SOMETHING YOU CAN'T SEE

October 16, 1955, I changed the world. My mother releases me from a secure and safe womb of nurture; nine months where the hands that shaped the first man and woman from the black dust of earth, now intricately formed with Divine detail, a delicate bundle of His image. He breathes His breath into the blessed human incubator and ignites the heart to pump. Riding on this "God-wind" entering the fetus is the assignment for a life's mission that is intended to reflect His character. God seeing Himself in the new creation, accompanies the doctors hands as they guide the anointed babe for arrival into the arms of the awaiting small company. The place chosen for this presentation is Memphis Tennessee. A leader is born. What a climate!


The segregated south is struggling over its definition and practice of equal rights. The rumblings of a civil volcanic explosion are minutes apart. The world is summoned to be a witness to its most powerful nation ever, being exposed of an infrastructure that favors white supremacy at its worst, and passively accepts the reality of a second class citizenship, labeled and marked by the Creator's paint job, at its best. Up to this point the emancipation had only been proclaimed, getting blacks off obvious plantations, but failing to release many, black and white, from the plantation of hatred and fear. Staying and accepting your place seemed the best strategy to just make it to the next day. But the Volcano cannot hold the pressure of ignorance and injustice any longer. It erupts; sending the lava of civil rights justice down from it's angry top to cities and communities needing a foretaste of hell fire cleansing. The smoke of racially induced mental war ascends for all the world to see. This ain't no joke. People are choosing to die over this ultimate fight for freedom, teaching that proximity doesn't guarantee respect, one's view of himself as a child of God does. All men are created equal. All men don't buy that. Some men must die to prove it. There are remarkable accomplishments in the year 1955, as other parts of the country seem to just go on.

In January of that year, Marian Anderson is the first African American Singer to perform at the metropolitan opera in New York City. The same month provides the debut of the board game scrabble. February 1, Ray Kroc opens a McDonald's fast food restaurant-- the company's ninth since it was founded in 1940. He later takes it over and oversees its worldwide expansion. In April, Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and there is an Asian-African conference set. July proudly marks the opening of Disneyland Theme Park in Anaheim, California. And the news heard around the world on October 4, the Brooklyn Dodgers finally win the world series defeating the hated New York Yankees 2-0 in game 7. Meanwhile, back at the disturbing farm-- the south-- March 2, a fifteen year old girl, Claudette Colvin, refuses to give up her seat on a Montgomery Alabama bus to a white man after the driver demands it. She is carried off the bus backwards while being kicked, handcuffed and harassed on the way to the police station. A powerful announcement to teens today that you too can look at culture and the way things are in the face and refuse to give up your seat of dignity. In December, the more famous refusal, Rosa Parks, is arrested for not giving up her seat to a white person, and the national civil rights movement begins. Four days later the American Improvement Association is formed in Montgomery Alabama, by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and other black ministers to coordinate a black people's boycott of all city buses.

Other people the reader may know who joined me in this world to make an impact of change, not necessarily needing my counsel, although I make myself available to provide guidance should they need direction; after all, the world is not balanced if they leave me on the sidelines. Bruce Willis; Edwin Moses; Bill Gates; Maria Shriver; and Whoopie Goldberg to name a few will also turn 55 this year. The year we were born, the average wage in a year was $3,851 and the minimum wage was$1.00 an hour. The average cost of a new home? $10,950.00. The average monthly rent was $87.00. If you wanted to buy a new car in 1955 the average chariot took you for $1,900.00 and it was 23cents a gallon to fill it up! You see, Bill and I got together and jumped started this economy! One of the only things that seems to have remained the same is the black and white TV set that was and has returned to $99.95.

In my 55th year on earth I have become more reflective. I have much to be thankful for. My parents Sam and Claudine Paschal, who in June of this year turned 90 and 80 respectively. They still are an inspiration to me, and are responsible for all the good qualities people see in me. Unfortunately, this rebel and revolutionary son of theirs has caused many a moment of embarrassment along this 55 year journey. I love them. I can still go home to Compton California, and just be Anthony. The place is still peaceful and allows me to center and refocus. I'm thankful for Sylvia, now my ex - wife, but the years and days that were enjoyable like; hiking and biking and plays and dinners; Camping and laughing, movie watching, softball playing; provide pleasant and appreciative memories to the good days of our relationship. I'm thankful and applaud her for the excellent sacrifice and love she gave in raising the three most precious gifts God gave to this Compton rebel. Thanks Syl. My, (I guess) ex Father and Mother and brother in law Kennedy, I'm speechless because not once was there a horror moment of in-law tragedy or war. You should be bottled up and sold to the many basket cases of family feuds around the globe, to help bring civility to family..... My children: Anthony Jr.; Jennifer; Timothy. These humans God shaped to fix me as a Dad, counselor, a pretender of being a math teacher; a fellow student of late night... early morning... science projects... The laughter and sheer joy of watching you from fetus to adults. My heart skips and beats faster at your many accomplishments and the thought of you every day of my life. I love y'all to the max! Teiko and Kecia, God gave me the best daughter in laws!! watching you light up the eyes of my sons is a thrill in itself. Thank you for your love to them. Thanks Noel for doing a fantastic job with Isaiah. You've always treated me with respect. Isaiah; Kaori; and Zion. My three grandsons. You have caused my life to start over. I'm in another zone when I'm with you. Watching and hearing you laugh, I feel a sense of re-creation,  your presence is priceless.

