Terry Storch Dispatch w.33.2019
Dispatch w.33.2019
It’s heartbreaking and so sad to me that we live in such a divided society. This is not a “political” rant; it’s a breathing out of frustration and sadness. Flame wars online, and very little constructive conversation is leading us to such great division. I was reading an email recently from Adam Grant, and he highlighted Paul Graham’s hierarchy of disagreement. This was written eleven years ago, but still remains true to this day.
A few things caught my attention this past week. One was that Beth Moore challenged Christian leaders in a powerful way, saying, “Silence is complicity.” Documented by Relevant, you can see a few of her Tweets
“Any ‘Christ’ that can be invoked in support of white nationalism is a false Christ of the highest, most hellish order. An anti-Christ. A wholly-opposite christ. No such christ is the Christ Jesus of Scripture who taught His followers a love that sacrifices life & limb for others.” - @BethMooreLPM
“Let it be known, let it be declared by genuine followers of Jesus, that the man who opened fire in El Paso may invoke a christ of some kind but it is NOT our Christ. His christ would be unrecognizable to us. Unrecognizable in Scripture. We claim no christ of white nationalism.” - @BethMooreLPM
Moore is leveraging her social media platform to get her point and thoughts across...and I am thankful she did. I wholeheartedly agree with her, but the replies and comments are hard to read. I didn’t see it, but I was told Pastor Andy Stanley posted a US map with stars where the recent shootings occurred asking for prayer and unity, and the comments became so out of hand it was removed.
This division we live in and are navigating is a tragedy, and I believe it breaks the heart of God. Compassion and love are being replaced with hate and racism, and the flames are growing. Political leaders are fanning these flames on both sides of the aisles and the way some of them are responding is absolutely heartbreaking.
Hate speech, racism, and domestic terrorism are growing and it’s disgusting. We hear chants like, “Send them back!” Are we honestly okay with this?
It’s unfathomable to me that with each shooting and the death toll rising, we still struggle to have logical discussions about our gun policy.
I can not wrap my mind around the horrific conditions on our borders and how children being taken away from their parents and families.
Humans are being reduced to objects and cast into categories of political affiliation with no care or concern for sanctity of life.
I could go on and on about things and topics that just baffle my mind. I recognize these topics are not simple or surface. Some of the largest issues facing us today are not basic and don’t have an easy button attached. I am not perfect and fall short in so many ways. But I am working really hard to rise above political left and right and really explore what Jesus Christ modeled for humanity. When it comes to disagreeing, I think we can learn a lot from the pyramid above — work hard to disagree well and with integrity as well as embrace healthy discussions.
There is a lot at stake. I am going to leave you with this final thought, which is an excerpt from a YouVersion Bible Plan I read:
What is unity? Unfortunately, many people think that unity means “sameness.” This is not true. Unity is not uniformity— Instead, unity can be defined as any group of people who are characterized by a shared purpose, vision, or direction. It’s not about being the exact same, but about advancing toward the same goal. Think about a basketball team. There are five different positions on the court. Each position is characterized by different skillsets, roles, and responsibilities. But all five players shoot at the same basket because their goal is the same.
You would think that as Christ followers we could naturally unify around a shared purpose, vision, and direction. May we be reminded that unity is not uniformity. Following Jesus doesn’t mean we must look, think, or operate the same. But I submit this idea for your consideration: Can we push ourselves closer to Jesus by challenging our biases and not allowing political parties to hijack Christianity for their cause? Can we daily and collectively seek wisdom from God’s Word, enter important discussions and conversations with an open mind and a spirit of humility, and disagree with respect and integrity? There is a lot at stake.
The world no longer trusts Christians who love Jesus but do not seem to love anything else. - Richard Rohr.
Automatic thoughts suck, don’t they? Those down deep thoughts — the internal dialog that happens that we just can not seem to get control over. Maybe I am the only one. This internal dialog or negative self talk can change, but it won't be easy. Eric Barker wrote a brilliant post about retraining your brain. (read more)
The power of “streaks” in the YouVersion Bible app is real. We have seen the data, and it’s clear that streaks create motivation and form habits. I personally know this to be true. Last week, I received confetti when I hit 750 days in a row reading the Bible. However, there are a lot of apps that focus on streaks that might not be the habits we are trying to develop. (Snapchat anyone?) I loved this from Seth Godin:
Streaks are their own reward.
Streaks create internal pressure that keeps streaks going.
Streaks require commitment at first, but then the commitment turns into a practice, and the practice into a habit.
Habits are much easier to maintain than commitments.
(read full post)
I love my mornings, and the routine that comes with them. I have not really thought about them as “slow mornings” before, but reading this article highlights a few key components they have produced. As I have shared before, I am integrating Yoga into my mornings, and this has brought even more benefit with the tech-life balance we all fight. Andrew Zakeski’s Slow Mornings May Be The Secret to Tech-Life Balance is a great read.
Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. - Colossians 3:13-14