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Meditations on building houses (and lives) on sand vs stones: stumbling blocks, cornerstones, keystones, living stones

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

MATTHEW 7: 24-28 – Hearers and Doers – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”

How … bring forth a garden on hard stone? Become earth, that you may grow flowers of many colors. For you have been heart-breaking rock. Once, for the sake of experiment, be earth! — Rumi

Poet to Bigot — Langston Hughes
I have done so little / For you,
And you have done so little / For me,
That we have good reason / Never to agree.
I, however, / Have such meagre / Power,
Clutching at a / Moment,
While you control / An hour.
But your hour is / A stone.
My moment is / A flower.

And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. — Psalm 78:35

SONGS about Sand and Stones:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour. — William Blake

Very little grows on jagged rock. Be ground.
Be crumbled, so wildflowers will come up where you are.
― Rumi

The Stones – Wendell Berry
I owned a slope full of stones.
Like buried pianos they lay in the ground,
shards of old sea-ledges, stumbling blocks
where the earth caught and kept them
dark, an old music mute in them
that my head keeps now I have dug them out.
I broke them where they slugged in the dark
cells, and lifted them up in pieces.
As I piled them in the light
I began their music. I heard their old lime
rouse in breath of song that had not left me.
I gave pain and weariness to their bearing out.
What bond have I made with the earth,
having worn myself against it? It is a fatal singing
I have carried with me out of that day.
The stones have given me music
that figures for me their holes in the earth
and their long lying in them dark.
They have taught me the weariness that loves the ground,
and I must prepare a fitting silence.

Do Stones Feel?  — Mary Oliver

Do stones feel? Do they love their life?
Or does their patience drown out everything else?

When I walk on the beach I gather a few
white ones, dark ones, the multiple colors.
Don’t worry, I say, I’ll bring you back, and I do.

Is the tree as it rises delighted with its many
branches, each one like a poem?
Are the clouds glad to unburden their bundles of rain?

Most of the world says no, no, it’s not possible.
I refuse to think to such a conclusion.
Too terrible it would be, to be wrong.


The Book of Camp Branch (excerpt) — Wendell Berry

How much delight I’ve known
in navigating down the flow
by stepping stones, by sounding
stones, by words that are
stepping and sounding stones.

Going down stone by stone,
the song of the water changes,
changing the way I walk
which changes my thought
as I go. Stone to stone
the stream flows. Stone to stone
the walker goes. The words
stand stone still until
the flow moves them, changing
the sound – a new word –
a new place to step or stand.

COMMENTARY on PARABLE of BUILDING a HOUSE on ROCK vs SAND

The picture is not of two men deliberately selecting foundations, but it contrasts one who carefully chooses and prepares his foundation with one who builds at hap-hazard. This is more strongly brought out by Luke (Luke 6:48): “Who digged and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock” … — Vincent’s Word Studies (full artilcle)

In the practical order, we find our Original Goodness, the image of God that we are, when we can discover and own the faith, hope, and love deeply planted within us:

  • A trust in inner coherence itself. “It all means something!” (Faith)
  • A trust that this coherence is positive and going somewhere good. (Hope)
  • A trust that this coherence includes me and even defines me. (Love)

… Being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) gives everyone an equal and inherent dignity. However, in every age and culture, we have seen regressions toward racism, sexism, homophobia, militarism, ableism, and classism. This pattern tells me that unless we see dignity as being given universally, objectively, and from the beginning by God, we humans will constantly think it is up to us to decide… For the planet and for all living beings to move forward, we can rely on nothing less than an inherent original goodness and a universally shared dignity. Only then can we build, because the foundation is strong, and is itself good. Surely this is what Jesus meant when he told us to “dig and dig deep, and build your house on rock” (Luke 6:48). When we start with yes (or a positive vision), we are more likely to proceed with generosity and hope, and we have a much greater chance of ending with an even bigger yes, which we would call “resurrection.” — Fr Richard Rohr (full article)

… what Jesus himself taught and spent most of his time doing: healing people, doing acts of justice and inclusion, embodying compassionate and nonviolent ways of living… Jesus was teaching an alternative wisdom that shakes the social order instead of upholding the conventional wisdom that maintains it. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is not about preserving the status quo! It’s about living here on earth as if the Reign of God has already begun (see Luke 17:21). In this Reign, the Sermon tells us, the poor are blessed, the hungry are filled, the grieving are filled with joy, and enemies are loved. — Fr Richard Rohr (full article)

