MomminginMinistry

Search me,  God, and know my heart;      test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24  See if there is any offensive way in me,    and lead me in the way everlasting.   Psalm 139:23-24 There's this stuff I've been pondering. Stuff that's come up a lot lately. Things I want to say but only if I can find the most loving, gracious, and humble way to do so. Because it's something that I think needs to be said but I know I'm still learning myself. And I know that shame does not build bridges towards positive change. So, here's the thing. There seems to be this common belief among many white people like me that there's only racism still because we still talk about it. Or, the REAL racism is calling something racist. Essentially, "if a tree falls in a forest, and no one hears it, does it make a sound?" Or if we close our eyes and stand really still maybe racism will just go away, like a lazy grizzly bear. Before you roll your eyes, write me off, an...

I remember the flannel graphs, and the cartoon like pictures of a father, and son, of a hill and a lamb caught in a thorny bush. It was simple, straight-forward, and told in such a matter-of-fact way, praising Abraham’s obedience. But it’s not that G-rated, is it? It’s not so neat and simple and flannel graph-ey. No. That’s not the kind of story this is. In fact, if we’re honest, it’s a little disturbing. But this isn’t really a story about how “good” Abraham was. It’s a story about how good God is. In today’s Old Testament lectionary reading from Genesis 22, Abrah am is asked to sacrifice his only son, God's gift to him.  By the time I was old enough to take a college psychology course, I was…concerned maybe…about Abraham. But cultural context matters in understanding scripture. And awhile back I learned something about ancient culture that broadened my understanding…that this kind of request wasn't unheard of. In the context in which he lived; the gods often demanded ...