Streets of Madison

To Kill a Mockingbird

2012-02-08T19:28:00.003-06:00

Tuesday we gathered to watch the movie version of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Everyone here loved the book. They loved the movie too. And no wonder. Gregory Peck won an Oscar for his brilliant performance in the role of Atticus Finch, the Southern lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape. For many of us, Atticus Finch is the epitome of the earthly father, or at least the most admirable one we can find in fiction. "Now that's a great movie," Sherman said. "Great movie. Great man."

Meantime, Jeremy stamped 30 copies of our next book, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré. Over 20 persons have signed up for next week's discussion. In the few minutes remaining between book club and support group, several men in the Pentecost Sanctuary already had their noses buried in their books. Looks like another winner.

WHO:
Don, Jay, Jim, Sean, John, Philip, Robert, Freddie, Isaac, Linda, Tom, Steven, C.E., Jeremy, Darrel, Phyllis, Roman, Mark, Suzanne, Jack, Mike, Bo, Vic, James, Sherman, Karay, Angel, R.J., Nancy, Ray, Chloi, Bill, Chris, T.J., Alice and Turbo.

NEXT WEEK:
We meet at 8:30AM in room 216 for our first discussion of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré. (Thru chapter 7.)

All it Takes

2012-01-31T15:52:00.002-06:00

In To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee reminds us that life is unfair, and it's often unfair because of the way ordinary citizens treat one another. At times, even our legal system fails to execute justice. Good behavior isn't always rewarded. Bad behavior isn't always punished. Half the people don't notice, while the other half pretends to not notice.

What a mess.

Given that, we're wise to exercise caution when tempted to judge the homeless. We have no idea what they've been through, what injustices they've suffered or are suffering. The stereotypes come quickly to mind--bum, addict, mentally ill, slow, crook, etc. But here's the thing: No matter how much you know, or think you know, about a particular homeless person's life, you don't--and never will--know everything. No matter what you see with your eyes, save room for the possibility that his suffering is not his own fault. And even if it were, assigning blame does nothing to alleviate the situation.

Recently, a friend I'll call Delbert asked me a familiar question: What's it like to work with the homeless? I answered that it's a lot like working with anybody else. Delbert frowned. I think he wanted a more interesting answer. But what can I say? People are people. The second question he asked was also familiar: How did they end up homeless?

Me: [Looking at my watch.] There's not enough time.

Delbert: Huh?

Me: Everyone's story is different.

Delbert: [Scratching his head.] Just tell me the basics then, like maybe they were hooked on drugs or they robbed a bank or were lazy and got fired or...

Me: [Cutting him off with a wave.] People often want to blame the homeless for being homeless, so first thing they think up is a list like yours. I understand--you're hoping that being homeless is something you can insure against. To a degree, of course, there are things we can do to protect ourselves from financial and social calamity. Those things are pretty basic and obvious and I don't need to tell you what they are. But there's only so much we can control and there are no guarantees. Just think of Job. At any rate, those are all plausible explanations, but the stories I've heard have lots of subplots, they're rarely so clear cut.

Delbert: Mentally ill, then?

Me: Aren't we all?

Delbert: No, I mean seriously mentally ill. Like diagnosable. Or alcoholic. I bet there are a lot of alcoholics on the street.

Me: Chicken or egg--which came first?

Delbert: [Ignoring my question.] Maybe they didn't finish school for some reason. They dropped out.

Me: Maybe they got sick or something and had to drop out. That happens.

Delbert: [With a laugh.] Or maybe their school lost all its funding and the education was lousy and they couldn't get into college or find a job!

Me: That's not funny.

Delbert: No, you're right. Hmm... I know! Maybe when the economy went south they got laid off and later lost their health insurance because they couldn't afford the premiums. And then someone in the family got seriously ill and the medical bills piled up and the next thing you know they were bankrupt and living on the streets, or in their minivan.

Me: I've heard stories like that.

Delbert: Or some guy beat his wife so she went underground to hide, taking the kids with her. Or a teenager ran away from home because her parents were always fighting.

Me: You're on a roll.

Delbert: Or some dumb politician made it easier for a company to take its jobs to another state, or overseas...

Me: [Nodding.] Keep going, Delbert. You're doing great.

My whole point, of course, was to get Delbert to think about the homeless in the context of a local and even global community. A homeless individual is a sign of a weak community. None of us lives in a vacuum. There is a constant interplay between individual and community weaknesses and failings that results in people living on the streets. And it's going to take individual and community effort to relieve the situation.

To be honest, most of us here at Bethel don't need to know the exact reason so-and-so wound up living on the streets. There are folks working in the Homeless Support Services office like Mark Wilson and Barb Kepler who do need to know, and they can be trusted to triage and discretely direct folks to the appropriate resources. Pastor Sarah, in her spiritual counseling role, and Nancy Young, in her counseling role, also need to know. But for the rest of us, for the work we are called to do, the reason a man is homeless should be irrelevant until we've earned his trust, become his friend, and heard his story in his own time and in his own words.

Meantime, the one thing the homeless desperately need is to be surrounded by a healthy and caring community. For some of them--and I'm not exaggerating--Bethel is the only family they've ever known, or at least the only one they have now. Of all the things Bethel provides, I believe this to be the most crucial.

Before we parted ways, Delbert confessed that he wanted to help support Bethel's homeless ministries but didn't have a lot of spare cash. No worries, I said, you can still play an important role. Here's one idea: Next time you see a homeless person waiting in line for coffee on a Sunday morning, or sliding into the pew next to you, don't worry about how he ended up homeless. Just be kind. You're not responsible for fixing all of his problems, and you're not being asked to judge (whew!). If, someday down the road, the two of you wind up friends, he may want to tell you his story. In that case, congratulations. You're earned his trust and that's awesome. But at that exact moment when you are first standing in line together in the Fireside Gallery, or seated next to one another in the Sanctuary, the reason he is homeless is irrelevant, or should be. At that exact moment, what he needs is a welcoming smile and a cheery hello.

To Kill a Mockingbird is beautifully written and one of the best selling books of all time. Set in the 1930's, it's a story about one segment of society oppressing another. Unfortunately, more than 80 years later, this sort of thing still goes on. We can help change that.

All it takes is all of us.

WHO:

Phyllis, Chloi, T.J., Kevin, Mike, Jim, Ray, Jay, Joe, Roman, Will, Alice, Angelica, Jack, Linda, Suzanne, Tom, Kelly, Mark, Jeremy, C.E., Pastor Sarah, Chris, R.J., and Torque.

SCHEDULE:

We meet next Tuesday at 8AM in the Fireside Gallery to watch To Kill a Mockingbird. We will be handing out copies of our next book, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré.

See you then!

What Dreams May Come

2012-01-24T16:07:00.000-06:00

This morning we gathered in the Fireside Gallery to watch What Dreams May Come starring Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Anabella Sciorra. The movie won an Oscar in 1999 for best visual effects. However, we selected it because, like the book The Shack, it deals with themes surrounding the tragic loss of a child. When our viewing of the movie was over, about ten of us stayed to chat. We couldn't help but compare the movie with The Shack. Here's the essence of what folks had to say:

The group didn't want to judge suicide but rather to focus on helping those in pain.

Both the movie and the book tackle timeless issues such as grief, despair, tragedy, what happens when a loved one dies, forgiveness and relationships. But whereas the book stayed true to biblical teachings (in the eyes of most), the movie seems derived from a conglomerate of theologies and, in the end, puts a very New Age California spin on heaven and hell, one in which the dead can travel between heaven and hell and, if they so choose, be reincarnated time and again.

The group reacted most strongly, however, to the notion that people who commit suicide are permanently excluded from heaven. The group didn't want to judge suicide but rather to focus on helping those in pain.

"In the end, it's all about love and relationship..."

All differences aside, the group loved the movie. "In the end, it's all about love and relationship," Thomas said. "That's what the movie is about and that's what the book is about and that's what this life here is about. I read the book twice. I'd like to watch the movie again."

Movie Quote:

[Upon arriving in the afterlife, Chris meets up with the old family dog.]

Chris: Boy, I screwed up. I'm in dog Heaven.

Crazy movie credit (www.imdb.com):

"The persons and events in this production are fictitious. No similarity to actual persons--living, dead or reincarnated--is intended or should be inferred."

Got it.

WHO:

Mark, Melvin, Jack, Mike, Jim, T.J., Linda, C.E., Darrel, Jeremy, Bo, Tom H., Sherman, Bill, Chris, James, Kari, Dave, Jay, Phyllis, Kevin, Ray, James, Isaac, Freddie, Thomas, Alice, Brian, Justin, David B., Tyrone, Diera, Roman, Suzanne and Turbo.

SCHEDULE:

We meet next week at 8:30 in Room 216 to discuss To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

See you then!

Meantime, something big--and small--to ponder.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Online with Wm. Paul Young

2012-01-19T15:22:00.000-06:00

A spiritual feast. Virtually.

We trudged through the snow Tuesday morning to get to Bethel on time. We were scheduled to Skype with Wm. Paul Young, author of The Shack, something we'd been looking forward to for weeks.

The roads were snow covered and slippery. Mark Wilson, our Homeless Ministries Program Coordinator, and the one who suggested we read this book, left his house two hours early. One of the homeless men had this to say, "At least when you're homeless you don't worry too much about slow traffic."

True, but you do need a good pair of boots, warm mittens and a hearty winter coat!

Any effort to get here paid off. Our time with Wm. Paul Young was a gift, a very special gift. For some it was a momentous occasion, transformational. One homeless man said afterward, his usually somber face newly beaming, "I've never felt happier. This book really changed my life."

Just minutes before we were scheduled to call Wm. Paul Young, our computer made that familiar burbling sound that indicates an incoming call. Looking up at the screen, we were surprised and happy to see that he was calling us a few minutes early--could it be that he was excited about this, too? (Turns out, I think he was.)

Us: Is that you, Paul? Wait, is it okay if we call you Paul? (oops!)

Paul: Yes. And yes.

Us: You ready to rock-n-roll?

Paul: If you're ready, I'm ready.

There he was, smiling and looking relaxed, as if he'd done this sort of thing a million times (turns out, he has). As usual, we made no video or audio recording of the interaction. What follows below is a summary of our interaction based on memory and a few scribbled notes. Anything in quotes is what he actually said, otherwise I've made extensive use of paraphrase. It was a powerful time. If he ever Skypes with us again, I encourage you to make every effort to join us.

What authors influenced you the most as a writer? As a Christian?

"You mean after the book of John?" he quiped. Then he laughed and fired off a list of authors so long I couldn't keep up. It included J. R. R. Tolkein, C. S. Lewis, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Baxter Kruger, A. W. Tozer. He also enjoys reading sci-fi (Orson Scott Cards, for example) and murder mysteries! And appreciates the powerful and varied contributions of many poets and lyricists, past and present. (He used to be a rock-n-roll disc jockey.) He clearly draws from many influences.

Please tell us what inspired you to write The Shack.

Folks arrived early Tuesday morning in anticipation of
meeting Wm. Paul Young, author of The Shack.

Basically it was his wife's fault. As Paul's 50th birthday approached, his wife Kim got after him to write a book that would convey to his children the way he thought, felt and believed. He finally caved in and finished the book around Christmas. At the time, he and Kim and their six children lived in a 900 sq. ft home. Money was tight. They couldn't afford simple things like basketball shoes for their son Matthew.

Several years later, after the book became an amazing success (published in 41 languages, one of the bestselling books of all time) a German company wanted to do a documentary on Wm. Paul Young's life and asked Paul to find a local videographer to work on the project. Paul asked around and was led first to Joe Kaleel. Joe liked the project but didn't have the time so he referred Paul to Bill Dolan, who also liked the project but couldn't do it. Bill led Paul to Kevin Felts.

Paul and the documentary crew, including Kevin Felts, drove to Paul's old house. Seeing the house, Kevin Felts asked Paul if, a few years back, he'd received cash in an envelope from an anonymous source just before Christmas. Paul certainly did recall the incident (wouldn't we all?). Paul had used some of that money to make 15 copies of his manuscript, The Shack, and handed them out as gifts to his family and friends. And from there, well, the rest is history!

So you see, in one of those strange coincidences, Kevin Felts the videographer, gave money to a needy stranger and in the process unknowingly provided the funds for the first print edition of The Shack. And then, years later, was invited to shoot a documentary of the Wm. Paul Young. How cool is that?

Getting organized while we wait.

When you first sat down to write The Shack, did you already know how the book would end?

"No," Paul says, "in fact, I didn't even know how it would start." (This earned a good laugh.)

Paul's wife didn't back off until she'd persuaded Paul to put his thinking into story form. So, while riding the train to and from work, Paul started asking himself questions, the kind of questions people often ask about God and faith and life and religion: why do bad things happen? where is God in all of this? how does the trinity work? what does God look like? Paul kept turning these and other questions over in his head and pretty soon realized he was having a conversation there, and the conversation had momentum. The character for Papa, whom he portrayed as a large black woman, was there right from the start.

In your lifetime, have you experienced a period of loss similar to the loss suffered by the main character in the book? Did you ever have to forgive something as big as Mack had to?

In short, yes.

Paul candidly discussed some of his most painful experiences. Starting at the age of four, while he was living with his parents in Netherlands New Guinea, Paul was sexually abused by tribal members. At the age of six he was sent to a Christian boarding school where he was abused again. The first night there, the big boys came and molested the little ones. It was a sick tradition.

And there's more. Later in life, Paul recalls, he and his family endured a rapid succession of unexpected and significant losses--Kim's mother, Paul's 18-year old brother and a 5-year old niece. That, says Paul, was a difficult time.

And all along, Paul struggled because of his difficult relationship with his father. He describes his father as an angry young man who didn't know how to be a dad and channeled his anger into religion but still "beat the crap" out of Paul.

The hardest part, Paul tells us, is learning to forgive, and not just to forgive those who have wronged us but also to forgive ourselves. After all, shame is the sense that we failed to meet our own expectations. The shack represents that shame, the place we hide it. It took Paul 11 years to work his way into the shack, years during which he sought counseling and worked his relationships to find healing. Mack's weekend in the shack represents 11 years of Paul's life.

After the book was published, another writer contacted Paul and suggested that the character for Missy represented a part of Paul that was murdered in his youth, his innocence, perhaps. Paul agreed.

Your book reveals a deep understanding of both the old and new testaments. Did you ever attend seminary or study the Bethel Bible Series?

Paul attended Bible school and seminary but he didn't finish seminary because he couldn't afford it. He was always aware that God was with him, though he often thought God was watching with disapproval. During those years, Paul often thought of God as a sort of "Gandalf with an attitude."

How did you select the characters to represent God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit? And how do you pronounce the name you gave to the Holy Spirit? Sarayu. Why did you choose that name?

The moment Paul called.

The name Paul chose for the Holy Spirit is Sarayu and came to him while on a sales call (actually, a sales-Skype!) with a Hindi woman residing in India. He'd been praying all morning for a name to use for the Holy Spirit. Paul asked the woman for Hindi words for wind. After some probing, the woman told Paul about a river there named Sarayu. The word sarayu represents "the common wind that catches you by surprise, cools you down and changes everything."

That worked.

But how to pronounce it? (As Mark said, in book club we've been butchering that name for weeks.) Roll the r. You can place the emphasis on 'sara' as sara-you (rolling the r) or pronounce it as sar-ai-you, with emphasis on the 'ai'.

The character for God was in Paul's mind from the start as a large black woman, an image that stuck with him from his time in New Guinea, where, he recalls fondly, there were a lot of large black women. "These women were in your face but you knew they loved you."

He was still trying to get away from the "Gandalf with an attitude" image of God so many people hold in their heads. "I needed to wipe the face of my father from the face of God," he explains. Paul wasn't afraid to let his imagination loose when considering his options. Imagery is helpful in conveying aspects or attributes of God. God is too majestic to be expressed or explained in a single image or word. "The closest we can come is to say that God is love." And that's why it's so important that he is the triune God--Father, Son and Holy Spirit--because it shows God is relational at his core.

Jesus was just Jesus. Period. No need to play with the image. That was easy, though Paul has received some angry emails from people upset over his portrayal of Jesus as a middle-eastern man. Yes, some people still think of Jesus as a white man with blue eyes and brown hair.

As for the Holy Spirit, imagining her as feminine was easy for Paul. In the Old Testament, the Greek word for the Holy Spirit is ruaj, a feminine word that means wind. And in the New Testament, the Hebrew word for the Holy Spirit is pneuma, which is gender neutral. Since both feminine and masculine traits are derived from the triune God, it seems natural to think of the Holy Spirit as feminine. As for ascribing Asian features to her, Paul says that comes from his observation that Asian women are often quietly in the background, ready to serve and armed with far more knowledge than you expect.

"I wanted you to know that I am an atheist and I liked the book."

Paul understands. He's spoken with many atheists and agnostics and has a deep respect for them. In fact, he agrees with most of them.

"The god they are angry about, the god they refuse to believe in, is a very scary god. I don't believe in that god either. "

The god atheists and agnostics are rejecting is the same angry and disapproving god that Paul spent 11 years working to get out from beneath. Paul's God (our God, the one true triune God) is nothing like an atheist's or agnostic's god, the god most of them are rejecting.

"I believe in a God who is good all the time. God does not make the messes but promises to show up in the midst of the mess."

In the book, Mack is married to Nan. Clearly Nan is an important part of Mack's life, but she is often in the background. Was this a conscious choice on your part?

My wife Kim is not a registered nurse like Nan in the book, but in a lot of ways Nan is Kim. There are a lot of nurses in Kim's family. It's in her nature. Paul jokes, "Nurses are there to protect us against doctors."

Paul didn't purposefully chose to give Nan a background role. Instead, she is pushed into the background by Mack. In the story, Mack fails to tell his wife about the note from God in the mailbox. Mack uses self-justification to mask his dishonesty. Mack is afraid to be honest with her because he doesn't want to have to deal with her emotional backlash. Mack's deception excludes Nan from the cabin scene where Mack meets the triune God. Had Mack been honest, God reminds him, Nan could have been there, too. That realization make's Mack contrite.

Paul says that Mack's self-justification of dishonesty comes directly out of his own life. (Such open and humble admissions as this were common throughout our time with Paul and endeared him to us.)

"I'm spiritual but not Christian. This book explained Jesus in a way that made sense."

Wm. Paul Young Skyping with the homeless book club.

"Don't worry," Paul says, "Jesus wasn't Christian either. And he didn't come here to make people into Christians."

The term Christian sprang into existence after Christ's death and resurrection, and now carry's with it many negative connotations. The population of Christians is too large and varied to generalize. When people ask Paul if he is Christian, he answers with this: "Tell me what you mean when you ask that."

Your relationship with God is more important than the language you use to explain it. When religion is what you're about, you are more interested in what rules to follow. Those rules can't save you. Relationship is at the heart of everything. Shame and guilt are enemies of relationship because they drive us away from relationship with God and others and thereby keep us from the very thing we need to heal and be restored. This is why trust and forgiveness are so crucial, they make relationship possible. Relationships heal and sustain us and it's our relationship with Christ that is at the center of all of this. Jesus is tantamount.

There is in all of us a part of us that wants God to heal us without having anyone else involved, but it doesn't work. We need to be in healthy relationship, first with God, then with others. When we are filled with shame and guilt, we create a place inside us like the shack. That's what the shack represents. It's the place we hide all that we fear is ugly and painful and unloveable about ourselves. But we've got to learn to trust God, to be in relationship with him and worry more about that relationship than about any religion.

When The Shack was released, it became a bestseller and received praise from many in the faith community. However, it also received some negative criticism and even claims of heresy. How did this affect you? How did you cope with people's responses?

Paul recalls arriving for a book signing in Orlando, Florida only to discover protesters gathered outside. He remembers thinking, Wow, three years earlier I was working three jobs and cleaning toilets. And now I have protesters!? That was a big moment. It was hot in Orlando so he handed out water bottles to the protesters, most of whom didn't recognize him because, it turns out, they hadn't read the book.

Paul keeps a few things in mind when dealing with negativity. First, everyone was once a child and then something happened. "They are not telling me something about me," Paul says. "They are telling me something about themselves."

Also, he says, when naysayers come at him, they are bringing what they have to the table. Some feel a need to protect God. Or maybe they are angry that someone upset their paradigm about God or has disturbed a dearly cherished image of God as an aging white guy with flowing white hair and beard.

Interestingly, Paul says, he rarely hears negatives from people who are busy helping other people. Most negative comments come from a very narrow range of theology or from people who have a very angry and disappointed god as their god. He jokes that the one sure way to get religious people involved in a discussion is to tick them off.

All eyes and ears.

Unpleasant as the naysaying can be, it is tolerable unless directed at or through his children. That, Paul says, is unfair and unacceptable. Again, it's people exposing who they are, not who Paul is.

If Hollywood made a movie of your book, who would you pick to play the main characters?

Paul jokes, "Oprah could play Papa because she already knows how to play God." Actually, Paul respects Oprah. "She's done--and is doing--many wonderful things. I love her. She's phenominal."

"Queen Latifa would be awesome too," he says, adding that there are also quite a few women off-broadway that could pull this role off beautifully.

As for the other roles, Paul remains similarly noncommittal. "Maybe a bad-boy like Billy Bob Thornton should play Mack. A lot of people could play Mack."

Blogger scribbling notes while Turbo listens in.

Did writing this book change your idea of God in any way? Did writing this book inspire you to write another? Have you considered a sequel? What are you working on now?

The book is the result of 11 years of hard work that began in 1994. Much of that time was spent trying to wipe the face of his father off the face of God. He didn't work on the book all those years, but was making repairs to his shack. "We've all got a shack inside. You can't bulldoze it and start over. You've got to work through your days in your own house."

Paul has always been a writer and continues to work on a variety of projects--a science fiction book and a historical novel included. As for writing a sequel, the answer is no. The book is too special as a stand alone work.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us before we close?

Live in the grace of one day. Everything else is immaterial. It took me eleven years to dismantle my life. I sought help to tear down that shack. I could have just painted the exterior of that shack and it would have looked nice from outside, but it would not have won the love God and those who are close to me. But I know God loves me, he loves the parts of me that are bent or broken or lost. The conversation with God starts in the shack. That's where we have to go to find Him.

