Distance does not decide who is your brother and who is not

A quote from Bono, via Bruderhof..

Now, for all its failings and its perversions over the last 2,000 years—and as much as every exponent of this faith has attempted to dodge this idea—it is unarguably the central tenet of Christianity: that everybody is equal in God's eyes. So you cannot, as a Christian, walk away from Africa. America will be judged by God if, in its plenty, it crosses the road from 23 million people suffering from HIV, the leprosy of the day.

What's up on trial here is Christianity itself. You cannot walk away from this and call yourself a Christian and sit in power. Distance does not decide who is your brother and who is not. The church is going to have to become the conscience of the free market if it's to have any meaning in this world—and stop being its apologist.

Connections...

I got a phone call yesterday from an old friend of mine named Colin Scott. Colin and I were roommates in Mexico around 15 years ago when we served with a group called Spearhead run by the Latin America Mission. We hadn't spoken in years. As I refelected on our call I realized that it was a highlight of my day. It was great to get caught up on each others lives. It brought back so many memories of the times that we had together in Mexico. (I could tell you some stories, but that would have to be another entry on this blog. This one is too sappy to ruin the mood with recounting "The Adventures of Jeffito and Colincito - Gringos in Mexico City".) My reconnection with Colin reminded me of the sovereign way that God puts people together. We had learned some of the same things about God through our different experiences. And the cool thing was that we were able to pick up right where we left off.

Why am I writing this? I guess I was just reminded that relationships are important. We need to remember that. And maybe we need to take the risk to reconnect. The benefits are amazing.

Comparison chart of Traditional, Pragmatic, and Younger Evangelicals

Here's a chart that fits right in with the comments I blogged about yesterday from Tall Skinny Kiwi. Interesting to see the shifts in the church.

Link to Chart

Rick Warren's Awakening...

A quote from Rick Warren -

"And that was a turning point in my life two-and-a-half years ago, where God basically said to me - and I've never heard God speak audibly; it's in my mind - 'The purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence. The purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence.' And in religious terms I had to say, 'God, I repent, because I can't think of the last time I thought of widows and orphans.' I live in a very affluent Southern California neighborhood. There aren't any homeless people lying on the streets where I live. And I said, 'I can't think of the last time I cared about the homeless.'

And so I went back and I began to read scripture, and it was like blinders came off. Now, I've got three advanced degrees. I've had four years in Greek and Hebrew and I've got doctorates. And how did I miss 2,000 versus in the Bible where it talks about the poor? How did I miss that? I mean, I went to two different seminaries and a Bible school; how did I miss the 2,000 verses on the poor?"

Read More

Dealing with change in the church?

You have to read this. Andrew at Tall Skinny Kiwi does an incredible job in highlighting some of the areas of tension and change in regards to church. I mean it, you really need to read this.

What I said and what they heard...

This past Sunday in my church I made a reference to homosexuality and abortion as sins. My point was not so much to condemn these two acts as it was to condemn the way some "Christians" respond to them. Protesters holding "God hates gays" signs and people who shoot abortion doctors should realize that their actions are not in line with following Jesus. That was my point. But as always, what I am trying to say and what people hear are not the same thing. I got an email on Monday which emphasized the following points...

1. The writer was very disappointed that I called homosexuality a sin.
2. The son of the writer was a homosexual who was living a healthy life and contributing to society.
3. A member of our church had told this person that if his son was a homosexual that he would shoot him. From the writer's perspective, my comments would serve only to reinforce this type of thinking.
4. That if this type of "judgemental" thinking was what it meant to be a Baptist that the writer had no desire to be a Baptist.

I spent some time today crafting my response and really felt that this is how I feel about the whole issue. I am putting it here to see what the two of you who read this blog think.

Hello ------,

Thanks for your comments. I do appreciate your honesty. I'm sorry that I offended you. I did not mean to encourage anyone in our congregation to look down on or mistreat anyone who is gay. Comments like the one you mentioned by one of our members are exactly the problem. God loves people regardless of their sexual orientation. If you'll recall my point was that "Christians" who hold signs that state that "God hates gays" should also realize that it is a sin to hate anyone. We are all sinners, all in need of God's mercy.

