A Well Earned Vacation?

So, beginning tomorrow, Congress and the President will take a month vacation. This traditional yearly break comes just at the right time because, well, there is nothing really to do in Washington.

The nation is sinking deeper into a coronavirus meltdown, the economy is winding down quickly, millions more are added to the unemployment rolls, and Congress needs a break, the President needs some time off to cheat at golf. It's not like the leader of the free world has much to do.

It would be wrong to say that Congress had not done a lot since the beginning of the year but let me go ahead and say it, “Congress has not done anything to deserve the salaries they have freely taken from the coffers of the American taxpayer this year.” They have largely fell in behind the lack of leadership of this president as it pertains to the COVID-19 virus, and for the first time in my lifetime has managed to politicize a virus pandemic. Incredible, absolutely incredible. How could a nation of reasonably intelligent people politicize a viral pandemic. Well, friends and neighbors, we have. And, let's not miss the fine point, it has cost us the lives of 7,218 Texans to date, and 156,000 Americans. Against those staggering figures I can understand why Congress and this president need a vacation—it is so exhausting to do nothing every day. After a while, you need some time away to do more—nothing.

The President's schedule has been so packed, he has not had time to talk with best bud Putin about the bounties Russia is paying the Taliban for American soldiers they have killed. I can understand the crowded schedule. If it is not giving a disinformation briefing on COVID, dissing one of his key infectious control scientists, its a tough round of golf requiring all his skills at cheating to win. I understand his inability to actually win an honest game of golf after all these years of playing. That would require learning, adjusting one's stance, one's arc, one's choice of clubs, and one's swing. Trump never changes anything, never learns anything, never processes new information, and repeats the same mistakes over and over again. No other reason he has to cheat, the only way he can be a winner is to cheat to win. A careful assessment of his whole life comes down to that simple truth, “he cheats to win.” Now, he is cheating America to what end, I cannot tell. I just know we are the poorer for it.

However, he and Congress need four weeks off. Sadly, for the most part, we will not know they are not there—because when they are there they accomplish nothing but argue and posture. Only a cynical, incompetent body of congressmen and women would leave their responsibilities to go campaign for another 2-6 years because well, we have such a good report to share with our constituents.

There are men and women without jobs but with families and mortgages or rent, and certainly food needs. This Congress has left without any kind of support. These folks did not cause the pandemic, they are victims of it. If our figures are correct and they are, the ones who are most impacted by this pandemic are again those who are at the bottom. They are the working poor, the single parent families, those without savings or any family to turn to in this time. These are folks of color without easily available medical resources, and often because of income restrictions not in the greatest health. Frankly, they are the workers of this economy who move food from one place to another after having picked it from the fields. They are the rank and file of the “service industry” which means they are at the lowest rung of our economy. They are the servers, waiters/waitresses which bring you your food when you are out. They are the cooks and dishwashers who make it possible for you to have a night out or every night out. They are the folks who clean your room at your hotel or the plane you will be boarding. They are more susceptible to the spread of the virus because they are the custodians, janitors, building cleaners, truck drivers that move stuff from one place to another. Because of the pandemic, millions have lost their jobs and today in many states, they will draw their last unemployment check of $600.00. Why, because Congress needs a vacation. The President needs a vacation.

I believe we need to inundate our representatives and senators with shaming. Simply put. Shaming. To walk off when the job is not done, to lay down your work because the whistle blows, to turn away from the millions who will suffer without any resources or hope in this next month. They should be ashamed.

These are not ordinary times. These are crisis times for many in America and it is not just those who have lost their income. It is crisis time in the health care community. Our nurses, doctors, health care employees are frightened and exhausted because each day the nation sinks deeper into the grip of a pandemic which no one will speak truth about. Leadership has not led, because there has not been a helpful, united voice that clearly tells the truth without political rhetoric, simply explaining to the American people what is going on and what they need to do.

A pandemic which could have been nearly stopped at the shore(like the Ebola virus), which could have organized resources across the nation, mobilized people and citizens to do their part knowing some sacrifice would fall to all, has slipped away and now has become a partisan war of rhetoric and blaming. And each day people die unnecessarily.

I don't often say this, but “Shame, shame on all our leadership. If you cannot lead, if the task is more than you can summon strength to do, then step aside and let someone else do what you could not do.Go home, please!”

Grands and Cockles

I can honestly say, “Nobody ever told me this would happen.”

Grandchildren are subversives. I did not honestly know that but the truth has slowly dawned on me. Grandchildren are gorilla warriors who slip quietly into your heart and change everything. Before you know what is happening, they have a grip so tight on your heart there is scarcely room for your heart to pump.

There was one pastor friend who pined, “If I had know having grandchildren was so much fun, I would have had them first!” I didn't understand what he was saying and so just took it as one of his snappy sayings.

Then my first grandson came along and not too long after that, a second grandson. I remember being at a Mexican food restaurant with my oldest grandson sitting next to me when he reached over and got a chip from the chip basket, dipped it into the hot sauce, put it into his mouth, licked off the hot sauce and then stuck it in my mouth.

It was put up or shut up time. Either I pushed the chip away(and broke my grandson's heart—I thought) or sucked it up and ate the chip. Grandpa ate the wet chip. Telling the boy's father later about the experience, he said, “I wouldn't have done that.” I did, but more especially, lived, and allowed that memory to live on and warm the cockles of my heart.

So today, my oldest granddaughter had an outpatient surgery to correct a small issue with one of her eyes. My mind, my heart, and my prayers were never far away from her as she moved through that experience.

I have never really ever been around girls much—until they were the marrying age, so little girls are a creation all to themselves—a divine mystery if you will. Anna always remarked how pitiful I was around the little girls in the churches. She thought it was funny how they could wrap me around their fingers. There was this one little girl in Shamrock who would come into church on Sunday morning and the moment she saw me, she would exclaim in a voice that would be heard through the building, “Peacher! Peacher!” That would start a torrent of gibberish I found occasionally difficult to follow.

So, I have surrendered to the power of these grandchildren and most recently the grand girls as they weave their spell on me. Our Face Book portal lets them and us pop in without notice and start a conversation. Most often if it is unannounced to us, it is Zoey(with a “Y”) she is fond of telling me, and she says, “Grandpa, I need to tell you something.” That may be the last thing I understand in the stream that flows from her lips. But, it does my heart good to hear,”Grandpa, I need to tell you something.”

Because my sons have married well, I get to be “just a grandparent.” Saying that is underscored with the reality that many grandparents for one reason or another are raising their grandchildren. We have seen that again and again in our practice. We have seen the weight, the stress, the responsibility laid on the shoulders of these grandparents. I deeply admire those who step up at a time when they should be grandparenting to raise children in the absence of parents.

I will say I was fortunate to have two grandmothers, and one grandfather. My mom's dad died when she was 11. Her mother was a real grandmother to me. She never missed a performance I participated in, never missed a sermon I preached on a Wednesday night, and her presence was enough to tell me I was so important to her.

Anna and I aspire to be those kind of grandparents. Years ago, I read a book on grief by Joyce Landorf in which she characterized two influences in our lives. She talked about balcony people, and cellar people. Balcony people were those who cheered us on and encouraged us in what ever we attempted to do that was good and noble. Cellar people were just the opposite. In the darkness their voices attempted to undermine, provoke doubt and chaos.

