From Faithfulness to Favor

I’m reminded of the song, I've Got a Testimony by Rev. Clay Evans:

“As I look back over my life and I think things over

I can truly say, that I’ve been blessed I’ve got a testimony”

And boy do I have a testimony...

We’re flying first-class from Los Angeles after Byron officiated the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Westbrook.  We were surrounded by a number of NBA players, superstars, multimillionaires, yet they all had to stop and listen to this Pastor/ Preacher from Oklahoma City.  All ears were attuned to the illustrious words of love and wisdom spoken by a little boy, born on the west side of Chicago.  He’s the same cat who went to Morehouse College in Atlanta from Homewood Flossmoor High School in Illinois.  The same dude who worked in a little church in South Philadelphia (while I was in Podiatric Medical school) and was called to pastor a church in Oklahoma City, spoke into the life of a man and his wife.   He’s the same brother who motivates hundreds of students on the campus of the University of Oklahoma, yet still finds time to be there for both of his sons and all of their school and sporting activities.  Byron is the same guy who serves as chaplain for the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA franchise and pours into the lives of these young men.  He is the same guy who is called on, from all around the City, to participate on this panel or speak at that church.  He is the same one who wants to see relationships grow and be strengthened, so he offers counseling and an annual marriage retreat. 

Why am I telling you this?  One, because he’ll never tell you that he does ALL of those things and so much more.

I’m telling you about him because I want you to see firsthand, that God can use your gifts and talents to bless your home.  He has never wanted to be a mega pastor or see his name in lights, but God is doing that thing.  Why?  Because he has been faithful!  From the moment that I met Byron, he has been faithful to using the gifts that God gave him.  He is a dynamic preacher, teacher and orator! Though sometimes appearing argumentative, his style, skill and technique of speaking a word into your life will simply draw you in.  After talking with him, you will begin to believe God for the impossible in your life.  Byron believes God for you and encourages you to see and experience the riches and fullness of God for yourself. 

When you are true to yourself and to what God has called you to be, He alone will begin to make room for you.  There is no room for “copy-cats”, ONLY originals here!  I encourage you to stop and perform a self-evaluation, as you walk into the things that God has for you.

·      Recognize the gifts that God has given you.  Be thankful for the little nuances that he placed inside of you that distinguish you from others! 

·      Never compare your success to the success of others, because none of us actually knows what they had to sacrifice to get there.

·      Be confident that whatever God has placed inside of you can grow and be developed until He is ready to unleash you on the world.

·      Don’t rush God, be patient!

·      Take pleasure in your platform now and be ready to move into the next arena when God opens the door.

·      Did I say…stop comparing yourself to others????? (It’s pointless.)

·      Be faithful to the work that God has placed in your hand.

·      Be careful not to despise small beginnings.

·      Embrace where you are right now.

·      Be true to yourself.

I know that God has something in store for you for your faithfulness, just like I am confident that God will continue to open doors for Byron as he walks in his calling.  It’s amazing to see God begin to open doors that he never even had a desire to go through. 

Let me encourage you to “stir up the gifts” that are inside of you and be faithful to whatever assignment God has given you.   I Corinthian 2:9 says, “Eyes haven’t seen, nor ears heard, neither has it entered into the hearts of men the things that God has prepared for those who love Him”. 

Now embrace your gifting and walk it out…

God is requesting an EARLY morning audience with me!

Good morning God. It's 3:50 am and I have not been able to go back to sleep.  You probably want to talk with me, so here I am.

God I thank you for this EARLY morning session.   God I thank you because you desire an "audience of one" with me.  God I thank you because I'm your child and you KNOW me and my desires. God I thank you because despite all my mistakes and shortcomings, you still love me and want me to prosper and be in good health.  I am simply grateful for this time with you.

Lord, I ask that you would remove every anxiety.
Remove every fear.
Remove any judgment.
Remove any doubt.
Remove any thing that is blocking me from activating my faith.

And even as I pray those words, I am reminded that you are a gentleman and you're not going to take anything away from me that I don't GIVE to you.  So pardon me God and allow me to rephrase.

Lord I GIVE you my anxieties.
I GIVE you my fears.
I GIVE you my judgments.
I GIVE you my doubt.
I GIVE you everything that is blocking me from activating my faith.

As I seek your face and not your hand, I will rest in the assurance that I am the beloved of God.  And because I know that I am your beloved, I will walk a little differently.  I walk with my head up, knowing that my confidence is NOT in me but rather in YOU.  Shoulders back, arms swinging at my sides, toes pointed forward, eyes set on my future, abdominal muscles engaged and mind made up.  I am a child of the King!

Just like my children, when we walk into a store, know that I have money.......they walk with a confidence that they can ask me for anything they want. ( Although they might not always get what they want at that time, for various reasons....they still have the gumption to ask.) Sometimes I have a firm NO, but if it's the correct time, I break down and give them exactly what they ask for.  This morning I walk in that confidence and I make my petitions to you God.  Instead of just asking though, I am going to "call things that I do not see right now, as if I already have them" . (Romans 4:17 paraphrased)

God I thank you for favor for the job.  God I thank you for touching the heart of the interviewer right now.  God I thank you that although others may have applied, when he comes across my name something is going to catch his attention.  Even if I am NOT the most qualified, his heart will be pointed toward me.  I thank you for full benefits.  I thank you that will allow me to use my gifts and talents to bring you glory.  You created me to worship you, so I will worship you in everything that I will do.  I don't have to preach my beliefs, I just have to walk in them.  Thank you for bringing light to every situation that you place me in.

Maybe your prayer goes a little something like this...

God I thank you for healing.  Thank you for touching the hands of the doctors, nurses, technicians, specialists and even janitors that will come before me in the doctors office, the hospital or dialysis center.

God I thank you being a lawyer in the court room.  Thank you for hearing my petition and for pleading my case. Thank you for touching the judge, lawyers, bailiff and jurors that will hear my case.  I walk in the confidence that truth will win.

God I thank you for my children.  Thank you because they are the head and not the tail.  Thank you because they are leaders and not followers (even if their shyness doesn't allow me to see it right now.) Thank you for keeping them safe as they go to school.  Thank you that no evil will come near them.  Thank you for removing any distraction that would keep them from doing and giving their best.  Thank you for the patience that will allow me to watch them grow and develop as they begin to walk into their own knowledge of you.  Thank you this prayer of covering and protection.

God I simply thank you for this morning time with you.  Thank you for giving me the words to pray, even for my brothers and sisters.  Thank you for giving me the language to help them articulate to you what has been weighing on their hearts.  Thank you that you love me (them) enough to use me (them) for your glory!

God I thank you because my anxiety is GONE!
God I thank you because my fears are GONE!
God I thank you because my judgments are GONE!
God I thank you because my doubt is GONE!
God I thank you because the things that were blocking me from activating my faith are now GONE!

It's amazing what prayer can do!!!!

So God as I close, thank you for the peace and reassurance that I can rest in you.  I don't have to try to figure it out.....you have already worked it out!

Now walk it out....... 
(I'm walking it back to the bed right now... I technically have 2 more hours before the alarm clock goes off)

Jesus, be a Nail Tech with Solar Nail Gel

On my birthday, I posted a video and mentioned that I was letting go of solar nails (acrylic....same difference) because I wanted to allow my nails to breathe and be my authentic self.  My authentic self has short brittle nails and it drives me completely crazy sometimes.  For this reason, over the years I would get a nail overlay because my nails would not grow without this help. I decided to go with simple gel nail polish, so at least the color wouldn't chip away immediately.
After soaking off the solar overlay, we filed my original nails down and applied gel nail polish....so cute.  Although my nails are short, they look pretty because the polish is so vibrant.

