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."