No Healing

Hate divides, whether it comes from the right or the left, from republican or democrat, from conservative or liberal, from one religion or another or none. Hate does not unify and hate does not heal, it does not matter where it comes from, or who it is directed at, or what the circumstances are. Hate does not rectify wrongs. You can't cure hate by opposing it with hate. You can't claim to be a unifier and a healer by expressing hatred for those who hate. 
When will we learn?

An Alternative Border Response

Recently several people posted a link to the July newsletter of Dr. James Dobson in which he writes an open letter addressing his recent visit to our southern border. It was posted and even sent to me by people whom I respect and love, so I tried to read the letter with an open mind. I was hopeful that Dobson’s visit would stir in him some compassion that I have perceived to be missing in the past. As I read, I continued to be hopeful:

“The "refugees" arrive exhausted and ragged from walking hundreds of miles. Among them are large numbers of children, many of whom are unaccompanied by a caring adult. Last year, 382,000 aliens were apprehended for illegally crossing into this country and almost 100,000 of them were minors. Some of the kids have been abused along the way. Many of them carry lice, scabies or other diseases. Currently, the facility I visited is experiencing a flu epidemic, and there are no additional beds on which to lie. Some of the women have been raped.”

Time for Change

Today I made it official…

After 31 years it is time to step away from teaching in a traditional classroom and move on to something different. It feels a little surreal. There is a strange combination of feelings, both grief and relief. It feels like I can breath deep again, but at the same time major changes have a way of taking our breath away. The full impact of my decision, I’m sure, will hit me at some point down the road, but, honestly the change is long overdue.

Be Real

I have an odd collection of Bible commentaries on my bookshelf. They are a weakness of mine when I visit used book stores. There is something compelling about them that draws me in. Often they seem to be undervalued, and unappreciated, relegated to a dusty shelf in the corner of a back room that is dimly lit and seldom visited. In my mind they always seem under priced, which justifies my purchase and addition to my collection. My wife often disagrees, but, fortunately, she is quite tolerant of my obsession.

Dangerous Simplicity

Phrases and sayings without context are dangerous tools in the hands of those who are more concerned with promoting an agenda than investigating and understanding the truth. Facebook has become the fertile spawning grounds for the dissemination of such content. Under the auspices of sounding wise, individuals parlay foolishness in the form of disconnected quotes to advance the propaganda of their cause. Unfortunately the Bible is often the source of such malpractice and self proclaimed evangelical Christians are far too often the ignorant practitioners.

2019 Reading List

With the coming of a new year comes a new list of books that I hope to read in the year ahead. At the beginning of every year I have a “Want-to-Read” list that is the starting point of my reading goal for the year. It is a fluid list that is subject to change. Books get added, some books get bumped to the following year (or later), and some books just get lost in the shuffle. But I like creating the list because it gives me a goal - something to shoot for - and it gives me justification for buying more books.  

A Better Facebook

Facebook is an interesting space. Most of us have a love-hate relationship with it. Some hate it more than others so much so that they have abandoned it. For many there is a sense that there is not enough good on Facebook to outweigh the bad, so they discard the whole thing. Others know themselves well enough to realize they don’t have the self control to avoid being sucked into the mind-numbingness that can happen with a Facebook addiction, so they  have deleted their accounts and avoid it completely.

Leaving Church

A few months ago Sandy and I made the painful decision to leave the church that we had been part of for over 20 years. It was a decision we agonized over for a couple of years. In some ways we were absent long before we physically left, but walking away on that last Sunday, knowing we wouldn’t be back, was still difficult. It was, after all, the church where we raised and baptized our two children. It was the church where we served in many leadership roles. It was the church where I saw my middle school students. It was the church that we had poured ourselves into for many, many years. No matter what happens, those roots run deep, and pulling them up does not happen without some pain and mourning.

One Life to Live, One Story to Tell

I remember taking Colby to the beach in Morro Bay, California when he was two. I carried him through the thick sand towards the water. His mom, Sandy, spread out a blanket and we all sat down to take off our shoes. Lifting Colby up we held his hands and started walking toward the ocean. But when Colby left the blanket and his feet hit the sand he began to cry. He hated the feel of the sand on his feet, not because it was hot, but because it was gritty and dirty. As a child Colby didn’t like to be dirty, he liked everything clean, neat and organized. Even at his first birthday we tried to have him do the traditional dive into birthday cake, but he wouldn’t have it. He was hesitant even to touch it. When a little frosting covered two of his fingers he grew concerned, heading towards tears, and wanted someone to remove the stickiness. As much as we tried to encourage him to enjoy the moment of glorious cake, he simply couldn’t bring himself to get messy.

A November Prayer

God, my Lord and my King

My Creator and my Savior

Guide my thoughts and direct my heart

Help me to know your Spirit in me

Help me to see your hand at work in the world around me

Give me eyes to see and ears to hear

Break my heart in ways that lead to healing

Heal my heart in ways that lead to breaking