You know that's not all though, right?

One day later, I picked something up and realized that my right index finger nail was bending a little too much.  Upon further inspection, I noticed that there was a small crack in the polish...NO two cracks!  One at the tip and one on the side....are you kidding me?!  Well I've been looking at those cracks for the last few days and even tried applying nail glue.  Well 30 minutes ago, it finally ripped.  It didn't break, nor did it chip.....it flat our RIPPED!  That's how brittle my nails are.  My 1st instinct???.....GET UP AND CALL THE NAIL SHOP FOR AN EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT!!!  What did I actually do (after a few choice words...."dog bite it")?.... I began to laugh.

What was so funny?  I just realized that I was being totally unrealistic.  I expected my natural nails to withstand all of the pressure that an acrylic overlay could withstand.  When in fact, my nails were never strong in the first place......I was simply covering them up.  Week after week, month after month, year after year I had been covering up my natural nails and pushing it off as if it were the "real thing".  In order for my natural nails to get stronger, I will have to regulate my diet, perhaps take a vitamin E pill and be certain that I wear gloves when I'm cleaning or washing dishes.
I have to take care of my nails and protect them if I want to see any growth!

But isn't that the same with everything??!!

So many times in our lives we send our "representative" when we are dealing with people and then after some time the "real you" comes out and scares everyone because we can no longer cover up our true identity.  We play "church pretty", yet will cuss someone out in a heartbeat if they cross us.  We put on fake smiles when we know that we are really crying and hurting inside.  We play the victim, because we enjoy the attention that it gives us without taking time to realize that there is actually a victor inside.

So my questions to you are...

What are you covering up?
Why are you covering it up?
What would actually happen if you decided to uncover it?

I will not insult you and say that it is going to be easy to uncover some things.  In fact, it will probably get worse before it gets better.  My nails are so brittle right now that they will probably continue to rip & tear until the nail root produces more nail cells and I allow the keratin (the protein which makes the nail hard) to do its job without any interference from the acrylic.  It might be a slooooowwwww process, but it will happen IF I nurture it.

It's the time and nurturing that will cause your dead situation to come alive again.  It's the nurturing of your mind with positive thoughts that will help you to see the "brighter side" of every circumstance.  Its the nurturing of your soul that will allow you to realize that you are connected to a God who wants to see you flourish. It's the nurturing of your body, through proper diet and exercise, which will allow you to lose those extra pounds.

At the end of the day, you must nourish your authentic self.  It's time to live from your core and not merely skim from the surface.  The core is where you find your connection with God.  If the core is healthy, chances are the outer expression of the core will be healthy...producing healthy relationships with yourself and others.

I invite you to check out the YouTube clip http://youtu.be/VYODJxKlOmY  of my birthday message and begin living your authentic self from the core.

Now walk it out......

(And quietly walk right past me, if in 2 weeks you see that I have acrylic nails again....don't judge me...it's a process!)

Sometimes it's better to walk alone

I enjoy walking our family dog, Arby and I think he enjoys it even more.  Since I've been more consistent with walking him daily, any time he sees me putting on sneakers, he gets really excited by wagging his tail and running to the door.  He equates gym shoes, work out pants and my fanny pack with going for a stroll.  A while ago, the Lord told me to use our walking time to pray and talk to Him.  This was great for me because it covered two objectives:  I was able to talk with the Lord and exercise, at the same time.

Well today,  I missed our early morning walk and it wasn't cool enough to take him out like I often do in the evening.  Around 3 pm, I couldn't wait any longer and needed to get outside and start moving.  I wanted to be alone and talk to God.  I have been waiting on a phone call for a few days and I was getting tired of checking my phone to see if I had missed a call.  (It was pretty pathetic. You know how it is when you are expecting someone to call, you know that you didn't hear the phone ring nor did you hear the notification from your text messaging or email. ) Periodically, I kept turning the phone over, pushing a few buttons only to come to the realization that I was tripping and the phone had never gone off.

I began to get a little annoyed at my own behavior and decided that I needed to unplug, so that I could reconnect. (You'll catch that later, I'm sure.)  Anyway, I told the boys that I was going for a walk WITHOUT Arby and I set out for my hike.  Since Byron was working at the church, I decided to walk to the church (about 15 blocks).  I walked, I sang, I prayed and praised God.  I remember Mommy telling stories about people walking in off the streets of Philadelphia just to come inside the Garden of Prayer Church to pray.  So I told the Lord, " I'm walking towards you".  Well wasn't I surprised when I turned the corner to the church and didn't see my husband's car. (A usual 3-minute drive turned out to be a 30 minute walk.)  When I called his phone, he was at the house sitting in the kitchen and was shocked when I called him because he thought I was in the bedroom.  Too funny!  We had missed each other!

Of course, he offered to come pick me up but I decided to walk back by myself.  Your girl was committed! I took a different path home, until I reconnected to the area where Arby and I usually walk.  It was at that time I realized that it was good that I had made this journey alone.  If the dog had been with me, he would have gotten tired and thirsty and would have slowed my pace.  He also would have drawn attention to us.  You know what it's like when one dog sniffs another dog's scent in the air...total chaos and loud barking.  Arby, although a good walking companion, would have been a distraction or hindrance to me.

I was encouraged that I had chosen the option of traveling alone.  That time was for me to clear my head, get away from my phones imaginary beeping, talk to God and not have to corral anyone along.  56 minutes later than when I had begun, I was stepping back onto my porch.... sweating, legs burning and thirsty BUT refreshed.

Let me encourage you to drop the dead weight and end the meaningless conversations.  It's great to have friends and people to share your thoughts, feelings and emotions with, BUT sometimes you can gain a better sense of clarity when you're all alone.  When it's just you and God...no excuses, no distractions, no opinions from others.  Had I been walking Arby, I would have missed my opportunity to be totally present in my heart, mind and soul.

Be comfortable with living in your own space.
Be confident with listening to your inner voice.
Be cautious of those who always want to be around you... they might actually be slowing you down.

Set your own pace and walk it out......(ALONE)

Just in the Nick of Time

I want to give you the lyrics to one of Mommy's songs:

Just wait on God, He'll be right there
Just wait on Him, be assured that He cares
Don't go ahead of Him, but don't fall behind
Just wait on God, He'll be right there......Just in the nick of time.

Whatever you've been asking God for... believe that it's already yours.  Your belief, however, does not dictate God's timing.  Part of the process is in the waiting!

While you wait...read, pray, confess and speak victory over your situation.

Be careful not to focus on what you don't have, but be thankful for ALL that you do have.

God has not forgotten about you and you have not lost His favor!  So hold your head up high, sit your shoulders back, release the tension in your neck, hold your stomach in, tuck your pelvis under and walk into the room as if you already have the victory. 

Confidence in God looks good on you!
Peace in the middle of a storm looks good on you!
A smile on your face looks good on you!
Joy in your spirit looks good on you!
A skip in your step looks good on you!
Your hands outstretched and raised in praise looks good on you!
The posture of humility on your knees before the Lord looks good on you!

My darling, regardless of what the situation looks like at this particular time, please remember:
You are the beloved of God and He's got you covered!

So wait on God and rest assured that He'll be right there...just in the nick of time.

Now walk it out.............no please excuse me........"strut your stuff!"

What God showed me on a ship, in the middle of the ocean

I have been waiting since Thursday to share this story with you, but I refused to since we were away on a family vacation.  I choose not to make posts or send pictures when the entire family is away from the house.  That's like me saying, "Hi Guys please break into my home while I'm thousands of miles away".  It's just not prudent! Now that we're back, I have so much to share with you. Here we go...

