Executive Director Blog

February 14, 2012

Are you ready for another "old school, old fashioned" prayer term?  The word is, "burden."  As a child the word burden was always associated with prayer to describe the "heavy heart" an individual was experiencing due to some need they were carrying in prayer."  Yes, you read it right, "carrying in prayer." 

 

This very graphic description is best pictured by an animal we would call a beast of burden, that carries people or heavy goods on their back.  That is what prayer warriors do when they carry the burden in prayer and pray through that burden. They carry that need in prayer until the burden lifts.  The word burden was used in the Old Testament to describe a heavy prophetic word that God would lay on the heart of a prophet to deliver to an individual, city or nation. This "word" was often so intense that the prophet would experience a physical or emotional reaction to the message.

Case in point, Nahum 1:1 describes the burden against Nineveh.  "The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies."  How would you like to carry that message and then deliver it?  When God places a burden in prayer upon our heart, it can be so heavy we can feel the weightiness of the matter at hand.  The prophet Zechariah 12: 1 says it this way. "The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD."  

 

Have you ever been given an assignment or prayer of concern that weighed so heavily on your heart that you could hardly focus on anything else?  I have, and I compare it to carrying and then delivering a baby.  Ladies, I am well aware that no man, including me, can truly know the intensity of childbirth, but I understand it is done with great pain and sweet relief. 

 

One burden of prayer I remember surrounded the near death of my father.  When the doctor stepped into the hospital waiting room to inform my family that they had lost dad on the operating table, but they were working to bring him back, the burden hit me and my family like a load of rocks.  We all went to prayer, and that waiting room became a prayer room that sounded like a birthing room.  There was weeping and crying out to God for help, and help came.  My father lived several years beyond that near death experience.  

Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew this kind of pain by birthing the Son of God in a natural way and then experiencing the agony of the soul as she watched him suffer and die.  Jesus felt the same kind of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane as He carried the burden of the Cross in prayer.  He agonized so much that He sweated blood.  It is Christ's experience in the Garden that helped qualify Him to be our High Priest Intercessor, who is, "touched with the feeling of our infirmities." 

 

So, let me leave you with the words of another song that I cut my spiritual teeth on.  As a child I learned about prayer through the message of this song, "Reach Out to Jesus."

 

Is your burden heavy as you bear it all alone? 
Does the road you travel, harbor dangers yet unknown? 
Are you growing' weary in the struggle of it all? 
Jesus will help you when on his name you call.


CHORUS
He's always there hearing every prayer, faithful and true. 
Walking by our side, in his love we hide all the day through. 
When you get discouraged just remember what to do. 
Reach out to Jesus, he's reaching out to you. 

Is the life you're living filled with sorrow and despair? 
Does the future press you with its worry and its care? 
Are you tired and friendless, have you almost lost your way? 
Jesus will help you, just come to him today.

 

It is time for me to call The Love Akron Network to prayer. Let's take our burdens to Jesus, by casting all of our cares upon Him, for He cares for me and you.

 

February 8, 2012

Last week I referred to an "old school" term we used to identify people who prayed with passion in my little humble home church in Missouri.  The revered title, "prayer warrior," described someone who had calloused knees and bloodshot eyes due to long hours of intercession and tears that gushed forth like rain. Here is another "old fashioned" prayer term that has almost become extinct.  When we used it in our little church everyone knew what it meant, and that term was "prayed through." 

Praying through meant that you persevered in prayer until you had prayed "through" the distractions, spiritual resistance and the human tendency to quit before you had truly connected with Heaven.  I compare praying through to what it takes to break free from the gravitational pull of planet Earth when a rocket is headed for another planet.   This breaking free from the gravitational pull to breaking through to another level is called escape velocity. In physics, escape velocity is, "The speed needed to 'break free' from a gravitational field without further propulsion," according to Wikipedia. 

Anyone who has a consistent prayer life understands when prayer moves from saying mere words to seeming to pray through a spiritual gravitational resistance to a dimension of spiritual dominion where you seem to "soar" in intercession. Some things are better caught than taught, and praying through is one of those things.  Someone aptly stated instead of praying through, we just get through praying.  Why is this truer than I want to admit?

