The pastor shared his new bumper sticker with us on Sunday. When he posted it on Facebook, I commented, I always suspected it..., He is a big, burly guy but has the heart of a little kid. If push came to shove, I have no doubt he would win but he might try to negotiate some kind of settlement first which takes all the wind out of one's sails of bragging about him. If you take the philosophical high road, does he have the knowledge to win a theological debate, yes - would he fight to the end, I think not and just thinking about that - makes me proud.
Not just because he is the pastor. I think that is the road we should each take. Do you win just because you can knock the other person down? It might feel good but that feeling is only short term. I am not a fan of bumper stickers. They don't invite discussion, they are statements meant to invoke a reaction. It is a 10 second attempt to get their point of view into your head. A moving advertisement of something that mostly, means little to nothing.
I mean no offense to the pastor or anyone who likes bumper stickers. We are a culture that like to show off our stuff, in many different ways and since we spend so much of our time on the road, it only makes sense that this kind of billboard is the one so many choose. Ali Edwards posted this tweet this morning from her husband.
Chris just called to tell me that he saw this bumper sticker on the way to work: "God bless the whole world, no exceptions."
I agree... and while it sounds lighthearted, I see a whole big Jesus thing here that could get ugly. If we really believed that there are no expectations, how would that change our lives. To me, that is a big pill to swallow and makes me humbly aware of my own shortcomings. Even having a pastor that protect me in a time of need, couldn't help me out of this.
No exceptions, fits nice on a bumper sticker - maybe not so nice in our theology...
