Month: April 2021

As I prepare for summer travels, I have been surprised by the number of people who ask me if I am afraid to travel alone. Just yesterday I was talking to a friend who listed all the dangers of one of the places I will visit. And last week someone wanted to discuss weapon options. 

I travel a lot, and I consider myself to be careful. I don’t take unnecessary chances or tempt fate. I try not to look like a victim. And it is my fundamental belief that people are good, and that violence begets violence. 

I used to run a homeless shelter in Chicago in my younger days. I have been threatened in multiple ways, I have been in many dangerous situations. I can think of 3 times that I was actually hurt, and in each of those circumstances, I used violence. I might have had a superior attitude, I might have not been as kind as I could have been, I might have threatened to call the police. I was never physically violent but I was using my power to try to control someone. And that rarely turns out well.

The times when I was compassionate, the times when I tried to give someone what they needed or wanted, the times when I de-escalated a situation, those were the happy endings, and they were by far the rule rather than the exception. I did not display fear, and I offered kindness, and that takes care of a lot. 

Now does it always work? No. Are there “bad” people out there? Yes. I watch crime shows and the news. I know that the world is a dangerous place. I also know I don’t have the strength to win a physical altercation and that if I started wielding a weapon I would probably end up hurting myself. 

For me the most practical answer to safety is to believe that the person standing in front of me, in this moment, is good, and if I call upon that, if I believe that, I will be OK. The power of love overcomes evil. The power of goodness overcomes the bad. I have lived this, and I know it is true. 

So pray for me that I have safe travels, and that I might find the good, find Christ, in all people.

Daunte Wright. I am heartbroken and horrified at his death. 

As a police chaplain, I am careful what I say about this. There have been times that I have wanted to speak out, express anger, but then I think about all of the men and women who I have ridden with and talked to over the years here in Youngstown. They are such good people doing a very hard and dangerous job. Know how much I admire and value them and pray for them.

And there is a problem. Racism is a problem. Stereotyping is a problem. White supremacy is a problem. Cheap violence is a problem. Fear is a problem.

When I was in college I heard  Black man speak about how he felt when people saw him and locked their car doors. Car locks were more obvious back then. He expressed his horror that anyone thought he might hurt them. And I felt so guilty because that was what I was taught as a child. You drive into those “bad neighborhoods”, which is code for Black neighborhoods, and my Dad would tell us to lock the doors. 

When I walk now in Wick Park in the mornings, I say hello to everyone. But I am especially careful to greet any person of color. Not because I am afraid of them, but because I don’t want them to be afraid of me. I want them to know I am not dangerous or fragile or crazy or racist, and I will not do anything to endanger them. There have been too many stories about mean white women.

Fear is a problem. We have been taught to fear each other. And because of that we overreact, we jump to conclusions, we make bad choices. Most people are nice people, good, kind, generous, willing to help, wanting to be connected in community. There are some dangerous people, but the numbers are actually low. We just hear about them more, they make news. It has us thinking we have to be afraid when in fact we don’t. We have to give each other a chance. 

The problem is that the stakes are different. For white people, there is a danger of being misunderstood, feelings hurt. For Black people, there is a danger of being killed. It is not an even playing field. Our being able to be in relationship is literally a matter of life and death.

Well the Easter desserts are eaten, the leftover ham is in the freezer and the disciplines of Lent are a fading memory. It is always lovely when Easter is accompanied by trees flowering, cascades of daffodils and even a dandelion or two. Gets us in the mood for new life and new opportunities.

I also think this is a good time to do a little Lenten review. What did you accomplish through your Lenten work? Are there good habits that have formed? Did you like yourself better when you drank less? Are you fitting into your spring clothes after Lenten restraint? Are you missing the prayer time that connected you with God in a lovely way?  What worked, what didn’t?

I would offer that some things are worth keeping, or at least being more intentional about. I ate less meat in Lent, looked for Black-owned local businesses, and prayed daily the prayers you had written. Those were good things that I will continue to pursue. A few things were worth doing then but not now. That is the nature of Lenten practice. 

Clearly some of the things that helped us turn our lives around also contribute to a resurrection life. We want to focus on new life and joy, and being intentional can help us do that. What practices keep you positive, help you believe that with God all things are possible, help you to count your blessings??  You can let go of thinking of them as a chore and help them to become a blessing.

We are Easter people. How will you make that matter to you? How will you live it in the world with wonder and joy?