Kyle Franklin

I’ll be honest , I do not think giving up soda or coffee is an effective way to allow God to manifest in our lives. Sorry, depriving your body of caffeine for 40-something days probably will not lead to a greater devotion to God.  If anything, it will lead to distraction based on one’s constant desire for coffee.

Several years ago, I attended a church with my best friend from college. Overall, I enjoyed the service and appreciated the commitment that the congregation and the leadership had to their beliefs. But I took (and still take issue) with some of the positions the pastor took and their effect on the community at large.

Several years ago, a colleague at Pacific Lutheran University and I planned an outing for a group of 300 student leaders. The outing was a scavenger hunt in Downtown Tacoma for a variety of sites — museums, landmarks and social service organizations — in an effort for them to have a better understanding of what the area has to offer.

The simple truth is that I am on a journey — a personal, spiritual journey — that is my own.  And I believe that these journeys must be personal.

As I was driving home this evening from a massive amount of errands, the song “Little Drummer Boy” by Jars of Clay came on the radio. This is far from my favorite Christmas song, but the words came to a deeper meaning this particular holiday.

Hindsight is not 20/20. Unfortunately, we cannot control the actions or reactions of others — only our own.  And while this is not terribly comforting in times of tragedy, it becomes a challenge for how we choose to act as time goes on.

I will complete my master’s degree next week and, even though I have done quite well, I am still struggling through my Moral Theology course (a second time — the first time I had to drop the course because I could not get a handle on the subject matter).