Life Can Be More

  There were many crowds that followed Jesus during His ministry. Jesus did so many miracles, preached to so many, and had many followers. The crowd gravitated towards Jesus, and it didn’t matter where He was or how far He had to travel. When Jesus was preaching in the temple at a young age, there was a crowd. When He got baptized, there was a crowd. When a group of friends lowered their friend in front of Jesus, there was a crowd. When He saved the woman from being stoned, there was a crowd. When He healed the woman with the issue of blood, there was a crowd. When he rose up Lazarus, there was a crowd. He fed the five thousand, not including women and children…what a crowd! I could go on, but during Jesus’ ministry, you rarely read about Jesus not having crowds around Him. The “great crowd” that was in Jerusalem before the Passover took palm branches on their way to meet Jesus. (John 12: 12-19). The crowd was shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! B...

  Some people might be thinking, how can I relate to “the Man upstairs”? How can He personally relate to me, a human being, while He is a Supreme Being? First of all, stop using the phrase, “the Man upstairs”. This phrase creates a disconnect between you and God, a way to not have a personal relationship with Him, and a way to keep Him at a distance. Using the phrase, “the Man upstairs” does not give Him the reverence He deserves. It only attributes to Him being “upstairs” instead of the God of the universe, the God who reigns overall, and the God in heaven. And finally, it signifies, you have to go up somewhere to get to Him, when in reality, He came down to us. He sent His Son for us. Do you see the difference? So how can I connect with God and how does He connect with me? Did you know you were made in His image? He formed you in His likeness. (Genesis 1:26-27). Did you know His very breath is in you? His breath is the breath of the living, the author of life. So, when He creat...

  There’s been a main theme that God has been making clear to me in 2024. I realize that the more I ignore it, the more it’s evident in everyday interactions. I try to avoid it, but God is like, “I’m gonna put it in your face until you can’t ignore it anymore”. The other day, a co-worker handed me a gift and shared a sweet encouraging message with me. I immediately heard the song by Marvin Sapp, although I hadn’t heard it in a while, “God’s tryna tell you something…listen”. That song played over and over in my mind. I was driving home that day and I was like “okay God, I’m listening. You got my attention.” I won’t tell you what it is for now but you will know when it happens. Today, I searched for the lyrics and these lines grabbed my attention: “Yes, He is, He’s trying to get your attention right now (God’s tryna tell you something)   I know you got your own plan, but God’s got a better one, ooh (God’s tryna tell you something) Shh, listen” How many times do we do wha...

  Dear Friends, As you enter this new year, my wish for you is to have a year where you CAST OFF, BEHOLD, and PUT ON. Many of you are probably making new year's resolutions and such goals for the year 2024 but would you take some time to CAST OFF, BEHOLD, and PUT ON. Bear with me as I walk you through this. Some of us might have experienced difficulties, challenges, significant events/losses in 2023 leaving us wondering "why?" We did not ask for these things to happen and none of us wished for them to happen but regardless they happened. Did you ever wish that they would have never happened or should have been resolved quickly? I know I did! I want all of us to start this new year with a different perspective. CAST OFF, BEHOLD, and PUT ON. What do these words have in common??  One of the definitions for "cast off" from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary: "to get rid of something because you no longer want or need it". Wow. Go back and read th...

  You probably could tell the story of Jesus being born without even reading the Bible verses as reference. Just go in a store and look at their Christmas inventory. You would find scripture verses, angels, stars, wise men, shepherds, and the ever-famous Nativity scene. What is the significance of the Nativity scene? Can we integrate its importance and significance in our everyday lives? Of course we can! Its meaning is not just for Christmas time, it should be for everyday of our lives. Let’s reflect on the responses from “characters” in this story. Mary, the virgin : I am always amazed at Mary’s response during her visitation with Angel Gabriel and the posture of her heart throughout this story. Her response tells us that she accepted and was willing to be used by God: “I am the Lord’s servant…may your word to me be fulfilled.” Mary realized that her life had a greater purpose and a higher calling during her conversation with Gabriel. She even sang a song during her visit with ...

  I knew God had given me revelation about the trajectory of my spiritual life in a recent dream I had. With prayer, wisdom, discernment, and obedience, I am allowing myself to be trimmed and uprooted by my Heavenly Father. When God decides to uproot you, it means He’s about to plant you in new soil! It’s not easy being uprooted but it’s for our benefit. The season of pruning is where God wants to trim off any excess or trim off dead things. Pruning is not fun in my opinion, but it is very beneficial. Just think about how a tree, plant, or shrubbery looks like after they’ve been pruned…they look a little bare! When we lived in my grandma’s house, there was a crape myrtle tree I liked very much. Every now and then, my Dad would say, “we gotta prune it soon”. I would ask him why and he would respond, “so it could continue to bloom, it’s a little overgrown”. I used to think that doesn’t make sense because it’s already blooming in all its glory. If it gets trimmed, it will look unatt...