Do You Love Jesus But Still Cuss A Little?

A few months ago, I saw a meme floating around social media that literally broke my heart. I screen shot it and held on to it because my spirit just wouldn't let it go. I was hurt! Every now and then I would look at it and ask God, "WHY, Lord? Why would anyone who loves you say something like this? Why do people insist on making the Christian life look like a circus and Jesus look like some clown?"

I knew the time would soon come when I'd write about it because every day, my heart grew heavier and heavier at just the thought of how many times the meme was "liked" and shared. Then, just the other day, I ran across a picture of a t-shirt that is very much like the meme, and it bothered me SO MUCH that I was on the verge of tears in prayer.

 

 

As I talked to God about it, I cried out for those who merely love Him with their lips but have hearts that are far from Him. And shoot...after reading the memes, I wondered, "Do they even love Him with their lips?"

 

Since the meme, and even more since having seen the picture of the t-shirt, a slew of questions have been pounding away at my heart. Why do we, who claim to love Jesus, glory in the fact that we still knowingly and voluntarily behave contrary to what He desires of us? Why do we knowingly and voluntarily do what He tells us not to do?

I understand that we don't get saved and give our lives to The Lord and get delivered from everything all at once. I get that. And I know that some things in our lives take more time than others to be completely surrendered unto the Lord. I know that we are daily "working out our salvation" as The Word says we should, but when did it become okay to flaunt that we engage in acts of sin? When did it become okay to make sport of our unwillingness to live and walk as He says we should?

To say, "I love Jesus BUT..." says quite a bit.
Those words alone are evidence that we know loving Him requires more of us. When we say BUT, we acknowledge that what comes after the BUT isn't pleasing to Him, and that it does not represent who He is. It's like saying, "I know I shouldn't eat these cookies, BUT..." You know that you've been working hard to lose weight and your personal trainer said that cookies are out of the question. You want the cookies, and even though you know you shouldn't eat them, you eat them anyway. You know that what's on the other side of the BUT is no good for you, but you do it anyway. You let the cookies win, and at that moment, you show that the cookies have the power. The cookies have control.

When we say, "I love Jesus, BUT I cuss a little and will cuss you out," we say that sin has more of a hold on us than the Jesus who we claim to love does.
We say, without saying (which really says it all), that sin is our master and that it has the power to rule over the Jesus who we claim we love. And that shouldn't be. When we've given our lives to Jesus and said that we want to live for Him, sin SHOULD NOT be our master. (Sin, in its simplest explanation, is anything we say, think, or do that does not please God.)

Romans 6:14 - "For sin shall not be your master because you are not under law, but under grace."
Romans 6:18 - " You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

God's word tells us to be self-controlled and temperate (Titus 3). It tells us to not let any unwholesome speech come from our lips but only what is helpful for building others up. The Word of God tells us to get rid of rage and malice, and to be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:29-32). When we lose control and allow rage and malice to take over and "make us cuss", sin has become the master.

Jesus says, in John 14:15, "If you love me, you'll obey my commandments." That's it. It's plain. We don't show Him we love Him by simply saying we love Him. It doesn't work that way. He sees our love for Him when we do what He tells us to do. Love is an action word, and He showed it first with the ultimate display of love--death on a cross so we could have life. He showed His love for us and now requires that we demonstrate our love for Him. One way we demonstrate our love for him is by taming our tongues.

We want those who love us to show that they love us. We're not okay with them just saying they do, especially those of us in relationships with a significant other. When those who say they love us don't show it, or do anything contrary to what love looks like, we question that love. Others may even see that their "love" doesn't look like "love" based on their actions. Why should our love with Jesus be any different?

What do others think when they see someone who "loves" Jesus not "loving" Jesus, but doing things and saying things that look like they don't even know Him?
We not only have a responsibility to "love" Jesus, but we have a responsibility to show others what the love of Jesus looks like. If you have given your life to Christ, know that there are people who are specifically assigned to you. God has them strategically placed throughout your life's walk to learn from the life you live. Lead them in righteousness by living a life that pleases God. I urge you, if you love Him like you say you do, SHOW it in how you live for Him. SHOW it in how you obey Him. Love Him for real.

By all means, continue to work out your salvation and allow the Lord to captivate your heart and gain complete control over sin in your life, but please, for the REAL love of God, don't blast your sin to the world like it's okay. Don't parade your voluntary, I'm-gon'-do-it-anyway sin and become a stumbling block for those who may be watching you as Christ's representative. We all have struggles that are worth sharing, but we share our struggles when they'll benefit someone else, and we share them when we stand on the other side of them so others can see how we came through and how we overcame. Talk about your struggles when you can let the world know how God delivered you. Let them hear about what the struggle WAS to show them that they, too, can be free from their own struggles. Until then, take your sin to The Lord, and let Him have it. There are lives at stake! Others' lives could change based on the way we live ours!

When we sin, we should have Godly sorrow, and Godly sorrow doesn't boast in displeasing God. A heart that really loves God suffers and breaks when it knows it's not pleasing to God. That heart...that life...wouldn't dare stand boldly before God and say, "Lord, I love you. And I know you sacrificed and died for me, and you provide for, protect, guide and love me unconditionally, but I'm gon' live any kind of way and drag your love through the mud."  The heart that loves God cries to Him to change it so it can look more like Him and so it can not only look like it loves Him, but SHOW that it loves Him. It wants its actions to line up with who He is. It wants to go and hide under a rock if it doesn't! The last thing it wants is to post its sin--its voluntary, I'm-gon-do-it-anyway sin--on the mountaintop for all the world to see.

