_Dear Prayer Partners,

wow, this past week has been amazing. First Friday went very well as we had 86 folks come. We normally average around 60. The increase was mainly due to the Shreveport Rescue Missions Men's Choir located at Zion's house in Shreveport. We were blessed with their voices and testimonies of God's love. There was a fella in particular that really captured my heart. His name was Kevin. Kevin shared how a lady who he did not know gave him a tract (a small brochure with the steps of salvation in it). He said she then disappeared. Kevin proceeded to read it and as a result, accepted Christ. From that point his life changed. He found out about the mission and its program for men. He applied, got accepted and is now doing amazing. He said, all because some lady he didn't know took the time to give him a piece of paper that shared God's message of grace, love and forgiveness. She didn't say a word, share her testimony or stayed to see what he would do with it. She simply trusted God.

Kevin's story reminded me about my mom, another lady who gives tracts out to strangers. My mom prefers to be able to witness verbally but sometimes all she can do is leave the tract with the person. This story not only convinced me that some people are reading the tracts but some are getting saved.

So the message today...share the gospel and if you have too used words. Buy some tracts and start leaving them in restaurants, bathrooms, doctors offices, mechanic, schools...etc. Put your contact or church info on the back. It might seem old-fashioned but Christ is not. His message is not. His death on the cross is not. Your obedience will literally save someone's life.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15

On Monday, after finishing up activities on my end of Sontag, I took my usual evening drive down to Dad’s to chat, use the computer, or whatever would come up while I waited for the girls to get home on the bus.  For some reason I felt compelled to drive down much earlier than usual.  I got there just before 2:00—more than 2 hours ahead of the bus.

I went to the back of the house and entered through the family room.  (This is a big 20x30 space Dad added to the house about 30 years ago; I was about 10.  It has a big custom built L-shaped counter in the corner to the left just inside the door; a bookshelf; large sectional sofa; and 2 big recliners.)  I called out for him but got no response, so I went looking.  I walked to his shed and storage areas out back, but no James.  I looked around in the distance across the pasture over to my aunt’s [actually, my late grandmother’s] house; still no sign of him and no answer to my calls. 

That done, the next logical action was to proceed to the front of the house and to continue my search—I mean, after all, the house was open, his truck was in the yard, and he shouldn’t be far.  I headed across the road to the garden.  I called out as I walked along the fence-line; still no sight of him, nor response.  I then turned my attention to the loud, aggressive mooing of the cows in my cousin Cedric’s pasture; and as I turned to walk in that direction, there came Alex (my stepmother Shelia’s feisty little cockle spaniel) happily hopping along one of the garden rows.  I turned back and met Alex as he exited from under the fence.  Now, imagine me talking to a dog, asking him to show me where Dad was.  I was trying to get Alex to lead when all that he was interested in was where I was going and following me.  Yeah, I finally gave up on my futile efforts and turn, again, my attention to the pasture; the cows were mooing hysterically.  In those seconds, however, I glanced back only to see Alex running back into the field (Wow, now he leads.).  But, now having past the corner of the garden fencing, when I looked across into the field, for the first time Dad was in view; bent over picking what I thought was his usual—okra.  After all, there is no other vegetable in this garden that should be thriving this time of year.

I turned back quickly to head for the entrance to the garden.  I traveled a few feet and my view of him diminished again.  I couldn’t see him for the life of me. (This was a crazy moment, I tell ya!).  I entered the garden and decided to begin pulling the okra I saw and to meet up with him somewhere in the middle.  When I had traveled about a fourth of the row length, suddenly Dad was in view again, bent over and picking, not okra; but to my surprise, butter beans!  My favorite!  I walked up to him, dropped my okra in his bucket, and began to pick butter beans instead.  Of course our little chat, while we worked, included me telling him about my little venture to find him while teasing him about the disease, “old-timers”, taking his hearing, since he never responded to any of my shouting his name earlier.

