FACE IT - Monday, June 2, 2008
One of the challenges of life is facing those things from your past that continue to haunt you.  The enemy strategically orchestrates attacks against you so that you will always feel compelled to protect the pain or the failure.  The protection of pain or failure keeps you feeling overwhelmed or undervalued.  In the end, you are wounded to the point that meaningful growth is stymied and healthy relationships become more difficult. 

I write this today, because maybe there is someone who has something you need to face.  Facing it means, under the authority of Grace you confront the fear, the pain, the rejection, or even the tendency, and you deal with it.  It is about knowing that you are a better person and that God has so much more for you.  It is about choosing to be alive and knowing that the unwillingness to deal with this weakens you.

Facing it is a grace moment and will be victoriously addressed, because you live trusting that Jesus Christ loves you.  I want to challenge you today, don’t run from your pain or failure but face it.  Face it in forgiveness.  Face it knowing that God can resolve it under you.  Face it undaunted by what has happened to you, and believe that God has more for you.  In the name of Jesus Christ, face it and know that tomorrow will be a much better day.
Read Luke 5:1-11

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE MOMENT - Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Last night I sat in the Convocation Center of Hampton University watching with great joy as my friend, Dr. William H. Curtis preached his second of four sermons as President of the Hampton Ministers Conference.  As I sat there, three very important lessons jumped out at me and I want to share them with you.

1. Take your process of preparation seriously.
2. Understand the value of relationships as it relates to your personal promotion.
3. Find your unique niche and trust it.

These three lessons for me were evident as I watched Dr. Curtis in a significant moment.  It was clear to me that he was the man for the moment, but more importantly he was a man who took advantage of his moment by taking advantage of his process.  My encouragement is enjoy what it takes to get you to where you are ordained to go.
Got to run, talk with you tomorrow. Read Luke 2:41-52

TIME TO ADVANCE - Wednesday, June 4, 2008
No more waiting!!  No more conversing!!  No more planning!!  Time to advance!!  Truly for many of you there are things you so desire to achieve and now is the time to pursue them. You have waited long enough; the time is now for the attainment of all dreams and goals.  The time is now to see God’s will accomplished fully and completely.  No more waiting, it is time to advance!!  I am excited about this day and the possibilities by which God has placed within it.

So do not live passive or disconnected.  No, embrace your destiny and make up your mind, it is my time to advance!!! Read Genesis 12:1-4

FRIENDS, HOW MANY OF US HAVE THEM? - Thursday, June 5, 2008
This week I have spent significant time with my friends, particularly Bishop Derek Triplett.  It has been a great week.  As I was thinking about my week, it dawned on me that what made this week so refreshing was spending time with men I consider to be a valuable part of my development.  Last night five of us went to dinner and engaged in a life changing conversation for me.  Man what a joy it is to have real friends.

I want to encourage you to take seriously friendship.  Friendship is about intimacy and vulnerability.  It is about sharing your heart and trusting that those you love will not mismanage it.  It is about walking together and refusing to give up even in the face of challenges.  Friendship is so valuable and Jesus validates this in John 15 when he calls us his friends.

I want to encourage the following:
1.  Learn to communicate, so your friends do not live in the mystery of your thoughts.
2.  Learn to forgive, so your friends understand that mistakes are not relationship breakers.
3.  Learn to laugh, so being together is not so serious.
4.  Learn to share, so no one you love feels empty.
5.  Learn to celebrate their accomplishments, so they know you are not insecure.

Friendship is more precious than anything. Guard your friends!! Read John 15

DID I SAY GOODBYE? - Friday, June 6, 2008
I am sitting in New York City this morning preparing to go to Minister Diane Bethel’s father's funeral.  As I sit in my room, I thought about her last several weeks and how gracious God was to her in allowing her to make it home before her father passed.  It was, as it should be, very important to her that she was allowed to make it home.  Well, I thought about this deeply this morning and it really dawned on me how important saying goodbye is.

