Baton Rouge

We're in a crazy time. I can't remember the world ever seeming this dark, or hateful. My heart is so heavy. I feel the weight, again, of these few days. More death. More killing. More brokenness. I have so many thoughts. So many things in my head. So here's some of my thoughts for the day. 

How many officer lives will be enough? What's the magic number when the injustices they're accused of will be "paid back." How many lives? Give me a number, so we can even the score. Will that bring peace? No. It won't. Innocent people will still be dead. No one will be brought back, justice won't be served. Stop celebrating that people have died. This is tragic, period. 

BLM, we need you to speak up. You can't scream about one unwarranted death because it fits your cause and ignore another because it doesn't. Your silence is deafening. Yikes. I'm sorry to be so blunt. 

But you should know that most often silence is interpreted as agreement. So in your silence, you should know it's taken as agreement. That you agree with these brutal, pre-meditated attacks and murder of police. And if I can be so bold, I know you don't agree with what happened today. 

Forgive me, because the police matter to me in a very personal way. I'm married to one, you see. 

So please, society as a whole: Don't celebrate what happened in Baton Rouge today. This is not victory, this is not justice. This is an atrocity. Again. 

This is not to say that you (or ANYONE) should suffer injustice at the hands of police or anyone else. You should not. Your life is literally invaluable. Black lives matter. So very much, they matter. But it also means you need to help balance the scale.

Because extremism is always wrong. On any side of the scale. Extremism creates a void of understanding, of morals, and often law-abiding behavior and common sense. Extremism always divides and never unifies. It's incapable of unity. It never accomplishes the goal. It doesn't bring equality, it can't. Extremism is often a knee-jerk reaction because something has to be done NOW. That doesn't mean it's right or helpful. 

Extremism in its most basic definition means "the furthest most point from the center." 

So when we swing so far one direction, when we focus so heavily on one side, it's extremism. And it will only divide. It will never bring unity. 

And you know what? I genuinely believe that the heart of most people is not to be extreme. I believe that most people's heart and intentions are pure. But we can't ignore that extremism is still the result. And the further we go, the more extreme it gets because it polarizes people. But I digress. 

As someone who follows Jesus, I gotta tell you: The church in its best function is not an either or mentality. The church is not either or, it's both! It's not black lives or police lives, it's BOTH. It's not you or me, it's BOTH. 

We MUST hold the scale in balance. God is balance. I'm learning this more and more in my life. 

It's great to support the BLM movement. But please, support the police too. It's great to support the police, but please, support black lives too. Be equally vocal. 

This is unity. It's saying it's not either or, it's BOTH. 

Again. I'm reminded deeply of the scripture in Galatians 5:14 "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself."

We have to LOVE each other. It's the ONE thing that sums up all the rest. We have to LOVE each other, weep with each other, honor each other, prefer each other, the list goes on and on and on.  

We gotta change, folks. I'll start with me.  

If You Must

We all have an opinion, thoughts, or sentiments that we feel compelled to share when an atrocity such as today happens.

Often we feel the need to turn to political arguments and ideologies.

But if we could, could we hold for a moment? Could we not rush to scream about policy? Could we not rush to scream our opinions? Could we not rush past the devastating loss of life, the gut-wrenching pain of those who mourn? 

Could we just for a moment, be human again? Could we just for a moment, weep with our brothers? Could we be quick to listen, and slow to speak? Could we be intentional with our words, instead of flippant?

It may seem like the days grow ever darker, so let our LOVE shine ever brighter.

For we are not of the kind who shrink back (Hebrews 10:39), but of those who have FAITH.

So.

If you must speak on the day's events:

If you must, Speak kindly of those who have been taken from us.

If you must, Speak love to those who are mourning.

If you must, Speak peace to those who are afraid.

If you must, Speak wisdom and courage to those who lead us.

If you must, speak life. 

To Nice, and all of France, we love you, we pray for you and we weep with you. 

Heart of Flesh

My heart is broken again tonight. 

Over the past two days, two men have been shot and killed by the police. Tonight, 4 officers were killed at a protest. I don't have adequate words to convey what's in my heart, or in my head. But I feel the weight of the past few days. 

More lives cut short. More death. 

Love is wrecking my life recently. And it’s a good thing. Opening my eyes beyond my ideals. Not shaking my convictions of right and wrong, but challenging my (at times) tunnel vision. It's easy to dehumanize these situations when we want to dig in our heels for our ideals. And sometimes, it's easier to ignore the problems than address them. And in so doing, we often forget that there are people on the other side of every story. People with families, and places they belonged. We’ve forgotten our humanity, it seems. 

Lives are being taken, right and left, all the time. 

I believe it so grieves the heart of God when the lives of his children are taken. He wrote our stories, you see. From beginning to end, every day was written out. Long before we born. He knows the whole story. He cares about the whole story. 

I pray we find our humanity again. Remember that no matter the circumstance, it’s about PEOPLE. Life is about PEOPLE. Eternity will be full of PEOPLE. We’re all the same, you know. 

We come from different families, with different values. Sure, we have different skin color, maybe even different sexual orientations. 

