Keep On Keeping On

It has been awhile since I wrote a blog and for all of my subscribers (I guess that's just Sarah) I am deeply sorry. We have moved to Lower Alabama and I am pastoring at the First Presbyterian Church of Eufaula. I am hoping to share a little wit and wisdom from my time down here.

I have been writing the weekly devotional article for the Eufaula Tribune. I stopped by the office a couple of months ago and offered my assistance whenever they needed an article I received a phone call in December asking me if I would be interested in writing four articles in January. I responded that I was happy to do so and asked if they had any guidelines. The woman responded that every article should be between 500-700 words and that I shouldn't be too political. I thought about that for awhile and had to laugh. How can any meaningful article about faith not be political?

If it's meaningful, it must be political. I'm not going to rant about the Republicans or rail on the Democrats. I'm not going to condemn the pro choice crowd or mock the pro lifers. However, I am going to write something that will make the audience think and possibly change.

I don't have any misconceptions about a weekly article for a small town newspaper. I don't think it will change the world. I don't know how many people read it. In fact, I have a sneaky suspicion that the monthly newsletter, The Miscellany, from my old church in Oceanside might just have a higher circulation. However, there is still a need to write. There is still a need to be a prophetic voice. There is still a need to say something different and maybe difficult to hear.

It did my heart well to hear from one of my church members that he read my recent article and was impressed I included a quote from William Sloane Coffin; that liberal from Yale. Praise be that someone listened. Praise be that someone read. Of course, he also mentioned that I would probably be getting a couple of phone calls later in the week from "concerned" citizens.

I guess the answer is to keep writing. It may be for a church newsletter, small town newspaper or some anonymous blog. It doesn't really matter. The important part is in the writing. I hope I am courageous enough to be that prophetic voice. I hope I am smart enough to know when it is most needed. I hope my blog readership rivals that of the Eufaula Tribune. Dare to dream!