Where do you go when there’s no where to go?  When you have been handed a life sentence of taking care of someone with mental or physical issues?  When the doctor gives you the diagnosis, hands you some pamphlets to read and tells you “Good luck.”  No “We’re here for you.”  No “There’s a great support system in your area.”  No “It sounds worse than it really is.”

None of that.  Just “Good luck.”

This past week, I had conversations with seven people whose lives have turned upside down because of their children’s needs.  The first call came from my dear friend (“Karen”) whose son has fought drugs and whose daughter-in-law has battled alcohol but have been doing well, off and on, for about three years.  Then they decided to take their four, young kids to Las Vegas for a weekend of fun.  When Karen got the call that her grandchildren were in Nevada’s protective custody because her daughter-in-law, in a drunken rage, had tried to strangle her son, doped up on cocaine, and the people in the hotel room next to them had called the police, she and her husband, Jack, were livid.

The only way the youngsters would be released into their custody was if they moved to Nevada, one state over from where they live and work.  So, they moved.

The next call (#2) came from my “Job-friend” named after the Biblical character who endured indescribable pain. Parkinsons disease is destroying her ability to do anything for herself.  Her youngest son and father recently died, and last week, her oldest son stopped breathing, his wife gave him C.P.R., and he underwent emergency surgery because his body was filled with blood clots.  And she can do nothing to help.

When a former student (#3) texted and suggested my next book (ha!) should be about life being unfair, we set up a meeting so I could hear his story.  I won’t share it here, but his life will never be “normal” because of the plate he has been handed.

Two days ago, I did a Podcast with #4, a Christian author/speaker who spent an hour discussing my book.  When our Zoom call ended, I exited the call, only to realize that the taping was over, but she wanted to have closure to our conversation.  When she called back, I had a chance to ask about her life.  Oh, my! Her husband was in the Air Force, so she raised her four young girls with him absent much of the time.  All four have serious hearing/speech disabilities and were made fun of in school.  My heart ached for her, and when I prayed for her, she wept.

Two other young women (#5 and #6) shared with me the difficulties of adopting special-needs children who rank high on the autism scale. They can’t take their kids out in public because of their outbursts and inappropriate behavior. As they told of their daily sacrifices made to protect and love these kids, they didn’t stop smiling.  I told them both how blessed those kids were to have parents like them. I can’t imagine.

Then last Sunday, I met #7 when I spoke at Rinehart Church.  I was introduced to a kind, soft-spoken man who had been led by the Lord to start a class to help people addicted to pornography.  I asked him about his family.  He has twelve (12!) children.  His wife passed away last year of cancer.  I had prayed for this family when his wife was first diagnosed, but to meet this man who loves the Lord and is faithful to serve Him was a blessing I cannot describe.

Seven people (six Christians) in seven days who know that luck has nothing to do with their daily battles.

They rely on God and God alone, and they set an example for me to live with a grateful heart.

More than that, I need to pray for them. I hope you do the same.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

I was shopping in a very small store out of town and overheard two friends talking. Both ladies knew I was there and obviously didn’t care. “Betty” asked “Susan” if she had quit coming to church. Susan answered, “No, not yet anyway.“ After a few more exchanges, Susan said, “Well, I’m a good person, I don’t go out and sin, I don‘t…blah blah blah.” Then both women proceeded to criticize and complain about the worship music that they hated. Then they began to tear down the young pastor. They freely talked as if I wasn’t there hearing every word. I assure you, God heard every word too.

As I was subjected to this negative barrage of words, I became disheartened and greatly saddened. I realized that both of these dear ladies had no idea what God thought of their conversation. Although Susan considered herself to be a forthright individual, she was completely clueless that God was offended and displeased with her conversation. God is all about love because He is love. He is full of mercy and lovingkindness, and I heard none of those life-giving attributes in the words being uttered. The young pastor needed their prayers, support, and encouragement — not their criticism and judgment. Like an F5 tornado, these destructive attitudes and words will kill anything in its path.

I have the capacity to be just a hop, skip, and a jump away from doing the very same things that annoy the socks off of me. So every day I need to be purposely mindful of that unruly member of my body (the tongue). “With our tongues, we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women He made in His image” (James 3:9 MSG). “And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” (James 3:10 NLT).

