Just after the first of the year, Bob and I were invited to attend a swearing in ceremony at the Durham County Courthouse for our friend Josephine Kerr Davis who was recently elected to the position of Superior Court Judge. The courtroom was filled--standing room only--of family, friends, and community members who supported her in the election. Pastor James White led out in a powerful prayer followed by a resounding “Amen” by the group in attendance.

Josephine’s law professor/mentor from NCCU and another judge spoke encouraging, uplifting, sobering, and em-bolding words over her. Many other members on the judicial bench were there in support of her, and numerous times the audience cheered for her. What struck me was Josephine's call to serve God as a Civil Servant, her commitment to "to advocate for the voiceless, forgotten, and mistreated," and the foundational network of people that will support her along the way. She joins a visibly larger group of men and women called to serve in our city.

Neither Bob nor I have never been to a ceremony like this before, we had no idea that so many men and women were serving God by serving the City of Durham. We were struck, and so humbled, by the commitment of the men and women in the room to bring justice and mercy to our city. 

I've not been able to shake the fact that Jesus and the gospel matters in the courtrooms of America. Thank you God for people like Josephine Kerr Davis who sacrifice to serve.