I came up with 3 reasons.  One, because our world is so busy and noisy it is difficult to turn off and tune out the distractions.  All of us know what it is like to begin to pray and all at once our mind is filled with "to do lists" and other pressing matters that compete for our attention.  It is sometimes called the tyranny of the urgent. Then, about the time we get somewhat refocused, the enemy whispers or sometimes shouts lies and intimidating thoughts that are meant to be a force of resistance to our connection with God.  We call this spiritual warfare. Finally, there is a temptation and tendency to give up or give in to the distractions of the world and the resistance of the evil one.  This is exactly what Satan wants all of us to do. So, what is the answer?  There is no magic formula, but I have learned a few things that have helped me to pray through.

First, I think it helps to begin with praise and worship.  There is a reason that David exhorts us to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  Whether it is singing praise or declaring it, the manner or form does not matter.  What does matter is that when we worship we open our spirit to the presence of God, and the Bible says, "He inhabits the praises of His people."  Second, ask the Holy Spirit to come and help you to pray.  Theologians have differing views of what Paul meant when he referred to, "praying in the Spirit," in Romans 8:26, 27 and I Corinthians 12 and 14.  The one thing they all agree on, however, is there is a difference in praying in the realm of the natural and praying with the enablement of the Holy Spirit.  Three, to break free and pray through, sometimes it takes praying in agreement with someone else.  Jesus said, "If any two of you shall agree, it shall be done."

I will close with the words of a song I used to sing during my teen years when I was singing with a quartet. The song is aptly called, "When I Prayed Through."

Verse 1
I came to God one night in prayer with my heartache and my care.
I prayed, "Dear Father, here's my all, I'm going through."
And since the day that Jesus came I have never been the same.
I'm glad I stayed down on my knees til I prayed through.

Chorus:
I'll never forget that wonderful hour, when I felt His power, and I prayed through.
All Heaven came down and God's glory abounded, the angels resounded, when I prayed through.

Verse 2:
And now I'm His and He is mine, blest assurance joy divine.
I'm feasting on the living Bread since I prayed through.
I can't explain just how I feel, but praise God I know it's real
Because I stayed down on my knees till I prayed through.

I am aware for some all this "stuff" about praying through might seem a little too mystical and outdated somehow, but this kind of praying is what has helped me get to where I am today on my spiritual journey. I hope it helps you.

February 1, 2012

I was raised in a very conservative church that used terms that could be misunderstood by anyone who was not part of our church community and culture. One of those terms was, "prayer warrior."  We used this term whenever we were referring to someone who prayed with intensity and commitment.  Prayer warriors understood what it meant to be, "Soldiers of the Cross."  They saw prayer as one of the ways to, "fight the good fight of faith," on their knees.  If you were on a prayer warrior's spiritual hit list, you might as well surrender because it was just a matter of time before you were captured.

Prayer warriors understand that we are in a spiritual war, and sometimes you need to, "war on the floor," to win the victory. Prayer warriors clearly understand that the real enemy is not flesh and blood, but rather, it is principalities and powers, whose mission is to steal, kill and destroy all that is good and right.  Sometimes prayer warriors really get emotional in their praying, especially when they are aware that their prayers are being resisted in the heavenlies, and that they are fighting demonic powers.  We call it spiritual warfare.

The battle is always on, but sometimes there is a greater manifestation of Satan's attack.  It is not business as usual but instead feels more like spiritual hand to hand combat.  I recently have reached out to two pastors whose very marriages and ministries have been violently attacked by the evil one.  One of the pastors resigned for the sake of unity in the body, and the other is crying out to God to turn his wife's heart back to him and God, the Father.

I am seeing the war rage with a greater intensity within my own family. I have family members who are battling with and for their children.  There are other very personal matters that can only be viewed as an all-out attack from the powers of darkness.

The good news, friends, is we are not defenseless!  In fact, we are, "armed and dangerous."  The weapons of our warfare are not of human order, but are spiritual in nature.  We have been given the power of Almighty God to break the strongholds of the Evil One.  Prayer is one of those weapons, and when you combine it with fasting, it becomes supernatural TNT.
 
