Bridge Builders in a Divided World

Keegan Stewart: I'm excited today to have a conversation with two guests on our campus.
I want to introduce these guests to you right now.
First, on the far side here, we have Pastor Larry Brooks from Community Baptist Church.
And then right here to my left, we have Pastor Stormy Swann from Faith Church Lubbock.
Can we welcome them this morning?
Thank you.
Our conversation today is going to be centered around, well, the video that we just saw.
Not just the video, the person speaking in the video, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Yesterday was the holiday.
A lot of people had that day off in remembrance of him and what he did.
And so that's what we're going to talk about this morning.
I'll start with you, Larry.
Why do you believe that it still matters for us to pause and reflect on Dr. King's legacy today?
Larry Brooks: I think where we are in this generation and where we've come from,
I think our collective experiences and things that have gotten us here,
I think it's so important that we not forget the past.
Solomon said this.
He said, "There's nothing new under the sun."
Some of the same struggles and some of the same challenges
are still before us.
His dream was, as you heard, equality and justice
and community and unity and all those things
that helps to make us such a great society.
This American experience that we enjoy today
and this wonderful campus and these students.
But understanding some of the past, someone of the past,
and it's been a tough past for some,
understanding that, appreciating that.
But I think the great message of Dr. King
was to look forward to what's ahead.
And there's tremendous hope, tremendous hope.
Keegan Stewart: Anything to add, Stormy?
Stormy Swann: The Bible says we're to honor to whom honors do.
And the word honor means to respect and reverence.
And so, you know, growing up in America, we've made progress.
We've got a long way to go.
And so I think as long as that dream stays alive, we'll get there.
And it's going to take every one of us, even all you students.
So honored to be here today.
Keegan Stewart: That's great.
Stormy, start with you on this one.
In a culture that sometimes feels like it's marked by polarization or anger, division through things on social media,
what can we learn from Dr. King's commitment to nonviolence and also the theme of loving our enemies?
Stormy Swann: I appreciate Dr. King as far as he spoke without restraint.
He spoke with boldness, and we all know there in John 8, it says,
only the truth sets people free.
And so I believe that as long as we continue to preach the word of God
and tell people the truth, and I think one thing, if Dr. King was here today,
he would tell all of us, we've got to learn to see people through Jesus' eyes
and through Jesus' tears.
And the more I look at people through Jesus' eyes,
the more humble and the more love that I begin to live.
And so I believe to put down the hate, and we all know it's real.
The injustice are still real.
But again, we tell people the truth and love, and God will continue to move.
Larry Brooks: I agree with Stoney.
I think culture can be difficult.
I think some of the messages out there,
And I don't want to dish it all, but I think there's a lot of positive things going on.
But I think everyone has to find a sense of truth.
And when you come to that place of truth, that really colors everything else.
And I think the voices we listen to is critical.
And I think for what Dr. King was trying to promote and struggle was that first we love ourselves and then we can love others.
And I think the degree that we love ourselves determined the degree we love others.
And I think that was really one of the major messages.
Keegan Stewart: So that idea right there, love others, another way to put it is the way Jesus puts it, love your neighbor.
we hear that a lot. Dr. King used that message and he lived that message. And I want to ask
you two personally, just in your own perspective, in your own life, what does it mean to you
to love your neighbor? And what does that look like? I think for me, it's like in the scriptures
Larry Brooks: when the man asked Jesus,
who is my neighbor?
And it was a race thing.
Jew in the ditch
and the others walked by
and a Samaritan,
the most hated of the two groups
as far as towards one another.
And it was this Samaritan
that got down in the ditch
where this man was bleeding.
picked him up, took him to an inn, took care of him.
And Jesus said, likewise, you go do likewise.
So to me, it's anyone that God puts in your path that has a need,
and you can help meet that need.
And I think when we become too inward and thinking solely about ourselves,
Not understanding that we were made as a society.
And so whoever, those that are around us, was put there for a purpose.
And so it's whoever we can help to get better.
Stormy Swann: Stormy?
I think Jesus modeled that incredibly to us.
That you never see that Jesus ever rejected anyone.
