Book Reviewed: The Golden 13

 Prior to World War II the Navy’s record when it came to race relations was…well…dismal. Opportunities for blacks within the service were very limited in part due to a major written report that warned of what might happen if African-Americans were allowed to serve onboard a Navy vessel alongside a white crew. These attitudes were a reflection of what was going on in the nation outside of the service. So as the nation fought for freedom overseas, blacks were not afforded the same here at home.

The Golden 13 describes a major change within the Navy. Under pressure to change, this branch of the military would create a test program in which 13 men would become the Navy’s first black officers. Based in part on personal interviews, this book tells why these men joined the service in the first place and describes what they faced as they worked their way up the ranks. Dan C. Goldberg gives us a good mix of historical background along with the personal stories of these men, leaving the reader with a view of what was at stake and why these men were the right group to face the challenge.

The Golden 13 is well written and fun to read. The writing is unbiased, a simple telling of a story that should not be forgotten. The narrative covers a topic that must be acknowledged as we cannot run away from the fact that racism is a part of our history and in some areas is still an issue today. But in acknowledging the problem we must also acknowledge situations where people of both races worked towards change. This book is a record of just such a situation, revealing a major step towards this nation fulfilling its promise.

I give The Golden 13 two thumbs up, recommending it to anyone who enjoys history and to those who are interested in learning about where the United States used to be and how we got to where we are today.

The Golden 13: How Black Men Won The Right to Wear Navy Gold by Dan C. Goldberg. Published by Beacon Press Books.

A Band Director, A Taser and A Lot of Difficult Questions

It has become all too easy to list the multiple situations where interactions between the police and black citizens have gone wrong, and usually it’s easy to blame the police. But there are also many situations where placing blame is not easy: cases that are not so…black and white. What I see on the body cam video released by the Birmingham Police Depart after an incident that happened at a high school football game on September 14th falls in that category where it’s difficult to know who to blame

According to the body cam video, the game between Jackson-Olin High School and Minor High School had ended 18-20 minutes before the incident involving the band director from Minor occurred. Johnny Mims, and the band director from the other high school both agreed that the bands would continue playing music for a few minutes after the game ended. However, for reasons that are still not clear, the police began clearing the stadium. The Jackson-Olin band (the home team band) stopped playing. The band form Minor continued to play (sort of a new twist on the line from the song American Pie).

This is when things got ugly. A police officer confronted Mims, who told the officer several times to get out of his face. Someone turned out the lights. Police attempted to arrest Mims. There was a scuffle of some sort and an officer tased Mims several times while people nearby (likely members of the band) screamed. Once again we have a situation involving a black man that never should have gone in this direction but…I struggle with this one and I have questions for both sides, but I honestly lay blame first at the feet of the band director.

Did police overreact? Would they have treated Mims the same way if he was white? (Something Mim’s  attorney asked during a press conference.) Who turned off the lights and why were police in such a hurry to clear the stadium? These are all important questions but I think another question outweighs them all. Shouldn’t an educator set an example of respect for authority as well as respect for another person?

My expectation of a band director is to set an example for the members of the band and for all of the students in the school. Telling a police officer (or any other adult) to get out of his face is not setting a good example. What would he have done if one of his students told him to get out of their face for one reason or another? Yet, he just taught them all that this is okay. To expect police to simply ignore this level of disrespect is to ask for his students to treat him in the same way. This is not what we want and is not the lesson that an educator should teach.

For more on this story see coverage on CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/20/us/alabama-band-director-tased-speaks-out/index.html

For the police body cam video go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nvbnvjutGA

Random Thoughts for May 31, 2023

Memorial Day 2023

I’m writing this a couple of days after Memorial Day 2023 and as always, I thank God for those who served and died for the United States of America. I have a lot of family members who served in the various branches of our military and quite a few of them served in or near areas of conflict. Fortunately, they all made it back alive but many of their fellow soldiers did not.

This Memorial Day I want to thank all of the Gold Star Families out there for their sacrifice on behalf of our nation. I wish I could thank each of you face to face and give you a big hug. Above all I want you all to know that you are not forgotten.

If you don’t know about our Gold Star Families, please read What is a Gold Star Family? on the USO website.

Uvalde, Texas: One year later

It has been a year since a teenager walked into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas and killed 19 children and two teachers. 17 other people were injured that day and as mentioned in numerous news stories this month, many questions remain unanswered. While listening to NPR on May 24th I heard interviews with some of the parents of Uvalde as they shared stories of the children they lost. Each story served as a reminder that we lost 21 people that day and that we also lost their dreams and so much more. I heard the pain that is still there as these parents continue (I hope) to heal and as they ask if there is something that can be done to prevent the next school shooting. I also heard a reminder that there is a problem and I fear that in our current political and spiritual climate, we might not be willing to reach for the right solutions.

I do believe that we have a gun problem. We also have a mental health problem. We have a problem of people turning a blind eye, not wanting to look at the signs within their loved ones that they need help. We have a problem because our family units are quite often broken. We have a problem because we have lost our coping mechanisms. We have a problem because (in my opinion) our anti bullying programs seem to fail the very vulnerable populations that they claim to want to protect. But most of all we have a spiritual problem that leaves people feeling empty and hopeless, and (again in my opinion) the blame for that just might fall at the foot of the church.

I suspect there are many of you who disagree with that last sentence and that’s fine. I just ask one thing of you, especially if you are a Christian. Please pray! Seek God and ask His opinion. Let Him guide your heart in how we as the body of Christ should respond to the problem of gun violence in our nation. After all, the church should definitely be about protecting the lives of people in our country.

Random Thoughts for November 11th, 2022

With this week’s midterm elections completed I thought it might be a good time to bring back something I used to do on occasion which I called Random Thoughts. This week I find myself chuckling at our two main political parties as they each put their own spin on the results. The party that lost ground is touting how successful they are in not losing as much as they thought they would. Meanwhile the party that gained ground is looking for a scapegoat to blame for not gaining as much ground as they thought they would. My spin on the results as well as on the way many of this year’s campaigns were conducted is that the only thing we’ve proven is that some people need to grow up.

I trust that everyone who won did so according to God’s will. This always brings me back to the question of why God allows certain people to serve in government, including people with whom God clearly does not agree. I touched on this back in 2017, asking “Did We Elect A Moses or A Pharaoh.” Even people we wouldn’t dream of putting in office serve the purposes of God. Our duty as Jesus’ followers is to pray for those who serve us in government, whether we agree with them or not.

As a Christian, it’s easy to talk a good game but what happens when life challenges our faith? I talked about this earlier this year in “When Faith Becomes Difficult.” Well, of late a number of things have worked together in my life to make faith become difficult. Several unexpected trials have threatened to trip me up in my Christian walk. Thank God for sending us “another helper,” as Jesus promised in John 14:15-16. This helper reminded me of what I should do during times of trial which boils down to praying and to trusting in the Lord with all of my heart (Proverbs 3:5). I do not understand all that is going on but that’s ok because God understands and is in full control.

Has Marriage Been In Trouble From the Beginning?

It’s a story that all church goers and perhaps most people know. God creates man and woman. Man and woman sin against God by eating from the tree. Man and woman sew fig leaves together and wear clothes for the first time. To be honest, it seems weird that Adam suddenly wanted his wife to put clothes on but I believe this was a sign that things had changed between them. In looking at this change I wonder if this is a sign that marriage has been in trouble from the beginning.

What’s interesting here is that the normal external threats to marriage did not exist yet. Adam and Eve did not have an argument over money or over how to raise the children. Their in-laws were  not an undue influence nor were their neighbors’ lifestyles. Cultural influences were not yet a thing. What led to a change in Adam’s marriage relationship with Eve stems simply from a change in how they were thinking about each other. That change came from the inside, not from the outside, and it’s a change called sin.

In my lifetime I’ve heard the repeated refrain of how a number of external forces are destroying marriage. Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to downplay those threats as each carries its own danger for the institution. But I believe the greatest threat to marriage comes from the inside, from wrong attitudes between husbands and wives and from those same couples not being good examples for their children. Because of this, I believe the only way the institution survives is if we see more examples of men and women living up to the high calling of our Creator, knowing who they are in Christ while seeing their spouses through the eyes of God. I believe we need Jesus’ followers being the light they were called to be, both as individuals and as husband and wife.

My Least Favorite Commercials

Over the years there have been a number of commercials that...well…bug me. Some bother me because they insult the viewer’s intelligence. Others are bothersome because of an annoying jingle or claims that have nothing to do with why anyone would buy the product. Then there are those commercials that I think are just dumb or unrealistic. The worst commercials are those that seem to be trying to make a statement about society as opposed to selling a product. These types of commercials often portray men in a way that is unrealistic or in a way that is just an outright putdown. My two least favorite commercials airing on tv this year fall into that last category.

The first commercial (actually a series of commercials) is for a certain brand of personal grooming products. These commercials tell us that the products work so well the women in your life will steal them from you. That’s not hard to understand. What bothers me is the fact that the women in the commercial seem…well…tougher than the man. Now, I don’t understand why a woman would want to smell like her husband (if there is a good reason I don’t want to know). I definitely don’t know why a mother would want to smell like her son in law. And as a man, my biggest complaint wouldn’t be that I want to keep the products to myself. I wouldn’t want my wife to smell like a man. I’m guessing if the man in the commercials explained that, he would never have to worry about his wife stealing his personal care products ever again.

I wish that was my biggest gripe about this series of commercials but it’s not. My biggest problem with them comes during one specific commercial where, instead of just stating his case, the man involved in these commercials sits there and cries about his wife using his products. I’m all for men being in touch with their feelings but crying because your wife used your shampoo or skin cleanser or whatever other product? That to me is where I cry foul. Truth is, apart from not wanting my wife smelling like me, I wouldn’t care and I suspect most men wouldn’t. (I wonder if most men would notice but that’s a different issue.) There really is no need to cry about it. Seems as if this product turns a man into a wimp or at least that’s what this commercial seems to imply. (Sorry if I’m being insensitive or if I’m not being politically correct.)

