What does a loving response to the Lockerbie Bomber look like?

I’m not quick to jump on national dramatics, but this instance struck a chord with me in such a way that I had to talk about it. Please feel free to push back and voice your feelings on the matter. I don’t have a definitive response, but here’s what I’m processing:

A recap of the Lockerbie Bombing of ‘88 from Yahoo! news:

“in 1988, The explosion of a bomb hidden in the cargo hold of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie killed all 259 people on the plane — most of them American — and 11 people on the ground. Abdel Baset Al-Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence agent, is the only person convicted of the bombing.”

Two decades later, Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill announced last week that Scotland was releasing Al-Megrahi on grounds of compassion due to Al-Megrahi’s prostate cancer that doctors say leave him about 3 months left to live. From MacAskill:

MacAskill said his decision “was not based on political, economic or diplomatic considerations.”

“This was my decision and my decision alone,” he said. “I stand by it and I live with the consequences.”

Scotland has released 24 of the 31 prisoners who have asked to be released on compassionate grounds for medical reasons, including Al-Megrahi, in the last decade. That says to me that the Scottish possibly looked at the scenario and made a call based on health and the quality of human life as opposed to the severity of a crime.

Today on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, Neal Conan talked with pundits and the public both for and against MacAskill’s choice. (You can listen to that broadcast right here.) Our president, some very vocal family members of the victims of the tragedy, and most of the media world have criticized MacAskill and his decision. While they are few, there are still voices saying that they condone the move of forgivesness, included family members of victims.

What should the loving response as a Christian be to this dilemma?

There are a lot of pieces that add to the issue, such as the Libyans giving Al-Megrahi a heroes welcome upon his return as well as his unapologetic demeanor toward the incident, MacAskill’s rumored push out of office over the ordeal, and a protest planned in September in New York when Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi will speak at the United Nations. Whether what is known thus far about Scotland and MacAskill’s intentions are the complete truth, or whether or not this was done for political or monetary gain is up for grabs and a bunny trail I won’t go down.

My question is only based on the reported information that MacAskill acted in compassion in pardoning Al-Megrahi. What interests me is the very public, outward act of love shown to a convicted terrorist. Whether well intentioned or not, what at a statement in to society.

Was justice served during Al-Megrahi’s 8 year service of a life sentence prison term? I don’t know. It’s doesn’t feel like it. From my limited view, it’s just another loop hole in an already corrupt judicial system that let someone off the hook for the price they were supposed to pay. But as a Christ follower, I know I’m not the judge. And I know my heart says that this man is a son and a friend to someone. How can I make sense of it?

From Matthew 18:

21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

What does forgiveness without limits look like? Complete mercy and grace is hard to fathom in every circumstance, and is certainly a gesture we all lack. Do we take Christ’s words and ask where to draw a line in the sand? Is forgiveness meant only for the repentant? Is forgiveness only reserved for smaller crimes and white lies?

I’m not in the shoes of the Mothers/Brothers/Wives who lost their Daughters/Sisters/Husbands on the Pan Am Flight 103. I have not felt the lack of compassion that some of the families of the 270 who lost their lives have felt. There pain must be great.

I do know that hatred can swell and bloat inside of you, leaving no room for healing and growth. I do know that Christ’s love comes without an asterisk or a condition. And I do know that wisdom and discernment don’t come without battling through the tough questions like this one.

Filed under: Life

Patient, Persistant

“Too many people wait until they have all the answers before starting the journey.” So true in my life. Chances are here, and I’m jumping on.

- Grand Rapids has this tight knit family of production crew. Orlando was tight because of the Full Sail connections. Grand Rapids is tight because of a passion. Money is probably involved too. But not with the men and women I’ve met. So solid.

- Marriage is the best.

- I am surrounded by inspiration and visual melody. The camera will be clicking this week.

- I’m not sure what the next year holds, but the hands of time never lets loose it’s grip. It’s gonna hold something, and I’m gonna walk through it.

