I am sick in bed, but my fingers have been doing a great deal of walking. Today via BYU [Brigham Young University] TV channel I attended the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to listen to talks by prophet, apostles, members of the seventy and others. Unless one was not familiar with the teachings of the LDS church I would have thought is was just another Protestant group. I admire their focus on organization toward mission and their willingness and encouragement of how to do mission in a normal way everyday. But I did not hear anything that would place the conference in April 2012, the teachings were just as appropo to 1973 or 1956.
Then I turned to the Odyssey Network (not a TV channel) and found this gathering, very much about this year. http://odysseynetworks.org/video/faith-leaders-rally-against-sex-trafficking Here was a video showing people who did not share a theology or faith story who were focused on a mission. There are conferences, but the focus was not within, but outward, totally.
What is interesting is that I have been asked to edit a page connected to Union Theological Seminary in Manhattan which is advertizing a gathering on this topic also. http://www.imtalkingnow.org/
There are so many leaders talking about goodness and mercy and justice from one end of the spectrum to another, from a certain distance to "getting-your-feet-muddy-and-hands-dirty" type of work. We good at talking, and a few are good at walking. We people of faith have to to both well and loudly.
I live near Sanford, FL - yeah - that one. We lost a young man staying with his dad, who was shot and killed by a man yet to be arrested so that an authority can make an official decision regarding the case. People are walking and talking. I hope we will do some good and learn to work together.
Where am I going with this? Well, if we can talk a good talk about caring for family, not living in discord, being moral and ethical, AND actually living that out in the needy world, not just our private lives, imagine what the name of Jesus, or God, or the prophets we follow would mean? Newsweek wouldn't have an article by Andrew Sullivan about how people are leaving church but still following Jesus. Now I am an institutional product, but really a refugee and I can see both sides of this issue. I hope we can network in a way that supports the groups we need to be part of, yet keep the corporation to a minimum, so we spend our time walking the walking and not just talking.
OK I am done talking [for] now.
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