Don't Deport!!!!

America is suffering from a serious case of amnesia because we have elected to forget that this country was built and established by immigrants. With the exception of the Native Americans we are all immigrants or decendants of immigrants. Arizona’s draconian new immigration law is scheduled to be implemented on July 29, 2010. Although this date is now uncertain in light of the Federal Government lawsuit challenging the law, there continues to be call for a Day of Non-Compliance and Protest on that date. In addition, twenty-two states are contemplating or have introduced similar legislation and Arizona has experienced an outpouring of financial support to fight the Federal suit. I believe the hottest place in Hell is reserved for individuals who stand by and allow injustice to take it's course! Do something to help our brothers and sisters, act now!

Race & America

Shirley sherrod made a comment 20 years ago in an effort to educate her listening audience on the power of change. In an effort to diminish her chracter & to stick it to the NAACP, the conservative blogger created sound bits that portrayed Ms. Sherrod as a racist. Within hours the Secretary of Aggriculture Vilsack coerce Shirley Sherrod to submitt her resignation. To add more insult to injury the media & news pundits dubbed her as a racist (the only exception was CNN, who supported her). How in the world can the NAACP, the white house & America be upset at the comments of Shirley Sherrod that was made 20 years ago but we over looked all of the racist comments & discriminatory behavior that occurs daily. How is it possible that the USDA forced her to resign but Imus recieved a slap on the risk when he called Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos". I am eagerly waiting to see how will the white house and civil rights leaders respond to this miscarriage of both justice & power!

Reflection and Reaction on Michael Jackson Memorial from a Spiritual Perspective

It is absolutely amazing how thousands of individuals can travel around the world and country to attend the funeral of a man that they have no connection with but it’s difficult to get individuals to show up to their place of worship to give reverence to God who they claim that they have a personal relationship with. Like everyone else I was shocked to hear about the death of Michael Jackson, he was one of if not the greatest entertainer of all time, however I was even more shocked when I heard and saw peoples reaction to his death. It was reported that individuals were crying, depressed and even committed suicide after they heard about MJ’s untimely death. I was grieved to hear that individuals were so wrapped up in someone else’s life that they felt the need to end their own. The bible teaches that we are never to put anyone or anything over or ahead of God. Whenever we become so caught up in people and not in God, we will fall victims to the enemy. What happened in the case of Michael Jackson is a wakeup call to the church. We are indeed living in what theologians called eschatological times (the last days). These are the days when people will desire everything else but God. Their devotion will be secular earthly people and possessions instead of a divine God. It was intriguing to note that at his memorial not once within a two hour time span was the name of Jesus mentioned. That was absolutely ludicrous, shame on you Reverend Al Sharpton, shame on you Reverend Jessie Jackson. Both these men had the opportunity to bring comfort and healing but most importantly present an opportunity for salvation to the thousands of attendees in the staple center and the millions of viewers that was watching from around the world, but they dropped the ball. As members of the clergy this is their divine assignment and mandate from God. We must remember that funerals/memorials are not necessarily for the deceased but IT IS for those who are alive. It is so that we can recognize that, no matter how wealthy or poor we are, at the end of the day we will all face and experience death. Knowing this while we are alive it is in our best interest that we serve God with all of our heart, mind and spirit. It is our duty to treat our fellow brothers and sisters with respect and to love each other for God is love, then and only then will our lives be worth living and our existence will not be in vain.

Be Empowered!
Pastor Andre Lewis

WHY ARE WE HERE?

I declare God's blessing and Divine favor to everyone whose eyes meet this page. I am excited and enthusiastic about launching this empowering blog page. As pastor and founder of Empowerment Center I was given the assignment from God to take the leaders and members of the ministry on a journey through the entire New Testament. We are currently dissecting the book of Matthew and as we go forward we will do the same with the other books of the New Testament to observe the meta-narrative of Jesus life. Twice a week I will blog on what was read and on the biblical interpretation of the reading. My blog, at times might be radical, raw, motivational, inspirational and controversial but it will never deter you from the word of God which is the bible. With this blog we will take biblical and scriptural revelation and tie it into practical everyday living. Empowerment Center will attempt to explain through this blog page how current events are directly related to biblical events. Please join us on our journey as we will use the WORD to transform the world, BE EMPOWERED.

Expect the Unexpected,

Andre Lewis