Celebrating~ Blessed and Breaking Through

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”
—Pope John XXIII (1881-1963), 261st Pope of the Roman Catholic Churchwww foundationforabetterlife.org
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I really don't think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don't mind the failure but I can't imagine that I'd forgive myself if I didn't try."
-Nikki Giovanni , Poet, Author, Extraordinary Human Being, Lecturer, Activist
http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/nikki_giovanni/quotes

Friends the honor was all mine; it was a surreal moment my holding the hand of one of the Moton School Student Protestors ( a spry senior citizen), meeting Julian Bond up close, taking a photo with Blair Underwood and chatting with the incomparable, esteemed, noble, tremendous poetess sister Nikki Giovanni! I really wanted to jump up and down and scream with uncontained joy, “Nikki, Nikki it’s really you in the flesh!” -but I think, well I’d like to believe that I was very composed as my husband and step daughter stood at the book signing table and smiled at wonderful Nikki. I had no clue that I’d be so privileged to have this divine encounter with one of my favorite poets! She was extremely cordial as we reminisced about our love for her poetry- It’s My House and her spoken word album and how during our college days her words ignited our hearts on and on and on.

Just an hour or so earlier she had dazzled our souls again, as she had given a heart rendering, heart clapping, heart song of a powerful celebratory poem honoring the wonderful and timely occasion saluting the unsung children who were heroines and heroes of the Virginia Civil Rights Movement. This historic occasion was an important moment in time and there we were witnessing the unveiling of a Civil Rights Monument that beautifully honored some very courageous youngsters that marched out of a segregated school causing this very act to snowball nationally into the Brown vs. Board of Education. Some of the surviving students that had been grade schoolers which protested shabby treatment and a substandard education, now stood proudly before the world being honored and validated as change agents in this national Civil Rights Movement! These fearless children now seasoned senior citizens are a testament that God does honor His own.

Well friends I can’t share an audio, but I certainly can share this link http://www.vacivilrightsmemorial.org/memorial/render/ and hope you’ll take the time to marvel at this very historical occasion and possibly venture out of your comfort zones to downtown Richmond,Virginia’s Capitol Square -find your way to this historic monument and converse with your travel companions and the other onlookers about the significance of placing a memorial depicting individuals from all walks of life ( especially the young African American girl leading the way) - hopeful, courageous, and insightful moving through the stony walls of all of societies ills and biases.

I’d like to believe with you also that a new day in dawning! No this isn't simply symbolish, but a new reality and a new opportunity to celebrate a national movement, the pioneers and the significance of a child's vision! We can without reluctance embrace the notion that God does delight us and awaken us with wonderful occasions to celebrate our humanity and dignity and even witness in the flesh another phenomenal human being, another heart lesson for our good.

To all the change agents who seek to live a better life and make a difference- I praise God for you!!! Take a bow Nikki, take a bow Julian, and take a bow all who know that the spirit of Barbara Johns lives within us!

…the Lord who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.Isaiah 43: 1-3

Lord thank you! What a day, what a day, I lift my hands in praise to you!!!

Joyfully Submitted by Linda Mose Meadows

The Blessedness of Believing-A Devotional Journey of Life’s Lessons and God’s Promises

blessedlm@hotmail.com

All rights reserved, no use without prior written permission of Linda M. Meadows

Destructive Forces

Destructive forces are not intended to “accomplish" God’s will in our lives.
On the contrary; they are intended to “keep” God’s will from being done.

Destructive forces, (and all evil) come to steal God’s blessings from us, they come to kill us, to prevent us from performing God’s will, and to destroy God’s glory and our witness of his goodness in the earth. Destructive forces come to destroy.

Do you think that the storm that Jesus calmed in the Sea of Galilee came to accomplish God’s will? No, it came to destroy it. It came to keep Jesus and the apostles from reaching the other side and it came to keep them from fulfilling God’s will for their lives. It came to kill them. It was not sent by God nor “allowed” by God for his purposes. That is why Jesus calmed the storm, so that it could not do the evil that it could have done. If that storm were God at work and was God’s will to destroy, Jesus would never have rebuked it. He would have let it do its work. (Mk. 4:35-41)

Destructive forces were birthed from sin. Before sin, there were no destructive forces in the earth, and no evil harming men’s lives. And since destructive forces were birthed from sin and God is against sin, he is consequently against destructive forces. He is not for them. Destructive forces are an intrusion into God’s plan for man. They were released by man and out of God’s control who had warned man about the consequences of sin. God never wanted destructive forces in the earth and because God never changes still doesn’t. They destroy his creation and those he loves. That is why God sent Jesus, to deliver us from destruction!

