From the Desk of Mia Johnson

Gone Too Soon

2012-02-18T20:23:00.000-05:00

I’ve come to realize that “Gone Too Soon” is really a way to say someone was really undervalued. I don’t want to be appreciated after I’m gone. I want to be appreciated now and then remembered for the impact that I made. I’ve heard it said that people know that they have received a gift, but fail to treat it as such because they thought they’d never lose it. While this isn’t true in all cases, it certainly is true for some.

No matter what part of the world you are in, the value of currency is dependent on how that currency is being “appreciated” in the economy. I’m reminded of the time I went to Great Britain. By the time I exchanged the US Dollar for the British Pound, it was worth very little. What would have cost me $.99 at McDonald’s locally was close to $3 by the time my credit card was swiped. The economy placed much greater value on the British currency than the American one. While the US Dollar used to be one of the most respected flow’s of currency in global finance, it has since depreciated and is still depreciating in value. The power of equity also is dependent on not the depreciating value of the property, but by how much it “appreciates” over time. Simply put, to appreciate is to add value by answering the question of how much something means to you. In the case of equity, no one can not care for or not value their home, and then expect it to appreciate in value when it has been appraised.
I believe we as a human society are flawed. Not just the regular day to day flaws you and I have for no one is perfect. But flawed in the sense that we do not value the gifts in our lives but wait until its time of departure (or appraisal) to show “appreciation.” This is where I believe we get stuck at. And because we realize we have gotten stuck in this phase without a chance to go back and place value where it should have been, we respond with common phrases such as “Gone Too Soon.” Yes, it’s a beautiful song. But yes, it’s a way to escape the feeling of missing the mark of appreciating those you value and love.

My encouragement to you is that you would accept the challenge of really appreciating the things and the people who are an asset to your life. My favorite quote in the movie “The Color Purple” is when Shug and Miss Celie are walking through the field of beautiful purple flowers. Shug says to Miss Celie,” I think it pisses God off to walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it.” Dear hearts, in the field of life that you walk through, make sure you recognize the “color purple” in your field; those things that add great value to you. Appreciate them now. You’ll thank yourself later for it.

Diamonds and Pearls: Training Day

2012-01-24T15:28:00.001-05:00

In considering sports such as football, basketball, boxing, wrestling, or street fighting, there is a rule that one abides by in order to win. This rule consists of knowing your opponent so well, that you can anticipate his or her next move and plan your response accordingly. It requires you to think ahead of them so as to block their advancement on the field, in the ring, or on the court. As a matter of fact, the coach will likely have videos in the locker room to highlight a particular weakness of the opponent, thus giving the coach the “heads up” on how to adequately train and prepare his or her team.

This is essentially what happens in our lives. Unbeknownst to us, we have given our opponent clues which has assisted in helping them to gain ground on us. Yet the only way to really abort the mission of our opponent, which is to steal, kill, and destroy, we must implement a ploy that counteracts the very assignment that was given.

Here’s what you need to know. You have a very real adversary who’s sole mission is to take you down. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to cancel it’s mission and plan. Here’s something else you need to know. Your adversary uses things that you like, or even things that are considered sensitive heart matters, as a decoy to get you to react, think, behave, etc the way you have trained him into thinking you would. Yes, I did mean to say train. Essentially, when we repeat life cycles, bite the bait, fall into trap’s, it is us not only validating the adversary’s mission as successful, but we are giving the adversary more “highlights” to discuss back in the locker room.

I learned this lesson the hard way. And although, every now and then, I need a gentle reminder, I will never forget when I realized it was time to confound my adversary. Allow me to paint the picture for you:

