We drove from Atlanta to Plains on Saturday night, squeezed into a small motel room, and got up waaaay too early that muggy morning (4:30AM?) to get in line at the church. We made it in. We enjoyed Sunday School and worship. I can't honestly remember the text Carter taught on. I recall he didn't do much creative with the text. He was good natured, but not overly entertaining or scholarly. He mostly interpreted the text plainly, told stories from his life, and asked people questions. You didn't get the impression that he was "teaching," so much as inviting a conversation with the text--as though the text were a good friend of his, and he wanted to introduce us.
Carter's plainspokenness was a signature. He is the source of one of my favorite Christian quotes: “loving your neighbor means loving the person God puts in front of you.” Simple to say. So, so, so hard to do.
I love that he went back to Plains. Plains couldn't be further from anywhere "important." It reminds me as much as anywhere I've been, of where Moses meets God at the burning bush: the "edge of the wilderness." Beyond the beyond. But Carter never left Plains--or Plains never left him. When he returned to live there, he stayed in the same modest ranch house that was always his home. Most of the knowledge-economy Democrats I know wouldn't be caught dead living in a place like Plains (including, regrettably, me). But Carter's connection to Plains--and it's plain-ness--is a testament to the quality of his personhood.
Carter is one President who had a greater impact on the world after he left office than during. Habitat for Humanity, which he championed and grew out of the Christian imagination in Americus, GA, still makes a meaningful difference in low-income home ownership. The Carter Center is an extraordinary institution that has changed the world through vaccinations, healthcare, mental health, election security, and peacemaking.
"Love your neighbor" is our only truly important job. Well done, good and faithful servant.
Carter's plainspokenness was a signature. He is the source of one of my favorite Christian quotes: “loving your neighbor means loving the person God puts in front of you.” Simple to say. So, so, so hard to do.
I love that he went back to Plains. Plains couldn't be further from anywhere "important." It reminds me as much as anywhere I've been, of where Moses meets God at the burning bush: the "edge of the wilderness." Beyond the beyond. But Carter never left Plains--or Plains never left him. When he returned to live there, he stayed in the same modest ranch house that was always his home. Most of the knowledge-economy Democrats I know wouldn't be caught dead living in a place like Plains (including, regrettably, me). But Carter's connection to Plains--and it's plain-ness--is a testament to the quality of his personhood.
Carter is one President who had a greater impact on the world after he left office than during. Habitat for Humanity, which he championed and grew out of the Christian imagination in Americus, GA, still makes a meaningful difference in low-income home ownership. The Carter Center is an extraordinary institution that has changed the world through vaccinations, healthcare, mental health, election security, and peacemaking.
"Love your neighbor" is our only truly important job. Well done, good and faithful servant.
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