I spent 2 months this summer in a psychiatric outpatient program learning the skills of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. I wish every person in the world could have access to such skills. Here is the booklist that we were given: DBT Book list Brach, T. Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha Brantley, J. Calming Your Anxious Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Anxiety, Fear and Panic Burns, D.D. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy ____ When Panic Attacks: The New Drug Free Therapy Chapman, A. L. , Gratz, K.L. & Tull, M.T. Dialectical Behavior Therapy Workbook for Anxiety Forsyth, J.P. & Effert, G.H The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety Greenberger, D. & Padesky, C. Mind over Mood: Change the Way You Feel by Changing the Way You Think Hayes, S. C. & Smith S. Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Kabat-Zinn, J Wherever You Go, There You Are * ____ Full Catastrophe Living Linehan, M. Skills Training Manual for Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder Marra, T. Depressed and Anxious: The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Workbook for Overcoming Depression and Anxiety McKay, M., Wood, J.C., Brantley, J. Dialectical Behavior Therapy Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation and Distress Tolerance McQuaid, J. R., Carmona, P.E. & Segal, Z.V. A Peaceful Mind: Using Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Psychology to Overcome Depression Spradin, S. E. Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life: How Dialectical Behavior Therapy Can Put You in Control VanDijk, S. Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Bipolar Disorder Williams, M., Teasdale, J., Segal, Z. And Kabat-Zinn, J. The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness * Young, J. E. & Klosko, J. S. Reinventing Your Life: The Breakthrough Program to End Negative Behavior… and Feel Great Again

Cognitive dissonance in the Tea Party

Cognitive dissonance is a major disturbance in an individual's psyche. Just google it and read the highly educative results. You may be asking yourself why I bring this up. It's because in this one week alone from Monday April 15 through Saturday April 20, 2013 I have seen more examples of cognitive dissonance on the part of the Tea Party (aka in my mind as the Party of Hate and Fear) than I have ever seen in such a small amount of time. I really wonder how it is that their heads don't explode from all the contradictory stuff members of the Tea Party hold in tension. I really urge them to seek out mental health services. Examples: The accusation: Obama failed to keep the USA safe from terrorist attack on Mon in Boston. The rebuttal: Aside from the fact that right now the evidence points to what is called "lone wolf" terrorism (individuals acting alone which cannot be predicted), can the Tea Party really and truly forget that the largest act of terrorism, largest loss of American life on American soil fell on September 11, 1993 when terrorists acting under Osama Bin Laden et al, stole the lives of people in the Twin Towers the Pentagon and the exceedingly braver martyrs of Flight 93? Surely it was Bush2 who deserves to be accused of failing to protect the American people. The accusation: That on Tuesday after the Senate betrayed the American people and failed to represent their constituencies by accepting bribes from the NRA, that Obama was far more angry about that then he was about what happened in Boston. The rebuttal: He was obviously very upset about both. But even if he were more upset about the vote than the bombing, is it really so hard to understand that any President would not be blisteringly angry at the failure of elected representatives of the people to prefer bribes to actually representing the people. What President would not be angry at such blatant corruption on the part of Senators? I would have thought accepting bribes would be reason for recall. The request: There was a horrible explosion in a fertilizer plant in West, TX. Both Senators of TX and the Governor of TX have their hands out begging for government aid. The rebuttal: Both TX Senators voted against federal aid for victims of a natural disaster, Sandy, which caused major damage in 3 states, because of too much "pork" in federal spending. But it is not "pork", apparently, to beg for government aid for what happened in one town in one state. Aside from the hypocrisy, I have to ask these 2 Senators why it is their 1st thought is government aid and not to ask for money from the corporation that ran the plant? The rebuttal cont'd: Governor Perry, let us not forget, campaigned against Obama on the basis of too high levels of government spending. You know that old song "Tax and Spend Democrats have no Fiduciary Responsibility" as compared to the song of the Bush2 years. "Let's cut taxes and spend as if we hadn't." (Which fits no definition of fiscal responsibility I'm familiar with." Yet here's Perry with his hand out begging for that which he has condemned Democrats for favoring. And let us not forget, Perry wants TX to secede from the United States. But he'll take the money. I could go on and on. But let me address the example of cognitive dissonance that has gone viral: That Bush2 was a better President than Obama. The rebuttal: The problem here is that there are too many examples from which too choose. How about the fact that W was not actually elected the 1st time? Gore had the popular vote. Bush2 was inflicted upon us by appointment of SCOTUS. But let's set that aside since unfortunately there is no Way Back Machine to allow us to correct this error. I mentioned above that the largest loss of American life occurring on American soil was under the Bush2 watch. The rebuttal continues: The highest increase to the national debt occurred under Bush2 because of 2 wars. The war on Afghanistan was at least understandable. They were harboring those who had attacked our country. But the invasion of Iraq was a war crime because there was no good reason to invade it. Every single loss of lraqi life is a war crime for that reason alone, let alone the results of Bush2 decision that the Geneva Convention did not apply to Muslim prisoners. Sorry, Obama is not a war criminal and that alone makes him a better President. The one good thing I can say about the Tea Party and cognitive dissonance is that it is starting to break the Tea Party up. The Christianaistas are threatening to leave the GOP. They are turning on their own. The GOP claims that Fox news is hurting them is one example. Michelle Bachman serving on the House Intelligence committee and almost betraying top secret info in a public interview is another example. How about the fact that she committed ethics violations with her finances in her bid for the Presidency? But the best bit of cognitive dissonance is Glenn Beck's accusation that the investigation in to her ethics violation is the result her very own Chief of Staff who is her biggest accuser. So maybe we will see the inevitable results of forcing one's self to live with cognitive dissonance after all.

