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IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES,
I WANT TO REMIND YOU OF THE TREMENDOUS POWER OF OUR GOD.
THAT POWER IS MORE EVIDENT IN A HEART
TRANSFORMED BY THE GOSPEL THAN ANYWHERE ELSE.
YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE JUST SUCH A TRANSFORMATION...
HE WAS A LIKABLE YOUNG MAN,
WITH A PROMISING CAREER IN THE NAVY IN THE EARLY 1970s
BUT THE CRUELTY OF RACISM LED 21-YEAR-OLD MASON WEAVER
TO EXPERIENCE A TRAGIC EVENT
THAT WOULD UNDENIABLY CHANGE HIS LIFE FOREVER.
I GREW UP IN A GODLY HOME.
MY GRANDFATHER WAS A MINISTER OF ST. LOUIS.
HE WAS A VERY WELL-KNOWN MINISTER.
MY MOTHER WAS PREACHER'S DAUGHTER.
I GOT TO SEE A GODLY MAN AFTER CHURCH.
I GOT TO SEE A GODLY MAN DEAL WITH HIS FAMILY,
DEAL WITH HIS WIFE, DEAL WITH HIS PROBLEMS,
AND WHAT I SAW STUCK WITH ME, EVEN WHEN I LEFT THE HOME
AND WENT IN THE MILITARY.
I RAN ACROSS PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T LOVE GOD.
AND I KNEW WHAT HATRED WAS, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HE HATED ME.
I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST A COMPETITOR, NOT AN ENEMY.
HE WAS A WHITE RACIST ON THE SHIP,
AND I WAS A BLACK RACIST ON THE SHIP.
AND EVERYDAY WE'D HAVE DEBATES.
WE'D HAVE A DEBATE ABOUT BLACK/WHITE AMERICA
AND I WAS GETTING THE BEST OF HIM.
TO ME, IT WAS JUST PLAYTIME, I DIDN'T TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY.
ONE DAY, I HAD TO FLY OUT TO SAN FRANCISCO
AND I WAS ORDERED TO GIVE THIS MAN MY WORK CREW,
ALL BLACK CREW, BLACK MILITANTS.
HE WAS A WHITE RACIST WHO'D TAKE OVER MY WORK CREW.
THEY WOULD KILL HIM, AND THE SHIP KNEW THAT.
SO, I DECIDED TO LAY OUT THE WORK AHEAD OF TIME
AND GIVE EVERYBODY ASSIGNMENTS,
SO THAT HE COULD JUST COME IN AND SUPERVISE.
HE DIDN'T WANT TO HELP ME,
I WAS HIS SUPERIOR BY TWO MONTHS, SO I ORDERED HIM.
THE ROOM WAS EMPTY, JUST ME AND TWO OTHER SUPERVISORS,
HIM, ANOTHER BLACK GUY.
I NEEDED HELP BRINGING THE STEEL PLATE OUT
TO LAY OUT THE WORK FOR EVERYBODY.
SO I ORDERED HIM TO HELP CONTROL THAT STEEL.
I PUT MY ENEMY IN CHARGE OF 2,800 POUNDS,
AND HE TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUSH IT OVER ON ME.
AND I SAW HIM DO IT, I SAW HIM PUT HIS SHOULDER TO IT,
I SAW HIM PUSH IT.
I TURNED TO RUN JUST AS HE DID IT,
AND AS I RAN, IT HIT ME ON MY LEFT HIP,
CRUSHED MY HIP, MY RIBS,
AND I SCREAMED.
AND I OPENED MY EYES UP, AND I AS I WAS SCREAMING,
I SAW THE LOOK OF PURE HATRED IN HIS EYES.
I LOOKED RIGHT IN HIS EYES, AND I SAW THE LOOK; THE HATRED.
I HAVE BEEN TO VIETNAM, BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN A MAN
LOOK AT ANOTHER MAN THAT WAY BEFORE.
THAT LOOK HE HAD IN HIS EYES STAYED WITH ME FOR A YEAR,
THAT LOOK OF UTTER CONTEMPT.
AND I WAS RESCUED BY EIGHT WHITE GUYS.
'DIDN'T MATTER, I NOW HATED ALL WHITE PEOPLE.
I HATED EVERYTHING WHITE; I DIDN'T WANT A WHITE DOG.
WHEN I GOT HURT, I WENT TO BALBOA HOSPITAL SAN DIEGO,
THEY TOLD MY MOTHER TO GET TO THE HOSPITAL FROM ST. LOUIS,
'CAUSE I WASN'T GONNA MAKE IT.
HIS SPLEEN WAS TORN,
THERE WAS A FRACTURE TO HIS PELVIS,
THERE WAS A POSSIBLE FRACTURE OR SWELLING OF HIS SPINE,
THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIS LEG.
I WAS THE HEALTHIEST MAN IN MY HIGH SCHOOL,
AND NOW, ALL OF A SUDDEN, I COULDN'T EVEN SWALLOW.
I COULDN'T BREATHE ON MY OWN, I COULDN'T SPEAK ON MY OWN,
I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING.
MY WHOLE BODY STOPPED FUNCTIONING.
MY VOCAL CORDS, THE VIBRATIONS, HURT MY BACK.
WHEN I WENT TO X-RAY, OVER THE ELEVATOR,
THE LITTLE SLIT IN THE ELEVATOR DOOR ON THE FLOOR,
GOING OVER THAT LITTLE SLIT, HURT MY BACK.
WHENEVER THEY MOVED ME IN THE HOSPITAL,
I HAD TO GRAB MYSELF FOR THE PAIN.
AFTER A LONG AND PAINFUL TREATMENT,
MASON WAS FINALLY RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL.
HOWEVER, THE NAVY CLASSIFIED HIS INJURIES AS PERMANENT
AND DISCHARGED HIM FROM THE SERVICE.
AT THE TIME, MASON ONLY HAD ONE GOAL IN MIND,
TO CONFRONT HIS SHIPMATE WHO HAD SEVERELY
AND INTENTIONALLY INJURED HIM.
I HAD PROMISED MYSELF,
IF I EVER LAID EYES ON HIM AGAIN,
I DON'T CARE IF HE WAS IN FRONT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT,
I DON'T CARE IF HE WAS ON THE STAGE GIVING A SPEECH,
IF I EVER LAID EYES ON HIM AGAIN,
I WILL PUT MY HANDS AROUND HIS THROAT
AND I WILL SQUEEZE THAT LOOK OFF HIS FACE OF ANGER.
I WILL KILL HIM; I WILL TAKE HIS LIFE.
FOR MONTHS,
MASON UNSUCCESSFULLY TRIED TO FIND HIS WHITE SHIPMATE.
MEANWHILE, HE WAS CONFRONTED WITH THE PHYSICAL OBSTACLES
HE WOULD HAVE TO LIVE WITH
AND THE REALITIES OF AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE .
I FOUND IN MY LIFE...
UNEDUCATED, I WAS A HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT,
I COULDN'T GET A JOB, MY CAREER IN THE NAVY WAS OVER.
UNTRAINED, UNEDUCATED, AND VERY MUCH UNMOTIVATED,
HATING EVERYONE, COULDN'T FUNCTION IN SOCIETY.
IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS STRUGGLE,
MASON HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENROLL IN A PROMINENT SCHOOL
IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
HE MOVED IN OF HIS RELATIVES
AND BEGAN A DIFFICULT JOURNEY IN BROKENNESS AND PAIN.
I WENT TO BERKELEY, AND EVERYDAY I WAS IN PAIN.
EVERYDAY I HAD TO DECIDE WHETHER I WAS GONNA GO TO BERKELEY
IN PAIN MEDICATION,
AND BE DRUGGED AND COULDN'T STAY IN CLASS,
OR GO TO CLASS WITHOUT PAIN AND BE UNCOMFORTABLE ALL DAY.
AT BERKELEY DURING THAT TIME, WE HAD WHAT WE CALLED...
THERE WAS A REVOLUTION, A REVOLUTION OF CHANGE.
THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY WAS VERY PROMINENT IN THE AREA
MASON JOINED THE BLACK STUDENTS UNION,
THE CHAPTER THAT WAS ON CAMPUS AT THAT TIME.
IT WAS DEFUNCT BUT IT WAS BEGINNING TO SURFACE AGAIN.
MASON WAS ONE OF THE FORERUNNERS
I RAN ACROSS OTHER BLACK MEN THAT HATED AMERICA
AND THEY HATED SOCIETY,
THEY HATED THE PRINCIPLES OF THIS COUNTRY.
AND WE BEGAN TO HATE TOGETHER,
'CAUSE YOU ARE WHO YOU ASSOCIATE WITH.
BUT I HAD THIS EMPTINESS IN ME,
THIS CALLING ON MY HEART,
THE EXAMPLE OF MY FATHER AND GRANDFATHER,
AND I BEGAN TO LOOK FOR GOD AGAIN.
