I’ve always been amazed by – His Air!
Summer breezes blowing memories of ice cream cones
and bicycles, of fish frying and warm muggy joy.
The summer storm caressing thickly, foretelling
the rain to come. Air so thick you have to catch your
breath. His breath, His air!
Winter is crisp! Harsh, hard – like Thanksgiving Day. Like standing
outside at the parade to wait for Santa. Like freezing your face, but
being so excited you barely felt it. Like coming home to the smell
of Thanksgiving dinner and fogged up windows – Mom’s been
cooking. Like waking on New Year’s Day to peek outside and see the
untouched snow and the cold winter sky and hear the stillness and
feel the serenity.
His air is warm in the spring! Full of excitement, expectations! Life
reawakening! Smell the newness of His Air – the brightness of
His sun! Is that why people fall in love? Something about
His air! His beauty comes alike – inhale! exhale! – invigorate!
As summer wanes, fall air glides in. Bringing golden retreat of green leaves
and wilted flowers. The magnificent colors, the rustic air. Ending
yet beginning. The smell of new school clothes mixed with the
departure of skinned knees and dusk that began at 9:30 when the
street lights came on. The anticipation of brisk breezes blowing
a new kind of freshness and memories of burning leaves.
His air still amazes me! We breathe it. It is life – it is love – His love.
It is full of memories, the story of our lives, it is history.
This same air, since the world began and He breathed it into man, since
Christ was born giving us all new like! This same air breathed in
Africa and England, frigid at the North Pole, scorching at the
equator. His air blankets the universe – we don’t’ understand it, we
try to predict it, but for sure we breathe it. We breathe His air!
Even from everlasting to everlasting, we breathe His Love!
(c)Darlene Carol Dickson, 1997
Monday, June 20, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Manifold Grace Publishing House
Wow, I can hardly believe it’s been four months (on 4/30/11) since I retired! I’m still working on planning a luxurious vacation (like my sister-in-law wants to go on an Alaskan cruise) or time to sit around for a few days, feet propped up, eating bon-bons. Well, truthfully, truffles have been readily available – and I don’t need them! But, let me assure you I am enjoying my new found time, no, that’s not true. Enjoy, yes; new found time; huh? There is no new found time!
My time has been spent pursuing a dream, a God-given dream. Manifold Grace Publishing House – my dream. I got the idea of starting a publishing company for the first time about 10 years or so ago, I only know that because while cleaning out some old boxes to set up my office, I actually found materials I had researched dated ‘2000’! I didn’t even remember that but that’s why us pack rats keep everything. I did remember about three or four years ago when God gave me the idea about a publishing company. Once again I began the research and quickly concluded that I just didn’t have time to deal with this new venture.
How dare I put God on a shelf? In Old Testament days I probably would’ve gotten ‘smoted’ for such disrespect. Thank You Lord for mercy through Christ Jesus. Anyway, last year while going through chemotherapy, while I had no mental capacity to argue with God or turn off His voice…it came back. Publishing company. Another difference was that this time I had a little more experience; life experience. My faith had been tested over a series of life events, including the cancer battle I was going through. These events improved my hearing and I heard the voice of God saying “Yes, it’s me. It’s not your imagination, I want you to help my people share their testimonies.”
I listened and so Manifold Grace Publishing House was born. We are a full service publishing company specializing in ‘book whisperer’ services designed to ensure your words are crafted to shine brightly on the world stage. How exciting is that?! In addition to the publishing aspect of our company, we conduct writing workshops. The inaugural Writer’s Workshop “So You Want to Write a Book Huh?” was held at the Redford Library on March 5, 2011 and it was so much fun. (see following article) Other such workshops are being planned so stay tuned. But in the meantime, beginning on May 15, 2011 we will be conducting a Writer’s Workshop at Detroit World Outreach. So all you interested DWOites join me in Room 202 after 8:00 a.m. service.
