A Prayer For Our Nation

 A prayer for our nation:

Dear Lord, creator of all that we know and understand as this universe and ruler of here and beyond,

We come before you acknowledging our own weakness and failure. We’ve loved too much and too little…to much the things of this world that enthrall us and too little your children who we let languish in pain and suffering. We’ve squandered the great resources and beauty of your creation merely satiating our own lusts. You’ve given us so much and we simply grasp for more.

Please grant us leaders that pursue truth and justice, motivated by kindness, mercy, love, and compassion. Tamp down our partisan passions and fan into flame our passion to bind up the weak, care for the sick and halt, protect the widow and orphan, feed the hungry, and shelter the homeless and indigent. Let us be known as those who welcome the sojourner with open hearts and open hands.

As we avidly seek your forgiveness. And in a like manner, birth in us a readiness to forgive others, remembering our own desperate need for grace and mercy. Let us be thankful for all the blessings you freely bestow, without regard to our own inept and bungling efforts to understand and reflect you. Thank you for not giving us what we deserve, which is wrath and punishment. And give us the strength to extend forgiveness and patience without stinting.

Help us to lay aside prejudice, that overweening pride that assumes we know the other person. Teach us to truly listen. Each of us have a story and we need to learn to listen to and come to know and start to love one another. Let us come to that place where we evaluate each other not on exteriors drapements, but on interior structures. You look into our hearts, help us look into each others’ hearts. 

Help us to grow in humility, remembering that we know so little and our way is not the only way and our ideas not the sole font of wisdom. Father, we need patience, patience with each other and patience with you for in so many ways we do not understand who you are and what you truly desire. Incline our hearts toward you and let us hunger for you and the things you desire. 

Lord God, you created such a marvelous world and have in your graciousness granted our nation vast natural resources, yet we so often use them only to satiate our craven desires. Let your Holy Spirit teach us to walk lightly, to use your gifts to help others, to be those careful stewards of these things that actually belong to you. 

You are great, mighty, and holy. We are insignificant, weak, and fallen. We are astounded that you would take notice of us, desire us, and work so hard to save us. Thank you.

In the name of Jesus, we offer this prayer,

Amen. 

June 'Teenth

 June ‘Teenth

Today, we as a nation celebrate June ‘Teenth together for the first time. It has been a long time coming and is but one of the many steps we must take on our corporate journey towards a more just society. While no one living owned slaves, many of us have profited from a tacit system that has not, and sadly often still does not fully recognize the inherent rights of the individual. We must gird up our intellectual loins and take a bracing look in the mirror. Every generation must pick up the banner and join in the fight for a just society, one in which the individual is weighed not on the color of their skin, but instead on the quality of their character. So we celebrate June ‘Teenth joyfully and soberly; joyfully in the recognition of a bold step once taken and soberly in the realization of the bold steps left to take. 

Diversity in the Military

  Those that choose life in the Army choose life in a crucible. Long hours, physically demanding labor, periodic relocations, frequent deployments, mentally challenging tasks, and combat combine to make a uniquely difficult, yet rewarding, lifestyle. Those that surmount these trials find a singularly close-knit community replete with tight, life-long, bonds. Enduring the stresses and trials of the crucible produces individuals of great strength and an immense capacity for loyalty. But prejudice and associated traits corrode the amalgam produced through life in the intense crucible.

One of the first acts of embarking on life in the military is taking the following oath:

“I Matthew E. Robinson, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, so help me God.”

The oath for officers is quite similar:

"I Matthew E. Robinson, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

Over the course of my career, I took both oaths. It is important to note that both officers and enlisted first swear to support and defend the Constitution. We take the charge to embrace a body of ideas. Now, I must admit that when I first took the oath as a young private, I did not seriously consider the import of those words and ideals expressed in the Constitution and other important foundational documents. I was young, thoughtless, and immature. I wanted the bonus associated with my enlistment to purchase a truck; however, as the years passed and I advanced in rank, my responsibility grew and so did my understanding of the importance of those words and associated ideals.

