Looking Forward to Not Going Backwards

 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. ¹³ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  Phil. 3:12-14

 

For you are God, O Sovereign Lord. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant. ²⁹ And now, may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing!”  2Sam. 7:28-29

 

Pictured above is the Roman God Janus.  If you were at any of our campuses this past Sunday would've learned that our month January is named after this Roman god.   He has two faces simply because one looks back over the year passing, while the other is facing forward into the year ahead.  One can't help but do both as we yelled, sang, partied,  or some even slept into the new year.   I thought I'd take a moment to express my thoughts, feelings, and emotions regarding the past year, as well as my joys going into 2014.

 

Let me first say, Happy New Year to all those reading, as well as to those that wondered what happened to my daily blogging after getting back from Africa (maybe I'll get to the why, later).  2013 were filled with many highs and a few lows. 

 

MY HIGHS  were

 

• Worshipping with the Connections body, Sunday after Sunday.  Receiving Brian A. devotional pieces fed my soul in many ways that someone put so much thought (surely received from the Holy Spirit) regarding why we sing the songs we were singing. 
• Meeting new guests week after week.
• Seeing relationships healed, broken men restored, and families strengthened by the WORD.
• Recording music with the late Dave Hall, and seeing his passion ooze out of him till he could give no more.
• Watching Dave Hall demonstrate to all of us how to persevere during the throws of cancer.
• Getting to go to Africa (seeing the generosity of people help a band of misfits to go on such short notice).
• Seeing people come to Christ in Africa. 
• Baptizing people in the Katskatera mountains.
• Baptizing 10 people this year at Connections!
• Feeling loved by my wife & children after each days work.
• Feeling the prayers of friends and family to get me through my first full year of being a Pastor.
• Recognizing that THIS is GOD's CHURCH, and HE SAID He'd build it, so I don't need to worry about that.
• Seeing people step up!
• Making an impact in my local community......I am so pumped for 2014!
• Watching my small business take care of itself financially.
• Loving on, and feeling loved by those considered the least of these.
• Feeling at peace most of the year! (actually 90% of it)
• Finding CJ, and standing down watching potential.

These are just a few, do know that I could go on....but here are THE LOWS:

 

• No matter what....seeing people leave is always hard. 
• Going through the last days with Dave H. family.....I don't like seeing people hurting.
• Those times when things went wrong.....videos, music, musicians, vocalists...especially when all of them happened at once.
• The physical, mental, and emotional wear of the Trip to Africa this year.
• Seeing my wife hurting regarding our young adult daughter.
• When Brian A. went down, and I knew he had to re-align his life.
• Those times when I felt like and knew I blew it....

As I look back at the Highs and Lows, one thing is consistent.....GOD was present in all of them.  One of the greatest blessings is that I KNEW THAT.  When I was so frustrated sleeping in the open in a tent in Africa He was there....wrapping His arms around my flailing body.   When I present the Gospel in the dark of night in Katskatera...He was there.   When I sat in Dave H. home, on the Friday night he passed He was there.   So when I look back in Faith, I don't have a problem recognizing Him being true to His word.

 

As I look forward to 2014, none of us know how much of this year we will actually be afforded...but this I do know....that I am hopeful that Greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done......like starting a Community Small Group of and with people that some don't attend church anywhere.   I'm hopeful that we will baptize more people this year (I don't know if it will be more than 10....but trust me God will send them).  I'm hopeful that with the help of the Holy Spirit my family and I will REACH more people for God.  Which leads me to this blog thing.....this was and is a vehicle once used to REACH people, and I simply became so consumed that I didn't stop reaching, I just did it in different ways....so lift me up  in prayer....and as God speaks....like He did tonight, I'll try to nestle up to my pc and spill my thoughts. 

 

David was reminded of how good God had been to him despite his short-comings and failures...but God still blessed His servants house.   That's all I want from God, is that He'd bless my family and my home, and I know He will because He has a plan to prosper us, not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future!   #LGLP2014

 

THE BUTLER is.................THE GREATEST?????

 The greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.  Matt. 23:11-12


Today I sat between my beloved wife and some dear friends as I fought to hold back tears like freedom riders, and civil rights rebels fought back though peaceful means of attempting to force a country to live up to the ink penned in the Declaration of Independence & the U.S. Constitution.   Why was it such a struggle to be human, and allow the flood of emotions I felt watching this movie BASED on (not 100% accurate) the life and story of one particular servant in time?   I am not sure, maybe it was pride, machismo, or just quiet resolve not to just bawl because I was reminded of what had to happen, and I REPEAT HAD TO HAPPEN for me to be where I am today.

