Ugh

Ugh. Another tough night. Dead arm again. Finally got up at 4:30, got the arm to come back to life, but ended up with an intense pain in my neck, which is still present at 10:30 am. Or not in my neck, really, but at the base of my neck just at the top of the backbone. And the morning news doesn't help, though I should be used to it by this time. More of the same. How depressing. I mean, of course, the news from America. Though I've lived here in Indonesia for more than seven years, I don't really understand their politics or their issues. Although it is a democratic republic, it often verges on being a theocracy, as Islam is a very active part of the government. If one really wants to know why religion should not be part of government, one needs only look at Indonesia, where religion is often in conflict with the notions of a democratic society. And unfortunately, as in America, it is the hardline, inflexible voices that are both the loudest and the least reflective of the true faith. In the meantime, progressive, Christ centered Christian leaders are holding a vigil this morning in Washington DC., with Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry (of British Royal wedding fame) setting his sights on "a dangerous crisis of moral and political leadership in American churches and government", and warning that "Somebody woke up Jim Crow". Preach it, brother!