Two lords

Matthew 6:24 - You cannot serve two lords, for you will either hate the one and love the other or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and property, wealth or earthly goods.

It's the definition of mammon as property, wealth or earthly goods that really helps me understand this passage. It is a summary of the previous two pericopes - where your treasure is there will your heart be and when your eye is sound so is your body. Careful attention must be paid to where our eyes are looking, what our hearts are thirsting for and who or what we are serving.

For me it is my desire to be alone, to not have to be out in the world doing God's work. I get an invitation and my first thought is how to get out of it. Ugh. This does not apply to going out with The Night Ministry bus. I love that. I just love relaxing and being healthy more. It is my eternal question. Can I do this and stay healthy? How can I take care of myself by doing this? What will I have to give up so I can do this? It is wearing after a while.

Without the prednisone I am really tired more often than I remember before. It is a challenge to get up the energy to go places. Once the sun goes down, however, I feel much better and want to get out. It is a weird place to be in for sure. So often I was taught that to think of my own needs was selfish. So I constantly fight that. And Peter is so wonderful about letting me chill. A lot. I hope I am not taking him for granted or taking advantage of him.

God, help me to sort out today what is from you and what is from my own desires. Help me follow through on loving others.
B

Eyes

Matthew 6:22-23 - They eye is the lamp of the body, so if your eye is sound, healthy your entire body will be filled with light. But if your eye is evil, unhealthy your entire body will be filled with darkness. And what great darkness it will be!

I am unsure what this means. If it means that your eyes show what your heart is thinking, then it means something like the eyes are the window to the soul.

But I think it means the opposite. When your eye looks on healthy things (treasures in heaven!), then your body follows and you will use your body in healthy ways. Not to satisfy your own needs only but to look to the needs of others. If your eyes look on earthly things (shiny!), then your mind and body will be used to acquire the things that do not last and lead to spiritual and emotional darkness.

And spiritual darkness is the greatest darkness there is. Those in spiritual darkness will create chaos wherever they go. The world will be worse for having them here and those around them will suffer. We are constantly living in some spiritual darkness because we are not perfect. Yet some strive for order, love, community. Those are the heavenly gifts, the heavenly treasures that those in spiritual darkness cannot see because their eyes are filled with earthly things - accolades, fame, fortune - things that do not last and do not build order, love or community.

We each are filled with both light and darkness. The one we feed (look at, focus on) is the one that grows in our bodies. The other starves. My prayer today is that I might focus on God's way and let those unproductive attitudes starve.
B

Treasure in Heaven

Matthew 6:20 - But lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Treasures on earth: possessions, status (big in the Roman empire), accolades, money, security, safety, people, comfort.

Treasures in heaven: unimaginable love. I was talking with Peter about this. I was telling him how sometimes sick Christians, when told that they were gonna meet Jesus got better because of their hope. I asked if Peter wanted to meet Jesus and he said yes. I asked why. "To have the experience of all-surrounding love." No one can take that away. As Paul wrote neither height, nor depth, nor (add your own!) can separate us from the love of God.

How can I live my life today remembering that I am immersed, swimming in God's love? By sharing that love with others. Then I'll have heaven's treasure on earth - and so will those around me.
B

Treasure

Matthew 6:19 - Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth where a moth or rust consume it and thieves break in and steal it.

This seems a continuation of my thoughts of yesterday - fasting from consumption. When we take our focus, our treasure, from God we become fearful of what can happen. The truth as expressed here is there is no security in this world. Even for those who think their money can protect them from disaster. Our lives and our possessions are very fragile and not meant to last forever. We would do well to keep this in mind and hold on to them accordingly. As the saying goes, we cannot take it with us.

In fact, everything is here only on loan. Capitalism would disagree. Yet, we are not immortal. What does it mean to own something that is not permanent and while we are not permanent. It is only a temporary rental. We cannot say that we will have our possessions tomorrow.

By not laying up possessions here we leave more for others. In fact, God gives enough for all. Again, it is we who prevent others from having enough. Our greed, pride, gluttony, laziness, indulgence, and entitlement separate us from loving others in tangible ways - like leaving enough for them! Loving our neighbors by keeping our possessions to a minimum.
B

Fasting

Matthew 6:16-18 When you fast, do not become like the hypocrites who destroy their face so they are seen to be fasting. Truly I tell you they have received their reward. But when you are fasting, anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear fasting to men but rather by your father in secret. And your father, seeing in secret, will reward you.