It’s human nature to look at ourselves through rose-colored glasses. “…I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves” (Romans 12:3 NLT). Like a gunnysack full of rattlesnakes, I want to stay away from being proud and holier-than-thou. Jesus opposed the attitudes and actions of the “religious” people because of their pride and self-righteousness. “There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be” (Proverbs 30:12 TEV).

“Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give You a tenth of my income.‘ But the tax collector stood at a distance and…prayed. He beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ’O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-13 NLT).

I must keep a critical mouth closed and a loving heart open. Let’s always take the high road and choose love because Jesus said it wins. And the apostle Paul said love was the greatest of anything.

The Key: Let’s use our mouths to speak love and life because we don’t want to kill anybody around us.

I would love to see that invitation on the marquis of every Christian church, wouldn’t you?  Zig Ziglar tells of a time he invited a friend to go to church with him. The man answered, “Well, I’d like to go. But the church is so full of hypocrites.” Ziglar replied, “That’s okay. There’s always room for one more.”

Let’s face it.  We all are sinners.  If we were to appear before the local judge and charged with “talking the talk but not walking the walk,” we all would be behind bars.  Even King David, called “a man after God’s own heart,” was confronted by the prophet Nathan about this very thing.

The story cannot be read without being furious at David.  He is not content with being an adulterer.  Once he finds out his bed-mate Bathsheba is pregnant, he sets in motion plans to lay paternal responsibility on her husband, Uriah.  When that fails, David has Uriah killed.  Desperate measures for a desperate man, yet he refuses to repent.  We pick up the story in 2 Sam. 12:1-6 where God intervenes.

The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!  He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

David is clueless as to Nathan’s motive.  I can only imagine how the king reacted when Nathan put his finger in the King’s face and announced, “You are the man!”  He then reminds David of all God has done for him and explains the repercussions of his actions: This is what the Lord says: “Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.  You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.”

All of which came true, and all which contributed to David’s repentance.

Hypocrisy is the #1 excuse for people looking for a reason not to come to church…or to Jesus, yet it is a defense that is terribly flawed.  As Josh McDowell and Don Stewart write in their book Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask About the Christian Faith, “Christianity does not stand or fall on the way Christians have acted throughout history or are acting today. Christianity stands or falls on the person of Jesus, and Jesus was not a hypocrite. He lived consistently with what He taught, and at the end of His life He challenged those who had lived with Him night and day, for over three years, to point out any hypocrisy in Him. His disciples were silent, because there was none.”

Every one of us is a hypocrite.  That’s because, as the Bible says, we are sinners.  The next time someone calls you that, tell them that they are right.  But also tell them that the only non-hypocrite to ever live died for your hypocrisy…and wants to do the same for them.

Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

I had heard that it would be a good idea to put a sticky glue trap under the beds to catch spiders. When I was at the store, I figured the stickier the better, so I purchased the  heavy-duty ones. Later, my daughter Mariam came for an overnight visit, bringing my three granddaughters and their new puppy. Brutus is an adorable mini poodle mix with little chocolate curls all over and tiny hazel eyes. During the evening, Mariam, Brutus, and I were in a bedroom when I walked out and left them. Mariam then set the puppy down and, in a flash, he went under the bed and found the glue trap. I’m glad it wasn’t his nose that got stuck. Nevertheless, it was a huge ordeal to release his hairy back foot as the glue stretched out about a mile. While laughing hysterically, we did the best we could with scissors and set him down on the carpeted floor. He couldn’t walk worth a hoot because his foot would stick every time he took a step. (More laughter.)  Realizing something was terribly wrong, Brutus would just stand there.  When Mariam coaxed him to “come,” his little back leg would shake like Elvis as he tried to pry it off the carpet. (More laughter with crying.) Fortunately, we finally thought of using Goo Gone.

If you think your life is hopeless because it’s just one sticky mess after another, think again. Jesus is an expert at cleaning up messes. “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18 NKJV). God promises that even though one’s sins are as deep-dyed and irremovable as the stain of blood, His grace can restore a messed-up life to moral whiteness and purity. It’s amazing to think that Jesus’ blood washes away our sin and makes us clean.

I’m reminded of the song “Something Beautiful” written by Bill and Gloria Gaither. Allow these lyrics to offer encouragement if you’re wondering if there‘s any relief in sight: “Something beautiful, something good; all my confusion He understood. All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife, but He made something beautiful of my life.”

