Babette Carlen Black, MIT
Jude 1:24-25 (NRSV)

²⁴Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, ²⁵to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

STAY STRONG IN FAITH 

Similar to the ending of the Letter of Paul to the Romans and the Second Letter of Peter, the ending of this Letter of Jude provides for us a doxology, which is often used in a benediction format as a form of praise at the end of a scriptural letter and at the end of a worship service. The praise is for and to God. As an additional caveat, the praise extends to offering believers hope, courage, and tenacity in holding firm to their faith. This particular Letter of Jude in the New Testament definitively indicates judgment against false teachers and includes warnings and exhortations for believers to avoid the wicked forces and the “scoffers indulging in their own ungodly lusts (verse 18). “ Such evil forces cause death, destruction, and division in this world. Instead, Jude’s letter empowers us to pray in the Holy Spirit and to keep ourselves in the love of God by looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Also we are to have mercy, compassion, and love on ourselves and those who waver (verses 19-22). We are even to save others by “snatching them out of the fire; and have mercy on still others with fear.” Lastly, we are to avoid the danger of personal contact with those who indulge in sins of the flesh (verse 23). In other words, this very powerful letter is an appeal for you to contend for your faith in Christ Jesus. When I think of the word contend, I think about a boxing match. But instead of just being a physical battle, Jude’s letter is also a spiritual battle for your soul and the souls of all believers in Christ.

You do not have to feel alone in this battle by yourself. Verse 24 starts by giving us the assurance that God is able to keep us from falling. We have God, and we have each other to stay encouraged and stay faithful to the Lord, our God, the Most High!

Prayer 

God, there are some days when we at times feel weak and powerless in this world. Help us to stay encouraged and not lose our faith. Furthermore, assist us to avoid people and situations that are not for our highest good in you. Help us to remember and to follow the best example of the human walk, Jesus the Christ. Give us discernment and peace in being aware of our surroundings. Help us to be strong in and through you and your Son Jesus, we pray. Amen!

Thought for the day 

God is still able to keep you from falling.

Deacon Edwina Hamilton
Jonah 2:5-7 NIV

“The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit. “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.”

D.B.T./Dialectical Behavior Therapy or better yet 

This was not a seminar I’d looked forward to attending. First, as a counselor, I was embarrassed to admit that I did not understand the topic, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, uh? Then, not anticipating still being at this same workplace, I felt attending was not something needed for my agenda. God knew better! The facilitator began his spiel and my mind began to wonder, with thoughts of all my turmoil (including my present place of employment). But there were words from the facilitator that slowly began to demand my attention. “Acceptance Theory”, “tolerating the moment for what it is right now” and “self actualization of a person not yet being what they are suppose to become”, all these words slowly demanded that focus be averted to that which was at hand. Then there was the testimony of the creator of this therapy. Her story captured my full attention and turned what looked like an ordinary seminar, into an encounter with the Almighty.

Marsha Linehan, developer of DBT has suffered from mental illness (specifically BPD/Borderline Personality Disorder) for most of her life. Dr. Linehan recently gave testimony of her challenges to her family, colleagues and the world. (New York Times-June 23, 2011) This is true testament of the importance of sharing our story, so that others can grow. She speaks of being in Hell, often times literally banging her head against the wall, many times resulting to cutting and burning herself. Overcoming that in itself is awesome, but to go beyond her circumstance, now that’s powerful. How was it accomplished? God showed up!

“One night I was kneeling in there, looking up at the cross, and the whole place became gold — and suddenly I felt something coming toward me,” she said. “It was this shimmering experience, and I just ran back to my room and said, ‘I love myself.’ It was the first time I remember talking to myself in the first person. I felt transformed.” (Marsha Lineham)

God, in combination with finding love for self, changed the world of one dealing with a mental illness. Her research led to the development DBT. It speaks of radically accepting self and the incorporation of prayer. Look at God!

Prayer 

Lord, we are fallible and can do nothing without You in our lives. Father, please open our eyes to the realities of who we are, grant us discernment in seeking direction and open the doors to change that allow up to become who you intended us to be. In the name of Him who makes a difference in life and hope, Jesus-Amen.

Thought for the day 

The challenges of facing mental illness can be overcome!

