On Hot Fun in the Summertime: Bonita muscled us into our "parking spot"

With temperatures in the 90's this past weekend, we headed for the water for a little hot fun in the summertime.. We weren't the only ones. At one point we ran into what looked like the Lake Cushman equivalent of spring break in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

 

We've never canoed Lake Cushman. It's a reservoir, which don't usually have an interesting shoreline by our standards. But I remembered that the upper end of Lake Cushman might offer something suitable.

 

Boy, it was crowded getting there. There were hundreds of young people parked along the gravel road in the hot, hot sunshine. We kept going, hoping for something a bit less congested. We found a spot to park, right at the edge of the Olympic National Park entrance to the Staircase.

 

We dragged the canoe down a hillside and put into the water. The highlight for us was having lunch on an island -- an island in the river that flowed into the lake. The Island didn't exist in 2006 when this Google map satellite image was last obtained, I notice.

 

 

Bonita muscled us into our "parking spot."

 

 

 

I noticed that from our paddle you could see Mt Rose, which we had tried to climb earlier this year before running out of daylight. You can see the slideshow of that hike here. -gw

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On Kalthleen Comes to Devotion: It's all about unity

Kathleen came to our Thursday devotions. She had visited the Baha'i booth at Ethnic Fest. Her story, as we learned, goes back 50 years. She participated in Baha'i community life back in 1961, but has been out of touch with Baha'is for years since. Her current passion is for Unity, the church founded by  Charles S. Fillmore in 1893. Unity -- what a name for a church, with reference in its name to, Baha'is would say, the spirit of the age, the pressing need towards which humanity is inevitably moving. The Unity School of Christianity is the largest of the New Thought metaphysical movements to come out of 19th Century America.

 

She loves world mujsic, I learned to my delight, the genre the best defines most of  the music on myu iod.. All I have up on our comuter in the living room is music by Baha'is, so that is what I played. "Meek and Lowly" from the Badasht album, a track of Kevin Locke's Earth Gift, "Remover of Diofficulies" from Mobious Street by the Bohnhoffs, "Bahji" by Randy Armstong and company, Tierney Sutton's opening track on Desire, and the like. These are not world beat tunes per se, but they constitute music from my world lately.

 

So I had a chance to share what is dear to me. She talked about the possibility of my sharing my music at her church. She said she would talk to the pastor.

 

Also present Thursday were Rocky and Cornelia with precious Liam playing with bristle blocks out on the front porch. -gw

 

 

 

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On Seasons Start and Seasons End: It starts with boys and ends with men

 

Tomorrow is Jamboree Day, a time for all the teams in the Upper Tacoma Youth Athletics football league to gather. Coach Charles and the Tacoma Tigers will be there. It will be bright, sunny and warm tomorrow, in stark contrast to last Saturday, which was chilly and dreary.

 

Last Saturday evening Coach Charles was up in Shoreline with the Tacoma Invaders who were playing a championship game under dark skies with occasional rain. The game didn't go well for the team, unfortunately. The mood of Invaders afterwards, like the skies, was somber.

 

One season ends and another begins. With nary a bit of a break, Coach Charles has four days of Tigers practice all in a row, then the Jamboree, more evenings of practice next week, and then the UTYA  season kick-off for the Tigers against the Panthers in a game played at old Truman Middle School on August 21st.

 

Seasons start and seasons end.

It starts with boys. It ends with men.

 

(Hey, that rhymes!)

 

BTW, Upper Tacoma is a newer name for the Hilltop neighborhood. -gw

 

 

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On the Hardest Thing for Old Baha'is to Learn to Do: To offer a home visit first

 

The hardest thing for old Baha'is to learn in the new era of Baha'i teaching is not to feel compelled to invite seekers to activities that are outside the seekers own home. Come to my devotional/fireside/holy day observance or whatever! Best to first nurture the relationship with the seeker within the familiarity of the seeker's own home, rather than callenge them right at the outset to enter into the unknown of going to another home/center/other location.

 

Home visits should be the first step. And second. And third. Offer to do children's classes first in the seeker's own home, before trying to draw them into one somewhere else -- unless the children's class is in the seeker's own apartment complex or immediate vicinity. Offer to hold a devotional in their home first. Offer to start a study circle in their home first.

 

Of course, seekers themselves are conditioned to think in terms of going to a place (church) or to an event (service). "Where do you meet?" we're asked. "We meet in people's homes," we answer. Even though we tell them where they can go to be with us, often they don't take us up on our offer. It's human nature to feel hesitant to step out of the realm of the familiar for the unfamiliar. "May we meet in your home?" we should be asking. "What's a good day and time?"