Jesus said, “The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly;” Period (Jn. 10:10, the “Period” is mine)

Good is good and evil is evil and never will the two ever meet. God is good and the devil is evil. God gives life, he creates, blesses and restores; the devil steals, kills and destroys. God’s works are works that are good and never evil. He does not purposely use evil as a tool. He does not destroy people’s homes and lives for his purposes. If the means is evil, it is not something God will choose to use. (Jas. 1:17)

Yes, God is big enough and good enough to bring good out of evil, but he never purposely uses evil to bring good. Do we really think that God needs evil to do his work? No, he does not. He never did and he never will. It is only the enemy that does. That is why Jesus always stood against evil and destruction, because destructive forces are the work of the enemy, not God. In fact, the purpose Jesus came was to DESTROY the works of the enemy. He never used them nor did he ever teach that the works of the enemy were God at work in anyone’s life. (1Jn. 5:8)

Jesus came to reveal God and God’s works to us. One day he said to one of his apostles, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father… How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (Jn. 14:8-11 NIV)

Jesus and the Father are one. And the words that Jesus spoke and the works that Jesus did were the Father at work through him. And those words and those works were always of deliverance and of restoration.

Jesus also said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” (Jn. 5:19 NIV) So, Jesus did ONLY what he saw the Father do and the Father showed Jesus ALL that he does. And all that Jesus ever did was to stop or destroy the works of the enemy. He NEVER used them or said it was God who was at work in them.

(It was Jesus who revealed God’s character and God’s will to us, and it was Jesus who was God at work. And if there is anything in scripture that seems to reveal anything about God that Jesus never did or ever taught; it is being misunderstood. In my book, “Suffering (God’s Will?)” I address and explain many of these misunderstood passages.)

Destructive forces are NOT God’s judgment on sin either. Not only does Jesus and the bible teach that judgment does not come until judgment day in the next world, after we die (Jn. 5:47-48, Heb. 9:27) …but listen to this… Paul said in his second letter to the Corinthians that God does not even hold anyone’s sin against them. That’s right. Read on.

“…God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” (2Cor. 5:19)

That’s right, through Christ; God actually reconciled the “world” to himself, the WHOLE world. And, according to what is written, God does NOT impute ANY man’s sin against them, whether they are saved or not. WOW! Talk about not traditional, but nonetheless, SCRIPTURAL!

The truth is this; That Jesus paid the price for ALL men’s sin and because of that God is satisfied. (Isa. 53:11) He is no longer angry with ANYONE. He still hates sin and what sin produces, but all the sin that has ever been committed and ever will be committed has already been paid for. That is how and why we are in a time of GRACE, AND NOT JUDGMENT…because of what Jesus did for the WHOLE world!

The reality is that there is no more judgment necessary; Jesus bore that judgment for the whole world. God is not judging ANYBODY in this life, and does not want to judge anyone in the next. The price has been paid and eternal life is being offered. BUT, because men have a free will, God has left it up to them as to whether they enjoy this benefit or not. To enjoy it, men need to accept Jesus as their savior. If they don’t accept Christ in this world, they will suffer the consequences of their own sin, (here and now) according to the law of sowing and reaping, but not according to condemnation and judgment. It is after they die, (if they had not accepted Christ during their life), that they will suffer judgment and eternal death for sin. (Gal. 6:7-8, Heb. 9:27)

Now, the bible says that “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” (Hos. 3:6) The reason God’s people are destroyed today (by destructive forces or anything else) is because of a lack of knowledge of God’s will, his ways, and the power that he has given us to keep destructive forces from stealing, killing and destroying. We are supposed to have and live the same life that Jesus lived. And before Jesus allowed evil men to take his life, though he faced destructive forces (just as we do), he was NEVER harmed by them. He always controlled them or defeated them or changed them. And not only did he control them in his own life, but he controlled them in the lives of ALL those who asked for his help. Now wouldn’t you like to live that kind of life? Well, we can!

