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A Country of Four-Year-Olds
A COUNTRY OF FOUR-YEAR-OLDS I sometimes feelthat the only wayto understand my countryis to be a parent. I live in a landfor which the response“because I can”is a valid argumentand “because I said so”works just as wellto dissuade; where freedom is moreimportant than community,until we get hurt. Today my son is crankybecause his MeeMee and…
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How political should your church be?
It’s a simple question. Well, at least many of us treat it like it is. Not at all, we say. Separation of Church and State. A lot, we say. We are called to change the world. How we answer the question often reveals not only what we think of church and politics, but where we…
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The 2016 Presidential Campaign In A Nutshell
It’s Like Dinner. The 2016 presidential election reminds me of dinner. Namely the conversation around dinner. Like coming home and saying “What should we do for dinner?” And your spouse says: “Not spaghetti. #neverspaghetti” And you say “OK. We won’t do spaghetti. I’m hoping to hear what you actually want.” And they say “I’m really…
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We Politicized Tragedy Long Before Now
If I had looked at the news Sunday morning, I would have rewritten my sermon. I’ve done that before, but I was being patient. I liked it already. I take the time in the morning, to review and reflect. I don’t look at email or listen to messages. I don’t read the news and I…
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How Failures Win: In Movements and In Life
Failing is good. Every day I remind myself. We call ourselves perfectionists because we’re in pain. We use perfectionism as a kind of diagnosis which makes us feel better about playing it safe or feeling hurt. The kind of imperfection that can become a badge of honor – the strength we pass off as a weakness…
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Church and Politics
One of the ways I struggle with our arguments about church and politics is that we don’t use the word the same way. Another is that Jesus’s actions seem quite political. Check out my thoughts on my St. Stephen’s blog. One way a church must be political
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Truth
Truth (Day 12 of A Simple Lent) In a political campaign, it often seems like the biggest loser is sincerity and truth. It becomes easy for websites like FactCheck.org to parse every political statement or for confusions to blossom into controversies: such as fear of bias leading to a made up story of people chanting of…
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He Said / She Said
He Said / She Said (Day 8 of A Simple Lent) I’m not really sure if I’m supposed to like Joseph. His Dad, Jacob, was a jerk. He was a liar and a thief, who seemed to take advantage of the blessing of GOD. And even after wrestling with his creator on the banks of the…