Oil Spills and Sin Both are Destructive

On Tuesday, June 15, 2010 Present Barack Obama addressed the American people and the world from his oval office at the White House after returning from his third of fourth trip to the Gulf Coast due to the oil spill caused by, or at least mainly, by oil producing giant BP. This oil spill is horrible and seems as if it cannot be stopped in the near future. Thousands of gallons, if not millions of gallons of crude oil is pouring into the Gulf Coast killing marine life, polluting the water, polluting beaches, ending people's careers, and worst of all spreading like a fast moving deadly cancer.

As I was driving to work Tuesday morning I was listening to WTOP a news radio talk show. They asked the question, "What do you want President Obama to tell the American people about the BP oil spill during his address?" They played a number of callers' responses, but one thing I did not hear anyone ask for was the truth. It is amazing how some callers seem to personally blame the president for causing the oil spill and are angry that he cannot single handily end it. One thing no caller asked for was the truth. What is the truth about this entire situation? The truth is that it is a very complex international situation that will take time to resolve and perhaps decades to recover from.

When I think about this oil spill I think about the prophet Jeremiah. He lived at a time when God's people were in rebellion. They just refused to live by God's word. Jeremiah reminded the people time and time again to repent from their sins and turn back to God or they would know the wrath of God. You see God is holy and perfect and he has to punish sin. It did not matter what Jeremiah said or did the people would not listen to him. In fact they hated Jeremiah. They did not want to hear the truth, they were like the listeners of WTOP, they wanted to hear what they wanted to hear, truth was the furthest thing from their minds and actions. Instead of looking at what they were doing and turning away from their sins, they turned against Jeremiah as if he was causing all their problems.

The people of God ignored Jeremiah and after years of living in sin and refusing to repent they felt the wrath of God. I think of it more of God removing his hand of protection and provision, more than anything else. In the book of Lamentations Jeremiah is crying out to the Lord. You see sin affects everyone, not just the person who is living in sin. Jeremiah, the one who lived right, was hated, is the same person crying out to God to have mercy on his people. We see in Lamentations chapter 3 that after God disciplines he restores and gives us hope for a bright day.

If you are facing a problem today, no matter what it is or how or who caused it remember there is hope and if you turn to God he can and will restore you. Never feel as if you are going through something that no one understands. God understands and he loves and cares for you. Lean on him, he is your help.

Read Lamentations 3 and learn how bad things can get and how good God is.

Lamentations 3 (New International Version)


1 [a] I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of his wrath.

2 He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness rather than light;

3 indeed, he has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.

4 He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
and has broken my bones.

5 He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness and hardship.

6 He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.

7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
he has weighed me down with chains.

8 Even when I call out or cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer.

9 He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.

10 Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion in hiding,

11 he dragged me from the path and mangled me
and left me without help.

12 He drew his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.

13 He pierced my heart
with arrows from his quiver.

14 I became the laughingstock of all my people;
they mock me in song all day long.

15 He has filled me with bitter herbs
and sated me with gall.

16 He has broken my teeth with gravel;
he has trampled me in the dust.

17 I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.

18 So I say, "My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the LORD."

19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.

20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.

21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
while he is young.

28 Let him sit alone in silence,
for the LORD has laid it on him.

29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
there may yet be hope.

30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
and let him be filled with disgrace.

31 For men are not cast off
by the Lord forever.

32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.

33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to the children of men.

34 To crush underfoot
all prisoners in the land,

35 to deny a man his rights
before the Most High,

36 to deprive a man of justice—
would not the Lord see such things?

37 Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?

38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?

39 Why should any living man complain
when punished for his sins?

40 Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the LORD.

41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven, and say:

42 "We have sinned and rebelled
and you have not forgiven.

43 "You have covered yourself with anger and pursued us;
you have slain without pity.

44 You have covered yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can get through.

45 You have made us scum and refuse
among the nations.

46 "All our enemies have opened their mouths
wide against us.

47 We have suffered terror and pitfalls,
ruin and destruction."

48 Streams of tears flow from my eyes
because my people are destroyed.

49 My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,

50 until the LORD looks down
from heaven and sees.

51 What I see brings grief to my soul
because of all the women of my city.

52 Those who were my enemies without cause
hunted me like a bird.

53 They tried to end my life in a pit
and threw stones at me;

54 the waters closed over my head,
and I thought I was about to be cut off.

55 I called on your name, O LORD,
from the depths of the pit.

56 You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief."

57 You came near when I called you,
and you said, "Do not fear."

58 O Lord, you took up my case;
you redeemed my life.

59 You have seen, O LORD, the wrong done to me.
Uphold my cause!

60 You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
all their plots against me.

61 O LORD, you have heard their insults,
all their plots against me-

62 what my enemies whisper and mutter
against me all day long.

63 Look at them! Sitting or standing,
they mock me in their songs.

64 Pay them back what they deserve, O LORD,
for what their hands have done.

65 Put a veil over their hearts,
and may your curse be on them!

66 Pursue them in anger and destroy them
from under the heavens of the LORD.

If you missed President Obama's Oval Office Address you can view it by gong to this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh76oepKFc8&feature=player_embedded#!

Be blessed!

Know God's Word and Walk by Faith

Please click play to watch the video above.

I have to say that I have not posted a blog in a while and it feels wonderful to be able to do so. I am just so thankful for the opportunity to share my thoughts with others and in turn read and respond to what others are sharing on the Internet.

My mother had hip replacement surgery last week. My father, brother, and I have been extremely busy assisting her during her recovery of this very painful, but necessary procedure. As stated in the video, on thing that my family and I can always rely on on is the word of God. His word is powerful and such a blessing to us. We must spend time reading and meditating on God's word. When we do this we become closer to Him and we are not so easily discouraged when we face great difficulties in life. Knowing God's word brings us peace, success, and many blessings.

My mother is still recovering from her procedure and in a lot of pain. At her darkest moments I was with her in the hospital. It was very late Thursday night (May 27th) and mom was just totally our of it and having a very difficult time. As a lay awake next to her on the hospital chair/bed, my mind raced and my heart broke. Once again, I felt totally helpless to relieve my mom of her suffering. I had prayed for her but at the moment I couldn't pray, so I sang instead. The wonderful thing about singing as a Christian, so many of the songs that we sing are based on God's word. We sang about four different songs. Mom's room was right across from the nurses' station and I am sure if nurses were there at that time they heard us singing. I thought about that as we sang about Jesus and his goodness, but at that moment I did not care. After a few songs mom settled down and we both fell asleep for about 45 minutes, which was about as long as mom could sleep at one time that night. The next day very early about 6:00 am, I heard sining. It was one of the nurses. I was still pretty out of it myself and had no idea what song was being sung, but I had no doubt that the nurse was singing because he heard us singing very early that morning. I am so thankful that singing brought peace to my mom and joy to at least one person who heard it.

Psalm 119 is a chapter you should read and study. It will be such a blessing to you. It is based on the Hebrew alphabet, with Beth being the second letter of that alphabet. Let the verses below be your prayer. Meditate on these words and be blessed by them.

b Beth

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.

11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

12 Praise be to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.

13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.

14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.

15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.

16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

"Just Another Manic Monday"

Just another manic Monday, are the lyrics to a pop song that was popular back in the 1980's or early 1990's. Mondays are hard for many people. It's the first day of the work week. I heard a report on a news radio station that more people have a heart attack on Monday more than any other day of week.

I have to admit that the Monday morning commute here in the Washington DC metro area is a monster and yesterday was no exception. As I drove to work, there was very heavy traffic on every street and road I traveled on. People do dangerous things while driving and often I pray so I get where I am going safely. 495 is one of the Beltways in the area and when I first moved here I drove on it daily and witnessed accidents (or at least the result of them) at least 3 times a week and was constantly stuck in back up traffic due to those accidents.

I travel mostly back roads now and do not see as many accidents, but yesterday there was a pretty bad one on the west bound lanes of Route 32 in Howard County. I knew something was wrong due to the number of motorist on the road and at the accident site drivers not involved in the accident almost created more accidents by jumping out of their lanes in to the left lanes cutting off their fellow drivers so they did not have to slow down or stop do to the accident. If you do not believe in miracles, if you witnessed some of the near misses I have, you would.

