Heather Kirk: Invite to Dominican Gala and Seeking Sponsors and Auction Donations

My invitation here today has several aspects to it.

A.      To Attend an Event that is very special to me.

B.      To request donations for a Silent Auction – even if you don’t own a business,  I’ve come up  with several creative ideas for ways to participate.

C.      Seeking Corporate (or Small Business) Sponsors for the event – which would get your name before media, professional baseball players, celebrities and a middle to upper class Latino market.

 
A.      I’d like to invite you to join me at this year's Dominican Gala/Gran Gala Domnicana. I'm really excited to be a part of this event because there are so many things that come together in this event that are important to me personally.

1.       Celebrating the dance, music, food and Independence Day of the Dominican Republic.

2.       Youth - This event is a fundraiser for After School and Summer Therapeutic Dance and Art Programs for children and families in poverty, at-risk or victims of abuse. It has been more than 10 years since I had to stop working in Social Work due to my health. I have missed doing something that is purposeful and meaningful to those in need.

3.       Like Denise Ceballos Viner, President and Owner of Bella Q Dance Studios and Gran Gala Dominicana, dance was an integral part of my growing up and part of helping me get beyond my shyness. I believe it, and arts in general, are a powerful tool for transformation! I saw what a difference art can make in the art programs I created while working in inner-city schools: in behavior, self-esteem, and something we seem to have forgotten, in academic success!

I would like to invite you to join me on February 23, 2013 at 6pm at Crescent Crown Distributing

1640 W. Broadway Mesa, AZ 85202, and afterward at 10 pm for a dance party with live traditional Dominican music at The Hilton – Phoenix East/Mesa, 1011 West Holmes Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85210.

For more information see http://www.bellaqdancestudio.com/Gran_Dominican_Gala_php.php or Contact me for tickets or purchase on-line.

$45 includes: Traditional Dominican dinner, drinks, celebrity speakers, entertainment and the after-party with a live band!

I’d love to see you there!

B.                  I am in charge of the Silent Auction. That means several things:

1.       My art will be available for bidding on, at potentially a nice price! I have several other artist friends who will also be generously donating.

2.       We are going to have quite a few nice items up for auction – great opportunities to try something new. You can preview her. I’m just starting to post things, so it will be updated several times a week.  http://www.photographicartistry.citymax.com/GranGalaAuctionPreview.html

3.       Yes, you guessed it, I am asking that you consider donating items to the auction. I’ve done some brainstorming, and even if you do not have a business, there are ways you can still give.

Ideas:

- A great bottle of red wine someone gave you – but you only drink white. Or vice versa.- That gift card you got for Christmas to a store you never go to.

- That piece of clothing in your closet, never worn, still with the tags on.

- One show from your season tickets to the theater you got, but you’ll be out of town on that date. *

- A signed copy of a book you have written. Or a signed music CD!

- A few extra tickets in to the ball game, or space in a box.

- A certificate from your seamstress, hair dresser, manicurist, spa or massage therapist who wants to find new clients.

- An item of your own creation: art, notecards, throw pillows, a gift basket you put together.

- Gift certificates to restaurants. *

- A weekend at an in-town or nearby time share that you won’t be able to use. *

- If you have your own business, items or certificate. *

 *Tickets must be for AFTER February 23^rd. Gift Certificates must have at least 4 months on them, preferably 6 months – 1 year.

There are promotional benefits to giving. Contact me to find out more.

C.      And finally, we are looking for Sponsors! We have many levels of giving, from sponsoring a child, to getting a booth, to being a Super Sponsor for a specific need – like flying in a speaker or providing for their hotel.

If you have wanted to break into the Latin market, this is a particularly good opportunity for you. Your name will get before a high-end clientele of Latinos, including Major League Baseball players, political figures, celebrities, doctors, lawyers and educators, as well as the major Spanish language media outlets in Arizona.

I hope you will be interested in joining me in some way in this very special effort. It means a lot to me.

 
I have fliers and applications available for anyone who is interested. Please e-mail: HJKirk@juno.com
Heather J. Kirk

Remembering Warmer days - Santiago DR, June 2012

So darn cold in Phoenix, AZ. 27 degrees last night - HUH? I've been here since 1987 and never remember a slew of nights so cold. So I decided to call up a memory to warm me up.

La Vena Concert (Lenny and Max of Aventura + Steve Styles). Fantastic!

And yes, a bit warm (okay hot...) in Santiago, Dominican Republic at Andy's Ranch.

