Deputies, movers don't evict 103-year-old woman | ajc.com

Deputies, movers don't evict 103-year-old woman ajc.com

Stop Excusing Our Young Men

Stop Excusing Our Young Men

I think that legitimate excuses has ran there course. Yes there are dispariites but they exist for boys and girls, and I don’t believe we should begin to separate the 2 because we focused on disparities of Black men long ago and Black women wasn’t given that but we stayed supportive never-the-less and we press on. But I believe we try to finish this fight together, for both of our children or each is going to find themselves swimming against the tide on their own

Dropping Out, Imprisoned or Killed: Disparities in Outcomes Faced by Young African American Men

Dropping Out, Imprisoned or Killed: Disparities in Outcomes Faced by Young African American Men

Christmas and Advent Season- Rev.M.D. Rogers

The word Advent derives from the
Latin word meaning coming. The Lord is coming. We may reflect that every year
at this time we celebrate his coming , so that in a sense we can lose the
feeling of expectancy and joyful anticipation, because at the end of the
season, everything seems to return to pretty much the same routine. If that is
the case, then our preparation may have been lacking and we have therefore been
robbed of much of the true meaning of this season.
During Advent we recall the
history of God's people and reflect on how the prophecies and promises of the
Old Testament were fulfilled. This gives us a background for the present. Today
we can reflect on the past track record of God and so begin to understand what
it means to us now for the sake of what is to come, in our own future and that
of our world.
The theme of
readings and teachings during Advent is often to prepare for the Second Coming
while commemorating the First Coming of Christ at Christmas. With the view of
directing the thoughts of Christians to the first coming of Jesus Christ as
savior and to his second coming as judge, special readings are prescribed for
each of the four Sundays in Advent.

Advent is a time
of joy tinged with penance. Joy, because we can imagine nothing more sweet than
the Christ Child and His Mother Mary's bliss at His coming to light. Penance
because we must strive to be properly disposed to receive so great a gift of
His presence. In the millennial tradition of the Church, we faithful have done
penance before great feasts. Christmas and Easter each have their penitential
seasons in anticipation, Advent and Lent. The liturgical color used in the
Latin Church for the liturgy during both Advent and Lent is purple, a sign of
penance. In some places people may see blue used, which is done without the
Church's approval. The Latin Church also emphasizes the penitential dimension
of the season by directing the use of sparse ornaments in church and by
legislating that instrumental music should not be used, except to sustain
congregational singing. This is a kind of liturgical fast, which makes the joy
and celebration of Christmas all that much more powerful by the contrast of the
lean and muted season of Advent. Advent is a time of great joy, because we look
forward to the beautiful feast of the Nativity, but it is joy stitched through
with somber and focused spiritual preparation by doing penance.
He is comes to us
in different ways. First, Jesus came to us at a specific point in history at
Bethlehem about 2000 years ago. But in the Church's great feast of Christmas He
mystically comes again. Second, the Lord, Alpha and Omega, will come to judge
the living and the dead in the Second Coming. Third, the Redeemer comes to us
in grace. He speaks to us in our consciences, he comes to us in the Eucharist
and in the Word of God proclaimed. He arrives in the person of the begger, the
needy, the suffering, the oppressed. We must be ready to receive and welcome
Him when He comes, however He comes.

Letter from a college student

The other day, a friend of mine visited me in the lobby of my dorm just to chat while her laundry was drying. As we were chatting, two young
freshmen came by. One of the 2 boys wanted to 'talk' to my friend (as in date). She asked him how old they were, and both of the boys replied 18. My
friend and I both laughed hysterically because we are both 22 years old.
After my friend left, the young men were still hanging around and one wanted to know how he could gain her interest.
The first thing I told him to do was to pull up his pants! He asked why, and then said he liked saggin' his pants. I told him to come over to my
computer and spell the word saggin'. Then I told him to write the word saggin' backwards..
S-A-G-G-I-N
N-I-G- G-A-S
I told him the origin of that look was from centuries ago. It was the intent of slave owners to demoralize the field workers by forbidding them
to wear a belt as they worked in the fields or at any other rigorous job. In addition, men in prison wore their pants low when they were 'spoken for'. The
other reason their pants looked like that was they were not allowed to have belts because prisoners were likely to try to commit suicide.
And, saggin' pants prevents you from running.
We as young Black people have to be the ones to effect change. We are dying. The media has made a mockery of the Black American.
Even our brothers and sisters from Africa don't take us seriously. Something as simple as pulling up your pants and standing with your head held
high could make the biggest difference in the world's perception of us. It is time to do right by ourselves. We need to love and embrace each other. No
one is going to do that for us.
It all comes down to perception. What people perceive is what reality to them is. We have to change not only the media's perception of us,
but we need to change our perception of ourselves.
Remember all eyes are on you Black Man. All eyes are on you Black Woman. All eyes are on your Black Child . People point the finger at
us and expect us to engage in negative and illegal activities, to manifest loud, boisterous behavior, to spend our hard earned money in their stores,
buying goods we don't need, or really want.. We have allowed not only the media, but the government and the world to portray us as a 'sub-culture.
' They have stripped our culture down to the point where the image of Black people is perpetuated as rappers, athletes, drug users, and consumers of
junk food, expensive tennis shoes, expensive cars, expensive TVs, cell phones and not investing in homes for our families.
We are so much more!!!!!!!
To all our Black Men: It's time to stand up. There are billions of Black Women who want to do nothing more than worship the ground
that you walk on. We are so in love with your potential. We want to have your back, we want to love, support and cherish every ounce of your being.
But with that you have to show that you are willing to be the head of our households. You have to prove yourselves worthy of our submission. We need
you to be hard working...Not a hustler. We need you to seek higher education, to seek spirituality. We need you to stand! And trust us; we will have
your back. We know that it gets hard. We know you get weary. Trust and believe that there is nothing that a Black Man and a Black Woman can't
handle with GOD on their side.
To all our Black Women: It is also time for you to stand up. It is time for you to stop using our bodies as our primary form of
communication. It is time to be that virtuous woman that Proverbs spoke of. You cannot sit by the wayside while our men are dying by the masses.
You are the epitome of Black Love . It starts within you. You need to speak with conviction to let not only our Black Men know, but the world, that you
are the Mothers of this world. You are so powerful. You are so beautiful. You need to love and embrace every blessing God has given us physically,
emotionally and spiritually.
For all our Black Children: We need to love them. We need to teach them. We need to stand up for them. We need to protect them.
We need to show them that there are no 'get rich quick' schemes. We need to tell them that they WILL die trying if they submit to a life of crime and
deceit. We need to teach our children that no one will love them the way we can. And being a basketball player, a rapper, or a drug dealer is not reality.
It's not realistic and only a small percentage of people ever make it as a rapper or professional athlete. We need to teach our children that we can be
more than rappers and athletes. We can be the owners of these sports teams. We can be the CEO's of OUR fortune 500 companies. We need to
believe in literacy.
Please Keep This Going & Have a wonderful day
'This is the year of empowerment. God will empower us to accomplish things.

Thanksgiving Day 2011

What are you most thankful for today?

Thanksgiving Reflection 2017

We Americans are a blessed people, but we are also spoiled. I know I am. I can get flustered over the stupidest things—like when my cell phone doesn’t get a good signal, when a flight is delayed or when my computer takes too long to load a website. Most people in the world don’t have iPhones, can’t afford air travel and don’t have computers. My impatience reveals my ungrateful spirit.
So how can we avoid this virus of selfish immaturity? Thankfulness is the antidote. It melts our pride and crushes our sense of entitlement. It reminds us that everything we have comes from God, and that His mercy is the only reason we are blessedHave a Blessed Thanksgiving from all of us at Pass-the_Ball..
                                   Rev. M.D. Rogers

What Are You Thankful For?-Rev.M.D.Rogers

What Are You Thankful For?

