Tuesday Talk

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
(Revelation 21:21)

Hey bloggers...thanks for the good reports from Sunday, and especially for the testimonies about the supernatural returns on your giving...I'll probably ask for you to share some of them in the next several services, or you may want to write something about it here...good things are still happening at CITN as we all continue to respond to the wake-up call we've recently received concerning our beloved community, and our responsibility to the preservation of it...

On a personal level, I want to reiterate some of the things I said Sunday...things like the importance of having NO REGRETS...like loving your life, and loving it as it is NOW...don't second guess anything...there's really no such thing as a "crisis" in your life...there's only "process"...your gate to the City of God is made from one PEARL...remember, the grain of sand...the thing that causes the oyster pain...is the very thing that makes it so valuable...Paul said "I prayed three times that it would be removed, but He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you'"...when you embrace it...when you embrace your thorn in the flesh...your grain of sand in the oyster shell...your streets (your path of experience) will be paved with gold...when John had this revelation, he noted that the golden streets were "transparent like glass"...transparent...real...purged of all pride and pretense...tried in the fire...

I believe that what is happening at CITN right now is much bigger than just paying the bills and keeping the doors of the building open...Jesus said your heart is where your treasure is, and we are actually in the process of creating one heart...

What do you think?

Begin Again in 2010!

FROM AN ANONYMOUS BLOGGER: This insightful comment was posted a couple of days ago under the Happy New Year! acrostic (12/31/09), and it was worth re-posting:

I have to say what lies so heavy on my heart:

If CITN were to relocate, it would completely change the dynamic of what CITN has meant to the immediate community and those it has affected worldwide. We have not been an infinitesimal part of any life. All that encounter CITN are forever affected. I came to CITN ten years ago. Prior to that, I never attended church. I knew God, I spoke to him, and I went about my business. It wasn’t that I thought church was a waste of time. I just hadn’t found a spiritual home that fed me. The moment I walked into CITN and heard Bishop speak, I knew CITN would always be in my life. My spirit is in turmoil to even see Bishop speak of the word ‘foreclosure’. I dare to ask – How can this be? But I know the answer deep down inside because I am guilty of the very thing so many of us have been doing. We have said to ourselves when time came to tithe: the person sitting next to me will contribute and their contribution will be enough until I can give. But this is not the truth! We cannot say that the next person will give because we are that next person! CITN has given so much to each of us and I am personally resolved to CITN remaining in its current home.

I remember many years ago when the new sanctuary was proposed. I was so excited to pledge and do my part to make it a reality. I came to church every Sunday and even as a teenager working a minimum wage job, I gave my portion and imagined the day I would sit in the new sanctuary. A place fit for the Word that was spoken inside. CITN is an incredibly anointed ministry and we must do all that we can do as a congregation - a family - to ensure that the legacy of CITN is not overshadowed by matters other families would quickly confront together.

There was a time when the old sanctuary was packed to the point where people sat in chairs lining the wall. We have been distracted Dear Family. I know I have. I’ve left others to care for a ministry that needs me just as much as I need it. We have stopped celebrating together. We have turned on our computers to watch sermons and save a trip and forgot that service is so much more than Bishop giving us the Word. Service is a time for Many to become One. Now more than ever I realize the importance of that covenant and I am resolved. Resolved to attending Service every week. Resolved to tithing, giving every time I attend.

And I call upon the entire CITN family to make the same resolution: resume your weekly attendance and give.

Give to something that has always multiplied your gifts. If we continue to receive and allow the distractions of the world to affect our tithing, we will lose the very place we have called home. Yes, the economy is rough right now. Yes, people have lost their jobs. Yes, we are all making tough decisions when it comes to budgeting our money. But this too shall pass. And when it passes, are we going to be able to drive past the current CITN campus and not see our family in it? Please think about this. Although I know Bishop will always have a ministry wherever his pulpit resides, I LOVE the ministry he has created right here in Conyers, GA. We must do all that we can to keep our home. Not only will it resolve the current financial problem of the campus, it will do something far greater: it will reunite us as a family and bring us to a place we left some time ago. A place where the CITN covenant was so strong, Bishop would be in the middle of a sermon and stop, only to begin an entirely different sermon because our spirit was one and he knew we needed something and as our Bishop, he was more than willing to provide.

Let’s begin together by resolving to attend and give. Two simple things that will strengthen our ministry in so many different ways.

I love you all and hope for many more decades at CITN.

