This is an audio version of Mike Murphy‘s Friday rumblings. This is a regular post on Facebook that I’ve turned into a podcast. I decided Mike’s words needed a wider audience. You may agree or disagree with what he says, but there is certainly much food for thought contained here. You can friend Mike on Facebook for the printed version or read it below

Rumblings. 1.13.23 

1. Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, was featured in one of the daily offerings of the Center for Action and Contemplation this week. The focus was Jeremiah 12. Peterson offered a pithy, imaginative look at God challenging the prophet, followed by a short, insightful, commentary. 

“Life is difficult, Jeremiah. Are you going to quit at the first wave of opposition? .… Are you going to live cautiously or courageously? I called you to live at your best, to pursue righteousness, to sustain a drive toward excellence. It is easier, I know, to be neurotic. It is easier to be parasitic. It is easier to relax in the embracing arms of The Average. Easier, but not better. Easier, but not more significant. Easier, but not more fulfilling. I called you to a life of purpose far beyond what you think yourself capable of living and promised you adequate strength to fulfill your destiny. Now at the first sign of difficulty you are ready to quit. If you are fatigued by this run-of-the-mill crowd of apathetic mediocrities, what will you do when the real race starts, the race with the swift and determined horses of excellence? What is it you really want, Jeremiah, do you want to shuffle along with this crowd, or run with the horses?.…

It is unlikely, I think, that Jeremiah was spontaneous or quick in his reply to God’s question. The ecstatic ideals for a new life had been splattered with the world’s cynicism. The euphoric impetus of youthful enthusiasm no longer carried him. He weighed the options. He counted the cost. He tossed and turned in hesitation. The response when it came was not verbal but biographical. His life became his answer, “I’ll run with the horses.””

His life became his answer. Yah, that’s the golden ticket.

2. “Never once did Jesus scan the room for the best example of holy living and send that person out to tell others about him. He always sent the stumblers and sinners. I find that comforting.” Nadia Bolz-Weber

So do I. There’s hope for me yet.

3. Every six months or so I feel compelled to share this simple, sage advice.

 “You’re not God.

This isn’t heaven.

Don’t be an ass.” ~ John O’Malley SJ

4. What ails us as a country?

I’m pretty convinced we’ve persuaded ourselves to believe that character doesn’t matter all that much anymore. 

5. Amidst the chaos of the GOP’s attempt to find a speaker last week a sane voice of reason emerged. Unfortunately for them it wasn’t one of their own. It was the Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, who was the breath of fresh air. He made sure that everyone knows what his side of the aisle believes in. 

“We’ll always put American values over autocracy, benevolence over bigotry, the constitution over the cult, democracy over demagogues, economic opportunity over extremism, freedom over fascism. Governing over gaslighting, hopefulness over hatred, inclusion over isolation, justice over judicial overreach, knowledge over kangaroo courts, liberty over limitation, maturity over Mar-a-Lago, normalcy over negativity, opportunity over obstruction, people over politics, quality of life issues over Qanon, reason over racism, substance over slander, triumph over tyranny, understanding over ugliness, voting rights over voter suppression, working families over the well-connected, xenial over xenophobia, ‘yes we can’ over ‘you can’t do it’ and zealous representation over zero sum confrontation.”

“Maturity over Mar-a-Lago.” Perfect.

6. “Religious idolatry for us Christians, at its core, is when we love our beliefs about God and people more than we actually love God and people.” Rev. Benjamin Cremer

“If the truth makes you uncomfortable, don’t blame the truth. Blame the lie that made you comfortable.” ~ Unknown

“The purpose of prayer and religious seeking is to see the truth about Reality, to see what is. And at the bottom of what is – is always goodness. The foundation is always love. Here is a mantra that we might repeat throughout our day: “God’s life is living itself in me. I am aware of life living itself in me.” ~ Richard Rohr

7.“Do not be too quick to assume your enemy is a savage just because he is your enemy. Perhaps he is your enemy because he thinks you are a savage. Or perhaps he is afraid of you because he feels that you are afraid of him. And perhaps if he believed you were capable of loving him he would no longer be your enemy.” Thomas Merton. New Seeds of Contemplation

8. “All human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret.” ~ Gabriel García Márquez

All three need to be taken seriously, right? They need to be looked at and examined. Sometimes that examination can feel like we’re waltzing through a minefield or sailing through heavy seas. But if that’s where the journey takes us that’s where we need to be. “The unexamined life is not worth living” Socrates once wrote. Everything in me says he’s right.

9. “Never fight until you have to. But when it’s time to fight, you fight like you’re the third monkey on the ramp to Noah’s Ark and it just started raining. ~ Christopher Woods

I don’t think you want to arrive in heaven with no scars because that would mean you found nothing worth fighting for. Fight hard and righteously for what really matters. Walk away when you’re just trying to fight for the sake of fighting. 

10. Here’s my best piece of advice. “Today, give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of God.”