Give us THIS day...

Happy Wednesday, my Blog Framily!  Yes, I know that it is really Thursday, but just go with it...  I hope this week has been kind to you all thus far.  I won't EVEN talk about the weather; it's been lovely fall weather here in my birthday month!!!  I'm just saying; at least it has stopped raining buckets 'round these parts (for the moment anyway).  

I am just days away from the kickoff to celebrating my 45th birthday (which is a week from today) and I am blessed.  A year ago, my life was very different- we will just leave it at that for now.  I'm also marveling at how different I felt just 5 short years ago on the eve of my 40th birthday. I'll save that for my birthday post next week...

I don't have a whole lot to say today; but I was watching a youtube video of a young man's urban ministry and something he said stopped me cold.  He was doing his gospel rap thing, telling people to pray and he started reciting the Lord's Prayer, and when he got to "give us this day, our daily bread..." he stopped.  He stopped there to break down the words "give us this day."  And he really touched me so much that I knew I had to share the gist of what he said with you to encourage someone today.  

"Give us THIS day, our daily bread..." - Matthew 6:11.  We are so used to saying those words in the Lord's Prayer and moving on to the rest of it.  But have you ever stopped to think about what those words mean?  Give us THIS day, our daily bread...

When we ask God to give us this day, our daily bread, we are asking Him for provision for today and today only.  Not that we won't need provision for tomorrow, but this is just a reminder to deal with the day in front of us and not to worry about what's to come in the future.  A reminder that God's got this.  Scripture says that "my God shall supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory" - Philippians 4:19.  Scripture also says "therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own" - Matthew 6:34.  

So to myself, the worrywart and those of you who are constantly worried about the days to come- STOP IT!  Enjoy THIS day that you have been given.  Ask God to give you your daily bread and keep it moving.  It's just that simple.  Don't worry about what happened or didn't happen yesterday or a month ago or even a year ago.  Put one foot in front of the other and deal with just one day at a time.  Be thankful for THIS day and know that God has it and you in His hands!

That's it, that's all!  I'm spiralling towards the weekend!

To check out Willie Moore, Jr.'s video, you can do so here:

Whatcha think?  Holla @ Darvi and let me know!  Be Blessed!!! xoxoxo

Are you a dreamer?

Happy day, my Blog Framily!!!  I am writing this on Pentecost Sunday, May 15, 2016, which is 50 days after Easter each year.  The significance of Pentecost is that it is the birthday of the Christian church, as it is when the Holy Spirit descended into the apostles and and other followers of Christ, as described in Acts 2:1-31.  At my childhood church, Ambassadors For Christ Church of God in Christ (AFC), we would have a huge celebration for Pentecost each year, complete with a feast and choir concert, as it is indeed a time for celebration.  I actually didn't really understand Pentecost until I was an adult (although I knew the passage of scripture in Acts 2 very well); I guess a lot of things you hear as a child and while you're growing up don't make sense to you until you grow up and grow in knowledge and understanding.  

Anyhoo, what made today special for me was that my mini-me, the Tween, who is on the Junior Instruments of Praise (JIOP- liturgical dance ministry), danced today to "Order My Steps."  If you aren't familiar with the song, which is a beautiful song, by the way, you can listen here:

The girls have worked very hard and diligently and were rewarded today with an outstanding dance that ministered to the congregation.  I am extra proud of my girl (although she didn't get the solo this time), she has really drawn upon all of her early dance training (ballet, jazz and tap), as well as integrating new styles (hip hop and stepping).  She even chose to give up the choir for dance (which is huge, if you know how much the Tween loves to sing!).  So I am very proud of her and all of the young ladies on the JIOP - Congratulations and Kudos to their ministry leader, Amber Whitted, who works so hard with them each week!

So I've hinted for the past few weeks that I have some new trails I'm blazing; I'm not ready to fully disclose yet, but I've been led to do some regrouping, rebranding, and some stretching.  In it all, I've been rejuvenated!  Let me explain.  

First, let me ask you a question:  Are you a dreamer?  

