Conceal or Reveal: Is there ever a right action?

After conceding having an affair on his wife, Pastor John Gray of the Relentless Church, took to the pulpit to defend himself. In an article by Paul Mason published in the Empowering Everyday Women (EEW) Magazine, Gray in a sermon titled “Graveyard Shift states” I saw people—bless their hearts—online talking about, Pastor John talked about suicide. I didn’t say that I went and got a gun. I didn’t say I bought pills. I said the enemy put thoughts in my mind, and people tried to make that like I was out of my mind…“And you know what’s funny? It wasn’t devils that made me feel that way; it was people.” Gray went on to quote scriptures from Genesis and Proverbs as a defensive response to those who chose to speak out about his situation. In both quotes, Gray misappropriates scripture towards those he sees as not being faithful Christians for not concealing the matter. While I am all for keeping home business in the home, this is not one of those moments.

Gray raised his profile from lowly preacher to mid-level celebrity after co-starring on the daytime television talk show “The Preachers” alongside Dr. E. Dewey Smith, Dr. Jamal Bryant, and Orrick Quick. From there he and his wife have starred in their own reality television series on the OWN network. It was these and other church platforms that propelled him into the national spotlight and brought the added scrutiny of his public and private life. Going from preacher to pop culture shifted the culpability of his actions to full public commentary. This is not to say that he is entitled to such, but it comes with the territory (and should I ever get to the level that he is I should expect the same).

Scripture presents us with case scenarios of how we should deal with individuals who have failed because of public or private sin of some kind. While the Old Testament provides plenty of case studies in the human frailty of highly gifted persons, the New Testament provides better insight because Jesus of Nazareth and Paul the Apostle both had personal interactions with those people. In John 4, Jesus was brought a woman who was caught in the act of adultery to which he responded to her accusers by writing something in the sand and giving the famous quote “he who is without sin cast the first stone.” He later meets a single Samaritan woman at a local well, engages her in conversation, and after telling her of her past and current relationship status, helps empower her to become an evangelist on his behalf. It appears that Jesus was more concerned about the victim being oppressed than those who would call out the cause of their oppression.

Apostle Paul seemingly has a different approach. In his first response letter to the church of Corinth, he directly addresses an issue of sexual immorality and stated that “although absent in body but present in spirit, I have already judged him who has committed this as though I were present” (I Corinthians 5:3). Paul had proclaimed appropriate condemnation and punishment for the individual even though he was not physically present to do so. He had written that because the Corinthian church had more pride in themselves they had chosen to not adequately address the direct inflammation of sin that had become a part of their church body. Paul later writes in Galatians that individual believers should be so interconnected that whenever one sees another brother or sister overtaken in any trespasses that we should reach out to that person regarding our own sensitivity and culpability to sin in like manner (Galatians 5:25-26, 6:1-10).

This dichotomy presented by Paul is what we see being played out in the contemporary church. There are those who would love to call judgment and justice for the moral failures of church leaders and there are those who will not be so quick to act or condemn because they are aware of their own human frailty. We live in an age where social media intrudes on the private lives of everyone. Social media has a way of complicating the nuances of personal and public interactions. Choosing to conceal or reveal is up to individual choice. We all know someone in church leadership who has had a moral failure. We can be discreet in addressing it to those we care, or we can be proud and self-righteous in addressing it. While both can be seemingly done in love, one leads to self-fulfillment, and the other leads to repentance for all.

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Dr. Lorenzo T Neal1 Comment

Anointed, Gifted, and Toxic

toxic-logo

After nearly 30 years in ministry I’ve come to discover that I have spent a great deal of my ministry life being simultaneously anointed, gifted and toxic. Like many preachers, I spent years developing my craft, shaping my preaching style and personality, and developing a philosophy of ministry that I hoped would be beneficial to those I ministered to. I also discovered that with that development came a lot of personal moral challenges that all my ministry grooming could never quite prepare me for. Because I began preaching as a teenager, I was instructed to take Proverbs 5-8 to heart and “ preserve discretion and keep knowledge on my lips”. I had plenty of ministry mentors who had gone down the path of immorality in one form or another and they did their best to admonish me not to make their mistakes.

While I have never been removed from a pulpit, publicly corrected or rebuked, or ever had any inappropriate behavior publicly exposed and scrutinized, I have had my share of moral failings that have caused me to turn inwardly for reflection and repentance. I went through a divorce that had me emotionally unbalanced for over a decade. I had a relationship at one time that although was innocent, was in hindsight inappropriate. I had been in romantic relationships where I did not maintain sexual purity and continued to preach weekly to wondrous reception. I continue to struggle with general anxiety and feelings of inadequacy despite my training, education, and accolades. I have been the toxic person in relationships that led to others involved being more hurt than helped by me.

There are thousands of other preachers just like me. They don’t make the national church headlines with their routine toxicity. They sit in pulpits or pews with the task of ministering to someone else despite their own misgivings. They are aware of their giftedness and toxicity but are only allowed and encouraged to express the former over the latter. It is quite emotionally ravaging for them. They, like me, are not spiritually or emotionally healthy. They are called upon to be God’s vessels of healing and wonder, leading to the salvific knowledge of Christ the Redeemer, and a life of abundance on this side and eternity on the other. It is a duplicitous life at best and certainly an intoxicating one when the ministry gifts are on full display for people to be in awe and wonder of the individual in praxis but not the toxicity attached.

This is why we find it hard to minister to those ministers who have fallen hard to the duality of their anointing and their toxicity. It’s no different than that of Noah getting drunk and being inappropriately exposed to his grandson after having followed God’s plan of successfully building, servicing, and replenishing the earth. It’s also David having to witness the death of a child birthed out of his coveting another man’s wife and successfully conspiring to have that man murdered. It’ Solomon, who after soliciting the Lord for wisdom, receiving it and the wealth that accompanied it, giving himself over to all the vanities of life and causing his successor to be just as foolish in turn leading to the eventual destruction of the House of David. It’s Peter, the great Apostle, denying Christ before those who sought him executed, or the Peter who chose to be hypocritical in his praxis of faith in front Gentiles or Jews.

The point I hope to get across is that as ministers, preachers, prophets, apostles, pastors, evangelists, teachers, or any other title one wishes to utilize, we are well acquainted with our anointing and our toxicity. There are those of us who are more disciplined in our concealment of it than others, but it is still very present. Scripture assures us that we have an Advocate in our toxicity. We have a Christ who wholly identifies with us yet can shield the wrath that our toxicity incurs. The author of Hebrews in 4:12-16, reminds us that our Advocate is one who is fully aware of us in our entirety. He through our engagement of the scriptures, can discern the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. He beholds the nakedness of our humanity, encouraging us to hold fast the profession of our faith and calling, and empowering us to boldly come to Him to obtain the mercy and grace to help in our time of need. It is ok for us to be anointed and toxic, but we must always know that God is our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast of our anointed and toxic lives and ministry, but most of all, He is our Eternal Home.

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

Jonah and the realization of reluctant ministry

The book of Jonah is an interesting one. We find the story of a reluctant prophet who would rather see an entire nation of people destroyed than receive the mercy of the Lord. We see an individual with a divine mandate intentionally attempt to not carry out that mandate. The prophet Jonah boards a ship heading in another direction gets entangled in a storm that forces him to admit his flawed attempt to evade ministry, and eventually gets him the in belly of a large fish that forces him to rethink his relationship and purpose with God. Jonah is indeed one good read. I have found myself in Jonah’s shoes on a number of occasions. I had rather see some persons retained in their messy affairs of life than deal with the mandate of God to minister to them.

What is disturbing about Jonah isn’t that he was swallowed by a large fish or that he reluctantly repents and carries out his mission. What is disturbing to me is the way the book ends. It ends so abruptly. Jonah speaks as if he were the biggest disappointment to his call as a prophet of Jehovah. He had been sitting outside of the city of Nineveh angry at God and himself for feeling as if he had been manipulated by God into carrying out God’s mission. He had understood God’s mercy and benevolence towards mankind. He had experienced firsthand when he was on the boat headed to Tarshish and after he had been thrown into the sea and swallowed by a large fish. In spite of all of this, even though he was repentant and grateful, he was still reluctant.

For many, reluctance is a big burden of ministry. Those who have been in ministry long enough have encountered individuals they were reluctant to minister to. While there are plenty who rejoice in being called to prison ministry, pastoral care ministry, and especially the pastoral ministry, there are more who are very reluctant to serve “the least of these.” Service requires both the desire to go and the need to follow. What Jonah experienced was nothing short of simply being human. Reluctance is more present in ministry than many pastors and church members would care to admit. It can be challenging when confronting our own biases and prejudices about those we are commanded to serve and minister to.

