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February 2018
So Will I
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believed he had been waiting
for someone to ask. He was
waiting for someone to care
enough to take a minute out of
their busy routine to ask about
what he was listening to in his
van.
This is a very relevant topic
relating to our world right now.
Spirituality is a topic under
great investigation by many
right now. Atheists, Christians,
Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus
and many others have had
their greatest apologists on the
forefront, debating the topic
of spiritu ality for many years
now. Recently, it seems there is
more attention on this subject.
The search for meaning is
apparently on the rise. That’s
where the major religions of
the world came from. Studies
have found that people who
have a purpose in life are
generally happier. Life is not
about searching for happiness.
Victor Frankl once said, “It is
the very pursuit of happiness
that thwarts happiness.”
Recently, I also found
myself face to face with my
own battle against doubt. I
was raised in a Baptist church,
and I have always heard about
God, Jesus, and the Holy
Spirit. Still, I needed to know
that my faith was my own and
not just that of my family’s. I
wanted the truth. I needed to
know that my foundation was
solid. What did I do? I started
to panic. Seriously. I began
to panic because when you
have built your life entirely
on a foundation and then that
foundation starts to shake, it
is a little terrifying. I began
researching, and I looked into
other religions. One day, when
I was searching, I stumbled
upon a free docu-series which
was premiering that same
day. It was entitled, Christ
Revealed. It consisted of 9
episodes of knowledgeable
people discussing the evidence
for the resurrection of Christ
and why they believe in Jesus.
I would recommend it to
anyone sorting through doubts.
However, as I searched, I
did come across one article
that grabbed my attention.
A woman decided to write
about why she is an atheist.
She said the reason she chose
atheism is because of the way
that Christians live their lives.
She never saw the “love” that
Christians claimed to be living
their life by. She said they
were hypocrites. Doesn’t it say
somewhere in the Bible that
Christians should be known for
their love? Something doesn’t
add up here. Jesus said, “By
this everyone will know that
you are my disciples if you
love one another.” Why are
Christians known for being
hateful? My heart broke when
I realized that we weren’t
known for our love. Maybe
we should stop caring about
being right all the time. Maybe
we should be more interested
in truly knowing and loving
people. Maybe we start first
with the relationship, and then
“religion” follows.
Somewhere along the way,
we got it all wrong. Which
is entirely understandable
because we are humans we
do get things wrong. We got
it wrong when we decided
that getting a person saved
is more important than
your relationship with that
person. Jesus didn’t come and
immediately try to evangelize
his twelve disciples. He did
life with them. He traveled
with them. He sat down at the
table to eat a meal with them.
We got it wrong when we
decided that it wasn’t about
people anymore. When we
decided that we had a task to
complete and we forgot that
Jesus is about meaningful
relationships.
Whatever you believe, I
want you to know that I care
more about who you are. I
want to know your name and
your story. I want to know
what made you who you are
today. I want to sincerely
apologize for the way that we
have lived our lives in a way
that showed the world that
we were anything but loving.
I want to apologize to anyone
who has been painfully hurt
by us, whether that is physical
or emotional. I’m sorry that it
happened and I want you to
know that you did not deserve
it. Please forgive us for being
imperfect. Please hear that
our hearts are for people, not
religion. I want to apologize for
anyone who made following
Jesus, look dull. Following
Jesus should be fun. Following
Jesus should be an adventure
and it should be risky. If you
study the personality of Jesus
in the Bible, you will find that
he wasn’t boring. He shook
things up. I believe that being
a ‘Christian’ is about being a
follower of Jesus. I do want
to follow Jesus’ example of
‘giving my life’ to love others.
In John 15:12 & 13, “My
command is this: Love each
other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than
this: to lay down one’s life for
one’s friends.” I have learned
that Jesus came to remove
religion. He came to show that
it’s not about rules, it’s about a
relationship.
I recently heard a song at
the end of my search, and it is
called, So Will I, by Hillsong
United. I will leave you all
with these lines that touched
a tender place in my heart.
Anyone is welcome to come
and talk with me over some
coffee about what I have
learned. Find me. My heart is
always open.
‘If the stars were made to
worship so will I
If the mountains bow in
reverence so will I
If the oceans roar Your
greatness so will I
For if everything exists to
lift You high so will I
If the wind goes where You
send it so will I
If the rocks cry out in silence
so will I
If the sum of all our praises
still falls shy
Then we’ll sing again a
hundred billion times’
‘If You gladly chose
surrender so will I
I can see Your heart
Eight billion different ways
Every precious one
A child You died to save
If You gave Your life to love
them so will I…’
Lauren Roberts
Editor
THOUGHTS OF A BABY BOOMER
T
here have been so
many words that
have changed their
meanings since I was young
that it is almost impossible to
know what they mean now.
One word, for instance, is
culture. Culture is one that
is used so much now and in
reality its a word that is used
as a hidden excuse for not
wanting to face the truth.
Last week in the grocery
store I ran into a person
that I had met during my
chamber days in Rockdale.
We exchanged pleasantries,
and he told me he was
moving to Walton County.
