One In Jesus

When we’re confronted with a difficult choice — a choice where there are more data and more possibilities than we can easily think through, we tend to look for “handles,” that is, easy things to grab to get an answer. Thus, in the current Republican Presidential primary, there are approximately 500,000 candidates (give or take), each with his or her own positions and history and character. And it’s just too much trouble to actually read all the positions papers and watch the debates and read all the commentary and make a truly informed decision.

As a result, we look at things like: Does he or she look presidential? (Studies show that voters prefer tall candidates.) How good is he as a speaker? (Some people have become nominees and even Presidents largely due to their speech making skills.) Does he or she have the right positions? (And because we voters tend to judge by position more than whether they actually understand the issues, the candidates favor us with little more than slogans and sound bites culled from focus groups and surveys.) Is he or she supported by someone in whom I have confidence? (Rush Limbaugh, my union, my preacher …) Continue reading →

Since I’m on hiatus, I’ve found myself reflecting on the last post quite a bit. And in reading through the comments, I noticed some patterns I thought might be worth mentioning.

First, no one said anything about the joke on the tee shirt: “Respect your elders -or- be eaten by bears,” citing to 2 Kings 2:24. Come on … don’t you elders have days when you want to hang a banner saying that over the pulpit? Continue reading →

I get emails —

Our church is at the beginning stages of an elder selection process. One of the men I would like to nominate is willing to be an elder but he has a concern. He has no children and is not sure if that means he is scripturally unqualified to be an elder. I’ve given him my thoughts and interpretations on the matter, but I was curious if you knew of other resources I could also provide him with. Thanks, sir!

I always like it when people call me “sir,” so I’m publishing this email for the readers’ responses. But I’m going to throw some ideas out for consideration first.

Here are the usual verses to consider — Continue reading →