Today I willingly surrendered my magnum opus to the expertiise of the Indianapolis Business Journal book publishing staff for layout and cover design.  Not too long from now I’ll have a proof and finally a print and an e-book version.

None of the name brand publishers I queried chose to consider Sleuthing the Truth in the near future, though several wished me well with very gracious rejection letters. But perhaps the best response wasn’t elegant at all. instead it was brutally honest. It started out rather matter-of-factly, suggesting that if they wanted a book on my topic they’d publish one by a “recognized expert”, a “famous person,” who speaks to audiences weekly. (Translation! Recognized, already well-known author who doesn’t need the publisher to sell books – publishers don’t do that!) I got the message loud and clear.

So I’m preparing to line up speaking engagements and book-signings in the fall to promote a topic I believe in -learning to discover how to tell what is true and what is deceptive in the media. That’s why I spent all that time working so hard on the project. And I’m not the only one. Many, many thanks to Dr. Jackie Rankin for all the editing hours as well as for all the very productive arguments we had in striving for something good!

Please think about some suggestions as to where I might engage with audiences and speak about my book and pass them on to me.

The vine is the nascent church, connected to Jesus Christ who is empowered by his Abba Father.  This connection between Jesus and all who follow him is powered by what Jesus said: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” This is the eternal bond of baptized Christians as a united community.

What a statement. Jesus calls all who want to be his disciples to allow this chain or vine of love to take them over. To abide in his love can only mean one thing – an irrevocable commitment to his principle of loving sacrifice. That means I can no longer be “I”. The vine or greater community is more than “I.” It’s no longer “if I feel like it” or “if I can fit it in.” It’s a total surrender to becoming Jesus’ friend and the friend of all people.

Dear friends, I’ve read this passage many times.  The brutal reality of world events disturbs me greatly. Are they out of sync with the reality of Jesus’ teaching or are we out of sync for professing loyalty to the one who was an example of universal love? What shall we do? If we truly love one another as Jesus instructed we will do everything we can to proclaim that love. We will show how we care deeply for all who suffer or who are challenged and we will act to improve conditions that will banish hunger, rampant but curable diseases, violence, and the inequities brought about by greed and politics. That doesn’t make us “bleeding hearts.” That is a sign of our connection with Christ who encouraged us to care for his friends.

You may recall that throughout his earthly ministry Jesus dropped seven “I am” statements on the disciples.  The last of these was “I am the true vine.” Perhaps this was the last one because Jesus had to form the fledgling community step-by-step , first by teaching them who he was and embodying a model of integrity before he could set about teaching them what they needed to know to carry on without him being physically present.

What would he imprint on the community that they’d never forget? They’d remember the images – the vine, the branches, the fruit. They’d remember the Last Supper and how they were to continue meeting to break bread together and share the cup. They would welcome new believers with the ritual of baptism as a never-to-be-forgotten celebration of accepting Christ. The symbols and metaphors would remain vivid in their hearts.  The rituals of remembrance would help to form their call to ministry and they would be graced instruments of faith calling others to the community.

Take some time to read Part Two of Luke’s Gospel, The Acts of the Apostles, to discover how the disciples carried on the enterprise of faith that Jesus began.

This has also been a week to mourn the death of author and artist Maurice Sendak at age 83. I’ll never forget the opportunity I had to sing in his production of the Nutcracker Ballet. It was gorgeous and so characteristic of his work. I’ll now be compelled to gather some of his children’s books for my grandkids.

A third sadness this week was the end of Sen. Richard Lugar’s impressive career as statesman-senator for six terms. He leaves office as the real deal – he gave his thirty-six years for the people of Indiana. While all careers end, I’m sorry he had to encounter the uncivil political campaign that preceded the primary.

But there is praise for  endings that can joyful, as retirement from one type of work  to a time of leisure and new ventures, as my husband is about to do. Completion of projects can also be happy occasions, as the “almost done” status of my new book. Then there is the life-giving introduction of new life and perhaps the close of several years of child-bearing as our daughter prepares for her her sixth child, a son.

It’s all a great mystery, this saying goodbye and welcoming. But as long as we are human we will instinctively value the gifts and goodness of others, as well as  treasure the time we have to celebrate life in creation in its many forms.

How can we fail to observe how through the machinations of politics and the power held by those with vast sums of money, many of our citizens are not loved. Some politicians claim fervent religious beliefs yet support disenfranchising legislation that denies love.  Making rigid ideologies and rules take precedence over compassion, immigrant families are divided, assistance to the needy is cut off, and human rights are denied to many.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love,” (v.18). Politicians in our time are no different than those who feared the masses in the first century. They protect themselves and their positions first – the casualties being the wholeness of the most vulnerable people.

Can you imagine what the discourse in the world would be like if the principle objective of every facet of society was to bring life-giving leadership to every nook and cranny where we have influence? John’s bottom line is so simple: “Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also,” (v.21). How do we make a difference? We speak up when we hear comments that denigrate a person’s dignity. We petition our representatives to make positive changes. We stand up to those who would hide information and deliberately mislead us.

Turning us around to love one another by our actions will be the work of our lives. So much fear and mistrust is ingrained in people about everything they perceive as a threat to their well being.

May we have the courage to accept Jesus’ challenge both to understand that God loves us unconditionally and that we can channel that love through our being to all people.   Receiving and giving, giving and receiving ad infinatum.

I’m not really fussy about anything else. Except -I’m been rather adverse to chicken ever since I saw the documentary on how chickens are treated when they’re caged. And we only buy cage-free eggs. And then there’s the perfect temperature for a steak….