What makes Jonah’s narrative interesting is the way he confronts God about regarding His immediate compassion upon seeing the Ninevites turn from their evil way. I would argue that there are plenty of clergy just like Jonah. We would rather see God’s judgment and condemnation on people we have deemed undeserving of His grace. Perhaps this is more succinctly seen in contemporary political and religious freedom movements. There are those standing by their right to religious freedom condemning others choosing to express the same. It is destructive and does not demonstrate the character of God to non-believers.

Another interesting thing about this narrative is that while Nineveh likely had early connections to the ancient Jews, that connection had long been lost by the time of Jonah’s mission there.  The question then becomes why did Jehovah even desire for them to hear from Him and repent? It was clear that the great city of Nineveh was enjoying prosperity without God and He apparently tolerated it for generations. This could have contributed to Jonah’s reluctance. Think about the number of times pastors have preached in communities infested with crime of all kinds and not one person responds to the invitation to abundant life (not even after funerals lol). Yet immediately after hearing the cry from the reluctant prophet about an imminent overthrow of their great city in 40 days, they all believed God from the youngest to the oldest.  Even the king made it a public law that everyone cries out mightily to God so that His anger would be turned away from them. If only people would heed that message now and produce similar reaction, what a marvelous change this country and world would see!

In spite of Jonah’s reluctance, the people still received. It begs the question of how much our reluctance matters when it comes to God’s mission. We may feel like pawns in God’s game of repentance, but ultimately what He desires for individuals gets accomplished. We may go into and come away from a divine ministry assignment throwing a big tantrum, but the reality is we are still being used to the glory of God the Father. Reluctance in ministry does not take away the need for ministry. There will be moments in service to the Father that we will utterly despise, but when the seed has been planted, watered, and grows, it will be one that will bring forth fruit for generations to come.

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

Spiritual Abuse cloaked as Pastoral Love

Recently, Dr. Jim Standridge, Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church of Skiatook, OK preached a sermon that is going viral on the web. In the sermon, Dr. Standridge publically chastises two male members of his congregation: one for falling asleep while he was preaching, and the other for not being a faithful attendant. While chiding both young men, he attempts to cloak his belligerent rant by saying that he loves them. He even went so far as telling one young man that he wasn’t even worth 15 cents! It is apparent during the sermon, that few if any of his members condemned the pastor for such an outburst of contention.
Here is the clip of the abuse: http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/videos-for-pastors/168559-pastor-s-angry-tirade-caught-on-tape.html
You can listen to the entire sermon here: http://www.ibcskiatook.com/index.php?option=com_preachit&id=585:may-19th-2013-morning-service&view=video&Itemid=232

Since I’ve been in ministry, I’ve been in services where the pastor/preacher has used the opportunity to share the gospel as a means of expressing their personal vendettas against members or others who may not be on board with the pastor’s personal agenda. Now scripture does appear to indicate that public rebuke is necessary at times. Jesus alludes to this in Luke 17:3-4. Paul addresses it in both his letters to the Corinthian churches. Paul further publically rebukes Peter in Galatians 2:11-14. There are several other places where this is eluded to however Pastor Standridge does not appear to consider this as he calls out members throughout his sermon even at one point telling a wife that she’s not as wise as her husband.
While some may applaud Pastor Standridge’s actions as that of a pastor addressing an issue as it was happening, I see it as an incident of spiritual abuse. Like so many other Christians, I’ve experienced pastoral spiritual abuse under the guise of pastoral love. The pastors would admonish their parishioners to tithe or be thrown out the church, to only dress a certain way, or to never attend another church lest they lose their salvation. I am sure that there are many other harsher examples (particular those individuals who are members of cults or cult-like churches the leadership dictates just about every action of their members.
As a pastor, I make it a point to address conflict in a manner that is firm and direct but does not create abuse on my part or hurt on my member’s part. Pastoring (particularly in the black church) can be a challenging occupation. A good pastor addresses issues from the pulpit in a way that is edifying and not divisive. The moment of preaching is not the place to air out the preacher’s personal anger towards an individual (even if it is righteous anger if there is such a thing). The preaching moment is to be an empowering one that even when addressing conflict in the ministry can be done so that it builds the ministry instead of tearing it down.
Personally, I would never do what Pastor Standridge does to the young men in the video. If I were the parents or relatives of those young men, I would certainly address the pastor for being rude (if it had been a black church, there would have been some walking out or much worse). The pastor should have the heart and speech of a shepherd as reflected in Jeremiah 3:15. Several New Testament scriptures admonish pastors to have a heart for the people and not be lords over them (Titus 1:7, I Tim 4:12, and I Peter 5:3 just to name a few). It is one thing for a pastor to rebuke the members in love in hopes of enabling them to be better stewards, more connected with God, and more empowered to share the gospel of Christ and another thing for the pastor to rebuke members in anger because they simply are not serving up to the pastor’s desires or expectations.
We’ve got to get it right. The church is driving the very people she was called to draw away because of the foolishness of some of her leaders and pastors. We are to love enough to not condemn but to correct and reprove with the heart of Christ at the center. If we do anything less as pastors, we are simply acting barbarically against the people who God loves unconditionally.

