A Message to Pastors in Boone, North Carolina: How Many More People Will Have to Die Before You Will Engage the Mentally Ill? Just over a week ago, two officers/deputies (Chris Ward and Logan Fox) approached a home. Inside, there was a mentally ill man (Isaac Barnes) that had killed his parents (George and Michelle Ligon). Before the day was out, all of them would be dead. Since the tragedy, the local focus has been primarily... Read more
Blue Lives Matter… : Blinding Slogans, Dehumanization and Further Tragedy in Boone, North Carolina Two officers/deputies approached a home last week. Inside, there was a man that had killed his parents. Before the day was out, all of them would be dead. In the midst of great tragedy, people run to what they consider to be great answers. The problem is that such answers are often not so great and dehumanize all parties involved. Blue Lives Matter.... Read more
For years, I’ve given my body to the struggle against police brutality. On multiple occasions, I came within feet of giving my life. When George Floyd was murdered, I was horrified. For months and months, I’ve been demanding justice…praying with my feet if you will. Thus, I expected to be overjoyed if a guilty verdict was reached. I wasn’t. Let there be no doubt, Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd. The verdicts are correct. Yet, the outcome didn’t feel... Read more
Fuck the police. Surely, this is not an unreasonable statement in light of the circumstances we find ourselves in. There seems to be no end to the brutality. We have reached a point where one cannot love their neighbor and shout anything else. Yet, there still is that space of neighbor. That place where God sits. So, yes…fuck the police…but what comes after that. Duante Wright should not have been profiled. Duante Wright should have never been stopped. Duante Wright should not... Read more
April 4, 2021 The Resurrection of George Floyd: On the Fullness of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ *The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most pivotal moment in the history of the cosmos…not because it is static and unchanging…but because it never stops. The brilliance of the resurrection beckons to think about all sorts of resurrections. Jesus said that he would always be incarnate in the least of these amongst us. I can think of few more helpless senseless atrocious... Read more
Rape Was/Is Never a Joke. (T/W A Good Friday Recollection) For many years, I haven’t thought about that morning. I guess one tends to block things like that out. However, nightmares always seem to find their way back to the surface. The other night, I was talking to the kids about boundaries. I didn’t grow up in a world where we ever talked about such things. I certainly would’ve been better off if I had. As the... Read more
“Death is Just a Part of Life.” WTF? In the midst of death, people really know how to speak dumbassticity. Who gives a shit about “thoughts and prayers” when someone’s child has been murdered? When has “they’re in a better place” ever helped the widow of a suicide victim? What does “it was just there time” have to offer to the survivor of a fatal car accident? Where is the “they lived a great life” when... Read more
March 22, 2021 The Woman Clothed in Darkness Sleep eluded me. I’d sat for hours…ever closer to the coldness of the window…looking out into the density of the mountains. Stars were everywhere. I guess they helped my search…although I didn’t really know what I was looking for…a search for the unsearchable perhaps. Just when I thought that all hope was lost…I saw a woman clothed in darkness…slowly she crept down from the mountain. I couldn’t take my eyes off... Read more
Context as Salvation: Envisioning Darkness as Light The End Is Near. “Fire in the Sky.” “Glaciers Melt.” “Oxygen Depleted.” “Endless Drought.” “Lawlessness.” “Global Suffering.” “Water Evaporates.” “Coast Obliterated.” “Fear Unleashed.” The End Is Here. Burning light descended. The ozone was gone. Pollution and multiple nuclear catastrophes had destroyed it. Fire was killing everything that was left. Light was now deadly. To see was to go blind. To breathe was to suffocate. To feel was to... Read more
School Resource Officers: The Bullies in Blue “Few greater dangers face our children today than the police we’re putting in their schools…” “I’m here to keep you safe…” Strange smells started coming out of the vents. Lights began to flash. Everyone ran to the exits. Sounds bombarded our ears. The evacuation was anything but orderly. Nobody could breath. Before the day was out, dozens of students received emergency treatment…some of them (especially those with compromised lungs/immune systems in... Read more
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