No More of This

I was going to originally write a post entitled "Be Strong and Courageous", but today I had to funeralize a young lady by the name of Ashley Brown, who was tragically killed last week at the age of 27. What makes it so heartbreaking, is that she was an innocent bystander, who was struck by a stray bullet as an assailant just shot into the crowd. This is the third tragic funeral I have had to preach within the last year. I am saddened and sickened at my generations lack of compassion when it comes to life. I shared at the funeral today the passage from Luke 22:51. It was in this passage, as they were coming to arrest Jesus, that His disciples pulled out there swords and responded with violence. Jesus exclaims, "No More of This", encourages them to put there swords away and heals the injured man. In essence, Jesus was telling us all that violence is not the proper response. No matter if we feel its right or not, violence is not the answer. Just as Jesus was telling the disciples to put the swords away, the same could be said to our young people to put the guns and knives away. Even after the put the swords were put away, there was still an injured man. Jesus puts His hands on his ear and heals the man. The profound point here is that violence will always leave someone injured, whether it is physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. The only healing can truly come from Jesus. We can march, hold vigils, but true healing comes from a touch from the master. The chronicler proclaims "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, seek my face, then I will hear from heaven and HEAL their land". Let us earnestly seek God and trust that He will HEAL our land, from senseless violence. Let us declare and partner with Jesus and live out "NO MORE OF THIS!!!!"

What Do You See?

Yesterday, in our staff meeting, I shared a leadership exercise. I brought an acorn to the conference room and laid it on the table. I went around the room and asked everyone what they saw. The majority said an acorn. When it was my turn, I remarked that I saw chairs, pews and a pulpit. I was teaching on the principle of Vision. The Word of God says that "without VISION, the people perish." Leaders have to have the ability to see something beyond its now. Where other people are limited by a present perception, a visionary leader has to see beyond the now and into the not yet. The tension of life is the fragile place between being and becoming. I have to acknowledge what is, while also pressing forward to what can be. Life is like that acorn. To limit it to today is to abort the potential that it has to be greater tomorrow. Be Blessed, PG