The butterbeans were on vines that grew up a height of about 6 feet on individual poles staked in the ground for each bean stalk.  It was amazing to have butterbeans.  They shouldn’t have thrived after last week’s frost, but they too had somehow survived and exceeded their season.    But there was a catch to this rare opportunity.  There were many butterbeans on these poles, but the vast majority were not mature enough to pick.  Now, each vine stalk tends to have butter beans everywhere.  They grow all along the outsides, top-to-bottom, even on the insides against the poles; and it requires diligence to search out and accumulate enough of these small shells of beans to make even a mess [enough for a meal] of them.  Some of these vines had clusters upon clusters of beans, but majority immature ones, with the mature ones well imbedded/hidden from easy sight and access.  But a skilled/patient/diligent reaper is never eluded by this; and little of them go overlooked.  Such skill requires not only an eye for spotting the mature ones, but the ability to feel within a cluster to identify the useful ones.  These bean stalks are, as well, pulled, stretched, and maneuvered as needed to expose these protein-rich jewels.

The two hours ‘til the girls got home went by quickly.  We even spent another 30 minutes in the garden finishing up, after they arrived.  All-in-all, we gathered but half-a bucket of beans amidst a total of beans that could have filled 4-5 buckets had they been mature enough.  There are great odds to overlooking the good ones when they are out-numbered as much as 10-to-1, but for the skilled reaper, there is no hiding place…

Hmm…This reminds me of two familiar Bible texts:

Numbers 32:23  Be sure your sins will find you out

Luke 12:1-3  Everything done in the dark will come to light

I’m sure those of us who’ve had a stint in sin, get nervous at the reading or reciting of these 2—“Oh, my most shameful choices and embarrassing activities people are going to find out about ant they’ll hate me; lose respect for me, …”.  But I believe we are missing the point; and that it is really less about this than the fact that all-seeing God knows it and it is exposed to Him; and is about the consequences that will ultimately come, if we don’t get out of those conditions of sin.  This should be the first driver to our not entering into, or at least, quickly getting out of sin operations in our lives that we know are against His heart.  And yes, if we don’t first heed Him and in devotion to His Word, find strength to walk away from it, it is inevitable that it will be exposed.  And still, this is not about people being let in on our struggle, nor even our blatant rebellion; but more about our deliverance.  When we belong to God, He cannot allow us to be comfortable in anything that is sin, unfruitful, immature.  But He exposes to deliver us from unrighteous to affect our usefulness to the Kingdom.  He loves us too much to leave us there.  Our deliverance and testimony is predestined for some other person’s deliverance, edification, and testimony to come.

The mature beans couldn’t hide and had to be exposed, as they were out of place among the immature.  They had too much value to offer to stay on those vines.  They had to come down and be separated out to retrieve their nutritional value.  And because of it, hopefully, if no frost is incurred over the next week, there will then be five buckets of newly matured butterbeans to reap.  Indeed, the salvation of a lot of individuals is dependent on us getting this thing righteous, fellow Sons of God.

See also I Peter 2:9, 10 and Acts 26:16-18

In all the excitement of sharing my country ventures with y’all, I just remembered:  I forgot to tell you about my own backyard.  Well, actually it’s the side yard, but don’t tell anybody :).  When we arrived, we discovered a pear tree, about 5 rows of muscadine bushes, black berry bushes and even a couple of crab-apple trees.  The pear tree and Muscatine bushes were loaded.  The crab-apple trees were both ‘super’ loaded.  This was an exciting find—muscadines with their smooth, slippery taste, add therapeutic value to the body’s immune system; not to mention the pears, with that pleasant, textured taste that makes them unique among fruits.  My daddy (James) and my step-mother (Shelia), came by and the three of us had a field-day.  I filled a half-bucket sized container with pears while my daddy shook the tree; and I collected muscadines in a separate container.  Then my brain went ‘old-school’ as I rubbed a coupled of them off on my shirt and began to eat them right there. [The pears became a part of breakfast for the next several mornings.]

To answer your curiosity, we were too late for the blackberries, which were now out of season ‘til next summer.  And the crab-apple aren’t due until the end of the fall.  Of course, we did what country folk naturally do, anyway.  We tasted them just to confirm.  They were horribly bitter, as expected. [preach the Word in season and out of season; we had to at least try it :)]

Now mind you, there were plenty of pears and tons of muscadines remaining when we finished our collection; and I had purposed in my mind that I would collect some more of each when my supplies got low.  However, when they did get low, I kept putting off getting out in the yard and collecting more, for various reasons.  After about a two-week delay, I went out and found that the remainder of the pears had been pulled and the muscadine bushes were stripped completely.  Now, this wouldn’t have been such a blow and I could have just waited a couple of weeks and had more available, but it was the end of their season and no more would be.  I delayed; I procrastinated; I snoozed and lost out on a season of harvest.   As with all vegetation, there is a special, assigned time window of harvest for each and they yield nothing apart from it.

