http://spiritandword.org/blog/category/from-the-editor/ Blog categories... http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/backpack-buddies-update/
That means that this project will receive over $34,000 in new funds!

Backpack Buddies helps students from low-income families receive back-to-school clothing, new shoes and personal items valued at over $300. For many children, these garments will be the first new clothes or shoes thay have ever owned. Altogether, over 4,000 students from more than 100 schools participate.

We are grateful to Beth McDonald and KEZ radio for promoting this event in memory of Beth's long-time radio partner, Bill Austin, whose estate provided the initial funding for Spirit & Word. Thanks also to Jerry Wissink and BHHS Legacy Foundation for being such excellent partners!

Thank you all! We'll be looking for more opportunities to team up to help people in the future!]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/backpack-buddies-update/ Thu, 07 Jun 2012 21:22:06 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/back-buddies-update-exciting/ BHHS Legacy Foundation is pledging an ADDITIONAL $10,000. So now every dollar donated becomes $3!Thanks so much to BHHS Legacy Foundation for their huge support of this great project!]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/back-buddies-update-exciting/ Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:33:39 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/backpack-buddies/
Bill's estate provided the initial funding for this site and in Bill's honor, we are offering $10,000 in matching funds for a fund raiser for Backpack Buddies. Details are on our dashboard page.

Beth and Bill are best known and loved in Phoenix. Bill was always known for his huge collection of Hawaiian shirts. Beth has decided that from the limited collection of Bill's trade-marked shirts, some will be offered to donors. The first 50 people who donate $200 or more before July 15th will receive one of the shirts from the collection. When they are gone, they are gone!

We will provide regular updates here on the fund raising progress and Beth will have updates on her morning show on KEZ 99.9 FM.

While this project benefits children in the greater Phoenix area, we do ask that you still consider a donation even if you live elsewhere since this project will directly gift a child in great need.

In the first year, Spirit & Word has distributed nearly $100,000. It is our goal to collect money and distribute it to worthy causes. All donationas are 100% tax deductable. Spirit & Word is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation.

Check back for updates and thank you so much for considering to help the children.]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/backpack-buddies/ Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:39:25 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/thank-you/
As we approach our first anniversary, we are considering some adjustments to the site itself and making a long term plan for continuing charitable outreach.

We'd like your thoughts and input as we consider the best ways to improve the site. Either comment here or use the "Contact Us" tab to send a private message. We'd like to know what you find most useful on the site and anything you think we would do well to change or add.

We also hope that you will consider writing your own blog submissions if you feel passionately about any of our topics. And we ask that you invite any friends you know who might benefit from this site to please check it out!

The site is a living "work in progress" and we want to know what you want as we move ahead.

Thanks so much for making us a regular in your web journey. We appreciate you and your thoughts!

Charlie]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/thank-you/ Fri, 20 Apr 2012 23:50:14 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/trayvon-martin-2/
We wanted to share Mr. Bennett's thoughts about this highly-charged tragedy.

...]]>
We wanted to share Mr. Bennett's thoughts about this highly-charged tragedy.

(CNN) -- At first glance, the death of Trayvon Martin seemed to be a straightforward example of ugly, racial conflict resulting in the killing of an innocent black teenager by a white man, George Zimmerman. But now, as evidence continues to come forward, the facts seem much more complicated and the "obvious truth" premature.

At first, it was thought that Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, was the aggressor because he followed Martin, got into a physical scuffle with him and shot him. But then, some witnesses claim that Martin attacked Zimmerman first, and the initial police report said that Zimmerman had blood on his nose and the back of his head after the incident. However, surveillance video footage that surfaced from the police station is leading to questions about the extent of Zimmerman's injuries.

To make matters more complex, we found out that in the past several months, Martin was suspended from school three times, once for the possession of drug paraphernalia.

The Miami Herald reported that in the gated community in which Zimmerman patrolled, there were eight burglaries, nine thefts and one shooting in the past year. Neighbors of Zimmerman described him as being passionate about security and credit him with thwarting and cracking some crimes. It was also revealed that Zimmerman identified himself as a Hispanic and was a registered Democrat.


The facts are confounding and inconclusive. But the tendency in the first days by some, including Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and an angry chorus of followers, was to rush to judgment with little regard for fairness, due process, or respect for the terrible death of a young man

A mob mentality seems to be in the ascendancy.

Jackson said that Martin's death shows how "blacks are under attack" and "targeting, arresting, convicting blacks and ultimately killing us is big business." Apart from the obvious incendiary nature of such comments, what in heaven's name could Jackson mean?

Spike Lee fueled the flames by tweeting Zimmerman's home address, which turned out to be the wrong address and resulted in an older couple fleeing from their home and fearing for their lives after threats and crowds outside their residence. Lee, realizing his folly, has since apologized to the couple.

