Why George Didn't Give Trayvon a Ride Home

There is a kingdom that is yet to come and I believe when national tragedy occurs we all feel it.  Even if for a short moment, we feel the need for something better than what we currently have.  After listening to a riveting sermon on Revelation 18(will be posted soon) and reading a few perspectives on the Trayvon/Zimmerman case I was especially drawn to this quote from Sean Watkins' blog:

"As one pastor said, ”How cool would it be to live in a world where Zimmerman offers Trayvon a ride home to get him out of the rain that night?”"

 How cool would that be?! This is the kind of stories I long to hear.  This is the type of America most of us dream and try desperately to convince ourselves we are in, but we are not there yet.  There is an obvious confusion that we are somehow in a post-racial America but the confusion is there because we are trying to live with a mindset that is post-racial but our present society is clearly not a post-racial society.  
 Why did George not give Trayvon a ride?  Among many reasons...simply put: Because America is broken.  Through out history, black people have cried out for, advocated for, and used their privilege to establish justice.  To build a country where race is not just tolerated or accepted but valued.  My greatest hope for our country is that we not only accept each other but that we pursue diversity and deep reconciliation because we see the truth: that a fully reconciled society is better than what we have now.  
I've seen Christian college students who truly believe this and they know that for this kind of beauty to replace the evil they live in Jesus is needed.  They believe "One(Jesus) died for all" and that we live for "him who died for us and was raised again" and this dependence on Jesus causes them to live in the belief that they have been given the ministry of reconciliation by Jesus himself.  Do you believe this?  Because reconciliation is hard.  In our context it requires us, together, to look at the facts and deal with them.  We have to look at the fact that:

• 6.5% white lawyers think there is ‘very much’ racial bias in the judicial system vs. 52.4% of black lawyers.  (Feb. 1999; sample size: 1,002 ABA and NBA members)
• Among men, blacks (28.5%) are about six times more likely than whites (4.4%) to be admitted to prison during their life.  (U.S. Department of Justice)

There are many other statistics like this that highlight the injustices we live in.  But I've seen college students look at these facts and then look at each other and choose to live differently.  They argue, yell, repent, study scripture, apply it, experience life together, debrief, pray, uncover each other's differences and their ignorance and choose to love each other through them while valuing those who are marginalized and always remembering those who do not benefit from the lost-ness of the society around them.  These students have shed tears with each other and defended each other.  They have stood on the side of justice whether it be on campus in the face of ridicule or with their families in the middle of racist/prejudice jokes.  They fight against false relationships and choose deeply reconciled living.  And they know what it means to carry each others burden...they are building heaven on earth.  They are building what I hope our country to be. 

But this takes work.  And it has always been the time to work.  It is what the Church should be prepared to do.  Moments like this remind us.

When "the verdict" was made known to me, I did not find myself instantly enraged.  After processing why, I realized that there was a righteous anger that I've always carried with me.  My life requires me to live with a righteous anger.  As I strive to see more and more through God's eyes I see both great pain and great joy.  The pain is the product of evil and is the source of my anger. The joy is the product of Jesus' saving and reconciling work which is the source of my hope.  And striving for this hope takes work.  Are you willing to work?

Then consider this:

My white friends and anyone who is confused/resistant to the black community's reaction, especially you who I consider friends. Read Matt Stauffer's blog post and heed his call for you to listen.  This case is at the forefront right now but it goes along with the same issues that came up during the levy break in Louisiana, during the election of Obama, during the earthquake in Haiti, and in the way we've treat (what we call)illegal aliens.  They all bring forward that which is right under the false skin of post-racial thinking...the need for reconciliation.  They also provide a chance to listen and observe where we truly are so that you can form deeper bonds with those who don't look like you.  You will never know the deepness of the pain but you can choose to be with us in it.  The best way to do this is to listen and invite those who look like you to listen.  

My people of color who are grieved and angry.  Read Sean Watkins' blog.  Soak this moment in.  Let the powerlessness, rage and injustice of it all sink into your soul.  We should be angry and impassioned to act.  We must act with our whole lives.  Be angry but don't sin.  Don't let your friends of another race off the hook.  Have loving but challenging conversations.  Be authentic and maybe even yell a bit but don't break relationship.  Our ethic is Jesus.  His way is love.  And love sometimes comes in the form of washing feet and sometimes in the form of flipping money tables.  We have to be willing to walk with Jesus and others through it all.

Fear and ignorance were major components in Zimmerman's actions.  We cannot imitate this.  We must draw close to each other.  Those who suffer, tell your stories.  Those who do not, you must be willing to allow yourself to hear until those who suffer are heard and you who suffer not...begin to suffer with.  When we do this, we begin to build the kingdom of God...a place where a black boy wearing a hoody is offered a ride, and that black boy can accept that ride and be safe.


Here are the blogs mentioned:
Tony Gaetwood: http://blackandwhiteobservations.blogspot.com/2013/07/373-words-verdict-and-appeal.html
Sean Watkins:  http://smwatkins.com
Matt Stauffer: http://blog.mattstauffer.org/165/an-opportunity-for-grace-and-compassion

Limited Scope. Unlimited Resources

I talked to Dakota Pippin about life as an InterVarsity director and about life as a father.
There were two highlights for me among the treasure of knowledge and wisdom he gave me.  He advised me to know the weight of my words as a leader and be prepared to face challenges in leadership style as you encounter people different than you.  He also told me to make sure that communication between me and my wife transitions and matures as life does.
It was great advice and he gave me a new confidence in the leadership shifts in my life as an InterVarsity staff.  Additionally I felt that I could be myself.  While a change in position requires a change in skill set and thinking, it does not mean a change in personality.  In fact, your character and attitude is probably a big factor in your leadership position and transitions.
The greatest gift that Dakota gave me was a wake up call.  Speaking to him made me realize that had misused a network that was always available to me.  There are fathers, mothers, directors, teachers, mentors, learners, brothers, sisters, wives and husbands who have gone before me and some who are in similar stages in life as me.  This InterVarsity network is a gift to every staff worker.  There is a unique creativity I possess that God will use but there is a collective creativity and wisdom from others that would be borderline neglectful if it wasn't used in humility.
As a maturing InterVarsity staff I am encouraged to know that there is a cloud of witnesses who have battled and bled and kept going and who have creativity, knowledge and a way of delivering it that is a gift to my limited knowledge and scope.  I am excited to be called further into this network.  My hope is that I might be able to share in the collective wisdom and follow Jesus in a way that reflects inspirational leaders like Dakota.  Thanks, Dakota.  Your encouragement will go further than you know.

BCMSC13 Response::Great Writing and Black Thought

In his book Great Leadership, Antony Bell stresses the fact that great leaders are great writers. Whether this is an absolut fact is of no concern but what makes this statement of significant importance is the fact that every leader I've admired has been a great writer.  This considered, I use the term "great writer" to refer to the act of using the tool of writing in a great way.  For instance, as a group of staff engaged in a discussion with someone who has served as a prophet and teacher for the BCM movement, in rushes a staff with a paper and pen who quickly sits down and begins taking notes.  That is great writing.  Great writing is writing down moments, ideas, stories, memorable quotes, reminders, and notes that will lead to transformation.  Novelists, poets, article writers and the like are artistically and technically great writers and there are a certain few who fit in this group.  But "great writing"?  Anyone can do this.  All of us can write moments.
While on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic, where we played basketball with locals and presented the gospel, the team I played on was invited to play against a university team.  The game was intense and went to the last seconds.  Amazingly we won.  After all the celebration was over I ran to my journal and wrote a 3 line description of what had just transpired.  As I finished, I wiped some sweat from my forehead and smeared a few of the the words I had just wrote with it.  This was not a ploy to be weird or off putting, it was rather a way to put the moment on paper.  Now, every time I look at that journal entry I remember the excitement and energy of the moment and it reminds me of the personal transformation that resulted in that trip.  
After BCMSC13 I am excited to contribute to the black thinking of BCM.  I want to cultivate and develop black thought and ideas through great writing.  There are many ideas that are brewing in my mind and I am excited to write.  This blog will serve as a logging of thoughts, ideas, concepts and learning experiences from my perspective as a black staff as I journey to establish a strong InterVarsity presence in Pinellas County of Florida.