Random Thoughts and Ramblings

Category: Uncategorized

  • An Open Letter to the Kentucky General Assembly about EMS Death Benefits

    1andyride
    The ambulance carrying paramedic Andy Sharp on his last ride as it passes under a United States flag held in place by ladder units from the Philadelphia (Mississippi) and Choctaw Fire Departments. Credit: Brandi Smith-Wyatt

    This letter is also being emailed to my state Senator and Representative. If you would like to use this letter as a template for your own, please feel free to modify it however you wish. I encourage you to contact your elected officials and encourage them to support line duty death benefits for EMS providers both in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and elsewhere. – Jonathan

    To the Representatives and Senators of the General Assembly of Kentucky: Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    My name is Jonathan Tullos and I am the pastor of Shiloh United Methodist Church in Stanton. I am also a licensed paramedic in the Commonwealth and work part time at Powell County EMS as a paramedic and chaplain. When I attended paramedic school one of the things I was taught was to be an advocate for every patient I care for. Part of my call to pastoral ministry involves EMS chaplaincy – to be an advocate for the advocates. It is in that capacity that I contact you.

    I, like many other EMS providers in the Commonwealth, am very disappointed to hear that the Senate defeated House Bill 54. As you are aware, line of duty death benefits are not currently offered to Kentucky’s EMS providers. According to the National EMS Memorial, there have been 27 reported line of duty deaths in Kentucky since they began collecting data. The recent line of duty death of paramedic John Mackey of Jessemine County EMS will be number 28. This means that at least 28 families in the Commonwealth have had to struggle with end of life expenses and income instability because they are not currently entitled to the same benefits that families of law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty receive. Simply, this is an injustice that needs to be corrected.

    There are many who view EMS as a vocation that is not as dangerous as law enforcement and firefighting. According to data available from the federal government, this is simply not true. EMS has death rates that are comparable to those of firefighters and police officers. Among the leading causes of death for EMS providers are heart attacks, vehicle accidents and violence. The notion that EMS is not a dangerous profession is a myth.

    Daily, EMS providers in Kentucky and elsewhere face harsh working conditions, sleep deprivation, violence, and exposure to infectious disease among many other hazards. EMS providers often have to work more than one job due to low wages and inadequate benefits for themselves and their families. They do all of this in order to help others in need – possibly even yourself someday. Their families should not have to be saddled with the burden of financial difficulty due to their loved one dying in service to their community.

    I encourage you to support Kentucky’s EMS providers by ensuring that their families will be taken care of if they are killed in the line of duty. Please do all you can to enact line of duty death benefits for Kentucky’s EMS providers.

    Thank your time and your service to the citizens of the Commonwealth. May God bless you and may God bless Kentucky.

    Sincerely,
    Rev. Jonathan K. Tullos, Nationally Registered Paramedic (NRP)
    Chaplain, Powell County EMS Stanton, KY

  • Powell County EMS Devotional January, 2016

    mousepad_ems_chaplainIf you don’t know, one of the hats I wear is chaplain of Powell County EMS located in Stanton, KY (this is where Shiloh, the church I serve, is located). Every month I’m writing a devotional to share with the crews. This is the one I wrote for January; I shared it with a few friends and it was suggested that I post it here. So, here it is! February’s will be written this coming week and I will post it here as soon as it’s finished. – Jonathan

    From the Chaplain:
    Devotion – New Year 2016 Edition

    Did you make a resolution for 2016? Some stats I found online indicate that about 44% of us will make resolutions but very few of us will keep them. The tradition of making promises at the beginning of the new year goes all the way back to the Babylonians making promises to return things they had borrowed and to repay debts. If you made a resolution, you are in some numerous and even ancient company!

    Hopefully one of your plans in 2016 is to take better care of yourself and your family. I know all too well how tough it is to practice self-care, especially working in EMS. Self-care is essential, I would even say it’s as essential as keeping up with our own medical conditions. In order to be good providers, we simply have to make taking care of ourselves a priority. Last semester, I took a class in seminary that spent a decent portion of time talking to us, a room full of mostly future pastors, about the importance of caring for ourselves. In scripture, God looked at rest for our bodies and souls with great importance.

