Although she was just trying to make a living, her life was an adventure. She spied on cheating spouses and caught bail jumpers. She never imagined the bad guys would chase her.
Available on:
Amazon: Connections on Amazon
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Rerun on History
One of the things I love about my life is Netflix. I get to watch episodes of entire series consecutively. I get a good sense of what the production was about and what they are saying. I am very fond of European television series because it gives me insight into how people in other parts of the world think, see themselves and view the world.
The sad thing is that some people don’t think that television reflect the society it caters to. I believe it does. The shows that are at the top of the ratings ladder speak to our values as a society. Some times I cringe at what the rest of the world thinks of us North Americans. But we are what we are.
I am currently into the British series, Inspector George Gently, which is set in the 1960s in Northern England dealing with crime. Yet it spends a fair amount of time dealing with 1960s society and its norms. But I think what the story does well is deal with the culture. It shows the old guard and the new guard. Of course it has the gift of history. As I watch it, I think this was the culture I was born into, this tug of war between good and better. Not so much the English part, but this changing of the guard.
An Ah ha moment came to me as I watched a scene where the two war veterans (WWII) looked at the young hippie protesters and then at each other. One asked “Was the sacrifice worth it?”
They were asking if the sacrifice of fighting a war so they could continue to live free was worth the cost of having to listen to the young people disrespect everything they fought for. After all, they could only protest freely because the Allies won the war. (right) The young people shouting out disrespectful words didn’t understand they were standing on the shoulders of people who died to give them the right. I was born during a time when people hated each other. They segregated themselves from each other to continue to facilitate that hate.
50 years later, here we are again. We tell our younger generation that they do not appreciate what was sacrificed to give them the rights they have today. They stand on the shoulders of dead civil rights workers and disrespect the process. They do not understand.
It gives me a giggle to think that we are repeating a cycle that happened when I was born.
The problem is that we did not teach the next generation from when they were babies, that it is a right that someone died for so that you can go to school and receive an education for free, you can own property and not BE property. We have depended on someone else to teach the next generation our family and ethnic heritage and those folks have not done a good job.
As Joel Barker said, when a paradigm shifts, we all go back to 0. Some people just don’t realize they are at 0. As I was watching this TV series, it reminded me we are back at 0. Racism is getting worse. Violence is getting worse. Hatred is like a coke commercial. You see it everywhere.
Our history is going to be the thing that saves us. We will have to remember the love that overcomes this type of hate. We will have to remember what it looks like, what it acts like. It wasn’t Malcolm’s militancy, it was Martin’s love. Love overcomes all kinds of hate.
In the Bible God told Israel to teach their children all of the things He had done for them. He wanted them to know the stories. He wanted the children to know the type of obstacles their people had overcome through His mighty power. The stories showed His faithfulness and His love.
If you retrace our history, you will see the lives of men and women who sacrificed for the good of others. I thank all the men and women who have gone to war to preserve our freedom. It is one of the greatest gifts on this planet. I want to live a life worthy of their sacrifice. Not just the white ones, or the black ones or the brown ones. All of them. They gave up something they cannot get back.
This year my wall calendar has been Nelson Mandela. All year I have been reminded that 27 years in prison shaped his life. When he got out, he could have done anything he wanted. He served his people.
God calls us use whatever gift we have received to serve others. (1 Peter 4:10) He says it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. Every time you turn on the TV to watch, let it remind you of our culture. Once you are reminded of it, go and do your part to change it. We need to wake up before it gets too late.
The War Room
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?
Ask And It Will Be Given To You, Seek And You Will Find
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.
Caught in the Crosswinds
I Love Lucy has always been one of my favorite shows. While many of you went to church as a child, I spent Sunday mornings in front of the television. I have learned that God will use whatever tool He has available to reach us whether it is His word which is the Bible or an episode of I Love Lucy speaking to being self absorbed with self pity.
He used my favorite TV shows to teach me until I developed a love for His word. Now I understand who He is and what He promises. Caught in the Crosswinds speaks to some of the lessons I learned about God through His Word.
Caught In The Crosswinds is available on Amazon.
Beating the Odds: Single Moms
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.
Learning from Animals
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.
