(R) Adam Davidson

[RadCast] Keeping the Name of God Near (Psalm 75:1) :::

Posted on July 15, 2020 by radamdavidson

Remember what He’s done, remember He’s with you, and live with the Name of God near.

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On Grant Imahara

Posted on July 14, 2020 by radamdavidson

I was sad to hear of Grant Imahara’s passing. Grant was perhaps best known for his work on Mythbusters as a master builder, brilliant engineer, and all around joyful guy. Social media is full of touching tributes and great stories about Grant, some of which I never heard. Did you know that Grant designed and built Geoff Peterson, Craig Ferguson’s robotic sidekick from The Late Late Show? Me neither.

Grant died at the young age of 49 as a result of a brain aneurism. The news brought another stark reminder of the fragility of life. We make so many assumptions about what tomorrow holds, how long we’re going to live, what old age will look like. Yet scripture confronts us with a sobering question: “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (James 4:14).

Psalm 39:5 says “You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.” The older I get, the more shocking it is when someone I know –“know” in the celebrity sense, or in real life — dies. I don’t fear dying, but I do fear living my life as if I won’t.

News like this this makes me want to go and hang out with my kids. As I was writing, my daughter Lexi brought me a little stuffed monkey, one of her babies, so I could give it a hug. It was the most important thing I could do. In that moment, nothing else mattered.

Grant’s family and friends have experienced great loss, and I mourn with them from a distance.

Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom. -Psalm 90:12

[RadCast] Realizing God’s Presence (Genesis 28:12-18a)

Posted on July 14, 2020 by radamdavidson

Jacob heard God in a dream. When he wakes up, Jake’s reaction isn’t excitement for the promise or peace for the future, but rather the realization that God was with him. What more do we need? He is Emmanuel. May you remember His presence today!

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On Face Masks

Posted on July 13, 2020 by radamdavidson

A sentence in a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece regarding re-opening school says it all: “The evidence is still emerging, and credible studies can be marshaled to support both more and less caution.” This might be the most insightful thought for our times regarding how we respond to COVID-19, especially when it comes to wearing face masks. It didn’t take long for me to find a number of articles that supported the use of masks as a preventative. It took me only a few more seconds to find a number of articles that debunk the idea entirely. Do you know what this means? You and I can use the internet to prove almost anything, citing reputable sources and independent studies, aligning with 100% conflict and still be “correct.”

How do people decide which version of mask data to support? Sham or safe? It seems to often fall into political affiliation. We all want to belong, and you can’t belong unless you know who you identify with — and who you don’t. Political parties achieve a binary social construct perfectly, complete with heroes, villains, aggressive media coverage, and life-altering outcomes that will affect our society and world. Political calibration is very real, and the alignment of mask vs. no mask seems to fit the two-party narrative with near perfection. Now… I know that not everyone thinks this way, and I hope you’ll allow me to use a fat Sharpie marker to draw a vague sketch rather than a Pilot G207 pen for detail and nuance. Generalities help us understand our world, but it shouldn’t be how we classify all people everywhere. I’m just saying that there is a pretty strong corollary between mask usage and political views.

I sometimes make personal decisions based on the accepted party line rather than my own researched thinking. I fear that I, too, am a victim of the Dunning-Kruger effect, where my incompetence is so rampant, I rate myself a pro, like a toddler brandishing a plastic hammer on one hand and a Fisher-Price contractor’s license in the other. With the amount of media coming at us, and the communal standard that we all be intelligent and well informed voters, none of us wants to be caught red-handed in our own ignorance. Therefore, it’s easier to see what “my tribe” is thinking and take a side. It might seem lazy of us, but it’s MUCH easier than doing actual research (which often disagrees with other research, as discussed above).

Here’s the thing about masks. In my fair state of Michigan, it’s now law (or, rather, an executive order with the power of law) that we must wear protective face coverings in public. Stores and shopkeepers are expected to monitor incoming customers, and disbar anyone without a mask form patronizing their establishment. Now some people are in an uproar (… our freedoms …) (… masks are useless …) (… where’s your mask …) (… hoax …) (… Anderson Cooper said …) (… Big Gretch …) and the like.