The intent of Thanksgiving is to express gratitude. So, what are you thankful for? — A home? A job? A family and friends?

This thanksgiving, be mindful of the fact that not everybody has a a place they can call their own. Not everybody has a reliable source of income. Some have lost people they love.

And, just because you now have a home, job, family and friends, doesn’t mean you will tomorrow. What will you be thankful for then?

As I read through the psalms I noticed how the psalmist’s thanksgiving went beyond material blessings. Notice in the following verses how his praise or thanksgiving was wrapped up in the person of God –who He is and what He has done.

Ps. 75:1 – We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks, for Your Name is near; men tell of Your wonderful deeds.

Ps. 92:1-4 – It is good to praise the LORD and make music to Your name, O Most High, … For You make me glad by Your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

Ps. 97:12 – Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise His holy name.

Ps. 107:1 – Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Ps. 107:8 – Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men.

Ps. 118:29 – Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Ps. 119:62 – At midnight I rise to give You thanks for Your righteous laws.

Let me put out the challenge that this Thanksgiving we keep our focus our great God, on the fullness of who He is, instead of looking at what we do or don’t have. When we are most thankful for Him, we will, like the Apostle Paul, learn to be content “in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

The first Thanksgiving Day

The idea of the American Thanksgiving feast is a fairly recent fiction. The idyllic partnership of 17th Century European Pilgrims and New England Indians sharing a celebratory meal appears to be less than 120 years-old. And it was only after the First World War that a version of such a Puritan-Indian partnership took hold in elementary schools across the American landscape. We can thank the invention of textbooks and their mass purchase by public schools for embedding this "Thanksgiving" image in our modern minds. It was, of course, a complete invention, a cleverly created slice of cultural propaganda, just another in a long line of inspired nationalistic myths.

The first Thanksgiving Day did occur in the year 1637, but it was nothing like our Thanksgiving today. On that day the Massachusetts Colony Governor, John Winthrop, proclaimed such a "Thanksgiving" to celebrate the safe return of a band of heavily armed hunters, all colonial volunteers. They had just returned from their journey to what is now Mystic, Connecticut where they massacred 700 Pequot Indians. Seven hundred Indians - men, women and children - all murdered.

This day is still remembered today, 373 years later. No, it's been long forgotten by white people, by European Christians. But it is still fresh in the mind of many Indians. A group calling themselves the United American Indians of New England meet each year at Plymouth Rock on Cole's Hill for what they say is a Day of Mourning. They gather at the feet of a stature of Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag to remember the long gone Pequot. They do not call it Thanksgiving. There is no football game afterward.

How then did our modern, festive Thanksgiving come to be? It began with the greatest of misunderstandings, a true clash of cultural values and fundamental principles. What are we thankful for if not - being here, living on this land, surviving and prospering? But in our thankfulness might we have overlooked something? Look what happened to the original residents who lived in the area of New York we have come to call Brooklyn. A group of them called Canarsees obligingly, perhaps even eagerly, accepted various pieces of pretty colored junk from the Dutchman Peter Minuet in 1626.

How did things get this way?

The Church has certainly become a consumer oriented entity. Churches are surveying their areas and designing themselves to meet the expectation of those surveys. The membership's expectation drives the ministries of the churches. People stop attending one church and attend another based on "their needs" being met. Pastors rush from one current idea to another trying to keep up with the changing whims of people.

I know that churches are dying in significant numbers. Many of those still operating are on life support. Naturally, pastors are looking for something that will draw people. They see the mega-churches whose weekly attendance is in the thousands. They believe that this could be their churches if they would simply follow the lead of the mega-churches. They fail to see that their community doesn't match that of the mega-churches and their personality does not match that of the mega-churches' pastors. They think it is all about methods. It isn't, but that doesn't keep them from trying.

How did things get this way? Preaching the Bible and bringing people to know Christ for salvation are secondary to getting people to attend. It appears we are saying, "Come to our church. We don't care what you believe. In fact, we don't care if you ever believe?"
I wonder if most of the people really believe the gospel. Do they believe that Jesus truly sacrificed His life so that all who believed would be forgiven of their sins?
I, for one, am frustrated with the Christianity we have today. I am tired of trying to follow every idea presented by mega-churches so that my church will grow. I want to share the plain truth of the Bible without having to be concerned whether the consumers who hear it will come back. Don't get me wrong. I love having people attend worship. I love seeing them "get it".

The Joys Of Fatherhood -by Eric Payne

Before I became a father I put an extreme value for my time. If you messed with my time I was ready to fight. It?s not that I was even doing anything all that important. I wasn?t up in the club for my weekly grind, I didn?t have a weekly poker night with the fellas that was set in stone. It was just that my time was simply that?mine.So with the arrival of kids in my life my I was initially resistant because if kids require anything its your time and lots of it. And not only do they require it, they deserve it! Knowing this prior to fatherhood I dreaded the idea of having to give up my time to some snot-nosed kids. Now that I?m a father with some years on me, I can barely remember what I was doing with all that time I had as a single, kid-free man. I do know that I was wasting a large percentage of it.I don?t regret the ?freedom? that I?ve traded for becoming a father. The joys of the experience far outweigh the what many on the outside looking in would consider negatives. Below are just a few of the joys I?ve experienced since taking on the name, Dad:While walking with my daughter, knowing instinctively when her hand is outstretched and reaching for mine.Hearing ?Daddy!? screamed with excitement when I come home each day and knowing there?s a genuine hug that?s following right behind it.Planning to assist in the fulfillment of my children?s dreams, NOT living out my own through them.Hearing the word ?Daddy? knowing the different meanings behind it based on the way it?s being said, when it?s being said and knowing how to respond each time the word is spoken.The strength and tenacity that I now have as Dad that no trainer, gym nor any other life experience would have been able to teach.Being blessed with the opportunity to pour wisdom into a young boy aspiring to be a man just as my father poured his wisdom into and sometimes onto me.Learning to appreciate the little things because being a parent often doesn?t allow you the time or finances to chase around after the big things.Realizing that the ?big things? aren?t really all that big because some of the biggest things in life are the little ones and not so little ones who call you Dad.These are just a few of the unexpected joys that have come since I became a father. These joys make the hard work of being a parent seem like a cakewalk most days. And on those other days when it?s not easy at all I remember the joy and of course the responsibility of? it all, and then I?m okay.And I know I?m not the only one. What are some of the joys you?ve experienced since you?ve become a father? We?d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

can your child tell you anything, no matter how bad it is..

by: J. B. Thomson

Let me be more specific: Can your child tell you anything without you losing control? Can they trust you to listen and to respond lovingly, even while showing disapproval? Be honest now. Do you fly off the handle and start jumping to conclusions, or do you control your emotions and respond like a sane person?What if your child came to you and said:I am gay.I dropped out of school.I’m pregnant.I hate you.I want to live with my dad (or mom).I’m dating someone of another ethnic group.I’m married.I’m changing my religion.I’m moving in with my boy/girlfriend.I’m not graduating.I used your credit card or bounced your checks.Most parents say they would be level-headed and try to understand the situation. However, these same parents end up cursing, shouting, and giving ultimatums. In the end, the child says, “I knew I couldn’t tell you” and vows to never share anything with the parent again.My husband and I see this all of the time. As spiritual leaders in the church, young people come to us for help and to make confessions. Some of them need help telling their parents a secret they’ve been carrying for years. After speaking separately with the parent and with the child, we arrange a meeting together. Our role is to offer the child a safe place to explain the situation without the fear of the parent “going off.” We also help the parent put the child’s confession into perspective. In the big scheme of things, dropping out of college is not the end of the world, neither is getting pregnant out of wedlock. We don’t condone these behaviors, but we don’t condemn the person either. Who are we to judge? We believe our responsibility is to speak the truth in love and to guide with wisdom. After all, we have all made mistakes and strayed from the right path at some point in our lives, unless you are one of those perfect parents who never did anything wrong.Personally, that’s not me. As my daughter gets older (she’s only 5), I pray for patience, wisdom, and understanding so she knows that no matter what, she can come to her parents and tell us anything. Even today when she makes a mistake and asks, “Mommy can I tell you something?” I try to remain calm and assuring to her. Punishment might be the result, but regardless, I try to make sure she knows that she is loved. I know things will get more challenging as the years go by, and she will not always come to us like she does now. But, as her parents, we have to do our part to make home the safest, most loving place available, where she truly believes that she can tell her parents anything. BMWK family, can your child tell you anything, no matter how bad it is, without you losing control? Do you offer your child a soft place to fall in times of trouble?

