God’s Will, Our Purpose

By Dr. Sanejo Leonard

Responding to God’s call is not always easy, and there is never a “right” time to do so. Most good decisions requiring action and movement can be a struggle to finally settle, and one of the struggles we have is when to take action. Planning and preparation are always important. As the saying goes, “measure twice, saw once,” so decisions should be carefully evaluated and weighed out. However, our human nature and the second law of thermodynamics tend to work against us in the area of change, shifting direction, and forward movement.

God’s Will

Additionally, there are some decisions that don’t require much thought: show love, kindness, and care to others; love God and pursue spiritual growth; lastly, respond to God’s purpose and intention for your life. The last one becomes harder as it can be difficult to know what God’s purpose is for your life. The essence is that God’s will and calling for your life is to grow into Christ’s likeness so that you can become, through His careful sculpting and transformation of your character, the best version of you that He created you to be. God’s will for your life does not have to be mysterious and something you wait for years to understand. Simply and purposefully grow towards God and develop the personality, gifts, and talents He has given you.

God’s Calling

For some, God has called you to start businesses, create safe and healthy places for people to work and be productive in society. For others, God has called you to be creative and write, design, draw, and share musical and artistic beauty. To some, God has called you to vocational ministry and has equipped you to do so.

I finally embraced my call to ministry after several years of trying to understand how God had uniquely gifted and prepared me for vocational ministry. The calling grew stronger and stronger in my heart and mind in my junior year in college, and after several confirmations by professors who saw in me what I couldn’t as yet see in myself. There were gifts and talents God had given me that I couldn’t manufacture, and I knew at several points along the way that I was in the right place when I ministered to others and I felt a sacred sense of God’s presence that also resonated with the other person; when I preached and felt an unmistakable anointing coming over that I could not create on my own; when I taught my first college course at a Bible college on the importance of theology and Bible study and people were touched connected with the ideas on a deep and profound ways. These gifts came from inside, from the years of preparation as a young person through memorizing scripture and being engaged in my church and youth group, through the talents and personality God created me to have, and the years of education and ministerial training I received.

Our Purpose

Fulfilling our purpose requires preparation, education, training, and embracing the calling God has given to us. Being willing to embrace life’s challenges as part of our preparation, all of the education we have received or need to receive, and understanding our personality, our gifts, and the talents with which God has entrusted us—all are needed to help us step into our calling and purpose.

Our purpose in life is to respond to God’s specific and individual call for each of us, and then to embrace His collective will for all of us to grow into transformational Christlikeness.

I pray that each of you would lean into God’s purpose for your life, your calling, and His will for you.

But Let Justice Roll on Like a River…

By Dr. L. William Oliverio, Jr.

It seems that if any biblical text might be appropriate for our moment in history, it may be the book of the Prophet Amos. In the book of Amos, the northern kingdom of Israel (which had been split from the southern kingdom of Judah a century before) stood in grand confidence due to its territorial expansion and increasing wealth, as well as its faithfulness in holding religious rituals in the Israelite tradition. But it was also good at worshiping other gods, and it was a society fixed upon injustices – especially abuse of the poor.

Along came Amos, a farmer from the borderlands along Judah and Israel (though from Judah’s side), who came and prophesied in the northern Israelite holy place, Bethel, and for some time. The book starts out with a series of divine judgments on the idolatrous neighboring nations of Israel. Now that’s good preaching, Amos – with judgments on violent Damascus, enslaving Gaza, treacherous Tyre, merciless Edom, child-murdering Ammon, Moab for its assassination of Edom’s king, and then even to Judah for rejecting the law of the LORD and being led astray by false gods.

The Bible Project video on Amos (Bible Project) nicely illustrates how the literary structure of Amos forms a spiral circling around – and then turning in to the northern kingdom of Israel. The LORD will be relentless on Israel, he prophesies, because,

“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
and so profane my holy name.
They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.
In the house of their god
they drink wine taken as fines.” (Amos 2:6-8)

Innocent people are sold out. The needed are treated as cheap, lowly goods. Justice is denied. Women are treated as prostitutes. Any altar that creates profit or advantage is a place for business. They celebrate in idolatry. And, ouch, the house of “their god” assumes they are pagans, not worshipers of the LORD, Yahweh.

