The Verdict Is In

I have a lot of friends with kids and I can admit life has given me the majority of my friends to be white, so that just tells you that I don’t see color I only see good people. The verdict is in and 6 American women choose to find George Zimmerman not guilty when it came to the death of Trayvon Martin. They heard both sides, looked at the evidence, asked questions and six women from various backgrounds and ages set this man free. My argument has always been and will remain can children who look suspicious be followed by a stranger, which is every kids worst nightmare, put into a situation were they choose to react from a child’s mindset  and then end up dead. Mr. Zimmerman to me was at fault because he was the adult in the situation and Mr. Martin doesn’t even look 17 yrs old so I know that Mr. Zimmerman couldn’t have thought he was a grown man. But regardless the verdict is in and every side has to accept it because the rules are the rules, a jury of his peers found him not guilty. Now here is what my hope is now that first of all we would all pray for Mr. Martin’s family clearly they feel justice was not served and they are all still grieving the loss of their 17 year old son. Next we need to pray for Mr. Zimmerman’s family that no physical violence would come against them. We also need to pray for the jurors’ that they would be kept safe as well and that the public would have an understanding to their decision because they were the only ones in the discussion room. And then we need to pray for our nation. Our ugly sin and still painful truth the topic of Race continues to divide us rather than unite us. We must find a way to co- exist respectfully. I am not saying I know the answers but clearly the path that we are on is not working. Also we must figure out a way to protect our children in this society were a man’s thought and then act of suspicious behavior doesn’t lead to any more murders of our children and I don’t care what color they are because I couldn’t imagine one of my friends kids being killed just because they were “in the wrong neighborhood”.  I hope that we can gather ourselves correctly as a country and realize that the best way to honor Trayvon right now is to go out and help somebody and not use this moment to hate our neighbor.

Until Jesus Comes, Robert

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

My Take On The Travon Martin Case

Many discussions have happened when it comes to racial issues over the George Zimmerman trail and many people, especially my white friends, have asked me what are my views on this trial and the situation at hand. Most people have wanted to argue or are looking for fault in the other sides perspective. But for me George Zimmerman is not a raciest and this issue is not about Travon Martin but rather the issue for me is about following the rule of law. George Zimmerman would have went after any kid that day that looked suspicious regardless of race and that for me is the disturbing part about this man. When the 911 operator told him to stay in the house and to let the police do their job that is what he should have done. He should have NEVER left his house. If he was worried or felt like something was going to happen then he should have done exactly what he did CALL THE POLICE and let them handle the situation. George Zimmerman is not guilty of being a raciest because I don’t think he is, for me he is guilty of being an idiot. What if Travon Martin had a weapon on him or was able to over power Mr. Zimmerman and cause him hurt or danger or even death then that would have left Mr. Zimmerman’s family in the same place that Travon Martins family is in: grief. George Zimmerman should go to jail, but it is up to the jury on how long and for what, but let’s not think or accuse him of being a raciest. Let’s be clear he is simply an idiot.

The You Love

I believe that the essential thing to hope is understanding.Not understanding all the details and how they work but understand that eventually you will make it through the pain. Pain has so many levels and lessons the key to survival is not letting it control you. Who you are is bigger than what you feel. Who you are is how you react to the situation because the foundation of your soul is rooted in something bigger than yourself. Your convictions lead you. Your ethics guide you. Your boundaries keep you focused. Your are a multi being: mind, body, soul and spirit. All of them are unique to you and created by God for you but can only be formed and given power through you. The understanding of the basics is how one survives the daily sadness and complications  of the moment. To thrive that requires greatness that can only be tapped into when you are obedient to what you were called and created for. So live, move, breath, create, speak up just don’t quit.Slow down if necessary, pause if needed; but don’t speak, feel, allow it around you the word quit. Be Brave to love all of yourself today.
Peace & Love

The reality about life is that everything always changes and most of the time it happens all at once. Tragedy, surprise, growth, experience and the unexpected all seem to converge heavily on our lives without warning. It’s called change and it always has a test for us to pass. The lesson is for the soul so that one can develop into the full maturity that one must have in their own spiritual life.  We have been created and formed as unique individuals with specific designs and callings on all of our lives. The divine directs ours lives and pushes us out of our comfort zone for His own pleasure and praise and when we realize and capture every moment with joy and give it back to him with gratitude; then we will be free.  We are not alone; our souls are in fellowship with a majesty that is beyond our sights so it is out job to harvest what has been entrusted to us.

