Spirit in the World

Hello, folks. It’s been awhile.

I’ve meant to get back here to share reflections on Spirit in the World many times in the last year or so. But I think months of neglect, superficial distractions–and maybe a tussle with the temptation to despair–were blocking the flow of any remaining pulses of creative momentum, habit and discipline. I got a little lost in a swampy backwater.

This morning a face in the NYT–and the remarkable story that goes with it– lured me back out into the bracing, and hopeful, current of life.

Abraham Davis, Image from the New York Times

This young man went to jail for painting swastikas on a local Mosque in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Eventually, the community he attacked played a crucial role in welcoming him back into the circle of humanity and relaunching his life. Take a moment to read the full story here.

It’s a longer read. If you are like me, you’ll be tempted to take a short cut and browse. You’ll assume you know where it’s going, even as you realize it is powerful, healing parable for our times. Resist that impulse. I’m sick today or I might have passed it by myself. We’re a nation lost in the disorienting, swampy backwaters of racial hatred and xenophobia these days. And we consume so many short, gut-punching stories and gaudy commentaries about what to do and how to respond. I think it’s going to require patience, discipline and a breadth of heart and intellect to find our way out. The story of Abraham Davis may help you chart our course.