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What Have You Done For Me Lately?

Hello World!

Check my title. Remember this Janet Jackson song? If you don’t, let me refresh your memory…It was megahit song from Janet Jackson’s Control (1986) album and her first hit on both the pop and R&B charts according to Wikipedia. This song is about a woman’s growing dissatisfaction with her man as she realizes that all of the nice stuff he did for her was becoming a distant memory hence the question, “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”

I imagine that in many, if not most, romantic relationships, somebody is asking that question at some point…But what about our relationship with the Lord…I wonder if the Lord asks that question from time to time about me or about you…I would guess the short answer is yes. If you’re anything like me, you find yourself offering prayers to God that sound like this…”Lord, give me favor with my boss” or “Lord, get me a book deal” or “Lord, who is the one you have for me?” And I believe the Lord does want us to come to Him with all kinds of requests (Ephesians 6:18). So those type of prayers are not wrong…But sometimes, I know the Lord must tire of us asking Him to do things for us…Sometimes, He must want to yell, “What have you done for me lately?!”

Obviously, as mere human beings, there is nothing that we can do for God that He cannot do for Himself, but like the woman in the Janet Jackson song, I’m sure that He wants our actions in the present to demonstrate our love for Him…Now here is the caveat. Usually acts of love require sacrifice…This post reminds me of a story from my childhood and a comparable story in my early ’20s…When I was a little girl, I was taught that I should become a Christian or “give my heart to the Lord,” but I once famously told my Sunday School teacher that “I was not done being bad yet!” I also did not want to be a missionary…I met some missionaries as a child, and it sounded like hell on earth to be in some hut in a faraway rural country proclaiming  God’s world… and they were always begging for money to support the mission too…it just was not appealing to this city girl who even refuses to go camping unless there is an air-conditioned cabin involved…As a child, I had this nagging fear that the Lord was going to call me to be a missionary, and I wanted no parts of that…I remember when I worked as an intern at a Baptist newspaper right after college, and we ran a story about some missionaries in Buckhead (yes in the north of the A)…I chuckled to myself as I read the story…Now, if the Lord wants me to be a missionary to the affluent, I could certainly do that, I said to myself..

But back to the dreaded sacrificial acts of love….What should our sacrificial acts of love be? I think these verse offers some direction…

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:35-39

Acts of sacrificial love, I believe, involve doing things to help others.

My mother just came back from Jamaica where she spent a week helping to facilitate a Vacation Bible School that had over 200 children each night…And my mother and her team stayed in accommodations that did not have air conditioning…Say what? My mother adores children so I’m sure that is was so much fun for her, but I think it was a sacrifice too…one that required her to give up air conditioning, energy, my father and her adoring daughter (me) and sons, her schedule, etc…I’m sure the Lord was pleased…At some point, I hope I work up the courage to do a short-term mission trip…Yeah, I said it…I have no inclination to be a long-term missionary…

But even if you do not decide to travel to a faraway country in an act of sacrifice, I am sure there are things we can do in our own neighborhood and corner of the world to demonstrate our acts of sacrifice and love for the Lord…Have we given money to some worthy mission?  Are we volunteering for a ministry at our church? Do we allow time in our schedule for “divine appointments?” A divine appointment is an appointment that you did not plan for that day that may involve you spending an hour talking to someone that needs your insight when you planned to do something or be somewhere else. Have you given a ride to someone who needs it?

If you’re anything like me, it is so easy to think about all of my goals and dreams for my life –and many of them include goals I have for the kingdom of God…But I don’t think that God is pleased when my life becomes singularly about accomplishing about my goals…sometimes I have to just put aside my goals for a moment or longer and just be available to whatever God wants me to do at the moment – whether or not it gets me any closer to my goals…

And here’s a hint…whatever you or I decide to do, I don’t think we have to tell others if we can help it…I think God is especially pleased when we do things for Him when only He is watching…

3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 3:3-4

Anywho, as I go throughout my day today, I will be thinking of my acts of sacrifice…What about you?

Any thoughts?

Check out Paula Abdul in this video! And remember the dance “The Snake?” They were gittin’ it in this video, lol!

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Thank God for Freedom…

 

  

Hello World!!!

My prayer for me and you today is that we thank God for those who have sacrified their time, talent, resources and lives that we may be free today…

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  

Galatians 5:1 (New International Version)

 

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What’s on Your Summer Reading List 2010?

Hello World! 

Although summertime is the best time to hang out and have fun, it’s also the best time to relax with a good book…preferably on a white sand beach…fruity drink in hand…boo reclining next to you…

Since I’m an unabashed, lifelong bibliophile, let me share some of the books that I plan to peruse this summer…

1. “Have You Seen Her?” by Chicki Brown.  

 If she’d stayed any longer, her husband would have killed her.

 Frantic to escape his drug-induced brutality, socialite Marcia Hadley escapes Santa Barbara and flees to Atlantic City. She’s sold everything she owns, rents a seedy inner city apartment and attempts to disappear as Dani Reynolds, cocktail waitress at Frenzy, a neighborhood nightclub.

 Taylor Villanova, the club’s sexy multi-racial bouncer recognizes her naiveté and volunteers to teach her about surviving in the “hood.” Fearful and suspicious of men, Dani is at first repelled by his violent profession yet drawn to the compassionate nature that contradicts Taylor’s macho persona. But when her well-laid plans go awry, and Dani discovers someone is following her, she must put her complete trust in Taylor. Her time is running out.

I must confess Chicki Brown is one of my writer friends, and I am so proud of her! This e-book is available on Amazon, but you don’t have to buy a Kindle to read it. You can download the Kindle app for FREE for your PC or phone!

2. “A Woman’s Revenge” by Tiffany L. Warren, Sherri L. Lewis and Rhonda McKnight. 

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. “A Woman’s Revenge” contains the tales of revenge served up cold by three of your favorite Christian fiction authors. Will their desires for revenge take them too far?

I heard each of these authors read an excerpt of the book at the Faith & Fiction Retreat held in the A two weeks ago, and this book sounds like a perfect book to escape into on the beach…

3. “Bitch is the New Black: A Memoir” by Helena Andrews.

Political reporter Andrews assembles 16 autobiographical essays exploring her unconventional upbringing, academic and professional accomplishment and the challenges of being a successful, single black woman in Washington, D.C. The scathingly witty author examines a wide variety of topics that, beneath the jokes and sarcasm, address weighty issues (depression, aging, abortion) with wry astuteness. The “bitch” referred to in the title is an allusion to the tough veneer-perhaps subtly survivalist-that Andrews claims is necessary for a black woman who is often the only black woman in school or at work.

I first heard about this book at the “Why Can’t a Successful Black Woman Find a Man?” debate. Andrews was a featured audience member at the debate and was introduced to everyone. Apparently, Shonda Rhimes, executive producer of “Grey’s Anatomy,” has purchased the rights to the book and will produce a film based on it…Obviously I’m impressed. The title alone makes this book a must read…Read a good profile on Andrews here.

4.  “The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress” by William Jelani Cobb.

For acclaimed historian William Jelani Cobb, the historic election of Barack Obama to the presidency is not the most remarkable development of the 2008 election; even more so is the fact that Obama won some 90 percent of the black vote in the primaries across America despite the fact that the established black leadership since the civil rights era—men like Jesse Jackson, John Lewis, Andrew Young, who paved the way for his candidacy—all openly supported Hillary Clinton. Clearly a sea change has occurred among black voters, ironically pushing the architects of the civil rights movement toward the periphery at the moment when their political dreams were most fully realized.
How this has happened, and the powerful implications it holds for America’s politics and social landscape, is the focus of The Substance of Hope, a deeply insightful, paradigm-shifting examination of a new generation of voters that has not been shaped by the raw memory of Jim Crow and has a different range of imperatives.
Jelani Cobb is one of my Facebook friends, and his status updates are always thought provoking and often hilarious.
5. “Destined” by Patricia Haley.
Brother battles brother for ultimate control of their father’s multimillion-dollar ministry in the captivating second novel from #1 Essence bestselling author Patricia Haley’s provocative new series inspired by the biblical kings David and Solomon.

Don Mitchell thought he’d left DMI headquarters behind forever when he fled to South Africa after his dying father chose his younger, inexperienced half brother, Joel, to run the thriving family business. But after three years of self-imposed exile, he has returned to take over DMI at the gentle urging of beautiful Abigail, who was once his father’s assistant. His brother, Joel, plagued by a slew of illicit affairs and poor judgment, is plunging the business into ruin, and Don’s plans to secretly assume control of the ministry come into question when his estranged sister refuses to help him. Don must decide whether to face down his power-hungry brother to save the ministry his father worked so hard to build—and take a chance on an unrequited love he never dreamed Abigail would reciprocate—or return to South Africa to find refuge in his own thriving company and the budding romance he left behind. After much soul searching, Don comes to realize that his destiny is inescapable. Patricia Haley’s evocative modern-day interpretation of these popular biblical tales will keep readers riveted until the stunning conclusion.

“New York Times” best- selling author Kimberla Lawson Roby is Haley’s  first cousin and recommended the book!

6. “The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life’s Storms” by Kirk Franklin.

Seven-time Grammy® Award-winning Kirk Franklin did not start out with a “blueprint” for his life. Before the age of four, he and his sister were abandoned by their parents. His sister became a crack addict, but Kirk always knew he had to find another way, even without a positive example to model himself after. Now Kirk provides an inspiring blend of faith and grit, serving up wisdom on provocative topics, including:
•The true definition of manhood
•Why faith that only takes place in a church is dead
•Sex and the responsibilities of parenthood
•What it means to be “Christian moderate with swag” in the 21st century
and more.
The Blueprint takes faith out of the pews and delivers it into the real lives of all who struggle.

I met Kirk Franklin several years ago in Nashville at a gospel music convention, and he was really a down-to-earth, nice man!

7. “Losing My Cool: How a Father’s Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip-Hop Culture” by Thomas Chatterton Williams.

A pitch-perfect account of how hip-hop culture drew in the author and how his father drew him out again-with love, perseverance, and fifteen thousand books.

Williams is the first of his generation to measure the seductive power of hip-hop against its restrictive worldview, which ultimately leaves those who live it powerless. Losing My Cool portrays the allure and the danger of hip-hop culture like no book has before. Even more remarkably, Williams evokes the subtle salvation that literature offers and recounts with breathtaking clarity a burgeoning bond between father and son.

Most of the music that is being passed off as hip-hop today is really just the soundtrack for what appears to be a slow genocide of our young black men and women…Maybe I’m just getting old…At any rate, this book is so necessary…

So what are you reading this summer? Let me know because I can never read enough books…And hopefully one day, I will join the ranks as a published book author 🙂

Any thoughts?

Below is the trailer for Chicki Brown’s book. Check it out…