When Christ lives in me, and I develop His mind and His way of thinking as my own, I should WANT to live like Him. When I love Him, I look like Him. When He truly lives in me, the words that come out of my mouth represent Him.

I'll close with this last meme. I was so glad when I saw it. It was my glimmer of hope. It was a sweet reminder that there are those who labor with me...with us...who honor God's word and love Him with not just our lips but with our actions. There are those of us who know that cussing a little could hurt a LOT. We know that "going off on people" doesn't represent Christ. We know that fits of rage exhibit a lack of self-control, and we refuse to engage. We refuse to join those who take part in the Christianity Circus because we prefer the Christ-Like Kingdom! Will you join us?

Ooooh, Siri...

I have been having quite a time with Ms. Siri lately! My LORD!

I remember when I became an "iPhoner" and how I REFUSED to use Siri. It felt weird to ask "someone" the things that I was accustomed to looking up or getting some other way on my own. Part of it, too, was that I just hate acclimating myself to new technology. I didn't want to give 'ole girl a chance because I was a little aggravated with the differences between iPhone and Droid. I was spoiled and just wanted to talk, text, and search the way I always had. (I thought I would DIE because I couldn't swype when I texted! "Tap tap" texting was not my style.)

I had a phew iPhone phanatic phriends who would tell me over and over that my life would be easier if I just let Siri set my appointments and guide me where I wanted to go. They told me that I'd save so much time if I just told Siri to call Billisha or call Chantel. I wouldn't have to use both hands and totally take my eyes away from doing something else. I could speak into the phone and work on something else at the same time.

They literally showed me what to do. My friend, Aiesha (the Apple guru supreme), met me at my house the day I bought my iPhone to give me a tutorial. I mean, I was SET! But it still took me a while to get into "talking" to Siri. I wasn't feelin' that chick.

Eventually, I got into the hang of telling Siri what to do, and I grew accustomed to her coming through pretty much every time. If she didn't get my request 100% correct, she got me close enough that I was able to figure the rest out. She set appointments and made reminders perfectly, and to this day, she has reminded me of everything I've ever asked her to.

...and we were good up until about a week ago until Siri started straight TRIPPIN'!

I wasn't doing anything different. I wasn't making any strange requests. I would set appointments and reminders, and like I said, those were made with 100% accuracy, but one day I held down that button and asked, "Where are the one-hour cleaners in my area?"

This was not an unusual question, and you would think she would know "my flow" since we've been kickin' it for about 2 years, but she didn't answer the question accurately at all! So I asked her again in a different way. And another time...

I got NOTHING...nothing that I could use anyway.

This one-hour cleaners request was like the 3rd request that week that Siri just couldn't come through on. Before I knew it, I was engaging in a conversation with the Siri that I remembered, at that moment, I never really wanted to become too dependent on in the first place. Our "conversation" went like this:

And no sooner than I read that last one, I heard the Lord say to me, "She's not your source for direction."

I sat the phone down and just smiled. It was such a sweet and gentle reminder. The Lord just stopped me cold and reminded me to look to Him for direction. NO, not for directions to a one-hour cleaners. NO, not for directions to a store or as my navigation to some place I'd never been before, but as my direction in life.

I could never ask Siri, "What was I created to do?"  OR "What's my life's purpose?" and get an answer that would satisfy me. She wouldn't be able to answer that question because she didn't create me. I could never ask her how I should go about fulfilling my life's purpose because she didn't create me with purpose in mind. She doesn't know the path I should take because she doesn't know my destination. But God does.

Psalm 139

13 For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

When I think about how God created me with purpose in my mother's womb, I'm reminded of why I MUST seek HIM for direction.

When I hear Jesus say in Matthew 10:30 that the hairs on my head are all numbered, I'm reminded of why I MUST seek HIM for direction.

When I see how God gave me particular gifts and skills to be used SPECIFICALLY for fulfilling the purpose He created me for, I'm reminded of why I MUST seek HIM for direction.

He's the manufacturer who knows just how His "product" should work. Me seeking after anyone or anything else for the answers would be a waste.

I was so grateful for that reminder. I'm grateful that my hope isn't in Siri for life's questions. I'm glad my purpose destination isn't in her hands. If it were in her hands, or anyone else's for that matter, those 2 minutes of frustration I experienced with her could very well be a lifetime--no answers, no direction, no destination--just aimlessly wandering about.

Can you imagine asking Siri a pressing life question and getting this response?

That's the response I got to a question today.

But if I ask Jesus, though...

Ask Him those life questions. I bet He can make it real clear. No one else (and nothing else) has the answers for your life. You were created with a purpose, and the manufacturer knows how His "product" should operate and where it should go. Let Him be your source for direction.

Unexpected Blessings from Strangers Unaware

Some Saturdays ago, I was having a lazy day at the house with NO plans of going out...AT ALL...for ANYTHING! I just wanted to bask in the nothingness of having nowhere to be at some appointed time, and the joy of having no papers to grade.

It wasn't until I had a craving for something that wasn't in my kitchen that I ended up going out. I threw on some jeans and one of my "look good with anything" jackets, and to Smoothie King I went. (Their Apple Kiwi Kale is AMAZING!)

