***Disclaimer*** I will be perfectly honest and
admit this definitely applies to me as well!
It’s 2014. People you
know are writing books, relocating, starting new jobs, building viable side
business ventures, graduating and even going back to school … all in an effort
to live out THEIR dream. My question:
what are YOU doing to live out YOUR dream?
You've prayed about your
dream (and maybe even fasted about it), you've planned it all out in your head,
and NOTHING has happened.
What if I told you YOU'RE the reason your dream has been deferred? What if I told you there has been no progress on your dream because YOU haven't made a move? That praying then failing to put in work is just as futile as putting in work without praying?
The bottom line is you need bothYoung Nehemiah. Build (pray) with one
hand and fight (work) with the other, but continue both... you can't afford to
stop doing either! We often hear “write the
vision and make it plain” … but we often leave out the succeeding text of “that
he may run who reads it” … So, you’ve written the vision and you’ve read it …
but have you RAN with it?
Yes, your dream seems too big & too daunting of a task at times but God is bigger and He'll complete that good work He began in you. Ask God to search your heart and show you what YOU’RE afraid of regarding that which you have been called to do. God has not given you, me, your cousin or your mama a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind … so let’s GEAUX! (Excuse my Louisiana jargon!)
This year I’m running with the vision God gave me … and I pray you do the same for the vision He’s given you ... Now get busy running!
When I was little I absolutely hated playing “Cops & Robbers” … for a couple of
reasons: I didn’t think it was an appropriate message for kids our age … and oh
yeah, the REAL reason: I could never catch my cousin (even when I took my shoes
off, smh).
So who would have thought that I would still be playing “Cops
& Robbers” 20 years later? ... Just a slightly different twist to it: Copping out of my shortcoming, failures,
& sin and continuously ROBBING myself
of the growth I so justly needed.#Confession:
I actually think 2013 may have been the year of “most excuses ever made” by me.
There’s
my truth, so deal.
At the root of all the excuses and cop-outs was simply pride.Admitting “hey, I screwed up… I dropped the
ball … although I DID have good intentions, I didn’t follow through” meant
facing that #PerfectPatty isn’t so “perfect” after all.This is the thing: I didn’t mind NOT being perfect, I just had a problem ADMITTING I wasn’t perfect.“Perfect
Patty messed up.”
Pride made me keep everything I struggled with, battled
and face bottled up, emotionally isolated in a crowd of people, and not open up
to the people God’s blessed me with to be accountable with. Listen: I got a 4.0 last semester all while my hair was shedding like crazy because
of stress and I almost had a mental breakdown.
Didn’t even tell anyone because I thought it showed “weakness”…
then I was reminded that not only is God's strength made perfect in my weakness (2 Cor 12:9) but also that God has blessed me with people who help me carry
me when I’m weak and they are strong (Rom
15:1; Gal 6:2) … as I often do for others.WHY am I sharing all of this?
Couple reasons: (1)
God’s challenging me to be more transparent so He can be glorified even more and
(2) I want to encourage you to
utilize the folks God’s given you to be authentic with so that you can grow
WITHOUT the stress of secret pressures! NOT
saying go out and run your business down to the first person you see
(discretion is KEY!), but I’m speaking of those people who GOD has hooked you
up with. (S/O to MY accountability partners!)
This would be a person who’s proven to be a trustworthy friend,
someone who is willing to pray for/with you and respects the weight of your
transparency.Reach out to the people in
your life who will call you out on your foolishness in private, correct you in a loving
way, then pray for you to be built back up … and you do the same for them as "as iron sharpens iron" (Prov. 27:17).It’s made a WORLD of difference over here!
Love y'all!
Allison
P.S. - Check out this
video "Christians Frontin'" by @whatisjoedoing that actually
convicted me about not writing this two weeks ago when I was supposed. (Y'all
forgive me tho, right?)
Like
most middle school girls I, too, played MASH with "big dreams big as St.
Louis" (or so 12-year old me thought as my then "dream car" was
a 2-door a Honda Accord #nojudgment). If you're unfamiliar with the game
of MASH, it's a game that allows one to choose categories surrounding arbitrary
facts of adult life with different options under each category then eliminate
all options until only one choice is left in each category.
For
example, MY life was gonna go like this: Married at 25, 2 Kids, driving a Honda
Accord, while I worked as a nurse living in a mansion. Lol. Yep, that was some
of the life I had planned.
Fast forward 15 years: 27, Single, No Kids, driving a Chevy Malibu, Working in Higher Ed and living in a house.Even as a child & during my time in undergrad at Southern (which reflects neither 12-nor 27-year old LouBay), something was missing.... God.
#Confession:
over the first 23 years of my life, I gave ZERO
thought of what God would want me to do, ZERO
thought of any plans God had for me & ZERO
thought of a life inclusive of God.I
was “on track” but honestly just wasn't happy & spending day after day
looking in the mirror frustrated while feeling “stuck” in the middle of
everything.
"Then he
called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow me.For whoever wants to save their lifewill lose it, but whoever loses their life for me
and for the gospel will save it.”
– Mark 8:34-35
The word “save” here means
a rescuing that preserves and keeps one unharmed while being in right
relationship with God. When WE try to
preserve our own lives (such as doing what society feels is the "right things"), we may get the worldly things everyone desires but at the cost of our relationship with Christ, but when we allow our plans & efforts
to be laid aside for Christ to have free range then we are preserved in our relationship with and HE is free to add all those things to us as He sees fit, when He sees fit.
But this is the cool thing: God’s given EACH of us a purpose that
not only glorifies Him but also fulfills & preserves us at the same time! WE
just have to trust the way He’s chosen to orchestrate it.
“We can
make our plans,but the Lorddetermines our steps.” – Prov. 16:9
The awesome thing about
the last 4 years has been that God has ignited a passion within me to encourage
other people through Christ’s relentless & unfailing love for us and it’s
something I would have NEVER “planned” myself. Wanting to worship God with my life cost me the plans I made ... BUT I wake up & go to bed on
good days & not-so-great days with joy knowing that I’m fulfilling God’s
purpose for me in the midst of work, school, family, & friends.
I write this because many
of you are frustrated with life right now, experiencing a sort of “quarter(ish)-life crisis” and I just want to encourage to truly consider God’s plans for you in
the wake of your own and allow Him to do what He does best! I pray we continuously move from "lives that include Christ" to "Christ-centered lives" and in a world where we're so bogged down with "stuff" that we strive to keep Christ first. In your uncertainty, I pray you enter into His presence where there is fullness of joy and that His plans for you exceed your expectations! I love you! J
DISCLAIMER: This is probably my most personal blog yet... bare with me for a few. :-)
So this past Sunday (May 26th) I went here:
I went to the
first installment of The Call back in August of last year & it was pretty
amazing, just a night of worship with mostly folks my age…no program, no
agenda, no mistress of ceremony… just worship. So my expectations for this one
were pretty high … and not only were they exceeded, they were demolished.
I stroll up in The
Call Returns to get my praise & worship on… and out of nowhere Lady Robbin
Hardy speaks about forgiveness of those who’ve hurt you. Huh? Ma’am…this ain’t
what I came here for. I’m thinking “cool, some people in here really need to
hear this”…and I’m like “WAIT…. MY feet
are moving.”
At first I’m thinking “I don’t have anyone to forgive, I’m
straight.”…There were some things & people that I recently forgiven
(including myself for some things) … then God reminded me of one group of
people that I hadn’t: the people who were involved with my nephew’s death.
Wait … I already forgave them.
Or at least I thought I did.
Yet there I was, snot-faced, tears streaming … praying
for them.I needed to forgive them for
ME, NOT for them. Even though I thought
I had forgiven them, I allowed what they did to change me.
My 18-y/o nephew Carlton Smith (along with his cousin
Irise Blakes) was the victim of the violence that BR is all too familiar with
on January 31, 2012. Carlton was a happy-go-lucky kid, amazing big brother,
son, nephew, cousin & friend who had never been in trouble and was set to
begin at BRCC in Summer ’12. Carlton had plans to go there before transferring
to Southern University to get a degree in History in his pursuit to be an
archaeologist. We often joked about him wanting
to be “THE famous Black archaeologist like Venus & Serena were THE famous
Black tennis players.” Lol.
This was my nephew whose diapers I changed and shared
pretzels, baby carrots & ranch sunflower seeds with until the day he left
here, and had a matching Penguin onesie with me & my sister. Yes, the
Penguin Onesie you all LOVE to clown. THIS
Penguin onesie. J
I’ve spent so much time searching for the “Easy” button on how to forgive them …
Let me save you some trouble if you’re looking for
it to forgive some people as well: there ISN’T one.The unforgiveness in my heart only led to anger,
bitterness & a crippling of things God wanted to do through me … Can you imagine
the work God could do in our & through our lives once He occupies the space
in our heart that unforgiveness resides in?
We have to leave
that hurt, pain & anguish with Him – it’s far too heavy for us to continue
to carry. We have been charged by the Word of God to forgive as Christ continuously forgives us.
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who
offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. –
Colossians 3:13
Today I encourage you to forgive those who’ve hurt you.
