Greater Things......

Late in 2007 my heart was stirred with the realization that my traditional approach to making change in my community would always be inadequate because the root cause of troubles in river city will never be addressed with policy or politics. Root issues in river city have created a community consumed by bigotry and pride, self-righteousness and greed. And we need to be free.

As I began to pray for these root causes I came to understand that so many are found first in the church, in the Body of Christ in river city, and without a change at that level we can never expect God to work through us. That's when I began to see the awesome potential in getting a group of guys together once a month to pray specifically for river city and the issues we face, and for change to happen in our churches first. Guys from all churches. This was stirred up again recently as I struggle with how inward focused our churches are becoming. And so now, I want to go back to what I feel was a God-inspired idea to bring guys together to break down walls and find that there are "greater things" God can do.

Christians like to quote 2 Chronicles 7:14, when referencing the utter moral decline in the United States:

14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

But I want to draw your attention back to "MY PEOPLE". God was calling His children to humble themselves, pray, seek His face and turn from THEIR ways. If His children did this, God would bring healing to their land. So if we take God at His Word, we need to understand that the change for greater things begins with US. Stop playing the blame game in the political realm. Christians need to blame themselves for the corruption & greed so prevalent today.

I offer this passage and Isaiah 58:12, for our role as God's children in your community.

12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

I am anxious to begin pulling these guys together...some of you reading know I have already contacted you about this once before. I believe that God does have greater things to offer river city than what we know or understand. But I believe He is looking for us to "stand in the gap" with prayer, seeking to resolve issues by drilling down to the core. I am ready for Greater Things than settling for politics, pride and poverty to mark us as a community, aren't you?