I also remember singing a hymn written by Anna W. Waterman: “Come  ye sinners, lost and hopeless, Jesus’ blood can make you free. For He saved the worst among you, when He saved a wretch like me. And I know, yes, I know Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean.” Apostle Paul remarked about being the worst among sinners before He came to Christ Jesus. “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’ — and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:15-16 NLT).

Here is a key Christian truth: Christ came to save sinners from the mess of sin. Paul considered himself the worst sinner before the blood of Jesus cleaned him up and set him free.  Since Jesus is no respecter of persons, He’ll do the same for you if you’re tired of your sticky mess.

The Key: Jesus’ blood works way better than Goo Gone.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

The following is the email answer I sent to United Airlines, following its generic “thank you” response to the kind comment I wrote about Austin, an employee at Tulsa, Oklahoma’s airport.

“I’m not sure anyone will read this, but this ‘compliment’ almost did not happen because your website made it impossible to write because, as I later found out when I spoke to one of your customer service agents, (a) I tried to write it ‘before my final flight leg was over,’ and (b) I tried to write it ‘after my final flight leg was over.’ Not sure what other options there were. “Two phone calls and numerous attempts to navigate your website left me more than frustrated. Maybe you need to hire someone like me to find a better way to do this simple task. As I said when I spoke (finally) to your supervisor, I’m surprised any of your employees ever are complimented. The process is far too tedious.”

Is it Christian to write such a response? My family says that I am “review-happy.” I tell them that it works both ways.

My favorite evaluation is an A+ one. I will go to great lengths (like I did for Austin) to commend an employee for going above-and-beyond the required service recommended. I probably write five positive letters for every negative one. However, I believe that there are times employers need to know when their customers are receiving less-than-desirable service.

If I have a problem, I will contact the company directly as opposed to writing a bad review. (My son in the restaurant business tells me that he prefers emails/texts directly to him as opposed to reading a bad review on line.)

I’m never trying to get anyone fired; I’m always trying to help the company improve, a behavior my husband finds unnecessary and embarrassing.

As for Austin, he had the best attitude when my flight from Tulsa to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, was cancelled. I guess he saw an old, clueless woman who needed help. I didn’t say otherwise.

Not only did he book me a nearby hotel, he gave me meal vouchers for three meals and told me how to speed-dial the hotel to pick me up after I retrieved my luggage. Austin even offered to walk me to baggage claim, but I figured that would royally tick off the customers in line behind me, so I assured him that I could follow the “Baggage Claim” signs with no problem. I’m not that old. Plus, Tulsa is not that large of an airport.

Nevertheless, I thought that Austin deserved a commendation from the airlines. It’s the way I’m wired. Years ago, I took a “Spiritual Gifts” test to see how God had equipped me to bless other people. My gift was Encouragement. I love that gift, but I know that sometimes I am too self-absorbed to share it like I’m supposed to, and I’m usually not as persistent as I was with United.

The opportunities to use it are endless. Who doesn’t like to be complimented? This past week, I received a hand-written note from a wonderful Christian woman who thanked me for helping her clean up after a group meeting. I still smile when I think of that note, but it also was a reminder of how I need to do that more often to other people.

I started yesterday in Walmart when I passed a young woman with green and red hair. “You look like a really fun person,” I told her. She grinned from ear to ear before thanking me. Definitely easier than contacting the airline. I think it’s a gift I will encourage myself to practice.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

I readily admit that I don’t have cheerleader qualities — it takes a lot of strong muscles to stack people on top of each other and not collapse. I’m also mesmerized at the ability of  individuals who can to do the same thing at the same time with a bunch of other people.  My daughter played saxophone in the Pitt State marching band and, as an onlooker, I was astonished. If I’d been in the band, I would have spent most of my time on the ground  being trampled because I would have been out of sync with everybody else.

I’ve celebrated a number of birthdays and often say, “I ain’t 22 anymore.” Recently, my two kids and I had a frank conversation about aging muscles. Shortly afterwards, I joined the fitness center in order to stand firm and fight against the course of nature. Everything was fine until the day my trainer, Mr. Flex, had me do 30 minutes of squats with hand weights. Apparently, I hadn’t used those particular muscles since grade school. I was impressed that I could even walk to my vehicle on rubbery gelatin legs like that. Lying down in the parking lot and getting run over almost seemed like a realistic option.

