Every year 47,000 Americans kill themselves and 72,000 more die from drug addiction. Journalist David Brooks says: “This kind of pain is an epidemic in our society. When you cover the sociology beat as I do, you see other kinds of pain. The African-American woman in Greenville who is indignant because young black kids in… read the whole article here https://wp.me/p7o8lu-gQi
During the past few weeks I have been reading various economic, political, environmental and sporting predictions for the coming year. Happily (and especially if you are a D-Backs fan), people are notoriously poor at predicting the future. Time has shown that we tend to construct predictions from our wishes or fears rather than actual data. Those who are paid to make such forecasts are often way off the mark, such as the banker who famously told Henry Ford that the horse was here to stay, or the British weatherman who famously on the eve of the country’s worst ever recorded storm, announced that “it might be a little windy tomorrow.”
There are dangers in putting too much store in what might happen, however prophecy and prediction are not the same thing. When the prophets – like Jeremiah and Isaiah – pointed to events in the future, they were not predictions of what would happen; but rather descriptions of what could happen if the people didn’t change their ways. Their focus was on making things right in the present, rather than being right about the future. They called out uncomfortable truths – sometimes at great personal risk – about the injustices of society, the people’s indifference to poverty, or the environment – urging people to change now in order to avoid future catastrophe. The Jeremiahs are perhaps long gone, but if we listen carefully we can hear the prophets of our day. They could be journalists, or musicians, or perhaps even children. There are no special qualifications required, and the message, doesn’t have to be conventionally religious. The inspiration of their message if it is for the good, can be seen ultimately to have its origin in the divine, but the action is earthly, urgent and rooted in the now. Some believe that part of the supernatural outworking of creation is that God has placed the future inside the present. Are we ready to discern and listen to those speaking the truth about what is necessary this year in order to win a hopeful future for ourselves and the generation to come? May it be, that our hearts and minds may be open to those voices, and to God speaking through them. *
“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
I wanted to take this opportunity to follow up on Peggy Roberts’ article from last week regarding the Diversity and Inclusion Day to be held this Monday, January 21st in the Everett Luther Life Center, between 12:00 and 3:00PM. The Diversity and Inclusion Action Council (consisting of residents and staff) specifically chose to hold the event on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as an honor to the many contributions of King’s societal movement to a more inclusive society.
A day such as this makes me incredibly proud of our campus community as we resolve to stand together to recognize we have the power to change our attitudes, to overcome our ignorance and fears, and have the ability to influence our peers and neighbors to embrace and build together a more loving, caring community—open and affirming of all.
The campus is a community of caring people who, together, create a healthy, safe and secure place for everyone—no matter the geographic, ethnic, economic, religious, sexual orientations, age, or gender identity—to live, work and age with dignity. It is truly an environment which promotes acceptance, inclusion and diversity where everyone can thrive and live to their fullest potential by respecting each other.
I do hope you will join us for the open house. Whether it is for 10 minutes or the entire three hours, your presence is appreciated. Come by to hear what diversity and inclusion means to others, share your place of origin on the world map, and enjoy foods from around the globe. *
January 21 from 12 – 3 pm Life Center
Since last April, a council of residents and staff have been meeting to focus our attention on issues around diversity and inclusion. We seek to live further into the Beatitudes Campus Promise to value and welcome all people regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. We believe that each of us can not only make a difference but BE the difference to help create an environment where we can bring our whole selves to our community. We hope to create and sustain a culture where every employee can come to work feeling comfortable, accepted, and set up for success–a community that residents call home where they feel a sense of purpose and value. The Action Council is excited to invite YOU to our first annual Diversity and Inclusion Day next Monday, January 21st in the Life Center. From 12 noon to 3 p.m. there will be a variety of presentations and activities and we hope you will come participate any time that afternoon. A glimpse of what we have planned: 1. Celebrate your unique identity and culture by finding your place of origin on a world map and realize how globally connected we are; 2. Share what diversity and inclusivity mean to you; and 3. Enjoy tasty snacks which reflect spices and tastes from around the world.
January 21st is also important because it is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day when we recognize the many contributions King’s movement made toward bringing about a more inclusive society and the powerful words of his I Have a Dream speech will inspire us during the day. There will be tables with items and information celebrating Black History, the LGBTQ community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning), and areas of travel such as Indonesia and the Ukraine, plus the opportunity to sit with others and share your story. Our diversity makes for such a rich tapestry! The heritage of Christian hospitality on which the Beatitudes was built, laid the foundation for this community to be an inclusive culture where all feel supported, valued and appreciated, but it takes every single one of us working together to live that out every day. We are excited for this event and we hope that you will join us in this mission to fulfill our promise! The Diversity and Inclusion Action Council is looking for others who are passionate about this work so if you would like to join the Council or would like more information please call me, Chaplain Peggy Roberts at X16109.*
Flying back from my vacation this week I saw three kinds of behavior when the seatbelt light was turned off. Some people pushed their seat back immediately with an air of entitlement. Some sat bolt upright throughout the journey. Others appeared to wait until they were ready to go to sleep, and before reclining looked over the back of their seat and sometimes spoke to the person behind, before deciding what to do.
An aircraft cabin is a microcosm, a sealed community brought together for a few hours. It is a snapshot of life, a good study of our increasingly individualized society dominated by a push for the priority of individual rights over those of a larger group. I spent eleven hours musing on this while my legs were pinned against the reclined seat in front of me. I could almost hear the person in front thinking “I can push my seat back because I have a right to do so: if it cramps you, then pass on the pain and push your seat back into the person behind.” As the British would say ‘I’m alright Jack, so pull up the ladder’. In other words; I’m okay- never mind the rest!
Our rights of determination and ability to make independent choices and are important ones, however God didn’t create a world filled with the diversity and wonder of humanity for us to ignore each other, or for us to focus only on enforcing our own individual rights to the detriment of others.
Its difficult though isn’t it. I will admit it. I too reclined my seat, and by doing so probably squashed the person behind me. Thinking beyond the example of the airplane however, it is important for us to all recognize that the lives we lead and the choices we make have an impact on others. When our choice is one of whether to recline our plane seat, the impact is minor, however the crisis comes when we apply that same logic to issues that affect our wider society or global community.
There are often a whole host of reasons that we narrate in order to convince ourselves and others that we are helpless to make a choice which is mindful of the needs of others. We have all played semantics when it comes to loving our neighbor, and living our lives in ways that is mindful of others. It is easy to say “Jesus says that we are to love our neighbor, but he wouldn’t have said that if he had met my neighbor!”
How many times do we simply refuse to look at the effects and impacts of the decisions we make, simply because it is easier to do so? I am sure that many of you have read in the news recently stories of huge islands of plastic waste floating around the world’s oceans, and have heard estimates stating that 100 million marine animals die each year because of that pollution. Has there been an uprising of the masses in response to such a shameful failure in our stewardship of creation? Or is it easier to look the other way, regardless of the impact that our choices?
We all have different ideas about how and why we came to share this world. Perhaps we can all agree that if we see other human beings not simply as an obstacle to the full exercise of our own rights, our relationship with others can be the starting point for our own spiritual and ethical development. Let’s not simply lean back in our seats regardless.*
