Decision Time

Headline after headline opened back up deep and hurtful wounds.  Phrases like:

"Entirely sinister." "Eerily dark." "Despicably evil." "Demonstratively hateful.” "Blatantly racist." “Unthinkably criminal." "Unjustly  Privileged." 

Just looking at their juxtaposition evokes old deep hurts, repressed anxieties, and relentlessly forced my mind forward into visceral heartrending gut wrenching reactions. Not just emotionally, but from my soul, already saturated by decades of first hand experiences, and centuries of historical and generation altering stories of loss and victimization.

After another video, another news story, another post, another outlandish and insensitive (make that ignorant) response from someone living in blinded comfort, blissful ignorance and perhaps just hateful disdain for the sufferings of "others", I asked myself, "Now what?”  Now, what is my response to all this hate, to all this malice, racism, bitterness, privilege, injustice, misery, and demonic behavior from seemingly the heights of leadership all the way down going to be?"  My response came from the words attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

Yes, the actions streamed on screens, forwarded to me in email, witnessed and lived through daily first hand, are entirely sinful, sinister, dark, despicable, hateful, blatant, unjust, unthinkable, and reek of privilege at the expense of the poor, marginalized, disenfranchised, and people (humans) of color.  I am not ignoring them, not denying the demand for justice or failing to also cry out with those who mourn and groan for humanity to be truly human.  But, I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too heavy for me. Hate is too great a burden for me to bear! Actually, for all of us. Hate, as much as in the moment, seems most justified and natural it can never win. Hate can never undo hate, only love can do that. So, as best I can... as best as I can lean into Him who is love and first loved us and commanded that we love one another, as best I can I have decided on love.  It is decision time. What will you choose?

May the unjustified and undeserved love of God so permanently and completely infuse and fill my heart, even all our hearts, that light will overtake this darkness, and that love will conquer the hate around us and within us. May perfect love transform me, and all of us, on the inside so that it might bring forth radical lifesaving, life honoring transformation to the heights of leadership and beyond. May the right decision have a wonderful new beginning in my own heart— and perhaps yours too if your reading this!

Grace and peace to you, with love unending—Cassius

——

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:3-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Whenever, wherever and forever

Whenever, wherever and forever—

May His faithfulness and loyal love reach us, especially in those moments when we feel alone, anxious, afraid or desperately longing to be held. May His love, without limit or end, give us careful attention, tender affection, and a beautiful warming of our hearts, minds and souls, wherever we are whenever we need it most.  May God’s nearness be tangible, effusive, ebullient, and gushing with grace, mercy and love towards us, so that we experience timely reminders of how precious we are in His sight forever!

Whenever, wherever and forever— the LORD is near!

Once upon a time... no fairy tale

Once upon a time...

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-2 ESV)."

Once upon a time... the Creator of the heavens and the earth desired to show His sons and daughters the "breadth and length and height and depth" of His everlasting and relentless love, "the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge". So the King of took of His robes of majesty and donned (in comparison) the rags of flesh and dwelt among His children.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth ‭‭(John‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬)."

And in a land far, far away the righteous and valiant Prince of Peace came and He was anointed with Spirit of God, to "proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed (Luke‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬)." He gave to the needy without price, to the widows and orphans without limit to show His lavish love and radical generosity. He blessed the sick, raised the dead to life, and turned away none who came to Him. He forgave freely, all who needed to be made right with the Kingdom, teaching of a forgiveness so rich and complete that it was like taking the offense as far as East is from the West.

But what is a tale of a hero without the plot of a villain.  So, like every hero’ story, enemies arose.  Villains took flight, betrayal and rejection and abandonment—

“He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray [Jesus] to them.  While [Jesus] was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of [His] twelve [disciples], was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss Him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss (Luke 22:4, 47-48 ESV)?”

And so, in that land far, far away, once upon a time— the rightful King was slain.

“Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him.  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left ‭‭(Luke‬ ‭22:63‬ , 23:33 ESV‬‬).”

The King, robed in flesh, stretched on an executioner’s cross, giving His life to save His beloved children, so that His beloved children would never have to live without Him, never have to live in fear or dread or anxiety, and never ever, never have to doubt His loyal, steadfast, and unconditional love.

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners [rebels against God], Christ died for us (Romans‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬)."

Once upon a time, the beginning. The Eternal becomes flesh, the hook. The Sinless one dies, plot twist! The One crucified takes up His life again and is resurrected, climax. He promises that His Spirit will lives in us, falling action. All that's left is Happily ever after, right?

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [And God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelation‬ ‭21:1, 4‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Happily ever after is already here. Happily ever begins the moment we realize that the Good Shepherd, Christ our Lord is no fairy tale. His love is as real as the nose on the end of your face, better than we imagined, dreamed, or deserve. Happily ever after begins when we remember that He is with us always, even to the end of the age; that He will never leave us or forsake us; and His steadfast love is for us and with us!

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (‭‭John‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Once upon a time... twice upon a time... from the beginning of time, even before there was time—  our Good Shepherd knew us and loved us and called us His own. May the knowledge of the depths of His love become the undisputed and unrivaled "lens for how we look at the great big world," and for how we see ourselves in it. And may the story of His infinite love be impossible for us to resist, and too good not to share.

Have a sensational day.  And enjoy the real love of Christ Jesus!