Living the Dream

In this episode, you need to lean in as Pastor Steven and Pastor John discuss how the purpose of unity is not uniformity. Unity means we are not going to agree on everything, but we are going to fight for one another until the day we die. If we are to take our view of people that don't look like us from what we see in headlines, and if we are to reduce it down to that, it would kill our ability to empathize with the humanity of that person. So we need to start understanding. We need to start learning some things, exposing some things. Jesus said, "you are the light of the world." This does not only mean to quote scriptures and be a witness to people. It means do not be ignorant. It means we need to shine a light on ignorance.

“This is not about color for me.”

This is about the systemic oppression of people in power that are supposed to protect and serve. This is the silence of the church that must be addressed. This conversation is the beginning of something that more churches need to have. This is a conversation that most people would be afraid to have. But this is also a conversation that the church should not turn a blind eye to. The church needs to be a voice to the voiceless. This should be the tipping point for the church to have the necessary conversations around true reconciliation. Because if we don't have the presence of God in the conversation and in our hearts, then empathy, compassion, and activism won't matter.

“Change starts in your heart.”

Guilt is not a strategy, but maybe we don't know the difference between guilt and repentance. Feeling bad doesn't change anything, but repentance is different from guilt. Repentance means “change direction” in the old Testament, and “change your mind” in the new Testament. And so it means we change direction and we have to do it differently. The only way to break the cycle is to repent. But to really repent is to change direction. Repentance is moving differently, thinking differently, speaking differently, refusing to contribute by indifference. It means getting up and walking in a different direction.

"This conversation is not the end, it's a beginning."

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Global Hope India: For over 20 years we have been watching God radically transform thousands of Americans & Indian Nationals through missions. We’ve taken nearly 1,000 Americans on short-term mission trips to India. We work with 12 long-term indigenous church planting partners located in North, South, East, & West mainland India as well as Northeast India. We empower the Church in India to make Christ known through leadership, child, & village development projects. Global Hope India is a federally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in Morrisville, North Carolina. All gifts are tax-deductible. More about GHI.

More about Living the Dream Podcast

Meet Pastor Kevin: Pastor Kevin is Founder and Executive Director of Global Hope India and your host for Living the Dream Podcast. He’s a poor kid from rural North Carolina, but get this… He just returned from his 50th trip to India in 20 years. If he doesn’t yet hold the Guinness Book of World Records for the most trips to India then he’s got to be close. He’s flown over a million miles to 27 different countries. He’s taken nearly 1,000 people on mission trips to India. Global Hope India has seen thousands of Indian Nationals and Americans radically transformed by God through missions. The miracle continues! More about Pastor Kevin.

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"I can't breathe." "Mama." "Please." 

On May 25th, Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, after a deli employee called 911, accusing him of buying cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. Seventeen minutes after the first squad car arrived at the scene, Mr. Floyd was unconscious and pinned beneath three police officers, showing no signs of life. The Medical Examiner has concluded that his death was a homicide. 

George Floyd's death has become the catalyst for a long-overdue global display of solidarity. Over the weekend, demonstrators gathered in London, Berlin, and Auckland, among other cities, to protest against police brutality in solidarity with the US crowds. 

"Silence is agreement."

"I need you to publicly say this is wrong because this is not just about race. This is about justice. And the entire Bible is about justice."

Six days later on Sunday, May 31st, Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina sat down for a conversation with Pastor John Gray of Relentless Church in Greenville, South Carolina. Pastor Steven is Caucasian and Pastor John is African American. In this interview Pastor, Steven and Pastor John share some of the same themes we’ve been talking about on this show. We’ve discussed the need for diversity among blacks and whites. We champion diversity among all people including all the foreign-born individuals living in our community. This episode presents Part 1 of their conversation.

"I don't want special treatment.  I want equal treatment."

Pastor John's mother was always the person to build bridges and she always brought hope home. And she taught Pastor John to be the same. His mother also taught him to see people through the lens of grace. This is why he extends that same grace that he wants people to have towards him. I encourage you to lean in as they affirm their love for one another and express their grief over the death of George Floyd and many others who have died at the hands of injustice. Watch out for our next episode as we play Part 2 of their conversation. It is important you return next week for Part 2 as they discuss their commitment to listen to and to protect one another. Let us all hear their call to repent. 

"This conversation is not the end, it's a beginning."

________________

Global Hope India: For over 20 years we have been watching God radically transform thousands of Americans & Indian Nationals through missions. We’ve taken nearly 1,000 Americans on short-term mission trips to India. We work with 12 long-term indigenous church planting partners located in North, South, East, & West mainland India as well as Northeast India. We empower the Church in India to make Christ known through leadership, child, & village development projects. Global Hope India is a federally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in Morrisville, North Carolina. All gifts are tax-deductible. More about GHI.

More about Living the Dream Podcast

Meet Pastor Kevin: Pastor Kevin is Founder and Executive Director of Global Hope India and your host for Living the Dream Podcast. He’s a poor kid from rural North Carolina, but get this… He just returned from his 50th trip to India in 20 years. If he doesn’t yet hold the Guinness Book of World Records for the most trips to India then he’s got to be close. He’s flown over a million miles to 27 different countries. He’s taken nearly 1,000 people on mission trips to India. Global Hope India has seen thousands of Indian Nationals and Americans radically transformed by God through missions. The miracle continues! More about Pastor Kevin.

GHI Resources & Contact Info:

Make sure to go back and listen to part one to hear David's backstory of how he came to North Carolina and his calling into ministry.

Green Level Baptist Church is more than 150 years old and in their recent history they've started to reach out to different internationals in their community.

Pastor David shares his experience in meeting people from Tamil Nadu and partnering to build a dynamic prayer ministry even though COVID-19 made it necessary to do it virtually.

Pastor David shared a parable for the way many churches do ministry with internationals. They may think of themselves as the "older" brother in the relationship. Therefore they should do things their way, instructing and guiding their younger brother. But, at Green Level they try to think of partnerships more in the vein of "What does dad want to do?" Because we have a heavenly Father.

Their surrounding neighborhoods are 80-90% non-Anglo, and one of the highlights of ministry to their community has been Christmas Caroling. This may seem like a dated form of ministry to the American church but it is proving incredibly impactful in the foreign-born internationals in their community.

Angela shares about the administrative and planning side of outreach ministry with an inside look into their process and planning. It started with them deciding to learn about the cultures of the people who share their neighborhoods. Consulting their demographics is another key catalyst that started to change the shape of their services and programs.

Although many first-generation internationals want a worship service in their own language they do want their kids to participate in the English-speaking services.

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Global Hope India: For over 20 years we have been watching God radically transform thousands of Americans & Indian Nationals through missions. We’ve taken nearly 1,000 Americans on short-term mission trips to India. We work with 12 long-term indigenous church planting partners located in North, South, East, & West mainland India as well as Northeast India. We empower the Church in India to make Christ known through leadership, child, & village development projects. Global Hope India is a federally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in Morrisville, North Carolina. All gifts are tax-deductible. More about GHI.

More about Living the Dream Podcast

Meet Pastor Kevin: Pastor Kevin is Founder and Executive Director of Global Hope India and your host for Living the Dream Podcast. He’s a poor kid from rural North Carolina, but get this… He just returned from his 50th trip to India in 20 years. If he doesn’t yet hold the Guinness Book of World Records for the most trips to India then he’s got to be close. He’s flown over a million miles to 27 different countries. He’s taken nearly 1,000 people on mission trips to India. Global Hope India has seen thousands of Indian Nationals and Americans radically transformed by God through missions. The miracle continues! More about Pastor Kevin.

GHI Resources & Contact Info: