Already and Not Yet

The last couple of months before I left Malawi, I was confronted with so many people enduring challenging life events. As I walked into church, the hospitality greeter asked me when I would start the trauma healing group that I had a few years ago again. She said that she was sexually harassed at work and when she reported it, her company fired her. She is heartbroken and hurting… and jobless. She misses attending the trauma healing group because it was a space where she could share what she was feeling.

Last year, I gave a talk to a group of churches in Black Mountain, NC, a beautiful small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains, right outside of Asheville. I shared with them that their region is generally considered a “climate refuge,” shielded from the worst effects of climate change. Hurricane Helene shattered that illusion, claiming 115 lives in North Carolina and leaving thousands without basic necessities.

At a recent screening of Johnny Lee’s documentary, “Canadiation: Impacts of the Doctrine of Discovery,” a good Christian man came to Johnny and myself before the documentary was over to share his views.

Discount? Why, yes please! A friend asked if I was interested in attending the Courageous Conversations Conference, with her to be a part of a group rate. Courageous Conversations is “an annual gathering that unites Black voices from both conservative and progressive spaces and believes in the power of diverse thought to foster growth and understanding.” Get a discount? To attend a conference I already planned on attending? Yes, Ma’am! The conference, organized by Jude 3, had already been on my radar since I saw some of their content on social media.

The book of Genesis begins with a beautiful telling of the creation of the universe. It is a good creation and after humanity is on the scene it is a very good creation. The human story is a beautiful one with communion with the Creator, a beautiful garden, relationship with animals, the beginning of family life, and all of this takes place in a time of harmony.

We (Paul and Barnabas) tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" - Psalm 56:3-4

How shall we demonstrate our solidarity with our First Nations brothers and sisters? 

What images and associations come to mind when you ponder the phrase, “Survival of the fittest?”

All my life I have assumed that the phrase meant the strongest ones become stronger and more numerous while the weakest ones diminish and eventually die out. I picture ads for fitness clubs showcased by hyper-muscled super-humans. I’ve also assumed that this summary of Darwinianism undermined biblical notions of justice; thus, my calling as a Christian was to defend and support those weaker ones. Survival of the fittest? NO! That’s not the “Jesus way.

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  - Luke 12:4-7, NIV