Kennedy, Chappaquiddick, and Cheney

Sen. Kennedy has been one of the more outspoken critics of the "Texas Quail Hunt Massacre" in that he somehow believes that VP Cheney and/or the White House must have been trying to hide something. After all, when the incident occurred, the hunting party had the gall to call an ambulance before contacting the Washington press corps.

Actually, I don't think Sen. Kennedy believes for one moment that there has been some great cover-up conspiracy. I believe that he wants US to believe it, but I also think he is doing nothing more than continuing to play the same political game he has been playing for years. Why would he change his course of action when he is continually re-elected time and again? He has found what works in his home state, and he trades on a name that is associated with power and affluence.

Let it be known that I have no use for Senator Kennedy. I personally don't care much for his name-calling and orations against Republicans in general, and I have yet to hear him say anything with any real substance.

Having said this, however, I must also say that those who try to play Sen. Kennedy's unfortunate past against him are doing nothing more than sinking (no pun intended) down to his own, sorry level. However, I will also offer this perspective. Senator Kennedy has buried two brothers who were gunned down in the prime of their lives. His big family has had troubles that the average citizen cannot even fathom. And knowing what I know only from what I have read, if I came from a family like that, I would probably be a little angry as well!

There is no connection or similarity between what happened a jillion years ago and what happened last week. It's over, and Mr. Whittington is doing just fine. For his age, I would say his recovery is rather remarkable. But this finger-pointing and name-calling has got to stop.

Did you ever notice that this kind of behavior is happening in the church as well? It's that same, tired, old "liberal" vs "conservative" and accusations of one or the other deliberately trying to destroy "innocent" people or not caring enough. Come to think of it, our behavior in our churches looks a lot like what the political headlines read. We keep screaming that it's all about Jesus, but evidence to the contrary suggests that church life is about anything BUT Jesus.

Who says religion and politics don't mix?

A Measure of True Worth

I mentioned in an earlier post about the death of a central Arkansas high school student who was killed in a single-vehicle accident. News came later that this child was very drunk and also had traces of cocaine in her system. I wondered then why the news media would have decided that this news needed to be shared at all. Did this news diminish the worth of this young lady's life in any way? I think not.

This young lady was a very popular student, involved in many extracurricular activities and even did some volunteer work. This life was overflowing with potential! Yet we learn later that she was every bit as human as the rest of us, suffering from the same frailties and temptations that many of us battle every single day. Her drunkenness cannot be excused, but I also cannot help but wonder whether, if she had hit another vehicle and someone other than she had died, the community would be crying for justice to go easy on her because she was who she was?

I ask these questions only because the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote a beautiful op-ed piece about her life and accomplishments. In the obituaries of the same section, however, was the story of a 19-year-old man who had died. The circumstances of his death were not mentioned in his obituary and there was no front-page headline heralding the world's loss of such a fine young man with so much accomplished and much more to look forward to.

Not to detract from this girl's death and her loved ones' anguish, but what does it say about us as a society that somehow her death was "breaking news" worthy of a headline, but this young man was nothing more than a blip in the obituaries? She was very pretty with long blonde hair and a very impressive resume. The young man's photo revealed a healthy and eager smile, a handsome young man who, judging by the obituary, had many loved ones who hurt just as much.

Did I mention that the young man was black?

Tag .. I'm It

John at Locusts and Honey has challenged a few to designate songs we love that must also include the following instructions: List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.

1. Nella Fantasia - Celtic Woman
2. Time to Say Goodbye - Sarah Brightman
3. Havana - Kenny G
4. Catching the Breeze - Eden's Bridge
5. Poems, Prayers, and Promises - John Denver
6. Hymn of Promise - UMH 707
7. The Nutcracker Suite - Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

I'm not much for contemporary music anymore, and "oldies" stations are getting harder to come by. And by the way, the church where my family and I have alighted during my sabbatical - we are joining a Sunday school class tomorrow, and it's not a "young adults" class. Oh my gosh, I'm OLD!!

Tag - You're it: Jason Hall, Dan McGowan, Wayne Cook, Andy Bryan, John Wilks, Mike Lamson, Randy Graves

Man's Quest for "More"

In today's religion section of a state-wide newspaper were two articles that caught my attention. One was a shorty about the phenomenal growth of so-called "megachurches". Readers may recall that a few of these "megachurches" caught the ire of the general Christian public by choosing to cancel Christmas Day worship services because the holiday itself fell on a Sunday. The article pointed to a study by Leadership Network, a Dallas-based nonprofit consultant on church growth. In simple terms, the attendance and/or membership of these churches has nearly doubled in the last five years. They continue to grow and "draw younger Americans and families through contemporary programming and conservative values."

The other article was a play on man's so-called "mid-life crisis" but with a holy twist. Successful persons are no longer in pursuit of bigger and better toys or paychecks or positions. The successful persons mentioned in the article had achieved as much as they could in man's world. The "more" they were continually in search of was of a more divine nature.

As a United Methodist with Roman Catholic tendencies, non-denominational churches have always held a curious attraction for me yet I've not been curious enough to attend the services even though a very dear friend of mine, actually a former drinking buddy, got his life turned around through the ministry of a "megachurch". Now he is a dedicated disciple who has done quite a bit of missionary work. It's kind of hard to knock a church that can count among its members such a person who was truly on a dark path and made such a remarkable about-face.

At one time I was perfectly content with the larger churches because it was easy to get lost in them. No one really bothered me, and no one ever asked me to participate in anything. Yet as I grew up, it became more important for me to be an ACTIVE member of a congregation which I suppose eventually led me to the pulpit, first as a lay speaker and then as a licensed pastor. In all that time and during all that growth, however, it never occurred to me that I was continually restless. In retrospect, I was never satisfied. I needed more, but I didn't quite know how to go about it or even identify it. I suppose I'm still there, restless and wanting more.

Now that I am only months away from graduation from college, the possibilities of "more" stand before me. I can go to law school if I want to, or I can go to seminary if I want to. More choices, because of education, will be before me than ever before. Yet when I read about highly successful persons who have accomplished "more" and have grown tired of the so-called "rat race", I wonder why it is that I cannot learn through the testimony of others that "more" is not always better.

Megachurches have their own attraction and if the "entertainment value" factor of these churches gets young people to attend and hear the Word of the Lord and have their hearts opened by moving music, then I'm all for it even though it may not be my cup of tea. It seems to me, however, that reaching for more of the world, even if we try to attach a divine element to it, will get us nothing but sore arms and a perpetual thirst that can never be quenched.

The successful people who are trading their places in the board rooms for mission projects have finally figured out how to quench their own thirst - by helping to quench the thirst of others. Is this not the life that Christ calls us all to? Could it be that these "megachurches" had enjoyed such growth because other successful people traded in the stock options for something a bit more eternal? What these persons have found is finally true fulfillment. The sad thing is that too many of us will have to be knocked in the head more than once before we finally get it.

Random Thoughts

I was visiting with a "headhunter" the other day who had contacted me at my workplace. This person was not looking for me in particular; she had only called the company and asked for the director of operations. While she was speaking in very general terms, she asked me what my ideal position would be. Of course I knew that she was talking about the transportation business, but I said, "I would like to write."

That's it. If I could do anything in the world that I could choose, I would choose to write full-time. Whether it is about religion or politics or anything else under the sun, I love to write. How ironic it is that at this very moment, I can think of absolutely nothing to write about.

However, it occurred to me while I was thinking about my ideal that I was completely engrossed in only what interested me. There was no thought about how such a position would affect my family or my home, there was no thought about whether this might be what the Lord would want me to do, and there was not even much of a thought about whether I could make a living at it.

Yes, I have tried to sell a few pieces here and there, but one syndicated writer who was kind enough to evaluate my work warned me to expect several rejections. If this is part of the game, then I am well on the road to success! Incidentally, he liked what I sent him but he refused to pay for it. Funny guy.

Other random thoughts:

• How much information do I really need? A high school senior, apparently very popular, outgoing, and accomplished, was recently killed in a single-car crash. Her school and almost the entire state mourned her passing. She was young and beautiful. It was later discovered that she was drunk with traces of cocaine in her system. Did the entire state really need to know this?
• Why is power so intoxicating? This nation's Congress is as divided as this nation's churches. It is not enough to simply disagree and try to prove the other wrong. It seems we would rather destroy the offending party for ... what? Control. Power. We want - no - we NEED to be right. But even more than this, we NEED the opposition to be wrong. Only then can complete dominance be achieved.
• How badly was FEMA managed during Katrina? Think about it. New Orleans knew for DAYS that a massive hurricane was coming. As I understand it, the Feds cannot come in without permission from the state. Folks are still displaced, audits are discovering that huge amounts of money have been virtually given away without really checking things out, there are 10,000 mobile homes parked in Arkansas that were originally destined for the gulf region to be used as homes that now cannot be used down there. But was all this mismanagement or political knee-jerk reactions without any real thought process?
• Was it really that big of a deal? The vice president was involved in a hunting accident. So was Billy-Bubba and a host of others, some of whose victims did not live to tell about it. Why was the vice president's mishap of such national importance?
• The government cannot be all things to all people. My congressman sits on the House Armed Services and the Veterans Affairs committees. Both committees are exploring how to provide the best care for veterans, and I am sure they are focused on the current war on terror. However, should non-combat veterans be entitled to the same benefits as our counter-parts who have endured the horrors of war? I was a peace time Marine and was proud to serve. However, I just don't feel "entitled". Does this make sense? The government, contrary to popular opinion, has limited resources. If choices have to be made to cut anything in order to provide what is really needed, shouldn't the non-combat vets be willing to stand aside? After all, our service was "self-less", wasn't it?

Is this a great country or what??

One More Word

Freedom. The principles of this nation are founded upon the concept of freedom. We are free to come and go as we please. We are free to have families as we please. We are free to be successful, or to fail, as we please. Within the reasonable boundaries of law, we are free to do virtually anything we please - as long as we do not harm others.

This situation over the caricatures of Muhammad has gotten out of hand not only by those who would answer this "offense" with violence but also by those who would thumb their noses at decorum and cultural sensitivity in the name of the very freedom that would not only allow such carelessness but would also grant to us the freedom to refrain from that which could ultimately do more harm than good. Just because we have a right to do something does not necessarily mean that we should.

More newspaper columnists are decrying the American newspapers who are choosing to refrain from publishing the cartoons as "caving", but then again these "watchdogs of freedom" must surely be relatively certain that they will not be held financially liable if such "in your face" journalism should cause physical property damage. Ain't freedom grand??

It would appear to me that the American brand of "freedom" is not completely compatible with the kind of freedom spoken of in the Bible. There is a whole different concept that allows that just as surely as we are free to DO, we are also free to refrain - especially when we know or even think that someone may be genuinely offended in any way.

I think it is as simple as defining "moral" behavior. It is not enough to refrain from doing evil but rather, true moral behavior would be more inclined toward actively good behavior. WWII and the Holocaust should be enough for Americans to know that remaining silent and doing nothing is not only not conducive to moral conduct but may in fact actually be immoral.

Never mind the nasty comments such as, "In your face, raghead", and other such derogatory remarks. They achieve nothing. We are indeed at war but we are not at war with Islam; we are at war with a world-wide band of mauraders, thugs, and murderers who happen to align themselves with Islam. There is a major difference, and those who are true and faithful to their calling deserve at least our respect. This will be the only way we can ever hope to earn any respect.

Where is the Love?

Typically there are the so-called liberals who take issue with so-called conservatives over the homosexual deal. Especially in theological discussions about the "right" or the "wrong" of it, the liberals insist that Jesus preached "love". "Love your neighbor", "Love God with your whole heart". Then of course, there is the ever-present "Judge not ..."

Reading today's editorial section in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, my head was spinning! With all the "hateful "letters to the editor virtually burning President Bush in effigy, I had to wonder where all the venom was coming from.

I learned my lesson the hard way. Years ago when President Clinton was in office, some friends and I were sitting around the table discussing politics. You should know that I was no fan of President Clinton, and I am sure that I was not quiet or discreet about my disdain for this man and his policies. My then 10-year-old daughter chimed in on the conversation and said, "I HATE Bill Clinton!"

You should also know that there was only one source from which my daughter could have gleaned such an attitude. I was a little surprised at her outburst but as I thought about it, I realized that I had taken what was at once an innocent child and had inadvertently offered her fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Without realizing it, I had violated the innocence of a child and had taught her how to speak not according to what she knew or what she believed but rather, from an emotion to emulate someone she looked up to and respected.

Needless to say, it took me a long time to undo the damage I had done. And this is the task that is before us. We have allowed the politicians too much power for far too long and as a result, we have allowed ourselves to get caught up in the "mob mentality" frenzy of calling names and spewing the most vile words we can possibly come up with. And oddly, we do this in the name of "justice" for the poor, the disenfranchised, the elderly .... the Christ.