Dear ones, we must not lose heart in the battle.  If God be for us, who can stand against us?  So, my charge is, "Onward Christian Soldiers."  The battle is not ours, but it is the Lord's.  Let's take courage from that great hymn of the Church, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," composed by Martin Luther, the revolutionary of the Reformation.  Right now, take the time to slowly read the lyrics to this powerful declaration of who we are, but most importantly, whose we are.  If you would like to listen to the music as you read or sing along, click here.

A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
    
Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.
   
And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
 
That word above all earthly powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours,
thru him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.

There is no one that I would rather be in the trenches with than you precious people who take the time to read my exhortation each week.  I count it an honor to serve with you in the Army of the Lord.

January 24, 2012

Have you ever had something happen, and it was obvious it was a, "God thing"? I think we need to be careful saying, "God told me," and, "Thus saith the Lord," phrases that can be used as manipulation.  However, when I say this was a, "God thing," I really do sense it was orchestrated by God Himself.

Yesterday morning I was sitting in my "prayer chair" just reflecting and praying when I heard my cell phone notify me that I had a text message. I am not suggesting that we should allow our cell phones to control our lives and pull us from prayer, but in this case I felt pulled to check it out. The pull was not so much a spiritual thing, rather I had a very crowded schedule, and I thought perhaps someone was conveying a message regarding some appointment with me.  I looked at the text message and did not recognize the phone number but was intrigued by the message. 

After texting back and forth, I discovered it was from a young man who was a student at Zion Bible College, where I served as the Vice President for Development and College Advancement from 2002-2005.  I haven't spoken to Steve Goodwin since Zion days, which means we have essentially been out of touch for 6 years or more.  The shortened version of the conversation is that he felt that God had spoken to him about starting a prayer movement using Skype. For those who may be technologically limited, like me, Skype is basically talking on camera to someone by means of the Internet.  So, Steve is challenging people to begin Skype praying.  That is a concept that I had never considered, but it resonated in my heart. 

If you are like me, there are people that I would like to pray with, but time and distance does not make that possible.  Skype can bring us into the same room as we bow together before the throne of grace.  Would you consider trying this with me?  I don't know what it takes to set up Skype, but I'm sure my grandchildren will, so I am confident I will quickly become part of the Skype Prayer Movement. Give it some thought and consideration.  Start calling friends and family members to pray face to face. It may add a dimension to your prayer life that will change you.

Christian leaders, if you don't have the time over lunch to physically meet someone for prayer, consider a thirty minute Skype prayer with one another.

Please be in prayer with me tomorrow, Wednesday.  The Love Akron Network, which has expanded into the marketplace, is gathering at Akron Family Restaurant at 7:00 a.m. for a prayer breakfast.  We have over 20 Christian professionals in the marketplace signed up for this Akron Connect prayer event. Pray that God will ignite our hearts to pray the passion of Christ for a broken world.  Wednesday is also the day that The Love Akron Network comes together to pray as One Church.  Meet me at The Throne!!

January 16, 2012

Wow!  The prayer temperature gauge is rising in Summit County!  Last Saturday I had the privilege of attending the launching of a week of prayer and fasting by some of the churches and ministries in the Kenmore area.  Sunday morning I witnessed the passing of the Summit Ablaze prayer torch from Portage Lakes Community Church to Pastor Jeff Dennis and the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church family.  You could feel the anticipation and expectation rise in the building as the burden of intercession was accepted.  Then, Sunday evening I attended the closing prayer service at Portage Lakes Community Church culminating their week of prayer with testimonies and celebration. For more information and testimonies visit our website and witness what God is doing as people pray.   

This year I am working my way back through Richard Foster's book, The Celebration of Discipline, The Path to Spiritual Growth.  Chapter three focuses on the spiritual discipline of prayer. Foster shares some powerful insights, but one major theme stands apart from the others. He shares that prayer opens the possibility for God to do what we cannot do.  I am aware that prayer is more than giving God a,"to-do list".  When all is said and done, at the end of the day, prayer is relationship and fellowship with The Almighty.  Foster, though, reminds us that out of our relationship with God, we learn what He values, how He feels, and how to pray according to His Word and will.  In other words, prayer makes us co-laborers with God.

