“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

This famous sentence is the first of the "Seven Last Words" of Jesus spoken from the cross. It offers a profound look at what true grace looks like in the real world. The most important thing to notice here is Jesus’s immediate reaction. Even while experiencing extreme physical and emotional trauma, his first instinct was intercession, not accusation. He wasn't looking for someone to blame; he was looking for someone to help.

By praying for the people executing him, Jesus identified the root cause of their actions as ignorance. He didn't just see them as oppressors or bullies; he saw them as "spiritually blind" individuals who were acting out of a deep lack of understanding. Essentially, he used his final breaths to bridge the gap between justice and mercy, asking for grace for the very people as they were actively killing him. His forgiveness toward His tormentors gives us great comfort in how Jesus approaches our offenses. He leads with forgiveness. He leads with compassion. He leads with the understanding that we lack. Our. sin. causes. pain. and yet He willing absorbs the pain upon Himself and grants forgiveness to us.

For us, the challenge is to practice what we can call "Proactive Forgiveness" in our daily lives. Think about how we usually handle being wronged. Many people wait for an apology before we even consider letting go of a grudge. We want the other person to "know exactly what they did," feel the full weight of the guilt, and come to us to make it right. We treat forgiveness like a transaction: "I’ll give you peace once you give me an apology."

But following Jesus’s example means choosing to release bitterness even when the other person hasn't asked for a second chance—and even if they don’t realize they’ve hurt you at all.

When you find yourself in a conflict, try to shift your focus. Instead of obsessing over how much they harmed you, try to look at the brokenness or ignorance that caused them to act that way.

Maybe that person who was rude to you is dealing with a hidden pain at home. Maybe they were never taught how to handle their own stress. When we see people as "broken" rather than "evil," it doesn’t excuse what they did, but it changes how much power they have over our hearts. It’s a way of saying, "I’m not going to let your confusion dictate my peace of mind."

Think of someone who has wronged you recently. It might be a small thing—a sarcastic comment or being left out of a plan—or something much bigger. Instead of dwelling on the "debt" they owe you, offer a brief prayer for their well-being and clarity.

Choosing to let go isn't about letting them "off the hook." It’s about unhooking yourself from the resentment. It breaks the power that anger has over you and allows you to move forward, regardless of what the other person does next.

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

There is something deeply powerful about the words of Jesus in His final moments. As He hangs on the cross, beaten, bleeding, struggling to breathe, He speaks a promise that echoes through eternity. He says, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Not tomorrow. Not someday. Today.

And what makes this moment even more astonishing is who He is speaking to. He says this to a criminal. A man who had lived his life far from God. A man who had nothing left to offer… no good works, no time to fix his past, no chance to prove himself. All he had… was a moment of faith.

In his final breath, he turns to Jesus and says, “Remember me.” And that was enough.
And Jesus responds not with hesitation, not with conditions, but with certainty: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” This is the beauty of grace. The thief didn’t earn salvation. He couldn’t. He didn’t deserve it. None of us does. And yet, in a single moment of genuine repentance and faith, everything changed.

That’s what grace does. It meets us in our worst moments and gives us what we could never achieve on our own. And notice the word Jesus uses: today. There is no delay. No waiting room. No second process. For those who trust in Him, death is not the end; it’s a doorway. An immediate entrance into the presence of Christ.

Paradise is not just a place. Paradise or Heaven is about being with JESUS.

Which means this promise is not just about the future, it’s about assurance in our present. It’s about knowing that when this life ends, we are not lost… we are received. And if that’s true, then it changes how we live right now.

So, how can we apply this? If eternity is real… If being with Jesus is our ultimate destination…Then every day matters.

Don’t wait until the last moment like the thief, though even then, grace is available. Live now, preparing your hearts, aligning your lives, and walking with the One we will one day see face to face. Don’t delay anymore. Turn to Jesus today. Trust Him. Walk with Him.

Because the same Jesus who spoke that promise on the cross… still keeps it today.

And for those who belong to Him, the end is not the end. It’s the beginning of paradise.

“Woman, here is your son, here is your mother.” John 19:26

While suffering and securing eternal life for all who will believe, Jesus also cares about the practical and spiritual needs on this side of eternity. He provides others in our lives to support us spiritually and practically, especially when we are most vulnerable, and maybe our natural family cannot. As we reflect on the cross, the suffering and the love - Also remember how Jesus put others in your life through the years for you practically and spiritually.

I know this to be true. In my own life, God put others in my life to meet those needs.
When my family's life was abruptly changed by tragedy, just like Mary’s was…

As an infant and the youngest of 4, my mother died. This began a downward spiral for my father. By the age of 6, he was unable to care for us and be the parent my siblings and I needed.

Our grandparents stepped in and raised us to adulthood, meeting our physical needs.

On this journey, God put others in my life to meet my spiritual needs.  

A friend and her family invited me to Vacation Bible School at her church, then Sunday School and Youth group.  They used events and fun activities to bring me to Jesus.

Eventually, I had a whole church of spiritual family to love me and guide me.  Sometimes this included meeting physical needs as well.
 
This is where my relationship with Jesus began.  

Did they even understand the gravity of Jesus entrusting them with my spiritual needs?

Do we understand the gravity of those God entrusts to us to meet their spiritual needs and sometimes physical needs?  

May we step up and be the strong spiritual family God has called us to be.

Are our eyes open to see those around us as Jesus does, even when we are suffering?

Remember your spiritual family every day in your prayer life and even in your day-to-day.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46

In this moment on the cross, Jesus steps into one of the deepest human experiences & emotions- feeling abandoned. —--Forgotten—When He says— “Why have you forsaken me?” “Why have you left me?” This is deep. suffering. Emotional, spiritual, and physical anguish all at once.

In this moment, there on the cross…

He knows what it feels like to be alone. He knows what it feels like to cry out and not hear an answer, in this moment. He knows what it feels like to carry overwhelming weight, in this moment. Jesus chose to enter into that pain for us. For you, and for me.

The kind of pain that at some point in our lives, we’ve probably felt- the feeling that God is distant, silent, or far away.

And, even in His anguish, He reaches toward God— “My God, My God…”

Jesus is not distant from our struggles and everything we are facing today.  He is not removed from our suffering. He isn’t unaware. He doesn’t stand far off, leaving us on our own. He stepped fully into the brokenness of this world,  into the darkest moment imaginable,  on that cross, so that nothing we experience would ever be outside of His understanding.