I know what I want to be to my grands.

Wash your hands, wear your mask for others, mind the gap, and be kind. It will brighten these long days we are moving through together.

What is Truth

Not only have we been treated for a roller coaster ride of troubling conspiracy theories, but we have also lost our moral mooring related to “truth.”

“Truth” is foundational not just for our life with God, but for our lives with each other. Some have noted we are in a “post truth” culture that easily and freely allows for “your truth, or my truth.” What that simply means to me is that “my perception of my situation, my experiences, my values are as valid as yours.” There is literally no “absolute truth.” All truth is relative, and is equally valid from person to person. An extreme example could be that if you decide my life is a detriment, or a toxic influence to our time, my neighborhood, or our society, you might feel it is noble to take my life. That is your truth and your truth is as valid as my desire to live. If you believe your speeding through a red light is excusable because you are late for an appointment, then your truth is as valid as the traffic laws that tell us running red lights are wrong. There is no end to where your truth can take you or what it may allow to happen.

The reality is, societies, cultures, states and nations exist in part because those who live in those societies, cultures, states, and nations have some common agreement on what is truth and what is not. It is that simple. Truth is not an esoteric topic only discussed among the intelligentsia, or as some in our time call them, “the left.”

The problem is that beginning in 2015, we had a candidate for President, who gathered a following by telling them, “You cannot trust what the media tells you. You cannot trust science, you cannot trust medicine, or academics to tell you the truth. You can only trust me.” His message was amplified by a television network which was hard wired to this candidate. Still today we don't know who is running the country, the network or the President.

Sadly, it is not alarming to the herd who follow this president.

I hearken back to a simple exchange between Pilate and Jesus when Pilate asked, “What is truth?(John 18:38)”That is the enduring question, “What is truth?”

I am a part of the old school believing in an unwavering “absolute truth.” I don't believe we necessarily can always discern that because first our brokenness before God, then our un-redeemed passions, hurts, and habits. I don't believe we can easily discern absolute truth because it asks too much of us and demands too much from us. However, I am personally convinced the unchanging God is the truth on which this whole universe is built, and continues to exist. I know there are more progressive voices out there who do not share this perspective, but that is where I am and where I stand.

Having said that, I am deeply skeptical of any one person being the fount of truth. That is especially true when I recognize this person to be seriously mentally ill living out a delusional script in which he is all knowing, all wise, and smarter than any of the experts who may have the misfortune of working for him, or around him, or simply be in disagreement with him.

I also realize while some of the great news leaders of our culture have sometimes erred and sometimes run afoul of a president or a politician, on the whole, we have depended on these bastions of journalism to help us keep our leaders accountable to the people. Unlike “us” their motives are not always pure, always benevolent, always right on. They make mistakes and some have made serious mistakes. However, that said, I trust much of the media. I trust most of the scientists, I trust most of the medical authorities who have stepped forward in this time to write and speak the truth about what is happening not just the information the “powers that be” say is truth.

I would also offer a cautionary word. In every totalitarian regime, one of the things tightly controlled is the media and what the media reports. State media is always right(because it is the party line) and every other news source is not sanctioned. It surprises me that more conspiracy theorist have not become skeptical of the FOX hard wire to DJT. Years ago when I was in college and often irreverent I would mention a preacher who basically said, “Put your mouth to the spout where the Gospel comes out” and of course, that was that particular preacher espousing that particular theology.

We have that today with Donald Trump. You can only trust what he says, and only the Fox network. All others are “fake news.”

Sadly, I am afraid he has it backwards.

Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories are not new to this president who literally wades in them when he is not cheating at golf.

I remember hearing my first “conspiracy theory” after the assassination of JFK. Now reliable sources note that over 30 attempts have been made on our Presidents since the first president was elected. Four have been successful: Abraham Lincoln(1865); James A Garfield(1881); William McKinley(1901); and JFK(1963).There was also an unsuccessful attempt on President Ronald Reagan(1981), and a successful candidate assassination, Robert Kennedy(1969) and unsuccessful attempt on candidate George Wallace(1972) and perhaps the third most sobering assassination outside of a president, Martin Luther King Jr. (1968).

The etiology of conspiracy theories seems to be stable across theories. They are based on limited information, unlimited suspicion, lack of rigorous thinking, and an end already determined to be true. Perhaps one of the most damaging conspiracy theories over the last 15 years has been Trump's belief that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Although, he was unwilling to take a stand, rather using his usual, “Well, I am hearing” or “Well some say.”Even though a valid birth certificate was presented, doubters still—well—doubted. Why, because they were convinced two things were true about Obama: 1. He was an “illegitimate” president, 2. He was Muslim.

I have long believed our first African American president was resented for no other reason than he was Black. Now, here are a couple of thoughts about that lingering accusation Obama was not born in America. First, if you remember, he was one in a crowded field of Democratic candidates. There were eight candidates: Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, and Tom Vilsack. If you remember, at some point along the way, (this is very pertinent to this rumor) news slipped out about John Edward's mistress and a child they bore together. With this group of candidates hungry to be the next president, can you actually and honestly believe keeping the “secret” of Obama's birth was possible? Can you truly believe that if Clinton had that information, it would not come out to disqualify him? Come on folks, put on your thinking caps. To what end would this lie be protected? What advantage would it provide to keep this “rumor” secret? Take another step. The Republican Senator John McCain, an American hero and conservative senator from Arizona would not have sat on such news. He was the Republican candidate if you remember. He spent a horrific period of time as a POW with his team rather than come home without them. Really, this patriot would somehow be “bought off.” The next candidate Barack Obama faced was Mitt Romney. Same thing there. Primaries and elections in America are always dogfights. They get ugly, blood is drawn, accusations are made. Yet, Romney never played the “not native born” card. Why, because on the face of it, it was not true.

The truth is, at the end of this rumor and accusation was Obama was an “illegitimate president.” However, just beginning with what we know about campaigns within the parties and presidential campaigns between the parties make it impossible to believe this part of the “conspiracy theory.”

The second part of the “Obama” conspiracy theory is he is/was Muslim.” I will offer a couple of facts about this. Perhaps first it should be noted that the Obamas were members of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Pastor was Jeremiah Wright who at some point said some things with which Presidential candidate Obama was uncomfortable and he withdrew his membership. Second, August 17^th, 2008, Obama participated in a forum at the Saddleback Community Church which was moderated by Rick Warren where John McCain and Barack Obama both attended and participated. The full transcript can be accessed here: https://votesmart.org/public-statement/658545/full-transcript-saddleback-presidential-forum-sen-barack-obama-john-mccain-moderated-by-rick-warren/?search=saddleback#.XyBmVZ5Kg2w It was in this setting Rick Warren asked both candidates about their personal faith in Christ. Both shared their “testimony” in the language of Baptists. During his eight years in the White House, the family did not consistently attend one church but visited with several. From what little I understand about the practice of a President attending a local church in Washington D.C., it could be an ordeal for all involved. The host church was required to provide certain space, the Secret Service detail had to be accommodated, and members were often inconvenienced. That is some of what drove Richard Nixon to hold worship services at the White House. Jimmy Carter and his wife attended consistently a local Baptist Church where he taught a Sunday School class. The Clintons usually attended a Methodist Church in the city.

So in this particular cluster of conspiracy theories, there is a poverty of data to show either is or could be true.