Let me share that goodbye is deeper than simply watching someone you love die; it is about treating persons we love with dignity each day.  It is about saying I love you and living out that declaration each day.  It is about finding obvious ways to communicate their worth and value to you.  Saying goodbye then is done each day.  Why?  Because none of us know when the last day is, and so it becomes important that we do not become distracted with negatives, missing life’s important moments.

God graciously grants us the presence of others and simply wants us to love them to the end.  God allows us to walk with others until they are allowed to walk eternally with God.  So please each day love your loves like it is the last day and make sure by your treatment of them that you say goodbye.
Read I Corinthians 15:51-58

NOT AFRAID - Monday, June 9, 2008
Fear is one of the biggest deterrents to healthy existence. The fact that so many persons are protectors of the familiar, speaks of the strength and influence of fear.  The fact that so many persons live with great stress and anxiety gives further evidence of fear’s force in the world.  The challenge for us as God’s people is to choose to live above and beyond fear’s authority.  Embracing fully the Word of God and never allowing the presence of fear to inhibit our faith can do this.  In my estimation, the opposite of fear is faith.  I say faith because faith embodies both courage and strength.  Authentic faith is about pursuing the future with the confidence of what God has declared to you in the past.  It is about trusting God with everything in you and refusing to be controlled by the possibilities of failure.

You will be amazed at who and what God is willing to use to aid you in conquering fear.  Fear handcuffs you to an unhealthy place of inactivity and passivity, weakening your passion for greater things.  Yet faith declares that God can do all things, and with that resolve you press through to new and exciting places.  Be amazed that God has so much for you and that with God through Christ all doors are possible to be opened and walked through.  I want to encourage you then to do the following to conquer any fear in your life:

1.  Face your fears through honest, open dialogue with someone you trust.  Expose your fears and watch God weaken them.

2.  Use the medium of writing to aid you in addressing your fears.  Journaling is an awesome way to talk through your fears.

3.  Do a study on fear and notice how the Word of God deals with fear.

4.  Direct your prayer time to lifting up your fear before God and give God permission to aid you in addressing it.

5.  Finally, deepen your love for your life.  See life as a challenge to be conquered and go after your dreams in the face of your fears. 

God has so much for you.  Trust that God will give you victory over your fears.  For in Christ all things are possible.  Love you and have an awesome week!! Read Romans 8:26-39

GOD LOVES YOU - Tuesday, June 10, 2008
I have great news, and it is that God loves you.  Today is a great day to celebrate the fact that God loves you.  Despite your flaws and your weaknesses, God finds you undeniably loveable.  God absolutely loves you.  This comforting thought must become foundational for you to pursue the life you are called to.  Unlike others in your life who are critical of you, and at times can be judgmental, God embraces you.  Any moment of failure does not chase him away from you, rather it draws him closer to you.  God’s love claims us and we are fully confident that his love will survive no matter what. 

Today is an awesome day to simply celebrate the fact that God loves you.  So go after life and do not fear.  God loves you.  Trust the gifts in you for a better life, because God loves you.  Just be you and know that God loves you!!  Have an incredible day!! Read John 3:16

ARE YOU EXCITED YET? - Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Have you heard that God is good?  Have you heard that God is faithful?  Have you heard that God is merciful?  Have you heard that because of God’s love, Jesus Christ died so we may live?  If you haven’t, where have you been?  For those of us who have heard, it is time to get very excited.  I mean to wake up everyday, living in the glow of his grace with a glow on our face.  I am learning to value God and who God is, especially to me.  I am learning to wake up each day and celebrate the simple fact that God lives and that because of that I live.  What a joy to know that God lives and that if I trust him, I will fully accomplish all God has for me.

This is an awesome time to be excited, because you and I live with the assurance that God loves us. We can live productively, because of our relationship with his son, Jesus Christ.   Are you willing to live with that fact until it energizes your faith and excites you daily?  I want to encourage you to enjoy life and not miss this at all.  God lives, be excited and know that you live as well.  Jesus Christ has made the ultimate sacrifice and we are the benefactors of that.  Simple, be excited!!  Read Psalms 34

DREAMS DO COME TRUE - Thursday, June 12, 2008
I am a firm believer that dreams come true.  The dream is God’s uniquely crafted purpose and plan for your life.  It is God’s undeniable call to greatness and your willingness to pursue it with all within you.  I find it so important to fully embrace the dream, and to allow God to navigate you through the challenges and processes until arrival occurs.  Arrival is about dream fulfillment.  It is an awesome place, because now all that you have endured and sacrificed makes sense.  Your life now comes together and God allows you to enter into this incredible place of knowing that Romans 8:26-28 rings true. 

