My Challenging Week

a.) God—The practice of ministry has given me numerous opportunities to interact with people at different stages in life’s journey…birth, death, marriage, divorce, sorrow, struggle, celebration, and so much more. These relationships have allowed me to see God at work in the everyday world. I have seen God as Comforter for the grieving as a wife mourns the loss of her husband of 55 years. I have seen God as Liberator for the oppressed as the church works toward helping those placed on the outskirts of society experience God’s amazing grace for them in so many different ways. I have seen God’s salvation through the struggles of a women facing life’s end as she struggled to forgive herself and embrace the grace God already had in place for her since before she was born. I have also see God as the Uncomfortable Agitator of the self-centered as people who think they have it all figured out begin to once again struggle with what it means to be a child of God and truly love one another in this world. As I continue through ministry, I am faced with the stark reality that my understanding of God is so minuscule in its breadth. God does not fit in the boxes we try to place God in. As I

As you work with 3-year-old Effie, you keep track of all the new words she uses. You find that, on average, Effie uses two or three new words every week over a period of several months. Based on this information, Effie’s language development:

My faith and how I lived in my faith made serves as a lasting example to believers in Christ (Lindslay, 3). In life, I believed that all work that I did was spiritual work for the betterment of the Lord’s kingdom. Whether I was writing, ministering, eating out, or simply talking with friends, all work, all things, all I did was for the advancement of the Lord’s kingdom. For the work of “a Beethoven” or the work of a “charwoman” were all the same in my eyes; for both the workers, their work should be “offered to God” and done “humbly” “as to the Lord” (Eshlemen, 2). Although I struggled with cynicism, this way of living life challenged and brought new meaning to my life (Lindslay, 3). This idea on the life I lived and how I lived the life I was given serves as an example of Colossians 3:17 for Christians who wish to live and long to live in similar fashions (The Holy, 237). This way of living my faith truly required me to be quite public and open with my thoughts and beliefs. My faith was not always outright and public. When I was young, my family was my first spiritual influence (Eshlemen, 5). My faith started when I was young, but was shattered with the death of my mother when I was ten years of age (Lindslay, 1). This tragedy shook who I thought God is. The death of my mother affected me deeply. In fact, in college, I denounced the protestant

For 17 years God has blessed me to serve alongside my husband as directors of Chi Alpha at the University of Texas at Arlington. During my time here, I have served and mentored hundreds of young women and internationals who now fulfill the mission of Chi Alpha in the marketplace and the world as pastors, missionaries, police officers, nurses, teachers, and social workers. I am especially thankful to walk with those students who came to faith, experienced discipleship, and the Holy Spirit empowered their lives through the ministry.

Sitting on that front row one Sunday morning several years ago, I heard one of those sermons. The topic was relationships, and how God places people in our lives for specific reasons. Though simple in context, it was a message overflowing with applicable truth that gave me new perspective from that point forward. As I have examined my life since then, I often think about that sermon. Not only has that message been extremely relative to me, but I’ve also come learn that most often times we don’t realize or understand the reasons why our lives intertwine with certain people until well after they’ve come and gone. Now, as I walk down memory lane and reminisce over various time periods throughout my short 35 years, I recall many people who have drifted in and out. Most often, the reasons have been in related to age, relationships, new interests and hobbies, or just life in general, and for the most part, have been so subtle that there nearly impossible to pinpoint. However, there are a few that remain vividly burned into my memory. One in particular, which I hold with the highest degree of fondness, was so dynamic and had such a drastic impact on me that it shook my very character, resulting in a permanent,

Both of us wind up considering going to Seminary of all places for some similar reasons. So, our stories have some common ground so far except her path to seminary was paved while climbing out of that pit of darkness, whereas mine came much later in a more comfortable place in life in the form of a spiritual tug of war that I obviously lost. Nadia made many a point in her book that bears repeating but there were a couple that stood out to me one is "we are simultaneously sinner and saint. 100 percent of both, all the time" (Boltz-Weber, 2013), this was like an epiphany moment for me as I always knew I could never bury the sinner in me, so following a calling to seminary was just illogical. Another ah ha moment she made was that God always moves to us in our relationship to him, we do not move to him (Boltz-Weber, 2013). Again, I found myself saying "if only I had known", because I am a stubborn human being and refuse to move closer to anything or anybody, but all this time God has been moving closer to me, understanding my hesitation to be the seeker in a

During the first week of April 1999, I heard on the radio that Pastor Mundell would be at Norfolk Scope for an entire week. I did not realize that from that week forward, just how much my life would change. I had heard her preach before, so I was really excited. I had just taken a one week vacation, which meant I could attend every noon and nightly service.

