I'm still processing my trip to Kentucky and back. Many things just hit me and I had a lot of time to think while driving (20 hours give or take). I thought, I listened to music - sometimes singing, sometimes just letting the words into my soul, I sat in quiet, I cried, I laughed, I reflected on the creation that was around me. I commented on other people's driving skills or lack there of. I prayed and tried to search for that core of essence within myself. It was a very deep time for me and my soul. I am probably more tired because of the work and searching I was doing then from the driving. But what became clear to me more then anything else on those interstates through corn and soybean fields was that my spirit was, is, being crushed by where I am and what I do. Things and places can help for a time or a season and that's the hard part of figuring out when that time or season have come to an end. Wanting to hold on because of ego crap, to hold on because of fear. It is time to change so my spirit can be free and not smashed into a little box or have pieces chipped away from me. I am scared as hell about what this all means but I guess here goes nothing. What else do I have to lose other then my spirit right?
For years now, I have heard in preaching and clergy circles about being political in sermons; the good, the bad and those who state that church shouldn’t be political. There are workshops, books, and podcasts talking about politics in the church with a variety of opinions. What do people mean when they make the statement that the church shouldn’t be political? The IRS has the most say about the rules for the separation of church and state/politics. If your church wants to be tax exempt, there are rules: don’t endorse any candidate or party, if you allow one party to use your space, other political parties also must be allowed to use the space, etc. The UCC’s general counsel, Heather Kimmell, has a webinar on this topic if you’d like to hear a more detailed explanation which can be found on the UCC’s YouTube channel. Churches have gotten “creative” in how to get around this, often partnering with another non-profit group to give support to a particular group. The UCC is proud to claim...
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