    We know about the fifth commandment where God instructed the Israelites to work for six days and rest on the Sabbath because God rested on the seventh day. We also see God’s concern for Elijah’s physical wellbeing in 1 Kings 9 when he sent an angel to look after his needs. There are some ways that we can ensure that we are caring for our needs adequately. Doing so ensures that we are better care providers, better for our families and better for ourselves. We also honor God by taking the time to care for ourselves. Her are a few simple ways we can do just that:

    • Do the basics. Things like eating right, getting enough exercise, getting annual physicals as well as regular vision and dental care contribute much to our overall wellbeing. It’s vital to make taking care of our health needs one of our highest priorities.

    • Rest. This is difficult to do in our fields as we often work more than one job or at least work 24 and are off 48 and all of that in addition to family commitments. Simply, we must make time to rest our bodies. God did not tell us to rest one day a week just because He felt like it. He knows that we have our limits. Lack of bodily rest can not only impact our physical health but also our mental health. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation contributes to depression and suicidal ideations. Making time for rest is vital.

    • Use your vacation time! I cannot stress this enough: If you have vacation time, take it. Take time off to do things you enjoy, travel, or simply hang around the house and rest. Working for extended periods of time without adequate time off to recharge is detrimental to your health and performance as an EMS provider. Lack of time off also leads to burn out. Take time off at regular intervals. It’s one of the best things you can do for yourself.

    • Don’t neglect your spiritual life. Again, the EMS lifestyle is not always conducive to being able to read scripture or attend worship on a regular basis. When you are able to attend worship, I certainly encourage you to do so. When I have had to be away from church for a long time, going back to a community where I am loved and where God is praised was always such a huge relief. It is also possible to study scripture anytime using such things as the Bible app, which is available for free on your phone or tablet. From there you can access a variety of translations, reading plans and devotions. There are even EMS devotionals! If you are interested, I would be happy to make recommendations so please don’t hesitate to contact me. On a similar note: If there is enough interest, I will be happy to figure out a way for there to be a short time of worship on Sundays at the station.

    These are but a few ways where we can begin 2016 on the right foot: By taking care of ourselves.

    As always, if you need help with anything do not hesitate to ask for it. Part of my job is make myself available to you anytime you have spiritual concerns or just need someone to talk to after a bad call. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can help you in any way. Remember: You are loved and you are never alone.

    May God bless you and keep you. May He cause His light to shine upon you now and always.

    Grace and peace,

    Jonathan Tullos, NRP
    Chaplain, Powell County EMS

  • An Open Letter to Houston County, TN Commissioner George Jeram

    Credit: WKRN-TV Nashville
    Credit: WKRN-TV Nashville

    Dear Mr. Jeram,

    I have been following with great interest the ongoing saga involving Houston County EMS and the mandate that you helped to craft which prevents them from effectively doing their job. This policy, while you may have intended it well, endangers patients and can very possibly cause great harm to them.

    The policy where Houston County EMS providers are forced to call doctors at Houston County Community Hospital is dangerous.

    I believe, however, that this policy is borne out of two things: Ignorance and desperation to try and save your county hospital. As for the ignorance portion of this equation, please allow me to educate you.

    On a typical ambulance crew you will find two levels of providers: An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and a Paramedic. I am not sure of the specifics of scopes of practice and protocols for Tennessee so allow me to speak in general terms. An EMT is someone who has completed what is typically a semester long course and passed skills and cognitive testing certifying they are competent to render care at the basic life support level. EMTs can perform a variety of functions including obtaining vital signs, administering medications such as oxygen and oral glucose, performing various procedures such as applying a traction splint for a fractured femur, perform defibrillation by using an automated defibrillator and even more. Many patients require only this level of care en route to a hospital.

    Paramedics have completed the EMT course and certification and have also completed a technical program (often leading to an Associate’s degree) through a hospital, community college or other institution of higher learning. Paramedics typically take two years to complete all of the requirements for their education and certification. Paramedics are educated in things such as anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology (disease process), a variety of medications, cardiac rhythms and their treatments, and airway management. Paramedics can initiate IVs, administer various medications such as Morphine and Valium (often without consulting a doctor due to standing orders), intubate (placing a breathing tube in a patient’s trachea) and perform many other invasive procedures. In some places, paramedics can even initiate and maintain chest tubes, surgical airways and more.

