Posted on by Pastor Poet

Integrity…

Treating people the way you want to be treated is called the Golden Rule.  Regardless of how you feel about them, whether or not you understand them, whether or not they look or talk like you, whether or not you share common heritage or interests, or whether or not you even ‘like’ them.

The Golden Rule is the firewall against revenge, pettiness, slander, greed, vindictiveness, prejudice, or partiality.  And it is the only rule that inclines us toward a peaceful and compassionate community. But each time we transgress this Golden Rule, we devolve bit by bit towards inhumanity.  

Such a simple phrase with such intense weight levels us all.  The Golden Rule is an equalizer that erases categories of privilege and oppressed, and places the ability to change the world squarely in the hands of each individual regardless of the corrupt and unjust systems that deceive us into thinking we have no power or control. We still get to choose.  It is not always an easy choice but it is a choice nonetheless.

The Golden Rule demands integrity.  The Golden Rule demands tenacity and faithfulness that proves itself especially when one possesses great power or when one is under intense pressure.  And, it is impossible to obey without intentional humility and intense spiritual fortitude. God help us!

Perhaps this is why we abandon it so quickly.  It’s much easier and quite understandable to want to match energy, to retaliate, to return evil for evil.  But the cost becomes our own humanity along with the possibility of any real peace within or without.

So what will we choose?  While the lines that separate us become deep grooves and ruts – who among us will choose to be and to do differently?  

Jesus expects that anyone who follows Him would attempt to live by His rule – this Golden Rule.  Are you, are we among these?  

A tree is told by the fruit it bears, yes?  

God help us all to possess such integrity.  It is the only hope for our humanity.  

And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

Luke 6:31

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

When You’ve Been Blessed…

After Adrienne and I exchanged vows before our friends and family, we were blessed by our pastor and then serenaded with the song, ‘When you’ve been blessed,’ originally recorded by Patti Labelle.

That was thirty years ago – it was one of the most important moments of our lives.  I am sure that over the years we’ve side-eyed one another, wondering if it was worth it.  Anyone who’s been married for any length of time has come to this point- if we are honest!

But I am grateful for good counsel.  I am grateful for those who challenged, encouraged, and held us accountable.  I am grateful for those who’ve reminded us that as  our lives were being woven together, as beautiful as this is, that it wasn’t just about us. I am grateful that God kept us when we couldn’t!

God put us together because God loves us, but God wants us to be a blessing to others as well.  We’ve been serving the LORD together for over thirty years – that’s as long as we’ve been together. We’ve shared our time, our talents, our hearts, our home, our energy, our resources, our joys, and our sorrows – we’ve shared our lessons and blessings – we’ve had our share of ups and downs – and yet God’s grace towards us and our deep love for God and one another continues to overflow. We are better than we deserve and somehow have more than enough!

As enamored as we were with one another when we stood at the altar all these years ago – we knew that it was never just about us!  

“When you’ve been blessed… Pass it on!”

…give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”  

Luke 6:38

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

To be a blessing…(3)

When God blesses us, it is to the end that we would be a blessing to others. When we forget this, we miss the point and neglect God’s purposes.

It makes us feel good to be set aside, elevated, and blessed, but we must never forget that God has a goal that entails more than just making us feel special.  

When God called Abram out from among his relatives and away from all that was familiar, it was for a purpose.  Abram’s consecration and elevation – his great name – was not an end in and of itself!

God’s plan was always to extend God’s blessings and to redeem all of humanity – Abram was to be God’s conduit – the one through whom God blessed others. Abram is an example.

Get it? 

We are the means through which God wants to bless others. We must never forget this.  Otherwise, instead of conduits we will become like clogged pipes – bursting rather than blessing! 

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 

Genesis 12:2

As we aim to ‘be blessed,’ may we never forget to be a blessing!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

To be a blessing… (2)

There is no blessing that comes from God, that cannot be shared.

Let me say it again.

There is no gift from God that cannot be shared.

Didn’t hear me?  I’ll say it again.

There is no fruit of the Spirit that does not bless others.

The grace that God gives us matures when we extend it to others – when we love others as God loves us.