The choices we make today impact the quality of our lives spiritually and physically. Our spiritual health can be compared to our physical health because we’re equipped with both types of muscles. But we have to work at staying strong — it doesn’t just happen automatically. We have to make the choice to do preventive maintenance and upgrading  on purpose. The road of life is often uphill and we need to be strong in order to make it to the top. But, there’s help for the climb. “The joy that the Lord gives will make you strong” (Nehemiah 8:10 GNT). You might say that God has a storehouse of muscle rub.

Coasting down a hill works just fine until a mountain of crisis appears on the horizon.  When you need power to climb, but discover there isn’t any reserve, you can find yourself in a world of hurt. God’s Word has a lot to say about the importance of our strength. We must take the initiative to encourage ourselves in the Lord, just like King David did. “But I know that God helps me. The Lord is the one who keeps me going” (Psalm 54:4 NIRV). God will keep His children strong, but we have some important instructions to follow if we want to flex those spiritual muscles.

Jesus strongly cautions us about what will happen if we foolishly think we can coast through life with no preparation for storms. “Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears My teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash” (Matthew 7:24-27 NLT).

I chose not to lay down in the parking lot, and believers can choose not to lay down spiritually. Paul wrote to the believers in the Church at Ephesus: “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11 NLT).

The Key: Keep your spiritual muscles strong so you won‘t collapse under pressure.

William McKinley served in Congress before he was elected the 25^th President of the United States.  On his way to his congressional office one morning, he boarded a streetcar and took the only remaining seat.  Minutes later, a woman who appeared to be ill boarded the car.  Unable to find a seat, she clutched an overhead strap next to one of McKinley’s colleagues.  The other congressman hid behind his newspaper and did not offer the woman his seat.  McKinley walked up the aisle, tapped the woman on the shoulder, offered her his seat, and took her place in the aisle.

Years later when McKinley was President, this same congressman was recommended to him for a post as ambassador to a foreign nation.  McKinley refused to appoint him.  He feared a man who didn’t have the courtesy to offer his seat to a sick woman in a crowded streetcar would lack the courtesy and sensitivity necessary to be an ambassador in a troubled nation.  The disappointed congressman bemoaned his fate to many in Washington but never did learn why McKinley chose someone else for the position.

Galations 6:7 cautions us: Do not be deceived.  God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows. In other words, actions have consequences. Charles Stanley put it this way: “We cannot sow crabgrass and expect to reap pineapples.”

In the 1970’s my husband was playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic.  The manager of the team was Tommy Lasorda, the then-manager of the Los Angeles’ Dodgers.  One evening at dinner he shared that when he was twelve years old, he attended a baseball game, but before it started, he approached a player and asked for an autograph.  Cursing at Tommy, the player told him to buzz off.  One decade later when Lasorda was pitching in the minor leagues, he faced that same major leaguer who was in AAA on a rehabilitation assignment.  Lasorda threw at his head.  Everyone knew it was intentional.  Later when the player asked Lasorda what he had done to deserve that, Tommy answered, “You should know,” and walked away.

Actions have consequences. We over-eat and health issues arise.  We spoil our kids and end up with…well, spoiled adults. We think only of ourselves and end up friendless.  We drink and drive and someone dies.  We do drugs and our family suffers.  We love money (or anything, for that matter) more than God and judgment day won’t be pretty.

Unfortunately, some people don’t learn from their mistakes.  They live by the philosophy that they can sow wild oats all week and then go to church on Sunday morning and pray for a crop increase.  Galations 6:8 addresses the seriousness of the issue.  For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. The laws of the harvest cannot be mocked.  Our hearts need to be fertile ground for planting seeds and not weeds.  The choice is ours.  Which shall it be?

Keys to the Kingdom

After I snipped off the extra satin-covered button from my pastel-blue sweater, I placed it in my button box. In comparison to my Mom’s button collection, mine is considerably smaller. I store my buttons in a little round plastic margarine container that’s probably 40 years old. As I removed the lid, I pondered as to why there were so few buttons in it. And then I realized that, back in the day, women salvaged buttons from worn-out clothing because they were still functional, useable, and valuable. Mom’s buttons are displayed in a glass container in my daughter’s bedroom. One lace-covered button is from the pastel-blue suit she wore to my brother’s wedding in 1967. I wish that button could talk.

