Saved In Sin City

Today the topic of loss is on my mind, recently I had suffered from a miscarriage, I had seen a bit glimpse of it from an ultrasound and heard a tiny, faint heartbeat when I went to the doctor. I was starting to bond with the baby growing inside of me and had picked out names and was wondering whose features it would get and when the loss occurred, it hit me pretty hard . This event, made me recall the first significant loss of a loved one in my life at the age of 10. My mother had just come home from being sick and I made her a bologna sandwich with chips and a soda. After she finished eating, we crawled into bed and fell asleep with her arms wrapped around me. In the morning, I woke up to kiss her good morning and she was gone, no breath, no movement. Nothing at all to indicate that there was life within and for a long period of time, I thought that I was to blame for her death. The situation of loss can be a tough one to bear. In that moment, I felt sadness for the loss of not being able to see my child grow up. Right now its hard to understand what good does God have for me in all of this. Romans 8:28 says that he had the power to make all things work together for the good to those who love him. And even though there is a loss in my life, I still love God and still trust in his will and pray that he’ll give me the strength to bear through this.

The guys at You Version really are amazing. I have their bible on my Blackberry and it is a Godsend, I have access to many versions of the bible, a daily reading plan the ability to email scriptures, and I can search the bible by keyword which eliminates my need to lug around a heavy concordance. Now they've introduced a beta for their live version which so far is looking like this will really be a boom to many churches and ministries. The potential is amazing to get real time interaction with a sermon, a pastor could poll the audience, share video and audio notes, receive prayer requests. I can't wait to play around with this application.

What’s an administrative assistant doing on a leadership blog?

Being the Church Clerk and working as an administrative assistant has been a rewarding task for me. Whether its blowing up copies of books to a larger size so my pastor can read it, or creating bulletins and proclamations for funerals,or filling in to help count offering. I find that supporting leaders makes it easier for them to lead. Also if the day comes where I ended up marrying a Minister or Pastor I'd be able to offer the support that he would need or when my own ministry comes into its fullness I can appreciate all of their hard work.

As we strive to obtain our best within him, we sometimes get so caught up in being perfect that we often dismiss our imperfections. On Facebook, Pastor West mentioned that he was glad that he could overcome his past to keep others from making the same mistakes and I feel that he had such a good point. There’s a new range of people seeking to know God and often there are some people who have encountered such things as: prostitution, incest, abuse, neglect, and other serious issues that make them seem less desirable. Growing up I was a real loner, I didn’t have a best friend until the 11th Grade when in my honor’s Spanish class when I befriended a 10th grader who sat a few seats near me. And being a loner has given me a perspective of what it means to be on the outside, and how lonely it can feel at times when everyone else seems to be ignoring you. There have been times when I’ve been in the midst of a crowd and can yet feel so alone, so imperfect and yearn for someone to just say hello or feel as if I could be a part of something. This perspective has made me see the beauty of imperfection.

When you are always trying to cover up your imperfections, you start to live an un-genuine life at times. It’s like a person who cleans house by sweeping all the dirt under the rug rather than putting it in the trash where it belongs, in time you’ll have a dust free house but the rug will be piled high with dirt underneath it. One day when you try to stand on it, you will fall down somewhere. Every saint is simply a sinner with a past that has been fortunate enough to been forgiven by God and redeemed by his mercy and grace. We all have issues and sometimes God may use us and our issues to minister to a person who currently struggles with a situation that we have been set free from. I met a girl once who struggled with an addiction to sex, and was a 14 year-old prostitute dressed in barely anything. I admit at first I was acting a bit hesitant to be near her, and as she was trying to pay for her food she didn’t have enough money. I paid for her meal and ate with her at a table and ended up talking with her for over an hour about her situation and I ministered to her told her of my issues and prayed with her. I never saw her again but through our conversation I was blessed because I was able to realize just how far he had brought me.

Our mistakes can be encouragement to another person but only if we don’t keep them hidden. I have known of only one person who can say that they never had sin, and that’s Jesus, if you aren’t him then guess what, you aren’t perfect. Sometimes we can lose a soul that sincerely wanted to get to know the Lord but because that person’s skirt was too short or they looked funny or smelled funny we ignored them for various reasons, and we may have lost out on a blessing. Not being perfect is what makes us human, it makes us real. I admit I struggle with many things in my walk with God and there are days that I feel for each step of progress that I make, I’m falling down a few flights. But I know that my failure is for a reason because my success will be the benchmark.

Read More

Rev. Weems has some very interesting points:

1. Marriage is a vanishing institution in the black community.
2. Divorce and unmarried childbearing increase the chances of poverty for both children and mothers.
3. Children raised in single parent households are more to have problems in school, to get involved in drugs, to enter the juvenile system, and to live without medical insurance. Not only are our children at risk, but adult single men are more likely to engage in risk behavior than men who are married (e..g, take drugs, drink too much alcohol, unprotected sex with multiple partners, reckless driving).
4. When it comes to attitudes about marriage, one of the biggest difference sbetween those under 35 and those over 35 is that younger people think you should postpone marriage until your career or finances are stable enough to bring a spouse into the equation. Their parents grew up thinking that it’s easier to build and accumulate wealth in marriage than it is as a single and that marriage gives one the stability and inner fortitude needed to endure the vicissitudes that come with building a career.
5. Children want their parents to stay together –even if for their sake.
6. Men who are religious tend to make better father and husbands than those whowant nothing to do with religion.
7. Young black people use finances, career, and emotional readiness a lot as excuses for postponing marriage. but they don’t seem equally vigilant about postponing having babies out of wedlock, cohabitating, and entering into joint economic ventures with lovers (things normally associated with marriage).
8. It is important for the church to affirm the ideal of married couples rearing their children, while at the same time affirming the possibilities for self-actualization and purposeful, emotional healthy live for those not married.

More

For the outstanding seminary student in the second year of a Master of Divinity program, FTE's Ministry Fellowship provides significant financial and mentoring support to enhance the student's preparation for ministerial leadership. The program encourages initiative, creativity and independent learning opportunities not routinely included in the seminary curriculum. It provides a network of mentors and guides to help recipients use the award in ways that will contribute significantly to the vitality and longevity of their service to the larger church, including the reduction of the financial burden of a seminary education and the implementation of a self-designed ministry project.

Apply Here