It would appear my run in the employ of the Seventh Day Adventist Church is over. But oh what a run! God gave me a front row seat to power and glory and tons of miracles. There were moving anointings, seminars, crusades,baptisms,board meetings and business meetings. God did more to me through it all. I'm humble to think He allowed me this privilege to serve Him in this capacity. Thank you church of the living God.

Friends and best friend forever. You can't trade the connection. Though the storms kept raging to destroy me, You never left. You are irreplaceable. Thank you friends.

In my 55th year, some close to me may wonder how much darker can it get. Divorce, a resignation from my job, and a child serving time in prison. Now I'm unemployed, and the bills keep rolling in. Many have asked, "How are you making it?" There are days of pain, uncertainty, fear for sure. But God is doing something you can't see. While the sun has set on a certain part of my journey, and as some of you are going through moments where you can't see how you can go on, God awaits for you to come to Him. He waited for me. Like Nicodemus, you can go to God at night. No matter how dark it gets, God is still there waiting. John 3 reports that this Sanhedrin intellectual, found our Master still available while other counselors clocked out and are now unavailable. His family is sleep. His spouse is tired. His children are running with their friends. The dog and the cat aren't willing. Friends have retired. He cannot see an available ear to hear him out. He wants to know is he still useful; valuable. Something is not quite fulfilling. Look everyone, when you get to this point in your life, Jesus is still awake. While I recognize this post may be getting long, it gets better; we find that John let's us in on a portion of the dialog:

"How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re-enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this 'born-from-above-talk?'" Jesus said, "You're not listening, let me say it again, Unless a person submits to this original creation-- the 'wind hovering over the water', creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life-- it's not possible to enter God's kingdom.
When you look at a baby, it's just that: A body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch-- The Spirit -- and becomes a living spirit.
so don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above' -- out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next.
that's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, The Spirit of God." John 3:4-8

As with me my friends, when God wants to do a new thing in you and take you to a level where you've never been before, He offers three things: A new start; new growth; and new direction.

Born again is simply a new start. Stop now and submit to the original creation. Life may be confusing, and in a chaotic state for you. You may be contemplating suicide or even homicide. While in this night time of your life, delete your agenda, delete your plans and your direction. Delete even your suicidal thoughts. God is saying that the Spirit is hovering over your mess. Like the beginning. The earth is formless, void. That's when God works best. He shapes when we return to a formlessness. His Spirit hovers over me and you. We just have to submit and say SHAPE ME. This is the new birth. Now He's ready for new growth.

Jesus describes that when a baby is born, we only see the body. We look up one day, and the body has stretched! Teeth appear. Hair grows. The baby doesn't stay the same as he was at birth. He [Jesus] says it's another person inside forming and shaping something you can't see or touch. We take care of the teeth, but we didn't make them grow. We buy new clothes for a more stretched out body, but we didn't have anything to do with the stretching. Another person inside is responsible. When we allow God to re create us from our chaos, He then places His Spirit in us and we grow. He shapes us. This is why people notice change but can't put a finger or date or time on when it happened. There is no YouTube demonstrating how the growth took place. We can't instant replay it. There's no replay booth to slow it down and look at it from several angles to show an awaiting church or family where it took place. It is because the camera can't get inside of the changing you!! Even babies can't explain how they got teeth, or how they need a new pair of shoes. When a situation occurs where we once cursed up a storm and we now don't, we can't explain it. All we can say is we remember a day when we would have let it fly!! The Spirit is shaping us on the inside. Even our direction is different.

The invisible is moving the visible. We hear the wind only because it hits something to let us know it's doing something. We know its direction only when we see the leaning of the tree. We can't see the wind, nor where it came from or where it's going until we see the tree or the flow of our hair. The blowing of our loose clothes gives us an indication of the direction of the wind. "God-wind" is His leading in a direction He chooses. We simply ride and glide with God. When God is moving us in a new direction we are to let stubbornness go and ride the wind. It may be a new set of friends; a new ministry; a new church. He may lead you to write a book or a song. He places an idea in your head; you wind up in some mission field. You do something your family thinks is crazy and doesn't make sense, all you know is you can't stop going in this direction! It's not even the way you use to think or do. Maybe it's something you said you would never do, but it's new direction time.

I'm 55 years old now. By most standards, I'm suppose to be setting my sights on retiring. I'm suppose to put it in cruise control. But I've come to Jesus at night. I've experienced a new birth. Watch out something you can't see or touch is happening. THE WIND IS BLOWING.

