America Is A Racist Nation, but.....

 

America is a racist nation.

Just as every nation is a racist nation.

But America is one of the least racist multi-racial nations on earth.

We have fought so hard and come so very far.

Yet, we are not done.

The problem is that every human is racist at some level.

Laws and regulations may help, but will never alone suffice.

Only changed hearts can right the wrongs.

I will never wear the label "racist" because of the light color of my skin.

The demand that I do is itself naked racism.

I will never bear the wrongs of generations past.

Americans of earlier generations made their own mistakes just as does ours.

I am not responsible for the evils of the past.  All I can do is try to lessen the evils of today.

 

I am proud of our history.  We are a noble nation and a noble people who out of many have become one.  But I am not proud of every part of our history.

Our historic wrongs do not define us.  Our noble impulses and behaviors define us.

Fools who attempt to erase or re-write our history will only cause future generations to make similar mistakes.

May God bless America, and all the peoples that are here

who make us who we are today and who we will become tomorrow!

It's NOT Too Late: We Can Rebuild America the Beautiful

America is in desperate need of awakening and revival. Better political representation at all levels will help, but government will never be more than a partial solution to our deep-seated problems. We have a heart problem, and only hearts healed and reshaped by the Healer will suffice. 

Founding father John Adams wrote, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." 

For 245 years we have been among the freest and most blessed people on the planet. But as many devolve into the "any other" Adams wrote about, one possible future is that we find his words prescient. 

I reject that future! 

Nehemiah said, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” His words ring clear even today. 

• You and I were born into this season to fight for all that is noble and pure and holy in America. 
• We were born to fight for a shining future for our sons and daughters and grandchildren. 
• We were born to fight this battle on our knees, living lives of holiness before the Lord. 
• We were born to fight by demonstrating the beauty of the Kingdom of God with our lives and our love.

It is NOT too late. We can rebuild America the beautiful.

Beating Nighttime Wakefulness with Peace: A Strategy that Works

A few months back, I shared a strategy for filling nighttime wakefulness with peace rather than the usual half-wakeful thoughts of the evils afoot in the world today.  This is an update: it not only works, it works REALLY well.

The strategy originated in a casual comment from the leader of the Bethel movement, Bill Johnson.  In the midst of a sermon on something else, he remarked that when he is awake at night, he will go over in his mind scriptures that he has memorized.

I thought to myself, “I can do that,” and I was motivated because at that time, I was plagued by wakefulness on and off during the night hours.  Often I would lay half-awake for a half hour or more.  Anyone else identify with that?

Anyway, I dove into it.  I started off with the 23rd Psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not be in want….”  That helps my peace.   I branched off into Colossians 3:1-3 and Romans 12:1-2 to remind myself to guard my eyes and ears and to renew my mind.  I will add more going forward.

Today, more than 6 months later, I can tell you that this practice has brought about a revolution in my sleeping patterns.  I ALMOST NEVER lose sleep these days.   I typically fall asleep again after only a few seconds…...and I know that because when I awake, I sometimes remember where I left off in my meditation on this or that scripture.  If I have trouble, I just switch scriptures.  Boom.  Back to sleep.

AND, while I typically sleep within a minute or two of my head hitting the pillow, if I have trouble, I just start reciting my memorized scriptures, or think on the scriptures I read just before I put my head down.  

Here’s another thing: I learned that my brain has figured out a way to do this.  It’s almost as if the 23rd Psalm has a structure.  I can almost touch it.  I believe with practice, I could learn much longer sections.

One last thing: this is renewing my mind.  I am no longer wasting mind share on things that spin me up that I cannot change.  I am thinking more on things above.  I don’t ignore what is happening in the world; I spend a little time each day looking at current events locally, nationally and internationally.  But that’s not where I keep my mind.  It’s just not profitable for me or my family or my calling.

Do I recommend it?  Sure!  Not everyone wants to memorize scripture, of course.  I would think that favorite lines of peaceful poetry would also serve well.

How do you manage your thoughts in times of mid-night wakefulness?

Image by wisconsinpictures from Pixabay

Following Jesus: Benefits in this Life, Too

The point of the Jesus-following life has always been and will always be love: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  (Luke 10:27)

 

Jesus constantly demonstrated love, even for undervalued women and children as shown here.  
He is portrayed here by Jonathon Roumie in the brilliant and sensitive series, "The Chosen".
See below for information about how to watch the series free.

 

While love is the point, there are undeniable benefits of following Him. Jesus told us, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

 

And in the two thousand years since He walked the Earth, "more abundantly" has been the reality for Christians, and even society at large. Social science confirms it.

 

John Stonestreet and Kasey Leander wrote recently about this in a recent blog article, Is Religion the Opium of the People, or the Ladder?

 

The wrote, in part,  "Regular attendance at religious services consistently correlates with longer life spans, stronger immune systems, and lower blood pressure, as well as decreased anxiety, depression, and suicide. Kids raised in religious households have a lower incidence of drug addiction, delinquency, and incarceration. They’re more likely to graduate high school. In short, the nearly unanimous scientific consensus is that religious belief is good for you."

 

And if that wasn't enough, Jesus also said "for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

 

In short: the Jesus-following life = better life + better life after life!

 

 

[You can watch the series The Chosen for free.  You will be invited to "pay it forward," but there is no obligation.]