  The water has microorganisms that make it light up like those glo-lights.   It was great, and Mr. Elliot Gladstone, the driver, was good and played great Christian music.  However, I think the highlight was going to the Lilliput Jerk Centre on Lilliput Road in Lillput. Quite frankly, while it was very friendly, it wasn’t the sort of environment where I was going to pull out my camera, even with Mr. Gladstone there.  I didn’t even want to take a picture with my iPhone, mostly because I didn’t feel like or want to seem like a tourist.  I just wanted to enjoy it.  I do believe, though, that I might get a little jerk and bammy tonite, as well. 

OK, so the Wexford.  I’ve stated how Bishop Reddick didn’t like it, and when I showed it to Mr. Harris, he didn’t seem to impressed, either.  Which is fine; their purposes are different than mine.  But all that was playing in the back of my head last night when I got in line to check in.  So there are two people at the checkin desk.  One is on the phone; the other sees me standing and THEN picks up the phone to make a call.  When she finishes and I tell her I am there to check in, she directs me to the guy who’s on the phone.  After 20 minutes, he finally got me checked in, but not until he had answered two or three additional calls (while he was waiting on me.  I felt like I should have just picked up my cellphone and called rather than standing in front of him), received some used towels, taken them to the back and folded them up (yes, while I’m watching and waiting), searched for his pen, and I don’t know what else.

FINALLY got me checked in, only to find that I didn’t get the oceanfront room I’d paid for.  Thankfully I had enough data left to pull up my reservation and show them I had paid for an oceanfront room. So they of course blamed it on Orbitz.  They brought the owner out, and I told her the issue.  They decided to upgrade me to a junior suite, which is still not ocean view. She said I could come downstairs and sit on the veranda if I wanted to see the ocean.  Which is true, but misses the point that I paid for the privilege of doing it from my room.  The room is a junior suite.  It is in the new block of buildings, the one my room last year looked out on.  IT’S A SECOND FLOOR ROOM IN A HOTEL THAT HAS NO ELEVATORS.  I don’t get how you build a hotel that’s already up a hill and you don’t put elevators in it.  But that’s what bellhops are for; it just increases the price of the room.  There is a Jacuzzi in the room, which would have been nice had I not been so exhausted last night. I will try it out today.  Aside from not overlooking the water and not having an elevator – ok, it’s a room with a Jacuzzi.  It could be anywhere in the world.  So I’m sitting out here on the veranda writing. My driver is spozed to be here  in like 90 minutes.  I should probably call and make sure I can get into Dolphin Cove Negril…it seemed much smaller than Ocho Rios.

More later. Pics from the day are in the next and previous posts.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Can’t believe we’re leaving already!  I have some notes from the 8^th and 9^th and will fill them in later, but that is mostly church stuff.  It’s 5:30 in the am and I’m in the hotel lobby waiting for the group to come so we can leave at 6 to get to MoBay by 10 or so.  It’s been an awesome time, just too short.  They decided next year to do the Conference in Savannah LaMar, which is inland, so I’m not so sure I want to come to that.  I do, of course, I’m just having difficulty wrapping my head around coming to Jamaica and not being on the beach..  We shall see. 

The other night I took a stroll.  I needed something bubbly for my stomach, so I went out walking.  I hit this bar where they had ginger beer, but no Ting.  Instead, the guy beside me suggested I get Schweppes grapefruit (which was delicious, btw).  They were three white kids (kids.  They were maybe in their 30s, maybe older, maybe younger.), one of whose mother lives in Jamaica.  One was from Jersey, and the other two I no longer remember.  What I do remember  is the one who suggested I get the Schewppes was rolling a humongous spliff and was even more stoned than the Rasta guy from the previous night.  He went off on  this conversation about how Schweppes was an evil giant out to break the back of the people who make Ting – which could very well be true, it just lacks a bit of credibility when the person ranting about it has their eyes glazed over and seems unable to coordinate their body. 

So Vanessee Burns preached an awesome sermon at what was supposed to be a commissioning service.  I recorded it; it’s about 18 minutes long, 2.2G, and I have now spent several hours attempting to upload it.  It appears that the free data I get with my digicel plan did not extend to YouTube.  I’m now at 79% uploaded,  and am trying over wifi.  Never had a prepaid phone before.  Data overages sorta suck…

I wore shorts again today cuz, well, I’m on vacation.  But these mosquitoes!!!!

So I wanted to go to the Peter Tosh place and to Luminous Lagoon tonite,  then to Negril to swim with the dolphins tomorrow.  The driver wanted nearly $300 for the two days, almost  my entire budget for that time.  I got him down to 200 but he doesn’t know where the lagoon is.  One of the women from Church, Evangelist Leslie, told me how to go via public transpo, but the guys at church suggested I not do that.  So I’m not yet sure how that’s going to go.  Once I have proper internet access, I may see how much I can get done  in one day and simply chill tonite.  We shall see.

In Costa Rica, I’m sad to find that I won’t even  get to see my friend Danny.  I will stay at his house and hang out with his daughter Sophi and hopefully meet her new boyfriend Gino, but Danny is working and won’t be around.  So I’m in Quepos on Monday, then off to Tortuguero on Tuesday through Thursday, I think, and then I’m back to the States.  Tortuguero should be nice and relaxing;  just have to get to the dolphin place while in Jamaica.

So I got a message this evening that my upload was completed.  Seems that upload I started yesterday  of Pastor Burns' sermon has FINALLY completed.  It was 2.2 GB, and that's what was sucking up all y data.  When I went to see it on YouTube, I saw instead a message they'd removed it because it was too long... Pastor Burns maintains the reason is that the sermon was not supposed to be posted, so I'mma run with that.  My pics from today are here  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205352397423255.1073741897.1048146180&type=1&l=f426bd9167

  I think they may be included in the next post, as well.

I totally left out the part about getting the driver that Bishop Reddick uses, Mrt. Gladstone, and having him take me to Luminous Lagoon.  On the way back, we stopped in Lilliput at the Lilluput Jerk Centre.  I may have written about it for tomorrow's post;  it's worth mentioning more than once.  And that Bammy!!!  Here's a link I found to it, along with a picture of the inside.  And it is decidedly a local, non-tourist place, so I'm kinda glad I didn't whip out a camera.  http://www.afar.com/places/lilliput-jerk-centre-saint-james-parish

Thursday, April 9, 2015

So we had the closing conference session with the Bishop’s remarks, the various reports, and the remaining disciplinary and statistical questions.  It’s interesting to see: 1) how provincial and US-centric our questions and structure are (which begs a larger question:  if we are inwardly focused, (how)are we building or tweaking an organizational structure that is scalable and readily adaptable to 21^st century ministry); practically, this observation translates to how interesting it is to see: 2) how our disciplinary questions must be adapted to local cultures.  The property ownership and insurance questions particularly come to mind here. 

But the session went on; afterwards there was a lot of teasing of Bishop Reddick, comparing him to Bishop Hoyt who was legendary in the length of his conferences.  Mid-morning worship was led by Eric Spence, and the final Conference Bible Study was from Acts 9, comparing and contrasting Philip and Saul and their Damascus adventures.

At some point, we had a praise dance from the Youth. I have no words to describe it; only video here:

We had our lunch, I think we had some more afternoon business.  The last order of business was the location of next year’s conference. Not only will it not be at Good News, the guest hotel will not be close to the beach.  The conference will be in some convention center in Savannah La Mar, and the hotel will be inland.  While I’m neither happy with nor impressed by this, 1) it’s not my conference so my opinion is irrelevant; and 2) it is closer to Negril….

By now, instead of 2:30, the ordination service began around 5:30.  There was no one to  be ordained.  Earlier, Pastor Burns had put up a Facebook post, asking for prayers for prayers as she prepared to preach. She specifically asked that God's anointing power fall and that His believers might be empowered with the Spirit of Boldness to witness and make disciples with signs and wonders to follow.

She put out that prayer in the morning, I believe; the Spirit fell heavy on the conference, both during meditation and during her sermon.  Not sure her sermon had a title, but the message was quite clear:  “GO!!!” I can’t describe it, and she has asked me not to post it yet, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

We got back to the hotel, did the final tipping (and if you’re reading this with a thought to come, please add into your calculations the fact that it’s customary to tip the hotel waitstaff as well as the drivers as well as the hotel housekeeping staff.  If we are fed by buffet, we tip the waitstaff and the drivers communally; housekeeping tips are individual). 

Pics from the day are here:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205352209578559.1073741896.1048146180&type=1&l=c24ba26e17

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

I’m actually writing this on Saturday, the 11^th, and find that many of the details have escaped my memory.  But the days were too packed for me to write regularly.  Wednesday morning worship was led by Rev. Lena Laing, the woman beside whom I’ve sat for the last two years, who plays a mean tambourine.  We read Psalm 136 responsively, something I’d never noticed before.  Rev. Miriam Brooks-Malcolm brought the morning message.  Rev. Brooks would later lead an afternoon devotional service and she was kind enough to write down the words to four songs for me.  I will copy them in later.  She preached from Psa 136 and from Habakkuk; from what I could tell, the gist of her message had to do with Habbakuk asking how long and the Lord answering.  I thought she used Habakkuk 3:17 as the focus verse, concentrating on the omnipotence of God, despite external evidence.  She then continued on citing a series of Habakkuk questioning God about various tests and God’s responses, summing up with an admonition to look to the future, secured by the Promise of the God who is the Joy of Our Salvation! 

Conference business went on with Choruses by Evangelist Leslie (this may be where Rev. Brooks led the songs), followed by Pastoral reports from each of the main districts.  As I stated in previous years,  this CME church in Jamaica is composed of people from a variety of faith traditions.  Sometimes the Annual Conference (now to be followed by an annual Teaching meeting in November) is the place where they are introduced to matters of CME doctrine and polity.  Indeed, in his answers and discussions, I saw Bishop Reddick weave together Christian doctrine, Methodist history and tradition, and CME polity.  The disciplinary questions, then, took on an instructional aspect. Given my role as a teacher, and my thoughts on the importance of proper instruction both in general Christian formation and in the training of preachers, this is always of special interest to me.

