Today, I woke up with quite the head cold that dragged me down with clouded mind, fatigue, achy joints, and congestion. After several cups of tea, oregano essential oil, a bowl of homemade turkey bone broth, and two naps, I'm starting to perk up. I also realize that God has put my busyness on pause today, giving me a perfect opportunity to write a long-overdue blog post.
This month has been an absolute blessing to Roberta and I. We got back to Missouri at the very end of July and haven't stopped spending much-needed time with family. From the get-go we've been busy helping both sides of the family. The first week of August we went up to Iowa with Roberta's parents to help in a sensitive situation involving her grandmother's health. She had broken her hip before our arrival and her home needed to become a safer environment. A lot of physical labor was involved, but we were thankful for the opportunity to spend time with her parents as we helped her grandmother.
Soon after that, trouble arose on my side of the family. My grandfather was putting away the lawn mower when he was attacked by a wasp and stumbled backwards as he swatted at it. He fell and fractured his right fibula, only to walk uphill back to the house, stumble through the front door, and mutter aloud, "I just fell, and I think I hurt my ankle." For those of you who do not know, my grandfather has been one of my closest friends. He was the best man in my wedding. It was a sobering reminder to me to cherish my time with him before I join a work that will separate me from him in his latter years of life.
But not everything on my side of the family has been troublesome! I officially now have another little brother named Sailor. His adoption date came just two days after my grandfather fell. It has been a year-long journey for my parents, but I've had the blessing of jumping in at the end of the adoption process. Coming home after two years in Lubbock to a new four-year old brother felt completely natural. Sailor and I have already bonded together through wrestling, hide-and-seek, and doing chores around the house for Mom. I'm also glad that he gleefully giggles at being scared. I believe every little boy needs to experience the suspense of not knowing where their older brother lurks, ready to pounce while acting like a feral lion.
As this month draws to a close, Roberta and I are preparing ourselves for our imminent departure for West Seattle, WA. Last night I had my first dreams riddled by subconscious anxiety of our upcoming mission work. I know the Northwest Mission won't be easy work, but I trust that God will use us for His work in the area. We remain immensely grateful to all of our supporters. For their prayers, their encouragement, and their thoughtfulness towards us. We appreciate you all so much!
- Nathaniel Thompson
Friday, August 30, 2019
Monday, August 19, 2019
Not so Black and White
"Truth is that which corresponds with reality." - N. Geisler. This is a principle that has really been on my mind lately. I keep seeing posts online in regards to racism within our country and I find myself noticing two words used, regardless of the opinion expressed, that don't match up with reality. I've been guilty of using these words myself.
After much contemplation, I've decided for myself that I'm going to try and eliminate "white" and "black" from my vocabulary in regards to people. I would include others like "red" and "yellow", but I don't tend to use those terms anyway.
There is no such thing as a black or white man. Such adjectives do not correspond with reality. If I hold up a piece of white paper next to a "white man", it does not match. If I did the same with a piece of black paper to a "black man", it would not match. Even if I did the same with a "red" or "yellow man", it still would not correspond.
In reality, what we find is a spectrum of colors that display the glory of God's creative artistry. No color, standing alone, can actually capture the melanin hues of being made in God's image. And, if that's the case, why limit others to one color? Why limit myself to one color?
Consider my wife as another example. My mother-in-law is called "white", my father-in-law "black", but my wife isn't labelled "gray", even though that's what she would be if white and black mixed.
Even in the most extreme examples of albinism or melanism, the two terms do not match entirely. Shades of pink or purple, blue or brown, still warmly accentuate the same blood that flows through our veins.
At best, "white" and "black" are very poor and confusing attempts at describing people. We undermine our own attempts to navigate disagreements, hate, and pride as we continue to use the two most divided extremes in color as a way to refer to each other.
At worst, we use the two terms to obscure far deeper (and usually interconnected) differences between people groups. By using one of these terms, we lump together both the pure in heart and the hard of heart with a similarity in appearance that they have absolutely no control over.
I don't want to be color-neutral. All colors are not the same. I absolutely admit to noticing the color of someone's skin. As an artist, I often find myself admiring a person's color and imagining how I might portray such beauty through paint or pencil. If you were to ask my wife, she would tell you that my favorite color dances somewhere between tan and sepia, because I so frequently use it when coloring different people. Each color is as unique as every one of the individuals that might share it.
I also don't want to be color-exclusive. Labeling whole groups of people as black or white is not a justifiable reason for pride, supremacy, entitlement, or indifference. It's too broad a stroke that color-washes over individuals, ethnicities, nationalities, cultures, circumstances, and numerous sides of recorded history.
My decision is an attempt to be more color-inclusive, in that I purposefully start viewing everyone as different shades of the same color - mankind. Thus, our virtues and vices, our deeds of wickedness and righteousness, our atrocities and accomplishments of the past, are not exclusive to "black" or "white" but inclusive to all of us. Regardless of color, nationality, or culture.