Ex-Boxing Champ Joe Frazier Has Liver Cancer

Ex-Boxing Champ Joe Frazier Has Liver Cancer

4 Things You Should Be Doing Now for College

4 Things You Should Be Doing Now for College
Juniors and seniors, listen up. If you haven’t thought about it already, it’s time to think about your next step after high school. If you plan on going to college, here’s a list of what you should be doing now along with tips on how to achieve each goal.

Is Your Teen Under Pressure?

Is Your Teen Under Pressure?
Why is it that one of the biggest teen pregnancy prevention success stories is also the least-known?

Michelle Obama Talks Motherhood

Michelle Obama Talks Motherhood
“Like any mother, I am just hoping that I don’t mess them up,”

You are the role model…now act like it.

I talk a lot about relationships with spouses and girlfriends, but it’s time to talk about the most important relationship you can have as a man: the one you have with your kids.

This isn’t going to be one of those “oh, my dad was horrible and that’s why I turned out to be the way I am” kind of speeches. I don’t blame my old man for anything in my life. He lived to work and his success on his job was how he gauged his success in life in general. Even today if you ask him what’s going on, he’ll talk about work. It remains his life call…but I still turned out fine.

That being said, when I had kids of my own I did decide I would be a different father from the one I grew up with. When the choice comes between work and family, family wins every single time it’s possible.

And so, because absolutely no one asked, here is what it means to me to be a dad:

You are shaping and forming the future.

With every family moment you spend playing a game instead of watching one on television, you are forming a bond with your child. That child will see you and watch you and–if you give them a reason to–will admire you and want to be like you. Hey, when they hit those tumultuous teen years you’re going to need all the help you can get. Investing when they’re young means you are a role model in their life and someone they grow to respect for information…not the guy who comes home from work and yells at them to get away from the front of the television set so you can see the game.
I’ve heard a lot of parents talk about how horrible their kids became when they were teens, but then I’ve heard just as many dads talk about some family get together they’re doing this weekend with the kids. It isn’t hard to figure out who spends regular time with the kids and who lives their own life without them in mind.

Remember, every moment you spend with them today shapes the future. It may not always be the most convenient thing to do when you’ve just had a long day at work, but take advantage of the opportunity to throw a baseball, attend an imaginary tea party, or get hopelessly slaughtered in a video game by a 9 year old. These are moments you are investing that will pay off in the future.

You are the role model…now act like it.

I have never understood how a parent can stand there holding a cigarette in their hand and tell their kids not to smoke. I don’t follow how fat parents can make fun of their kids for being overweight. Whether you believe it or not, your children look to you as their role models. They may hear what you tell them, but your actions will dictate theirs.

Become the person you want your children to imitate. Don’t just talk a good game.

Your words have power…use them wisely.

I’ll bet you can still remember vividly some cruel remark made to you as a child. Maybe it was you were ugly, or fat, or stupid, or lazy, or something like that. Whatever it was, you remember it. It may have been said in anger, or in passing, or just in jest, but years later you remember it. Maybe it made you a better person as you strove to prove them wrong, but more likely it haunted you over the years.