    In short, EMTs and Paramedics do much more than simply throw someone on a stretcher, take a blood pressure, and drive 80 MPH to the closest hospital. There was time when that was the normal… 50+ years ago. A lot has changed and now EMS crews are able to keep a patient stable until they reach an appropriate facility for definitive care.  Typically they do not have to call a doctor for orders or to “find out what’s going on” because they have already determined that and are treating the patient. Perhaps you were simply not aware of the capabilities of EMS providers. I would encourage you to ride a full shift with Houston County EMS in order to see it up close. I’m sure they would have no problem letting you see what they are capable of.

    As for the second part of this issue. A Google search reveals that you are a member of the committee which oversees Houston County Community Hospital and have fought hard for the hospital by encouraging your elected state officials to provide more funding for the hospital. A store by WKRN also reveals that the hospital is in serious financial trouble. I admire that you are willing to do anything in order to help the hospital stay open but this policy related to EMS is not the way to save your hospital.

    As I mentioned, this policy is dangerous. If a patient is having a heart attack they need to be transported to a facility with a cath lab as soon as possible. If EMS is forced to transport to the local hospital first, this only serves to delay care. The patient can have a significant impact on their health up to and including death because of this delay. If there is nothing the local hospital can do in order to fix the heart attack, stopping there is a waste of time.

    I am no longer a full time paramedic but I work part time in a county that does not have a hospital within its boundaries. The nearest hospital from here is at least 30 minutes away by ground depending on which part of the county the scene is in. If a patient is having a heart attack, stroke, or has severe trauma then we have to call for a helicopter to transport the patient to a facility further away with more capabilities. We do not transport simply because the hospital is nearby. We make a decision based on the best interest of the patient. Your EMTs and Paramedics should have the same ability. That is part of their job.

    I hope that this policy is reconsidered soon and rescinded. While I will not presume to speak for your local EMS providers, I know I would not work at an EMS with such a policy and would immediately resign. I could not ethically or morally be employed for a service with policies that will not allow me to render the best care or to ensure that my patient receives the best care once they leave my cot. This policy not only hamstrings your EMS crews but is also a disservice to the citizens of Houston County.

    I highly doubt you will ever see this post, Mr. Jeram, but I hope that someone is able to convince you that while this policy may have good intentions it is most assuredly flawed. For the sake of the citizens and EMS providers of Houston County, I hope this policy is changed.

    Sincerely,
    Rev. Jonathan Tullos, BS, NRP

  • What You Need to Know about the Starbucks Thing

    12191473_10153269148716243_8618275217776874800_nEarlier today I decided to take a drive and I ended up having lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Ravenna. As I was munching on my chips and quac while waiting on my actual lunch to arrive, I found yet another post about the Starbucks red cup thing. Now, like many of you, I’ve seen lots and lots of posts about people complaining about people being offended by this whole mess. But then the thought occurred to me: I’ve yet to see anyone actually complaining about the cups, nor do I even know how this whole thing got started.

    Off to the Google I went. And what did I find?

    If you’re reading this and you’re one of the people upset because Starbucks decided to remove snowflakes from their cups, you need to know that you have fallen for a scam.

    The whole brouhaha was begun by a Facebook and YouTube famous guy named Joshua Feuerstein (I would link his website here normally but I refuse to contribute to his clicks and page views). If his name sounds familiar, that’s because this is the same guy who tried to get a bakery to make a cake with hate speech inscribed on it. When the bakery refused, he took to social media to bash them and this ended in the owners receiving constant abuse, including death threats. He is also a conspiracy theorist who claimed that Walmart and President Obama were in cahoots to round up Christians and kill them. The evidence of this is a video which, for the reasons stated above, I refuse to link to but I watched part of it (as much as I could stand anyway) and he is pretty clear that he really does feel this way.

