The LORD Bless You

The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

The LORD bless you and keep you;
 the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you:
 the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."  NUMBERS 6:22-27

The LORD bless you and keep you - the LORD is saying I adore you and will guard and protect you. Moses had seen years of the LORD's faithfulness and protection, so these words were familiar, however the next set of words brought about a new way of relating to the LORD! 

But then, the LORD said he would
make his face shine on you 

and be gracious to you... 

to turn his face toward you 

and give you peace...

I have to imagine that Moses' mind hearkened back the interaction he had with the Lord years earlier on Mount Sinai when the Lord put him in the cleft of the rock until his presence passed by... because no one may see the Lord and live.  While conversing with the Lord, Moses needed assurance that the Lord's presence would be with him, so Moses said to the Lord:

"Show me your glory."

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” EXODUS 33:18-23

This nation of Israel was being prepared to interact with the LORD in a new way, one where they would see the LORD face to face - - and LIVE!  In the same way that the LORD adored and protected Moses as he tucked Moses into the cleft of the rock while his glory passed by, the LORD will adore and protect his people, only this time the LORD is saying to Moses, they will see him face to face.

The LORD is pointing Moses and the Israelites to Jesus!

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.  JOHN 1:14-18

The Lord had called the Israelites a stiff-necked people, and yet he continued to show mercy upon them. In this blessing, the Lord is speaking words of love, not condemnation. 

No matter what you've done, or how unworthy you may feel, the Lord offers forgiveness... all we need to do is receive. When someone speaks words of blessing to you, hear them as the LORD's adoration of you and his promise to guard and protect you in the midst of whatever may be happening. 

Hear Jesus saying to you:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. JOHN 14:27

Two Sides of a Coin

A coin only has value when it is intact. A coin cut in half doesn't have half the value, it has no value for its intended purpose. So it seems with Faith and Obedience. 

Jesus said: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? LUKE 6:46

Faith calls us into a different way of being. 

Jesus went on to say: "As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”  LUKE 6:47-49

Of course faith gives peace and the confident hope in eternity, knowing that our sins have been paid for. Faith also calls us to obedience, not to earn salvation, rather in joyful response to it. Paul talks about it as "the obedience of faith." They are intricately connected. 

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, ROMANS 1:1-6 

Through Jesus we received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith. When asked “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  

Love God AND Love your neighbor as yourself

When we love another, we desire the best for them. I think of parents raising a child, providing all that is needed for the child to thrive, provisions of food, clothing, shelter, nurture through interaction, education and accountability. All of this comes in the context of relationship.  

It is impossible to love another if we are not in relationship with them, and so BEING the neighbor is at the heart of obedience. 

In what way is the Lord challenging you to BE a neighbor today? 

Make the World a Better Place

There is a longing for the world to be a better place, one that has existed throughout the ages. There is a crying for things to be better, for someone to make it all right. The human heart cries out to God - we hear it in the words of the prophet Isaiah: 

Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
    that the mountains might quake at your presence—
as when fire kindles brushwood
    and the fire causes water to boil—
to make your name known to your adversaries,
    and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
When you did awesome things that we did not look for,
    you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
From of old no one has heard
    or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
    who acts for those who wait for him.
You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,
   those who remember you in your ways. ISAIAH 64:1-5a

Today, we can wait with hope. Knowing the troubles and heartache we would continue to experience in this world, Jesus encourages us with these words: 

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” JOHN 16:33

So we wait... with anticipation of something better. In this season of Advent, we wait... not with despair, but with hope.  The hope in knowing that Jesus has overcome the world and all of its brokenness.

And while we wait, we seek to be healers, through the love that comes from the Lord. 

We love because He first loved us. 1 JOHN 4:19

Michael Jackson wrote a song titled "Make the World a Better Place." 

Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me
And the entire human race
There are people dying
If you care enough for the living
Make it a better placeFor you and for me

Be encouraged by these incredible children who invite us to care enough for the living to put our love out into world and each do our part to make the world a better place.

