Daily Devotional – 9/18/14 “Life happens!”

I almost got carried away with work and forgot to post a devotional today. Isn’t that something? I almost forgot, literally got caught up, got busy, got sidetracked and it almost slipped my mind that I hadn’t even posted a devotional today. And yet it happens. Things happen. It’s the same way with trying to be holy, Christian, sanctified and all that. Yep, I said it; you don’t have too. You don’t have to admit it because I will. I don’t tell God thank you every morning. I don’t pray every day. I don’t say grace before every meal. I don’t say my prayers every night. I don’t feel like encouraging folk all the time. Shoot, life happens to me too. I’m just keeping it real. I don’t have joy all the time. I don’t feel like smiling at you every time you see me. I don’t have a word for you every day because life gets at me too yet I have to keep going. Why? Well because I don’t have an option to give up. When God called me, He didn’t give me an option because He could have easily left me alone but He didn’t, He cultivated this gift within me. How? By giving me the chance to use it freely every day and it touches people every day. This is why I can’t and won’t stop. I am not perfect but every day I am striving to be better because I striving to be an example of God. Yes, life happens but things also happen because of life.

Yes, I know sometimes you feel like giving up but that’s just the enemy making you feel like giving up is easier than holding on. I know you may feel like suicide is the answer but it isn’t, ask me the question again and I’ll give you a different answer. That sickness that you’re dealing with, I don’t know how you feel and you may be tired of hearing God is a healer but I’ve seen Him work in others, all you have to do is believe He’ll do it for you. Your finances falling short; have you made a plan to get back on track? Do you believe you can? Your home isn’t happy? Cleanse it from the inside out making God the head and then allow everything else to fall in line like it should. Are you suffering? Cleanse yourself from the inside out allowing God to be the head allowing everything else to fall in line like it should. For Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Life happens but you don’t have to suffer for it. Be an imitator of God and follow His example and believe that things will work out for you and they will. Will this life always be good no but it won’t always be bad either for when I sit down and count it out, weigh my options and look back over my life the good always outweigh the bad! Life happens but Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life!” #Thatsenough

BWABC Literacy Festival

The Black Writers And Book Clubs (BWABC) Literacy Festival is an annual festival promoting literacy by connecting authors with avid readers and book clubs and it is being held this weekend in Memphis, TN. Yes!! This weekend, Friday and Saturday; September 19-20, 2014.

WHEN:
September *19 – **20, 2014

WHERE:
Hilton Hotel, 939 Ridge Lake Boulevard

FESTIVAL TIME:
10 A.M-5 P.M

*Friday-September 19th/Authors & Publishers Day.
**Saturday, September 20th-FREE and Open to the General Public

I will be there so stop by and see me on Saturday!! I look forward to seeing you!!

Meet, engage and network with authors, book clubs and avid readers from across the nation, purchase books to support literacy, walk the book club ‘red carpet,’participate in games, win door prizes, attend book club panel discussions, enter essay contests to win a number of prizes!

Daily Devotional – 9/17/14 “Tomorrow!”

You all know that tomorrow is defined as the day after today but none of us are promised to see yet if our eyes are opened to see the dawning of the brand new day most of us don’t count it as a blessing? Yea, most of us get up like God owe us something. If the truth shall be told we get up acting like man owes us something so why should we treat God any less. We act like momma should owe us babysitting service, daddy should owe us maintenance service and sister should owe us loan services. Yet God wakes our ungrateful selves up over and over again never taking into account the many times we’ve taken Him for granted. Baby, if God counted the many times we laid down without saying our prayers, we’d never wake up. If He counted the many times we ate without saying grace, we’d choke a many times. If He counted the many times we said we’d do it tomorrow when He had the chance to not allow us to see tomorrow …

Oh, I’m simply counting the many blessings I’ve been given that I know I wasn’t worthy of. I’m simply replaying the many times I’ve been counted in when I know I should have been counted out. I’m simply thinking on the many tomorrows I’ve seen when I know I shouldn’t have seen past yesterdays. I’m simply reflecting on where I know I should be if it hadn’t been for God’s grace bringing me from yesterday’s gutter to today’s glory! Y’all, I’m simply letting you know that I can’t worry about yesterday’s mistakes because they were made and left there. I can’t even begin to worry about tomorrow because Matthew 6:34 tells me, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Beloved, let me speak this in your life right now … Even if you can’t see your way right now, your life is about to be changed because I am speaking it! Your tomorrow won’t be the same because I’ve already declared it to be different, if you believe and love God for 1 Corinthians 2:9 tells me, “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” Today is today and I am declaring that your tomorrow will be greater than anything you can even imagine. It may not look like it now but trust me. You’ll even smile tomorrow even though you may be crying now. Tomorrow! Wait for it!