“…Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
– Nehemiah 4:14

Filed under: Life , Grand Rapids, Inspiration, Life, Marriage, Nehemiah, Nehemiah 4:14, Patient, Persistant, Photography, Production Crew

It won’t slow for you now

This is my last Saturday without someone next to me in my bed. One more week until I dedicate myself publicly to the girl I’ve set my heart aside for long ago.

I surrender this week to the hope of many weeks spent together walking through countryside and scenery, praying over our lives, laughing in unison about human nature and awkward situations, and thousands of miles through countries and cities of old.

It’s hard not to pass on the days beforehand and just fast forward to the wedding. How I often I forget the value of every second of time. I can’t let time slip through my fingers any faster than it already is.

Everyday there is
a chance
a message
an experience
a piece of knowledge
a decision
a moment
a choice
a death
a lose
a sacrifice
a birth
a win
reconciliation
forgiveness
restoration
redemption

“‘Cause time has a mind of its own,
like our sun spinning around.
It wont slow for you now.”
– “Pirate Blues” – As Cities Burn

Filed under: Life , As Cities Burn, chance, Everyday, Marriage, moment, My Wedding, Pirate Blues, Time

The Good Days

Today I was professionally successful. I had a hard job in my career field, and I performed at a level that I am proud of. I have a sore body from the work I put in. And it was a good day.

I try to conjure up the feelings of people in more difficult positions than I, and what they would find to be a good day.

I think of a soldier in a foreign land in battle for the sake of their home soil. Maybe a good day for them is having traveled a great distance, found out how they have a lot in common with the men around them, and nobody died on either side of the fight.

I think of a farmer who plows his fields and hand sows his acres. Maybe a good day for him is when he look’s at his broken hands, sits ragged on his back porch steps, and surveys the land that he has filled with the beginnings of life for plants and for other humans.

I want strength and appreciation like they have.

I don’t think I’ve seen true strength in myself like that yet. And it’s easy to be thankful on the good days. But that won’t ruin it. Especially as I stand below a magnificent sky that’s garnishing this small conquest.

An opus of violet pianos and amber clarinets swirl in the atmosphere while a sapphire mallet strikes softly on a cherry tympani. The chroma mixes and the gradients go deep and wide, like Kool-Aid being mixing in a pitcher. Each particle is dancing, blending in nautilus-like shapes.

The iridescent air up there is amazing, I bet. If I fell out of an airplane 20,000 leagues above the sea, would I be able to enjoy at least one millisecond of being up there where the colors get along so well? Would it help knowing it would be the closest I could get to living around it?

The Sun will be down, soon. The color will fade. Tomorrow’s finale might bring new celebration. Or it might storm for 50 straight years. I sure liked today’s, though.

Filed under: Life , Appreciation, Good Day, Hard Work, Kool-Aid, Opus, Sky, Strength, Success

Take it Full-Face

Love is not reinforced on the daisy fields. Strength doesn’t coincide with financial comfort. Faith is not fortified on the calm, cloudless days.

Let’s see what I’m made of.

19-21I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

22-24God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left.

25-27God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
to stick it out through the hard times.

28-30When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The “worst” is never the worst.

31-33Why? Because the Master won’t ever
walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
- Lamentations 3

Filed under: Life , courage, Faith, Full-Face, Lamentations 3, Love, Strength

Dad

To a man who’s shoes are hard for anyone to fill
and it’s not because they’re size 16
it’s because they’ve walked miles and centuries and galaxies and universes
at least thats what it seemed like it when I was 6 years old
but I’m beginning to believe it again now that I’m older

Because you always tell me never to give up the dream
even though you gave yours up to raise a family
but maybe that was your dream

And you’ve never said anything coarse about my mother
not even a joke around the boys
even though your one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met
the women in your life are sacred and porcelain

A gentle giant to say the least
all six feet seven inches of you
you were made that way because your heart couldn’t possibly fit
inside a bodily infrastructure any smaller

To a man who has had dozens of jobs
and have been good at every one of them
you fix everything
electrical, carpentry, mechanical,
philosophical, societal, communal,
emotional, hopeless, faithless
you fix everything

I wish I could explain you to people who’ve never known you
I wish I could write something about you that flowed coherently
but there are so many things to touch on that it’s hard to put honor to it in writing

Your name mentioned in the county you’ve lived in most of your life
evokes half cantaloupe smiles and warm stories of
life and love and how the two of them are the same to you

I’ve witnessed the darkest of hearts proclaim you wiser than any priest they’ve ever known
I’ve seen ball players and seasoned musicians who have more awards and honors
but don’t even come close to touching the things your accomplished.
I have not met a man I want to be more like than you.

I hope I can give your name honor in the years to come
I hope I can raise the stakes in my life and take a gamble on love like you do every day
I hope I can leave this earth having made it a better place like you have.
I love you, Dad.

Filed under: Life, Poetry , Dad, Life, Love

Firestarter

I’ve been in a white walled cocoon for the past two weeks. My face has a light blue hue from all the time spent in front of a monitor editing video, proofreading resume drafts, and lifting up search result hyperlink rocks in Google to find production companies and odd jobs. My computer runs on AC/DC. My body runs on water/oatmeal.

Budgeting gets real. Every quarter is step closer to rent. My current situation doesn’t fit comfortably into a Dave Ramsey book, but I’m richer than 89 percent of Earth’s population. I was born into responsibility to contribute locally and globally. I need to keep perspective.

I haven’t made the time to get out of this packing crate often enough. I think some inspiration has been squashed due to the cabin fever. My bike is here now, so that will help. I’m awakened creatively in motion and out of doors. But sometimes you just have to take the blinders off and see what your not seeing in the other places.

Some footnotes:
- I have a place to life with my wife in the fall
- Some super good film people in West Michigan. I’m excited to meet some more on a few more projects this month
- Concert gigs are happening for me right now. We’ll see what comes of that
- it seems like celebrity Christianity is almost always a train wreck.
- My Red Wings lost the Stanley Cup
- Nutritious food is expensive
- I really enjoyed the movie “Traitor”. It was advertised completely different than it’s true content. Probably because it’s about Islam.
- We won’t have t.v. or the internet in our apartment, and it’s a great thing
- I’m thankful for music.

“The deeds of faithless men I hate;
they will not cling to me.
Men of perverse heart shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with evil.

Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,
him will I put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,
him will I not endure.

My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he whose walk is blameless
will minister to me.”
– Psalm 101:3-6

Filed under: Life , Dave Ramsey, Finances, Jobs, Life, Love, Poor, Psalm 101:3-6, Red Wings, Rich, Stephanie, Wife

Good friends doing good things: To Open Your Eyes

A lot of our mutual friends have been posting blog write ups about this project, and I’m long overdue in publicly supporting these men of honor. I’m now a poser and on the street team.

To Open Your Eyes consists of Michael Dalton and Matt Addington, two solid bros from Orlando, FL with a heart for change and the vision to be that change. They’ve been working with the Preemptive Love Coalition documenting the lives of 5 Iraqi children and their families as they travel from Sulaymaniyah, Iraq to Istanbul, Turkey for a heart surgery that they desperately need.

I’ve said too much already. Get over to their respective web pages and enjoy Matt’s stark, colorful photography and Mike’s leading, eye catching videography. If you didn’t follow the hyperlink’s along the way up top, here they are again in the oldschool Myspace banner format:

Filed under: Good friends doing good things, Life , Buy Shoes Save Lives, courage, Dreamery Films, Florida, Foster Addington Photography, Heart, Iraq, Istanbul, Matt Addington, michael dalton, Orlando, Preemptive Love Coalition, Sulaymaniyah, To Open Your Eyes, Turkey

The Ultimate Fiance Challenge

Penn's List by carissabyers on Flickr

Here is me the next 3 months:

- Writing Invitations and Thank You notes
- Pre-Marital Counseling
- The well of my loan repayment grace period drying up
- Weddings, Commercials, Concerts, ________ , (fill in with another video job)
- Finding that Feature film
- Finding an apartment around Grand Rapids
– Finding a praying/biking/eating/sleeping routine again

- Catching up with people that have been a part of my life in one way or another
- Learning how to live on less
- Settling my stomach
- Uniting my life with another
- Keeping my word
- Changing perspective
- Manning up
- Throwing down
- Fear left
- Getting right

After the Boys of Summer have gone, that is.

Filed under: Life , Boys of Summer, Check List, Faith, Heart, How to, Manning Up, Ultimate Fiance Challenge

How to Live

Photocred: Mike Dalton

When I think of truly living, I get these visions of nature and of me conquering it. I see myself diving from mossy cliffs into shimmering, calming bodies of water. I imagine myself biking through wide, endless scenery containing smatterings of “The Lion King” like trees and “The Jungle Book” postured forests. I’m fast in every fleeting effigy. Capable and Invincible.

I find myself trying to replicate these adrenaline addicting illustrations in the real world. But it’s pretty hard to be indestructible and timeless. What if my dreams were unchained from my own universe and opened up to the lives and successes of others? What if my libido was to see the people around me and the people I’ve never met find fulfillment and joy in the passions they pursued, and so on? What kind of world and community would that create?

I know that life would be easier if I had a manual. As a Christian, I’ve heard “The Bible is your road map” analogy many times. And I believe in the meaning behind it’s origin. But it’s not literal to my life. Sometimes I just want a step by step guide to my experiences and doorways and cityscapes. Having it all lined up would please my compulsive and controlling tendencies.

Since we don’t get that luxury, I try to spot wisdom as it’s dropped on me. I try to grab the Knowledge Water Buffalo by the horns as it’s passing through to the next grassland. Here are some things I’ve picked up through failure, success, and the wisdom of great men and women I’ve had the blessing of coming in contact with (and in no particular order):

- Love God
- Be quick to seek the Lord in times of sorrow and destitution, and in times of great joy and blessing
- Pray. Pray first and often
- Thank the people in your life, and Thank God
- Read the Bible
-  Journal
- Humble yourself as often as possible. Your personal glory with be your downfall.
- Question all of it.
- Be in contact with all the people who have meant something to your life, whether you are in touch with them or not
- Exercise, Take vitamins, Eat right, Drink lots of water
- Think first, and outside of the normal answer
- Just love
- Find the good in others, and find out how to treat them right
- Live honestly and courageously. God does not foster fear.
- See all perspectives in every situation and have understanding and compassion
- Tithe and give and give away
- Completely and passionately surrender of your life to God’s will
- Don’t worry about what’s the right or what is the wrong thing to do, worry about what the    most loving thing to do is.
- Be Love to all people. Introduce yourself
- Have “Set Ears”. Always be listening, and show that you are aware
- Those who are given much, much is expected from. A.k.a.You live in America.
- Intercede in Prayer
- Make the time for God, and don’t multitask that time away.
- Stop settling for less. Man up and make it happen. Look at all the possible angles, don’t just take the first available. Think about it.

Definitely too short, and not enough Buffalo wrestled. By no means do I have it figured out either, or even down to a workable system. I am not good at doing the things I listed. But it’s encouraging and motivating to know that at one time or another I came to realize one of the those points and I became consumed with the desire to live courageously and with great integrity. And having those memories flood back all at once whenever I see this list gives me an appetite to live my life to the fullest extent of it’s length, however long that may be.

Filed under: Life , Christianity, courage, God, Guide to Life, How to, How to live, Knowledge, Knowledge Water Buffalo, Life, Love, Water Buffalo, Wisdom