And stop future tripping. Stop living in your imagination about what might happen--we get so caught up: what if I lose my job? my spouse? my child? my wealth? etc. When we imagine the future we find it frightening and we freak out. That's largely because we don't imagine God there with us. Our fears are based on not knowing we are loved. When we experience this kind of fear, we want to try to control it or run from it--that's where so many addictions spring from. When I stopped future tripping, I began to experience joy and now know it as a constant companion. It took me 50 years to become a child and live in today. Jesus said grace is sufficient for the day. That's 24 hours. If you're Jewish that might mean from 6PM one evening to 6PM the next. If your not Jewish, then maybe it's from sunrise to sunrise. Whatever it is, there is grace enough for that one day and that's where I live. Life is simpler. I'm not scrambling around in my head trying to manipulate relationships and events to keep me safe.

Live in the grace of one day. That is enough.

Random Paul-isms:

"The story isn't real but it's true."

"Mack struggled when God told him that Missy's killer was one of his children, too. God's like, Mack, be on my side."

"If this book and all that came with it went away tomorrow, I would still be happy. I'm just thrilled I got to be a part of it."

"God has spoken through the prophets. It's time he spoke through the assess, and that would be me."

"It's like one day God said, you write this book and give it to your kids and then I'll give it to mine."

"It's like God said, Hey Paul, are we going on your adventure or mine? It would be better if you came along on mine. But if you insist, I'll go along with you on yours--I just won't do anything."

GRATITUDE:
We thank Mr. Wm. Paul Young for spending time with us this morning, truly a spectacular gift. And Wes Yoder of Ambassador Speakers for facilitating this meeting.

SCHEDULE:

We meet next week at 8AM in the Fireside Gallery to watch What Dreams May Come, starring Robin Williams, Cuba Godding Jr. and Annabella Sciorra. (It's a story about entering into another's pain to help them heal.)

See you then!

The Shack Helps Book Club Cope

2012-01-11T10:20:00.000-06:00

W. Paul Young is scheduled to Skype with our group next week. The way folks here see it, he gave us a gift when he wrote The Shack. We're thankful. And we want to make a good impression.

So we spent time Tuesday morning formulating our questions and comments for author W. Paul Young. People are fascinated and want to learn more about this man whose writing reflects a strong spiritual inclination, knowledge of both the old and new testaments, and, perhaps ironically to some, a simultaneous distrust--maybe even disdain--for organized religion. Many of us can relate, including some regular church-goers. (Jesus was in the same boat.)

The Shack really rocked this book club. Hard hitting. Clarifying. Enlightening. Entertaining. Easy to read. Hard to put down. Doesn't leave you when you do put it down. Yes, folks loved it. Christians, atheists, seekers--didn't matter. Everyone got a charge out of it and here's proof: Everyone read it! That's rare. With most books we've read, there have usually been two, maybe three copies returned unread, the owners sheepishly confessing that they couldn't get into the book for some reason--too many fancy words, too simplistic, too boring, too graphic, they'd seen the movie, they didn't like the subject matter, they didn't like the author, they didn't like the cover, the didn't like the person who picked the book, the paper felt funny, the book gave them weird vibes--you know, the usual reasons. That didn't happen with The Shack.

So we're looking forward to mixing it up with Mr. Young. I'm not going to reveal the questions and comments the group crafted for him. You'll just have to wait for next week's post.

On top of all of that, it turns out that our reading of The Shack proved timely. Discussing the sudden and unexpected death of our good friend Billy Briggs seems easier because of our discussions about The Shack. Faith vs. Religion. Free will. Death. Goodness. Evil. Forgiveness. Trust. God's love for all of us. Grief. Why bad things happen to good people. How people cope. How people keep faith and hope in the face of loss. Eternal life. We started talking about all of these things because of The Shack. And we're talking about them still because of Billy.

SPECIAL NOTE:

Photo of Billy Briggs taken when
he became a Bethel member in 2010.

We shared a recent article from The Cap Times, written by Pat Schneider. Jeremy made and distributed copies. Linda and Jay took turns reading aloud. Click here to read it yourself: Death of a homeless man shines light on a life, a community.

Tuesday afternoon, Bethel hosted a luncheon followed by a service in honor of Billy, who, as most of you know by now, died alone in a stairwell at the Monona Terrace Convention Center on December 23rd. Many of the homeless and their friends who gather at Bethel are busted up over Billy's death. "He shouldn't have died alone," folks say. "He shouldn't have died on the streets."

We were invited to write a memory of Billy on a piece of paper and place the paper in a box. A line quickly formed. The box was filled. Billy would be proud.

QUESTION:
If suddenly you had to pack up and move and you could only take two books with you, which would you choose? Here is what our members answered. Almost everyone would first take the Bible. Here is a list of other books or categories of books they would choose as their second:

The Shack ("Because this book is hard hitting and has cleared things up for me," says Mike.)
Anything by Alan Furst (Arlen)
Tiger Force (several)
Life of Jim Morrison: No One Gets Out of Here Alive (Tom H.)
Historical or biographical books (several)
Do It Yourself books (Thomas)
A gothic novel or the complete words of Shakespeare (Alice)
Steven King novels (Linda)
Complete collections of Mark Twain (Mark W.)
Complete collection of Edgar Alan Poe (Jeremy)
"My mother's old dictionary." (Phyllis)

WHO:

Arlen, Angelica, Rick, Alice, Jay, Kelly, Mike, Thomas, Mark, Phyllis, Suzanne, Linda, Jack, Chloi, Ray, Tom H., Jeremy, Scott, and Turbo.

SCHEDULE:

W. Paul Young, author of The Shack, will chat with us online next Tuesday. We'll meet in the Pentecost Sanctuary at 8:30AM. Our time with Mr. Young begins at 9AM. If you are not a regular member of our book club but you would like to join us on this special occasion, please do. We will keep the interaction between the regular book club members and Mr. Young, but you are welcome to observe the session and chat with us after.

See you there!

Goodbye to Billy Briggs

2011-12-29T16:58:00.003-06:00

People thought it was odd when Billy Briggs didn't show up for church Sunday morning. And when he failed to show up for the homeless book club or spiritual support group on Tuesday, folks grew alarmed. Where is Billy? What happened to Billy? Mark Wilson started making calls.

The answer came late Thursday morning. Billy Briggs, age 52, was dead. His body had been found last Friday morning in a stairwell of Monona Terrace. The police notified Billy's next of kin. Unfortunately, nobody notified his Bethel friends, a fact that only added to the pain and confusion as word spread about Billy's sudden and unexpected death.

Billy Briggs was well-known around Bethel. He started attending Bethel's homeless ministries and the early Sunday morning service almost three years ago, eventually becoming a Bethel member. Even if you didn't know him, you've probably seen him around. He liked to help clean the sanctuary on Sundays and to do other odd jobs around Bethel during the week. Many Bethel members and staff feel fortunate to have counted Billy as a friend. He was a gentle man with an easy smile and quick wit. He was generous with his hugs--a joy to be with. To be sure, as he battled his addiction to alcohol, Billy had his ups and downs; and yes, chances and missed chances too. Nonetheless, through it all he managed to reach beyond his own struggles and limitations to share his love and laughter with others.

