Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all God’s people.
Ephesians 6:18 ICB
Over the last few weeks we have been learning about the whole armor of God. The beautiful thing about this is, not only have we as a church been learning about it- we are also teaching our young people about it Children’s church. The activities and crafts that Kelly and Jennifer have laid out are such beautiful and creative pieces that have captured the intention of our young people.
As I sit back and reflect over the things I’ve learned while listening to Pastor Steven’s sermons, my heart is thankful for the information I retained from Faith’s last prayer walk which happened to be on spiritual warfare. As our nation is hurting, our communities hurting, and dealing with things in the home or on the job that require fervent prayers, I am so grateful to have received the practical advice and lessons from Faith’s prayer walk and Pastor Steven’s biblical teaching that are applicable to today.
Often times I feel like I am missing the mark if I don’t receive my weekly fill up of God’s word through church and Sunday school. Though we did not get to meet in person for two Sundays due to the inclement weather, I am so blessed that because of platforms like Zoom we were able to gather together and have a blessed time of fellowship and prayer.
My soul had been longing for worship and God allowed the church to go outside of the four walls of the building, and I believe we have had meaningful worship every day since last Tuesday. It started with Ms. Susan, a dear friend who went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, June 28th. We had her celebration of life on this past Saturday and like I told Wesley, that was the most soulful, blessed, authentic worship I think I have had at a celebration of life in a LONG TIME! It spoke to the person she was, the impact she made, the legacy she leaves, and it gave us a first hand up close and personal experience on just how much “flavor” she brought to everyone’s life whom she came in contact with.
God placed it on my heart to talk about how “salty” the people around me are. I’ve been blessed to meet so many people that are the salt of the Earth and by God’s grace as I have faced some silent battles over the last couple of months and anxiety has tried to put me in a chokehold; I’m grateful that God surrounded me with His sons and daughters that have added so much flavor to my heart and to my ears that has given me a taste of Heaven on Earth.
While I could be writing until next month if I wrote down every single person that has added flavor to my life, for the sake of time I just want to highlight a few folks who have allowed God to use them in the most beautiful ways to bring comfort and peace to my heart. While I try to make sense of all the thoughts and raw emotions I am feeling right now I want to share a few sentences from my Sunday school book that we went over yesterday and also a scripture that will tie it all together.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built in a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.”
Matthew 5:13-16
- Words from my Sunday school lesson on Salt and Light
- These people are essential to life in the kingdom of Heaven; they are as important as salt is in everyday life.
- The radical alternative they have chosen for their lives is evident to all who see them.
- When Jesus described his followers as “the salt of the earth,” He is telling them that they are an essential part of the work God is doing in and through him.
- Their faithfulness to and understanding of God’s work is important.
- In God’s kingdom, those who are worn Out by life have a place. Those who are heartbroken by the injustices of a corrupt empire are comforted. Those who rely totally on God inherit the earth. Those who hunger for things to be right receive satisfaction. Those who are salt and light not only live out these ideas but also share them with others.
As I spoke on last week about God allowing several of us to lay our nets aside and come together as the Body of Christ to encourage and bring comfort to the Porch family. When Tuesday came we not only to check in on a friend but to let Wesley, Mahima, and the kids they were not alone. That evening as a few of us gathered, while Ms. Susan was very much alert and full of spirit, we had worship. We ended in beautiful worship and a beautiful intercessory prayer surrounding Ms. Susan’s bed. A time was definitely had. A true God moment. As Kelly so gracefully stated on Saturday during her powerful words of comfort/reflection, “we were standing on Holy Ground.”
Wednesday came and several of us gathered at various times around Ms. Susan’s bedside. That afternoon Jennifer & Mahima connected us to the Koinonia Women’s Support Group Zoom line where we had a POWERFUL prayer line going. Many people who haven’t been able to join us whether it be for conflict of schedules, transportation issues, sickness, etc. were able to come down. In a nutshell all I can say is Pastor Jackie PRAYED HEAVEN DOWN!!! I don’t know if y’all have had the privilege to hear this Woman of God pray but I tell you, she will make you want to shout, do a two step, and do cartwheels all at the same time! Not even a half hour after Pastor Jackie prayed Heaven down, Ms. Susan went to her eternal resting place with her son hand in hand with hers.
Wednesday night after Rico got discharged from the ER, I had this tugging at my heart to tell me to go back upstairs and see Ms. Susan one last time. I also wanted Mahima & Wesley to know I have been where they are, and though it doesn’t feel like it now, peace will come. When I got upstairs Pastor Jackie and Kelly were upstairs. Some of you all know or may not know but my sweet sister is an ordained Reverend and so to have Clergy present, was not only fitting, but right on God’s timing. These two ladies, like Ms. Susan are the salt of the Earth and add so much flavor to my life!
Thursday was a day of quiet reflection while Friday was a day of mental and physical preparation. In a world where some of us have lost some of our saltiness, Saturday was the perfect reminder that even in death, the distinct light and flavoring that people like Ms. Susan add to our lives shouldn’t go hidden. Wesley said that she left big shoes to fill but by the testimonies I heard on Saturday and Sunday and just to witness the woman in Christ she was and know the impact she left she has given us all biblical and distinctive mark on our hearts.
After the service many of us gathered around to chat and continue fellowshipping. Kelly told me that Pastor Jackie would be preaching the following day at Dr. Thigpens church. I remembered him from his Macedonians Call message he had preached a few weeks prior at Pastor Jackie’s church for her MLK service. Though soft spoken his message was very powerful and so I knew it would be a wonderful experience. I had never gotten the privilege to hear Pastor Jackie preach but I knew if she preached half as good as she prayed, I was definitely in for a treat.
