Peace on Earth

27 Jul 2017 1 Comment

by Visible Unity, Inc. in Activist, America, Churches, Community Organizing, Diversity, Equity & Social Justice, Faith Communities, Hospitality, Minorities, Missions, Social Justice, Spiritual Life, Uncategorized, Working and Preparing, Workshops Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I was anguishing about the state of this world and how there is chaos and violence everywhere you look. I wished there was more that I could do. While I know that relationship building, reconciliation and peace making are crucial, they sometimes don’t feel like enough. Visible Unity had a Weekend for Peace recently that brought together diverse people to pray, sing, view and discuss film clips around racism and integrate a worship service. A song came to me and our diverse group of peace minded people joined together at a police station and prayed for peace and sang the lyrics of the song – ‘Let There Be Peace On Earth.’

Let there be peace on earth, And let it begin with me

Let There Be Peace on Earth, The peace that was meant to be

With God as our Father, Brothers all are we

Let me walk with my brother, In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me, Let this be the moment now

With ev’ry step I take, Let this be my solemn vow

To take each moment and live, Each moment in peace eternally

Let there be peace on earth, And let it begin with me

The peace that was meant to be, living in perfect harmony, and beginning with each one of us, should give us pause.  Not long after this, one of the board members of Visible Unity, Inc. sent me a link to a commentary on John 15:12-13 – ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’. The commentator suggests four things from this passage. The Obligation, the Sufficiency, the Pattern, and the Motive of Christian love. (http://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/15-12.htm)

The Obligation – cherishing a kindly and loving regard to all others; such an attitude is the only fitting expression of the mutual relation of Christians, through their common relation to Jesus; However unlike any two Christian people are to each other in character, in culture, in circumstances, the bond that knits those who have the same relations to Jesus Christ one to another is far deeper, far more real, and ought to be far closer, than the bond that knits either of them to the men or women to whom they are likest in all these other respects.

I like this focus on the obligation of Christians because I feel if we can get this right, then we will have a head start in loving non-Christians. I also like this because I think Christians may be lagging more so than other faiths in loving their brothers and sisters. In Christ, we are all one family.

The Sufficiency – Love will soften the tones, will instinctively teach what we ought to be and do; will take the bitterness out of opposition and diversity, will make even rebuke, when needful, only a form of expressing itself. The ‘one thing needful’ was that they should be knit together as true participators of His life. Love was sufficient as their law and as their guide.

Love is sufficient. What else is there to say?

The Pattern – Now He says, ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ There stand the three, as it were, the Father, the Son, the disciple. The Son in the midst receives and transmits the Father’s love to the disciple, and the disciple is to love his fellows, in some deep and august sense, as the Father loved the Son. Christ’s love nailed Him to the Cross, and led Him down from the throne, and shut for a time the gates of the glory behind Him. And He says, ‘That is your pattern!’ ‘If He had never died for His enemies’ says one of the old fathers, ‘He would never have possessed His friends.’ The way by which we are to meet even alienation and hostility is by pouring upon it the treasures of an unselfish, self-sacrificing affection which will conquer at the last.

Enemies are future friends when love is involved and seeks relationship. Christians, we have our model. Turn to Christ’s love and allow it to infuse you that you feel compelled, obligated and equipped to love others.

The Motive – The novelty of Christian morality lies here, that in its law there is a self-fulfilling force. We have not to look to one place for the knowledge of our duty, and somewhere else for the strength to do it, but both are given to us in the one thing, the gift of the dying Christ and His immortal love. And so, brethren, if we would know the blessedness and the sweetness of victory over these miserable, selfish hearts of ours, and to walk in the liberty of love, we can only get it by keeping close to Jesus Christ.

From this passage, we should be motivated to reach out in love to all of our brothers and sisters. LOVE IS THE WAY TO RECONCILIATION!!!  LOVE IS THE WAY TO RELATIONSHIP BUILDING!!!  LOVE IS THE WAY TO PEACE!!!  If you have the desire but are unsure of how, please contact me. I will be happy to discuss with you possible avenues of reaching out to those different from you.

Weekend for Peace

10 Jul 2017 1 Comment

by Visible Unity, Inc. in Activist, America, Churches, Community Organizing, Diversity, Equity & Social Justice, Faith Communities, Hospitality, Minorities, Missions, Social Justice, Spiritual Life, Uncategorized, Working and Preparing, Workshops Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This past weekend Visible Unity, Inc. declared a ‘Weekend for Peace.’

