Month: July 2015

This is getting simpler.

I’ve recently found a clearing of sorts; a place where my mind and my spirit are finding peace and rest no matter how loud and ugly things get—though it wasn’t always this way.

For a long time I let the angry, mean-spirited, violent noise get the best of me. That happens to so many good people out here trying to change things, trying to care about stuff that matters, trying to help build the world they wish to see.

Spend enough time in the thick of the fight and you become conditioned to it, poisoned by its cynicism and contempt, hardened by its continual cruelty. Face the world in a battle posture long enough and you lose the ability to live any other way.

Too many people can only function if they have a villain to war with, a cause to rail against, an evil to condemn.

I’m conscientiously objecting to that fruitless war these days…

Pastor, be brave.

Believe me, I know it isn’t easy.

I never wanted to be a pastor myself. Eighteen years ago I was drafted, pulled into ministry later in life while in the middle of a successful career as an Art Director. What started out as a few seemingly harmless hours a week volunteering with students has led to nearly two decades in full-time service in the Church.

I’ve been where you are. I’m still there now.

One of the things I remember early on, was how strange it felt the first time I got paid to be a pastor. It made me feel legitimized for sure and it was certainly greatly appreciated, but I also realized that things had changed. I was no longer a free-lance believer. I was no longer autonomous. My spiritual life had been leased out and appropriated by a crowd. There was now an ever-growing, ever-changing list…

There is a difference between feminism, chauvinism, male chauvinism and equality, and for those who just came in I’d like to spell it out for you. These aren’t really dictionary definitions, but they work.

• Feminism– A concept, a way of life, or a social structure in which women are given rights, opportunities, duties, respect and importance equal to that given to men.
• Chauvinism– A concept in which a certain group or faction considers themselves to be superior in any way to other group(s).
• Male Chauvinism– A concept, or the (rather prevalent) way of life or social structure in which men consider themselves to be superior in most ways to other genders.
• Equality– The concept in which men and women are equal in all walks of life and should receive equal treatment.

A lot of people I know say that feminism is a repellent word, which gives…