From: The Pastor’s Heart
To: You
Title: “Remember When…”
Today’s special to me because it was thirty-five years ago today that I worked up the nerve
to ask Kelly Manning to be my girlfriend. Back then we had no idea what God had in store
for our future and the many incredible people we would encounter along the way. There
have certainly been so ups and downs along the way, but the good greatly outweighs the
bad and we’ve learned so much about ourselves, and most importantly, about the Lord.
I bring this up because each of us had a “new beginning” day. Not necessarily the day you
met your soulmate, but the day you gave and surrendered your soul to the Lord. The day
that you decided to live a life that would please Him and open up the floodgates of
promises and abundant blessings. It’s good to revisit that day and remind yourself of the
enormity of emotions you had when your walk with God was brand new.
Sometimes we get so caught up remembering life’s setbacks and failures that we forget
about all of the incredible things He’s done for us since day one. Regardless of what you
may be confronting at this stage in your life, I guarantee you there are more ‘good days’ in
your life than ‘bad days’ and God deserves ALL the credit for that and more. It goes
beyond words the many blessings that have come our way since we first connected with
Jesus as our Lord and Savior. He’s been right there every time we’ve called on Him and the
good news is, He’ll continue to that and more.
Last night I was so fortunate to stand and take part in a phenomenal service where Pastors
from all over the city came together and prayed and offered thanksgiving unto God. We
prayed for marriages and families; financial freedom and political leaders. We prayed for
spiritual authority and healing. We prayed for the power to forgive and the grace to fight
off the enemy. We prayed for so many things and it hit me so strongly while I was there
that we have so much to be thankful for. I thought about how my life could have gone
had I not given it to the Lord. I must admit that I was very emotional just sitting there
surrounded by so many others who’ve made it by the love and mercy of God.
So when I looked at my wife this morning I was reminded of how this journey began. Two
teenagers sitting on a marry-go-round in the play area of an elementary school. It took all
the courage I could muster to take a chance and ask her that unforgettable question. I also
remember that day sitting in the back of the church and hearing the Lord ask me was I
ready to surrender to Him. Both of those days will always be monumental in my life and
whenever life’s issues are getting the better of you, just let your mind go back and
remember when you connected and how He’s never failed you yet. Remember, He died
for you – so let’s LIVE for Him!
EVERYTHING WE DO MOVING FORWARD WILL BE INTENTIONAL AND DRIVEN WITH
PURPOSE TO REPRESENT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE BEST POSSIBLE LIGHT!
NOTHING WILL BE DONE WITH ENERGY LESS THAN OUR BEST AND EFFORT BELOW
OUR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL.
OUR SERVICE IS LOCAL, BUT OUR REACH IS GLOBAL – SO WE CANNOT REDUCE OUR
PRESENTATION DOWN TO WHAT’S CONVENIENT, BUT RATHER WE MUST RAISE IT TO
THAT WHICH IS EXPLOSIVE!
Get ready for major change that’s coming systematically, intellectually, purposefully, and
professionally. Nothing we do moving forward will be done haphazardly, sloppily, poorly,
or carnally.
We Are the LIGHT!
Sincerely,
Pastor J.E. Chandler, Sr.
(CEO/Pastor of MLCM)
