From my Church mind

A SHORT EXHORTATION

WHY SHOOT OUR WOUNDED? Ps. 109:21-31

A Detroit newspaper reportd that a patient in a local hospital was shot and killed as he lay in his bed recovering from a previous gunshot wound. D victim had been listed in fair condition prior to

the shooting and was looking forward to going home. Hospital patients and employees were stunned. A spokesperson said that nothing like this had happened in the 50yrs of the hospital's existence.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could say the same for our churches?
Wouldn't it be encouraging if we were able to say that in 50yrs of meeting together for worship, fellowship and spiritual healing, we had not had a single instance of a wounded member being cut down by the unkindness of a fellow Christian?
Many among us have experienced the pain that David expressed in Psalm 109. When he was hurt and vulnerable, insensitive people took advantage of him. Certainly, if he had sinned, he needed their loving correction. what he didn't need was their scorn, gossip, and selfish neglect.
Who shoots his foot after stubbing his toe? No one in his right mind. Neither should anyone with the mind of Christ act unmercifully toward a wounded brother or sister in the body of Christ. Rather, we must "show mercy" (v.16).

Give me, Lord, a lot of mercy
For my fellow men

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1/ Here’s a list of conversational frameworks I’ve picked up that have been helpful.

Please add your own.

2/ The Magic Question: "What would need to be true for you


3/ On evaluating where someone’s head is at regarding a topic they are being wishy-washy about or delaying.

“Gun to the head—what would you decide now?”

“Fast forward 6 months after your sabbatical--how would you decide: what criteria is most important to you?”

4/ Other Q’s re: decisions:

“Putting aside a list of pros/cons, what’s the *one* reason you’re doing this?” “Why is that the most important reason?”

“What’s end-game here?”

“What does success look like in a world where you pick that path?”

5/ When listening, after empathizing, and wanting to help them make their own decisions without imposing your world view:

“What would the best version of yourself do”?
"I lied about my basic beliefs in order to keep a prestigious job. Now that it will be zero-cost to me, I have a few things to say."


We know that elite institutions like the one Flier was in (partial) charge of rely on irrelevant status markers like private school education, whiteness, legacy, and ability to charm an old white guy at an interview.

Harvard's discriminatory policies are becoming increasingly well known, across the political spectrum (see, e.g., the recent lawsuit on discrimination against East Asian applications.)

It's refreshing to hear a senior administrator admits to personally opposing policies that attempt to remedy these basic flaws. These are flaws that harm his institution's ability to do cutting-edge research and to serve the public.

Harvard is being eclipsed by institutions that have different ideas about how to run a 21st Century institution. Stanford, for one; the UC system; the "public Ivys".