Women of the Word - Jozanne Marie

When we first moved to Los Angeles in 2007 we attended cultural events as a way of getting to know our new city better. In 2013, I was reading the LA Times when I saw a review of the play Beautiful. Here's an excerpt from that Critic's Choice review:

"If Jozanne Marie can’t persuade you to let go of that old grudge you’ve been nursing, nobody can. In her stunning and courageous autobiographical one-woman show, “Beautiful,” produced by the Latino Theatre Company, she describes a childhood blighted by betrayal and abuse, redeemed by forgiveness.
Born in Jamaica, a child of rape, Marie had the luck to be taken in by her warm, fiercely protective grandmother whom she called Mummy. Other adults in her life proved unworthy, often monstrously so, of her trust."

How To Respond to the Unkind Person in Your Life

Hurt happens. It happens to all of us, often when we do not anticipate it. It happens in families, it happens in friendships, it happens with co-workers, and we even hurt ourselves. The most confusing kind of hurt, though, is the hurt that happens for seemingly no reason.

Maybe for you, it's the customer service person who's supposed to be helping you out but keeps making everything more difficult with their attitude. This scenario rubs you the wrong way every time. You assume that kindness is a part of their job description without considering why they may be behaving rudely in the moment.

Women of the Word - Deidra Riggs

I became aware of Diedra through her book One: Unity in a Divided World. I wanted to know who this brave soul was who dared to tackle such a touchy topic and one that's so close to my heart. So I reached out, she responded and I'm so happy she did. May you be encouraged as I was by her heart. Meet this month's Woman of the Word, Deidra Riggs.

Deidra Riggs

1. As someone who studies the Bible, what are your favorite tools and resources?

DR: See note about resources, below.

2. Old Testament, New Testament or both? 

DR: Both.

3. Why do you study the Bible? What was your initial motivation? 

DR: My very first motivation to reading the Bible was fear. I grew up hearing a lot about being “left behind” and also hearing predictions about the end of the world. As a child, those concepts terrified me. I was constantly afraid I’d make God mad enough to stop loving me and so, I was endlessly trying to work my way into God’s good graces. I was always trying to please God. One way I worked to earn God’s love was to read the Bible from cover to cover, and then start over again.

Fear was the wrong motivation for me, and it’s the wrong motivation for anyone. Sadly, however, using fear as a motivator is highly effective, even though the end result is most often so wrong. For example, in the very Bible I was reading from cover-to-cover, out of fear that God would stop loving me and someday leave me behind, God says, “Fear not,” 365 times. But it didn’t register for me. I was plowing my way through the pages, not really understanding what I was reading, and feeling further and further from God (and, therefore, more fearful) as a result.

Finally — thanks be to God! — I made the decision to stop reading/studying the Bible. No more “quiet time.” No more devotions. No more reading from Genesis to Revelation. Of course, it seemed then as if I had the word “sinner” stamped on my forehead in big, bold letters for all the world to see. But over time, I felt myself rising above fear and into grace. It’s a longer story than what I’m sharing here, but for me, part of my freedom was letting go of the Bible and all of the expectations we place on ourselves for how we should relate to it.

All of that happened a very long time ago. In the years that have followed, my relationship with the Bible is one that I understand through the work of the Holy Spirit. In a mysterious way — in other words, in a way that is difficult to describe — the Word of God (which to me, is synonymous with the Son of God) reads and studies and knows me and, through the Holy Spirit (as promised), teaches me and reminds me of everything Jesus taught from beginning to end.

This does not mean I never open my Bible anymore. I do. In fact, it is quite difficult for me to read the Bible aloud without crying. However, the words “study” or “read” when referring to the Bible feel inadequate. I believe the Bible is a living document. When I open it, it consumes me, so I take it in small doses. A sentence or two at a time is sometimes more than I can handle. But that’s not out of fear. It’s something different; something very intimate and alive and full of grace.

4. How does inspiration work for you? How do you know that what you're writing or understanding is as if God is moving the pen and you're just the vehicle? 

DR: To be clear, I should start by saying, I don’t always know. However, I do sometimes have a physiological response in which my heart pounds in my chest — so much so that I can see my shirt moving as a result.

5. How do you handle complex topics that may not align with popular views? Can you give an example? 

DR: Before a radio interview, or a panel discussion, or some other public conversation, I say to myself, “You know what you believe. You know what you believe. You know what you believe.” I am aware that some things I say may be misinterpreted or misunderstood. I also know people may disagree with what I have to say and where I stand at this moment. But, I have to be true to me.

I also know we are all on a journey. In my own story, I can see where I once held a view of some topics that are the complete opposite of my current perspective. And there is no telling how I’ll see things, thirty years from now. I want to keep that in mind about myself and about others. I want to give us all grace for the journey. I want to hope the best for us. There is room at the table for all of our viewpoints. I believe that will all my heart. Instead of being so quick to condemn and judge and blackball those whose viewpoints are different from our own, I pray we learn how to make space for one another and allow the Holy Spirit to work among us, in spite of our differences.

6. When confronted by the truth of scripture, even for difficult topics, how does it re-orient you? 

DR: The most difficult topic of all, in my opinion, is this: “…love your enemies…” That one truth is constantly reorienting me — from the co-worker who gets on my last nerve to the neo-Nazis marching with Tiki torches on a college campus one summer night.

We all have people we would label, “enemy.” But the Truth about that is we only really have one, true enemy, and it is not each other. As long as we look to one another as the enemy, the true Enemy gets off, free and clear. When I focus on loving even those who wish to end my bodily existence, I am re-oriented to the Truth that God loves them the same as God loves me. My prayers for them change. My hopes for them change. My understanding of them changes. My love and compassion for them grows. THAT is the exact opposite of the true Enemy’s plan.

7. Tell us a little bit about yourself, current projects you are working on and where you can be found. 

DR: I released my second book, ONE: Unity in a Divided World, earlier this year. I work full-time in the marketing department of a national insurance company. My husband and I have two adult children, and we live in an empty nest with our two dogs. I am a prolific Instagrammer, and you can follow me at @deidrariggs, or sign up for my newsletter at deidrariggs.com.


8. How do you deal with discouragement and doubt? (Bonus question) 

DR: When I find myself discouraged, it’s often because I’ve become disengaged from the moment I’m in. I’m either thinking back to a time that has passed, or I’m projecting ahead to a time that is yet to come. I can’t change the past, nor can I predict the future and when, in my head, I go back to the past, I go without God. Same with projecting into the future: God isn’t in my made-up ideas of what the future holds for me. This isn’t to say I don’t learn from the mistakes of my past. Nor does it mean I don’t have dreams for the future — I am an expert dreamer! But, when I visit the past or the future and find myself discouraged as a result, I am reminded to return this present moment, where God is with me and I am with God. There are a few ways I find to do this: meditation, running, and yoga.

Doubt is a different animal. As a child, my doubts fed my fears. I doubted God’s love for me. I doubted my ability to please God. I doubted lots of things. My reaction to this was to try to take control of the situation, believing I could manage the results (for example: if I read the Bible from cover-to-cover, I’ll be good enough for God). I held on tightly to this idea that I could control the outcome. But living tight-fisted doesn’t allow much room for God to move. Now, when I’m faced with doubts (and I’ve had some very serious experiences of this, which is a story for a different day), I have learned to trust that God is in my doubting, God will not abandon me in my doubting, and God is on the other side of my doubting. God is not afraid of my doubts. My doubts and fears are no match for God. When I surrender to my doubts — daring to ask unthinkable questions and to entertain unbearable thoughts — I always end up closer to God.



Note: These resources have been helpful in my journey of faith:

1. The Message Bible, by Eugene Peterson

2. On Being podcast

3. This episode of The Liturgists podcast

4. Jesus and the Disinherited, by Howard Thurman

5. Pray as You Go app for Android and iPhone

6. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

7. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, by Madeleine L’Engle

8. Writing in a journal



--Nylse

Thanks for reading. Please take a moment to share using the buttons below and also please like my Facebook Page. Don't forget to subscribe. Stay Encouraged!

The 4 Stages of Reconciliation

As Christians, we have a ministry of reconciliation that imitates Christ's reconciliation for us. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 and 18 - we become new people in Christ; as a result of becoming a new creation, we are given the ministry of reconciliation which allows us to be reconcilers.

Being able to reconcile is something that is much needed in our culture for to reconcile is to restore harmony and cohesiveness; to be able to coexist. In our broader culture, we are bombarded with schism and friction, there is racial inequity and animosity. The climate is ripe for retaliation. This is not the recipe for reconciliation.

Brenda Salter McNeil has written on The 4 Stages of Reconciliation; she is a minister who travels the nation and speaks on racial reconciliation to a variety of audiences. She is first and foremost a Christian who noticed this racial divide in her life.

1. Realization - An awareness that there is a grievance. An acknowledgment that there is a problem.
2. Identification - Empathizing and understanding the aggrieved.
3. Preparation - What are you prepared to do to reconcile? Are you prepared to go the distance towards reconciliation?
4. Activation - The action(s) that are necessary for change. Putting in the effort and the work to make the change

These steps were identified as steps for racial reconciliation as it relates to institutions, but they are applicable for reconciliation in general.

Hard things are hard and reconciliation of any sort is hard. As reconcilers, we are imitating Christ - which means we'll get close to perfect but we're going to fail. In our own strength, we can't remove the barriers. We will get tired of fighting the good fight. We will be traumatized by all that we see happening around us. 

But before we deal with society, let's start with our homes and our relationships. Let's be reconciled with each other.  Then let's spread it to our communities until we are impacting the world. Oftentimes when there is a need for reconciliation there is a perception that one side is right and therefore the other side is wrong. Reconciliation says - we're both right; now where do we go from here. The purpose of reconciliation is to bring others to Christ. By being a vessel of reconciliation, others will see something different in us and want what we have. 

As believers, each one of us can allow Christ's spirit within us to give us the power to be reconcilers. It's like a tree with concentric circles - our ministry impacts those closest to us and spreads to have a broad impact.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.... 2 Corinthians 5:17, 18 [KJV]

When there is a breach, how do you reconcile? Do you use any of the steps above? Are you trying to affect change in society?

It's Monday - this post is inspired by what I heard on Sunday!!!!

Beautiful the Solo Play

He makes all things beautiful in His time - Ecclesiates 3:11

Jozanne Marie in Beautiful

We go through a lot in life and often times we don't know why. If you believe in God ultimately you are able to reconcile the circumstances of your life, with attributes that aren't human. Things like grace, mercy, forgiveness, redemption, restoration and hope.

We saw the play Beautiful on Saturday. It left me speechless (and few things do). It was stunning in its capacity to show what the human spirit can endure. It also displayed the supernatural power of God's forgiveness and healing. We talk about redemption and restoration, but to hear what Jozanne went through and how she now holds no ill will to those who hurt her is amazing. Those that hurt her were very close to her and it was part of her family legacy, but with the forgiveness she chose to bestow, she has broken that legacy. With her life, God has made something absolutely beautiful.

Currently I am wrestling with a number of things as it relates to families and child rearing. I have recognized that I need to support my children even though I don't necessarily agree with their endeavors; this has been hard. I recognize what support does for a child - I supported one child in her endeavors because I believe in her and having that support behind her has made a huge difference. For the another child not having the support they so desperately need has also made a huge difference but not in a positive direction. My prayer right now is that God will take all of this and make it beautiful in his time; that He will change hearts - mine and theirs.

Perhaps you're not going through anything as harrowing as the character in the play, or perhaps you are.
Seek Him - 1 Chronicles 16:11 Isaiah 55:6-7
Trust God -  Proverbs 3:5-6
Forgive, for your own benefit - Ephesians 4:31-32, Matthew 6:14
Feel his love flow through you - remember the offense no more as God did with us; He hath not dealt with us according to our offenses - Hebrews 8:12; Psalm 103: 8-12
Trust God to restore - it's a promise -  Joel 2:25

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiates 3:11


God makes all things beautiful in His time. Let Him take your mess and make it beautiful. Will you?