The Heart of Worship Blog has been created to share the Heart of God through creative expression! We intend to uplift, encourage, and be a blessing to all!
If so, I want you to know there is Life after the Diagnosis
Since I was diagnosed with Liver Cancer in January 2012, God has been so gracious and kind to take my hand and lead me through what seemed be the most difficult test of my life. It has been through much prayer, Love and Support, that I have made it through the most challenging time of my life! After embracing and walking through this challenge, God has placed on my heart to come together and connect with those who have been newly diagnosed with a life changing illness, and to remind you that there is Hope and Life after the Diagnosis. I know that the most difficult time is when you hear the physician tell you that there is a life threatening illness plaguing your body. I know that even in an effort to grab hold of your faith that you may still have so many questions. I know that I would not have made it if I didn't have positive people in my life to share my heart with and to speak Life to me! I want to create a healing environment that allows those that are going through this challenging time in their lives, as well as those that are caregivers to receive and share out of our life experiences and join in the Healing Conversation!
JL Heart of Worship Ministries and the LIVE Team are so excited about "Healing Conversations through Artistry!" Please join my sister friends, Symana She Speaks, Juanita Johnson, and others as we present an atmosphere of healing through artistic expression at the Refuge Coffee Bar. Please feel free to share this event, and invite someone that you feel may be in need of blessing!
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Whew...................I have been trying to catch my breath!!! ..............and speaking of catching my breath I almost forgot the significance, the necessity, and the importance in timing each breath when you're giving birth!
"inhale the good and exhale the bad"
Inhaling on beat and exhaling on count. Resting in between the contractions, inhaling the good and exhaling the bad as we embrace each pain. As the community of women stood around the bed inhaling and exhaling, holding our breath in anticipation of the next contraction, pushing and breathing right with the expectant mother I realized even more that day, no one should give birth alone! WoW! I feel a teaching preaching moment coming on, but I am going to try and remain focused! It is the rhythm of life, the ebb and flow, the perfect connection of time signature and key signature that is so neccessary in the work it takes to bring forth life, purpose, and destiny into the earth realm. The conception, the nurturing of the promise inside of the womb, and the awesome responsibility of laboring and co-laboring to see the manifestation of a brand new life! And labor is just what it is, labor; the physical exertion of the body, soul, and mind. Oh, and by the way, those things that God has caused to conceive in your heart can only be produced into the earth realm through the process of labor, but again let me stay on point! There is an assignment to bring forth this new life into the world, and thus we must work until the job is completed! Once the water breaks there is no turning back. It is that release that now gives permission for the mother and child to work together with God in presenting the "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!"
From the baby in the womb, to the laboring mother, to the mid-wife, doula, nurses, and the cheering section, we were all working in concert to ensure that the task is successfully completed! It is literally through blood, sweat, and tears that we transition into motherhood, as we bear down and give it our all in that final push! It is in that push where we see the head crowning, and this little person connected to the cord of life coming forth. It is in that push where the labor pains, the tears, contractions, and the hard work become so worth it! It is in that final push where all the anxiety evaporates as the life you once carried inside is now skin to skin!
It was in that moment that again I got the awesome privilege to see the hand of God in the most amazing way as my daughter Paris brought forth her precious seed, Josiah King! Our God, the creator and giver of life starting with a seed that is planted in the womb, that in due season would bring forth such an amazing being with a head, eyes, ears, nose, 10 fingers and 10 toes, arms, legs, feet, and so much more. What an amazing, magnificent, miraculous God we serve!
I pray this song blesses you~
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Today I woke up thinking..................................
Today I woke up thinkingabout what I would wear......................
Today I woke up thinking about what I would wear to a dear friends homegoing service.
Today I woke up thinkingWOW he's gone! Just like that, he's gone!
There was no preparation, no time for good-byes, and no time for last laughs, kisses, hugs, and final embraces.
Today I woke up thinking...........................
What I would wear became such a small thing when I considered the loss and the lives that will be affected by the absence of his presence
Today I woke up Thanking God for LIFE and another day to get up and do it all over again.
I began to thank God for the brush of my husbands hand that so effortlessly reached over to touch me as I sat on the side of the bed preparing for work. I wanted that touch to linger as I thought about the fact that forever can be ended without a moments notice never to return again. I wanted to feel the compliments of his eyes that follows me as I get ready I wanted that even more today when I began to think about the fact that tomorrow, No, the next moment is not promised Today I woke up singing.............. It's another days journey and I'm glad, so glad about it. I'm so glad about it! Well he woke me up this morning and I'm glad, so glad about it. I'm so glad about it!
Today I woke up thinking....................I'm going to LIVE! I shall LIVE and not die! Today I woke up thinking.....................I'm going to LAUGH! God has filled my heart and mouth with laughter. Today I woke up thinking.....................I'm going to LOVE! Love covers a multitude of sin. Today I woke up thinking.....................I'm going to LAUGH again! A cheerful and merry heart is just like medicine and health to my bones.
Today I am thinking................you may have experienced a loss, or maybe you just received bad news. Things may not be going quite the way you planned. If that is you, you're not alone; however, I want to encourage you to find a place of praise and thanksgiving today!
You get the chance to LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE, & LAUGH Again!
I pray this song blesses you today!
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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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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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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~
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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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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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!
****If the Heart of Worship Blog has blessed you, please feel free to share it with others on Facebook, Twitter, or Email, by clicking on the tab below! I would love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to post your comments, as well as become a subscriber down below!****
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! ****If the Heart of Worship Blog has blessed you, please feel free to share it with others on Facebook, Twitter, or Email, by clicking on the tab below! I would love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to post your comments, as well as become a subscriber down below!****