Paul said:  I planted, Apollos watered; but God giveth the increase.  You see, someone had already done the labor in planting, watering, keeping those trees and bushes alive to this place of maturity to yield a harvest; and all I had to do was reap the increase; and my delay, my snoozing, cost me a window of opportunity and of great benefit.

In Christiandom, Jesus is the laborer who has planted and brought to full the tree of salvation.  He has prepared a great and mighty harvest; and all we need do is step into; embrace the assigned season; and reap the specific fruit God has uniquely assigned for us in that season.  I can’t stress it enough, this is our ‘season’ to be single and instead of pushing so hard against it as we do, there are beautiful, delicious fruits of harvest with great spiritual benefit to be gained that we are in danger of missing out on.  Some of us are so determined not to be single or have succumb to the lie that singlehood is a negative thing that we busy ourselves about activities in rejection of it, hoping it will ‘go away’.  We date; we become work-a-holics; we party; we over socialize; we drink…refusing to stop and even take a look, never realizing the beautiful harvest available in it until it is gone—several alcohol bottles and much shame later; several failed relationships and acts of sexual immorality later; many broken, even unrealized friendships later, destroyed by gossip, jealousy, unforgiveness; etc.

My determination and fervent prayer is that none of us under the umbrella of First Friday Live miss out on the fruit of this season of singlehood.  As with the fruit trees and fields of harvest, each has an appointed season and time span of harvest unique to its purpose—whatever fruit it is assigned to naturally bear—and time appointed to deliver it.  The earth is blessed uniquely by what they yield. 

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (a time to be single).

See Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

Please know that there is beautiful, useful, valuable fruit in you that God has prepared to cause to bloom, if you’ll just stand still, embrace Him, trust Him and His will in this season.  As children of God, we don’t get to be selfish in this thing.  Let us get it through our thick, self-focused skulls—“this is not about me; but all who God has given me to affect unto righteousness; to light the way to His Truth.”

In the most unselfish, sacrificial act of love, Jesus gave up His heavenly throne, came to this earth and suffered a loss and loneliness, I can’t even begin to fathom; and He did it for me.  He did it also knowing that it was but a season of sacrifice that would eventually come to an end, but bring with it unfathomable benefits.  I have learned to look at it this way:  Once I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Heaven became my home.  I became just a sojourner on this earth; to go where my Father, the King, bids me and to lay down seed, pour water or pick fruit where He directs, as I make my journey ‘home’.  I am no longer on this earth for me.  There is nothing more that can be gained than I have gained in Jesus—I’m covered; I’m sealed without question, to eventually arrive home.  Then my remaining here has to be about something greater than me.  God spoke to me in the midst of my early struggles in this singles arena, and I repeat it to you:  “The salvation of a lot of individuals is dependent on you getting it right, [your name here].

So you’ve missed some harvest during this season.  Don’t fret.  As long as you live, is opportunity to embrace your season.  You see, the crab-apple still have yet to mature and to release their benefits.  And though there is no more corn, butterbeans, peppers, nor squash in the fields, the collards, mustards, and turnips are abloom for a healthy, sufficient harvest all their own.  Talk about out-of-season preaching/harvesting, that stubborn okra is still producing beyond its season and won’t stop until it is killed by frost.  And what’s more, the pears, muscadines, and blackberries are sure to be back next season.

Snooze you lose?  Thank God that with Him this is not so.  I thank Him for His infinite grace and mercy, for He remembers that we are but dust and gives second chance after second chance.  But no more snoozing, huh?  Let us begin to walk out our singlehood in righteousness and empowerment, as we build relationships, so that we’ll no longer require a constant shoulder to lean on (that we can finally discard the crutches), but become that shoulder.  Let us resolve to sow the good seed that in due season we may reap, if we faint not.  (See Galatians 6:2-9.)

Let’s pray for one another in our struggles and build each other up by our strengths.  BLESSINGS ABUNDANT!

