Sister-Friends. Soul-Mates. Super-Heroes.

Every body knows that most women wear many hats. Most of the time, we don't get paid for our many talents - but we could put many professionals to shame with our skills. Women are often highly adept at (but not limited to): negotiating, litigating, fixing, budgeting, advising, listening, counseling, preaching, teaching, delegating, solving, creating, and the list could go on an on. Women could literally run the world's best international business. In other words, women just rock.

Perhaps, the biggest job a woman can ever have is motherhood. Much honor and respect is due to women who have mothered  children - either biologically or through adoption (be it official or not). I am so glad that there is a special day given to all Mothers out there (I love you Momma)! But, I think there is another role that many women play with little or no recognition -and that is the role of Sister-Friend.

Sister-Friends have been the life-blood of many of us over the years. They've laughed with us. Traveled hours to see us. Sent us birthday gifts (maybe a little belated sometimes). They've invited us to their Mom's house. They've slept over (or vice-versa). They've lent clothes, cars, and cash. Planned vacays with us. Dated us when we were single. Shopped with us. Talked hours with us. And cried with us.

But Sister-Friends have done more than just mere human action. They have been us when we didn't know who we were. They've carried us when we've fallen. They've loved us when we weren't very likable. They've encouraged us through our fears. They've corrected us when we were wrong. They've put up with our mess, and helped us clean it up. They've protected us. They've held us down. They've held us over. They've held us up.

Sister-Friends are indeed the best part of us. As I've come to grow and mature, in my 29 years I have seen the measure of God's perfect love through the relationship I have with my very own Sister-Friends. We have saved each other from ourselves many times. We have interceded in prayer on each other's behalf. We have counseled. We have cried in grief together. We have rejoiced in celebration together. We have laid hands on each other and received healing. We have prayed for each other and watched blessings manifest. We have fasted with and for one another and watched God move mountains. We have been the best women we could possibly be, because our Sister-Friendship pushed it out of us.

So, even though your girlfriends just seem like normal women - pause for a minute and think about who they really are. They are Sister-Friends. Soul-Mates. Super-Heroes. All wrapped up in one amazing package. And God made them that way, so that you would know just how much you are loved.

I can't thank God enough for my Sister-Friends. Half of Shekinah Rocks is my dearest Sister-Friend. I am so glad that our relationship is not comprised of Starbucks and gossip. Instead, it is clothed in garments of salvation from our own vices, robed with righteous conversation, and adorned with jewels of wisdom and worship. My Sister-Friends are very much a manifestation of the Holy Trinity. They have unconditionally loved me. Sacrificed for me. And guided me along the way.

It is my earnest prayer that all you of reading this...every woman out there would encounter the beautiful relationship I've described. The simple fellowship of Sister-Friends brings refreshing for your soul, restoration for your spirit, and renewing for your mind. For this reason, SheRocks is having an intimate Sister-Friend Nite-In here in Nashville next weekend (9.21.2013). We pray that whoever is able to make it will be sharpened and strengthened in their faith; and, even if you are unable to attend, we pray that your Sister-Friendships would be ones that leave you better than they found you. Ones that bring you closer to God. Ones that you never want to live without.

Dedicated to the best Sister-Friends a girl could ever ask for: Sharon, Dossier, Lana, and Candy.

Humpty Dumpty

Are you tired, yet? This is what comes to mind when I think about how good I've gotten at "holding it all together." Even though I have plenty of sources of support and guidance in my life, I still have somehow come to feel that keeping it together in times of trial and struggle is the best feasible option.Maybe you all have this tendency as well. You grin and smile even though you feel like screaming and crying. You act tough and invincible even though your heart is as soft as jello. You never say no. You take on too much. You go to bed late just to get up early. You eat only if you remember that you haven't yet. You try desperately to make everything be okay when, in all honesty, its not. "Not Okay" in the sense that things are falling apart at the seams and everyday is compounding another Murphy's Law occurrence on top of the hardship that already happened yesterday.

