Praying Above the Political Frey

I try to keep my political views to myself. I understand that not everyone understands why African Americans were proud last week when Senator Obama accepted the nomination for president of the United States on Friday. I'm not sure that I could put it into words. But Pastor Shaun explained it in a way that I couldn't.

Many people did not understand why Pastor Joel Hunter agreed to pray at the convention. Pastor Mark Beeson did a really good job of explaining why it was a good thing.

Yesterday morning Pastor Dan talked to us about the Importance of "Praying Above the Political Frey". He talked about the importance of praying for those in office (not against them) so that we can have a peaceful life. Here are my notes from the sermon ( I wish his sermon podcast was up, but its a holiday and the offices are closed. Even church folks need a break sometime). Check back in a couple of days it will probably be up:

We must honor those in authority? Romans 13: 4-6 What would be worse then a bad government? No government! (2nd Chronicles 7:14) Take the time to intercede for your nation.

Prayer changes things. We change public opinion by the way we live our life. (Daniel 2:21) There is no government in the world that God can't change. One prayer may be all that it takes. We must pray with focus for: A. Freedom B. Righteousness C. For our leaders (their character, regardless of party) - their integrity - humility - compassion D. Pray for influence of those around our leaders E. Pray for their personal needs - their marriage (you wouldn't want the president sleeping on the couch with the red phone beside him/her...lol), - their health. God's purpose can come through during unlikely ways. Pray that God's will be done. (Ezekiel 22: 30) Keep a Kingdom Perspective! Whatever your opinion, we can all agree on one thing......we will need to pray over the next few weeks, months and years for our country.

I must admit I haven't always honored those in office (at least not in the way that Pastor Dan talked about) . There is so many things that divide us as a country, as a people as a nation. Until yesterdays message I would have never thought about how my prayer could effect or change the heart of a leader. How many of us are forgetting to pray above the polital frey?

This morning Pastor Pete asked this question. I struggled with leaving a comment but finally decided to answer with this: Every time someone asked me about this I try to think of something (I thought "brilliant" but left it out) to say. I can only speak from where I am sitting. A lot of people have been saying this will help get the female vote. As an African American women who felt that it was insulting for people to assume I would vote for Obama because he was black, I think its insulting for people to assume I would vote for McCain because he choose a woman. Of course I think its insulting that people assume all Christians vote republican or that all blacks vote democratic! As far as McCain's pick for VP, I don’t know enough about her to make a comment.

I got one response ("What Cyndi said is Brilliant")! This man doesn't know it but he just made my day.

So I am thinking that its not as important that you know who I vote for as it is that you know who I stand for. The rest I will leave in God's hands.

And the Winner Is

The winner of the book by Mark Batterson is Joannmski. Please send me an email at witfour@hotmail.com along with your name and address. Thanks ladies for the great ideas. I will keep you posted how things turn out. By the way that is not my finger ( I need to talk to my son about cutting his nails (lol).

Pastors and Ministers Wives

I know a few of you read my blog so.......I have a question for you. What type of subjects would you want addressed if you had a chance to participate in a ministers wives conference planning from the ground up? This would be for pastors wives and ministers wives.

The Other Wedding

In the chaos of the last few weeks I forgot to post pics of the wedding of Marc's friend. I captured these pictures of the two of them chatting just before the happy couple were announced. Marc became a mentor to this young man after meeting him at a temporary job. At the time Marc didn't appreciate the company he worked for (actually he had good reason), so on a regular basis he would ask himself why he was there. It was not until months later when the company folded that we realized that God placed him there to meet Melvin. He surprised us at the wedding by having Marc's name listed on the program as a "special guest". Sometimes God places us in situations, or circumstances that we don't understand. Often it takes months or years before we get the big picture.

Country Churches

This is the church I grew up in, and where I gave my life to Christ.

My grandfather was Pastor of this church for over 4o years. I still hear stories of being passed from one person to the other while my grandfather was preaching ( I spent the first five years of my life with my grandparents). Although my grandfather passed away many years ago, he is still loved by the people here. The attached fellowship hall was named after his memory.

My grandfather also pastored here for over forty years ( he preached at both churches at the same time, something that is still done in some smaller rural churches). And actually if you think about it is the model for some mega churches today. This was also the first black church in the county. The marker above talks about that history.

These three churches shaped my life as a child. Impacted my walk with Christ as a teen and still hold a very special place in my heart today as an adult. I felt a great since of pride when I went home last week. I am so thankful to God for placing me among such a blessed family dynamic then and with the family that I have today. Seeing these pictures just reminds me that God's plan is perfect.

I was also amazed by the number of large churches I passed while we were exploring the back country rodes. I am hoping to take more pictures the next time I go back.

