Hold on...the Amen Corner

What does amen mean?  It is so, so be it, an acknowledgement of agreement of the truth as it pertains to the Word of God.  I was taught that it is a statement of belief in and truth of God’s word.

With that in mind, as I was rolling down the avenue with my car radio tuned in to a talk show, I heard the guest minister reiterate what the killer at Mother Emmanuel said, he chose the victims not because they were Christian but because they were black and that he was leaving someone alive to tell the story.  As the guest minister concluded, the host of the show responded with, “Amen.”  My opinion was that was NOT an “Amen” moment.  

That was a moment to disagree wholeheartedly with that mode of thinking and then continue the discussion.  Amen should not be used randomly and without thought.

Back to the matter at hand, so many lives have been lost due to gun violence leaving many grieving families and communities as a result of shootings.  We must continue to pray for these families and communities.  The journey ahead is long but we will continue to pray for peace, strength, justice, and God’s guidance.

Amen.

SharB~TTSD

#TakeTheScaffoldingDown

#Blacklivesmatter

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Hold On

As the title of this blog states, Take the Scaffolding Down!  It is time to tear down the scaffolding that surrounds us of racial and social injustice and of the killings.  We are faced with tragedy after tragedy as though it were a plague sweeping our land.  As we are faced with yet another tragedy, our minds and our souls struggle with the realization of another killing that has torn into the heart of families, communities, and our nation.

Grasping the reality of yet another tragic event, those of us with faith in God realize that we must hold fast to the profession of our faith, the Bible says, without wavering.  Truth be told, do these events not cause us to waver? We may waver but as I admonish you, I admonish myself, don’t fall.  Stand fast and fight the good fight of faith.  There is much pain, sorrow, anger, and grief but we must hold each other up and pray for each other.  

Persevere and hold on to the hope and the faith that our efforts and our prayers and our marches and our legislative actions and our calls for justice and change will not be in vain but will reap a harvest of love of peace and of social change so desperately needed.

Prayerfully...

SharB~TTSD
#TakeTheScaffoldingDown

#Scaffoldingdown

#Blacklivesmatter

#Blacktwitter

Stay in the Mix

Yes, you have endured enough.  Yes, you have seen more than enough devastation, and certainly felt enough hurt, and suffered great loss but I encourage you one more time to dig deep into that well of faith and pull out the strength, the courage, and the faith to go on and stay in the mix.

Staying in the mix is like having your finger on the pulse. Put your finger on your pulse…go ahead.  Do you feel the thump thumping?  Of course you do so since you are still breathing and feel that pulse, stay in the mix.  Push through, persevere.

Look at the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8).  She stayed in the mix. Had she not had the sense of urgency coupled with her faith to reach out and touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she would have remained in her broken state.

As you press through the noise of this world, through the distractions, through the difficulties of life that seem to press on you, cry out to God where you will have the opportunity to pour out your heart, draw closer, and strengthen and renew your faith.

These steps help solidify the foundation you need to accomplish your goals and stay in the mix so that you can continue to shine in your part of the world and beyond.  I have found this foundation necessary to be responsive, to be reflective, and to render a positive and productive reaction to the many issues and concerns of the day.

Within your response, consider the outcome.  Utilize your education, experience, and abilities to set your sights on that outcome and let that be your driving force for each step you take, for each hurdle you jump over.  Every step keeps you in the mix and gets you closer to your goal.

I hope this brief word encourages you to stay in the mix and continue to see the outcome and goal you wish to achieve. Whatever task or goal that is set before you go into it with the expectation of a victorious outcome.

SIDEBAR

There was a young mother who suffered from a rare blood disorder requiring regular frequent visits to the doctor for treatments.  Although she was often sick, her driving force on the road to healing was that she would continue her work as a child advocate, participate in her children’s school activities, and see each graduate high school and move on to higher education.  An experimental treatment became available and this young mother was able to participate in its trial.  A miraculous answer to her prayers was soon realized.  After six weeks of treatment, her condition was much improved and many of the medications she had been prescribed were eliminated.  As she persevered through this trying time of her life, she kept her faith in God strong; she kept her family and work central to the outcomes she longed for in life.

Staying in the mix and enduring in the race enabled her to see what she longed for; all three children not only graduated high school but successfully completed and received degrees in higher education.

The moral of the story: Whatever your goal is, whatever your mission is, stay strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

Stay focused.

See the outcome.

Stay in the mix.

SharB~TTSD

#TakeTheScaffoldingDown

#BlackLivesMatter

#BlackTwitter