Mike McClenahan

Sunday nigh t. I am sitting in the terminal in SFO awaiting my third DC red eye since July. The first was to attend the Pray4Reform Day of Action and Prayer, the second was my visit to the Oval Office.  Somewhere along the way I need to change my handle from "accidental" to "intentional" advocate.  It's been seventeen days since my unexpected meeting with President Obama and faith leaders to discuss the moral urgency of immigration reform. After that meeting I visited the Fast for Reform tent, a group raising awareness for immigration reform by fasting, praying and telling their stories. They were barely a day into their 20 day fast. We spent about thirty minutes together sharing stories. Then, Patrick the Franciscan Action Network leader, handed me a cross on a lanyard, and asked me to lead in prayer.  I assured them we (the President and faith leaders) were each working hard in our own way to see immigration reform passed sooner than later.  Since o...

(written by Brendan McClenahan) Teach me work that honors Thy work, the true economies of goods and words, to make my arts compatible with the songs of the local birds. Teach me patience beyond work and, beyond patience, the blest Sabbath of Thy unresting love Which lights all things and gives rest. Wendell  Berry, Given In 1967, futurists testifying before a senate subcommittee predicted the rise of technology in the 21 st century would cause a problem: too much spare time. According to their calculations, the average American workweek would be reduced from 40 hours to 22 hours by 1985.   It doesn’t take much research to discover that they were wrong. As American culture became increasingly global, connected, technological, and consumer-driven, busyness of Americans rose through the roof. In 2004, studies showed that Americans worked 2 more hours per day than Italians and Germans.   Not only are we working harder, we are resting less. ...

I left the West Wing of the White House and immediately called my wife. "Amy, I found out why I was asked to meet with the President." And I told her the story of my op-ed, and the opportunity I had to tell the story of our church and immigration reform.  Before the meeting in the Oval Office I heard about the Fast for Families group camping on the Mall in view of Capitol Hill. I wanted to see their commitment to immigration reform expressed in fasting and praying until the House brings something to the floor to vote on immigration reform.  I hailed a cab, and discovered the driver emigrated from Ghana over 30 years ago. I mentioned I had just met with the president. I told him I was a pastor and I met with the president to discuss immigration reform. Surprised, he said, “I’m a Christian. And I’m a Presbyterian.” I took his hand and prayed a short blessing for him. Ali took me to a row of tents on the Mall in front of Capitol Hill with a banner that read, “ Fa...

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous... (Joshua 1:5-6) I am always amazed as I read Joshua's conversation with God. Joshua is given the awesome responsibility of leading two million Israelites to Canaan to take the land God was giving to them. He was Moses' aide, so he saw the challenges of leadership through the wilderness: grumbling, confusion, discomfort, competing alliances, sacrifice and wandering.  Joshua needed some reassurance, some confidence that he could fulfill his role as a leader. So God gives him a promise and the people give him a promise. God says "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you." The people said, "As we were with Moses, so we will be with you."  I like God's promise a little better.  God was with Moses in personal and powerful ways. He went with Moses. He worked through Moses. ...

Moses is the greatest and most foundational leader of the Old Testament. Although the promise to become a great nation came through Abraham and the tribes through Jacob, scripture tells us of Moses' unique  greatness -- no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses --and his  humility -- Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth. ( Deuteronomy 34:10 and  Numbers 12:3) What made Moses so great? Through Moses the Israelites were rescued from Egypt, gathered in their first worship space, received the law, and led through the wilderness to the promised land.  He was a thorough leader, describing God's plan in detail so that the Israelites could be faithful to God in their worship and relationships.  He was a resilient leader, able to withstand the pressures and critiques of his followers. He was an advocate for his people, pleading with God to be gracious to them in spite of their stubbornness and grumbling.   He was a...

“You will be my treasured possession... You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:5-6 NIV But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9-12 NIV Moses went up to meet with God on Mount Sinai and came down with a message for the Israelites: I treasure you. I have set you apart with these commands so that you will bless the world.  The Israelites were no longer slaves, but treasured. They were no longer in captivity, but free. They were no longer powerless, they could change the world.  Peter picks up this passage from Exodus and affirms the identity and calling of the first century believers. As Christians we are a kingdom of priests . Treasured. Free. World Changers. For Peter, kingdom  doesn’t refer to a political realm, just as nation doesn’t refer to a country or state...

(reprinted from Union-Tribune October 17, 2013) A North County pastor becomes an advocate for immigration reform after discovering the human factor.   I have become an accidental advocate for immigration reform. As senior pastor at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, I lead a congregation that has dedicated itself to building relationships with our immigrant neighbors through tutoring, a college-prep program, adult and preschool literacy, as well as worshipping and serving together in the community and around the world. Because of those relationships, the problems that result from our broken immigration system are not hypothetical but very personal. In the church we live in covenant relationships. When a child is baptized we commit to helping parents raise their children. Therefore, children living in fear of their parents’ deportation are not “their” children but “our” children. As Christians with strong family values we inherently understand the importance of keeping fami...