Endowment

At middle age, you understand that things can change overnight.

And in my review of life changes in recent years, I realized that my investments now will determine the quality of my older adult life. My investments in friendship, entrepreneurship, and parenting will show up - as compounded expressions of community and support as I age. 

God shared that this is an endowment season, not just for me personally, but for the church at-large. 

What are you investing, endowing, "sowing", now? Is a pivot required?

Now

 

Jesus is an abolitionist.

He ascended and left the gift of His Spirt to reside with us. An abolitionist Spirit.

The Bible tells us that the meek shall inherit the Earth. And for millennia we have been praying “on Earth, as it is in Heaven”. 

Today, we steward the Earth in alignment with the directive to transform Earth to resemble Heaven. We bear the image and likeness of the Trinity as we sojourn. 

The Spirit of Jesus is abolition.

The abolitionist movement to end slavery in the United States spanned 100 years. A century. The critical year of 2020 started the clock in our generation to begin the work of abolishing human trafficking and its cousin the criminal “justice” system. 

A century's work experiences ebbs and flows, and demands commitment.

We are abolitionists. 

This nation’s movements are led by the Spirit of Jesus. Quakers led Abolitionism. The Civil Rights Movement had its prophets and apostles. Today’s ekklesia must show up in this next reform. 

Years ago, I awoke from a dream with three imprints: “Martial Law”, “Reconstruction”, and “Repurposing”. I am not an ecclesiastical scholar but I believe that the current call for spiritual revival is a harken to a new reformation period. 

We are experiencing martial law in the natural today. If it is to be, then we must lead. My plan - informed by my ancestry and heritage - is to turn my bluetooth speaker on LOUD, and with tambourine in hand, walk the streets accompanied by the music of traditional mass choirs. I will penetrate the atmosphere of my city with (the) GOSPEL.

Bold Woman

 Good Girl Bold Woman.

My voice is a riot. I disturb the status quo with bold expressions meant to interrupt complacency. 

Jesus modeled deconstruction of the old way of living and relating to God. His challenge to us was to put away performance and live from God's love. And God's love enables my courage.

My team went out and met a new partner organization, Girls, Inc. Moved by their mission - because I too was a girl who obtained access to resources through community-based programs - I connected them to my workplace. That one meeting grew into fundraising support, senior leadership recognition, event sponsorship, and more. One instance of advocacy, blossomed.

***

Speaking of his wife, Graham Cooke shared, "I would do anything and everything to accelerate and elevate who she is because she is my beloved." His modeling of the way Christ loves the ekklesia has sparked my own reflection. Am I exhibiting love to my beloved - whether person or community - through acceleration and elevation of who they are?

Revelatory Truth for Activation

My faith confronts my biases, evidence of its activation.

I told my coworker about my family. "My mom and sisters are in North Carolina," I recounted. "My mom is also raising my young cousin." I could tell that my last remark piqued intrigue. I explained, "Her parents live with addiction. They just couldn't get it together."

As soon as the words left my mouth, they choked my consciousness. 

Despite my immersion in service to those who are traditionally underserved, I was confronted by the truth that I believe individuals living with addiction lack the willpower (strength) to order their lives. My academic training and work experience have taught me that addiction is a disease - in importance and requirements for care like cancer, diabetes, and the like. And even still, I harbored a deep belief about how it worked - and this belief was likely influencing my decision-making whenever I had to be adjacent to addiction in any form. 

I repented.

****

I awoke in the middle of the night and couldn't return to sleep. At 4:30am, my doorbell rang. Shaken,  I checked the security camera. A woman under the influence of something jiggled our door's lock, rang the bell, and waved at the camera when it lit up. For the next two days, I couldn't sleep. I prayed that God would free me from the fear that something far more sinister would happen to my family in the coming days. 

Finally, revelation. I heard God say, "She was never a threat to you. She rang your doorbell for help." I knew then that I was to exact authority. I prayed - better yet, commanded - that she would be arrested by the Holy Spirit during her incarceration. I prayed that she would be freed from addiction. I prayed that she would be reconciled to her family. I felt a deep release after my prayer. 

I've slept well every night since.

****

We spoke with my cousin's mother recently. She's doing well - appearing to have settled into life free from addiction. We pray for reconciliation and restoration. 

I pray for my heart to receive more truth, and for my faith to be thrust into action for improving how we exemplify the Spirit of Jesus in our work, relationships, and stewardship of the world we curate. 

Revelations of Work

• Work cultivates discipline - a discipline for exercising, exhibiting, and receiving the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. The Message version of Galatians 5:22-23 shares it this way,

But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

• The ache we sometimes experience in the workplace is related to a ruling spirit of manipulation and control, manifesting as confusion. When we suit up with our armor, we rely on God's strength to enable peace and clarity. Ephesians 6:13-18 in The Message Bible shares it this way,

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

The projects and initiatives we advance are part of a Holy Fight against the enemy who intends for the downfall of mankind. We need divine assistance, perspective, connections, patience, etc.

• There is a natural principle of sowing and reaping. You plant tomato seeds, you expect to harvest tomatoes. In the enemy's perversion of earthly systems, there's a temptation to harvest from places where we didn't plant. In corporate culture, the work cycles seem nonsensical; you plant a seed and 2 weeks later someone comes by and says it was the wrong seed, so you dig up the seed, and then find that the soil was contaminated, and then when you report the contamination someone tells you to overlook it, and then you know that in the contaminated soil the seed requires 4 weeks to germinate, but someone comes along and says to harvest whatever comes up after 1 week. Madness. So you may experience difficulty in ordering your work. Seek God's clarity on the divine order, and ask for a provision of his grace - a grace that may even come from the overflow of divinely appointed leaders he allows to care for you. 

God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. (Galatians 6:10-12 MSG)

Called by Name

In a magazine interview, Sean John Combs shared that he derived his stage name "Puff Daddy / Puffy" from a childhood nickname - given to him because of his proclivity to "huff and puff" with rage. I suspect the wound caused by his father's death remained unhealed as he navigated life; as people and circumstances came near to this vulnerability, he cried out with extreme anger.

(I am not using this as an excuse for his violent behavior. I am using this illustration to teach the importance of a name.)

Throughout his life and influential career, this name has been reinforced in song lyrics, award announcements, and other proclamations. The name accompanied a rageful persona; we now see its footprints in the stories of women subject to violence by his hand.

***

We tend to name a thing by its wound, reinforcing alignment by word and action.

The prophetic challenges us to fix our gaze on the Most High, allowing His deep love for humanity to coat our gaze as we peer beyond the enemy's distortions to call a thing by its original name. 

As we cultivate our relationships with people, places, purposes, we must intentionally call these things by the name God intended at the beginning. I call these places blessed cities, and the inhabitants righteous.

Moving Through

There is an enemy of mankind. He wants you stuck in a cycle of believing that you are damaged and defeated. He wants you dead. He counterfeits the goodness of God; the enemy wants to be worshipped. 

Thank God for the Good News - that the enemy is defeated and we have access to everlasting life. 

We know this truth and must continue to actively resist the enemy's attempts to rule us and the world until Jesus's return.

We can leverage art as a form of resistance. Art helps us to move through difficult thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

During the pandemic, DJ D-Nice guided celebrities, politicians, and even novice social media users through virtual dance parties to shake off the uncertainty. After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., James Brown performed a televised concert to quell the pain that manifested into rioting. 

Art - in whatever form - is a healing balm. 

The Pope recently invited comedians to Vatican City to celebrate the importance of humor to unite people. There is a current movement to include art as a medical prescription for individuals healing from various infirmities. 

So we pray for the artists - that their visions will be hidden from the enemy's distortions and distractions. We pray they will find community, balance, and wholeness. We pray they will access the keys to distribute their art and reach multitudes. We pray that they will mentor and promote in their fields of influence. 

Peace

Through his birth, life, death, and resurrection, Jesus brokered peace for us - reconciliation between God and man, so that we were no longer permanently subject to the wrath of Yahweh based on our behavior. 

As we live in the promise of restoration, the partners of first responders will be the voices that bring transformation in our nation's approach to peace and security. There will be a female leader with fierce eyes, able to target her personal experiences and words to influence the movement of government; a male voice - lawyer and consultant - with a keen ability to strategize; a retired safety officer and a youth representative harkening internal peace for first responders to reduce self-harm.

How to cultivate Peace on a societal scale: 

• Pray for the families on the frontline of this movement
• Follow the instructions of Philippians 4: 8-9 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Black Maternal Health Week Prayer

 

Dawning of the New Era

There is an enemy of mankind. He stalks - like a predator hunting prey - waiting until we are anxious and alone (completely disabled by fear) before he pounces. This enemy has grown comfortable ruling the earth and wanting even more territory under his dominion. 

The GOOD NEWS for us is that his reign of terror against those made in the image and likeness of God is coming to an end. As believers step into their authority, the enemy is losing ground as the power of the air. Believers are bringing heaven to earth. We must reclaim the land, air, sea, and all living creatures and manmade systems for God's Kingdom purposes.

The enemy will revolt. We will see more expressions of terror and war. The earth will shake mightily as we battle with the unseen. The GOOD NEWS is that WE WIN. We've already won by the powerful act of God birthed through Jesus's death on the cross. And the darkness that we will observe will only give way to a visible and tangible expression of God's light. There will be deep demonstrations of God's power. These demonstrations will come through believers; storms will lift and bodies will be resurrected by spoken word. The Spirit of Jesus will lead us.

What is the outcome of all this? UNITY. God is performing a divine kneading of intentions, resources, and goals. The elements involved must be pure, requiring believers to routinely examine themselves and pursue healing for relational wounds and demonic influence.

Resources for Kingdom Living in this New Era: 

- Battlefield of the Mind (Joyce Meyer)

- Prayers That Rout Demons: Prayers for Defeating Demons and Overthrowing the Powers of Darkness (John Eckhardt)

- The Believer's Authority (Kenneth E. Hagin)

Lay Claim

My husband dreamt of a mountain. As he climbed, two hindrances blocked his path, preventing him from reaching the top.

The first time we interpreted the dream, we immediately focused our attention on the two hindrances. These evil forces - what were they called? What did they represent?

We again asked the Holy Spirit for revelation. 

"You're focused on reaching the top of the mountain. Lay claim to the mountain from right where you are." 

We have been challenged to declare our ownership of the mountain. This declaration activates God to act swiftly on our behalf to remove any obstacles.

Maybe you're focused on that supervisor who appears to be a detractor from you excelling in your field. Maybe it's an entire system - political party, national legacy - that appears to limit your ability to impact lives. Maybe the physician's report is deterring you from believing you have the time necessary to do the thing God has placed on your heart. 

God says, "Lay claim." 

Lay claim to your health. Lay claim to your purpose. Lay claim to your position. Declare that mountain yours and watch him do a new, miraculous thing on your behalf.

Promise of Restoration

Jeremiah 33:14 - Behold, the days are coming', says the Lord, 'when I will fulfill the good word and promise which I have made regarding the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

I cling to Jeremiah 33 as a guiding chapter reminding me of God's goodness. In it, we're told that the mark of God's restoration includes health, healing, peace, security, evangelism, prosperity, joy, and gladness. In 2024, God is raising vocations centered on these elements.

• Health (v. 6) - Individuals working in health and wellness will receive greater measures of authority as they activate their belief systems; they will speak and see change, they will act and observe the miraculous.
• Healing (v. 6) - People will seek out personal deliverance and deliverance ministry training in greater measure. Deliverance ministers will have to prioritize caring for their physical and mental wellness, and their families' protection.
• Peace and Security (v. 6) - As crime rates continue to decline, there will be a renewed definition of how we describe personal and community safety - to not only include prevention of bad activity but the promotion of continual wellness. People will move to cities that have transformed from crime-ridden to harbingers of peace. Diplomats focused on international security will receive new ideas to move us closer to the ideal of "world peace".
• Evangelism (v. 10) - The knowledge and experience of God is moving quickly. Those who identify as evangelists will RUN in this season. Many "junior" leaders have been sitting on the sidelines, holding a vision in their hearts of lives saved. Those visions are coming to fruition. You will have unexpected encounters with people - at the grocery store - and just from your simple conversation centering Jesus, their generations will be transformed.
• Prosperity (v. 10) - We will see more research and news media highlighting the importance of nurturing your soul with goodness. Creatives must cling to telling GOOD news stories in this time.
• Joy and Gladness (v. 11) - Comedians have a unique authority. Their gifting will promote health, healing, peace, evangelism, and the prospering of souls. You'll find that social gatherings - including church services - will be filled with rousing laughter; it will be a catalyst for further restoration.

Over the next several years, we will experience growth in the number of people attracted to these vocations, and in the amount of exposure and recognition these roles receive in the world.

If you identify with any of the descriptions above, take a moment to receive God as Yahweh. Yahweh is a fulfiller of the promises to his people. Ask Yahweh to help you see and remember the instances when He fulfilled promises to you and your family. Ask Yahweh to help you press in to hear his promises for your life and endow you with the courage to move in those directions.

Burning

In this 21st century exposition of earthly injustice, I am renewed in my passion to advance health equity to ensure Black Americans live long, healthy lives. 

I burn with zeal for change and restoration.

Moses burned with zeal to right wrongs committed against his people. 

When commissioned by God at the site of the burning bush (Exodus 3), Moses received revelation about who he was and who God is. God even told Moses the inheritance the Israelites would receive as they plundered the Egyptians; they were destined to be people of favor.

We're often commissioned by prophetic words or the deep righteous yearnings we experience. Our activation requires a reveal of our identities in Christ, a renewed understanding of who God is, and a vision of the new condition God wants for His people. If you know that you know that you know that there is a commission upon your life, but are experiencing stagnation, ask God to reveal who you are, who He is, and what He has in store for the people you are entrusted to love.

Freedom Steps

Navigating Atlanta's highways requires finesse... a level of finesse I did not possess after becoming a mother. Normal anxious thoughts reach a fever pitch when coupled with lack of sleep.

I outran reason every time I thought of getting on the highway and commuting to work with my little one. The fear of experiencing a car crash was not paralyzing but still debilitating. "God, help me."

***

A few days later I entered a church for a community event. With my daughter in arms, I read from a children's bible that laid on the pew. The passage I chose described God's ability to protect us from harm, and said, "...even when we travel on the road for a long time, God is protecting us." I chuckled. 

I knew He had heard my prayer.

I left the event freer after that encounter with truth. But there was still a layer to unpack. 

A few more days later a memory sprang up. A childhood car accident. A man sped through a red light and hit my family's minivan in an intersection. We left the accident scene physically fine... but obviously I had been living with an unseen fracture for decades.

God took me back to that memory and showed me where the Holy Spirit was in the scene. My family is protected.

***

Through daily examination, our healing requires: 

1) a request for help (demonstrating a willingness to receive it), 

2) a "freeing" encounter with the truth measured by its identification with the nature (goodness) of God, and

3) a renewing ("retelling") of the places where God felt most absent.

Kingship

In his teachings on the graduation of boys to authentic manhood, Dondre Whitfield shares that "Males [boys] seek to be served, and Men seek to be of service". This understanding - marked by the literal and figurative transition from adolescence to adulthood - is not only a rite passage for men but all leaders in society. As believers, we lead in the establishment of God's vision on Earth. To lead, we must seek to be of service. 

And to serve well, we must have keen insight into why we're here in the first place. 

Kings:

- discover their purpose - the point of their rule,

- lead and serve others to build up the whole - not just themselves,

- connect with surrounding leaders and territories - and don't lead in isolation,

- showcase the other members of their royal court,

- apply and teach their life learnings for the further establishment of the kingdom,

- reproduce more Kings.

It's time to mature --- connect with God to learn your purpose and seek to serve.

Intimacy Activates

Intimacy activates. 

I paused my late night rumination to focus on His voice. I heard, "Intimacy activates." 

Wounds from negative experiences prevent us from being vulnerable.

Our new normal in this period of recalibration requires intimacy - a deep knowing and vulnerability. We must pursue healing.

On the other side of the recalibration is a pursuit of our high purpose...

Epiphanies

1. Jesus is an abolitionist. If you're looking for today's expression of Christ, search in the places where something is being dismantled, for example, the U.S. justice system. 

As we pray "on Earth as it is in Heaven", we are commissioned to abolish longstanding authorities (like racism, poverty, and every other thing standing in opposition to God) to ensure the kingdom dominates here. The Holy Spirit - the Spirit of Jesus - will provide the wisdom and power needed to do this work in your community, through your influence at your workplace, and within your family. Ask for the help.

2. Women are often valued/measured by their level of service to others. And our true measure comes from our identity as a Daughter of God. 

When I sit in God's presence, I have permission to rest.

3. Jesus aims to be the Chief Cornerstone of everything we build.

Invocation

Invocation: the action of invoking something or someone for assistance or as an authority

I did not have a singular defining moment for accepting God into my heart. Our relationship grew with every encounter - from my experience of Him rescuing anxious thoughts to undeserved advantages in life's circumstances. This latest expansion requires me to move past invitation to invocation. I've held onto control for a long time. Invocation requires a more full experience of God as an authority. I can ask for His help and support as a Father, and wade in his direction and influence. 

Next year's recalibration provides the sensation of a salt water float, dispersing the chronic pressures of the past two years into a buoyant landing place of trust. 

New Normal

"When the framework of our daily existence gets completely dismantled and the landscape around us grows increasingly unrecognizable, our strongest longing is seldom prosperity. What we yearn for is normalcy. We don't tend to ask for the moon when we've lost all we've known. We just want some semblance of our old lives back. The hard truth is, there's no real going back. But once we get up again, there can be a going forward. In His faithfulness, God sees to it what we thought was the end isn't the end after all. And eventually, perhaps not terribly long after, we realize we've transitioned into a new normal." 

- Beth Moore, "Chasing Vines: Finding Your Way to an Immensely Fruitful Life"

Permission to Launch

Sometimes you have to go to a place they've never been to become a woman they've never seen.

----

John 15 is a staple biblical chapter in my life. I've never captured its full interpretation but I comb it routinely for new applications in my life. When my husband and I divinely received our daughter's name - while watching Netflix (ha!) - we didn't know that it meant "vine". Today, I read up on vines and vineyards to shape my parenting and connection to the Father.

A vineyard's soil requires a few rocks in it. Too many rocks and the vine is strangled. Too few rocks and the vine grows extra leafy. In both instances, no fruit. 

Your womanhood journey requires you to be planted in soil that has a few rocks in it. Too little care and you won't blossom at all. Too much comfort and you'll be all flash and no substance.

You must go. Your home base is too safe. Travel to new places that may pose a challenge but also provide opportunities for growth. Go to the places your forerunners haven't been so you can "bear much fruit".