A place called home.

Every believer needs a place called home, we were not made to wonder from church to church, group to group. The DNA  of family is in each of us, God has a certain people, tribe, group whatever you want to call it, for you to grow up in. Community allows us to see who we really are. God loves family, it is his idea. He never created us to  to be out on our own, wondering around alone. We  were made to thrive and grow in community. Even if you are not called to work in the church but outside the church walls, everyone needs a place to call home. Slow down and settle down. I know, I know. Some of  you have been hurt by the place you called home, but you know it is a family. Just like in your natural family, you may fight with siblings or disagree with your parents most people usually heal and keep going. And then there those family where the parents may misuse or abuse you, in those moments we learn to love like God loves. We do not have to stay in the house, but we leave them letting them know we love them and we get planted in a family where we are affirmed, encouraged and stretched.

A family encourages you, corrects you, it fights for you, and loves you to life. It is not perfect but you feel like you belong there. The family does not let you settle, the family pushes you to grow, To do more, to heal to be all God has called you to be. Who is your spiritual family? they may meet in a big mega church, in a home or a small store front church. They may meet on wednesday or sunday or monday. Who are the people you have chosen to give parts of your life too? Who have you chosen to be accountable too? To say there are big brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers that i can submit too, who is that to you?

You will know you have found your family, becuase the message of the leaders will resonate with your passion and your calling and all God has called you too. You will feel alive there, not tired or weary. You will be encouraged and pushed to excel. Your family will help you mature and go from glory to glory to glory. Who is your family? Your family they will know your gifts and talents, sometimes even before you do and they will say " you can do it!" "this is you" you where made to soar, you were made for something more.  Within the huge family of Christ, God has given smaller families which plug us into the heart of all God has for the big family .

Soon there will be a family reunion, and we will all be asked what we have brought to the meeting. We will meet with our lord and savior the head of our family. He will then say I gave a life, what did you do with it. Did you learn to love? did you learn to live a poured out life. All that begins with family, community and oneness. If you do not have a spiritual family, ask God to lead you! Remember he leads us into all truth!! He wants you to soar and grow.

It will not be always be easy, but change and growth always comes from friction and a little seed pushing through the ground, and sometimes that Ground comes in the form of people, that help water, nourish as well s push you forward till you are a full oak tree.

Money ain't a thing

I never really talk about about money, but for some reason this morning, I felt a grace and an anointing to right about it. So here goes, Money gives you choices, it gives you access, it gives you freedom. Some people in the body of Christ need to get over the fear of money. The fear of talking about it, and the fear of having it. You are not more holy  or more faithful if you are always believing God for money, or crying out to God for money. They are seasons where we have to trust God for money and seasons where we have to develop our character so he can trust us with more, but where you are right now is not your permanent place. Prosperity of the soul is not just salvation it is prosperity spiritually, emotionally and financially. God calls us to prosper just as our soul prospers, he calls us to live abundant lives. Abundance, comes in knowing him, in knowing our purpose and having the resources to walk in it. The LOVE of money is the issue, when you begin to make money your focus or make money more of a priority than God, or your family then you are headed down a dark path. But God has given us the wisdom to gain wealth as it says in Deuteronomy 18. What wisdom is he releasing to you? what Ideas has he given you?  it is time to break out of the norm and press into all God has for you. He is calling us to the nations and beyond ourselves and he has called us becuase he has already released the provision, we just need to learn how to access it.

Fruitfulness

Relationships are built and sustained through intentionality, commitment, openness, forgiveness and perseverance, apart from that the do not last. I strongly feel God is calling some individuals to reconnect with friends and family through committing to intentionally making it work. Do not let distance, disagreements or frustrations interfere in divine connections.

