ONENESS - Week Three

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy 
and to walk humbly with your God. 
Micah 6:8 (NIV)

Each of us is an expert in our own perspectives but we need to seek out perspectives that are different from our own. This series seeks to provide that opportunity through a rotation of pastors with different ethnic backgrounds.

Last week’s visit from Jorge and Kristia Villalvazo from LifeHouse Church was certainly a blessing to our church and many of you have commented on the power of his message on walking with humility! Thank you for the way you received them so warmly.

Kim and I were at LifeHouse Church where I shared a message on how "Loving Mercy" brings people together in three aspects. The people there were very warm and gracious to us and not only affirmed my message but were also of great encouragement for me to continue to be the messenger on this topic.

This week’s guests will be Shawn and Rosalind Buckhanan who are special friends of Kim and I and who have been serving our community at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church since 1993!

I personally sought out Pastor “Buck” to talk to us about “Acting Justly” from his perspective. You can expect to hear things that break your heart and things that anger you. You will likely hear things that you agree with and some things you don’t BUT we are a church who isn’t afraid to look through the eyes of others and discern, with the Holy Spirit’s help, what is true.

This past week I met with Shawn (to my left in the photo below) and others in preparation for me to speak at Shawn’s church. I learned so much about how the eyes and the ears of that congregation may perceive not only my words but my mannerisms and I paid close attention because I really want to “say what Jesus would say in the way that Jesus would say it” as I try to learn how to accurately define the problem of racism in our country in ways that everyone can agree and then lead somehow in crossing the divide that exists.

I hope you can make it to hear a message on justice from a perspective different than most of us possess in preparation for becoming part of the solution our country needs us to be right now!

We are expecting a few hundred people to come on Sunday evening and experience the love of Jesus on our campus! Dozens of people are planning to decorate about forty trunks and hand out loads of candy, a live band has been rehearsing and ready to entertain, and we’ve been praying that God will use us to touch lives who will come to know, love, and serve Jesus!

The event will run from 5:00-7:00pm and those providing trunks will be arriving at 4:00 with other volunteers coming at their assigned times. Let’s join together in prayer for our big God to move in a big way this Sunday from start to finish!