Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Tribute to Maya Angelou
http://www.looknlive.com/apps/blog/show/42320936-maya-angelou-a-mother-of-many-daughters
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Lead Me to Calvary
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Those are the words of one of my most treasured spirituals. Whether sung by Gospel legends or the Jubilee Choir at the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, those words have moved me since childhood.
Of course,we were not physically there. However, I learned as a child that Jesus Christ had us all on his mind as he hung on Calvary’s rugged cross.
As a child I knew about the story of Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection, but it wasn’tuntil adulthood that I learned about “Maundy Thursday” (Holy Thursday) and began to personally observe Ash Wednesday and the weeks in between.
The word “Lent”was not in our vocabulary as Baptists, yet time and space would allow it to find its way into my lexicon and Spiritual life.
For me, this has been an interesting Lenten season where much reflection has taken place. It has been a time to reflect on health, life, ministry, family, and any andeverything in between. It has been a time of searching and waiting. Oh, but waiting must be saved for Advent. Right?
In past years, this would have been a time of running around to malls looking for theperfect dress, matching accessories, and shoes. Excuse me, looking for the perfect dress-es. As a child, I was blessed to have one for morning worship and another for the infamous afternoon Easter program. These days, none of that matters. While the idea of new clothes and new life in Christ are rooted in Baptism, most of us never learned the complete facts about this ancienttradition. We simply donned bonnets, new dresses, and looked forward to unwrapping Easter baskets. I was a spoiled child and often received two or three baskets of sugary goods.
Resurrection Sunday or what I only knew as Easter Sunday has always had special meaning forme. At the age of 12, it was onResurrection Sunday that I was baptized into the Body of Christ. You know, I was “at the age of accountability” and it was time to go down in the water. Revival was held that week and I was instructed to “seek” God kneeling before the congregation. I’m not quite sure what heart change occurred at that time, but I recall wondering if I had been down on my knees a suitable amount of time.The mothers and deacons watched closely.
It was also the morning I watched as one of the older deacons went to the phone to learnhis daughter was unresponsive. She was my godmother and beautician, so her death on the day has never left me. Althoughit was 27 years ago, the memories of that morning are still very fresh. Back then it was a time of mixed emotions, but today I know that death had no victory.
Death does not have the final say! It did not at Golgotha or in April 1986 when it stopped by Meeting Street Road.
“Lest I forget Gethsemane; Lest Iforget Thine agony; Lest I forget Thy love for me, Lead me to Calvary.”
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Those are the words of one of my most treasured spirituals. Whether sung by Gospel legends or the Jubilee Choir at the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, those words have moved me since childhood.
Of course,we were not physically there. However, I learned as a child that Jesus Christ had us all on his mind as he hung on Calvary’s rugged cross.
As a child I knew about the story of Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection, but it wasn’tuntil adulthood that I learned about “Maundy Thursday” (Holy Thursday) and began to personally observe Ash Wednesday and the weeks in between.
The word “Lent”was not in our vocabulary as Baptists, yet time and space would allow it to find its way into my lexicon and Spiritual life.
For me, this has been an interesting Lenten season where much reflection has taken place. It has been a time to reflect on health, life, ministry, family, and any andeverything in between. It has been a time of searching and waiting. Oh, but waiting must be saved for Advent. Right?
In past years, this would have been a time of running around to malls looking for theperfect dress, matching accessories, and shoes. Excuse me, looking for the perfect dress-es. As a child, I was blessed to have one for morning worship and another for the infamous afternoon Easter program. These days, none of that matters. While the idea of new clothes and new life in Christ are rooted in Baptism, most of us never learned the complete facts about this ancienttradition. We simply donned bonnets, new dresses, and looked forward to unwrapping Easter baskets. I was a spoiled child and often received two or three baskets of sugary goods.
Resurrection Sunday or what I only knew as Easter Sunday has always had special meaning forme. At the age of 12, it was onResurrection Sunday that I was baptized into the Body of Christ. You know, I was “at the age of accountability” and it was time to go down in the water. Revival was held that week and I was instructed to “seek” God kneeling before the congregation. I’m not quite sure what heart change occurred at that time, but I recall wondering if I had been down on my knees a suitable amount of time.The mothers and deacons watched closely.
It was also the morning I watched as one of the older deacons went to the phone to learnhis daughter was unresponsive. She was my godmother and beautician, so her death on the day has never left me. Althoughit was 27 years ago, the memories of that morning are still very fresh. Back then it was a time of mixed emotions, but today I know that death had no victory.
Death does not have the final say! It did not at Golgotha or in April 1986 when it stopped by Meeting Street Road.
“Lest I forget Gethsemane; Lest Iforget Thine agony; Lest I forget Thy love for me, Lead me to Calvary.”
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Anniversary Day!
Three
years ago today, I preached my Acknowledgment of Call sermon and was
licensed to preach at First Calvary Baptist Church. However, it was in
Iowa where Pastor Boyer allowed "Sis. Arlecia" to "share" with the
congregation one Sunday morning in 2007. After a few years as what some
call "a bootlegger," I was OFFICIAL! Looking forward to what the coming
years will bring!
Tomorrow we launch our inaugural Women in Ministry Fellowship! What an amazing way to celebrate this ministry anniversary!
Tomorrow we launch our inaugural Women in Ministry Fellowship! What an amazing way to celebrate this ministry anniversary!
Friday, February 7, 2014
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Today we highlight National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Access our reflection at:
http://www.looknlive.com/apps/blog/show/41361777-national-black-hiv-aids-awareness-day
Find a testing site today by visiting http://hivtest.cdc.gov/
Get Educated, Get Tested, Get Involved, and Get Treated.
As always, continue to look and live!
Monday, February 3, 2014
World Cancer Day
Last weekend, I spent Saturday morning in a hospice center during
the final minutes of a loved one’s life. Although he did not transition due to
cancer, there were likely others there wrestling with the “Big C.”
As we stop to acknowledge World Cancer Day, I am mindful of all
who journeyed through this world with a cancer diagnosis. I learned many years
ago that cancer does not discriminate. As a news reporter, I interviewed cancer
patients in all age groups.
Recently, I Googled the
name of a baby whose parents I interviewed in 1997 due to his rare cancer
diagnosis. Thankfully, he is now a teenager and his cancer is in remission. I wish I could find similar follow-up
narratives on all I have known with cancer.
While it appears there are miles or years to go before cures
are discovered and tested, I know there is still a healer for all manner of
disease.
May we continue to
pray healing and comfort for all impacted. Today, I speak the names of all who
transitioned from labor to reward, now resting with the one who also heals through
death.
I speak encouragement to those striving to live abundant
lives even in the midst of doctors’ appointments, chemo, radiation, and the
unknown.
For more information on Look 'n Live Ministries, visit www.looknlive.com.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Remembering Dr. King and the Other Dreamers in the Movement
I will always remember the song Mrs. Harley, my elementary school music teacher, taught us about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We learned the song in a modular unit in the back of the school, which was also attended by my mother and her siblings. Much had changed for the Title I school, but teachers like Mrs. Harley always made us feel special while making do with minimal resources.
"He wanted peace and love all over this land." We sang our parts and reflected on the man and his dream. He was a great man!
As we approach the celebration of the national King Holiday, I honor the sacrifice of Dr. King and remember the sacrifices of those whose names will never enter the historian's inquiry.
I shared these reflections in a guest column published at:
http://m.chronicle.augusta.com/life/your-faith/2014-01-17/remembering-faith-king-and-all-those-who-worked-freedom
As always, look and live! Visit the new Web site at www.looknlive.com
"He wanted peace and love all over this land." We sang our parts and reflected on the man and his dream. He was a great man!
As we approach the celebration of the national King Holiday, I honor the sacrifice of Dr. King and remember the sacrifices of those whose names will never enter the historian's inquiry.
I shared these reflections in a guest column published at:
http://m.chronicle.augusta.com/life/your-faith/2014-01-17/remembering-faith-king-and-all-those-who-worked-freedom
As always, look and live! Visit the new Web site at www.looknlive.com
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