Sunday’s Blessing – 05/26/2024 – Memorial Day Weekend

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/26/2024 – Memorial Day Weekend

May the Lord always be in your active thoughts –  remembering, considering, dreaming – about all He has done and will do for you

So that, in remembering, you will not repeat mistakes

In considering, you will keep the proper perspective on where you fit in His Kingdom

In dreaming you will see the vast possibilities which still lay ahead of you

May you honor the victories gained through Christ’s suffering and conquering the evil one on your behalf

So that, in remembering, you will give thanks continually for the grace and mercy of the Father

In considering, you will walk in humility, firmly ensconced in your purpose

In dreaming, you will find creative ways to fulfill your purpose in the Kingdom

May you find ways to visualize memorials (your Ebenezer – look it up) to keep you anchored on course as you pursue the Kingdom

So that, in remembering, you will not falter when fatigue or confusion may come

In considering, you will mark progress to gain encouragement and increased stamina for the journey

In dreaming, you will never fear the mountain, or valley, which may be ahead of you

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/19/2024

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/19/2024

May you become fully aware of the predestined life from God

That you understand the meaning of “pre-horizoned” from your beginning

That God set a course for your life, but you choose how to live it

That His one desire is for you is to be conformed to the image of Christ

May you embrace the promise that God has given you a future and a hope

That you may come to know His salvation provided through Jesus

That you keep your eyes looking upward, from where your Help comes

That you experience the fullness of the hope you have in Him

I'll, Aisle, Isle

I'll, Aisle, Isle: English is Hard. Communication is harder. Even when words are perfectly chosen, they can still be misconstrued by both the speaker and the hearer. The speaker gives off non-verbals constantly while talking, sometimes giving mistaken signals which can either nullify or alter the intended meaning of the words spoken. The hearer listens through a filter developed over their lifetime which can misinterpret the true meaning of what is being said.

I honestly do not know how we get anything accomplished. This is why there are so many attorneys in the English-speaking world. Both spoken and written words are parsed to the point that you can make anything said or written say whatever you want it to. Remember President Clinton's famous line, "It depends on what the definition of is is."?

At some point you have to just go on with life. You say what you say and hope that anyone who doesn't understand correctly will eventually come to you for clarification. Until then, move forward. Don't wait on everything to be perfect, because it probably never will be. 

Bell, Bail, Bale

Bell, Bail, Bale: English is hard. Understanding context makes all the difference when it comes to communication. Before thinking you understand what someone is saying, ask questions for clarity. Restate what you think you heard using different words to make sure you heard things correctly.

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/12/2024 – Mother’s Day

Most of the time, it is easy to bless your mother

I realize there are those who had a bad experience 

Being raised by a mother with struggles; mental, financial, emotional, physical

Some never knew their mother: died giving birth, died early from disease or accident, adoption

Regardless, the Bible is clear that we are to honor her; she doesn’t have to be honorable

We are to love her; she doesn’t have to be lovely

We are to obey her; this is actually given as a benefit to us, so we will have a long life

We are to learn from her; she doesn’t have to smart

This day, even if you have to do it in faith, rise up and call her blessed

If your mother is still living, find a way, through recorded or written words, a purchased item like a poem or picture or some other form of art, or an actual conversation

To tell her how much you appreciate her giving birth to you, for nurturing you to maturity, for sacrificing much so you could live

If she is no longer living, do one of the above things for yourself as a tribute to your mother

Motherhood is certainly one of the most difficult aspects of humanity

Giving up your body for nine months, enduring birth, seemingly unending responsibility

Especially when the father is either absent or not engaged in the parenting process

It is a sacrifice many have made, and with very little thanks given for all they gave

Here is a Sunday’s Blessing for moms:

May you know the peace which comes from loving your children

That you may enjoy the precious gift from the Lord each one represents

That you realize you are a great blessing in each child’s life, even if they do not know it

That you find your strength in the Spirit’s presence in those desperate moments

May you hear the Lord’s voice in each cry

See the Lord’s majesty in each smile

Recognize the gifts each child is given by God

And direct each arrow into their destiny as you launch them toward their purpose

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/05/2025

May you experience God’s promise from Ps 91:16:

“With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

And that life would be the abundant life provided through Christ

Full of grace and truth about our Creator

May each day be met with wonder and zeal for your purpose

To be a reflection of Christ to your world

To take each step as you follow the Spirit’s leading

To display the Kingdom of God to those you meet

May end each day with confidence found in trusting Christ

To lie down and rest in the assurance of God’s love

To dream about things yet to be experienced

To be refreshed by the Comforter

May 4, 1969 - A Day of Infamy

May 4, 1969 – A day which will live in infamy. As long as I have a mind to think with, a mouth to speak, and breath in my lungs, I will declare the praises of my father, Azell Leroy Harris. He literally gave his all. Not just that day when he gave the ultimate sacrifice in performance of his duty as a Birmingham Police office. He gave his all every day: loving and caring for his family, serving the widows in the community by performing minor repairs and such, mentoring young boys through the Cub Scout program, mentoring young men through Boy Scouts, serving his congregation as a deacon in the Baptist church, serving his country through the army reserves, and probably a few more that I never even knew about.

Fifty-five years ago. I was only nine at the time. I have a few memories of my father, but I have learned so much about him through others I’ve had the opportunity to speak with as I got older. Every person describes him using almost the same words. Kind, gentle, loving, giving. Even though he was not a man of letters, I read for the first time a letter he wrote to his mother while he was serving in the army. Seeing those words on the page was very surreal. It made me wish even more that he had been given to writing or journaling. I would have cherished every word.

Having made it to 64, I have beaten the odds of my family heritage. Only one generation of Harrises out of the past five made it beyond 52. I never met any of my father’s lineage. I’m very grateful to have all of my siblings still living. We have made a commitment to gather more frequently. I hope we can.

I encourage you to take time today to call your parents if they are still living. Better yet, go see them. If they are no longer living, then consider writing them letters to express your feelings for them. Even though they will never see it, you will. And your family if you have any left. Even if the relationship was strained, or even hostile, write something anyway. Find a way to see the good. You may not know all they were dealing with, or what their history looked like. Maybe through your words, you can begin a new trajectory for your family to live from going forward. It’s said that words are cheap, but after you are gone, only the words you chose to record will be heard.

To, Too, Two, Tutu

To, too, two, tutu: English is hard. However, it takes the same amount of breath to bless as it does to curse. Most of my writing these days has been finding ways to speak blessings. It totally changes your state of mind when you think of ways to speak positively about someone instead of finding ways to tear them down.

For many, the curses come much more freely than blessings because very little though is spent spewing negativity. It's really not surprising. It's all around us. We are constantly bombarded with it at every turn: human interaction in public spaces, the news media, social media, etc. Before giving the knee-jerk response of negativity, take a minute and find something pleasant to say. I don't mean you have to "lie" about the subject at hand which you may loathe. Simply speak on another matter which you can share something uplifting. (A bit of commentary. FB dictionary doesn't even contain the word "uplifting".) That should tell you something.

The idea of blessing is not just for conversations. Take time to write down specific things you would like to share with others; possibly a mate, a friend, a child, a coworker, etc., and then give it to them in print. That way you can be certain you communicate it as clearly as possible, and it can also become a keepsake for them. Try it once or twice. I think you may like it.