The Right Fight, How to Live a Loving Life

Forward by Reggie Lloyd, Senior Pastor, Praise Church, Beaumont, Texas

I thought I was only going so that I could eat lunch and give counsel, but I left chewing on some new concepts that would take a long time to digest.  Looking back, it was the brief-unexpected conversation after the meeting that I would remember and wrestle with the most.  It was a conversation that caused me to deconstruct and then reconstruct my conceptual framework about a subject that determines if life is going to be fruitful or fruitless.

I was one of five people that was invited to the lunch meeting to offer advice to an aspiring minister.  I was suppose to be the one leaving someone else with something to think about. One by one, the five of us took turns sharing our personal experiences and serving up what we hoped to be eye-opening advice.  I remember each one of my colleagues offering nuggets of wisdom and I hoped that when it was my turn, I could do the same.

When it was Kenny’s turn, he presented an insightful, literally life-changing perspective on a subject that I thought I had already figured out, but knew deep down that I didn’t live out.  And while his insight about the subject of love exposed my self-serving definition and practice of love, it was the humility that came out during his presentation that convinced me that he not only believed what he was talking about, but lived it.

His content about the subject matter and the way he presented it arrested my attention, and I had to hear more than just a five-minute sound byte. As we were shaking hands and saying our goodbyes, Kenny and I engaged in a brief personal conversation in which he challenged common misconceptions about love accompanied by simple solutions that would radically transform my interaction with others. 

Little did I know, but it was the meeting after the meeting that would begin a conversation and friendship that would continue to this day.  And it was the start of a personal journey that would help me move towards becoming a more loving husband, father, employer, leader and friend.

What you hold in your hand is a gift that could radically change every interaction and relationship you have.  I got it in bits and pieces.  You get it as a whole.  If you’re like me, you have purchased book after book with the hope that someone else’s insight would help expand your perspective and introduce you to truth that would lead to needed change.  If you’re like me, most of those books were quickly abandoned before chapter three because it didn’t meet the “substance” or “interest” test.

I’m confident that “The Right Fight” will hold your attention and challenge your perspective and application of love. And if it causes you to rethink what love is and helps you love others better, it will not only be a gift to you, but a long-remembered gift to everyone you have the opportunity to love.  Can you imagine the value you would show your family and friends if you really became a loving person?  Can you imagine the legacy you would leave if you really became a loving person?