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal1 Comment

The Risk of Discovering Your Purpose

When a man thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 6:3

Being religious means asking passionately the question of the meaning of our existence and being willing to receive answers, even if the answers hurt. Paul Tillich

Recently I had several restless and sleepless nights that I surmised to be simply nothing more than my body clock was off because of some excessive ministry related activities. A dear friend of mine challenged me to seek the Lord regarding this unusual restlessness. I of course did not because I didn’t believe it was anything more than just me needing to get back on my sleep schedule. I was wrong. I began to seek God rather awkwardly because I was so sure that I didn’t really need to. I mean after all, everyone has a few sleepless nights sometimes.

Well I eventually got some very good sleep the following night, but it was accompanied by an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame from sin. I was confronted by the Holy Spirit to remember that although I had believed I was ok and didn’t really need God at that moment, I was actually sinning against Him and grieving Him.

The two quotes above summarize my experience. First, I didn’t think I needed to pray. Scripture is clear that man should always pray and faint not (Luke 18:1). It doesn’t matter what you pray about, you should always be talking to Abba because in Him you live, move, and have your being (Acts 17:28). I believed I was just capable of handling my own affairs without truly trusting God for help.

The second quote by Tillich really is the driving force of this post. As a pastor, it is my job and purpose to empower believers to become stronger and better in their walk of faith. This takes courage. It takes the courage to actually let go of the fear of being unable to do so. When I reluctantly prayed, I realized that I had a great fear-Fear of Failing God by trying to be something or someone I wasn’t. That may be what many of you are experiencing at this moment. You may believe that if you pray too much, read and study scripture too much, that you may get puffed up and fall from grace. The reality is that you’ve already fallen as far as you can go, and God has still kept you. Proverbs 24:16 says that a righteous man will fall seven times but gets up again. God also promises to keep you from falling and excitedly present you before Himself as someone who has no faults (Jude 24).

That beloved is the risk of discovering your purpose. You step and walk by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). The walking is your’s but the direction and leadership is the Lord’s. Take the risk and make the mistakes, ask for forgiveness, but keep walking, praying, singing, and especially trusting and you will discover your courage to be your authentic self in Christ.

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal1 Comment

Discovering the Courage to Be: Your Authentic Self

Self discovery is centered in the courage to being authentic to one’s self. The greatest obstacle is the encountering of the emotional self. This includes the emotions of anger, pain, sorrow, grief, fear, and despair. There may be others that are not listed that one may encounter. These emotions are strong and rooted in the pathos of life experience. The process of self authentication should lead to those emotions. There is no way around that. However the key is expressing those emotions positively, allowing the emotions to help you become a communion within oneself, one must experience emptiness and chaos before experiencing
authentic self. To borrow from the world of aesthetics, it is what Friedrich Schiller calls the Sublime Pathos. It is embracing and acknowledging those emotions so that one becomes authentic. It is not simply acknowledging them and masking them as most do. It is engaging them and owning them leading to an empowerment like nothing else one can experience.

