July 16 - 22, 2010

Spiritually Speaking……
‘Have you missed God’s wake-up call?’

I have to say I’ve been feeling pretty blessed lately and, not necessarily from a financial, physical or even an emotional point of view. When I look at my life from a worldly perspective, it can sometimes appear to be stacked against me. Life happens and well, you know the rest.

These days my spiritual resolve kicks in, if I’m fortunate, and I keep coming back to this one thing: It’s not about luck anymore. I’m blessed because there are not enough hours in the day to say “thank you” to the Almighty for that simple transformation of thought.

I’m blessed because from where I sit – and I could be wrong about this – but I don’t think I missed my wake up call from God. I confess. It was a long time coming but instead of pushing the snooze button, I got my behind out of bed and started paying attention to God’s agenda rather than my own.

Think about it. That’s a question everybody should ask. Have you missed God’s wake up call? All I can say is, did you call the front desk and ask for one? My Bible is full of not-yet-saints and prophets who, when called, tried their very best to sleep through it, ignore it or pretend the call was for someone else. Most just denied it.
What about you? Remember in the Bible, God simply played past the “You talking to me?” He gave marching orders and that was it. Hello Moses. At times, God even lets you think you know more than He does. Say what Jonah? Even when you doubt what God is saying, He still, with appropriate consequences, rings your phone again. How ‘bout that Zechariah?

Imagine missing your wake up call from God and never getting another one.
Like I said, I’m feeling pretty blessed today. I would have loved to have seen the look on my mother’s face to hear me say I’m saved. The following conversations would have been the stuff dreams are made of.
There are people who have been a part of your life who are or would roll over in their graves to hear that about you. Can you say Holy Ghost party?

I know this for a certainty because I believe I woke up on the last ring of my last wake up call. I could be wrong, but everything A.S. (after saved) is more optimistic for me. I find myself ridiculously giddy with the reality that God said, “Ring him up one last time.” It gives my every waking moment and inevitable death new meaning.

You know when you miss your wake up call, it has a tendency to ruin you whole day. I kinda think if you miss God’s wake up call, it has a tendency to ruin your whole life and the next one.

I’m sure there is someone reading this who knows the feeling of just getting in under the wire; either catching a plane, making an important meeting or beating the bill collector minutes before everything gets turned off. The negative anticipation is replaced with relieved enthusiasm because you made it in the nick of time.

Whew, thank God I made it. I may yet not get to heaven, but I can at least say I know the way. That’s worth shouting about. The Bible counts it all joy. Life and death look a whole lot different to me now. Actually, they’re both the same to some extent. God is in both worlds. And it’s pretty nice to recognize and follow Him in this one.

Have a nice day and may God bless and keep you always.

James
jaws@dallasweekly.com

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July 16 - 22, 2010

Full Gospel workshops inspire youth, explore health disparities

Motivational speaker Mo Stegall, pictured above, told delegates at the Full Gospel convention that all people were born to win. “The key to achieving one’s dreams is to understand that there will be hurdles in every race we run, and those hurdles are simply made to jump over. We are created to win.”

Atlanta-based philanthropist and empowerment speaker Mo Stegall moderated a panel discussion on overcoming obstacles during the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship (FGBCF) Young Adult Conference last week at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Featuring Pastor Terrance Johnson, General Overseer of FGBCF Young Adult Division, and former Atlanta Falcon Ray Buchannan, Stegall and his panelists told audience members about how they overcame obstacles to make their dreams a reality. Comedian Rodney Perry from The M’onique Show will also make a special guest appearance.

“This panel discussion is all about what I empower young people to do every chance I get, and that is to have faith, dream big, and achieve those dreams,” Stegall said. “The key to achieving one’s dreams is to understand that there will be hurdles in every race we run, and those hurdles are simply made to jump over. We are created to win.”

As an additional motivator, Stegall records a relevant message in his newly rebranded video blog and website, www.mostegall.com: “Reflect, Refocus and Re-launch.”

Reflect on your past and recent successes and accomplishments

Refocus on your future goals

Re-launch the resolutions you made earlier this year.

Through the Web site, supporters can receive regular updates and watch and discuss Stegall’s weekly video blogs, which empower viewers to not only believe in the unbelievable, but accept that losing is not an option. To register and receive full benefits of the interactive site, please visit www.mostegall.com.

During another session at the conference, attendees of the health ministry meeting learned the value of early intervention in combating chronic joint pain, as well as the connection between painful movement and poor health in the African-American community.

The presentation hosted by the Back in the Groove program, featured leading orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Wood Jr., M.D, Chief of Orthopedics at Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland

Throughout the four-day conference, the Back in the Groove program provided free bone density screenings that detected the early stages of osteoporosis, a condition defined by a decreased density of normal bone.
The Back in the Groove program is a national education-based community outreach program that addresses musculoskeletal healthcare disparities impacting African-Americans and provides information about the importance of early intervention in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis.

The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship is a multi-cultural and multi-denominational ministry founded by 12 international ministry leaders, and built upon the foundation of the traditional Baptist Church. It is led by Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr.

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June 18-25, 2010

Spiritually Speaking……

People really react to you differently when you tell them you’re studying the bible; particularly if they’ve known you as someone who has lived a bible free life. I’m not talking about other believers. I’m talking about people who know you, perhaps those with whom you work, are in the same organizations as you, or whom you simply socialize with from time to time. Maybe you even “ran the streets” with them. Their reaction is distinctly different from when you tell them you’re studying a foreign language or, returning to school to learn computers or, something as innocuous as taking a cooking class or ball room dancing. When you tell someone you’re in bible study, for any and everything.

For the most part, people tend to respond positively to a genuine effort to get closer to God. However, there is almost a universal questioning about whether or not you’re serious. The question of your faith always comes up because most people have a hard time putting you and the Lord in the same thought pattern. It’s inevitable then, that people become a little ‘standoffish’ towards you because in all honesty, they really don’t know where you’re coming from. Some are compelled to remember the sins you committed together. Some just heard rumors about you, but have little proof that the rumors are indeed true. For whatever the reasons, people have a hard time believing you because they can’t or haven’t made the effort themselves. I believe this because I’ve experienced astonishment, disbelief, skepticism and yes genuine joy, all because I’ve told someone I’m in bible study.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised that a lot of people I’ve known for a long time have opened up to me in ways that have been truly remarkable. I know things now about them spiritually that I would never have guessed before my admission of being in bible study. I can honestly say before then, I hardly knew them at all. Our conversations have changed and subsequently, our relationship has changed; all because I let it be known that I had changed. Somewhere along the line I said something, did something that opened a side of me to others that allowed them to see me, hopefully in a different light. In the resulting conversations, dialogue has gone on for hours. In other cases, it has brought to my attention that some people, rather than question me, question others about me. When that has happened, I’m told, it’s usually brought up in such a way as to question my sincerity or, to be insulting at my audacity to think that I actually could be trying to order my steps to put me on a clear path to God. Like I said earlier, you need to be prepared to hear all kinds of things when you let people know you’re studying the Word. Remember studying the Word is a bit different than telling people you’re going to church. One is akin to habit, while the other is more like desired learning. Think about it.

I’ve come to understand that from now until the day I die, I need to be in some form of structured bible study. I hope to compliment this with informal reading and conscious personal spiritual investigation. To me once you get a glimpse of all that is contained in the written Word of God, you must have more. When the effort is genuine, it’s probably okay to assume that people really are reacting to a changed you. Maybe they are seeing you behave differently and to the extent that their comfort or discomfort is a result of the new you, so be it. The good news is, if there was no reaction, there would probably be no real difference that anyone could see in you. So for those of you, who have wondered or worried about this, don’t. Keep doing what you’re doing and may God bless and keep you always.

James
jaws@dallasweekly.com

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