let's come together in prayer.

PRAYER.
ONE BODY.
UNITED.

I want to scream this from the rooftops right now. I have spent most of my day switching between doing my work and reading the most recent news update on the tragedy, the MASSACRE that has occurred at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. My heart is literally breaking for my brothers and sisters whose lives were lost, the families of the victims, the congregation, Charleston, South Carolina, our state, our nation, our world.

I grieve because this happened. I grieve because this type of hatred because of difference is still occurring in 2015. I grieve because this was a young man who is literally my age. It's a reminder that we live in an imperfect world where evil still exists. Evil is something that will linger here until God's kingdom comes and His will is done here on earth. I grieve because the political realm is using this already as a spring board for pushing their own agendas in regards to legislative measures about guns, etc. that could have "prevented" this and the lives that were lost.

The truth is that it is not the gun that kills an individual, it is the hand that pulls the trigger. An evil, sick man woke up yesterday and decided that for whatever reason he was going to go kill simply because he could. He decided to sit in a house of worship and murder innocent people. No matter what strict policy may or may not be in place or what opinions reporters, politicians, or individuals may have...evil would have found a way. He would have found a way to commit this act if not now, then later. If not this way then in another way. He was EVIL.

However, this is not what I am here to write about. This is not the issue that hurts my heart and shakes my soul. Political agendas are NOT the point right now.

What is important is the victims whose lives were tragically loss, their families left behind, the congregation at Emmanuel AME and the pain ripping through so many right now. This is not the time to become divided on opinions or to use this incident as an example for some legislation.

THIS is the time to unite in prayer.

My heart and soul that breaks is uplifted a bit when I see splashed across my social media so many coming together to pray. How they are uniting as one to simply pray and be together. At this moment that is our greatest weapon and what we need to focus our energy on. We need to focus on coming together as one Body of Christ as is described in Romans 12.

Let us put aside opinions, differences, divisions, anything that separates us as human beings and come together simply because we are all children of The Almighty. Let us simply pray. Truly that is all we can control at the time and is our greatest force. The rest will come with time, but let us not add salt to a deep wound by our prideful intentions, no matter how good they may seem.

May the prayer trend continue throughout our state, nation, and the world. May we give everyone the time to grieve. May we all be One Body united in prayer that supports our brothers and sisters at Emmanuel AME.

Lord in Your Mercy. 

a lesson in communication, thank you to WIS "media family".

As I continue to discern further my ministry call, I know effective communication within the church is very much a defining factor of it. While I may be switching from a dream in the newsroom to the Church, my love of telling a story is not. The concept of journalism is to tell an objective story; well-rounded, thoroughly researched, many sources, both sides of the story, etc. It is about telling the stories of the people in a community and exposing  the truth. There is a responsibility to be a voice for the people. This journalistic philosophy is one I am still passionate about. Just because my direction has changed, many thing within my heart have not. How these passion will play out in the upcoming future just now looks a little different.

To be honest, I have been grieving my journalism dream. This is not something I ever planned to let go of, nor do I do so fully without a lot of bittersweet-ness. For seven plus years this was the goal I was working towards rigorously. All of my steps were taken in this one particular direction and no one could waver me from it. I had an amazing support team surrounding me, especially mentors in the WIS community. While I no longer looks towards a future in the newsroom, I have come to realize that God directly put me on this path because of the individuals I would meet who would teach me about faith and becoming a "voice for the voiceless". I reap many lessons from these years of study that will be beneficial to my future ministry and I know it was all a part of a greater plan.

As I move forward in my ministry discernment and close one chapter, I cannot do so without expressing my thanks to a group of people who did change my life. While I thought it was for one reason, it was for another that God used their influences, relationships, and experiences together to help define my future career.

 

 

Through Dawndy Mercer Plank, God taught me what compassion for a cause looks like. How you can use your faith and life experiences to spread a message of hope or encouragement to others. He also taught me what it means to reach out to someone who looks up to you, and try to help them along their way.
Dawndy: I will never be able to thank you enough for everything you have done for me. From the first time we met in the studio and you extended a warm hug of welcome instead of a simple, polite handshake, you have touched me. I spent hours with you that first day just sitting in the studio watching as you anchored. Afterwards, you extended your hand in helping mentor and guide me over these past three years. All the times you let me shadow you on the field or in the newsroom are wonderful memories I will cherish always. You did more than affect my journalistic life, you also affected my spiritual life. You taught me through your actions about what a woman of God looks like in the newsroom. Besides journalism guidance, you also offered life guidance. You listened and offered advice when I came to you with problems about college or life. There was also the time you had the grief counselor come do a segment on dealing with grief, when I was dealing with it myself. As I watched that segment that day I just balled. That meant EVERYTHING to me as you actively loved me in my time of need. Your impact on my life has not and will not end. You have a powerful passion for seeking help for viewers to keep them informed, and you passed that lesson on to me. In my future ministry I will carry on that lesson of seeking justice and uplifting the voice of the people in community I am a part of. You changed my life and I'm forever grateful to you. Thank you for "adopting" me. I will never be able to repay you for all you've done.

Through the example of Mary King, God taught me what pure joy for life looks like. No matter what life circumstances may throw your way or what time in the morning you have to get up, a smile can still be on your face. This type of zest only comes when someone is full of the Holy Spirit. When someone is that personable, people feel they can relate to you and therefore trust you with information. When your job is to help keep others informed, that type of trust is vital. Mary: you have always been so kind to me. Our lunch dates, shadowing you at 3:45 AM on Sunrise, and your cheerful disposition has always warmed my heart. You are one of the most genuine people I know. That resonates with me as I know I need to treat others that way. You extend that compassion to all you encounter and I know that it will be important I do that to those I serve in ministry, later. Thank you for that lesson and taking me under your wing.

Tim Miller my Twitter buddy. You always have a smile on your face and jokes coming off your lips. That wit has always made me laugh in our Twitter correspondence. When we were finally able to meet in person, the laughs continued. Thank you for reminding me about the power of social media and how it connects people. I also plan to use that to better connect congregations or people of the Church in my future ministry; a lesson I owe to you and our friendship. Through all the wit, you also take your responsibility as a weatherman very seriously. This balance is a lesson I take away as well about how to fulfill my responsibility of those I serve in ministry, but also doing so in ways that help make people laugh.

There are so many others at the station that have taught me lessons about telling the story that I cannot express my thanks enough for. Judi, PJ, Len, Beth, and basically everyone there. In the past three years, WIS has truly felt like an extended "adopted" media family. You all always welcomed me to shadow and explore the studio, soaking up all I learned. You all kept me encouraged through social media too, especially when I was in Washington, D.C.

I may not be going into the newsroom, but I have gained so many lessons from my time with those at WIS that I will carry into my future. While I knew that God brought WIS and the people there into my life to shape, influence, and change me it was not in the ways I initially thought. In fact it was in even more real and powerful ways.

These people taught me about compassion. These people taught me about what it looks like to fight for the truth and being a "voice for the voiceless". These people taught me about caring for the community you are in and holding true to that responsibility. These people taught me a lot about myself. For that I will always be grateful.