As the Army and other branches take on the task of combating prejudice in all its forms, some decry the campaign as a wrongheaded assault on a target of dubious worth. They assert that efforts to ensure that the Army is a diverse force free from prejudice and representative of the nation as a whole will erode its effectiveness as a fighting force. As a twenty-seven-year veteran with multiple combat and operational assignments, I must disagree. The success of the Army depends upon trust, trust that the soldier on your right and left will do the right thing and will not cut and run when things get tough, or the rounds start going back and forth in earnest. Any kind of prejudice, bigotry, or partiality elides such trust. Long ago, the United States embarked upon this great experiment of making one out of many through democratic processes. This is a messy, difficult experiment but well worth the effort. And, due to human nature, one that requires constant attention. We build our Army out of individuals from across the nation, bringing in recruits from all stations of life. As the force of a pluralistic nation, we accept individuals regardless of race, sex, or creed. Consequently, they bring with them all their preconceived ideas regarding how we treat one another. The military must take on the task of ensuring that they willingly divest themselves of those behaviors and ideas that are not congruent with the constitution or conducive to military life. 

       Embracing diversity and inclusion brings its own set of challenges and problems. We often find the unknown threatening. But we have built our military on embracing those noble ideals, and it is these ideals that build a cohesive, unified force. Ideals that all are created equal, that those who wish to strive, and work can excel despite their background, that those of different races and creeds can work together for a common larger goal. These ideals spring from our foundational documents and make a military worth serving in and worth representing all that is best in our nation. As a military must continually recruit and develop leaders, so we must also continually train to ensure that those in the ranks not only are possessed of great physical strength, intelligence, and stamina and that they also embrace these ideals as the intellectual and moral underpinning of our military strength. Those that refuse to accept such ideals cannot adequately represent our nation and must exit the ranks. To allow those who continually harbor prejudice of any type in the ranks destroys trust. This training effort requires a clear-eyed stringent self-examination. Such introspection often uncovers deep, unseen, problems that take great effort to unseat; however, such work pays great dividends. Those willing to shed prejudicial attitudes find life in the military community highly rewarding. They also find that this sense of solidarity carries them through the taxing situations that accompany life in the Army.

       We demand much from our service-members. The work is hard, often dangerous, frequently in uncomfortable situations, and often life-threatening, even in training. They deserve to serve in a work environment that does not subject them to the deprivations of bigotry in any form. They represent the best of our nation and have sworn to uphold the ideals found in our constitution and other foundational documents. This oath guides their lives and governs their behaviors. Continual training and self-examination are part of the processes that ensure that our military members comport themselves according to the principles that make our nation great. We need not fear such introspection and training. It only makes our Army stronger, more cohesive. It also spills over into the civilian community when service members eventually hang up their uniforms and return to civilian life better understanding those things that make our nation great. 

Memorial Day 2021

  Here in Lubbock, a steady rain drifts down on a gray Memorial Day. For many, this weather fits the occasion. They grapple with the loss of loved ones, men and women that gave their all, in service of their country. Some lose their lives in the fiery cauldron that is an IED. Others and the murderous hail of small arms fire. And others, more than we know, lose their struggle against the demons of memory that stalk in the dark night, succumbing to a relentless tearing at the fabric of their sanity. We should remember and honor them. 

Honoring them means more than flying or planting a flag. It means living up to the ideals laid out in our foundational documents, freedom, equality, and justice to name three. We honor those who fell when we too sacrifice for these ideals. We honor them when we actively pursue truth and justice. We honor them when we let kindness, mercy, and love be our motivations. We honor them when we tamp down the fires of partisanship and stoke the passions of liberty, equality, and fairness. In some form or fashion, they gave their all, in pursuit of these noble goals. Let us to pick up the banner, so recently fallen from their hands, and expand the frontiers of these noble ideals. But there is more to honoring the fallen.

Let us redouble our efforts to ensure that when we send out our blood and treasure that we send them out for the right reasons. We should not engage in armed conflict for frivolous and transient goals. Armed conflict is an endeavor fraught with peril, physical, emotional, and spiritual, and those engaged in such a mortal struggle do not emerge unscathed. When we choose leaders, let them be sober men and women who think carefully before we take that grave step. Let us not choose leaders that recklessly brandish the weapon that is American military might. That is how we honor the fallen.

So, let us not forget the lessons of Memorial Day. Let us remember and honor the fallen when we consider how to treat our fellow citizens. Let us remember and honor them when we go to the ballot box and choose leaders that make wise and just decisions. Let us remember and honor them by expanding equality and justice across the face of our great nation, living up to the ideas for which they gave their utmost.

Falsely Crying Fire

Recently several social media platforms decided to either curtail or limit former President Trump’s access to their media, resulting in discussions centering on freedom of speech, a long-cherished civil right in our country. I’ve read and listened to some of these discussions, trying to avoid the most vitriolic. No matter which side one takes on this, these events make one stop and ponder several issues; freedom of speech, personal responsibility, corporate responsibility, and adherence to truth. Many decry the actions of these platforms as anti-freedom of speech. But what does the first amendment guarantee?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It does protect us from government overreach. Taken in its simple rendering, the former president has suffered no violation of his first amendment protections. Of course, nothing is so simple; however, we ought to think about this. The first amendment protects me from government limitations. It does not guarantee me a platform. Social media companies are not required to provide me access. In fact, when setting up an account, I must agree to their stipulations, a part of the process most of us skip through without a thought. When was the last time any of us took the time to read through the legalese before checking the “I Agree” box or radial button? The point is social media platforms are businesses and exist in order to make a profit for their owners, investors, advertisers, or other interested parties. If my postings fall outside the parameters they set up or have a corrosive effect on their business model, they have every right, or responsibility to their investors, to cancel my access. I still enjoy the freedom to speak, just not in their venue. My handling of the truth must certainly play a role in their decision.

Do I have the right to lie with impunity in the public square? In the 1919 Supreme Court case, Schenck v. United States, Justice Holmes wrote, “The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic.” Interestingly, this was a problem in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Thoughtless individuals would do cry fire when there was none and then enjoy the ensuing chaos. In both the United States and Great Britain, hundreds died in such instances.1 Perhaps, we might take a similar view of those that continually spread demonstrable falsehood in public forums. When I continually sow discord among my fellow citizens, I exert a corrosive effect on the functioning of society. This is analogous to falsely crying fire in the theater of our nation. We saw the effects of this January the sixth, a day in which five of our fellow citizens lost their lives. If I continually bear false witness in such a way as to encourage such disruptive behavior, do I not bear some portion of the blame? With every right comes responsibility.

I am responsible for my actions when driving my truck. Should I operate my vehicle recklessly and injure or kill someone, I must pay the penalty. As a teacher, I’m responsible for the things that I say in my classroom. If I engage in irresponsible speech, then I’m liable to lose my job. As an officer in the Army, I was responsible for the words that I uttered and my actions or inactions. Should I engage in careless speech or activities or fail to say or do the appropriate thing then my status as an officer was forfeit. I enjoy many privileges and protections based on my responsible use of those privileges. Perhaps, those of us given to continual prevarication act too thoughtlessly and should account for our behaviors. After all, when we engage in the sharing of falsehood, especially when that falsehood contributes to unrest in society, should we not lose the privilege of a platform from which we broadcast our untruth. 

I have seen friends brag about posting things that were flagged as untrue. What has led us to consider being marked as one who fabricates a badge of honor? To simply say, “time will prove me out,” is not a valid defense. While we may revel in our status as an “edgy” person, in truth we are among those who call black, white, day, night, and up, down. We do not aid in the betterment of society through such shenanigans. Instead, we contribute to moral decay. While I certainly support the right to free speech, I also support society’s, and social media platforms, right to hold those who lie accountable. Continued functioning of a society requires a shared understanding of reality…truth.

At the core of this issue is truth. We must embrace truth, even when it does not conform to our desired result. I have voted for more than one candidate that lost the election. When faced with that disappointment, I must possess enough intestinal fortitude and moral courage to admit defeat and engage in the introspection required. No matter our feelings, society needs those who look at truth unflinchingly. When we see the dark hand of conspiracy behind every setback or loss, we cannot make rational decisions. Society only functions well when its members willingly speak and share truth. When we claim our desired outcome was stolen by a hidden cabal, we cannot move forward and solve the very real problems we face. The hidden cabal may soothe our bruised egos, but they do precious little to develop executable solutions to the challenges of the day. The longer we loiter in the darkness of conspiracy, the longer it will take for us to find true solutions and move forward as a nation. 

