A Day for the Innocent

I have always felt Christmas celebrations had ugly endings. Four weeks of celebration comes to a thudding stop. Boxes and paper scattered over the floor around the tree which stands counting the mere hours before someone, really needing to get over Christmas, throws it onto street side. It seems that for many, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” which we commonly say should be how life is lived the entire 365 days, can’t end soon enough. But today I would encourage us all to linger longer by the manger, allowing the message of Jesus’ birth maximum impact upon our lives.

The real Twelve Days of Christmas, ending on Jan. 6,  gave Christians a way of reflecting on what the Incarnation really means in their lives.  This time encompassed three feasts, among which, was the Feast of Innocents on December 28^th.  This feast commemorated the children murdered by Herod after the birth of Jesus according to Matthew 2:16. Not martyrs like Stephen, these simply suffered unjust deaths without choice or chance in life. In them we see the suffering of all the innocent for whom Christ died.  We mourn their loss due to war, because of drunken drivers, or abortion. We also see them in the faces of those gunned down in an Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut or in a village in the south of Sudan.

On this day, we remember those who have suffered as victims and Christ who died and rose Victorious. Our faith brings us hope in what many times seem to be hopeless situations.  On this day we remember and confess that like those who have been murdered in innocence we are saved only by the sheer mercy of Jesus Christ.

You Who Now Will Bless the Poor

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel…
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing

 

The Feast of St. Stephen is celebrated each year on December 26 in the Catholic Church. It is a day in which the First Martyr of the church is remembered. Because Stephen was also one of the first deacons of the church, this feast is also a day which specially emphasizes ministry to the poor. Stephen is remembered as being filled with faith and the Holy Spirit and with these qualities he served His Lord by serving the basic needs of others.

In the Protestant Church we generally don’t keep the Feasts of the Church Calendar. We would do well, though, to keep alive some of that which is remembered and celebrated. The 19^th century Christmas Carol, Good King Winceslas, venerates an 11^th Century King of Bohemia who was known for his good works for the poor. The last stanza tells us how blessed Winceslas was and reveals that no matter the “Wealth or rank possessing; You who now will bless the poor, Shall yourselves find blessing.”

I encourage you today to “look out on the Feast of Stephen” and all through this Christmas Season to see “the poor” who still today gather to keep warm. Keeping Christ in Christmas is weeping for those in trouble, grieving for the hurting, and inviting the poor to the banquet of life!   Job 30:25 Luke 14:13

He LIVES IN A HIGH AND HOLY PLACE, AND...

For this is what the high and exalted One says
    he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,        Isa. 57:15a

God declares his Holiness. High, exalted and eternal in existence; He lives in a high and holy place. God is entirely the Holy Other, unique and completely different in all His ways! This statement calls upon those who would be called by His name to approach with fear and trembling. He is transcendent. We have not seen His likeness nor encountered His ways, even if we could somehow make our way to His heavenly abode, His radiance would blind us.

Personally, I like the thought of a high and exalted One. While this world spins through its starry course, enduring those who would literally knock it off its ordained path; I find it comforting to have One in place, even if His station is too high for me, who is untouched by the madmen and god imposters. With this picture of our Sovereign in my heart and mind, I am not shaken by the weakness that is inherent and evil which is so prevalent mankind.

The only problem with this picture is that even though I know I can’t approach that high and holy place (because of my association with and relationship to those things weak and evil) there remains a need to do just that! And further, I not only need to approach Him for salvation but I want to draw near because of Him. I want to see God, know God and feel God even if I can’t fully understand Him.