Ya know, no matter what you think about the effectiveness of masks, you might be right. You might be right that it’s a waste and we’re breathing our own gross bacteria and carbon dioxide. You might be right that they stop nose goblins from landing on others and infecting them. You’re right, we’ve lost our rights. You’re right, we need to do this to mitigate the disease. You’re right, it’s a hoax. You’re right, it’s not.

But no… we can’t stand in the middle. A half-mask looks ridiculous.

I think Blaise Pascal has guidance for us. Remember Pascal’s wager? He argues that we’re better off believing that God exists rather than not. If, when we die, we discover that there is no God, we’ve only lost some extravagance and luxury. But if we die and find ourselves before a very real God, we’re going to be glad we believed. In other words, do you really want to be wrong about this? Of course, Pascal’s wager isn’t a complete argument for the existence of God, but it’s a good starting point for sharing the gospel. Because, wow… what if you DON’T believe in God and… you’re wrong?

Here’s Pascal’s wager for masks, adapted by Davidson. The Pascal/Davidson Wager, if you will. It goes like this: let’s say that the masks made no difference at all in transmission of COVID-19. None, nada, zip. What have you really lost? It’s inconvenient, and perhaps it’s not great for your lungs in the long term. But we’re talking about a quick trip to the grocery store — maybe an hour. If you’re wearing a mask, even if you’re right about it being ineffective and might violate your political party line, you haven’t lost that much, have you?

Yes, you may be right. But what if you’re wrong?

What if the masks do make a difference?

“Oh, it only makes a small difference, so why wear it?”

It depends on how small a difference we’re talking about. What is a small difference? 25%? 10%? 5%?

Would I wear a mask if it lowered the chance of infection and death for me and my fellow humans, even by 5%? Of course. Why wouldn’t I?

About 10 years ago, I had chronic strep throat. My doctor asked me about a tonsillectomy. Excited about the prospect of endless ice cream combined with throat relief, I said “tell me more.” And he did. He told me that adults have a 1% of dying from tonsillectomies, which is waaay higher than kids. Guess who still has tonsils, based on a 1% chance?

It seems like we don’t have enough information to make such a final decision on masks. I would rather risk looking foolish than more illness and death. I would rather go through the annoyance of driving back home to get my forgotten mask. I would rather be aggravated by the smell of my own coffee-laden breath.

If you’re the betting type, I recommend betting on masks, because the potential gains outweigh the potential losses. If you’re the investment type, I recommend investing in the masks because the ROI could be millions. If you’re the political type, wear… well, you get the point.

Besides the Pascal/Davidson wager, I offer one more reason to don a mask. It’s the employees who are paid to make sure you’re wearing a mask. It’s the person who has no political affiliation and just wants to keep their job without risking something far more. The ones scared about what people might do when they are asked to either comply or leave the store. The ones who are afraid to be on the news because someone brought it upon themselves to choose the entryway at Whole Foods as the place to berate a $9/hour college student for challenging their core identity.

See it as an opportunity to risk looking foolish for the sake of serving your fellow humans. You can still vote for whoever you want. You can still breathe freely at home. You can be perceived as a strong-willed person who looked at the odds and said “why wouldn’t I?”

Do it for the chances. Do it for the employees. Do it for me. Wear a mask.

This concludes my rant. Let’s still be friends.

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On Teachers

Posted on July 12, 2020 by radamdavidson

It’s a good thing I had Gordon Parrington for 10th grade Biology at John Glenn High School. Mr. Parrington was the first teacher I had who said something that, at the time, sounded downright scandalous: it was okay to get a C instead of an A. He reasoned that we we are in school to learn, not perform, and that an earned C (or C- in my case) was better than a fudged A, because it meant you were learning.

It was that mindset — that freedom to learn and not jump through hoops — that carried me through the rest of High School and, by some miracle, into college. Mr. Parrington, Mr. LeBlanc, Miss Hakala (oh, I had a serious crush on her in 6th grade) and Mr. Cramer taught me more than the state mandated curriculum. As it turns out, a good modern novel can be life changing (LeBlanc), music is a delicate balance of blend and beauty (Cramer) and I was a pretty good writer (Hakala).