I weaseled my way into the VIP section. They were hesitant to seat us there, not because  we aren't true VIP, but because it was in the sun. I told them, "I'm white, I like the sun." And though I'm not sure the others agreed about the sun (one Dominican, the other ending up sunburned), we were soon in shadow and ended up with PERFECT seats!

And who else was in the VIP section with us (in the shade the whole time...)? Luis Vargas!

Heather J. Kirk

Let #Jesus Grow Up After #Christmas

Many people who do not believe that Jesus is our Savior still celebrate Christmas. It's easy to celebrate by exchanging Him for Santa Clause or keeping Jesus a little baby and making it into a great big birthday party.

But Jesus did not come to stay a child, but to teach and to become a sacrifice for us, to be our Savior.

We cannot keep Jesus a baby in our lives, or we will remain babies in our faith. We cannot grow and represent Him and fulfill His purpose for our lives until we accept Him for everything He was and is. A baby born of a virgin, God come to earth as a man, the Creator of the Universe and our individual lives, the angry man who cast the money changers out of the temple, and the forgiver of the sins who dined with tax collectors and prostitutes, and the One who meets us after we die and sends us to the left or to the right. and the One who understands we can never do what He asks of us on our own and therefore does it for us, through His Holy Spirit.

Mary knew. Everything about Jesus' life was pre-planned from the beginnings of the earth. Everything about Jesus was prophesied in the Old Testament.

Did Mary know who this incredible, miraculous baby was? Mary knew. Do you?

Heather J. Kirk

The Christmas Highway - Does it ever arrive at my heart?

How do we get ourselves ready for Christmas?

From Isaiah 40:3 "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God," Reverend Tim Smith suggests we "Make a highway for Him into your lives. Your Deliverer comes." (http://www.waterfromrock.org/2012/12/03/monday-december-3-advent-devotional-2012)

It makes me wonder about the path to my own heart.

Is it an open highway or a narrow winding pathway. Or, I must consider, is it an impossible maze or littered with obstacles and debris?
Heather J. Kirk

California Prop 37 Opponent Funders inadvertently have labeled their own foods as GMO for us!

California Prop 37 Opponent Funders inadvertently have labeled their own foods as GMO for us!

Good to know, since California fails to protect us - votes no on Prop 37

California, known for being well ahead of the curve in protecting our health, failed to pass Proposition 37 – which required labeling GMO foods.

As of Wednesday morning, 94.8% of California’s Election Day votes have been counted. Here’s where Prop 37 vote totals stand (from the California Secretary of State):

·       ·        Yes (support GMO labeling) – 4,194793 (47%)

·       ·        No (oppose GMO labeling) – 4,723,681 (53%)

“Nationwide polls consistently show around 90% of Americans support GMO labeling, and a month ago California polls showed over 60% supported labeling.” So how could this happen?

It appears that enough Californians were swayed by money – I mean commercials.

Video: Vote No on Prop 37 commercial

Then, large food conglomerates pooled their funds to oppose to the measure and outspent the citizens Right to Know campaign nearly 6-to-1 ($45 million to $8 million).

Here is the list of the top donors that opposed labeling:

Company                                                 Amount

MONSANTO COMPANY                                  $8,112,069
E.I. DUPONT DE NEMOURS & CO.                  $5,400,000
PEPSICO, INC.                                             $2,145,400
GROCERY MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION    $2,002,000
BASF PLANT SCIENCE                                  $2,000,000
BAYER CROPSCIENCE                                  $2,000,000
DOW AGROSCIENCES LLC                            $2,000,000
SYNGENTA CORPORATION                           $2,000,000
KRAFT FOODS GLOBAL, INC.                       $1,950,500
NESTLE USA, INC.                                      $1,461,600
COCA-COLA NORTH AMERICA                      $1,455,500
GENERAL MILLS, INC.                                 $1,230,300
CONAGRA FOODS                                       $1,176,700
KELLOGG COMPANY                                      $790,700
SMITHFIELD FOODS, INC.                               $683,900
DEL MONTE FOODS COMPANY                        $674,100
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY                           $598,000

Supporters of what was originally a grassroots effort are, not surprisingly, individuals, natural health companies, organics food companies and family farms: Mercola.com, Organic Consumers Fund, Kent Whealy, Nature’s Paths Foods Inc. Fine Natural Food Products, The Stillonger Trust, Dr. Bonners Magic Soaps, Lundburg Family FarmsGreat Foods of America, Alex Bogusky (Fearless Revolution), Amy’s Kitchen, Big Hen Group, Clif Bar, Cropp Cooperative Inc. Organic Vally, Ali Partovi, Organic Consumers Association.

