He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart..."

He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Luke 10:27 NIV

If you were at RCC just a few weeks ago, you heard me share this verse as part of our messages on the family. It was the Sunday that my wife, Lisa, joined me on the stage to challenge our women with God’s plan for their lives. You also heard Lisa make this statement, “The interesting thing about this command is that you can’t really do the second part well until you’ve learned to do the first.” She’s right. For a husband or wife to love their spouse, they must first learn the deeper love of God.

I thought about the implications as it relates to us as a church this week. I’ve challenged our staff to take one day a week to prayer walk. It might be somewhere in downtown near our offices. It might be their neighborhood or the park near their home. It may be the mall or the theater or the ball field. Just one day a week of praying for those around us. Part of that prayer, for me, as I have walked the streets of Franklin has been, “Give me your eyes so I can see this world as you see it, love it as you do and minister to it as you would.” Those kinds of prayers will change you. They have me. And, as always, the enemy has followed closely on the heels of those prayers to try and defeat me.

I invite you to join your staff in the weeks ahead in praying for “our Jerusalem.” Prayer changes things. It very well may change your heart for the people around you.

NOTE: Don’t forget Saturday evening’s event at the Cool Springs Theater. We’ve bought out the 6:30 showing of “Fireproof” and there are still discount tickets available. Five bucks a piece. Make plans to come and bring those you know. This is an exceptional movie with a timeless message. Hope to see you there.