Random Thoughts #20

It’s Wednesday, what a week. Time for some random thoughts.

1. The Bible is not a prop.
2. I am a sworn-in police chaplain, which means I am a volunteer member of the Palmyra Police Department. This is important work for me and I’m proud of my department and honored to serve with the officers.
3. Force isn’t an effective way to calm rage that’s been building for centuries. Our culture needs to figure this out because putting the lid on a boiling pot over and over is making the problem worse.
4. When someone is violent, or a danger to themselves or others, police are trained to use force. They need to. Well-trained officers know the difference between necessary force, which looks bad on a good day, and venting their own issues onto someone else.
5. As a servant of the Prince of Peace, and someone called to proclaim this Lord’s Kingdom, I wrestle with the necessity of number four.
6. If you want no tension trying to live faithfully in this world, you might try living in a monastery. Though be prepared to experience that tension more.
7. Black Lives Matter.
8. If you think number seven means I don’t care about the lives of police, please re-read numbers two through five. You aren’t paying attention.
9. Don’t feed the trolls. Even if you have the best drop the mic comment of all time, don’t feed the trolls ¹. It only satisfies them and frustrates you.
10. The Bible is also, by the way, not an “instruction manual for life.” It is so much more.