equality is resistance.

Equality is really interesting when you start to think about it. The usual games of better and worse don't quite work. And Empire is all about better and worse. That's how it functions. You need to keep trying to get better and bigger while others get worse and smaller. It offers you a variety of ways to do that but it's never based on Equality. 

So, any time, we're fighting for equality we're resisting empire. 

To fight equality, there are two sides: one is bringing up those who are low and the other, much more offensive, is bringing down those who are up. The balance has to be restored with both because the resources that we're dealing with are limited. We're talking about power, control, wealth, and strength. Not everyone can be equally powerful. Power demands someone to wield it over another less powerful. The same with control, wealth, and strength. They are measured by inequality. 

I think this is one of the reasons Jesus was hard on those in power and easy on those not. He was trying to balance it out. Unfortunately, we're in power. It's a hard message. We are empire. We don't like it. Much of the reason we continue to kill the Jesus character.  

streaks.

To walk the line of encouragement and challenge is usually difficult, whether it's for ourselves or for others. 

How do we remember we are amazing, without getting lazy, and how do we challenge ourselves to do more, without becoming exhausted. Throw in religion and it's a tricky recipe. 

The universe is full of black energy and matter - that is still very mysterious - that contains and propels us. It tells us we're okay and moves us to do more. It's in the DNA of the universe. 

I think that's the power of streaks. Of any kind. Winning streak, writing streak, sober streak. We remember what we've done and we celebrate it. Wow, I've written 500 words a day for 40 days. Wow! And it is that celebration and gratitude that moves us to do more.

We're moved to do more because we realize what we've done.

So, think about your streaks. You've got them. And remember you're amazing. And remember there's more to do. 

discernment.

Much more important than trying to figure out what advice to follow is trying to figure out who is giving you the advice. 

do they really?

Below is a recent snippet of a conversation with my daughter. She's 12. 

Her: Why would anyone not believe in God? 

Me: Well, there are some pretty bad gods out there. 

Her: What do you mean?

Me: Well, let's pretend, as your dad, that I told you how much I love you but I also said that if you don't love me then I'm going to torture you every day. 

Her: Hmm.

Me: What would you think? 

Her: I would think you weren't a very good dad. And I definitely wouldn't love you.

Me: Right. Some people hear about that god and aren't very interested. But that god works for some people too. I mean some people believe in that god and talk about that god to others. 

Her: (after a long pause) But do you think they really love god then? Or are they just afraid? 

the r.

My theory (after speaking with many voters):

If Donald Trump had run the EXACT same campaign, with the same words, the same ideas, the same video tape releases and the same debates - but as a Democrat, Evangelicals would not have voted for him. 

If Hillary Clinton had run the EXACT same campaign, with the same words, the same ideas, the same controversies and the same debates - but as a Republican, Evangelicals would have voted for her. 

What the hell does that mean? 

(I recognize this could be said about many other groups but it's Evangelicals who most flummox me, because they don't just admit it.) 

voters and followers.

There are voters and there are followers.

A Trump voter is very different than a Trump follower. 
A Clinton voter is very different than a Clinton follower. 

At the end of the day, yes, a vote matters. A little. But, whatever it/she/he you're following, now that has the potential to matter more than anything else. 

So what are you/they voting for and what are you/they following?
Be careful not to confuse them. 

does it matter?

I'm a little superstitious. I want to wear the same jersey if my team won when I last wore it and I want to watch the game on the same television. I want to read the webpage the same number of times I did when they won. 

My wife often reminds of a simple fact though: none of that matters. It's not determining anything. In fact, since I'm not the one playing the game, it's completely meaningless except in my own head. It's crazy. 

But it's amazing how much of our time we spend in those same spaces... well beyond football games.  

the 41.3 million

Who should take care of the poor in America? When I say "poor" I mean people that can't afford food, clothing, healthcare, and/or basic necessities. This number is about 43.1 million in the United States. 

It's a very simple, and illuminating question that will tell you a lot about a person, including their theological and political views.

Below are the answers I hear most often, in some form or another. 

1. No one. The poor should take care of themselves. (This often comes from someone who was once poor themselves and then got lucky - a.k.a worked hard - and is now wealthy.) 

2. The government. (Not many Republicans and/or Conservatives will say this, or run on it.) 

3. The rich. (This always sounds good but is basically impossible without #2. Yes, that gives away quite a bit about my opinion but I think Jesus often said the same thing when he talked about money.) 

4. The church. (This also sounds good but it too is basically impossible since the church is mostly #3. America is the world's most "Christian" country, the most wealthy country and the country with the greatest inequality of any country in the world.)

5. Non-profits. (This also sounds good but, unfortunately, the majority of non-profit budgets are funded by #3 and well... we've been down that road.)

Now, some push-back. 

A. When we're talking about the poor in America, we're talking about a pretty well-off poor. Probably true to a degree. But if you wouldn't trade places with them tomorrow, I wouldn't use that excuse very often. 

B. Some will say that the reasons we have poor in America is because we let in too many illegal immigrants. That definitely plays a role. Of course, we could move the question beyond America and ask who is supposed to take care of them wherever they are. 

C. The church and non-profits, funded by the rich, have done an amazing job - billions of dollars in charity - don't throw them under the bus. I completely agree. And the government has as well. Unfortunately, we're still talking about 43.1 million people in the U.S. So, the question is still there. 

D.. Jesus said the poor would always be with us. That is true. Maybe he was saying that in response to #1. He could have also said the rich will always be with you - which means there will always be poor. 

D2. Where did Jesus say the rich wouldn't give their money away without government? Jesus warned of the pitfalls of being rich and pursuing wealth over and over and over, and one of the main pitfalls was the decline of generosity - which also bears out in numerous studies. 

E. Paul said if you give away all you have to the poor and don't have love it's worthless. I agree. But if you have love, you'll give away everything you have for the people who have nothing. Giving away all we have to the poor is an indicator of love, not something that does anything on its own, although Jesus said when we help the poor we help him... so.... it's an important indicator and it seems to decline with wealth. 

Let's throw all that aside though and come back to the original question. 

Who is responsible for the poor? In the world?

It will at least make for an interesting conversation. And I believe, the conversation will need to move beyond words in the upcoming years. We're living in a country that is going to use #2 much less which means that #3 and #4 and #5 are going to need to step up - and history and research and Jesus say that's not usually what happens. 

Maybe the best answer is simply "me". 

own or rent.

Are you an owner or a renter? 

Are you in for the long haul? 
Are you the one responsible when something goes wrong? 
Are you throwing away money or investing it? 

With the Earth? 
With your job?
With your friends? 
With your creative project? 
With life? 

There's a big difference. 

the point of religion.

Is to encourage us, enable us, empower us, give us a community and a reason and the willpower and the conviction.. 

to love. 

Love is so difficult, it desperately needs help. Religion, at it's best, offers it. If it's not, it's a worthless religion. 

the brand.

This is not political or theological. Consider it marketing. 

The Christian brand is struggling and getting worse every day. If you like the brand, please be aware it has a very bad reputation in many circles, especially now, especially to people who were already suspicious of it. 

I'm not saying this to change the brand. I don't know who controls the brand or if they even want to change it. I'm saying this to anyone who still finds some worth with the brand - be aware you're now fighting an uphill battle. You're in negative space. With every encounter. Act that way. 

To live like you're not, will only continue to hurt the brand. 

death bed.

I've never heard a story of someone lying on their death bed and asking about whether or not their critics were happy with the way they lived. Honestly, I doubt anyone has ever been on their death bed and even asked whether or not their friends were happy with the way they lived. 

It's you. Just you who will determine that. So start. 

the paradox of choice.

Barry Schwartz wrote the book years ago and it was a revelation for me at the time. Too many options leaves us unable to decide. 

Research has repeatedly shown the affect in a grocery store when starting at 25 options of spaghetti sauce. It's much harder to choose. 

But you'll notice it in other places as well. 

Cable television. How can there be so many channels and so little to watch? 
Podcasts. A new one pops up in my feed every hour.. it's so hard to find a good one. 
Relationships. Aziz Ansari has hinted at this... with infinite dating choices, why can't I find one? 

So, on this day of shopping and craziness, maybe consider eradicating some potentials.
Your brain and future decision-making will thank you for it. 

thanks. giving.

Today is the day that people all over America have been dreading. 

They are going to have to have dinner with people who voted differently than they did. Many families are putting "political-conversation-bans" in place. 

I have all kinds of historical issues with this day and what it means but let's set those aside for a moment and go with the heart of it, because I don't think this day is really going to change. And, at its heart, it's beautiful. 

