You may never hear this from the news media, politicians, or community activists, but the two entities mentioned above in the title are not the same. “Black lives matter” represents a statement of values, while “Black Lives Matter” represents a political movement. Let’s drill down to explore how the two differ.

Black lives matter as a statement of values raises some questions. What makes any life matter? Why do any of us have value? People ascribe value to one thing or another, or to one group or another, but people are fickle, and opinions change. Various people have differing views of what matters, or even differing views of truth. Where can we turn for a secure understanding of value, or of what matters?

When I want to know what is true or want to understand what matters, I go to God’s revealed word. And God’s word, the Bible, makes strong statements about the value of human life. For example, Genesis 1: 27 states, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:31 adds, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Among other things, this tells us that God created us in His image, and that His creation is good. It does not take much of a stretch to realize that human lives have value because God creates them.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” and Romans 5:8 says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Not only are we created in God’s image, and not only are we part of God’s good creation, but God loves each of us so much that He sent His Son to save us from sin. We have value because God values us. We have value whether we are black, white, or some other race; rich, poor, or middle class; or old, young, a baby, or as-yet unborn. Regardless of who we are, God created, loves, and values us.

“All” is a dangerous word for any writer to use, but God’s word is clear that all lives matter. However, if some people or some parts of our society feel unvalued or feel that their lives don’t matter, then those of us who know God’s love should lift them up and encourage them with God’s love, mercy, and grace. They need to know that God loves them, and that their lives matter. Do black lives matter? You bet they do!

How is Black Lives Matter different from black lives matter? I visited the Black Lives Matter: What We Believe web site (https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/) to learn about their beliefs and purposes. Black Lives Matter removed their “what-we-believe” page in September 2020 with no explanation or explicit change in goals, but archived web pages are still available on the internet. Regardless, here is what the organization is about, in their own words:

“We acknowledge, respect, and celebrate differences and commonalities.

We work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people. 

We intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting. 

We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a prerequisite for wanting the same for others. 

We see ourselves as part of the global Black family, and we are aware of the different ways we are impacted or privileged as Black people who exist in different parts of the world. 

We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location. 

We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead. 

We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence. 

We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered. 

We practice empathy. We engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts. 

We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work. 

We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable. 

We foster a queer-affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise). 

We cultivate an intergenerational and communal network free from ageism. We believe that all people, regardless of age, show up with the capacity to lead and learn. 

We embody and practice justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another.”

Many of the Black Lives Matter values and purposes seem positive about human life, but some of them go against God’s word. In Matthew 19:4-6 Jesus stated, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So, they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” His statement reinforces a prominent part of God’s creation, a gift from God that is a profound blessing for all of humanity.

The Black Lives Matter statement of beliefs and purposes speaks for itself, and I will note that they have a very ambitious agenda. Why do I say ambitious? Because any agenda that includes replacing what God created and called good is nothing if not ambitious.

Are black lives matter and Black Lives Matter the same? One affirms the God-given worth of people created in His image; the other reflects beliefs and purposes that aim to replace part of God’s gifts and blessings. News media, politicians, or community activists may never tell you this, but these two entities don’t have much in common beyond the name. And it is ultimately futile to deny God’s blessings.

We usually cook ahead for our Thanksgiving feast. Today’s work makes Thanksgiving Day a bit more relaxed. Dorcas is the chief cook, and I am the Aschenbrödel. What’s an Aschenbrödel, you ask? Cinderella is probably the best translation, but the practical meaning is one who scrubs pots and pans, loads the dishwasher, reaches down items from high shelves, does the heavy lifting (literally), and generally helps and cleans up around the kitchen. The dressing and stuffed mushrooms are made up, in the fridge, and ready to bake tomorrow; cranberry sauce is in the fridge; and now the chief cook is working on a green bean casserole. Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving holiday in the US, and we will celebrate!

More aptly, this is the Thanksgiving season. We celebrate with a big dinner and family fellowship, but the season is more than food and fun. We pray, meditate, and worship, look back and look ahead, and give thanks to God who is the source of all blessings. So, for what do we thank God?