It is so easy for paganism and immorality and injustice to slip back under the guise of biblical faith, as Amos’ sermon to Israel mocks the religious trappings and observations in the places of worship,

“Go to Bethel and sin;
go to Gilgal and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three years.
Burn leavened bread as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offerings—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,
declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Amos 4:4-5)

The (in)famous statement “prepare to meet your God” actually comes from a portion of this sermon shortly after (4:12).

Then there’s this, the culmination of the sermon in chapter 5.

“Hear this word, Israel, this lament I take up concerning you:

Fallen is Virgin Israel,
never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
with no one to lift her up.

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:

Your city that marches out a thousand strong
will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong
will have only ten left.

This is what the Lord says to Israel:

Seek me and live;
do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,
do not journey to Beersheba.
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.

Seek the Lord and live,
or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;
it will devour them,
and Bethel will have no one to quench it.

There are those who turn justice into bitterness
and cast righteousness to the ground.

He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns midnight into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.
With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin.

There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court
and detest the one who tells the truth.

You levy a straw tax on the poor
and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,
you will not live in them;
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes
and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times,
for the times are evil.

Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
Hate evil, love good;
maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph” (Amos 5:1-15)

 For, as is, their worship is not acceptable,

“I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me.
Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps” (5:21-23).

The only answer is this, and it’s simple, if difficult for those married to corruption,

“But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (5:24)

That’s all. There’s no replacement for obedience, for righteousness, for justice – for true worship of the LORD.

So also with us. The call is to choose life, to love neighbors as ourselves, to work against systematic injustices, and to live with a heart of generosity and love and good will to others. Without love of neighbor, love of God rings hollow.

Amos will soon offer hope. But that hope is dependent, only, on the provision above from 5:24.

Engaging Lectures Using Technology

By Dr. Paul Fishell

Great lecturers create comfortable learning environments, present students with varied forms of learning material, and emphasize key points during lecture. In this article, techniques in ZOOM will be discussed on creating environment, presenting learning materials, and emphasizing key points of the lecture.

Creating a Good Classroom Environment

Lecture should be comfortable for the speaker and listeners. Hunkering over the computer creates tension for the lecturer and the listener. Moving away from the hunkering position lowers tension on the speaker. One’s hardware can allow the teacher to relax more when lecturing.

Within ZOOM, options exist to avoid headphones. Wired headphones puts the lecturer on a leash and dehumanizes the lecturer. One way to avoid feedback is to use speakers or microphones not on the same device. One can situate a directional microphone between the speakers and lecturer. Or, a Bluetooth may be synced to computer or a phone with meeting audio.

Another way to free up the lecturer is to positioned webcam on a music stand. Then, it can be raised, lowered, or pan the office of the lecturer. Having a portable camera allows the lecturer to write on a physical whiteboard with a clear view of the whiteboard. By using a webcam, the teacher is now teaching like Mr. Rodgers. Mr. Rodgers taught his students while moving about his room, which happened to have a camera. Whether standing or walking about, a lecturer in ZOOM may now speak with their hands and use body language. The portable camera allows the lecturer to create online an environment similar to traditional classrooms.

Curriculum Presentation

ZOOM allows the teacher to share one’s own desktop. Whatever slides a teacher has prepared may be shared. Presentation slides are naturally formatted for topical outlines. Bulleted slides require students to listen for information to ‘fill in’ the outlines. Slides guide the lecture rather than give the lecture. Slides that contain all the information negates the need for the student to listen.

Change is good. Change creates mini-learning curves. Learning curves studies show

Abiding in Christ in the Midst of COVID-19

By Dr. Sanejo Leonard

The past few weeks I have been meditating and practicing lectio divina on a familiar passage in Luke 13, the one where Jesus cries over Jerusalem in his desire to draw the city and its people back to himself. In reflecting upon that scripture, I was drawn to the start of the passage where Pharisees come to him and urge him to leave because Herod wants to kill him. Luke, ever the detailed writer, tips us off in dramatic fashion to the urgency in the narrative by writing “At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you [italics added]” (Lk. 13:31, NRSV).

