Dear Mr. Kaepernick...or Colin. Can I call you Colin? Let's have coffee. Or, if you don't drink coffee because of being an athlete, I'd be just as happy meeting over juice or Chinese buffet or whatever. I'm easy. But I have no idea how else to reach you so I'm just posting an online open letter in hopes that one of my seventeen or so regular readers passes it on to you via the six degrees of Kevin Bacon network. (Kevin, if you're out there you can come too.)
Why am I inviting you to coffee or whatever? Well...because this post is about you. Sort of. And because I sometimes I have crappy boundaries. Or maybe not. I guess it's up to you to decide. Or maybe not. Anyway, I just shared what some would consider to be an overly long Facebook post and it's now become an even slightly longer blog post. Because the vast majority of people who read my blog are probably also Facebook users. And chances are they're not regularly looking at my Facebook feed. But maybe they should...so here it is.
Yes this is DJ Swanger. This is not a COPY AND PASTE and it is not a LIKE AND SHARE (although I can’t stop you from doing any of these things if you are so inclined…It is social media after all, and it’s still a nominally free country).
I usually don’t post when I’m upset. I’m not the type of person to put my feelings out there for all the online world to see. It may provide some small temporary catharsis, but for the most part it gets ignored anyway…or it gets one talked ugly about at the church or the bar.
And, as a rule, I tend to avoid posts that begin with an appeal to read the whole long post immediately. If people are truly interested in what you have to say, they’ll read…when they have time…if they remember…and can find it again in the brutally massive hodge-podge of emails, business offers, and cat videos that bombard them each day.
But consistency has never been one of my strong points and those who know me well know that I’m not afraid to break a few of my own working rules if it suits my purposes. So PLEASE KEEP READING…but only if you have the time. (OK. Maybe too polite. No, I’m not Canadian. Oh great...now I just offended a Canadian somewhere.)
I try to post positive stuff. Things that educate, inform, bring a smile, defuse an argument, or poke fun at myself. In some venues I occasionally share pictures or comments that embarrass my children. They get over it…eventually. And it’s one of the perks of being a dad.
But today I’m upset. One of my favorite and most thoughtful friends has abandoned Facebook. He often shared his heart with compassion, wry wit, and a quiet articulate honesty. I miss him. But I understand his reasons. And his frustration.
I guess I’ve just seen one too many inflammatory fake news reports. One too many photo-shopped “news” memes. One too many alt-right, alt-left, pro-Trump, anti-Trump, echo chamber, my pet issue, you must be a moron if you don’t agree with me vitriolic cheap shots.
Earlier today I broke one of my own rules and replied to one such post. I’m not sharing the fake photo that accompanied it. I don’t want to give it more traffic than it’s already garnered. But I can’t get it off my mind, so I am sharing the reply, edited, as a stand-alone.
Unfortunately, there are liars, intentional and unintentional, on both ends of the spectrum and at all points between, uninterested in truth so long as they can further divide and inflame for their own purposes. I'm saddened that so many find it so difficult to look beyond the surface of tactics with which they disagree and see with discernment, compassion and grace the real wounds and heart issues that lie beneath...for all of us.
Because regardless of how you may feel about the protests that are getting so much coverage, there is another kneeling that actually demands our attention. I remember vividly a small unobtrusive sign I once saw in a friend’s office. It read, simply, “GET ON YOUR KNEES AND FIGHT.” And I was reminded that our ultimate reality lies in the fact that…one day…every knee will bow and every tongue will confess…
Like so many other "issues" that media, right left and center, use to evoke emotional rather than thoughtful response, this is not about anthems or flags or patriotism. It is about a spiritual reality in our country and a truth that lies outside the boundaries of most cultural discussions. A truth that refuses to be distracted or manipulated. A truth that frames a different discussion. A truth that says: "Yes, we see what is happening and it actually makes sense. It all points in one direction. The answers you think you have are not answers at all. You need to stop. It's time. Wake up. Shift direction and allow God to change your own hearts. Look around you. The axe is already laid to the root of the old tree. Something new and wonderful and powerful and radically other is breaking in on the scene and you can't turn it back. If you're not for it, you're against it. Receive it. Repent. The Kingdom of God is at hand."
If you’ve read this far, I’m not asking you to copy or paste or like or share or even comment. But I am asking you to think. And pray. And if you want to talk, give me a call or shoot me a private message or an email. I like coffee.
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