When Faith Meets Justice

I was sitting pondering, watching the time tick away and began to contemplate the relationship between faith and justice. We often hear (and have said), “My faith says x about y” or “My faith dictates z,” but what really is faith? You can find the many definitions here, but I’ll focus more closely on number 3 (“belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion”). I can’t speak for Buddhists, Hindus, or Muslims, but as a Christian, I believe in a sovereign God who sees all and has all power, who is merciful, who loves justice, and is the creator of all. I believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. I could go on and on, but that’s not germane to this potential post. There are many like me in America, that supposedly love God with all they have and trust God to lead all aspects of their lives.

Most believers have fallen into a state where faith is not based on Christ’s saving blood or God’s grace and mercy, but rather on ideologies and gimmicks. Ideologies are well-intentioned but can be less substantive than intended. We often dream of “creative” ways to introduce people to Jesus, we often neglect the basic tenets of the Gospel message. We’re often mesmerized by congregation sizes, thinking that because a particular church has an impressive membership number there has to be power flowing there. **Disclaimer: This is not an attack on large congregations, as I am a member of one** Faith has taken a backseat and we’ve embraced more of a country club approach to kingdom work. But what does this have to do with justice?

For the longest, I was in the camp that proclaimed that anyone who doesn’t belong to a particular denomination is going to face eternal condemnation, which often pitted me against other well-intentioned believers from different denominations – but of the same faith. Was this what God intended? I thought so during that time, but little did I know, I had a lot of learning and growing to do. God didn’t create the divisions among His believers, we did. Not only did we do it, we keep perpetuating the division and wonder why the church, as a whole seems stagnant. Membership numbers are growing slightly, but we, as a whole, are mimicking the very thing from which we’re trying to pull the un-churched, non-believer, or “backslider.” We clique up, refuse to worship together, refuse to minister together – all in the name of “faith.” But where is God in that faith?

It’s bad enough we won’t reach out to fellow-believers, but when it comes to justice, we’re even more guilty. When Jesus ministered on earth, he met needs. Miracles weren’t just for show to get “oohs” and “ahhs.” Turning water into wine? Yep, he did that. Feeding the 5,000 men (plus women and children) with two small fish and five small loaves? He did that, too. Healed the sick? He did that. So where do we get off not wanting to meet the needs of the communities where our churches reside. **Another disclaimer: This isn’t an attack on any particular church. This happens all over.** As believers in our faith, we’re quick to turn our collective noses up at the less fortunate, ridicule the ones hanging in front of the liquor store, condemn the ones standing along the highways asking for money. When do we put our “faith” into practice? Our faith says we’re supposed to speak for the voiceless, stand up for the marginalized, and encourage inclusion. God called us to draw humankind toward Him, not distance ourselves. After all, Jesus constantly ate and conversed with the commoner and the sinner. Isn't that what the Gospel is about?

Hope for the Future

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” – Romans 15:4

 

I shared this verse on social media today and it very fitting for the my current journey. Judge what you will about the Bible (the scientific cohesiveness, various interpretations, etc), but there is a reason we have a past and that the past exists. If we pay attention to it, we will learn from it. We’ve been conditioned as a society, especially in the West, to do everything possible to bury and run from the past – relationships, personal failures, professional disappointments, and the list goes on. The question then becomes, “How do we learn from the past if we keep running from it?”

 

We all have stains, bruises, scars, and traces of what we used to be that outline the path that we’ve navigated in our lifetime. I think conventional “religion” has birthed and perpetuated a culture of shame about life’s lessons. We’re supposed to be perfect, flawless, and have it together all the time – but we weren’t created as robots, androids, or inanimate objects. Even the author of the letter, which contains today’s verse, had a past. He didn’t start preaching and teaching straight out the womb. He had a misguided worldview, took himself too seriously, and even participated in several mass murders – yet he’s the most-quoted person from the Holy Writ. We don’t have to be held captive by our past.

 

The Apostle Paul’s life journey shows that we all have hope of a better outcome than what society has spoken over us. Don’t ever let anyone pigeonhole or typecast you based off what you’ve been. Our stories are written for our own learning, but also for the learning of the generation behind us and to illustrate to them that they have hope.

 

Take courage today in your story. There are some not-so-great pages and chapters, but God is forever writing revisions in your life.

