I feel like I need to start with a confession so that I can experience forgiveness. I have failed it has been approximately a month since my last blog forgive me for my lapse I will work hard at being more consistent. I feel so much better, not really, but it was fun anyways.

I read a blog earlier today that got me thinking about tolerance and the relationship between it and acceptance, agreement and condoning. Sociologically and politically tolerance is central to unity and for a healthy and safe state or nation. It has also been used as a club to attack those who hold to opposing viewpoints. Etymologically words evolve they morph over time and take on variations and applications of their original meanings. Tolerance is a word that has experienced some significant changes in the last century. Webster defines tolerance as "being tolerant of others' views, beliefs and practices." Coming from the "Latin tolerare meaing to bear meaning to allow, to respect others beliefs and practices without sharing them, to bear someone or something disliked; to put up with." Today sociologically and politically, for the most part, this is not how tolerance is defined or used.

Today tolerance does not only mean to respect and allow others' beliefs put to agree and condon them. Tolerance, as I understand, never meant that one had to agree with others' beliefs or actions nor condon them. One can show tolerance, show respect and even acceptance of the person without agreeing, accepting or condoning that person's belief system, practices or actions.

Now Christians or Christ-followers, like myself, have to admit that the church throughout history has not always shown tolerance to those whose beliefs disagree with Christianity. We have not always shown love that gave respect to the person(s), understanding of their beliefs and actions, accepting them for who they are while at the same time disagreeing with their beliefs, practices and actions. All Christ-followers need to daily grow in loving and accepting people as Jesus did and does. God loves each of us equally and meets us where we are at and we must do the same.

Just as Christ-followers have some things to learn about tolerance so do those who are not Christians or Christ-followers. Claiming to be tolerant and not granting Christians and Christianity the same amount of tolerance as all other people and beliefs is not tolerant. Condemning all Christ-followers, all churches as being intolerant and having no place in the public square is not showing acceptance and respect of the beliefs and actions of a group you disagree with. True tolerance must be offered to all groups not just to certain ones if it is true tolerance.

Christ-followers and those who are not Christ-followers need to understand that tolerance never means acceptance of wrong actions nor agreement with conflicting beliefs. It never means one cannot say they disagree with another's belief system or that they believe it is wrong. True tolerance supports open dialog and disagreement.

I ended my post on the other blog site with the same words I will end my blog for today. "How tolerant are we?"

Am I My Brother's Keeper

Everyday in the news we hear about health-care reform and I am so tired of hearing about it. Don't get me wrong I am not tired of fact that we need health-care reform I am tired of all the rhetoric about it. Media saturation is one thing overkill is another. The overload of rhetoric is going to desensitize some and create antagonists on both sides of the issue out of many others.

I think the majority of people in our nation agree that we need health-care reform but the question is who and how it is to be accomplished. Who is responsible for the care of others? Are governments in general and more specifically is our government theoretically and practically organized to manage and provide health care for everyone in our nation? Our government is both to small and to large to be the health-care provider for every single person in our nation. It is two small because it does not have the monetary means or personel to accomplish it. It is to large with its multiple layers of bureaucracy to accomplish it efficiently and equitably.

So who is responsible for health-care and health-care reform? As Christ-followers we are told, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world" James 1:27. Throughout the Old Testament God tells us to care for the poor, the widow, the orphan, the stranger or alien in our midst. This theme is carried through the New Testament and is vividly portrayed in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) where a man cared for and provided the health care of a man whom considered him part of a hated and inferior ethnic group.

When we ask the question, who is responsible for the care of others or we want to make the government responsible are we not asking the same question that Cain asked God? He asked, "Am I my brother's keeper?" It is a question meant to evade responsibility but God's implied answer would be yes we are our brother's keeper.

I don't have the answer for America's health-care reform but it probably needs to be found on the local level and grass roots activities where each of us get involved. It would involve the downsizing of government and major corporations, the release of tax money back to the citizenry to be used to help others, the developing of co-opts and many other community based organizations. Most of all it would require a new heart a new birth in each and everyone of us. Because that will not happen, God says we will always have the poor, the needy, the helpless with us until Jesus returns. But we are still responsible and must do our part to provide for others. It has always been the responsibility of the people, especially God's people to provide care not the government. Let's start today by helping those in need taht we come in contact with.

What does is mean to be human? We hear all the time the phrase, "I'm only human." Does that mean I cannot be held responsible for my bad actions because somehow being human means I am incapable of consistently good actions? Does being human mean that I am driven by desires, impluses and drives I cannot control because I am human. Steve Martin told Dave Letterman that as a result of the recent revelations that he has had sex with multiple employees we now can have a sense of relief because this proves he is human.