See whether you support this movie, the actors, or whatever reason you submit to not going to see it.....the truth is this:  My grandmother was a maid!  She remembers fleeing the south from picking cotton.  Lynching did happen, and I'm afraid to believe they don't anymore...but truth is truth. It wasn't too long ago that MY KIND wasn't welcomed in the very neighborhood I live....as a matter of fact the history of slavery in this area is gruesome too recount.   When I think of a few emails I received a few years ago, from Christians......I remember the racism, that I came to know of on the campus of what used to be Central Missouri State U.  Lastly when I remember standing in the hall of the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis with my Caucasian Pastor,  and a mixed band of believers...I couldn't help but be thankful that so many people (blacks and some radically brave Caucasians too)risked their lives, dignity, and laid down their pride so that one day I could look up with pride and dignity.  So I could walk my dog at night without wondering if it was safe for me to do that.   So I could actually have FRIENDS that were white without fear of being beaten unrecognizable.    So I could vote.  So I could have a decent shot, not always a fair one..but a shot nonetheless at having a good education & making a living wage comparable to that of my white constituents.    So that I'd have white friends that would pray with and for me, instead of prey on me and my family simply because of our color.

This is not a blog on the review of the movie THE BUTLER, but this is about my review of those that went before me, those that currently still believe in I HAVE A DREAM, and those that I have yet to win over to GOD's DREAM by me loving them ridiculously.   So when I look back at my roots, I'll cry.  When I look at my kids and seeing they have a shot at making a difference....I'll cry.  When I think of OUR PRESIDENT I WILL CRY....because many people died, and never got to see what they fought for....and I get to live seeing it come to past.  His time, OUR PRESIDENT, is waning, and you'll soon have someone else to complain about........and if you hear me ever complaining about who's in office, I give you permission to rebuke me....as I don't want to do anything that JESUS didn't do. 

SO why the greatest?  Because JESUS SAID THE SERVANT IS THE GREATEST...and I come from a lineage of GREATNESS, a culture of  servants......slaves and free ones that if one of them didn't make it........I quite possibly wouldn't be here! So I cried and cried out in thankfulness for what GOD is doing, especially in my life!   The MARCH CONTINUES DAILY FOR ME!  LGLP 

THE EVOLUTION/MATURATION of RAY

 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.  1Cor13:11

Recently I was asked, "What's your favorite song?" to which I struggle to find a relevant answer.  I mean honestly.....years ago...if I was asked that as an adolescent I would've fired off a lot of answers depending totally on the mood and the genre.  Because I had a few favorites in the genre of rap; fun rap, gangster rap, underground rap, as well as not to EVER be forgotten the conscience rap.  If I was thinking or feeling in terms of soul....it depended on group vs soloist.  If it was about alternative.....I tended to err on the side of lyrical relevance mixed with the guitar riffs and thump of the drum.  If it dealt with classical then it had to be narrowed down by a period of time.  I could never say that I was a metal fan, simply because I could never understand what they were saying, and when I did....most times I was confused. 

If I remember just a little more recent, I recall my musical play list was as diverse as malted milk ball and a Hershey chocolate bar convention.  If it wasn't Fred Hammond, or Kirk Franklin or some other big named African-American artist pushing the envelope without mixing it with contemporary Christian or inspirational music, I was on it!  But GOD knew that wasn't good enough....and thrust me out of my musical comfort zone....into a culture where Israel Houghton was known for only two songs...Friend of God, and Again I Say Rejoice, while Tomlin, Michael W. Smith, Crowder, Matthew West, and many other foreign names waiting to unlock my mind/soul like virgin's first whiff of sweet cheeba to expansive universe of God's praises!

So fast forwarding to just a few days ago when this question was originally asked....I've had hours to allow thoughts to solidify into what I'm about to say in this blog.

I'm thankful that GOD has rescued my mind from the pits of many of the forms of music that I devoted and ignorantly sacrificed unfathomable amount of brain cells, like the genocide performed on brain cells when one is given to drugs and alcohol.  Today......I'm proud to say that my favorite songs are those that evoke positive emotions that make me move:

Move to turn the pages of scripture to double check and delight in the gospel being expressed in a variety of genres. 