These actions and words illustrate a problem in dealing with Martin's death: Many people are not on an impartial hunt for justice but are exploiting this crisis for personal or political gain and claiming that it is representative of larger societal problems.

MSNBC political analyst and Democratic fundraiser Karen Finney blamed Martin's death on Republicans. She said, "[Republican politicians] reinforce and validate old stereotypes that associate the poor and welfare as criminal behavior with African-Americans and people of color, calling us lazy, undeserving recipients of public assistance. In the case of Trayvon, those festering stereotypes had lethal consequences."

Martin's own mother, Sybrina Fulton, filed applications for trademarks on two of the popular phrases used at rallies for Martin, "I Am Trayvon" and "Justice for Trayvon." Democrats politicized the event with a hearing on Capitol Hill in which Martin's parents testified. Later, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Illinois, wore a hoodie on the House floor.

It's clear that some of the people raising the most noise are trying to make this less about the horrible death of a young man and more about claims of racial resentment that may or may not exist.

The loudest voices should be particularly careful not to rush to conclusions. Remember the Duke lacrosse case, in which members of the team were accused of a gang rape. The public rushed to judgment long before the young men were eventually acquitted.

Zimmerman may or may not be guilty; there may or may not be racial motivations. We do not know yet. In the absence of complete evidence, inflammatory comments and belligerent reactions will not aid the search for justice. An angry crowd should not be in charge.

Lastly, why is there so much selective outrage on the part of so many?

The leading cause of death for black male teenagers is homicide, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Of all the black homicide victims, about 93% are killed by other black people. In 2011, nearly 85% of all people murdered in Philadelphia were black. Where are the marches and protests for these victims? Is it justice people seek or are they looking and even hoping for signs of white racism so they can exploit it?

In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, "Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust."

While we wait and respect due process of law, we should do our part to uplift human personality. We can do so by giving both Martin and Zimmerman a just weighing of the evidence, both in the court of law and public opinion. Let us not assume the worst of anybody but be guided by the facts.]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/trayvon-martin-2/ Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:09:13 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/may-we-ask-a-favor/
To this point, 100% of the donations given to the site have been passed forward. We want to keep doing that.

We dream that this will be a place where people of various beliefs will share in a caring manner, respectful of the rights of others who have different views.

We guard carefully against SPAM and block entries of those trying to "sell" something on our free site.

The funds we use to operate are from a generous gift from the estate of Bill Austin, a long-time Phoenix radio and TV personality. We have invested the majority of that gift and use the funds to operate the site. Still, we do have operating costs which we are able to pay from the interest from the investments.

So, this is the request. If you are a person who sees value in this site, will you please invite as many like minded people as you know to visit and become members. Of course, one does not need to be a member to read what's here. Still, only members can post their thoughts.

All are welcome here. Will you please assist us in making this site more widely known and invite all you know to come be part of the sharing?

It seems that something very good is happening here. Please help us invite others to visit and share.

All good thoughts,
Charlie Van Dyke
Editor]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/may-we-ask-a-favor/ Tue, 06 Mar 2012 04:17:17 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/roman-catholic-church-vs-government/ Recently, much has been reported about the conflict between the Roman Catholic church and the government on the question mandatory inclusion of contra... The Arizona Republic expresses a view that we support. Here is the letter.

"I am writing this as a practicing Catholic. I'm distressed that the Catholic bishops, especially our local bishop, have decided to take on this fight with the Obama administration in this manner ("Bishop: Defy feds on birth control," Jan. 28).

A letter from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted casting this law to all parishioners as a blow to our "religious liberty" was included in last week's bulletin. I strongly disagree.

The church can and should help its members to an informed understanding of their faith. However, while bishops may be opposed to contraception, studies have shown that 98 percent of Catholic women have used contraception at some point in their lives.

Clearly, the bishops do not speak for all Catholics! Many have even argued that abortion teaching has been misapplied in specific cases: e.g. when the life of the mother is at stake.

The Department of Health and Human Services is not coercing its will to practice contraception or to have abortions.

This is not an assault on our liberty or our faith. It is the bishops who are coercing their will on the faithful."

-- Jozef de Groot, Scottsdale

We would add that, in our view, the position of the Roman Catholic bishops may appear to be an attempt to force Catholic beliefs on non-Catholics. While certain services may be available through health insurance, Catholics (or anyone covered) remains free not to use those services.

Could it not follow that those who do not believe in drinking alcohol would be correct in asking the country to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages?