Whether the Pharisees were trying to help Jesus, or this was a ploy to get him out of their city (probably the latter), the sense of urgency would cause any normal person to react: someone is trying to kill you, do something about it! Yet, Jesus was no “normal” person. While Jesus was both human and divine and struggled with many of the same human emotions we deal with, there was also a sense of calm deep within him, showing his ability to remain at peace despite the fear and anxiety that swirled around him (e.g., remember the story of Jesus asleep on the boat in the midst of the storm in Luke 8:23-25). Jesus’ frequent time spent with the Father in prayer (Lk. 5:16) seems to have contributed to his ability to respond to life’s challenges with a sense of calm rather than the temptation to react. Knee-jerk reactions often reflect ingrained habits, habits and parts of our character that have yet to be transformed into Christ’s likeness and Christ’s character.

Instead of reacting to the Pharisees and their attempt to cause fear, Jesus brings the focus back around to his mission and to others. It is from there that Jesus proceeds to express his sorrow over Jerusalem, desiring to gather her children together in a protective manner (Lk. 13:34), and as such, letting everyone know that his life was not his own; his life was meant to be lived and to die for others.

Jesus’ example shows us that our ability to weather our current storm of a global crisis is in our daily and frequent connection with God our loving Father, and the deep and abiding peace we will find from that relationship. As we grow in our ability to remain or abide in Jesus and his love, the fruit from that abiding will be our ability to love others (Jn. 15:5-12). The fruit will be our ability to respond from a well of peace rather than react from a shallow point of fear and anxiety. Our fruit will be responding with hope that only comes from a God who is bigger than our current crisis than a trust in human ability alone to fight this crisis. It is only when we learn to abide in Christ that our reactions change to thoughtful and peaceful responses because we are deeply rooted in Christ and his love (Eph. 3:17-18). Being the self-proclaimed “fraidy-cat” that I am, I need to remind myself of this practice as much as anyone.

May we this day, this week, and in this crisis learn to abide in Christ and find peace and calm there, and in turn, love and care for others to bring God’s light in the midst of this darkness.

Amen.

Redeeming the Time

By Dr. Richard Cook

We are living in unprecedented times!   Personally, I have been involved in ministry for fifty years and have never witnessed what we are going through today as a nation, or in the world.  While we may not understand everything we are facing, we can take advantage of the time, rather than waste it.  The Apostle Paul shared valuable information with the church in his letter to the Ephesian church when he said, “So be careful how you live.  Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do” (Eph. 5:15-17 NLT).  The KJV translated v.16 as “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

We have been given time…time…time that we didn’t have before.  Time to spend in ways we never thought possible.  Time to invest.  Where?  Where have we invested our time during this lockdown?  Let’s make some determinations that we will not allow this valuable time to be stolen by social media, binge watching TV, or other self-centered interests.  What is the most valuable?  What is the most rewarding?  What is God saying to us at this time?  He has given us time and He is asking us to “redeem” that time, not for temporary gratification but for eternal purposes and the furtherance of His kingdom.  So, where are we now in all of this?  Let’s review.  Let’s take time to write in our journals what we are discovering about ourselves and the journey from here to the “new normal.”  Let’s ask ourselves:

1.  Are we ready for change?  Did this time of pause show us anything about the need for change?  Did we discover something about ourselves, our family, our ministry?  Our career?  Our spirituality?  What are those things?
2. Did we spend this time to invest, develop and strengthen family and ministry relationships?
3. Did we take time to pursue the God who pursues us?  Have we found Him to be more precious than anyone, anything, any achievement or identity?  Have we put Him in first place?
4. Have we taken time to refresh our physical bodies?  How long has it been since we honored the Sabbath Day by resting from all our work?
5. What about the projects that we’ve delayed?  Or the necessary chores that we had no time for?
6. Have we put an end to unhealthy habits and developed healthy ones with the Holy Spirit’s help?
7. Did we use this time to develop accountability systems for our lives?

As the book of Proverbs instructs, Wisdom is calling to us to put away things that drag us down, that weaken us spiritually, physically and emotionally; to embrace Wisdom and run from foolishness, foolish people, and foolish living.  Once again, the question before us is, “Are we ready for change?”  If not, we will not be ready for where Wisdom is leading us and what God has in store for us.  There is so much to gain and, yet, so much to lose.  Be a seeker of Wisdom and Understanding.  May we allow the reverent fear of God guide us into the future, resulting in a life well lived!

Reaching Kansas City During a Pandemic

By Dr. Paul Fishell

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).

No one expected the country to be shut down. “Ministry During a Pandemic” was not one of the courses that Pastor Adam Brown took at SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary. So what does one do in ministry during a pandemic? To answer this question, let us look at the ministry of Reach KC.

