WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW THAT THEY’VE CHOSEN BARABBAS?

“Pilate decided to give them what they wanted. They wanted Barabbas to go free—the one who was in jail for starting a riot (Jan. 6), and for murder. Pilate let Barabbas go free, and he handed Jesus over to be killed. This is what the people wanted.” Luke 23:3-27

Hello My Chickadees;

The Bible tells us, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

I can’t say that I was shocked by the outcome of our last election; shocked is what I was by the outcome of our 2016 election when a seasoned, highly qualified, capable, and competent candidate lost to an opponent who was none of the above. This time I was just deeply saddened, and felt like my youngest son when he didn’t understand or was confused by something; he would announce, “I don’t get it.” I don’t get it. They chose Barabbas; whether their choice was influenced by the economy, or their feelings mirrored those of Mr. Trump on such issues as immigration, diversity and inclusion, or race, the fact remains, they chose a proven liar, thief, rapist, and 34 count convicted felon… They Chose Barabbas.

What does that say about us as a people? What does that say about us as a country? What does that show the world about a nation that professes, “In God We Trust,” but whose actions reflect the opposite? The question before all of us who must suffer through accepting this thing we cannot change is, “What Will We Do Now That They’ve Chosen Barabbas?’

I would like to share with you my game plan for meeting the challenges the next four years may bring. As I put my trust in a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever; I will anchor myself in His Word as I do the following:

Take Courage: I once heard that ‘courage is not the absence of fear, but a commitment to continue.’ No matter what the situation looks like, or what we hear it’s going to be based on the new order of things, we still must choose to stand for what we know is the right thing to do, even when it’s not popular. As I watched the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, one of the things that was evident was, this was a man who lived the charge directed to us in the Book of Micah 6:8 regarding what God requires of us as children of God, which is to “Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” Almost everyone who rendered their tribute to this stellar man of God quoted this scripture as they described the character of our 39th President. He was a man of integrity, which takes courage to be in a world that glorifies power and control at the expense of people and profits. It takes courage to dare to be different or to make a difference. To do this, we have to do the second thing.

Put on The Whole Armor of God: Putting on the armor of God allows us to be strong and courageous in the power of God, while we stand and withstand during times of trials, troubles, and adversity. If you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, you know that we are in this world but called not to be of it. There is a spiritual battle raging between good and evil, and we are in the midst of it. The prize is YOU. We are told in Ephesians 6:12, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Being a soldier in the Army of God, we must ‘Dress for Success.’ Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit are our battle clothes; and as children of the Most High God, we need to wear them so that we can be and do the next thing on my list.

Be Light and Salt in a Dying World: Light dispels darkness, and salt preserves and makes a difference. My Pastor, Father Patrick Smith frequently reminds his flock that if the world is covered in darkness, the problem is not the darkness—where is the light? Jesus called us to be the light that speaks out against what is morally, ethically, or spiritually wrong and be the change we want to see as we demonstrate compassion, goodness, and love for our neighbor as ourselves.

Have an Attitude of Gratitude: Knowing who you are, and most importantly, whose you are, allows us to have an attitude of gratitude for every day God blesses us to see, live, and have our being. I have found that praising our way through the press allows us to see how God has kept and is keeping us. As we have Him in our boat, we will get to the other side of whatever it is we are facing. Taking a moment to reflect upon how God kept us, provided for us, and enabled us to do all that we did, helps us to ‘walk humbly’ and know that He is the “wind beneath our wings.”

I was sitting in my prayer corner the other day and while journaling in my gratitude journal, my grateful heart and spirit penned this message of gratitude to the God who has kept me through MANY dangers, toils, snares, illnesses, cancer, and just trying to make it one day at a time. I title this message of gratitude: “A Prayer of Thanksgiving in a Season of Uncertainty.”

Good Morning Daddy, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit,

Thank you for every blessing and opportunity you place on this day for me.

Thank you for the knowledge that you are with me, and your perfect love casts out all fear and doubt. With you, and in you, ALL things are possible. I am only limited by the limits I allow fear to place upon me that causes me to limit myself. In you, I am more than a conqueror, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

• Thank you for my life in you.

• Thank you for your unconditional love which holds me when it feels like those who are supposed to love me, don’t.

• Thank you for new beginnings and restoration.

• Thank you for your mercy, that refuses to allow my shortcomings to define me.

• Thank you for your Word, which gives me hope when I’m tempted to despair.

• Thank you for your promises, which are faithful and true. They are the fuel that rekindles my hope when the flame of hope becomes embers in the storms of life.

• Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. Your Spirit speaks to my heart and orders my steps when my days become night.

• Thank you for great health for me and my family. No matter how I feel, or what the doctor’s report might say; in whatever circumstances I find myself in, I know I am in your care, and you are more than a conqueror, and this too shall pass.

• Thank you for your peace, which surpasses all understanding because I know you are working all things out for my good and your glory.

• Thank you for lessons learned and the promise of a new day; so that every day can be a day of thanksgiving if I remind myself that it is. Every song of praise draws me closer to you and reminds me that you are God alone, and there is nothing too hard for you if only I believe.

My Dear Chickadees, when we can overlay our armor with the garment of praise, it allows us to remember that we too are overcomers. It’s always darkest before the dawn. Just like the story of Jesus didn’t end with His crucifixion, there’s a reason for everything God allows—which takes me to the last thing on my to-do list.

Stand Still and See the Salvation of The Lord. Exodus 14:13. Get ready Saints. They may have chosen Barabbas, but the best is yet to come.

I love you, My Chickadees, and I pray for you as I implore that you’re praying for me.

Peace and Blessings,

Gail

Good Morning My Chickadees

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THE ULTIMATE HEALER FOR THE ULTIMATE EMOTIONAL CHALLENGE: DEATH

Hello My Chickadees,

It’s been a while since I’ve reached out to you, and I must share, I’ve missed you. Sometimes as we journey along our way, life happens, and we’re forced to take an unexpected detour.

In my case, it has been the loss of several of my friends. I’ve had to say “so long for now” to several members of my village—as the saying goes—‘Parting is such sweet sorrow.’ In writing this, it hit me, as sweet as it may be for our loved one who has transitioned home to the loving arms of our Daddy, it doesn’t feel sweet for those of us who mourn our loss. I say “our loss,” because those who have a relationship with God exchange mortality for immortality and they have everything that really matters. Paul states in the Bible, “…for them, loss is gain.” They have eternal peace, joy and happiness. As much as they love us, rightfully, they love God more. When He called them, they answered.

Every person I have spoken to who has had a near-death experience, and remembered it, told me they did not want to come back. The beauty, the peace, and the love they experienced was overwhelming. Talking with them confirmed my belief that each of us is created for a purpose. God has a plan for utilizing the gifts and talents He placed in us to share with those He places in our path to express His glory in the earth. We all need one another. We need each other’s gifts and talents to glorify God and be the ‘best version of ourselves.’ He made us inter-dependent upon one another. When we come together in the Assembly on the Sabbath (whether your Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday), the energy of His children coming together to worship Him feeds our spirits and energizes us to be about the work He calls us to do. Livestream is a wonderful blessing, but as I like to say, ‘Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.’

God is a Healer. Actually, He is The Healer, but He doesn’t always heal the way we hope or expect Him to heal. Sometimes death, which the Bible describes as the last enemy that Christ will destroy when He returns (I Corinthians 15:24-26), is the ultimate healer. No more sickness, suffering, pain or trying to tame or color these wild gray hairs that defy even Miss Clairol. To exchange mortality for immortality means our work on this side is done—mission accomplished—and we will live on in our spirit bodies. Our choice on this side is to live our lives in such a way that eternity will be heaven and not the other place.

No one and nothing can really prepare you for losing a loved one. Sometimes it happens suddenly, in the twinkle of an eye, like my cousin’s husband who dropped her off at work, went back home to take a nap, and never woke up. Or my girlfriend/Soror who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and six weeks later was gone. Or a friend contracting a mysterious illness, lingering for several months while the medical professionals scratched their heads and searched their medical books, and we prayed for a cure. But instead, my friend answered the call to come home. Come home, my good and faithful servant, your work here is done. Come home and receive your rest—a rest from the trials and tribulations Jesus told us we would be met with in these fragile, frail, mortal bodies (John 16:33). But He didn’t put a period at the end of that sentence. He went on to tell us to “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” This tells us that because He overcame, if we are in Him, we are overcomers. Not only overcomers, but through Him, we are MORE than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us (Romans 8:31-39). He strengthens us for everything He allows us to encounter along our journey.

So, My Chickadees, those of us who are still on our Pilgrim Journey, are here because we have more work to do. We must hold our loved ones in our heart with the hope of being reunited with them when our work on this side is accomplished. In the meantime, we remember the gifts they deposited in our lives; whether that gift is a saying they would recite, a smile that warmed our heart, a message of encouragement when we were down, or a funny incident that makes us smile when we think about them. As long as we remember, they continue to live in us as we carry them in our hearts. Remember, spirit never dies. They are no longer confined to a body, and they can be wherever we are, watching over us, and praying for us.

As I write this message, it is near Memorial Day—a day which I recently learned was originally started by black folks in the South who wanted to honor the loved ones they lost while fighting in the Union Army during the Civil War—before it became a national holiday. We set aside this time to remember not only our fallen soldiers, but we honor all of our loved ones who sowed seeds into our lives, as they watch over us from heavenly places to see what we will do with what they planted in us.

I love you, My Chickadees, and I pray for you as I implore that you’re praying for me.

Peace and Blessings,

Gail

PS, Spread the word about “Good Morning My Chickadees.” We need to encourage one another with the encouragement God has instilled in us. Thank You to all who have already blessed me by buying and sharing my book with others.

CHRIST IN THE MIDST OF THE CRISIS

Hello My Chickadees,

As a child I always heard that ‘Into each life some rain must fall,’ and as I’ve gotten older I’ve learned that most often that rain is a crisis. It’s that unexpected event that comes crashing into your life that suddenly changes your day to night, and all but knocks you off your feet. A crisis can cause you to question everything you once believed, and make you feel like doing what Job’s wife told him to do in the midst of his calamity/crisis “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9).

A crisis often comes without warning and usually involves some kind of loss: a loss of health, the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, the loss of life the way you thought your life would go; and in all of these losses, you did not have a say, and you are not in control. The challenge for all of us in a crisis is to not judge by the appearance of things, but stand on every word that has proceeded from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Jesus did not want us to be unaware or without hope. He told us in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus didn’t tell us that we may have trouble, He told us we WILL have trouble; and when that time comes, He told us what to do and He gave us a promise; a promise of victory. Because Christ overcame, and since we are Believers in Christ - that makes us overcomers too. There is one stipulation to these promises though, they usually come with conditions. We have to do something to activate the fulfillment of the promise. In this message I am proposing three things we can do when we’re facing the ‘Red Seas’ in our lives:

1. Remember: Remember who God is and what He’s done for us in the past. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Malachi 3:6); and He’s irrespective of person. He loves all of us equally; and in the words of

St. Augustine, He loves all of us as though there was one of us, and calls each of us His child. Since He calls us His children, that makes Him our Daddy; and that’s exactly what I call Him.

Remember He has promised not to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Remember He promised that He would not deny us any good thing. In fact, He told us in John 15:17, “If you abide in me” (that means get to know Him, read and study His word, develop a relationship with Him), “and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” That does not mean that God is our personal bellhop or our cosmic genie; it means that when we believe what God says and stand on His word, God will bring us through the crisis in such a way that it is for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

We must remember He is faithful even when we’re not. Christ told us He is “The way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him” (John 14:6). In the Bible I always highlight the word ‘will’ and since it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18), this means God has to do what He says He will do. While we are holding on to His promises and abiding in His word, we must remember His time is not our time. We must remember to wait on God and not go ahead of Him. Remember He is in this with you, and as long as you have Him in the boat with you, you will get to the other side. That brings me to item number two.