Hey bloggers...It's nice to have all the rooms in the house filling up...you're all welcome here...

Last night after the service, P. Scott, Judah and Jonah and I went to see a late showing of Slumdog Millionaire, which is currently nominated for best picture...very cool...very well done...brutal, but extremely inspirational...perhaps the best movie about the concept of destiny fulfillment that I have ever seen, even though my ideas about destiny are kind of in flux right now...

I like what Peacemaker said on the 20/20 blog (PERCEPTION) about using the term "creator" instead of "co-creator"...I understood what he meant, and I agree...(BTW, there's a brand new post on that blog today, just waiting for your comment)...

Anyway, that's why I say that my ideas about destiny are changing...

More about that later...

There's a response from P. Ben on the Now Ministries site (MINISTRY NETWORK)...

As I said last night in the service, Pastor Dony McGuire is having major surgery this morning...I posted an e-mail prayer request that I received from his staff on the prayer blog (PRAYER REQUESTS)...be in agreement for his speedy recovery, and while you're over there, write your own prayer requests...

There's a nice little motivational poem on AW4W (ENTREPRENEURS)...it's kind of like a mental vitamin booster shot...

And the AYITN blog (DEVOTIONAL) is "HELP SOMEBODY!"...it's a good one to cut and paste and e-mail to someone who is too self-absorbed...

I thought last night's word was a good one for all of us to hear...go to the LifeSkills blog and tell me what you got out of it...

And several of you mentioned yesterday about my 20 Questions posts...I'll do one for tomorrow...


ATTENTION TEENS AND TWENTY-SOMETHINGS!!! DON'T FORGET PROJECT 404 TONIGHT @ 7 PM!!! They've got some real cool (and very funny) stuff for this evening's event...

Thursday Thoughts

Hey bloggers...Happy Lincoln's Birthday! Thanks for the blog birthday shout-outs from yesterday...your beautiful words really touched me...I left the post open for any of you who didn't get a chance to write something...

Please log onto www.streamingfaith.com and click on "My Community"...when the drop down menu appears, click on "Devotionals", and you'll see my article for today. I'll be writing stuff for them all year long. I'm not technically requesting this, but if you'd like to make a good comment on their site about the article, I would really appreciate it...

I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who have helped Judah get things ready for the premier service of PROJECT 404 tonight...it's going to be really exciting, and I think we may even do an open house for the whole church soon, so that everyone can see what's going on down there...thanks for the good words that some of you wrote about him on the new prayer blog...

Today's AYITN is "MOVE ON!" (click on "Devotional" on my blog menu)...I think it's a word for someone here today...

I speak a special blessing over your day today...keep your mind stayed on Him, and He will keep you in perfect peace...and listen to the Holy Spirit speak within your spirit...you may be very close to a major breakthrough in the next few hours, so keep your eyes and ears open...

Oh, and one more thing...remember that the Cafe' will be open tonight for parents who bring their kids to P-404 (doors open @ 6:30)

I love you all,

Peace

"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."
- Abraham Lincoln

Hey bloggers...loved your stuff from yesterday...the connection that we all have here feels very real, and it strengthens the community...I posted a sign here a few minutes ago that said "Have a great weekend", but the more I looked at it, I began to see that there was a subliminal message with the way the "E's" were capitalized that said "Get weed", so I removed it...it may have just been my imagination, or I may be looking at everything like the message that Pastor Dennis posted yesterday...anyway, I still want you to have a great weekend, and I hope to spend some time with everyone who is local ITB!

I'm very excited about tomorrow's service, and I'm very excited about all that is happening right now...transition is taking place, and it's all good...even when I watch the news, I am increasingly convinced that something awesome is happening in the earth...the kingdoms of this world are becoming the Kingdom of our God, and of His Christ!

Enjoy this beautiful Saturday, and don't waste it on worry or fear or bitterness...you're an eagle, not a chicken, so mount up with wings today!

Can't wait to see you tomorrow...

Bish

WALK BY FAITH TODAY!

(First 11 comments are from yesterday)...Today is an important day for CITN, and for Rockdale County. The second annual Walk By Faith will be even greater than it was last year, and is symbolic in many ways for all of us in 2009. I'm glad to hear that you local bloggers will all be participating...it's a new day at CITN, with EVERYONE ATTENDING, CONTRIBUTING AND HELPING! Can't wait to see you...

