Category: Spiritual

As you know, due to the spike of COVID-19 cases within our state, our Governor has recently mandated restaurants, bars, wineries, movie theaters, zoos and family entertainment centers, to name a few, to close once again within in 19 counties, which includes the County of Kern effective immediately. Many new cases are now noted to coming from in-door gatherings, such as family BBQs and other in-door settings.

Therefore, in this time of chaos and crisis, we are asking the faith community for your help to partner with our city to KEEP KERN OPEN. Where current conditions are filled with so many unknown variables, we know that the faith community is certain about one thing – no matter what challenges come our way, we are to “Love Our Neighbor” (Mark 12:31)

What does loving our neighbor look like during times like these?

1. Wear face masks

2. Practice social distancing

These two simple practices help others feel safe, protects those around you, especially the most vulnerable populations, and limits face-to-face contact to decrease the spread of illness among people in community settings.

Please join by spreading this message by:

• Encouraging your congregation/parishioners to wear masks when gathering for service, if possible.

• Encouraging your congregation/parishioners to practice social distancing during your gatherings.

• Encourage your congregation/parishioners to practice “Loving Your Neighbor” in the community, including gathering with family and friends.

Together, may we “LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR” to KEEP KERN SAFE and KEEP KERN OPEN.

It is often that I turn to the bible for wisdom. Here is one of my favorites from 2 Timothy 2:7. “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this” NIV.

The greatest Joy………. Giving
The greatest asset………. Faith
The most beautiful attire………. Smile

The deadliest weapon………. The tongue
The most destructive habit………. Worry
The worst thing to be without………. Hope

The most powerful force in life………. Love
The most prized possession………. Integrity
The most worthless emotion………. Self-pity
The greatest hurt………. Loss of self-respect

The most dangerous pariah………. A gossiper
The most contagious spirit………. Enthusiasm
The two most power-filled words………. I Can
The ugliest personality trait………. Selfishness

The most satisfying work………. Helping others
The greatest challenge to overcome………. Fear
The most crippling failure infection………. Excuses
The greatest shot in the arm………. Encouragement

The most endangered species………. Honest leaders
The most effective sleeping pill………. Peace of mind
The world’s most incredible computer………. The brain
The most powerful means of communication………. Prayer

Excerpted from CC Ministries

You have heard the council, stay away from the awkward conversation such as politics, race, religion, sex, or money. How is life going to be different if we spent the next 20 years discussing nothing but the weather, sporting event, or perhaps a cooking show? What if you leaned into the uncomfortable conversations with an open mind and heart? What if you didn’t represent an entire group of people, but talked about your own experience. Each person’s experience brings a different advantage point.

A litany of emotions within a short space of time is typical as we listen to social media. Sadness, frustration for one story, hope and goodness for another, and disappointment for what a friend wrote on Facebook. We are at a point in our history where God has allowed us to address race relations. God seems to be saying here is this issue how are you going to be dealing with it. If we believe that there is no surprise to God, then he has given us this opportunity to step up into this conversation and listen from someone else advantage point.

All color races were out of God’s imagination, and yet I hear leaders say they are color blind. What if we walked together under God’s banner? We cannot turn off our color; we cannot help how people view our color; we cannot help other people’s biases. What we can do is acknowledge color, check our preference, and have conversation listening through other people’s lenses.

Jesus called his disciples to love your neighbors as yourself. The mark of my people is that they love well. As leaders, we have to commit to showing love. Love isn’t easy. How you know that you love someone is when it gets complicated and it cost you comfort. We need to commit to love from our advantage point to serve people who are a disadvantage. We need to be leaders, willing to be inconvenient, and demonstrate love.

Proverbs 31:8-9 states,” Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” As leaders, we need to look for ways to help and speak up.

We need to take our next steps to recommit to acting from a place of love.
• From a position of advantage educate yourself on issues in your area
• Identify problems that need be to change fundamentally
• Acknowledge what is wrong and apologize
• Initiate conversation…listen to a conversation with judgment.

Show love – dive into the uncomfortable conversations.