Be Led

She heard it clear as day. Not aloud but from deep within, in her gut where the spirit resides. “Go file the papers”. Sheryl had been dragging her feet for weeks after realizing that her union with Michael was functionally over. They barely ever saw each other and Michael was working more often in the firm’s Denver law practice. In the interim, her architecture group was expanding and its global appeal further widened the geographic and emotional divide. Yet, a glimmer of hope, though faint, resisted the thought of divorce. Not having spent much time kneeling in prayer, Cheryl did just that. Again, the omnipresent voice reiterated the command. “Go file the papers”.

The very next day, Cheryl downloaded her templates and proceeded with executing her signatures. She was especially quiet, hoping the voice would retract its request. She struck a deal with herself that the next sign or intuition reinforcing this command would trigger her faith to obey. She placed the documents in her daughter’s yellow “Welcome Back” school folder while in the midst of reviewing educational supplies and the semester’s lunch menu.

Ariana suffered from childhood diabetes and her dietary restrictions and medication dosages were appended to her class assignment, within the same multi-use folder that her mother stashed the important manuscripts. Some days later, Sheryl noticed that Ariana looked unwell. Forgetting her issues for a moment, the worried parent recalled that the doctor’s information was kept in the folder. She retrieved it and serendipitously, a pink “Sign Here” sticky floated onto her lap. The Verified Complaint stared back at her. Knowing God’s love of marriage and family, she could not on her own reconcile the plan from her limited perspective. From her womb, she prayed for God’s continued intervention and begged for the Holy Spirit to visit her husband. She immediately praised God and after stabilizing her daughter’s blood sugar levels, she drove to the courthouse. Unexpectedly, the building was closed early due to unforeseen circumstances and Cheryl was unable to submit her summons.

Michael looked out over the cool Denver sky as he contemplated the outstanding discovery requests that were due on his pending cases the following week. He drowned his thoughts in the 100 year old bourbon that was gifted to him during the firm’s holiday party. He grew accustomed to the loneliness that set in after being away from his family for months on end. He and Cheryl spoke very coolly to each other as she recounted Ariana’s recent sickness. He desperately wanted to express his love but it slowly had become buried in life’s discontentments. He self-medicated with another swig of the warm, soothing whiskey. As the ice cubes clanked to the bottom of his etched tumbler, a measly older gentleman clobbered toward his door frame. He came unannounced and despite the company badge that hung off his lapel, he was unfamiliar. “Michael! I’ve been looking to talk to you. I just started with the firm a week ago and I need advice on my personal case.”

Michael soon learned that Mr. Rose was 78 years old and had worked at several of the firm’s locations until settling in Denver. Unusual was their encounter. Mr. Rose seemed extremely weepy and extolled the joys of family as he viewed the photographs situated on the bureau of Michael, Cheryl and Ariana during happier times. During a follow-up appointment, again Mr. Rose expressed boundless emotion as he reminisced about his 10 grandchildren and touted his long work history and even more expansive savings account. Clearly he didn’t need to work. Yet there he was again, in Michael’s office, swooning over the family pictures and emphasizing placing family as a priority. Something in Mr. Rose’s tears shook the entanglement that chained Michael’s heart. He jumped on the next flight home but never saw Mr. Rose again.

Even in the most spiritually “dead” times, God is near, guiding, watching over and sometimes even testing us. Faith will require trust and unusual movement on our part. Can you think of a more challenging test presented to Abraham when told to sacrifice his only son Isaac? Yet, at the last moment, God sent his angel to spare Isaac’s life. Faith through its spiritual manifestations will always set us up for Heaven’s table being set before us. Despite what we see, stay the course and await God’s open door.

Genesis 15:6: “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

Foundations

The slightest brush of his bag against my elbow at the busy tracks at New York Penn Station turned into mea culpa. I returned an anxious, yet expressive smile but ensured that my eyes communicated instant absolution. In running into him; older, distinguished and white complexioned; and after a grueling, politically-charged week, I instinctively expected the searing look of judgment, fear and loathing. Gratefully, I saw empathy, shared bewilderment in light of the racial landscape, and an overwhelming desire to be considerate.