Sources:  (An important note - articles seem to deceivingly use pictures of tomatoes. Most if not all tomatoes are definitely hybrids, but very unlikely to be GMOs.)

http://www.examiner.com/article/ca-prop-37-gmo-food-labeling-initiative-defeated

http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2012/11/prop-37-to-label-gmo-foods-fails-in-california-2491888.html

http://www.kcet.org/news/ballotbrief/elections2012/propositions/prop-37-funding-genetically-engineered-food.html

Heather J. Kirk

#Healthcare Workers in #Colorado dont want #Mandatory #Vaccines

"Flu Shot Being Forced on Health Workers"
See article at : http://healthfreedoms.org/2012/10/19/flu-shot-being-forced-on-health-workers/

Heather J. Kirk

My thoughts on #Arizona 's #Propositions. Remember #Constitutional #Amendments make it really hard to get rid of bad ideas!

Some people have asked for my input on Arizona's Propositions, so I thought I'd write it up here. I can't imagine how people with full time jobs and families have time to read everything - proposition details, arguments for and arguments against, then do additional research. So if you want some assistance - my choices as well as my reasoning, I'm glad to help.

 

To give you a bit of my background, I worked in elementary schools as a drug and violence prevention specialist for 12 years. I also am an artist and a graphic designer, with my own (really, really) small business.

Scottsdale Unit No. 48: Yes. I trust Scottsdale School District, but not other "education" money requests that don't actually make it to the schools or students. Scottsdale School District's additional funding is about to run out. They create very specific budgets. I believe in local control that includes true accountability. (See also Prop 118.)

Prop 114: No- Not appropriate to remove rights completely (in any situation and therefore not let courts and a jury decide) based on one stupid court decision that would not even fit under this Constitutional change. What about a feud between two people and one takes advantage to harm a thief knowing they are protected?

Proposition 115: No - Too many completely different issues in one proposition. Even if you like one, you have to vote for others. Also, if people vote based on judges decisions, then judges could start making decisions to please the populace and get votes to keep their jobs, being instead of based on laws and constitutionality.

Proposition 116: To help small businesses to invest and update their businesses. Machinery purchases increase economy through purchases and job creation for machinery. Spreading high costs out over several years helps keep them afloat, so they do not go out of business due to high costs of regulations and environmental restrictions. They can potentially comply and stay in business.

Proposition 117: No - Looks like this may not only affect taxes but also actual assessment or valuation of the home itself. I think current complex formula is an attempt to balance out both situations - when home prices are too depressed AND when home prices are overinflated. It also would keep income to state depressed for indeterminate amount of time in the future, based on current very low home valuations. This is an attempt at price controls, to keep the valuation of homes down, while pretending to be about keeping taxes low.

Proposition 118: Yes - Previous formula based on returns and not on endowment made funding for education drop unrealistically low and to be very unpredictable -unable to plan appropriately for education budget. This will stabilize funding, while not adversely affecting a very large endowment that cannot otherwise be used for education. Arizona funding was already very low per student. This hopes to keep it at approximately pre-recession levels, not huge, but not outrageously low as is the case now. While nationwide dollar amount does not automatically mean better schools or test scores, in Arizona, it really does correlate in public schools. Scottsdale is a better school district for many reasons, but one reason being they get bond issues approved from voters (homeowners) in the city to get more school funding. (This is also a justification for yes on Scottsdale School District question.) While other districts may try, homeowners do not appear to approve increased taxes for education - either because they don't want to pay more or they are not capable of paying more. Other proposition preys on the desire for increased education funding without actually guaranteeing it - as well as being harder on the poor because it is a sales tax. The endowment in this proposition makes use of already available funds and does not increase taxes at all!

Prop 119: Yes - Necessary to protect military bases and national security.

Prop 120: Yes - booklet seems to make it all look like environmental issues, on both sides. Yes vote arguments – ability to properly thin forests to prevent forest fires that are at great cost to state. No vote arguments – State wants to avoid any EPA Regulations. Really, sovereignty says states chooses which things under 10^th Amendment it wants to take over sovereignty for and what it agrees to Federal laws for. But this is a state's rights issue in general as well as states currently being forced to enforce or implement federal mandates without federal funding. Sounds a lot like taxation without representation. 10th amendment rights issues. i.e.) healthcare, gun laws, education, federal parks, EPA and to some a negative (me, and therefore the only risky part of this proposition) –medical marijuana.