Life is made of connections, people, & community. Without friends, we can't  fully blossom to be all we are meant to be. It is important to realize the people that are meant to be in your life and those who are not meant to be there. When you do , we will know who to invest your time and energy into. Many people invest there strength and time in friendships that yield no fruit. As people of the vine, everything we do should bare fruit. We are engrafted in to bare fruit. Our friendships, jobs, lives should bare fruit. Friends are the nutrients that help us grow and blossom, toxic friends whether us and cause us to rot from the root. As God to show you the fertilizers, the waters and the sun shines in your life. When you know who they are, make sure you love them, forgive them, cherish them and hold on to them.

One does not need alot of friends, but we all need a few good friends. Friends that will hold us down, when the winds of life are blowing. We are all called to be friends, to be kind, to be gentle and to love well. If we can give this in return. Our papa will have a whole field full of blossoming trees.

Oneness-Power of agreement

One of the man things the enemy is after is the power of agreement. God honors agreement. He honors one accordness (I know i am making that word up) But God is looking for people who will be one. He is looking for a church which will think as one, friends with one passion one purpose, marriages with one heart beating together to release the glory of God. When we come out of agreement, we give the enemy a reason to come in. He looks for opportunities when we are vulnerable, when we are angry, or frustrated to separate us. You know how wolves do; they will look for the weak sheep; separate it from the other sheep and then go in for the kill. That's what  the enemy does, he looks for moments when you and your spouse, friend , or family  are out of agreement, and if you stay apart long enough he will begin to visit the other person and speak lies. You must fight for agreement in your relationships, fight to be one, fight to agree with what God has said in his word. 

Fight for  the words that have been declared over your life even if life does not look like what you thought. Just as you can come out of agreement with friends and family, you can come out of agreement with God's purposes becuase of discouragement or fear or worry. You must Fight to stay one with God, one in spirit, one with his thoughts . My prayer for you is that you will keep  unity of mind and heart not just with one another, but with God the author and finisher of your faith!

Wait and be of Good courage!

In 2010, God called Shami Makonyonga, Natalie Farber and myself to contend for marriages in the body of Christ. He called us to pray for single Christians to get married, couples to have children and for restoration of the family. Many laughed and said "you can't do anything about when your spouse comes" we said "we know, however we are praying against any blocks or hindrances, that would prohibit them from coming, whether in us or in them; We knew we were releasing the agenda of God on earth as it is in heaven. We do not fast and pray to manipulate God, but it does allow us to position our hearts to hear his plans and it shows him our desire for his intervention. Through that fast God encountered over 500 men and women from around the world he has released brokenness and brought reconciliation!

We contended not having anyone in sight, but believing that by 2012 the majority of the people on the line would be married or have children. We prayed in 2010, 2011, and then this year! I AM SO EXCITED TO SAY BY THE END OF 2012 ALL THREE OF US (the leaders of the fast)WILL BE MARRIED, GOD IS FAITHFUL, HE LOVES HIS CHILDREN AND GIVES THEM GOOD GIFTS.
Keep believing, keep rejoicing for others, keep loving well, in Due season you will reap your harvest.

During the first fast he birthed a ministry through us called  Women's international fellowship Encounters (W.I.F.E ). The organization is aimed at helping women develop as mothers, wives and individuals called to impact the world. When God gave us the vision, we had no husbands or children. We cried out to God and said God make our lives a demonstration of your goodness. The lord said" hold the vision and wait," so we did. We are proud to say this  AUGUST  24th and 25th at our first "Marriage Preparation Conference" in Atlanta, we will launch the vision God Gave us almost 3 years ago!! Did I mention God is faithful! He is good, he makes all things new and causes us to prosper. 

"Wipe your tears and put on your dancing shoes, winter has passed and the time of singing has come. Whether it is marriage, children, jobs, ministry , career, health whatever, GOD IS FAITHFUL UNTIL THE END, BELIEVE HIM, WHAT ON HIM. HIS TIME AND WAYS ARE PERFECT!"

Don't give up, Jump!

What a great day! Early in the morning I got an amazing blender delivered to me from my good friend, I love smoothies and this is the best blender ever!! Than God brought a young lady to serve as a lawyer for Warring Ministries and help us finalize our 501c3 status and so on and so forth. I declared early this week, that God was releasing a groove for those that where in ministry, i continue to hear him say "the things that where difficult are becoming easier" as we say yes to the calling on our lives, he is causing things to come together.