The drive in, like many mornings, was stressful, and due to the accident I was running a few minutes behind schedule for work. As I turned onto one of the last streets headed for my place of work, I passed by a construction site. Those of you in the Maryland/DC area know all to well about the ICC. The ICC is a huge project of creating this road that connects two or three counties and it is supposed to relief traffic volume in the area. The ICC is very controversial and the whole project has been in and our of court for over 30 years. Thousands of residents have lost property, and now everyone is dealing with construction sites all over the place, which, yes, creates even more traffic jams.

I pass a few of these construction sites to and from work, and yesterday as I passed the one on Layhill Road between Norbeck and Bel Pre roads I saw something that touched my heart and made me smile. I saw the construction workers, with their gear on, complete with yellow vests and yellow hard hats all in a circle. There were about 25 of them and it looked like they were praying. Some mornings if I am running behind schedule, I see them in this circle stretching, but yesterday, they looked like they were praying. If I was a painter I would paint this scene. It's about 7:00 am, the day is just getting started, and these men and women, who have a very dangerous job start their day off in a circle of prayer. It was a beautiful sight and it blessed me so much.

How do you start your day? If you think Mondays are hard, if you do not know how you will do all the things you have to do in an excellent way, then I recommend that you take at least 10-15 minutes and just pray. If you do not know how to pray, get your Bible turn to the book of Psalms and just read a Psalm aloud. I wish every organization started off their day like the men and women I see each morning. Many mornings I see them getting out of their cars as they arrive at their job site, but on my most difficult commuting mornings, I see them in their circle and seeing them reminds me that I am surrounded by the presence of my mighty Abba Father and so are you, you just may not be aware if it. Take the time and be aware of his presence, love, mercy, grace, protection, and love.

As you reflect on today's posting think about these verses and quotas below:

"Trust in Him at all times, you people: Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8

"Faith that is sure of itself is not faith. Faith that is sure of God is the only faith there is." Oswald Chambers

"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong." I Corinthians 16:3

"People do not so much lose their faith as cease to use their faith." Os Guinness

May 5th - A Day of Miracles

Today is May 5th and for many like me, it is extra special because it is my birthday. This year my birthday falls on the day I was born. I feel so blessed and I have enjoyed my day. What did I do? Well, I went to work and I saw one of my students, Susie. She found out it was my birthday yesterday and presented me with a card today. It was a lovely card, but it was what she wrote inside it that was extra special. She thanked me for always encouraging her and called me an angel.

Susie did something that in our society today we often do not take the time to do and that is sit and write down our feelings and thoughts of thanks to others. You see yesterday Susie was late to school, had received an unexcused tardy and was down right depressed. When I saw her in the hallway looking a bit lost, I called her name and we went into my office. She immediately opened her note book and showed me an acceptance letter and a scholarship letter from a private university in Washington DC. I saw the letters and was very excited, but when I saw Susie's I knew something was wrong. Instead of beaming with joy and pride, she looked sad and beaten.

I asked Susie what was going on and she told me her father was extremely upset that she had been accepted to the university. She told me that he said that she thought that she was better than everybody else, and that he wasn't going to pay for her to go to school in Washington DC, when she could go to the county community college. Now, I have to say, I have a degree from a community college and proud of it. My father was the vice president at the one I attended and I got to go for free, so it was to my advantage to go, my brother on the other hand went straight to a four year university after high school. We both have graduate degrees and successful careers. We each have our own journey, and Susie's is to attend the university where she has a scholarship.

Susie told me she was not like her father and other family members, that she wanted more out of life. She asked me what was wrong with her. Her mother lived in another country and could not take care of her, her father lives here in the United States, but resents how hard he as to work for a living, and it seems like neither parent ever wanted her and that she was just a big mistake. She then broke down and cried. Now I am a public school educator, what on Earth was I supposed to do? I told Susie the truth. I told her she was not a mistake, she was right for wanting a better life, and that she was going to accept enrollment and the scholarship, live on campus, work hard, get good grades, graduate and have a successful career. I told her the details will work out along the way, and that she is a child of God and was born for a purpose.

It is amazing, all the complaining about public education, unless you work at a public school keep your mouth shut, you have no idea what our students face today and the pressure and accountability we teachers and administrators are under. Did I think about the separation of church and state? Of course I did. Did I care? Of course I did. But I cared about Susie more, and she is 18. In a few weeks she will be out of high school, and from what I can tell totally on her own. I do not know if I will ever see her after she graduates, so I told her the truth.

Today, on my birthday I received so many well wishes from co-workers, family and friends, but it was Susie's card that meant so much. She was doing much better today, and one of the administrators at my high school is working with her and the university to ensure she can afford to attend school full time and on campus. I came home, rested, cooked dinner for my parents, who spent a long time in the hospital due to mom's upcoming hip replacement surgery, cleaned the kitchen, and then cleaned my parents upstairs bathroom. No fanfare. We will do something special on the weekend and I will have the share the spot light with Mother's Day, but I decided a few years ago, I celebrate my birthday the entire month of May.

May 5th is also Cinco De Mayo, and this year is the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill. The miracle is that I am here at all. My mother was told when she was 16 she would never have children, but here I am. It was a miracle. The Bible specializes in miracle births. The greatest birth of all was Jesus Christ, but there's his cousin John, the baptizer, then there is Samuel, and Issac, and others. The truth is all births are miracles and each new life is special to God and hopefully to the parents, but too many times this is not true. Those who do not have loving parents, need to know their Abba Father so they can know that they are cherished and that they are blessed and have a purpose in this life that will bless them and the world. Many people do not walk in their purpose. My purpose for this season in my life is to encourage young people making the transition from childhood to adulthood, assisting my parents, and making sure I have time for me.

What is your purpose? How have you been blessed and been a blessing? If you have no answer to these questions then I will encourage you as I encouraged Susie and I will tell you to read your Bible like I told her to read the one I gave her. When you read the Bible you will learn who God is, and who you are and you will know what your purpose is.

These are a few scriptures to help you get started:

Jeremiah 1: 1 - 9
The Call of Jeremiah

4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."


Ecclesiastes 11

Bread Upon the Waters

1 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for after many days you will find it again.
2 Give portions to seven, yes to eight,
for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

3 If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain upon the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there will it lie.

4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed [a] in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.

6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let not your hands be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.

Remember Your Creator While Young

7 Light is sweet,
and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
8 However many years a man may live,
let him enjoy them all.
But let him remember the days of darkness,
for they will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless.

9 Be happy, young man, while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you to judgment.

10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless.

I wish all of you that have a birthday today and this month a Happy Birthday, and those celebrating an anniversary, I wish you even more years, and of course Happy Mother's Day eveyrone.

The Price Is Right: Jesus Is Better

I spent spring break 2010 in Los Angeles, well officially Van Nuys, CA. I had decided to go last year when I was in San Diego for a conference. California is a beautiful state and I was determined to return and see my family and spend time with a dear friend of mine. I used the Internet to try to plan my trip, but found it overwhelming, there are so many wonderful things to do in the Los Angeles area. I decided that I wanted to be on a television show and learned that "The Price Is Right" was taping while I was in town, so I got an online ticket. I have never been on a taping of a television show, so I was very excited about it. I told my family and friends about it and they were excited for me.

I landed at LAX four weeks later. I had a lovely time in LA, with the one dark spot of not being able to see my family. It just seemed as if they could not fit me into their schedule. It hurt me deeply, but I let the hurt and disappointment go quickly so it would not burn and scar me. I also lived through an earthquake for first time, which was just a bit scary.

On Monday morning, April 5th, my last full day in California I got up at 5:00 am. It was raining and very chilly. I was planning to catch two buses to west Hollywood, but my friend did not want me out in the rain so we left her home in Van Nuys at 6:00 am, and she dropped me off at CBS Studio at 6:50 am. I walked through the gates, went through security, and walked up to a table with three 20 something people sitting at in red CBS blazers. I pulled out my Internet ticket as I approached the table. One of the people at the table told me that the audience was almost at capacity for the 12:30 pm taping and gave me a red ticket with the number 229 on it and told me to return at 8:30 am.

