The Immigrant in Montgomery, AL

The Southern Baptist Convention recently passed  a resolution to welcome those refugees who are already here in the USA. Many other denominations have done the same. As Christians, we are always to welcome those who come from other places but especially those who have been torn away from their homes, their jobs, etc. Here is a great article on why, biblically, we are to welcome the refugee.  Read and ponder as we think about that for our nation, our state and specifically, the Greater Montgomery area. This is not a political debate, it is a biblical mandate.

Pray this week as you look around you. There are immigrants in our city who may not have refugee status but came from places where they were abused, raped and threatened death.

 How will you respond as a follower of Christ? The Bible Is VERY clear about what we are to do.

When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. (Leviticus 19:33-34)

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/what-bible-says-about-how-treat-refugees

Choices

So, last week I was on vacation. Sorry I didn't get to post. We were on the go all day, each day. Glad to be back and praying with you for our great city!

So, we took the train up to and back from New York this time. It was a blast. We met all kinds of people and had fun. As we were returning from a fun filled week of seeing friends and having a blast, we were pulling out of the Anniston station, just an hour from Birmingham and we all of the sudden heard the breaks screech and the train stopped. Three cars back, we felt the jolt. A few seconds later, we heard an announcement that "due to an emergency situation, we will be delayed indefinitely and will return to service as soon as possible." Within minutes, an ambulance, fire tuck, paramedics and several police cars showed up. Word had gotten through the train. A man had been hit. After rumors and scuttlebutt and news reports, I found out that a man had decided that he wanted to cross the tracks even though the train was coming up pretty fast. He didn't make it. We saw the man being carried on the stretcher. We heard that he just had a broken leg. He died later that day of internal injuries. 

After we got back on the journey, we were all stunned. I wondered what that man was thinking. I was mad because he made a choice to do something risky that could ultimately lead to his death. And it did. Now, his family, his friends, those who knew him will be forever marked by his choices.

ORLANDO: A man made choices that devastated, not only his own family, but the families of many, many people.

I want us to pray this week for CHOICES. Our choices on how we love and live here in the Greater Montgomery area affects others. As Followers of Christ, we have to think about our choices and how we treat others. Will we make choices that are only about us? Will we think of others as we make choices? Will we stop and think about how we should handle certain situations biblically?

Here are some thoughts on how to pray as we live as Followers of Christ in the Greater Montgomery area.
1. Pray that we will saturate our hearts and minds with God's Word so that in everything we do, our compass is Christ.
2. Pray for the Lord to show us who and how to minister to those we meet each day.
3. Pray for a spirit of obedience and compassion in every follower of Christ in our Greater Montgomery area. 

John 15:13 "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends".