The Pastor's Perspective

            I have always been artsy, and I love to draw and watch programs about drawing and art. Growing up, one show always captivated me: "The Joy of Painting" with Bob Ross. With his gentle voice and signature afro, Bob would transform a blank canvas into breathtaking landscapes, complete with "happy little trees" and "friendly little clouds." What truly mesmerized me was his ability to take what looked like a blob of paint, or what seemed like an accidental smudge, and turn it into a majestic mountain or a shimmering lake. When he started off you might have thought "well he done ruined it" then by the end you were left mesmerized. He'd often say, with a reassuring smile, "There are no mistakes, just happy little accidents."      Don't we often feel like we've made a mess of things in our own lives? In 45 years of living here on this earth I will be the first one to say that I have had my fair share of  mistakes. There ...

       We've all witnessed it. The campaign speeches filled with bold pronouncements, the unwavering commitments made with conviction. Yet, as the dust settles and the realities of governance take hold, those promises often seem to evaporate like morning mist, don't they. It sometimes leaves you wondering "Hey have you forgot about what you said just a few months ago?"        We hear explanations, justifications about "evolving circumstances," and needing to reach across the isle. Sometimes we hear things about how they don't have enough votes anyway. Or a thousand other reasons why they can't do the very things that they promised they would do. It can leave us all feeling a bit used, and frustrated.        Machiavelli, once said "the promise given was a necessity of the past; the word broken is the necessity of the present," that sadly seems to echo in the halls of capital hill today. We've become accustomed to a cer...

  "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"  -   Micah 6:8     I believe w e live in a world that seems to be saturated with discussions about justice, fairness, and truth. It seems to be something that we hear a lot about these days. It seems there is always someone championing for change for one thing or another. There seems to be more and more people willing to speak out and call out injustices that they see going on in this world. This is not a bad thing necessary and it certainly beats the alternative of silence in the face of iniquity and inequality.      As followers of Jesus, our hearts resonate deeply with these concepts or at least I believe they should. We read the powerful pronouncements of the prophets, the compassionate acts of Jesus, and the calls for righteous living throughout the Scriptures. Verses about caring for the w...