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Quarantine Episode (Part I)
In this season of quarantine and COVID-19, our situations change from week to week. Bible Study Brother, Bible Study Mama, and I got together virtually to discuss our current state of emotions as Resurrection Sunday approached. How are you holding up during these times?
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Chicken Nuggets
Many times, you don’t miss something until it’s gone. I cannot tell you the number of things that grated on my nerves pre-COVID-19. My life was full of activity. The time that I did have at home during the week was not really time to relax from my day. Most often, I would be preparing for the next day or finishing any of the number of tasks that adulthood requires. And I was so tired. COVID-19 given me the opportunity to spend more time in the home that I work hard to maintain. And I’m grateful for that. Listen, I have had to find joy in anything that I can…
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Let’s Get It Together
Last week Pastor tackled a crucial, yet often misunderstood, aspect of the Christian experience-forgiveness. After licking my wounds from last Wednesday’s REfresh, I was ready for a lesson that was easier to digest. I wanted one of those ice cream and cupcake lessons. But that’s not what I received. I got an okra, rutabaga, and kale salad lesson. Full of every nutrient that I need for my Christian walk but not as easy to swallow. Pastor challenged our spiritual maturity concerning reconciliation. Jesus came to earth on assignment. His mission, His purpose, and His calling was to reconcile a sinful world with the perfect God. Wednesday night’s Bible study came…
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Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
Pictures capture moments in life that could otherwise be forgotten. They are precious snapshots. I’m particularly drawn to the picture of Bible Study Brother and I asleep in the same bed. We’re snuggled in the bed underneath a quilt that was probably sewn by our great grandmother. This photo had to be taken circa 1988. In the days before every camera was a phone, you had to use a camera that was loaded with film. You looked through the viewfinder to frame the perfect shot, and you weren’t sure of what you had until the pictures came back. We had to wait for them to be developed. A one hour…
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It Was All Fun and Games Until…
My mom tells a story about younger me that is so different from the woman that I am today. I was raised in the country. Mice were part of our life. They were in the shadows scampering around. So, we had mouse traps. Not the humane traps of modern days. The traps that snapped when a mouse was in them. They were loud but effective. The story she tells involves one of these traps. At around the age of four or five, I spoke my mind freely. I had not yet acquired the skill of keeping my thoughts to myself. I was not the type to filter my words. I…
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It Will Be Alright
Tragedy often comes when we least expect it. It leaps up and yells “Surprise!” We didn’t ask for it. We didn’t want it. But it came anyway. My pastor used II Kings 4:18-37 to give us a model of the proper way to respond when life’s calamities occur. Let’s dig into the sermon recap. The story begins with a typical day. A father is out gathering the harvest from the fields. Like many fathers, he brought his son along with him. This was an opportunity for the son to be involved in the harvest. He’s learning alongside his dad. While there, the son begins to complain of a headache. The…
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Blow My Mind
If you had told me one year ago that I would be writing blogs every day about my faith walk, I would have said that you were insane. If you had told me that I would be able to last seven weeks without working and be alright, I would have kindly escorted you the nearest psychiatric facility to institute a 72-hour hold. If you had said that the entire world would be shut in their homes because of an invisible threat to their health, I would have added you to all the prayer lists that I know. Your statements would have blown my mind. You would have been so right,…
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Bible Study Cousin’s Journey (Part II)
Part I left me on the edge of my seat. What part of her testimony was Bible Study Cousin about to share with the world? I wasn’t ready. I won’t spoil her story. Take a listen for yourself. #wepreach
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In Full Bloom
My grandma has a green thumb. Well, I think she does. Over the years, I have seen her plant vegetables and flowers, and they all flourish. She’ll tell me the name of her flowers, and I’ll promptly forget. But I love to see them in full bloom. When I became a homeowner, creating a floral oasis in front of my home was high on my agenda. I recruited Bible Study Mama and Bible Study Brother to get this project off the ground. We ripped out those boring old bushes that were lined up in front of the house, rented a machine to till the soil, and got to work. Really…
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Reposition Yourself
Wednesday night’s REfresh Bible study centered around a life changing topic. Forgiveness. I’ve dealt with this topic in previous blog posts because it has transformed my attitude in many ways. Bible Study Brother’s licensing sermon focused on forgiveness and how important forgiveness was in the life of all believers. Forgiveness saved our lives and guaranteed us eternal life. Forgiveness. My understanding of forgiveness has increased with age, and my pastor furthered expanded my knowledge of a common passage that is used to illustrate the concept of forgiveness. Whether you’re saved or not, I’m sure you’ve heard of “turning the other cheek.” For most of my life, that meant that if…
