What do you do when your GPS fails?

OK!! It’s dark and I don’t see well at night. Add in the maddening circles in DC and what do you have? A MESS! The GPS kept saying take the 4th exit… in the circle? What in the world does that mean? There are no exits in the circle!! SO….I ended up on the wrong narrow street with snow mounds EVERYWHERE! UGH! UGH! People say that your character can be judged based on how you untangle Christmas lights. I say, watch how people act when they are lost. LOL I finally asked a cab driver and you would have thought I’d cussed at him. He said “The hotel is right up the street!” He was pointing at a wall!!!! I said, “Up the street where?”..….determined to find my way. He sort of mellowed out and was more specific. I thanked him in my southern manner. I’m sure he was thinking… tourist! I didn’t care; I just wanted to get to where I was supposed to be. (SMILE)

That’s how life is. We all want to get to where we are supposed to be. We know when we are lost and we feel so disjointed. We get anxious. All of us react differently to that lost feeling. Some people stop and focus. Some people ask others what to do. And some people call on JESUS!! Can you guess what I was doing last night? You got it… I was calling on Jesus!! HE is ALWAYS the answer! Although HE didn’t audibly say, “GIGI!!! TURN RIGHT AT THE NEXT CORNER!!” I firmly believe the cabby was in the right place at the right time so that I could ask for directions! There is always a ram in the bush, when your faith rests with HIM.

Next time your GPS keeps saying “You are now off course! You are now off course!” Take a deep breath, pull over, refocus and say a prayer! You’ll find your way in HIM, in that you can depend.


Genesis 22:13 Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

Y Choices

Y Choices!


The letter Y is an interesting letter. As the yield sign forms the top of the Y reminding us to slow down and proceed with caution, the letter Y also symbolizes a fork in the road. It is a defining moment. It is a point in the whirling vortex that we call life, where things seem to stop. We yield to let others pass as we make a choice. It is essentially the stopping point where a decision HAS to be made. Some say, “I WON’T make a decision, I will just stay here and do nothing.” That in itself is a choice. The other options are to go left, right or turn back, but either way a decision is made.

WHY:

Often times at the Y, we ask that question. WHY? Why is this happening to me? Why do I have to choose? We choose because God gave us freewill. Yes it would be easier to allow others to make the decisions for us, but would that make you happy with the end result? Yes, you could then blame someone else for your emptiness but essentially you chose to allow someone else to choose.



Choices:

Some choices are harder than others. They are life altering. “Should I further my education? Should I stay in a loveless relationship? Am I ready to get married, have a child? Should I buy a new house or car? These are only questions I’ve had in my past. What are yours? To me, these are choices that should not be made in haste. In an effort to move on you may peer left then quickly left, seeking the answer. You think that you know but you’re unsure. You know the way that you have already come, so there is no reason to turn back! What do you do?



CONFER:

This is the instance where you should confer with the ultimate consultant. HE gives us freewill, but HE also will provide the answers… IF we ask. The word says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33.” We are to go to HIM in prayer, read HIS word and trust HIM for the answer. You may have to wait for the answer, but remember, it’s when we make rash decisions that we choose the wrong roads and end up at yet another Y.

My Answer:

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. It is a time of repentance, confession and reflection as we approach the Holy Celebration of the Death and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – Easter. I beseech you to take this time to meditate and consult HIM, trust HIM. I personally had a Deja vu moment this morning. I saw a door that I had seen in a dreams years before. It was God’s way of letting me know that I am where I am supposed to be, at this appointed time, even at the Y!

Bittersweet Transitions

Pastor’s last sermon! ---



The Bitter:

My pastor preached his last sermon at our church today. He has answered the call to Pastor at another church in another state. I am very close to my pastor, his beautiful wife and their children. No one wants to see someone that they are close to move away. The selfish side of us wants them to stay. I can’t be selfish though. They have been blessed with a new opportunity. To see them go is sad but they are not gone forever, they are simply moving on; making a transition. It’s God's timing. He is in ultimate control of what happens.



The Sweet

Since God has called my pastor to another church, then GOD is ready for our church to be refreshed. You know how you press F5 on your computer and it clears everything up and gives a new perspective! It is growth for all involved as long as we stay in God's will. Just as Ezekiel 37: 3 says, “Son of man, can these bones live?" I read this a few weeks ago not knowing that my pastor was going to preach "Can these bones live?" today as his final sermon at the Chapel. The word confirmed what I was feeling! I sense new life, new opportunities in God's will! I am thrilled about what God has in store. In fact I am not anxious, but the opposite. I am excited about what GOD is going to do in my life and the life of our church. We’ve only just begun.


The Passing of one we loved so dear!


Bittersweet

After the service & during the reception, we found out that one of our dear saints had passed on. Deacon Emeritus Clarence Hoskins made his transition. I knew him as the gentle man that sat on the seat on the second row, directly in front of where I sing praise and worship. I would make my way to him on Sundays to make sure I spoke. He would say, “It’s so good to see you smiling. You must be happy!” (smile) Recently it was discovered that he had an illness that would eventually take him home. His passing today was peaceful. He went to sleep with his family close by. Bittersweet!



Bittersweet because it sad that he is gone. Sad that we won’t be able to talk to him and watch him give bubble gum to the kids. Sad to see his family mourn for we feel for them as well. Sweet because he has no more pain. No more sorrow! This morning I sang Israel’s version of Trading My Sorrows. The lyrics are, “ I’m trading my sorrow, I’m trading my pain and I’m laying it down for the joy of the Lord….It goes on to say, Joy is when you wake up! Oh to go to sleep and wake up in the arms of Jesus. Now that’s sweet!



Yes today has been a day of bittersweet transitions. We’ve faced new realities. Things are no longer as they were. Our pastor has moved on as well as Deacon Hoskins. They have made the transition. What is the lesson learned? The lesson is that our days are numbered. Each moment is precious and we are not to take it for granted.


Dear God,

I pray that I will value each moment. I will not get caught up in confusion and the distractions of life and recognize that your love prevails above all. I will love others and share in their joy and their sorrow. I will be an encourager to those as they go forth and be a shoulder to lean on when others are feeling down. Hear my prayer Oh Lord! In Jesus name, I pray! Amen

I don't want to "go with you" anymore? What!! This too shall Pass!

“I don’t want to go with you anymore!!!” That’s what we used to call it. “Going together!” Those are devastating words….especially when you are in the 7th grade – 12 years old and thinking that you have all the answers. Let me take you back for a second. He was older than me and I wasn’t even supposed to have what we called a “boyfriend” until the 8th grade. My mom said I could talk on the phone to boys when I got to the seventh grade but I couldn’t call them. They had to call me because that is how it was supposed to work. I was at the JR High though….Washington Drive Jr High. I was on the cheerleading squad, he was in the 9th grade and he wanted me to be his “girlfriend”!!! How could I say no…right? He even wanted a kiss. OMG!! We had no idea what or how to do that. My friends and I had to find someone who had kissed a boy before so I wouldn’t look like I was clueless.




TIMES HAVE CHANGED!! With texting, email, facebook, myspace and chat on every site, there is every opportunity for just about everyone to stay connected if they choose to. It is also a way to escape. Escape the reality of life by choosing hours on twitter and facebook and less time with your family or friends. You would think with all of these modes of communication there be more bonding but in actuality it CAN lead to less talking. I have seen people text when the person is in the other room or in the same car. LOL!!! We chat instead of calling. It’s easier. You can hide your emotions when you can’t hear the other person’s voice. You can choose the emotion icon that you want to use to show emotion whether you mean it or not. You can even hide where you really are, be it in the bathroom or someplace you’re not supposed to be! Who will know right? Where does this lead to? It CAN lead to distance and the fateful words. “I don’t’ want to go with you anymore or NO MO!”



Don’t get me wrong, I love social networking, texting and emailing. Ask my friends!! I’m simply saying pay attention to your mate, spouse, and significant other. Pay attention to your children. Ask yourself if you’re spending more quality time with the CPU or the CELL phone versus them. No matter the age, no one WANTS to have their heart broken. No one WANTS to be on the receiving end of those words. No one WANTS to feel like it’s their fault or it was something that they could have done differently.



Fortunately, I have learned that things happen for a reason. We may not always see it while we are going through it because the fog is so thick that we can’t see the sunlight on the other side. There is a reason though whether it was our fault or not. After it’s all said and done, it’s a lesson learned and we move forward. Even if we have to push ourselves, we should always push forward. We keep pushing until we get through. We may emerge with a few scars, but as God’s children, we are always victorious!



Phil 3:14 "With my eyes fixed on the goal I will PUSH on to secure the prize of God's heavenward call in Christ Jesus -"



As for my FIRST REAL boyfriend in the 7th grade, (I won’t call his name), he told me those fateful words. Even after he got a kiss on the steps after school! Even after he told me I would be his girlfriend forever!!! You see Washington Drive closed after the 7th grade. They changed to the middle school concept. I went to the 8th at the middle school and he went to high school. He didn’t want to “go with me anymore.” I was devastated. Couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, in fact I thought my WHOLE LIFE WAS OVER!! My mom told me, “This too shall pass!” She was right! I made it. I pushed forward!