Today I feel exceptionally full. God has blessed me beyond my expectations. And (like the song says) if He doesn’t do anything else, He’s done enough.
He has clothed me in my right mind. (Because many of you are not).
He has given me health and strength. He has helped me lose weight and lower my blood pressure.
He has given me the funniest family a girl could have. There is always laughter when these folks get together.
He has pruned the branches from my life that were not bearing fruit.
He has given me a heart for Himself. I love studying His Word.
Let me tell you something, this morning I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw the story of a woman who was testifying to eternity in her discussion group while at the same time, her husband was entering it. The words of her testimony speak louder than anything to me. She believes God.
One day God will ask you what you believe and your testimony will tell what you really think. What you say in those moments will tell us what you believe.
I like social media, because it tell lets me know what people really think. It gives me their true testimony. Do they complain about the gifts they have been given? Do they squander it and take it for granted? Are they full of hate and deceitfulness always talking about other people? Are they mean spirited?
Their social media testifies for them.
In Revelation, John testifies to Jesus Christ. As Beverly Crawford will remind you, I am talking about Mary’s baby, Jesus, who saved us through the shedding of his blood on a cross. As my pastor pointed out Sunday, the beating and torture was bad, but carrying our sin was far worse.
He has done enough. Thank you Jesus.
Because I am grateful, this week you get Beverly Crawford for the old school and Fantasia for the new school. Either way, it is time to get your praise on.
This has been a very low key week for me. I have not been able to do many outside activities. I have spent the week writing and editing. Even though it is a creative process, I am methodical in my approach. Each project reveals to me a little more about who I am and what I believe.
I am working on two new books and one old one. I like the possibilities of the new ones, and the perspective the old ones give me. I decided that if I am going to pray over things, I am going to work on things.
God gave me the gift of storytelling and over the years has allowed me to do it in various forms. Each project has its own story to tell. I pray that each story will impact the lives of the people who read them. I pray the stories will point them to God.
I try never to take this gift for granted. I know I can only do it through the one who gave it to me. God.
I did, of course, make time for bible study. The Book of Revelation is nothing like I thought it would be. It has been fun and revealing God in a new way.
It reminded me that God is not dead, He is surely alive. Living on the inside, roaring like a lion.
I got so wrapped up in the tasks for the past week, I forgot to blog. I am working on three books right now and preparing for the Queens photo shoot. Some times you can be so busy in God’s work, you miss the moments.
This week I got to join with thousands of people around the world starting the study of Revelation. In Bible Study Fellowship classes are packed with people wanting to know what God is doing through prophecy. I love it when people pursue God because that is when great things happen. From my Facebook page, I watched as groups around the country posted photos of their packed sanctuaries. Praise God!
In addition to studying the book of Revelation, I believe the study will be revealing in many ways. Not only will I get more book knowledge, but I know the experience will reveal the Lord in a way I have not met Him before. It is kinda like watching a new TV series, as you meet all the characters and get into their situations.
Last Monday evening I got a glimpse of what heaven will be like. I ran into many old, good friends who I have studied God’s word with in the past. There will be an eternity for people and their stories to be revealed and how we impacted each other’s lives. There are women who prayed for me and I can’t wait to hug and thank them.
Monday, I am sure I only got to see a few people. Because there were more than 800 women there, I know each week is going to reveal more and more. I am excited to see what He does next.
This is the first year for the study of Revelation in BSF, so I was not sure what to expect. The questions have been very enlightening. I have studied prophecy before, but this study really is making it much more clear. 2 Peter 1:19-21 helped me understand that prophecy shines a light in a dark place. That passage walked a long way with me this week.
My pastor, who is also teaching on prophecy, said Revelation is about praise and worship. Walking into these chapters with this in mind will definitely change my perspective. I am a praise and worship girl.
Like all new studies, I expect the Lord to reveal Himself to me in a new way. I know it will be life changing. Lord give me a revelation.
Last week, my pastor, Dr. Tony Evans preached on the movie, War Room. The story of the movie has been very exciting to us Christians as it unfolds before our eyes. God is doing amazing things with lives poured out to Him.
It is no secret to Christians that God has called us to pray. This movie challenges us to pray like we have never prayed before.
My pastor made a very good point. He said when you go to battle you have to have a strategy. When countries go to war, they have a plan of attack. When teams play each other in sports, they have a game plan. As we deal with the challenges of our lives, we have to have a plan.
How is it we are trying to tackle well planned battles against us with no strategy? God has a plan for our lives which He reveals in two ways, my pastor said. His revealed will comes through His word in the bible. His secret will comes to you as you spend time with Him. Deuteronomy 29:29.
This week as I prayed in my war room, the Lord enabled me to see His work in my life in several areas. I spent time aligning my prayers with His word, and He spent time resolving my issues. I have spent more time concentrating on what God’s word says about an issue than what my circumstance says about an issue.
Every morning when I pray over my lists, I remind myself that He who began a good work in me shall see it through to completion. I remind myself of who I am praying to and what He is capable of. With this, He gives me power to accomplish the things my faith prompts me to do. 2 Thessalonians 1:11.
What is God calling you to pray over? Are you ready for the secrets He will reveal to you?
This week’s journey has been amusing. I got to spend time with some older women from a Baptist Church. Remember the story of those sisters getting put off the wine train because they were too loud? I met some sisters who make them look like children playing. These sisters were rowdy and fun. They wore beautiful outfits to be photographed in. They sat and shared their lives and testimonies with each other. I appreciate being able to eavesdrop into their world.
One of my favorites was a little woman who had had several bouts with cancer. I had never heard of sinus cancer until this woman began to testify to God’s goodness in her life. She said it was nothing short of a miracle that she was still alive. Not only did I listen to her testimony but I watched her live her life. She volunteered and lived the life she had fought cancer for. (Sometimes we get so defeated by the battle, we stop living)
It reminded me of the testimony of a man from another Baptist church who told me of his heart transplant and how God kept him going through those trials. At one point, he said he had a pigs heart to keep him alive. Afterwards he was determined to live his life.
It is hard to fight your way through when you don’t have something major coming at you like cancer or heart disease. We tend to discount the little discouragements and disappointments. We like putting a big name to our struggles. But what I learned from these folks is keep on living. Keep moving forward. The life you live is your real testimony.
These people weren’t just living their lives. They were enjoying their lives which was evident by the laughter. When times are hard you have to find a way to enjoy what God has given you. It may not be what you want, but it is what He has given. Live.
One of the things I love about BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) is that it has taught me how to pray effectively. It adds structure to my prayer life, which adds structure to my life.
Every morning when I rise out of bed, I meet God in prayer. Most mornings, I am more alert than others, but the structure is still the same. The Lord has refined the process over time but in times, like grief, when I don’t know what to say or do, having structure keeps my hand to the plow. I meet with God whether for instruction or comfort.
The first thing I do when I pray is remind myself who I am praying to. He is Creator of all things. The Master of the Universe. King of Kings. Lord of Lords. I envision Him sitting on His throne hearing my words. It is humbling. We have to remember who we are approaching. He is not just a better version of us.
I ask forgiveness of my sins and attempt to name the ones I remember. I have a tendency to get caught up in the moment, and I have to press myself to keep going. I could spend a lot of time here. Truth is I won’t remember all my sins and neither will He. Amen! But confession should be part of your day so that God will not remember your sins.
Next I read His word and pray it back to Him. When you are in a relationship with someone, you learn new stuff about them. God’s word teaches me new things about Him. Each month He gives me powerful verses that echo throughout my days and nights. This month He has taught me that He is just. He will right all wrongs. He will give me the power to accomplish all my faith prompts me to do. Amen again.
Then after I have good sense of who I am praying to, I begin my thanksgiving and petitions.
Time has taught me to write this stuff down which allows me to see how God has worked over time. If you don’t have some type of prayer journal or place where you write down your request to God, start now. It will build your faith as He shows you His faithfulness. Record each prayer, so you will remember what you pray for. Sometimes God answers prayers you forgot you prayed.
Every morning I remind myself of His grace in His provision for me. I thank Him. He has brought me a mighty long way.
I pray for people. Family. Friends. Acquaintances. Every person on my list, God has placed there and usually for specific purposes. And they don’t move off the list until God moves them. [I review the list every quarter. If I feel God has answered the prayer, I move the person off the list. But if it is not time for them to go, sure enough, I will get a call or email from the person. It gives me a giggle.] My list is several pages, so I am sensitive to the amount of time it takes to pray for all these folks.