I left the CBS lot and walked a few blocks to the Farmers Market, the only place in the area open that early in the morning. There were people about walking who were also planning to be a part of "The Price is Right." I walked around the market place. Most of the stores were not open yet and I enjoyed walking around looking through windows. I found a restaurant and walked in. Immediately, a tall young man spoke to me. I knew he was speaking to me, but I could not figure out why. I was so taken aback, that I could not figure what he was saying. Then a woman who was sitting at the same table as the man spoke to me. I understood her right away. She saw me at the CBS Studio and asked me to join their group so we would have a large enough group to get guaranteed seating on "The Price is Right". I smiled, introduced myself, sat down, and ordered breakfast.

We returned to CBS, I was given a lime green custom made "Price Is Right" t-shirt by our group leader, and then all of us (6 more people were recruited) waited to see if we were going to be on the show. We waited and after about an hour we finally got the official confirmation that we were going to make the taping. We were outside under an overhang and it was pouring rain and the temperature went down. We were all freezing, but so happy we were going to be on the show. Then the staffers of the show came around to all of us and checked our IDs, and gave us that famous "Price is Right" name tag. We then had to stand in line in numeric order. Every hour we stood in line, I ran to the bathroom, which was an adventure in itself.

There where over 300 people in line and everyone was happy to be outside in the rain, freezing and trying their best to be animated so we might have the great chance to be selected as a contestant on the show. I have to tell you after several hours freezing in pouring rain, with frizzy hair it is very hard to be animated but we all did our very best for the entire time we were in line. We were divided into groups of ten about 11:00 am, a producer spoke to each one of us for about 30 - 60 seconds. I put on my best smile and tried to look and sound happy. The producer gave me 15 seconds and moved on to the next person. Two of the friends I met that were also recruited to my group also only got 15 seconds. We all knew we were not selected to be contestants. It was a disappointing feeling, but we were all glad we were going to be on the show.

We then had to check our cell phones and cameras because they were not allowed in the studio. More waiting in line, and then finally through some double doors, up some steps, and in a quick moment we had arrived. I saw "The Price Is Right" set. It looked old (1970's) and a bit cheesy and it was a small studio. We were directed to our seats and they were in the back right-hand corner of the studio. After everything we were in the back of this tiny studio with half of the stage blocked from view due to this huge hanging camera.

The show announcer game out and everyone screamed and clapped. He told us to take our seats and gave us about 10 minutes of instructions. I could hardly see the set due to the five huge cameras on stage and a camera person for each one. The there were these young (20 something) producers that came out on stage and told us when to clap, what to yell, and when to sit. We had to practice all of this before the show started. Finally, Drew Carey, came out on stage. The crowd went wild. Personally, I like Bob Barker, so I clapped but I did not yell and scream for Drew Carey. He seemed tired and bored to me, but he was engaging and funny and talked to a few people in the audience. He made it real clear that he did not like LA and that he was from Cleveland, OH.

The show started and we were instructed to clap and so on. People were called to be contestants. The stage was so small, with so many people on it that I could not see the contestants or the prizes half the time and I got tired of clapping, yelling and smiling, hoping that the hanging camera would come our way. Drew Carey made a number of mistakes, but was treated like royalty, and he acted like it as well. The the taping took about 50 minutes and then it was over. We were showed the way out. I was exhausted and glad it was all over.

I am happy I was on "The Price it RIght" the episode I was on will air on May 3rd while I am at work. I have no desire to be on another taping of a television show, it's better to watch them from home, with all the mistake edited out and no standing in line waiting hoping to be chosen to be on the show and then a contestant. I remember thinking during the taping that being at the taping was a lot like being at church. The producers that told us when to clap, yell, and what to yell reminded me of a praise team at church encouraging the congregation to praise and worship the Lord.

I have thought about that day several time since. How I had gotten a ticket online a month ahead of time, how I had to plan to get to the studio, how I was almost turned away, how I joined a group of people I had never met before to make sure I got on the show, waited in line for 3 and and a half hours in the cold rain, and checked my cell phone and digital camera, and then had to sit in the back corner of the studio where the camera man seldom pointed the camera in our direction. All of that and it was over in a flash of an eye.

I have made a conclusion that I rather be in church than on a taping of a television show any day of the week. I also realized that I don't have to wait in line, Jesus is always right here waiting to provide the love, support, and wisdom I need. I don't have to act a certain way to be accepted by Jesus, I can be the person he created me to be. I think it is very exciting to win money, great prizes, and trips to beautiful places all over the world, and wonderful things to receive, but small in comparison to receiving Jesus as my Savior.

I accepted Jesus as my Savior as a very young child. I did so because of my parents' love and teaching. It is because of them that I accepted Jesus, but it is because of my personal relationship with him that I have lived my life as his child. There have been times when I have wondered if I made the right decision so long ago, and every single time, I know that I have because his love and concern is so good and sweet.

If you have not received Jesus as your Savior, I encourage you to do so. If you need more information about who Jesus is, I encourage you to read the first 5 chapters of the New Testament in the Bible. Attend a Bible believing church, and pray. Once you have decided you want Jesus as your Savior, when you pray say, "Jesus I know that you are the son of God, and I receive you as my Savior and I thank you for my Salvation. You have saved me for all my sins." It is so important that you fellowship with true Christians at a church, so you can grow in Christ. As you pray, ask God to lead you to the right church for you. Consider this blog posting as recruiting you to join the family of God. You don't have to wear a funny t-shirt, or wait in line for hours, our act a certain way, Jesus is always available to you, and there are many churches that are in your area where you can attend and grow, no tickets are necessary, so attend on Sundays and be blessed.

Tools of the Trade-Establishing a Prayer Habit

Pictured above is my special room where I pray and write Parcels of Prayers (and do other things). I have my big mustard colored leather chair complete with pillow (I switch out pillow) and my green foot rest, and in the corner I have a round table with my prayer book, hymnal, and journal with pen. You can't see it but I have my CD player (no ipod yet) for when I play music (my flute or recorded music). Behind the care I have my printer and laptop where I write Parcels of Prayers and upload pictures and etc. Not pictured is my chase lounge, and I have my Bible (at this time) over by the chase lounge (which also has a pillow that I also switch out) where I also pray. I pray sitting on my chair or chase, but I also kneel on my knees and sometime I lay face down on the floor and pray.

I have learned something very important about being a child of God. To be child of God is like being a professional athlete, or a professional musician, doctor, lawyer, and so on. As a teacher and technology consultant. I have to continue to learn, and be more proficient at my chosen profession. I accomplish this in a variety of ways that include professional development, employee review and evaluation, peer evaluations, taking classes, attending conferences, attending as well as presenting workshops, and good old fashion studying. All of this takes time, money, and effort. Is it worth it? Absolutely, yes!

How many of you desire to be at the top of your field? Is just getting by good enough for you? I certainly hope not. As Christians we should always strive to do and be our best at everything we do. It is not easy, and it takes an incredible about of discipline and at times sacrifice, but it is worth so much more than our Earthly occupations.

Many people graduate from high school and go on to college, earn a degree or degrees to be able to work in their field, or receive some type of professional training or certification, or have done on-the-job-training and have excelled. If we have to do this in the natural world, it is even more important that we do it in our spiritual lives. We do not want to be babes in Christ forever. We want to grow and become mature in the things of God and be a blessing to ourselves, our families and others.

Attending Sunday morning service, Sunday School, and Bible Study, as well as getting involved at your local church are all good things and something that you are not doing, should consider. The fact is no matter how much you go to church or are in activities, it does not make up for some alone time with God. Think about it. When you were school did you understand everything in class? Did you have to ask questions? Did you have to take notes and then spend time studying to pass the exam? Of course you did. You could not do well in school and be on every sports team and in every group, and the same is true in the church. We only have 24 hours a day, and we must pray and ask God the best way to spend our time working, being with our families, being at church, and other activities and responsibilities.

