The Truth That Every Life Matters Equally is Just Common Sense

Our skin color should be irrelevant in judging the character of a person.


It almost feels like an episode of the Twilight Zone, where what is simple common sense, and commonly understood by most as good, is now being shamed as evil and ‘racist.' (Image: Unsplash-Aaron Blanco Tejedor)

More specifically, where saying that EVERY person's life is important and matters is seen as a threat and a ‘racist' statement.

Yet, isn't this exactly the premise on which the great Martin Luther King Jr. based his whole mission?

"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character," he said.

We were created by God with an amazing array of skin colors, just like everything He created; from animals, trees and flowers, even clouds.

This we acknowledge, calling it beautiful, and we're grateful for this variety.

It's the same with each one of us, many different shades, yet ONE human race.

Our skin color should be irrelevant in judging the character of a person. It's not rocket science, folks!

But, because some found it hard to understand, it actually had to be written into the law of our land.

Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, section 1: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

"All persons," all lives are required by our Constitution to receive equal protection; because ALL lives matter in this country. That is America's law.

Obviously, that hasn't always happened here, and still doesn't at times, as some people's hearts have been darkened by false, evil concepts that one race is better than another.

Elevating one race or ethnicity over another is just plain false, and wrong. It is the definition of racism.

And yet, somehow now, saying that "Black Lives Matter" but not "All Lives Matter" is correct?

That's antithetic to Martin Luther King Jr's entire mission that a person's skin color is irrelevant to judging their character. (Image: MLK via Facebook)

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools," he said.

Recently, actor and host of America's Got Talent, Terry Crews—who is black—tweeted this absolutely reasonable statement that makes perfect sense:

"Are all white people bad? No. Are all black people good? No. Knowing this reality, I stand on my decision to unite with good people, no matter the race, creed or ideology..."

Yet in this bizzaro time in which we live, he is now receiving severe backlash because of this statement which basically echoes the 14th Amendment, as well as the heart of Dr. King.

I believe there are still many, the majority in this country even, who believe that every life matters, and that that statement is NOT racist, but actually ANTI-racist, and just common sense. Yet because of the loud and many times violent voices screaming for their definition of "politically correct," this majority keeps silent.

Yes, America has had a very real history of racism against minorities, and especially the black community. We've risen above a lot of it, and yes, there is more work to be done in the direction of eliminating it.

But, you cannot fight racism with MORE racism. You cannot fight hate with more hate. We must fight hate with LOVE and with TRUTH.

Again, Martin Luther King Jr. said it so well:

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.
Through violence you may murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness:
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

People, we cannot remain silent; we must speak the TRUTH in LOVE.

Instead of an ‘Anti-Gun Violence’ Campaign, How About Just an ‘Anti-Violence’ Campaign: It’s the HEART behind the Weapon That Needs to Change

The gun is not inherently bad, OR good. It is neutral. Its purpose depends on the one who holds it.

Presidential hopefuls and other political pundits seem to waste no time in hopping up onto their anti-gun soapboxes every time there is an act of violence in this country. (Image: Pixabay)

Yes, the horrific mass shootings plaguing the last 30 years or so, are harrowing atrocities that are the stuff of nightmares.

However, the ongoing political agenda machine continues to only ask one question: (How?) regarding the situation; and holds up their answer as their standard: (Guns, let’s ban them!).

The question that should be asked—and which reverberates in my mind after every grim headline—is WHY?

America’s Founders, having only recently escaped governmental tyranny, saw the just need for every citizen to have the right to bear arms.

So, if Americans have carried weapons from the beginning, why has this mass-violence increased in such large numbers of late?

The issue cannot be the weapons themselves—it must be those using the weapons.

That’s where the ‘Why?’ comes in.

A gun is an inanimate object; it’s like a wad of cash.

A stack of ‘Benjamins’ can be used for either good or evil. Money is NOT the ‘root of all evil’ as some are quick to misquote.

