Shepastor: "Do This in Remembrance of Me"

And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Luke 22:15-19


Tomorrow in the Christian Church, many will observe "Maundy Thursday." The term Maundy comes from the Latin term, "Mandatum," which means "mandate" or command. On the night before Jesus would face crucifixion, He gave His disciples a command to love one another, exemplified through foot washing and Holy Communion. Jesus showed humility and love by washing their feet, sharing a cup of wine, symbolic of His blood and breaking bread, symbolic of His broken body - even though He knew that several in his inner circle would betray, deny and desert him.

Despite these things he showed them how to love. As He broke the bread, drank the cup and shared both with his disciples, He said, "do this in remembrance of me." Was Jesus just talking about the act of eating bread and drinking wine or grape juice? Was He simply referring to the act of foot washing? Could it be that He was commanding us to do something much greater, something that required much more introspection, something that required a greater depth of selflessness? What exactly should we do in remembrance of Him?


Could it be that Jesus wanted us to love in remembrance of Him, forgive in remembrance of Him, serve in remembrance of Him, endure the pain of rejection and betrayal, if necessary, in remembrance of Him? What is The Lord asking you to do in remembrance of Him. Consider that the next time you go before His presence at "the table."

Post a comment or send me an email at shepastor1@hotmail.com

May you experience the power of the Resurrected Lord in your life, not only this Sunday, but all the days to come.

Until next Wednesday,
In faith, hope and perseverance,
Pastor Chris

"Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10 (NRSV)

Being still - Not always the easiest thing to do. It can be very challenging to be still when everything within us is screaming, "Do something!" We become frustrated, anxious, nervous and sometimes angry because things are not happening as we had hoped. God is not moving on the schedule we have created for our lives so we take matters into our own hands.

We devise plans, rearrange events, jump in where we are not invited and do our best to remain busy in order to avoid the "still place." The still place is that place where we are made to come face to face with our inability to control life. We must face that God has the last say.

Our need for and expectation of immediate or at least rapid responses have been fed by the conveniences of today's society. Gone are the days when we have to wait for someone to come home before we can talk to them. Now we have cell phones. Gone are the days when we used to pull out the old black skillet, fill it with oil, heat the oil, pour in popcorn kernels and wait for them to pop. Now we have microwaveable popcorn! Expectant mothers don't have to wait to discover the gender of their unborn child. Blood tests and ultrasounds give the answer in advance.

But life says, "not so fast." There are still things for which we have to wait. After several job interviews, someone is still waiting for an offer. After years of hoping and praying for a spouse, someone is still waiting to share their life with a companion. Someone is still waiting for healing after years of therapy. After much prayer and support, someone is still waiting for their loved one to be delivered.

The instruction, "Be still and know that I am God," can be a challenge to obey. How can we overcome our angst, our frustration?

Remember that God is El Roi, "the God who sees me." Before the foundation of the world, God knew where you would be at this moment in your journey. He sees your stress and your strain. He knows your anxiety and your dilemma. He meets you in the place of your pain. He says, "Be still my child, I am exalted among the nations. I am exalted in the earth."

God is high above every situation and circumstance that seeks to rob you of joy, peace and fulfillment. God sees you and knows just what is necessary to complete you. God understands you more than anyone you will ever know. He knows you better than you know yourself. Seek His will for your life daily.

Ask the Lord to order your steps. Trust Him to supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory. Know that He can and will work all things together for your good.

Remember that El Roi sees you and loves you with an everlasting love.

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next week,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor:"Should We Lean In?"

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy the land for we are well able to overcome it." Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against this people for they are stronger than we." So they brought to the Israelites an unfavorable report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land that we have gone through as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are of great size. There we saw the Nephilim (the Anakites come from the Nephilim); and to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them. Numbers 13: 30-33,NRVS

What happens when we see ourselves as "grasshoppers?" The text suggests that as we see ourselves, so others will see us. Even if God and all of the angels in heaven tell us that we can do, that we can over take, that we can become, that we can possess... If we don't embrace, believe and pursue the promise, we will end up wandering in the wilderness and lose our opportunity to enter our promised land.

Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg tackles this issue from a secular perspective in her new book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead.. Sandberg asserts that women have made little or no progress in gaining CEO level positions, although scores of women have become college educated. She asserts further that historic socialization has cultivated internal oppressive behaviors within the women themselves that serve to keep them down. In other words, women have internalized messages that keep them from striving to be all that they could be.

