As the Corona Virus COVID-19 swirls around us across the globe and I complete my 80th year on planet earth, it is the moment we are in that attacks me, not the 8 decades of memories, but the moment and what it portends for the future.  To assess this several things from my theological journey strike me as ways to understand this moment.

I believe my life experience has born out the fact that the "Activity of God in History" is ongoing.  I believe it was Karl Barth who said the person of faith approaches each day with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.  The news tells us what the activity of God is in this moment, unless you believe God is dormant -- it is history in the making -- it is what is happening, it is not our opinions about it.  It is stubborn reality.  And as a theologian, Barth used the wisdom of past ages to help him interpret what he was experiencing and to decide what to do.  So, I will try to do the same.  

When I look to that wisdom, a couple of thoughts arise at this moment.  One is a passage of scripture that simply says, "the rain falls (equally) on the just and the unjust."  Simply put, whatever is going on in any moment is not God playing favorites.  And if you think you are in or out of favor, don't interpret what is happening as for or against you, or for or against some group of people you do not trust or like.

Another passage are the words of Jesus that I like to think of as the origin of 'common sense.'  A group of people were asking Jesus for answers, as human beings are always prone to do when up against the troubling reality of the Activity of God in a moment.  To put it in everyday common personal human terms, Jesus used the weather for his analogous answer.  "You see a cloud rising in the East and you say it is going to rain...If you can interpret the look of the earth and the sky, (as to your question) why can't you decide for yourselves what is right?"

This is where we are now.  Lest we fall into "functional ineptitude"  I think we all must avoid,

*  the irresponsible dismissal of the reality upon us, in the illusion that somehow, we may be exempt from the impact of this reality,

and/or

*  the delusion that some messiah will give us an answer and therefore excuse us from deciding for ourselves what is right.

I do not know what the next decade is about.  Some say the 8th decade was supposed to be the primal period for the maturity of wisdom.  Maybe the 9th will be more of the same or something different.  But whatever age you are, reality is upon you and you must decide how to respond.  As a husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, uncle, colleague or friend, I urge you all to collect your wisdom and engage common sense actions that practice the "love of our neighbors" near and far, and care for ourselves so that in God's future activity we can care for all creation.

M. George Walters    March 27, 1940-2020



Greetings Y'all:

As Bill, Sunny, and I met to consider our focus for this Sunday’s Path Forward Conversation, we found ourselves returning to H. Richard Niebuhr’s The Church as Social Pioneer. Bill reminded us that many of the networks we engage with are responding to some form of innocent suffering—a powerful throughline in our shared work. From that conversation, a compelling idea emerged: Transformation often begins in response to innocent suffering. In my (admittedly not-so-humble) view, the church—at its best—is about the transformation of human beings who live on behalf of all people in our global village. Of course, transformation arises from many sources. I love beautiful sunsets—but in all my years, not one has launched me into a transformative journey. Beauty moves me, yes. But suffering calls me. Then Friday, I found myself—surprisingly—copying and pasting a David Brooks column. His piece “What’s Happening Is Not Normal” closes with these words: A civic uprising has to have a short-term vision and a long-term vision. Short term: Stop Trump. Foil his efforts. Pile on the lawsuits. Turn some of his followers against him. Long term: A fairer society... We can’t go back to the status quo that prevailed when Trump first rode down the escalator. I’m really not a movement guy... But this is what America needs right now. Trump is shackling the greatest institutions in American life. We have nothing to lose but our chains. Like Brooks, I don’t naturally gravitate toward movements. But I keep showing up for these Path Forward conversations because of the courage, clarity, and companionship they offer. They remind me I’m not alone. They embolden me. We’d love to hear from you: What actions are you taking in these not-normal times? How are you doing—spiritually, emotionally, practically? We’ll gather again this Sunday via Zoom. No prior participation is necessary. All are welcome. 📅 Sunday, May 11 🕐 1:30 PM Pacific 🕑 2:30 PM Mountain 🕒 3:30 PM Central 🕓 4:30 PM Eastern 🔗 Join the Zoom Meeting 📄 Download Bill’s Narrative & Supporting Documents Warmly, For the Path Forward Triad, Bill Parker, Sunny Walker, Don Bushman P.S. In Bill’s conversations with 70+ network leaders, these questions kept surfacing: Where do I even begin to ease the suffering I see around me? Who else is working on this—and how can we support, not duplicate? What breakthroughs are happening in other towns, clinics, schools, or congregations? Where do my skills best match the needs? Where is energy already building—and how can we support it? Where are the deepest gaps in care, dignity, or inclusion? How do I find my team—those committed to what I’m committed to? Why is it still so hard to talk across differences? What’s keeping our good work from adding up to more? Is anyone weaving the pieces together? We invite you to bring the questions you are hearing—and share what’s stirring in your corner of the world.

Don Bushman

828-292-9696

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