So each year, when the cold wind blows the dead leaves from trees, and the dark hours rule our day I am reminded of the fact that the God who lives in a high and holy place visits my dark days with the incredible light of hope. He who in His demands for Holiness inspired the first part of the story finishes it with a promise:
    “but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.”    Isaiah 57:15b

And its fulfillment:

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
   and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
   of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
   for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.   Luke 1:46-48

The amazing promise of Isaiah 57:15, that God would live with those who are lowly in spirit and of contrite heart is fulfilled in Mary. She recognized God’s mindfulness of her humility and the fact that it opened the door for her to receive certain and enduring blessing.
As another year comes to a close with days cold and ruled by darkness, I once again realize my great need to draw close to Him and my absolute inability to do so if it were not for a young woman and a trusting Carpenter who were recipients of the high and holy One’s promise. I still like the scripture picture of God Most High as it fills a need that I have for security, but I also enjoy God Most Nigh who comes to me in my humble state of contrition and need.

Father,
You are great and mighty, there is no one like you. I know that no one cares for me like you. Surely as the heavens are higher than the earth, your ways and thoughts are higher than my ways and my thoughts. You are Holy, but I am shaped by thoughts and desires that are not from you.

I humble myself before you, trusting in your grace and mercy. During this advent season help me to prepare my heart to continually receive you in the home of my heart. Reveal to me my errors and show me your ways. Come, Lord Jesus!

Preaching/Teaching and Church Health

“Teaching the content of Scripture, then, gives the believers under your care a framework within which they establish their whole belief system. And such teaching necessarily involves story narrative as well as doctrinal exposition. The stories are foundational to the doctrine. Nothing beats a balanced diet of the totality of Scripture.”

Bradford, James T. (2011-07-21). Preaching: Maybe It Is Rocket Science (Kindle Locations 207-214). Gospel Publishing House. Kindle Edition.

The news is out, an unbalanced diet or a diet filled with nutritionally empty but calorie rich foods is bad for your health! I would like to add a further note to that growing chorus applicable to pastors and churches. That is, if your preaching/teaching is not biblically balanced and rich in scripture content, you will be forced to pastor an increasingly unhealthy and sick congregation. They will not arrive at this overnight and it is very possible that the “creep” toward a state of unhealthiness may occur without much notice, until it culminates into illness. But rest assured it will come and the results are first of all a church that is lethargic.

 “Iron poor blood.” is an old TV commercial phrase from childhood which lingers in my memory. When you have an iron deficiency, your symptoms may range from headaches and heart palpitations to lethargy and irritability. Could this be what is happening in many of our churches where there is little or no heart for evangelism, prayer is neglected and when spiritual and behavioral headaches appear to be in abundance?   

What is the remedy? The meat of the word, of course! When the meat of the word is on the menu, then when people leave the service that is what they are talking about. If you are like me you never leave a Ruth Chris Steak house talking about the potato or the mushrooms! But in many of our churches today, the take away is not the Word but a film clip or some other eye catching side item that should never be central in worship. If I may be so bold, it seems that some have put more time in formulating a message title than studying and hearing from God so they have a real message!

Our first challenge then, in preaching toward health is that we Preach the Word! Let it inform everything you do on Sunday morning, pray until it comes alive in power in you and make it the central focus of your message!

Who Will Provide for You?

A PRAYER BASED ON THE NAMES JIREH AND SHADDAI

Father God, I call upon you today in the name of Jehovah Jireh, who is my Provider and El-Shaddai, the Almighty. In the valley of my need and on the mountain of my testing, I pray that you will quiet my fearful thoughts and still my soul, that my foot might not fail the pathway of obedience. Thank you for the great revelation of yourself as Lord Almighty and God of the Mountain who is present in your promise to those who believe.

I know that the trying of my faith has a precious end which I desire to know. As I ascend to meet those trials I ask that your great power and might sustain me. Unfetter my mind that I might begin to comprehend your great majesty and know the surpassing riches of the kingdom. In my testing, bid me to trust without giving you counsel or directing your hand. In beholding you, I bow down to worship and serve your name. Allow the names of the God of Provision and Lord God Almighty to overshadow the weakness of my flesh and draw me heavenward in gaze.

I offer and present myself as a sacrifice, that I may know the power of your resurrection and the redemption of your powerful love. Thank you for your provision of grace and it’s sufficiency to meet my every need.

A Must Read for Today's Christ Follower!