As a young leader in the church of about 21, I was asked to attend a conference in the Midwest region of the country to assist in facilitating. I was given the release by my pastor to attend. Immediately, the host’s administrator and I began making arrangements. Not only was I to attend, but another well-known evangelistic duo that I personally knew was invited. How exciting right? I would be ministering in a conference with not only friends, but people who are highly gifted in ministry. So flight booked? Check. The hotel reserved? Check. Itinerary received? Check. Time off work requested? Check. We’re well on our way…or so I thought. I arrived in the city that morning and my driver was waiting on me. I’m thinking, “This is all great!” However, I made this assessment too prematurely. Shortly thereafter, I received word from the host that I was to reimburse them back for payment of the flight. Well, because I didn’t want to disappoint the leaders, I wrote them a check. Additionally, I was dropped off at the hotel with no means of transportation and no way to go out to get food for the 3 days I was scheduled to be in town. And of course, there was no tab left for me to order in room service either. Because I didn’t want to inconvenience the driver or the host by having them to go out of their way to bring me something to eat, or take me to the grocery store to stock up, I just ordered pizzas. After attending the first night of the conference, I realized that this was simply a way to brow beat another young leader (myself) into doing things the way they wanted, none of which I discerned to really be led of God. At this point, I just wanted to go home. When I called back to my home church to see if my church could get me a ticket home, I was told that our Bishop and the pastoral team was out on a leadership retreat in the Bahamas. (We had a system at our church that if we were out somewhere and things occurred that was uncomfortable, leadership would make arrangements to get us back safely). But because I didn’t want to disturb Bishop, I declined the offer to contact him to get the authorization to get me back home. Needless to say, I spent a very miserable 3 days in the Midwest and came back home pretty upset about it. When I was telling one of the leaders about what took place, she looked me square in my eyes and said something that was harsh, yet very true, and thus changed my life. She said, “While I understand that this was a very difficult situation to have been in, it’s nobody’s fault but yours….You will have to learn really quickly that you train people how to treat you.” My adversary knew that I had struggled greatly with not wanting to disappoint those in authority. I was a people pleaser. So when the situation took place, I had trained my opponent already in knowing just how I’d react which ultimately left me feeling underappreciated, mishandled, and taken advantage of. So back in the adversary’s locker room, he heard “Mission Accomplished!” Tough lesson; but lesson learned.

I share this Diamond and Pearl with you to say the same thing that was said to me many years ago. It is your responsibility to train people on how to treat you. Whatever interaction you have with people be it those in authority, family members, friends, or even those you may date (appropriately of course), it is your responsibility to set the tone for what is or what is not acceptable. Failure to do so can and will ultimately provide an entry way for your adversary to get in and use against you to cause you to react rather than respond. It’s a perpetual cycle. Understand that just as God uses man to accomplish His will and purpose on earth, so does the adversary. Could it be that the very situations you face are simply pre-planned? Out of all of those situations, you will either repudiate the authority of the adversary in your life by not succumbing to it’s demonic devices, or you will yield to the process and add another notch to your opponent’s belt signifying yet another victory. Either way, I want you to understand that each day is a training day.

Diamonds and Pearls: Live Out Loud

2012-01-18T18:51:00.000-05:00

Life has a rhythm; a melody, if you will. While sometimes the sound comes forth as a consonant integration of chords, there are other times that the sound produced is a screeching dissonant clash of noise. For the most part, no one wants bad experiences (dissonance). Moreover, we’d prefer things to work out positively (consonance). But the fact remains that we can’t always control any key changes, twists, or turns that life may throw at us. Consequently, fear of the unknown can paralyze us from moving into manifesting and producing the impossible. It’s not the fact that “it” can’t be done that makes it impossible. It’s the fear that halts many from stepping out into nothing and creating something. That fear results in a life; a very quiet one. A life that desires the sound of freedom and fulfillment to play in its soul yet is muzzled by the whimpers of silent “pass me not’s.”

Living out loud is more than a popular phrase. It means that you understand that each day you live brings you a step closer to fulfilled destiny. It means that you prayerfully and passionately pursue purpose. It speaks of life and the abundant living in your spirit that must consequently manifest in your life openly. It gives off the fragrance of fulfillment which is refreshing to the stale at heart or those that choose to live silently. It boldly announces its arrival of light to those that cower in dark corners while beckoning them to join in living brightly.

