Today’s a new day! God, you created all of us in your beautiful image. Open our hearts and minds to this truth. Help us to recognize that all of us, regardless of skin color are your children. Dear God, help us build bridges of community and hope and not walls of hate and separation. Teach us to love, serve and listen. Open our eyes to the sin of racism. Give us the boldness and courage to stand up against the evil of racism and all hate. Dear God, teach us to celebrate our differences and to see diversity as a strength and not a weakness. Bless us with grace and patience to work together to end racism and hate in our world. Dear God, give each of us the desire to truly live together as brothers and sisters. Amen. ~OC
Today
Today’s a new day! As I scrolled through social media this morning and watched the news, my heart broke with all the hate I saw. A lady in Atlanta trying to burn down the childhood home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. All the antisemitism and hate against Muslims. The hate against Christians. As I scrolled through all this hate, I realized the as Christians we have to step up and act by shining God’s love and light on this hate and violence. We need to pray, to be sure. But those prayers must also be met with peaceful steps of action that respond to this unconscionable violence and evil with a resounding No.
This is not a call to activism per se. This is a call to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus. He provides an example of love for all, and commands that we do the same (Matthew 22:36-40.) But love is not only an emotion we feel for individuals, it is the basis and fuel for action. If we truly love all of our neighbors, it stands to reason that we must act when they come under attack.
The love of God never fails (1 Cor 13), but too often our love does. It fails each time there is an act of racism or hatred perpetrated and we remain silent. In those moments, when we choose not to speak up, to pray, to advocate for change and to educate ourselves and our sphere of influence, we are complicit. Our love does fail at times, and we have the power to change that.
As each of us watch the news or scroll through social media we see the evil of bigotry and racism. The violence we are seeing is where bigotry and racism lead. We need to speak up. Today, we have multiple ways to peacefully make our voices heard. We can talk to our families, speak with our children and co-workers about the realities of hatred and racism. We can engage in thoughtful dialogue online and make posts on social media. We can take steps in our own lives to demonstrate Christ-like, action-oriented love to everyone, and to our neighbors who may be the subject of this violence.
Let’s come together on these issues and decide in our hearts to take some step of action, right now. Today we can make a difference. ~OC
No to Hate
Today’s a new day! We cannot pray in love and live in hate and still think we are worshipping God. ~OC
End Racism
Today’s a new day! God is calling each of us to actively engage in the work of racial justice by eradicating racism, white nationalism and working towards racial reconciliation. There is no room for racism in our world. Will you take a stand? ~OC
What does the Lord require of you but to do Justice. ~ Micah 6:8
The Captain
I Am Wrecked…Again
Once again I am wrecked by what I see happening in Atlanta, Virginia and Minneapolis. I keep believing that one day, I will wake up and not hear about another person of color being victimized by the actions of a person filled with hate or a person quick to judge. But sadly, that seems like a dream. But hey, I am a dreamer.
So I will continue praying for my brothers and sisters of color. Praying that as you walk down the street, people will not clutch their purses or bags a little tighter. Praying as you visit a place of business, you will not be hassled. I pray if for some reason you are pulled over by the police, you will be treated with respect. I am saddened that I have to pray this prayer every day for my brothers and sisters of color. But I will not stop praying. I will not stop speaking out against injustice. I will continue to stand with you. ~OC
Make The Pledge
We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the issue of Racism in our nation. We have to finally say enough is enough. We have to Rise Up against Division. We have to Demand Change. We have to Rise Up against Hate. We have to share Love. I am encouraging everyone who cares about Love and Justice to Rise Up and take the Pledge to End Racism. Will you Stand Up and make the Pledge with me? ~OC
My Prayer: Take Off The Blinders
As we witnessed the civil unrest at the Capital in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, there was a lot of discussion about hate groups and racism in America. Some in the white community (Breaking News: I am white), screamed on social media that racism is no longer an issue in 2021. Really?
When I engage some white people in the topic of racism, they often will challenge me to prove that racism still exist today in America. So I present them with a challenge. My challenge to them is to simply listen.
I am a storyteller, so I will share stories that my friends of color have shared with me about being racially profiled. I will share legit studies that have been done on the subject of racism. I will share videos showing racism happening to a person of color. I will encourage them to read articles or books on the subject of racism. Most importantly, I will challenge them to reach out to a friend of color and asked them if they have ever experienced racism. I think to myself, one of these suggestions will get through to them. Right? Sadly, a good majority of the time I will hear the following excuses:
*The data is biased.
*I don’t have time to read any articles or books.
*The person in the video was overreacting.
*My friends of color (if they actually have some) don’t want to talk about racism.
*I am tired of hearing about racism. Can’t everyone just get over it?”
I have had these types of conversations with my white friends and complete strangers too many times to count. But then after years of being frustrated by people who do not believe racism is still sadly alive and well, a beautiful freeing thought came to me. I don’t have to proof racism still exist today. The burden of proof is not on me. The burden of proof is on those who refuse to believe racism is still a major issue in 2021. There is no reason for me to walk away from these conversations feeling frustrated. The debate is over. This truth has set me free.
To those who continue to believe racism no longer exist, prove it. Show me some actual evidence. Show me some factual data. Just as my evidence proofs racism still exist in 2021, your evidence better support your argument against that fact.
As I close, my prayer is that God will change the hearts and minds of those who still deny racism is a clear and present danger in America. I pray these deniers will take time to read a book or article on the subject of racism. I pray they will check out the many videos that sadly show racism is still wide awake in our nation. My prayer is that my white brothers and sisters who still believe racism is a thing of the past, will reach out to a person of color and have a real conversation about this stain on America. I pray the blinders will come off. ~OC
I Am
As I was on my morning walk, these words came to me:
I am a white man. I bleed red.
My brothers and sisters of color bleed red.
I am a white man. I love to pray.
My brothers and sisters of color love to pray.
I am a white man. I love my family and friends
My brothers and sisters of color love their family and friends.
I am a white man. I love to laugh and cry.
My brothers and sisters of color love to laugh and cry.
I am a white man. I love to praise God.
My brothers and sisters of color love to praise God.
I am a white man. I want the best for my family and friends.
My bothers and sisters of color want the best for their family and friends.
I am a white man. I love to read and listen to music.
My brothers and sisters of color love to read and listen to music.
I am a white man. I love great conversation.
My brothers and sisters of color love great conversation.
I am a white man. I have the right to share my opinions.
My brothers and sisters of color have the right to share their opinions.
I am a white man. I love diversity.
My brothers and sisters of color love diversity.
I am a white man. I reach out with love to my brothers and sisters of color. I am blessed that my brothers and sisters of color have always reached back with open arms and love.
Why did I share this blogpost? Because We have more in common than we have differences. There is no Them. There is only Us. As a world we are better Together. Celebrate Diversity. ~OC
Thank You, Dr. King
On this day, we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Long after his death, Dr. King’s words and actions continue to inspire us. They continue to challenge us.
Today we take time to remember this amazing man of peace. Dr. King truly lived out the words he wrote and spoke. His words live on, some of the most meaningful ever spoken.
During this time of unrest in our world, I encourage you to stop and reflect on Dr. King’s words. To put those words in action. To come together and live out The Dream. Thank you Dr. King. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 