Can an author have more betrayed her readers?

A book review of 30 Pieces of Silver (The Betray Series) by Carolyn McCray. Contains SPOILERS The basic plot is this: in the modern day a Special Ops team needs this lady scientist to help track down Judas' 30 pieces of silver because, of course, they are just chock full of special powers. Meanwhile back in the day opf Jesus and Judas, which the author for some unfathomable reason incorrectly dates as AD 42, there is a plot afoot on the part of Jesus and family with the assistance of Judas, that Judas is personally selected by Jesus to betray him. Someone else is supposed to die on the cross so it can appear that Jesus arose from the dead (So Passover Plot, doncha know, so unoriginal on McCray's part). The twist is that Judas ends up dying on the cross and James' brother of Jesus stabs Jesus to death, leaving unanswered the whole question of what then was the powerful message that swept the Mediterranean Basin and changed human history. What I write below is what I posted to Amazon, where I bought the book for my Kindle: Really? Have any of you who write these reviews actually read this book? I have to ask because I cannot think of an occasion when an author has more betrayed that which is due the reader than this book. In fact, I think this author has acted in such an irresponsible manner toward her readers that I will never read another book by this author again. First of all, the title really should tell the reviewer what this book is about. Anyone who doesn't recognize the significance of 30 pieces of silver is just plain uneducated. Therefore I think it it extremely reprehensible of the author to place certain historical events 8 to 10 years later than they actually did. That is either a case of ignorance, misinformation, editing failure or a willful playing fast and loose with historical events. Given the rest of the book, I think the latter. Oh, sure the main events are page turners, the main characters likable, the developing love between the 2 main characters is mercifully free of pornographic details. BUT. The author raise certain "what ifs" about certain historical events. Almost a staple in these post modern times to come up with the "what ifs." However a responsible author would answer the "what ifs" she raises and this author does not. She leaves the biggest "what if" the world would ever have to face dangling, unanswered, ignored. That is just plain irresponsible. That is a betrayal of the implicit contract between author and reader. That is why I will never read anything by this author in the future. I don't think you should either.

