Free to Do Something
TODAY’S READING: Luke 10:25–37
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” -Luke 10:37
During a conference at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution in Ohio, fellow ministry leaders and I consulted with prisoners affiliated with the Horizon Prison Initiative.
We asked them how our churches could best support prisoners and their families. I expected them to share a list of imaginative ideas. Their message to us was…
When the Relationship Changes
TODAY’S READING: Philemon 4–16
No longer as a slave, but better than a slave. -Philemon 16
Ethnic division and strife can hinder any group from coming together. A great example of this can be seen in the true story on film titled Remember the Titans, where Coach Herman Boone (played by Denzel Washington) is tasked with leading the newly integrated T. C. Williams High…
Songs of Joy
TODAY’S READING: Psalm 126
Those who go out weeping . . . will return with songs of joy. -Psalm 126:6
At eighty-nine years old, activist and lifelong Texan Opal Lee passionately pursued making Juneteenth the official national holiday it finally has come to be, in part because of her faith and a great deal of effort.
Ms. Lee delivered speeches around the United States and…
A Message of Liberation
TODAY’S READING: Luke 4:16–21
Today this Scripture has been fulfilled. -Luke 4:21
“In every human Breast, God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom; it is impatient of Oppression, and pants for Deliverance . . .” Phillis Wheatley penned these transcendent truths in an eighteenth-century letter to Native American convert and reverend Samson Occom.
As an enslaved African, named after the slave…
The Spirit and Liberty
TODAY’S READING: 2 Corinthians 4:7–12
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. -2 Corinthians 3:17
Juneteenth is our family’s Fourth of July. With parades, barbecues, fireworks, and family reunions, we’ve come together to celebrate liberation of the Black body and soul.
Although joyous, Juneteenth filled my young mind with confusion. Sunday sermons said Christ died…
Juneteenth: Our Story of Freedom
Learn more about how Juneteenth reflects the true freedom given to all through Christ. This 10-day reading plan speaks to how Scripture inspired and still inspires Christ followers of the past and present.