So, this http://www.urbandictionary.com is pretty much the coolest thing i've ever seen.
The reason?
You find out stuff like this http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=south+cadillac.
Friday, December 22, 2006
2 of my favs...
These are two of my favorite songs as of late.
"Jesus Christ" by Brand New--this song has brilliant insights
Jesus Christ, that's a pretty face
The kind you'd find on someone that could save
If they don't put me away
It'll be a miracle
Do you believe you're missing out
That everything good is happening somewhere else?
But with nobody in your bed
The night's hard to get through
And I will die all alone
And when I arrive I won't know anyone
Well Jesus Christ, I'm alone again
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Cause this problem's gonna last more than the weekend.
Well Jesus Christ, I'm not scared to die,
I'm a little bit scared of what comes after
Do I get the gold chariot?
Do I float through the ceiling?
Do I divide and fall apart?
Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark
And the ship went down in sight of land
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands
I know you'll come in the night like a thief
But I've had some time, O Lord, to hone my lying technique
I know you think that I'm someone you can trust
But I'm scared I'll get scared and I swear I'll try to nail you back up
So do you think that we could work out a sign
So I'll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try
I know you're coming for the people like me
But we all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
But we all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
And we all got wood and nails
And we sleep inside of this machine.
"Monring Yearning" by Ben Harper
My fingers touch upon my lips
It’s a morning yearning
It’s a morning yearning
Pull the curtains shut try to keep it dark
But the sun is burning The sun is burning
The world awakens on the run
And we’ll soon be earning We’ll soon be earning
With hopes of better days to come
That’s a morning yearning Morning yearning Morning yearning…
Another day another chance to get it right
Must I still be learning?
Must I still be learning?
Baby crying kept us up all night
With her morning yearning
With her morning yearning Morning yearning…
Like a summer rose I’m a victim of the fall
But am soon returning
Soon returning
You’re love’s the warmest place the sun ever shines
My morning yearning
My morning yearning
Morning yearning…
"Jesus Christ" by Brand New--this song has brilliant insights
Jesus Christ, that's a pretty face
The kind you'd find on someone that could save
If they don't put me away
It'll be a miracle
Do you believe you're missing out
That everything good is happening somewhere else?
But with nobody in your bed
The night's hard to get through
And I will die all alone
And when I arrive I won't know anyone
Well Jesus Christ, I'm alone again
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Cause this problem's gonna last more than the weekend.
Well Jesus Christ, I'm not scared to die,
I'm a little bit scared of what comes after
Do I get the gold chariot?
Do I float through the ceiling?
Do I divide and fall apart?
Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark
And the ship went down in sight of land
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands
I know you'll come in the night like a thief
But I've had some time, O Lord, to hone my lying technique
I know you think that I'm someone you can trust
But I'm scared I'll get scared and I swear I'll try to nail you back up
So do you think that we could work out a sign
So I'll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try
I know you're coming for the people like me
But we all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
But we all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
And we all got wood and nails
And we sleep inside of this machine.
"Monring Yearning" by Ben Harper
My fingers touch upon my lips
It’s a morning yearning
It’s a morning yearning
Pull the curtains shut try to keep it dark
But the sun is burning The sun is burning
The world awakens on the run
And we’ll soon be earning We’ll soon be earning
With hopes of better days to come
That’s a morning yearning Morning yearning Morning yearning…
Another day another chance to get it right
Must I still be learning?
Must I still be learning?
Baby crying kept us up all night
With her morning yearning
With her morning yearning Morning yearning…
Like a summer rose I’m a victim of the fall
But am soon returning
Soon returning
You’re love’s the warmest place the sun ever shines
My morning yearning
My morning yearning
Morning yearning…
Monday, December 11, 2006
El Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe
Today commemorates the day in which Juan Diego crossed the hill of Tepeyac in order to attend Mass when he was met by the Virgen of Guadalupe. You can check out the story here http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/guadalupe.html.
It's a holiday called The Day of the Virgen of Guadalupe and I'm saddened by the mysticism and straight up idol worship that has crept into Christianity. I'm speaking particularly of Latin American Catholicism, but in light of some discussions I have had with some people this week, it's applicable to various "Christian" sects out there right now. It's not a new thing. I'm thinking about Galatians and how Paul is passionate that the people have forsaken "Sola Gratia" (although not in Reformation terminology). His plea is a return to true Christianity where Christ alone cures our sin through Grace alone.
I'm watching a celebration on Univision that has different musical acts perform songs to the Virgen (a worship service to the Virgen, basically). In between, a priest reads scripture (and has a terrible Spanish accent I might add). Earlier they showed different Catholic church locations around North America and interviewed people who had come from all over. People were filled with gratitude for the miracles the Virgen had granted them. I'm reminded of the celebration to the Virgen in Cholula, where I was in Mexico. It was terribly saddening to see so many people, so many religious people, take something true and tweak it to something untrue.
*Right now one of the singers is taking a vocal break in the song to thank a picture of the Virgen for loving here and being with her always.
Some of you may have heard me say this before, but one of my first days in Puebla, I found myself in a cathedral. In the front right of the church was a statue of the Virgen with the words "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest" written above her. I think that about sums it up.
Such a beautiful people. A people I am downright in love with. And yet they are caught up in idols in the very religion we share in name. I'm gonna go pray for them.
It's a holiday called The Day of the Virgen of Guadalupe and I'm saddened by the mysticism and straight up idol worship that has crept into Christianity. I'm speaking particularly of Latin American Catholicism, but in light of some discussions I have had with some people this week, it's applicable to various "Christian" sects out there right now. It's not a new thing. I'm thinking about Galatians and how Paul is passionate that the people have forsaken "Sola Gratia" (although not in Reformation terminology). His plea is a return to true Christianity where Christ alone cures our sin through Grace alone.
I'm watching a celebration on Univision that has different musical acts perform songs to the Virgen (a worship service to the Virgen, basically). In between, a priest reads scripture (and has a terrible Spanish accent I might add). Earlier they showed different Catholic church locations around North America and interviewed people who had come from all over. People were filled with gratitude for the miracles the Virgen had granted them. I'm reminded of the celebration to the Virgen in Cholula, where I was in Mexico. It was terribly saddening to see so many people, so many religious people, take something true and tweak it to something untrue.
*Right now one of the singers is taking a vocal break in the song to thank a picture of the Virgen for loving here and being with her always.
Some of you may have heard me say this before, but one of my first days in Puebla, I found myself in a cathedral. In the front right of the church was a statue of the Virgen with the words "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest" written above her. I think that about sums it up.
Such a beautiful people. A people I am downright in love with. And yet they are caught up in idols in the very religion we share in name. I'm gonna go pray for them.
Friday, December 08, 2006
drugs, guns, and glam-shots...we are pop-culture icons.
A few days ago The Jubilee Year had its second band photo shoot ever. It was the first one with the newly re-formed band. There was a lot of living up to do since our first shoot, that took place about 2 years ago, was one of the funnest things we've probably ever done together as a band. But, alas, the shoot lived up.
It started with everyone harrasing everyone else about some insignificant thing. For instance, our drummer, Casey, wanted to wear this bright green "Cuban Soul Revival" shirt. He was insistent (in a joking way), and it was pretty dang funny to give him a hard time about it.
But the fun really started as we were staking out spots to "do our thang." We were in some part of Nashville I'd never been to (where the Yazoo Brewing plant is) and we noticed this awesome old green house/store. We continued past and set up shop elsewhere, but on the return, we decided it would make for some awesome photos. So, we are about to turn right at this local grocery which backed up to the green house, when we noticed five fairly scandalous individuals seemingly doing nothing. I'm not sure if you know this, but it's not normal to do nothing on a street corner in the "hood." We're roling slowly at this point, about to make the turn past them, when a car turns in front of us, rolls down the passenger side window, and asks them a short question, which they then respond to, and an exchange of some sort. Now, from my experience watching cops, I know that every drug deal in the world which involves a street corner and a car looks the same--JUST LIKE THAT! So, we all freak out and yell things like, "HOLY CRAP, GO!" and "DUDE, THAT WAS A FREAKIN' DRUG DEAL!" Needless to say, we took our business elsewhere. Not the end.
We're continuing to another "locale" (photo lingo), up 8th avenue and behind Greer Stadium. As we are turning onto the Greer Stadium road, P.J. yells, "Dude, real bullet holes!" We all notice a car turning beside us that has two REAL bullet holes in the driver side door. These were not to be mistaken for those bullet hole stickers that the "cool" kids put on their cars. Yeah, that's the way the day was going. Also not the end.
We continued to the spot behind Greer Stadium, which none of us minus the photographer had ever been to before, and decided to set up in an "alley," which was really a walkway that led to an entrance to some sort of porch/cement company (I don't know either). So, we're shooting some photos, looking voluptuous when a woman wearing all camouflage comes out and stairs. We keep shooting, cause if you ignore something uncomfortable, it will go away. She finally says, "Whatcha doin' guys?" as if she had just caught us in the midst of the worst crime ever.
"Just taking some band pictures," we responded. She made her way slyly toward us.
"I coulda shot you!" she said. (We all laugh nervously) "It's not funny. I know it sounds extreme, but I could have. We don't have many people come around here. I could've shot you thinking you were up to no good!"
