I watched this video this morning and thought I would share it.
Peace and Love y'all.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Front, Back, Side-to-Side...Front Front Back Back Side-to-Side
I just today finished reading the book "Traveling Mercies" by Anne Lamott. It was an interesting book. I had known a little bit about her story and background and that was what had me interested in reading the book. Ms. Lamott was an atheist who eventually came to believe in God and then finally stepped into a relationship with Jesus. It is a story that Christians in particular love to hear, maybe (or most likely) as an "I told you so" type of thing. But that was what I knew of Anne Lamott before reading this book.
So it took me a bit by surprise when I started reading. It was an interesting book, but was not at all what I was expecting from a theological viewpoint of conservatism. In some ways that was very refreshing. I found grace in the pages of essays that she shared with her readers. I found that it didn't matter that she has a bit more liberal viewpoint of some things than I do...I can blame it on being raised in the San Francisco Bay area in the 1960s and 70s.
It did get me thinking though about a couple of things. In our current America, it seems that there are only two ways to go: liberal or conservative. Our politics are divided in this way, our thinking seems to be divided this way and even our churches tend to be split along these lines. Everything is either left or right, and whoever doesn't fall on your side of the line is wrong. Part of what gets me with this is how both sides have laid claim to God and where He stands (by the way, Lamott uses both pronouns when referring to God, as in He or She. This didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would). The problem is that both sides are trying to use him for their own gain and to justify their stances.
Here is what I know (or think I know): 1) I hate politics because the idea of doing things in a way that benefits yourself and select others rather than looking for the best solution for everyone is stupid (maybe that is just me), 2) God doesn't fall on either side of the party line. It sounds cliche I realize to say it, but God isn't Red or Blue, Republican or Democrat, Libertarian or Tea Party, Liberal or Conservative. God is simply God.
And here is the other thing: As followers of Christ, we are not called to be any of those things either. Jesus did not call us to follow a party or to pick a color, He called us to follow Him. In Matthew 4:19 Jesus says to Peter and Andrew "Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Jesus calls us to follow him, and him alone. When we are seeking to do that, we will find that none of the rest matters. In both Galatians and Colossians 3 (28 in Galatians and 11 in Colossians) Paul writes that there is no longer a state of separation amongst those who claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but rather that we are all one in Christ. Our following Jesus should be bigger than any party affiliation or political ideals. That is what we are called to. In Acts 2 we learn that the early church was more concerned about trying to meet the needs of the people and they found favor by doing this. As the body of Christ it is time for us to eschew politics and simply do our best to follow Jesus. That is how we get on the road to restoring our nation. Peace and Love y'all.
So it took me a bit by surprise when I started reading. It was an interesting book, but was not at all what I was expecting from a theological viewpoint of conservatism. In some ways that was very refreshing. I found grace in the pages of essays that she shared with her readers. I found that it didn't matter that she has a bit more liberal viewpoint of some things than I do...I can blame it on being raised in the San Francisco Bay area in the 1960s and 70s.
It did get me thinking though about a couple of things. In our current America, it seems that there are only two ways to go: liberal or conservative. Our politics are divided in this way, our thinking seems to be divided this way and even our churches tend to be split along these lines. Everything is either left or right, and whoever doesn't fall on your side of the line is wrong. Part of what gets me with this is how both sides have laid claim to God and where He stands (by the way, Lamott uses both pronouns when referring to God, as in He or She. This didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would). The problem is that both sides are trying to use him for their own gain and to justify their stances.
Here is what I know (or think I know): 1) I hate politics because the idea of doing things in a way that benefits yourself and select others rather than looking for the best solution for everyone is stupid (maybe that is just me), 2) God doesn't fall on either side of the party line. It sounds cliche I realize to say it, but God isn't Red or Blue, Republican or Democrat, Libertarian or Tea Party, Liberal or Conservative. God is simply God.
And here is the other thing: As followers of Christ, we are not called to be any of those things either. Jesus did not call us to follow a party or to pick a color, He called us to follow Him. In Matthew 4:19 Jesus says to Peter and Andrew "Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Jesus calls us to follow him, and him alone. When we are seeking to do that, we will find that none of the rest matters. In both Galatians and Colossians 3 (28 in Galatians and 11 in Colossians) Paul writes that there is no longer a state of separation amongst those who claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but rather that we are all one in Christ. Our following Jesus should be bigger than any party affiliation or political ideals. That is what we are called to. In Acts 2 we learn that the early church was more concerned about trying to meet the needs of the people and they found favor by doing this. As the body of Christ it is time for us to eschew politics and simply do our best to follow Jesus. That is how we get on the road to restoring our nation. Peace and Love y'all.
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