I'm a planner; a list maker extraordinaire; an intricate mix of creative spirit with Type A tendencies.  That makes for an interesting life, ya know?  Anyhoo, way back when I was in high school, I made a life plan up to age 25; then at 25 I made a life plan up to age 40 (I said I was a planner, go with it).  I didn't accomplish everything on those "life plans," but they were my dreams and provided me with a roadmap of sorts to try and accomplish them.  And I can truly say that I did see some of those dreams come true - which is an amazing feeling! Since age 40, I have been plan-less to a degree. Not that I haven't had any plans at all; each year I make a yearly intentional plan (which I'm sure I mentioned before), but no 5, 10 or 15 year plan.  So for as much as I've been able to check things off my annual plan, I had let go of having dreams.  If I'm being honest, a big part of the reason for that is that because of the level of disappointments and hurts I've experienced, I was afraid to dream anymore. Guess what?  Once you stop dreaming, you stop living... (just sitting that right here).

Well, during this whole life-changing process that I've been in for the past almost 3 years, I've had a lot of quiet time and self-reflection and all of that!  And through it all, whispering in my mind and my spirit is this message:  "it's ok to dream again."  That may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me, who has always lived a dreamer's life and hasn't for the past 5 years, that's huge.  During the move last fall, I came across one of my notebooks from 2005 where I had jotted down some ideas for things I would like to accomplish in the future.  At that time, I didn't have the proper support system to reach for those dreams, so I put them aside.  Hadn't really thought of them since.  But in the move, I came across the notebook and I didn't throw it away, but set it aside.  Since then, those things have been weighing heavily in my spirit, pushing me to pick them up again, and a little over a month ago, I said "ok."  And when I did that, things began falling into place to the degree that I know that is God directing my path.  Indeed, I pray each day for God to clear the path and remove any obstacles set forth by man to thwart the vision; to open doors that no man can shut; and to keep us squarely on task as we move forward.  And it's been going well.  So well in fact, that it was making me nervous, and the "what ifs" began.  

When I got to church this morning, guess what the sermon was about?  The title was "Your Dreams Can Come True."  (I keep telling y'all that God speaks to me...).  And for all my dreamers out there, even those who have been afraid to dream again, this post is to encourage you.

The Bible was full of dreamers; the first dreamer noted in the Bible was Jacob (Genesis 28:10-15) - and the lesson from that passage of scripture is that even during those times that you are doing the least thinking about God, He can be thinking the most about you... 
The next dreamer noted is Laban, Jacob's father-in-law (Genesis 31:29) - who got told in a dream to leave Jacob alone, basically.  Moving into the New Testament, there was Pilates' wife, who told him to leave that innocent man (Jesus) alone, because she had been troubled by dreams all night concerning him (Matthew 27:19).  Probably the most famous biblical dreamer was Joseph (which I know I've written about before); the passage of scripture noted today was Genesis 37:5-8.  The lesson to be learned from Joseph's life is that dreams from God must be nourished and nursed during hard times...

So my fellow dreamers, it's ok to dream again.  No matter what has happened, no matter how your dreams may have been thwarted up until now, no matter how many haters and evildoers have tried to stop you.  Regroup, restructure and rejuvenate, but don't stop dreaming!  As Thomas Jefferson said, "I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."  Pastor Singleton said today, "you can't have a dream and not have someone try to shoot it down because they have no dreams of their own, so they try to bring you down to their level."  Even in suffering, don't give up on what has been put in your spirit. Directly from the sermon today and what struck me the hardest:  God knows how to get you where He wants you to be, even if wicked people are part of the path (and they will be held accountable for their actions).  Don't believe it? Go read the story of Joseph in Genesis; I also wrote about it before, you can read it here.  Believing in the dreams that have been quietly whispered into your spirit or in your dreams (day or night) and going for them takes faith.  As my friend and soror said today, sometimes it's a "faith crawl" instead of a faith walk, but keep moving.  

So my friends, I ask you again - are you a dreamer???  I can now answer that question affirmatively again:  Yes, I am a dreamer!  I have BIG dreams, so watch out world!!!  I found a fitting graphic for where I stand today:

So what say ye, Blog Framily - any other dreamers out there???  Holla @ Darvi, and let's talk about it!  Have an awesome week and pray for me as I pray for you.  Be Blessed. xoxoxo

War Games...

