I Am

   Recently I have been barraged by information by and about G. K. Chesterton who according to Wikipedia was an English writer, lay theologian, poet, dramatist, journalist, orator, literary and art critic, biographer, and Christian apologist.  From a wonderful article in Commonweal, to bible study references, to the documentary I am, he seems to be everywhere.  I've begun to feel that is man must have something to teach me.
     It all came together a few days ago when I was on a long drive alone.  I was thinking about my fears about singing in public.   Probably not a good place to dwell, but definitely a place that I need to visit before I have to sing a solo at church in a few weeks.  The words are very meaningful to me:

O Word of God, come into this space.
O Word of God, come send us your grace.
Open our minds, show us your truth.
Transform our lives anew.

      So I'm going to sing this. In front of everyone.  How to get through it?
      When one feels fear, anger is a step up, a more powerful emotion.  So I think about the government shut down and all of the people who don't understand social justice who go to my church.  I get all self-righteous that those are going to be the people who's minds God opens and transforms.
       Immediately it hits me.  It is my attitude that needs to be transformed.  I apologize to my fellow parishioners, then think back to the Chesterton story that I fell in love with:

“When a newspaper posed the question, ‘What’s Wrong with the World?’ the Catholic thinker G. K. Chesterton reputedly wrote a brief letter in response:
‘Dear Sirs:
          I am.
              Sincerely Yours,
                       G. K. Chesterton.’ ”
–Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God (New York: Dutton, 2008), 46.

       What's wrong with my church?  I am.