I write this through tears…the category of tears generated from overwhelming joy. Heavenly joy, as a fruit of the Spirit, not of my own strength. (Nehemiah 8:10).
Picture it. God orders my steps and I appear at an open door, a Kingdom door. It is more of a large doorway – something you would find in an Old World castle. Lush drapery surrounds the room with cushioned velvety, auburn carpeting. Then suddenly, I am at a massive doorway of great height where even the giants of yesteryear could easily clear. It is extremely wide, enough for a procession of armies to march through hand-in-hand in lockstep. On either side of the doorway are two ornate columns made of gold and intricate regal detail. There are no knobs but a beveled edge so large and profound that only angels’ hands could possibly take hold. And there, in the middle of the doorway I stand as God breaths His Spirit in my direction
Just as he energized my creative endeavors, he touched my career as well. Less of a doorway, it is a passageway with no obstacles. The open door that no man can shut. I cry and sing Hallelujah, not for what He has done for me, but in worship and exaltation of His providence and great goodness.
“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.” Revelation 3:8 NLT
I was again awakened to paws scratching at the bedroom door, which had now served as a more reliable alarm clock. Yet, the dimness of the morning light deceived me. It was already after 6:00 a.m. and the morning breeze swept through the windows kissing me like a distant lover. The swirling, russling sound and amber hues reminded me of tiny school uniforms making their way through the front doors of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic school.
Reluctantly, and still exhausted, I climbed out of bed to lead the anxious canine out to the front yard to relieve herself. I was glad that this time she dilly dallied, as my thoughts projecting the busy day ahead.
I reentered the large, well-appointed bedroom and flipped on the remote. My spirit was suddenly arrested as I watched bodies spilled all over the streets of the Ukraine. Ambulances and law enforcement activity was at maximum level. Fears of future and more severe Russian attacks raised the global threat level. Talking heads opined with doomed conjecture.
Suddenly, my day’s plans to mull over case files and lament over outstanding chores seemed fruitless. Recognition of life’s blessings took over: I am healthy, free, blessed and most critically, protected and still walking in pursuit of God’s purpose for me.
My countenance livened and I took to praising. With gratitude, I thanked God for never leaving me nor forsaking me. (Deuteronomy 31:8). I also prayed for those affected in the war zone and those with similar feelings of substantial insecurity, asking for peace to prevail.
Almost sensing the inculcation of the Holy Spirit, the children woke up with smiles on their faces. We said our morning prayers and set out for the day.
“…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.””
The slight depressions along the bubbling brook tracked the direction of the skipping pebbles. The surrounding lush garden shadowed the green, mossy land abutting the water’s edge. There, under the weeping willow she sat, emanating the forest’s countenance.
She balanced several more of the black rocks, their smooth, flat surface warming the webs of her fingers. Tossing them across the surface of the pond, she punctuated the end of her meditation, the gliding fragments disrupting the peaceful current of the wildlife below.
She absorbed the floral scents, the rhythmic cicadas attuned, and the warm, muggy air enveloping her with God’s outstretched arms. Her immediate ecosystem paired with the one within. Feeling a gentle push, she rose to her feet, unperturbed by the trapped stains on her khaki shorts. One last perusal, smiling at her sanctuary. Her strong resolve mirroring the steadfastness of the towering trees, leaving the branches to do the weeping.
Psalms 30:5: “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”
She dozed on the wooden balcony, periodically peaking through the glass enclosure into the pitch black night. Suddenly, the crashing waves seemed to roar as a white eagle soared from atop the glistening surface of the water, streaking upward toward the jeweled sky; higher and higher into the still of the deep.
Her thoughts broke through the deafening sea and were hers again, awakened from the reverie: a mix of present and future; her ideas and those of the Universe.
She lay her crown back onto the headrest, heart slowly resuming to resting state. She softly caressed herself, tightening her knees to her chest for added warmth.
Her fatigue had begun to interrupt her contemplations and she realize it was time to give it a rest and resume her pondering for another time. The bedroom called…
Rising up from her seat, the ship betraying her stance. She quickly regained her footing with a deep, lingering breath. She missed the night air already, sensing that God himself was in its midst.
