@5pointpastor @ReformedBritt @tisaiahcho 1/ Thanks for the dialog. I am grateful to have a respectful conversation with my co-laborer in the gospel.

You raised a couple of good points, that I want to respond to in-kind. 2/ A) Sometimes in discussions, I like to remove some of the loaded language that causes us to miss the meat of the issue.

1/ I have some thoughts on #Trumps unveiling of the 1776 Project last night. The President said “We want our sons and daughters to know that they are the citizens of the most exceptional nation in the history of the world.” whitehouse.gov/briefings-stat…

What I believe that President Trump gets incorrect is the difference between aspirational goals and the lived out reality. You can say that America is an exceptional nation but the lived reality for Black Brown and First Nations people is quite different.

Let’s talk about the fallacy of “displaying strength.” It appears to be a derivative of the power of positive thinking or in church circles prosperity thinking. But often underlying these worldviews is an inability to acknowledge any negative circumstances. This is not helpful Or an act of faith. I think guidance can be found in Romans 4:18-19. “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.

1/ So last night, there was a lot of noise about the canceling of "critical race theory" and "white privilege" training in the executive branch.

First, as a pastor and a lawyer, I support all training that bring us towards a more just society and dismantles systemic racism. 2/ We, the people, acknowledge that the preamble to the Declaration of Independence has never fully been realized.

1/ This year I entered deeper into my 40s and am grateful for another year of life. As I look across my threads, I see so many connections from some of the most treasured part of my life. 2/ I have had the privilege of building memories and having engaging twitter discussions with many of you.

Yet, in the midst of this birthday, I wanted to share a part of me that is often hidden in the midst of my big smile and boisterous laugh.

Put politics aside for a moment. The thing that irked me yesterday about the interview with President Trump was the lack of good basic leadership traits. Any leader that cannot be introspective, admit mistakes and grow from it is not fit to lead in my humble opinion. Similarly any leader who cannot put the needs of the people they are leading ahead of their own needs or self-esteem is unfit to lead.

I see a lot of people sharing the video of Dr. Stella Immanuel. A few of my personal thoughts

1. I am not a medical doctor but I try to utilize my critical thinking skills that I learned in scientific research, technical writing and legal analysis 2. I view all statements whether they come from the government or personal doctors as claims. I evaluate the hypothesis, look at the data, and the conclusion and see if there is enough data to make the conclusion that is being advocated.

1/ Sometimes, we can clearly see what God is doing in our midst. But, at other times, we have to seek God for wisdom and understanding to discern the times. 2/ Just like we exegete the biblical text in order to determine the truths that God is communicating through his Word, we have to exegete the culture in order to understand what God might be saying to His bride, the Church.

Take our political allegiances off for a second and evaluate this Barbara Walters interview from the 1990s and the interview of 45 from 2020. There are some interesting observations.

90s interview with Barbara Walters
2020 interview with Barstool sports @stoolpresidente

Reminded of this old hymn this morning during our Boston area pastors prayer time. Thank you Dr. Arlene Hall.

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
Hold me with Thy pow’rful hand.

Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.

An important thread on the unconstitutional actions in Portland with legal explanations for my lawyer friends.

https://twitter.com/AndrewMCrespo/status/1285738001004482561

In layman’s terms, the on the ground facts that the government admits as true, shows that the current administration is willing to bend any law or norm in order to achieve policy objectives. While no administration is perfect, this is not a whoops we didn’t understand what we did

1/ A proper response to this moment of racial justice, therefore, requires more than an increase in information — it requires a cultural reformation. Historian and Author @JemarTisby frames this as a loss of imagination. @JemarTisby 2/ Can we expand our imagination outside of a world and routines marred by systemic racism? Listening leads to reflecting, reflecting to responding and responding to acting.

1/ This excerpt from Frederick Douglass' speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”given on July 5, 1852"

"Fellow-citizens! I will not enlarge further on your national inconsistencies. 2/ The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretence, and your Christianity as a lie. It destroys your moral power abroad; it corrupts your politicians at home.

1/ I want to deal with the sacred cow of evangelical christianity and of the religion of Christian nationalism: the idyllic notion of our nations founding. 2/ Senator Mitch McConnell recently said “Americans know that an imperfect nation built by imperfect heroes is still the most perfect Union the world has ever seen.” While he acknowledges the imperfection of our nation, many downplay the residual effects of this imperfection.

1/ While the current moral moment has focused on the plight of black and brown people, the fight for racial justice stems from a moral conviction rather than a convenient personal truth.

https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1275685133048217604

2/ When our Asian brothers and sisters are subjected to racist rhetoric from America’s Commander in Chief, we stand with them in the fight for racial justice.

1/ Happy Juneteenth!

rebrand.ly/WeHaveWorkToDo

Hopefully, today has been a day of learning and processing. I am a visual learner. I like to see things from a high level and be able to zoom in on detail. 2/ As we have been going deeper in the journey for racial justice, I began to visualize what actions steps would look like in each of the different spheres of my life. I created this interactive roadmap to brainstorm how to take us from contemplation to transformation.

1/ Congrats to @LatashaMorrison of @BAbridgebuilder. Not only is she a @nytimes Best Selling author but her organization @BAbridgebuilder is celebrating its 4 year anniversary this month.

https://twitter.com/LatashaMorrison/status/1270909164693458946

@LatashaMorrison @BAbridgebuilder @nytimes 2/ @KwekArday and I have been privileged to host a Be the Bridge group at our children’s school for the last 3 years. I was thinking about all the people that are utilizing the Be the Bridge resources at this pivotal moment in our nation’s history.

1/ Several years back, I preached a sermon on the 59 “One Another” commands in the Scriptures. We don’t have space to enumerate all the specific instructions, but one of my favorite verses is penned by the writer of Hebrews. 2/ “Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

1/ Remember that you will not dismantle the systems of racism overnight. It took over 400 years to build up and maintain systems of inequality and injustice. 2/ While 2020 has created a significant inflection point for fighting racial injustice – there is much work to be done and it all won’t happen or be solved overnight. The Scriptures remind us that every part of the body must do its work.

1/ There are ways that you can actively be a friend to those who are hurting right now and a brother or sister in the struggle.

***RESPONSE #18****
Realize that awareness of racial injustice is just the first step. 2/ As a country, we are finally coming to grips with a stark reality that families of color have had to deal with for centuries. Awareness, acknowledgement and lament should turn our hearts towards confession and repentance.

1/ Over the last several weeks, I began journaling my response to the murders of #GeorgeFloyd, #AhmaudArbery and #BreonnaTaylor. My world is uniquely intertwined to the present challenges. 2/ As an African-American father of 3 boys, I am a son of Ghanaian heritage, and married to a beautiful scientist of Ghanaian-American descent. I have the privilege of co-pastoring a multi-ethnic church in the Boston area.