The actual verse reads, ‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ -1 Timothy 6:10

The money has no soul. But the one who holds the money does. That one can use it for good—to pay bills, to provide for their family, to give away… or that one can use it for evil—to finance crimes and illegal activity, to keep victims enslaved…

The same is true for guns.

The gun is not inherently bad, OR good. It is neutral. Its purpose depends on the one who holds it. 

This is why we SHOULD be asking the WHY question.

Why did Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murder 12 students and a teacher in cold blood at Columbine High School? Why did Adam Lanza kill his own mother and then 20 6 and 7-year-olds along with 6 other adults at Sandy Hook Elementary? Why did 64-year-old Stephen Paddock open fire on the crowd of Route 66 concert-goers below his 32^nd floor suite, killing 58 and wounding 422 others?

Ultimately, those who want to hurt others will find a way to do so, whether it’s by gun, knife, machete, fist, foot or whatever means they decide to use. 

What needs to change is the HEART behind the weapon.

After the most recent school shooting, a vigil was arranged and students and family members were in attendance, apparently along with politicians and those pushing an anti-gun agenda. 

When those of the latter group commandeered the mic, not even allowing students to speak of one of their own who heroically died trying to stop the shooter, said students walked out of the vigil.

They said they didn’t want to be used as pawns for an ‘anti-gun rally.’ They also called for better mental health instead of the anti-gun agenda. 

They touched the REAL issue: the why.

Maybe it’s overwhelming depression or anger triggering abnormal mental decisions, maybe it’s abuse that has taken its toll on the soul of a person. Maybe it’s an outside influence that has altered what is reality in the mind of one; sources could be drugs, alcohol or even violent video games or movies. 

THESE are the questions we SHOULD be asking, instead of attempting to round up the guns of law-abiding American citizens; which will leave only the UNlawful ones with guns. 

Ultimately, when it comes to mass-violence in America:

The heart of the matter IS the heart.

A Current Prayer Directive from 1Chron.29

“Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: ‘My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the temple^[a] is not for man but for the Lord God.’” 1Chron.29:1

I was reading 1Chronicles 29 this morning and was struck by the parallel that could be drawn between the transfer of power from King David to Solomon, and the extraordinary election of Donald Trump as President of the USA.

It’s not a perfect metaphor of course, and there are places that really don’t apply at all, but it really stood out to me this morning as a directive for God’s people to pray, if nothing else.

Solomon and The Building of the Temple

In V1, King David is speaking to “all the assembly” about his son Solomon, about whom he says he “alone God has chosen.” It’s been widely reported about this election that evangelical Christians made a huge difference, helping Trump to win because they came out en force—through prayer and voting—believing that Trump was the one God has chosen for the job, even with all of his many flaws.

King David describes his son as “young and inexperienced” in that verse. While Donald J. Trump—at 70-years-old—isn’t exactly young, he IS young and definitely inexperienced when it comes to being the President of the United States, and the leader of the free world.

Verse one continues with David saying, “the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the Lord God.” As Christians, we know that because of Jesus’ work on the Cross, God does not limit Himself to the walls of a temple, but that each Believer’s body is now a temple for the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit.

America was formed by people who believed that God was directing them, and they acknowledged this at every step in the crafting of this country’s foundations and Constitution. Even within America’s ‘Declaration of Independence,’ the dependence upon God the Creator is spelled out. This is also depicted in the more recent text of our National Motto: “In God We Trust.”

Because of America’s dedication to God, the last part of V1 comes into play, that this country is indeed not for man’s glory but that of “the Lord God.” Also, the position of this country’s Commander-in-Chief IS great, and really a monumental task.

The Remarkable Contributions

“Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?” 1 Chron. 29:2-5

In the following verses, 2-5, King David lists all the gold, silver, wood and precious stones that he has accumulated for the work of building God’s Temple, and then later on in this chapter it mentions how others gave for the work. In this, one can draw a loose parallel to the surprising way Americans supporting Trump gave to the cause, and his campaign was able to raise enough money—including that of his own—to help him win the office.