As in all hilly countries, the streams of Galilee rush down the torrent-beds during the winter and early spring, sweep all before them, overflow their banks, and leave beds of alluvial deposit on either side. When summer comes their waters fail (comp. Jeremiah 15:18; Job 6:15), and what had seemed a goodly river is then a tract covered with debris of stones and sand. A stranger coming to build might be attracted by the ready-prepared level surface of the sand. It would be easier to build there instead of working upon the hard and rugged rock. But the people of the land would know and mock the folly of such a builder, and he would pass (our Lord’s words may possibly refer to something that had actually occurred) into a by-word of reproach. On such a house the winter torrent had swept down in its fury, and the storms had raged, and then the fair fabric, on which time and money had been expended, had given way, and fallen into a heap of ruins. Interpreting the parable in the connection in which our Lord has placed it, it is clear that the house is the general fabric of an outwardly religious life. “The rock” can be nothing else than the firm foundation of repentance and obedience, the assent of the will and affections as well as of the lips. The “sand” answers to the shifting, uncertain feelings which are with some men (the “foolish” ones of the parable) the only ground on which they act—love of praise, respect for custom, and the like. The “wind,” the “rain,” the “floods” hardly admit, unless by an unreal minuteness, of individual interpretation, but represent collectively the violence of persecution, of suffering, of temptations from without, beneath which all but the life which rests on the true foundation necessarily gives way. Such is obviously the primary meaning of the parable here, but, like most other parables, it has other meanings, which, though secondary, are yet suggestive and instructive, and are not unsanctioned by the analogy of our Lord’s teaching. (1.) Already He had bestowed upon one of His disciples the name of Cephas, Peter, the Rock, and in so doing had at least indicated the type of character represented by the “rock” upon which the wise man built. When He afterwards said, “Upon this rock will I build my Church,” He was speaking in the character of a wise Master-builder who saw in fervent faith and unhesitating obedience the ground-work on which the Christian society, which He designated as His kingdom, was to rest. — Ellicott’s Commentary (full artilcle)

Palestine was to a considerable extent a land of hills and mountains. Like other countries of that description, it was subject to sudden and violent rains. The Jordan, the principal stream, was annually swollen to a great extent, and became rapid and furious in its course. The streams which ran among the hills, whose channels might have been dry during some months of the year, became suddenly swollen with the rain, and would pour down impetuously into the plains below. Everything in the way of these torrents would be swept off. Even houses, erected within the reach of these sudden inundations, and especially if founded on sand or on any unsolid basis, would not stand before them. The rising, bursting stream would shake it to its foundation; the rapid torrent would gradually wash away its base; it would totter and fall. Rocks in that country were common, and it was easy to secure for their houses a solid foundation. No comparison could, to a Jew, have been more striking. So tempests, and storms of affliction and persecution, beat around the soul. Suddenly, when we think we are in safety, the heavens may be overcast, the storm may lower, and calamity may beat upon us. In a moment, health, friends, comforts may be gone. How desirable, then, to be possessed of something that the tempest cannot reach! Such is an interest in Christ, reliance on his promises, confidence in his protection, and a hope of heaven through his blood. Earthly calamities do not reach these; and, possessed of religion, all the storms and tempests of life may beat harmlessly around us. — Matthew Henry’s commentary (full artilcle)

The teacher explained how each thing in the lesson had a much deeper meaning …— Gwen Schnell

  • The house is much more than just a house! It is like our life and what we do with it.
  • The storm-wind, rain, and floods are like troubles or problems that come into our lives, maybe like temptations.
  • The strong rock is like Jesus. He helps us when we are having troubles, like the storm. Jesus helps stay strong and do the right thing and trust in Him.
  • The soft sand is like worldly things. It’s whatever you may trust in INSTEAD of Jesus. It’s not strong or reliable. You will not find the help you need to be strong and do the right thing if you trust in anything or anyone but Jesus.
  • The wise man was someone who listened to Jesus and obeyed Him, the foolish man was someone who did not.

LIVING STONES: Definition, Context, Commentary

The term living stones … is used as a metaphor to illustrate the secure and intimate relationship … with Jesus … — Gotquestions.org (full article)

The lively stone is us — all who belong to Jesus — and the Living Stone is Jesus. — Shari Abbott

Wherever, in any world, a soul, by free-willed obedience, catches the fire of God’s likeness, it is set into the growing walls, a living stone. — Phillips Brooks

As we come together, each of us a living stone, we are built into something greater through the power of Jesus Christ. We are special and important and Christ is alive in us and waiting for us to actually be a living stone. To take risks and live and breath everything through the power of Jesus Christ. — Ministry Matters (full article)

The “rock-stone” image imagery is common in Scripture. As Hillyer says, “There is, for example, the stumbling stone of Isaiah 8:14, the foundation stone of Isaiah 28:16, the parental rock of Isaiah 51:1f., the rejected but vindicated building stone of Psalm 118:22, the supernatural stone of Daniel 2:34 and the burdensome stone of Zechariah 12:3” (Norman Hillyer, “Rock-Stone Imagery in 1 Peter”, The Tyndale Bulletin, 22 [1971] 58). There is fair evidence that “Rock/Stone” was a messianic title among the Jews as well as among the Christians…  — Edwin Blum

Four Stones — Mary Oliver

On the beach, at dawn:
Four small stones clearly
Hugging each other.

How many kinds of love
Might there be in the world,
And how many formations might they make

And who am I ever
To imagine I could know
Such a marvelous business?

When the sun broke
It poured willingly its light
Over the stones

That did not move, not at all,
Just as, to its always generous term,
It shed its light on me,

My own body that loves,
Equally, to hug another body.

