In God we Trust

OK, so I'll add my two cents worth to the multitude of stuff that has been said about the political process.  I was home all day today suffering from a sinus infection so I had the privilege of watching politics from every angle and on every show I came across. 

First let me say that this is an amazing election to be a part of!  No matter which political party wins, history will be made and new doors will be opened in American politics (either to African Americans or to women)!  I was astounded by the amount of people getting out to vote, also.  In our area there were some polling places where people stood in line for almost 4 hours!!  I also heard of a couple in India waiting for their absentee ballots and when they did not come, they flew back to the States to vote today!  I love that the public has taken this privilege of voting seriously.  American democracy at work may not always get us what we want, but the process is always amazing to watch!

However, as a follower of Jesus, I have been a little uncomfortable about all the excitement over one candidate or another; one party or another.  It seems to me that sometimes Christians fall into the trap of thinking a certain political party will bring about some sort of salvation and/or we vote for someone who makes some sort of obscure claim to godliness.  And truth be told, as much as I am fascinated by the democratic process, the Reality that I live as a Christian is that I don't get a vote.  My Leader is not a president chosen by popular vote, He is a King (who needs no votes to hold and maintain that position).

I like how Derek Webb puts it:

my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it’s to a king & a kingdom

Of course, I voted and I will pray for our leaders but it is in that King and His Kingdom that I put my trust and  my hope.

Out of Rhythm Confession

Wow!!  The last few weeks have sent me flying out of a rhythm that I know God wants me to live by.  I've been too busy, made too many commitments, had too much conflict, have neglected my time with God and in the word, have eaten poorly, haven't worked out and haven't carved out time to stop and play with my family.  And now I am fighting a cold!  (My body sure knows how to stop me when I'm out of whack!)

All this comes on the heels of creating a calendar that encourages us to live by a different rhythm - a different story.  And I've gotten away from that story and allowed time to consume me, rather than using time to live in God's ways.  Oh how I need to pay attention to God's rhythms or it all falls apart in a chaotic mess!

I can honestly say with the psalmist, "The nearness of God is my good".  So tonight I begin the difficult task of exchanging one way of living for another - choosing to not listen to one rhythm and actively pursuing the other.

That is my confession.

I just started reading a book called Jesus: Made in America. It is a cultural history from the puritans to The Passion of the Christ. Now, I am not recommending the book...yet...because I just started it. However, the introduction gave me some food for thought. This excerpt especially resonated with me because of my interest in Celtic Christianity and for the Rhythm of the Christian Seasons. (By the way, the calendar is hot off the press for anyone who wants it!! Check it out here!)

Here is the quote:  "American evangelicals reflexively harbor suspicions of tradition.  In fact, most tend to toward being (rabidly) antitradition.  Consequently, the past is overlooked as a significant source of direction.  This leaves American evangelicals more vulnerable than most when it comes to cultural pressures and influences.  In the absence of tradition, we tend to make up a new one, one not tested by time and more or less constructed by individuals or by a limited community.  This anti-tradition animus arises from what has been labeled as historylessness." 

That "historylessness" intrigues me.  As I am exploring the idea of being Story-Formed, the question arises, what story will we listen to?  Will it be a thin story - based on snipets and pieces from culture mixed with biblical principles - or will it me the thicker, much harder to navigate, stories that integrate tradition, history, the whole community of the people of God and the Bible?  (I am not even sure we have a good plan for doing the latter.)

Anyway, I find my heart stirring and churning for deeper connections to the Scriptures, the traditions of those gone before me and the stories (histories) of the faith.  I want my children to be rooted in a Christianity that is both deep and broad - not just one appendage of it.  I want them to hear about who God's people are - the good, bad and the ugly - and how this Great God has interacted with and redeemed this planet's history.  I want to be an intentional story-teller.

I came across this poem:

This path
Once another people
walked this way.
Tread softly.
Feel the press of history
against your feet.
Muriel Mork

That is what I want:  for me, for my children, for my community of faith - to feel the press of history against our feet and to know we walk a path that is not untrodden.