I was surprised, as I knew
he had a beautiful home and
he had been involved in the
community. He had seemed
content. He looked a little
sheepish and told me he was
moving because the culture
was changing in Rockdale
County and it was time for
him to move his family to
a place that had a different
culture. I knew what he meant
when he used that word. I
would have much preferred
that instead of using the
This is a pure shame
because, in my nine years of
living in this area, I believe
that the community has gotten
stronger because of our so-
called cultural changes. Our
community has become more
well-rounded because of the
many folks who have moved
here. They move here because
they want a stable community
with good education for their
children. They want to raise
their families in a place with
relative peace and security.
They came because they did
not like what had become of
counties like Dekalb who are
now controlled by power-
hungry politicians who have
become fat cats and could care
less about what has happened
to their communities or their
citizens.
Unfortunately,
because of our size, we are
also controlled by the same
state and federal politicians.
I don’t think what has
happened to Dekalb is going
to happen in Rockdale. Many
of the folks who have moved
here in recent years have
become our most cherished
citizens and community
leaders. They have a buy-in
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Every Stranger has a Story
10/12/17 12:12 PM
Continued from page 1...
PAT CAVANAUGH CHIEF ADVISOR
word culture, he would have
told me that he was moving
because he didn’t like the
color of someone’s skin. In
his eyes, culture meant fear
and that a good community
was going to be ruined by
people who were not the same
as he. Unfortunately, this
person is not the exception to
the rule here. There are many
long-time residents of our
community who are leaving
and who have left because of
there perception of our new
“culture” in Rockdale County.
discover what’s around the corner
to the community, and they
prove it by their everyday
involvement.
We did recently have a
County Chair who was in the
mold of a Dekalb politician,
but the voters of the county
rose up and voted him out
of office. Our new chair is
working together with all city
and county leaders to ensure
that our community stays
the community that we have
chosen to support and raise
our families in. We have a
charming little city that is
run by folks of all “cultures”
that tries its best to insure
our entire community stays
progressive and robust. I hope
we can take back the word
culture, and we can use it
again to honor our heritage,
may it be Irish or British or
African and that when we
address people, we don’t use
code words instead we choose
to be upfront and honest about
our true feelings.
So in this Valentine season
of love, I want to say that I
love our community. I chose
to retire here with my wife
Molly, and we are proud of
our own culture. We are proud
of the many friends we have
met who are white, brown,
and black and we recognize
that when putting those colors
together, we have created a
fantastic real-life community.
One that opens its arms to
all who want to come and
participate to ensure it stays
that way.
T. Pat Cavanaugh
...have to go inside a church to encounter
GodHave to go inside a church to encounter
God. There are people that need a touch
from God but don’t want to go to a church.
Kelly said, “There are so many things that
divide us as a culture (religion, race, sexual
orientation, politics), but we believe God
wants us to be united by the Law of Love,
inclusion, and grace.” Kelly also said,
“We’re most passionate about creating a
space where all are welcome; space where
we can express our love for God musically,
and provide an environment where people
can explore God, receive God, and share
God with people from different paths.”
Bread and Wine were appropriately named
after the communion tradition that Jesus
modeled for us at the Last Supper. Ben
said they try to center everything they do
around the concept of the communion.
The community is sitting around the table,
breaking bread together and drinking wine
(or grape juice). He also said he feels that
this tradition exemplifies the values of God
that Jesus held as reverent. Every person,
Baptist, Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist…
whoever you are, you are welcome to the
table. Ben said, “There is nothing but our
resistance that removes us from the table.”
Everyone has something different to bring
to the table. Ben says that at the table, we
learn how to disagree without rejecting
when to speak up, when to be silent, when
to give and when you should just receive.
The table, meaning community, is messy
but its a process worth persevering through.
The Smith’s wrote a song called, “Every
Table is an Alter.” At every table, when
we come together and share a meal, break
some bread and drink some wine. I asked
the Smith’s about their inspiration for this
song. Ben said it was birthed from a
desire to see God in the everyday. Ben
alluded to a story in Luke 24 when Jesus
had resurrected. The strangers on the road
were walking, and Jesus, himself walked
up beside them. They invited Jesus into
their house, even thought they had not yet
recognized him and it wasn’t until they
broke bread together that “their eyes were
opened and their hearts began to burn.”
Breaking bread woke up the hearts of men
to the person of Jesus. Ben said, “When
we begin to see every table as an altar
and every stranger as an opportunity to
encounter God, this changes how we exist
in the day to day.”
Would anyone besides myself like to
meet this couple, Ben and Kelly Smith?
They will be coming to Conyers for a
gathering to talk about creating. The event
is called Created, and it will be hosted at
The Father’s House Conyers on Saturday,
February 10th at 1 pm until 5:30 pm. There
will be four sessions, and then everyone
will break for dinner and then come ba ck
at 7 pm for music from Bread and Wine.
When I asked Kelly and Ben about why
they create, they said, “It’s our unique and
colorful expression of what God is doing
inside of us.” They believe that something
happens when you release something you
have tirelessly worked on for a long time, to
an audience. Hearts are reached when you
create and then share your creation. Don’t
miss out on the Created Gathering. Thank
you, Ben and Kelly Smith for sharing your
time, your hearts and most importantly,
your story, with all of us.
Lauren Roberts
Editor