The Legacy Museum and Memorial
In Montgomery, Alabama, I visit the Legacy Museum, where for the first time in my life I start to learn the full truth of the African-American experience, not just in slavery but from the Civil War to 1965: mob violence, Black Codes, Convict Leasing, lynching, institutionalized suppression through Jim Crow laws, and abuse through manipulation of the criminal justice system. I was speechless. The subjugation of blacks across the entire South, aided by inaction in the rest of the country, enabled an ever-evolving white supremacist caste system to perpetrate itself for one hundred years. I’m stunned that I never had…
The 1/64″ Scratch
Mike’s text message read: “I needed to know so I gutted the valve. Found the problem. 1/64” scratch in brass seal inside valve. To big for the new plungers to work.” My breath stopped in one of those you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me moments. His message continued: “We were hopeful that the less expensive fix would have worked.” Yes, Mike, so did I. About $950 worth. The backflow device for our church in Walnut had been leaking for a while, and it was growing worse to the point of continuous flow. I had replaced all the inside parts myself a couple of years earlier,…
Can Eternity Meet Earth?
Can eternity meet the earth? I’m on the Pacific coast, looking across a foggy horizon as frothing waves crash on stubbornly immovable rocks. A longer look finds seagulls, cormorants, pelicans, terns, lone herons, and an occasional sea lion. Kelp forests make a home for innumerable fish. On shore something like a miniature forest grows within the zone between high and low tides. Above it plants flourish as close as they dare to approach the water. The shoreline is a narrow ecosystem where land meets sea with a profusion of life. The ocean has always seemed to me like the heart…
Redemption in the Void
My mother passed away on August 1, 2018. In her decrepit state she was ready to go. That alone is a blessing when considering how many die a violent or untimely death. Yet even when death comes as an accepted release, everyone who’s experienced the death of a loved one knows how discomfiting it is when a person’s soul disappears from the face of the earth. For those of us left behind, loved ones continue to die in stages—the funeral and burial or cremation, dealing with their clothes, personal items, and furniture in their room, replaying memories, and finalizing business. We…
Die and Rise
When I came to Louisiana, I was hungry for whatever God had for me, as I had been through the preceding year. But in my mind the big move opened an opportunity to go through some kind of death to my previous life and resurrection to what God might do in my future. My first weeks here were on one hand filled with the busyness of moving into a new place. On the other hand, during those weeks I felt something deep within me die—aspects of my identity, attitudes, and priorities. I was glad for the change. And this may…