1. "Shouting 'Fire' in a Theater": The Life and Times of Constitutional Law's Most Enduring Analogy Carlton F.W. Larson, William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal Volume 24 (2015-2016) Issue 1

January Sixth

  After the events of January, the sixth, I felt compelled to say something to my students. How could I let such a seminal event pass? Armed interlopers had not invaded our capital since the War of 1812. And as we watched, a lawless group of our fellow citizens battered down the doors of our capital and rampaged through the dome, chambers, halls, and offices, forcing a halt to government activities. But what could I say that would not be incendiary to one group or another? And more importantly, what could I say that truly addressed the situation? So, after much prayer and gathering my thoughts, this is what I shared. As I tend to ramble, I’ve edited my lesson for brevity. Perhaps they might help clarify our response to the past few days. As I teach in a parochial school, I framed my remarks as a response from scripture.

Watching the news, I could not help but feel a sense of turmoil. But then I remembered the words of Jesus, “…In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33b (ESV). Prayer seems an obvious first response, prayer seeking the peace that comes with trust and faith. As Christians, we face adversity armed with the knowledge that Jesus walked this path first, overcoming the challenges he faced. Prayer puts us in touch with the peace we need to handle the turmoil we face. His peace provides calm which enables us to see with clarity the path before us. So, what do we pray for?

Solomon faced great adversity and disorder upon the death of David. Malignant forces threatened to destroy the kingdom. One night the Lord visited him in a dream, asking him what he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom, admitting his own weakness and insufficiency. As we consider our response to such chaos, we must start with an admission to our own inadequacy. Whatever our response, we ought to be the people that work to bridge gaps and bring people closer. Listening to others requires a certain humility, a tacit admission that their story is worthwhile, their needs justified, and their hopes relevant. All too often we approach others from a position of surety based on prideful assumption, and when we do so we inhibit effective communication. Instead, let us humbly seek the wisdom required for profitable engagement. In James, we’re reminded that if we lack wisdom, we should ask in faith. When sorting through such nettlesome issues we need all the help we can get as we consider our words.

During the latter half of my military career, I worked in close proximity to General officers. This is not unusual. When one reaches the field-grade ranks, you normally spend a considerable amount of your time serving on flag officer staff. In one assignment we had a new one-star general. He was a font of “good-ideas.” In any meeting, he would throw out several different ideas to the staff. Of course, we would beaver away, developing these ideas into viable courses of action. During the next meeting, when presented with our draft ideas, he would usually say, “Oh, I did not mean for you to work on that. I was just thinking out loud.”

He never understood that as a General Officer, people paid attention to all that he said and would take his words seriously and start preparing to execute them immediately. His loquacious tendency caused no end of problems for us. Sadly, he was an eminently forgettable General and never attained a second star. And then there was General Austin.

You may have heard of him. Now retired, he is being considered as the next Secretary of Defense. I served on his staff during my last tour in Iraq. He was the exact opposite of the previous General. During a briefing, he rarely spoke and then only to ask a penetrating question or two. He guarded his speech very carefully. He spoke so infrequently that we often longed for a few sentences of guidance; but, he never changed. He well understood that when he spoke, someone would start taking action. So, he kept his own counsel, knowing that in our situation lives hung in the balance. We need more of such an attitude.

We bandy our words about with very little consideration. We rarely stop to think about the repercussion of what we say…or forward…or share. We are responsible for the results of our speech, digital or verbal. Influencing others is a grave responsibility. That is why James, the brother of Jesus, told us to be careful when serving as a teacher. As he said, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness,” James 3:1 (ESV). We must carefully consider what we say. Those of us with influence and audience must take care to communicate well and to communicate worthwhile information. The greater our level of influence, the greater care we must take. We cannot be reckless with our words and then hide behind the fiction of freedom of speech. With freedom comes responsibility. We must seek and use discernment.

This discernment should include those things we take in. We should avoid the contemporary cultural penchant for only listening to things that please us or fit our particular worldview. When our total intake merely reinforces our biases we damage our ability to helpfully engage in the dialogue needed to address the problems that vex our country. We must gird up our intellectual loins and find an input that delivers truth and not just those things that fit our position. Echo chambers do not educate. They are propaganda organs, and as such, are not truly accountable for the material they put out. When we share or forward those items without ascertaining their veracity, we participate in rumor and innuendo.

Participating in rumor is no minor thing. Rumor diverts a community away from real issues, prolonging solutions, and separating communities. Rumor keeps us from the effective communication needed to find common ground and executable solutions. We must make sure that we take in and share truth. When we orient our lives around truth-finding solutions becomes less problematic. When helping Israel better understand how to live in community, the Lord told them, “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness,” Exodus 23:1 (ESV). Sharing in rumor, even ones that seem to support our position, damages our ability to work together with others to find appropriate solutions to challenges, not to mention degrading our witness as Christians. Paul echoes this in his letter to Timothy, saying, “23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels,” II Timothy 2:23 (ESV). If we dedicate ourselves to truth and shun rumor, we better represent our Lord and will find working together much easier. 

Ultimately, we will only find success when working together. We must dedicate ourselves to peace and finding equitable solutions. Shouting at each other across divides created by intransigent and slavish dedication to a particular view will not solve anything. Instead, we ought to listen more and be willing to cooperate more, working to find solutions that provide equitable results for as many people as possible. This is challenging and often requires sacrifice and always requires patience. Our current situation requires this. We cannot continue to limp along like this. We must find our way to a better place.

Goodbye 2020

As the clock winds down on 2020 and we get ready for 2021, I thought I’d share a few thoughts from my foxhole. As a teacher the school year consumed me, so for much of the past few months, I simply watched as events unfolded. Here are my observations, such as they are.

We need to embrace what it means to be a culture of diversity. This necessitates a willingness to share our nation with those that view things differently. Different does not mean bad and to expect some sort of cultural homogeneity is unrealistic and unfair. Tolerance is a virtue and more of us need to exhibit it. Long ago, before we had considered forming a new nation, we championed a culture of plurality and with varying degrees of success have struggled to cultivate it. It is hard, but necessary, work. As long as we view those who are different as “the other,” we will not reach our full potential. Our Creator endowed us with choice, and all the perils it entails, we need to remember that. 

We need to eschew win at any cost politics and those that place party loyalty above serving the common good. Solving national problems requires a willingness to compromise. A successful, thriving, body politic requires a vigorous conservative and liberal wing. Each group brings something important to the work of crafting national policy. Those that hold a different political philosophy are not my enemy. We should stop punishing those politicians who willingly work across this aisle and instead reward bold initiatives that secure the best possible outcome for the most. Creative workable solutions will come from different places. Listening to others uncovers wisdom. We need solutions, not sound-bites. Successful solutions include the reality that I will not always get my way and that I may need to sacrifice some of my wealth and position in order to advance the blessings of liberty for others. 

We must invigorate the willingness to sacrifice some of what we have to lift others up. We do not lack resources. We lack a readiness to share with those that need help. We must jettison the failed idea that if only they worked hard enough, they would succeed, and instead set the conditions for uplift through equitable pay, affordable healthcare, high-quality affordable education, and the other hallmarks of a just society. And yes, this necessitates higher taxes, but that is a small price to pay for a more equitable and honorable society; a moral one that protects the weakest and most vulnerable.

We need the intellectual honesty to shun those echo-chambers which serve only to reinforce our prejudices and fail to educate. Those platforms which merely enflame and propagandize the faithful believers serve no useful purpose in crafting a thriving society. We need calm thoughtful voices that open windows to new vistas, ones that at times challenge our sacred cows but that ultimately lead us on to a better reality. In reality, those sources that work to reinforce a narrow set of thoughts mitigate against rational thought and enrich those who damage our republic. We should not haunt their platforms and generate their income. 

We need to relearn the lesson of good sportsmanship hammered out on dusty playgrounds and weedy sports fields. We should respect and honor a well-played game but abjure pettiness that leads to acrimony and distracts from solving the problems at hand. When we lose, we take our lumps, dust ourselves off, and move on to what’s next. None of us always win and how we handle defeat reveals the quality of our character, good or ill. 

Lastly, we need to spend more time in self-examination and less time criticizing others. My grandmother used to say, “Tend to your own knitting.” I understand what she meant, and I never took up knitting. Too much of our time is spent pointing the accusing finger at others, finding fault in what they think, say, or do. Perhaps, if we look in the mirror and address some of our own problems, we might spend less time tearing others down. 

I believe that, as a nation, our best days lie in front of us. The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that it is not through wisdom that we say the old days were better. 2020 was a challenging year, and that’s an understatement. But, if we take a deep breath and address some of the things that vex us, we will find the solutions necessary to make 2021 a better year.