Busch Gardens

My mom and I spent one entire day at Busch Gardens. We went to every show, rode the train and one simulated ride. Had lunch at our favorite place to eat and just had a great time (without kids...lol). For a change I was able to spoil my mom and treat her to a day out. I love coming home for a week and just hanging out with my mom, just us two. Its not something we get to do that often. But when we are together we have a really great time.

Country Flowers

I had to go all the way to the county to find flowers for our yard. The pictures here are the ones I typically find in the local garden stores here. I have been looking for some tropical plants for a while. How about we found them while exploring one day near my grandparents home! Of course if I had taken them home they would be dead in a week! Anyone want to come landscape my yard for a free custom scrapbook (lol) ?

Sightseeing

Mom and I spent one day at the house chilling. The next morning we headed out to explore. I grew up surrounded by water (still can't swim....how funny is that) but I love looking at the lake and ocean. The town she took me to is smaller then our town, but it was really nice to ride around explore little quaint shops and homes. We even found an old fashioned ice cream shop to stop at and grab a quick dessert for our ride back home. Sometimes I miss the pace of life from my childhood.

C-Unit

My cousin Pat has Sunday dinner with all of the family every week (I'm thinking this may become a tradition for us since we will all be worshiping in different places soon). Since we were home that weekend the whole family got together (well not the whole family, there is way to many of us for that). Of course the girls had to take an official C-Unit photograph! The C stands for cousin.

Homecoming

Thought I would give a recap of my week away from home, starting with Homecoming.

My big cousin "Calvin" who apparently carried me around my first year in this world ( my husband loves telling everyone how spoiled I am, guess this was all the proof he needed...lol).

My aunt, she helped to raise me. I am sure she has some stories she could tell you (lol). I was very blessed to be raised by a very loving and caring family. Actually I was raised by a "village" which consisted of a slew of family and church members.

My godfather. He baptized me, married Marc and I and was my pastor during my teen years.

Marc getting advice from the pastor on becoming a pastor.

Helen and I went to elementary, middle and high school together.

Homecoming is a "Baptist" tradition. Well, at least where I grew up (lol). Once a year we gather with family and friends back home for a time of celebration. You never know who you are going to run into. I come from a very large family so for me its a time to connect with aunts, uncles and cousins for some laughter, great gospel music (in most cases) and an abundance of food and fellowship.

The Boomerang Effect

Marc did a funeral last week that apparently has created a boomerang effect. The man who died had a son who heard the call to get his life together , and this morning gave his life to Christ ( Marc wasn't at the service which speaks volumes. This young man felt the need for urgency so it didn't matter who was in the pulpit, he just wanted to ask God to save his soul). So my question is ...are you sharing your faith with someone else? Giving your testimony may just have a boomerang effect on not just the one, but the many (the family also brought their younger children and plan to continue bringing them).

Big Idea or Crazy Dream

I was suppose to be writing about the fact that Marc and I will definitely headed to the small inner city church instead of our home church ( yes, the voting is over..its finished and done. And I'm ok with that...go figure!), but at this point that is not as important to me as what I saw last night on ABC News (and no its not about Obama or Biden). I am only on the second chapter of "Wild Goose Chase", but I am enjoying the book. One of the questions Pastor Mark Batterson asked was "when was the last time you asked God to make you dangerous"? I can honestly say that has never been a part of my vocabulary! As a matter of fact when someone mentions danger I am more apt to head in the opposite direction. But lately my disorderly, ordered life has been turned topsy turvy. So I am guessing God (and maybe even my "bored" guardian angels) may be trying to tell me something. Recently I started reading "Dangerous Surrender" by Kay Warren. I will be the first to admit that the deeper I got into her story the more afraid I was that God was trying to tell me something. I ignored the signs until last night.

Last night I found myself watching the special on NBC ("Babyland") about unwed mothers in Memphis Tennessee who were having underdeveloped babies at an alarming rate. Did you know that nearly 65% of African American children in the US grow up without their fathers? I was one of those statistics (thankfully I had a very special grandfather and uncle who stepped in to full those roles). Most young babies are not that blessed.

Secondly I learned that there are pockets of areas in the US where babies are dying at the same rate as some 3rd world countries. This was about the time that I became " disturbed". If you have read Kay's book then you will know where I am going with this.

The thing that took me over the top was when it was revealed that the city buries a group of babies each week at a cemetery that has since been tagged "Babyland" because there are so many babies (underdeveloped) being buried there!

The last straw for me was when I heard that one non profit group asked for donations of maternity wear and only one person responded! I honestly felt sick to my stomach thinking about this (how much effort does it cost to give up a few clothes?). But in the back of my head I kept saying this is something that is bigger then me, so even if I wanted to get involved I wouldn't know where to begin or even what to do. For some reason this idea kept forming in my head and today I still can't let it go (hence the reason I am up past 12:20 in the morning blogging about it).

