Psalms 23:1 The Lord is my Shephard. I shall not want.
One of my favorite memories as a child is listening to my mother sing while she cleaned the house. Cleaning seem to be one of her favorite past times. Once we entered elementary school, we were assigned chores. These chores rotated between me and my 3 siblings. My favorite chore was washing dishes because it was always quiet, since everyone cleared out of the kitchen after meals. My least favorite was hanging clothes on the clothes line. It just seemed the clothes line went on forever and ever.
A couple of times during the year, we had to do some deep cleaning. I never looked forward to this because I knew it would take up most of the day and it had to done right the first time! We had to wash down the walls, wash windows and screens and make sure the floors were immaculate. We learned to test the floor with bare feet to ensure there was no grit.
One of my mother’s pet peeves was dirt left in the corners beneath the lower cabinets in the kitchen. So, she wasn’t satisfied that we swept and then mopped the floor. Those methods ensured we pushed the dirt further in the corners. Therefore, she instructed us to get on our knees to get the dirt we had pushed in the corners so deep you could see from afar. We would use old toothbrushes and other methods to get to the dirt.
As much as I hated doing it, the rewards were great! My mother was quite pleased at our efforts. And the kitchen floor was immaculate. The kitchens seem airy, peaceful, and clean. And it certainly was the hub of the home.
Many of us have struggled with the dirts in our lives for weeks, months, years. Depression, loneliness, anger, forgiveness, relationship issues make up some of the dirt in the corners of our lives. These issues can often fester and turn into something else when we try to do things our way or try to fix situations. We look in the mirror and the issues boldly look back at us. We drink ourselves into oblivion, the issues are regurgitated. We delete people, yet keep them on our hard drives.
When I approached the altar at church to pray, I realized my injured knee wouldn’t allow me to bow down. I stood up and held on the railing. My heart cried out and the Lord did hear my cry. Yet, I realize how important the gesture of kneeling and praying is in my life. I am thankful for yet another opportunity to Bow Down On My Knees and pray. I am grateful to Bow Down On My Knees to get in the corners!
Dirt is trying to wrestle with me and take my focus! I won’t let it. I won’t give in! I won’t quit!
We have to get on our knees, look in the corners of our hearts and allow the Lord to clean out the dirty places and replace them with His peace, His love and His joy!
Song in my heart…How Great Thou Art!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Awaiting a Bountiful Harvest
Therefore, by their fruit you will know them, Matthew 7:20
My daughter Briana, 14 and I were admiring the leaves from the patio. She knows my love of nature and quickly noted, “The leaves are changing, Mommy!” I shared in her excited and noticed just how many leaves were on the ground after Hurricane Irene.
I asked her what her favorite season was. I found her answer quite interesting. “I don’t like that question because I don’t have a favorite. I like the transitions between the seasons.” Wow, what a wonderful observation.
As I am witnessing the transition to fall, there are many green leaves on the tress. Yet acorns are falling on the patio and the tips of some leaves are turning different colors. It’s a magical time. Soon it would be cooler and time to harvest apples and pumpkins. I am looking forward to the North Carolina Mountains displaying the changing of the leaves.
But while I acknowledge what is happening in nature, the same holds true for my life. I know I am in some sort of transition. I have prayed without ceasing over the past 2-3 years. My thirst for the Word took me to new spiritual heights and I experienced the Lord in a way I hadn’t before.
I realized there were some relationships in my life that had to die. They were stressful. They were producing no good fruit. And they were sapping me of energy. Now the Lord is transitioning me to a place of peace.
I have learned my gifts belong to the Lord. So, that in all that I do, I will acknowledge the Lord. And as a result, there are gifts that I buried years ago, that the Lord had resurfaced. I can’t even keep up with the overflow of blessings!
In my season of transition, I am recognizing God’s presence and waiting to hear from Him. This new life is so foreign to me. The possibilities of the summer are slowly diminishing. I am walking into and claiming a season of harvest.
My daughter Briana, 14 and I were admiring the leaves from the patio. She knows my love of nature and quickly noted, “The leaves are changing, Mommy!” I shared in her excited and noticed just how many leaves were on the ground after Hurricane Irene.
I asked her what her favorite season was. I found her answer quite interesting. “I don’t like that question because I don’t have a favorite. I like the transitions between the seasons.” Wow, what a wonderful observation.
