“Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.”

It’s a Sunday school song that is probably not being taught anymore. But “Dare to be a Daniel,” or an Abraham, or a Noah, or a Ruth, or an Esther, or an Enoch, or a Job or Joseph, and one thing is certain: there will be trouble. Dare to see life, to see our world, to see the church, in a different way, there will be trouble.

Doesn’t matter what channel you turn on. It can be CNN, or Fox, or NPR, and you quickly learn one thing: the status quo is safer, the status quo is more comfortable, than a shifting tide. It doesn’t matter whether you are supporting or opposing the “status:” there are two certainties in history — change, and resistance to change. Knowing where you stand. Knowing what you sta…