After taking a break for a few weeks, it’s good to be back. It is almost beyond belief how much has happened in that short amount of time. I wish it were simple enough to casually quote the cliché, “life goes on”. While that it is true, life as we knew it will be no longer on so many levels.

While still in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, two weeks ago the world witnessed the horrifying murder of a black man wrestled to the ground on the pavement of a Minneapolis sidewalk. As George Floyd pleaded for his last breath, one who was sworn to protect and serve held his knee on his neck while assisted and co-signed by three other police officers. An act so unconscionable has sparked such outrage like never before has resulted in protests and demonstrations and even riots in cities, states, and countries around the world! As we sit day after day and watch the reports and protests which continue throughout the United States and abroad, questions arise as to what happens next? People are calling for police reform and some cities demanding the defunding of police departments. Never before, have we seen so many self-made signs by people of all nationalities declaring that Black Lives Matter! The sad, confusing part of all this is that in one sense there is unity in which a movement has been created, yet division, hatred, and racism seem to be as strong as ever. Countless times since all this happened, I have taken my mind back to the day of President Barack Obama’s inauguration in January of 2009 when a record attendance of an estimated 1.8 million people gathered to witness the history making event. The question comes . . . what happened from then until now? It seemed like the nation was so hopeful, and it appeared like we were making strides in a positive direction. Conversely the state we find ourselves in today is reminiscent, if not even in greater magnitude, than in 1955 when the nation found itself in an upheaval following the lynching of a 14 year old African American boy, Emmett Louis Till. These repeated forms of injustice and crimes against black and brown people everywhere go far deeper than social injustice, racial inequality, indifference, and lack of mutual understanding, but they are rooted in hatred, bigotry, and little to no regard for human life.

The questions are coming much faster and with greater intensity with each atrocity. The questions are no longer rhetorical, they have now become extremely specific and very personal. We can no longer look to government officials, and those who have the privilege of occupying the highest office in the land to solve these issues. Each of us must step up to do our part to create a substantive plan for change. Questions are coming harder and heavier than ever before. It is time for us to recognize that we not only can, but we must do our part to make better choices and right decisions. Decisions that will benefit not only the upper echelon of our society, but also the less fortunate and the disfavored. So, where do we begin? It is important that we become as knowledgeable as we can about the issues at hand. It’s easy to follow the emotional current that has erupted everywhere you turn. But how many of those that get caught up in the current of the movement really understand the crux of matters that plague our society today. We talk about voting but you must understand the issues you’re being encouraged to vote for and what the ballot candidates represent. In my closing, I would be remiss if I did not stress the critical importance of prayer. Our nation, our world is in a crisis, the only One who has all the answers is our Creator. The Word tells us that the prayers of the righteous avail much. And with all thy getting get understanding!

Please do not just be traumatized for the moment, but be transformed for the movement!