Watch and Pray With Hope: COVID-19

The whole entire world is at a standstill because of the current pandemic that is claiming the lives of many, bringing down economies and leaving thousands unemployed. Spirits of fear, anxiety, anger, depression, desperation and xenophobia are gripping the hearts and minds of countless individuals. I think about all the hopes, and dreams people had about this new year. How it seemed like everyone was echoing the same sentiments... "2020 is the year of vision" or "20/20 Vision in 2020."

I believe there are some truths to these statements. We ought to have a clear vision and understanding of the sign of the times. Throughout the Bible, the Lord used prophets to warn the people about their sins, prophecy of the Messiah and the last days. Even Jesus spoke to his disciples about the sign of the times in Luke 21:7-11.

7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Verse 11 really struck me in regards to the earthquakes, famines and pestilences. Since November 2019, the coronavirus has infected many in China and now all over the world. In the last seven days, there have been 119 earthquakes in various countries across the globe. 8 nations in East Africa are experiencing a plague of locusts that has caused devastation and famine to their land.

We are witnessing Jesus' warning to the disciples manifesting before our eyes in 2020! My heart has been so sober during this time. Seeking the Lord, repenting, humbling my heart and praying for His mercy. More than ever, we the church have to watch and pray. The world is experiencing darkness like it never has before. Men have turned away their hearts from God. They have accepted darkness and instead of the Light. Now the world is experiencing the consequences of our sins. We must repent and turn of hearts back to the Father. Speaking and proclaiming the gospel to our love ones, friends and followers on social media. We have to be the voice of reason and logic in this generation. The end is near and Christ's return is imminent.

Jesus revealed His return in verses 25-28 to his disciples:

25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

These are the signs of the times. Our redemption is near and we will soon see our Redeemer coming in a cloud with power and great glory! I pray that your hearts will not fail and you will have hope that what we are experiencing will pass. Know that the Lord loves you and will be with you always until the end of this age (Matthew 28:20). We are a people of hope and promise. Continue to watch and pray.

We Are Back!

Hello Stormriders!

It has been seven years since our last post. A lot has happened in the past seven years. Here is a quick update and in a later post, we will go more in depth in regards to some of the changes. We started a business in 2013 which took up a lot of our time, money, resources and energy! Jo left her job to pursue the business for three years. It was rewarding at times and very difficult financially. We switched churches in 2013. We left our old fellowship for a smaller, more community based church.  Nat relocated back home for a great job opportunity in the summer of 2017.  Jo decided to stay in the city and attempt to keep the business going.

We have attended numerous weddings, baby showers, birthday parties and special events. We lost our paternal grandmother last year at the age of 91. We saw our baby brother get married and recently become a father. Close family members and friends have relocated out of the city and country. Friendships have ended and family relationships have been strained.

Life has been a rollercoaster of many highs and lows. But through it all, God has been there. We have come to many realizations these past seven years about how we view God. Our faith has been tested, we have been pruned, chastised and delivered. We stand stronger in our faith like never before! We still have a long way to go but we welcome all that God has in store for us to arrive at our destiny.

We hope to be more consistent in 2020 with our posting. We hope to start an instagram page soon so that we can stay better connected to our readers. We want to thank you for all of your emails; they have been very encouraging and edifying! We never thought starting this blog would reach so many people who are hungry for the Word of God. For that, we are so grateful for your support! May the Lord continue to bless this blog and all the readers.

Our prayer is that the Lord continue to use us for His will and that we are obedient. Please continue to pray for us, we covet your prayers.

Keep riding the storm! 

Creation Roles: Paul Washer "Are You Ready for a Relationship?"