The first list is about God’s vision for my life, my calling and His instructions. I need to make sure I am doing what He wants, when and where He wants.
The second list consists of people I plan on praying for the rest of my life (or theirs). These people are dear to my heart and have affected my life in some profound way. I have watched the Lord work in their lives and am proud to be one of His prayer warriors on their behalf.
On the third list are people who are there for a season. For some reason God has called me to pray for them for a season. My BSF sisters are included in this group. This list is the most fluid and the reason why I review it every quarter.
The fourth list is for salvation. It is by far the most important list because it is asking that God reach into their lives and save them for all eternity. FYI if you are a member of my family by blood or marriage your name is on this list. My daily prayer is that not one of us will be left behind and my God is faithful.
The fifth list is over my work, projects and alliances. He has taught me powerfully about who you align yourself with.
The Lord has taught me that prayer is an effective tool to communicate with Him. He has taught me that prayer should cover your whole life. For me, writing down my prayer requests and His answers to them continues to build my faith. He allows me to be a part of His plan by seeing His work in other people’s lives and praying for them.
Meeting with Jesus daily, prepares me for the day and for this life. He taught me all I need to do is ASK.
The best thing we can share with one another is our stories. The Lord has written out each of our lives so that it flows perfectly with His plan. He made sure that we intersect in the right places with the right people. It is our own fault if we do not recognize them. These interactions give us juice to move on to the next stop.
The Lord has given me a wealth of family, friends and acquaintances. It is one of the things I love about Facebook. I can experience moments from their lives in a way I have not before. I have seen birthdays, weddings and vacations. One person is watching the Lion King on Broadway, while another is chasing water falls in the Appalachians. Watching people live everyday in spite of life inspires me. God knew that together we would build each other up, but He also knew we would console one another because their are also losses, frustrations and disappointments.
I love celebrating with my friends as they drop their kids off at college, some for the first time. I can’t wait to see the first day of school photos on Monday. I remember most of these kids from when they were babies.
I am inspired by the stories I see. I am also inspired by the ones I hear.
This week I got the opportunity to sit and talk with people. One of the best things I learned was a woman wanted a Sunday School class for women over 80. She started it and now they have regular attendance by women in that age range. Can you imagine the conversation in a room full of women over 80 years old? I have been blessed to have many older, wiser women in my life. Yet I have never had the opportunity to call on that type of wisdom.
This tells me that until you are dead, it is not too late to start anything.
The role of single mom is one that has stretched me more than any one role in my life. It has taught me what pure joy feels like. It has also taught me about living with frustration and disappointment when things don’t work out the way you plan it.
Folks come to the role of single parent by different means, but you have to remember that God placed you there. He could have left Hagar with Abraham and Sarah, but He moved her away and gave her the means to raise her son.
I chose to be a single mom. I had no idea what God had in store, but I had a faith that wouldn’t quit. I was an educated woman with a nice job and thought I had a lot to offer a child. (Bhwaaaa!) I really can look back on this and laugh because my learning started as soon as I got the baby home.
{Some times I think God listens to all of our crappy prayers and decides to teach us that we really don’t know what we are talking about. When I say crappy, I mean those self centered arrogant prayers. I believe it gives Him a giggle. I believe He delights when we see the error of our ways and say “You know, I shouldn’t have prayed for that.”}
True to His nature, The Lord gave my introvert self an extrovert kid. Every moment this child was awake, she talked. Even when I loaned her to other people, like my sister or my mother, she talked. Somewhere around her seventh or eighth year of life she could look at me and see I was full of her talk. She would say “I will be back in a little bit” and give me a few moments of quiet. {And if they are talking to you they are not listening to anything you say anyway}
So all of the crap I thought I was going to give this child when I first ventured down this road is nothing compared to the great gift I actually gave her. {And it was God’s idea} I am jealous for her because I did not get this gift myself when I was her age. My life would have been completely different if I had.
This year will be my daughter’s last year in the school program of BSF. She started in First Grade and will complete the Senior Level this coming school year. She has been given 12 years to get to know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him. I have spent 12 years telling her this is the most important thing you will do with your life. She had been learning God’s word and have it written on her heart. I was the vessel God used to reach her in spite of myself.