My second least favorite commercial is for a fast food company. During the commercial the dad realizes that he forgot to buy dinner. Just in the nick of time, his wife comes in with food as she seemed to assume he would forget to get it. Here’s my question. How many men would forget dinner? Granted, a dad might put together some really odd combination for dinner but forgetting it all together? I doubt it. This fits into the category of unrealistic characterization.

Now before you tell me to get a sense of humor, let me point out that this is written somewhat tongue in cheek. To be honest, I ignore most commercials. In fact, I often channel surf during the breaks. But every now and then I do watch a commercial and often come away thinking that the creators didn’t think that one through. There are some clever commercials out there but a small few just kind of rub me the wrong way. So be honest. Which commercials are your least favorite?

Is God’s Heart Hurting?

Two mass shooting events in one weekend, one in Buffalo, New York the other in Laguna Woods, California. Each appears to have been motivated by hatred and each was likely premeditated. Now both incidents join a growing list of violent attacks, spaced out enough that they are not yet routine but close enough in time that it could be considered a recurring nightmare. What must this look like from God’s point of view? We know that He is capable of grieving and even weeping over sad and painful situations. Could it be that incidents like the ones this past weekend hurt the heart of God?

I think this is a question that God’s church needs to ask because the answer should dictate how we respond. We teach that the church is Jesus’ hands and feet here on earth. We speak of being God’s ambassadors, here to preach His Gospel and to speak on His behalf. That means that if He has an opinion on mass shootings and on the hate associated with them, we need to know that opinion and speak loudly to let the world know. If God’s heart is hurting due to hate motivated violence, His ambassadors should let the world know exactly where He stands. And if God stands against theories which lead people to travel for miles to shoot other people in a grocery store or in a church, God's church needs to stand with Him speaking out against those theories.

Yes, I know that there are some churches which do speak out when these things happen. There are churches which try to help in these communities and I commend them for their efforts. It just seems to me that the outcry from God’s church should be deafening, letting the world know where our creator stands. I believe that God’s heart is hurting because He is against murder and against hate. I believe Jesus would speak out against racism and against lies and other ideas that foment hate. I believe God has a strong opinion about what happened. His church should find and share His opinion without fear and without getting caught up in politics.

I believe that God’s heart is hurting and it’s time for His church to let the world know.

Will The Church Be A Source of Hope?

Back in 2020 I wrote a post asking “Is The Church Still A Source of Hope?” Today I find myself once again thinking about this question, wondering if the church will be a source of hope if Roe v. Wade is overturned. For the record, this is not a post about the Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice debate nor will I comment on the leaked Supreme Court Document and its implications. My intention with this post is to get you to think about how you will respond to women in need if abortion is no longer an option in your state. Will you (and your church) be a source of hope?

Since news broke of the leaked document I’ve heard a lot about what women will lose if the court votes as indicated. The picture painted by the Pro-Choice side is that the court is planning to take away a source of hope for women and perhaps in the future more minority groups will lose the hope given them by various court rulings. There seems to be a lot of fear of what might happen and of what the path we seem to be on will mean for our future.

As I pointed out in 2020, God’s church is called to be the salt of the earth. Jesus expects us to touch the community around us, making situations more palatable by showing others the hope that is only available from God. I believe that means rising above political debate in order to help those who are in need. In this case that means helping women see that nine months of pregnancy does not mean the end of life. We must be willing now to roll up our sleeves in order to offer hope and to show that in Christ the future is bright.

Some would say that if the court votes as indicated in the leaked document, the church has won a victory. Will the church respond by being poor winners or will we continue (or perhaps once again become) the source of hope that God intends for us to be?

Honor MLK By Voting

MLK Day! I remember the battle leading up to 1983 when Congress passed the legislation that made the third Monday of January a federal holiday recognizing the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You may be surprised to find out that back then I was not 100% on board with the move to make this a holiday. I was young and impressionable, buying into something someone said about Dr. King not wanting a holiday because it would mean a day when young children of color were missing out on their education. I’ve changed my mind since then, recognizing that it’s not about if he would want a holiday. It’s about him deserving a holiday and deserving the recognition and honor he earned as one of the leaders of the civil rights movement.

Since January 20, 1986, the very first MLK national holiday, the third Monday in January has become known in many parts of the country as a day of service. It is a day when communities can come together and when the individual can serve his/her neighbor: a day when we hopefully make our towns a little bit better. I think this is something that would make Dr. King smile. However, after the day of service I believe there is something else each of us needs to do: become an informed voter and then cast your ballot.

When watching the news I keep hearing about laws that have passed and attempts to pass other laws which in one way shape or form are designed to control how we each cast our ballots in future elections. I’m not here to take sides or to judge these various laws. I am here to say get out and vote no matter what. Make up your mind right now that no restriction will keep you from voting. No matter your race or your political leanings, become informed about the candidates and the issues. Then, go out and exercise your Constitutional right. When you do so you will help make this a better nation and you will honor MLK by making sure that his work, when it comes to the right to vote, was not done in vain.

