It Starts With You!

Since 1964, Federal law in the United States established and implemented the protected class status. This status was a tangible result from the many years of death and civil turmoil. The initial protections targeted Race, color and religion. Since 1964, the law was expanded several more times. Notably, in 2010, the law extended anti-discrimination for gender identity. These protections indicate that discrimination of these classes are unlawful. Today, gender identity and protections dominate the airwaves resulting from legal jostling to establish a place of rest for those whose identity differs from their birth assignment. Of course, the word "rest" refers to room assignment, ladies or gentlemen. Much to the astonishment of those who oppose this progressive change, the law favors the protection, thus discrimination of a protected class is unlawful. We too can reap the harvest of being a member of a protected class.

To my wonderful family of Believers, Surprise! Perhaps, it is not necessarily a best kept secret, but there are indeed other venues a side from politics that should arrest our attention, when striving to be salt & light of the earth (Matt. 5:13-16). An evangelistic tool used to discern "open door opportunities", is quite simple to detect. Hence, It is imperative to take notice when an occasion to cast a W I D E net in front of the gateway of the soul (eyes) (Matt 6:22), rest assured, the potential to" influence" the masses exist. Conversely, the 2016 Superbowl game, has been rated the 2nd (or 3rd depending on the source), highest number of viewers, based on historical data! Certainly, this type of venue must bring an evangelistic beep on a believer’s soul winning radar! If not, let us explore reasons to rethink the use of that radar, with the exploration of organizations or groups that think differently.

First, let's look at the hard data.

Names are  a signature, from the inception. Your name, precedes you, follows you, identifies you...from births beginning...to its end. During life paths, some seek to change the birth name given. There are some religious sects that require a name change, in order to identify more with its teachings. Still again, there are some that change their name, at great cost, in order to start life anew or even to hide in the great web of society. I write this weeks blog, simply out of frustration, (I admit this right upfront). This morning started off well, until an expression of sadness overcame me with the news of the passing of Denise Matthews. A few days ago, when learning of her passing, I too was saddened, despite the fact that we never met. Denise came into our lives as a model, singer and most notably as an actress. We knew her by a one name "NOUN", defined as its expressive attention to one’s appearance.

Recently 12.5 Million viewers were tuned into the Republican GOP primary card debate. For most accounts, this viewership was significantly low in comparison to the previous debate broadcasts. While there is no debate as to "why" viewership was lower; one could make the case, that many engaged folks indeed may have become weary of the debate shenanigans and decidedly made other choices. Whatever the reason, in my mind, 12.5 million is nothing to sneeze at! If the heavens rejoice over one soul, imagine if it were 12.5 million! You may find it strange however, that a GOP debate can lend itself to evangelism strategies...however, I've learned the contrary.1) As an Authorized Ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20), never go missing in action! Opportunities to share the ‘Good News”, especially when INVITED, should not only be humbling, but also valued. Any audience of any size that has inclined their ear to hear, is worth the time and effort.