Brendan Francis, an Irish poet, once said, “No yesterdays are ever wasted for those who give themselves to today.” As I considered this, I can’t stress enough the importance of living for today. Yesterday has come and gone. It is now nothing more than a memory. If you spend today regretting yesterday, then tomorrow will turn into the yesterday you tried to avoid repeating. It’s not enough to just exist. But you must take an active role. You may be wondering how to take an active role in your life? You must assume the position as the conductor; the one that directs the rhythm of your life’s song. Do you need to slow down? Maybe even speed up so that you can catch up? Then change the time signature. But whatever you do, keep conducting…you must continue to live and do so out loud.

I challenge you today to evaluate your life’s melody. Does “she” sing confidently? Or does “she” even sing at all? If your life is void of rhythm…if it’s void of a heart’s melody, then it’s time to start orchestrating your life’s musical piece; something so beautiful that others can enjoy it like a symphony. If your life is producing a harmonious melody, then take the time to embrace every note. And continue to conduct the song of your life which would ultimately result in a standing ovation in heaven.

Diamonds and Pearls

2012-01-17T13:45:00.001-05:00

According to society, life in the 20s is supposed to be fun, carefree, and somewhat irresponsible. This is a time when you can get away with doing absurd things and blame it on being “young and dumb.” This is also a time when you can for the most part still live off of your parents while exercising some elements of adulthood. Right? Well for some people, that is right. However, usually those people who live like this generally have a very hard time with adjusting to living with the consequences of those decisions made in their twenties. By the time the sweet thirties, or as society refers to it, the “dirty thirties,” come around, it can be summarized by one of the most quoted phrases… “If I knew then what I know now…” But at the same time, life should not be lived with a list of regrets; a list of woulda, shoulda, and coulda statements.

I was at a birthday celebration for a younger sister that was turning 25 years old over the weekend. One of the things that she asked of her guests that were over 25 was to share with her some things that we wished we had known at age 25. Of course immediately, my mind started going. The first thing that entered my mind was “Diamonds and Pearls.” I’m sure you are probably wondering how the phrase “Diamonds and Pearls” ties in with this topic. I am not referring to the thirteenth studio album released by the great artist Prince in October 1991. J However, I’m referring to the process in birthing a diamond and pearl is equivalent to the process of birthing wisdom. I’m speaking of the things that one must go through to have gained the wisdom they are to share with others. As I am now transitioning from one season of my life of the twenties to the thriving thirties, it is befitting of me to leave some things that I have learned from personal life experiences or from my own time of gleaning from mentors for my younger brothers and sisters behind to glean. I don’t profess to know everything as I am still learning myself. But what I do know, I humbly share with you.

As you can imagine, there are so many things that can be learned in the twenties. For the sake of time and space, I will list a running list of some of the things that I will be sharing in different blogs that address each individually in no particular order. Feel free to submit your questions as well and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Never let another voice in your life be louder than your own.
The step you leave is the one that creaks. ~ Bishop Jakes
Write your vision.
Make decisions for tomorrow, not today.
If you’re going to do anything for God, do it now!
Train people on how to treat you.
You need at least 4 streams feeding you. ~ Bishop Jakes
When you enter a new room, the first thing you need to do is shut up! ~ Bishop Jakes
Train yourself to multicultural and multidirectional; having the ability to communicate with people in different life structures or systems.
You are responsible for your destiny and success.
Most people pan to fail, not succeed.
The moment you are full is when you stop being filled.
If you don’t speak your next season, life will give it to you.
Everything is not the adversary. Something’s are just life.
There is such thing as supernatural forgiveness because there are things that you will not be able to forgive in your natural mind.
Pay attention to “repeat offenders” and understand that forgiveness doesn’t mean trust.
No relationship is mandatory unless it is marital and that has it’s limitations (i.e. infidelity)
You should never be in the same place after 365 days. Progression is a must!
It is not God’s will to remain in any type of abusive relationship.
Why halt ye between two opinions? Anyone that remains neutral, or warms themselves by the fire of your enemies, is usually playing both sides to his/her benefit.
Live out loud, even when people want you to live silently.
Never allow anyone to think that they know everything about you. They inevitably put you in the box that they think you should be in.
Don’t just live outside of the box. Destroy the box so that you aren’t tempted to get back inside.
Truth stands alone. Honor needs no defense. My critics never believed me. And my friends need no explanation. ~ Unknown
Being young doesn’t give you a license to be dumb.
Boredom is a result of unfruitful and unproductive living.
Real leaders lead from the front, not the back.
Verbiage is everything. Choose your words carefully.
Never say never.
Accountability is a must.