SAND: Definition, Context, Commentary

… a loose granular material that results from the disintegration of rocks, consists of particles smaller than gravel but coarser than silt, and is used in mortar, glass, abrasives, and foundry molds. — Merriam-Webster definition

Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt… Sand is a non-renewable resource over human timescales …— Wikipedia

We see God separating that which is holy apart, and setting it aside for himself in many places in Scripture. But conversely, the Hebrew word for sand, חול (chol), is the same as the word for “secular” or “ordinary” – that which is not set aside or holy… The dense dusty sand that hung over Israel was a good reminder of how sin and worldliness works:

  • It clouds our vision and brings short-sightedness
  • It chokes and suffocates life
  • It makes it difficult to move up and out

— One for Israel (full article)

  … sand and gravel resources are the second-largest resource extracted and traded by volume after water.  — United Nations (full article)

CORNERSTONE: Definition, Context, Commentary

The cornerstone of something is the basic part of it on which its existence, success, or truth depends. — Collins Dictionary

In relation to architecture, a cornerstone is traditionally the first stone laid for a structure, with all other stones laid in reference. A cornerstone marks the geographical location by orienting a building in a specific direction. … Over the years, cornerstones have served a variety of purposes. As a means to preserve time, buildings have been marked with a numerical representation to remind people when the building was erected. This has given correlation to architecture and the design of the time. Additionally, cornerstones have become a strong symbol of a new era. They have indicated prosperity and opportunity—showing a sense of pride for what is possible at the time of construction. Cornerstones have also been turned into pieces of memorabilia, marking present buildings or denoting previously standing buildings. …
As the commemorative qualities of cornerstones have become recognized, the locations of craftsmanship have expanded to stones near or above the front door of a building. — New Studio Architecture (full article)

Since ancient times, builders have used cornerstones in their construction projects. A cornerstone was the principal stone, usually placed at the corner of an edifice, to guide the workers in their course. The cornerstone was usually one of the largest, the most solid, and the most carefully constructed of any in the edifice. The Bible describes Jesus as the cornerstone that His church would be built upon. He is foundational. Once the cornerstone was set, it became the basis for determining every measurement in the remaining construction; everything was aligned to it. As the cornerstone of the building of the church, Jesus is our standard of measure and alignment. — Gotquestions.org (full article)

A cornerstone (Greek: Άκρογωνιεîς, Latin: Primarii Lapidis) will sometimes be referred to as a “foundation-stone”, and is symbolic of Christ, whom the Apostle Paul referred to as the “head of the corner” and is the “Chief Cornerstone of the Church” (Ephesians 2:20) — Wikipedia

CAPSTONE or KEYSTONE: Definition, Context, Commentary

… it was the Roman civilization (1000 B.C.E. – 500 C.E.) that first began using a keystone (also called a capstone) in their arches. The keystone is the topmost stone in the arch. The one in the illustration on the right is exaggerated in size from what a normal keystone would be. The keystone helped to distribute the weight down the side supporting blocks (voussoir blocks) of the columns. With this design, the keystone is the “key” to supporting the arch, because if you remove the stone, the arch would collapse. — Ask a Biologist (full article)

Jesus is the keystone of creation; bringing order from non-order and providing a resolution for the problem of disorder introduced by sin. — RJS summarizing Jonathan Walton’s argument, Patheos.com (full article)

God next speaks of the “capstone” or “headstone.” Some people have assumed that this was a foundation stone, but it is not. God is speaking about finishing the temple, not starting it. This is not the cornerstone, which is installed in the foundation, but the finishing stone—the very last one set. It can also be called the gable stone or even the keystone that would finish an archway. It is a symbol of completion. In this case, it represents the Temple being sufficiently ready for God’s habitation. This ought to be clear. He is alluding to the preparation of the church for God’s Kingdom... their job of measuring the Temple, the altar, and the worshippers will be successful. They will be successful by”grace, grace”—double grace. Their work will be accomplished only by an extra measure of God’s grace.— Richard Ritenbaugh

Do not look only for the beautiful, water-polished stones that represent Christ’s abundant gifts and graces that He’s given you in the happy, simple, and easy times.  Look also for the rough-edged rocks, and even the huge boulders, that represent Christ’s presence, provision, and protection in the most difficult, trying, and troubling times of life. — Shari Abbott

STUMBLING BLOCK: Definition, Context, Commentary

  1 : an obstacle to progress 2 : an impediment to belief or understanding — Dictionary

During our step-work, every time we got to the fourth step—Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves—the women gave me a lot of pushback… They felt that … “what they’d done wrong” was the focus of many of their classes. It felt exhausting to them… It was not a punitive action… What if we can identify the thing that keeps us from enjoying life to its fullest? Can we look at this exercise as a diagnostic tool? … Mark Thibodeaux, SJ, writes, “If we take an honest look at the mistakes we’ve made, we’ll see that many of them were a reaction to an unnamed fear within us.” Twelve-steppers agree with that statement. We are told that our character defects (sin) are our instincts run amok… Once those fears have been identified, we have something on which to work. The goal of this work is reconnection…. — Jean Heaton, Noticing My Stumbling Blocks (full article)

Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another… Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. — Paul’s Letter to Romans

Visitation Hours & Memorial Service for Robert Corrigan. Also recognition of the death of Martha Webb Chandler.

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Adult, HomeTagged , , , ,

ROBERT CORRIGAN

Services

  • Visitation Hours for family and friends
    Wed, August 11 • 1-3pm and 6-8pm
    @ Bryant Funeral Home, 1 Promenade St., Gorham, NH.
  • Memorial Service open to family and friends
    Thurs, August 12 • 10am
    @ Jackson Community Church, 127 Main St., Jackson, NH

Note: The family would appreciate all attendees of the calling hours and services to wear a mask.Memorial Donations
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to GRSEF, FBO Corrigan Family Scholarship, Gorham High School, 120 Main St., Gorham, NH, 03581. Online guestbook at www.bryantfuneralhome.net.

