Mr. President, 'Say Something Nice' this Sunday

Sunday, June 1, is national ''Say Something Nice Day.'' The day was started in 2003 by fellow columnist Mitch Carnell and Baptist laymen. Carnell conceived the day as one in which we might intentionally express compliments, appreciation and encouragement to folks around us. In his book, Say Something Nice: Be a Lifter at Work, Carnell calls for folks to take a two-part Civility Pledge: * "Refrain from saying anything ugly, demeaning or derogatory to anyone." * "Say something nice, uplifting or encouraging." His tips may seem trite, but as a chaplain, I believe this approach reflects the Apostle Paul's admonition in Colossians 4:5-6: "Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out" (The Message). Sadly, we are living in days with an overreaching impact of social media. People seem to be out of the practice for saying something nice. And even though you might not follow social media or deem it important, it's impacting you in ways that aren't easily measured. So, I think it's important to keep ourselves informed of how our leaders are using their accounts to get their message across, particularly during the holidays like this past Memorial Day. As a retired Air Force chaplain, this day is one I use to reflect on the many doors I've knocked on to bring my regret for the loss of a loved one who died in service of our country. I've shared our nation's flag with the family as I watched loved ones lowered into our country's soil. So, I think it matters when our president, hours before laying the wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier, he defiled the day by posting this tone-deaf message: "Happy Memorial Day to all, including the scum that spent the last four years trying to destroy our country through warped radical left minds." These holiday messages have become infamous since he was elected. Absent of gratitude, he proclaimed "Happy Thanksgiving to all, including to the radical left lunatics who have worked so hard to destroy our country, but who have miserably failed." His Grinchy message on the day we celebrate the birth of Christ was, "Merry Christmas to the radical left lunatics who are constantly trying to obstruct our court system and our elections." I know he knows how to say nice things, as evidenced this past New Year's when he told a Newsmax reporter, "I just want everybody to be happy, healthy and well." That's nice. So I was surprised that on Easter, he made no mention of our Risen Lord, instead posting, "Happy Easter to all, radical left lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring murderers, drug lords, dangerous prisoners, the mentally insane, and well-known MS-13 gang members and wife beaters back into our country." A week later, he joked to the media, "I'd like to be Pope." Then days before Cardinal Robert Prevost had been elected and named Pope Leo XIV, White House social media accounts posted an AI-generated image of the president as the Pope. In Mathew 15:11, Jesus said, "Listen and understand. What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them." In his day, some might have called Jesus a "radical left lunatic," but these days, approximately 2.4 billion of us Christians call him "Lord." Claude Mitchell "Mitch" Carnell Jr., Ph.D., 88, of Charleston, South Carolina, certainly knew how to "listen and understand." The words that came out of his mouth did not defile. Carnell met his Lord on Feb 1, 2023. As our president celebrates his 79th birthday this month, I'm praying the words coming out of his mouth will stop defiling himself and others. I think we should all manage to Say Something Nice this week. Sign up to receive this weekly column by email at www.thechaplain.net/newsletter/ or send me your email address to comment@thechaplain.net. All of Norris Burkes' books can be ordered on Amazon. Autographed copies can be obtained on his website www.thechaplain.net or by sending a check for $20 for each book to 10566 Combie Road, Suite 6643, Auburn, CA 95602.