This conspiracy theory really highlights the whole problem with such rumors and beliefs. As I said earlier they are based on limited information, unlimited suspicion, lack of rigorous thinking, and an end already determined to be true. Sadly, in our time, conspiracy theorists have huge megaphones to spread their toxic rumors and theories. And, such stuff is easily picked up by people who believe they cannot trust their eyes, they cannot trust their government, they cannot trust the news media, or the institutions within our system of government which have protected us from the beginning of our life under the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The conspiracy theories on Face Book are sad because, they are not true, they reflect badly on Christians who seem to have a propensity to believe such rumors and theories never bothering to check them out or admit they were wrong when they posted something that was not true. Gullibility within the ranks of religious people seems to be a bottomless pit with a willingness to believe anything bad about folks who are not like us, or don't share the same opinions, or members of the other political party.

I am absolutely sure this grieves the heart of God. Do you remember the words of Jesus? “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” At the heart of our faith has always been truth, and continues to be “truth.” Truth matters to God. It matters to Him now. So, if we say we are His children and yet pass around conspiracy theories we dishonor Christ, our faith and our God.

Wash your hands, wear your mask from others, mind the gap, and be kind.

The Creepy Dryer

Yesterday, we were blessed by a great gift from Tim and Mandie. They finally decided to attempt a remedy for their crowded laundry room, and replaced the washer and dryer with “stackables.” They brought us their nearly new washer and dryer and took away ours. I had been concerned for some time our washer and dryer were not long for this world(do dryers wheeze—ours did). I had worked on both the washer and dryer previously(not terribly hard) but both were feeling their age. As I recall, the washer took us through Tim and Joseph's middle school, high school and college years. From there it went to Livingston for 11 years and today a year after moving to Round Rock was still going. The dryer was a little newer bought from my brother when he was running a store in Eldorado. It was the one that whined and groaned and left us wondering when it would quit. So, Sunday's call, and Sunday's arrival of “new to us” appliances were wonderful gifts.

I remember in the early days of pastoring, I wanted to live out the family work ethic and provide for my family by the labor of my hands. I found it difficult to accept honorariums for weddings and funerals, and gifts from members in the congregation. One of our dear friends in the church took the time to tell me that congregational giving to the pastor was something we needed to humbly accept and be grateful for. It was a lesson I would struggle with for years. It just was not in my “family DNA” to depend on others.

However, through my years as a pastor, I learned the joy of gratitude for others sharing with us out of their love and abundance. At first it was stuff from the garden, then it was money for gas when my dad was sick, then it was a watch from my alma mater, and again and again, it was kindness beyond description. The take away from those years was God was faithful to provide for his servants.

So, this gift came at a time when we were talking about purchasing a new washer and dryer. (One can date the age of their marriage by the appliances they buy along the way). Tim and Mandie's decision was a blessing.

However, having said that, I have discovered one small problem I will remedy this week. The dryer is “creepy.” In newer homes one of which we are leasing, every square inch seems to be spoken for. In this house, the washer and dryer sit together in a tiny little space between two doors. One opens from the house to the appliance room, and the other from the appliance room to the garage. It is tight. Not so much horizontally, but depth. And we discovered the dryer creeps forward. Anna made the mistake of going into the garage and could not come back in because the dryer creeped forward and blocked the door. Fortunately, she could go around and come in the front door.

I have never owned a creepy dryer. So this is a new experience. However, someone somewhere has anticipated this particular issue. So today we ordered “creepy less” applications which go over the legs of the dryer and solve the problem.

There is a part of me that wishes there were such easy solutions for the brokenness people bring to us. “All we need to do is order this simple fix, and “waalaa” your problem is no longer a problem.”

When the Scripture tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made, it speaks not only to the intrinsic value(we are the people for whom Christ died) but our virtues and vices which can be deep rooted and complex. In fact, it is the fact we are fearfully and wonderfully made that reflects the profundity of the depths of some of our struggles.

A creepy dryer, not a problem. A broken life so much more complex, so much more compelling, and so much more an opportunity for the grace of Christ and the healing of Christ.

Wash your hands, wear your masks for others, mind the gap, and be kind.

Solidarity

One of the lessons(among many) our current Congress and Legislatures have forgotten is the lesson of solidarity. That lesson is as old as the formation of this country, and as recent as the revolution which began in Poland with Lech Walesa in the 1980s which began the crumbling of Eastern European Communist regimes.

Basically, solidarity is the concept there is power and strength in numbers. It was true for the representatives who were assembled to modify the Articles of Confederation. However, when they got together, there was a nearly unanimous agreement the Articles of Confederation were deeply flawed. In our day we might say, they decided to spend any time on revising the Articles was equivalent to putting lipstick on a pig. So, with great courage and inspiration, they set about to draft the Constitution and later the Bill of Rights. Was there opposition? Of course there was. Some indicated the Congress had betrayed the trust of the people. They had gone beyond the scope of what they were elected to do. However, solidarity ruled, the Constitution was adopted, and later the Bill of Rights.

Today, it seems to me many of our elected representatives or legislators are running scared. They are afraid of those who elected them. So, many are unwilling to step up and make bold choices, and lead with courage and foresight. I have mentioned before it appears the interest of elected officials is to get elected, then stay elected. Beyond that, constituent services is about all they do.

Yet, these are days which call for courage and solidarity. Courage because our nation is moving into an uncharted future where technological advances will test both law and privacy. We are moving into a era where nations may be run with different ideologies, but the ability to protect critical information and intelligence are constantly being assaulted. There are many who believe this is still a world where tyranny lurks around the corner often in emerging nations where one leader can move an emerging democracy toward totalitarianism. With increased air travel, we are learning that a small virus outbreak in a remote part of the world can engulf the world before some nations can gear up for combating the emerging pandemic. We will only see more of this as time passes.

So, solidarity is needed within our governing bodies. By that I mean there is a default willingness to come together to make the hard decisions that protect us and also allow for a maximum level of freedom and opportunity for all. Having done that, the men and women who represent us are willing to stand together against the arm chair quarterbacks and extremists who always demand their own way to the exclusion of other equally viable ways.

One of the founding ideas embodied in our Constitution I believe was the idea that “the many” could discern the proper direction or course of action often denied to a single leader. The tragedy is that governing has become toxic because of the extremists who now intrude into the governing process. Such extremism requires all or nothing. Extremism is never in the best interests of a diverse nation.

The culture war that has raged in America since the late 1970's has made some Americans less valuable, some Americans less significant, some Americans less worthy, some Americans expendable. As a nation of opportunity, we have had little regard for the poor, the marginalized, the people in the shadows, and those who have chosen lifestyles which offend us and our morals. However, in our governing bodies, all should have some representation and all should have a voice. Just because I don't believe or accept a lifestyle is no reason to negate the person who represents that viewpoint and that issue.

Solidarity is the goal at the end of the day in government. Coming together having worked together, compromised together, and offered solutions which hopefully will move the nation forward.