Be Brave

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Bravery for the soul is not something that can be defined by a majority. Bravery of the soul is not a duplicated victory. Bravery of the soul is when ones sees the obstacle ahead and doesn’t focus on the problem but rather the solution. Even if the solution that one comes up with doesn’t work the first time one must be committed to the commitment of not staying the same. Christ the eternal magnificent being must be one’s hope. Self-love must be ones anchor because one must be determined to love their self more than they love their pain, doubt, fears or failures. Visions change with time because individuals change; the key to success is continuing. Don’t let others, family or friends, define what your destiny is. You keep going. Daily. Do something new and better for you. Your reward will be seeing Jesus face someday"

“The 3 Most Important Things the Church Can Do in 2013”

“The 3 Most Important Things the Church Can Do in 2013”


Focus: Create more programs that meet the everyday needs of people

When I evaluate what three things that the church needs to do in 2013 I would argue that we need to go back to the fundamentals of our divine example and take the prescriptions of ministry that Jesus left behind for us to follow and apply them to our current flow of ministry in the 21st century. Jesus basic argument and the example that he used was demonstrated in three specific areas of ministry: meeting the spiritual needs of people, meeting the physical needs of people and meeting the fellowship or intimate needs of people. What I will do in this article is to translate what Jesus did in his time into what our modern church can look at and repeat them today.

The Church Meeting The Spiritual Needs of People:

Psalms 51:5 it says “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me”; I would argue from this verse that every persons soul is totally depraved and with that in mind we all need spiritual regeneration and for those who are in the church or those who are seeking God the desire for that need to be meet is intense and it is the responsibility for the church to create and cultivate an atmosphere where people can worship God, know God and have their ultimate spiritual desire which is to be and feel forgiven of their sins meet.

Throughout scripture Jesus gives us this example in his ministry countless times and he shows us as his church how to do it. In Matthew 19: 16-30, Mark 10:17-31 and Luke 18:18-30 we read the accounts of the story of the ‘Rich Young Ruler’ who was a God- seeker and had a spiritual need that he wanted and desired to be meet. What we learn from this young man is several lessons that our modern day culture and modern day people can relate too. It didn’t matter how much money he had or his success he wanted what we all want and was asking the question that we all ask and that is ‘what does it take to be saved?’. Today we see that question asked is various forms ‘what is my life’s calling’ or ‘how do I reach my highest potential’; regardless of how we phrase the question the underline motive is the same: it’s what must I do to have my spiritual thirst quenched. A vital lesson we as the church learn from this parable is what we can take away from Jesus; Jesus made people of all backgrounds feel safe and comfortable to come to him. History tells us and many theologians would argue that this man came to Jesus in the quiet of the night indicating the possibility that maybe he didn’t want others to know who he was going to see or where he was going; or maybe it was shame that made him come at night, whatever the Rich Young Rulers reasons were at least he came and knew where to go. Many modern day people can relate to this as well, going to church and sitting in the back row, or coming late and leaving early, or to ashamed to go to church so they decide to watch it on television; Just like the rich young ruler modern people at least know to come to Jesus because he can answer their questions.

Mark 10: 21 “ Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” What Jesus gives the Rich Young Ruler and what we need to give todays church goers and seekers is the biblical truth in love to the questions that they ask. In order to fulfill your spiritual needs you must be sacrificial with your entire life, from your possession to your daily walk. What Jesus is teaching us to do in our ministries and what the church needs to do in 2013 is teach people there are no short cuts to spiritual satisfaction. Even though the rich young ruler had “followed the rules” he hadn’t “given a sacrificial heart” to Christ and others and without the death of self and following Christ a person soul cannot be regenerated. Luke 9:23 “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” the first step the church must take is giving people biblical truth to their spiritual answers.

The Church Meeting The Physical Needs Of People:

In Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-17and John 6:5-15 we see Jesus display of meeting the physical needs of his people which is known as the miracle of the five loaves of bread and two fish. As Jesus is ministering to these people he does not neglect to remember that their physical need of simply being hungry; what we fail to do in today’s church is remember that our people need to be fed, clothed and taken care; especially when they have a need that has to be meet that is out of their control. We have military service men and women in our churches that go overseas while their families are here in the states suffering and in those moments the church must step up and provide for those families. We have widows and widowers and senior adults that have physical needs as they age that the church must address because we see too many people as they grow older become lonely and depressed; most of the time the physical need to them is simple company and someone to talk to.

No matter how the church goes about addressing the issues of the physical needs of its people the issues must be addressed and handled in a bold and specific way because we are losing our people in a rapid way because they feel neglected by the church and their experience and opinions of the church are turning negative because they see glamor and not the needs of the hopeless being meet. And what we must remember is this people don’t care how much we know until they see how much we care; they’re not going to be interested in hearing about our Jesus until they see us acting like him.

The Church Meeting The Fellowship/ Intimate Needs Of The People:

An untreated wound has no chance of getting better until the proper steps are taken to fix it. Most of the sins and problems we see in our culture in and out of the church at one point started off small but because of neglect many of them have grown and become out of control and unmanageable. What the church must take action in doing is that when we see the beginnings of sin forming then we must address the issues then and we must address it in a loving and kind way and not in a judgmental and self-serving way. I believe the best way to accomplish this is to love people when we see them stepping off their designed plan’ “Love Me When I Least Deserve It Because That’s When I Need It The Most”.

In Luke 19:1-10 we find the story of Zacchaeus who was a superintendent of customs also known as the chief tax collector. He was a hated man in his small community of Jericho and everyone knew him personally or by name because he was wealthy and he would cheat people on their taxes and over charge them and pocket the money for himself. As deceptive as he was and as sneaky as he was there was something about the rabbi Jesus that pierced his heart and made him intrigued to find out more about him so when Jesus came into his down he climbed up in a fig tree just to get a glimpse of who he was.

The church must become like Jesus was to sinners and that is attractive to the point that people are desperate to come to us; Zacchaeus the cheating tax collector was willing to climb up in a tree and risk breaking his neck just to take a glimpse at seeing Jesus. When sinners demonstrate a passion for truth the church must be willing to provide a space for them to be fulfilled.

Luke 19: 5-10When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly .All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount. “Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

What we see in these verses Jesus ministry displayed by several actions that the church needs to take note and account of: First he calls him by name; most people in our churches today think that they are only a number or a member and the personal satisfaction of knowing you are known has been lost. Second he fellowships with him at his home showing us that sometimes we must meet people on their terms or in their comfort zone whatever that looks like to them; we must decrease so Christ can increase so the lost can be saved. And last Jesus took the man as he was in his sin and that reaction caused the man to change his life. The action of Christ love caused the reaction of repentance; Romans 2:4 “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

When we meet peoples spiritual needs and questions we give them tangible hope that helps them to hold onto their faith in times of trials and difficulty. People want to be heard, known and accepted not just tolerated and when we apply the examples of Jesus Christ in our churches we will adapt an inviting spirit for more people to come.

Conclusion: My Thoughts

Every person knows indescribable pain and hurt that breaks the heart and weakens the knees of the souls of our spirits and that is why every person needs to know and experience God in a divine way, but we as the church are called to be his ambassadors; and just like ushers in our local churches we must usher people into their seat in the presence of the king but we must first connect with him and his teachings in order to do so. Its not up to us to judge or to try and figure out all the specifics we simply must be willing to do what he says and that is to ‘follow’.

Matthew 28:16-20 “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Good Life

In any relationship that you are in there must be a dedication to the commitment that you have made. Relationships with spouses, family members and friends often die because one of the persons forgets the importance of forgiving the other “regardless” of their sins or how they view that they have been offended; and it often dies because one or both persons forgets that it was God that put them together they didn’t just meet by chance or happenstance. Remember your vow to be dedicated in the good and the troublesome areas of the journey that you take in any relationship because there are either spoken or unspoken covenants that when endured are honored. All of us have responsibilities to each other in all of our relationships; the responsibility is to believe in one another that the other person has the best intentions in helping you to become your full self and the conviction that you are placed in this relationship for a duty and the purpose can only be purely fulfilled by a co- existing relationship that is smothered in humility.


The most important thing to remember about any relationship that you are involved in is that you must stay mature and above reproach in order to move through the seasons of the relationship because that will help you not to focus on the immature things that the devil would put in your spirit to try and distract you. If you focus on the big picture and not try and play a role in your relationship with people you will have a greater avenue for the chance of success because you will limit your distractions. The key is not to focus on the “me” but rather the “we”. Relationships are like building and maintaining a house. Once the house is built you still have to keep up with the maintenance, so as your home continuously changes, so your relationship continues to change and it’s not going to always be perfect but as long as you keep your focus and outlook on it as “progress” then all will be well with your soul. Remember the good times and what sustained you in those moments and remind yourself and the other person of that moment to encourage them as well when things aren’t going well because the goal is not competition against the other person, the goal is team work because you want to be successful. It’s going be hard but go with the flow and you will get to where you’re going. God Bless