poor, dumb, and ugly

A friend once observed that I knew less of what I was “for” and more of what I was “against” (a criticism). Granted, I have often felt like Don Quixote with a vengeance for spiritual windmills yet I continue to labor over the need to ventilate.

My “stick-in-the-craw” today focuses on whom God chooses. I recently did an article on “The common man/woman”. It apparently hit a nerve in the Christian community as it was reproduced on various blogs around the world. This tells me there is a thirst for truth to be manifest in real life. The commoner wants to be valued and productive yet continues to be restrained by _____________ (you can fill in the blank).

Paul wrote the following to Corinth:

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.

In the worlds system you generally have to be educated, rich, or good looking to gain advantage. (Woe to those of us who are poor, dumb, and ugly!) The unfortunate reality is the church has embraced much of the world’s philosophy. While simple church circles have made great strides away from this mentality, there remains a tainted residue of tilted credential expectation. The educated and eloquent still seem to rise to the surface. There remains a “stage” for those who fit our definitions of success. I have no answers or suggestions. I simply cry out on behalf of all of the “servants in the shadows”. Will their voice be heard at our conferences and retreats, in our books, and on virtual venues? My heart aches to see “the least of these” shine!

poor, dumb, and ugly,

mickey