But in the midst of my scramble to hold myself together, lately I have seen how problematic this can be spiritually. Tired all the time. Entirely too pensive causing the mind to always race. Trying to figure out the next 5 steps to take. You could almost say that I don't trust God to be God with how much I try to control the universe! I am realizing now that all while I have been striving to not get bent out of shape, maybe this is precisely what God wanted all along.

In reading Jeremiah 18, the verses 3-4 says:

 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

I think we all have to come to a place of peace with being marred, bent out of shape, and, frankly, a bit jacked up. Because if God is our potter, can He not shape us again as it seems best to Him?

What situations in your life are seemingly out of wack and uncontrollable, complicated and full of stress? Where have you been trying to hold it all together when you feel like falling apart? Will you stop trying to drive the car straight and just let it all fall apart today? Because, even though all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again, we serve the King who makes us new. Makes us over again. Makes us whole. And makes things alright.

Got Blood?

Sometimes I wonder if God looks at us and calls us 'pale-faced'? In various places in the Scripture, lukewarm, undedicated, and hypocritical believers are referred to as scoffers, whitewashed, and/or unstable as the sea. But upon observing the life and times of today's Christian, the word pale-faced comes to mind.

Pale. Lacking color or complexion.  Yes, that is what pale means physically. But spiritually, being pale is different. While you may attribute being 'pale-faced' with vampire folklore, I would rather not mix mythology with biblical principles (lol, eventhough I do enjoy the Twilight Saga). What I will say, though, is that being pale-faced spiritually is a bit like the condition we know as Anemia.

Anemia, simply put, is a lack of blood or decrease in the number of red blood cells within the blood. As a result, a symptom of anemia is pale skin. Now, let's take this natural understanding of Anemia and apply it to our spiritual understanding. We know that Jesus' blood was shed for the remission of our sins; and, upon our acceptance of Him as our Savior, we are then adopted as sons and daughters into the family of Christ. When we come to admit, believe, and confess Jesus as Lord in our lives, we can think of this as a sort of Blood transfusion. It is His Blood that saved us, cleans us, and makes us whole.

Why, then, do we have so many people of the faith walking around looking so Blood-less? In Hebrews 9:14 (KJV), God affirms "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." When you are anemic physically, you have a lack of energy and life. When you are anemic spiritually, the same thing is true. And, if you lack life - this means your supply of the Blood of Christ has been hindered, inhibited, and/or cut-off temporarily. Clearly, this must be remedied by replenishing your Blood levels.

I am not telling you to go out and become a vampire like Edward Cullen on Twilight! But we must be intent on seeking the cross of Christ when we begin to feel ourselves being fatigued, lethargic, and lackluster spiritually. Where else will you receive power from the Blood but the place where His very Blood was shed? This means you will have to re-evaluate what things in your life are causing you to lose touch with God, re-affirm your commitment to God by finding ways to get active in the Kingdom, and re-fuel yourself consistently with the Word of God so that you can become Occupied with Christ. Let us all work diligently together to stay in the vein of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"The World is Your Oyster!"

Yesterday I was sitting speaking with one of my co-workers, and we were discussing taking chances in life by attempting to accomplish what seemed to be far fetched goals we have thought of over time.  Through the conversation I blurted, "The world is your oyster!"  This outburst caught both my co-worker and me off guard, and we were both momentarily filled with laughter.  Neither of us paid much more attention to the outburst as we proceeded with our work day.  However, I could not get that phrase out of my head for the remainder of the day and night.  I kept hearing "The world is your oyster." 

Now I am not one to live my life by the words of clichés, but I do like applying analytical thinking to how they might influence my insight and ultimately my output.  Since I clearly could not shake this cliché from my thoughts, I did the only thing I knew to do which is inquire with God concerning what this phrase meant for me.  The traditional meaning of this phrase is that the world is yours to enjoy; it is there for your taking.  However, here is what I received concerning the cliché "the world is your oyster."

