2014: Courage Required

(Highlights from New Year’s Eve prayer call. There was a slight technical glitch after minute 2, but the call can be accessed in its entirety at (712) 432-1202 / Access Code: 597446# )

For many of us 2013 has been an interesting year with many twists, turns, joys and pains, but thanks be to God we made it through. I have been hearing in my spirit the word “courage.” It has been a theme I have heard all last year.

The New Interpreter’s Dictionary defines courage as  “spiritual, emotional and moral fortitude to speak and act without fear in the face obstacles and dangers.”

Day-by-day we confront obstacles and dangers, and to navigate through them we have needed courage. Someone mustered up some courage when you went to ask your supervisor for a raise in 2013. Someone else mustered up some courage when you went and requested a meeting with your child’s principal. There are many instances where we have had to ask God “give me some strength and some courage."

I have been thinking about the past year and I realized that there are some areas in my life where I could have been more productive, but I allowed fear and doubt to consume me and talk me out of some things. There were times where I lacked courage.

You can have book and common sense, but you will also some courage.

My prayer is that we will continue to pray for God to strengthen all of us. So that we can become the people of God we are destined to be and not be overwhelmed by all that we feel may be coming against us.

It takes courage to to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God

It takes courage to raise God fearing children

It takes courage to be single and celibate

It takes courage to resign from your job and pursue your calling or passion

It take courage to while in the midst of sickness tell your medical team that you are healed

It takes courage to undergo chemotherapy and look at the tubes and mumble Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes I am healed”

It will take courage to believe you can love again, after your heart has been broken or there has been divorce, or abandonment.

It is going to take courage to go on without that loved one who may have transitioned this year.

It is going to take some courage to get through the year ahead.

But I hear the words God said to Joshua after the death of Moses as recorded in Joshua 1:9: ”Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I am praying that God takes me to some amazing places next year, and I trust God will be with me no matter where I go.

When Jesus summoned those who were sick for their healing, he told them to “take heart.” That’s what he told the woman with the issue of blood. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.”

When the disciples were terrified in the the storm, Jesus said, “Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.”

People of God, take heart! Take heart and trust God to help you do what you aren’t strong enough to do. Take heart, and trust God to get you to where you need to go in 2014!

As always, continue to look and live! Dr. Lele

Did you get the lesson?

Today we find ourselves breathing through the last Sunday of a year we’ll never see again. God has been speaking to me concerning my own affairs as well as giving insight on things I should share with others. This time of year brings introspection and reflection that some might choose to avoid. I ask you to say “hello” to Gabriel if you have lived 363 day without stress, money problems, fear, pain, or anything likened to human angst. While the memories of some of our joys have been short lived, we remember the pains.

As I reflected on some events in my own life and how I responded or failed to respond, I heard God say “Did you get the lesson?”  Point. Blank. Period.

Did I get the lesson? Did you get the lesson?

At the core of my being I believe God is not wasteful. We may call an abundance of rain a flood while for God there is a providential plan for the waters that disrupt our driving and damage our shoes.

Whether it was a relationship that didn’t go your way or another matter that didn’t end as suspected, know that it was a learning module for the journey.

For months I asked God why a situation turned out the way it did. Why me? Why did it not turn out in my favor? I’m righteous. I’m called. At one point I got a little indignant and said, “Really, God?”  See, in the midst of the situation God sent other messages with words to encourage a different path. Oh, I thanked them for their suggestions then chose to do it my way. Just recently, I had to send someone a note to thank her for the wisdom I could not hear in that season. Now, I am left with God saying, “Did you get the lesson?”

Beloved, I did get the lesson. And because of God’s grace, it is a lesson I learned while being prepared on the backside of the desert before God sends me to lead God’s people.

For some, such lessons are costly. But because God is not wasteful, God will allow us to get the necessary learning before the costs are so great. Will we listen? Will we heed the warnings and embrace the wisdom sent to through priest, prophets and everyday people? God will send us notes through everyday people. Yes, even a dude at a bar who looks at you and says, “You’re not even suppose to be in here.” (Fast forward 16 years :) )

I trust there were many lessons to be learned this year, but it will require you to slow down, take some notes, or review the ones already compiled. No electronic devices needed, but this will require an open heart and mind willing to hear the Teacher’s still small voice.

As always, continue to look and live!

Dr. Lele

A Kwanzaa Prayer for Christian Services

Habari Gani? (which is Swahili for "What's the News?" )

Well, the news is it's the first day of Kwanzaa. While Christians will continue our journey through Christmastide, or the 12 days of Christmas, some of us will also celebrate Kwanzaa.

 I recently participated in a pre-Kwanzaa program where I wrote this prayer that followed a brief discussion about the Gullah-Geecchee culture. I'll likely pray this prayer differently in the future, but this is what God gave me for our gathering a few weeks ag0. 

 Feel free to use it as written, edit for your setting, or read it to inspire your own offering to God. Although Kwanzaa is a secular celebration, for African-American churches it can be beautifully incorporated into our settings. 

 "Faith" is the final principle celebrated on Jan. 1. May you keep the faith this season and continue to Look, Learn and LIVE!

  A Kwanzaa Prayer for Christian Services 

©2013 Arlecia D. Simmons  

Oh holy God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...

God of Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel...

The God who heard Hagar's cries as she sat with Ishmael in the wilderness...

Our God who heard our ancestors’ cries as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean in slave ships; heard their cries as they picked cotton and tobacco; heard their cries through the shouts of Lynch mobs. Our God.

We come (today, tonight) asking you to be in our midst as you have been from generation to generation. Come now, Holy Spirit

Lord, we thank you for allowing us to gather to worship you, and to celebrate the heritage passed down to us.

Even while experiencing the injustices of this life, our big mamas and papas proclaimed you as a just God. Calling on the name of Jesus, who was also a suffering servant.
Lord, we thank you for every prayer our ancestors ever prayed and how you answered them. We thank you for being the lifter of our heads when oppression, racism, segregation sought to keep them bowed down.

May we not be a forgetful people; forgetting our ancestors and forgetting your benefits. May we forever remember that if it had not been for the Lord who was on our side, where would be.

Touch now your people as we give back to you the gifts that you have given to us. 

Bless your children and those whose hands you have placed them in (Optional verse to be used when children are included during celebration). 

We offer this prayer, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Forgiveness: The Most Expensive Gift You Can Ever Give or Receive

The final column in my Advent series:


http://chronicle.augusta.com/node/570575

I Won't Crash...

As the year ends, we access the hard drives of our lives and find files saved using words such as disappointment, rejection, and failure. In some instances, we have encountered system failure while life events likened to Malware threatened to shut us all the way down. 

This morning as negative thoughts invaded my mind I did a quick reboot and embraced these words offered by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. #Amen 

#Dontshutdownbeforetheupdates

Your Calling: Fire in Your Bones

I have wondered for years "What am I called to do?" That is, until I realized, it is that thing I can talk about nonstop because it's like igniting the fire shut up in my bones. 

For me it is communicating the Good News, which encompasses a variety of mediums. Whether I am preaching, teaching, writing, or educating on how my Gullah ancestors sang the Lord's song in a strange land, I am living out the fullest expression of myself. (Thanks, Ms. Oprah) For you it could be whatever and wherever you feel the Spirit at work, and just talking about it makes your cup run over. Fa True! #TapIntotheUnseenin2014

A Time To Forgive

During the holiday season, inevitably someone may encounter friends or loved ones who have wronged them in some way or another. Maybe it was the cousin who borrowed $1,000 of your student loan refund and then never began repayment, or a relative who touched you inappropriately during childhood?

Whatever the violation, you may be left struggling to figure out to navigate the rocky terrain of holiday fellowship. While I pray you seek the necessary counsel, I also encourage you to search your own hearts to see if there is even a microgram of forgiveness resting there.

Even in my own life as I have sought apologies from others, I have asked God to search my own heart. My heart and actions have not always been pure, and like King David I must now pray: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10). No, the road to forgiveness may not be a short one, and it’s likely unleveled with a few potholes.

Today, however, I am grateful that the path to forgiveness does not bear a “road closed” sign. Doctah Lele

Look, Live & Learn Registration is below! Can't wait to see you there! 

Reach Up!

Whether in the pit or in a safe space, it's always a good idea to Reach Up! Shared recently at a 7-Up program where there were 7 speakers/7 passages/5-10 minutes. Take a listen to the homily on Psalm 28:2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-40DXiQ2SlXRmdEZ0FGS3NaTWhUUVU4OVFYRFZBSllZRFdF/edit?usp=sharing

World AIDS Day 2013

Tonight Oprah Winfrey will interview Magic Johnson on Next Chapter and discuss the NBA Legend’s HIV diagnosis among other life events. Johnson’s announcement of his infection was made public in a press conference that I recall watching as a high school senior. In the 22 years since that announcement, much has changed as it relates to the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS. While researchers may be getting closer to a cure, the pandemic is still adversely impacting women and people of color in the United States. In distant lands the disease is still leaving orphaned children who must care for themselves and siblings.

In March during a Red Pump Project awareness event (http://www.theredpumpproject.org/), I listened as a young Atlanta woman in her early 20s talked about contracting the disease and how her life has changed since that time. Although Johnson and the woman can share their stories with the masses, so many people are still undiagnosed and living with complications in silence.  I often sense that there is now a false sense of security as it relates to the disease, as some still dismiss the risk of unprotected sex with known and new partners.

It is my prayer that on this World AIDS Day, we not only remember those who have transitioned but also pray for those living with HIV/AIDS. I will speak the names of many close to me who have succumbed due to AIDS related complications, and encourage continued education and testing. Just because HIV/AIDS isn’t prominently placed on the media’s agenda does not mean AIDS has disappeared. I am reminded that what has disappeared are some of the people we loved whose lives were cut short by a disease that did not discriminate based on age, gender, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation.

As always, continue to look, live and learn more about HIV/AIDS. #ashe #gettested

In EVERYthing?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Thanksgiving Day became an official Federal holiday 150 years ago. I believe many people publicly gave God thanks way before that time. In the brush arbors I imagined my enslaved ancestors whom some will say had nothing to thank God for while in bondage, still thanked the Creator for guiding them through the struggles of this life. For many, they thanked God for life “on this side of the dirt” as well as the eternal life awaiting them on the other side of the river.

Today, some 150 years later, I am still giving thanks for being allowed to live, breathe and having my being on this side of the dirt. Thanks to my ancestors who likely prayed for me as they asked God to bless their children and children’s children. I thank the God who heard their humble cries and responded. God still responds. While it may not always be on the schedule we desire, there is a response. Consider the times God has responded to you, even when it was an answer you did not desire. Even during and after long seasons of waiting, we are still to give thanks.

For many of us this year has not been as smooth as others, but in every circumstance we are called to give thanks. A few weeks ago I thanked God for an unexpected car repair bill of nearly $700. You see, if I had gotten on the road as requested the day before, my car might have blown up due to a major oil leak. A few hundred dollars versus a new car? THANK YA! Some days in the midst of mouthing a lament I refocus my words and say “Lord, I thank you.” Oh, and when we begin to think of the goodness…I won’t preach here, but I will give thanks and go to bed after posting. While every day is a day of thanksgiving, it is my prayer that this day will be filled with good eating, fellowship and love! Whether you are alone, with family and/or friends,eating turkey or a bologna sandwich, give God some thanks.

 Until next time, remember to look and live!

Recently during an aqua aerobics class at capacity the instructor said "I am not sure what we are going to do in January with all the new people?" For a second I wondered, "Will our churches have the same problem?" Are people more concerned with their bodies or souls? What are you more concerned about? Do you spend more time strengthening you physical muscles while your spiritual ones suffer from atrophy?