There's "No Gray"....I CHOOSE LIFE!

..............."I know that where you are in your walk you are probably far removed from this place; nevertheless, I thought you'd love this song by Jonathan McReynolds "No Gray!" 

This was the text that I received from my God-Son last week, and I'm thinking to myself, I still have things that I'm working my way through! I have to make the decision to Die to my flesh daily!  I sometimes have situations and circumstances that are facing me and I have to choose, and choose again......LIFE!  Deuteronomy 30:19 says, I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may Live;

 The world has much to offer, and there are so many distractions, but it is up to us as to whether we will receive the blessing or the curse based on our choices.  I don't know about you, but I want to be blessed beyond the curse, so I Choose Life! 

After looking at the lyrics to the song "No Gray" I started to think about how many of us are in this place where we feel split and divided; part of us loving God, and part of us loving the world!  No man can serve two masters, we must Love one and Hate the other!  We have to be white or black, with no shades of gray!

 God tells us that he would rather we be Hot or Cold than lukewarm!  At some point and time we have to stop straddling the fence and choose which side we are going to be on!  

Are you finding yourself up one day and down the next?

Are you being influenced by the world?

Do you constantly find yourself torn between making the right and wrong decisions?

If this is you, today I encourage you to Choose Life!

Here are the lyrics to the song "NO GRAY"! I pray that you allow these words to penetrate your spirit!

Verse 1:

Lord I'm split in two

Part of me loves the world

And the other loves You

So what do I do

I wanna be saved

But I got to stay cool too

And no I'm not a fool

I know eventually I'm gonna have to choose

And really I don't wanna lose

My ticket into heaven

And a chance to be used by You

Chorus:

And if it's God that I'm after

Then I can't serve two masters

And before something happens

I got to turn it all around

Because I know

I can't just have my cake and eat it too

Cause it's real easy to stay on the fence and still do you

And it'd be cool if we could love the Lord and still go do our thing

But see it doesn't work like that

I got to be white or black

Oh ooohh

Verse 2:

Lord I've realized

when it comes to sin

You just don't compromise

It's a matter of death and life

Be weak and do wrong

Or be strong and do right

And I don't wanna keep going to church

Singing about how much You're worth

And then continue doing my dirt

Living as if I didn't care if You're hurt

Chorus:

And if it's God that I'm after

Then I can't serve two masters

And before something happens

I gotta turn it all around

Because you know

You can't just have your cake and eat it too

Cause it's real easy to stay on the fence and still do You

And it'd be cool if we could love the Lord and still go do our thing

See it doesn't work like that

You got to be white or black

Bridge:

We saint's got to

Get it together

Just got to

Get it together

And if it's God we're after

We got to pick one master

And before something happens

We better turn it all around

Because you know

You can't just have your cake and eat it too

Cause it's really easy to stay on the fence and still do you

And it'd be cool if we could love the Lord and still go do our thing

See it doesn't work like that

You got to be white or black

Cause it don't work like that

You gotta pick white or black...

No Grey, No shades of Grey, it don't work like that!

Jodie's First Day of School

Yes I'm a proud YaYa!!!! Today was BJ or should I  say Jodie's (since he's a big boy now) first day of Kindergarten!  He got up this morning and ate his breakfast, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and put on his clothes just like an old man! LOL! He told his Diddy and I that yesterday was his last day being a little boy and now today he's a Big Boy!  He was so ready for school!

I'm so proud of his mom, my daughter Paris, for doing such a good job with Jodie!  I know that it hasn't been easy for her as a young mother, but I commend her for taking the necessary steps to being a great mom!  

We want to thank Mrs. Chatman for giving Jodie such an awesome foundation at "Happy School," as well as everyone who has poured into his life from birth to now! I can't help but think about Mom today (tears)!  I know she is smiling down on all of her grandchildren!  She was always so proud of all our accomplishments!

I hope you enjoy Jodie's 1st Day of School Video~

Set A Fire Down In My Soul

I truly pray that you had a wonderful weekend and that your day is going well!~

The weather has already done a shift and most of us are in the hustle and bustle of getting our children back to school!  Don't try to hide that smile, I know you're happy that they are back to school and out of the house!  Oh the joys of a closed refrigerator, a little more food left in the cabinets, and a little more money in your wallet! :-)

I'm still trying to understand what happened to our summer here in the Mid-West.  It has been rainy, and windy, and now chilly; I think we had summer for about three weeks!

 Maybe we'll get a few more weeks of warm weather before we completely transition to Fall!

Now that I got that out I wanted to share with you a few tid bits from my worship experience on Sunday!  WoW it was amazing!  As a worship leader it is not often that I am sitting out from ministering; however, yesterday I didn't sing because I was working my way through a sinus infection.  It took all of my strength to get ready and get to the House of God, but once I got in the presence of God I felt my strength being renewed! I had no idea what God had in store for me as I was able to soak, receive, and be ministered to!  

 I needed my cup to be filled again, that I may give out of my overflow!

I had been in the service for all of 20 minutes when I could feel the well of tears stirring up on the inside of me, and I began to search for tissues in an effort to maintain my mascara, eyeliner, and foundation.  It was not working! 
As the fire of God's presence began to fill the room, it was as if I could feel the light of heaven shinning directly on my soul!  I could feel the pull of gravity (the weight of His glory) pulling me downward and before I knew it I was eating the carpet!

It was the fire of God!!! I had been singing "set a fire down in my soul that I can't contain that I can't control, I want more of you God!"  That is exactly what He did!

 God set the fire down and in my soul and began to peel back some more layers, revealing those things in me that He desired to consume and burn in His presence!  My heart had been made ready in worship, making it easy for me to say "YES!"  I so love that fact that God is commited to finishing what He has started in our lives, pefecting everything that concerns us!  Sometimes it takes burning up everything that's not like Him, and sometimes it requires a little tilling, pruning, and cutting away the excess fat around our hearts!  Today I am so very thankful that God thought enough of me to change me and conform me into the image of His Son!  Sometimes I'm unable to see me for me, but the Holy Spirit will so graciously shine the light of His presence on my soul like a mirror, then washing me of all impurities.  

Today I pray that you allow yourself to become vulnerable in God's presence that He may shine the light of His glory into your soul, perfecting you in every area of your life!  Please join with me in praying that God will set a fire down in your soul that you can't contain or control!

I pray that this song blesses you~



Don't Give Up! You're Too Close Now!

I can hear my mother saying, "Baby the race is not given to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but it's to the one that endures to the end!"  I didn't always understand what she was trying to say, but the older I got it all began to make sense.

 

I would also hear her say, "slow and steady wins the race."  I'm like Mom can you just tell me what you're trying to say without the parable? She would say, "honey it's not how fast you're going, but that you don't give up before the end of the race."

I began to think about the scripture in Hebrews 12 that tells us how to run our race, and shows how the pioneers, and more importantly Jesus blazed the way for us.  The Message translation really breaks down this passage and says: Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

 

The more I looked at that verse, the more I began to see that starting the race, staying in the race, and finishing the race is not all about me, but about those that are watching and waiting on me to blaze the trail before them.  Jesus was our perfect example in that He endured the cross and despised the shame for our freedom.  Where would we be if Jesus would have quit or given up before going to the cross?  He came into the world knowing that the goal was to redeem sinful man, and with everything that He had to endure He never took His eyes off the goal!  WOW!!! What a selfless and loving God!  He gave his only son Jesus, and Jesus said, "no man take my life from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.  I am so glad that He endured the cross for you and me!"

Today I want to encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus as you continue to run the race that is set before you!  Life has an interesting way of showing up with all kinds of distractions to get us off of our course, and to throw in the towel before we get to the finish line, but we must keep on going!  It is our endurance and staying power that will give us the fortitude to not just continue the race and reach our goal, but to Finish Strong! 

Don't forget that fulfilling and completing your God given assignment is not all about you, but those that are divinely connected to you!  What an awesome responsibility and privilege we have to pass the baton, but if we give up before we reach the next runner, we hinder the team from finishing the race.  So again, Don't Give Up! You're Too Close Now!!!

 

I pray that this song blesses you~

 



"He Is" by Paris A. I. Larkin

I'm so very excited to present my very first guest blogger...

my daughter, Paris A. I. Larkin

Presenting an original piece: "He Is"

He holds a fist,

That is put together by strong hands, made up of worked fingers and tired tips.

 

From plowing his generational field, being ever so careful to protect the fruit that it yields.

Remembering that only in due season will it be ripe enough to partake in.

He talks from a mouth

Made of a sharp tongue, embraced by timely lips.

Speaking in moderation and caution, he understands his sword holds life and death.

He only forms words of blessing. He tells Satan get behind him

He stands tall,

On legs that have marched for freedom and truth.

Carrying purpose and destiny in every step

That never lolly gagged, but stayed the path

He broadens his shoulders,

Knowing that it is signature for dignity and stability

Allowing him to keep his head held high.

So that he may only gain wisdom from the God in the sky

Leading with his proud chest, the seat to his heart.

He holds up eyes

To the hills where his help comes from.

Leaning not on chariots and horses but the rock of every age

With a posture of maturity and life battles, he teaches

With a fist of hard work he fights for the generation to come

With a mouth of power he speaks those things that weren't into are

 

With legs of strength he stands to lead those that have lost their way

With a chest made of iron and fire he guards truth and swallows pride

With an upright head he gains knowledge to endure the race

 

He Is strong, He Is wise, He Is.

I pray this song inspires you~

You Either Trust Me Or You Don't!

"You either trust me or you don't!" 

Trust is so much easier in the absence of  a circumstance! Trust is definitely easier when it is not your reality, but someone else's present situation! Trust is not quite as easy when it is a matter of letting go of your failing plight, in exchange for allowing God to intervene and take on what you can't handle! Trust allows you to move beyond the pit in your stomach in exchange for peace that passes all understanding!

Trust gives us the freedom to be like a child and take that leap of faith into our Daddy's arms! Why? Because we are able to rely on His integrity, strength, and ability to catch us! Trust is knowing that no matter how big the situation, there is nothing to hard for God!  We are admonished to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and lean not to our own understanding. In all of our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our path!  I know that is easier said than done at times, but when we allow our hearts to totally rely on the Father it takes the responsibility off of us to try and make happen what we can't do anyway.  

Our trust and confidence in God allows him to show himself strong in our lives, and allows us to do the miraculous, just as when Jesus bid Peter to come to him on the water.  In Peter's human ability he could not walk on water, but through His faith, trust, and confidence in God he was able to do what no man had ever done before.  It was only when Peter took his eyes (faith and trust) off of God that he began to sink.  So it is with us when we take our focus off of our Heavenly Father and begin to put our trust in people and things!  People and things will fail us, but God will never fail!  Today I take another opportunity right in the midst of my unpredictable situation to confidently place my whole heart in God's hand and trust Him beyond what I see!

My Prayer:  God I thank you that in the midst of the storms that are rising in my life, you are showing me how to keep my balance and ride the waves!  I trust you God to keep me in every season of my life! I choose to worship you even when I don't know how to trust you! I thank you that you are a faithful Father and that you are taking me from glory to glory as I walk in your image and likeness!

I pray this song blesses you~

Do You Know What Today Is? It's Our Anniversary!

Five (5) years ago my husband and I stood before our family and friends to join together as one.  It was on July 27, 2008 that Keith and I made a covenant commitment to love one another, to serve one another, and to serve God in our marriage.

My husband of 5yrs has proven to be the one that God has for me, and more than that he has proven to be my prince charming, my angel, my king, and my friend!  I am so very blessed to have him as my life partner, my covering, and my friend. 

He has brought so much peace, joy, and laughter to my life!  He has stood by me in sickness and in health!  His love for me has been more than I could have imagined, and the way that he looks at me.............there is no mistaking that he adores me!

  I know that God loves me because He sent the most amazing gift to me in the person of my husband, Mr. Keith "Diddy" Litmon! 

 Keith, I want you to know that I Love you and I thank you so much for teaching me how to Love and to be Loved! You have blessed my life in so many ways!  More than that, you have embraced everything that I cherish and hold dear! You are an amazing husband, father, and friend! You have supported me in every endeavor and have brought great stability to my life!

 I salute you and celebrate you for being man enough for me, man enough to stand up with me and for me, and man enough to stick and stay! I love what you said to me before we got married, "divorce is not an option, and I'm not going nowhere!" Litmon ILuvu2Life!

#TEAMLITMON In the Building!

 

My Daddy Daily Loads Me With Benefits

There is a familiar scripture that has been in my spirit and in my heart for the past couple of weeks!  I could be totally thinking about something else and from out of nowhere I would hear, Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits!  In my mind I would say, "ok, thank you Lord for daily loading me with benefits."  After which I would go on about my day. I would come to a difficult point where it seemed like I just couldn't make my ends meet, and I would hear, Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits! At that point I would begin to feel the stress roll off of me, and that reassuring voice of my Daddy that says, "I Got You!"  He reminded me that it gives Him pleasure to bless me, to bless His children and to load us with good things.  So after hearing this word in my spirit over the last couple of weeks I decided to go back and really look at the verse.

Psalm 68:19 says, "Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation! Selah............(pause, and calmly think of that)
That's exactly what I did. I began to pause and calmly think, and this passage blessed my socks off!  The more I thought about it the more excited I got! "My Daddy Daily Loads Me With Benefits!"

After looking at the verse a little more intently this is what I saw. 
Blisssfully happy and joyfully contented is our sovereign ruler and king, the one of importance, that constantly day after day, lavishly and abundantly supplies His people with good things, gifts, blessings, worth, and favor!  WOW! SELAH...... I'm like God that's what you're saying in that verse?!?!  That's what you desire to do for me? No! Better than that, that's what you do for us your children!
The more I read that, the more excited I got, just to think that it makes God joyful to weigh us down with good gifts and rewards every day!



There are so many blessings that God grants to us everyday, but we don't always see them because of focusing on the things that we don't have.  And if we are truthful, it's not that we don't have, it's more so that we're not happy with what we have, or we want more!  The older I get the more I am learning that the things I once made a big fuss over are things that don't really matter.  Now don't get me wrong, there are some promises that I am waiting on God to fulfill, and there are some desires that I have, but I won't allow any of that to get me off track and lose sight of all the wonderful things that God has done and is doing on a daily basis.  When I find myself slipping into that place of frustration about what I don't have, or doubting that He will come through, that is when I cause myself to remember that My Daddy Got Me, and that He is Daily loading and overflowing me with gifts and favor!  Then I remember that according to Psalm 103:2 I am required to Bless (bestow honor and praise) the Lord, O My Soul, and forget not His Benefits (good things, gits, worth, and favor)! What a great place for a praise break! God I bless you! I honor you! I love and adore You!!!!


God causes me to see that the benefits are life, health, strength, healing, family, friendships, peace, rest, love, grace, sunshine, rain, favor with God and men, provision, the activity of my limbs, food, clothes, shelter, protection for my family, mercy, salvation, true relationship with the Father, the gift of music and song, understanding of His word, the heart of worship, and so much more!!!!!
I don't know what you stand in need of today or even what you are believing God for, but my prayer for you today is that you would see the blessings that Daddy God has placed all around you today and everyday! 
 Please join me in this prayer:  
Father in the Name of Jesus, I want to take this time to Thank you for my life and for waking me today. God I thank you that you Love me so much and that you daily load me with good things. Please forgive me for not seeing the blessings all around me.  From this point I choose to to see my blessings and thank you daily. In Jesus Name Amen!