 

-MB

Follow me on Twitter: @justmobrown

Another Day...

I’m saddened today. I woke up to news of yet another officer-involved shooting. Once again in St. Louis County (Berkeley) and once again a young man that looks like me is dead with his family left to pick up the pieces. As always, there are more questions than answers – none of which will bring this young man back to life. Antonio Martin’s possession of a gun, based on the video circulating is undetermined. The officer said he saw Martin hold up a gun and he reacted. There are questions that immediately run through my mind:

·         Antonio Brown held that stance for more than a split second. What made the officer finally react?

·         Why did everyone else in the immediate vicinity seem so calm?

 

At this point, I can’t make a definitive judgment based on the degraded/outdated video footage. What I can say is that my heart is truly hurting for the family of Antonio Martin. I would love to live to see a day where we weren’t burying young people – especially those of color. I remember my teenage years – a little wild, a little crazy, sometimes death-defying – but nothing like this.

 

I’m not going to point fingers or throw out random scenarios. This family deserves to grieve in peace and this officer needs to get himself together – people think it’s easy to shoot someone. For some it may be, for most – it tugs at your heart. I understand having to make split-second decisions and the burden of living with those decisions. As a former Marine, I frequently had to make those kinds of decisions – especially on Post-9/11 security details and among jealous civilians and other service members. My prayer is one of healing for the family and for the officer.

 

As the investigation gets underway, try to have an open mind to all possibilities. It’s just a shame to have to bury someone so young so close to the day set aside to commemorate the birth of our Lord and Savior. Let’s try harder to love one another.

 

-MB

What's Said in the Dark...

Dang, Sony! The North Korean hacking of Sony’s technology was an invasion of privacy, but revealed a lot of ugliness about the media company. The uproar over The Interview was only the tip of the iceberg, apparently. As these emails keep getting leaked, it gets more embarrassing and becomes more revelatory about the state of our society. From Kevin Hart being called a “whore” for setting a standard for his brand, to the President (yes, the guy who resides in the White House with that gorgeous wife of his), being typecast as a person of color who should only like hood movies, to saying that Denzel Washington (yeah, the old guy who still makes women’s teeth sweat) didn’t have crossover appeal to be the leading man in a global film. Uh, have you guys actually seen any of this guy’s work? To sum it up in a word: MASTERFUL!

 

A question I’d like to pose to the American public: Since when did it become okay to make movies about killing the leader of any country? If you’re going to make that movie, go all out! Make one about taking out Vladimir Putin. They won’t, because Putin is “that guy.” By “that guy,” meaning “likes to fight guy” (h/t Jim Rome) and Americans don’t want those problems.

 

We are a country of hypocrites! As a whole, we want to be big and bad, but won’t even stand up for our core beliefs or for those who are suffering within our borders. All these definitions of “patriotism” and if a person doesn’t display their national pride the way you do, people want to kick you out the country. People have differing ideologies, but because mine doesn’t mirror yours, you feel it’s your job to marginalize me. What a crock!

 

As a country, we get upset about the most trivial things: The NSA has been spying on phone calls, texts, and emails for years and not many seemed to mind. Oh, but North Korea hacks a giant company’s servers (and exposes its dirty laundry) and it’s full on outrage. People are more concerned with the mistreatment of people thousands of miles away, but turn a blind eye to the injustice right here on our soil. We’re quick to send money to feed the hungry overseas and champion workers’ rights worldwide – but won’t lift a finger to help those who live within a stone’s throw of us.

 

We have a lot of work ahead of us and the road won’t be easy. Maybe we need a lifestyle change; less of us, more of God. More compassion, less greed. More camaraderie, less combativeness….

 

I could go on and on, but life calls!

 

-MB

More Senseless Violence

Wow… Just wow…

 

That was my initial response to the violence over the weekend. Three police officers (I’m aware of) lost their lives to senseless violence. Two officers in Brooklyn were both shot “execution style” while sitting in their patrol cars by a man, depending on who you ask, was either mentally disturbed or out for revenge. However it’s framed, there are two junior officers, a woman (the killer’s significant other), and an obviously troubled man (psychologically or otherwise) are dead that probably shouldn’t be. Already the pro-police camps are saying the cop-killer planned to kill those officers in retaliation to the Eric Gardner and Michael Brown murders (yes, I’m calling them murders).

 

This was a man from Georgia, who killed his girlfriend in Baltimore, then traveled to one of the most dangerous areas of Brooklyn and shot two random policemen. The pro-police crowd is saying that because this man posted anti-police messages on Facebook he had a clear motive. Those two events aren’t mutually exclusive. I post anti-police bullying/violence stuff quite frequently. That doesn’t mean I’m going to kill a random officer.

 

I don’t want any unnecessary dealings with law enforcement than what they are required to do. If I’m in an accident, come to the scene and take a report. If my home is burglarized, come there, investigate, and make a report. If something happens to my son, do your job.

 

I don’t need a police officer to go shopping with me, trying to make nice with me when we clearly wouldn’t be buddies under any other circumstance. I respect the idea of law enforcement and am thankful for the men and women who perform the job honorably. I wish nothing but safety and a host of other good things upon them. The ones who are just in it to satisfy some thrill or looking to oppress the citizens in their charge, I wish they’d find some other line of work. They make the job of the decent officers and troopers exponentially harder than what they should be.

 

I seriously don’t believe the average American wishes death on any individual (particularly law enforcement in this case) and if they do, there’s a fundamental problem at hand. Those protesters shouting “Kill Cops!” – way out of pocket. That’s not to say those select few spurred this man on to kill to unsuspecting policemen. Every person is responsible for his or her own actions. What the public at-large wants is to not feel targeted by law enforcement. As a man of color, I don’t want to feel as if my son or I am part of some sick game. This doesn’t have to be a pissing match between citizens and law enforcement, but this is what it’s devolved into. We don’t need to bury any more citizens or police.

 

Down in Florida, a felon out on parole shot, killed, and ran over a policeman. Clearly uncalled for. This man violated his parole, was being served a warrant, and decided to flip out. There were no winners in that tragedy.

 

My sincerest condolences to everyone who has experienced loss. Our prayer is the senseless violence stops.

 

-MB

Our Own Worst Enemy

For those who don’t know, I detest most forms of “Reality” TV. I used to be roped in by it for the shenanigans, but hit a breaking point once I saw what most of it really was. I’m old (young) enough to remember when the social experiment, The Real World debuted. It was different, it was unscripted, it was genius! To take people from different parts for the country and have them live somewhere outside their comfort zones with each other was addictive television. Of course there were fights, hook-ups, and typical human behavior – but although it was entertaining, it showed that people are simultaneously similar and contrasting. The Real World was the Rose Bowl of Reality TV.

 

From the perspective of a man of color, I believe Reality TV took a sharp left with the inception of Flavor of Love, which gave birth to hideous spinoffs I Love New York, Real Chance of Love, Rock of Love, and For the Love of Ray J (did I miss one?). Then there’s the Real Housewives series and the Love & Hip-Hop series. Talk about train wrecks! In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve seen exactly one episode of Flavor, snippets of New York, and a season each of Real Chance, Rock, and Ray J (don’t ask). I watched a few episodes of Love & Hip-hop, thinking there was going to be some relevance or some deep, introspective look at Hip-hop culture and juggling romance. Boy, was I sadly mistaken! I was waiting for it to get better, but hell had a better chance of freezing over.

 

If those shows weren’t already distasteful enough, here comes Scandal (this is where I’d expect many to stop reading). I watched the first two seasons, before I had a wake-up call. What was I co-signing, by tuning in every Thursday? It took missing a few episodes, then attempting to catch up to realize why the show began to really rub me the wrong way. ***Disclaimer*** Some of the language used going forward in this post may be a bit colorful and controversial – and I’m okay with that. Basically, Scandal boiled down to the main character, who’s widely celebrated and adored, is nothing more than a well-dressed whore to the white man. I don’t know what’s more appalling: The fact that such a show exists, or the fact that many women who look like the main character, aspire to be just like the main character. There is something seriously wrong with that. I know some real-life women who aspire for that to be their type of life – do the master’s dirty work, have his wife’s sloppy seconds, while chasing a dream that master is really going to leave the madam and run away from you, while alienating the friendships and alliances he’s built over the years. To quote one of my Bible Study students: Man, bye. I have since been delivert from the oppressive shackles of that show.

 

I’ve done all this huffing and puffing to come to this: Last night Sorority Girls premiered and although I didn’t watch it, the tweets and posts that overwhelmed my timeline and newsfeed told me all I need to know. I saw one of the trailers for the show and although I’m not a Greek, that was some of the most awkward, tasteless, vile, and repulsive advertisement I’ve seen recently. Since when did it become okay for educated, civilized, black folks to act like they have no home training, self-worth, or idea of the perception they’re casting? When, Sway??? I’m all for the boycott of the show, for what it’s worth, but we need to boycott those who intentionally seek ways to shame us publicly, as a collective. My mom used to tell me, when I was younger, “Don’t be embarrassing me in front of company.” The same should hold true when you’re in a position to show the inside of public lives. I was taught to always put my best foot forward and not to willingly give outsiders fodder to use as ammunition against me later in life.

 

Shonda Rhimes and Mona Scott, although rolling in dough, are doing it at the expense of their own people – and their laughing all the way to the bank. Why can’t people use their talents (and these ladies are talented) to uplift and unite people instead of exploit? This is a furtherance of the imbedded slave mentality – acting like “house niggas” and “trustees,” if you will (and Viacom is “master”). Then we have a society of sheep that follow and eat whatever is presented.

 

I truly love my people and want to see us, and society as a whole do better, but this has to stop.

 

-MB

 

The Exhausting Fight Against Cynicism, Racism, and Ignorance

I haven’t posted anything socially-based in a little while (didn’t want to come off as too angry), so I took a small step back. Perusing the news feeds, I saw that Tamir Rice’s death was officially ruled a homicide. It’s hard to watch that video without cringing, the same way it’s hard to watch the Eric Garner video without wanting to jump in the video to break it up. You hear about death at the hands of law enforcement officers and it’s easy to try to rationalize it away, but when you see video a different light is cast. Being one who has endured a bout of police brutality, it’s hard for me to give law enforcement the benefit of the doubt in any situation.

 

I scroll my Facebook news feed and see all the people who really don’t value life or think law enforcement is always right. Those are two dangerous mindsets to have in this day and age. Firstly, all life has value. That’s an absolute. Everyone who lives and breathes has the right to contribute something positive and meaningful to society. Just because some people choose not to, doesn’t mean their lives mean any less. On a loosely-related note, that line of thinking is what changed my stance on the Death Penalty some years ago. God is the giver of life, not us – so it is God who controls the destiny of life, not us.

 

For those saying law enforcement is always right, that could not be farther from the truth! As long as you have human authority and human representation of authority, you have inherent flaws. There’s no way around it. My distrust of law enforcement or any “authority figure” that isn’t God, Himself, is well-warranted. I respect and acknowledge the authority over me, because I’m instructed to do so in the Bible, but my respect is not mutually exclusive to or representative of my (dis)agreement with said authorities.

 

I almost went on an “Un-friending” spree on Facebook a couple weeks ago, but thought better of it. Everyone is entitled to an opinion – even if their opinion is wrong. Yes, there is a such thing as a wrong opinion. Wrong opinions are birthed from warped, jaded, and cynical minds. I try not to view some of my “friends” as racists, but the still small voice of the inner-cynic is telling me otherwise. Make sure you pray for me.

 

We have entirely too many fights on too many fronts, but the fight must continue.

 

Blessings,

-MB

 

Morris Brown
Associate Service Representative
Kansas City Life Insurance Company / American Family Security Services
3520 Broadway / PO Box 219409 Ι Kansas City, MO 64121-9409
Voice: 877.781.3520 ext. 8065 / Fax: 816.931.3585 / Email: customerservice@kclife.com (completed documents and general inquiries. Do NOT send transaction requests to personal emails!)
***Kansas City Life’s variable product series is distributed by Sunset Financial Service, Inc. (member FINRA/SIPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kansas City Life Insurance Company***

 

Reflection from Yesterday

In the midst of all our hustle and bustle we can find ourselves discontent with where we are and what we have. It’s a sign that we’ve become anxious and have begun to take for granted the provisions God has made for us. Take employment for example: When you were either underemployed or unemployed, the prayer was, “God, please give me a breakthrough. I need a job!” Pretty sincere prayer for the moment. As a man, it’s hard to live day-to-day without working – even when God is providing every need. There’s something about getting up and going to work every morning that makes you feel good about yourself. However, when God is preparing you for the “what’s next,” it’s easy to get antsy and want to jump into the best thing that comes along – not necessarily the best thing for you. It’s easy to feel that you’ve outgrown your current situation, status, or position and eagerly leap into the next great thing without consulting God on your next move.

