What Kind of Tree Are You?

Greetings, my friends!

Rev. Dr. Felix G. Williams, III, themed his sermon on Sunday, November 27, 2011, “Be The Right Kind Of Tree”. This sermon was from Psalm 1:1-3, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.” (NIV)

Rev. Dr. Williams told the congregation that we do not need any forecast of our future; we do not need to be paying any palm reader or psychic, nor do we need to be reading horoscope. The Word is all we need!

Rev. Dr. Williams said that you know you are blessed when:

1) you know what not to connect to and what not to connect with;
2) you do not hang out with certain kind of company; when you know the right company to keep and the right book to read;
3) you do not have to give in to the atmosphere you are around;
4) you will be in the space of the unrighteous but you are stronger because you will not be overcome by whom is in your space;

Rev. Williams said that you can be in an environment that does not prosper, but you will prosper because of the Holy Spirit! He then posed the question, “so what kind of tree are you?” I am a palm tree! A palm tree, according to Rev. Dr. Williams, does not need storm-free living!

Storms become evident of how much faith you have. Palm trees weather the storms – hurricanes and tropical storms and thunderous rains! The leaves of a palm tree sway from side to side, one of the branches may even get broken off but the leaves point up! A palm tree does not die because a branch is broken off, it continues to prosper. Being blessed is like a tree …. a palm tree, that is!




Taken from the sermon of Rev. Dr. Felix G. Williams, III, 11/27/11, Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church)


God bless,
Therese from Belize

Spiritual Warfare

Greetings, friends-in-Christ!

Today, I could not help but to seek God's help with this spiritual warfare going on in my life and around me. As Paul warned us in Ephesians 6:12, “For 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." (KJV)

ChristiaNet.com, a large Christian portal, had conducted a survey of 1,200 Christians asking, "Have you ever experienced spiritual warfare?" The responses were significant. 84% of those surveyed believed that they had indeed experienced some type of spiritual warfare in their lives. Most in this group felt that experiencing spiritual warfare was actually a confirming sign that they were true believers in Christ. (1996-2011 ChristiaNet)®

Friends, during the time of spiritual warfare, that is when the weak is weeded out from the strong. It is during this time that our faith in Christ is tested. Will we pass this test trusting in God to bring us through or will we allow the enemy to defeat us? A writer for Christianity.com stated, "The more our minds are filled with the truth of God's Word, the less susceptible we are to Satan's deceptions and temptations." (2009 article, www.christianity.com)

So, how do we fill our minds with the truth of God's Word to fight this spiritual warfare? Paul advises us in Ephesians 6:13-18, "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. (KJV)

Therese from Belize

Domestic Violence: A Challenge For Faith Communities

Greetings, my friends:

I had the opportunity to speak to members of clergy regarding recognizing and discerning domestic violence in our places of worship.

Domestic violence is prevalent in our faith communities, however, as I told the clergy, we often turn a blind eye to the needs of our congregations. In a 2004 survey that was conducted by the Kentucky Injury Prevention Research Center, they found that 75% of the women who were affected by domestic violence talked to someone (family member, community member, etc.) and of that 75%, 26% of those women contacted their clergy. My question, what did the clergy do? Are we seeking assistance for these women or are we sanitizing sin, throwing the problem under the rug, ignorning or simply do not care? Do we get the perpetrators out of the pulpit, out of leadership positions, or do we continue to let them sit in the pew without calling on them for prayer and counseling? Do we visit the home? Are we mentoring?

What I stressed to the clergy, was to make members feel that they are listened to, that we care about them. There needs to be support from the pulpit for victims of domestic violence. Preachers and pastors, evangelists, prophets and prohpetesses should be speaking out about this evil. I directed scripture from Romans 5:5, "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (KJV) We must never let someone feel that it is their fault why they are being abused. PositiveChristianWoman.com tells women, "at the core of our very beings, we should base our self-worth in nothing more and nothing less than Christ, in HIS magnificant love for us and how HE demonstrated that through HIS death and resurrection."

This is the time for us as God's people to get educated about the prevalence of domestic violence in our places of worship; to provide assistance through organizations for members who come for assistance. How we respond to someone of our congregation may make the difference between them coming closer to Christ or them walking out in darkness.