Standing in line at a gas station, Brown is asked about his “Transformed” shirt by the clerk. “My father died of HIV from drug use when I was three years old. I grew up fatherless and fell into the drug lifestyle. In prison, I cried out to God. My life has been transformed by Jesus. I completed bible college and now I am a pastor.” His 30 second testimony leads to a conversation about his church. People identify with Brown’s story and come to Reach KC to see their own lives transformed.

Upon graduating from SUM in 2017, Brown aligned himself with Reach Missouri to plant a church. City Reach Kansas City was launched September 17, 2017. After one year, the congregation had to move. Through a series of miraculous events, an agreement was reached and the congregation moved to the Blue Valley neighborhood on the Eastside.

Operating as Reach KC, the church has always had a vision to “Reach the One.” The church hosts “Stop the Violence” and “Pray for our Hood” events in the community parks. The church has adopted a local elementary school giving gifts,volunteering, and mentoring. In the summer of 2019, Reach KC joined with the USDA to provide a summer lunch feeding program for school age students. The church uses its Youtube channel and Facebook to maintain presence online. The church promotes HobMob and CABB Musik concerts in Kansas City. Whatever it takes…the mission is to reach Kansas City.

So how does one minister during a pandemic? The same way, with some modifications. Reach KC has to reach Kansas City. In Missouri, “stay at home” orders have made allowances for essential personnel to be out in the community. Reach KC has made itself essential. It immediately started its summer feeding program when schools shut down. Serving Monday through Saturday, lunch sacks are prepared and distributed to the community. Statistics show our neighborhood’s need: 47% of the Blue Valley neighborhood is below the poverty level, 37% of the neighborhood are school aged children, 23% are single mother families, and the average size of a household is 8.7 persons per home. Reach KC is 1 essential in our community. We feed the many children in our neighborhood. At this point, the church has been giving away between 250-300 lunches per day. This practical expression of the love of Jesus and Reach KC has touched the hearts of the community.

The presence in the digital world has expanded. Reach KC began to use Sling Studio to live broadcast entire services on their Youtube channel. Devotions continued on Facebook lives. ZOOM meetings for leadership and small group Bible studies moved to this platform. Reach KC’s internet presence is seen daily.

As talk of opening the country begins, the question shifts to: How do we do ministry after the Covid shut down? We keep reaching. Reach KC is planning to “relaunch” the church.

One real set back of the shut down has been the lack of community. About 90% of Reach KC has struggled with addictions. Shut down has been hard on the congregation of Reach KC. Isolation leads to depression. Depression leads to relapses. Therefore, Reach KC needs to be together. They need to work side by side in outreaches and feeding programs. They need to smile and enjoy good Hip Hop music. Reach KC needs to reach the one and hold them accountable. During this pandemic, too many phone calls and text messages have gone unanswered… Reach KC needs to be called home.

While Brown did not take “Ministry During a Pandemic,” he caught a vision to reach the one. Brown often references Luke 4:18-19 as the ministry of Jesus. “If that is his ministry, it should be ours.” Preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Set captives free. Reach the one!

Reflections of a Military Chaplain in COVID-19 Duties

By Dr. Page Brooks

I received a call that Mr. Norman had passed away. Mr. Norman was a Marine Corps veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and had fought on Iwo Jima during World War II.  He was 96 years old and passed away of COVID-19 complications in his nursing home. The problem was that because of COVID-19, no honor guard was going to be available to honor him at his funeral.

I have served for over 18 years as a chaplain in the Louisiana National Guard. I enjoy chaplaincy ministry because it is one of the ways I am able to get outside of the four walls of the church and do ministry in the community. Chaplaincy ministry is primarily based upon what is called “ministry of presence.” The phrase means that our ministry is primarily relational. We might go around and visit at a location or an institution where we serve as a chaplain and simply build relationships. In such a way, when something happens in their life, hopefully there is an open door for them to come to us for help.

As chaplains, we serve as a reminder of God’s love and presence to people during times of victory and trials. We are there to celebrate with them when things are going well, but also to be a presence when hard times come. Sometimes simply being present in a hospital room, saying nothing at all, but being a gentle reminder of God’s presence, can be just as powerful.

