Speak on Behalf of Others

In Southern Baptist Sunday School, we memorized LOTS of Bible verses, so I briefly knew lots of verses growing up. However, I’d never read the entire Bible - all the books, all the verses - until recently when I took a class at church.   

As I read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, I kept seeing verses that said to take care of the poor, the sick, the needy, etc. It surprised me how many verses focused on that message: take care of the marginalized. I just don’t remember memorizing those verses in Sunday School.

Taking care of others is one of the most repetitive messages in the Bible:

• If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother.  Deuteronomy 15:7 

• For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, “You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.” Deuteronomy 15:11 

• The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives. Psalm 37:21 

• Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. Proverbs 14:21 

• Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. Proverbs 14:31 

• Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. Proverbs 19:17

• The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9 

• Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. Proverbs 22:16 

• You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.  2 Corinthians 9:11 

• Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. Galatians 2:10 

• Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Ephesians 4:28 

• They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. 1 Timothy 6:18 

• What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:14-17 

We are definitely expected to take care of the less fortunate. Jesus spent a lot of time focusing on the marginalized: the poor, the sick and disabled, women, outcasts, foreigners, and others. We need to advocate for the marginalized. 

Here's a quick AI lesson: When someone or a group of people is marginalized, they are treated as less important or are pushed to the edge of society, limiting their opportunities and access to resources. This often happens due to factors like race, gender, socioeconomic status, or disability. They may face discrimination, exclusion from full participation in society, and unequal treatment, hindering their ability to thrive. Examples of marginalized groups: This can include racial and ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, low-income individuals, and immigrants, among others. 

As a retired school counselor, I’ve always had a heart for the marginalized, but since I left the church in my 20s, and even though I found a healthy church to attend a few years ago, I didn't read the entire Bible until recently. I guess that's why it really did shock me to see so many verses with the same message: care for those in need. It encouraged me to discover that my beliefs about how to treat the marginalized lined up with biblical expectations. It became quite apparent that ignoring and/or shaming the marginalized is not supposed to be promoted or accepted.

A few months ago, I participated in Mega Marcha 2025 for Bipartisan Immigration Reform in downtown Dallas. Two weeks ago, I called politicians regarding HB2 and the Affordable Care Act. Last weekend, I protested along with many others regarding our current administration. This weekend, I called my Texas Representative and my Texas Senator and told them to vote NO on SB10 and SB12 and explained why they aren't in the best interest of Texans.

• As a woman, I’m concerned.

• As a retired educator, I’m concerned.

• As an Ally, I’m concerned.

• As a Texan, I'm concerned.

• As an American, I’m concerned.

• As a human, I’m concerned.

Why do I bother? I'll confess that I'm one of the fortunate ones: a retired, middle-class, middle-aged, cisgender, straight, white woman who was born in this country.  So that is why I MUST bother! Those of us who are fortunate, need to stand up for those who are not. We need to advocate for the marginalized.

We need to speak up - when we can. We need to shout out - if we must.

• I march because I’m fortunate.
• I protest because I’m fortunate.
• I call my state and national politicians because I'm fortunate.

I feel like it’s my responsibility to speak on behalf of those who are poor, those who are jobless, those who are homeless, those who seek safety for themselves and their children, and for all those who are marginalized. 

Love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:31

5 Phone Calls

Politics can seem confusing and overwhelming; it's easy to not know exactly what to do. It's easy to want to give up and ignore it all. Instead, I made 5 phone calls about topics that are important to me. Why? My friend, Kat, has Howdy Politics on Instagram, FB, Substack, Threads, TikTok, and Bluesky. Her goal is to keep "Everyday Texans" informed and active regarding politics. She helps us understand what's actually going on in politics, what to focus on, and what actions we can take.

Recently, Howdy Politics made it clear that there was an immediate action to take:

HB 2 has to do with the basic financial allotment per public school student. If HB 2 isn’t passed as it was written by the House, public schools are likely to continue dealing with severe financial strains, potentially leading to:

• even more budget cuts,
• lower teacher salaries
• limited resources for students, including students with special needs.

