History, in general, is beautiful and ugly, broken and stable, insane and sane, and full of both the godliness and humanity of the people who have been made stewards over it.If we consider American history alone, we have to celebrate the freedoms that came with the Revolutionary War, the conquering of the West, the writing …
EXCERPT #6 – The Potter and the Clay – (from The Integrated Church: Authentic Multicultural Ministry)
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; …
EXCERPT #5 – From my new book, “The Integrated Church: Authentic Multicultural Ministry”
It is harder to overcome what you don’t know then to accept what you do know.As observed earlier, in the attempt to create a climate of tolerance (vs. acceptance), many people make the mistake of negating or ignoring the background of the audience they are trying to reach. For example, a church with a predominately …
EXCERPT #4 – From my new book, “The Integrated Church: Authentic Multicultural Ministry”
About a year ago, after a series of personal trials, I found myself examining the various relationships in my life. A question came to mind that was the catalyst for what I like to call a mental and spiritual shift in how I saw myself and others. I asked myself, How much of what people …
EXCERPT #3 – “Our Church is Color-Blind” (from The Integrated Church: Authentic Multicultural Ministry)
Before embarking on my own assignment to become a writer and educator, I spent two years working as an account consultant for a Fortune 500 company in New Jersey. During my time there, I established a wonderful working relationship with one of my colleagues and we often took business trips together to visit our shared …
EXCERPT #2 – Separate but Equal (from “The Integrated Church: Authentic Multicultural Ministry)
“Separate but equal” may remind us of that dark period of time in the history of the United States when that phrase was used to justify and legalize segregation. It allowed for public facilities and the education of children to be separate based on race under the guise of claiming that the conditions of those …
EXCERPT #1 – From my new book, “The Integrated Church: Authentic Multicultural Ministry”
Mandy was about as different from me as a child could be. Blond hair. Blue eyes. Skin that looked like strawberry milk. Her mommy looked exactly the same. I looked like my mommy, too, only we had skin the color of fresh almonds, big, brown eyes, and hair that didn’t move in the wind. Nevertheless, …