Church vs. State

When given the choice between church and state, I’ll take church every time.  As flawed churches are, their errors are minor when compared to the damage the state does. When the church is the state it’s a disaster.

When the state tries to eliminate the church, so that the state can replace religion and become the church, it’s a disaster.  When the state exists to serve itself, it’s a disaster. When the church exists to serve itself, it’s a disaster.

Our relationship with God is a tricky business.  It requires our decision to try to listen to what God is telling us. It’s that one to one relationship with God that is really important. Often we don’t make this decision until we have exhausted all of our other options. When they fail; we listen. It’s like the man and his donkey and his 2 by 4. The donkey needs to be hit in the head to get his attention. The most effective training occurs when we are stepping on rakes. The rake handle hits us in the head and we start to pay attention. Like the Israelites in the Bible, we get into all kinds of trouble and then we finally listen to God.

In my career, there were times when I found myself going faster than my company. I saw too many things that needed to be done. I could try to convince my colleagues that I was right, or I could find another company where they agreed with me and I could join them. I did some of each. Work has always been fun for me, so I don’t mind doing a lot of it. I am accomplishment oriented. God help me.

It took me a long time to realize that I wasn’t alone. I would write my goals and they would happen. I remembered Jesus saying “You will not rest until you rest in me”.  I was driving to work and fussing at myself and heard an audible voice in my head say: “I will always be with you”.  It was a startling experience.

Years later, I was fixing a sag in my porch roof. I took off the siding and looked at the 4 by 4 post that had rotted on the bottom.  I had a bottle jack I had kept with my tools and got it out.  I had forgotten how to use it, so I just looked at it.  I thought, my best friend Jesus was a carpenter, so I asked Him.  Again came that audible voice in my head saying: “it’s a tooth”.  I remembered immediately that to jack up a vertical post, I had to hammer a small piece of 2 by 4 to the 4 by 4 and put the bottle jack under it.  I was amazed that Jesus would show up to help me with something as trivial as fixing my porch.  Once again, I was reminded that He is always with me. From then on, my favorite form of prayer was just listening.

As for church, I spent a lot of time in church since 3^rd grade when I became an Alter Boy. I sang in one Choir or another for most of my life. I was required to have additional minors in Philosophy and Theology at St. Louis University.  After I was married, I was a volunteer Lector, a Cantor, a Choir Director and a Parish Council Leader.  As a couple, we were Marriage Encounter Leaders, Diocesan Engaged Encounter Coordinators and Parish Marriage Ministers for decades. Maybe all that helped, but when I was in my 30s and started listening, everything got easier.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader