Sometimes its very challenging to remain disciplined to a task regardless of what it is. For
example, losing weight doesn’t happen over night and most people fail in reaching their
desired goal because it requires a daily commitment. The college drop out rate, especially
for African Americans, is still much higher than it should be. The latest statistics show that
only around 42% of those in our community who enter college actually graduate. When
you look at marriages in our country, some experts argue that roughly 50% of all
marriages will ultimately end in divorce. And one of the most shocking realities in our
community is a little more than 72% of our children are raised in single parent
households.

By design I’m an optimist. Regardless of the negative examples before me, I choose to
believe that things are and will get better if I do one very important thing…FOCUS.
Staying focused on the vision God’s given you for success is one of the most important
things we can do in life because nobody has the power to remove you from victory if you
stay disciplined and connected. Jesus said, “I come that you might have life and life more
abundantly,” which means that He’s already made the way possible for you and I to come
out winners in all areas of life. We know that being a believer doesn’t exclude us from
distractions and distractors, but our faith should settle and secure us during those times of
challenge and interruptions.

Your remaining disciplined cannot come from what you feel but it must come from what
you know. We are often led and governed by our emotions and because we are not always
in good and positive moods we tend to be easily discouraged and then disconnected from
the task. Becoming disconnected form the task will then disconnect us from the treasure.
Success in life is not shaped by what things you can avoid, it’s achieved by the things you
can overcome. The journey ahead may potentially be problematic, but the God above is
greater than anything coming against you.

I shared with someone just this morning that we must stay on the track of perfection,
especially in ministry performance. We represent the Lord and our purpose in life is to
ultimately advance the Kingdom of God, with the People of God, for the Glory of God.
Getting there requires that you will have to do one of three things with those who are colaborers
in the fight. Some who walk amongst you will have to be Developed, some will
have to be Disciplined, and some will have to be Dismissed.

You have to remain DETERMINED to reach the expected end no matter what. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!
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)