The pressure of community exists. It causes us to be better or worse. To step out side or to move inside. Whether we talk about the church community or we discuss the actual community we might live in there is a pressure of sorts.
Yesterday I read as a young black rapper opened up on the community of Ferguson. He came down on the side of “what are you doing, what are you thinking”. He chided them for not “policing” their own. With regard to the living condition he said “who is going to take care of if you don’t? If you urinate in the hallway how is that someone else’s fault?” Both rappers Pharrell and BoB were denigrated by their own for their comments and encouragement to take responsibility for their communities. Continue reading The Tension Of Community→
A recent headline got me thinking about my past and my current state. It also revealed to me the hearts of folks.
Most folks are aware of my background pre-Christianity. The stores, the spells, the witchcraft. I can tell you my pathway to darkness of that caliber was not an “over night” thing. It began long before that. The culmination was a witch who became friends with my wife at the time and subsequently with me. Seriously, it was all down hill from there for many a year. Continue reading What Is In Your Future?→
Last night I dreamed that I was running. Running every where. But the challenge truly came when I came upon a section where it was wet, muddy and had large puddles. I do not know about you but when I was a child this kind of meadow was a challenge. Especially in the winter. How many times did the run break through the ice or get me stuck in mud. I learned to “run light” and get across as quickly as possible. Looking behind me I could see where I had been. There is something about running lightly that challenged me then. The dream brought it all back. Continue reading Run Lightly!→
This weekend brought a lot of a lot of fond memories to the forefront. Memories of family. Thanksgivings gone past. A lot of new memories were discovered and made as well. The Christmas tree went up and there was hot chocolate and popcorn, family and friends.
Family always has its own set of challenges as well. Those challenges can range from disagreements and misunderstandings to the hard ones like sickness, death or disaster. But if you are to implement the goodness of God to the children coming up, you will have to learn to hang in there. To not check out when the going gets tough. Continue reading Stuck In The Mud?→
Yesterday while taking a day off, a friend and I connected. We agreed to grab lunch. We have been friends for a long time but with my new job, there are not the times to get together there once was.
We got there and sat down. Our conversation was all over the place and focused. But at one point we began to talk about my writing and my blog.I asked him straight up his thoughts and he provided them. Some I understood, others I had no clue and still others I had to get clarification on. Continue reading Willing To Change→
You and I may never agree. In fact, if we do not agree, it simply reminds me of the uniqueness God has placed inside of each of us. Sure I would like you to agree with me, but it is not necessarily the basis of our friendship, fellowship or familyship.
For me, there are what I can only call core values in my life that direct me and pull me ahead. Some of those are related to family, friends and the goodness of God. From core values, a thought process or belief system begins to be brought forth. Continue reading Revealing The Sons→
In the dream my wife and I were asked to minister in a town in Connecticut. We drove down there and had arranged for some of our team to join us later. Before the church gathering we were to meet the minister at a school in the area. We arrived and pulled up to the school. Like any school, there was a number of students crossing from one section to another. Some going to their cars. We pulled open the front door and went to the office to sign in. We were escorted to the gymnasium. Continue reading The Lost, The Lonely, The Loveless→
I sat here this morning and read the news. Ferguson, Cosby and Gruber. At first, I thought what is in a name. (A whole path in itself.) But because I had been up early thinking about a particular topic I thought I had a glimmer of where I might head. Reading the news just convinced me “why let facts get in the way”. A former publisher, I had witnessed one too many “why let truth get in the way of a good story”. Continue reading Stop, Look And Listen… It’s Coming!→
Four times they invited me over to sit in and play drums. Four times I politely declined. But there was something about the music that was drawing me. I got up to go get a drink. And there it was. That bass line that need fill. That guitar solo that cried out. I watched the guys as they played and when they played those segments of music, they looked over to me, as if to say “please”. As I walked back with the bottle of water, I felt myself drawn to the drums. Continue reading A Chosen Generation – Chosen By God→
The pressure of community exists. It causes us to be better or worse. To step out side or to move inside. Whether we talk about the church community or we discuss the actual community we might live in there is a pressure of sorts.
