In today's episode, I'm bringing audio recording of Michael Shroyer, my late husband, with parts of a talk he gave entitled, "Don't Debate; Create!" I have received personal messages of gratitude for sharing his message in the "Be and Become" episode, and I was even thanked by a church leader who had asked his entire staff to listen to that message in order to shift a ministry dynamic within their church culture.
Nothing could make me happier, and that is indeed MORE than what I was hoping that these episodes would accomplish!
I am about to send a manuscript of Mike's to a publishing company - he spent five years working on a small but packed book, entitled Name on the Front of the Building. It is blunt and reads like a charge. I used to tell him that it was full of much-needed messages, and he would say to me, "Ami, I don't want to put a target on the back on our family."
In the months leading up to his unexpected passing, he was doing his final edits, and was stuck on how to bring it to completion. He'd say to me, "I don't know how to end it, and I don't know how to begin."
I'd laugh, and say, "That's because I am going to write the Forward and the Afterward for you, silly!"
And while this is absolutely NOT how I imagined that this would take shape, here we are.
This week, I took a few days to myself to edit and prepare the manuscript for this week's send-off, and in order to get myself back in the framework of what ministry was like with Mike, I opened files of his audio messages, and prayed, asking God to help me select just the right one, and "Don't Debate; Create!" jumped out to me like a flashing light.
With what's going on in our culture, with having just watched the most chaotic presidential debate in all of history, and with some vision and local mission that we have reawakening with Wide Open Ministries, this could not have been more perfect!
I invite you to listen with an open mind and heart to this message and think about how we can apply these simple truths.
Not only does Mike talk about debate; he recaps what he cleverly called "The 7 Ways of Creation" which actually turned into eight cultural standards that we valued with the integrated family ministry and wholeness center that we were beginning on the 47-acres of North Carolina property, in Cre8 Home.
Just like in the "Be and Become" message, I will interject here and there to. give you some context, as will as some landing points that we can apply TODAY, in the environments we are currently wrestling through, both in our heated cultural climate, and in the home.
1. The most important things to God are repeated. He says the same things over and again, in order that we learn to live accordingly. Look for what He repeats, and it takes out the debate.
2. There are times when a scripture is a scripture and what it says is what it says. Let's stop taking half of God's Word and negating the other half. There are times when the debate just needs to stop. Choose to embrace what God is saying, and ask for help when it's hard to live out.
3. We end up missing it. We waste opportunities when we could really be making a difference. Don't debate; create. Create life.
1. Life. Style. Redefined.
Let's feed LIFE and stop fueling HATE -- let's take up for one another rather than taking sides. Let's believe that a person is more important than being right. And let's see what can happen!
Because God says, 'Beloved, you are MINE," you and I can learn to do the same.
Check out: amishroyer.com/cleanbeauty
