Discernment and Doug

Yesterday I went to lunch with Doug Schroeder (this is not Doug in the picture---it's Jim Wallis!) who is many things to me and my family---Philip Cox-Johnson's business manager for Gospel Colors; drummer in the band at Philip's church; drummer in the contemporary service that lasted two years at Broadway UMC; he and his partner Chris live in the downstairs unit of Philip's duplex; and Doug is a wonderful mature presence in my children's lives; and a generally wonderful person. We went to lunch to talk primarilly about what I thought about gay "marriage." Doug and I had spoken at Caleb's Comparative Religioh class a few weeks ago--Caleb wanted us to talk about Christianity in some way that didn't reinforce the negative stereotype that he thought a lot of the kids had. We talked about things way beyond this one topic---Doug has some sort of call upon his life, around social justice and his faith, that has been spurred on by Jim Wallis and the Sojourners model. It's an exciting time. We also talked about the various approaches different Christian traditions have to these issues---and how so often you have to listen with an ear that helps you separate what for you is the wheat and what is the chaff. Doug said that there is a word that has become very important to him this last year--"discernment." I have really thought about this over the last day---especially while I sit here in cabinet, because we are surely trying to discern some things here too! How does this discernment really happen? For me, it takes root and blossom in practicing the means of grace. I told Doug that I would pray for him, and I think that may have taken him aback a bit---but I will, because the power of prayer, which I don't really know, is great, and because it is something I can do to say "thank you." As Doug was getting out of the car, as he was closing the door, he told me he would pray for me, too. Which I took as a real blessing...a bit of a wondering around, this blog entry is, but that's the way things are....