Have we so digressed to a level in which we find that we have more need to hate than to love? Have we become such a "mob" of people who have some inate desire - if need - to hate? Or are we nothing more than a bunch of cowards who take some perverted delight in trashing another human being with the relative certainty that nothing will come of it, certainly no consequences.

We can do better. And for the sake of the next generation, we must.

It's the Little Things

In 2 Kings 5 is the story of a great leader, a general named Naaman, who is afflicted with leprosy. His wife's servant, a girl from Israel, encouraged Naaman to go to Israel to seek healing from the prophet Elisha.

Long story short, he goes but what he encounters is not what he had come to expect. This general was a great military leader and was accustomed to doing great things. He was also accustomed to people coming to him, so it was probably an exceeding insult that Elisha did not come directly to Naaman but instead, sent a messenger. And the message was simply: go dip in the Jordan River seven times and be healed.

Naaman was insulted on several levels, not the least of which is that Elisha did not come offer enough respect to show his face. And then to go and wash in a river in a land that Naaman likely considered to be inferior to his own homeland. It was only when his own servants reminded him that if something great had been asked of him, he would not have hesitated to do it for the sake of being healed. So Naaman dipped himself in the river as Elisha had instructed, and he came out completely healed.

Some of us get too filled with the big jobs we dream of one day having, such as a pastorate in a very large church or conducting revivals on the scale of a Billy Graham crusade or having thousands of dollars to give toward what we would consider to be a worthy cause. We rarely consider that it is the "little things" that give the greatest and most profound blessings. In the end, we touch more lives with the little things we are capable of managing than we will in wishing for something (coveting??) that is beyond our grasp.

Such is the life of a blogger. Or a preacher at a small, rural church. Or a server on the soup line. Or a stock person at a Salvation Army Thrift Store. Or the greeter who stands at the door of any church and makes everyone feel right at home. This list of the little things is only the beginning of the small, yet powerful, ways each of us can impact a life.

We are not Jesus. We cannot reasonably expect to be able to do the things He did. Then again, there can only be one Christ as there is only one God. Doing the things that we can do, however great or small, will make the difference in another's life and give them a sense of belonging, a sense of self-worth that will go a lot further than our dreams of accomplishing "great" things, even if our intent is to do great things in the name of the Lord. The really great things are the "lost coin" or the "lost sheep". Just one small thing at a time.

Is It Really Idolatry?

So the Arabic world of Islam is offended by the caricatures of the prophet Muhammad in some European newspapers, one of which was a depiction of the prophet wearing a bomb-shaped turban. I specify "Arabic" world because it appears that at least American Muslims, though seemingly genuinely offended by these caricatures, are not burning, looting, and pillaging their neighborhoods.

It is hard to feel pity for those who seem intent on such destruction. Americans are still reeling from 9/11 and are still sending loved ones overseas to fight in an increasingly unpopular war. And as we read the daily papers and listen on the TV and radio, there seems rarely a day when Americans don't suffer casualties. And then we see these same people whom we believe we are fighting to protect virtually dancing in the streets whenever the US suffers casualties.

And yet as the caricature story continues to unfold - and yes, I believe Arabic Islamic "leaders" are stoking the fires - I cannot help but to at least wonder if the West can ever get off its "high horse" and realize that we are talking about an entirely different culture and mindset.

The Islamic prohibition against such caricatures and images is part of not just a religion which may be a 'part' of one's life but a religion that for many IS life in its entirety. Should Christians be so intimately tied to our religion? I think so but judging by a typical response to the "offense", it would appear that Christians may tend to be as "in your face" as the careless Europeans who insisted on reprinting these cartoons just to prove a point about freedom and liberty without acknowledging the enormous responsibility that comes with it.

In the movie, "Bruce Almighty", the main character makes a direct challenge to the Almighty since his own meager, yet adequate, life is not quite to his own satisfaction. The Lord decides then to directly confront "Bruce" and endow him with Divine Powers. The problem with having been granted this Power is that Bruce did not have the Wisdom that would have necessarily been required to properly exercise such power.

So we in the West thumb our noses at the Islamic prohibition against images as "idolatrous" because we don't see it their way. But when we also choose to thumb our noses at respect and decorum, what is it that we choose instead to worship?

The Act of Worship

It is my first Sunday morning after having resigned my pulpit, and I do not know what to do with myself! I used to have my Sunday mornings lined out in such a way that I would rise early, have coffee with the morning paper for a brief time, then prepare for church. Often this would involve a last-minute review of the sermon and Bible texts and then a dash out the door for the 1/2 hour drive to the little church I served. Not a stressful morning, but at least a morning with purpose and time constraints.

The church we are about to visit is pretty close to a 1,000-member church with three Sunday morning worship services. Now you might suggest that three services to accomodate this kind of crowd would be required, and it probably is. What I'm having trouble with, however, is choosing which "kind" of service I will attend.

A few weeks ago my family and I attended this church's "praise" service. This service is very casual and is held not in the sanctuary but in the church's fellowship hall. There are no pews but, rather, tables and chairs. I was a little taken aback when some young people came in with doughnuts and sodas; there were others having coffee. Then it occurred to me that I should be grateful that these young people were bothering to come to church at all. As time passed, however, I had to wonder if such an accomodation has become necessary just to get folks in the door.

We should not begrudge any church that uses whatever reasonable means at its disposal to attract folks to church. Any exposure to the Word and a good sermon with lots of good music is a step in the right direction. As a somewhat conservative person, I have to constantly stay on my guard to try to see the positives that can come from such an environment. My concern, however, is in where our hearts are when we plan such a service. Are we trying to please the Lord God by doing whatever is necessary to get folks to church, or are we offering "consumers" an opportunity to be entertained with hopes that the Spirit may speak to them? Or are we doing whatever is necessary to keep the doors open?

Back when I served as lay leader to a local congregation, part of my duties was to offer a word before a collection was taken up. My word to the congregation, which got the attention of the finance people, was to simply hold back that portion of their gifts that were being given grudgingly. In other words, if you cannot give the gift and be glad about it, just keep it.

Now this admonishment is very biblical, but the finance manager and even the pastor were more than a little concerned that I was giving some an "out", an excuse for not giving. And, after all, don't we have bills to pay??

