Why Chancellor?

      I love words.  I love "ch" words.  Church, Chaplain, Chess and Chicken are all "ch " words.  One of my favorite "ch" words is chancellor.  It has a long and storied history.  If the word were invented  today it would probably be called executive secretary or office manager.  And in some places that is still the meaning.  Today, it has meanings in the fields of politics, religion, law, education, and others
      The history goes back to ancient Rome where the chancellors sat at lattice work that separated judges from the people.  They were the original gatekeepers.  The Latin word for lattice resembles cancel as in to "X" something out.  From that word we get chancellor.  The original chancellors were secretaries.
     From Rome the use of chancellors spread throughout Europe.  They used to keep the books and symbols of power.  Books were written and finacial records.  They were basically librarians.  Most of the time they were clergy, because clergy were about the only ones who knew the three "R's".  The equivalent would be secretary of state for a state (like Georgia, or Kansas) or maybe county clerk.  In France, the King's chancellor was most often his chaplain.  The French chancellor evolved into what we would call attorney general.  In Sweden and Spain the office became basically minister for foreign affairs.  In Germanic countries it basically became the office of Prime Minister.  It is in England that we find the most varied uses of the term.
     The English Chancellor evolved into basically the Chief of Staff for the King.  He was the King's deputy in legislative, judicial, executive and other areas.  He could rule in the King's absence (like a crusade) or he could be sent to run a part of the country or an institution.  That is how chancellor became associated with education. The chancellor also made recommendations for the appoinments of bishops.  So next to the monarch he had  the most power in matters temporal and spiritual.  A very big job that has been whittled down to size in recent years. 
     Like the UK the USA has chancellors too.  They are mostly the heads of colleges or univeristy systems.  Some judges are called chancellor. And bishops have chancellors that are basically the lawyers for the diocese. There is one official chancellor of the US government.  He is chariman of the Board for the Smithsonian Institution.  He has a day job.  He is also the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
     In expanded versions of chess the chancellor is a piece that combines the moves of rook and knight.  This piece is the third most powerful behind the King and Queen.  As it  should be.  We also find chancellors at the head of some modern churches and as record keepers for some fraternal and military organizations.
    So that is what a chancellor is.  What a chancellor isn't comes next.  A chancellor is not a dictator or autocrat.  Chancellors are not very big in the military.  They are not the highest authority.  They normally report to a board, a head of state, or God.  This is what I like about the word.
     Chancellor is a wiggle word.  I can claim to be chancellor of anything and nobody knows what the heck I am talking about.  In fact, I ask people what it means to them and suddenly I can become that for them.  I see Chancellor as being an officer of a group that is the utility player.  The backup who fills in the gaps. Someone who steps up to lead on an interim basis until a permanent leader can be found.  So I am Enoch, Chancellor of the twittersphere and friend to many.  I have spoken.

In Light,
Enoch



  
     

"All the flags are for me"

That is what my papaw (grandfather) said to me sometime in the 1970's.  In small town Clinton, Tennessee every business and home put out Old Glory on flag day.  Or as my grandfather wanted me to believe, in honor of his birthday.  Papaw Keith was born on June 14, 1908.  Flag Day was proclaimed an observance by President Wilson in 1916.  So my grandfather had memories of his birthday when there were no flags.  Someone maybe told him when the flags came out that they were all for him.  And he passed the joke on to me.  He was born Theodore Benjamin Keith, but everyone called him "Red"  because of his hair.  (Thankyou Scotch Irish genes).  His initials were T B.  Also the initials of the disease that took his father's life and I think one of his brothers.  So he legally changed his name to Benjamin Theodore.  The Benjamin came from president Harrison and the Theodore came from President Roosevelt.  Good GOP names for a good old GOP family.  (I guess I broke the trend.)  BT Keith graduated from the sixth grade, Glenn Alpine grammar school.  Farming was more important than school.  So that was the extent of his education.  Yet he read the newspaper every afternoon.  Maybe that's where the news hound in me comes from.  And he walked everyday down to the corner store to buy the paper. I love to walk too.   I spent my meditation this morning with some memories of my grandfather. He died in 1988.  He made eighty with a bad heart and some alzheimers.  I saw him one time in dream after his death.  He was lying in a hammock.  The face was the old man's face I remember, but the body was that of a healthy thirty year old.  Like he was telling me it was him and that he was okay. When he was alive he would quote Benjamin Franklin without attritbution.  "Once a job is first begun, never stop till it is done, be it labor great or small,do it well or not at all." Sometimes when I want to take a short cut at work I hear those words and most of the time I don't take the shortcut.  He had this strange habit of picking up pennies and saying "We may need this penny to pay our taxes."  What a great guy.  And he is still with me in memory and in spirit.  Maybe all those flags were for him.