And so that becomes a blueprint for each one of us.
And, you know, to love our neighbor like herself, that's easier said than done.
But I think with the Holy Spirit helping us and just what the Lord Jesus modeled to us,
each one of us can do that on a daily basis.
And I challenge you to do that, where you look and say, you know,
I want to love even people that would view as unlovable.
And so I think it's big for each one of us to kind of what Dr. Brooks said, to get out of our comfort zones at times.
And the focus isn't always me.
It's got to be on other people.
Keegan Stewart: A moment ago, you said if Dr. King were here today, here's what he would think about all of us that we need to do differently.
Stormy, think about college students.
And I want to just dig a little deeper into that.
What would he say to college students today?
What would be his message for them?
Stormy Swann: I think he would say, don't waste your todays.
Yesterday's over, tomorrow's not here.
All I have is today.
And so I've got to make my todays count.
And every one of us have life-defining moments.
The problem with the life-defining moment, we don't know when they're going to take place.
But those life-defining moments, that's what changes me.
and so focus on your todays what what can i do differently today not just for my own life but
for other people and i think when we begin to do that we shift the focus on us and it begins to
bring the selfishness out of us and so i believe that's what he said make your todays count
Keegan Stewart: i want to hear from larry on that too what what's the life defining moment that you're
referencing there what is what's that what's an example of one of those
Stormy Swann: Well, with me, a life-defining moment was I didn't grow up within the church.
And so the day I gave my heart to Jesus, that was a life-defining moment.
It's changed the course of my life, to change the course of my marriage, even my children and my grandchildren now.
And so that was a huge life-defining moment with me when I gave the Lord my heart.
So something I'll never forget.
Keegan Stewart: Thank you.
Larry, what do you think you would say to college students?
What would you challenge them on the most?
Larry Brooks: A lot of time with college students and speaking with them, listening to them.
I think that whole theme of making a difference, you're put here for a purpose and a reason.
And only you can do what he's put you here to do.
No one else can.
uniquely divine design rather for purpose and a call and a noble call.
He talked about that quite a bit, a noble call, purpose, even in your education.
And then he talked about how education is not really an opportunity to get rich and, you know, all of that.
It's really to make this place better.
And, you know, when we was your age, it was all about destiny.
What is our destiny?
What is our purpose?
what is our call, I would think Stomi and I
thinking about legacy, what can we leave behind
that will make a mark, a change?
We're both pastors and I grew up here in Lubbock,
raised here in Lubbock.
One of the defining moments was, I think for me,
in the ninth grade, for Lubbock, Texas, West Texas,
I was the first group that got bussed,
segregation and dealing with that and integration.
The year I got bussed in the ninth grade
from Dunbar High School over to Ola Slaton,
there was a shooting at the high school
where a white kid shot a black kid, killed him,
ranting here in Lubbock, Texas.
Wasn't in Atlanta, wasn't in Alabama.
It was here in Lubbock.
Had to make a decision at that point.
Was I going to allow that to define me
and to become bitter and angry, filled with hate?
Was there a better way?
And of course, like Stomi, I found that better way
with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
changed my whole perspective, my whole point of life.
And I have three daughters.
I can say, in all honesty, my wife and I
have never spoken against another race in our household.
Not just Dr. King, but way beyond Dr. King.
And his faith that was so critical.
And that faith was in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so they're free.
And I'm free.
Not bound by those things that would bind people.
But there's a freedom and a liberty that you can live life.
And you realize you're not better than anyone.
And you're not worse than anyone.
You're a unique creation of God Almighty.
And there's a freedom there.
There's a freedom.
Keegan Stewart: amen thanks for sharing that one of the things dr king did was provide messages
as we saw in the video earlier for our culture today there's a lot of places
to see and hear and receive messages and as we talked about earlier that can sometimes get messy
or confusing or polarizing where where should college students receive their messages what's
your advice to them on deciphering information, seeing messages, and learning information?
Stormy Swann: You can't believe everything you hear. There's a lot of theories out and stuff, and
one of your instructors here, Dr. Monica Hill, I was around her husband last week,
and he made a comment on this, and some of you may view this as old school, but he said this,
that his dad told him over and over.
Stay in the book and stay on your knees.
And the Bible's not outdated.
The truth has never changed.
And on Psalms 119 it says,
forever is word settled in heaven.
And I believe the greatest information
that we can get and live our lives by
is by the word of God.
Don't compromise the word of God.
Don't water the word of God down.
Just take the word of God for face value
And it'll still speak to you and it'll still lead you to this day.
Larry Brooks: Pretty much the same.
It is the voices that we listen to that will define us.
And we choose which voices we listen to.
And at the end of life, I would want to believe we have chosen those right voices.
So I would dare say that we can't tell you who.
We can only speak from our own personal experience.
And again, it goes back to that personal relationship with Christ where he defines everything, politics, views, opinions.
I have three daughters.
Of course, they have their opinions, their thoughts.
They don't always agree with me and my wife.
And we all have to find our own truth in those voices that will give us the directions for life.
I think that's critical.
Keegan Stewart: Last question, and it's an opportunity for you guys to think back to when you were in college, okay?
What do you wish you would have known that you didn't?
What do you wish you would have known that you could share with our student body this morning?
Larry Brooks: I think, for me, it's been a while ago.
But I think for me, I would not have tried to walk alone.
I would have sought out mentors and coaches.
So I would not have made so many mistakes.
And ended up in dead-end streets and dark places.
I would have sought out someone that knew more than I knew
and that could steer me and guide me.
And it's not like the Lord did not put those people in my life.
I never sought them out.
So there's hurts and scars and things in my life that shouldn't be there.
So that's what I would encourage you to do,
is don't try to go it alone, especially in this time.
You need those that know more than you know,
been there and can help you out, people you can trust.
And so try to find those people, those coaches, those mentors
that can help you to navigate this thing called life.
Stormy Swann: Stormy?
I believe Pastor Brooks hit it on the head as far as iron sharpens iron.
And you need to get around people that don't tell you what you want to hear
but what you need to hear, that they love you enough to tell you the truth.
And each one of us, as we navigate through this thing,
we'll always have opportunities to look back in the rear view of a mirror of life
and wish I would have done this different or that one.
Listen to your mentors.
Listen to what they have to say, and I believe that will really help you to go back
because when I look in my life, if I would have just listened, how many times I hang it,
and what you find in this life, you don't get do-overs. You repent of what you've done,
and you move on, but you learn from those mistakes, too. So get around people that,
again, that'll tell you what you really, really need to hear. And I think one of the greatest
things, regardless what you do in life, just do it with a passion. Don't have any regrets.
And I can sit there and say that I have some regrets and I wish I'd do.
So do life with a passion, whatever it is.
Just a full passion for it.
Keegan Stewart: Can we thank our guests for being here this morning?
Thank you both.
It's an important conversation and we're blessed that y'all joined us at LCU this morning to have it.
Absolutely.
Stormy Swann: You know, in watching Dr. King and some of the stuff yesterday, in the 133rd Psalm, it's a real short psalm.
I encourage you to read it.
It's only three verses.
But Psalm 133 says, in the place of unity is where God commands the blessing.
And it doesn't matter if a nation divided, a basketball team's divided, your marriage is divided,
your home is divided
it can't stand
and I believe the enemy
the devil knows that
so he'll go to great extremes
to keep us from being in unity
I want to highlight this again
in the place of unity
where God commands the blessing
so you go through each day
and you look and think
what am I doing to cause unity
or what am I doing to cause division
and so I am I okay to pray right now that'd be great why don't you bow your head with me let's
just pray father God we come to you in the name of Jesus Lord we love you today we thank you for
your word and Lord we pray right now over the United States that our our nation would be healed
and we'd come into a land of unity and father God over all these students right here Lord I pray
that they become bridge builders instead of bridge blowers up here and you would cause them to be
unified in everything they do here. And Lord, we welcome a God who promised the place of unity is
where you command the blessing. So I speak unity over this entire campus in Jesus' name. Amen.
Keegan Stewart: Thank you for letting me do that. Amen. Thank you both again. Let's give them a hand and we're
dismissed.