Joyful News

In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, 
The gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him,
We're sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.  EPHESIANS 1:13

I say it here again, once and for all, that you should understand the Gospel as nothing other than the divine promise of His grace and the forgiveness of sins.  For that is why it happened that previously Paul's Epistles were not understood and could not be understood, because they did not know what the Law and the Gospel really mean.  For they regarded Christ to be a lawmaker, and the Gospel a mere doctrine of the new laws.  That is nothing else than locking up the Gospel and concealing all things.  

The word "Gospel" [Evangelium] is Greek and signifies "joyous news," because it proclaims the wholesome doctrine of life by divine promise and offers grace and forgiveness of sin.  Therefore, works do not belong to the Gospel, for it is not Law; rather, only faith [belongs to the Gospel], for it is altogether a promise and an offer of divine grace. 

Whoever now believes the Gospel received grace and the Holy Spirit. This causes the heart to rejoice and find delight in God, and [the heart] then keeps the Law voluntarily, gratuitously, without fear of punishment, without seeking reward since the heart is perfectly satisfied with God's grace, by which the Law has been fulfilled.  

Excerpt from 365 Day Devotional Readings from Martin Luther Day by Day, August 9

Wake Up and Be Awesome!

Wake up and be awesome!

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.  JAMES 4:17

Just do the right thing!  I used to say to my kids:
"If you knew is was wrong, why did you do it?"
To this question, there was never a satisfactory answer.

Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
by those who make peace.  JAMES 3:18

How often are we tempted to want our own way and do what we need to do in order to get it.  We see it in toddlers, who whine and cry and sometimes throw tantrums in order to get their own way.  We see it in adults who manipulate, cheat or bully in order to get their own way.  Neither of these scenarios are pleasant to experience and certainly don't promote peace.   

We have an expectation for what we want, or how we want something to be, and will do whatever it takes to be fulfilled.  When focusing on ourselves, and only our desires, it is almost impossible to focus on the good for all concerned.  

We live in a battle every day...  a battle between good and evil, between our desires and God's desires.  In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul calls us to wake up and be awesome every day!

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.  ROMANS 12:2

If we want to wake up and be awesome, 

we choose to be wise, do good, to care for all around us, 

and seek the LORD's wisdom to guide our day:

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.  JAMES 4:17

When we take in the Word of God every day, 

it becomes easier to wake up and be awesome!

A Rhythm of Work and Rest

Do you rest from work, or work from rest?

I had always thought about rest as a necessary part of recouping from work, but I hadn't really thought about what working from a place of rest might be...

Rest from Work

and 

Work from Rest

God's way is to have a rhythm of Work and Rest. Rest is not merely intended to be solely a means of regenerating from the activity of work; the rest God desires for people is twofold:
1) a time to enjoy the fruit of our labors, and
2) a time set aside to be intentional about enjoying our
    relationship with the creator.

To extend grace, enjoy this day, be present, breathe deeply, show gratitude, live with intention, be fearless and try new things - requires some space... first to be present with God in preparation to be present for others.  

When living in a state of busyness or hurry,
these things are difficult, if not impossible. 

God had liberated his people from slavery in Egypt, and he is tying sabbath rest as freedom from slavery.  
“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.  DEUTERONOMY 5:12-15

I can hear God saying "Come, spend time with me, I rescued you and I love you."  And more than that, by spending time with me, you'll approach your work being mindful of my goodness, regardless of the circumstances.  

Someone once asked, "what is your satisfaction level with God?"  Really???  How satisfied am I with God?  The question really impacted me and continues to years later!  

When we are running from activity to activity, work is pressing, family is pressing, the routines of daily living are pressing, where do we have margin?  What space is available to just be?  To breathe?  To enjoy?  To truly rest!

Sabbath rest isn't another task,

it's an invitation to enjoy!