10^thAmendment Rights: ''The Tenth Amendment was intended to confirm the understanding of the people at the time the Constitution was adopted, that powers not granted to the United States were reserved to the States or to the people.”
Source: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment10/01.html#2

Prop 121: No – While two party system may not be perfect, it at least provides people of both parties a chance in unbalanced districts for both parties to be represented. This proposition pretty much eliminates this possibility. It seems to actually reduce, instead of improve, the democratic process and opportunity for a minority group (of any kind) to make it onto the final ballot. It is actually happening right now in California and people are not very happy about it.

Prop 204: No – Makes a promised temporary increased sales tax increase long term. Takes away the ability for the legislature to adjust the budget based on actual needs. Takes away the power of the elected legislature – and puts budget decisions into a special interest group. It also places the budget formula into the Arizona Constitution and therefore makes it very hard to change if (when) we later find out it’s a bad idea. The money appears to go to administration and not outcomes, though it is written to appear it is based on educational outcomes. They are counting on you not reading or understanding the whole thing. they make it sound like this is the best way to fund education, but you have another option through Proposition 118. And each district's individual Bond issues.

Heather J. Kirk

Fans' love for #PrinceRoyce #Unconditional / #Incondicional

Fantastic concert last night by Prince Royce at Arizona State University. Though I have to confess I did have to plug my ears a few times...the eruption of thousands of girls shreiking at his entrance was possibly the loudest noise I've ever heard. (Not even Romeo's female fans were louder, but my guess is that Prince Royce's female fans are even younger.)

https://azstatefair.com/event/prince-royce

Video of my favorite song by Prince Royce: Incondicional

Heather J. Kirk

#Sugar Beets are #GMO too? I had no idea and I think I've been had...

So much for me switching to sugar-based soda instead of corn-syrup to be a tiny bit healthier... But no, GMO (genetically modified organism) foods are not labeled - in fact CANNOT be labeled. (Unethical law in my estimation.) I knew that most corn and soy is now genetically engineered, but not beet sugar. And I do research. If I don't know, do you?
I wish there was a way to know if it was made from cane sugar instead of sugar beets.  Pepsi Throwback (my poison of choice) uses both, so I'll never know. Wish I could quit!

"...the latest USDA data shows that 95 percent of the sugar beets, 93 percent of the soybeans and 88 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. are genetically engineered. They mixed in federal data revealing that 79 percent of the salad oil consumed in the U.S. is soybean oil, and 55 percent of the sugar comes from sugar beets. The grand total? Americans are eating an average of 193 pounds of genetically engineered food per year."

http://healthfreedoms.org/2012/10/17/new-report-americans-eating-their-weight-in-genetically-engineered-food/

Heather J. Kirk

We have "Truth in Advertising" laws. I suggest that we create "#Truth in #Politics" laws.

We have "Truth in Advertising" laws. I suggest that we create "Truth in Politicizing" laws. If a candidate or PAC lies about a candidate during a debate or a commercial, they would have to 1) pay for a commercial on which 2) they say they were wrong (I lied, I misquoted, I misunderstood...) about 'x', 3) but the truth is that my opponent...
 
Maybe then we would not have so much garbage going around and so much spinning in a way that it could hardly be called the truth anymore. Take it out of their campaign funds!

In a debate like tonight’s with each calling the other a liar over and over, how can we ultimately know the truth. Do you just stick with your Party? Do you wait and see how the media spins it? Whoever wins the poll? Do you check on sites that pretend to tell the truth but are highly politicized themselves, like MoveOn.org, FactCheck.com or BarackObama.com/TruthTeam. Just a hint here - his website is going to say he told the truth. You can't trust each candidate to check themselves.

We need outside sources. Go to statistics, to economic indicators for more than the past 4 years.  Go to newspaper reports or radio interviews - listen to the whole thing, not just the sound bites; look at governmental records.  I bet you can look up a whole lot of things stated in the debate that was immediately  contradicted by the other, go beyond the sound bites to the whole context; look at governmental records. I bet you can look up Licenses for drilling on Federal Lands somewhere. The question is not should we or should we not, but what is true about drilling there based on what these two (angry/frustrated/contradictory) men said.

Lot's of "Talk to the Hand" going on...

Too much work? Don’t want to do all that research? Then go ahead and vote on who is cuter, or who the news says wins the popularity contest, vote for who is more charming. None of that will matter in the Presidency, but what the heck. Even a straight party ticket without knowing the parties’ platforms is pretty worthless.

Or, if doing a little research is too much for you, then please, don’t vote.


Heather J. Kirk

#MittRomney Can't Put #PBS or #BigBird Out of Business - Even as President...Unless Listeners Stop Giving

Will Mitt Make Big Bird Disappear? Turns out cuts in federal funding would hardly make a dent. But why do so few listeners and watchers donate? I don’t have the answer, but let’s take a look at a few of the facts and a real life example.

Mitt Romney “threatened” to cut funding for Jim Lehr and Big Bird – or actually for PBS, but Big Bird has been used as the mascot to upset children around the country.

A silly example:

 

Would we really lose PBS if it did not get federal funding? (Note: there is a difference between federal and “public” funding)

National Public Radio (NPR) faced a similar situation not too long ago...and it is still going strong, because people who listen (the 'public' in ‘public radio’ and ‘public broadcasting’) are the largest portion of donors, and there are many other sources of funding.

I even heard Republican David Schweikert (Arizona Congressional District 6) say in an interview on KJZZ (our local NPR station) say that while he voted to cut national spending, he gives personally to KJZZ. I was impressed, especially since only 8% of listeners do.

I think people should look at and understand the way funding works before they fall for the gimmick (lie) that a lack of federal funding will put public broadcasting under. Government funds only account for 4.6% of NPR funs -real life example -down from 6% in 2009 - which means that 1.4% constitutes the reduction in NPR’s total budget by the cuts in federal funding).

Here’s a great visual: http://www.npr.org/about/aboutnpr/publicradiofinances.html   If we want Public Broadcasting so badly, we should be willing to pay for it - and in fact we do! At least 8% of us do - providing 39% of the budget. And by the way, "big bad corporations" also donate a good-sized chunk to National Public Radio (17%) - much more than the government in fact.

 

“Disclaimer: I do listen and I do give to public radio. I do not watch PBS – because I can’t receive it with my rabbit ear antennae. Which means I don’t “give” to cable either. Interesting that ao many people are up in arms about cutting federal funding to PBS, but don’t give to PBS, while they do give LOTS to commercial cable or satellite companies. Go figure…

Heather J. Kirk

The image says "#New York Times" at the top and has a quote that discusses "#Veterans' Jobs Bill Block in the Senate" on #Facebook

Facebook is a great way to share information with friends - but can also end up passing on false or partial information. Therefore, just like e-mails, I encourage people to check things out!

The image says "New York Times" at the top and has a quote that discusses "Veterans' Jobs Bill Block in the Senate". Since at first blush, it does not seem to be a good move politically for Senate members, I got curious and decided to find and read the article it came from – and why they would not pass a bill to help Veterans.

It appears that things like Snopes, Fact Check or Truth Team are not as unbiased as they used to be. So it's good to go directly to articles quoted, bills discussed or full context of quotes.

I use this example because it is very current and I have seen it many times and decided to do a little research..

#1: It appears to be from a blogger on NYT on-line site. Though not just a random person but a regular NYT blogger, this TruthTeam quote comes from a combination opinion piece /news piece blog. It’s important to understand that blogs and editorials are created for opinions to be expressed, based on the news and current events, but not necessarily unbiased news reports.

#2: It’s always good to read things in context, and get opposing views. So here is a link to the article. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/veterans-jobs-bill-blocked-in-the-senate/

The overall tone is not a whole lot different from the quote, but according to the article, Republicans voted against it specifically because the $1 billion bill was not funded. There does appear to be an expected source of funding, but possibly not attached to this bill. Also saw that the $1 billion would be to create up to 20,000 jobs. That's a minimum of $50,000 to create each job - not even the actual income veterans would receive.

My goal: To encourage people to not just pass along little snippets that sound good. Instead to get involved in the political process by educating and informing themselves. This is just one example of how I chose to do that.

Heather J. Kirk

We know your vote counts - make sure it's logical too!

We know your vote counts - make sure it's logical too!

Political ad writers COUNT ON YOU TO NOT THINK FOR YOURSELF and to not know how your own government works. Here is my rant of the week - not against, or for, any candidate, but about putting on our thinking caps - and knowing what we are talking about before we speak!

An ad against Vernon Parker says he told Tea Partiers he wants to get rid of the Department of Education (yes, he did say this), and therefore Arizona will lose $800 million dollars in educational funding. This is NOT A LOGICAL CONLUSION!

