First a confession: I’m really good at loving people…in theory. I’ve been taught how to look empathetic, how to mimic body language and at least look like I’m paying attention. I know what you’re supposed to do or say when someone is hurting.
On paper I’m pretty good at loving people.
I’ve read lots of books about loving God and loving neighbors, and I’ve given lots of thought about how to help other people love other people.
In fact, the only problem for me when it comes to loving people, is the actual people.
I also come from a generation is very cause driven. Most of the people around my age are passionate about good causes and making a dent in the universe. I think Dr. King is partially responsible for that.
Ever since I heard the story of the civil rights movement in the 60′s I’ve been drawn to the kind of ministry and churches that are working for a more Just world. I’ve read and heard a lot of Dr. King’s sermons.
I love the dream.
But all of this is not enough. Because loving the dream is much different than Dr. King’s dream of loving.
Just a few months before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King Jr. preached a sermon at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church:
If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. Every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize; that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards; that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. I’d like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody.
Now I love that Dr. King said don’t tell everyone about my Nobel Prize, or my hundreds of other awards. Because in saying that, he has in fact told them about it.
I love this because I can see myself doing something like that. (Not winning the Noble prize, just the subtle bragging.)
I love it because it makes Dr. King more human, it makes me see him more as a person. Which is the beauty of his point.
I read a survey a few years ago, that said 6% of white people in America, think that racism is still a problem. To help put that in perspective, consider this: 12% of people think Elvis may or may not be dead.
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So last night I went, for the first time, to Grace Fellowship, a community ministry of the Highland Church. Grace is in a lower socio-economic area of town, and it’s primary goal is to take church to the people. One of my favorite aspects of Grace, is that across the street there is a community garden, where the neighbors can go plant, harvest and eat their own fruit and vegetables.
I’ve written on this blog before about Robert Putnam’s work in his book “Bowling Alone.” He makes the observation that has been cited by hundreds of different authors and speakers that while bowling as a whole is on the rise, bowling league participation is drastically reduced. That is more people are bowling, but they are bowling alone.
So this is my new blog. Sorry to both of my readers/parents that it was down the better part of last week. But it’s up and running now, and in this new format I should be able to both write more post, and respond to comments faster. So special thanks to Matt Pinson and Todd Ramsey for all the help over the past week in launching this.