As I was leaving Smoothie King, I thought of some things that I should pick up from the grocery store since I was already out. I had to pass the grocery store to get home, so why not stop? I ran in, got what I needed, and got back in the car to make the less-than-3-minute drive back to my house.

I turned the key in the ignition, but the car wouldn't start. I didn't even give it a second thought to just go ahead and start it up again because my car, in all of its 10 years with me, had NEVER given me any major problems. Outside of regular maintenance, it's been good to me. I knew nothing was wrong. I was even a little arrogant about it. I said to my friend who I was on the phone with the whole time, "I'm just gon' give it few minutes. I'm gon' sit here and just let her chill for a second and I'll try again."

I waited.

Then, after about 5 minutes, I tried to start the car up again, and nothing. That time, I noticed that the battery light was flickering a little on the dash when I tried to start it. And so it was. My battery had died right there in the grocery store parking lot. I couldn't believe it.

If it wasn't so cold that night, I would've walked right on home and had someone go and take care of the car the next day. That would've been the perfect solution, I thought. But my friend convinced me to just find someone with jumper cables, let them get my car started, and get the car to my house, at least. After sitting in the car for a bit, talking about how to do what to do, I finally decided to go into the grocery store to Customer Service and see if they could help me find someone who could get me going.

I told the young lady behind the counter that I was gonna stand right there for a second, in a place where I could see lots of customers moving about, because I needed to find someone who had some jumper cables.

She said, "I have some in my car." 

I squealed! I said, "Giiirl, no you don't!"

She laughed and said, "I do. My grandmother just made me put them in my trunk too."  She told me to just hang tight for a second while she finished up what she was doing. When she finished, she looked around and said, "Now we just have to find somebody to jump it."

I don't remember if the young man came along while we were still in the store or if we met him outside, but I just know that when we got outside to the girl's car, he was right there, ready to do whatever he needed to do to get my car started.

We got the jumper cables from her trunk, and as she was closing the trunk, a woman and her daughter who were parked right next to her said, "Y'all need  a jump? You can use this thing my husband put in here."

She went to the back of her truck and pulled out a jumper cable box. She said that her husband had just put it in her truck THE DAY BEFORE because the truck had stopped on her a few times before. The woman and her daughter handed the box on over to the young man who was ready to help. He got right to my car, hooked up the cable, and got the car started. Unfortunately, the start up was too weak for me to even get the car in reverse.  It died after about a minute or two.

I had to call someone.

I didn't want to call my brother in Christ who is sort of like a father figure because I knew after working long hours Tuesday - Friday, he loves being able to work a short day on Saturday at Manny's Service Center. Plus, he works on cars all day. I didn't want to call him to come and work on ANOTHER car. He was the last person I wanted to call, but he was the first person to come to mind.

I called him.
I explained what was going on.
He finished what he was doing at the shop.
He came to rescue me.

He had a nifty little jumper box that he uses at the shop. That thing couldn't have been bigger than a Nintendo DS! It started my car right up and had her purring like her first day. I had already determined after everything that had happened and NOT happened that I was going straight to O'Reilly Auto Parts, get the battery changed, and THEN go home. I had already called the store to make sure they were still open. They were scheduled to close in an hour.

                                                         

My brother followed me over there, assisted me in the store to make sure I got a good battery and new plugs or something they said I needed on top of the battery (I'm sure that term is wrong. Ha! Whatever!), and even helped the O'Reilly technician get my new battery in the car.  He didn't leave until the job was complete and I was in my fully operational car.

I was beyond grateful for the love God showed me through those people that night. I was COMPLETELY taken care of from the beginning to the end of the ordeal. I didn't even have an opportunity to become scared or frantic.

When I got home after it all, I clearly heard the Lord tell me to thank the young lady and the young man at the grocery store. He told me to love on them with His love and encourage them to continue to love others with their service. When they give of themselves as willingly as they did, they show God's kind of love to others even if they don't know Him. That was my main point in their Thank You cards. And per God's instruction, inside each Thank You card was a Walmart gift card. I couldn't wait to give it to them! I couldn't wait for them to experience the gratefulness that comes with unexpected blessings from strangers unaware.

 


I went back to the grocery store a couple times in the next couple weeks, but I didn't see either of them. One Saturday, though, I hit the jackpot. They were BOTH working! I gave them what I had for them and asked if they'd mind taking pictures with me to commemorate the experience. They didn't mind at all.

 

I only know their names because I asked. I didn't even have to know. Knowing them didn't matter. I may not ever see them again, and that won't matter either. (When I took the picture with the young man, he told me that he would only be working there a few more days. Umph, umph, umph...) What mattered was that moment. What mattered was that time. What mattered was pure, genuine humanity--the sheer desire to help others in their time of need. I haven't been the same since that experience, and I never will be. I'm grateful that God chose me to have the dead battery that night. I'm grateful to have learned a lesson in love that night--love that's shown through service.

Let the Poinsettia Speak

Just recently, I hosted a dinner party at my house. Although I'm not huge on traditional decorations for Christmas like lights and a tree and all the other bells and whistles (I don't decorate at all, really), I did decide on the traditional, seasonal Poinsettia for the centerpiece on the dinner table since we were in the Christmas season. It was the perfect finishing touch. It added that special spunk to the table's décor.

