| Walking through Flint... |
As we walked North along Martin Luther King Avenue, we came to 180 West Van Wagner and ML King.
There at that location is St. George Beth El, "Church of God in Christ". Those people know Jesus! This place seemed alive although we were just passing by! I uttered a prayer that their ministry would be "long and strong!" Lord, We pray for Pastor George who ministers there! 'Let the Holy Spirit work though these people at this Church! Let the Flint area be the better for them being there! In Jesus' Name!
So from St. George Church up to West Pierson Road it was a pretty much just a 'straight shot' North with good sidewalks to traverse on! As we crossed Pierson, the small mall that was on the North West corner of that intersection had a great neighborhood mural on the MLK side of the building. It is great to see this kind of artwork (not graffiti) being displayed! The neighborhood should be proud of those who are so talented!
After passing this place we seemed to pick up our pace a bit and pretty much held that constant speed for the next couple of hours.
I carried on my back a water bladder called a Camel Back and was able to drink when I needed it. I kept pretty hydrated. When I would begin to feel the slightest bit of 'cotton mouth', I would pull up the spout that came from the pack and drink my fill! I am not sure how all of this works but if there was an ache in my legs or my muscles, the pain would disappear immediately after taking some water. It was like 'a signal' was being sent from my head to my stomach that said...'hey, the stuff has been delivered so stop hurting!' That may not be a real "technical or medical" explanation but it makes sense to me because this is what I would feel! But that is how it worked for me on this Trek. It is amazing how much water you go through just walking!
So up the road on the corner of Holbrook and MLK was a small white church on the South West corner of the Street. It looked like a neat neighborhood church. "Lord Jesus... make them a blessing where they are!" In Jesus' Name!
As we made our way farther up, to East Carpenter on MLK, we turned West and started toward I-75 knowing that just over 2 miles from this intersection, we would turn North onto N Jennings Road. On East Carpenter there were several churches. They seemed to be one after the other but there was one that caught my eye! It was...
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| A gathering place to talk to GOD... |
I think that this one building of all the church houses that I saw along this route in the Flint area, for me, represented as a whole, a viable witness to the town! That witness is that...talking to Jesus is important!
In fact, there is a Scripture that not only talks about communicating with God but that The LORD GOD has issued the initial invitation for us to come to Him; not only to be with Him but to converse with Him. The passage goes like this...
“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
It is He who is saying "come now...!" It is He who is saying "let us reason together!" He is issuing the invitation! And on top of that, He is saying..."let us reason together!" What other god do you know that does this? No other god! Because there is no other...!
Is this for real? Is the King of the Universe really asking for us to converse with Him? WOW! This is mind boggling! I have to stop and think to myself; 'if He is asking (me?) to reason with Him... then what does He really think of me as a person? How do I respond to this?
Some how we feel embarrassed to answer His invitation because of what we have done or how we have acted or what we are thinking...! But the fact still remains! He is actually asking us if we would "come" to Him and "reason" with Him! He knows us! There is nothing hidden from Him!
So does that change the fact that we have sinned? Not on your life! In fact, it heightens that awareness! Yet, He is still inviting us to come to Him to, in effect, 'reason' this thing out! He wants us to know that there is nothing hidden from Him and that He still issues the invitation! He wants us to know that He loves us in spite of ourselves! So does that mean that He is turning a 'blind eye' to our sin? Don't kind yourself! He knows everything about us and He still pursues us! He knows us thoroughly! Even what we have become... does not discourage Him in His invitation to us...to "come"!
Look, He says "Though your sins are like scarlet...though they are red as crimson... ," does that sound to us like, He is unaware or 'stand-off-ish'... toward us because we are less than perfect? NO! It means that He has rightly assessed who we are and because of who He is and what He has done in and through Jesus... that He is offering us a release from our past mistakes and sins in providing for us to become what He has announced us to be "...white as snow..."! Innocent as little lambs! If we respond!
I don't know about you but this is more than humbling to me! And even after we come to Him and blow it, as we are proned to do from time to time; our former nature still vi's for attention by raising it's ugly head and whispering... 'go ahead, it's ok....', do it! (whatever it is...). But the Scripture says...
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
"So, what cha' gonna do whey He comes for you, bad boy, bad boy!?"
You gotta answer that question! He is coming! He is calling! He is inviting... you! What are you gonna do about what He thinks about you!? How are you gonna respond when He comes for you?!
With my feet on the ground!
Simply Trey