Lines That Should Not Be Crossed

I used to post to a blog with a different name. Back then I spent way too much time focusing on my stats, riding a rollercoaster that climbed and dropped with my daily reader count. With each post I learned a bit more about my core audience, my stats telling me what they would read and what they would recommend to their followers. Armed with this knowledge I would dive into my next posts both on my blogs and on my other social media channels. Over time I found that I could, with the right set of words, draw attention from many people including some who were much more famous than I. But as my stats improved, I noticed something I didn’t like. I noticed that I was bending over backwards, compromising what I truly believed in order to make my audience happy.

One event in particular served as an eye opener that forced me to change course. My audience was abuzz about a teenager who ran away from home out of fear for her life. This young woman received Jesus as her Lord and Savior, a decision that put her at odds with her family. Forced to leave home for her own safety, she found a group of Christians in a different state who received her with open arms. But eventually, the authorities caught up with her and the courts ordered that she be returned to her family. With help from her new found brothers and sisters in Christ she was able to appeal this decision and I learned about her while she was waiting for her appeal to be heard.

Many in my online group spoke out against the court decision, encouraging the family hiding the young woman to defy the court order. I found myself wondering if in fact this was the right way to proceed. Yes, I understood why the young woman felt that her home was no longer safe but at the same time I feared the possibility of setting a precedent where children could be hidden from their families simply because of a difference in opinion over religious belief. I was torn between my belief that we all should do our best to follow the law and those online voices telling me that the law was wrong.

And so I started asking questions, hoping my audience would enlighten me. Instead I was treated as if I had lost my mind. My audience wondered how I could even begin to question other Christians who were simply trying to protect the life of a child. I pointed out that God could protect her whether or not she went home. To this I was challenged to read the pages of another religion’s book in order to understand the real danger this young woman was in. Back then, and still today, I wondered why I needed to read a book from another religion when my Bible told me all I needed to know.

There, on the pages of the Bible, I find God. The Bible tells me that God is more than up to the task of protecting His children. With no compromise, my Bible told me not to give into fear but instead to trust in God. This seemed to contradict my audience who seemed to fear the power of another religion and its followers. I knew at that point that I had to make a choice. Either I stood in confidence in what God could do, even if I lost my audience, or I could stand in fear with my audience knowing that my stats would continue to grow even if my relationship with the Almighty did not.

For the record, the young woman had a birthday while waiting for her appeal to be heard. At that point she was able to legally choose for herself where she wanted to live, disappearing from the headlines as she went on with her life. Wherever she is, I pray she continues with the Lord, standing as a witness of how He can and does protect His children. As for my old blog, well it became harder and harder to write knowing what I would have to do to hold onto my audience. Eventually I took a break from blogging. Then I decided to let that old blog disappear, starting fresh here with these posts.

I thought about that old blog following the events of January 6, 2021. I thought about the mob and the riot, wondering how many were pulled along in the river of emotion that welled up at that moment. I suspect the large majority are normally law abiding citizens but on that day they got caught up in all of the excitement. In the heat of the moment they committed crimes against the very nation they claim to love. They crossed a line that just should not be crossed as they tried to win favor with those around them and with the world leader they came to support.

I recognized when it was time to draw a line: time to walk away from my old blog and the audience that followed. It was time to stop bending over backwards at the expense of what I truly believed and so I moved on. I hope that those who took part in the riots on January 6 recognize that they crossed a line they shouldn’t while bending over backwards for their audience of one. I also hope that our former president learned that there are lines that should not be crossed, especially when doing so means attacking that which you are called to defend.

Applying A Lesson From Football to the Capital Incident

It was third down and we needed our defense to make a stop. Both teams lined up, ready for the play of the game. But just before the snap, one of their linemen moved. Then their quarterback handed the ball off to their tailback who took the ball sixty yards for a touchdown. And while they celebrated in the end zone, we looked around expecting a yellow flag. It never came. After the game one of the referees came over to admit his mistake. He saw the false start but he didn’t call it. We all wished he had kept that to himself. Still, as coaches of a youth football team, we had to set the right example.

We were cheated because a ref decided to keep his flag in his pocket. It would have been easy to lose my temper. It would have been easy for any of us to launch into a tirade or to do something stupid, using the fact that we were cheated as a reason to do wrong. Instead we decided to act like adults. We thanked the refs for doing a (mostly) good job and then we pulled our team together to talk about what we could do better. As a team we took responsibility for our loss. As coaches we acted like adults. I wish that was what happened on January 6th down at our nation’s capital.

I understand that our president and his supporters feel cheated. I don’t agree with them but I do understand that this is what they are feeling. But we needed the crowd to handle these feelings correctly. The nation needed adults who understand that in life you will not always like the outcome. In fact, you may even get cheated out of something. However, that is not an excuse to incite an unruly mob. It is not an excuse to commit crimes. It is not an excuse to attack the government of this country or any other country. It is the time to act like adults.

Why Are Cable Connectors Different in the Burbs?