Pentecost

Pentecost by Rabbi David Zaslow Passover and Easter: two moon linked sisters who long ago stopped speaking to one another: linked to the fullness of our hearts, and the fullness of God's grace. The moon of Sister Miriam desires freedom - the rescue her people from the cruelty of Pharaoh, by the outstretched, mighty hand of the Lord: a hand of salvation reaching down from heaven, and passing through my nation, and down through yours, and then to each and every one of us - so may it be! The moon of Mother Mary desires to give her light so that each man and woman may know the power of the resurrection, and the soil of death that holds the seeds rebirth within: a resurrection reaching upward, passing through all nations and up to God Almighty! Two celebrations: two women: Miriam and Mary, who don't even know they have the same name - one in Hebrew and one in Greek - yet inexorably linked to a single full moon. And then we each begin to count: we both count to fifty - beyond the forty days of Moses on Mt. Sinai and Jesus in the wilderness. We go beyond, one cycle further: to fifty, Shavuot, the Pentecost. Ours to the revelation of Torah at Sinai. Yours to the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Freedom and resurrection. Revelation and revelation. Twelve tribes and twelve disciples. One moon, two traditions. Two covenants, One God Shavuot and Pentecost: two cousins who have just begun to speak. And King David is singing to us from his tomb today: "Teach us to count our days that we may open our hearts to Your Wisdom." Some of us, thank God, are listening!Pentecost by Rabbi David Zaslow Passover and Easter: two moon linked sisters who long ago stopped speaking to one another: linked to the fullness of our hearts, and the fullness of God's grace. The moon of Sister Miriam desires freedom - the rescue her people from the cruelty of Pharaoh, by the outstretched, mighty hand of the Lord: a hand of salvation reaching down from heaven, and passing through my nation, and down through yours, and then to each and every one of us - so may it be! The moon of Mother Mary desires to give her light so that each man and woman may know the power of the resurrection, and the soil of death that holds the seeds rebirth within: a resurrection reaching upward, passing through all nations and up to God Almighty! Two celebrations: two women: Miriam and Mary, who don't even know they have the same name - one in Hebrew and one in Greek - yet inexorably linked to a single full moon. And then we each begin to count: we both count to fifty - beyond the forty days of Moses on Mt. Sinai and Jesus in the wilderness. We go beyond, one cycle further: to fifty, Shavuot, the Pentecost. Ours to the revelation of Torah at Sinai. Yours to the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Freedom and resurrection. Revelation and revelation. Twelve tribes and twelve disciples. One moon, two traditions. Two covenants, One God Shavuot and Pentecost: two cousins who have just begun to speak. And King David is singing to us from his tomb today: "Teach us to count our days that we may open our hearts to Your Wisdom." Some of us, thank God, are listening!

Book of Lost Fragrances by MJ Rose

This is a review of the Book of Lost Fragrances by MJ Rose. The review will be published on Amazon and on my blog at http://knitternun.blogspot.com/.

Rarely has the book blurb been so far off the track as it is for this book. It makes it sound like an interesting fun book when in reality is a book that makes no sense. I am surprised that Simojn and Schuster would stoop so low.



For one thing, it is not formated properly for the Kindle. Rules of grammar are ignored. Paragraphing is all over the place. I would not recommend anyone spend any money for the knindle edition of this book as the publisher has made it quite clear it can't invest its time, money and effort to make the Kindle edition readable.

The second maion problem with this book is that it has a least 6 different story lines of which only 2 are resolved. The writing is sloppy, the editing worse. The main idea is that the hero and heroine, brother and sister, are trying to recreate a lost but famous fragrance.

In reality, who cares? The reader won't care because the author doesn't care. I feel like this is a first draft that has been published when in reality it needs extensive editing and rewriting to be worth money. I am glad i got it for free on netgalley.com

How relevant is the Book of Common Prayer

I lurk on a list about the Episcopal Church. I'm an Episcopalian myself. We have this Book of Common Prayer which includes all of the most common of services such as Eucharist, Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination, Reconciliation, Burial. We also have in it two forms of Daily Prayers: Morning, Noon, Evening and Compline. I like to call the latter the night might service.

I mention all this for the benefit of those who may have never heard of the BCP as we like to call it. On this list where I lurk, someone mentioned a new collection of prayers that are now available for use and raised the question of how kosher is their use since they are not part of the BCP. We Episcopalians are know to be big on right order and appropriateness. The original question then raised questions about the relevancy of the BCP to the 21st Century, how are we gonna keep them down in the pews now that any number of other things happen on Sunday mornings. And has the BCP lost its entertainment value.

Perhaps it is because I've spent 29 years as Benedictine, albeit as a solitary, but what I value about the BCP is the ability to sink into the words. We Benedictine read the same portion of the Rule on the same day every year except for a bit of slight of hand in Leap Years. When we pray the Daily Office, we pray the same psalms on the same days , often at the same time of day. Day in and day out. Year in and year out.

Some gentle readers maybe thinking "oh yuck, could it get more boring than this?" IMO, if that is the reaction, it is because the reactor is looking for the wrong thing. The point of the RB is the same as the point of the BCP. Both are meant to form Christians as Christians to serve and love the Most High God, to learn to love unconditionally every other person in the world and to find Christ in every man, woman and child.

There are rhythms and currents within the RB and the BCP that get inside a person and work on one much in the same way, I think , as the sacraments do. Sure the sacraments pin us to a moment, the moment when we participated in the sacrament but the BCP And the RB take us to a place outside of the space-time continuum to where the Holy Spirit can have Her way with us and us probably unknowing of it until we are changed, subtly and inexorably.

I know this because I think I first began to experience this current BCP through the Green Book in I believe autumn of 1974. Which is also when I finally began to attend a TEC parish regularly for the 1st time. So let's round up and subtract 1975 from 2011 and that gives us 36 years of exposure to the '79 BCP. I am a much better person today then I was. I will spare you the details. I still have significant problems. But almost 4 decades of praying the same words day in and out, year in out, decade in and out have contributed to making me stronger, healthier, nicer, all that good stuff. Most important, I begin to get a glimpse of what iot really means to be a Christian.