 I am presently reading an inspiring biography on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer which is filled with implications for the present day church. I am reproducing below, a part of the forward written by Pastor Timothy Keller so you can understand why I believe it is such an important read for everyone.

"It is impossible to understand Bonhoeffer’s Nachfolge (Discipleship) without becoming acquainted with the shocking capitulation of the German Church to Hitler in the 1930’s. How could the “church of Luther,” that great teacher of the gospel, have ever come to such a place? The answer is that the true gospel, summed up by Bonhoeffer as costly grace, had been lost. On the one hand, the church had become marked by formalism. That meant going to church and hearing that God just loves and forgives everyone, so it doesn’t really matter much how you live. Bonhoffer called this cheap grace. On the other hand, there is legalism, or salvation by law and good works. Legalism meant that God loves you because you have pulled yourself together and are trying to live a good disciplined life. Both of these impulses made it possible for Hitler to come to power….Germany lost hold of the brilliant balance of the gospel that Luther so persistently expounded- “we are saved by faith alone, but not by faith which is alone.” That is, we are saved, not by anything we do, but by grace. Yet if we have truly believed the gospel, it will change what we do and how we live."

Bonhoeffer

Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

Eric Metaxas

Benediction

Like most, I am intrigued by last words. After listening to a long sermon, I am more than intrigued, I am grateful for the words, "In conclusion." If I am the speaker I recognize that one of the gifts I give to listeners after Noon on Sundays is the Benediction which often includes parting words or a prayer of blessing, guidance, and good will before dismissal. Since the pronouncement, "In closing" brings rapt attention, these may be some of the most listened to words of the day. Hence, I thought I would share a wonderful Franciscan Benediction I found Years ago. In fact it is so appropriate for the day in which we live, it could possibly live on in our daily prayers!

May God Bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half -truths, and superficial relationships

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,

SO that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and

To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

To believe that you can make a difference in the world,

So that you can do what others claim cannot be done

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

Would You Jump Too?

                                                           

 

 A question that has for many generations been attributed to moms and dads when speaking to their children is, “if everybody else in the world jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?” Of course they are looking for the word “no” as the preferred answer. It is a question intended to ground an unthinking or unaware person into reality and it has worked in countless situations without question, until now. Just maybe, we should look at the reality that this adage foists upon us! The question has to do with making dumb choices in life so I do understand the intent. What I am questioning is how the underlying principle is arrived at in this instance. As I have thought about the logical “no”, I began to explore the other side of that question and ask myself, “would I really want to live all by myself?” I mean, if everyone else does jump, would I really want to do life alone? I have to confess that prospect scares me even more than jumping off the proverbial bridge!

For a person, who has mostly tried to play it safe in life, this is an unusual outlook. There were days in my life when I was much less self aware and I would have not only said “no, I would not jump” but may have also asked if those who were going to do so needed a push. Now, more than ever before I’m leaning toward taking the plunge, too!

 I am so glad for those whose lives point to the fact that life is best lived with others and the alternative is really no choice at all. God commanded man to “be fruitful and multiply” in order to fill the earth, and I think, to create the substance for communion, fellowship and parties! I know that it doesn’t fit in with the “Just Me and God Theology” so often preached today and that is fine with me because I believe that doctrine is in gross disregard of what God really intends life and salvation to be about! In fact, when God saw that man was “alone” (in fellowship with only God Himself) He entered again into His creative work to fix that problem with the end result being the creation of dogs, cats and Eve. With all theological intent laid aside at this point, when faced later with the possibility of once again living alone with the dogs and cats, Adam chose to take the plunge.

So, It is with great appreciation that I salute those who do God’s work of providing the means for a good party! I am glad they have taken the plunge, saying to the rest of us, “I don’t want to do life alone” and then make preparations for others to join in this dance of life and love, together.

Waiting Quietly (My new Reality Series)

“it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” 

Lamentations 3:26

Patience is a virtue! I really admire patient people from a distance. I keep that separation of space so as not to try or test them in this most admirable quality! In fact, I believe I will get a heavenly reward for giving them space.

