Anniversary Reflections...

It is hard to believe, but three-hundred and sixty eight days have passed since hubby and I made a covenant with God and each other in marriage. On Saturday we celebrated our one year anniversary. It has been salubrious and sublime.

It has also been fun and growing and—in the words of rapper Keith Murray—the most beautifulest thing in the world! It has also been challenging, in the best possible way. The rhythms of married life are quite different from that of single life. I've learned as much about myself as I have about my hubby in this year: We've laughed together, cried together (ok, I've cried and he has wiped my tears), danced together, made decisions together, and—most importantly—we've prayed together.

On Saturday evening we watched our wedding video. We relived our vows. I was reminded of the promises I made aloud before that great cloud of witnesses, and the ones I made to my love.

I thank God, everyday, for my hubby and for our union!

Think on These Things...

There is privilege—and sometimes pain—in living the sermon before actually preaching the sermon. (Or in my case, in living the Bible Study before actually teaching the Bible Study.)

These are the words that God just spoke into my spirit.

While these are not comforting words, they are reassuring words. Today has been a rough day. No reason in particular, but rather an amalgam of stuff intensified by what my ace-boon C Alma aptly labeled the "post-vacation blues."

I've got it bad.

Last week I maxed and relaxed, swam and tanned, sailed and kayaked, galloped and climbed in beautiful, sunny Ocho Rios with hubby extraordinaire. Not that New Jersey isn't beautiful and sunny, but I am mourning. My mourning has left me tired and unmotivated. All that would be well and good except I am teaching not one, but two Bible studies tomorrow.

But thanks be to God, He meets us where we are.

Somewhere round about 3:00 a.m. on Monday morning, I work up frantically grabbing for my iPad. I was up for about two hours meditating on and asking questions of the Apostle Paul's words in Philippians 4, specifically the fourth through the ninth verses:

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (NKJV)

By this morning, my selective amnesia had set in and I forgot about the joy of my musings on the Word. I forgot that my Bible Study was ready in my head and heart and just needed to be transcribed in a cohesive format onto the page. I forgot that though there may be things weighing heavy, that God is at hand for an unleashing of His peace. Instead of rejoicing, instead of praying about those things that are weighing heavy on my mind and heart, instead of inviting the peace of God to enter in and surround me on all sides, I mulled and brooded...on the couch...in my skivvies...

And then God spoke to my heart. How can you encourage the people you teach to rejoice when you are choosing to mourn? How can you expect my peace to permeate your life when you aren't completely releasing all of your concerns to me? Ummm, where is your thanksgiving? How about shifting your thinking to all things just, pure, noble, lovely, virtuous and praiseworthy?

As always, God was right.

And so, I am grateful to have spent six awesome days with my husband in Jamaica. I am grateful to have a home and vocation to return home to. I am most grateful for the love of God, which always meets me where I am, picks me up, and gets me moving again. And in this moment, I am glad that I can be a living witness of what happens when one rejoices in the Lord, always...

(and oh yeah, I'm glad to be writing again...)

I am...

I am alive and well and enjoying life and working hard and attempting to find places and times for respite. I am serving and teaching and preaching and growing all the while. I am walking and running and singing and dancing and laughing as hard as I possibly can. I am traveling and sitting still. Most of all, I am being kept by the grace of God. As such, I am smiling...

I am writing, just not here. One day soon my words will grace this blog again. They are good words, I promise. But for now I prefer living the words over writing the words.

Until later...

Big and Chunky...

I must admit, this song is from one of my absolute favorite scene in Madagascar 2. Really, how can you not smile when Moto Moto tells Gloria, "Girl, you junkin'!" I was just talking about Big and Chunky with a colleague in ministry as we did our weigh-in for the Pray Away the Pounds ministry at church. We chuckled, recited the lyrics and shared stores about our chunkiness. I like 'em big! I like 'em chunky!



So imagine my surprise when Big and Chunky came on during my ZUMBA class this morning. I know you are wondering how I responded. For one, I must have looked strange because I was holding back laughter which must have translated into a creepy smile on my face. But secondly, I must have looked strange because, though I had already been dancing hard, I started dancing harder. It was as if I was auditioning to be Moto Moto's principal dancer in the Big and Chunky music video.

No doubt, this song will be added to one of my workout playlists, mostly likely the one with The Commodores Brick House, Anthony Hamilton's Sister Big Bones, A Tribe Called Quest's Bonita Applebum, and Carl Carlton's She's a Bad Mamma Jamma!

Think on These Things...

would you turn off that faucet, I shout to my husband
but to You I say: never turn it off
-Alicia Ostriker (from the volcano sequence)

Think on These Things...

Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there.

(Clarence W. Hall)

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

(Luke 24:1-11)

Think on These Things...

We praise Thee, O God!
For the Son of Thy love,
For Jesus Who died,
And is now gone above.

Refrain:
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Revive us again.

We praise Thee, O God!
For Thy Spirit of light,
Who hath shown us our Savior,
And scattered our night.

All glory and praise
To the Lamb that was slain,
Who hath borne all our sins,
And hath cleansed every stain.

All glory and praise
To the God of all grace,
Who hast brought us, and sought us,
And guided our ways.

Revive us again;
Fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled
With fire from above.


"Revive Us Again" lyrics by William P. Mackay (1863)