There is no depth of pain Jesus cannot relate to.

Because Jesus understands our pain, we can come to Him with our pain. We don’t have to hide it, or try to carry it alone. So often, when we’re hurting, our instinct is to pull back, to shut down,  to pretend we’re fine, or to believe “no one would understand anyway.”

Maybe YOU are sitting here today, and YOU feel alone—He understands. Maybe you feel like no one else could possibly get it—He understands. When you feel forgotten or unseen- He understands.

And because He understands, He invites you to come to Him. He invites us to bring our honest prayers, our real emotions, They don’t have to be perfect and polished. You don’t have to have the right words— even Jesus cried out, “Why?”

I encourage you to come to him with your questions, your doubts, and your grief.
Not only does Jesus understand your pain—He meets you in it.

“The same Jesus who cried out in pain then, walks with you in yours today.”

“I thirst.” John 19:28

With just two words, this verse is an acknowledgement of Jesus’ physical suffering during this very difficult moment. It is to fulfill prophecy that He was human and can fully relate to our own physical suffering. Even through all that pain on the cross, He stayed because he was thinking about you and me. Through Him we would have eternal life and never thirst.

Physical suffering is very personal to me right now because pregnancy is causing me some physical pain. Yet this pain will bring forth life and a person created in the image of God.

We have to remember that sometimes our physical suffering isn’t from the Lord, but a result of us not following Him or the consequences of another person’s actions. To know the difference, we need to continue to train our ears to listen to the Lord.

Where do you see your pain bringing life? Maybe staying late to give your friend a ride even when you want to go home? Worshipping God by singing, raising your hands or clapping even when you don’t feel good? Possibly serving your family when it seems really hard? What does it look like in your life?

“Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.” Luke 23:46

These final words come just before Jesus breathes his last breath. It’s now the ninth hour, the sky has grown dark, and the end of Jesus’s earthly life is imminent.

Scripture records that Jesus said this sentence in a loud voice. Even in the weakness his body is surely experiencing, His words are clear and confident. These words are meant to be heard by those present at his crucifixion and meant to be recorded by Luke to be heard for all time.

Jesus is quoting Psalm 31:5, written by David, a lament from a faithful servant seeking help from God amid enemies who seek to do harm. This psalm was recited nightly by Jews as their day came to an end. And now is recited by Jesus as His earthly life is coming to an end. How fitting that these words, which serve as a comfort to Jesus as he faces death, also serve as a comfort for us in this life.

He chooses his final words to declare his surrender and his trust.

Our daughter Chloe loved small things. Polly Pockets, Littlest Pet Shop, in today’s era, she’d have a room full of Lego mini-figs. But she also loved to make little things. She’d take paper and fold it or draw on it, and create little friends, each with a distinct name and a voice. In her five-year-old mind, these were real. I took it for granted then, but I see now the trust she had in me when she’d place her little paper friend in the palm of my hand. It was only a scrap of construction paper with a face drawn with a marker, but now this little “life” was no longer hers; it was mine. She yielded it to my hands.

Hands are fascinating. They are capable of so many things. They are industrious and get things done. The move about a keyboard makes thoughts tangible. They can make a fist to crush what is inside them or to deliver a blow. And yet, hands comfort, guard, protect and hold. When we put anything in someone’s hand, we’ve surrendered it to them, trusting what their hands will do.

It was human hands that swung the hammer and struck the nails.

It was Jesus’ hands that were opened and pierced for us.

It is the Father’s hands that received him, and receive us into everlasting life.

The comfort in these final words is because of the trustworthiness of the hands that life is surrendered to.

Father, we commit our Spirit into your hands.

There is a mystery and a miracle to LIFE. Any parent understands this.

If you have been in a delivery room and witnessed a newborn baby gasp, as they INHALE & draw their first breath…you hear that first cry, your heart bursts with tears of joy. You know this to be true.

There is a mystery and a miracle to life. But there is also the very real tragedy and trauma of death.

And anyone who has had the solemn, sacred honor to be at the side of a loved one…to be with them at the very moment the light leaves their eyes. Your heart breaks as they exhale their final breath… even when you can’t hold back tears, you still know this to be true.

I have been there… at that very moment with people that I loved dearly, and I tell you: It is jarring. It is unforgettable. Whether we see it coming or not, death is traumatizing for those who witness it. But it is also sacred. And it is holy.

Church leaders gathered in the 2nd century AD to answer the question: what is it that we should fundamentally believe about Jesus?

They penned this:

I believe in God, the Father,
the Almighty, maker of heaven and maker of earth
And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord
He was conceived by the Holy
Born to the Virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
He was crucified dead,
and was buried

For the Son of God…this is what we honor tonight. The mystery and the miracle that life himself could surrender His Life, and that somehow - through the power of His love for us - God the Father would allow the light to depart from the eyes of the Light of the World.
God in the flesh died that night. He died so we might live..

The final statement of Christ on the cross comes from the gospel of John 19:30, declaring the completion of his redemptive work.

Jesus said, “It is finished”

There's something profoundly humbling about realizing you're part of a story much bigger than yourself. When we stop to consider the ripple effects of our collective faith, it becomes clear that what happens in our local gathering places extends far beyond our walls, touching lives in ways we may never fully comprehend.

The Gratitude of Community

The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians about giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints. This isn't just theological language, it's an invitation to recognize the extraordinary privilege of belonging to a spiritual family.

Think about it: we live in a world where you can join countless organizations, clubs, and groups. But there's only one community where God himself does the qualifying. He's the one who prepares us, strengthens us, and makes us fit for participation in something eternal. We don't earn our way in through performance or achievement. Instead, we receive an inheritance, a gift from a generous God who paid the price for our inclusion.

This inheritance isn't just about what we receive individually. It's about what we receive in one another. The text challenges us not only to be grateful for what we get to do and be part of, but to be grateful for what we have in each other. Even more convicting: we should relate to one another in such a way that others are grateful they know us.

The Question We Should Ask

We often enter spiritual spaces asking, "Who knows me? Who sees me? Who is here for me?" These are legitimate questions. We all need to be known and seen. But here's the challenge: while you're asking those questions, someone else is looking at you wondering the same thing.

What if we flipped the script? What if instead of only seeking to be known, we intentionally made ourselves the kind of people others are thankful to know? This interconnected, interrelated dynamic is what makes a spiritual community truly transformative.

More Than Average Devotion

Here's a sobering statistic: the average churchgoer in America attends 1.6 Sundays per month. Let that sink in. The average person of faith, who identifies as a churchgoer, shows up less than twice a month.

No one has ever consciously thought, "God is so awesome, so amazing, so mind-blowingly majestic that I'm going to be absolutely average for him." Yet somehow, that's where many land.

What would happen if we simply decided to be better than average? What if we committed to one more Sunday per month? Not as a burdensome obligation, but as a response to the awesomeness of God—the one who redeemed us, who creates and continues to make new, who sustains us through every challenge?

The God who is the head of the church deserves more than our leftovers. He deserves our intentionality.

Jesus: The Main Character

Colossians 1:18 declares that Jesus "is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent."

Jesus is the main character of the church. Always has been. Always will be.

Throughout history, faithful people have made heroic sacrifices for the sake of the gospel and the community of believers. Some have sold dream homes to invest in kingdom work. Others have loaded up trucks and trailers to serve disaster victims they'd never met. People have traveled to unreached cities, supported church plants in distant lands, and given sacrificially so others could hear the good news.

These acts are beautiful and worthy of honor. But they all point back to one truth: Jesus alone is the head of the church.

Where God's Head Is

Here's a theological truth that has practical implications: God is everywhere. Omnipresent. Always accessible. Yet there's a difference between God being everywhere and us meeting with him somewhere.

You can sit on a mountaintop and theoretically encounter God. But if you want to truly experience his presence, hear from him, speak to him face-to-face, receive an upgrade, find encouragement or comfort, you need to be where his head is. And his head is firmly attached to his body, the church.

Your heart might be in multiple places. You might care deeply about people in different cities or countries. But if someone wants to have a real conversation with you, they need to be where your head is, where you're physically present. The same principle applies to encountering God in the fullness of community.

Firstborn of Creation and New Creation

Jesus is described as both the firstborn of creation and the firstborn from the dead. This dual identity is significant. He's the firstborn over all creation, and he's also the firstborn over new creation. He's the first to walk out of the grave, paving a way for the rest of us to get somewhere we could never reach on our own.

You drove to wherever you are today on roads someone else paved. Had they not, you'd have no idea where you'd end up. That's how many people navigate life, with zero idea of their ultimate destination. But Jesus has paved a well-worn highway out of death and destruction.

He creates, and he recreates. He's the source of your starting and your restarting. He's the source of your second chance and every subsequent chance after that. He makes all things, and he makes all things new.

Standing on Promises

There's something powerful about physical reminders of spiritual realities. Throughout scripture, God's people built altars, stacked stones, and created memorials to remember what God had done.

When we write down our testimonies, prayers, promises, and meaningful scriptures, we're creating markers of faith. These aren't just sentimental gestures, they're declarations that Jesus is preeminent in everything. They're reminders that we stand on the promises of God, the testimonies of the saints, and the scriptures that have sustained us through challenging times.

Every time we gather, we're literally and figuratively standing on what God has done and what he's promised to do. We're surrounded by his faithfulness at all times.

Your Stone to Add

So what's your testimony? What has God done in your life? What are you grateful for? What are you believing him for, even if it hasn't come to pass yet? What promise has he given you? What scripture has become meaningful to your journey?

These aren't just private matters. They're part of the collective inheritance we share as the body of Christ. Your story matters. Your faith matters. Your testimony might be exactly what someone else needs to hear to keep going.

Being part of something greater means contributing to something greater. It means recognizing that the main character isn't you or me, it's Jesus. And when he's truly preeminent in everything, that's when we see lives changed, cities impacted, and the world transformed.

That's worth showing up for. That's worth being better than average for. That's worth standing on.

In a world that often blurs the lines between right and wrong, how can we live with genuine purity? It's easy to fall into the trap of comparison, thinking "At least I'm not as bad as that person." But what if we're called to something far greater?

The concept of purity goes beyond simply avoiding certain behaviors. It's about aligning our hearts, minds, and actions with God's standard of holiness. This journey begins by adjusting our lenses – how we view ourselves, others, and most importantly, God.

Let's consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:27-30:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."

At first glance, these words might seem harsh or extreme. But Jesus isn't advocating for literal self-mutilation. He's emphasizing the seriousness of sin and the importance of dealing with it at its root – in our hearts.

The issue isn't simply about avoiding adultery in the physical sense. It's about recognizing that impurity begins in our thoughts and intentions. When we look at another person with "lustful intent," we're no longer seeing them as a fellow human being created in God's image. Instead, we're reducing them to an object of our desires.

This mindset is a consequence of the Fall described in Genesis 3. Instead of men and women ruling over creation together as God intended, sin introduced a dynamic of domination and objectification. Every time we entertain lustful thoughts, we're participating in this broken paradigm.

But why does this matter so much? Because the things we think about and focus on shape who we become. Our thoughts influence our actions, which in turn form our character. When we consistently engage in impure thoughts or consume explicit content, it rewires our brains. Studies have shown that this can lead to symptoms similar to drug addiction, including social isolation, mood disorders, and damaged relationships.

So how do we fight against these tendencies and live with true purity? Jesus uses strong language to emphasize the urgency of this battle. He says it would be better to lose an eye or a hand than to allow sin to consume our whole being. While this isn't meant to be taken literally, it underscores the need for drastic action in dealing with sin.

However, simply trying harder through sheer willpower often isn't enough. We need something more powerful – a transformative encounter with true beauty.

King David understood this. In Psalm 27:4, he writes:

"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."

David's deepest desire was to gaze upon God's beauty. This isn't about physical appearance – the New Testament never describes Jesus' looks. Instead, it's about being captivated by God's character, His holiness, His love, and His perfection.

When we truly gaze upon God's beauty, it changes us from the inside out. We become what we worship. If we're constantly fixated on worldly desires or comparing ourselves to others, that's what will shape our character. But if we intentionally focus our attention on God's goodness and glory, we'll gradually be transformed into His likeness.

This transformation doesn't happen overnight. It requires consistent effort to redirect our gaze. It means spending time in God's presence through prayer, worship, and meditation on His Word. It involves pondering the life of Jesus – His perfect example, His sacrificial death, and His triumphant resurrection.

Living with purity isn't about being better than the worst person we can think of. It's about being set apart for God – holy, as He is holy. This calling goes far beyond simply avoiding certain behaviors. It's an invitation to experience the fullness of life as God intended, free from the chains of comparison and the emptiness of fleeting pleasures.

