Category: Life

Transitions, continued….

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I wasn’t ready, but it happened anyway.
My heart, my pillar, my Grandma left us early this morning. I went over to see her and she looked peaceful.

She just turned 89 almost 3 weeks ago, then her body couldn’t fight her illness any more. She declined rapidly, but still communicated with us up until the day before. We hated to see her in pain, and helpless. She was always fiercely independent & did life her way.

She loved. She served. She laughed. She taught. Her personality lit up every room she entered. Her love for youth was unmistakeable. She impacted many generations and her ripple effect will touch many lives for years to come. She is now reunited with her daughter, my mother. I wish I could see their faces!!!!

Please keep our family in prayer.
This is a very difficult time for all of us.

Thank you.

Hold On! Change is Coming!

Things are happening so quickly around me, some are great & others cause me to give pause. I’m learning to look beyond what is happening right now, and I am preparing for what is around the corner.

The temptation to become distracted by what I see, hear and feel must be countered by what I know to be true. It is a fact that struggles are everywhere, but the truth remains that nothing lasts forever except eternity. If we can be honest, when we review our past, the struggle was tough then as well – yet we’re STILL HERE!

We’re waiting for change because nothing happens before the appointed time. Sometimes we’re waiting for change because God is waiting on us! He knows we won’t be able to manage the pressure of the change without refinement & maturity.

As you wait, don’t give up. Hold On, because Change is Coming!

Yesterday!

I am happy to say I am now a licensed minister of the Gospel! Thank you to all who supported me with your kind words and prayerful support. It was a very emotional experience and I look forward to every preaching or teaching opportunity that will arise in the future.

I am not looking at this from a monetary perspective. The Word of God must be taken outside the four walls of the church to where the hurting souls are. People need The Lord!

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Gratefulness

Today marks a new milestone for me as I share my initial sermon & become licensed as an Associate Minister of the Gospel. This was indeed a journey and there were moments when I felt like giving up for different reasons. Perseverance produces results, and with God’s help this is one of many results.

I pray that I become even more effective in my delivery in sharing the Good News. I am grateful for this opportunity & appointment. I do not take any of it lightly.

I request your prayers as I take this significant step.

Feel free to join us (there will be 11 of us) by streaming on www.cathedralinternational.org at 7pm ET.

Thank you.

Perspective is Everything!

So many times we look at our circumstances as curses or punishment. Could it be that we are being pressed to become better? Olive oil is derived from pressed olives. Pure olive oil is a refined product. You are being pressed & refined, and the final product will bring you to a purer, higher level!

Just a reminder: Our God is more interested in our growth vs. what we achieve. The process is more valuable than the product, because if the process has not refined or perfected the product, it cannot last through tests, trials, failures & disappointments. The unrefined/untested product will even fail when great things happen, because success has its own weight.

We are that product.

I want to endure & not just exist or survive. I won’t allow the distractions to prevent me from going through the process.

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14 (NIV)

Transitions

Transition isn’t just a word in the dictionary or just a part of my vocabulary anymore; it defines my life. People are changing, either as supporters or as “others”. What was easy to do in the past is now infinitely harder.

Spiritually the stakes got higher. The demands to sacrifice more of my will in exchange for God’s purpose & destiny makes my transitions meaningful. These experiences are (many times) unpleasant & are definitely eye-opening. I see life in a totally different light, and realize that some of what I thought I had inside wasn’t quite there. On the flip side, I’ve discovered a level of grit & determination I didn’t realize that I had – until now.

As I take this new, unfamiliar path, I am determined to continue. “I press toward the mark….”

Follow me as I transition.

Just To Encourage You….

You may feel cornered, scared or without hope. You may feel ostracized or hated. You may even feel helpless and unable to handle your current circumstances. Regardless of all these feelings, I dare you to hold your head up, square your shoulders and stare at your situation directly in the face. Tell it that it won’t defeat or destroy you! Tell it that you are more than a conqueror, and greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!

If you have to cry or get angry, do so – but don’t stop fighting! You are a winner! Tell yourself this every day even when it doesn’t feel or look like it.

Remember this: You are never alone. You don’t have to walk this journey by yourself. Allow God’s peace to overtake you. The enemy doesn’t fight anyone who isn’t a threat to his kingdom!

Selah