It is one thing to say He is a priority and another to live it. We have missed school programs and performances because they were scheduled on Bible Study nights. We have missed parties, gatherings, tv shows, friends, families etc. We have not missed Jesus.
In Deuteronomy 11:18-19, the Lord instructs us to teach his word to our children. I have been faithful. I have done what He requested of me. It is pure joy to be able to do something you know pleases the Lord.
Statistically the odds are against children who come from single parent homes. But the Lord tells us that our days will be many if we teach His ways to our children. There are many things we do not have, but we have the most important thing. Jesus.
If you are struggling with your child, it is time to let the Lord lead with them. BSF will start up in September. It is time to enroll them and teach them God’s ways. As parents, all we can do is tell them about God. His spirit will do everything else.
Over the past weeks I have had the privilege of photographing couples. I have met young couples and old couples. Some married a few years, while others have been together for decades. Some with children, many without. Their children were grown and gone.
I learned a lot about the condition of their couplehood by the way they looked at each other. While many would have us believe that marriage is something that is on the way out, I have seen something that disagrees with that stance. When people get an idea of what it is really all about, they will embrace the idea.
As a professional photographer, I meet a lot of people. I can snap hundreds of shots in a day. Many people put on their “taking a picture” mask. It is my goal to crack that mask and get to the real person underneath. Some days I am successful, some days not. While trying to crack the mask on folks, I learned something with couples.
After having couples do a few tradition poses for their portraits, I ask them to look at each other. This moment tells me what these two people think about each other. They can hide everything from me and the camera, but when they look into the eyes of their love, truth comes forth. In most cases this is where the giggling starts. He giggles. She giggles. We all laugh. The photo shoot is pretty fun after that.
Now there were some couples who looked at each other and nothing happened. (I am single so it did take a few times for it to register that there was something going on in that marriage.) I just smiled and moved on. I felt sorry for them because they were missing out on what the others had.
The only thing better than taking the photo was watching the couples look at the photos of themselves. I remember one woman repeated over and over “Look at me and (his name).” The sight of their love for each other surprised her. She was overwhelmed by the sight of it.
I don’t get tired of men telling their wives they are beautiful. I do get tired of women blowing it off. I watched a man badger his wife because he thought she was beautiful, but she didn’t value his opinion. Yet, I love watching the love stories play out.
The Lord has allowed me to see all types of stories played out. I have watched a curmudgeon turn to jelly at a glance from his sweetheart and a wife who was ill, reach up and kiss her husband out of love. They all had their role to play in the relationship. The ones that were most secure where the ones that knew what role they played in the relationship.
Moments like these make me wait with anticipation for the man God has for me. I want to giggle at the sight of the man who loves me.
For the first time in my life, I dog sat. This year, I am really stepping out of my comfort zone. I am not a pet person, so I was quite amused by pet behavior. It was new to me and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The dogs were charming, irritating and funny.
I realized I am not cut out to be a pet person. Pets have too many characteristics of people but none of the reasoning capacity. They were much smarter than I imagined. They opened doors, threw fits and read me like a book.
I got amused watching the dogs interact with each other. Loulah, a Cathoula/Shepherd mix would tease the chihuahua, Roscoe, who was tied down with just a limited area he could roam through. The chihuahua was the newest to the mix and had not adopted all of the house rules, so he had to be limited. Loulah is a sweetie, but she has her moments.
Loulah would get the squeaky squirrel dog toy and take it to Roscoe. She would walk around him, like musical chairs, while he chewed on it and made it squeak. And just when he was comfortable, she would snatch it and run out of his range. She would take it to another room, them after a few seconds would skip back into the room with it, but careful to stay out of Roscoe’s range.
I got a kick out of watching. Roscoe fell for it every time. Loulah definitely enjoyed it.
That is what Satan does to us. He tempts us with something we think we want. We get to chewing on it and comfortable with it, then he snatches it from us and takes it out of our range. When we are good and dumbfounded by it, he skips back in with it between his teeth taunting us with it.
Needless to say, I am not amused when I am tricked by Satan in that way. Unlike, Roscoe, I have God’s word to guide me. Last month’s verse was Psalm 19.
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul,
The statues of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
If Satan is taunting or tempting you, there is a place you can go so that you don’t keep falling for it over and over again.
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