Poor man has a sweet lamb that the family loves so much she sleeps in the bed at night and eats from their table. She’s part of the family. When the rich man entertains a traveling friend one evening, however, the rich man doesn’t select from his own vast herd to prepare a meal for his guest—no. He has spied the frolicking pet at the poor man’s house. Determined to have her, and because he could, he commandeered his way in past the strong arm of the father, the objections of the mother, and the tears of the babies. He seizes the lamb, kills it, and serves it to his guest for dinner.

End of story. Nathan waits.

David erupts at the thought of this miserable injustice and through his righteous clenched teeth declares:

“As the Lord liveth, this man shall die!”

That’s when Nathan turns to David, his king, and says to him, “Thou art the man.”

This moment stands alone in its dramatic and prophetic force. Expecting a child any day now from his stolen wife, the king thought he got over.

“Few individuals in David’s reign wielded the influence or had the guts to confront him on his sin” John Maxwell posits about Nathan the prophet. One of the most famous gut checks in the Bible, and David did not see it coming. It was a sho nuff “straight lick with a crooked stick.” The content was so strategically embedded as to protect the prophet, because, you know, messengers can lose their jobs these days, if not their heads. But if you read it as simply a response to David’s infidelity with Bathsheeba, you may have missed its broader application.

This evergreen parable inspired by the God of love and justice, illustrates that He stands witness. A parent, a spouse, organizational leader, corporate executive or head of state without godly restraint, fears to cross no line. David’s sexual impropriety was but one in a series of moral lapses. Always a power play, sexual “conquest” is but one symptom of an individual who craves, and is drunk with power.

Consider: David’s woeful accession and appropriation to himself of another man’s wife. How David manipulated and strung along Uriah, playing him for a fool as part of his cover up. Witness the sexual exploitation of Bathsheeba’s body, and the resulting pregnancy. Then came a veritable hit put on one of the nation’s elite and valiant soldiers. The collusion among trusted advisors, implicating all in the heinous plot. Finally, watch David simply move Bathsheeba into the palace—under the appearance of normalcy.

Up until Nathan’s visit, David could both live with himself, and sleep at night just fine, apparently. That the parable’s imagery includes the details of a closely held relationship between the family and its one lamb, can also be expanded. Though he had and could have anyone he wanted, power drives the rich man to seize the lamb, and David to seize Uriah’s wife. Gaming the system, and exploiting the advantage, scorching the earth and her people — rather than a kingdom tactic, repulses the sensibilities of a compassionate God.

This environment led to disparities in homeownership that affect Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics to this day. Fortunately, the Covenant Homeownership Act was enacted in 2023 to help people who have been impacted by racist practices of the past.

McAdoo minimized ornamentation. This revealed the geometric shapes and clean lines formed by the structural materials, like steel, concrete, and stones. These looks were integrated with the natural landscapes of their surroundings to make them scenic from inside and out. Likewise, in his role as an activist, McAdoo stripped away facades from racist structures, opened up more space, and shone the light of truth to attract more people inside.

Homes designed by McAdoo were featured in the “Home of the Month” section of The Seattle Times in 1955-56. His excellence in small scale projects brought larger commercial and government projects to him throughout his career. On more than one occasion, he used his access and leverage to purchase property for black people who were excluded from doing so themselves.

His passion for affordable housing led to him moving his family to Jamaica in 1961-62, where he worked with USAID to design modular housing that could be sourced from materials within Jamaica, and largely assembled by unskilled laborers. Then McAdoo moved to Washington, DC, to help establish the Latin American Division of USAID, and work on the design team for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In 1964, McAdoo resumed his private practice in the Seattle area, and also became president for the Seattle chapter of the NAACP until 1969. During that time, he also had a weekly radio show that addressed societal issues, including housing affordability and discrimination. Although Benjamin McAdoo died in 1981, architects and activists alike are keeping his legacy alive through the University of Washington’s Benjamin McAdoo Research Collective that started in 2021.

Medicaid currently covers 71 million individuals who must meet certain qualifications. Included are low-income families, qualified pregnant women and children, children in foster care, people with disabilities, seniors with low income, parents/caregivers with low income, and individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI). It also covers those with certain diagnoses such as end-stage renal disease on dialysis, HIV/AIDS, and cancer. There will also be cuts to the Health Insurance Marketplace program (under the Affordable Care Act best known as “Obamacare”) that serves 24 million Americans who work; many are pre-retires, part-time workers, independent contractors, and small business owners. Notably, both programs cover a large portion of rural America.

Many individuals on Medicaid work but are not provided with commercial health insurance by their employer and cannot afford it on their own.

Unlike the federal government (which will add $3.4 trillion to the federal debt due to this bill), state governments must balance their budgets. When less federal funding is provided for state-run Medicaid programs, the states must fill in the gap. If they cannot, covered services will decrease and people will be removed from the program to make ends meet.

Furthermore, we know that those without insurance are far less likely to seek timely medical care. Twenty percent of adults without insurance, in comparison to 5-7% with insurance, went without needed care because of the cost. The cost of healthcare can be financially debilitating as medical debt accounts for 66.5% of bankruptcies in America, with more than a half million people filing every year for this reason alone.

These cuts are proposed to decrease government spending by $1.1 trillion on Medicaid, Medicare and The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) over the next decade. More than $1 trillion of the cuts are to come from Medicaid alone.

How is it that the federal government is cutting funding, yet our debt is increasing? Show me your budget and I’ll show you your values. Our checkbook shows our treasures to be big business, border control and billionaires. Forty-six and a half billion is set to construct the border wall that Mexico was “supposed” to build. Another $45 billion is allocated to detention centers for immigrants in custody with an additional $30 billion to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Finally, the top 20% of income earners will receive a disproportionate amount of the extended and new tax savings.

The consolation prize is $50 million to support rural hospitals. This is a drop in the bucket as the cost to run even a small hospital is estimated to be in the 10s to 100s of millions of dollars a year. The closing of facilities will not only lead to increased death and morbidity for the people these centers serve, but also to economic disaster as the local hospital is often a major economic engine keeping these communities financially viable. The $50 million is too late to save Curtis Medical Center and will be too little to save others.

Left out completely is targeted funding to support urban healthcare centers, which carry the load of providing uncompensated care to a diverse population in our larger cities. These safety net facilities are also in jeopardy.

One recent example is the closing of two Atlanta, Georgia hospitals by WellStar Health System (Atlanta Medical Center and Atlanta Medical Center South) in 2022. Their closings have put increased financial and capacity pressure on Grady Memorial Hospital, the sole remaining Level 1 trauma center in the city. This means longer wait times and decreased access to care for all in the community. This is especially critical in what we deem as the “golden hour.” It is the time immediately after a medical emergency when timely intervention can significantly improve a patient’s survival and decrease long-term complications.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) noted the financial strain on hospitals.

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) cited apprehensions about operational challenges states will have in implementing the bill’s requirements, especially as it relates to eligibility verification and data systems.

The National Medical Association (NMA), the nation’s collective voice of African American physicians, is alarmed because the bill will expand healthcare disparities and “harm our communities for decades to come.”

Non-profits such as Planned Parenthood are worried that the “bill will restrict access to essential healthcare services for low-income individuals, particularly those who rely on Medicaid for services like birth control, cancer screens and mental health care.” This is especially true as the Supreme Court decided in a June 2025 ruling that states can block the organization from receiving Medicaid funds, even if patients are seeking care unrelated to an abortion. Imagine how this will impact states like West Virginia where half of all births are funded by Medicaid.

This scenario will have broad consequences outside of that for the patient and their family. Someone will have to pay for the $204 billion in increased uncompensated care: $63 billion for hospitals and $24 billion for physicians. That someone is most likely you. Again, as states must balance their budget, the additional expenses will be laid at the feet of state taxpayers via an increase in income, sales, and/or property taxes.

My support of lifestyle modifications comes from personal experience. When faced with my own health challenges, my physicians were amazed at my rapid recovery and attributed it to years of a plant-based diet and regular exercise.

One other note, H.R.1 passed without compromise or input from members of any other party, because Republicans control the House of Representatives, the Senate, the White House, and the Supreme Court. While I have called out my fellow physicians in Congress, 50 Senators (with a tie breaking vote from the Vice President) and 218 Representatives voted for this bill. Your vote, or lack thereof, can change the course of your life and has changed the country.

My duty is not only as a physician to my patients, but as a daughter whose Heavenly Father requires much for the much I was given. I am to look after the orphans and widows (James 1:27), give openly to the needy and poor (Deuteronomy 15:11), and to consider the needs of others (Philippians 2:4). The parable in Luke 16:19-31 is a cautionary tale.

“What?!” I screamed from the recesses of my mind. I didn’t even really like Nate! Certainly not enough to want to marry him! I’d only decided to pray about his proposal to fulfill all righteousness. How could this be?

Well, I kept on praying that day and kept hearing the same thing in my spirit: “Nate is your husband.”

I just so happened to catch him shirtless in the apartment he shared with his brother when I dropped by from an outing, so we could go grab dinner together. As soon as I got there, he quickly put on his shirt and we left. I do remember feeling disappointed about him covering up (hey, I’m a believer, not blind!).

