Pulling Perfectly Good Grass

Fatherhood has changed me. I am learning so much from my son Jake, and it is truly amazing to watch him as he continues to develop. A trend that I have recently noticed as of late is Jake wants to be like me. He repeats everything I say and do. (which can be scary more times then not!)

The other day, the family and I were doing some yard work at our new place that we just recently moved into. My wife decided that it would be a good idea to pull some weeds that the lawn mower could not get to. So as I bent down to begin pulling the weeds and then rake them to the end of the lawn, my wife pointed out Jake to me. He began pulling the weeds and walking the same path as me. He wanted to help. As little as he is, it is crazy to see that he values being valued.

This was pretty neat to watch for at least a little while. However, something began to happen. Jake ran out of weeds to pull so he began to pull the perfectly good grass. This is a tough spot to be in as a parent. On one hand, all Jake was trying to do is help out. At the same time, we didn't want him pulling perfectly good grass. We tried explaining to him that we no longer needed his help with pulling the weeds, but there are only so many words that you can offer to a 2 year old before just saying that dreaded word "NO!".

I am happy that I am one of the many that follow Jesus in this world. It is exciting to think that I am able to "co-mingle" with God and in his work today. I wonder if God looks at me with the same enthusiasm that I have when Jake tries to help out. How cool is is that God may be looking at me like a proud parent knowing that I am "helping out" in the only way his creation can. In this, I resonate with my 2 year old son. I want to think my intentions are good in my attempts to work with God in this world. This also makes me think that sometimes I (or "we" as the church) may be pulling perfectly good grass. We make decisions on who is "in" and who is "out", with many times not thinking twice about it. We make sweeping judgements about political parties and those that are in them. It is incredibly tempting to believe that God takes "sides" in our political arenas. (Can any man made party truly embody what it means to follow Christ?) I wonder how often we have good intentions, but fail to pull the weeds rather then the grass.

The possibility of pulling perfectly good grass exists as we attempt a faithful dialogue in religion, politics, or even everyday topics. This must enter in consideration in our attempts to boldly proclaim the good news and team with God in His work in this world. Otherwise, good intentions or not, we may be doing more harm then good.

Dan Jones

The other guy is not "evil"

I realize with the rising tensions in our political environment, especially considering the fact that we are nearing election day, that those that endorse a candidate are certainly passionate about their positions. I think I can understand the passions about supporting a canidate that best represnts a person's idealogy and politics. However, I wonder if it is neccessary to attempt to justify one's endorsement by convincing ourselves that the other canidate is evil. I have found that there are some out there that have given their endorsement to their canidate. Because of their endorsement, it seems they go on a campaign to convince others or maybe even themselves that the other canidate is a horrible human being. My challenge to all my friends is to not give way to this "either/or" philosophy. I understand supporting a party or canidate, but in doing so, lets not convince ourselves that the other party or canidate is evil. Instead, I believe it is okay to fully suport the canidate in which you want to represent your positions while at the same time not reducing the other canidate as an enemy. Those of us that follow Christ, this becomes even more important to realize. We are called to not dehumanize others, but to serve in love and in submission. Let us reflect the way of Jesus in our political dialogue.