As I am witnessing the transition to fall, there are many green leaves on the tress. Yet acorns are falling on the patio and the tips of some leaves are turning different colors. It’s a magical time. Soon it would be cooler and time to harvest apples and pumpkins. I am looking forward to the North Carolina Mountains displaying the changing of the leaves.
But while I acknowledge what is happening in nature, the same holds true for my life. I know I am in some sort of transition. I have prayed without ceasing over the past 2-3 years. My thirst for the Word took me to new spiritual heights and I experienced the Lord in a way I hadn’t before.
I realized there were some relationships in my life that had to die. They were stressful. They were producing no good fruit. And they were sapping me of energy. Now the Lord is transitioning me to a place of peace.
I have learned my gifts belong to the Lord. So, that in all that I do, I will acknowledge the Lord. And as a result, there are gifts that I buried years ago, that the Lord had resurfaced. I can’t even keep up with the overflow of blessings!
In my season of transition, I am recognizing God’s presence and waiting to hear from Him. This new life is so foreign to me. The possibilities of the summer are slowly diminishing. I am walking into and claiming a season of harvest.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Celebrating A Man of God..Pastor Tacuma Johnson
But the natural man does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to know it since it is evaluated spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone. 1 Corinthians 2:14-14 Holman CSB
I developed a love of reading at a very early age. My favorite thing to read was the dictionary and encyclopedia. I would lie down on the couch and spent a many summer days taken away to places beyond my capacity. One of the reasons I loved the dictionary was it provided me with words to use when I was angry or sad. Those emotions had to be suppressed, so I had to find a way to express myself in my dairy.
As a result of reading almost anything in front of me, I began yearning for an understanding of the Bible at an early age, around 10 or 11. The summer of 1975 I started trying to read the Bible from beginning to end. But I soon became overwhelmed. I had so many questions. I would go to church with a head full of questions and thoughts. And I would greet my mother at the door after she returned from work with the burning question of the day. It seemed that most adults were too busy or had so many grown up things to handle that my questions got in their way.
Yet, my yearning increased. And I would spend moments crying out to the Lord asking for forgiveness because I was afraid that I wasn’t doing something he wanted me to know. I talked to my mother about baptism and joined the church. I started going to Bible study and noticed there weren’t any youth at Bible study. I walked to Bible study with my mother and was so excited to go. I felt like a big girl. But this one particular night, the elder was reading a particular text. As he was speaking from the text, I realized he was saying something totally different from what the text said. So, I am looking around at the adults and no one is saying anything. Everyone was listening with blank stares.
I raised my hands. The elder kept talking. I continued to raise my hands. The elder finally acknowledged my hand. I asked for understanding. He scolded me for interrupting and implying he may have been incorrect. I held my head down in shame. No one spoke up. The room silenced. The elder’s chest is out, proud of his moment to set things in order.
My heart was sad and I learned then not to question anything a man of God had to say…..at least out loud. I was quiet and shy and remained that way until college. I would listen to the sermons and other’s talk about the Bible and always felt as if what the saints were saying was much more complicated than what I was reading. I was convinced the Lord would not require something of my life and then make it unattainable.
At age 15, I was blessed with a youth pastor, Pastor James Parham. And he had such enormous patience with my endless questions. He was able to teach me how to study and read the Bible so that my literal mind wouldn’t be swept away. I continued my quest to read the Bible through and when I finally got to Proverbs, I was captivated. The poetic words just spoke to my heart. The lessons were clear and concise and I knew how to research by then. And my quest continued….
I never stopped studying and the Lord never stopped placing people in my path. So, let’s fast forward to 2011. This weekend we will be celebrating the 3rd anniversary of our pastor, Pastor Tacuma Johnson, a man of God. I have sat under the teaching of Pastor Johnson with rapt attention for 3 years. He has such a deep sincere desire for the people of God to experience a real relationship with God.
He has taken the greatest book ever, the Bible, that some have made unattainable and broken it in pieces to complete the many puzzles in my life. He has never once showed impatience when I gave a blank stare meaning, “What? Huh? Say that again!”
Over the years Pastor Johnson's message has been clear. That message is that “God is your source.” From the sermon “A Sit Down Anointing' to “The Deep Things” to “ Count Yourself” he has left the congregations with messages such as:
*Seek God First”
*”God begins with the end in mind.”
*”Some people try to make you powerless and make you think they are your life line. You have the power to speak to your situation.”
*”How wonderful life would be for those who have a REAL relationship with God.” (message to the youth)
*”Worship like you care more about what God thinks!”
*”Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Get to the back of the boat. And stop looking at the storm!”
*”Vison – life changes when you see it, not when you get it.”
*”Count yourself, Count Yourself New, Count Yourself Alive”
*Again.....”Seek God First” Matthew 6:33
Many of us are uncomfortable when someone speaks about how the Spirit is working through men and women of God. Please don't be distracted by my words. Celebrate with me an honorable man of God who has submitted his life to the Most High. A man who loves, honors and respects his helpmeet , Lady Dr. Michelle Johnson and father of a wonderful little girl.
When someone passes away, sometimes there are lines of people waiting to say things they never said when the person was alive. Today has presented me another opportunity to say something kind to a wonderful person.
God bless you , Pastor Johnson and thank you for allowing God to lead you.
~Blessings
I developed a love of reading at a very early age. My favorite thing to read was the dictionary and encyclopedia. I would lie down on the couch and spent a many summer days taken away to places beyond my capacity. One of the reasons I loved the dictionary was it provided me with words to use when I was angry or sad. Those emotions had to be suppressed, so I had to find a way to express myself in my dairy.
As a result of reading almost anything in front of me, I began yearning for an understanding of the Bible at an early age, around 10 or 11. The summer of 1975 I started trying to read the Bible from beginning to end. But I soon became overwhelmed. I had so many questions. I would go to church with a head full of questions and thoughts. And I would greet my mother at the door after she returned from work with the burning question of the day. It seemed that most adults were too busy or had so many grown up things to handle that my questions got in their way.
Yet, my yearning increased. And I would spend moments crying out to the Lord asking for forgiveness because I was afraid that I wasn’t doing something he wanted me to know. I talked to my mother about baptism and joined the church. I started going to Bible study and noticed there weren’t any youth at Bible study. I walked to Bible study with my mother and was so excited to go. I felt like a big girl. But this one particular night, the elder was reading a particular text. As he was speaking from the text, I realized he was saying something totally different from what the text said. So, I am looking around at the adults and no one is saying anything. Everyone was listening with blank stares.
I raised my hands. The elder kept talking. I continued to raise my hands. The elder finally acknowledged my hand. I asked for understanding. He scolded me for interrupting and implying he may have been incorrect. I held my head down in shame. No one spoke up. The room silenced. The elder’s chest is out, proud of his moment to set things in order.
My heart was sad and I learned then not to question anything a man of God had to say…..at least out loud. I was quiet and shy and remained that way until college. I would listen to the sermons and other’s talk about the Bible and always felt as if what the saints were saying was much more complicated than what I was reading. I was convinced the Lord would not require something of my life and then make it unattainable.
At age 15, I was blessed with a youth pastor, Pastor James Parham. And he had such enormous patience with my endless questions. He was able to teach me how to study and read the Bible so that my literal mind wouldn’t be swept away. I continued my quest to read the Bible through and when I finally got to Proverbs, I was captivated. The poetic words just spoke to my heart. The lessons were clear and concise and I knew how to research by then. And my quest continued….
I never stopped studying and the Lord never stopped placing people in my path. So, let’s fast forward to 2011. This weekend we will be celebrating the 3rd anniversary of our pastor, Pastor Tacuma Johnson, a man of God. I have sat under the teaching of Pastor Johnson with rapt attention for 3 years. He has such a deep sincere desire for the people of God to experience a real relationship with God.
He has taken the greatest book ever, the Bible, that some have made unattainable and broken it in pieces to complete the many puzzles in my life. He has never once showed impatience when I gave a blank stare meaning, “What? Huh? Say that again!”
Over the years Pastor Johnson's message has been clear. That message is that “God is your source.” From the sermon “A Sit Down Anointing' to “The Deep Things” to “ Count Yourself” he has left the congregations with messages such as:
*Seek God First”
*”God begins with the end in mind.”
*”Some people try to make you powerless and make you think they are your life line. You have the power to speak to your situation.”
*”How wonderful life would be for those who have a REAL relationship with God.” (message to the youth)
*”Worship like you care more about what God thinks!”
*”Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Get to the back of the boat. And stop looking at the storm!”
*”Vison – life changes when you see it, not when you get it.”
*”Count yourself, Count Yourself New, Count Yourself Alive”
*Again.....”Seek God First” Matthew 6:33
Many of us are uncomfortable when someone speaks about how the Spirit is working through men and women of God. Please don't be distracted by my words. Celebrate with me an honorable man of God who has submitted his life to the Most High. A man who loves, honors and respects his helpmeet , Lady Dr. Michelle Johnson and father of a wonderful little girl.
When someone passes away, sometimes there are lines of people waiting to say things they never said when the person was alive. Today has presented me another opportunity to say something kind to a wonderful person.
God bless you , Pastor Johnson and thank you for allowing God to lead you.
~Blessings
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Finding Peace in the Night's Storm
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
I sat across from yet another doctor giving me an explanation for the pain and discomfort I have been suffering for months. I felt myself rushing trying to get to the end of the visit. I was so tired of being probed, touched, pushed and pulled. I must have had a distinguished look on my face when the doctor said, “How are you feeling right now?” I was trying to find the words, yet none of the thoughts in my head would stop long enough for me to verbalize what I was feeling, thinking.
I was completely numb and couldn’t rap my head around more than one issue going on at a time! Then I noticed something about how my physical body was reacting. There are times when I feel stress or anxious, I can feel my heart racing and I become irritable. Yet, this time was different. I recognize that I couldn’t capture my thoughts because most of the time that is my reality! Lol That’s one of the reasons I write.
But all morning I was singing and praising. I knew the Lord was with me. I was assured he had heard my cries in the night. I was certain he wiped my tears at the altar. And I was certain he said, “Trust me!” while in the prayer circle. Therefore, sitting across from the doctor, my mind was blank and full at the same time. The words had wings flying in head. I felt peace.
I could hear the angel the Lord sent to me after Bible study saying, “You are whole”. I have owned those words. “I am whole! I am whole! I am whole!
When sleepless nights seem to reign in my life, I try to focus my mind on something in nature that makes me feel close to the Lord. The think about long nature walks in the woods, making note of smells of the wood and the earth, the sight of tall trees; some broken some standing strong. I am in awe of how some leaves are smooth and others have rough veins throughout. There are some wild flowers and berries that are edible. Note the location. I may need them. And lastly, in my mind’s eye I can hear the glorious sounds of the birds while dashing from limb to limb.
Nature connects me with God. And closing my eyes takes me to a place where I can commune with Him and find peace.
I sat across from yet another doctor giving me an explanation for the pain and discomfort I have been suffering for months. I felt myself rushing trying to get to the end of the visit. I was so tired of being probed, touched, pushed and pulled. I must have had a distinguished look on my face when the doctor said, “How are you feeling right now?” I was trying to find the words, yet none of the thoughts in my head would stop long enough for me to verbalize what I was feeling, thinking.
I was completely numb and couldn’t rap my head around more than one issue going on at a time! Then I noticed something about how my physical body was reacting. There are times when I feel stress or anxious, I can feel my heart racing and I become irritable. Yet, this time was different. I recognize that I couldn’t capture my thoughts because most of the time that is my reality! Lol That’s one of the reasons I write.
But all morning I was singing and praising. I knew the Lord was with me. I was assured he had heard my cries in the night. I was certain he wiped my tears at the altar. And I was certain he said, “Trust me!” while in the prayer circle. Therefore, sitting across from the doctor, my mind was blank and full at the same time. The words had wings flying in head. I felt peace.
I could hear the angel the Lord sent to me after Bible study saying, “You are whole”. I have owned those words. “I am whole! I am whole! I am whole!
When sleepless nights seem to reign in my life, I try to focus my mind on something in nature that makes me feel close to the Lord. The think about long nature walks in the woods, making note of smells of the wood and the earth, the sight of tall trees; some broken some standing strong. I am in awe of how some leaves are smooth and others have rough veins throughout. There are some wild flowers and berries that are edible. Note the location. I may need them. And lastly, in my mind’s eye I can hear the glorious sounds of the birds while dashing from limb to limb.
Nature connects me with God. And closing my eyes takes me to a place where I can commune with Him and find peace.
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