Dr. Charles W. Ferguson

So I haven’t been in the blogosphere in a good while. Most of that time has been spent trying to adjust to the current condition of life. The world has become a place of diminish hope and faith. The world has become colder. The world feels like a foreign place. I know as a believer that Heaven is my home, and I am a pilgrim passing through. However, this world has become a place I don’t recognize. 

I grew up believing that if I performed well in the classroom, have good character, and demonstrate my faith in God that my life would turn out well. I was given a bill of goods that stated that good yields good without challenge. The truth is that the seeds that you sow eventually reap a harvest. Yet, the harvest is not without challenge during the growing process. It is the process that teaches us about the metal of our faith and belief in God. 

As we enter into 2017, it becomes necessary for us to consider how we will navigate through the process of life. We must consider that 2017 will be the time where we must travel through the waters of race relations, political unrest, spiritual disorder, and moral chaos. This upcoming year will be the moment that will decide whether people are going to continue in the pattern of settling for the status quo, 0r deciding to take a stand for what is right. 

People are looking to the new year hoping that it will yield so much better than 2016. The truth is we must bring something to the table in order to see the new year become something meaningful. My question for all of you is this: what are you willing to do? What process are you willing to endure to see the full manifestation of God working in your life? What people are you willing to dismiss in order to arrive at your God appointed destination? Are you willing to learn from your specific process? 

Let me encourage as many people as possible to take the journey leading into the new year. If you are concerned about the political and social climate of our world, go through the process of learning your place in the liberation of the maligned and disenfranchised. If you are struggling with your relationship with God, go through the process of learning what Word says. Call on the Holy Spirit to give you insight into all things. If you feel hopeless, go through the process of finding the hopeful. Whatever you must do in 2017, take the chance to grow and go through the process. Don’t give up. You will be better on the other side…..

Many people know by now that my family and I have moved from Springfield, IL back to our hometown, Columbus, OH. Initially when we announced the move, people were shocked, angry, disappointed, and sad. I cannot express enough how I felt every single emotion directed toward my family, good and bad. Shifting in another direction is not the easiest part of life.

If I am honest, I realize that many people will never understand how someone can be called of God to be in a place or perform a task and it may only be for a season. Some people shared with me their hopes and beliefs that my family will be blessed in the midst of this transition and beyond. I am forever grateful for the encouragement of those who recognize that the Kingdom of God is much bigger than one location.

In some cases, people have revealed aspects of themselves that have not yet been touched by the Spirit of God. I can say without any hesitation that all people are constantly undergoing a procession of redemption and wholeness. Nevertheless, all who are believers have been called of God to demonstrate love, people, and grace. It is in my quiet moments that I have come to one safe resolution. People do not understand the workings of God.

One of the most innocent yet challenging saying of people in the church is the following: “that’s my pastor”. Innocent from the mouths of some people because the phrase indicates love and endearment toward the vessel that God is using to bless His people. Challenging from a different perspective because it implies ownership, dominion, and control.

When God-ordained transition happens in life, the opportunity is presented to see how much faith and Jesus people really possess. When change happens, the “real you” comes out. Suddenly, the church moves from the pristine nature of the bride of Christ to the jilted lover. That attitude causes the world to assume or believe that faith in Christ must not have great stability.

Listen, everything in life is seasonal. The only aspect of our existence that is not seasonal is the mandate and manifestation of the Kingdom of God. Just because people leave does not mean that Jesus is dead. Just because people are propelled into new assignments does not mean that the calling of God is placed on pause. Just because I am venturing into a new direction does not suggest that I quit in my previous assignment. We all need to see things through God’s eyes.

Consider this. Moses and Joshua were told to lead the people of Israel through troubled, rising waters. However, each account had distinct differences. When Moses led the people they were just coming out of captivity and were being chased by their captors. As Joshua led the people, he was told to enter into the waters with the Ark of Covenant until the Lord divided the waters. Both were water experiences, but each one had a different mandate.

God has never functioned or moved according to our whims or commands. God is not one you and I can manipulate into fulfilling our own will. We are the clay to be shape into the image and likeness of God. We need to repent of the hell that we put people through to make ourselves feel better and consider that maybe God has a plan and purpose that is bigger than us.

