A Cold Weather Response

The cold weather has blown into central Kentucky. It is hovering around zero degrees. During such fierce weather, I am concerned about those without adequate shelter, including the homeless. There may not be much that I can personally do for them, but I can send money to those organizations, such as Salvation Army, God’s Pantry, Catholic Action Center and many others, that do provide personal assistance. I can also pray and suggest that others will send money because these organizations will see an increase in their utilities and food costs. I also pray that churches would want to open their warm facilities to provide shelter, water, and food. Opening their facilities would require volunteers as well as increasing their utilities and food costs. Nevertheless, I think opening facilities, volunteering, and/or sending money is what Jesus would do.

Institutional Church

I have been a member of the staff of a Baptist Church for 52 years. I have been a student Pastor, Family Life Minister, Pastor, and Pastoral Counselor. As of January 2024, I am no longer on the staff of a Baptist Church and “No,” I have not retired, just altered how I am paid. I think I am ready to leave the institutional Church and its staff positions. I am having difficulty affirming the institution of Church with its denominational arguing, large buildings that are mainly empty during the week, programming primarily for its members, etc. I suspect the real church which Jesus described in the 25th chapter of Matthew’s gospel meets in Alcohol Anonymous and Al-Anon meetings, in food pantry distribution places, where they are building homes for those without shelter, in homeless shelters, etc. I have experienced the presence of God’s Spirit in some conversations that happen in my consulting room as a therapist. I suspect God’s Spirit is alive, changing and redeeming lives in thousands of consulting rooms with therapists who may or may not think of their consulting rooms as places of worship. I believe that God’s Spirit is alive, well and redeeming in thousands of places that are not thought of as places where a person would expect God. God seems not to fit our expectations of a god.