At this point w'ere all thinking, "Man, she's actually serious."
"Next time," she says, "just come in and ask first."
Ok, so, I may be alone on this one, but if she was going to shoot us for posing for photos on the walkway, would she not be more prone to shoot us if we come INSIDE the plant uninvited. Just a thought.
Needless to say, she did not shoot us. In fact, she let us keep taking photos. I think Casey pood his pants though.
And that is the story of the Dec. 6th, Jubilee Year photo shoot.
You can check out some of the pics at www.myspace.com/thejubileeyear
It started with everyone harrasing everyone else about some insignificant thing. For instance, our drummer, Casey, wanted to wear this bright green "Cuban Soul Revival" shirt. He was insistent (in a joking way), and it was pretty dang funny to give him a hard time about it.
But the fun really started as we were staking out spots to "do our thang." We were in some part of Nashville I'd never been to (where the Yazoo Brewing plant is) and we noticed this awesome old green house/store. We continued past and set up shop elsewhere, but on the return, we decided it would make for some awesome photos. So, we are about to turn right at this local grocery which backed up to the green house, when we noticed five fairly scandalous individuals seemingly doing nothing. I'm not sure if you know this, but it's not normal to do nothing on a street corner in the "hood." We're roling slowly at this point, about to make the turn past them, when a car turns in front of us, rolls down the passenger side window, and asks them a short question, which they then respond to, and an exchange of some sort. Now, from my experience watching cops, I know that every drug deal in the world which involves a street corner and a car looks the same--JUST LIKE THAT! So, we all freak out and yell things like, "HOLY CRAP, GO!" and "DUDE, THAT WAS A FREAKIN' DRUG DEAL!" Needless to say, we took our business elsewhere. Not the end.
We're continuing to another "locale" (photo lingo), up 8th avenue and behind Greer Stadium. As we are turning onto the Greer Stadium road, P.J. yells, "Dude, real bullet holes!" We all notice a car turning beside us that has two REAL bullet holes in the driver side door. These were not to be mistaken for those bullet hole stickers that the "cool" kids put on their cars. Yeah, that's the way the day was going. Also not the end.
We continued to the spot behind Greer Stadium, which none of us minus the photographer had ever been to before, and decided to set up in an "alley," which was really a walkway that led to an entrance to some sort of porch/cement company (I don't know either). So, we're shooting some photos, looking voluptuous when a woman wearing all camouflage comes out and stairs. We keep shooting, cause if you ignore something uncomfortable, it will go away. She finally says, "Whatcha doin' guys?" as if she had just caught us in the midst of the worst crime ever.
"Just taking some band pictures," we responded. She made her way slyly toward us.
"I coulda shot you!" she said. (We all laugh nervously) "It's not funny. I know it sounds extreme, but I could have. We don't have many people come around here. I could've shot you thinking you were up to no good!"
At this point w'ere all thinking, "Man, she's actually serious."
"Next time," she says, "just come in and ask first."
Ok, so, I may be alone on this one, but if she was going to shoot us for posing for photos on the walkway, would she not be more prone to shoot us if we come INSIDE the plant uninvited. Just a thought.
Needless to say, she did not shoot us. In fact, she let us keep taking photos. I think Casey pood his pants though.
And that is the story of the Dec. 6th, Jubilee Year photo shoot.
You can check out some of the pics at www.myspace.com/thejubileeyear
Monday, November 06, 2006
cool missions quote
Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.
-C.T. Studd
-C.T. Studd
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Identity Crisis
I just found out that there is another Jared Weatherholtz in this world (thanks to Google). That goes against everything I've ever known. Frankly, I feel violated.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Suffering
One problem in many Christian circles today is the approach to and the ideas surrounding suffering. I was searching through some blogs this morning and found this. It's from a 9/11 address given by Pastor Tim Keller in New York City. If you don't know who he is, I strongly recommend you check him out. You have to buy his sermons, but they are well worth it. Heck, I'll burn you one or send you the file if you've never heard him before.
"One of the great themes of the Hebrew Scriptures is that God identifies with the suffering. There are all these great texts that say things like this: If you oppress the poor, you oppress to me. I am a husband to the widow. I am father to the fatherless. I think the texts are saying God binds up his heart so closely with suffering people that he interprets any move against them as a move against him. This is powerful stuff! But Christianity says he goes even beyond that. Christians believe that in Jesus, God’s son, divinity became vulnerable to and involved in - suffering and death! He didn’t come as a general or emperor. He came as a carpenter. He was born in a manger, no room in the inn.
But it is on the Cross that we see the ultimate wonder. On the cross we sufferers finally see, to our shock that God now knows too what it is to lose a loved one in an unjust attack. And so you see what this means? John Stott puts it this way. John Stott wrote: 'I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the Cross. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?' Do you see what this means? Yes, we don’t know the reason God allows evil and suffering to continue, but we know what the reason isn’t, what it can’t be. It can’t be that he doesn’t love us! It can’t be that he doesn’t care. God so loved us and hates suffering that he was willing to come down and get involved in it. And therefore the Cross is an incredibly empowering hint. Ok, it’s only a hint, but if you grasp it, it can transform you. It can give you strength. "
"One of the great themes of the Hebrew Scriptures is that God identifies with the suffering. There are all these great texts that say things like this: If you oppress the poor, you oppress to me. I am a husband to the widow. I am father to the fatherless. I think the texts are saying God binds up his heart so closely with suffering people that he interprets any move against them as a move against him. This is powerful stuff! But Christianity says he goes even beyond that. Christians believe that in Jesus, God’s son, divinity became vulnerable to and involved in - suffering and death! He didn’t come as a general or emperor. He came as a carpenter. He was born in a manger, no room in the inn.
But it is on the Cross that we see the ultimate wonder. On the cross we sufferers finally see, to our shock that God now knows too what it is to lose a loved one in an unjust attack. And so you see what this means? John Stott puts it this way. John Stott wrote: 'I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the Cross. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?' Do you see what this means? Yes, we don’t know the reason God allows evil and suffering to continue, but we know what the reason isn’t, what it can’t be. It can’t be that he doesn’t love us! It can’t be that he doesn’t care. God so loved us and hates suffering that he was willing to come down and get involved in it. And therefore the Cross is an incredibly empowering hint. Ok, it’s only a hint, but if you grasp it, it can transform you. It can give you strength. "
Sunday, October 22, 2006
The (Socialist) Three Little Pigs
The theme of my Senior Seminar in Writing is Fairy Tales, and, while that sounds lame, it has turned into something completely fascinating and interesting. We just read a parody of The Three Little Pigs from a book called Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. It's by James Finn Garner. Here are some highlights:
"Once there were three little pigs who lived together in mutual respect and in harmony with their environment. Using materials that were indigenous to the area, they each built a beautiful house....When they were finished,the pigs were satisfied with their work and settle back to live in peace and self-determination.
But their idyll was soon shattered. One day along came a big, bad wolf with expansionist ideas."
"At the house of sticks the wolf again banged on the door and shouted, 'Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!'
The pigs shouted back, 'Go to hell, you carnivorous, imperialistic oppressor!'"
"So he huffed and puffed, and huffed and puffed, then grabbed his chest and fell over dead from a massive heart attack brought on from eating too many fatty foods."
"They [the pigs] gathered together a band of other pigs who had been forced off their lands. This new brigade of porcinistas attacked the resort complex with machine guns and rocket launchers and slaughtered the cruel wolf oppressor, sending a clear signal to the rest of the hemisphere not to meddle in their internal affairs. Then the pigs set up a model socialist democracy with free education, universal health care, and affordable housing for everyone."
Brilliant.
"Once there were three little pigs who lived together in mutual respect and in harmony with their environment. Using materials that were indigenous to the area, they each built a beautiful house....When they were finished,the pigs were satisfied with their work and settle back to live in peace and self-determination.
But their idyll was soon shattered. One day along came a big, bad wolf with expansionist ideas."
"At the house of sticks the wolf again banged on the door and shouted, 'Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!'
The pigs shouted back, 'Go to hell, you carnivorous, imperialistic oppressor!'"
"So he huffed and puffed, and huffed and puffed, then grabbed his chest and fell over dead from a massive heart attack brought on from eating too many fatty foods."
"They [the pigs] gathered together a band of other pigs who had been forced off their lands. This new brigade of porcinistas attacked the resort complex with machine guns and rocket launchers and slaughtered the cruel wolf oppressor, sending a clear signal to the rest of the hemisphere not to meddle in their internal affairs. Then the pigs set up a model socialist democracy with free education, universal health care, and affordable housing for everyone."
Brilliant.
Reformed Rapping?
I bet you've never heard the history of the PCA church in song. Jason Knox (whoever he is) deserves mad props for this.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Lame!
I got a package today (October 21st) that my parents sent me on June 3. 4 months! That is freakin' ridiculous!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Star Struck
I went to the nursing home (which was technically a retirement center) today for the first time in probably 5 years. That's strange because, growing up in the Southern Baptist Church, we went to a nursing home probably twice a month. I must admit, re-entry to the land of the aged found me intimidated and shy. But it wasn't long before I found an outgoing, healthy looking woman (except for a bandage on her leg and a walker) talking to a friend of mine. I kneeled with my friend and soon realized that this woman, while with more experience and much wiser, was the elderly me!