Psalm 139:1-2: You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
The blue and white stone trinkets rattled against each other as the shopper sifted through, searching for her name. “Edith”, “Edna”, then a jump to “Erica”. She quickly canvassed the remainder of the boutique, certain that her moniker would not be found within. She had plodded about the waterfront village hoping that the arty venue would be the first to carry apparel or ornaments fashioned with her signature, a rare name indeed. Placidly, she relinquished her pursuit and headed toward the docks to watch the red-streaked sunset.
Growing up, I was uncomfortable with my name, a combination of the French names of my parents, and having no independent meaning on its own. Unlike Edith which means “rich war” or Edna signifying “tenderness”, my searches always yielded “no result”. Instead, whenever meeting new classmates or being called upon by an instructor, I braced myself for the butchering that would ensue followed by unwelcomed nicknames and teasing. I was even grouped with male students on one very mortifying occasion when a substitute could not decipher my gender from the roll book.
As time went on, some of those nicknames stuck. If you address me as “Ed”, consider yourself lucky. I retired that label soon after high school but its deemed a term of affection from my oldest and dearest friends. “Mire” is generally reserved for my close law school companions. Nothing bonds you more than going through the fire of a 1L curriculum or getting passed the bar examination. We are practically family if you double down and chide me with “Mire Mire” with no penalty.
Time and again and after countless greetings spent correcting and explaining, I have grown to appreciate the opportunity to connect on a personal level. Discussing one’s name is supremely benign on the totem pole of conversation starters and thus, kindness is easily at the forefront of every exchange. From there, discipleship is possible. Admittedly, God’s leading is a crucial ingredient. But I have realized that my name, though unique and seemingly meaningless, allowed God to fill me with meaning. Once a burden, it now guides me to treasure the reach and connections in those precious first moments of an encounter.
Now, as a working professional, I muse at the occasional “mister” referenced on incoming correspondence. I never hesitate to clarify my salutation but with levity. I am reminded that a sliver of generosity opens the door for Light to shine through. There is comfort in knowing that God will grant us grace to shoulder a perceived hurdle and turn it into a gift or blessing to others. We are called to abide in that grace.
Kindest regards,
Edmire
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20.
If we were to churn this past year of American life into a feedback machine, the computer’s output would read: “System Critical”. Circulating is an aggressive pandemic still raging uncontrollably with unfavorable trends noted in virtually every state. Our economy has been severely distressed in many sectors and our children are stuck learning at home accompanied by wearied parents. Continued civil unrest due to disparately implemented policing in communities of color alight protests and oftentimes, rioting. Exacerbating the violence and in contravention of the Second Amendment, armed militia have essentially taken over numerous streets in America. In the backdrop, unpredictable planetary emergencies threaten major populations. All this is compounded by an exasperating political climate.
The presidential candidates Joseph Biden and Donald Trump have starkly different outlooks on combating these ills, among others. The incumbent Trump, who carelessly contracted the coronavirus himself, has objectively exhibited unconventional behavior leaving the rest of the world perplexed, including encouraging the non-use of masks, the one easily accessible tool to protect from infection. Biden, the former Vice President to Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, is tempered but unproven in these complex times. Frankly, any candidate would find these current conditions daunting. This has triggered a nationwide race to vote early and in unprecedented numbers. Yet, as we pull the levers of power in the ballot box, there is a looming threat to our personal electoral agency. The GOP mainly has used legislative prowess to put forth policies arguably intended to hamper the voting franchise of many disadvantaged groups who tend to vote democratic. In conjunction, Trump has elicited election insecurity by prematurely delegitimizing the outcome of the race should he lose. In that same vein, the United States Postal Service has been ordered to surreptitiously slow down mail service, preempting the non-counting of absentee voters.
More recently, the Republican party forged ahead with the confirmation hearing of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court slot left behind after the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, weeks ahead of the general election and while early voting has already commenced. This now completes the nine-justice panel and secures a conservative bent to the highest court in the land for years to come. Recall, Merrick Garland, Barack Obama’s judicial pick in 2016, was denied a hearing by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell citing a fabricated rule that a lame duck president could not make such a selection. In fact, McConnell also denied President Obama’s other choices for federal district and circuit courts upwards of 105 times, leaving that many vacancies that Trump has diligently filled. Yet, four years later, Barrett, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, was graced with an expedited appointment which followed Brett Kavanaugh whose shoddy past and questionable record on voting rights should have given the Senate committee pause. Within the last week, election decisions have already been handed down and on election night, we may see candidates and their respective parties running to the Supreme Court steps.
Understand this: the Supreme Court is the venue of final redress, the avenue of last resort. There are no other judicial remedies in the litigation process. Thus, the only other solution to bring about changed policies that are more representative of the majority views of the public is through expansion of the court itself and legislative changes. However, unless rigging of the system via suppression is thwarted, a small segment of the population in a large number of states will be able to consolidate power in the Senate, the ultimate power grab. And that’s the play – be not distracted by the frivolity being displayed by our leader.
In good conscience, for the sake of our democracy, there should be the fair rotation of the elite, the very principle this county was founded upon. Most Americans view this year’s presidential election as the most important of a lifetime. Questioning how we got here would engender a range of viewpoints and emotions, all falling along either the red or blue political spectrum. Whether you sway left or right, what’s clear is the essential need to vote, either to disrupt the branches of government that are not demonstrating our deepest values or fighting to keep them in command. It is the writers hope that on the morning of November 4th, the read out will say “system restored”.
Abdulhamid Hosbas | Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Staring into my young black boy’s eyes, I saw innocence encircled around bold, deep brown irises. Playful just moments before, his childlike presence dimmed for a moment as he struggled to reconcile his own nine-year old existence with his mother’s grave explanation regarding George Floyd’s death, a man arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill. The stress was overwhelming and the youngster asked to switch gears and returned to his videos.
Even in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, American streets have again erupted in protest. Floyd, a 46 year-old African American man, was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes among cries that he could not breathe and certainty that he was nearing his demise. Unmoved, officer Derek Chauvin pressed on even after Floyd, handcuffed and laying prone, was unresponsive for two minutes and 53 seconds. After three accompanying officers checked his pulse, emergency services were called. Yet, no life saving resuscitation efforts were implemented. The occurrence was captured by bystanders’ cell phone videos and viewed countless times on social media. The four officers were fired by the city’s mayor. Officer Chauvin was arrested four days after the ruthless act and charged with 3rd degree murder and manslughter, hardly propitiating the community. As of the date of this writing, no charges have been brought against the three other officers who assisted in restraining the victim by also kneeling on his body during the arrest.
After this public lynching, unparalleled mayhem has ensued and battle cries are heard throughout the nation. Minneopolis’ 3rd precinct, home to the offending officers, was overtaken by protesters and set ablaze over the uproar of celebratory cheers and fists pumping in the air in acknowlegment of the symbolic victory. Then, as if in concert, 75 cities across America began to burn. Protesters, homogeneous in nature, vented their frustrating anger, societal anxieties and rejection of the uneven status quo, culminating into a tipping point and America’s reckoning. Rioting has left war-like aftermaths marked with destruction and looting. Days later, demands for the additional arrests of the remaining officers have gone unappeased. Meanwhile protestors, and even an on-air network reporter with no legitimate charge, were promptly arrested. Among the chaos, what’s clear is that swift justice for the Floyd family is warranted in order for the semblance of peace to prevail.
However, at this juncture, there is simply no returning to normalcy. Justice for this murder alone is insufficient, especially in light of other recent killings of people of color including Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year old jogger in Georgia chased down and killed by local residents who purportedly observed him perusing a home construction project. Arrests in that case were not effectuated until several months later when damming video already in the possession of law enforcement surfaced of the cold-blooded killing. Countless bad acts by racist civilians and unfettered police forces for too many generations have triggered the boiling point of the black community and its allies. Yet, their ask now entails rectifying disparities in economic wealth, physical health, education and political standing. Anything short at this point may result in our witnessing the failing or collapsing of the systemic structures that buttress the U.S.’s democratic republic experiment. Unaddressed, the institutions of our democracy will be unable to sustain themselves due to the crisis of disenfrachisement of people of color.