Dr. Darreyl M. Young-Gibson
Matthew 28: 19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

RED FLAGS 

One afternoon I received a call from a woman who asked me if I would like to participate with some female ministers in a two-week study group of Korean women in Seoul, Korea. I stated thanks, but no thanks, because I did not know any Koreans and was not interested in going to Korea. Several days later I received a second call from the same person asking me if I would reconsider and that the Korean trip was all expenses-paid. Again, I responded no thanks. After hanging up the phone, I asked myself, “Are you crazy? They are offering you an all expenses-paid trip to Korea.” I called the woman back and apologized for not accepting her offer. I informed her that I would love to go on the all expenses-paid trip to Korea. I asked if my friend Charlotte, who was Director of Christian Education in a Chicago Korean church, could also go. She asked me if my friend was also African-American. When I responded yes, she said OK. So my friend Charlotte and I joined the study group of four Caucasian women and one Japanese woman.

We met in a Korean restaurant in Chicago to discuss the trip. Charlotte brought up the first red flag: the group leader was Japanese. Charlotte informed me that Koreans intensely disliked the Japanese because of the treatment Koreans endured under the Japanese 35-year occupation of Korea that ended with World War II. Charlotte questioned how a Japanese woman could lead a study of Korean women. When we arrived at our Korean living quarters in Seoul, the second red flag was raised when the women refused to allow Charlotte to make a collect call to her family to let them know that she arrived safely in Korea. The next day, Charlotte and I asked the group of women for our return airline tickets and for our monetary stipends provided for our expenses. They complied. Charlotte and I then left to go to a neighborhood store. While we were gone, the group of women packed their belonging and left us – with no forwarding address. I suggested that we go to the American Embassy for help. Charlotte said first we should go to Prayer Mountain to pray and after that go to Kwanglim Methodist church. After praying at Prayer Mountain, we went to Kwanglim Methodist church – the largest Methodist church in the world.

While we waited to meet the minister, we heard the Wednesday night service over the loud speaker. Although I did not speak Korean, I told Charlotte, the Holy Spirit was in there. The church members were singing and speaking in tongues. We later met with the minister and told him how we were abandoned by the group of women we were traveling with. The minister, Rev. Sundo Kim told us, “You will stay in our missionary dorm.” The church had just built their missionary dormitory and Charlotte and I were their first visitors. Rev. Kim provided us with a Mercedes Benz limousine and one of the church’s ministers as our driver to tour and sight see Seoul. The dormitory cooks prepared our meals. We worshipped with them, went to ‘dawn prayer’ with them, visited other churches, youth group meetings, and orphanages. Rev. Sundo Kim introduced us during Sunday’s church services, and after church, many of the members came to us wanting us to touch them and their children to bless them. We were driven to the airport on our departure date. Jesus told his disciples “and remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.” Jesus was with us. When we were abandoned in a foreign country, we went to pray at Prayer Mountain, and then we went to church. We trusted God and believed the word of Jesus. God blessed us and took care of us beyond all of our expectations.

Prayer 

Gracious and loving God, thank you for the problems that beset us every day, for if we didn’t have a problem, we wouldn’t know that you could solve them. Thank you for being a very present help in time of need. Amen

Thought for the day 

When life hits you with unexpected problems, the first thing to do is pray, thanking God for God’s goodness, mercy, and for working out the problem. Then go to church to praise and worship God.

Minister Victor Parrott
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NRSV)

¹⁶So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, ¹⁸because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

The Reality of Mortality 

As I grow older, I am becoming more aware of the reality of my mortality. The once prevalent feeling of invincibility has been replaced with the truth of my vulnerability. Aging does indeed have a way of humbling one by imposing heretofore non-existent physical limitations. But the key point is that these limitations are physical.

Fortunately, there is also a spiritual dimension to life. And, generally, there is an inverse relationship between the physical and the spiritual dimensions. As physical vitality diminishes, spiritual awareness and maturity increases. It is the spiritual aspect of being that will extend through eternity. So as Paul notes, the physical challenges, afflictions and failings cannot be compared to that which exists in the spiritual realm because this earthly existence is but a brief occurrence on the timeline of life.

Therefore, if you don’t see or hear as well as you used to, move as quickly as you once did or are impaired by some other infirmity, take heart. God is developing you spiritually for this life and the one to follow.

Prayer 

O God, the Giver and Sustainer of life, we give You thanks for life that extends beyond that which is visible and tangible. Amen.

