I learned an important lesson about race in the United States from an African-American classmate in seminary. He seemed to always be around the offices. I don’t know what year he was in our school of more than 300. I believe he had a part time job with the seminary, or like me my senior year, had an independent study with a professor. I knew he already had one advanced degree and had deferred his admission to a Doctoral program... Read more
I didn’t read the instructions. I needed extra cash, so impulsively I downloaded the app easily and signed up. I took a picture of my driver’s license, provided my bank information to get paid and then waited 20 minutes to pass a background check. In less than two hours I became a DoorDash Dasher. A few hours later, I was in the car accepting my first job as a delivery driver. While I waited for the food to be prepared,... Read more
In response to protests against police brutality, police across the country cracked down brutally— tear-gassing peaceful protestors, pepper-spraying people as they fled, and assaulting and arresting reporters. Police departments appear to be trying to prove the protesters right. More than 10,000 people were arrested in less than a week. We’ll never know how many of those arrests were unfounded and intended to inconvenience and harass people. Police in the United States act with impunity and little accountability. Unequivocal evidence is... Read more
President Trump’s pointless political posturing with a Bible in front of a church is an intentional distraction. The gesture was as spiritually and emotionally dead as Trump, but it managed to distract people from the truth: Trump is an incompetent fool and as a result thousands of people have died needlessly from COVID-19. Protestors were violently and illegally dispersed with tear gas and riot police before his empty display of a book he’s never read. Rightfully, good Christians have denounced... Read more
Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind. (an excerpt) by Stephen Crane Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind. Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky And the affrighted steed ran on alone, Do not weep. War is kind. Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment, Little souls who thirst for fight, These men were born to drill and die. The unexplained glory flies above them, Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom – A field... Read more
The Man He Killed by Thomas Hardy ‘Had he and I but met By some old ancient inn, We should have set us down to wet Right many a nipperkin! ‘But ranged as infantry, And staring face to face, I shot at him as he at me, And killed him in his place. ‘I shot him dead because– Because he was my foe, Just so: my foe of course he was; That’s clear enough; although ‘He thought he’d ‘list, perhaps,... Read more
The International Mission Board has been looking for a marketing director. At $115,000 minimum annual salary, one shouldn’t be too hard to find. I live near the IMB world headquarters and with more than 25 years of communications experience, I could be a viable candidate for the job. As an award-winning public relations professional, I’ve worked for local, state and national organizations. I know social media – I created and manage a Christian Facebook page that has more than 27,500... Read more
Watching the new PBS series about World War II, World on Fire, I asked myself, would I kill Baby Hitler? The New York Times Magazine asked the question as well. We asked @nytmag readers: If you could go back and kill Hitler as a baby, would you do it? (What's your response?) pic.twitter.com/daatm12NZC — NYT Magazine (@NYTmag) October 23, 2015 Responses were 30% no, 28% not sure, and 42% yes. The failure of humanity isn’t in the actions of Adolph... Read more
When the days of the week blur together and feel like a vacation that’s gone on too long, remember that there is no such thing as time. The earth will travel around the sun 365 rotations before it returns to where it is, right now. And the means of measuring it are an exclusively human construction. Dogs and cats don’t care about days of the week. Birds don’t care what time it is. They share their songs at all hours... Read more
An Easter Sunday video. Read more
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