Today, we are all called to pick a side and establish a constructive role regardless of color, creed, or socioeconomic station in this ongoing cause. And while passions are alit, the Bible affirms our anger, although with the caveat that we are not to sin. (Ephesians 4:26). How do we align these competing principles? The Gospel recounts a Jewish pilgrimage when Jesus Christ visited a temple in Jerusalem during Passover. The courtyard of the temple had been transformed into a marketplace where livestock and currency were being exchanged. The poor were exploited by merchants and temple authorities alike during these commercial transactions. Reacting to the immorality, disrespect and defiling of this sacred space, Jesus furiously trounced the sellers and scattered them and their animals, dumped their money and flipped over their tables and chairs. He then decreed an embargo on any merchandise sold in the temple, disturbing all commerce. (see, John 2:13-16; see also, Matthew 21:12-13).
We can take cues from Jesus, not only known as the sacrificial Lamb of God but also as the fierce Lion of Judah, the ultimate conqueror. (Revelations 5). Within His authority as King of kings, he armed himself with whips and asserted force to rid the temple of corruption and issued sanctions impacting the markets in the area. As the demonstrated standard, righteous anger is what makes God angry. Nothing is more compelling today.
Perhaps organized righteous disruption will speak truth to power and effectuate change. From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights Movement, we have studied historic revolts that lead to the inception of this country and to enactment of legislation that achieved amendments in policy. The call to the deep is for inspired leadership to take the helm where either menacing tweets or palpable silence are complicit in the racial divide. Nonetheless, if a black man can be brazenly killed still in 2020 in broad daylight despite onlookers pleading on his behalf, we are all called. It’s time.
“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” Proverbs 21:3.
The events that took place in Charlottesville will forever be seared in our minds. The culmination of white fear and fragility was reduced to acts of tribalism, barbarism and domestic terrorism. The alt-Right’s false premise of freedom of speech and peaceful protest discounted legal precedent holding that these fundamental rights are not without limitations nor are they meant to incite violence or cause imminent harm or severe emotional distress. The “Fighting Words” doctrine has been defined by courts as speech that “tend[s] to incite an immediate breach of the peace” by provoking a fight, so long as it is a “personally abusive [word] which, when addressed to the ordinary citizen, is, as a matter of common knowledge, inherently likely to provoke a violent reaction”. (See, Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, 315U.S. 568 (1942)). Here, spewed racial epithets and religious and sexual animus coupled with lit torches engendered visceral apprehensions of historical lynchings and cross burnings, incited fear and provocation, and fell out of bounds from a constitutional standpoint.
Further, the nation was again gripped with the anxious reality of the moral bankruptcy that exists at the helm of U.S. leadership. But this time it was different. Our commander-in-chief, under color of law, asserted without equivocation, the place of white nationalism and fascism in this country while wrongly denouncing those who bravely stood in the face of prejudice. Trump’s prior vacillation in the last few days, presenting as moral ambiguity at best, was firmly replaced by the true heart of the man: A man who at the official podium revered the contemporary cultural significance of confederate secessionist Robert E. Lee. A man who refused to call out terrorism despite the fact that an Isis-style vehicular attack by a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi resulted in the demise of a young demonstrator who championed equality. A man who today supports those who have replaced the white hood with a red cap, appealing to the most demonic facets of society.
August 15, 2017, ironically the deadline the world assumed would trigger a Korean nuclear response, had more historical consequence in the United States. Unfortunately, the President’s stance during his press conference this day marks the line of demarcation. The administration has given breath to the extreme right, who illegally formed a militia, wore riot gear, menaced antiprotesters while brandishing armament, shouted slurs to incite violence, carried torches to invoke fear, and caused the murder of innocent Americans.
So where do we go from here? What is apparent from the images depicted over the last weekend is that this race war is won standing in unity, a painful and difficult truth for some. Whites and non-whites must collectively ensure the sheer numbers and voices needed to combat this adversary. Those who actively oppress others based on superficialities such as color, religion, creed, gender or sexual orientation can no longer be discerned from those who flirt with hate groups or from those who vote for and lend support to racists or the racist-adjacent. Passivity or silent complicity in a system of white privilege no longer exempts one from being a racist.