Friday evening was ‘Prayers for Peace’ where we met at the Southwest Dallas Police Substation and engaged in prayer, singing and talking.  Seeking to be fortified as we begin or continue in the work of bringing peace into our spheres of influence.

Saturday afternoon we gathered at the Meadows Conference Center for the I/Eye Perspective.  We watched film clips from the movie, ‘I Am Not Your Negro’ and a clip of the self-introduction of ‘Tim Wise.’  We watched these clips with our eyes (Eye Perspective) and then had excellent discussion about race from each of our own personal perspectives (I).

Sunday morning (the most segregated hour) was the Integrated Hour of Worship, where a diverse group attended services at First United Methodist Church in downtown Dallas, Dr. Andy Stoker pastor.

We are in a war.  Yes, a war is going on in our country.  And with all wars people tend to forget that the enemy is also human and has family and friends who love them and who has hopes and dreams for the future.  People also tend to focus on destroying the other.  There is no desire to try and come together and talk things over.  Hate is the focus, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to kill.  Lastly, people tend to believe all the propaganda about the other side.  That they are not human, good or worthy.  They are a bane to society and so on.  This provides the ammunition needed to keep the war going.  It helps people to believe they are doing the right thing, the good and necessary thing.

In his sermon, Dr. Stoker remarked that we have a tendency to turn practice into truth.  I would add that in the history of the US, there has been a practice of devaluing people of color and this practice has turned into a truth.  A truth that has to be dismantled.  A truth that is founded upon ignorance and mainly, fear.  James Baldwin, when talking about the nature of the rage between Black and White, said that, ‘The root of the black man’s hatred is rage.  Blacks don’t hate whites.  It’s more rage; they just want them out of their way and more importantly, out of their children’s way.  The root of the white man’s hatred is terror.  A bottomless, unnameless terror which focuses on this dread figure and entity which lives only in his mind.’

The way past this terror and this unfounded truth is through relationships, relationships across cultures and divides, relationships across gender and economic divides, relationships across faiths.  Visible Unity can help you with this.  Contact us and join us in peace-building and relationship building.

 

 

Reproducing Racism

01 Apr 2017 1 Comment

by Visible Unity, Inc. in Activist, America, Churches, Community Organizing, Diversity, Equity & Social Justice, Faith Communities, Minorities, Missions, Social Justice, Spiritual Life, Uncategorized, Working and Preparing Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I was reading a book by Daria Roithmayr, Reproducing Racism: How Everyday Choices Lock In White Advantage, and she equates the way white people have systematically oppressed people of color as a cartel.  Whites engaged in “cartel conduct” utilize “economic coercion, violence and harassment” to give whites an advantage.  In posing suggestions for a political and legal fix, she uses the example of the government saying Microsoft was a monopoly and needed to be split up so that fair competition can occur.  “Restoring competition in the operating systems market required significant and dramatic legal intervention, in order to eliminate the barrier to entry created by increasing returns.”  I would add that fair competition leads to greater diversity and creativity and benefits everyone.  When we don’t diversify, we don’t expand our thinking, actions or products; whether those products are tangible or intangible.  Roithmayr also recognizes that there needs to be work done in our social networks and interactions as well as more integration in a variety of ways.

My final thoughts about her work is something I will try to incorporate in the work I do.  She resets racial discrimination as anticompetitive and antidiscrimination as antitrust.

Anticompetitive – emphasis on the economic costs and historical benefits of racial discrimination

Antitrust – emphasis on the unfairness of white advantage

Let’s all do what we can in the areas we are in to level the field.                                          Blessings

Pam

Do Something

12 Feb 2017 1 Comment

by Visible Unity, Inc. in Activist, America, Churches, Community Organizing, Diversity, Equity & Social Justice, Faith Communities, Minorities, Missions, Social Justice, Spiritual Life, Uncategorized, Working and Preparing Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Benjamin Franklin said that ‘Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.’ This could apply not only to justice but also discrimination, racial targeting, and oppression. This past year and moving through the next four years, we will be seeing more and more unaffected people become outraged. For America, this is a bad time not only for all Americans but also for the world. However, we cannot afford to allow this time of grief, pain and sorrow to be in vain. We must take advantage during these times to regroup, re-gather and remobilize so that we can usher in healing, relationship building, renewed and comprehensive strategizing, and reenergized and informed mobilization. There are many groups, some already formed and some forming, already working in one or more of these areas.

