44,676,000

The other day I had the privilege to speak to someone who was celebrating a tremendous victory. They survived to make it to their 44,676,000th second of life. This person has lived a long life and seen alot, for that she is extremely grateful at 85 years young. I marvel at the fact that God who is over the heaven and the earth has given to each of us, one second which can change a lifetime, end a lifetime, or permit more time. The method in which we calibrate time is convenient for us to grasp, manage, etc... however when I look at my life in the realm of seconds I am humbled by the mere idea that God saw fit to allow these seconds with me in them. Grateful and hopeful to be right where he needs me when He calls my name.

I am Living Psalm 91

Are you betwixt and between a hard place and a rock? A situation like that might cause you to do and think some really insight-less things. I thank God that He is farsighted to give a word of hope and absolution that allows us to know that no matter what it looks like - Daniel came out of the fire unscortched and countless other lessons that He inspired the telling of that will serve to strengthen and prolong us until we get to our salvation and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that will surely never die. I encourage myself  and others to HOLD ON because help is here. See with spiritual eyes and marvel at the wondrous workings of the Lord - remembering to give God the glory, honor and praise for He is worthy. He has the ultimate plan and has my back.
Thank You Jesus!

Psalm 91
(Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God)
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a]
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

New King James version
Footnotes:
Psalm 91:3 That is, one who catches birds in a trap or snare

Revelation High Life

Right from the start, I am giving God a shout out of Praise - Hallelujah!!! Thankful for the revelation that he just gave me. I don't know if anyone was like me but when I was young, I was eager and when I'd get a new thing I was incline to delve into the experience or attempt use of it immediately. The instructions weren't of inital interest to me. This behavior implied that I believed that a glance would be enough for me to understand what I needed to know about the product I was intending to use. Over time, I discovered that I would be forced to return to the instruction for direction and completion. I have grown and appreciate when there are instructions that accompany a new product. When I prepare to make a purchase, I base it partly on the instruction that accompanies the product. I am so grateful that I have matured to the extent of having appreciation for instructions. Someone once told me that the Bible is the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Since we don't know the time of our departure then when we get our life - such like a new product, we need to commit to reading the instructions for best use. I spent many years of my life rebelling against God and came to realize that I rendered myself powerless in the realm of the unseen. This realm is faith, believing in the hope of something although unseen. My life is predicated on this concept of hope and belief that what I desire will come to pass (like brething even). This area of my life is what God speaks of as the authority in great detail. This book has the ultimate instruction - Yey... Isn't it a revelation that there is a book such as this and that we live in a country that doesn't require us to steal away into the darkness in order to read it. I am really liking these 46 years.

Strongman !!! sit down, no - better yet - Get OUT !

I started taking a class entitled "Shattering Strongholds." It has been an extremely enlightening class. I realized that in all the years of my life that I experienced victimization feeling shame, anger, fear and aggression to name a few emotions that develop as a result, I entertained the company of a stronghold. This is something that prevents me from fully operating in the will of God - causing me to move in the opposite direction. I realized that despite the premature exposure to my sexuality as a child, the pain of a twisted ear or the reference of being a slow speaker, ie... dumb, poor, a bastard, promiscuous, a Jesus fanatic that I am no victim. Can I walk around saying that I forgive these attackers but carry the bag of victim too? The spirit of the Living God taught me that the concept of victimization and its profit is rooted in sin. Just as the woman closed the door when her son was about to die and said "It is Well," I too must be ready and willing to say it is well and close the door. Unless I am willing to wear the robe of persecutor than I too must be willing to remove the dagger of victim and move on such as I am able to do when I close the door to an error that I have made that I don't ever want to remember. Forgiveness is one thing but that can release the stronghold of victimization as a state of being and is a horse of a different color. If I do not release the Strongman that keeps me connected to the emotions of shame, insecurity, anger, low self esteem and more than I subject myself to living at a level of mediocrity and at risk of minimizing my life according to the liberty that God has already given. I must walk in the liberty understanding that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me including leaving those things that are behind and pressing on to the mark of a higher calling. I feel emptied out today - extremely different because I now longer desire to live my life in direct response to the things that have happen in my life but rather as an overcomer looking to those things that God desires to have happen in my future. I definitely want what God wants as I believe him to be my maker. I am one of those people that takes my car to the original dealer. I don't want a knock off determining that the strongman delivers a stronghold as a means of operation. I want to operate at the performance level of highest and best use. Whatever you have been through, let it go - Thank God for the do-over that you and your captives are given. KICK THAT STRONGMAN CARRYING THOSE STRONGHOLDS OUT!!! Close the door.

A stronghold can be fear, lust, anger, depression, addiction, rejection, sexual perversion, being unforgiving and bitterness. But some examples of strongholds that are harder for us to identify and therefore easier for the enemy to use are things like: Vanity, greed, pride, self-love, ambition and even imagination, as with fantasy.