It is Time

Friday afternoon I received a call from the lady who runs the American Cleaners kiosk in our HEB. I knew I had clothes there but since “shelter in place” it had been difficult to get to their kiosk when their limited hours noted they were open. She called to remind me I had clothes there and I needed to pick them up because American Cleaners was closing that location. I wished I could say I was not surprised, but I can't. The sad fact is that since I started dressing a little sharper in my last church, having my shirts heavy starched and later jeans the same, I have not found a cleaner quite like these folks. They would check my shirts for spots, sew on buttons I forgot to mention were loose, and just deliver extraordinary service. The lady told me, since shelter in place and work from home their business had been hit by two things, one less traffic and since folks were working from home, less cleaning and laundry.

American Cleaners is not the only small business closing their doors for good. This pandemic has not been kind to small businesses. So, the unemployment rate soars, large businesses and corporations are shedding workers like snakes shedding their skins.

The genius of our system of government should shine in times like these. Here is why. First, we need to be honest about where we are in our national life. We are at war again. Simply, that is where we are. However, this time, it is not the communists, or the Nazis, it is a pernicious virus which for whatever reasons, we have been unsuccessful in containing. There is lots of blame to go around, but the reality is this virus has created deep divisions in our country, it has put millions of Americans at risk, attempting to slow the spread has shipwrecked our economy, and overtaxed our institutions of medicine,our hospitals, and research scientists racing for a vaccine.

So here is where the genius of our system of government comes in. At the national level, when the House of Representatives gathers, and when the Senate gathers, all Americans are theoretically represented in these two sitting bodies. At the state level, the same is true for our state legislature and our state senate. Every person in Texas is theoretically represented in this deliberative body. You might disagree as to whom this refers, but I am expansive in my application: every person in this nation, and every person in this state.

So, with all represented there is absolutely no good reason for these governmental bodies to not work together to address this war being waged not overseas but from community to community. There is absolutely no justifiable reason for Republicans or Democrats to lay aside their differences and look at the larger issues which need to be addressed and should be resolved together. No one party has the answers, and no one party can remain doctrinally pure. Frankly, this is not a time for that. If there ever is a time for that, it is not now.

Instead, what we need are statesmen and stateswomen who are willing to reach across an unnecessarily wide divide and like governmental bodies during our world wars, come together to mobilize our resources, mobilize our most skilled people, mobilize our technology while instilling in the population a patriotism focused on beating the virus, helping our neighbor, and minimizing the spread of this deadly virus. We also need those same people to lead us forward in racial justice and immigration reform because we cannot win this battle without everyone fighting on the same team being treated equally.

What we need at this time is not a divided nation, but a unified nation under-girded by the prayers of people of faith, led by people of good will, inclusive of everyone in this great country, all pushing forward in the same direction reaching for the same goals—which is a virus free nation which has been neutralized by wise action, and hopefully vaccines. Our most at risk citizens deserve this, our families deserve this, our small businesses deserve this, our first responders deserve this, our medical community deserves this, and as in the past, it is not beyond our reach.

I do believe with all my heart, it is time for all of us to grow up, focus on the enemy to be defeated, do all we can to safeguard the health of our families, support those on the front lines of this battle, find innovative ways to keep the doors of the small businesses of this nation open, give consideration, kindness, and support to those who each and every day show up for work making sure each of us have what we need.

Wash your hands, wear your mask for others, mind the gap, and be kind and patient

Falsehoods on Facebook

I don't spend a lot of time reading FB feeds. It's not because I am like the President and “know everything there is to know about everything,” but because if the feed is not from a reliable news source(and yes, there are many), or a personal composition, I find that often the post is toxic, wrong, and divisive.

One today came across my feed, and I cut and pasted it onto my word processor because it sounded too wrong to be true. I did a little fact checking. On this particular viral post there were 11 statements which ended by bashing the media and saying, “This is what you call a stacked deck.” Here is the truth about the 11 statements: 9 were either dead wrong(6) or pejorative(casting aspersions on a previous Administration {4}). One of the statements was true. So basically there was one morsel of food floating in a septic pool.

It is troubling that a President who was actually elected twice by a majority of the population and brought a nation's economy back from the brink, could be a target for such vitriol, malice, and falsehoods. Sadly, now that license has been turned on a lesser man and a worse president, his base calls “foul,” and whines about his unfair treatment in the media. Every unnecessary death because this President has mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic, will rest squarely on his shoulders, his enablers, and Republican governors and state legislatures who valued party loyalty over the well being of those they were elected to serve. I will remember that come November. You should to.

Having lived through two hurricanes when we lived in Livingston, I don't ever remember curfews, regular police patrols, or orders coming from the Governor's office or local leadership which engendered resistant and the outcry of “having rights denied.” Yet, in a tsunami pandemic which in Texas continues to spike with 365,011 diagnosed with the virus and 4,468 deaths, folks are arguing over masks. Really, are you so emotionally detached from empathy and concern for others, the most important right you can think about is walk around with your face uncovered? Frankly, I have seen a lot of these uncovered faces, and wearing a mask gives us all a break. What I want to say is, “Grow up, think of someone else beside yourself, do your part, and help us get past this mess.

Many of these infections and deaths are the results of cowardly leadership. What that means, lack of leadership continues to put our medical community at risk, first responders at risk, and if that were not enough, now there is a push to reopen the schools before we have any indication it would be safe. So you can add teachers to the expendable list.

Every single day our political leadership fails to lead courageously to address this pandemic, the hole we are digging for ourselves just gets deeper and deeper.

On the upside, there will be a place to bury all the bodies.

The Knowledge Bank at Fox

In these days of navigating icebergs of misinformation, it is helpful to take the time to learn a little background on the Trump whisperers at Fox and Friends: Steve Doocy; Ainsley Earhardt; and Brian Kilmeade; and Dr. Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity. While not everyone who goes through the motions of post-secondary education actually come out more educated, it is more likely than not, some exposure to the wider world of ideas will stick. In our fast paced world of expanding knowledge, it helps to start somewhere to get a grounding on how to research, where to look, and who to trust. Not every iceberg is a danger but the capacity to know which are is vital to the security of a nation such as ours. The very bedrock of our society is not just free and open debate, but mutual respect and the foundational bedrock of truth. When the lines between truth and falsehood are so easily blurred, and millions of people are slowly led away to falsehood masquerading as truth, then the waters in which we navigate become much more perilous.

So, not being a fan of Fox, or Fox and Friends, or the Dr Laura Ingraham show or the Sean Hannity show, I ran some background checks on their educations. Hannity has the least being only a high school graduate but dabbling in some higher education. So, unless he spends late nights, weekends, and consults with a wide variety of scientists, anything he says about COVID-19, the pandemic, the scientists, medical practitioners who are on the front lines of fighting this epidemic, is—let me get the scientific word for it—hogwash!

Dr Laura Ingraham has a DJ degree which can be understood as a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. It is one of several law degrees offered in America but most often, attorneys with such degrees do not call themselves “Dr.” However, Ingraham has undergraduate education (Dartmouth).

All of this is to say that journalism degrees, or no degrees(Hannity) are not enough for me to disbelieve immunologists, scientists, and doctors about what is best for this virus. And when you shovel drivel everyday, people can lose track of how many times you have been wrong, or in error, or just off the mark.

But that's just me.

Grief and EMDR

This afternoon, Anna and I sat down and began to work on a project—me.

