R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Those letters spell respect. Defined as “to consider worthy of high regard” by Webster’s online dictionary. We have all heard that respect is something that has to be earned. In the poor African-American community one way a young man earns respect from other men is by fighting. When someone disrespects you, puts down your momma, or does something else that offends—if you want respect—the proper street response is to fight. Believe me one of the things African-American men want and need more than almost anything else is people to respect them. Therefore, if someone does disrespect you and you don’t challenge that person to a fight, you are only inviting more disrespect and names like “weak”, “whimp”, etc.

This past Wednesday night at church, one of my older teen boys was not himself. He was quiet and withdrawn. He had a look of anger on his face. After class he immediately went outside and distanced himself from all the other teens. I walked over to him and asked him if he was ok. He replied that he was. I told him he didn’t look ok, he looked angry. He told me some of the other teens were talking about him behind his back (even some that he has been relatively close to in the past) and that he was ready to “click” (fight; go off; etc.). He told me that if one of them came over and said one word to him he would snap. I affirmed that I heard that he was angry. And I told him that I was proud of him and respected him for not clicking. I told him I respected him for walking away and cooling down.

What I did was flip the script (give opposite of what is expected) on him. He did exactly what we have been teaching—not to respond to those situations like the world says to respond. And what I am sure he expected to hear was how weak he was for backing down—and he may have heard that from others later. Instead what he heard from me (at least I hope) was that for making that decision he received respect.

We're Moving

Yes, you read the title correctly. Amy and I are moving. Surely none of you expected us to stay in Memphis forever!

OK, Enough sarcasm. We are moving…to Marion, AR. For those of you who don’t know, Marion and West Memphis are two neighboring communities. We are not leaving Wonder City (we may stay here forever if God allows us!). However, God has blessed Amy and I to have a house built about half-way between West Memphis and Marion, about 6-7 miles from the neighborhood of Wonder City. So far everything has gone smoothly, and we believe that the entire process has truly been blessed by God. Surprisingly, Amy and I have had very little disagreements—from floor-plan, to carpet, to colors. Right now our lot is nothing but dirt. Our agent told us that we would see construction starting this week. We are looking forward to moving sometime this summer. Take a look at the photos to see what our floor plan and house will look like when completed.

Super Fun

Last Sunday night over 40 members from Wonder City gathered to have fun and enjoy watching Super Bowl XL together. The Super Bowl Party has become an annual tradition for Wonder City. As always there were individuals pulling for different sides and harassing each other at every turn. However, we always leave that evening closer as a family having enjoyed a good game, food, and fellowship. Here are some pictures from the event.




Enjoying the game and the food!








Everyone watches intently as Pittsburg scores a TD!










Just Hangin'

Giving Honor

We at Wonder City have always encouraged our members to read the Bible at home on their own. However, it wasn’t until last year that we gave them a concrete way to approach reading the Bible. For 2005 we suggested that our members read one chapter of the New Testament (N.T.) every weekday. By doing this they would complete the N.T. in a year. This also gave our members the freedom to miss a day without becoming too discouraged.

Nathan and I knew of one lady who was faithfully reading through the N.T. She would call one of us whenever she had a question. It was also evident in her life. Everyone could really tell a difference in her.

The surprise came at the end of the year, when we asked the church who had completed the N.T. Not one, but three ladies reached the goal. After confirming each of them, we decided to honor these ladies and encourage them to continue studying, as well as encourage the church to follow their example. We decided to purchase these ladies leather N.I.V. Study Bibles with their names engraved on them. We presented the Bibles during worship services on Sunday, January 1st (unfortunately, we were unable to have their names engraved since they had just arrived in the mail). So, on Sunday, January 22nd, we re-presented the Bibles (complete with names). Below is a picture of two of the ladies (Renee H. [left]; Corrie T. [right]. Jennifer C. was unable to be present for the photo.)

As I was working on cropping the picture for this post, Corrie called me. She was so excited about her new Bible. She told me that I wasn’t going to be getting any more phone calls with questions, since she has her study Bible she can look things up for herself. Of course, I told her I always welcomed her phone calls. She is so excited to have that Bible and be using it.

This year we are again encouraging our church members to read the N.T. on the weekdays, but we have added Psalms and Proverbs on the weekends. I hope that as this year draws to close we will have many more who are reading the Bible at home.