“Then the leaders of the fathers’ houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king’s work, offered willingly.” 1 Chron. 29:6 

In V6, it mentions how the leaders, captains, officers—and in the previous verses, the craftsmen—“offered willingly” to help Solomon build the Temple. The last few days we’ve heard of how President-elect Trump is putting together his cabinet, and the many good people who have stepped up to help.

“Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly.” 1 Chron. 29:9

In V9 I see a parallel between these people who had “offered willingly” and with a “loyal heart offered willingly to the Lord” and those who came together and prayed for this election. It truly was inspirational the way God’s people from all denominations, religious backgrounds, and ethnicity joined in prayer and intercession—some even fasting—for God’s results in this 2016 election.

Praise and Dedication to God

In V10-17 King David offers praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, acknowledging that He reigns over all, and that all of this wealth, land position is His in the first place and that “we are aliens and pilgrims before You, as were all our fathers; our days on earth are as a shadow, and without hope” if not for God.

As mentioned before, America’s forefathers did the same and dedicated this land to Him, acknowledging their dependence on their Creator. America belongs to God.

A Current Prayer Directive from the Ancient

“O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You. And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.” 1 Chron. 29:18-19

King David prays that this dedication and reliance on God would be kept “forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people” and that the Lord would “fix their heart toward” Him. This is still an excellent prayer directive for all of us to pray over ourselves and the people of this country.

And then David prays for his son Solomon, a prayer that seems applicable and important to pray now over President-elect Trump; that God would give Donald Trump a “loyal heart to keep [God’s] commandments and [His] testimonies and [His] statutes.” Remembering how the Church rose up (with the exception of some) to pray and prophesy over him, and the incredible miracle of Trump’s victory over the seemingly insurmountable Clinton machine. May our new President-elect ponder all these things and hold them close in his heart, staying humble before the Lord.

We know from later chapters of the Bible that King Solomon was definitely not perfect—a bit of a playboy even—but he was the man that God had chosen for the building of The Temple and the leading of the nation of Israel.

Solomon Anointed as King, and the New President Taking Office

In the following verses, the transfer of power is made from King David to Solomon, and the people thanked the Lord and rejoiced, as God’s hand was truly on King Solomon and his reign, with great blessing and favor.

“And they made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the next day: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. So they ate and drank before the Lord with great gladness on that day. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him before the Lord to be the leader, and Zadok to be priest. Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, submitted themselves to King Solomon. So the Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.” 1 Chron. 29:21-25

We must certainly be praying for this transition from candidate Trump to President Trump, and for his presidency thereafter. Trump truly has a huge task before him of leading this nation, and of bringing this now very divided country together as one.

It does seem like an almost impossible mission, but so did the idea that Donald J Trump would ever actually win this election in the first place!

And we know that “with God, nothing shall be impossible.”

Chris Lane, Trayvon and the Elephant in Room

One thing I believe people, all around the world, commonly hold in contempt is hypocrisy and double standards.

…At least most of us.

But, the terrible, ludicrous killing of 22-year-old Christopher Lane has highlighted an apparent duplicity at the highest level of America’s government, and as a citizen, I find it shameful and appalling.

Chris—a Melbourne, Australia native, in America on a baseball scholarship—was attending East Central University in Oklahoma.  He had his whole life ahead of him, along with his girlfriend; Duncan, Oklahoma resident, Sarah Harper.

Out for a jog, last Friday (Aug. 16), Lane could not have known it would be the final steps he would take in this life.

Inside a small black car were three of Duncan’s teens—James Francis Edwards Jr. (15), Michael Dewayne Jones (17) and Chancey Allen Luna (16)—who also had their whole lives ahead of them, but who had decided to end another’s.

“We were bored and didn't have anything to do, so we decided to kill somebody,” was the explanation given to police by one of the boys.

The life they took with a gunshot to the back was Chris Lane’s.

Rewind a couple months this year, and you’d find America embroiled in the trial for Floridian George Zimmerman, who had shot and killed a boy by the name of Trayvon Martin.

The jury acquitted Zimmerman of murder, finding that he’d shot Martin in self-defense—fearing for his own life, after Martin attacked him.

While Zimmerman was not really white, but Hispanic, I guess he was “light enough” for the situation to escalate into a full scale racial issue—the killing of Trayvon being called a “hate crime” by many.

And this country’s president spoke up and identified—in the most personal way—with the victim, saying that if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon.

The media was in a frenzy; everywhere people adorned themselves with hoodies.  And the saying, “I am Trayvon” caught on like wildfire.

Obama’s words had added fuel to the already burning fire, which could have been much worse, except for the strength and grace of Trayvon’s family who accepted the verdict and pleaded for there to be no more violence.

Back to Chris Lane…and the hypocrisy in the White House.

Lane was white, and a citizen of a country that has stood with America as one of her closest allies.

If President Obama spoke out about Trayvon Martin’s killing, saying he “could’ve been my son,”  shouldn’t he then ignore the COLOR of Christopher Lane and acknowledge the tragedy of this life so senselessly lost?

The silence is deafening. 

Although one of the teens tweeted that he hated “white ppl,” there’s been no civil rights “frenzy” among the media, save for the few outlets that have pointed to this elephant in the room: hypocrisy.

This is not about guns; they will always find their way into the wrong hands regardless of any law that attempts to prevent it.

This is about a condition: hearts grown cold.

It’s about boys who are “bored” and who’s consciences have been so skewed by a lack of value for life—any life, and every life—that they actually find entertainment in killing another human being.

For those who would like to pin the “racist” title on me, I am not looking at color—cold hearts are found among all colors of skin.

But Chris Lane’s murder has drawn a huge red circle around a dangerous heart condition here in America, and a potentially deadly one.

I hope to hear words that can promote healing from our president in the coming days, and, as Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole has already done, an apology given to the good people of Australia.

After all, my boy will celebrate his 24^th birthday next month…Chris Lane could’ve been my son.

An Independence Day Prayer for America

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness… And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor." -(excerpt from) The Declaration of Independence
As we come to July 4th, and my beloved country celebrates its birthday, even the most ardent American patriot can look around and see its ailing state of being.
It's easy to start pointing fingers and slip into political rhetoric, but this nation began as and has always been a nation of individuals connected by a common bond. Out of many, one: "E pluribus unum."
Whatever sickness (spiritually speaking) from which America suffers, it is we-the-people of America who are afflicted, not an inanimate continent.
King David wrote in Psalm 11:3, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
The ones who set out for the New World were driven by a desire to worship God freely, and they were led by their DEPENDENCE on the God they loved.
Our forefathers wrote it into the Declaration of Independence; the bottom line: "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor." (Photo: Painting of First Continental Congress kneeling in prayer)
A "firm reliance" on "Divine Providence": God. This is America's foundation with everything else stripped away.
Independence Day seems to remind me lately of this country's attitude of independence-from-God that has been growing like those hard-to-kill weeds in our front lawns. Without cultivating the good grass, the weeds will soon take over.
The same is true in each of our hearts.
I know there have been gatherings and prayer events calling for us to return to our foundation of DEPENDENCE ON GOD as a country. But again, this country is individual people; its attitude change begins in the hearts of each of its citizens.
I have been reminded lately of the sweetness of depending on God.
Depending on the Lord Jesus for ultimate salvation, but also for everyday peace, direction, motivation, purpose.
Finding joy in the incredibly close and awe-inspiring Presence of God. Finding purpose, direction and strength in just knowing that the Creator and King of the Universe is "intimately acquainted with all our ways," and what's more, He wants to be!
It's a simple prayer, I know… But still I pray that each of us here in America, and everywhere in this beautiful Earth the Lord has given us, would return to this dependence on our immutable God.