First thing that strikes me is that fasting was a normal thing to do. Possibly a required thing to do? He say when not if. It also strikes me that I rarely fast. I probably go to the opposite extreme somewhat by eating when I do not need to. Either way, this is a reminder to not consume more than my fair share.

The second thing is the focus on not being pious so that others see us but rather being pious for the sake of our father in heaven. Or for the good of others. In secret, so that our names and our actions are not trumpeted abroad. THis is so antithetical to our current atmosphere of self-promotion.

I think also that fasting is not just about food. How often do I buy things I do not need? Currently, not very often, if only because we do not have a lot of money. So, I want to think today about fasting in regards to consuming for the sake of entertainment or just for consumption's sake. Or worse, to show off to others, which Jesus commands his followers not to do in this sermon.

Fasting in secret from consumption and from boredom or for the accolades of others. Fasting from the accolades of others. Perhaps that is the true fast for us today?
B

Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14-15 - If you forgive others their debts your father in heaven will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, your father will not forgive you your debts.

This is the summation of the Lord's Prayer! Forgiveness. This strongly implies that staying in relationship is also important so far as it is possible or advisable. Any relationship requires a lot of forgiveness of ourselves and others. The better we are at it, the more we will love others and ourselves. The root of being neighborly is forgiveness.

I am also reminded that we cannot feel forgiveness until we ourselves can forgive ourselves and others. Others may have forgiven us but as long as we hang on to our guilt and/or shame, we will not be able to take it in. Receiving the forgiveness of others requires that we also forgive ourselves.

I will make today a day of forgiveness.
B

Deliverance

Matthew 6:13 - and deliver us from the evil one/evil.

Could mean deliver us from the devil. Yet, I like deliver us from evil - its broadness deepens its meaning. Evil: systemic, individual, indifference, active, passive, thoughts, desires. Purifying our minds will help purify our hearts. William James: change your thoughts and you change your world. Jesus: out of the heart does evil come.

So. Need to keep praying for Mike and Eric. Even if I'm willing to stay at RPPC, I need to remember that we are all in this together. I feel very closed off to all except Peter and my family right now. I think my thoughts are my form of self-protection. I'm stalled in my life and so focus my mental energy on the defects of others. It is these little evils that add up to active evil.

I will pay attention to my thoughts today.
B

Trial

Matthew 6:13 - And do not bring us to the time of trial.

The regular wording is "lead us not into temptation." But that has always confused me. Why would a loving God lead us into temptation? That makes no sense. It's like saying, "Please don't play any tricks on us!" Maybe gods did that back then but that's no reason to think that way now.

So looking at the Greek I come in with this. Trial in this sense is God testing us. We are asking that God not test us too much. Or at all really. Probably because we are not up to it! Ever. There will always be a test we fail. We all have that one thing that we just can't get rid of. That one attitude or habit. Do not test us because we will fail.

This is why when we do pray to God for patience, acceptance or love we will always be faced by those testing our patience, our acceptance, our love. Those are very courageous prayers indeed. The Scots Confession recognizes this. There is a line that says once one is baptized then the real struggle begins!

However, how can we think about this positively? Barb encouraged me to do this with the word defensive, let's try it now. Rather than asking God not to test us, maybe we could ask God to remind us of her presence in our trials? I like that much better. Trusting God to be with us rather than praying for an easy life. In Jesus' day this prayer may have made more sense. Life was much tougher then. Now, we have the opposite problem - we are much more comfortable and isolated from our fellows than they. We need more affliction not less - well okay speaking for me anyway.
B

Forgiveness

Matthew 6:12 - Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors.

Forgiveness. Such a fraught word. It has been abused for many centuries through the phrase "forgive and forget." But forgiveness does not imply or require forgetting. Indeed, there are many times when forgetting harms us more than remembering. I'm not really sure that forgetting is possible in some cases.

I picture God as continually forgiving - we can only feel that forgiveness when we forgive ourselves and others. It is not God who withholds forgiveness, it is us. We are the ones who want revenge. We are the ones who build the hate and anger in our hearts until it explodes. Sometimes on innocent bystanders. We are the ones with hearts of stone and those shards of rock hurt when they burst out and hurt others.

