Whatever happened to the human race?

What defines humanity? Is it our biology or our behavior? One of my favorite scenes from the original Planet of the Ape movie is where Taylor, Charleston Heston, asks Dr. Zira if he can kiss her as she responds; ‘You’re so damn ugly!’. Sadly, over the millennials of time man continues to be his own worst enemy and show his true ugliness. I echo the words of Dr. Martin Luther King that our own Declaration of Independence declares all men are created equal! We ought to judge a man not by the color of his skin but according to the content of his character.

So, what has happened to the Human Race? Why do we continue to be polarized around skin color, nationality, religious beliefs, wealth or our favorite football team? What would cause someone to be a suicide bomber, drive their vehicle purposely into a large crowd or paint degrading messages on buildings or a neighbor’s car? The atrocities that you’re forced to see between the World Wars, Vietnam War, 9/11 using Jet Planes to attack, a White young man purposely walks into an African American Church and systematically kills nine people forces all of us to cry out, WHY?  Sadly, the list of atrocities continues till today.

Yet, I see hope as I listened to the Father of Heather Heyer who was (allegedly) killed by this Neo-Nazi man with his car. He echoed the need to come together and practice forgiveness and love. Much as the group from the Methodist Church in Charlotte I’m sure continues to grieve the loss of the 9 that were murdered during a prayer meeting. Yet, the voices I heard during this tragedy was one of working together, showing mercy and forgiveness.

I will be the first to admit if it had been my daughter run down or a son killed by a police officer my true heart would be revealed. I too see the need to identify who is causing the race wars, hate crimes, and now domestic terrorism. The twitter battle that has erupted over the President’s unwillingness to identify the groups that recently turned Charlottesville into almost a civil war is just a reflection of the real issue which is our own selfishness and brokenness. This is reflected in our own inability to recognize the problem is me, myself and I.

I know that it is naive to believe that kind words and forgiveness alone will change our culture. Yes, at times we are required to use our local authorities, national guard and now as we face North Korea even our Armed Forces. Yet, the goal in all of this is to pursue liberty and Justice for all. The difficulty is that many truly believe that they are the ‘Super Race’ that is destined to define all of humanity. This is why it becomes so necessary to see that there aren’t many races in the world but ONE. I know that the various groups that have # names will react to this but the ongoing evil we have witnessed calls everyone to come together, be united and shout out that we are One Human Race.

After watching the last Planet of the Ape Movie, ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’, my heart is torn in that mankind continues too often to reflect hatred and a desire to put down different people groups. The end result according to the original Planet of the Ape movie is the ultimate destruction of mankind. How is it possible that little kids are able to make friends of all different backgrounds regardless of skin color or economic status?

I can remember as a teen reading a book, ‘Whatever Happened to the Human Race’, by Francis Schaeffer. I was given this book by a group of new friends that had introduced me to the Christian Faith and wanted me to clearly understand that God loved me not because I was good and deserved it. The reality is that I saw my own brokenness and mess in my life and saw God caring enough to seek a solution to my problem. The solution was my acknowledgement of my sin, breaking God’s laws, rebelling against him and thinking I was better than everyone else and seeing that Jesus is the only one that was able to help me have a restored relationship with God. The ultimate life changing gift was based upon mercy and grace through Jesus’ willingness to take the punishment/judgement for my rebellion against God.

The picture of the mural of Jesus in the Hood carrying a gang member that has been shot reminds me that I too am no different. I need Jesus’ help to have the better life where I can rise above the craziness in today’s society and see the beauty and significance of the Human Race.  

Time to THRIVE!

In any given moment, we have two options;

            Step forward into growth

            Or step back into safety. (By Abraham Maslow)

The word thrives didn’t hit my ‘radar’ screen until in my mid-twenties when my first born entered the word at 26 weeks instead of 36. As the hospital staff and her parents struggled with what was the path to growth she was given the label, ‘Failure to Thrive!’. My Anne and I spent almost a year deciding that it was time for our overly protected baby to come home and leave the safety of the neonatal unit where she was barely surviving to instead visit the Redwoods and ultimately THRIVE.

It’s amazing how many people always play it safe and never venture off the normal paths in life to pursue the ultimate adventure – LIVING to the MAX. I’m around too many that are in the survival mode. This isn’t just about finances but your willingness to take risks and do something you’ve never done before! Why live up to the status quo when there is clearly a mountain to climb, a wave in the ocean to ride or a moment in the early morning to see the sun rise? Why become a Netflix junkie or totally glued to your iPhone when you could have a dog like my Freckles?

I will be the first to admit that seeking to live a life that THRIVES means you’re always taking a risk. Yes, failure is part of living to the max knowing that playing it safe only leads to a boring life that isn’t going to make a difference in the world around you. I was recently talking to a young gal who will graduate from High School soon. My hope in talking and helping was to push her to dream big and make plans to see her life go from being safe and sure to a thriving adventure. I’m excited that I could hook her up with a couple of college student friends who are Flynn Scholars from Arizona. These gals both have excelled and thrived and are ready to share the passion and love with my young friend.

Why does it always seem that those who are raised around adversity are those that can stand up to the naysayers and overcome life obstacles and THRIVE? I believe that sadly we have raised a generation where most have been given everything and had few struggles in life. The downside to this type of entitlement is it kills your enthusiasm to let go of the shackles of fearing failure and make it happen! Why be like everyone else around you? I know that it’s so easy for parents, family or friends to impose their biases on you.

That’s why it’s so important to learn from those who have lived before to hear their stories and be inspired to THRIVE. I know that some of my heroes have pushed me to do more and be more. (A few of my heroes; Helen Keller, John Perkins, Louie Samperinis, Nelson Mandelas, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, etc.…) My ultimate hero in life is Jesus Christ. He’s the one who proclaimed that he has come that I (or you) can have the most abundant life or as one paraphrase translations reads;

            Better life than you ever dreamed of!

So, I hope and pray that it’s your time now to THRIVE! Please step up and out by making a difference in the world around you by leaving the status quo behind!

What difference does having HOPE make in your life or does it?

What is hope? How you answer this question will clearly impact the way you choose to live and how you face both good and tough times in life! According to Wikipedia hope is the following:

Hope is an optimistic attitude of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes related to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large.

A well-known Christian pastor, John Piper, says the following about hope:

Our hope in God isn't just a wish or a dream, but a sure confidence that what God says will happen.

Common belief held by many is that what is most important in life is to believe in something,

Most people understand hope as wishful thinking, as in "I hope something will happen."

I was recently talking to a couple of friends who were at the end of their proverbial rope? One had threaten to physically hurt themselves and another friend responded to this individual’s cry for help. Sadly, no help came the way of the distressed individual. Another friend had hit a wall where everything seemed to go south between job, apartment, friends and any sense of hope or help in sight. Another friend had a difficult time believing that God was someone who loved them and would care about helping. Unfortunately, this friend truly believed that God caused all the crap in his/her life.

As I reflect on a few friends who are at the verge of taking their own lives is it possible for them to have the vitality, energy and zest to change their circumstances? I try not to chuckle at the person who says the following mantra that what matters most is that you believe in something. Doesn’t matter what, it’s more the act of just believing. As a philosophical junkie that got a degree in said topic believing in the imaginary pink elephant in the room isn’t going to make tomorrow any better. So, what is it that gives some people the ability to rise above the most horrible circumstances and become the change agent in their lives?

The pragmatist side of me cries out that hope must be more than just a feeling that things always get better. The downside of my life was watching my mom die a slow death as she fought cancer for 8 years. The difficulty was that my prayers and the prayers of my larger circle of friends didn’t get answered according to my will. Yet, my life lesson through this tragic saga was that my mom taught me about hope both in this life and the life to come.

Realized hope according to my mom’s living example was to not allow present tense life, regardless of how good or bad it is to stop you from committing to trust God, not circumstances, to give you the reason and zest to keep going with a positive attitude.  Hope ultimately is having a confidence in something or someone beyond you. I know that for some it’s easy to put hope in our own abilities until we falter or quit.

The difficulty for my friends who have given up on God or who have never had a belief in a higher power is that they end up becoming their only help in life. So, what is hope in this life for this person that could be you? I know a few things in life are certain beyond death and taxes, the sun will come up tomorrow, thanks to Orphan Annie or bigger picture for many is that mankind overall is basically good, except for the various communist tyrants in power?

I know that for many today their life motto becomes live life to the fullest each day because tomorrow might not come. Jean Paul Sartre, one of the great existentialist, initially affirmed his live life anyway you want until the war impinged on his life. Yes, taking sides in a war does become a moral issue as to whether there is such a thing as right and wrong.

So, yes having a real hope in life does matter and make a difference! The real question is what path are you following in life will determine whether you have a living HOPE based upon the ONE who created the universe!