Aspiring authors, just know that I am here to help you. Check out my website www.manifoldgracepublishinghouse.com but even more than sharing the amazing opportunity I have to start a second career, I want to remind you that God has a way of ordering your steps if you only pay attention. What is that thing in you that stirs your passion? What is it that your neighbors, your cousins, even strangers end up talking to you about? Do you ever wonder about that? Ever wonder what it would be like to have a daycare when it seems everyone has tagged you as a babysitter. When was the last time you had an idea that “just came to you”? Did “something” tell you to start doing something that you put on a shelf? Write a book? Learn to play piano? Go back to school? Change your eating patterns? Well, you know what “something” told you!
Think about it. Think about your future, your destiny. Listen to your heart, trust your gut but above all trust your God. His ideas are so much better than ours and He doesn’t make mistakes…He never fails and He loves us above all else. The manifold graces of God are enough to cover you for a lifetime! Get busy, get started - do something...do 'it'. He's waiting for you to move...
My time has been spent pursuing a dream, a God-given dream. Manifold Grace Publishing House – my dream. I got the idea of starting a publishing company for the first time about 10 years or so ago, I only know that because while cleaning out some old boxes to set up my office, I actually found materials I had researched dated ‘2000’! I didn’t even remember that but that’s why us pack rats keep everything. I did remember about three or four years ago when God gave me the idea about a publishing company. Once again I began the research and quickly concluded that I just didn’t have time to deal with this new venture.
How dare I put God on a shelf? In Old Testament days I probably would’ve gotten ‘smoted’ for such disrespect. Thank You Lord for mercy through Christ Jesus. Anyway, last year while going through chemotherapy, while I had no mental capacity to argue with God or turn off His voice…it came back. Publishing company. Another difference was that this time I had a little more experience; life experience. My faith had been tested over a series of life events, including the cancer battle I was going through. These events improved my hearing and I heard the voice of God saying “Yes, it’s me. It’s not your imagination, I want you to help my people share their testimonies.”
I listened and so Manifold Grace Publishing House was born. We are a full service publishing company specializing in ‘book whisperer’ services designed to ensure your words are crafted to shine brightly on the world stage. How exciting is that?! In addition to the publishing aspect of our company, we conduct writing workshops. The inaugural Writer’s Workshop “So You Want to Write a Book Huh?” was held at the Redford Library on March 5, 2011 and it was so much fun. (see following article) Other such workshops are being planned so stay tuned. But in the meantime, beginning on May 15, 2011 we will be conducting a Writer’s Workshop at Detroit World Outreach. So all you interested DWOites join me in Room 202 after 8:00 a.m. service.
Aspiring authors, just know that I am here to help you. Check out my website www.manifoldgracepublishinghouse.com but even more than sharing the amazing opportunity I have to start a second career, I want to remind you that God has a way of ordering your steps if you only pay attention. What is that thing in you that stirs your passion? What is it that your neighbors, your cousins, even strangers end up talking to you about? Do you ever wonder about that? Ever wonder what it would be like to have a daycare when it seems everyone has tagged you as a babysitter. When was the last time you had an idea that “just came to you”? Did “something” tell you to start doing something that you put on a shelf? Write a book? Learn to play piano? Go back to school? Change your eating patterns? Well, you know what “something” told you!
Think about it. Think about your future, your destiny. Listen to your heart, trust your gut but above all trust your God. His ideas are so much better than ours and He doesn’t make mistakes…He never fails and He loves us above all else. The manifold graces of God are enough to cover you for a lifetime! Get busy, get started - do something...do 'it'. He's waiting for you to move...
So, You Want to Write a Book, Huh?
So, You Want to Write a Book, Huh? Seminar on self-publishing seeks to turn Metro Detroiters into authors
By James David Dickson | For Manifold Grace Publishing House
April 14, 2011
Your story needs to be told, but you can never find the time to write it.
You’ve written your story but soon found that getting a publishing deal and seeing your work on the shelf of your local bookstore can take years. Your creation goes back into a box in the basement, never to be seen again.
Darlene Dickson and Jenine Warren believe that your stories deserve better. On Saturday, March 5, 2011, the two authors/publishers came together to offer a seminar on the “pay-to-publish” world of the 21st Century - the market most authors will have to navigate if they want their words to appear between covers.
More than 40 Metro Detroiters joined Dickson (CEO, Manifold Grace Publishing House) and Warren (CEO, Kingdom Scribes Publishing) at the Redford Public Library for the seminar, which was titled “So You Want to Write a Book, Huh?”
The 3-hour seminar started with an overview of the writing process, led by Dickson. Most attendees were not writers, by trade. Even if they have an idea burning inside, getting it on paper often proves a challenge. The idea of writing a book can be so overwhelming that the author stops before they start. Which is why the first piece of advice was to pray: For inspiration, for revelation, and for direction.
“The book you might think you want to write might not be the book God wants you to write,” Dickson said. "Better to have a firm idea of where you’re headed, who your target audience is, and what you hope to accomplish with the book before committing pen to paper."
Structure is often a challenge for writers who are just starting out, which is why Dickson and Warren recommended that writers use an outline.
At the top of the page is the title of the book. Below it are the chapter titles, and below each chapter title, writers fill in major points that come up - research, anecdotes, revelations, what have you.
Then, Dickson and Warren had students turn their information packets to the back pages and start the outlining process then and there. All that talk about writing created a desire among the class to get started, now, rather than hope the motivation survives the car ride home.
Some attendees said later that they wrote more during the seminar than they had in months. After outlining either the book itself or a specific chapter, Dickson and Warren had class members stand up and talk about their ideas. This helps them practice another skill that might come in handy for the future authors: Public speaking, which almost every successful author engages in to promote their works and keep the bills paid between books.
The second half of the seminar, led mostly by Warren, focused on the due diligence authors need to perform to evaluate publishing opportunities.
Not all publishing houses or vanity (self-paid) presses are created equally. Some publishing houses are glad to take an author’s money but do little more than act as a printing press - with little to no editing involved, without a single conversation about editorial direction or target audience. The author will have paid thousands for copies of an error-filled book he’s now embarrassed to show his friends.
Both Manifold Grace Publishing House and Kingdom Scribes Publishing operate quite a bit differently, Warren explained.
“There are plenty of people who will take your money and print off your book for you, and that’s it” Warren said, “but that’s not what Kingdom Scribes does.”
Manifold Grace, neither.
“We’re going to sit down with you and understand what you’re trying to say, who you’re trying to reach, what you’re trying to accomplish,” Dickson explained. “I’m not going to turn it into my book, and we’re not going to publish it as-is -- we’re going to make the book as good as it could be and ready for the world stage.”
If you missed the March seminar, don’t worry. Dickson and Warren are planning additional seminars this spring and summer alongside Detroit World Outreach.
Darlene Dickson
ManifoldGracePublishingHouse.com Darlene@manifoldgracepublishinghouse.com/248.971.9771
Jenine Warren
Kingdom Scribes Publishing
EMAIL kingdomscribespublishing@yahoo.com
By James David Dickson | For Manifold Grace Publishing House
April 14, 2011
Your story needs to be told, but you can never find the time to write it.
You’ve written your story but soon found that getting a publishing deal and seeing your work on the shelf of your local bookstore can take years. Your creation goes back into a box in the basement, never to be seen again.
Darlene Dickson and Jenine Warren believe that your stories deserve better. On Saturday, March 5, 2011, the two authors/publishers came together to offer a seminar on the “pay-to-publish” world of the 21st Century - the market most authors will have to navigate if they want their words to appear between covers.
More than 40 Metro Detroiters joined Dickson (CEO, Manifold Grace Publishing House) and Warren (CEO, Kingdom Scribes Publishing) at the Redford Public Library for the seminar, which was titled “So You Want to Write a Book, Huh?”
The 3-hour seminar started with an overview of the writing process, led by Dickson. Most attendees were not writers, by trade. Even if they have an idea burning inside, getting it on paper often proves a challenge. The idea of writing a book can be so overwhelming that the author stops before they start. Which is why the first piece of advice was to pray: For inspiration, for revelation, and for direction.