I’ve lived in the Philadelphia suburbs for just over 21 years, adding to the variety of places I have lived in during my lifetime. I grew up in the city, taking a short detour into a midwestern college town. We once even lived in what was at the time a relatively new development of townhouses, surrounded on one side by farmland and on the other by the construction site of a new interstate highway. I’ve lived in majority black communities and have also been in areas where I could count all of the black families on one hand. As a result I’ve had the opportunity to see how things are handled in different types of living areas. One of those lessons came when we first bought our current house, as we tried to sign up to get cable.

The previous owner was an elderly widower who moved in with his son out of concerns about his health. He had never had cable. So when I called the cable company, they said they needed to send a surveyor out to see if cable was even available in my neighborhood. I mentioned that both of my neighbors had cable, but I guess my word wasn’t good enough. Eventually, the surveyor came out and verified that cable was indeed available and soon the installation was under way.

Back then my neighborhood (in fact the entire region) was served by only one cable company, a company with which I had dealt with for years while living in Philly. To their credit, the installer was on time and did a very good job with the installation. He answered all of my questions and explained what I needed to know about my new cable boxes. He was careful not to damage my house and cleaned up near areas where he had to drill in order to pull the cables from one room to the next.

As he was hooking everything up I noticed that the cables he was using seemed to have heavy duty connectors on their ends. The metal on these connectors seemed thicker, made of heavy duty materials as opposed to the connectors I had grown accustomed to seeing in my apartment in the city. In fact, those city connectors always reminded me of tinfoil, whereas these suburban connectors looked like some sort of thick alloy. They were so different that I just had to ask why.

I’m not sure if the installer was supposed to give an honest answer to my question but he did. His answer, though simple, caught me completely off guard. It seemed that suburban customers got thicker metal connectors on their cables for one very simple reason: they complain more often. So it is true. The squeaky wheel does get the oil. It also gets better materials and better quality cable connectors. Up until that point I had expected a number of things to be different in the burbs vs how they were in the city. How cable is installed in a home was not one of the areas where I expected to see a difference.

So the next time you hear someone complain about how people in the city are often treated differently from those in the suburbs and how rural areas are also treated differently, remember not all cable installations are the same.

A Vaccine, A Light at the End of the Tunnel and Where is the Church?

Mark the date: December 8, 2020, the day England started vaccinating people against COVID-19. The United States would start vaccinating on the 14th, which means we are also moving into the next phase in the battle against the disease. In at least one news report I heard someone say that we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. While not everyone agrees, there are many for whom these vaccines are a source of hope. It’s a promise that we might be able to revive the world’s economies and that we might be able to gather without worrying about super spreader events. The vaccines have brought hope. And as I think about this I also find myself wondering where the church has been during the last 9 months of the pandemic. Specifically has the church been a source of hope during a time when hope is exactly what people needed?

From time to time over the last nine months I have seen churches doing things like feeding people and even working with doctors to get people tested for COVID-19. I do believe that on the local level churches across this country (and around the world) have done their best to help people survive the fallout from this pandemic. I’m not knocking those churches and denominations that have done their best out of love for their neighbors but I do knock the press that did not give these heroes the attention they deserve. Somehow, even though many believers reached out to others, the national story about the church seemed all too often to be about something else.

All too often over the last nine months, when Christians made the news it was about something other than offering hope to their neighbors. Usually churches were in the news because they were fighting against the local government. For the record, I struggle with the idea of restrictions on worship services while bars and casinos are allowed to stay open. At the same time I believe churches can and should deal with this without demonizing officials who are just trying to do what they think best. I also find it amusing that so many of us fight for the right to fill our pews while being critical of those who stand for the right of blacks to live without having to fear that an armed government official might take away their lives.

So, as man made vaccines bring hope to mankind, maybe it’s time for the church to do some self examination. Maybe it’s time for the church to look at its message. Are we offering hope to the world based on the teachings of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Are we the ones people turn to when life looks hopeless? COVID causing emotional and mental distress, is the church ready to minister? Are we still letting people know that God does exist and yes, He cares? If we are not a source of hope in tough times, then what exactly is the church?

See also: “Is The Church Still A Source of Hope?” posted July 1, 2020

What Do You See?

I would love to have a heart to heart talk with former police officer Derek Chauvin. I want to look Mr. Chauvin in the eye and ask him one question. If given a chance I would ask him what he saw under his knee. What did he think about the person he knelt on for over eight minutes? Did he even see a person?

I would also love to have a heart to heart with Amy Cooper. I have three questions for Ms. Cooper. First, I would like to know if she knew and understood the leash law that applied to the area of Central Park where she was walking her dog. I checked woofadvisor.com which lists The Ramble, where the incident took place, as one of the "Areas of Central Park where dogs must be on leash at all times..." The site also shows a map of areas in the park that are dog friendly. Did Ms. Cooper know ahead of time that she should have had her dog on a leash? That leads to my second question: Will she pay the fine (if any) for not having her dog on a leash?

