Liminality

Not all time in life is equal. Moments occur that carry significant meaning while others pass by without any thoughtful reflection. Times that seem to get remembered are times that are shared with others. We carry with us memories of first dates, vacations, parties, recitals, ball games, birthdays, movies and so much more. The gift is not the experience but who we experienced it with. For example, I will never forget eating fondue. The experience of sitting in a dark corner booth with overpriced, undercooked food that I was supposed to cook myself in boiling bowls of water, cheese and chocolate sitting before me was supposed to be the novelty of the experience. Granted the food was good but that was not what sustained this pleasant memory. The memory was with the company. I shared myself with another person. Together we attempted to not overcook the food to the point it dropped off our metal tongs and into the boiling water, cheese and chocolate. We shared stories ...

This past Sunday my church celebrated its 170th Anniversary. That’s right, we were established in 1838. The service was wonderful. We had two members Mr. Curtis and Ms. Mott speak at the very beginning. They are two of our most dedicated members. They have won this recognition because both of them have been members for over 70 years. They told stories and shared memories. There was not a dry eye in the room. To see two saints sitting before you reflecting on how God has never stopped moving and working in the rural town of West Point was a sight to behold. It was at that time that I was reminded of just how faithful our God is and how much love our God has for all people. That morning I preached on the future of the church. I chose to do this because I wanted to paint a picture that bookended Mr. Curtis and Ms. Mott’s time of reflection by saying the Church’s work in this world is far from over. God is still alive and God is still using us. That morning I saw clearly ...

This past week I attended Catalyst Conference. It was a leadership conference for young, Christian leaders. CEO’s, business leaders, evangelists, non-profit presidents, authors and pastors came together and delivered a nine session, two-day event with the emphasis being “Coming Together.” In the midst of the conference I found myself experiencing great joy, excitement, hope and encouragement for the future of the church while listening to business-minded people such as Tim Collins, author of Good to Great , Seth Godin, author of Tribes , and financial guru Dave Ramsey. The problem I had with the conference, however, was with the pastors. All the pastors were emerging church leaders who’s church were multi-thousand in number and predominately Caucasian. As a matter of fact, all the pastors were Caucasian males except one: She was African American. Despite the demographic being extremely lopsided, it was the violent overtones and segregating comments within their messages that bother...

Leslie Criss is an editor of a newspaper in Tupelo, MS. Here is a letter she rights about a group from Ole Miss writing to the KKK. The link above is the letter to the KKK...it is worth your time to read. "The Daily Mississippi Editorial Board in an open letter to the KKK" http://www.thedmonline.com/an_open_letter_to_the_kkk Last Wednesday as my dentist poked my enamel with a metal instrument, he spoke of the upcoming presidential debate at Ole Miss. "I sure hope nothing happens to him," he said. "That would set Mississippi back three decades." My stomach immediately began to hurt. He didn't even have to put a name to the masculine pronoun. I knew he wasn't talking about John McCain. He was referring to Barack Obama. "There are a lot of good ol' boys in the Delta," he continued, as he delivered the delightful news that one tooth might be developing a crack. With metal in my mouth, I couldn't respond,...