 

I'm speaking to myself here, folks. -gw

 

 

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On the Judicial Process Was Seriously Flawed: Contrary to Iran's own national legislation regarding fair trial rights

Summary: 12 August 2010, Brussels - Declaration by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton on behalf of the European Union on the sentencing of seven Baha'i leaders in Iran

The European Union expresses its serious concern about the sentencing of seven Baha'i leaders in Iran to 20 years imprisonment and calls for their immediate release. The verdict appears to be based on the defendants belonging to a religious minority and the judicial process was seriously flawed, respecting neither Iran's international commitments under the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) nor its national legislation regarding fair trial rights.

The EU recalls that freedom of thought, conscience and religion are fundamental rights which must be guaranteed under all circumstances according to article 18 of the ICCPR which the Islamic Republic of Iran has signed up to and ratified.

The EU calls on Iran to put an end to the persecution of the Baha'i community.

http://www.europa-eu-un.org/articles/en/article_10020_en.htm

 

The voices grow louder. -gw

 

See also

• Statement by HR Catherine Ashton on imminent executions in Iran (6/7/2010)
• The EU approves new sanctions against Iran  (17/6/2010)

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On So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu: Mothers move on

 

Women get to move between different careers with ease. Women are lucky. They get to have babies. And care for them devotedly. My boss said there must be a gene somewhere that gets triggered whenever we see babies. -gw

 

http://www.bahaiprayers.org/child3.htm

Bahá’í prayers for infants

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On Baha'i Acronyms Galore: Here today, but maybe something else tomorrow

 

Note the acronyms up on the white board at the Baha'i core teams meeting in Bellevue.

 

The slide presentation below is a couple of years old. Maybe there are some new acronyms that have emerged that are not included, or maybe some of the acronyms described here have been retired. It wouldn't surprise me either way. The evolution of the Baha'i Cause is moving at an increasingly rapid pace. What is current today may be obsolescent and all but forgotten tomorrow, given our culture of learning.

 

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On Washington Baha'i Core Teams Compare Notes: Growing confidence

 

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend a gathering of Washington state Baha'i core teams and Auxiliary Board members, facilitated by the Northwest Regional Baha'i Council. It was a chance for the friends to compare notes and be inspired by one another's stories.

 

 

 

"Oh, that didn't go good." I remember the meeting! -gw

 

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On Timelines: Old and new

/

 

There is nothing like a chart to put things in perspective. In this case, it is Ruth Moffatt's classic timeline, used as a reference at Robert and Linda's Baha'i deepening class. And there is that handy timeline search function on Google. -gw

 

 

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On My Evening Explorations in Music: Wonderment

These were my discoveries tonight surfing Baha'i music links. -gw

 

 

Paco Gatsby's CDs. Founded by trumpeter/arranger Bob Porter, whose credits range from Lassie and Laugh In to Kay Starr and more, a travelling pioneer for the Baha'i Faith who moved to Guatemala in 1970.

 

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/paco6

 

ORA TAMBÓ brings together prayers by Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb with the sacred African drumming traditions of Cuban Santería, Haitian Vodoun, Colombian Lumbalú, Puerto Rican Bomba, Bush Negro Winti and Brazilian Candomblé, as a universally viable way, along with other modes, of expressing the veneration of the sacred which lies at the very heart of every culture.

 

http://www.istvandely.com/oratambo.htm

 

Official 2008 Beijing Olympics Song

 

http://www.philmorrisontrio.com/

 

Before the Talking Heads recorded Remain in Light, before Peter Gabriel programmed his drum machines to play African polyrhythms, before Paul Simon and Graceland, and before the term "world music" was ever coined, there was Do'ah.The band was founded in 1974 by two New Hampshire musicians of eclectic musical skills and taste, Randy Armstrong and Ken LaRoche. Do'ah was one of the very first groups to combine musical instruments and traditions from all over the world to form a new unified whole

 

http://www.treasuresofwonderment.com/featured-artist/randy-armstrong

 

Featuring 14 tracks of beautiful prayers, sacred writings and poems by 'Abdu'l-Baha and Ruhiyyih Khanum. Grant has also written several story songs as well as a sing-along children's song about Baha'u'llah. He has just returned from a successful concert tour of Canada where 'Bridsong' was enthusiastically received. 

