2012 Presidential Election…Now What?!

³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group  and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. John 8:3-9
The president election for 2012 is over, and now what?! The aftermath has brought out the worse of us. There is outrage that borderlines for me madness. The thing that bothers me the most is Christians espousing things that make no sense. It as if people did not believe the lost was an option, when the reality is, it is the reality for both until the election is over; failing to consider this sets one up for pain. Therefore, we need to stay cognizant of some fundamental truths form the start, as not to be overwhelmed when what we desired, does not come the pass. These are some trues to the elections – there were people who voted for both candidate based of race, there people who made a protest vote against one candidate and it had nothing principles or policy, and people who voted based on ‘what we always done’ in each party. However, what got me puzzled, is this, we all want what is best for the country, but unwilling to work because I didn’t win? God forbid!!! What I witnessed on varied media outlets advocating a position so desperately it fails to see, it contradict the very thing desired – a better America. So, go with me if you please as we examine the aftermath in terms of the verses above.
In the verses above, the summation question is posed to the righteous statesmen, he who is without sin, cast the first stone. Well no one threw a stone at the lady of ill-repute, and they all walked away from the youngest to the oldest. The point is this none of us is without error, there are other things here, but for this argument we are focusing on the fact they all walked away. No one was willing to work with her, and see how they might help, once what they wanted was not going to be done, they were done; really!? This seem to be the same attitude plaguing our country…now let me state for the record both parties do this, but for now the spotlight is on the right-wingers; however, I am not to jaded to believe the rest of the country is exempt from this behavior… I am wondering when shall we move from this finger pointing, transactional exchange to doing the work resulting in transformational exchange. Where we all work together for the greater good; not just for what I want and believe to be the best. Resulting in an expanded perspective and growth for us all, not just for some of us. Where we would move away from this notion of, if it is not my way, then I don’t want to engage, and walk away because sooner, rather than later, we shall see, what we put out comes back to us. We should not let ourselves be victims where ‘Good is the enemy of great’ (Good to Great by Jim Collins); letting things stay as they are because I like it this way, and besides ‘I am good.’
See, it requires more than just knowing right and understanding right or the best course of action to take, it also includes the willingness to do the work to get the improved outcome. WE adamantly say, we desire.  We, Americans, regardless of race, gender, faith, SES, sexual orientation, etc. the best for our country and the people. But we will never achieve it espousing a position, unyielding in our approach to change. We must be willing to work, and not walking away because we didn’t get what we wanted… does nothing to move us forward….We cannot move forward staying still, holding my unwilling to do the work to get there…your choice, choose well!!

Be still...and know I am...

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted on the earth. Psalm 46:10 KJ21

Be still and I know, I am God, what a wonder statement for us to repeat, and hold to in this life. However, the rest of the verse makes a statement as well - … I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted on the earth… Now I am not sure if we really pay attention to the full verse, or the chapter. It begins with God is our refuge, and ends the chapter with God is our refuge. When I read the verse again, okay truth, it popped in my mind as I am watching the frenzy around me in the world from the election to young people going back to school. I begin to query what does this really mean? Is it really about not doing anything, or about not letting fear, distractions, traditions, ideological constructs, etc impede our ability to let what God allowed in our life, to teach us; I believe the latter things. Some of which we create with our own poor choices, bad decision making, denial, and yes, fear, and what we did not have control of,  but all were allowed by God.

We seem to forget, what God allows in our life is not meant to destroy us, or stymie us into doing nothing. Rather, I concluded what He is saying is don’t get caught up in the madness of circumstances, we too soon forget, He is who rules, and control. See He just wants us to let the discomfort of the thing, to not engulf us, but propel, prepare, and position us with what we need. Not for us to buy into, accept, or get on board with anything that makes you lie down, or put aside your belief of who He is. To not get so twisted up in, this should not happen to me, or why me. We forget, His ways are not my ways, His logic, order is not mind. If He is my prophet, priest and King, then I should trust Him, not the distractions around me; no matter what is occurring. Keep doing what you know, you are to do, even if it is an uncomfortable place for you. Know! for all things in life, there is an expiration date on it; now it might not be the TL (timeline) you desire, but it is about God, but it is for your good.