One thing I find refreshing about church in little hick towns like Sontag is the heart of fellowship that goes beyond each church’s membership.  Most churches hold only two Sunday services per month to allow fellowship with other congregations on the alternate Sundays.  As well, there is roughly a two month period during the summer that week long revivals are held and other churches invited.  Church choirs open up their choir stands from time-to-time to allow other choirs to minister to their congregation; pastors release the pulpit to other pastors and ministers to edify the church.  It is a beauty and extension of fellowship dear to my heart.

I have attended at least 4 different evening revival services at 4 different churches, since I’ve been home.  There is an excitement about God in these churches born out of a deep connection with endurance and God’s provision in great adversity and their choice of songs most often reflect this truth.  But there was a lesson in one of the songs, I guess, God wanted to teach me regarding shifts and changes in the way we view things that should come with maturity.  We have got to learn to look for God’s heart and to see through Jesus’ eyes as we are processed by Him through our circumstances.  As Christians there is a ministry attached to every situation of our lives and we have got to stop missing so many of them—a dying world’s lives and very salvation are dependent upon us getting this thing righteous.

I was attending one revival most recently and individual singers were blessing us in the ministry of song.  That old-time sound was quite enjoyable and took me way back.  However, there was one song that began to play as the songstress began to sing; and among the words of that song were these:  If I had wings I would fly away, etc… basically it said, I would leave all this trouble and adversity behind and I wouldn’t have to endure trials and tribulation anymore.  The music sounded great and the vocalizing was wonderful, yet the Holy Spirit arrested me and I couldn’t join the celebration—I could not clap in agreement; I could not sing along.  It is true that this song is no doubt based on Psalm 55:6-8 and its words are certainly biblical, but a song based on these verses alone cannot stand alone as worship nor has the capacity to promote God as our sovereign provider.  In fact, in verses 1&2, David clearly expressed it as a complaint; as noise.

The prompting of the Holy Spirit and the concern in me is this:  Because the song stopped at the noise of complaint, there is a danger in it of promoting that it is OK to bail out, to run from, to avoid, even reject our adversities and situations uncomfortable and undesirous to us.  Some, shamefully even Christians, determine even a right to have everything easy and when things get tough or don’t go our way, attempt all the standards of the world to alleviate them—smoking, drinking, pills, even suicide.  Because we stop at the noise of complaint, we wallow in our pity party and fail to see beyond it to the end of the matter.  You see, if the song writer(s) had continued to the end of Psalm 55, they would have found that David qualified the matter, ceasing and overriding his complaint with the following:
Psalm 55:22...Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

How can we then faint over the little matters?  Single Men and Women, secure yourselves in this appointed season.  God says it’s alright to have a pity party; I’m here for you; but only have it with Me and don’t stay in it too long.  Let us resolved to do as David and not get bogged down in our temporary, single situation and shamefully miss God’s provision and His purpose for it.  Be encouraged in Jeremiah 29:11.

This is the heart of Jesus for us in this matter, for Paul said:
Hebrews 12:2-4…Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds.  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

As Christians, this is not about us, nor about our single [nor married] state.  We have a ministry, given by God to affect others to His righteousness, to encourage the weaker, to endure, to set the example, to promote our God and to execute our worth to the Kingdom.  There is no measure of suffering or discomfort of mine that compares with that My Jesus endured for me.

Especially in adversity, let us look to the cross and allow it to be our guiding force; building relationships as we go, knowing that:   They can’t see Jesus if we don’t see Jesus.

I was on my way home from Monticello on last Friday…

I had gone to pick up a few things for the house and to drop off some forms to the school for Neziah.  On the ride home I had several unsettling things happen (or almost happen) with me that got my quick attention and forced adjustments to the driving I had gotten comfortable with.  Among those occurrences was during a quick two second look at my cell phone to find a number.  That brief shift of my eyes off the road found me drifting across the center line of the road into the opposing lane.  (By-the-way, there are no such things as streets in the country; only roads :)).

In another case, I went off the side of the road threatening to enter the ditch.  Twice, during the same drive, I found myself having to get over to slightly off the road for passing vehicles.  I, in seeming disappointment, exclaimed, “Man, these are some narrow roads!”  “You don’t say”, I heard the Spirit respond; and just had to laugh with Him.  After all, these are only the roads I grew up on and have been again traveling often for weeks now; and for reasons, nutty indeed, I made my exclamation as though this was brand new to me.  In a quick flash, as well, I thought on the streets of Shreveport (and of Boutte) and how they were “much wider”; and I remember the equally quick thought that under the same circumstances these issues didn’t occur.  “I could take my eyes off the road for ‘at least two seconds’”, I whined.

I cannot explain this brain freeze moment and won’t even attempt it; but I will share what God opened to me as we chuckled about it.  He said, “Narrow is the way.”  I could feel Him intently smiling behind those words as I began to reflect on this Matthew 7:14 scripture and how it relates to that place of maturity we are charged to find in Him.

In an instant, I passed beyond these thoughts to the memory of growing up on these same roads which at one time were not only more narrow, but covered in gravel and difficult to maneuver.  Whereas I now only came close to the ditch and shifted only slightly across the line; back then I would have ended up in the ditches on either side of the road.  You see, over time, as we get past the mistakes and grow more and more skilled at this thing, this Christian journey should get smoother and more controlled against being drawn into a ditch.  Galatians 5:1 puts it well; that I stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.  God says of it: I’m not widening the road.  My boundaries are solid; but if you resolve to continue in Me, the ride will grow smoother as you learn and execute the skills I have taught and keep your eyes attentive unto Me; and I will make plain your paths and smooth your way.

In my reflections, I recalled, as well the thought that raced through my mind as I drifted across the center: “Thank goodness there’s not much traffic on these roads.”  The Word says that this will be the condition of our spiritual journey.  But certainly this is not the desired condition, but we must be willing to endure this [loneliness, separateness, singleness] for the appointed season; and live to draw others in.  God’s position is, and ours should be, as spoken in 2Peter 3:  longsuffering.., not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

Yeah.  God has revealed a lot already; and trust me: I too thought this was end of it. Yet, God wasted no time giving me a personal lesson in the ‘off-track’ conditions of this Christian journey and the ditches or collisions we find ourselves in as a result…

My baby brother, Timothy (who I affectionately call Timotheus), came home for the Labor Day weekend; and with that interface—catching up, going to church, visiting family—and activities that came with it, I failed to spend sufficient time with God nor in meditation. 

Much prayer, much power.  Little prayer, little power.

Needless to say, I got off course and found myself failing to discern nor exercise authority over some manipulations of the enemy.  In the days following, I found myself in a few back-to-back debates and struggles with the same person.  I know the struggles I have interfacing with this individual—the constant misunderstandings, misinterpretations, interruptions, etc are a vexation.  The very things I have purposed in my heart not to be driven to by this flesh in dealing with it, pulled me in.  I [again] failed to discern and to neutralize the enemy’s trickery and manipulation of me through this arena and in my frustration entered into extended argument and debate.  I got off track.  I was not poised, through prayer, against and I found myself being sideswiped and landing in a ditch; frustrated with myself and ashamed and still bleeding from it, because even in a failure such as this—that for most may seem miniscule—God wants to impart a spiritual maturity in us to realize the greater impact—‘the enemy stands accusing my Father through me’.

You see, when we take our eyes off the road and get too comfortable in this wretched skin, not only does the threat of an accident ensue (sin, misrepresentation of the Kingdom, compromise); but there is also a delay and the recovery time that comes with it.  It produces a set-back.  But, as we grow in grace, those off-track situations should become fewer and our time in them, shorter.  We should be able to better maneuver this narrow way. 

The most important relationship building focus we can have is that which promotes the kingdom of our God.  For this gift of singlehood that my Father has granted, my drive is this [and I pray that the Spirit impresses the same on all my FFLive Christian brothers and sisters]:  That I be careful not to take my eyes off the purpose; and resolve for a time, to simply ‘befriend’ others and to ‘date’ only Jesus that I may continue to grow in grace, to better navigate this narrow way to that place that positions me skilled enough to realize the curves ahead and to maneuver them; wise enough to find God’s will for my relationships; and mature enough to handle it.

Praise God!  He has made haste ‘with’ me and I am 98% moved and settled into the new house in Sontag.  I tell ya, My God never fails.

As I make my rounds through Sontag—Sunday dinner at cousin Gene's (& Jesse), lunch with Aunt Shirley and Kawana, an evening meal at Dad’s[&Shelia]…--I’m so delighted at the love and warmth I’m experiencing.  Yet, you know, this is a benefit available from God no matter where His children are—among family or strangers.  God our Father is with us always, to love on us and to comfort us.  ….so glad He’s in my corner!