It is important that we spend time alone with God. We need time to read the Bible and pray. If we do, we will grow more knowledgeable and mature in Christ. We cannot get it all on Sunday morning, or go to a Bible study and jot down some notes and never open our Bible at home. Also, God is alive and he desires to spend some one-on-one time with us. He does not only want to hear from us when we are facing a crisis. No! He wants a continuous loving relationship with us. Can you imagine loving someone, but never talking to them, never spending time with them and still being happy? No, not if you really love them. When you love someone, you desire to be with them. God is no different than we are. He created us in his image remember? So if we can get lonely, God can get lonely for our undivided attention and time.

You may be thinking, "I am already so busy, now I have one more thing to do." You may feel that way at first, but you will find that when you spend time alone with God, you gain time. One thing I love about God is that I can be real with him. I can say what is in my heart and he still loves me, and then, if I take time to listen and obey him, he restores me. God also wants you to praise him and thank him for how he has blessed, provided and protected you.

Just like that are study habits and work ethics in education and business, there are ones in our Christian lives. I am going to focus this post on prayer. The most important thing about prayer is to practice it. There are all kinds of books about prayer, and ministers and elders who will tell you do pray in a certain way, but I find it best to start by just thanking God for what he has done and talk to him, just like you talk to your best friends. Open your mouth and speak. Yes, I know many people believe in silent prayers, but remember this is your private prayer time, when it is just you and God.

I have some personal tips on establishing your very own personal prayer time with Jesus, please adjust them as needed.

1. Pray and ask God to give you the desire to pray - this may sound strange, but many people find prayer very difficult
2. Go to a regular prayer service at your church whenever possible so you can be encouraged by other's prayers - be careful not to get intimidated, each person is different and prays in a slightly different way.
3. Select a time during the day when you are alone and can pray.
4. Set a minimum time for your prayer time - you may want to start with 15 minutes
5. Select a place in your home where you can pray - pleased be advised, you can pray any where at any time, this is referring to establishing a daily prayer habit

Now that you have the time (early in the morning works best for me) you will need your "tool." Yes, I said "tools." All professionals and experts have the "tools" of their trade.

1. BIble - always try to read the Bible before you pray, you read as much as you need. I like to read the Bible from beginning to end over and over again, but you do not have to read the Bible in order. A great place to start if you have no idea where to start is the four gospels or the book of Psalms.
2. Pray the BIble - when you read something in that really touches you, stop and read it aloud. If there is a pronoun or personal name, change it and read it aloud using your name or "I" or the person's name you are praying for. The word of God is powerful and reading silently, and aloud will bless you.
3. Prayer Book - I have the book "Prayers Avail Much." It is a series of prayers on different topics that we all face in life, all based on Bible verses which are listed at the end of each prayer. This kind of tool provides you support by breaking the Bible down into subjects and topics that are important. It does not change the word of God, it is based on the word of God. The Bible is a wonderful book, but it can be very confusing to understand without some background knowledge and instruction.
4. Give praise and thanks - Say aloud praises and thanks to God, these are from the heart, but I will provide some examples. "God I love you and I thank you for all you have done for me." God you are mighty and strong." "God I thank you for your provision and protection." "I love you, Lord." The book of Psalms has many praises, feel free to read those aloud.
5. Hymnal - I love singing and singing is a great way to praise God. You can sing songs that you know, but if you have a hymnal you will have a treasure of songs that you can sing. I play the flute, so I can read music, so I often sing hymns I have never sung before, but I am always so blessed. Also, if you use a hymnal you do not have to worry about forgetting the words, but if you do, that is okay, you can always sing a song from your heart.
6. Pray aloud - talk to God. Open your mouth and speak to him.
7. Listen - once you speak to God be silent and listen to what he says to you. You may think that God will not speak to you, but he will and does, usually we are not paying attention. He will speak to your heart and spirit. If you hear nothing, that's fine, you are developing a habit, and sometimes God speaks to us later in the day, when we are facing a crisis, the thing you must remember is that you have to listen and you need to block out the noise in your life so you can hear from God.
8. Journal and pen or pencil - write down what God says to you, include the date and time, and when you go back over your journal, you just may discover a pattern, and you will be establishing a habit.
9. Box of tissue - I do not care who you are, when you come before God and you are in his holy presence, it can be humbling, it can be overwhelmingly beautiful, and it can be liberating, no matter what it may be on any given day, there will be days (at least for me) of tears. They may be tears of pain, or they may be tears of joy, but I have found having tissues near by are always a good idea.
10. Furniture and/trash can (for tissues) - this totally depends on what you have and what works best for you. I have my place pictured above.

There are many references to prayer in the Bible. You may read any of them and they will please you, but I have decided to close with the Lord's prayer. In Luke chapter 11 we learn that Jesus was "praying" in a certain "place" and the disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. If the disciples who worked and traveled with Jesus need support with prayer, then we all do, and if Jesus, the son of God took time to be alone and pray, so do we. Take care, and take time to pray.



Luke 11: 1 - 4

Jesus' Teaching on Prayer

1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2He said to them, "When you pray, say:
" 'Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.[b]
3Give us each day our daily bread.
4Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]
And lead us not into temptation.[d]' "

The Class of 1958

Julius R. Brown (center) high school graduation (pictured left) and Julius R. Brown, with "Big Mama", my grandmother and his mother Classie Brown.

I am a high school media specialist. I work with all of the students in the school that come to the library to do their work, or those who just come to have a place to hang out. I collaborate with teachers and present lessons to students and provide assistance when needed. I also work with administrators and other staff to make sure the operations of the library and school function properly. The one thing I do not do, which is a stereotype of my profession, is sit around and read books all day. Yes, I do read books, but on my own time, not at work, I am too busy to do so.

A graduation requirement for our students is the competition of a number of community service hours. One way that students can do this is become a student assistant. We call them squires because our mascot is a knight. Many times students at our school wait until their senior year to start or finish their student service hours. I think many students think that high school will last forever, and then discover, they are a junior or senior and their time is running out and they have to start planning for their future. I wish I could say that all of our students make it to this point, or that they have loving parents that help them through this transition, but far to often this is not the case.

This semester (spring) I have five student assistants assigned to me. All of them are seniors. Out of that five; only two that I know of has a clear plan for their futures. Susan and Marcus are those students. Marcus is going into the military and will get his college education as he serves our country. Suan has worked very hard over the last few months to fill out paper work, write essays, and meet deadlines. Susan will be the first person in her family to go to college. Her family does not have the experience to help her make the decisions that she needs to make that will be best for her future. Susan has depended heavily on the school staff to assist her through this process, and she is willing to listen and follow instructions and good advice. She also has a good friend, who is also a senior, who supports her efforts even though he is convinced he is not college material.

I have advised Susan to visit at least one of the colleges she has applied to during an open house they are having later this month. I hope she will attend, and I realize that if she goes, I may have to attend with her. College is something that Susan wants, but is very fearful of as well. She’s not sure if she is making the right decisions for her future, and that is very understandable.

Several years ago, my father, Julius Brown faced the very same situation as Susan. He wanted to go to college, but had no idea how to make it happen. It was 1958, he had graduated from Pursing High School in Detroit, Michigan, and unlike Susan, he did not receive the support from school staff to help him meet his goal of becoming a college student. No one in my father’s family had gone to college, so like Susan, dad was very unsure about his future, but he knew one thing, he knew he wanted to go to college and he knew that it took money and money was one thing he did not have.

I did not know it, but there was a recession in 1958. Dad graduated from high school and could not find a job, his older brother Mac was in real estate and could not sell a house, his mother was laid off from the car factory and working as a maid in homes and hotels just to pay the bills. When my father told me this I was totally shocked. I never knew my father faced such an uncertain future. To me he has always been strong and loving, I cannot imagine him as a teenager with an uncertain future.

My grandmother never attended college, but she wanted the very best for her son, but did not have the means to help him make the decisions he needed to make, or provide him with the funds he needed to go, but she did not feel defeated, or discouraged. She stepped out on faith. She wrote a letter (there were no cell phones in 1958) to her oldest son Sam who was in the Army and told him about what my dad wanted to do. My Uncle Sam sent my father $100.00 and that is how my father started his college career.