Love and blessings,

Lady Mia Johnson

The Weakest Link

2011-09-15T11:59:00.002-04:00

The strategy in a war is to annihilate its opponent; not its team mates. In an act of war, taking out the enemy while taking down your own team mates is counterproductive. You must be strategic. Strategists identify their target, aim for that target, and launch their missile accordingly. The truth is, the lack of strategy breeds disunity. If a team mate is launching missiles to take out an opponent while eliminating members of his/her team, it weakens the strength of the team and sows discord. This results in an impuissant team lacking the fortified efficacy to drive the opponent backwards and thus forfeiting the team's impending victory. In other words, the one that creates disunity is the one that causes the advancement of the team to be compromised. As the television show would say, "YOU ARE THE WEAKEST LINK". If there are battles that are lost, and there is a lack of understanding as to why, look for "the weakest link." There is a popular saying that says, "Where there is unity, there is strength." Matthew 12:25 says (AMP), "And knowing their thoughts, He [Jesus] said to them, Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being brought to desolation and laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will last or continue to stand." I'm indeed inclined to believe that the key to overthrowing, dismantling, and disrupting the strategies of our adversary is found in the antiquated principle of unity. Antiquated? Yes. Impossible? Surely not. But achievable? Absolutely! With that said, let's advance the Kingdom!

Grace, Peace, & Love...

The Weakest Link

2011-09-15T11:37:00.003-04:00

The strategy in a war is to annihilate its opponent; not its team mates. In an act of war, taking out the enemy while taking down your own team mates is counterproductive. You must be strategic. Strategists identify their target, aim for that target, and launch their missile accordingly. The truth is, the lack of strategy breeds disunity. If a team mate is launching missiles to take out an opponent while eliminating members of his/her team, it weakens the strength of the team and sows discord. This results in an inpuissant team lacking the fortified efficacy to drive the opponent backwards and thus forfeiting the team's impending victory. In other words, the one that creates disunity is the one that causes the advancement of the team to be compromised. As the television show would say, "YOU ARE THE WEAKEST LINK.". If there are battles that are lost, and there is a lack of understanding as to why, look for "the weakest link." There is a popular saying that says, "Where there is unity, there is strength." Matthew 12:25 says (AMP), "And knowing their thoughts, He [Jesus] said to them, Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being brought to desolation and laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will last or continue to stand." I'm indeed inclined to believe that the key to overthrowing, dismantling, and disrupting the strategies of our adversary is found in the antiquated principle of unity. Antiquated? Yes. Impossible? Surely not. But achievable? Absolutely! With that said, let's advance the Kingdom!

Grace, Peace, & Love...
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

2011-09-15T11:37:00.001-04:00

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Keep it 100

2011-09-13T17:14:00.000-04:00

William Shakespeare is probably one of the most well known famous English poets and playwrights known. His work has been integrated into seemingly every high school and college classroom for English literature while students seek to gain an understanding of the mysteries hidden beyond the pages of the written soliloquy penned during times of emotional distress. One of the most popular discourse's studied is that found in Hamlet; "To Be or Not To Be..." I can recall being assigned this very passage by Mrs. De Flores in AP English in high school; I had to stand before my class and deliver this monologue with passion and power. Needless to say, I rehearsed this passage, I studied this passage...it became real to me. So real that I delivered, and earned my A.

The unfortunate thing is that there are now allegations that all of the works attributed to William Shakespeare were really written by the 17th earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere. In fact, there is a new movie being released soon with these accusations being the plot of the movie. So what does this mean? William Shakespeare is being accused of fraudulent behavior! Whether that is true or not, I can't say. But the accusation is quite chilling. To think that something that we have seen as true or real for centuries is now under question causes me to ponder on another question...To be real or not to be? That is the new question.

We live in a society that is no longer impressed by the eloquent speaking of vain repetitious words void of demonstration and power. We want to see the manifestation of what has been said. In other words, we don't want to see it, and we certainly don't want to hear it unless there is a stamp of approval that says REAL.
In order to understand what it means to "Keep it 100," we must truly understand the state of our generation to fully grasp the importance of this philosophy of real. Today's generation of young adults were raised on talk shows (i.e. Rikki Lake, Sally Jesse Raphael, Phil Donohue, Jerry Springer, Geraldo Rivera, Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, etc). We have been conditioned to want everything "raw." It's essential in communicating with us that we receive it that way or it becomes diluted and the first thing we say is, "Keep it 100." The unfortunate thing about our awareness of "real" is that is has caused us to be desensitized or numb to situations and issues. Nothing surprises us anymore. But fortunate for us, we examine everything to the letter. Everything and everyone passes through a scan now. Nothing and no one is exempt.

With that in mind, one of the most common yet unscriptural declarations that people, including Christians, say is "only God can judge me". While that may sound like the right statement, it is certainly not an accurate statement. God has called us, the people of God, to righteously judge! That is not to be confused with criticism. But judge? Yes...that is your job.

1 Corinthians 2:15 NIV "The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgments."

1 Thessalonians 5:21 NIV "Test everything. Hold on to the good."

John 7:24 NIV "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

1 Corinthians 6:3 NIV "Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!"

There is a 90 day rule that the world's system utilizes as a way of discerning or making judgment about it's employees. It says that employees show up with false pretenses in order to secure a full time, permanent job with benefits. But within 90 days, that person's true character will show up. By day 30, tardiness has increased. By day 45, some additional bad habits have surfaced that are not conducive to a productive work environment. By day 90, HR decides if the employment relationship will work before they release unto you full benefits. In the same sense, I have for years implemented that 90 day rule. Everyone undergoes it and no one is exempt. I have made a couple of exceptions over time. And I can honestly say that each time I have done that, I have paid for that mistake greatly. But as I write this, I have recommitted myself to being who God has called me to be governmentally in the Kingdom of God. My prayer to God is the same prayer that Solomon prayed in 1 Kings 3:9 NIV, "So give your servant a discerning heart to govern between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

In conclusion, my encouragement to you is this; test everything. Leave nothing untouched. If it seems off, it likely is. Don't be afraid to examine areas that many don't want to for fear of repercussions. And by all means, KEEP IT 100 with yourself. There is no way for you to identify the "real" if you live by the "fake."

The Face of Disaster

2011-09-12T00:58:00.001-04:00

I was completing an assignment on crisis management tonight and thought I would share a portion of the paper that I thought was significant to how we respond to major disaster. As I wrote, I couldn't help but think about all those people who were affected by the September 11 tragedy (which we are coincidentally remembering today), those who were forever changed due to Hurricane Katrina, or the earthquakes that have been occurring seemingly worldwide. Then I considered my own personal disasters...all that I've seen and encountered throughout my years, I realized that although our personal disasters may differ, the ravaging effects remain the same. They are gut wrenching, heart breaking, mind boggling...it can literally suck the wind out of you. I'm sure you are reading this and thinking of that one situation...that one "disaster" that you weren't sure that you'd recover from. And I'm also sure that you are also considering the one that didn't make it. Of all the people that didn't survive, you did. But for the grace of God! Don't you ever wonder why? Why you? Why did He take her but leave you? Why did it crush them, but fortify you? What great resilience you have! To stare disaster in the face and say (in my most country voice), 'I'm gone' make it anyway." I'm thinking...one of the things that causes me to fight...I mean keep pushing through is the fact that someone, or something has told me that I couldn't. If I wanted to quit, I wouldn't dare give my adversary the satisfaction of winning! I may have a scar or two, or four, or thirteen, or more! But I promise it's just a scar and not a fatal wound. I've been living by this motto...I'm LOL (Living Out Loud) even when there are those who want me to live silently! Anyway, here's the part of my paper that I wanted to share...
"In completing this assignment, there were observations that I made both in understanding the different types of crises, and in considering the different crises that I have experienced. One of the most interesting things that I have found is that when disaster strikes, people will either bind together, or they will tear apart. It is likened unto the fight or flight syndrome. More often times than not, I have found that people will fight together rather than against each other. One of the most memorable tragedies that I have of this very insight is that of Hurricane Katrina. During that time, people were put into the Super Dome for shelter. This meant that the sick were put into a room with the healthy, the honest with the dishonest, and the moral with the immoral. There were numerous accounts of those who were killed in the Super Dome as a result. But even through those situations, the majority of the natives of New Orleans stuck together. Another example of this is found in the tragedy of September 11, 2001 as it brought people together who may have never come together. Through disaster, I have learned that it knows no color, it knows no gender, and it knows no race. Disaster doesn't even know a name. But the rise of those affected by the disaster is predicated upon the strength and resilience that they collectively draw upon in hopes of a brighter future. "

Love You All...MJ

A Heart Condition

2011-09-12T00:55:00.001-04:00

There is something so beautiful about the love of a father. There is a sense of covering and protection, guidance, strength…it’s presence is so powerful. Yet the absence has its consequences. My heart is weighed with compassion for those who couldn’t release themselves to celebrate during this season of honoring fathers. I sense that there are many of you that suffer from heart conditions. Not the type of heart conditions that must be diagnosed by medical doctors through natural devices designed to determine such conditions. But by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. During my quiet time, the Lord placed on my heart that the difficulty that many experience in fully engaging with Him as “Father” is directly associated with the disappointment and hurt experienced by their natural fathers. These disappointments manifest in many areas, whether people are willing to admit it or not. For the man who witnessed and often experienced the wrath of his alcohol and drug induced father…he repeats the cycle with his wife and children. For the man who was sexually abused by the man who was supposed to cover and protect him, namely his father, he now finds himself trying to wash the shame of his wounded masculinity in the bed of virgins. For the woman who’s father walked out and left or was never there…she tries to find the approval of a man through the roller coaster rides of relationships and promiscuity not realizing that the void will never be filled. This list of disappointments can go on and on. I myself have during a season of my life suffered from the same ache and pains in my heart that many of you experience today. It’s an unexplainable grief. A grief of either what used to be, or what never was. But my encouragement to you today is that there will only be peace and inner healing for you as you began to live life through the Spirit. Romans 8:12-16 (NIV) says, “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeed of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba Father.”” Beloved, when you no longer live and play by the rules of the world, you are no longer subject to the effects of the world. By all means, I don’t mean that you do not have to live according to the laws of the world we live in. I am speaking of something much more than that…much deeper than that. It’s the inner healing I’m after today. When you are hurt in an incident, and you desire the pain to go away, do you seek medicinal healing from the thing/one that caused you the pain? Hopefully not. If you do, then there is yet another heart condition that we need to discuss besides this one. But when you have experienced pain, you go to a physician. I’m merely telling you to allow the Great Physician to bring you that healing. When, and not if, He heals you, then the cycle of pain is broken! Do you hear what I am saying? It’s done! You are healed! That comes through life through the Spirit. I encourage you to evaluate your road on life. Are you living according to the nature of the flesh? Then everything your flesh experiences, you will feel; guaranteed. But if you ever step over into the realm of living according to the Spirit, then you can only experience life!

Fellowship...Or The Lack Thereof

2011-06-21T23:52:00.001-04:00

In this season, I believe that there is a lack of fellowship amongst believers which our adversary is using as a weapon to facilitate the great apostasy within the hearts of many. What does it mean to be affected by an apostate spirit? It is a rebelling against, a forsaking or abandonment of what was once believed, a falling away. The word “apostasy” is derived from the Greek word “apostasia” which means to stand away from. This word is also closely related to the noun that is used for a divorce. This is very interesting because the relationship between God and the church is often referred to as a marriage. It is very important that the definition of “apostasy” is fully understood in order to gain strategy in this season to war against it. There is a huge theological debate that has been occurring for years that says that if a person has “fallen away” from what he or she once believed, then they were never really saved initially. Other’s affirm the concept of the sovereignty of God’s grace and that a true believer will never truly fall away. I am not here to debate any theological points. I am simply here to cause you to think. So let’s consider this…anyone that has ever fallen away in any way has done so because he or she was not in fellowship with the right person or spirit. I often hear things like, “I can’t do her/him, I can’t be around everyone, Everyone can’t go with me…” Sound familiar? I know it does to me. I’ve often said it myself! But I really started examining this. I began to hear of more and more people falling away, returning to previous lifestyles, desiring to fellowship with those from their B.C. days rather than fellowshipping with those from their A.D. days. I noticed a commonality in all of those situations; the lack of fellowship with true believers. In the book of Acts, after the Pentecost experience, the people not only devoted themselves to apostolic teaching, but they devoted themselves to the breaking of bread AND prayer (Acts 2). There was unity. And as a result, many signs and wonders followed them. Acts 2:46-47 (NIV) says, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” This is so powerful; that something we disregard as not a necessity is what preceded the adding of saved souls on a daily basis. Did you know that your fellowship could be the life line for someone? Somehow, the church at large has gotten confused with the responsibility to the ministry of reconciliation and the ministry of souls with the promotion of our own “personal ministries” and our desire to remain untouchable or unreachable. We’ve spooked those who may not have a full understanding of church lingo and put up an invisible barrier to those; you stay over there, and I’ll stay over here while yelling across the line anything I think you may need to know. I’m here to say people of God, the more we do this, the more we push those people away into the direction of their adversary. Fellowship is key. Acts 2 demonstrates the power of fellowship. Consider our first mother, Eve, who was in fellowship with the serpent; yet another dynamic of how powerful fellowship truly is. The serpent didn’t steal anything from Eve, and Adam for that matter. He simply talked her into or fellowshipped with her long enough for her to forfeit her rightful place in God. My hope is that we can truly experience unity in the body. Not the kind of unity that brings us to a building where we worship the same God yet can’t stand the person we are sitting next to due to personality idiosyncrasies, where we leave the building and can’t tolerate or stand to be in one another’s presence, where we aren’t truly concerned for our brother and sister throughout the week…That’s not family, although we often mistake it for being such. Many people leave their natural families or have been ostracized by their natural families and want to be accepted by their spiritual family only to be pushed away by those they should be in fellowship with. Pastor’s are walking away. Preacher’s and minister’s are getting caught up in lasciviousness. Babes in Christ are being lured away by wolves in sheep clothing. And the lost are not being won…all because of a lack of fellowship. My thought provoking question for you today is this: If Jesus can sit and fellowship at the table with sinners, why is it so hard for us to sit and fellowship at a table with the saints? Selah.

From Lo-Debar to Jerusalem

2011-05-08T00:08:00.000-04:00

The other night, as I was resting and preparing for bed, I heard the Lord speak one word, "Mephibosheth." It shook my spirit as it has been a while since I had read about the story of Mephibosheth, but knew enough off hand to know this was the story of Jonathan's crippled son. As I began to seek God about this Word and the "burden" I was feeling, the Lord shared a Word with me that I'd like to share with you now and over the course of the next few newsletters. But first, allow me to give you a brief background on the story of Mephibosheth.

According to 2 Samuel 4, Mephibosheth was in the care of his nurse when word came that both his father, Jonathan, and his grandfather, Saul, were slain at Jezreel. The calamity and fear of the on sweep of the Philistines incited terror in Mephibosheth's nurse resulting in her fleeing while carrying him. She fell and consequently Mephibosheth was left permanently lame. They fled to Lo-Debar where Mephibosheth remained until King David, upon learning of his existence, sent for him. Mephibosheth left Lo-Debar at the response to the king's call where he then resided in Jerusalem for 17 years and was a daily guest at the king's table because of the covenant David had with Jonathan.

In reading and studying this text, there are so many truths within this text that scream at me; the temptation for me is to exegete the text. However, the current assignment is in relaying to you the burden the Lord gave me concerning the body of Christ in hopes of bringing edification. The more I sought God about this and the more I pondered, the heavier the "burden" became; The body of Christ has been functioning numb! Understand beloved that numbness is one of the characteristics of crippled conditions. The Church by in large has been functioning crippled and has presented a "dwarf church" which has been dwelling in a place that is not equipped to bring fruit or advancement; a spiritual Lo-Debar. Please note that while the Hebrew texts for Lo-Debar means "no word," the book of Amos adds new vowels making the meaning of the word "a place of nothing" or "not a pasture." But God is sending forth a clarion call to shift the Church out of their place of Lo-Debar into their place of Jerusalem.

Beloved, you are being summoned from a dry place, an unproductive place, a place of numbness to a place of peace, a place where the spirit of God rests, a place where you can receive streams of living water. No longer can you dwell in “a place of nothing.” But God is calling for a shifting to happen. Your “chronos” and “kairos” has made a collision which results in a jolting and an awakening where you “come to yourself” and realize Lo-Debar is not where you belong. The call has gone forth. But the response to the call is the beginning of the shift that is needed.

Reconciliation and The Blood

2011-04-23T02:14:00.000-04:00

During this season, we are mindful of lent as we commemorate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We collectively come together to celebrate the redemption of the shed blood on Calvary. As the songwriter sings..."It reaches the highest mountain, and it flows to the lowest valley. The blood that gives me strength from day to day. It will never lose its power." How can this be? How can the blood have power, the "dunamis" power that transcends any disease, any pain, or any sin? It even speaks on a frequency that human ears can't detect. Understand that blood is the highest acceptable sacrifice because it is the spirit of life. The essence of all life is in the blood. It is the only visible element of the human being that transcends time and space. There is no part of the body that is untouched by it. It is the only moving tissue in the body and it communicates to every other part of the body. It serves as the body's intelligent and alert system. Now I understand why the Word says in John 1:14 that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us... IT WAS MET WITH THE BLOOD! According to Hebrews 4:12 - The Word is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword! Through the blood, we are then reconciled back to God thus making us ministers of reconciliation according to 2 Corinthians 5. Holman Pocket Bible Dictionary says that reconciliation is "bringing together of two parties that are estranged or in dispute. Jesus Christ is the one who brings together God and man, with salvation as the result of the union. Several themes are essential to a biblical understanding of reconciliation. First is a recognition of the need for reconciliation (Rom 5:10; Eph 2:12; Col 1:21). Sin has created the separation and alienation between God and man. Reconciliation assumes there is a need for separation to be bridged and for God and humanity to be restored in right relationship. Second, God is the Reconciler; reconciliation is His work. The incarnation is God's declaration that the initiative for reconciliation resides exclusively with Him (2 Cor 5:19). Third, the death of Jesus Christ is the means by which God accomplishes reconciliation (Rom 5:10). Fourth, reconciliation is a completed work but is still being fulfilled. Although the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ has already procured reconciliation, human beings still receive God's reconciling work and gracious gift by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Fifth, the divine human act of reconciliation serves as the basis for authentic person-to-person reconciliation. Finally, God's reconciling work is in large measure the ministry of the church. In this sense reconciliation is not only a reality of life for believers, but it is also a purpose of their kingdom ministry" (Holman, 301).

With this understanding in mind, we know that the blood of Jesus is able to go deeper and lower than any other person can go, and can reach further than any other arm can reach. The process of reconciliation is in the journey of returning to the Lord. My challenge to you is simple yet thought provoking. What could possibly be causing distance between you and Jesus? What is standing in your way of experiencing the reconciling power of God in its fullness? Maybe it is a lack of trust. Or maybe it is a secret that you have never uttered. Maybe it is fear. Or it could even be sin. Whatever it is, or shall I say whomever is standing in between you and Jesus is delaying (though not denying) your reconciling process. The Spirit of the Lord is beckoning you right now to return. I hear the voice of God whispering in this very moment saying "return to your first love." It's in that moment, while receiving the pure love of Jesus that He can fill any void, heal any hurt, and reconcile you back into a perfected relationship with Him.