BIOGRAPHY

      Robert E. Corrigan, 76, of North Conway, NH, passed away on Friday July 30, 2021 at the Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME. The son of Harry E. and Nathalie (Conant) Corrigan, he was born in Westbrook, ME on February 15, 1945 and later moved to Shelburne, NH when he was six. He attended school in Gorham and graduated Valedictorian of the Class of 1963. He then attended Dartmouth College, graduating in 1967 with a degree in English. From there, he immediately began teaching at Gorham High School from where he retired in 1999. After that, he went to work at the White Mountain Community College in Berlin.
      Being a teacher of great expectations, he created the Senior Project, a capstone graduation requirement that persists to this day at GHS. Bob (AKA “Crash” from his college days) loved coaching basketball and baseball, as well as playing competitively into his fifties against his high school students. He was named by George H. W. Bush as the 88th Point of Light. In 1989, he was one of ten in the country to be named by Reader’s Digest as a Hero in Education. He was also a Shelburne Citizen of the Year.     
     An avid golfer for 40 years, on many weekends you’d find him puttering around on the golf course, his drive pushing him to play on par to that of his basketball skills, often stopping afterwards at the 19th hole to enjoy a ham sandwedge.
     A lifelong puzzler, he enjoyed solving and creating logic problems and magic squares. He had a hobbit of making terrible puns, by golem — a veritable war of the words. He was oft sought out for friendly chats as well as advice. Never one to miss an opportunity to connect with others, his kids learned at an early age that a quick trip to the store would be a brave new world of multiple conversations with his current and former students encountered along the way.
     In retirement he found a second home in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, enjoying an idyllic pace of life among the flamingos that had previously haunted his home in the hamlet of Shelburne.
     Family includes his wife of 54 years, Jacquelyn (Bowler) Corrigan of North Conway, NH; children Gregory Corrigan of Shelburne, NH, daughter-in-law Jen Corrigan of Shelburne, NH, Kristen Corrigan of Brownfield, ME and Shelley Corrigan of Intervale, NH; 4 grandchildren: Molly Reynolds and husband Tucker of Lancaster, NH, Airman First Class Riley Corrigan of Dover AFB, Delaware, Aiden Corrigan of Shelburne, NH and Gavin Corrigan of Shelburne, NH; brother Michael Corrigan of Norway, ME; sisters Kathy Longnecker and husband Malcolm of Gorham, NH and Martha MacIntosh and husband Alan of Las Vegas, NV, and 2 nieces and a nephew.
     A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, August 12, 2021 at 10 AM at the Jackson Community Church, 127 Main St., Jackson, NH. Relatives and friends may call at the Bryant Funeral Home, 1 Promenade St., Gorham, NH, on Wednesday August 11 from 1 to 3 and 6 to 8 PM. Private interment will be held at the Conant Burial Ground, Westbrook, ME.
     In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to GRSEF, FBO Corrigan Family Scholarship, Gorham High School, 120 Main St., Gorham, NH, 03581. Online guestbook at www.bryantfuneralhome.net.

“It is tragic that nothing gold can stay.
You will be missed … All those terrible puns above –
those were for you, Dad.”

 

MARTHA WEBB CHANDLER

Celebration of Life
The family will hold a celebration of life service on Sept. 1 at 3 p.m. in Wonalancet (under a tent).
 


BIOGRAPHY

Martha Webb Chandler passed away on July 25, 2021, following a brief period of illness.
     Born in 1930 to parents Harry J. and Francis (Newell) Webb, Martha grew up in Franklin, Mass., which, at that time, was a relatively rural town. She attended elementary and high school there and following graduation from Boston University in 1952 she became a teacher.
     She taught school at the Summit School in Saint Paul, Minn., for several years before returning to Massachusetts where she earned a M.Ed. from Harvard in 1957.
      In 1958, she met John Chandler, the brother of college friends; they were married in 1959 and lived in Laconia, N.H., where he practiced law. They were members of the Unitarian Universalist Church, belonging to both the Laconia and Tamworth congregations.
      During the 1960s and early 1970s, Martha pursued an active outdoor life while raising two children in Laconia (school year) and Wonalancet (summer). She returned to teaching in the mid-1970s at Laconia High School and retired in the early 1990s.
      Long after her children were “out of the house,” Martha still made it a point to attend Laconia High School sporting events and cheer for all the kids. Martha was an ardent feminist having experienced the prevalent discriminatory practices women faced in the mid-century; and she advocated for education and other life-expanding opportunities for all.
      A passionate conservationist, Martha became active with the Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests, which named her Conservationist of the Year in 2016 for her work on Mount Major, and with the Maine-based Mahoosuc Land Trust. Martha loved outdoor life.
      She was the head of the waterfront at Camp Weetamoe on Lake Ossipee in her 20s and continued to teach swimming into her 80s at White Lake State Park for the Town of Tamworth.She made a point to be active including taking part in White Mountain Miler events. She also enjoyed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, even this past winter at age 90, and walked up to a mile almost every day through May 2021.
      She volunteered with the Wonalancet Out Door Club — doing trail work in earlier years and, through this spring, shipping the T-shirts the club sells online.
      Martha was predeceased by her husband John in 2016, and by her sisters Marian Webb Murray (1982) and Mary Webb Ambler (2015).
      She is survived by her children Ellen Chandler, and David Chandler and his wife Nina; extended family includes Caleb Ayers and his wife Ashley. The family will hold a celebration of life service on Sept. 1 at 3 p.m. in Wonalancet (under a tent).
       Memorial donations and/or acts of volunteering may be made to Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests (forestsociety.org; 54 Portsmouth St., Concord NH 03301), the Upper Saco Valley Land Trust (usvlt.org; 111 Main St., Conway, NH 03818), the Mahoosuc Land Trust (Mahoosuc.org; P.O. Box 981, Bethel, Maine 04217) or the outdoor organization of your choosing.

Reflections on the ‘log & speck’ or ‘beam & mote’ – judging & non-judging. Themes from Matthew 7 out of the Sermon on the Mount. Humor through images.

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Contain all human faces in your own without any judgment of them — Rumi

It is much more difficult to judge yourself than it is to judge others. — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

What is love? Love is the absence of judgment. — Dalai Lama

To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly as he or she is. — Fred Rogers

There is no value-judgment more important to a man no factor more decisive in his psychological development and motivation than the estimate he passes on himself. — Nathaniel Branden

There are no truer choices than those made in crisis, choices made without judgment. — Daniel Wilson

The organ of perception acts more readily than judgment. — Leonardo Da Vinci

Well, pray if you like, only you’d do better to use your judgment. — Leo Tolstoy

If you want to help somebody, make sure you’re coming from a place of clarity and complete non-judgment; that way, you can begin to understand their journey, too. — Mary Lambert

Without compassion, we will never know anyone or anything, not even our own story. Too much judgment, too many ideas and attitudes will stand in the way of the fundamental principle that we are similar to, connected with, and part of everything else. — Deena Metzger

SONGS about Judging & Not-Judging:

And light is mingled with the gloom,
And joy with grief;
Divinest compensations come,
Through thorns of judgment mercies bloom In sweet relief.
— John Greenleaf Whittier

PRAYER
God of all races, nations, and religions,
You know that we cannot change others,
Nor can we change the past.
But we can change ourselves.
We can join You in changing our only
And common future where Love “reigns”
The same over all.
Help us not to say, “Lord, Lord” to any nationalist gods,
But to hear the One God of all the earth,
And to do God’s good thing for this One World.
— Fr Richard Rohr

WHAT’S IN YOUR EYE?

As I pondered these verses, so many questions came to my mind.

  • Why is it we can see the faults of others, but we can’t see our own faults?
  • Who is supposed to tell me what my logs are – my kids, my husband, my parents, You God?
  • And how is that done? Is there an appropriate way to show me my faults?
  • Is there an appropriate way to show others their faults?
  • How should I prepare myself to hear bad news about myself?
  • Why do I feel the need to judge others for their faults?
  • Where does humility come into play here?
  • What if I perceive another person is in danger? Is it alright to tell them what their speck is?
  • What if they have a “log” in their eye? Why doesn’t the Bible talk about getting a log out of other people’s lives – only specks?
  • How do I get the log out of my own eye?
  • Am I a hypocrite?
  • Have I ever really prayed for God to show me my log?
  • Do I really want to hear what He might say?
  • Why does Jesus say speck and log versus specks and logs?

As you can see, these 5 verses brought a lot more questions to my mind than there are verses.  And if I thought beyond the few minutes it took to come up with these questions, I could probably double the amount of questions that came quickly to the top of my head. — Patti Greene (full text: https://greenepastures.org/the-speck-and-the-log-matthew-71-5/)

… there’s all this stuff about the final judgment. You know what the final judgment is to me? It’s God dying on the cross and saying: forgive them; they know not what they’re doing. That’s an eternally valid statement to me. That is God’s judgment upon us. And so, to me, if God could bear that kind of suffering and only respond in forgiveness and love, that’s the God who is present in a devastating hurricane, in that room with an abused child. So to me, God has come into the world and is bearing that, not causing it. — Nadia Bolz-Weber

God’s freely given grace is a humiliation to the ego because free gifts say nothing about me. Only the soul can understand grace. The ego does not know how to receive things freely or without logic. It likes to be worthy and needs to understand in order to accept things as true. The ego prefers a worldview of scarcity or quid pro quo, where only the clever can win. That problem, and its overcoming, is at the very center of the Gospel plot line. It has always been overcome from God’s side. The only problem is getting us in on the process! That very inclusion of us is God’s humility, graciousness, and love. Only inside an economy of grace can we see that God wants free and willing partners. An economy of merit cannot process free love or free anything. “Not servants, but friends” (John 15:15) is God’s plan. Yet to this day, most Christians seem to prefer being servants. Divine friendship is just too much to imagine. — Fr. Richard Rohr (full article: https://cac.org/mercy-before-judgment-2016-01-24/)