I pray this song blesses you today..............

  

Growing Into Destiny

I started to writing this blog last week, but I had to take a pause................................ There were other things that kept jumping in front of it, but now I'm back! ;-)

For the last 2 weeks my pastor, Apostle Bennie Fluellen, has been preaching a message, "Growing Into Destiny!"  This message has really been stirring in me and has had me thinking.  I think this word is so appropriate for this time and season because there are a lot of Christians who share some sense of confusion regarding Destiny!

Destiny is defined as a finished state of being.  From the time we are born until the time that we leave this earth we are walking through the process of fulfilling our destiny.  Not one of us came into this world without destiny. We're all children of destiny.

We live in a world that is Pro-God as long as we don't define who God is; however, at the same we are Antichrist, meaning we rebell against the plan of God - The God Idea!

Have you ever found yourself asking the question: Why am I here?  Why was I created? What is my purpose?

As believers we believe that Jehovah our God is God. He is an intelligent God, and we are created in His image and the likeness of Him.  

 Colossians 1:16-18 tells us that, for by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.  And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.  God's love and original plan for our lives is working, so fighting against it is pointless!

  There was a great people who came together on one accord, with one heart, and one language.  They joined together with Nimrod to build the Tower of Babel that would reach the heavens!  They were doing a great work, but it was not the plan of God, and because of that, He confused their language so that their plan was not fulfilled.  How many times have you found yourself doing what you thought was a Good work, but later realized it was not a God work?!?! (I think I have a to pause and Selah right there!!!)
Some of us are in the belly of the whale, because like Jonah we're trying to run from the plan of God; but, please know that God is so committed to His purpose and will being carried out in our lives, that even our disobedience doesn't alter the plan of God!  Now, there are consequences for our disobedience, but it doesn't stop the plan of God! 

I belive the problem that many of us have, is that we don't believe that God is in control, and that He is all powerful!  And when I say we don't believe God is in control, I mean, we don't trust that God's plan is the best plan; however, He is not going to relinquish His plan just because we don't know and don't trust what it is and what he's doing.  Again, Dady God is fully committed to seeing us reach our final destination of Destiny, which is our finished state of being!

Please remember, we don't want to confuse reaching a destination, our goals, another plateau, with reaching our destiny! All of those others things become vain works if we haven't fulfilled and served the purpose and plan of God in our generation, our lifetime!  Which brings me back to the message that Apostle began the New Year with, "Lord Teach Us To Number Our Days!"  We only have a span of time in which to complete our life assignment, so we must be intentional about becoming and doing all that God has placed in our hands to Be and then Do!

Here are a few more points that Apostle Bennie gave us that I want to share with you:
1. Your identify and is not waiting to be found, it's waiting for you to grow into it.
2. The only reason why you're here is to do you; the true you that God has created.
3. You haven't become successful until you have identified yourself in Christ.
4. YOUR DESTINY IS DONE!!!! It's a finished work!!! It's In Him.......... 

I pray this song blesses you~

Healing Conversations Through Artistry

The LIVE Team and I are so very excited about Life After the Diagnosis......Healing Conversations Through Artistry!!!  We are in Great Expectation to see the Manifestation of the God idea!  Each and everyday I am learning even more that "it's not about me, but what God wants to do through me."  What the enemy  meant for evil God has turned for my Good, and with that said we have declared that WE SHALL LIVE and NOT DIE!!! 

Tomorrow is the day and I am looking for all of your beautiful faces to come and join the Healing Conversation!  It is our desire and prayer that everything you're needing and believing for will be provided during the Healing Conversation!

Location:  Refuge Coffee Bar, 5010 Glenway Ave, 45238 (across from Burger King)

Please click on the link below as I share more about the event!