Circuit Writer

My column for the April 10 – April 16, 2011 edition of The Tahlequah Christian.

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I stumbled onto an incredible little factoid while doing some research. Apparently there are two human-made structures that can be seen from space. One of which you may have guessed: the Great Wall of China. The other, you likely will not have guessed. It’s the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island, New York. So when the angels look down upon us, they see one of our great ancient achievements and one of our greatest contemporary failures. continue reading…

My column for the April 03 – April 09, 2011 edition of The Tahlequah Christian.

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I just recently discovered a small blurb of an article posted on the Disciples New Service at our denominational website, and thought that it really deserved a little bit stronger coverage. It announced that Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins had signed onto a statement entitled “Religious Leaders Stand Shoulder-to-Shoulder Against Extremism of All Kinds in Support of American Values.” Although it is clear that we are called not to participate in religious intolerance of any kind, this document specifically addressed the hearings on “the extent of radicalization of American Muslims” in the Homeland Security committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. continue reading…

My column for the March 27 – April 02, 2011 edition of The Tahlequah Christian.

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Ok, I’ve been flirting with this idea and trying to ignore it for a couple of weeks now, but after I followed a “this day in history” link, I realized that it must be a sign that I could no longer avoid the topic. This day in history (Tuesday, March 29), 38 years ago, the final U.S. troops withdrew from South Vietnam, effectively ending the Vietnam War for us as a nation. This long, bloody, and incredibly unpopular war continue reading…

My column for the March 20 – March 26, 2011 edition of The Tahlequah Christian.

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It turns out that this late Lenten Season is making for a very busy time of the year – and busy can mean a lot of excitement. This year we are definitely living up to that billing, and I want to take a moment to fill you in on what’s going on.

Aside from our Lenten outreach campaign to raise money for our local ministry partners (a campaign that is right on track, by the way – we’ll be giving you a full update this coming Sunday!) continue reading…

My column for the March 6 – March 19, 2011 edition of The Tahlequah Christian.

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As we move forward with a proposed community gardening project here at First Christian, composting is a term we might become a little more familiar with along the way. The composting process involves the decomposition of plant matter and other organic materials into a form of fertilizer useful for gardens, lawns, and other growing projects.  In essence, it’s a kind of recycling continue reading…

My column for the February 28 – March 5, 2011 edition of The Tahlequah Christian.

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It’s not quite yet the Lenten season, but it’s close! Next week, on Wednesday, March 9, we will being the season of Lent with our Ash Wednesday service at 7:00 p.m. We will gather to share a contemplative service of ashes and begin our Lenten journey toward Jerusalem and the cross. I hope that you will join us continue reading…

My column for the February 20 – February 27, 2011 edition of The Tahlequah Christian.

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This is a big week in the mission life of our congregation! Unfortunately, if you weren’t in worship with us this past Sunday, by the time you read this, it will already be half completed – but don’t let that stop you from taking part for just a couple of days. While we’re preparing for an offering to Week of Compassion and discerning the possibility of partnering with Project Osiyo in a community garden, we need to engage in a week of prayer.

In worship, our children helped us pass out a pair of colored stones to take home with us during the week. These are our reminders to pray for the work of Week of Compassion and consider the gift we might offer to continue its mission. Some ideas from the Week of Compassion website suggest praying for the 17.5 million children under the age of 18 who have at least one parent dying of AIDS (mostly in Africa). Or looking closer to home, pray for the 400,000 residents of Chicago that live in “food deserts” where there are no nearby grocery stores and children grow up eating convenience store food, putting them at higher risk for obesity and diabetes. These are just two of many prayers for people in distress we should remember during this Week of Compassion.

Yet even closer to home, we need to remember to pray for those who are hungry right here among us in Cherokee County. Families are regularly making the choice between a much-needed winter coat or a couple of weeks with three meals instead of only two. This is why we must pray for discernment in partnering with Project Osiyo in a community garden mission – it can be a first step in helping to alleviate the hunger experience right here in our own neighborhoods. If we decide to take on this mission, we will have some challenges to overcome and some questions that yet need to be answered, so we need to ask for wisdom as we move forward as to what our part in God’s work here in the world might look like.

It’s a lot of prayer, it’s a lot of discernment, and it’s a lot of need. But it’s also a lot of opportunity to be disciples of Jesus, and we ought to take that seriously!

Seeking God’s justice in a new year,
Clint

P.S. – Don’t forget to bring back one of your two colored stones for worship this Sunday! (Don’t worry if you didn’t receive one – we’ll have more available.)

My column for the February 13 – February 19, 2011 edition of The Tahlequah Christian.

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This last Sunday I used the privilege of the pulpit to share with you what I would call a “confessional” sermon. In it, I bared a piece of my soul on the question of atonement (salvation is another word for the same idea), and I shared with you my questions about the way it’s been traditionally understood. I’m troubled by the commonly held idea that “Jesus died for our sins,” and don’t really think our God of love and compassion would work to bring about salvation (life) through the act of execution (death). That, and the fact that an atoning death completely ignores the wonder of the resurrection that we celebrate every Easter!

But the purpose of this opening isn’t to introduce a discussion on atonement theory – a discussion that would take far more words than I can squeeze into this weekly column – but to make what I hope will be a simple proposition: I’d like to hear from you. Is there something that you do not believe? Is there something that you do believe, but don’t hear us talking about it as part of our Christian faith? These are all valid and legitimate questions a person encounters when on the faith journey, and I’d like to start a conversation about some of these questions and ideas.

So in our Sunday bulletins for the next couple of weeks, we will include a simple form that you may fill out if you desire, that will let me know the questions and thoughts that we have as a congregation. It will be straightforward – a line stating “This I believe” with space for you to fill in your thoughts and another entitled “This I do not believe” with space for you to write in your thoughts on that as well. Finally, I will ask you if I have permission to use any of these thoughts in a newsletter or sermon, and an optional space to leave your name. You do not have to sign your name if you’d like to give me permission to engage in your questions, and you may sign your name but not give me permission to use them in a public manner. It’s all up to you! Your participation is, of course, optional, but I hope you will consider filling one out and placing it in the offering when it is collected. I look forward to hearing from all you about your questions, ideas, and beliefs when it comes to our faith!

Seeking God’s justice in a new year,
Clint

My column for the January 30 – February 12, 2011 edition of The Tahlequah Christian.

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Is it just me, or was this a lackluster Super Bowl year for you, too? No, no, not the game – the commercials! I didn’t really find myself just terribly amused by any of them. The E*Trade baby is getting old, the monkeys are beyond passe, and beer sales must be flat since Budweiser commercials keep getting fewer and less funny. Of course, at a reported $3 million per 30 second slot, what’s to laugh about? These commercials have become big business for all the companies involved, and have evolved continue reading…

My column for the January 23 – January 29, 2011 edition of The Tahlequah Christian.

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It seems that the idea of “belief” has become the battleground for the question of faith. If you are not a “bible- believing” Christian who “believes” in God, or more specifically, the God that fundamentalist Christians uphold, then you are not a real Christian. Or, if you “believe” in any form of mystery outside the bounds of scientific inquiry, as the equally loud and belligerent fundamentalist atheists suggest, continue reading…