Daily Devotional – 9/16/14 “Get understanding!”

At bible study last night my nephew, who I thought wasn’t paying attention because he was too busy drawing on all the pages in my notebook, leaned over and asked me why wasn’t I saying anything (in the discussion that was happening). I asked him what he meant. He said, you said you believed in God so why aren’t you saying anything? Now, he’s five and I know he loves church and pays attention when preaching is going on but I just knew he wasn’t paying any attention the entire time Pastor Letcher was teaching yet he was and he wanted to know why I wasn’t saying anything. I told him I didn’t have anything to say at the moment. I asked him why he wasn’t saying anything and he said because he was scared but that still didn’t make him understand why I didn’t have anything to say because to him, I should have.

Now, I shared that to say this … Children pay attention TO EVERYTHING! His logic of thinking made him believe that because I believed in God I should have had something to say in the dialogue of conversation that was going on. Isn’t it amazing how in tune he is to the teaching of God’s word even at his age and some of us adults aren’t? Yet some of us will jump up ready to take on a position in the church but won’t sit long enough to be taught when just like in Israel, God is saying to us, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6)”. Yet Proverbs 1:7 says, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Job 28:12 asks the question, “But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? And Job 28:28 answers it by saying, “And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord–that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” Will you be perfect in everything you do? No but if you are comfortable in committing sin everyday then you are already on the losing side of your battle. Fear the Lord, that’s the first step in the right direction. Then get His book so that you gain knowledge to understand for yourself because there is no better understanding than self explanation. God’s word has a way of giving you everything you need for everything you go through. You may not see it the moment you’re going through but you’ll realize it the moment you come out or after you look back on it.

Daily Devotional – 9/15/14 “Renewed hope!”

I am standing and believing with renewed hope that there is help coming for God’s people. Yes, I believe that help is on the way. See, I witnessed a miracle on Thursday afternoon in room 3 of the emergency room of Methodist University Hospital when one doctor said it was over for my grandmother but God said I am simply showing renewed hope. See, somebody’s hope was fading and it needed to be renewed. I don’t know if it was a member of my family, if it was a member of the hospital staff or even if it was mine but God simply used my grandmother as a way to renew hope to all those who came in contact with her on that afternoon. Yea, here we were rallying around her bedside and she didn’t need us but we surely needed her. From doctors to nurses, from her children to grandchildren, from nieces to nephews, from cousins to friends; she changed lives that day. I may never know but I truly believe that some who didn’t believe in God before that day believe now. Yea, some who may have doubted before no longer doubt the power of the Man who can heal the sick and raise the dead. Those who said there is no such thing as praying power saw it for themselves first hand. God’s power manifested, that means it’s being revealed firsthand for all to see.

You don’t have to take my word for it but take God at His and trust Him. Yes, I know this world we are living in is bad but I trust and believe that God is about to send some renewed hope. I believe that He is going to send us a new covenant like He did in Jeremiah 31:31 and we, His people will have it written into our hearts and live it like we are supposed to. I am standing firm and believing that we as God’s people will get back to being what God will have us to be. With the murders, domestic violence, sickness, diseases, spiritual warfare, wars and everything else that is happening in our world today; we need renewed hope. Just imagine how it could be if each one of us would renew our own individual hope and then collectively get together. Baby, do you know the kind of worship experience we would have on Monday night at bible study, Wednesday night prayer service, Thursday night rehearsal and Sunday morning Sunday School and Worship Service if folk would come in with renewed hope? Can you imagine it? Lives wouldn’t ever be the same because people would actually leave church better than they came! Oh, if you need to know what renewed hope feels like, let me tell you … It feels like fire in your bones burning to get out. It feels like this praise on the inside that you just can’t keep to yourself even though you’ve tried. It feels like hearing your favorite song on Saturday morning and you dance and you don’t care who’s watching. It feels like joy, the kind you can’t explain and when you try it doesn’t come out right. It feels like peace, the kind that you don’t understand and don’t even care too. Renewed hope is my prayer for you! Try it! It’s a wonderful feeling! Romans 15:13, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”