The specific impacts would depend on the extent of the funding shortfall, but the HB2 provisions for increased per-student funding and teacher pay raises would not be implemented. 

Therefore, I called my two state senators using this script:

 “Hello, my name is _____and I’m a constituent in zip code_______. I’m calling to urge my Senator to reject the committee substitute for HB2 and instead request its passage as written and passed by the House. Thank you.“ 

During both phone calls, I made sure to be kind and thank the office person who answered the phone because I figured that they were having a long day. Plus, as a retired educator, I remember how much I appreciated parents being kind when they called me to discuss concerns.

***

I called three more politicians. They were at the US Capitol and the topics had to do with the Affordable Care Act and  Enhanced Premium Tax Credits

Each time that I called the US Capitol switchboard (#202-224-3121) and asked to be transferred to one of my Senators’ individual offices or to my Representative's individual office, I left them a personal message using this script:

“Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City, State]. I’m calling to strongly urge [Senator/Representative Name] to vote NO on any bill that would weaken the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, I oppose the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, the proposed Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Rule and any changes that would reduce Medicaid coverage. According to the CBO these changes could leave up to 13.7 million Americans uninsured by 2034. Please protect affordable health care access for all Americans. Thank you.”

***

Those phone calls were well worth my time. At least I can say that I'm trying to do something. To be honest, I really dreaded making the phone calls, but after the first one, it was pretty easy because I had written out and knew what I was going to say. Plus, the office people really seemed to be surprised when I was kind and thanked them for taking the time to talk with me and for working so hard. In fact, they seemed relieved. I figure if nothing else, they will know that not all who disagree are hateful. If we’re going to get people’s attention, we need to let them know that we’re not monsters.

***

Please consider contacting your senators/representatives for yourself, your children, your parents, grandparents, friends, your community, etc.

These are the links you can use to find your state and national senators and representatives: 

 https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

A Trustworthy Path

I was raised in church but walked out in my mid-20s when my home church no longer felt safe. A year later, I moved from Central Texas to North Texas, started therapy, learned that my intuition might actually be reliable, and gave myself a much needed rest from religion.

A couple of years later, confusion, doubt, anger, and grief transitioned into a season of seeking. I was desperate to find out if there was any truth in Christianity or if everything that I’d been taught was a lie.

I searched the Religion and Christianity section of Barnes and Noble, and a title caught my eye: The God We Never Knew by Marcus Borg. Intrigued, I purchased it along with Borg’s Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time and became immersed in Borg’s writing. I couldn’t believe what I was reading! Others thought and felt as I did?! In fact, many of my ideas weren’t even new! 

An insatiable need to know more engulfed me. In addition to other Borg books, I read books by John Dominic Crossan, Bishop John Shelby Spong (one of my faves to this day), Neale Donald Walsch, C. David Grant, Bertrand Russell, Walter Wink, Roberta Bondi, Robert Funk, and others. I was both amazed and relieved that the words they wrote were, at times, nearly identical with my own thoughts, ideas, and opinions. I began to feel a renewed sense of confidence in my own intuition and a growing interest in learning about the history of Christianity. I attended a Jesus Seminar and even engaged in an email dialogue with Marcus Borg in April 2000. I wrote a letter to Bishop John Shelby Spong, and he wrote me back. I still have Borg’s emails and the handwritten letter that Bishop Spong sent me.

I learned a lot during that season because in addition to studying Christianity, Christian History, and World Religions, I joined a local Unitarian Universalist church because they honor all religions and all people. However, the UU church wasn't the fit that I was seeking, and I eventually just stopped going.

A few years later, I started fostering a 4th grader who wanted to go to church, so I took her to a nearby United Church of Christ because I felt that it would be a safe church for both of us. My foster daughter was able to get very involved in the church and she loved it. But, once she moved back to her mom’s house, I stopped attending.  

When I was in my mid-40's, I decided to try church once again. Since I was baptized United Methodist when I was young, I decided to check out a nearby UMC. I really liked it, so I kept going and found a Sunday School that I loved. I was even a front door greeter. Even though, I never actually joined, I thought that I had finally found my church!

But in 2019, I started hearing about a controversy within the UMC with regards to LGBTQ+ clergy. 

• As a school counselor who worked with LGBTQ+ students, I was immediately concerned. 

• As a critical thinker who believes that if God truly loves all then All Means All, I was immediately concerned. 

• As an Ally, I was immediately concerned. 

As a counselor, a critical thinker, and an Ally, I couldn’t attend a church whose denomination didn't fully honor LGBTQ+ clergy. I didn’t feel like I could be a greeter at the front door of my church anymore. It broke my heart, but I couldn’t stay. I just couldn’t. I felt like it would be too hypocritical to work with the LGBTQ+ community as a counselor and stand up for them as an Ally and then be part of a denomination that didn’t honor the LGBTQ+ clergy. 

Instead, I returned to the UU church that I'd been a member of many years earlier. From 2019-2024, I was part of a UU Women’s Journey Small Group. The UU Women’s Journey Small Groups are amazing, and I’m so glad that I was a part of them during those years. 

In 2022, I heard about Pub Theology and decided to check it out. Pub Theology is a monthly event held at a local pub. Officially, it’s “a space for open, honest, and meaningful conversations about faith, life, and everything in between. We believe that good questions are more important than easy answers and that deep conversations often happen best with a good drink in hand—whether that’s a pint, a cup of coffee, or sparkling water...Rooted in a Wesleyan perspective, we value grace, dialogue, and the belief that God is at work in the questions we ask and the relationships we build. Here, we encourage respectful engagement across theological perspectives, honest wrestling with scripture, and a commitment to seeing God at work in unexpected places…Whether you’re a lifelong believer, a skeptic, or somewhere in between, there’s a seat for you at the table. Pull up a chair and let’s talk!”

Pub Theology was a great evening with a group of people who weren’t afraid to discuss the big questions, and I loved that! It was sponsored by a nearby United Methodist Church - which at first concerned me because the UM denomination was still dealing with controversy re: LGBTQ+ clergy. However, the church that sponsored Pub Theology had made it quite clear that it was going to stand on the side of the LGBTQ+ clergy. I was impressed.

The more I learned, the more I realized that this might be the church that I had been looking for - a Christian church that actually allowed people with liberal belief systems to speak their minds and not be shamed or criticized for it. It even offered a class titled: From Deconstruction to Reconstruction which is a rather popular concept in this day and age. According to AI, deconstruction and reconstruction in Christianity refers to a process where individuals re-evaluate and often challenge previously held beliefs about their faith, leading to a re-imagining or rebuilding of their spiritual understanding.

I immediately signed up for that class! 

Keep in mind that I was still attending my UU Women’s Journey Small Group because those women were dear to me; however, this particular UMC was providing opportunities, answering questions, and connecting me to people with similar spiritual belief systems; several had even gone through church trauma and understood what that was like. For awhile, I jokingly referred to myself as bi-churchy because I was still going to the UU Women's Journey twice a month, and I was going to lots of UMC classes, events, and services the rest of the time! 

For about a year now, I've considered Grace Avenue as my home church, and I'm committed to several groups. Most importantly, I’m continuing to deconstruct in order to keep reconstructing and healing from church trauma. This past Sunday, I made it official and joined the church. I’m finally a member of Grace Avenue UMC. Talk about a full circle because I was baptized United Methodist as a toddler, and now I’m a member of the United Methodist Church as an adult. 

When I was 4 or 5 years old, I drew a picture of God on the chalkboard on the wall outside my bedroom. I’m now 56, and my spiritual journey is far from complete, but I do think I’m on a trustworthy path. I don’t think I could draw a picture of God today, but I know this much to be true: my intuition points toward God. God is Love. God is Peace. God loves All. All means All.

Breakthrough Seizure

I had a breakthrough seizure this week. It’s been nearly a year since my last seizure. 11 months actually. The last seizure I had was May 7, 2024.

So frustrating! I mean I know that it doesn’t constantly happen, but it keeps happening! It’s been nearly 12 years since my brain surgery. I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to have brain surgery because I was having 2-3 seizures a MONTH, and now I’m only having about one a YEAR, but I’m still having one seizure about every year. So frustrating! So disappointing…

Plus post-seizure, the headache is horrendous and can last for a couple of days. This one sure did. Probably a migraine. 

Questions I always have to ask myself post-seizure:

• Have I missed any meds? I don’t think so.

• Am I sleep deprived? No

• Have I had any alcohol? No

• Have I had too much caffeine? Probably

• Am I overly stressed? Have you paid any attention to the news?!

I started having complex/partial seizures when I was 37, so it’s been about 19 years since I first started having seizures, and it never gets easier. It never seems to make sense. Why do meds work for some people but not for others? Why does surgery work for some people but not for others? These are the questions that I keep asking because I had surgery to have my left hippocampus removed (pic below), and I continue to take anti-seizure meds, but I still have occasional breakthrough seizures.  

Well, now you know what my thought processes are like after I’ve had a breakthrough seizure. Probably WAY more than you ever wanted to know. However, if you are still reading, thank you for being a part of my world. Thank you for your support. Much love.

New Holidays

April 10th was National Siblings Day. It seems like there have been several newly created holidays since I was a kid. Some federal holidays have been very much needed. For example:  Martin Luther King, Jr. Day became a federal holiday in 1983. Juneteenth National Holiday was finally signed into law on June 17th, 2021. I’m so thankful that our nation is acknowledging and honoring federal holidays for Dr. MLK, Jr. and Juneteenth. 

However, these are just a few of the new-ish holidays that I have only known about for a few years: 

• National Spouses Day-January 26

• National Sons Day-March 4

• National Daughters Day-September 25

• National Pets Day-April 11

The greeting card shelves were already packed. We’ve been honoring our mothers and fathers and celebrating anniversaries for decades, but now we honor siblings, spouses, sons, daughters, and pets. I wonder why. What is that about? 

Is it because the more we understand family dynamics, the more we understand the impact that our families of origin continue to have on our current lives, the more we want to try and have healthy relationships?

Is it because the more we understand the impact that our pets have on our emotional well-being, the more we understand our need to treat our pets as members of our families, the more we want to honor them with a special holiday? 

Is it because creating days to celebrate and honor those we care about is a way that we can further show our love for them?

Is it simply because greeting card businesses want to increase their sales by creating new holidays? 

Is it any of that? Is it all of that? 

I don’t know. But, I do know that I’m thankful for my sibling.

25 Hours

Senator Cory Booker made the news earlier this week. He said, “Tonight, I rise with the intention of getting in some good trouble. I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.” He remained standing (and didn’t eat or go to the bathroom) for 25 hours because he believes that our country is in crisis. Would I have been willing to do that? Would I be willing to be physically uncomfortable in order to stand up for what I believe?

This evening during a class, we were discussing the Holocaust and how scary it must have been to endanger yourself and your family in order to protect Anne Frank’s family. Would I have been willing to do that? Would I be willing to endanger myself to help protect others who are being persecuted? 

The history books are full of the brave. Harriet Tubman and those who participated in the Underground Railroad helped many people find freedom. The suffragette movement leaders who championed women’s rights helped bring about the 19th amendment: my right to vote. Rosa Parks was arrested because she refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ended up sacrificing his own life in the civil rights movement. 

As a child, I always thought:

Of course, I would have helped Anne Frank.

Of course, I would have helped the Underground Railroad.

Of course, I would have participated in the Civil Rights movement. 

As an adult, I have to ask myself:

Have I helped those who are being persecuted?

Have I helped the oppressed find freedom?

Have I championed the rights of all people?

Our descendants will learn about our country's current crisis in their history classes. Will you be on the compassionate side, the humane side, the right side of this time in history? Will I?

Reading stories about brave people is fun and exciting, but the decision to actually be a brave person will always take courage. Do you have that courage? Do I?

Rosa Parks refused to stand up.

Senator Cory Booker refused to sit down.