If our walk with Christ has become worn-out or hum-drum, we can fix that. There’s still something useful and valuable in our spirit; so we simply need to take the necessary steps to renew it. The apostle Paul told his young protégé, Timothy, to stir up the flame. “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you” (2 Timothy 1:6 NLT). Smoldering Christians are to take the genuine faith they’ve got and develop it into a strong blazing fire of faith and service.

How? Don’t chuck church, ditch discipleship, or pass on prayer. Instead, poke the coals and stoke the fire. When the flame of faith is rekindled, we can walk in love, serve in joy, and rest in peace. As Christ’s followers, it’s up to us to stir up our faith so we can truly believe that God is working things out for our good. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 NLT). Let’s remember not to omit the latter  portion of this scripture, “and are called according to His purpose for them.“

My late husband loved to build a fire in the winter. That responsibility has now fallen to me; I can’t say that I love to build it, but I love the comfort of a hot burning fire. It’s worth the effort to get the results. If we will stir it up, God will finish it. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT). God does the work in us, but we’ve got to give Him some live coals to work with.

It’s no easy task to keep the fire burning hot enough to sustain a cozy temperature in the house. It takes diligence to stay on top of your spiritual journey too. “Without faith, it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to God. For whoever would come near to God must necessarily believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him out” (Hebrews 11:6 AMP).

Paul writes and encourages Timothy: “For I recall the sincere faith which is in your heart — a faith which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and then in your mother Eunice, and, I am fully convinced, now dwells in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5 WNT). Paul makes it clear that Timothy is blessed to be walking in his godly heritage, but his belief and trust comes from his own genuine, sincere, and solid faith. He alone is responsible for building and maintaining a strong faith and carrying out his calling.

The Key: Salvage the faith you’ve got and be diligent to burn strong and hot.

A visiting pastor attended a men’s breakfast in the middle of a rural farming area.  The group had asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast.

“Lord, I hate buttermilk,” the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going. The farmer loudly proclaimed, “Lord, I hate lard.” Now the pastor was growing concerned. Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, “And Lord, you know I don’t much care for raw white flour.” The pastor once again opened an

eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn’t the only one to feel uncomfortable.

Then the farmer added, “But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So, Lord, when things come up that we don’t like, when life gets hard, when we don’t understand what you’re saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits. Amen.”

I have to wonder if God isn’t doing a little blending in America. A country that started off so strong has taken a turn that (hopefully) is teaching us much, mainly that God remains in charge.  He is fully capable of making warm, fresh biscuits out of some pretty unpalatable ingredients, and yes, some of us require a little more kneading than others.                                     So, if we agree that this blending is our answer, then  2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV gives us instructions on our goal: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear. 

To do that, we need to make Ps. 139:23-24 our daily/hourly prayer.  Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.

Examining our own hearts is pointless, no doubt because we will find a way to justify our evil actions/attitudes. After all, we haven’t killed anyone.  We didn’t loot stores or throw iced water at the police officers.  We merely sat in our comfy living rooms and watched on television as the wickedness of someone else’s heart played out.  But that’s not what God calls us to do.  He wants us to lay our ugly hearts at His throne and ask Him to reveal any wickedness in us (even though it is so much more our nature to find the wickedness in others).

Get that?  Any wickedness.  Any times when we have remained silent and not spoken out against bigotry and violence.  Any times we have secretly celebrated payback between our race and theirs.  Any times we have allowed others’ prejudiced behavior to affect ours.  Any times we have not asked God to help us examine our hearts, to call our wickedness into account and to change our ways.

Last year I watched Just Mercy, the true story of Harvard law school graduate Bryan Stevenson’s defense of wrongly condemned Walter McMillian who was sentenced to die for the murder of an 18-year-old girl.  Stevenson quickly learned that in the South, he, a black man, was himself a target, simply because of the color of his skin.

Refusing to return hate for hate, he founded the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama.  He and his staff have won reversals or release from prison for over 135 wrongly condemned death row prisoners and won relief for hundreds of others wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced.  Black and white.  Blending at its finest.

If God is stirring something in your heart like He is mine, then we need to agree to be part of the blending process.  Granted, we’ve come a long way, but until we determine what we can do to make a difference, we will have a long way to go.