“Praying Hands” by Peter Paul Rubens (1600), Source COREL photo CD, Masters I (PD)
“Several studies suggest that religious involvement or spiritual well-being may affect health outcomes…The spirituality scores were significantly correlated with the degree of progression or regression of coronary artery obstruction over a 4-year time period…This study suggests that the degree of spiritual well-being may be an important factor in the development of coronary artery disease.”
-Abstract: “The relationship of spirituality to coronary heart disease” by EL Morris, September/October 2001 [1]
A number of studies have demonstrated that spirituality – loosely defined as a relationship to the Divine – can have a positive impact on heart health.
These studies attempt to measure and parse spirituality without actually evaluating the quality of the relationship from which human beings draw their life and strength.
Christians, of course, know that a relationship with God is at the very heart of spirituality. Organized religion reflects and captures only a small portion of this. But the target of our devotion (and the degree of that devotion) matter. Read more…
“Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” (1887) by Viktor Vasnetsov, Glinka National Museum, Moscow, Russia (PD)
There are those who view the current war in Ukraine as the initial phase of WW III. Whether that is true or not, this war will impact more than Russia and Ukraine.
Food
Under normal conditions, these two nations export enormous amounts of food to the world. Together, they produce 29% of global wheat exports, and 75% of global sunflower oil exports [1A].
Wheat, of course, is an essential ingredient for the bread, pasta, and packaged foods which feed billions.
Global markets are still strained from the Covid pandemic. Food prices have risen, as a result. A further reduction in supply will only drive them higher.
Fertilizer
Russia is, also, among the world’s largest exporters of fertilizer (used to increase soil fertility, therefore, critical to agriculture) [1B].
Fertilizer prices are already spiraling upward. Some types have quadrupled in price. Corn is among the US crops directly impacted. Farmers do not plant what they cannot afford to cultivate.
Projections are that Africa will not be able to grow enough food this year, with up to 100 million left starving [3][4][5]. Read more…
Classic Walther PPK/S, .380 cal., Author Tomascastelazo, © Tomas Castelazo, http://www.tomascastelazo.com/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- On an ordinary Tuesday, at least 29 passengers were injured in a shooting on a Brooklyn, NY subway [1]. Many more in the area were traumatized.
- The weekend before, a 16 y.o. girl was killed and 2 other teens shot walking home from school in the Bronx [2]. The victims were not the intended targets.
- That same weekend, 2 died and 10 were injured during a shooting at a birthday party in a Cedar Rapids, IA nightclub [3].
- One man was killed and 5 others shot at a house party in Elgin, IL (a satellite of Chicago considered the quintessential midwestern town) [4].
- Earlier, a shooting occurred in Sacramento, CA in which 6 were killed and 12 injured [5]. This was Sacramento’s second mass shooting in a matter of weeks.
The list here is by no means a full tally of the gun violence which occurred in America during that particular 10-day period.
Much of this was violence for its own sake — for the twisted “thrill” of taking a life, perhaps revenge over some real or imagined slight. Read more…
“St. John and St. Peter at Christ’s Tomb” by Giovanni Francesco Romanelli (c. 1640), Los Angeles County Museum (LACMA ID 246533), Source https://collections.lacma.org/node/246533 (PD)
“Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.’
Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there…Then Simon Peter came…and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed” (John 20: 1-8).
Wishing you all a blessed Easter!
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse https://avoicereclaimed.com
Statue of the Good Shepherd by Sebastian Santos Rojas, Church of Socorro de Ronda, Malaga, Spain, Author Jl FilpoC (CC Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International)
All of us have experienced prayers denied. How is this to be reconciled with Jesus’ promise, “ ‘[A]sk, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened for you’ ”(Luke 11: 9)?
Doesn’t belief in God guarantee us our legitimate desires? Well, not exactly.
- The first Jewish temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The Babylonian Captivity lasted 70 years, and began the Jewish diaspora.
- The second temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The Arch of Titus still stands in Rome portraying the enslaved Jews and booty from the sack of the temple. Archaeological evidence supports a conclusion that temple treasure funded the building of the Roman Colosseum.
- Devout Christians throughout history have been persecuted and martyred.
- Injustice persists to the present day. Any attorney, anywhere, has come in contact with it.
On the surface, these events would appear to contradict the promise of answered prayer. Jesus, Himself, in the garden of Gethsemane asked that the cup be taken away.
“He …fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will’ ” (Matt. 26: 39).
Those last eight words are key. God’s will is always paramount. That is not merely a reflection of His supreme power, but His supreme righteousness. And God’s purposes may not be our own. Read more…
Slide showing storm on the Sea of Galilee, abstracted from “Northern Views – Great Storm on Sea of Galilee” by G. Eric and Edith Matson, Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/matpc/item/mpc2010007596/PP (Public Domain).
Many have endured God’s silence.
At Genesis 15: 13 God tells Abraham that his descendants will serve in a land not their own and be afflicted for 400 years. While there is some dispute over the actual length of the Egyptian captivity, we can be sure that the Israelites prayed daily for relief. Yet generations were born, grew old, and died without a deliverer in sight.
Another 400 years during which God was silent passed between the Old and New Testaments.
At times, God’s silence is a response to sin on our part. God’s silence does not, however, imply His absence. That is the lesson His silence teaches us.
The process by which our faith is strengthened is painful. We can hear the anguish in psalms like the following:
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears…” (Ps. 39: 12).
“Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; and those who hate You have lifted up their head…” (Ps. 83: 1-2). Read more…
Gerber Sweet Potato Jarred Baby Food (CC Attribution-Share Alike 3.0)
“For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5: 13-14).
Too many Christians are unschooled in their faith. They are, in effect, still babes. Because of this, their faith is not the comfort to them it could be, and not the example to others it should be.
