“As I got to know the people of the civil rights movement, I realized I am the hopeful black woman who was denied her right to vote; I am the caring white supporter killed on the front lines of freedom; I am the unarmed black kid who maybe needed a hand but was instead given a bullet; I am the two fallen police officers murdered in the line of duty,” said Common, who portrayed Martin Luther King’s advisor, James Bevel. “Selma has awakened my humanity. … Now is our time to change the world. Selma is now.”

The quote above was from the Golden Globes last night from one of my favorite hip-hop artists Common. We live is a culture riddled by senseless violence in the name of justice or injustice I guess you could say. We live in a society that seems to have move backward, a society that is now seeing violence as the answer. I’m not saying that this is true everywhere, but the tools of power, violence, and fear are running rampant in our world. If you look at the thought changers and world changers of the 20th century, they did things differently. Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. , changed lives and countries using words and love and peace.

The series we are in right now at our church has been starting with the same question each week: “What is the WISE thing to do?” Now there is no blanket answer for everyone, I am in no way saying that there is, but when we actually think about our situations and think before we react, we are more likely to do the wise thing. When you look back at your past, when you look at what got you to where you are today, when you look at where you want to be in the future, what got you here, what do you need to change to get where you want to be.

If you want to stop being a statistic, make a change from the norm. If you want to clean up the litter in your neighborhood, don’t just complain on Facebook, go pick it up. Our nation is built on the backs of changers. Do something today, tomorrow, and everyday to make your life better. If that is picking up the trash in your neighbors yard, paying for the next person in the drive thru line, if it is not getting on Facebook, do whatever it is that needs to be done to change your attitude. Start with yourself, maybe it’s your thinking that is jacked up. Step up today as a leader and make the changes that this world needs.