Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from January, 2017

Open Letter - Christians Stand Up

As I have been looking at all of the events of this weekend I know that the heart of God is grieved. When Jesus was asked which was the most important commandment he said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” ( Matthew 22:39-40 MSG) and again “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.” ( Mark 12:29-31 MSG) says, And I have been waiting, desperately to hear people of God come out in force to denounce the lack of love that has transpired in the last 10 or some odd days since Trump

In God's Economy: Abundance Doesn't Always Equal Money

God promises us life and that life in abundance ( John 10:10 ). Don't equate that with a promise of abundant money. There are too many stories in the Bible of people who lived abundant lives but were not rich (See the story of the  Widow of Zarephath ; See Hebrew 11 ) and those who were rich but did not live abundant lives (See the Story of the Rich Official who was seeking this abundant life). Jesus himself was a perfect example of that. Even Jesus had no place to lay His head at night ( Matthew 8:20 ). Yet I doubt people will say He didn't live an abundant life. So if abundance doesn't mean money what does it mean?   Abundance means having a new life in Christ and living the life God has planned for you, not holding on to the things of this world but being blessed to be a blessing to others. What abundance looks like will be different for everybody because no ones life path is the same. God has a plan for all of our lives and our plans are not the same so why would th

No Longer Slaves

In our lives it is easy to feel enslaved. To your job, by the government, by money, by your fears, by your own mind. I know I can get stuck in the trap of feeling like life is closing in and there is no way out. And then I'm reminded that God has set me free. As a child of the Most High God,  Galatians 5:1 (The MSG) says, Christ has set us free to live a free life.  So take your stand!  Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. I AM FREE! Let Paul's words be a reminder in these uncertain times that you are free, so stand firm in that. __________________________________________________________________________________ Bethel Music has this great song which is the title and inspiration for this post. Whenever you feel bound listen to this song, read its words and come to know the freedom that exists through accepting the wonderful gift of salvation from our Wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ!  Be Blessed! The Unlikely Missionary DHW

Bless Your Name Forevermore

Sometimes I hear a song that ushers me into the kingdom of God no matter where I am or what I am doing. And I have to stop and worship the Lord. That just happened when this song came on my Pandora playlist. It says From the darkness came the light, Out of nothingness you made life For before the world you were, Bless your name forevermore. Lord according to your plan, You created every man, Just to glorify you and Bless your name forevermore Then into the world you came, By the power of your name, And you washed my sins away, Bless your name forevermore. So i come before your throne Through no goodness of my own And i worship you alone, Bless your name forevermore I will bless your name(x2) I will bless your name forevermore I will bless your name(x2) I will bless your name forevermore -Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Enjoy!

Praise Break: Turn It Around

I love basically anything Israel Houghton & New Breed and this song always makes me dance in my seat. Enjoy!

My Thoughts on the Abortion Debate

The ability to choose it under attack. But this is not the first time nor will it be the last. I will be talking more about choice in March but in light of all that transpired and potentially will transpire I felt it necessary to address this sooner. Starting from Adam and Eve with the tree, God has given us choice. He's never tried to stifle it or take it back. And why? Because He didn't want individuals who felt forced or trapped into serving God. He wants our worship to be given freely. He has a personal cheer-leading section already. They are called angels. He gives you the ability to freely choose how you want to live your life. An example of this is He let David have multiple wives even though that was a pagan custom David adopted from neighboring nations and it is not God's picture of marriage. God of course has a direction he wants you to go that will bring you a future and a hope ( Jeremiah 29:11 ) but you ultimately have the ability to make the choice yo

In God's Economy: There are No Levels To This

I find that we live in a world of Grays. However God is very black and white.  There is no gray.  We are all sinners ( Romans 3:23 ) and There is only one way to heaven ( John 14:6 , Acts 4:12 ). That's it. Plain and simple. In this world we put levels on wrongdoing. There is simple assault, assault, assault and battery. Then there are degrees; 1st degree, 2nd degree. But in God's economy all sins are equal and they are all punishable by death. No ifs, ands, or butts. And we are ALL born into sin. Just like we can get certain diseases from our parents, we inherit sin. It has been passed down from generation to generation. Every human being has sin, no one is immune. Therefore to God it doesn't matter if you have a little sin or a lot of sin (whatever that means) even a speck of sin is too much and can separate you from the fullness of a relationship with God. That is why Jesus came ( John 3:16 ). God sent his son to die so that his perfect sinless blood could be shed

Awesome God

I love the song Awesome God but one of my favorite renditions has to be the one sung by Helen Baylor. She has one of the most beautiful, powerful and sultry altos I've ever heard. And when she sings I feel the presence of the Lord. So take this moment for this praise break and worship the Lord. The Unlikely Likely Missionary DHW

I WAS Scared of Trump

For a while I let fear of this new president grip me. I worried about the impact this would have on my life and what it meant for the safety of my husband, son, brother, father, and friends. But then I remembered 2 things. One : My ancestors have been through worse. We survived slavery, Jim Crow, Institutional racism to be a thriving and vibrant community. Closer to home, I just think of my own personal history. My mother was a new immigrant escorted to school by police during integration. She was an activist. She survived racism and discrimination. So, if she can survive all of that I have that strength within me too. So I need to put my big girl panties and keep moving forward. Knowing your history is so important. Two : GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE! I don't care who Trump and the others think they are but they ain't greater than God. We have to be careful who we give power to over our lives. He may be president but he is not the author of my destiny. He didn't create

Repost: Faithful One

Originally post : November 5, 2010 I have been revisiting many of my old posts and I have found that my younger self is encouraging my older self. In this post the words I typed back then are still so true today and I'm glad I could remind myself of that. So without further ado... Faithful One Updated

True or False? The Bible Was Written by Man.

True! But so is every book that has ever been written. That does not disqualify the Bible from being true. It is a collection of true stories by authors handpicked by God to tell his story. This is no different than an autobiographer writing their first hand account or a biographer writing the account of a person's life as it is being relayed to them by that person. This has always been an interesting topic for me because all books are written by man but only the Bible's integrity is questioned on the basis of this reasoning. We take science books, history books, documentaries at face value. Other religious text are also written by man but their integrity isn't questioned in this basis either. So why else do I think the Bible is true? 1) The story follows the children of Israel. The same Jewish descendants that exist today. They are the only group of people who have consistently witnessed and been an integral part of world history. 2) It has survived generations of e

For Every Mountain

Happy New Year Everyone! There will be obstacles or mountains that we will face this year. Even time I hear, have sung or performed this song the Spirit of the Lord is activated in me to let me know, "Damaris God is with you and He will bring you over it so praise Him!" The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him - Nahum 1:7       It is in our praise that we experience the victory and blessings of God. It starts with reflecting on all the mountains He has already brought you over. The trials He has brought you through. The enemies He has removed from your path. The strongholds He has broken. And the praise bubbles up. You are blessed by the blessings you have already experienced. And your confidence in God is strengthened because if He has done it before He can do it again. So as you listen, be blessed, reflect on what He has done and praise the true and living God for His love, faithfulness, and His presence in

Happy New Year!

Be Blessed & Know God has NOT forgotten you. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever Hebrew 13:8 The Unlikely Missionary DHW