Chaplains are often able to go and do ministry where others are usually not. This is especially true in ministry contexts like the military. I have had wonderful adventures while serving in the Army National Guard but also walked through some very trying times with soldiers. I rode with “my guys” in convoy operations in Iraq. I have waded in water that was waste deep to pile sand bangs on levees during hurricanes in Louisiana. I sweated with them going through tactical operations in the woods. And I have provided comfort when we lost soldiers to suicide.

Most recently, during COVID-19, I have walked with my soldiers providing care to sick patients in the New Orleans Convention Center. My duties have involved making site visits to soldiers at the testing sites where members of the community may come to be tested. Some soldiers are packaging meals at area food banks to ensure individuals and families have food. I will usually provide a “word of the day” that I can share in about 45 seconds when soldiers gather around to be quickly encouraged. But I also conduct worship services on the weekend because soldiers, most of the time, are not able to go home. Sermons usually involve sharing a word of hope during long hours of duty, helping to provide a sense to them that in small ways they are making a difference in the community.

My chaplaincy ministry has taught me a great deal in the civilian pastorate as well. Chaplaincy has taught me to see my community as my “parish” just as I might see an institution as my “place of ministry” in chaplaincy. Chaplaincy has taught me to be quiet and listen when often, as a preacher, I just want to talk. I have learned that ministry by presence and action is just as important as ministry through words and preaching.

Serving at the funeral of Mr. Norman was an honor and privilege. I also play the bagpipes and have played Amazing Grace more times than I can remember. So, my way of honoring Mr. Norman was to show up in military uniform, play Amazing Grace on the bagpipes, and render the salute he was due when no one else was able to do it. But that action sums up what chaplaincy is all about. We are there to minister in the toughest of situations, providing a reminder of God’s love and comfort.

Mr. Norman, as a Purple Heart recipient and Iwo Jima veteran, deserved to be honored. But in this situation, the honor was all mine.

Compassion, Not Sacrifice: Same Mission, Different Strategy

By Dr. Brandon Kertson

I have been reflecting on Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:13, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire compassion and not sacrifice.’” Sacrifice spoke of the dominant system of worship of the day. People followed the system thinking it is what pleased God. An orchestration of religious acts that served to help people feel secure in their standing before God.

Jesus rarely just speaks words, rather he also lives them out. In the next series of stories after Matthew 9:13, there are numerous miracle stories where the marginalized are included, the strangers are welcomed, and the poor are empowered. First, Jesus heals a woman with a hemorrhage (Matt 9:20-22). This hemorrhage made this woman economically poor because it ran up her doctor’s bills. It made her poor in spirit because she would have been perpetually unclean and unable to enter the temple to participate in sacrifice (Lev. 15:19-30; 21:20). Finally, it would have made her socially marginalized because touching other people or being intimate with a lover would have made them unclean as well. Jesus has compassion on her, heals her and she is restored. Next, Jesus heals two blind men and next a mute demon-possessed man who have similar holistic needs that are met by Jesus’ compassionate healing touch. Jesus goes outside of the constraints, outside of the normal way of doing things and meets these individuals where they live, because they would never have been allowed in the halls of worship.

A summary text in verse 36 brings the word compassion back into purview telling us that when he saw these marginalized, he felt compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. It was this feeling of compassion for the holistic distress of the forgotten that led Jesus to say to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send workers into his harvest.” This context gives whole new meaning to what these workers are supposed to be doing in this oft quoted mission passage!

Why am I writing this blog at this moment at this time?

I am sure you have been as inundated with covid-19 news as I have. News and the expectations of daily life have been changing on an hourly basis. In the midst of the chaos our rallying cry should be: our strategy changes, but our mission does not. The original goal of the sacrificial system was to connect people with God, but when it had served its usefulness, people were slow to move to new strategies to fulfill God’s mission of reconciliation.

Perhaps we have been too in love with our systems of worship rather than trying to extend compassion to people in need through other strategies. Many churches have been employing new strategies to move church online during this pandemic, but my fear is that we are simply moving the same system of worship to a new environment and not asking, “How do we meet the needs of people that are hurting, excluded and alone?” Rather we are simply asking, “How do we keep people coming?”  During this time of crisis, we need to find new ways to minister and my prayer is that it will help us to learn what God means when he says, “I desire compassion and not sacrifice.” May we be challenged during this season to not get caught up on a specific methodology as being pleasing to God, but a true heart of worship – compassionate obedience that leads to transformed lives and transformed communities.