About This Blog

It is an honor that you have decided to come to my blog and read the thoughts and reflections that accompany my journey with Christ. Psalms 45:1 declares ...I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue [is] the pen of a ready writer. I pray that as you read and reflect on the words written here, the Holy Spirit will minister to you as I journal experiences from my life and ministry. MAY ALL GOD'S BLESSINGS BE YOURS, FOREVER. - ASW

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Thursday, June 17, 2010

THE FLOWERS

THE FLOWERS

Life has a way of teaching you lessons that you will never forget.  Today I'm reflecting on many things, and one is this picture of the beautiful flowers I received by surprise one day while at the office.  I was very surprised to get them, but even more surprised when I read the card about who sent them.  They were from some friends I met on the internet years ago. 

The Lord allowed me to share the gospel with her, and after receiving Christ as her personal Lord and Savior, her husband did also.  As events would have it, we spoke often on the phone and shared many conversations about life and about the love of Jesus.  All of this was initiated because of me doing videos on youtube.  I've learned a valuable lesson in this and that is, it is important to obey God even when it seems insignificant.  Who would have thought that a video could save a soul?  Why do I say save a soul?

Yesterday I got a message.  Her long time friend, and husband had informed me that she was having some health issues and that because of her complications she passed away.  The last time I heard from her was when she sent me these beautiful flowers.  The flowers have long withered, but I did take a picture that I'll value in my heart.  Life is like my flowers.  We may wither away with the passing of time, but prayerfully we will leave behind the memories of our lovely scent.  Joy does come in the morning. This morning, I'm remembering The Flowers, and the life that was changed through obedience.  Thank you Lord for sharing Christie with us, for just a moment. 

He Warned me About the Storm


Even though your winds blow
I want you to know
You cause me no alarm
Cause I'm safe in his arms
Even though your rain falls
I can still make this call
Let there be peace
Now I can say go away
I command you to move today
Because faith I have a new day
The sun will shine--I will be okay
That's what I told the storm!

I told the storm to pass
Storm you can't last
Go away - I command you to move today
Storm - When God speaks 
Storm-  You've got to cease
That's what I told the storm!

Wind stop blowing!
Flood stop flooding!
Lightning stop flashing!
Breakers stop dashing!
Darkness go away!
Clouds move away!
That's what I told the storm!

Death can't shake me!
My job can't make me!
Bills can't break me!
Disease can't take me!
Enemies can't drown me!
Cause my God surrounds me!
That's what I told the storm!

I'm so glad that the Lord warned be about the storm.  One Sunday, I was getting ready for service and I heard thunder clashing outside.  For a second, I had a human moment and said, "Maybe I should not try to go to service today, because it sounds like its going to really pour today."  Of course reason over ruled and said no, so I continued to dress.  The sky was very dark and it was very humid, the perfect signs that a storm was on the way.  The winds had even began to pick up as we went into the sanctuary.  It was youth day, and I had promised my sister (who is the youth pastor at her church) that I would be there to support her.  

We went on with the service, and she was led by God to call me up to the pulpit to have words.  God is amazing.  I began to exhort the congregation about the storm.  I referenced how Jesus had to command the winds and the waves to be still as He spoke peace over the tumultuous waters.    Then the minister-in-training, who was scheduled to give inspirational words, spoke from the SAME text, same topic, same illustrations that God had given her the night before.  We knew without a doubt that the word of the Lord was going forth and we had better give an ear to hear what He had to say.  

Were we in a storm in that moment?  No.  God just used the weather to speak to us concerning the storm.  But the following weeks would prove to be challenging and God was speaking prophetically into our situations.  I won't go into what everyone's storm was, but mine was challenging at best.  In fact, the winds are still blowing.  I've had news of death, separations, financial threats, family issues, and even health concerns but all are just a part of life.  I'm determined to "get to the other side."  



Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Writing because...

This time I'm going to just write. I guess we can call it free-styling about random thoughts. Here goes:

I am ...sitting here looking out of the window and wondering if its going to rain the rest of the day. Its pretty dark outside and there is a lot of moisture in the air. It rained this time yesterday too.
The phone rings-
I'm back.
I'm still a little tired from my weekend trip to Houston. I flew out on Saturday evening to minister for a Sunday morning service. I'm still amazed at how God did all that in such a short time but to sum it all up, I got a call Monday. By Wednesday I had been sent plane tickets, and by Friday evening all the Hotel arrangements were settled. I spent the rest of Friday packing and preparing. Saturday, I woke up early to hear from God, work on the message I was to deliver, and then ran a number of errands before driving myself to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth airport. Then, my pace picked up considerably as I went through baggage claim, a flight into Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and finally landing in Houston's Hobby airport. My hosts picked me up in a nice car and drove me to get a bite to eat and then to my hotel. HOUSTON IS HOT! It is "don't even bother to curl your hair, because it will be in vain" hot! It was hot at 11:00p.m. which is what time it was when I finally got settled. I think I went to sleep with my lap top, my bible, some notes, while laying fully dressed across the bed. When I woke up the next morning, I just picked up where I had left off.
The next morning I noticed that there was no iron in the room, but my hosts brought me one from their home, and I was set. I ironed and prepared my "after service" outfit, and continued to prepare for the service. Interestingly enough, I do this "preachy prayer" thing. I'll explain because I know I made that terminology up. Well it's like I pray and preach at the same time and this usually takes place before I have to preach. I subconsciously did it the entire flight, but nobody heard me thanks to the enormous roar of the engines on the plane. As I continued to dress and preachy pray *giggles* I felt ready to deliver the word God had for His people.
Pulling up to the church, I got a feeling of security as the Lord reassured me that He was going to definitely "show up" in the service, so that made it easy to walk in with confidence and a big smile. The church was very gracious and they took great care of me. That's always a plus because nobody HAS to be nice. GOD DID AS HE PROMISED! I can still see the faces of the souls at the altar, and I'm so grateful that He uses me as His vessel.
After the service we went to an awesome restaurant called "The Boiling Crab" and had boiled crawfish and snow crab. DIVINE! I met a really nice woman of God and we giggled about both being from Louisiana. We had a blast as we ate, told good humored jokes, and shared from our personal experiences in ministry. Then, my body told me that it was on "the come down" and that I needed to get some rest. The come down is what I experience after having been "high in the Spirit of God from being in His presence, preaching the word, and ministering to His people." So, my hosts drove me to a hotel and I had quick nods of sleep the way there.
Although I was tired, I was so relieved, blessed, and still excited to have another opportunity to pursue my life's purpose- preaching the gospel to the nations. Finally, I drifted off to sleep and prepared for an early morning.
My alarm sounded at 4:00a.m. but I hit snooze for another fifteen minutes. Afterward, I jumped up and prepared for a busy day. I caught a red eye out of Houston, landed at D.F.W., flew into Birmingham, drove myself to work, put some time in at the office, and drove home. There I met up with my god-sister and we went to grab a bite to eat before retiring for the evening.
It's the day after, and I still feel jet lag. But I'd rather be tired from walking in my destiny than from exhausting my days roaming around trying to figure it all out. LIFE IS SWEET, GOD IS GOOD, JESUS IS MY JOY!

ASW