Blog

Occasional reflections, opinions and commentary from the Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer, Executive Director. While deeply informed on the teachings and positions of the church members of the Florida Council of Churches, Dr. Meyer’s blog does not communicate the official positions of any member churches or the Council itself unless expressed stated as such.

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Overcoming the Immorality of Fear

These are my remarks at Moral Monday Florida, March 3, 2014, sponsored by the NAACP and 18 partner organizations. The Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer, Executive Director.

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Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31

Greetings to my interfaith colleagues, to Rev. Barber, to Sister Adora and the NAACP leadership, and to all of you gathered here today on Moral Monday in Tallahassee. This is the Day that the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it!

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Of Grace and Gratitude

St Petersburg Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, November 24, 2013
The Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer

ta-iroquois-640px-641x360Let me begin by thanking the Planning Committee of SPIA for inviting me to speak tonight. I was asked for a title in advance, and not being enamoured much with titles, I gave the generic “Of Grace and Gratitude” for this talk. The two words come from the same root word. Grace is a favor and gratitude is how we accept the favor in the spirit in which it is given. Though I won’t use the terms grace and gratitude much more in what I’m saying now, I think you’ll see the connection come through clearly enough.

Here’s what I want to do in this time together. First I begin with the logic of Christian thanksgiving. Then I will show how it reflects the pattern of thanksgiving generally found across religions in most cultures. I’ll note how this pattern is baked into our humanity, and then conclude with the often forgotten wisdom that the religions continue to remind us of.

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More than border security

A personal commentary by the Rev. Dr. Russell Meyer

As the full U.S. Senate begins to consider the bipartisan S.744 immigration bill, the light is shining on Sen. Marco Rubio to lead enough fellow Republicans to support modernizing our immigration system. The stakes are high for all involved.

The last elected predecessor in his Senate seat, Mel Martinez, resigned from office after fellow GOP members refused to support his immigration efforts. Being chair of the national party at the time did not help Martinez. Rubio’s future aspirations may be equally problematic now as an often-named front-runner for 2016.

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Electing a New Bishop

  Today (May 1), I head off to the Assembly of the Florida-Bahamas Synod. It starts tomorrow in Orlando, and I’ll be overseeing the audio and visual again. The Assembly will elect a new bishop. For the ELCA in Florida, this is a “change year.” In my various capacities with Read more…

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On Prison Reform

  Faith leaders met in Tallahassee on January 30-31, 2012, during Children’s Week. On Monday afternoon they heard presentations on prison reform, tax reform, Medicaid reform, energy reform and immigration reform. In a nutshell, Florida’s prisons are overflowing with minorities serving mandatory long sentences for non-violent (often drug related) crimes. Read more…

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Bishop Calls for Foreclosure Moratorium

By Bishop Charles Leigh, Apostolic Catholic Church Yesterday I listened to the pain and desperation of a young mother whose husband’s paycheck had been garnished by a subsidiary of CitiBank. In light of the current corporate bailout, I could not help but recall Jesus’ description of a very similar situation Read more…

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