“The book you might think you want to write might not be the book God wants you to write,” Dickson said. "Better to have a firm idea of where you’re headed, who your target audience is, and what you hope to accomplish with the book before committing pen to paper."
Structure is often a challenge for writers who are just starting out, which is why Dickson and Warren recommended that writers use an outline.
At the top of the page is the title of the book. Below it are the chapter titles, and below each chapter title, writers fill in major points that come up - research, anecdotes, revelations, what have you.
Then, Dickson and Warren had students turn their information packets to the back pages and start the outlining process then and there. All that talk about writing created a desire among the class to get started, now, rather than hope the motivation survives the car ride home.
Some attendees said later that they wrote more during the seminar than they had in months. After outlining either the book itself or a specific chapter, Dickson and Warren had class members stand up and talk about their ideas. This helps them practice another skill that might come in handy for the future authors: Public speaking, which almost every successful author engages in to promote their works and keep the bills paid between books.
The second half of the seminar, led mostly by Warren, focused on the due diligence authors need to perform to evaluate publishing opportunities.
Not all publishing houses or vanity (self-paid) presses are created equally. Some publishing houses are glad to take an author’s money but do little more than act as a printing press - with little to no editing involved, without a single conversation about editorial direction or target audience. The author will have paid thousands for copies of an error-filled book he’s now embarrassed to show his friends.
Both Manifold Grace Publishing House and Kingdom Scribes Publishing operate quite a bit differently, Warren explained.
“There are plenty of people who will take your money and print off your book for you, and that’s it” Warren said, “but that’s not what Kingdom Scribes does.”
Manifold Grace, neither.
“We’re going to sit down with you and understand what you’re trying to say, who you’re trying to reach, what you’re trying to accomplish,” Dickson explained. “I’m not going to turn it into my book, and we’re not going to publish it as-is -- we’re going to make the book as good as it could be and ready for the world stage.”
If you missed the March seminar, don’t worry. Dickson and Warren are planning additional seminars this spring and summer alongside Detroit World Outreach.
Darlene Dickson
ManifoldGracePublishingHouse.com Darlene@manifoldgracepublishinghouse.com/248.971.9771
Jenine Warren
Kingdom Scribes Publishing
EMAIL kingdomscribespublishing@yahoo.com
Friday, February 18, 2011
Opening Doors
Did I say I was living in the “manifold graces” of God in my last blog? Why, yes I did! You know, it’s a good thing that our God is omnipotent and all powerful and wonderful and stuff. I could honestly say we make Him work so hard to bless us except that I know He doesn’t work hard . . . nothing is hard for our God.
So two or three years ago before cancer had ever reared its ugly, demonic head in our family I felt as if God was inspiring me to start a publishing company. I began to research it at that time and just felt as if it was too hard to do. I had a day job that kept me quite busy and there were so many pieces to publishing that I put the idea on the shelf. Funny how we think we get to put God on a shelf until we think it’s time for His plan to work. Well, the idea came back to me during my journey through cancer and this time I had a bout with ‘chemo brain’ and I had to listen. This time around I knew it was Him talking and even my Bishop made a comment to me about doing some editing work for various people and that I should get paid for that work. Wow, that was pivotal!
For the first time I realized, rather recognized that my ability to edit is a gift from God! I mean, I’ve been correcting people’s papers and writing letters for people forever, but I just thought of it as something I had the ability to do. I was good at it. Now writing, oh yeah, I can do that…I’m a writer; I enjoy writing – that’s my gift. Who died and convinced me that I only have one gift? C’mon, tell the truth do you think you have ONLY one gift? And can you relate to being good at something, so good that people seek you out for it, but it’s not sexy enough for you so you kinda say “Oh, that’s just something that I do”.