(If for some reason you can't make the walk, just go directly to the service...but remember that Iris Drive will be blocked off from Salem Gate to the church...and don't forget to bring a canned good for Rockdale Emergency Relief!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

any, many thanks to all of you bloggers, especially those of you who post regularly here at BLOGINTHENOW. At this special time of the year, I want to express my love and sincere gratitude to those of you who contribute to this cyber-community on a continual basis. Your words, ideas, thoughts, insights, interpretations, musings, exchanges, humor and revelation are valuable and greatly appreciated by this blogmaster, and I believe the connection that we have all made here in cyber-space this year is real and important. Welcome, Welcome, Fah who rah-moose, Welcome, Welcome, Dah who dah-moose, Christmas day is in our grasp, So long as we have hands to clasp...

very day I look forward to hearing from you on the comments page, and I always find your feedback to be both thoughtful and inspirational. The need for communication is basic to all of us, and it is very gratifying to me to see that this website has become a nexus (I'm not sure that I'm using the word correctly, but I want to use it anyway) for daily authentic and life-affirming interaction. Oh, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, Oh, tidings of comfort and joy!

EAL PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE REAL GOD IN THE REAL WORLD®...this trademark of Church In The Now has definitely become applicable to BLOGINTHENOW, and, even though the blog reaches way beyond the borders of the local church community, the concept that began in a geographical location (Conyers, GA) is now extended to the expanse of the infinite internet. As CITN has a global pulpit, BLOGINTHENOW has a universal voice. Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing...and heaven and nature sing...and heaven, and heaven and nature sing!

eading your posts every day is a joy...in no particular order, Avatar, Peacemaker, Erik, Iris, Crownjewel, Son of Zadok, Pastor Dennis, JB, Donald, Elle, Izumi/JOY, Nothing To Lose, Friend4Life, Linda, Tracy, Karl, Sweepea, Nancy, Clark Kent, Disciple, Teezy313, Bro Lar, Laura, The Centurion, G8TRGRL, Mystic, Brenda, Disciple, Kettly, SCRIBE, Lisa, River, dgm2007, Ebony, Speaking Spirit, Doubleback Alley, Pamela T., Typical Blurker, Abraham, Yvonne, Yve, vaughn, Water Walker, Reign!, Sheri, Creme Brulee, Leesa, Mayflower, Mayam, Heart after Him, JR, P. Debbie and sometimes P. Debye, and all of the hundreds and hundreds of Anonymi (plural for Anonymous)...people from all over the map (literally and figuratively), many of whom have never even been ITB@CITN...everyone makes a valid contribution (if I left your name/handle out, forgive me)...even the blurkers...we feel your presence...Oh, come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant...

ou are all unique and special...many of you are actually gifted writers in your own right, and you express yourselves with intelligence and great sensitivity. Some days your revelation just blows me away...and I enjoy the little glimpses into your personal lives when you share anecdotes...and I pray for you when you have a prayer request...and you make me laugh. Always your support is appreciated. For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne.



onnectivity (kŏn'ĕk-tĭv'ĭ-tē) 1. The quality or condition of being connected or connective.
2. The ability to make and maintain a connection between two or more points in a telecommunications system: a phone company that offers excellent Internet connectivity...these are some of the definitions of the word, but I believe that we are writing a new definition here every day, line upon line, precept upon precept...a definition with a deeper meaning...one that taps into the truth and revelation of the ultimate reality...the reality that is THE CHRIST (What then, brethren, is [the right course]? When you meet together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a disclosure of special knowledge or information, an utterance in a [strange] tongue, or an interpretation of it. [But] let everything be constructive and edifying and for the good of all. - I Corinthians 14:26 AMP)...Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me, Let There Be Peace on Earth, The peace that was meant to be, With God as our Father, Brothers all are we, Let me walk with my brother, In perfect harmony...

ave yourself a merry little Christmas, bloggers. Regardless of what you went through in 2008, the fact is that you made it, and you have lived to see another holday season, and you need to enjoy it...every bit of it. God is good, and He has been good to you this year in ways that you can't even see right now. I'm sure that I'll say more about this as we approach the new year, but I'll say it here now...whatever is in the past is in the past...if you have a praise report for '08, then share it with us here on the blog...if you have complaints about the last 12 months, then just make the decision to forget those things which are behind. If you have positive/prophetic words for 2009, share them here, as well. As I used to say every day on the CITN blog: LEARN FROM THE PAST, LIVE IN THE PRESENT, CREATE THE FUTURE...but most importantly, get the most out of the Christmas experience in the next few hours. It's the most wonderful time of the year...

