Be the Church
As we close out the National Day of Prayer, I was reflecting on the excellent experience my oldest daughter and I had this past Sunday joining folks at Abundant Life Church in Hillsborough for their Faith in Action Day. The motto for Faith in Action Day is simple: "Don't just go to church, BE the church."
We met ALC's youth pastor, Ray McKinnon, while tabling at the Last Friday Celebration in downtown Hillsborough. We had a great conversation, and quickly found common ground around the need for a federal government that follows our Constitution. While Ray was staffing the Hillary Clinton table, many of the folks in his church are Republican -- so he was kind enough to provide a steady flow of interested voters who are extremely interested in an alternative to the David Price and the status quo.
At the close of the evening, he invited us to join their church Sunday morning, when they were taking a break from the usual service and going out in the community to engage in a variety of service projects. That's how Katie and I found ourselves in Hillsborough Heights, working with an enthusiastic group to rehabilitate a neighborhood park. Everyone brought their A-game that morning -- David Bailey of Bailey's Landscaping was among those directing the troops and equipment, and there were well organized piles of lumber, mulch, and tools for building play areas, flower beds, and a fence:
We spent a couple good hours digging post holes for the fence. Or rather, a machine bored the holes, and we simply scooped out the dirt. Needless to say, that was much more enjoyable than my prior experiences with post hole diggers. Then came the more detailed task of setting and aligning the fence posts:
Besides being a great way to improve the community, it was also an excellent opportunity to meet people and engage in meaningful conversations. The folks in this church come from various backgrounds, and have a variety of political views. But the common ground provided by putting faith in action through service is a great foundation for civic and spiritual dialog.
Sunday was a gentle reminder of our ability to seek and do God's will, and how we can meaningfully improve our community in the process.
Best of all, no federal funding required!
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There's a simple rule of thumb that Congress has been overlooking:
Does the Constitution enumerate that the federal government should be involved in something?
If not, then it's none of Congress' business to be meddling. I think that your examples here are exactly what our wise founders had envisioned. People are taking care of each other here because they *want to*, not because a federal agent effectively has a gun held to their head. If you think I'm exaggerating, stop filing your federal income tax return for a few years and see how the federal government reacts.
WWTJD? (What Would Thomas Jefferson Do)
BJ,
Thanks again for the help that your daughter and you were. We had a great time and I was excited to get to know you better! You will do a tremendous job helping here in the 4th District.
Building a playground without tax money? Absurd! It's impossible! Why, private parties would never contribute to the well-being of the children in their communities without a gun to their heads. Come on now, you're kidding us about this, right?
Looks like a good time was had by all. I'm not a believer myself, but there is one very astute comment in the bible, that certainly rings true with me: "By their fruits, shall you know them."
-jcr
This is living the federal system. Without the Feds to "care" for us we are going to have to do it ourselves. It is nice to see a candidate that practices what he preaches.
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