Moreover, revenge or political fights are useless, temporary and appeal to the ego and lower-based frequencies of ourselves. Rather, business leaders and congresspersons should be held to account for their positions in this debate and their customers and constituents should reflect this point with the dollars they spend and the votes they cast. Old fashioned canvassing in our neighborhoods and signing petitions to effectuate change in our districts does have an impact on our legislative agenda and policy amendments if enough people engage. Our imprint is directly proportional to the number of citizens who take an active role. Simply sitting back is too grave; those in the fringes of the alt-Right movement which is gaining credibility among whites and enabled by some others, inconspicuously live on our streets, teach at our schools, attend our churches, police our neighborhoods, set standards at our offices and sell us our groceries. To all thinking, reasonable adults, I say to you: This is everyone’s problem. Let us emulate the unity and peace and strength that our God has granted us and operate on the right side of history.
Matthew 6:9-13: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
I was not intending on eavesdropping. My mind was fixed on my task list for the day when my musings were interrupted by the dialogue nearby regarding Christmas. The two gentlemen, one clearly the commanding elder, discussed the upcoming seasonal plans. To the mentor’s dismay, the holiday served as more of an anomaly. “Christmas is a very strange day for Jewish kids”, went his presentiment. He furthered his view that the experience was of forced busyness all around, commencing the day after Thanksgiving and culminating to an anticlimactic day of observance on the 25th. For the nonbelievers, this simply represents that shops and restaurants are closed on the day and the hectic traffic has died down by year’s end. As I sulked in the unsettling thoughts expressed by this stranger who clearly had no relationship with Christ, he and his confidant moved passed.
How I wished to have shared the full beauty and blessing of the season, glorifying the divine majesty of the Lord. To have honored the salvation that we were afforded when Jesus touched upon the earth thousands of years ago resulting in the amazing Power and Light that transcends time and space even still. The joy in sharing the day with family and friends coming from far and near. The intimacy that stems beyond simple gift giving; but rather, true tokens of love. The gratefulness for the glee shining through in our children’s eyes and the unfussiness of a cup of hot cocoa as we gather by the tree.
Let us pray for those who are being called to Christ; for those yearning for the Spirit of God. Let us thank the Lord for the day that He has made. Let us celebrate the birth of Jesus, the true meaning of Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you all!
1 John 4:9: “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.”
The stout and rugged gentleman sported his red cap with pride. A defiant Donald Trump supporter, he declared a landslide victory for his candidate despite polling yields and innuendos suggesting malfeasance, numerous allegations of assault, and racist commentary. When pressed by the young female reporter, he sheepishly grinned and as if divulging a secret, asserted that countless Americans will surreptitiously vote for Trump, a measure uncaptured by statistics. Almost taken aback, the reporter deferred to another breaking news story about the unprecedented Russian-led hack of Secretary Clinton’s damaging emails in an effort to sway the outcome of an American election.
Regardless of which side of the political aisle you ascribe to or what grassroots movement you emerged from, the elements of this campaign season are unlike any we have seen in recent history. Indeed, we are at a crossroads in our country where in general, we no longer recognize or appreciate each other’s differences, contributions or efforts. Neighbors remain strangers and paradoxically, intimate connection is found on the Internet. The texture of the recent presidential debates has trickled down to pundits and even to local communities who are disrespectfully feuding about where we should stand as a people. And many -isms are laid deep within only to find a voice in the ballot box. There is where the most fundamental of rights are being attacked or suppressed.
To some extent, I agree with the slogan “Make America Great Again” but for diverging reasons as those of the man who created the hash tag and certainly not with the nostalgia of the 1950s. The division that this recent discord has engendered desperately requires healing. It is time to do just that and reinforce collectiveness. Let us return to a time when being American was largely respected on the world stage. Let us return to a time when we honored our fallen soldiers and the families that support them while they accept tours of duty for our protection. Let us return to a time when civil rights were acknowledged and legislation to further such progress were boldly fostered. Let us return to a time when our environment and climate changes were not made a mockery of without needless efforts to debunk. Let us return to a time when caring for our seniors or providing educational grants were viewed as noble rather than hand-outs. Let us return to a time when true democracy was honored and favored. Let us return to a time when civility and respect for each other were the order of the day. It has not always been good for all, but we must trust that we can make it work for all. We can, together, make America great.
Ephesians 4:3: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”.
God Works Always 