Encouraged by God's Word

Hello Family,

On Saturday, August 28, 2010 my church, The First Baptist Church of Glenarden, received The Hoodie Award. Now I have to admit that when I heard we were nominated for it a few months ago I was a little skeptical. I had never heard of The Hoodie Award but it sounded stupid. It sounded like it was something that was ghetto (from the hood) and I wasn’t feeling it.

After I checked it out I discovered that it wasn’t quite what I thought it was. And when I found out why we were nominated I was proud of my church.

The Hoodie Award is an award that is given by entertainer Steve Harvey and it honors schools, local leaders and businesses from all over the nation in a variety of categories to include Best High School Teacher, Best High School, Best Soul Food, Best Community Leader, Best Church and many more.

My church won the category of Best Church because of the work we do in our community and world wide.

This award definitely fits with our mission statement of Developing Dynamic Disciples. We don’t want to be a church where folks come in on Sunday mornings, get their weekly fix and then go about their business and not God’s business. We want to be a church that is living out the great commission to teach people to be great disciples (Matthew 28:16-20).

What about you? Are you doing what God has called you to do? Does the work you do make your community better or are you one who is bitter and complains all the time about what is going on?

If you’re not using your gifts and resources and working to improve someone else’s life, then what is your purpose?

1 John 3:17-19 says But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

Our church is blessed and if we don’t use what we have to bless others, we are not living according to the word. We are in direct violation of the scripture by not showing love for our fellow man.

I tell my kids all the time that I’m not too concerned about what you say you’re going to do. I’m more concerned about what you’re going to do. Your Actions Speak Louder Than Words.

Our members are charged to have a ‘vineyard’ mentality. We are called to work and give back and not sit back and be leeches and take, take, take.

Now our pastor has said on a number of occasions of how proud he is of our members and I’m sure he enjoyed the fact that our church has received this national recognition but if no one ever patted us on the back as a church and told us we were doing a great job, it wouldn’t matter. You know why? Because we don’t do what we do to get approval from man. We do what we do to minister to a hurting people. We do what we do to help the lost. We’re not in this thing to get all puffed up and boast of our good works. NO! We’re commissioned by God to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

What are you doing to make this world a better place? How are you impacting your hood?

If God was giving out awards, would your name be engraved on one for the work you’re doing? It should be. If not then maybe you need to do something about it.

Be Encouraged and Have an Award Winning Day!

Hello Family,

In my community it is not rare to see a sign up for a yard sale for the upcoming weekend. Usually it’s the homeowners who want to get rid of some old items they don’t use or want anymore. They know it’s time to clean house. They pull all of their unwanted items out of the house and place it in the front yard and the driveway and they sit in their lawn chairs waiting for bargain shoppers to come by.

Or sometimes there may be a yard sale at one of the local churches or community organizations whose members have collaborated to have this event together as opposed to smaller, separate ones.

I’ve never been to a yard sale but I can imagine that every now and then, there is a bargain item to be found. It could be clothes that have never been worn and still have the tag on it. Or it could be a household appliance that is still in the box and has never been used. You know those Christmas gifts you get that you don’t need or want.

When people find these items it’s just like the saying goes, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” One man didn’t want it so he threw it out and another man found it, valued it, purchased it and put it use.

Life in a way can be like a yard sale. All humans are born into sin. We are damaged goods and not perfect. We are blemished, hurt and broken. We’re not faultless and we should be thrown out.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

God came and looked at you in your “yard sale” situation, purchased you with the blood of Jesus, took you in and made you new. And because of that you can be born again.

Your body was bought and now he owns you and He has filled you with His spirit. Your body is a temple and should be used for God’s glory. You are special, holy and now set aside for a purpose.

Now you can know that even in a state of turmoil, you are here for a purpose. Even when destruction is all around you, you are here for a purpose. Even when your life seems as though it is worthless, you are here for a purpose.

So when you feel like junk and you think you don’t have any value, know that the God of all creation has thought enough of you to purchase you with His son’s blood and although the world may see you as junk, God sees you as His treasure.

Be Encouraged and Have a Spirit-Filled Day!

P.S. Please share this with someone who you know who has been feeling like junk lately and with your Facebook and Twitter friends. Also leave me a comment if this spoke directly to you.

Hello Family,

The great poet Maya Angelou wrote a poem titled Still I Rise and there are a lot of people that I know who love it. As a matter of fact, some of them love it so much they know it by heart.

It’s very inspirational and every time I heard someone recite it, it motivated me.

The poem is about being bold. It’s moving and it’s emotional. It’s powerful, beautiful and wonderful all wrapped up into one.

Some parts of the poem talk about struggling and being down…

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

But later in the poem she writes…

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise

Maya Angelou talks about being broken and weary but later on proclaims victory while referring to leaving behind dark circumstances. She also proclaims victory many times throughout the poem when she says, “but still…I’ll rise” or “I rise”.

Even though Maya Angelou had some profound words about how to rise above your dark situations, I recently read a bible verse that shows that God also had something to say about the matter many, many, MANY years before Ms. Angelou wrote her famous poem.