I’ve been a big fan of public school teachers. Parents typically send their kids to school for pragmatic reasons — to pass the test, win a scholarship, get the job — but teachers do much more than academic gymnastics. They nurture us into the people we are and shall become. Working for pennies on the dollar, picking up side gigs out of financial necessity, and largely criticized more than supported, teachers are the under-appreciated heroes and shapers of culture. Let me put it this way: when Mrs. Solomone wouldn’t let us get away with shoddy answers on our homework, I learned that it’s important (and quicker) to just do it right the first time. Turns out I used the same principle when installing our backyard pool. Sure, it still leans a little bit, but I did the best I could because I knew that, in the end, a poor install would only cost time and energy later on. On that project, I’d give myself a solid C, noting that I learned how to do it better next time.

Teachers are in the front and center of the media frenzy right now. We face a trifecta of anxious parents and guardians, pressurized politics, and the real risk of infection for kids and especially teachers. The last thing we need to do is add to this by demanding to be back in school full time, risks and cautions be dashed. I sometimes detect a bad assumption, namely that teachers don’t want to teach our kids. They do. All my teacher friends are lamenting the probability of teaching to a camera this Fall. It’s not what they signed up for, but they’ll make it work because they truly love their students.

The sudden appearance of school supplies in store aisles usually brings joy to parents and dread to students. As a dad, I love to say “look, boys — it’s just a matter of days until you go back (evil laugh). Who wants a Frozen II™ lunchbox?” This year, the feeling is markedly different. College ruled paper and those giant pink erasers seem oddly out of place. Yes, our kids are going back to school, but not the way it was. Welcome to Public School 2.0, where the screens we try to keep away from our children suddenly become the main portal for their academic future, and “six feet apart” flows better than “1.8288 meters apart.”

Until April, I taught adjunct classes in person at a local institution of Higher Education. My first online course teaching experience was awkward but it worked. After all, it was a Communication course, and giving speeches to your MacBook isn’t the same as standing in front of a group of people. Yes, the academics were solid and students said they grew as communicators. And yes, this batch of students selected the online version long before COVID-19. Nevertheless, I felt like I was teaching via drive-thru window — a big difference between take out and dine in (another ticklish subject in this whole menagerie). Plus, working adults who paid for their education have far greater motivations than, say, my 6th grader.

It’s as if Mavis Beacon has expanded from typing to teaching everything. I’m concerned that Zac’s retention will be the same as mine regarding facts about the Oregon Trail. I don’t know exactly how it works, but dysentery sounds like a bad way to die and an easy way to lose the game. And don’t get me started on the alternative frog-dissection computer program that Miss Bliss paraded as the solution for Nikki in the first season of Saved By The Bell (if you don’t know what I’m taking about, you’re not a child of the 80’s and can freely move on).

The way I see it is this: teachers need a LOT of support right now. Some of us donate Clorox wipes and tissue boxes at the beginning of every school year — a sad situation borough on by rampant underfunding but still better than the teacher paying for this (too) out of pocket. Parents & caregivers, this is our time to step up and support teachers. They’re going to get enough guff as it is. Most of our schools can’t swing a typical year without parental resources. The need has now doubled. Tripled.

Perhaps this will be a time for our society to reevaluate the role that teachers play. Maybe we can figure out a way — now — to show support that will somehow correct the remarkable lack of value that teachers have undergone. Whether we’re in physical classrooms or not (or a mix of modalities), the simple truth is this: we’ve got to be in their corner.

Lest you think this is a pro union/anti administration post, let me acknowledge that every organization has its mix of good and bad apples. It’s the sad fact of a fallen humanity that all people groups have some level of dysfunction and corruption. I’m not taking any side except for the vocation and calling of education, recalling with thankfulness that I am who I am in part because of good teachers.

My son Malachi still speaks highly of Mrs. Prater, his 7th grade English teacher, calling her the best teacher he’s ever had. Gang, that’s highly valuable and cannot be minimized. As it turns out, good teachers are a gift to students and their parents/caregivers. The last thing they need is to be lambasted for being in an impossible situation that none of us yet fully comprehend. This is one of those times where we have to make it work, whatever it takes, and to see each other as partners working toward the same goal: forming young brains while they’re still moldable. Multi-modal learning and self-discipline are going to be the new reality for the foreseeable future. It’s a great opportunity to teach our kids flexibility, adaptability, and the joy of learning — not for the sake of the test or the A, but because it just feels good to discover something new.

I bet we’re all going to discover quite a bit in the coming school year. Who knows what the future holds? At least we’re in this thing together. Let’s live that way. Until then, I’d tell you to go hug a teacher, but an encouraging email will do for now.