Some years ago, 1982 to be exact, my dad was in home hospice which meant the family was doing the leg work, providing the direct care and Hospice volunteers would come in at regular intervals throughout the day to help. The early hours of the morning found us in crisis with Dad. He was choking and Mom or I could not get the obstruction dislodged. I remember the panic, and the feeling like he was going to die and it would be my fault. All these years later, I have believed that single trauma resulted in my inability to relax enough to sleep through the night. It has been a difficult journey but Anna and I decided we would tackle the issue with EMDR. Before you get all crazy, professionals practice all the time time to improve their EMDR skills, and of course the practice most often always includes a real situation, trauma, or event.

So, we decided to practice and see what we came up with. I am always surprised at how the mind works, and how it connects events together which might not appear to have anything in common. That is a part of the whole EMDR strategy. It was certainly true today for us. While we wanted to target that fateful early morning trauma, we decided to walk through the process beginning at identifying a negative cognition which seemed to fit the situation. Then we went back to the earliest memory where the feeling resonated, next the worse, and then the most recent.

It was during this exercise I became aware of a deep, deep pocket of grief gathered up from family losses and ministry losses, which had appeared to resolve over time, but did not. More about that later.

The earliest memory, was about a year and a half after Anna and I married. I slept with the phone on my side of the bed. I am not sure where I learned that but I am relatively sure it was not in seminary. My logical mind said if a call came in the middle of the night it would most likely be for the pastor—and it would not be good news. Shortly after Christmas 1976, deep into the night the phone rang and it was Anna's dad. At first his words were gibberish, but when I asked him to slow down and tell me again what he had just said, it was horrific. Anna's two brothers' bodies had been found and Curtis wanted me to bring her home. I knew little more than that. It was the beginning of a grief that overshadowed her mother and dad's life as long as they lived.

The worst—for me was that early morning when I heard my Mom screaming for me that Dad was choking and she could not get the obstruction out. I was down the hall in another bedroom, but came running and eventually, we were able to remove the obstruction.

The most recent, was a call that came to me in the middle of the night in Shamrock from a deacon to tell me that one of our youth had killed himself with a shotgun and I needed to go tell his mother and step dad the news. I was so soundly sleeping, I had the deacon call me back in 10 minutes after I had awakened and repeat the information again. This was news one does not want to mishear or misunderstand.

So, with those markers, we began to do our EMDR thing, and it was helpful. We have more to do around this issue. For most folks it takes several sessions to work through a particular negative cognition or belief.

Back to this deep, deep pocket of grief I discovered while laying the ground work for the sessions going forward. The work of the small church pastor is still deeply involved with loss, grief work, and funerals. Larger, multi-staff churches can parcel out the funerals to whom is most available. However, the pastor is always/should always lead out in comforting the grieving whether from the pulpit or person to person. Over time, though, the pastor who cares will find himself/herself with accumulating/accumulated griefs. They could even be a hidden factor in pastoral burnout. There is never enough time to work through one's grief before another grief is laid beside it. The pastor who is also burying his own family simply adds more to the mix. And the pastor who comes and stays a while is often burying friends who have grown closer over the years and in reality become more like family.

Perhaps today, the word is, pray for your pastor as he/she navigates the losses and sadnesses of the congregation, of their own family, and remember those who serve also grieve. Remember like loss, grief is a human response although as believers we can grieve with hope.

I will also say to all you who are serving churches during this season, your leadership is critical, awesome, and brings more comfort than you will ever know. You may feel like you are making it up as you go along, but that does not matter. You are out front, leading and reassuring.

Wash your hands, wear your mask for yourself and others, mind the gap, and be kind

“Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man

I finished reading “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man” by Dr Mary L Trump. I would say I was both informed and disappointed. First, it answered the question a mental health clinician wants to know about how a person comes to be like Donald J. Trump. She answered that question as well as gave a short diagnosis of his personality issues.

In the mental health field, personality disorders are often seen as born in childhood trauma and attachment issues. However, personality issues are only—generally--diagnosed as the person reaches adulthood. In our time, some are hedging their diagnostic skills and labeling young adults earlier and earlier.

While the well written “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump” was well written by authorities in the field of psychiatry about their assessment of our latest president, nothing quite substitutes from someone right in the middle of the fray.

Dr Mary Trump is that. Perhaps like so many of us who pursue psychology, she was plagued with unanswered questions about her family and their inherent destructiveness. We don't know for sure if that was her motive. She does not go into her motives but simply tells the story of growing up as a Trump.

The two real stars of this book are Fred Trump, the patriarch of this dysfunctional family, and Donald J. Trump the favorite son. Mary's take was her father and Freddy's(her father) younger brother destroyed him because he was unlike them. He had a different dream and was not concerned with wealth or power. He wanted to be a pilot which he was, and loved in the air or being out on a boat with his friends. There is bitterness here, which I cannot completely dismiss. She watched her father ground down by his father and younger brother until he retreated into alcohol which ultimately killed him.

The reason I picked up this particular book was my curiosity about what kind of environment could have produced Donald J Trump. Sorry, it is a failing of the profession. Some of us like to know why and how. My hope was this book would provide insight into those questions. I must say it did.

Basically, what I learned from the author was Fred was a cruel sociopath whose primary focus was on making money any way he could. When I say that, I mean that—any way he could. So, legal boundaries were not an issue for him. Cooperating with organized crime was not a problem for him. He was a builder of buildings in Brooklyn and was proud of that. The fact that many of his building were nothing more than slums was not important.

That is the world into which Donald J. grew up. He was the anointed “one,” the one who had his father's blessing and according to Dr Mary Trump, it was because he was cut from the same bolt of cloth. He was a sociopath, layered with different kinds of personality disorders. She names a few. First there was antisocial(a pervasive, persistent disregard of the rights of others), narcissistic personality disorder, and one that surprised me, dependent personality disorder. This would explain his need to get out on the campaign trail and revel in the adoration of the crowd. He needs that affirmation.

What I did not expect was a more personal bitterness toward the family for what she labels as killing her beloved father because he was different. More than that the enabling which characterized the family and can now be seen in the administration of Donald Trump. Politicians don't realize their enabling of his reckless, illegal, and sociopathic behavior just emboldens him. Republican leadership around the country will pay the price of his careless, uncaring disregard for the health of voters who are facing new challenges with COVID. His determination to open the schools for the coming year has nothing to do with what is best for students or teachers, it has everything to do with his re-election. I believe it also has to do with his realization that if he fails to be re-elected, he will be prosecuted to the end of his life for his crimes committed before he became president.

We shall see.

Wash you hands, wear you masks for others, mind the gap, be patient, and be kind.

The Failure of Political Leadership

So today the number of COVID deaths in Texas today was 3834 with totals today in the US at 141,000. These deaths are so unnecessary because the COVID virus has been ensnared in the politics of the times. Early on, we could have addressed this virus and limited its reach if our politicians had not been playing “politics.”

If I had a relative who died because of this political football, I would be very angry. I have not had that. It was enough to suffer the loss of my mom during these days because the rampant spread of the virus caused the nursing home she was in to lock it down which limited visitors and simply confused more of the residents. I applaud the action of our Baptist Memorial family, but regret it came to this.

The fact is plain to me, our leaders did not lead. Our leadership did not make the hard choices, or brave the currents of disapproval to do the right thing. They were all cowards. Let me say that again, they were all cowards. No single person in elected office deserves praise for the inaction and the resulting death tolls that robbed innocent people of lives they could have lived. It was not just the old and infirm. It was the young, it was children, it was young adults, it was middle aged couples, and of course it was older Americans who had led distinguished and contributing lives to this culture and society who needlessly died because politicians did not stand up and take action. We should remember that in the next election cycle.

