Thursday, November 20, 2008

Consistency? Ha!

Yes, well, I tried. I really did.

Don't be too down-hearted, though. I'm not going to shut the blog down. I'd love to say that I've been too busy to post, but that would be a lie. It's more that I'm uninspired.

It was a revelation to me that blogging is actually writing. (I know. Who'da thunk?) It used to just be me sort of talking for a while. Then, I tried to systematize it, and suddenly it was work. And work like doing other kinds of writing. I was surprised. And I have, believe me, been doing enough writing. So. The blog suffers.

My big story of late has been that I've learned a lot. (More words from Proverbs' fool). My mother called and asked me about the Trinity. I talked about the Trinity for easily half an hour. I could have gone on. I know a lot about it. And the same is true of free will, grace, the Old Testament, and the works and life of John Calvin. I didn't know it, but it's true. I've learned a ton.

That's the good news. Bad news? Well, that will have to wait for another post.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Yes, as a matter of fact, we can

The hour is now. The day has arrived. Our president-elect and the senator from Arizona have sounded the challenge. Are you ready for unity?

I am.

I want to work with you, whoever you are, to fix the deeply rooted problems in our country. We may disagree about how to go about doing so, but I desperately want this to be collaborative. We can't do this alone - we're too limited. We need to listen to one another, and whatever your perspective, I want to listen to you.

There are a lot of folk out there pretty excited, and I'm happy about that. There is American pride the likes of which I've never seen among my friends. But there is a seductive danger, my brothers and sisters. Do not be tempted by the sentiment "Yes, we did." I have seen it again and again today.

We haven't. Not yet. We've started, but now more than ever I wish to give praise to the power of possibility. We have opened doors long thought securely locked, and behind those doors we have found...more doors. More opportunities. More challenges.

Today I say to you, yes, we can. We are not finished. We may never be finished. We will keep exploring our possibilities, keep working together, keep listening and speaking until the final hour of human time. But to this story there is no end.

We have not. We did not.

We can. We will.