Weekly e-news June 8, 2020
Hey, everyone,
So apparently the cicadas are coming.
We’ve had the global pandemic for almost five months.
No baseball.
No sports of any kind.
Days of marches, protests and tension across the country.
Now the cicadas.
I’m so tired I bet I’ll sleep right through whatever buzz they make.
I’m soooo glad Jesus is on His Throne, ruling over all!!
I know many are wondering, “Protest marches…with some becoming ugly…The confrontation makes me so nervous! Do they do any good?”
I marched in one the other night.
In Oak Ridge, some dynamic and impressive young people wanted to organize a peaceful march for racial justice.
Pastor Derek Hammond of Oak Valley Baptist Church offered them his leadership and helped them pull everything together. He needed to line up the speakers.
One of his first calls was to Lee!
Our Lee is so loved in the African American community of Oak Ridge! In his work as a Young Life volunteer, he has had such a burden for the African American guys! And for the Latino guys! He’s taught himself Spanish (he’s really gotten good!) to speak to them in the language of their heart! Along with Devon and Thomas (and others!), he’s become such a friend, older brother and spiritual shepherd to so many young men of different cultures!
ALL of our Young Life leaders have been like an army on a mission of love, taking the Great News of Jesus to students by caring, listening and being present when they’ve needed someone to care!
How many kids have come to know the love of our Lord because of their love for them!
As kids began to talk about the joy they’ve experienced at Young Life activities, Lee, Thomas and Devon were invited to provide the comic relief at the Oak Valley Baptist Church annual “Youth Revival” in the Scarborough community for the past few years. Then this year, Lee was asked to be the speaker at the meetings. And for three nights, he shared in his clear, insightful, and love-filled way the Message of the gift and gifts Jesus offers to all who want them. So many kids (and adults) opened their hearts wider…and some for the first time!…to “His love reaching”!
Long seasons of labor…rides to school, lunches at home, and long talks about life…are yielding the fruits of a harvest!
So when Pastor Hammond needed voices of love and hope at the march, he knew whom he could count on!
Lee was one of his first phone calls!
The crowd around the Friendship Bell was impressive. The sun was intense and so were emotions.
To begin, Pastor Hammond asked all to bow their heads.
We all did…
(except the guy playing the bagpipe who didn’t know we were praying…
because he couldn’t hear anything but himself!)
and he led us in a beautiful prayer.
I think Lee was the second to speak.
As he got ready to begin, a group of white supremacists started to make a disturbance behind him. The police surrounded them and stood in a circle with their faces an inch or less from those yelling faces, staring them down.
Lee began his message and his voice was strong and clear.
He spoke (punctuated with lots of applause and “Amens!”) about “a great love that has come from Heaven” into his heart and changed him…
“A love that says…
Love as I have loved you…
and
anyone who comes to Me I will never cast out…
and
I do not condemn you…
and
I call you My friends…
(There were loads of “Amen”s after each of these!!)
A Love that teaches us…
to mourn with those who mourn…
and
to remember those who are mistreated…
and
to do to others as we would have others do unto us…”
Lee’s words were all about Jesus and cheers and “Amen”s were filling the air!
Others shared their thoughts and there was a wonderful talk by the Chief of the Oak Ridge Police.
Then the police officers who were present on duty were invited to come forward and Pastor Hammond, Lee and others prayed over them!
Pastor Hammond closed in prayer and we all went home with these thoughts in our hearts
(at least I did!):
“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5.9)
and
“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace!” (Romans 14:19)
and
“…God gave us the ministry of reconciliation!” (2 Corinthians 5.18)
and
“Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3.18)
So, it was good.