I do believe, based on my study of the Bible, that homosexuality is a sin. This does not mean that your son does not have a valid faith, or that all homosexuals are not Christians. I know of deeply committed Christians who hold the opposite viewpoint on this from me. My fear about the church is that we have made homosexuality THE sin. We are so willing to condemn others without looking first into our own hearts. Lying, gossip, materialism, disregard for the poor - all of these things are sins. While I see homosexuality (the practice of homosexuality as opposed to the orientation of homosexuality) as a sin, I do not, by any means want to be seen as promoting hatred or condescension toward those who are homosexuals. They, like me, need the love and forgiveness of Jesus. And my role as a follower of Jesus is to live in a way that shows them respect, dignity, and love. On the issue of whether it is a sin or not, I am willing that we can agree to disagree. But I have no choice in regards to what Christ asks me to show them - love, just like He calls me to love everyone.

From your email I can see that these two ideas seem to be in contradiction. I really did not want it to come across this way. I am not making any judgements about the integrity of your son, or about his contribution to society. In fact, I have found many homosexuals who I know to be more "moral" than many Christians. This concerns me, and this is what I was trying to address.

In regards to your not being Baptist, I would applaud your decision. It is much more important to wrestle with what it means to be a follower of Jesus than it is to try to fit yourself into the imperfect mold of being a Baptist.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Many people disagee with me but don't have the courage to verbalize it. You did it with love and respect, which makes clear to me that you are in pursuit of truth and not out to hurt or destroy.

I have never met you as far as I can remember, but I would like to. I also would like to make clear that coming to our services doesn't mean that you agree with everything that we (or I) say or do. I don't think we'll ever find a group of people who agree completely on everything. Part of the benefit of coming together is to strengthen and challenge one another in our areas of disagreement, while unifying around the call to follow Jesus.

Please let me know if you would like to talk further.

By Grace,


Jeff Kuhn

Any comments from the blogosphere?

In case you're wondering...

...I am not a cat lover.

If you are a kindred spirit when it comes to cat hatred you might enjoy this. I fully expect to take some flack for this from all you cat lovers, but it's worth it.

When less is more...

The more time passes the less I am sure of and the more confident I am that Jesus is all He said He is. It is encouraging for me to see others at the same point in their journey. My faith has become less about answers and more about quiet trust in the One who is leading. Anne Lamott writes,

“Another problem involves what the light looks like. I have thought over the years, that the light would look like success, a good man, a child, a Democratic president, but none of these were right. Moses led his people in circles for forty years so that they could get ready for the Promised Land, because they had too many ideas and preconceptions about what a Promised Land should look like…We have to sit in our own anxiety and funkiness long enough to know what a Promised Land would be like, or, to put it another way, what it means to be saved.”

So much of my spiritual journey has been about letting go of what I thought God was doing in order to embrace what He’s actually up to.

I never wanted to be a pastor. Thought they were too secluded from the real world. What an idiot I was. But God is patient (and persistent), and here I am pastoring a church, never more sure of His calling in my life than I am now.

I thought spiritual leadership was about giving people answers. Truth is that it’s more about walking with people through their questions. I’ve realized that God doesn’t need me to be His agent; He can do His own PR work. He wants me to be His hands, showing compassion, serving, loving, dying. Sure, you speak the truth, but your eloquence and insight aren’t needed, He just enjoys letting you be a part of what He is doing.

