"We're all bastards......

......but God loves us anyway."  When asked to describe the message in the Bible in ten words or less, this was Will Campbell's reply. Will Campbell, often described as a maverick, was a white man who fought for the black man during the Civil Rights movement.

I was reminded of this story early last Saturday morning in Montgomery, Alabama where I participated in a pilgrimage of sorts visiting important sites of the Civil Rights movement. As a friend and scholar stood at the Maya Lin Civil Rights Memorial, hand resting in the fountain on the name Thomas Coleman, I heard how Will Campbell was faced with the hard truth of his gospel, "we are all bastards, but God loves us anyway."  Thomas Coleman, a young, black seminary student was killed as he walked out of a store. He was killed by police officer, Jonathan Daniel.  Thomas Coleman was Will Campbell's friend. Thomas Coleman died because of the color of his skin, and the prejudice in Jonathan Daniel's life.

As Will Campbell angrily wept over his friend's death and the violence of the Civil Rights movement, and the hatred so many harbored in their hearts, he was asked the question, "which of these bastards did God love more?"  It was a question he neither wanted to face nor contemplate, yet, there it was.  After this event, Will Campbell left his work in the Civil Rights movement,and began to minister to members of the Ku Klux Klan. Even though he had preached, faithfully attended church, and  tried to live his life by Biblical teachings, he said only when he began to love and serve members of the KKK did he become a true Christian.  He courageously tried to change hatred with love, violence with non-violence.

As we traveled down the highway, a speech delivered in 1895 by Booker T. Washington, a most amazing man, was read to us. I was struck by a parable that Mr. Washington used in his speech. The story tells of a disabled ship that had been lost at sea for several days. It was spotted by another vessel, and the captain of the foundering boat shouted out, "water, water, we die of thirst," to which the reply came, "cast down your bucket where you are,". Again, the plea came, "water, water, we die of thirst."  The reply did not change; "cast down your bucket where you are."  After several more pleas with the same reply, the captain of the disabled vessel cast down his bucket, and brought out clear, fresh water to drink.

This world seems in a shambles. There is hatred, bigotry, and violence in Iraq, in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Ferguson, MO.  I must ask myself, "who does God love more?"  I must be very careful in assuming that God's mind is my mind.  If I believe Will Campbell's "we're all bastards but God loves us anyway," and I claim to follow Jesus, God in the flesh, what must I do?  If I follow the logic, then I must love "anyway."  While I will not be traveling to these places of unrest, if I will just "cast down my bucket where I am" I will not run out of opportunities.

For today, I wish you opportunities to cast down your bucket where you are and love anyway, and I wish you

Blessings,