 

There are so many tasks to be accomplished through us.  We have bucket lists of goals we want to accomplish, projects we want to complete, skills we want to master, and new things we want to try.  However, we are the reason that none of these things are coming to be.  We are crippled by fear, frightened by defeat, and devastated by our past or our human limitations.  When we realize that we are simply vessels created by an ALMIGHTY FAITHFUL GOD to accomplish HIS GRAND tasks, we can open avenues of success in our lives.  To tap into the awesome power of God it might help to ackowledge and truly understand the words of David in 2 Samuel 22:33, "God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect."  David spoke these words after God had saved him from the hands of all of his enemies and from the hands of Saul.  David knew about the power, strength, and faithfulness of God.  David knew that whatever God did and wherever God led him would be perfect because God is perfect.  This is the same power, strength, and faithfulness that we have access to as heirs to the Kingdom, and this is also the same thought process we should carry with us on a daily basis, that God is perfectly faithful so we should trust Him 100%.

So yes the world is your oyster!  We can attempt to accomplish anything we can fathom for we are not relying on our human frailties, but we are believing in the indescribable, uncontainable, incomparable, unchangeable power of the Most High.  Attempt every goal.  Operate in ministry.  Attain a new educational level.  Gain more knowledge.  Whatever you can envision take it to God in prayer and with His leading move toward being His hands and feet to accomplish His work and bring Him glory.  Do not be afraid to try.  

The world is your oyster!  Sometimes we may attempt to accomplish a task, and by our standards we may fail.  Again, take it to God in prayer and allow Him to reveal the true outcome of your actions.  He is the only One that defines and determines true success.  So as you go out to accomplish the work of the Lord throughout the earth, know that sometimes you might find a genuine pearl in that oyster and other times you might discover a scrumptous mollusk to feast upon.  Whatever the result is, you will receive what has been prepared for you by the Father Himself.  If you do not attempt to harvest the oyster, you will not have what the Father has created and has waiting just for you.  

Hungry and Homeless

Sometimes, I wake up at night. And I find that I have left the TV on. And just before I turn off the tube, to give sleep my full attention, I notice the info-mercial that pulls at my heart strings. It happens to be a 'Feed The Children'-esqe advertisment imploring viewers for their donations to help starvings boys and girls in third world countries. There's nothing like waking up late in the midnight hour to see barren-eyed, pot-bellied children staring at you as if they can see you through the screen.

It is a sad reality that many in other countries are living only breath to breath, instead of paycheck to paycheck. However, this week, God has revealed to me that this problem is not simply a demographical issue. It is not even solely a social or political issue. It is also a spiritual issue. One that the United States knows all too well.

Maybe, some of us have been naive enough to think that being hungry and homeless are conditions that only manifest themselves physically and only effect less wealthy nations. Yet, upon visiting my old church this past Wednesday, I'm convinced that neither is completely true. At this prayer meeting, I saw several kids, all less than age 16 that were hungry and homeless.

They were not hungry in the sense that they didn't have any food to eat. Nor were they homeless in that there was no roof over their heads. Yet, when each child walked up to the podium to state their prayer requests before the members of the church, the same barren-eyed, pot-bellied look came across their faces. It was bitterly and painfully obvious that they needed some nourishment for their souls and a place that they could safely call home.

The enemy is working over-time right now to weed out the next generation. And he is doing so by continually dismantling the institution of the home. Home is the first place that you understand the basic concepts of what role the Church should play in your life. Home should be safe. Home should be a place of hope and guidance. Home should provide you nourishment and edification. Much in the way the Church should. Yet, these kids...these wonderful and beautiful children of the Most High God are out here in the world fighting alone against powers and principalities that they should not have to contend with at such early ages.

Where is the Church? Where is the Church when so many of our babies are Hungry and Homeless? Where is the Church that is actively showing our youth that God will never forsake the righteous nor leave His seed begging bread (Psalm 37:25)? Where is the Church that donates its time, talents, and treasures to ensure that not another child must face their burdens alone?

It is our earnest prayer, that in this time of learning to become more Occupied with the things of God, that we will all take a little bit more time to pray for, edify, and uplift our neighbor, especially our children. Don't give them a present. Present them with the filling Word of God. Nourish them with prayer. Feed them with love. So much that they will never again feel Hungry and Homeless.