The kids will make you angry from time to time. They may really do something stupid every once in a while, but never, ever, ever, under any circumstances allow your anger to get the better of you. Keep your mouth shut! Walk away, do whatever, but don’t let your words get away from you.

That’s not to say you let the kids get away with everything. If they do something stupid, call them on it–just don’t call them stupid. Criticize the behavior, discuss options, spank them if need be. Just remember that your words in that moment will forever be remembered.

I have a friend who is 50, and still vividly remembers the day he got his license at age 16. He left his house just minutes after getting his license and drove off to see his girlfriend, driving there on his own for the first time. Along the way, he had a wreck running his car off the road and seriously damaging the transmission. Here was this terrified teenager who called his dad from a pay phone and waited anxiously by his car as his father drove to where he was.

The father arrived and immediately asked if he was ok. My friend said yes, but that the car was ruined and he was sorry. What happened next has stayed with him over 30 years later, and I’ve heard him tell this story to folks numerous times. His father said, “As long as you’re all right. Where were you going? Well, take my car and I’ll stay here until the wrecker arrives. You be careful and have a good time. We’ll talk about this later when you get home.” My friend received mercy when he didn’t deserve it, and his father even allowed him to go on to see his girlfriend (rather foolishly you might think, but it was a cool thing to do). His dad never yelled at him or anything; they just worked out how long it would take the kid to pay off the repair bill.

I’ve heard that story a number of times and have a lot of respect for that guy today. He has kids of his own (all teenagers) and last year one of his daughters wrecked their family car while learning to drive. He told me he remembered the mercy his father showed him, and even though he was steaming inside for what had happened, he kept it in and just held his daughter while she cried and shook, and told her it was all going to be all right.

That’s the legacy of a good father. When your child grows up and decades later still remembers the life lesson you taught through an act of undeserved mercy instead of blasting them away with words, you have succeeded. When that same child uses you as their role model when parenting their own children, you are more than a success…you are a legend.

