Shuffler came through our church doors one morning during coffee hour. Everyone pretended not to see him and his companion, Smiley. Shuffler and Smiley were different. Their clothes were a bit dissheveled, they were rough around the edges, they didn't fit in here. While we pray each week for new people to come through the doors, these are not the type of new people the congregation meant.
Nonetheless, Shuffler and Smiley said "please" and "thank you" as they received the warmed up with some coffee and a treat. Nobody approached them. In fact, everyone avoided them. I noticed this and my heart sank.
After a few minutes, I walked over and introduced myself to Shuffler and Smiley. We had a wonderful conversation. All eyes in the room were on the 3 of us. After Shuffler and Smiley left, I was inundated with questions, "Who are those people?" "Why don't they worship with us?" "Did they really just come for free coffee?!" "Where do they live? Why were they here?" My response was simple: "Oh, Shuffler and Smiley? They are great folks - you should introduce yourself next time they come." If the questions persisted, I responded, "I know the answer but you should ask Shuffler and Smiley directly. They'd enjoy talking with you."
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Mitt Romney Scares the Hell Out of Me
After a week (well...beginning on Wednesday) of sprinting a ministry marathon including several multi-hour trips to and at the next town's hospital, two congregation deaths, a funeral, a major Minky meltdown this afternoon, the worst confirmation class ever, and a migraine (big surprise huh?), I turned on the Republican debate after a nap (or shall I call it an exhausted collapse?). Yep, I really know how to relax - watch the candidates from the political party that disgusts me on many levels.
Mitt Romney dared to assert some ridiculous statistic that many uninsured people in the USA make over $70,000/year. On issue after issue, it was crystal clear that this guy doesn't get it. I also wonder how he can call himself a Christian* when so many of his policies are so full of injustice (my major beef with Republicans overall but even more so with this nut). I'm glad to hear that he's slipped in the polls. I think I'd have to move to Canada if American voters were stupid enough to elect this guy.
* - I know some Christians don't consider Mormons to be Christian, but my understanding is that Mormons think of themselves as Christians.
Mitt Romney dared to assert some ridiculous statistic that many uninsured people in the USA make over $70,000/year. On issue after issue, it was crystal clear that this guy doesn't get it. I also wonder how he can call himself a Christian* when so many of his policies are so full of injustice (my major beef with Republicans overall but even more so with this nut). I'm glad to hear that he's slipped in the polls. I think I'd have to move to Canada if American voters were stupid enough to elect this guy.
* - I know some Christians don't consider Mormons to be Christian, but my understanding is that Mormons think of themselves as Christians.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
