I was asked to write something about "Preacher, evangelist and inspirational speaker Juanita Bynum was attacked by estranged husband in the parking lot of an Atlanta hotel early Wednesday morning." I do not know this woman, her husband, inspirational speaking, evangelizing, preaching or Atlanta. However, I have been in parking lots and hotels, and have lived through both Wednesdays and mornings.
Who better to write about this?
And of course, with that wonderful NextStage slant...
There are two Christian biblical verses that have always intrigued me because they are orthogonal to each other. One is Matt 5:15, "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under the corn measure, but upon the lampstead, and it shines for all who [are] in the house.". The other is Matt 6:05, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites, for they love in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets standing to pray, so that they may appear to men. Verily I say to you, that they have, reward their" I copied both from the original Greek of the New Testament, found them through Nelson's Revised Concordance to the RSV. The former is more often recognized as the "Don't hide your light under a bushel" and the latter as "Don't let the left hand know what the right hand is doing".
The close proximity of these two verses to each other makes me think the author(s) wanted readers to believe these messages were colinear, offered at essentially the same time and place, part of an ongoing dialogue or discussion. I don't consider myself a bible scholar and I do think these two verses are from "The Sermon on the Mount" section of Matthew's gospel.
I can't help but wonder if what happened to this evangelist and inspirational speaker, her preacher husband, etc., are demonstrations of these two core concepts in conflict. There seems to be a great demand to show your light -- "Her 2002 wedding to Weeks, who started the Global Destiny churches nationwide, was televised and, according to media reports, featured a gown with a bodice covered in crystals and a 7.76-carat diamond ring." and "Bynum, a Pentecostal evangelist who lives in Hempstead, N.Y., has administrative offices in Waycross. The former homemaker, hairdresser and flight attendant got a break when Bishop T.D. Jakes invited her to speak at one of his conferences several years ago. Her ministry blossomed further after her "No More Sheets" sermon on breaking free of sexual promiscuity at a singles event." -- and I don't see a lot of reference to that left hand right hand thing.
Before anybody rightly offers that I shouldn't be able to see lots of references to that left hand right hand thing, let me share some things about one of my heroes, the Reverend Billy Graham. I'm told he lives modestly, never makes a big deal about his family. All of the money raised by his foundations goes to the work of his foundations. I was close enough to touch him once. He was talking to a group of students and I was lucky enough to be there when he did. He was asked about his ministry and confided that he was sure he was God's second choice, that God had actually chosen someone else first and that the other person had in some way, shape or form declined God's request, so God tapped Billy for the deed.
I'm also aware that heroes are best kept at a distance. Up close their light sometimes fades and their hands are constantly talking to each other.
Orthogonality exists when not enough dimensions are available to provide adequate solution spaces to a system. I think there are dimensions in the human heart that many of the Jaunita Bynums and Thomas Weekses have never tapped or, perhaps when tapped by them, decline their request. I think this because these two people seem to be shining those lights a lot more than they are holding each other's hands.
I do agree with Pascal, Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait pas (The human heart sees what is hidden to the mind, and understands what the mind cannot). I also know that many times I've been tapped by my heart and each time appreciated "Courage is not a lack of fear. Courage is what you do when you're afraid" and "Character is what you are in the dark".
If I do have a light then let me use it to illuminate others' paths. Especially those paths others wish to walk that I'm afraid to walk with them. Eventually they find their own way, become their own light, become a light along the path for others. When this happens I wave them farewell with my right hand, wipe the sweat off my brow with my left and feel my heart add a few more glorious dimensions.
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