Mr. Webster says that a disciple is a follower. Alan Root in his book Disciplification! defines disciplification in three ways:The travels of a discipleThe practiced habit of “following” A made up word that simply means the life changes made to become more and more like Jesus each day. So if our job is to make followers who through life changes and good choices cause them to be more like Jesus, then what actions, habits, and character traits should a twelve-year-old Christ-follower possess? For years, I think we’ve been guilty of using faithfulness as the major evaluation if a child has been discipled. If a child was faithful to attend plus participate in loads of other children’s ministry activities and programming, then we would send them into the youth ministry and feel like we succeeded. In a few years, we would look them up in the youth group and find they were not there and wonder, “What did the youth pastor do to make this child lose interest?” I have said for years that those of us that teach kids should think of ourselves as foundation specialists. But anyone who has ever built any kind of building knows that the type foundation you build has everything to do with the type of building you can build. In construction, you start with the building plans and then determine what kind of foundation it needs for what you are building. In children’s ministry, I think many of us have been guilty of designing the foundation, then saying to the youth ministry, "Now go fit your building on the foundation we have built," never one time sitting down and working together toward the end result. Sometimes, the problem has started long before we promote them into the youth ministry, even from one department or ministry to another within the total children’s ministry. We are so territorial; we haven’t worked as a true team and prepared them for the now as well as the next age group. Instead of looking ahead, we have focused on the present, which centers on and around our own ministry responsibilities. When we help other departments and ministries around us be successful, then we’ll be successful. We are all on the same team working toward the same goal. Our mission here at World Outreach Church is to help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Our mission for the children’s ministry as well as for our student ministries is to help young people and parents become fully devoted followers of Christ now and forever. You can’t hit the church’s mission without every ministry that makes up the church working on that same mission statement, just breaking it down for their age groups.Stephen Covey, in his book 7 Habits of Effective People, said it this way, “Habit number 1 is to start with the end in mind.” Why don’t we as staff and ministers sit down together with our next generation ministries and our lead pastors and just plan backwards? Ask ourselves, “What do we want a young adult to know as a part of the congregation?” then let’s back up and look at the college ministry and see what we need to teach there. For this to work, we have to then look at the senior high ministry, then to the middle school ministry, then to the elementary ministries. Then, working backwards, we evaluate our preschool and nursery ministries to see what should be learned. (Did you notice I didn’t use the word taught? I believe just because teaching takes place doesn’t mean learning occurs.) We must get in the habit of defining and evaluating what we do and the results those actions are yielding if we are going to be successful at discipling children.This is just the first step in making this process a way of life at your church. Years ago, I sat down with my youth pastor, and I asked him, “What do you want the sixth graders I promote into your youth ministry to know and be?” That was a question that took some time to develop. I also think that this list could and would be different from church to church. The bottom line is this: Make a list. If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time. Make it a matter of prayer and work on your list as a team. It’s more than getting children “saved.” It’s time we all move past just getting children saved and help them to live saved. Disciplification is all about how each day gets lived by someone who is saved.Luke 2:49-52 tells us about Jesus at twelve. It says that He had a desire to be about His Father’s business. It also says He was obedient to His parents. It also says He continued to grow in wisdom. (That’s understanding and knowledge of the Word.) I believe this with all my heart: the voice of wisdom and the voice of the Word is always the same. He also grew physically as well as grew in His relationship with God and with others. I believe this should also take place with those we seek to disciple.No matter what you place on your list, the children you lead won’t become those things if you don’t do four important things:We must become all of those things. My mom used to say, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander!” What we expect others to do, we must become these things first. I never want to forget that when I point to others, there are three fingers pointing back to me!Place others who will also serve as models before those you lead. A disciple cannot be made without someone who is willing to be an example. Jesus said something powerful in John 14:9, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Think about that, it’s almost mind-boggling. Jesus modeled the Father so others would know God. Could children understand what God is like from us? They should! Children must have someone who is willing to say, “Come follow me as I follow the Lord.” Gone must be the day of saying do as I say not as I do. We must be willing to set an example and model to both kids and adults.Give those you lead what the Bible says about each of the things you want them to do to be a true follower of Christ Jesus.Give them opportunities to do these things. Learning is more than sitting and listening; it’s all about doing. I never apologize for giving people an opportunity to serve and put what they are learning into action.

Maintaining Attention and Avoiding Discipline Problems

Maintaining Attention and Avoiding Discipline Problems: Adhering to a few guidelines will virtually eliminate the majority of discipline problems.

How Do You Keep the Sabbath?

Here’s a snippet of a conversation that will be repeated over and over for me today. I’ll say to someone I haven’t seen in a few days, “Hey, how’s life?” And they’ll respond with, “Life is great. We are crazy busy though. It’s always something. Just running here and there. Crazy busy. But it’s good.”I’ll hear that or some variation of that dozens of times a day.And sometimes I feel prompted to push back and say, “Do you practice the rhythm of the Sabbath?” I’m often surprised how many Christians think the Sabbath doesn’t apply to them or secretly believe that Jesus actually did away with the Sabbath or, at the very least, diminished its importance. But just look at this passage.Mark 3:1-6. Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.Notice in Mark 3 (this is true of all the Gospel accounts) the discussion is not about WHETHER to keep the Sabbath day but about HOW to keep it.Their argument was over what was lawful to do on the Sabbath, and we see Jesus demonstrating over and over that it’s lawful to do good on the Sabbath. In other words, Jesus is restoring the Sabbath to its original intention of connecting us to the love, grace, wonder, and mercy of our Heavenly Father.I feel as if God has been teaching me a lot about this rhythm of the Sabbath and its importance to my life, my family, and my ministry.

Make the Ball Come to You

Make the Ball Come to You: The best leaders aren’t running around trying to make things happen all the time.