God’s Plans
Many many years ago, I took a class. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Some of it stuck. One of the rituals I do every years is make goals for the year. Physical. Emotional. Spiritual, Etc. If you don’t have goals then it is difficult to tell if you are making progress or being static. I try to plan out my year. Review quarterly to see what is working and what is not.
Sometimes the things that I want are not in line with what God has planned. I am learning to trust God. If something doesn’t work, don’t push it. I go back to Him and ask what He wants me to do. Most of the time He says “Be still.”
I set goals with long term planning in mind. I understand that I have plans but God’s plans trump mine. Normally I try to plan according to the guidance God has already given me. If He hasn’t told me to change, I keep doing what He has told me to do.
One of my goals this year was to lose weight and get off my blood pressure medication. I attacked this goal with the intention of it being a long term goal, taking 3 to four years. I increased my exercise and worked on my diet (but I do love fried chicken.)
Roughly three or four months into this year, I lost about 10 pounds. When I went to my doctor, I asked her if I could stop taking one of the medications I had been taking. She said,”Sure, lets try it.” She was very helpful and encouraging. I was so excited. I had reached a goal for the year. Yay me!
This year has been one of the hardest years I have ever lived physically, emotionally and mentally. My mom passed in December. One of my aunts got sick in April and I spent many a days by her beside until the Lord took her home. I have found myself challenged at all points to where some days I was ready to fight anyone who got in my face.
But God blessed me.
He gave me the funnest job I have ever had, but it has come with challenges. When you face challenge after challenge it is easy to get discouraged, but my God always has something in the wings. I sprained my ankle on vacation and had to go back to the doctor.
Routine blood pressure found my BP so low, I could get rid of another medication and in addition to that I lost 5 more pounds. Praise the LORD! If my ankle wasn’t sore, I would have danced out of there.
Some areas of my life, God is moving like an out of control freight train going down hill on a track. Some areas are at a complete stand still. I am learning to find my contentedness in whatever my circumstance. He is so good to me!
This year He is teaching me to live Philippians 4:11-12.
Destiny’s Dilemma is available on Amazon Kindle
You can get the Kindle version of Destiny’s Dilemma on Amazon. The paperback will be available by July 31. You can order online or by email.
An African American woman moved home to take care of her dying mother giving up the opportunity to experience a world beyond segregation. Zoraida Hughes Williams finds that some things have changed about her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas while some have stayed the same, like Hell’s Half Acre, an area where saloons, prostitution and gambling runs wild. Like most of the residents, she wants to keep her head down and stay away from trouble, but it comes in the unlikely form of an Anglo Baptist preacher. He messes up everything and almost gets them killed.
An Intimate Look
Allow God to lead your day.
My day started when I got up and prayed. I made my to-do list for the day. Lord bless this list. Change it where you need to.
One of the stops on my list that I thought would take hours took about 15 minutes. Praise God.
I went and walked afterwards. As I was heading to my car at the end of my walk, I ran into my cousin. (the one that is 30 years my senior and I can’t keep up with.)
I decided to do another lap with her.
My bible study time:
It made me wonder how many of you will I see in heaven. And I also thought about what it would be like when you first see Jesus ( Rev 4, Isaiah 6)
As I was knocking other things off my list, I got a call that interrupted my progress. I tossed everything to the side and went to the call.
I spent the afternoon with my aunt who is fading fast. She had on an oxygen mask, so we couldn’t talk like we have been the last month. We watched the Rangers lose. Sad I know.
A few hours later, other family members poured in. We sat, talked and waited.
I decided to leave. I needed to go home and check on my family.
But in the parking lot, a few of us started talking again.
I went back in.
This time it was my aunt who is fading fast, her best friend and me.
(This was one of those life changing moments so I don’t want you to miss it. Cause I almost missed it, but I listened to God and went back in.)
My Aunt’s best friend took her hand and began to pray. She prayed a prayer the reminded my aunt of all the things God has done in her life. Reminded her of all the amazing moments in life they had experienced. Reminded her of God’s faithfulness, mercy and His grace.
At the end of this woman’s prayer I heard the struggle of wanting your friend healed and wanting your friend to see Jesus.
When she finished, I prayed Lord, I want a friend like that. Someone who will remind me of your faithfulness.
After the prayer, my aunt kept looking up. See, she is looking for Jesus.
Like he said in the video, I know it is going to be an amazing experience.
He knows what’s coming. Allow Him to order your day.
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