Thinking about my Tribe this morning; praying for my Tribe and realizing I am privileged to have 51 people (and counting) to call my own. Fifty one family related people to varying degrees I have influenced or shall influence. Oh that is sobering because I am not confident that all those influences have been understood as intended or perhaps have not been good at all. Because my date of birth is more than 6 decades ago my Tribe spans four generations; who knows if I thrive long enough I may see this Tribe reach five generations! 

As I pen this I am thinking I should clarify this Tribe I am talking about as perhaps all of us are simultaneously members of more than one Tribe. Oh that is more work than I want to do at this setting – identifying Tribes.

This Tribe. Family that I care about. Family that I pray for. Family that I ask GOD to mess with. Family made family by blood, by marriage, by adoption.  And when you put all that together. Yep there are 51 of us so far! And what will these generations say of me when I no longer grace this planet? I don’t have as long as I have had to make it good! And should that be of concern to me? Yes, if it encourages me and no if it overwhelms me.

Truth! Of these 51 (and counting) it is highly unlikely that of the majority of them I am even on their radars more than once or twice in a year or so. My influence does not reach that far! And you know what? That’s okay. Because prayer does!  

A case in point. My daddy had a brother named Arch; he married a woman named Clara.  In my adolescent years I spent some time with Uncle Arch and Aunt Clara, not a lot; later I learned that daily Aunt Clara prayed for me. Even today that is priceless to me!

So to adopted ones and those who have even a little of my DNA or have even a little of JT’s DNA and those married to someone who has a bit of either our DNA(s): you are my Tribe and very often your name is spoken in prayer. And I’m hoping the day will come that information is Aunt Clara priceless to you. 

Now, I am curious. Have you sat to identify your Tribe? 

Just Me ~ ~ ~

The President Elect Donald Trump met with President Obama today. Just days ago the President was vigorously campaigning that Mr. Trump was not fit to be president and today they talked alone for 90 minutes and then sat together for a short media interview.
It was their first meeting.
First time ever to actually occupy the same proximity.
Do we get the magnitude of this?

We size people up these days by what media pundits tells us about that person with sound bites, video clips and commentators. When was the last time we asked ourselves why is this media person telling me this? What does this entity have to gain here? It’s certainly not to lose ratings – right?

I shall not here repeat all the vileness that was pumped into our homes by the media regarding Donald Trump in recent months. In a court of law only testimony given by certified documentation or reputable first hand sight knowledge is acceptable.  Hearsay is disqualified, deemed unworthy of consideration. Yet many people seized upon these media reports and stuffed their souls with hate for this man who they had never met. Moreover the testimony of reputable men and woman, some who have known him for 30 years, others who in recent times had personally prayed with him was rejected and disregarded. During this political campaign Donald Trump was sentenced and executed on hearsay even in Christian circles. Will we ever learn that the media of today is not our friend?

What if a thorough investigative report was done; scanning, reading, collecting and pooling data from mainstream media sources for the last decade, subject say: racial unrest? What do you think would be found? I’ll save my opinion, but this I will say: I still believe there are millions and millions of good people in America who have no ill will for one another based on the color of skin.

What if instead of filling our eyes and ears with media stories, we opened our minds and hearts to people we actually know or could get to know?  What if we ceased to let media profiteers tell us what we believe about one another, about politics, about Hollywood, about . . . , and ask GOD, who by the way does KNOW, to lead us to the truth about all of it!?  What if  we . . .

 18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord, . . . source  Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)

Just asking . . .