MAKE A CLEAN PRISON BREAK

Linking up with the Five-Minute Friday community of bloggers, the prompt this week is BREAK. Learn more about it here.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” ~ Galatians 5:1

My husband and I were fans of the TV series, Prison Break. I loved the ensemble cast and he loved the concept. But when the BREAK was finally realized, the show ended. That is the way we need to look at life and the ‘prisons’ we find ourselves incarcerated by. Many of them are not physical, but mental and emotional. Once someone is released from prison, if they have also been released in their mind (thinking) and emotions (human makeup) they vow to NEVER return, they BREAK free forever.

There are recurrent ministry events and themes that continue to speak to the same place of imprisonment in our lives. When will we finally ever make THE BREAK? When will we finally ‘be not entangled again’?

I have written about it before, https://simplyphenomenal.wordpress.com/2015/01/16/demolish-the-chains-god-has-declared-new-beginnings/.

I believe it is important and so much more sustainable to give, teach and minister to people the tools they need to raise their consciousness to live free, healthy and whole; to make a clean BREAK from whatever their vices or encumbrances.  Obviously, it is not always realistic to immediately overcome circumstances of life but when we have transformed thinking, we are more apt to seek ways to improve and better our lives. We take those tools and use them for productivity and growth instead of wallowing in grooves of stagnant atrophy.

I encourage you reading this writing today to let God empower you to make a clean BREAK. BREAK free – first, from your own captivity (the root of most of our emotional incarceration) and BREAK free from the repression of others, past experiences (that are dead but we keep resurrecting), un-forgiveness and the inflamed guilt we put on people who have wronged us. There are endless chambers of confinement that exist but the God of eternal freedom, He Himself is the key to every clean Prison BREAK.

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately ALL the doors were opened, and EVERYONE’s bands were loosed.” ~ Acts 16:25-26

The Real of Brokenness

Linking up with the Five-Minute Friday community of bloggers, the prompt this week is REAL. Learn more about it here.

My sister-friend, Paulette Foster, preached a theologian’s (scholarly) sermon about the woman with the issue of blood. It was eons ago now, she called the woman Veronica. [Traditionally, Veronica came to believe in Christ when He healed her of an ailment that had afflicted her for twelve years: And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and. touched the hem of his garment: (orthodoxwiki.org/Veronica)]  It was the first time I had heard the woman called by name as it is not given in the scriptures.

 

What I want to extract from the woman’s story though is her brokenness. Inspired by our Pastor’s message yesterday, “The Blessedness of Brokenness” (Psalm 51:8), what I know to be REAL about brokenness is it brings you to your knees, recumbent and debilitated before our Savior, Healer, God.

Many of us find ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually, like the woman with the issue of blood, broken by society, stereotypes, people and their judgments, systemic resistance, broken to a state of nothingness. Pastor also referred to Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9), how that we are sometimes broken by someone who was suppose to care for us, not of intention, but by an unfortunate casualty. Whatever the circumstances, there are times of brokenness in our lives.

Like the woman with the issue of blood, it was in a state of brokenness that she became most desperate for God. It was in a state of brokenness that in her despair she ignored all the crushing constructs that were very REAL in her life.

She found her way to Jesus, crawling and clambering through the thronging crowd in the dirt and dung to touch The REAL Healer. Weakened in her body, but determined in her spirit, she pressed through her pride, her fear, rejection and prejudices. She pressed through every ‘no’ she had ever been told to reach her Creator. She touched Jesus with all of her brokenness and He touched her with His healing virtue.

“Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.” ~ Psalm 51:8

You may also like, https://simplyphenomenal.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/broken-to-be-made-whole/

The No-Plan Plan

Linking up with the Five-Minute Friday community of bloggers, the prompt this week is PLAN. Learn more about it here.

Initially, I was just fed up. I was depressed to go shopping. I was moving into a larger size in every item of clothing, I was uncomfortable in the bath tub. I didn’t like the way I looked or felt. I was fed up.

I didn’t have a plan.

I took an initial step with The 21-day Daniel Fast. I saw results after that initial 21 days that I had never seen before in my experience of trying to lose weight. I made a decision to continue eating according to the Daniel Cure adding seafood. That was over a year ago.

What I’ve learned is a plan is essential in effective executing many things we do. However, a progressive strategic plan that evolves over time can produce results as well.  For me that is what my journey has been, a progressive development of strategies to achieve my goals.

Goal-setting drives the mission, the objective you set for yourself or whatever you desire to achieve. In the beginning it was about changing my diet, that yielded some progress. With teaching I learned that was not enough, I needed to exercise. I had to make a decision to get off the sofa and move. I started with workouts I enjoyed which fueled my motivation. A few months in I hit a plateau and was advised I needed to amp up my workout routine, shock my body, do something different, challenge and stretch myself.

Not having a plan progressed into a strategic plan that has been an adventure, one that continues to challenge me in new ways to achieve my goals.

Moreover, the ultimate plan (intention; objective) is yet to be accomplished.

Break A Leg

 I did it, I auditioned for The Wiz!

Performing in a stage play is on my bucket list. A dramatic work would be my preference, but I thought this is an opportunity I should take.

I only learned about the auditions a couple days before they were scheduled. I read all the information provided in the FB event post and began my preparations. I asked questions of my family who performed in previous shows at Karamu. I created a theater resume, such as it was. Printed my headshot. I learned an audition song, “Almost There” from The Princess and The Frog, and with my husband’s encouragement, I set out on this little venture.

The last time I was in a play was at church before my children were born, forever ago. I played Queen Dee (Glenda) in my husband’s musical, “The Wonderful World of Calvary” (Christian adaptation of The Wizard of Oz). And more forever ago than that I was in Drama Club at JFK under one of my favorite teachers, Leon Fisher. I played the role of Baby June in “Gypsy” and one of the children in “Cheaper By The Dozen”.

After checking the cast list for The Wiz, I thought, I can play Auntie Em or Addaperle (the witch of the North).

I had no idea what to expect. When I arrived at Karamu, the audition process was easy enough, it was the waiting. Waiting to go in ( I had visions of American Idol in my head), it actually was quite similar. I sang my song without accompaniment and I felt good about it. The Director asked me to wait to read for Auntie Em. Shortly later one of his assistants came out to give me a script to practice with a young lady auditioning for Dorothy. We were called in, we read together, and again I felt good about it. We were both invited to come back and I was asked to learn Auntie Em’s song. I went back the next evening. I was asked to read with another young lady and to sing the song. Right away I didn’t feel good about it. Call backs would be in a few days by invitation only. I was not invited back, it was the end of the road.

So it is another, “I did it” experience. Better to have tried and not succeeded than to not have tried at all, right?

The best and most important thing is I did it. I took the first step without seeing the entire staircase. I did something out of my comfort zone. I did something a little scary for me. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

I won’t forget it too soon, but I have to internalize it in a positive way.

Break a leg.

When The Family Gathers

Next to my God and Faith, Family is most important in my life.

Over the past months our family has endeavored to gather together after Worship on Sundays to spend time together breaking bread, enjoying conversation, loving our grandchildren, watching a movie. It was my husband and my son who mentioned that we were missing a valuable opportunity each week to gather (not that exact term) instead of just coming to church and leaving everyone going their own way. I’m so glad for the time we have together; sometimes we go out or we gather in one of our homes.

I really noticed this evening, while watching our grandchildren play together. How blessed the time we have when the family gathers for developing memories for them and with them, and how the time enriches our lives by the joy that they give.

Linking up for Five Minute Friday, the prompt this week is ‘Gather’.

http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/

The Lost Social Virtue of the Visit

Linking up with Kate Motaung and a community of bloggers for Five Minute Friday. The prompt is “Visit”. Write freely for just five minutes, no overthinking or editing. I usually write longer than five minutes and ALWAYS edit (can’t help it).

GO

We used to be a lot more social, even on social media.

I often think how people don’t really ‘visit’ much any more. I reflect on when my husband and I were a young married couple we would host the young people of our church or married couples in our home weekly, we loved to entertain, we loved each other’s company. We would play games, talk, our children would play together, we would learn and teach, just visit.

Even family visits were more frequent which now, at least for many are mostly just on holidays.

It seems the more we are connected through technology and social media, the less we are present in one another’s lives.

I wonder when, if ever, we will regain some of the social virtues we used to enjoy. They were so important to building relationships and nurturing family.

STOP (Just noticed I didn’t start the timer.)

“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,“ ~ Acts 2:46