 

http://www.treasuresofwonderment.com/grant-hindin-miller-cd-birdsong

 

Appealing to young and old alike, Mitra’s music blends adult sophistication with youthful exuberance addressing the universal questions of life and love. Genre: Pop: Quirky

 

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mitradjalili

 

The legendary jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson said of Rachael "I think she´s brilliant, I love her.… There´s so much that´s good: the body, the depth, the warmth, and the enunciation!"  Price’s latest recording, her fourth CD, was produced by KC Porter, featuring notable studio artists like Brian Bromberg, Vinnie Colaiuta, Dean Parks and Shelly Berg.  Rachael has been singing with the Voices of Bahá since the age of nine.

 

http://www.treasuresofwonderment.com/featured-artist/rachael-price

 

Treasures of Wonderment

 

http://www.treasuresofwonderment.com/

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On What If I Am a Baha'i: Then no, you can't go

Source: Youtube, The Huffington Post, TehranLive

 

Over coffee and pastries he was very optimistic that I should have no problems coming in and leaving, even as a journalist covering the elections, things were not so bad he said. His writing reflected a realist and positive view on Iran's political development. "Things are changing, the government is changing," I've heard him explain more than once to crowds at book signings.

I didn't want to press him too much but I had a specific concern: What if I am a Baha'i?

"Can you be proven to be a Baha'i?" He asked, "By the authorities in Iran?"

I told him I had published a story once in an interfaith college newsletter in undergrad that mentioned in the tagline that I was a member of the Baha'i faith.

"Then no, you can't go. Get that article off the server at the college before you ever think of going."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maryam-ishani/what-is-the-future-of-rel_b_676180.html

 

Above and below, Huffington posts that mention Baha'i. -gw

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/searchS/?q=baha%27i

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On Civil Discourse: A benefit to comment moderation

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/09/bahai-leaders-sentenced-t_n_676235.html

 

One thing I noticed as I looked through the dozens of comments to the post on the "sentencing" of the Baha'i leaders in Iran that appeared in The Huffington Post, was that comments on that site are moderated. Meaning --  vitriolic drivel is not permitted to get through. The net result is discourse that is reasonably civil. For Baha'is that means, since we are called to a high standard, that our clarifications and corrections, as in the case of the comments by Wendy1844 to this post, have a good chance of being heard.

 

Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post

Offers syndicated columnists, blogs and news stories with moderated comments.

www.huffingtonpost.com/

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On a Found Baha'i: Grateful for community

A great discovery during the recent intensive teaching campaign that focused on the jurisdiction of Gig Harbor with the purpose to moving it towards Assembly status was the opportunity for the friends to connect with a dear soul who became a Baha'i 57 years ago, but who had not been previously in touch with local Baha'is. . She came to Baha'i Feast, read a prayer, and offered  a lovely testimony. -gw

 

 

 

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On the Price to Pay: Iran's standing in the world in the face of the "sentences" of Baha'i leaders

 

SaberiRoxana

  Horrible news! Please spread the word that reports say the 7 leaders of Iran's Baha'i community have each been... http://fb.me/F8xf3cIG about 23 hours ago via Facebook

 

There are hundreds of tweets such as the one above that have accumulated on Twitter since word was received about the long "sentence" reportedly given the seven Baha'i leaders.  The CNN Belief Blog post on it has received dozens of comments.

 

Here is the BWNS story: http://news.bahai.org/story/786

 

There are 744 items that come up for the past 24 hours googing "Baha'i sentence Iran." 

Baha'i Leaders Sentenced in Iran - The Corner - National Review Online

Iranian Baha'i Leaders Given Long Sentences - Radio Free Europe ...

Religion Clause: Baha'i Leaders In Iran Sentenced To 20 Years

Shocking Outcome: Reports say Iran's Bahá'í leaders “sentenced ...

 

The seven have reportedly been transferred to the Rajai-Shahr Prison in Kajaf, Iran.

 

 

Iran's standing in the world continues to decline with actions such this. Of course, back in the 1980's entire Baha'i national assemblies were killed by the current regime. Death to these Baha'is they don't dare mete out, however, given the already incredibly negative press the current regime has earned through the injustice of the "trial" of these innocents. The price of death to these Baha'is, however, has become simply too high for the latter-day persecutors in Iran to pay.