Imagine a world where people treated each other with genuine respect and dignity, seeing the image of God in every person they encountered. This vision becomes possible when we allow God to transform our hearts and minds by focusing on His beauty.

As we pursue purity, we must remember that it's not about perfection through our own efforts. It's about surrendering to God's transforming power and allowing His beauty to captivate us more than anything else. When temptation comes – whether through a song, a movie, a book, or a person – we have the choice to redirect our gaze to the One who will never let us down.

In those moments of struggle, we can declare:

"You're never gonna let, You're never gonna let me down
You're never gonna let, You're never gonna let me down
'Cause You are good, You're good."

This isn't just positive thinking; it's a profound truth that can anchor our souls. When we truly believe in God's goodness and faithfulness, it becomes easier to resist temporary pleasures that ultimately leave us empty.

Living with purity is a daily choice to set our hearts on things above. It's about becoming so enamored with God's beauty that everything else pales in comparison. As we do this, we become salt and light in a world desperately in need of hope and transformation.

May we have the courage to tear out whatever causes us to sin, not through self-mutilation, but by allowing God to perform deep heart surgery. May we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, gazing upon His beauty until we reflect it to the world around us.

In our journey through life, it's easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others. We often find comfort in the thought, "At least I'm not like that person." But is this perspective truly aligned with what God desires for us? Let's dive deeper into this concept and explore how it relates to our spiritual growth and relationship with God.

The Pharisees' Righteousness: A Low Bar

Imagine a group of people who followed every religious law to the letter. They tithed even the smallest herbs from their gardens, ensuring they gave exactly one-tenth. These were the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus' time - the gold standard of righteousness. Yet, Jesus challenges us to exceed even their level of righteousness if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven.

At first glance, this seems impossible. How can we be more righteous than those who follow every rule perfectly? The key lies in understanding that Jesus isn't calling us to a more burdensome life, but to a transformed one. He's inviting us to move beyond external actions and into a heart-level change that can only come through His power.

The Pharisees' righteousness was impressive when compared to others, but fell short when measured against God's true standard of holiness. Jesus is calling us to stop comparing ourselves to others and instead fix our eyes on Him.

From Self-Generated to God-Empowered Righteousness

The apostle Paul, once a Pharisee himself, discovered a different kind of righteousness - one found only in Christ. This righteousness doesn't originate from our efforts but from God's holiness, granted to us and empowering us from within.

Picture riding a bicycle up a steep hill, pedaling with all your might. Now imagine switching to an electric bike that propels you effortlessly. That's the difference between self-generated righteousness and the empowerment that comes from God. It's not about straining harder, but about tapping into a supernatural power source.

The Heart of the Matter: Anger and Contempt

Jesus doesn't stop at challenging our understanding of righteousness. He dives deep into the heart issues that often go unchecked when we're focused on outward behavior. Take the commandment "You shall not murder." It's easy to feel good about ourselves if we haven't committed such an extreme act. But Jesus pushes further, addressing the anger and contempt that can fester in our hearts.

He warns that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, who insults them or calls them a fool, is in danger of judgment. This isn't about occasional frustration, but about a heart that is easily provoked to anger and holds others in contempt.

In today's world, we see this play out in social media debates and polarized discussions. How quickly do we label those who disagree with us as "idiots" or "terrible people"? Jesus is showing us that these attitudes are just as serious in God's eyes as the act of murder itself.

The Root of the Problem: Our Hearts

The real issue isn't what others do to provoke us, but our propensity to be provoked. When we justify our anger based on others' actions, it can grow unchecked. We feel entitled to our rage and hold onto it, believing our peace depends on others changing or situations improving.

But Jesus offers a different kind of peace - one that's rooted in His death, burial, and resurrection, not in our circumstances. This peace is available to us regardless of what's happening around us. It's a peace that allows us to love even our enemies, something incompatible with harboring anger and contempt.

Breaking Free from Anger's Prison

Jesus isn't pointing out these heart issues to burden us further. He's offering clarity and freedom. He took on the anger and contempt of those who crucified Him so that we don't have to be entangled in those emotions.

So what can we do? Jesus gives practical advice:

1. Deal with issues immediately. If you remember someone has something against you, leave your gift at the altar and go reconcile first.
2. Release the anger. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, let go of the garbage weighing you down.
3. Repent if it's a continual heart issue.
4. Step away from things that provoke you. It's okay to turn off devices and step back from inflammatory content.
5. Seek Jesus' power and strength.
6. Practice forgiveness, saying "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing."

The One Who Wins

When we allow anger to provoke us, the real winner is the accuser - Satan himself. He's the one stirring up strife and keeping us imprisoned in our negative emotions. But Jesus paid for us to be free, not just from the act of murder, but from the anger and unsettledness that precedes it.

Living in True Freedom

The invitation Jesus extends is not to a more burdensome life, but to one of true freedom. It's an invitation to live in a totally different way than those around us - to live at peace, not by comparing ourselves to others, but by fixing our eyes on Him.

This peace isn't something we can generate through sheer willpower. It's a supernatural gift, available to us through Jesus' life as our example, His death as our substitution, and His resurrection as our power source.

As we reflect on these truths, let's challenge ourselves to move beyond the "at least I'm not" mentality. Instead of finding comfort in being "not as bad" as others, let's pursue the holiness and peace that can only come from a transformed heart, empowered by the Spirit of God.

In doing so, we'll discover a life that's not just about avoiding the worst, but about embracing the best that God has for us - a life of true righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

One Monday, I got a message from my cousin Hillary. She asked about our online Bible study group that I started last year during the pandemic. I was happy she wanted to get involved, even though we were miles apart. The technology we have today has helped us to make disciples regardless of geographical limitations.

However, as disciples of Jesus we need a local community of individuals that can help us put our faith into practice. We need people around us, who pray with us, who help us and walk by our side in life. So I asked my cousin if there was a Christian church near her home for her to attend. She told me no. For many this would not be a problem, but when you are a single mother of a two-year-old child and you do not have your own vehicle to get around in Santo Domingo, the situation is more complicated. Just like Hillary there are other people, who would like to be part of a local church and do not have the means to do so.

In 2018, a newspaper published an article stating that in the Dominican Republic there are more than 18,000 evangelical churches.  Someone could argue that 18,000 churches is enough, right? I don't think so, because none of those churches are close enough to my cousin's house. In addition, the article mentions that only 30% of the Dominican population is evangelical Christians. Do you think we need to plant more churches? Let me give you two more reasons.