Selfishness and stinginess is immature, destructive, and  antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus.  

Whether in our personal lives or in our public policies – the Christian calling is to be a blessing. Get it?

Any rationalization, any attempts to reframe this fundamental truth, is to undermine the very foundations of Christianity.  

So you say you want to be blessed? Be a blessing.  Period.

38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Luke 6:38

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Sankofa…

Our ancestors endured tremendous hardships in the hopes of us being free. They lived and died with only dreams of what we now take for granted. They faced intense and overt violence and injustice with dignity and determination to not allow hatred to twist their consciences.  They made progress, slowly, and we are still here… 

The Civil Rights Movement that we often define as a social and political movement, was actually a spiritual movement that had its roots in the Black Church.  

While we are still here,our communities are struggling.  Our struggling communities stem from our struggling families.  Our families struggle most intensely when we devote ourselves to everything but GOD! When we neglect our sacred past, when we dishonor our ancestors, we forsake our future. 

When Israel entered the Promised Land, God gave specific instructions.  While the land was theirs, they would have to possess it.  In possessing the land, they were told not to ‘devote’ themselves to the stuff that the other people in the land did.  In the battle to take the city Ai, Israel abandoned God’s instructions and they were routed and forced to retreat.

They lost the battle because they took and devoted themselves to the things that God told them to destroy.  In a word, their values got messed up. 

I wonder if we as a people may be encountering some of this.  Have we, in an attempt to achieve the American dream, abandoned the One who truly makes and keeps us free? In our desire for material success and prosperity, have we abandoned the One who keeps and prospers us? What have we devoted ourselves to?  

12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

Joshua 7:12 (ESV)

What are we devoted to as a people? Who are we devoted to?

If it is not God, it will not stand… we will not stand.

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

To Be a Blessing…

One way to guarantee that we will never be satisfied is to misuse the gifts that God has given us. This misuse is often caused by  misunderstanding the purpose of a thing.  Let me clarify.

God gifts and blesses us because God loves us.  But God’s gifts to us – the abilities, the talent that God gives us are not simply for our own selfish interests, self-promotion, or personal gains!   

Trees do not consume their own fruits. If we are the Lord’s plantings, then what we have and what we produce, even the fruits we bear are not simply for our own sakes (Isaiah 61:3)

When God blesses us, and we misunderstand the reason why God blesses, and we misuse these blessings, we will never fully enjoy the benefits of the blessings.  Enough will never really be enough… 

Listen…

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:10–11

As you are blessed – Be a blessing today!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Begin with the End in Sight?

“Candler“

If success was guaranteed and failure was an impossibility, what might you attempt?  What goal might you pursue?  What dream would you chase? 

Now that’s faith!

Most of us set goals based on what we ‘think’ we can accomplish.  Unfortunately, these accomplishments rarely lead to lasting satisfaction and in a moment we start feeling restless and stuck!  And, on top of that, these are rarely the things that God calls us to.  Without faith, we can’t please God! (Hebrews 11:6)

It’s never too late to pursue a dream – to stretch out and pursue that thing that God laid on your heart when you were a child!  But the longer you delay, the more difficult it will be to get started! Start now.

Can I tell you a secret? I am often afraid.  I am regularly confronted with challenges that I feel ill-equipped to face. My superpower is showing up even when I can’t see my way clear.  But honestly, I can’t even really claim credit for that…it is a gift from God.

It is faith in God that encourages and sustains me. It is faith in the grace of God that stirs my capacity to imagine better days when things look grim.  It is faith that gives substance to my hope when obstacles seem like impasses.   

It is faith that calls us to remember that there is no failure in God who catches and can keep us from falling! 

Knowing this, what will you try today – If you knew that failure was not an option?  When God calls and sets His plans in our hearts, God guarantees the outcomes! Which means as we begin, we must keep the end in sight!  God’s got you!  God’s got us.

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. 

Jude 24–25

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

christian?? (2)

The greatest challenge to the Church’s witness is not some extraordinary external enemy but an internal erosion of the ethics that should exemplify who we are.