At the same time, the Bishop addressed practical issues, even interweaving some of his personal experiences (this particularly concerning the “efficacy” of baptism and why there is never a need for a “second” one.  I could not listen to the discussion without being reminded of the Donatist controversy in the early church:  were the sacraments of “traditores” still effective?) .  What I took away from this is that people still, without proper teaching, are inclined to look  at the outward benefits or manifestations of Christianity without understanding the cost or commitment.

Bishop Reddick challenged the assembled group to procure/provide Sunday School literature for Jamaica for this 2015 year. (I have an idea to discuss with the missionaries about supplies for the kids in our schools, perhaps a better-thought-out-idea than the one about computers).

Bible Study was from Acts 8.  Yesterday we learned about Simon the Sorcerer and his cheap tricks.  The story continued today, again noting that he focused on external signs of Christianity, that he fell in love with the Power of the Holy Spirit, but not with the Cause or the Positive Effects of the Holy Spirit. Rev. Spragin discussed Simon, Philip, and the Ethiopian Eunuch (and, I believe Candake), once again in their socio-political context.  Apparently I got caught up in it, because my notes are nearly unintelligible.  Net net:  Philip used the presence of the Holy Spirit to speak about Jesus the Christ.  Likewise, when we preach, we need to do the same.  Preaching needs a subject and an object; the object is Jesus the Christ, and the Subject needs to (be able to) respond. 

He ended the study speaking of how, after converting the Ethiopian Eunuch, Philip moved to Ashdod.  Once there, his response was “OK, now that I’m here, what is it God wants me to do?”  He left us to ponder the question of who is God calling US to minister to, to preach to, and to Set Free?

My notes for the rest of the day are a bit jumbled.  We were visited by the McIntyre family from Georgia, and Rev. McIntyre brought us a word from Acts 8:26.  She spoke on a topic very close to my heart:  “It’s not the Destination, It’s the Journey.”

After another delightful lunch, we had group sessions, and after that we reassembled for business:  the Committee reported and there were various other reports.  Closing Worship was led by Mr. Rawlston Rowe, the District Lay Leader, and the evening message was brought by Brother Cosmo Grant, who came from Matthew 25:1-13.  His sermon title was “Ready Waiting.”  He told us that we are to be prepared, ready, and waiting to do what God calls us to do.  We will encounter those who are negative or unprepared, but if we properly prepare ourselves,  the Grace of God will get us through. Like the wise virgins, the church must hold on and stay focused.  He used an extraordinary sermon illustration to remind us how we must always Pray First, Aim High, and Stay Focused!!!

By now, the routine has settled in.  We go back to the hotel, have dinner, piddle around trying to post our pics, and go to bed.  I believe this is the night that I was able to Skype with Danny, and he got to see and greet Bishop and Mrs. Reddick and Pastor Burns.  I’m a little bummed to know that I won’t see him in CR; he has a gig and will be away, so I’ll hit CR on Sunday (if I ever remember to let Sophi know when I’m coming in), I think chill with her for a day or maybe go down to Quepos and go parasailing for Monday, then leave out early Tuesday morning for Tortuguero.  I should be back from Tortuguero on Thursday, and would like to chillax until I leave on Friday.  We shall see.

So Wednesday night was Wednesday night, and then we are heading into our last day of worship,  The final morning meditation was led by Rev. Gloria Rowe.  She took her text from Matthew 28: 1-20, reminding us of “Our Journey.”  We don’t know the day nor the hour, but Jesus is coming, so keep on journeying on.

Pics from the day can be found here:

Some videos can be found here:
Good News CME Youth Praise Dance, Pt. 1
https://youtu.be/iwAMB6Z0fcM

Good News CME Youth Praise Dance,Pt. 2
https://youtu.be/9XsA1LO9hCg

praise dance feat. Bishop and Mrs. Reddick
https://youtu.be/Hhroim0jIRA

Revive Us Again
https://youtu.be/YUMohOTtRN0

Don't come knocking, v.2
https://youtu.be/5RvAdsbaDBA

Don't Come Knocking
https://youtu.be/KxYlM8G12oI

Evangelist Gloria Leslie leads choruses
https://youtu.be/9oS2xQF6DfM

Even Me
https://youtu.be/qs_3S68kHo0

Break Every Chain/We Are Soldiers/I am a Warrior medley
Youth dancing
https://youtu.be/V7KpLhScoHQ

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Today was the first day of the 34^th  session  of the Jamaica Annual Conference.  It’s delightful to be here.  This time I’m in another oceanview room; last night I was a bit disappointed that it did not offer a view of the ocean.  Probably because of the time changes, the stress associated with traveling (especially thinking you were going to rendezvous with a group only to find out after they didn’t show up that plans had changed), and the abundance of processed food one finds when traveling, I woke up early this morning feeling like absolute crap.

So I wandered to the window and found an absolutely stunning view of the ocean!

(A link to more of the day's pictures is below.) As you can see, the view was spectacular.   It was so beautiful that I decided to go for a stroll along the beach.  For me, it’s a bit tragic to come all the way to Jamaica and have the only time you’re not in church be spent either as a consumer or having people serve you in hotels.  I like to get out and walk around, meet, and interact with people.  And while I love doing  it with the Saints, I also want to do it in a non-controlled environment.  Kinda.  So I went out walking on the beach.  There was a Rasta (or at least a guy with a Jamaican accent and dreds) walking around.  We spoke and went our separate ways. 