Now, light bulbs are going off in my head and I get it. He already told me to start a publishing company and I have the skills and abilities to do it! Every story needs tension right, so that part of me that refused to budge was busy thinking up all kinds of reasons why this was just my ‘imagination’. Finally I asked God, “Lord, if this is your direction for my life, I need to visualize it, I need to have a name for it. How can I begin if I don’t even have a name for it?” And in true God fashion, the very next time I was in church Pastor Charisse was teaching mid-week service and was talking about a bookstore they had previously – Manifold Wisdom. And as she said the word ‘manifold’ a picture of the grace of God in my life flashed before me. And I knew it ~ Manifold Grace Publishing Company.
I began to vibe this name, it came alive to me and I began to envision what it would look like and how I wanted it to feel. The name changed to ‘house’ instead of ‘company’ because I’m much warmer than a company. As I began constructing these things around my company I recognized my purpose was to “help people share their testimonies with the world”.
Manifold Grace Publishing House is open for business but before I tell you more about that I want to encourage you to meditate your own life and seriously hear the things God is telling you to do. At my church, DWO, we pray for ‘destiny intersections’. It would take way too long for me to unravel the providence of God who made plans for me before the beginning of time and has established relationships in my life to help me fulfill my destiny – today. Trust me, the things I don’t know, He sends people my way to help me. That is a destiny intersection. That is the providence of God. That is the manifold grace of God.
So, listen, one of the first things I’m doing as Manifold Grace Publishing House is conducting a workshop, in conjunction with Kingdom Scribes Publishing called “So You Want To Write A Book Huh?” It’s going to be held on Saturday March 5, 2011 at the Redford Library – check out the flyer! And feel free to share it with anyone interested in the book writing process – if you’re coming – email me Darlene@manifoldgracepublishinghouse.com
Stay tuned! This is SO exciting. It’s getting GOOD!
So two or three years ago before cancer had ever reared its ugly, demonic head in our family I felt as if God was inspiring me to start a publishing company. I began to research it at that time and just felt as if it was too hard to do. I had a day job that kept me quite busy and there were so many pieces to publishing that I put the idea on the shelf. Funny how we think we get to put God on a shelf until we think it’s time for His plan to work. Well, the idea came back to me during my journey through cancer and this time I had a bout with ‘chemo brain’ and I had to listen. This time around I knew it was Him talking and even my Bishop made a comment to me about doing some editing work for various people and that I should get paid for that work. Wow, that was pivotal!
For the first time I realized, rather recognized that my ability to edit is a gift from God! I mean, I’ve been correcting people’s papers and writing letters for people forever, but I just thought of it as something I had the ability to do. I was good at it. Now writing, oh yeah, I can do that…I’m a writer; I enjoy writing – that’s my gift. Who died and convinced me that I only have one gift? C’mon, tell the truth do you think you have ONLY one gift? And can you relate to being good at something, so good that people seek you out for it, but it’s not sexy enough for you so you kinda say “Oh, that’s just something that I do”.
Now, light bulbs are going off in my head and I get it. He already told me to start a publishing company and I have the skills and abilities to do it! Every story needs tension right, so that part of me that refused to budge was busy thinking up all kinds of reasons why this was just my ‘imagination’. Finally I asked God, “Lord, if this is your direction for my life, I need to visualize it, I need to have a name for it. How can I begin if I don’t even have a name for it?” And in true God fashion, the very next time I was in church Pastor Charisse was teaching mid-week service and was talking about a bookstore they had previously – Manifold Wisdom. And as she said the word ‘manifold’ a picture of the grace of God in my life flashed before me. And I knew it ~ Manifold Grace Publishing Company.
I began to vibe this name, it came alive to me and I began to envision what it would look like and how I wanted it to feel. The name changed to ‘house’ instead of ‘company’ because I’m much warmer than a company. As I began constructing these things around my company I recognized my purpose was to “help people share their testimonies with the world”.
Manifold Grace Publishing House is open for business but before I tell you more about that I want to encourage you to meditate your own life and seriously hear the things God is telling you to do. At my church, DWO, we pray for ‘destiny intersections’. It would take way too long for me to unravel the providence of God who made plans for me before the beginning of time and has established relationships in my life to help me fulfill my destiny – today. Trust me, the things I don’t know, He sends people my way to help me. That is a destiny intersection. That is the providence of God. That is the manifold grace of God.
