Shannon S. McKee

musings and moments

A New Wrinkle in Racial Unity: Learning Andrew Peterson’s Humility

by Leave a Comment

Last week on Facebook, I shared a beautiful song by Andrew Peterson called Is He Worthy? It’s such a breathtaking piece and a moving declaration of worship to the only One who is truly worthy. It is based around Revelation 5 where people from every tribe, tongue, and people will gather around the throne of God in worship. Sadly, the video – which I didn’t watch –  is full of white faces. Not faces of other tribes and tongues. In a song about a passage that assumes the fullness of the diverse Body of Christ. A huge, hurtful miss.

Honestly, if I had watched it, I’m not sure I would have caught the miss. I’m ashamed to say it, but it’s true. So whitewashed is my perspective. It’s been haunting me… the wondering. Would I have even noticed the irony?

In the days that have followed, I have seen the controversy heating up a bit.

Today, Peterson issued an apology on his blog. A sincere, heartfelt apology from a brother in Christ whom I deeply respect. Among other things, he said this…

“So, as a white American singer/songwriter whose only hope is Jesus, I’m asking forgiveness of the friends and listeners to whom this video brought any measure of grief. I’m also asking the good people who have come to my defense to refrain from using social media to do so. Be silent long enough to really listen. And then, if the Spirit leads, engage with love and patience and humility.

As I said, the only way to learn something is to screw up. What was only a small voice in my head a few weeks ago will, I assure you, be a loud, clear voice of wisdom in the future. I’m sure I’m going to make a mountain of mistakes in the days to come, but, Lord willing, this won’t be one of them.”

I am so impressed with his apology. We can learn a few things from Peterson’s mistake. If we do, God can bring beauty from ashes… as He is so faithful to do over and over again.

  1. My white friends… we need to continue to put ourselves in the shoes of our friends of color. When we post, when we speak, when we plan, and when we act. We must pause and ask ourselves, “How will this hit my dear, darker-skinned friends?” We must continue to push ourselves to go there so that these sorts of misses happen less and less. I must lay aside my right to say whatever flashes through my mind or view things exclusively through my white lens. Instead, I need to pause to think about how it will be received. If I call myself a disciple of Christ, I must continue to push myself in this way. Much of Christian history and artwork makes it seem like Christianity had its origins with white folk. It didn’t. More like dark brown and olive-skinned folk. It is hurtful to our brothers and sisters of color when we continue to perpetuate this error. We need to stop making excuses and just embrace this lesson with humility. If you’re unsure, another option before you speak or post or act is to ask a friend of color. If you can’t think of a POC to ask… well, that’s probably a good place to start.
  2. The error having been made, Peterson’s apology is beautiful in every way. If we all apologized this way… wow, the impact would be profound. Peterson makes no excuses or whitesplaining for his error. He does acknowledge that he didn’t intend to hurt and gives some context. But he quickly moves on to share what he did wrong. He shares with us that he wept when he realized his awful oversight. He lamented over his mistake and the damage it was causing. He also asks for forgiveness. Boldly without excuse. And then he instructs people to stop defending him on social media where wounds are usually deepened and rarely healed. (Such wisdom, that!) He also asks us to listen to the voices of those who are rightly upset – to embrace their hurt with humility and openness. Lastly, he learns from his error and sincerely intends, by God’s grace, to never make this kind of mistake again.

This, friends, is the way of Jesus. This underscores why HE is worthy. Peterson points us to Him. I think in some ways this makes the song even more beautiful. The point of the passage is that all of heaven and earth were looking for someone worthy to break the seal and bring healing to the world’s brokenness. Racial brokenness being chief among the obvious cracks in our culture. Our mistakes highlight our need for One who is worthy. That is the Gospel. It’s on display – both in the words to the song and in the video’s obvious racial miss.

Peterson ends his post this way:

“After all, I’m not worthy of praise or glory. Only Jesus is, and it is to his strong hands that I entrust myself and my faltering work. Do I feel the world is broken? I do. Do I feel the shadows deepen? I do. And I truly believe that all the darkness—even my own—won’t stop the light from getting through. I do.”

Shine on, Gospel light. Shine on.

___________________________________

Here’s the song. Because it really is breathtaking. If you watch the video, just imagine that more than half of those white faces are replaced by faces of color. And imagine that right after this song, there’s a another song with a whole different kind of style and beat and cultural feel to it. And, then we’ll be getting a little closer to Revelation beauty. I can’t wait… 

Always Growing: Books on Racial Reconciliation

by Leave a Comment

A few months ago, I wrote a post about my journey in better understanding race – I’m a work in progress and I still have far to go in hearing and understanding the space that my friends of color live day-in and day-out. But my heart continues to beat for a Church that truly “gets” reconciliation and reflects what we will experience around the throne of God one day. A Church that is more beautiful exactly BECAUSE of its diversity not in SPITE of it.

In a talk that I gave at a recent retreat with the beautiful Redemption Chapel women, I talked about ways we can respond to the call for racial reconciliation. One intentional way that we can pursue reconciliation is by becoming more educated and exposing ourselves to voices that can mentor us in these truths. I mentioned several books that I’ve found helpful in seeking to develop my own understanding. I list them below along with some other books that come highly recommended by other leaders I trust and are on my way-too-long “to read” list. I’ve put asterisks next to the books I’ve already read.

Christian Living/Theology:

Historical/Biographical:

I’m a bit of a book junkie so I realize that a long list might feel overwhelming. If I were to choose just one for you to start with, it would be Sarah Shin’s Beyond Colorblind.

If you’re not much of a reader but still want to grow in this area of discipleship to Christ, I’ll follow-up later this week with a few other resources that are shorter articles or media-driven resources.

I pray that, as we pursue growth in understanding and in our relationships, God might increase our capacity to take risks in genuinely loving others and healing the painful scars that currently divide us.

On the Occasion of Her 95th Birthday: Grammy and Her Giggles

by 1 Comment

My Grammy turns 95 today. This precious woman of strength and dignity with a giggle that lights up the entire room. I think most of her grandkids would say it’s one of their favorite sounds.

Ninety-five years has certainly brought a lot of giggles but also a lot of heartbreak. A WW2 nurse, she was abandoned by her first husband to raise four kids alone just when life should have been settling into a predictable groove. One of three from an Irish Catholic family, Grammy was resourceful and independent enough to persevere during those years of mothering alone while working full-time as a nurse until she met my Grandad, who carried his own heartbreak as a widower with three boys. He was the one who introduced her to Jesus – not the Jesus of dos and donts and works that she had learned as a girl. But the Jesus who loved her and pursued her and would meet all the awe of a holy God with His own righteousness on her behalf. She gave into the overwhelming flood of His grace then and has spent the rest of her life unlearning old legalisms in order to really KNOW Him more fully.

When she married my Grandad, they become one family of nine in the big, brick house on Longmere. Somehow they managed to let God take their two torn and broken stories and weave them into one beautiful tapestry. There would be more heartbreak and challenge over the years. But their tapestry would become richer and more intricate over time as they learned to truly love each other and wrangle their growing family. Seven children meant lots of grandkids and great-grandkids to love.

That’s my place in the tapestry. Grandkid #3. I spent a lot of Saturdays in their home exploring and doing projects with Grammy or yapping on and on at Grandad. They were the kind of grandparents who tried to make it to our ballgames and took us for homemade ice cream for no reason. They have always presided over our big family gatherings – we had many over the years. In my adult years I have been privileged to live near them again and see them often.

Today, they always have Milano cookies in the kitchen. Back in the day, they had a knobby rug at the top of their basement steps, apple juice in the frig, and sunflower seeds in the cupboard.

Grammy wrote the best letters when you went away to camp or on a missions trip – or moved away. And, she was always taking care of someone – more people have lived in that basement of theirs than I can count. When any of her children or grandchildren suffered, she suffered along with them emotionally and prayerfully. And, then there was Carmella whom she nursed through years until muscular dystrophy took her life.

It’s funny the things that standout as vivid memories. Snapshots in time that will always stick with me. Of course, I remember other silly things like that she used to be able to make the Donald Duck voice. Or that she could fearlessly kill a Banana Spider between her thumb and pointer finger. Oh, and, I am her Padawan in the ways of the binder clip – that woman could write a book about the many, varied uses of binder clips. Her ability to find a way to reuse or fix something is unrivaled – probably a skill honed during her single mom days. Grandad was always the spender. She tells me that her own Dad was a very frugal guy and that’s where she learned it. But through it all – she has always giggled as she observed the idiosyncrasies of life. Always that giggle. Like she is just truly tickled by the joys of this life.

Her body is starting to fail her and it’s tough for her to get out of the house now. But her eyes are bright and that giggle… it’s not contained to one house. It has a way of sticking with you around town.

In fact, I’m hoping to go get a bit of it later today myself. Happy Birthday Grammy! I know in some ways you’re ready to go meet your Lord face to face. But, I for one, am glad to have the giggle with us a bit longer.

Resolutions and Printables and Words, Oh My!

by Leave a Comment

Can I just be honest with you for a sec? The last few days of December always bring me a lot of anxiety. So much anxiety. Mostly about ending the current year well and starting the new year prepared.

I think social media has pushed me right over the edge with it. All these posts about resolutions and reflections.

What is my word for the new year? Do I even remember my word from last year? What if I pick the WRONG word? How will I reflect on 2017? What did I learn this year? Did any of my goals come to fruition? Did I make the most of my time?

What resolutions will I make for 2018? Is this the year I’ll finally nail my personal disciplines? Is my planner ready for the new year? Where are my color-coded pens and motivational stickers? Do I want to take up bullet journaling for real this time? Should I join a gym or one of the those get-organized classes or a ’30-Days to a New Me’ webinar or a book club or SOMETHING new? Oh, and how can I help the kids do some reflecting and goal-setting?

And, most-importantly, where can I find a cute printable to help me with these times of reflection? Some years (and I’m getting really vulnerable with you all on this one), I have spent so much time looking for the cute printable that I actually ran out of time to do the worksheet and answer the darn questions!

Please hear me. I’m not saying that any of these things are bad things to do. Reflecting is important for our growth. Looking ahead with some dreams and goal-setting is powerful. We need to evaluate so that we don’t just become stagnant – emotionally, spiritually, financially, physically, and relationally. If picking a word for your year helps you do that – awesome! By all means, go for it! Use the printable. Find the perfect planner.

But, here’s what I want to say to you… there’s nothing magical about January 1. Nothing. It’s just a day on a man-made calendar. If I were to breathe a prayer over you right now, it would not be about finding the perfect system to get organized or the perfect planner to accomplish your goals.

No, my prayer would go something like this:

“Lord, thank you for the gift of another year. Thank you that you have called me into relationship with You and given me ultimate purpose and significance beyond any goal I could set. As I choose my word or reflect on my hopes for 2018, I want to submit them all to Your Lordship. Please make them YOUR word and/or YOUR goals. As I process what I want my 2018 to look like, make me hunger for building Your Kingdom not mine. Help me not to find my identity in picking the “right” word or having a well-oiled machine of a planner. Help me not to compare myself to other bloggers or the women I see on social media who seem like they’ve got it all figured out. Help me to find my identity by just looking into Your face. I know you love me too much to just let me be stagnant but that You’ve called me into a dynamic relationship with you where I lean into the Holy Spirit and grow more like you each day. Upend those things that need to go, give me courage and discipline to grow where I need to, and give my clarity of vision as I move into a new year so that I don’t waste the moments you give me. The truth is, I know I’ll come to the end of 2018 with a mixture of victories and regrets. I love that you can take my regrets and make them beautiful marks of redemption in my bigger story. You already know that story. Remind me that everything doesn’t hang on a cute printable. Forgive me for letting a new year produce anxiety instead of a sense of eagerness and adventure. Thank you for the gift of time, Lord.”   

Friends, the truth is that we don’t really know what the coming year will look like. My word for 2017 was “intention.” Nothing about my 2017 was intentional because life just threw more crud at me than I could manage. It was one of the hardest years on the books for me and I come to the end of it weary. Emotionally, physically, relationally. A better word to describe it would be “faith” because that’s what stretched and grew the most in my life. Does that mean I shouldn’t have picked a word? Naw. It just means that there’s nothing magical about those exercises. Reflect, evaluate, dream. But do it with open hands. What if you get halfway through your 2018 and you realize you picked the wrong word? Gasp!! Or that your goals took a different direction than what you wrote down? Double gasp!! Nope… that doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Listen, I grew a TON in 2017. It’s just that it was in ways I did not expect when I was journaling about it a year ago. So, be open to God’s hand in the midst of your planning and don’t let anxiety overshadow it. Instead, enjoy the adventure and see what God does to surprise you and grow you in 2018.

And, if for some reason you don’t get your evaluating or goal-setting done until January 12th, it’s OK. Let the Lord cup your precious face in His hands and guide your gaze to look into His eyes. Find your value there and be reminded that you don’t have to it all figured out this weekend in order for 2018 to be a great year with Him.