Headed to Robinson for a few days.  We’re going to be celebrating dad’s 80th.  I’m ready for a great back to school season.  We’re going to be announcing some really cool brand new ministry initiatives in a few weeks.  You’re gonna love them.  See you in a few days!

I’ve still got a lot of catching up to do from the first of July and one of those things that I want to share is a “spoken word” that I was blessed by a few weeks ago at the North American Christian Convention.  Among the meetings that I attended, one of them was hosted by Pastor Dudley Rutherford and Dream Of Destiny.  Dream of Destiny is a ministry to encourage and equip our Bible Colleges to reflect the wonderful and diverse landscape of believers around the world.  One of their guys named Phillip Allen presented an amazing piece of original work called Colorblind - Not Colorless.  You can watch a video of this piece here…  but I also wanted to post the words.  It’s amazing!

(Imagine A Church) Colorblind But Not Colorless

The church has been hiding behind

Stained-glass ministries for too long

And stained-glasses dictate the color of the light

That shines through and we live behind the tinted windows

Of our comfort zone

Imagine a church that looks like God

Colorblind but not colorless

And the rest of the world can actually see

Themselves in it

‘Cause they begin to see the faith as real and not counterfeit

Imagine my transparency impacting another life

‘Cause they relate to the complexion of my heart

Not my shade of black or white

Because pain can minister to pain

Hurt can relate to hurt and love

Doesn’t distinguish the hue of a man

‘Cause pure love itself is only hu-man

Jesus taught that one

Imagine a culture of discipleship

Extending a hand to mentor the man next to you and vice versa

Imagine all of America answering this altar call

‘Cause the church overcame its spiritual inertia

Imagine if I would nurture

the same world that Jesus died to save

According to grace

The umbrella that protects with no partiality to race

Imagine if I presented the world a church

That any and every non-believer would embrace

‘Cause they all would see a face…that looks like them

“It might not work!”

Well Christ didn’t make excuses so don’t hand me that

A church without diversity is a church that’s handicapped

If we truly want change

We have to be change and not react to the change

That’s already in action

But the church is afraid of the change it’s supposed to make happen

And the world is a greater attraction

‘Cause it’s making change along color lines

Just without the moral attachment

Even though the deadline has passed

It’s not too late for Dr. King’s prophetic dream to come to pass

In the pews and the pulpit

Satan has made diversity look like the culprit

For too long

Imagine a church that’s colorblind but not colorless

‘Cause where we worship has come down

To who looks like us

So Sunday morning has become a family reunion

Well whether we like it or not

God says “Guess who’s comin’ to dinner!”

My Dream of Destiny will be a reality

Because my church will be colorblind but not colorless

© Phillip Allen 2008

Thanks for your prayers. The week was great. There were a few interesting moments, but overall… awesome!

We leave for our Mexico trip at 4AM tomorrow morning.  I’ll share some pictures and some great stories in a few days. Please pray for us!

We are just days away from heading to Tijuana for our annual Mission Trip to Mexico.  A team of 39 missionaries will be working again with Amor Ministries from San Diego.  Over the last 10 years we have built 27 houses, one firestation and this year we will be building a school.  We are all pretty pumped and ready to live out our theme for 2008…  Take It In!

With the last minute flurry of details upon us, let me ask of behalf of our entire team…  Please keep us in your prayers.  Not only will our team be building this school, several of our group will also be ministering to an orphanage that we have connected with in the last year or two.  I can’t wait to show you pictures of what God is doing.