Spent some time walking the beach and, like Otis Redding, watching the waves roll in.  It actually helped the headache.  When I finally headed back to the room, I found myself falling at one point (I find the steps and the pavement here consistently uneven, and since my gait is not as synchronized as I’d like it, I do notice it.  It’s not usually a distraction, but this morning my head was somewhere else).  So I fell.  And I got up and went on.  It didn’t break the skin, and while there was some pain inside the knee, it didn’t appear to damage anything.  Since I’ve had operations on both knees and may someday have them both replaced, this (the fact that I didn’t hurt myself) was a minor miracle.  I limped back to the room, massaged and stretched the knee, took a hot shower and didn’t give it too much more thought.

Breakfast was a buffet with something that looked like cheese sandwiches,  banana bread, bacon, ham, fried dumplings, fruit (papaya, watermelon and pineapple), scrambled eggs, ackee and codfish, calaloo, and the yam/plantain stuff.  Delicious.  I have to watch my portions and end up tasting a little of everything, cuz it’s all so good.

Conferences are really interesting, and being around Bishop Reddick is quite fun.  I am admittedly and somewhat intentionally oblivious to politics in the CME Church; I do, however, enjoy watching people.  And I can often “see,” sense, or feel people on a spiritual plane.  Or something.  I can sometimes see who you present yourself to be as well as who you are and who you could be.  It’s quite an interesting process, and maybe it’s not a spiritual thing, maybe it just has to do with emotional intelligence. Whatever it is, Bishop Reddick seems to possess the same ability.  So breakfast was very interesting, not the least of which were conversations about his DUDS days and my rediscovery of the fact that he is a complete and total CME history geek!

We got to Good News CME Church about 9ish, I suppose, and after morning devotion (where PE and Host Pastor Colmie Simms took her text from 1 Kings 3:18-28, preaching on “Bring the Live Baby Back,” talking about how a spiritual death threatens to take us over, and we must bring the Live Baby back by drawing closer to the Lord), we made some brief presentations: Mrs. Reddick gave a gift to Mrs. Grant; Rev. Heath and Pastor Burns gave gifts to the kids and to Rev. Grant; I put the candies and all 1100 bracelets in the care of Rev. Grant.

The conference then started and continued on til mid-morning Bible Study.  The devotional was led by Rev. Christopher Bennett, and Dr. Ore Spragin, Jr. did Acts 8, 1-15.  Like any excellent Seminary professor, my twin Dr. Spragin broke open the text, historically, socially, theologically, and spiritually.  He located and identified Saul and Stephen and the Samarians, explaining how sometimes going into all the world as Jesus commanded may not appear the way we had conceived of it, but offering assurance that, if we continue on with God’s plan, that God will bless.

After Bible Study we were served lunch.  The US delegation along with some of the Presiding Elders and some of the primary schoolteachers ate in the Pauline B. Grant school cafeteria. It was rice and peas, some deliciously fried chicken, some escovietch fish, I heard there were oxtails, maybe some curried goat, and I don’t know what else (this, with the additions of a macaroni salad and some cole slaw, would be the menu every day).   I’d asked Bishop Reddick who could take me to get a sim card (even though Rev. Simms had offered me her phone, I’m going to be here longer and didn’t want to impose.  Plus I’d have to have cut her sim card to use in my phone, rendering it unusable for her.  I would learn later that her supply of phones is legendary, but at the time, I didn't want to inconvenience her). 

So as soon as I finished lunch we went to Black Water, about 15km away, for one.  We went first to the LIME office, because everyone says LIME is better.  Their computers were down.  Then we went to the Digicel office across the street.  They had no sim cards.  Then we went to another Digicel store which also had no sim cards.  Then Rev. Bennett called a Digicel store, took me on a 30 minute drive in the opposite direction, and I finally got a sim card!  I got some plan that gives me a GB or two but unlimited FB, Twitter, AppChat, and Instagram.  The sim, the plan, adding data and text all came to less than $20.00 US. The best coverage I could get on Digicel was 3G until the middle of the night; don’t know if it was less traffic or the fact that I rebooted the phone, but after I did that and took out and replaced the SD card (only because I wanted to copy my ipad movies to it), I suddenly, at 2 am, got 4G speeds.  I also know Digicel has 4G speeds in MoBay. 

A member of our delegation had asked me to get her some Alka Seltzer. So while I was in Black Water, I went into the drugstore to get some and the lady asked if I wanted it in a lotion or powder.  She heard “Aqua” something, and was trying to give me something for the skin.  When I asked her what she had for the stomach, she said she’d have to check to see if Alka Seltzer was a prescription medication.  When I told her it wasn’t and asked what she had for an upset stomach, she offered me Pepto Bismol and Xanax.  I would have gotten the Pepto, but they didn’t take US dollars.

We got back to the church just in time for Communion.  Rev. Clarence Kelby Heath preached from John 20:1-4, “Running to Find Jesus.”  He started talking about various runners, comparing Usain Bolt and Jesse Owens, but in the end saying that none of them was the best runner; the best runner was the one who runs for Jesus, with all their heart and soul, in every situation and circumstance, no matter what, and who is not deterred. It was QUITE the moving sermon.

