Thursday Three For All

A Greater Identity. As a white American, I’m not sure I’ll ever completely understand my African American brothers’ and sisters’ hurt over the outcome of the recent Zimmerman trial. Earlier this week, a wise friend tried to guide me through the reality of the pain that surrounded the trial. Not the Martin / Zimmerman situation particularly, but the fact that our nation is still so racially divided.

This post by my friend Casey Chappell takes the perspective of a white mother of a transracial family. Casey astutely points us towards the only solution in the fight for racial equality: the cross of Jesus Christ.

My heart has been heavy because of the extensive conversations about race… I have cried over the ignorance on both sides and yelled at the TV because I wish people could hear how they sound… I’ve said enough and turned the thing off and even then my thoughts race.  It’s frustrating and even comes with a lot of cognitive dissonance because I can’t just think as a mom or a white person… I have to think as a white mom to a black person.

 

Seven Seconds to Make a First Impression. (Forbes) First impressions count…inside the church and out. Here’s what people thing about you in the first few moments.

First impressions are more heavily influenced by nonverbal cues than verbal cues. In fact, studies have found that nonverbal cues have over four times the impact on the impression you make than anything you say.

 

How to Become the British Monarch. Just in case you wondered how this Royal Baby thing works out…