Some days prior to the dinner as I was getting everything in place, I sat the Poinsettia on the table for the first time. I noticed that there was an open space on one side of the plant that looked like it could use one or two more flowers and a few more leaves to make it look more full. It wasn't as plush as I thought it could've been. So I began to gingerly fluff and gently pull and reposition some of the blossoms and leaves with hopes of filling the gap. There wasn't much I could do, of course, because the plant had already grown as it should and it was potted for its final presentation. It was as it would be. If I wanted to do any rearranging to fill a gap, I'd need to repot the plant, and THAT wasn't happening! To anything even remotely close to gardening, even as simple as repotting a plant, I say, "No, thanks. I'm good."

Besides, the gap wasn't so bad that the plant looked unhealthy. It wasn't enough to make me completely toss the plant as the centerpiece option. It was just enough that it bothered me, though, so I just kept fluffing and pulling. And as I was pulling one of the tender branches toward that open space, with hopes of it staying right where I positioned it, I heard a small snap. The branch had broken.

"Ugh," I thought. "Good job, I. Now it's REALLY gonna have an opening." Without even thinking, and still a bit crazed with wanting to have a full, plush plant, rather than tossing the branch that I KNEW wouldn't survive because it had been disconnected from its life source, I took the branch with its beautiful red blossom and green leaves and stuck it down into the soil, right where I thought it would be perfect. And it WAS perfect! It was finally full and plush!

And it looked good for a couple days...until the inevitable happened.

At that moment when I heard the branch snap, I could hear John 15:1 & 15:4-8 playing over and over in my heart as I placed that detached branch into the soil. I knew the branch, its blossom and its leaves would die. I knew they wouldn't survive because they couldn't. It was impossible. The branch had been detached from its main life-giving source. Over and over and over I heard Jesus' words...

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fine and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

I began to assess my own life. The Lord was certainly speaking to ME. I did a personal examination of my connection to The Vine. I asked myself, and I ask you, "Are you connected? How connected are you?  Are you as connected as you once were? Is your branch barely hanging on? Does your branch have any fruit, blossoms, and/or leaves that people can see and KNOW that you are Christ's disciple? Or are you disconnected? Are you merely stuck down in the soil near the vine, attempting to suck up its nutrients but suffering and withering because you're not fully attached? Are you trying to plant yourself near the vine to try and look like the other branches and look like you're connected?"

I had to remind myself like I've had to literally EVERY DAY for over a year, that no matter how frustrated I may be with the foolishness I've seen in the past few years in the church and with the body of believers, I MUST stay connected to HIM. I can be as frustrated and as turned off with the church as I want, but I cannot disconnect from The Vine. HE is my life-giving source, and just like The Word says in John, if I remain in Him, I will bear much fruit, but if I don't remain in Him, I'll be like a branch that's thrown away and withers. I can't plant myself near the vine and hide behind the other branches in my church or in my family and expect to live. And it doesn't matter how long I plant myself near the vine. If I'm not fully connected, I won't bear fruit, and I WILL wither and die (spiritually).

My heart's greatest desire is to represent Christ like he should be represented. He is love and He's intentional with His love. He is giving. He is truth. He is selfless. He is forgiving. And when I decided to connect to His Vine, I decided that I wanted to feed on His nutrients and grow to look just like Him.  Fruit is representative of the tree (vine) from whence it came. Who/What are you connected to? What does your fruit look like? Are you connected to THE Vine?

 

Single Women Series: Girl, You're Not Married YET?

Anything that's ever been said about single women like me and why we're not married, I've heard it. I've heard it ALL! I can't tell you how many times people have said...

"Your standards are too high, girl. Dang!"

"He gon' have to be a SUPER Christian to get witchu'!"

"But you don't even give nobody a chance before you cut 'em."

"Iantha, sometimes you have to just work with people. He might not be where you are spiritually, but you can help him get there."

"He can't smoke OR drink? Girl, good luck with that."

"There aren't very many men who will wait until marriage for sex."

"You intimidate men. You're too confident. That makes them feel weak."

And most recently... "And then you went and bought a house? He's really gon' be intimidated now. You've done everything for yourself. What's left for him to do for you?"

Call me crazy (you won't be the first or the last), but I'm just CRAZY enough to believe that if I'm joyfully living a life that pleases God, there are men out there who are doing the same. In fact, I'm sure of it! Women aren't the only species on the face of the earth who love and obey and trust God with their whole hearts. I'm CRAZY enough to believe that if I'm living a life that's concerned ONLY with what HE tells me to do, that there are men out there with the same concern. I'm CRAZY enough to believe that if I'm living a life that's governed by the standards HE set, that there are men out there living by those same standards.

And I'm CRAZY enough to believe that I should wait for someone like me who's looking to find someone like me. Because they're out there. The Godly men are out there looking CRAZY too.

They, too, have high standards. They know what GOD wants for them, and they don't settle. A Godly man can see, early on in getting to know a woman, if she will be worth his time. Her words and actions tell him exactly who she is, and the discernment he gets from the Holy Spirit tells him if he should stick around or call it quits, even if he's only had one day in her presence. Not just any woman will do. God cares about him and requires His best for him, and since God has a relationship with that man, he can speak to his heart and give him the "inside track" so he won't waste time. When a woman sees (and men too) that "I don't have to try you to know you,"  or "I don't even have to give you a real chance for you to show me who you are," it can make the man appear overly confident, and in some women's eyes, it can even seem arrogant. But this Godly man is neither of those things. He's just sure. He's sure he's heard from God and he knows that God won't lead Him wrong. He cuts ties before they're even formed. He doesn't need unnecessary, unhealthy emotional attachments and drama. He guards his heart from that type of foolishness, which at the same time, guards her heart. And for that, she should be grateful. He cares about her well being because he respects her spirit, even though he sees no future with her. And that assuredness...that confidence...that boldness to trust God over what's before him is what some women see as overly confident and arrogant and CRAZY.