GET OUT OF YOUR WAY

There is nothing more disconcerting and yet hilarious as tripping over yourself. It is perhaps more amusing to observe the calisthenics and creative dances done to prevent falling on your face. Books fly everywhere, shoes may fly off, arms wave estactically all in an effort to keep from going down in utter shame and humiliation. It transforms into true art when reviewed in slow motion, attempts to break a fall. Even looking back after you trip as if an invisible obstacle selected you to momentarily entertain the now focused audience all around you holding back laughter while offering to help you up from your special trip, provides a sound bite for the archives of comedy. Our own knowledge and self worth can be amusing to God. Our experience can be so trusted that it gets in our way of progressing to something better and we wind up tripping and falling on our faces. "This is me" and "I've never done it another way," or, "You just got here, you know nothing of the way things run here." Here's a news flash: Don't look now but tradition can kill success. Tradition can wipe out fresh ideas, and in the long run, can prevent a company or institution from advancing. By doing things the same old way, it demonstrates that we are more secure in our knowledge and  those "feel good moments" of historic success caused a sensation brought on by accolades that we keep playing over and over in our minds, than we are exploring, considering and doing anything different. In order to keep the stimulation of the drug of ego massaging going and looking for that original high, we fight those who would dare come up with something different and threaten our hallucinating experience of sameness.

It was my fourth year participating in the annual high school track meet held in Glendale, California. Various Academies would converge here to compete in track and field for ribbons and trophies. The highlight of the event was the four by four relay. The school that won this event three times in a row, kept what other wise was a rotating trophy, forever. I can still see this large and beautiful masterpiece of symbolic pride. This was the talk of our school to bring home a victorious memorial to our mastery of this event. But God at times will arrange a set of circumstances to measure your knowledge up against a new approach. Sometimes the only thing in the way of  victory is a stubborn traditional way of thinking. One of our fastest runners couldn't make it to the meet. We had to select a substitute. The choices seemed simple to me. There was a black student and there was a white young man anxious and confident to help us win the trophy. Now I'm ashamed to  tell you that my well informed but limited knowledge of fast runners did not include white people as naturally gifted in the area of speed. My teammates were trying to get me to see that this young man was fast. He was. But my experience at 17 years of age, informed me of the impossibility of that being true at least, in this instance, not fast enough to outrun the competition for a victory. Their specialty is cross country, ours is speed. So I chose the black student. (I'm sensing that you know where this is going). The gun sounded and the first man on our team got off to a good start. We had the lead, my knowledge was looking good so far. But then my choice of replacement was second. Let's just say, that by the time the third leg recipients were moving with the batons, our team was dead last. As anchor, I ran with all my might, but came in third. We lost the race and with it the symbol of pride.

I depended on my own information. I would not listen to new information. My limited and self absorbed information resulted in no progress for me or the team or the school. When you hold on to the way things used to be and not consider that new information or new ideas can move a church or community forward, you not only hold yourself back, but your team and the entire group. We have to get out of the way of ourselves and let the Holy Spirit bring in the new and improved knowledge and methods. Not all things new are appropriate or timely, but wise consideration of them allows the mind to be open for dependence on a power outside of ourselves. Too many church goers become comfortable with their drug of tradition. We often hear how many things we've accomplished; how many people we've gathered; how much money we have raised doing it a certain way, that when that way has run its course, we miss the next road that will lead us to an even better experience.We enjoy ourselves and our ways so much that it becomes euphoric and addicting to keep the traditional high going. Religious masturbation is when we are the only ones talking and stroking what we have, to the point we end up being the only ones satisfied and amused by what has taken place. No one else is affected.

Peter tried to lay his experience on Jesus one day and found out that he was about to miss out on a lucrative catch and the call of God on his life. Luke 5:4-11 :
"When He finished teaching, He said to Simon, 'Push out into the deep water and let your nets out for a catch.' Simon said, 'Master, we've been fishing hard all night and haven't caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I'll let out the nets.' It was no sooner said than done-- a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.
Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. ' Master, leave. I'm a sinner and can't handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.' When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him.... Jesus said to Simon, 'There is nothing to fear. From now on you'll be fishing for men and women.'
They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed Him."

The word of encouragement today is, when Jesus is telling you to launch out into deep waters, He's asking you to leave the comfort of your informed mind, and your experience taught wisdom, and trust that He is leading you to a greater assignment. One that will overwhelm your boat and ministry of mediocrity. He wants you to leave that regular, comfortable boat and nets, and follow Him to an unknown but far more powerful ministry. Ask God to show you where to lay down your nets. Trade in tradition for a journey with Jesus to catch humans. Know your creative thoughts that don't always fit the normal way of thinking, may be God himself saying don't rely on the accolades or regular practice of the group. Step out and trust Him. Take that job. Apply for that university. Get involved in that ministry over there, where others say from their experience it won't work. Leave your trusted tools of comfort and sameness. Follow Jesus and finally get out of your way.