When a person begins the process of communion with the self for authentication, they
begin the process of what Paul Tillich writes as discovering their courage to be. It’s this courage that then is expressed in the selfless acts of love towards God and others. One is no longer bound by the cares and concerns of one’s own pathologies but is given away to the liberation of God’s Spirit and empowered to live abundantly. Faithful is the God who gives life, and so He will also be faithful to make your life a fruitful one. The courage to be
begins with the courage to live God’s life or purposeful death. It is the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, the bearing of one’s cross, the suffering of the saints leading to the redemption of the soul. To become one’s authentic self means learning to die while living.

Remember to live is Christ, but to die is Gain.

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

Seminary/Grad School of the Week

Biola University/Talbot School of Theology

13800 Biola Ave.La Mirada, CA9063

1-562-903-6000     www.talbot.edu

Dr. Dennis R Dirks, Dean

Mission

The Mission of Talbot School of Theology is the development of disciples of Jesus Christ whose thought processes, character and lifestyles reflect those of our Lord, and who are dedicated to disciple making throughout the world

Talbot School of Theology is a theologically conservative, evangelical seminary in Southern California near Los Angeles. With almost a 60-year heritage of biblical fidelity, the seminary couples solid evangelical scholarship with intentional character development to prepare students for a lifetime of relevant, effective ministry. The seminary’s six master’s degree programs and three doctoral degree programs are led by a faculty of nationally renowned, widely-published and actively engaged ministry leaders.

Biola University was founded on February 25, 1908 by the Rev. T.C. Horton and Lyman Stewart, founder of Union Oil Company, the non-denominational school offered degrees in Bible training, hosted the nation’s largest Christian magazine, The King’s Business, and aired the first Christian radio program west of the Mississippi, which later became known as The Biola Hour. Enrollment grew rapidly under the direction of Biola’s first dean, R.A. Torrey (1911–1925). Talbot was founded in 1952 by Dr. Louis T Talbot during his last year as President of Biola University as a three year accredited seminary to combat liberal Christian teachings that had plagued the church.

Talbot School of Theology is located in La Mirada, California, a Los Angeles County suburb ranked by Money Magazine as one of America’s 100 best places to live. Situated on the border of Los Angeles and Orange counties, the seminary is a matter of minutes from all that Southern California has to offer — including beaches, entertainment venues, cultural attractions and a wealth of diverse ministry opportunities.

Student Profile
1,235 total students

57% Caucasian
25% Asian
4% Hispanic
4% African-American
10% International

71% Male
29% Female

Faculty: 96% of full-time have doctorates

Campus: 96 acres, located in Southern California, approximately 20 miles from Los Angeles

Library Holding: Over 300,000 titles

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

Rediscover the art of rhetorical criticism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the day, we encounter signs, symbols, and sounds that engage us and cause us take actions and communicate our thoughts and opinions on certain matters. Each time we participate in this process, we are participating in a skill that has all but gone extinct. It is the ancient skill of understanding and effectively communicating the symbols, signs, and sounds
around us.  This skill is called rhetorical criticism. When the average person hears the word rhetoric, most automatically assume that it means, talking in pompous, bombastic, and seemingly irrelevant words to evade answering questions or just simply sound like a know it all. In reality, rhetoric is simply communication and has been used for centuries as a means of persuasion. In the philosophical world, rhetoric is a way of teaching through communicating. In politics, rhetoric is the persuasion of potential voters to a particular point of view. In religion,
rhetoric is the symbolic actions of believers as they profess their religious beliefs through sacraments, liturgies, and devotions. Every living human being is engaged in rhetoric and as a result, also engaged in rhetorical criticism.

We live in a world where information is transmitted so quickly through 60 second sound bites that there is little to no chance of fully understanding authentic knowledge as it presented. Symbols and signs that once meant something positive are being usurped and their meaning and message changed to convey new thoughts and messages that may directly or indirectly
counter the original meaning or message. The question then becomes why should we be aware of this rhetorical criticism thing and how can we use it to better communicate? The answer is because our world is more interconnected than before and understanding how and what is being communicated empowers the person to control the knowledge they receive and share. This is a much needed powerful skill to have because more individuals have access to the means of delivering and sharing rhetoric (blogs, twitter, social networks, news media, and cell phones) and it is almost impossible to control the content of that rhetoric (unless you live in China or other places where the government controls content).  When we use rhetorical criticism, we become better at investigating, understanding, and explaining our responses to the symbols around us.