evelation (rĕv'ə-lā'shən)
1. a. The act of revealing or disclosing;
b. Something revealed, especially a dramatic disclosure of something not previously known or realized.
2. Theology: A manifestation of divine will or truth.
3. the act of making known a truth which was previously secret
4. a fact newly made known
5. a person or experience that proves to be different from expectations: New York State could prove a revelation to first-time visitors
6. Christianity: God's disclosure of his own nature and his purpose for mankind
7. A daily occurence on BLOGINTHENOW...
That's what it's all about...Christmas, that is...the Word made flesh...and every day, the Word continues to be manifested here through insight, agreement, sometimes the occasional absurdity of a confirmation through a blog word verification (hmmm..."word verification"...that's an interesting phrase to explore) ...Do you hear what I hear?

n a word, we not only have every reason to be thankful for all of our blessings throughout the year...including the blessing that is BLOGINTHENOW (and now AW4W) with all the connectivity and revelation that comes with the cyber-community experience...we also have every reason to enjoy the holidays...to have a Merry Christmas (Jesus is the reason for the season), a Happy New Year...even a Happy Hanukkah (Shalom, y'all)...and an awesome Kwanzaa! Why not celebrate it all?! Why limit Thanksgiving to a single Thursday in November?! You don't have to have a turkey to remind you to celebrate and to be grateful and to rejoice! The holiday season...especially Christmas...is a state of mind...an attitude...a realizaion...a remembrace that God is good and life is good, and life in Him should be appreciated and cherished and valued, regardless of what may or may not be happening in the world around us...Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong? What the gladsome tidings be Which inspire your heavenly song? Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

o I am praying for all of this cyber-community to grasp this (just like the little monk praying over there on the altar that forms the letter "S"), but my prayer is really just a declaration of faith...an affirmation...a blessing that I now pronounce over you and your household and your family and your loved ones...a blessing over all that you are, and over all that you will become in the new year...I bless your dreams...I bless your vision...I bless your spirit and your soul and your body...I bless your memory of Christmas past, and your imagination of Christmas future...most of all, and most importantly, I bless your paradigm of Christmas present...Christmas in the NOW! A thrill of hope, The weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks A new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born! O night divine, O night, O night divine!

is the season to be jolly...and thankful...and positive...and proactive...and open and optimistic and full of faith for the future! It's time to reflect on the journey, and to look back over all of it with absolutely no regrets. It's the season to expect the unexpected...to re-connect with the wonder of childlike belief. Call it magic or miracle, the truth of it is that this is the time when we open up our hearts to believe that the clunky and clumsy logic of natural laws is done away with...and suddenly we dream a world of possibilities where angelic choirs serenade shepherds, and eastern astrologers are led by celestial lights, and virgins conceive, and birth is given to the impossible! And every mother's child is gonna spy to see if reindeer really know how to fly!

ay your days be merry and bright! I speak joy to your world, and say that all of your nights are silent, so that you may sleep in heavenly peace. No matter what lies ahead for you, let nothing you dismay...remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day...and because He was, the only things that you need to concentrate on are tidings of comfort and joy! The hopes and fear of all your years are met in Him tonight! He deserves all of your praise. He knows our need, Our weakness is no stranger, Behold your King, before Him lowly bend, Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!

nd so, as I come to the end of my BLOGINTHENOW Christmas message and blessing, I await your responses on the comments page (this has taken many hours to complete, and already there are 29 comments posted as I finish this up)...I know we're all busy, but if you have a minute or two, and this blog has meant something to you, take the time (if you haven't already) to express your thoughts and Christmas wishes for the rest of the blog community (yes, even you blurkers). What you write doesn't have to be poetic or profound...it just needs to be real. My BLOGINTHENOW Christmas wish would be that this post would generate this most comments ever! We wish you a Merry Christmas,We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas...and a Happy New Year!

ELAH! GOD BLESS US, EVERY ONE!

Monday, Monday

Remember Who You Are!

"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

(Matthew 5:13-16, The Message)

Today is a Holy Day!

Here's an alphabetical synopsis from this morning...Wanted: Testimonies, confirmations, agreement, (positive) impressions from the service, good reports, ONLY...Needed: BLOGGERS not BLURKERS!!!

A - pologies to the streamers...

B - eautiful children leading in worship...

C - onfirmation through several witnesses...

D - reams made real in the Field of Dreams...

E - veryone Attending, Contributing, Helping!

F - amily meeting...

G – od is a generational God!

H – appy 18th birthday, Judah!

