Things are not okay at the moment. And they have not been okay for a long time, but we kept ourselves busy with distractions and personal preference in order to not notice. But for whatever reason 2020 has become a year of revealing. Revealing the basis of deep distrust of authority and political rivalry. Revealing the tension of loving neighbor as self. And revealing the disease of racial bias and injustice in our country.
So what do we do now?
As I have been asking myself this question and reaching out to other leaders further along than I for help I have been tempted to let social media be the place I “take up action.” It is easy to post my support, displeasure, or indifference to our times and voices rising, but what will it mean for lasting change and what needs to happen beyond the online echo chambers? Kindly the Spirit then turned my attention to other chambers, those of my heart.
I need awareness. I need words and rootedness to listen and understand, to process, and step forward. I need to repent and take up and read.
John Onwuchekwa, an Atlanta pastor and author, says this to those asking ‘what do we do now?’
“One practical thing you can do is to perform an upheaval of whatever reading list you had for the rest of the year. Social media and the internet are full of great recommendations for where to start. You're looking for a procedure when you should be working to understand. Choose the topic you need help understanding (or 1 that most affects your community)! Google, buy, read, discuss, rinse & repeat. Once you start that, you'll have more to do than you could possibly imagine.
A problem well-defined is a problem half solved - John Dewey”
So that is where we begin. Buy, read, rinse & repeat.
Our dear friends at Risen Church, as part of their Mercy & Justice Ministry, have compiled a tremendously helpful list of resources to get us started and to carry us a long way forward. I encourage you to find something there, get it, and begin.
The road is long, but we are here now, our boundaries and times ordered by God. We face the moment with the grace we receive in Christ. And we walk together toward justice. Onward.