2. Pray, Take Courage, Step Out of Your Boat and Trust God (ok, I know that’s three things in one):

This means, now that you’ve read His word, now take Him at His word. After all, He is His word. He’s the actual Word of God. After you remember who He is, take action.

Pray and stand on what He said, even though you don’t see it. That’s called FAITH, and it is a necessary ingredient in pleasing God. Faith changes your perspective even though your situation hasn’t changed. We activate our faith when we pray; and prayer changes the atmosphere.

Prayer is our opportunity to “Cast our cares upon Him knowing and believing that He cares for us” (1 Peter 5:7). Prayer is having a conversation with your Daddy, who happens to be the Creator and CEO of EVERYTHING. He instructed us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). That brings me to the last point of my message.

3. Stand: When the Israelites were fleeing from the Egyptian army, they had the army behind them, and the Red Sea in front of them. I am sure that fear gripped their hearts, but He told them, “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He WILL accomplish for them today” (Exodus 14:13). That God, who is the same God, says the same thing to us. Having done all to stand-STAND.

Stand - believing He will see you through.

Stand - knowing that even though you don’t know what He’s going to do, you know what He’s able to do; and

Stand - trusting that He is working it out for your good and His glory.

I read a saying that I hope you will appreciate as much as I did when I read it. “Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.”

When the storms of life are raging in our lives, we have an anchor who is Christ; and He specializes in navigating us through the storms He already knew were coming. During our crisis, Christ says come and rest in Me. I will see you T-H-R-O-U-G-H.

Peace and Blessings,

Gail

PS. “Good Morning My Chickadees: Morning Messages From Mom” is a treasure trove of wisdom messages rooted in Scripture and inspired by the Holy Spirit, to assist us in training our children and ourselves in the way we should go. Check out my website or Amazon to get your copy. Spread the word.

WOKE

Hello My Chickadees,

Can black people have anything that is uniquely ours without it being exploited, politicized, or misrepresented? The word, “WOKE,” which was a vernacular used by African Americans (Colored People), to mean stay alert, be vigilant, regarding the racial prejudice and discrimination you most likely will encounter, has now been politicized and used for everything except its intended meaning. According to Wikipedia, the phrase ‘stay woke’ had its origins back in the 1930s and refers to “an awareness of social and political issues affecting African Americans.” It has now become a catch-all term for everything ranging from people pushing their political agendas, to social causes, and frankly…I HATE IT. This, too, has become yet another thing originated by black folks, and exploited and popularized by others.

Things are changing at lightning speed and all of us ‘common folk’ really need to wake up and ‘stay woke,’ because hard fought privileges and rights gained in the 60s, 70s, and 80s for marginalized people in this country, are being stripped away one by one. It has been proven time and time again that the Supreme Court is NOT our friend; and they recently demonstrated that with the dismantling of Affirmative Action and Roe vs. Wade, just to name a few. Many African Americans who are ‘woke’ see the handwriting on the wall and are bracing for what appears to be the Jim Crow 2.0 train headed our way.

The Bible says, “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Those of us who are Bible believers know it is a pretty good predictor of what is yet to come. In fact, given its track record for accuracy, it’s the best predictor of future events. That being the case, those of us in that marginalized category, just like in the 1930s, better ‘stay woke.’ In my May 2021 blog entitled, “Resilience of A People Who Could Fly: The Power of God and Our Vote,” I shared how after 300 years of being enslaved, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 gave

black people their first taste of freedom, and the 12 short years of progress and advancement thereafter was known as the Reconstruction period. Blacks took advantage of their newly gained freedom to start businesses, establish churches, schools, universities, and even hold political office. All of these changes were under the watchful eye of the Freedmen’s Bureau and federal troops. As black people embraced the power of change that their vote could and did have on their way of life, backlash, which is the usual reaction to black progress, began brewing. I pointed out how some southern whites began to devise plans to restore the southern tradition of white supremacy, now known as ‘Make America Great Again,’ and implemented such laws as the Black Codes, designed to ‘keep the Negro in his place.’ Secret societies such as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and the White Brotherhood, reigned terror, restricted the black vote, and succeeded in the implementation of 150 years of Jim Crow. However, Dr. Martin Luther King ‘had a dream’ - black folks woke up and protested, and we got the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which allowed black people to once again step on the freedom train of progress with the desire to believe that ‘we shall overcome.’ Black folks fighting for their rights opened the door for other disenfranchised groups to obtain theirs. If history teaches us anything, it should be that freedom comes at a cost; and backlash is the response to progress.

We inched ever so slowly down the road of progress and towards the dream of truly being a ‘united’ States of America where all people have equal rights, and there is liberty and justice for all. Then a black man decided he could be president, and to everyone’s surprise, he WON. Not only did President Barack Obama win one term, he won twice. The descendants of those who successfully implemented the ‘Southern Strategy,’ went to work on ‘Making America Great’ again, which we know is code for, putting people of color and marginalized folks in their place.

When you can block a person’s vote, you silence their voice. As I stated in my blog on “The Resilience of a People Who Could Fly,” voter suppression is not new in our country, but with the browning of America, we are seeing a surge in the effort to suppress the vote. I mentioned such actions as:

• “Imposing strict voter ID laws (racial minorities are more likely than whites to lack accepted voter ID)

• Cutting voting times

• Restricting registration and purging voter rolls

• The 2013 weakening of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court, which has demonstrated throughout history that it is not always a friend to black and brown people

• Inability to assist a voter who is disabled or in need of assistance as a result of a language barrier, or disabled in another form from getting assistance with casting their ballot

• Redistricting

• Gerrymandering, and the list goes on.”

When we sleep on our vote because we think it doesn’t matter, it has a trickle-down effect; and we get governors like Mr. Ron DeSantis who introduces bills like The Individual Freedom Bill which prohibits public schools and private businesses from talking about race, sex, or national origin, because it gives (white) people a feeling of discomfort or guilt. The intent of the bill is to “Shield people (white people) from feeling discomfort over historic actions by their race, nationality, or gender.” A similar bill also passed in Tennessee which bans Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools and public places, calling it “State-sanctioned racism that creates a hostile work environment” according to CBS news reports.

The most heinous of these plots is the attempt to rewrite history and redefine slavery as “INVOLUNTARY RE-LOCATION,” and to proclaim that slaves benefited from slavery by the skills that they learned during slavery. Added to this insult is that the recent reversal of Affirmative Action in colleges and universities by the Supreme Court, which has been proven to have a harmful effect with respect to enrollment of minorities in California, will now be nation-wide.

It has been said by many philosophers that those who do not learn from their history are doomed to repeat it. Perhaps that’s the reason why the Jewish people teach their children to ‘never forget’ - and this was a practice they learned from God as they built monuments to remember the things He brought them through. As I stated in my blog on Race, “Let’s not sweep our demons under a cloak of denial which only festers and boils until it erupts into riots, or worse, another civil war / race war. As a country, let’s know the truth, ask God and those whom we have harmed to forgive us for our sin, and work together to make our country and this world a better place. America with all its greatness also has a dark and sordid past. We can never heal from our wounds if we refuse to acknowledge that we have them. We are as sick as our secrets. Putting a blindfold on and denying that racism, sexism, and discrimination exist prevents us from healing, and allows the sickness to continue and spread. Refusing to revisit the dark parts of our past, and the ugliness that that kind of hate and discrimination creates, prevents us from learning from it, so as to make the commitment not to repeat it.”

In Matthew 26:41, Jesus told his disciples “Stay awake, watch and pray.” The implication is that something big and bad is about to happen. The truth is, we all need to wake up and stay ‘WOKE’ because as the singer/songwriter Bob Dylan says on his 1964 album, “The Times They Are A-Changin.”

Peace and Blessings to you and your Family,

Gail

PS. “Good Morning My Chickadees: Morning Messages From Mom” is a treasure trove of wisdom messages rooted in Scripture and inspired by the Holy Spirit, to assist us in training our children and ourselves in the way we should go. Check out my website or Amazon to get your copy. Spread the word.

CHILDREN…ONE OF THE MANY REASONS WE NEED TO PRAY

Hello My Chickadees,

Children are a gift from God but we need His help, especially in this day and time, in raising them. I remember when I had my first child, my mother visited me and one of the first things she said to me was, “Well, my child, I’m going to tell you what a woman told me when I gave birth to you. Parenting is not easy, and you worry about them from the cradle to the grave. If they’re good, you worry about them. If they’re not good, you worry about them. They are never far from your heart and mind.” No truer words were ever spoken to me on the matter of being a parent.

In the Bible, God charges us with the mandate to “Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). The operative word in that piece of wisdom is SHOULD. We all know that kids don’t come with a manual. We do the best we can with what we have, and we pray that it’s enough. We pray for their health. We pray for their safety. We pray about provisions for them - and most of all we pray about their choices.

God gave all of us this wonderful mixed blessing called free will and choice; and although its purpose was all about love – which does not control, it can be a scary gift based on how it’s used. We parents start realizing this when our kids are about two years old and we hear the word ‘NO’ fall out of their mouth as they go in the opposite direction from where we instruct them to go. It is in that moment that the train ride begins. We pour into our children wisdom, guidance, direction, discipline – which is also love; and we begin to plant God’s word in the soil of their hearts. We nurture them in the Assembly of God within His house and people, and we pray that everything we’ve said and done will take root and grow while showing them and showering them in love. At about 10 years old they begin to reason for themselves what they want, which is not always what you want for them. It is around this time that they are exposed to, and influenced by, the good, the bad and ugly that the world has to offer. We cannot be with our children 24/7 so we pray that our voice rings in their head when they are faced with the choice between what they should do, and what they want to do.

When our children approach the teenage years, life begins to get even scarier for us as parents. Our prayers become more fervent as we pray they have listened when their friends’ voices become the ones in their ear. It has been said that we rise or fall to the level of our friend; and the Bible warns that, “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33). We are in competition not only with what they see, hear, and feel; but also with what can be public enemy number one, SOCIAL MEDIA. I usually advise parents of teens to pray and hold on for the ride, as our children become people that we hardly recognize. Adolescence is a time in which they know everything, you know nothing, and your efforts of training them gets dismissed as outdated since that was from ‘back in your day.’

We pray their safety as they trade wisdom for wants and we watch as their lives do the twists and turns like that train on the tracks we call life. A lot of twists and turns, tears and troubles, triumphs and tragedy, happen along the way to the destination of ‘when they are old they will not depart from it.’

When our children become adults, our role is to stand in the space of love and wisdom, as we continue to pray that they listened to what we imparted from the lessons we learned along the way. Our knees become brittle and bruised, as we endure watching the consequences of the choices they could have been spared had they listened. Like God, who is the Daddy of us all, we love them through their choices, as God comforts our broken hearts and reassures us He understands; as He has watched us do the same things.

Kahlil Gibran wrote a program entitled “Our Children” in which he says, “Your children are not your children. They are sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.” Our children, just like us, belong to God; and we must seek His face, wisdom, and guidance, as we ‘train them up in the way they SHOULD go.’ If you are like me, there are times in which we have to give them back to God as we pray for Him to see them through the choices that they make.

“Good Morning My Chickadees: Morning Messages From Mom” was inspired by my attempt to pour into my grown children all the love and wisdom life has taught me along the way. It began as text messages every morning addressing issues that life would present to them along their way. I soon realized that these messages came through me but did not belong to me, and I needed to share them with the universe. No matter how old we are, our task becomes to always attune ourselves to love and wisdom as we journey along the train of life.

I close this blog with one of the messages from my book which addressed the issue of parenting. I quote a letter written by Jennifer McGrail for a parent magazine entitled: “My Promise To My Children.”

“For as long as I live, I will always be your parent first and your friend second: I will stalk you, flip out on you, lecture you, drive you insane, be your worst nightmare and hunt you down like a hound when I have to, because I love you. When you understand that, I know you have become a responsible adult. You will never find anyone else in your life who loves, prays, cares, and worries about you more than I do. If you don’t mutter under your breath, ‘I hate you’ at least once in your life, I am not doing my job properly.”

My Chickadees who are parents, or will be parents, the job of parenting is just that; a job, and it is not easy. It will often bring us to our knees to seek guidance and help from our heavenly Daddy, who knitted the children in our womb and entrusted us with them; but in the end, it’s worth it.

Peace and Blessings to you and your Family,

Gail

PS. Graduations are upon us, and “Good Morning My Chickadees” would be a wonderful gift to give to that graduate who is stepping into the next phase of their lives. It’s a treasure trove of wisdom - messages rooted in Scripture and inspired by the Holy Spirit to assist us in training our children and ourselves in the way we should go. Check out my website or Amazon to get your copy.

“HOW DO YOU SEE ME? - THE MARTYRDOM OF TYRE NICHOLS

Hello My Chickadees,

I am often struck by how what we think we know often blinds us from the TRUTH. I was reading Mark 6:1-6, which talks about the time Jesus went back to his hometown of Nazareth after having performed many miracles, signs and wonders, and demonstrations of healing. The folks in His hometown didn’t believe He was The Messiah because they thought they knew Him. But Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and opened the Scriptures (Isaiah) which revealed who He was and His divine purpose. They not only didn’t believe Him as He revealed the truth, they tried to kill Him. They completely missed who He really was because they were stuck in their perception of who they thought the Messiah should be and what He would do.

I am also struck by the flaw in our human nature to have the tendency to believe what we perceive to be true based on our own self interests and stereotypes, which often are not based in truth. I was listening to MSNBC shortly after the police killing of Tyre Nichols and the topic was the murder of another black man at the hands of police. Only this time, the officers were black. In light of the race of these officers, the glaring issue is not only the race of the victim but the implicit bias and culture within a system that cultivates such an inhumane manner of treatment toward other human beings.

As I listened more closely to the discussion, the commentator made a statement that struck me as not only being biased—but borderline racist. He stated, and I am paraphrasing, ‘that it seemed to him that in these communities in which there is a high level of crime (which he identified as occurring mostly in black communities), there is a lack of respect for the police—especially among the younger black population. He went on to say that their parents lack respect for police and law enforcement as well.’

My mouth fell open, and I clutched the pearls I didn’t have on, when I heard this perception fall out of his mouth. My thought was, it is this kind of biased, borderline racist stereotypical thinking which produces a culture and climate that justifies treating people of color with disrespect and indignity. If you perceive me as being less than human, you’re going to treat me that way.

Fortunately, the senator being interviewed countered the commentators statements. Prior to being elected to Congress, had worked as a law enforcement officer. He stated that in his experience, most African Americans living in high-crime areas welcome the police presence and intervention, and work along with the police to make their neighborhoods safer. His rebuttal restored my hope in TRUTH winning out over perception. But when you have people like ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani purporting his perception that, “African-Americans are the ones responsible for bad interaction with police” (Fox News 9/23/14); you begin to understand how the current culture of policing has been allowed to exist and the cycle of brutality is able to continue.

Tyre Nichols’ mother spoke of her son as a modern-day martyr who senselessly died for a cause. I pray she is right and he did not die in vain like so many other black men who have lost their lives at the hands of police—police officers who still perceive black people to be 3/4 human, just as we were identified during slavery.

Just like Jesus was treated in His hometown, perception is not always fact. People’s perceptions ultimately did kill Jesus but His death started a movement for change. It is my prayer that the murder of Tyre Nichols will have the same outcome. Let us continue to stand up and fight for justice—because without justice, there can be no peace.

Happy Black History Month, My Chickadees. Keep hope alive as we honor and remember those who have gone before us and paved the way. Continue to strive for ALL to be FREE.

Peace and Blessings to you and your Family,

Gail

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“IS THERE ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD?” THE GOD FACTOR

Season’s Greetings My Chickadees;

When things happen that are out of our control, it is human to feel fear; but God does not want us to have a spirit of fear. A spirit of fear is when fear becomes a part of our everyday experience. It is overwhelming, controlling, and if we allow it, it will rob us of the joy God desires us to have. So much of our Christian walk and maintaining our peace in the midst of storms in our lives, depends upon our ability to take God at His word and trust that He is faithful to His promises, even when we can’t see the outcome. This is called walking by faith, and faith would not be faith if we could see it.

In these apparent last days, when it seems like there is more bad news than good, we can be tempted to allow what we hear and see to dictate what we think and do; but as believers, we have an Ace in the hole I’d like to call, ‘The God Factor.’ The God Factor says, because I am in you and with you, I will see you through. Just cast your cares upon me because I care for you (1Peter 5:7). As liberating as that is, we must remember this invitation from God, and take the steps to call upon the one who is All Powerful and has the final say. The God Factor says, Yes, I know the doctor’s report sounds gloomy, and your spouse says ‘I’m leaving,’ and your children appear not to listen to anything you say; but I’ve got you. Remember He told us, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, BUT God will deliver us out of all of them” (Psalm 34:19).

Our task is to follow the detailed instructions laid out in Matthew 7:7 which says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” It requires action on our part to ask, seek, and knock. I love the word ‘will’ in the Bible because God has to do what He says He will do; the only problem for us is, that ‘will’ may not come exactly the way we thought, or in the time we thought; but in the words of our ancestors ‘He’s always on time.’ We see things in this moment in time, but God sees into eternity and knows what’s best for us, because He’s gone ahead and checked out the situation. He wants us to believe Him when He says, “I’m working it out for your good and my glory” (Romans 8:28).

In the midst of trials, hurts, loss, disappointments, and anything else that tries to steal our joy and hijack our peace, we have to stand firm on our faith and take courage as we trust that God will do just what He said He would do. If He said, ‘even though your father and mother may forget you, I will not forget you’ (Isaiah 49:15), our task is to, along with taking courage, take Him at His word and believe what He said.

Holidays can be a tough time when you’re being slammed by trials and situations that tempt you to doubt what you don’t see. When you find yourself emotionally drained and spiritually depleted, before you give up, look up! Look to the hills from which your spiritual help comes (Psalm 121:1–2), and reach out to the army of other believers who stand ready to come to your aid simply because we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

Things going well for you? Praise God! But even if they’re not, Praise Him anyway! Praise Him in the press while being pressed. Praise Him because you can. Praise Him because you have the mind to praise Him. Praise Him for His promises, which allow us to have hope; and that hope will not fail us if we believe; and above all of this, Praise Him simply because…..He’s worthy!

I opened this blog with a question, “Is there anything too hard for God?” which was borrowed from Jeremiah 32:27, when Jeremiah stood at the precipice of what happened to Israel because of Israel’s sin, and God’s promise to restore them and make them a great and prosperous nation. Jeremiah stood firm in what God said would happen, even though he could not see it at the time and Israel was still in captivity. He risked not being believed but he chose to stand firm on the promises of God’s word because God said it. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and if He did it for them, He’ll do it for us too; if for no other reason than He said He would.

If this holiday season is not what you hoped, remember ‘The God Factor’ and the fact that, “There is nothing too hard for God.”

Happy New Year My Chickadees and Peace and Blessings to you and your Family,

Gail

P.S. “Good Morning My Chickadees” IS AVAILABLE!!! Check out my website:

www.Inspirationsbygail.com. These morning messages will make a wonderful Christmas gift for your friends and loved ones, and is a gift that keeps on giving throughout the year.

WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

Hello Again My Chickadees.

There is nothing new under the sun. What has been, has already begun. Ecclesiastes 1:9 gives a grim prediction of the fate and state of what could be the once great, but late, United States. We are advised to pray for our country and our leadership, and we absolutely should—because we all need prayer. But the powers that be seem oblivious to the fact that they need to be also praying for themselves and the decisions that God has given them the power to make.

It seems that we are in a season of ‘Roll Backs.’ Roll back our policies on immigration. Roll back Roe vs. Wade. Roll back anything that has to do with affirmative action designed to give a fair share to everyone seeking to have a slice of the American pie. Roll back on teaching our kids the truth about our history or life, out of concern that it may offend the powers that be. Roll back the books that educate, reveal, and make aware, the good, the bad, and the very, VERY, ugly truth about our lack of love and terror inflicted upon others that don’t look like us. When you get right down to it, when we put the need for power over the needs of people; we find ourselves in a downward trajectory to destruction.

We have but to look at the rise and fall of other great empires who we have all read about which no longer exist. One might ask, well what happened to them? If you just look on the surface you may say, well they were out-witted, or out-maneuvered by an opposing force; but if you examine the outcome from a spiritual perspective, any branch that is separated from the vine will wither and die (John 15:5). This truth is applicable whether you are an individual or a country. When we become so self- important and so blinded by our own perceived power that we deny or ignore the source of that power, we are on a collision course with destruction. The insidiousness of perceived power is that you become so blinded by your own self-importance that you deny that there is a power that is greater than you; and it is that power that blessed you to be where you are, or accomplish what you accomplished. As a result of the blindness of self-importance and the deception of power, we miss the warning signs. We separated ourselves from the vine and the withering of our branch is so subtle that we don’t notice that our branch is in decay until it’s too late. We become so puffed up with our own self-importance and grandiose façade, that we ignore the warnings or miss the signs that we need to stop, take stock of the root cause for the decay, and change our course of action.

The God that we serve is patient, kind, and l-o-n-g- suffering, but there comes a time that even God says, ’Enough is Enough.’ Who else can shut the entire world down to try to get our attention? We called it a pandemic, and those of us who cover ourselves in God’s word called it a plague; but whatever you want to call it, we need to say to ourselves, maybe God is trying to tell us something. Maybe our way is not The Way. Since there is nothing new under the sun, 2 Chronicles 7:14 offers a biblical solution to our decaying country and world. It states, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.” We certainly have had plenty of the proof of that fact with the Nation of Israel throughout history. What else needs to happen to get our attention to the fact that our way is NOT working. We work in vain because we have denied and all but eliminated the one true power that has the power to save.

As you can probably glean from my message this month, I am fired up about where we are headed. I stand with others who are trying to sound the alarm that we are on the wrong path, and unless we follow the prescription given in 2 Chronicles 7:14 for healing a sick nation, we too will go the way all other great kingdoms and nations have gone. We think we’re ‘woke,’ but are we really? The antidote for our sickness lies in reconnecting to “The Vine” we assumed we were independent from. If we REALLY want to “Make America Great Again,” we need to take Lady Liberty’s blindfold off so she can see the path of destruction, pain, and misery she has caused in the pursuit of power, not only here in this country but all over the world. The God of love, who is the one who IS all powerful, cannot be pleased. We tend to leave a ‘trail of tears’ wherever we go; and God cannot be pleased. God desires to bless His people, but He cannot bless our mess.

Where are we headed? Well, that depends on us and the choices we make. In the words of Robert Ellis, “Choice, not chance determines human destiny.” It is my prayer that in all our rolling back, we will roll back to our profession of “In God we trust,” and really live out that profession.

Peace and Blessings,
Gail

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FAITH OVER FEAR: IS COVID OUR NEW NORMAL?