My third question for Ms. Cooper is similar to the question I want to ask Mr. Chauvin. What did she see? Did she see a human being simply trying to enjoy a day of bird watching? Did she see a person who only asked that she obey the rules as I suspect he would have had he had a dog with him? Did she see a fellow citizen of Earth? Was she practicing some strange form of social distancing?

I likely will never have that heart to heart with officer Chauvin nor is it likely I'll have one with Ms. Cooper. I can have a heart to heart with you, the reader. May I ask, what did you see? I ask this especially to my brothers and sisters in Christ. What did you see? Did you only see rioters and looters? Those who did these things were WRONG. Did you see the people? Did you see the hearts crying out? Did you see people created in God's image? Yes some of them did wrong. Such is the nature of man which the Bible calls fallen. The Bible also calls you to reach out in God's love. I suppose what you see lets you off the hook? Not if you see what God sees.

By the way here is a website listing all of Central Park’s dog laws along with a PDF of The Dog Owner Guide to Central Park

Why is the Message Often Lost?

It really stung! Someone I truly love and admire said it. "All lives matter," he said with a shrug as he turned away. He caught me off guard and I honestly don't remember how we even found ourselves talking about it. Taken aback by his comment I couldn't even pull my thoughts together and fear that my response...my reaction was not very coherent. Whatever my message was, I let it get lost because I couldn't keep my normally even keel. And as I watch today’s riots happening in many of our cities, I wonder if the message will once again get lost as it did that evening in my friend's living room and as it did back in 2017 when the NFL gave in to pressure, cracking down on players who chose to take a knee to protest police brutality.

Now those who wish not to face the truth can choose to focus on something else. They can (rightfully) complain about the destruction, about the thefts and about the violence aimed at our cities' police officers. (To those who seek confrontation remember when thrown, a bottle can't tell the difference between a good cop and a bad one.) A riot changes the focus as we (rightfully) become concerned about the innocent business owners (some of whom are black) whose dreams have gone up in smoke. The story now is about violence, as those who do not want to admit the bigger problem find it easier to complain about "these people," allowing their anger over one wrong to keep them from dealing with the other wrong.

Here's where the focus should remain. An officer of the law put his knee on the neck of a human being. A man begged for his life for six minutes as another man knelt on him. (Odd how taking a knee has moved from a controversial statement of dissatisfaction to a controversial way to rob a man of his life.) For two or three minutes after George Floyd stopped talking, that knee remained on his neck. After eight and a half minutes of someone kneeling on him, a person, a citizen of the United States, an American was DEAD. And we now have two different autopsies, one saying that George Floyd died of asphyxiation the other that pressure on his neck contributed to his death. In other words, he died because he couldn’t breath!

Before we deal with race, there is a question we must ask and we can’t let what is happening during these protests distract us. Ask yourself: Do you want a country where a man (with or without a badge) thinks it’s okay to kneel on another (handcuffed) man? If you think this is wrong, don't let the real message get lost.

See also:

Medical examiner and family-commissioned autopsy agree: George Floyd's death was a homicide

Do You Stand With or Against Kaepernick?

Taking A Knee, Losing The Message: Why the NFL Should Stop Kneeling

The People Behind the Ban on “Merry Christmas!”

I'm surprised! December is almost half over and I'm yet to hear of any “Merry Christmas” boycotts. Am I just out of the loop? I'm sure there are some who are avoiding their favorite coffee shop because they use the wrong cups but overall there doesn't seem to be an issue this year. Still, I find myself thinking about (concerned about) the people who were behind the bans on saying “Merry Christmas” in the first place. What's going on in their hearts that they miss the joy that comes with acknowledging the "reason for the season"?

Who is it that would go as far as trying to ban the words “Merry Christmas,” from being said at Christmas? Some are people who are afraid of offending others and are perhaps even offended themselves at the mention of anything having to do with Jesus Christ. Where believers see the love expressed that day in a Jerusalem manger some seem to see anything but love and compassion, bristling at a narrative that challenges their belief about themselves and the world around them. For them a Nativity Scene represents exclusion and pain and even ignorance, anything but the idea of a light coming into this world that all might be set free.

Others suffer a pain of a different kind, for which the sounds of the season become a burden. For them the holidays represent emptiness or loss. Perhaps they come from a broken family with Christmas serving as a reminder of the physical and emotional distance that comes when a marriage or when any other close relationship fails. There are many out there suffering emotional distress because of mental illness or simply because they are alone. I can see how the words “Merry Christmas” might stir up internal turmoil instead of the uplifting intended by the person speaking.

Do I agree that “Merry Christmas” should be banned from the public square? Of course I do not. But as one for whom the season once represented the most wonderful depths of depression, I want to challenge fellow believers to do better. Don't just say the words. Act on their real meaning. On Christmas we celebrate God reaching out to us in a miraculous way so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Like our Lord let us reach out to others, including those who are offended by Christ. Reflect the light and the unconditional love that changes hearts. Live the truth that sets people free. Help others see the One in whom we might truly enjoy the season.

Should I Hate Mr. Ratburn Now?

