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White as snow.

12/3/2020

Isaiah 1:18 CEV
"I, the LORD, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be whiter than snow or wool."

We recently just had a beautiful snow fall upon us during the night. We woke up to a white sunny morning. The tree limbs and branches were even covered. All you could see was white. It was as though everything was beautiful and clean. For a moment it was easy to forget about the dirty and broken things of the world. Nothing, in the freshly fallen snows path remained anything but white. Take a moment to listen to this old song (click here if it does not show up or view in your Browser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYjhGeAIG6k)

ACTION STEP: Regardless of where you live, imagine for a moment you are white as snow. Imagine that all of your sins are completely gone, and you are standing boldly, clean, whole, and most importantly sinless. This is a picture of anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Regardless, of what you've done, there is nothing that can separate you or I from the love of Jesus; He is mighty to save. For this "Good News" we can all lift our hands to praise Him!

Life is a series of ups and downs.

12/2/2020

Philippians 1:29
"For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake."

There are things I love to do. I love being with people. I love being creative. I love starting things. I dislike following through on boring details, math, follow-up and explaining details. Details destroy my creativity. But God--well He is in to details. God is in to finishing what He starts. God is into math and time management, my personal two weakest areas. I just work until I'm done, that does not mean until the job is finished, it means until I am finished. I can see you smiling. Some of you are like me. Well, get over it. God is not going to change, so that means we have to!

I've just bared my soul to you. I would rather be beaten than have to start over from scratch. That start was a hard enough scratch--please don't make me do it again. However, working with people you need to do a lot of start overs, start agains and start news. It's great when it's God doing it for us--not so great when we have the opportunity to do it for others. Somedays, it seems all I do is start over at point "A" with new people. I think to myself, "Why am I even bothering? This didn't stick the last time. That person left. I did this once already." Then, God reminds me of how He has began again with not just me, but countless people and still--His mercies are new every morning. So, here is to starting over. Let's never grow weary of being Christ like. He certainly isn't done with any of us.

Make a great day. If life gives you Avocados make Guacamole, and have a Fiesta!

Planning your day.

12/1/2020

“By Failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin.

We have so little time left in this year 2020. Has it been hard? You bet it has. Have things changed and messed up our plans? Yes, big time. Plan anyway. With all that has occurred in our world my husband and I continue to plan everyday. We founded a Bible College in Accra, Ghana and took responsibility and ownership of a shortwave station on the island of Palau, in the middle of the south pacific. We planned. We did not let the state of the world dictate the state of the Kingdom of God. We allowed the Kingdom of God to dictate the way we live each day on this earth.

The New Year 2021 is quickly approaching us. Plan now for a totally different you, lifestyle, body, family, spiritual state... You can use the time you have on this earth wisely or it can just go bye. The choice is yours. Here are some great quotes I found to paste all over your walls, cars, dashboards and get you in the right mindset for an amazing 2021. For your ACTION STEP: Read these over a few times a day added to you Bible Study not instead of. Smile! You got this!

“Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan.” ― Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

“Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not, to put this plan into action.” ― Napoleon Hill, author

“Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” ― Henry David Thoreau, essayist and poet
“…everything has a past. Everything – a person, an object, a word, everything. If you don’t know the past, you can’t understand the present and plan properly for the future.” ― Chaim Potok, author

“A clear vision, backed by definite plans, gives you a tremendous feeling of confidence and personal power.” ― Brian Tracy, author and motivational speaker

“Proper planning and preparation prevents poor performance.” ― Stephen Keague, author

“Plan your next move because every step contributes towards your goal.” ― Sukant Ratnakar, author and motivational speaker

“Always have a plan, and believe in it. Nothing happens by accident.” ― Chuck Knox, former NFL head coach

“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.” ― Denis Waitley, writer and motivational speaker
“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” ― Fitzhugh Dodson, author

“I ain’t Martin Luther King. I don’t need a dream. I have a plan.” ― Spike Lee, actor and director

Only say what God says 5781 have Patience.

11/30/2020

Lamentations 3:25-26
“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

According to Scripture, patience is a virtue and a fruit of the Spirit, a sign of someone who trusts in God. According to 1 Samuel "lack of patience can cause you to miss blessings." Being patient is a vital part of trusting in God as our life circumstances are not always what we'd prefer.

So what exactly is the meaning of patience?

Well, patience is most commonly defined as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. In other words, patience is essentially "waiting with grace." Part of being Christian is the ability to accept unfortunate circumstances gracefully while having faith that we will ultimately find resolution in God.

What is virtue and why is it important?Virtue is synonymous with having a noble character. It simply means the quality or practice of moral excellence and is one of the central tenants of Christianity. Being virtuous is essential to enjoying a wholesome life and building healthy relationships!

In Galatians 5:22, patience is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit. If patience is a virtue, then waiting is the best (and often most unpleasant) means by which the Holy Spirit grows patience in us.

But our culture does not value patience in the same way that God does. Why be patient? Instant gratification is much more fun! Our increasing ability to instantly satisfy our wants may be taking away the blessing of learning how to wait well.

If you don't see the video below click here https://youtu.be/SaB8H2T8gGA Or you can view in your Browser. I pray you enjoy this as much as I did. Don't forget to see the ACTION STEP below. I will be praying for all of us today.

ACTION STEP: What does it mean to wait quietly? Without complaint? I’m embarrassed to admit that my kids have heard me groan with impatience when the red traffic light doesn’t turn green as soon as I’d like. What else do I groan and grumble about when I don’t want to wait? The long lines at the McDonald’s drive-thru? The slow teller at the bank? Am I setting an example of waiting quietly, or do I make sure everybody knows I’m not happy?"

So, today I challenge you to put a watch guard on your mouth and refuse to complain, grumble, and even voice anything that resembles impatience. This is the Hebrew year 5781 which means we are in the decade of the mouth. The one means God, Lion of Judah, Aleph which is silent. God is telling us this year in the decade of Pey-(which means say) plus Aleph-(which means silent/God) to only say or let come out of our mouth what God would want us to say or to allow out of our mouth.

Take the challenge! Together we can do this. We are meant to conquer our enemies.

When things look different some things never change.

11/27/2020

2 Corinthians 4:16
"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

It was the longest year in as the song below so wonderfully shares with the world. (Click here if it doesn't show up or view in your Browser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwaxNPY5nIY We feed more people than ever before among all our churches and outreaches. My daughter shared with me how many families were fed in our community and how lives were changed; if only for a day. It's been a very hard year. But, we God's people are resilient. We love and we make it work; in our house and the homes of others, the best we can.

ACTION STEP: Fill your plate and fill your dreams! Life is short. Thank God for this holiday weekend and whatever comes your way--make it not just work but, make it worthy. Worship with your life. Worship by loving whatever God has given you and be Thank-Full!

Happy Thanksgiving

11/26/2020

Psalm 9:1
"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."

I find it interesting the number 9 means harvest and the first verse of Psalm 9 tells us to give for all God has done for us. We as people of God have enjoyed a harvest of God's love. If He never did another thing for us, He has loved us and given us His Son to die for us. Thanks be to God for His amazing love.

ACTION STEP: Today, no matter if you are alone or with a houseful of people, remember to give thanks. The definition of gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. We can all show gratitude for the goodness of God. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your weekend. If you do not have a local church or it is not having services please join us on You Tube at RCIMedian this Sunday at 9AM. You can visit us in person at 9AM or 10:45 just wear a mask. We clean between services and seat you six feet from other families. Your safety is our priority. God Bless you and yours.

The day before Thanksgiving, how will you be preparing?

11/25/2020

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"

The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October 1621. This feast lasted three days, and--as recounted by attendee Edward Winslow— was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims.

I often think as a woman there is so much work to do to prepare for the Thanksgiving meal that's gone in an hour or less. Then, I think of all of the preparations I don't have to do and I am so thankful. I do not have to pluck the feathers from my turkey or gather my fruits and nuts all year long.

While no records exist of the exact bill of fare, the Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow noted in his journal that the colony’s governor, William Bradford, sent four men on a “fowling” mission in preparation for the three-day event: "Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week.”

In “On Plymouth Planation,” Bradford’s famous account of the founding of Plymouth Colony, he remarked of the fall harvest that year that: “there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc.” Wild—but not domestic—turkey was indeed plentiful in the region and a common food source for both English settlers and Native Americans. But it is just as likely that the fowling party returned with other birds we know the colonists regularly consumed, such as ducks, geese and swans. Instead of bread-based stuffing, herbs, onions or nuts might have been added to the birds for extra flavor.

Well, things have gotten a lot easier and things have gotten a lot harder. In all my years of living, I have decided that each generation has their challenges. Each generation has their battles, and things that are difficult. There is a give and take to life. We may go to the grocery store and buy an already prepared turkey dinner, but we loose the love and preparation that is our gift to our family--the memories of the summer berries we picked knowing this day would come. We loose the connection between work and eat, prepare and save for another day. We have the mentality that things will just always be at our disposal, and that is no longer true.

ACTION STEP: This year more than any year I can recall, I am thankful yet contemplative. How many more years will Americans even celebrate Thanksgiving? Are we truly a thankful people? Will we even be able to purchase the "Turkey" as we know it? I certainly don't want to be the "Downer" here, but rather to encourage us all to be truly grateful for what we have, and how far we have come in food acquisition and preservation. Think how much easier it is for to obtain our meal. But, at the same time let's take a minute, and think about what we've lost? What do we need to bring back to the American table, and what do we need to pass on to our children so it is not lost forever? I for one, want to teach my grandsons that it takes hard work to prepare for a family. I want to teach gratitude. I want to model saving today for tomorrow. I want them to know they matter, and sitting around my table is one of my greatest gifts from God, just having them there. What do you want to pass on to your family members?

New believers, new terminology and just plain ole' zeal for God.

11/24/2020

1 Kings 21:25
"But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up."

2 Kings 9:30
"Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window.

Yesterday, I shared with you about an outing I had with some young women. I love being with young people. They are so precious and powerful, innocent and intense. They are passionate about everything they do and all that they believe. As they speak, I am totally captivated by their stories. The freshness in which they see everything inspires me to preach the Gospel, and empower these young people with the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

While listening to this young believer, I picked up how passionate she was about getting right with God, and knowing truth. So, when she began to learn about spiritual warfare and demonic spirits, she searched herself. She repented, and was embracing whatever truth she could grasp. In her zeal to repent, and her love for Jesus, she confessed her sins aloud to those she felt were more mature than her. Only problem was, she didn't have the whole truth. I love that, as she learned she repented, even if she didn't know the entire story.

That's where I pick up this message today, I am sharing with you in this Blog. This young innocent girl confessed to her Methodist church ladies that she had a Jezebel Spirit. Then, she went home and continued to read about this spirit, when she got home. To her total surprise, she realized Jezebel was also a seducing spirit. She was shocked. Seducing spirit she thought, "That's not me! I just told all the ladies at church I thought I had a Jezebel Spirit and I'm happily married." She was devastated. She told her husband what she'd done and wanted desperately to take it back.

As she shared her story, I wailed laughing, (with her not at her). This beautiful young believer in her zeal to be right with God, threw herself on the slaughtering table. Oh, for the Mothers of Zion to arise and pick up these young women and brush them off and tell them they don't have to be ashamed, or misunderstood. Though, it was funny at that moment, because she is now part of our (Framily meaning Friends and Family), she is not ashamed. She could laugh at her own immaturity. I believe she is going to be a little powerhouse for God. I learned so much. I saw my young self. I too, once loved Jesus with a reckless abandon of all that people thought of me. All that mattered and still matters today, is that I am right with God. What about you? What matters to you?

ACTION STEP: Get right with God. So what, if you don't know all the "Christianeze" (Christians talk.) When we start out with God we don't know all the do's and don'ts of the Kingdom? We may not know our Bibles fully? But, if our hearts are pierced, then, let them be pierced with the love and word of God! Let's get right with God. Let's just be upfront and in your face with embracing truth. We can figure it all out later. For now, let's just love God recklessly and passionately!

We are a Framily.

11/23/2020

Psalm 8:2 KV
"Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger."

Time flies by quickly. The way we remember things differs with each individual. This weekend I had the greatest time. I spent the day with younger ladies from my church. Some have been with me since they were nine years old. Others have been with me for various amounts of time, but our hearts are knitted, and as their pastor I consider them all my spiritual daughters.

The manager at the restaurant we ate at came over, and ask us if were we all related? Everyone hesitated. We are family, some were biologically related, but we are also friends, but still they are my flock, so I consider myself their spiritual mother. So, we all stumbled with our words. The manager just laughed with us and said she wanted to bring us a desert to share. She came back with this (pictured below.) Framily. Yeah, we liked that--the dessert wasn't bad either. We laughed and enjoyed our meal and our time together. We were "Framily." But, boy did I learn a lot.

I chose to share this Blog right before Thanksgiving, because we will all have the opportunity to sit around the table and listen to one another. We will laugh at days gone by, and prayerfully, we will learn something about one another.

As a pastor, I listened as the ones I've had since they were nine years old talked about their early experiences at our church. I laughed so hard when she explained how she had come from a very small church, where she was one of the older children, and how they were the ones who helped watch the younger ones. When she came to our church, we put her in youth. She was scared to death. She said, "They had hair on their face. I didn't want to be in there with men!" I laughed so hard because to me they were still little boys too. In fact, I had them in my church since they were 6 years old. The contrast of what I thought, and saw, as opposed to what a little nine year old girl saw, was massive. That little nine year old girl will graduate from college next month. Time has flown by. My heart is full. We are "Framily."

I could have sat there all evening and just listened to them. We had newbies who finally felt like they found their "Framily." We laughed till we cried. We listened to one another with heart felt anticipation, as each shared a piece of their heart, and experiences. I am so thankful for that moment in time, where we just sat around the table and were "Framily."

Psalm 68:6
"God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;"

ACTION STEP: Loving someone is listening to someone. Love large. Love this holiday season by giving others the gift of listening. You will learn so much about yourself, others and the memories, they have about your relationship with them. Thanksgiving is easier when you have others in your life you have given to--for then, you can be truly thankful--full of thanks! And, after all we are "Framily."

Happy Friday!

11/20/2020

Psalm 188:24
"This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it."

ACTIONS STEP: Anybody else have a hard week? Well, you got company. I am rejoicing that today is today. Find something to rejoice in today. Give praise for whatever you can find. We will have better days ahead! Thanking God today that 2020 is almost over. I am practicing the Hebrew Year (5781) "Keep your mouth silent and only say what God says, nothing more and nothing less."