Jason Locke's Blog

This summer, I embark on my first ministry sabbatical. It's a very unusual sabbatical, not least because this should have happened in 2014, after 5 years of ministry here. The timing back then was terrible, so I didn't even bring it up. And it hasn't been great in recent years either. Finally, the moment has come. Summer of 2022 sabbatical, here we come. The idea of a sabbatical comes from the academic world, or so I'm told. It's a period of paid leave for the minister or teacher, who spends that time in research, writing or exploration of one kind or another. In university settings, a tenured professor might receive a year of sabbatical for every seven years of teaching. In ministry settings, two or three months is a more normal length. In my church tradition, sabbaticals are not a common thing. It's not because people think it's a bad idea — it's just not something they are probably familiar with. The concept has taken root, however, and an increasing ...

Saturday evening, January 15, 2022, Julie's mom Barbara (Brown) Anderson died after a three-week battle with COVID. She was fully vaccinated and extremely careful, but someone somehow inadvertently exposed her to the Omicron variant. That became a breakthrough infection for her. She had a health condition that put her in the high-risk category. The virus seemed relatively innocuous at first but slowly made its way to her lungs. It seemed to us that she would recover, but her condition took a rapid turn for the worse on Saturday. She had just turned 81. Barbara was blessed beyond words. She always knew the love of her family and the love of the church. And she never veered from her faith in God despite many legitimate, thoughtful questions that put her in good standing with the saints of all ages. What a great legacy! She passed that blessing on to us and many others. We are saddened beyond words at her passing. My heart goes out especially to Julie's dad Bob. They were mar...

Travel doesn't have to be expensive. This is an idea I wish more folks would understand. Sure, traveling to a foreign country -- especially the way I like to travel -- takes you out of your comfort zone. It messes with your body, heart, and head because it upends at least some of what you assume to be true. But it doesn't have to be expensive. Some folks will drop $1,000 for a weekend at Disney. Or spend $200 to take the family out for teppanyaki. Or debit $5.50 from their account five days a week for coffee. In my book, THAT is expensive. Truth is that we all spend and donate our money for the things we most value. Sometimes we make incorrect assumptions, though, that limit our values from being tested and expanded. As an example, take eating and drinking in Rome. I am not exaggerating when I say that you can eat beautiful food in Rome for no more than you would pay for eating out in Fresno, Nashville or Pittsburgh ... and perhaps even less. Not every place in the world is equ...

"All roads lead to Rome." "Rome wasn't built in a day." "When in Rome, do as the Romans." This was my fourth visit to Rome. One of the frustrating things about being your own travel agent is that it takes time to learn how to visit a place. When you travel somewhere for the first time, you often make typical tourist mistakes. Eat at mediocre places. Stay in a suboptimal neighborhood. Blunder about timidly. My first couple visits to Rome were filled with all those rookie mistakes of not knowing how to eat well or even how to spot authentically homemade gelato. After four visits, though, I no longer feel like a novice. Not only am I starting to understand the layout of the city, I am appreciating its rhythms. I am finally beginning to see why the Eternal City is so appealing and so magical. Of course, it helps to do your homework. Submerging myself in Mary Beard's SPQR and absorbing a variety of other writings and TV shows, I have been learning abou...

From late September to early October, 2021, I spent two weeks in Italy. I traveled in three of Italy's twenty regions, with a day-trip into a fourth. I witnessed a country grappling with the long-term effects of a global pandemic that has wreaked havoc on its people and its economy. I was there in Italy as a tourist. Not a journalist. Not a medical researcher. Just a person trying to see more of a country that fascinates me. To be transparent about my stance, I am a pro-mask person who believes that the Covid vaccine is an incredible gift to be received with gratitude. I think Covid is a serious disease, but I also accept that medical experts have learned how to mitigate its risks and protect most people from serious harm. With smart approaches, I think Covid will soon become like the seasonal flu: serious for a few yet manageable for most, especially thanks to ongoing vaccinations. This was my sixth time to visit Italy. Aside from the Czech Republic where I lived for nearly eight ...

1. QAnon is a movement of people who have come to believe a series of conspiracy theories (called Q drops or Q prophecies). The folks who believe these tend to be sincere, smart people who feel there is something massively wrong with the world. These Q prophecies help them make sense of the world and why "things have changed for the worse." 2. The QAnon movement is widely condemned by leading members of both political parties (except President Trump). 3. These conspiracy theories come from an anonymous source (or sources) who claims to have Q level clearance in the federal government. > They are posted on dark web sites like the now defunct 4chan which are famous (notorious) for allowing users to share graphically incendiary, misogynistic and hate-filled posts. As one example, the New Zealand mosque mass shooter posted his manifesto on 4chan. > These posts (or Q drops) claim to have special knowledge about either a deep-state conspiracy or about earth-shaking even...

November 1 is All Saints Day (or All Hallows Day). The Day of the Dead is a similar holiday celebrated in Mexico at this same time. These traditions were completely foreign to me for much of my life. I grew up on an "island of Christianity" known as Churches of Christ. It was a great space for developing my faith and character. People poured so much into me, and I felt acceptance, trust, and belonging in that space. I love what the church has provided for my life. In the 1990s, many of us discovered the mainland of Christianity. I always knew it was there, but I had learned to consider it dangerous territory not worthy of exploring. That's how sectarianism survives: taking good care of you on the island while scaring you about anything off the island.  I had the chance to increasingly explore the world of Christianity outside my protected upbringing. To my amazement, I discovered rich and vibrant faith. Yes, I also saw challenges and weaknesses, but who is ...