But today i also want to remember that this is again in the imperative. Forgive! Yet I have been thinking and perhaps a better translation would be may you forgive. Perhaps not. I still like the idea that we can demand that God be God.

This statement is also conditional, which is where my theory comes from. Forgive us as we forgive others. What if we don't forgive others? Will God not forgive us? Of course not. It will be we who cannot feel the forgiveness that God continually offers because we have closed our hearts to love. We build the walls and defend them and isolate ourselves in anger and hate. That is a very lonely place to be. That is hell.

Forgiveness is the alternative to hell.

This does not mean that forgiveness comes easily or quickly. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it requires months or years of work on our parts. But if we work on it and learn to be forgiving of ourselves, it will come. We will be freed - let go - of our ties of hate and anger to others. Free to love them instead. That is heaven.
B

Gimme, gimme, gimme

Matthew 6:11 - Give us today our daily bread.

So much packed into one little sentence! First, it doesn't say give me the job I want, the car I want, the vacation I want. It says give me what I need. Only what I need. I like this idea of living simply. Taking care of needs and not worrying about wants. It's difficult to do of course and we much always be working on it. But living simply leaves more for others to live simply too - rather than starving while some have more money than they could possibly need in one lifetime.

Second, it is in the imperative! Gimme. I like this and it also seems demanding. Well, it is demanding. I'm not sure what the imperative signifies. Is it really a question? Or is it a demand? There is an implied assurance that it is okay to demand this from God. I like to think that we can expect enough to live on from God. And he does give enough! Only it is we who abuse God's gifts by hoarding, by taking more than our fair share. And we are back to living simply.

Third, it focuses on our need today - not tomorrow. This is a good reminder that our minds need to stay in today. Where are our feet? That is where our mind needs to be. If we are at work, we need to focus on our work. If we are with others, we need to focus on them, giving them our full attention. If we are at home, we need to interact with our family. If we are in prayer, we need to focus on God and her loving presence. I have a hard time with this - my mind loves to daydream.

Finally, it acknowledges that our lives and everything we need to survive are gifts from God. Even though we are allowed to demand them, we are to remember our dependence and our gratitude. Joyfully using the gifts of this day for the work of God's kin-dom, for the creation of the Beloved Community.
B

God's will

Matthew 6:10 - Your will be done, as in heaven also on earth.

So, question. "as in heaven so also on earth:" does that belong just to God's will or does it go with the sanctity of God's name and the coming of God's kin(g)dom as well? If everyone did God's will, wouldn't it be heaven? And if everyone sanctified God's name, wouldn't it be heaven? For some reason this captivates me.

As in heaven so also on earth. The kingdom of heaven is near. Here, on earth.

How would my life change if I truly lived like I believed that? I would feel less need to protect myself, to defend my person. I would be more loving to all. I would still be an introvert though. I would be open to Mike and Frank and all those who I've put on the "don't bug me" list. I need to get rid of that list.

And in thinking about this for a few minutes - I recognize that there is no need now to defend myself, nothing to protect myself from. It is me, my thinking that is holding me back. Not others.
B

More Praying

Matthew 6:10 - Your kingdom come.

So many issues with just this one line!

First there is the idea of kingdoms for people who live in a republic. This is a minor nitpick. If we look at the prophets' visions of the kingdom, we see they were characterized by peace, community, love, and joy. No more night! No more fears! No more tears! God will be in the midst of her! Don't we all yearn - at least sometimes - for such a place?

Second there is the idea that this is God's kingdom. Will it be here on earth or in heaven? It says kingdom come. Come to us! Yes, God please be with us. Only in you is our peace and community. O does it mean come about somewhere else? Now or later? Who's to say. It is kind of vague so far.

Third and I think most important there is the question of who will bring the kingdom. Is it God alone and all we have to do is wait? Probably not! Is it us? Probably not, we do not have the power by ourselves. Perhaps it is us working with God. It is interesting that this is the passive mood. The doer is vague and yet we yearn for the coming of the kingdom.

