Clear Message
I saw an awesome billboard yesterday while driving down the interstate. The message was clear, but the material could have been better.
The board read “Trees Trees Houses Trees“ in big bold letters. It was for a new housing development. Instantly I knew what kind of neighborhood it would be. It would be one with more trees than houses, rather than all houses and a couple of trees. What a powerful picture. Espeically for new neighborhoods. Most new neighborhoods are cleared, cookie-cutter homes are stamped out, and a few “trees” are planted in the end. But this neighborhood was proclaiming a different message. The status quo was changing.
I was thinking about what that message would look like for the church. Here are some ideas:
Judge Judge Me Judge
Fake Rude Everyone Judgemental
Racist Rich Members Selfish
What if they looked like this:
Love Love You Love
Acceptance Forgiveness Neighbor Grace
Help Help Me Help
Food Shelter Billions Hope
You see, the status quo has got to change. The church has lived up to the expectations that society has set for us. It is time to change that. My heart is to see the Church be the hands and feet of Jesus. If people saw our churches and their mind went to the “billboard” like mentioned above, we’d have to knock the walls out to make more room.
This is a main goal of World Causes and our Free Chains campaign. The Church should be leading the fight against issues like child sex slavery. If we did, think about the impact we make. Not only for the innocent girls, but also on those around that have missed the point.
Some friends of mine are making this very impact in the heart of Columbia, SC. Midtown Fellowship is beginning to be known as the leader in the community when it comes to loving and helping the homeless. They are invited to city meetings about the issue. This is monumental and I commend Dustin, Lee, Alan and the entire team.
As a side note, I’ve been thinking about what my billboard looks like to others and what I want it to look like. What would your’s say?