Rhetorical criticism isn’t a hard skill to learn and master. It involves two main processes: 1) asking a question, and 2) analyzing something that relates to the question we have asked. Each time we ask a question about anything, we have begun the process of rhetorical criticism. The
question does not have to be anything deep or fantastical, it can be something as simple as why did a band choose a particular logo design, or why a certain color of lipstick looks better than another color. This sets in motion the second process. It is the action (either actual or symbolic or a combination) that we do following the question we ask. It is here that we examine something related to the question we asked. We formulate hypotheses around it and attempt
to understand it better. There are several ways to accomplish this, but the most common is through the written form (email, text message, academic writing, blog, etc). Once we have completed this, we communicate it with those around us. This is done in several ways also. The entire act results in the full communication of our response to the initial symbol that led to the rhetorical criticism.

When practiced regularly, rhetorical criticism can be a way of empowering people to influence in their world. It can be a way of countering what a person believes to be the wrong messages sent out by the wrong people. It can be a way of helping others to be proactive and engaged in all the symbols, signs, and sounds around them.

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IS EVERYBODY’S RESPONSIBILITY

I came across this article in the Christian Recorder Online Magazine and decided to share it here. Blessings

YPD CORNER: SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IS EVERYBODY’S RESPONSIBILITY:

*Miacia F. Porter

Something about this year pushed and urged me to change my career goals. I didn’t want to be a journalist anymore, so I just stopped trying. I had lost all my drive to write, so I forced writer’s block upon myself. I neglected my pen and pad as if it was a century old building, whose frame and foundation had given way to the hardships of life. There was nothing left for me to say; at least not in print. I was mute, not in thought, but in sharing it.

I don’t know what caused this. I am not sure if it was the pressure of knowing that I was overworked, and stressed-out for a degree that might never hold any significant value to anyone outside of my family. Or, if it was the realization that I was 9 months away from another major milestone without a clear idea of what the future held? I am not sure if it was either, or; it possibly was a combination of both. Whatever it was, caused me to freeze right in the middle of time and I was immensely satisfied with my empty pages.

Then it hit me…I had used the fact that I no longer desired to be a journalist, to be a scapegoat to free me from something that had nothing to do with my career choice. Truth is I don’t want to be a journalist. However, the greater truth is I stopped writing because I no longer wanted the burden of social responsibility for the things I wrote.

So what is social responsibility? Wikipedia provided a great definition. According to this site, “social responsibility” is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act or benefit the society at large. This responsibility can be passive, by avoiding engaging in socially harmful acts, or active by performing activities that directly advance social goals.

W. E. B. DuBois was a major activist for social responsibility, and as an individual greatly influenced by his work, I immediately reckoned with this concept. I wanted to be socially responsible for the welfare of my race and others. I knew this want and desire was wedded to my calling. I was eager to start life with this new belief, but somewhere along my journey I lost my zeal. I began to feel like it was becoming more and more challenging to believe, push, and motivate people; our people, who refuse the to see the light at the end  of the tunnel. Pessimism started to weigh down my optimism when I was trying to persuade others that they could achieve goals, and all they seem to decode was they could not.

Playing tug of war with ignorance, laziness, and the lack of drive can pushed me down, so much so, that even my own tears couldn’t convince me that the fatigue and mental anguish was worth the fight. And I am sure I am not the only one that has been at this point. I’m pretty sure this need to free ourselves from social responsibility is an attitude or desire that plagues our churches. I am certain of this because I am sure the church does not preach and teach like we use to because we don’t want the burden of social responsibility. We don’t witness and share because the responsibility of doing it, is just too demanding. Doing the right thing and going the extra mile just seems like too much responsibility in a world that does not demand that we go an extra mile. But it’s necessary for me to go the extra mile … I picked up my pen and pad again, not because I am a flawless wireless writer, but because I reckoned with the fact that the message is greater than the struggle. There is life embedded in the truths I speak, and I will not rob myself,  or anyone else from being inspired.

The same is true for our churches. There is so much life in our AME lineage. We are a life-line to our black community and we need to make sure this “breath of life” falls on every man, woman, boy, and girl in our communities. I had to write again and now I challenge preachers to preach again, Church School teachers to teach again, parishioners to witness again, all of us to share and love again, even in the mist of all of the dysfunction and economic problems because there is something we have been called to say that can free us all again.

*Miacia F. Porter is an Intern for The Christian Recorder and is a senior at Middle Tennessee State University

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal