Peace Promise #5

Rest assured this weekend.  Have a peaceful Friday!

World Methodist Council Post

Today, we are regrouping from the snow in Atlanta.  Instead of the regular post, here's a highlight of the World Methodist Council Youth and Young Adult Devotional that was posted for January.  It is truly an honor to be one of the bloggers for this cycle.  Be sure to click HERE to check it out!

Never, Ever Give Up

It's about a month into the new year, how is it going?  How are the goals shaping up?  Have they gotten a little difficult?  Here is a Ted talk by Diana Nyad, who swam from Cuba to Florida, on keeping focused on the goals. Never, Ever Give Up.

Shadow Lurking

Art by: Kumi Yamashita. See more here  

"The easiest way to avoid wrong notes is to never open your mouth and sing. What a mistake that would be." ~ Pete Seeger

Have you ever met a person who poured out into everyone, yet neglected themselves? They may motivate, dedicate, encourage and inspire others but never assist themselves. To be fair and true, there are those who are gifted in the art of building confidence in others, that possess a finesse with words and can discern the needs of a particular situation. However, to spend all their energy in service to and at the discretion of others sims their own light. In conversation, one will say, "How talented is this person, but have you met the person who walks with them?"  

 No one knows how they end up in such a situation often until it is pointed out by others. Usually, such a role is initially by choice, to bide time until something greater comes, a stepping stone. Somehow they then stay on that space, adding room to the stone slab, staying much longer than they should. Before they realize it, they are comfortable, inadvertently sitting on and hiding talents that were to be cultivated and multiplied. After so much time has passed, they may see the path before them as obsolete and irrelevant, and reduce the uses to those around them.  

In our own lives, there are often occurrences where we take a backseat or avoid what we are called  to do in exchange for survival.  We defer to others, we get used to the monotonous pattern we create for ourselves. But are we spiritually fulfilled? Are we increasing our growth and allowing our abilities to shine through?  Do we even know what it is we are to do, or are we believing it is just a hobby?

Respecting our calling, not putting our dreams on hold so that others may advance, is one of the reasons we're here. We want to pursue all that we are capable of, and even some of what we don't think we are. We want to use our talents to that they multiply. We want to be told ".... ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. ’" (Matthew 25:21). For if we sit on them, hide them, remain in the shadows of others, those talents will be taken away or used to serve those we follow.

Consider, today, reconsidering our talents and how to they are being put to use. There is a special blessing in store when you do.

Praise Phrase #4

Invest in each individual moment.  Happy Monday!

Weekend Activity: Our Top 100

Recently, Shaun King held a 100 Life Goals University webinar with successful people around the world offering their take on how they move forward toward their life goals.  The thing that most people started with: setting the goals.  This weekend, think of the 100 things we would like to do for the rest of our lives.  Start with some smaller short term ones, then expand to larger goals, just make them all specific.  It'll take a while, let's just make them intentional!  Let's post our top 5 in the comments below!

Peace Promise #4

You don't have to do big things to be a blessing.  Happy Friday!

Reflections: It’s Raining Blessings!

Art by Carlos S. from the blog www.biblearts.blogspot.com/

If you believe in God, He will open the windows of heaven

 and pour blessings upon you.

~ Mahalia Jackson

In December 2013, I decided to take a position that would expand my ministry significantly. It was a surprise promotion, one completely not in my line of vision, one I did not think – or even hope – would ever come to me.  Since that time, it seems that little blessings have come to reveal themselves.  There have been opportunities to go on free trips for which I only last year had to purchase out of my own funds (for the same event).  Recommendations for writing and editing contracts and new options to pursue my play aspirations have seemingly opened up!  This blog has even, over the past 7 weeks, become richer in what it offers.  And let me not forget that my car has a new set of hubcaps, which I mentioned in Reflections: The Parable of the Hubcap, showed up on my car one day.

I started to think about how sometimes do not realize that we are standing in the way of our own breakthrough. That there are opportunities waiting for us the moment we decide to just follow out path. The day the offer to pastor a small church was brought to me, I was very hesitant to accept elevation to leadership, am still nervous that one day people would see through my façade. I tend to be far less traditional in my worship and dealings in life, and to be honest, there are those who could absolutely preach rings around me. But blessings, I noticed, would be revealed every time I started to doubt myself.  These little rewards can serve as confirmation to encourage us to continue along our path.  They may be a mystery how it actually occurred, but we have to allow ourselves to appreciate when a blessing has fallen into our laps without our prompting.  

There is a certain passage in the Bible where the people were not exactly being the most obedient, mainly because, at least it seems, there was doubt in their own abilities and in the validity of the promise their ancestors were given.  How often do we change our own courses significantly because we are certain, before trying, it just can possibly work?  God doles out verbal discipline, possibly more hurt the people did not believe that God would make good on the deal as shown in their actions. The adamant request is the following: “’Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test,” says the Lord of hosts; “see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.’” (Malachi 3:10).  It may be hard to walk in a space, to accept that our position leads us in a particular direction, but if we try it, we will see the response in a currency of blessings.

This past Sunday, a day off from my church, which only meets 3 Sundays out of the month, I visited my home church and preached there.  I was feeling a little unsure of how my sermon went that morning, not sure all the pieces were woven together. While in the moment of my doubt, a young man and his friend came up to me.  They asked me if I noticed something different about my car.  Knowing that mischief happens sometimes, I was tentative about the questioning, concerned that I would have to pay yet another sum on my car.  After a little prodding, they even seemed a little shy about it, one on young man told me that his father had put the hubcaps on in secret and that he was never to have told me.  I do not know why the father didn't want me to know or why the boy chose that day to ask me about it - now at least two months since the hubcaps first appeared.   I simply took it as more confirmation.

This week, I encourage us all to be willing to be more obedient to our callings and to where we are supposed to be in life.  To sacrifice our own doubts and fears, to walk boldly in our futures; after all, when doubts occur, blessings will be there to confirm the path.

I Have a Dream

Many of us know this to be a pivotal point in the Civil Rights Movement.  In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, here is the clip of his speech on the March on Washington. Sometimes our Peace and Praise is about recognizing the current situation, understanding our vision and moving forward in a way that allows us to conquer our specific goals.  If you had the freedom to achieve it, what would you dream of?

Reflections: The Parable of the HubCap

Picture found here 

“The whole point of being alive is to evolve into

 the complete person you were intended to be.”

~ Oprah Winfrey

In 2005, I bought my first car, a little knock about that I could learn on.  My 1997 Toyota Corolla is definitely a jewel – at over 200,000+ miles, it has done me well. While I dream of newer cars, until that time, my baby, nicknamed “The Colby” and “The Brown Blur”, has gotten me far more places than I ever could imagine. I try to take such care of the car that I am aware of any changes.  I almost never have hubcaps - not for lack of wanting them, but by the time my major bills are covered, something that small often gets overlooked.  About a month and a half ago, I suddenly noticed a new set of matching, charcoal gray hubcaps on my car. I had no idea where they came from, which was a small source of concern that was quickly replaced by elation. It was new, it was fun - they were matching hubcaps!  Of course, I just went on about my business; I had, after all, recently gotten an oil change with my favorite mechanic – maybe he had done the work?

This past month, I hit, rather hard, a bump while turning up the ramp to access the expressway. I went to the next exit, took a look at the wheels and exterior, saw that the pothole did not ruin my car (as Atlanta potholes have been know to do), but I noticed something was missing.  I lost one of the hubcaps. I thought, should I go back and get it?  Should I – could I – leave it there?  In my heart it had become something so precious.  I did not even purchase it myself, but for some reason the thought of being callus and uncaring about a gift was not acceptable.  After all, it was not the hubcaps themselves that were important to me, but that they were given to me without my prompting.    I went back to the scene of the casualty and found my hubcap, laying on the small divider island out of the way of traffic and completely in tact.  I am not sure that I have ever been that excited about finding something, but here I was, recounting the event to many.

I think this is what the woman with the ten coins who lost one must have felt in Luke 15: 8-10. The value of the coin did not matter – the rest were there and were worth more collective than the one – but for her the set must have not been complete without it.  It was the thought of having only three quarters of the whole, one piece missing out of the puzzle, all but one slice of a cake gave a certain feeling of incompleteness.   How can we proceed when we feel like something is missing?  

What I learned is that it is the smallest detail that can be the key to making things complete.  The last little fondant flower on a cake, the final flourish on a piece of art, the last seasoning in your signature dish, the one hubcap are all important and unique, a major role for the artist, cook or owner, even if other take it for granted.  The greatest gift is being able to identify that which is missing, and fulfilling it to round out the set.

Consider finding what small thing it is in your life, in your task, in your goals, in your spirit, that brings completion.  Value it, pursue it, handle it with all care. 

Praise Phrase #3

A smile is the best thing you can wear. Have a great week!

Weekend Activity: Our Inner Child

Let's invite ourselves to do tap into our inner child. Go swing on the swing at a playground, do a 30 minute session of arts and crafts, or read a short story (out of a picture book!).  Let's remind ourselves of how we used to dream and create when we were much younger.  Let's post our activities in the comments below!

Peace Promise #3

Let's end the week with our Peace Promise. Happy Friday!

Embracing Talents

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.

Alan Cohen 

Ever meet an extremely talented individual that will not operate in their passion? The potential shows all around them, an undeniable glow that overwhelms anyone who enters their presence.  It is frustrating as an outsider looking in to not give into the urge of telling them to “Go” because of a dominating desire to see the manifestation of their excellence.  Sometimes this person is ourselves, and it can be equally consuming pushing ourselves out of the rut or needing to live in our vision.  

But what keeps us, or those with this stifled potential, bound and wondering in dream deferred limbo?  Fear. Doubt. Low Confidence. Lack of Vision. Honestly, any number of excuses or obstacles we allow to be a crutch and to discourage us from walking in our light. We will spend far more energy trying to avoid and reject the very thing that would make us soar than we would if we surrendered to our inner call. 

The season of epiphany is about revealing to the world what God has called us to do and establish further who we are called to be.  When Jesus was baptized it was a confirmation of the role. Once he chose to walk in it, the heavens and earth responded to the declaration.  This process of submission, a complete reliance on the Holy Spirit made it possible for not only the mission to come forward, but blessings for those meeting and surrounding him on his journey.  

We cannot reap the benefits of what is sown until we make a conscious decision to surrender to the talents with which we've been blessed. We cannot move out of our holding pattern, those déjà vu moments unless we embrace the will for our lives.  We cannot manifest the full calling on our lives without first accepting who we are and what lies within.

Consider making a renewed commitment to your path and releasing the innermost vision and talents.  Walk toward them.  Watch what happens next.

You'll Overcome

This song is one I always listen to when things aren't going the way I feel they should.  Let's just remember that we've overcome so much up to this point and will overcome more as we walk forward.

Seeing Through a Dim Mirror

Picture found here

Often times, when peering in the mirror, it is for superficial purposes.   We primp our hair, smooth down our waves, or touch up our look.  We may use it to check how something could look on us, or even use it to take pictures of ourselves to post for the world to see.  But do we ever stop to see ourselves? Not to nickpick at wrinkles that now mar the forehead, but the person we are, reflecting back to us?  Most of us have not – probably cannot.  Of course, some may feel that staring in the mirror holds too many vanities, for after all, it is a sin to notice the self, right? Maybe we just sift ourselves away to so many others, down through each of the screen spaces that we do not have time to see who we are. But if we look, truly and really take the time to see ourselves, we may just see what is in us.

Loving the way God created us is one of the best ways to serve and worship.  A preacher once said that worship does not start in the sanctuary, but at home before we leave the house. Once we see what God sees, our gifts grow.  Our gift grows once we understand that we have had the gifts all along. Ownership becomes something we embrace when we understand that our praise starts before we reach the fellowship. Our song is more than what is prompted when in community with others – we bring our instruments and skills to play them when we walk into the door.

We can only know our talents when we are willing to sit down and give over to self-reflection. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known”.  What we are capable of may actually be hard to see at first – our untrained perceptive eyes may indeed initially be cloudy – but there is far more than our physical attributes and that more is worth checking into.

Let’s consider, this week, taking just 1 minute a day for the rest of the week to just see ourselves.  Set a timer, think of nothing else, and see what is revealed in your quiet time.

Praise Phrase #2

Let's start the week off right!  Live, everyone.

Peace Promise #2

Happy Friday! 

Video: Motivate!

A friend of mine shared this last week on Facebook and it is something that I felt was so important. Check it out!  Have a Happy Humpday!

It Takes a Village

As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.

~ Amy Poehler

At the start of the New Year, we often are relieved to see the new milestone. Runners on the marathon called Life, we are appreciative of accomplishing just one more mile that we often solely place our focus on the road or path. But how often have we taken in the scenery of the road, or take note of the landscape as we pass?  How often are we grateful for perhaps the circumstances leading to this promotion point – the cycler in front of us leading the direction all these miles or the person who took time to flag the directions so that we would not get lost?  There are even more persons who are involved: those who rose early in the morning just to serve water as you passed by, the official starter shooting the gun to signal the race’s commencement and the volunteer at the end, passing out the tee-shirt. Yes, indeed, there is far more than just ourselves involved in our successes.

We mention those surrounding our successes not to diminish the quality of our work, or our involvement in it, but to recognize the necessity of a communal experience.  To understand that for every opportunity, there is a provider and a recipient.  To realize that for every investment there is a giver and a receiver, that neither exist without the other.  There would be no blog without a computer and keyboard, or a website that allows simple creation for those who do not understand html.  There is no solitary achievement that did not come from practices and processes that predate us. 

People often overlook that Jesus referred often to history and the culture in which he grew up.  As a practicing Jew, all the major Christian events we celebrate are observed near or around the end of a major Jewish festival (Christmas is after Hanukkah; Easter after Passover).  There are many places in the bible where a story will start by identifying the time and place, so that we understand what is happening.  Jesus is, as a child, inquisitive and found questioning the priests in the temple long after is family had left, comprehending that he would go nowhere without that spiritual foundation.  He understood, as Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a reads, “9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow.”  All this means is we have to be humble, sensitive and respectful of what made our dreams possible.

A record can not be broken at a marathon if there are no rules, governing bodies or scorekeepers.  As we continued our journey, let us keep in mind to reflect on the full community’s sacrifice on our decisions, for those before us made it possible for us to run in the first place.

Consider all these persons who had a hand in shaping your present.  Thank them, for even if your situation seems less than stellar, now is only a segment on the race, in the end, the miles will add up to one great overall performance.

Praise Phrase #1

Happy Monday!  Be inspired by a moment of Praise!

Peace Promise #1

Check out the Peace Promise for today!  Have a great weekend.

Happy New Year! Be Unique, Be Different, Be You

Hope this year has been what was needed in your life. Starting next week, this blog will be doing a little more, including having a weekly inspirational video, Praise Phrases and Peace Promises.

As P&P transitions into more of what I love to do all day everyday, including instagram inspirational pictures and listens to music, I encourage you to dare to be yourself in a world that wants you to always be the same.  These guys below did and so can you!