    There are also other allegations against him but I could not find anything other than hearsay about that so I will not link to my sources for that. Feel free to search it out for yourself, however.

    Folks, this guy has absolutely no credibility. Based on the number of videos and the fact that he seems to feed off of publicity the guy simply wants attention and we need to stop giving it to him. He certainly is not a voice for the vast majority of Christians, as I stated above that I have seen nothing from anyone who claims to actually be offended by Starbucks’ 2015 holiday cup design. Yet, the media has pounced on this and made it a story. Even Starbucks has taken advantage of this for their own purposes (draw your own conspiracies on that). In short, this is all ridiculous and not worthy of our time.

    Stop it, American media. Go cover some real news (but why would you do that? Y’all never do that as it is).

    However, I do feel that this speaks to a larger problem that tends to make its presence known more during this time of the year than any other. The problem is the persecution complex that American Christians tend to have. I will see post after post on social media about how Christians are being “oppressed” and “persecuted” simply because a store clerk doesn’t wish them a “merry Christmas” or because a secular company doesn’t have “Christmas” decorations up in their stores.

    Quite frankly, I’ve had it with this mentality so I’m just coming out and saying it: STOP IT!

    Someone wishing us “happy holidays” is not persecution. We have many examples of real persecution going on throughout the world. We have real suffering going on all over the world. Christians all over the world are losing their lives for their faith and are otherwise discriminated against in a systematic fashion. When you claim that someone not saying the right thing to you after you swipe your credit card for a widget is persecution, you’re marginalizing what real persecution is.

    It’s not Christ-like and it needs to stop.

    Jesus didn’t come to the world as a baby and eventually die for you to have a latte in a cup that ascribes to your beliefs. Jesus died so that you may live an eternal life in His presence, healed and restored to God, cleansed from your sins. His teachings dictate to us that we are to be transformed and to go out and tell others so that they may love Him as much as he loves them and us. He teaches us to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.

    He does not teach us to protest over a coffee cup or a glacier display or the phrase “happy holidays.”

    If we really want to be upset about some things, I have some suggestions. For example, I live in Powell County, Kentucky which has a poverty rate of almost 30%. Let that sink in. That’s much higher than the national or the state average. Why not be mad about that and take action to help? We have children who would love to be adopted, yet likely will not be and will be turned out on their own with no help once they “age out” of the system. Why don’t we get angry about this? Or, how about we get angry about the fact that domestic violence is often a tolerated sin within Christianity and hardly anyone bats an eye?

    Folks, we have got to do better. I can’t help but think Jesus would want us to be more upset about those kinds that actually matter instead of the design of a cup or “happy holidays.”

    I know this might be coming across as a little strong but this really fires me up and I just can’t stay quiet about this anymore. The American Christian Persecution Complex has to stop. If it’s going to be changed, we – as in you reading this and I – have to be the ones to start that process. Please, let’s do better. Let us live as redeemed, restored, and Christ-like Christians. To do anything less is a disservice to Jesus.

    Jonathan

  • Dads Hurt Too

    DadsOctober is a month of awareness, as per Wikipedia it appears to be designated for more causes than any other month. There is a cause in particular that speaks most to me at the moment. As I’m a pastor, you may expect me to say that it’s “Pastor Appreciation Month.” I appreciate being appreciated but the cause on my mind right now is National Infant Loss and Miscarriage Awareness Month.

    I’ve seen some posts and I was even tagged in one about this commemoration. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Hannah. But as I have seen these posts, many of them implore the reader to pray for the women who have lost babies. I know that it’s different for a mother who has lost their baby. The baby was literally a part of them for the time the baby/babies was carried and I know in that sense there is certainly a stronger connection. Having said that, I have noticed that little to none is said about the dads in the scenario. Now, know that I’m not writing this to bring attention to myself. My intention here is to bring awareness that the dads hurt too.

    As I think about our loss of Hannah, I remember how we received tremendous support from our family and our friends. However, generally speaking, people do often forget about the dad. As I acknowledged above, it is different for the mother. Dads, as the stubborn men we tend to be, aren’t as good at showing our emotions and we may look strong. I can promise you that, even if on the inside, we are crying.

