I have been stressed.
Like, so stressed that the details of what the stress has been doing to my physical body is TMI. Lol
I have cried. Cried some more...laughed hysterically until tears overwhelmed me yet again...lost sleep, all because of my stress when it comes to what I know to be the will of God. My life as a first time author has been exciting and exhilarating yet more stressful than even planning my own wedding just four short years ago.
God has not only provided me with awesome words to share my story, with the world but He's also surrounded this whole project with a collective of individuals who are dedicated to make this experience a great one. I have still had to do quite a bit on my own but the parts that were out of my hands made the process more stressful than I expected.
But if I have such an amazing team of people working with me to bring 'Dramas of a Bald Head Queen' to fruition, why the stress? If I trust the connections to truly be divine, why not trust in the Divine One who established said connections to complete the work He began in me so long ago?
Just this morning, I awoke to more doubtful and wearied thoughts. I found myself getting angry and frustrated again with...myself.
God immediately reminded me that, in order to truly rest in Him, I must place myself in the posture of worshiper. Even as a servant seeking to do the "greater good", bringing glory to God in the things I do and in walking according to His will, I have failed to walk in that part of servitude where I consciously worship.
Often times when we think of the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), we are able to point the finger at other individuals who we see in church or in our respective ministries who are doing "too much" yet, not enough. God showed me this morning that this conflict has risen within me, one individual torn between walking in God's will and sitting and taking time to worship.
THIS is where my stress has come from and today, I release it and seek to worship God wholly trusting that the things He's called me to do will be done according to His will and the purpose He's called me to.
So, there are two words for today 1) balance and 2) worship.
We worship God in many ways. We worship by serving, the giving of our time, talents, ultimately and by walking in obedience. In this world, we need to find a balance between doing {for God} and being {with God}.
Today Lord, I worship You with my heart, with my presence, with my communion with You. I love You and release the stresses that are present only in my mind and rest in You. Amen. *BEAM*
Showing posts with label give. Show all posts
Showing posts with label give. Show all posts
Monday, June 11, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
$1150 Testimony - Priceless
The other day I had lunch with my friend and event planner to continue confirming plans to celebrate the release of my first book, 'Dramas of a Bald Head Queen'I told her how this whole process feels similar to the energy and process of planning my wedding. I also shared with her the story about how the Lord literally handed me $1150 cash just weeks before my wedding day.
I was living in a dormitory on campus at Hampton University where I was then working as a residence hall director. Since I didn't sign up to work that summer, I was off but my building was still being used to house special groups for weeks at a time during the summer.
We still had to buy last minute odds and ends, pay the caterer and pay the Magnolia House Inn where we had arranged to stay our wedding night. Raphael and I remained prayerful and relaxed trusting that we had done everything we knew to do. We are both tithers/givers and in doing so, stand EXPECTING God to do what His Word says. We stood trusting that He would do as He said He would and did a pretty good job at not doubting.
So, three weeks before the wedding a group of 50 or so youth and 6-8 Chaperones from the Eastern Shore of Virginia came to stay in my building. Things were quiet the four days they were there and after they turned in keys and departed, I simply had to go through and do a sweep of the building, opening the doors of the rooms they occupied so that housekeeping could come in to clean.
After getting to the third closed door, I use my master key to unlock it, briefly glancing in the room when I noticed something on one of the beds. I entered the room to find...sitting there, neatly and untouched in the middle of the bed, a stack of money. Ten $100 bills and three $50.
*PAUSE*
I quickly put the money in my pocket and headed back to my apartment to call Raphael. I knew that no one had been in the building since the group left so we decided to hold on to the money so none of the housekeepers could try to claim it as theirs. Thinking that one of the adults maybe left the money by accident (in no envelop, in an EMPTY room...?) I put a sign on my office door "If you were with *group name* and left anything behind, please call me at..."
No one ever came. No one ever called.
I contacted the special events office on campus to inquire as to whether anyone from the group contacted them to report anything lost. Nothing.
We waited a full seven days deciding to pay our tithes and keep it moving! Lol
$1150 CASH. Seemingly out of the blue.
That was just four short years ago and although I don't expect God to move in the exact same way, I have no doubt that He will bring the vision for this event to pass, just as He did with my wedding!
*BEAM*
I was living in a dormitory on campus at Hampton University where I was then working as a residence hall director. Since I didn't sign up to work that summer, I was off but my building was still being used to house special groups for weeks at a time during the summer.
We still had to buy last minute odds and ends, pay the caterer and pay the Magnolia House Inn where we had arranged to stay our wedding night. Raphael and I remained prayerful and relaxed trusting that we had done everything we knew to do. We are both tithers/givers and in doing so, stand EXPECTING God to do what His Word says. We stood trusting that He would do as He said He would and did a pretty good job at not doubting.
So, three weeks before the wedding a group of 50 or so youth and 6-8 Chaperones from the Eastern Shore of Virginia came to stay in my building. Things were quiet the four days they were there and after they turned in keys and departed, I simply had to go through and do a sweep of the building, opening the doors of the rooms they occupied so that housekeeping could come in to clean.
After getting to the third closed door, I use my master key to unlock it, briefly glancing in the room when I noticed something on one of the beds. I entered the room to find...sitting there, neatly and untouched in the middle of the bed, a stack of money. Ten $100 bills and three $50.
*PAUSE*
I quickly put the money in my pocket and headed back to my apartment to call Raphael. I knew that no one had been in the building since the group left so we decided to hold on to the money so none of the housekeepers could try to claim it as theirs. Thinking that one of the adults maybe left the money by accident (in no envelop, in an EMPTY room...?) I put a sign on my office door "If you were with *group name* and left anything behind, please call me at..."
No one ever came. No one ever called.
I contacted the special events office on campus to inquire as to whether anyone from the group contacted them to report anything lost. Nothing.
We waited a full seven days deciding to pay our tithes and keep it moving! Lol
$1150 CASH. Seemingly out of the blue.
That was just four short years ago and although I don't expect God to move in the exact same way, I have no doubt that He will bring the vision for this event to pass, just as He did with my wedding!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
"Giving Credit Where Credit is Due"
This note was originally in response to a note on Facebook by a young lady named Rochelle but after being "checked" by facebook and getting my looong reply shut down, I decided to just write a note myself. And then it turned into a blog!??!?!
This note is not dedicated to only Rochelle, but to anyone who is currently in any sort of "romantic" relationship and if you're not and you read this, I pray that the words will be useful to your life somewhere in your future…
Rochelle,
First of all, I'd like to commend you for giving credit where credit is due. Our men need to hear us admit that we are wrong (when we are wrong). It takes a strong person to humble themselves and admit when we have hurt someone else, regardless of the reason...I am SO very glad for one line that you said in this note...a lot of it was important, very important, but the number one thing for you to always remember is that you DESERVE to be loved!? No matter what you've done, what's been done to you or even who you give love to, you deserve to be loved, respected, cared for...all of those things that your heart desires and your life needs, you deserve.
Don't you dare ever settle for anything less...and just like you deserve all of these things, so do our men. Women often get caught up in wanting so much "respect" that we forget to give it. We are used to seeing our mothers, aunts, sisters, friends being the victims of "no good men" that being disrespected has become the expectation. Don't ever let this be your expectation...but in order to receive, you've gotta give.
I wish I could meet this young man...and hope that I can some day...in the meanwhile I pray that you two are walking in God's will and that you are learning to COMMUNICATE. Communication is the ultimate key to any relationship. People think the key is trust but if you are communicating, the trust will be established. Others think it's good sex...um...if you're communicating, the sex will BE. GOOD. (When it's time of course!!!!??? Ha!)
The only way armies can be effective in war is with open, clear lines of communication. Without communication, there is no unity, without unity, the battle will be lost...Understand that relationships, marriages in particular, are ordained by God and they represent His relationship with us. Anything that looks like God, the enemy wants to destroy. This is why relationships are always attacked. This is why the divorce rate is so high, in this country in particular…because we are at "war".
I don't mean to get all "spooky" or "religious" on you but for real, take a look at the relationships of those around you and even your own and ask what is it that causes any drama that we/they encounter? Most times, it will be miscommunication that leads to arguments, fights or whatever…I could go on and on, but I'm tired *looks at clock* so, I'll leave you with this...
Ephesians 4:2-3 (NLT) 2 "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace."
Humility+Patience+Communication=Peace=Unity
This note is not dedicated to only Rochelle, but to anyone who is currently in any sort of "romantic" relationship and if you're not and you read this, I pray that the words will be useful to your life somewhere in your future…
Rochelle,
First of all, I'd like to commend you for giving credit where credit is due. Our men need to hear us admit that we are wrong (when we are wrong). It takes a strong person to humble themselves and admit when we have hurt someone else, regardless of the reason...I am SO very glad for one line that you said in this note...a lot of it was important, very important, but the number one thing for you to always remember is that you DESERVE to be loved!? No matter what you've done, what's been done to you or even who you give love to, you deserve to be loved, respected, cared for...all of those things that your heart desires and your life needs, you deserve.
Don't you dare ever settle for anything less...and just like you deserve all of these things, so do our men. Women often get caught up in wanting so much "respect" that we forget to give it. We are used to seeing our mothers, aunts, sisters, friends being the victims of "no good men" that being disrespected has become the expectation. Don't ever let this be your expectation...but in order to receive, you've gotta give.
I wish I could meet this young man...and hope that I can some day...in the meanwhile I pray that you two are walking in God's will and that you are learning to COMMUNICATE. Communication is the ultimate key to any relationship. People think the key is trust but if you are communicating, the trust will be established. Others think it's good sex...um...if you're communicating, the sex will BE. GOOD. (When it's time of course!!!!??? Ha!)
The only way armies can be effective in war is with open, clear lines of communication. Without communication, there is no unity, without unity, the battle will be lost...Understand that relationships, marriages in particular, are ordained by God and they represent His relationship with us. Anything that looks like God, the enemy wants to destroy. This is why relationships are always attacked. This is why the divorce rate is so high, in this country in particular…because we are at "war".
I don't mean to get all "spooky" or "religious" on you but for real, take a look at the relationships of those around you and even your own and ask what is it that causes any drama that we/they encounter? Most times, it will be miscommunication that leads to arguments, fights or whatever…I could go on and on, but I'm tired *looks at clock* so, I'll leave you with this...
Ephesians 4:2-3 (NLT) 2 "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace."
Humility+Patience+Communication=Peace=Unity
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