matters of faith

(Sorry I don't have a picture...I didn't capture one today, but really wanted to post anyway.)

-Swinging on a swing with the wind blowing through my hair for the first time in ages. What a liberating feeling.

-Seeing members of Eastminster tear up as Robert talked about his call and faith as he was assessed for Candidacy for the ministry. I could tell they all felt responsible (as they should) for helping him to this point.

-Talking with Mel, my friend who worked in Belfast with me, about the relevance of seminary to our sometimes traumatic Belfast experience. I had a sudden epiphany: seminary matters because it shows me that God matters, and that what I say about God matters. A middle-aged man involved in paramilitaries that sees justice as abusing and disfiguring a teenage "delinquent" has a skewed view of God's justice. It matters that I tell him that God is a God of love, not vengeful punishment. It matters that I tell him that all people, including himself and the teenager, are beloved children of God. What we say and think about God, however subconscious, matters. Always.