Now is the time to get involved. Do something to truly make America great and to help make the world great. This is only possible with collective effort. Make sure your organization is talking with, partnering with and/or collaborating with other organizations. This is not a time for territorial/kingdom building fighting. Let’s all come together. If you are a philanthropist, give money to those organizations who are not working in silos, who realize ‘it takes a village’ or in this instance several communities.

God bless and see you in the trenches.

Pam

A Concerted Movement

08 Jan 2017 Leave a comment

by Visible Unity, Inc. in Activist, America, Churches, Community Organizing, Diversity, Equity & Social Justice, Faith Communities, Minorities, Missions, Social Justice, Spiritual Life, Uncategorized, Working and Preparing Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As we prepare to brace for impact and then move forward in the next several years, I pray we can begin to develop a more concerted movement.  A concerted movement as opposed to individual groups and organizations doing a variety of things is preferable and will have more impact.  The Oxford English Dictionary defines the adjective “concerted” as meaning “arranged by mutual agreement; agreed upon, pre-arranged; planned, contrived; done in concert.” Let’s meet, talk, plan and then do.

  • As suggestions, I believe we need at least:
  • An Active front
  • A Peaceful Protest front
  • A Political front
  • A Relationship Building front
  • An Education front

No one front is more valuable or necessary than the other but collectively will yield a truly transformed society not merely just outward changes.  A truly transformed society will benefit everyone and our country will thrive and grow.

If you’re not involved in any of these fronts, I suggest you:

  • Figure out what fits best with your personality, skills and status
  • Know it will be challenging no matter which one you choose
  • Get off the sidelines, quit just praying and do the work you feel called to perform

Figure out what fits – Pray about it.  Also,  you will want to consult with those who know you personally and professionally.  They can help you assess personality, skills and especially status.  We often undervalue our status in relation to our ability to influence others and connect with others.

Know it will be challenging – We are not just talking about making things better, we are talking about transformation.  Transformation is a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance. The processes for this to occur will necessarily be challenging and depending upon your previous experiences, the challenges will increase or decrease. You will want to surround yourself with a support system that will be encouraging, sympathetic, affirming and relentless in not allowing you to quit.

Get off the sidelines – Too many people (in particular religious people) hide behind their religious veil rather than being and doing. I am not saying that we don’t need people to be in prayer. We need more people earnestly praying now more than ever. However, your prayer needs to be coupled with work. Faith in action or as the title of a book suggests – Faith is a Verb[1] – is required. Pray about where you fit, who you fit with (which organization) and then start the work.

Visible Unity, Inc. (the organization I started) does relationship building and just a little bit of education.  Contact me if this is where you fit.  If you just want direction, support or anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  I am trying to connect with other organizations in the Dallas area working on a variety of these fronts.  I am already connected with several but any names of organizations, groups or churches you know of would be great.

Blessings

Pam

[1]Stokes, Kenneth, 1989

What to Do?

09 Nov 2016 1 Comment

by Visible Unity, Inc. in America, Churches, Diversity, Equity & Social Justice, Faith Communities, Hospitality, Minorities, Spiritual Life, Uncategorized, Working and Preparing, Workshops Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I could spout out all kinds of words, scriptures, etc. today but I choose instead to quote from an older, white, Christian man who offers two suggestions on how we move forward.

“Where must we start as Christians and faithful churches after such a devastating election that brings the most dangerous man to the White House that we have seen in our lifetimes?

 First, we must reach out in solidarity and protection to those who feel and are most vulnerable — undocumented immigrants, young black and brown Americans, and Muslims.

 Second, we must make very public and very clear: Honest and prophetic truth-telling about race in America will be needed as never before in our time — especially from white Christians, who must call for the replacement of white identity politics with faith identity politics. Whiteness is an idol that has separated white Christians from God. Nothing less than biblical repentance from the white identity politics that dominated this election, and even most white churches, is now required from all of us white people in America who call ourselves Christian.

Solidarity must be very practical: Churches may need to open themselves up as sanctuaries taking in the undocumented immigrants whom Donald Trump has pledged to deport. Massive civil disobedience may be called for. And if the federal government and its agencies will not protect young people of color from the violence of racial profiling, religious communities, denominational leaders, local pastors, and congregations will have to. Meetings that insist on dialogue and accountability with local sheriffs and law enforcement officials will be necessary. And Christians in particular will have to defend and protect the religious liberty of Muslims in America.

All this will be risky and costly. Thus, it will be important that our first call is to go deeper into our faith, to find the courage to act, stand alongside our brothers and sisters under attack, and to confront the “principalities and powers.” Perhaps the most encouraging calls to me since the election results last night have come from young people of all ethnicities — many of whom I know well and have mentored. Several have independently said, “I just wanted you to know that I AM IN for whatever this will require of us.””

(Jim Wallis is president of Sojourners. His book, America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, is available now. Follow Jim on Twitter @JimWallis.)

For his full article and a very quick and good read, click here.

If you’re not sure how to do this, contact me.  If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, contact me.  If you’re not sure you understand all the issues, contact me.  If you just want to complain and say you feel bad but don’t want to do anything, then don’t contact me.  I’ll pray for you.

Lord God, please bless all of the people in America.

Pam

A Problem and A Solution

06 Oct 2016 1 Comment

by Visible Unity, Inc. in Churches, Diversity, Faith Communities, Hospitality, Minorities, Missions, Spiritual Life, Uncategorized, Working and Preparing, Workshops Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Problem

I was reading a Facebook post of an African American veteran explaining why he was protesting in Charlotte. There were things they were not allowed to do in the country we were at war with (shooting unarmed people) but those things were being done here in the US against US citizens.

It got me to thinking, there is a war. Racism is so imbedded in our structure as a country that it’s akin to white people being at war with black people.  That’s why with all the different “War on” – black people were targeted.  War on Crime, War on Drugs, War on Terrorism, etc.

A Solution

I was also just reading an article about the UN being concerned about the plight of African Americans here in the US. The UN committee visited the US and suggests some reparations are in order for African Americans.  They recommend this because of the history but also because the present escalation of police killings of African Americans is reminiscent of the history.

Suggestions include reparations to African-American descendants of slavery (better education, prison reform, better job opportunities and yes even, money), establish a national human rights commission and publicly acknowledge that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity.

America, we have other countries looking at our atrocities.  Isn’t it time to do something about all of this.  Please feel free to contact me about joining a Unity Process group and work to begin getting to know diverse people, having healthy conversations about race, and joining in the fight.

Blessings

Pam

Excerpts from some Articles

By JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States should consider reparations to African-American descendants of slavery, establish a national human rights commission and publicly acknowledge that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity, a United Nations working group said Friday.

The U.N. Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent released its preliminary recommendations after more than a week of meetings with black Americans and others from around the country, including Baltimore, Chicago, New York City, the District of Columbia and Jackson, Mississippi.

After finishing their fact-finding mission, the working group was “extremely concerned about the human rights situation of African-Americans,” chair Mireille Fanon Mendes-France of France said in the report. “The colonial history, the legacy of enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism and racial inequality in the U.S. remains a serious challenge as there has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of African descent.”

For example, Mendes-France compared the recent deaths of unarmed black men like Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of police to the lynchings of black men in the South from the post-Civil War days through the Civil Rights era. Those deaths, and others, have inspired protests around the country under the Black Lives Matter moniker.

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton Same Responses on Reparations

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders caused a stir when he stated he does not support reparations for slavery on the grounds that such a program would be “very divisive” and would never pass Congress. Hillary Clinton when asked never gave a straight answer instead suggest that money be invested in funding under privileged neighborhoods . However both have a history in reparations for a certain group. Holocaust survivors. Sanders-sponsored a bill but never came up for a vote. Clinton is also on the same page as Sanders. During her husband’s administration, she was given an award by the World Jewish Congress for helping obtain reparations from the Swiss and German governments.

“Contemporary police killings and the trauma it creates are reminiscent of the racial terror lynchings in the past,” she told reporters. “Impunity for state violence has resulted in the current human rights crisis and must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

Some of the working group’s members, none of whom are from the United States, said they were shocked by some of the things they found and were told.

For example, “it’s very easy in the United States for African-Americans to be imprisoned, and that was very concerning,” said Sabelo Gumedze of South Africa.

Federal officials say 37 percent of the state and federal prison populations were black males in 2014. The working group suggests the U.S. implement several reforms, including reducing the use of mandatory minimum laws, ending racial profiling, ending excessive bail and banning solitary confinement.

