All The People

What does all the people mean, does it not mean that everyone is included.  Jesus loves all the people of the world means all the people not just a select few.  Believers often confuse the fact that Jesus does not limit his love just to them.   They forget that we are called to love all the people, not just the ones that are easy to love.  In fact, Christ challenges us to love the least lovable, those who give us every reason not to love them.  Anyone can love the lovable, which is precisely why we all describe babies as so lovable.  Surround yourself with a bunch of two year olds and your perspective might change with regards to how lovable babies are.  In the end, we are called to love all the people much as he loves all of us regardless of their condition or conduct.  

In Luke 2:10-11,  the birth of Christ is announced and he is proclaimed as the savior of all the people, not just the most lovable.  Christ journeyed through our land to set the stage for His message to be delivered throughout the world so that all the people, Jews and gentiles, would through his grace find a path towards his gift of salvation.  His death and resurrection is the covenant that provides all people a path to salvation.

Salvation is the understanding that there is an almighty God, that He created us, and that God provides a path by which we can move out of sin and into holiness; the holiness that enables us to attain eternal life and a heavenly home. This path enables us to be reborn from a fleshly sinful life to a spiritual sinlessness and a sin forgiving life.  It is critical to understand that our flesh binds us to a sinful nature but Christ unbinds the flesh enabling us to overcome our sinful nature, to recognize sin and resist it.  His grace provides all the people an opportunity for repentance and never ending forgiveness.  Forgiveness is a washing away, a complete disregard of any sinful conduct regardless of the severity of that sin.  God is not particular about his forgiveness, it is given to all who seek it and given without condition to anyone who recognizes him as the giver of forgiveness; the redeemer of all.

The gift of redemption is evidence of God's love for all people.  It is an unconditional love that is freely provided regardless of who we are and how we are.  Whether believers or sinners, the love is never ending.  Like the prodigal son who left his father and persisted in pursuing his sinful nature, we too may persist in sin.  But the story does not end there, when the prodigal son returned covered in sin and filth his father did not curse him, deny him or tun his back on him.  Instead he ran out to greet him and welcomed him home.  He celebrated his return recognizing that while his son was lost for a time, he was now found.  He recognized that his son was seeking his forgiveness and love and unlike most of us opted to avoid the "told you so" verbiage and freely embraced him with his loving arms and a spirit of forgiveness.  So too, God welcomes each of us who repent and turn away from our sinful nature celebrating the fact that we have returned home.  His arms are opened wide waiting for all the people to find their way back home.   Just a little advice to go!

Why I Quit Facebook!

One of the detractors we face today is social media, not because it is bad but because many of us have allowed it to consume us. I was sitting at the movie theater today when I was distracted by the glow of the cell phone in the hands of the person sitting next to me. I turned expecting to see some young person acting irresponsibly only to find an elderly woman on her Facebook account. I thought to myself, we have all lost our way. It seems even the elderly are pre-occupied with staying on top of what is going on, possessed by an unquenchable need to know.

Facebook provides the benefit of constant communication which if properly managed could be informative and productive. However, when it becomes an addiction that keeps a person glued to their mobile device, there is clearly a problem. Additionally, the debates occurring on Facebook often lack a factual foundation leading to arguments based more on opinion than reality often resulting in divisiveness between co-workers, friends, and family. Instead of Facebook bringing people together, it is often doing quite the opposite.

So with great intentionality, I decided to do something about the problem. I quit Facebook. I removed myself completely from Facebook and guess what, I survived. I also shut down most of my cellular app notifications so my cell phone isn't dictating when I should open an app. This may make me appear weird in today's world and some may even suggest I am overreacting, but just google, "apps to help you stop using apps". You will find apps like Break Free to help you stop using your mobile phone, apps like SelfControl or Freedom to help you control your use of apps, and numerous articles on why your favorite apps are designed to addict you. Not kidding.

Today, I limit my media interaction to LinkedIn which leans more towards the professional than the social and provides a positive forum to express my views. I look at it once or twice a day and that is more than enough. When I want more information about what is going on in the world, I turn on the radio and listen to the local public radio station. When I want to know more about what is happening with family or friends, I make a phone call or write a letter. Radio news, phone calls and letter writing, some old fashioned advice to go!

Making America Great Again!

How do we make America great again? The reality is that we can't make America great until we address the flaws and biases within ourselves. America cannot be great when it continues to ignore the poverty within its own borders and blames that poverty on immigrants when in fact we have enough resources within this country to eliminate all poverty. America cannot be great when the elderly are left to live off of the crumbs of a broken social security system, when we as a nation have the resources to ensure every senior retires to a safe, peaceful, and worryfree life. America cannot be great when we continue to judge people by the color of their skin versus the content of their character and then deny it happens. America cannot be great when those of us who practice the Christian faith insist on passing judgment and condemning others even though Christ accepted each of us unconditionally through his grace and love.

America can only be great again when each of starts to live by the values that can ensure its greatness. Values that commit us to caring for the poor and sickly, that  enable us to embrace all people regardless of the color of their skin or religious faith, that obligate us to act out of love, peace, joy, and kindness will make America great again. Making America great means each of us has to commit to live by these values. I don't know about you, but I'm reaffirming my commitment to live by these each and every day. I'm re-committing to give from what I have to those in need, to love the least lovable, to care for the elderly, to respect all people and forgive those who are the least deserving of that forgiveness. Most of all, I am committing to practicing grace towards others; a grace reflective of the unmerited favor that God demonstrated when he accepted me as his child. Just a little advice to go!

The Evil We've Become

Christian faith is built upon the biblical principles and teachings of our churches and religious institutions throughout the United States and the world.  From the beginning of time the Bible teaches that original sin separated humanity from the sinless life God intended for us.  A seed of sin was planted within each of us, the evilness that we either overcome or the evil we become.

Today, the evidence of the evil within us is evident as we see the hate and disdain many have for those who are different from them leading to so much hate within our own country as well as the rest of the world.  Despite the many biblical teachings that tell us not to judge, not to hate, to forgive, to turn the cheek, not to have a Spirit of condemnation, to love our enemies, and so forth, we continue to focus on false dialogues based on the forceful imposition of our faith on others.  What happened to loving others into a walk with Christ and understanding that this world is not our home, that in it we will not find perfection.

Christ knew we were not of this world, that we should leave the things of this world to this world, that our faith has always brought condemnation, but that in Christ we could withstand and overcome that condemnation.  Many live within the falsehood that we can make “America Great Again” as if Christ has taught us that we could turn America around and make it a Godly nation.  Biblically, we are taught that making America great again is the furthest thing from the outcome of the journey we are traveling.  America will continue down the wicked path it has traveled since the creation of the first man and woman.  Our task is not to make America Great again, but rather to reflect the shining light of Christ upon those who are in the darkness with love and grace, much as He shone his light upon us so that they too may see the path that leads to a life free of condemnation and full of the promise of tomorrow.

Perhaps if we focused on making our individual selves great again, true believers, free of our own evilness and walking in God’s grace, we would have a greater impact on those who are lost in the evils of this world.  With each life we touch and with each person who believes and chooses to walk a Christian walk, we prepare for the reality that Christ will come again and that he will come because of the sin that will undoubtedly overtake our land.  Yes, we don’t give up on standing for our faith, but we keep our efforts in perspective with the reality of what we know is to come.  Just a little advice to go!

A New Attitude in 2017!

As I start 2017, I am committing to a new attitude for the year. I recognize that my attitude is something that I can control, though I often fail to keep it in check. You see my attitude is often impacted by the circumstances I encounter throughout my day. People who have bad attitudes make it difficult for me to remember that their bad attitude doesn't mean mine has to be bad. Attitude is something each of us can control by simply making the conscious decision not to allow the people or situations we encounter daily to negatively impact our attitudes.

In 2017, I am choosing to have an attitude that reflects optimism, joy, empathy, hope, love, peace, compassion and Godliness. I refuse to allow the circumstances of the moment, regardless of how difficult they may be, to lead me down the pessimistic path that seems so prevalent in today's world. I am committed to having a positive attitude at home, work, school, and life in general. Imagine how joyful life would be if we all worked to ensure we had a new attitude in 2017, one that was truly focused on the unconditional celebration of the gift of life. Let's just do it! Just a little advice to go!

Giving Thanks 365 Days A Year

We celebrated the holiday of Thanksgiving yesterday with family and friends most of us praying for the blessings we have received.  We then sat down to a great meal which many of us were fortunate to have.  That meal reminded me of a commitment I made  to be less self serving and more of a servant to others.  That commitment is captured eloquently by the following quote from Nelson Mandela:

"We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination."

Thanksgiving is a not simply a day to give thanks, but to a day in which we should all remind ourselves of the hope we have and should continue to have at a time where for many, things may seem hopeless.  As a Christian I believe that faith without works is dead, in other words our actions speak to how committed we are to our faith.  It is what each of us does each and every day to address the poverty within our communities, the suffering many are enduring from the youngest to the oldest, and the discrimination many are facing because of the color of their skin, their particular gender, and even the uniform they wear that helps eliminate hopelessness.  Living this way each and every day is truly an act of Thanksgiving we should all practice.

Imagine the impact we would have on the world if we committed ourselves to doing more for others than ourselves, to loving unconditionally thus approaching others in a spirit of love instead of condemnation.  The Christ in which I believe did not come to condemn the world but to open a door called grace, unmerited favor, through which anyone could enter into the hope of salvation, new beginnings, and an unquenchable desire to love and care for others.

Our faith and love for others can help move them from hopelessness to hopefulness.  In Colossians Chapter 1, verses 3 to 5, we are reminded that faith and love spring up from hope.  It is in the hopefulness each of us have for a tomorrow that is brighter and better for all, that we can then practice a faith and love that touches the lives of those around us helping them to have hope.  Let’s celebrate Thanksgiving every day as a reminder of all we have to be thankful for and how we can inspire hope in others.  Just a little advice to go.

Blending In Versus Standing Out!

As a child my parents always encouraged me to do my best, to make sure I stood out. Throughout my educational and work experiences I've always strived to stand out and be the best I can be. I have received a lot of accolades throughout my professional career having achieved a number of firsts, particularly during my career with the Rochester Police Department. But standing out produced a temporary moment of satisfaction that quickly faded away.

Today, I work at Haven for Hope serving those experiencing homelessness and have come to realize that the greatest challenge is not to stand out, but to blend in. Working to make our 22 acre campus the best it can be, means blending in with each of the staff that help make it a place of excellence. If that means picking up a mop and cleaning a mess, cleaning the bathrooms, picking up garbage, taking time to speak with a client when you don't have the time, addressing the need of a co-worker who simply needs to be heard or any of the many other critical functions necessary to make Haven for Hope a place of excellence, then that is what I need to do.

No longer do I feel the need to stand out, but instead want to blend in with those who work to make Haven a place of excellence. If you are wondering what changed, it was the realization that I was not following the leadership model of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was a great leader not because he worked to stand out, but rather because he blended in. He blended in with the crowd wearing the same clothes, eating the same foods, sitting at the same table, and living the same simple lifestyle. He loved each individual in spite of who they were or what their sins were. He chose a team that reflected many of the same challenges of those he seeked to serve. His team reflected the shortcomings of those in the crowd and teaching them made it easy for them to teach others. He saw no need to stand out, not even during his crucifixion where he simply asked God to forgive those who in their ignorance crucified him.

I recently read a Pray Fit devotional that spoke about the leader that blends in with the team. It referenced the sport of baseball as one of the few sports where the leader blends in with his team. The coach wears the same exact uniform as the players, he truly blends in with the team. He sits or stands in the same dug out and leads his team by blending in with them and not trying to stand out from them or to stand up above them. While there is nothing wrong with being outstanding in whatever you do, I would suggest it is better to blend in with those you lead and serve then to stand out. Just a little advice to go!