So here is the deal. I have this extra book, and I have been tasked with sharing it with someone else. So over the next few days I am asking people to give me some advice, even more then that I am asking you to spread the word, if you know someone who can help me gather some maternity clothes (gentle used...come on ladies, I know you have some stuff in the back of that closet you have bagged up for goodwill). If you know of a non profit organization that might benefit from this please let me know ( there is actually one locally that I plan to contact). I don't know what is going to come of this, but I know I can't stay in my cage, maybe its time to Chase the Wild Goose (or in my case the stork). Oh, and about that free book....next Wednesday I will draw a random name and that person will receive the second copy of "Wild Goose Chase" . Hey, what do you have to lose? Who knows maybe God is calling you to live dangerous!

By the way, I have hesitated several times before posting this. I'm not even sure I will hear from anybody, but as much as I would like to ignore this I can't. If you watch the video and it doesn't disturb you in some way, well there is not much I can say about that. I just know I have to do something, even if it only benefits one girl. Anyone brave enough to live dangerous with me?

Our newest college student!

We got the info on Marc's college classes. If all goes well and he can stay steady with school he will have his degree in two years (we had hoped it would be a little sooner, but that's ok. We are still excited). So please pray for him. As I said he will be doing this while working full time and working at the church. He has always put his family first so its time for us to sacrifice for his dreams.

Headed Home

I had a great week with my mom, can't wait to get home so that I can share pics with everyone ( I also missed my husband and kids....who figured?). Lots of interesting insights to share about "country" church and "city" church. I have a great family and a great group of friends (loved hanging out with the cousins). I was reminded of that this weekend. I also learned a bit about my history ( I remember very little about my childhood ), visited some old stomping grounds ( including my old high school, which hasn't changed a bit ), even made contact with a middle school teacher! Like I said I have lots to share. Also heard from my hubby that Mark Batterson's book arrived this week, so I will doing a giveaway this weekend (so stay tuned).

Two Tired Photographers

You are looking at two very tired but happy wedding photographers. It was worth it all just to see the face of the happy couple. Hope you all have a blessed Sunday. This girl is off to bed!

Beautiful Day

Today is going to be a great day. We have two weddings to attend. One of Marc's friends will be tying the knot at noon and later this evening we have the privilege of taking pictures for a very special young lady. Our niece is getting married. Funny how life events change the face of your world. This week the only thing on my mind is young love and new beginnings. Have a great weekend everyone.

Night of Worship

If you are not doing anything tonight you might want to check out "Night of Worship" via the internet. How cool is that? I have been feeling kind of funky today so I am thinking this may be where I need to be this evening so that God and I can have a little talk (well mostly so that I can listen to what God has to say). You can get even more info on the event here and here.

Book Review

I was one of the lucky few (lol) who will be receiving (its not here yet) the new book by Mark Batterson ( Wild Goose Chase) due for release on August 19th. Should make for some interesting reading. If you are interested in getting more info on the book you can check it out here. I will also be giving away an extra copy once I have the books in my hand. So be sure to check back again later for an update and review of the book (good thing I am a fast reader).

Sunday Service

Marc spoke at two services on Sunday. The morning message was "It's Not About Us, It's About Jesus".

His key points were that it was Jesus who sacrificed for us in the first place. We must show love even in life's most difficult situations (that one was for me). And because we know that Jesus sacrificed his life for us, and because we should must love even in difficult situations then this should make it easier to walk by faith and not by sight.

The afternoon message really brought it all home though - "Just Tell it Like It Is". He talked about the need to reach out beyond the four walls ( he even stated that he knew he was a sounding like a broken record, but that it was important that people "get" it). We must take the gospel where the people are (stop expecting them to come to us). We demonstrate the love of Jesus by taking the time to get to know the people that we minister to (they won't trust you until you show a genuine concern for their situation). Then and only then can we introduce them to Jesus Christ.

Its funny, but Sunday there seemed to be an electricity in the air that hasn't been there before (as if God was sweeping away the cobwebs). There was something going on that I can't explain in words. I just know that no matter what happens in the next few weeks.....Marc and I will be ok.

House Blessings

The traffic was mad crazy, but it was worth the trip to go up and see the newlyweds.

High Steppin Women for God

This weekend was all about forgetting my problems and just having some fun (well so I thought). This is my 4th year attending the Women's Lock In at my girlfriend Teresa's church and this year I took one of my bestfriends with me. We had a great time (before the night was over we even participated in a belly dancing session).




