In the Fight of My Life~

It has been a couple days, well maybe several days since I've sat down to blog........and let me say that things have been a little crazy and definitely busy!  I am not complaining because I have been blessed to work and do what I love to do!  When I started this blog I thought it would be a great way to share my heart, my passions, and my love for the people in my life, but most of all I wanted the freedom to be transparent and share my real life trials and triumphs with you!

God has chosen and allowed me to go on this amazing journey, a journey of which I have never been on before; and left to my choosing, I don't believe I would have chosen this path. 

I don't believe I was standing on the sideline jumping up and down saying, "pick me, pick me please!"  I just remembered saying, "YES!"  Yes God I trust you, Yes to your will, and Yes to your plan for my life!  I knew that by saying YES that I was coming into agreement with God and His plan for my life, but I didn't know the details!  I knew that based on my experience and relationship with my father that He had never failed me, never left me, and has always been true to His word!  I just never thought that this was in the plan!  "Like God, you thought that I could do this?!?!" That has been my silent thought on so many occasions, and He comes back with His quiet but loud response, "I Got You!"  Right after that is when I take a deep sigh, chuckle, shake my head and say, "Ok God!"

After being diagnosed with cancer in January 2012 and connecting with my Trainer (Oncologist), I realized that I was in the fight of my life!  The very first thing he said to me was, "those who have the greatest success and are able to beat this thing called "can"cer are those who are willing to fight!"  "He said you must have a fighter's mentality, and you must put on your boxing gloves!" Now I'm thinking to myself, "I've just been diagnosed with liver cancer and you're prescribing me boxing gloves and giving me a speech about a fighter's mentality."  It was kind of like the whole wax on wax off Mr. Miyagi thing!

 Little did I know that his words were the greatest dosage of medication that I could've been given, and that it would go beyond any radiation or chemotherapy treatment!  He was giving my tools to LIVE and WIN by!
Well after leaving his office I decided that I would put on my boxing gloves, lace up my shoes, and get in the ring to face my opponent and fight the good fight of faith!  On this journey I had to learn to pick up and hold on to my weapons of prayer, praise, worship, and the word.  These weapons have kept me rooted, grounded, and steady on my course, especially in the times and on the days that I've felt like I couldn't catch my breath!

As a matter of fact I had one of those days after my doctors appointment this past Monday!  On Thursday, June 20th I had a CT Scan to see how I was doing and my appointment on Monday was to go over my results.  My husband Keith, My sister Mitzi, My brother-in-law Ron, and My Pastor Delores sat down in the office and waited for my doctor to come in to discuss the results.  He began to read the details and after about 5 minutes in I could not control the tears that began to roll down my face, as he proceeded to tell me that the tumors were not shrinking but increasing! I felt this lump inside of my throat and before I could gain my composure it felt like all the strength left my body! No words, no ability to retain, not able to breathe! I couldn't believe this was happening to me! I'm usually always in good spirit, great strength, and ready to keep on fighting, but not this time!  Every thought began to take on its own course of direction and I could hear them all at the same time, "Lord how, why, what did I, when did it, where do I?!?!!" All of sudden I could feel! I could feel my very real situation, and I allowed myself to feel! I didn't run and hide behind my strong exterior, but I allowed myself to become present in the process!  It was at that point that I was reminded that my faith doesn't deny the situation, but it defies the situation!

At that point I could feel the room fill up with love.  I was surrounded by the support of my family, and my spirit-filled trainer (Oncologist) telling me, "this is man's report, but we choose to believe the report of the Lord."  I heard him, but I was still shaken!  It took everything in me to get up from the knock out punch! I knew if I could get to my corner and be refreshed that I could get back in the fight and come out swinging! Every voice around me was silenced and it was just me and God! The next morning I woke up thinking ok I can do this, but the tears were still there. I tried praying, I listened to the word, I began playing songs that would encourage me, but it wasn't until I was riding in the car with my spiritual father, Apostle Bennie Fluellen, that he said, "it really is going to be ok, and you're going to get through this," with tears yet again running down my face with no warning.  In my solitude and silent response Whitney Houston began to sing my heart's cry and prayer, "I Look To You!"

Thank you for allowing me to share my heart.............

 

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Las Vegas Vacation

Good Morning All!  I think this blog will be a short one!

