Reflections on 2015...

Hello Blogland! I hope that everyone had a great Christmas!!! I did not get back to posting before the holiday; it got completely too busy! I had the family over for Christmas Eve and it was just great to spend time with everyone.  The kids and I had a quiet Christmas morning and when we were finally ready to head out, my car wouldn't start!  So our plans had to change... Spent Saturday at Pep Boys- - 6 hours and $221 hours later...So yeah, it was an eventful weekend!

I did have the stress test done on last Wednesday, everything appears to be fine (thank God!) and I had blood work done as well to try and determine the source of these blood pressure surges.  Thankfully I experienced no problems over the holiday weekend and was able to enjoy the holidays.  Hopefully all continues to be well on the health front.

So it's the time of year where I (along with most other people) start to reflect on the closing year and looking forward to the coming year.  This year, since I have this medium, I will share some of my reflections on 2015 with you. 

Generally, each year I put together a list of "intentions" (I gave up resolutions many moons ago because I never, ever kept them); my intentions then evolved into a super convoluted exercise called "Plan 180 - 20__," which was actually great for my OCD mind.  (More on that in a separate post).  It is always a written plan; if I'm really feeling good, I'll even type it.  And sometimes, sometimes I actually comment and track on it during the year just to see how I'm doing.  I didn't journal much this year, but I can still reflect and comment on my year 2015...

A year ago found me in a peculiar place:  stressed to the hilt about finances, overtaxed in "busyness," trying to maintain a relationship that was going downhill fast, hanging onto some friendships that were probably better left alone, and really off my square spiritually. I was a MESS!  I had joined my church, but even living only 5-7 minutes away, I was still only half attending and not at all involved.  And I believe that my life reflected my lack of spiritual connectedness...

One thing that I do each year (have done since 2006 or 2007) is to choose a Word of the Year (you may be familiar with it also as "One Little Word;" more on that in another post), and this year I chose the word "Be."  I wrestled with "joy," "peace," "faith," but at the end of the day, I chose "Be."  Meaning that throughout 2015, whatever came my way, I would "be" in the moment and experience it in real time. 

Another thing I decided to do (in addition to my usual weight loss goals, professional goals, and the like was to set some concrete spiritual life goals.  Now, I do set some spiritual goals every year from the apparently next to impossible (I'm going to read the whole Bible this year) to the lazy that I should be able to handle with no problem (I'm going to make it to church every Sunday unless sick or out of town), but this year was different.  This year, my goal was to recommit myself back to my faith. 

When I decided to start this journey, I had no idea how it was going to be accomplished or manifested, nor did I know what I was going to have to give up to do it!  But here, today on December 29, 2015, I can say that it has truly been a journey, and though I would have liked less thorns along the way, I believe I am a better person for starting this journey and seeing it through.  So what all did I do this year?  I'm glad you asked!

So the first thing I did was to seriously check myself on my lackluster church attendance!  I mean, one of the main reasons I changed churches was to be closer so that I could attend, but I still wasn't doing it!  I had to go back to my grandmother's rule:  If you can do what you want to do all week long, SURELY you can get up and take yourself to God's house on Sunday...!  I will need to check my notebook to see how well I did in reality, but it was with intention this year that I was determined to make every Sunday that I could.  And you know what?  Each and every time that I went, without fail, the sermon blessed and spoke to me. 

The second thing I did was to work on my lackluster prayer life... which still needs a LOT of work, but it is so much more than it was a year ago!  I have a dedicated prayer journal area in my FAITH notebook, and I do keep my specific prayers and answered prayers there.  I can definitely look back at it and see where God has answered prayers for me, my family, and friends. 

Next, I decided it was time to get more involved in church and meet some people.  This was easier said than done, I am an introvert and am not one to just start talking to people!  I had my one sister friend/soror at church (Pam) and some other sorors I'd see here and there and that was it.  I took my time with this one, because I didn't want to just add more busyness to my world but wanted all of my actions to be meaningful.  That being said, as you already know, in the summer of 2015 I took the One-on-One Discipleship class (10 weeks from July- September) and I truly enjoyed it!  I grew spiritually, and I met some great people.  Due to a personal matter, I had the opportunity to meet with Pastor Brenda Varnado, one of our spiritual care pastors, in early September, and that meeting has changed my life.  She took me and my children under her wing, and personally saw to it that I met some people!  We got the Tween connected to the dance ministry and the young adult choir, and I just met some outstanding people in general.  In addition, Pastor Varnado was a crucial part of me making it through a very difficult time in my personal life in 2015.  For that, I am forever grateful.  The next thing I did was to join the "Journey Sisters" ministry- it is an accountability partner ministry where you share one or more goals with your journey sister (and vice-versa) and they take the journey with you in 2016 and hold you accountable to reaching your goals.  It's like having your own personal cheerleader and drill sergeant in one!  And my journey sister?  Of all people, I am hooked up with Evangelist Darice Whitted, who is head of the Women's Ministry at Victory.  (See what I mean about that prayer thing?  What are the odds?).  I love her to life and I am super excited about our journey!  But anyway, through this ministry, I've met some outstanding women and I am proud to know them!  I also joined the Outreach Ministry (VOICE) and I LOVE IT!  Again, this expanded my network at the church as well.  Last but not least, I decided to start Discipleship University, a 4-year program offered at Victory.  My classes for Discipleship I begin on January 11, 2016, so stay tuned...

Looking back, I can truly say that it is in this area that I grew the most in 2015.  And by staying committed to my goal, I was able to hear God, and that has been more priceless to me than anything else!  Oh sure, having answered prayers is magnificent (and he showed up and showed out on that too), but being able to hear?  Nothing like it! 

In hearing God this year, I had to give up some things that were near and dear to my heart because they were distracting me from my commitment.  I have alluded to this several times in my postings this year, but now I'm ready to state them.  It was almost a tug of war situation; I really didn't want to let go, but God promised me so much more if I did.  Finally, He made me so uncomfortable that I had no choice but to let go of it all and then he opened the floodgates of blessings and positivity into my life and allowed me to experience the greatest of his gifts:  Hope, Joy and Peace.  What are those things that I had to give up?  Here they are, in no particular order:  my sorority (I was the chapter president at the time); my relationship with Urban Dude; and some "friends."  Yikes, right?  But what have I gained?  Time.  Time to, honestly, just "Be."  See how my word has come full circle???  Do I miss those things?  Sometimes, yes, but I am determined not to move until He tells me to, and in order to do that, I must be able to hear, and I must stay committed... you get the picture. 

So what does my life look like at the end of 2015?  Much, much quieter!  Not necessarily less busy, but I find that I can choose better which activities to spend my time on, and it's not so much work.  Also, I have been able to cultivate and renew friendships with some amazing women this year that I would not have had time for otherwise... 

As we bring 2015 to a close, I keep getting news of tragedies in my friends' and family's lives, and I am thankful to be here and for all that me and my family were blessed with this year (especially the second half of the year).  In the past 2 days, I have gotten hit with news of 3 deaths and none of them were elderly.  So my heart is heavy with grieving for my friends and family on their losses during this time.  That being said, I am even more thankful for all that has transpired in 2015, the good, the bad and even the ugly! 

And now I turn the microphone to you - how did 2015 treat you????  Holla @ Darvi,  and let's talk about it!  Be Blessed!!!

xoxoxo

Perfect Peace???

Happy Tuesday, Blogland!  Yes, Tuesday, because I couldn’t get myself together enough on Monday to write.  So it is Christmas Week and try as I might to stay calm, I can feel the pressure mounting… And I’m taking a stress test in the morning, so I’m sure that will be an experience!

This year will present a lot of new things for me and the kids:  new place, new traditions (while keeping some of the old ones), new faces (and the absence of old ones) – just a spirit of newness!  I am looking forward to it, and I’m trying my best to assure the kids that everything will be fine, even with all of the change we’ve experienced this year.  Almost my whole family will be over for our annual Christmas Eve social, and I am looking forward to it.  Then afterwards, I have a busy Christmas weekend ahead of me, making new Christmas traditions, which I am also very much looking forward to.  But at the same time… it’s a lot of work to prepare for it all and I am (slightly) behind schedule in my quest for the “perfect” holiday.  Sound familiar to anyone or is it just me????  Now of course I know that there’s no such thing as a “perfect” holiday, but still I try.  There is something about this time of year that just tends to bring out the best in most people and I love to spread joy and cheer!

Speaking of spreading joy and cheer, I spent some time over the weekend volunteering at Victory’s Holiday Giveaway (I love being a part of the Outreach Ministry, feels like home to me), along with the teen and tween.  Look at this beautiful tree (one of several in the lobby area of our church). 

 

And look at me; don’t I look happy to be there??? This is one of my friends from the Outreach Ministry with me.

 

I was working at the check in desk for toys, the tween was a personal shopper and the teen was helping people carry their food baskets and other items to their cars.  It was a great lesson for them and they enjoyed volunteering.  See the joyful look on their faces???  

Nah, just kidding, their usual “unaffected stare” (thanks Missy) was in place!  But they SAID that they enjoyed it.  It really was awesome to see the looks on the family’s faces, especially those who received the personalized shopping done for their family (there were bikes, hockey tables, all manner of goodness)!  Victory really showed up and showed out for this outreach event!

Sunday we had an awesome service at church; Pastor Singleton finished his series on the Gifts of Jesus; this time he spoke about the Gift of PEACE.  There was but one scripture and I will quote it here:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”  Luke 2:14

According to Pastor Singleton’s message, peace is tied directly into why Jesus was born (to make peace between God and the world), see Romans 5:1.  He went on to say that while peace is for everyone, it is not to everyone (see John 3:16-19); instead it is only to those on who His favor rests.  Only those at peace with God can know the peace of God!  That is because peace is relational with God (see John 14:27).  The peace of God is a state of mind; peace must overcome tests, trials and temptations in this life. So how does one have peace in this troubled world??? 

Pastor Singleton compared the two views of peace that most people have: 1) the belief that “peace” means quiet all around and that absolutely everything goes their way, and 2) when in the midst of everything falling apart, you keep your peace by keeping your mind “stayed” on Him.  Let’s dig a little deeper…

For those who believe that all must be well in order to have peace, they will never be “peacemakers” like Jesus because humility is required.  Those with the peace of God can humble themselves to go higher in God and to make peace.  The scriptures show how Jesus humbled himself by making himself nothing (man) and became obedient to death on a cross, all to make peace between God and Man (see Philippians 2:5-8).  Sometimes, in order to make peace, you have to be crucified (make peace with those who have wronged you to be like Jesus). 

Let me put a pin right here and be transparent for a moment:  I. STRUGGLE. WITH. THIS.  DAILY!  It’s very difficult, I won’t lie.  I haven’t quite yet gotten to the point where I can reach out to those folks yet, but, I have made peace with the situation.  Even the hurt and anger is diminishing, so I guess I’m on the right track, eh?  Pastor Singleton also posted the Prayer of St. Francis Assisi; I won’t post it here, but here’s a link for you.  I will be trying my best to live this going forward, I do some of it, but I could do better.  Ever a work in progress…

Back to the sermon; the bottom line is this:  peace with God is relational, while the peace of God is a state of mind.  I’ll just sit this right there for a moment.

So onto one of the other things I’ve been working on this month, my Scripture writing plan.  Yeah, that.  So, I was feeling good about being on task and then, just like that, I fell behind.  And I was so very BEHIND in my Scripture writing plan until I caught up this morning on the train!  Anyhoo, here are the verses for this week (and next week) so that you don’t get behind waiting on me...  It really has been a wonderful walk through the scriptures and I hope you’ve enjoyed sharing it.

December 21 – Luke 1:51-56                                December 22- Luke 2:4-7

December 23- Luke 2:8-12                                     December 24 – Luke  2:13-16

December 25- Luke :17-20                                     December 26- Galatians 4:4-7

December 27- Philippians 2:5-8                           December 28 – Philippians 2:9-11

December 29- James 1:16-18                                December 30- Titus 3:3-7

December 31 – Choose your own verse  

It’s the time of the year when most people reflect on the year past and prepare intentions for the coming year (well, at least I do; it’s one of my favorite processes at the end of every year).  As we prepare to say “sayonara” to 2015 and look with hope towards 2016, won’t you make it your aim to have both peace with God and the peace of God? I’m just saying…

So all that being said, anyone living in perfect peace?  How do you live it?  You know the drill – Holla @ Darvi and let’s talk about it!  Be Blessed – I will be back before Christmas!!!

Joy- Do you have it????

Happy Thursday, Blogland!!!  I hope that you all had a wonderful week last week!  My week was interesting - my project ended early (on the 3rd), then I got called in for another project that I started on the 10th, so I've been busy again (just when I thought it was about to slow down).  Then Monday I was sitting in the office and my head started hurting, there was pressure in my chest and I couldn't catch my breath.  Could it be the old blood pressure spiking again- yep!  So this week included emergency doctor appointments and will include some tests, including a stress test - y'all continue to pray for me, hear?  All that to say that my time is a little different than I expected it to be right now, but I'm not complaining, not at all!!!

I was going to write last week about the notion of joy, but couldn't get my thoughts together and I wasn't sure if that was what I wanted to talk about or not. I kept going back and forth and then the week got away from me.  Then when I got to church on Sunday, guess what the sermon was about?  You guessed it - Joy.  So that was all the confirmation I needed that this was indeed the right subject!

Getting back to last week, Thursday morning to be exact, I woke up feeling good.  Just an emotional lightness that I felt all the way to my spirit.  It made me pause.  Let me explain - I'm not generally a "peppy" person- those folks actually get on my nerves at times!  On the other hand, I'm not Eeyore either (for you non-Winnie-the-Pooh fans, read about Eeyore here). I'm in the middle generally.  So this indeed made me pause to try to put my finger on exactly what I was feeling.

I tried to analyze the feeling, wondering if it was just happiness that made me feel like that. And then I thought about the things that aren't so great (like I'm STILL not fully unpacked and the disarray in the Cozy House (it is getting better as I figure out where to put things, but that's another story)) - no it wasn't happiness.  Besides, and I think I've said this before, my belief is that happiness is temporary and can change from moment to moment.  So, no, it was more than happy. Contentment?  I chewed around on that one for a moment to figure out if I was really just content... no, not really.  Once again, things could be a lot better in certain areas of my life and I'd definitely be more content!  So nope, not contentment either. So what was it??? That's when it hit me - JOY.  I felt joy!

Why do I say that?  Well, because just as good as I felt on Thursday, I crashed on Friday and didn't feel so good and I was questioning everything and everybody!  Friday night I got some things done and I felt happy again.  But then Saturday morning didn't go as planned and I was back down again.  Sunday came and I was back up high as I made it to church and experienced an awesome worship service - you get the picture.  But even with my emotional ups and downs, I felt an inner peace that has eluded me for some time now; my grandmother had it and it was always something I strived for, but just couldn't seem to attain, while rushing about with the busyness of life.  I felt (feel) that I can finally breathe again - I don't have everything I want, but I have everything I need; I truly believe that God is in charge of everything and I am finally learning to let Him be; I have a renewed sense of purpose in my spiritual walk and I feel like myself again; I am reaping the benefits of my sown seeds of seeking God's purpose and direction for MY life - so yeah, I'd say I have a lot to be joyful about!  

And just what is joy??? My personal definition of joy is when I have peace and contentment in my spirit even when I'm having a bad day and everything is not all "together;" but rather I can be content in looking at the big picture and knowing that it will all be ok, even if it isn't right now... 

According to Rick Warren, "Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation."  Definition taken from his devotional post, "The Definition of Joy," which you can read here.    

Pastor Singleton's sermon on Sunday was entitled "The Gift of Joy" (he is doing a series on the Gifts of Jesus during this holiday season;last week was hope).  There's two Sundays left in December; you can still come and visit my church if you don't have a church home...  The scripture text was Luke 2:4-12, and told the story of Jesus' birth- ordinary people doing ordinary things when the ordinary was "invaded" by the supernatural!  The angel came to bring "good tidings of great joy" (Luke 2:10).  Jesus was the reason for the great joy and He can still bring joy today.

Pastor Singleton broke down the difference between happiness and joy like this:  

Happy - "because of" - Temporary

Joy - "in spite of" - Permanent

How about that?  By his summation, joy trumps happiness because happiness is tied to your circumstances. I happen to agree with him.  Listen, the scriptures are full of examples of God's people who were able to rejoice even in the midst of suffering, because they truly believed that He was in control.  See Psalm 126:5- "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." See also Hebrews 12:2 - "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."  

The songwriters have written about this notion of joy over and over again, down through the years:

"Still have joy" - Colorado Mass Choir; listen to it here; "Joy" - Rev. James Moore & Mississippi Mass Choir; listen to it here; and one of my favorites (and not just because my daddy is playing on it) "Weeping May Endure for a Night, Joy Cometh in the Morning" - Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer; listen to it here.  

You get the picture.  What am I saying?  Ok, here we go, Darvi's take on this joy thing:  You have to find your way to inner peace despite what is going on outside around you.  You may need to detach from things, from people - it's ok.  You will have to be a little selfish during this process, and that's ok too.  It will take everything you believe about faith and hope to find it, but the result is so very worth it.  And when you find it - there is nothing that can shake it.  Not a bad day, not bad news, not someone's bad attitude (not saying that you won't have a human reaction to those things, because you will)- your inner joy can't be shaken.  It won't happen overnight, you have to grow into this thing.  But when you do, your perspective will change, your thoughts will change, your words will change and your attitude will change- I dare you to try it!  You will find joy in the little things and in helping others. 

This is one of the most joyous times of the year.  People are generally just nicer and everything is so pretty - the mood can be contagious!  But there are also so many people at this time of the year that are down and depressed - the opposite of joy - because they have lost loved ones and are facing their first Christmas without them (or their seventh) or they feel bad that they don't have money to buy gifts - you name it.  And to them I say this - I've been both of those things and they can indeed weigh you down.  But let's not lose sight of the real reason for the season - Jesus and what the gift of His birth brought for us all.  Don't believe me?  Listen to these little diddys- "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" here and "There's no Christmas Without You, here.  Heck, just listen to the whole Kirk Franklin Christmas album!!!  It's on you tube, listen to it here.

Now, I'm not saying that you can't feel bad because things aren't going well or you've had personal tragedies (hello, have we met???  2015 has been one of my most challenging years yet!), but what I'm saying is that you need to know in your heart of hearts that it is all going to be alright despite what it looks like and ultimately, it's not for you to figure out (now, I'm a bit hardheaded, so it's taken me a minute to get it, I'm sure I'm not alone...).  If you need to find a bit of joy, might I suggest volunteering?  Something about volunteering that 

helps you to forget what's not going right in your own world as you make the world a little bit better for someone else.  That always works for me!  Now having joy doesn't mean that you aren't going to have bad days and sad times, they are a part of life.  But what it does mean is that you will be able to weather those storms a little better when then come, because you know that trouble don't last always (yeah, I threw in another song lyric...).

Ok, onto this week's Christmas Scripture Reading/Writing.  I hope that you have been keeping it; the scriptures walk you from the prophesy of the Old Testament through the New Testament.  I look forward each day to the readings (ok, so I miss a day here and there and have to catch up, but I am current now...)

December 14:  Matthew 1:21-25

December 15:  Matthew 2:1-6

December 16:  Matthew 2:7-12

December 17:  Luke 1:26-29

December 18:  Luke 1:30-34

December 19:  Luke 1:35-38

December 20:  Luke 1:46-50

I truly hope that this helps someone; I keep hearing people talk about how bad they are feeling right now and I just wish I could pour my joy onto them!  Instead, I just say be encouraged and seek God, He can give you joy, plain and simple.  Do you have joy in your spirit?  Share with me- you know the drill:  Holla @ Darvi!  Be Blessed!

xoxoxo 

PS- Got some funky formatting thing going on, not cool Blogger, not cool!

As you have done unto the least of these...

Today I want to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart, giving back. Everyone who knows me knows that community service is very near and dear to my heart and is a huge part of who I am.  Over the years, I have donated countless man hours, money and time to community service projects through my church, my sorority and just in general.  Giving back is just in my blood!  

At this time of the year, we are are confronted everywhere we go with giving:  the salvation army angels are standing outside in the cold ringing their bells, there are food and toy drop boxes in almost every store, churches and other social service organizations are hosting food, toy and coat drives, and food and toy giveaways are being planned up until Christmas to make sure that everyone has a good holiday.  There are Santa letters at the post office and visits to nursing homes and hospitals.  Yep, the winter holidays are truly the season of giving!

There are other types of giving as well.  There's anonymous giving and in-your-face giving. There are the gifts of time and talent, as well as the gift of just putting a smile on someone's face who is having a bad day...

I've had the recent opportunity to do some giving back this season; all small things to me, but I've learned that they mean much to others.    First, I sent a care package of craft supplies to a young lady in Sweden (yes, Sweden) who wanted to participate in December Daily but because she's unemployed there isn't a lot of money in her household for craft supplies.  I was going to gift her things from my stash, but then I decided to just go and buy her new things; we have chatted a few times and I found out what colors she was using and went shopping!  I didn't get a whole lot (I swear the postage was more than the items), but there was no better feeling for me in the world than to be able to mail that package off!  And when she received it, she sent me the best message ever and my heart was so full and my smile was off the charts that day!  There is no better medicine for a bad day than doing something nice for someone else!  Here is a photo of what I sent to her:

Cute, right???  Making her day made my day, and I was happy and blessed that I was able to do it.  She asked me what could she do for me, and I told her to just pay it forward; my friends have been there for me during my rough times and I knew exactly how she was feeling and I just wanted to put some sunshine in her day.  Mission accomplished!

For the Thanksgiving holiday, my church (Victory, of course), through its outreach ministry, gave away food baskets (a full dinner, complete with turkeys) and winter warmth items: coats, hats, gloves, scarves.  I wanted to participate, so I signed up to volunteer to help pack the baskets (I ended up taking the tween with me).  I snapped a couple of pictures:

It was a great thing to see people (especially the children) working together on a Friday night to get the bags packed (a second set of volunteers were there on Saturday to distribute the items).  We gave out 135 bags; families were signed up by church members to receive them.  I was very happy to not only participate, but to have the tween with me participating as well.

I also purchased items for the winter warmth drive; I purchased 3 sets of hat, gloves and scarves.  It may seem like a small thing (and in fact, it is), but again, I was happy that I was able to go to the store and do it because there was a time not too long ago when I could not. I dropped the items off before I went to the bag packing area; here's what I donated:

Someone will be stylish and warm this winter!  Again, not a big thing, but it felt good to be able to give back.

That experience so touched me that I signed up to join my church's outreach ministry that night:  V.O.I.C.E. - Victory Outreach in Community Efforts of Victory Apostolic Church!  I attended my first meeting last week and worked the registration table for our upcoming holiday giveaway, registering families that are in need of food baskets and toys for their children.  Which brings me to this:  if you are looking to make any donations this year, I hope that you would consider donating toys, coats, winter items and gifts for older children (which are always in short supply) to our Annual Christmas Toy Drive.  You don't have to be a member of Victory to donate; we will be accepting donations beginning this week through next Tuesday (December 15th).  We will be serving members of our church, families of the local school district and working with a social service organization for referrals, so donations are both needed and appreciated.  Here is a flyer about the event:

Victory Apostolic Church is located at 20801 Matteson Drive in Matteson, Illinois.  If God so touches your heart to donate to this effort, I would appreciate you.  

Last, but not least, I purchased ornaments and decorations to make a special friend's home more festive for the holidays.  I enjoyed shopping for the items and my efforts were appreciated!  It wasn't a huge thing to me, but I was happy to make someone else happy and to spread some holiday cheer!  Here's what I bought:

Pretty neat, huh???

Even if you don't donate to my church, I pray that you will support your local ministry's outreach efforts as well as maybe a letter to Santa (my ex-husband and I used to do that before we had children and it was the bestest ever!) or an anonymous drop into a toys for tots box while you're out shopping for your family. Why? Good question!  Here are some answers:  1) because it just feels good!; 2) to show gratitude for your blessings; 3) to help someone else; and 4) it aids in character development.

Last, but not least: 5) it is what the Bible commands you to do - See Matthew 25:31-46 (Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me... Matthew 25:40).  What does that mean?  It means that every time you give back, you are serving Christ.  The Bible tells us that Christ was concerned about the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten.  In this passage of scripture, He was speaking about the judgment, when those who gave back will be separated from those who did not.  He also took on the persona of those less fortunate:  those in prison, those hungry, those in need of clothes - and said that if you helped those people, then you helped Me.  (You should go read that passage for yourselves...).  Basically, we will be held accountable for giving (or not giving) back to those in need.  It puts a new perspective on this notion of giving back, doesn't it?  

Giving back need not always be monetary; everyone isn't able to give financially.  Nor should you measure your giving by anyone else's; the point is to make the sacrifice of giving, whether it be monetary, physical or just your time.  All are worthy sacrifices and you kill two birds with one stone:  1) you get to show your light in the world and 2) you get to serve Christ all at the same time!

That leads me to today's question:  how are YOU giving back this holiday season????  I sincerely hope that you are... Holla @ Darvi and let's talk about it.  If you want/need ideas on how you can give back, I can help with that too; I have been coordinating outreach programming on and off for the better part of 25 years...

The scripture reading for this week is as follows:

December 7th - Jeremiah 33:14-16
December 8th - Psalm 72:1-7
December 9th - Psalm 72:8-14
December 10th- Psalm 72:15-20
December 11th - Psalm 95:1-7
December 12th - Malachi 3:1-3
December 13th - Matthew 1:18-20

Be blessed and have a great week!  And do some giving back this year - you won't feel bad about it, I promise! xoxoxo

Time of death...

November 24, 2015, approximately 7:25 am. The moment that I finally let that thing die.  I mean really and truly let it go.  Oh, it had been wounded, bandaged up and re-bandaged for a long time and I kept attempting to resuscitate it, each time watching it grow weaker and weaker still.  It had even lay abandoned on the side of the road for a time and yet I still kept returning to pick it up and attempt to nurse it back to health.  Finally, He said "Enough.  It's time to call it."  So, I did.

What do I mean?  Watching medical shows like Grey's Anatomy, there are intense operating or emergency room scenes where the patient seems to be doing well and then all of a sudden, they flatline.  The doctors and nurses rush to perform CPR or use the defibrillators to try and revive the person. Sometimes they are successful, sometimes not.  After a predetermined amount of time has passed with no response from the patient, the doctor "calls it."  You know, time of death...

How many of you have ever found yourself in a similar situation, whether it be a relationship, a job, a friendship, watching a loved one suffering from a long illness, bad habits???  You know, when you knew, deep in your heart of hearts that it was time to let it go and you had even kinda talked yourself into it but as soon as you were confronted with that thing, you just weren't ready to face it. The selfish part of you.  Hello, somebody!  

As believers, many times we struggle with letting go of things from our lives that are contrary to our faith walk.  It's not new, its an ongoing power struggle within all of our lives.  And guess what?  In order to stay on the path of our faith walks, we have to renew our minds and "kill" our flesh daily.  Christ said:  "And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."  Luke 9:23.  That means we have to deny our flesh and our will everyday in order to please God. And let me assure you, IT. IS. HARD.  But you know what's harder?  Knowing that you are not being obedient to the Holy Spirit's urgings and having the repercussions of that manifesting in your life.  THAT is decidedly harder.

So I encourage you to put to death and let go of that thing that is hindering your faith walk:  cursing, a lackluster prayer life, ungodly relationships, not attending church regularly, not working with ministry, dysfunctional family life, resentment, bitterness, anger, hatred, unforgiveness, not tithing... pick one (or more...).  For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:13 (NIV).  And you'll feel better too once you release it.  Believe me, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted!  

For those of you wanting to follow along with the Spiritual writing/reading plan this holiday month, here are the readings for December 1-6th:

12.1.2015        Isaiah 7:14-17

12.2.2015        Isaiah 9:6-7

12.3.2015        Isaiah 11:1-5

12.4.2015        Isaiah 11:6-10

12.5.2015        Isaiah 40:1-5

12.6.2015        Isaiah 52:7-10

Enjoy your weekend- I'm off to enjoy the Holiday Lights in Homewood 2015 with the not so little people!  I will (hopefully) begin posting some of my December Daily album next week – I have been recording my story of the day and I printed this week's photos today, so far so good.  Now to actually create the pages!

Anyone else working to kill their flesh daily and let go of some things or is it just me?  You know what to do – Holla @ Darvi!  Be Blessed!  xoxoxo

It shall be well!

Well hello, blogland!  Did you miss me??? I sure did miss you!  We are well into the holiday season with Thanksgiving under our belts (or over depending on how much you indulged) and we are heading right into Christmas!  I am recovering from either a very bad cold or a mild case of the flu; but at any rate, I am with you once again and very excited about beginning December!  So let's see; here in Chicago we've already had our first snow of the year (November 21st) and it has melted away  and now here comes the rain again (love that song by the Eurythmics, by the way!  You can check it out here).  I was in a fashion show (also on the 21st, I guess I did ok, that was WAY outside of my comfort zone!).  I had a wonderful holiday, despite being sick, with my family:  the parental units, my babies, my niece and great-nephew. I even cooked the whole dinner while being sick (now of course, there were several issues and we ate later than we ever have, but everything was good (or so they told me!)). Slept through that whole Black Friday thing - the sickness just took over!  I had a relaxing Saturday - worked in the morning (yes, I went in on the weekend and while sick), had a great lunch at a local sports bar in University Village with a special friend, then had a quiet evening with a great movie.  I did make it out the the local outlet mall on Sunday after church for some quick Christmas shopping (until the sickness took over again...).  Believe it or not, it is officially December.

So I have several things going on in December, one of which I have referenced several times, that being my December Daily album.  I am very excited as this is my first time doing one!  The idea is that you slow down the chaos of this season and take the time to capture one story per day for the month of December.  Intrigued?  Not sure if I've shared this before, but I'll do it again just in case someone wants to join in. Check it out on Ali Edwards' website here.  Those of us that scrapbook are using that medium to record our stories; but I think you could do it just in a journal too if scrapbooking isn't your thing - it's really about recording your stories.  I am looking forward to doing it this year because this is a new season in my life (more about that in later posts) and it's time to create some new traditions!  The second thing I have going this December is that I will be participating in a 31-day Scripture writing plan.  Last year I did a 25-day scripture reading plan leading up to Christmas, but this year we'll be writing (I will be including this in my December Daily album).  I will try very hard to share my stories and the daily scriptures here (sometimes that may be the whole post, I'm just saying).  So... if you'd like to join in, the scripture passage for December 1st is:  Isaiah 7:14-17.

Whew, that was a lot!  Now onto the subject of this post!  I missed church last Sunday and I was out of sorts the whole week (I did go to the Thanksgiving Eve service on last Wednesday night, but it just wasn't the same...).  So I made sure to be up in the place on Sunday morning and it was such an awesome time!  The choir was great and as usual, Pastor Singleton shared a timely message that I can carry with me this week.  And as I so often do, I will share the gist of that message here with you.  The title of the sermon was simply this:  "It shall be well."  Scripture text found in 2 Kings 4:18-37.

By way of background, the text finds us in the time of the prophet Elisha, who was the successor to the prophet (his mentor) Elijah.  The text tells the story of the Shunammite woman who prepared a place for Elisha to live as he traveled back and forth.  For her kindness, Elisha told her that God would bless her and her older husband with a son within the year.  And so it came to pass. Later, the child died.  The woman did not tell her husband that their child had died, but instead took him upstairs to the room she had prepared for Elisha and laid him on the bed. She then went out to the field, asked her husband for a donkey and a servant to go with her and said she was going to find the prophet.  When her husband asked why she was going when it wasn't new moon or sabbath, she replied to him "It shall be well."  She and the servant went to mount Carmel where Elisha was.  When he saw her, he sent his servant Gehazi to meet her and inquire of her, her husband and her child.  She replied, "It is well." When the woman reached the hill, she fell to Elisha's feet and Gehazi tried to stop her, but Elisha stopped him and said that her soul was in distress and the Lord had not told him what it was about.  The woman's reply was:  "Did I desire a son of my lord?  did I not say, Do not deceive me?"  Elisha immediately sent Gehazi with his staff to the woman's house to lay his staff on the child.  Gehazi did so, but the child remained dead.  When Elisha and the woman arrived at the house, Elisha shut himself up in the room with the dead child and prayed.  Then he lay upon the child and the child's flesh warmed up. He then left the room, walked around the house, returned to the room and lay on the child again.  This time, the child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.  

Of course, this was a resurrection miracle of the Old Testament, similar to that performed by the prophet Elijah with the widow's son (you can read that story in 1 Kings 17:17-24).  

So what are the lessons to be learned from this scripture passage?  

1) in difficulty, you MUST believe that it shall be well; don't lose hope even if you can't change the current situation.  Here, the woman's son was dead, she took him into the house and laid him down and only told her husband that she was going to see the man of God and It shall be well.  She knew her son was dead and yet she still felt that it would be well. Powerful stuff!

2) keep a positive attitude - say (and believe) that "it is well" regardless.  We can only get through this life one day at a time, so we should pray for God to help us through each day as it comes without worrying about days to come.  We cannot figure out why God allows certain things to happen in our lives, but we have to learn to trust Him in spite of.

3) And here is the most powerful lesson of all:  "It shall be well" is only for those who have faith and trust in God.  I'm going to let that sit for a minute.  When you look at it, it makes perfect sense.  Of course we with our limited vision don't know what the outcome of situations in our lives will be.  But He does.  The question is whether you have enough faith to trust Him enough to believe that it shall be well whatever the outcome???  See, that's grown folks faith right there!

I have to admit that this has NOT been my strong suit.  I'm a worrier by nature and there have been times that I've lost sleep (and weight and hair) worrying about situations that were outside of my power to change.  It was only once I let go, gave them to God in prayer and believed that whatever the outcome it would be "well," that I saw those situations start to turn around.  And when I say turn around, I mean in an instant!  Because I daresay that God was just waiting for me to understand that He had this thing and to let go so that He could do what He does!  What that actually amounts to is that "S" word that a lot of women don't like to hear - "submission."  It also amounts to killing my flesh daily, seeking God's will everything and letting Him have His way so that it can be "well."  I'm a work in progress, so I stumble (A LOT) but I am definitely learning.  

I am in the midst of a major life change that I truly did not see coming, and I've been struggling to adjust to it.  I let it go and then I picked it back up (the worrying) and yet God has still seen fit to take care of that too.  I promise I'm going to put it down and leave it down! It is my testimony that God will send you what you need, even when you don't know that you need it.  You just have to trust Him enough to give him whatever it is you're dealing with.  I am thankful for my constant spiritually maturing each and every day!

So what say ye - have you reached a place in your walk where you can say "it shall be well" in spite of what it looks like at the moment?  I dare you to submit it to God and allow your spirit to rest in knowing that it shall be well.  Holla @ Darvi and let's talk about it!  Be Blessed!

xoxoxo