Celebrating Black History
Our pastors and staff share about the black men and women who have inspired, encouraged, and influenced them in their lives and/or ministry. (Updated weekly)
Priscilla Shirer
"Lord, let it rain. And when it does, give me the courage to stand under the heavens with my arms outstretched to Your work. Cause me to be willing to go where You take me, even if the path is uncomfortable or unfamiliar. Tear down any man-made obstacles that keep me from seeing You fully. Open my heart to receive anything that draws me closer to You. Let me be drenched by your Spirit... and forgive me for ever running back to the familiar comforts that take me away from You."
— Priscilla Shirer
I found this prayer in Priscilla's devotional book, Awaken. I read this book about three years ago and it was my first introduction to Priscilla's ministry. Since then I have read several more of her books and each and every one of them has left a deep impact on my life. God has specifically used Awaken in my life and continues to do so even though I read it so long ago. This prayer in particular is one that the Holy Spirit continually brings to my mind as I go about life. The openness and relatability that Priscilla shows in her ministry is something I will always look up to! She has shown me by example how ministry and life can go hand-in-hand. I will forever be grateful for Priscilla's impact on the Kingdom and on me!
If you are looking for a devotional that meets you where you are in the business and hardness of life, but doesn't skimp on going deep in your relationship with God, I highly recommend Awaken!
— Katie Casamassa
Frederick Douglass
This month marks 203 years since the birth of Fredrick Douglass. He was a slave in Maryland who fled to his freedom to ultimately become one of the most influential advocates of liberty in the 19th century. In his lifetime, he would deliver countless speeches, publish multiple autobiographies and newspapers, and meet with President Abraham Lincoln to lobby for emancipation, as one of the leading champions for African American civil and political equality.
An aspect that is often overlooked when celebrating Douglass was his faith. He often referenced Jesus’ perfect example of love and service to the “least of these” to fuel his outspoken, and prophetic stance against widely accepted subjugation and inequality that pervaded in a deeply divided nation...
“I love the religion of our blessed Savior… It is because I love this religion that I hate the slaveholding, the woman-whipping, the mind-darkening, the soul-destroying religion that exists in the southern states of America.” — Frederick Douglass
2 centuries later, we find ourselves struggling through a pandemic, complimented by a deeply divisive political climate. Feelings of anger, sorrow, isolation, and uncertainty hang heavily on the hearts and minds of many who have felt misunderstood, suppressed and even oppressed in areas of life. In the midst of a trying season, followers of Christ are to encourage one another with the notion that this struggle will eventually give way to hope. In Romans 5:3-5 Paul reminds us to “glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” This truth was known and believed by Douglass, recognizing that deeply entrenched sin does not leave without a struggle...
It is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and the crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced. — Fredrick Douglass
The reality of our current state, is that many hopes and dreams have been crushed. The events of the past year have rendered the collective uncertainty of health, safety, career, provision, relationships, personal freedoms, and future. An inability to place hope in these areas has given us the opportunity grow in a child-like dependency toward our loving Heavenly Father.
Has your suffering in this season exposed your own hypocrisy?
Has it been proclaimed and denounced to God and others?
Pray that your focus would continue to be recalibrated to that of God’s good, pleasing and perfect will.
Fredrick Douglass’ life and example reminds us all that hope and freedom (whether societal or individual) will always come through suffering and struggle. Stay humble and vigilant, and bring every area of your life to bear under the loving authority of a Heavenly Father.
Without a struggle, there can be no progress. — Fredrick Douglass
— Chris Dean
Kristie Anyabwile
“It’s true: we have to lean together on the truth of God. Whatever difficulties we face as Christians — whatever our background, family, skin color, or gender, and whatever our hopes and dreams and fears and challenges — God imbues his children with power by his Spirit, through his word, to walk alongside each other with words of wisdom and hope and love. It is God’s word that sustains us in every circumstance.”
—Kristie Anyabwile
I first learned of Kristie Anyabwile when I began reading the book His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God. The book has many contributors, but the idea for the devotional began with (and the final product was edited by) Kristie. Wanting to know her more, and how she was inspired to facilitate this devotional, I found a strong woman — humble in Christ and bold in faith. The wife of a pastor (Thabiti Anyabwile), she answers the call to ministry not behind him, but alongside him, reminding me of the day I answered the call to enter into ministry with my husband. She is inspiring — over 25 years as the wife of a pastor. And while she supports and encourages her husband, she also has her own voice and her own calling. In a world where women, and moreso women of color, are still fighting to have a voice and a place not just in the world but as valuable contributors to the call of ministry, I am inspired, encouraged, and empowered by her testimony and her relentless pursuit of the Kingdom’s call.
— Grace Ross
Dr. Tony Evans
“CHURCH is like a hospital. It’s where people who are sick, broken, bruised, beaten and battered with life because of sin and unrighteousness come for help. It’s okay if you are here and don’t have all your life together. If you had all your life together, you wouldn’t need to be here. However, hospitals do not tolerate sick people hanging around who don’t want to get better. No doctor is going to keep fooling with a patient”
— Dr. Tony Evans
I am so thankful for the life and ministry of Dr. Tony Evans. I love listening to him preach, share about how we make much of King Jesus and His Kingdom, and what it looks like to bring about renewal and restoration to broken places and spaces. He is has done a great work serving the Church but also the local community. He was the first African-American to have a study Bible, the Dr. Tony Evans Study Bible. I purchased it last year and love it. If you are looking to celebrate Black History month, I would encourage you to listen to his messages, read articles by him, the many book he's written, and purchase his study Bible.
To learn more about him visit:
https://tonyevans.org/care-to-change-the-nation-for-good/
— Pastor Joe
Francis James Grimke
“My constant Prayer to God is that he would help me to preach, not great sermons, but helpful sermons – sermons that will appeal, not mainly to the intellect, but to the heart, sermons that will tend to strengthen and develop the good within us, to inspire us with right desires and that will fortify the will.”
This is a quote from Francis James Grimke, a black pastor who was the son of a slave and a slave born in South Carolina. When he became a free man he went to seminary and became a pastor in the Presbyterian Church. I have found his story to be an inspiration of how to lead, and lead while following Biblical principles. I’ve been reading Meditations On Preaching and I encourage anyone wanting to celebrate the Black community during Black History Month to look into this small devotional. It is powerful and humbling and has helped me become a better pastor and person.
— Pastor Travis