Welcome?

A friend prompted me to search for Oregon signs. The old sign said something like, "Welcome to Oregon, unless you are from California." Since I spend a bunch of time in the church world it would be too easy for me to ask, "What does the welcome sign at your church say?" So, I am not.

Our default mode is to speak harshly about big picture stuff that is out of our control and probably not our responsibility. Maybe it would be like throwing a grenade at a safe distance. For example, I can get a chuckle out of a state border sign that according to Google Maps is 2,651 miles away from my front door. Yet when you read the story behind the sign there are perfectly good reasons people in Oregon might feel that way.

So, here is the bottom line. In my life today there is a great big welcome sign. Unfortunately there is a great big exception, or two, or three. The scary part? Most of the exceptions in my life I am totally blind to -- my nature is tribal. We all are that way I think, or most of us are. We love people who are just like us. We either pity (we confuse this with caring) or make fun of all the rest. So the challenge today is not to the state of Oregon. The challenge is to me first. Then I will toss a grenade your way. Don't worry if you don't need this. I did. Maybe you can toss it another direction if you didn't . . . 2,651 miles in another direction if you want . . .