Years ago I was invited to entertain at a national political nominating convention. It was a very hot summer’s day, and the venue was an open courtyard in front of a public building. Next to the venue was a large, concrete flood channel, which had been transformed into a makeshift tent city occupied by hundreds of people. They had come from all over the United States to demonstrate in support of various political agendas.

As I was performing, first a few, then almost all of the demonstrators climbed up out of the dry floodway and crashed the private party. Before long, there was an intense mass of flailing bodies and screaming voices. I was in the middle of a riot. I was startled; then I was afraid; then I prayed, “God help me.” 

In the midst of turmoil, hatred, and violence, my plea for God to help was answered through an angel message: “Just love.” This was a surprising suggestion, considering the severity of the human circumstances, but it was so strong that it gave me courage to carry on.