THE LAST RIVER MILE

Thoughts near the take-out.

recent posts

GEOFF POSEGATE

Retired United Methodist pastor and leadership coach.

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  • “BE STILL” DOESN’T MEAN WHAT YOU THINK IT DOES

    I often spend a day at a lakeside cabin owned by some friends of ours. The view is spectacular, and the woods all around are glorious. It is especially warm and welcoming in colder weather when I can make a fire in a wood stove as part of my experience. This is one of my…

  • THE THING WE REALLY HAVE IN COMMON

    I hear all the cliches and I use them often…We should focus on what we as human beings have in common; we have more that unites us than divides us; we are all one human family, etc. And yet here we are, acting as if every big and little thing that separates us from one…

  • “THE SIN OF EXCLUSION”

    “Those at the edge of any system and those excluded from any system ironically and invariably hold the secret for the conversion and wholeness of that very group. They always hold the feared, rejected, and denied parts of the group’s soul. We see, therefore, why the church was meant to be that group that constantly…

  • USING HUNGER FOR POLITICAL LEVERAGE

    I don’t fit neatly into the classic political polarities on government food assistance programs. On the one hand, learned dependency is a real thing. Simply handing out assistance may feel good to the giver, but it doesn’t do anything to substantively change the circumstances that create food insecurity. While no ill will is intended, it…

  • THE ONE THING FORCE CANNOT DO

    Human beings often use force as an answer to problems, both individually and collectively. Force can create protection, when no other options seem available. Beyond that, we sometimes assume that we must use force to accomplish whatever we happen to believe that we need or want. This includes force of all kinds: verbal force, relational…

  • I LIKE THIS, SO EVERYBODY SHOULD LIKE IT

    This may be one of the most oppressive things we can do to other human beings – assuming that because we like something, everyone should like it. It may be a major contributor to many of relational problems as human beings, if not the root of them. It’s like this: I love rivers. I don’t…

  • APPARENTLY WE NEED AN ENEMY

    Much of humanity seems to be addicted to having an enemy. If life isn’t the way we want it to be, or if we somehow feel threatened, then that has to be the fault of someone or something. As a result we focus on the goal of defeating or eliminating that someone or something. This…

  • THE LABEL “CHRISTIAN” IS ALMOST MEANINGLESS

    Anybody can self-identify as “Christian.” This is because definitions of the label are all over the map. Some see “Christian” as nothing more than adhering to a certain moral code. Others will claim the title only because they said certain words and went through a certain ritual in public worship, regardless of how they actually…

  • GOD’S HEART BREAKS FOR EVERY CHILD, ON EVERY SIDE

    “God’s heart breaks for every child, on every side.” – from The Deaconess Community Two years ago yesterday Hamas militants launched a vicious attack into Israeli settlements. I listened yesterday to podcasts featuring two fathers. One was an Israeli taken hostage, who was released and returned home only to find that his children had been…

  • JESUS FOR ME; JESUS FOR OTHERS

    It occurred to me the other day that my faith may have come full circle. When I was a child, about two years before the invention of dirt, my parents took me to Sunday School at a large church in the suburban St. Louis, Missouri area. One of my earliest memories there is hearing the…