La La La La....I Can't Hear You!!!

“But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts." Zechariah 7:11,12

BMW (Beautiful Men Worshiping)

Gentlemen, Is This You? Ladies is This True???

I don't know what it is
But I like your swagger.
I don't mean to be rude
But it's like your drunk in the Spirit
And you just stagger
In the presence of God.
It seems odd
But I can't seem to shake
You from my mind.
I think about you all the time.
It's that
Royal Thugness about you.
Like Jesus has Faithful and True
On His thigh like a tattoo.

It's not the ride on 24's
With the Lamborghini doors
But it's the way that you sway
As you're caught up
Saying,
"Jesus you're the one I adore."

Could you be the one
I've been waiting for?
Could you be the one
I've been praying for?
To watch a rock like you
Cry out in praise
Shows the glory
Of the transforming power
Of the Ancient of Days.

I have to go deep into God's presence
To crucify my flesh
Because honestly,
I can't stand to be too close
To your holiness.
And the anointing
That exudes from your pores.
I start thinking about
Being not just your shorty
But your queen
And how you could be my king.
How you could be for me
And I could be yours.
Making sure
That I cover you in prayer
As you conquer all the giants out there,
With no fear,
Because you know your warrior queen
Has your back on everything.
And her favor shuts down all
Attacks from the enemy
And brings you before great men
And great kings.

Could you be the one
I've been waiting for?
Could you be the one
I've been praying for?

A man whose low before Christ
But stands tall against opposition
With his strong stature.
Knowing how to prayerfully
Play his position
For my hand.
Will you be able
To run it full court
For the destiny God has for us?
Are you willing
To forsake all others to support,
The vision God has for you and for me?
Walking in paths of righteousness
To fulfill individual & collective callings
Are you willing to sacrifice to do what's best for me
And your family?
Can you prayerfully bring out the best in me?
Are you secure enough to let me be free to be me?
Will you allow me to speak into your life prophetically?
I'm not asking you to be a perfect man
But are you the perfect man for me?
Or am I lost trying to fulfill a carnal thug fantasy?

Harps in the Willows

We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it.
For there those who carried us away captive 
Asked of us a song,
And those who plundered us requested mirth,
Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” Psalm137:2, 3

Melancholy choruses

Blowing in the wind

Like a harp hung in the willows

Like a dream deferred

Withered in the sun.

There goes another one...

A gift, a talent

Buried in the sand.

Like a child

Throwing away a million dollars

Not knowing what she had in her hand.

We see it everyday

Those sour souls

Grinning behind gritted teeth

Because of the stench

That lies beneath.

In their hearts,

In their minds,

In their souls,

And their toes

The buried desolate remains

Of a destiny left to rot.

Purposes left for dead

After they've given it all they've got.

Or probably not...

Because fear of failure got

Their hearts on lock.

Yeah, America's got talent

But so does the world.

Unlike oysters without pearls,

If you were born,

You have it.

It's just a matter of you

Recognizing it.

Regardless of the contrary winds

And the opinions of siblings

If you would just see value

In your unique gift,

This world would be a whole lot different.

People would actually

Smile and mean it.

People would actually

Share their dreams

And folks believe it.

Because they've seen it

Happen for others before.

People wouldn't be

So jealous of one another

Because we'd all be

Getting our unique shine on,

One way or other.

Instead of being like Cain

And hatin' on our brother.

So unearth the seed,

The uncultivated fruit

God blessed you with.

Plant it in good soil

And pray hard on it.

Water it with the Living Word.

Resist the devil and he will flee.

And take away all his doubting birds.

Stand in expectancy

And give God praise

For every root and shoot

And continually

Walk in the light of holiness

Until you can enjoy the fruit.

And don't forget to share

And be shade for the upcoming new root.

He came that we may have life

And that more abundantly.

So break out of barrenness

And choose to be all that

God has called you to be.

Like trees of life

For the healing of the nations

Let us fully manifest

God's purpose for this creation

And build a forest of purposes

A monument; a testimony of triumph

For coming generations.

Beautiful

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. " Ecclesiastes 3:11a

He makes everything beautiful in its time. Have you ever noticed that certain plants bloom in certain seasons, yet we don't complain about it. We accept it as a part of life and we keep walking. The same should be true for the things we use as an excuse to keep from moving out of our comfort zone. Do you think a butterfly is concerned about what it looks like when it is time to break forth out of the cocoon? Does it ask for a mirror before it sees sunlight? Does it ask God for a test run before it spreads its wings by faith? Does the butterfly continue to act like a caterpillar until it "feels" like a butterfly?

Therefore, when God calls you to a higher level, don't shrink back and look for something in your past to disqualify you. Don't say well, Lord, if only I was shaped like I was ten years ago, then I can do _____ (you fill in the blank). Or "Lord, if I was only like this person, then I can do..." If he wanted you to be like that perfect idol you've created in your mind to keep from doing His will, He would have made you that way or asked the person who has what you think you need to do the job, instead of you. Why would God bother you, if you weren't His perfect choice in this very time, in this very season, just the way you are? People used to see the pictures of me from 7 years ago and marvel at my outer beauty. However, I know the inner pain and turmoil that I felt in that season. Spiritually unregenerate; a caterpillar, feeling like I was dying of heartache. Now, I may not be shaped the same way, but my heart and soul have been forever transformed by His divine love. Through prayer and the Word and fellowship with believers, I've been broken, restored, transformed and renewed from the inside out. At times, I look back and say to myself, if only I looked like that or if only I could be this way or that way but ultimately, I love who God has made me to be on the inside. And I realize how His glory on the inside has beautified even my outside. Therefore, I can't allow appearances or opinions to bind me from being free to be who He has called me to be. The Word says, "For I consider the sufferings of this present time, not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:18. The inner glory is priceless! I am a total package, just as He has prepared me to be and I have to believe it everyday of my life.

So accept your life and keep walking. If you choose to be processed and make a decision to follow His purpose for you, then you can walk out His plan, true repentance starts and the change comes. Then comes the wings, then comes the confidence, and then you will see your innate beauty fly effortlessly on full display. And you will see that what was on the inside of you looks even better than what you could ever imagine. And the God-thing about it is, if you allow the refined inside to flow out, it renews, revitalizes and beautifies the outside in the sunshine of your divine destiny.

Be Like A Child

I remember my first steps as a baby Christian. I remember my zeal! I knew God would do anything for me. All I had to do was trust and believe my Daddy loved me. And some how without a shadow of a doubt, I knew He did. When I read scripture, I took Him at His Word. If it said, believe and don't doubt, I made my best effort EVERYDAY to not allow doubt to sneak in under my covers. When the Word said, "Love," I loved. When He said, "Pray," I prayed and when He said, "Fast," I fasted.
Somewhere along the walk, I lost my youth in Christ. Throughout the use and abuse, throughout the persecution and pain, I lost my unwavering faith that Daddy loves me and He will give me anything my heart desires. (Psalm 37:4, Mark 11:24, Matt 21:22, Matt 18:19-20, Matt 7:11) In the processes and the waiting, somehow I've let hope wither thinking that my Hero on a white horse will never come rescue me. (Rev 18:11-16) I can blame the jaded veteran Christians who slowly snuffed out my toddler-like flame by saying, "You're just a babe. Enjoy it now," or "Wait until you've been in this a while, it gets harder." Or when I believed God for a brand new church van and I said God will send someone to pay for it, my leader chuckled a quiet, "Yeah right!" but we did get a new van within a year of that declaration. But I can't blame them and I can't blame you. I just have to get in His face again and again until I'm so trusting of Him, so sure of Him and so over myself that I'm willing to stand on a sink singing His glory once again. Knowing that if I trip, He'll catch me. And know without a shadow of a doubt that He gave me everything and everyone around me to do His will and it is ALL GOOD!! Because no one is better than me cuz my Daddy said so! (Phil 4:13, Deut 32:10, Rom 8:31-39)

Matters of the Heart

"A good man obtains favor from the LORD, 

      But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn. " 
Proverbs 12:2

People of God always quote this scripture when they feel like someone is being judged, "Man looks at the outer appearance but God looks at the heart..." This is so true but let's take it a little deeper today.  Let's scratch beneath the surface of this scripture to pull out something that will transform our lives beyond a cliché. In this scripture in Proverbs, it talks about the intentions of one's heart.

When was the last time you checked your intentions? Why do you wear what you wear? Why do you drive the way you drive? Why do you talk to certain people a certain way? Why do you go to the church that you go to? Are you doing these things for the right reasons? Some people in the church believe that if you look the part and act the part, that's all you have to do to get into heaven and mislead millions to believe that lie to. With God, it takes a lot more than a nice suit, speaking in tongues and healing a few sick people to make into heaven.

I remember when God was dealing with me about lust. He used the scripture in Matthew 5:27-28 to speak to me about how important it is to pay close attention to the things that start off in the heart. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery. ’But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. He showed me that there was a particular gentleman who I was attracted to that when he came around, I put on lip gloss, I contemplated what I was going to wear more intently. I specifically dressed a certain way just for him. Now, I was saved, very saved and in ministerial training but it was my season for God to magnify the hidden sins and faults in my life that would later cause Christ shame if I didn't deal with them before I reached the lime light. (That's why I needed to go through a process first, but yall don't hear me though...) Anyway, my pastor's wife called me on it, as she always would and told me, which I knew was from God, "Watch the way that you dress." I gave her all kinds of excuses but I knew, though what I was wearing wasn't provocative, that I had intentionally stood in front of my mirror grooming myself for him. Now, you may say it is okay to have a little "crush" but a crush is really lust when you are desiring what is not in God's will for your life and you direct more care and attention to him or her than you do to God. And the main issue was that it was inordinate affections because he already belonged to someone else!!!! Yes!!! Let's tell the truth and shame the devil!!!!

So ladies, (Here's a freebie. If you want to get married because you're tired of being a single mom and you want a man to take care of you, you're destined for trouble. You're already telling God that He is not strong enough, He is not capable of supplying all your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. You might as well go out and get you a golden calf right now and get it over with because you are making the "idea" of marriage that you have an idol. Then you're crying every night to God wondering why all your friends are getting married and your not. It's your intentions. If you are going to ride that husband like the colt Jesus rode on as they cried out Hosanna instead of honoring him for the man of God that he is and not a substitute child support check, then God will delay your wedding until you get it right IN YOUR HEART. Men, if you want to get married because you can't hold your passions back anymore, you may want God to deliver you from that struggle now because if you don't master it now, it'll ruin the marriage God wants to bless you with. That's why He's delaying you. I KNOW! I'm in the "Delayed but Not Denied" line too, waiting my turn and allowing Him to transform my heart.)

What are your intentions when you wear what you wear or say what you say? Are you talking about your bills in front of a certain individual so that they will feel sorry for you and give you some of their money that you know or think that they have????? Are you changing your voice when you call a certain establishment so that they will give you more access like they do for people of another color??? COME ON SOMEBODY!!! People of God, if we want to REALLY be able to say that we are walking in the kingdom of God, we have to be open and honest with God and OURSELVES and THEN we can be honest with OTHERS!!! THAT'S what transparency and being "naked and unashamed," really means. Yes, I'm wearing 6 inch heels but I'm wearing them because I like them and I want to feel a little taller, NOT because I'm trying to attract attention away from the Men's Night Celebration. Yes, I use big words when I talk because I like corny things like crossword puzzles and reading the dictionary since I was a kid. No, I'm not going to max out my credit card to take you out to lunch just to impress you to get me into your clique or your jaguar club when I know I'm driving a '88 Jetta!! I am who I am because I know who I am and I don't have to live or look or walk or talk a certain way for you to say I'm accepted. I'm accepted in the Beloved and that's all that should really matter to you or to me.

For example, why do church people try to make a person who grew up in the hip hop culture, change the way he walks and dresses because it doesn't look "godly?" Why do they look down on a young lady who is wearing a loose-fitted skirt to her knee because it's a cute skirt but they esteem a girl who's dress is to her ankles but she was a "Bathsheba" who just bathed because she just got of "David's" bed that Sunday morning?? It's not about the slang, it's not about the church lingo, it's not about the shoes, the car, or the white gloves, the nurse shoes and uniform that make you "somebody" in the kingdom, it's the intentions of your heart. As in the example of the Widow's mite in Mark 12:41-44, she didn't give $10 million with an evil heart to control the way the church was ran, but she gave all she had because she loved the Lord and trusted Him to provide for her even though she had no more money.

So, you hear a lot of talk about taking off the masks, "Let's keep it real," etc, etc. But what is the intentions in your heart? Who are you trying to please, God or man? Are you following God because of who He is or what He can do for you? Do you go to church because you want to be looked at as a good person or you want to show off your gift as a singer or musician? Are you trying to fit into the church like a "Member's Only" club because you couldn't make it out in the worldly society? Okay...Imma go there....Are you trying to push everybody else out of the way to be the best Bishop, Apostle, Singer, Prophet, Evangelist, Deacon, Teacher, or whatever in the church because you didn't get a degree in the world so you think you'll make a name for yourself in the church???? You didn't finish college because of certain personal strongholds that you've brought into the church. So now you want to look down on others in the church because your gift looks good in the little small church your in, but means nothing without effort, time and discipline out in the world???????? CHECK YOUR MOTIVES PEOPLE!!! These reasons for why we do all the things we do from looking down on others to not dressing up because you don't want folk to hate on you, is all wickedness that the Lord sees and will judge. We look at the homosexuals whose sin is on the outside but we don't judge the bitterness in our own hearts towards our brothers and sisters. We want to talk junk about the Roman Catholic church because their sin is all over the media but if the Protestant, Episcopal, Evangelical, Non-Denominational, Baptist, Anabaptist, Charismatic, Racist, Segregated, Divided, Selfish, and Lost Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints was put on blast like the priests, there would be shame exposed greater than that of the Jimmy Swaggart scandals that everybody wants to turn their nose up at. That would be like comparing a cherry bomb to Hiroshima! Judgment begins in the house of God and then it will go out into the ends of the Earth. The Lord is not coming just yet or else He may leave with nobody right now because the Church, including myself, is not ready. Let's get our hearts and our houses in order so that we can say, "Come, Lord, quickly come," without hypocrisy or fear.

With sincere love,

Divine Utterance

You Just ARE-Part III

"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:16-18

Christ was a servant king, so don't get it twisted thinking that you just sit on a throne and someone will come and feed you grapes from Canaan. No sista!! You will have to get your hands dirty, at times. If Christ could wash corns and bunions, so can you. Take your big church lady hat off, file the acrylics down or soak them off and let's get down to kingdom business! A kingdom mindset is a matter of the heart, not where your fanny rests. God might tell you to sell all you have and move to Colombia in the midst of drug lords' territory to build a church. Yes, literally build a church. You know, go to their local Home Depot, "Pedro's Tooth n Nails" or whatever it's called and learn how to use a hammer and a paint brush and get busy for Jesus! But in the midst of the terror and the overwhelming culture shock and persecution, if you know that He sent you and you know who you ARE and that you are royalty, you will not bow to the pressure of feeling inadequate for the job. As a king's kid you will know that the reason why you have such honor in the kingdom is because you show your Daddy so much honor and obedience. And that as you put up your first wall and there may be threats against your life like Nehemiah, the whole kingdom and the whole hosts of heaven are backing you.

One of my favorite kind of managers that I like to work for, and I strive to be like, is one who gets in with the people and works. There attitudes seem to be what we call "Down to Earth." How can a person behave this way and not feel threatened to be at your level? They know who they ARE. There is a fair and wise balance between the leader and the servant within. There is a unique balance between delegation and supervision throughout. The manager is not trying to do your job because he thinks he can do it better than you, but he offers help every now and then because its just what he loves to do. There are tasks that others are very well capable of managing on their own but if need be, the leader doesn't mind humbly lending a hand. Most times leaders like this were servants once themselves doing the same job so they can relate to you. They may even be excellent at every facet of the job and therefore obtained the CEO position. They are your supervisor because they know the business very well, in addition to their excellent service in each department.

As the world has imitated the Word again without giving Him credit, all hierarchies know the time tested principle that it is best to recruit from within. Serving helps you to learn all the little minor details about the position God is taking you too, whether the current work is directly or indirectly related to your ultimate goal or not. Though there were no kings in the administration of the Way, in the new testament. However, there was the Five Fold ministry and before Timothy was given a pastorate, he served the Apostle Paul. And though he already had the call and the destiny within him that was nurtured by his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5), he didn't just get saved, leave his home, and become an a pastor. He went through a process of following, submitting, and serving Paul. There were originally 72 disciples, but only 12 became apostles. Out of the 120 that were in the upper room on Pentecost, only a few were mentioned in the bible by name. Why is that? Multitudes flanked Jesus, but few were willing to submit to Him, obey Him, learn from Him and embrace the call on their lives in Him. Many are called but few are chosen. How well you submit yourself to your leadership and serve under the mighty hand of God will be evident in how high God exalts you in due time. (1 Peter 5:6) God has no problem recruiting from without if he has to. He did it with Melchizedek, Jesus, and Paul and he will replace you too if you want to act like a spoiled brat like the Pharisees and the Priests and the Jews. The same Gentile, Nobody, Outcast you choose not to serve can be the same one who will humble themselves and God will elevate above you. Then, YOU will have to serve THEM!

I have friends who have been assigned to pastor churches and guess what? It wasn't to take over T.D. Jakes' church either. They had to work AND pastor AND their jobs took care of many of the needs of the church as well as their growing family. The key is they know WHO and WHOSE they are. No church member can come in and buy them with their tithes and lavish gifts. No one can come up to them and debase them because they are living "below standard" according to society and they know that they can't just walk away from it all when times get rough. Why? Because they know who they ARE in the kingdom. They've spent time in prayer and getting to know the Father, learning that He knows best. In response to His love, they've sacrificed their own personal ambition and agenda for the call of being like Christ and the office that God preordained them to be in. And they know without a shadow of a doubt that since He has appointed them into that office, that their needs are supplied through that office. They are steadily planted by faith, knowing that if they are faithful with the small as heirs, God is surely going to bless them with the much as kings.

Unlike the world, being a king's kid doesn't exempt you from submission, hard work, and accountability. As representatives of a family who is always under the microscope, we must rep Christ well! All great things, like salvation come with a price, however, the rewards and the favor are far more greater. And unlike the world, the legacy, the splendor and the glory are for eternity!

You Just ARE-Part II

"Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:) That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace," Esther 1:1,2

As we know from the rest of the book of Esther, King Ahasuerus or Xerxes was not the sharpest tool in the shed. The bible never said that he was the most handsome man in the land either, but yet and still because of who his father was and his position as the first born son of a king, he was automatically entitled to be king. From the day he was born, he was groomed for the position. He didn't have to be cute, he didn't have to be tall, he didn't have to be born well-dressed with mascara on. All his benefits came with the position he was prequalified for by birth. The kind of clothes he wore, the languages and the speech he was taught, the favor from his father, the chariots he road in, the palace he lived in, the land he owned, the honor received by the people who saw him was all a part of his birthright. He never worked a day in his life for it and it never crossed his mind to try. He was entitled to it and he grew up believing that with all his heart. It may have come off as arrogance, but a king's heir, knows who he is!

Shouldn't we? If you know who you are and who's your Daddy? Because of Christ's work on the cross, you are prequalified royalty. Now you don't have to fall victim to marketing schemes that tell you in order to look like Halle Barry, you have to wear this or put on that or act like this. You can take the yoke off your neck that says in order to be a good person in the church, you have to wear 15 hats and forsake your spouse and children so that they hate the God you serve. You can ignore the taunts on the television that say that you have to eat McDonald's for your kids to like you but you have to spend money on Weight Watchers to be like Jennifer Hudson but it was the KFC's commercial that got you to the size you are NOW!!! When you realize that you are royalty, you can embrace the power to tell those messengers to get out of your royal court, get out of your mind, get out of your house, your royal chambers. You have the power to say "No!" to those who come into your court soliciting your mind space, your time, your energy, your children, your money and most importantly your heart. When you are royalty all you have to do is turn to your Father and your Big Brother Jesus for an example of how to tell the Pharisees, "No," without the fear of losing friends or being persecuted gripping your heart. Because now you know, without a shadow of a doubt, that if they touch a king's kid, who is in right-standing with the Father, the whole kingdom will back you. You even have exclusive access to the ultimate in divine counsel, the Governor the Holy Spirit. He is the One who raises you and trains you, and knows the heart and the EXACT will of your Father to guide you everyday. He is the insider who groomed you into your destiny and gives you words of knowledge from God like Mordecai and can tell you exactly what the king likes to obtain His favor for your future like Hegai was to Esther. You can ask Him for godly wisdom on how to peaceably deal with ANYONE who comes into your surroundings.

Perhaps, on your job they are telling you that you need to act like the "kings" of Corporate America to get ahead. Are they giving you the impression that you can't get promoted unless you look like, act like, sound like, and work hard like the world does to survive? Are they telling you that you have to look like Corporate America and be a hardcore professional and be no-nonsense like them to make ends meet? If so, that is far from the truth in the kingdom. The bible is clear that what is highly esteemed in the world is an abomination to God. Therefore, if you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing who you are in Him and you choose to live a Christly life without compromise, God will elevate you in the establishment. Or better yet He will move you out to start your own kingdom business and establish you to where your foot will not slip in the midst of a dismal, murky, and muddy economy.

So where does the church find it's niche? Where do we women find our niche in life, home, work, and the church? It's simple. One of my favorite scriptures is this, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 If we put God first in everything we do and obey His commands. If we don't deny who He is to anyone and we let it resound in our hearts who we are in Him by His unmerited favor, He will lead us by the Holy Spirit. If we stop looking at ourselves according the world's standards. He will show us who to be, how to be and what to be. It's just up to us to believe!

You Just ARE

"But ye ARE a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:" 1 Peter 2:9 KJV (My own emphasis added)

You just ARE. There's no other way to put it. We spend so much money on makeup, clothes, nails and hair. We strive hard to be good mothers, mentors, and leaders, feeding the homeless, working in the nursery, serving as the pastor's aid, and cleaning the church, but when God tells us to just BE, we get lost. "What do you mean just BE? How can I just be? I thought I have to do?," are the questions we ask ourselves and God when we are presented with the opportunity to walk in the complete liberty of just being ourselves in everyday life as well as what He's called us to do. Yes, I know, "Faith without works is dead." And of course we have to be hearers as well as doers of the Word, but if we are working for the sake of feeling like we've accomplished something with our own sweat, it is not unmerited favor. If we are working solely for the applause of men and not total obedience to God, then our labor is in vain. Are we acting, living, and being who we are called and chosen to be? Are we just on a path that sounds good and will bring home the most bacon? Or are we on the RIGHT path to our personal destinies, working towards being the woman God called us to be? Or are we trying to be a good person, please people, or climb the social status ladder? For me, it's easy to get up and run and help this one and help that one. It's easy for me to run to this service here and that conference there, but can I be still in God's presence for 30 minutes without thinking about my grocery list? Can I meditate on the Word throughout my busy day without worrying about who said this or how I feel about that? Can I just be still and know that God's taken care of all my needs and work one job as a single mother or do I go out there and get 3 jobs to support my family while the streets raise my children? Do I take that extra time that I'm not running to work or useless meetings to teach my children the Word and how to look up scriptures for themselves or do I wait for Sunday School to teach them? Yes you can teach your children the Word! Why? Because you just ARE. You are a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation!!! You just ARE!! If you are IN Christ, you just ARE!

The church is having a MAJOR identity crisis. We don't know who we are anymore. We're running from this image, to that image to this image trying to find a sense of direction for our lives instead of spending time in God's presence to discover who we really are. We don't want to take the time to find ourselves in His Word through prayer, fasting, meditation, and study to get divine direction on how to just be. It's easy to look at someone on TV and fashion yourself around who you THINK they are.  In the church you hear, "I'm like T.D. Jakes. I'm like Sheryl Brady. I'm like Juanita Bynum. I'm like Joel Osteen." Then you come home and your children are saying, "I'm like Beyoncé. I'm like Jay-Z. I'm like Justin Beiber. I'm like Hannah Montana." Then you're wondering where are they getting it from? Let's lead by example by dedicating the time to diligently seek Him for our own personal identity. And to challenge ourselves to TOTALLY embrace the abstract yet literal reality of being a King's kid in the Kingdom of God. Once we as parents, as leaders, as good Christians, discover, believe, and submit to who we are in Christ and get in line, everything else in our lives will come into order as well. We can stop sugar-coating a chaotic reality and get delivered from the distraction of the useless task of putting out contagious small fires.  (You know those little foxes that always seem to escape your grasp. They take your total attention off of God for moments at a time and every time you turn around and get into God, they flair up again and take your undivided attention off of God again. You know the "mole in the hole" game that your finances play or the behavioral problems that your kids have just as you get into a good fast with God. So you grab your mallet and leave God's presence to go chase after the mole and fix the problem. The next thing you know, you find that you can't fix it but the time you were supposed to spend with God has passed again and again and again.) All that will cease once you are obedient to who you are in Him.

We are all like one big harmony in the body of Christ. If we all do our parts as individual chosen vessels, we can create the unique and unmatched harmony that lights the world as we sing praises through our callings of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We will still sound and look different but we will be in unified harmony not copycats singing in unison. 

For My Ladies

I'm observing as I sit in Washington DC all the different, unique, and lovely shaped women. After a while of watching such a variety of black women especially, they begin to all look the same. What causes a woman to stand out? Why do we try to compete with one another simply by changing our hair, our clothing, our physique or our faces? We all begin to look the same no matter what color or style of clothing we wear. No matter how little or how much makeup we use. When you take all the external qualities away, we are all still women. If you judge us by who's the funniest, who's the wisest, who's the loudest, who's the quietest or who' the most put together, there are too many categories to choose from. Outside of character and the hardest sought after commodity of integrity, there is only one other thing that sets a woman apart.

It's her gift. The call that God has given each and everyone of us male or female. The purpose that God has put inside of every woman starts even before she cries her first breath. The unique abilities that God implants into each and every girl exists before she ever develops into a woman.

We do ourselves a disservice to neglect the gift that is in us. If we invested as much time, focus, worry and careful detailed attention into who we are according to who God called us to be, and not what the media, peers and family says we are, the world would be a drastically different place.

Yet we've operated too long dancing to the cacophony of an awkward staccato called someone else's song. It will only take the power of God to walk us through the life-long process to retrain our mentalities to simple be the me we're created to be. But it's important to at least take the first step in the right direction by seeking the One who gave us the gift. And begin to gain the momentum of strength to reject, with love, anything and anyone who enters our hearts and minds to transform us into anyone or anything we are not. And I look forward to releasing the power that works mightily in me while shine on the world with my God-given gift. Especially now that I know that the smile, the hair, the shape, my sexuality, wit, and charm are just mere bonuses.

Coffee With No Cream

Giving myself to you

Before we say, “I do”

Would be like coffee with no cream.

Yeah, it’s like that!

It would be black

Dry and brittle

With no foam, no sizzle

Of the electric blessings

Of the glory of God when our two lips meet

It won’t be sweet

It won’t be rich

You’d be better off burying your head in a ditch

Like an ostrich

In the midst of fear

Because anything done without God in the atmosphere

Is just straight shady and weird!

Yeah, I’m “scared.”

Call me what you like

But you won’t get a taste of coffee with no cream tonight!

I’ve waited too long to receive my promise

Just to give my power to a doubting Thomas.

My love has been pressurized and brewed

By the hand of the Almighty.

Like hot homemade stew,

True love is careful not flighty;

It is not stirred up before its time.

Like a diamond expert who knows why I shine

A virtuous man should know that pressure and time form each and every facet.

A rare jewel like me is not something you come upon by accident.

I’ve been tried in the fire

Now I glint like refined gold.

You cannot acquire

Consecrated love, even if all you own is sold.

Therefore, sex outside of marriage

Is like coffee with no cream.

It’s like pushing an empty baby carriage

Or like waking up and forgetting your dream.

It’s a temporary high, an empty pleasure

That has a fatal end and a bitter taste

So, sex should be in the right context, as a treasure

Not an unbridled disgrace.

I Said I Love You

I said I love You

I said You mean the world to me

I said I can't live without you

You give me more than money can bring

You make me laugh, You make me dance, You make me sing.

You are my compass when I lose my way

You are the Word when I don't know what to say.

You are my guide through the midst of confusion

You are more than emotions and fantastic sensations.

Your love for me has endured throughout time.

Your love is more than all the wealth of every nation.

More than all the prosperity of all of civilization.

You are unanimously, awesome,

You are infinitely, conspicuous,

You fascinate the lowly and the ingenious.

What a love that not a dime can buy.

You are more precious than when a diamond meets the eye.

Poets and priest all sing your praise.

The prosperous and the poor all upon Your face can gaze.

What manner of love is this?

So blatant and open yet so inconspicuous.

The only belief system founded on love.

The God of wonders the God of love

And everything beneath and above.

Who am I that You are so mindful of me?

Just a poor, mortal girl, lost in Your rhapsody, oh King of Kings....

Like a Fireplace with No Wood

Thank God Your love is relentless

And that the gifts of God

Come without repentance.

I tried to be my own boss in the midst of adversity

Not knowing I was the author of my own tragedy.

Philosophically, theologically, and politically correct,

Me trying to do me, wove the noose for my own neck.

Selling submission for $2, to pay for a million worth of respect.

Not knowing my arms  were not enough insurance to protect,

The love in my heart, beating passionately in my chest.

Accepting suffering as my portion, tolerating neglect.

All to save face...

And for what?

To have to come right back to the place,

Where I say that You are God;

The only One for me.

And for what?

For you to come again and rescue me.

For my knees to bow and tongue confess

That You deserve all the glory.

I shoulda just stayed within Your covenant.

Now I'm left thinking about how prodigally,

My time was spent.

But immersed in Your immeasurable fountain of grace

I know that all things work together for my good.

And if I didn't do what I did

And go against what I should,

I'd have no message to deliver anyone from the hood.

And there'd be no unction to ignite this flame

Like a fireplace with no wood.

Kingdom Business

 

I took my son to see the F.A.B. 5 (5 drummers- Mike "Big Mike" Clemons, Willie "Bam Bam" Parker, Larone "Skeeter" McMillian, Leonard, "Pudge" Tribbett, and Brent "Da Beast" Easton.) tonight out in Stratford, CT. Man!!! I'm REALLY inspired!! Those gentlemen really said a lot though they didn't say much. I was truly blessed and so was my family. We went home riding with music turned up loud!! Sittin' in the drive thru of Burger King bumping Canton Jones like we were playin' Lil' Wayne. Singin' "Imma handle my b-u-crooked letter-i-n-e-crooked letter-crooked letter..." like we just got out of a high school dance! But that's what the joy of the Lord does for you. That's how it feels to be inspired. The word inspire comes from the latin root , inspirare, which means, "to breathe." I feel like these 5 drummers just breathed new life into my dreams and my son's dreams by sharing their gift and their testimonies with us tonight. Their gifts??? OH MY GOODNESS!!!! The way that they played made me never ever want to pick up a drumstick again! After one performance, I said, "Someone please call a paramedic. The drum set is dead. That guy just beat it to death!!!" I mean the diversity of skill and style was UNBELIEVABLE! Even the drum sets were HOT!!! Now, some people just show off and some come to impart something that will change your life and that's EXACTLY what these men of God did. They gave helpful tips about how to survive if you choose a career of being on the road, how to humble yourself and build relationships with people before you go asking for free stuff and favors, how to overcome your fears of performing, there were a lot of giveaways, and so so much more. "Pudge" put it plainly like this, "The opposite of fear is not faith but a sound mind. The more you are prepared, the less fear you have...Most people when you audition or perform don't want to know how well you can play or how well you can show off, but can you get it right? And THAT comes with practice." So I learned a whole lot. It seemed like their theme during the open discussion/clinic was JUST BE YOURSELF!!! That's all I heard tonight. And I AND my son both needed to hear that. Basically, the world is waiting to hear YOUR voice, YOUR gift, YOUR talent, not Beyonce's or Kiki Sheard's. Don't try to imitate someone else because whoever is auditioning you will just go get the person that you sound like, not YOU. Just be YOU. I can live with that!! And I'm just thankful for people of God having the humility to see what God has put them on earth to do and are willing to serve the community who birthed them out. I love when people don't forget where they've come from. Now that's Kingdom Business!! Now I REALLY have to be about my Father's business because I wanna bless people like that with MY gift, when I grow up!


Check out the www.fab-5.net for more information about this amazing team and booking info!!! Support the Kingdom and the Kingdom will support you!!!




  

I Love Sharing Good Music!!!

Just the other day, I had an interesting thing happen to me.  I was debating if I should go to this open mic or not as I sat on the edge of the bed. All kinds of thoughts were flooding my mind. "You're gonna be late! What if you mess up? Are your dressed appropriately? What if you forget something important?" And on and on it went well, I finally followed my convictions and I went. I even tried to get out of performing by telling them that I was late and they didn't have to put me on. Was that humility or being a chicken? Well, I get there and sit down, they say their going to put me on and I pray inwardly trying to keep my heart from racing with the poem in my hand wishing I had time to memorize it. Finally, my friend, the host asks if I can come back next month because one of their headliners was late. I told him I TOTALLY understand! LOL! But I decided to stay and enjoy the show. Not too long after that, he asks if I can take one of his friends home because he lives in New Haven like I do. I just bought Gumbo Red and The Experience: Renewed from iTunes the night before, so while my passenger waited for me, I let him have fun with my iPod. When I got back in the car, he was already in love with Gumbo Red and I got all bubbly about sharing The Experience with him. All the way from Bridgeport to New Haven (approx. 20 min.) we rode in almost absolute silence as we two strangers (I only knew him from other open mics but never had a personal conversation with him), nodded our heads simultaneously as we engulfed ourselves in spirit-filled, authentic,   awe-inspiring music. The genre's changed from R&B to jazz to pop and it was ALL GOOD. I made a new friend by divine appointment that night. And also I re-realized something about myself. Some people don't understand me when I shove a burned CD or my ear buds in their face jumping up and down like an ecstatic 5 year old showing off her new My Little Pony she got for Christmas yesterday, but I LOVE SHARING  good music. And that's just who I am and I'm proud about it!!! I really think I need to be a DJ. "DJ Divine U on the wheels of steel mic check one-two-one-two!!!" How's that sound?!