Bishop Oscar Romero and Real Tyranny

31 years ago today, Bishop Oscar Romero was assassinated by pro-government forces in El Salvador. His crime? Daring to use the church pulpit to denounce a government that was openly, with US government help, targeting, torturing, and killing their opponents and demanding some rights for the "least of these," as Jesus might have termed the poor of Romero's country. This week I will be serving with a pastor in Oaxaca, Mexico who fled El Salvador during those times. Times when he says you could not sleep because of the noise of people crying in the night for relatives who were tortured for resisting the government. Times when bullets flew indiscriminately with just one mission, to kill. As we remember Bishop Romero, it just might do us good to recall what real tyranny looks like. It is not a government making you get health insurance, and it is not a government taking away your right to have a union ask your bosses for a raise. Oscar Romero and many of his Christian brethren of El Salvador who also died trying to serve the poor of this small Central American country knew first hand what government tyranny looked like.

Vegas Craps Out Again... Sahara Hotel to Close

[the sahara hotel, scheduled to close may 15, 2011... from the las vegas sun] I am frequently asked by friends and acquaintances how it is in Las Vegas and if things are improving. Here's a couple of items that should help with that answer. First up is an article that tells the story of our housing market. Almost 70% of all homes with mortgages in the Las Vegas Valley are under water. And then, the Sahara Hotel and Casino, a longtime anchor at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip, will be closing its doors in May.

Taking a Right Turn

[here i am in a little water soaked cave midway to the colorado river] Sometimes you just need to get away from it all. Legendary Marquette University basketball coach Al McGuire used to talk about his drive to the university each day. He talked about coming to a tee in the road where he could turn either left and head into the city, or right, and head out to the country. The city held all the hustle and bustle, energy, noise, and electricity of thousands of people recognizing the famous coach. The country was where he could be alone in the quiet of the Wisconsin day, unknown in appearance to all but a few. Usually he said, he took the left turn and headed into Milwaukee. But every so often, to keep his sanity, and reconnect with who he was, he turned right and headed straight for the quiet roads of the more rural areas of Wisconsin. A couple of days ago, I did just that. No, I didn't go to Wisconsin, but I went hiking here in Las Vegas with my son. Far from the Strip, away from all the glitzy lights of the city, are places where you can walk and see nature as it has been shaped by thousands of years of evolution. We headed out to Goldstrike Canyon, and took the three mile trail all the way to the Colorado River. My blogging friend Tim favors skiing, but for me, a chance to hike, in the warmth of the sun and scrmble over some incredible boulders is an incredible get away. It is my right turn away from the city. Enjoy the pictures. [here we are about half way down to the river] [amazing how little water a cactus needs to flourish] [the payoff is in sight, el rio colorado]

Some Pre-Lenten Reading

Each year as we head into the Lenten season and Ash Wednesday, it seems as if for a lot of people, their hearts turn towards the spiritual side. This year I feel will be no different, so let me get ahead of the curve and share a few items that have recently come across my desk. First up are a couple of videos. Actually it is one video broken into two parts talking about Christianity and the Mayans in Mexico. The first video starts at the Pyramid of Kukulcan [pictured above] in Chichen Itza in the Yucatan. Taken together, the two parts give a good overview of the impact of Christianity in Mexico. If you have served with me in the past, you will want to check out both of these clips. I apologize for just giving links, but the embed code has been disabled on both of these clips. Part 1. Part 2. Next up is a little post titled "Is Christianity Evolving or Eroding?" If you keep up on the latest news coming out of the Christian world, you know the name Rob Bell. Well it seems that Bell, like Brian McLaren before him, has decided to ask some questions about hell. At least that is what the dust jacket for his most recent book, "Love Wins" says. As you can imagine, that has jump started the religious discussion this Easter season. The post I've cited has collected some great posts from people on the issue. Then we have something from one of my favorite writers, Don Miller [no relation, at least not this one!]. It is titled "When Truth is the Enemy of Truth." Miller, like me, is one who likes to ask questions. The problem is, a lot of times, orthodoxy does not like questions. You can imagine how that plays out when it comes to religion. Check this one out, it is a good read. Finally, from Eugene Cho, comes this little gem. Sometimes, in our zeal as Christians, we lose sight of the fact that we are to act in love towards not just our brother, but our enemy as well. As Cho talks about contending for the Gospel. he urges us to do so without being jerks. Good counsel for all of us I'm sure.

Was President Bush Right?

I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and this is one of those moments. Most of you know I am a pretty strong partisan when it comes to politics. But I try to be fair. I can't stand it when the two sides of our political divide are guilty of some horrible behavior when the other party is in office, but get chagrined when it happens to their guy. To me that is part of the problem in politics today. We need an atmosphere that will allow each side to celebrate the accomplishments of the other side, simply because it is, or even may be good for our country. Let's face it, Republicans are about as likely to be Worshipers of Satan as Democrats are to be part of the Sons of Hitler Facebook group. So let me say this. While I am not sure it will all work out as we might wish, President Bush was an early voice calling for democracy in the Middle East, something perhaps we are seeing in the earliest stages today in places like Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. Additionally, let's give Bush and his administration credit for the work they did in curtailing the nuclear ambitions of Libya and their leader, Mr. Qaddafi. [ Read more about it here ] You might remember it was in 2003 that then President Bush and his administration announced the removal of the remnants of the Libyan nuclear program. Can you imagine what we might be looking at today in that country had that not come to pass? George Bush, it looks like ya done good!