She told us that she had been an English as a Second Language teacher all of her life. Her profession carried her to Taiwan, China, and Bulgaria. She was quick to tell us that traveling the world opened her mind and cured her of many fears she sees in her peers. She loved to talk about how most of her peers were scared to death of us college kids. However, she boldly explained that she had been a leader with the Baptist Student Union for most of her life. We discussed the sociocultural reasons (if I can be as bold as to drop that in here) behind the character type that is satisfied with what she has known her whole like, a.k.a. her town, and the other end of the spectrum, where the person who wants to see the world resides. Both of us being the "see the world" types, we discussed the beauties of learning from other cultures and applying that knowledge to what we experience in our familiar cultures. Like I said, she was me in 60 years.
Now, I had a great time talking to this woman, don't get me wrong; and I learned a ton. But, if you don't already know, time absolutely crawls when you are out of your comfort zone in a steaming-hot room. So, after a good 35 minutes, and the loss of my college-age partner, I was at a loss for words. There was a group singing hymns to accompany an out-of-tune piano, and I began to focus more on what was going on with the elderly singing along. When I turned back to look at my conversation partner, there was a new lady sitting by us. And this is where it gets good (at least I think so).
I didn't know what to say to the new woman, and she seemed quite reserved, but eventually I worked up the courage to ask what her name was. She told me and, after I replied, her friend (me in 60 years) blurted out, "She knew Johnny Cash!" Now, I'm not going to pretend like I'm the biggest fan ever. But I do live in Nashville, TN, I was alive and well when Walk the Line came out, and I do listen to his records, soI was intrigued. I probed for details. The woman revealed that she was JOHNNY CASH'S SECRETARY FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS! WHEREVER HE WENT, SHE WENT. In her humble, bright manner, she made sure I knew that she actually knew June Carter first and then met Johnny.
Now, I'm not sure if this strikes you as incredible, or even very cool, as many of the people I told this to today merely shrugged it off with an "Oh, wow." But, I will say that I thought it was unbelievable! I was actually star struck...by Johnny Cash's secretary. I didn't get to talk to her long because she was enjoying the hymns and I had to go, but I did get the since that she and Johnny had been very close. Crazy.
And thus, I met two very special people today. One led a life of service, building bridges between cultures with the tool of language. The other served an American legend for over 20 years. I stand in awe of both.
She told us that she had been an English as a Second Language teacher all of her life. Her profession carried her to Taiwan, China, and Bulgaria. She was quick to tell us that traveling the world opened her mind and cured her of many fears she sees in her peers. She loved to talk about how most of her peers were scared to death of us college kids. However, she boldly explained that she had been a leader with the Baptist Student Union for most of her life. We discussed the sociocultural reasons (if I can be as bold as to drop that in here) behind the character type that is satisfied with what she has known her whole like, a.k.a. her town, and the other end of the spectrum, where the person who wants to see the world resides. Both of us being the "see the world" types, we discussed the beauties of learning from other cultures and applying that knowledge to what we experience in our familiar cultures. Like I said, she was me in 60 years.
Now, I had a great time talking to this woman, don't get me wrong; and I learned a ton. But, if you don't already know, time absolutely crawls when you are out of your comfort zone in a steaming-hot room. So, after a good 35 minutes, and the loss of my college-age partner, I was at a loss for words. There was a group singing hymns to accompany an out-of-tune piano, and I began to focus more on what was going on with the elderly singing along. When I turned back to look at my conversation partner, there was a new lady sitting by us. And this is where it gets good (at least I think so).
I didn't know what to say to the new woman, and she seemed quite reserved, but eventually I worked up the courage to ask what her name was. She told me and, after I replied, her friend (me in 60 years) blurted out, "She knew Johnny Cash!" Now, I'm not going to pretend like I'm the biggest fan ever. But I do live in Nashville, TN, I was alive and well when Walk the Line came out, and I do listen to his records, soI was intrigued. I probed for details. The woman revealed that she was JOHNNY CASH'S SECRETARY FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS! WHEREVER HE WENT, SHE WENT. In her humble, bright manner, she made sure I knew that she actually knew June Carter first and then met Johnny.
Now, I'm not sure if this strikes you as incredible, or even very cool, as many of the people I told this to today merely shrugged it off with an "Oh, wow." But, I will say that I thought it was unbelievable! I was actually star struck...by Johnny Cash's secretary. I didn't get to talk to her long because she was enjoying the hymns and I had to go, but I did get the since that she and Johnny had been very close. Crazy.
And thus, I met two very special people today. One led a life of service, building bridges between cultures with the tool of language. The other served an American legend for over 20 years. I stand in awe of both.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
I want these movies...
I don't buy many movies. But, I consider these movies to be worth it and can't wait to own them:
Amor es perros--Mexican film about dog fighting and love. (They go together more naturally than you would think! haha) Also, a great representation of Mexican culture.
The Motorcycle Diaries--Story of the early life of the revolutionary Che Guevara. It chronicles his trek through South America with nothing but a friend and a motorcycle.
Man on Fire--you can't beat Denzel and Dakota Fanning in this movie. Also, Mark Anthony has a surprisingly strong performance. Plus, it takes place in Mexico City and shows the volcano I used to see every morning going to school in Puebla.
Crash--I only saw this film once; in fact, it was the first movie I saw in Mexico, and it blew me away. I remember feeling distinctly uncomfortable throughout the whole thing. And that's good. Probably the best movie addressing racial tension I've ever seen.
Born Into Brothels--This is a documentary about a teacher from the Non-Profit organization Kids With Cameras, who goes into the red-light district of Calcutta, India. Children of prostitues are destined to prostitution in what becomes a continual ring of destruction. The point of this "project" (for lack of a better word), is to provide a way for these children to break out of what destines them to prostitution through art. Since children of prostitutes are not allowed in schools, Kids With Cameras eventually starts a boarding school for some of the children to attend. The redemption in this movie is incredible. And it's real!
Amor es perros--Mexican film about dog fighting and love. (They go together more naturally than you would think! haha) Also, a great representation of Mexican culture.
The Motorcycle Diaries--Story of the early life of the revolutionary Che Guevara. It chronicles his trek through South America with nothing but a friend and a motorcycle.
Man on Fire--you can't beat Denzel and Dakota Fanning in this movie. Also, Mark Anthony has a surprisingly strong performance. Plus, it takes place in Mexico City and shows the volcano I used to see every morning going to school in Puebla.
Crash--I only saw this film once; in fact, it was the first movie I saw in Mexico, and it blew me away. I remember feeling distinctly uncomfortable throughout the whole thing. And that's good. Probably the best movie addressing racial tension I've ever seen.
Born Into Brothels--This is a documentary about a teacher from the Non-Profit organization Kids With Cameras, who goes into the red-light district of Calcutta, India. Children of prostitues are destined to prostitution in what becomes a continual ring of destruction. The point of this "project" (for lack of a better word), is to provide a way for these children to break out of what destines them to prostitution through art. Since children of prostitutes are not allowed in schools, Kids With Cameras eventually starts a boarding school for some of the children to attend. The redemption in this movie is incredible. And it's real!
Friday, September 29, 2006
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs
I just finished the increasingly popular analysis of pop-culture entitled Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by the brilliant Chuck Klosterman. If you haven't heard of or read this book and you enjoy pop culture, or even just learning from the American culture, you must check out this book. It's memoir style, and it's one of those books that you really can't put down.
Highlights for me:
The book opens with the line, "No woman will ever satisfy me." haha. Klosterman goes on to form this whole theory about how we are all miserable due to John Cusack. The evil of John Cusack is his role in the 80's blockbuster, Say Anything. So, Klosterman says that all women (and men) who were at least in their pre-teens in the 80's, have this ideal of love that they can never reach. We can't reach this ideal love, because it's not even real love. The love that Say Anything sold us on isn't realistic! So, we're all miserable because we're chasing a false love that we can never attain. I buy it.
There is a chapter where Klosterman follows this Guns 'N Roses cover band to a show. It's really amazing to see that subculture and how seriously the rock star clones take themselves. The highlight for me is when Klosterman explains that these guys used to have a tour bus, but they lost it. They literally lost it. haha. It broke down in Illinois, they took it to a mechanic, but the next day they couldn't remember where the mechanic was. They never found the place again. Apparently in Illinois there is a law that says you have 30 days to find your tour bus, and if you can't locate it, you can't get it back. Crazy.
The last three chapters were incredible. They were on the media, serial killers, and The Left Behind Series.
Do read this book if you like to laugh out loud at books. If you watch VH1, you have to read it. If you lived in the 80's, even if for a short time, you have to read it. Read it if you listen to rock music. Read it if you have played, wanted to play, or despised the idea of playing The Sims video game. If you like intelligent writing about culture, read this book.
Don't read this book if you are offended by the f-bomb. He drops it a lot. Don't read this book if you are offended by the word masturbation--he uses that a lot too. Don't read this book if The Left Behind Series are your favorite books ever.