Through Jesus Christ, God’s own broad, deep, and all-inclusive worldview is made available to us. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the point of the Christian life is not to distinguish oneself from the other world religions, but to stand in radical solidarity with everyone and everything else. This is the full, final, and intended effect of the Incarnation—symbolized by the cross, which is God’s great act of solidarity instead of judgment. This is how we are to imitate Jesus, the good Jewish man who saw and called forth the divine in Gentiles like the Syro-Phoenician woman and the Roman centurions who followed him; in Jewish tax collectors who collaborated with the Empire; in zealots who opposed it; in sinners of all stripes; in eunuchs, pagan astrologers, and all those “outside the law.” Jesus had no trouble whatsoever with otherness. If we are ready to reclaim the true meaning of “catholic,” which is “universal,” we must concentrate on including—as Jesus clearly did—instead of excluding—which he never did. The only thing Jesus excluded was exclusion itself… — Fr Richard Rohr (full article: https://cac.org/solidarity-instead-of-judgment-2020-09-20/)

JUDGMENT & NON-JUDGMENT

Be curious, not judgmental. — Walt Whitman

“How much wrong we do to God and his grace when we speak of sins being punished by his judgment before we speak of their being forgiven by his mercy. We have to put mercy before judgment, and in any event, God’s judgment will always be in the light of his mercy”—which is infinite! — Pope Francis

Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. ― Bryan Stevenson

Placing the blame or judgment on someone else leaves you powerless to change your experience; taking responsibility for your beliefs and judgments gives you the power to change them — Byron Katie

Such as every man is inwardly so he judgeth outwardly. — Thomas A Kempis

In its highest form, not judging is the ultimate act of forgiveness. ― John Kuypers

To celebrate someone else’s life, we need to find a way to look at it straight on, not from above with judgment or from below with envy. ― Sharon Salzberg

No one can occupy your generosity except you. Who can occupy your patience when impatience roars through you? Who except you can choose not to act with judgment when all of your thoughts are judgmental? Your life is yours to live, no matter how you choose to live it. When you do not think about how you intend to live it, it lives you. — Gary Zukav

The more you look into and understand yourself, the less judgmental you become of others. — Tariq Ramadan

But over time people break apart, no matter how enormous the love they feel for one another is, and it is through the breaking and the reconciliation, the love and the doubting of love, the judgment and then the coming together again, that we find our own identity and define our relationships.— Ann Patchett

Just as the sun shines on every soul, let your light of compassion shine on everyone irrespective of who they are and what they believe. ― Michael Bassey Johnson

Imagine learning at such a young age that your very appearance – your very identity – is enough to trigger such confusion and animosity. Imagine knowing that people will hate you for no reason other than you are who you are. —Thomas Beatie

Of course we need to accept ourselves as we are, but we can’t stop there. We also need to value ourselves enough make needed changes. ― Steve Goodier

f your knowledge teaches you not to rise above human weakness and misery and lead your fellow man on the right path, you are indeed a man of little worth and will remain such till Judgment Day. — Khalil Gibran

Mindfulness means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It is cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that attention over time as best we can. In the process, we become more in touch with our life as it is unfolding. — Jon Kabat-Zinn

Yes, I have my standpoint, but I try to follow the life of Christ and he was very non-judgmental. It’s not my position to judge. It’s God’s position to judge. — Donny Osmond

Recognizing our own mistakes helps us to empathize non-judgmentally with others and helps enable us to understand their issues. — Jay Woodman

I want to get comfortable with my insecurities until I am no longer insecure. I want to be comfortable in my skin so that I do not need to dump any of my discomfort onto someone else in the form of judgment. — Damien Rice

We experience it as kindness, giving, mercy, compassion, peace, joy, acceptance, non-judgment, joining, and intimacy. — Marianne Williamson

Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough. — Mary McLeod Bethune

When you force a man to act against his own choice and judgment, it’s his thinking that you want him to suspend. You want him to become a robot.— Ayn Rand

I am humanly unable to correct my negative self-image until I encounter a life-changing experience with non-judgmental love bestowed upon me by a Person whom I admire so much that to be unconditionally accepted by Him is to be born again. — Robert Schuller

This Week at JCC & Around Town: Wed, Aug 4 – Sun, Aug 8

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Calendar, Home

WED, Aug 4

  • FITNESS with LAURIE McALEER
    9am • JCC Parish House (in-person)
    Join us for a free, gentle fitness class. Please let Laurie McAleer know you will attend. Masking and social distancing required.
  • Community Resource: LIBRARY OPEN
    2-5pm • Jackson Library
    • Return to full hours of Tu&Th 10-7, W&F 2-5, Sa 10-2. We will continue to close on Sunday for the time being.
    • Masks and distance will be strictly required while in the building. If you’re unable to mask, you can still take advantage of our pickup or delivery service – simply let us know what you need.
    • One family at a time in the kids room.
    • Bathrooms and meeting room remain closed.
    • Contact the library for additional help: 603.383.9731 or by email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org
  • Community Event: FLOW & ALIGN YOGA with Anjali Rose
    5pm • Zoom. (Zoom Pre-registration link)
    Class sponsored by the Friends of the Whitney Center. We will explore the body, mind and soul with mindful movement. These yoga classes are intentionally created with sequences to instill strength, flexibility and mobility. This fun and community oriented class is for all ages and abilities. Simply bring a mat, strap, block and blanket.
  • Community Event: WHITE MOUNTAIN CEILI BAND
    5:30 – 9pm • Wildcat Tavern Dinner reservations required: 800-228-4245 or 603-383-4245.
    The musicians will play on the porch of the Igloo a safe distance from guests and vice versa. Join Michael Levine (guitar), Dexter Harding (tenor banjo), Siena Kaplan-Thompson (fiddle) & Fiona Howell (flute) for traditional Irish Session music. Stomp your feet, clap your hands, and dance a little jig as these accomplished musicians play centuries old tunes. For more information on the White Mountain Ceili Band visit: whitemountainceiliband.com

