Mike’s Rumblings – 09-08-23

This is an audio version of Mike Murphy‘s Friday rumblings. This is a regular post on Facebook that I’ve turned into a podcast. I decided Mike’s words needed a wider audience. You may agree or disagree with what he says, but there is certainly much food for thought contained here. You can friend Mike on Facebook for the printed version or read it below

Rumblings 9.8.23

1.  ‘Melodramatic me’ says we’re in a war for the heart and soul of our country. ‘Realistic me’ says to ‘melodramatic me’ – “I think you’re right.”

2. “Some people have a hard time recognizing privilege, saying “I work hard. I don’t get things handed to me.” I understand that. Here’s how I respond: privilege isn’t bonus points for you and your team. It’s unfair penalties the other team gets that you don’t. Privilege isn’t the presence of perks and benefits. It’s the absence of obstacles and barriers. That’s a lot harder to notice. If you have a hard time recognizing your privileges, focus on what you don’t have to go through. Let that fuel your empathy and action.” ~ Marie Beecham

I’ve witnessed what obstacles and barriers can do to people both in the here and now and over time. And I’ve watched ‘privileged folks’ fall over themselves denying that their privilege had anything to do with their success. Of course, there are those who fully admit their ‘privilege’ and the advantages that came to them as a result. I rather like those who are honest about it. It tells me they have character. Often, they become a prophetic voice, willing to remind their peers that the obstacles they create and  curate  do significant  damage.

3.   “I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want? I want justice – oceans of it. I want fairness – rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.” ~ Amos 5: 21-24, The Message

I love reading scripture from the Message. I especially love this take on the passage in Amos. The words on the page come alive. The meaning is clear. There’s a call to action and  a firm reminder to resist any temptation to replace real faith with a caricature of it.

 4. The good Jesuits at Pray-as you-Go commented on the murder of John the Baptist in one of their daily devotionals. They said:  “A life of commitment was called to an abrupt, terrifying halt on the whim of a wealthy dysfunctional family playing a sordid game.”  

The family named Herod already had a disgraceful history. John the Baptist’s murder just added another layer of yuckiness to their legacy.

Power + dysfunction + jealousy + saving face + no conscience = Disaster 

Apply where necessary. You won’t have to look very hard.

Always remember. Vengeance is not a virtue. 

5. “And Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: You shall not oppress the stranger, for you were strangers once yourselves in Egypt. And the people grew angry and said, “O Lord! Why are you teaching us critical race theory? And Moses replied: “Do any of you know what critical race theory is? And none of them knew.” ~ source unknown

What’s irritating these days are the legions of people who have deeply held opinions but little or no knowledge. 

6. In James Bryan Smith’s excellent book, “The Good and Beautiful You” I ran across this gem: 

“Two questions haunt every human life” Andy Crouch writes. “The first: What are we meant to be? The second: Why are we so far from what we were meant to be?” 

This is worth pondering. 

7. “I don’t know

how to make the world 

A better place. 

So I played a board game 

With a trans teen.

And hopefully,

For just a moment

It made this world 

a better place.” 

~ J. Warren Welch 

8.  “The Christian faith is not primarily about beliefs and practices; it is primarily about what kind of people Christians become.” ~ The Good and Beautiful You

I’ve been privileged to know a whole lot people of deep faith who live it out with grace, love  and sincerity, trying to become more and more like Jesus. I also know Christians in name only, who don’t know how to walk their talk and really aren’t that interested in learning how.

9.  It’s been said that if you want to fix a problem you need to understand who’s profiting from the problem. That’s an important factor. If you don’t know who’s profiting, ask someone who’s suffering as a result of it. They know full well who needs to be held accountable and they have  keen insights as to what the remedies need to be. They’re just waiting to be asked.

10. WAPO reported:

“Rid yourselves of any thought that only a handful of extremists on January 6 were on hand to be goaded by Trump into behaving dangerously. Let’s do some stocktaking, courtesy of the Justice Department:

Some 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol — about 80 from the Capitol force and about 60 from the D.C. police.

About 370 people have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees. That includes about 110 charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

Roughly 630 people have pleaded guilty to a variety of federal charges, including some 200 to felonies and about 430 to misdemeanors.

A total of 110 people have been found guilty at contested trials, including three in D.C. Superior Court.

About 600 federal defendants have had their cases adjudicated and received sentences.”

When I look at the mug shots of all those who have been implicated and indicted for matters related to the 2020 election and the subsequent attack on the Capitol, I see folks who made a willful decision to place the rule of law, truth, and the peaceful transfer of power on a trash heap They chose, instead, a deceitful, threatening, and violent path. 

The bottom line is that a whole lot of harm was done and is still being done. There is no persecution happening. It’s just the wheels of justice starting to turn. They’re moving too slowly to my way of thinking but they are moving. 

One more thing. It looks like Hunter Biden will be indicted. That means evidence has been presented that makes an indictment necessary. That’s the way it works in America. Please note that President Biden is not on cable news shows whining and complaining. 

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