City Uprising Pt. 2
July 16th 2009 -
Have you ever had one of those moments when you walked into a room or stadium and new it was a special moment? As a kid I remember walking into Memorial Stadium and knowing that my hero Rick Dempsey was going to make me proud. The night I walked into that restaurant seeing my friends on one side and my girlfriend on the other, knowing that I was going to ask her to marry me; that was a great moment. I can remember the Small family in Bamboo, Jamaica as they walked into the house that was built for them with a lot of love; that was a special moment.
Well, yesterday, I had another special moment. I was invited to sit at a table with people who love the people of this city. There were doctors, nurses, administrators, receptionists, counselors, technicians, pastors, volunteers, HIV positive people, and a video documentary maker, just to name a few. These people have been investing long hours (overtime) to the first phase (City Uprising) of a citywide initiative know as Project Shalem. These people have been giving their best efforts and energies to help our city deal with the HIV pandemic that is attacking it. Many have given up vacation, family time, and meals to pick up a dream we dropped in their laps 8 months ago. I was humbled.
There was something special about that meeting. Not everyone at the table believes in God or a God for that matter. Many have had bad experiences with the church and church people (priests and pastors included). Others were active church members and believe passionately in a loving Heavenly Father. In the moments sitting around the table you could feel this common joy. Everyone may have described it differently, but to me it was peace. Peace that was beyond understanding. It was a place where love was not challenged by race, education, or agendas. Love was felt from one to the other even though many of us had never met. Peace. It was a special moment in humanity; a moment where it felt like Heaven and Earth met for a moment and everyone knew it.
You may be an atheist, an anti-theist, or a believer in a world religion – but had you been in the room yesterday, you would have experienced a moment in human history where God was active and smiling on His great people in a great city.