I was a teacher in Los Angeles for 18 years… I left Los Angeles and my teaching career in November, 2003 to attend seminary, to become a pastor. I left behind many good memories of teaching children in South-Central Los Angeles, as that part of LA was called back then. Among my students over those years (easily over three-thousand total) there were also many immigrant children, some legal, others illegal immigrants (but all hoping for a better life and hoping to become US citizens one day). I taught Caucasian and Asian children and Black and Brown children together, 3 years as a high school and then 15 years as a middle school science and math teacher. I taught in areas surrounded by gang and crime activity. Life was hard in that part of LA. But I will bear witness to the fact that the children of immigrants were among my best and most motivated students. And immigrant parents were hard workers, gainfully employed and generally supportive of their children’s education. I now have been pastoring for over 18 years, but my heart is broken today… to see this now much more broken mess of a thing that the Trump Administration calls immigration reform. From my days as a teacher I can tell you about pain and heartache, suffering and death but also hope and joy… and victories. The LA Riots in 1992. The LA Earthquake in 1994. Just to name two major things we all had to work through. Immigrants and non-immigrants alike. Then there was that day, 9-1-1 as it is now known, when the world changed for all of us. I did my best to help my students cope… and not to hate Islamic peoples because of the evil work of terrorists. Kids who have been subjected to hate because of the color of their skin or their ethnicity tend to understand best, when properly taught, how to have compassion on other groups who are falsely vilified. Oh how I wish I could reach American people today, especially those who are jumping on the hate-band-wagon towards a targeted group of illegal aliens… an easy scapegoat to blame for all of America’s problems. It is a lie, this time not of the political left, but of the political right. And I am so ashamed of many of my fellow “Christians,” the many so called evangelicals who are jumping on this false patriotic bandwagon, who have lost sight of Jesus and His ways, and have replaced that with ideas of “Christian Nationalism.” America certainly is in trouble today. But not because of the immigration problem.
My Cry & My Plea…
Published by Dean C. Read
I am a follower of Jesus Christ who seeks to make Him known to those who do not yet know Him, and to make Him better known to those who do. Thus, God has led me throughout my life of now over 6 decades. I have been married to and in love with the same woman for over 41 years and we have children and grandchildren whom I also love. That does not mean my family has not been through trials. We human beings certainly know how to test and even hurt those we love. But, God Himself also knows the challenges, the trials and even the fickleness of human love. Yet, Jesus has demonstrated that God's love is sure and secure, faithful to the very end. So, yes, I love because God is love. And, I seek to make the love of God known as it should be. I am a pastor, a preacher and a teacher of God's word, the Bible. Before I became a preacher, I was a public school teacher, and before that I worked at various jobs including, painting, construction, ambulance EMT, parts assembler, and even a paperboy back in the day. In school I played trumpet in the band, was a track and cross country runner, enjoyed most subjects including History, English and Science, and yet, after graduating from high school, I struggled to find my path. Perhaps you can identify? I did not graduate with my Bachelor's degree until I was 26 years old. And yet, from an early age I knew that God was a God of love, and that He had a plan for me, if I would just be open to His leading. God has brought me through many trials, and has always been there to pick me up when I had fallen or been discouraged. And now, I hope to write in such a way to attract others to this God of love. By the way, I also enjoy camping, reading and outdoor activities, especially strolls on the beach, or hiking a mountain trail. My favorite places on earth are Sequoia National Park because of the Giant Sequoia trees, Yosemite National Park, and the jewel of Georgia known as Jekyll Island. I could tell you more; but hopefully, as you read my posts you will learn more about the God whom I love. View more posts
Last Day's Grace 