This Life Matters

This Life Matters. The title of this new website/blog blog I have created in "This Life Matters". I thought I should explain a bit...

I am a Christian Minister, so I believe in the promise of Eternal Life. But, that belief is not the core of my present worldview. It is important, but too often the church focuses so much on the next life, that we ignore THIS life.

This life is not simply a test to see if you get into the next life.

This life is not a tryout.

The idea that this life doesn't matter in terms of its lived reality lends support to maintianing the status quo. In other words, we justify the injustices of this world by proclaiming that they are only temporary and, therefore, not worthy of focus. "Don't let my car fool you, my treasure is in heaven." "Suffering is good because it draws you closer to God for the next life." If that langauge is being spoken from the pulpit of your church, run away very quickly (or turn off the television).

This life is a beautiful gift from God, and your life specifically matters not only to yourself, but to the larger world. Further, the life of every starving child in this world matters just as much as your own (and the life of animals and God's entire creation). Every life matters.

This life matters, and the life of Jesus teaches us anything, it is that we should work day by day to help people live out the reality of God's presence here and now. Jesus didn't go sit under a tree and pray. He healed, and fed, and taught, and loved all sorts of different people...and spoke out against the oppression of a people.

This life matters. For the next life stuff, we can trust that God has all of that figured out and focus our attention on the things here and now that we are called to do!

Anyway, that's why this website/blog is so named, and each post will end with that phrase.