I love the thought of being patient. But “quiet” patience is probably too much for this human frame. While in the Waiting Room of Life, I have found that I just have to ask the person next to me what they are “in for” and then tell them about the "eternity" I have so patiently endured in that same room. It’s the kind of waiting room where no matter the wall color, it is always drab and has posted in it:

DO NOT GET EXCITED OR OVERLY HOPEFUL,

YOU ARE IN THE LAND OF NOT YET.

PLEASE RESPECT OTHERS AND BE QUIET!

But the room begs for noise. It invites someone to get so loud for so long, that someone will give in and get you out! The reason for this is that while waiting, you imagine you have surely been forgotten and a signal fire and beacon should bring relief right away. Yes, make enough noise and they will escort you out.  Not the “out” you expected, mind you, but simply moved into a smaller holding tank with hard, cold, metal chairs and magazines that nobody reads.

There you will have to change into their version of a fig leaf, and you will be asked again to wait quietly alone. With this, you have been fooled! Now that you are by yourself, they will know you are the one drumming on every hard object in the room and making those loud sighing noises. You will be moved to an even more secluded “facility”.

Not so with our wait! If we will wait quietly, we will be able to hear His voice and know we have not been forgotten. If we know that He is aware, we will continue to wait quietly with assurance of His salvation. No signal flares need to be shot into the sky; His spotlights of love and mercy already beam down upon us. It is good to wait quietly!

Just Words?

"The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed." 

Isaiah 50:4

I am able to recount many times through the years when I have heard someone say, “They are just words. They mean nothing!” or, “You think that just by saying these words everything is going to be okay?”

I know what they mean as they utter “those are just words” and their faces are lined with hurt, anger, disappointment or possibly derision.  All of us have been at a point somewhere along the way when we have needed more than words because the past history in which they had been used had cheapened them to the point of being valueless.

Paul asked the question, “Who has believed the news we bring or the story we tell” and many times after delivering God’s Word, I wonder if the listeners perceived that what they had received was indeed His Word.  Or, did they walk away thinking those are “just words.”  Sometimes we have so cheapened our words that it causes a “Whatever” response to utterances which should never be dismissed with such ease. 

Being a pastor, my world has pretty much revolved around life-giving words.  In the beginning days of my ministry the power of words and my lack of ability in speaking really scared me.  I knew that people could possibly be hanging on to my words, which was okay.  I just didn’t want them to be hung or even hung up by my words!  That’s about the time that Isaiah 50:4 really registered with me. It was like God was saying to me, “I will be with you to help bring about your purpose for life. I will teach you to speak for me!”

Since that time, I have learned and have often rehearsed out loud the fact that our words are used to ease our pain and increase our joy.  Through our words the weary are sustained and the powerful work of transformation is given shape, focus and clarity.  Friends, the words we use are not weak and impotent, they are in fact powerful, quick, sharp and unerring in their ability to make glad the heart.

Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life..”   So, don’t leave home without them, choose them wisely and please don’t underestimate their ability to powerfully work in the heart and mind of those who have had their ear awakened to hear!

HE KNOWS THE WAY!

“But He knows the way I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

Job shares the perplexity he has experienced in trying to see and talk to God during his personal storm. This particular bewilderment does not belong only to Job! We have all experienced, if we are honest, that dark night when seeing Him is nearly impossible.

“He is not there, I do not find Him, I do not see Him, I catch no glimpse of Him”, he says in exasperation. Then he turns his gaze upward when he says, “But He knows the way I take.”

Even though Job had failed to see God, he realizes that God has not failed to see him. Indeed his inability to see God in the storm is a part of the test that will reveal that which is most precious. God has a plan for you! Jeremiah says, “He knows the plans He has for us”, and He is mindful of those plans as we journey through the storm.

I am reminded that my four Grandchildren never ask for detail directions or a road map when we are traveling. They just want to know when we will get there and they leave the rest to me! Anything more than that gets lost in their childlike understanding. Unlike them, I think I still need to understand all the twists, turns and detours along the road and I definitely want to see the map or hear my Onstar Assistant, especially Emily from England, who knows everything about Georgia!

That is the walk of faith, not that we know our plans but that we believe He does! In believing that about our Heavenly Father we can have a faith which weathers every storm. Wesley prayed, “Put me to what you will.” I say “Amen” and add with the great Methodist, “You are mine, and I am yours. So be it!”

A WORD BEFORE YOU GO ... AND POSSIBLY AFTER YOU ARRIVE

Like most, I am intrigued by last words.  After listening to a long sermon, I am more than intrigued, I am grateful for the words, "In conclusion."  If I am the speaker I recognize that one of the gifts I give to listeners after Noon on Sundays is the Benediction which often includes parting words or a prayer of blessing, guidance, and good will before dismissal.  Since the pronouncement, "In closing" brings such rapt attention these may be some of the most listened to words of the day.  Hence, I thought I would share a wonderful Franciscan Benediction I found Years ago.  In fact, it is so appropriate for the day in which we live it could possibly live on in our daily prayers!

May God Bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half -truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

SOME RELIGION & MUSHROOMS ARE DEADLY!

One of the hot topics in the Body of Christ today is that of Religion versus Relationship.  It begins with the disclaimer of, “I’m not talking about religion, but a relationship” and ends with fear, “religion will kill you.”  To be clear, certain types of religion and religious observance may kill you.  So will certain kinds of mushrooms, but please do not throw away the portabellas and porcinis.  The truth is that God is okay with true and pure religion!  In fact it will probably astound many that Jesus practiced his religious beliefs by customarily going to the synagogue and along with others taking the scrolls to read (Luke 4:16) as was custom among fellow Jews.

Webster defines religion as “the service and worship of God; a commitment or devotion to faith or its observance; a personal set of beliefs, and practices; scrupulous conformity; a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.”

I can’t really find anything I disagree with in that definition of religion.  But, so that my argument will not rest on me and the genius of Webster, let’s look to the scriptures.  They are always a good place to begin and end!

          James 1:27 (ESV)

²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Okay, so it is clearly laid out here.  Religion isn’t bad.  But, religion that is merely external is. True religion, the kind that God accepts, is shown through actions of love (visiting orphans and widows) and holiness (defined as not allowing the pollutants of the world to guide or taint your beliefs and actions).

I can hear your arguments.  Jesus aside, (which really should never be done) most religion is dead.  No love, little or no holiness.  Why defend something like that?

Okay, let’s look at what you are proposing as the answer to this problem.  In a word it is “relationship.”  Good word, but let’s pin down a meaning for this word and what it means to be “in relationship.”

Since the creation of man, we have been “in relationship” with God, but the word relationship was first known to be used in or around the year 1741 and only recently has it come to describe man’s association with God.  Since adopting a new non-biblical word, we have left the moorings of God’s revelation…..and that’s where things get tricky.  We love God and Ben and Jerry’s ‘Chunky Monkey’ ice cream.  We lavish the same word on Starbucks and our kids without a pronunciation change to delineate which one we are referring to.  We hide behind that ambiguity not allowing our real preferences to be seen or known.

So it is with relationship.  In fact, if it is defined by the common usage of today it can mean something or nothing or everything in between.  It is used of dating and marriage.  It can refer to the connection which people have with their significant other or with someone whom they are not getting along with.  The problem is that it still begs for definition.  What we desire in using this word is to connote something that is full of life and spiritual vitality.  But without definition and certain boundaries, this word may still leave us empty, dead and external.  If you don’t believe me, sit down with any marriage counselor and ask him about those marriages that outwardly appear to be living in relationship but are in fact dead within.

Now let’s return to the question of how our kinship with God was referred to before the word relationship was really used.  Because I cannot be exhaustive in this, let’s just look at a few of the things Jesus and the N.T. say about relationship.

