The last day George and I were together in England, he took me to a forest preserve in Keston. This is a very important spot in the history of the United Kingdom. It was on this spot 220 years ago that William Wilberforce spoke to the Prime Minister of England to bring an end to slavery. Much has taken place since that day and we owe so much to Mr. Wilberforce and to the great nation of the U.K.

As we stood there George and I reflected on our year together and then had a special time of prayer. It was special spot to end our year together because for me, hopelessness is the one thing that I hate the most. When I asked myself, "what do I love and what do I hate?", I found that I love hope and hate hopelessness. Setting people free from slavery, any form of it - immaturity, actual slavery, compromise, religious hierarchy, extreme poverty, sickness, forced prostitution, pride, injustice, corruption, etc... is at the heart of the Gospel. William Wallace, in the film "Braveheart", knew this reality and knew that freedom was a right that didn't have to be compromised because somebody else compromised (corrupt leaders) at my expense to just pad their own pockets with comfort. I face this struggle in my own life. If I am not growing and facing the sin in my walk and abiding in Christ, then those who will be influenced by me one day - wife, family, people in ministry, etc... will have to deal with the compromises I make. If I do not lead them into the same freedom I can receive from the hand of God, I will be in danger of leading them (by default) into short-sighted compromises with sin and an un-willingness to grow and mature through honesty. This is what I learned from George, to constantly remain vigilant in facing down your sin and pride no matter where you are at in life and who you are responsible for because, in the long run, it will benefit those you are called to love, lead and influence.