In Light,
Enoch

All Possums Great and Small

As nutty as my mother was at times, she consistently demonstrated a love of aninals, all animals-even possums.  My mother the atheist.  Now, I have a "Christian" coworker who prefers to feed her cats at night and outside.  Possums are eating the catfood.  No problem, her husband sets traps for them and then he drowns them.  So far they have murdered 14 possums.  She jokes "the poor things can't learn to swim."  My mother, on the other hand, always put out extra food for possums, racoons, birds, squirrels whatever.  Now I ask you who is more spiritual?  My  late mother the atheist or so called Christians (who use as their justifications the fact that Jesus killed a fig tree) who murder little defenseless animals who pose no danger other than to eat excess catfood?  I think you can kill an animal for dinner or if you are in danger.  Why else kill? 
   We had a possum die on our property the other day.  He was sick and he drug himself between my father's house and my house.  Strange place to choose to die.  I think in a strange way he was trying to say thankyou.  You see, we always fed him.  He was old and somewhat lame.  I would pretend not to see him as hid behind a bench waiting for his dinner.  I would put the food out and go back into the house.  Then I would watch him eat. With the cats, sharing.  We buried him in the cat graveyard. And we will feed whatever family he has left.  In honor of my mother and against the wishes of sicko "Christians".  Dead possum, say hello to Mom.  She has a place for you in her heaven.

In Light,
Enoch

Church on the Rocks; I support everyone.

    1995 I got a letter telling me about a meeting to determine whether or not we should retain our pastor.  His wife had filed for divorce.  In the Baptist church at that time a separted man was not considered to be fit to pastor a church.
    Charles Stanley had been pastor of First Baptist Atlanta for nearly 25 years.   He spoke at the downtown location.  His son Andy Stanley spoke at the North campus.  I considered Andy to be my pastor.  Of course I had kept up with his father for years on the radio and TV.  Dr. Stanley would not allow a divorced man to be deacon or be a teacher in his church.  The Bible is clear- a leader is to be in full control of his family at all times.  Then it happened to Dr. Stanley.  His wife, Anna, suffered from depression and was tired of being the "second wife".  Dr. Stanley's ministry came first.  He had been President of the Southern Baptist Convention.  His was the second largest TV ministry in the world.  
     I got to the North Campus one morning.  Andy started his sermon by saying how strong his marriage was and then he resigned.  Like he wanted his Dad to do.  First Baptist had fourteen thousand members.  The bylaws were written in the 1840's.  According to those bylaws if seven members signed a letter they could call a business meeting, that was done.  And I spent 12 hours in church, on a hot August Sunday, wondering what was going to happen to Dr. Stanley. I saw people I never saw before and people I would never see again. I had decided to keep Dr. Stanley no matter what.  He wanted reconcilliation.  In fact, the Church had set up a committee on reconcilliation to monitor the Stanleys. One young lady tearfully begged the church not to turn Dr. Stanley out.  She had gone through a divorce she never wanted. I was prepared to speak.  I was going to use Moses as an example of a man who was separated from his wife and was allowed by God to keep his ministry.  I  didn't have to.  We voted to keep Dr. Stanley by 93 per cent. He promised to resign if hs divorce became final.  I left that night lamenting the fact that TV cameras had surrounded our church.
    I supported Dr. Stanley.  I supported his wife in prayer. Then I supported the son as Andy started a new church.  I kept my membership at Dr. Stanley's church and I attended Andy's church without joining it.  I never felt so divided in my life.  People quit the church. Including the girl I had a crush on. I never saw her again. 
    To make a long story short,  the divorce went through, Dr. Stanley didn't resign, there are two mega churches where there once was one, both churches have thriving divorce recovery programs.  And I moved to Texas vowing to never give a woman veto power over my ministry.  God works in mysterious ways.