We came back to the hotel for dinner of tossed salad, macaroni salad, peas and rice, pepper steak, steamed veggies, fried fish, and ice cream. I’m probably leaving something out.  It was good, and we all sat around talking for a while. (Velma Lois Jones has earned the right to eat her ice cream first, and I forgot to put in how Vanessee Burns ate my ice cream when we stopped at the Pelican.  But it wasn't very good, so she allowed me to eat some of it.  Between the two of us, we still didn't finish it.)

After dinner,  of course, we went into the lobby, the only place where the wifi seems to work. I can get wifi on my phone and my laptop, but not on my ipad which is where all the videos are.  So I stayed there until about 11 getting them off my ipad and onto my laptop (and hopefully later onto my hard drive.) I’ll probably have to wait until I get back to the States to upload them.

I was sitting with brother Cliff Harris trying to figure out why his Skype didn’t work and the Rasta guy from this morning came by.  He was high as a kite and spoke with a thick Jamaican accent, but I think he told me that he drives a boat and some guy give him a hard time and wanted to fight him and he didn’t know how to fight, and he hurt his hand, so he’s had a bad day.  But we made each other smile, so that was good.

That’s what I remember from today.  Nothing especially profound; in  the last 24 hours I’ve learned that it’s ok to let people be who they are, even if they’re unpleasant, unintelligible, or unbelievable.  Let them do and be them, and RESPECT who they are.  I also learned that I can drink a large coffee with no sweetener. 

Because the cell coverage is so bad, my phone doesn’t appear to connect to the network enough to even change the time.  I have no idea what time it is, but want to walk the beach tomorrow, so I’m calling it a night.

Today’s pics are found here:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205322162587403.1073741892.1048146180&type=1&l=5ba2f235e7

Additionally, some videos are found here:

He Touched Me
https://youtu.be/8ywB8mh1lfI

Rock of Ages
https://youtu.be/B6QP5U80ozI

There is a Fountain
https://youtu.be/SGe0FEDsPPs

There is Power Mighty In the Blood
https://youtu.be/-LrY3o_2rPA

All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
https://youtu.be/hBsDxdhYXIg

Draw Me Nearer
https://youtu.be/IUbC9z0Ldj4

Hallelujiah!  What a Savior!!
https://youtu.be/CqgLdOSImtI

Monday, April 6, 2015

So Supershuttle came at 2:45, just as they said, for a 6:30 departure out of JFK.  Between the American/USAIr confusion, my passport not scanning, and the fact that USAir somehow didn’t have me down as TSA Precheck, I would have been prepared to have been annoyed except that one segment of the flight was first class.  That meant I got to check THREE bags (If I’d had three checkable bags) and the weight limit was higher:  70 lbs instead of 50.  There was food service on real china and wider seats.  I may have to do that again.

There were a variety of things going on:  the kids in back of me kicking the chair and their mother  insisting they weren’t;  the kids in front of me in First Class making noise; or the fact that I routed my flight through Charlotte because I thought that was where everyone was meeting, only to find that everyone had made their own individual flights,  which meant I could have gone directly to MBJ from JFK..

But we got here uneventfully.  No one from the Tourist Bureau to meet us, though the woman I talked to on the plane was met by someone who helped me through customs quite quickly.  We hung out for a looooong time then had some lunch, then headed to St. Elizabeth. 

This year, the US delegation was led by:
Bishop and Mrs. Lawrence L. Reddick, III, Senior Bishop and First Lady of the CME Church; Presiding Prelate and First Lady over the 8^th Episcopal District, which includes Jamaica.

The trip was ably coordinated by:
Ms. Beverly Ross, 8th Episcopal District, Beebe Tabernacle CME Church, Houston, TX.

Additional members of the delegation were:
Rickey Fontenot, 8^th ED; Sheeler Memorial CME Church, Houston, TX;

Clifford Harris, General Secretary of the Lay Department, 9^th ED, Pettie Chapel, Bixby, OK;

Clarence K. and Lakisha Heath, 8^th ED, Carter Metropolitan  CME Church, Ft. Worth, TX;

Dr. Judith E. Grant, Past President, Women’s Missionary Society; 7^th ED, Holsey Temple CME Church, Philadelphia, PA;

Velma Lois Jones, 1st ED; Trinity CME Church, Memphis, TN

Dr. Vanessee J. Burns, 8^th ED; Christian Chapel Temple of Faith, Dallas, TX

Dr. Ore L. Spragin, Editor, The Christian Index; 5^th Episcopal District and
Cassandra G. Perry, 7th ED; Williams Institutional CME Church, New York, NY. 

Once everyone had finally gathered, we stopped at a Mega Store for water and then at the Tortuga factory.  I started on what, in retrospect, seemed for a moment to have been an ill-fated search for a Digicell sim card. 