We believe that each person has the right to follow their own beliefs under the law without being forced to comply with the religious dogma of others.]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/roman-catholic-church-vs-government/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:52:12 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/one-solitary-life/ The child of a peasant woman
He grew up in another obscure village
Where he worked in a carpenter shop
Until he ...]]> The child of a peasant woman
He grew up in another obscure village
Where he worked in a carpenter shop
Until he was thirty

He never wrote a book
He never held an office
He never went to college
He never visited a big city
He never travelled more than two hundred miles
From the place where he was born
He did none of the things
Usually associated with greatness
He had no credentials but himself

He was only thirty three

His friends ran away
One of them denied him
He was turned over to his enemies
And went through the mockery of a trial
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves
While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing
The only property he had on earth

When he was dead
He was laid in a borrowed grave
Through the pity of a friend

Nineteen centuries have come and gone
And today he is the central figure of the human race
And the leader of mankind's progress
All the armies that have ever marched
All the navies that have ever sailed
All the parliaments that have ever sat
All the kings that ever reigned put together
Have not affected the life of mankind on earth
As powerfully as that one solitary life

By Dr. James Allan]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/one-solitary-life/ Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:43:02 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/charity-winners/
Literally, thousand...]]>
Literally, thousands of nominations were received. When “Santa’s Helpers” met to review the charities, they found themselves in a very difficult place. It was agreed that all the charities mentioned were excellent organizations worthy of assistance. Still, the task was to trim the list to five.

Thank you for the nominations. Soon, we will share how we intend to continue reaching out to help those who help others. Meantime, we are pleased to announce the charities chosen this season. They are:

Singleton Moms
www.singletonmoms.org
Singleton Moms is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing hope, help and support to struggling single parents battling cancer.

Arizona Camp Sunrise
www.azcampsunrise.org
Arizona Camp Sunrise is dedicated to providing an exciting, medically safe camp program for children who have or have had cancer and their siblings.

Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development
www.tumbleweed.org
The mission of Tumbleweed is to serve abused, abandoned, troubled, and neglected youth in our community.

Peer Solutions
www.peersolutions.org
Peer Solutions is an Arizona-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996 to foster healthy communities while working to prevent the underlying causes of harm, including silence/denial, oppression and violence perceived as normal, before they begin.

Phoenix Children’s Project
www.phoenixchildren.org
Phoenix Children’s Project is dedicated to improving the lives of children living in poverty in Phoenix. The goal is to help under privileged children become healthy, self-reliant adults. It is totally staffed by volunteers.

Visitors to Spirit & Word contributed an additional $525. Therefore, each charity will receive $10,105.

Initial funding for Spirit & Word was provided by the estate of Bill Austin. With this charitable outreach, Spirit & Word will have distributed over $80,000 in its first six months.

Soon, we will announce details of our ongoing charitable efforts. Thank you all who nominated a vast list of worthy charities. And congratulations to the winners this season!]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/charity-winners/ Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:53:11 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/welcome-2/
During our recent charity outreach process, many new visitors have dropped in. Hundreds have decided to stay and have be...]]>
During our recent charity outreach process, many new visitors have dropped in. Hundreds have decided to stay and have become members. Just a quick scan of members shows that while most reside in Arizona, many are from all over the globe. Canada, California, Nevada, Utah, New York, Australia, Idaho, Maryland, Wisconsin, Ohio, Alabama, New Zealand, Minnesota, Florida, Pennsylvania and many more locations are represented. We hope you will be regular visitors. The wide range of locations gives you an opportunity to share thoughts with people your would probably never meet otherwise.

And that is one of the primary goals of this site: To share thoughts about the spiritual journey without dogma but rather with open acceptance of another person's views. We hope you will share this site with friends and invite them to visit!

We also hope that you will consider contributions to increase our charitable outreach. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Through 2012, we pledge to pass forward 100% of contributions received with nothing deducted for administrative costs. We call this effort, "Pass The Plate And Pass It Forward."

Thank you again for being here. Please come here often, share your thoughts, and bring new friends.

We wish you the richest joys of the holiday season!]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/welcome-2/ Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:16:17 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/charitable-outreach/
Thank you for the nominations and congratulations to the winners.]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/charitable-outreach/ Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:34:38 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/the-widow-s-mite/
One interpretation of the story is that God accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back. So, the widow's contribution is worth much more since it represents essentially all she had. The donations of the wealthy, by contrast, represented only a small portion of their money.

Another question that can come from this story is, "How is it possible that the widow was left with so little when so many around her had so much?" Was the society of the time selfish and not aware of the needs of others who could benefit from a small portion of their riches?

As we go about the process of selecting charities to receive a portion of the $50,000 to be distributed on December 14th, we are asking those who visit to consider adding to our total. No amount is too small. Donations collected up to December 14th will be added to the $50,000 already offered.

So far, one of our larger individual contributions comes from a person who is currently unemployed. Maybe that is a modern version of the old story. We are nearling the time to distribute $50,000 among 5 charities. As of Friday afternoon, contributions from visitors totals $500, meaning each charity will receive an extra $100. We hope that number grows!

