Is the World Getting Better?

—“Is the World Getting Better?”
by Walter W. Fordham, Message, July 1953

smiled at the man wearing a beige baseball cap, with bold black letters declaring,

Shalom

Shalom

Because I smiled, he thought (rightfully so, I guess) that he could pull me aside, there at the DMV.

“Do you know what Shalom means?” he asked.

“Peace, right?” I said.

“Oh but it’s so much more, and more beautiful than that.”

Turns out, this rabbi is a Messianic Jew, a believer that Christ has already come, and that He truly is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). I listened nervously, knowing that this was a story I didn’t want to miss, while there for an appointment I also didn’t want to miss.

By donna green goodman

am really bothered when I hear “experts” talk about how horrible African American/Soul Food is for our health. It’s true that the fatty and sugary traditional foods are not healthy. And the fast food restaurants in our communities definitely aren’t healthy. But they seem to always stop short of promoting the value of a number of foods that are clearly core to our cultural cuisine norms, the ones that are so very healthy!

Here are some facts about the goodness of some of our cultural foods.

BY JOHN AND APRIL NIXON

et’s be honest, everybody lies, but especially those who are in committed relationships. Though most people agree that lying to your spouse is not a healthy practice, it is often the most comfortable option so we sometimes rely on untruths to get us through.

“Lying is quite common in relationships,” says Manhattan-based licensed clinical psychologist Joseph Cilona, PsyD. We even find ourselves using other words to characterize it so that we don’t feel quite so bad about it. Words like: fib, story, tale, and white lie. We tell “little white lies” to our partner to help keep the peace, smooth things over, stop a fight from happening, or to spare their feelings.

esus said in Matthew 26:11 that the poor will be with us always. And, He is correct! While Jesus lived among us for 33 years, the poor and economic injustices have been with us since even He was born to His impoverished earthly family, and they still exist today. Did Jesus mean we will always have economic injustice?

For a variety of reasons, economic justice is difficult to achieve and is complex. First, where would we even begin to bring equity in this regard? Should the fight for economic justice begin with living wages or house pricing discrimination? Should we begin with inflation and gas prices in minority communities being higher than those in other communities? Or what about resolving the injustice in the United States tax code? Or, should we start with banks and their predatory lending policies, or credit card fees injustice and discrimination?

In addition to where to begin, we are also faced with, what I call the “Whack-A-Mole” problem. If justice is obtained in one area, will it spur economic injustices in other areas? For example, if people are paid increased wages, then those with wealth and company owners will argue that some people at the economic bottom will inevitably be fired or some simply let go.

ow satisfied are you with where you are in life? Do you desire something more? Are you experiencing an urge to move to the next level? Is there a sense you want a vocation or avocation more aligned to your purpose and sense of calling? If so, you may be an ideal candidate for a life design update.

The Bible encourages us to pursue a deeper purpose in life. We are reminded that each of us has a special plan and purpose for our lives (see your: future—Jeremiah 29:11-13, design—Romans 8:28, cooperation—Proverbs 3:5-6). It’s been said: “As sure as surely as we have a place in heaven to come, we have a special place and work to do here on earth.” Finding purpose is the focus of Life Design (LD).

Life Design focuses on intentionally designing your life for a productive fulfilling purpose. It is not a cure-all, but a forward-looking plan to help realize where you are and want to be.

hen the children of Israel approached the land promised to them by God, they sent spies to gather intelligence. In the Promised Land, they discovered beauty unimaginable and resources beyond comprehension, and the threat of giants. The fear that filled their hearts grew larger than the giants themselves. Thus, Israel refused to enter the land that was already theirs. Instead, we know they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of their unbelief.

We’ve heard the story and mourned this wasteful outcome. But a deeper look into the response of the Israelites at the edge of the Promised Land highlights the human experience of trauma or repeated disappointment.

A San Francisco Bay area native, McBride allied with other organizations to help address gun violence and homicide rates in Oakland, California. This alliance, while realizing success, also gained two insights the hard way. First, effective strategy requires community policing that reflects input and buy-in from key community members. And, second, effective policy and programming must be narrowly tailored to the segment most likely to be involved in gun violence in the first place.