As life moves forward, citizens in impacted cities and especially those in locales across the country that boast a diverse community, are struggling to comprehend the transmuted world, comparing “BC”, before Castile, to the present. On July 6, 2016, Philando Castile was operating a motor vehicle in Falcon Heights, Minnesota accompanied by his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds and her four year old daughter when he was pulled over by St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez for a broken taillight. Though it remains unclear as to why the officer’s firearm was initially removed from its holster for such an infraction, Castile succumbed to four gun shot wounds to his body. The questionable stop inflamed the public when live-streaming video immediately after the shooting was recorded by Reynolds and simultaneously viewed on Facebook. Depicted is an aggravated Yanez still pointing his gun into the vehicle and shouting vulgarities while Reynolds calmly and credibly narrates in real time. Her courageous daughter watches on as Castile groans to his death in utter agony with no emergency service being summoned. We learn from Reynolds that the officer requested the driver’s license but was informed by Castile that he was carrying a licensed firearm. Upon reaching for his documentation from his pocket, he was strangely gunned down. Reynolds was inexplicably taken into custody and later released. This incident occurred a day after the peculiar police shooting death of Alston Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Community outrage and protests from groups such as Black Lives Matter and the sad retaliatory action of the murders of five police officers in Dallas, Texas by a lone gunman sparked debate about the 12.3% of the country’s Black population sensing a lack of safety and angling when engaged with those charged to protect and serve. The claim is that they are essentially disenfranchised from the commonwealth. The often exasperating response from some has been that “all lives matter”, in particular those garnishing blue uniforms, the mark of law enforcement.

Many believe the race issues in the United States are too abiding to resolve and are unduly imposing. Often with such recondite matters, scholars revisit the root cause at its foundation. We are reminded that at its inception, at the very signing of the document that brought this country into existence, was the ethos “We the People”. Short-sighted were the signers who, at that time, owned black slaves and deemed them to be 3/5th human by law. (Constitution, Article I. Section 2: Slaves count as 3/5 persons for representation and taxation purposes although slaves could not legally vote). Such entrenched ignorance and discrimination does not simply dissipate, regardless of the passage of time. The insurmountable task of amending the Constitution has resulted in some progress but fundamentally the more recent laws do more to enhance the belief that Black people are “others” or less than. Thus, the experience of many Black Americans is that of being other or less than. For example: Many Black people have endured disparate treatment in the education and justice systems reinforcing otherness. A father instructing his tween on how to behave in the sight of legal authority to ensure his survival is less than the ideal human experience and robs both of innocence and the joy of parenthood and childhood. The nuanced glances of privileged professionals who wonder whether a token purchased the position of the sole person of color in an organization affords the kind of daily humiliation that no hard-working, intelligent person should bare. All stems from the foundation of what all people were told for generations that Black people are and are not.

Prior to these recent tragedies, we acknowledged the difficulties among the races and our tortured history. But now, a simple crowded train ride, a walk to the park, or a dreaded police stop involving even compliant citizens may prompt eruption. Or, as in my case, can the encounter engender concessions, humility, and grace? Is there hope?

Joyfully, God had chosen us all, regardless of color, through Christ before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:3-4 states:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world…”

At the foundation of the world, Christ was established and chose us! He created you, me and all in between. Yes, we must go back to the foundation…but far back, before the first human memory, and recall that we are One, all members of the same human family. There is no gene for race or biological predisposition for superiority. There is no true winner in an ongoing shooting match. Thus, we must remember or “re-member”. We must debate, even if heatedly, together and be conciliatory. We must become One again, just as I and the older gentlemen with his clumsy bag who, for a moment, saw into each other. In that time, we were God’s children. For that second, we were One.

Jeremiah 32:17: “O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!”
‭‭

Orlando’s 911

As my shoddy, old gray sedan veered along the curve at 94th street near Laguardia Airport on the Grand Central Parkway, the burning building came into plain view. Five minutes prior, a radio caller meagerly reported “an incident” that occurred downtown, as very limited information was available.

Then, there, at the lower anchor of the New York City skyline it stood tall but injured; a fiery gap near its apex, World Trade Center Tower One struggled to maintain its concrete footing. A passenger plane commandeered by a terrorist network slammed into the first of the double obelisks at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001. A second hijacked airliner followed suit at 9:03 a.m., ravaging the southern Tower.

The reports early on were perfunctory at best. I was detoured to the Bronx, listening intently to 1010 WINS radio news. I vividly recall the panic, the eery silence at the then Triborough Bridge, the traffic overload, the gut-wrenching catastrophic feeling when the structures collapsed, my exact location. New Yorkers distinctly remember where they were when their lives and hearts were forever interrupted. Many lost colleagues, friends, relatives or know someone who was directly impacted. The victims were globally mourned and memorialized.