    We need to know that we are not forgotten when this tragedy strikes. We need to know that we matter.

    In part because of the posts I’ve seen, I’ve been pondering what I won’t get to do since Hannah didn’t survive. One of the things that sticks out is that I only got to hold her after she had died. I saw her while she was technically still alive but did not get to hold her during those moments due to the attempts to keep her alive. I only got to hold my baby after she had died. This was not easy to accept.

    I’ve not shared this with many people but before she died I had a brief moment where I wanted to baptize her before she died but this was fleeting and gave way to grief very quickly. I suppose part of the reason I had this thought was because when I realized that she was not going to make it, I knew that we would not get to have her baptized by her grandfather, who is an Elder in the United Methodist Church, on Easter Sunday as we had planned.

    I won’t get to hear her first words, watch her first steps or dress her up for Halloween for the first time. I won’t get to kiss her boo-boos, hold her when she is upset, or experience her laughing at the silliness in life. I won’t get to be her t-ball coach, softball coach, or otherwise support her in whatever sports she may have wanted to play. I won’t get to jump in piles of leaves with Hannah, make mud pies, or help her to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation. I won’t get to help her with homework (and let her teach me how to do algebra), cheer her on as she earns good grades, and teach her the importance of those good grades. I won’t get to teach her life lessons, about not giving up, and about being positive. I won’t get to teach her about Jesus and how much He loves her… Although I think now she could teach me more about Him than any of my seminary professors would ever be able to. I will never be able to teach her how to drive, about the importance of using turn signals, and the joy of taking a drive on a sunny Fall day with the windows down and the radio up. I won’t get to put the fear of God in her first date when he comes to pick her up (the muddy shovel in the corner and shotgun above the front door would have sent a clear message!). I won’t get to walk her down the aisle, and enjoy grandchildren who call her mom.

    I will miss out on raising a daughter. I will miss out on being her daddy.

    As we mourn for and with those who have lost their children through infant death or miscarriage, let us remember that the moms are certainly in deep grief. But let us also remember that dads hurt too. The dads are grieving and they need to know that they are supported, loved, and being prayed for as much as the moms are. Dads hurt. Dads grieve the loss of their children.

    We need to know that you know that.

    Jonathan

  • Seminary Has Begun!

    seminaryToday I walked into the Crary-McPheters building on the campus of Asbury Theological Seminary for the first time as an official student. Today was my first class; this marked the beginning of a spiritual and academic pursuit that I have been working toward for almost three years (the argument could be made that it’s been much longer).  Dr. David Bauer’s Inductive Bible Study course on Matthew is where it finally felt “real.”

    I’m a seminary student; and surprisingly the roof is still intact in all of the buildings!

    Today wasn’t overwhelming as it was only the first day and we spent a good portion of class going over the syllabus and such. I also only had one class today so that also contributed to today being an easy day. I know that as the semester progresses the hard days will be more frequent. However, I’m excited for what’s to come. I know that this will not be easy – there will be much hard work, much frustration, much reading and a whole bunch of prayer. I’m already thankful for this opportunity and I look forward to what God has in store.

    In the first chapel service of the year, ATS President Dr. Timothy Tennent gave us all a challenge to carry out our callings so that the world can continue to be changed. During his message we heard story after story about how revival is coming to parts of the world where Christianity was thought to be dead. He emphasized that revival was possible in this country as well and encouraged us to allow ourselves to be used by God for that purpose. He made sure to point out that the decline in Christiandom may actually not be as bad as some people fear. I agree with him and I look forward to the future rather than fearing it.

    I did a check-in on Facebook this morning where I quoted Isaiah 43:19 (“Look! I’m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it? I’m making a way in the desert, paths in the wilderness”). I truly believe that God is doing something “new” in me and many others. I can’t wait to see what happens. I covet your prayers as I continue on this path of learning, discipleship and growth.

    Jonathan

  • On the Occasion of my 34th Birthday

    Today is my 34th birthday.

    I don’t say that to call attention to myself or to beg for birthday greetings but rather out of disbelief that I’m already 34. It’s been a while since I’ve posted a retrospective of the previous year but I have done that before. I guess I felt like there just wasn’t enough to talk about that would justify a post. If I were to do a post about my 33rd year on this planet, I think it would make up a large word count.