Hello My Chickadees,

Who knew that two years later we would still be in a pandemic and dealing with this thing called COVID? I am sure God knew, but He didn’t tell the rest of us. To God be the glory, we do have a vaccine that is supposed to mitigate the effects of the virus (for those who take it), but I still feel like one of the Israelites wandering in the desert trying to get to the Promised Land of COVID free. COVID has changed our way of life and sent us into a mental health, as well as a medical crisis. Everyone feels some level of anxiety about getting COVID, and almost every household has a couple of COVID test kits on hand just in case you feel a chill or fever coming on. There are COVID precautions everywhere you go, and in many places, our vaccination shots record has become our new ID card. Despite all these precautions, it seems like where there are three or more gathered, not only is God in the midst, but so is COVID.

We all long for the ‘good old days’ when you didn’t have to coordinate a mask with your outfit; and the more people that attended an event, the merrier. However, if our current COVID state is any predictor of the future, those days are gone. Talk to anyone and they will tell you about someone they know who has COVID, or had COVID, or is recovering from COVID, or you learn later that you need to get tested because you were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID.

In a COVID world, it is human to feel some level of fear, anxiety, and/or depression as we attempt to create this ’new normal’ given this COVID climate. We all feel it and every mental health therapist in America is overwhelmed with clients as a result of it. Although it is not one of our more popular feelings, the purpose of the feeling of fear, like every other God-given emotion, is to alert us to what is happening within us and around us; but God did not give us a spirit of fear. He said so in 2 Timothy 1:7.

A spirit of fear is when fear moves from a momentary feeling, to a state of being. A spirit of fear happens when you allow fear to dominate and dictate your life. You know it has taken up residence in you when you allow it to have the final say in determining what you will or will not do. I recently read a statement by Gary Selman who said, “Fear is faith in reverse. It’s when you believe your circumstances are bigger than God.” WOW! Now that’s a word for you. Fear happens when we forget who REALLY has control. We fear what we can’t control. Fear is the response to the threat of losing what we cherish. In the moment, we can forget that what we see is controlled by an All-powerful God that we can’t see. We can feel fear but not live in fear. Throughout the Bible, God instructs us during those times we feel fear to “Take Charge” (Joshua 1:6, Daniel 10:19, Matthew 14:27, Psalm 27:14, Deuteronomy 31:6, just to name a few).

Courage is not the absence of fear but the commitment to continue despite how you feel. Rev. Justin Tamlin, pastor of Rosebank Union Church in South Africa, identified four things that fear forgets about God, which can assist us in our battle of faith over fear. They are as follows:

• “Fear forgets the Lord’s promises.”

God has given us a book full of promises and He is faithful to every one of them because He cannot lie. He is His Word, and He has to do what He says, but WE have to read them and choose to take God at His word. Sometimes, we want to give up on God when we don’t see something happen, but God’s time is not our time. Although He is a ‘Right Now God’, and He is in this moment with us; His promises may be delayed because His timing, unlike ours, is always perfect. He sees what we don’t see and His charge to us is to trust Him.

• “Fear forgets God’s purposes.”

God has a purpose, a plan, and a desire for each of our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us of God’s plan to “Prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” We may not know the details of His plan for us, but like every good parent, we can rest assured that He wants the very best for us. He promised that if we abide in Him, and allow His word to abide in us, whatever we ask will be granted (John 15:7). God created us to worship Him and to represent Him with the gifts and talents He placed in us, in all that we say and do. Hold fast to the fact that God’s purpose for your life is to be happy, productive, successful, and acknowledge Him in all that we do.

• “Fear forgets God’s provision.”

God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If He did it before, He’ll do it again. Fear forgets what God did for you in the past, and how He brought you through. Fear forgets how He gave you a testimony from your test. When we allow the spirit of fear to take over, we forget about God’s power to deliver us, and we focus on the obstacle or the situation, instead of God as our solution. Our attention becomes diverted and causes us to look out instead of up. It distorts our perspective of ourselves and we begin to doubt ourselves, who we are, and most importantly - whose we are. God promised not to deny us any good thing; and when we experience things that snatch the floor from under our feet, He promised to turn it around for our good and His glory.

Last but not least,

• “Fear forgets God’s presence and power.”

Fear can grip us and alter our perspective about the truth. We can get so caught up in how we feel that we forget we have a choice about what we are going to believe. We can choose to allow that feeling of fear to morph into a spirit of fear that then takes control of us. Fear causes us to forget what I like to call “The God Factor.” It’s the ‘But God’ that can change our situation suddenly from tragedy to triumph.

We do have this mixed blessing called free will and choice. We can choose to believe in a God who is in us, and with us, and will see us through whatever we go through; or we can choose to allow our feelings to take us down a path of destruction. We may not know what God’s going to do, but we know what He’s able to do; and He is “Able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

When the pandemic initially shut the entire world down, my April 2020 blog was entitled, “Peace In The Midst Of The Virus.” In that blog, I reminded us of Psalm 91, in which God promises to protect us. In verses 10–16, God lays out some specific plans in that promise of protection, which I read every day to feed my spirit-man just in case I forgot.

He promised us:

“No harm will come to you.
No sickness will come near your house.
He will put His angels in charge of you to protect you in all your ways.
They will carry you in their hands so that you never hit your foot against a rock.
You will step on lions and cobras.
You will trample young lions and snakes.
Because you love me, I will rescue you.
I will protect you because you know my name.
When you call me, I will answer you.
I will be with you when you are in trouble.
I will save you and honor you.
I will satisfy you long life. I will save you.”

My challenge to you, My Chickadees, is that you choose to remember that God, who is your spiritual Daddy, is more powerful that any situation, circumstance, dilemma, trial, tribulation, trauma, or pandemic that you or I will encounter. Choose to believe that whatever you go through, it’s ‘Father filtered,’ and if He allowed it, He has a divine purpose for it.

In closing, I leave you with some faith over fear facts complements of Rev. Justin Tambin, to empower you as you choose which voice you will listen to.

“Fear says, I am alone; but God says I am with you.” Isaiah 41:10.

“Fear says, I am too weak; but God says I am your strength, and you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.” Philippians 4:13.

“Fear says, I’m scared; but God says I am your courage. If God is for you who can be against you.” Romans 8:31.

“Fear says I can’t - but Faith says I can. Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27

My Chickadees, we may not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. Whatever scares us does not scare God. He knew it was coming and planned our way of escape so that we can stand up under it (1 Corinthians 10:13). We must continue to be vigilant and seek God’s wisdom in all that we do, so that we can allow faith, not fear, to dictate our destiny.

Peace and Blessings,
Gail

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WHEN THINGS DON’T GO AS PLANNED; LET GO AND TRUST GOD

It has been said that, “We plan and God laughs,” and we realize just how true that is when things don’t go as planned. Recently my god-sister, Angelia, another childhood girlfriend, Andy, and I planned a trip to Cancun, Mexico. Andy had never been out of the country and had heard that Cancun was a fun place to go. Angelia is a world traveler and I have been to my fair share of places, but we wanted to assist Andy in experiencing one of her heart’s desires. I booked the resort, Angelia made the flight reservations, and the three of us anxiously awaited our anticipated trip.

The week of the trip, Angelia realized she could not find her passport. She searched and we prayed but to no avail. She even went to the passport office in Washington, DC, but thanks to COVID restrictions, was unable to be serviced without an appointment. Throughout the week of the trip, I prayed and talked to God about our plans, while Angelia checked with the passport office every day, throughout the day, hoping for a cancellation. We were scheduled to begin Andy’s dream vacation on Saturday, and it was now Friday and no passport. We were crestfallen as it became more apparent with every hour that one of the three ‘Golden Girls’ was not going to be able to go. The closer we came to the day of our departure, the more fervently I prayed and even verbalized my belief that something would work out and we would all partake of our vacation as we imagined; “but God.” He knew what we did not know at the time, which was that the trip we planned would have been physically challenging for Angelia.

Andy and I lamented and labored over what we did not have the power to change, but God knew what was best for Angelia and did not honor our plans, as great as we thought they were. For starters, the beautiful little out-of-the-way resort I booked did not have an elevator, and our two-bedroom apartment was on the third floor. The room was beautiful and faced the pool and the ocean, but we had to climb three flights of stairs to get to it. Angelia may not have lost her religion over one flight, but we probably all would have been kicked out of the resort if she knew she had to climb three flights.

Next, my dear god-sister LOVES fried chicken and is happy to eat it every day. She and I have traveled to Korea and China and a number of other destinations and she will find a Kentucky Fried Chicken place, or some fast food restaurant that will accommodate her chicken-loving pallet. Our paradise resort had a small family-owned restaurant which prided itself on their fresh meals of the day, with some a day in advance requests, but fried chicken was not on the menu. They would probably have accommodated her and made it one day, but not on every day. To leave the resort and get to the main street was a good 5 or 6 mile walk, which she was definitely not going to do, and the mini-mart next to the resort did not serve fried chicken.

Shopping, which Angelia loves, would have required a cab ride. Getting to the excitement of the night life in town—not that we were looking to party—also required transportation to get there. We booked a couple of excursions, but they were sight-seeing trips to see the ruins and were not centered around shopping.

It became clear to me that God intervened in our plans and was working for Angelia’s good when Andy and I booked and took a tour to Chichen Itza, a Mayan ruin which is one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the World.’ With this tour we went to a Mayan village where we were entertained by dancers while we dined

on a traditional Mexican/Mayan buffet, after which we were taken to a beautiful regional park called Cenote Selva Maya, where you walk down an ancient flight of stone stairs with a life jacket to swim in an underground canyon, which reportedly had healing powers in the water. What would have been the highlight of the trip for Angelia was the stop in one of the towns to do some shopping, but we were only allotted 20 MINUTES, which really was just a tease for all of us die-hard shoppers. She hates the heat, and you often see her fanning even in the winter, when the rest of us are layering on clothing to stay warm. As amazing as the ruins at Chichen Itza were, it was the hottest I have ever been in my life, and there was no shade. I was praying for God to help me hold out until the end of the tour, while our guide thoroughly explained every aspect of the time period and Mayan life associated with the ruins. I know with conviction that if hell is hotter than this place was, I don’t want to go there. It felt like 120 degrees, but I didn’t have the energy to check the temperature or inquire about how hot it might have been. My only thought was getting back on the air conditioned bus and getting out of there. As I flopped down in my seat, I told Andy that there is NO way Angelia could have or would have made it. The entire trip was from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm and I know by 3:00 pm, if not before, she would have been trying to make arrangements to get back to the resort.

We often forget when things don’t go as planned, that God knows better for us than we know for ourselves. He sees what we don’t see and knows what we don’t have a clue about. He promises to work all things out, “…for our good and His glory” (Romans 8:28). We may feel frustrated, disappointed, angry, and hurt because things didn’t work out according to our plans, but trust that the God who loves us and wants the best for us, may intervene in our plans to work things out for our good.

When things don’t go as planned, take a deep breath, and say as Jesus said, “Not my will, but yours Father.”

Peace and Blessings My Chickadees, Gail

WALKING WHILE BLIND

Hello My Chickadees,

What do you do when life hurts; when it seems like before you can get through one thing, there’s something else just as bad if not worse than what you’re currently dealing with? Life is unpredictable and one of the things Jesus warned us about is that in this life we will have trouble and tribulation; but He didn’t put a period at the end of that sentence. He went on to say, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

What allows us to hold on when the storms are raging in our lives? The answer is Faith. Faith allows us to put one foot in front of the other when we can’t see what the end is going to be. I have often commented to people while going through my own personal storms, that I don’t know how people who don’t believe in God make it. If I only judged by what I saw, or how I felt, I would probably have thrown up my hands and given up a long time ago. Faith allows us to believe and proclaim what we don’t see until it becomes visible and tangible. The ancestors would say, ’We are standing on the promises of God our Savior.’