Dreams can come true and God desires you to see the day when all you have sacrificed for manifests.  I so want that for you in this lifetime.  I so hope God allows you to see the wonderment of dream fulfillment.  Right now, I am in the pursuit of my dreams.  Some things have occurred for me but there are some dreams I still have not experienced.  My personal passion rings true and I want you to know that if you have passion, you can and will see God do it.

Let me offer 3 important things in dream fulfillment.

1. Prayer. Staying connected to the dream through your relationship with God
2. Partnership with other dreams
3. Perseverance.  Never become discouraged.

So go after the dream that defines who you are in God, because dreams with God really do come true.  Have an awesome day!! Read Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:26-28

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? - Friday, June 13, 2008
Everyone has heard this famous phrase from the cell phone carrier Verizon.  I thought about it this morning and I saw the phrase a little differently.  I began to think about it as it relates to our lives.  For me the question became and becomes does my life speak and if so what does it say.  You have heard it before that actions speaks louder than words.  Well it is true.  Your actions are truly a form of communication.  You speak everyday about the persons you are and the things you are committed to by your actions.  The way you treat others and the way you manage situations speak clearly of your core values.  Your life is loud and so what are you saying first to God, then to your love ones, and then to others who are in relationship with you.  What are suggesting to them about their worth and value to you?  My friends, your life offers so much and what you do with the moments are incredibly important. 

I want to encourage you to take time and look at your actions.  Align them with the Word of God so God can use you greater.  Offer to God a disciplined, focused life so God can position you before the world as an example of what meaningful commitment is.  Look to Jesus Christ as your model of healthy actions and through disciplined study pay attention to him.  He is our best teacher when it comes to actions speaking louder then words.  His sitting in the temple at 12, his treatment of the woman caught in adultery, and his handling of the Cross are clear statements of his love and loyalty to God and then us.  His actions truly did speak. 

So today speak less with words and more with actions.  Watch God honor you as your actions honor him.  Love you and have an awesome day. John 8:1-11; Philippians 3:10-17

WORK ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST - Monday, June 16, 2008
The most important relationship you have is the one you are developing through faith with Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is the center of human history. And for anyone who desires to experience meaningful change, he is truly the way.  Jesus Christ is the Son of God who has come to redeem us from our sins and to bring us into right relationship with God.  Because he is so important to us, it is of utmost importance that we take seriously our relationship with him and that we work at it.
Working at it involves three things:

• Making time for him
• Engaging in committed study of his Word
• Applying his teachings to your daily life

It is important to note that your relationship with Jesus Christ requires work on your part.  It really does demand that you make him a priority and that you do what is necessary to grow in him.  Jesus Christ must be more to you than just a weekly experience lived through church attendance.  He must be your all in all.  You must commit to centering yourself in him and willingly live out his word. 

So here is my encouragemen. Place Jesus Christ at the head of your life and work at it.  I mean really work at your relationship with him.  It will pay off!! Read John 15:1-17; Romans 6:1-14

GOD IS WORTHY - Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Today is the perfect day to live in the worthiness of God.  God is worthy of all that us within us. God deserves our praise, our adoration, and our allegiance.  God, because of his amazing offering of his son Jesus Christ for our sins, deserves our best.  God is worthy and because of that we should wake up each day filled with awe and excitement.  God is worthy, so we approach each day ready to serve him and to show forth his glory in the earth.  God is worthy and there is no way to deny it.  Today is a perfect day to declare his worthiness.

I know some of you will face difficulties today, but live in the awesomeness of God’s worthiness and enjoy the fact that his being worthy ascribes worth to you.  Why you may ask?  Because we are, according to Genesis 1:26-28, made in his image.  Our God is worthy and thus he grants us worthiness.  We are worthy of first his love and then the love of others.  We are worthy of respect and value.  God’s worthiness grants us worthiness. 

So when I celebrate God, I celebrate as well who and what he has created.  God thank you for granting me worth out of your worth.  Advice, do not allow anyone to devalue your worth because your worth is tied to God.  Have an awesome day and see you tonight!!! Read Psalms 8, 19:1-6, 48

OH THE GLORY - Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Last night was incredible!  The presence of the Lord truly filled the place on last night! Anyone who has an appreciation for God truly must acknowledge that God’s presence was in the moment.  God allowed us to experience Him in a way that was life changing.  I sit at my dinette table still in awe of the courage of God to show him to us, flawed creatures.  Do you understand that every time God allows us incredible moments of worship and revelation, whether personal or corporate it is an ultimate statement about God and not us?  For God to disclose himself means that he is moving beyond the obvious, and in his mercy and grace covering us.  It means that God is allowing us to know him even with the weaknesses of our flesh exposed. 

I find it amazing that God would invite us into his glory and use those moments to declare our unique worthiness.  Last night was more than a feel good session; it was a life changing experience that allows us to know that God is not finished with us.  My encouragement is to allow yourself to live in the power of his glory and the demand of his mercy.  Run to him and trust that his love will complete you.  I am so excited because I know that in the end God has us and in moments like last night, God simply shows us how deep and marvelous is his love for us.

Be blessed and enjoy what is about to be an amazing day!! Read 2 Chronicles 5:11-14

WALK WITH A SWAGGER - Thursday, June 19, 2008
Last night I preached in Greenville, South Carolina for a dear friend, Apostle Sammie Smith.  To say it was awesome is an understatement.  God spoke so profoundly to me until I sit here at 2:30 a.m. in awe.  God through his word called me, and thus I call you to walk with a swagger.  A swagger is what we see in David in I Samuel 17 when he faces Goliath.  David, seemingly undermanned, decides to go forth and face Goliath with no fear of him.  How did he do this?  The Key is that he decided that Goliath was not greater than God and that despite the odds stacked against him, he would win because he had God on his side.  With that assurance, David faces Goliath with such confidence until the end of the story is that David goes forth in battle, defeats Goliath and the rest is history.
My encouragement to you is to trust God so much until no challenge intimidates you and no obstacle paralyzes you.  With God you are able to do all things, and it is time to believe it and walk in it.  God allows you to face challenges with the assurance that you cannot fail and that no weapon formed can or will prosper.  With that stated I want to offer how you develop in you a swagger!

1.  Read the Word of God until it makes sense to trust God.

2.  Speak life to yourself.  Have faith declaring conversations and make faith declaring confessions a part of our daily experience.

3.  Know all things are possible and willingly try new things.

4.  Finally, go after your dreams seeing the process as a friend and not a foe.

Listen, today is an awesome day to walk with divine confidence.  No more fear of failure because failure is really the only thing that can keep you from fulfilling dreams. So walk with a swagger and amaze yourself by trusting God who is amazing. Read I Samuel 17

GUARD YOUR MIND, OPEN YOUR HEART - Friday, June 20, 2008
This comes to me as I sit in my room in Lakeland, Florida following another powerful experience. I was privileged to preach for the State Camp Meeting for the Church of God. It was, to say the least, a wonderful encounter. Watching God move through the audacious presence of His Spirit is to me breathtaking. But once again I sit alone and God simply says to me, “Guard your mind, open your heart”. I said to myself, “Wow”, for it took me by storm. I thought for a moment how is this possible. I mean people hurt you and by exposing yourself allows for negative emotions to be introduced into your space. On the other hand, in order to learn I would think that you need to keep an open mind. I thought maybe I heard it wrong, yet that is what I heard. Then it dawns on me, this is in relationship to God and others.

Here it is!! When it relates to others be careful that you protect who and what influences your thoughts. Guard your conversations, directing the content of your conversations toward your destiny and your growth. Know what your conversational limits are and refuse to give space to what you know will work against your growth and development. Couple that with an open heart to God who through worship will grow and nurture you to become a man or woman who will live full and complete. It is amazing that we do the opposite. We shut down to God and open up to people. Yet our hearts need to always be open to God who cares for us unconditionally.

So I challenge you to guard your mind, constantly keeping your mind open to God and be amazed how incredible your journey is. God allows you to feel loved and affirmed, moving you beyond the uncertainties that accompany life. Enjoy God who has through Jesus Christ offered himself and continues to do so.
Read Philippians 4:6-8

STAY HUNGRY - Monday, June 23, 2008
Yesterday was I afforded the privilege of preaching my brother’s 25th Pastoral Anniversary. The experience was incredible to say the least.  During the course of the worship experience my sister-in-law, Sister Rosetta, declared that she was excited about the future and ready to see what God would do next.  Upon hearing that my spirit leaped within me because I understand that God had spoken clearly.  It was clear to me that she had tapped into the revelation for that service. 

Upon further reflection it dawned on me that the key to that declaration was the fact that you must stay hungry.  To stay hungry means that you passionately go after life and that you refuse to allow anything to discourage you into inactivity.

This really is awesome because staying hungry is how you will accomplish all that God has for you.  Never settling or becoming so comfortable with your present place that you fail to go after life is key.  I want to encourage you to stay hungry.  God has so much life in you, and it would be a shame to die before you fully live.  So stay hungry. Read Joshua 1:1-10; Philippians 3:14

BUILD BRIDGES - Tuesday, June 24, 2008
On Friday Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will come together in Unity, New Hampshire to call all persons of their party together for a common cause.  I thought about the implications of such a public act, and I wondered when the church would embrace such an important cause of building bridges to accomplish the greater purpose of the Kingdom of God.  I believe that one of the assignments given to every believer is that we are called to build bridges and to work for peace.  The building of bridges is an awesome call because out of it the spirit of Christ is experienced in the earth. 

Jesus in many of his teachings challenged his followers to embrace the call of being peacemakers and work for the good of others.  God is attempting through the church to positively affect the world and to call all into relationship with him through his son Jesus Christ.  A part of our responsibility is to create bridges with those who are lost and to share with them the love of God most evident in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  I believe with all my heart that working for peace is key to making this happen.  We must reflect the right spirit and in the end care about what matters to God. 

Use today to build bridges with those who are different, and yet need Jesus Christ.  Allow the spirit of peace to live in you and to come forth out of you.  Know that God will be honored when you care enough to care.  Have an awesome day. Read Matthew 5:9; Romans 14:19, 15:1-3

YOU MAY BE DISMISSED - Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Do you have anyone in your space that has hurt you so badly that forgiving him or her is a challenge?  Are you presently living with the pain of unresolved issues that continue to dog you?  Are you finding it difficult to let someone who disappointed you be released from the burden of your pain?  If so, today is a great day to dismiss them from that place in your life through forgiveness.

It sounds strange, but forgiveness really allows you to release those who have hurt you or let you down.  Forgiveness is authentically treating others as Jesus Christ would.  Remember how he dealt with those who hurt him?  On Calvary he dismisses us from the weight of our failure by forgiving us.

I write this today because I understand how painfully weighty unforgiveness is.  I understand how much it takes away from you.  But I also understand how liberating and healing forgiveness is.  I understand how powerful it is to walk away from a hurting season with a healed heart.  Forgiveness is your weapon against the demonic tool of offense.  God provides us with the strength to forgive and the ability to love again.

Understand three things:

1. Identify the damage unforgiveness has on you and limit it through your prayer time.
2. Embrace the grace of God and then allow it to be extended to others through you.
3. Pray your way through it.

Please dismiss others from the place of unforgiveness and know you are stronger because of it.  Love you!! Read Luke 6:27-36; 23:26-3

AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS - Thursday, June 26, 2008
Yesterday afternoon it rained very hard.  Accompanied with the rain was thunder and lightning.  As I was driving home I found myself driving defensively because the roads were wet and more dangerous.  For a period of time, it looked like it would never end.  In fact instead of slacking up, it intensified.  I wondered to myself when it would end considering the fact that it was starting to flood.  In that moment when it seemed like it would only get worse, it started to lessen.  I found myself amazed that though it looked like for a period of time it would not end all of a sudden it begins to slack up.  It was in that moment that a very important spiritual lesson was reaffirmed for me, and that is that no matter what we go through eventually it all passes or ends.

One of the challenges of life is believing that what we are going through will eventually end.  It is holding to the conviction that God is a God who remembers where we are and in his time he will bring us out.  How important this is to hold firm to!!  God loves us so, and though we go through tough seasons and painful moments, God honors us by bringing us through.  He brings us through by placing others in our lives who have either been through what we are going through, or who encourage us while we are going through it.  God releases to us his word and that word speaks to where we are and where we are going.  It is important to know that in whatever season you are in, God does speak confidently to us.  So we can walk confidently in him with no fear of failure. 

So today go forth in the assurance that even in the place you are presently in, “this too shall pass”.  Have an awesome day and enjoy your journey today!! Read Psalms 23, 34:1-8; John 16:33

DREAM DEFENDER - Friday, June 27, 2008
One of the great challenges of life is willingly fighting for your dreams.  I recently had a conversation with an extremely gifted person whose dream is so incredible until when accomplish it will positively affect the industry they are connected to.  However they are in a season of fighting through what appears to be obvious limitations. When I talked to them, it was apparent to me that the only thing they lacked was the confidence to follow their dream in a season of challenges.

 The reality is that dream fulfillment is the result of passion, confidence, and a profound sense of fearlessness coming together in the same season.  It happens because you believe so deeply in what God has called you to, until you fight through the season when it appears that it will not come to pass.  God through Jesus Christ empowers you and keeps you moving forward.  His word energizes you daily and you find yourself protecting the vision of God upon your life.  Your dream becomes something worth defending and protecting.  It becomes something that you know if not accomplished, God will not be pleased and the earth will not be better.  You (your dream) are one of keys to making the world better so the courage to complete it and the need to complete it is key.

Let me offer the following then for protecting your dreams.
1.   Write down and keep it in a visible place.

2.  Stay very focus on it no matter what others around you are saying.

3.  Read material that keeps you centered, especially the Bible.  Become an expert in your dream.

4.  Choose a time each week and work on your dream.  Do something towards it.  Keep it before you by working on it if not daily, weekly.

5.  Finally, keep it on your prayer list.  Seek God for wisdom, direction, resources, and relationships needed to accomplish it.

I am very passionate about this and I want to challenge you to become you personal dream defender.  Courageously face your limits and push through it.  You deserve to see it come to pass!  Have an awesome weekend. Read Jeremiah 29:11; Philippians 4:19

NOT A BAD JOURNEY AT ALL - Monday, June 30, 2008
Yesterday Dr. Sheridan Nelson preached what was an awesome sermon for me at this stage of my life.  Now my encouragement is to get the CD because there is no way I can restate the entirety of the sermon and do it justice.  Yet I must acknowledge that what came out of it for me was the revelation that though my journey has taken some seemingly strange and sometimes painful routes, it has been necessary to produce the person I am becoming.  I found myself listening intently and really appreciating God for affirming my journey.

I write this today because many of you are like me.  Your journey has not been the shortest way but it has seemed to be the long way.  The pace of God and the path carved out by God has seemed so painful and tedious until at times you wondered if God was even there.  Yet the good news is that all you have gone through has produced the person God can honor now.  What an exciting view of our lives!  God has ordered our steps and no matter how much we want the easier path, God has, with outcome in mind, determined the path.

Today fully embrace God’s path for you by doing the following:

1.  Nurture your faith through a disciplined reading of the Word of God

2.  Look for God in all you go through.  This involves shaping your views around the spirit of optimism.

3.  Connect to people who see their journey as a process of God’s will and not individual moments of disconnection.

My friends, God has your life and even if we have to take what seems to be the long way, trust God and you will be amazed at how incredible your journey is.  Enjoy the ride!!

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