It was an all too common ending for this most uncommon man.

~~~~~

Billy may he rest in peace,

Was a friend and brother to many,

Of us in Madison especially the homeless,

He always had a laugh or smile,

That wiped away your worries for awhile,

He will be sorely missed and always loved,

May your gentle soul be forever remembered,

In Our hearts and our thoughts.

~By C.E. Monroe Klopp

Billy was a special guy with wonderful insights and a great sense of humor. He was indomitable. It was always a joy when I saw him in church. Even though he was living on the streets, he somehow cleaned up right nicely on Sunday mornings. I will pray for his family and give thanks that we knew Billy.

~David Baskerville

I was very saddened and stunned about the death of Billy. He was such a cheerful person and I always looked forward to seeing him. I considered him a good friend and will miss him.

~Alice Hansen

We are saddened at the passing of Billy Briggs. Some of us at Bethel were sharing our thoughts and we all have good memories of a kind and gentle person.

~Linda Hansen

Billy was such a cheerful and upbeat person and I will miss him very much.

~Phyllis Anderson

I am writing this with tears flowing down my cheeks. How I loved Billy as I know we all did. No matter what my mood, Billy could always make me smile and he was always good for a hug. Billy was loyal, he reminded me of a Saint Bernard, you could count on him, to be in group, to be in Bible study to help in the church and to make you laugh. More important though, was Billy had a good heart; I really don't think he had a mean bone in his body and I think that was why I always liked him so much, right from the beginning.

Billy should not have died alone and it is a sad commentary on our society and the viciousness of alcoholism that he did. I give thanks to God for the joy that Billy brought us and I can only trust that we added some joy to his life too. I pray that in heaven that Billy is a guiding spirit to all those men and women still living on Madison's streets.

~Pastor Laura Sutherland

I can't put it into words yet. Billy's been my friend for three years.

~Mark Wilson

Like Mark, many of those who gather with the homeless at Bethel are unable to put their grief into words at this time. There will be a service for Billy at Bethel next week.

Billy Briggs

October 27th, 1959-December 23rd, 2011

Rest in peace, Billy.

Grace

2011-12-22T14:42:00.000-06:00

Joseph and Mary on route to Bethlehem.

Grace (noun) def: Unmerited favor.

Whether we realize it or not, we are all beneficiaries of God's grace. Like gravity, grace is at work in our lives even long before we have any understanding of it. And if, despite good instruction and careful study, we choose to deny its existence, it is still there.

And thank goodness. Quite frankly, I wouldn't want to live without grace. Would you? It's easier to imagine life without gravity than life without grace.

Early Tuesday morning the homeless gathered at Bethel to watch It's a Wonderful Life. There were a few technical difficulties, but once those were resolved things went smoothly. Last year when Mark suggested this movie to the group at Christmastime he was practically heckled. This year his suggestion met with enthusiasm. Clearly the group dynamic has changed. Why? How? We shrug collectively. Must be grace.

Of note, this was the first viewing of It's a Wonderful Life by our fearless leader David B. Consequently, Mark thinks David B. must have led a pretty sheltered life. Nearly forty folks sat with David B. and Mark thru the movie. And you know what? They liked it. The sentiment went something like this: Let's make it a yearly tradition!

The fun didn't stop with the movie. At noon, Bethel provided a Christmas dinner to nearly a hundred homeless persons. We are blessed to be a blessing. That's grace in action.

WHO:

Jack, Mark, Bo, C.E., David B., Angela, Todd, Roman, Tay, Tom, Tony, Brian, Ronal, James, R.J., Joe, Kevin, Mike, Sherman, Randy, Linda, Tom, Dave, Ron, Daniel, Walter,Tommy, Lovis, Chloi, Jay, Rick, Alice, Jeanine, Hap, Melvin, Oscar and Cid.

SCHEDULE:

We meet next week at 8:30AM in room 216 to continue our discussion of The Shack.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wm. Paul Young to Chat with Homeless Book Club

2011-12-13T21:09:00.000-06:00

It's true. Wm. Paul Young, the author of The Shack, has graciously agreed to visit with our book club.

This feels like a major win given that Mr. Young is not the world's biggest fan of institutional churches and here we are, a book club meeting in a church. But we are a different sort of book club, one that reaches out to the poor and disadvantaged, those struggling to find their next meal and a warm, safe place to sleep. The reason for his charity toward us is likely more complicated that that, but what's plain is this: Mr. Young knows what it means to struggle. As he writes on his blog: although the story is made up, the emotional pain (referred to in the book as The Great Sadness) is not.

Like many members of our book club, Mr. Young had a difficult childhood. His parents were missionaries and, at a young age, he suffered at the hand of one of the people his parents aimed to help. He was later sexually abused at a Christian boarding school. No wonder then that his faith in religious institutions was shattered. Fortunately he determined at some point to keep his faith in God. It wasn't easy. The result is unique.

His wife encouraged him to write about his faith, so Mr. Young wrote The Shack. He intended it as a gift for his children, but his family passed the book on to friends who encouraged him to publish it for a wider audience. Luckily, he listened. The book became a New York Times bestseller. And, more importantly for us, it made its way into the hands of Mark, the instigator of our homeless ministries and the reason the book made our reading list.

When we met Tuesday for our first discussion of The Shack, Mark confessed that when his mother-in-law gave the book to his wife, he intercepted it. "I'm not a reader," he says. "But for some reason I couldn't put that thing down." Mark immediately connected with the story, especially with Mack, the main character, who is, effectively, a working man's preacher.

The book has received both criticism and acclaim from religious intelligentsia, but Mr. Young doesn't care about the religious intelligentsia so much as he does about those who have been alienated from God because of it--people like Mark.

Though Mark was raised Lutheran, he fell on some hard times as a young man and when he needed help the most he found the institutional church too dogmatic, judgmental and theoretical to reach him. He maintained an appreciation for the spiritual, but steered clear of organized religion for most of his adult life. Among other things, Mark credits the book with helping him maintain his unique relationship with God while being an active member of a church. (He has since joined Bethel.)

"Funny how the spirit works," he says. He adds that his wife still hasn't read the book because he hasn't turned it over. "That says a lot for a guy who doesn't like to read."

Mr. Young will be joining us via Skype on January 17th at 9AM (CST). There's still time. Get your copy and read along.

WHO:

Louis, Kelly, Randy, Jay, Joseph, Phyllis, Mark, Thomas, Suzanne, Linda, Tony, Ashley, Bo, Doug, Roman, Billy B., Alice, R.J., Oscar, Jeremy and Turbo.

QUOTE:

Of course, we rarely make it through a discussion without someone teasing Phyllis. (Fortunately, Phyllis takes it all with good humor.)

Phyllis: "I can't stand those wafers some churches serve at communion. It's fish food!"

Billy B.: "Some of that bread was served at the first Last Supper. Surely you remember..."

NEXT WEEK:

We meet at 8AM in Borgwardt Hall to watch It's a Wonderful Life. Christmas dinner will be served at noon.

Goodbye Marion

2011-12-06T18:19:00.001-06:00

The Ecstasy of St. Teresa statue by Bernini in the Cornaro Chapel in Rome.
Photo @bishopmanchester.blogspot.com

The bad news is that good books, even great books like this, eventually come to an end.

We've been reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. Over the last few weeks we've grown close to the characters, especially Marion, Ghosh, Hema, Matron and yes, even Shiva, Genet and Dr. Thomas Stone (and didn't you just love Marion's fellow residents at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour?). In addition to a variety of human weaknesses, this cast showed us what it means to sacrifice oneself on behalf of another.

At the end of the story as at the beginning, we find Marion contemplating the Ecstasy of St. Teresa, an image that draws him close to the memory of his mother. The story in between unfolds organically, gracefully, one titillating revelation after another, tracing the far reaching consequences of selfish acts while illustrating the miracle of grace and forgiveness.

A beautiful thing indeed.

WHO:
Mark, Billy B., R.J., Joe, Pastor Sarah, Michael, Jay, David P., Tony, Ashley, John, Tom, Roman, Will, Jack, Linda, Kelly, Thomas, Alice, Jeremy, Phyllis, Suzanne, Shannon, Rick, Freddie, Doug, Ray.

QUOTE:
"David's old enough to remember the Dionne Quintuplets..."
Phyllis here, in a rare attempt to get back at David B. for his frequent references to her status as elder of the group. (Note: The Dionne Quintuplets were born in 1934 and were the first quintuplets to survive infancy.)

SCHEDULE:
We'll meet next week, Dec. 13th, at 8:30AM in room 216 for our first discussion of The Shack by William P. Young. (Read the first 6 chapters.)

On December 20th at 8AM, we'll meet in Borgwardt Hall to watch It's a Wonderful Life. A Christmas dinner will be served at noon.

See you soon!

Writing About Memory

2011-11-30T16:44:00.001-06:00

She's back. And she has a message: The act of writing about memory can be healing and fun, and our memories--even deeply buried ones--can be brought to the fore by focusing on the senses.

Connie Deanovich returned Tuesday to lead our second Homeless Writer's Workshop. As you may recall, Connie is a Whiting Award-winning American poet and writer. Her work has been included in many anthologies and published in Bomb, Grand Street, New American Writing, Parnassus, See and Sulfur. She is the author of the books Watusi Titanic and Zombie Jet. We consider ourselves fortunate to have a writer of her caliber to teach us. And it's an extra blessing that she is personable and open and gets the little jokes that the homeless like to tell.

Back in June, Connie led our first workshop, that one focused on writing poetry. The workshop sparked a period of tangible productivity that had some beautiful but less-tangible consequences. Many who attended produced poems and essays, a few of which were published here on the blog, others in Street Pulse, the weekly newspaper sponsored by UW students. Some writers chose to hold their work close to the heart, to share it only with select persons. Either way--shared with a select few or published for the world to see--those writings helped us to see one another more clearly; they created new avenues for compassion and understanding to flow, and drew us closer together as a group. Yes, the tangible results--words on paper--led to intangible results--bigger hearts. When we are honest we can admit that this is what most writers want.

As with the last workshop, it didn't matter what level writer you were--new or already published--Connie had something for all of us. She began by sending objects around the room, objects selected for their tendency to stimulate the senses and evoke memories. For example, she sent around the room a vintage set of measuring spoons, aluminum with a convincing patina, that once belonged to her grandmother. This triggered memories for several of us. During the writing session that came later, Alice and Arlen independently produced a few paragraphs each about baking cookies as a child. There were many other items, including: herbs from her garden (sage and lavender), a rubber bear, a Breyer model filly, a bag of licorice and sweet tarts, a bar of soap, Q-tips. She would pull some object out of her box and, inevitably, someone would say "that reminds me of..." and we would hear a little story. And that was how we began to write about our memories.

To further stir our memories, and to provide an excellent example of memoir, Connie had us read an except taken from A Christmas Memory, a memoir by Truman Capote.

Like all of us--and in many cases even more so--the homeless have stories to tell. We aim to equip and empower them to do so. We'll take time next week to share writings inspired by today's workshop. I hope to post some of the stories here.

Write on.

GRATITUDE:
Our deepest thanks go to Connie Deanovich for leading today's workshop. With humor and clarity and many sensory-stimulating objects--she led us on the way. We hope to have her back again soon.

Special Note: Connie will be teaching a course called Creative Writing: Poetry, in the continuing education division of MATC. This class is open to all and requires no prior writing experience. To enroll call (608) 246-6210 or visit www.madisoncollege.org.

WHO:
Kelly, Thomas, Mark, C.E., Ray, Roman, Jeremy, Pastor Sarah, Michael, Jay, Dave P., Brian, Pat Schneider, Mike, Doug, John, Randy, R.J., Billy B., Angel, Will, Jack, Linda, Alice, Arlen, Terry, Chris, Suzanne, Michelle and Turbo.

SCHEDULE:
We meet next week in room 216 for our last discussion of Cutting for Stone. Read up! We'll also take time to share work inspired by today's workshop. (Sharing is not mandatory, but encouraged.)

*Photos: @Dreamstime.com
______________________________________________

_________________________

Revisiting Water for Elephants

2011-11-22T11:08:00.001-06:00

We gathered in the Fireside Gallery to watch the movie based on the first book we ever read together as a group, Water for Elephants. We read the book way back in November of 2009. Of course we loved it. We loved the movie too. Afterward, several of us sat around and reminisced. Four of us from the original group were present today: Jeremy, Kent, Captain Jack and yours truly.

THANKSGIVING:
At noon, Bethel served a Thanksgiving meal to about 55 homeless persons. Thanks go to the congregation, Bethel pastors, staff members and volunteers--and especially to Chef Steve!--for putting together such a delicious meal.

WHO:

Ray, Dave P., Michael, Kent, Linda, Billy B., Ashley, Tony, Thomas, Chloi, C.E., Michelle, Charles, Jay, James, Sherry, Jeremy, Roman, Doug, Scott, Captain Jack, Randy F., Jimbo, David B., Randy S., John, R.J., Angel, Joseph, Jack, Sherman, Harold, Alice, Suzanne and Turbo.

SCHEDULE:

November 29th: We meet upstairs in room 216 for our second Homeless Writers' Workshop led by award-winning poet Connie Deanovich. Connie will teach memoir writing.

December 6th: Our last discussion on Cutting for Stone, the bestseller by Abraham Verghese.

*Photo above by Rod Melotte. (See more of his work at www.rodmelottte.com)

____________________________________________

Homeless Book Club Turns Two

2011-11-09T11:39:00.000-06:00

As we gathered for our second discussion of Cutting for Stone, we made note that this was our second birthday.

Bethel's book club for the homeless was launched in early November of 2009. During that first year attendance was spotty, almost dismal. So we made a few adjustments. We moved to an earlier time slot and added donuts or sandwiches to the coffee already being served. And we doubled our efforts to keep things interesting: In addition to a very diverse selection of books, we offer a monthly movie, and, when we can, chats with the authors and writing workshops hosted by published writers. Attendance now averages around twenty, which is perfect for a 90-minute group discussion.

Reflecting over our book club's lifespan, I recall that when we first announced these changes we received a lot of support from Bethel. In addition--and this was a pleasant surprise--we received hundreds of dollars from members of the community to help cover the costs of the donuts and sandwiches. But we also got some flack (which was also surprising). Some observers objected to our offering donuts and sandwiches to the homeless, saying the food was a lure.

Well, we said, that's exactly what it is. And so what?

I wondered if these same people ever hosted a social event that didn't include food. Can you imagine, for example, attending a Super Bowl party where all that was offered was water? As I surveyed friends and acquaintances, I learned that yes indeed, food and beverages are usual fare at book club meetings (I'd never belonged to a book club before joining this one). As a friend pointed out, work place gatherings are hardly any different: It's common to walk into a board or committee meeting to find a table laden with treats--coffee, tea, bagels, fruit, muffins, etc.

Seems people like to gather around food. (If this is an ah ha! moment for you, you have not been paying attention.)

Of course food is not our only lure, although in this instance it was the one lure folks objected to. The warm space, the pleasant conversation, the many good books and movies and new friends are all lures, too. Offering these things to the homeless is one of the ways that Bethel is working to meet the needs of the marginalized, the least of our brethren, while inviting them into relationship and into healthy community life.

And if for some strange reason that bothers you, we offer this: If somehow someday you suffer a twist of fate that leaves you homeless--and cold, tired, hungry, lonely, despairing and bored--and the hardscrabble way of life on the streets gets to you, we hope you'll find your way to Bethel's doors and that inside you'll find our book club still gathering, ready to offer you respite. And a bite to eat.

Happy Birthday dear book club,

Happy Birthday to you.

And many more.

WHO:

Kelly, Mark, Jay, Alice, Jeremy, R.J., Huffar, Tom, Tony, Ashley, Jack, Dave, John, Thomas, Doug, Billy B., Linda, Shannon, Phyllis, Suzanne, Tyrone, David B.

OBJECT LESSON:

In our reading for today, one of the main characters, Sister Mary Joseph Praise, died. Before she was was buried, one of her many grieving Ethiopian friends placed a Coptic cross on her casket. David B. brought in a beautiful example of a Coptic cross and passed it around the room for all to see. Thank you, David B.!

QUOTE:

"Phyllis will have a better memory of this than I do, but at the end of WWII..."

David B. taking yet another opportunity to tease his stalwart peer.

SCHEDULE:

Nov. 15: Discuss Cutting for Stone.

Nov. 22: Movie of the Month: Water for Elephants (the movie based on our book club's first book).

Followed by Thanksgiving Dinner at NOON.

Nov. 29: HOMELESS WRITERS' WORKSHOP with CONNIE DEANOVICH. Memoir.

See you soon.
Suzanne

PS: Here's the Free Hugs Campaign video (suggested by R.J.).

__________________________________________________

Cutting for Stone

2011-11-02T12:26:00.000-05:00

It was an odd day.

First, Mark Wilson showed up to book club wearing a super nice jacket, shirt and slacks. Huh?Why the fuss? He explained that he was scheduled to give a presentation to the Christian Men's Fellowship right after book club. Upon hearing this, folks in book club cheered him on. Yay, Mark! Good job spreading the good news about Bethel's Homeless Ministries.

After admiring Mark's attire and encouraging him in his scheduled speech, we settled down to chat about our latest book, the New York Times bestseller Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. So far (we've read to page 98), the story spans from India to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and is ripe with fascinating characters like the surgeon Dr. Stone; his companion nurse, a Carmelite nun named Sister Mary Joseph Praise (hallelujah and amen); their boss Matron; and Drs. Hema and Ghosh, an obstetrician/gynecologist and an interest, respectively. Verghese placed these characters in unusual dilemmas and painted vivid scenes around them. The situations and characters are as richly imagined as those in John Irving's The World According to Garp, a story most of us love and remember well.

Not surprisingly then there was plenty to talk about. But, unfortunately, that's no guarantee that things will go smoothly...

Yes, we had a difficult moment or two in the middle of an otherwise pleasant 90 minutes. Suffice it to say that it's important that everyone who attends book club feels safe and respected, which means that occasionally we have to root out boorish behavior. Sometimes it takes nothing more than a gentle reminder to bring someone back to his senses. Sometimes it takes more. And sadly, sometimes we have to ask the responsible party to stop attending. We have a three-strikes-and-you're-out rule (unless the infraction is more serious, in which case it's 'game over'). As uncomfortable as it can be, we implement this rule in order to maintain the respectful and light-hearted atmosphere we've come to be known for.

After all, book club should be fun. And usually is: Thanks to extremely well-written national bestsellers like Cutting for Stone, and lesser known local heros like Mark Wilson. By the way, did you that Mark can pirouette? He's rather talented. Ask him to show you sometime.

Odd, yes, but very entertaining.

WHO:

Linda, Michael, Thomas, Kelly, Billy B., Mark, Phyllis, Kathleen, Dave P., Jack, Dave, John, Tom, Tee Tee, Alice, Will, Pastor Sarah, Shannon, Michele, R.J., Chloi, Andrew, Tyrone, Ray, Roman and Suzanne.

SOMETHING TO KNOW:

Every year, November 1st brings relief to the homeless. This is the day that their allotment of shelter nights is reset (in most cases to 60 for men and 90 for women). They can sleep inside again. Nonetheless, Through November and well into December, most (especially those who have experienced Wisconsin winters before) will continue to sleep outside in order to 'save' nights for the bitter months ahead. But, they say, it's nice to know there is a place to go.

NEXT:

We'll meet next Tuesday in room 216 to discuss Cutting for Stone through page 219. Read along and discover with us why this book has done so well.

*Photo @Dreamstime.com

Flight 93

2011-10-26T09:29:00.001-05:00

Try not to cry. That's what we did.

About 30 of us gathered Tuesday in the Fireside Gallery to watch the dramatization of United flight 93, the fourth plane to go down on September 11, 2001.

This movie is only 90 minutes long, but those 90 minutes are spent with that lump-in-the-throat feeling. Some of us, like Phyllis, couldn't bear it and had to leave the room several times to walk it off. And yet when it was over we were glad we'd seen it.

As our conversation after would attest, it's difficult to find anything new to say about the events of 9-11, but it's still important and helpful to talk about them.

SPECIAL NOTE:

People can be so nice. The temperature is dropping and the homeless have few places to go to stay warm. Kelly, one of our book club members who also became a Bethel member this past weekend (welcome, Kelly!), came in this morning lugging a heavy duty sleeping bag. He told me how he acquired it. He was walking around the Capital Square when a stranger spotted Kelly's old sleeping bag. "That's all you got to sleep on?" the stranger asked Kelly. "Yep." The stranger's name was Frank. Frank went home and returned with a sleeping bag for Kelly, one certified to -40 degrees. Thanks, Frank.

This reminds me: It's a good time to search through your closets for winter gear you do not need and donate it to the homeless. Coats, boots, gloves, scarves, hats, thermal underwear and socks would be appreciated. And if you happen to have a sleeping bag in good condition, that would be appreciated too.

WHO:

Jack, Dave, Kelly, Mark, Bill, Billy B., Thomas, Tom, Alice, Phyllis, Ashley, Tony, Dave P., David B., Jeremy, John, Tyrone, R.J., Jay, Michael, Mary Ann, Michelle, Nancy, Linda, Teresa, Chris and several new folks.

SCHEDULE:

We meet next Tuesday at 8:30AM to discuss the first 98 pages of Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.

Surviving Autumn

2011-10-19T17:59:00.000-05:00

The leaves are falling and the temperature is dropping. Most of the chronic homeless are still sleeping outside, saving their alloted shelter nights for the harsh months ahead. They trudge bleary-eyed to Bethel's doors and wait ten, twenty, thirty minutes--however long it takes--for the doors to open at 8AM. They have few other places to be that early. They huddle together in anticipation of the hot cup of coffee, breakfast sandwich and pleasant conversation that awaits them. Once inside, another ten or twenty minutes may pass before they've warmed up enough to begin shedding their outer layers--jackets, sweatshirts and raincoats pile up on the back of their chairs. They kick back and stretch their legs. Ah. It's not home, but it's something.

We met Tuesday for our last discussion of Sole Survivor, a bestselling sci-fi thriller by Dean Koontz. Most of us finished the book, but a few members hadn't. Well, whoop de doo. This is nothing new. In fact, we expect it. No single book has pleased every member--we are a very diverse group! And that diversity is part of what makes this book club fun. Wouldn't change it for the world.

So, what were the main gripes? Too much detail. Wandering analogies. It's sci-fi and I don't read sci-fi. And what were the best things about this book? Fast pacing. Suspenseful. It's sci-fi and I love sci-fi. See what I mean?

A movie based on this book was released in 2000. Here is a comparison of the actors we'd cast in a modern re-make vs. the original.

Role: 2000 Version: Our Version:
Joe Billy Zane ?
Rose Gloria Reuben Halle Berry
Barbara Isabella Hofmann Meryle Streep
21-21 Rachel Victoria Dakota Fanning (maybe too old)
Mahalia Patricia Idlette Queen Latifah

We haven't yet agreed upon an actor to play Joe, but I think our version would fly. It's fun to imagine. It's even more fun to imagine putting an end to homelessness.

TODAY'S PARTICIPANTS:

Dave P., Tony, Ashley, Kelly, Roman, Thomas, Dave, Jack, Billy, John, Jack, Phyllis, Shannon, Michael, Tom, Mark, Tyrone, Brian, Nancy, Ray, Linda, Alice, R.J., Michelle, Teresa.

UPCOMING:

We meet next Tuesday at 8AM in the Fireside Gallery to watch Flight 93.

Photo @dreamstime.com

2011-10-12T13:40:00.000-05:00

Tuesday we dissected Joe's anger and found ourselves spending more time on the subject of faith than we ever have before.

Joe is the protagonist in Sole Survivor, a novel by Dean Koontz. From the get-go it is clear that Joe is angry. He is angry about a lot of things, not the least of which is the loss of his wife and daughters. But his anger traces all the way back to childhood. When Joe's father--a good man--became disabled, Joe got angry. He got even angrier at the kids who teased his father. Then Joe got angry at his parents' church and at God for standing by and doing nothing to prevent his father's painful demise. Joe didn't think a 'benign God' would allow bad things to happen to good people. We debated if that was true until Alice pointed out that God gave us free will and said that we are free to work evil or good in our own lives and in the lives of others. That pretty much settled it.

So together we wondered about other things:

Did Joe's anger lead to confusion about God? Jeremy suggested it was the other way around--that Joe's confusion about God led to his holding on to anger.

Why did Koontz include a struggle with faith in this story? Did he want to convert his readers? Absolutely not. The group likes the faith struggle in the story--it adds complexity and depth. It helps us understand and connect to the character better. After all, most of us can admit to times of doubt and despair. Finally, the struggle is genuine in that it strengthens the story. "It's not like he (Koontz) stuck it in there to manipulate the readers," one member said. "It's an important part of the story. The story wouldn't be half as good without it."

What about the character named Barbara? Why does Joe get so angry at her? She's courageous and smart, folks said. The problem is, she keeps bringing Joe back to reality. Later on in the story, however, he admits to himself that he likes her, he just doesn't like the reality she keeps pushing on him.

I liked her too, but had to admit that I was disappointed in the way Koontz' portrayed her. Barbara is a retired federal aviation investigator who, at 50, it seems, has retained only hints of her former beauty. Looking around the room, noting anew the wide age range--from 19 to 84--I asked if anyone else found that slightly insulting. What about her present beauty? I asked.

David B. was quick to answer. Pointing to Phyllis he said: "Women can even be beautiful when they are a lot older than me."

Everyone laughed, especially Phyllis. (Was I imagining things, or did she actually blush?)

WHO:

Ashley, Tony, Terry, Tyrone, Dave P., David B., Dave, Linda, Billy, Jeremy, Jack, Thomas, Mark, Shannon, Chloi, T.J., Alice, Phyllis, Andrew, Pastor Sarah, Dean, R.J., Kelly, Angel, Huffar, Tom, Michael.

QUOTE:

"We sometimes get angriest at the people who try to help us."
Tom

SCHEDULE:

October 18th, 8:30AM. Room 216. Last discussion of Sole Survivor.

October 25th, 8AM. Fireside Gallery. Movie of the month: Flight 93.

Photo @Dreamstime.com

Sole Survivor

2011-09-28T09:38:00.004-05:00

We met today for our first discussion of Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz.

This is a fictional story about Joe, a reporter for the L.A. Post who lost his wife and two daughters in a plane crash. The story opens on the first anniversary after the crash. Joe has, for the most part, isolated himself from friends and family, and has taken an extended leave of absence from work. He isn't doing too well: he's plagued with panic attacks and sometimes doesn't know what is real and what is imaginary. He's struggling to find a reason to live until, under strange and dangerous circumstances, he meets a mysterious young woman who claims to have survived the plane wreck. Official reports about the crash had claimed there were no survivors. If what this woman says is true, then everything Joe thought he knew about the death of his loved ones is a lie. At this point, Joe does what a protagonist should do under the circumstances--he determines to uncover the truth.

One of the things our discussion touched on today is this need we humans have for support during times of loss and adjustment. Many in our group (of mostly men) felt that Koontz painted a fairly accurate portrait of a man struggling with catastrophic loss. Linda added that men and women often experience the same emotions--such as sadness and despair--but women are generally better at expressing these emotions and finding support in dealing with them, whereas men tend to hold it all in the way our character Joe does.

Without intending to plug Bethel's Spiritual Support group for the homeless, it did come up that most folks here thought Joe would have been healthier had he sought some from others who were suffering a similar blow. For some reason, this doesn't seem to occur to Joe. Maybe because alongside his grief, he was entertaining a fair amount of self-pity (he knows it, too), which seems to have blinded him to the fact that he wasn't the only one who lost loved ones in the plane crash.

At any rate, Joe is a believable character in extraordinary circumstances and we are anxious to read what happens next.

CAUGHT SPARRING AGAIN:

When David B. and Phyllis attend book club, inevitably their age difference gets mentioned in some way that produces uproarious laughter. Here's how it went today:

