The world chuckled a bit when Rodney King uttered those words back in 1992 in a public plea to calm rioting in the Los Angeles area after he was beaten by police in video that was seen worldwide.
While the world didn't take his phrase seriously at the time, it's interesting how a simple plea can stick with society. Sadly, few if any people during those riots put that phrase in to practice. They didn't care about Rodney or the police. They were merely interested in destruction and looting.
But, it's the phrase King uttered that sticks with us. It was a plea to end senselessness.
It's a plea that we could stand to use in the Christian world today.
Last fall, author Bruce Wilkinson chaired an event in Springfield for pastors to come together and work on a plan to work together. There was great potential in the event, but sadly nothing came out of it. One of the primary reasons for inaction, I believe, was revealed during a survey session when pastors admitted that most churches in the region don't cooperate outside of denomination boundaries. To be truthful, some churches won't work together inside their own denominations.
As I look around at our communities in the Ozarks, I see a lot of people in need. There are people living with sickness, in poverty and without Christ in every neighborhood around us.
The solutions to these problems lie right inside our churches. Christ commanded his followers on several occasions to take care of the poor, widowed and needy. Yet, a survey of churches today shows that most ignore the needs of those outside their walls. Others simply don't have the resources to do it on their own.
That leads to a suggestion. Can we all get along? At least enough so that we can work together to tackle the needs of our towns and cities.
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