Along for the Journey, on God's Time...
Thanks to Kelly for pointing to this great Thanksgiving prayer by Meister Eckhart (though she posts a cute graphic to go with it):
If the only prayer you say in your whole life is thank you, that would suffice.
I’m not sure that’s entirely true, but for Thanksgiving, I’ll go with it…
Thank you, Lord, for your steadfast love, your saving grace, your forgiveness and mercy, your justice, your joy, your peace, your truth. Thank you.
Rev. Chuck Currie has a terrific post up about Ted Haggard:
Ted Haggard: God Is With Him Even If The Religious Right Runs
Everyone will be talking over the next few days about Ted Haggard. The president of the National Association of Evangelicals has been accused of carrying on an affair with a male prostitute and using meth. Haggard, the pastor of New Life Church in Colorado, has been a champion of anti-gay legislation both nationally and in his state.
The Colorado minister is also a close associate of George W. Bush.
Haggard’s website states that homosexuality “brings grave consequences in this life and excludes one from the Kingdom of God,” according to The Washington Post.
We don’t know all the facts of this case but there are two things you can bet on.
1. The Religious Right will abandon Haggard.
2. God won’t.
God’s grace is available for all. Human sexuality is a gift regardless of your orientation. Is it possible that Haggard was so repressed that he acted out in inappropriate ways? Whatever happened God’s forgiveness is always available and no one is excluded from God’s
Kingdom because of their orientation. I hope that he learns that lesson and emerges from this scandal preaching equality instead of the bigotry he is known for.
Prayers continue for Haggard, his wife and family, his accuser, and his congregation…