While collecting and confirming phone numbers, I had another refreshing discovery—most home phone numbers remain unchanged since I was a child, and since they were first introduced in Sontag in the late 70’s—Uncle CJ[& Shirley] x4451; Uncle Johnnie[&Betty] x4462; even Big Mama’s number remains x7818 where her oldest daughter[Aunt Mildred] now lives.  Wow!

In my moment of reflection on this 35+ year stability, God said, “That’s Me.  I change not” (Malachi 3:6a).  When we really ponder and consider this thing, it is amazing to see such a steadfastness in the midst of some significant change.  Phone services and systems and providers have changed considerably over the years—from party-lines to public and private lines, even digital services, wall phones to cordless phones, even cell phones—yet these numbers remain unchanged, un-impacted, unfazed by the change in the world around them.

Even so unchanged has been our steadfast, unmovable God.  His Word stands sure and we can fall on it as securely as did Abraham.  Its services and systems have changed over the years, as well—many different bible versions have evolved (KJV, NIV, NLT, NKJV,…), radio access, television, satellite, internet—yet,  the stability of His Truth is unwavering.  In His expectations of His children for righteous living, my God’s guidelines for, and His help in, remains unwavering.  There is a standard that my God established from the beginning of time and has made do-able in Christ Jesus and we as His children are without excuse.  “I beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1,2). Our goal and responsibility and the reason and aim of our establishing relationships with others through FFLive should be—not to find a mate, running buddies, gossip buddies, drinking partners—but to “prove Christ”.  This is that perfected will of God whether we are pastor, minister, leader or participant; a scholar, a professional or a laborer; married or single.

Let us resolve, especially as Christian singles, to be solid, consistent in our determination to acceptably represent our Father the King; no circumstance excuses us to do otherwise.  His Spirit, said to my spirit:  “Those with access to the Truth[saved and infilled with the Holy Spirit] have no excuse operating in anything other than that Truth.”  Everything we need to get this thing right resides solid

“She looks familiar.” …  “That smells familiar.”…
“Your voice sounds familiar.” … “I’m in familiar territory.”

What exactly does it mean?  The dictionary definition of familiar reads: common; known from constant association.  But then there’s me.  I’m the type of person that looks a little farther when pondering such a thing and to a place of thought that reflects what it means to me.  Words that come to mind for me are: sense of belonging, existing knowledge, a feeling of relating or connecting to something or someone.  Then suddenly, I realize the obvious:  The root of the word familiar is ‘family’!—that something that has become a permanent part of the etch-a-sketch of our lives.

Most of you reading this are not yet aware, but recently God directed me to return to my roots and to the ‘family-ar’ territory of Sontag, Mississippi.  It was a rushed exit, all purposed and orchestrated by the Master—a long story that I hope to get to share in detail soon.  But I am compelled to share with you but this small portion of my venture—treading out the ‘familiar’.  As I run back-n-forth, forward-n-back with this move—getting the girls settled into the new school, cleaning the house we will move into, filling out paperwork—I get much opportunity to reflect on this concept of the familiar, of family.  As I travel the roads (and the trails) that lead from surrounding small towns deep into the woods of Sontag, MS, I’m awed at the beauty of this environment that in my youth I never realized in such depth.  The small paved or gravel winding roads, with trees over hanging from each side, the spread of land and the houses that sit way off the road, ponds, lakes, the small church houses…  It’s truly picturesque!

Everyone is excited about my return and gladly helping where they can.  I have visited my daddy, James Earl’s, oldest brother, Johnnie and his wife, Aunt Betty of 50 years and find myself so inspired.  I watch how they, in their late 70’s, and many others in the community, continue the traditions of life and activities I had gotten out of touch with over the 26 years since I left for college—living off the land, peas, butter beans, okra, fruit trees, cows, horses, dogs, tractors, trucks, fire wood, +.  You have to have been there, done that, to know the beauty of such simplicity.  I’m back in familiar territory; surrounded by familiar people; familiar noise—it’s family!

But does this mean that where I’ve been, people I’ve interfaced with outside of Sontag, that are not of my blood family, are not familiar, are not family?  God forbid.  As I reflect on my journey over these 26 years, I consider all the new places I found myself in and new people I met that eventually became familiar [known] entities in my life. Northwestern University Wildcats; Monsanto; Honeywell; all became common to me.  Especially of value have been my Kingdom Families.  I was nurtured by Mt. Zion MBC here in Sontag ;  Mt. Airy BC of Boutte, LA; Broadmoor BC of Shreveport.  God has indeed favored me and caused me to land in these 3 beautiful places He has etched into my life’s sketch; and had predestined to nurture each stage of my maturity.  God has brought it full-circle and I’m back to my roots.  I so thank God for family!

The final thought of my reflections on the matter of family and relationship is this:

God ordained and even defined it from the beginning through the Children of Israel and the manifestation of it in the physical/carnal realm.  This explains why I’m experiencing such a spirit of excitement about being home with my blood family.  God has made it very clear that relationship, legacy, heritage, and inheritance are very important to Him.  But, then came Jesus, doing His awesome usual.  Jesus brought this concept of family and relationship to spiritual light.  Christ’s perfected view of family that I believe we should conduct ourselves after as we begin to build relationships through First Friday Live is this:  “Who is my mother? And who is my brethren? Behold my mother and my brethren!  For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (see Matthew 12:46-50) 

The true and everlasting family is made up of those who are of the household of faith, who do the will of the Savior.  Let us be mindful as we develop relationships—familiar, intimate interfaces—both in and out of FFLive. God planted it in my spirit and my poise has become: “that I not attach myself to anything that is not attached to my God.”

One evening, on the way home from the church, Myself, Gnywe, Neziah, and my 2 nieces, Shekinah and Zneyah, decided to stop by our local Walmart for snacks.  As the girls cackled loudly, I noticed in the distance, on Youree Drive just outside Walmart, several police cars with lights blaring; and still 3 more of them headed to the same location (1 in front of me and 2 along side).  I got the girls’ attention to take a look and they looked for a time that lasted all of 1 seconds.  I again got their attention and expressed the need to put insignificant activities on hold and to take notice of their surroundings, especially when something unusual is going on.  Still unimpressed, they returned to their loud exchange until one of them exclaimed, “Somebody’s probably dead.”  She said this in such a nonchalant and unconcerned tone that I lectured her not to say such a thing.  ”That’s a horrible thing to think”, I said, wounded by it.  Yeah, I had a momentary brain lapse that I was dealing with the mind of a child here.

I decided not to continue to Walmart from Youree but to turn onto King’s Highway to avoid the blocked traffic just ahead.  As I entered Walmart, I inquired of the greeter whether she knew what was going on,  She answered that a young guy, [thought to be a college student] had been hit crossing the highway.  It was now about 9:00 and she said the body had been there since 7:30; [ the cops were still there when we left Walmart at about 10:00].

As I reflect, I guess my seeming overreaction in the case of my niece’s comment and the tragedy of the news, was triggered by the reality of death being such a final state—no chance of getting up, starting over, nor redoing anything; no more opportunities; everything left behind.  In my heart, I began to wonder, hope, have major concern over the possibility that this person may not have been saved.  I began to express to God the hope that someone had been put in his path to tell him about Jesus, but especially for the living, his family, loved ones, friends—that his early death not be in vain, but that they would realize the finality of death and the need for preparation.

I began to reflect the need for us as Christians to live a heart of compassion for our fellowman and to seek God for the boldness, and discernment to share Him with others, at every opportunity.  God, in that moment, reminded me of a pastor bold enough to do just that; and I began to pray that other ministers be given a strong determination that they come to recognize that funerals are actually not for the physically dead, but for the spiritually dead.  There are unsaved individuals we find in the house of God at funeral time that will not come at any other time and this is our opportunity to reach them.  God had raised up such a boldness in the pastor I’m recalling.  He was so bold in his determination to seek out the lost that He would have altar call during the funerals he conducted.  That, for me, was most inspiring.

First Friday Lives aim is to "build relationships".  In the family of God, it's Kingdom Building.  Let us begin to pray that God give us true hearts for the lost—to walk in, to preach, to share salvation both in and out of season.  The Spirit put it to me this way years ago:

““Every” interface is an opportunity to impress Me [Jesus] on somebody.”

More copy coming