Somewhere along the journey for the purpose of my life, I took a detour with a squirrel. I am an actor. I am a minister. The acting community keeps telling me that I need to stay in the arts. The church community keeps telling me that I need to stay in ministry. As of late, God has been mum on the subject.
It is an evil day when you must choose between life and death, and the lesser of the two evils is death. There was once a time when I believed that death was, in some instances, a good thing. I believed that it was a release, a letting-go, rest for the weary. I retract that belief.
I see two churches. I see a church fresh and new – a honeymoon between God and God’s people. Healing and wonders and signs are everywhere around them. It’s as if everyday, every moment together is a blessing. They hear the voice of God in everything they do, reminding them that they are chosen, beloved, important. They give to each other with abandon, trusting that their resources are going to the greater good. They pray together, eat together, study together, party together. They are excited about the future, inviting everyone around them to be a part of this amazing thing that’s happening to them – this great purpose to serve God and serve the world. This is a church with a mission.
Sarah Palin. Again. No matter how much rope we give her to hang herself or how often she uses it, she keeps coming back to get more rope. She’s like Jed Cooper in “Hang ‘Em High.” She just won’t go away. Clint would be proud.
“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:16-18