In 35 years of living as of this upcoming Friday, I have never gone wrong trusting in the plan of God. The difficulty is overcoming the “me” factor in order to experience the promise of God in the stage of complete fulfillment. If my previous relationship would have worked out like I hope at one time, I would not have the wife and son I do today. If I would have received the job at Wells Fargo in 2005, I might not have pursed ministry with the passion that I have today.

Think about it. Many of the decision you have made in life when guided by God have produced major results. Bullets missed you because you followed God. Toxic relationships ended because you trusted God. Increase happened in your life because of your yes to Jesus.

So when you experience transition of any kind remember these few things:

1. Everyone is seasonal.
2. Don’t waste time worrying about when the season will end.
3. Enjoy all aspects of the season.
4. Gain useful tools and help to aid your transition.
5. Appreciate the season for what it means to your life.
6. Bless the season you had because it will be a blessing to others.
7. Care for the seeds from your previous season. If cared for, they will produce a harvest.

When change happens, will we feel something about it? Of course, you will. You have feelings and emotions. Nevertheless, God is always up to something. You may not be able to trace it. You may not be able to feel it right now. You may doubt the purpose for the change. Just remember, God wants your attention. When He gets it, you will gain what is truly in store for you.

Stay way up blessed…..

 

I find it amazing how much has occurred in our world over the last few years. Our country is rediscovering overt racism. The desire for absolute power is corrupting the minds of those who driven by ego. Millions of people are proving that they are sheep gone astray. On top of those generalizations, many individuals have decided to incorporate religion with the god of politics.

Unfortunately, people have decided to bow down to so many false idols that they don’t realize how displeased God is with them. How is it possible that how country can trade basic love and decency for a few dollars and popularity? How is it Christlike to demean and reject people of all places and spaces? What Jesus did we read about that said love your neighbor only if they did not engage in our view of racial or cultural stereotypes?

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I am commanded not only to read and understand the Word of God but to live out the precepts as well. Therefore, I am commanded to love and be concerned for all humanity. I am also commanded to disrupt the status quo that world will become a better place for those who will come after.

The reality that I see before me are hundreds of people being killed in Chicago, unarmed people being target practice for rogue cops, millions of people suggesting that acquisition of guns should have boundaries, and millions more declaring their allegiance to the isms and schisms that continue to divided the nation.

Please excuse my next few lines, but I am no longer in the mood for people to attempt to whitewash, kum by ya away, or redefine the narrative to present an existence that is foreign and imaginary. AS much as I would love to sing we shall overcome, the truth is that overcoming requires the confrontation with the truth of this life. However, people are not ready to address it and deal with it in an honest setting.

Many people do not want to address that Black Lives Matter or that crime is the vehicle to eliminate entire communities. We don’t want to talk….excuse me, I misspoke. We have done way too much talking without developing strategies for change. I don’t want to hear about what a community needs when no one asks the community. I don’t want to hear about what the church needs to do from people who are unwilling to partner with Christ first then the community of believers.

Have we learn nothing from Jesus? The equation is still the same.

1. True connection with the nature, presence, and power of God
2. Walking out the precepts of God’s Word
3. Be willing to challenge the injustice that is opposed to God’s will

If we continue to live in the realm of apathy, this nation will be completely in hell. Yes, hell is very present now, but think about how much will be unleashed. We need to learn some lessons before we mess everything up.

Lesson 1: Have your own thoughts on a subject. That means actually take the time to look up everything and investigate all information. Don’t be led astray because you are too lazy to look for it.

Lesson 2: Stop waiting for others to step forward when something is wrong. Open your mouth (figuratively or literally) and address the wrong. Don’t stop there. Present a solution.

Lesson 3: Recognize that you are in this time of history for a reason. You are not a waste of space. You have gifts, talents, and skills that are important to the advancement of the Kingdom agenda and world change.

Lesson 4: Your actions are to give a stronger foundation for the next generation. Don’t start the next generation on grounds littered with lies. Don’t tell them what they can’t do. Don’t tell them that their heritage is full of people that lacked competence. Don’t tell them they can’t experience greatness. Tell them what God says about them.

A renewed perspective will generate a new appreciation for what humanity was meant to be in this world. Nobody is an object for target practice. Nobody is a pawn in some political game of chess. Everyone has value. It is time to regain it before it is too late.