First and foremost, we thank God for making us His children. We thank God for family and friends, near and far. We thank God for material blessings, even while realizing that material blessings are ephemeral. Looking deeper, we thank God for spiritual blessings that last throughout this life and reach all the way into eternity. And we thank God for blessing us with you. Happy Thanksgiving!

“You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall” Malachi 4:2b. How I feel after completing a more than six-hour long Zoom call…

Sometimes it is easier to show beauty in a few photos rather than trying to write about it. The coastal redwoods of California are arguably some of the tallest and most beautiful trees in the world, and Muir Woods National Monument, just north of the San Francisco Bay Area, is home to a large number of these majestic trees. Let me share a few photos from our visit to Muir Woods last March.

Have you ever watched a group of toddlers playing with blocks? There often seems to be at least one or two that know how to stack a few blocks, perhaps to build things. Indeed, the simple ability to stack two, three, or more blocks atop each other reflects a certain level of development as a child grows up. But if you watch that group of toddlers for any length of time, what do the kids do who cannot yet master the ability to stack a few blocks? Some ignore the block-stacker’s success, but others go out of their way to knock down the blocks. Repeatedly, they destroy what they cannot build. Some may even attack the toddler who tries to stack blocks, trying to stop the attempts to create. We shake our head at their childishness, console the crying child, and life goes on.

You would think that people grow out of such childish behavior, but maybe not. Someone at work derails a project that they did not create. Protestors destroy someone’s home or business that they did not build. Woke critics engage in character assassination rather than engage with ideas or concepts that they cannot or will not understand. And politicians block policies and people who would serve the community (or nation) because their own words, deeds, and ideas come up short. We see self-interested behavior all around us, and it looks a lot like toddlers who knock down blocks and then turn to attack the kids who know how to build.

It may be hard to know how to respond to people whose bent is to silence and destroy, but I would urge you to build, to create, and to take a constructive approach whenever an opportunity arises. And if an opportunity does not arise, then find one or create one! The fact that you read this blog suggests that you already possess constructive skills: literacy, access to the internet, ability to learn (and even to consider ideas posed by someone else), and willingness to think critically. Don’t sell yourself short; you can use those skills and others for good.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:13-16, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Our home in California sits on about 1/6th of an acre (0.0674 hectares, if I did the conversion correctly). Blessed with a wonderful climate, we have three apricot trees, two peach trees, three plum trees, five citrus trees, blackberries, raspberries, and at least 15 rose bushes. Out of necessity, I have learned a lot about pruning.

So why do I prune? Sometimes I prune to remove spindly, wild growth that might break off in the next strong wind. In some cases I prune to get rid of dead or diseased growth (see the photo above). This protects the health and future productivity of the fruit tree or berry vine. In other cases, maybe two branches are growing in directions that cross each other. If left unpruned, they will damage each other and reduce any crop the tree might otherwise bear. Some trees tend to grow branches straight up rather than spreading out, and the congested center of the tree attracts disease and limits its ability to bear fruit. For those trees, I prune each branch back to a bud facing out from the center of the tree. Those buds produce new growth in directions that enlarge the tree. I could go on, but you get the idea: pruning improves the plant’s strength, aids its health, avoids future problems, and helps it bear fruit. Pruning serves beneficial purposes.

Each kind of fruit tree and berry vine benefits from its own pruning if done in the right way and at the right time. Likewise, we benefit from an occasional pruning by God, who really knows His technique and timing. In John 15:1-5 Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Life is full of surprises if we have eyes to see them. For example, what do you see in the photo below?

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Maybe you guessed it: water vapor rising from a cup of hot coffee. Surely you have seen “steam” (actually, water vapor) above a cup of hot coffee or tea, but have you ever looked closely enough to see the texture of the rising vapor? It is not easy to see, and I had never noticed it until I looked at the photo below (and five more like it) on a high-resolution computer monitor. I shot the photo with an iPhone 6s Plus and then cropped and enlarged part of it create the image you see above.

Depending on your perspective, the texture of the rising vapor is interesting, beautiful, or perhaps both. And sometimes life is like that: interesting, beautiful, or perhaps both. A Cup of Brouhaha is a place for whimsy, serendipity, and some observations about life and the world around us. Thank you for visiting!