Our Lord invites us to rest.  We don't have to be slaves to work.  God may be reminding us that anyone who cannot rest from their work is really a slave... that's a new and hard thought!  God rested and demonstrates for us that there is time to enjoy the fruit of our labors.  

Tim Keller writes about three types of rest: 

• Contemplative rest - Prayer and worship are a critical part of Sabbath rest, from any perspective. Regular time for devotion, reading the Scripture, and listening to God forms the basis for inner rest and provides time away from the more exhausting exertions of life.
• Recreational rest - Re-Creation... Find recreation that doesn't exhaust and really refreshes.
• Aesthetic rest - Expose yourself to works of God’s creation that refresh and energize you, and that you find beautiful. This may mean outdoor things. It may mean art—music, drama, and visual art. God looked around at the world he made and said it was good, so aesthetic rest is necessary for participating in God’s Sabbath fully.

My prayer for you is that you find enjoyment in your Sabbath rest that flows into your work!

Let me know how it's going for you...

I Confer on You a Kingdom

Maundy Thursday.
The night of the Last Supper.
Don't miss the point!

Jesus and his disciples share the Passover Meal together.  In recent days, Jesus has been talking about his death more frequently and I can just imagine the disciples confusion over the dinner conversation.  

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. LUKE 22:17-20

Bread and Wine, Jesus body and blood.  He's been trying to help them understand, but this is really beyond their realm of experience and understanding.  This Holy One of God, so good, so kind, so wise...  How could what he is saying be true?

Then in what seems like the same breath, Jesus makes the statement that someone at the table will be the one to betray him.  The disciples begin to question themselves, wondering who it might be...

Then, in the next moment, they are arguing about who among them is the greatest!

Tonight, I'm trying to put myself in the midst of the scene.  I've been traveling with Jesus, he's been talking about these things, yet they are really beyond my full comprehension.  The evening moves from a sacred meal, to an accusation, to confusion, to quarreling, and then...

The Savior of the World picked up a towel and demonstrated his love for his disciples by washing their feet. Jesus words and actions speak wisdom and truth!

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:3-5 

But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. LUKE 22:26-27 

Maundy, shortened form of the Latin, mandatum 

(from which we get the English word, mandate).  

In the Upper Room, on the night he was betrayed, 

THIS is the mandate:

Serve one another, as I have served you.

Love one another, even as I have loved you.

And then Jesus says:

And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. LUKE 22:29-30 

Jesus Spoke the Word, 

Showed the Word, 

Taught the Word, and 

Served those in front of Him.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  JOHN 1:14

Jesus conferred on them a Kingdom of love.  

He brought this kingdom to their feet.  

He humbled himself and lovingly served.  

We can think of this night and remember betrayal, a night of agony as Jesus prays.  Don't miss the point...  Jesus has conferred on those who love Him a Kingdom of Love.  Jesus clearly says, it's not about power and position, it's about love.

Be humble, serve people in love, and give them heaven!

Saturating Grace

And the day begins! 

My eyes opened in the darkness.
The sky had a hint of pink hue bordering the horizon...
I wait with the camera ready!

The sun rising over the vastness of the ocean, its light bringing forth a new day, 

gives me a picture of God's love entering the darkness of a broken and hurting world. 

Just like the light of the sun that shines on all creation, 

the Lord is not selective about where his love can reach, it is available for all.

Each day, faithful, without hesitation, the sun rises.
It's light expands to fill every space it touches.

The reflection like a pathway, inviting and showing the way.

Come to me, all you who labor ad are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

MATTHEW 11:28

I Am - David Crowder

There's no space that His love can't reach

There's no place where we can't' find peace

There's no end to amazing grace

Take me in with Your arms spread wide

Take me in like an orphan child

Never let go

Never leave my side

I am

Holding on to You

I am

Holding on to You

In the middle of the storm

I am holding on 

I am 

Love like this

Oh my God to find

I am overwhelmed

With a joy divine

Love like this sets our hearts on fire

This is my resurrection song

This is my halleluiah come

This is why it's to You I run

There's no space that His love can't reach

There's no place where we can't find peace

There's no end to amazing grace

Forgive them... Is this my prayer?