In Light,
Enoch

The Cost of Osama and the Benefit

Today has been a mish mash of emotions for me and I suppose for our nation.  Mostly my mind has been flooded by memories of the last ten years.  What we have lost thanks to Osama Bin Laden.  Those losses amount to the cost to take out Osama.   When do we get our young people back?  When do they get their arms and legs back?  When do we get our jounalists back, the ones who placed themselves in harms way without so much as a pen knife  to protect themselves?  When do we get Peter Jennings back?  He was a casualty too.  When do we get our economy back?  I knew people who had  to change careers because of 9-11.  People whose industries were devasted.  I know people who had to go back to work because their retirement funds were destroyed.  People who had to postpone retirement for the same reason.  I watched as young people bury their friends when they should have been partying with them.  I saw young people age five years in a week as they sought to understand their world.  People who slept through social studies had to grasp the meaning of social studies.  When do we get the last ten years back?  When do we get our innnocence back? Our sense of security?  Can Presidents Bush and Obama have back the respect that is do to anyone who serves as Chief Magistrate?  Can the Dixie Chicks and others have their careers back?  I saw kids go to war when they should have gone to college.   It infuriates me when I hear that we didn't pay a tax for these wars, for the pursuit of this mass murderer.  We have paid with a portion of livelihoods and our lives.  Is that not tax enough?  The total cost can never be measured. 
     So was there a benefit? All of the above.  Most of us became willing to sacrifice whatever it took for as long as it took for our values, our campatriots, and the memory of those lost.  I am proud of our young people who voluntarily sacrificed for our country.  I am grateful for all of those who love the nation and expressed  that love in 300 million different ways.  We are stronger because of 9-11, not weaker.  Today at work I saw little kids.  I hope they will not have to deal with an Osama.  Yet, I reality I know they  most likely will.  I think we have given them an example and the resources to do  so.  Our Republic endures!  We face our challenges and overcome them.  Always.

Enoch

Disapointments

Where to begin?  Somewhere in 1997 I decided to move to Texas.  I need to start before that.  In 1989, my family decided to move to Texas.  I was 23 and thought it was time to move out.  My mother who had urged me to move out changed her mind and asked me to move as well.  The best thing for me to do was to stay in Georgia.  So I did.  I began figuring out about my family.  My Dad is an agnostic, my mother was an atheist.  Neither encouraged my spiritual pursuits.  I started going to church and reading.  I made the decision to write my family off.  Then the sermons started.  About forgiveness.  About putting my family back together  so that my ministry could come together.  There was no distinction between forgiveness and reconcillatiion.  To the the four ministers I listened to they were one and the same.  In fact I was the one designated to save my family from the firey furnace.  So after eight years of homesickness and ministerial guilt trips I moved to Texas.  The plan was for me to live with my parents until I could find an apartment.  That never happened.  I lost my job at Foleys,  because I had transferred my pay rate from Atlanta.  Atlanta has a higher standard of living.  I was overpaid.  To make a long story short, I am disappointed in Texas and my former Lord, Jesus Christ.  And also the New Thought movement that  I had started studying in Georgia.  Texas was not the  place I thought it was.  My friends in Georgia warned my about Texas.  I laughed them off.  I told them Houston was just another suburb of Atlanta.  I told them I would have my life the way I wanted it in six months.  After all I had the leadership of Jesus and the tools of  New Thought.  How could I loose?  Well, Texas ministers have a different spin on things.  They blamed me for moving here, but would not pray for my return to Georgia.  By the way I lost my Georgia friends.  I had to revoke the invitation I had extended them.   And I couldn't afford to call them long distance.  So I am not bummed out on God or religion.  Like Naomi, Joseph, and Job, I have had to develop a new way of looking at God and Religion.  I have found two types of religion that do not work in Texas.  I am grateful for what Christianity did for me in  Georgia.  And for the lessons of New Thought that also worked in Georgia.  But now I am not interested in part-time religions that work in limited geographic areas.  I am interested in a fresh start in a new locale with a new religion.  I am going to California.  My new religion is psychology coupled  with education.  Soon I will have another chance at my dreams.  

In Peace, Love, and Light,
Enoch

Half and Half or All in All

I finally finished watching all of the "Half and Half" episodes.  I would have liked to seen it go on for a few more seasons.  But it didn't and I want to address why I think it ended when it did.  It got to a good stopping place.  The series starts out with the two sisters in conflict.  Mona is bitter over being a second class citizen in her own family.  She is insecure. DeeDee wants  to make up for that and have the sister she never had.  The last time we see Mona she is decisive, confident, and smiling.  She is more Rose than Thorn.  DeeDee has the sister she never had and is secure enough to go back to having her own life.  Mona follows the advice of her once distant father "Make your own decisions".  That is a mild form of a theraputic double bind.  If she ignores his advice she has made her own decision and if she follows his advice she has made her own decision.  The NLP people would be proud. Both of the major characters have completed a major portion of the Hero's Journey- the monomyth Joseph Campbell wrote about.  They have arrived at a place of peace with themselves, each other, and their world.  Why not stop there?  By the way, Mona chose Chase over Lorenzo.  Lorenzo is the loser boyfriend from her past, Chase is the successful boyfriend in her future.  Of course the show could've gone on.  More adversity to overcome, challenges at work and in the family.  I look forward to a reunion show when the time is right.  Till then we have the show as it is and the lesson it teaches everyone- keep growing and loving.

In Peace, Love, and Light,
Enoch