A Little Child Shall Lead Them

I've been lazy this summer and haven't posted any of the interesting articles that I have read, but I hope some of you caught this editorial by Leonard Pitts this week. He writes about a new documentary that features children affected by Hurricane Katrina. Reading it made me cry, and made me ashamed that I haven't done more for the area since my trip down to Mississippi three years ago. But aside from our colossal failure regarding Katrina, this article really hit me hard about the other, less dramatic ways that we fail our children every single day -- failing to protect them from harm, failing to educate them, failing to provide health care . . . this list could go on and on. So, as I remember the 3rd anniversary of Katrina this weekend, I will also remember that so many children in America are in crisis every day, and not just when catastrophe strikes.

Thoughts From Others on the Road . . .

Matthew 16:21-28

What could be worse than losing your life, you may wonder? Have you ever thought of that question for yourself? In Matthew 16, Jesus suggests that we may very well lose our lives as a result of following him. So, what would be worse than losing our lives? Losing hope. Without hope, we die. But, with hope we live; we grow stronger; we find joy in the most unusual places. I hope you know God's powerful hope. Nothing can happen to you that can fling you so far off your life course that God can't find you. Whether you have been through such a struggle or whether one awaits you, whatever it is, the greatest tool we have been given to survive the threat of despair is the gift of hope - hope in God; hope in his power to strengthen and his power to save.

- Julie Fiske
Emmons Lutheran Church,
Emmons, Minn.

The role of a church leader

Recent events here at PPC have made me ask the question, "what is the role of a leader in the church?" Prayer? Absolutely. Community Service? Sure. Bible Study? Hope so.

What about Trust?

What about Encouragement?

And what about Honesty?

I think it is absolutely necessary for a leader in a christian church to Trust that God is working in the church (sometimes in others' opinions) in ways the leader may not fully understand or appreciate.

I also think it is axiomatic that a leader in a christian church should Encourage those around him/her, especially those people who express a sense of call in the congregation.

And I think it goes without saying that a leader in a christian church should be Honest. Not only honest in personal dealings, but also honest about motives, desires, and needs that the leader may have that conflict with God's work in the congregation.

What does this have to do with the eMMAUS road?

Probably not much, but its been on my mind . . .

More from Sojourners

We can move in the direction of justice, but if our personal relationships don’t become more human, we haven’t moved in the direction of the reign of God and, in the long run, we will discover that our point of arrival is just another form of tyranny.- Arturo Paoli

Politics - are you a "Values Voter?"

Are you a Values Voter? I received an email from a Christian web group called "Sojourners." The group points out that, if we are truly Values Voters, then we should be concerned with a candidate's stand on the following christian values issues:

Compassion and economic justice
Peace and restraint of violence
A consistent ethic of life
Racial justice
Human rights, dignity, and gender justice
Strengthened families and renewed culture
Good stewardship of God's creation

Worth thinking about - are you surprised by anything on this list? Is there anything else you would want to include?

Its Coming . . . .

The end of summer, that is.

Keep checking back for not-so-based on the lectionary musings for the next couple of weeks.

And then . . . .

We are right back in gear and back on the road starting September 2nd!