Covered?

 

Celebrating Christ and culture. . . . it is possible!

 

Promises....

 

The ups and downs of life

Ahhh, the ups and downs of life. We have surely had our share lately! Yet I am reminded that celebration and setbacks are all part of life and should be even more expected as a believer!

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:17-18)

If Christ suffered, then so must we. He surely had His share of celebrations and feasts. However, we also know that He had His share of suffering . . . . but nothing like what we go through.

So as we go through life's ups and downs, may we focus on the finish line  . . . let's trust the process as coaches say. Celebrate the births, the birthdays, the weddings, the graduations, and all of life's ups. Push through the illnesses, canceled trips, financial challenges, and even the anticipated and unexpected deaths. . . . the downs.

Look forward to the glory to be revealed . . . .

As they go . . .

Today is the last gathering of my senior class before graduation. We are having graduation practice and then a cookout celebration. I have had some of these students since sixth grade and I must admit, I am proud of their growth and maturity . . . but sad to see them leave. However, it is their time to leave the nest and spread their wings. So I leave these words of Paul with them today as they go. . .

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:9-12)

Enjoy life guys . . . but stay focused on the Giver of life! Go make HIStory!

unity throughout . . . imagine the impact

 Let's face it, God wants us to be one. Jesus was clear in His High-Priest prayer before going to His death: 

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. (John 17:20-21)

As a Body, whether it is family, a school, a graduating class, or a church,  He desires for groups of believers to be one so that the world can see Him in us and want what/Who we have! As we gather, we are to be an even brighter light to a dark world than we are by ourselves! 

Imagine the impact . . . .

So as we gather as families to celebrate this time of year . . . as we gather as schools to end the year . . . as we celebrate together as graduating classes . . . and yes, as we gather in person at our various churches . . . let's physically, as well as spiritually, celebrate what God has done in each of us as a unified Body so the world can see what God has done!  

Imagine the impact . . .

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. (Romans 12:15-16)

 

It's ok to celebrate....look forward to good times!

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:8)

These are the days of celebration and looking forward! Students are preparing to move on to higher things and it is time to celebrate what God has done. 

Do not focus on what could have been or failures of the past. As Paul writes in his letter here, get rid of the bad things of the past and focus on tomorrow and what God has in store.

If we have made mistakes . . . failed . . . screwed up . . . then move on! God has a plan.  He forgives . . .He forgets. . . . So must we!

Students, teachers, families . . . let's get ready to celebrate!!!!

🎉   🥳

Albert Murray . . . One Day . . . Celebrating Black HIStory '24

One day . . . .

He was never a household name, but Albert Murray was one of the most important Black thinkers of the 20th century.

The essayist and social critic changed the way people talked about race by challenging Black separatism and insisting that the Black experience was central to American culture. He once remarked that American society is “incontestably mulatto” because Black and White people are inextricably bound to one another.

“The United States is not a nation of black and white people,” Mr. Murray wrote. “Any fool can see that white people are not really white, and that black people are not black.” Murray was what one friend called a “militant integrationist.” He didn’t use the terms “Black” or “African-American.” He called himself an American.

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb . . . (Revelation 7:9)

Born in Alabama, Murray attended Tuskegee Institute, where he befriended Ralph Ellison, author of the classic novel “Invisible Man.” Murray also eventually became close friends with Romare Bearden, the influential painter, and a mentor to jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.

One of his best books, 1970’s “The Omni-Americans,” was a collection of essays and a punishing critique of Black separatism. Filled with Murray’s trademark blunt wit, it insisted that America was a nation of multicolored people who share a common destiny.

One day . . .

Time out to explain/celebrate . . . still Celebrating Black HIStory '24

Mardi Gras for CHRISTians?

There are many cultures represented in the Body of Christ, which makes us rich and colorful. We have much to celebrate! We simply must be reminded to glorify God in our celebrations and not to include the temptations celebrations may offer which can lead to sin . . . be under the Spirit's control as always!

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Mardi Gras translates from the French as “Fat Tuesday”. It’s also referred to as “Carnival” which is derived from the Latin as “farewell to meat” (carne). It is the end of the celebration of the Epiphany. Basically you celebrate - party hard - until the solemn season of Lent. Mardi Gras is the last day to celebrate, the “farewell to flesh”. During Lent there is a lot of fasting, so the concept is to eat all you want before the fasting and a time of penance and fasting for 40 days before Easter. New Orleans is famous for its celebration of Mardi Gras—it starts with parades about two weeks in advance of the actual Mardi Gras. Matrdi Gras balls (the equivalent of debutante balls in other city) begin on January 6, Kings’ Day, the date memorializing the visit of the Three Kings to the Baby Jesus.

Here are just a few historical facts about Mardi Gras and its HIStory . . .

https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/history/king-cakes

https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/history/mardi-gras-indians/

https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/parades/krewe-of-zulu

Who are the Black Indians of Mardis Gras? . . . Celebrating Black HIStory '24

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands . . . (Revelation 7:9)

Scholars generally agree that the Mardi Gras Indian tradition is linked to early encounters between the region’s Native and Black communities. Founded by the French in 1718, the city of New Orleans stands on land originally inhabited by the Chitimacha Tribe. As early as 1719, European colonizers brought enslaved people from the western coast of Africa to the nascent port city, which eventually became a hub of the United States slave trade.

While Africans made up the majority of enslaved people in Louisiana, research conducted by Leila K. Blackbird, a historian at the University of Chicago, found that Native and mixed-race people of Black and Native heritage constituted 20 percent of the state’s enslaved population during the antebellum period.

the two marginalized groups found ways of supporting each other, with local tribes such as the Choctaw, the Seminole and the Chickasaw helping enslaved Africans escape from plantations and live off the land. Some of these fugitives from slavery took refuge in maroon camps (makeshift settlements in Louisiana’s swamps and bayous), while others sought shelter with Native communities, which then assimilated the Africans into their tribes.

 https://youtu.be/VsOxxz4h1rU?si=1Ac4Lhe6FzJcABzu

Howard Thurman: Celebrating Black HIStory '24

“The basic fact is that Christianity as it was born in the mind of this Jewish thinker and teacher appears as a technique of survival for the oppressed. That it became, through the intervening years, a religion of the powerful and the dominant, used sometimes as an instrument of oppression, must not tempt us into believing that it was thus in the mind and life of Jesus. 'In him was life; and the life was the light of men.' Wherever his spirit appears, the oppressed gather fresh courage; for he announced the good news that fear, hypocrisy, and hatred, the three hounds of hell that track the trail of the disinherited, need have no dominion over them.”― Howard Thurman

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

In 1944, Thurman cofounded San Francisco's Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, the first integrated interfaith religious congregation in the United States. In 1953, he became the dean of Marsh Chapel, the first black dean at a mostly white American university, mentoring, among many others, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Celebrate culture and Christ

Happy St. Patrick's day . . .☘💚💙☘

 Celebrate culture and Christ. 

We are diverse so that when we bring it all into our worship, we are united and are able to glorify God properly. As I celebrate the Irish heritage and look forward to serving in Puerto Rico, I am reminded how wonderfully God has equipped each of us and how far we have to go in order to embrace it!

 . . . . endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4: 3-6)

So let's take a look at our cultural backgrounds . . . not to ponder how special we are as an individual people, but rather how God has made each culture just a bit different as to appreciate one another and join as one people to glorify Him!

I leave you with a simple Irish prayer  . . . . 

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Celebrate the little victories . . . and the BIG ones!

May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,

And fulfill all your purpose.

We will rejoice in your salvation,

And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven

With the saving strength of His right hand.

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

They have bowed down and fallen;

But we have risen and stand upright. (Psalm 20: 4-8)

God wants us to celebrate both the little victories and also the BIG ones! As we go through life's ups and downs, we will see that as we trust God, He will give us opportunities to celebrate. Don't miss these moments.

We may have huge dreams and goals in mind . . . keep striving. However, when we see the small victories along the way, take the time to celebrate! 

This life is too challenging to not take a moment to appreciate the efforts and the struggles . . . and the small victories. Payday is coming if we persevere and trust God with the final outcome . . . the Big One!

Keep pressing forward . . . keep standing . . . take a moment to celebrate!

Too "CULTURAL"?

Have we as believers become more culture followers than Christ followers? Are we now too cultural? While it is true we are in this world and need to reach the lost, we are not of this world! (John 17:16) It is a real challenge to reach the lost today. Churches are challenged to find ways to draw in the lost, especially our youth. There are so many half-truths being thrown around and semi-CHRISTian doctrine, that many of all ages are following the lies, thinking their soul is saved . . . not true! The Gospel is still the Truth!

Peter almost missed the point by sticking too close to culture. His cultural diet was keeping him from going to the next level of ministry with Jesus. He was comfortable sticking with the Jewish diet and those who looked like him and ate like him . . . until God reminded him in a vision:

Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 1In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. (Acts 10:10-16)

Cultural practices are not bad in themselves. Family traditions can be fun and enlightening. Yet if they keep us or others from the Truths of the Gospel, then we must not engage in such activities. Be careful of becoming too cultural and miss Christ!

. . . as I follow Christ

Making disciples of myself is easy . . . "follow me"! Making disciples of Jesus Christ is difficult . . . follow me as I follow Christ"! Many times, I am the worst example to follow! If one is to truly regenerated by the blood of Jesus, then that person is a CHRISTian, not a clone of me. 

God designed culture to glorify Him and we all have so much to offer to Christ and one another. If we all look alike, sound alike and act alike, then we diminish His glory. Agreed?

"We" are no longer Caucasian, African, Latino, American, Puerto Rican, Asian, El Salvadorian, black, white yellow, or tan. "We" who are transformed by the Spirit of God are now CHRISTians first! 

Paul said it best: "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."        (1 Corinthians 11:1)

Who is following whom?

In the middle of it . . . The Journey (Part XII)

 In the middle of it . . . that is right where Jesus is! He is right in the middle of all of our celebrations for sure . . . birthdays, weddings, graduations, championships. However, Jesus is also right in the middle of our failures, our illnesses and yes, even in the deaths we mourn!

He is the center of the storm . . . like the eye of a hurricane . . . calm and peaceful. Yet we forget that fact. If we would only focus upon Him, things may seem a bit more calm and controlled. We tend to focus upon the trees and not the entire forest! Step back a bit!!!

Check this out. Read how Jesus got right in the middle of the storm:

Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out;  for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. (Mark 6:47-51)

What if we allowed Jesus right in the middle of our lives . . . storms and celebrations? How would our lives change? I am learning to do just that in our JOURNEY.

Try singing!

 Try singing . . . .

Ever have a day when all seems to be going haywire, then you hear a favorite song or melody, and for just a moment, for a little while at least, things seem a bit better? I think songs are what make holidays a bit brighter. Just after Thanksgiving, we begin to sing CHRISTmas carols and we start looking forward to CHRISTmas celebrations and seeing loved ones, eating Grandma's cookies, and having days off from work and school. Birthdays are marked by singing "Happy Birthday to you" as we gather around the cake and have a celebration of life. At weddings, the bride and groom dance to their song. Summer gatherings are marked with music and bbq cookouts. Music and singing simply brighten a day!

The bible is full of song. We are to be singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16). We are to sing to the Lord a new song. (Psalm 96:1) With my song I shall thank Him. (Psalm 28:7) Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. (James 5:13)

Get the picture? When we are challenged . . . . when we are a bit confused . . . . when things do not seem to make sense . . . . even when all is going well . . . . SING!

He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.(Psalm 40:3)

Agradicido!

 Agradicido . . . so thankful!

    I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 9:1)

As I relax here at my adopted family reunion, I can only be thankful . . . agradicido Señor  . . . grateful Lord indeed! Grateful for not only added family here on earth but an eternal family from every color and culture as a result of God placing us in the mission field!

He has shown me the beauty of shared music, food, and HIS-tory. I now see the beauty of the Body and understand that in Christ there is no color or race, just CHRIST-followers or not. 

So as I bask in agradicido, I pray, for everywhere He sends and everyone He leads to me, that I represent Him well in hopes of winning some for Him!  

May we all be ONE . . . (John 17)

walk by faith like never before

 I always thank my God when I remember you in my prayers. That’s because I hear about your love for all God’s people. I also hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that what we share by believing will help you understand even more. Then you will completely understand every good thing we share by believing in Christ. Your love has given me great joy. It has encouraged me. My brother, you have renewed the hearts of the Lord’s people. (Philemon 1:4-7)

Now that our communities are "opening up" once again, we as believers must walk by faith like never before! We cannot be afraid. Yes, we must be safe and respect others' wishes, but we must be bold in embracing our communities so as to share the love of Christ!

There are people in need within our very neighborhoods. People who need to see a smiling face for the first time in over a year. People who need an embrace, a handshake, perhaps even an invitation to spend time together. 

Who can we help? Where can we give? How can we show Christ's love and share our faith? As Paul wrote to Philemon, what we share by believing may just help someone understand more about Jesus! 

Running . . .running . . .running

 

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3: 12-14)

Running . . .running . . .running . . . even when we are standing still sometimes it seems as if we are always running! Life never stops, even during a pandemic. We may be restricted to certain areas and within certain boundaries, but life never gets easy, especially for the Christ follower. 

I don't know about you, but many times it seems I am either running the race with Christ or fleeing the lusts that Satan puts before me! Either way, I seem to always be running . . . even in my sleep at times! Running from the past . . . running away from temptations . . . running to the cross . . . sometimes it seems as if I am running in circles! The CHRISTian race is constant! 

I remember one piece of advice I received years ago . . . always be found leaning forward! I think this is Paul's reminder in his words above to those in Philippi: reach forward to those things which are ahead . . . the prize that awaits us in Christ! We must keep our eyes on the prize, despite the challenges we face here on earth. 

Young or old, male or female, we must keep leaning forward and never stop running spiritually! We may get physically tired, we may get weary in the legs, we may even end up walking or crawling at times, but keep leaning . . . pressing  . . . forward! (Isaiah 40:30-31)

By the way Feliz Cinco de Mayo y'all!