I have just returned from Atlanta, Georgia where I attended the annual Festival of Homiletics. The conference was a part of my sabbatical continuing education and a great opportunity to hear from preachers around the world. One of those preachers was Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whose faithful, compassionate service to the people of South Africa helped bring down the tyranny of apartheid. In his remarks, Bishop Tutu spoke about the role of the church in reaching across geographic, social, and ethnic barriers to love, encourage, and support those who are isolated by oppression. In the early days of Jesus' ministry he spoke of preaching good news to the poor, proclaiming freedom to the captive, and release for the oppressed. These defining characteristics of Jesus' ministry are to be markers of our lives as we live for Christ. Archbishop Tutu's courage, and that of so many others, points to the call of Christ upon all of our lives. Let us be faithful to preach good news, proclaim freedom, and bring release in the name of Jesus Christ.

Jim

A Pathway Worth Wandering

Gary Collins, Christian psychologist and author, wrote a book several years ago whose title grabbed my attention. The book, "Easy Believism," challenged the reader not to take for granted the journey of faith, nor to embrace without genuine consideration the truths of faith that many accept without question. I found the book to be a refreshing challenge in a religious environment that was all too often a stagnant sea of compliance.

When the apostle Paul wrote about working out one's salvation, I don't believe that he meant it was to be done in a vacuum. The tenets of faith are little more than formulaic patterns, unless they become real, thus empowering one to truly live. Jesus spoke of freedom in the context of knowing truth. ("You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.") Paul wrote of his burning desire to "know Christ and the power of his resurrection." Faith is a personal journey: to know and be known...to be transformed and to be used of God to transform.

Moving therefore, from easy believism to a thoughtful, thought-provoking faith, is a perilous, but oh-so-rewarding journey. It begins with an open heart and mind, a willingness to listen and learn, and the courage to ask uncomfortable questions...to live in that prickly place between absolute certainty and nagging question. Faith, after all, as the writer of Hebrews says, is "the essence of things not seen."

To struggle and strive toward an authentic faith is to wonder as you wander, to step into the unknown believing that God is there, and that together, you walk toward the "knowing" relationship that Paul desired to attain. That is a journey worth taking...a pathway worth wandering.

Jim Abernathy

Nothing But the Bretz!!!

Bernard and Emilie Bretz, faithful members of the Westwood family, will celebrate seventy years of marriage this month. These days, that is a rare accomplishment indeed! Now Bernie and Emilie are careful to credit the faithfulness of the Lord when they talk about this anniversary, for they believe that God has sustained them through these many years and empowered them to face the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges that have come their way. Theirs has not been a life of ease, free from heartache and disappointment, but it has been a journey of faith that has placed Christ at the center of their home, and through seventy years, that has been enough. Their example serves to remind us all of the significance of placing Christ at the heart of everything we do. In a world where success is often measured by the tangible treasures of wealth, position, and prestige, Bernie and Emilie remind us that when it comes to the relationships that are so vital to our lives, nothing but the best will do...that is, trusting ourselves and those we love into the very best hands, the hands of God. With Emilie and Bernie as our examples, perhaps a better turn of the phrase might be, nothing but the Bretz!

Congratulations Bernie and Emilie! God bless you.

Jim Abernathy

An Ounce of Mother...

There is an old Spanish proverb that says, "An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest." The sentiment speaks volumes to the power of a mother's influence. Many of us are indeed debtors to the women whose love, patience, and wisdom have made such a difference in our lives. We were scrambling at our house this week to purchase and then mail the appropriate gifts for our mothers so they would receive these remembrances in time for Mother's Day. Every year we ponder the particular gift that will arrive in our place since we live so far from our mothers. At best, though always appreciated, these gifts are simple reminders of a love and gratitude too deep to be expressed only by material means. There is no substitute for a loving embrace, a hand held tightly, or the saying of those words that bless a mother's soul..."I love you, mom." So, along with the gift of perfume this year, my mom will receive a card, some flowers, and more important to her and to me, a phone call on Mother's Day. We will review her day, talk about the good time she had at my sister's house with her family in Chattanooga, and then I will try to sum up the blessing that she is to me...but words won't truly tell the story. However, the last thing I will say to her as our Mother's Day conversation comes to a close is, "I love you, mom," and that will be enough for her.

Jim Abernathy