Thought for the day 

Aging has its advantages.

Minister Victor Parrott
Matthew 12:46-50 (NRSV)

⁴⁶While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. ⁴⁷Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” ⁴⁸But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Who Is My Family? 

Television is a powerful medium. It has the ability to shape opinions and influence perspectives. For example, two shows in particular have offered viewers their versions of the ideal family structure. From the 1950’s to the 1960’s, it was Leave It to Beaver. From the 1980’s to the 1990’s, it was The Cosby Show. Whether it was the Cleavers of Leave It to Beaver or the Huxtables of The Cosby Show, an obvious gap existed between those TV families and many real life family structures.

The Cleavers and Huxtables were middle income families. They were headed by a father (male) and a mother (female). Both families had children who were the biological offspring of the mother and father. What was the implication for families that didn’t meet those criteria? Were they to be considered deficient or defective? Country singer Shania Twain might suggest otherwise.

Twain revealed that her biological father abandoned their family. Fortunately, her mother, who was white, remarried. But the family still didn’t earn enough money to be considered middle income. Nevertheless, in honor of her Native American stepfather, Twain identifies herself as Native American. Twain’s idea of family includes those who love and care for one another.

It’s not the amount of household income that determines whether or not a family exists. Neither is having a biological mother and father in the household a deciding factor. Family members don’t even have to have a common bloodline. So, if your family doesn’t meet the criteria of the Cleavers or the Huxtables, don’t lose heart. What’s important is that the family members love and care for one another. If that is the case, then they are family because they are doing the will of God.

Prayer 

God of mercy, we thank you for our families no matter how they are configured. Amen.

Thought for the day 

Family is as family does

Deacon Bill Singleton
Acts 28: 3-5

Shake it off 

Paul gathered up a bundle of sticks and was putting them on the fire when a snake came out and fastened itself to his hand. The natives saw the snake hanging on Paul’s hand and said to one another, “This man must be a murderer, but fate will not let him live, even though he escaped from the sea.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire without being harmed at all. The Good News Translation. In this 28th chapter of Acts, Paul has survived a ship wreck only to make it to shore and be bitten by a poisonous snake. We as people of God have survived another year. Many of us came into this New Year carrying heavy baggage from last year, we, like Paul need to shake it off. It doesn’t matter what it is, if it is destructive to us we need to shake it off. You may have been in a bad relationship; you need to shake it off. You may have been stuck on a dead end job and been passed over for promotion by someone less qualified; you need to shake it off. If your finances are pulling you under, your children are giving you problems, or maybe depression is dragging you down; shake it off, give it to God. The evil one uses these and anything that might cause you to doubt God, or feel like ending our relationship with God as weapons against us. Isaiah 54:17 says “But no weapon formed against you will prosper.” No weapon used to discourage or hurt us can be successful because we CAN shake it off, we can give it to God to handle.

Prayer 

Thank you Lord for taking from us the loads that could crush us.

Thought for the day 

We don’t have to die from the problems that fasten themselves to us each day, we can shake them off.

Deacon Vanessa LeNoir
Psalm 30:5

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

Joy Will Come in the Morning 

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. There are times when it looks like darkness is all around and we do not know what to do or where to go. There seems to be clouds everywhere. Life as we know it has come to an end. Sometimes it happens suddenly while at other times it is gradual. My mother pass 2 years ago. My life style has changed. I recall how growth takes place in darkness. Once a seed is planted it takes time for the plant to grow though the soil, yet we know that it is growing. The same thing happens when changes occur in our lives, even in the midst of storms.

Prayer 

Father God thank you for keeping me in your arms and giving me peace..

Thought for the day 

Father God thank you for keeping me in your arms and giving me peace.

Alden Bell
John 5: 1-5

¹ Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. ² Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda, and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³ Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed, ⁴ and they waited for the moving of the waters. From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had. ⁵ One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

Do you want to be healed? 

What is it that you struggle with? What keeps you from walking? How many years have you waited to be made whole in your brokenness? I really do love this story in today’s scripture there are for me new revelations here continually. I think we as Christians really do believe in the power of prayer, but there are times we struggle with and pray about our own crippling issues for extended periods of times.

I recently discovered in my own life my prayer for years for God to give me the strength and tools I needed to overcome the issues in my life that leave me weak, unfocused and spiraling out of control down destructive paths had been answered throughout the years. I realize now God has given me the personal fortitude and made available to me all the resources I needed to resist every temptation I faced in this area of my life. During this time of recent discovery God spoke to me in my spirit and ask: Do you want to be healed? I also remembered that God had asked me this question many times before and I had never answered the question. I had become familiar with my struggle. Forty-six years ago when I was twelve a demonic force afflicted me and living and wresting with my affliction had become more comfortable and familiar than living without it. Therefore, believing in the power of prayer I never ask God to remove this from my life because God would do it and then I would have to face life alone without my forty-six year companion and without the daily struggle. Today I say yes! I finally answer the question and my soul says yes, yes, yes!

Prayer 

Lord God I pray, help us to hear your voice.

Thought for the day 

Give us the strength and courage we need to answer the questions you pose and if we need to say yes help us say yes, yes, yes!

Minister Dr. Shirley G. Eloby Fleming
Mark 12:30---NIV

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g] There is no commandment greater than these.”

Christ’s Prescription for Health 

Christ spoke these words in response to request to tell the teachers which of the laws was the most important. Beloved, I believe that God is sending us a prescription for health through the words of this sacred text. It a powerful message for those of us who are making our annual resolutions to live a healthier life in 2012. We know that health is more than access to affordable quality health care. We also know that much of health is determined by social determinants (such as income, education, our sense of identity, our sense of worth, our relationship with each other, and the environment in which we live).

In this summary of God’s law, we can hear God’s call to love God with our total being heart, soul, mind/intellect and strength/actions)—put God first. We belong to God. Secondly, God calls us to love our neighbors with an agape love—free ourselves of hatred and grudges. We must be willing love in a way causes us to sacrifice ourselves for well-fare of others. Lastly, it calls for us to love ourselves. (This is an important law that we often ignore.) We are loveable. We must also be mindful that as stewards of God’s earth, we are to treat the earth with love.

Imagine a kingdom/world where God’s great commandment to love reigns. Because love and justice are inseparable, justice would roll like a mighty river” (Amos 5:24). God’s children know who we are and whose we are. All of God’s children would have enough to eat, a safe and comfortable place to call home, a good education and equal access to opportunities for fair wages and good jobs. This would indeed, be the kingdom of God coming to of earth creating a healthy people and a healthy place.

By now you are wondering, if I’m delusional! How is this possible? With God all things are possible (Philippians 4:`13). We just need to pick up our mat, and join the Holy Spirit in moving creation toward health and it will be the loving kingdom of God on earth.

Prayer 

Lord, help me to be the instrument of radical love that your word calls me to be. Lord use me to transform your world into the just, loving and compassionate kingdom of God on earth that is in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6: 9-13). In the end, Lord, you get all the glory for it is in you that I live, move and have my being (Acts 17:28).

Thought for the day 

Love can heal, transform, liberate, bring health and wholeness to God’s people and God’s earth!!!

Dorian Robinson,
Trinity MIT Program
Luke 18: 27

“And he said, the things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Your Mission Is Not Impossible 

My brothers and sisters in order to have a victory in your life, you must turn every impossible situation over to Jesus. Jesus specializes in the impossible! If you have questions and need some answers, talk to Him. If your mountains are crushing you, speak to the mountains that they be removed. Many times we find our problems are bigger than us. We find ourselves worrying instead of praying. Jesus waits for us to run out of solutions. We may feel that our friends can help, but in reality we find they can only pray for a favorable outcome for us. Jesus waits for you to run out of steam, to run out of solutions, so you will finally turn everything over to Him. Is there anything impossible for God? When you are at this point, He becomes the source of everything you need. The only way for your relationship to work with God is for you to let Him take full control. If you don’t let go and let God you will find Him standing in the background, and letting you make an even bigger mess of it. You see, your mission, your outcome is only impossible if you don’t turn it over to God!

Prayer 

Heavenly Father open our eyes so that we may see that the answer we seek to any problem that we are faced with is not impossible to overcome because the answer lies in You! Help us to look up to the hills to which our help comes from. It comes from you! Help our belief and faith in you to pray more, and worry less. Amen.

Thought for the day 

There is nothing impossible for God! The devil wants you to self-destruct by taking your eyes off of God and to focus on your circumstances. Whatever you need, God’s got it. He has everything you need.