So, listen, one of the first things I’m doing as Manifold Grace Publishing House is conducting a workshop, in conjunction with Kingdom Scribes Publishing called “So You Want To Write A Book Huh?” It’s going to be held on Saturday March 5, 2011 at the Redford Library – check out the flyer! And feel free to share it with anyone interested in the book writing process – if you’re coming – email me Darlene@manifoldgracepublishinghouse.com
Stay tuned! This is SO exciting. It’s getting GOOD!
Closing Doors
OMG!!! Can you believe it? I actually retired from AT&T on December 30, 2010! It happened so supernaturally that I knew it was time for that door to close in my life. After my successful journey through breast cancer I was confronted with several things, changes actually, that happened in corporate AT&T that quite discouraged me. OK, they made me angry! Afterall, I had invested 35 years with the company and I surely deserved better treatment than that. I won’t go into all the gory details here because I have much more exciting things to talk about, but suffice it to say one of the catalyst was losing 20 days of vacation time simply because my disability, my disease was not resolved during the same calendar year that it started in.
I had a bad attitude … no other way to say it; I was angry. On the day I reported back to work I met with Crystal (my money girl) and asked her “Can I get out of here?” She came and looked at the numbers and we discussed my plan forward. It was a good meeting but having a bad attitude was really bothering me. I had to pray about it. “Father God, right now I have a really bad attitude and I know it is not your will that I be angry or upset – worry. I ask you Father to help me get over this feeling. I did not spend 35 years with this company performing successfully to go out on a sour note, I’ve worked too hard. God help me get my joy back.” And I knew that when I did indeed “get my joy back” it would be time for me to leave.
BTW, a critical piece – I have a wonderful boss! She ‘cared’ for me from San Diego as best she could and because of it I decided that I was going to do everything she asked of me in exemplary fashion. And I did and the projects she gave me were things I liked so I dove into them with excitement. It got to the point where she would think of things she’d like for our team to do and I would figure out how to get it going and we’d work together on it and she’d say “I love it!” I got quite used to hearing that and forgot my prayer about getting my joy back. Well, it was back! It was now October/November and I was already thinking about how we were going to accomplish her plans for next year since I always vacation out the end of the year.
It was also time for my first mammogram since the end of my treatments. It showed there was no more cancer in the left breast but there was a blip – calcifications – in the right one and I had to have a stereotactic biopsy. And as I was whining to God about it (read my last blog) I was reminded that during the cancer journey He told me to start a publishing company. I was reminded that I was supposed to leave when I got my joy back –code word for ‘got my attitude together’. So in the face of these reminders I accepted the fact that it was time for me to retire.
I had no sooner decided to leave in March than we got word that our team was going to have to reduce; we NEVER had to reduce before! And fortunately or should I say supernaturally I was allowed to opt for a severance letter. Ordinarily, severance is at the discretion of the leadership team – you don’t get to choose to go! But my boss knew I was ready to go because I had asked her if I could get a severance letter earlier but there were none at that time. Anyway she worked it out so that I would indeed get this letter! That means I got a severance – bonus – of a year’s salary AND I got to retire with full retirement status/benefits!
I thank God that I’ve grown, as a person, to the point where I can go to God and say “Father, help me get my attitude together!” I asked, He did it and I retired from AT&T in good standing, leaving a great boss and a great team with a good attitude and a fat check to subsidize the pension which was a shadow of its former greatness, LOL. In any case, I closed the door on a 36 year career with joy and excitement at living in the manifold graces of a God who is SO providential that all I had to do was trust Him and live as He says and ‘forget not its benefits’!
Bless the Lord, O my soul...
