Loving, Learning, and Leading

John Burke wrote a book named "No perfect people allowed".  This book chronicles his approach to develop an authentically welcoming place for all people.  His title, as well as his struggle, is a reflection of the tension of the Christian church today.  One one hand, we desire to mirror the actions and passions of Jesus Christ, with His otherwordly love and incredibly high ethic.  On the other hand, we want to be a place where people can connect with God.  People who have not experienced the love of Jesus and are ignorant of his moral standards.  What typically happens is that we focus on the morality of Jesus, to the exclusion of great commission hospitality. What I am sensing in my own limited experience in trying to develop a culture where people can experience acceptance, significance, and security while growing and maturing in our faith, is that it begins with building a culture that has four elements: 1. Grace Extending over Judgment evoking :  We are saved by grace

Desire for Democracy This week, the news reported that health care reform may die in congress.  For those who are not politically astute, this means that a bill may not be voted upon because the estimated number of votes needed to pass it are not present.  This was met with a sigh of relief by both democrats and republicans. Democrats are sensing that the healthcare bill is not only unpopular for a number of different reasons, but if passed, may tarnish their ability to be re-elected.  Republicans, despite considering themselves as being more fiscally responsible, are excited that defeat is a political win against a very popular president. The loser once again, is you.  That's right, you lose!  Healthcare costs continue to drive up the deficit (that our children and grandchildren will have to bear), nearly 40% of Americans are uninsured or underinsured, and healthcare access in many areas of the nation has become impossible.  What's fascinating is that we, the citizens

Resilient Racism I subscribe to ESPN magazine as I am somewhat of a sports junkie.  The most recent edition did a wonderful job of celebrating fanhood.  They had articles on football fans, basketball fans, baseball fans, and fans of all types.  One of the features was a poll done of fans all over the country.  They asked fans a variety of questions about their favorities and how they express their support.  One of the questions asked if you, the fan had every shouted a racial epitath directed at the opposing team, at a sporting event.  I was shocked that 11% of all the respondents claimed that they had. Lets think about this for a minute.  If 11% are brave enough to admit that they have used a racial epitath at a sporting event, at least twice as many, I would suspect have done so but will not share it on a survey.  In addition, that does not include people who have not used a racial epitath at a sporting event, but do use them in everyday conversation.   People only use racial e