"What is the Bible?"

My best friend ever (since she was born six months after I was) asked if I would read a book with her and we could talk about it once a week. Of course. What a good idea! Last night we finished our first book: What is the Bible? by Rob Bell. 

The title could just as easily been How To Read the Bible because that is the crux of the material. First and foremost he talks about reading it in context: the religious, cultural, political context of the day in which it was written. Fortunately I had a pastor or two who spoke of scripture from its historical context before relating it to us today so the idea was not new to me. Bell has taken the ideas farther than I have been aware. 

He has a delightful sense of humor and engages the readers as if we were in the room with him having conversation. He stays serious though when dealing with such questions as “Did Jesus have to die?” and “What about the resurrection?” He also deals with what happens when you start reading this way and discovering new and deeper meanings that change your thinking and put you at odds with others in your church, Sunday School class or Bible study group. He sees the Bible as the story of the evolution of humanity’s thinking about God and your personal evolution is just as important to him. 

If you are in a Bible study group or just want to up your own understanding of the Bible, this is a good book. Light and interesting while at the same time taking you deeper into meaning then and now, Bell’s What is the Bible? will give you a basis for such study for a long time. 

Enough! It's Time!!

I have been debating how to say this - if I can even say this. The First Amendment certainly allows me to say this. I’m not sure what is holding me back.  So here goes, blunt and to the point.

Our president, vice-president and many congresspeople and state legislators are murderers. As surely as if they stood next to the young man with the gun and pulled the trigger, they are murderers of our children because they allow assault rifles to be bought easily by anyone. 

How do they live with themselves? 

How do they look their own children in the eye and say, “I allowed your class mates to die."?

Assault rifles only belong in the military. My daughter and her first husband, a Special Forces soldier, were living in Denver when the Columbine shooting occurred. This soldier got rid of his semi-automatic rifle because he realized there was no reason for semis to be sold on the civilian market, and if he hadn’t access to that weapon, neither would Dylan and Eric. 

We need to vote the murderers out of office and make sure those we vote in have taken no money, not one cent, from the NRA.  And we need to call those who do what they are: murderers. 

Robert Burns Dinner

Once again we attended the Annual Robert Burns Celebration of the Nevada Society of Scottish Clans. It is amazing how many folks are there in kilts. Our friend Phil who has been here from Scotland for about 4 years says it is the largest celebration of its kind he has seen and he has attended ones in Edinburgh and London. 

Dean and Phil, who always wears his kilt of course. 

Not only are there kilts, there are also bag pipes and 

dancing and lots of Burns' poetry.

Phil and Patty who is wearing the corsage of heather that we are all given

upon arrival at the event. 

Susan and Dean. The green/blue scarf Dean is wearing is the 

McKay tartan. One day we may get him a kilt or at least a

vest in his tartan.

All four of us having had a wonderful evening, imbibed a lot of Scotch

(which is why Dean and I spend the night at the hotel rather than drive back

up the hill), eaten haggis as well as other (more) delicious food, and topped it 

off with caramel bread pudding. It is a fun event and I am glad we discovered

it several years ago and that we have a true Scotsman in our party. 

Family Tradition continues

2018 Ashland High School Actors win Honors at Regional Acting Competition

  10 of the actors won blue ribbons as State Qualifiers (top 10% scores); they will go on to the state acting competition in Salem, OR in April.

Akira Supelana-Mix   State qualifier Solo Acting 

Because I wanted to make sure all the information was correct, I copied this from an email the Ashland High School theatre teacher and director sent. 

Last night as we were on Skype, Akira performed his two monologues for me. He chose really well, choosing two that were very different: the first, Puck, from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream; the second, Hamilton, from Lin Manuel Maranda's Hamilton. One poetic,

light and very active, the other modern rap, heavy and appropriately still.  

Having coached students to participate in such competitions and also having judged a number

of them, I thought he did very well and I was very proud, both as theatre person and as a grand- mother. 

Ashland High School sent 25 students to the event, with 13 of them winning 18 awards. Very

impressive. I am so pleased with the theatre program at AHS and grateful that Akira is a part of it and doing well.