Highlights for me:
The book opens with the line, "No woman will ever satisfy me." haha. Klosterman goes on to form this whole theory about how we are all miserable due to John Cusack. The evil of John Cusack is his role in the 80's blockbuster, Say Anything. So, Klosterman says that all women (and men) who were at least in their pre-teens in the 80's, have this ideal of love that they can never reach. We can't reach this ideal love, because it's not even real love. The love that Say Anything sold us on isn't realistic! So, we're all miserable because we're chasing a false love that we can never attain. I buy it.
There is a chapter where Klosterman follows this Guns 'N Roses cover band to a show. It's really amazing to see that subculture and how seriously the rock star clones take themselves. The highlight for me is when Klosterman explains that these guys used to have a tour bus, but they lost it. They literally lost it. haha. It broke down in Illinois, they took it to a mechanic, but the next day they couldn't remember where the mechanic was. They never found the place again. Apparently in Illinois there is a law that says you have 30 days to find your tour bus, and if you can't locate it, you can't get it back. Crazy.
The last three chapters were incredible. They were on the media, serial killers, and The Left Behind Series.
Do read this book if you like to laugh out loud at books. If you watch VH1, you have to read it. If you lived in the 80's, even if for a short time, you have to read it. Read it if you listen to rock music. Read it if you have played, wanted to play, or despised the idea of playing The Sims video game. If you like intelligent writing about culture, read this book.
Don't read this book if you are offended by the f-bomb. He drops it a lot. Don't read this book if you are offended by the word masturbation--he uses that a lot too. Don't read this book if The Left Behind Series are your favorite books ever.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Health and Wealth
I must admit that I found this article on a friend's blog. So, at the risk of being completely unoriginal, I'm posting it anyway because I think some of you would have an interest in this.
It's from TIME Magazine.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/10/time.cover.tm/index.html
A few thoughts:
We've been talking a lot about hymns in RUF lately--things like why we sing them and what value they hold. I can't help but wonder, if only the pastors in this article, who have sold great numbers of books and have huge churches, would preach a truly "rich" (in the sense of profound content) message, things would be so different. For starters, they probably wouldn't sell tons of books and have such huge followings in our society. That is sad (in a way); however, they would be communicating a real message, the gospel message of being poor and yet rich, of being a pauper yet being credited a prince, and the profound truth of failing miserably and yet being favored as one who overcame.
The implications of a true gospel, a God-glorifying gospel could change the world. The message of health and wealth will change nothing but the number of people who are willing to suffer in the Christian life (by reducing it). We need a renewed sense of the depth of the gospel, and, while not the only way, hymns meet us where we are. They challenge us to truly believe Christ, to see Christ as more beautiful (which they actually help us to do!), and to understand the Christian life as not about riches and blessing, but about Christ (in whom we have more riches and blessing than we could ever dream of).
Something that has always saddened me, and which is touched upon in this article, is the lack of racial diversity in the average, evangelical church as compared with these prosperity-centered churches. I really believe that, as Christians, we must be about uniting people of different races. We must improve upon this aspect of American churchlife, and the gospel is the very thing that compels us (and qualifies us!) to do this. We must be about redeeming the effects of the fall. The implications of the gospel extend to the great reversal of the tower of babel, uniting people of different cultures and languages under one head, Christ.
I'm not sure enough people read this to make this happen, but I would love to get a conversation started if you would care to comment.
It's from TIME Magazine.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/10/time.cover.tm/index.html
A few thoughts:
We've been talking a lot about hymns in RUF lately--things like why we sing them and what value they hold. I can't help but wonder, if only the pastors in this article, who have sold great numbers of books and have huge churches, would preach a truly "rich" (in the sense of profound content) message, things would be so different. For starters, they probably wouldn't sell tons of books and have such huge followings in our society. That is sad (in a way); however, they would be communicating a real message, the gospel message of being poor and yet rich, of being a pauper yet being credited a prince, and the profound truth of failing miserably and yet being favored as one who overcame.
The implications of a true gospel, a God-glorifying gospel could change the world. The message of health and wealth will change nothing but the number of people who are willing to suffer in the Christian life (by reducing it). We need a renewed sense of the depth of the gospel, and, while not the only way, hymns meet us where we are. They challenge us to truly believe Christ, to see Christ as more beautiful (which they actually help us to do!), and to understand the Christian life as not about riches and blessing, but about Christ (in whom we have more riches and blessing than we could ever dream of).
Something that has always saddened me, and which is touched upon in this article, is the lack of racial diversity in the average, evangelical church as compared with these prosperity-centered churches. I really believe that, as Christians, we must be about uniting people of different races. We must improve upon this aspect of American churchlife, and the gospel is the very thing that compels us (and qualifies us!) to do this. We must be about redeeming the effects of the fall. The implications of the gospel extend to the great reversal of the tower of babel, uniting people of different cultures and languages under one head, Christ.
I'm not sure enough people read this to make this happen, but I would love to get a conversation started if you would care to comment.
Monday, August 28, 2006
you should read this article!
This is an immigration article that I just stumbled upon in a forum. One of the best I've read in a long time--maybe ever! It's pretty short, so go read it.
http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1156465520263170.xml?oregonian?ede&coll=7
http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1156465520263170.xml?oregonian?ede&coll=7
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
my immigration thoughts/research..an essay
I am posting for two reasons. 1) I am proud of it. 2) I think it is relevant and hope that it will lead to conversations and newfound knowledge. If you can make it all the way through, I hope you'll let me know what you think.
Immigration: the Immigrant’s Perspective
"If one wants to study what it means to be a human being, it is crucial to include the history of immigration. There are many tragic stories and everyone comes for different reasons."
–Gabriela Perez, illegal immigrant
On a bustling, September night in downtown Puebla, Mexico, I opted for the cheaper, more dangerous route of hailing a random cab off of the street rather than calling the recommended, more secure taxi whose price discourages rather adventurous (or maybe just cheap) travelers such as myself. I had waited only a few seconds, when the stop-light at which I was standing flamed red, and traffic thickened. After scanning the white and blue taxi cabs for only a matter of seconds, I boarded the backseat of a normal looking sedan and bid the driver, “To Cholula, please.” The driver was wearing a Puebla soccer Jersey complete with Volkswagen insignia and bright sun representing Sol beer. This was normal garb for what you might call, the taxi cab class—those in the lower class who have no other source of income but what they make driving. Although I would like to think that it was because of the clothes I was wearing or the color of my skin, the driver pegged me as an American by my South Carolina accent which bled through into my Spanish. A conversation that I would not forget ensued:
“Are you from the United States?” he probed.
“Yes,” I replied. “Have you been there?”
“I lived there for 3 years!”
My first Mexican immigrant! I had never actually talked to a person in Mexico who had immigrated to the States. This immigrant did not just want light conversation; he wanted me to know how he felt.
“Have you heard about the flood in New Orleans?” (He pronounced the city’s name more like “Niyu-Orleyans” in his Mexican-trying-to-say-a-word-in-English accent)
I returned, “Actually, my friend was just telling me that there is really terrible flooding there. He said that people had to leave everything that they owned and that pretty much everything got destroyed. It sounds really terrible.”
“Yes, it makes me very sad,” he stated.
You see, I didn’t watch much television while in Mexico, so the events surrounding the flooding of New Orleans had reached me late, and the news seemed very surreal and unbelievable. I couldn’t understand why the look in that man’s face said that he deeply hurt for what had happened in a place that wasn’t even his own.
“It makes me very sad to see this happen to people that I care about,” he said. “I lived in New York for three years working in a doughnut shop during the day and as a janitor at night. I care just as much for the American people as I do for my own Mexican people. This is a tragic event.”
“It is very tragic,” I replied, not really knowing how to empathize as he did since I still hadn’t even seen pictures.
I will never forget the level of paradox that riding in that cab left me with. We continued to talk about his stint in America and the fact that it was never his intention to stay there. He simply wanted to work to make a decent wage and then come back to his family. One thing, however, was clear. That man cared not only for what our country has to offer, but he honestly hurt and cared for the people who were his unknowing countrymen. To this day, I can’t help but think that he reached a deeper level of compassion for the people of New Orleans than I have. His sense of citizenship was something far deeper than myself and most people of our country will ever achieve.
And thus my interest in and concern for immigration from Latin and South America began. During my stint in Mexico, I discovered quite quickly that discussion was the easiest and surest way to learn; as the taxi driver taught me, a foreign culture can teach you and grasp you so that you never forget the person that you became after experiencing life there. Part of me guards America as my country, but the other part cares deeply for Latino immigrants. I have a duty (which I take on happily) to educate myself in what conversations are going on in our government and what the national sentiment is towards Hispanic people as a whole without disregarding the Hispanic perspective.
On the American front there has been quite a bit of action revolving around the topic of immigration with people like Bill O’Reilly supporting the stationing of armed American National Guard troops on the border and Tom Tancredo from Denver proposing that we build a giant wall, thus sealing immigration, across the entire U.S./Mexican border. President George Bush wants a Guest Worker program which would allow a controlled number of immigrants to enter our country for three to five years in order to work and then return to their homeland. Meanwhile, protestors who are pro-immigration have taken to non-violent marches. In Los Angeles, what you could consider a hub of immigration action, protestors tallied to over 500,000 people in a single march (LA Times).
