Day After King - Dads in Cars with Kids

Abby and I went to Myrtle Beach to hang out with movement makers yesterday. I wonder what she thought as she played with her Nintendo DS for 1 1/2 hours while I talked church planting with Bill Curtis, Dwayne Millioni, and Ronny Byrd. She was a perfect angel.

We drove through the site of the Democratic debates to be held later that evening in Myrtle Beach. The signs, the CNN tents, and the building crowds were fun to see. We did the Ripley's Aquarium, 45 minutes worth of outlets, and headed home.

Mark Penn says I am a part of a microtrend, at least for yesterday. Dads now spend more time with their kids than ever before. He wonders out loud why more marketers have not caught on. Working moms, along with the rising divorce rate, means kids and dads are happening.

As I reflect back on my Cincinnati days (1998-2002) I think about the new work God did inside me concerning racial issues. Attitudes toward people not like me will always be an issue. But, just to be them for a day, would make a difference. People have perfectly good reasons for being the way they are.

I was raised near a small city, with a dad who owned a business, and a mom who worked hard beside him for 35 years. We had money, compared to the rest, and along with being white, I had privilege. Did I work hard? Yes. Did I make good choices? By God's grace, for the most part, yes.

But if my script was different, I would have been different. You see, I got breaks, because of who I was, the color of my skin, and because of my dad. I am not ashamed of that, but I am aware of that. Most of you did too.

Dr. Martin Luther King was an incredible visionary and strong leader. Was he perfect? No. But he changed the conversation, even up to this very second that I type these words. He changed the conversation forever. He deserves a day in his honor, for that alone.