WSR REPORT: THE LIGHT

Good Morning …

I pray all is well - 

I wanted to share this post with you today

I came across it while I was preparing my message yesterday.

The content was originally posted in 2014 – part of a series called ‘The Light’

However, I believe it holds a special significance in view of the past several weeks and ongoing challenges with COVID-19. Sheltered in place for weeks, there has been ample time to reflect … on everything.

Now, I will not pretend to know why all of what has happened has transpired. However, I believe the LORD has the ability to work through every situation and circumstance we encounter – to develop us, to grow us, to shape our character and to help us prioritize and refocus on what is important and essential. We cannot make Him known without knowing Him. Therefore, it is necessary and critical to undergo inner transformation. 

It all begins at home. I hope you enjoy!

Have a Blessed Day!

______________________________________

-originally posted January 25, 2014

‘… and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’ Acts 1:8

Many are well familiar with the commissioning declaration in Acts 1:8. However, in verse four of that same chapter, we find the disciples being commanded to not depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father – The Holy Spirit.

Jesus told them that they would be His witnesses,

And that it would begin right where they were … at home

Yet all too often, it is the home which suffers the most – even among those who have dedicated themselves to being the light in their church, in their workplace and in their communities. Know that you cannot effectively and credibly export what is not first cultivated and established at home.

Noted humanitarian Mother Theresa has been quoted as saying, ‘We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.'

I Timothy 5:8 tells us [when speaking of families caring for widows] that anyone who does not provide for his own household is worse than an infidel.

We must understand – whether physical needs, spiritual needs or emotional needs – the light which emanates from one’s life should first be impacting the ones closest to them. My children would have a tremendously difficult time understanding all the giving that has taken place over the years if I only concentrated my attentions outward. However, my aim has always been to convey – by my words, my actions, my life – that they are my number one priority. So I ask …

• Do our families get the best part of us or what is left over after work and other obligations?
• Do they get quality and quantity time?
• Do they know they are loved?
• Do we speak the truth in love?
• Does our commitment to quality and respectful communication extend to the family – or do we raise our voices and use sarcasm?
• Do we actively strive to block the day’s frustrations from entering our home?
• Is there an overwhelming feeling of peace in the home?
• Is dinner special every night or only when there are guests?
• Are we able to laugh and have fun?
• Do they know they are loved unconditionally?
• Do we pray and demonstrate an unyielding and unwavering commitment to the LORD?
• Do the fruits of the spirit permeate the atmosphere - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?
• If our family members were asked to describe us, what words would they use?

Understand, no one will hit the mark every day, in every instance – not at home or anywhere else. However, our heart desire should be to want to give our very best to our loved ones, to be our very best – in Christ – for our loved ones. 

I fail often. Yet I will quickly acknowledge my faults, apologize and work to remedy the situation. It is not a matter of being a perfect, excellent, shining example in every interaction with family. It is, however, a matter of striving for excellence in every interaction.

Ultimately, as we tend to the light in our hearts and in our homes, we will realize that the task of shining a light for others is significantly eased. Rather than searching for opportunities to shine the light of Christ, we will find people curiously drawn to the light of love which floods every area of our lives.

2014: The Light … keep it shining … start at home

May God Bless You Abundantly … Have a Great Week!

worth the wait ...

Hello Friends!

I pray you had a fantastic day –

But, if you did not … relax, it is almost the weekend!

And some things are worth the wait

Ecclesiastes 3:1 states,

‘To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven’

I thought about this verse earlier this week

When I had the wonderful occasion

to meet and converse with a ‘vintaged’ gentleman named Cliff

That is not an insult; after all, he is probably only twenty years older than me

He started out talking about this area – how he’d spent most of his life in this region;

Five years in the military and five in the Midwest, and then he returned to Virginia.

He went on to tell me how was wife was from up north;

And he started sharing some of things he loves about her

You could hear the honor in his voice as he talked

So I asked, ‘How long have you been married?’

Based upon our conversation up to that point,

                I expected him to say forty or fifty years –

He responded proudly, ‘We’ve been married for ten years ..

but we’ve been together for 30!

He was not a bit surprised at the look on my face –

begging for an explanation without saying a word

He went on to tell me that they dated for twenty years

He said, ‘I can’t say fully why we waited so long;

but, once you get in your fifties you start thinking’

‘Truthfully’, he said, ‘if we got married way back then,

I don’t know that we would still be together.’