I thought being a pastor was about discerning vision and preaching with passion. I am learning that it’s more about riding the roller coaster we call life. Let me share with you a day from a couple of weeks ago. I got to the office at 9:00am on Friday and spent the next hour talking with a suicidal woman on the phone. Our church has tried to help her repeatedly, just like every other social agency in our town. But she continually burns her bridges, abuses those who help her, and justifies it by saying that God is leading her to do these things. At 10:00 I met with another person. She has every reason to be suicidal and yet God is slowly but surely changing her heart. On my way back to the office I met with a family of a 66 year old man who had just died. They have little or no understanding when it comes to Jesus and what He intends for us. It was an hour of trying to bring some hope to a situation where there is none, or at least it feels that way. When I got back to the office I had to do the intensely spiritual work of responding to emails. That was followed up by an hour of wrestling with Acts chapter 2, asking God to speak to me and enable me to speak clearly to others. At 2:00 I did a funeral. Once again, very little hope, just a deep love and respect for a man who they will miss everyday for the rest of their lives. I wrapped up the day trying to finish off my sermon. And all of this is set against the back drop of hurt feelings and misunderstandings that surround a recent church decision. And yet I love it. I’m seeing God in places that I never dreamed He would be. And guess what, He’s getting the job done. I should’ve known that when He said that He would build His church that is wasn’t some politician’s promise, good only for the time it takes to get them in office. He meant what He said. And He’s good for His word.

I thought that peace was the absence of all these struggles. I am learning that the real peace comes in the midst of the roller coaster. You can only use a parachute when you’re falling to the earth at some insane speed. You can only trust God when it looks as if there is no hope.

So I’m learning to be sure of less, but to be more confident of the less I know to be true. It’s an interesting paradox, and one that’s difficult to explain. I guess that’s what makes it so beautiful. Easy answers lose their beauty when held up to the light. But when you experience something that is beyond describing, or at least describing fully, the truth seems to actually grow in beauty as the light reflects across the surface of the unknown.

That’s just the way God likes to do things.

A Proverb...

Emergesque points us toward the scripture...

The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.

Proverbs 29:7 (NIV)

Ouch. That's pretty clear, isn't it?

Lesslie Newbigin

For all you thinkers out there you should really take the time to read Lesslie Newbigin, especially The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. Scot McKnight gives a good intro and some links to follow up on here and here.

That'll strectch you a bit. But it's good for us, isn't it.

Take off your shoes...and look!

I have a friend named Matt (check out Matt's music here or an MP3 sample here - he's the most profound song writer that I have ever experienced - and I'm only a little biased.) who lives in the southern United States. We’ve been friends since university. He usually comes to visit “Supernatural British Columbia” at least once a year. I am always amazed by what he says is his favourite thing to do in BC -- look. That’s right, he can spend hours just looking at Mt. Cheam, at an endless field of corn waving in the breeze, or at the salmon as they run. It’s all so new to him, so breath-taking. He says things like, “How do you get anything done here with all this incredible beauty to look at?” And I, of course, don’t really have an answer. The sad reality is that I tend to miss all those images that fill Matt with wonder and amazement. Life is busy, I have a wife and children, a job, and there’s not much time left over for “looking”.

When Matt leaves I’m always challenged to realize what we have here in the Fraser Valley. I have to admit that he’s right. Life moves so fast that I often miss something truly fantastic. It takes someone with a new perspective to remind me of the magnificence of the everyday. Henry W. Longfellow wrote,

"If Spring came but once in a century, instead of once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake, and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change. But now the silent succession suggests nothing but necessity. To most, only the cessation of the miracle would be miraculous and the perpetual exercise of God's power seems less wonderful than its withdrawal would be.”

The world all around us has much to say.

Most of the poetry in the Bible was written by a shepherd named David. He spent hours out in the hills caring for the sheep and doing just what my friend Matt does - looking. He began to see beyond what was there to the One who brought it into being. David wrote,

“The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4)

As I was thinking about these things I came across a quote by Elizabeth Barrett Browning in a file I keep of tidbits that have impacted my life. It seems to sum up what I'm trying to say in this blog.

“Earth is crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God. But only He who sees takes off His shoes.”

In the hurry of our lives we often miss something very important. God is calling to us. He’s reminding us of not only His power, but also of His love. A love that gives us beauty to behold, to enjoy. Take some time to look. And then listen. Take off your shoes. This is holy ground. God has something to say to you.

Wisdom from a 5 year-old

I was holding my five year-old daughter as we sang in church a few weeks ago. I often wonder what she is thinking as she listens to the music. On this particular Sunday I didn't have to wonder. She leaned over to whisper in my ear, "Do you know what I like about birthdays?"

"What do you like about birthdays?", I replied.

In true five year-old fashion she smiled and said, "You get bigger and you get to eat cake!"