Hello again, Blog Framily!  I trust that everyone had a wonderful weekend and that all of the mothers and grandmothers had an amazing Mother's Day!  Me?  Well, mine was certainly eventful... I went to church, took my mom out to lunch and came home to yard work before helping the Tween with her science fair board.  Finally, I got to collapse just before midnight.  Happy Mother's Day to me!!!

I hope that you got something out of last week's postings; I challenged myself to post every day and I must tell you, it's hard.  My hat is off to those bloggers who post every day; it is more than a notion!  You have to be very disciplined and have set-aside time to write (which is constantly an issue in my busy little world...).  But, I rose to the challenge and persevered - success of perseverance!

So yesterday (Monday) I toyed around with what I wanted to start this week with and something had popped into my mind earlier and I kept playing around with it in my mind but nothing was concrete yet.  When I got to class and we started talking about the lesson, "When Trouble Comes," and the ensuing discussion, it was confirmation of what I had thought about earlier and I had to rush home so I could start writing.  Now hopefully this will flow and make some coherent sense, because I am SLEEPY!  But, I'm going to try my best to get it finished in one sitting (which I did not...).  No sermon today, just my own thoughts and reflections, so pray my strength...

When we think about war, we immediately get images of military tanks, soldiers carrying guns while wearing camouflage, spies, and things of that nature.  Indeed, war is defined as the state of armed conflict between societies, generally characterized by extreme collective aggression, destruction and usually high mortality.  By way of example, political warfare is the use of political means to compel an opponent to do one's will based on hostile intent. Political warfare's coercive nature leads to weakening or destroying an opponent's political, social or societal will and forcing a course of action favorable to a state's interest.  It may be combined with violence, economic pressure, subversion and diplomacy but its chief aspect is the use of words, images and ideas.  The ultimate goal is to alter an opponent's opinions and actions in favor of one state's interest without using military power.  And finally, war games are defined as a simulation of a proposed plan of action or a strategy, intended to test its validity when challenged.  War games.  I'm sure that most people think of war games in terms of video games that simulate war, or civil war reenactments.    

Regardless of how you view war, whether political, game or otherwise, I have but one question:  Are you ready for war???? 

This cute little guy is geared up for a fight in his camouflage, his slingshot and looks like a snack in his other hand.

But what about you – are you ready for a fight???

Our class lesson centered on the story of Job.  Now, unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard of Job:  the righteous man who was very prosperous and upon whom God allowed Satan to inflict tragedies and great loss after Satan declared that Job only served God because of all He had given him.  So as the story goes, Job lost all of his riches, all of his children and then his health.  See Job 1-2. His own wife told him to curse God and die.  His friends figured that he must have done something wrong because all of those bad things couldn’t and wouldn’t happen to a good person.  Job himself began to curse his very existence and begged for death.  Yet he never cursed God for his predicament.  He did, however, question God as to why all of this had happened.  And guess what?  God answered!  Don’t believe me?  Check it out for yourself in Job 38-41.  Now, not a straightforward answer, but more like a reminder of who God was.  And Job felt small, so very small and withdrew his questions (Job 42).  And because of his faithfulness, even in the midst of his storms, God restored double what Job had before.  One of the greatest lessons in the Bible on staying faithful to God even when things don’t look good or like they are working in your favor!

So in our discussion about the lesson, one of my classmates made a point that I thought critical to this topic:  your praying, fasting, attending church and building up your spiritual life is boot camp, and when the storms of life comes (war/battle), that’s when you have to put into action what you have practiced for.  Let’s just let that marinate for just a moment.

My ex-husband and a few cousins were all military men (Army and Marines).  Different branches of the armed forces, but the process was still the same:  their military training all began with boot camp.  Boot camp is where civilians are turned into soldiers.  They have an extremely regimented schedule with very strict diet, exercise, bedtimes, rising times, cleaning and military training and exercises, all designed to transform them into soldiers.  They learn to put together and take apart weapons in a set amount of time; they run obstacle courses while carrying weighted bags; they learn to shoot properly and identify the difference between targets and civilians in the blink of an eye; they learn to survive on the bare necessities (I forgot what those freeze dried meals were called, my ex-husband sent me some once while he was away just so I could see what it was – I settled on the word disgusting to sum it up, but I digress).  But when boot camp is over, they graduate, signaling that they are ready to move to the next phase.  Sometimes, and probably more often now than back when my loved ones were in the military, they leave boot camp and get sent into war.  There they are expected to put their training into action without hesitation; it is their duty.

And so it is with us.  Praying, fasting, reading scripture, going to Sunday School and bible class, attending church, taking spiritual development classes, working in ministry, discipling others – those are all parts of boot camp, Christian boot camp, that is.  And just like the soldiers who train in boot camp and then leave prepared for war, so it is with us.  War is not pretty; I don’t think I’ve ever heard of “pretty” warfare.  War is pain, weakening, loss, pressure, sometimes violence – you get the idea.  None of that is pretty stuff.  And the thing is, just like the soldiers in the military, as soldiers in God’s army, we are to use our training and tools to survive the war.  Ouch.

I say ouch because I have to be the absolute WORST soldier in God’s army to ever live!  I can’t speak for anyone else, but only for me.  And maybe you’ve all been good little soldiers your whole little lives, but that ain’t me!  This is about it all goes in my world:  I’m going along, minding my own business and things are going good.  Then something bad happens.  I pause, but don’t skip too many steps.  Then another bad thing happens (sometimes that’s it, other times, there have been 2-3 or more things coming at me at once; a full out war!).  As soon as the onslaught of war starts, I would usually be found crying, complaining and frankly, just ill-prepared for battle.  I mean all of my training went completely out of the window and I floundered.  When that happened, I usually ended up taking a lot of hard hits.  Those hard hits manifested as depression, despair, hopelessness, solitude – you get the idea.  Just like military soldiers on the battlefield who get injured (or injure others) when they forget their training.  But then on the flip side, eventually the captain was able to get a message to me (usually in the form of wise counsel from a friend) that made me turn back to the tools of my training (whether that was studying scripture, reading encouraging books, attending church, however it happened at the time) and I had to go back into training again.  Let me say this though, it’s much harder to train (or re-train) in the midst of a battle; it’s almost always better if you have the training done before the battle comes.  Being unprepared and making mistakes can be costly in war – the same applies in our lives.

Scripture tells us to put on the whole armor of God so that we may be able to take a stand and withstand the devil’s schemes (war games).  See Ephesians 6:10-18.  I can’t tell you that the battles won’t come, because they will.  And they will come stronger and harder when you decide to walk this faith walk.  See, while you are out in the world, the devil could care less what you are doing because you are not a threat.  But the moment that you make that decision, you had better get your weight up and get to training, because war is surely coming your way.  And sometimes the hardest thing to remember when you are in battle is your training because you are in pain, you’re lonely, you’re heartbroken and you just want it to stop.  But you can’t stop – stopping won’t win the war.  It’s human to feel those things, but you can’t stay there too long.  I know, because I’ve been guilty of staying there too long and almost giving up the battle.  But the captain spoke to me, and so here I am, still fighting.

What am I saying here?  That trouble will come, but it won’t last always.  I can’t remember where I read this before, but there is a quote that says something to the effect of: at any given moment in life, you are either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or about to enter a storm.  There’s always a storm.  But what you have to do is be prepared.  When the weather forecast says rain, you take an umbrella.  If it says cold and snow, you wear your winter gear.  And so it must be in your faith walk as well.  When the storm starts a’ brewing (or the battle starts), start getting making sure you are ready.  That may look like extra praying time, fasting, getting your prayer circle together, journaling, taking classes, loading up your gospel playlist -whatever it looks like in your life.  And when you find yourself in the midst of battle, cling to God, His faithfulness and His promises.  (I’m going to write about the benefits of keeping a prayer journal in another post, but that is an excellent way to survive the battle). 

Now you know I can’t end this post without a song, right?  Anything less is uncivilized!  So let’s do this one, from Pastor Charles Jenkins and Fellowship:  War.

I hope I’ve done the story of Job justice; I ask you again – Are you ready for war??? Holla @ Darvi, and let me know what tools you keep in your arsenal for when you find yourself in battle.  As always, thanks for reading and be blessed.  xoxoxo            

Be Intentional...

TGIF, Framily!!!!  Thank God I made it to Friday and accomplished my goal of posting every day this week!  So I want to end the week talking about being intentionally focused.  (I know wrote about focus a few weeks ago; you can refresh your memory here, but I want to talk about it from another perspective).  

There is a song out now called "Intentional" by Travis Greene.  It is a song that plays over and over in my head throughout the day.  It speaks of God being intentional about things that are happening in your life and that there's no need to worry.  Have a listen:

Nice song, right? But guess what?  As much as God is intentional about His plans for us, He expects us to be intentional as well in the things we are to do.  Especially when we beg and pray for him to enlarge our territory like the Prayer of Jabez... To illustrate this point, I turn to the March 20th sermon of Bishop TD Jakes - "Coming into Focus" (text from Luke 9:49-55). This one is for those of you who, like me, have big dreams!  (*below is the summary of my notes taken as I listened to the sermon,outline style*)  

• Can’t have a new blessing with an old order,  you have to refocus or you will have chaos
• Restructure, reorganize and order is the answer to anxiety
• It doesn’t mean that you can’t do it or can’t have it, just not with the old order
• Are you organized for what you prayed for?
• Need to refocus for where you’re going, not for where you’ve been
• Chaos= out of order for the weight load you are carrying
• Had to follow someone without focus
• Money without focus will have you in poverty!
• Sometimes you have to leave good things behind because they don’t fit where you are going
• Focus= discipline
• Almost as bad as no focus is wrong focus     
• Wrong focus is committing to the wrong thing; right efforts in the wrong matters
• Anytime something moves, you have to refocus
• Focus is important
• What is your center/priority?
• Focus on the center then deal with the parameters
• What have you set your face on?
• You have the power to bring your life back into focus
• Where God is taking you, you have to get your life into focus
• If it hasn’t happened by now
• If you’re going to win any kind of fight, need to focus
• In this season, I need to focus (not enough time or money to do everything)
• In the text, Jesus seemed aloof because he wouldn’t go to Samaria (and get out of focus) 
• The disciples came and told him that someone was casting out demons in His name and he was not one of the disciples and Jesus was unconcerned.
• See also Philippians 1:19: Paul said as long as they are preaching Christ, I rejoice whether sincere or not
• Is your lens too wide?
• If your lens is too wide, you are out of focus
• Focus is too important to be compromised
• Do you not know how strong you are when you are focused???
• Gotta get (my) YOUR focus!
• Have to choose what you let hurt you and what keeps you up at night
• No one is strong when doing too many things at one time
• The greatest resistance comes near the greatest opportunity; fight with greatest focus
• Don’t let ego drive you out of focus
• You are like FIRE when you are focused!
• If you can focus with a little, you can be blessed with more
• Show God you’re an investment
• That’s what tithing is all about
• When focus on God first, all other things can be given to you
• Can be focused in one area and out of focus in another
• Sometimes the whole front end of your life can be jacked up but God will break the order and save the best for last
• People are drawn to your season of miracles, but will they love you out of season?
• Move from season of miracles to season of message
• The real test of commitment is to go through the seasons
• Every stage requires a bit more from you (also stages of Christian walk)
• Miracle Stage – Message Stage- Movement Stage (consecration enough to have moments with God) – Mission Stage (after movement stage, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem)
• The real test is your commitment to loving God when you don’t like what He’s done
• Can you love me when you don’t like me?
• In order to be on a mission, you have to set your face
• Requires discipline
• Where is your mission?
• It will take you to the cross, sacrifice, self-denial, something is more important than you
• Whatever that is, it is your mission
• To be focused is intentional & have priorities 
• God is intentional, no matter what it looks like
• Time to get in focus and stop worrying about parameters and distractions
• One way we show focus is through tithing (give what’s right, not what’s left)
• What will you do with more focus?

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  Bishop Jakes is an awesome teacher!  Now, his style isn't for everyone, but for me, who is a student at heart, I love learning new things, especially a new life application to scripture.  But I urge you to give it a shot; here is the sermon in its entirety: 

What am I saying with all this talk about being intentional?  Let me show you!  

A little more than a year ago, a friend of mine who was gearing up to study for the CPA Exam (4 parts) asked for prayers from her friend circle.  We began praying for her, over the course of the year, some of the exams had a positive result and others not so much.  Her family experienced some health challenges with one of her children, resulting in a huge and devastating setback on this quest.  She took some time to regroup and focus and meanwhile, I began to pray even harder and with even more specificity.  Intentional and focused prayer, while she engaged in intentional and focused study.  Today (May 5th), I got the call that I had been waiting for:  all parts of the exam were complete and passed!  Amen!!! I am STILL high off that happy news today about my answered prayers!  You know why?  Because as long as my friends are getting blessed and my prayers on their behalf are being answered, it means that God is still in the blessing business and mine is coming too!

In my own world, I am in the midst of embarking on some new ventures, which I will share details about later.  But I do ask for your prayers that God directs my path as I intentionally train my focus on them.  This sermon has been the kick I need stay focused and intentional about the things I need to do to make some of these dreams of mine a reality.  I'm so excited about it all, I could burst!  But I must stay focused... I have big dreams, y'all!  And so should you.  

I can't remember exactly where I've heard this before, but it's something to the effect of: God may plant the seed and direct your path, but you still have to do your part.  As my old pastor, Pastor James Brooks, preached back in 2010 when I first visited his church, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  Meaning that He is before you and behind you as you walk the various paths of your life and destiny.  He is the author and finisher of your fate.  But you have to walk the road.  In the words of Ted and Sheri, "He starts it, and He finishes it, but you've got to work the middle."  I was trying to find a link to the whole song, but I'm only able to get a snippet (sorry!) here, track 10.  I hope you can get the message though - you have to do your part.  God gives you the dream but you have to do your part to make it a reality.  Well how do I do that?  By being intentionally focused...  Remember, "I can do ALL things through Christ, which strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13.

So who is going to be intentionally focused with me in this season?  Holla @ Darvi and let me know that you're standing with me (put me on your prayer list and when I share my testimony you can add it to your answered prayer list!).  Be blessed and have a wonderful weekend!  xoxoxo

Experiencing Power...

So Framily, I am definitely on a roll here this week!  And I am just about caught up with all that I have been wanting to share with you!!! And it feels good to be writing again - I miss it very much when I'm away too long... And wouldn't you know it?  I started feeling sick yesterday (and it continues this morning), just enough not to have finished this when I wanted to... 

I had originally decided to use the title of last Sunday's sermon for this post, but this morning when I woke up (feeling awful, I might add), I realized that it really is a question of your experience with God.  Go with me here.

"Who is God?"  was the title of this past Sunday's sermon (May 1st) and it has really stuck with me all week.  I'm sure that everyone, both believers and non-believers, has asked that question at one time or another.  I mean, we can't see Him and yet we're told that He's all around us.   

Now this one may get a little deep, but just try and stick with me as I recap the sermon and then add my own take on it all.   *following is the sermon summation from my notes taken during service except where otherwise noted.* 

Pastor Singleton started the sermon with this statement:  What you believe about God is the most important thing in your life: how you plan, live and end it.  

The text was short, Exodus 5:1-2:  

1Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ” 2Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”

Of course this is the beginning of the section of Exodus when God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let His people go.  This was the very first time that Moses and Aaron had gone to Pharaoh, and of course, Pharaoh scoffed at their request.  It is clear that Pharaoh didn't know who God was.  (This of course happened pre-plagues and the Red Sea).  According to Pastor Singleton, there are two meanings to Pharaoh's statement in verse 2:  1) who are you talking about and 2) what makes you think I care about obeying Yahweh (one of the names of God used in the Hebrew Bible)?   

Fast forward to today and we have the same problems - people don't know who God is and they don't care about obeying Him.  There has been a domino effect in our world; not knowing God has caused our issues, and instead, "counterfeit Gods" of sex, money, politics, power, and personal success reign.  Pastor Singleton noted that while God made man in His image, today man is trying to make God in his image... meaning that because they don't know God, they make him up based on themselves (meaning that people are deciding what right and wrong is and no longer following any doctrine).

Now back to the text, Pharaoh believed God to be only the low-ranking God of slaves who couldn't do anything, so he probably thought nothing of his response.  Now Moses of course had a very human response to Pharaoh's response, see Exodus 5:22-23, "I did what you said, now the people are worse off than before."  Sidenote:  just because God tells you to do something and you're in the will of God, doesn't mean that you will immediately reap the reward; sometimes you get in more trouble at first but it starts with faith and obedience; the way may be rough, but in the end, God is faithful.  The Word goes on to say in Exodus 6:1 that God said now you will see what I will do; thus was the beginning of the battle between God and Pharaoh (and we all know how that turned out)!

Just like Israel, we serve an invisible God who is revealed by His power.  See here:

Isaiah 44:6-8New International Version (NIV)

The Lord, Not Idols

6 

“This is what the Lord says—

    Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:

I am the first and I am the last;

    apart from me there is no God.

7 

Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.

    Let him declare and lay out before me

what has happened since I established my ancient people,

    and what is yet to come—

    yes, let them foretell what will come.

8 

Do not tremble, do not be afraid.

    Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?

You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?

    No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”

He showed his power again with Elijah:

1 Kings 18:36-39New International Version (NIV)

36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be knowntoday that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

God answers by power; it is the power of God that convinces unbelievers that He is God.  Know that He has not forgotten or forsaken you; He is setting things up so that you will know that He did it.  What you are going through prepares you for the next test  (you need to pass the test and stop being set back).  Remember that power belongs to God and there is NOTHING too hard for God.  All good and perfect gifts come from above- in the old testament, God was invisible but his power from above was always visible; in the new testament, Jesus came from above (John 1:14) and God's power was manifested in the person of Jesus!  Scripture references:  John 10:36-38; Revelations 1:8.  

Great sermon, right?  So while I love the title of the sermon, I have my own question for you:  Have you seen God's power in your life???

I had the occasion on last Sunday afternoon to surprise my aunt on my father's side, Debra Wills, at her annual birthday musical that I can never attend because I always have a conflict.  I am so happy that I rearranged my schedule in order to attend; I had no idea that she had been as sick as she's been.  Amidst the joy in celebrating her birthday and all of the wonderful singing that went forth, what struck me most (and stuck with me this week) was when she took the microphone to personally thank everyone for coming out and to share a bit of her testimony with those present.  She also handed out "thank you's" to everyone and I will share a bit of what it said here:

"God has kept me in ways you would never imagine and I have come through it all 'victorious!'  I can truly say, 'My God is an Awesome God.'  Trials, tribulations, heartache, sickness, financial hardships, etc. will come.  You can make it if you fight... How do you fight?  Prayer, fasting, a righteous and saved life!  Use your weapon called "Praise;" the word says 'In everything give thanks.'  1 Thessalonians 5:18.  Praise your way through!  We are not perfect, but I encourage you to live for God and He'll cause you to LIVE and have it more abundantly.  'Don't faint, use your weapons!'  As (her pastor) Pastor Palms has taught us, you may have to go through a process but God will deliver.  Job 23:10-12.  Have faith, believe it will come to pass; you're going to outlive what you're going through."

What an awesome testimony and outlook!!! Seeing her, the effects of the physical manifestation of her sickness, and the fact that the doctors had counted her yet she's still standing?  I KNOW she has seen the power of God working in her life! She'd kill me if I posted a photo of her, so I will refrain...but how about I post a photo of her musical invitation that was posted on the screen at the church instead- that shouldn't get me in trouble!

Know that when I listened to her speak and read her written words, it confirmed what was in Pastor Singleton's sermon earlier and what God has spoken to me about things in my world. I love my relatives; I am not as close to them as I'd like to be, but I love them dearly.  More on that in another post...

One of my favorite songs in the world is "Power Belongs to God" by Hezekiah Walker and LFC.  I'm going to share it with you hear; it is a powerful, powerful song about God's power.  It's pretty old, it probably was released somewhere around 1999, but still timely.  I hope you enjoy it.

So I ask you again, Have you seen God's power in YOUR life???  If so, Holla @ Darvi and share!  As always, be blessed! xoxoxo    

P.S. - I can't get this text to line up... I need an IT person!!!

A Transformed Life...

How goes it, my blog framily??? I know you all have to be in shock about these consecutive posts this week, but I meant what I said.  God willing, I'll have a post every day this week! And though they may not seem to go together, I promise that there is an underlying theme that runs through each and every post I make and I hope that someone gets it even as I write to not only encourage myself but to let someone know that they are not alone - we are on this walk together!  

So as you know, I'm a member of Club 40.  Within the next 3 weeks, I will be joining the mid-40s club actually (the last year before my "bracket" changes - you know, when you fill out those forms and they put your ages into groups?  Well, mine is changing...).  A lot of my friends have really been bitten by the fitness bug (myself included, but kind of more in a lackadaisical not really committed way) and most speak of healthy living/exercise as not just a fad but a way of life.  A transformed way of living, if you will.  And I'll have to be honest with you - I'm not totally there yet.  I mean, I'd love to shed some of this here extra love handlage (yes, I just made that up) but I'm not committed enough at this point to go to the gym 6/7 days a week or get up at 3 am to go to the gym.  Nor am I about to drink a bunch of green goo or eat stuff I don't really like.  Because I just happen to like food.  In other words, I'm not that chick!  And that is why I haven't been able to shed those last stubborn pounds!  I mean, I've lost some weight, and I'm very pleased with it, but I could stand to lose a bit more, but I'm not ready to make the commitment to transform my eating habits 100% or force my way into more exercise to do it.  Not at this juncture, but stay tuned!!!

It kinda works like that with being on this faith walk too. For all of my believers, you know that living a transformed life is the hallmark of the Christian faith.  Before I get into all of my thoughts on the subject, I want to share my notes from Pastor Singleton's sermon on April 17th, "The Miracle of the Transformed Life."  *Note:  the material that follows is a summation of the notes I took during service*  

The text was from Romans 11:33-36; 12:1-2.  The crux of the sermon was this:  the transformed life begins with a changed mind; an unchanged mind cannot comprehend. Whoa, right???

Pastor Singleton opined that it is not whether a person can be changed, but moreso, how is it done?  He offered three reasons that a person's mind could be changed:  (1) facts, (2) events and circumstances, and (3) sometimes it is the power and presence of God Himself. The first step in spiritual transformation is for YOU to change your mind (repentence) before God can transform your mind.  To transform is the changing of the nature of a thing by natural or supernatural means.  Transformation of one's mind is an inward thing; it is what God does "in" you.  Some scriptural references on transformation in the Bible:

• 2 Corinithians 11:14
• Romans 12:2
• Matthew 17:1-3
• 2 Corinthians 3:18

Transformation is part of the sanctification process for believers, and there are  3 stages:

1) positional - - you are taken out of darkness and set aside by God;

2) progressive - - you enter into a partnership where you are walking and living for God;

3) perfect - - when we get to heaven.

How we think is guided by what's pressing on our mind; we are either being shaped by the things of the world or by God.  And I'm just gonna leave that right there...

Another great sermon, right?  So, as much as I am not very motivated to transform my fitness life, I am absolutely motivated to transform my spiritual life!  I've been on this faith walk for some years now (I'm a church girl, was brought up in the church so I've never been too far from it; however, I have at times been waaaaay to the left of it all), and guess what? I still don't have it together.  Even when I think I'm doing well, there will be something that comes up and reminds me that I still need some work... What can I say? Oh yeah, you know what I always say, "Work in Progress."  The thing is, God knows that we are human and that we will fail and miss the mark.  A lot.  A whole lot.  A whole lot more than we care to admit. And it's actually ok. Really, it is.  Pray for God to order your steps and keep your eyes on the mark.  At the end of the day though, I say this:  I may not be where I want to or ought to be, but I'm so glad I'm not where I've been!  I made a commitment to rededicate myself to my faith walk in January 2015 and I can tell you that it hasn't been easy!  There have been some tough times and some huge sacrifices but there have also been some blessings, both big and small. I won't talk about all of this here, because that is for another post, but if you've been following me then you know some of the things I've been going through, no secret at all.  And honestly, some of those things have been enough to make me quit this thing once and for all!  But you know what?  Number one, I wouldn't know what to do with myself because I'm just a church girl on the inside (one of my high school friends called me a "goodie two shoes" - I never saw me that way, but I'll take it).  Number two, and most importantly, I choose to believe.  Period, point blank.  I choose.  And I also choose to continue transforming my life so that others may see Him in me... (hopefully some of that is coming across through these posts).

So Framily, what say ye?  How has your walk of spiritual transformation been treating you???  Or even your physical transformation, I need help y'all!   Holla @ Darvi and let's talk about it!  As always, be blessed! xoxoxo