I pray that our churches and places of worship will get serious about this issue.

God bless,
Therese from Belize

A Soulful Relationship

Greetings, my friends in Christ!

Today, I am thanking God for blessing me with life, a new beginning to get things right with HIM! Thank you Father.

Rev. Ronald McFadden, Soulful Relationship, said, "An African proverb states, 'Before you get married, keep both eyes open, and after you marry, close one eye'. Before you get involved and make a commitment to someone, don't let lust, desperation, immaturity, ignorance, pressure from others or a low self-esteem make you blind to warning signs. Keep your eyes open, and don't fool yourself that you can change someone or that what you see as faults aren't really important. Once you decide to commit to someone, over time their flaws, vulnerabilities, pet peeves, and differences will become more obvious. If you love your mate and want the relationship to grow and evolve, you've got to learn to close one eye and not let every little thing bother you. You and your mate have many different expectations, emotional needs, values, dreams, weaknesses, and strengths. You are two unique individuals who have decided to share a life together. Neither of you are perfect, but are you perfect for each other? Do you bring out the best of each other? Do you compliment and compromise with each other, or do you compete, compare, and control? What do you bring to the relationship? Do you bring past relationships, past hurt, past mistrust, past pain?

You can't take someone to the altar to alter him or her. You can't make someone love you or make someone stay. If you develop self-esteem, spiritual discernment, and "a life", you won't find yourself making someone else responsible for your happiness or responsible for your pain. Manipulation, control, jealousy, neediness, and selfishness are not the ingredients of a thriving, healthy, loving and lasting relationship. Seeking status, sex, wealth, and security are the wrong reasons to be in a relationship.
What keeps a relationship strong?
Communication, intimacy, trust, a sense of humor, sharing household tasks, some getaway time without business or children and daily exchanges (a meal, shared activity, a hug, a call, a touch, a note). Leave a nice message on their voicemail or send a nice email. Sharing common goals and interests.
Growth is important. Grow together, not away from each other, giving each other space to grow without feeling insecure. Allow your mate to have outside interest. You can't always be together. Give each other a sense of belonging and assurances of commitment. Don't try to control one another. Learn each other's family situation. Respect his or her parents regardless. Don't put pressure on each other for material goods. Remember for richer or for poorer. If these qualities are missing, the relationship will erode as resentment, withdrawal, abuse, neglect, dishonesty, and pain replace the passion.
"The grass withers, the flowers fades, but the word of God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8

Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight? Always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary. The difference between 'United' and 'Untied' is where you put the I." (Rev. Ronald McFadden)

A soulful relationship. Amen.

God bless,
Therese from Belize

Hallelujah Anyhow

Friends, greetings, in the name of our Lord!

Today, I am just shouting hallelujah, anyhow! Thank you Father. Sometimes, all I can say is hallelujah anyhow! We serve an amazing God that no matter the circumstances, no matter how grim things may look, no matter the attack from the enemy and the frenemy, God always allow us to come through! I am just giving God all the honor and glory for HIS name is worthy to be praised!

This blog today is just a hallelujah shout to my Lord! Thank you, Father, thank you for redemption, thank you for mercy, thank you for grace, thank you for providing, thank you for comfort, thank you for joy, thank you for peace, thank you for laughter, thank you for the tears.

Isaiah 53:5-6, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." (KJV)

Sometimes, when we just do not know .... it is hallelujah anyhow! Jesus has payed the price for you and for me.

I pray that you will give God a hallelujah shout.

God bless,
Therese from Belize

In Observance of Domestic Violence Prevention Month

Greetings, my dear friends!

Not only is October celebrated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October is also celebrated as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Lu-Ann Farrar of the Lexington Herald-Leader has a Question of Faith segment of the newspaper. For this month, she asked about movies that offer the best life lessons. I wrote on Tyler Perry's, "Diary of a Mad Black Woman". See the below excerpt from this article:

Lu-Ann Farrar, Manager, Lexington-Herald Leader wrote:

Therese Warrick, Sisters Road to Freedom, Lexington: My favorite movies are Imitation of Life and To Sir, With Love, from my childhood and youth, and now Diary of a Mad Black Woman. These movies offer the best life lessons (love for family, love for God, forgiveness, believing that one can do all things).

However, the best life lesson is revealed in Diary of a Mad Black Woman. This movie portrayed a Christian marriage that fell apart due to greed and adultery, but most importantly, it showed the power of forgiveness.

Other life lessons in this movie are love for family and portrayal of intimate partner abuse (emotional, physical, financial).

The lesson we get is that no matter what we have done to someone or what someone has done to us, we must forgive, just as Christ has forgiven us. Movies portray spiritual life not only by exposing the wrongs and the strife and struggles that families encounter, but by showing how to deal with the strife and the struggles. Movies now have pastors, choirs and spiritual counselors getting significant parts. We see people expressing their love for God, praying and testifying about deliverance by God, and people showing forgiveness and love despite what has happened to them.

Friends, this movie has so many life lessons for us, especially for Christian marriages. One, thou shall not commit adultery; two, only God knows what tomorrow holds; three, forgive others as God has forgiven us; four, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us; five, salvation is for everyone, Jesus gave HIS life so you and I can have life.
This movie also deals with abuse within the marriage, which is taking place in numerous Christian marriages today. It is important for women to keep in contact with their families, important for women to recognize abuse verbal/emotional, physical, financial, spiritual) and seek help, to not be ashamed, but most importantly to seek immediate help. Abuse can get violent from emotional/psychological to physical (as we see in this movie) and can even result in death.

Some statistics for awareness:
Nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. Source: Commonwealth Fund survey, 1998

Studies by the Surgeon General's office reveal that domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44, more common than automobile accidents, muggings, and cancer deaths combined. Other research has found that half of all women will experience some form of violence from their partners during marriage, and that more than one-third are battered repeatedly every year. Source: Journal of American Medical Association, 1990.

May God bless women and men everywhere suffering from any kind of abuse, in the name of Jesus.

Good Habits To Develop

My friends in Christ:

I am getting into the "habit" of saying something kind or actually performing an act of kindness for someone each and everyday. Usually when we refer to someone having a "habit", we are usually referring to something bad--habit of gossip, habit of eavesdropping, habit of smoking, habit of drinking, habit of overeating, habit of lying. I am pretty sure if I ask you to write a list, you can come up with a long list of "habits", most of them would probably be behaviors that are not good. In Belize, we say someone has "bad habit" when they ask for something they knowingly do not want, but they just ask for "ask-sake".

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, habit is "a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance." As Christians, we know that we should develop certain habits; habits such as praying often and daily, reading the Bible regularly, helping others, encouraging others.

Pastor Max Lucado, acclaimed Christian author and pastor, had a study lesson on "Habits". Pastor Lucado wrote that as Christians we must develop habits, and the habits that are worth having are: one, the habit of prayer; two, the habit of study; three, the habit of giving; and, four, the habit of fellowship. Friends, these are excellent habits we must develop as followers of Jesus Christ. How do we develop these habits? We develop these habits by repetition and performance. Pray regularly. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. Prayer is a very important part of our Christian walk. How can we profess to be Christians and not pray? We must pray giving thanks to God for all that He is and all that He has done for us. Study, as disciples, we must stay in the Word, how can we bring others to Christ if we do not know what the Word says? And, if someone asks us a question, we must be confident in answering, leading them to the scripture. We must study to keep our minds and hearts alert and in good form for Christ. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us that we must always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have. Giving. God loves a cheerful giver, as believers we must give to our neighbors and to our enemies. To whom much is given, much is expected. 2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us that each one should give as you have decided in your heart to give. You should not be sad when you give, and you should not give because you feel forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily. Fellowship. Fellowship requires practice and unity. We must come together with other believers in praising, worshipping and honoring God. Being around fellow believers will strengthen our walk with Christ. 1 John 1:7 tells us that if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other.

My friends, let us develop the habits God wants us to have. Let us get into the habit of reading our Bibles for at lest 30 minutes each day, let us get into the habit of sharing our testimonies with one another; let us get into the habit of joining the company of other believers; let us get into the habit of giving and sharing.

May God bless you today and always,
Therese from Belize