With that she happily laid her head on my shoulder. I thought the conversation was over until she perked up and asked, "Do you know what I don't like about birthdays?"

I bit, and said, "No, tell me what you what you don't like about birthdays."

She thought for a moment and said, "Your favorite shoes don't fit good anymore."

Let me be the first to acknowledge my parental bias (If you think I'm bad you should talk to her grandparents), but God reminded me of a profound truth through the words of my daughter.

As we grow, things change. Yes, it's exciting to move forward, to celebrate, to grow. But it also means that we say goodbye to some things that were very comfortable to us in the past. I have seen that in many aspects recently. Our church is moving forward. Yes, we're making mistakes as we do it, but the general direction seems to be where God is leading. And as things change and we grow, the old systems of how things were done are suddenly uncomfortable. I'm not saying that they were wrong and we've moved beyond them to more enlightened ways, I'm saying that as churches grow, old patterns are replaced with new ones. And many of the old patterns have fit well and been very comfortable. But growth calls us to move on. To find new "shoes" that fit and that enable us to do all that God has called us to do. I think this may have something to do with what Jesus said about "wineskins".

You know what I like about growth? It means we're alive.

You know what I don't like about growth? Sometimes it can be painful.

That's wisdom, gleaned from my five year old. Out of the mouths of babes.

An email from Steve Bell

Here is a mass email I got from Steve Bell. He has alot of good things to say, especially as he writes on Jesus' concern for the poor. I've posted it here because it gives a great overview to a big subject as well as linking to some very good resources. Enjoy...

Steve Bell - in support of the Make Poverty History Campaign.

Hello all – this email is a bit lengthy I know, but it concerns a matter of utmost concern to us all. I would be grateful if you would take a moment for a careful read.

Just before heading off with my wife Nanci to Guatemala in March, a friend of mine gave me a stack of Time Magazines to read on the plane. Perhaps because of our destination I was immediately drawn to the cover of the March 14/ 05 edition, titled How to End Poverty, which featured an article by Jeffrey Sachs on the issue of extreme poverty in the world.

Quick Facts:

● There are presently 1.8 billion people living in extreme poverty. These are people living on less than one dollar a day. Extreme poverty is described as “poverty that kills.”

● About 30,000 children die every 24 hours from preventable causes and disease. This means that every three seconds, a child dies. (As an exercise, snap you fingers every three seconds for a couple of minutes and let the reality of what that means sink in.)

The article tells of the grinding poverty in areas like Africa’s Sub Saharan Malawi; families ravaged by the “perfect storm of human deprivation, one that brings together climactic disaster, impoverishment, the AIDS pandemic and the long-standing burdens of malaria, schistosomiasis and other diseases.” These stories are hardly new to anyone who watches television or reads the news. But the article does not tarry long on these familiar, depressing descriptions before moving on to a visionary discussion of the complexity of poverty, exposing as false the popular myths of poverty’s root causes (laziness, corruption, misrule, etc.) as well as the prevailing myth of Western generosity.

Jeffrey Sachs is an American economist who has traveled the world, from Bolivia to Malawi, and seen poverty at its worst. He has been an economic adviser to many foreign governments. From his academic base as director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, he is a close associate of Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, and key figure in the UN Millennium Project to combat global poverty.

U2 fans would be interested to know that Jeffrey Sachs is the man Bono chose to teach him the nuances of global economic dynamics implicated by the Aids pandemic and the world’s poor.

Consider a statement that has kept me awake into the wee hours of many a morning since: “We are the first generation with the plan, the technology and the money to end world poverty. What we don’t have is the will.”

Since reading the article I sought out the wisdom of Stuart Clark who is the Senior Policy Advisor at the Canadian Food Grains Bank. Stuart patiently explained to me that although individuals in the west are quite generous when faced with these issues, direct money and food aid is only temporarily helpful. In fact, sometimes it is more harmful than good. What is necessary is a concerted, intelligent and thoughtful effort by the world’s richest nations to eradicate poverty by promoting:

● Fair Trade (as opposed to Free Trade)

● The total elimination of insurmountable third world debt (many developing countries have debt with annual interest payments that exceed the country’s total health and education budget combined.)