Posted in Child of the 80's, COM211, Education | Leave a comment

Your Internet Prayer

Posted on July 3, 2020 by radamdavidson

Well… where to begin? Context helps, so here’s some: we’re in the middle of an escalating pandemic. We’re finally dealing with our deep issues of racism and injustice toward people of different skin tones. We’re watching the world economy do somersaults as it defies its own dismantling. And our collective psyche is reeling as we are still reacting — let alone responding — to a multitude of crisis.

We human beings tend to classify our own era as “the most _______!” or “the least _________!” or “We’ve never seen _________ before!” These exclamations help us classify and understand what’s happening, but that doesn’t ensure accuracy. This isn’t the first pandemic. It’s not our first painful conversation about ethnicity. Economies naturally do somersaults as they expand, contract, and sometimes even crash for good. A brief survey of world history relieves us of our arrogance and reminds us that we’re not all that special.

Then again… this might be one of the first times that all of these events have taken place simultaneously. If I’m wrong on that, I hope you’ll let my general confession of historical ignorance be a request for correction. This is a unique time, and here’s one tangible proof: the presence of the internet. All this stuff has happened, but probably ot at the same time and definitely not with the internet as ubiquitous as electricity and K-pop.

We see the internet as both uniter and divider.

As a uniter, the Internet allows us to be connected, share ideas, express our hopes and dreams, and relieve the loneliness that accompanies isolation. It gets us up to speed on the deep seated issues of racism in our nation and world, helping us to see life through our brothers and sisters who have experienced oppression as we address injustices that have existed for hundreds of years. The internet makes it possible to quickly distribute a federal stimulus and to do our banking from home, even as we watch our own savings accounts dwindle because there is no paycheck anymore. As for our collective psyche, it is good to have something to entertain us — a church internet broadcast, tweets and ‘grams about politics, and Disney+ (I hear today is Hamilton day).

Indeed, the internet unites us. Of course, it also divides us. People are avoiding Facebook the way we avoid hornets nests and vegetables we dislike. Twitter is mostly the airing of grievances, like a never-ending Festivus. Family members have new capacities to feud because of a Bernie Sanders meme. The internet has given us a home to billboard our personal beliefs which were never intended for public consumption. Do you ever long for the days where you didn’t know a family member was a racist? “Yeah, but I’m glad I know that because I’m going to confront them online!” which always works (nope) and only means that things are going to get awkward with the cousins.

Then, there’s the media. I agree with Brooke Gladstone who said “The media do not control you. They pander to you.” Media Conspiracy? Government control? Nah. It’s clicks and views and shares, my friends. Civic and consumer are synonymous in the United States. Media use the internet to control you — to click on something that registers with your fears or convictions — so that they get the $0.001 through ad revenue. It’s the same kind of “control” that your grocery store uses to make you buy two packs of Oreos for $7 instead of one for $3.99.

I haven’t written (or, blogged, as the parlance of our time goes) in a while, nor will I make a promise that I’m back at it again. One of the reasons I recoiled from writing is that my brainyworks and soulyworks were sloooooly working through all that was happening both in the world and in my own life. I’m currently on leave (another topic for another post) which has given me some time to really process.

For the sake of my own conscience, and maybe for my kids to someday see, I wanted to look back and make sure that I made a few things clear.

First, God did not cause or inflict Corona Virus on us. This happened because viruses and animals and irresponsibility all mix together catastrophically in a way that will only someday make sense and, hopefully, teach us how to human better. God is with us in Jesus during this time, and we are right to pray for a cure, for protection, for a vaccine… and we are also right to support one another just as the early Church did during their own famines (see Acts 11:27-30).

Second, it is wrong to treat someone differently because of the color of their skin. Jesus, a man of Middle Eastern descent with a Jewish heritage, loves everybody. For followers of His do to any differently is an act of insubordination in the Kingdom of God. As a white dude, I am largely blind to the injustice and oppression that my Black brothers and sisters have experienced their entire lives. Now is a time to listen, to respond with humility, and to become a student of the gospel for the world, not just a certain ethnicity.

Third, I confess that my control-freak nature is really challenged by the unknowns that face us. Will there be enough? Will anything be familiar again? Will my boys have a good life that isn’t tethered to a Google classroom? How will we do Special Education for kids like my daughter Lexi? If nothing else, economic and social uncertainties reveal what may have become an idol in our own lives. Has the prayer give us this day our daily bread ever made more sense to you than it does today? I have no reasonable choice but to trust Jesus, which is where He always wants us to be.

Fourth, the internet is a uniter and divider. The internet isn’t bad or good. It’s nothing more than a reflection of our own human hearts — hearts that are mixed up, both united and divided, between each other and even our own selves. One thing that helps me not get bogged down is this: I really try hard not to take myself too seriously. It seems like most of us regret being offended at some point. Granted, some offense is rightly placed and expressed. Ruthless evil is offensive. Ignorance is… a human right. I can laugh at theirs as I laugh at mine.

Finally, the only one who knows everything is Jesus. The only one who promises and fulfills the restoration of all things is Jesus. The only one who joins us in our human suffering while lovingly putting up with our general disregard for truth is Jesus. At this era and every other, it is imperative to keep our eyes on Jesus. How? We might pray like this:

Lord Jesus, help me keep my eyes on you as the author and finisher of my faith.

Lord, help me seek your presence in every action, every thought, and every word (especially the words I post online).

Lord, release me from my misplaced offense as I realize your grace and mercy toward me — that I might extend the same to the people who annoy me.

Lord, help me see people of every ethnicity with your eyes, especially as you reveal my own biases and blindness.

Lord, help me be fueled by your joy as I push fear aside, since fear is out of place in your Kingdom.

Lord, I’m probably going to bungle something today, so give me grace and power to do better tomorrow.

Amen

Posted in Family, FutureAdam, prayer, spiritual formation | Leave a comment

Trinity Sunday & Unity

Posted on June 7, 2020 by radamdavidson

TrinitySunday is a solid day to talk about reconciliation. A community of three creates a world and a community of two in Adam&Eve. Community3 is re-creating by bringing about the Kingdom! Racism/ethnocentrism find their root in Community2. BUT Community3 rescues and heals community. Our community needs healing — big time.

Jurgen Moltmann writes about the strange absence of God during the holocaust. Where was God? “On the cross of their suffering…” God, the Crucified One, suffers as well.

Where was God when George Floyd couldn’t breathe? Where was God when people say (rightly so) “we’ve had enough!” He was, to quote Moltmann, “On the cross of their suffering.”

In their book “The Trinity”, Roger Olson &Chris Hall write that “God had to suffer the loss of community within himself in order to absorb and heal all the brokenness of community in his world.” Profound and true. Does that apply to the brokenness of our world today? You bet.

It’s not a question of where God is. But perhaps a more fair and accurate question is this: where’s the church? I say this as a church leader who has not been as responsible with reconciliation (2 Corinthians 13:11) as I should have been. For this I lament.

Church: Lament! Confess! Tear down walls! Seek Forgiveness! Forgive! Take steps to actively pursue restoration. Have hard conversations with others. Parents, teach your kids to be anti-racist. Pray for our brothers and sisters who have experienced such oppression. Listen.

Listen. Listen. Listen. Stop pushing back by saying All Lives Matter. Listen. Stop justifying systemic racism. Listen. Listen. Come to terms with your own stuff (pursue reconciliation). Listen. Remember that old tune “Open the Eyes of My Heart”? What if we applied that here & now!?!

What if Trinity Sunday 2020 marked a turning point in predominately white churches? What if the church suddenly stepped up with the voice of reconciliation we were given at Pentecost? We claim to be people of Father/Son/Spirit. Any disunity among us can’t be ignored. Help, Lord!

Be Christocentric (Christ Centered) not Ethnocentric (people-group centered). Remember the Trinity, a perfect community, has the power to heal an imperfect community. Why? Because of the Grace of Jesus, the Love of the Father, and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 13:14).

Some Sources from this Sunday:

Posted in Church Year, lectionary, on Preaching | Leave a comment

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(R) Adam Davidson

[RadCast] Keeping the Name of God Near (Psalm 75:1) :::

On Grant Imahara

[RadCast] Realizing God’s Presence (Genesis 28:12-18a)

On Face Masks

On Teachers

Your Internet Prayer

Trinity Sunday & Unity

Audio Post

[RadCast] God speaks a beautiful day into existence…(Psalm 19)

[RadCast] Hard Pressed? Cry out! :::

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