Category: Christianity

Great and Grateful…

Living in the “Bible Belt,” I read many a church sign. Some of them are witty, and others are downright weird.

I did come across one that I did like. It read “A GRATEFUL MIND IS A GREAT MIND.”

As I reflected on that particular sign, I thought about my various “states of mind” on any given day.

Some days I am focused.

On others not so much.

On occasion, I can keep a clear train of thought and accomplish much in record time. Then there are days I’m left looking around having nothing substantial to show for my efforts.

Yet, when I focus on counting my blessings, I gain the clarity that at other times alludes me.

When I am grateful, it puts into perspective all the minor and petty things that don’t matter. Annoyances, headaches and temporary trials don’t compare to God’s great grace, mercy and favor.

If I did not continually count my blessings, I would become bogged down in nonsense, drama and mired in things that bear no fruit!

We must renew our minds daily to magnify our God instead of our problems.

When we make a habit to appreciate how good God is to us, we are compelled to offer mercy, compassion, and kindness as we have received it. The knowledge of what we have received from the Father should compel us to love our neighbor/brother enough to not just pray for him but actually “do” for him.

In this season of thanks, don’t settle for being grateful, do something great!

Allow gratitude to manage your attitude.

Be kind.

Be generous.

Be a blessing!

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:11-12 NKJV

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4 NKJV

Burning Bush!

Lilka Finley Raphael's avatarGod and The Garden

And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush [was] not consumed.  Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”  So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Exodus 3:2-4 NKJV

“Here I am.” 

God called Moses by name and revealed Himself.

God does the same for us. We may not experience anything as spectacular as a burning bush yet God calls us just the same.

God knows our names. We were born for a purpose. We can choose to obey the call He places on us or we can…

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Family Reunion!

This weekend, I was blessed to return to my hometown of Tallahassee and catch up with family.

Now, this isn’t “family” in the traditional sense of the word. Some families you are born into. Others you acquire through marriage. And then, if you are very fortunate, some family is chosen for you.

I graduated high-school in a tiny class. Instead of hundreds of students, there were only forty-eight of us. A dozen of those I met in kindergarten.

Our school was small. It was the kind of school where everyone literally knew everyone else. You knew them, their siblings and probably their parents as well.

It was a simple time when the jocks were jocks without the nerds walking in fear of them.

It was an era where the “board of education” hung on a wall. Some may scoff, but the kids that came out of “The High” had a credible respect for authority and grew up to be respectable adults.

Our teachers were more like mothers. There was always the fear they would see your real mother and tell them everything you were up to.

In a school that didn’t have the latest and greatest equipment, we learned to make the best of what we had and didn’t allow what we didn’t have to stand as an excuse between where we were and where we wanted to be. Truth be told, I don’t think we were aware we were lacking anything!

Those halls were filled with love and laughter. Fights were physical but quickly resolved.

No guns, no knives.

Our cafeteria’s food was cooked with love. Homemade cinnamon rolls, pot pies, and peach cobbler. The smells of which I’ll never forget.

We learned to sit still during assemblies where we would pray. We said the pledge of allegiance every morning.

May Days and Maypoles.

 Life was simple then. We didn’t know how good we had it.

But now we do.

Thirty years later we look back at those times and laugh. We laugh at how blissfully unaware we were, oblivious to how rare it was to have classmates that were like sisters and brothers.

Those same “siblings” were there for me when I buried my parents. We pray for one another. I’m confident my classmates would tend to my kids in an emergency and welcome them with open arms if for some reason I couldn’t reach them.

This weekend, I was blessed to reminisce about old times and share some new. There was laughter. Yet, there were also tears for the classmates no longer with us. Still, through the process of coming together, many of us were able to “reconnect, release and rebuild.”

And, most importantly, there was love.

Love for one another and love for the institution that brought us together and keeps us together as friends and family, brothers and sisters.

That is something to be grateful for.

Florida A & M University Developmental Research School Class of 87.

FAMULY!

I thank God, I was blessed to be one of you.

A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17 NKJV

Hopeful!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 NIV

“Overflow with hope.”

I’ll admit I haven’t been overflowing with hope lately. Part of this is due to lingering details concerning my mother’s death. Her birthday is tomorrow and I’ve been missing Mommy.

Recently, I was talking to my sister-in-law and she asked me what was I hoping for?

I didn’t have an answer.

There was a time I would have quickly rattled off a dozen or more things. Instead, it took me a few minutes to come up with an answer. Instead of being hopeful, I’ve been numb.