At one point in our discussion, Phyllis and David B. both began speaking at the same time, but David B. immediately deferred to Phyllis. "Out of respect for my elders," he said.

When asked if she had anything to say to David B. about his comment, Phyllis said, "No. I never pay attention to silly little boys."

Turbo & Torque (TNT).

WHO:

Mark, Kelly, C.E., Chloi, Jeremy, Dave P., Tony, Ashley, Bill, Jay, Michael, Dave, Hap, Billy, Linda, David B., Tyrone, Thomas, Beth, Cory, Andrew, Billy (aka 'Late'), Ray, Darren, R.J. and Phyllis.

Note: I was greeted with boos when I arrived without Turbo. Turbo stayed home to babysit his new little brother. He will be back at book club just as soon as Torque is comfortable in his new surroundings.

SCHEDULE:

Next week is the homeless retreat to Bethel Horizons, so no book club meeting planned.

The following week, Tuesday, October 11th, we'll be meeting to discuss Sole Survivor to page 262.

Paper Moon

2011-09-22T09:18:00.001-05:00

About thirty of us gathered in the Fireside Gallery Tuesday morning to watch Paper Moon staring Ryan O'Neil and his daughter Tatum. Tatum O'Neil was only ten when she made her debut as supporting actress in this film, a role for which she won an Oscar. Pretty amazing. Oh, and those cigarettes she smoked? Made of lettuce. (These are just a few of the many interesting facts about the movie available at www.IMDB.com.)

Here's another cool fact. Last Saturday, Mark and his wife Ronda drove four of our homeless friends--Billy, Roman, Linda and Kent--to Rochester, Minnesota to attend Pastor Laura's "swearing in" ceremony. The group spent a night in a hotel. After service the following morning, they were invited to Pastor Laura's house to help celebrate the occasion. They loved seeing her in her new digs. "She's happy," they said.

Most of you know that Pastor Laura was instrumental in getting the Homeless Spiritual Support Group, Homeless Book Club and Homeless Support Services Office up and running during her time here at Bethel. This summer she accepted the call to be senior pastor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN. We miss her but we're also happy for her. God did a good work through her here. It'll be fun to see what he has in store for her next!

MOVIE GOERS:

Chloi, T.J., R.J., Jack, Jack, Dave, Dave P., Kelly, Tyrone, Paul, Phyllis, Suzanne, Mark, Tom, Joseph, Jeremy, Ray, Billy, Roman, Linda, CE, Tony, Christie, Jay, Angel and Huffar. In addition, there were many new faces. I didn't get a chance to meet some of them or even learn their names.

SHOUT-OUT:

Special thanks to Susan Straus, Bill Webb, Pastor Sarah, Mark and Phyllis for keeping book club running while David, Alice and I were away.

NEXT WEEK:

We'll be meeting Tuesday at 8:30 in room 216 for our first discussion of Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz. Many in the group have already finished reading it! Guess we'll be starting that next book sooner than planned.

Godspeed.

More on Half Broke Horses

2011-09-07T08:15:00.000-05:00

Lily Casey Smith is a remarkable woman. "She will sacrifice herself on behalf of others," Dean said. "And that's what makes her a hero. She has the kind of character we can aspire to."

Everyone agreed.

Lily is the protagonist in our current book. She is honest, courageous and fair. When things get emotional, as they tend to, she steps back and considers her options. When she finally acts, she acts not only on her own behalf, but also on behalf of the innocent. On top of all that she's hilarious, usually without meaning to be.

We met Tuesday morning for our second discussion of Half Broke Horses, the New York Times bestseller by Jeannette Walls. Ms. Walls would probably be thrilled to know--though not surprised, given her success--that everyone here loves the book. Most have already finished reading it. A few new people, having heard about the book on the street, came today to get their own copy and to join the discussion. Word is out. And we don't mind. Not one bit. It's a remarkable privilege to share good books and conversation with folks who are hungry for them.

As we did last week, we took turns going around the room reading a page or two, then pausing for discussion. This keeps the conversation closely related to the book, and gives new members a chance to participate. We talked about all sorts of things, but the funniest part came when folks recounted their own real-life stories about going into a fancy store or shopping district and, on account of the way they were dressed, being ignored or treated badly by sales staff. (Remember when the Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman goes shopping on Rodeo Drive?)

Here's one.

Not too long ago, Mark Wilson went shopping at a mall on Madison's west side (that's the only clue, folks). The clerk ignored Mark, probably because Mark was dressed in t-shirt, jeans and tennis, and because he had Thomas along with him and Thomas was dressed like Thomas likes to dress.

(At this point in the telling of the story, we all looked at Thomas, who happened to be seated next to Mark and to be wearing lots of camo. Thomas nodded and smiled, clearly proud of the role he played in Mark's story.)

At any rate, Mark was there to buy his wife a necklace for her birthday, but the clerk kept waiting on other customers who were dressed more, um, shall we say upscale? Exasperated, Mark finally cut in and pointed to the necklace he wanted to buy for his wife, which was far more expensive than anything any of the other customers had purchased. The clerk was suddenly attentive, and as the clerk rang up the charge and wrapped the gift, Mark leaned in to teach him a lesson.

Mark said, just as polite as can be of course, "I don't know how you rose to your position, but I've got a little advice to help you in your future business. Here it is: You can't tell how much money a man has to spend based on the clothes on his back. Okay? Got that?"

Sounds like something Lily Casey Smith would say.

WHO:

Roman, Linda, Kelly, Tony, Ashley, Ray, Dave P., Tyrone, Shannon, John, Phyllis, Mark, Thomas, Pastor Sarah, Dean, Andrew, Peter, Chloi, T.J., Darren, Jeremy, R.J., Terry (welcome back!), Huffar, Angel, Teresa, Brian.

SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, Sept. 13th: 8:30AM. Room 216. Last discussion of Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. Hand out copies of next book.

Tuesday, Sept. 20th: 8:30AM. Room 216. First discussion of Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz.

Tuesday, Sept. 27th: 8AM. Fireside Gallery. Movie of the Month: Paper Moon, starring Ryan and Tatum O'Neal and Madeline Kahn.

Peace,

Suzanne

PS: Just for fun:
_______________________________________

_______________________________________

Half Broke Horses

2011-08-30T15:38:00.001-05:00

Lily's horse Patches may have looked something like the paint in the lead.

At the turn of the century, people grew up fast--or not at all.

We met this morning for our first discussion of the New York Times bestseller Half Broke Horses, a novel by Jeanette Walls. Many book club members hadn't done this week's assigned reading because they hadn't received their copies of the book until this morning (long story). So we went around the room taking turns reading aloud so we would all be on the same page for the discussion. Some folks were eager to read aloud and plowed through whole chapters. Others were shy and read only a paragraph or two, or skipped their turn completely. After each chapter, we took breaks to chat--long, noisy breaks. Everyone seemed to like doing it this way (some even said so). When our 90 minutes was over, we'd only made it to page 17. But it's quality that matters, not quantity, and every page of this book--every sentence, in fact--is packed with quality.

"She packs a lot into just a few words," Alice exclaimed.

Indeed. Hemingway had that knack too, but it came out differently. Walls is like Hemingway in that every word matters, but her sentences are generally longer and more varied and gentler, so you don't feel so much like you're being hit over the head repeatedly with a hammer. (If Hemingway had decided to write long and flowing sentences that were complex and yet easy to read, they might have approached Walls', whose sentences carry you along like a leaf in a stream, so fast and smooth and buoyant that you'd almost rather they not come to an end.)

With convincing use of first person narrative, Walls tells the story of Lily Casey Smith, who was born in a dug out in Salt Draw, Texas in 1901. Life on the frontier was challenging. Children matured quickly, if they were lucky. To prove this point, the book opens with Lily at the age of ten saving her younger brother and sister from a flash flood by racing them up a cottonwood tree. We marveled at Lily's pluck and determination.

As we read on from there, our conversation ranged far and wide, from things like writing the 'hook' (an opening sentence that grabs the reader's attention), to aspects of the hard-scrabble life in Salt Draw, Texas, to what our faith was like when we were ten, to what it would be like to live in a home dug out of dirt, one where insects and snakes and other critters oozed out of the walls and up from the floor and sometimes fell down through the roof.

There's a memorable scene where a snake falls onto the table, and Lily's daddy takes a break from carving the turkey to cut off the snake's head.This led to a discussion about some of the weird things people have eaten. Alice offered this: "We ate peacock once, but we were tricked into it. Anyway, it tasted just like turkey." Kelly had eaten fried snake. "Tastes just like chicken," he said. And David B. likes fried eel. "Really good. Never leave Japan without doing that at least once."

Not everyone wanted to eat eel, or snake, or even peacock. We don't see a Half Broke Horses Cook Book in the future, but everyone agreed that the book would make an amazingly powerful movie--the images conjured up from the words themselves are enough to get your skin crawling and your legs twitching.

It's the kind of story that might even help you grow up some.

SPECIAL MENTION:

Mark Wilson had a cardiac procedure last Friday and is home recovering. "Everything is fine," he says. "Guess you're all stuck with me for a few more years."

Well, we certainly hope so!

WHO WAS THERE?

Two-leggers: Jack, Linda, Tyrone, Ray, Roman, Chloi, T.J. (welcome back!), David B., Dave P., Dave, Darren, Alice, Phyllis, Tom, R.J., Tim (welcome back!), Kelly, Jay, Jeremy, Huffar, Angel, Shannon, Suzanne, Ray, Darren, Dean (welcome back!).

Four-leggers: Turbo.

One-legger: Billy B. Billy showed up with one leg in a splint. He pinched a nerve sleeping on a bench and now has foot drop. Gee whiz. As if enduring the elements wasn't enough... Get well, Billy!

SCHEDULE:

We meet next week at 8:30 in room 216 to continue our discussion of Half Broke Horses (through page 110).

Peace,
~Suzanne
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Miracle

2011-08-24T10:43:00.002-05:00

Thomas and the goat.

Tuesday we met in the Fireside Gallery to watch the Disney movie Miracle, starring Kurt Russell. With me were Hermaine, John, Angel, Huffar, Adam, Danielle, Jeff, Jeff, Alice, Phoenix, Karla, Dave P., David B., Dave, Jack, Jack, Tyrone, Jeremy, Isaac, Oscar, Roman, Mark, Thomas, Tom, R.J., Kelly, Billy and Turbo.

Most of you know that this movie is based on the true story of the USA hockey team beating the Soviet Union team in the 1980 Winter Olympics. What you may not know, Alice says, is that one of the team players--Mark Johnson, the player who helped score the winning point and who now coaches the UW women's team--was a Bethel member. Spectacular stuff.

But what really moved me is what happened after the movie. Thomas, one of our long-time club members, handed me a couple sheets of rumpled paper. "Here's them stories I wrote," he said. His face beamed with pride as he explained that he'd started a journal. After reading his stories later at home, I reached Thomas by phone (he was enjoying his day off by spending time with his buddy Mark at Bethel's Support Office) and received permission to share a few entries with you. Thomas's words are posted here as written (unedited) so you can get a better feel for the man behind them. The titles are his own.

Man with an Empty Heart

It was a cold day in Jan when there was ice on the lakes. When I was homeless I had a lot going threw my mind to end it all. After being locked up for 15 years you feel worthless and your family wont help you out. My mother passed away 4 years ago and I miss her very badly. She meant alot to me and I know I hurt her. But know I'm getting a second chance at life. Thank two people that are like a mom and dad to me. Mark Wilson which has help me out threw alot of hard time and still helping me out. Marlene which is my boss and friend and understands me. If I have a problem or want to talk to someone. Marlene or Mark are there for me and I thank God for them every day. A lot of things I'm not good at yet but Marlene takes time to explane to me what has to be done and the right tool to work smart not hard. When things start to build up inside of me I take time to write them down. This is one way to help me out to cope with thing better. I will alway enjoy my job out here with a Greate boss and a Greate dad that will be there for me. I know they are very busy but they will find time to talk to me. This is how I express my feeling for alot of things. This is how I did while I was locked up and I will start doing it again. then we can sit down and discuss what bothering me.

When the Goats Went to a Wedding

When I was asked to come to a wedding. They said bring a friend. I didn't have a friend to bring to the wedding so I decided on my four kids the goats. So I put them in a trailer and took them to the wedding. You know what happened next when they were there. The goats got into everything they ate the wrapping paper and got into the food. So at the end of the wedding, I brought the goats back home. So never take goats to a wedding.

Things to do and get done list:

(On the back of one page I found his to-do list, which I've abbreviated here.)

Kick horses out at 12:00 and let the rest in to eat and kick the rest out at 6:00PM

Mow yard

Put lawn mower up in hay barn

Get rest of tree top out of paddock

Work in paddocks to clean them up for winter (every day when not raining)

Pick up rocks

Work in woods on Sat

Spruce up office and front of barn on Thursday

Sometime have to burn up tree tops and trash

Scraped the arena to get weed out

Put mineral blocks out for horses

Put fencing things together clean in front of barn

Work on gravel and save some for Marlene for dog kennel

Thomas. For months he was a fixture on the sidewalk outside the Wisconsin Veteran's Museum on Mifflin Street, where he would often sit reading or talking with friends or enjoying his evening meal. Many nights he even slept there. Now he lives on a farm where the work is whipping him into the best shape of his life, and his eyes sparkle with joy.

Another miracle. Wouldn't that make a good Disney film?

QUOTE:

"The day Thomas left for the farm, I helped pack him up in Marlene's car and I felt like I was sending my first child off to school. I don't mind being thought of like a dad, as long as there's no child support involved."

~Mark Wison

GRATITUDE:

See the chicks?

We'd like to thank Natasha and Nick Lawler from Hong Kong for providing us with 30 copies each of the next two books in the queue; Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz (recommended by Jeremy) and Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (recommended by Phyllis). Our book club thrives on such generosity. THANK YOU!

Once more, thanks to Terry Frei and the Wisconsin Historical Society Press for providing us with our Third Down and a War to Go experience!

How many chicks can hide under there?

SCHEDULE:

We meet next week at 8:30 in room 216 to discuss the first 68 pages of Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls.

See you then!

Suzanne

Thomas and his buddy. (Thomas pointed out that he's the good looking one.)

Online with Terry Frei

2011-08-17T12:28:00.001-05:00

Now that was fun!

Tuesday morning we Skyped with author and sports writer Terry Frei.

A thousand miles away, Terry settled into his home office in Denver, CO. Meanwhile, we got ourselves organized in the Pentecost Sanctuary located in Bethel Lutheran Church, just two blocks from the State Capitol in Madison, WI.

At 9AM Madison time, through a miracle of modern technology and human cooperation, we were suddenly face-to-face.

Tah-dah!

This was Terry's first time Skyping with a homeless book club (and his second time Skyping ever), but he showed no signs of nervousness. Even as we made those initial obligatory adjustments to video and audio, his warmth and humor came through the connection and put us all at ease.

On our end of the connection, seated at the tables were Mark, Billy, Jeremy, David B., Chloe, Dave P., Sarah, and Tyrone. In the chairs behind the tables were Roger, Dave, Pastor Peter, Thomas, Darren, Dave, Huffar, Angel, Pastor Sarah, Kelly, Jay, Roman, Peter, Ray, Suzanne and Turbo. Special guests included freelance writer Denice Ryan Martin and representatives from the Wisconsin Historical Society including Kathy Borkowski, Soozy Tierney and our buddy Shannon, who has attended all our discussions on Third Down and a War to Go (thanks, Shannon!).

We jumped right in with our questions. Terry sipped coffee. We did the same. As usual, we made no video or audio recordings of the interaction. (And as usual, I wondered why not... )What is included here is a summery of the conversation. I apologize to Terry because I am unable to convey with words the impact of his virtual presence, his sincerity, and his willingness to share a part of his story with us.

When was the last time you attended a UW Football game? Do you follow the Badgers? Who is your favorite college team now?

Judy Johnson Corflied and Barry Alvarez at the unveiling
of the 80 Schreiner banner in 2006.

Terry still follows the Badgers, saying they are among his favorite teams. His loyalties, however, are split. His alma mater is the University of Colorado-Boulder, and he was raised in Eugene, Oregon, where his father was head coach of the University of Oregon football team and a longtime fixture to the football staff. Understandably, Terry has a soft spot for all three teams. On top of that, he's a sports writer. Terry follows a lot of teams!

Terry Frei respects UW's
ability to honor its history.

Terry took time to mention that one of the great things about the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department is it's willingness and ability to honor its history. Some athletic department heads and coaches think and act as if the history of that department began the moment they walked into it. Others, like UW, have a tradition of honoring past figures and accomplishments.

Terry last attended a UW Badger football game in 2006 when Barry Alvarez and the UW athletic department honored the memory of Dave Schreiner. Also present that day was Dave Schreiner's niece, Judy Johnson Corfield. Later, she gave Terry a memento. It was the college identification wallet that Dave Schreiner had with him at the time he suffered his mortal injury.

Near the end of our discussion, Terry kindly showed us that wallet. He held up the cover, then opened it flap by flap to reveal the photos Dave Schreiner had on him the day he was shot, which included a picture of his fiance Odette Hendrickson, and another of his parents. As Terry shared this with us, folks on our end were moved, some nearly to tears. A good young man gone. His life ripped from him in war.

When Elroy Hirsch says that he ran because he was scared, how serious was he?

Unfortunately, by the time Terry interviewed Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch, the wild runner was in the later stages of Alzheimer's. Hirsch held solid memories for events that happened many years earlier, but couldn't track events from the prior 24 hours. After talking with him, Terry believed Hirsch's statement was tongue-in-cheek.

What was the most surprising thing you discovered while researching this book?

As Terry dove through the piles of research, he kept stepping back to wonder: Why hadn't anyone told this story before? It's been right here all along and nobody has bothered to tell it.

Terry Frei holds the 40-49 banner at UW football
Legacy Game in 2005.

Interestingly, as Terry thought this through, he worried aloud if his answer might make him sound arrogant. Well, no. He did not sound arrogant. I can't imagine in any context that his answer would sound arrogant. On top of that, here's a bestselling author with a busy schedule taking the time to Skype with a group of homeless people that live 1000 miles away from him. He could have blown us off completely, but he didn't. Given that, he would have to work extra hard to come across as arrogant!

Do you think the current Bowl Championship Series ranking system is fair?

The current system is a dramatic improvement over the chaos of the past. Terry isn't willing to pick it apart, nor does he claim that it's perfect.

In doing research for this book, who did you enjoy talking with the most? Why?

Mark Hoskins, for several reasons. He'd always been super close to Dave Schreiner, so he had some very insightful stories about the All-American. Also, Hoskins remained close to many others whose stories Terry needed. In essence, Hoskins was well-connected, entertaining, insightful.

Tell us about your writing routine.

When things are going smoothly, Terry likes to rise up early, about 5:30, and write until 9:30 or 10AM. Then he goes to work at his day job, which pays the bills. He is a sports writer for the Denver Post. Many evenings, he'll return to his book writing for a couple hours. That's what you do, he says, when you want to write other things. You fit it in.

When interviewing the veterans for this book, did the men seem relieved to be able to talk about the war or were they still reluctant to open up about it?

At first it was a bit tough getting the guys to talk. Many had never even shared these experiences with their own families. Eventually, they did begin to open up. For some of the men there may have been a sense of catharsis that came from talking about their war experiences, but that's probably more likely or especially when they can do this in the presence of other veterans.

We noticed while reading the book that many college men rushed to marry before going off to war. We debated the reasons for this: did they want someone at home to write to, a sense of normalcy, someone to return to, or a chance to get a deferral? What are your thoughts?

The least applicable explanation was the desire for a deferral. Most of these men were eager to sign up and go to war for their country. It made no sense then that they would want a deferral. Not all the men married. Dave Schreiner, for example, got engaged, not married. And Terry's father Jerry waited until after the war to marry. Still, by watching his father and his father's cohorts over the decades, it is Terry's belief that the young men who married before going to war did so sincerely, to commemorate an important relationship, to maintain strong ties to home, and to experience the pleasure when it seemed entirely plausible that this was their only chance.

How long did it take you to complete the research for this book and were you under any pressure to get it done?

Terry spent approximately one year researching and writing the first edition of Third Down and a War to Go.

As for whether or not he felt any pressure to get the book done, his answer was rather vague. This may have had something to do with the fact that his publisher was listening in on the discussion...

Terry's Afghan hound Vici entered Terry's office
somewhere around here in the discussion...

Terry made a point of thanking the Wisconsin Historical Society Press for their professionalism and cooperation. They let him nearly rewrite the book when it was scheduled to come out in paperback form. He did this because so many family members and friends of the '42 Badger football team players read the hardcopy edition and wrote or called Terry to tell him additional stories that he then wanted to include.

Who do you envision playing the main characters in the movie version of this story?

Terry thinks Brad Pitt would make a good Coach Stuhldreher, even though Pitt is better looking than the coach was. Now, as for who would play the college teammates and their friends, hear this: One of Terry's pet peeves is going to a movie about a teenager or young adult and seeing an actor who is much older playing the role. "The character is 19 and the actor looks 25--it never comes across right. I can't stand it." So Terry believes those roles would be best played by actors that in Hollywood are referred to as unknowns.

Terry's insistence that the roles for teens and young adults be filled by unknown teens and young adults rather than older Hollywood stars may spring from his father's attitude toward the young men who played football under him. After his war experience, Jerry Frei promised himself to never treat a college aged man as a kid again, and he stuck to this philosophy even when it got him in trouble. He knew 19 and 20 year olds were capable of making solid decisions, or bearing the consequences of lesser ones. And that's the way he handled them.

Terry has written the screenplay to Third Down and a War to Go (and to two of his other books, Horns, Hogs and Nixon Coming, and The Witch's Season). When might a movie be made? Well, now that's another matter...

Are you working on another book? If so, what can you tell us about it?

Terry has a new book coming out in 2012, one that could be considered a prequil to Third Down and a War to Go. Like other authors of whom we've asked this question (Garth Stein, Michael Perry, Michael Sallah, and Jamie Ford come to mind), Terry wouldn't offer many details. Remember, many authors are very protective of their developing works, holding them close like a mother holds a baby. He did utter something about the title having a slang word in it (or a word that some would consider slang, anyway), and he's wondering if a book with a slang word in the title would sell.

Well, danged if I know...

Wrapping it up:

Even though we'd burned through our thirty minutes, Terry had one more thing to show us--his father's WWII medals. As with so many of his father's wartime experiences, Terry didn't learn about his father's medals until after his father's death, when one day his mother handed him a box. That box was about 3x8 inches and chock full of service ribbons and medals.

It made the rest of us remember times when it wasn't until after a friend or family member died that we learned about the good deeds he'd done during his lifetime...

It's always tough to leave a book, but the good ones stick with us. Third Down and a War to Go will stick. It is a labor of love in honor of men like Toughie Frei, whose post-war life itself was a labor of love.

QUOTE:

"The first 50 years are the toughest."

~by David B. He and his first (and only) wife will celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary tomorrow. Congratulations David and Inez!

SCHEDULE:

We meet next week for our regularly scheduled movie of the month. We will be watching MIRACLE, starring Kurt Russell. Fireside Gallery. 8AM. ***Note the early start time!

Peace,

Suzanne

PS: The following is a poem by Jeremy Evenson, which he read aloud for us this morning. Thanks for sharing, Jeremy!

*Note: In Madison, August 15th is the day that college students move out of their apartments so new students can move in; in the process, they leave piles of discarded items on the curb. These treasure troves are then picked over by bargain hunters. This day has come to be known as Hippie Christmas.

Hippie Christmas--an exhausting time of year!

Hippie Christmas

I'm dreaming of a Hippie Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know

When the students move out

All the goodies they throw out

I just want to get my share

I'm dreaming of a Hippie Christmas

With every dumpster that I dive

The tv's and playstations

The cd's and couches

Will sell for money at the pawn shop

I'm dreaming of a Hippie Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know

Down Johnson and Gilman

Up Monroe and Langdon

All the piles that catch my eye

May your trailer be filled up

And may all your Christmases be hippie

~Jeremy

Terry Frei to Chat with the Homeless

2011-08-10T15:50:00.000-05:00

'42 Badgers and Marines Dave Schreiner and
BobBaumann fooling around in the Pacific.
Both were killed in Okinawa in 1945.

We met Tuesday for our third discussion of Terry Frei's book Third Down and a War to Go. As far as discussions go, this was more challenging than most. The reason? Because men can get emotional when discussing sports!

Whoa! Did you really mean to say emotional?

Yep.

A lot of my male readers are probably cringing right now, maybe even shaking a finger at their computer screen. Most men (most people, for that matter) don't like to be described as emotional. They'd prefer to be called passionate because that sounds more stable, controlled, manly...

Well, whatever.

Present Tuesday were Ray, Dan, Chloe, Dave, Dave P., David B., Alice (welcome back!), Oscar, Mark, Billy, Tom, Jack, Suzanne, Roger, R.J., Phyllis, Pastor Sarah, Jay, Shannon, Linda, Tyrone, Roman, and Carla.

Several times we had to interrupt things and go around the room one by one to override overly passionate exchanges and to allow everyone the opportunity to be heard.

One question posed to the group was this: What will you remember most about this book? Below are several answers:

*The title sums it all up.

*War tore families apart and brought them together again.

*It was fun.

*I learned things about people and places I'd heard of but had no real knowledge of before.

*Unlike the other war books we've read, this one wove in football, and that spiced up the discussions, made them more animated.

*Football and war are alike. In many ways, football is war. Teams. Strategy. Violence. Injuries. The strongest survive.

*This was a labor of love, a son for his father.

The day's quotes:

Of course, no book club discussion is complete without some teasing. David B. never misses an opportunity to rub it in that Phyllis is the eldest member of the group.

"When we were youngsters," David B. said, "Phyllis could have been my sitter."

Phyllis squared her shoulders. "Let's finish this now!" she said. "Yes, I'm ten years older. And yes, I could have sat for you when you were little, but if I had, you'd have some manners."

Proposed Bowl Names:

The group came up with names for additional Bowl games they'd like to see. Here goes:

Toilet Bowl

Fruit Bowl

Salad Bowl

Frustration Bowl

Cereal Bowl

Sushi Bowl

Fish Bowl

Nacho Bowl

Corned Beef Bowl

Vacuum Bowl

Rainbow Bowl

Clueless Bowl

Longhorn Bowl

Recognition Bowl

Badger Bowl

Bow Wow Bowl (suggested by Turbo)

Schedule:

We meet next Tuesday at 8:30AM in the Pentecost Sanctuary to Skype with author TERRY FREI. He will be meeting with us from his home in Denver, CO. Want to learn a little more about him before we meet? Check out his website here: Terry Frei.

Peace,

Suzanne

What the Doctor Ordered

2011-08-03T14:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we took our medicine.

We met in the Fireside Gallery to watch Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in the hilarious comedy My Cousin Vinny. Throughout the two-hour film, laughter erupted from all quarters of the room.

Phyllis had bugged me for months to show this comedy at book club. "I promise they will love it!" she said.

She was right, but with one blistering exception. There was a curmudgeon among us (besides Mark). Opening credits hadn't even finished scrolling past when this guy got up and started griping about the movie being too violent. This movie is a lot of things, but too violent? The dude then stormed out of the room--but not until after he'd fixed himself a cup of coffee and helped himself to a sandwich.

Turbo

Well, whatever. You can't please everybody all the time, but you can feed most people most of the time.

The rest of us settled in and enjoyed the lighthearted atmosphere. With me were Mark (our resident chronic comedian), Kelly, John, David B., Jeremy, Roger, Freddie, Thomas, Dave, Quincy, Dave P., Billy (stayed awake through most of the movie), R.J., Shannon, Chloe, Oscar (regularly provides free haircuts to the homeless), Jay, Phoenix, Robert, Karla, Phyllis and our four-legged friend named Turbo. (I may have missed a name or two--it was dark.)

Quote:

"Phyllis recommended this movie? That woman is full of surprises..."
~Mark

Schedule:

We meet next week to discuss Third Down and a War to Go through chapter 30. Usual place and time (8:30 in room 216).

And don't forget: Tuesday, August 16th, we'll be Skyping with TERRY FREI!

Peace,

Suzanne

You don't have to believe everything you think about, but you should think about everything you believe.

From Football to War and Back Again

2011-07-27T17:01:00.012-05:00

Jerry Frei as P-38 pilot.

Jerry Frei's college career was interrupted by WWII. This happened to most players on the '42 Badger football team (and students across the nation). When he returned to UW Madison and the Badger football team in 1946, he was missing a few good friends, but that didn't cause him to hold back. In fact, he gave his all and then some. Not allowing himself to drift into sentimentality--or to whine!--he lived an earnest and honest life, and he kept his war years mostly to himself. Being the consummate team player, when he did discuss the war he downplayed the importance of his individual contribution and the danger it entailed.

Many years later, he became the inspiration for our current book, Third Down and a War to Go.

Jerry Frei and Marian Benson
(author's parents),
1943.

Tuesday morning, we gathered in room 216 for our second discussion of Terry Frei's bestseller. Our goal was to read through the first 13 chapters. While not everyone kept up with the reading (ahem!), others charged ahead. We gained two new members who held their copies of the book for the first time. Nonetheless, just about everyone present participated in the discussion, including Billy when he was awake (don't be too hard on Billy--sleeping on the streets is exhausting!). Present were Ray, Peter, RJ., Huffar, Chris, Shannon, Roger, Linda, Chloe, Sarah, Tyrone, Tom, Billy, Kelly, Robert, Angel, Jeremy, Mark, Jack, Roman, David B., Dave P., Phyllis, Mike, Suzanne.

This discussion stands out. When you start with a room filled mostly with men, add our feisty Phyllis, and start talking sports, well, things can get dicey! And of course we had the usual teasing between our two eldest members, David B. and Phyllis. "I'll defer to my elder," David B. likes to say.

We talked about all sorts of things including racism during WWII, pilot and paratrooper training, the tension that developed on campus when the regular college students had to share space with enlisted men and women, why in 1942 it was so important to beat the Minnesota Gophers, and the long-standing tradition of excessive drinking on UW Madison's campus.

On that last point, one of our regulars boasted that he only ever drinks alcohol when he goes to communion.

Mark couldn't resist a comeback. "Yeah," Mark said, "but he goes to communion 37 times a day!"

Brick at Camp Randall Stadium
honoring author's father.

It wasn't true, but it sure was funny. Even the teatotaler thought so.

Before our discussion was over, we found ourselves with a learning opportunity (meaning something went wrong). One of our members voiced a strong opinion and took offense when another dared to disagree. Fortunately we were able to quickly defuse the situation. (Whew!)

Well, this is a book club. It would help if we all just kept that in mind. Nobody earns points or gets promoted for being 'right' at book club.

So why bother? Because book club is a good place to practice the art of group discussion, which involves the exchange of ideas, experiences and opinions. If all goes well in book club, each of us will hear from folks who agree with us and from folks who don't. Big deal. That's how this game is played. We don't tackle our opponents. We simply agree to disagree agreeably.

This 'agreeing to disagree agreeably' is a highly underrated skill. If more people knew how to disagree agreeably, we'd have fewer wars and fewer college-aged kids getting killed.

This story is a good reminder. Some went from football to war and back again. Others never returned. Jerry Frei never let himself forget that he was one of the lucky ones.

HOMELESS QUOTE:

"I had to battle the gophers last night, just to get some sleep. And the rats and raccoons and bats and..."

~Billy (when discussing the 1942 Badgers' win over the Gophers)

"Why jump out of a perfectly good airplane?"

~Mark (when discussing paratrooper training)

SPECIAL NOTE:

You will find a poem written by one of our book club members below. Two poems produced after our first homeless writers' workshop will be published soon in Street Pulse.

SCHEDULE:

August 2nd: Movie of the Month: My Cousin Vinny. 8AM. Fireside Gallery. ***NOTE: early start time.

August 4th: Those who love poetry will love this: A live reading by our very own poetry workshop leader Connie Deanovich. 7PM. Avol's Bookstore at 315 West Gorham Street. Be there!

August 9th: Discuss Third Down and a War to Go through chapter 20.

August 16th: Visit with author Terry Frei.

Peace,

Suzanne

The President Learns to Fly

One day, the President had a plan.

He would not always ride around in a tin-can

“not drive in a car?”

The secret service said ”that's bizarre.”

“All day long I try to make red states blue,”

“this is just something I just must do.”

“I want to learn how to fly,

way way up in the sky.”

“We will get the pilot from Air-force One”

“No, no I want to learn in a smaller one”

“We will get the best pilot money can buy”

“No, no I want someone who really loves to fly”

So they loaded up and went to the airport

with much ground and air support.

The airport was big and so were the planes

“No, no this will just ruin my plans”

“Where are the small ones” He said.

One pilot told him way off in that little shed.

So, the President with his entourage in toe

walked to the little shed, it was quite a show.

There were very few pilots there.

And a few gave the President and ugly sneer.

But, one pilot was working on his plane.

“That's him that's the one” The President said, “are you Insane”

A secret service man exclaimed, “That man is confined to a chair.”

“The FAA saw fit to certify him so why should we care?”

“It could be disastrous!”

“It could be dangerous!”

“I need someone who really loves to fly”

Who leaves his cares way up in the sky,”

“You just want me to make red states blue

you don't know how it drains me. You haven't a clue.”

So, the President got his way.

He took his first lesson that very day.

The day was nice and sunny.

The pilot was nice and funny.

He had lost his legs in the war.

In the skies he learned to soar.

“I forget my troubles up here.”

“I even gave up Drugs and Beer.”

“Thank You, for giving me a chance,

and looking at me like a man, not a sorry glance.”

“I really love to fly,

way up into the sky!”

The President was fast learning,

instead of being sad he was grinning.

He went back to turning red states blue;

but, everyone saw a change something new.

Someone not turning old and gray,

someone who live for the day.

He got to fly once a week,

and see his new pal Zeke.

Sometimes they would just sit and hang,

would talk and sometimes they sang.

The FAA gave him his wing,

He was so happy he started to sing.

So, no matter who you are,

no matter what your care,

you can do anything you put your mind to.

If you really want to.

--Jeremy Evenson

(Dedicated to Gloria Salov, Anna Evenson, President Barrack Obama, and Dr. Suess)

**This post's photos come courtesy of author Terry Frei.

Connie Deanovich Leads Bethel's First Homeless Writers' Workshop

2011-07-20T10:09:00.002-05:00

Tuesday we were all poets, thanks to Connie Deanovich.Connie is an award-winning poet who lives in Madison. Her poetry has been published in several books, anthologies and many highly regarded journals (in print and online). She teaches writing at Madison College. Tuesday, she volunteered her time to teach poetry to the homeless.

Though a simple internet search finds similar workshops scattered across the country, this was Bethel's first, and maybe Madison's first. And to tell you the truth, I was nervous. How would a poetry workshop go over with this group? How would a poet like Connie Deanovich like interacting with this group? Would the group like her? Turns out, those were silly worries. Connie is a gifted poet and teacher, and just as importantly, she seemed at ease amongst our homeless friends. During the workshop, attendees exhibited a wide range of knowledge, talent, and willingness to participate. Connie took it all in stride.

She impressed us from the start. Her gentle poet demeanor belies her considerable professionalism. She came very prepared. After introductions, she shared her prepared handouts that included the workshop agenda and poetry samplings. She read two of her poems, then we went around the room taking turns reading from a section of a book-length poem called "I Remember" by Joe Brainard (1942-1994).

After preparing us with a short series of simple and fun exercises, Connie gave us a few minutes to begin penning our very own poems modeled after I Remember. The results were, well, promising. We went around the room again, this time allowing members to share their work. Not everyone was willing to share their masterpiece. Most of us had written three or four lines. Jay was the only one who penned a complete poem in that short of time. It rhymed, too. After he read it aloud for us, the room erupted in applause. Hurray!

Most of us, including Jay, wanted time to perfect our poems before sharing them here. Hopefully we'll have some poems for you to read soon.

Tuesday's poets include Ross, Walter, Roger, David B., Dave P., R.J., Oscar, Billy, Mark, Bee, Roman, Tom, Mike, Suzanne, Tyrone, Huffar, Angel, Robert and Jay. (Patrick from Bethel's Communications Department and Conner from the student-run newspaper Street Pulse took photos.)

This was the first in what we hope will become a quarterly series of writers' workshops for the poor and homeless of Madison offered here at Bethel. We hope other published writers will offer their time as Connie did. Without pretense or hype, Connie Deanovich set the bar high.

Samples from today:

I remember the nurse saying this will only sting a little.

I remember a wood statue of a jolly Buddha standing in the windowsill at my grandmother's house, not far from the crucifix nailed to the wall. Whenever we passed by, we'd rub the Buddha's belly for good luck. The varnish on his belly was gone from so much rubbing.

I remember not a lot of good luck.

Shout out:

Thank you. THANK YOU. THANK YOU! We simply cannot thank Connie Deanovich enough!

If Connie hadn't told us, we never would have guessed at the difficult morning she'd already had. An animal member of her family, a bunny named Barry, who was once homeless himself, took seriously ill just as Connie readied to leave the house. After entrusting Barry's care to her husband, Connie pushed through to come and teach poetry to our homeless friends. Incidentally, Barry was a rescue bunny. He was found on the grounds of Camp Randall and originally named after Barry Alvarez.

Next Week:

We meet next week to continue our discussion of Terry Frei's bestseller Third Down and a War to Go, published by our very own Wisconsin Historical Society Press. (Read through page 123.)

Get your copy and read along!
~Suzanne

Third Down and a War to Go

2011-07-13T09:22:00.013-05:00

They trained for football and went to war. They were young men: sons, brothers, nephews, best friends, fiances, even fathers.

We're reading Terry Frei's award-winning bestseller Third Down and a War to Go, a story about UW's 1942 football team, many members of which went on to fight in WWII. These young men made huge sacrifices, in some cases they gave their lives. Some of the team members are more well-known than others--'Crazy Legs' Elroy Hirsch, for example--but Frei treats every one of them with dignity. From the All-American player down to the least known of the reserve team, no one escapes Frei's 'dignifier'.

In discussing this book, there are many names to remember. So we listed the names on the dry-erase board, then went one by one and recalled--or dug through the book to find--something unique about each character. The resultant list was a fascinating who's who of Badger football history. In the process of recalling the names and characters, we reminisced about world history, local football lore, and days of old around campus and State Street.

Remember Rennebohm's Pharmacy? Also known as the pharm? (Walgreen's on State St.) And Camp Randall, Memorial Union, and fraternity row? Almost seventy years later, these places haven't changed all that much.

With me were Billy, Tom, Dave P., Bo, Oscar, Tyrone, Brad, Roman, Ray, Jack, Mark, Jeremy, R.J., Robert, Phyllis, Conner, John, Linda and David B. In addition, we had a special guest, Sarrah from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. (In case you haven't heard by now, the Wisconsin Historical Society Press provided us with 40 free copies of this book.)

Though we didn't plan it, this book proves to be a wonderful follow up to Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation, which we just finished reading. The current book provides a close up look at the very same generation, but from a different perspective. Interestingly, we draw the same conclusion: their young adult years were shaped by the shared knowledge that they were living for a bigger reason than just their own pleasure; a universal threat produced widespread patriotism and sense of duty.

But there are also smaller rewards for reading this book. For example, before reading this book, I was walking around Madison with holes in my knowledge of Badger football. We patched up a few today. Mark manned the dry-erase board, and Oscar, Jeremy and others took us through the signal system used by the UW Badger Football Team in 1942 (see page 37) while under Coach Stuhledreher (most of us struggled to pronounce his name, so we referred to him simply as Coach Smith).

Here goes: The quarterback called out a series of four numbers, a secret code if you wish, to his team members, thus announcing the play. It might have gone something like this:

14 23 16 28

Here is how his team members would interpret it:

14 23 16 28

1and 4 are meaningless (hence, crossed out)

2 is the direction of the play (to the right if even, left if odd)

31 is the number of the play

6 is meaningless

2 is meaningless

8 is the variation (most plays have variations)

So, how'd we do? Well, this is all old news anyhow. I'm sure they've changed the signal system by now.

For this and other reasons, the group is enjoying the book. I get stopped in the hall and confided in. Now this is a book! I couldn't help but read ahead. I finished it in one night... and so on. So far, for some of us, Chapter 3 is the most riveting. Frei uses a flowing and almost poetic narrative to reveal how individual teammates learned of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Phyllis and David, our most senior book club members, shared their own recollections of that day.

Events like Pearl Harbor and 9-11 are seared into memory. We ended our discussion by going around the room recounting where we were when we learned that the World Trade Center had been attacked on September 11, 2001, vivid recollections of trivial moments that became turning points.

We learned a lot about one another today.

Special Note:

As most of you know, our fearless leader Pastor Laura is leaving Bethel this month to take the Senior Pastor position at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN. Today was Pastor Laura's last day in Homeless Support Group. We gathered in the Pentecost Sanctuary for the usual session, after which we held a reception. Food was served. Photos were taken. Goodbyes were said. Tears were shed.

We love you Pastor Laura, and wish you and your family the best. PS: Don't forget to write.

Club Rules:

One of the reasons the homeless like to come to Bethel is because Bethel has rules, and these rules help create a safe and sane environment, something most of the homeless long for. As our homeless member Roman pointed out, a small percentage of the homeless actually revel in the lack of rules on the streets, but the majority don't. The majority want peace in their lives.

To that end, one of Bethel's top ten rules is that you have to be sober to be on the premises. This is God's house, and this rule applies to all of us. It's that simple.

We had an incident today. About 40 homeless people were gathered peaceably in the Pentecost Sanctuary when a drunk man entered the food line at Pastor Laura's reception. When gently confronted by two homeless participants, the man threw a chair. Thankfully, no one was injured. With the help of two other homeless participants, Pastor Laura then dragged the man across the room and shooed him out the door. Quite the scene: a delicate lady in skirt in heels dragging a drunk guy, but it can be done. Once outside, the man unleashed a barrage of insults, then seemed to have second thoughts. "I'm sorry," he cried, throwing his arms around Pastor Laura. "I love you, Pastor Laura!" But Pastor Laura was not fooled. He was drunk. He threw a chair. He isn't welcome back.

Behavior like this man's scares people, and rightly so. It's terrorism on a local scale. And it gives Bethel staff and volunteers pause to consider: do we really want to continue opening the doors to the likes of him? We can all empathize with this concern, but at the same time, we also know that we are called by our master to minister to the marginalized. We don't invite drunks, but they sometimes sneak in, wolves among the sheep.

It's tempting to cast blame and suspicion onto the entire homeless population, but we must not. Instead, let's focus on ways to keep Bethel a safe place while we carry out this crucial ministry.

Quote:

"Thank you [Pastor Laura] for all the hard work and sacrifices you made for us. Thank you for everything you did to help those of us who have nothing to have something. We'll miss you."

~Tyrone

"I'm tired of sleeping outside on the ground. I don't like this being homeless. I can't find a job. I can't find a place to live."

~Anonymous

Next Meeting:

Tuesday, July 19th. 8:30-10AM. Room 216: Award-winning poet Connie Deanovich will be leading a poetry workshop. This is the first of what we hope will become a series of writers' workshops for the homeless of Madison.

What's the point? Well, there are among us poets and writers, and there are others who simply want to learn what goes into a poem--what is the author thinking? what is the author's aim? what makes a poem a poem? what makes a poem work? You don't need to read or write poetry to benefit from a workshop on how to write poetry!

Pens and notebooks will be provided, along with the usual coffee. Stay tuned--we hope to post some of our work here soon.

Peace,

~Suzanne

The Next Greatest Generation

2011-07-06T11:51:00.010-05:00

Our newlyweds arrived late. A broken alarm clock and a sore knee delayed them. They biked miles through rush hour traffic to get to book club.

Angel and Huffar were wed last week in a modest ceremony. By American standards, their wedding haul was also modest: a coupon for a night in a hotel and cash totaling $144. They have no use for traditional wedding gifts such as china, silverware and electric mixers, though they can imagine a life where such gifts are standard fare.

Nonetheless, they are grateful. "We have each other. That's all we need."

That's pretty impressive coming from two people who live under a bridge.

With their cash they bought a few essentials. Their most extravagant purchase? A pair of new shoes for each of them. Bridezillas could learn something about humility from Angel.

They can't find work. Health problems and a criminal record (time already served) keep job offers away. On top of that, our contemporary health care system, with its built in lack of compassion for the chronically unemployably ill, keeps them financially strapped. Prescriptions are pricey.

What's a couple to do?

We gathered in room 216 for our last discussion of Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation. Dave P., Bo, R.J., Tom, David, Ray, Tyrone, Chris, Kent, Linda, Phyllis, Oscar, Jeremy, Robert, Chloe, Roman and Roger joined Angel, Huffar and me. We had a special guest. Wendy Coe. She is the Bethel member who told Pastor Laura about the CBS news story featuring the Boston Homeless Book Club, the video that inspired our book club's formation. And here we are, almost two years later, still gathering to offer friendship and support to one another.

As usual, our conversation covered a lot of territory. Toward the end, we found ourselves listing qualities that define a hero. In essence, a hero is someone who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and does the right thing anyway.

According to Brokaw's book, The Great Depression, WWII and the Cold War were major factors that shaped the greatest generation we have ever known--a generation packed with heroes. The recent global recession, the war for oil (oops, I meant to say the war on terror), and the unfolding nuclear disaster could produce the next.

Or not.

VOTE!

Click on this site and vote for INTO THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH by our friend Luis Alberto Urrea. Hurry! kpbs-onebook:VOTE NOW!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

We already had our first female president. Eleanor Roosevelt.

~Billy

GRATITUDE:

Special thanks to Kathy Brokowski, Director of the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, for generously supplying us with copies of our current book. It's this kind of support that keeps us reading!

SCHEDULE:

Today we handed out copies of our next book, Third Down and a War to Go by Terry Frei. We meet next week for our first discussion. (Read to page 60.)

Get your copy and read along! (Remember, if you buy your copy--or anything else!--by clicking the link to the left, a percentage of your purchase will be donated back to our book club and will help us buy future books. It's an anonymous way to give.)

Also, next Tuesday is Pastor Laura's last time leading Spiritual Support Group. Though she will be greatly missed, we wish her and her family well as she leaves Bethel to become Senior Pastor of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minnesota. We'll be having a little going away party.

Finally, Tuesday, July 19th, Poetry Workshop with Connie Deanovich.

Peace,
~Suzanne

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Bethel's First Homeless Writers' Workshop

2011-06-28T14:01:00.001-05:00

A few months ago we dreamed that published writers would come and teach us about poetry, journaling and memoir.

And now that dream is coming true.

Connie Deanovich, an award-winning American poet, has volunteered to teach Bethel's first Homeless Writers' Workshop on Tuesday, July 19th. Deanovich's work has been included in many anthologies and published in Bomb, Grand Street, New American Writing, Parnassus, See and Sulfur. A sampling of her work can be found online by clicking this link: Formerly Communist Love Sonnett.

We are excited and honored that Connie Deanovich is willing to share her knowledge and experience with us. Watch this blog for samplings of the work that results from this and future workshops.

(If you are willing to volunteer time and talent to develop a website where we will publish more of the work, please send me an email by clicking on the tiny envelope icon below and give me the scoop! Thanks!)

Meantime, book club met this morning to watch Sands of Iwo Jima starring John Wayne as Marine Sgt. Stryker. With me were Mike, Greg, Floyd, Quincy, Debra, Charles, Kelvin, Bob, Jason, Lionel, Phyllis, R.J., Angel, Huffar, Linda, Tom, Freddie, Jeremy, David B., Dave P., Dave, Roger (formerly known as Stick), Mark, Lenny, Ray, Billy, Tyrone, and Captain Jack. Donuts and coffee were served (thanks Bill, Steve, Kent, Linda). The movie was well-received. Killer ending.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Sgt. Stryker: "Life is tough, but it's tougher is you're stupid."

GRATITUDE:

Special thanks to club member Dean for connecting us with Connie Deanovich.

SCHEDULE:

Thursday, June 30th:

11AM: The wedding of Angel and Huffar, two of our homeless members.

12 Noon: Lunch in Borgwardt Hall sponsored by Mark and Rhonda Wilson, Yum! Brand Foods and Bethel.

Tuesday, July 5th:

8:30-10AM: Meet in 216 for our last discussion of Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation.

See you then!

The Good Old Days?

2011-06-22T06:57:00.003-05:00

Was the past better than the present?

We all agree that some things are better now: Indoor plumbing, the Internet, women's rights. Some things, not so much: Holes in the ozone, porn and the objectification of women, persistent prejudice, junk food.

We were discussing The Greatest Generation. After the menopausal mayhem of last week, this week's discussion was fairly mundane. Folks did point out some exciting tidbits about life in The Good Old Days though, like these:

~Women could be school teachers but only until they married.

~Stewardesses were trained as nurses, and had to stay slim to help keep the weight of the airplane and crew at a minimum.

~Heavy people were charged extra to fly (some airlines are re-instituting this rule).

~The services were heavily segregated and racist. German POWs were often given more privileges than servicemen and women who happened to be non-white.

~Twenty-five thousand women applied for the special Women's Air Force Service Pilots--a requirement to applying was a pilot's license. (Who knew that many women were pilots back then?)

~Women had to be tough. Black women had to be even tougher.

And the greatest irony in Brokaw's book? The characters that faced the most difficult circumstances came through with the least amount of bitterness. Martha Settle Putney is a case in point. For some of us--and not just the women in our group--this black woman is the most compelling character in the whole book, followed closely by Margaret Ray Ringenberg.

Present today were Pastor Sarah, Jeremy, Phyllis, Tom, Billy, Suzanne, Mike, Linda, Kent, David B., Dave P., Roger, Bo, R.J., Dave, Dean, Huffar, Angel, Roman, Chloe, Jack and Mark. Luckily for us, we sat in an air-conditioned room equipped with modern-day lighting and had access to modern-day plumbing. And when it was all over, the homeless could hop on computers and search for jobs and housing, or instantly connect with family and friends.

The good ol' days were not perfect, though in some ways they certainly were, well, good.

Quote of the day:

"What they experienced would be shocking enough if the acts of prejudice had been simply the work of a few misguided bigots, but the most shameful acts of discrimination and oppression were officially sanctioned by the highest officials in the land."

Tom Brokaw in The Greatest Generation (page 183)

Let us never forget.

Schedule:

Next week Tuesday we'll meet at 8AM down in the Fireside Gallery to watch The Sands of Iwo Jima starring John Wayne.

The following week, Tuesday July 5th, we'll meet for the last time on The Greatest Generation. We'll hand out copies of Third Down and a War to Go by Terry Frei.

Peace,
Suzanne

A Pause to Consider

2011-06-14T21:37:00.000-05:00

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit anointed believers with tiny tongues of fire and infused them
with power from on high.
Never underestimate a menopausal woman.

We took a break from book club last week and went to Devil's Lake for a picnic instead. With the Spiritual Support Group and Book Club combined, there were 39 of us. Mark and Don grilled burgers and brats while the rest of us played catch, swam, or just sat around enjoying the magnificent breeze that blew north over the lake. After lunch, 15 of us hiked the west shoreline path. Bo, originally from Sacramento, CA, said he came hoping to see a deer. No such luck, but he did stop to snap a photo of the fattest centipede any of us had ever seen in Wisconsin.

This morning, book club met in Good Shepherd Chapel to discuss Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation. With me were Jack (welcome back!), Freddie, Phyllis, Stick (formerly known as Roger), Dave P., David, Dave, Billy, Jeremy, Kent, Chloe, R.J., Roman, Billy, Jack, Dean, Chris, Tom, Linda, T.J., Pastor Sarah, Oscar, Mark, Bo and Tim. Patrick, a summer intern, popped in to take pics. My son Mike also joined us.

We decided to spend a bit of time on each character in the book, going in the order they are presented. Dave P. and Phyllis took turns providing brief summaries of many of the characters. Billy read a quote or two about them, then the rest of us piped in with comments. None of this was planned ahead of time--it just sort of happened (as things in book club seem to do).

The conversation ebbed and flowed as usual, until near the end when it caught fire. Somebody just had to bring up menopause! Actually, Phyllis quoted Colonel Mary Hallaran about the reluctance men had to integrating women into the services. "They felt," Mary Hallaran is quoted as saying in the book, "the cost of integrating women into the service would be prohibitive--because when women reached menopause they'd be worthless!"

Worthless? After menopause?

Phyllis was not about to accept this! At 84, she is our most senior book club member. She has advanced degrees in Hebrew studies and archeology, and has been married to A.D. for 66 years, and a Bethel member for 50 years. She's no lightweight. She is also, as she now likes to point out, a member of Brokaw's greatest generation. The gloves were off. And she had takers.

It's curious to me that in this group of mostly men, menopause is not a taboo topic. Not even close! Goodness. I never knew men cared so much. It would almost have been touching if a few men hadn't confessed to an all-too-common sexist bias: When a woman is upset, it's hormones. When a man is upset, it's for a darn good reason.

Really?

Stop. Breathe. Breathe some more...

Okay, I'm better.

Fortunately, there were many men in the room that did not agree with this pedestrian philosophy. These men earned brownie points. Next time Phyllis makes pie, we will let them have some.

Quote of the day:

"My mother-in-law has been going through menopause for 42 years."
~~~Mark~~ Anonymous