I have often asked myself the question, “What exactly is a leader?” Simple question, tough answer. What politicians often say is the “things that are important to my constituents,” or “the ideas of my party,” or the “wave of the latest thing pulsing through society.” None of those, in my opinion are leadership. There is really no basis in our history for such a tepid definition of leadership.

Real leadership is seeing the real issues which face the nation or threaten the nation and our culture. Seeing is only part of the solution. It also means effectively leading the nation to both see and respond to these challenges. It is both insight and motivation both of which are sorely lacking in our time.

Suppose in Congress and in the Legislatures around the country, we had a group of men and women who stood up and clearly articulated the issues before us, proposed solutions, and then set about to implement those solutions. Without regard to polls or donations pouring in, we had servants who simply served. They were people who actually did their job. They stood up to power, stood up to the electorate, stood up to enemies both foreign and domestic and with courage and confidence called us to move forward in hope.

COVID-19 is real. It has always been real. It was real when it crashed on our coasts January 22, 2020. It is neither more real today than it was then. It is no more lethal than it was then. And believing it is not does not lessen or impact the death toll. In fact, it increases it because ignorant folks want to believe it is some sort of conspiracy to deprive them of their “rights.” I would simply say, “You can decided to die if you want to, I however choose to live.”

I would sadly confess these are days when we are witnessing the failure of our grand experience of government called democracy. We are paralyzed in the tyranny of indecisiveness and moral cowardliness. Coupled with that is the corruption of the most vibrant aspect of our American Culture and our Christian faith—the Evangelical influence in American life. For “thirty pieces of silver” evangelical leaders have sold their place and power for lesser expressions of influence. Knowing that the rule of law cannot ever dictate the conduct of a people, they have bartered away the high ground for the lower ground of power. We are all the poorer for it.

How many more will die needlessly because of such a vacuum of courageous leadership?

Wash your hands, wear your masks for others, mind the gap, and be kind.

Social Security and the End of Life

Today, I got to call Social Security for the second time this week. The nursing home had received a letter to Mom telling her she needed to contact them immediately because the Nursing Home had sent her check back and they needed to know why.

Social Security is a rather prickly bureaucracy with which I have had the occasion to deal with several times over my hundreds of years of life—well, it just seems that way when you deal with Social Security. You can hear the “sighs” of a fellow struggler when you mention Social Security. Because this was not my first call to Social Security this week and before that in the last few years, I sort of thought I knew what to expect.

Right after we moved to Round Rock, Anna and I were on our way to see Mom in San Angelo when my phone rang. It was one of my medical device suppliers and my insurance had been changed and failed to pay for the supplies. I reassured the person my insurance had not changed and everything would work out. Then I called Medicare. They informed me my insurance had changed and was now handled by a company which did not exist and had not existed since 2013. Needless to say, that took a bit to unravel but eventually everything was back on track until the next year at the same time. Same song, second verse. I pushed back harder. I asked, “How come you don't know with whom I have my insurance when it is with you and you deduct the payment every month?” No good answer.

When we have attempted to talk to Social Security in behalf of our son, James, it is an ordeal. Both the person and the (legal)representative must be in the room and James has to verbalize Anna is helping with this issue and some document must be on file saying the same thing.

So, when I first called with the information about Mom's death, I expected to have to send them some sort of identification explaining who I was. Well, you will be glad to know they really don't care who calls to tell them one of their policy holders is dead. It's all good. They will take that news from anyone.

So, when the letter arrived on Wednesday at the Nursing Home, and I am the Executor of Mom's Estate, my sister-in-law Linda called with a hint of glee in her voice. She and Jim did the hard work of reeling Mom in, taking her cards, and attempting to get her affairs in order for the next stage of her life.

So, I knew I had to call Social Security today. I had a little conversation in my head informed by my track record with them. I expected the person to ask to speak to Mom directly, which of course would be impossible. I was prepared to say, “Well, she cannot come to the phone right now.” To which I expected a typical response(based on previous encounters with SS) “And why can't she come to the phone right now?” At which point I would say, “Because she is DEAD! And strangely enough is not taking calls at this time.” Don't judge me but I was actually looking forward to the call.

Instead I got this really sweet lady Jennifer, who looked up her file and told me they knew she had passed away.(So maybe the government is spying on us after all) I explained the situation(not of her death) but she had died at the end of June which according to the nursing home could mean the July check would have to be returned by law but then would be dispersed to the living heirs. However, Jennifer indicated that would not be the case because—now wait for it, she did not live to the end of the month which would have been Tuesday, June 30^th. I am not sure if there is a time when it is alright for the person to die on the last day of the month because for us it was a mote point. I am guessing by the end of the business day. But this is the government after all.

One down and several more to go.

Wash your hands, wear your mask for others, mind the gap and be kind

Taxes and Trump

I dragged myself to bed last night because my mind was exhausted doing our taxes(don't judge me).

I am proud to say this 2019 tax return was only 13 pages long and it has been e-filed just a few minutes ago. Joseph put me on to a new free tax return program called FreeTaxUSA. Previously I had used Intuit almost from the time taxes could be done on the computer, but it seems Intuit suppressed free tax preparation to of course, add to their profit line. Disappointing. So I switched—because integrity matters to me—even if it doesn't matter as much today as in the past.

I will say I never met a person who loved paying taxes. Especially, income taxes. However, it is the cost of maintaining our government as dysfunctional as it seems to be at this moment in history. I am one of those few who has believed there is a better way to calculate taxes and collect them. Apparently, the lobbyist who stop up the wise way of gathering and funding our government including our military, our different agencies, and our judiciary believe differently. Sadly, their dollars win-they always win. Among the conspiracy theorists who believe there are too many people feeding off of cancer could think seriously about how many feed at the trough of an inefficient and unjust tax system and turn their attention to a real problem. That will never happen. Conspiracy theories are by their nature ways of misdirecting serious energy and attention away from real problems.

So, today, I e-filed my 2019 return to the few people who are working in the IRS office. I don't begrudge them working at home because I truly believe this COVID-19 is a real disease and kills real people who leave behind grieving families. I can live with longer wait times, longer phone ringing without an answer, longer responses to almost anything. I believe every person loves their family as I love my family and doesn't want to lose a single one of them to COVID.

Tomorrow, I will call Social Security for the second time because the nursing home received a letter asking why Mom returned the check they sent. Even though I called on Monday, they did not have the information to stop the letter on Tuesday. They want her to contact them ASAP. So I will call tomorrow and tell them that Mom cannot talk to them because—she is DEAD. That is why they got their check back. I might also have the opportunity to tell them where she is does not have good cell service—not that she would know how to use it—however in heaven she just might! I promise it will be an interesting conversation which the person at the other end will remember for the rest of the day. I promise I will not be unkind just memorable.

I am enjoying filling in the blanks about the DJT dysfunction as I plow through the family history of his family. Families—Mothers and Fathers can shape us or break us and DJT's father broke him in so many ways it is not possible to count them all.

Wash your hands, wear your masks for others, mind the gap and be kind.

