Politics is applied Religion

I went to church a lot yesterday. I was at all three services. Each was special; each was different; each was a blessing. I heard the sermon three times. Each time it was slightly different. I am glad I got to hear it all three times. It made me remember again why it is so important that my church agree with my theology as well as my politics. I cannot separate the two. My theology informs my politics and my politics inform my theology. I am glad that I have found St. James here in Austin where I can voice my opinion both theologically and politically. I pray that the people who disagree with me at St. James feel that they can also voice their opinion.

We must pray for those that hate us. We must pray for those that disagree with us. We must learn what it means to love our enemies. I try and fail to do this every day. I hope that if I begin to pray that I will begin to learn what it means to love those who hate me. However, this also means that I will have people who hate me. I cannot be loved by everyone. While this seems clear, I often try to please everyone, try to make everyone like me. If I am called to love those who hate me it also means that I am called to act in such a way that people will hate me. I hope and pray that I will have the confidence and faith to make the tough decisions that might upset some but bring the arc of history closer to justice for all.

This is all an aside, really. I wanted to tell everyone how my fundraising went yesterday at St. James. I am not sure how much monetary donations I received yet, but I will find that out later this week. I did receive some immediate support. About 15 people signed up to receive emails from me. I also had an offer of frequent flier miles to help me get to Geneva! I am feeling much closer to actually getting there. I also met with some people from St. David's today. I am hoping that I can find support from them too. At least people know what I am doing and hopefully they will be praying. Prayer is how I will get to Geneva.