At the Alter - On my knees at the end of 2012

New Year's Eve is a time of year for great celebration.  It is the end of something that was and will never be again.  It is a time to stop, take a look back, and reflect on lessons learned.  It is also a time to celebrate accomplishments, and remember those we love that are no longer with us.

For Christians New Year's Eve, is not just a day to prepare for parties, and an evening at Time's Square in New York City, or parties, but it is a time to attend church and thank the Lord for his blessings and pray for the year ahead.  In the African American community, this service is called "Watch Night Service" and 150 years ago on December 31, 1862,  they were watching and praying in their churches for freedom to come.  January 1, 1963 it did when president Abraham Lincoln signed his Emancipation Proclamation.

Today is the 150th Anniversary of President Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation setting slaves free forever in the United States.  There is much controversy about this document and Lincoln's intentions, and even a celebration called Juneteenth because slaves in Texas did not learn of their freedom until June 19th, but the fact remains he wrote and signed the document into law.



The National Archives is celebrating this milestone by having the Emancipation Proclamation on display New Years Day weekend and hosting a number of programs.  It struck me as I watched the Oriels baseball team's sponsored Baltimore New Year's Eve Celebration that an African American woman, who was an honored guest of program, is the leader of this major east coast city, in part because of President Lincoln.  Could he, or any one of his time  imagine that by 2012, Baltimore would not have one, but two African American women mayors.  I truly doubt it, I don't think President Lincoln's vision was that vast or forward thinking, but that does not matter, he took one step in the right direction and it was a big one.  His step is documented, debated, and celebrated, but the end of slavery, and the Civil Rights Movement would not have been possible if  steps of many famous, and unknown men, women, and children from all over our great country and world, had not ben taken.  It takes each of us to make a difference.

I was at church last night.  We had two services and my friend and I decided to attend the 6:30 pm service.  We got there at 6:30 pm, but it took us 15 minutes to get inside the church.  There were so many people at that service that we had to park in the American Red Cross parking lot and be shuttled to our church.  Once inside, we were informed that the sanctuary, that seats 4,000, was completely full.  We had to go downstairs and sit in the Chapel and watch the service on a big screen.

I was so disappointed.  I live a long way from my church, and watching the service on a big screen was just not the same as being in the sanctuary.  There were so many children where we were, and children can seldom sit still, and since we were in the overflow room people in general were a bit distracted.  We were sitting up front so I was able to pretty much tune out all the movement, noise, and distractions and focus on the service.

I enjoyed the service, the music was surround sound, loud, clear, and beautiful.  Bishop Thomas preached a powerful sermon that he titled "Safety Net."  Once he finished his sermon, people started to walk out of the Chapel.  This is a critical time in the service when everyone should be still.  Alter call follows the sermon.  This is when the pastor opens the doors of the church and invites all those who are not saved and do no have a church home, to come to the alter and give their lives to Christ and/or join the church.  When people walk out during this time of service it greatly distracts those who are in the midst of making a decision.  It is at this time of the service, more than any other that the people in the church are praying.  It is better to leave the service during the sermon than the alter call.

Bishop welcomed those who responded to alter call and the new members ministry time took them to the room of welcome.  Then Bishop Thomas opened the alter for prayer.  Our last corporate prayer for 2012.  Since my friend and I were in the Chapel and so many people had already left, I decided to go to the alter in the Chapel.  I got down on my knees and my friend kneeled right next to me.  When I thought of all that happened in 2012, I was struck numb.  I could not pray, all I could do was kneel, and bow my head.  Bishop Thomas prayed, and even though he as on big screen upstairs, since I was at the alter, the most anointed and powerful place in the church, I allowed his prayer to be my prayer.  It was beautiful and just what I needed.  As he prayed I began to cry.  Soft at first, but then the tears came like a flood.  My friend put her arms around me and held me as Bishop Thomas prayed on.  She helped me stand when the prayer was over.  I left pain, hurt, disappointment, and despair at the alter last night.  My tears washed them all away, and the prayer gives me joy and strength to face 2013.  In Bishop Thomas' words, "We got this!"

Remember no matter what happens in 2013, God is your "Safety Net" and that "You Got This."  Happy New Year!  Be blessed in 2013.

Bible Verse  and Bishop Thomas' Scripture Reference for last night's sermon.

Deuteronomy 33:27-28

New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ The eternal God is your refuge,
    and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemies before you,
    saying, ‘Destroy them!’
²⁸ So Israel will live in safety;
    Jacob will dwell^[a] secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
    where the heavens drop dew.

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.

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]' "

I Can Do Bad By Myself

I am not a big movie viewer, but since being snowed in due to the storm, I had the time to see one of Tyler Perry's films. I am not a huge fan of Tyler Perry's work, but I do think he tries to send a positive message and provide audiences, especially African American audiences, an alternative perspective in mass media. Well, I think Mr. Perry fell short with the DVD I just saw, "I can do bad by myself." I think Mr. Perry missed the mark on this film because it was not based on a well constructed story. Without a good story, movies do tend to be random scenes of media strung together, without making much sense. I appreciate his effort and the movie made some good points, but overall as a total project it was just a big dud.

The first thing I would of done is change the title to "I will do bad by myself." If we rely on what we know and think and feel, we will fall short every time. We need to lean on the wisdom and love of God to guide us. We do this by listening and obeying the people in our lives that love us, provide for us, and want the best for us. It also means that we may have to change our plans and do what is best for someone else. The number one thing is to read and know God's word. His word is perfect, even if we do not understand everything that we read, or take things out of context. Once we read his word we need to pray for understanding, wisdom and knowledge. Attending a Bible believing church, attending a Bible study, or reading books about the Bible are all helpful, but we must always take time to read the Bible and pray on our own.

Hebrews 4: 12-13 states it best

12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

So why should you do bad all by yourself? God is always present to provide all that you need. Read and obey the word of God and you will be blessed. Being blessed does not mean that you will not have any trouble, it means that God is with you during your trouble, and others will be blessed by your testimony wether you tell it, or just live it day by day. We are complete in Christ.

Hold On to God's Promises

In my last entry I talked about Abraham and how God and given him something to do that made no sense to him at all and he stepped out on faith. In this entry I would like to talk a little more about Abraham and how we all can learn and be blessed by what we know about his life.
My mother has been going through a very difficult health crisis for almost two years now. At times she is very discouraged. She thinks she is not getting better, when in fact she is. Her progress has been very slow and she has had so many setbacks that it is hard to remember them all. With each setback she has had to start all over again. I can understand why she feels discouraged and down hearted. She has to keep a positive attitude and be thankful the progress she is making. It's hard to do when you are in a lot of pain, but it is an important part of the healing process.
Abraham had lived a long time his faith had been tested and he had made mistakes, but he did not allow his lack of faith in a moment wipe away all that he knew was true about God. God had promised that he would be a father of a great nation and at 99 years old he had not yet had a child with his wife Sarah who was just a few years younger than he was. How would you feel if you were given a promise and 40 to 50 years went by and that promise had not yet come to pass? Well in Romans 8: 14 - 20 it states "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God."(NIV)
Wow! And again I say, "Wow!" Abraham had the kind of faith and hope that gets you through a storm. I mean, no child and he and his wife were in their nineties. At that point in your life do you even want children any more? I can't say, I'm not that old and if I live to be that old, it is my hope that I will have hope like Abraham. We all need that kind of hope. If you know his story then you will also know that he and Sarah did in fact have a child. It was truly amazing.
Why did God wait so long before he fulfilled His promise to Abraham? I don't know, but would we know about it all these years later if He had not waited? What makes Abraham and Sarah's story to special is that is is so unlike so many others. There is no doubt that God stepped in and made it happen. Women just don't have children that late in their lives.
So if you think you are too old for something, don't have enough information or talent, don't lose hope, have faith and step out in wisdom and in faith and you may receive all the promises that God has given you. My mother is learning to focus in on the positives in her life and it builds up her faith and hope, you can do the same.

God's Promises Pay off Big

Game shows are one of America's favorite past times. The chance to be on television and win big money is very exciting. I was watching one of the newest game shows "Deal or No Deal" last night. It is a very simple game. There are 26 suitcases with different amounts of money in it with the top amount being 1 million dollars. The contestant picks a case that they think the million dollars is in and then they have to knock out all the other cases. As they do this they get offers from the banker that offers them money to trade in for the case they have chosen. Last night a woman selected a case and believed she had chosen the one with the million dollars in it. As she played the game the banker kept making her offers. At one point close to the end of the game the contestant was really under a lot of pressure and the banker offered her, what looked like a very good offer. She decided to accept $257,000.00 because it was more money than she had ever had. After she made the deal, the host opened the case she did in fact select and she had indeed selected the case with a million dollars. She admitted that she truly believed that she had chosen the case with the million even though she made the deal for $257,000.00. All of a sudden the offer she accepted seemed small to what she had and lost. I have seen this happen until to at least two other contestants. In fact not one contestant in the United States has ever one the million dollars, even when 13 out of the 26 cases had a million. I believe contestants in other countries have in fact won the million.
The contestants on "Deal or No Deal" remind me so much of the story of Abraham. Abraham is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 11:26 and at the point his name of Abram not Abraham and his wife's name was Sarai (to be changed later to Sara) and she was barren. In Genesis 12:1-3 it states, "The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (NIV) Wow! That was very powerful. Can you imagine God giving you that kind or order and promise? Leaving everyone and everything you know, with no destination, and you will become a great nation and famous, but you have no political contacts, no one to count on, just stepping out on God,s word. Then to make matters more difficult your wife is barren. The story of Abraham continues until the 21st book of Genesis.
I wish I could say that every step that Abraham took was a step of faith, but that is just not true. He was just like the contestants on "Deal of No Deal." He looked at the natural circumstances of his life and took matters into his own hands. He took an offer that looked good at the time. He tried to perform God's promise in his own power instead of allowing God to work it out in is own time and power. Abraham traded in God's best for a total mess. He couldn't take the pressure and wait on the Lord and he almost missed what God had intended for him. God did in fact bless him as He said He would, but we have all paid a heavy price for Abraham's lack of faith.
We are all like Abraham in some aspect in our lives. We know the word of God, we truly believe that it is true and real in our lives, but we allow the natural circumstances of our daily lives, some which are very difficult, to cloud our judgement and take matters in our own hands. We accept an inferiour offer. When we do this we are in danger of missing the best that God has planned for us. We are not the only ones that lose out, but those we love and perhaps people we will never meet loss our too. So, if there is an area in your life that you are really struggling with and you think that God has totally forgotten His promise to you, believe me when I say He hasn't. Hold on to the promises that God has given you, and be a big winner.

Success in Hard Times

My family and I have been in crisis mode since April 28, 2006. I remember the date and exactly where I was when I learned that my mom had acute Leukemia. Mom had not been feeling well for about three months. She had a cold that just wouldn't go away. Dad kept going to the doctor and they kept saying that nothing was wrong. Finally, during a visit her general doctor noticed that there was something not right with the results of a blood test that he had ordered. He recommended that she see a specialists and she did. Our world has forever changed.

It is almost two years later and the cancer is gone, but mom has faced to many challenges and hardships, and my father, brother, and I have been with her every step of the way. Family members, friends and health care professionals, and people we may never know have all been very supportive throughout this very difficult process. I have wondered often why my mother has had to endure so much pain. It didn't seem fair to me at all. She has been such a good person and has helped so many people. I have often thought back about 10 years ago now when my father had is battle with cancer. It was hard then, but what my mom is going through is so much harder. At times it seems to much for her and us to bare. There is so much to do, and at times it becomes totally overwhelming. It is easy to become faint and want to give up or just walk away from the situation.

Jesus knew about living through difficult times and he told us that we don't have to succumb to the difficulties in our lives. In Matthew 11:29-30 Jesus states,"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." He knew that we would face hardships in our lives and He is prepared to help us through those times.

My family has had to take on the yoke of Jesus during this time of my mother's health crisis and recovery and it has been such a blessing to all of us. You can do the same, remember, you are not in it alone.