Abiding in the Vine

by Alan Delery

I’ve been serving as the Director of Celebration Church Life Transformation Community Center (LTCC) for the past year. This position has allowed me to implement key components of Positive Impact which has a mission of “Building Safe and Caring Communities Through Positive Relationships.” 

During the last month at LTCC, I’ve been promoting the theme of  “Abiding in the Vine.” John 15:7 says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

I’ve been teaching the youth how to abide in the Lord if they want to be successful in life. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” If we want to be successful, we have learned that not only must we sow a seed into our lives but we must also learn to let the seed “abide” in our lives until it grows and bears fruit.

Another word for abide is remain. We must let a seed that has been planted in our heart remain in our heart until it grows and is ready for harvest. 

Too many of us get excited about something that God has put in our heart but are not patient enough to let it grow and bear fruit. Too many people have a desire to see a cleaner and safer community, but do not sow the seed of care that is needed. The only way we will see the city of New Orleans improve is by caring for the residents of the community. From the youngest to the oldest, each person must be cared for. Not just our family but our neighbors as well.

We’ve heard the expression, “Hurt people hurt people.” I believe that “Cared for people care for people.” This is why we have the “We Care!” Campaign. Positive Impact is involved in planting the seeds of care in every community. Through our involvement at LTCC, we are currently sowing seeds of care in the Hollygrove-Dixon neighborhood and it is important that we allow those seeds to remain planted. We have begun asking residents to join the “We Care!” Campaign in order to get to know and care for their neighbors. 

I believe there is a future and an expected end for each of our neighborhoods. By faith, I see neighborhoods thriving with life. By faith, I see safe and caring neighborhoods. I also know that faith is an act. Even when we get discouraged, by faith, we can continue to sow, water and trust God for the increase. 

I desire to see community renewal throughout the City of New Orleans. Let each of us say, “Let it begin with me.”

#stay peaceful, #abide in the vine