See it is a reason our Saviour states, ‘Ye, of little faith, or Why did you doubt’. We too quickly let the fervor of a thing put us in a place where, we forget, and become more focus on what we see, driven by our emotions, and not holding to what we purport to hold as true belief, our guiding compass in our life. Iyanla Vanzant when she says – call a thing, a thing – because identifying it makes it easier to deal with it.

When we focus on God, and push beyond the fear, the traditions, the comfort, and let go into His will we shall be as the water in this verse.….‘And He arose, and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, “Peace, be still.” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39 KJ21’…See Jesus wanted us know, I with you no matter the time, the place, the circumstances, or people, when you follow me; I go with you… The problem is not word, it is in us trusting and following His word …How long shall we continue, in the bowl half self-governed and half-godcentric… Your choice, choose well…

I wish...

I wish, more would be okay with being imperfect, so we could become more truthful with ourselves. I wish, we would be open to accepting the imperfection of man, and love it as much as our perfect God. I wish, the perfidy would decrease, so we could begin to fix the problems we work so hard to hide. I wish, what we look like on the outside was not such a deterrent to others, so we would get a chance to see, we are brothers/sisters for another mother but the same Heavenly Father. I wish, we did not let our ideological differences, political parties allegiance, religious diversities, sexual orientation, and ethnic multiplicity stop us from reaching in to help, rather than pushing away to destroy and ignore. I wish, old age wasn’t such a crime against nature in our society, and we would embrace it, rather pay big bucks to keep it at bay. I wish, we would provide more than good intentions, and follow it up with great actions. I wish, we would learn to take the highroad to compose ourselves properly, and not give way to outrage because it easier. Too often though, we do not adequately teach our future generations the way of right so they might avoid some of the pitfalls that befell us. We would rather offer scolding, and not guidance and instruction. We would rather threaten and talk about, than provide legacy instructions for a better way. Changing our attitudes toward each other is the first step toward seeing greatness in another. We would find that true light shines the brightest when we seek the best in each other…. I wish….the God we say, we serve reign supreme so that the love He teaches reigns infintely!!!...My wish, what is yours? Your choice, choose well...smiling

Aging....wink

 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Phil. 4:11 NIV

Aging, the monster we fight against with every breath, and with all our strength. The irony is this, when we were young, we fought very hard to be older. And for most of us, during our young adults years, we worked with much effort not doing anything so that we age gracefully and beautifully. It just not about the tangible, material things, or the funds; they make it easier to bear, but it’s the intangible, invisible things that make it all worthwhile. When we decide, just as the verse states above – learn to be content whatever circumstances. Why? When you are content with you, your contentment, your smile, your light, and your peace beyond understanding becomes infectious to others. Like now, you are smiling, as I am…wink… See, I am not as old as some nor am I as young as others, but one thing I do know sure – it is what it is, but it shall become what you make it! And whether we admit it or not, we make it become what it is with our thoughts, our words, our actions, our time, and our focus. But aging is beautiful, the changing to the body, the mind, and to soul reverberate our truth of the investment we have made in our youth…wink… The is really no room for dwelling on what we do not have, the lost love you let go, the missed opportunity, or the fortune you did not make. What is meant for you, is for you as long as you are living, we just have to do the one thing that is our illusive friend – Trust Him, God, because He is – Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord will provide, Gen. 22:13-14, and Jehovah-Shammah, The Lord who is present, Eze.48:35.

And yet, I know life, living, and reality gets in the way for most of us. However, we purport, assert, and profess to believe to very irreconcilable truths written in the scriptures – Heb. 11:1 ~ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. and Num. 23:19 ~ God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill. If we really believe these things, there would be no doubts. The problem is not with God’s word, it is with our doing the heavy lifting, the difficult work, the arduous task of submitting with our obedience, releasing the unknown to our known God, and forgiving without reservation. We were designed with intense intentions, sculpted with loving hands, and planted with irrevocable promise but as in all things; we must choose to live it.

No one is knocking making enhancements but if you are not at peace with what God made, then no amount of change will satisfy your hunger. And you send a message to the Father that you have hide in your heart - I struggle with trusting YOU. Your life, your choices but we all are aging, and that too is beautiful.

‘He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose’ – J. Elliot

Convince: Game on....

Convince: Game on....

Game on....

Game is on, as we prepare for the presidential election again in November 2012. Before I go on, this is just my rambling, I am not pushing or advocating for any side. I am only going to put out some thoughts that are rolling around in my mind. As disclaimer, I am not going to address or get into a long debate with myself or anyone else for that matter, about anyone voting for or against a presidential candidate based on their race. It is going to happen, and it is going to happen on both side; discussion over.

Now what is rolling around in my head is this, how does the rest of each of us vote because everyone purports to believe in a God who does right for the greater good. A GOD, who is willing to sacrifice, to help all – John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. - and then reconcile all to Himself with unconditional love. Legacy, legendary, and epitome of leadership in living color. Do we vote with any of this in mind, which means a sacrificing in our today to make a better tomorrow? Do we vote with an emotional bent or do we involved a healthy balance of God-centric focus? Do we take the time to see our culture, our communication vehicle, and the avenue we used to matriculate to our success, our accomplishments to vote, without stopping to ‘see’? We have not embraced the breath, the depth and the width of the larger issues in society, and we will never do so, unless we seek outside of what we know as diverse or different.  Are we willing to explore a more expansive lens in our work toward change that actually helps the marginalized voices within the larger society which includes female, minorities, and the poor that is beyond our comfort zone? Are we so caught up in our pedagogy of truth, firm in our well-oiled machine of reality, and inflexible in our perspective on what is economically and ideologically sound, we are unable to be reflective enough to give the opposition an opportunity to be actually heard, not just listened to, as you prepare to articulate your lucid response? Are we afraid that if I actually listen to the opposition utterance with the attentiveness, as I desire from them, it would re-shape, re- direct, and construct a more balance vision and understanding of what we need as a country? See all experiences are learning experiences, teachable moments, and epiphanies when we remove the defense, and speak what is right to do.  Not being hell-bent on what we have the right to do; this is a very limited or myopic lens.

Yeah, game on, and we need to remove the claws on attacks on each other, and begin seeking true change; we are as strong, as our weakest link. I believe we are so deep in ‘our perspective’ we cannot see the entire majestic panoramic view.  Marcel Proust had it right – “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” We can move to different places and see the same thing but when the lens changes, we see the difference in HD.

I understand, we all want what is best for the country, we seem to forget divided we fall. No one wins when battle lines are drawn, and eye for an eye mentality is the course of action. We most certainly go blind, with this mentality. So, as you look toward the election day of 2012, ask yourself what am I really voting for, or am I really voting against something. See change is a curious thing; we cannot truly achieve change, unless we are willing to change.  Wonderfully web we weave, when we first seek to deceive. The problem we do not even seen how damaging it is, until it is too late…Your vote, your choice, and game is on!!... “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what the nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” (Romans 8:5 NIV)

Servant Leadership

 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17 (NIV)

Leadership is all about serving others. It is not about being served.  It is not the position, the status it brings, or the title one gets. However, it is about an aptitude and attitude because if you take on a position with the wrong mindset and attitude, life will be miserable. Your reign or tenure in the position maybe long or short, but it will be thwarted with conflict and confusion. Whether we desire to own, admit or agree with it, leaders dictate the temperature of their organization, group, or team. We know a tree by the fruit it bears, and we know who you are by the people you lead. Julius was right when he told Bertier in the movie Remember the Titans –Julius: Attitude reflects leadership, captain. This was pivotal point in the movie where all things begin to change. However, it would have never changed, if Bertier was not willing to own, what he already knew; he had to change. Was he a bad or inadequate leader? No, but he fell victim to the attitude- it worked before, or this is what, I have always done. When you are a leader, you can’t be stagnate but you must be principled with patience, integrity, and courage. When you know, you are there to serve, not just to be served; you are able to evolve as your duties, responsibilities expand.   It is about attitude, not a title or a birthright.

In the verses above, we have traditionally heard about them when it comes to salvation but it also speaks to servant leadership. Servant leadership embodies these: God so loved the world, He gave, serving; that whosoever believe in him, shall not perish, serve; and came to save, not condemn, serve. Serve means to assist, supply, attend, provide, or fulfill; all things Jesus did by coming to earth. He also knew, He was here to serve. Over and over again, we find the Anointed One serving whether it is cleaning feet, offering drink, feeding, or healing people. The definitive description in how to be a servant leader is in the life of Christ, and as a result we seek to serve him. His attitude, aptitude delivered in a cloak of unconditional love, fastened in place with unlimited mercy, knitted with another chance forgiveness, andpolished with continuous grace to keep us. And although, we are not perfect and cannot replicate it, we can come to the position of leadership with the right attitude and mindset; service. Leadership is not ever about the leader; it is and always about the people being lead. Servant leadership is choice, we should choose if we are to become a successful leader. We must practice it, to be come it. Your choice, choose well.

For the things which we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing: men become builders by building houses and harpists by playing the harp. Similarly, we become just by the practice of just actions, self-controlled by exercising self-control. - Aristotle

Why we Matter

Why we matter? We matter because God thought, and we were. It was not about because individuals decided to have a family, you are here. If that was the case, we would not have surrogates in this country, or family bemoaning the fact, they cannot conceive, or the multimillion dollar industry for reproduction purposes. Nor is it about sexuality, ethnicity, gender, wealth, where we live, or abilities. Because it is not about who you are, but whose we are; we all matter. In John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (NIV) – everyone like to talk about, speaks to the fact the Son died for the, world- that means us all. God created us as we are, and it was not an accident, it was an intentional act; regardless of the circumstances of your conception or challenges. If you don’t believe me, asked the millions of women who have had miscarriages over the years. Also, the parents who had a baby today, but the next day their baby is gone.

So the next time you are consumed with doubt and musing of ‘I wish, I would have never been born, or I have no reason live’ remember these verses Psalm 139:13-16 - For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  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. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be - Know you have significance, you matter because God does not make junk, but jewels; the Father does not create trivial, He forms treasures, and the Father never made a mistake, He we are marvelously and fearfully made in His image….Justsayin’

Learning the lessons

If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:11 NIV

1.       Hurt people, hurt other people

2.       What we put out to others, others return it to us

3.       Before you seek forgiveness, grant forgiveness for it opens a whole new life for us

4.       Changing our tone, changes the meaning sent out to the world

5.       Change starts in the inward parts before the outward parts will be accepted

6.       Time teaches only those who are seeking

7.       Unless your standards aligned with the Father, they will never sustain

8.       Someone seeking the best for you, and someone trying to tell you what to do, look the same but they are not. One is for your good, and the other is not.

9.       True love in any form is unconditional because it is given freely, not because of what you did but what God has done.

10.    You cannot keep all you have, and get all you want; something must be release as it in nature, it is with man

11.    Giving to others, gives to you in surprising proportions

12.    Unforgiveness hurts you, not the person you are not forgiving

13.    Prayer is about being one with God, so you are aligned with God

14.    God created only treasures, not trash; that is man made

15.    We cannot control what others say to us, but we have total control on how we respond

16.    Self-hate allows negative speech to stick like super glue

17.    Today’s struggles are preparational  blessings for our divine ordered destiny

18.    God’s logic shakes our very foundation of possibility to show us His vastness

19.    God will not do or allow others to do, what you can do for yourself

20.    We are all on a journey of self-discovery, although our paths maybe different, the end result is the same, to live our truth

21.    Just because you changed, it does not mean everyone else will change

22.    Not letting go of the negative experience as a badge of courageous endurance, make it impossible to appreciate the great things happening to us presently