tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329600504016968888.post6142897250696219546..comments2024-03-27T15:47:46.091-05:00Comments on Pastoral Meanderings: Meanness, Character Assassination, and IsolationPastor Petershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10653554256101480140noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329600504016968888.post-14895955617663971152010-04-10T07:18:42.878-05:002010-04-10T07:18:42.878-05:00The Church as the people of God can truly embody o...The Church as the people of God can truly embody of the living Christ among us only when the poor remain its most treasured part. Care for the poor, therefore, is much more than Christian charity. It is the essence of being the body of Christ.<br /><br />How do we prevent an implosion of the LCMS? My answer: by focusing our convention in July (Houston) on the poor. The poor make the Church faithful to its vocation. When the Church is no longer a church for the poor, it loses its spiritual identity. It gets caught up in disagreements, jealousy, power games, and pettiness.ErnestOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13077415409728022160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329600504016968888.post-2237811697421165372010-04-10T03:17:49.796-05:002010-04-10T03:17:49.796-05:00Some of us have been talking and listening for thr...Some of us have been talking and listening for three decades and more. Differences --rather than being diminished---have deepened and the church has been weakened through it all. Dr. Luther said, "How soon 'not now' becomes 'never.' <br /><br />Our 'not now' to doing something about doctrinal ambiguity and its practices among us has only brought us closer to the 'never' which confuses institutional and confessional loyalty.<br /><br />There's another 'old saying' which supersedes the 'two ears/one mouth' one: "Speak the truth in love," for in so doing, love serves truth, as it must.Pr. D. Bestulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329600504016968888.post-46168575659515305362010-04-09T22:41:10.558-05:002010-04-09T22:41:10.558-05:00As the old saying goes, "You have two ears, b...As the old saying goes, "You have two ears, but only one mouth; listen twice as much as you speak."<br /><br />I don't know if listening is truly a gift, or something that comes with work and practice. I do know if we spend time listening sincerely and attentively, anger is diffused or defused. <br /><br />If both sides of any issue listened better and spoke less, things might happen. As it is, we sound more like the Muslims, who generally do not discuss, but simply assert (that they're right).Janis Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02947508427040251166noreply@blogger.com