If you feel moved to add to the charitable giving, please click on the "Contribute" tab in the top right corner. No amount is too small. Every "mite" will count as we "Pass The Plate And Pass It Forward."]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/the-widow-s-mite/ Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:20:41 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/oh-wow/ The Week written by Robert Love. It is shared below.

“Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” These were Steve Job’s last words before he slipped the bonds of earth on Oct. 5, 2011. We know this because we heard it from his sister, the writer Mona Simpson, who was with him in his final hours and described them in an eloquent eulogy published this week in The New York Times. Like the rest of us, Simpson had no idea what Jobs was seeing when he uttered his last words, but she invites us to ponder their meaning in the context of his life. She speaks of her brother’s “capacity for wonderment,” and his last words indeed seem apt and authentic for an enthusiast given to phrases like ‘insanely great,; It is tantalizing to think that in his final moments of consciousness, Jobs was privy to a wondrous vision of the other side. Maybe he beheld a beckoning mist, as Emily Dickinson did: “I must go in, the fog is rising.” Or the “shifting sands” seen by writer L. Frank Baum, who wished to cross over to the Land of Oz. Thomas Edison, to whom Jobs was often compared, said of his final destination, “It is very beautiful over there.”

We value last words for their honesty, their wit, their advice from eternity’s doorstep. Once in a while we get a grand summation, as we did from Errol Flynn: “I’ve had a hell of a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed every minute.” Or an adieu, per Lord Byron: “Now I shall go to sleep. Good night.” George Harrison left us with five simple syllables: “Love one another.” Oh wow. In the end we will all find out what Jobs was talking about. Meanwhile it’s somehow comforting to know that he was impressed.”]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/oh-wow/ Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:11:24 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/all-are-welcome-in-this-place/ The day of my first ordination was bright and sunny. The feeling that the Spirit was near was palpable. The beautiful church was filled to capacity. ...
It followed that we newly minted clergy bounded out with energy beyond description, heading to the churches to which we had been assigned and the next day, preached our first sermons. The words of the song were still ringing in our ears: "Here the outcast and the stranger bear the image of God's face; let us bring an end to fear and danger...All are welcome in this place." But, at least in my experience, the words soon became an echo. It wasn't long before I faced the fact that all were not welcome. It seemed that adherence to strict dogma and rigid rules was the price of admission to this place. Not all were embraced because some had different ways of thinking and living. I thought we had learned the rules in order to find the soft place to bend them for each person we met who was in pain. I was quickly reminded that I was wrong in that view. What happened to the call of the song that claims, "Let us build a house where hands will reach beyond the wood and stone to heal and strengthen, serve and teach, and live the Word we've known"? It's a beautiful song. But, at least in my experience, they didn't mean it...and that was an enormous disappointment. I left disillusioned and felt adrift with confusion.

Still, the Spirit didn't leave me an orphan. Soon, I met up with another band of fellow travelers who had experienced similar discouraging events in their ministerial lives and was ordained to a higher rank. So, I joined up with them and this smaller band of clerical pilgrims considered themselves "ministers in the marketplace." Onward! Through this association came the opportunity to serve as Pastoral Associate at a warm, loving church. That association enriched my life for four years. But not all were welcome there either. Since I had not come from that tradition originally and my training was not of their mold, I was informed that they were grateful for my services, which would no longer be needed. At that point, I had apparently run afoul of two bishops. And now, the song lyric that played quietly in my mind was, "All are welcome...where"?

Where are you good enough as you are while striving to be more? Where is it that the God of your own understanding can live happily alongside the God of mine? Where can fellow travelers gather to celebrate the uniqueness of our creation and support each other in harmony rather than conformity? Searching for that place brought me to this place. As you stroll through the pages of Spirit and Word.org, I hope that you might hear a new melody in your own heart. We are dedicated to the call of the song I heard long ago, "All are welcome here!"]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/all-are-welcome-in-this-place/ Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:52:37 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/spirit-and-word-charitable-outreach/
The pr...]]>
The primary purpose of Spirit and Word is to be a non-denominational spiritual resource on line. We hope to share thoughts and ideas on a wide range of spiritual issues and learn more about different approaches and ways of thinking. We hope that you will spread the news about our site which is still quite new and invite friends!

Additionally, as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, we do seek contributions to enable us to continue to grant funds to worthwhile causes. At our beginning, we pledged an initial outreach of several thousands of dollars and hope to increase that through donations received.

The agreement to fund "Bill's Kids" is on going in honor of Bill Austin, whose estate was the initial funding for this site. Closer to Fall, we hope to announce a wider plan for outreach funding and plan to seek input from the community members.

We thank you for coming to the site and hope that you will invite friends to share with the community as well as consider donations, which are tax deductable as we grow in sharing and the ability to pass it forward.]]> http://spiritandword.org/Charlie_Van_Dyke/blog/spirit-and-word-charitable-outreach/ Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:56:34 +0000 Charlie Van Dyke