September “Thoughts from your Regional Minister” Article
By Ken Marston, Co-Regional Minister
A couple of days ago, I received a phone call from Dale Suggs, one of my college and seminary classmates. Rev. Suggs is doing some very creative ministry as the Co-Founder of BELOVED Way Church and Founder of BELOVED Compassion Network. These organizations center their ministry around bringing healing and wholeness in their community by helping people develop a greater compassion for themselves and others.
With so much anger and hatred being espoused in the world right now my friend Dale believes that compassion is key to addressing the tendency to divide ourselves into divisive factions that are tearing our communities apart.
This work begins with learning how to be more compassionate with ourselves so that we can become more compassionate with others. It is a living out of the Jesus, who often encountered people who were wrestling with and seeking how to live in the Kingdom of God right then.
Scripture tells us repeatedly that as Jesus would relate to others, he would look upon them with compassion, whether it was the crowds or his antagonists. And out of his compassion, he would invite everyone to consider thinking and acting in new ways that were shaped by the values of God’s will for life.
We, too, wrestle with how to do this from day to day, and I think my friend Dale’s insight is helpful as we struggle to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. So, I invite you to consider this concept of compassion—an ability to not only put ourselves in another’s shoes, but to see ourselves, others, and all of creation as God’s beloved.
How might our lives and our communities, our nation and our world be changed if we had an ever-growing compassion towards life?