This past week, the Coleman family took a 5-day cruise.  Woohoo!  We had a wonderful time together.  We enjoyed the opportunity to rest, recharge and UNPLUG.  Because we didn't want to pay cell phone roaming charges, we opted to turn the phones off and be totally present.  Each of us had a walkie - talkie, so we could communicate throughout the day. (Now that was a hoot!)

One early morning, while my husband was still asleep, I decided to take my book on our cabin deck to sit and read for a little while. First I walked down to the breakfast area, got a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of orange juice, brought it back to the room, put my feet up on the balcony chair and began reading.  However, I was having difficulty concentrating on the words on the page because I was captivated by the soothing sounds of the ship piercing the water.  Though I initially fought the urge, I took my attention off of the book, stood up against the balcony railing and just began thinking about the greatness of God.  How could I be on a ship that weighs well over 100, 000 tons, carrying over 3,000 guests, floating in water that was 12,000 miles deep? I looked at the water and realized that I could not see the end of it.  The water just flowed and there was no end to it.  It was an amazing feeling to be in the middle of nowhere, realizing that God is everywhere and right there with me!  Mind blowing, I tell ya'!

As I looked out into the water, I was reminded of Eli's message, our cruise director, from the 1st night. He was trying to get us to understand where the front, middle and aft of the boat were located.  How could you tell which way you were going throughout the ship?  He said if you ever got turned around, simply look out into the water, and notice the flow of the water.  The water always flows toward the back of the ship, because the ship is moving forward.  It was joke that night, but it made complete since. That morning on that balcony, I realized something else.  I sat back down and watched the waters part as the ship cruised ahead.  There was never a time that the water wasn't moving, unless we were docking at one of the ports of call.  It was at that moment that God gave me this revelation to share with you.

Life is like the vast ocean.  Sometimes it's calm and other times the water is choppy and maybe even tumultuous.  Regardless of the condition of the water, the cruise ship moves THROUGH and parts the waters.  It made me think how God is like the ship carrying us through every situation.  God carries us through lay-offs, poor health, bad relationships, ugly situations and so much more. The ship was never overtaken by the water, but rather it simply forged ahead.  God made me realize that as long as He is carrying me, I would be alright.  Let's think for moment...Now if a storm had come, would I have put on my life vest and jumped overboard to swim on my own?  No way!  I would get closer to the core of the ship, back in the comfort of the cabin to be shielded from the rains.  Then why on earth do I try to fight life's battles on my own?  If God is navigating the ship, I must trust that He will protect me as I rest in Him.

As I was thinking all of this, I could feel the motion of the ocean and the boat rocking.  Not a scary type of rocking, but like a baby being cradled gently.  Before I knew it, I had been lulled to sleep, book lying on my chest and slobber coming out the side of my mouth.  God used the crashing of the water, to rock the ship, as it advanced ahead to put me to sleep.  The water never stopped... it kept flowing all around me...yet I was soothed into another state of being.

And that's what God is saying...

I can use your situation......divorce, pain, hurt, betrayal, sickness, no job, low money...whatever it is and use it to bless you.  Just because your faith is in God doesn't mean that trouble won't come.....it will come, I can guarantee this.  But what I do know is that even when the winds are blowing and life is tossing you around, God will envelop you, allow you to move THROUGH the situation and if you rest in Him, He will rock you in the cradle of His arms.  When the time comes, He will allow you to arrive at your port-of-call with a greater appreciation of who He is. We weren't able to see beautiful Cozumel or Progresso until we traveled through the vast ocean.  Sometimes you have to go THROUGH before you GET TO your destination.

What you're going through is not in vain,  there is a higher calling and God wants to show you some amazing things at the next port of call.  Just rest in Him and the ride will be much smoother.

Be encouraged, go to sleep and don't be tempted to jump overboard.  Your blessing will come at the end of the journey!

Now walk it out... (and put that life vest away)