Category Archives: Multitudes on Mondays

Don’t Bow to Baal

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God's Army, with Timashion Jones on the far right

For the last week or so the phrase “They don’t bow to Baal” has come to my mind when I read a blog or a tweet, have a conversation or hear a sermon from the relentless, the fierce, the fiery folks who consistently and most recently intensely have fired me up for Jesus. We all need these people in our lives, those, who like one of my friend’s says, “‘makes our baby leap.’ In other words, there should be spirit-filled individuals who activate the presence of God within us and can also speak into our lives.” We need those people who are sold out for Jesus and won’t give up and give in to a false god.

So here are the ones that have just been such a blessing to me and have constantly been on my mind and heart the last few weeks. Connect with them and I’m sure you’ll be able to tell what I mean.

1. Christopher W. Brooks, pastor of Evangel Ministries and host of the radio broadcast Equipped for Life

2. Sharon D. Moore, assistant pastor of Ebenezer AME Church and national preacher

3. Carla P. Yarbrough, blogger at Royalty Revealed

4. Dianna Hobbs, founder and CEO of Empowering Everyday Women Online Magazine and blogger at Your Daily Cup of Inspiration

5. Michelle Johnson, founder of Alabaster Ministries and blogger at One Alabaster Day at a Time

6. Kim Cash Tate, author and blogger at Color Your Perspective

7. Nichole M. Christian, writer and contributor to Dear Dad

8. Timashion Jones, lyricist, Good News Talk Show creator and host and filmmaker (A Love that Hurts)

9. Ajene Gailliard, blogger at Kingdom Mommy

My One Thousand Gifts List

#351-360
An enriching bible study on mercy with Helena
Washing and grooming my hair
Arched eyebrows
An evening of dinner and jazz at Cliff Bell’s celebrating Kim’s birthday
An itinerary for the book party
Cutting yams with Flynn
Flynn lovingly caring for the boys and me by cleaning the kitchen three times and washing clothes while I was at Cliff Bell’s
A great challenging sermon
Worshipful singing
Fellowshipping with family and former church family members

Wicked Worship?

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They waited all night in the cold, wind and rain, thousands of fans stood outside for a chance to get an up close view of their teen idol, Justin Bieber, performing in Rockefeller Plaza last month. The Today Show said this Bieber appearance garnered the largest crowd ever for one of its concert series. Wrapped in winter gear, fans screamed, sung and flung tears as Bieber sang his latest hits. One fan stared in the distance as she with bated breath told of her good fortune of receiving one of Bieber’s hand towels from a backstage worker. These fans were pumped and came to give total praise to the one they adored. Some shake their heads in disbelief, and maybe you do so with your children, wondering how they could give that type of time and attention to anyone.

I understand their mania because their devotion reminds me of my idol worship days. Read the rest at EEW Magazine.

My One Thousand Gift List

#341-350
Nate waking up and asking, “It’s playtime!?”
Nate’s smile
A lyrical blog post
Chloe and Caleb visiting and having a great time playing with Joshua, Nate and Justus
Finding “Freckle Juice” at teh library book sale the day after Joshua said he wanted to buy it
Talking with Karen, a woman I met at the library
A spirited family devotion
Sleeping through the night
Watching Josh and Nate chase each other and hearing their laughter
Offering to make a loan but not having to do so

Making a Habit

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This day has come to be the one when I share with you my gifts, the 1000 plus items I’ve chronicled that I am thankful to God for. I began keeping this list January 31, 2011. I stopped keeping this list September 29, 2011. It’s not that I consciously stopped. One day and the next and the next I had stopped writing my thanks in my journal and began speaking aloud my thanks. Sometimes I would smile as I acknowledged my gratitude in my mind or I showed it by doing something pleasing for someone else. I then understood that I no longer needed the practice of writing thanks in a journal but that I had become that living journal, going from “thanksgiving to thanksliving,” as Ann Voskamp says.

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Me holding Justus and my copy of “One Thousand Gifts” by the incredibly talented Ann Voskamp

Voskamp is the author of the New York Times bestselling book “One Thousand Gifts,” based on her own challenge to record that many thanks. Her challenged revolutionized her life and taking on the challenge has revolutionized mine. I went from a chronic complainer (though mostly in my own mind) to one who more often assumes the best and doesn’t allow the worst to control me. This exercise has increased the evidence of my joy. My perspective is eternal and temporal things have been put into their proper temporary place; I engage them only but for a moment and turn my attention to Who and what matters: Jesus Christ and all the many blessings, big and small, that come from Him every single moment of every single day. Though I have stopped recording my gifts, I still have hundreds to share with you and even more if you follow me on Twitter (@RhonJSmith) thanks to the new “One Thousand Gifts” app. This app lets you chronicle your gifts on your phone or tablet and gives you the option to share them on Facebook, Twitter or Flickr. Sometimes I would forget to take my journal with me and would miss out on recording gifts. I rarely forget my phone so writing something that gives me great delight is so easy and I will have a record of a great memory.

Won’t you join the challenge and record your own 1,000 gifts or more? You can get the app through Apple and Android stores.

My One Thousand Gifts List

#331-340
Catching up with Kim and her volunteering to do the PR for the book signing
The church approving space for the book signing
Ruth visiting and bringing the boys nice gifts and the two of us lunch and having fine fellowship
Not having angst about Flynn being away three evenings in a row
Visiting Nana as she bereaves Dan
Discovering in Joshua’s school bag a carton of curdled milk, the source of the stinky smell
Feeding birds and watching them swoon on the food
The fluttering of happy bird wings
That I didn’t snap when I heard “Mommy, Mommy” for the umpteenth time
The love and joy of family

Peril of No Patience

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance…” Galatians 5:22-23

This is the list every Christian is charged to achieve, to offer fresh fruit so others can receive of the Spirit of God, His salvation and refreshing. But the ripeness of my longsuffering has been suspect. In fact, sometimes my patience is just rotten and stinks. So as I teach my sons to be strong black biblical men I’m learning alongside them to consistently cease from taking charge in my strong black woman strength and allow God’s strength to empower me to walk in patience. I thank God for that opportunity. Read more about this in my latest EEW Magazine column.

My One Thousand Gifts List

#321-330
Tabitha watching the boys
Serving with Flynn at my first funeral
The smoothness of the funeral services
The thought-provoking and Christ-centered message of the eulogy
Witnessing the lover of the Tucker family
Janice Tucker inspiring me to be a loving mom
Having a deeper love for my family and seeing how the demonstration of it has caused them to demonstrate more love to me and each other and given the children more confidence
Nate and Justus being overjoyed to see me return from the funeral
Flynn picking Joshua up from school
Leftover meatloaf and hot water cornbread

Securely There

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Every day without fail when he can’t see me Nathaniel is going to ask “Mama, where are you?” Though our house isn’t that big and he may have seen me five minutes ago, he makes it his business to keep constant tabs on me. I just couldn’t wrap my mind on how this three year old could think that I could just disappear. Once, I didn’t answer Nate when I was trying to put one-year-old Justus to sleep. After calling for me throughout the house, Nate finally asked Joshua where I was. “She’s in Justus’ room.” “No she isn’t. I looked,” said Nate, who didn’t come all the way in the room to see me holding Justus in the corner chair. Joshua, my oldest, then told Nate something that we all need to know about those we should be able to count on: “Mama is here. She wouldn’t leave us.”

This is what children everywhere should know about fathers and mothers, what spouses should know about the other, and what true friends should count on in each other. But parents, spouses and friends leave—they walk away; they die—and leave us wondering who we can count on. I don’t know if I had separation anxiety like Nathaniel has, but after a big fight between my parents and my daddy leaving for the night I knew parent separation could be my reality. So what do we do, tell our children too, that will give us the everlasting security we need?

You know the answer is Jesus who will never leave or forget about us (Hebrews 13:5). This I tell my children while I am sane, so they don’t look to me to be their everything when I can give them nothing. I want them to know that Jesus’ words are true, that He heals, protects, guides, comforts, and provides for me too. Jesus uses me to give to them my time, talent, treasure—my full soul, my full self. No matter how many times I try to carry my strong black woman mantle, I know I can do nothing without Jesus. I can do anything with Him. I am secure and need no one else to make me sure about anything. Stability with Jesus is what I am thankful for. Even though I can’t see Him, I know He is here because He would never leave me.

Listen to how singer-songwriter Aaron Shust puts it:

I have assurance of salvation (1 John 2:21-25). I know Jesus saves me from hell on earth and saves me from hell after I leave this earth (John 3:16-21). I will spend an eternity with Him. This He promises. He is not a man that He would lie (Numbers 23:19). What He says will come to pass, whether I have seen it or not. Whether you believe it or not, it’s true. Seek Him for salvation all who have not put their trust in Him (Romans 10:9-10). Now is the appointed hour. Tomorrow may be too late. Don’t wait. Seek him now.

My One Thousand Gifts List

#311-320
Justus sleeping through the night, giving me two full nights of sleep in a row
Quiet time with God
A decent outfit for Joshua to wear to church
Joshua getting up in time to go to Sunday school and his doing so for the last month
A husband who prioritizes family above all else (except God)
Justus’ gurgling milk giggle
Joshua and Nathaniel having a conversation after Nate asked “What is it?” when he saw Joshua expressing surprise about something
Nathaniel rallying Joshua and me to dance with him
Being able to cook dinner after a busy Sunday
Being able to help Flynn edit a eulogy