Confronted by the harsh realities of this existence, immature Christians are at first surprised that God has not shielded them from the pain and hardship to which mankind is liable, then angered at having been sold what they view as a bill of goods about Him.
- Surely, Christians are not subject to cancer or plague; do not suffer amputation, blindness or other devastating illness or physical impairment.
- Surely, Christians do not struggle with depression, anxiety or other mental disorders.
- Surely, Christians do not have miscarriages; their children are not born with birth defects, do not die before reaching majority.
- Surely, Christians are never in the path of tornadoes and other natural disasters.
- Surely, they are not involved in auto accidents, plane crashes, and other results of fatal human error.
- Surely, Christians are not the victims of bombings, rapes, and other acts of deliberate violence.
Most Christians would recognize these assumptions as mistaken. Many though would ask why they, themselves, should be subject to any of these trials. “Why me, Lord?” is a familiar refrain. We are so self-important we feel ourselves entitled to call the Lord God Almighty to task. Read more…
Hourglass (16th Century), Metropolitan Museum of Art (Accession No. 12.23.1), Source https://metmuseum.org (CC0 1.0 Universal Public Dedication)
Scripture is filled with prophecies related to the End Times. Many of us gravitate toward these – partly from a desire to understand the world in which we live, and partly from a genuine longing for Christ’s return.
Dismayed by the sadness and turmoil around us, Christians ache for the promise of heaven, for peace on earth and perfect justice. The temptation is to turn away from the world and its troubles. We cannot though do that.
Christians are called to be salt and light to the world, to ease the world’s pain and share with the lost the hope Christ alone can offer. That is our role.
As we see darkness rising in the world, we have two choices: either to give in to discouragement and despair, or fight ignorance and injustice as Christ would have us do. He put us here for a purpose. Read more…
Illustration from “The history of the devil and the idea of evil; from the earliest times to the present day” by Paul Carus (1899), Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14772943531, Author Internet Archive Book Images (No known copyright restrictions)
Confronting evil takes a toll. That is true whether we are social workers, law enforcement officers, lawyers, news reporters, writers, or simply human beings dealings with the challenges of life.
Interest = Distress
The issues that interest us, the issues that motivate and move us, are the ones likely to distress us most.
Intractable Problems
Poverty, abuse, corruption and the like are not easy on the constitution or, for that matter, the soul.
Such massive and intractable problems weigh on us nearly as heavily as they do on the individuals impacted directly. They grind us down the same way gravity and friction wear down our joints.
Add to the mix discouragement at the fact too few others share our concerns, and we are likely to become despondent.
Brief Respite
Cooking websites, travelogues, flower shows, and art museums may offer a brief respite. But little more.
Christian Perspective
For Christians, this situation has an eternal dimension.
We struggle against the culture in which we are immersed, a culture that tolerates – and in many cases has created – the very evils which distress us.
Weary and wounded, we battle on. But we know that the war has already been won for us. It was won at the cross by Christ.
“In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16: 33).
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse https://avoicereclaimed.com
Twenty years ago, the World Trade Center was destroyed in the 9/11 attacks by al-Qaeda on the United States [1][2].
Those of us old enough can recall where we were when we first heard the news. A new generation has been born since. But they, too, need to remember.
The post below (again updated) was originally published 9/11/12
NYC 9/11 Memorial (South Pool), Source https://web.archive.org/web/20161101121927/http://www.panoramio.com/photo/127859768, Author giggel (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
WARNING: Graphic Images
“For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord…” (Is. 51: 3).
Covering 2200 acres and taller than the Statue of Liberty, the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island, NY can be seen from space.
At one time the primary waste disposal site for the City of New York, Fresh Kills was closed to dumping early in 2001, but reopened to process the 2 million tons of debris from the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
Mass Destruction
“You could not comprehend the massive destruction [at Ground Zero]. Even though there was an enormous amount of toxic debris and smoke, your skin was on fire you couldn’t breathe your eyes were tearing, you just kept going on and on. You didn’t care – you just wanted to find somebody [3A].”
– former EMS Paramedic, Freddie Noboa, now suffering from PTSD, asthma, and many other illnesses
Twisted girders, broken concrete, bricks, glass, shredded paper, and human remains were shipped by truck and barge to Fresh Kills.
A Miniature City
Work at Fresh Kills went on 24/7 consuming over 1.7 million man hours. A miniature city grew up to accommodate the NYC Police Department, FBI, 25 state and federal agencies, and 14 contractors sorting through the material.
Though recovery workers at Ground Zero toiled without respirators, those at Fresh Kills landfill were provided them, along with safety gear which included protective suits and gloves; goggles; hard hats; and steel-toe boots.
In view of the high stress environment, psychological counseling was, also, made available.
Like Being in Hell
“We found 150 full bodies and 20,000 body parts. It was like being in hell down there – arms, legs, people cut in half – a gruesome job. There were guys down there spitting up blood [3B].”
– former FDNY Deputy Chief, Jim Riches, who found his son’s body on “the pile” at Ground Zero in March 2002
Under strict security protocols, piece after piece of material was passed along assembly lines and closely examined. More than 1600 personal effects were retrieved. Thousands of fragmentary human remains were recovered from which 300 persons were originally identified.
But the work to identify remains continues. As of 2019, the New York Medical Examiner’s Office had identified 1,644 victims – some 60% of those killed [4].
Toxic Debris
The toxic debris from the collapse of the Twin Towers was found to contain more than 2500 contaminants. These included glass and other fibers, asbestos, lead, and mercury.
About 70% of first responders developed cancers and serious respiratory conditions. Along with EMS and firefighters, construction workers, health care professionals, clergy, and others continue to suffer from medical issues to this day [5][6]. Read more…
A Lawyer's Prayers 