So Sweet

Weddings are a wonderful blessing :-)

Gay and Lesbian Wedding Portrait Pictures from the NY Times Marriage Bureau.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/07/24/nyregion/20110724-gaymarriage-portraits.html?src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB

Have a great rest of your July everyone!

GLBTQ Inclusive Clergy and Churches

Heartlands Christians supporting LGBT equality now have a Proclamation and a website (and a Facebook page)! The Heartland Clergy for Inclusion will hold a press conference at 6pm tomorrow (6/15) to unveil everything on the banks of the Missouri River. Check out the beautiful website.

If you're Heartlands clergy, sign your name. If you're ANYONE, record a statement of support! www.heartlandproclamation.org

Holy Week and Easter

Happy Easter to our church community. We wish you a reflective and joyous holiday as we remember Jesus' life, death and resurrection.

Daily Wisdom

“Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue.” ~ Eugene O’Neill (1926)

16.6 Percent of Households in Nebraska Unable to Afford Enough Food

New Survey Finds 16.6 Percent of Households in Nebraska Unable
to Afford Enough Food - Legislative Bill Poised to Address Hunger Issues

Source: Nebraska Appleseed

Lincoln, NE - In 2010, one in six respondents in Nebraska reported not having enough money to buy food that they or their family needed at some points during the prior twelve months, according to a new report released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC).

This unique report provides data on food hardship - the inability to afford enough food - for every state and Congressional District and for the nation's 100 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). The data was gathered by Gallup and analyzed by FRAC.

For Nebraska, it found that in 2010:

* 16.6 percent of responders in the state experienced food hardship.
* In the Omaha-Council Bluffs MSA, 18.8 percent of people experienced food hardship.
* Congressional Districts in Nebraska all experienced food hardship: 14.1 percent of residents in the 1st District, 17.9 percent in the 2nd District, and 14.6 percent in the 3rd District.

"This new data shows us just how much people are struggling in our communities, and underlines that far too many of them have found it a challenge to afford enough food for their families," said Rebecca Gould, Executive Director of Nebraska Appleseed. "Our nation's safety net must be strong so that when families and communities struggle, we can support them in moving forward."

A bill in the Nebraska Legislature would address hunger issues in the state. LB 543, introduced by Senator Tanya Cook of Omaha would take up a federal option to provide outreach activities for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps.) An amendment, AM 540 brought by Senator Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha, would also lift restrictive asset limits to allow people with emergency savings and other resources to qualify if they are low income and meet other requirements. The bill was voted on by the legislature today, and has moved to select file.
"These changes are an important step forward in addressing food hardship in Nebraska," states Gould, "they help get food assistance to those who need it."

"The data in this report shows that food hardship - running out of money to buy the food that families need - is a substantial challenge in every corner of this country," said Jim Weill, President of FRAC. "With persistently high unemployment and underemployment across the nation, we have to strengthen programs that benefit those who are struggling." Nebraska Appleseed joined FRAC in expressing deep concern about potential cuts to low-income assistance programs proposed by Congress for the FY 2011 budget. "This data clearly shows the need in our state, and our elected officials must take action to protect the well-being of Nebraska families," said Gould.

The full report is available at www.frac.org

###

About This Report

This report is the latest in the Food Research and Action Center's (FRAC) series of analyses of survey data on food hardship collected by Gallup as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. It provides the most up-to-date examination of the struggle that very large numbers of American households are having affording enough food.

Nebraska Appleseed, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest law project, is a national leader in addressing social problems facing vulnerable children without loving and permanent homes, low-income families working hard to make ends meet, and new immigrants seeking a better life. Nebraska Appleseed's current year action plan and description of its six program areas, significant litigation and policy reform successes, and broad-based accomplishments can be found at neappleseed.org.

Nebraska Appleseed is a part of the Appleseed network of independent state-based public interest law centers working to identify and address social injustices. The Appleseed network seeks to build a just society through education, legal advocacy, community activism and policy expertise by addressing root causes and producing practical, systemic solutions with broad implication. For more information visit appleseednetwork.org.

Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest
941 O Street, Suite 920
Lincoln, NE 68508
www.neappleseed.org

Suggested Reading

During his sermon today Pastor Scott Jones quoted from a text by Brian McLaren. What was shared with the congregation really interested me, so I thought I'd share McLaren's website and the name of the book Pastor Jones mentioned.

Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crisis, and a Revolution of Hope (2007)

Please view his website for more information on his books and theological work: http://www.brianmclaren.net/

Happy Reading!

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Ambition is Over-rated

Excerpt from James 3:13-18
"But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish."

Reflection by Lillian Daniel
Back when I was in college, I would periodically get out a yellow legal pad and write the years ahead of me on each line, and then write next to each age exactly what I thought I would be doing. My future graduation was duly noted, as were plans for grad school, and even the years when I would be having children. I had decided that I would wait to have them, well into middle age, so that I could focus on my career as a lawyer in international business first. And naturally I would adopt, because, well, to be honest, it seemed more efficient, less painful and easier to schedule. As for a life partner, that never made it onto the pad.

Just a few years later, I was married, pregnant and about to be ordained a pastor at the age of 26. What had happened to that yellow legal plan version of my life? Well, it turns out that life, love and the holy spirit can’t be planned.

A recent article in the Economist revealed that happiness and age relate to one another like a giant U curve. We are happy young adults, but then get decidedly unhappier until our low point at age 46. After that, we start creeping up the curve toward more happiness as we age. But why?
One theory is that as we get older, we let go of some of those "selfish ambitions" that James was writing to the early church about. We let go of our legal pad life plans, probably written to impress someone else, and we come to appreciate who we are.

Godly ambition is not about impressing other people, but living into a purpose that is both good for you and good for the world. That’s the kind of ambition worth carrying forward. Let your old ambitions pass that test before you carry them with you into the future.

And remember, at least if you are over 46, it gets better.

Prayer
Dear God, search my ambitions within me, to see which of them are Godly and worth taking into the future, and which of them are worth leaving behind.

UCC Daily Devotional from February 4, 2011
Source: http://www.ucc.org/feed-your-spirit/daily-devotional/ambition-is-over-rated.html
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