Tag: religion

Divorced AND Christian? Hmmmm

divorceThe beauty about having a relationship with God over simply doing religion is that you have an open heart to receive messages that are rooted in love and transparency. Pastor Toure Roberts opens his heart to talk on a subject that is deeply rooted in his own personal journey of life after divorce. YES! You heard that right. He is a pastor. He is divorced. Oh and he’s unashamed. Oh and one more thing… HAPPY! Not happy that his marriage didn’t last. No real person enters marriage desiring to be divorced but it takes two mature individuals to recognize what is and is not of God and have the courage to move forward, especially as a spiritual leader.

Now listen, before you throw stones, I come from under a teaching that lives, breaths, and praises all things marriage! My pastors have been married for almost 30 years. They lead an awesome ministry called “Marriage Made EZ” and they offer pre-marital counseling to all members who are contemplating marriage. So I am a huge proponent for marriage. Godly marriage. I desire to be married. I believe that marriage should be something that you do not get out of alive. However, for the first time I witnessed a different side. Not until a few weeks ago did I hear a man of God talk so openly about dividing marriage into two components. Marriages that are ordained of God and those that are entered into outside of the will of God. It’s not to say that all marriages that are done prior to getting saved are doomed. It’s to say that when people grow into their purpose and realize that they are not aligned then it leaves open the question “Is it God’s will for us to sacrifice His purpose in order to save a marriage that wasn’t designed for us?” It’s a heavy topic and one that I’m sure will lead to deep conversations. Which is why I want to try something different this week… Continue reading “Divorced AND Christian? Hmmmm” →

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It’s been a tough few days for our country and for the world. I can’t ignore that fact nor can I sugarcoat it. I just have to be 100% authentic when I say that I’m at a loss to how I’m going to address it all. Emotions are high and operating out of them is never a good thing. So I sit here with the rain teetering off my window trying to figure out how to articulate all the thoughts running through my head without letting emotion take complete control so here goes…

I have to back track a bit. A few months ago, I posted a blog entry titled “Connect the Dots.” As a young girl, I realized early on that I was not skilled at drawing. I could color in the lines perfectly but when it came to creating my own perfect picture, it was a mess. I remember the joy I would get from the books that were designed for a struggling young artist like myself. It started out with a bunch of dots all over the page and no semblance of a picture but as I began to connect the dots it all started to take shape. Though it was super simple there was still an order to the thing. I could have connected the dots any way that I wanted to but the picture wouldn’t have come out right. I had to first either know how to count or how to say the alphabet in order to connect the dots properly. It required attention and a lot of concentration but not on the big picture rather on my knowledge of counting and reciting the alphabet. I did my part and the rest was already aligned to take shape! Sometimes the closest dot wasn’t the dot that I needed to connect to first. It defied what would seem logical in my eyes. If it had not been for the order lined out before me, I would have screwed it up. However, my picture had no other choice but to come out perfect as long as I focused on what I knew. If I tried to figure out the picture without factoring in the order, it would have taken me a lot longer to figure it out and I’m almost guaranteeing you it would have been distorted. Continue reading “#OverIt” →

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Trophy

“What’s the move? Can I tell the truth? If I was doing this for you. Then I have nothing left to prove…” ~ Drake

My friend put it best when she said, “I can take the meat from something and discard the bones.” She was speaking in reference to receiving the “meat” from a lesson and discarding any untruths. In her case, she was referring to different styles of pastors. In my case, I’m referring to any person that has a voice and platform whether it be spiritual or secular. Now I know that may not be the church’s idea of what’s appropriate but it’s one of the many ways that God speaks to me. It’s a beautiful thing when you walk in the freedom that comes with knowing the God you serve and hearing his voice in the midst of so many other voices including your own. There are days when I may want to listen rap lyrics or indulge in gossip sites and I fall back because I feel led to listen to a lesson from a pastor or mentor, read a book, or play a praise and worship CD. I may not be in the mood for it at the moment but every time I obey, I get a reward for it. Something about what I’m listening to will speak to a situation I’m experiencing directly or prepare me for something lying ahead of me that day. Continue reading “Trophy” →

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I Need Just A Little More Jesus… What??

erica-campbell-all-white-long-hairIt wasn’t too long after I turned on the radio that I heard Erica Campbell’s newest single “I Need Just A Little More Jesus.” I actually heard the song a few times before and thought to myself … “What??” But this time I listened to as much of it as I could stand and promptly turned it off! I’d rather ride home in silence. I know, I know… how dare I say something about a gospel song with the name “JESUS” in it?! Well here’s the thing, I’m not moved by religion, I’m moved by relationship. In any relationship you must know the person you call “friend.” I’ve spent enough time learning Him to know through His own words that He’s done all that He is going to do. What more can you ask of someone who died for you? He not only died but resurrected and is with us every single moment of our lives. He is known as “I AM” meaning everything you will ever need He is. So tell me what more can He be for you or do for you?? …. I’ll wait. The truth is we tend to not recognize His presence until we’re beat up and torn down by our way of life. The song would make sense if it was about needing to make more time for Jesus but the way it is now is just dumb. Yes dumb. Continue reading “I Need Just A Little More Jesus… What??” →

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The Heart of the Matter

Matt. 5:8 “Blessed are the pure at heart. For they shall see God.”
 
This is my pastor’s favorite scripture and I can honestly say it’s becoming mine as well. The reason why? Because there are people close to me in my life that may not outwardly express their love for God the way that I do. They may not have the desire to attend church every Sunday. They may not even fully understand the benefit of tithing. I choose not to focus on the seen arena. Though I watch their actions, I also observe their heart towards people and life… and I allow Holy Spirit to reveal them to me from the inside out. I don’t have to see them speak in tongues. They don’t need to be in the choir or serve on the usher board. They just need to keep a pure heart and God will work on them in His time. I’m not jaded by those that are simply active in the church because that is not what truly counts.  Continue reading “The Heart of the Matter” →
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Freedom of Faith

Has anyone ever asked you why you are Christian? Why do you believe in Jesus Christ? If so, what was your answer?… and if you’ve never been asked that, what would your answer be? I’m going to go out on a limb and make a generalization (something I rarely do) and say that a vast majority of Christians never really had to choose their faith. Without having done an ounce of research I’d say that many of us were brought up in the church from the time we were babies. Others may have known about church but were not necessarily considered church- goers. None-the-less, for many of us it has been engrained in us that Jesus is Lord whether you live by the Word or not. Continue reading “Freedom of Faith” →

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ANGEL: SPECIAL DELIVERY

Do you believe in angels? No, not the ones on TV with halos, in all white, and big broad wings. I’m talking about everyday, average looking people who come into your life and breathe new life into you…if only for a moment. They introduce you to new experiences, new ways of thinking, building you up and telling you what you NEED to hear, not what you want to hear. You know, that person who when they speak to you, you feel that God is using them as a connector. It’s not that He won’t speak to us directly, but many of us haven’t matured enough in our hearing to distinguish His voice… so God will use His people to do the job. It’s funny because often when He does speak to us, we refer to Him as “something.” You know you’ve said it, “something told me to walk away”… or “something told me that was a set up.”

Continue reading “ANGEL: SPECIAL DELIVERY” →

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