1. Strategic field

When Katie and I served as campus missionaries at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, we encountered students, who did not have access to a healthy local church. Some were backsliding in their faith until they met us. There were others, who became new Christians but were not established in a Christian community yet.

Our church building was far from the university campus. We invited some students to visit but it wasn’t sustainable. So, we wondered if the solution was being closer to the campus and that is when we felt called to plant a new church near the university. The problem was that we had no idea or experience of how to do it. We only had a vision to reach, train and send the present and future leaders of our country. To achieve that we needed to connect these young people to a vibrant, multigenerational spiritual family.

Still wondering why to plant a church with a vision to reach college students? Because every student is a doorway to a family. When we reach a student, we reach a family. Also, the Lord sends workers to work his field and gives each worker a special grace. Some have been called to work in a city and others have been called to work in a village. The apostle Paul is a good example of that. The Lord Jesus Christ called Paul to preach to the Gentiles. Paul wrote in his letter to Galatians 2:9:

“…and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.”

Paul did his ministry in a strategic way, preaching in the main cities of his time: Rome, Athens, Thessalonica, Galatia, Ephesus, Corinth, Colosse, etc. Today, many consider that six of the seven churches that are mentioned in the Book of Revelation were planted by the church of Ephesus, which was the first church to be born out of seven and was started by the apostle Paul. So, Paul, under the direction of God, strategically planted a church in the city considered the main communication route of the time, since three of the great routes passed through Ephesus.

Most Christians decide to follow Jesus before the age of 25, while in college or earlier. I also know young people who were Christians before they went to college and then were led astray. Many preachers and pastors started doing ministry as students. What if the future missionaries to reach the Caribbean and Central America are waiting for us in the universities? Without a doubt, this is a strategic and potential field.

For that reason, we talked to our leaders and were then sent to the Every Nation Assessment Center for Church Planters. Our goal was to discern if this was the right time to plant a church in the Dominican Republic. After a week, we received a recommendation that we needed more training before we go.

That’s how we got here, to HighPoint Church in Orlando. Thank God for bringing us to the right place!

2. Making disciples produces churches

Although planting a church near universities is a good strategy, the Lord Jesus did not ask his apostles to go all over the world and plant churches. Jesus sent the apostles to preach the gospel and make disciples. This is the main reason why we want to plant another church, because God called me to preach his gospel and make disciples.

The natural outflow of making disciples of Christ is the formation of his church. Every time we preach the gospel and make disciples of Christ, the Lord uses those disciples to build his local church, and sometimes to form new churches. Isn't that wonderful?

3. Iglesia HighPoint Locally

Here in Orlando there are many churches too, thank God. But the Latino population in this area is growing. Some of my neighbors face difficult challenges, some feel they are isolated, and others have a desire to find the support of a Christian community but do not speak English. That's why we need more Hispanic congregations, because sometimes there are some barriers that intimidate Latin American people, such as language and culture.

One of my friends at HighPoint told me how he came to our church. His daughter was part of ELEVATE, our youth group. He wanted to know the kind of people his daughter was hanging with. Also, our church held an event to help our friends in Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Maria. My friend is Puerto Rican and in this event there was Puerto Rican food and the church was 5 minutes from his house. Everything made sense, so he came and stayed. The food helped but the preaching of God’s word and the environment in our church, was appealing to him. Today my friend is part of the team, which is starting our Hispanic congregation, Iglesia HighPoint.

That is why we need more churches, because local churches are an instrument God uses to change people's lives. Many wish to find a local church nearby with a healthy community of believers.  But in the end the main reason is the same: because Christ has sent us to make disciples.

Pastor Mario Jiménez

A month or so ago, I wrote about the effects that the pandemic has been having on our mental health.  To get the most out of this post, you should read that blog here first.  In that blog, I told you that I would be giving you some ways to handle the challenges I presented.  So, here we are.  But first a quick recap.

One of the big mental health challenges of life in a pandemic is that our coping mechanisms get overwhelmed by our normal responses to this extremely abnormal situation.  Which means that emotionally healthy people are having difficulty, because the situation has been so extreme that our normal healthy response to it has actually contributed to our lack of well being.  The situation is similar to ankle sprain.  For a healthy person, generally they do not have inflammation in their ankle.  But when a healthy person rolls their ankle, their healthy body sends lots of inflammation to the ankle.  That is a normal response to the abnormality of a sprain.  But eventually, the presence of the normal inflammation causes more problems than the sprain.  This is what has happened to many healthy people’s emotions, as they have responded to the emotional injury inflicted by the pandemic.

But much of mental and emotional health can be changed by understanding that our emotions are a response to our thoughts and our actions.  So I can intentionally engage in behaviors and thoughts that help heal my emotions.  Specifically for handling disappointment, uncertainty, and isolation, try the following:

Disappointment leads to heartache and pain.  Acute pain, or pain in the moment, feels like it will never end.  When life is disappointing, it is difficult to see how it will ever improve.  When life hurts, it is difficult to see how it will ever end.  When we don’t see an end to pain or disappointment, hopelessness and despair are real dangers.  Counter this by “stretching your thinking” to a time out beyond when this unusual event (pandemic) is long over.  What will life look like 5 years from now?  Focus on moving toward that preferred future rather than simply moving through or out of your current pain.  Literally every human and societal difficulty in the past…has passed!  And, as challenging and painful as the current situation is, it too shall pass.  Stretch your thinking out past the pain of the moment, and you will see that there is indeed hope in the days to come.

To handle the effects of stress and anxiety, brought on by the uncertainty of the future that the pandemic has caused, try to “shrink your thinking”.  Do not pull tomorrow into today.  Look only at the next important issue in front of you rather that all the potential “what ifs” in the unclear future.  Understand that some stress is good, but too much stress is overwhelming.  Dealing with the most immediately pressing issue only, produces a good kind of stress called “eustress”.  That allows us to focus and increases our performance as a deadline approaches.  But there are two other forms of stress, called “distress” and “disfunction”, which occur when we try to simultaneously handle too many life events as urgent.  So, while the pandemic has brought a potentially overwhelming number of uncertainties to our future, “shorten your thinking” to consider only the most immediate challenge in front of you.  And you will have the clarity brought on by eustress and not the overwhelming sense that comes from distress.