But here’s the thing: my relationship with Nate was so rocky that, within the first couple of months, I found myself crying over some of the issues I was having with him. Nate had a jealous streak a mile wide – maybe because of his rather sexually-liberal lifestyle as a teenager and young adult. He hated meeting my male friends, despite the fact that I openly introduced him to them as my boyfriend. He would say again and again that he didn’t believe in platonic relationships between men and women.

Something else Nate used to do that I found rather worrisome was his insistence on my submission. He would quote Ephesians 5:22 to me saying “Kaye, I am your husband; you have to submit to me.”

“Dude, you’re not my husband yet,” I thought as I rolled my eyes, internally.

Beyond these though, was his anger. Within the first three months of our relationship, it was clear to me that he had serious anger management issues. Hey, I’m a quick-tempered person myself, but I was a whole lot better at not allowing the anger to get the better of me than he was.

One day, after having just returned home for a brief visit after three months working out of town, I excused myself from him and my friend who had come to see me with her fiancé. I wanted to go say hi to my dad who had just come home from work. Certainly, it wasn’t going to be a one-minute “Hello, Dad.” I honored my father by spending a couple of minutes with him, enquiring about his health and whether my mom had been treating him right!

I returned only to find that Nate had left. In fact, my friend explained that he had muttered angrily that I’d been out of town for three months, yet apparently hadn’t missed him enough to spare any time for him. He had stormed off to his car without another word, said my friend. Her fiancé confirmed that he had driven off with a screech of his tires.

I was due to travel back to my duty station two days later. I went to his place hoping we could talk about what had happened, but he wasn’t in. I didn’t see him again until I was about to set out to return to work out of town.

cripture is clear; we are to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29). Paul encourages us to pray for government leaders and respect their authority (Romans 12 and 13). But Paul demanded his rights as a Roman citizen (Acts 25:11) Therefore, Christians, while respecting those in authority, do not owe blind obedience to any human law if it is contrary to the Law (Torah) of God. What does the Bible say?

Isaac and Jacob were also migrants moving continually throughout the land of Canaan. Jacob fled his brother and violence to have a better future. Late in life, through the efforts of his son Joseph, who was now the prime minister of Egypt, Jacob and his entire family moved to Egypt to flee hunger caused by famine in Canaan, a natural disaster.

Centuries later the Hebrews were seen as a threat by the Egyptians who feared their growing numbers. A law was made enslaving them and finally a death decree was made to curb their population. The Hebrew midwives resisted this order. They made excuses for their “illegal actions” to save the baby boys.

Moses’ mother resisted this immoral law by hiding him. She hid him in a basket in the bulrushes of the river where he was found and saved by the daughter of the Pharaoh who wanted to kill him. This Egyptian princess knew he was a Hebrew but adopted him anyway. He was raised by his birth mother for the first years of his life and then went to live in the palace as the adopted grandson of Pharaoh. This same Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt to return to the land of Canaan.

Another Bible story of migration is that of Ruth. She was a Moabite, a people who were the enemies of Israel. She had married an Israelite while he was a migrant in her country. When he died his mother wanted to return to Israel. Ruth went with her declaring, “your people will be my people and your God, my God.” To eat, Ruth labored in the fields picking up the leftovers after the harvest according to the law of God that demanded the corners of the field be left unharvested for the poor. This included widows and orphans. She married Boaz, the owner of the field she was working in, and became an ancestor of King David and Jesus.

Jesus was a migrant soon after his birth. Joseph and Mary were warned by an angel that their child was in imminent danger of death by Herod’s soldiers who were going to Bethlehem to kill all of the baby boys up to two years of age. Imminent danger forced them to migrate to Egypt where they could be safe.

The first believers in Jesus were forced to migrate from Jerusalem and Judea because of religious persecution. These people fled for their lives. Fear of imprisonment or death was the cause of their migration. The Apostles remind us that we are pilgrims in this earth, wandering. We look for a new heaven and a new Earth where righteousness reigns (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13).

As we can see, the Scriptures are full of stories of people who had to migrate because of their faith, natural disasters, violence, death threats, and more. These are many of our Bible heroes. Migration was a key element in the story of their lives.

The division of human beings because of race, national origin, and gender is not God’s plan. In Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free (Galatians 3:28). Satan wants to divide us and cause enmity between people including believers (James 4:1). Jesus calls us to love one another, even those who hate us and persecute us (Matthew 5:44). And, He asks us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to everyone (Mark 16:15-16).

Jesus commands us to love (John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:7; Romans 12:10; 13:8; Ephesians 4:32). But whom should we love? Some have argued that there is an order of love (Ordos Amoris) beginning with those closest to us followed by those like ourselves. And finally, they argue, if there is any leftover love, care and concern, then it can go to others who are not of our family, community, or nation.

