A Word from The Park

"It is so hard to love a neighbor with whom you are at war. But you are your neighbor’s keeper. You must be. Even at war. Peace cannot be annihilation. Peace is peace. And that must be not just our intention, but our North Star, our guiding light. Leading us to peace is how the God of justice shines forth. Meanwhile: let’s keep our neighbors safe."  The full text of Pastor Kaji's se...

 "When we’re not being heard, it might help to think about the times when others have felt unheard by us. It might help to bring a bit of patience - just enough to try communicating a different way. Patience is one of our greatest tools when we aren’t understood."  The full text of Pastor Kaji's sermon is available here: http://soundthebells.blogspot.com/2023/10/when-they-wont-hear-...

"You are showing up as Matthew 25 Christians. You’re caring for the poor when you send your tithes and offerings to the church as we do the hard work to *end* poverty. You’re caring for the hungry every Saturday in our Community Lunch program. You’re caring for the imprisoned every time you bring in the feminine products for the incarcerated women. You’re caring for the sick with your pastora...

Whatever it is that you’re asking, God is responding. I can guarantee that. But God’s response isn’t always on our level. God is always answering the deeper question. So if you can’t see God’s activity in your life but you want to? Ask differently. Get to the root of the issue. 

Sometimes it feels like something’s falling apart. When, in actuality, it’s coming together... And this is when we have to exercise our faith. You’ve heard the expression: if it’s not good, it’s not over. But for God to resurrect, to make all things new? Something has to stop. Something must end. 

What is a yankable moment? In short: it’s a time when God has had to reach in and pull you back. It’s when God stages the intervention your life requires. It’s a moment of urgency, sometimes even just in time to save your life. So: another way of putting it: when has God saved your life? When has God inspired the radical change your life has required? And then: what has God provisioned to make tha...

Child of God? Create. Cause something new to begin. Breathe life into something you thought was dead. Mold some clay. Because Jesus has given you an assignment. Child of God. Create. 

You might be the mountain that needs to move. Right now. What I want you to consider is that this - your power, your birthright - is the last step on your journey to elevate. It’s time to actuate the miracle of that one big change you think you can’t make. Because the truth is that with God’s help: you can. 

It is time, folks. To cleanse. Wade into God’s healing waters, beloved. And let the Spirit come. With God’s help? Throw the door right open to God’s grace. And with a heart open to God? Watch what happens now. Selah. 

 When you step forward in the Lord, when you wait on the Lord, your refuge, your strength, your very help in times of trial? Then God will bear you up on those eagles’ wings. You will run and not be weary! You will walk and not faint! That’s the road before you. Your strength is coming.  Please consider supporting The Park and its ministries: https://parkavenuechristian.com/give/

 When you turn to the Lord and ask: build me up, God. Build me up. Give me strength and be my strength. My very help in times of trial. Selah. When you turn and ask? Then God gives you that strength.  The full text of Pastor Kaji's sermon is available here: http://soundthebells.blogspot.com/2023/07/restore-elevate-building-strength.html  Please consider supporting The Park's ministries w...

"Take the time to burrow. Retreat to the other side. It doesn’t have to cost a dime or more than the cost of a subway fare, if you must. But find your space for silence."

Some closed doors unlock, some rock solid masses soften, something relaxes, when we just acknowledge someone else's pain...from there, everything can change. 

When God has given us the grace to forgive, it’s because we’re ready. It’s because God has done sooooo much work behind the scenes to prepare you to share this gift. 

Independence is important, but we need to depend on each other, too, in ways that are reliable, not toxic but healing. We need to love, we need to model love, we need to bring love to the halls of Congress, and to our friends and neighbors, and even to our enemies. But as we love, let us root out all of the things that cause harm.  Let us dedicate ourselves to at least one thing - one thing - that...

My prayer for you is that you experience yourself through God's eyes. Imagine if you could look in the mirror and love yourself just as much as God does. Whoever you are, this is true. God bless you, and Happy Pride! 

Talk to any honest preacher, and they’ll admit this secret to you:  we all just have one sermon. We just use different words. Here’s my sermon: God loves you. No matter what. Now live your life and do something about it because: no matter what? You can. 

Soul food tends to get a bad rap in terms of health. But when we take a closer look, we learn something different. Our people took what they had, took the time to plant and to sow and to put their foot in that food and presented love on a plate. It’s not soul food that’s unhealthy, it’s racism and worldwide oppression that is.  

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Light.... When we follow The Way, we adapt as God intends for us to adapt, we allow God to do with us what's needed. We resist whatever tries to obstruct us from God, and we consent to participating in God's acts of power in our lives and in this world. 

The way to continue to elevate is to move into a softer, more spirit-filled living. This season is softness. Connect. Don't dissociate. Talk to God. God can handle it. 

When we go through our hardest times .... that is when we see God most clearly. But we have to be prepared for it. 

Whatever season you are in, God has ordered it and the boundaries of your habitation... God has ordered it. Do you hear that? Wherever you are, God brings you order and boundaries and growth and is planting things in your life you cannot even see. 

Jesus' tears of mercy show us new dimensions of who God is and just how much God loves us... and if you're feeling entombed right now, for any reason whatsoever, Jesus says, "Roll away the stone. Come out. Live well."  

There are times when a narrow focus is helpful. But if we only keep a narrow focus, waaaaay too much crucial background is blurred... Too narrow a focus for too long makes us see only what we want to see. What we put in front of ourselves. But widen the aperture? And there’s much, much more to see. When you’re deeply grieving, your aperture is pretty closed. Not very much light can make its way in...

 The idea of having to wait for the "Spirit" is a challenge. We are all waiting for some kind of infusion.