Statistics reveal that the more men rise to the proverbial "top," the more they are revered, respected and liked. Conversely, the more women rise or gain positions of leadership and authority, the less they are liked by both women and men. While men are described as "strong, decisive, and a visionary," women with the same skill set are often labeled, "bossy, selfish, glory seeking and a 'B'". As a result, women both in the secular and the sacred realms are less likely to "lean in." For a whole slew of reasons, women convince themselves to "make do," accept less and strive to be liked rather than to lead. For clergy women, the stained glass ceiling is no less formidable.

In Beyond the Stained Glass Ceiling: Equipping and Encouraging Female Pastors ( www.judsonpress.com ) the issues of "What Stands in Our Way?" Is fleshed out (see chapter 3). Low expectations, the power of perception and denial and bad theology all are factors that persist beneath the surface of our reluctance to "lean in." Are you moving as God leads or are you stuck in the wilderness, bound by the grasshopper syndrome?

May you find the courage and the strength to be all that God has ordained you to be before the foundation of the world, whether other women and men applaud your pursuits or not.

Post a comment or send me an email at shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: "The Human Side of Jesus"

Jesus Prays for Himself

1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

John 17: 1-5

Although many, if not most Christians espouse a belief that Jesus was both "fully human and fully divine," as He walked the face of the earth, some find it difficult to connect with the "human" side of Jesus. As we journey through this Lenten season, I'd like to challenge the fears that keep us from experiencing the comfort available to us as we embrace an understanding of Jesus' true ability to relate to our human condition.

Some Christians fear looking at, talking about or even imagining the human side of Jesus because they somehow feel such musings may diminish his divinity. But nothing could be further from the truth. "With His stripes, we are healed!" (Isaiah 53:5)

In our text for today, the human side of Jesus was beat up, bruised, rejected, doubted, falsely accused, disrespected, cast down and out. He was about to face dissertion by his closest companions, the disciples. His closest earthly ministry brother, Peter was about to deny he ever knew him. One in his inner circle, Judas, was plotting to betray him with a kiss. The crowds were gone. Those who claimed to know God were devising plans to destroy him. Unbelievable humiliation, extreme physical pain and the momentary separation from His heavenly Father (as He took on our sins) was looming.

It is in this context that Jesus utters the words, "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began..." In our common vernacular, "Father, tell them who I am. Father, they have no idea who I am. Father, show them my identity even before the foundaton of the world..."

The bruised Jesus, the rejected Jesus, the betrayed Jesus, the disrespected and humiliated Jesus, the "human Jesus," in this prayer, shows us his vulnerable side, his pain, his longing for the Father to reveal not only to His disciples, but to the rest of the world, His true identity.

In ministry, as we strive to walk upright, to carry the Gospel, to love unconditionally, to glorify the Father, we too will have times when we want to cry, "Lord, tell them who I am!" Those with false humility may cry, "Shame on you! You should not care if they don't know who you are. It does not matter. All that matters is that they know Jesus."

But for those who know how to "keep it real," it is comforting to know that our big brother Jesus, loved us enough to show us His human side - the need to cry out in agony when His dignity was denied, His voice was muted, His human rites were stripped, His gifts were ignored, and His true identity was invisible.

If we find ourselves experiencing any of those emotions during the ministry journey, may we find comfort in knowing that Jesus can relate to our pain because of His human side. May we understand that it is ok to utter the prayer, "Lord, show them who I am that you may be glorified in me."

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: "The Blessing of Trials"

Romans 5: 1-8 (God’s Word Translation)Now that we have God's approval by faith, we have peace with God because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done. 2 Through Christ we can approach God and stand in his favor. So we brag because of our confidence that we will receive glory from God. 3 But that's not all. We also brag when we are suffering. We know that suffering creates endurance, 4 endurance creates character, and character creates confidence. 5 We're not ashamed to have this confidence, because God's love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 Look at it this way: At the right time, while we were still helpless, Christ died for ungodly people. 7 Finding someone who would die for a godly person is rare. Maybe someone would have the courage to die for a good person. 8 Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God's love for us.


In today’s Shepastor, the Apostle Paul emphasizes that since we have been justified by faith, “we have peace with God.” No longer separated from God by sin (disobedience) that wars against our very souls, we are now united in Christ and given peace that surpasses understanding. We praise God for this victory! However, Paul goes onto say, that we not only praise, or as one version puts it, “brag” about this new peaceful relationship in Christ, but we can also “brag” when we face tribulation, or trials, or great difficulties, because, trials – difficulties do some things for us.

Paul says it like this…

We know that suffering creates endurance, 4 endurance creates character, and character creates confidence. 5 We're not ashamed to have this confidence, because God's love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

“The Blessing of Trials”

A few years ago as my son and I were driving home, the sun moved behind the clouds suddenly, and small droplets of rain began to fall upon the windshield. Earlier that week, he’d had a science project where he had to write a mock weather forecast. Remembering his assignment and his own predictions about what the weather in the coming days would be, our son looked at me and said, “Mommy, rain was not in my forecast.” As I thought about his innocent words I responded, “Son, rain was not in my forecast either.” He didn’t realize that I was referring to more than the physical elements of water droplets falling from overburdened clouds packed to capacity with water.

I was referring to the rain that intermittently falls in life. I was referring to the misfortunes, mishaps, unexpected disappointments, and what we call inconveniences of life. I was referring to those unexpected events that come about when we were planning for sunny days, peaceful moments, relaxation, or just peace.

Rain was not in our forecast. The doctor coming out of the office after reviewing our labs and saying that the white blood count cell was too high or the psa level was too high and cancer may be looming. Rain was not in the forecast – That unexpected call from the school saying that your son or daughter was in an accident, you’d just seen them in the morning, happy, bright and bouncing and now you are wondering will they live – rain was not in the forecast – you thought you were being called in for a promotion and instead the boss looks across the desk with an apology and says they just can’t afford to keep you – rain was not in the forecast – the expectant mother going for an ultrasound, only to discover that there no longer is heartbeat in the ball of flesh developing in her womb – rain was not in the forecast!

Intellectually, we know, we understand that in every life some rain must fall, but we always hope that it will hold off at least for one more day. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are the called according to His purposes, but deep down within, we are just hoping, just praying, just standing with bated breath that our forecast – sunny skies with periodic overcast will only produce some droplets, but not a rain storm. Rain is not wanted in our forecast!

However, in every life, some rain will fall. Just as rain is necessary for the flowers to bloom and for the ground to grow grass and for our fields to be watered, the rain, the trials, the difficult circumstances that confront us in life are necessary to make us what God has created us to be.

Every now and then, God causes some rain to fall in our lives to make us strong. Every now and then God allows some tough situations to come into our lives so that we will be able to stand the storms that are coming on down the road. Storms help us to appreciate the good times. Storms help us to remain humble. Storms make us compassionate – if we will allow it. Trials can either make us bitter or better.

We have a choice. We can either trust God, cry out to Him in our pain and trials and seek His face and direction or we can recoil, become bitter, hateful, depressed, isolated and ultimately ball up and die.

The tree that never had to fight
for sun and sky and air and light
who stood up in the open plain
and always had its share of rain
never became a forest king
but lived and died a shrubby thing
good timber does not grow with ease
the stronger wind, the stronger trees
- Douglas Mallock

Walking with Christ does not shield you from the trials and struggles of life. Walking with the Lord does not immune you to the pain and toil that every child of God must face. Walking with the Lord will, however empower you to look for the lesson in whatever you face. It will give you hope, and strength and endurance to face each day and to praise the Lord at all times.

It will however transform you from the caterpillar to the butterfly. God will give you wings to fly, he will make your feet like hinds or deer feet so that you can walk upon the high places. Trials can be a blessing. Struggle can lift you to a higher plain. We can “brag” even when we are going through because we know that God loves us, that God is there with us, that God has great blessings in store for us.

Though others may look and wag their heads, some are hoping for your downfall, some are waiting to plan a party after (they hope) you fail or just give up – but the child of God, through faith, must endure hardship like a good soldier, remembering that we are not out to please man, but to please our enlisting officer, who is Jesus Christ.

“Harder yet may be the fight, right may often yield to might, wickedness a while may reign Harder yet may be the fight; right may often yield to might; wickedness a while may reign; Satan's cause may seem to gain. There is a God that rules above, with hand of power and heart of love; if I am right, he'll fight my battle, I shall have peace someday.”

Trials will come, rain will fall, but there is God who rules above, with hand of power and heart of love and He will fight your battles and give you peace. Rain may not have been in your forecast, but rain will fall The good news is that God has an umbrella!

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: “Jump at de Sun…” Excerpts from Beyond The Stained Glass Ceiling: Equipping and Encouraging Female Pastors”

All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet
none of them received all that God had promised. For God had
something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection
without us. (Hebrews 11:39-40, NLT)

This week, Shepastor highlights excerpts from Beyond The Stained Glass Ceiling: Equipping and Encouraging Female Pastors. Today’s focus is upon Chapter 5, “What Will We Find There?” This chapter discusses the decisions we must make as women in ministry to continue to blaze trails and pry open doors for others – doors that may not have opened for us…

In the words of the late Dr. Elton Trueblood, every generation has
the bittersweet task of “planting shade trees under which we
know full well we shall never sit.” To plant them with joy or resentment
is a choice. Pride, pain, regret, and bitterness at times prevent
persons with a wealth of wisdom and experience from helping
those who are coming after.

I remember a stinging experience I had as a seminary student. I was given an assignment to contact a prominent female pastor to speak with her about her church’s outreach ministry. To my surprise, she agreed to speak with me, but with great hostility she yelled over the phone,

‘I started this church when nobody wanted to have anything
to do with me! They didn’t believe in women
preachers. Why do they want to know how I do what
I do? Where were all of you when I was working hard
in the community and doing outreach to the poor?

Where were you when I started a food pantry and a
clothes closet?’

After going on and on for a few more minutes she abruptly
hung up. Clearly the pains of rejection had not healed. Even the
high level of success she had achieved did not assuage the
wounds she endured as a woman rejected and denied, having to
start a church because no church would give her a chance
despite her qualifications.

If individuals are honest, it can be hurtful to realize and accept
that some ceilings will not be broken during their lifetime. Women
in ministry are still blazing trails, as it were. Women can, however,
take the proverbial mallet in their hands, determine to join together,
and beat upon the glass ceiling to make a million cracks. They
must decide that the hardships they have endured will not embitter
them but instead will embolden them to help bring about a
change. Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston declared,

“Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to ‘jump at de
sun.’ We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off
the ground.”

They must decide that the hardships they have
endured will not embitter them but instead will
embolden them to help bring about a change. (Smith: Beyond The Stained Glass Ceiling…pp. 87-87)

The words of singer/song writer Ruben Studdard are powerful and drive our point for today home…

Take the trials that you been through and all the times life made you blue, search down deep within yourself, make it medicine for someone else someone else…

Share the joys you wish you’d known, hold on to the tears that you share, bottle them with care as though for yourself, make it medicine for someone else someone else…

You gotta go on and it's hard I know sometimes the way you see it go, wish for you not to take it personal cause it's not about yourself, yes it's hard to face when you suffer for someone else…

Share the battles good and bad the hardest trials you've ever had, take out the trophies - take them off the shelf, make it medicine for someone else someone else…

From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/medicine-for-somone-else-lyrics-ruben-studdard.html
Dear woman God, will you “take the trophies off the shelf and make it medicine for someone else?”

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

To order your copy of Beyond the Stained Glass Ceiling: Equipping and Encouraging Female Pastors, visit www.judsonpress.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris

Shepastor: "The Experiences of Female Pastors"

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58, KJV

Yesterday, during the C.D. Hubert Lecture Series (sponsored by the Interdenominational Theological Center, Baptist School of Theology, Atlanta, GA)at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, I was blessed to participate on a panel with three other female pastors. Our initial topic for discussion was "Women in the Community, the Academy and the Church." However, as we began to introduce ourselves and say a little bit about our experience as female pastors, several painful realities emerged:

- Many female pastors wrestle with loneliness due to the lack of support from their spouses, limited numbers of female colleagues and congregational insensitivity.

- Women frequently oppress other women for a myriad of reasons

- We are still looking for ways to confront and change these unfortunate truths

Despite all of these painful realities, God is still opening doors for women.

One of our panelist Rev. Billie Cox, is the newly elected pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Conyers, GA - a historic African American Baptist Church.

Another panelist, the Rev. Dr. Valerie Tate Everett, serves as the University Chaplain/Director of Religious Life, Clark-Atlanta, GA. There she holds services througout the week and on Sunday mornings, reaching a crowd of students of over 500 weekly!

Another panelist, Rev. Anita Green, serves as a chaplain, ministering to individuals, families and scores of others in need of support during times of tragedy and life transitions.

Each of these women shared stories of triumph in the midst of struggle.
Certainly, "we have come over a way that with tears has been watered!"

I praise God for the opportunity to have met these powerful women who have persevered, stood through the storm and are coming out blazing trails and opening doors for other female clergy!"

This coming Friday (February 15th), Judson Press will release, Beyond the Stained Glass Ceiling: Equipping and Encouraging Female Pastors www.judsonpress.com . I was privileged to share themes from this my first book, during the panel.

Women of God, let us remain faithful to the call of God. Although the struggle can feel daunting, through Christ, we shall prevail.

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Today begins the Lenten Season. As we prepare for the celebration of Easter morning, may we pursue ways to help lead individuals to walk in the power of the resurrected Lord.

Until Next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris