paravanes:meditations

This weekend, I have read several selections from Martin Luther Kings, Jr.'s Where Do We Go From Here , his last book and the one I referenced in the previous post. In the last post, I also reflected upon how tragically close we have come to chaos. What can we do about this move toward chaos? The trend is strong, but not irresistible. Let's begin by finding and keeping community wherever we can. For some, home may be the starting point. For some, it may be school, a group or club, an informal circle of friends, a church, or a support group. Aren't we already doing this? Some of us are, but not enough of us and not enough of us with intense intentionality. Here are my suggestions for finding and keeping community: 1. Select at least one place as a location where you will invest in modeling the elements of community, communion, and common-unity. 2. Consistently practice honestly, kindness, and courtesy in speech in your place of community. 3. Identify and fill a need in yo...

Martin Luther King's last book was Where Do We Go From Here: Community Or Chaos? Ironically, when I searched it on amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com , I was unable to find a copy in stock. Resellers were offering copies on amazon. In the last few days, the major news outlets have reported the deaths of eight children, allegedly at the hands of their parents. After arguing with the children's mother, a father has confessed to throwing four of his young children off a bridge in Alabama. In Washington, DC, a mother has been charged with the homicides of her four daughters, whose bodies were found in a seriously advanced state of decomposition (non recognizable). The bodies were discovered when U.S. Marshals went to the home to serve an eviction notice. These horrific crimes, our equally tragic resignation to such occurrences (read online comments attached to some news reports of these stories if you doubt me), and our apparent powerlessness to reverse the trend of wanton ...