Thanksgiving. Thanks. Giving.

That's easy to remember, right? 

When the conversation gets heated remember gratefulness and generosity. If you can, try and turn the conversation that way.

Illegal immigrants. 
Muslims.
Trump. 
Syria.
Gay marriage. 

Generosity? Where is it? How do we have more? Gratitude? For what? Why? Fight to bring generosity and gratitude to the topic and conversation. 

Those two, on their own. are powerful enough, but together they will annihilate fear, hate, bitterness, and divisiveness. 

lines.

Everyone has lines. For all kinds of things. 

Including the lines that mean you are "for" someone and the lines that mean you are "against" someone. 

Often, the historically powerful (white, heterosexual, males) get frustrated at these lines and feel like they are being pushed too far. In other words, you'll hear them complain about affirmative action. You'll hear them complain about businesses that have to make certain kinds of cakes. You'll hear them complain about the U.S. Women's Soccer team complaining that they are not paid equally. 

Not because they are necessarily against minority and/or LGBT communities and/or women but because they believe the lines are being pushed too far. 

"Of course I'm not racist, homophobic or sexist! Never have been. Why should I have to do that?"

Here's the problem. Even if that were true, the white, heterosexual, male has little ability to see reality. It's not true. I am one, I know. Even if it that were true, historically the lines have been far too little and so it's time for history to do a major course correction - and it is correcting. Even if that were true, white heterosexual males are going to be (justified or not) more connected to our incoming President Donald Trump. And his lines are very low. 

Which means if you're a white, heterosexual, male get ready for the lines to go way beyond your comfort zone. Way beyond. If you thought affirmative action was "bad", that was nothing. The line that proves you are for someone is much farther than it has ever been.

Because in order to prove you aren't racist, homophobic or sexist you're going to have to go way above and beyond and not bitch and moan about it. You're going to have to do things you are uncomfortable with to pay back years of others being uncomfortable (and much worse) and you're going to have prove you're okay with losing power and giving it to others and that you're okay with no longer being on top. You might have to say and act like you're okay to even be on the bottom. 

I, for one, am all in. Or at least I think I am and want to be. I hope others join me. 

republic of equal

If you know me, you know that rather than bitch and moan about something I'd rather create something. Or better, my bitching and moaning therapy is to create. 

So, given the many conversations and interactions I've had the past two weeks, I decided to create something. 

It's called Republic of Equal. It's a very simple and clean line of apparel that communicates my fundamental "gospel" of the universe - we're all equal and we need to start living that way. 

With every item purchased, we'll give $5 toward a variety of organizations that are helping to alleviate poverty and inequality around our nation. 

And I had a good therapy session. 

Check it out. www.republicofequal.com

If you have some thoughts and/or comments let me know. 

mis-information.

Given the amount of mis-information out there, it's becoming increasingly difficult to even have a conversation. I just listened to a radio talk show where the host said 3 things that were undeniably false, at least according to a variety of websites, including government sites. 

But since we don't have time to fact check every discussion... maybe the better discussion is what we hope for, desire, want, seek, and are working for? 

Is it true that if an undocumented worker comes to the U.S. and has a baby then... is it true that so-and-so lied about... can quickly become "quoting facts" conversations. 

But. 

What is your hope for undocumented workers who come to the U.S. and have babies? 

What is you working for in regards to the LGBT community in the U.S.?

Usually much better discussions...

story.

Everyone has a story. We know this. 

Everyone's story impacts their choices and way they live their lives. We know this. 

If you're not happy with the way someone sees the world, the challenge is to hear more of their story. If you're stuck, like me, with "I can't understand how they could..." go find more story.

The story will explain. 

the paradox of all.

We throw that word all around quite a bit. 

I'm for all people. Love everyone (as in all). Liberty and justice for all! 

All? 

But what about those who don't want all? 

There are many (on every side) and they are very vocal about preferring some (especially right now) instead of all.

Sometimes the all people feel the need to make sure they reject the some who don't want all. But here's the deal, don't worry about it. If you're truly for all, some will leave. Most don't want all. 

Keep on all. And hope all come on board the all.

don't forget.

In the midst of the massive outpouring of support for minorities, refugees, lgbtq community, muslims, and more (all of which is beautiful) let's not forget another group of people who are, perhaps, the most easily forgotten in our world and in this election. 

The poor. They are desperate for a change, a voice, for love... I hope we give it to them.