Fourth, there is the question of perhaps inclusivizing the language here. Dr. King talked about the beloved community. There are others who use kin-dom. We are family after all. This idea also reminds us that we are all equal in this community. No king, no courtiers, no hangers on. No more Jew nor Greek, male or female, slave or free. Just joy and love and God in the midst of her.

Yes! God in our midst. Jesus said elsewhere that the kingdom was near. It is still near if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
B

Praying II

Matthew 6:9 - Pray this way then. "Our father, the one in heaven. Your name be sanctified."

That aorist passive imperative is weird to translate!

Anyway, the Lord's prayer in Greek. Greek does not have a formal 'you' like many languages. In the KJV this prayer is translated with the informal thou. Yet, many people use this version thinking the language is exalted and formal - thus honoring God. Really, the intention was to connote a familial relationship - familiar enough to use informal language.

So today we might say something like - Dad (Daddy) in heaven, you are holy. Which sounds weird to our ears because we only think of exalting God rather than claiming our familial relationship.

I was at my CPE interview the other day and we talked about being able to remain in relationship with people we found difficult. I really liked the way Barb put that and it has come up since. In the racial justice conversation at Curt's yesterday, for example. I really like the thought of claiming this familial relationship. I'm not sure how one goes about it though.

I am so good at protecting myself that sometimes I miss the opportunity to let down my guard and let the perceived "threat" happen. This will be my new way of looking at things! This might just be a first step into a familial relationship with God - trusting that my dad will be with me and we can handle it! I will watch myself in this regard today.
B

Praying

Matthew 6:5-6 - Do not be like the hypocrites who love to be seen praying in the synagogues and on the street corners. But when you pray, go into your inner room and closing the door pray to your father in secret. And your father, the one seeing in secret will pay you.

I love this. I have always felt awkward with public prayer. I feel so much more connected to God when I am with her in secret. By myself. To say whatever I want with no one around. Holy moments when I am thinking through my life, praising God, giving thanks and just listening. Just being.

And there is a lot to be prayed for today. Resentment, anger, losing my phone, paying for a new one, possible bed bug infestation and how are we going to pay for all this? But just for today, all is well. No one is dying. Well, at least not in the house. Amy has gone on to hospice and that is sad for all of us. But giving all that to God helps me to decide what I need to do. The next right thing.

Remembering that God is with me and all of us through these things - especially when I cannot feel her presence. So. Time to pray.
B

Righteousness

Matthew 6:1-4 - Do not flaunt your righteousness. If you do, your reward will be the approval of men. But hide your righteousness even from yourself. Then your reward will be from your Father in heaven.

The approval of people here on earth is always nice. We all want approval; in fact, we need a certain amount in order to thrive. Love and friendship are not luxuries for human beings. It is only when this need becomes excessive that we have problems. When we feel as though everyone needs to approve of our actions. When we act so that we can receive the approval of others, our reward ends there.

Ultimately, though, this reward cannot satisfy. It is both fleeting and short-lived. One must constantly be acting and doing new things. One can never rest when one's life is about the approval of others. And, there will come a time when that approval is withdrawn. That person will be left alone, not even knowing who they are because they have never thought about it. Of course, in that case, there is nowhere to go but up!

But what about the reward "from your Father who is in heaven?" What is that reward? Eternal life? I guess some would say so. But that doesn't sit right with me. I would prefer to think about it in terms of life here and now. I think the reward is love. Not love from others, but rather love for others. When our motivation is to do the right thing because it is the right thing - we increase our love of others. When we train ourselves to do the right thing and then forget about it - going on with our lives as usual - we increase our love for others. Receiving love from others is nice, but it is often conditional. Increasing our love for others connects us to God's love for others - and God's love for us. This love is unconditional. The more we live in this love of God and others, the more love we will be able to feel and share.

We might even be able to begin to love our enemies!
B

Yet more anger

Matthew 5:43-44 - You've heard it said "Love your neighbors" and "hate your enemies." But I say to you, "Love your enemies and pray for your persecutors."

Sometimes it is hard to love those we love! Just this morning, I was leaving to go grocery shopping. The lock on our back porch is wonky. So as I was leaving, it would not lock. I called Peter and showed him. Long story short; He blamed it on me even though the lock was clearly wonky. I was given this gift of seeing exactly why I was angry and why I get angry most of the time. I was clearly not being heard and was being blamed for something that was clearly not my fault. I could not believe he would not back off. I think he heard me saying he needed to fix the lock. Not what I was saying at all.