Does being human give me a free pass to live rudely or immorally? It is as if being human means we are held to a lower standard. Here is my thought for the day. "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Being human means our lives are filled with incredible ability and potential. To be human is not an excuse but a partnership with God. Being human raises the bar so let's step up today.

Blowin In The Wind

Woke up last night to the sound of the wind softly blowing - the start of one of our Santa Ana Winds - and the slight smell of Fall. I love the small of the change from summer to Fall it brings a sense of anticipation. I don't know why but my mind went to the song "Blowin In The Wind" by Peter, Paul and Mary. I could only remember the chorus, "The answer my friend is blowin in the wind the answer is blowin in the wind." What does that mean? The song dealt with society turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the ravages of war, but the answers are in the wind? I don't know about you but if the anwers to our questions were dependent on the eratic and arbitrary nature of the winds we would rarely ever receive any anwers.

Then I began to think that God's Spirit is pictured as being like the wind. Like the wind the Spirit is invisible but like the wind we can see the results of the Spirit's work in a person's life. Answers, strength, comfort, character traits of Jesus and much more come into our lives on the Wind of the Spirit - the Ruah of God. So I guess the answers are blowin in the wind.

I know late night ramblings but that is the best that I have for today.

Well it has been awhile since my last blog I'm still trying to get in the habit of posting everyday or at least every other day so I am here this morning with the hope of building a habit.

As I am writing this a gentle cool Fall breeze is blowing through an open door bringing with it nostalgic memories of Fall. My mind fills with images and smells of cooler days, changing colors, falling leafs, the first fire in the fireplace, and the smell of burning fireplaces throughout the neighborhood. As these images begin to fade my mind fills with Courier And Ives imgaes. Sights and smells of Thanksgiving meals with family and the coming holidays intoxicate my senses with all their wonderful aromas, decorations and activities and of course the familiar growing expectation of Christmas with its lights, Christmas trees, nativities, presents and the Christmas story of the gift of Jesus.

Fall, for me, marks a time of transition each year. It is a time of significant transition and transformation. As a child the transtions and transformations that would take place during the Fall and Winter season always seemed to take forever, except for the start of school which came way to soon. But as I get older the transtions to Fall and then Winter seem to take place so quickly I am unable to get ready for them resulting in the inability to fully live in them.

Change in science, technology, society and culture takes place so quickly today and not just on micro levels but on macro levels as well. Today macro changes take place every 4 to 6 years. All change is hard, macro level changes are life altering all at once. The older I get the more resistant to change I become and the harder it is to change. Change, transition and transformation is needed for a healthy life, for growth on an individual level and on a corporate level. Jesus said, we cannot put new wine in old wineskins for the skins will break and the wine will be lost. We need to keep learning, keep stretching and keep open to embracing change. God desires to bring a macro level transformation in all our lives.

Embrace change, learn to live in today, look for what's coming tomorrow and invite God's Spirit to keep you pliable and flexible. We will either be molded or broken by change it is our choice.

I've been thinking about next month's message series entitled "Supernatural." We have seen, in our cultural, a growing fascination with all things "supernatural." Teen reading is on the rise predominantly due to the growing number of teens picking up books dealing with supernatural themes. This began to show up with the introduction of Harry Potter then Twilight and it continues with Vampire Diaries, TV series like Heroes, Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer, Ghost Hunters, etc.
Is the fascination that humanity has always had with the supernatural an indication that we are wired with the knowledge that life is more than the physical world and that there is a missing part that we need? I say "Yes" but the answer has been so muddied by all the myths, misconceptions, false beliefs and intentional deceptions we end up filling ourselves with spiritual opiates that addict and lead us to destructive ends.
Is the supernatural really something above, beyond or outside the natural? Or is the supernatural really natural but something we have lost most of our ability to see, understand and experience in the right way? Well I do have definite thoughts about these questions and I believe there is clarity that we can have. The difficulty we have in seeing with greater clarity is compounded by books and shows like the ones I have mentioned. They are like looking through a very dirt window which faces the wrong way leaving us with the wrong focus and conclusion.
Just some thoughts for today. If they interest you follow my blog posts next month as I reflect on the message series "Supernatural" you can listen to the series at the HCC website www.hopechristian.com after October 4.

Welcome

This is my first attempt at blogging I hope you will find some interesting thoughts, views, ideas, humor, insight and random information once in awhile. My blog and thoughts are intimately connected to the faith community that I am apart of. HCC is a wonderful group of Christ-followers.