Walking the Line
I'm teaching a study for the next five weeks called "The Gospel According to Johnny Cash." It's based on a book of the same name (yes, really). And for week 1, one of the songs we'll listen to is "I Walk the Line." This song is an "ode" to fidelity -- both to Cash's first wife Vivian and to his Creator. It puts forth an impossible standard where both are concerned -- especially for Cash, whom Merle Hagard joked was "out of line" all of his life. But it presents an interesting image -- especially where our relationship with God, others and ourselves is concerned. Walking the line. And I suppose as a vocational pastor, it seems as if in some respects walking the line is an exercise in vigilance. A balancing act. Let me explain... Last weekend I spent about 4 or 5 hours taking an online course related to clergy ethics. One of the things that this training stresses is what it called a power differential. Basically, people te...