Isn't this what Paul was arguing in the book of Romans for those Christians that came from a Jewish background? "... for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one..." (Romans 3:9b-10). He then presses onward in his argument and says the verse so many of us can quote. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..." (Romans 3:23).
I know for myself, if I were to call myself a "white man", because of my lighter complexion, I would be disingenous to the Choctaw side of my heritage. Yet, if I called myself a "red man", that would be disingenous to the German side of my heritage. I know there are other nationalities mixed in with my heritage, too. The simple conclusion is that I wear the color of mankind in my blood.
"And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us..." (Acts 17:26-27).
This decision of mine is my own to make. But I suspect it is one many of us should make. We all need to take a long, contemplative look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we really are black or white. Then, we should start looking at others and asking ourselves the same thing.
I quoted from Romans 3 earlier, but I purposefully left out the first half of verse 9. If we continue clinging to one color whether for ourselves or others, we would benefit from asking ourselves the same question Paul asked his Jewish audience.
"What then? Are we better than they?" (Romans 3:9a).
After much contemplation, I've decided for myself that I'm going to try and eliminate "white" and "black" from my vocabulary in regards to people. I would include others like "red" and "yellow", but I don't tend to use those terms anyway.
There is no such thing as a black or white man. Such adjectives do not correspond with reality. If I hold up a piece of white paper next to a "white man", it does not match. If I did the same with a piece of black paper to a "black man", it would not match. Even if I did the same with a "red" or "yellow man", it still would not correspond.
In reality, what we find is a spectrum of colors that display the glory of God's creative artistry. No color, standing alone, can actually capture the melanin hues of being made in God's image. And, if that's the case, why limit others to one color? Why limit myself to one color?
Consider my wife as another example. My mother-in-law is called "white", my father-in-law "black", but my wife isn't labelled "gray", even though that's what she would be if white and black mixed.
Even in the most extreme examples of albinism or melanism, the two terms do not match entirely. Shades of pink or purple, blue or brown, still warmly accentuate the same blood that flows through our veins.
At best, "white" and "black" are very poor and confusing attempts at describing people. We undermine our own attempts to navigate disagreements, hate, and pride as we continue to use the two most divided extremes in color as a way to refer to each other.
At worst, we use the two terms to obscure far deeper (and usually interconnected) differences between people groups. By using one of these terms, we lump together both the pure in heart and the hard of heart with a similarity in appearance that they have absolutely no control over.
I don't want to be color-neutral. All colors are not the same. I absolutely admit to noticing the color of someone's skin. As an artist, I often find myself admiring a person's color and imagining how I might portray such beauty through paint or pencil. If you were to ask my wife, she would tell you that my favorite color dances somewhere between tan and sepia, because I so frequently use it when coloring different people. Each color is as unique as every one of the individuals that might share it.
I also don't want to be color-exclusive. Labeling whole groups of people as black or white is not a justifiable reason for pride, supremacy, entitlement, or indifference. It's too broad a stroke that color-washes over individuals, ethnicities, nationalities, cultures, circumstances, and numerous sides of recorded history.
My decision is an attempt to be more color-inclusive, in that I purposefully start viewing everyone as different shades of the same color - mankind. Thus, our virtues and vices, our deeds of wickedness and righteousness, our atrocities and accomplishments of the past, are not exclusive to "black" or "white" but inclusive to all of us. Regardless of color, nationality, or culture.
Isn't this what Paul was arguing in the book of Romans for those Christians that came from a Jewish background? "... for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one..." (Romans 3:9b-10). He then presses onward in his argument and says the verse so many of us can quote. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..." (Romans 3:23).
I know for myself, if I were to call myself a "white man", because of my lighter complexion, I would be disingenous to the Choctaw side of my heritage. Yet, if I called myself a "red man", that would be disingenous to the German side of my heritage. I know there are other nationalities mixed in with my heritage, too. The simple conclusion is that I wear the color of mankind in my blood.
"And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us..." (Acts 17:26-27).
This decision of mine is my own to make. But I suspect it is one many of us should make. We all need to take a long, contemplative look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we really are black or white. Then, we should start looking at others and asking ourselves the same thing.
I quoted from Romans 3 earlier, but I purposefully left out the first half of verse 9. If we continue clinging to one color whether for ourselves or others, we would benefit from asking ourselves the same question Paul asked his Jewish audience.
"What then? Are we better than they?" (Romans 3:9a).
Thursday, August 1, 2019
We're Now Homeless!
It's funny. I thought becoming homeless and living out of our car would be a depressing endeavor for the next few months. But, when I finished packing, I felt excitement arise within me instead.
We are taking our first major steps to get to West Seattle, WA. While there's still much to do, the momentum has begun and there's no stopping now! We remain hopeful and excited to be used by our Lord in His work. A special thank you to all our dear friends and family that have housed us and will house us in the days ahead!
With God's people, we know we're never truly homeless.
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