Move to get me out of my head, and from behind a desk to going to my neighbor (those here, near, and far)  to care more about them, than I do sitting in the comforts of my home.
 
Move me to love my wife & kids more by spending time with them, and engaging them in each of their own love languages.  

Move me out of the present moment, and thrust me to my knees and sometimes my face in the presence of the Lord in joy and in tears.  That also we cause a physical manifestation of my JOY in CHRIST to which I may leap, yell, or shout in the joy of the LORD as He deserves that and much more.....test me on this....I dare you!

Move me to realizing that their are so many wonderful songs that speak of our GOD, that if I'm open to being constantly renewed and refreshed by the NEW SONGs He commanded we sing unto Him.

As well as the ones that make me move, that they ultimately communicate the truth of WHO GOD IS, WHO WE ARE, WHY WE NEED JESUS, and HOW TO DELIGHT IN HIM SINCE FINDING HIM that inspires me to LIVE in the ABUNDANT LIFE CHRIST promises each of us.   So I could take the easy route out, and name a bunch of people that played a role in introducing me to.......................but I'd rather just THANK GOD for EACH OF YOU, and mostly THANK GOD for loving me enough to walk with me on my musical journey of discovery & discovering what it's like to praise Him with the nations, beyond those of my cultural ethnicity.    LET THE PRAISE CONTINUE into ETERNITY!  LGLP

IS HE FIRST? REALLY?

¹² “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”  Genesis 22:12

We are all familiar with the story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice the very thing that he had waited most of his life for....a son.  I remember entertaining a few guests over my house during the BIBLE television series and we entered into deep dialogue regarding what type of God would do such a thing, and how many people walked away that evening with a greater, more loving understanding of GOD, the ultimate Father.

But as as I sit in my office on a Friday night preparing to launch into our new series on Philippians and wondering is GOD, HE, JESUS really first in the lives of the people I will be before on Sunday, and that I pray I communicate it, or that the Holy Spirit communicates through all the pastors what it means to make God first.

While I can pose this in the form of a rhetorical question the answer is pretty evident in how you approach everyday life.   For instance if God is first, prayer and praise is what you awake to doing daily, not just Sunday.    If He is really first you consider Him, in many if not all of your decisions during the course of the day.  Like should you continue flirting with her, him, sin, or doing things that send a different message about who it is you say you believe in.   Should I cheat or steal from the company?  They'll never know I stopped by the casino, or I'll have just one or two drinks.  A little lie never hurt anyone, we tell ourselves....while God looks on, realizing you think you're your own God.

If He is first, you seek to please & honor him with even how you treat others.   I understand that I am an extrovert, but if we are called to be salt and light, doesn't that mean you and I are supposed to add those very elements (salt/light) to any/every environment we get to be in?   Shouldn't your response when asked "How are you doing," somehow point people to the center of your joy, if HE really is?






If HE is first...then you can replace Isaac on that altar with your money, your possessions, your children, your family, your job, etc. because you realize they are all blessings from Him, and that you are willing to offer any if not all of that to Him, just so those things don't get in the away of what's really FIRST....your relationship with Him.  So I end, I close this blog with the very question I began it with....:  IS HE REALLY FIRST or are you just lying to yourself?  If HE IS FIRST  you live to LOVE GOD & LOVE PEOPLE.......with all you have and are!  LGLP

Getting Back To..............................?(WHAT)

⁸ “The prince must enter the gateway through the entry room, and he must leave the same way. ⁹ But when the people come in through the north gateway to worship the Lord during the religious festivals, they must leave by the south gateway. And those who entered through the south gateway must leave by the north gateway. They must never leave by the same gateway they came in, but must always use the opposite gateway.  Eze. 46:8-9


So I'm baaack!  You can make that sound like Arnold Swartzenegger, or Johnny Carlson, or anyone you like....but that begs the question of back from what?  Back from Where?  and also when I titled this getting back to.......it begs the same question?  Back to what?  So without having experienced ANY JET LAG in my three trips to the dark continent, let me try to blog with somewhat rational, meaningful thoughts that just might bless others, myself included.

