Month: August 2014

Life is short. Do stuff that matters. – Siqi Chen

— Project 7 (@Project7) August 25, 2014

Here’s a thought to get you started on Monday, borrowed from Phil Cooke , who borrow from Ray Bradbury, who is talking like Yoda. This gets us back to the word of the year– Do.

I love this tweet I saw this morning,

Give away love like you're made of the stuff; we're rehearsing to spend eternity together.

— Bob Goff (@bobgoff) August 21, 2014

What else is there to say?

I do not usually write about things that happen at work for obvious reasons, but yesterday I had an encounter that I had to share, as I think it happens to a lot of us.

I was talking with a co-worker, lets call him the guy I was talking to, when another co-worker, who I will refer to as the other guy, come up to our conversation.  The other guy sat down next to me and starting to ask me a question as if the guy I was talking to was not present.  I was shocked, and I sort of wanted to punch the other guy in the face. ( true story).  But agitated, I looked at the guy I was talking to and then at the other guy and said “Did you see that we were talking?”.

The other guy responded like in total shock, “Oh, I’ll wait’.

And he just sat there expectantly.  The guy I was talking to and I just sort of stared at each other for a few seconds, and then I turned my attention to the other guy, as the guy I was talking to grumbled something about talking with me later.

Man!

That sort of stuff… well as you can see I am writing about it the next morning.

The next morning, after I spend a few minutes in Ephesians 4.

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

Really, even with the other guy?

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Man!

Sometimes for just a second or two I despise forgiveness.  But well, that doesn’t last too long!

Today I will go back out there.  Dealing with the other guy and his issues, reminded that God through Christ has dealt with mine!

All of us rose this morning to the news of another tense night had occurred in Ferguson.

I am not sure what to make of it.  Right there in the heart of America, the tensions of the country are boiling over.  There are so many complex issues thrown into the mix that I, as well as many Americans, feel a little unsure of how to comment out of a fear of being taken the wrong way, or of being labeled in a way that is not correct. Look a the conflict.

• A terrible thing happened to that young man, but so many questions remain unanswered about the events leading up to the shooting.
• The community should seek and be given answers, but due process exists to find those answers.
• We have the right to protest, but we don’t have the right to fire shots, burn buildings and steal while doing it.
• The press has a right to report, and the responsibility to not be the issue.

There are many more issues that have conflicting assertions in this event.  This has the markings of being a pinnacle moment in American History.  Is this really a race issue?  What is going on with the amount of firepower our police force has obtained?  Curfews? In America?  And then, way down at the root of this whole issue, two families have had their lives ripped apart.

I feel there is something all of us must do around this issue.  But, quite frankly, I feel somewhat paralyzed.  I could very easily dismiss this as something that does not impact me.  After all, my daily life is unchanged, at the moment.  But something tells me there is more to this event than we can imagine.  How do we respond?  I don’t think I have all the answers here.  In fact, I am writing this to try to get some of my thoughts sorted.   Here is what I came up with this morning.

First, pay attention to this.  Think about it. Listen to other viewpoints.  Let this whole thing be a challenge to examine these issues.

Second, as followers of the Christ, always couch our answers, thoughts and ideas around this topic in love for people.   We should express our thoughts and viewpoints.  We should challenge each other to think deeply.  There is a lot at stake.  However, maintaining civility and brotherly love should be paramount.  Shy away from being divisive, and find ways to bring people together.

Finally, although this may seem trite, let us use the power of prayer. Pray for America, pray for understanding and growth – on all sides.

What do you think?