Challenged by God to do more
The decisions we make do make a difference
By Vernon S. Broyles III
Presbyterians Today
Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but do not see, who have ears, but do not hear. ... For scoundrels are found among my people; they take over the goods of others. Like fowlers they set a trap; they catch human beings. ... Their houses are full of treachery; therefore they have become great and rich, they have grown fat and sleek. They know no limits in deeds of wickedness; they do not judge with justice the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. Shall I not punish them for these things? - Jeremiah 5:21, 26-29
How long, O Lord? This anguished cry flows from the mouths of millions of beleaguered folks in this, the richest nation in the world. We hear reports of the wealth of our richest citizens and see on our streets those who have no place to sleep. We pass beggars at intersections with their cardboard signs asking for a pittance. Our star athletes are offered monumental amounts of money to play the sports we so avidly watch, and even those among them who grossly misbehave can afford fines in the millions of dollars.
We all are beneficiaries of the work of laborers, salespeople, clerks and assembly-line workers, who are paid at a scale that screams "injustice!" when the CEO is found to be paid in the top 1% of corporate leaders. Untold numbers of our neighbors are unable to afford even the most basic health care. Many, in fact, are forced to decide weekly whether they will seek medical help or eat a modest meal.
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Taking the road not taken
This year, step out in
faith
and be amazed
By Donna Frischknecht Jackson
Presbyterians Today
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost
I hadn't read this poem in years and so, when a friend recently included it in an email, it brought back memories.
It was during my Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in Manhattan that I was introduced to the work of Robert Frost. My supervisor, realizing - as I did - that I didn't have a call to chaplaincy work, but was there to fulfill my presbytery's ordination requirement, would refer to the poetry of Frost during our weekly check-ins as I grappled with where God was leading me. "The Road Not Taken" was his favorite poem to quote.
As if the daily grind of hospital chaplaincy weren't emotionally draining enough, I was also interviewing with churches. As the weeks went by, most of my supervisory meetings were spent talking about the churches I began courting. Halfway through my CPE training, the church search was down to two suitors. And boy, they couldn't have been more different.
The first, outside of Washington, D.C., offered great facilities, a healthy budget and a robust membership. The other, a rural church somewhere in the Northeast, was surprisingly forthcoming about its aging building, shoestring budget and graying membership. I couldn't believe when my supervisor asked which church caught my fancy.
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