Will this woman have to be a SUPER Christian to get next to this Godly man? Probably not, because what is a SUPER Christian anyway? What she will have to be is genuine, though. She won't SAY she loves God and that she lives for Him but DO something different. She won't SAY that she's a Christian who lives a life that reflects Christ's nature but DO things contrary to what He commands. Her life will bear fruit, or be a palpable example of her commitment to Christ and her love for God's people. There will be no guessing "who" she is or who she represents. She won't be one way at church and with one group of friends, but totally different with her co-workers and a different set of friends. She will know her purpose. She will be sure of what God's called her to do in the earth. He won't have to help her or wait on her to get where he is spiritually because they'll both be so enveloped in their "already" relationships with God. They'll understand that God is who causes growth to take place and that as long as they both submit to Him, they'll be exactly who each other needs as they grow together.


This Godly man doesn't smoke or drink and he doesn't involve himself in any other activity that is harmful to his body or his spirit. Why would he want to connect in marriage--LIFE partnership--with someone who does? Wouldn't that be foolish? And yes, he gets bashed and called CRAZY for not engaging in sex outside of the sacred marriage relationship, but he honors his body AND hers enough to not give of himself to anyone but his wife. He refuses to create soul ties with anyone but her since having committed himself wholeheartedly to the Lord. He knows his strength lies in his ability to honor God, regardless of what others say, so he controls his flesh. His flesh doesn't control him. He's not driven by every emotional whim and understands that just because his flesh cries out and screams for what it wants, doesn't mean it should have it.

And yes. He has established himself financially and planned for his future. If God has blessed him to be able to own a home or whatever else his heart desires, he owns it. If he's been blessed to travel the world, he travels. He doesn't set limits on what he can do or where he can go or what he can have. He doesn't sit around waiting to have a wife so he can start his life. In fact, he's so busy honoring God with his time and so busy doing what God has called him to do in the earth that finding her isn't AS important. He wants her. He's actually in pursuit of her, but his pursuit doesn't consume him. He'll know when he sees her.

He'll know her.

He'll know because she'll be the one who has standards as high as his. And he won't be intimidated because her confidence in Christ will be refreshing. She'll be the one who knows what God has called her to do in the earth, and he'll know it because she'll be busy doing it when he "sees" her. She'll be so focused that she won't even know he's "watching".

She'll be the one who doesn't smoke or drink or do anything else that's harmful to her body or her spirit because she understands that her body isn't her own. She knows her body belongs to God so He can use it for His purposes. She'll be that CRAZY one who understands that sex is designed for marriage and will refuse to even deal with him unless that's perfectly clear between them from the start.

She'll be the one who isn't afraid to live life because God has blessed her to be able to do so. She will not have put her life on hold to wait on anyone because she knows to him it'll look like he has to be her savior, and he doesn't want to be that. He doesn't want her to look to him to be the answer to her loneliness or emptiness or... In fact, he'll be most attracted to her love for life and her desire to build God's kingdom with complete devotion to the Lord alone. He'll be grateful just to have her help, as his wife, as he fulfills the purpose that God has placed on his life.

When he sees THAT woman, he'll know he's found his wife. And when he sees her, she'll be right there. She'll know him when she sees him too, and she'll answer his call.

Nothing "Just Happens"

God called me to Augusta, GA in 2003, and I lived in the same apartment for almost 10 years. Somewhere around year 6 in the apartment, I got the itch to buy a home. By that time, I'd learned a lot about apartment living vs. home ownership, and I'd been making financial strides to prepare for the home-buying process. I was growing out of the apartment (literally), and EVERYTHING about living there--the parking (or no parking), hearing my neighbors' every move (LAWD), knowing that my rent was going into a black hole--was working on my nerves. Every inch of my being knew it was time to go!

I walked through the home-buying process 2 times (2009 & 2011) before I purchased my now home in 2012. Both times, something went wrong or things weren't quite right, and I was never able to seal the deal. The third time was the charm, though. I felt like I'd looked at every home in the city before I fell in love with mine, but I knew when I walked in that it definitely belonged to me. It fit me. My house was the ONLY one throughout the entire process that I had complete peace about, and I knew it was God's peace. It had the exact charm and character I was looking for. I was adamant about not buying a home in a newer subdivision where every house looked the same. (I call them cookie cutter homes.) I wanted an older home in an established neighborhood with a dogwood tree in the front yard. (Fell MADLY in love with dogwoods when I moved to GA) And I got it! The process went smoothly and everything fell right into place. There was no hassle, no mishaps, and no horror stories. I simply bought the home, moved in, and started a new chapter.

When I bought the house, I was introduced to the grit and grind of home ownership. Many things I was prepared for, but of course, there were those things I couldn't have prepared for because they "just happened". One of the things that "just happened" was the Augusta Ice Storm of 2014 (Tuesday, Feb. 11 - Thursday, Feb. 13 officially, but the aftermath was alive MUCH longer than that).

