“The Urgency of Now”

In 1963 Dr King spoke at the March on Washington, he described a “fierce urgency of now.” He reminded us that we need one another, and that we are stronger when we march forward, together. “We cannot walk alone,” he said. “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back.” Dr. King was feeling the pressure of the season that they were in. Much like me today.

I feel a shift. I've got to move forward and I can't turn back. To be honest, there's nothing to go back to. In a few months I'll be turning 50 years young and as I look back over my life, and consider all the twists and turns on the various roads that often felt like road blocks. I feel a little pressure. I feel the pressure to make my days count. I feel the pressure to squeeze every ounce of life out of every today. No holding back. All gas no breaks. The fast pace forward almost feels reckless to me.

There's nothing wrong with feeling a sense of urgency or pressure, but I am cautiously aware of imposters, people who will try to create a sense of urgency in me to serve their own purposes. You know, the love bomb dude that wants the fast relationship, the folks who always seem to have something to sale that you can't live without, the latest investment that's gonna make you millions in the distant future, that insurance policy that's gonna pay you. The caution is not to be chasing the wind (chasing after relationships, money, status and every little nuance that comes along). The vultures will see the “thurst”and they will find a way to take to advantage of me or get me looped into some sort of Ponzi scheme or MLM (multi level marketing), where there is an up line and a down line. I know I'm bias because I see all of that as a trap or snare. Those systems are not designed for the little guy to win. Those systems are designed to take your money and distract you from what you should be doing. I don't know about you but I don't want to miss God in this season in my life. I want to do what he wants be to do. I want to do the work that he calls me to do and not chase things that will lead me in the wrong direction.

I know God has more for me to do, more assignments, more mission trips, more work and more blessings. My plan is to be open to the more that God has and reject the things that are vying for my attention.

I've recently updated my personal mission statement. My personal mission is to be in constant pursuit of my purpose and to live out each day as if it were my last." Simply put, my life is about purpose and fun. Before the last outreach or travel is over, I'll be planning the next one. If it's not about enjoying the days ahead ( let's face it, I've got more days behind me that I have in front of me) I really don't care to know about it. It's that simple for me but I

get noise from the peanut gallery (super spiritual people) who would like me to focus my time and attention elsewhere, but I'm not even daunted by that because I feel the shift.

Previous mission statement:

"To Love God, to Serve and Support others and to continue on the road to Self-Actualization."

I feel that Shift that Pastor Henderson spoke about on Sunday during morning service. I feel like God has created this major interruption in my life to send me along another path. No, I don't like it, I don't have all the answers or the details but I've got this stirring in my spirit that I really don't know what to do with. It's like something is going to happen. I don't know when, and I don't know who, what and where but I feel another shift on the way. This stirring in my spirt make me question everything that I've ever done and all the things I'm currently doing. I'm very careful about the things that I take on. I question how things fit into my mission/my purpose.

Time and Chance

I've had the pleasure of speaking with quite a few people near the end of their life. The common theme was time. They wished they had more time, they wish they had spent more time with the people that they loved and they wished that had done more to enjoy their life. I remember all the plans that John had and all the things that he wanted to accomplish. When he passed, I was tempted to take on those things in his honor. I did a few things but God quickly reminded me that John's time/work on earth is done. I can't add or take away from it. I have my own work todo.

I see time as the great equalizer. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor. Time and chance will happens to us all (Ecclesiates9). No one gets to dictate time, when they will be born or how long they will live. I'm almost happy about that. Some people do some of the most heinous and unimageable things to make money or get money. Can you imagine what would happen if someone could earn more time on earth? Can you imagine what would happen if someone could somehow shorten your life in order to add time to their life? In an essence steal your time. This world would be beyond unbearable,. The rich and strong with crush the weak and the poor.

Ecclesiastes 9:10-12

10. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,

for in the realm of the dead, where you are going,

there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

11 I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

12 Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:

As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.

Though it was Dr King that spoke about the fierce urgency of now, there were others who had some great things to say as well. Take a look.

➿ Move fast. A sense of urgency is the one thing you can develop that will separate you from everyone else. When you get a good idea, do it now.

Brian Tracy

➿ Whatever your goal in life, unless you develop a great urgency, what could be near will be far away.

Jaggi Vasudev

➿Success requires both urgency and patience. Be urgent about making the effort, and patient about seeing the results.

Ralph Marston

➿ You don't have as much time as you think you do. You got to operate like there's a sense of urgency!

Eric Thomas

➿Time is moving fast so be about doing the things God created you to do, get on with enjoying your life on purpose (schedule it and look for every opportunity to do so), and let go of anyone or anything that is trying to hold you back or disturb your peace.

Trish Rice

What about you? What is it time to do?

It's time to................ (you fill in the blank).