The DOE basically says 'teach what we tell you to, or we won't give you federal money for education. We don't care if you want to teach to the needs of your students and your geographical area. No local control of curriculum allowed." (My own words.)

But if there is no DOE, the DOE can't take away our funding for not doing what the DOE says we have to do. (See how that works...)  So the claim is ILLOGICAL.

Later (not in the ad), it appears that to cover up for this lack of logic, the ad writers say there will be no Pell Grants for college without the DOE. Who says there will be no college grants without a DOE? Not Vernon Parker. In the video quoted, he says that the DOE educational rules have resulted in kids who can't read at a third grade level and don't know history - - responding to charts and a presentation obviously made before he started speaking, about poor test scores, something very few will disagree with.

Clearly the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, creators of the ad, did not learn critical thinking in school either.

Here's a link to a Press Release (not news, but Public Relations), accusations related to the quote, and oddly the entire video of Vernon Parker's speech, which does not support the accusation. I guess they are counting on you to not actually listening. http://azdem.org/news/releases/Vernon_Parker_Cuts_Education_AZ_CD9/

 Heather J. Kirk

Metal Prints and Chicken Soup Finalist...

An essay of mine titled "Thin Places" about my experience in the Dominican Republic, and the need to live by faith, has made it (so far) to the final round for an upcoming anthology titled Chicken Soup for the Soul: Finding My Faith. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I have previously had a limited number of metal prints up to 13 x 19. Now introducing Metal Prints up to 32 x 40!

All metal prints ship within 2 - 3 business days and arrive "ready to hang" with a hanging wire, mounting hooks, and nails. Grab a hammer... nail the mounting hook into your wall... and you're done!

www.heather-kirk.artistwebsites.com

Find new image "Dominican Cigars Being Made by Hand" in the Poster Prints Gallery or directly here:

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/dominican-cigars-made-by-hand-heather-kirk.html Photo copyright by Heather J. Kirk

 Heather J. Kirk

Do "all things" really work together for good? Even the tragedies we cannot see our way though?

Just tonight I prayed with a friend going through an extended difficult trial, the familiar verse: Romans 8:28 "
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I try to be careful with this overused quotation, unless I have already explained to someone my own interpretation...that God does not cause bad things to happen just so He can turn around and make them come out 'good". We live in a world that falls (very far) short of perfection and bad things happen. But in spite of those things, God has the ability bring some elusive, and sometimes even amazing, good thing out of it.

Then I listened to a book tonight that addressed exactly this issue, and I'd like to share it with you, as the author seems to know the original Greek words used in the text.  And, I happen to like the visual image of a pattern of light falling over, and changing, a foundation of darkness. Heather J. Kirk

From Absolute Truths: Church of England Series, Book 6 by Susan Howatch, Conversation between Asgoth and Charles, mediated by John. Begun with Charles:

“The correct translation of that passage is actually, ‘All things intermingle for them that love God.’ I know you think I’m a lousy theologian, Charles, but at least my New Testament Greek is sound.”

I flexed my memory to recall the verb under discussion. “Uh, but what’s the point of the alternative translation?”

“It gives you a better impression of synergy – of the process where two different things are put together and make something quite new. If you just say, ‘All things work together for good,’ as if the good and the bad are all stirred together like the ingredients of a cake which later emerges from the oven smelling wonderful. Then the man who’s dying of cancer will want to punch you on the jaw because he knows damn well you’re understanding his pain and are playing fast and loose with the reality of his suffering by implying that his disease is the end of a good thing. But if you say ‘all things intermingle for good,’ you’re implying that the good and the bad remain quite distinct. There’s no question of well mixed cake ingredients which emerge from the oven smelling wonderful. The bad really is terrible and the good may seem powerless against that terrible reality. But, when the good and the bad intermingle, not merge, but intermingle, they form a pattern,” said John. “As I pointed out a moment ago, the darkness doesn’t become less dark, but that pattern which the light makes upon it contains the meaning which makes the darkness endurable. Do you remember telling me Charles that when you were a POW you found that human beings could endure almost anything so long as they believed their suffering had meaning. What they couldn’t endure was the possibility that there was no meaning which would allow the suffering to be redeemed.” …

“I’m going to pull myself up by my bootstraps, and…”…

“You meant that your new knowledge has given you new power. The pattern of redemption is now clearer to you, and your recent suffering will be given meaning by the new life which begins for you today.” (John)