Tuesday, February 11th
Schools shut down on Monday afternoon with anticipation of the storm's arrival, so that meant no work for me. I was at home on Tuesday, with plans to finish writing a few chapters in my book. I wanted to write all day! Around 9:30 that morning, though, after I'd been writing for only about 30 minutes, the electricity went out. I used the battery on my laptop until it died, and little did I know, I'd be done with writing anything in my book for the next 2 weeks. The power was restored in an hour, but by that time I'd already washed my hair and was in the middle of deep conditioning and twisting and setting and... The whole nine! A 4-hour process!

When I was done with my hair, the storm had picked up a bit. If I would've even been thinking about writing, that wouldn't have lasted very long. My attention was on the storm. I stepped outside to get a video of the kazillion-year-old pine trees that SURROUND my house (and my neighborhood) because they were literally swaying in the wind. I couldn't believe it! Those trees were one of the many things that helped me fall in love with the house. They're beautiful! But I saw another side of the Georgia pine later that night--a not so beautiful side.

As the night crept on, more ice and sleet began to fall and caused more and more weight to rest on those weak pine branches. All throughout the neighborhood, the snap, crackle and pop of the branches could be heard with thunderous echoes. Limb after limb, branch after branch was falling onto my roof and rolling off onto the ground. It was constant. It was loud. It was scary. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't even sit still long enough to rest. I had to leave the house with its warmth and electricity to spend the night at one of my church families' home that had no electricity, but it was THAT serious. I just wasn't sure that one of those limbs wouldn't plow INTO my roof, and I didn't want to stick around to see.

Wednesday, February 12th
The storm had passed. There was no more ice or sleet projected to fall. I woke early that morning so I could get back home and see what my yard looked like. From the sound of it the night before, I knew it was bad, but I would've never imagined it would be even close to what I saw when I pulled up to my house. The front and sides of the house were quite a sight, with mounds of tree limbs covering the ground, but the back of the house was Armageddon!



FRONT OF THE HOUSE



BACK YARD

BACK YARD

 

BACK YARD

 

BACK YARD

My mind was racing. I knew it had to be cleaned up, and I knew it would be cleaned up, but I just kept looking at it in disbelief. Then I surveyed the neighborhood and saw that everyone else's yards--the whole neighborhood--had taken a pretty big hit from the storm.

Then, I went inside and saw this in the computer room, right outside of my kitchen...

A limb lodged in my roof!!!!! And from the looks of things outside, I wasn't surprised. I was shocked, though, and I wished it weren't so, but I knew I couldn't just stand there and keep looking at it. (I did that for, I know, at least 15 minutes) I had to spring into gear.

I didn't call my parents immediately (they live miles away) because I knew they'd worry. I called my realtor. She was SO amazing throughout the home-buying process AND after I purchased my home that I knew I could still bring questions and concerns to her if I needed to. I'd never had to file a home insurance claim before, and although I was pretty sure it wouldn't be much different from the car insurance claims I'd filed with car accidents, I still just wanted the comfort of knowing how to go about it. I wanted to hear from her, step by step, what I needed to do.

But I couldn't reach her. Because of the storm, the cell phone service was a little sketchy for a time. I'd left her a message, and she'd called me back a couple times, but I didn't see that I had missed calls from her until the next day. I later learned that she wasn't even able to leave a message. It was cool though because when I couldn't get her after a couple of calls, I did what I should've done from the very beginning. I went to God. I didn't make any immediate moves. I knew the insurance companies were already, no doubt, pretty busy with claims, so I took a minute to gather myself and get quiet before the Lord so He could tell me what to do and give me the gusto I needed for what I anticipated to be a long process.

While I cleaned up what I could in my house, and while I studied my insurance policy, I prayed. I knew that this wasn't as big a deal as it could have been because my roof was only punctured. It could have been a million times worse based on the evidence that lay in my back yard, so I was definitely grateful. I still had electricity, and after about a half day of silence with the Lord, I had peace. That whole day, I just cleaned, prepared, and prayed.

Thursday, February 13th
I woke up bright and early. I knew the first thing I needed to do was call my insurance company.

I called.

My claim was filed within 10 minutes. The representative closed the call by giving me 3 restoration companies to contact about removing the limb from the roof and having the storm debris cleaned from my yard, and things immediately became overwhelming because Iantha hates making huge, life-altering decisions (and big purchases)! Oh, the stress!

When it comes down to having to get quotes and seeing who will give the better deal and seeing who's trustworthy based on their credibility from others they've served, I wanna crawl under a rock! I want to snap my fingers, get someone for the job and have that person just be the right one EVERY TIME. If I had my way, I'd never have to run quotes for anything. I'd never have to search around to see who'd be best for any job. Whoever I choose would just always be the right one. I look forward to my one day husband either completely taking things like that over, or us handling those kinds of decisions together. When I don't have to do it alone anymore (or at all)... HALLELUJAH!

It was at that point that the Holy Spirit told me to get on the phone with my biological father. His wisdom with natural disasters is a lot more vast than that of my parents (my mother and step-father). My biological father has had a few homes damaged from hurricanes and tropical storms. He's had houses built. He's been around the block with insurance and contracts and anything else that comes along with home ownership. The Holy Spirit told me to glean from his wisdom, and immediately, I got on the phone.

My father told me to check each company by first seeing if they were approved by the Better Business Bureau. If they weren't, I had to scratch them off the list. If they were, I could take it from there. He talked to me about the process, step by step. He told me what to do and what to expect from the beginning to the very end when the roof was repaired and the house was restored back to its pre-storm state. I was so grateful to God for calming my inner storm with that phone call. I felt like I could conquer it all after that!

After many calls and scratches from the list, and internet searches and more phone calls, I found the restoration company that would remove the limb from the roof and cover it with the temporary tarp, but they wouldn't get to me until Friday or Saturday because, of course, they were inundated with work all over the city.

That day, I cleaned what I could in the front yard, and even had some church family over. They were still without electricity, so they wanted to charge their phones and other devices and enjoy some heat.

Friday, February 14th
One of my friends came over that morning, and we tackled quite a bit of the front yard. He's always looking out for me and refused to let me even think of working in my yard alone. I waited to hear from the restoration company with hopes that I'd make it on their list for the day, but I didn't. I spent the day helping others where and how I could and sharing my heat and electricity with church family.

Saturday, February 15th
I got an early morning knock at the door. I already knew who it was, so I emphatically jumped from what I was doing to answer it. The guys were ready to remove the limb! The repair process was beginning! After I directed them to the back yard and signed on the dotted line giving them the "OK" to get started, they went out to do what they needed to do, and I went back to whatever I was doing.

I didn't hear much happening on the roof, but I didn't fret. I trusted that the professionals knew what they were doing and that they were probably just scoping everything out. After having been out there only about 10 minutes, the guys rang my doorbell. When I answered the door, the concern in one of the man's eyes scared me a bit.  He asked, "Is your electricity still on?"

I said, "Yes."

He said, "How in the world are you even still in this house?  Have you seen those wires on your roof? We can't remove anything until the electricity is off."

My concern grew by the second as he stood before me. A childlike innocence and ignorance must've been all over my face because he went on to explain further...

"Those are live wires. It's no wonder you haven't blown up in this house the way those wires are mangled around that branch. We can't touch them, and that's for your safety and ours. You need to get your electricity cut off and get your insurance company to get you a hotel room. I wouldn't stay another minute in this house. I'm tellin' you. This house shoulda already caught fire by now."

He couldn't see what was happening in my head. I was jumping and screaming and thanking God for His protection! I couldn't wait to close the door and shout! Yes, I'd seen the power lines. I'd taken pictures of everything. But did I notice how badly mangled they were? Sadly, no. I didn't. I honestly wasn't even thinking about wires. My focus the entire time was on the fact that the limb was inside my house. I hadn't given much attention to the outside yet, other than the limbs that needed to be removed from the yard. I would shift those gears once the tarp was on and the adjuster had come to make his report. I couldn't believe that I'd been so oblivious, but with everything going on, it just seriously got past me. I just wasn't paying it any mind, and in my ignorance...in my oversight...in my inability to see EVERYTHING that was happening...the Lord protected me.

The guy went on to explain that after the electricity was cut off, I'd need an electrician to come out and take care of the wires. Once the wires were taken care of, they could come back to remove the limb, and I could have the power restored to the house.

I didn't waste a minute. I'd heard the warning. At that very moment, I was washing and drying clothes, the television was going, I'd just finished preparing breakfast on my electric stove, and of course the heat was going...my house was in full electric operation with MAJOR appliances. I can cry tears of joy right now simply thinking about that divine protection! Umph, umph, umph...

I packed for a couple days and headed back to the same house where I'd stayed on Tuesday night. I had the electricity cut off and began searching out electricians immediately. When I found who I'd go with (after calling around and quoting-UGH!), I was placed on the list for the next day, Sunday. The company that took care of my wiring was one of the many in the city that was working on Sunday because of the number of homes that needed attention. It really was a beautiful time of working together. I enjoyed seeing how everyone worked to get Augusta back up on its feet.

Sunday, February 16th

I got up early that morning to go to church. I expected to hear from the electrician in the 9-11 am window. I was at church for all of 20 minutes when my phone rang. The electricians were headed to my house. I met them there and they worked diligently for about the next hour and a half to restore the wiring on the outside of my house. They also had to remove the limb because they couldn't properly tend to the wires without doing so. It was finally removed! When I saw them removing the limb, I got on the phone with the restoration company. I told the guys that they would be able to come and tarp the roof whenever they were next available. After that call, I called Georgia Power to get on the list of homes to have electricity restored THAT day. And it all worked out BEAUTIFULLY! After the electricians finished with the wires, there were already a couple Georgia Power trucks working in the neighborhood. My phone call was in cue, so not even an hour after the wires were done, one of those trucks stopped by my house and restored power! Within the next hour or so, the tarps were on the roof. Those guys had made it their business to get back to me THAT day! I was so grateful!


February - June   (Yup...June...late June)
For the next few months, I would make call after call after exasperating call. There were some contractors who wouldn't even allow any other work to be added to their load because they had just that much. They gently (except 1) and apologetically (except 1...the same 1) turned me away. At the same time, though, there were a number of contractors who came out to the house to see the damage and provide quotes for the service they could provide. What I found, early on, was that many contractors did only exterior roofing and made it a practice in their companies to sub-contract the interior work out, so they put me in touch with the people they sub-contracted with. Getting the exterior repaired was a breeze. That happened quickly. It was the interior that took FOR-EVER!

Contractor after contractor came to the house to assess the damage. They took notes and made sketches and did all the same things every other contractor did, but none of them followed through. I had people just straight up not call  me back after saying they would. I even set a dollar amount with one guy who said he was drawing up the paper work to present to me so we can get the job started, and I'd still be waiting on him to call me back. It was ludicrous! Then, one guy came to my house and was there for literally 6 minutes. After taking one look at the ceiling he said, "You don't need restoration contracting or general contracting. You need a paint contractor. No wonder no one's been able to help you."