I - am not your Pastor/Bishop today...today I am in father mode...

J - esus is Lord over this vision!

K - ITN building is awesome!

L - ABOR DAY!!!

M - emories made new...

N - ot turning back...moving ahead...here to delare to you my past is over...

O - pen your ears to the prophetic word...

P – eople will come...

Q - uit making excuses...

R - esponsibility belongs to the whole community...E.E.E.E.A.C.H.!!!

S – etting things in order…

T - he TITHE is still holy…even without the curse…even under the New Covenant…

U- nderstanding the vision…

V - isiting the old landmarks…

W - hy should there continue to be a CHURCH IN THE NOW???

X - pect things to begin to turn around NOW!

Y - ou make all things new, yes, You make all things new, and I will follow You FORWARD!!!

Z - ealously pursue the fulfillment of the destiny of this house!!!

I Have A Dream

(Please scroll down and pause the playlist before playing the clip...)



On this 45th anniversary of the I Have a Dream Speech, I want to repost a sermon that I did a few months ago in which I used this iconic piece of Americana as a foundation. I say here, as I said that day, that I use Dr. King's words with fear and trembling, because I so deeply revere his memory, and would never want to demean the importance of what happened that day in Washington in any way. I trust this will be received as a word for CITN, and a tribute to one of the greatest men who ever lived, who said some of the greatest words ever spoken. My intention here is not to try to equate myself with MLK, but to express to you all that I truly do have a dream for this ministry...and I hope that it's your dream, too...



I HAVE A DREAM/ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)

I HAVE A DREAM FOR CITN/ Bishop Jim Swilley (2008)



MLK – I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.



JES – I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as a great Sunday morning service at Church In The Now.






MLK - Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.


JES - One score and three years ago, an idealistic young man came to Conyers, GA to establish a local congregation…a different kind of church that would be built upon the words recorded in Psalms 2:8, Ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. The revelation of this powerful Scripture came as a great beacon light of hope to that small group of people who met together for the first time in May of 1985 in a little storefront on Royal Drive. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their having no alternative to irrelevant, traditional church, and religious “business as usual”.





MLK - But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.


JES - But twenty-three years later, Church In The Now is still trying to walk in the fullness of its unique destiny. Twenty-three years later, this house of worship is still learning to overcome the growth obstacles that exist for a truly multicultural church. Twenty-three years later, CITN is still attempting to create a real sense of community in a church that was not birthed out of an established community or a denomination. Twenty-three years later, the leadership of this church is still trying to instill within this body a sense of ownership among the people, and a comprehension of the need for them to be investors in it. And so we've come here today to speak to the current condition at Church In The Now.






MLK - In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."


JES - In a sense we've come here today to proclaim, once again, our commitment to the ideal of 100% participation among the membership of CITN…the realization of a vision to reach the goal of Everyone Actively Contributing and Helping. It is obvious today that not everyone who attends the church understands this yet.




MLK - But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.


JES - But we refuse to believe that the manifestation of a workable E.A.C.H. program – a mindset among the people that causes full community commitment – is a goal that is unrealistic or unreachable.




MLK - We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.



JES -We have also come into this Sanctuary today to remind all who attend this service, either within these walls, or streaming over the internet, along with all who will watch the DVD, or listen to the CD of it, of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of every prophecy that has been spoken over this ministry in the last twenty-three years. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of some of the people doing all of the work and all of the giving, to the sunlit path of everyone pulling their weight and making a real contribution to the greater good. Now is the time to lift our church from the quicksands of mediocrity to the solid rock of being a successful megachurch. Now is the time to make this ministry be all that it can be.





MLK - It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.



JES - It would be fatal for CITN to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the church’s core group’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of full church participation. Two Thousand and Eight is not an end, but a beginning. And those who just assume that the administration of the church will figure it out and keep going with things remaining as they now, are will have a rude awakening if the church returns to business as usual.





MLK - But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.



JES - But there is something that I must say to those who are already pulling their weight and are actively participating…we must not look down on those who don’t see the vision yet. We must love them, set an example for them, and encourage them to see the benefits of becoming a part of this body that is fitly joined together.





MLK - The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.



JES - The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed those who comprehend what this church needs to be must not lead us to reject those who stay on the periphery, for they are our brothers and sisters. Let us pray that they come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny…that they will see and believe that we might not have it all together, but together we have it all!





MLK/JES - We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.




MLK - There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."



