Three Traps to Avoid after a Weekend of Protests, Assassinations, and the Beginning of Another War

Together, we can build something different.

Since I wrote the Crux on Friday, I was given two beautiful hats that my daughters made in Sunday school for Father’s Day, got to talk with six teenagers about Jesus’ call to love your enemies, and got comped a lunch which turned to early dinner as I watched a waitress navigate some internal conflict and was just unable to do her job well. Since Friday, me and millions of other people lived wonderfully ordinary lives, trying to recover from surgeries, care for sick loved ones, teach children to be kind human beings and work to make ends meet.

At the same time, millions of our neighbors rallied at over 2000 No Kings Day protests in response to Trump’s DC Military parade, open conflict is breaking out between Iran and Israel, Gaza went dark, and a man who I can find preaching sermons on the internet overseas saw fit to assassinate a Minnesota lawmaker and her spouse and attempt to kill another and his spouse. And tragically, a bystander was killed in Salt Lake City as “peacekeepers” accidentally shot an acclaimed Samoan fashion designer as they fired at a suspected mass shooter loading an AR-15 in the large crowd.

A lot happened — and now lawmakers are returning to get ready to pass a bill that could gut healthcare and benefits for the poorest people in our country, non-citizens languish in squalid detention facilities, and Trump is threatening increased ICE enforcement.

With all of that and more on our hearts, in our heads, and notifying us on the phones in our hands, what would Jesus have us to do?

Take a deep breath, remember God is faithful and will sustain us as we engage beyond headlines and outrage to love deeply, be fiercely kind and resist pride, narcissism and hurry.

First, here is a little more context. Israel assassinated high level military officials in Iran’s capital Tehran, leveled apartment buildings and killed hundreds of civilians mirroring what they did in Lebanon last year. Iran retaliated and for four days they have attacked one another.

Israel also cut the internet in Gaza, then lifted the blackout – shrouding the killing of more civilians under air strikes, blockades and forced starvation.

On Saturday, Trump hosted a military parade in Washington DC and Americans across the country responded with the No Kings Day demonstrations in over 2000 events around the country organized by Indivisible and its partners. Sadly, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo — known as Afa Ah Loo, was killed in Salt Lake City when, 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa pulled out an AR-15 and was shot by “peacekeepers”.

And, late Saturday night, Vance Boelter, 57, fatally shot Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their residence early on Saturday. Boelter also shot state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home. They are hospitalized in serious condition.

So, where do we go from here?

Take three deep breaths, remember God is faithful and will sustain us as we engage beyond headlines and outrage to love deeply, be fiercely kind and resist pride, narcissism and hurry.

1. Be humble. Resist pride.

2. Remain selfless. Resist narcissism.

3. Embrace prudence. Resist hurry.

Resist pride and pursue humility. It can be tempting to judge people who didn’t protest last week, were unaware of all that was happening around the country or think and feel differently from you about Trump’s Agenda. Please remember that there was a time where you were not as informed and active about the political situation in the United States. Someone was patient with you, listened and lovingly confronted you on where you were off track. And there are still growth edges and blind spots to your own thinking.

Remain selfless. Resist narcissism. Fear and the instinct for self-preservation can drive us to see our neighbors as competitors, not potential co-creators of a new community. Protests and demonstrations that push us to see our neighbors as people worthy of dignity, grace, love and justice should also push us to turn those chants and signs into reality after the rallies. Resist the temptation to return to your normal life and go back to prioritizing what is only in your best interest while dismissing those of the most vulnerable.

Embrace prudence. Resist hurry. The news cycle in the United States is dizzying and the number of notifications you get in a day is beyond what the human brain was created for or evolved to process. So, slow down. Put your phone down, close your computer and go for a walk. Make a cup of tea and stare out the window and see what Spring looks like in your community. Break up with breaking news and read a book of poetry or call a friend. Then re-engage with the world as it is in its fullness not just the lens through which Fox News, MSNBC, CNN or your customized newsfeed would have you see it.

PACE Yourself. Pray, Assess, Collaborate and Establish because we are in this for the long haul.

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In Christ and for His Glory,

jonathan

PS. PS. Pre-order your copy of “Beauty and Resistance: Spiritual Rhythms for Formation and Repair” to be released on November 11, 2025.