Our family was recently hit with another blow regarding my grandniece Talia, who was attacked with stage IV renal cancer when she was 14 years old. Getting the news about this bright, bubbly, bouncing, beautiful girl, who was blindsided by the news of this monster that formed a 5-pound tumor on one of her kidneys, was more than we could wrap our minds around in the moment. I hit my knees to call upon God before calling everyone I knew to pray, as the doctors gave us little hope about her survival. We were told that the tumor was so large that it was touching her aorta. As we all prayed, we witnessed the miracle working power of God carry her through a 6 ½ hour surgery which left her with only one kidney. Her road to recovery was not an easy journey for her and her parents, but through it all Talia remained positive as the rest of us prayed. At 14, her life drastically changed from being a carefree, popular honor student who was looking forward to her high school prom, graduation, and college; to having to look forward to and celebrate medical milestones and news that the cancer was arrested. I watched her fight the good fight with a smile on her face, as she was deprived of most things teens her age take for granted; and I admired her strength and courage as I marveled over God’s miracle in our midst.

I would like to say that surviving the surgery was the end of her journey and fight for her life, but it was not. With a humble attitude and a grateful spirit, she endured four months of chemotherapy, a month of daily radiation, and had to forgo in-school learning with her peers, to homeschool with a teacher assigned to her by the school system. Through all of these losses, the belief that God could heal her and restore her anchored her, and allowed her to still have joy while her parents, family, and friends offered words of reassurance that she would get through this and be ‘all right’. I watched her cling to those words, rooted in the belief that the God that snatched her from the mouth of death, would heal her and turn this around for her good and His glory.

Talia desperately wanted to return to her life before cancer and we all continued to keep a watchful eye on her as she returned to school, graduated high school with honors during a pandemic - which robbed her of the experience and memory of a prom and a graduation with all the bells and whistles, as well as the luster of college life on campus - but still she rose. Not wanting to allow cancer to rob her of her goal of becoming a teacher, she decided to attend a local college while working as a receptionist in a dentist’s office while she underwent dialysis three days a week, five hours a day.

There were times in which she wanted to ask, and did ask, “Why me? Why is this happening to me” as tears flooded her eyes, but she was able to release her confusion, grief, and sometimes anger, as she grappled with what only God knows: WHY?

Why becomes a neon stop sign that prevents us from moving forward. If we stay there too long, it leaves us resentful and bitter. Why prevents us from seeing the situation with a spiritual eye, and seeks answers which wouldn’t change the situation even if we knew the why. Why allows the enemy to get a foothold in our minds and sows seeds of doubt, which when they have taken root, can even cause us to doubt whether God hears us, or worse yet, loves us. Why is one of those stumbling blocks that delays us in our journey to the other side of the storm. Often when we don’t know the why it’s easy to become angry with God and say, ‘God is not fair.’ You’re right. Thank God He’s not fair since none of us are perfect, but He is just. He promised that whatever the enemy hurls our way, not only will He turn it around for our good and His glory, but the enemy has to pay back seven times what he stole from us (Romans 8:28 and Proverbs 6:31); but it requires faith to hold on one, and a belief in the fact that God’s word will not return void. It must accomplish what God said and sent it to do (Isaiah 55:11).

We all encounter our wilderness experiences in which we find ourselves walking as we put one foot in front of the other to make it through another day. During those wilderness experiences, we must REMEMBER what God has brought us through in the past. He is “the same yesterday, today and forever,” (Hebrews 13:8); and if He brought you through your last trial by fire, He is well able to bring you through this present darkness. Not only is He able, He’s willing, and He promised not to leave you or forsake you while He is in the process of delivering you through.

What do you do when you’re walking while blind?  You do what Talia does. You hold on and trust that, “In due season we shall reap a harvest if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9).

Talia’s journey has been one of peaks and valleys. As a result of all the chemo and radiation, the good remaining kidney was damaged, which made it necessary for her to incorporate a dialysis regiment of three days a week, five hours a day into her schedule. In 2019 we were elated to learn that her aunt Janee was a perfect donor match and in September 2019, with tears of joy this time, Talia was blessed with her aunt’s kidney. Leaving her dialysis chair for a seat in a classroom, we all assumed the nightmare was over. Although she continued to be monitored closely by her doctors, her daily regimen of anti-rejection medications enabled her to have the freedom of living life free of tubes and interruptions created by dialysis that hampered her from the carefree, spontaneous life most of her peers enjoyed. Grateful as we were and are for the blessing of a perfect match and the respite it gave her, heart wrenchingly I must convey that her body rejected the kidney, and Talia was recently hit with the devastating news that she would again have to make dialysis a part of her routine. Angry, disappointed, frustrated, and consumed with sorrow, her mother consoled her while struggling to understand and accept what was out of her control. God did not tell us that living this life would be easy, but if we put our trust in Him, and hang on for the ride; it will be worth it. We will have the victory.

I don’t know what God has in store for Talia. She desires to be a teacher, but I am certain that whatever God has laid up for her will be something greater than we can imagine; and will touch and transform more lives than our finite vision enables us to see today. Perhaps one day she will be the Secretary of Education, having fought the good fight and holding fast to her faith, her tests become a testimony for the world to see how God delivered her just like he delivered Daniel.

Life is unpredictable, but God remains the same. He is our light in the midst of those dark times; and when we can’t see our way, He reminds us that He is the way. Anchor in! Hold on! There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and you will make it through the storm if you faint not.

In closing my message, I leave you with a poem by Johnny Ray Ryder, Jr. entitled: ”The Oak Tree” 

               “A mighty wind blew night and day.

                It stole the oak tree’s leaves away.

                Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark

                until the oak was tired and stark.

                 But still the oak tree held its ground

                 while other trees fell all around.

                 The weary wind gave up and spoke,

                 “How can you still be standing, Oak?’

                  The oak tree said, “I know that you

                  can break each branch of mine in two,

                  Carry every leaf away,

                  shake my limbs and make me sway.

                  But I have roots stretched in the earth,

                  growing stronger since my birth.

                  You never touched them, for you see,

                  they are the deepest part of me.

                  Until today, I wasn’t sure

                  of just how much I could endure.

                  But now I’ve found, with thanks to you,

                         I’m stronger than I ever knew.”

Peace and Blessings My Chickadees,

Gail

Hold on My Chickadees. It’s at the publishers.

A NEW CALL TO CONSCIENCE: CRITICAL RACE THEORY

Hello My Chickadees,

This morning I did what I always do—flipped on CNN to see if we still have a world, and if so, what’s happening in it. I became outraged when I saw Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis quoting the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as he introduced the “Individual Freedom” bill that would “Shield people (white people) from feeling discomfort over historic actions by their race, nationality, or gender.” This bill would prohibit public schools and private businesses from making people feel ‘discomfort’ or guilt based on their race, sex, or national origin. A similar bill also was passed in Tennessee which banned critical race theory (CRT) in schools and public places, calling it “State-sanctioned racism that creates a hostile work environment” according to news reports by CBS.

I am certain that if brother Martin was still in his grave, he would be rolling over in it to hear Gov. DeSantis take a line from his March on Washington, “I Have A Dream,” speech regarding not being judged by the color of one’s skin but the content of their character, and use it to justify silencing truth because it makes you feel bad. Dr. King delivered these iconic words to illustrate the evils of discrimination and racism, as he dreamed of a world in which his “four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” To take this quote and use it for the political agenda of suppressing truth and opposing teaching critical race theory is an insult to people of color who have been oppressed, disenfranchised, and abused throughout the history of this country.

Critical race theory is a concept that seeks to understand inequality and racism in this country. According to Bloomberg Equity, “Critical race theory, or CRT, proposes that any analysis of American society must take into account its history of racism and how race has shaped attitudes and institutions.” Mr. DeSantis called CRT “Crap” and said that he “would seek legislation that would allow parents to sue schools and employees to sue employers if they were subjected to its teachings.”

The Individual Freedom bill, SB 148, which was sponsored by Tennessee’s Republican Sen. Manny Diaz, passed in Tennessee in July 2021, reads in part, “An individual by virtue of his or her race or sex does not bear responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex. An individual should not be made to feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race.” WOW! So let me get this straight—they want people of color to deny truth and their reality, so that white people don’t feel bad about the atrocities their ancestors committed against a race of people because of the color of their skin. My initial outrage was, ‘the nerve of you.’ Where was the public cry for the human rights of black people and how they ‘felt’ when they were enslaved, beaten, used, abused, lynched, and the thousands of other ways they were humiliated and dehumanized? To be brutally honest, I was hurt, and I felt it was a slap in the face. Just as we are taking steps to heal the moral and racial divide in this country, you want to silence truth so that some people won’t feel bad.

In the words of Ambassador Andrew Young, “Martin Luther King Jr’s life was an effort to infuse our complex political and social existence with a spiritual power of ultimate reality.” Dr. King spoke TRUTH that sought to bring all men together as brothers and sisters. It was truth spoken in love and mercy that began a movement to change the course of history. In borrowing from CBS news analysis of critical race theory, it highlights the truth and challenges us in a way of thinking about American history through the lens of racism, to see how racism is systematic in the nation’s institutions, and functions to maintain the dominance of white people in our country.

I do not believe that Dr. King wanted us to ignore the issue of race and pretend like we live in a ‘color blind’ society. I, like the historian Taylor Branch, challenge all Americans “to deepen their patriotism by leaving their comfort zones, reaching across barriers and learning about different people.” In this way we can rid ourselves of those kinds of prejudices and biases that influence the way we think and the decisions we make. I too, believe in Dr. King’s dream that everyone should be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. I also believe that everyone who believes in the truth of “Liberty and justice for all” has the same dream, but the harsh reality is, we’re not there yet; and we’ll never get there if we don’t face our demons and work together to eradicate them. One of the tenets of our Christian faith is, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), but redemption comes with facing that sin, owning and taking responsibility for that sin, making amends and a commitment to ‘Go and sin no more’ (John 8:11). This does not mean that we will not sin again, but what we’re committing to is not to do THAT sin again.

The ugly truth is, racism, sexism, and all the other ‘isms’ is a sin that America (We the People), must face in order to fix. In the words of the writer and philosopher George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” Edmund Burke expounded on it by saying, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it”; and the British statesman Winston Churchill tied a bow on it when he said, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” My question is, how can we learn if we are never taught?

Critical race theory is a step in that direction. “The Call to Conscience” is a call to DO THE RIGHT THING. We all have heard the saying that “The truth will set you free,” but truth is the constant. It’s the truth YOU KNOW that sets you free. It sets you free to be a more perfect union in which all its citizens have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as guaranteed by the Constitution to every citizen in this country.

Let’s not sweep our demons under a cloak of denial which only festers and boils until it erupts into riots, or worse, another civil/race war. As a country, let’s know the truth, ask God and those who we have harmed to forgive us for our sin, and work together to make our country and this world a better place. America with all its greatness, also has a dark and sordid past. We can never heal from our wounds if we refuse to acknowledge that we have them. We are as sick as our secrets. Putting a blindfold on and denying that racism, sexism, and discrimination exists prevents us from healing, and allows the sickness to continue and spread. Refusing to revisit the dark parts of our past, and the ugliness which that kind of hate and discrimination creates, prevents us from learning from it, so as to make the commitment not to repeat it.

In reflecting upon the issue of critical race theory, I leave you with a word from the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth when he had to confront them with the truth of their actions. He stated, “I am no longer sorry that I sent that letter to you, though I was sorry for a time, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to have remorse and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants His people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of sorrow. But sorrow without repentance is the kind that results in death.” (2 Corinthians 7:8–12).