The good news is that I told him that my frustration about the lock was not aimed at him. I was clear that I was not angry at him - at least at first. It was only after I asked him why he kept insisting against the evidence that I was doing something wrong that I realized he was not really hearing me.

So the thing that gets me and that I have told him is that he is definitely more willing to give others a break than he is me. Not always, but he still has a hard time thinking about dealing with Mike owing $20,000 yet, no problem blaming me for things that are not my fault. I suspect something else is going on that he is not sharing.

So, loving someone even in anger. Recognizing that anger is temporary, love is foundational.

So, again. What is my part in this? Not just today, but what is my part in not being heard? Am I not saying what I feel clearly? Am I assuming others understand what I want? It is clear that many times, Peter does not and I am not aware of that. So we talk past each other and make no sense.

Alternatively, am I trying to make others conform to my way of thinking? Am I overreacting to people being people? Am I angry at something I have not yet let myself be aware of? Am I ready to be open to that? And again, am I treating Peter any better than I feel he sometimes treats me? I know I could always be more courteous and forgiving. Lots of stuff to think about with my spiritual director.
B

Anger (again)

Matthew 5:38-42 - Do not resist the evil one. When someone slaps your left cheek, turn your right. When someone sues you for your cloak, give them your tunic also. When someone presses you into service for one mile, go with them two. When someone asks for a loan, do not refuse them. Give to all who ask.

I have lots of thoughts here! First, there is an implied power imbalance. Someone is stronger than you. Do not resist - for yourself. Jesus himself resisted on behalf of others.

Second, we are to accept the reality of evil. The examples given are personal, yet they do not exclude the possibility of systemic evil. Especially the one about being pressed into service. We cannot escape evil - it is in the very air humans breathe. Therefore, we need to accept its reality in our lives and the lives of others. White police and black people come to mind.

Third, while I was pondering this this morning, I realized that anger can lead to doing evil things. I thought about how I write people off rather than work things out with them. This will come up during my CPE interview. I also realized that the things that make me angry are people not following the "rules." I'm not usually one to try to make others follow the rules - except Peter. I am one to complain at length about it. This is a sign of resentment, which in turn is a sign of anger not resolved.

I get angry when people try to speed past me. I get angry when people cut me off. I get angry when Mike turns off the water willy-nilly. I get angry when I think about how much he owes the condo association and his attitude about that debt. I get angry when the dog barks. I get angry when Peter tries to renegotiate a decision we have made. I get angry when things change at church. When I have no voice. I get angry when Republicans cut help for those who need it most: kids, the mentally ill, minorities, poor people. I get angry when people take more than their fair share of time, food, services, etc. I get angry when people's voices are unheard. I get angry when others write black people off as thugs without hearing what they are trying to say. In fact, my biggest complaint about Peter is that his actions sometimes make me feel like my concern or feelings have not been heard.

Voiceless. I feel voiceless. I feel insignificant. When have I not had a voice? Growing up. Junior. Dave. That one TA in Art History. With my mom. In church (partially my fault). Federated. Peter's work. I'm sure there are others that I am missing.

Without working through this anger, I will have a hard time detaching and being a good chaplain. I have written numerous times that I want to give voice to the voiceless. Who are the voiceless? Homeless people, poor people, black people, women, non-Republicans in many ways, abused women, prisoners - whether they've committed a crime or not, sick people, old people, uninsured people, the outcast.

I am surprised this went there. I had no idea. Good work.
B

Swearing

Matthew 5:33-37 - You have hear it said, "Do not swear falsely." But I say to you, do not swear at all. Let your yes be yes and your no, no. Anything more than that is from evil.

Jesus may have been on to something here. I know that when I am least likely to follow through is when I'm most likely to swear to myself that I will. Desperation to convince myself that I mean it. It doesn't fool me. And I think Jesus is saying here that it doesn't fool anyone else either. In fact, it reminds me of sleazy salesmen - those who do not let you get a word in edgewise, because if they let you think, the sale is lost. That behavior does indeed come from an evil place. When I am confronted with that, I instinctively know (doesn't everyone?) that I am being manipulated. Keeping to the minimum. Yes and no are both complete sentences by themselves.

This speaks to the larger issue of trust. Communities and cities work, society works only when we trust others to do their share. There will always be those on the make, not doing their share. But communities work because  most of us are basically trustworthy. We have integrity. Jesus is asking his listeners (and readers) to have integrity. When people trust others, there is no need to share or persuade. There is only the fact of integrity.

Speaking the truth requires integrity and is the only way to get integrity. Speaking the truth in love always. Without integrity, leaders have no followers - and thus are not leaders. Or, their followers lack integrity as well - and you have a mob or, if you will, a gang. Yet even gangs and police forces have their own integrity separate and apart from society. All are harmed when this happens. Lack of integrity leads to gang violence leads to more lack of integrity. Of course, it is not that simple. That is just one line of the breakdown of intersectional lines of disorder.

It helps me to remember that Jesus lived in a similar world. Yet he was able to have integrity and through that came hope for a better life for many. That is sorely needed today. Hope.
B

Adultery

Matthew 5:27-30 You have heard it said, "Do not commit adultery. But I say to you that anyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Etc.

Adultery is another rupture in the community. Here in 21st century America, it is easy to think we wouldn't know the person with whom our spouse committed adultery. Back then? Almost certainly! It was not a private issue but the whole community suffered. Either way its a rupture, but then, it was a bigger rupture in several ways, not all of them good.

Back then, it was about the woman as property. We see this in the 10 commandments wherein the wife is listed along with the chattel and other possessions. So adultery was defined as having sex with another man's wife. The harm was to the man. Here, it can be read that Jesus sees women as women and not as appendages to men. Even if you look at her with lust, you have devalued her. In this light, people commit adultery all the time. The objectification of a being that bears the image of God is adultery.

Here again, Jesus is extending the requirements of the law by saying it's not just about our actions, it's about how we view the world. Do we see it as God's good and sacred creation? Or do we see it as our inheritance to use as we see fit, regardless of the consequences to others? The law proscribes certain actions, Jesus proscribes ways of thinking that people use to get around the spirit of the law. Jesus invites us to go beyond our current thinking, always and forever. This is our job - to conform to God's way of thinking rather than trying to get God to conform to ours. It is very difficult. That is why most of us do not do it. It requires great sacrifice that most of us are not willing to make. I know that I would rather not make the sacrifice.

Using others as stepping stones is a human way. God's way is the way of love and reconciliation. It seems to all come back to reconciliation for Jesus. Especially in the verses that follow.

If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out ... if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off... It is better to be maimed in heaven than whole in gehenna.

Hyperbole? Maybe. The point is that our focus must be on God and God's love for all people. He is stressing the importance of seeing others as God sees us all - Beloved, precious, and beautiful. God loves us so much it's as if God has nothing better to do. It is we who corrupt that love and misuse our fellow humans. Jesus is saying that is not God's way.
B

The consequences of anger

Matthew 5:25-26: Come to terms with your adversary while you are on the way lest your adversary hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be cast into prison. I tell you you will not leave there until you have paid the last penny.

Total disruption of one's life but also the community. Who is going to pay the last penny? Family and friends. The ripples of resentment and anger then continue. We see this in the Middle East. As I understand it, some of the animosity there goes back centuries. We see this with African Americans in Baltimore. Anger ignored breeds anger. And we are ignoring the anger being displayed in so many cities and towns to our peril. We have created a situation in which they have less and less to lose. We have made them angry and then taken away their recourse.

This legacy will take its toll as long as people take sides without trying to understand those opposed to them. This is what the gospel counsels us today - try to understand. The word means think well of. Try to think well of your adversary. That goes against everything we are taught through movies, TV shows, history books. They all say that we are right. But we are wrong. We are not thinking well of minorities in modern America. And it is making our job of reconciling impossible.

Yesterday I wrote about reconciliation. It is impossible without understanding on all sides. The gulf is wide and many would like to ignore that it exists. Many would like to think that black people are routinely treated just like white people in this country. Such is not the case and this disconnect is widening the gulf. Even poor Jon Stewart is tired and frustrated with fighting this battle of ideology against facts. He has fought so hard and has gotten exactly nowhere.

Taking this down to the personal: What is one thing I can do today to understand and put into practice my new understanding of someone from another race?
B