AND WHAT I DISCOVERED WAS,
SEARCHING FOR GOD, IT CAME DOWN TO THOSE DISCIPLES.
THOSE DISCIPLES SAW SOMETHING, SOMETHING THEY WITNESSED
THAT CHANGED THEIR VERY CHARACTERISTICS.
COWARDLY, SELF-CENTERED MEN
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, SOME INCIDENT HAPPENED,
AND THEY BECAME BOLD WARRIORS, NOT AFRAID OF DEATH ANY LONGER.
THEY SAW SOMETHING.
IT WAS THE RESURRECTION.
AND I HAD TO RECOGNIZE AS A ANGRY BLACK MILITANT;
SPEAKING SWAHILI, BLACK PANTHER,
HANGING OUT WITH THEM, I HAD TO RECOGNIZE THAT...
THAT GOD ALMIGHTY WAS BORN OF WOMAN JUST FOR ME.
HE ALLOWED SINFUL MEN TO MANHANDLE HIM JUST FOR ME.
HE ALLOWED SINNERS TO BEAT HIM AND SPIT ON HIM JUST FOR ME.
HE ALLOWED HIS PRECIOUS HOLY BODY TO BE NAILED TO THE CROSS
WITH ME IN MIND, PERSONALLY, BY NAME.
HE ALLOWED HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD TO SOAK THAT CROSS
AND SOAK THAT GROUND, JUST FOR MASON.
AND WHEN I FINALLY RECOGNIZED THAT JESUS CHRIST
DID NOT COMPROMISE WITH ME, ON THE CROSS,
I TOOK A DEEP LONG BREATH AND SAID,
"I CAN NO LONGER COMPROMISE WITH HIM IN THE WORLD."
THE FIRST THING I HAD TO DO,
THE FIRST THING, I HAD TO FORGIVE THAT WHITE SHIPMATE.
I HAD TO FORGIVE HIM BEFORE HE GAVE ME REPARATIONS,
BEFORE HE WAS SORRY WHAT HE DID, BEFORE HE FORGAVE HIMSELF,
I HAD TO FORGIVE HIM,
'CAUSE OF WHAT GOD HAD FORGIVEN ME FOR.
HE DISCOVERED THAT CHRIST...
WOULD HANDLE HIS BURDEN FOR HIM.
AND HE HAD TO TURN THAT HATE INTO LOVE
AND PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS.
GOD HAD RENEWED HIS SOUL,
AND HAD MADE HIM REALIZE THAT
THAT BURDEN HE WAS CARRYING AROUND WITH ANGER,
THAT WAS TOO HEAVY FOR HIM TO ENCOUNTER,
AND ONLY GOD WOULD BE ABLE TO RESCUE HIM FROM
THAT EVIL WHICH IS CALLED HATRED.
LOOKING BACK ON THAT INCIDENT,
THAT WHITE RACIST SHIPMATE DID MORE FOR ME
THAN ANY MAN I'VE EVER KNOWN IN MY LIFE,
BECAUSE THAT WHITE RACIST SHIPMATE
GOT ME IN TUNE WITH WHO I WAS AS A MAN,
GOT ME IN TUNE WITH WHO GOD WAS AS GOD,
AND GOT ME IN TUNE WITH MY OBLIGATIONS
TO THE REST OF MY COMMUNITY.
MASON HAS USED HIS EXPERIENCES TO INSPIRE OTHERS
THROUGH HIS BOOK,
"IT'S OKAY TO LEAVE THE PLANTATION"
AND IS A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER WHO ADDRESSES RACIAL ISSUES
AND THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE GOSPEL .
FORGIVENESS SHOWED ME THE POWER OF GOD.
WHEN I FORGAVE THAT GUY, THE POWER,
I MEAN, I FELT THE STEEL LIFTED OFF OF ME.
I STOOD STRONGER, I STOOD TALLER.
WHEN I FORGAVE HIM, I WAS NO LONGER A VICTIM,
I WAS VICTORIOUS.
WHEN I FORGAVE HIM, I WAS NO LONGER A SLAVE,
I WAS FREE.
THE CORAL RIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
HOLDS WORSHIP SERVICES THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
DR. KENNEDY AND THE MEMBERS
WARMLY INVITE YOU TO JOIN THEM FOR WORSHIP
WHENEVER YOU'RE IN THE FORT LAUDERDALE AREA.