Happy Black History Month. Let’s honor our ancestors by acknowledging our history and our truth.

Hold on My Chickadees. “Good Morning My Chickadees, Messages from Mom” is at the publishers. Stay tuned!

ANOTHER YEAR IN A PANDEMIC: WHAT’S NEXT?

Happy New Year My Chickadees!

As I embrace another year, I approach it with gratitude for God’s grace and mercy. That being said, I am still a little flustered that we are still wandering around in this pandemic. When I reflect upon our current state of being, I am struck by how our circumstances and plight are eerily similar to the Israelites wandering around in the desert for 40 years—instead of God’s intended 40 days—because of their disobedience and lack of trust. God had a plan; He always does! His plan is always for our good and His glory, but some of us are just like our spiritual ancestors who want to follow our way instead of The Way.

We all prayed for a cure of the COVID 19 virus, and the scientific community was in awe when a vaccine was made ready and available so quickly. What some felt skeptical about, those of us who are believers in the power of prayer and the faithfulness of God to hear our calls and answer our prayers, saw it as a miracle. It reminded me of another plague that broke out among the people of God. The answer to their prayer for a cure was to look upon a snake lifted up on a bronze pole. Yes, it was unconventional, but so is our God.

Here’s the back story from Chapters 13 and 14 of the Book of Numbers, which include my ‘cliff notes’ and analogy. You are free to read between the lines.

God told the Israelites He was going to give them Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. Following God’s instructions, Moses and Aaron sent 12 men (one leader from each tribe) to scout out the land they were to possess. Despite what God said He would do, two opposing positions emerged from their report—one rooted in fear and the other in faith.

The ‘moral majority’ made a judgement based on what they saw when they surveyed the land and fear gripped their hearts. Their fear spread like a cancer through the Israelite camp. It didn’t matter that Caleb, a man of faith, tried to encourage them by saying, “Let’s go at once to take the land,” (probably before they had time to think about it). “We can certainly conquer it.” (Numbers 13:7) I guess his position was, God said it, that settles it, let’s go! But as the people reasoned in their hearts, they disregarded what God said, “Send men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to Israel.”

Having heard the ‘Fox News report of doom and gloom,’ the Israelites began crying and wailing. They had the audacity to say they wanted to go back to Egypt. How quickly did they forget that this was the place where they had been enslaved and subsequently freed from the Egyptians. Because they did not trust God’s promise, they planned a ‘January 6 insurrection.’ Because God is who He is, He got a little pissed off and told Moses, “None of you who are 20 years old or older and were counted in the census will enter the land I swore to give you. The only exception will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.”

God, who is long-suffering but also a God of justice, pronounced that they would wander in the wilderness for 40 years (one year for each day the men explored the land); and death to the 10 men who incited the insurrection. In fact, because the Israelites continued to complain and didn’t learn their lesson from the other times they grumbled and complained against God and Moses, “God sent poisonous snakes among them, and many of them were bitten and died.” (Numbers 21:6)

Now to their credit, every time they found themselves facing the negative, catastrophic consequences of their rebellion, they humbled themselves, repented and prayed. Then God—who is faithful to forgive—granted grace, mercy and a cure. Today as we deal with the pandemic, we must also repent and accept God’s open invitation for forgiveness. 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

As we approach another year of pandemics—racism, sexism, violence, disregard for the rights of others, human life and nature, and COVID and all of its mutations—we need a God who can save us from ourselves. For a nation that professes, “In God we trust,” I have to ask, do we really? My New Year’s prayer is that the pandemics we find ourselves in do not blind us from finding our way back to God. He is waiting for us to call His name, humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from the ways that have led us so far off course.

My chickadees, remember that we are the light in a world shrouded in darkness. We are called and commissioned to be light and salt in a dying world. Matthew 5:15 instructs us, “Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.” Be the light that shines through the darkness so that what’s next is a world ready and waiting for the true light to guide us all back home.

Peace and blessings,

Gail

Hold on My Chickadees. “Good Morning My Chickadees, Messages from Mom” is at the publishers. Stay tuned!

FOR UNTO US IS BORN A SAVIOR: EMMANUEL, GOD IS WITH US. Matthew 1:23

God is with us; how deep is that? Pause for a moment and reflect upon the fact that the Creator of the universe, the one who created everything in it including you and me, says “I am with you.” When we are allowed that thought to resonate with us, we begin to understand why Scripture says, “No weapon formed against us will prosper,” Isaiah 54:17. We have the God of the universe on our side.

Christmas is a time in which we remind ourselves of the gift God gave us in His son Jesus. He allowed His son to become one of us to show us the way back to Him. Just like God is a Spirit, the who of who we REALLY are is a spirit; which lives in this casing we call a body, and will live somewhere long after this body wears away. In a world that seems to grow darker and dimmer every day, we need a Savior to light our way. Jesus was given to us as that light to show us the way, but what does that really mean?

Let’s unwrap THE GIFT:

J is for Joy: Joy is an attitude that defies our circumstances, which is different from happiness, which is a feeling based on our  circumstances. Jesus came to let us know that we do not have to live discouraged or dismayed, because He is with us and promised to be our strength in times of weakness. The Gift invites us to abide in Him so that we cannot only have joy; but that our joy will be full. Situations and circumstances change, but we can still have joy when we choose to accept The Gift.

E is for Expectation: We can expect that Jesus will do exactly what He says, we just don’t know how; and that allows us to walk by faith and not by sight, as we live with expectation and anticipation of being amazed. He will show up, usually at 11:59 and counting, and work out our situation for our good and His glory.

S is for Suffering: Jesus said, “In this life we can expect persecution; but don’t be discouraged, He overcame therefore we are over-comers,” John 16:33. When we receive The Gift, we put on His righteousness, and in His power we become more than conquerors. We are assured that we will rise above our present suffering because He is with us, and we will come out victorious on the other side.

U is for Universal: The Gift is universal and given irrespective of person. The Gift brings a message of unconditional love and the promised salvation to all mankind. We have this assurance in Romans 10:13, when we are promised that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

S is for Savior: According to Google, a Savior is, “A person who saves someone or something from danger, and is regarded with the veneration of a religious figure.” In a world in which it appears that the darkness of evil is the order of the day, Jesus was given to be a light to save us from dangers seen and unseen, that accompanies a world in the hands of the wicked one. The Bible tells us that He has but a short time to reign, Revelation 12:12, and that The King of Kings will reestablish His kingdom which will have no end.

One of the last and most beautiful things Jesus did before He went back to His Father was that He prayed for us. Yes, John 17:11-25 informs us that He prayed for us. He asked His Father to keep us safe from the evil one. He asked Daddy to make us pure and holy by teaching us God’s word of truth; and as only a Savior would do, He prayed, “I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours.”

One of the most frequently quoted passages of Scripture is John 3:16, which tells us that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” He gave so that even if we feel lonely, we are never alone. Not only is Emmanuel with us, He promised never to leave us or forsake us no matter what it looks like, or feels like, or what others may say that really don’t know Him. “He is our refuge and strength and is always ready to help in times of trouble,” Psalms 46:1.

When we accept The Gift, we can expect to be amazed, have strength for our journey, and rest in the assurance that because He is with us, “no weapon formed against us will prosper.” We can have joy which the world cannot give us. The Gift comes wrapped in love and tied with the bow of eternal life.

This Christmas when you open your presents, make sure you open The Gift that allows all other gifts to be possible. He truly is the gift that keeps giving, and Philippians 2:10-11 tells us, “That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; to the glory of God the father.” Daddy has given us a gift, His name is Emmanuel, ‘God is with us’. Open your gift and expect to be amazed and changed.

My chickadees, I pray you have a blessed and joyous Christmas as you celebrate the true reason for the season.

Peace and blessings,

Gail

Hold on. It’s coming soon.

THANKSGIVING: FINDING THE BOW AFTER THE RAIN

Hello My Chickadees,

Thanksgiving is a time of remembering; remembering loved ones, remembering good times, and remembering the goodness of the Lord and all that He has blessed us to do, see, and have. In short, it is an opportunity to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. However, for many people it is a reminder of loss, loneliness, and sadness; associated with what was, and of times that have passed.

In preparing this Thanksgiving message I was reminded of the story of Noah and the flood, and despite the inconvenience of rain, just like in the story, the rain had a purpose. Rain is seldom welcomed unless you’ve been in a drought, and it is often associated with a loss, a crisis, or some other unforeseen mishap that rocked our world and shook our foundation. As I reflected upon the rain of this pandemic that took something away from all of us, and at times felt overwhelming - especially when it swept away our loved ones - I am reminded that the God who allowed it has a purpose and a plan for all that He does and allows. We may not understand it at the time, and there are some things we may never understand. When we find ourselves asking WHY, and as human as that is, if we stay stuck at ‘why,’ we never get to the new thing that God is doing in our lives.

One of the positive purposes of rain is that it refreshes and makes way for renewal. Rain waters the seeds of God’s promises that are often lying dormant in our hearts until life happens. There are those unexpected, unscheduled, unforeseen detours on the road to happiness, and we find ourselves in the valley of loss, sadness, and in some cases, despair. Although we do not control the rain, we can control our perspective about the rain. Our perspective impacts our mood, attitude, and outlook on life. If we perceive the rain as punitive and allow how we feel to shape our perspective, we can find ourselves on the slippery slope of doubting and questioning God’s love and care for us. When this happens, we may begin disconnecting from the life-source that we need to navigate through the storm to our new beginning. But if we embrace the rain as an opportunity to anchor onto God’s promises for us, and we allow Him to step into our brokenness, and refresh our hearts with the latter rain that waters the seeds of His word in us; it will quicken our spirit and renew our soul like the Eagle Isaiah talked about in Chapter 40:31. The promise that God made to those who wait on Him is that: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”

We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow, and He has made promises that can anchor us and carry us through the storms of life. Just like He promised Noah after the flood that He would “Never send another flood to kill all living creatures and destroy the earth” (Genesis 9:11). Verse 13 tells us that He placed a rainbow after the storm as a sign and reminder of His promise.

God is faithful to every promise He has made to us in His word. He did not promise that we would not have trials, tribulations, or storms in our lives; but He did promise that He would not leave us nor forsake us and that He would see us through (Hebrews 13:5).

For those who find themselves in a valley of loss and sadness this Thanksgiving and the approaching holiday season, take courage and allow the light of God’s promises to water the seeds of hope in your heart and renew your spirit. This Thanksgiving, choose not to dwell on what you may have lost, but instead reflect upon the promises of what you will gain as you give Him your broken pieces and allow Him to fashion something new in, through and for you.

In closing, I would like to share with you some words of wisdom that my bank teller shared with me at the beginning of the year. For those who are grieving loss, abandonment, rejection, or may be feeling lonely, I hope that these inspirational sayings will help you find your bow after the rain:

· “Whatever you do, NEVER run back to what broke you.” Frank Ocean

· “Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.”

· “You can’t start a new chapter of your life if you keep rereading the last one.”

· “When life puts you in tough situations, don’t say ‘Why Me’, say ‘Try Me.”

· “Boundaries are your responsibility. You decide what is and isn’t allowed in your life.”

Love, Peace and Blessings My Chickadees.

Happy Thanksgiving, Gail

WHAT YOU BELIEVE MATTERS: Whose Report Will You Believe?

Hello My Chickadees,

Life is a series of choices. As Jean Nidetch stated, “It’s choice, not chance, that determines your destiny.” If January 6, 2021, did nothing else, it brought to light how divided we are as a people and a nation. What we believe governs how we see the world and what we do. What we believe is also a product of what we’ve been exposed to and what voice(s) we choose to listen to.

I began thinking about this after a wonderful gathering of colleagues and friends at my house for a pool potluck reunion. We were all gathered around the pool, and I noticed that one member of the group had separated himself on the opposite side from where the rest of our group was gathered. I did not think too much about it, but when the group began to thin out, the remaining guests gathered around a table at one corner of the pool area. I invited my friend who had separated himself, to come and join us, which he did. We all continued laughing and talking as we each gave our spin on life as we saw it. As the subject of vaccinations became the topic on the table, I naively ASSUMED that everyone had been vaccinated. Being passionate about the subject, I interjected my quandary about why people were refusing to take something that could probably save their life or the lives of people they love. It was at that point that my colleague who had separated himself announced to my surprise and chagrin, “I am not vaccinated.” A hush fell over the table and my head spun around like the girl who was possessed in the movie, “The Exorcist,” and before I could catch myself, the words flew out of my mouth, “YOU’RE NOT VACCINATED?”

Once the group recovered from the shock of what was said, everyone began inquiring as to the reason for his monumental decision because to us, getting vaccinated seemed elementary. He proceeded to express his distrust of the government and what ‘they say,’ and various reports he had researched from the Internet. I sat there trying to absorb and process what he was saying. Various guests around the table questioned him about what ultimately came down to his beliefs based on the voices he chose to listen to. Although what he said defied logic to me and sounded more like one of those conspiracy theories you hear about, I listened with compassion because he was resolute in what he believed and the position he had taken. It was clear to me that nothing that any of us could say, including his wife, was going to penetrate the wall of what he believed.

There are opposing theories about everything, and in the information age in which we live, we can find some documentation on the Internet to support whatever we choose to believe. But the age-old question is, ‘whose report will you believe?’ Most of you have probably heard the old joke about the man who was in a flood. For those who may be unfamiliar with the joke, I will share it with you now: The water had covered the first floor in the man’s house when a boat came by. ‘Jump in,’ they called out. ‘No,’ said the man, ‘God will save me.’ The water rose until the man was on the second floor, and another boat came by. They called out for the man to get in. ‘No,’ he said, ‘God will save me.’ The water rose higher until the man was on his roof. A helicopter came by and dropped a ladder. The man refused saying, ‘No, God will save me.’ The man drowned. When he got to heaven, he questioned God. ‘Why didn’t you save me?’ to which God replied, ‘I sent you two boats and a helicopter. What did you want?’

I was reminded of that joke because my thought was—what if the vaccine is the boat and the helicopter that God has sent to save us in this pandemic? God likes to use ordinary and unconventional means to do the extraordinary and miraculous. Who would have thought that making a replica of a poisonous snake and attaching it to the top of the pole would cure those who had been bitten by the snakes inflicted upon the disobedient Israelites in the desert? But according to Numbers 21:8-9, that is exactly what happened and what saved them.

Allow me to be clear here—I am not trying to tell anyone what to believe; what I am trying to do is call your attention to the fact that who you surround yourself with, and the information you listen to, influence what you believe. Whose report you believe could be a matter of life and death. The Bible tells us that in all things we should acknowledge God, and He will direct our path. Proverbs 3:6 specifically puts it this way, “seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”

My Chickadees, I love to refer to the Bible as being like the Prego spaghetti sauce commercial, ‘everything we need is in there.’ It warns us that “there is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12) Free will is a beautiful mixed blessing; with it we get to choose to believe and do what we want, but there are strings attached—they are called consequences. Let us all choose to consult God when choosing whose report we will believe.

Peace and Blessings My Chickadees,

Gail

ARE YOU READY?

Hello My Chickadees,

Every generation, since the time of Jesus’s departure from this earth, has talked about His return. There have been countless books and numerous movies alerting us to the signs of ‘End Times,’ and the promise of Jesus’ return. There have been countless sermons preached about it and endless warnings to get ready for it; but how seriously are we taking these predictions? It’s easy to go about our day consumed with our own affairs and dismiss these fore-warnings as mere terrible things that happened and not connect the dots about this system of things ending.

Within the last year, we have been experiencing a global pandemic, which I have been referring to as a plague, of which it seems like there is no end in sight. The powers that be are finally having to admit to the fact that all the natural disasters we are experiencing are related to global warming. And, oh maybe, we need to do something, as all creation groans and labors with birth pangs (Romans 8:28). Violence is off the chain and not even kids are exempt as the love of man waxes cold (Matthew 24:12). We have seen a 500% increase in violence since 1960 in the United States alone; and we constantly live under the threat of a terror attack as wars and rumors of wars are part of our everyday existence.

Last month I blogged about being hacked, and it has made me alter my morning prayer to include asking God to make me and my loved ones invisible to the enemy. The singer/songwriter Marvin Gaye sang the question, “What’s Going On?” and my response is that Jesus must be coming back soon. With every sick, sad, catastrophic thing I hear on the news I say (and sometimes out loud), ‘how long Lord, how long?’

I reflected upon a conversation God had with Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 when He stated, “At times I might shut up the heaven so that no rain falls, or I might command locus to devour crops, or I might send plagues among you.” But God offered a reprieve to this cataclysmic course of events. He stated in verse 14, “Then IF my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.” The fate of our world hinges on the two-letter word “if,” and a reckoning with the reality that we have missed the mark of ‘loving the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and loving our neighbor as ourselves’ (Matthew 22:37-39). I know God is long suffering and desires that no one is lost (2 Peter 3:9), and I’m happy about that, even though there are some folks that in my humanness, I wouldn’t mind it if He fired them up; but I nevertheless, ask the question, how long?

As I’ve gotten older, I find myself thinking more and more about my own mortality. My grandmother used to say, “None come to stay.” We are all pilgrims passing through, and when we are young, we think we have plenty of time on the planet; so ‘let’s eat, drink, and be merry.’ The only problem with that is that time marches on. It does not wait for us to get our lives together or make our first million. It marches on and like a thief in the night, before you know it, you’re reaching for that bottle of Miss Clairol to cover up some of that gray that’s invading your head. As we experience the painful reality that time waits for no one, the question becomes, what are we doing with the time that God gave us to live? Time comes with responsibility. We are sent to this planet on a mission; to leave it better because we lived, to touch a life and make a difference, and to show the love of God our Father everywhere we go.

As I reflect upon the times we are living in, I ask myself, if Jesus were to return this week, would I be ready? Am I living a ‘purpose driven life,’ or more specifically, am I fulfilling my purpose for being here and making good use of the time God gave me? Have I made an effort to love when it’s hard to see the Christ in people who appear to personify evil and the devil himself? Have I gone out of my way to show someone who is going through a storm in their life that I care? Would Jesus say to me upon His return, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant’ (Matthew 25:21); you did what I sent you to do?

I challenge all of us to pay attention to the signs of the time—that the end of this system of things is drawing nearer with every beat of our heart and every rise of the sun. By every indication that Jesus gave us in His word, regarding the signs of His return, it won’t be long. My question to you is, ARE YOU READY?

Peace and Blessings My Chickadees,

Gail

EVER BEEN HACKED? FIVE LESSONS LEARNED

Hello My Chickadees,

The Bible tells us that the enemy, who is a thief and the father of lies, “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10); and never have we seen the evidence of that more than we have in these last days and times.

While enjoying a much-needed vacation, I scrolled through my emails and saw a message professing to come from Verizon regarding my service. It looked and sounded plausible, and with my brain being on vacation mode, I clicked on it. The next morning while sitting on the balcony of my room and doing my prayers and meditation for the day, I received a text from a friend who inquired whether I had emailed her. I had not; I’m on vacation. Immediately after responding to her, I was flooded with calls and texts from friends, family, and loved ones, some of whom I had not talked to in years; concerned about my well-being and alerting me to the ominous message they had received. I knew immediately that I had been hacked. Panic gripped me but I received another text from a friend who knows me well enough to know what I was going through in that moment, and gave the comforting message, don’t panic; change your password. Upon doing that, I began to calm down enough to allow my rational brain to think about what to do next. Not wanting anyone to fall prey to this malicious scheme, I began going through my contact list to alert everyone that I had been hacked, and the message they received was not from me.

Most people who know me know that I am one of the most technologically challenged individuals on the planet. I am not a big email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other social media kind of person. If I need something from you, or you need something from me, the phone is my modus operandi. Prior to the hack, I didn’t even know what a Google play card was (still don’t), so the likelihood of me asking anyone to purchase a Google gift card for me for any reason, is highly unlikely. Being out of the country at the time of the hack, there was little else I could do after changing my password and texting everyone in my contact list to alert them of the fact that I had been hacked. I prayed that no one else would be harmed by the enemy’s attack upon me; and I know the Bible says we should pray for our enemies, but admittedly, that was not my first thought. There were some prayers regarding Satan’s little helper, but they were more along the lines of retribution and God avenging this demonic act.

I can’t speak for anyone else who has experienced being hacked, but I felt so gullible. I understand why the Bible warns us to “be vigilant and cautious at ALL times (even on vacation); because satan walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour” (1Peter 5:8); so we, the children of God, must be ‘shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves’ (Matthew 10:16). The battle between light and dark, good and evil, is raging like we have never seen before all over the planet; and with every yin, there is a yang. Technology is a wonderful thing and God inspires man with the wisdom to create things for the benefit of all His children, but Satan, being true to his mission, purpose, and goals, will take the truth of God and make it a lie. He is the master deceiver and he’s good at it because he’s been doing it since the Garden of Eden. But he will not have the last say. Yes we are in the middle of a war, and like Edmund Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” so here is my contribution to the good guys. I alerted both AOL and Verizon of how the enemy was using them to attempt to scam their customers, and I’m blogging my experience to all of you so that prayerfully, you don’t have to be a victim of this the way I was.

With every experience we have, there are lessons to be learned; and from those lessons learned, we garner wisdom. We will assuredly make other mistakes, but we don’t have to make the same mistakes. Here are some lessons I learned, and I’m passing them on to you so that we can all beware and be aware the next time the enemy comes lurking at our email:

1.  You Are Not Alone. One of the first things I sadly became aware of is how common this kind of attack is. It was comforting to know that I am not the only one this has happened to; and there’s life after a hack. Yes, it does feel catastrophic at the time, but God is the God of restoration. Although Satan and his helpers operate under a cloak of deception, God brings all things to light and He says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” (Romans 12:19). God wants His children to remain in perfect peace, and we do that by turning the situation over to our Daddy. He saw what happened and He says, ‘I got this baby; let it go. What the enemy meant for evil will turn out for your good and my glory.’  From this incident I reconnected with friends I had not heard from in years; and I get to blog this experience to you.

2.  When in Doubt, Call Before You Click. I have averted a number of schemes and scams in the past by going to the real source. Companies are only too happy to let you know whether the email was actually from them, or a scam. Being the master counterfeiter that the enemy is, he will replicate a company’s logo and information to make it look like ‘the real McCoy.’ If it seems suspicious, most times it is a fake.

3. Don’t Get Caught Up in Responding to Their Time Demands. Most often when confronted with these types of schemes, they try to appeal to your emotions and get you to act before you think. Always remember, their urgency is not your emergency. Don’t allow yourself to be influenced by their time demands, and never share a password or personal information. Most of the time, if there is some fraudulent activity with your accounts, the bank or company will call you, and you don’t have to give them your information; they have it and will give it to you. When in doubt, do nothing. The worst thing that can happen is you temporarily lose something that the enemy has to ‘pay back seven times what he stole’ (Proverbs 6:31). Encourage yourself with what is a promise from a God who cannot lie, “No weapon formed against you will prosper” (Isaiah 54:17). Satan will shoot his best shot, but you will ultimately have the victory.

4. Change Your Password. Should you become a victim of a hack, change your password immediately. It’s like shutting down the source of the fire so you can then do damage control. I was able to change my password, but not before they reconfigured my email. I guess they were upset that they didn’t get the response they expected, so they redirected my incoming emails to the trash. I thank God for the technical support team of my provider who figured out what was happening and corrected it; but what an inconvenience.

5. Report the Fraud to the Fraud Department of the Company. In these last days and times, fraud has become a lifestyle for some people. This is their job.  It seems like weekly we are hearing about security breaches among major big-name companies. Protecting ourselves, our identity, our businesses, and our assets have become a major concern and a sign of the times, but God. I love that ‘but God’ because He puts a comma where the enemy wants to put a period. The Bible informs us that “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). Prayer is an atomic bomb to the enemy. We all have this weapon in our arsenal and we need to use it daily. In fact, the Bible advises us to put on our spiritual armor and pray without ceasing. We also need to pray for one another and be open to God’s Spirit guiding us in His way.

It is my prayer that you will keep me in your prayers as I expose the enemy for the deceiver and liar that he is. Take courage and remember, in Christ we have the victory. Please share this vital blog with everyone you know.

Peace and Blessings My Chickadees,

Gail

PS. This is really me.

IS THERE ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD? (Genesis 18:14)

Hello My Chickadees,

When humility meets faith, God’s response is, “I Will.” God is always present but sometimes it may seem like, or feel like, He’s not listening. No one can know the mind of God, but we can know the will of God. He makes it plain for us in His word, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). But what if God’s plan does not fit our timetable? What if the manifestation of that plan is years down the road? Do we give up on God? Or do what Sarah did when she was ear hustling at her tent when three strangers (angels) told her husband Abraham that “this time next year Sarah will have a son” (Genesis 18:10), when she was well past childbearing years? In her humanness she thought they were crazy, and she laughed.

In our humanness we tend to judge by the appearance of things and rest in what seems to be reasonable, but God defies our logic. He tells us that His ways are not our ways; in fact, Paul tells us that His ways are past finding out (Romans 11:33-34). Although we may not know what God is going to do, or when He’s going to do it, but we certainly know what He’s able to do. He is able to do what humanly seems impossible to do, but that’s the nature of God. We serve a BIG God who can do big things. We like to place God in our neat little boxes and categories. Our nature is to control the process to reach a desired outcome. We want to put God in a formula that puts Him on par with a genie. I’ve heard it said that if we want to make God laugh, tell Him our plans. I get it. That’s the equivalent of the created thing telling the Creator what to do. God cannot, nor will not, be controlled. He cannot be manipulated but He can be reached. How do we reach Him; with a broken spirit and a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). You might think that that doesn’t appear attractive; and to us it’s not, but to God He sees someone who is open and pliable. He sees someone who is humble and remorseful and realizes that without Him—we can do nothing. We have tried the world’s way and we concede that it doesn’t work. When we throw up our hands and open our hearts, God can step in and do what we in our own strength and perceived power, cannot. He is after all, Sovereign. He can do what He wants, when He wants, and how He wants. A contrite spirit and a broken heart allow Him access - all He needs is an invitation.

Maybe you have been praying about something which hasn’t materialized in the natural yet. Our task as believers is to trust that God is faithful to what He says He will do. Although we live forward, our understanding is hindsight. Our delay is not necessarily a denial. Often a confluence of some other things need to come together before the answer to our prayer is manifested. In the wait, allow God to work out the details as you remain steadfast, unmovable, and abiding in His word. Wait with the expectation of a revelation that in God’s time, we will reap a harvest in due season IF we faint not (Galatians 6:9).

Let’s not get weary in well-doing. Let’s not pout, and let us resist the temptation to get angry with God because it appears that He didn’t do what we thought He should have done. And your neighbor got the blessing you feel you should have gotten because you have been much more faithful than they have. You crossed all your ‘i’s and dotted all your ‘t’s and you are in the same place and space. In our humanness we all have that temptation, but shake that self-righteous attitude and remember that God is YOUR Daddy and He made you a promise. He promised not to deny you any good thing (Psalm 84:12).

Though the vision tarries, wait on it; it’s for an appointed time (Habakkuk 2:3), and nowhere does it say that it’s according to our timetable.

Let’s stop frustrating ourselves trying to figure God out, or trying to manipulate Him with our faulty logic of equating His response to our desires with His love for us. I can help you with that one - He loves us unconditionally, always, and whether we choose to love Him or not. His love covers us, keeps us, guides us, protects and directs us, reprimands us, and never leaves us in whatever we are going through.

Is there anything too hard for God? That’s an absolute NO. As Dora said in the movie Finding Nemo, “Keep swimming, keep swimming, keep swimming,” and expect the unexpected.

Peace and Blessings My Chickadees,

Gail

PS. Stay tuned, Good Morning My Chickadees is coming.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

THE RESILIENCE OF ‘A PEOPLE WHO COULD FLY’: The Power of God and Our Vote

Hello My Chickadees,

“The People Could Fly” is the title of a children’s book of American Black folktales by Virginia Hamilton. The book is a collection of folklore passed down from a people brought from Africa and enslaved in a foreign land. Unlike another people in the Bible who were taken into captivity, enslaved, and wondered “How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land” (Psalms 137:4); enslaved Africans were not even permitted to sing their native songs because speaking their language was prohibited. These people, who survived the Middle Passage, of which an estimated 2 million of them died or were killed during the journey; were stripped of their identity, culture, custom, family, language, and home, before being branded and deemed property. Without dignity or humanity, and being numbered among the cattle, they endured the brutality of a ‘Peculiar Institution’ known as chattel slavery.

In the words of Isabel Wilkerson in her book, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents”, she writes, “The institution of slavery was the converging of human beings into currency, into machines who existed solely for the profit of their owners to be worked as long as the owner desired, who had no rights over their bodies, or loved ones; who could be mortgaged, bred, won in a bet, given as wedding presents, bequeathed to heirs, sold away from spouses or children to cover an owner’s debt, or to spite a rival, or to settle an estate. They were regularly whipped, raped and branded; subjected to any whim or distemper of the people who owned them.”

It is said that in the legend of “The People Could Fly”, enslaved Africans brought within them magic, that when unleashed, enabled them to fly. This power remained dormant within them, until the slave master’s whip triggered in Sara, a tortured enslaved woman, the memory of this power to fly. She urged Toby, one of the older slaves from the Motherland, to speak the words that unleashed this power to fly. It is said that old and young joined hands and flew to freedom.

Freedom is always at the forefront of anyone held captive, and for Africans enslaved in America, it was a 246 year process. Our reality of freedom, and the hope of rights associated with those given in the 14th amendment of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, were linked to Lincoln’s desire to win the war between the North and the South. Throughout history, Lincoln has been credited with freeing the slaves, but the truth is that Lincoln as ‘a Liberator’ was a process of evolution. He felt that freed black people should be colonized outside the US and that they should be separated. His initial position was that Blacks are not equal to whites, and he blamed them for the Civil War. In reality, the institution of slavery was the cause of the country’s great divide; not those who were oppressed.  It was not until Lincoln realized that he needed the slaves to fight in the Union Army in order to win; and he recognized their dedication, bravery, and loyalty to the Union, that he signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

When the Civil War ended in 1865, Lincoln decreed that African American soldiers who served in the union would be given the right to vote. This was a game changer, along with the ratification of the 13th amendment which abolished slavery and permanently freed enslaved people in America. However, with the assassination of Lincoln eight months later, the tide began to change. Eerily reminiscent of a recent changing of the guard from Obama to Trump, Andrew Johnson’s position was that “This is a country for white men.” Although Blacks were free, they did not have citizenship and therefore no recourse to fight against the white establishment.

During the period of Reconstruction and with the Civil Rights Act of 1866, “African Americans enjoyed a period when they were allowed to actively participate in the political process, acquire the land of the former owners, seek their own employment, and use public accommodations.” In this 12- year period of Reconstruction, Blacks took full advantage of these freedoms and established churches, schools, and universities; held political office, and were able to affect change for everyone, especially disenfranchised Blacks. All these changes took place under the protection of, and the watchful eye of, the Freedman’s Bureau and federal troops. As so often experienced, backlash is the response to any progress made by African Americans, and as Blacks were embracing the power of change that their vote and ballot afforded them, southern whites began to devise plans to restore the southern tradition of white supremacy as the southern way, and the gains that Blacks experienced began to erode. The implementation of such laws as the Black Codes were designed to “keep the Negro in his place.” Secret societies such as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, the Camellias, the white Brotherhood, and other terrorist groups, formed to exercise absolute control over Blacks. “They used intimidation, force, ostracism in business and society, bribery at the polls, arson, and even murder to accomplish their deeds. Depriving Blacks of political equality became to them a holy crusade, in which a noble end justified any means. Blacks were run out of communities if they disobeyed orders to desist from voting, and the more resolute and therefore insubordinate Blacks were whipped, maimed, and hanged.”(3) The end result of all their progress was 150 years of Jim Crow.

I am calling attention to this brief history lesson because the Bible states in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun.”

My Chickadees, it is for this reason I feel compelled to call our attention to the full court press on voter suppression. Georgia’s attempt to limit ‘out-of-precinct voting,’ hurts Black neighborhoods, and reduces Black voters’ access to the ballot box across the state. Their House Bill 531 would “throw out a voter’s entire ballot if it is cast at the wrong precinct.” This becomes an issue for people who have moved within the county. A survey done in Georgia found that Black voters live in neighborhoods with much higher rates of in-county-moves (37% of whites vs 64% of Blacks); and Black voters are more likely to be hit especially hard by the elimination of the out-of-precinct voting allowance.

In Texas: Senate Bill 7 would “require an equal number of voting machines at countywide holding locations, which is a backdoor way of eliminating large voting centers that could be used by large numbers of city residents. The bill also makes it illegal to offer 24 hour and drive through voting.” (Here is the big kicker) “It requires that voters seeking to use the disability exemption for voting by mail provide documentary proof of their disability, and it openly invites the harassment of voters at polling places by allowing poll watchers to videotape voters while they are voting.” Their House Bill 6 would also prohibit election officials from sending absentee ballot applications to voters who have not requested them.

We must be aware and vigilant as other states follow suit. Voter suppression is not new in our country, but with the browning of America, we are seeing and experiencing more efforts to suppress the vote. Such actions as:

• Imposing strict voter ID laws (“racial minorities are more likely than whites to lack accepted voter ID”)

• Cutting voting times

• Restricting registration and purging voter rolls

• The weakening of the Voting Rights Act of 2013 by the Supreme Court, which has demonstrated throughout history, it is not always a friend to black and brown people.

• Inability to assist a voter who is disabled or in need of assistance as a result of a language barrier, or disabled in another form from getting assistance with casting their ballot.

• Redistricting

• Gerrymandering, and the list goes on.

Winston Churchill wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” The real magic of the “people who could fly” was a belief in a God of deliverance AND trusting that our God will empower us with the means to make it happen. Let us hold fast to James 2:17 which states, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Let us do our part as we call on the God of deliverance to bestow upon us the ability to fly.

Peace and blessings,

Gail

References

1.   “The African American Odyssey: A Quest For Full Citizenship, Reconstruction and its Aftermath”

2.   “Amend: The Fight For American Democracy”

3.   Franklin, John Hope and Moss, Alfred: “From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans”, McGraw-Hill, © 1994 Pg. 250

4.   Brennan Center for Justice

PS. Stay tuned, “Good Morning my Chickadees” is coming.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.