 

Thanks to Robert of Northwest BahaiLibrary for first informing me of this development. -gw

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On Loving both Old School and Ruhi: Folks, it's not 'either/or' but 'and'

 

It was a busy weekend that started with the disconcerting circumstance of Posterous being under a Denial of Service attack admidst a switchover to a new data center that meant that my post Friday morning didn't show up until sometime Saturday. Not that I was sitting at my computer much over the weekend. I attended a Baha'i core teams regional meeting in Bellevue Saturday, and worked Sunday on an extensive "honey do" list for Bonita, who is back from Montana. But we still made time to attend Robert and Linda's "Torch of Faith" deepening, having the opportunity to see both Chris and Lisa there as well.

 

I call it my "Old School" deepening. I love basking in the love of the group of friends gathered underneath the skylight in Robert and Linda's doublewide surrounded by books and studying the Holy Scripture from all the world's major religions in a format that was developed back in the 90's when we had "entry by troupe" (that's another story), just like I like listening to old school music(which, for me, which might be, say, the Gap Band). Just as I love the Ruhi books and study circles of today, I will never lose my love for either the deepenings or the music. It's not "either/or" -- it's "and." Paul Lample talked about this in his talk in June. I'm looking forward to the time when Charles and Jeff can join me one of these Sunday afternoons. That's something I'm working on it.

 

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On the Clergy: Deserving of protection or an outmoded relic?

...clergy have seen their job descriptions rewritten. They’re no longer expected to offer moral counsel in pastoral care sessions or to deliver sermons that make the comfortable uneasy. Church leaders who continue such ministerial traditions pay dearly. A few years ago, thousands of parishioners quit Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minn., and Community Church of Joy in Glendale, Ariz., when their respective preachers refused to bless the congregations’ preferred political agendas and consumerist lifestyles.

I have faced similar pressures myself. In the early 2000s, the advisory committee of my small congregation in Massachusetts told me to keep my sermons to 10 minutes, tell funny stories and leave people feeling great about themselves. The unspoken message in such instructions is clear: give us the comforting, amusing fare we want or we’ll get our spiritual leadership from someone else.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/opinion/08macdonald.html

~Alex ~~~~~ Notes From An Alien -- My Current Project

Alex notes this article in the NYT citing burnout as an issue among Christian clergy. It's hard to be pastor. The clergy today are something of an endangered species deserving of protection, the book at the top appears to be touting. Of course, Baha'u'llah made it clear what the clergy should do in this day. -gw

SUMMONS TO THE WORLD’S RELIGIOUS LEADERS

COLLECTIVELY

• “O LEADERS of religion! Weigh not the Book of…”
• “O CONCOURSE of divines! When My verses were sent…”
• “HOW long will ye, O concourse of divines, level the…”
• “O CONCOURSE of divines! Can any one of you race with…”
• “WHEN We observed carefully, We discovered that Our…”
• “O YE the dawning-places of knowledge! Beware that ye…”
• “THOSE divines … who are truly adorned with the ornament…”
• “THE divine whose conduct is upright, and the sage who…”
• “THE divine who hath seized and quaffed the most holy…”
• “GREAT is the blessedness of that divine that hath not…”
• “O CONCOURSE of divines! Ye shall not henceforth behold…”
• POPE PIUS IX

THE CLERGY AND PEOPLE OF VARIOUS FAITHS

• “At one time We address the people of the Torah and summon…”
• “CALL out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce the…”
• “THE Most Great Law is come, and the Ancient Beauty…”
• “THE Breath hath been wafted, and the Breeze hath…”
• “LEND an ear unto the song of David. He saith: ‘Who will…”
• “O CONCOURSE of Christians! We have, on a previous…”
• “WE, verily, have come for your sakes, and have borne…”
• “O CONCOURSE of patriarchs! He Whom ye were promised…”
• “O CONCOURSE of archbishops! He Who is the Lord of…”
• “O CONCOURSE of bishops! Trembling hath seized all the…”
• “O CONCOURSE of bishops! Ye are the stars of the heaven…”
• “O CONCOURSE of priests! Leave the bells, and come…”
• “O CONCOURSE of priests! The Day of Reckoning hath…”
• “O CONCOURSE of monks! Seclude not yourselves in…”
• “O CONCOURSE of monks! If ye choose to follow Me, I…”
• “CONSIDER, likewise, how numerous at this time are the…”
• “READ ye the Evangel and yet refuse to acknowledge the…”
• “PERUSED ye not the Qur’án? Read it, that haply ye may…”
• “BY Him Who is the Great Announcement! The All-Merciful…”
• “O CONCOURSE of Persian divines! In My name ye have…”
• “O YE divines of the City! We came to you with the…”
• “BECAUSE of you the Apostle (Muhammad) lamented,…”
• “OF all the peoples of the world, they that have suffered…”
• “IN this day the world is redolent with the fragrances of the…”
• “O CONCOURSE of divines!… Lay aside that which ye…”
• “O HIGH priests! Ears have been given you that they may…”
• “WHATSOEVER hath been announced in the Books hath…”
• “THIS is not the day whereon the high priests can command…”
• “O HIGH priests! The Hand of Omnipotence is stretched…”

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On the Tacoma Invaders Are in the Championship Game: Take it to the limit

With every sacrifice that is made, with every forward step that is taken along the toilsome and long road they are destined to tread, with every victory dearly and laboriously won by the champions, ... a measure of blessing from on high will undoubtedly be vouchsafed...

 

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/UD/ud-434-printable.html

 

The above quote is with regard to the champions of the Cause of Baha'u'llah. I have champions on my mind right now because the Tacoma Invaders football team are facing a championship game this weekend. There is a measure of blessing in excelling in sports.

 

Charles returned to Tacoma from visiting family back east just in time. While he was gone his Tacoma Invader's have had a series of victories that hve put them into the championship game to be played this weekend. With all the ups and downs of the season, folks perhaps weren't expecting this outcome as recently as a few weeks ago. In fact, he said, some players had jumped ship to other teams thinking their chances of making it to the championship game would be improved by doing so. I suspect they are feeling a little chagrined about their lack of faith at this point. And in the words of the music loop that comes on when you check the Invader's website, I hope the team "takes it to the limit." If they win, they go to Vegas to participate in determining a national champion. Follow the champions on Baha'i Views. -gw

 

The Tacoma Invaders advance to WWFA Championship with a win over the South King County colts 28 - 14. Invaders will play The Seattle Stallions This Saturday August 7th at Shoreline District Stadium at 6:00pm.

INVADERS Practice for the WWFA CHAMPIONSHIP! We practice on August the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th at Jennie Reed Elementary 6:00pm.

 

http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=tacomainvaders

 

Date	Status	Score	Headline
7/31/2010	W	Tacoma Invaders 28  South King County Colts 14	Tacoma Invaders make WWFA 2010 Championship!
7/24/2010	W	Tacoma Invaders 42  Snohomish Co. Thunder 6	Invaders 1st WWFA 2010 playoff WIN!
7/17/2010	L	Washington Caviliers 15  Tacoma Invaders 14	Invaders lose close none league game.
7/10/2010	W	Tacoma Invaders 58  Olympic Penninsula Eagles 6	Invaders 2nd Leauge WIN
6/26/2010	L	Seattle Stallions 62  Tacoma Invaders 0	Invaders 4th League lose.
6/19/2010	W	Tacoma Invaders 38  Renton Ravens 14	Invaders WIN BIG VS CFL 2009 Champs Renton Ravens.
6/12/2010	L	Northwest Terminatiors 30  Tacoma Invaders 22	Invaders Lose 3rd League Game
6/5/2010	L	South King County Colts 48  Tacoma Invaders 8	Invaders Lose 2nd Leauge Game.
5/29/2010	L	Tacoma Cobras (PDFL) 60  Tacoma Invaders 0	INVADERS LOSE NONE LEAGUE GAME.
5/22/2010	L	Bellingham Blitz (PDFL) 36  Tacoma Invaders 6	INVADERS LOSE NONE LEAGUE GAME.
5/15/2010	W	Tacoma Invaders 35  Tacoma Warriors 0	WARRIORS FORFEIT! INVADERS WIN!
5/8/2010	L	Snohomish Co. Thunder 8  Tacoma Invaders 6	1st WWFA LOSE 2010 SEASON
5/1/2010	W	Tacoma Invaders 26  Washington Caviliers 6	INVADERS 1ST NONE LEAGUE WIN 2010 SEASON
4/24/2010	L	Pacific NW Wildcats 15  Tacoma Invaders 12	1ST CFL LOSE 2010 SEASON

 

http://www.leaguelineup.com/games.asp?cmenuid=8&url=tacomainvaders&sid=500419943

 

Past Invader's coverage on Baha'i Views:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85934826@N00/collections/72157624002740952/

 

A really exciting game, even though it ended in a loss:

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On Googling 'Ferraby Lionheart Baha'i': All things made new

Wow, there sure is a lot of current stuff today on Google to a keyword word search for "Ferraby Lionheart Baha'i."