In a courtroom, if a witness lies under an oath, they can be charged with perjury. To be a credible witness (per Brenda Salter McNeil), one need not be perfect – but at least be honest. To willfully lie under oath is a crime, and depending on the conditions, can carry jail time and fines.

The christian church in the West and in America is under a heavy indictment. Repeatedly landing on the wrong side of history by promoting oppressive forces or being silently complicit to abuse and bigotry, it’s a wonder that anyone would call themselves christian. It’s a wonder that anyone would trust such an unreliable witness.  

Thank God for those Christian communities that refuse to cede their witness to the powerful.  Thank God for those who advocate for those who’ve been shoved to the margins.  Thank God for those who value all human beings as precious and beloved!  Thank God for those who don’t separate their love for God from those made in God’s image.  Thank God for those working publicly to preserve and protect the dignity and rights of every human – every single one! 

History will be our judge.  Will we be found faithful or at fault? The jury is out, but the clock is ticking…

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1 John 4:20–21

Does that seem way beyond us? Perhaps.  But what kind of witness are you? 

Good Morning, I love you all.

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Scars…

After Jesus’ resurrection, it would take a while for the news to spread.  And even among some of His disciples, there were still some doubts about the stories that were being told.  The most famous of the doubters is Thomas.  

Evidently he wasn’t present when Jesus first appears to the disciples.  I don’t know where he was or what he was doing, but for whatever reason, he was not at the meeting when Jesus showed up.  And despite the witness of the other disciples, Thomas declares defiantly, ‘I won’t believe until I see…” 

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 

John 20:24-25

Most of us are not as audacious as Thomas, but we live very much by the motto, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.” We are suspicious and mistrustful of one of God and one another.  We’ve been disappointed and let down before, so we reserve our hopes and limit our faith to what we can confirm – which is ironically the opposite of what faith is supposed to be. 

Graciously, Jesus obliges Thomas and shows up. Jesus reveals himself and allows Thomas to touch his wounds. Jesus shows and shares his scars. 

Thomas is not alone in his doubts, huh?  We are surrounded by those in our families, on our jobs, in our neighborhoods, in our circle of friends who have doubts about who Jesus really is.  They want proof.  The temptation may be to debate with them – to try to convince them through compelling arguments – but honestly I never met anyone who became a Christian because of an argument.    Maybe we should learn from Jesus’ example.

Jesus reveals his scars.  He makes himself vulnerable by allowing Thomas to see and handle his wounds – to witness personally the truth of the Resurrection.  I wonder if some of the doubt we encounter in the world is because we’ve been conditioned to hide our scars rather than reveal them as evidence of God’s grace and power! We stifle God’s glory by concealing our own stories of healing and resurrection.  Something to think about, huh?

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”  28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!

John 20:27-28

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

christian?

The greatest commandment is to love God, the second is to love others as we love ourselves.  Jesus embodied this ethic and commanded those who would follow Him to do the same. 

It’s pretty simple, no?

In a country that is supposedly christian, it seems pretty straightforward. The outworking of Jesus’ commands are not obscure.  They are easy enough for a child to understand:

Love is good. Hatred is bad. Sharing is good. Selfishness is bad.  Giving is good. Stealing is bad.  Kindness is good. Cruelty is bad.  Compassion is good. Bullying is bad.  Respect is good. Rudeness is bad. Telling the truth is good. Lying is bad. I could go on, but I’ll

stop.  

So what’s the problem? The commands are pretty straightforward, no? The promise of the Spirit is to help us in our infirmities, yes?

With our highly evolved, tech-savvy, exceptional, so-called christian selves – this is what we’re doing right now? This is the best in who we are? Shame on you.  Shame on us! 

Perhaps the problem is that we are not all who we profess to be and we have no intention of obeying Christ’s commands.  

So let’s stop putting Jesus in the middle of this hateful, disgusting mess! Let’s stop giving him credit for this awful experiment.  I can hear Him saying, ‘I never knew you…’

Are these words biting and disturbing? Good.  It means we are not beyond hearing.  This is grace. 

Do better, right now, today!

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

1 John 4:11–12

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam