I’m still praising God for our glorious convention earlier this month. So many doors have opened for my family that there isn’t enough time to tell it all. Without going into much detail I will say this – if you’re willing to work and live right, God will step into your situation. Now I’m not saying that if you’re not living right that God can’t or won’t bless you – God is a merciful God. However, I’ve found it best to do everything within my power first. Doing so tells God that’s I’m serious about my dreams and visions.

I’m encouraging everything member of the Universal Hagar’s Spiritual Church to purchase a DVD set of this, whether you were there or not. I even invite nonmembers to do the same. Starting with our young people on up to our leader, the messages delivered were insight, thought provoking, soul stirring, and unforgettable. May God bless you all!

Your obedient servant

Jesus declared in Luke 21:36, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

We cannot afford to sit around and let life beat up on us. We have to proactive in our spiritual walk. Watching and praying puts us in the proper mindset. A developed mind is rarely surprised by any life event, positive or negative. The thinking person is always prepared for the unexpected for they expect life to throw curve balls regularly. Before we breakdown the definition of storm, I want this burned into your memories – The best way to survive a storm is to recognize it before it hits. So it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual.

Your obedient servant

The first indication of a storm of life is a disturbance in the positive flow of things. When this warning sign appears stop and pray. Jesus instructed us to watch and pray. Matthew (26:41) reported it as, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Mark (14:38) reported it as, “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” Prayer causes us to pause and take a second look at our environment. That second look gives us another chance to not enter into temptation. Temptation, here, is anything tempting us to go against the will and word of God.

Jesus offers us two other pearls of wisdom on this front. In Mark 13:33 he said, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” The truth is there is a pre-step, if you will, to persevering through the storms of life. The pre-step is staying in constant prayer because anything can come upon us at any time. What happens if the first warning sign comes five minutes before the disturbance? This barely leaves enough time to pray. So if we pray consistently we will maintain a more staple mindset. And the more staple mindset we have, the more capable we will be to withstand any obstacle.

God bless you,
Your obedient servant

Now we will begin breaking down our definition of storm. A storm is “a disturbance of the normal condition of the atmosphere…” Normal conditions are calm and relaxed both in the natural and the spiritual atmosphere. So what are the initial warning signs of a storm of life? Any disturbance of your peace, joy, happiness, financial prosperity, love, and the like is a warning sign. Storms can start within or may move upon us from the outside but the warning is the same.

Once you see, feel, hear, taste, or smell the disturbance it’s time to stop and pray. It’s time to stop and meditate. It’s time to stop and sing a sweet song of Zion. It’s time to stop and do whatever you have to do to get your mind receptive to the righteous spirit. If you can get your mind receptive at this stage then you will know what to do before the other storm attributes come along. God bless you.

Your obedient servant

A storm is “a disturbance of the normal condition of the atmosphere, manifesting itself by winds of unusual force or direction, often accompanied by rain, snow, hail, thunder, and lightning, or flying sand or dust.”

We are going to break this definition of storm down, so that we might recognize the storms of life when they arise. One might assume that a storm of life is obvious and needs no discussion. However, just like natural storms, supernatural storms have warning signs. If we can recognize the storms before they knock us down and out then we can run for shelter or at least weather the storm gracefully.

Join me over the next month to learn more about the storms of life. God bless you.

Your obedient servant

With all the issues going on in the world the last thing I want or need to see is the President’s bare chest. This is one reason why the world is in the shape it’s in. Don’t focus on foolishly small details like these. Focus on what will make your life better. God bless you.

This room allows you to respond and not react. A reaction is immediately, comes without thinking. A response is a thought out reaction. By wearing your feelings as loose garments when something or someone hurts them, you won’t feel the sting immediately. And by not feeling the sting immediately you have bought yourself time to process properly what’s transpired.

Life is a process. Nothing happens in isolation. When situations present themselves to us we must take pause and analyze everything. Maybe your boss jumped down your throat about something. Don’t assume it came out of anger or hatred. Maybe they really value you and your work and that’s why the boss even bothered to tell you.

When your feelings get hurt don’t react through your hurt feelings. Let the hurt subside. Let the pain subside. Let the anger subside. Subside it through prayer, fasting, and meditation. Go to a counselor, therapist, spiritual advisor, etc if necessary. Sometimes praying in isolation isn’t enough and we need to talk things over with someone. Just pick that someone very wisely.

God bless you my brothers and sisters in Christ. Until we meet again.

Your obedient servant,
Rev. George Latimer-Knight

We have a deficit of love in the world. But through preaching and expounding on the simple concepts of Father Hurley’s doctrine we can overcome all evil forces.

While in prayer this morning the spirit of Prince Alfred Bailey came to me. The spirit revealed to me, in part, why Princess Georgia Latimer gave me the spiritual name, Prince Alfred Solomon. Prince Bailey was known by many titles and spiritual names. One of his greatest spiritual names was/is “The Ambassador of Love”. It truly is a powerful name and mantle. As a child I spent seven or eight summers in New York with my godmother Reverend Louise Clements who was Prince Bailey’s handpicked pastoral successor. During her tenure as pastor of the New York State Headquarters of the UHSC, the first Sunday was designated as “Love Sunday”. She would wear a beautiful red robe and the altar staff would march in with red candles.

Today I see the importance of the simplicity of Father Hurley’s message. The attributes of our doctrine are very simple – peace, joy, happiness, success, financial prosperity, love, health, wealth, thought force and the like. When I was pursuing a graduate degree in Philosophy, we learned quite a bit about analytic philosophy. And at its core is the analytic method which states that an author must always define their terms. It’s easy to throw these high sounding words around but to develop these abstract concepts is a lifelong pursuit.

So now let me explain what I mean by the Ambassador of Love. Two relevant definitions of ambassador are “a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative” or “an authorized messenger or representative”. Love has a multitude of applications. At the most basic level love is a strong emotional affection. Spiritual or Godly love is unconditional. God loves us for who we are within and nothing we can ever say or do can change that, however much God despises our negative thoughts, words, or deeds. As the saying goes, “Hate the sin. Love the sinner.” An ambassador of love represents God’s love in this world. They are a diplomatic official of the spiritual world which is incomprehensible to the carnal mind. While the world advocates hatred and revenge, an ambassador of love tries their best to respond to all situations with love and compassion.

As I close this article I must say the spirit has laid this mantle heavily on my heart. Let us not allow any negative inclination or thought hinder our success. There is too much work to do to allow a moment of weakness to turn into a lifetime of sorrow. Life goes by all too quickly. Princess Latimer taught us many Sundays about the power of love and how to live a “life of love”.

Praise God for the spirit of the Ambassador of Love, Prince Alfred Bailey. Praise God for the mantle of love which still exists. Love will change the world! Hallelujah. Amen.

I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
Reverend George H. Latimer-Knight
Edited, August 15, 2010 at age 28

Our UHSC President offered another thought provoking and inspiring message! Praise God for her exceptional leadership. The following are some of the verses she gave us…

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” – 1 Corinthians 3:16

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” – John 4:24

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” – Romans 8:14

Read them and be blessed.

We are having a glorious time at our convention. The spirits of all our loved ones are here with us. My wife and I are in our room resting and anticipating the afternoon service. I can hear the songwriter saying, “Yes God is real for I can feel him in my soul.” I can feel Him right now. I can feel the one whom my soul loveth. I can feel the one whom my mind desires. I can feel the one who is the man of God’s own choosing.

Yes God is real. His blessings are ever flowing. His presence is filling the hearts of every believing saint. All the saints of God are blessed! No matter your religious persuasion – you are blessed. Take the Lord God with you everywhere you go. You’re going to need Him everywhere you go. He’s going to bless you everywhere you go. He’s going to make you a blessing everywhere you go. Peace, joy, and happiness are yours. You’ll be hearing from me soon. Peace & Love!

Your obedient servant,
Reverend George H. Latimer-Knight

Click here to view the embedded video.

A video response to an anonomous commenter to the Church Politics (http://fatherhurley.com/2010/05/church-politics) article posted over the weekend. Be encouraged! Don’t allow the foolish actions of others deter you from doing God’s work and becoming all that you can be in the Kingdom of God. Amen. Amen. Amen.

All Hail to the Christ Within!

One of the greatest challenges facing the growth of the Kingdom of God on earth is church politics. This article is an attempt to get a handle on church politics and learn its proper usage.

Church Politics Defined

Church politics are generally seen as negative but really it is neutral. Politics is “the art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs.” (politics, 2009) Using this definition of politics we see that even the church, especially an association or organization of churches, must be governed. There are bills to be paid, decisions to be made, positions to fill, committees to form, ideas to be fashioned and executed, and the Word of God to be preached by people trained to do so.

Good Church Politics

Good church politics to me is when all parties involved can sit down and have an open and honest debate about whatever issues are on the table. So in a ministers’ meeting, for instance, all the ministers will give their views on the agenda, give a fair hearing to each other’s views, modify ideas where necessary, vote on the issues, and leave the meeting feeling good about what has been accomplished. The same would go for a Sunday School teacher’s meetings, deacon’s board meeting, trustee board meeting, etc. And when it comes to position appointments, the body making the decision should consider all qualified candidates, pray and meditate about it, talk it over, and put a good person in place. The person won’t be perfect, because no one is, but they should at bare minimum love God, love the church, and be willing to work at being effective.

Bad Church Politics

Bad church politics is just the opposite of this ideal. All sorts of negatives thoughts or spirits enter in when it’s time to make decisions. “Bad church politics comes about when church leadership departs from either the leadership of the Holy Spirit or from the guidance of the Bible… Sadly, some church leaders have got to the point where they must rely on techniques of manipulation and domination in order to maintain their positions of influence and authority. Such leaders are insecure and are easily threatened by those whom they cannot control.” (Fackerell, 2007) This spirit of manipulation and domination creeps into leadership in all areas of life. How does this happen? It happens when people begin to define themselves by the titles they hold. Once this unnatural process is completed then of course they will do any and everything to hold on to their position.

My Church Politics Philosophy

One of our Assistant Prince’s shook my hand after a session in our past convention and said, “Hey how you doing George. I mean Reverend. Well is it alright if I call you George?” My reply, “Reverend is not on my birth certificate.” After which we both laughed. Yes I want to be respected but not because of “Reverend”. The scripture says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” (Proverbs 22:1 NIV) So if “George Hubert Latimer-Knight” stands for something good then it doesn’t really matter what title is in front of my name or what title or degree initials are behind my name. Your name gives your titles powers – your titles will cause you to lose power if misused.

For me, disagreeing with someone is not disrespectful, especially when it is done out of love.
One should never completely disrespect leadership but a healthy disagreement can be helpful. I’ve been told this is not the case, but it is so. In the business world, whether I was a peon or in management, I have always been encouraged to speak my mind. I always thought first and tried to say my piece in the kindest, nicest, and most effective and helpful way possible. But that same approach in the church world brings on comments like, “you don’t respect your leaders” or “you have said things that have put you in a very bad position” or “I hear people talk about you”. It seems almost a thing of the past to obey Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Why Not Avoid All This Church Foolishness Altogether?

Well it’s natural to consider just avoiding the church world altogether. Though this is tempting to the flesh, it doesn’t solve anything. If we withdraw from the church, then guess what, the same mess that led us to leave will still be going on. As one of our past mothers used to say, “You’ll be at home mad and missing your blessings. While the people you’re mad at will be at church doing the same things they’ve always done.”

The power manifested when true saints of God gather is too rich and powerful to miss because a few people don’t know how to act. Glory to God! Jesus declared, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) So according to the scripture, if I can find just one other person to link up with then I will receive a touch from God. Furthermore Hebrews 10:25 teaches, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Don’t give us on the vision (of God) because of a few silly pigeons (low minded people).

How to Fight Bad Church Politics

Here are 10 steps I have used to fight bad church politics:

1. Learn to control your temper. – It takes time to do this. The urge to go off every time someone says something foolish is real. Fight it! Learn to respond and don’t react.
2. Don’t respond to gossip. – Most times when people say, “well I’m just telling you about what people are saying about you”, they are one of the main ones talking about you or against you.
3. Live a moral life. – I remained a virgin until I got married. And I got married at 27!!! That was very difficult but because of that many attacks that folks wish they could wage against me cannot be waged. If you have been sleeping around then stop! If you have been committing adultery then stop! Bringing in a parade of different sexual partners weekly then stop! Time living a moral life defuses foolishness.
4. Be open and honest about past mistakes. – How can people gossip about what you did when you preached on it and say what you learned from it? My wife taught me this. People can’t hurt your feelings calling you names behind your back when you’re called that name and said how you’re working on it. Another example…One pastor said, “If one of you young ladies gets pregnant just stand up and tell the church. If you try to hide it you’re going to cause more gossip than if you had just said it yourself in the first place.” The principle applies to almost anything that you’re done.
5. Participate in various church functions, meetings, and events. – In doing so you will learn how to operate and conduct yourself.
6. Prefer a ministry over a title. – By that I mean you don’t need a title to operate in God’s kingdom. Title dependency breeds bad church politics. Examples…you don’t need a title to pass out church literature, volunteer to run a church entertainment or function, serve on a committee or two, pray for the sick, give a financial donation to a college student in your church or community, send encouraging cards to those who feel down (card ministry), write brothers and sisters who are incarcerated (prison ministry), or spread cheer and the word of God on the Internet (internet ministry).
7. Allow the spirit to promote you. –Most of the church positions I have or have held were given to me with no questions asked, i.e. “George you’re going to do this”, or I volunteered.
8. Be flexible. – Flexibility is a necessary tool in the toolbox of all masters.
9. Don’t let your title or position define you. – Some people, upon being moved from a position, are never quite the same. Commit yourself to God’s work and be willing to serve in whatever capacity you can at the time.
10. Let your works (track record) speak for you. – When I do have to respond to my critics it gives me great pleasure to simply offer a brief list of my work in the church. This normally quiets them down quite a bit.

I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
Rev. George H. Latimer-Knight
Written May 15, 2010 at age 28

Bibliography
Fackerell, M. (2007, 05 10). Church Politics. Retrieved 05 15, 2010, from Christian-Faith.com: http://www.christian-faith.com/forjesus/church-politics
politics. (2009). Dictionary.com. Retrieved 05 15, 2010, from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/politics