Forgive them...  

Stephen, full of faith, respond like Jesus.

I'm reading the book of Acts and noticed something that I had not caught before.  Stephen was a man chosen to serve from the multitudes of disciples.  He is described as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit who did great wonders and signs among the people.  

Some disputed with him; it is said: "And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke."  He gave testimony to the work of God and spoke truth.  

The Stoning of Stephen
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.  

ACTS 7:54-60

 They cast him out of the city and stoned him...Stephen responded with:

“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” 

Stephen, a man full of faith, is persecuted and stoned to death and his response is to advocate and intercede for his perpetrators!   On the cross, Jesus set the example - Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.  

As I am walking out a life of faith, is this my prayer?

Lord, do not hold this sin against them..."  

For this to be Stephen's response, He needed to see the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand.  Jesus, the perfect and sinless one, who was also persecuted and put to death, the one who took on the sin of the world is now in the glory of God.  Stephen, knowing he had received the forgiveness that Jesus won on the cross, was now asking that for his perpetrators. 

Freely you have received; freely give.MATTHEW 10:8

While Grace is free to the recipient, it is costly to the giver.  My prayer is, like Stephen, to be so focused on God's grace and glory, knowing that I have freely received, be able to freely give, without hesitation.  

A Season of Waiting, Advent Begins

Waiting...  

Americans live in such an instant culture that waiting can be challenging.  We have choices as we wait - impatience, or enjoyment of the moments in between where we approach the waiting with a sense of expectant anticipation. 

I LOVE the ocean!  There is something about the rhythm of the waves that provides a soothing sense in my being.  With each wave there is an ebb and flow.  I know each will be present in the cycle of each wave.  I'm not anxious wondering when, but knowing there will be one that follows another.   The calm anticipation allows me to enjoy the moments. 

Today begins the season of Advent,
a time of waiting for the birth of the Christ child.  

Once Thanksgiving is done, we're in the thick of the commercialized Christmas season.  Advent provides an opportunity for intentional waiting.  Each day provides opportunity to focus on what God has done, is doing, and will do.  It's a season to see the faithfulness of God through the fulfillment of HIS promises.  

About 700 years prior to Jesus' birth, the prophet Isaiah wrote:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
    and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;
    but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.  ISAIAH 11:1-4

The Lord fulfilled this promise through the birth of Jesus.  I'm sure some in the generations of those 700 years must have wondered if the promise would truly be fulfilled.  Many in this generation have the same question.  As we look back and see the ways that God has been faithful in the past, we can know that He will be faithful in the future.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the people of old received their commendation.  HEBREWS 11:1

Faith says - Trust me as you wait!  

Peter wrote to the people of his day:
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  2 PETER 3:9 

This Advent, my focus will be on faith.  My prayer is to grow in my ability to wait with a heart and mind of expectancy, to trust in the Lord's promises and rejoice in His grace.

Will you wait with me?  

I'd love to hear about your waiting practices. Please share them in the comments.

God is Love

KNOW who you are...

BE who you are...

SAY who you are...

I AM.  This is who God says he is, solely I AM.

He always was.  He is.  He always will be.

The enormity of this challenges my mind. 

God is love.  

God's love is 

faithful without compromise, 

devoted without reservation, 

and enduring for eternity.

As God's love comes to us, 
it beckons us in, 

calls us to know it's goodness, 

and invites us to receive it purely. 

Paul describes this love to the Corinthian church:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.
1 CORINTHIANS 13

Love flows out to and for another.  In a world that tends toward narcissism, it's hard to fully imagine the kind of love that is totally intended for the good of others.  

David Crowder co-wrote and recorded a song titled "I Am" that speaks of this kind of love.  It's an ALWAYS kind of love, never ending.  Listen and just receive it...

There's no space that His love can't reach
There's no place where we can't find peace
There's no end to Amazing Grace
Take me in with your arms spread wide
Take me in like an orphan child
Never let go, never leave my side.

I am,
Holding on to You.
I am,
Holding on to You.
In the middle of the storm,
I am Holding on,

I am

Blessed is the one

Blessed is the one
    whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree, planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
    and whose leaf does not wither - 
    whatever they do prospers.
                                                                   PSALM 1:1, 2-3

A tree planted in this place easily takes in its daily source
of life-sustaining essentials:
   - water & minerals 
   - sunlight 

Ezekiel writes about the trees planted along the river that flows from the temple:
When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river.
Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river.  Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail.  Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them.  Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.              EZEKIEL 47:1, 12

When someone takes in a constant supply of love from the LORD, there is only love to pour out. When we are parched, or have consumed from an unhealthy supply, there is not sufficient reserve to pour out.  

The Lord's people are called to a lifestyle of extravagant caring!

To do this, being immersed in His love for us is essential!  For those who read this, 
I have prayed the same words of Paul to the Ephesian church for you:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.


Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
EPHESIANS 3:14-21

The Kingdom of God has Come Near

If you weren't looking, you might have missed it... 

The children came first to ask 

"what ch'all doin?" 

We're having a party.  There's going to be food, and music, and pretty soon a bouncy house.  Go tell your friends and come back. 

On the surface, it looked like a block party... food, music, fun and good company.  

Below the surface was the heart through which the party had been planned.  It was the heart of Jesus who heals the brokenhearted and redeems the lives of those who walk with Him. When Jesus announced “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” he was saying: God’s kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message.

Sunday for the City, a day we designated to pray for cities throughout my denomination's district, which spans five states.  In Baltimore, we planned an event to B.L.E.S.S. one city neighborhood.  

                                                     As we BLESS, we
                                                           Befriend
                                                           Listen & Learn
                                                           Eat Together
                                                           Serve another person
                                                           Share faith in Jesus

... and the kingdom of God is near

We were in Sandtown-Winchester, the Baltimore City neighborhood that was the center of the unrest that erupted here after Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man, died from a nearly severed spine after being arrested in April. DeWayne Wickham, dean of Morgan State University's School of Global Journalism and Communication, wrote in an article for USA TODAY stating heartbreaking statistics about this neighborhood:

"More than half of the people (ages 16-64) in this area are unemployed. In 2012, 49% of its high school students were "chronically absent," 61% of the population 25 and older lacked a high school degree, and a third of this community's houses were vacant. Even more disturbing, it has more people in Maryland's prison system than any other community in the state. Maryland taxpayers spend nearly $17 million a year to keep 458 people from this Census track in prison, according to a recent Justice Policy Institute report."

This was a day where the kingdom of God came near!

The table was set and food prepared for our guests

A stage for music was set

Prayer walkers went into the neighborhood and invited the people to come

Guests arrived

Food was served

Stories were shared as people talked, listened and learned about each other

Testimonies of God's care and faithfulness were shared

We prayed, and God was certainly near!

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, :here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”  LUKE 17:20-21

As I handed out bottles of water and said, "thank you for coming out today," thankful eyes looked deeply into mine accompanied by the words, no, thank you!  These were eyes appreciating that people truly care, eyes that appreciated warm food served with love (instead of food from a dumpster, as one man told me), eyes that may have been seeing a glimpse of God's kingdom for the first time, and eyes that are already part of the kingdom and saw God's love pouring through.  

Love and compassion speaks a language all its own.  

I am privileged to speak this language and pray that those who received this message on Sunday felt the love of God and the peace that passes all understanding.  May they be moved to faith in Jesus, the one who loves unconditionally!

This, is Mission, Jesus Style!

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