Presby-Musings

Today is one of those days when I am having trouble writing what I am feeling and thinking.   I've been listening to news reports, and reading through my Facebook feed most of the morning, and my heart is heavy.   In the aftermath of the horrific events that have happened this past week in Charlottesville, you would think the overwhelming Christian response would be one of unequivocal condemnation of violence and hatred.   You would think that because that's the only response that would be in keeping with the teachings of Jesus, right?  Yet, I've had to come to grips with the realization that many of us who call ourselves Christians are struggling to unequivocally name the sin of racism and bigotry as sin. We would much rather shift the blame, find a new scapegoat perhaps.  Or find some other sin to name.  And this why so many statements of condemnation by Christians over the events at Charlottesville have come across as defensive, and full of bl...

Words are powerful. Words have the power to give life or to take it away.   Words have the power to heal or destroy.   "Death and life are in the power of the tongue," Proverbs 18:21 states.  In Proverbs 21:23 we read, "Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue, keeps himself out of trouble."   I am ashamed to admit that there have been times in my life when I have used my words to hurt or destroy others.   Sometimes I've done it unintentionally, but there have been more than a few times when I've used hurtful and killing words out of malice and anger.  And most of the time, the person I've said those words about never heard them.   We have this mistaken notion that the things we say are somehow harmless if the person we're referring to can't hear us say them.     What I've learned about the power of words is that even though the person about whom I am speaking my angry, hurtful words isn't within earshot---they are hurt ...

Some people say that "Hindsight is 20/20." I guess it's true most of the time. When I've actually been honest about what I see in hindsight, I've benefited from it greatly.  When I've ignored it, however, I typically crash and burn.   If we use hindsight wisely, it enables us to see things not as we would like to remember them, but as they actually are .  It gives us, if we are willing to gaze into it, an unvarnished, unblemished image of the truth.   Which brings me to the recent debates about the Confederate battle flag, and it's removal from state flags, and from flying over state capitols.   Here's the truth about the Confederate battle flag: Despite how some people see it as a symbol of heritage and proud Southern-ness, there are many people who see it as a divisive symbol that reminds them of a hurtful past.   I don't want to  re-hash history regarding the Confederate battle flag.  I don't see any merit in engaging in argume...