A week ago, at approximately 2:00 a.m. on June 13, 2016, a mass murderer ended the lives of 49 individuals and interminably damaged 53 others at the Pulse night club in Orlando, Florida during the worst shooting in American History. Occupants of LGBT affiliation were targeted at the patio and dance floor and cornered in the restrooms where their lives were snuffed out one by one. Hours of terror endured before law enforcement blasted their way in, silencing the killer with a fatal shot. Many around the world mourned and the gay community received great support. Although, some instead questioned and even disparaged the life choices of those who perished.

Striking is the contrast between support for 911 victims and those at Pulse. Certainly, varying opinions abound on political, religious or relational alignments. However, victimization, terror, and hate all equate in both scenarios. What is unbalanced are the number of faceless decedents, perhaps unclaimed, unknown, disowned or even outed for the first time at the time of their deaths on that unlucky day, at a surveilled venue in Orlando that early morning. Many were young souls departed, on their journey, without full reverence.

At it’s most rudimentary stratum, the discord in beliefs falls within the battle of judgments. Biblical legalists shun on the basis of interpretation of Scripture rather than appeal to the current culture to reveal and spread the message of love sanctioned by Christ Himself. As a result, families, churches and support networks are needlessly divided and self worth and belongingness wane for the unaccepted. Yet, the same Book affirms us all; as such, “…we are God’s masterpiece…” (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬). Our position is to honor, empathize and strive to comprehend what is unconventional to us in order to gain common ground. (“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:10‬ ). Let this be a time to grieve together and pay respects to the affected, mourning together as a collective.

1 Timothy 4:4: “For everything God created is good…for it is sanctified by God’s word and prayer”.

Special thanks to Jackie and Lou for your insights and fellowship.

Raven’s Prayer

Glamorous is a word I would use to describe her. Long, flowy Raven-like hair and a stylish, Bohemian crocheted pashmina added depth to her stature. The railroad car was brimming, which was typical for a Thursday evening’s congestion and my husband and I reluctantly sat separately. As I scrolled through my phone and perused online, I glanced ahead and noticed that my husband’s work was periodically interrupted by the Raven who sat beside him. Brief but friendly at first, his warm, casual smile transformed into a look of concern. Nearing the end of our commute, their conversation became even more engaging and they could easily be mistaken as old friends. Soon after, the electronic announcer blurted our stop as the red digital letters flashed above. My husband hurriedly ushered me forward and introduced me as his wife.

From close examination, she appeared frail. Her luminous skin as per my prior vantage point was now sunken and spotted from up close. Her clay cosmetics appeared streaky, the remnants of dried up tears. And the hair that I silently complimented from afar deserved better treatment. Yet, her lovely, vulnerable soul shone.

As we made our way to our vehicle, my husband expounded on his fortuitous encounter: Clearly struggling with a personal diagnosis, Raven asked whether my husband would inform his wife and close family members of the misfortune of a cancer result. He affirmed. She pressed, “what if you had young children, what if the doctors didn’t confirm yet?” When he asservated, he realized that the “person” she referred to was herself. Anticipating my husband’s optimism, she went on to divulge that there was a 90% certainty that she would be impacted by the disease. Feeling ineffective in his attempt to soothe her, my husband suggested to her that he and I transposition to allow me to provide emotional succor and mollification. Though visibly distraught, she sheepishly declined. Instead, she flipped through photograph after photograph of her 9 and 7 year olds on her smart phone. Upon our departure from our seats, my husband promised that his wife would pray for her. I offered an amiable smile until my husband could fill me in regarding this next assignment in our ministry of encouragement. I never caught this beautiful stranger’s name and I suspect neither did he.

Knowing intimately the spiritual notions of his wife, my husband assumed to delegate the prayer counseling to me. It is my belief that if God had authorized my personal sympathy and reassurance to the beautiful Raven that fateful evening, I naturally would have found my way directly to her. Through God, my husband was enough. I implored him that being one, as a married couple, puts us on double-duty. As a family, it is a blessing and God’s will for us to both use the power and anointment of the Holy Spirit to offer love, peace, joy and spiritual truth to those divinely sent to us. During our daily devotion that evening, I asked God to strengthen our family ministry and prayed for Raven and her family.

Certainly, this is part of the ministry of marriage; however, it is also our duty as a community of believers. Intercession does not simply belong in the church setting. We should regularly offer supplication for our friends, family members and even strangers who cross our paths. The Lord even calls for our support to our enemies, those we don’t agree with, nonbelievers, and the unkind; they need us the most. Let us do our part to encourage the sick, the melancholy, and those needing inspiration.