In Romans 15:12, Paul implores us to be filled with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes, the events of life leave us less than optimistic so it is only through the “God of hope” that we can have joy and peace as we trust in Him.

Trusting God, it isn’t always joyful or peaceful. It doesn’t necessarily “feel” good. But we must trust anyway. The Holy Spirt can allow us to be hopeful once more when we allow His presence to overtake us. I want to once again be that “crazy lady” always expecting the best.

A few weeks ago, I had to deal with one of those “lingering details” by registering my mother’s car before the tag expired. As I’m down at the county tag office, I fill out the paperwork to get the vanity tag GRCNMRC. I figure grace and mercy held me together this year so it was more than appropriate.

When you fill out the form, you must make three selections in case the first one is taken. I wasn’t worried because I have always received the vanity plates I requested. Well, apparently there is another person of the same mind as myself because GRCNMRC was already taken.

Really?!

On to my second choice, the clerk quickly shook her head “no.”

“BBLESSED” was also registered. It would have been nice, still I can imagine someone having selected that one.

Frustrated, I held my breath as the clerk typed in my last choice. At this point, she surely thought I was wasting her time. I figured I would have to come back. The odds were slim.

Surprisingly, they were in my favor. I was filled with hope with I received this in the mail this week.

I see “signs and wonders” all the time but I took this as a definitive message to get my hopes up!

And Mommy would surely want me to.

I am now hopeful once more that my writing endeavors go well. I am hopeful both boys exceed their expectations in college. I am hopeful about this new phase of my life. I am even hopeful that my alma mater defeats North Carolina A & T this weekend for Homecoming.

Go Rattlers!!!

What are you hoping for? 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

For Better or For Worse…

By the time you read this, I should be well on my way to celebrate my twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. My “ride or die” and I are off to spend some quality time together as we reminisce upon our better and our worse, the rich and the poor and appreciate the fact we are in relatively good health.

We are no longer the wide-eyed twenty somethings who were engaged in just six weeks. Twenty-five years later, we have been through some things.

Births and deaths.

Gains and losses.

More grey hairs.

Still, I can thankfully say the “worse” made us better instead of bitter.

We learned to compromise and admit our faults. We can now balance our strengths and tolerate our weaknesses. Most importantly, we learned to rely on God instead of ourselves.

 Through two kids, five homes, six cities, eleven pets and too many career choices to mention (both his and mine) we managed to keep it together.

And sometimes “together” is more than enough.

We now find ourselves back where we began, just the two of us.

Another cycle of life. Sunrise, sunset.

Happy Anniversary Rod Raphael!

Our “better” has far exceeded our “worse.”

We truly are blessed.

And now, we are off on another adventure. Hubby and I are headed to view some amazing sunrises that we may cherish them later in our sunset.

God willing, together.

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Genesis 2:24 NIV

Sunrise, Sunset…

“Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears”
–Fiddler on The Roof

These lyrics came to mind today as I sat on the porch and thought about all the changes my family managed this year. Life as an empty nester is finally sinking in as there are no dishes in the sink, or crumbs on the floor and the cats are looking to me for food.

  It has been a year of both sunrises and sunsets for us. We celebrated a graduation and both kids are reaching new levels of independence. Yet, we also loss of both of our mothers and I felt it was best I retired.

These events force me to acknowledge how precious time really is. I have an ever-evolving perspective as I consider how to spend the rest (and optimistically, the best) of my life.

There are a few writing projects I want to pursue. I have a huge collection of books unread. I hope to become a better photographer too!  Yet, as much as I desire to do these things, I am no longer preoccupied obsessed with them. I’m trusting God that I’ll get around to them, eventually…

I want to live, not just exist,
I long to thrive and feel the bliss
to live by faith, not out of fear,
With time to cherish all who are dear;

With each sunrise, I seek to see
And do the work God has for me
May each sunset find me content
The time I spend, God finds well spent

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens: Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV

Keep it moving…

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
Exodus 13:21 NKJV

Last week I endured enjoyed a “road trip” with my oldest who is now safely deposited in Iowa. This week, I’ll drive to sunny Orlando to get the second born tucked away as well. Racking up the miles, I recognized similarities between life and various portions of my “road trip.”

Driving  I-75 to Nashville, the mountains of Tennessee reminded me that we all have ups and downs. Sometimes the journey is perilous. Often, roads are winding and we can’t see what’s around the next bend. There may be times where there is no exit when you need one. We may be forced to maneuver, white knuckled and all, around two-ton hazards and pray for the best.

Moving on to St. Louis demonstrated there is always the other side to the hardest part of any journey. Life eventually evens out. We may face inclement weather and unexpected delays. Still, if we plod along, we make it through our storms and find our dark clouds behind us.

Finally, riding along US-61 we came upon blue skies and bright clouds. The sky was picturesque as Cam and I rode through lush farmlands and took in vistas unlike any other.

We don’t always know what awaits us at the end of our journey, still, we will never find out unless we have faith enough to continue.

We may experience fender benders or catastrophic collisions. We can become blindsided through no fault of our own.

I pondered all of this after I was safely home watching the clouds go by.

The ups and downs, twists and turns, hazards and detours forced me to concede life isn’t always easily navigated.

“You can’t move forward if you keep looking back.” I heard deep inside.

I’ve been looking back alot these past months, reflecting and pondering “could haves” and “should haves.”

Analysis paralysis, holding me captive.

I’ve traveled thousands of miles these past few weeks but not really moving forward.

It’s time to get moving again.

Forward.

What about you?

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV

What Say You?

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
George Santayana

“People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.”
James Baldwin

“It [Democracy] is a great word, whose history, I suppose, remains unwritten, because that history has yet to be enacted”
Anthony Whitman

“History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.”
Maya Angelou

“The use of language is all we have to pit against death and silence.”
Joyce Carol Oates

 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

 If you consider yourself a Christian and rationalize racism and hatred, please do us all a favor and stop calling yourself a Christian.  If we truly are one nation under God, it is time for the silent majority to speak up…

 

A Few More Lessons From a Spider…

I’ve learned a thing or two from spiders over the years. My favorite spider is Charlotte from the E. B. White classic Charlotte’s Web. These days the increase of spiders in my yard hint that fair time will soon be upon us.

Even as a kid, one of the best things I liked about Charlotte was she was smart. She used her “web design” to save Wilbur. Most of us would be a lot smarter if we actively sought wisdom. I suspect the book of Proverbs is there to provide us the wisdom that would indeed “bless us” if we would take initiative enough to heed it.

Speaking of initiative, Charlotte took the initiative to help Wilbur. I don’t recall Wilbur asking her for help in the story.  Charlotte didn’t simply think oh, that’s too bad when she heard of his plight. She actually did something.

How many times do we hear of a need and take time to think about what we can do to change a situation for the better? And then actually follow through and do it? Too often, we convince ourselves not to heed the prodding of the Spirit and rationalize our complacency. We probably can’t change the entire world but we can possibly make a world of difference to at least one person.

My latest lesson comes from my own backyard.

Patience.

 The spiders in my yard have done all they can to help themselves by spinning huge webs.  They aren’t moving much these days. Now, they simply wait for meals to come to them. Spiders wait with an expectancy that what they need will eventually find them.  How many of us are as confident in our faith that God will supply our needs after we have done all we can?

I am praying for wisdom these days. I am striving to be selfless and available. I am gradually learning patience.  If God can speak through a donkey, surely, we can learn a thing or two from a spider…

There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
The rock badgers are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;
The spider skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.   Proverbs 30:24-28 NKJV

Beauty for Ashes…

Isaiah 61 is probably one of the most comforting chapters in the Bible. The very first verse begins with good news preaching “good tidings to the poor,” speaks to “heal the broken-hearted,” and proclaims “liberty to the captives.”

Most of us need “comfort” at one time or another. We suffer wounds along our way. We lose people and mourn. Things we hold dear can be reduced to nothing.

Fear, doubt, and even daily life can sometimes pull us under yet thankfully we don’t have to stay under or bound by any of our losses. Isaiah teaches us not to wallow in our sorrows but instead be willing to exchange what we have for what our God is willing to give us.

Peace.

Joy.

Beauty.

I recall learning how the ashes caused by forest fires fertilize the ground to allow new growth. The “fires” in our lives have this same potential. How amazing that the remnants of what was can become the foundation for what can be.

If you are wounded, don’t give up. Instead, give yourself over to God. He can take you and your remnants and produce something new!

Isaiah preached of what was to come, our God is available to us now.

A Healer.

A Redeemer.

Receiving God’s beauty requires that we give up what we have, even that which is painfully familiar, so that we may receive His promises.

 What are you holding on to?

“To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified,”
Isaiah 61:3 NKJV