But when you strip away all the labels, we’re all the same. We’re people. With breath in our lungs and dreams in our hearts. With purposes and destinies to fulfill. 

It’s not about sides. We’re are one side. We’re human. 

Ezekiel 36:26

“I will give you a new heart and a new spirit; I will remove your heart of stone and restore your heart of flesh.” 

Oh God, take our hearts of stone and restore our hearts of flesh! That our hearts would beat for one another again. Let us leave our differences on the ground and weep with our brother. 

Let our hearts beat for one another again. 

Great Britain

I wish someone could tell the beautiful young people in Great Britain to have courage. 

It's funny, I read the result of the vote, and I listened to your government members make their statements and share their reactions. But all I could think was, how are the people? Are you ok? How are you taking the news? 

And I've seen your heartbreak. It fills my social media feeds. I've read your comments, and posts, as you candidly share your thoughts and disbelief. I don't know why my heart goes out to you. Or why I can't stop thinking about you. There is something aching in my heart for you. 

I have to tell you, I so believe in you, and in your country. You are intelligent, capable people. You can do this.

I know I'm just an American. And you can say it's none of my business. I just wish that in your passionate quest for freedom and future that you could see this with an open mind.

I wish you could see the possibilities, not the limitations.

I wish you could see the hope, not the disappointment.

I wish you could see a bright future, not a broken one.

I wish you could see the excitement, not the devastation.

I wish you could see courage, not fear.
I wish you could see a beginning, not an end.

Forgive me, I see things different than most. I see the world in endless possibility. And the warrior in my spirit will always fight for freedom to make my own choices, not to have them decided for me. 

I know it's scary, the future you see now. And my heart aches for you.

I know what it is to be in a country with a broken political system, as you may well know. 

I hope you can be encouraged. You've never seen a Great Britain without the EU. It's entirely possible you'll be an even Greater Britain now.

Instead of rules decided for you, you can help make the rules. You can determine who you are. And that's infinitely exciting.

I've been to your country. I've sat in your pubs and looked out at the rain with you. I spoken to you on street corners and in shops. We shared ideas on politics and world issues. You welcomed me into your country, into your city, with smiles. You're wonderful people. Beautiful people.

I don't believe for a second you'll be limited by this referendum. I believe this is a catalyst to a greater future than you can imagine.

Either way, whatever you choose, I love you. 

And I'll pray.

-your American friend

Orlando

We have different view points. We might not vote the same way, or love the same things. We have different personalities. We're passionate about different things. You're good at one thing, I'm good at something else. You might believe one thing, I believe something else. We have different jobs, in different cities. Our skin are different colors. We have different families.You might have brothers, I have a sister. 
Maybe you like cats, I like dogs. Maybe you like blue, I like green. Maybe your hair is brown, mine is red.
You live in Orlando, and I live in Tucson.
But you laugh, and so do I.
You cry, and so do I.
You get hurt, and so do I.
You feel pain, and so do I.
You love, and so do I.
You have a purpose, and so do I.
We're different, but we're the same.
I believe we're made and loved by the same Person. You might not, and that's ok. That's not the point.
We're different but the same.

I can't accept what happened last night in your city. To your friends, your family. To you.
It doesn't matter where it happened. Because no matter where it happened, the victims are PEOPLE.
People who laugh and cry and think and dream. People who have a purpose, a calling, and an eternal destiny. People who ARE LOVED by the Eternal Father.
People who matter.

Sorry isn't enough. There's not a word big enough. I can't seem to describe what's in my heart.
But it's broken with you. I wish I could be there. I would hold your hand. I would hug you or cry with you. Or just sit in silence with you because there's probably nothing to say.

I am praying for you.
I don't know your names or your ages. I don't know your personality type or what you do for a living.
It doesn't matter.
We're people.
We're different, but the same.
And I love you.

Stand Firm

We’re in an interesting place in the world. Every day more news stories come screaming into my line of vision and surprise me. Not because they should, but because sometimes I just can’t believe my eyes. For the record, I’ve read the Bible, cover to cover, and am quite certain that God is not surprised by current events. In fact, I would be willing to say he’s seen it before. 

I was reading a book recently, written by a pastor I know. It's a book dealing with the issue of homosexuality. In our current social climate, you can understand why this is a big deal. Anyway, he made a statement, just a simple phrase in regards to our response. He said, “You must stand firm.” 

Instantly I felt a prompting from the Holy Spirit. This phrase was important. 

As followers of Jesus, we’re familiar with the concept of “standing firm” from Ephesians 6. Often I think we view this in the context of a spiritual assault, in which we’re standing firm against deception, discouragement or weariness; some kind of physical attack of the enemy. To be clear, I don’t believe this context is incorrect. 

But the Lord really wanted me to understand something here, a fresh insight, as it were. 

I was reminded how in the garden of Eden in Genesis 3 the very first scheme of the serpent was to create doubt in Eve’s mind. Doubt about what God said, about God’s intentions. We must note that this is a CHIEF strategy of the enemy. 

Think about the encounters you’ve had with God. Have you experienced doubt later? You think to yourself, “maybe I just imagined God said that. Maybe I made it up. Maybe it was just me.” It’s more common than we like to admit. But we need to recognize that this is the strategy of the enemy. He loves to get us to doubt God. In fact he NEEDS us to doubt God, because this creates an opening that shouldn't be there. A vulnerability that shouldn't exist. Doubt is a slippery slope. The more you doubt, the easier it becomes to not truly believe that God is who he says he is, that he’ll do what he said he will do, that you are who He says you are, and that (uh oh) sin is what He says it is. We should also note that doubt is rarely an OVERT assault. But rather a subtle, or COVERT assault. Meaning, we're often quick to dismiss thoughts and ideas that we should examine and "take captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5). 

Then I started thinking about the major issues bombarding us as Jesus-followers and the Church as a whole. 

Again, the chief strategy is doubt. There are major concerns for us here because when we doubt the validity of God’s word; we are opening the door to deception. This is serious business, because deception gives birth to death. 

I read through Ephesians 6:10-18, and in verse 11 pops up that phrase “stand firm.” 

It’s such a simple insight. 

First: Our battle is not against flesh and blood. It’s not people we’re struggling against (although sometimes it's hard to tell the difference), but against powers and principalities in the heavenly places. We need to recognize that we are in a spiritual war. Constantly. Sometimes it's like we think that spiritual warfare only happens when we engage in it. This is not so. It wages around us, whether we engage or not. I would like to submit to you that there are no pacifists in the Kingdom of God. There is no room (or Biblical foundation that I've ever found) for us as real disciples of Jesus to sit back and not engage in the warfare that surrounds us. I’m reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 8:36: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered sheep to be slaughtered.” We have brothers and sisters at war- and there is a place on the line for each of us. There is a constant battle surrounding us and we need to be equipped, seasoned in the Word and obedient to do what it says. 

Second: In light of this spiritual battle, we need to recognize the strategy of the enemy. I am astonished at the amount of believers that are molding and adapting the Holy Word of God to fit with what society says is acceptable. We have generations growing up who are standing on a crumbling foundation because we aren’t familiar enough with the word of God, and more importantly, aren’t willing to STAND FIRM upon it. 

Ultimately, what I really felt like the Holy Spirit was saying to me, is that our stance in ANY spiritual battle, is to STAND FIRM. 

This isn't just about standing firm in the storm and hoping we somehow make it through. It's much more significant. It means we don't waver in our Biblical stance. There will be other believers who tell us our theology is incorrect, that we've misinterpreted scripture, that we’re too harsh, that we can’t judge, that we should only love, that we’re under grace not law…the list goes on and on and on. 

Our role is to be Biblically correct, not socially charismatic. Can you be both? Sure. Maybe for a season. But eventually one will demand allegiance. Something about not serving two masters, I think... But I'll leave that to your discernment. Too real, maybe? Oh well. I believe in radical faith. Actually, I don't think it's radical. I think serving Jesus is an all or nothing kind of deal. It's not radical. It's just how it is. 

So Believers: Know the Word. You cannot hope to STAND FIRM if you don’t read the Bible, if you aren’t in His presence daily, in HIs word daily, in prayer daily. 

The assault of the enemy will come against what you believe, what you profess, what you know to be the TRUTH. It will come in the form of little compromises (“Did God really say…?"). It will come in the form of people who say they believe what you believe. People who attend your church, your school, people you work with. Friends. Maybe even people you look up to. 

All of this can sound quite discouraging. But as I’m writing this, I’m reminded of what David said in Psalms 119:9: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” ESV. 

We often equate this scripture with sexual purity. It absolutely applies. But purity is much deeper than just our sexuality. Purity needs to permeate our lives. It should be a defining quality for us who love God. The Lord stated in Leviticus: “Be holy, as I am holy.” He IS purity. But I digress. 

I want to highlight to 2 keys in this Psalm 119:9 scripture. The word “guard” is a big one. It implies that it’s intentional, active and not at all accidental or by happenstance. Be diligent in your guard. 

The second one is “according to your word.” No need for deep exegesis here. You can’t guard your path according to a word you don’t know or read. It’s simple. Know the word of God, read it, study it, meditate on it, obey it, and guard your life with it. 

This is how we STAND FIRM. 

Conversations In Heaven

What did God say about the cross? Was there a conversation in heaven?

A long time ago...long before the day came. Maybe they stood in heaven, looking out over the universe they'd made. I imagine a quiet moment between Father and Son contemplating all that was to come, like the breath before the plunge.

Jesus knew, of that I’m sure. But I can't help but wonder what the Father said to his Son.
Maybe it was simple. No need for a conversation because Jesus already knew. Maybe Jesus put his hand on his Father's shoulder and simply reassured his Father, “Don’t worry Dad. I’ll do it.” And God just nodded and looked proudly at his Son. 

Or maybe God thought out loud about his plan. Posing all the big questions, all the concerns. Vocalizing all the pieces of the plan, just to make sure they both understood. Which Jesus knew of course, but he listened anyway. 

I like to think God simply said, “You know what we have to do.” And Jesus simply nodded and humbly said, “I’ll do it.” 

And then they lapse into comfortable silence, looking out over the humanity they love.