Dance Moms

Lifetime airs an amazingly popular show called Dance Moms. This show chronicles the life and times of 7 special little girls who are wonderfully talented gymnasts/ballet/dancers. However, it is kind of a task to focus on the talent of the girls when you are bobbing and weaving yourself through the dramatics of the Moms coupled with the antics of the dance teacher.

Upon watching this show, you see immediately the mind games, belittling, and scare tactics the teacher uses to effect the girls in certain ways. She threatens them. She beats them down. She questions their love for dance. She uses every low blow and trick in the book to mold the girls into the caliber dancer she wants them to be. And the Moms, with some fussing and fighting, actually put up with it. They buy into it. The buy her nonsense in exchange for her teachings.

Seems ridiculous doesn't it? But I wonder how many times our own Moms have been in a similar position. Not in taking us to some extra-curricular activity like basketball or dance. But in taking us to the one place we should feel safe...church. In the years since salvation, church has been engrained in me (and Sharon too) - but both of us have seen Pastor's who abuse their position of 'power' in berating the members of his congregation with the Word of God. Not to develop members in their relationships with God, but to force-feed religious tradition down their throats.

I wonder if those little girls on the show feel a special passion for their talent. Do they have a connection with dance out of desire/motivation or because they've been coerced into it? Do they long for more because they genuinely want it or because they've been trained in it for so long? Do they feel that their teacher cares about them as people or that she only cares about them when they are dancing up to par?

As we get older and grow in our walks with God, I hope that we will make sure to nurture the youth and young people around us. Nurture their relationships with God. Spend time WITH them in the Word of God. Instead of relying on our Pastors to teach them how. You never know when you will run into leaders in the church who believe in hell, fire, and brimstone methods similar to the dance teacher mentioned above. Let's be more than just Dance Moms. Let us be the Moms/Sisters/Aunts that show their kids how to dance.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
"Train up a child in the way in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

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Sharing Sarah Henry

A few weeks ago, just after Christmas, I reached out to my childhood best friend. The memories escape me now, but from the time we were about 9 years old to about 11 we were inseparable. Before puberty. Before cliques. Before our identities were realized. We were best friends. And even though we hadn't spoken in years, reaching out to Sierra made my heart smile despite the circumstance.

After literally a lifetime apart, going to our respective colleges, starting careers and family, etc., we reconnected on Facebook a year or so ago. Other than looking at the pictures of her beautiful baby boy and wonderful husband, I hadn't talked to her much. But then one day, in late December 2012, I saw a post on her page asking for prayer. And my heart strings were pulled, drawn to the girl that was a sister to me.

She shared the story of her sister-in-law, Sarah Henry, who was fighting for her life after having a series of strokes. Sarah, who is only in her early 30s and has 3 beautiful children, (from what I can gather) is an amazingly kind woman with a genuine heart and godly spirit. So, to find out about what had happened to her was breath-taking and sobering.

However, when I reached out to Sierra and told her that I would be praying for her sister-in-law, Sarah, I never knew what I'd come to see in this real life account of God's work. Sierra posted the link to a blog that had been written by Sarah's best friend (Jennie Allen). Jennie Allen happens to be a well-known author and minister. Her words about Sarah were inspiring, transparent, and real. She pleaded with people to pray for healing, restoration, and a miracle from the Lord.

And, you know what? It's working. All the prayers. The tributes. The intercession. The pleading out to God...is working. Sarah is being healed, in the name of Jesus. I have been able to keep up with her progress because of the daily updates provided on her CaringBridge.com account. And I pray for her. Diligently. I've spoken to my family and prayer partners about her. And we pray for her. And countless other people pray for her. People that know her well. People that do not know her at all. People that have only been made aware of her story via the world wide web. They pray for her.

To think, that a couple of facebook links and shared posts from others who I certainly do not know have allowed me to participate actively in the healing of one of God's children, is amazing. I'm so thankful that my childhood friend, who I haven't spoken to in years, linked to me to such a miraculous work.

I am humbled. I am honored. And, in sharing Sarah Henry, I am reminded that I must always share Jesus. Be it through Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, YouTube...His Story is Sarah's story.

"¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Confess your trespasses^[e] to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
James 5:13-17 (NKJV)