The passing by the House of Representatives of an extremely controversial bill called H.R. 4437 has been the center of particular disagreement and uproar as of late. The bill, proposed by Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, calls for a large wall to be built across the entire boarder. It also cracks down on employers of undocumented immigrants, charging them $7,500 for a first offense, $15,000 for a second offense, and a whopping $40,000 for a third (“Immigration Enforcement Bill”). In addition, a convicted employer could face up to 25 years in a federal penitentiary. The bill also targets illegal immigrants, striving to deport all of those who do not have documentation (which will cost an estimated $3,000 to $5,000 per immigrant) (Ramos). To say the least, this bill, and much of the popular American opinion that is floating around currently, is not pro-immigrant.
If passed, H.R. 4437 will leave all illegal immigrants in paranoia as they will be persecuted as outlaws. Any documentation such as medical or legal help will leave the immigrant in serious danger of deportation and jail time. Many Hispanics in Nashville already fear this as there has been a great deal of difficulty in getting the community to step forward and provide evidence in the Aurelio Ceja murder case. Just last month Mr. Ceja, a senior citizen, was murdered in his apartment by an intruder who was looking for money. Due to the fact that in the 1990’s an illegal Hispanic male was taken to jail for reporting the murder of his wife and daughter for nothing more than the fact that he was undocumented, the Hispanic community still carries fear of prosecution even for providing evidence that could protect their community in the long run (Ramos).
Thus we must consider what the immigrant thinks about immigration. Through a local program that meets at Belmont called Hispanic Achievers, I have gotten to know quite a few immigrants, mostly illegal. Their stories have given me a better understanding of not just the American point of view, but the illegal immigrant’s point of view as well. The immigrant is concerned with surviving. He is concerned with providing his family with food, shelter, and education, something for which the wages in his country rarely provide. He is concerned with the American Dream—the opportunity for a better future for his family. You will not get this from the national media.
Gabriela Perez, mother of two, first came to the United States ten years ago from her pueblo en los Reyes la Paz, Mexico. In her country, she worked as a merchant selling blankets, coats, and an assortment of food. When her daughter began college in Mexico City to study Tourism, Gabriela realized that she could not make enough money in Mexico to support herself and her daughter’s college education. The average minimum wage in Mexico, which Gabriela was likely living well under, is a mere six American dollars a day. Thus, she searched for a guide to take her over the border. “Today,” she told me, “it is over a $1,000 to hire someone to get you over the border. It’s actually very scary. It’s hard to find someone trustworthy to lead you to cross—they’ll rob you or kill you. There is no completely safe and secure way. But back then, it was very cheap and very easy to cross.” As I said, her first time crossing was ten years ago; today, she counts five times that she has crossed between Mexico and America.
After crossing the border the first time by river and then going by bus to Nashville, she stayed only a year before she was forced to return for family support reasons. Gabriela made it clear to me that the one and only reason for coming to the U.S. is her children. Her daughter lacks only one year in college in Mexico to get her degree, while her son, who’s 14 years old, currently lives here in Nashville with her. However, her daughter may not be able to finish her degree if Gabriela does not start making more money soon. When I asked her how much longer she desired to stay in the U.S., she accounted, “If I can make enough money to get my daughter through school, and make a little bit more money to live on, I will go after that. This is not my country. I think I’ll only stay three more years at the most.” Gabriela made it quite clear to me that her desire is not to be in the U.S. Her home is Mexico where her past, memories, and family are. She is only here out of necessity.
When I explained that I was very interested in immigration and that I was actually interviewing a number of Hispanics in order to document their opinions, she replied with what I consider to be an incredibly profound statement: “If one wants to study what it means to be a human being, it is crucial to include the history of immigration. There are many tragic stories and everyone comes for different reasons.” Only the immigrant really knows what crossing cultures illegally is like, and for that reason, we must take interest in and seek to understand him or her. She then compared current Latinos in America with African Americans who come from a history of being treated as outsiders in a country in which they work and live. She takes hope in the fact that blacks used to be extremely disfavored, while now they have all the rights of other American citizens. One day, Gabriela hopes that immigrants will have all of the same privileges of their peers who simply have a birthright over them.
Gabriela also shared her views on the current political debate with me, expressing that she does not approve of a wall being built over the border, as this would provide even more of a parallel with the Berlin Wall in Germany. She believes that the border should remain immigrant friendly while implementing a Guest Worker Program. While she firmly advocates immigration, she also holds high standards for the immigrant saying, “If you are here, you must respect the law, respect the flag, and defend this country.” For Gabriela, immigration is not just an easy ticket to money; it is a story of family, struggle, and loyalty. She believes that the immigrant should not only have the privileges of American society, but that they should suffer the penalties as well; they should pay taxes, be accountable to laws, and ultimately be willing to fight for the land in which they live.
El Salvadorian Cecilia Hernandez is one of the more obscure Hispanic immigrants I have come into contact with, because she is now a United States citizen. Her story of immigration actually began 27 years ago after graduating from high school. She told me her account saying, “After finishing my studies in high school, I came to the U.S. illegally. It used to be a lot easier.” She told me that she simply crossed the border with a group of people, and they all headed for Los Angeles. I continued the conversation, probing for reasons behind her immigration. She responded: “I came to provide a better life for me and for my kids. The salary in El Salvador for the people who don’t have a profession is very low. Life there is very difficult. It’s not living; it’s surviving.” Cecilia’s case is very interesting because she did not have kids when she immigrated here. Rather, after finishing high school, she learned from the stories of other El Salvadorians about opportunity in the United States and decided to plan ahead. In comparison with most Mexicans, Cecilia’s planning was quite rare, as most other immigrants have tried to make ends meet in their countries of origin and been forced to move to the U.S. For Cecilia, the incredibly low wage of her country and the American Dream of opportunity for her children drove her to plan in advance and make her way to the States as a single woman fresh out of high school.
Twenty-seven years after crossing the border illegally, Cecilia has achieved her goal of raising a family with much greater opportunity for monetary gain and success. She is now a United States citizen. When questioned whether or not she saw it as a great boundary to become a citizen, she responded, “No, I don’t think it is really that hard. You just have to learn the history of the U.S. and speak a little bit of English. If one hasn’t broken the law [of course, with the exception of entering the country illegally] and respects the U.S., they can qualify.” I asked Cecilia, citizen of the United States for eight years now, if she sees immigration as a problem. She answered, “Immigration is not a problem for the U.S.; on the contrary. We are a race of workers and we’ll do jobs that Americans won’t.” She continued speaking of the pride she takes in the fact that her race of people are hard, honest workers. They are not coming to America because they see it as simply freer or, as some would like to believe, “just better.” Rather, they are in search of work for a decent wage. She supports an immigration plan that would provide amnesty or some way to work for Hispanics. She sees her people as a community of workers, the majority of which, unlike herself, want to come, work, and leave. Cecilia Hernandez is the perfect example of someone who would benefit from a program in which foreigners could apply to come and work with the possibility of applying for citizenship afterward.
Unfortunately, at this point in America, becoming a citizen does not seem to come as easily as it did for Cecilia. My best childhood friend, Andrea Stiles, for instance, married an illegal Mexican immigrant just three years ago. They recently had a daughter together. Despite Andrea and Guillermo's marriage and their daughter, Maria, the government will not grant Guillermo's citizenship, or even a Visa to work here with, due to the fact that he was already here working illegally before the marriage. For the illegal immigrant, there doesn’t seem to be a reasonable way to citizenship in our current system.
Perhaps the most unlikely story that I heard was that of Lilián Ceron, a woman in her mid-40’s from Santiago, Chile who actually came to the U.S. legally. However, the surreal feeling of meeting an actual legal citizen came to an abrupt halt when I found out that Lilián’s current status is not legal. She took great care to explain to me that it is very difficult to obtain all of the papers (visa, passport, green card, etc.) necessary to come to the U.S. legally from Chile, but that she had done it. She explained that one must come from a solid mid to upper-class economic situation and have a solid reason to return to Chile afterward. She recounted for me the history of one of her friends who had actually met all of the qualifications but whose two daughters were in college. She was denied permission because the government did not think she had a good enough reason to return to Chile, seeing as her daughters were almost independents.
Lilián, on the other hand, was granted permission to come to America for six months due to the fact that her daughter has a very serious heart condition which demanded medical attention from experts here. So she came to our country legally, but things turned illegal when she simply decided to stay. At first, she would only respond, “I came to only stay for six months, but then I really liked it. So I just stayed.” After a great deal of badgering and returning to the same question on my part, she finally expressed more: “It’s the culture. Chile is very similar to the United States. In fact, it’s the U.S. of Latin America. But in Chile you can’t walk around with nice things like this jewelry or this watch because they would get stolen.” In a list of likes about the U.S. that she later expounded, security, environment, and education topped the charts as positive aspects of our culture.
Lilián currently works as a nanny for a family here in Nashville where she is with the kids almost every day of the week and teaches them Spanish. Her life as a legal immigrant gone illegal seems to be tainted only with the language barrier as, after six years here, she still speaks very little English. I asked her about her thoughts on the border question, and she was not shy to answer: “They [the government and its current immigration policies] have their reasons. You should respect the law, it’s true. But it’s so hard to become a citizen.” The implication of Lilián’s words is that, if becoming a documented citizen of the U.S. was easier, she would have no problem going about the process legally. However, as it stands, it was far easier for her to come legally and simply stay where she was.
And thus the story of my taxi ride with a sympathetic Mexican does not stop at the moment that he dropped me off outside of my house. Rather, it extends to the stories of these three women who have all experienced, in very different ways, the cruelties and liberties of immigration. They have tasted what it is to be in need and to live in the midst of plenty, to want only happiness for family while living thousands of miles from loved ones. The immigration question is not an easy one to answer; that much is obvious. However, it is my hope that the stories of those who are actually immigrants will educate us and spur us on to further empathy for such a prominent people who we claim to know so much about but have so few conversations with.
These conversations matter because our immigration policy is, right now, on the line. The fact that 40% of Mexico’s national income is money sent from immigrants to the U.S. back to their families in Mexico should matter (Work in Mexico Lectures). The closing of the border (by way of wall or not) will result in poverty and devastation for our southern, Latino counterparts. People are not coming to our country based on the thought that it is simply better. The reality is that it is impossible to live on the three dollars a day that many farm laborers make in small-town Mexico (Work in Mexico Lectures). Our border thus becomes a portal of compassion. For the strictly politically-minded person, perhaps it does not make sense to continue to allow a process that lacks so much control go on. My hope, however, is that the stories of these actual immigrants, or better yet stories of people you know, will make the topic of immigration personal and immediate. I must admit, in the debate of immigration, I will side with the Latino, because I know him. He has a name.
Works Cited
Becerra, Hector and Watanabe, Teresa. Los Angeles Times. “500,000 Pack Streets to Protest Immigration Bills.” 26 March 2006. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-immig26mar26,0,7628611.story?coll=la-home-headline.
“House Passes Immigration Enforcement Bill H.R. 4437. What Does It Mean? What Does It Include?” 19 December 2005. http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/001446.html.
Gonzalez, Betty. “Lectures on Work in Mexico.” Mexican Culture class. La Universidad de las Américas, Puebla. October 2005.
Ramos, Mario. “Immigration.” Hispanics in the United States class. Belmont University. 28 February 2006.
Immigration: the Immigrant’s Perspective
"If one wants to study what it means to be a human being, it is crucial to include the history of immigration. There are many tragic stories and everyone comes for different reasons."
–Gabriela Perez, illegal immigrant
On a bustling, September night in downtown Puebla, Mexico, I opted for the cheaper, more dangerous route of hailing a random cab off of the street rather than calling the recommended, more secure taxi whose price discourages rather adventurous (or maybe just cheap) travelers such as myself. I had waited only a few seconds, when the stop-light at which I was standing flamed red, and traffic thickened. After scanning the white and blue taxi cabs for only a matter of seconds, I boarded the backseat of a normal looking sedan and bid the driver, “To Cholula, please.” The driver was wearing a Puebla soccer Jersey complete with Volkswagen insignia and bright sun representing Sol beer. This was normal garb for what you might call, the taxi cab class—those in the lower class who have no other source of income but what they make driving. Although I would like to think that it was because of the clothes I was wearing or the color of my skin, the driver pegged me as an American by my South Carolina accent which bled through into my Spanish. A conversation that I would not forget ensued:
“Are you from the United States?” he probed.
“Yes,” I replied. “Have you been there?”
“I lived there for 3 years!”
My first Mexican immigrant! I had never actually talked to a person in Mexico who had immigrated to the States. This immigrant did not just want light conversation; he wanted me to know how he felt.
“Have you heard about the flood in New Orleans?” (He pronounced the city’s name more like “Niyu-Orleyans” in his Mexican-trying-to-say-a-word-in-English accent)
I returned, “Actually, my friend was just telling me that there is really terrible flooding there. He said that people had to leave everything that they owned and that pretty much everything got destroyed. It sounds really terrible.”
“Yes, it makes me very sad,” he stated.
You see, I didn’t watch much television while in Mexico, so the events surrounding the flooding of New Orleans had reached me late, and the news seemed very surreal and unbelievable. I couldn’t understand why the look in that man’s face said that he deeply hurt for what had happened in a place that wasn’t even his own.
“It makes me very sad to see this happen to people that I care about,” he said. “I lived in New York for three years working in a doughnut shop during the day and as a janitor at night. I care just as much for the American people as I do for my own Mexican people. This is a tragic event.”
“It is very tragic,” I replied, not really knowing how to empathize as he did since I still hadn’t even seen pictures.
I will never forget the level of paradox that riding in that cab left me with. We continued to talk about his stint in America and the fact that it was never his intention to stay there. He simply wanted to work to make a decent wage and then come back to his family. One thing, however, was clear. That man cared not only for what our country has to offer, but he honestly hurt and cared for the people who were his unknowing countrymen. To this day, I can’t help but think that he reached a deeper level of compassion for the people of New Orleans than I have. His sense of citizenship was something far deeper than myself and most people of our country will ever achieve.
And thus my interest in and concern for immigration from Latin and South America began. During my stint in Mexico, I discovered quite quickly that discussion was the easiest and surest way to learn; as the taxi driver taught me, a foreign culture can teach you and grasp you so that you never forget the person that you became after experiencing life there. Part of me guards America as my country, but the other part cares deeply for Latino immigrants. I have a duty (which I take on happily) to educate myself in what conversations are going on in our government and what the national sentiment is towards Hispanic people as a whole without disregarding the Hispanic perspective.
On the American front there has been quite a bit of action revolving around the topic of immigration with people like Bill O’Reilly supporting the stationing of armed American National Guard troops on the border and Tom Tancredo from Denver proposing that we build a giant wall, thus sealing immigration, across the entire U.S./Mexican border. President George Bush wants a Guest Worker program which would allow a controlled number of immigrants to enter our country for three to five years in order to work and then return to their homeland. Meanwhile, protestors who are pro-immigration have taken to non-violent marches. In Los Angeles, what you could consider a hub of immigration action, protestors tallied to over 500,000 people in a single march (LA Times).
The passing by the House of Representatives of an extremely controversial bill called H.R. 4437 has been the center of particular disagreement and uproar as of late. The bill, proposed by Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, calls for a large wall to be built across the entire boarder. It also cracks down on employers of undocumented immigrants, charging them $7,500 for a first offense, $15,000 for a second offense, and a whopping $40,000 for a third (“Immigration Enforcement Bill”). In addition, a convicted employer could face up to 25 years in a federal penitentiary. The bill also targets illegal immigrants, striving to deport all of those who do not have documentation (which will cost an estimated $3,000 to $5,000 per immigrant) (Ramos). To say the least, this bill, and much of the popular American opinion that is floating around currently, is not pro-immigrant.
If passed, H.R. 4437 will leave all illegal immigrants in paranoia as they will be persecuted as outlaws. Any documentation such as medical or legal help will leave the immigrant in serious danger of deportation and jail time. Many Hispanics in Nashville already fear this as there has been a great deal of difficulty in getting the community to step forward and provide evidence in the Aurelio Ceja murder case. Just last month Mr. Ceja, a senior citizen, was murdered in his apartment by an intruder who was looking for money. Due to the fact that in the 1990’s an illegal Hispanic male was taken to jail for reporting the murder of his wife and daughter for nothing more than the fact that he was undocumented, the Hispanic community still carries fear of prosecution even for providing evidence that could protect their community in the long run (Ramos).
Thus we must consider what the immigrant thinks about immigration. Through a local program that meets at Belmont called Hispanic Achievers, I have gotten to know quite a few immigrants, mostly illegal. Their stories have given me a better understanding of not just the American point of view, but the illegal immigrant’s point of view as well. The immigrant is concerned with surviving. He is concerned with providing his family with food, shelter, and education, something for which the wages in his country rarely provide. He is concerned with the American Dream—the opportunity for a better future for his family. You will not get this from the national media.
Gabriela Perez, mother of two, first came to the United States ten years ago from her pueblo en los Reyes la Paz, Mexico. In her country, she worked as a merchant selling blankets, coats, and an assortment of food. When her daughter began college in Mexico City to study Tourism, Gabriela realized that she could not make enough money in Mexico to support herself and her daughter’s college education. The average minimum wage in Mexico, which Gabriela was likely living well under, is a mere six American dollars a day. Thus, she searched for a guide to take her over the border. “Today,” she told me, “it is over a $1,000 to hire someone to get you over the border. It’s actually very scary. It’s hard to find someone trustworthy to lead you to cross—they’ll rob you or kill you. There is no completely safe and secure way. But back then, it was very cheap and very easy to cross.” As I said, her first time crossing was ten years ago; today, she counts five times that she has crossed between Mexico and America.
After crossing the border the first time by river and then going by bus to Nashville, she stayed only a year before she was forced to return for family support reasons. Gabriela made it clear to me that the one and only reason for coming to the U.S. is her children. Her daughter lacks only one year in college in Mexico to get her degree, while her son, who’s 14 years old, currently lives here in Nashville with her. However, her daughter may not be able to finish her degree if Gabriela does not start making more money soon. When I asked her how much longer she desired to stay in the U.S., she accounted, “If I can make enough money to get my daughter through school, and make a little bit more money to live on, I will go after that. This is not my country. I think I’ll only stay three more years at the most.” Gabriela made it quite clear to me that her desire is not to be in the U.S. Her home is Mexico where her past, memories, and family are. She is only here out of necessity.
