there's a pressure to deliver here, your gonna get hurt if you don't play this game

Last week I was able to do some traveling. Monday I went to Detroit to see the Hutsko family and stayed until Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday I spent most of the day in Findlay with the Smith family. James, Kelly and I parted ways after hearing Jim Wallis speak at Bluffton College on Wednesday evening. It was a good presentation by Wallis, most of it coming from his book, God’s Politics. Bluffton is a Mennonite school and one side of the gymnasium was close to full. Not to assume that everyone in attendance was in agreement but it was nice to know that there is a large contingent of people who want to think about how their faith impacts every part of their life. At one point Wallis stated that for too long the church has only wanted the edges of our lives. He made it clear that Jesus wants to use every part of our life for the kingdom. I was particularly interested in what he said about the difference between having a career and a vocation. During another time of transition in my life it was good to hear that I am not just fooling myself by thinking that I need to do something worthwhile and something I am passionate about. Wallis said the difference is that a career is something you make money doing and a vocation is that thing that drives you and you find yourself losing track of time when you are doing it. I at least have some leads on some stuff I can do right now to help pay the bills. So for now we don’t feel like we need to make a quick decision, which is good because I wasn’t about to make a big decision any time soon.
I attempted to ask Wallis a question but they never got the microphone close to me. Not long ago I read part of Tolstoy’s “The Kingdom of God is Within You”. From what I read I thought that Tolstoy was saying that the problem with a representative democracy is that when you, a Christian, cast a vote for a representative you are sending someone who will or could then vote to commission military action which will result in the destruction of human life. I know that Wallis believes that we need to remain involved in the system and become the new winds of change, a prophetic voice. How do we then deal with the fact that we might with our vote have a direct impact on the death of others when Christ makes it clear that his way is the way of peace? I didn’t get Wallis to hear my question but hopefully some of you will and maybe you have had time to think through this more than I have.

Reading—That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis

Hearing—Prison Is Private Property (A Life of Your Own), Rocky Votolato