I asked one of my other student assistants where she was going to college and she just looked at me blankly and replied that college took too long. I spoke to her at length about how important it is to invest in her own future. My father started college in 1958 and did not finish until 1973, but when he finished he had his PhD from the University of Michigan. It was worth all the time, money and effort. He has been able to provide for his family, and has helped thousands of people from all walks of life to attend and graduate from collage. He spent his career as a higher education administrator and president.

Susan is entering an essay contest about setting goals for the future (I encouraged her to do so). A requirement of the contest is that the applicant has to be between the ages of 13-18 and has to interview a person over 50 years old on setting goals. Susan's grandparents are not easily accessible to her, so she is interviewing my dad. They have not met, but through the use of technology they have. Susan made a video type and hard copy of her interview questions, and I video typed dad’s answers.

When I think of Susan and my father, I think of King David in the Bible. King David did not start out as a king, but a simple shepherd boy. David’s own family did not believe in him, but he killed a giant and went on to be the king of his people. I wish I could say that King David’s reign went smoothly, but it did not, and partly because of the bad decisions he made. The one thing I can say about David, he knew who God was, and when he messed up big time, he faced it and asked God to forgive him, which God did, but David and those around him, still had to deal with the consequences (good or bad) of his decisions.

To learn more about King David you can read his story in I and II Samuel and I and II Kings. The future is not a mystery to God, he knows what the future holds and he knows you. If you need to make decisions about your future talk to God about it in your prayer time. Then listen to what he says to you. He knows what is best for you and he wants what is best for you. With God you cannot go wrong. This does not mean you will not face difficulty, it means that God will be with you through your difficulty, and it will make you stronger.

"I see you."

This past Sunday, the movie industry celebrated the 82nd Oscar Awards. It was a big event starting off with the interviews of all the celebrities on the red carpet and of course everyone wanted to see what the stars were wearing for their big night. In many ways it was a historical night as well. A woman, for the first time in history, won for best picture and she was the director. An African American won an Oscar for writing the screen play of a award winning movie, and that was a first as well. This show was broadcast live for over three hours in the United States and in several countries around the world. It has been estimated that millions watched it.

I saw some of the award show, I have to admit and I did enjoy seeing history in the making, but overall I found the award show to be a little on edge. Everyone was so beautifully dressed, and handsome, they were in a beautiful theater, but to me everyone seemed a bit tense. To the point where I felt uncomfortable watching the program and found myself reading, or watching other programs and switching back to the Oscars. It may of been just me.

I am not a huge movie person, and often wait until movies are out on DVD or on television before I see them. I find going out to the movies to be expensive and very time consuming, and most movies are very predictable or just do not appeal to me in any way. Despite all of that I did have two favorites, "The Blind Side" (I was very happy for Sandra Bullock) and "Avatar." In fact today's posting's title is a line from the movie Avatar.

"I see you," was my favorite line from the movie Avatar. I loved the part when the scientist explained to the marine what the greeting meant. It meant that when someone greeted you, they truly took the time to see you. I interpreted that as seeing past the physical and material, and truly seeing the other person. In today's society I do not think we take the time to truly "see" each other. We have allowed the media to determine what is beautiful, and what is success, and if people do not measure up to that standard, then we do not truly "see" them. We judge people so quickly and easily based on what they look like, or what they have or do not have. Often we do not truly "see" a person for who they really are, and seldom people know who we truly are. We just "look" at the outward appearance and make a judgement.

Why? Why are we so quick to make judgements about other people just by the way they look? I think there are several reasons. One is the huge influence of the media. We allow ourselves to be influenced by images that are not real, but "retouched" but use those false images as a gage of what is acceptable and what is not. I believe a second reason is our own value system. We tend to be more comfortable with people that look like us, have the same attitudes as we do, and the same lifestyle. The third reason I believe is time. It takes time to really get to know someone and "see" who they are, and that also takes trust.

Time and trust are two things that people just do not have enough of, and these are two very important components of being about to truly "see" someone else and for others to see ourselves. In the movie Avatar there were two completely different types of living beings, humans, and the blue creators (sorry I forgot their names). On the surface these two spices looked and acted completely differently from each other. They had a conflict because the humans were on the blue creators planet and they wanted to take their resources by force. A small group of human scientist worked hard to make contact with blue creators and discovered that they were not as different from humans as many believed. It is truly an old universal story that has played out over the centuries in real life. It is easy to destroy someone if you dehumanize them.

The wonderful thing about Jesus Christ is that when he walked on Earth in his ministry he "saw" and "felt" those around him, that the society, at that time, totally rejected. He cared about people that society had written off and discarded. One such person was the "women with the issue of blood." Her name is never mentioned in the Bible, but her story stands as an example of what faith in action can do. We can read of her story in Mark 5:25-34

"A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

31"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "

32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

What you may not know is that this "woman" according to Jewish tradition was unclean because of her health condition. She could not take part in any public worship or event. The fact that she went out in a crowd in her condition took a great amount of faith and courage. If someone had "seen" her and knew of her condition, she could of been stoned to death, because if she touched anyone (and of course you know she had to have touched many people to get through the crowd to Jesus) they would of become "unclean" as well. She was breaking the law by going into the crowd.

This woman had been through so much pain, rejection, grief, and when she heard that Jesus was coming, she had no more money to spend on doctors, so she made a decision to save her own life by "seeing" Jesus as the Savior. This was a woman of means. I do not know where she got her money from, the Bible does not say. We do not know if she had ever been married or had children. We only "see" this woman's pain and shame we know nothing else of her history. Her story seems to come out of no where. We do not know what happened to her after she was healed, but we know her faith is what healed her.

This woman thought so little of herself that when she went to "see" Jesus, she did not what to be seen by him. She had such a high regard for him, that she was convinced that if she just touched the bottom of his garment she would be healed. As you read, Jesus felt power leave him. Can you imagine? That woman touch his clothes, not him, and he felt power go out of him. Let's stop here just a moment and think about that. What does that mean? How many other times did that happen to Jesus? I do not believe any. Power went out of Jesus, into the woman and she was healed instantly. How? Her faith. Faith is belief in action. When she heard Jesus was coming, she took action. She heard what man had to say to her, she knew that her society had rejected her, she knew years of pain, isolation, suffering, and loss, but somehow, someway, she made up in her mind, that she was worth saving and she believed despite all that she had been through life was still worth living and when she heard of about Jesus she knew he was here to bring life and healing to this world.

Jesus knew who had touched him. I believe he asked who it was so he and the world would "see" this woman. She had been invisible for so long. She was healed by her faith, but Jesus made her visible again. This nameless woman's faith is inspirational and blesses us today. I have no doubt that she went on and lived a good life. Why is she nameless? I believe it is because in this story God wanted us to focus on the purpose of the story and not the person. Personally, I would love to know more about this woman, but it is her act of faith that is the focal point of her story.

In life we each may feel rejected, isolated, and even invisible at times. I believe that is a natural part of the human experience. The good news is, we do not have to depend on how we feel about ourselves, or how others feel or think about us. Emotions are tricky, and sometimes we allow them to get out of control. When this happens, we have to remember who God is. It does matter how we feel, we can share that with him. He can handle it and restore us. Just as the woman with the issue of blood was healed we can be healed. Will God heal us in the same exact way as he healed her? I believe anything is possible with God. Does that mean he will heal you like he healed the woman with issue of blood? That is not for me to say, but I will say this, our healing is never for us alone, it is to encourage others. Just as we know the story of the woman with the issue of blood, you should share your blessing of healing with others, it will be a blessing to them.

If you need healing today in your life in any area, please know that that there are people praying for you. If you attend church have the elders of the church pray for you. Read your Bible and ask God to heal you and then believe that he will and then take action. Your healing my come in the form of a medical procedure, or talking to a professional in a specific area, but whatever why God decides to heal you, be sure to make wise decisions and be thankful for the blessings that you receive.

