"...it's dangerous to build monuments around personalities. What happens when that person is gone? Does their mission still go on, or does it die with the personality?"

Amen, sister. I am a member of a local Christian church which just 'lost' its founding pastor from the pastoral ranks. The people who had the hardest time with him leaving his leadership position were stuck on worshiping him instead of God. And what we've found through talks with the new pastor is that our biggest problems as a congregation stem from this (obvious, but not to the people directly involved.) We need to pull away from the personality and move on with the mission, just as you said.

So glad that you are back to blogging! Usually I understand your titles as they relate to what it is you write about and some of them are a great play on words. I don't get this one. I know whom the balm Gilead is but what does that have to do with this post?

Does this mean you have reconsidered your regret about associating tangentially with the Republicans? If the following is true - "...That remains the most important thing because ideas have eternal value; personalities doesn't.", Of what concern is the nature of the pulpit and/or the audience?

Are you now asserting that the message (Truth) must be supreme? Principles over personalities?

This is the clear inference I draw. Is this what you meant to imply? (Hint: be careful with the usage of imply/infer)

Sorry I misunderstood the personality angle. I like to read blogs that I agree with politically and philosophically, but I don't blog about that stuff because it seems that *everyone* is doing it--why add to the huge pile? I blog about what I'm interested in, which is why it's still one of those "tiny" ones out there, because it's a relatively narrow focus.

Every so often, people need to take truth out of its box and remember what it looks like. Nothing wrong with that. If we are not still learning why we take the positions that we do, they're probably not very good positions.

There are only so many times you can hear the same arguments about say, why abortion is just dandy. After awhile, it all repeats. As a student of history, the 1850s & 60s blur with today's arguments.

At the church where our Cub Scout den meets, I picked up a little card announcing a local church's Easter "musical drama" -- The Cost: The Eternal Price of Freedom.

Can one ever truly bore of opening that box?

I wonder if you realize how much you exemplify the spirit of the age, Ambra. Like so many people these days you are looking for authenticity both from yourself and in others.

I'd encourage you, though, not to confuse conformity with inauthenticity. A facade built as a reaction against the norm is still a facade and is no more authentic than one built to blend in.

Conversely, it is possible to be completely authentic, and yet still be "exactly like everyone else."

Just something to consider.