When I explained that I was very interested in immigration and that I was actually interviewing a number of Hispanics in order to document their opinions, she replied with what I consider to be an incredibly profound statement: “If one wants to study what it means to be a human being, it is crucial to include the history of immigration. There are many tragic stories and everyone comes for different reasons.” Only the immigrant really knows what crossing cultures illegally is like, and for that reason, we must take interest in and seek to understand him or her. She then compared current Latinos in America with African Americans who come from a history of being treated as outsiders in a country in which they work and live. She takes hope in the fact that blacks used to be extremely disfavored, while now they have all the rights of other American citizens. One day, Gabriela hopes that immigrants will have all of the same privileges of their peers who simply have a birthright over them.
Gabriela also shared her views on the current political debate with me, expressing that she does not approve of a wall being built over the border, as this would provide even more of a parallel with the Berlin Wall in Germany. She believes that the border should remain immigrant friendly while implementing a Guest Worker Program. While she firmly advocates immigration, she also holds high standards for the immigrant saying, “If you are here, you must respect the law, respect the flag, and defend this country.” For Gabriela, immigration is not just an easy ticket to money; it is a story of family, struggle, and loyalty. She believes that the immigrant should not only have the privileges of American society, but that they should suffer the penalties as well; they should pay taxes, be accountable to laws, and ultimately be willing to fight for the land in which they live.
El Salvadorian Cecilia Hernandez is one of the more obscure Hispanic immigrants I have come into contact with, because she is now a United States citizen. Her story of immigration actually began 27 years ago after graduating from high school. She told me her account saying, “After finishing my studies in high school, I came to the U.S. illegally. It used to be a lot easier.” She told me that she simply crossed the border with a group of people, and they all headed for Los Angeles. I continued the conversation, probing for reasons behind her immigration. She responded: “I came to provide a better life for me and for my kids. The salary in El Salvador for the people who don’t have a profession is very low. Life there is very difficult. It’s not living; it’s surviving.” Cecilia’s case is very interesting because she did not have kids when she immigrated here. Rather, after finishing high school, she learned from the stories of other El Salvadorians about opportunity in the United States and decided to plan ahead. In comparison with most Mexicans, Cecilia’s planning was quite rare, as most other immigrants have tried to make ends meet in their countries of origin and been forced to move to the U.S. For Cecilia, the incredibly low wage of her country and the American Dream of opportunity for her children drove her to plan in advance and make her way to the States as a single woman fresh out of high school.
Twenty-seven years after crossing the border illegally, Cecilia has achieved her goal of raising a family with much greater opportunity for monetary gain and success. She is now a United States citizen. When questioned whether or not she saw it as a great boundary to become a citizen, she responded, “No, I don’t think it is really that hard. You just have to learn the history of the U.S. and speak a little bit of English. If one hasn’t broken the law [of course, with the exception of entering the country illegally] and respects the U.S., they can qualify.” I asked Cecilia, citizen of the United States for eight years now, if she sees immigration as a problem. She answered, “Immigration is not a problem for the U.S.; on the contrary. We are a race of workers and we’ll do jobs that Americans won’t.” She continued speaking of the pride she takes in the fact that her race of people are hard, honest workers. They are not coming to America because they see it as simply freer or, as some would like to believe, “just better.” Rather, they are in search of work for a decent wage. She supports an immigration plan that would provide amnesty or some way to work for Hispanics. She sees her people as a community of workers, the majority of which, unlike herself, want to come, work, and leave. Cecilia Hernandez is the perfect example of someone who would benefit from a program in which foreigners could apply to come and work with the possibility of applying for citizenship afterward.
Unfortunately, at this point in America, becoming a citizen does not seem to come as easily as it did for Cecilia. My best childhood friend, Andrea Stiles, for instance, married an illegal Mexican immigrant just three years ago. They recently had a daughter together. Despite Andrea and Guillermo's marriage and their daughter, Maria, the government will not grant Guillermo's citizenship, or even a Visa to work here with, due to the fact that he was already here working illegally before the marriage. For the illegal immigrant, there doesn’t seem to be a reasonable way to citizenship in our current system.
Perhaps the most unlikely story that I heard was that of Lilián Ceron, a woman in her mid-40’s from Santiago, Chile who actually came to the U.S. legally. However, the surreal feeling of meeting an actual legal citizen came to an abrupt halt when I found out that Lilián’s current status is not legal. She took great care to explain to me that it is very difficult to obtain all of the papers (visa, passport, green card, etc.) necessary to come to the U.S. legally from Chile, but that she had done it. She explained that one must come from a solid mid to upper-class economic situation and have a solid reason to return to Chile afterward. She recounted for me the history of one of her friends who had actually met all of the qualifications but whose two daughters were in college. She was denied permission because the government did not think she had a good enough reason to return to Chile, seeing as her daughters were almost independents.
Lilián, on the other hand, was granted permission to come to America for six months due to the fact that her daughter has a very serious heart condition which demanded medical attention from experts here. So she came to our country legally, but things turned illegal when she simply decided to stay. At first, she would only respond, “I came to only stay for six months, but then I really liked it. So I just stayed.” After a great deal of badgering and returning to the same question on my part, she finally expressed more: “It’s the culture. Chile is very similar to the United States. In fact, it’s the U.S. of Latin America. But in Chile you can’t walk around with nice things like this jewelry or this watch because they would get stolen.” In a list of likes about the U.S. that she later expounded, security, environment, and education topped the charts as positive aspects of our culture.
Lilián currently works as a nanny for a family here in Nashville where she is with the kids almost every day of the week and teaches them Spanish. Her life as a legal immigrant gone illegal seems to be tainted only with the language barrier as, after six years here, she still speaks very little English. I asked her about her thoughts on the border question, and she was not shy to answer: “They [the government and its current immigration policies] have their reasons. You should respect the law, it’s true. But it’s so hard to become a citizen.” The implication of Lilián’s words is that, if becoming a documented citizen of the U.S. was easier, she would have no problem going about the process legally. However, as it stands, it was far easier for her to come legally and simply stay where she was.
And thus the story of my taxi ride with a sympathetic Mexican does not stop at the moment that he dropped me off outside of my house. Rather, it extends to the stories of these three women who have all experienced, in very different ways, the cruelties and liberties of immigration. They have tasted what it is to be in need and to live in the midst of plenty, to want only happiness for family while living thousands of miles from loved ones. The immigration question is not an easy one to answer; that much is obvious. However, it is my hope that the stories of those who are actually immigrants will educate us and spur us on to further empathy for such a prominent people who we claim to know so much about but have so few conversations with.
These conversations matter because our immigration policy is, right now, on the line. The fact that 40% of Mexico’s national income is money sent from immigrants to the U.S. back to their families in Mexico should matter (Work in Mexico Lectures). The closing of the border (by way of wall or not) will result in poverty and devastation for our southern, Latino counterparts. People are not coming to our country based on the thought that it is simply better. The reality is that it is impossible to live on the three dollars a day that many farm laborers make in small-town Mexico (Work in Mexico Lectures). Our border thus becomes a portal of compassion. For the strictly politically-minded person, perhaps it does not make sense to continue to allow a process that lacks so much control go on. My hope, however, is that the stories of these actual immigrants, or better yet stories of people you know, will make the topic of immigration personal and immediate. I must admit, in the debate of immigration, I will side with the Latino, because I know him. He has a name.
Works Cited
Becerra, Hector and Watanabe, Teresa. Los Angeles Times. “500,000 Pack Streets to Protest Immigration Bills.” 26 March 2006. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-immig26mar26,0,7628611.story?coll=la-home-headline.
“House Passes Immigration Enforcement Bill H.R. 4437. What Does It Mean? What Does It Include?” 19 December 2005. http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/001446.html.
Gonzalez, Betty. “Lectures on Work in Mexico.” Mexican Culture class. La Universidad de las Américas, Puebla. October 2005.
Ramos, Mario. “Immigration.” Hispanics in the United States class. Belmont University. 28 February 2006.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
I went to a Catholic Mass.
You may or may not be aware that a little over a week ago, the managers of my favorite Mexican restaurant, La Hacienda, an 80 year old Hispanic couple, were assaulted in their apartment. At approximately 10 p.m. two Sundays ago, the husband, Mr. Ceja, answered a knock at the door. A Hispanic male then entered the apartment and brutally beat Mr. and Mrs. Ceja. Mr. Ceja was killed, while his wife was left in critical condition.
The Nashville Hispanic community was sent into an uproar by this heinous crime. Apparently, the killer, who has still not been caught, knew that the couple managed the restaurant, which is the center of the Hispanic community, and wanted money. After beating the couple, he did not find anything worth taking. The couple's granddaughter is in my "Hispanics in the U.S." class and is a friend, so I went to the Catholic Mass held in honor of Mr. Ceja.
Now, if you know me and how much of a Presbyterian I am, you know that I was, you could say, more than skeptical about going to a Mass. It's not that I didn't want to go, it's just that I thought I would pick apart every aspect and condemn the whole service as heresy. That is far from what I found.
I was amazed to find that the entire service was focused on the death and resurrection of Christ and our sharing in both of those when we are united to Christ. Passages read to begin the service included Psalm 23 (which is all the more beautiful in Spanish) with the congregation responding after every stanza with "Nada me faltara" (I will never be left needing) and an excerpt from Romans 3 talking about our sin and need and Christ's sacrifice. The priest then left this pulpit and approached the edge of the stage giving a detailed explaination of what it means to die with Christ and then be ressurected with him. The overwhelming feeling was, this is about Christ. I couldn't believe that I was being won over by the Catholic church. But the priest preached Christ like I have heard many a Protestant church shy away from. And so, I must be open to the true gospel, no matter what denomination it is conveyed through.
While I was incredibly encouraged by the message of faith in Christ which leads to union with him, there were two complaints that I had. 1) The priest made a reference to praying to Mary and the Saints, and 2) At communion, the priest held up the bread and said, "This is the bread that takes away sin."
So, while the priests "sermon" was solid in what he actually said, there was evidence that the doctrine behind his beliefs did not support salvation by faith alone. While I did find some fault with the signs of some faulty doctrine, I was incredibly impressed with the Mass which never mentioned Mr. Ceja's name without making the connection that, as a follower of Christ, he was now risen with Christ. I found the service to be in a word, appropriate. What better consolation to a mourning people than the assurance of the faithfulness of God to resurrection in death and the free offer of the gospel to the world.
I hope that we (as Protestants) will not condemn the Catholic church simply because we have heard that it doesn't preach grace. I hope that we will engage the church and see for ourselves if the gospel is the center of the conversation.
The Nashville Hispanic community was sent into an uproar by this heinous crime. Apparently, the killer, who has still not been caught, knew that the couple managed the restaurant, which is the center of the Hispanic community, and wanted money. After beating the couple, he did not find anything worth taking. The couple's granddaughter is in my "Hispanics in the U.S." class and is a friend, so I went to the Catholic Mass held in honor of Mr. Ceja.
Now, if you know me and how much of a Presbyterian I am, you know that I was, you could say, more than skeptical about going to a Mass. It's not that I didn't want to go, it's just that I thought I would pick apart every aspect and condemn the whole service as heresy. That is far from what I found.
I was amazed to find that the entire service was focused on the death and resurrection of Christ and our sharing in both of those when we are united to Christ. Passages read to begin the service included Psalm 23 (which is all the more beautiful in Spanish) with the congregation responding after every stanza with "Nada me faltara" (I will never be left needing) and an excerpt from Romans 3 talking about our sin and need and Christ's sacrifice. The priest then left this pulpit and approached the edge of the stage giving a detailed explaination of what it means to die with Christ and then be ressurected with him. The overwhelming feeling was, this is about Christ. I couldn't believe that I was being won over by the Catholic church. But the priest preached Christ like I have heard many a Protestant church shy away from. And so, I must be open to the true gospel, no matter what denomination it is conveyed through.
While I was incredibly encouraged by the message of faith in Christ which leads to union with him, there were two complaints that I had. 1) The priest made a reference to praying to Mary and the Saints, and 2) At communion, the priest held up the bread and said, "This is the bread that takes away sin."
So, while the priests "sermon" was solid in what he actually said, there was evidence that the doctrine behind his beliefs did not support salvation by faith alone. While I did find some fault with the signs of some faulty doctrine, I was incredibly impressed with the Mass which never mentioned Mr. Ceja's name without making the connection that, as a follower of Christ, he was now risen with Christ. I found the service to be in a word, appropriate. What better consolation to a mourning people than the assurance of the faithfulness of God to resurrection in death and the free offer of the gospel to the world.
I hope that we (as Protestants) will not condemn the Catholic church simply because we have heard that it doesn't preach grace. I hope that we will engage the church and see for ourselves if the gospel is the center of the conversation.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
a recollection...
So, I went to a Bible study type setting tonight involving a community of friends wanting nothing more than to share a bit of time together each week to try to be more of just that--a community. Someone shared this passage from Matthew 22:36,37: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with allyour heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" This reflection, which I had never really pieced together, came flooding into my mind:
In high school, I remember overhearing a conversation between students in my photography class. One of the students was obviously a homosexual. He was also very open about his religion, Christianity. Another student, a conservative Christian, questioned the gay student's status of "being saved" since he was a homosexual. The homosexual responded confidently with something to the effect of, "I know I'm saved. The bible says, 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.' And I do that." I remember thinking, "If he only realized that he is not loving the Lord with all of these, since he is leading a homosexual lifestyle."
The implication of this statement was, "He doesn't love God like that, but I do." I had taken the commonly trodden path of focusing on certain sins in people (namely things like homosexuality or losing one's virginity or having an abortion) and taken myself out of the picture of sin as one a bit more "together" or one who didn't have these inhibitions to loving God. What I didn't take into account was my own sin of pride, as shown in this judgement against gays, my own lust, and my continual putting of idols in the place of a soul-satisfying God.
I didn't realize that, not only did this homosexual not measure up to God's standard of loving him, but neither did I. And not only did I not live up to that commandment/requirement of perfect love, but that that commandment is impossible to live up to! There, I said it. Christianity is impossible! Part of the beauty of the gospel is that it is impossible. You can't live up to what's required of you. The only person to ever live up to this requirement was completely God, namely Jesus. Thus, in the despair that we cannot live up to the most important commandment, and that we will further not be able to be saved in this manner, let us flee to Christ. We must stake everything on the one who did love perfectly. In this we will find humility. We will no longer condemn our neighbor the homosexual, but rather we will sypathize with him/her, knowing that their only hope is our only hope, that Christ save us based on his merit, not ours.
In high school, I remember overhearing a conversation between students in my photography class. One of the students was obviously a homosexual. He was also very open about his religion, Christianity. Another student, a conservative Christian, questioned the gay student's status of "being saved" since he was a homosexual. The homosexual responded confidently with something to the effect of, "I know I'm saved. The bible says, 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.' And I do that." I remember thinking, "If he only realized that he is not loving the Lord with all of these, since he is leading a homosexual lifestyle."
The implication of this statement was, "He doesn't love God like that, but I do." I had taken the commonly trodden path of focusing on certain sins in people (namely things like homosexuality or losing one's virginity or having an abortion) and taken myself out of the picture of sin as one a bit more "together" or one who didn't have these inhibitions to loving God. What I didn't take into account was my own sin of pride, as shown in this judgement against gays, my own lust, and my continual putting of idols in the place of a soul-satisfying God.
I didn't realize that, not only did this homosexual not measure up to God's standard of loving him, but neither did I. And not only did I not live up to that commandment/requirement of perfect love, but that that commandment is impossible to live up to! There, I said it. Christianity is impossible! Part of the beauty of the gospel is that it is impossible. You can't live up to what's required of you. The only person to ever live up to this requirement was completely God, namely Jesus. Thus, in the despair that we cannot live up to the most important commandment, and that we will further not be able to be saved in this manner, let us flee to Christ. We must stake everything on the one who did love perfectly. In this we will find humility. We will no longer condemn our neighbor the homosexual, but rather we will sypathize with him/her, knowing that their only hope is our only hope, that Christ save us based on his merit, not ours.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
real grace for real sin
This is an excerpt that I received at RUF from a letter that Martin Luther wrote to Spalatin. Spalatin was apparently well-known for giving advice. Luther received word that Spalatin had one day given someone confident advice and then woke the next morning that it was actually very terrible advice--harmful, sinful advice. Thus Luther writes him this letter, filled with the offense, biting and uncomfort of the gospel, yet wonderfully freeing in the rest that giving up on our own righteousness provides.
"...my faithful request and admonition is that you join our company and associate with us, who are real, great and hard-boiled sinners. You must not, by no means, make Christ to seem paltry and trifling to us, as though He could be our helper only when we want to be rid of imaginary, nominal and childish sins. No! No! That would not be good for us. He must rather be a Savior and Redeemer from real, great, grievous and damnable transgressions and iniquities, yea, and from the very greatest and most shocking sins; to be brief, from all sins added together in a grand total...Dr. Staupitz [Luther's mentor] comforted me on a certain occasion when I was in the same hospital and suffering the same affliction as you, by addressing me thus; Aha! you want to be a painted [meaning having a good external appearance] sinner, and accordingly, expect to have in Christ a painted savior. You will have to get used to the belief that Christ is a real Savior and you a real sinner. For God is neither jesting nor dealing in imaginary affairs, but He was greatly and most assuredly in ernest when He sent His own Son into the world and sacrificed Him for our sakes."
"...my faithful request and admonition is that you join our company and associate with us, who are real, great and hard-boiled sinners. You must not, by no means, make Christ to seem paltry and trifling to us, as though He could be our helper only when we want to be rid of imaginary, nominal and childish sins. No! No! That would not be good for us. He must rather be a Savior and Redeemer from real, great, grievous and damnable transgressions and iniquities, yea, and from the very greatest and most shocking sins; to be brief, from all sins added together in a grand total...Dr. Staupitz [Luther's mentor] comforted me on a certain occasion when I was in the same hospital and suffering the same affliction as you, by addressing me thus; Aha! you want to be a painted [meaning having a good external appearance] sinner, and accordingly, expect to have in Christ a painted savior. You will have to get used to the belief that Christ is a real Savior and you a real sinner. For God is neither jesting nor dealing in imaginary affairs, but He was greatly and most assuredly in ernest when He sent His own Son into the world and sacrificed Him for our sakes."
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