I want to end my posting of a video of Mo'Nique who won an Oscar, only the second African American woman to win it in her category. She does not fit the standard of "Hollywood beauty" and was all but invisible in Hollywood, but that did not stop her from stepping out on her faith and pursuing her dream. I do not personally agree with all the things she does and says as a person in the media, but I do applaud her loving the person that God made her to be. No one is invisible to God, he "sees" you and loves you, not matter what.

I have tried to include the video link, but you can find it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u13HvA-96Ls

Play video for a special welcome and song.

This past Sunday, Bishop Gurley, took is Bible reference from Matthew 6:33. He preached a message of obedience and hope. He emphasized that God is true to his word and will fulfill his promises. He also stressed that we as God's children should seek God's kingdom first in our lives. We can't live any old kind of way and expect God to bless our mess, we have to live according to the word of God.

Matthew is one of the four gospels and in the sixth chapter Jesus is teaching his disciples and those who are following him. He teaches about giving to the needy (the U.S. Congress should consider how best to care for the needy based on Jesus' teachings), how to pray and fast, and about worry. It is a chapter that I encourage you to read, it will be such a blessing to you. Read and do the word of God.

The chapter ends with (verses 34-35) "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (NIV) We learn three things from these verses from Jesus (1) seek the kingdom of God first and we will be blessed (2) it is a waste of time and energy to worry, and (3) in this life we will have trouble.

I am glad I know God, because if I didn't I would be a worry wort. In this world today there is a lot to worry about, from blizzards, to hurricanes, to earthquakes, to economic crisis, to wars, and I haven't even mentioned the personal things yet. I give my worries and concerns and fears all to God and he gives me his peace and strength. Also, I have learned there is nothing more important in this life than God. I put him first and by doing so, I can do what I have to do, and that includes loving my family. Finally, Jesus himself tells us that we will have trouble, it's not a maybe, it's a fact. We live in a sinful world, where there is sin there is trouble. Once again, it's nothing God cannot handle, but we have to give it over to him to handle and we have to walk and act in his love and wisdom.

I enjoyed Bishop Gurley's message (The Tabernacle Church in Laurel, MD), and it reminded me of when I was a child. I am from Detroit, Michigan, and Detroit is known for a lot of things (not all good unfortunately), and one of the things it is best known for is great music. You may be thinking I am referring to Motown, and you're only partially correct, I am talking about some great, hand clapping, feet stomping, Holy Ghost shouting, gospel music. The Clark Sisters, the Winans, and Fred Hammond are just a few that hail from my hometown.

My favorite singer of all time is my mom Betty Brown, who is a soprano soloist, but back when I was kid the best singers around were the Joy Bell Choir from my home church, Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ. You talk about a choir that could sing. OMG! (As my students text) Every time they sung it was like heaven on Earth. The Joy Bells were directed by a young man named Michael Bonner, and he could play a piano and organ and direct a choir like no one else. I did not grow in a quite church, my church was noisy and active and had lots of singing and shouting (dancing). We knew how to rejoice in the Lord. These days it is called Praise and Worship, and it's nice, but it's a bit watered down compared to how we used to praise the Lord back in the day.

I wanted to be a Joy Bell so badly. My mom had been in the Joy Bell Choir when she was a girl, and I couldn't wait until it was my turn. From the age of 10 I wanted to be in the Joy Bells, but the members of the choir were from the ages of 14 - 21. So I had to wait four years before I could join. When the time finally arrived the Joy Bells were so popular and Michael Bonner had done such a good job training them that members did not want to move on to the adult choir. The solution was to shift the age up four years to 18. I was devastated to say the very least, but the fact that so many older people were in the choir did frighten me.

Do you know what it is like to wait for something, and prepare for something, and then when you are finally almost there, what you wanted so badly is suddenly gone? I do. Tina Gaylord, a member of the Joy Bells decided to start a choir for all the kids my age who wanted to join the Joy Bells, but now couldn't because of the change in the age requirement. The name of her choir was the Jubilee Choir. I joined because all my friends did. It wasn't the same as joining the Joy Bells, we never got to work with Michael Bonner, but at least I was with my friends.

I think I need to stop right here and explain something about myself. When I was growing up there were only three things in my life home (family), church and school. That was it. I didn't go to summer camp, I went to Vacation Bible School. I had three set of friends, the friends at school, the friends on the block, and my friends at church, and I spent more time with my friends at church than anybody else because I was at church just as much as I was at home and school, and I am not exaggerating. I went to school 5 days a week, I was at church almost 5 days a week too, and sometimes more. So now you may understand why waiting four more years to join the Joy Bells really hurt.

"Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God" is a song that I learned from Tina. I think she put the melody to the verse herself. I say that because the Jubilee choir did not use sheet music, we learned by ear. Tina would sing our parts, and we would sing them back to her. We had to memorize our parts and the words. We did not have the music on a tape or CD to take home and practice, no pencil or paper to write down notes, and no handheld electronic device to record rehearsals, it was all done by ear and memory.

I will never forget the Jubilee's first concert and introduction to the church. There were about 75 - 100 of us and we girls had on pale yellow long sleeve cotton blouses with a tiny white lace collar, and the same lace at our wrists, with long (floor length) navy blue skirts. I love long floor length skirts to this day (a by product of being a young kid in the 1970's). I know the boys wore navy blue slacks, and I think white long sleeve shirts. I was so nervous during our concert that I sweated out my blouse under my arms.

I don't remember much about the choir after the concert, but I do remember we did not sing "Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God" because Tina wanted the choir to do four part harmony and we were never able to sing it like she wanted it sung. I also felt like the song was never finished. She only taught us that one verse (the one I sing in the video).

Of all the songs Tiny taught us, it's that one that I remember the most and sing during my prayer time most often. I did not realize that until Bishop Guley's sermon last Sunday. It's amazing, but that song, and what I was taught as a child has carried me through some very difficult and dark days in my life. I am so glad my foundation was in the church, but more importantly in God. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior at four years old. I am so grateful for his salvation.

Did I ever get a chance to join the Joy Bells and sing with Michael Bonner? No. When I turned 18 my family moved from Detroit to Pittsburgh, PA. I wasn't devastated this time, but did suffer from culture shock in Pittsburgh, but that's another post for another day.

So today, take it from me, it you do not know how to handle something, seek God first. Read the word of God, pray and listen to God speak to your spirit, and if you have not done so receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. All good things will be added to you, but remember there may always be trouble, but with God, you will be able to handle it.

Special Note: My comments about the Joy Bells and Jubilee choirs are what I remember, and those are my childhood memories and may not reflect all true facts. What I have stated is to the best of my memory.

Queen Yu-Na: Hope of a Nation

"Queen Yu-Na" 2010 Olympic gold medalist figure skater representing South Korea, (top left), Medal Ceremony with top three women medal winners (top right). Silver medalist, Mao Asada of Japan (pictured buttom left), and Bronze medalist Joannia Rochette of Canada.


I did not mean to, but last night I stayed up to midnight to watch the Ladies Figure Skating competition. It has a historic event for several reasons. All of the ladies who competed did an excellent job, but it was the last hour or so of the event when the medal contenders skated that was the most exciting.

The young ladies ranged in age from 16 - 19 and represented the United States, Canada, Japan and South Korea. The favorite to win the gold medal was Kim Ya-Na from South Korea. Korea has only had one athlete when a medal in the Winter Olympics, so this opportunity for an Olympic gold medal took on a special significance to people of that country. Kim is referred to as "Queen Yu-Na" in South Korea and is an institution. Since she is such an outstanding and award winning athlete she markets all kinds of products in South Korea and even has her own clothing line.

Kim left South Korea and trains in Canada and that has made her an Olympic gold medalist. She had to leave her home and go where she could be trained by the best. There was an enormous amount of pressure on Kim to perform well. Even at her young age she knows how you can be a star in the public eye's on moment, and a villain the next. It has been reported that Kim even received death threats if she did not win the gold medal. How did a 19 year old girl become the hope of her nation? I have to admit, that I do not know that much about South Korea, but I will speculate that the people of that country had the great desire to be number 1 in the world at something. All countries do.

