Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Dear Uncle J

Dear Uncle J:

Blessings to you. I hope God will continue to uplift your spirit as you do his work. I always wondered what you were thinking and feeling in the weeks following the looping soundbites of your sermons. You must have been and probably are still upset or troubled. It is clear that most people are unable to take the time to listen to the entire sermons and decide for themselves the full body of your work and that of your church and denomination. That is our bad, especially the media.

It is also clear to me that we are one screwed up family (poor v. fortunate, black v. white, man v. woman, believers v. non-believers, red states v. blue states). We say one thing and do another. We worship the same God in different places on Saturday and Sunday. We talk past each other. We glorify everything else but our God. We identify with every other human quality, except the one that matters the most, the relationship with a common God. How did we end up this way, Uncle J?

Certainly, Uncle J, you have to do what you do as a pastor, but I wonder what do you expect from us as you stand up for yourself and the (our) "black" church? Are you going to just leave us out there like that? Uncle J, honestly I find myself uplifted by the clarity of your pastoral sense of purpose and troubled by shallowness of our society to embrace the underlying issues of your comments. Likewise, Uncle J, it is difficult for me to fully identify or connect with to some of your comments or conclusions (an AIDS conspiracy? Is that metaphorical?). But, now that we have placed these on our dinner table, who will pass the salt and pepper?

America has not acheived its full global purpose because it has failed to directly address issues of race and class. For this reason, the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama takes on a higher metaphysical meaning. Who is better prepared to call the country together to address the economic hardships, access to healthcare, improvement of our education system, the list goes on. Let's stay focused on the leadership needed to not only solve our core daily challenges, but also to amend and reconcile the soul of America. The question is, Uncle J, do we have the courage to own up to the core values of America and to ourselves?

I recognize that you will continue to be present for a number of upcoming dinners and get-togethers at home. Uncle J, you are a part of us, whether we celebrate you or cringe on the bite of your words. Now that we have heard from you, Uncle J, in all forums of the house, would you please allow us to get back to the order of finishing our dinner? I have enough on my plate (keeping my business afloat, prescriptions for my wife, a Mom without employment and a rebellious diabetic, a veteran brother, living in the poorest city in the nation . . . ). You get the picture.

We promise to own up to the root of our family pain. I personally promise. May God be with you and the family.

Until the next,

Marlon

Sunday, April 20, 2008

The World at Crossroads

On a recent trip to St. Maarten, I confirmed once again that the U.S. presidential elections are a global phenomenon. Our gracious hotel hostess checked us in, while trying to steal some minutes to read her copy of Senator Barack Obama's best-selling novel, "The Audacity of Hope". The most extraordinary thing was that she is a U.S. citizen from the South Pacific residing in St. Maarten. I gave her a Barack Obama wristband and she screamed in delight.

She said that she could not wait any longer to cast her vote. She gushed in her perception of the importance of the election and the viability of Obama's candidacy. She noted that the world is watching every moment and every word.

We hold a huge responsibility to the world. Every vote counts - local or international.