Can you see Christ in the people some dismiss as “ghetto” or “hood”- the ones some judge because of their backgrounds? Can you see Christ in the young Black men and women who push against institutional and cultural odds? I am not asking if you see people who you think need saving. I am asking if you can see the power of Christ in them. If the Church cannot see, then we might want to question how much we know... Read more
“Show me the facts.” “Stick to the facts.” “I don’t care about your feelings. I care about facts.” “I want facts, not emotions.” These kinds of declarations have grown in popularity among conservative news commentators and political pundits in discussions about social issues, such as discrimination and police brutality. Recently, a wave of conservatives have abandoned this faux moral high ground of privileging facts over emotions. They have exploited the murder of Mollie Tibbetts, an Iowa college student, for their... Read more
Will bad things happen to you if you stop reading the Bible? Presumably well-intentioned Christians have expressed the possibility of troubles occurring in my life due to my Bible sabbatical. Over the past several days, I have reflected on these admonitions in relation to my life. I want to take some time right now to discuss two issues with placing Bible study into a direct cause and effect relationship to the positive and negative experiences in our lives. 1) Read... Read more
For years, I have observed a pattern from diverse people whenever the issue of race comes up. I witness how, instead of taking the message to heart, hordes of us point to the woes of another racial group. This fighting to avoid looking at ourselves wastes time and “precious, Lord take my hand, lead me on, let me stand” energy. My soul needs a resting because these same old practices are not tried and true, they are tired and through. In... Read more
Last week, I spent much time saying stupid prayers. During days 36-42 of quitting the Bible, I shared an article on social media about a pastor attributing fires in California to God’s judgment on gay people. Understandably, people felt saddened to outraged, and the comments that deemed such reasoning as “stupid” or “dumb” really stood out to me. I believe the people who mentioned the stupidity of such Biblical perspectives made accurate points in their observations. We can get so... Read more
What if more Black people started calling the police for perceived infractions (minor) involving White people? For example, what if Black people called the police on White children for selling lemonade without a permit? Would some of us care more? After all, the disconcerting episodes of White people calling the police on Black people for what most decent human beings would consider miniscule alleged breaches to societal order have led to a proliferation of corresponding hashtags, from #PermitPatty, #BBQBecky to... Read more
Last week, I visited a Midwestern farming community, where I stayed at a cheap motel. When you think of cheap motels, do you think of prosperity or abundance? For some of you, cheap and abundance might not seem to go together. I could have used a different word to appeal to the ego. “Inexpensive” and “budget friendly” invoke less of fears of a seedy roach-infested dwelling within a red-light district. These terms retain a sense of worth and dignity, I suppose,... Read more
For years, I have wanted to go wing walking. What is wing walking? Glad you inquired. Wing walking is pretty much self-explanatory. It is when a person goes walking on the wings of a biplane. I am not an adrenaline junkie, and I do not have a bucket list. If anything, I feel like a bonafide scaredy-cat with a penchant for the occasional thrill. It was not always like this for me. Once upon a time, after a major rough... Read more
God speaks through people who do not have titles of Pastor, Minister, Bishop, Prophet, Teacher, Evangelist, Apostle, or Opossum before their names. God does not need our special roles to do anything heavenly authorized and official. It is unnecessary because we are talking about Gee-Oh-Dee: God. Days twenty-two through twenty-eight provided an experience that reinforced the truth that God will meet me wherever and whenever according to Divine timing. Before folks with Jesusintheirheart (one word) bless me with a lecture... Read more
I kept seeing the word “random” appear over and over again in the media coverage of the murder of Nia Wilson, a young Black woman. At the time of this writing, the alleged murderer, John Lee Cowell, a White man, with a history of mental illness, violence, and criminal activity, has not been associated with any White supremacist organization. Interestingly, his lack of activity with said organizations has been used to potentially rule out a racist motive. Certainly, Cowell did... Read more
Race and Grace
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