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Danger seems to be lurking everywhere.\u00a0 Not the danger that will kill you immediately.\u00a0 More so, the type of danger that will kill you slowly\u2026one choice at a time.\u00a0 I never thought it would be this hard.\u00a0 You see, I\u2019m a purist.\u00a0 I believe in moral absolutes\u2026or at least I did.\u00a0 There is nothing clear about working with guys on death row.\u00a0 Of course, there is no question that we are called to befriend and defend the condemned.\u00a0 The message of Jesus makes that abundantly clear.\u00a0 But what happens when the condemned asks you to participate in an execution?\u00a0 Of course, you are simply being asked to be love in the midst of a time of murder\u2026but what happens when you start feeling like a part of the process?\u00a0 This morning, I will serve as a spiritual advisor at the execution of Scott Eizember.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to be killing anybody\u2026but I will be at the scene of the crime.\u00a0 I will be standing there in prayer while the State of Oklahoma takes a life for no other reason but vengeance.\u00a0 Maybe I am being to hard on myself\u2026but I guess that\u2019s what a purist does.\u00a0 Yet, there is nothing pure about this process.\u00a0 It ensnares us all. \u00a0We all become a little less human every time it happens.\u00a0 Even those of us who have dedicated our lives to ending the death penalty are not left out.\u00a0 We try to do good.\u00a0 We try to stop it\u2026but\u2026these executions are still taking place in all of our names.\u00a0 Even for someone like me\u2026who will literally be the last person to talk to Scott\u2026the burden of participation feels immense.\u00a0 Maybe the reason that I am feeling like this is so that I might share such feelings with others.\u00a0 For, the only way that this heinous practice of state killing is going to stop is if we all feel the burden of our participation.\u00a0 So, maybe the best thing about being in the chamber this morning is gaining the humility to know that no one is pure\u2026not even someone willing to give their life for this cause.\u00a0 Truly all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always been told that\u2026but today I\u2019m really feeling it.\u00a0 I guess I still believe in moral absolutes.\u00a0 But this morning\u2026it is very clear that sometimes we have to be reminded that we haven\u2019t arrived yet.\u00a0 There is danger lurking everywhere.\u00a0 We just have to navigate it the best we can\u2026and hope that God forgives us when we fall short.\u00a0 Then again, faith is the assurance of things hoped for.\u00a0 So, let us put our hope in life\u2026in a clear belief that we can\u2019t always be perfect\u2026but we can try.\u00a0 I have faith in the abolition of the death penalty.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t have faith that it is going to end this morning.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 Danger seems to be lurking everywhere.\u00a0 Not the danger that will kill you immediately.\u00a0 More so, the type of danger that will kill you slowly\u2026one choice at a time.\u00a0 I never thought it would be this hard.\u00a0 You see, I\u2019m a purist.\u00a0 I believe in moral absolutes\u2026or at least I did.\u00a0 There is nothing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2509,"featured_media":10125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[1799,2521,6472],"class_list":["post-10122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freshwritings","category-thoughts","tag-jeff-hood","tag-oklahoma","tag-scott-eizember"],"yoast_head":"\n