Selective Telling

A lot of wives accuse their husbands of having "selective hearing." The husbands pick and choose what they want to hear, usually fine tuning their audio range to the TV and filtering out household noise. On the other side, is "selective telling." We pick and choose what we want people to know about us, what we think, and where we are going; many teenagers refine this skill to a fine art. We all have some proficiency in both.

I've started a new book, Same Kind of Different As Me. One of the co-authors, Denver Moore, tells of his childhood living as a share cropper in Louisiana. He was raised without electricity and without being taught to read, never owning anything, not even the clothes he wore. When he left in 1960, by hitching a ride on a train, he had never heard of World War II, the Korean War, nor the start of the Vietnam conflict. No one had told him he could better himself by going to school, or joining the army, or leaving the farm. He had been told that the rod was the best way to correct youthful wanderings, that he owed more money than he earned picking cotton, and that the Klan could make things worse for you and your family. I keep realigning and adjusting my perspective of time to realize that his story takes place in my lifetime! He's younger than my parents, a little over 20 years older than me. This is not ancient history! It's all the more difficult to comprehend in this age of 24 hour news, instant internet connection, and cell phones, yet it's still current history. Without access to electricity, freedom of the press, and the ability to read, many people around the world are dependent on what they are selectively told. How did the stories of the Bible grow under some of the same restrictions? How do the stories grow under our new restrictions?

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, May we select to tell of justice, truth and peace with our lives and with our actions because not everyone may be able to hear our words or read our prayers. May we not pick and select which commandments we choose to hear, filtering the ones that may interfere with our routine or livelihood. O God, we marvel at how quickly our world changes and how quickly we forget our past. May we constantly be reminded of how we can improve the lives of others, through our simple acts and bold deeds, through our silent prayers and declaration of the Gospel. Your Word has survived wars, tyranny, banishment, omission, ignorance, and apathy. Your Power and Might keep the Word alive, may we share in upholding the message. I haven't heard the end of Denver's story, and we haven't come close to completion, telling the beginning of your majesty and grace. May we never grow tired of sharing the entire Good News, to the entire world. Amen.