So for starters getting back from what?  From my 3rd Missions Trip to Africa where this one proved to be the most difficult, the most rewarding, the most life-changing of them all.  Did I remember to state THE MOST DIFFICULT?  How you ask?  Ok of all the time we visited Malawi/Ntcheu/Katskatera if I wanted to be honest....the level of difficulty was somewhat pedestrian.   Sure flying in a plane for 24 plus hrs is way more than pedestrian.   But once on the ground we were in what was considered pasch living arrangements most of the time.  Even if I  thought about the hostel in Netcheu...while it was worst class roach motel here in the states, many people in that area would love the five star accommodations of plumbing, lighting, and prepared meals with at least a 4in thick mattress to lay your head down.   But for us Americans that was roughing it....while we slept in our mosquito nets, juiced up on our doxycycline wondering if anything crawled on us....  For some you are thinking but the food Ray????  Honestly many trips we recorded having gained weight because we had meals served to us of our ordering.  Chicken, chips (fries made with STUPID GOOD IRISH POTATOES), Chambo (the native fish that is just ridiculously tender and good), eggs, fresh juices, and even Fanta (passion fruit, pineapple, orange....specially noting that it was published they had the best in the WORLD two years ago).  So did we eat in or with the villages....occasionally they would slaughter a goat/chicken to honor God and us, and it was not half bad either...but NO ONE STARVED ever, but yet we were around those that rarely got to eat as we did.  This trip WAS DIFFICULT!   Let me say that again.......THIS TRIP WAS DIFFICULT!  Besides not having my best friend (and past globetrotter ) wife.....we LIVED in the VILLAGE of KATSKATERA and while our arrangements were considered rich....we still had no electricity, no plumbing, no running water source, not an evening without a critter crawling in our living quarters or on us while we slept.  Our diet was the same as theirs outside of having occasional meat more than they (chicken 4x, goat 1x) rice, chips, stewed tomatoes and onions, or raw, with a collard like green vegetable daily.  Not to add...I was personally challenged in many cultural faux paux such as getting in live bodies of water (rivers, streams, etc) , sleeping in a canvas tent in the African wild...and did I mention not really sleeping sound due to my own snoring and just being uncomfortable with my surroundings.

Getting back from where?   Just in case you MISSED IT!  From Africa.....a beautiful country filled with beautiful people (some of the, many of them) that aren't anything like us.  It's not uncommon for men to hold hands walking and talking (UH THEY AREN'T HOMOSEXUAL....this is a term of heterosexual affection....maybe you've heard of it BROTHERLY LOVE (2Peter 2).   They aren't tied to computers or facebook....they are tied to one another.  While boarding a flight back one of our team members decided to use U.S. Dollars to make a purchase before boarding.   They needed to run to get change...but he HAD TO BOARD, so he ended up paying $20 American dollars for some $2 African coffee, and wasn't happy about the situation.  While getting on the bus to be driven on the tarmac to the plane.....the shop owner...LEFT HIS SHOP, stopped the bus to deliver our peeved team member his $18 in change.  I said they aren't like us!  And just in case you don't get it....it was a MISSION TRIP so it wasn't about being comfortable.  It wasn't about living like Americans in Africa.  It was about serving them, and God through living as Africans and learning how to BE more than do!  I repeat LEARNING HOW TO BE (you know being....that's why we are called HUMAN BEINGS) rather than be driven by tasks, to tasks. We learned how to be still and KNOW that HE WAS GOD.   We learned how to BE available for whatever the day required.   We learned that BEING is far more important than doing at times.    So please if one of our team members struggle to articulate all of the doings......it's probably because they finally broke free and learned the value in just being (such as Mary did at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:38-42 btw the word BEING is used by Christ to describe Mary's choosing).  WHERE you still ask....a place where most people had a 2-3 room house (that didn't include a bathroom or kitchen) and was roughly under 80sq ft of living space and a family of 4+ lived in that!  THEY ARE DIFFERENT THAN US!   Where women were seen carrying 5gal laundry baskets of water or goods on their head, while carrying a baby on their backs or one suckling from their breast for more than 2 kilometers SEVERAL TIMES A DAY!  Please save your complaints from THIS DAY ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  SERIOUSLY


