It's time to go back to school!

Dear Family of Love, 

I hope everyone had a good Keeping the Faith Friday Fearlessly without Fretting. I attended a chamber concert at the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in San Luis Obispo. It was wonderful. Seeing these performing groups from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's music department gave me hope. Education is so vitally important and being balanced with the arts  makes our lives much better and well rounded. I miss taking classes in order to keep my mind stimulated and so that I can be an informed citizen. When was the last time any of you took a class our did a self course of study? I would suggest that everyone take a trip down memory lane and go back to school. We all need to take refresher courses in math, computers, foreign languages and here is the biggie! HISTORY ! We have lost touch with the reality that history shows us not the kinds that urban legends are made but the documented historical record of our world and national events that have brought us here today. Most of us take for granted how we got from point A to point B and the years in between.  I encourage each of you to take time to go back to school and retake as many history courses as you can find it will make you a balanced and informed individual.  I wan't to share with you  what I posted on Facebook today and remember this is my own opinion:

As I was reflecting upon our president's words at the National Prayer Breakfast it had occurred to me that most of us haven't had a history class in a very long time. As a former history major at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo I had the privilege to take many courses to many to count in history and most of them centered around British History and Early Church History, and Renaissance and Reformation and many other courses as well. It seems to me that many of our conservative family members are looking at history through revisionist lenses  or those who seek to re-write history,without thinking for themselves and delving into what is true and not true. We people of any of the Abrahamic Faiths do not have clean hands. We all have done terrible things in the name of....Jesus, Allah, and YHWH.
Ok maybe not all of us but those who come from extreme points of view who use certain faiths and odd ball tenets that may or may not exist to justify what terrible acts of violence and terror they are committing.  (Maybe if we tell them that we are doing this in the name of...... No one will notice that we are all a bunch of lawless thugs out for power and control!). 

 We are reminded every Good Friday in the Solemn Collects in the final bidding and collects from the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER: Let us pray for all who have not received the Gospel of Christ;
For those who have never heard the word of salvation
For those who have lost their faith
For those hardened by sin or indifference
For the contemptuous and the scornful
For those who are enemies of the cross of Christ and
persecutors of his disciples
For those who in the name of Christ have persecuted others
That God will open their hearts to the truth, and lead them to
faith and obedience.

The above cover just about everyone including the kitchen sink. We all must drop this notion that we are innocent in all of this. Yes, even in our own country we have done and are doing the same with our Native American family members, African American family members, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Family members, Refugee family members, Muslims, Jews, Irish , disabled, Gypsies, Hispanics, treatment of slaves, and our women and children. Has any one forgotten that the Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps because of fear? We all are family members and we have done terrible and unspeakable things out of fear and a need to control who is accepted. That is not our job! As people of the Family of Love /God we are serve and care for the least of these. It is time for us to put into practice what Jesus did and be forgiving, loving, merciful, accepting and inclusive,and find our way to become the Children of God, God wants us to be. Sorry for this rant! I think I have a start for tonight's blog!
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Tonight let us meditate on forgiveness and let us begin the radical practice of  loving one another  without judgement and without harm. Here are tonight's musical selection from tonight's concert. :Concert for 8 Trumpets - Broughton  and Canzon quarti toni- Gabrielli

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Gracious and loving God we pray that we may be schooled in your ways of love, justice, and peace.

We pray for all who teach and those who learn that our educational system may rise to the challenge of educating well rounded individuals who will not be afraid to ask questions and find answers on their own.

We pray for peace in this world and an end to violence and terror committed by violent extremists.

We pray for all who are ill that they may be healed of all their illnesses.

We pray for peace of mind and hearts as we confront the daily news cycle.

We pray that we may be loving and forgiving and accept forgiveness from our family members. 

We pray for_________________________________

God we pray that we as in the words of St. Benedict "Listen with the ear of the heart " and  'Be schooled for the Lord's service"

We lift up these our prayers and meditations to you Jesus! Amen.

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Today's wish is that we become the loving and forgiving Children of God that God wants us to be and remember that we all are made in God's image and likeness.This is the way to make peace in the world.

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Good Night Loved ones! May we all be one and love one another. I love  you ! Take time for self- care Saturday tomorrow. Rest gentle dear ones! I give God thanks for you this day and always!


Love, peace, and blessings!

Sara