David's Reflections

A Tool For Feeding The Hungry (after a shooting tragedy)

(This post is my response and reflection in the aftermath of the tragic death of teachers and students, 19 children, of the Robb Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas.)

What would a weapon of war look like if it is turned into a tool for feeding the hungry? The prophets of the Old Testament have struggled to answer this question. Read Isaiah 2:4-5 and Micah 4:3-5, and you will see the imagery of swords being turned into plowshares.

“God shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks… O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord. You shall learn war no more, but you will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.” (Is. 2:4-5 & Mic. 4:3-5)

So, what would an AK-47 (or AR-15) look like when it is remanufactured as a tool to help us cook food for the hungry? What would a nuclear ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) look like if we retro-fit it for food production and distribution? So, what is your answer?

If I were to ask Jesus this question, he will probably not have a direct answer (not because he does not know an AK-47 or an ICBM). He will probably say:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." --(Matthew 5:6-9)

Here is a song that I heard this Sunday morning, a song that captures my thoughts for this time of reflection:

God, Our Nation Feels The Loss. (Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. 2022)

God, our nation feels the loss
as our children pay the cost
for the violence we accept,
for the silence we have kept.
Rachel weeps for children gone;
God of love, this can’t go on!

Jesus, Lord, we hear you say,
“Don’t turn little ones away!”
May we build a kinder land
where our children understand:
Every child here matters more
that the guns we clamor for.

Holy Spirit, wind and flame,
send us out in Jesus’ name.
May we shout and say, “Enough!”
May we build a world of love—
till the sounds of weapons cease,
till our young can grow in peace.

Copyright © 2022 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.

Spirituality With a Hope and a Holy Unrest

“Growth in spirituality is never only a matter of confirming the known and familiar,” Charles Ringma states in his Dare To Journey (1992:110). He describes our life with Christ is more of radical transformation, a restlessness and a vision for what is to come, than contentment and conservation. He cites Paul’s words in his Epistle to the Romans saying: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13). Hope here is an application of joy and peace. God’s Spirit moves us forward, and thus, our spirituality grows.

Henri Nouwen tells us that “You are [a] Christian only so long as you look forward to a new world, so long as you constantly pose critical questions to the society you live in” (Open Hands. 1972:126). We keep moving forward being unsatisfied with the status quo and we keep saying that a new world is yet to come. Nouwen continues: “So long as you live as a Christian you keep looking for a new order, a new structure, a new life” (1972). 

Where are you in your journey with Christ? Are you in a state of holy unrest? Is your hope in the Lord moving you forward?

“Why you should care about your multiracial friends” (By: Carmen Clemente)

According to the U.S. Census in 2020, the population of “Two or More Races” in America increased by 276% compared to the 2010 U.S. Census. Now, around 10.2% of the U.S. population identifies as being multiracial. Though the population of multiracial adults is growing at a high rate, it is still a relatively new concept. The U.S. Census Bureau had just introduced Americans’ ability to choose more than one race in 2000 (pewresearch.org).  

Growing up as a kid, and even now as an adult, I dreaded the little checkboxes under the question of what race you identify with when filling out surveys and applications.  

I identify as being biracial. My mom is Caucasian, and my dad is Filipino. So, whenever I come across this predicament of which checkbox am I going to choose over the other, a part of me feels as though this indefinitely defines who I am. But it’s only a checkbox, right?  

It is only a game of boxes until I am forced to limit myself to one checkbox that I stumble across named “other.”  

I can’t help but feel the repercussions of this one word for people who identify with more than one ethnicity. All of our unique experiences and identity crises condensed into one word that doesn’t even serve our individuality justice because it dismisses celebration and instead puts us in a box that forbids us to express who we are.  

Instead, we are the “other,” the forgotten, the marginalized. Thankfully, often you will see the checkbox “two or more races,” but even then, this should not dismiss the millions of multiracial people whose stories significantly differ from one another.  

The sad truth is that this is only a small example compared to what multiracial people have to go through throughout their lives.  

My experience as a multiracial child is vastly different from that, say, of a half Hispanic half African American child. Even though we are both biracial, our unique experiences based on our parents’ monoracial identities are completely different.  

One misconception plays out when monoracial people approach or talk to their multiracial peers. A lot of the time, they assume that all of our experiences are the same. More often than not, there is more diversity within the multiracial community than people realize.  

Moreover, I feel disappointed when people think they have me all figured out once they learn that I’m half-white and half-Asian. I’m not the only one feeling this way. According to a Pew Research study, about one in four multiracial adults “have felt annoyed because people have made assumptions about their racial background.”

There is no shame in asking a person of more than one race what they are. There is more to us than our biological makeup. Many multiracial people identify with one race over another. And though we may identify with one race, the world may see us as the other. Working through one’s racial identity, especially when your DNA is made of multiple races, can be challenging.  

For example, I am an ethnic minority, but I also pass as white, so I simultaneously experience white privilege. I feel as though my biological makeup limits me from being able to fully understand and experience the monoracial culture of both my Caucasian and Asian sides. So, where does that leave me? Often, I feel as though I’m left in the margins, that my experiences aren’t valid enough.  

What I long for is for people to be able to recognize my struggle and show compassion. I’m not asking you to understand, but to show up and offer a helping hand when I lose vision of who I am.  

We live in a world that likes to compartmentalize and label, so for multiracial adults who have to navigate through their identity in this world like me, that can be tough.  

I wish I could give you a concrete and straightforward answer to how you can be there for your multiracial friends who may be silently or not so silently going through a racial identity crisis. If I can sum it all up in one word, the best I can give you is this:  

Listen.  

Give us space to express ourselves. Give us time to tell you who we are. Give us grace and understanding when we change our minds about our racial identity.  

And please, do not put us in boxes. 

 

(Carmen is my daughter. This article was published in the Asbury Collegian, April 22, 2022.)

Like It Was Yesterday

What are things or events you remember like it was yesterday? In the post-resurrection story narrated in the 21st chapter of the Gospel of John, we read the disciples' encounter with Jesus. (See, John 21:1-19.) They remember it so well that the writer mentions the number of fish that they caught that same day. Verses 11-12 say: “Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn ‘Now come and have some breakfast!’ Jesus said.” Their fellowship with Jesus did not just end with this breakfast. It continued on to more teaching and reminders about Jesus’ love (Jn. 21:16). They all remember Jesus’ words like it was yesterday.

How is your life with Jesus? Do you have fresh revelation from our Lord every morning? Can you say with the disciples “our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road?” (See, Luke 24:32). Do you remember your encounter with Jesus like it was yesterday?

He said, "Who are you, Master?" "I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next." (Acts 9:5-6)