Like the gifts we offer, worship has to be offered in the very same vein. We must be on guard that we are not offering something that we hope will be pleasing to man long before we even concern ourselves with whether the Lord God will be pleased. After all, why are we there at all?

I should be grateful on so many levels for the opportunity that is before me that a) I am free to worship, b) I have such choices before me. So why am I so anxious? Why can I not look forward to this time of worship? I've been serving as a pastor for the past six years. Maybe it is that a time of adjustment will be required. This seems to be a given. In my time as a pastor, however, it never really occurred to me that different or additional services might be required in order to get people in the door. What if I simply pray with a sincere heart for guidance?

Then it occurred to me. Those who have designed these worship services may very likely have already prayed to the Lord God for guidance, and these varied services are where He led them. I remind myself that the condition of another's heart is not my concern. My business, my concern, is that I offer to those around me the best portrait of Christ I can offer. This is my worship, Sunday or any other day of the week. This is my opportunity whether I am behind the pulpit or in front of it.

Go worship with a glad heart. And if you are suffering the same anxieties that I am enduring, give yourself permission to "be still" and know who is God.

Ancient Thought, Modern Process

"Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people." Deuteronomy 17:6-7

In what Moses is said to have written to the people of Israel, the text suggests to the people that the only way someone can be convicted of a capital crime is if there are genuine witnesses, presumably eye witnesses who can attest - with the same story - that they actually saw the crime take place. Then and only then can the guilty be put to death. This is not unlike so much we have seen in TV lawyer shows when attorneys suddenly rise on the testimony of a witness and shout, "Objection, your honor! Hearsay!"

It is fundamental to our system of justice that if one did not actually see a crime take place or was not party to a particular conversation, then one cannot accurately testify to the legitimacy of the claim. Whether something actually happened or was actually said must come from first-hand knowledge, not second-hand information.

There have been several in the last few years who have been released from prison or given a reprieve from death row because DNA evidence proved their innocence or at least cast enough doubt to give the condemned person the benefit. But while this DNA evidence is getting some released from prison, DNA evidence is also serving as a reliable witness to get others put away. I cannot cite a particular case in which DNA was used to condemn someone to death, but I am certain it may come to that if it has not already.

The Lord God established a system of justice centuries ago as a means by which we could govern ourselves with divine guidance. The idea of such a system of justice would leave little to chance in demanding that eye witnesses be part of the process. DNA may very well be a reliable witness in and of itself, but this DNA has to be processed by man. There is always a risk of evidence, DNA or otherwise, being tainted by the fallible nature of man even if the best of intentions are in place. So when the Day of the Lord is upon us and He asks about those we put to death in this country, do you think He will accept DNA evidence as part of the process?

I have to say that I have never been very comfortable with the death penalty. There are too many variables involved in the judicial process - including human emotion - and now, by the time a person accused of a capital crime is brought to trial, the entire state knows what this person looks like and has pretty much settled the case long before a judge has heard the first word. And depending on the nature of the crime, it may be that our hearts are so hardened that we would not be willing to accept a district attorney's decision to drop the matter due to lack of hard evidence because our minds will have already been made up.

Those I once considered as "bleeding hearts" have finally made a little inroad into my thought process. The truth is that our system of justice works best and most often in favor of those who can afford the more expensive and experienced attorneys. Those who because of economic circumstances are forced to depend on a government lawyer to defend them are genuinely gambling with their lives for no reason other than that they cannot afford an attorney.

While it may be "just" that a person be put to death for taking the life of another, judging by the responses of far too many citizens, "justice" is the furthest thing from our minds once we are able to attach a name and a face to a crime. I suppose by that point, the accused may as well be put to death because in reality, their life is all but over anyway, convicted by the court of public opinion with "hearsay" and put to death by the hardness of unforgiving hearts blinded by grief and emotion, never minding facts to the contrary.

Is it just possible that the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, was not only giving us a standard by which to govern but was also giving us a system by which we would be protected - from ourselves?

Respecting the Differences

So the Muslim world is up in arms because of some caricatures of the prophet Muhammad with a bomb-shaped turban on his head and because the Muslims protested the first distribution in Denmark, other European papers chose to run this caricature not because there was necessarily a political statement to be made but because the papers intended to make a point about "liberty" and the press's freedom of expression.

What saddens me is not that these papers chose an "in your face" approach to defend their liberties but that the Christian Church as a whole has been thus far silent with the exception of Pope Benedict calling it an "unnecessary incitement". It seems to me that there was much lamentation, during WWII when it was well-known what the Nazis were up to against the Jews, that the Catholic Church took quite a beating about its own silence during that era, a silence which the late John Paul II chose to apologize for.

Say what you will about Islam and Muslims in general but if Christians do not come to the defense of those who are genuinely offended by these caricatures, then we are no better than the ones who are throwing this "liberty" in the face of any who oppose. To defend against that which is wrong, however, is not to respond in like manner but to respond as the apostle Paul would have - in fact, did - admonish the Romans, "If your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died." Romans 14:15 NKJV

Of course we are not talking about food, but the offense is just as real. And while we may not consider Muslims to be our "brothers" simply because they are not Christian, we must surely realize that Christ died for them just as surely as He died for any one of us. That is, of course, if He truly is the Savior of the WORLD. Accepting or rejecting this Gift does not change the course of history. So if Christ died for one, He surely died for all and our liberty has not been granted to us for our own use but for the glory of God alone.

Christians must be the voice of reason. In speaking up on behalf of Islam in the face of this unnecessary provocation, there is an opportunity availing itself to us at this time that we have yet to fully appreciate. What an opportunity to show Muslims what we really believe and what we truly stand for! And during this "window of opportunity", they just might be willing to listen.

Liberal or Conservative: Does Anyone Really Care?

I, for one, am pretty tired of the banter than runs across the political and religious lines accusing one or the other of trying to destroy the (pick one) community/church/country. Whether one is right or wrong does not even come close to what the argument, name-calling, and mud-slinging is intended to accomplish.

I tend to lean toward the conservative side, but my "liberal" friends and I have a pretty good time taking cheap shots at one another and poking fun at the politicians who are in the headlines that particular day. More often than not, we move away from the banter laughing rather than scowling. Why? Because none of it is worth getting upset over. Whether religion or politics, we are still talking about man's perspective even as some among us might try to make a prophetic claim to be speaking in the Lord's behalf.

At one time I was adamantly and unapologetically conservative, a died-in-the-wool Reagan Republican who had little use for those *ahem* liberal "patriots". I would just as sooner have had teeth removed with a screwdriver than to listen to liberal blather. Not long ago, however, I took an online survey/test that evaluated one's tendencies. I scored just "left of center". I cried for a week.

Lately I've been exploring and evaluating what this survey score could possibly mean. Is it possible that I am so weak-minded that I have been overrun by liberal thought? Was I nothing more than a cork bobbing in the water waiting on a good strong wind to blow me back into position? Was I lost and unable to find my way back?

Since entering into the blogging world, I have had opportunity to read many posts from many different persons across the political and religious spectrum. While I have found that political tendencies do not seem to affect grammar and spelling, I have also found that too many of us are bound by labels. We are hopelessly adrift in a sea of hatefulness that knows no boundaries except those boundaries made possible by these same labels.

It is not enough to attempt to use a point to counter an argument. We choose to go for the jugular. We aim to belittle and destroy those with whom we disagree. We are intolerant of any opinion that differs from our own even as we DEMAND tolerance, and we find ourselves sounding not much different than those with whom we may disagree when the dust settles.

I suppose I have found that if a more liberal point of view uses good information and sound reasoning, it really does not matter whether I will ever agree. What matters is that I am the better for having allowed my mind to be open to another perspective, another point of view that serves to broaden my own perspective and even to help me think a little more clearly. I have also found that if I listen with an open mind and a closed mouth, I am far more likely to hear as much as I am heard.

I long for a day when reasonable discussions can be done with civility with an honest effort to sway and influence, of course, but also with a genuine desire to learn as much as can be learned before rendering a "final decision".

It is enough that we simply respect one another.

Have Peace.

Tough Questions

This evening I was watching Father Corapi on the Eternal Word TV Network. For those of you who are not familiar with Father Corapi, he is one I consider to be an exceptional teacher of the catechism of the Roman Church and the Bible. He is able to take what might otherwise be an overwhelming and complicated teaching and help listeners to make a practical application of the catechism to daily living and walking with the Lord.

Tonight I didn't catch the entire program, but his question that did grab my attention was simply this: WHY do we love YHWH? It may not be enough to simply love Him because of what He has done, or can do, for us. In other words, the challenge is: do we love Him only because we may get something from it?

I guess I had not really stopped to consider my love relationship with the Lord. I know that another time in listening to Father Corapi, he reminded us that "agape" love, true biblical love, is not an emotion but is, rather, an intentional act of the will. That is to say, we do because we love and not because we may ultimately get something for ourselves out of the deal.

Have you ever examined your own relationship daring to ask such a question? I admit that up to now, I have not. I can honestly say that I am blessed beyond measure, and I am sure that these blessings are not because the Lord has a particular love exclusively for me for my own sake. There is more. Much more. And it is time for me re-examine that "more" not because I may be in danger of a judgment but because I think, in my heart, I do love Him. The question that Father Corapi asks, however, confuses my reasons why.

More later. In the meantime, I would love you to comment on what your concept of love is and how you define your own relationship with Him. Is it a genuine give-and-take relationship, and how do you know? Or do you, like me, have perhaps ulterior motives in the deep recesses of your mind?

Have Peace.

Michael

Right or Wrong

1 Cor 8:1-13

A few years ago, a local church invited a few elders from around the state to come preach in its evening services for a short series.

It was not so much that the preachers were intimidated by the invitation to preach as much as it was the theme of what they would be asked to explore. The challenge was simply this: if this is the last sermon you will ever preach, what will you say? Though I may be called upon to fill in for a pastor here and there, this could very well be the very last sermon I will ever deliver. I do not yet know where the Lord will lead me from here.

So what would I choose to share with you if I could know for sure that this would be the very last sermon I would ever preach?

If I recall, my first sermon at Mallettown included my invitation to you to feel free to disagree with me … as long as you would acknowledge in the end that I was right all along!

I have since shared with you that being a disciple of Christ has little to do with whether man could be right or wrong because the chances are that even if we might be “technically” correct in our assumptions or beliefs, we would be in the wrong if we tried to use our knowledge to hurt someone, to “prove them wrong”.

Paul talks about the difference between knowledge and love. Though we may think we have knowledge of a greater truth, refusing to share that knowledge in love would ultimately do more harm than good to those with whom we would choose to share. There is always that danger that we, in our sense of “knowledge”, might become so full of ourselves that we could no longer be taught anything new. Once we reach a point of believing there is nothing new for us to learn, then we may as well declare ourselves to be GOD!

What is also dangerous about such a state of mind is that not only can we no longer hear others, we are incapacitated in our ABILITY to help others. What I mean by this is that if we truly listen to what others are saying, others with whom we would disagree, then we can know where they are in their journey and actually join them rather than insist that they catch up. We lose our ability or willingness to listen, however, and at least appreciate what others are saying; this amounts to nothing more than simply dismissing a dissenting opinion and the person who holds that opinion as “heretical”, “moronic”, or even “blasphemous”.

Rather than endearing such a person to ourselves, we serve only to alienate them. So even if we are “technically” correct, they will never hear it because they will not care to be around us. Who wants to be berated or belittled for expressing a genuine thought or difference of opinion?

The battle in Christ’s beloved Church between the so-called “conservatives” and the “liberals” is a battle that should not be fought because it is a battle that can never be won. Why? Because we are talking about the ideals upon which each of us has built our faith. We are talking about other individuals who have arrived at certain conclusions based on any number of factors, not the least of which may be the fond Bible stories our grandparents may have shared with us.

We are also talking about individuals who have been blessed by the SAME Lord with the SAME free will that we use to exercise our own faith. The problem we seem to encounter within the church is that problem in which man insists that HIS truth is more “true” or valid than any other could possibly be.

Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians goes far beyond what may or may not be true, and he is certainly talking about much more than just “food”. He simply acknowledges that there are some who will have their minds made up about a particular point – in this case, foods that may have been offered to idols – and that perhaps it is that we should not be in such a big hurry to correct. He does not say that the situation should be ignored, not at all. But he prefaces what he says with “knowledge PUFFS up, but love BUILDS up.” If we read it carefully from the heart, we should be able to see that Paul places the burden on those who are comfortable in their faith for the sake of those who are “weak”. It is not our “job” or “calling” or “task” to straighten them out.

There are the battle cries from the so-called “conservatives” who insist that if these dastardly “liberals” are not stopped, the Church will be DESTROYED!

I beg to differ.