By this time, the room became filled with girls who took time to welcome me personally. After a few exchanges, the singers began to start. The song lifted the room’s spirits, and everyone joined along in singing. Looking around, I became so happy to see young women close to my age having fun worshipping Christ. Faces were covered in smiles as the song ended. After the song was done, the president stood up and announced she would be the speaker. Sharing her personal testimony, my nerves were struck with the influence she had experienced. Finishing her story, she closed us out in prayer.

On a particular Sunday, several months ago, I was making my anxious rounds through the sanctuary, checking on the two thousand minuet details that go unnoticed by everyone but the Pastor and a few influential widows. There I introduced myself to an obvious visitor, a professional looking women in her mid 50’s. I asked if she was visiting, knowing the answer, and was pleasantly surprised to learn she was a Truett Professor doing what she described as a field trip, observing churches her students attend. As I walked her to a seat that hadn’t belonged to an elderly member for five decades, I went back to my duty, working the room and politicking the old crowd.

Dr. Scalise’s exploration of Peter, John, and the lame man at the temple gate in Acts 3 is an example of how and why stepping into someone’s life can make a difference. A recent encounter I experienced. I believe, demonstrates what it looks like in today’s relationships. A young lady, who I have spent time mentoring, called to arrange a time to meet with me. My daughter was in town and taking time away from her was difficult. Knowing how this young lady has been struggling, I believed it was critical to not delay a meeting until it was more convenient for me. A few hours later, as we sat across from

Growing up in a tight box that I always had to try to fit into, I never knew any different. The expectations, the standards, the cruel words and the harsh stares. Being an outcast amongst others or being verbally battered for reasons I could never fully understand. These were all aspects that were prevalent in my life because I was the Pastor’s daughter, and they were problems I had always viewed as a normality.

Tell them how the enemy has tried to stop me. If the jews from Antioch and Iconium could stone Paul, leave Him for dead and he rose to preach again in the same cities, then I can do the same. Bobby had no idea what he was in store for. He asked me last week if I would pray about teaching if he had to go out if town over the next few months. I said of course Caryn and I would. The time was a little off but the Lord said yes. I say that Bobby had no idea what he was in store for because of what happened the last time I taught. It was a Friday night that became a Saturday that ended on Sunday evening. The amazing thing was the audience in the fellowship was 16-19 year olds. So strap in. I am having pizza delivered around noon (just kidding)

I entered into the worship service, unaware of what to expect. I was not familiar with this church, it was a non-denominational church, but the pastor had his roots in the A.M.E. Zion Church and branched out to establish his own church. I walked into the sanctuary prepared to participate in the Sunday School. I found a seat and readied myself to engage in some meaningful discussion. After sitting for several minutes, I asked one of the gentlemen who was standing at the front of the church if they had already started and where was the lesson coming from. He looked at his watch and indicated that he didn’t know if we had time for Sunday School. A puzzled look came over my face and I couldn’t help but express my confusion as I looked at

In examining my experience during the recent Cohort Intensives held at Payne Theological Seminary (PTS) in Wilberforce, Ohio; I was quite intrigued with how all of the scholars and guest speakers reinforced many of the initiatives I have already implemented in the context of my own ministry. Likewise, my time spent in class with my Cohort mentors Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Rev. Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson was both scholastically and spiritually invaluable. During the week-long Intensive class sessions with my mentors, I learned a number of new things about myself that I was not previously willing to address. In short, I had a moment of self-actualization that required some personal omissions on my part regarding my faith and yes some internalized oppression as labeled by author Gayraud S. Wilmore. Opening up in class and admitting a few of my own short-comings was nothing short of liberating. Suddenly, I felt as though I had an epiphany; that has given birth to a renewed zeal, mind, and spirit. For the first time in years I am certain that I am now moving closer to the apex of excellence where God intended me to be.

In life, we all go through challenges and it’s either we face them or walk away from it. Growing up, people will always have different ways of handling things that happens in their life. We can’t know what could happen and how we handle it because life is unexpected. As I see it is that if you tend to keep making the same mistakes, you’ll never get passed your past and if you learn from all of your mistakes, you can move forward with your life. Everyone has faced their challenges in their own way and not everything in life will be easy because I can tell you right now that no one’s life is perfect. Everyone has their flaws, but they're perfect in their own way possible.