Say “I Do” and Join the Marriage Celebration of Caring!

For land’s sake Mackie! Just what’s it gonna take for you to straighten up and fly right?” Lord have mercy. I bet if I heard that people-thunder once from all of those grownups whose loving hands were kneading and molding the clay of my character, I’ll bet I heard it a thousand times. Just what is it gonna take? By the way, that is THE question folks.

Just what’s it gonna take for America “the right now” to become America “the beautiful” for every single person living here from sea to shining sea? Just what’s it gonna take? How do you and I answer that? I’d like to share the answer growing inside of me. In fact, I’m dying to share with you.

Over many months now, I have sought to bring to the surface in people’s thinking their own glimpse and grasp of the answer. I never begin by asking them, “What do you think is wrong with us here in America?” I don’t ask it, because you and I know that that question plunges us into a never ending recitation of dysfunction which brushes the hem of despair’s black shroud.

Yes. We all feel a daily pain for our nation. And it is real. It is palpable. The hurt just throbs and throbs. Doesn’t this soul-sadness we feel right now go to sleep with us at night? And doesn’t it hop on us and ride piggy back the next day? No, I don’t ask to hear those verbal bells tolling failure or fault or blame from folks.

So here is what I do ask my friends: “What is our greatest need right now in our country? What is the single most vital thing that comes to mind?” [Please pause and look up from this page and ask this of yourself right now dear friend.]

Here is what every single person has answered in a thousand ways but always the same: “We need to come together SO MUCH!” And I emphasize those words only to try to convey to you what I cannot. I can’t write in my words for you the tearful longing, the aching imploring, the total beseeching, and the soul-felt hoping against hope. I wish I could. But I do know that in my friends’ sharing is expressed their praying. “We need to come together so much.”

As I write these words to you in mid-October, I am sitting here in our nation’s capital. As you read these words, the election of 2020 will have concluded. I know that we are not prophets. But we do not need to be one of those “Seers of old” in order to “see” that approximately one-half of the entire population of our country will not be happy. We will still be a divided nation when the election is over.

We will be divided politically and divided racially. We will still have a division of gender and preference. Our terrific gap of rich and poor will still exist, growing ever wider. There will be the tensions of citizen and immigrant. And we will still have the pain of young and old in generational deafness to each other’s voice. Division will still reign. And its natural child, little red-faced “Acrimony,” will be standing on every corner screeching at all passersby who deign to differ.

Just now, I am remembering the election of 1968. We were so, so terribly divided then. And I remember one candidate for President, Richard Nixon, who later would be elected, sharing a story. It became a central part of his stump speech. He told of the time in one of his campaign stops, as he moved down the lane of outstretched hands, themselves a parable of longing, he saw a sign held up by a child. It read: “Bring us together.”

Richard Nixon didn’t. He couldn’t. But he is not alone. No President can. At best a President can inspire us to unify. But the reality of true unity is beyond a President’s power. It is only the people who can bring the people together. We are the ones who must join hands, and hearts, and heads. So what’s it gonna take?

Would it shock you if I told you that many of us have already lived way past “gonna?” That’s right. “Gonna” has become “now” in our very midst. Yes! There is a huge band of us living in complete and loving unity right now. And even more, there are millions of hearts here in America willing to join us in expanding this total togetherness from the Pacific to the Atlantic. And also there are the willing and waiting billions beyond our shores ready to join in a global girdling of love and caring, honoring each and embracing all.

Did you catch what I just said? We are living the answer to our nation’s and world’s deepest need and the contagion of our caring connections are spreading far and wide right now.

Yes! In Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana, and in other places near and far, a method and a working model that actually produces unity has been developed among us. I don’t have to speculate or postulate or hope or dream about one day joining hands and hearts and souls together with black-white-brown-tan, young-old, male-female, rich-poor. I no longer have to wish for folks of different faiths or origins to dance together with us in a spirit of unutterable joy. And no more do I have to long for even republicans and democrats and independents to truly love each other. I have seen their loving devotion to one another with my own eyes. It is real. It really is real.

I want you to know that Community Renewal can intentionally and systematically start, grow, nourish, sustain, and share(!) true human unity with tangible and measurable results! This is no bombastic or even psychotic claim. I know it is true. I am living it with thousands who are not me. We are different. But we are very much the same. And we celebrate our differences, because they are the source of surprising joy when held in the inescapable embrace of our humanly shared need to love and to be loved.

Looking back to the “how did this happen?,” I saw this: I saw the truth that the power of love had been massively unleashed as we consciously devoted ourselves to the common purpose of bringing loving kindness to everyone in our city. We shared that common Cause. And we Committed ourselves to work together for that Cause to be realized.

As we walked together each day, working together for this High Cause, we always looked forward to that “City set on a hill.” We lived together, always casting a glimpse that one day “the city with foundations, whose builder and maker is God” would be realized in history. We strove together, perceiving even beyond the veil of history, that one day we would all be gathered with the uncounted and uncountable multitudes to watch “a city descending from the clouds.” Ah. It will finally be there that “the wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child shall lead them.” We looked ahead longingly but never laggardly. We worked and sacrificed and laughed and hoped for that “day of fulfillment,” all the while not noticing something staggeringly amazing was happening among us.

My friends, as we pursued the goal of unifying love for our city and world together with every ounce of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength, that very hope was being produced in our own midst. We kept our eyes on the Prize that one day we were “gonna” have unity. And then, by the Grace of God, the scales of our myopic souls fell away, and our blindness healed. We looked directly at and saw each other with new eyes. We beheld true love.

Here we were: Young and old, male and female, rich and poor, all races, different “faiths,” and even (miracle upon miracle)...republicans and democrats and independents and all political parties in between, striving together for the purpose of true unity for our city and nation and world. And that perfect unity which we pursued was produced within us!! Our entire team had become the loving community we wanted the world to be. We now are one body of loving kindness and we are growing stronger every moment of every day.

Love one another. As my grandma used to say, “It’s the cure for what ails.” So here is THE question: “For OUR Land’s sake, just what’s it gonna take for America to straighten up and fly right?” Well, that’s simple. It’s gonna take YOU!!

But you cannot do it alone. Simple is not easy. You have to join a team. You have to devote your life to living this purpose together. And when you do, then the very unity you seek, you will find. It may not yet be present in all of its fullness in your city, but I am absolutely certain this wonderful, crazy fun, colorful, loving fellowship will be found in the company of those so committed with you. Now, just what’s it gonna take for you to do that? Just say “I Do” and join the marriage celebration of you to the whole world!!

Heck!!! Why search for a group? Just come and join with us!! So right now, if you are willing, you can consummate this covenant. Go to our website, www.communityrenewal.us. Join the “We Care Team.” And then invite your entire network to do the same!!! You will be a joyful part of the kind of loving fellowship that you just committed your life to achieve. And you just entered America the Beautiful...which now, because of you, is growing more beautiful everyday.

God bless you all!

Mack McCarter

(PS. I urge you to read Luke 17:21 and you will see exactly what has happened to us)

(Column from 2020)

You can join this movement at: www.communityrenewal.us/wecare/