Presby-Musings

Today, many of us have woken up in a different America than we had imagined only yesterday.  We are a divided nation, which is evident from the election results.  Statistically, more than half of the people reading this today are elated, and the rest are despondent.  Some feel this might be the end of America as we know it, and others are triumphant that their ideals were upheld.  I don't have it in me to share a bunch of platitudes about how this is a time for us to put our differences aside and work together in the business of unity.  That's an admirable and worthy conversation, but it's for another day.   Instead, I will speak to the Christian Church, particularly those within it who still believe that the ultimate purpose of anyone who says they follow Jesus is to Love God and Love Everybody.  We've got some work to do.   There has been so much divisive and awful rhetoric during this election.  We've demonized one another, become more fearful, walled off from pe

Today is Election Day, and I will do my best to eloquently discuss the importance of voting and civic engagement as both a privilege and a responsibility, especially for those who say they follow Jesus.   Let's be clear, Jesus never said a thing about voting.   He said many things that were considered political, however. Every time he talked about the Kingdom of God, he made what amounted to a political statement because he compared the kingdoms of this world to God's kingdom.  But the Apostle Paul had a great deal to say about what it meant to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God and a citizen of whatever earthly kingdom was in power.  For Paul, it was important that Christians be the very best citizens they could be.  He exhorted early Christians to be good neighbors, to obey the laws of Rome (as long as they did not violate the higher laws of love), and to do everything they could to live peaceably with everyone.  Paul responded to a genuine issue that early Christians faced i

Do you have something hanging over your head today that needs to get done? Do you need help getting started? Maybe you've had a project that you have been needing to get done, but it is still sitting in your inbox, on your table, in your garage, or on your computer screen. It sits there accusing you of stuff, like: "What's the matter with you? Lazy, much?" "Hey, I'm not going to finish myself, Pal." "You aren't good enough to do this, are you?" "Why aren't you more like your brother... sister... successful cousin?" "I'll just be here reminding you of how you never finish things..." Wow. That list came pretty easily—too easily. I'm guessing that there are a few of us out there who resonate with this all too well. Sometimes, the things we haven't started are transformative actions that we know need to be taken, but doing them will disrupt our lives too much, turn things upside down, or bring about the kind

With the election almost over, it's appropriate for me to conduct my own poll. Everyone's been talking about polls, examining, taking, interpreting, denying polls (if they're not winning), and affirming polls (if they are), so why not get in on the act? Here are my poll questions for today. We'll do this all by show of hands.  First question:  How many of you are enjoying this election season?   You are just digging this whole thing.  You are watching it like a train wreck about to happen. Raise your hand.   Okay, second question: How many of you are ready for this to be over?   You've already handed in the towel, waved the white flag, and given up. Raise your hand. Okay, last question.  How many of you think that politics should come up in church?  Should a preacher talk about politics from the pulpit?  Many of you knew what the topic would be today, so you showed up or tuned in even though you told yourself, "he shouldn't be talking about that," but

I grew up in the shadow of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, CO, and woke up every day with it in full view from my house.  As a kid, I usually took for granted that it was always there, looming high above all the other mountains around it.   But there were some days when I would actually see it, study it, marvel at it, and be grateful for it in my own way.  On clear days, you could sometimes catch the flash of the sun's reflection on cars driving up the Peak.  The high altitude and cloudless days offered a kind of other-worldly visibility that never ceased to amaze me.  When I was twelve, our church youth group organized a hiking trip for middle and high school students to hike up from the base of Pikes Peak to the summit.  My buddy David and I were the youngest members of the group.   We needed water, food for snacks, and sense.  I'm still shocked that our youth director even let us out of the church van.   But we made it to the summit in a little over six hours. When thirsty,

I'm over this particular election season.  I'm fatigued by it, which is a better word.   I get 9,000 emails a day asking me to donate money to various candidates, who all seem to be saying that if I don't, America may cease to exist tomorrow.  I also get approximately 6,000 texts a day requesting the same thing, not to mention the robocalls on my phone that I have stopped answering lately.  Any money I might send now won't be used to purchase ads or mobilize volunteers. Instead, it will undoubtedly be used to pay the legal fees of candidates who are either defending or initiating a lawsuit about the election.   This also fatigues me.  And let me say something about undecided voters at this point.  If you are still undecided, you need to figure your life out because, in my humble opinion, there's too much information out there for you to be undecided.  If you disagree with that last statement, I will gladly provide Exhibits A and B, which are my email and text messag