January Blog
This month we will discuss:
- Planning for 2024
- Quotes
- Chesapeake News
Planning For 2024
My friend Pastor Anderson Walker has mentioned on many occasions that Dr. Martin Luther King’s letter from a Birmingham jail was not addressed to Klu-Klux-Klan members or white racist; it was addressed to white clergy. It was a plea for them to stand boldly for what is right. I encourage you to pull the letter up on the internet and read it. I just did.
I suggest you stop reading this part of the blog for a moment and skip down to the “quotes.” Considering how I select these quotes, it is amazing how much “on point” they are with this dialogue. Each day as I read and ponder stuff I may stumble across a cool quote. I jot it down for that day and then when I write one of these blogs, I go mining these quotes from past days.
As I mentioned in last month’s blog, this is a great time of year to assess the past year and make plans for 2024, and like many of you, I have done that.
Blake Lindsey, the Grants Mill campus pastor for the Church of the Highlands addressed this issue Sunday. At one time he said, “2024 can be the best year of your life if it is the best year of your life spiritually.” In order to do that you will need to close the door on yesterday and open the door to tomorrow.
He had a few points:
- Make a move. Don’t just sit there. God has an adventure for you. Say “yes” and start moving. Every adventure starts with a leap of faith. You cannot imagine what lies on the other side of your “yes” decision.
- Take a stand. Stand up for what is right, address issues of mercy and justice.
- Live the Word. You cannot live the Word of God if you do not know it, and you cannot know it if you do not consume it. Make a move – start consuming it.
- Trust in God completely. Trust His purpose, His plan and His promises.
If you are looking for an area to make an impact – consider doing what you can to minimize racism. More than likely you will need to learn a lot and establish some new relationships.
If you are looking for a way to get started, pop us a note and we will do what we can to help.
Happy New Year!
Quotes:
- The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke
- Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouth shut them seem intelligent. Proverbs 17:28
- If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord, and He will repay you. Proverbs 19:17
- You and you along will determine whether you will be a person of integrity. Tony Dungy
- Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. Proverbs 21:5
- Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house. Proverbs 24:27
- Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy. Howard Nelson
- Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ear. Proverbs 26:17
- Can two people walk together without agreeing on a direction? Amos 3:3
- When justice comes begging, judgement comes calling.
- I believe that the first test of a truly great man is his humility. Really great men have a curious felling that the greatness is not in them but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, incredibly merciful. John Ruskin
- The only path to genuine happiness and fulfillment is through service to others. It is only as we give ourselves away that we can truly discover ourselves. Paul Kellerman
- I never can quite get away from the habit if slipping myself into a dog’s skin and trying to see the things as a dog sees it. Henri Vibert
- What is the greatest trait in the world? It is what a man sometimes has and a dog always has, namely, loyalty. Thomas Masson
Chesapeake News:
You can visit our podcast page HERE (If the link isn’t working – https://www.youtube.com/@castingforunity)
You can learn all about what’s going on with Chesapeake HERE (https://linktr.ee/cciis)
We have some fun events in January:
- Last year we attended a community prayer breakfast in celebration of Dr. King’s birthday, and we participated in the march to city hall. We will do that again this year.
- We will attend the Alabama Sheriff’s Association winter conference which will be held in Auburn. Our message to our sheriff friends is “We help keep you out of the headlines.”
We would love to work with your team to help add value. Give us a shout and let’s talk.
John