JES - There are many who are asking those of us who have worked to build this ministry up to where it is today, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as there are services held at CITN week after week with scores of unfilled seats. We can never be satisfied as long as there are so many that never give financially, or if they do give, do not give regularly or sacrificially. We cannot be satisfied as long as the sense of covenant among the people is so weak that they break fellowship with the church at the slightest offence. We can never be satisfied as long as people continue to misunderstand the theological truths of the gospel of reconciliation and believe that salvation is “For Christians Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as the world at large is unable to fully appreciate what an amazing place that CITN is. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until we truly become “a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden”.





MLK - I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.



JES - I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great religious bondage. Some of you have come fresh from denominationalism and fundamentalism. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for spiritual truth left you battered by the storms of religious persecution and staggered by the winds of legalism. You have come out of darkness into the light. Continue to work with the faith that they who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled. Go back to doing what your hand finds to do with all of your might in this ministry, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.





MLK - Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.



JES - Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the prophetic purposes of God for this region, and for CITN’s ministry to the nations of the earth.





MLK - I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."



JES - I have a dream that one day this church will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “Real People Experiencing the Real God in the Real World”






MLK - I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.



JES - I have a dream that one day on these 43 acres on I-20, thousands and thousands of sons and daughters of former slaves, and thousand and thousands of sons and daughters of former slave owners will be able to worship together as one voice, whether they clap on the one and the three or the two and the four…and that the Hispanic community would join in the song with them, along with people from every nation who have come to Conyers for such a time as this.





MLK - I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.




JES - I have a dream that one day CITN will be able to saturate the surrounding area with the good news of the gospel of liberty, even in the Bible belt, a region sweltering with the heat of condemnation preaching, sweltering with the heat of hellfire and brimstone and damnation, so that it will be transformed into an oasis of the goodness of the Lord which brings people to repentance.






MLK - I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.




JES - I have a dream that my four children will one day be able to say that their father fulfilled his destiny in coming to Conyers, GA to create a ministry that shows people how to know one another after the spirit, and not after the flesh.







MLK/JES - I have a dream today!





MLK - I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.



JES - I have a dream that one day, all the people of CITN will tithe or give or invest or support – whatever they call it – not because they are afraid that they will be cursed if they don’t, but because they love the Kingdom of God, and because they believe in the vision of a ministry that allows little black boys and black girls to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.




MLK/JES - I have a dream today!




MLK/JES - I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."




MLK - This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.







JES - This is our hope, and this is the faith with which I speak the Word over this church.











MLK - With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.



JES - With this faith, we will be able to make every member of this church step up and take responsibility for the success of this ministry. With this faith, we will be able to demonstrate to this community the manifested power of the Kingdom of God. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to stand up for the uncompromised word of God together, knowing that we will all be blessed by the ultimate success of this ministry.






MLK - And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!



JES - And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of the members and friends of Church In The Now, here in Conyers and all around the world will be able to sing with new meaning:
We speak to nations – be open! We speak to nations – fall on your knees!
We speak to nations – the Kingdom is coming near to you -
We speak to you - Be free!





MLK - And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.







JES – And if Church In The Now is to realize its potential, this must become true.








MLK - And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.






JES - And so let His kingdom come in every Sunday and Wednesday service at Church In The Now.





MLK - Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.






JES - Let His kingdom come in every sermon that is preached, and in every song that is sung.





MLK - Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.







JES - Let His kingdom come in every book or CD or DVD that is sold from this media department.







MLK - Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.







JES - Let His kingdom come in every outreach ministry and missions project supported by this ministry.







MLK - Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.







JES - Let His kingdom come in every relationship formed within this covenant community.






MLK - But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.






JES - But not only that: Let His kingdom come in The Mix and in ReMix. Let His kingdom come in Kids In The Now and in Kidzzone Learning Center. Let His kingdom come in Street Jam, in the Prison Ministry, in the Angelfood Ministry, in the Streaming Faith outreach, in Wize Gize, the Nation of Worship and all the Worship and Arts Department, in the Flow, Real Women, Men’s Fellowship, Bikers for Christ, His Hands, Body Builders, Now Ministries, the Care Pastors, the Staff, the Ministry of Helps, the cyber-congregation, and in every outreach of CITN, both foreign and domestic, and in the lives of everyone around the world who is influenced by this ministry!







MLK - And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!


JES - And when this happens, when we allow the true Kingdom of God to come, when we let it come in every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the song we sing so much around here:
“How great is our God! Sing with me…
How great is our God, and all will see
How great…HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!!!”