Last week we shared a message from Paul Washer entitled "What a Man is Not." I hope you found it thought provoking and informative.  This week we want to share another message from Mr.Washer titled "Are You Ready for Marriage?" This message addresses men, but as a woman I found it very enlightening and it challenged my thoughts on dating and marriage. What I gained from the message as a whole is that everything we do in life we must without a doubt do it for the glory of God and no other reason. Yes we have preferences of what we want in a mate as far as physical features,  background, education, finances and how you feel when you are with that person. But all of those things are fleshy desires.  I am not saying that you are sinning because you want those things but are your motives pure and in line with what the Word says.
One example that the Bible shows us is Jacob. Jacob was a trickster and a manipulator (Genesis  27:36).  He had to flee his father's, Issac, house, because he stole his brother's, Esau, birthright (Genesis 27). As he was entering into his Uncle Laban's compound he noticed Rachel, his uncle's daughter, and fell in love with her beauty (Genesis 29). Jacob didn't know one thing about Rachel's character or personality traits. He just loved the way she looked. If Jacob would have gotten to know her he would have discovered that she was a liar, full of malice, jealousy, spite and vanity. Jacob went through many years of trails with his family full of children from different mothers. Maybe if Jacob would have looked for a wife with godly characteristics instead of the surface, his life would have been less stressful.
I encourage you to take the time to watch this video or listen to it. It will definitely challenge your outlook on marriage and relationships.

Creation Roles: Paul Washer's "What a Man is Not"

What is a man suppose to look like?  What is the role of man on the earth? In Genesis 1:26  the word says, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:." So we know that man was created in the image of God. Scripture also tells us that God gave man duties and responsibilities on the earth (Genesis 1:28). Okay so now that we know a little of the basics. ... what is not a man?

I want to share with you a sermon from Paul Washer called What a Man is Not. It is a little over an hour long but it is very thought provoking. It surely made me ponder some things about the men in my family, men that I encounter in the body of Christ and the type of man I would want to marry. Please take the time to watch this video and let us know your opinions and thoughts on the subject.

Keep Calm and Know that God Loves You Part 3: Love is not rude and does not seek its own (1 Corinthians 13:5)

We are now going to tackle love not being rude and selfish. Below are definitions of the two concepts that we will explore (Merriam-Webster Dictionary):

Rude: Not having or showing concern or respect for the rights and feelings of other people: not polite
Selfish: having or showing concern only for yourself and not for the needs or feeling of other people

These two attributes look quite similar don't they. In both definitions, I would like to highlight the concept of not caring for others. In order to demonstrate true love, you must be willing at times to take a back seat to the needs, rights and concerns of others. Jesus' ministry clearly demonstrates this concept. I think specifically of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane; and how He said, "not my will but Your will be done" (Luke 22:42). Jesus demonstrated that love is sacrifice. It's putting someone else or something else before you. Jesus demonstrated the love of God, but allowing God to love and His way of loving was to sacrifice His Son. In this prayer, God also demonstrates His love, He too had to sacrifice, for our salvation, for our freedom; for our lives.

Being human, it is hard for us not to consider ourselves first. Sometimes we look at God as if He is our "Fun Snatcher" or "Captain Kill Joy" because we don't necessarily get our way, or that He forces us to do things His way. The truth is God sees the beginning from the end. If He was rude and selfish He would let you do whatever you wanted to because He would care less about what is happening or what would happen to you. Think about it this way, if I know that there is a mugger on the other side of the street, and I knew you were going to get mugged if you went down that street, would it not be rude of me not to warn you? Would it be selfish of me to think of my safety and run away so I don't have to get hurt or inconvenienced. Similarly, this is how we should recognize the love of God. He is always looking out for out best interest, whether we see it or not. Jesus warns us about impending death and even died in our place so that we don't have to face it if we choose His will and way.

Love cares and sacrifices. It thinks not only of itself but looks at the larger picture and chooses to humble itself even unto death. It is often said that one of the primary reasons if not the primary reason for divorce is selfishness. Love can't thrive where there is rudeness or selfishness. This applies to all aspects of our lives. Similarly, take our impending marriage to Christ, can we truly be united if there is selfishness? If we demand our way with Christ when clearly He knows better? If this root isn't plucked out you will never truly know the love of God or know that God loves you because a marriage and relationship can not thrive when selfishness is involved. The two will never agree. If you truly want to feel God's love and know it, ask for His way, for His is ultimately love, just read the Word of God and He will reveal to you his way. I encourage you to read Romans 12. This portion of scripture talks about sacrifice and the Will of God (Romans 12:2).

Missions: Ethiopia Part 2: Healing Hands of Joy and Stormrider: Akeza

After 2 days in Addis we departed for Mekelle, which is less then an hour flight. It is a smaller city then Addis Ababa. I would compare it to Philadelphia being Addis and Pittsburgh being Mekelle. Mekelle was less crowded and had more of a slower pace then Addis. It is also a college town with the Mekelle Theological College and Mekelle Institute of Technology surrounding the area. 

