Politics and politicians. Not exactly positive words in our world.

This edition of Observations will drop Friday morning, the day after the first presidential debate of 2024. You can read about that political event elsewhere – or turn off your news feed and try to ignore it all. There are 130 days until election day, though we know elections never seem to end. Many of us will tolerate these 130 days and all the political chicanery they entail as a necessary evil at best.

Especially in our age of partisanship and polarization, politics can be relationally toxic, emotionally trying, and intellectually tiring.  And to what end?  The winner as one of the two least-liked candidates in anybody’s memory.

That said, politics and things political are not just a necessary evil, but, in fact, an absolute good.

Last week Becky and I were in Memphis not only to visit our daughter, son-in-law, and 6-year old grandson – the best part of the visit, but also so that I could join a thousand other Presbyterians at the annual meeting of our denomination’s General Assembly. Continue reading →

From the 1833 Form of Government of the Presbyterian Church

It’s General Assembly season for lots of different Presbyterians. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America has been meeting this week, the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, my denomination, is meeting next week, and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is meeting the following week. Each of these denominations have distinctives and identities unique to themselves. But this year’s general assemblies have at least one thing in common: each is about when to say “yes” and when to say “no.” The issues vary – not mine to comment on the issues before the PCA and the PC(USA).  As for the EPC, I’ll be at the meeting in Memphis ready to listen and praying to vote wisely.

You are free to do your own Google work, but my sense is that the PCA and the EPC are wrestling with the issue of when to say “no” and the PC(USA) is deciding if they must always say “yes.” Hint: the churches are not free from culture war battles.

One of my favorite New Testament verses is 2 Corinthians 1:20, which says in part, “all the promises of God find their Yes in Christ.”  I would rather say “yes” than “no.” At our general assembly we are going to be asked to vote yes or no on a policy designed to say “no.” I don’t know how I will vote, yes or no, and, as I said, I plan to listen and to pray for wisdom. Continue reading →

It’s been a big news week. Oh, yeah, that stuff about the former president and the other stuff about the current president’s son.  But I am talking about important stuff.

While the pundits and the politicians have been busy pushing our ideological buttons, God was doing some wonderful things off-headline.

The same day social and mainstream media went berserk with news of former President Trump’s conviction, I heard from a pastor friend far away that his call to a new congregation is now public.  It’s his story to tell, but I say “thanks be to God” to all involved.  And the day testimony began in the Hunter Biden gun trial, another pastor friend took a next step towards a position that will be good for his entire denomination. Again, his story to tell, but what good news! Continue reading →

Joni Mitchell, the 60s folk singer, looked at clouds from both sides – ice cream castles in the air and the many things she would have done but clouds got in her way – and concluded she really didn’t know clouds at all.

The World Meteorological Organization says, “A cloud is a hydrometeor consisting of minute particles of liquid water or ice, or of both, suspended in the atmosphere and usually not touching the ground.” I’m sure that is a fine definition, but it really doesn’t help me know clouds at all.

The photo was taken from our backyard. Earlier in the week Becky and I were enjoying the late afternoon on the back patio and the clouds in the Midwestern sky were more of the ice cream castle sort.  By midnight they were bringing rain and thunder and lightning on everyone.  Yes, both sides of clouds.  If I look at clouds by the standard of ice cream castles in the air or things that get in my way, I suppose I cannot really know clouds at all. Continue reading →

My early morning routine has me up for a run through the neighborhood at about the same time as school buses rumble by picking up students for a day in the classroom. Not too early for my run, but way too early for children to catch a bus. That’s a story for another day.

Earlier this week I ran by a cluster of kids waiting for their bus and overheard just a snippet of conversation between what I assumed was an older sister, maybe ten years old, and a younger brother, seven or eight years old.

Older sister: “Yes, you did!”
Younger brother: “No, I didn’t!!”

I was out of earshot by the time the next round of the debate came around. I have no idea whether little brother was guilty as charged. Maybe he did, and maybe he didn’t.

The words and the tone of the conversation were classic. We’ve heard such sibling dialog a thousand times and probably spoke one or both sides of the conversation when we were children. It’s what children do. Continue reading →