Arthur (the children’s cartoon on PBS) was a fixture in our household for a number of years. Both of my children enjoyed watching and we even had a few of the books in our home library. I suspect my entire family can still sing the theme song. I certainly know it by heart. Arthur was a safe place to learn about manners and about handling bullies. With a cast made up of a number of different types of animals the cartoon was also a safe place to learn how people who are different can get along. But Arthur’s 22nd season began with a twist, one with which I suspect Christian parents will struggle. How we handle this twist will shape the beliefs of our children. Our responses will also affect how the church is seen from the outside.

This plot twist involves Mr. Ratburn, a third grade teacher who has been a part of the cartoon since its start. For twenty one seasons Mr. Ratburn has been a calm (but not perfect) mentor to the students of his class, representing an adult point of view for dealing with the ups and downs of being a child. This year we learn something about Mr. Ratburn which to my knowledge has never been talked about in any other episode. In this season’s premier episode Mr. Ratburn marries an aardvark: an aardvark who showed up for the wedding in a suit and tie.

So, how should followers of Christ deal with this plot twist? The knee jerk reaction is one of anger, lashing out at the show and its writers. I think this is the wrong response. For 21 years there was nothing wrong with the cartoon (aside from controversy over an episode of its spin-off “Postcards from Buster”). If parents suddenly slam the door on the series we send the message that Christians are afraid of and/or hate people who, in real life, are like Mr. Ratburn. We leave our own children with the wrong impression of how they should deal with real world issues. We also send the wrong message to people outside the church to whom we are called to minister. In order to avoid sending the wrong message believers should avoid the knee jerk reaction we are told we must have, choosing instead to trust God’s Spirit to give us the words we need in order to minister instead of trying to fight back. In other words we need to have a conversation with our children and with others who might be curious about our views.

Yes, I am certain that Mr. Ratburn’s wedding is meant to deliver a certain point of view, one that is at odds with the Christian faith. But we are told that our battle is not with flesh and blood. And so we must avoid the temptation to fight back out of a spirit of fear and hate, choosing instead the wisdom and love that can only come from our relationship with Christ. We must respond by being the light both in our homes and in our community.

No, I do not hate Mr. Ratburn. Nor should you.

Do you watch tv with your children?

On the day I finished this post I read about an Alabama PBS station which refused to show the episode. In their explanation they spoke of how parents trust PBS to provide programming that is safe for children to watch alone. I never trusted PBS or any other station, choosing to watch with my children. In fact even if the programming was “Christian programming,” I watched. (I know a lot of VeggieTales songs by heart.) I felt safer doing this and it gave opportunity to bond with my children.

Here is a link to a post where, while watching tv with one of my children, I found myself asking, Have We Lost Our True Heroes?

A Matter of Perspective

Photo by Mike Chai from Pexels

I would have made it if not for all the people. Like a herd of cattle, they funneled into the door that stood between me and my ride home. I tried to go against the flow but made very little headway. When the crowd finally thinned I ran onto the platform just in time to have the train door close in my face. And somewhere between the station door and the train door I passed a woman who made some remark about wishing people would just move out of her way. Initially I was annoyed at her comment which was clearly aimed at me. Later I laughed at the difference in how we each saw the situation. I still find it funny that each of us thought the other was the problem. Who was right? It’s all a simple matter of perspective.

Followers of Christ need to keep perspective in mind as we deal with people who do not know God. From our perspective every blessing comes from God and every daily event is orchestrated by Him. Even when a crowd of people sweep us away from the train we want to catch, God is still in control. That is how we see (or at least should see) life. That is our perspective. This is not, however, the perspective of the nonbeliever, who has no reason to look beyond chance or blind luck in explaining how our prayers are answered. People of other religions or of no religion might even think us a bit off when we speak of one who was raised from the dead. This is the perspective we must keep in mind as we share our testimonies with our friends and neighbors and with anyone else outside of the faith.

What do I mean when I say keep this perspective in mind? I mean we should not be shocked nor become angry when confronted with other explanations for what happens in life. We should not take it personal when someone refuses to accept what we say. In fact we should expect them to look for the flaws and the holes in our presentation, knowing that ultimately we’re not the ones whom they are rejecting. And so remember Christian, as you share the truth the resistance you face is not something to get upset about. It’s simply a matter of perspective.

Mary Miles and the Doctrine of Separate But Equal

I saw this sign while walking to the train station from work one afternoon. It is located on a bridge overlooking a set of train tracks near Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. At first glance the sign looked like one of the many historical markers found throughout the region but something seemed odd about the sign. While I could not figure out what was wrong with the sign I did stop to read what it said. From it I learned of Mary Miles, a name from history whose story seemed important. This was enough for me to do a little research where I found a woman whose legacy might have matched that of Rosa Parks if not for the fact that Miles’ fight contributed to one of the great wrongs from the history of the United States.

