This morning is a short and sweet song of praise. My early morning thoughts took me immediately to a conversation from just yesterday, with a dear brother regarding the numerous activities that are currently occurring in and through our city, initiatives that have transformational potential.
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!'”1
The Body of Christ, “Nameless, Faceless and Placeless,” Nameless in that no one church is driving, faceless in that no one personality can take credit, placeless in that the events have escaped the “church campus”.
A group approaching 1000 men and over 30 churches are now acquainted with each other through the New Canaan Society, meeting in a “small group” at near capacity every Friday morning at the River Birch Lodge on Robinhood Road and then again on Tuesday’s for those in job transition; a Prayer Center is emerging in the downtown; prayer walks occurring at a heightened level in the city even while a suit is being decided in our courtrooms (if you squeeze God in one place, He will show up in another…He owns the globe, the sandbox we play in);
The Millennium Center available for use to throw a party for the city, Christmas for The City, now being up fitted for Dec. 21-23; property being considered for a leadership campus in the core of the city; another re-entry house for the previously incarcerated now opening; a solid waste facility now under development with the goal to employee and nurture those in reentry; a growing voice for leadership within the Hispanic community in the Southside area; a team of men funding an enterprise in Nicaragua, as well as other off shore ventures, all in the name of Christ; …my heart is full as I witness the work of the Church.
Could this city be one of the transformational cities in America? Is America in the process of transformation? I believe so!
Do I always sound this optimistic, you know better! Why this morning? Why call for repentance if you don’t believe repentance will occur? If repentance does occur, then “what carefulness is wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what revenge!2
Yea! Yes! Yeah! What a God we serve!
1 Isaiah 52:7 NIV
2 II Cor. 11 KJV