    The only question I would ask myself before making such a post this time would, “where do I start?”

    Most people who read this site already know me, at least in some way. The rest of you poor souls who find my ramblings click on a page that somehow pops up in a Google search (If this is you, I’m grateful that you found me and I hope you will come back in case I post something interesting!). For the majority, it would simply be a rehashing of events that have impacted me forever. Some of those events have been things that rocked me and Jessica to the core. Some, such as many of the EMS calls I ran in the past year, are things that I would much rather forget. Others have been wonderful things that I will treasure forever. No matter where any given event falls in that spectrum, one thing is for sure: My 33rd year has been one that will always be remembered and one that has impacted me in many ways.

    Throughout everything that has happened – from Hannah’s birth and death to graduating from Liberty University and on to uprooting my and Jessica’s lives and moving to Kentucky – I have been reminded of the amazingly wonderful people who are in my life. My family simply rocks. My friends are amazing. My clergy colleagues – the vast majority of whom are included in the friends category – have been extremely supportive. The people I have been blessed to serve as their pastor have loved me and Jessica more than I could ask. As much as I have ministered to others, all of these people have ministered to me even more. In spite of change and of some events happening which were sad, I count myself blessed and I have much joy.

    Throughout all of the events of the last year – good, bad, and everything in between – God has been a constant source of comfort and joy. Throughout His word, I am reminded of His constant presence and how He provides peace. Sunday, I’m preaching on resurrection and the promise that God always breaths new life into things that are dead. Whether those things are our souls, our lives or a world gone crazy, God always breathes new life into dead things. He truly makes beautiful things out of dust and this certainly has included the events of the last year. God has redeemed the bad things and increased the blessing of the good. My cut truly overflows with the outpouring of His grace, mercy and peace.

    God has breathed new life into my dry bones!

    I am embracing my 34th year with wide open arms. This year will see me continue on my new journey as pastor of Shiloh UMC and will also see me officially become a student at Asbury Theological Seminary. Only God knows what else awaits us. One thing I know for sure: I’m ready to run this race.

    Welcome, 34th year. Let’s rock this.

    Jonathan

  • Sin

    Who likes talking about sin? No one that I know of actually enjoys talking about sin. Well, no one likes talking about their own sin. We love talking about the sins of other people; maybe we just like talking about other people in general.

    I’m getting ready to preach a sermon on Sunday at Shiloh about our belief in the forgiveness of sins. As i have been pondering that message, I think not so much about what is and isn’t sin but rather I’ve been thinking more about grace. Why you ask? Because, as an old hymn proclaims:

    Grace, grace, God’s grace,
    Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
    Grace, grace, God’s grace,
    Grace that is greater than all our sin.

    It’s not uncommon for us to talk about all these “sinners” out in the world but we don’t talk enough about grace and forgiveness that God grants to His children through Jesus Christ. One thing that my fast from Facebook has helped me to understand that many posts – many of my own if I’m being honest – are judgmental. We love to point out the shortcomings – real and perceived – of other people. We love to talk about certain people or groups of people who are bound for Hell, all in an attempt to show off our own righteousness. We attempt to show the world that we are such good Christians that we are willing to condemn people who sin. Many of us think that our “fire insurance” (a term I’ve actually seen and heard) gives us a license to condemn.

    In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says that it’s wrong for us to want to remove the speck from someone else’s eye when we have a plank in our own. In other words, we have no right to judge someone for their sin when we have our own skeletons in our closet to deal with. It is not our job to condemn people for their sins when we are sinners ourselves.

    You can’t fight sin with sin.

    Southland Church is a multi-campus congregation in Lexington, KY and they broadcast their services on one of the local TV stations. I decided to record their service out of curiosity and as I have been watching this sermon I have found good food for thought. Basically we have three common responses to sin: One one side we judge; on the other we join; and somewhere in the middle we remain joyful in Christ. The right response to sin is actually pretty simple: We are to be light in the darkness of this world. Light drives away darkness.

    Trying to fight darkness with darkness only brings more darkness.

