Category Archives for "Martin Luther King"

The Discipline Of Standing Up

thomas watson quote

If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good.

Thomas J. Watson

I’ve been writing about discipline for the past few weeks.  Why would I spend so much time focusing on disciple?

 

The theme of my blog is stretch.  I write about things that are stretching me.  I reflect on life’s stretch marks.  And I hope my reflections will help others to stretch as well.

Do I have these disciplines down?  By no means.  In fact, these are disciplines I am challenged to work on myself.  These are disciplines that cause me to stretch.

I want to keep stretching; therefore, I ponder the areas I need to cultivate in order to make the most of my life of stretch.

Over the weekend, I saw the movie Selma.  I hadn’t heard a lot about the story before I watched the movie, but I was told this was a movie I needed to see.  The movie portrays part of the journey of Dr. Martin Luther King and his pursuit of civil rights for African-Americans particularly the right to vote in the deep south – in towns like Selma, Alabama.  Selma’s population was nearly half black, but most of this population was restricted from voting.  In their efforts to stand up to this injustice, blacks were repeatedly knocked down by a white-controlled government and law enforcement.

Martin Luther King was committed to standing up against this injustice in a non-violent manner.  He risked ridicule, harm to his family, and harm to his personal safety.  And yet, he persisted.  He stood up when “enough was enough.”

Standing up for what you believe in is easy when everyone else is on board, but it’s not so easy when you risk going against the grain of culture.

I want to fit in.  I don’t want to rock the boat.  I don’t want to risk disruption to my “happy” world.

It’s time to institute another discipline.  We must learn to practice the discipline of standing up.  We must learn to stand up when “enough is enough.”

God has given you and me a voice – a voice to stand up and speak out for things that matter.

Are you content to go along with the status quo?  Or is it time for you to stand up, to speak up, and to make a difference?

These are questions we all must ponder.  I don’t want to reach the end of my life and wonder if I could have done more to stand up for my beliefs.  I want to know for certain that I took a stand and I rallied others for a cause that matters.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

How would your world be different if you made the decision to practice the discipline of standing up?  How has standing up made a difference in your life?  What causes you to stand up?

 

MLK Day – Finite Disappointment, Infinite Hope

“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This post originally appeared in October of 2012 in the middle of a volunteer work week in which our team was helping to clean out the home of a woman who had fallen into a pattern of hoarding.  This post came to mind as I was thinking about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day which we are celebrating in the United States today.  I had a huge feeling of despair as I wrote this post over a year ago, but I have seen the other side.  The woman we helped is still living in the house.  Other experts have stepped in to help.  And she is now part of our H.O.P.E. serving small group.  Do we face disappointments in life?  Absolutely!  Is there still hope?  You bet.  Take a look at this post.  I hope you’ll find hope in the midst of whatever disappointment and despair you may be facing.

Over the past four days, I’ve been working with a team of people to clean up and empty out the home of an elderly woman in our community.  Each night this week, a team of 12-20 eager volunteers have arrived at the home ready to work.  They’ve put everything they have into this project, and they’ve remarkably emptied the main floor of 2 1/2 dumpsters full of trash.  It’s amazing what can be done when good people work together.

What has been challenging to me especially over the past two nights is the revelation of how bad things still are for this woman and her home.  As we’ve emptied rooms, we’ve discovered mold and mildew beyond anyone’s imagination.  And last night, a few of us journeyed into the basement to discover conditions that I can hardly describe without crying or vomiting.  She has been sleeping in this basement which is full of mold, trash, and raw sewage.

It became quite apparent last night that we had taken this project to a point that goes far beyond the scope that a team of untrained volunteers can handle.  On one hand, I’m so grateful for the powerful force of willing volunteers to get this project to this point.  And on the other hand, I feel so sad and over my head to realize that we may not be able to do much more right now to restore this woman’s home to a safe and healthy living environment.

So where do we go from here?  It’s a great question for which I don’t know the answer.  I know that there is still hope.  And I need to lean on this hope despite the huge disappointment.  I pray that the actions taken so far would not be a waste of time, energy, and money.  I pray that this woman’s life would be changed forever because of what has taken place this week.  I pray for the neighbors that they may know Christ’s love because of the actions taken this week.  And I pray for those who volunteered that they would live their lives differently because of what they saw this week.  Please pray for these things and for direction as we discern how to proceed from here.  Thanks!

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:8-18

That’s all I’ve got.  What keeps you going?  How have you seen disappointment and despair turn into hope?

Ice Breaker – I Have A Dream

It’s that time of the week again…time for an ice breaker question!  This week we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  We’ve all heard his famous “I Have A Dream” speech where King dreams out loud about a day when black men and white men will live together in harmony.  In keeping with this theme, today’s question deals with dreams.  For those of you who are new or who forgot, ice breaker questions are used to help people get to know each other – to “break the ice” so to speak.  I love hearing what other people have to say and how they think.  So for today, I’m excited to throw out another simple ice breaker question.  I’ll answer it first, then it’s your turn.  Answer the question by leaving a comment for us all to enjoy.  Thanks!

Question:  What’s your dream?  (You can take this in many different directions!)

My Answer:  Here you go….

As a child and teenager, I had many dreams.  I dreamed of writing plays and becoming an actor.  I dreamed of becoming a firefighter, a pharmacist, and a baseball player.  I dreamed of building a new Mt. Holly, NJ (my hometown growing up) where people got along and things worked more efficiently.  I dreamed of building my own house.  I dreamed of marrying a wonderful Christian woman.  Some of my dreams came true (like marrying a wonderful Christian woman), and many of my dreams never came to fruition.  As I’ve grown and my responsibilities have increased through marriage, parenting, and work, I honestly haven’t dreamed as much.  This question is definitely STRETCHING for me.

Last Sunday, I shared that I’ve been thinking about doing something bigger with my blog.  I truly believe that God can use The Stretched Blog for a much greater purpose.  I’m not sure exactly what that is yet, but I dream that The Stretched Blog and The Stretched Community would be able to build something that outlives us and that ultimately brings glory to God.  When this dream becomes clear, you can be sure that I’ll share it here.

So there you have it, my answer to the question.  Now it’s your turn….I can’t wait to hear what you’ve got to say!

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