 

Now think about your current job: You’ve been there so long, you’re considered furniture. You feel like you’ve hit your ceiling, everyone is on your nerves, and you think you want a drastic change. Instead of asking God what He has to say about it, sometimes we give in to our feelings, panic, and make questionable decisions. I’ve seen people (including myself) surrender a blessed existence for a more unstable one – and God hadn’t said to move. Think of all the trouble and stress a move like that caused. You left for “more money,” “better opportunity,” “because it seems better over there” – the reasons are endless, but again, what did God say?

 

Both scenarios put me in the mind of David when he and his mercenaries fled from Saul and took refuge in Ziklag. God allowed them to dwell in enemy territory with their families, but when the situation started getting dicey, David stepped out and decided to take his men to align with the Philistine army against Israel. The Philistine king was all for it, but the generals recognized David from his famous victory over their champion Goliath and pleaded with the king not to accept David and his men. The king begrudgingly sent David and company back to Ziklag. That was a 3-day trip (one way) designed to get a big payday and for the opportunity to raid more Israeli villages. The job opportunity seemed too great to pass up and David took a gamble. He and his men ended up travelling six days, had run out of supplies, and returned home to find their city burned and ruined and their wives and children kidnapped – all because they stepped out of position. The important part of that story was that David then consulted God on whether to pursue the Amalekites or count all as lost. God gave His blessing to pursue and assured David that he and his men would recover everything.

 

When you feel like you’ve been cramped at work, in your relationships, and spiritually, think on God’s goodness and how He got you to that point. Ask God if where you are is just a campsite or where He wants you for the duration. Once that’s answered ask God to reveal the tools He’s given you to thrive in that situation. We serve a God who will never leave His children lacking.

 

Today’s prayer: God help me to find myself. Reveal to me your perfect will for my life. Although your permissive will is one of blessing, I know your perfect will yields the “more abundant” blessing. Help me to see situations – not with my natural eyes, but with the spiritual eyes you’ve given me. Help me to discern what is permanent from what is temporary, what is good for me from what is good to me. Help me to thrive wherever you have planted me and to know when to close the door on that phase of my life. To you be the glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

-MB

 

 

The Process of Overcoming

“See, it is I who created the blacksmith
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc;
no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the Lord. – Isaiah 54:16-17

 

Sometimes you have the thought, “Lord, why is this happening now?” Some events in our lives can be so inconvenient to the narrative we’ve mapped out for ourselves that they cause us to throw up our hands and say, “I quit!” Then there are those seasons where it seems like it’s one thing after another that rises up against you, diverting your attention from the work God is accomplishing in you. These annoyances come in all varieties and forms – discrimination, liars, haters, troublemakers, and the like.

 

These attacks come at home, on the job, among associates, and even within the church! As adopted children of God, we’re not exempt from the foolishness that impacts us, but we have been given tools to combat those things, along with the greatest combatant – God, himself.

 

God reminds us in this text that HE created everything – even the things, people, and situations that vex us the most. Even as the Creator of all things, those weapons/tools God created will not defeat us – and as for those who run their mouths trying to trash us, God will deal with them, as well.

 

This morning’s prayer: God, thank you for the blacksmiths in our lives, as the blacksmith is also your creation. We thank you, because despite the motive, you keep us and promised that the work of the blacksmith would not destroy us. Increase our strength today and every day, that we discern his work and readily identify his tools, so that, through you, we can counter the attack. Remember those who say disparaging things about us, that drag our name through the mud for their own satisfaction. Reveal to them how they’re being used and help them to overcome. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

-MB

Another Day, Another Case of Hypocrisy

This is becoming all too common and readily accepted by the masses. Every time we turn on the radio or TV we hear it, but most don’t even protest the deplorable things spewed.

 

What am I talking about here? Victim-blaming. When did we as a society become so desensitized, heartless, and cutthroat? Reading today, Representative Peter King (R-NY) basically said that Eric Garner wouldn’t have died if he hadn’t been obese. Really? How about, “Eric Garner wouldn’t have died if the rogue cop, which you praised, hadn’t choked and wrestled Garner down to the ground”? He follows that insult up by taking to Twitter to further praise the cop and declare that justice was served. What justice? The fact that an unarmed, non-threatening man was killed by one who is charged with keeping the peace – on camera???

 

This is just the latest example of victim-blaming that shows how far we’ve fallen as a society. This is just as low, stupid, and insensitive as blaming a female rape victim for the way her body is built or the clothes she wore when the attack occurred. Look: No one asks to get raped, assaulted, choked, or to have his or her life taken (by anyone). In the insurance industry, that’s the rough equivalent to the idea of comparative negligence, when blame is assigned to everyone involved in the incident.

 

Saying that someone shouldn’t have been overweight, shouldn’t have worn particular clothes, shouldn’t have been in a particular area, etc. is like telling those individuals they shouldn’t breathe and that their rights and protection only exist when they comply with some unwritten set of rules.

 

I think the most insulting thing in all this “blaming” is the ones doing the blaming are supposed to be Christians who display the love of Christ and are supposed to love justice and peace. Most are just Klansmen bold enough to live without the hoods.

 

#BlackLivesMatter

 

-MB

 

 

And We Thought NFL Replacement Refs Were Bad

Apparently every red-blooded, reasonably-sensed American is blind, simple, stupid, and slow. That has to be why the Grand Jury in New York decided there was no cause to bring charges against the officer that choked out Eric Garner. We all saw the replay, he heard the pleas, but we were all mistaken in what we saw and heard.

 

This isn’t like Mike Brown where there’s no footage to either corroborate or debunk one version of events or another. There was no “lost” or “tainted” evidence that could marginalized or disqualified. The official autopsy from the city coroner ruled Eric Garner was murdered. We all saw the murderer – on high quality video! Before the video was released, NYPD lied through its collective teeth about what happened that day.

 

Once the video surfaced, the back peddling, posturing, and manipulation began. No, we didn’t see what we knew we saw. Then it was, we don’t know the circumstances. Now we find the officer used a choke maneuver that’s been outlawed for years, but we didn’t witness a murder.

 

This reminded me of that MNF game – Seahawks and Packers (aka the Fail Mary Game). We all saw the pass was intercepted! We saw it from multiple angles. The officials huddled, went under the hood and still blew it! Lied to all of America with a straight face.

 

That’s how I felt when the results of the Grand Jury became public – like my intelligence had been insulted. The difference being a husband and father was taken from his family – and for what? Loose cigarettes? The man had just done a good deed in breaking up a fight and was cooperating with authorities. His commendation for being a peacekeeper? A premature death sentence.

 

When will the police brutality stop? Law enforcement needs to take a hard look at itself. This isn’t to say that all law enforcers are the scum of the earth, but Edmund Burke said it best: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that the good men do nothing.”  It’s necessary for neighborhoods, communities, and law enforcement to partner to rebuild the trust that has been repeatedly violated. The good officers need to corral the renegades and promote the safety of our neighborhoods. This isn’t going to be accomplished by the President. He’s having a hard enough doing the job he’s been twice-elected to do. It’s not going to come from other politicians, because they’re only interested in votes and paychecks.

 

There’s a lot to be said when people of the neighborhood trust the local criminals more than the cops. We’re at square one. Time to get to work.

 

-MB

 

Press Pause: A Midday Reflection

I’ve been on so much of a social tirade that I’ve probably come off like a short fuse or a loose cannon. For the moment, I’m hitting the pause button and focusing on something very near and dear to me – my son – the 2-foot-tall, 17 pound, curly-haired, love of my life.

 

If you had asked my 10 years ago if I could ever imagine the day that someone about 7% of my bodyweight running my life, I’d probably crack a “little people” joke and dismiss the notion. Maybe that’s why the wise people say what they say about assumptions and the people who make them.

 

So here we are and the prince is running things (I don’t think he realizes it) and I’m trying to be the present, involved, loving dad. I think I’ve given more kisses and hugs to this little person than I have to any one person in my lifetime. I get so much joy experiencing him learn things than I do with my own achievements. Things we typically take for granted are a big deal with him.

 

He recently discovered his hands and everything in reach either gets grabbed awkwardly or goes toward his mouth. I find myself watching him and quietly saying, “Grab it, grab it!” Our “conversations” are priceless. I have no clue what he’s trying to convey, but sometimes it’s fun to imagine.

 

I find myself rushing to his babysitter’s (which is his maternal grandmother) house after work, because I’ve been dying all day to see him. Being greeted with a smile from your son is such an indescribable feeling. No matter what kind of day I’ve had at work, that big, toothless, Kool-Aid smile (and the accompanying drool-filled “kiss”) makes me thankful God woke me up that morning. I don’t think I could ever imagine a life with no him. I fully concur with his mom: “He’s amazing!”

 

-MB

 

I Don't Agree, But I Understand...

Let me preface this by saying: I've never been a fan or an advocate of tearing stuff up out of frustration. With that said, I understand the pain, anguish, and frustration the people of Ferguson feel. I don't agree with the looting and vandalism, but the raw emotion of helplessness, despair, hopelessness had been simmering just below the surface for some time.

Contrary to what the media may have people believe, this didn't start this past summer. St. Louis County has been known to be corrupt, immoral, biased, unfair, racist, bigoted, underhanded, and any other adjective you can conceive for generations. Those not familiar with the area would have you believe Greater St. Louis was some kind of criminal wasteland. Newsflash: It's not!

Like every metropolis in the U. S., St. Louis has its problems with crime, violence, and corruption. For those who know nothing about the area, that would have you to believe otherwise, please mute them.

The residents that rioted and protested in Ferguson aren't common criminals. Most are everyday working men and women, who like many of us are working just to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Some were people who were out of work for varying reasons. These weren't gangbangers, as the mainstream media would have you believe. These are people who have had enough of the mistreatment by the ones who swore to uphold the law, serve, and protect and enough of the system that repeatedly failed them.

On August 9, 2014, an officer of the law violated the trust of the people and a young man's life was cut short. That was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. Eventually the people said, "Enough is enough!" The people were right. Injustice had skated by too long in Ferguson and the first reaction to the outrage, was outrage!

My only points of contention were the following:

• Outsiders were allowed to come in, wreck your town and go back to their respective dwellings - away from the epicenter. My dad told me when I was just a boy, "Don't ever let someone come into your home and tear up your things." I get it, the residents don't own the businesses and property destroyed, but they utilize those services, so in a way, it was theirs.
• You have people there trying to make an honest living by owning bakeries, salons, and various shops. These aren't the people that shot, killed, and left an unarmed 18-year-old lying in the street. They didn't pull you over for bogus reasons, they didn't kick in your doors with bogus warrants. Those business owners should have been spared the wrath of the masses.

This isn't a reprimand, yet an acknowledgement that you, my friends, have been seen and heard. From coast-to-coast, to various locations across the globe. We see you, Ferguson - and you're not fighting this fight alone. God sees your tears, he's heard your complaint, and His justice is at hand.

One Day I'll Stop Being Amazed

I'm in my mid-30s, a first-time father, and contrary to what most believe - a kindhearted individual. Injustice makes my blood boil, hypocrisy makes my skin itch, and the way society has devolved makes me question my faith in humanity.

As I often peruse my Facebook and Twitter feeds, I just shake my head lately and ask God, "How did we get so screwed up?" Yes, I actually pose those kinds of questions to the Creator - in that format. Not to be disrespectful, but when you're perplexed and want answers, sometimes protocol goes out the door.

With all the killings that have gone on this year, I'm still scratching my head. I guess in some strange way I thought we'd be further along on the race-relations front. I keep having to remind myself that the 60s weren't that far away and from a macro view, we haven't made the progress we think we have.

As people of color, we're still divided - still haven't figured out how to break the curse of Willie Lynch. It's a bothersome conundrum that doesn't have to be our reality, but somehow we act like we're not smart enough to see through the smokescreens, misdirection, and loaded rhetoric that plague our people on a regular basis. How can a people so proud and so strong be so weak-minded? How do we get it back?

The way we deal with each other and with other races is scary, at times. It's like we can't find the love to spread among ourselves and definitely can't show it to someone that doesn't resemble us. So much pinned up hatred and self-depreciation is mind-numbing - but this is what the mainstream wants - for us to be an ongoing minstrel show. The mainstream wants us to kill off each other, while entertaining the masses; kill off each other while it erodes our fortunes, families, identities, and philosophies. How do we get it all back? Can we get it all back? Where do we start? We start at home.