Micah 7:8 says Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.

If you are a child of God you will rise no matter what because our heavenly Father will not let His children be defeated. The enemy has no authority over us so we don’t have to fear him or his tactics. And even when we fall, we will soon arise.

Darkness is not a threat for us either. It may seem as though we don’t know which way to go or we can’t see the vision clearly, our God will be a light for us. He will be our guide. He will direct us and lead us through all of our trials and tribulations.

If we do what we are called to do then we have God’s blessed assurance of prosperity and victory but we must remove sin from our lives. We can’t let that be a barrier to God’s light shining on our lives.

So remember when you fall, trust in God and know for sure that you will arise.

Be Encouraged and Have a Blessed Weekend!

P.S. Please leave a comment on this message and let me know about anytime when you had to rise up. Also, make sure you share this with you family and friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Hello Family,

One of my favorite comedies is the movie Liar Liar. It stars Jim Carey who plays Fletcher Reede who is a fast talking lawyer that consistently tells lies. His job as an attorney is more important than anything in the world which caused Fletcher’s marriage to end in divorce and caused him to break a promise to his son Max and not show up to his birthday party.

Max knows that his father is a habitual liar so when he blows out the candles on his birthday cake, he makes a wish that his father can not lie for 24 hours.

When Max’s wish comes true, Fletcher’s biggest asset, his lying lips, becomes his biggest liability. Instead of confusing people through lying, he is now in a situation where he must be truthful. He no longer can manipulate the system and take advantage of people in the courtroom where he is a very successful attorney.

Throughout the movie Fletcher comes to a point in a very important court case where he is bewildered because all of his old tactics of lying were not available and he had to tell the truth and right at the very last minute, he found the evidence he needed to win. For the first time he won a court case without lying and manipulating the system.

Not only did he win his case, he managed to make amends with his ex-wife and son and they became a family again.

Is lying a part of your character, your lifestyle? How many times do you lie in order to get what you want?

Proverbs 12:22says Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.

The Lord hates lying lips, point blank! No excuses! He calls it an abomination because He is disgusted by it and He hates it.

Conversely, He loves one who deals truthfully. It delights Him. It is extreme gratification and joy for God when we deal truthfully.

Many times people feel as though they have to lie in order to make things right but that’s not true.  People think that if they don’t lie, they may hurt someone’s feelings. Maybe you don’t need to know how to lie but you need to learn some tact.

If I don’t like what someone is wearing and I think it’s ugly, I don’t have to lie and say it’s nice. I can say it’s just not my style. Did I lie, no. I told the truth and used some tact as to why I didn’t like what you had on.

Fletcher Reede would not have ever had the opportunity to get back with his ex-wife or have a loving relationship with his son if he continued to lie. It was tearing his family apart and it was destroying his character. He was out of control.

But when he decided to be truthful, everything he wanted he got. God blessed him because he saw how he had changed and how he had decided to practice being truthful.

So the next time you think it’s okay to tell a lie, step back and re-evaluate what you’re about to say and speak truthfully because it delights God.

Be Encouraged and Have a Truthful Weekend!

P.S. Leave me a comment and tell me if you liked this post or if you’re struggling with lying or anything else that’s destroying your character or relationships.

Hello Family,

Election Day is fast approaching and the heat is up. The candidates are in the neighborhoods and communities campaigning hard. Door knockers, yard signs, flyers, billboards and commercials are what you see everyday.

They even have the automated robocalls calling your house with an election message from all of the candidates. Now I know why they do it but I really hate when I have a ton of phones calls everyday from candidates trying to get my vote.

The candidates are working hard to get our votes but it’s ultimately up to each individual to determine why they would vote for one person over the other.

What makes one candidate more qualified than another? How do you determine who you’re going to vote for?

Is it the person’s track record? How they performed in their last job? Are they honest? Do they have the same moral values as you do? What is their stand on the issues? Are they in touch with the people? Or could it be their looks, charisma, charm or public speaking.

These are some of the types of questions people want to know about the candidates. We the people want political leaders who have integrity, who are honest and who will do what’s best for us and not for themselves.

Proverbs 29:2 says When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.

The people rejoice over a righteous leader because he (or she) is one who will do what’s right all the time and not be swayed by evil. A righteous leader is one who the people will look up to, support and respect.

Wicked men do nothing but cause heartache and pain and do more damage than good.

I’ve been known to cross the party lines at the polls because I always vote for who I believe is the best candidate. Not the best Democrat or Republican.

If I strongly disagree with someone’s beliefs, I will vote against them. I want someone to represent me who has integrity, morals and character while in office and I want them to represent me and my family with the upmost dignity and respect.

So as you head for the polls and you get ready to Rock the Vote in the fall, make sure you pray about it and vote for the righteous. A wicked man will only lead to four years of pain and agony.

Be Encouraged and Have a Great Weekend!

P.S. Please leave me a comment on this post or any other post you like. Also, make sure you share this with you family and friends on Facebook and Twitter.