This one is tough, because I want to help the ELCA organization. I am deeply grateful for my miracle and I want to give back. I’ve found it difficult, but I endeavor to pursue my promise.

I feel like the ELCA is a left-wing social justice organization that sometimes worships and sometimes prays. I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment, even for those who enjoy the social justice aspects of the Church.

I’ve traveled around the world – to Istanbul and Vietnam and many places in between. I’ve visited many mosques and Orthodox Churches, Buddhist temples, Hindu temples, etc. In all those holy places, they are a garden of peace and serenity in a chaotic world. Why not ours?

The ELCA Church seems bent on bringing in external conflicts into their houses of worship. So there is no reprieve from the noise; if anything quite the opposite. It’s a galvanizing force in the community when it comes to external issues, primarily social and political causes. It is a powerful force for many of our neighbors.

Yet….why must I choose between enjoying fellowship with my neighbors and the causes that they love? Is it one-size-fits-all? Why do I have to worry if I can just hear the liturgy in its elements? It’s only an hour a week, after all.

There’s a Church event coming up, and the person who sponsored it understood where I was coming from – I wanted to help but I didn’t want to Participate. I would help with set-up and take-down, but I probably wouldn’t attend. It’s the best compromise I heard all year. It seemed like a small thing, but it mattered because I didn’t have to feel like I had choose between my principles and my neighbors.

To be clear, I’m not demanding for THEM to change. I wouldn’t expect them to support things that go AGAINST their principles either. I choose to attend a liberal church, mostly because I want to go where my neighbors are and I want to belong. Sometimes it feels like wanting that isn’t enough.

Oh well, let’s see what comes next.