THURS, Aug 5

  • Community Event: NATURALIST LED HIKE in JACKSON
    10am • Tin Mountain Conservation Center Field Station, Jackson
    Registration required link. Or call Call 603-447-6991.
    Join Tin Mountain Conservation Center for weekly hikes at the Jackson Field Station property every Thursday in July & August.
  • Community Resource: LIBRARY OPEN
    10am-7pm • Jackson Library
    • Return to full hours of Tu&Th 10-7, W&F 2-5, Sa 10-2. We will continue to close on Sunday for the time being.
    • Masks and distance will be strictly required while in the building. If you’re unable to mask, you can still take advantage of our pickup or delivery service – simply let us know what you need.
    • One family at a time in the kids room.
    • Bathrooms and meeting room remain closed.
    • Contact the library for additional help: 603.383.9731 or by email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org
  • Community Service: WAY STATION SHIFT
    1pm • Food pickup
    2:30pm • Curbside package preparation
    5pm • Shift at curbside with guests
    @ 15 Grove St, North Conway, NH
    Rev Gail and JCC volunteers serve this weekly outreach to local homeless and housing-insecure residents.
  • Community Event: WHITE MOUNTAINS JEWISH FILM FORUM – On the Basis of Sex (virtual)
    7:30pm • Zoom. Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUsc-irrzMiH91L67W2f1TujAssDhSXCnoU.
    Watch the film in advance. At the WMJFF FILM FORUM on Zoom, Attorney Hillary Schneller will discuss Ginsburg’s legacy including her own work as Senior Staff Attorney for The Center for Reproductive Rights. This fall the Supreme Court will review a Mississippi Abortion law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. In the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Center for Reproductive Rights will defend the right to abortion, a right recognized in the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, 1973. Learn about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and this landmark case first-hand from our guest speaker.

FRI, Aug 6

  • Community Event: AWARENESS in the SANCTUARY – Opening to Fresh Perspectives 9:30-10:15 am • In-Person @ Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation Sanctuary & Via Zoom. Please email for registration link: jackisue@aol.com.
    Led by Jacki Katzman • With an introduction by Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum. Focus on Prayers: Bring aim to your prayers with this Awareness Through Movement Eye Lesson. It’s deeply relaxing for the eyes and the whole self, sitting with closed eyes while ‘gazing’ at your hands joined in prayer position. Not only may your prayers find direction, but catching, tossing and hitting may also be improved. Advance Registration Required. Optional donation to Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation (Suggested but not required: $15). Audio recordings of the series will be available.
  • Community Resource: LIBRARY OPEN
    2-5pm • Jackson Library
    • Return to full hours of Tu&Th 10-7, W&F 2-5, Sa 10-2. We will continue to close on Sunday for the time being.
    • Masks and distance will be strictly required while in the building. If you’re unable to mask, you can still take advantage of our pickup or delivery service – simply let us know what you need.
    • One family at a time in the kids room.
    • Bathrooms and meeting room remain closed.
    • Contact the library for additional help: 603.383.9731 or by email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org
  • C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS (zoom)
    5pm • Zoom. Email for Zoom link: jcchurch@jacksoncommunitychurch.org.
    Conversation about this week’s scripture.
  • Community Event: OLD FOREST GROWTH EXPLORATION
    8am-1pm • Grants Parking Lot, Glen, NH to Pondicherry, NH.
    Advance registration required. Call 603.447.6991 to register.
    Old-growth forests are rare in New Hampshire. This field trip is an opportunity to learn how to recognize old-growth forests and to understand why they are so important for biodiversity. David will provide a checklist of old-growth characteristics for participants to use for notes on this and future visits. Using measuring tools such as a diameter tape, clinometer, increment borer, and prism will be demonstrated. This easy-rated hike is a two-mile round trip with minimal elevation gain. We will, however, be off-trail for most of the session and walking on uneven ground with fallen branches and logs. Bring water, lunch, a pencil, and clothing for the weather. Binoculars, a camera, and a hand lens are helpful. David Govatski is a retired forester and silviculturist who has studied and explored old-growth forests and ancient trees across North America.
  • Community Event: SHABBAT SERVICE
    6pm • In-Person @ Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation Sanctuary & Via Zoom
    To join the congregation on Zoom, please register: bhcsynagogue1920@gmail.com
  • Community Event: MUSIC at SHANNON DOOR: Riley Parkhurst
    Evening • Shannon Door
  • Community Event: GARDEN STAGE CONCERT SERIES  –
    Evening • Wildcat Tavern
    Tickets and reservations required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-jason-spooner-band-tickets-157541231063
    Two shows per night, 4:30p-6:30p (Seating 3:45p), 7p-9p (6:45p Seating), Tables have a max of 6 people, All Events are 21 years and older only.

SAT, Aug 7

  • Community Resource: LIBRARY OPEN
    10am-2pm • Jackson Library
    • Return to full hours of Tu&Th 10-7, W&F 2-5, Sa 10-2. We will continue to close on Sunday for the time being.
    • Masks and distance will be strictly required while in the building. If you’re unable to mask, you can still take advantage of our pickup or delivery service – simply let us know what you need.
    • One family at a time in the kids room.
    • Bathrooms and meeting room remain closed.
    • Contact the library for additional help: 603.383.9731 or by email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org
  • Community Event: MUSIC at SHANNON DOOR: Joe McDonald
    Evening • Shannon Door

SUN, Aug 8

  • INTERFAITH GATHERING
    8am • Pavilion behind Whitney Community Center & Zoom
    Email for Zoom link: jcchurch@jacksoncommunitychurch.org.
  • VIRTUAL WORSHIP ZOOM & IN-PERSON
    10:30am •  In sanctuary or by zoom. Email for Zoom link: jcchurch@jacksoncommunitychurch.org.
    • Join us for worship with music, scripture, prayer and reflection.
    • Live music by Alan Labrie
    • Message with Rev Gail Doktor
    • Stay for coffee hour (via Zoom and in-person).
    • Singing in community now practiced (we may sing with masks depending on local COVID statistics).
    • In-person attendance requires social distancing and masking requested for non-vaccinated individuals.
    • Service will also be live-streamed to website and Facebook (if technology supports this function on the day of event). Afterward, recordings of worship service will be posted to Facebook, Vimeo.com channel & Youtube.com channel.
  • Community Resource: MUSIC under the TENT – Jeff Warner
    4pm • Jackson Library tent and lawn
    Bring chairs and a picnic. Come early for space under the tent.
  • Community Event: MUSIC at SHANNON DOOR: Bobby Sheehan & Jeremy Holden
    Evening • Shannon Door

From Jackson eNews: Boston Post Cane awarded to Warren Schomaker

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Jackson, Mt Washington ValleyTagged , ,

Boston Post Cane awarded to Warren Schomaker

The Jackson selectmen awarded Warren Schomaker the Boston Post Cane at their meeting July 27, 2021. In 1909 the Boston Post, in a publicity effort, sent 700 gold-headed ebony canes to towns in MA, RI, ME, and NH to be given to the oldest resident of the town. Most of the canes have been lost over the years, however Jackson still has its original cane, which is stored in the Town Office. A replica cane is given to the recipient.

Warren Schomaker, aged 97, was born in Sydney, Australia, on January 27, 1924. His mother, Ivy Emma Hill, was from Braidwood, New South Wales, Australia. His father, George, was born in 1885 in a covered wagon travelling west from Chicago on the trail to Oregon. His birth was registered in Seattle, Washington.

Warren came to America in 1945 and secured his first job with Stromberg Carlson, a maker of telephone equipment, in Rochester, NY. While in Rochester, Warren and a partner formed Utility Services, Inc. in 1955 to acquire its first small telephone company in Melvin Village, NH. More acquisitions were made in Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, and South Dakota. In 1960 Warren and 2 partners formed Continental Telephone Corporation, later renamed Contel. During the next 10 years, more than 110 acquisitions were made in 42 states, Barbados, Trinidad/Tobago, Jamaica, Grenada, Grand Bahama, Quebec, and Ontario. Contel went public in 1964.

In 1996, Warren and Leslie moved from Kennebunkport to Jackson. Having been president of the Kennebunkport Historical Society, Warren was interested in joining the Jackson Historical Society. Under his leadership, with the help of many, accomplishments of the Society have been numerous and have placed it in the enviable position it holds today. Just a few accomplishments include:

  • Getting 17 structures named to the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Staging a year-long bicentennial celebration
  • Helping the grammar school kids create a time capsule, which is stored at the Society
  • Erecting the Korean War monument
  • Creating the Memorial Walk to the Town Offices.
  • Restoring the old snow roller across from the Wentworth
  • Paying for the paving of the Old Town Hall (before the Society was using it) and purchasing the chairs now at the Whitney Center
  • Restoring the Town Hall – new roof, upstairs egress, new siding, new wiring, general renovations
  • Publishing numerous books of historic interest.
  • Making 19th century White Mountain Art a focus of the society, with lectures, exhibitions, and art sales, and creating the Museum of White Mountain Art upstairs in the Town Hall.
  • Commissioning a replica of the Town’s Boston Post Cane and having a case made for the original.

The stunning new library is a prime example of the Society working with other organizations and the entire community. The Society saved the timbers of the historic Trickey barn, which was scheduled to be demolished to make way for the Whitney Center, and stored them in trailers for a future use.  They were later donated to the Town for the library.  Building the library was a town-wide project with many people, young and old, involved. Once building plans were complete, Sam Harding was the general coordinator; Carrie Scribner mobilized the children; Michael Weeder was the master builder.  

Anne Pillion noted “Warren Schomaker, through both his extraordinary vision and getting-it-done abilities, is a shining example of how one person can accomplish far-reaching and long-lasting community benefits. We thank Warren for his years of tireless work, generous support, valuable expertise, entrepreneurial leadership, and unsurpassed dedication on behalf of the Society and the Town of Jackson.”

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