what is going on in the world

A few recent events, developments and opportunities; some are enjoyable, some call for prayer, some are occasions for learning. When time permits I enjoy watching SEC football (not ACC) on Saturdays, and the Georgia-Alabama game, won by Georgia in OT, was exciting. I am reading some of the developments related to the crisis in the 77 million member Anglican Communion, a complex set of issues, sorted out most recently in their gathering in New Orleans; the only hope for any outcome other than schism seems to be the spirit of God, and the wise leadership of Archbishop Rowan Williams. Still, I anticipate a fracture of that communion, with the majority in the global south defining that tradition's future, in reality, as the church of North America proceeds toward decline. If you have not listened to the voices of the church's global south, I urge you to read the essay by the present Archbishop of Uganda, Henri Luke Orambi. I would not agree with everything in his article, posted at First Things (seek link to the right), but I am humbled by the witnesses of the martyrs of his church. At the moment I am watching the beginning of the Ken Burns series, War, which traces the effect of WWII on four American cities: Leverne, Minnesota; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramenta, California; and Waterbury, Connecticutt. I take the Iraqi government's reckoning with the Blackwater incident (Blackwater is a private enterprise that provides security for U.S. leaders in Iraq) to be a significant moment in that country's determination of its own destiny. Some very good work was begun in our Annual Conference delegation related to the discernment of a possible candidate for Bishop. That will move forward, slowly, in the months ahead. And lastly, Jacques Lamour, the young man from Haiti who lives with us, is the subject of a feature television segment produced by Central Piedmont Community College (seek the link to the right). Congratulations, Jack!