I went for a walk on Tuesday morning before taking my son to school. Hoping my shoes on the pavement would soothe the sharp ache in my being.
How do we navigate so much violence?
How do we break the pattern of such disparate social media algorithms that feed rage and hook us in?
How do I keep listening to my kids’ anxiety about lockdown drills while ensuring they don’t know about the multiple school shootings this week in our country?
How is it that people have such different takes on this Jesus guy?
Walking.
Walking.
Walking.
I pull out my phone and tap out a few lines. I grab a photo from our trip to Hawaii this past March. It’s from our first night on Kauai. Everyone stands together, waiting for the sun to dip below the horizon. Applause breaks out the moment the sun disappears from view. It made me grin.
I hit publish on Facebook and sent that little poem out into the world. Then I help my son get his stuff together, and we leave for his school day. Forty-eight hours later and this little poem has been shared over 2000 times. Wild.
Figured I might as well share it with my beloved Thread readers! I’m so grateful we’re on this journey together. The world is so complicated lately. But there’s something about planting our hearts in a story of love that at least makes our next few steps feel more connected to each other and to the world we’re co-creating together.
Here’s that little poem that could, my dear friend.
since a bunch of people
missed sunday school
let’s be exquisitely clear
jesus never said
america first
crush enemies
elect christian leaders
disappear outsiders
worship the flag
that’s christian nationalism
what did jesus say?
love god
love your enemies
love yourself
practice humility
welcome people not like you
feed people who are hungry
you can’t serve god and money
share what you have with others
break down walls between groups
if you want to be great - serve others
and when jesus got mad
it was aimed at injustice
hypocrisy and
hardness of heart
never vulnerable people
may all who find resonance
and beauty in the story of jesus
practice the second list
and flip some tables
on that first list
together is the
way forward
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Know someone who is struggling to navigate this challenging season? Consider sharing this with them. We could all use some extra love!
The Thread
The Thread is a weekly-ish newsletter where we untangle the stories that make us who we are so we can show up to our lives with spacious presence, brave honesty, radical love & wild curiosity.
I celebrate that this constellation of words speaks to so many people that they are compelled to share. It went viral for all the right reasons!
Please write us a poem today. With free speech so desperately in danger…