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My Praise Says It All
Relationships are not always what they seem. Sadly, some people stick close to you in an effort to see you fall. Jesus accepted an invitation to dinner at Simon’s house in Luke 7:36-50. Simon was a Pharisee. He knew the rules and customs. He knew the etiquette and traditions. But he did not anticipate the way that Jesus would interact with a woman that Simon considered to be beneath him. Today’s sermon recap recounts the events at that dinner and challenges us to dig deeper. As Jesus is reclined at the table, a woman of the night enters the home with an alabaster flask of fragrant oil. She does not…
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Taste Test
We all have different tastes. That goes for food, clothing, décor, relationships, etc. Your idea of delicious food may not be closely aligned with someone else’s idea of delicious. Growing up, and even now, I looked forward to the holidays and any family gathering. My family would be cooking, and I knew that I was in for a treat. Everyone had their specialties and assignments. My mouth was always ready to taste the product of their labors. This is the food that I was raised eating. I was accustomed to the flavors and smells. Never once did I fear that the chefs would not deliver a quality meal. By the…
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Good Trouble
Yesterday, I was in virtual attendance at the funeral of Congressman John Robert Lewis. I was late. I actually missed most of the service. The service was held at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once pastored. I tipped in as Jennifer Holiday was singing “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.” As she finished her selection, out walked President Barack Obama to eulogize Congressman Lewis. President Obama began his eulogy with James 1:2-4. “My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect…
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Big, Bigger, Biggest
Most of my workday is spent on the floor. Of course, I have tiny chairs and tiny tables. The tables and chairs are necessary, and I do utilize them. But there is something about getting on a kid’s level that I love. Every now and then I come across a two or three-year-old that prefers the table, but that is more of the exception. Today, I sat on the floor with my little friend playing with trucks. We started out with a Matchbox truck. The truck was bigger than the doll that my friend was rolling the truck over. I made a comment about how big the truck was. Then…
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What A Mess!
Jewelry is one of my things. I mean…by now you know that I like razzle dazzle. Putting together a cute outfit puts a smile on my face. And jewelry is the final touch to any cute ensemble. Pre COVID-19, I did not leave my house without at least putting on earrings. Even when going to work. Scrub pants, t-shirt, and earrings completed my look. Wearing a mask changed my stance on daily earrings. They would get tangled in the loops of the mask. Sometimes, I would snatch an earring off on accident when I snatched my mask off in the car after a long day. My jewelry was just put…
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Desperate for Jesus
Desperate. Seeking. Longing. In need. Those words perfectly describe the condition I am in right now. The crazy thing is that I was unaware of just how desperate I am. I’ve been off for the last couple of weeks and really tried to put my finger on it. I rationalized some of my emotions, but there was still a tug. A pull. A feeling that I could not get a handle on. Then I attended the Desperate for Jesus conference that was hosted by Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship virtually this weekend. And I was finally able to name that mysterious feeling that had been permeating my life. Years ago, I…
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Storm Survivor
The very first month that I moved to Houston a hurricane was forecast to hit the city. Growing up in Arkansas had prepared me to survive tornadoes. We go to the room that is the closest to the center of the house. We run to our bathrooms and get in the tubs. But I had no experience with a hurricane. A completely different storm that I was not prepared to weather. In that instance, I was able to return to safety. Well, at least safety as I knew it. I drove to Arkansas and watched others in Houston ride out the storm. Usually, we have no clue when personal storms…
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Access Denied
Greetings from the beach!!!! At least, that’s what today’s blog was supposed to say. My cousin crew planned our first cousin-only beach vacation. No kids allowed! We were going to go buck wild. (My version of buck wild is staying up after ten. All my cousins’ versions of buck wild varies. The point is…we were going to enjoy ourselves.) We started paying for our trip in 2019. Nothing could hold us back. Then 2020 got here. When the outbreak of COVID-19 first occurred, we had a small talk. Everyone was still on board. At this point, I was gainfully employed. There was no way that the virus that they were…
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Never Ending Numbers
Well, I know it’s been a minute since I reported, but we still reads the Bible over here. You can reference the blog, “We READS the Bible” to hear about how this journey started. I know I’m supposed to keep ya’ll informed of my journey throughout this Bible. But can I be honest? It has been a hard read. I have fully committed to this quest. But the more I read, the more questions I have. Every day I find myself with a growing stack of things I just don’t understand. At one point, I said I must need to go to seminary to wade through this. Then I quickly…
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Rock the Vote
Don’t mind me. I’m just the girl that almost missed Wednesday night REfresh. I said ALMOST. Relax ya’ll. Wednesday’s panel was not about scripture and memorizing verses. St. Luke went beyond merely talking about racial injustice and inequality and hosted a panel to educate the church and community about absentee voting in the upcoming general election. Fun fact: I used an absentee ballot in 2008 to vote in the Presidential election. I was doing a travel assignment in Houston and was unable to travel back to Arkansas to vote. I wanted to make sure that my vote was counted. I forgot about that until I listened to the panel. Anywho…on…