The lead speaker that evening was Rev.Angela Corpew-Boyd. Her topic for the evening was "Don't Curse Your Crisis". I knew I was in for it then. She talked about the importance of "assuming the position" (which basically meant to prostrate ourselves before God). When we assume position we are exposing folks to the God that we serve. We should stop cursing what we are going through, God may be answering our prayer through our crisis! She stressed the importance of not allowing our circumstances to determine the outcome of our praise. Sometimes God shuts some things down to get our attention. He may be severing some old things to show you a new thing! Perhaps he is even taking away some "stuff" that may have been holding you back.




The most memorable moment for me that evening was during a break out session where several women were randomly picked for a skit. They were given various objects and were asked to create a story based on the items that were selected. After the skit we were allowed to respond or give testimony. One of the discussions centered around depression and suicide. During the testimony period a young women began wailing (that is the only way I can describe it). The pain in her screams spoke volumes about what she was going through. It was pure, raw emotion. Many of the women surrounded her and began praying over her, just allowing her to release the pain. The room became very quiet and all of the women in the room just began praying for this young woman. It put so many things in prospective for me. We have been spending so much time involved in the politics of "church" when in reality there are so many hurting outside of the four walls of the church that need to be ministered to. In my heart I know that its time to let go of church as usual.

There was so much to do that evening but I really believe God placed me exactly where I needed to be. Where I was this time last week is so not where I am today.I am starting to see the bigger picture. What I didn't see on Friday even changed once I heard my husband speak on Sunday (more about that later).

Its a Beautiful Day (that the Lord has made).

I will rejoice and be glad in it! I have lots to share about the woman's lock-in ( it was awesome, life changing and mind blowing). But it will have to wait until I come back from the housewarming. I just wanted to say that its a beautiful day, please go out and enjoy it with your family. Life is way to short to spend time depressed, mad, or sad. Have a great day!

Winds of Change

Its been way to serious around here lately. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks because we have lots of celebrating going on. The girls and I are headed out tonight for our annual mother daughter sleepover. Anytime Teresa has something set up its bound to be a good time. In the morning we head out of town to celebrate a birthday and house blessing with a very special couple in our life. Marc has two services on Sunday so basically my weekend is full ( nothing like staying busy to keep you moving forward....life must go on). Next week we will be attending two weddings and then I'm headed to my mom's for a little rest and relaxation (well she may have other plans for me...lol).

The best thing to happen to me in a long time happened to me yesterday. I was telling a friend about the need to just get away and exhale after all we have been through in the last few months, and bless her heart she offered Marc and I a weekend getaway to Ft. Lauderdale Florida (we just have to arrange to get there). Not sure when we will be able to take her up on the offer (plane ticket prices are crazy) but as soon as we are able we are out of here. Its been several years since our last vacation and this will be a much needed break.

I can feel the winds of change happening in my life. Some of it is a bit scary, some of it is very exciting, and some of the possibilities are just plain mind blowing! I listened to Steven Curtis Chapman and his family on Larry King last night and it made me humble. With everything they have been through and with all of the things other people around me are going through ( most of it way more serious then this old girls problems).....well less just say I really need to get my butt up out of this bed and pull myself together and get out there and live out God's purpose for my life.

'Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!'

I will admit it, I have been sitting in the house for the last few days....mad as you know what. I spent all day Tuesday crying (it didn't help that I kept getting calls from people asking me if I was OK). I know everyone cares about me (thank you for the calls, emails, etc). I wanted to wallow in my "stuff" and frankly I wanted someone to wallow with me (don't you just hate a pity party? Especially when you are partying all by yourself). I became even angrier as I watched Marc appear to just move along each day as if everything was OK. I felt as if we had wasted the last two years of our life and frankly I just wanted to lay down and give it all up (ministry, church, people, yes even for a minute God). Of course I snapped out of rejecting God really fast. I know he is the one thing that will sustain me over the next few weeks, months and years (and frankly my mama didn't raise no fool). I mean less face facts, in the grand scheme of things, nothing much has changed. My family is still together, Marc still has a job (two if you count Interim Pastor), and our health is good (not great, but good). And life should be a lot less stressful (said with a laugh).

Marc has even discussed the pros and cons of starting all over from scratch in ministry with the smaller church. Basically he is dealing with the cards that have been laid out before him and he plans to just use the gifts God has given him for his glory (I'm not there yet, so bare with me).

Anyway, here I sat in my own little pity party corner, blog hopping and what do I come across but a post from Monique. Needless to say it shook me up. The part that really got me was this at the end:

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted, you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way . . all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me..
John 1:14 'The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth'

Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly shouting, 'Wow! What a ride! Thank You, Lord!'

Thank you Monique for sharing this post. Thank you Beth Moore for being so open and honest and sharing your story with us. Thank you Lord for breaking down this old selfish body. For a few minutes (more like days) I forgot the bigger picture ( and the fact that its not about me ). So now I'm preparing for the ride, rough as it may be.