Brian D. McLaren

Amen Chris,,,, dido!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 91 is there going to be a book release then?

Pregnanacy is all about waiting. Otherwise it is a still-birth or a seriously compromised preemie. Waiting is one of the harder of the Christian virtues, but te church often changes at the speed of a Glacier's movement (which may not be a good comparison. I live in Alaska where the Glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, by yards and miles instead of inches.)

Oh Yoby, you are probably right - I'll have to learn patience too!

ah, we strive and look for proof of the striving in $ or in houses or in cars or in clothes. then we are surprised when all of our striving is worth no more than houses or $ or cars or clothes!

actually,i think that perhaps one disease has been a systemic despising of mercy in our national infrastructures .....

Can't wait, just finished a Generous Orthodoxy. Couldn't believe how much better I could breath! Thank you.

Can't wait, I love your perspective and fresh insights into the relationship of humanity with God.

That sounds wonderful, but genuine meaningful relationships are messy. They just are, because that is the compost that grows the Fruit of the Spirit. :/

Such a sad commentary - but one that we can certainly learn from...

I was stunned by the glee shown by people in the Pakistan region over this shooting spree. Several felt it was perfectly acceptable for an armed man to walk into a room and kill soldiers even though the soldiers were unarmed. I have spent a significant amount of time explaining that this dr was never going to be sent to Afghanistan to kill Muslim "... Read Morebrothers and sisters," that the harassment they believe he was subjected to was minimal, especially in comparison to the persecution minority religions face in their region, and that he was not being singled out when he was not given an opportunity to be discharged from the military.

I sense a tendency towards overreaction by Islamics in the ME region and I would strongly caution people to not feed into that reaction.

The thought that comes to mind is Paul's advice from Romans: "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good...Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good...be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil."

As usual Brian, you are such a messenger of hope!

Even those of us who lived through the Cold War thought that mutually assured destruction was only a strategy fit for "Dr. Strangelove." It does become a bit like Pandora's box though. Once the lid is opened, it's really hard to contain. This is a question where it is really easy to agree with the principle, but really hard to implement the action on a world-wide scale. I hope and pray that we can, but I think it will be harder to achieve than health-care reform or even energy reform.

Don't worry about us Lutherans getting our knickers in a knot because we were'nt mentioned in AGO. Most of us are really quite content living in our 16th century bubble, quietly comforting ourselves with "grace, grace, grace." We're happy just the way we are...correct theology & no need to think or be part of His Kingdom. Also, we're too worried about doing 'works"... don't want to sin, now do we?

My prayers and encouragement go out to this thoughtful and agonizing partner in ministry. At various times I have felt overwhelmed and conflicted, yet often, sensitive and trusted laypersons have made the grace of God real for me and allowed me space to renew my passion. I owe the Lord and these dear friends more than they will ever know. I pray that this struggling partner in ministry will find strength and guidance in those nearby with generous hearts.