    I know that some might misunderstand me and think that I’m advocating Christians being weak and “tolerating” sin. On the contrary: I believe we should take action. I don’t believe that action should be in the form of protests, revolts or fire and brimstone sermons on the courthouse steps. Instead, we overcome evil with good by our living. Yes, we take action and instead of proclaiming condemnation for everyone except ourselves we instead proclaim the gospel by loving as Christ loves the world.

    “Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good” Romans 12:21 (CEB).

    Just some thoughts on my mind this afternoon. Perhaps this will take shape better by Sunday. 🙂

    Jonathan

  • Persecution: What It Is and What It Isn’t

    PersecutionWhile I am making an effort to “stay out” of the affairs of Mississippi, I am going to write about a situation happening in my home state. However, I’m not going to comment on the situation itself. Rather, I am going to use it as an example of a bigger issue. The term “Christian persecution” gets thrown around a good bit, especially these days. In some instances it is warranted but I have found that often it isn’t. The TL;DR version of my thoughts will be this: We need to stop claiming “persecution” every time something happens that we don’t agree with. When we claim persecution where there isn’t any, we weaken the meaning of real persecution.

    The Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) is the largest governing body for high school athletics and other activities in the state. They have had a bylaw on their books for quite some time which states that an athlete or participant in a sanctioned activity must be a resident of the state. They have not been enforcing this bylaw until recently. The main body of the MHSAA voted to begin enforcement much to the chagrin of the private schools who are/were part of the MHSAA. Several of the private schools situated along the Mississippi River have students who commute from Louisiana. By stating that they would begin enforcing the residency requirement, the MHSAA declared these out of state athletes ineligible. In other words, the private schools could only allow students who actually reside in Mississippi to participate in sports and other activities such as band, chorus and debate.

    The result of this was that three of those schools – Greenville St. Joseph, St. Aloysius and Cathedral – have left the MHSAA and joined the smaller Mississippi Independent Schools Association (MISA) which does not have such residency requirements in place.  As far as that situation goes, I wish them well. I remember being a student at Philadelphia and hearing about how great these schools were in sports, especially soccer and baseball. I remember a particular time when I was serving as the manager of the Philly High soccer team and we played a game at Greenville St. Joe. Without going into details, I let the referee know that I did not agree with the call he made and I became the first soccer equipment manager in Mississippi to receive a yellow card.

    But I digress…

    When the Clarion-Ledger posted a story about this event, the comments were quick to be posted. And then it happened: Posts making allegations that the MHSAA was out to persecute the private schools because the vast majority are Catholic or otherwise Christian schools (note: I wanted to embed some of these posts, however they seem to have been removed. I can not say if it was the posters who removed them or the newspaper but I did see some comments alleging persecution in the comments section of the C-L’s web posting).

    I don’t deny that Christians are persecuted and discriminated against everyday. I have no doubt that such discriminate exists in the United States. However, persecution this is not.

    Webster’s defines persecution as, “The act or practice of persecuting especially those who differ in origin, religion, or social outlook.” Another definition they list is, “the act of continually treating in a cruel and harmful way.” When I think of persecution, I imagine acts that involve some serious harm such as not being able to buy goods, being relegated to a certain place to live, being imprisoned or even being killed. Persecution happens for many reasons: One’s faith, and race are probably the two biggest reasons that I have actually witnessed persecution first hand. When I thin of persecution I think of people who American citizen and pastor Saeed Abedini who is imprisoned in one of Iran’s most notorious prisons. His crime? Being a Christian.

    An organization enforcing a rule that pertains to high school athletics is not persecution. Some may view such decision as not being fair, but such is not persecution. When we refer to such decisions and other events as persecution, we diminish the meaning of what persecution really is. We owe it to those who really do suffer for their faith, their race or because of something else similar  to respect what they have gone through by not claiming “persecution” every time something happens that we don’t agree with or whens someone otherwise disagrees with our views.