Coffee Ceremony

After settling down at the hotel, we headed to the center. When we arrived at HHOJ the women gave us a wonderful warm greeting! They had beautiful smiles on their faces,cheering, waving incense and tossing popcorn and rose petals in the air.  All eleven ladies greeted us with kisses and we took pictures before entering in the center. The women performed a traditional coffee ceremony as we all sat in a huge circle introducing ourselves. The women were very open and inviting. All of them explained their situation, what lead them to HHOJ and what they were hoping to gain/accomplished through the program. We, in turn, told them what brought us to Ethiopia and why we wanted to come to the center. After the introductions, we had lunch with the ladies and received a tour of the grounds, kitchen, classroom and living quarters from Allison. 

Preparing lunch

One of the customs in Ethiopia is feet washing. This normally occurs when a visitor comes to your home and you wash their feet as a sign of hospitality. Well our team wanted to do that for the ladies and in addition treat them to manis and pedis. The women at first had reservations because they felt that it was wrong for us, the visitors, to wash their feet. But during their Bible study class they were ministered to about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples in John 13:1-17. They learned that Jesus wanted to show His followers what it meant to serve and give themselves to others. Jesus told Peter, who refused the washing of his feet, that he has no part of Him if he refuses. Being able to serve and being served is a blessing and our Father is pleased and glorified when we do that for each other. This made the women more comfortable and ready to receive their feet washing. It was a pleasure and joy to see that the women were enjoying the feet washing and spa treatment. One of the lady's daughter joined in and I was able to paint her nails for her. Each woman received her own nail spa kit with lotion, nail polish and file. What a blessing it was to leave the center that day knowing that the ladies felt special and loved.

Feet washing

Showing off her nails

The second day at the center was one of the best days for me because it was our one on one time with the ladies. I had the privilege of having my time with Azeka. She is 40, divorced twice and has 4 children. During her first pregnancy, Akeza had prolonged labor with her son and developed fistula because of it. She was able to receive surgery and has since been cured. 10 years after the surgery she remarried and had 3 more children. I questioned Akeza why would she remarry and have more children after the traumatic experience with her first marriage and pregnancy? Akeza explained to me earlier in our conversation that she divorced her first husband because he was cheating on her with other women in the village. She responded to me so plainly and with confidence, "Because I had the desire to have more children." Her response gripped my heart in the most intense way. Most of these women are married off at a very early age, as early as 8 years old, abused and outcast by their communities because they have fistula. You would think there would be bitterness, unforgiveness, wrath and fear that would overcome them.

Akeza

Akeza, as a woman, wanted to fulfill that desire of being a wife and a mother. Unfortunately, her second husband was abusive and the marriage dissolved but she preservered. She has a strength and a willingness to succeed in life. She told me her strength comes from God. She knows that fistula does not define her life and that being at the center has strengthen her faith. She has developed relationships with the other women; they have sown into each other lives and have been able to encourage one another through this experience.

Towards the end of our conversation I told Akeza that she reminded me of the young girl (Jarius' daughter) Jesus brought back to life in Mark 5:35-43. Everyone that was at Jarius' home thought that this was the end. Before Jesus and his disciples arrived a servant from Jarius' house told him not to bother Jesus because his daughter was dead. But Jesus knowing what was going to happen went to the house and told everyone there that the girl was sleeping. The mourners at the house laughed at Him. Jesus had everyone removed from the room besides the girl's parents and 3 of His disciples. Jesus proceeded to take the young girl's hand and said to her "Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise (verse 41)." The little girl got up and Jesus told them to get her something to eat. Jesus who is sovereign knows the beginning and the end of your life. Others might feel like they have the right to speak over your life because of the circumstances that you are in but God has the final say.

Akeza was in agreement and added that God is in control. She is so thankful that He has brought her out of the darkest places in her life and have lead her to a place of peace and trusting in him. Akeza blessed me tremendously with her beautiful spirit, laugh, openness and strength. She told me that she would be praying for me to get married and that I would have lots of children! What I found to be very interesting was that our interpreter and  I had similar stories. All three of us had a connection even though we come from different backgrounds, cultures and upbringings. I truly understood in that moment that allowing yourself to be open can really minister not only to others but to yourself.

I greatly enjoyed my time talking to Akeza and my team members also felt the same way about their one on one time. It was truly an honor and a privilege to get to know my friend Akeza. I will never forget her and our conversation. She has motivated me to continue to preservere no matter what obstacles come into my life. God is in control and has the final word.

From left to right: Senait (who is apart of the HHOJ staff), me, Akeza, one of the ladies in the program and our interpreter Flash

Next week will be the third and final post about my trip!

To learn more about the trip please visit the team's blog at  http://www.tscnyc.org/i61teams/category/africa/ethiopia-africa/  and to learn more about Healing Hands of Joy please visit http://www.healinghandsofjoy.com

Stay Calm Jesus Loves You: Part 2 - Envy and Boasting!

In continuing with my previous post, the scripture brings us to two more attributes of love:

1 Corinthians 13:4

Love does not envy; love does not parade itself (boast)

Envy: a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck.

The word in this definition that stands out to me the most is discontented. When we are discontent with what God has given us or entrusted to us, we begin to look at others that have what we want and deduce that the reason they have it is because clearly God loves them and not us. This is incredibly false! We need to stop comparing ourselves, talents, possessions, status etc to what others have. If we would simply accept the fact that God loves us, then we would look at the things that we have and glorify in the fact that it was given to us. We bring such pain and hurt into our lives with envy. Once envy comes in, it twists are vision to no longer see that the root problem is that we are discontent. Instead it masks itself as a lie against the nature of God, that says, He does not love me. He won't give me the desires of my heart. He won't answer my prayers. Once that root comes into our lives we become offended by our Lord. Envy kills the soul, it robs you of life. It makes you focus on everything that is wrong rather on what is right. It causes you to actually hate when good things happen to and for others. When it gets to that point you are void of any true love of God. God is good! If you don't like when good things happen, then you are in direct opposition to God and His work. If you are content with what you have been given you will know that God loves you. Instead of looking at what you have been given negatively look at the positives, there is no one God saw more fit to give what was given to you but you. You are unique in inheriting whatever it is that He gave you. Try to see what you have been given through Gods eyes and if you can't see it ask Him for the vision to see. Love is content, it does not want what others have. Love is full and complete, it wants for nothing. Psalms 23:1 says, "The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want". David can claim this because he has all he needs. He isn't looking for more, God has given him his needs and he wants for nothing. Now please don't misunderstand me, complacency and contentment are two different things. But to being content means to rest in the knowledge that you do indeed have all the tools you need. When God shows you how to use these tools you can enter into the season of your life.

Boast: talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities.

Love does not parade itself. Love is humble, it makes no trumpet sounds or overexposes itself. One characteristic of humble people is a sense of self-worth that can't be defined by others nor does it depend on the applause of others. Self-assured people know who they are. They understand their limitations and that in which they excel. There is no longing to be approved or lifted up. Love is the same way, Love comes quietly. It is not flashy. Love has an identity. Many people who seek attention or parade themselves have no identity. They do not fully know who they are and therefore need the approval of others in order to feel complete. Real love does not need to parade itself, it is known by its characteristics. When you look at love, you know it, you feel it, there is a distinct witness that it is indeed love. Sometimes, it is in the most quiet of ways God shows that He loves you. There is no production or fanfare. When love is boastful it is less intimate and God desires an intimate relationship with all of us. When Jesus healed various people in the Bible, more often than not, He told them not to say anything or share what He did for them in a public manor. This is love. In Matthew 6:3 Jesus says "But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth". Love is not about patting itself on the back, it is so selfless as to not even give credit to itself even after demonstrating one of its attributes. When we boast, we are saying that the approval of God is not enough. That we somehow need for man to lift us up. If you truly know that God loves you, then you understand that He approves of you. He doesn't need to put you on a pedestal, send a dove and proclaim that you are a good child. Love simply does what is necessary even without recognition. Think about Jesus. He did the most amazing, game changing, life altering work on this earth, the very personification of love and everyday you don't hear trumpets from heaven and Jesus giving a speech for all that He has done. No, true love will sit quietly and unrecognized until our eyes can accurately identify it.

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I beseech you, if you are feeling incomplete and envious, please search the scriptures for the truth of God's love. These two issues can lead us down paths that end in destruction.  Remember, scripture says, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18) and "A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones." (Proverbs 14:30). Know that you are loved.