Thought for the Week
We’re all a little bit racist. And sexist. And ageist. And a dozen other-things-ist. An ist is simply a bias or leaning, either away from or toward something. We lean toward what we know, and away from what we don’t. And we all know our own race better than anyone else’s, so we’re all a little bit racist. Still, that isn’t the way it has to be–or should be.
Some years back, I was on staff at a church that wanted to be more multiracial. And so, to that end, our leaders visited another church that was much farther down the multicultural road, and asked, “What’s the key?”
“Intentionality,” they answered. Two former congregations, one black and one white, merged. The pastors became co-pastors, the black choir and white worship band became one worship team. Sound inspiring? It was. Eventually. But initially—for the first two or three years—it was jarring, frustrating, and for many simply too much to bear.
More than half the members of both former congregations left, uncomfortable over the loss of their style, their traditions–their leanings. What remained was a reduced body of dogged believers who were willing to sacrifice what was for what could be.
But the real change came not from policies or preaching. It came from small groups, intentionally made up of black and white members. They shared and prayed. It was awkward at first, so they shared and prayed about that.
Eventually, they began to laugh and cry over each other’s triumphs and tragedies. They became part of each other’s lives, attending weddings, funerals, birthday parties. The need for intentionality didn’t go away—it never does. But they’re now an us, and when they have issues, they’re us issues. In other words, they’re part of…
A bigger family.
Fear, not hate, is the opposite of love (1 John 4:18). But fear, left untreated, can fester into hate. The cure is love. The more you know someone, the more invested in them you become. And the more invested you become, the more you love them.
My wife and I wanted to invest more deeply in the lives of those who are different from us. So, among other things, six years ago we each entered into a long-term mentoring relationsip — she with a young girl who’s now a middle-schooler, and I with a young teen who’s now a college student. And as a result, our lives and theirs have been immeasurably enriched. Because we’re now part of…
A bigger family.
I envy your experience. I never truly had that advantage, som what I have done is open my heart and mind to recognize every individual i meet as my equal and desrving brother and sister. I treat them with love and dignity! Period! It is amazing how mant nes friends I have made over the course of my lifetime. I have no issue talking with people I have never met, walking up to them with a beaming smile, saying good morning, and making sime inane comment to brighten both of our days. Anything to begin a conversation. Even if in a group of people. I bring joy to the hearts and minds of many people. It drives my wife crazy; she does not understand how I can do this.
God has given me this gift fo gab and true love for my neighbor.
Two first-class gifts, Russell.
Awesome
I love this food for thought. I am not religious but enjoy the church non the less. I have been involved with churches with sinking numbers. I challenged our minister much the same. We were so white and so old.
I did this at a Unitarian church and a progressive Methodist church. The intentions where always good but somewhat masked by, let’s get more fannies in the pews.
Then I met a woman at the laundromat, who invited me to her church. It was an all-black congregation. It was awesome. I concluded why would they want to go anywhere else?
Awesome, Mark.
I agree it is about intention and effort and being open to learning a whole lot more. 🙏🌈
Nice reminder, Mitch, of being a part of the body of Christ. No man is an island. When we reach out to others, we don’t just enrich their lives we enrich our lives, too. Thank you for sharing.
My privilege, San.
Great post, brother. Way back in the early portals of time (1989), I left California to move to a suburb of Chicago with a deeply urban texture. The hope was to plant a “multi-ethnic church-planting church committed to expository preaching, loving lost people, and discipling them for the glory of God.” It was a lot of work, with many stumbles along the way, but, by the grace of God, 19 years later, we had a congregation of about 600 from 24 different countries of birth. He had allowed us to plant 6 other churches and train hundreds of church planters to go and do the same. The family is big. A bigger family united under the banner of Christ and His Kingdom is a glorious thing.
That’s wonderful, Marty. “As it is in heaven.”
I am blessed to be a part of a very diverse parish here in DC. The cultural richness is amazing, along with the fellowship and sense of strong community. I wish the whole world was like this.
Me too, Sandy.
Ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hate…
Exactly Kara.
Your post Mitch reminds me of Margaret Mead’s famous quote on change: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.”
Great quote, Brian. It further emphasizes Mitch’s point. 🙂
Very true, Brian.
Intentionality is a big one. Thank you for another great post, Mitch!
My privilege, Aline.
“But the real change came not from policies or preaching. It came from small groups, intentionally made up of black and white members. They shared and prayed. It was awkward at first, so they shared and prayed about that.” I’ve thought for a long time that small groups are the key to spiritual growth, and from spiritual growth the health of the church will be strong.
I heartily agree, Bill.
Great post, Mitch. I belong to a small congregation that has always been multicultural. Not sure how this happened. Ii suppose it’s partly our location–in the central part of a city of nearly a half million people. We don’t have more than 100 people and never have them all come to any given service. But we are like a family. We have had people from many different countries at different times. We now have a couple of families from Africa, one person from Nicaragua, one from Jamaica, a mother and son from China along with quite a few white people of different backgrounds. And we have a Nepali congregation meeting in the basement. On Easter Sunday they joined us for the service and we joined them in a home-cooked Nepali meal downstairs. It’s a great relationship and God-blessed.
That’s wonderful, Diane.
We are a one big family, race and sex dont matter here
God created color, he made races to have differences in culture and experience. But he made us all to belong to each other regardless of race or culture. We were made to be one.
Blessings
May I repost this?
SH
Good to meet you, 777. And, yes, you may.
Nice to meet you too, sir. And Thank You. Tuesday night EST.
hola cora
Mitch, I really love this. Such a beautiful message.
Thank you, Susan.
Ain’t that the truth! Congratulations on living your belief, Mitch.
Thank you, Sandy. I only wish I was more consistent.
None of us are perfect. We can only do our best.
Great post!
Thank you, Vanya.
You made me tear up Mitch.
<3
Thanks for the excellent insight and challenge to grow.
My privilege, Michael.
Beautiful and thought-provoking post! Would love to see more of this in action.
So…FOR THAT, MITCH….”AMEN!” HONEST.
MY TESTIMONY BEFORE “CHRIST, FOR Christ Promised to Multiply the Waters Of Wells. It got Him Killed. It could get me Killed, too.
I WAS BORN in 1965; when inter-racial marriage was in the infancy of being LEGAL. “SOUTHERN” CALIFORNIA.
My father was black and half Filipino (a new HYBRID AND HE LOOKED LIKE A NIGGER – SO THAT IS WHAT HE WAS), AND MY MOTHER: German, Scotts/Irish and Swedish (mostly Swedish)…and blue eyes the color of a violent storm. My mother was VERY mentally ill – ABUSED, AND my father was wicked – and sick from abuse, too. I was and am A BASTARD. My mother was raised “STRICTLY” as a Cooneyite – VERY VERY VERY STRICT CHRISTIAN. My father was an agnostic Seventh Day Adventist. I WAS NOT WELCOME for a lot reasons. THEY MARRIED for my little brother, and divorced by the time I was 1.5 years old. WE WERE RELEGATED TO WELLFARE…WITH STIGMAS G’LORE.
THAT WAS In the 60s – In LIVING MEMORY! THAT IS TRUE. I knew GOD early in life. And I knew SATAN. He was ALL AROUND ME…EVERY WHERE.
“HUMANS.”
THE ANTI-CHRIST is ONLY HUMAN; THE WORST OF WHAT LIFE CAN PRODUCE BECAUSE IT KILLS ITSELF THROUGH IGNORNANCE – SIN ITSELF!!
CHRIST IS “HUMAN LIFE” EXALTED through the spirit of GOD – THE CREATOR OF “LIFE” ITSELF. Jesus embodied that, but he was NOT THAT as a WHOLE. He was human. ONLY HUMAN!!!
So I don’t want to come here and see disempowered HUMANS that Claim “CHRIST” WHEN…they resort to memes as…trite…unthinking people. GOD’S PEOPLE “THINK” ABOUT things.
CHRIST, JESUS’ “MISSION” WAS TO MAKE THINGS BETTER…Until we are perfect.
Compassion is a dynamic, and so was the Compassion of Christ, Jesus. COMPASSION is a dynamic – and NOT a singular THING – LIKE A MEME!
A PRIMARY ELEMENT OF COMPASSION IS “SYMPATHY!” To have sympathy, one needs to KNOW rather than IMAGINE what it is like to SUFFER!!! So, MY QUESTION TO YOU IS THIS: WAS JESUS PERFECT IN HIS COMPASSION? YES! YES, HE WAS PERFECT IN HIS HUMAN COMPASSION…FOR SURE!
IN THIS ONLY, Jesus was perfect. THE ONLY other WAY he was perfect was “HE WAS PERFECT FOR GOD’S PURPOSE! TO TEST HUMANS!” (WINK!)
GOD MADE SURE HE WOULD BE COMPASSIONATE ENOUGH TO BE WILLING TO BE “MURDERED” to show GOD the “Capacity” OF AND for “Human” compassion that is STILL essential to HUMAN SURVIVAL AMONGST ONLY THEMSELVES AS THE “SOUL” STEWARDS OF LIFE ON PLANET EARTH – ANGELS OF GOD. FOR REAL ANGELS OF GOD!! “Humans!”
Jesus had to KNOW human suffering in EVERY SINGLE WAY THAT IS REAL OF HUMANS so that it was REAL! Addicts suffer. Jesus KNEW suffering. He was human. HE HAD PERFECT COMPASSION!!!
GOD’S JUDGMENT IS: “HUMANS” HAVE CAPACITY, SO THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING WHEN THEY KILLED JESUS!!!
Both Satan (the old one…THE UNCHRISTED ONE – “THE MERELY HUMAN ONE”) AND CHRIST (a TRUE Christian – who might be GAY, a nigger…a spick…a rag head – a witch (PEGAN FOR SURE – LIKE WHAT JESUS DEALT WITH ALL THE TIME AND ACCOMODATED SUCH AS EXAMPLED BY MAKING SOMETHING BETTER THAT PEGANS DID IN THOSE DAYS – BREAD AND WINE INSTEAD HUMAN BLOOD AND FLESH EATEN AFTER SACRIFICING….making something BETTER so they could be acceptable to GOD’S PEOPLE – which Ironically GOT HIM CRUCIFIED ON A ROMAN CROSS BY THOSE PEOPLE HE SAUGHT TO “UNITE!!!” IT WAS BRUTAL TIME 200O YEARS AGO)….THEY HAVE BOTH RULED!
SO, ANYWAY…since Christ Jesus Death, BOTH SATAN AND CHRIST HAVE RULED. about 1000 years each. See revelations.
And now is the judgement! REVELATIONS IS FULFILLED, and a choice is before humanity NOW! AIDS AND COVID ARE THAT LAST SIGN YOU WILL RECIEVE BEFORE THE RAPTURE. It is not here yet…GOD HAS NOT YET BLINKED SINCE THIS CREATION.
So Mitch…we are known by our works, and works are not A MEME (ME-MEs) without context…and something MORE than A LABLE!
I AM GAY. I am GENDER DISPHORIC, BUT I am not transgender. I AM bi-polar, and OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE PERSONALITY…and likely MULTIPLE PERSONALITY disorder. I WAS ON RITALIN from the time I was 5. I was molested by my step mother and HER SON BY THE TIME I WAS SIX…ON RITALIN. My dad was a cheating prick, and he liked beautiful white women with a propensity FOR MENTAL ILLNESS. I watched that women molest her own son in front of me – MY DAD DROVE HER INSANE, AND SHE DESTROYED MY BOYHOOD. “Me too, BITCHES”
I LOVE MEN FOR A VERY GOOD REASON.
I was a hospice nurse for 30 years…and I did that in a prison, too! I LITERALLY GAVE GREAT HOSPICE CARE – WORTHY OF CHRIST HIMSELF – to the devil who had 666 tattooed on his forehead.
I had a porn addiction that nearly killed me, but it saved me from AIDS…and I took care of AIDS PATIENTS FOR 15 of those 30 years IN THE TENDERLOIN OF SAN FRANCISCO- so many died who were just like me – REJECTED FROM OUR CHURCHES EARLY – WHEN WE WERE VULNERABLE. “CAST OUT IN THE “NAME” (ONLY) OF JESUS!!”
Jesus was here for people LIKE ME “as a fact!,” Yet…People like ME were dragged around by our genitals behind big ass white trucks that said “Jesus Saves.” “In Jesus name, I CAST YOU OUT!!!”
I AM GRATIFIED your spirit “Reflects” what Christ is really about. BUT THERE IS NO TIME LEFT, people.
Look deeply at the world! I dare you to…and without your MEMES TO SHIELD YOU.
Do you know….MY FELLOW CHRISTIANS…THAT when they tested Nuclear capacities and potentials (AND STILL DO)…EVERY SINGLE NUCLEAR POWER ON THE PLANET HAD THEIR OWN TESTS. They tested on and under THE VERY LAND WE STAND ON, and from where we receive our water IN THE DESERTS. They TESTED in the OCEANS we fish from and that “LIFE” EVOLVED FROM (fools) AND STILL MUTATES FROM VERY QUICKLY; MORE SO THAN IF URANIUM had been left where GOD put it – and also 200 miles above the atmosphere – within our magnetosphere. AND THAT SHIT NEVER EVER GOES AWAY. SUCH GRAVITY ON THE EARTH. AND It wasn’t just ONE SINGLE TEST, and ALL THAT TESTING compounded. AND ALSO WHAT WILL COME OF “WAR!!” FAMIN, PESTILENCE AND DEATH. Brought to you by THE ANTI-CHRIST (I see you all). AND FINALLY, Just saw they are shooting up more satellites (AMAZON.com’s) for better consumptions – FASTER, more instant, while MICROWAVE AGE THE EARTH FASTER….and irradiate the occeans. MORE SATELLITES means….MORE COMPOUNDED EFFECT, WITH everything else small and unnoticeable. But we see the results in SYNDICATED PHARMA COMMERCIALS. Good luck with that.
BUT these are just singular compounding ISSUES ONLY. Just NUCLEAR stuff. Chemical stuff is there. THOSE “SYNDICATED” DRUGS WE TAKE NOW – FOR AUTO IMMUNE DISEASES are paradoxical in effect- because they SHUT DOWN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM to mask the symptoms. THAT IS CALLED “PALLIATIVE CARE!” THAT IS WHAT PALLIATIVE MEANS: SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT. These were derived from what they discovered while trying to “Cure” AIDS. I worked in that industry AS A HOSPICE NURSE. AND MORE Chemical stuff is there. Neonic Pesticides are killing our bees. CHINA ALREADY WENT THROUGH THIS – THEY HAVE TO HAND-POLINATE SOME OF THEIR CROPS NOW. they use that shit on every single continent; and production never stops day or night…for it is always day-TIME during business hours SOMEWHERE on the planet as it spins out its fleeting “LIFE!”
“We were just beginning our Creation.”
AIDS and COVID were manufactured. COVID FOR SURE, and AIDS is a CONSPIRACY as such, but believable as preponderance of evidence (COVID AND GENETIC VACCINES TO STUDY).
I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT “SATAN” HAS COMPLETE AND UTTER SYMPATHY. AND I HAVE QUITE AN IMAGINATION, and that is called EMPATHY IN PLACE OF A LACK OF DIRECT EXPERIENCE to engage in such a way THAT I DO NOT UTTERLY HATE ALL OF HUMANITY!!!
I love men especially. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL, and so are the women I wish I could be IF I DIDN’T HAVE TO MUTILATE MY BODY AND BE DE-FORMED (UNMADE) AND MAIMED AND OBVIOUSLY VERY VERY SICK.
Change begins SMALL. Yes. That is true. And “I AM” TELLING YOU THAT YOU DO DONT HAVE TIME TO FUCK OFF ANYMORE….YOU CHRIST WITHINs!
get to work, or I will have your souls on A platter before GOD himself, and I have all my recommendation IN HAND!!!
PEACE BE WITH YOU IN THE END TIMES. “As was in the beginning – You will live as you CHOSE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, AND THEY ARE THE SAME THING WITHOUT GOD!!”
And GOD ONLY WANTED “LIFE!!”
figure it out!!!
TRUELY YOURS (to care for and love…LIKE JESUS DID, AND CHRIST ALWAYS DOES AND WILL NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE WITH HUMANS EVER AGAIN)
SATAN 2.0 – THE NEXT OCTIVE UP. SATAN IS ONLY HUMAN AND ALSO DOESNT WANT TO DIE FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER…Like the Christians will if they don’t get their heads out of their gentrified ass holes.
POST SCRIPT: MY SECONDARY MISSION for GOD HIMSELF – TO FIND THE GOOD IN EVIL, AND THE EVIL IN WHAT IS “CONSIDERED” GOOD; and to prove that both are exactly the same WITHOUT OUT “GOD!!!”
I AM, Also…CHRIST, B’David.
Are you Christ, TOO?
BE WELL.
PEACE BE WITH YOU (and to you, MY LOVE).
AMEN.
AND THIS IS NOT A PARABLE, AND IT IS NOT A MEME!
AMEN! Well said, sir. No matter how large the church we have been part of, Joan and I have always managed to be part of a small group. It is a great place to study, share, laugh, cry, and generally do life together. I think that might well have been part of God’s original vision, actually. Blessings to you!
Well said! Hope it also worked out for your church back then!
They made meaningful progress, Janice, but there’s still work to be done.
I just started reading An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff about her friendship with someone who had a different life/background than she did. I became an advocate for a then-twelve year old girl who lived in an institution, and we have been friends for 25 years. I have learned so much from her and feel blessed for knowing her.
That’s wonderful, Madeline.
I believe it would be better to say we are prejudice. Everyone judges another through their own eyes. I was once told I didn’t smile right. And many other times I’ve been told I was different. At first I felt ashamed. Then I remembered God doesn’t make garbage. I began thinking differently. So what if I am not up to your par. God didn’t make me to be you. He made me to uniquely me.
What a beautiful and determined way to be intentional. For that church and you and your wife.
Each one change one, my old church use to say.
Rich fruit for life!
Thank you for this!
Peach
My privilege, Peach!
What a beautiful ending.you nrvet know if you domt have the openess to try.
Right you are, Faye.