Seems to me that TEC may be loosing sight of that. Seems to me TEC may be falling into the trap of thinking that liturgy should have entertainment value. If we switch to that way of thinking, then we lose the formative aspect of the BCP and the liturgies it communicates.

Yes I know it may feel more than a bit like how are we gonna keep down on the farm now that they've seen Paree. I know around here in San Diego, many of our churches are losing members to mega churches with exciting power point presentations, strobe lights and rock music. And yes, I know that God can use anything and God does use everything, but where is the challenge to grow and develop into the full stature of Christ in these mega churches with their checklists of what it is to be a Christian and if a person can't check everything off they are not saved.

I don't think we can pick and choose what parts of Scripture we are going to follow and I don't think we can pick and choose parts of the BCP. The entirety of both is for our very best good to help us present ourselves as an offering to God.

Thinking about America's economic woes

Over the last year or so, the number of beggars has increased in my city. There always were some but nothing like the numbers there are now. At literally every major and some not so major intersection, there are beggars. It breaks my heart to see them. I tend to believe their need is genuine because would people really expose themselves to that level of humiliation were it not absolutely their last resort? What is a Christian response?

What I would like to do except it is beyond my means, is to put together bags of basics such as cans of pop top chicken or tuna, juice, fruit, cookies, plastic flatware, napkins. Maybe also some travel sized toiletries. I live well below the poverty line for a single person myself, so I just can't do it. But I throw the idea out there for you, Gentle Reader. Maybe you are in a better place than to extend this small bit of comfort.

It's not enough, though, now is it? What is our Christian duty to God and our neighbor? It seems to me that each of us must undertake work, probably painful, to examine our relationship to wealth, money, possessions. And by "we", I mean all who call themselves Christians. We must allow the Holy Spirit in. Otherwise I fear we are all the rich young man whom Jesus loved but had to watch him walk away because the man loved his stuff more. I think this will hurt if we allow the Holy Spirit to have Her way with us.

But here's a simple way to start: how much do you spend at Starbucks in a year? I can't claim to know the prices there, but let's say a person spends $5 a day 5 days a week for a weekly expenditure of $25 a week. Multiply that by 52 weeks and it is a staggering $1300.00 a year. What is that same person buys lunch those same 5 days a week and it costs $10 a day. That adds up to another $2600.00 And what if that same person gets a mid-afternoon Starbucks every day, which would be another $1300.00. That's $5200.00 a year.

It's not my place to say whether or not this person should or should not do this. But isn't it a worthwhile question? Especially if that person also claims s/he cannot afford to tithe. My point is that we Americans can be very non-thinking when it comes to what we think we deserve. My point is that we embrace our luxuries at the expense of other Americans who lack the means to thrive. How can a Christian really justify it? Only through denial and a refusal to face up to one's own individual responsibility.

We also have to shake off all political rhetoric and oratory and just look at the facts. I am no economist but I am an observer. What I have observed is that "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is no longer extended to every American citizen. I suggest part of why that is so is because we have changed the definition of happiness so that is more dependent on externals than it is on the person within. As if what we can buy is going to make and keep us happy.

I would welcome a list of facts and figures such as comparing where we are today to where we were 25 years ago. Has the incidence of homelessness increased? Has the dependency upon food stamps increased? How long is the wait to get rental assistance? What are the employment figures?

Frankly, I don't know enough to know all the questions one should ask. But there is a reason America is in an economic crisis and the reasons are bigger than whether or not the Bush tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans were extended. I suspect that if we were to simply compare facts and figures, allowing for population growth or decline, we would find that it started about 30 years ago when I new approach to our country's economics was implement. I suspect that we will find that it is very very horribly true that the rich are getting wealthier and not only are the poor getting poorer but the number of poor increased and will continue to increase.

We Christians must look anew at all the Bible says about wealth and money and the poor. We must allow the Holy Spirit to soften our hard hearts, to make all of us, rich and poor less greedy. What we need is conversion of life, Conservatio Morum, to conform ourselves to the Bible. Rather than trying to make the Bible conform to us.

Were we to do that we just might find ourselves moved to compel our politicians to so change things so that every single American has a roof over their heads, food in the home, means to prepare it, decent affordable medical care, clothing proper to the climate, heat, water, whatever is necessary to thrive.

And maybe that starts with giving up those $5 coffees and $10 lunches.