Social distancing has led to emotional distancing.  And one of the challenges of mask wearing is that much of nonverbal communication is visually hidden.  To the extent that you are comfortable, try to have a few face to face conversations with people you love.  Your brain will code emotions of joy as you see a smile in response to your presence.

Engage in 3 types of activities that the pandemic disrupted and that your emotional health craves.  To the extent that you are able, engage in activities that are physical.  Physical activity has been shown in countless studies to improve mental and emotional health through the release of endorphins.  The pandemic closed gyms, playgrounds, athletic leagues and more.  Be intentional about doing something physical.  Also, do purposeful activities.  You and I are made in the image of God.  From the very first introduction of God into the creation story, we see Him bringing order to chaos.  The essence of our work in the Earth, whether production, maintenance, helping, or organizing, is essentially to bring some measure of order to some measure of chaos.  We fulfill part of our image of God by bringing order to chaos.  Work has been disrupted throughout the pandemic, so we need to be more intentional in bringing order outside of our work.  Organize that junk drawer that has been waiting years for your attention.  Put a few things on your calendar or to-do list, no matter how seemingly insignificant.  Then accomplish the list and check it off.  Your soul will acknowledge itself expressing the image of God in you, and your emotional life will benefit.  Finally, be Biblical in your activity.  Don’t engage in activities that will have long term negative effects.  For instance, we have seen an increase in addiction during the pandemic.  Avoid drinking to excess.  Avoid too much online activity.  Increase your prayer life and your worship activities.  If you have wanted to develop a more robust devotional life, then the slower pace of a global pandemic should provide just the proper environment to do so.  

Hopefully, some of these solutions have helped address some of the issues I described in my last post.  If you found these thoughts helpful, so might someone you care about.  Feel free to share these links.

In my next post, I will share a couple additional thoughts to help you as you have normal responses to abnormal life circumstances, so that you can thrive in all settings.

Keith Tower
Senior Pastor

As I sit down to write this blog, I am coming off a weekend where I conducted a 2 hour mental health seminar for several churches in Canada, followed by a mental health seminar for 1,600 college students.  And while Florida has been mostly open for awhile, I am reminded again that the COVID-19 pandemic is taking a costly toll on people’s mental and emotional health.  Allow me a moment to share a few thoughts from those seminars that may be of help to you, or someone you love, as you work to handle mental health in a pandemic.

Under more usual conditions, mental and emotional health can be seen as having an abnormal response to normal life conditions that overwhelm one’s ability to cope. 

Under a pandemic, we are seeing normal responses to extremely abnormal life conditions that overwhelm one’s ability to cope. 

In other words, this situation is so extraordinary that the normal, healthy responses that we have to these conditions are actually overwhelming our ability to cope.  There is not something wrong with us.  There is something wrong with the situation.  And our normal, proper response to these exceptional times, is causing us distress.  Because the situation is not normal.  So, if this pandemic is difficult for you, that actually makes you normal.

There are 3 abnormal challenges this pandemic is causing, due to our normal responses to the abnormal conditions:

1.Isolation-  Genesis 2:18 says, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for man to be alone’.”  We are not created to be alone.  And God said that it is not good to be alone.  Which means that the normal response to being alone, is for us to not be doing good.  The isolation many of us feel during the pandemic is not good for our souls.  So our normal response to the abnormal situation of isolation is to be “not good”.  It is not sinful to be struggling with isolation.  It’s not a sign of a lack of faith.  Struggling with isolation is simply a reality for humanity.  Which is why a church family, a life group, a band of brothers, or a few good friends is so important to even the most introverted among us.  We need one another.  We need one another live and in person.  We need relationships.  It is not good for us to be alone.  The normal response to the abnormal condition of forced isolation is to be “not good”.

2.Disappointment-  Proverbs 13:12 says “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”.  2020 was a year of deferred hope.  So many things we looked forward to were cancelled or delayed.  Students missed graduations, families cancelled vacations, couple delayed weddings.  Whether large disappointments or small disappointments, every person was left with the feeling of death by a thousand cuts.  And when hope gets deferred, or disappointment is constant, the heart gets sick.  It is a normal human response for our heart to get sick when disappointment is constant and repeated.  Because constant and repeated disappointment is an abnormal condition.  This is especially true when the cause of the disappointments is beyond our control.  There was nothing any of us could do when life started to shut down.  The problem was bigger than us and we had no say in what was happening.  We were helpless as our children’s disappointments began to accumulate.  Everyone lost something…many times over.  And this deferred hope makes our hearts sick.  So you are not being small, or petty, or ungrateful, or weak, if the disappointment caused you heartache.  Your response, to this abnormal time, was likely normal.  But it still hurts.

3.Uncertainty-  In Matthew 6:34, Jesus said “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”.  Prior to COVID, many of us had a sense of what the future may hold.  Even if we did not know the details of the future, we at least had a sense of optimism or progress.  The pandemic created a sense of uncertainty about the future.  Job prospects disappeared, industries struggled, we worried about our safety.  Things we took for granted about tomorrow suddenly caused us stress and uncertainty today.  And Jesus said that when we bring the concerns of the future into the present, we will be troubled.  Worrying about the future causes us to be troubled today.  That is the normal, healthy response to having an abnormal level of uncertainty about the future.  

When we consider these 3 challenges the pandemic has created, and when we consider the normal response that God said we would have to these challenges, we see that it makes sense that our mental and emotional health are struggling at the moment.  All of the challenges, and our normal responses to them, can overwhelm our usual coping systems.  In fact, if you are struggling at the moment that makes you normal, because this situation is NOT NORMAL.

In the next blog post, I’ll address what we can do to cope with the challenges of the pandemic.

One of my favorite things about HighPoint Church is our heart of service. The intrinsic desire to jump in and help one another is woven into the fabric of who we are. I believe this is the case, in part, due to the way the desire to serve was woven into the fabric of who Keith and I are.

Who knew that packing boxes could be a generational experience.

One of our family’s favorite Christmas traditions is joining with our HighPoint Church community and packing boxes of food for those in need in our area. Our daughters were 5 and 6 years old when we began this tradition, and we’ve done it together for almost 15 years. Looking back, I was about that same age when my mom brought me to Our Lady of Charity to pack boxes for homeless teens that were in the care of these nuns. Serving with my parents was part of the fabric of my family then, and it’s in the fabric of my family now. Even with our kids grown and living in other cities, on their own they have jumped in to serve even without our direction. I see how serving together makes serving a part of who you are.