● More and better aid from the world’s richest countries (the kind of money needed here is roughly a yearly increase of 50 billion per year. By way of contrast, the world’s governments invested 900 billion in arms in 2003.)

What Stuart was helping me to understand, is that it doesn’t help to finger wag and brow beat individuals into giving more to charities - although individual giving is an extremely important thing. Temporary relief remains temporary if the blocks to development are not systematically removed. What we need is for the citizens of the wealthy countries to insist their governments carry through on the promises made at the 2000 UN Millennium Summit where 191 countries met and agreed to practically address and eradicate extreme poverty by adhering to and implementing the 8 Development Goals set out by the summit. (For a list and brief description of these goals visit http://www.millenniumcampaign.org/

Anyway, the reason I am writing here and now is that one of the commitments made was that the richest nations of the world would contribute annually 0.7% of their Gross National Income to finance the development goals. So far, Canada has yet to meet half of that target. Actually, Canada currently gives only 0.3% of Gross National Income to foreign aid. That is only 1/3 of a penny for every dollar earned. The US has done no better. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Luxembourg have all exceeded their commitments.

Recently in Ottawa, finance minister Goodale met with Jeffrey Sachs and in conversation admitted that although Canada can certainly afford to honour its 0.7% GNI commitment, there simply isn’t the political will to do so.

That’s where we come in. This is where our vote matters. This is where the world begins to hear that preventable poverty is not only a moral outrage but a primary Christian concern as well.

Recently reading through the gospels I find it rather compelling that the conception of Christ in the womb of Mary signals the leveling of power and economic disparity: “How he scatters the proud and the haughty ones! He has taken princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.” Later, when John the Baptist is heralding the coming reign of God and his hearers are moved to respond, John uses re-distributivist language to define proper preparation: “If you have two coats, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” Then, shortly after his desert trial, at the onset of his ministry, our Lord says of himself “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor…”

In his most famous sermon Christ insists his followers display a rather unlikely largess toward enemies and even the ungrateful. In the end, his teaching is clear, those who are friends of Christ are known as such by their disregard for their own security, “don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing,” and for practical acts of kindness and compassion, “when you do it to the least of these, you do it unto me.”

Recently I was encouraged to learn that Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life), Billy Graham and John Stott have publicly endorsed the Make Poverty History campaign - as have the likes of Jim Wallis (Sojourners magazine) and Brian McLaren (A New Kind of Christian). In an email Rick Warren recently sent to 800,000 folks on his list, he wrote, “I deeply believe that if we as evangelicals remain silent and do not speak up in defense of the poor, we lose our credibility and our right to witness about God’s love for the world: “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17, NIV) He continues, “We are blessed to be a blessing to others, and certainly America, as the most blessed nation on our planet, has the greatest obligation to help those who are stuck in poverty around the world.”

This July 6-8 at the 2005 G8 Summit, hosted by the British government in Gleneagles, Tony Blair has promised to make the Millennium Development goals a primary topic. Before then, governments need to hear from their citizens that these are concerns we expect them to address. There are many ways to do this, here are four:

● The most important thing to do right now is to log on to the Make Poverty History and Micah Challenge websites listed below and register your name in support of the world’s poor. Governments take notice of people movements.

● Start reading. The resources listed below are full of nuanced information to help us understand the complexity of poverty as well as the achievable solutions to an unacceptable situation.

● Develop awareness among your friends and social groups, churches and e-community. Feel free to quote this letter, in part, or in its entirety. Encourage individuals to visit these sights to register their names. Governments do respond to these things.

● Order white arm bands from http://www.makepovertyhistory/ site and give them to friends to wear for the next several months.

Here are some helpful websites - make sure you sign on to any petition offered:

Action

http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/ (Canadian) http://www.one.org/ (US)

The Canadian site offers prewritten emails and letters to government MPs and the Prime Minister. It will even find your MP and his or her email address for you when you type in your postal code. Be sure to watch the 30 second movie they’ve produced AND order white armbands to wear and give to your friends.

http://www.micahchallenge.ca/ (Canadian) www.micahchallenge.org/USA (US)

These sites are the Canadian and American sites which represent the coalition of Evangelical Christians who endorse the Millennium Development Goals and the Make Poverty History campaign. Please find and sign the petition.

