Courage

September 19, 2020 | 1 Comment

This black swan event

Halloween, 2019. I had the collar, I had the robe, why not? Of course, I outweighed her by thrice, but, you know, I pulled my hair back and did my best. RBG.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death is heartache for her family and many Americans. It’s a cause for celebration for a handful of others.

More to the point, her death is being called a black swan event. That was a new term to me. I googled. A black swan event is “an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences (Jim Chappelow, “Black swan,” https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/blackswan.asp). Is any death really that unpredictable? No. Was RBG’s death unpredictable, given her long battle with cancer? Not at all.

Yet, does her death have potentially severe consequences? I fear, yes. I fear it will unleash even further vitriol, during a season of such meanness and spite within America as I have not witnessed in my lifetime. I fear that ugly things I will hear and read out of people whom I have, until now, known to be kind of soul and demeanor.

I wonder if, instead, this black swan event may in fact be an opportunity for us as people of faith to walk our talk. Love your enemy (Matthew 5:44). Practice mercy (Luke 6:36). Love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Mark 12:30).

My prayer for followers of Jesus in America is this:

That we followers of Jesus will put our allegiance to Him above party loyalty
That, out of that allegiance, we will recognize that every person–even those with whom we profoundly disagree–is a child of God, made in His image
That, out of that recognition, we will commit to stopping the name-calling and mud-slinging and yet be brave to speak the truth in love without fear of public shaming
That, out of that commitment, we will witness to the goodness and grace of our Savior and His hope

I invite others to join in this prayer, this allegiance, this recognition, and this commitment, so that Jesus will be glorified indeed.

July 16, 2020 | 2 Comments

Practicing caution in an age of fear

When my son was very young, he developed a fascination with electrical outlets.

Yes, yes, we used the outlet covers, and, yes, yes, inevitably, he’d find the one recently used outlet where we’d forgotten to replace the cover.

It all stopped, though, the night he decided to see what would happen if he put tweezers in the bathroom outlet where I’d just been drying my hair. After a loud crack and a scream, we found him on the other side of the room in a heap, unharmed, but wiser. He never went near another outlet again with small metal objects.

By trial and error, cracks and screams, it could be said that we learn what to fear and what not to fear.

The Savior Jesus teaches again and again to fear nothing. In Luke 12 alone, he teaches on fear three times. “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more” (12:4), and again, “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life” (12:22), and again, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (v. 32).

But, my son needed to fear electrical outlets, didn’t he? Fear is good, isn’t it, if it keeps us safe?

No.

To fear something or someone is to give it power over us–at times, more power than God. Raw fear cripples us. It makes enemies of friends, and it rips neighbors apart. Raw fear makes us stupid. [Read more…]

May 28, 2020 | Leave a Comment

Talking to teens about racism: one small town perspective

Racism between and within racial ethnic groups exists everywhere. It exists in our small town of 7,000 on the plains of eastern Colorado.

What we do not experience, however, is racism in its most extreme expressions. The redlining, brutality, and systematic dehumanization we witness in some cities simply hasn’t happened here in anyone’s memory. Our Anglo and Hispanic kids grow up together. There’s some social segregation as they grow older, but friends remain friends for lifetimes. We have a very small African American community whom we know personally and love dearly.

I’m not trying to paint our community as perfect. It is not. Skin color gives advantages to some over others. Racial insult is real, and the achievement gap persists. We have work to do. Nevertheless, I lived in St. Louis for eleven years and owned a home in Ferguson–yes, THE Ferguson where Michael Brown was shot by Darren Wilson. I feel qualified to say that the reality here in our small town is simply not the same. In fact, an African American man who moved to our community several years ago told me plainly how much he appreciates living here where he can just be known for himself and not only as a stereotyped black man. [Read more…]

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