Rumbling Around My Head. Christmas Week 2015.

1. Go tell it on the mountain. Jesus Christ is born. That breaks the game wide open doesn’t it?

2. There’s seems to be a growing movement standing against the tidal wave of hate that threatens to wash over us. Love will win you know. That’s both a hope and the promise.

3. Been reading a lot in regard to the flack with the Wheaton professor. For sure it’s not about the hijab and trying to identify with Muslim women. Reading theologians of all stripes this week. Seems to be both major and subtle disagreements on the primary theological issue on the table. Hats off to Wheaton and the professor for taking the higher road thus far. That’s not surprising actually. The principals in this skirmish take ‘Jesus stuff’ pretty seriously from all I’ve been able to surmise. I pray the talks resume and that a genuine spirit of reconciliation is present. It does get me thinking though. When is a different point of view intolerable and when is it the expected norm in faith based liberal arts institutions? Smart people do need to ‘think out loud’ at times. And at times even people of deep faith wrestle with theological and biblical issues they thought were settled. That’s healthy actually.

4. If there is a theme in 2015 it’s ‘social justice’. What’s God trying to say to us?

5. Poor Steve Harvey. Embarrassing for sure. End of the world it’s not.

6. Hands down best SNL segment of the year has to be Will Ferrell as George W. Bush.

7. Big, big differences in the tone and substance in the two debates last week.

8. Noticing a whole lot of people going through a ‘faith shift’. Some moving towards faith. Others moving away. Some questioning things they’ve never questioned before. Others embracing answers they previously rejected. It makes for interesting discussions. Let’s see what God does with it all.

9. Richard Rohr in ‘Falling Upward’ (great read, by the way) talks about meeting with Desmond Tutu who said, “We are only the light bulbs and our job is to stay screwed in.” That’s where prayer comes in. Lord, teach me to pray.

10. Anyone else thinking that it’s a ‘blessing’ to be living in this particular time and place? The opportunities for making a difference are huge. So, quit worrying. Be the person you want to be. More importantly, who God wants you to be. Live with open hands and a generous spirit. No more forwarding nasty, rumor filled emails. Cancel your subscription to the “Doomsday Preppers Gazette”. Turn off the radio show and the TV channel that turns you into a nervous wreck. Instead read, listen to or watch something that will breathe life into your troubled soul. Have a sweet conversation with someone trustworthy. Draw close to the God of all comfort. Live boldly.

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