Tall Monastic Guy

pastimes & exclusivity

“pastime” ~ an activity one does for enjoyment rather than work, a hobby.

How often do our pastimes place us in proximity & solidarity with the overlooked and marginalized?

For instance, golf.

I love golf. But nearly everytime I’ve been on a golf course I’ve been removed not just from the homeless and economically poor, but I've seldom bumped into women or people of color on a golf course.

How many big decisions (within churches, non-profits, businesses) get sorted out in pastime spaces like golf courses? And yet the contributions of the diverse body of Christ are often unconsciously left out of the decision making process due to the nature of the pastimes that bond us.

And how many of these pastimes are competitive? Competition isn’t bad, but what are the implications of our ministry work if so many of our pastimes are competitive in nature?

Life impacts life.

How we eat, spend $, work, play, love impacts our neighbor more directly than we typically imagine. 

Are we there yet?

There was a time when we were barely able to see over the dashboard. A time when we agonized and ached from the boredom and all that youthful restlessness contained within the sealed off confines of the family car.

Are we there yet? we moaned. 

These days as a father of two wild boys I’m the target of that sorrow-filled question. Twice a year we pack up our little Honda sedan and set off on the thousand mile trek along I-70 between Denver and grandma and grandpa’s house in Indiana. And before we reach the state line of Kansas it begins.

Are we there yet? How much further?

Maybe listening to those repeated childish inquiries becomes so insanely annoying due to the reality that I’m still asking God and myself the same questions.

In my work - Am I there yet?

In my marriage - Am I there yet? 

In my finances - Am I there yet?

In my faith - Am I there yet?

And where exactly is this terribly elusive destination called there?