Information

http://www.mcc.org/

This is the best site I’ve found for a quick educational overview of the Make Poverty History Campaign. Click on the link for the campaign and follow the side bar issues. You can also find a quick two person skit that can easily be performed at your Church on a Sunday morning as part of an awareness campaign.

http://www.bread.org/

This is home for the Bread For The World Institute, a Faith based group seeking justice for the hungry by engaging in research and education on policies related to hunger and development. Click on “who we are” on the sidebar, then click on “Receive our free 12 page booklet: What You Can Do to End Hunger.” This would be a great resource to pass on to friends and pastors.

www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/endofpoverty

This is Jeffrey Sachs’ site. It is full of good information. I also encourage you to purchase and read his recent book, The End of Poverty. It is a lengthy read, but well written, terribly interesting and aimed at folks like me who don’t have a lot of background in global studies.

http://www.millenniumcampaign.org/

This is the UN’s site dedicated to the Millennium Development Goals. At the site, click on “The Goals” at the top bar and read what follows. At the bottom you can select the goals individually for more detail.

Thanks for taking time to read this through. Besides your own personal giving to good charities, a few moments of your time to sign on to the various petitions at the above sites will send a powerful message to our governments about how we expect our nations to be compassionate world citizens. Please resist cynicism. We simply need to speak out on behalf of those whose voice is not being heard.

Peace,

Steve Bell

Ps: I would appreciate public response to this email. You can go to my website at http://www.steve-bell.com/ , click on “conversation” and make comments, suggestions, and report creative ways you may have for spreading information about this campaign.

Anybody want a peanut?

This for all you Princess Bride lovers...

Inigo Montoya: That Vizzini, he can *fuss*.
Fezzik: Fuss, fuss... I think he like to scream at *us*.
Inigo Montoya: Probably he means no *harm*.
Fezzik: He's really very short on *charm*.
Inigo Montoya: You have a great gift for rhyme.
Fezzik: Yes, yes, some of the time.Vizzini: Enough of that!
Inigo Montoya: Fezzik, are there rocks ahead?
Fezzik: If there are, we all be dead!
Vizzini: No more rhymes now, I mean it!
Fezzik: Anybody want a peanut?
Vizzini: DYEEAAHHHHHH!!

Does your desk reflect your soul?

I have a theory - the state of my desk often reflects the state of my soul. If that's true, then my soul is currently in quite a mess. That doesn't mean I'm living in disobedience, it just means that I need to restore some balance, to recenter myself around Jesus. The mess stems from too much to do in too little time, coupled with some very emotionally draining challenges. Goal #1 this week is a little re-calibration. What do you think of my theory? How do you gauge the state of your soul?

Our Graduates...

Rob and Heather, our adopted (sort of) children just graduated from High School.

Just had to say congrats to two of the neatest kids around!!

Sorry for the long silence...

I've been away from the blog for over three weeks. Sorry for to two of you who consistently read this. There has been much going on in my pastor world, and many of my thoughts have been of a confidential nature. That has kept me from sharing my musings with cyberspace, as well as sucked away a lot of my creative energy. But now I am back. Thanks for your patience.

Facts every Christian should know...

From emergesque

You really should take a look at this.

Anne Lamott writes...

"You KNOW that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people that you do. "

Back in the Saddle again...

Well, I'm back from vacation, even though most of my time was spent at home. It was nice to be out of the office for a few weeks. I threw myself, with the help of some other friends, into landscaping my backyard. It's gone through quite a transformation. (I'll post some pictures here in the coming weeks.) And as usual, I found there to be something very therapeutic about working with my hands and getting a little dirty. It was nice to see some tangible evidence of my efforts when the day was done. Tangible evidence is not always there in "pastoral" work. So I'm returning from my six day a week, manual labor vacation to my "one day a week" pastor job. I'm physically tired, but mentally refreshed. Maybe this blog will show some evidence of that fact over the next little while. Thanks for being patient while I was away!