Last Will & Testament

This weekend I received a call from my oldest daughter, Elizabeth. She has been traveling lately enjoying a free moment between her work assignments. I was savoring the memories of the time that we were last able to spend together as a family. It was great because it wasn't coupled with a final goodbye to a loved one but rather a Friends and Family Day at our church. At the time that I invited her, I hadn't expected that she would attend in person so I initially offered her the telephone number so that she could be conferenced into the service. It turned out that she did more than just dial the phone, she actually showed up on a moments notice and bought three very dear family members with her. We had a good time in worship of God together; we enjoyed fellowship with friends over a picnic meal under the canopy with rain all about. The message that day was unforgettable and equipping. Each person was equally touched by the tools that they were fortified with. Weeks have gone by and it seems that we are still basking in the care of the word that ensured us of our God given destiny. When she called, I learned that she had survived a very serious motor vehicle accident. She was driving on an road and the traffic was gridlock. Together, she and the passenger engaged in sweet conversation but instantly, her relaxed mood was kicked into high gear and in moments she made decisions that would ensure the safety of she and her passenger. She was hit and knocked into on coming traffic. The vehicle became airborne ultimately landing her into the river on the side of the road. As the car began to sink, she had to quickly free herself from the vehicle and grab the arm of her friend to pull his 2x the size of her body to safety. He sustained a gash across his forehead that would require 18 stitches, she was treated for a mild concussion and the car was totaled; it was crushed and waterlogged. A complete loss of stuff but not of life. We thank God that we had that time of prayer and reflection just weeks before. There were some truths solidified during that time period. Surely the need for deliberate living is in order. Our lives are but a moment away from being lost so I encourage you to live the one day that you have, deliberately. Tomorrow isn't promised so say what you will today. God gives us days daily to say the one last thing we want to leave this earth being remembered for. Each day is a do over until the end but believe that with each do-over, improve your mark. Each day borders on being the very last statement you get to make. Make it count for something really special, rooted in love and look at each new day you awake in as a gift offering a chance for a do-over. No worry, just love.

What Doesn't Take You Out...

If anyone follows the national news you might have heard that the State of Maryland has had to make several cuts in the work force as an attempt to balance the budget. There are tremendous deficits. One week ago, we learned that on October 1, 2009 workers amongst us would receive the proverbial "pink slip." My department was informed that we would not be hit because we are essential personnel and at the time I heard it, it was music to my ears. I am trusting so I believe what a person tells me is the truth until I find reason to note that it can't be. I am not a complicated person.

When I arrived to work today, the atmosphere was surreal. There was the site of a navy blue van parked outside with two uniformed officers standing along side of it. When I made it to my cubicle, the environment was sparse and the mood a bit gloomy. One colleague drew many of us to discuss this ominous scene and the chain of events. The supervisor that informed me and many of my colleagues about how essential we were has taken the day off. "Oh My!!!" The Associate Director is also absent and in fact all of management seems to be missing. Could what the supervisor shared be true, or untrue? Were we just essential in her eyes?

The reality of the ravaging economy is just beginning to hit everyone who lives in my neighborhood. I am dismayed when I read the reports that speak of an economy that is on the upswing. I don't see it and I believe it to be a marketing strategy used to control the behavior of the masses.

I am thankful that I don't lend my life to luck and chance but rather understand fully that God created me. All that He has created has been done so with preordained destiny. As long as I am in Christ and Christ is in me - I am good. I realized that I needed to shut out the anxiety of the environment and focus on the one who called me forth from before I was even in my mother's womb. So, I flipped on my playlist and grooved with adoration to God on the tune of "Majesty" with a Carribean twist. It is all good. I do wonder and pray for my comrades who will be affected and who are not linked in to the knowledge of a source beyond what they see and for others who are at the beginning of an amazing journey that will take them places they never imagined they could go. As Willie Jolly says - "A Setback is nothing but a Setup for a Comeback. "

If any of you are facing the same type of uncertainty on the job or in your lives, don't panic. Breathe, Take one day at a time, talk about it and keep it moving. If you get out with your life, then your good because what doesn't take you out can only make you stronger. Life means opportunity with the possibility of completion.


Share your story....

September 11, 2009

"What a difference a day made Twenty-four little hours Brought the sun and the flowers Where there used to be rain." If you know these lyrics then, you must be.....how old?

I don't know what everyone else was doing 8 years ago on this date but I can remember that I had just arrived at work. The day was clear and was to be uneventful. Shortly after arriving, a colleague told me about the Twin Towers. The television was on and I watched the coverage in disbelief. I then heard that the Pentagon was hit and in a moment, I remembered that my sister Mary was an employee of a company contracted to clean the Pentagon. The Pentagon was her assigned duty station. She was paid to walk the halls of the Pentagon and her day as always started promptly at 7:30 a.m. I was frozen in fear of the worse but then realized that I could regain my position of purpose and begin to pray. There were many that stood with hands clasped in a circle desiring that the attacks would stop. "God Help Us," we prayed. Approximately, 4 years later - my dad died and right before that I met several cousins on his side of the family for the first time. One of the daughters whom I have come to know well has a birthday on September 11th. I am certain that many of you can think of others who have a birthday on this day also. Today on September 11th, I realize that while I honor in heart and deed those people who lost their lives on that day or who are deeply impacted by the pain of lost loved ones - My cousin's birthday makes me realize how life continues and that before this tragic event - It was Salena's birthday. I thank God for Salena's birthday and wish her well as she is grateful for living 40 years on this earth. May God bless all of you as you reflect on your life and your friends, family and colleagues and their family members. Go out and be kind, be a blessing to someone today and everyday. Love you guys - Just waiting for someone to respond. "Thanks Sherri -"