The Social Contract in Disrepair

I can only image how short my life would have been if I slid into the driver's seat of my 1964 maroon Impala SS two door hardtop and sped out of the drive way burning rubber because, “No body is going to tell me how fast I can drive my car. This is America and I can do as I please.” At 14 years old, my father would have killed me or he would have made me wish I was dead. In the same way, he did not go out in the front yard and shoot his double barreled 16 gauge shot gun—just because “he could.”

From the time of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, in America we have lived together with a “social contract.” Such a contract helped us form communities, work together, respect laws, have social services: fire; law enforcement; and various other conveniences of an ordered society.

It is as though all of that has fallen away in these latter days of rage and belligerence. When a home was quarantined years ago, we did not rise up and march because “rights were infringed upon.” We understood the risks to the community of contagious diseases.

These past few years have fanned the fires of hatred, racial division, conspiracy theories, and a flagrant disregard for the law. I am not surprised because our current President never met a law he would not break or disregard with disdain. So like poison leching into a well, it has poisoned a culture which has been given more, had more opportunities, leads the world in affluence—yet it is still not enough. We feel something for which we are entitled is being withheld from us. Sadly, the false prophets of Evangelical religious leaders are helping peddle that slop. Abandoning the church house and the prayer room, they have crowded polling booths, packed the courts with the “right kind of judges,” all the while making a mockery of “Trusting God not men.”

What the religiously judgmental and angry crowd cannot see is the parallels to first century Pharisees who were strong on the law, but weak on compassion. These ruthless crowds demanding the opening of our society, our schools, our way of life lack the basic compassion of a gnat. In the words of Dr Seuss, “Their hearts are two sizes too small.” That is a terrible indictment for a Christian. In fact, a compassion less Christian is an oxymoron.

Right now in my aging circle of friends, I have a pediatrician, more school teachers than I can count, law enforcement officers, soldiers both active duty and veterans, men and women who are retired but not useless, and children and grandchildren I dearly love. I would add to that ministry families I have known for many years or few years. I cherish each. I know social service folks who work in the trenches of helping children be safe. I know professors at the university level and all of them I respect and admire. I have siblings, nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews, and every single one is loved and cherished. I would not give up a single one of them. I would not exercise a freedom which could put any or all of them at risk. I would not fail to do everything the scientists and doctors who really know what is going on recommend I do. I have no time for pundits, and presidents who cheated their way to the top and know absolutely nothing about everything but they can talk loud and long pontificating with their gross ignorance. They may mesmerize fools and the foolish, but it is all gibberish at the end of the day.

So, perhaps what I would encourage you to do is simply this: Take a moment today and think about the most important people in your world right now. Think about them. Think about what if the reality of COVID is real(and it is) and because of your carelessness or someone else's, you lost them to the most excruciating death to come along in a long while. Put a face on COVID that is the person you most cherish—and then ask yourself, “Is it to much to wear a mask for them?”

Wash your hands, wear your mask for others, mind the gap, and be kind.

Greatness? I don't think so

I was reading the news this morning before I went off for three appointments. I was saddened(but not surprised) by the vitriol pouring from comments about wearing masks in public. Weak weird answers were posted by some using the Bible and then there was just the usual drivel.

Perhaps, our over stressed and overstretched healthcare workers could add a couple of questions when someone comes in with COVID symptoms. The first would be, “Have you exercised your 'right' to go around without a mask around people and in stores?” If the answer is an “honest” “yes!”which it most likely won't be, then the triage person could say, “Well, it just the flu! It can't be COVID-19 because that doesn't exist—right?” Another triage route could be, “Well, we are seeing a lot of people who think they have this COVID-19 thing, but since it is not real, you are probably mentally ill. Please wait until we get our on-call psychiatrist to give you an exam. Be aware, he, or she will be wearing a mask.”

If the selfish, assertive, demanding, table pounding folks who somehow believe their “rights” have been curtailed because of a pandemic, perhaps it is time to let them go to the front of the line—you know the line: exposure to highly contagious disease, health wrecking bodily damage, and possibly death.

These days are unlike any other time in my life. History tells us of plagues and pandemics and the lethally of such diseases, but I have not seen that in my lifetime. I was born on the cusp of the polio epidemic and was vaccinated as soon as it was available. I remember television black and white pictures of iron lungs and children in them. It was not pretty.

So, we are at a crisis point in this nation. The crisis point is simply our lack of compassion and concern for others. Somehow it is more important we get to fully execise our “rights” without restrictions no matter how much that behavior may complicate this disease, its transmission and its impact of select high risk vulnerable groups. We frankly don't care. Somehow wearing a mask in consideration for the safety of others, is an affront to our autonomy, our rights, our freedoms as true red blooded Americans(Ain't no body gonna tell me what I can and can't do).

It is sad our culture has come to that. It is beyond sad, we have allowed the ignorant voices of an maddening crowd to put us all in danger and for longer than necessary.

Who are we hurting when we only think of our personal rights? Let me mention a few. First this nation is a nation of small business owners. Years ago, my father was one and although there are many multibillion dollar corporations, America is still a nation of small business owners. The longer this pandemic is out of control, the more of those we lose. There are folks all around us who are medically fragile, some of which are children. The longer this virus runs out of control, the more of these folks will be at risk. If you have read anything, it is an ugly, ugly virus. It attacks all the systems of the body not just the lungs. Think about the teachers who stand before your children each day and attempt to teach them, preparing them for a more hopeful future. Do you really want to put them at more risk? Is it really important that you exercise that right to not wear a mask? How about the children in the classroom? Do you really want to be implicated in the unnecessary death of a child? Can you imagine the devastation of parents who must bury a child because of the carelessness of others. I can speak to that both experientially and pastorally. There is nothing quite like burying your child.

What about your family physician, or the specialists you turn to. How about the nurses who staff the hospitals and clinics where you go at a time of medical need or crisis. Are their lives worth less than your right to go without a mask in public? Really! Do you really think so little of another human life?

You see, in my opinion, America was great once, because it offered hope and opportunity to all who could get here—by whatever means. It was great once because it attempted to aspire to great freedoms for all. Each generation has had to push those freedoms further to more fully realize what it means to be “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” It was great once when no matter where the catastrophe, or the magnitude of the devastation, America was one of the first on the scene. It was the embodiment of who we believe we are. We had an expansive view of “our neighbor.” It was great once attempting to embody the influence of a vibrant church and faith in order to bless the world with the Gospel of peace.

So, I struggle in these days to understand how, with a daily, dangerous spike of COVID-19 cases in our state, that somehow, we can regard our neighbor with so little compassion but so much disdain, we would refuse to do our part in protecting ourselves and others.

This is not my America. And frankly, this is not the mark of “greatness.”

Wash your hands, wear your mask for others, mind the gap and be kind

A Call to Action

This could be one of those watershed moments in the life of our culture and our nation.

Several undeniable forces are pulsating through our nation and culture today. Of course there is the racism issues that have boiled to the surface again, and there is the COVID pandemic which is spiking in some areas(Texas for example) putting stress on everyone.

There are nations which have an identity of community and even solidarity however, that is not really the routine American experience. We have taken pride over the years of being a nation of individuals and of personal, individual rights. If the right is there, we have the right to exercise it to the fullest.

The problem is these are days which need a more cohesive and kind camaraderie because so much is at risk. It calls from us both kindness and consideration in order for all to move through these days which have beset us.