It no longer is a placeholder on your calendar but a core value.

Hebrews 10:24 tells us, “Let us spur each other on toward love and good deeds”. This is what my mom did when she brought me along with her. She could have left me at home with a sitter, she could have brought me but let me color or draw (no devices back then!) in the corner. Instead she had me engage in serving even if it was very basic at first. Her approach was “of course we’re going to do this together” and that’s now the case into a third generation. She spurred me on, and we all can do that same.

Each time we serve, we have the opportunity to not only do a good deed, but we also have the opportunity to weave the thread of service into another person. To the parents reading this blog, don’t wait to engage your kids in serving. From simple deeds towards family members, to joining with your church community, begin to weave that thread. It brings me joy, and I imagine even more so to our Heavenly Father, to see HighPoint first graders picking up trash at Blue Jay Way. And I know it will be those kids who in a few years, will be the ones to serve with our teen crew at Summer Quest (VBS). And years after that, I know I’ll see pics of them helping others on their Instagram feeds. The thread was woven, they were spurred on.

This verse isn’t limited to families, each of us can spur someone else on. When you answer the call to serve, bring someone with you. Invite them to deliver boxes with you when we serve with Bread of Life. Load up your car with your family, or call a friend to ride with you - even if you wear a mask while together in the car.  If you join the Connections Team on Sunday, ask a friend to sign up with you and serve alongside each other. Should you answer the call to travel on a local or global mission trip, why not ask someone else to see if God might also be calling them to go?

Being a part of both a natural and spiritual family that loves to serve, in some ways comes naturally because Jesus came to serve. 
But the love to serve is also woven in the earlier, and more often, that we serve together. Continue to watch the ways in which HP serves and together let’s spur each other on toward love and good deeds.

Jennifer Tower

To start 2021, I spent a couple of hours with the mayor and commissioners of our city, recording messages of thanks and congratulations to the police officers of our city.  Two weeks later, we hosted the Chiefs and command staff of our police department, again recording thanks and congratulations for the department’s officers.  This was all part of our annual Night of Excellence Celebration, giving due honor to the brave men and women of the Ocoee Police Department.  We recognized Officers of the Year, Promotions, Commendations, and various other awards.  And we are doing so, because it is right to give honor to those who are honorable.

When writing to the Roman church, the Apostle Paul said that we are to “Give everyone what you owe him…if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Rom 13:7).  

Respect means that we should recognize the dignity of everyone, simply because each person is a handcrafted masterpiece made by God.  Every man, woman, and child should be treated with respect, not because they always conduct themselves in ways worthy of respect, but because God has made them as the pinnacle of His creation and we show Him respect by respecting what He values.  Honor goes beyond granting dignity to granting esteem, and it is based on the person conducting themselves in a manner of true and lasting value.  The values that draws honor from us should include lasting moral qualities such as honesty, integrity, courage, and service.  When we see honorable action, honorable conduct, and honorable character, we should be quick to grant honor in a public manner.

  It is why we have built an ethnically, generationally, and socioeconomically diverse church.  It is also why we are regularly active in building our community and supporting those who may have felt marginalized.  We’ve cleaned alleyways, given books to refugee children, fed the hungry, and moved in to help others after disasters as wide ranging as hurricanes and mass shootings.  We do so without asking for anything in return or without seeking a “values test” with those we serve.  We help and love because we respect the dignity of people made in God’s image.

A church should also serve its community’s heroes, leaders, and public servants with excellence and, where due, appropriate honor.  We have been able to regularly support our community’s leaders in ways both tangible and intangible.  We provide both assistance and accountability.  And when these leaders conduct our community’s business honorably, we honor them.  God has given our church a very privileged position and voice with our community’s leaders, and that comes with a corresponding stewardship to give honor to the honorable.  

The men and women who make up our local police force and who lead that force are truly some of the most highly trained and highly decorated officers in our region.  And they consistently show an exceptional level of professionalism and service in the face of unparalleled societal challenges.  And so, we are excited to again host the Night of Excellence Celebration.  We will serve and honor these honorable officers, and in so doing we will serve and honor our great God.

We are to respect everyone.  And we are to honor the honorable.  What are some ways you are consistently showing respect to people?  How can you show honor to the honorable in the new year?

Pastor Keith Tower
Senior Pastor 

Many of us came into 2020 with ideas of 20/20 vision and there is something about “decade years” that makes them seem more important, but March of 2020 changed the life of virtually every human on the planet. This is a unique moment in history that seems to happen every 100 years or so.

Growing up in Florida, I’ve lived through many hurricanes. Powerful hurricanes are devastating for sure, but their impact is limited to a specific region or area. The COVID-19 virus did something that none of us who are alive have ever seen before. Nearly all of the 7+ Billion humans that are on earth found ourselves in the same boat. It is fascinating to think that an invisible force brought the entire planet to a halt. 

Retrospectively, 2020 really did bring about 20/20 vision for us as people. Many businesses were impacted, some for good, some for bad. Many marriages were pushed to the brink. Lots of kids were forced to do school in front of a screen and we will be dealing with the mental and emotional impact of this event for years to come. Churches and non-profits were pushed to the edge. In all honesty, we are still living in a lot of that tension as we look forward to turning the page on 2020. But here is what 2020 has done for us. 

If our lives have floundered as a result of this year, there are probably some areas where we might have realized that we have built our proverbial houses on the sand. If we have thrived personally, it has revealed that we have built our houses on the rock.

This gives us the opportunity to course correct and make some things right. Clearly, certain things in the business world were deeply impacted, no matter how rock solid your business was. When people can’t eat out, for example, your restaurant is going to end up in the red. But, I’m speaking more of what all of these events have produced in our souls.

Few people are going to look back at 2020 with fondness in their hearts, and that is understandable.

Why you ask? Clarity. Whether personally, in a family setting, or organizationally, clarity is a true gift. It reminds us of what is actually important. It gives us the gift of reorienting our priorities and reframing our problems. Scripture is pretty clear about how we should live our lives… we should do it all with rejoicing and with thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) regardless of whether the circumstances we find ourselves in are good or bad.

Many people have lost their lives as a result of this pandemic. This is profoundly saddening and our deepest sympathy and compassion is with you if you have lost a loved one on any level. We stand with you, we love you and we are always here as a spiritual family to pray for you and serve you. Yet even if the worst of this pandemic has touched your family, it still gives us the opportunity to experience the grace and peace of God in a fresh way. It gives us the ability to lean on Him, to ask Him for His help and to beg Him to come and meet us in our despair. This deeper fellowship of knowing God is so magnificent and so soul satisfying.  His presence in our lives is one of the greatest gifts we will ever receive.

