How Not To Worry

Resurrection week is over, and now we're dealing with the aftermath. We all have to get on with our lives and figure out how this monumental event impacts our daily lives. 

Resurrection impacts our lives in more ways than we can imagine; for the hopeless, it provides hope. For those experiencing anxiety, it can calm them.  

In this story, place yourself in it as you do your daily walk, where you are mulling over what just happened. 

Holy Week - It's All About Love

Source: ImageBank

This week is considered Holy Week. Do not take this for granted, for they are many who still do not realize the significance of this week and the actual events that transpired. I'll never forget the time at work when I told one of my employees about Good Friday. He was not familiar with the term and the meaning of the day. Back then, I felt nervous about sharing, but I shared anyway.

Here's a summary of what transpired this week:

Sunday - Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Jesus' triumphal entry is recorded in Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19.

Not So

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" That's what the song says, but I also find it wonderful because of the events we celebrate at this time of the year. Also, it's my birthday! Anyhow, Christians know the Christmas story ad nauseam and the joy around it can sometimes be lost.

There's a part of the Christmas story that I've been thinking about for a while, and it's the first birth - the birth of John the Baptist. John was born three months before Jesus, his more famous cousin, to Elizabeth and Zechariah.

John's birth is also miraculous, and his name even more so.

A Lesson In Discernment

What makes something good for one person and bad for another? How do we know which path to take when we're at a fork in the road? I think these are the nuanced situations where we find ourselves relying on spiritual discernment to figure out our next move.

Discernment is knowing who to listen to. The word discern, and its derivatives are translations of the Greek word anakrino in the New Testament. It means "to distinguish, to separate out by diligent

Do Over

I remember when I went back to school to get a graduate degree. By then, I had four children, the youngest a toddler. I liked being an older student, but the challenge was balancing my time - an already scarce commodity. My grad program required lots of research and papers; I found I liked it. 

Have you ever typed a document and then lost it all? I have, and it was gut-wrenching. This paper was due in a month. So for the past month, I researched, outlined, and wrote notes. I kept track of my sources so they could be appropriately cited. Finally, on a Friday evening, I sat down to type. I powered up my computer, reviewed my notes, and started typing. My thoughts were flowing seamlessly, and I was pleased with the way my research came together. This is amazing! I'm going to ace this paper. But then something happened, and in an instant, all my hard work was gone. AARGH!!!!

Rumble in the Jungle

When Muhammad Ali was scheduled to fight George Foreman in October of 1974, the fight was coined the Rumble in the Jungle because it took place in Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of Congo). 

Sidebar: this fight was almost 50 years ago. I remember my Dad watching this fight; he was a huge Ali fan.

Ali was the underdog as he was recovering from a series of legal challenges and was not allowed to box simply because of his anti-war stance (BTW, Ali was right, the government was wrong). Muhammad Ali was also a Black man trying to make his way in this world, and boxing was his means of doing so.

New Seasons

When seasons change on the calendar, the days before and after can look the same. Only as you continue moving, do you see markers that indicate you're in a different season. When we go from winter to spring, the days become longer, the weather becomes warmer, the air becomes more fragrant.

When seasons change, it's like taking a road trip, leaving one state and going to another. When the sign says "Welcome to NY," initially everything looks the same. The road doesn't change; it's still

I'll Always Choose Faith

He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:39,40

Faith is a word we toss around so often we may forget its motivation. Humans without faith are like robots. Without faith, we do not live well, for faith is constructive. We don't just wake up every day and wash, rinse, repeat. Faith just may be the force that keeps us going. We exercise faith to get us through this life.

Recently, we had a memorial service for my mother-in-love at her home church in Jamaica. Before remembering those who passed in 2020, the pastor preached on faith. He spoke from the classic faith chapter - Hebrews 11 but focused on

Waiting

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31).

I have a new car, and I'm still getting used to some of the features. The most disconcerting is when stopped, the vehicle appears to turn off. It gets eerily quiet; I don't hear the engine idling. But once I put my foot on the gas, the car is engaged and ready to go again. Apparently, this is an energy and gas-saving feature.

So as I sit at a traffic light, I place my

When a Bronze Medal Feels Like the Gold Medal

The Olympics are over, and we're all adjusting to regular life again. As I watched the bronze match for men's tennis, one player wanted it more than the other. The favorite for the gold was in this match; he'd been defeated and now winning this match was his only chance at medaling at the Olympics, an honor that held so much weight. 

In some sports you play for the bronze - soccer, tennis, table tennis, basketball while in others it's automatically based on how you finished. The bronze match is, in essence, a tiebreaker with so much on the line.

Love Through the Lens of Hair

I spend a lot of time thinking about hair. As women, we often hear that a woman's hair is her crowning glory, a phrase with Biblical roots found in 1 Corinthians 11:15 and Proverbs 16:31. Often how a woman feels about her hair will determine how she feels about herself. 

Black women have often been made to feel that their hair is ugly or bad because it doesn't fit the cultural

We Have Power

Read -  Revelation 1:10 “On the Lord’s Day I was in the spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.”

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are as ships without the wind, branches without sap, and like coals without fire, we are useless.” John was in the Spirit and heard the voice of the Lord, loud, like a trumpet. Being in the spirit is a phrase used to describe a supernatural encounter with God in our lives, and it is often portrayed in the scriptures. 

The Spirit led Simeon and revealed that he wouldn’t die until he saw Jesus (Luke 2:26, 27). The Spirit filled Joshua, which equipped him to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land (Numbers 27:18). The Spirit of God filled Bezalel, which

Guest Post - Growing Well by Cheryl Holmes

I met Cheryl virtually via the Beloved Women website, where I'm a regular contributor.

When I saw her devotional, I smiled because this verse has meant so much to me. It's part of Jesus' last words to His disciples, which I've shared in my book The Comfort of Night.

Cheryl Holmes is first and foremost a believer! She believes in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. She lives in rural Southwest Louisiana with her pastor husband of almost 32 years and is the proud mother of two adult children. She is also a grandmother, a daughter, and the youngest sister of seven siblings.

Simply put, she loves the Lord, loves His Word, and has come to love sharing His Word by way of pen and paper.  "I am richly blessed beyond measure by every opportunity the Lord gives me to re-present Him, as I serve, as I encourage, and as I inspire others." 

Read on. I hope you are encouraged by Cheryl's words. 

A Community of Women

There are many beautiful things to love about the story of Ruth in the Bible but what stands out most for me is the community of women. Communities are typically unified in purpose, connection, and culture. It's a space women need but won't miss until it's not there. 

Naomi and Ruth are women returning to Bethlehem in Judah. Their integration into the larger community of Bethlehem is highlighted by the community of women.  

Walking in the Rain

These days as we make the most of our restrictive environment, my mind wandered back to when I felt gloriously unrestrained.

We had settled into our new house in Brooklyn and had established a routine for day-to-day life. At the ripe old age of twelve, I took public transportation, navigating the streets of Brooklyn. I never felt afraid though I knew to be aware of my circumstances. 

One particular day, I was walking home from school because I missed my bus. It started to drizzle, and I realized I had no umbrella, nor was I wearing a jacket with a hood. We had an unspoken rule that we never got our hair wet as it meant washing, drying, braiding again. I had a relaxer at that time, so I also thought if my hair got wet, no big deal! (after all, wasn't that the point?) All of these thoughts ran through my mind initially as the rain became a steady

Prayers to Get You Through the Day

As a mom, wife, sister, and employee, the need for God’s constant presence through prayer is inevitable and palpable. When I’m flustered by the day-to-day tasks of motherhood, it is then I turn my gaze upwards seeking the One from whom my help comes. When I feel alone or unheard, I turn to Him remembering that he always hears me. When I’m at crossroads with decision-making, I seek wisdom from His voice and His word. At the end of each day, no matter how it went, I’m grateful that I made it to the end of the day, with His help.

Do you Have a Firm or Flimsy Foundation?

Anything built on an unstable or decaying foundation will not stand. One example of a famous foundation failure is the  South Padre Island’s Ocean Tower in Texas. Ocean Tower was originally designed to be a 31-story building that housed high-end condominiums. However, construction of the tower couldn’t be completed because of foundation problems discovered in early 2008. The expansive soil beneath the tower began to compact, causing the building to sink and lean. Construction ceased and the building had to be demolished in 2009. (source - https://www.structuredfoundation.com/blog/extreme-example-of-foundation-failure/)

Another famous example is the Leaning Tower of Pisa; it leans because its foundation is unstable.

When Things Aren't What They Seem

It may have been a recession, or it may have been that our finances on paper seemed insufficient for our plans. It may have been when the timing seemed wrong for making such a huge decision. At one of these times when there seemed an obvious direction (of playing it safe or doubting God), I re-read Genesis 26 with its ominous beginning - there was a famine in the land. 

Famine portends bad news, but in God's economy, that's not always the case. This chapter starts off with famine in the land then proceeds to show us God's blessing to Isaac.

The Comfort of Night

Is there ever a perfect time to launch a book? This week has taught me no. This book finally became a reality earlier this month, and I have all the emotions - overwhelmed, underwhelmed, and simply whelmed!

A couple of years ago, during Easter, I started to read the events leading up to Jesus' death in the book of John. While these events are recounted in all four gospels, John's version reflects that he was the disciple whom Jesus loved; there's extra emotion in his version, and also John is the only one who captured the words Jesus spoke to His disciples the night before He would be crucified.

These words came at a time when it was night for the disciples - both figuratively and literally. Judas was identified and broke the fellowship, and it was also night (John 13:30). As I read and re-read Jesus' words at this time, I began to realize that what he said provides a framework for living this Christian life. It's as if Jesus summed up His entire ministry in these hours before His death. 

A Thread of Unity

My mother was a seamstress. It was a joy in her life, something that made her proud but also made her happy. That she enjoyed creating beautiful creations was something that always resonated with me.  It's like my mom always had this mentality - creating beauty where few could see it and then hearing the praise because of her creations; she was a visionary - she saw it all along.

Whenever my mother sewed, the first thing she started with was a pattern. The pattern provided directions for cutting each piece, sizing, and stitching with the finished garment in mind. I found it intriguing, for I never imagined that a sleeve, for example, in a pattern could look so different than what I typically viewed as a sleeve. But as I watched her work, it made sense. She would clear the table, spread out her fabric, pin the pattern pieces to the fabric, then cut out the pieces. Then she would pin them together to get an idea of what the finished product would look like.