In the Gospel of Luke there are several “quest” stories. These are stories about people who were trying to find something, and they include a paralytic person, a soldier, a woman with a medical condition, a
leper, a rich ruler, a tax collector, and a criminal. In every case these individuals had some condition which they could not personally change.
I like these stories because they are a microcosm of the whole world. In them you will find powerful people who find themselves in perplexing and impossible situations. Who can only say, “I give up; I need help.”
There are people who are so hated by society that they are entirely alone and powerless. People who have medical problems so great that they can’t work in gainful ways, nor are they even allowed to have relationships with their respective communities.
These stories sound like they could be lifted off the front pages of our newspapers: the politician who is barbecued in the political sector because of a daliance with a prostitute. What’s he to do to put his life back together?
Or the single mother who’s just lost her job and has no medical insurance for a sick child. Where is she to find employment or assistance? Will she end up homeless?
And of course, the person who realizes that there has to be more to life than what they are experiencing. This is the person who is asking the hard questions, but may not be willing to pay that cost just yet.
Quest stories are, in my view, a true picture of the human condition. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, we’re all on a quest. This is the subject of my sermon this coming Sunday.
The Letters to the Editor section of the newspaper was longer today than usual. Counting the editorial cartoon the letters occupied a full half of the “Perspective” page. Eight letters comprise what I like to think of as the therapy section of the paper.
We became friends because we were colleagues in the same group. It was a bunch of pastors from the same area of the state. We got together once a month for food and conversation and enjoyed the professional and collegial stimulation.
We went to a New Year’s Eve party at Playhouse Merced. The event started at 8:00 on Wednesday evening, and it was in full swing by the time we arrived. 
When I joined a business networking group, we were taught to be able to give a summary of our business or product in the amount of time needed for an elevator ride—about 60 seconds. It was tough learning to be that succinct, and even now I want to use a few more words.
Recently I got to participate in a two-day set of interviews for openings at a local agency. The candidates were each given a one hour appointment during which they would make their presentation and receive questions from our group.
MonoLogue 