YES, it’s hard BUT it’s also healthy and necessary for YOU … for YOU to heal
and for YOU to have peace. Trust God’s
promises that what they have sown they will reap and that your tears will be
reaped with songs of joy.
I absolutely love you!
Allison
P.S. – Thanks again to all of you who kept me & my
family in your prayers … they were/are truly needed. J
P.P.S.- Just realized it's been 6 months to the day since the last post ... how cool is God's timing? ;-)
Usually I have some witty intro (or at least I try to)
to the blog, but today I have one simple question: Where were you when the chains fell?
Huh? I was in chains? What “chains” are you talking
about? … Well I’m glad you asked! (Even if you didn’t, humor me by pretending
you did)
Many of us have heard the story in Acts 16:16-40 (which you can read here) about how Paul and Silas
have been stripped, beaten, and wrongfully imprisoned under careful watch. At midnight,
Paul and Silas began to worship God … chained and shackled in a jail cell. As
they continued to praise God, an earthquake commenced and the chains that once
shackled Paul and Silas were broken.
So
back to the question:Where
were YOU when the chains fell? Allow yourself to remember back to the point
where you felt you were at your darkest hour … where you felt all odds stacked
against you ... Picture the heartbreak, sadness, fear, brokenness you felt at
that VERY moment …
… and now
picture the moment where God delivered you from some stuff, some things, some
habits and even some people and replaced that with joy, hope, and love. Can you hear the “chains” falling? Can you
feel the guilt, the hurt, the shame, the disappointment falling off?
Something that REALLY
stood out that passage of scripture is when the guard is awakened by the
earthquake and goes to kill himself because he thinks the prisoners have
escaped, Paul stops him by saying they are all there (v.27-28). The jailer then
realizes the power of God’s hand on the life of Paul and Silas and asks what
must he do to be saved.
Had Paul and Silas escaped, the jailer (and
subsequently his family) would not have been saved. Paul and Silas chose to let
the power of God deliver them instead of escaping. Had they “escaped,” God wouldn’t have gotten any glory and no lives
would have been saved. The next morning the decision was made to release
Paul and Silas privately … but Paul made them escort them out PUBLICLY
to display God’s power.
Had Paul and Silas escaped rather been delivered,
they would have had to hide, “lay low”, and sneak around to get to another
place where they could minister ... all while “watching their back” from the
past they were running from. Escaping would have traded the literal
chains for the figurative chains of being “on the run.”
When we “escape” things instead of being delivered
from them, we usher in a certain silence with a cloud of secrecy hovering over
it. When people escape, they can’t FREELY
talk about it, they can’t blast their story to the world… they have to “lay low”
and stay hidden.
When you “escape” you silence your testimony! Deliverance produces a freedom that
escaping never can! God wants you FREE to talk about what He’s brought you out
of!
AFTER
the chains were broken Paul’s conversation with the jailer saved his life.The Bible says
that we overcome by the Blood of the Lamb AND
by the word of our testimony … how many of US
have silenced our testimony by escaping rather than being truly delivered?
I want to submit to you that every chain that’s been
broken off of your life wasn’t just
for you but for you to display God’s power to someone else so that they may be
saved. For every “chain” that’s come
off of you, God has blessed you with a word of encouragement to share with
someone else.
It is my prayer that we stop trying to “escape” and
submit to God’s power to deliver us and BREAK
EVERY CHAIN in our lives. Lord I pray that you will break the chains of
sin, hurt, pain, disappointment, negative relationships, emotional distress, fear,
shame, guilt, worthlessness, and any other chain that has us physically,
emotionally or spiritually bound to the things of our past. Remind us Lord that
there is NO CONDEMNATION to
those who are in Christ Jesus, You are FAITHFUL
AND JUST to forgive us, and help us to remember that although we are
called to share our testimonies we DO NOT have to JUSTIFY the grace that You have shown us!
I pray that you find yourself in God’s presence, where
there is liberty and fullness of joy, as you rest in the fact that whom the Son
has set free is free INDEED!
Below is Tasha Cobbs' performance of "Break Every Chain" from WTAL 2012. You can follow her at @tashacobbs and get the single on iTunes & Amazon!
I love you and rejoice with you as the chains fall!
Quick question: have you ever
purchased a relatively expensive gift for yourself and had people try to get
you to explain WHY you would spend THAT amount of money on that particular item?
(Examples iPhone 5, iPad mini, (no Apple shade tho!), Concords, LeBrons, or a
Certain Shoe or Clothing brand…whatever the case may be.) …And THEN have them suggest what THEY would’ve
done with that amount of money?
Most people’s first
thought is something along the “you wasn’t with me shooting in the gym” train
of thought or one that suggests “you-don’t-know-how-hard-I-work-for-my-money-and-therefore-have-no-right-to-tell-me-how-to-spend-it.”
Often times we sacrifice for what we want (publicly AND privately) only to have
it criticized by those who won’t be affected either way. After all THAT sacrifice, you won’t let ANYONE discredit what you went THROUGH to get what you want.
Over the last 26 years I’ve
come to realize something most folks know, values vary among people. Not
everything carries the same weight to different people. For instance, $1 isn’t
the same to me as it is to Diddy. *Diddy bops*
“Then Mary took about a
pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume;she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his
feet with her hair.And the
house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him,objected,“Why wasn’t this perfume
sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” – John 12:3-5
A few
quick points and I’ll be out.
·Judas, the person IN the church, was SO worried about the CONTENTS of the box, he missed the CONDITION of the woman. A
woman, bowed low before her Lord & King (who had also just raised her
brother Lazarus from death in John 11) to anoint Jesus as her sacrificial worship. Her worship
was birthed out of gratitude!
oWhen
someone gives COSTLY worship to God, who are we to judge what their worship
SHOULD cost? We gotta stop judging folks’ worship!
·Honestly, it seems like Judas was just trying
to help right? Nah … he good. “He did
not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a
thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” – John 12:6 … Judas was the treasurer …but
he was also stealing to benefit his own needs.
oNO ONE knows
the price you’ve paid for your worship, therefore NO ONE can tell you HOW to
worship! #Confession: I’ll admit it, I used to call folks “Jesus Freaks” because
of THEIR
style/method of worship (forgive me! Lol) but after THIS year, can’t NO ONE tell me how to
worship because NO ONE knows exactly WHAT it cost me.
·Sometimes your worship will cost you EVERYTHING!
When’s the
last time you truly worshiped? Does your level of worship reflect your level
of gratitude?
Today, I encourage you to get to a place where you can FREELY worship God. Enjoy the peace & joy that worship brings,
don’t let ANYONE suppress your worship and surround yourself with people who
understand & don’t question your worship!
Ponder on God's goodness, grace & mercy ...reflect on the gratitude in your heart ... and worship accordingly!
Love you lots ... Not just the cliche' type either, like I REALLY love you! :)
Allison (<--yes, that's actually my real name & not LouBay, contrary to popular belief....but I still answer to both, Lol)
As summer unfolds, we have begun to
see our friends and family upload pictures from their various excursions
ranging from children and parents frolicking at Disney World to our peers lying
out on the beach with the girls to… wedding pictures. Yes, beautifully decorated, heart-warming,
love-filled wedding pictures of yet another person who isn’t you.
This is not to say that you are not
thrilled for your family member, friend, co-worker or the waitress at your
favorite restaurant, but the thought may pop into your head of “when
will it be my turn?” As a
single, 26-year old Christian woman, I can honestly say that I have had that
thought and many others similar to it, namely “where is MY ‘Boaz?’” For
those unfamiliar with “Boaz,” he is the subject of probably the most widely
known “romantic love story” in the Bible, who essentially sweeps widowed Ruth
off her feet.
As a Christian woman who wants to
date, fall madly in love with and spend the rest of my life with a Christian
husband, I certainly had a laundry list of prerequisites for my “Boaz.”
Although some of the things on my “list” may have been valid (and some just as foolish), I
never gave thought to how I would
match up to the list “Boaz” presented. A
friend pointed out something that I will never forget: I was so preoccupied with “Boaz”
that I had failed to become “Ruth.” Not just “damsel in distress Ruth” but
possessing the true character of Ruth, one who exemplified the love of Christ
through selfless giving, service to those around her, diligence, and gentleness
coupled with wisdom and a healed
heart from past hurts.
Many women fail to realize that despite
Ruth’s happy ending, she tirelessly gave of herself to bring joy to those
around her before “Boaz” ever entered the picture (and she worked, lol). Before Ruth was ever married (to Boaz)she was useful
for God’s service as a single woman. When Boaz first saw Ruth and
inquired of her, the servant’s response was not
about her looks, her education, or her fashion sense but about her heart of
service and expressions of love… and that’s
what caught his eye. Ruth didn’t allow herself to be plagued by her past hurts and
welcomed the opportunity for love …when
it presented itself.
RELAX …and Get Busy for God! As you await your “Boaz” do all YOU
can to become “Ruth” first!
I've heard lots of men say that a woman's smile can be one the most attractive things ... Women: when's the last time you SMILED?....Like cheesing DOWN because you were content with WHO you are & WHERE you are in God? ;-)