Schedule:

We meet next Tuesday at 8:30 in Good Shepherd Chapel to discuss The Greatest Generation to page 249.

Gender sensitivity training begins now.

Peace,

Suzanne

The Greatest Generation

2011-06-01T08:19:00.000-05:00

American Cemetery at Normandy.

On Memorial Day, many of us read stories from The Greatest Generation. This book proved to be a good choice as we sought to remember and honor those who lost their lives in service for our country.

Tuesday morning, we gathered for our first discussion of this New York Times bestseller by Tom Brokaw. Seated at tables in room 216 were Mark, Suzanne, Linda, Alice, Billy, Roman, Roger, Angel, Huffar, Dave, Jack, Bo, Phyllis, Dave, Phoenix, Carla, Dean, R.J., Dave, Chris, Jeremy, Oscar and Ray.

And we had a special guest. Phyllis was accompanied by her 92 year old husband, Dr. Andy (A.D.) Anderson, a living example of the hearty resolve we've been reading about. In 1946, Andy, barely out of medical school, was sent to the island of Okinawa, and for the next eighteen months he served as the island's only surgeon. Though the war was over, Andy worked round the clock. In addition to allied troops, the island held many Japanese POWs. Everyone ate American food--Japanese POWs included. The allies tolerated the diet well, but many Japanese became ill.

The other reason Andy found himself so busy was related to the guns every American (even the surgeon) was required to carry on his belt at all times. Unfortunately, booze was plentiful and cheap, and these guns were all too handy. Many soldiers were shot in drunken brawls. Others shot themselves (usually accidentally). While on Okinawa, with no supervising senior surgeon, Andy performed 45 surgeries for gunshot wounds to the abdomen. Nonetheless, when he returned to the mainland, none of it counted toward his training. He finished his surgical residency at Mayo, then went on to become Chief of Staff at Madison General Hospital. He retired "before he lost his nut," only to discover he still had a lot of get-up-and-go. So he went to school and got his real estate license and enjoyed an encore career as a broker. At 92, he's still on the go. In addition to enjoying his many grandchildren, hunting and fishing, he helps raise money for various causes, his favorite being dyslexia. He and Phyllis recently celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary. "Phyllis is my first wife," Andy says with a wink.

As usual, in our ninety minutes together we talked about all sorts of things, like the military's use of disposable gliders, and the use of quonset huts as temporary housing constructed by Navy engineers (Seabees). We wondered which would be worse--to be deaf or blind--and why there seemed to be fewer noble men and women these days...

Then Roman asked, "if all of us were given the same opportunities in life, would all of us succeed?" Sadly, no. Dave B. tried to save the hour. "We are all loved equally by God," he said, "but we are different from one another."

Looking around the room, it was easy to see that we differed from one another. But it was also easy to see that folks were skeptical about this claim that God distributes his love equally. Doubtful eyes scanned the room in search of the evidence: there's the schizophrenic, who daily struggles against the voices raging in his head; and the aging but still angry victim of horrible childhood abuse; a young woman with mental illness who has yet to find medications that don't make her physically ill; the young man with a terminal diagnosis that keeps him from working and therefore keeps him broke, uninsured and homeless; the once successful executive who has waged a war against addiction but still cannot find work--these folks don't always feel God's love, no matter how often we tell them that they should.

Dean wondered how to approach this book: as flag-waving propaganda, social history, or a collage of American stories? Various ideas were tossed about. Mark said the book is about spirit. The group agreed--the book is inspiring. In reading these stories of triumph over tragedy, our homeless friends find hope.

GRATITUDE:

Phyllis. Thank you Phyllis for baking 3 delicious pies and serving them this morning. Phyllis IS the PIE-LADY.

Dr. Andy (A.D.) Anderson. Thanks go to Andy for sharing his time and stories with us.

SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, June 7th: Picnic at Devil's Lake!

No book club.

Meet at Bethel at 10:30AM to board the bus.

Plenty of food and fun!

Tuesday, June 14th, meet at 8:30 in room 216 to discuss The Greatest Generation through page 179.

Peace,
Suzanne

Bethel's Opus

2011-05-25T09:27:00.000-05:00

An opus is a creative composition; usually a musical work, but it could also be a novel, mural, or ministry.

We gathered early Tuesday morning to watch Mr. Holland's Opus, which is why opus is on my mind. With me were Ray, Roman, Billy, R.J., Dave, David, Dave, Ben, Jack, Stick, Phoenix, Oscar, Brad, Chloe, T.J., Bo, Marty, Roger, Huffar, Angel, Jeff, Phyllis, Fred, and Alice.

We picked this movie in honor of Pastor Bill, our recently retired senior pastor. This was one of his favorite movies. While watching it, I couldn't help but see parallels between Mr. Holland's story and the story of Bethel's homeless ministries.

In the movie, Mr. Holland is a music teacher who uses some nontraditional methods to reach his students, to stir their hearts and guide their minds. Bethel has a long tradition of reaching out to the poor and homeless in our immediate vicinity, and in the past few years, under the direction of Pastor Laura, and with strong backing from Pastor Bill, we've added some pretty nontraditional approaches. Like Mr. Holland in the movie, we've met with powerful critics and obstructionists--those working to block us. Some come from within our very walls, others from without.

I'm not going to spoil it for you by telling you how the movie ends, but I will say that it leaves the viewer pondering the enormous impact one person can have on a community--for better or worse.

Which are you, a supporter or an obstructionist? Do you make this ministry easier or harder to carry out? When you see a homeless person in the hall, do you stop to say hello, or do you hurry past? Have you ever invited a homeless person to worship beside you? Or prayed for one by name?

Bethel is called to minister to the less advantaged. It shouldn't matter where they come from--Bhutan, Chernobyl, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Milwaukee, south Madison, downtown Madison, or even Timbuktu.

We are all musical notes in Bethel's Opus. You can use your note to create harmony or discord. My hope is that you'll chose harmony.

We are blessed to be a blessing.

Shout-outs:

Thanks to Jeff for setting up the Fireside Gallery and letting us into the building a tad bit early so we could watch the whole movie; to Bill for making fantastic coffee; to Steve for bringing donuts (chocolate with sprinkles--my favorite!).

Special thanks to Sara, a book club fan that went out of her way to collect DOZENS of used copies of Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation. Well done, Sara!

Schedule:

We meet next week in room 216 to discuss the first 68 pages of Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation.

Peace,

Suzanne

PS: Meet Billy.

Tuesday afternoon, I walked to the corner store for milk. Along the way, I saw our homeless friend Billy. I stopped and offered to buy him dinner. He politely turned me down.

"I'm all set," he said, and he showed me his stash of sandwiches, naval oranges, and bottled water.

"And I've got a good book to read," he added, holding up his copy of Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation.

Luis Alberto Urrea chats with the homeless

2011-05-18T17:48:00.000-05:00

Best selling author Luis Urrea sure knows how to shatter a stereotype. Yes, Luis is a best selling author and a university professor, but he is anything but a snobbish prima donna. This highly acclaimed writer and poet instantly charmed our homeless friends with his down-to-earth approach and his optimistic realism. Dressed casually, he settled into a chair, becoming part of our circle, and proceeded to inform, inspire and entertain us.

With his easy smile and relaxed manner, it was easy to see that Luis was comfortable mixing it with the homeless. He knows what it's like to fall on hard times.

He shared some of those experiences with us.

Perhaps the most difficult was when, as a young college graduate, his Mexican father was murdered by U.S. border patrol agents. To top it off, the agents forced the impoverished Luis to pay $750 for his father's corpse. It cost another $250 to provide a decent burial. That $1000 was the sum total of Luis's father's life savings, savings the proud father had crossed the border to give his son.

In addition to dark moments, Luis shared some surprising and endearing things about himself. For example, Luis is a three-fingered typist. (That fact alone will inspire many people!) Luis also said that, for him, writing is a spiritual exercise--at its best, a means of conversing with God.

Wow! Who expected confessions like that from a professor?

Tuesday morning, about twenty homeless persons and their various supporters gathered in the Fireside Gallery to chat with the acclaimed author and professor of creative writing from the University of Illinois-Chicago. We recently read two of his books, Into the Beautiful North and The Devil's Highway. For ninety minutes, Luis regaled us with stories about the writing of these books and oh-so-much more. He had us laughing and sighing and sitting on the edge of our seats. For entertainment, information and inspiration, you could not have found a better event.

Luis, who instantly accepted our first-name approach, was accompanied by his wife Cindy. From our end were Roger, Roman, Billy, Ray, Huffar, Angel, Dave, Jack, Alice, David, Pastor Laura, Dave, Dean, Bo, Suzanne, Mark, Darren, Jeremy, Kathy, Susan, Kathy, R.J., Josh and Stef, Aura, Oscar, Brad, Conner, Tom and Kent. Conner took photographs, but other than that, as usual, we made no video or audio recording. What is included here are what were for some us highlights of the ninety minute conversation.

With authenticity and humor, Luis opened the session by recounting stories from his childhood and writing career. Luis knew early in life what it was like to be poor and to be an oddball. His father was Mexican, his mother American. Luis was born in Tijuana, MX, and raised in the poorer section of southeastern San Diego. In the barrio, Luis took abuse. His blond hair and blue eyes contrasted with his Mexican surname, making it difficult to fit in. He was a sensitive and sometimes melancholic kid who found relief in reading and writing poetry. (I'm sure there is a chicken-and-egg argument in there.) He was soon known as Luis the poet, which didn't win him points at home or at school. Nor did it win him any favors early on with the girls (though it paid off handsomely later!).

In an attempt to man him up, Luis's father invited several nephews to visit, to be role models of manliness. These young men liked to use their fists to express themselves, but Luis was recalcitrant. After getting pummeled, he would sit down and pen another poem. Ultimately, Luis was the first in his family to go to college. Nobody from the barrio understood.

It wasn't until many years later, when his poetry and other writings began to bear fruit, that Luis was vindicated. On one visit to his family, he mentioned what it was like being the black sheep of the family. His nephew objected. "Uncle Luis, you're not the black sheep of the family. You're the white sheep." In more ways than one, Luis thought.

But success had not come easily. After trying for ten years to get his first book published, Luis gave up. He decided to go to graduate school and become an English professor. Ironically, that's when his book got accepted.

It was during a rough patch earlier that Luis wrote to a friend who was teaching writing at Harvard. Luis asked for a job. He'd do anything, he said, even clean bathrooms. The Harvard professor remembered Luis and asked Luis to submit three publications. Luis did, and was hired to teach expository writing. Luis is grateful for that opportunity. His friend reminded Luis that Luis was a writer. Luis says there are times in our lives when we need other people to remind us of who we are.

Eventually, we started going around the room, giving the homeless an opportunity to ask Luis questions. A few deferred out of shyness, but most were eager to engage the author.

We wondered about the survivors from the Devil's Highway ordeal. Where are they now? Any plans for a sequel based on the survivors?

Luis has no plans for a sequel based solely on the survivors. As he researched The Devil's Highway, it was clear that survivors found the events incredibly painful to recall. They wanted nothing more than to put the ordeal behind them.

Interestingly, shortly after the book was published, Luis was contacted by the nephew of Raymundo Barreda, Sr., who, along with his fifteen-year-old son, died on the Devil's highway. Sadly, turns out, Raymundo's family didn't know what happened to Raymundo and his son until they read The Devil's Highway.

This same nephew crossed the Devil's highway some years after his uncle. He is now studying at Oxford University. When he finishes his education, he wants to return to the border and work to make it better. In a statement that reveals both frustration and determination, the young man says, "I'll show them what a wetback can do!"

In your opinion, what is the difference between those who survived the Devil's highway ordeal and those who didn't?

This question haunts survivors, Luis says. It fuels survivor's guilt. Why did I live? Why didn't he? But it boils down to this: On the Devil's highway, survival seems random, or hinged on little more than a twist of fate. "It's disturbing," Luis adds. "Makes you wonder where God is in all of this." And if you're not careful, it can lead to despair. Of course, some of the men were physiologically or psychologically better suited to survival in the desert, but that didn't guarantee anything. In essence, death in the desert is a humbling theological issue to ponder.

As Luis says, we must keep in mind that there but for the grace of God goes all of us.

After writing such a detailed and tragic book (The Devil's Highway, 2004), what made you want to write something humorous (Into the Beautiful North, 2009)? Was it a search for comic relief? Balance?

Actually, in between these two books, Luis wrote The Humingbird's Daughter, a historical novel about Teresita Urrea, also known as the Saint of Cabora and the Mexican Joan of Arc. This book was a home run for Luis--a best seller, award winner, and highly acclaimed book.

It was after this that Luis needed a break. He was in the mood for something funny. He likes to use humor in all of his books, but this time he wanted to be laughing out loud every time he sat down to write. If that happened, he knew, then the reader would be laughing every time he sat down to read. So he wrote Into the Beautiful North, a book he now describes as subversive precisely for its use of humor.

With Into the Beautiful North, Luis disarmed people with humor and got them rooting for people who are normally disparaged. That's just plain cool.

Why are the two books so different stylistically?

Each book has its own personality. It just happens. It's not planned. Writers aren't necessarily aware of this as they write.

Do you have suggestions for resolving the complex border problem?

"Oh, I wish!"

The human smuggling continues, but the Narco War has become the bigger problem. Meth labs. Gang fights. Since the publication of The Devil's Highway, the number of border agents has increased ten-fold.

The Wellton office, for example, went from about 35 to 350 agents.

At a talk he gave in Loredo, Texas, Luis announced that boredom was now the biggest threat to border patrol. Years later, the Chicago Tribune ran a piece claiming the exact same thing. Maybe Luis Urrea is a prophet, hey?

Are any of your children interested in a writing career?

The Urreas have three children. The eldest, a son, is a percussionist. The middle daughter doesn't like the spotlight and it drives her nuts to have a famous writer for a dad. The youngest wants to be an archeologist, a paleontologist, or maybe a movie star. She's the ham. She'll gladly give you an autograph. All three of them are learning that they are much better writers than they knew, but Urrea's goal is to support his children in their own career choices.

How did Luis and Cindy meet?

As a journalist, Cindy was assigned to interview Luis for a story. "Longest interview of my life," Luis Urrea quips, pointing to his wedding ring.

Back in the day, Urrea recalled, he was an impoverished poet without a car. If he liked a girl and wanted to take her on a date, she'd have to pick him up and pay for dinner. "But I could write love poems," he adds. Cindy smiles.

Must have worked.

Cindy, do you have any aspirations to write a book?

Yes, Cindy wants to write a book someday. She kept files on the stories she wrote as a journalist--and this was the only hint she gave us about the subject of her future book.

Cindy, can you tell when Luis is working on fiction vs. nonfiction or poetry? Do his moods or habits or conversations change with the type of writing?

The Urreas exchanged knowing glances here, making the rest of us laugh. Of course, we thought.

We felt sure we had our answer, but Cindy offered us some specific insights into the way her husband works. For one thing, and this is the part she especially loves, she and Luis talk a lot about what he's writing, or planning. These conversations help shape the work. Cindy loves both the process and the results.

Before undertaking a big project, Luis often immerses himself in poetry. Cindy finds stacks of poetry all over the house, including the bathroom.

When Luis finally sits down to write, he plays loud music, usually Black Sabbath. He creates a "tunnel of noise" in which he can concentrate. Sort of like white noise, Cindy says, only it's black.

What is your latest project?

Luis is especially excited about his new book coming out at Christmastime, the sequel to The Humingbird's Daughter called Queen of America.

He's also been writing poetry and award winning mystery stories. He's always writing.

And we're good with that.

GRATITUDE:

Special thanks to Luis and Cindy Urrea for driving up from the Chicago region to spend time with us. Truly inspiring.

Altrusa of Madison awarded our book club a $500 grant. Stef Morrill, who gave us the idea and then filled out the grant for us, was present with her husband today. She and Pastor Laura attended the grant award ceremony last week. Our thanks go out to Altrusa, Madison Community Foundation (makes the selection), and Stef Morrill!

SPECIAL NOTE:

To our homeless writers and poets: Author Luis Urrea has generously offered to help us with a writing workshop. Current plans are to publish your work at a new website called HomelessINK.com. Stay tuned for details coming soon!

SCHEDULE:

We meet next Tuesday at 7:45AM in the Fireside Gallery to watch Mr. Holland's Opus. (Enter via parking lot door.) After the movie, we'll hand out copies of The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw.

Peace,

Suzanne

PS: Black Sabbath's Children of the Grave (lyrics included for all ye who are unfamiliar but curious or skeptical):

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Give me your tired, your poor... Just kidding!

2011-05-15T16:47:00.000-05:00

Those words--give me your tired, your poor--come from a sonnet by Emma Lazarus entitled The New Colossus. The sonnet was engraved on a bronze plaque and hung in the Statue of Liberty in 1903. The plaque is still there, but its meaning is lost.

Note to other nations: It's 2011. Time has changed us. Us as in U.S. The U.S. is no longer interested in your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, unless they yearn on their own soil and that soil is rich in oil. Maybe then, you know, like, maybe then we could work out a deal...?

Seriously, is that what has become of us? Worth contemplating.

We are currently discussing two books that have us wondering about all kinds of things, but especially immigration--Into the Beautiful North (fiction) and The Devil's Highway (nonfiction)--both by Luis Alberto Urrea. Both books focus on the insanity and inhumanity taking place at the Mexican/U.S. border. Generally, our discussions have focused on that border issue, but naturally we've pulled back at times to take in the bigger picture.

As for the border: From robbery to rape, mayhem to murder. Need I say more? Book club members blame the Coyotes and guides (like Mendez) for taking advantage of poor and desperate Mexicans, but also point fingers at U.S. policy. Truth is, leaders on both sides of the border know what goes on, and yet none seems able to put forward a clear-cut and fair solution to the problem. Of course, Jesus had one: Love your neighbors as yourselves, but not everyone is listening to him. (There are some good guys working the border, and good folks moving across it.)

Present Tuesday were Dave, Chloe, David, Oscar, Alice, Bo, Jack, Dave, Angel, Huffar, Steve, Roger, Ray, R.J., Mark, Billy, Dean, Charlie, Darren, Jeremy, Phyllis, T.J., Tom, Tim, Don and Charles. I wasn't able to attend (my hubby and I were at a friend's funeral in Baraboo). David B. ran the discussion and served as scribe, too. I heard from several sources that the discussion was good and vigorous.

In addition to discussing the books, the group came up with eleven questions they'd like to ask Mr. Urrea when we meet with him in person. Yes, in person! And it's coming up fast! Mr. Urrea and his wife Cindy are scheduled to visit with us at Bethel next Tuesday morning.

Quote of the day:

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost, to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

From The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, 1893

Schedule:

Meet author Luis Alberto Urrea and his wife Cindy!

Tuesday, May 17th, from 8:30-10AM.

The Fireside Gallery at Bethel Lutheran Church, downtown Madison.

If you are a book club supporter and have been reading along with us, please join us. And bring your copies along--maybe you'll leave with an autograph or two!

Note: This will be our last meeting on these two books. Our next read is The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw.

The following week, Tuesday, May 24th, we'll show our Movie of the Month. We have not yet decided which film. Ideas? Click on the envelope below and send us your suggestions.

See you soon.

Peace,
Suzanne
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The Devil's Highway

2011-05-04T15:43:00.000-05:00

Nothing good ever happens on the devil's highway.

We're reading Luis Alberto Urrea's The Devil's Highway, nonfiction. Recently we read his fiction book, Into the Beautiful North. Though both books are about the Mexican/US border, they are entirely different creations. The fictional story is a breezy read, ready-made for the big screen. The nonfiction book is far more layered and artistic, though still an easy read.

Of the current book, Dean observed that "the prose is lyrical, almost poetic. That's surprising in a nonfiction book." After just four chapters of this book, we feel closer to the author. The writing here seems more spontaneous, authentic, almost raw. And Urrea's opinions pop through--supposedly a literary no-no--but nobody minds. In fact, they enhance the narrative. The writing smacks the senses--we see, feel, hear, smell and even taste death in the desert.

Scorching sun, rattle snakes and gila monsters are just a few of the dangers lurking in the southern Arizona desert. But they're nothing compared to the two-legged coyotes--the humans that prey on other humans. Needy, vulnerable humans. These coyotes promise to sneak you across the border, for a fee. After forking over your life savings, you're in their hands. Or maybe the trunk of their car. Or even an unmarked grave. Only one thing is certain--you'll be lucky to make it through alive.

These coyotes are cannibals.

Not everyone is happy. "Why'd he have to make it so depressing?" a member asked. (It's fair to say that this member finds many things depressing. As he's said himself, it's not easy to remember the cup is half full when you're homeless.)

Alice answered that Urrea had no choice if he wanted to give the reader a real sense of what is going on. Others concurred. For me, the book isn't depressing, it's startling.

In both books, Urrea employs his creativity to hook us and teach us little-known truths about the Mexican/US border. Opinions are divided over which book is the more enjoyable read. You'll have to decide for yourself.

Present were Mark, Phyllis, Darren, Tom, Chloe, Billy, Roman, Dave, Jim, Ed, Will, Bo, Jack, Dave, Dean, Ray, Roger, Alice, Dave, Jeremy, Oscar, Paul, Robert, Tarah and Don. Roman acted as scribe. Dean brought us up to date on the Greg Mortenson--Three Cups of Tea allegations.

Before we closed, Billy shared an April 27th, 2011 Associated Press article: as many as 183 bodies were recently discovered in secret mass graves along the border. The murders are believed to have been committed by a vicious gang with ties on both sides of the border.

The devil isn't satisfied with just a highway--he's after the whole border. (Isn't that just like him?)

Gratitude:

Pastor Bill White. Pastor Bill, Bethel's senior pastor for nearly 20 years, recently retired. We thank him for providing strong leadership and support for all of Bethel's homeless ministries, and wish him a healthy, peaceful and productive retirement.

Jennifer White (not related) visited us. She works with the VA. She's spreading the word about the resources available to homeless vets. She is well-known to Mark Wilson through Bethel's Support Services, and is already working with several of the homeless vets there. She was instrumental, for example, in helping Roman find housing. Ms. White can be reached at her office:

306 North Brooks Street

Madison, WI 53715

608.280.2095

Just Plain Cool:

Erv Munro was inspired after his visit with our book club just a few weeks back, and has launched a book club for the homeless in LA. Hurray! Erv works with the homeless in the Skid Row region. Maybe one day our book clubs will skype with one another.

Club News:

We meet next Tuesday to discuss The Devil's Highway through chapter 11. If while reading you come across a paragraph or page that stands out for you, mark it and share it with us.

Luis Alberto Urrea and his wife Cindy will join us Tuesday, May 17th, in the Fireside Gallery from 8:30-10AM. Reading along? Join us!

Peace,

~Suzanne

PS: Check out this video: NARAYANAN KRISHNAN-- WE COULD ALL LEARN FROM THIS GUY!

The Magnificent Seven

2011-04-27T14:02:00.000-05:00

They straggled in, weary-eyed, many wearing wet clothes, hauling soggy backpacks and sleeping bags. It rained Monday night, and a lot of these folks are sleeping rough.

We gathered in the Fireside Gallery to watch The Magnificent Seven, a selection inspired by our current book, Into the Beautiful North. As I watched the homeless settle in, I felt proud to be a Bethel member, to be part of a church providing respite and support to the homeless.

Donuts and coffee and popcorn were served. At eight o'clock in the morning, the popcorn was a surprise hit. So was this bang-bang western. We ran late, leaving no time for a discussion. Folks hurried off to spiritual support group.

Who was there? Good question. People sometimes ask why I list the names in the blog post. The reason is simple. On the streets, the homeless are often treated with indifference, or worse. Bethel is a place where the homeless get to hear their names spoken. Like the song from Cheers, "Where everybody knows your name..." We all need a place like that. And this blog is an introduction of sorts, a place where people can learn a little about our homeless community.

Gathered were Billy, Bo, Mark, Daniel, Ted, Ray, David, Anthony, Eric, Jim, Kevin, Scott, Roger, Steve, Thomas, Dave, Kent, Cindy, Sylvia, Ellie, Tom, Dave, Jack, Huffar, Angel, Alice, Tim, Robert, Chris, Linda, Brad, and Jeremy (scribe).

If you'd ever like to spend time with our group, please join us for our Movie of the Month. We meet the fourth Tuesday of every month at 8AM in the Fireside Gallery. Watch the film and stay after for the discussion (if everything goes smoothly, we usually have time). You'll be glad you did.

Special Note:

The homeless community that gathers at Bethel is mourning the loss of a homeless man known as Dollar Bill. Dollar Bill used to attend support group with regularity, then fell away. He committed suicide last week. People spoke sadly of their failed attempts to reach him, to pull him back from the brink. A tragic loss.

Gratitude:

Thanks to Keith Iris for connecting with our homeless vets and informing all of us about the services offered at the outreach center on Willy Street. Keith, a combat veteran himself, is a certified specialist in Readjustment Counseling. He's there to help!

Central Region, Vet Center #419

706 Williamson Street, Suite 4

Madison, Wisconsin 53704

Phone: 608/264-5342

Quote:

"When you start going down the tube, call me. I don't want no more losses like Dollar Bill. Got that?"

~Mark Wilson, to the group.

Mark is a Bethel member who was once homeless himself. He now volunteers countless hours every week helping other homeless persons. He directs the support services office at Bethel, and assists in the spiritual support group and book club.

Schedule:

Next week Tuesday. Room 216. First four chapters (70 pages), The Devil's Highway. See you then!

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Something Different

2011-04-20T08:18:00.000-05:00

Border between U.S. and Mexico

We're about to do something different.

Usually we read one book by an author and move on. This time, we're going to read two.

We've been reading Into the Beautiful North, a playful romp over rough terrain that has, for most of us, been a quick, easy and enjoyable read. A few thought backstory burdened the flow, but they couldn't put it down anyway. "You want to know what happens next." Others found Urrea's expositions informative and entertaining.

The characters are colorful and memorable. The scenes pop. "This book could easily be made into a movie."

Discussing a book about teenage girls in a group made up of mostly men certainly led to a few awkward moments, but, we agreed, we are not about to restrict ourselves to books about boys and men. As Mark enthused, "This book club is all about diversity!"

Phyllis decided to make good use of the gender ratio. "Since this is a group of mostly men," she said, "can anyone here tell me why on earth men like to go off in the woods and hunt wild turkey?"

Steve had the answer. "It's about being in the elements, and seeing if you're bright enough to outsmart a turkey."

We briefly touched on the merits of fiction vs. nonfiction. I reminded them that Luis Alberto Urrea writes both. With a vote, it was decided to read his nonfiction book, The Devil's Highway, which was a 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for general nonfiction, and compare the two books for style and content. We'll thus have two different takes on the border war, and we'll be well versed in this author's work when he visits with us in May.

Present today were Linda, Roger, Dean, Eric, Anthony, Paul, Will, Jack, Bo, David, Billy, Steve, Will, Jeremy, Paul, Tom, Huffar, Angel, Mark, Dave Phyllis, Roman, and Abdul. We were visited by Peggy, a Bethel member, who brought her friend Ervin Munro so that he could experience a homeless book club firsthand. Erv is the Director of Social Services for SRO Housing Corporation in Los Angeles. He helps the homeless on Skid Row to find housing. (For those of you who've read The Soloist, or seen the movie: Yes, Erv has had the privilege of hearing Nathaniel Ayers play music on the street.) Erv says there is not a book club for the homeless in Los Angeles--yet!

Quote of the day:

"Today during book club, I didn't fall asleep once."

~Billy Briggs

Club News:

We meet next week at 8AM in Borgwardt Hall to watch The Magnificent Seven. We'll hand out copies of our next book, The Devil's Highway, also by Luis Alberto Urrea. Two books by the same author--he's got to dig that!

May 17th: Luis Alberto Urrea and his wife Cindy will visit with us--in person! Stay tuned for details! Muy bueno.

Peace,
Suzanne

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Yul Brynner and other Mexicans

2011-04-13T09:12:00.000-05:00

Border between United States and Mexico.

Did you know that Yul Brynner was Mexican? It's doubtful he even knew.

Then again, he never met Irma.

Yul Brynner was an American actor of Russian descent who starred in the film The Magnificent Seven. The movie was filmed in Mexico, in English, then dubbed in Spanish, and shown in Mexico. Irma believes Yul Brynner has a perfect Mexican accent, and is a Mexican hero. When people argue with her, she reminds them that he also owns a home in Puerto Vallarta. To Irma, Yul Brynner is Mexican. Period.

Fine, but who is Irma?

We are reading Into the Beautiful North, a novel by award-winning author Luis Alberto Urrea. In this book, Urrea shares many fresh and funny insights into Mexican life. His story is populated with endearing and colorful characters--not stereotypical--like Irma. Irma is the feisty auntie who becomes mayor of a small town in Mexico that has been largely abandoned by men and is now threatened by dwindling population growth, drug dealers and corrupt policemen. When Irma's niece Nayeli sees the film The Magnificent Seven, she is inspired. She and three friends head to the United States, determined to recruit seven men to help protect and repopulate their home town. As the small group ventures forth, they confront many ironies and tragedies of life south of the border. All the while, Urrea injects humor and hope into the narrative.

It's hard to imagine an author more suited to the task of telling this story than Urrea, who was born in Tijuana, Mexico, the son of a Mexican father and an American mother. He has published poetry, short stories, novels, nonfiction, and memoirs. He now teaches creative writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

FROG gets a laugh.

Funny as he can be, Urrea does not shy away from serious topics. In our discussion, neither did we. We talked about prejudice and agreed (seriously, everyone) it seemed intrinsic to human nature, an instinct we must fight to get beyond when interacting with people who are different from us, especially if they happen to be vying for the same resources. Getting over prejudice takes effort, someone said, like jumping a hurdle. Only we're often too lazy to bother. Or too frightened, dimwitted, tired or insecure. Even when we're up for the task, it can be difficult.

FROG. Just one of the guys.

Present today were Jack, Mark, Roman, Billy, Steve, Roger, Jack, Will, Dave, Paul, Thomas, Jeremy, David, Huffar, Angel, Dean, Eric, Bo, Alice, Phyllis and Cindy. We especially welcome our newest members, Eric and Cindy.

Poetry:

These poems were written by book club members and shared with us Tuesday. Both were published in Street Pulse this month.

Concrete Jungle

Concrete jungle with your grimy walls,

Crowded sidewalks and suburban sprawl,

See the rats with their lice and fleas,

Crowlin' around with dread disease.

Poisoned water and polluted air,

It's that way 'cause we don't care.

Concrete jungle I'm in a squeeze

Let me out I'm beginning to wheeze.

Gonna see the country and loose my cares,

Smell the flowers and breath the air.

Quiet country, we're almost there,

Can you smell all the beautiful...

Ugh!!!

~David Peters

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Child's Prayer for Daddy

God, Why does my daddy get so mad

at the man on the corner, holding out his hand?

You're a bum, says daddy, you smell bad too.

Why did daddy say that, I don't understand.

The man seemed nice and I don't think he smelled,

but my daddy got mad when he asked for some change.

Clean up! Get a Job! That's what daddy yelled.

That's not what he says to me, at the video exchange.

The man looked down at his empty cup.

He said, have a nice day and bless you too!

I reached in my pocket and found fifty cents.

I dropped it in his cup and said, God bless you!

God, please help my daddy to understand

that people need our help when things aren't right.

Tell him to share and to always be nice.

God, that's my prayer for my daddy tonight.

~Gunther L. Bogdonavich (a.k.a. Mark Wilson)

Gratitude:

F.R.O.G. A group of Bethel's confirmation candidates, known as F.R.O.G., which stands for Fully Rely on God, sent us a magnificent gift last week, including baskets of new socks and fruit and hand made book marks. They also sent us a stuffed frog mascot named--what else?--FROG, of course. We are truly touched by the thoughtfulness of this group of youths. To all you FROGS out there--THANK YOU!

Pastor Laura and the FROGs stand behind their generous gifts.

Schedule:

April 14th: Watch for a story about us by Diana Henry on WKOW-27 this Thursday at 10PM! And read about us in this month's edition of BRAVA magazine.

Roger greets FROG
with a handshake and a smile.

April 19th: We'll meet in 216 to discuss Into the Beautiful North through chapter 15.

April 26th: Movie of the Month. The Magnificent Seven.

See you next week.

Peace,
Suzanne

__________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Online with Michael Sallah

2011-04-07T11:49:00.000-05:00

We never dreamed we'd one day be chatting with a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, but that's exactly what we did.

Michael Sallah, investigations editor for The Miami Herald and adjunct professor at the University of Miami, played hooky Tuesday morning and skyped with us from his home in sunny Florida. Now that's special.

Sallah and Mitch Weiss won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Journalism based on a series of articles that exposed atrocities committed during the Vietnam War by a special operations Army task force that spun out of control. Sallah and Weiss, in their continuing effort to inform the American public, next published a book based on those articles entitled Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War. That is the book our group just read. Normally we meet three or four times on a book, but Tiger Force was different. Tiger Force hit a nerve.

At our first meeting, some of our vets complained that the book was too intense and stirred too many difficult memories. We worried they'd drop out. To our surprise, they came back the next week, and the next. And they brought their friends. Throughout the six weeks we devoted to this book, attendance and participation were at an all-time high. Although the book exposes grisly events and a very dark side of human behavior, it also asks the question how did this happen? It helps shift blame from individual soldiers to members at every level in their chain of command. In our discussions, listen and don't judge became the mantra. And that's what we did.

Many found these discussions informative, bonding, even healing. So when Michael Sallah's call came in, we were still ready for more. Well, not as ready as we could have been. Turns out, we had a faulty ethernet cable, and lost our connection three times. Embarrassing, to say the least, but not for Mr. Sallah, who handled it all with aplomb. When it was all over, he even offered to chat with us again. (Whew!)

With me were Billy, Roman, Will, Huffar, Linda, Roger, Dean, David, David, Dave, Thomas, Jack, Bo, Brad, Scott, Jack, Mark, Doug, Jeremy, Stan, Nancy, Paul, Ray, Don, Phoenix, Alice, Oscar, Carla, Jesus, CC, Kent, Pastor Laura and four-legged Forest. Special guests included Josh Morrill (he and wife Stef are generous book club supporters) and Susan Tierney, marketing representative for the State Historical Society Press.

From the start, it was clear that Sallah is passionate about his work and has a real gift for engaging and inspiring the poor and the homeless. Once introduced, he referred to the homeless by name, further personalizing the experience as he thoughtfully answered their questions. As in past sessions, no video or audio recordings were made, though photographs were allowed. Below is a summary.

Tell us again how you came upon this story. What were your initial thoughts?

Sallah kindly recounted his story. It's one thing to read it in the book, and another to watch and listen as Sallah tells it. He's probably told this story a thousand times, and yet there's freshness and authenticity in his voice and mannerisms as he tells it again.

Henry Tufts, the long-time head of the Army's Criminal Investigations Division, was a curmudgeon. He didn't like reporters, though Michael Woods was an exception. Upon his death, Tufts left some 25,000 documents for Woods. Woods, in turn, called Sallah and it was Sallah who poured through the documents. When he came upon the Coy Allegation, he and Weiss made a thorough search of online and print sources and learned that nothing had been written about these incredible events. They knew then that they had a story.

How long did it take you and Mitch Weiss to do the research for the articles and book about Tiger Force?

It was ten months from the time Sallah began searching through Tufts' files to when the articles were published in the Blade. It was another two years before the book was published.

How willing were Tiger Force members to speak with you about their experiences?

It depended in part on the soldier's conduct during the campaign. Compared to soldiers who committed the atrocities with seemingly little remorse, those soldiers who tried to stop the atrocities were more willing to speak with reporters. But even they didn't jump for joy at the opportunity. The memories were still disturbing, and many suffered from survivor's guilt, ruminating about what they could have or should have done to more assertively intervene; they also feared repercussions from other Tiger Force members.

Do you know if Hawkins ever read the book? Did he respond in any way to the articles or book? Do you know what has happened to him since the articles and book were published?

Sallah was careful here. (He never disparaged a single character in the story.) Though he can't know for certain, his hunch is that Hawkins read the articles. Shortly after the articles were published, another reporter tried unsuccessfully to get a statement from Hawkins. Word is, Hawkins has had a devil of a time. "He's been in and out of rehab, for various things. A tough, tough life."

What obstacles did you confront in trying to tell this story? Did the Army interfere with publishing it?

Once Sallah and Weiss tracked down the individuals, they met with that reluctance to speak on the matter. There was no official statement from the Army, and not one member in the chain of command was wiling to comment. Also, they had to file many freedom of information requests to obtain records that the military preferred not to share.

Did you receive any correspondence from the Army after the story was published that would suggest that changes were made to prevent future similar incidents?

After the book was published, the Army reopened its investigation into the matter. However, when the crimes committed at Abu Ghraib made headlines, the Army's investigation division was quickly diverted. In the aftermath, the Tiger Force case was reclassified and, apparently, dropped.

Though we continue to hear reports of our troops behaving inhumanely--Abu Ghraib and the more recent mess in Afghanistan, for example--Sallah believes our soldiers today are better prepared, both for war and for reintegration into community life after the war. In recent years, there's been a push to better understand what happens to a soldier from a psychological, social and spiritual standpoint. "You take a nineteen-year-old who has maybe been raised Christian, he has a certain sensitivity, his morals, and then you train him to kill. You have to understand what that does." There is a branch of study known as killogy, or warrior science, that strives to make available the best and most current knowledge on the healthiest and most humane way to train soldiers.

There will probably always be isolated instances that will make headlines, but thankfully, Tiger Force is not every soldier's story.

How did writing this story affect you personally?

Sallah sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "It's tough," he said, "to dwell so long on such dark events." He confesses to having had many sleepless nights while researching and writing about Tiger Force, but then adds that he's a lousy sleeper anyway. He didn't have nightmares per se, but he did sometimes fight against the dark thoughts and images this story evokes.

In your opinion, how did Vietnam change the way the media covered the war?

Sallah was passionate about this one. As he tells the story, he drives home the message that a golden age of journalism has just passed us by. During Vietnam, and the years immediately following, we saw much of the media cave to the party line, but there arose some lone and courageous voices that sought to know and expose the truth behind and beyond the sound-bites. There were many factors at play. The giants sought more than headlines--they strove for journalistic integrity.

In what ways do you think current media coverage of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya is better than it was for Vietnam? In what ways is it worse?

Sallah's answer here was brilliant, and I wish we could have spent an hour on it. Or even a whole semester in journalism class. In summary, there was a perfect storm created by various forces, including changes in the publishing world and the shock of 9/11. In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, the media failed. To be fair, the media is made up of people, and in the wake of 9/11, people were stunned, even terrified. Many in the media looked to White House, as did the rest of us, to make sense of what happened, and for protection. In a way, understandable. However, when the White House accused Saddam Hussein of working with Al-Qaeda, and possessing weapons of mass destruction, the media didn't do its job, Sallah says. Consequently, the American public was long misinformed about Saddam Hussein and the real reasons we went into Iraq.

Do you believe the military still censors media coverage?

Yes. Absolutely. Obviously, for security purposes, there are some things in the midst of war that are kept hidden. The atrocities like those committed by Tiger Force, or at Abu Ghraib--some aspects of those cases, and cases like them, won't be known by the public until twenty or thirty years from now. They'll be kept under wraps. On the other hand, given that nowadays even villagers have cell phones, some things will come to light despite any effort to conceal them.

What can you tell us about your latest project?

It's a secret, Sallah says. But here's a hint: Did you ever wonder why so many of our mentally ill, disabled, elderly, and veterans live in impoverished conditions? To the point, even, of living on the streets? Sallah and Rob Barry, along with a few others, have written a series of articles exploring the answers to these and similar questions. The series is scheduled to be published in The Miami Herald starting on May 1st.

This is a series we are eager to read.

Gratitude:

Michael Sallah. We'd like to thank Michael Sallah for so passionately engaging our homeless community, and for sharing his time, knowledge, and experience with our book club. And Mitch Weiss, who, along with Sallah, wrote this breathtaking book. And Rob Barry, for convincing Sallah that he, too, could Skype.

Josh and Stef Morrill. When the Skype session ended, Josh introduced himself to us and handed over $125.00 in gift certificates to go toward the purchase of future books. He and his wife Stef, who could not attend the Skype, helped fund our breakfast sandwiches, and it was Stef who filled out the Altrusa grant for us. Thank you, Josh and Stef! It's people like you and gifts like yours that help keep us going.

F.R.O.G. You know who you are! A group of Bethel's confirmation candidates wowed us today with their generous and creative gifts! More about this soon. Watch this blog for photos of our new mascot--Yes, it's a FROG. Coming soon.

And finally, thanks to UW Student Conner Wild for taking photos.

Club News:

We meet next week to discuss the first 8 chapters of Into the Beautiful North, a novel by Luis Alberto Urrea. We've invited members of Bethel's Latino community to read along and join us in discussion. It's something we can do in return for the marvelous breakfasts they've been preparing each month for the homeless.

Following Into the Beautiful North, we'll be reading Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation, followed by Third Down and a War to Go by Terry Frei, and Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls.

See you next week.

Peace,

Suzanne

Survival vs. Morality: Which Rules?

2011-03-30T15:52:00.000-05:00

*This week's post was provided by Jeremy, a formerly homeless vet.

David B. and I were both out of town. We didn't have to worry though--book club was in good hands. Alice ran the discussion. Jeremy wrote the blog post.

Alice started by going around the room, making introductions. With her were Jeremy, Mark, Doug, Linda, Roger, Billy, Huffar, Thomas, David, Bo, Robert, Dean, Phyllis, Abdul, Crag, Phoneix, Ray, Paul, Darren, Kent, Chris and Tank. In addition, the group welcomed three new members: Will, Dave and Jack.

For the benefit of the newcomers, Alice then provided a general overview of the book Tiger Force, and this led quickly to a discussion about the failure of leadership from the top down.

Talk then turned to the anti-war protests in Madison at the time, and how Bethel responded. Alice, Phyllis and Darren were able to provide details. For example, did you know that Plexiglas was put up over the stained glass windows and was only recently removed? And that Pastor Borgwardt kept the church open during the protests but temporarily moved regular services to a Presbyterian church in Nakoma? They remembered concrete barricades erected around the Capitol.

Talk turned again to the book, covering Gus Aspey's investigation, soldiers dodging prosecution by leaving the military, leaders advancing their careers by body counts. Example, Tiger Force called in 327 Vietnamese killed, and yet no weapons found, and no one questioned them.

Talk turned to the issue of morality. The soldiers were in survival mode. When it comes down to survival vs. morality, which rules? In many instances, the group felt, you had to be there to fully understand a soldier's decision process. Going against command seemed even more likely to lead to a soldier's death than did facing the enemy. After the war, compared to those vets who followed their moral compass, those who crossed the line found it much more difficult to cope. When adjusting to civilian life after WWII, many soldiers found that being grouped together for six weeks to three months actually helped them better adjust. This wasn't done for Vietnam vets. Coming out of the military, like getting out of jail, many found themselves homeless and alone.

Ultimately, the group felt, each vet determines his own future; each must find his own way to cope. Talking about it helps.

Quotes:

"You never knew where the front lines were, because it was all front line."

~David P.

"Being able to talk about it is a healing in itself."

~Huffar

Schedule:

Remember, we meet Thursday morning (tomorrow) at 8AM to watch Apocalypse Now. The location has been changed to the Fireside Gallery. Following the movie, lunch will be served in Borgwardt Hall. Lunch is sponsored by Bethel's Homeless Ministries in conjunction with Taco Bell (Thanks to Mark and his lovely wife Rhonda!).

Tuesday, April 5th. Meet in Pentecost Sanctuary. Discussion at 8:30. Skype at 10AM.

We will be skyping with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Michael Sallah and his coworker Rob Barry (author and humorist Dave Barry's son). The two have teamed up on another investigation, and hopefully we'll learn more about that, too.

Finally, also on April 5th, we will be handing out copies of our next book, Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea. Get your copy and read along with us! Remember, if you buy your copy (or anything else) via this link, a percentage of your purchase amount will (anonymously) come back to our book club and we'll use it to buy future books. Thank you!

See you soon!

~Jeremy and Suzanne

Men of War

2011-03-22T16:30:00.000-05:00

Bronze statue, The Three Soldiers, Vietnam Memorial. Washington, DC.

You take the man out of the war, and then you take the war out of the man. He cannot do it for himself. He needs you. You, the community. He knows he needs you, and yet he may resist you. You have to earn his trust. He doesn't even trust himself. You mustn't give up.

If I had to sum up the group sentiment, it would go something like that.

During a chilling spring rain, we met in warmth in room 216 to continue our discussion of Tiger Force, written by Pulitzer Prize winning journalists Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss. Gathered with me were Jack, Ray, Bo, Tim, Bo, Linda, Mark, Rick, Phoenix, Alice, Phyllis, Darren, Kent, Richard, David, David, Jeremy, Roman, Ed, Chris, Paul, Huffar, Steve, Billy, Doug, Bub and Thomas. Several folks have read ahead and finished the book, at least one has read it twice. In addition, we ordered five new copies last week, and passed the last of them out today. That makes 36 copies total. A record for us.

We spent the first part coming up with questions for our April 5th chat with Michael Sallah, then launched into a more general discussion.

Today's main talking points:

*The homeless are finding it increasingly difficult to access what they consider to be credible news sources. They generally don't own a computer or a smartphone. Most believe internet sources are more trustworthy than television or print, which are too often geared toward ratings or controlled by wealth.

*Nowadays, news is more like story telling than the revelation of events. The group felt this approach keeps the audience from wider truths. News is dummied down, no longer impartial, rarely trusted.

*A lot of information comes at us under the guise of news, information unsifted by ethical professionals; information that can be misleading, intentionally or not.

*We heard stories about the CIA providing illegal drugs to servicemen.

*There are parallels between what happened with the Tiger Force in Vietnam and the Stryker Brigade in Afghanistan, some forty years later. Have we not learned?

*Would the presence of women have changed the behavior of Tiger Force for the better? Sadly, the group concluded no. Women in combat also succumb to the pressures and conditions. Dave reminded us of Lynndie England at Abu Ghraib.

Our time passed quickly. In what for me was the most poignant moment, Alice asked the group how men returning from situations like Vietnam then go about the task of fitting back into society. Ed didn't hesitate. "You got your answer sitting right in front of you," he said. "They don't fit. They're outcasts. They can't find a job. Or maybe can't keep one. They're loners. And lonely. Then they turn to drugs or alcohol. And they're homeless."

Many in the room concurred. "That's us."

Quotes of the day:

"The CIA is not the boy scouts."

~Mark

"Hate the war, love the soldier."

~Jeremy

Gratitude:

Altrusa International of Madison through the Madison Community Foundation has awarded our book club $500 to go towards the purchase of books for the promotion of literacy. Thank you!

Our thanks also go to Stef Morill who wrote this grant for us.

Special Mention:

Are you a poet or a writer? Or maybe a songwriter, musician or artist? Share your work with us. Today we were honored to have Phyllis read a page from her memoirs. She was the first member of the book club to share her work and she was rewarded with hearty applause. If you'd like to share your work with us, let me know. (Limit written pieces to under 500 words.)

Also, we voted which book we would read next: Into the Beautiful North (fiction), or The Devil's Highway (nonfiction), both by Luis Alberto Urrea. The tally was 13-6 and Into the Beautiful North won. We'll hand out copies on April 5th. Should be fun!

Schedule:

March 29th we meet at 8:30AM in 216 to discuss Tiger Force through chapter 21.

March 31st we meet at 8AM in Borgwardt Hall for our Movie of the Month: Apocalypse Now.

April 5th we meet at 8:30AM in the Pentecost Sanctuary to CHAT WITH AUTHOR MICHAEL SALLAH.

See you soon. Meantime, keep reading.

Peace,

Suzanne

PS: It's not too late to get your copy and read along! Tiger Force.

A Grim Reality Muddies the View

2011-03-16T10:04:00.000-05:00

When you learn about a country through stories of war, you struggle to imagine its latent beauty. We're foraging deep in the book now, and the landscape of Vietnam painted in our heads is nothing like this verdant valley view.

"It's grim and getting grimmer," someone said, launching the discussion.

"And it's going to get grimmer-er," Tim added.

We met today to continue our discussion of Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War, by Pulitzer Prize winning journalists Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss. We've made it through chapter 10. The book remains popular here, many confessing to having read ahead, like Tim.

With me were Jack, Jeremy, Roger, Billy, Doug, Linda, Thomas, Huffar, Angel, Mark, Phoenix, Bo, Darren, Chris, Ray, Tim, Terry, Phyllis, Roman, Alice, David, Dave, Pastor Laura and Forrest. In addition, Brittany, a photographer for Brava magazine, spent time with us. A few members opted out of the photos but stayed for the discussion.

As usual, our roster is ever changing. As the joke in book club goes, "Barring employment, I'll be back next week."

The conversation ping-ponged briskly around the room as we first asked for general impressions and then asked detailed and difficult questions: Was there anything members of Tiger Force could have done to stop the senseless brutality and murder condoned and encouraged by their commanding officers? General consensus was, sadly, no. "Not without getting yourself shot." What conditions made the men so vulnerable to such insane ideas? Fear, sleep deprivation, fear, no clear-cut notion of where the enemy was located, fear, the drugs like the little black beauties--amphetamines--that the army fed them to keep them amped up, fear. Isolation. Fear. Disillusionment. Fear. Disappointment. And more fear.

For even the saner members of Tiger Force, fear cropped up everywhere. The fear mixed with exhaustion, isolation, disillusionment, disappointment, shame and confusion. And without appropriately strong leadership, the men buckled. "A man can only take so much," someone said, as others around the room hung their heads, or shook them, willing but unable to disbelieve. What good is war? was the sentiment.

When book discussion ended, talk turned to the realities of being homeless in Madison in the spring. Many of the homeless have used up their annual allotment of nights, and will no longer be eligible to sleep in the shelters after this weekend. The temperature still plummets toward freezing at night, and there's a chance of snow in the forecast. Nonetheless, with nowhere else to go, they'll be sleeping on the streets. Some have never faced this prospect before. For them, another grim reality.

Quote of the day:

Huffar proposed an alternative to war. "Being that it's the politicians who decide to go to war, let the politicians do the dirty work. Instead of sending our young men and women, put the politicians from each country on an island and let them duke it out."

"But don't invite Dick Cheney," Thomas said. "He'll shoot the wrong side."

Gratitude:

After our group read The Soloist, and watched the movie, Alice was inspired. She arranged for the first chair cellist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra to come and play Bach for us. Carl Levine generously gave of his time and performed three pieces for us this morning. Thank you, Alice and Carl. Simply smashing.

Club News:

Roger turns 21 today. Happy Birthday, Roger!

We'll meet next week at 8:30 in room 216 to discuss Tiger Force through chapter 18.

Note: Our movie of the month, Apocalypse Now, is scheduled for 8AM in Borgwardt Hall on Thursday, March 31st. Watch the movie and stay for lunch! This lunch is sponsored by Bethel's Homeless Ministries in conjunction with Taco Bell (RLC Enterprises). We'll still meet Tuesday, March 29th, for our regular book club discussion.

Meantime, keep reading.

Peace,

Suzanne

Pulitzer Prize Winner to Skype with the Homeless

2011-03-09T09:29:00.000-06:00

A child learns of war...

We met today for our first discussion of Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War, written by Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss. Based on a series of stories that led to this book, they won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for Investigative Reporting. Michael Sallah is now the investigations editor for the Miami Herald, and Mitch Weiss writes for The Associated Press.

So here's the news: On April 5th, Michael Sallah will be Skyping with us from Broward County, Florida. Wo-hoo! Assisting him will be fellow investigative journalist Rob Barry, son of humorist and novelist Dave Barry. Interestingly, Scott Haiisen, son of the other hilarious Florida writer, Carl Haiisen, is also part of the I-team at the Miami Herald. Scott and Carl working together. The next generation, Sallah says, and you can almost hear the sigh in his email.

Sure seems like Florida has more than its share of writing talent. Must be something in the water. (Bottle it. Sell it.)

Gathered with me in room 216 were Phoenix, Bo, Barry, Doug, Chris, Ed, Tom, Thomas, Tim, Kent, Linda, Roman, Billy, Alice, Robert, Steve, Roger, TJ, Huffar, Mark, Darren, Jack, David, Phyllis, Pastor Laura and Forest, our four-legged mascot.

In addition, Diana Henry from Channel 27 and her cameraman Phil stopped in to see what we're about. Folks were able to opt out of the video taping if they wanted, but happily, nobody did. We'll let you know when the story airs.

Given that there was a cameraman roving about and a reporter taking notes, the exchange was tempered at first. But soon enough, folks relaxed, and as time went on it seemed they forgot all about the media presence. At a few turns, the conversation heated up, and it took some effort on the part of our regulars to keep the conversation from getting stuck in a hot-spot.

Today's conversational hot-spots included, 1) the government's failure to care adequately for veterans; and, 2) the failure of the armed services to prepare our young men (and women) for the horrors of war.

When asked how many among us are veterans, about half the men raised their hands. And we soon learned that, for them, this story hits home. For example, for one of our members, Tiger Force has brought back excruciatingly vivid and painful memories. He sent a message to me on Sunday, saying that he would no longer be attending book club--this book was causing nightmares. Saddened as I was by this news, I maintained my hope that the book might provide an opportunity for some airing out, and give us non-veterans some understanding and compassion. So you can imagine my relief when this man showed up anyway, and contributed to the discussion.

We asked the question: What's it like to read this book? A paradox emerged. The book is difficult to read, but even more difficult to put down. Like watching a train wreck. You can't tear your eyes away.

Roman was in the service at the time this true story took place. However, he was positioned in Thailand, so his experience during the Vietnam war was vastly different from that depicted in the story. He says that in Thailand, the enemy was not a person. The enemy was drugs. Drugs were everywhere. Many servicemen succumbed. Nonetheless, he found this story so riveting that he finished in short time, then followed club tradition by starting it over from the beginning. "There's so much history, stuff I didn't know back then, things I don't remember but want to."

During our ninety minutes together, there was a great deal of grief and frustration expressed over what many see as the government's failure to properly care for our veterans. Inadequate healthcare. Inadequate attention to mental health issues. Inadequate substance abuse rehabilitation. Upon returning from war, many veterans have more than just physical and psychic scars. In comparison to their civilian peers, job and relationship skills are stunted. They need help to adjust to civilian life, to this disparity, and to move forward while simultaneously dealing with difficult feelings and memories that keep surfacing from the past. Without such help, they often remain on the fringes of society, and turn to their own devices--such as drugs or alcohol--to bury the memories, assuage the pain, and cope with the loneliness. We see this playing out in the lives of the characters in our present story, and we see the same in the lives of some of our group members.

David asked if there was anything we in the community could do to help. Turns out, there is.

Jeremy, a vet with a genius-range IQ, suggested the responsibility lies not only with the government, but also with the community. He quoted Hillary Clinton. "It takes a village to raise a child," then added his own take. "Maybe," he said, "it takes a village to take our veterans back into the village and help shape them into good villagers again." Yes, it takes a village to rehab a vet. They can't do it alone, and they can't sit around waiting for the government to intervene.

Thomas offered this. Although he is not a veteran, he has two close buddies who are, and he listens to them. He says that listening really helps. His buddies nodded in agreement. So, they said, something like this book club, or the spiritual support group, can and does help. Provide the veterans of war--or anyone recovering from substance abuse, or abusive homes, or broken relationships, or lost loved ones, or physical or mental illness, or those trying to reacclimate after years in jail--provide them a place to go where they are welcome and can share their experience without being judged.

There was a skeptic among us. "This is but a drop in the bucket."

"Yes," said another member, "but a drop sends out ripples, and those ripples can touch others, and maybe that's how it gets done."

"So," David said, "we can listen without judging. Maybe that's what we in this group can do for one another?"

Yes, everyone agreed. That's what we can do.

Quote of the week:

"Enough is enough already. We sacrifice too many of our young men to war. Even some of those who make it back have lost their lives."

~Alice

"It takes a village to help a veteran become a villager again."

~Jeremy

Gratitude:

Once again, thank you Jamie Ford, bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, for providing us with 30 copies of this excellent book.

Sara. Sara discovered our book club when she and her husband Peter picked up a copy of the UW student newspaper Street Pulse in which we were featured. She wrote to us, wanting to help. When I mentioned that one of our upcoming titles was Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation (currently out of print), she piped in with an offer. Since then, by hitting up friends, family and coworkers, she has collected nearly twenty copies that she intends to give to our group. Thank you, Sara! We'll be reading these books this summer.

Which reminds me. Does anyone know how to reach Tom Brokaw? We've got to at least ask him to Skype with us. We can dream, right?

Club News:

We meet next Tuesday to discuss Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War through chapter 10 (page 117). It's not too late to get your copy and read along!

See you next week,

~Suzanne

PS: A child learns of war...
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Jamie Ford Chats with the Homeless

2011-03-02T08:50:00.000-06:00

Today, we went live with Jamie Ford. Sort of makes you want to dance around in circles, holding hands, singing We Are The World.

But we held back. After all, we're a rather dignified group.

Anyway, it's true. This morning, New York Times bestselling author Jamie Ford chatted with us via Skype from his home in Montana. The moment we picked up the connection, we knew we were in good hands. He's a pro. Ford greeted us energetically, and with a welcoming smile. Not in an over-the-top Robin Williams sort of way. More like long-lost friends, which is fitting because, well, maybe that's what we all are, hey? Throughout the conversation, from the big screen up front, Ford projected a genuine thoughtfulness that resonated throughout the room and lingered long after.

Gathered with me in the bright basement Pentecost Sanctuary, were Tom, Thomas, Steve, Jeremy, David, Mark, Chris, Billy, Huffar, CE, Roger, Doug, Roman, Jack, Phyllis, Linda, Kent, Robert, Barry, Alice, Nancy, Ray, Darren, Pastor Laura and her four-legged buddy, Forest. In addition, UW student Conner Wild was present and took photos. For the privacy of our club members, we made no video or audio recording. What is written here is what I can recall. (I recalled all this with a little help from club members, who I reached via email and phone calls, which were exchanged with enthusiasm in the hours after. By the way, did you know that email, especially, and the internet in general (facebook, twitter, etc.) are good ways to stay in touch with the homeless?).

We launched right in with our questions. Despite the appearance here in the post, the subsequent exchange flowed more like a conversation than an interview.

We're curious. Another author we read, Greg Mortenson, also lives in Montana. Do you two know each other? What is the writing community like in Montana?

Ford had us laughing from the start. He says there are quite a few writers in Montana. Maybe because there's nothing else to do there. He's never met Greg Mortenson, though he's heard quite a bit about him. Ford says Mortenson is highly-regarded, and often gives talks at schools in Montana. He'd like to one day meet the man who inspired the book Three Cups of Tea. Mortenson, however, travels a great deal. So, at the moment, the two writers are revolving in different spheres, it seems. But with a little luck, they could bump into one another tomorrow. You just never know.

When the Japanese were rounded up and sent to camps, many Americans remained silent. Why do you think there was so little public outrage?

For one thing, there were hard feelings all around. Many Americans were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. There was a lot going on. We were at war from all sides. A few editors voiced opposition to the internment, and were threatened by the FBI with treason. More rights were trampled.

So much for freedom of speech, huh?

Have you expericenced any negative feedback from people who think the Japanese internment was the right thing to do? If so, how did you respond?

Surprisingly, and refreshingly, no. Ford admits that he dreaded the possibility of such a confrontation. But as he travels the nation, often via radio show interviews, he's treated respectfully, even on very conservative stations, where you might stereotypically expect to find a pro-internment voice. Even recently, after the publication of a book that subtly encouraged internment of Muslims after 9/11, Ford's novel has not come under attack. Maybe we're wiser now.

Let's hope so.

In your experience, how is Montana, where you live now, different from the Pacific Coast in terms of prejudices? Do you think there is more or less prejudice in Montana?

Montana is incredibly different. Part of the reason may be that Montana is very white, unlike the Pacific Coast, where the minorities are so populous (in some regards, to the point of not being a numeric minority). There's less opportunity in Montana for prejudice to surface, so if it's there, it's tougher to diagnose. Ford says some folks mistake him for Native American. Even so, he senses more curiosity and uncertainty than prejudice.

How many short stories based on Hotel did you write and publish before completing the novel? And after?

Only one short story based on Henry, Keiko and Sheldon made it into publication before the novel. Ford has written other short stories based on the characters in Hotel, including Mrs. Beatty, one of our favorites, but they've not been published yet. He hopes one day they'll be published in a collection.

Is there any talk of a movie based on Hotel? Who could you see playing Henry? Keiko? Mrs. Beatty? Sheldon?

This question made Ford pause. Like many novels, Hotel has been optioned for a movie, however, Ford thinks it could remain in option-limbo indefinitely. There are few roles in this movie that would suit big-name Hollywood actors. The roles of Henry and Keiko, maybe even Sheldon, would likely go to currently unknown actors. Mrs. Beatty, however, is easier to cast. Ford thinks someone like American actress Kathy Bates would be perfect as Mrs. Beatty.

I can see it.

Do you think a real-life Henry could forgive the bullies?

Ford sighed. "I hope so. I think so." He knew bullies while growing up and admits that, for many years, he didn't exactly entertain kindly thoughts toward them. But as time went on, as he grew and gained distance from them, the animosity he felt for them began to ease. He realized that bullies didn't always live the perfect lives he'd imagined when he was young. Their lives were hard in ways he hadn't appreciated. Now he feels more sympathy for them than anything.

A hard life does not excuse bad behavior, but it is an opening for compassion.

We all loved Mrs. Beatty. Is her character based on anyone you know?

In the story, Mrs. Beatty is a tough, principled and determined. She is also rather unconventional in her approach to people and problems.

Ford says she is a composite character, inspired by the toughness he witnessed in various women during his upbringing, including his grandmothers. One of his grandmothers was especially tough. When one of her sons came home from school whining about being bullied, she wouldn't let him in the house until he'd gone back and put that bully in his place. Nothing serious like you see nowadays--no gangs or guns or knives--just two eight year old kids smacking each other around on the playground. It was settled quickly.

Right about here, we experienced a technology glitch. For a few moments, we scrambled to diagnose the problem and get back in touch. We'd merely lost our internet connection--a virtual hiccough--and were were soon back online.

In book club, we talked a lot about fathers and sons. Of course, we're cuious to kow if Henry's relationship to his father was based in any way on your relationship with your father?

Ford considers a moment. He used to answer this question by saying no, everything between him and his father had been fine. Now though, he can see that there were a few tough years, late teens and on into early adulthood, especially, when he and his father just did not see eye-to-eye. He even recalls a long stretch during which he didn't speak one word to his dad, somewhat reminiscent of Henry. Fortunately, Ford and his father worked things out a few years before his father died. He's grateful, too, that they had some good times together.

With this answer, intentionally or not, Ford reveals a little of how the writing process works for him. He never meant to write a story about the tensions between fathers and sons, and yet, somehow, that issue crept in. No, actually, it elbowed its way in. And wouldn't leave.

What is your writing routine?

"With a house full of teenagers, my work-day begins and ends with the school bus." Ford works at home while the kids are at school. He's lucky to get any work done around the edges.

What is the hardest part about being a writer?

Besides the isolation? The insecurity. Now this will surprise those of us who think a New York Times bestselling author would confidently crank out the pages, but that's not the case at all. In bed at night, worries can plague him; what if nobody wants to read what I wrote? He may rehash the day's pages, finding fault with the work he did, and dreaming up ways to improve it. Ford knows he's not alone among writers. "We're an insecure bunch."

No kidding.

Do you share your work with other writers before seeking publication?

Not anymore. For Ford, sharing a writing project with other writers is like having too many cooks in the kitchen. Nowadays, he mainly shows his work to his wife. "She has a red pen and she knows how to use it." He considers her a great reader, and capable of gently guiding him back if ever he takes off on some obscure tangent. He trusts her opinion.

Aw.

What are you working on now?

We've asked this of just about every author we've chatted with, and just about every one of them hemmed and hawed. Writers are very protective of their current works-in-progress. Ford also did his best to evade the question.

"There's a problem," Ford said, pretending to jiggle cables on his computer. "There's something wrong with our connection. I can't hear you. What? What?"

It was the wry smile that gave it away.

We got the joke, and the room burst with laughter. Once we settled down, Ford shared a little about his current work, enough to titillate, but no more. Yes, he's got a second novel in the works. It's currently in the hands of his editor, and tentatively slated for release about this time next year. This is a story about a young Japanese man who lives in the United States. After Pearl Harbor, he is sent back to Japan, where, eventually, he finds himself fighting for the Japanese.

And with that our last question, Pastor Laura brought our session to a close. We clapped and waved, and Ford smiled and waved back, and then it was over.

Gratitude:

Again, a big thank you to Jamie Ford for taking the time to Skype with us. We felt like he was in the same room with us. The time flew. We hope to see him again soon.

Thanks go to Jamie Ford also for generously offering to buy our next book. He sent us 30 copies of Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War, by Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss. We handed them out today. We're eager to dig in. We'll think of Jamie Ford as we turn the pages.

Thanks also to Darren and Jeff for setting up the room and the system, trouble shooting, remaining on hand to trouble shoot again, and then, when it was all over, for quietly packing up and stowing the equipment until next time.

Congratulations:

Bethel's homeless spiritual support group celebrated its second birthday yesterday.

Club News:

We meet next week at our usual time, in our usual location (room 216), for our first discussion of Tiger Force. Read through chapter 5 (page 61).

Also, if you have written a poem, short story or essay, and you'd like to read it to the group, bring it along (no more than 500 words).

See you next week. Keep reading.

Suzanne

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Come See the Paradise

2011-02-23T08:17:00.000-06:00

Japanese girl wearing tag on way to internment camp.

We laughed and we cried. Well I cried, anyway. One of us even sang along. And when it was over, we applauded.

We met in the Fireside Gallery to watch Come See the Paradise, a 1990 movie starring Dennis Quaid, Tamlyn Tomita and Sab Shimono. As promised, we started early, at 8AM, so that folks wouldn't be late getting to Spiritual Support group, which begins promptly at 10:30. Last time we ran late, Pastor Laura showed up, breathing down my neck. I didn't mind too much though; she brought her furry-four-legged friend Forest. Getting scolded is easier to take with Forest there.

With me today were Linda, Mark, Phyllis, Brad, Mike, Chris, Huffer, Hallis, Steve, Thomas, Tom, Jeremy, Ray, Ed, Tim, Billy, Doug, Phyllis, and a quiet man in a blue t-shirt whose name I didn't get. And just in case anyone was wondering, that was Tim singing along to Nevertheless, a song the movie returned to many times, like a touchstone.

The movie was a perfect companion to Hotel, illustrating the injustice of the Japanese internment during WWII. The movie also gave us a glimpse of the unsafe and unfair conditions many laborers endured at the time, as they struggled for union representation. But alas, the story goes, not all unions had the best interests of the workers in mind.

Nevertheless, the story was a good reminder that when tempted to strip others of their rights--no matter who they are or what the rationale--we ought to think twice.

Just because we can, doesn't mean we should.

Club News:

Jamie Ford standing in front of the
Panama Hotel in Seattle.

Chat with Jamie Ford!

Meet Tuesday March 1st at 8:30 in the Pentecost Sanctuary.
Our Skype begins at 9AM.

Book club supporters are welcome to attend. However, due to limited time and special situation, the interaction will be kept between book club members and the author. Thank you for understanding. Feel free to stick around after for donuts and coffee, and join our last discussion on Hotel.

Peace,
Suzanne

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