Pastor Jackie gave us the address and knowing that it was less than 15 minutes from my house, I had to go. She said the service started at 8, I was happy and sad at the same time. Happy because I could go support her and make it to my church service on time, but sad because I knew I would have to leave the house extra earlier. 8 o’clock on Sundays I’m still turning over begging God to slow down the clock 😂! Sunday came and it was time for me to go pick Faith up so we could support Pastor Jackie. Let me just tell ya’ll I will get up at 3 o’clock in the morning and go to church if that means I can shout, clap, stomp, sing, and praise like that. Boy she brought back memories of growing up going to Liberty Hill Baptist Church and Reid Chapel AME Church where the choirs would have you crying and hairs standing up on the back of your arm and don’t get me started on flavor bomb delivered in her message.
I wish I would have written notes that I could share with you but I was so engaged I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She preached like she wanted to soothe our aching hearts. She spoke with such conviction that we were so in tuned to what God was saying through her, Trumps depiction of the Obamas wasn’t a distraction. She challenged us to pray for EVERYONE, even those who deserve a 🥊 to the 👀 or a 🦵 to the back of the 👨.
And ya’ll I’m learning as I grow and dig deeper in the Bible that God loves repetition as I mentioned last week.
The theme for Rehoboth Baptist Church 147th anniversary (the reason Pastor Jackie was invited to help them celebrate this), was Ephesian 6:18. Pastor Jackie tied it in beautifully as she shared the example of Abraham’s begging and pleading in Genesis 18 but she went on to talk about the power of the praying widow that I just so happened to speak on last week. And then to home to ECBC and have Pastor Steven “bring down the house” in such a subtle yet effective way as he spoke from Ephesians as well and read into our hearing Ephesians 6:18; it was powerful.
So for a little over a week I have witnessed the power of the people for the people and I have stood in rooms with folks full of light and salt. I have heard the testimonies and sweet words of folks as they reflected on a life well lived and then to have Pastor Jackie and Pastor Steven encourage us through Scripture and the Preached word to pray for others. Hearing the powerful prayer of Dave where he charged those listening to go out and live a life pleasing to God where we let our light shine. To bring it all around 360 in Sunday school where we studied, discussed, and had a deep conversation about salt and light is simply amazing!
It’s a beautiful thing when you learn something and when you can apply it and see how the beautiful people around you apply it on a daily basis.
It’s folks like Ms. Susan that help prevent decay. It’s folks like the Derricks who see the need and step in without saying a mumbling word and are the hands and feet of Jesus. It’s folks like Ms. Julia that allow God to use them to bring peace and comfort to others and find ways to encourage others just being full of flavor. It’s folks like Mr. Eric and Mrs. Edna who know just the right words to say to others to lift the spirits of the people and help others keep on keeping on. It is folks like Mahima, Wesley, Faith and others that are lighting fires under our young people and teaching them at home how to be tomorrow’s worship leaders and prayer warriors. It’s folks like Kelly and Dave who lead with their hearts of compassion and share gracefully with others their teaching, knowledge, and truly live and speak Koinonia. It’s folks like Jennifer that let her light shine so beautifully and it blesses those around her. Her gift of creative teaching is simply amazing and a joy to witness and learn from. It’s 💎 like this that need to be shared with the world and never hidden. It’s folks like Pastor Steven that have such an impactful way of speaking and teaching that is a true gift. It’s folks like Ms Samuel that have so much pose, knowledge, talents and grit that encourage us to learn, do, and be more. It’s folks like Ms. Marcella that always has the words to encourage and relate to others, the true “grandma of the bunch.” It’s folks like Ms. Rita that have a conviction in their heart and know how to speak the truth in love without being harsh but it brings apart a powerful change and it helps preserve human nature. It’s folks like Pastor Jackie that not only pray Heaven down, preach your socks off, but stand out and have a very distinctive, distinguished, and flavor that is set a part from others.
Like I said, I could go on and on as I think about all of the salty folks in my life like Cherise, D’Etta, Ms. Loretta, Jasmine, Jamika, Kami, Mrs. Jackie, I mean I literally could go down my list and name each person by name as I think of the positive impact they have had on my life. They truly honor God in their daily lives by how they treat other people, pray for others, and lift up their communities.
It is my prayer that as we continue our journey in Christ that we too can be the salt and light of the earth. It is my personal prayer that I can get some flavor and keep the flavor that will season everyone’s lives that God blesses me to be apart of.
Until next time folks, stay salty!
OOOh Well. All of this. Yes. Well let me get a little personal. I have been asking God to activate and I have been asking the Holy Spirit to activate. I won’t talk about it but I am going to be about it. The Good Lord have been sending me sign after sign after sign and have been talking to me. Now it’s time for me to respond. And boy oh boy am I ever ready to finish and start what the Lord has been speaking to me to do. I am ready. And with much prayer, I know that I can go all things through Christ who strengthens me. Distractions cease. Seeking God and Doing His Will, Not mine YES! I too have been receiving blessings and confirmations and affirmations through Ms. Susan, She is in Heaven now, through God talking to me, through Pastor Jackie, through my brother Marc, I can hear him now saying go Snookie. You God this. I have to thank God my that he let my praying Grandmother because if I had not been living with her at the time, and if she didn’t instill all that praying and going to church and all the bible verses, I cant say that my kids would of been going to Eau Claire saying bible verses and participating on Youth Sunday. I just thank God right now. I thank God for the blessing that I am receiving. Amen.