Romans 8:26: “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”

Undivided We Stand

Every “ping” of my IPhone is a possible change of events. Immersed in cable news programs, social media, and YouTube to digest the next dissenting angle, the electorate has reached a feverish pitch. The perplexity in drafting a think piece regarding the current political controversy in the United States is the precipitousness in which an essay becomes outmoded. What remains constant, however, is the intertwining of racial and economic interests of the populace, regardless of financial worth.

Unknown by many or often concealed by the very few elite is the historical perspective on the hierarchy in this country. From 1492 to the mid-1600s, when the New World was rid of its indigenous population in order to grant settlement to European explorers, the ruling emperors who sponsored the ascendant voyages were incentivized by promises of gold and slaves. The aboriginal groups however, could not sustain the criminal and incessant assault and within years, an estimated 8 million natives were nearly all decimated. (See Zinn, H. [1980]. A People’s History of the United States. New York, N.Y.; HarperCollins Publishers).

Thus, a new solution was needed to restore the labor market. The impoverished and/or indicted from Europe were either duped into “free” trips to the Americas or, as a means to pay back their censurable debts to society, were enslaved for a restricted time. Usually their contracts were transacted to other parties repeatedly ensuring that some never obtained their freedom. Concurrently, the transcontinental slave trade was gearing up and African subjugation was implemented mainly by way of permanent status. Nonetheless, both groups of workers were deemed as similar in caste although indentured servants were slightly less unfortunate.

Due to joint rebellion of the disenfranchised, the elite implemented a method of control by inculcating the primarily Caucasian indentured servants with an idea of superiority over black slaves based solely on skin color as a closer match to the landowners and investors. Thereupon, “whiteness” was born. (Wise, T. [2012]. White Like Me, Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son. Berkeley, CA.; Soft Skull Press). Nevertheless, their monetary stature never improved. This very effective tool of terror is seen in the societal dynamics existing today. And similar to the time of the founding of this country, the lower economic bracket is faceless, multi-racial and suffers the same trials of hardship such as high rates of unemployment, nescience, crime and lost avenues of achievement.

Statistically, many supporters of the leading candidate of the right-wing are regarded as limited in means but are influenced by the obsolescent idea of preservation of white heritage and enduring racial composition. In this vein, many have the misguided reasoning that with the reinstitution of a member of the majority to power and elimination of certain immigrants and people of color, their financial woes will be alleviated. For them, a Trump presidency equates to repatriation. Necessarily, due to economic frustration, disinclination and hate drive their discourse.

One would hope that hate, one of the most powerfully discordant words, would dilute itself with such historical viewpoints. No matter our individual political proclivities, certainly we understand that hate is a motivation and conduit for destruction, in this case, within our country and the global society. Only sheer hideousness would call for such an outcome. With a vast amount at stake, silence is complacency and complicit.

Yet, love is countervailing to this model. All decent people, the spiritually lead, and all of the religions of faith extol love as the overarching theme and rule of behavior. Regardless of walks of life, attitudes, social or cultural persuasions, reasonable people can agree that love must prevail. Thus, even if caught up in the fracas of this election season or embittered with the status quo, let us be certain that sensibilities can predominate and we all can disavow signs of undue punishment, violence, epithets or policies that ultimately yield further acrimony. We can start small: within ourselves, in our homes, our schools and communities and bear witness as the power of love disperses.

Matthew 12:25: But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”

Just In Time

Chemical reactions, cellular structures, and electrons oscillating at ultra-fast speeds… Rarely does a news article impel me to reminisce on my time as an undergraduate with all-nighters spent cramming for Biology and Anatomy exams. In January 2016, four new elements were reported as newly discovered that will be added to the Periodic Table. An element is the building block of all observable matter in the physical universe. The novel elements were confirmed by further experimentation that briefly reproduced them, a very daunting task since, when formed, these elements are greatly unstable and only exist a mere thousandth of a second.

The physical world, as we understand it, is perceived in space-time dimensionality with light, the natural agent that makes things visible, travelling at a calculated speed. Albert Einstein, noted as one of the greatest scientists of the past century, posited the Theory of Relativity and revolutionized concepts of time, space, motion and gravity laying the basis of atomic energy and photoelectric effects.

As lay people, we think of time or light in much more rudimentary terms. For instance, time is viewed as a valued commodity and in its abstractness, it engenders fear that there is scarcity; that time is running out; that “there isn’t enough time in a day”. What if we investigate the source, the creator and author of time?