Let me address the two issues on my heart and mind. First, there is the issue of ongoing systemic racism which has plagued the American experience from its inception and even today pour a toxic poison into our national life. I will freely and sadly admit I have chosen to move forward in my life in ignorance about the forces of racism in my world. I chose not to listen, not to see, not to intervene, and as a result simply piled injustice upon injustice. I am guilty. I can and will not speak for no other person. It is a weight and a failing I carry every day. However, the failure of the past does not have to be the failure of the present and the failure of the future. I believe there are many White people who have been awakened to the urgency, the need, and the injustice that has plagued our communities of color for far too long. There is a momentum building and an opportunity which need to be seized to move equality forward for all. It was a notion in our founding documents, it was a failure of our founding fathers not to address the racism and slavery of the time, but the time is now, the opportunity is now. So we must act. We must join people of color who choose the peaceful demonstration over the rioting and vandalism and walk with them amplifying their voices moving the cause of equality forward until all are encompassed in the promises of our Declaration of Independence, Constitution,and Bill of Rights.

The COVID-19 pandemic requires a selflessness from each of us which is daily on display in our hospitals, our Ers, our ICUs which are exploding with new cases of COVID. When that happens, some may survive but many will not. Our doctors, nurses, medical technicians are both overwhelmed and exhausted. Long hours, tough choices, and endless demands are wearing them down. Our first responders are putting themselves at daily risk as they respond to emergency calls thus exposing them to this deadly disease.

This is not a time for complacency. It is not a time for selfishness which asserts one's right above the best interest of others. It is not a time to parade one's resistance to the wise counsel of scientists and medical personnel because “no one can tell me what I can or cannot do.” Let me be clear, if the exercise of your “right” to not wear a mask results in the spread of COVID(because you may be a asymptomatic carrier), causes the infection of one person, contributes to the over-stressing of already stretched thin medical resources, or results in one death unnecessarily, then you are wrong, and especially if you are a believer you are guilty of the careless death of another.

There will be a time to push back on intrusion into our personal liberties, but this is not that time. There will be a time when we can ignore wise counsel with few consequences, but this is not that time. There will be a time when you can do as you please as often as you please, but this is not that time. However, this is the time, really past time for us to put our hearts and shoulders together to move this state and nation further down the road of containing and extinguishing COVID from our midst. This is the time to think about others when we consider our actions. It is time to pray for others because we know some are fearfully cowering in their homes. It is time to refuse to add to the already overwhelming burden on our medical people and first responders no matter what the request or the inconvenience.

It is time for us to live boldly, out loud with the love of Christ for all around us whether or not they are believers or part of our faith group. It is time. It is past time.

Wash your hands, wear your mask for others, mind the gap and be kind.

The Best News of the Day

Today, the best news of the day was COVID vaccine trials will begin shortly on three potential medications which could prevent infection with COVID-19. At a death toll in the US reaching 135,000 and deaths in Texas exceeding 2,943, it is time for some good news. And no there is no evidence doctors are listing COVID as the cause of death to get paid more. That is a foolish conspiracy theory with no basis in fact which is generally true for conspiracy theories. Generally such murmuring are short on facts and long on paranoia. The general rule is “Someone is out to get us/control us/ exploit us.” You can take your pick. More reasonable thinking people realize such notions are flights of fancy.

It is tragic this COVID pandemic has gotten tangled up in politics and as a result has caused more carelessness and deaths than if it were something straight forward like polio. No one looking a child stricken with polio would say, “It's only a childhood sickness.” Yet time and time again I have heard people infer it is only the “flu.” The problem is this past flu season killed between 24,000-62,000 in the and our first wave of COVID(five months)has killed 135,000 people. So, “No it is not the flu.” We are also beginning to see that even some who recover from a “mild” case of COVID are left with life long debilitating symptoms which will follow them to the grave. Confusing the issue is that the corona virus is a cluster virus that has been around for many years. The common cold is a corona virus, however the COVID-19 is new in the sense it has broken out into the human population. The novel coronavirus is a zoonotic disease, meaning an infection that can jump between different species."Both SARS and MERS are examples of viruses that came from mother nature. In the case of SARS, scientists believe the virus came from a bat then went to a civet cat, and then infected humans. In the case of MERS, they believe the intermediary animal was a camel. (information borrowed) At this point, I am not sure it is important where it came from, but how can it be stopped. This is a pernicious virus which strikes hard the most vulnerable but also leaves a swath of health issues behind in people of all ages. More than that, it may be the first time a virus like this has put at risk so many care givers like physicians, nurses, hospital employees, first responders and others on the front lines of fighting this pandemic.

It is for that reason, we need to find our place in helping our country move beyond this pandemic. Of course God's people need to pray asking God for solutions and treatment protocols which will save lives. God's people also need to find ways to worship when these times keep us from being inside the church house. It is an uneasy accommodation to sit on your couch listening to your pastor on FB or a website, but it should make us more hungry for the fellowship of believers we might have so easily taken for granted. Personally, I yearn for the crowded halls and tight spaces in our worship center as we gather in to worship together. I yearn to hear the people of God sing the songs of praise that are so essential for our worship. I yearn to be with people as we pray together and interestingly enough—listen together to the Word of God shared by the pastor. I have recently come to appreciate the corporate act of listening as the Word of God was set forth to the people. I never had thought of that bond among believers before.

Whatever unfolds, believers need to be a part of solutions. These are unusual times. People cut off from human contact not getting out because they are afraid need someone not just to care but to make contact. Anxious folks need to be in contact with non-anxious folks to help them settle down. The depressed need to know someone cares. Our church leaders need special measures of grace because they have forced to do “church” in entirely different ways than previously done. In the past, streaming was an adjunct to the people present in worship experience. Now, for most churches it is the new normal but we struggle to accept that as normal.

I believe Christians have a unique opportunity to live out loud our faith. We have the opportunity to be kind, to be gracious, to be hopeful, to be intentional, to be magnanimous, to everyone we meet. I am not sure in my adult years, I have ever seen a culture and society under such stress. The adjustments we are making are not easy and not without frustration. Those of us who take this virus seriously know our loved ones of any age can be in contact and even fall ill to this disease which could have life long consequences.

At the same time, we are seeing civil unrest mostly peaceful demanding equal rights long withheld and long overdue for people of color. Some of us are taking the opportunity to educate ourselves in the struggles and complaints of people of color so that we might move forward together. Having lived and worked with African Americans my whole life, I am learning how things look from their perspective and I find myself ashamed at my insensitivity and ignorance.

So, from my vantage point, that is where we are at this time in America. I will say I was born into the American family in Odessa, Texas. Saying that does not mean at some point in the past I forget my linage were immigrants. I am proud of America(mostly) and believe in the ideals of this nation however unfulfilled as they are for all. Having traveled the world with my bride or a mission team, I have been in many countries but never found even one that reflected the hopes and dreams of America. I believe we can have a bright future if we face our past sins, ask forgiveness and move forward together. We can have a bright future is we as believers understand it is not about America, it is about the Church which needs to repent, return to God, and seek Him. When that has happened, the kind of social concerns we have melt away without stacking the courts, gerrymandering congressional districts, and manipulating elections to our favor. America will only be as moral, as courageous, and virtuous as the Church of the Living God is. That is the long and the short of it.

Wash your hands, wear your masks in consideration for your neighbor, mind the gap, and be kind.