WorldHope Corps

PREDICTION: On December 21, 2012, when the Long Count calendar ends, a rare Galactic alignment of the Sun and the Milky Way will take place. This only happens once every 26,000 years. FACT:  On the  solstice  of December 21, 2012, the Sun, as seen from the Earth, will be crossing the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy near its center. This type of alignment of the path of the Sun with the plane of our Galaxy takes place every year; thus, it is not very special. The alignment of the Sun with our Galaxy on the December solstice happens more rarely. This more rare alignment occurs during a 400 consecutive year period, and within every precession cycle of 25,772 years. This is thus somewhat more special. This image shows a planetarium view of the sky illustrating the Sun’s position on December 21, 2012, the date of the solstice. The image reflects what the sky will look like at noon on that day, at the latitude of Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, México. At midday, the Sun will...

An usually large, warm, Full Moon was visible and clear in the sky today over Madison, NJ. According to earthsky.org   " the big and bright  waning gibbous moon  shines directly in front of the constellation Gemini the Twins, the radiant point for the Geminid meteor shower (going on tonight).  Gemini’s two brightest stars are  Castor  and  Pollux . They shine quite close to the moon tonight."  I looked up and down, all around, and inside and out, and though I did not see the Twins of Gemini, suddenly I knew what Time it was. Time to go home to San Diego for the holidays (on Friday). Time to leave Occupy Wall Street behind for awhile and focus on other things. TIME TO OCCUPY CHRISTMAS with family and friends. "There is a time to every purpose under heaven..." (Ecc. 3) There's a time to cook and clean and mend. And there's a time for crying with a friend. Look around, do you see what time it is? Put down your pots and pans awhile. ...

While returning to Newark on a 6am flight from Tulsa, the pilot woke up the passengers to alert us to an an astronomical sight not to be missed. I looked out the window and sure enough, the Moon over Tulsa was full and bright and larger than life, with no clouds obscuring the view.  The softer lunar light directly opposed the more radiant light of the Sun which was just starting to rise. In this strange twilight, I beheld that final phase of the lunar eclipse after the moon had turned red at its midpoint. Since I teach apocalyptic eschatology at Drew (where I discuss biblical texts where the “moon turns to blood”), I could not help but wonder what this  astronomical/astrological sign may  mean at such a time as this? Perhaps this natural phenomenon, like all solar and lunar eclipses, at least in retrospect, portents or points to important human events of crisis and opportunity, or sometimes to the need for relief and re-balancing—as the ancients believed.   But for ...

Minister Michael Ellick is a good and faithful pastor at Judson Church in Greenwich Village.  He also is a gifted and courageous community organizer.   Fully active in OWS since its inception, and contributing faith-based solidarity and support, Michael instigated OccupyFaithNYC within the first month of the movement. Michael, Eric Jackson, and several members of Judson captured national public attention on October 9 by bringing a   Golden Calf  to the protest movement on Wall Street.  Michael also is a gifted community organizer, bold as well as gentle, able to speak truth to power, and also give a cup of cold water in the spirit of Jesus.  Watching him in action, whether leading a direct action on the streets or facilitating a strategy meeting at the church, his Conservative Baptist roots, Union Theological School training, and seven years of study under a Tibetan Buddhist Teacher prepared him for prophetic leadership “in such a time as thi...

Old Age Quote of the Day for 11.11.11 on the Gregorian calendar  The Power of Committed Action “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”                                 ...

Having missed the first three weird weather apocalyptic riders through the northeast in the past three months--Earthquake ‘Ike’, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee-- it only seemed karmically right to be here in Madison for the fourth plague--the freakish ‘snow storm of the century’ yet to be named.   The first three disasters wrecked havoc with their torrential rains and floods, but the aftermath of this fourth disaster was worse than all three, and twice as weird.    Snow flurries in usually warm October? In the autumn season famous for colorful foliage?   The red and yellow leaves were still turning when suddenly over 12 inches of snow weighed down over-burdened trees; their branches broke and cut down electric lines, which cut off electric power and made the roads unsafe to drive. Lights, heat and train service were cut off for nearly two million residents in several States. I was beginning to fear that radio preacher  Har...

  Today--September 21--is Henri's day.  As I remember my teacher  Henri Nouwen on this 15th Anniversary of his death and transition, I am reminded not only of his incredibly significant contribution to the theory and practice of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, but of his conviction that if we befriend our death before we die, our spirit remains accessible to those we leave behind. I reached out today to others who knew Henri in life and remember him in death.  They too recognize September 21 as an auspicious day for many.   In honor of Henri, I offer this quote about “befriending death” in Chapter 7 of Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit    "It seems indeed important that we face death before we are in any real danger of dying and reflect on our mortality before all our conscious and unconscious energy is directed to the struggle to survive… I think, then, that our task is to befriend de...

In reading your blog, Michael, I immediately think of these two poems is poem by Julia Esquivel, from Guatemala, whom I had the pleasure of meeting years ago.  Un abrazo, Ada Maria I AM NOT AFRAID OF DEATH I am no longer afraid of death I know well Its dark and cold corridors Leading to life. I am afraid rather of that life Which does not come out of death, Which cramps our hands And slows our march. I am afraid of my fear And even more of the fear of others, Who do not know where they are going, Who continue clinging To what they think is life Which we know to be death! I live each day to kill death; I die each day to give birth to life, And in this death of death, I die a thousand times And am reborn another thousand Through that love From my People Which nourishes hope! THREATEN WITH RESURRECTION They have threatened us with Resurrection There is something here within us which doesn’t let us sleep, which doesn’t let us rest, which doesn’t stop the pounding deep inside. It is t...

Fifteen of us gathered Saturday night at the Lambs Club for a 35 th year reunion of those who helped start the Lamb’s Church in Times Square in the mid to late 1970’s, including: Rev. Paul S. Moore , Founder of the Lamb’s Church of the Nazarene, and his wife, Tamara Dr. Michael J. Christensen , charter member and former associate pastor, and his wife Dr. Rebecca Laird Fr. William (BJ) Webe r, former Associate Pastor and Director of the Lamb’s Residency, and his wife Sheila who lived at the Lamb’s Jim and Dustee Hullinger, who were on staff together and made the Lamb’s their home for over 25 years Effie Canepa , who was the church pianist under 3 pastors, and her husband Peter Shirley Close, who attended the Lamb’s in the late 1970’s while studying, performing  and teaching music and voice Carl "Chappy" Valente , former associate pastor Rev. Bob DiQuatto , lead singer of the Church’s “Manhattan Project” and staff member of the Lamb’s, and his son Jason Rev. Gab...