Cardinal time - and I'm not talking baseball here

The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church are in conclave, and I have all sorts of mixed feelings about them.

There is a part of me that is drawn to the mystery and majesty of this occasion.  The setting alone induces awe, and their task is nothing short of daunting.

There is a part of me that prays for the Holy Spirit to guide them.  A part of that, I confess, is that it would be nice to see that the Church of Jesus Christ - at least at one time and in one place - emerge united.  The confession part of that for me, of course, is that my own religious tradition is not a paragon of unity!

There is a part of me that prays for the Holy Spirit to guide them because the job of the Bishop of Rome is so powerfully symbolic to the entire world, and that person needs to be a strong, compassionate, wise, competent, faithful person of genuine spirituality and impeccable integrity.

There is a part of me that, honestly, is disgusted by the whole thing.  A bunch of old men are sitting together to pick out one of their old-men-number to oversee a Church that continues to invest its power in mostly old men.  Lord, deliver us from such an outdated - and, I believe, unbiblical - model of leadership for Christ's Church!

There is a part of me that fears that those men will fail to choose someone who will handle the abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church any differently than the ways in which these cases already have been handled - or, perhaps more accurately, not been handled.  The new Bishop of Rome needs to ensure that things like this are dealt with appropriately, compassionately, justly, openly, and expeditiously.

The cardinals continue in conclave.  Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Restaurant Tip as Christian Witness?

Okay, so this apparently has been around the news for a while, but I missed it.  It's about this pastor in St. Louis who was at an Applebee's in a party of 10.  When she got her bill, she noticed that, as per restaurant policy for large groups, an automatic tip of 18% was added to her bill.  And what did this pastor write on her bill?  "I give God 10%.  Why do you get 18%?"  And then she signs it "Pastor (Name)."

Really?  That's how we give witness to the world as pastors?  I'm ashamed and embarrassed.  I can't speak for the Almighty, but I can imagine Jesus might be a bit embarrassed as well.