Which brings me to GETTING BACK TO????????  So as I sit in my leased home, that currently new carpet is being laid because " I SUFFERED from a FLOOD, that gutted my basement," and haven't had MY study space, or recreational area of retreat....or.....REALLY RAY SHUT UP!!!! SERIOUSLY!! I like many of my team members had these Americanized sugar plumed visions of dining in our OVER-PROCESSED, unhealthy, fast food the minute I touched down.....(which I have yet to indulged in) faced a reality upon coming back after experiencing Africa for the 3rd time (and boy was it a charm) where people got to see their FIRST MOVIE (courtesy of Brian Taylor, Art P) that later led to many people praying & accepting Jesus Christ into their lives.  Where they reported the next day to hear the full gospel message, and ask questions that later led to them getting baptized!  So as I realize I have probably hundreds of emails, facebook posts, responses and responsibility to this group of people I love called my family, my friends, my community, and my church what on Earth am I getting back to?  Hmmmmmmmm......I need to really think about this.  Because in light of the scripture I posted, that I'm sure by now you've all forgot about (so go back up to read it please....study it if you have to) that gave specific instructions regarding how one enters the temple they should exit it differently.  Much like the wise men once they encountered the Christ child they returned home, but rather by a different route (Matt. 2:12).  Now maybe in both instances it made since for the people in Eze. to go out through a different door for crowd control, or the wise men to exit differently to keep from running into Herod who would potentially kill them....but I'd like to offer another......one that could parallel my reasonings for this post.   Is it possible that when we encounter Christ......we should go out, return to or from differently than when we approached or arrived?  I believe so!  I believe everytime you walk out of Sunday Morning, Saturday evening, heck worship service period....or small group time.....YOU SHOULD GO OUT DIFFERENTLY or run the risk of running into your old self.   You know the one you are to DIE TO!    See as I try to land this 787 (Dream liner....we rode on one on the way back) AIR BUS of a BLOG (cause it is quite long) enquiring minds may want to know......was it worth it?   Was the money raised really worth it?  Was the sacrifice of comfort...the surrendering of one's rights...worth $3500+ dollars?  What's the benefit, the payoff....what's in it if for me (one may be asking)?   Time will truly only tell...but I'll end with this.....I plan to love harder, forgive & sacrifice more all to His Glory!   That's all I got for now.......LGLP


 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARAY!

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Genesis 2:18

MEMORIAL -  something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday.  2.  of or pertaining to the memory.


God was pleased with His creation of Adam, but when He saw Adam fulfilling his role, He saw that Adam was in need, and didn't even really know how desperately he needed someone to come alongside him.   I had busied myself (can you imagine that?) with my local church and had recently finished school.   Had a daughter out of wedlock that I was extremely active in her life, and she was live with me 50% of the time.    I had also focused this area of my life to fulfill God's purposes for me, and God saw that I was alone (not lonely....I had Him) and saw that it wasn't good for me either.

Enter my BRIDE Cherilyn E. Washington into my life during the winter of 2000, you don't read in scripture that Adam and Eve fell in love, or dated for a year or two, but I believe they realized (ok maybe they were the only people on Earth...I get that) they were better together.  If I am to be honest there were no sparks and dancing hearts when Cherilyn and I met, but we both had a relationship with the LORD, that we wanted to ultimately spend our lives attempting to please Him.  

So we decided to trust His leading and tie the knot, NOT HAVING DATED, within 6 mos of meeting.    I know crazy.....right crazy for CHRIST!  I was ordained May 27th 2001 during our morning worship service, then married my 2nd Love (2nd to CHRIST) that afternoon.   So today we celebrate, look back, at the memorial of a marriage that is intentional about LOVING GOD first and foremost, because if we are in a love relationship with Him, He will tell us what our spouse is in the deepest need for and equip us to love one another.   LOVING PEOPLE second, because if we ever get these two out of balance we can end up loving other folks that may ultimately cause our marriage's ruin. 

For those that intimately know us, all know we don't have A PERFECT MARRIAGE, and we've had some serious downs, and some GLORIOUS UPS......but we are up for the task with GOD as our pilot and we are constantly learning how to trust in Him to help us navigate the turbulence of blended family bliss!  I'm a pastor now (which I'm sure would've happened with her), and when I've been beat up on by Satan, and the world......she's right there making sure I have what I need to face the next days challenges.   We are an open book, and it hasn't always been that way, so we are willing to share what we've tried, failed, and even succeeded at and hope that when it's all done.......we will have encouraged others to remain faithful in their marriage, inspired our own kids to have a GOD centered marriage, and changed our community because of our devotion to what's important to GOD!   GOD BLESS