Last week I met with one of my mentees Ariel Jackson who is a phenomenal actress and she was in that battle that everyone called do extraordinary things battles with. "Do i settle for mediocrity and go and get another job or do i keep pursuing this thing that the lord has called me to do in arts and entertainment?" when she made the decision to pursue God, when she settled it her mind to keep going forward, doors began to open.

 I know that it has not always been easy, but things are becoming easier. We are on the edge of something huge. And I say "go ahead and push me off! I  want people who will push me when it is time.

Another word the lord has been speaking to me this week is about perseverance, that it is key that we persevere even when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. He is calling us to remember our history with God, he is calling us to remember the faithfulness of God! he is calling us to remember the promises he has spoken over our lives. After you have suffered a little while may he strengthen and establish everything that pertains to you (1 peter 5:12)!

We are on the edge of some major breakthroughs , do not give up, just jump!

Hope does not disappoint

This blog is for those that have been heart broken, those that have been so disappointment that they built a cage in order to keep hope from rising up again. This blog is for those that were so afraid to hope again, just the thought of it made your heart ache. Well i have news for you, Hope is bursting out of that cage called disappointment, is prying it's way out, it must live it must breath, hope is rising!

In order for you to live, you must let hope out, we where made to believe in something bigger than ourselves, we were made to dream. We where made to fly, hope is the vehicle that allows us to fly. Hope says that there is a place we have never been but we can get there, hope says come alive, try again, you can be and have all that you have seen in your sleep. 

Hope calls us closer to our maker, becuase in him we have hoped and believed even if we have not seen him. Hope is who we are. You can choose to keep the cage closed, while life passes by, but hope will always try. It will always say" come on, let's go. Come on jump.." hope is for you, it cause you to develop muscles and inner strength you did not know you had. Hope is what causes you to dust yourself off when you have fallen, hope is what says let's go back to the drawing board.......

 So you see in order to live, hope has to live. I know it is scary out there, i know it is hard, but hope in God does not disappoint. I promise you, it's true. It may not have worked out as you thought, but it will work out even more beautifully. It's possible, it's true for things to turn out better... In order to love, you must choose to love, in order to hope you must choose to hope. Give your heart over to God, he will care for it. He will care for you, so go ahead, try again, believe again, fly again, hope. 

Friends

Relationships are built and sustained through intentionality, commitment, openness, forgiveness and perseverance, apart from that the do not last. I strongly feel God is calling some individuals to reconnect with friends and family through committing to intentionally making it work. Do not let distance, disagreements or frustrations interfere in divine connections.

Life is made of connections, people, & community. Without friends, we can't  fully blossom to be all we are meant to be. It is important to realize the people that are meant to be in your life and those who are not meant to be there. When you do , we will know who to invest your time and energy into. Many people invest there strength and time in friendships that yield no fruit. As people of the vine, everything we do should bare fruit. We are grafted in to bare fruit. Our friendships, jobs, lives should bare fruit. Friends are the nutrients that help us grow and blossom, toxic friends whether us and cause us to rot from the root. As God to show you the fertilizers, the waterers and the Sunshine in your life. When you know who they are; make sure you love them, forgive them, cherish them and hold on to them.

One does not need alot of friends, but we all need a few good friends. Friends that will hold us down, when the winds of life are blowing. We are all called to be friends, to be kind, to be gentle and to love well. If we can give this in return. Our papa will have a whole field full of blossoming trees.

What the world may never know

I asked a question to one of my mentees the other day and that question was this , "if you do not become who God has called you to be, what will the world miss out on? If you allow fear and lies to hold you back from being who God has made you to be what will the world miss out on? what will your family miss out on? You see, the glory of God is released fully when we are who we were called to be and are living in a way God intended us to be. I truly believe that the Glory of God is fully released when we live out loud. Things like self-pity and false humility cause us to down ourselves. But if we could take the time to ask why we do what we do, and ask God to show us who we really are, we can begin to shine. Each of us has something marvelous the world is waiting for, we all have something to give. What you have is not to small or insignificant. You were made to release the glory of God through being genuinely you.

