Volume 1 Issue 22

So when the shoe fits
The foot is forgotten,
When the belt fits
The belly is forgotten,
When the heart is right
“For” and “against” are forgotten,
--Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
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A father’s pride is difficult, if not impossible, to conceal. Daughter Rachel has posted on the Bulletin Board a message that should give every reader pause for thought. The purpose of this website is to provide an interactive forum for theological expression. I hope that many of you will take the time to respond to her concerns.
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Seeking new and more meaningful uses for the Bulletin Board led me to post Leon Satterfield’s article, “Monomania and the age of the openly ill in national politics.” Dr. Satterfield was a professor in the English department when Mary and I attended Nebraska Wesleyan University, and in his retirement he writes a column for the Lincoln Journal Star. When you run across something of note, why not share it with others by posting it to the Bulletin Board?
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Sometime on January 22, 2003, the one-thousandth visit to Growing in Christ occurred! If we could only identify who that was, we would gladly award a lifetime subscription to GiC. But alas, we cannot (I haven’t asked Matt; he probably can) and so that person will have to continue to pay the same as everybody else.
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Beginning Saturday the February “Daily Guides to Richer Living” will be authored by Margaret Stortz who writes, “One of the reasons why I have loved this philosophy for so many years is because there is not a single morbid idea to be found within its folds.” You are invited to find enrichment and inspiration for your faith journey by visiting the Daily Guide page.
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 1 Issue 21

Craig Barnes writes, “Only those who have done time behind a pulpit understand this: the worst part of Sunday morning is standing at the door after the service. You put your heart into a sermon and then your congregation walks all over it as they leave with comments like: ‘You must not be feeling very well today.’ ‘I’m glad my husband heard that message today.’ ‘Where did you find THAT message?’ ‘Thanks for trying so hard.’ ‘Well, I really enjoyed LAST week’s sermon!’”

One of the benefits of this cyber-ministry is that I’m spared that after-the-service experience. Nonetheless, some sermons come easier than others, and I confess to have really struggled with todays. Whether it is apparent or not, I feel as though I’m trying to break new ground – at least from the perspective of traditional theology – and that I may not be very well suited to the task. Even if it be brutally harsh, one function of the Bulletin Board is to provide a place for your comments and criticism. You are not expected to agree with everything that is said, and part of the mission of GiC is to provide an open forum for difference of opinion.
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It is gratifying to see people lifting their voices this weekend in opposition to the impending war with Iraq. There is hope for a nation that has a moral conscience and allows for its expression. This is the quality of life in America that is worth defending to the death, and it stands in stark contrast to the imperialistic bullying that the current Administration seems to be confusing with patriotism. My thanks to Dad for getting this information to me in time to pass it along to you:

You have the opportunity to sign an online petition asking President Bush to let the weapons inspections work, rather than rushing to war:
http://www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar/

MoveOn.org will compile our messages and present them to the Administration, including Secretary of State Powell, to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, and to members of Congress.
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At the time this is being prepared, 958 have visited the GiC site with an average 3.6 visits per day to the Daily Guides. Thank you for your ongoing support and participation.
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 1 Issue 20

Take a moment this Wednesday, January 15, to honor the birth of one of the world’s great peacemakers, Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, “Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
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Congratulations to Illinois Governor George Ryan for taking a stand against the absolute finality of capital punishment as being immoral by commuting the sentences of all the state’s death row inmates. “How many more cases of wrongful convictions have to occur before we can all agree that this system in Illinois is broken?” The United States is the only Western democracy in which the death penalty is still used. The punishment has been abolished by its closest neighbors and allies, who routinely denounce the practice in the United States. (Emily Kaiser, Reuters)
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You might have read it here first, that the unprecedented preemptive strike against Iraq being promoted by the Bush Administration is inherently immoral. GiC is not alone in its position on this matter; in fact, we seem to be keeping some pretty good company:
Admiral Jack Shanahan (USN, ret.) www.truemajority.com
National Council of Churches www.nccusa.org
United for Peace www.unitedforpeace.org
For a change of pace, you can learn more about the debate on whether or not Jesus would drive a SUV from the Evangelicals for Social Action www.esa-online.org
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You’ll note that Bulletin Board entries that have had no activity in the 90 days following their posting are being removed. This is an effort to keep the board current, and to stimulate more participation. Take advantage of this opportunity to share your ideas and opinions with the GiC community.
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Don’t forget that there’s a new Daily Guide each day. A moment of spiritual reflection and affirmation is as near as GiC. An average three persons per day have used this devotional material since it was introduced at the beginning of the year. The current total of visits to GiC is 910, which means that this may be the week that we move into four digits! Given the total world population of 6,082,966,429 this could seem insignificant, but we’re proud just the same.
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Finally, Rachel will celebrate her nineteenth birthday next Saturday, January 18. E-mail greetings may be sent to her at: XCherryQTX@aol.com.
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Until next week…….Shalom!

Volume 1 Issue 19

Welcome to the first issue of GiC for 2003. May we all share in Ohio State’s brand of good fortune for the remainder of the year. To date there have been 863 visits to the GiC site. This makes passing the 1000 mark by the end of the month a real possibility. Being an old (very old) McDonald’s crew kid, I take this business of posting the number “sold” very seriously. There have been 4 visits today to the Daily Guide page.
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The Daily Guide feature is new for 2003, and I cannot thank Matt Piper of WebICX enough for his skill and dedication that made this possible. Your feedback concerning the value of this addition to the GiC format is requested. Since each day’s devotional is entered manually by yours truly, it will be important to learn from you whether or not this is the most effective use of available production time. Remember, GiC promises to always give you what you pay for!
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Today’s sermon makes reference to Albert Einstein, and two books offer excellent insight into the mind of this genius. Both available from www.amazon.com, the first is “Ideas and Opinions” by Albert Einstein (paperback, $9.60). The second is “The Expanded Quotable Einstein” collected and edited by Alice Calaprice (hard cover, $13.97).
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You are encouraged to keep current with the Bulletin Board postings, and to take advantage of this opportunity to express your own ideas and opinions. I hope that members of our virtual congregation are not holding back because they don’t think they’re “smart” enough to be going public with their thoughts. The whole idea behind GiC is to provide a forum for everyone’s input because no one is considered as anything less than a child of God imbued with gifts worth sharing.
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Until next week…….Shalom!