Evergreens

#Stopplayin’

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What if all the Black NFL players banded together for a particular social cause?  And, let’s call that cause “Justice.”  What if Colin Kaepernick, was seen as Rosa Parks was viewed some 63 years ago?  What if we all got on board when it was time to ride and all got off as soon we realized we were just being taken for a ride? 

1955 Montgomery bus boycott

1955 Montgomery bus boycott

In 1955, nearly 75% of the public bus passengers in Montgomery were black. In 2018, the NFL is nearly 70% black. The time for games were over then as they are today.  The power of one is the power of many standing, walking, or kneeling as one.  

The gains of today are because of the sacrifices of yesterday.  The gains for tomorrow must be purchased with the sacrifices of today.  Ali, Kap, Rosa... me? You?

Here’s an idea for my brothers whose power is actually greater off the field than on -whose power is acting as one.

What if you simply stop playing?

I assure you we would stop watching and start listening.

NFL Boycott + Social media = #Stopplayin’

Can you afford to do so?  Can we afford to not to?

Know your worth.  Know your power. 

More than a legal motion.  More than a movement.  

More than a banner.  More than a flag.  

More than kneeling or taking a stand.  

It’s all of these things and more...

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#stopplayin’ 

He Has Risen -Matthew 28:6

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Ponder this. If man with his limited knowledge can resuscitate the dead, why couldn't God in His infinite knowledge resurrect the dead?  Medically speaking, we use blood transfusions and stem cell/organ/marrow transplants, to save lives and treat disease.  Sometimes, donors gave  these gifts of life at the cost of their own. Was not a similar sacrifice made on Calvary? A donation of blood from a universal donor was made for a transfusion that could cure a 100% fatal disease, a genetic disease inherited through the "S chromosome."

This is what Easter means to me. 

Just as the sun rises to start each day, our faith begins with the risen Son.    

Just as the sun rises to start each day, our faith begins with the risen Son.  

 

 

Happy New Year -Everyday

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A resolution to end all resolutions.

Any day could mark the end of one year and the beginning of another. After all, a year is just a passing of 12 months. So, why not live like everyday is an opportunity to begin anew? No need to wait for a specific day on the calendar like January 1. Here's something to think about. Each day could be our last and each new day can be viewed as a gift to start fresh.  If you fail to keep your new year's resolution, why not make it new day's resolution?  Isn't that all that January 1 is? A new day? Recommit each day until you achieve a year's worth of success. Any day can mark a year long of daily successes. We usually call those anniversaries. Celebrate your accomplishments on any day and recommit everyday. It's all how you look at it. 

Sunrise or Sunset? It's all how you look at it. 

Sunrise or Sunset? It's all how you look at it. 

Have a Happy New Year or a Happy New Day!

Follow the Leader!

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You probably have heard someone espouse the idea that success and failure rest primarily on leadership.  You might even subscribe to such a notion.  However, have you ever considered just how important "followership" is to success?  If a leader cannot inspire people to follow, is he truly a leader?  And, if followers refuse to execute a leader's vision, are they actually followers?  The truth is that the two are interdependent -inextricably linked.  One cannot exist without the other.  Each helps to define the other.  I submit that the two concepts, leadership and followership are of equal importance. 

Clear to see who is the leader. But, who's following.

An application of this concept that I am intimately familiar with is the doctor patient relationship.  A physician can use published research, years of study and training as well as the latest diagnostic tools to suggest treatment and lifestyle changes that should be beneficial to her patient.  The patient can adhere closely to these recommendations and reap significant health benefits in the form wellness and longevity.  Diabetes education and smoking cessation serve as good examples.  This is an example of success from good leadership as well as followership. Another scenario would be the patient who refuses to follow the doctor's advice and ultimately suffers from poor health.  Regardless of the potentially beneficial leadership provided, an unwilling follower negates any potential good to be reaped. Truthfully, this can be played out in a wide variety of scenarios. 

  • The physician fails to inform patient of potential health risks and the patient fails to educate himself relying solely on the physician's expertise (poor leadership and poor followership)
  • The physician out of fatigue gives bad advice. But, the patient educates herself, seeks a second opinion,  and ultimately rejects the bad advice .  The patient then goes a step further to educate the physician of her discovery in order to help other patients (poor leadership and good followership ultimately transforming into good leadership).

In all of these examples, both, the leader and the follower, can be held accountable to some degree for the outcome.   

Clear to see those following.  But, who's leading?

We have seen this concept interplay at its best and its worst throughout history.  The masses are often eager to follow a leader as long as they can see where she intends to take them.  However, when her vision becomes distant, she soon loses her flock.  The flock becomes disillusioned and rebellious.  Yet history also shows us that our greatest leaders lead from so far ahead that it may take years for the masses to catch up and ultimately follow suit.  And even still, there are those followers who were early adopters, loyal, brave, and farsighted.  These faithful few are committed to the vision in such a way that they at various times seek to hold their leaders accountable.  In fact, these "followers" will evolve into leaders themselves thus continuing the cycle.

I must add that the concept of leadership and followership is independent of morality and dependent upon arbitrary definitions of success.  This of course ties into the "Sow What?" concept.  Leaders can inspire great acts of humanitarianism or mass destruction that is up to the followers to carry out.   -think Jesus and Mother Teresa versus Hitler and the Third Reich.