Paul Bellheimer in his book, Destined for the Throne, challenges us to believe when we pray. Our prayers assist God in, "making His kingdom rule to come and His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven."  My challenge this week as we gather at the throne of God,  is to ask God to communicate His heart and desires to us.  I have been praying specifically for God to give me His heart of love and compassion.  I want to feel what Christ and Nehemiah felt as they wept over the brokenness of Jerusalem.  I want to feel the compassion Jesus felt as He witnessed the harassment and devastation of His generation.

It is that time of the week when we all drop to our knees at the same time and pray.  If you can, join in with many other voices at noon on Wednesday, and  I will meet you at the throne.
 

January 10, 2012

My heart is rejoicing as I witness the wonderful way in which  The Church of Summit County is responding to the Summit Ablaze call to prayer.  I am thankful for the way that Pastor Mike Kraynak and the St. Luke's Anglican Church launched this year- long prayer initiative.  This week Pastor Mike Rybka and the Community Church of Portage Lakes is tending the altar and fanning the flame of revival. I was inspired when Pastor Rybka showed me what they were doing to ignite the passion for intercession this week.  The prayer room they have designed and designated for prayer is both creative and engaging.  I wish I could be there to spend some time in that prayer room but due to my travels I am not in Akron this week.

Again, I am challenged by the importance of shutting off the noise, slowing down from busyness and shutting myself off, just me and God. This week I
am at a conference which allows me to have some alone time away from the daily routine.  Yesterday I went for a run and looked to my right and saw the most amazing scene. A flock of ducks was carelessly feeding and drinking from a gorgeous pond on this wonderfully manicured golf course.  I had to stop and just take in the grandeur of God's creation, but also to reflect on something beyond the beauty.  Once again God reminded me of how important I am to Him and how much He loves me.  My heart was drawn back to Matthew 6 where Jesus tells us if He clothes the flowers and feeds the birds, how much more will He take care of His children.


I am not sure what burdens you are carrying today. Can I  give you a gentle nudge of encouragement to go for a walk or shut yourself away and get quiet? Slow down and let God love you.  Listen to His words of affirmation and assurance.  How can I pray for you tomorrow, Wednesday, when we all bow our knees together as One Church?  Send me your prayer list and let me help you carry the load.  I love you so much, but my love for you cannot even compare to the one who created you for His pleasure.

 Blessed New Year to all of my Love Akron Network Family!

The ball has dropped, and 2012 has arrived.  HALLELUJAH!!!!!  The old is out, and the new is in.  I am claiming the promise given through the prophet Isaiah to God's people.  This promise is found in Isaiah 43:18-19.  "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."

The lead story in the Beacon Journal's Community section today says it well- "CHURCHES WILL UNITE TO IGNITE PRAYER FIRE."  To this I shout a loud,  AMEN!!!  Didn't get a chance to read the article? Click here to read it now.  The Love Akron Network is committed to stoking the fire on the altar of prayer, and we are asking God to send holy fire from heaven to consume Summit County with His Divine Presence.

You do not want to miss our first Love Akron Prayer Event of 2012 this Wednesday, January 4, at Arlington Memorial Baptist Church at 10:00a.m.  Click here for a map.  Pastor Matthew McDaniel and his wonderful team are hard at work preparing for our arrival.  This is a significant prayer event because we are officially launching the Summit Ablaze prayer initiative at this concert of prayer.  If you'd like to stay for lunch please let us know by calling or e-mailing the office.  330-384-8124or loveakronoffice@gmail.com

We have scheduled this prayer event intentionally on the first week of the year so we can  begin the New Year together on our knees.  I am counting on you to stand shoulder to shoulder with me as we carry the burden of the cities we serve.  The great needs of our communities require us to serve as priests who attend the altar.  We must not let the, "fire go out on the Altar."

I love you and will see you on Wednesday!!

Mark

Christmas Greetings to you and all of The Love Akron Network!


 
What is your favorite part of the Christmas story?  For me, it is the part when the Bethlehem sky was lit up with a heavenly light show on Christmas night.  The Angel of the Lord appeared to declare the Messiah's birth, and what followed was majestic.  "There was with the multitude a heavenly host praising God and singing, glory to God in the highest and peace on Earth and good will to mankind."
 
Peace and good will is what Bethlehem needed then and what Akron needs now.  I am sure your heart is as troubled as mine knowing that there have been nine shootings in the past few days with six people dead.  The rash of shootings has brought fear upon the Greater Akron Area, and Police Chief Nice and Mayor Plusquellic have sought to assure everyone that, "all is well."
 
If I could hear the chatter at the "water cooler", it would probably include questions like: "What is going on?  What is the answer?  Who is next?"  There are no simple answers or solutions, but there is one thing I do know.   It is time to amp up our prayer efforts!  I believe the same God who protected the Hebrew people from destruction is able to do the same for our generation in our city.
 
*Would you please do three things? 
 
First, find time to intercede for the Greater Akron area. Our Wednesday noon time corporate prayer hour would be a great time to do just this. Please go and pray in the city if you are able- walk the streets, do "drive by praying," and physically go to schools and public buildings and quietly pray over these properties and people.
 
Second, would you mark Wednesday, December 28, on your calendar?  The Wednesday between Christmas and New Year's Day, Love Akron is calling everyone who will, to come to Mount Calvary Baptist Church on 442 Bell Street, at 7:00 p.m. to pray for our city.  Would you be willing to dismiss your midweek service and encourage "The Church of Akron" to gather to pray as one Church?  This is a code blue call to prayer.  Our city is dying by inches as the evil one who comes to kill and destroy wrecks havoc in our neighborhoods.
 
Third, please use your Christmas services as an opportunity to publicly call your people to pray and also for you to pray publicly for God's peace and help in these difficult and dangerous times.
 
I want to conclude this Christmas call to prayer with an upbeat message.  God is at work, so we can have peace in the middle of turmoil.  Peace is not the absence of war or conflict, but rather it is the abiding presence of the Prince of Peace, and He is Emmanuel, God is with us.
 
Christmas Joy,
 
Mark

 

November 2, 2010

It is Election Day and soon all of the commercials will be over.  The political season has been filled with the most negative barbs that I can ever remember.  I had a politician tell me that that it is proven that negative advertising “works.” So, I guess the old adage is true: for some the ends justify the means.  Think about it, this means if you trash talk your opponent the chances are greater that you will win the election.  In my opinion if this is true, you may win the battle but lose the war.

I wish I could say that this kind of behavior did not happen in the church world but it does.  Unfortunately there are a few of God’s people that believe that their message is superior or “more right” than the church down the street.  Under the guise that they are “just defending the faith” they justify their “put downs” jokes and outright vilification of other churches or pastors who do not agree with their theological, political or philosophical point of view.  Some even refuse to fellowship with anyone outside their group lest they become “guilty by association.”

One time, I invited a local pastor to a Love Akron prayer event.  He told me there was no way he would attend, because we read scripture other than the King James. I walked away from that conversation feeling as though I had been “spit on.” I had another pastor tell me, “Mark, I like you but I don’t like your kind.”  I am sure both of these ministers are wonderful men who felt very justified to express their opinions.  They also felt they did God a great favor for “speaking the truth” and defending the faith.  I wonder how God really felt.  It is my opinion, God was grieved because of the wall that existed between these two men and others in the body of Christ they considered “wrong.”

Now, I am not saying that there is never a time to “stand up for truth” and defend the faith.  Scripture is clear that we are to guard against heresies.  So, there is a time for a public declaration of and correction of teaching and teachers.  Paul even named some of the heresies of his day and publicly identified teachers of his day who were heretics.  Jesus was very bold and clear about what He thought about the Pharisees and their legalistic view of scripture.  I get that!   But, the kinds of “trash talk” I am referencing have more to do with style, preference or opinion rather than scripture or substance. 

Here is my mantra again, “let’s stop the trash talking.  We expect this to be done in sports, politics and advertising.  But it has no place in Christ Church.  As leaders of Christ’s Church we are to lead by example.  Let’s be people of grace.  I think we can be both loving and truthful. The Bible exhorts us to “speak the truth in Love.”  I am not perfect in this area, but I am trying.  Hold me accountable. I want to do better.

October 4, 2010 

 

I am on a soapbox and I am fired up. For you who know me well, you are probably saying, “and so what else is new?” But this time I am really fired up and no I will not be quiet so that everyone will like me and say nice things about me.
 
So what is the issue? I have had it with all of the trash talk that is going on in this ugly, nasty, muddy political climate. The political ads have hit a new low. Candidates are getting into shouting matches and shoving matches. Political weapons of mass destruction are exploding everywhere. So, by now you may be saying, “come on Ford, what else is new?” Here is what is different from where I sit on my side of the elephant, (no pun intended as a jab to the Republicans). Christians are joining in and lending their voices to character assignations by shooting off emails that are based on speculations, judgments and suspicions or passing on media “reports” as though the information they are sharing are documented facts. 
How do I know this?   Well, because I receive the forwarded emails and I also hear the trash talking. Here is my dilemma. I often find myself agreeing or perhaps wondering if what is being stated is true. But, does this give me or anyone else the right to pass on undocumented allegations that seek to make a case for subjective, partisan political positions?
In light of all that I have just stated, what do you do with these words right out of yours and my Bible? Please take time to read these passages thoughtfully and slowly.
 
 
James 3 (The Message)
 3-5A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!
 5-6It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
 7-10This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!
 
 
1 Timothy 2
 1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.
 8 Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God.
 
1 Peter 3 (The Message)
8-12Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.   Say nothing evil or hurtful; Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you're worth.
 
I am not the greatest theologian on the planet, but it does not require a PHD in Hebrew or Greek to understand the message from those passages. If I have my church history correct, these words were written to Christians who were living under austere political conditions with Nero at the top driving the nails.
 
God expects His family to live on a higher level, above the trash talking of this evil world. The church is to set the thermostat of the community discourse, not be the thermometer and simply measure the heated conversations. Of course it is ok to disagree with political positions. My point is that we are to express them in a manner that is more reflective of the Christian community than that of an American.
 
Well that is my perspective in this hostile environment. As for me, I choose to be a Peacemaker rather than a troublemaker. Someone famous said something about; if we did someday we would see God. I sure hope this will happen soon. I am tired of the trash talking.

 

September 28, 2010

Once again the news networks have placed front and center a scandal regarding charges made against Bishop Eddie Long by four young men.  I do not know the full nature of the accusations against the Bishop, nor do I need to know. But this one thing I do know, in this day of the internet any pastor that is accused is guilty until proven innocent in the courtroom of public opinion.  There are no secrets any more.  Every cell phone with a camera makes all of us vulerable to scrutiny that should cause us to weigh carefully the who, what, when, where and how of our lives.  Someone has stated that we should live our life as though everything we do is on camera, because heaven is filming and someone is watching.  I want to challenge all of my ministerial colleagues to obey the adomonition from scripture that says, "shun the very appearance of evil."  When you are on the internet remember there are no secrets.  Your computer records your footprints to every website you have visited.  I told a minister that perhaps we should conduct random computer checks much like we do with random drug checks.

Remember the little Sunday School song we used to sing that had a big message?  "Oh, be careful little eyes what you see...  Oh be careful little hands what you touch... Oh be careful little ears what you hear... Oh be careful little feet where you go... cause the Father up above is looking down in love, Oh be careful little feet where you go."  I hope and pray that the accusations against the Bishop are found to be untrue.  Regardless of what is revealed, good or bad, it is difficult to get your reputation back.  We all need to pray for the Bishop, His Family, His Church Family, His staff and associates.  Bishop Long needs our prayers, not our judgement.  He is our brother and ultimately God is his judge, not us. In the words of St. Paul take heed unto yourself. One day you will be glad you did and so will everyone who loves you and depends on you to stay clean in a dirty world.