Picher, Oklahoma. Treece, Kansas. It is likely you have never heard of these towns, yet both Picher and Treece along with others in the NE part of Oklahoma and the SE part of Kansas no longer exist, except in ruins. These ghost towns have been deserted because they are uninhabitable. Mining companies pulled the lead and zinc out and left behind a toxic dump. Flint, Michigan a decade after the water crisis started is still trying to fix the damage done by old pipes and years of pollution. Creation is ours to care for, not to dominate. We must care for the world around us.

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In a world split between "us" and "them" how can we work to be us? We have my football team vs your football team; Coke vs Pepsi; political parties; and any number of divisions. In Matthew 25 we have the sheep and the goats. What would happen if we adopted an attitude of everyone were sheep? Everyone fed the hungry, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, etc. What if we were all "us"?

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In Ephesians 4: 11-16, Paul talks about equipping the saints for ministry and how we are to mature in faith as to not be blown to and fro by the winds of doctrine or through deceitful human actions. I think about this in the midst of the political season. How can we take hold of what we belief and not allow the tearing down of political ads to change us. How do we speak the truth in love with people we disagree with and still hold onto building up the body of Christ? A worthwhile challenge over the next 3 months as we head into the teeth of a political season.

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We are built to be in community. Amazing things can happen when we gather together. I talked about this with my congregation this morning, but I was reminded of the importance of gathering again at an event for a family gathering tonight. We saw friends we have not hung out with in a long while, and it was good to be with them again. A chance to share a meal with friends and to be together is refreshing for the soul. So when do you gather with others? What do you do? Take a look this week and when and how you gather.

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The opening ceremonies in Paris brought with them an uproar. Some Christians were beyond upset over an artistic rendition on a foot bridge over the Seine that they thought was the Last Supper. They thought France was mocking God. Well, it wasn't the Last Supper but a depiction of Dionysus, the Greek God of wine. It was a party scene and many American Christians were offended.

They called for people to boycot the Olympics and when the power went out they commented that God would not be mocked. I don't think God was mocked and I think we need to think about the lens through which we view the world. Many hold a puritanical belief in America and the French do not.

I wonder if we can let art be art and understand that we all like different types of art and that is okay. So go enjoy the rest of the Olympics and watch athletes compete in the sports they love and celebrate the things that are right and good as nations come together to compete.

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I am going to take a week off. In the almost 18 months of this podcast, I missed the week just after the death of my dad. This time, I am taking a week just to relax and recharge. Americans are notorious for leaving vacation time on the table and working way too hard. Our society applauds busy-ness, but it isn't actually in our best interest.

One of the commandments is to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. And we find in the gospels that Jesus takes time to go away from the crowds by himself and takes naps too. Perhaps we need to take breaks too.

Take a break. Catch your breath. Be a human being not a human doing for a bit. And if you feel so inclined, you can always go back and listen to previous episodes. Catch you in couple weeks!

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In the wake of the assassination attempt on Former President Donald Trump, we, as a society must stop the violence. We need to change our language and rhetoric. We need to find peaceful ways forward and common ground. Violence is becoming normalized in our society as more people seek to solve things through physical force or shooting people. It has to stop.

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Having watched fireworks this past week, I was drawn to playing Sousa marches. It made me think about music at Christmas and as I listened to a recital tonight, about various types of music and how music can speak in many different ways. Knowing the state of the world, the tensions in the world of politics, the divides in American culture, I wonder what the soundtrack would be. Would it be "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Phillips Sousa that when heard makes us think of people happily waving flags on the 4th of July and celebrating America, or would the current American soundtrack be more dark and angular? Music can speak in many different ways and at many different times. Listen to the soundtrack of your life this week.

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