It is not so much whether so-called “liberals” or “conservatives” are doing any harm, directly or indirectly, to the Church. Christ Himself has said that the “gates of Hades shall not prevail” against His beloved Church, so why would He be overly concerned about whether a “conservative” or a “liberal” poses any significant threat to His Church?

We the people of the United Methodist Church are about the business of “making disciples”. That’s it. There really is nothing more to it. We cannot be in the business of “saving souls” because I do not believe that power has been vested in any human person. We cannot be about the business of judging others even as we judge immoral behavior because this, too, has been reserved for a Greater Power than we.

But if we are about the business of Christ’s church and, ultimately, the business of the Lord, we will know that we are about “making disciples”. This is what is more commonly referred to as “The Great Commission”. This is our charge. This is our duty. This is our responsibility. This is our opportunity! This is our BLESSING! SHARING the Good News so that others will be hungry for MORE!!

Never mind labels. Never mind squeezing persons into neat little categories by which we determine whether they are worthy of the blessings of our Holy Father. Never mind worrying about the condition of another’s heart. Never mind about being “right” or “wrong”. We must be more mindful about removing the “PLANK” from our own eye before we worry about the “SPECK” in another’s eye.

My final word to you, dear friends, is this: Just as surely and as completely as He loves YOU …. He loves “THEM” as well, whoever “THEM” happens to be. And He has not called upon any of us to separate the wheat from the chaff for Him. That time, which is exclusively His, has yet to come.

The Substance of Fear

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28

There are no declared candidates for the 2008 presidential race yet - heck, we haven't even reached the midterm elections yet! - but the politicians are out in full force. Every year we usually observe that the election seasons seem to begin earlier and earlier each time. It will soon be that campaigning will begin the day after candidates are sworn into office!

The nomination of Judge Alito currently being debated in the Senate is not actually being debated in the Senate; it is being debated in the court of public opinion. Democrats are charging that President Bush is trying to destroy rights and shift the court to the right. But rather than actually engage in a genuine debate in a proper forum, they choose instead to take cheap and personal shots at the president while flitting around the country making speeches anywhere other than in the Senate - which, incidentally, they are PAID to do. From my own perspective, I try (though not always successfully!) to listen with an open mind in search of substance. It's fine that they disagree with the president. We cannot always agree on everything nor should we. The disagreements, however, are long on political rhetoric but considerably short on substance. They are trying their level best to make us afraid of the future.

Then the revelation of the "spying" business by NSA has not helped matters. It is more ammo for the Bush haters to use against the current administration. To be fair, however, the Republicans were equally guilty during the Clinton administration. Both were, and still are, guilty of fear-mongering.

In the end, the reason both parties lack substance is because they have none. And we have no one to blame but ourselves. We listen to it and respond to it not according to whether we agree or disagree but because they have successfully given us something to be afraid of. And rather than deal with it, we choose to live in fear. And we genuinely HATE what we fear or do not understand, do we not?

Let's face it. It is much easier to play on a people's fear than it is to make definitive proposals toward sound public policy. Why? Because we as an uninformed electorate do not read enough or even care enough about what goes on in Washington and in our own state capitals. The politicians hire political operatives to advise them, but few hire economic advisers for their advise. It is far more politically expedient to identify the concerns of a people, and then find someone to blame in order to make them responsible.

My boss is a solid manager with a good head on his shoulders. He is very confident in his own abilities, but he counts on his managers to keep him informed and address issues actually before they become problems. In meetings with this man, the very worst mistake anyone can make is to identify problems without offering a solution. My boss states very simply that a moron can see what's wrong, but a LEADER will work on solutions to make it right.

There is not much we need to fear in government. I do not fear the NSA spying on me because I have nothing to hide. I do not fear that it may lead to other abuses because Christians have been abused for centuries and if we are truly faithful to our calling, this will not change. I certainly do not fear politicians because they will do what they will do as long as we allow them, but there is a part of me they can never touch.

Honestly, dear reader, the only way we will return government to the people is by a 100% turnover in the current Congress. Even the good ones - and there are some - must go. This will be the only way that anyone will understand who truly calls the shots. These are not elected leaders; they are elected to REPRESENT us. Period. But if this is representative or indicative of our national consciousness, I can only say that we deserve everything we get - fear and all.

Gambling with the Future

There was a time in this nation and in our communities when vice was not considered to be a positive conduit for social structure or change. With the exception of Nevada, prostitution is still illegal. It also used to be that Nevada was the exception when it came to gambling. Now it is more difficult to identify those states where lotteries or other forms of gambling are not allowed. And in an effort to legitimize the business of gambling and sell it in a different package, it is referred to as the “gaming industry”.

Evidence suggests that this new “name tag” for what was once considered morally questionable by many is now not only an acceptable form of entertainment but is a potential source of state revenue from which – get this – our CHILDREN will benefit. Vice, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a moral depravity or corruption, a moral fault or failing, a defect or shortcoming, or a blemish or defect”. Yep, I’m sold. Sign my children up for a little depravity and add a moral failing or two while you’re reaching.

It is one thing for government to acknowledge and deal with a reality such as gambling. It is quite another matter altogether for the state to actively pursue, endorse, and actually encourage an act that has, statistically speaking, potentially destroyed more families than any other single vice. In the end, when the last paycheck has been cashed at the casino window – they offer this convenience, you know – and the last dollar has been dropped into a slot machine, it is ultimately the children of that wage earner who will suffer. Yet candidates for public office will try to convince us that somehow this “gaming” will actually benefit these same children whose careless parents gambled away the rent and grocery money.

Why is it that states have laws against such vice in the first place? What is it that the state had hoped to achieve by restricting, if not outright prohibiting, these acts that have historically proved to be harmful both directly and indirectly? Could it be that these so-called “victimless crimes” have proved time and again that they are not so “victimless” after all? And why is that states have decided that if our children are to be properly educated, lotteries and casinos that were once banned for good reason have now somehow become necessary?

Gambling, in whatever form and regardless of legality, is nothing more than “pie in the sky” with false promises of something for nothing. Of course we are warned that our odds of winning are something like a gazillion to one, but this warning is printed in very tiny letters on the backs of lottery tickets. Those who cannot afford glasses to read with certainly will not see this, and I dare say those who can read it will choose not to.

Churches and other ministries that specialize in addressing the havoc this scourge has wrought on us have since written pages and pages of warnings about the effects of gambling on families and children, but somehow we are more willing to believe a political candidate’s empty, if questionable, promises of “better days ahead for education” while virtually ignoring those who are witnessing first-hand the disaster that is left in the wake of very poor public policy.

Politicians continue to insist that they want to represent us and fight for us and protect us and look after our interests. They insist that the “little people”, the “working people”, and the “poor” have been virtually ignored in our society and have been left behind by the evil, capitalist economy. Then they try to convince us that the only way to help these disenfranchised folks climb out of the cellar of life is to initiate a lottery. What they fail to tell us is what is far too true: it is the very disenfranchised who are more likely to risk what little they have in the vain and desperate hope of “hitting the big one”.

Some things are wrong. They have always been wrong and will always be wrong. And the argument is not so much what may or may not be written in or directly quoted from Holy Scripture as what the consequences of morally questionable behavior will certainly bring. For government to be in active pursuit of “industry” whose profit comes directly from its customers’ losses is in direct conflict with the concept of government providing for the “common good”. It is bad public policy and, like vice, needs to be put back in its place and recognized for what it truly is.

Transitions

I delivered my 'farewell' sermon to my church this morning. I choose to share the sermon here because I think it is important for all of us - especially those among us who resist any sort of change - to more fully appreciate what Ecclesiastes tells us about time and how it can affect the itinerant ministry. I know many are not completely comfortable with pastors coming and going, but I think there is much good that can come from it. How much time is too much or too little, however, is probably the greatest challenge.

These people I've had the honor and privilege of serving are among the finest. They are just regular folks who do not try to be something other than who and what they are. They are genuine and sincere and extremely hospitable. My successor will not take long to realize how lucky he is to have been given such a charge. I am confident that they will receive him as well as they received me. My only prayer is that he will appreciate this charge for what it is and what it can be.

Peace.

“Transitions”
1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

The Lord our God has a plan. He has an awe-inspiring, overwhelming, incomprehensible layout of precisely what He pleases to do and exactly how He intends to go about it. Though man may try to throw a monkey wrench into the works in his own attempts to manipulate worldly blessings even with good intentions, such as how Abraham and Sarah treated Hagar, in the end the Lord’s will and way will prevail.

Last week I shared with you my thoughts about learning to appreciate the moment, whenever that moment happens to be, to have time to revel in the presence of YHWH.
But even as we learn to give ourselves up to those special moments, we must also learn to listen to the “still, small voice”, the very same Voice that guided Elijah from the cave and encouraged him to keep moving. Elijah moved because he knew Whose voice was urging him on.

Elijah’s time had ended, and along came Elisha. Moses’ time had ended, and along came Joshua. John the Baptist’s time had ended, and along came Jesus the Messiah.

Even as Jesus was about to begin His earthly ministry, He was already planning for His own departure by choosing apostles, though they had no idea at the time, who would continue His work on earth long after His Ascension.

Just as the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us, there is a time for everything and in our own human ability to comprehend, that time for us is FINITE. Just as it is time for something to begin, there is also a definitive time for something to end – to make room for the NEW. The time, however, belongs to the Lord God. Time is His to manipulate and to control. Though we could wish that the Lord would be more mindful of OUR concept of time, the fact is that His time – like His thoughts and His ways – is not ours.

More than this, however, is our sense of priorities and duties to fit within that finite time. Just as we need to be mindful of His presence in our lives, we must also be mindful that His presence has purpose and meaning just as our lives have purpose and meaning, even if we cannot readily discern what that purpose and meaning may be.

In the past few weeks I have taken stock of my own priorities and sense of duty. I entered into the ministry prepared to have a little fun. After all, how fun is the idea of standing at a pulpit and talking uninterrupted for 15-20 minutes with little chance for rebuttal?? I had no idea how humbling the experience would become. Not long after I started preaching, my prayer changed from “Lord, give me light” to “Lord, please don’t let me screw this up!”

I have also discovered, in taking stock of my priorities and sense of duty, that perhaps it is that I entered into the preaching ministry and ordained candidacy process a bit prematurely. There are other things that have to be taken care of first, and I have found that there are not enough hours in the day and the week to fully commit myself to everything that needs to be done.

When I wrote down everything that requires my attention, and church & family tied for last place, I knew then that the voice I had been listening to was my own urging me to somehow try to break land-speed records by trying to take on more than any one person should be expected to do. Maybe I was trying to prove something. What I DO know is that I was not listening very well.

It was therefore with a heavy heart that I offered my resignation to the district superintendent last week. We had a long talk and time of prayer. The ordained ministry requires a college degree which you all know I’m pursuing. However, unlike a full-time pastor with no other job or a full-time student, I cannot be a full-time employee AND a full-time student AND a full-time husband and father AND even a part-time pastor because what I have discovered, if nothing else, is that that there can be nothing “part time” about being the pastor of a church.

When it finally occurred to me that perhaps resigning as your pastor was my only option, my first thoughts – of course – were of you and how this might affect the work that I had hoped we could begin here. I know that when I first arrived, there was an enormous need for healing. Regardless of fault or blame, bad feelings lingered though the spirit of this church was still intact. You overcame those bad feelings and, perhaps without realizing it, you resumed your function and ministry as a church.

Though this is a part-time charge for a pastor and maybe a part-time church for too many of us who are busy running in too many different directions at once, this is still an active and ALIVE church with a FULL-TIME MISSION and calling: to make disciples for Christ.

Whomever is at the pulpit is not nearly as important as remembering that as long as He is allowed, the Lord God will take care of the future of this church and any other church that chooses to follow Him and let Him lead the way.

I now know that my time here has come and gone; my “season” has ended. But we need only look at the transition between Moses and Joshua to understand that when the Lord God begins a great work, He is not about to abandon all that HE has accomplished, and He certainly will not stop until He is finished. I know in my heart of hearts that your Holy Father is not finished here.

I pray you will understand that for the very sake of my ministry – and yes, I do still have one just as each of you still do - my family, and my health, something had to be put on hold. My family and I will be forever grateful for your hospitality and your friendship. I also pray that one day you can come to fully realize how positively you have impacted my life and the lives of my wife and children.

We will always carry with us a deep and abiding love for this church that we had not felt for some time. You welcomed us, AND – I am quite certain of this – you have blessed us far more than I could have possibly blessed any one of you.

Transitions may be unpleasant for some of us, but the good that can come from these transitions is immeasurable when we place our complete faith and trust in the Lord our God and embrace the reality that time is not ours to command or control.

May you continue your journey in faith and in service.

AMEN.

Praying in Public Schools - Who's Stopping You?