In 1866 Mary Miles’ journey to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court started innocently enough with a train ride to her home in Hinsonville Pa. Hinsonville was a community of free blacks, where Miles lived while applying for a teaching position with a Quaker group called the Friends Freedmen’s Association (According to a report on mainlinetoday.com). Traveling back to Hinsonville from Philadelphia Mary took a seat on the West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad. Like Parks, Miles was asked to get up. A representative from the railroad confronted Mary Miles suggesting she either move to the section of the train car designated for “...persons of her race” or get off of the train. (Swarthmore College Bulletin). Eventually Mary was left at one of the train stations along the line.

A year later Mary Miles sued the railroad in a Philadelphia court. The court decided against the railroad on the basis that skin color was not a valid reason to force someone to change seats. Mary was awarded $5 but would see the verdict overturned on appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In that case the court ruled that the railroad could ask someone to move on the basis of race as long as the person was offered a seat that was equal to the seat they were being forced to leave. This case would later be cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Plessy vs. Ferguson where the court said that segregation was constitutional.

Unfortunately not only did Mary Miles lose her case but in part her actions helped move the country into decades of court sanctioned segregation under the idea of “separate but equal” accommodations. This wrong would continue from 1896 until Brown vs. The Board of Education was decided in 1954. Ms. Miles' courageous stand was, for those 58 years, lost behind an outcome which lives as one of many negatives when it comes to race relations in this country.

Though the outcome was not what she intended, Mary Miles should be remembered for taking a stand. Yet, there was still something about that sign that just seemed out of place. Not until passing it several times did I realize that the sign was held up using plastic zip ties. This was odd even for a city that seems to pride itself on oddities. Fortunately, my research for this post led me to the answer behind the zip tied sign.

Turns out the sign honoring Mary Miles was not installed by the city. It is the creation of Ali Roseberry-Polier, a local author and activist, who wanted others to know about Mary Miles. Hence the use of zip ties holding the sign up. Unfortunately the sign is beginning to fall apart, having survived a year where it seemed as if it rained every four days here in Philly. It may also have fallen prey to someone whose motives were less than honorable. Hopefully one day Mary Miles can get a more permanent sign. Until then I’ll join in telling others about Mary Miles’ ill fated attempt to undo separate but equal before it became law.

(Update: Unfortunately the makeshift sign is no longer hanging near 30th Street Station, having finally succumb to the elements.)

Are You Really Calling the Police? Where is the Church?

I can still hear her scream. I remember the man falling as he ran past me. Now I think about that night every time I hear about someone calling the police on a person whose only 'transgression' is being black out in public. And each time it happens I find myself wondering where the church stands on this issue.

I thought about that night most recently after hearing the news that employees of a Portland, Oregon DoubleTree Hotel called the police on one of the hotel's guests. The guest, a black man, was in the hotel's lobby talking on his phone. Even after showing his key card and envelope with room number and check in date, Jermaine Massey was asked to leave. Portland police escorted him to his room where he retrieved his things. The officers then offered to help Massey find another hotel but he declined their help.

According to different media outlets the employees involved were fired. Most likely we will never hear their explanation as to why they needed to call the police on Mr. Massey. Most likely the explanation involves fear or suspicion based not on the actions of a hotel guest but upon what he looked like. We can only speculate on this as we have had to do so many times in 2018: as we had to do when police were called to a Philadelphia coffee shop where two men were waiting for a business associate. In the same way I can only speculate on what those women were thinking that night on a Philly subway platform.

I was in college at the time, headed home after a late night hanging out with some friends. Here in Philly we have a station where two subway trains meet. I entered the station for the Market-Frankford Elevated (the east-west train) and walked towards the passage that would take me to the Broad Street line (the north-south train). Along the way I saw two white women sitting on a bench while waiting for their train. As I passed both women wrapped their arms around their purses pulling them closer to their chests. I ignored them having no interest in their purses or their persons. My only concern was being on time for my next train.

As I reached the passage connecting the train platforms I heard a scream. Shortly thereafter a white man ran by me, tripping and falling a few steps beyond. He quickly jumped up and ran forward towards the Broad Street Line. Not until he turned the corner did I realize he was carrying a purse. By then it was too late, I would not have been able to catch him had I given chase. I hate to admit it but my first thought was “Ha, that’s what you get!” My second thought was that it was in my best interest to walk home instead of waiting for the train. I figured standing on the platform could only mean having to talk to the police. Under the circumstances I thought it best not to hang around. (I admit my own biases lead me to the wrong conclusions in both cases.)

Other than being black I have no idea what I had done that made the women clutch their purses so tightly as I walked by. I can only speculate about what they were thinking about me or about the white man who came later. Were they more comfortable around the white man before he mugged them? Did this comfort leave them vulnerable? Whatever the reason they were afraid of the wrong person that night.

Fear and stereotypical beliefs contribute to people calling the police on blacks who are doing nothing more than living. This is a heart issue. As such it is time for the body of Christ to decide where it stands. The church teaches that Jesus changes the heart for the better. His church needs to speak out as it has against discrimination in the past. We need to tell people how skin color is not an indication of criminal intent. The church needs to speak to the cultural change we need to see before another innocent citizen is harmed by a false report of a crime. It's time for the church to stand up.