“What stands out for me is the lack of acknowledgement of the slave trade,” said Ricardo A. Sunga III, who lives in the Philippines.

The working group suggests monuments, markers and memorials be erected in the United States to facilitate dialogue, and “past injustices and crimes against African-Americans need to be addressed with reparatory justice.”

The group will suggest several U.S. changes to improve human rights for African-Americans, which also include establishing a national human rights commission, ratifying international human rights treaties, asking Congress to study slavery and its aftereffects and considering reparations .

The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent was established in 2002 by the then-Commission on Human Rights, following the World Conference against Racism in 2001.

It also visited the United States in 2010, where its final report found similar problems, including blacks facing disproportionately high unemployment, lower income levels, less access to education, “problematic access to quality health-care services and the high incidence of certain health conditions, electoral disenfranchisement and structural issues in the administration of justice (in particular incarceration rates).”

The current panel will give its final findings to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva in September.

U.N. Experts Recommend US Reparations For Slavery

After 14 years, and 20 days of speaking with U.S. officials, activists, and families of people killed by police in major American cities, a United Nations working group is getting into the fray on U.S. racial discrimination.The group has reached the conclusion the slave trade was a crime against humanity and the U.S. government should pay reparations. A French member of the working group of U.N. experts, Mireille Fanon-Mendes-France, said after their meetings in the U.S., “Contemporary police killings and the trauma it creates are reminiscent of the racial terror lynching in the past.” The U.N. experts traveled to major cities including: Washington D.C., Baltimore, Jackson, Mississippi, Chicago, and New York City. Several years ago, both the U.S. Senate and House, in separate bills apologized for slavery and Jim Crow legislation, but were divided over the issue of reparations. the bills were never passed as law.

 

What’s Going On

24 Sep 2016 1 Comment

by Visible Unity, Inc. in Churches, Diversity, Faith Communities, Hospitality, Minorities, Missions, Spiritual Life, Uncategorized, Working and Preparing, Workshops Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye

Mother, mother There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother 
There's far too many of you dying 
You know we've got to find a way 
To bring some lovin' here today 

Father, father 
We don't need to escalate 
You see, war is not the answer 
For only love can conquer hate 
You know we've got to find a way 
To bring some lovin' here today 

Picket lines and picket signs 
Don't punish me with brutality 
Talk to me, so you can see 
What's going on

In the mean time, Right on, baby, Right on, Right on 

Mother, mother, everybody thinks we're wrong 
Oh, but who are they to judge us 
Simply because our hair is long 
Oh, you know we've got to find a way 
To bring some understanding here today 

Oh Picket lines and picket signs 
Don't punish me with brutality 
Talk to me 
So you can see 
What's going on 
Uh Right on baby, Right on baby

These lyrics ring true today.  All I can say is, if you are interested in talking to those different from you so you can see and understand better what’s going on, then The Unity Process is the place for you.  It brings diverse people together and helps them to have healthy conversations about race.  Contact me if you’re interested at pam@pamyfields.com.

Blessings

Repairing Community: From Talk to Action

21 Jul 2015 Leave a comment

by Visible Unity, Inc. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

For the title of this post, I modified the topic of my presentation that I gave in London the first week of July. It was entitled: Repairing Community: From Prayer to Action. However, we all know that too many people just talk about the issues without ever doing anything. So, this post is to encourage those already doing and to prompt those who are only talking. The last couple of months have been a whirlwind of activities where I have gained more information to further equip me to the task of being an advocate for diversity and reconciliation. I’ve gone to some local workshops and gatherings around race, some for my job and one overseas. All of these events provided me the following information that I felt I needed to share with you along with some personal reflections.

In reflection after one workshop, I developed the following:

Not the marches, singing, dogs and water hoses of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Not the ‘by any means necessary’ of Malcolm X.

But a combination – By extra means, it’s necessary

Political Force – voting, lobbying and holding politicians accountable

Monetary Force – leveraging resources, boycotting

Social Force – social media, community organizing

Intellectual Force – education, information sharing

Combined Force – other minorities, collaborating whites

No one will be safe; that is, no one who is perpetrating injustice, discrimination, exclusion, oppression, etc.

Snippets:

In the US in the 1930s, redlining maps were created to establish boundaries for being eligible for government backed home loans.

Green areas were 80% eligible

Blue areas were 60-80% eligible

Yellow areas were 15% eligible

Red areas were not eligible. African American neighborhoods were marked red, so home ownership was not possible.

