Close Menu
    Advertise With Us
    Religion

    Pick your friends wisely

    4 Mins Read1 Views
    Advertisement

    James-WashingtonSpiritually Speaking…Pick your friends wisely

    By James Washington Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Weekly

         This past weekend I was supported by friends as I humbly spoke to the male members of a local church at a prayer breakfast and was reminded of how much I was impacted by Mark 2:5. The parable of the paralytic struck me in a way that has never left my consciousness. If you remember, Jesus gave us all a candid perspective on how we should select our friends. “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” The operative words here are their faith.

    I don’t know why at this particular time all those sermons about choosing your friends wisely, became crystal clear. Can you imagine the strength and power behind individuals who believe in you so strongly, who love the Lord so much, that He heals you because of them? If there was ever a place in the bible that should make you realize that people who love God and you can make a difference in your life, this is it. For all you praying mothers out there, here’s proof that God through Christ is indeed listening.

    I know I don’t have to remind some of you about the grief we’ve put those who love us through. I won’t force any of you about the only course of action we left open for them. Putting us in the hands of the Lord (through prayer) was their only alternative because, as the old folks used to say, our heads were so hard that not only did we bruise ourselves, we also made their hearts bleed. I believe I’m here today because the Lord entertained the pleas of others on my be-half. I was too dumb, too young and too spiritually immature to do so for myself. Mark 2:5 lets us know that the people you associate with, the people you hang out with, the family you’re born into can save you from you, even if you don’t believe they can.

    You see the friends of the paralytic might have given up on him, but they wouldn’t give up on God. These are the kind of folk you should want in your life. I know I want them in mine.

    I believe the message here is that while in the midst of your personal storms, you’re infinitely better off if you’ve got some of God’s storm troopers in your entourage. You need a few folk who will break down a few walls, tear up a roof or two and ignore a few rules in the name of God for you. These are the people who will tell you in a heartbeat what you already know. Don’t try to go it alone. You can start your journey by yourself but you will surely need God based help to finish it. The family of believers is just that, a family, your family. Take a look around in your own life and take inventory of your closest friends and relatives. Which ones, if any, would you want pleading your case before the Almighty? Who in your current collection of friends is willing and eager to make a personal appeal to God to save your butt from the insanity you’re currently in, are about to go through even if you don’t know better? More importantly, what kind of friend are you? If your closest friends took the same inventory, how would you stack up? Are you likely to intercede with the Lord on their behalf? When I was younger, riding shotgun was a favored position. For example only, if you’ve got the right kind of friends, everybody knows the ultimate shotgun position is reserved for God. It has to be. At least one person in your group should be so connected to Him that He won’t forsake anybody. I guess I’m trying to point that the idea that the belief of others in the truth of the Lord is so powerful that you might be the beneficiary is mind boggling to me. I am so thankful that I know a few people, who I call friend who see this as the natural way of things. However big or small your circle of friends is, you might want to add or delete some based on their willingness to go to bat for you where your spiritual well being is concerned. After all, theirs just might be the only prayers that get through. May God bless and keep you always.

        May God bless and keep you always…

     

    Share.

    Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

    Related Posts

    This College Chaplain Fills The Pews By Teaching, Not Preaching Lawrence Lockett Jr., Morgan State University chaplain. Credit: Lawrence Lockett Jr. via LinkedIn By REV. DOROTHY S. BOULWARE (Source: Amsterdam News) It’s understandable for parents of strong faith to worry about the spiritual lives of their children who’ve gone away to college. After all, it’s easy for a young person, perhaps on their own for the first time, to suc-cumb to the temptations of partying late on Saturday night and sleeping in on Sunday morning. But Minister Lawrence Lockett Jr., chaplain at Morgan State University in Baltimore, is packing them into the pews most Sundays. He is engaging them in lively ways during the week. And students are joining the choir, accompanying worship on various instruments, and serving as readers and leaders throughout the service. It is by the grace of God for sure, but also by the loving service of Lockett, who’s beginning his second year as the school’s director of chapel. He has grown his flock from the 25 or so students who showed up at his first services to more than 200 each Sunday. Sometimes, it’s standing room only. “We’ve been trying to figure out what to do next because on Easter Sunday we had 342 people, and some were standing in the back,” he said. Word In Black talked to Lockett about the secrets of his success: how his adjustment of Sunday ser-vices got people into the pews, why his philosophy for guiding students on their spiritual journey centers on independent thought, and how his “Spin the Block” initiative is shaking things up on campus. The in-terview has been edited for length and clarity. Word in Black: The first thing we want to know is, how do you get so many young people to chapel every Sunday?. Lawrence Lockett: Well, first of all, I changed the time of service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I realized a lot of the students like to sleep in late. It gives them time to do whatever they need to do. I’m sure many of them still like to party hearty over the weekend. So they have a good chance just to kind of refocus, recali-brate, get themselves lunch, and then come over to the chapel for service. When I started in November, maybe 20-25 students came, but now it’s over 200 that come every Sun-day, and it’s pretty cool. So now we’re repositioning ourselves to go after the freshman class this year. If we have the same success as last year, there’s definitely not going to be any room. Word in Black: Tell me about pastoring on a college campus. Lawrence Lockett: Morgan actually started as a biblical institute, so the Christian traditions have al-ways been here. As a pastor or shepherd, I’m walking students through their questions, not always just trying to preach answers to them. It’s about being vulnerable. I tell them I was in their same position, just trying to figure it out. And it’s not me just trying to give them answers. Having been there helps me really walk with them and anchor them in the storm of life that’s going to come. I want them to understand that their soul really matters. A lot of students focus on mental health, but they really need to focus on spiritual health as well. It should be one and the same. So I’ve been trying to preach that, if anything, spiritual health is just as important as your mental health. But we do encour-age the use of the counseling center, for sure, if there is a mental health crisis. WIB: What does Monday through Friday look like for you? LL: Mondays, we are usually off because of Sundays. On Tuesdays, we have Bible studies, so I’ll host a Bible study at noon along with my colleagues that work in the chapel. And then, I’m teaching a class called Hip-hop and the Gospel on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m., dealing with mixing culture and religion. On Wednesdays, we do something called “breath and balance,” which is just a meditative type of pro-gram with breathing exercises as stress relievers. We work with the School of Nutrition Science and the food resource center so that the students get a nice free meal and practice breathing exercises and meth-ods to feel good about the day. For Thursdays, we started something called the mosaic, in which we have different campus ministers gather in small groups, just like a mosaic painting. So the students who come on Sundays then get plugged into small groups on Thursdays. And on Fridays at 1 p.m., we do prayer for Muslims.. We have an imam lecture and then lead in corporate prayer. It’s a good mix. WIB: What is “Spend a Block?” Didn’t you receive an award for it? LL: That started last year. We just basically do services outside: outside the residence halls, in the quad, wherever it may be. Honestly, worship on a college campus looks different than it did 20 or 30 years ago. Students want something real and authentic, something they can gravitate to, and something that’s convenient. So when we’re outside, people are like, “What’s all the noise outside? What’s all the music?” Then they come outside, and there are chairs, so they grab one and sit and enjoy the service. We come to them. They don’t have to come to us. At the very beginning of the semester, we do services outside the four resi-dence halls. And that kind of gives us a steamroll into homecoming week. And we’ve seen a lot of success because of that. WIB: What should I expect when I arrive for Sunday service? LL: You’re gonna see a lot of involvement with students. I’ve learned that students like to feel invested, and they want to participate in what’s going on. They don’t want to be told by adults what they should and shouldn’t do. So when you go to the service, you’ll see our praise team full of students. You’ll see a choir full of students. You’ll see students reading scripture. You’ll see students giving testimonies. And then I’ll come in and give a sermon, or I’ll have a guest friend or a guest preacher come in to do the sermon. But you’re gonna see a lot of student involvement, and I think that also assisted with a lot of the growth be-cause when they see fellow students, they understand they’re just like me, and if they can do it, I can do it. WIB: What about musicians and choir? LL: The musicians are also students. They say, “Hey, I love to play. I wanna use my gifts in some way, shape, or form.” And they’ll ask whether or not there’s a spot for them. And we say absolutely. And there is a chapel choir. Some of the members are also members of the university choir. WIB: What is the “next” you see for the chapel? LL: I want the students to know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. The chapel really is the heartbeat of the campus, and I want students to know more about where faith, hope, and belonging really stem from. I also want the chapel to become more interfaith and involve as many students and beliefs as possible.