This is not the teaching of Jesus. He taught that our neighbor is not necessarily the one closest, nor most like us. In one of His most well-known parables, He seeks to answer the question: Who is my neighbor? In the story of “The Good Samaritan,” it was not those closest to the wounded man who turned out to be his neighbor. It was a man of the hated, demonized “others,” a Samaritan. Jesus taught that “God so loved the world” (John 3:16), not God so loved the Jews or the sons of Abraham.

Migration is an answer to human needs in the Scriptures just as it is in our times: religious persecution, famine hunger, family ties, injustice, and persecution based on race-ethnicity and other circumstances that make people migrate to another country where they hope to find freedom, justice, and safety for themselves and their families. It is sin that separates people into us and them. The fear and hatred of the other is sinful. Resistance to unjust, immoral laws is the duty of believers.

For many in our history, this was and remains a nation with hopes and intentions to fulfill the longing of the human heart for freedom and justice. It is a nation where religious freedom was the motivation for many of our ancestors’ migration. Christians are called to obey God’s commands rather than man’s. We are called to be light in the darkness, teaching Jesus’ gospel of love for one another. This is a love that is universal, not restricted to those who are nearest to us, or the most like ourselves. We follow Christ, not man. We are guided in our lives by the perfect law of liberty!

While I rarely engage with social media, I am no stranger to how out of control the comment section can become. Years ago, while pastoring a church, we launched an evangelistic series with Sunday morning services. With only the flyer to spur them, the comment section flooded with individuals who disagreed with what we were doing.

Through posts that rivaled dissertations, a small group of people accused me and the church of misconstruing beliefs. These weren’t constructive criticisms or challenges based on biblical facts; instead, they were mainly outlandish claims and unfounded accusations. Although I would reply to some to correct genuine misinformation, I refused to engage in any back-and-forth with others who refused to believe the facts, as I saw it as a waste of time. My church members, however, did not share the same sentiment.

For several days, social media spaces erupted into vicious arguments and name-calling. What started as a few disagreeable posts morphed into negative attention that moved through social media with pyroclastic cloud-like intensity. Soon, the purpose of the evangelistic series became lost among the debris of posts and comment sections.

Proverbs 29:9 says, “If a wise man contends with a foolish man, whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace.” (NKJV). The disruption of comment sections often steals peace and envelops us in numerous unnecessary interactions, distracting us from our original purpose.

Sometimes, I wonder what the Israelites’ Twitter would have looked like as they made their way out of Egypt. I contemplate what that family group chat looked like as the ark floated on day 25. I imagine the tags on David’s Facebook page moments before he faced the Goliath. In all of these moments, if these individuals had chosen to engage in arguments, accusations, and misunderstandings, they would have missed their overall calling from God.

What comment section are you continuously engaging in that’s holding you back from your calling? Friends, God is calling us out of life’s comment sections. Lay aside the distractions and answer the call.

For me, the storm felt personal. My daughter’s eighth-grade graduation was held the night before in a church that was damaged by the tornado. I couldn’t help but think—what if the tornado struck one day earlier? We were spared, yet I don’t think that God spared our lives for us to simply boast in our fortune.

The day after the tornado, several church members entered the disaster zone to clear fallen trees and debris, allowing trapped residents to leave their homes. Others distributed water, food, and essential supplies. In the weeks that followed, members continued delivering items like bottled water, sanitary products, snacks, non-perishable food, wipes, and toiletries. Seeing physically challenged individuals step up to serve deeply moved me.

Another support role that our church members volunteered for was at the central warehouse. We helped unload and distribute bulk donations from major retailers such as Target, Sam’s Club, Home Depot, and Walmart. These much needed supplies were then sent to local service providers.

The greatest reward in serving is seeing the joy on the faces of those we help—a smile over a bottle of water or a pack of toiletries makes every effort worthwhile.

The amount of natural disasters is increasing rapidly. The cost of natural disasters is skyrocketing. But this tornado showed me that disasters can happen anywhere. Every person should do their part to ensure that they are ready. We recently offered an emergency preparedness workshop to help our community get ready for any future disasters. Find one where you are.

You can see God working in the disasters in a few ways. First, I count it tragic that any life is lost, but if a tornado bulldozes through seven miles of a major city and claimed no more than five people, that is a miracle. That’s God’s mercy on display. The damage was bad, but it could have been significantly worse. I believe the eyes of faith can see God’s goodness even in the middle of this disaster. Secondly, God is present through his sons and daughters. The gracious response of churches, civic organizations and people demonstrate the love of God. God wraps people in the blankets that his children give each other. God feeds the vulnerable through the food that was distributed. God continues to support us through the generous donations that are given.