That was the FIRST time I'd heard that.


I'd explained to him in that short time that a few had come by, but no one followed through on anything. He said, "Because they just want to make a buck, but when they get here and see it and know that insurance is involved, they cave."

PRO-TEC-TION!!

All the while, those people were just trying to make a deal so they could get the job and get paid. Knowing that that wasn't their area of expertise, the repairs probably would have been botched, but God's divine protection didn't allow it! When each of those contractors saw my adjuster's proposal, a legal document of detailed expected repairs, it kept them away. They couldn't complete the repairs as required by my insurance company and they knew it, and if they'd tried and didn't do them like the proposal suggested, lawsuits would've ensued. They weren't the people for the job, and God knew it. He kept them from  me.

After that last contractor, I called my home insurance agent because the Holy Spirit told me to let them do the searching. My agent connected me to a representative at the company that would eventually complete the repairs in my home. I connected the rep directly with my adjuster and let them talk about what needed to happen next. I simply stayed back and covered it all in prayer.

We all set up a date to start the work, and that was that. My home is repaired and even better than before because the new paint job added a freshness to the room. It feels like a new place, and I love it!

AS REPAIRS BEGAN WITH WHITE WALLS

THE FIRST COAT OF PAINT ON CEILING AND WALLS AFTER REPAIRS

None of It "Just Happened"
I knew my house was my house. I wasn't supposed to buy any other house as my first home. I knew I was supposed to be living there. I also know that God is in control of natural disasters. If a natural disaster, that He controls, hit my house and didn't take me out, it's because He didn't let it! It didn't destroy me or the house!

I saw pictures like this one as people were beginning to share what had happened to them in the storm.

That could've been my house. My back yard was full of monstrous limbs, but none of them destroyed me or the house! The house could've caught fire, but it didn't!

And I was completely protected until it was time for the work to begin. There were only 2 houses on our street that had electricity the entire time, and 1 of them was mine. I had comfort in the storm. I had a place to go that's just like home. I didn't go without any of my needs at any time.

NONE OF IT "JUST HAPPENED".

All of those "happenings" were a reminder for me. I believe God was very intentional in speaking to me during the storm "happenings". It was as if He was telling me again, just as He did when He commissioned me to Augusta in 2003, "I have you in that city...in that region...on a mission. I sent you there on Kingdom assignment. Do you think I'm gon' let anything take you out? As long as I've called you and you still have work to do that I've clearly shown you has to be done, you'll be alright. Sure some things may come, but they can't take you out. I've got you covered. No harm shall befall you."

I snapped this picture of one of the trees in my front yard with it's beautiful winter blooms while the electricians worked on the wires. I allowed the beauty of those blossoms to remind me of the beauty in the storm.

 

With everything that happened (and DIDN'T happen), that thought is what sustained me. Every time I prayed, I was comforted in knowing His promises cover me. I'm His.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
- Psalm 91:14-16

Making Room for New!

I AM NOT a careless person. I don't just lose things. In fact, I'm overly cognizant of the "stuff" I have. Carefully and thoughtfully, I give everything its particular place so I'll always know how to get to what I need. That kind of order is necessary for me. This week, though, I was shipwrecked! Distracted and overwhelmed with a non-stop schedule, I managed to lose my little Praise Movement boom box that I sometimes carry to off-site rehearsals (I think it was taken), and I lost my make up bag. COMPLETELY unnerving for me because like I said, I don't just lose stuff! I honestly felt a little stripped and vulnerable. I felt "played" because I ALWAYS know where my things are. And if I move them...if I move ANYTHING...it's not long before it's back "at home". After searching every place I'd been, over and over, AND asking around for that little make up bag, I heard the Holy Spirit speak loud and clear. He said, "I'm just making room for NEW!"

I thought, "Whaaaaat?!?!"

Then I sat still for a moment, replaying in my mind the things that He and I have been talking about in prayer, and I shut that make up bag search right on down! There was no need to look for it anymore. I WAS NOT going to find it. God had spoken. "The old is gone, and the new is coming! Stand ready!"

God's promise in Isaiah 43:18-19 began to play in my head. "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"

And I love how He speaks to the figurative thinker in me. The last thing on my mind was a new radio or make up bag when I heard Him say new. Child, I can go and buy that tomorrow if I want to! *rolls neck* But His idea of new is change in position and/or stature, and change of seasons in my life!

New is defined as unfamiliar, and existing or appearing FOR THE FIRST TIME. That means I'm about to see things happening in my life that I've NEVER seen before and it's HIS doing! He said HE'S making room for new. HE's removing old things and replacing them with new. I don't even need to be concerned about what was, because it's GONE!

I remember back in high school when I'd get a new pair of tennis shoes/sneakers. My old ones weren't completely worn out because I took good care of my shoes, but just knowing I had new ones--the knowing alone--was enough for me to act like the other ones no longer existed. I wore them NO MORE! The new had come!

What NEW is God trying to give you? What OLD do you need to completely forget about so you can receive the new? You won't be able to "wear" both and call it new. Having even a little bit of the old cancels out the new. Let it be gone! Let God have all the old so He can give you the new!

"Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are." - I Corinthians 5:7

I'm pretty sure those things won't be the last things I "lose," now that I know God is doing a new thing. Kinda scary, but definitely more exciting than scary because I've been assured that no matter what I "lose", there's NEW coming after the loss!

Umph! I just love Him!