So what does this all have to do with love? The reality of it is that in our pursuit of love often times we connect with people that do not allow us to live out loud, or do not encourage us to kick fear in the face. I have learned that in  life and in love you will be most happy when you have people around you that see who are called to be and push you to get there, you do not want people around you that are satisfied with you being mediocre becuase they are mediocre. In order for flowers to blossom they must surround themselves with other flowers, they must be planted in good soil, and the must be in a place where they are in the sunlight not under other peoples shadows. Lastly, a flower must have someone who knows what kind of flower they are called to be and exactly how much water and sunlight to provide to it. Not just  that,  But the people around that flower must know when to apply fertilize and when to move it to a different pot. A flower can not grow on it's, it needs the help of those around it. Not only to care and nature for it , but to enjoy it's beauty becuase in the fullness of the flower we all embrace the beauty and creativity of God. We too must surround ourselves with those things. we must have others around us that are dreamers and visionaries. In a garden full of flowers, you are still needed, and if you do not blossom, the world will miss out. You maybe that one flower that brings a marriage back together, or consoles a broken heart or lights up a room. Whatever it is, what you have to bring to the world is important. Surround yourself with those that will help you blossom!

Family

Every human being wants to belong, wants to be understood and wants to be loved. Family is a way God created for us to experience those things, however sometimes that is not the case for everyone. I wrote this poem a long time ago and i found it in my writings. God puts the lonely in families, he revives our souls, he longs for us to belong in his family and to fill his love. May you experience the sense of belonging and family as you read this. Even as you reflect on the difficulties of family, may God heal and show you the beauty of it. We are all made for community, no man is an island, we are made for love. 

On family, on home, on the place where you feel like you belong. Behind closed doors, the place where you undress. The place where secrets are made and kept, the place where dreams are breathed into life, or deflated like a an air balloon. Home. Family. Love. Pain. Confusion. Character formation. Support, neglect, u forgiveness, patience, acceptance, anger and loss. Doors close behind you as you enter this world called home. No one out there even knows it. Everything is perfect on the outside. But deep inside you guys fight, holding on to what is right. Some eat together, some pray at night. While others watch mom and dad destroy one another, sister break brother and grandpa disillusion granddaughter by stripping all the innocence she has ever known. Quit and still on the outside. Doors open and truth comes out on the inside.

This very unit created to grow us, sometimes destroys us. Generational curses passed down, maladaptive patterns and manipulation as ways of communication. Only the God of restoration, can take such brokenness and emptiness. He takes a place of brokenness and makes it a place of overflowing goodness. From childhood tragedy, marital conflict, sibling rivalry. He takes it and makes it lovely. After all we are all in one big family, adopted by grace as sons and daughters of righteousness, made in his likeness, redeemed from the fall. Renewed made whole. Family

lean in

Sorry I have not written in a long time, I am in the mist of a transition within a transition. Many beautiful things are happening in my life and I am learning how to manage life. If it can really be managed. It is full of surprises and unexpected things, however I have learned to lean in. Yes, lean in, learn how to hear the small quite voice. 

If a person is unable to hear the direction of the father, they will find themselves walking in circles. As I prepare for marriage, i have had to lean in even closer because now every decision i make is for two. In times past i could just flow, but now i must flow along with my future husband, it really is a joy becoming one. Little by little, bank accounts, friends, finding a home and eventually becoming one. Leaning in, allows you to be able to slow down and speed up not based on your plans but the plans of the lord.  I learned a long time you must learn how to lean and then be flexible so you do not break. God has so much for each of us, and we must learn not to live based on others expectations, but on the expectations he has for you and the ones he has called to walk beside you. Learn to compromise, learn to wait, learn to lean in, it makes life so easier. I am back though, so enjoy the blogs!