While I enjoy receiving e-mails from friends old and far, what I hate more than anything is getting chain e-mails telling me that this country is going to hell in a hand basket if I break the chain or that I will personally go to hell for "denying Christ" by refusing to pass along another e-mail. While I can appreciate that these folks are simply sharing something with me that touched them in a personal and spiritual way, I'm not sure I appreciate the weight of the universe being entrusted to me in such a way that if I do not pass it along, my eternal soul will perish but for that one moment in cyber land.

The latest e-mail to cross my computer at work was one in which Dr. James Dobson is leading a crusade to restore prayer in public schools. This e-mail that came to me had literally hundreds of names of persons from all across the country who had signed up and passed it along. Of course, the warning that came with this particular e-mail said that if I did not want to pass it along, then I needed to send it back to the person who sent it to me. Failing to do this or pass it along would put me in Madelyn O'Hare's category as the ONE PERSON who was responsible for prayer being removed from public schools.

I beg pardon, but I refuse to be held personally responsible for something over which I had no control from the beginning and over which I have little control even now. I will say this, however. Have you ever used the phrase "use it or lose it" as it pertains to sick time or vacation at work? Or if you do not exercise your muscles, they will atrophy and lose their usefulness? Am I painting a picture here?

So what does this have to do with prayer in public school? Only this: a court can mandate that a public school administration cannot act as a mediator or conduit of religion, but this does not mean that people are actually prohibited from praying.

Those who support prayer in public school like to remind us that at about the time prayer in public schools was ruled "unconstitutional", the sexual revolution came in full bore. It was at about this time that morals went into the toilet, and folks gave themselves up to all kinds of debauchery and drugs. I agree that folks stopped caring, but I don't think public prayer, or the lack thereof, had much to do with it. Or perhaps it is that folks somehow got their heads filled with nonsense such as that the US Supreme Court had outlawed prayer altogether - so they stopped praying altogether and sat on street corners or gathered at the town pub and moaned and groaned about the moral direction of this nation.

"Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you: they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:1, 5-6 NRSV

My very first sermon at a new charge came right on the heels of a court decision in TX that reminded us all that public schools cannot act as functionary for any sort of religious activity, including allowing school PA systems - such as at football stadiums - to be used to pray. Now while the reasonable among us would question the harm that could possibly be done besides to those poor souls who claim to be "offended" by such activity, the courts have nevertheless ruled that school functions and facilities might not be the best venue for prayer.

I maintain that Jesus seems to agree. So what was my sermon about? Simply, "What's Stopping You?" I reminded them that the court ruling specifically mentioned school-owned and controlled PA systems and football games. Does this then mean that we cannot pray AT ALL? Who says we can't pray at football games? Who dares suggest that there is no prayer at all in football games? Has your team ever been three points down at "fourth and goal" with only ten seconds left to play?

So what is stopping us from gathering at the north end zone (or south) and gathering for prayer? The court cannot stop that, and their ruling never tried. The various rulings over time have not outlawed prayer. It almost seems to me to be a good reminder of Jesus' words as quoted in Matthew. So who's stopping you?

It seems to me that we Christians are going to get a lot further with non-believers by praying for them instead of trying to force them to pray with us or like us. I freely admit that I am more apt to go along with something of my own choosing. If, however, I am being told I "must", I am much more likely to put up a fight.

It is not the US Supreme Court's fault or problem that we have stopped praying, choosing instead to gripe about not being able to force people to pray with us. It is not Madelyn O'Hare's fault that we threw in the towel and stopped praying and chose instead to curse those whom we choose to blame. And those @#&^#@ liberals are not at fault for rejoicing in the fact that prayer cannot be thrust upon any unwilling person.

How did we go from being a prayerful nation - if we ever were - to a nation that curses instead?

School Vouchers

I have a direct stake in education in Arkansas since I have two daughters, one of whom is about to graduate and move on to bigger and better things. I will also have a stake in Arkansas education long after my children are grown and gone because my community and this state will depend on its success and the success of its students. Of the many things that are permanent and lasting, education is the one that continues to give back as much as it ever gave and then some.

Today on talk radio the subject of school vouchers was addressed by the host. His argument was simply that the state should help children who are in "substandard" schools to be enabled to attend a better school perhaps only across town or in another district or even in a private school. For my way of thinking, this is flawed thinking on many different levels.

• Yes, parents do have a right to move their children to private schools if they so choose. However, they do not have a "right" to expect the state to pay for it. The state is already paying for it, and so are these parents who will continue to pay the taxes that finance public education. It must also be remembered that in the rural areas of the state, a private school education is not always feasible. And according to the state Supreme Court, what is good and necessary for one child is good and necessary for all the others.
• An individual child may benefit from vouchers that will help pay for the child to attend a different school, but how will this voucher address the problems that this child is trying to escape? I promise you these problems will not go away; they will only become greater and more acute the longer we ignore the core problems that obviously exist.
• The Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled that our funding of public education is not "adequate" or "equitable". This goes back to the basic argument that if a larger school district can spend $7100.00 per student (this is a real figure!), then the other districts must be able to match it. In other words, a child in Backwater AR is as entitled to the $7100.00 spending level as a child in, say, Little Rock.
• If the atmosphere from which one child is trying to escape is not conducive to sound learning, it must be reasonably assumed that other children are suffering equally. So rather than run away from the problem, how about we actually identify and fix the problem? Sending the child away from it does not mean that the problem will no longer exist.
• If we cannot afford to raise spending levels to adequately match this $7100.00 spending level, we certainly cannot afford this spending level while financing private education with public funds. Being unable to raise spending to "equitable" levels means that the state can be held in contempt of a court order. Would this then mean that as long as the legislature continues to apply a band-aid over an open wound and defy the Court that the Court could actually "take over" the state school system?

What is disturbing about news reports from the governor and the members of the legislature is that these tiny ideas keep floating to the surface - and they may not be entirely without merit in their own time - the fundamental issue of "equitable" or even "adequate" is not being addressed. This is not a "panic" plea for someone to do something - QUICK! - before the state Supreme Court takes over the schools. It is, instead, an admonishment to those whom we have elected to office and entrusted to the task of keeping state government functioning.

And I will assure you: your pensions and raises have NOTHING to do with the well-being of public education.

It is time for serious people to address very serious problems. It is also time for voters to pay closer attention to what our elected officials are doing with their time and our money. We do not need more band-aids. We need teachers and administrators to show us, dollar for dollar, what it takes to operate a successful school. No more lawyers and no more politicians.

And above all else, no more excuses.