“The body that is sown (planted like a seed) is perishable, the body that is raised (instructed to stand up) is imperishable; a body is sown in dishonor (often misrepresented), it is raised in glory (in the hereafter…Heaven); a body is sown in weakness (self-criticism), it is raised in power (by the Trumpet of the Son); it is sown a natural body (given a certain number of days), it is raised a spiritual body (given an endless number of days).” 1 Corinthians. 15:42

Death of a loved one, (whether sudden or in due season) can, does, and often takes the wind from beneath our wings.  The ones who are left behind often are unable to process their feelings immediately or even after months of acceptance.  Feelings of shock, numbness, denial and/or remorse can linger still.  Even when reality sets in, deep forlorn sadness could cause a person to seek medical attention.

NEVERTHELESS, God desires all of us to go on living and to cast all our anxieties on Him. (1 Peter 5:7).

Over the past several years I have experienced the untimely demise of six of my closest relatives:  My father and mother, three siblings and one niece.  Consequently, in addition to this group of family members, my older sister and myself are the only ones left as the matriarchs of this family.  Of course, we both have our own children and grandchildren, but our core family members have whispered a fond adieu.

It is for this reason I searched my library files of short stories and poems I had written over the course of my life to see if I could find any blog posts I had written concerning any of my deceased relatives. And sure enough, I ran across a heart-felt poem my deceased baby sister, Kathy, had written to our mother on May 9, 2003. If I remember correctly, Kathy was asked by one of our mother’s church members to compose and present a tribute to our mother at a recognition ceremony at which the church had chosen to honor her for. The title of Kathy’s poem is “My Mother Prayed For Me“.

"Mother prayed and raised us all.  Separately she prayed.  Our names she did call. 
Although I strayed, my mother still prayed that one day God would help me find my way.
She prayed for me!

During all those dark years that I was lost, my two boys she raised and religiously taught; Teaching them how to pray and trust in God; Helping them to find courage to make a new start.
Yes, she prayed for me.

In God's own time He responded to Momma in kind; Speaking assurances to her heart with words of kindness; Promising that her wayward child would be restored; Today, relationships with my two sons have been renewed.
Oh, yes, she prayed for me.

During those years of darkness and deep black of night; It was Momma's prayers that brought me to the Light; She said He was a God of a Second Chance, maybe three or four; All I know is it was God's grace that reunited my sons to me forevermore.
God knows mother prayed for me.

As I reflect on my life I now see; How long and how deeply my Momma prayed for me; She earnestly prayed, that woman really, really prayed; And in my despair I heard my Momma pray for me.
Thank God, she never gave up on me...My mother prayed for me.  Hallelujah!  Thanks be to God!
My mother prayed for me.  Amen and Amen!

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!

In July 2017, I was reading an article in Our Daily Bread (a Christian devotional magazine), entitled ‘What We Bring Back‘. The article was of interest to me because it relived the life of an international missionary and highlighted the many ‘miracles’ and ‘revelations’ the traveler had encountered while on their mission trip. I became so enthralled in the spiritual mysteries revealed by the author that I exclaimed out loud…’those kinds of experiences such as calling people into service has happened to me, too!’ 

So, for this week’s blog, I would like to enlighten my readers with a report I gave to my church officials in July 2002, of my missionary experience while on assignment to Lusaka, Zambia, South Africa. It was during that year when about 38 other missionaries along with myself, whose churches are affiliated with American Baptist Churches of the South (ABCOTS), went on a seventeen-day mission trip to minister to several Baptist churches and a conclave of other church leaders in South Africa.

Our assignment while there was to be in communion with the Holy Spirit as we divided up into teams and visited several towns and villages that have covenant agreements with the ABCOTS association. In these communities we taught Bible classes, preached sermons, visited orphanages and schools and shared basic family skills with the inhabitants.

Our mode of transportation throughout the continent was by jitneys, tour buses, and small planes. The countryside was beautiful and we saw our share of wild animals. Towards the end of our trip, we traveled to Zimbabwe and visited the Victoria Falls. We also went on an early morning safari in Sun City just outside of Johnnesburg. We visited some historical sites in Cape Town, South Africa (Mandela’s home) before flying back to the United States.

My Out-of-body experience with the Holy Spirit

Prior to leaving on this mission trip I had fasted and prayed. I asked God to go before us and give us safe passage to all those foreign places we would be visiting. I had also prayed that we would be a blessing to the many strangers and officials we would come in contact with at airports and embassies as well as the awaiting congregations at our final destination.

Dear Readers, it was not until I returned to the United States that I received confirmation that God had indeed answered my prayers and had been our Guide for this trip.

One evening, while reading the Book of Isaiah, the words in Chapter 44 began to transform into a pictorial expose of the entire trip to Zambia. The actual names of the towns and villages and many names of the churches we visited mysteriously appeared on the bible pages in the form of scriptures instead of the original words written by Isaiah.

Instinctively, I knew that I had been transported into a higher plain of existence by the Holy Spirit and He wanted to commune with me and give me a ‘Word to bring back‘ concerning South Africa. I grabbed my pen and paper and began to write the litany, “God’s Blessing on Zambia.” What a blessed post script to my missionary journey.

Now, my friends, it is your turn to recall a situation/event in your lives that has turned out to be a ‘divine life lesson’, that has altered or confirmed your understanding of God’s Word and how you can bring it back to help you share the Good News of the Gospel. God’s not dead but alive in your life! Today he is tenderly calling you to concentrate on him and whether you have traveled near or far, the question is…What will you take back?

  God's Blessing On Zambia
(An Adaptation of Isaiah 44:1-5)

"Yet hear me now, O Missionaries to Zambia,
My servants, and American Baptist Churches
of the South whom I have chosen.
Thus says the Lord who made you and formed
you from the womb, who will help you while
on your journey:

"Fear not, O missionaries My servants; and you,
Eleazar, whom I have chosen as their guide.
For I will pour water on the House of Lusaka who
is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground of
compounds in Zambia;

"I will pour My Spirit on all those who journeyed
to Africa and My blessing on Eleazar's dream
for the Zambian people; New churches will 
spring up among the grass huts like willows
by the watercourses;

Hope International Church of Lusaka will say,
'I am the Lord's;
Bethel Church of Kafue will call himself by the
Name of Jacob;
Soweto Baptist Church will write with his hand,
'The Lord's';
and Riverside Baptist Church of Chingola will
name himself by the name of Israel.

(This 2002 prophecy is certain to come to pass, saith the Lord.)

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!

Have you ever wondered why a particular verse in the Holy Bible that was attributed to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, sounded off colored? You know, sounded harsh. Or unpleasant to the ear. Well, for me, there were two scriptures that I vowed I would query my Lord the moment I graced(*) my foot in Glory.

Needless to say, the Holy Spirit showed compassion on me and pitied my every groan about these matters and decided to put my heart and mind at ease. Yes, the Comforter came to my rescue. He has clarified my lack of understanding concerning both matters. (All scripture verses below are translated from the New International Bible.)

Situation No. 1 (Matthew 15:22-28) (Please notice the last verse of this dialogue. The Holy Spirit made it very plain for me and caused me to see the message more clearly after He interpreted the characters in the verses.

A Canaanite (Gentile) woman from that vicinity came to him (Jesus), crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."    

    Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him. "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."                                  

    He (Jesus) answered. "I was sent only to the lost sheep (Jews) of Israel."

    The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord help me!" she said.

    He replied, "It is not right to take the children's (Jews) bread and toss it to their dogs (Gentiles)."

    "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs (Gentiles) eat the crumbs (Jesus' message) that fall from their (the Jews) Master's (Jesus') table."

THE CLARIFICATION IS THAT THE GOSPEL MUST FIRST COME TO THE LOST SHEEP OF ISRAEL, THE JEWS; THEN, IF THEY REFUSE TO LISTEN/RECEIVE IT, THE GOSPEL IS TO BE PREACHED TO THE GENTILES (THE DOGS).

Situation No. 2 (Psalms 91:1-3)

    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 my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
    Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.

Now, personally, I have a problem reciting those verses above in Psalms mainly because I inherited a derogatory last name...FOWLER. And to recite the name Fowler out loud, causes a person's face to bare a frown. BUT, believe it or not, the Holy Spirit gave me comfort in that situation also, many years ago, by clarifying history.

During my employment career, while on a company business assignment to a convention, I was riding in an elevator with 2 other people. They kept staring at my name badge but did not say anything. When we all disembarked on the lobby floor the couple approached me and introduced themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Fowler. They said that they were from England and wondered where I got my last name from. I told them I acquired it from my husband. The couple smiled and then asked if I knew the history of the name. (Now this is where it gets interesting!)

The couple explained that hundreds of years ago, when the King of England went hunting with all of his regalia and entourage, he also went pheasant hunting. A foul was released in flight and the king would take his bow and arrow and shoot it down from the sky. Next, the servant who accompanied the King, known as the fouler, would run to the downed bird and retrieve it to be returned to the King. However, if the King missed killing the bird, the fouler would crouch down in the bushes and finish off the bird with his own knife before holding up the now 'dead' trophy for all to see. Of course, the King would receive a much deserved round of applause.

So, the runner servant was known as the 'fouler'. However, when the occupational surname transcended across the Atlantic Ocean to America, with new settlers in tow for the new world, the 'u' in fouler was changed to a double 'u' or as Americans pronounce/write it...'W'!

NOW I LOVE MY LAST NAME BEAUSE THE FOWLERS WERE ALWAYS AT THE 'KING'S RIGHT SIDE!

Psalm 91 – My Refuge and My Fortress (With words – KJV) – YouTubeyoutube.com • 21 mins ago

(*) NOTE: I used the word ‘grazed‘ here because I consider myself a sheep of His pasture.

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!