The earliest scientist assigned timelessness to the measure: “For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours”. (Psalms 90:4). In fact, this innovative creator specified a transcendent quality: “…from everlasting to everlasting you are God”. (Psalms 90:2). And again: “For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations”. (Psalms 145:13). What’s more, only this great inventor could bend or suspend time: “On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies… The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. 14 There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer…” (Joshua 10:12-14).

Those who truly believe the omnipotence of the Almighty will be attuned to such insight. This Life Force is the true substance and originator of all that is seen and unseen, what we are composed of, and all the material in between. Indeed, in that glory is where He abides. With Him and in Him, absent true time and space, there subsists no pain, sorrow, jealousy or hate; but rather, the fabric of God’s goodness and Eternal Love. Ask Him. He will make time and space for you.

Psalms 147: 5: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.”

The Best Laid Plans

Lamentably, I stared at the reflector behind me. With my green silk blouse slightly raised, I had full view of the double cross-hairs and bandage affixed to my lower back. I strived for months with exceeding billable hours expecting my year-end bonus. The holidays would soon be upon us, I thought, and I deliberated on all that those proceeds would bear. So with intransigence, I resolved to an abbreviated work schedule and a short leave to accommodate the minor procedure needed to treat my injury. And then it happened. The solution to my equivocation: My 12-month old initiated her very first steps, meeting her older brother near his fire-red truck and quelling my fears that I would miss this monumental milestone.

As the holidays bring us closer to family and friends, let us take the opportunity to truly appreciate the moment. It is true, obligations and contingencies do abound. However, the lesson to impart today is that despite our plans and expectations, we must be present in order to capture the wonderment. All things, whether beneficial or a hindrance, occur in due time and for God’s reasons. The Bible states that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. (Eccles 3:1). Appropriately, this holiday allows for reflection of the eternal love that was shown through the birth of the begotten son of God. Regardless of varying beliefs, such love and joy have traveled down through many generations to encompass us now in the custom of gift exchange and cheers. As the calendar advances, let us continue the tradition of peace that is generated in this term. For this New Year of 2016, I pray for amity and triumph for you all!

John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Testimony

Perched in a squat, the drifter waived a cardboard sign scribbled with a black Sharpie™: “Lost Everything But My Hope and Faith. God Bless.” Homelessness in New York City has ostensibly risen in the last few years and unfortunately, displaced panhandlers clustered throughout Manhattan have become commonplace. In fact, according to the website “Coalition for the Homeless”, vagrancy in New York City has reached the highest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

This particular sighting, however, was unusual. The young, blond man was fairly well-dressed and remarkably groomed. Nevertheless, it was his corrugated poster that captivated my attention, so much so that my conviction was piqued causing me to double back and discharge my last note, a ten dollar bill, from my pocket. Unmotivated by ego or indulgence, I overcame my reluctance precisely because I was called, from deep within, to donate the bill.

Forfeiting lunch due to my unexpected generosity, I returned to my office and scrounged around the pantry to no avail. Food was of no consequence; I had left my appetite at bay after having a serious disagreement with a relative the prior evening. Instead, I sought a distraction and rifled through my messy purse in search of my ear buds. Rather than thin, white dual wires, out came a church leaflet that was given to me almost 10 years ago. A decade had passed since I re-dedicated my life to Christ during an altar call and collected the booklet and I had not seen it since.

To understand the significance of this pamphlet would require some explanation. Since that fateful rebirth, I went on to graduate law school, met and married my husband, moved on three separate occasions, and also lost many of my possessions, including old books and papers, after Hurricane Sandy. Further to the point, the handbag that I carried that day had been given to me just one year ago as a gift for my participation in a friend’s wedding. Accordingly, there was no ordinary way that the brochure could have appeared in my new tote. Except, it materialize, full of biblical Scriptures and words of encouragement. In an unwitting and yet still provident state of fasting, I meditated on the messages sent in the bulletin and prayed for restoration with my relative.

Later that evening, as I curled up in front of the television, a family member knocked on my bedroom door. She explained that she found something in the washing machine that likely belonged to me. Unfamiliar with my earlier encounter, she handed me a crumpled ten dollar bill. I simply smiled and surrendered. The next morning, the recalcitrant relative uncharacteristically reached out, reestablished our connection, and made amends.

Being obedient to God’s calling requires strong discernment and will that glorifies Him on earth and demonstrates our love for Him. The test may come in the form of an itinerant roaming the city streets begging for change leading to an unforeseen testimony. Obedience can also result in answered prayers, blessings, direction, safety and restoration. More notably, it may present an opportunity for Divine fellowship.

Hebrews 13:2: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”