Well...............my vacation is just about over and I am relishing every moment!  I am feeling blessed, refreshed, and renewed.  I am so grateful that I was able to get some much needed time away with my hubby, Mr. Keith Litmon!  Las Vegas was great!!! It was our first time going back since our honeymoon 5 years ago, well it will be 5 years next month!  Wow! I can't believe we will be married 5 years next month! God is so good and even more faithful.  He has kept us through it all, and there has been some good days and some bad! I am so grateful that God has honored our covenant and kept us!  By the Grace of God we are still standing.  It has been an amazing journey learning and experiencing Love in a way that I've never known it before, and I would not change a thing.
  
During our time away I kept saying, "God what are you doing?" We just kept having these God moments, divine connections, rearranging of our plans. It didn't take us long to see, and yield to God's plan and purpose for our being in Las Vegas. 
We were blessed to spend time with our other spiritual parents, The King & Queen Simpson!!! They were so gracious to greet us at the airport and taking the time to love on us.  I mean such beautiful people, and absolutely hilarious; they had us laughing so hard!  Sunday morning we were led to be a part of the service at Destined For Glory and OMG the presence of the Lord was in the house!  The Word of God flowed richly from the mouth of Pastor Tony Howard, we witnessed the healing power of Jesus breaking the chains off of the lives of His people.  We left refueled as the word of the Lord was spoken over our lives.  The hospitality of Pastor Tony and Lady Kathy was amazing and the words of Life even more amazing. 

Now you know we didn't leave Vegas without hitting the strip!!! We walked and walked and walked some more! My feet, legs, thighs, and everything else was wore out, but we had a blast! And yes, that Mr. Keith "Diddy" Litmon can sho nuff shop!!! We had to stop in every single sneaker store on the strip! Whew.....the life of a Basketball Wife!  LOL! 

We came back home refreshed and renewed, again seeking God for divine instructions and directions; trusting in God with all of our hearts, leaning not to our own understanding, in all of our ways acknowledging Him knowing that He will direct our paths.  We are ready!  Living the LIVE Experience~


Here is a small clip from my time of ministry at Destined for Glory.  I pray this blesses you!

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THE "LIVE" GIVEAWAY!!!

Today I'm so excited to have my first giveaway!!!!  
To all my beautiful faithful followers I want to say "thank you so very much."  You now have a chance to win a prize!

For the “LIVE” CD Recording Concert a dear friend over at Monarch Diva created a special sale and line of earrings for me called, "LIVE Hoops."

They sold out fast, so if you missed out on getting them, you now have an opportunity to win them for free!  

All you have to do is follow the instructions below and a random winner will be chosen.

 

HOW TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY: 

For this giveaway, I am allowing 2 entries per reader. Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. Facebook and e-mail entries will not count, so please be sure to leave entry comments on this post!!!
Entry : 

Just simply become a subscriber to the "Heart of Worship Blog" and leave a comment on this post!

This Giveaway will begin on Thursday, June 13th and end on Saturday, June 15th at 11:59 pm EST.  The winner will be randomly selected when it ends.  
I will email the winner from jodilitmonlive@gmail.com, so please be sure to check your spam folders.  
I hope you enjoy these Giveaways as much as I do.  Please check back to see what I'm doing to get another chance to win! Good Luck everyone!

Living The LIVE Experience~

Counting Gifts.....Again

I never thought that a diagnosis of the "C" word.....cancer, would bring me to a place of gratitude.  I never thought that receiving a diagnosis that the cancer had moved from my liver to my lungs would make me more determined to "LIVE!" I never thought that I would be fully living to the point that I don't waste time living in fear of dying.  I never thought that this life altering thing could drive me to the point of being more intentional about counting gifts!  I never thought that I could take pleasure in a broken life; a life that He would bless and give thanks for.  A life full of grace that has been blessed, to be broken, and given. Shared!

I never thought that I would come to a place that I could find joy.  The true joy that comes from the word Eucharisteo, which means thanksgiving.  I never thought that I could find joy and fulfillment in giving thanks in everything and every situation.  I love where Ann Voskamp says in her book "One Thousand Gifts," "The holy grail of joy is not some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience.  The joy wonder could be here!  Here, in the messy, piercing ache of now, joy might be --unbelievably--possible!"

WoW!  The concept and idea that joy could really be found not in some far off exotic place, but right in the middle of my mess!  Yes! Right in the middle of it all, I begin to offer thanksgiving, fully embracing my right now life! My life with all of its complications, mishaps, whatever's. Not realizing that right on the heels of my thanking and giving in thanks, I am literally preparing the way for my miracle!  "Eucharisteo--thanksgiving--always precedes the miracle."  The miracle that comes from a shared life, meaning the more life that I share, the more life I receive!
"Thanksgiving is necessary to our living the well, whole, fullest life."  It is the heart of ingratitude that keeps us in a place of lack: not the lack of money, but the lack of joy, wholeness, peace, and the overflowing full life.  I believe that I have found the key to my salvation, the key to my joy in exchange for sorrow, the key that has unlocked my inner beauty instead of ashes, the key of Thanksgiving and Gratitude!

When something is not habit or way of life I believe you have to be intentional in making changes.  So you may be thinking...... 

***How do I make the great exchange of Gratitude for inGratitude?

***How do I begin preparing for the miracle through giving thanks?

***Where do I begin?

I want to encourage you to begin right where you are!  To begin giving thanks and counting the gifts that you already have.  I hope that you will join me as I begin again........Counting Gifts! 

I am thankful for..........

1. Creativity in the kitchen to make a little seem like a lot

2. The stillness of my home after everyone has gone to bed

3. The eyes of my husband admiring me while I'm working

4. Sensitivity to His presence

 

I pray that this song blesses you~

 

 

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Seasons, Time, and Change

It's A New Season

It's A New Day

Fresh Anointing Is Coming My Way

It's A Season Of Power and Prosperity

It's A New Season Coming To Me!

Little did I know that when I posted this on facebook last week that I would not be able to shake it!

I knew that I would have to write about it!  There are so many spiritual nuggets that can be dissected from the natural process of seasons.  Seasons are all around us.  It is one of the things that God established to coincide with time.  Seasons and time work directly, both hand in hand.  Seasons indicate the change and movement of life, where time indicates the rhythm of life.

There are four seasons in a year and God made that clear in the beginning.  We see it as we look at Genesis 8:22 "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease."  These are the words that God spoke after the flood, making a covenant with creation.  We also see in Ecclesiastes 3:1  "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."  So as I stated before, seasons and time work directly both hand in hand.

I knew that if God had me search this thing out that there was something he wanted me to know.  I thought I knew a little something, but there was more revelation that came and the download was coming faster than I could get it out.

 I began to ask questions like:  
What is the purpose of seasons?  
Seasons come to produce change.  There is always a purpose for every season in the earth and in our lives.  There is no season without change, which is where the ability to adapt and make changes are so vital to our growth.  As I'm typing I'm sitting here shaking my head, because I personally don't like change!  Maybe there are some of you that get really excited about things being shaken up, moved around, or shifted in your environment, but I must admit that would not be me.  
Then..........I got a revelation! 
The light bulb went off in my head!
I had an Aha moment!

"There is nothing that happens without change!" 

"There is no new, no next level, there is no greater without change."

Well, that provoked my next question:  

What makes the seasons change and why do the seasons change?

I was reminded that the earth's tilt and orbit around the sun causes the seasons to change. As the earth moves around its orbit, when it is tilted towards the sun it receives a higher concentration of the sun's energy that produces summer, and when it is tilted away it receives less energy producing winter.

Tilting, orbiting, shifting, changing, these are all words that I've heard before, but what does it mean to me? God I just want the NEW!! Doesn't that sound familiar? Like, just let me have the blessing?  Do I have to go through the process(ing), the adjusting, the character refining to be and to have? Yes! It is the process of movement that allows us to enter into that New place, that New season that God has purposed for our lives.

So the questions kept coming:
How do you know when the seasons are changing?

We know the seasons are changing by the length of day and night, as well as the change in the climate. The birds know when to migrate, plants and flowers know when to bloom, and leaves know when to fall based on anticipating and being able to feel when the seasons have changed! When I saw this I was like WoW! Everything that God created can feel and anticipate the change of the seasons and know what to do based on the climate, the change in the weather, the shifting of the atmosphere!  As God's creative created beings it is first nature to know, to feel, to breath, and respond to the perfect timing of God for each season in our lives; however, we so often miss the time and the timing of migration.  I believe therein lies our frustration with God for not getting what we believe is our blessing.  Could it be that the blessing was there, already in place, but we failed to sense the change in the climate; hence, not migrating to where the blessing had been strategically placed?  As a believer we don't take leave of our senses; however, I believe that the Holy Spirit heightens our ability to hear, see, feel, and sense the times and the seasons in our lives. There are more nuggets that I could share, but I will end here with this short blog!

Father God I thank you for you undying for love for us and your desire for us to prosper in every area of our lives.  God I thank you for the purpose and plan that you have for us as your children.  I pray that you would cause us to know and understand the seasons and times that we may fulfill your will for our lives.

I pray that this song blesses you today!

  

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Happy Monday

The weekend is officially over and I'm wishing you a Happy Monday!

This will not be a long blog, but I just wanted to connect with you all and share a little bit from my weekend.  I had the pleasure and the opportunity to attend a great event that I was invited to by my friend Bridgette Taylor, who was one of the coordinators for the 12th Annual Alpha Kappa Alpha Jazz Brunch!  This was an awesome event filled with a room full of beautiful men and women coming together to support a great cause!  The multifaceted R & B Jazz Band brought just the right touch of music to the atmosphere, as well as the pop of spring green and pink worn by the beautiful ladies of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority!  Oh and I can't forget the smooth eloquent vocal tones of the lovely mistress of ceremony, Mrs. Faith Daniels!

It was an honor to be amongst a distinguished group of men and women, and it was especially great to see that the purpose of the event was to offer scholarships to graduating seniors and to support the organization, Mommy Has Breast Cancer,

http://MommyHasBreastCancer.org.  I love the fact that they offer support to mothers, their children, and their spouses! As I continue to walk through my journey there are the little things that are so important that I know people are not often aware of that Mommy Has Breast Cancer offers, like having someone to come and clean up your home, or providing a fully cooked meal on a weekly basis.  The journey, the battle, the treatments, the medication can  truly take its toll on the body and most patients deal with fatigue, so having someone to show up and take something off your plate is huge!  Thank you Mrs. Jocelyn Banks for your support to the community of women battling breast cancer and their families!

My second stop on Saturday was to my niece and nephews kindergarten graduation from Happy School!  Ms. Chapman, the Dean, the Principal, the Teacher, the Educator, and the Protector of the children always does such an amazing job with her graduation ceremony!  She gives every child such a strong academic foundation! She is truly an unsung hero!

Lastly, I had the pleasure to wrap up my weekend by ministering at New Anointed Ministries! I am always so honored to stand before God's people to share what God has placed on the inside of me! It was even more of a blessing to know that I was on Kingdom assignment, and to go forth in Kingdom Authority!  The presence of God was truly among us as the atmosphere was set for the presence of God to come into the house.  Bishop Richardson preached like a crazy man, souls were delivered and set free, and a time of refreshing and restoration came to the entire Richardson Family!  I love that God is so concerned about His people that he will use his people to be a blessing to His people!

Well today is Monday and I am excited about what God has planned for this day, and this week for you and for me!

What are you believing God for this week?

What has God placed before you to walk out?

Who has God placed on your heart to be a blessing to?

What has God placed in your hands?

What is that you want to accomplish?

Whatever it is that you set out to do and accomplish I pray that you walk in your Grace gift and that you move in exceeding power of God in and over your life!  The great thing about today is that it is a new day with new mercies and new opportunities!  Let's make it do what it do! 

I pray this song blesses you!

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He Heals Me

I am so grateful that God has given me another opportunity at Love!  To Love and to be Loved!  

The kind of Love that covers a multitude of faults.  

That one kind of Love that looks beyond your brokenness and sees you whole!  

The Love that is patient enough to pull up all the weeds of an overgrown garden because of the beauty that lies beneath.  

That special love that beholds your scar as a mark of beauty! 

The Love that doesn't lie but is true to his word! 

This is the Love that I have received from my husband, my lover, my friend, Mr. Keith "Diddy" Litmon!

He Heals Me!!!!

I told him my biggest secret 
And he told me 4! 
He smiled at me and said, "that makes me love you more! 

And then he made me laugh

And I knew it was a sign...........

That he was a man, 
That I wanted in my life 
And with every passing day 
I feel more and more of that way!

He Heals Me!

He knows the real Me!

And he accepts me, he never hurts me

He Heals Me!

I can play him songs, all through the night, 
And he will listen to every line
And even when I'm wrong, he is still kind 
He chooses his words wisely when he tells me I'm not right. 









And yes he's a beautiful man, 
but he's also a beautiful friend 

He Heals Me! 

He knows the real Me!

And he accepts me, he never hurts me
He Heals Me! 

The moment that we met, he made me smile. 
He has so much compassion in his eyes 
I have no idea, how long he'll be here 
A season or a lifetime, forever, or a year 

But for the first time in my life I'm not worried about the future 

Because we have such a wonderful time when we're together 

However things turn out, it's all right 

Cause he's already changed my life. 

He Heals Me! 

He knows the real Me!

And he accepts me, he never hurts me
He Heals Me!

As I continue to go through my battle and journey I want to say "Thank You" to my husband who continues to stand by me and with me through every doctors appointment, through my good and bad days, and through sickness and health!  I would not be winning this fight without you Keith! ILoveU2Life!


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