Currently, there are 3-6 million KKK members, 537 known hate groups and 858 patriot groups

More than 1,000 black persons have been killed by police since January 2015

Rage is grief turned into aggression

Black progress – go from grief to aggression to mobilization

Moving white people from sympathy to solidarity so restructuring of society can occur

I would say – moving white people from complacency to sympathy to solidarity so restructuring of society can occur

We have heard lots of talk about reparations for Blacks in the US. However, in all the talks nothing has been said about psychological, physical, emotional and intellectual reparations. We have a lot of stress, anxiety, depression and other illnesses of the mind stemming from slavery, oppression and segregation. We also have a lot of medical issues that can also be traced to the systemic discrimination and oppression of Blacks in the US.

I wanted to share some of the information and history. Every time I hear something knew about our untold US history, the current situation of Blacks in America becomes clearer. I also feel the work of reconciliation and helping people to embrace ‘the other’ is definitely needed, especially given the chaos in the world today.

Action

Followers of Christ, it is way past time for us to come together; to be unified in our diversity and to care for the ‘least of these’ in our midst. There are several different options in Dallas. Below is just a few that I know of but I’m sure if you are interested and do a query, you will find others as well.

Dallas Faces Race

Faith in Texas

Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference

PICO (People Improving Communities through Organizing)

CEDD (Center for Elimination of Disproportionality and Disparities

Dallas Dinner Table

All of us can and should be about our father’s business and help to bring peace, healing and justice to this broken world.

God bless.

Our God Purpose

21 May 2015 2 Comments

by Visible Unity, Inc. in Churches, Diversity, Faith Communities, Minorities, Missions, Spiritual Life, Working and Preparing, Workshops Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

“God had to remove Jacob from all that was of comfort to him in order to reveal Himself to Jacob. What began as a crisis that forced him to be removed from his family and friends led to an encounter with the living God and a fresh vision of God’s purposes for his life.

God had to bring Jacob to a place of separation from his old life and remove all his worldly possessions. He was alone with God at Bethel; nothing else could distract him from an encounter that would change his life.”

TGIF, Today God Is First – Volume 1 Daily Devotionals are a service of Marketplace Leaders Ministries

 A friend sent me this devotional from TGIF Today God is First because she knew of my time in Minnesota. My experience at Bethel in MN follows this same pattern as Jacob.

1. I was removed from all my family and friends and used up all my resources to do so. I felt a pull for me to move to Minnesota for studies at Bethel Seminary. Even with my mom being in the hospital, I just knew I had to go although I was somewhat reluctant. I didn’t know anyone in Minnesota but I knew that was what I was supposed to do.  My family and friends all contributed to help me move.

2. I had a health crisis (tumor in head) that lead to an encounter with the living God and a fresh vision of God’s purposes for my life. I moved to Minnesota in December of 2005 and they found the tumor in March of 2006 and operated in May of 2006. I immediately knew that’s why I was called to Minnesota and that if I had not gone, I would have eventually dropped dead. I immediately signed up for the state health insurance (Texas would not have had this option.) that covered most of my bill. My new roommate had a magazine listing doctors who other doctors and nurses would go to and my main surgeon was the top one listed. The other surgeon (Ear, Nose and Throat – he removed my right ear to make room for the tumor removal) did not even send me a bill. I signed up for the hospital program and they eliminated all my debt to the hospital that the insurance didn’t pay for. I have no monetary indebtedness for all of this – 18 hour surgery, 7 days in hospital.

3. From my time in Minnesota, I became acutely aware of what I was purposed to do for God with my life. Minnesota equipped me, made me over and gave me a passion for bringing people together, especially Christians, and a passion to challenge people, especially Christians, to reconcile with others, especially those different from them.

As I am rushing around now preparing for a presentation in London, this is a good reminder not to be too stressed, not to worry so much and to trust God because I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. The process that I will be presenting was all given to me by God while showering or sleeping. Those are the two main places where thoughts, dreams and ideas come to me and so I must immediately jot them down.

Thank you God for reminding me. I needed the reminder.

If you know your purpose, walk in it boldly.

If you don’t know your purpose, be in prayer and discernment about it. Talk with those who know you and who you trust. Schedule to talk with me.  I’m more than willing to join with you in prayer and discernment, listen as you share and ask questions to help you solidify your calling.

In all things, praise God. I know I am.

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