So he's named after John Ferraby, author of the classic introduction of the Baha'i Faith, All Things Made New. I loved that book. I wonder whatever happened to my copy?

I'm gonna listen to the new Ferraby Lionheart's Jack of Hearts album on my way to work tomorrow. Today I listened to his 2007 Catch the Brass Ring. "They say" the new one is even better. He's quite an unusual songwriter. -gw

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. << Revelation 21:5 >> King James Version, Holy Bible

http://bible.cc/revelation/21-5.htm

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On Thou Hast Watched Over Me in the Heart of This Mountain: The evidences of Thy mighty splendour

 

Many members of the Dannells family have been in Glacier Park this week, taking in the view. Neither my son Tarazulllah nor me could make it. In anticipation of seeing the pictures I will soon be seeing from the Montana adventure, here is a pic of Taraz up on Mount Rainier taken a few years ago. -gw

 

HOW can I praise Thee, O Lord, for the evidences of Thy mighty splendour and for Thy wondrous sweet savours which Thou hast imparted to Me in this fortress, in such measure that nothing in the heavens or on the earth can compare with them? Thou hast watched over Me in the heart of this mountain where I am compassed by mountains on all sides. One hangeth above Me, others stand on My right and My left and yet another riseth in front of Me. Glory be unto Thee, no God is there but Thee. How often have I seen rocks from the mountain hurtling down upon Me, and Thou didst protect Me therefrom and preserved Me within the stronghold of Thy divine Unity.

 

The Bab

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/tb/SWB/swb-168-printable.html

Baha'i Reference Library

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On a Feast Letter Calling for Accompaniment: To whom is it addressed?

 

To see a real change in the quality of our clusters we need to see increased accompaniment at all levels. The coordinators will need to work closely with the tutors, the animators and the teachers of children classes. They will need to consciously work on improving the quality of our core activities so that the process of the transformation of society moves ahead at a faster speed. Accompaniment also needs to become the mode of functioning of our administrative institutions. Being in a learning mode and accompanying others are probably the two qualities that institutions need to imbibe. Speaking of learning, one thing we need to learn is how to apply the revelation of Baha’u’llah to the problems facing mankind. As learning takes place in this area we will be better able to cope with the challenges facing our community and the world at large.

 

So to whom is this addressed? It sounds like something that the friends in Tacoma might receive from one of the Baha'i institutions. This is an excerpt from a Feast letter, but not from the National Assembly here in the States, but from a Regional Baha'i Council in India. It demonstrates how unified in the plan the Baha'is around the world have become that we would be hearing a message directed to the friends there that sounds so appropriate to the needs of the A-clusters right here at home.

 

Here is another excerpt from that letter:

 

When we teach the Faith today we are not worried whether the person enrolls or not.What our concern is, am I building his capacity so that he is able to join us in building communities?

 

The letter notes...

 

How two decades back our main concern was enrolling the

masses...

 

Today the focus is on making friends.

 

The House says our culture has to move a little further. The House says it is not enough that you learn Anna’s presentation and go and give that, it says yes, learn Anna’s presentation, but use it for aconversation, and it says that teaching is establishing friendship with the seeker and the House says it is a friendship and connection of hearts and partly, Anna’s presentation. It is the depth of the conversation that these two friends have. The result of it may be a declaration, or the result of it is that this friend may say “I will join you in what you are doing to transform society’. And the House says both are accepted.

 

This from a country that has the most Baha'is of any in the world, The Indian community is not concerned with enrollments; those come inevitably. It is interested in changing lives and involving dedicated souls, Baha'i or not, in the Baha'i core activities that have the power to change the planet, neighborhood by neighborhood.

 

The wonderful Zabine passed on this letter.

 

Zabine Van Ness

Our new seeker website:

http://www.hearttoheartpublications.com

 

And here is a very recent video uploaded to YouTube by dear Praveen. -gw

 

spraveenitpro | July 28, 2010

The Junior Youth of the Ashalaya School of under privileged Children in Bangalore india learning to sing the "Smile Song" as part of their Junior Youth Empowerment program every wednesday , The purpose of the program is to assit youth to develop a sense of responsibility, feel empowered for service, foster spiritual identity, create a moral structure in their lives, overcome peer pressure and develop the power of expression (by transforming thoughts, words and actions through study and service).

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