Kim has been preparing for the Olympics her entire life. She had to stay calm and confident while skating. She knew the eyes of the world were on her, and most importantly the judges where watching her every move. One tiny mistake, points would be deducted from her score and all her sacrafice, and years of hard work could of all been for nothing. It seemed to me the only option Kim had was to win the gold, nothing less would do.

Kim gave and performed her best and has set new world records in her sport. She also out performed rival Mao Asada from Japan. Historically there as been animosity between the two countries, but last night's historic event, and the grace in which the two athletes responded and how each of their respected country's responded illustrated that relations can improve.

Joannie Rochette was in her home country as a competitor which was a blessing for her because her mother suffered a massive heart attack and died two days before the figure skating competion started. Joannie showed an incredible amount of strength and courage and her fellow countrymen and women where there to support her through a very unexpected difficult time.

If these three young ladies inspire hope, grace, strength, and perseverance, how much more does our loving savior Jesus Christ inspire Christians? Jesus left heaven and came to Earth as a human being to live among us. He learned everything he could from those in his life who taught him. When his ministry began, he spoke with great wisdom and compassion, and when necessary he rebuked those who were wrong. He was a nobody, from a small poor village that nobody cared about. Once he became popular among the people, the leaders of the Jewish people began to "judge" him harshly. He knew his purpose and he knew he would be on the cross, and he knew he would have the sins of the whole world on him. Now, that is pressure, the salvation of humanity was on him. He was our only hope, nothing less than perfection would do.

We are once again about to celebrate Easter and as we do, it is a good time to read, or read again the four gospels and focus on the teachings of Jesus and the events leading up to his death and his resurrection. We have to have hope. We cannot give up just because what we face is difficult. One thing I saw while watching the Ladies Figure Skating competition was seeing young ladies fall during their performances. They got back up and skated to the best of their abilities. They may not have won a medal, but they are still at the top of their sport and the best from their respective countries. Winning an Olympic medal is one of the greatest things a person can achieve, but being a loving witness of Jesus Christ and winning souls to the kingdom of God is the most important things we can do as Christians. So, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us inspire hope, tell others of the wonderful grace of Jesus Christ, depend on God's strength to be like Christ, and persevere until Jesus' return.

Going for the Gold

I am not a huge fan of the Winter Olympics, but when I learned of a young athletes death during practice in Vancouver, Canada, I did tune in to learn more. I understand the devotion, dedication and sacrifice athletes and their families make to qualify to compete in the Olympic games and my heart went out to the young man's parents who died in a blink of an eye after years of training and sacrifice.

I am from Detroit, Michigan, but I was not exposed to many of the winter sports that are a part of the winter Olympic games and that is one reason why I do not enjoy them nearly as much as the summer games. Also, I do not understand the point of some of the sports in the winter games. It seems to me that people are risking their lives to be able to fly in the air on skies, snow boards, or ice skates for a few seconds of air born freedom. I may not total "get it" but I do respect people's choices, and there is no doubt in my mind that the people in these sports our extremely talented athletes.

One thing I do not like about the Olympic games in general is that there can only be one gold medalist in each category. The public usually only remembers and embraces the gold medalist. Oh, I "get it" but I often wonder about all the other athletes, those that won medals, and those that did not. Their years of training and going without so many other things so they could focus on their sport, just to make it to the Olympics and not win. Was it worth it? Did they not work as hard as the gold medalist? How does it feel to give everything you've got and still fall short of your goal? It hurts, I am not an olympic athlete, but I know that.

As I watch the games I see athletes who have won a silver or bronze medal and are not satisfied. They lash out at the person who has won in the media, or they promise to return in four years to win the gold medal. They want to be number one. The truth is no one is number one long in sports, there's always someone else, younger (not always but usually) stronger, and more talented ready to take the number one spot. But while the athlete is number one they can take advantage of so many opportunities that can extend their fame and be profitable to them personally. So is winning the gold medal about being the best in one's sport, or reaping the fame and financial rewards when you do? Personally, I think it is the love of the sport first (Who could go through all of that preparation if it wasn't?), but for some individuals they get caught up in the fame and glory of it all.

The thing I love about being a child of God is that he has enough love for all of us to be number one. We do not have to compete with anyone else for the top spot, we already have it. Of course we may not feel this way because there is no news media broadcasting our great feats, no adoring fans, and no cheering crowds to validate our hard work and expertise of execution. Most of the times there are now rewards ceremonies and no fame and fortune for what we have done. It is easy to allow ourselves to think that way. If we do we are making the mistake of choosing the world's view of reward and success.

My mother has not been feeling very well over the last two weeks. We have learned what the problem is and it is very serious. For those of you who don't know, my mom has had cancer and two bone marrow transplants. We as a family have been through so much, and we face this new health challenge with our faith in God.

Yesterday, Dad took mom to a church function. It was the first time she had been out of the house since the two blizzards with the exception of doctors visits. She had asked me earlier in the week could I clean her bathroom. She was in so much pain she could not do it herself. So, yesterday morning (Saturday) they got up, and headed to church. Once they were out of the house I got to work. To clean mom's bathroom means taking out all the equipment in that room that she needs. Is there any glory in cleaning a toilet? Once I got the bathroom under control, I washed my parents bed linen. Do they give out gold medals for changing bed linens? I made their bed, washed their clothes, folded them, but them away and then reorganized my mom's closet. I emptied all their trash cans, put away all her medicine bottles, cleaned off her dresser, and vacuumed the floor. I did everything that needed to be done. In all it took me four hours to do the job right.

There were no crowds cheering me on as I worked. No coaches on the sidelines providing last minute instructions. It was just me, but as I was working I remember waking up on Saturday mornings smelling cooked bacon or sausage and running down to the kitchen to eat breakfast. My parents would get my brother and I dressed and we would all pile in our family car. Dad would drop mom off at one of her friends house who had just had a baby, or had been sick and spend the whole day at her house cleaning and cooking for her. In the meantime dad took us, and sometimes the children of mom's friend, for a day at the park. Mom wasn't there four hours, she was there all day. She had cleaned and cooked at her own house, and the one day of the week when her husband was home (we always went to church on Sundays) she had decided to help out a friend. Where was her gold medal? In the thanks of her friend and the smiles of her children and husband at the end of the day with McDonalds for dinner (mom has never liked McDonalds, but it meant she did not have to cook dinner for us, and dad wasn't very good at cooking).

When my parents returned from the church event they had attended mom was so happy their bed was made. She was worn out and needed to rest. She immediately used her clean bathroom and laid down to rest. She was happy with all I had done. She had not asked me to clean her room. She did not have to. I knew it had to be done. I got her something to drink, and the TV remote and we talked for about 20 minutes and then see fell off to sleep. That was my reward, my gold medal.

Each one of us does things that help others in our lives. It may seem as if it is all for nothing at times, but it is not. We may not get recognition or rewards, but God knows what we do to be a blessing to others, and that is what matters most. We cannot allow the world's view of what is important, or successful or worthy of fame or fortune cloud our judgement. We have to focus on what is eternal.

King David wrote about the true value of gold in Psalms 19:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

In 1 Peter 1: 6-9 we read:

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

So as you go about your daily duties and work, think how much you are adding to the kingdom of God. Your attitude and actions are a witness to those around you and and blessing to them and you. You are a gold medalist.

The Best in Show

Sadie the Scottish Terrier was the "Top Dog", winning the 2010 Westminster Dog show last night (Tuesday, February 16, 2010). It was the 134th show in the organization's history and Sadie is a dog that is a true champion. Sadie is four years old and she has won over 100 competitions. She can say the words "hot dog" and "cookie" in five languages. Just look at her, she's well behaved and groomed better than most human beings, and lives the good life, but works hard for it.

To be a "Top Dog" and the "Best in Show" each participant has to compete at a number of dog shows and win the "Best in Breed" title first before becoming the most outstanding dog of the year. The owners of these dogs spend thousands of dollars on trainers, groomers, handlers, breeders, and veterinarians. There's also the cost of food, housing, traveling, and much more. When the dogs are competing the spectators are seeing millions of dollars and thousands of hours spent by the dogs' owners on preparing their dog to be the "Top Dog" but there is only one Westminster "Best in Show" each year.

Please remember I am talking about dogs, not people. If dogs can be trained to perform in an excellent way in front of thousands of people then what is stopping so many people from being and doing their best? I think one reason is that people do not know who they belong to. Each person on Earth was bought with the life of Jesus Christ and have all been adopted into the family of God. We are all children of the great "I AM." The problem is that many people do not know or believe this and refuse to accept the gift of salvation and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. God does not force anyone to do something they do not want to do. So, if people decide they do not want to be part of the body of Christ, then they are not and they do not know how much they are loved and how special they truly are. If people do not know this truth, they may believe lies about themselves and do things that are harmful to themselves and/or others.

One thing I am always reminded of when I see a dog show is that dogs historically all had jobs that helped people live better. As I was watching the Westminster Dog Show last night I was reminded of this fact. I found it amazing. A dog's size, body structure, hair (straight, curly, long, short, etc), type of paws, type of tail all determine what kind of job a dog did. There are dogs with webbed feet and dense curly hair that were used to retrieve ducks from the rivers and streams that their masters shot down while hunting. There are dogs that were "ratters" which means they caught and killed rats on farms. The list goes on and on. I also learned that many years ago people learned how to breed dogs so they could create the dogs they needed to train for specific tasks. In todays society most dogs are pets, but there are many that still have lots of work to do.

Hmm. If dogs, have a job, a purpose that is helpful to others, how much more do we as humans have a purpose? Each one of us has a Godly purpose and God himself designed us for that purpose. We each have everything we need to fulfill what we are supposed to be doing. Too bad many of us get side tracked because we think we are not smart enough, strong enough, pretty enough or talented enough to do what we are supposed to do. Not knowing who we are is one problem many people have, but the other is knowing who we are, but refusing to do what God has called us to do.

Okay, so what does it take to be a "Top Dog" to be the "Best in Show?" The very first thing is love. The owners of these dogs have to love them very much, an abused dog could never perform in such an excellent way. The second thing is obedience. To be a "Top Dog" Sadie had to obey her master and trainers. Third, it takes practice, discipline, determination, and perseverance to be the very best. Yes, I am still talking about Sadie. If Sadie did not have the characteristics to compete, her master would of still loved her, but she would not be the 2010 Westminster champion.

God loves each person so much more than a master could possibly love their dog. God loves us so much that he sent he only son Jesus to die for our sins. Our sin debt has been paid in full. As Christians we need to receive the love God has given us, listen to and read his word and be obedient to it. To be obedient means following instructions not from our master, but from our Abba (loving) father, who wants only the best for us. He made us, he loves us, and he wants us to know him and to mature as a child of God so we will be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Jeremiah 29:11 reads, "He knows what He's doing. He has it all planned out; to take care of me; to give me the future I hoped for."

President's Day

President Barack Obama praying (pictured).

Today is President's Day and many government offices and agencies, and businesses are off today in observance of this holiday. This was a holiday break I had prepared for, as we have an entire bulletin board display up in the library at my school with an informational list of all U.S. Presidents, with additional information about our current President, Barack Obama.

As an intercessor I have learned many things about prayer, and something I learned about many years ago was to pray for our leaders. A leader is the person who guides a family, an organization, a business or a government. All leaders need to be held up in prayer because all of their decisions impact everyone that they lead.

Leaders need to have a number of quality characteristics to be good leaders. This characteristic should include intelligence, honesty, integrity, wisdom, charity, kindness, motivation, and vision. In our society today it seems like greed and the thirst for more power and fame are the main characteristics of many of our leaders. I think of the governor of South Carolina, and senator John Edwards, and the two recently former mayors of Detroit, Michigan, and Baltimore, Maryland, just to name a few. I do not think these people realize how deeply their selfless and foolish actions have hurt the people that they were elected to serve and to guide.

Serve. What an interesting term. To serve means to protect, to work for, to help and assist. This is the one idea, the one character trait that I think many elected officials have totally forgotten. As Congress fights over universal health care (as it has done since the Clinton administration) how many people in the U.S. have died due to poor medical treatment, or no medical treatment at all? Why is medical care so expensive? Why do so many citizens have to choose between getting their medicine or eating? The list of issues and questions goes on and on, and the leadership of this country many times creates even more problems than it solves.

It seems like our elected officials, the most educated and usually the wealthiest citizens in this country, cannot seem to serve the people of this country very well. Why? Is it because the Republicans hate the Democrats? Is it because for the first time in U.S. history we have an African American president? Or, is it much more simplistic than all of those reasons? Could it be a simple matter of greed? Think for a moment. Focus on the problems we have, not the personalities, or the politics, or the media, but the real problems, and many times it is only truly one issue, the lack of proper resources to get the job done right. Another word for resources is money. The leaders of our country are responsible for using our resources to best serve us. Do they do that? I will allow you to ponder that question.

The most important thing for us to do is pray for our leaders, be well informed about all the issues, and become experts about the issues that impact us directly. Finally, we need to be politically active and do so in wisdom. The most important thing is that we vote for individuals and the issues and be well informed when we do. We should not vote based on emotions but on true facts. I know it is very hard to know what the truth is, but if we seek it, pray about it, we will know what it is.

If you want to know more about the importance of leadership and service, the BIble is the best place to look. In Mark 9:35 Jesus sets the example, "Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.' If the leaders of this world followed the teachings of Jesus, we would be living in a very different (and better) world today.

Enjoy the day and remember to pray for out president and all of our leaders. Take care!

Black History Month

There are many celebrations during the month of Febrary. One of the celebrations is Black History Month. I have a minor in Black History Studies from Penn State, so this is a topic that is near and dear to me. I know that for many it is not, and I know that, and respect others' opinions. One thing I do love about the African American experience is our variety of expressions. One such expression is the Negro spiritual, which dates back to the time of slavery. This tradition was one of faith, struggle, communication, and a means to protection and freedom. Many times slaves would use these Nergro spirituals (songs) to share information with each other without their masters knowlege, and they were also used to give runaway slaves important information so they would not be captured.

One such Negro spiritaul is "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." It is a simple song, and it is still true today. We live in a world that seems very out of control, stressful, and violent. There are problems all over the globe. We have leaders of govenerment and industry that put their own selfness needs first, and we have people in the media that very seldom tell the truth. It can be very overwhelming at any moment. How is it possible to have faith in such troubled times? The only way is to remember who God is and that he's got everything and everyone in his hands. There is nothing that has happened, is happening, or going to happen that God does not know about. You may ask, "If God knows about it, why does he let bad things happen?" I do not know the answer to that, but I do know that God gives us free will. He allows us to make our own choices, and if we are not obeying him and operating outside of his will for us, we will have more trouble in our lives than we can handle.

We must remember God's promises to us. One of them is the promise of security. John 10:27-29 states, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish. My father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."

One thing I will recommend, that a pastor recommended to his church, is to include singing during your private prayer time. You can start with "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." You have nothing to worry about, and nothing to fear because there is nothing greater than God and he loves you very much. Slaves knew that so many years ago and the song is still sung today because it is true. As you embrace God, embrace the wonderful gifts that people who have lived before us have given us. They made it through the storms of life and so can we, because we are in God's hands.

The lyrics of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"

He's got the whole world in his hands,
He's got the whole world in his hands,
He's got the whole world in his hands,
He's got the whole world in his hands.

He's got the wind and the rain in his hands,
He's got the wind and the rain in his hands,
He's got the wind and the rain in his hands,
He's got the whole world in his hands.

He's got the little tiny baby in his hands,
He's got the little tiny baby in his hands,
He's got the little tiny baby in his hands,
He's got the whole world in his hands.

He's got you and me in his hands,
He's got you and me in his hands,
He's got you and me in his hands,
He's got the whole world in his hands.

If you have never heard this song, or don't know the melody, please click on the link below. Feel free to change the nouns in the song to make it more meaningful to you.