Ask Him to give you grace for the upcoming year so that no matter what 2021 holds for us, we will move forward, building our lives on the Rock. Ask Him to empower us with the lessons we have learned in 2020, to move with us, and to shape our souls more into the image of Christ. We can have hope as followers of Jesus, not because of the fact that we have a blind hope that 2021 will be “better” or our circumstances won’t be as bad, but because the God in us is greater and more powerful than any unseen virus or any seen mountain.

Ross Middleton
Associate Pastor
HighPoint Church Orlando

Scripture tells us that in 2 Corinthians 5:18 that “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (NIV). And while we may understand the call and the stewardship to be agents of reconciliation in the earth, many of us struggle to find practical, meaningful, and significant ways to fulfill this essential ministry of reconciliation.

Allow me to invite you, your church, your small group, and your family to participate in a truly historic reconciliatory moment. While the City of Orlando is known as “The City Beautiful” and nearby Ocoee is known as “The Center of Good Living”, life has not always been beautiful and the living has not always been good for many of her residents. On November 2-3, 1920, Ocoee was the site of what has been called the worst election day massacre in American history. You can read more details of the Ocoee Massacre here and here. Essentially what happened is that black residents of Ocoee were turned away at the polls as they attempted to exercise their constitutional right to vote in the 1920 presidential election. A second attempt was made and resisted, this time with tempers flaring. Once the black residents were denied a second time, the white residents who had blocked their way called in white supremacists and members of the KKK from surrounding Orange County cities of Apopka and Orlando. The events in Ocoee were now becoming events of Orange County. By the end of the evening, violence against black Ocoee residents broke out, and as many as 53 black residents were murdered, most were forced to flee their homes into the surrounding swamps, and black owned homes, churches, and businesses were burned to the ground. The next morning, November 3, the white mob numbering as high as 100 people, forced the remaining black residents out of southern Ocoee, and from 1920 until 1982 - a period of 62 years! - the once racially diverse Ocoee did not have one black resident. And while black residents have slowly returned to Ocoee since 1982, the city did not acknowledge the events until only 2 years ago…98 years too late.

This brings us to the historic cultural moment before us and to a significant moment for the church to take her place as ambassadors of reconciliation. In a few short weeks, we will find ourselves having a presidential election on the 100th anniversary, to the day, of the Ocoee Election Day Massacre. And the City of Ocoee and her churches will commemorate these horrific events (find brochure here) by formally addressing them publicly for the first time. And future generations of Floridians will know our story and how to live reconciled to one another, as on June 23, 2020 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into legislation House Bill 1213 (2020) which directs that the events of the Ocoee Election Massacre (and likely these events of the 100th commemoration) will be required instruction in Florida public schools. Join us as we take our city through a four day journey where we will “Tell the Story” on Day 1, “Honor their Memory” on Day 2, “Heal the Wound” on Day 3, and offer “Hope for the Future” on Day 4. This somber yet hope-filled journey of reconciliation will follow the schedule below. Please consider adding your faith, adding your voice, and adding your presence as we:

“Tell  the Ocoee Story”, November 1, 2020, 2 - 4pm - This will be an educational symposium in which local historians will tell the entire unvarnished story of the events of the Ocoee Election Day Massacre. It is said that unless a people understands its history, it is doomed to repeat it. If we are to make certain that our neighbors are never again treated so horrifically, we need to understand how it happened in the first place.

“Honor the Memory”, November 4, 2020, 6 - 7:40pm - This evening has been given to the church, by the city. We anticipate a change in the spiritual environment of Central Florida, if not all of Florida, as we gather together. This evening will include a time of prayer and acknowledgement. We will read aloud the names of each of the 249 residents who were forced out of their homes in Ocoee. We will conduct a candlelight walk around an historically significant route as local church bells toll 100 times…mourning the 100 years that the church and the city did not publicly address these horrors. We will then gather outside to sing Amazing Grace, while lighting a candle to honor each of the 53 people whose murder has been kept in the dark for too long.

“Heal the Wound”, November 6, 2020, 7 - 8:30pm - The Alliance for Truth and Justice will conduct an inter faith service focused on healing.

“Hope for the Future”, November 8, 2020, 4 - 6:30pm - This culminating event will help chart the course for a redemptive and united future in our community. Pastor Brett Fuller (read his bio here), pastor of Grace Covenant Church in Chantilly, VA (website here) and chaplain of the NFL’s Washington Football Team, will be the keynote speaker. Tamara Monk will sing an original song from Every Nation Music, called “Let Justice Roll”.

The City of Ocoee will formally issue an apology for the events of the Ocoee Election Massacre. And a state historical marker of commemoration will be dedicated and put in place. You and your church are invited to all or any of the events above. If you are unable to attend all of the events, we are asking the church to specifically rally to the events on November 4 and November 8.

You and I, as followers of Christ, have an opportunity to exercise our God-given ministry of reconciliation. If you have been looking for an opportunity to make a long lasting change of an historic nature in the area of racial reconciliation, this is our moment.

Please join us at The Lakeshore Center, https://ocoeelakeshorecenter.com for all events.
Thank you for caring well for our city.

*The event for 2021 will be held on November 7, 2021, 6pm-8:30pm at the Lakeshore Center. 

Keith Tower 
Pastor, HighPoint Church
Chaplain, Ocoee Police Department

Other links for further information:

HighPoint Church Website:
https://highpointorlando.com

Pastor Keith Tower’s Bio:
https://highpointorlando.com/leadership

The City of Ocoee and the 2020 Memorial Events:
https://www.ocoee.org/973/100-Year-Remembrance-Ceremony/adayofremembrance

Facebook Page of The City of Ocoee:
https://www.facebook.com/TheCityofOcoee

Articles:
https://medium.com/florida-history/ocoee-on-fire-the-1920-election-daymassacre-38adbda9666e
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocoee_massacre

Official Brochure:
https://www.ocoee.org/DocumentCenter/View/12778/100-Year-Remembrance---1920OcoeeElection-Day-Massacre-PDF

Pastor Brett Fuller’s Bio:
https://www.gracecov.org/chantilly/about/our-team/member-detail/948055/?group=senior-pastor

Grace Covenant Church Website:
https://www.gracecov.org