‘We have both matured and grown over years’

Then he told me how it was still an adjustment when they got married

He had his town home and she had her house,

They had to adjust to living together once they got married

He told me how she loves to cook and he hates cooking:

‘So, she cooks and I eat … and clean’. ‘But even that was an adjustment’, he said.

‘When you’ve each lived alone for so long, you get used to doing things a certain way.’

“For us it was the dishwasher. She said it wasn’t a big deal. But, I told her, ‘I want to do it the way you like it though’ … so I adjusted.”

It was just one of the most precious conversations!

He told me how much she has helped him grow as a person over their thirty years together.

‘She has introduced me to art and dining, to travel and leisure activities. When I used to meet people, all I would talk about was my work. Now I have so many things to discuss. She is a gem!’

I absolutely loved it!!!

I am still smiling thinking back on parts of that conversation.

You could hear how much he loved and appreciated her …

So beautiful!

He told me when they sent out the ‘Save the Date’ invitations for their wedding, they wrote:

Some will way we’re late,

But we’ve finally set the date…

Some things are worth the wait!

Indeed!

Just think about those who have had exercise great patience in waiting for their promise –

Sarah waited 90-years before being blessed with Isaac; Abraham was 100!

Elizabeth and Zechariah spent many years in waiting before John the Baptist came

Jesus walked this earth thirty years for a three-year earthly ministry

                But, oh what a ministry!

So my dear friend –

Do not lose heart if things are not moving at the pace you would like, 

Do not lose courage, do not become discouraged – 

It will happen right when it needs to.

God is preparing you for what He has prepared for you –

Trust me, it will be worth the wait!

Have a Blessed Evening!

portrait of love ...

Hello Friends–

I pray all is well and that your week is off to a great start

We are almost to the end of February –

                Amazing!

I have to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed our talks on LOVE

And as we near the end of what I like term ‘the month of love’,

What better verse to look at than I Corinthian 13:4-8

‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.’

‘Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.  It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail].  Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].

 Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]’ I Corinthians 13:48 AMP

‘Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense.  Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.’ I Corinthian 13:4-8 TPT

I love this verse [in all its translations] because it not only defines love in practical terms,

It paints a perfect picture of LOVE

It is so beautiful and can serve as both road map and guardrail –

for how we should love one another

However, this past Sunday at church, I got another picture of love –

                A living portrait of love!

To me, there is nothing more amazing than seeing someone,

operating with their God-given ability & fulfilling their God-given purpose

And, there are those unique times when the anointing of the LORD is so strong –

that you just sit in awe…

I had one of those moments at church Sunday.

My senior pastors, in a rare occurrence, delivered a message together.

The topic? Meant to Be: Questions – Developing Boundaries

It was the final sermon in a series that started the Sunday before Valentine’s Day.

It was a powerful talk on establishing healthy boundaries in your life.

And at the end of that sermon - recognizing that many have failed in the area of boundary establishment (and are now living with consequences and/or regrets – my pastor’s wife sang a song.

It had such an anointing on it and she sings like an absolute angel.

The song? It was simply titled, ‘Clean’ [a song by Natalie Grant]

But it was the look on my pastor’s face that caught my attention.

I had seen that look on her face –

when she would sit on the front row, listening to him teach and preach.

But I think this is the first time I observed that look on his face –

while she spoke and when she sang

IT WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!

They are each other’s greatest cheerleaders - I love it!

It was like a portrait of love ... in living color, live action

Simply Amazing!

If I have said it once, I have probably said it a dozen times,

‘I am a hopeless romantic!’ 

And it doesn’t have to be my story - 

My heart leaps with excitement and joy for any couple,

any couple that has been able to find and hold onto that amazing thing we call love.

My pastors will be celebrating 25 years of marriage this year.

They have been my pastors for 20 years.... 

Yet, I never exhaust the levels of gratitude I have for each of them individually and collectively as a couple. Their life has been such an example and a blessing to me. They are people of integrity. They love with the love of Jesus and they are genuine. And their love is evident to anyone who has been blessed with the privilege of being in their company for any length of time.

In fact – 

I was about to type, ‘if you can find a love like that, hold onto it with all you’ve got.’ 

However, a love like that is not found … it is built

It is firmly established through years of commitment, through good times and bad, with hours of listening, a keen ability to knowing when to keep silent, an unwavering resolve that if anything is going to come against us - it’s going to have to come prepared to fight two because you’ve got each other’s back. It is simply amazing … warms my heart and makes me smile!

That is some kind of special love.

And while we know there is no perfect thing – save our LORD,

I pray your love would be [as much as humanly possible] picture perfect,

a stunning reflection and portrayal of love

I’ve included a link to that sermon in the comments section below,

                Along with a link to Natalie Grant’s song ‘Clean’

Have a Blessed Evening!

LOVE 2020: THE LITTLE THINGS

Hi There!

Sunday evening … already

Why does the work week go so slow and the weekend so quickly?

In any event – we are entering Valentine’s Week!

And, I already got my first present.

Or, I should say I already purchased my first Valentine’s Day present –

                An early present – some flowers for my Mom and she loved them!

She still gets as excited about flowers as she did when I was a teenager

                And that was many, many … many moons ago.

I used to buy her flowers every time I got my paycheck from my job

I think I have always been intent on letting the people I care about know it –

Whether it was buying flowers, writing a letter or placing a call;

I even recall one day going forty minutes in the opposite direction of home –

Taking a trolley and walking.

I wanted to hand-deliver a card for a dear friend of mine;

The funny thing is, I knew that this individual was not home yet.

However, I wanted that person to know, as soon as they arrived home,

that someone had been thinking of them that day

It made their day!

So, why share this tonight?

Because it is the small, consistent and genuine demonstrations of love that count

Over the past several days, I have spent a good deal of time –

                Talking about the love of God [our vertical relationship]

Now, we will talk about our love for and with people [our horizontal relationships]

And, there are so many cues on how to show love –

which can be taken from the God who is love

You see, our understanding of how to love others –

flows out of our understanding of God’s

Intentional, genuine, consistent, personal … demonstrations of love

In fact, there is a verse in Scripture which states:

‘Blessed be the LORD who daily loads us with benefits’ Psalm 68:19

And if we are to take our cues from this verse, it simply means:

There are daily opportunities to show love to those around us

It is the little things that often tend to make a world of difference!

SMALL GESTURES – GRAND EFFECTS

I am not saying that you should not get Valentine’s Day presents

What I am saying is that you should not wait until Valentine’s Day –

                to express your love and appreciation for someone.

Valentine’s Day should just be one more opportunity to show your love.

So why don’t you take some time this week to express & show your love –

                Even before Valentine’s Day even gets here

Have a Blessed Evening!

LOVE 2020: INTENTIONAL LOVE

Good Evening Friends …

It is almost the weekend – and I cannot wait

While this season of love is my favorite season,

There were several things that I was not loving today

It is rainy and yucky tonight –

In fact, as I sat at the light on my way home, it went from ‘just starting to rain’ …

to ‘full-on' downpour, wind gusts and zero visibility’ in about 30-seconds

But it is not just the weather –

Today was ONE OF THOSE DAYS

It was one of those days which causes me to draw upon everything I write here.

So – today I would like to 100% transparent – as we talk about INTENTIONAL LOVE

There will always be days when you do not like some of the things that people do;

                Or the people that do them

And on those days, you have to make a conscious decision to love people;

understanding that there are days when people don’t like you [or what you do] also

Most days I am able to handle it pretty well.

Even as a read a verse this past …

I felt that I could not co-sign the sentiments of the psalmist

The verse read ‘Cut off my enemies and destroy all those who afflict my soul’ Ps. 143:2

But – that is not my desire

Truly it is not … most days

Today was a different kind of day

Today was a “God, I want You to get them now” kind of day

But I know that was just my sinful flesh rising up

And something happened later this evening as I sat in my car, watching the rain fall

I had to stop and think –

I had to think about all the times He mercifully kept me;
     where He did not 'get me', but instead spared me

I also had to stop and think about the fact this attitude,
     my attitude, was not His will

It was not reflective of the character that He has been cultivating;
     it did demonstrate the spiritual development He was been crafting,
     through all of these challenging circumstances


He is developing in me peace; not strife
He is developing in me patience; not frustration
He is developing in me kindness; not bitterness and vengefulness
He is developing in me long-suffering; not short-temperedness

If you have any interactions with people at any point throughout your day –

                There will be occasions to be offended

In fact, Jesus [the LORD of all things possible] said,

‘It is impossible that no offenses will come ...’ Luke17:1

We are encouraged not to be easily offended [Col. 3:13]

And – as much is possible – our aim should be that we not be the cause of offense

INTENTIONAL LOVE

It is not an easy thing

But, it is a God-honoring thing

AFTER ALL –

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” Galatians 5:22

AND –

I … I am still a work in progress

I had a dear friend, someone very special to me;

And when I would get frazzled and frustrated – going on a rant,

They would simply say, ‘Tomorrow is a new day…’

And with that, I will say, ‘Good Night…’

Praying you have a blessed day tomorrow

God Bless & Much Love