Jesus came to give us life, not death. Of himself he said, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” This is the ministry of God to the human race; the only one he ever had, and the only one he has towards us now. (Lk. 4:18-19)

Destructive forces are a hindrance and an obstacle to the obtaining of God’s will for our lives, not a part of God’s will. We may learn something from them, but they are not here because God wants them to be here, and they are not here to do us any good. They were birthed from sin and from Satan and come only to steal, kill and to destroy. And if we believe anything other than God’s willingness to protect and deliver us from evil and destructive forces or if we doubt our dominance over Satan and his works, we will be opening the door for the enemy to destroy us. No faith means no power, no protection, and no deliverance. Yes, we may have to endure temptation, trial, and tribulation coming against us as did Jesus, but we have the same authority over them and protection from their harm that he had. We too can learn to protect ourselves, to dominate, to defeat, and to have victory over all evil. (1Pet. 5:8-9)

Total dominion over the devil and protection from all evil! Now doesn’t that sound like God to you? It sure does to me. And that’s because it is! (Ps. 91, Mk. 16:17-18, Eph. 6:10-18)

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of : “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com

Part II V. Richardson's Appeal to Obama

Vera Richardson is the author of “A Case of Racial Discrimination and Retaliation Real or Imagined.” http://books.google.com/books?id=sx1cLRaobBQC

My Appeal To Senator Obama

Senator Obama I am a loyal supporter of your quest to be the President for "All" Americans. In an article on CNN.com you were quoted as saying, “I do think part of the role of president is to offer his or her opinions about critical issues, not all of which can be solved by government, but make a big difference in the quality of our society. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to solve these problems overnight, but I’d like to think that if a president says that something’s important, that some people might pay some attention.”

As a Black American I want what everyone else in America wants. I want to be treated fairly according to the rules, according to the law, and according to the United States Constitution. To be Black in America means that as a race of people we are not only victims of injustice in criminal court cases but also victims of an unjust civil court system. In my discrimination lawsuit and in my disability retirement legal proceedings the America judicial system including the United States Supreme Court failed me. A judicial system that has failed and continues to fail many Black citizens of this great nation.

Senator Obama please read all of my I-Reports on CNN that detail my discriminatory employment experience with NYS Department of Correction, the fact that Eliot Spitzer’s staff of the NYS Attorney General’s Office filed perjured declarations in federal court and the unjust ruling by the American judicial systems that included the United States Supreme Court. I have posted several I-Reports on CNN and my blogs on Oprah.com and yourblackworld.com that present my credible argument to support the fact that for twelve years I have been denied equal justice in America.

Senator Obama please help me to help myself. I need your personal and legal opinion on this critical issue (employment discrimination) in my life and the lives of many other hard working Americans. I am entitled to justice and my case of employment discrimination is "true" just like your statement that some black men have been missing in their children's physical and financial lives. If you mean what you said about personal accountability and responsibility for “black people” that same standard must be held for all people.

The New York State Attorney General’s Office must be held “ACCOUNTABLE” for their actions in my case. You can take a stand on this issue even if that stand means using your current status as the head of the Democratic Party. The current governor of New York (Patterson) and the current NYS Attorney General Cuomo are both members of our party. I have contact both Patterson and Cuomo and haven't gotten any results.

Respectfully Submitted,

Vera Richardson author of “A Case of Racial Discrimination and Retaliation Real or Imagined.” http://books.google.com/books?id=sx1cLRaobBQC

Blessed In The Rough Times

Hibiscus II Photography by Taylor J. Meadows, 2008

“Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will Isatisfy him, and show him my salvation.” saith the Lord.

Psalm 91:14-16

My son phoned from his internship today with that frantic undertone in his voice. My mother instinct kicked in when I heard his voice. He tried to mask it with a cordial “Hi Mom!” but I knew better.Finally we got to the heart of the matter, he needed money for food and I really don’t have to tell you that it was only several days ago that my paycheck was received and now there is little indication in my account that I was even paid.I honored his request the way most of our parents do and sailed to the convenient branch banking location in my neighborhood supermarket to deposit something in his account.

"Thank you Lord God!"

I chatted with my favorite Bank Teller/Manager and after we discussed favorite travel spots, she too got to the heart of the matter- the words fell from her lips, I am sure unexpectantly, that her husband was returning to the Middle East for his third tour of duty. I learned that after I inquired had he already been? My heart sank when she shared a faint smile. This smile belied the apparent truth that her heart was very heavy about her husband's approaching departure date. I promised I pray for them.

After leaving the bank/supermarket with a few grocery items that had shot up in price in a weeks time, I just shook my head in amazement. There was one more stop before going home. I drove to my neighborhood Shoe Repair Shop that had not been maintaining their usual business hours. I quickly ran in the shop surprised that the door was ajar and wondered why there had been a sign on the door with the handwritten words Closed for several weeks?

The young proprietor confessed in an apologetic tone that his family was facing difficulty and he worked elsewhere during the day. He shared that financially they were having difficulty with their mortgage and his elderly mother now covered the shop. Once again I knew well about mortgage woes. But friends what really resonated in my spirit was when the young man said, "But it’s going to be all right I guess!”Without a doubt these are some of the most difficult times that this many people have encountered simultaneously in a while. It feels like more than a pinch, it’s often a strangle hold to stay afloat making a living. Yes, indeed it’s rough-it’s real, it’s personal hardships on an intimate level!

But as our elders say,
"But God!"

God’s word reminds us that He loves us, you-his children; no matter the heartship, and the tumultuous hardships. With God's protection daily we can abide under His care: His Lordship, His deliverance and most assuredly His love and shelter will protect us even in the rough places.

Hang on friends and take to heart the scripture:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is [our] my refudge and [our] my fortress [our] my God in who I trust.”Psalm 91:1,2

Joyfully Submitted by:
Linda Mose Meadows, author
The Blessedness of Believing
A Devotional Journey of Life’s Lesson’s and God’s Promises
Enjoy other writings Click on Blessed Chronicles http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com/

The Judgment Of God II

Jesus said,

“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” (Jn. 12:47-48)

So, the bible reveals to us that the judgment of God does not come until the “last day;” that is, in the next world, after we die.

“And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Heb. 9:27)

We are now in a time period of grace. Jesus has died for the sin of man and God is now offering salvation to all men, not judgment. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (Jn. 3:17)

When the scribes and Pharisees caught a woman in adultery, they brought her to Jesus to see what he would do with her. Confronting Jesus, they said to him about the woman, “Now the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?” But Jesus refused to condemn her. In fact, he protected her from her accusers saying, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” And when this challenge compelled all of the woman’s accusers to leave, Jesus simply corrected her and commanded her to “go and sin no more.” (Jn. 8:3-11) Thus, Jesus would not judge this woman even though the law commanded her to be judged. He was bringing a time of grace to the earth instead of the law. (Jn. 1:17)

And when the apostles wanted to “call down fire from heaven” to consume a group of Samaritans for not receiving Jesus into their village, Jesus rebuked the apostles saying, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.” This spirit of judgment was not from the spirit of God and neither was “fire coming down from heaven” to consume those who reject Christ.” (Lk. 9:51-56)

Yet people today think that some calamities, disasters, and other bad things that happen in life are the hand of God judging people for sin or God “working” in people’s lives. But they are not.

When Jesus was on earth he refused to judge people, AND he refused to allow tragedies and disasters to destroy people lives. He ALWAYS delivered people from them. He healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out devils, fed the poor, and calmed storms, (so people would not be destroyed).

Well then, if Jesus came not to destroy but to save, and if he is not using destructive forces on men, (even those that reject him and his word) then where do these things come from and what is their purpose? And then of course, if God is against them, why doesn’t he do something about them?

Whew! That’s a lot of questions. But let’s start with the first and the second. They are the easiest to answer… Where do “destructive forces” come from and what is their purpose?

All destructive forces were birthed from sin and the devil, not from God. Destructive forces were not present in the beginning of creation. It was when man sinned in the Garden of Eden that these forces, (and all evil) were released into the earth. They were never part of God’s will for us nor were they active before sin. And ever since man released these forces, God has been trying to deliver us from them. In fact, he sent Jesus to “destroy the works of the devil,” (not to use them). It is actually the devil that has been using them to destroy us, not God… (1Jn. 3:8)

Speaking of the devil Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” (Jn. 10:10) Thus, the devil, and the devil’s works of destruction come to steal and to kill and to destroy; Period. They are not good, are not intended to bring good, are not the “hand of God” and are not the judgment of God. (Remember, God did not send Jesus to judge but to save and has reserved judgment until after we die).

But one way that the devil has misled men is to deceive them into believing that sickness, disease, death, destruction, or natural disaster of any kind has come from or is “allowed” by God to correct men or to teach, train, or judge them. However, the bible does not say that. The bible says that God uses the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to teach and to train and to correct men, not death and destruction. (Jn. 14:26; 16:8-13, 2Tim. 3:16-17) And as we have seen, when Jesus was present, he never allowed these forces to destroy for ANY reason, nor taught that they were from God to teach or train or to judge. But not knowing this truth keeps us from resisting the enemy and his work like Jesus did. When these forces come against us, many people either become confused and ineffectual against them, or simply “allow” them to occur, thinking they are from God. But in truth, they are not from God, they are from the devil and are evil, and have come to steal, to kill and to destroy.

It is good to note here that God does not control the devil (or the devil’s works) any more than he controls man. If God controlled the devil, God would NEVER allow him to steal or kill or destroy because stealing, killing and destroying is SIN. And God forbids sin. In fact, if God controlled the devil, (or man) neither would have sinned in the first place because it was against God’s will for them to do so. No, both Satan and man have free wills and choose to do as they please. And the devil will devour us if we let him, and so will some men.

That is why the scripture says to us,

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour;
Whom resist stedfast in the faith…” (1 Pet. 5:8-9)

If the devil can find a way to devour us, he will. But it is not God at work.

That leads us to our third question. If it is true that Jesus is against the devil and all destructive forces in the earth, then why doesn’t he do something about them? The answer really is simple; maybe too simple for some. The answer is that Jesus is not here anymore. It is “we” who are here in his place and “WE” are called to do his works for him.

The bible says that after Jesus offered himself a sacrifice for sin he sat down at the right hand of God, “Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.” (Heb. 10:13 NIV)

Jesus is “waiting” for his enemies to be made his footstool because he gave us, (the Body of Christ) the power and authority to do God’s works on earth. When Jesus was on earth, he showed us what God’s works were and what God would do if he were here, and it is now OUR responsibility to continue those works, putting under our feet, (and under the Lord’s) the works of the devil. This is part of what we call the “Great Commission." (Mk. 16:15-18)

See what I mean about being too simple? But being too simple is not the problem. The problem is that we often complicate things when they are simple. Now I realize that we may complicate things because we are unsure and are searching for answers, but sometimes I think we do it as an excuse, avoiding the responsibility of learning how to control and destroy the works of the devil ourselves. But OUR responsibility it is! And if we don’t recognize our authority and learn how to use it, the works of Christ will not get done, and destruction will continue to destroy.

It is not God who is judging us or dealing with us in tragedy... It is God who redeemed us and set us free, breaking the power of sin and judgment over our lives. It is God who defeated Satan so that we do not have to suffer affliction from him, giving us armor to protect us from his works. It is God who gave us the authority to dominate evil and destruction. And it is God who gave us weapons to defeat the enemy on every front, just like Jesus did. Now it is up to us to believe God’s word and to appropriate what Jesus has purchased for us. We ALL have a part in learning about and developing God’s goodness and his power, and to use it for good as Jesus did, and we can do it as MANY, not just one as Jesus was. This is the only way that Jesus’ work will continue and spread throughout the earth as he had begun it.

Are you ready…? Jesus is waiting for us and so is the world!

(Rom. 8:2, Col. 2:15, 1 Jn. 5:18, Eph. 6:13-18, Mk. 16:15-18)

Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of : “Suffering (God’s Will?)”

More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com