    Recently I came across a list of the ways some of the apostles were killed. From what I can tell, the accounts were mostly true according to scripture references, historical accounts and church tradition. For example: Peter was killed because of his faith. Tradition has it that when it was decided by the authorities that he would be crucified, he requested to be nailed upside down so that his death would not be in the same exact manner as Christ’s (he is said to have felt unworthy).  Andrew, Peter’s brother, is said to have been severely beaten and then tied – not nailed – to a cross so that he would suffer longer. As he hung there for for two days, he was still preaching the gospel to anyone who would listen.

    Persecution.

    We need to do better. We certainly need to call out and take action on persecution whenever we find it. We must do everything that we possibly can to ensure that people don’t suffer because of their faith. However, we also need to be careful in what we call persecution. Someone disagreeing with our views or making a decision that causes us no real harm is not persecution. When we claim persecution where there is none we weaken the meaning of the word and marginalize those who really endure harm or even give their lives for their faith.

    We don’t do Christ any favors by claiming persecution where there is none.

    Let’s be salt and light, not squeaky wheels. Let us show grace and mercy, not disdain. And let’s advocate for those who really are enduring persecution.

    Jonathan

  • Randoms Thoughts and Ramblings from DFW

    Currently, I’m coming to you “live” from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as I wait for my connecting flight to Meridian. I’m heading down there to get the rest of my and Jessica’s things out of storage and driving them back in a Uhaul truck. If you’re finding out about my trip down south by this blog post, you have my apologies. Unfortunately, this is a very quick trip and I’m not going to have time to really do anything besides get things loaded and such. I’ll be driving back to Kentucky on Friday morning. Talk about a whirlwind trip!

    A lot of people have asked about my decision to take a fast from Facebook. There were many reasons why I decided to do this but I have honestly found it refreshing. It took a few days to get used to not checking my Facebook newsfeed and notifications constantly (the only contact I’ve had on Facebook is managing my church’s new Facebook page, which you can find here). I have been reminded that it’s OK to not know everything all the time. It’s OK to not be tethered to my  phone seemingly 24/7, waiting for something to happen. It’s also OK to not be bombarded with controversy constantly.

    I have to be honest about something but let me preface my comments with a reminder to all of my friends: I love you. I enjoy getting to know more about you, seeing picture of kids, grandkids, vacations and other special times in your life.

    What I don’t enjoy is the bigotry I encounter on social media all the time. There are so many posts on a given day that, whether the author realizes it or not, is laced with racism and other bigotry. Quite frankly, it drives me crazy. It also is not Christ-like and it really hurts me to know that many of the posts of this nature that I see are from people who profess to be Christians. It’s not my place to judge whether someone truly is or is not a Christian. I will say that actions and words that demean a race, other faith or any other factor of a person’s identity do nothing for the image of Christ. What it does accomplish is reinforcing the stereotype that many people hold which states that Christians are hateful bigots.

    When our aim is just to be right or to defeat a group rather than showing them the love of Christ, we harm our witness. And possibly, we destroy it altogether.

    I’m sorry to be so blunt but I have not missed such posts which seem to be non-stop. Don’t misunderstand me: It’s perfectly fine to have convictions and to advance those convictions. It is not alright to demean someone or a group of people. There is a difference. We have to remember that Christ gives us the example to follow when it comes to dealing with people outside of our faith or with whose views, lifestyle or whatever we don’t agree with: We love them just as he loved the people of the time that he disagreed with. When we affirm our faith in Christ we also affirm a calling: We are to love as he, to this day, loves us.

    I will return to my social media once my 40 days is over in a few more weeks. And I know that I will once again be exposed to posts that make my skin crawl. However, there will be a change in my utilization of my personal social media. I will not engage in mean-spirited debates. Quite frankly, they do not reflect Christ and they also do absolutely nothing besides raise blood pressure. Instead, I will strive to offer Christ with everything that I post. I will post things that I find funny, insightful and edifying. Above all, I will not be negative. Period. I also will not go out of my way to insult anyone.

    I can not expect others to reflect Christ if I don’t make sure that I’m doing it myself.

    As I have written these words, my departure gate to Meridian has been changed so I will soon make my way to the new gate (don’t worry, I still have an hour before we board). I ask you pray for safe travel and that I don’t melt in the Gulf of Mexico humidity!