Timshel

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." From our earliest days we are introduced to "The Golden Rule" as a simple way to find the right way to act in any situation. Since we only want the best, or at least what is fair, done to us, we can quite easily determine how to treat others if we imagine that roles were reversed. While this has served as a simple ethical guide for children (and adults, see Matthew 7v12), in practice we tend to disregard this approach as impractical. We see it as a good way to get little Tommy to share his toys, but when approached by the homeless requesting a few bucks, the simplicity of "How would I want to be treated in this situation?" is replaced with thoughts of "What will he spend this money on? Am I encouraging and enabling poor behavior by giving to him? Did Jesus really mean 'Give to everyone who asks of you'?". This morning I'm writing from a place of conviction, as I've waffled

Long term commitment to any one cause requires constant reminder as to why you began and whether the cause is still worth the time and energy it requires. I realized recently that many of my friends and family probably aren't close enough to me to have heard my reasoning for why this cause has such a pull on me. Without knowing the "why," the "what" can be confusing and even concerning at times. I am fully aware that some of the things I say are provocative. I am fully aware that many of those who know me have developed a negative perception of me based on my beliefs and passion. But I am okay with this. This doesn't concern me because I have a deeply seeded "why" - a "why" that today I feel the burden to share - because I feel that I'm not being fair to those who disagree and those who are concerned that I've been overtaken by liberalism. I should have done this long before now - and for that, I apologize. My story is deeply co

My wife recently bought me a new Bible as a birthday gift. As I typically do with a new Bible, I've started reading through from start to finish once again. It's not taken but a few days for the Lord to spark my heart with questions, thoughts, and inquisition. This morning I was reading about Abraham being visited by God just before He went down to Sodom. The thing about reading a new translation from what you're used to is that certain phrases jump out at you in ways you aren't expecting. When God decides to let Abraham in on His plans, He says, "The cries of the victims in Sodom and Gomorrah are deafening" and later, "The outcries of the victims to God are deafening" (18v20; 19v13). Previous times that I've read this I've always read it that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is what led God to destroy it. While this isn't untrue, it wasn't the vileness of rampant sin that got God's attention; it was the cry of the victims. The m

Since 2012 the United States has become a safe-haven for a narrow group of young people who migrated here either alone or following their older relatives. Multiple presidents, congressmen/congresswomen, and civilians have agreed for many decades that lack of proper legislation has created a system in which the Federal government seeks to remove from our neighborhoods individuals who contribute deeply to the very fabric of who we are as a people. President Reagan, President George H.W. Bush, and President Obama have all seen this failure of congress to fix the issue and have passed executive orders to defer deportation orders for limited groups of people. The present often overshadows and therefore garnishes all attention from the past, keeping us from seeing our reality in the greater context of history. Recent narrative has proclaimed that the spirit of America demands adherence to the law as the primary pillar of our Republic. Although observance of the law is vital to any successf

Two days ago I was laying in bed, about to fall asleep, when I heard a noise. We have one of the loudest refrigerators in the world, so this happens pretty often - nothing to think twice about. But then my one year old Miniature Dachshund jumped up and started freaking out. This was more rare. Not the barking - she does that fairly often - - but when she is asleep, it takes quite a lot to get her up. So then I'm faced with the decision of whether I ignore the noise, attributing it to some "normal" house noise, or do I get up out of the comfortable bed and do a perimeter check. The obvious next stop on the mind journey is, "what happens if I find someone out there?". I'm pretty confident that most thieves would flee when confronted - but still, if my house is vandalized, things stolen, damage done - that becomes a headache of tasks to accomplish very quickly. (And yes, this whole mind-conversation is happening while still laying in bed). So after I either

Those who follow me on social media, and/or read the things I write, could easily get the impression that the most important thing to me is helping the immigrant community. I daily read, write, comment, share, talk about the injustice that is rampant in our country and how we can (need to) fix it. While this is true and deeply touches my heart - it is important to step back and realize that this isn't the only important thing. My desire to see those displaced from their homeland treated in a just way, with love and compassion, stems from my personal faith. I don't think that you have to have this faith to see the value in a just world - and many of the people whom I've met through my activism abhor the idea of love motivated by faith - but for me, it was seeing the heart of God for the vulnerable that pricked my heart and moved me into action. All through college I had a desire to help people. I was learning how to engage people from cultures different than my own and