One word Jesus uses is “friends.” That is a word that describes connection and association or if you will relationship.  Jesus said to his disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:14 and 14:21, “Whoever it is who has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.”

Without spin, friendship is defined by obedience, not by cheap syrupy words of love.  Dancing, lifting hands, and getting on your face before Him in worship do not prove your friendship with God!  Obedience borne out of love is the calling card for that type of association to Him!

“Children of God” is another phrase used to describe the believer’s relationship to Christ.  John describes this person as one who does what is right and loves his brother.  Again, as in the definition of religion accepted by God, our relationship to him is defined by holiness and love. (1 John 3:10)

 Finally, the phrase “servants of God” holds within itself the definition of showing proper respect to everyone, loving the brotherhood of believers and fearing God.  (1 Peter 2:16-17)

I know that bad things have gone on in the name of religion, but they have also occurred under the banner of relationships.  What I think people are looking for in having a “relationship” with God is a living and dynamic faith that brings about love and dedication to God.  My simple contention is that true religion, pure and undefiled, brings about that same loving and holy life. Again, some mushrooms like certain types of religion will kill you, but don’t throw away the portabellas and the porcinis!

AN EXTRAORDINARY TRIP

“Most people never get there.  They're afraid or unwilling to demand enough of themselves and take the easy road, the path of least resistance.  But struggling and suffering, as I now saw it, were the essence of a life worth living.  If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not constantly demanding more from yourself--expanding and learning as you go—you’re choosing a numb existence.  You’re denying yourself an extraordinary trip.”
 ― Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner

This past Sunday, I was able to walk a few steps with a couple who are on an extraordinary trip.  I was truly inspired as Jane and I worshipped together with The Atlanta Dream Center on Sunday. Paul and Patti Palmer, who have had their share of suffering and trials (which, by the way, I will not speak of here), serve the Lord with excellence!  Not excellence in building or location.  I think we met in a converted metal warehouse seated on plastic folding chairs in an area that I’ve had nightmares about being lost in.  Simply put, what I witnessed in the heart of Atlanta was an excellence of heart.  What I felt was a purity born out of love and compassion and made alive through action.  I live in a world of words and many times find myself acting as if words are proof of something.  Proof, poof!  Words and sentiments expressed are but cheap imitations of true compassion which seeks to live and work on the same street as hurt and pain.

In the service, I met an array of persons who were people of pain but have found Christ to be their healer.  They included a former crack-using prostitute who now ministers to those who are still junked up and in captivity, the ex-con who runs a security business, a past drug dealer who now gives himself to the Lord, and the list goes on!  I also encountered a shining group of young people who are learning how to be agents of reconciliation from two of His finest teachers.  Not only are they learners, but they have infused this warehouse of grace with greater creativity and ingenuity as they have ministered to the community around them with a wide array of activities.

After the morning worship, we rode through the streets as this incredible couple pointed out place after place where the power of God’s love conquered the hatred of the Devil.  At one point, Paul stopped his car in the middle of the road to find out why a person crossing the street in front of him was not at service.  Then as we made our way to the restaurant, if felt like he took forever to walk thirty feet because he couldn’t meet a stranger.  His actions reminded me that a true shepherd will go anywhere and everywhere to gather those for whom Jesus died, and he acted like Jesus died for the whole world!  After a delicious Southern lunch at Mary Mac’s, Paul and Patty showed us a street that really raised all our levels of excitement. The street that had once been filled with pushers, addicts, and violence but was now transformed with the Dream Center occupying one of the buildings located there.

Can this kind of “extraordinary trip” only happen with the inner city as its dynamic backdrop and with persons like the Palmers?  I’m glad you asked!  I have seen fellow travelers all over.  In Georgia, they inhabit the mountainous north, the metro region, the eastern slopes, and middle Georgia to the flat lands of the south.  They have in common a love for God, a refusal to live in the comfort zone, and a hatred of living a numb existence!  I pray that you too will find your journey on this side of extraordinary!