That’s all I wrote on the first day. I left out the group luncheon at the Pelican, the stop at the Mega Mart to get water and treats, and the first night's dinner at Treasure Beach.  Apparently I put the pictures for today and tomorrow all together, so I will put the links in both places,
Here is the link, which includes a variety of pictures from the journey in as well as the first day.  If the hyperlink doesn't work, just copy and paste this link:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205315586343001.1073741891.1048146180&type=1&l=0455de5107

Religious Freedom Restoration Act: Cassandraism

Since the country is in an uproar about religious freedom, I thought it would be appropriate for me to start a new religion.  I think I'll call it Cassandraism.  Cassandraism has but one central tenet:  Stupidity is anathema.  It would be bad to say that stupid people are little more than dingleberries on the butthole of humanity, and need to be eradicated at all costs, so I won't do that.  I will say that Cassandraism maintains that stupidity is a choice.  This has nothing to do with intellectual aptitude or cognitive prowess; the stupidity considered to be anathema by Cassandraism is the simple lack of, or failure to exercise, common sense.

For instance, Cassandraism will not approach a group of people who are attempting to abstain from their attachment to food and then coerce them to attend a banquet.  It won't pretend to honor people by making them pay for tickets and then seat them in general seating while reserving a dais for people who are not honorees.  In Cassandraism, when people do eat, they will will be trained to give thanks before doing so. 

Cassandraism considers the "Religous Freedom Restoration Act" to be one of a myriad of social phenomena which show a lack of common sense.  Of course everyone in America gets religious freedom.  Yes, that freedom even allows us to discriminate.  It does NOT, however, allow anyone to freely peddle that discrimination in public.  We live in a world where people are different from us.  

I happen to believe fervently and sincerely in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I don't happen to believe that Gospel needs me to capriciously shove it down people's throats, any more than I want, say, Scientologists proselytizing to me.  So we sort of accept the idea that we'll adopt some common rules that allow us all to get along together.  I can share my faith with you privately or in mutually-agreed-upon settings.  It's sorta like driving.  You can get on a private road or a specially designated roadway and do whatever you want, but on a public road there are rules you have to obey.  I personally don't like the fact that I have to slow down for people who drive 45 mph in the left lane; I think the world would be a better place if I could run everyone off the road who uses a passing lane as a travel lane.  But I abide by the rules of the road.

So it is with this Religious Freedom thing.  If you serve a god who demands that you consider and judge other people's sexuality as a prerequisite to social interaction with them, you have every right to do that.  You don't however, have the right to be out in public among civilized people, because that's not a civilized thought.  First of all, if someone else's sexuality is a significant factor in your religious practices, you probably either need to ask them for a date or go find a good therapist.  And if your judgement of their sexuality is a prerequisite to your being able to do business with them, I'd vote for that therapist...

Whatever the case, you get to believe and behave, within commonly accepted guidelines, any way you want.  But  you need to understand that all the people who don't believe or behave the way you do have just as many rights to their beliefs and behaviors as you -- sort of like how the person driving 45 mph in the left hand lane has just as much right to be there as I do, even though I'm going 80.

Now the rules of the highway say that people going at different speeds travel in different lanes, so they don't collide.  These are some of those commonly accepted guidelines, sort of like the speed limit.  It's an attempt to create a fairly common space on the highway -- those who need to go fast can do so; those who want to go slower can do so, but everyone moves ahead.

When you want to evaluate someone's sexuality before doing business with them, or if someone wanted to sacrifice a goat or a chicken before doing business with them, or if someone needed to do a coupla peyote buttons before doing business with others -- I suppose they could, but such actions are the equivalent of causing traffic jams, or cluttering up the common space on the highway.  They are not acceptable actions or behaviors in a diverse public area.  It's sort of like the religions that don't allow unrelated males and females to touch.  Such prohibitions simply do not work in a diverse society, so they need to either be modified, suspended, or abandoned when in the public arena.

Basically, Indiana, you don't get to do whatEVER you want to do.  You have to stop and think about other people. I know it's a difficult concept, especially if you believe your actions are Divinely justified.  And while God doesn't really need your help, if you're intent on representing God, well, Holy Thursday is coming up soon.  Why not go to your local homeless shelter and have a footwashing service? Not comfortable with that action?  Then why not start by doing things Jesus said, like feeding the sheep?  Why not feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or house the homeless?  From what I understand, Jesus spent a good deal of time with people with all kinds of sexual backgrounds, yet He never once turned them away.  Who are you to do that?

You want a Religious Freedom Restoration Act?  Start where Jesus did, feed the hungry and clothe the naked.  Start there.

The Demise of Parenthood

Parenthood, NBC's comfortably cozy series about the Braverman family, has ended after six years.  In one of those internet pseudo-magazines, Craig T. Nelson (who portrayed Zeke Braverman, the clan’s patriarch) is said to have been unhappy about the series ending.  (I had to read the article to understand that “ending” in this sentence was a verb and not a noun.) 

Mr. Nelson was unhappy that the series had to end.  While I share that sentiment (a bit more on that later), I am not at all unhappy with the way it ended.  Attempting not to spoil it for those who may not have seen it, I will simply say that what I saw was a celebration of life – its continuity, its ups and downs, and a testimony to the fact that, as long as we hold our loved ones in our hearts and memories, they live in our lives and in our love.
.

Those are the sorts of comfortable, cozy sentiments that made up much of Parenthood.  Yes, there was actual and potential infidelity; a couple of out of wedlock children; some substance abuse; there were family members and loved ones whose social abilities or sexual orientations were what some would call different – there were most of the myriad of issues and concerns normally seen in society, but they were all painted on a canvas of the family unit.  The Bravermans became a multiracial family.  Some may say that multiracialism was “whitewashed;” I would offer that it was simply subordinate to the theme of family. 

Which is why it’s so sad the story ended.  Dax Shepard, who played Crosby, the Braverman’s younger son, who began to walk into both manhood, fatherhood, and “husbandhood” over the last six years – Dax Shepard tweeted “Tonight is the series finale of Parenthood.  Best 6 years of my life J let’s all watch and try to equal the viewership of a kardshian rerun.”  I thought that tweet was quite powerful, as it summed up why it’s so sad the story ended.  We talk about all that’s wrong with entertainment, and all that’s wrong with our society, and all the negative influences.  Yet, when a good, wholesome show comes along, one with lovable characters, one that advocates love of family – when a good old fashioned, G-rated tv show comes on, what do most Americans do?  They turn to a show called “Scandal.”  Now I can’t pretend to know what “Scandal” is about, because I’ve never watched it.  But a quick check of its wiki shows that the main character is someone who’s having an affair with a politician.  I’m sorry – can someone explain why I’d want to watch a show about this when I don’t even watch the news?  And if this is the sort of stuff that’s in our news, why are we fantasizing about it?  Wouldn’t it be more productive to expend our psychic and spiritual energy on more positive things?

This is nothing against the writer, Shonda Rhimes.  I’m a tremendous fan of Grey’s Anatomy; not so big a fan of its spinoff, Private Practice, which was essentially a breeding ground for affairs of former Grey’s Anatomy characters.  Thankfully, that series (Private Practice) was short-lived.  I thought its short life sent a message that people preferred Ms. Rhimes’ more wholesome writing – and then I saw the Scandal ads, followed shortly by “How to Get Away with Murder.”  Why would anyone other than a criminal want to watch something with that name?  While I think Ms. Rhimes is brilliantly talented, I prefer positivity.  And never having watched “Scandal” or “How to Get Away with Murder,” I can’t definitely say they’re not positive.  What I can say is that their titles destroy any potential interest I may have had in the writer’s skills.

I can’t fail to mention the fact that “Scandal” and “How to Get Away with Murder” have almost cult-like followings.  The viewers call themselves gladiators – I don’t know what else they do to distinguish themselves – but seeing so many people galvanized behind these programs simply calls to mind the saying that “the devil doesn’t come dressed in a red suit with a pitchfork and a spiked tail.  The devil comes dressed as everything you’ve ever wanted.”

When we salivate over “Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder,” or when we’d rather be Scandalized than to contemplate the joys of Parenthood, I can’t help but wonder if the devil is sitting in a corner somewhere laughing?  In the interest of full disclosure, I am a "The Haves and the Have Nots" junkie.  I won't attempt to rationalize it here (although I do it in my head at least once a week);  I will simply say that the characters in The Haves and the Have Nots are human with human frailties, and also display the same dramatic and corrupt inclinations as others.  I continue to watch the Haves and the Have Nots because there is an underlying theme of hope and redemption, and because it gives open tribute to my own Christian faith tradition.

So. Back to Parenthood.   The way the storyline ended was, in my opinion, very skillfully done, and left the viewer with appreciation and celebration for the gift of family.  The cessation of the series, though, leaves me so, so sad.  I’m not sad only because a great series is no longer on the air (I have over 30 episodes on DVR); I’m sad because my thought is that its departure from our tv screens represents another departure, which is the  departure from our consciousness  of the strength, power , and sanctity of the family unit.  That family unit may not look the same in this generation as it did in generations past; family is who you say it is.  It’s the bond, the everlasting family bond that’s important.  In a world that wants to get away with murder, in a world that’s looking for the next good scandal, I fear we’ve overlooked the essentials -- the ties that bond us together, the things we celebrate and hold sacred, the relationships that make life worth living.  It's not about the drama, the scandal, or how to get away with murder.  After all, those are sort of "first-world" issues.  What's essential are some very common human themes -- love of family, the bond of friendship, and the trials and tribulations of parenthood.  All these relationships (Family, Friendship, and Parenthood) may look different today than they did a generation ago;  my definition of them may look different than yours, but they are relationships to which nearly all human beings can relate and which are cherished by nearly all human beings.

And that’s why Parenthood’s ending is such a sad occasion to me.  

Salaam, y'all

It was about 1 am on the morning of January 16, 2015.  I had literally been in the house less than five minutes when I started getting text messages, then Facebook Messenger messages.  I was just returning from a few days in Atlanta where I’d attended a Pastors’ Conference and visited friends and loved ones.  I wasn’t in the mood to spoil the temporary high, and so ignored the communications.

When I finally got up this afternoon, there were emails and Facebook posts about it.  The issue, it seems, is that my alma mater, Duke University, made a decision to allow the adhan, or the Muslim call to prayer, to be broadcast from the Duke Chapel Bell Tower, and then apparently bowed to political pressure and decided NOT to allow it.  I’ll admit that my first reaction was:  “wait a minute.  This is a Christian school.  Shouldn’t they be calling Christians to prayer?”  And while I am still of that opinion, that opinion doesn’t conflict with allowing the adhan.

If you know me, you know that I always thought I’d be a Yalie, and that Duke, one of my safety schools, offered a very prestigious scholarship which included a summer of study at Oxford in England.  While that did kinda trump Yale’s offer, there were two other considerations in my decision to attend Duke:  1) it was close to home and my grandparents were getting old (they would both die my freshman year); and 2) it was a Methodist school.  While I could hardly have been called devout during college, I had been trained well as a child:  one semester my studies included Modern Greek, Old Testament, and Religion and Theology of Black America (I remember tracing the history of the CME Church for that class).  I had no clear interest, desire or intent to pursue religious studies at the time; I’d fulfilled the requirements for my major, was working on a second major, and was simply taking interesting elective courses in other areas.  My running from the very obvious call on my life is another story.  The point is that, no matter the details of my wayward living, I was comfortable in the atmosphere of eruditio et religio, or erudition and religion, which is the motto of Duke University.

So my knee-jerk reaction was, “this is a Christian school.  Why are we doing an adhan?”  As I consider what I know of Islam, I don’t see the theological barriers to allowing the adhan.  Muslims, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Universalists all are descended from the Arian way of thinking, and all have issues with the Divinity of Jesus.  If we wouldn’t bar the latter three, why bar the Muslims?  Yes, they are a different religion, but we are calling people to PRAYER!! Muslims, like Christians and Jews, are all spiritual descendants of Abraham.  Can we not come together in that unity?  This isn’t proselytism; it’s a call to prayer.  We are all People of the Book.  How can we deny our theological cousins the opportunity to pray?  While they call Him by the Name of Allah, we are all praying to the same God; how can we not allow people to be called to That God in prayer?

If you've ever been to a Muslim country and been roused from a sound sleep by the call to prayer, you know two things:  1) they can seem a bit disruptive at first, but 2) they represent a faith tradition that is VERY serious about its prayer life.  If you're like me, it led to 3) a re-examination of your commitment to your own prayer life.  When I hear the 5 am adhan, do I grumble, pull the covers over my head, and try to get a few more zzzs, or do I at least whisper a silent prayer instead of getting out of my warm bed and getting on my knees?  What about when I hear the 6:30 am call, or the 11:47 am call?  No?  How about the 2:30 or 4:30 pm call?  How about the 6:30 pm call?  This is a call to prayer, and while the call does bear witness to Muhammad as the messenger of God, the text of these calls begins and ends by stating that "God is the Greatest," and that "I bear witness that there is no God but God."  ("Allah" is simply the Arabic word for God.  It does not refer to a different divine being.  Arabic-Speaking Christians also sang and proclaimed "Allahu Akhbar," meaning "God is Great," while we were in a Christian worship service togther.)  The call goes on to call people to Hasten to Worship, and to Hasten to Success, encouraging them that Prayer is better than sleep, and then end by repeating the phases at the beginning, that God is the Greatest, and that there is no God but God.  How awesome would it be for every believer of the Abrahamic tradition, whether Christian, Muslim, or Jewish, to listen to, meditate upon, and perhaps be moved by these affirmations?!?  I do not believe Mohammad to be a messenger of God, so that piece is a bone upon which I would not feast.  But to have an audible reminder of the rest broadcast throughout campus would, I believe, have been a wonderful opportunity.  Handled appropriately, it could have been an opportunity for the campus to regularly call EVERYONE to prayer, something I'd bet money does not presently happen.

Somewhere along the way, I think many wonderful opportunities have been lost.  I happen not to agree with those who think this is an opportunity for Duke to continue its tradition of religious pluralism (only because that term is increasingly associated with some sort of theologically bastardized, non-offensive, spiritually impotent Frankenmonster).  Duke was founded, and I hope it continues its identity, as a Christian school, specifically a Methodist one.  The missed opportunity as I see it is the opportunity to see, learn, and understand that within Christianity there is not isolation, but inclusion.  The missed opportunity is the opportunity to see Jesus the Christ as one who came to tear down barriers imposed by traditional religious practices.  The missed opportunity is to see that this same Jesus spoke of “sheep who are not of this fold,” and, especially in light of our own Sacred Texts,  to consider who those sheep may be.  The missed opportunity is the opportunity to dialogue with people who love God but have differing Christologies. Refusing to allow the adhan at Duke represents a missed opportunity for interreligious dialogue, exploration, and learning.   

There is a missed opportunity for those who follow Jesus to provide hospitality to the non-Christian (“the stranger”) within our gates.  There is a missed opportunity for Christians to be exposed to an incredibly beautiful prayer call, and perhaps for Christians at Duke to become more regular and/or more intentional in their own Christian prayer practices.  (I recently posted video of a call to salaat that I filmed in Jerusalem.  It is hauntingly beautiful.)  While I understand the reported threats to the Muslim population, I believe that refusing to allow the adhan demonstrates rejection of the knowledge that perfect Love casts out fear, and a missed opportunity to walk proudly in conviction rather than bend to political or financial pressures.

But mostly, and most sadly,  the missed opportunity is one to show the world a Jesus with a heart filled with love and arms outstretched to welcome all who would draw nearer to God.