I had a bad attitude … no other way to say it; I was angry. On the day I reported back to work I met with Crystal (my money girl) and asked her “Can I get out of here?” She came and looked at the numbers and we discussed my plan forward. It was a good meeting but having a bad attitude was really bothering me. I had to pray about it. “Father God, right now I have a really bad attitude and I know it is not your will that I be angry or upset – worry. I ask you Father to help me get over this feeling. I did not spend 35 years with this company performing successfully to go out on a sour note, I’ve worked too hard. God help me get my joy back.” And I knew that when I did indeed “get my joy back” it would be time for me to leave.
BTW, a critical piece – I have a wonderful boss! She ‘cared’ for me from San Diego as best she could and because of it I decided that I was going to do everything she asked of me in exemplary fashion. And I did and the projects she gave me were things I liked so I dove into them with excitement. It got to the point where she would think of things she’d like for our team to do and I would figure out how to get it going and we’d work together on it and she’d say “I love it!” I got quite used to hearing that and forgot my prayer about getting my joy back. Well, it was back! It was now October/November and I was already thinking about how we were going to accomplish her plans for next year since I always vacation out the end of the year.
It was also time for my first mammogram since the end of my treatments. It showed there was no more cancer in the left breast but there was a blip – calcifications – in the right one and I had to have a stereotactic biopsy. And as I was whining to God about it (read my last blog) I was reminded that during the cancer journey He told me to start a publishing company. I was reminded that I was supposed to leave when I got my joy back –code word for ‘got my attitude together’. So in the face of these reminders I accepted the fact that it was time for me to retire.
I had no sooner decided to leave in March than we got word that our team was going to have to reduce; we NEVER had to reduce before! And fortunately or should I say supernaturally I was allowed to opt for a severance letter. Ordinarily, severance is at the discretion of the leadership team – you don’t get to choose to go! But my boss knew I was ready to go because I had asked her if I could get a severance letter earlier but there were none at that time. Anyway she worked it out so that I would indeed get this letter! That means I got a severance – bonus – of a year’s salary AND I got to retire with full retirement status/benefits!
I thank God that I’ve grown, as a person, to the point where I can go to God and say “Father, help me get my attitude together!” I asked, He did it and I retired from AT&T in good standing, leaving a great boss and a great team with a good attitude and a fat check to subsidize the pension which was a shadow of its former greatness, LOL. In any case, I closed the door on a 36 year career with joy and excitement at living in the manifold graces of a God who is SO providential that all I had to do was trust Him and live as He says and ‘forget not its benefits’!
Bless the Lord, O my soul...
Thursday, October 21, 2010
♫I’m a Soldier in the Army of the Lord♫
The Whole Armour
Shortly after I posted “Case Closed” I got the results of the mammogram back, they showed the left breast all clear! "Hallelujah, of course it was clear" I thought without wonder, but then he told me there were ‘calcifications’ that showed up in the right breast. It just so happened that I was at the doctor’s office the day after the mammogram. He had explained that it was unlikely the results would be back so quickly but he checked anyway and, what do you know – he had them. His demeanor changed quickly as he confidently assured me it was unlikely, after all I’d just been through, that these little rocks were cancerous.
I wasn’t worried about cancer, God had already told me no more cancer. But I was thinking “God I know you told me I am a warrior and I’m good with that but can a daughter be a princess for a few minutes before stepping back into warrior princess mode?” Yes, I was actually whining! It’s true, being the only girl – and oldest – in my ‘four boys and a girl’ family I was a little spoiled – not rotten, but spoiled. Then the four boys grew up and spoiled me too; gotta love them! But I never whined! I hate whining, I raised my kids with no whining and all the nieces, nephews and other assorted little people I love know I don’t like whining. Naturally it was just as distasteful when the words left my lips and I quickly recanted.
“Lord, forgive my momentary lapse, I guess I’m just a little battle weary and wanted a break but I know you are in control of every situation in my life and I’m doing my best to hear you at all times. I’m not afraid of cancer so whatever I have to do to work out this next situation I’ll do it. I’m your temple so you must be doing more physical renovations…I’m good with that. I’m in your hands.” Later Pastor Shari and I were talking and I mentioned it to her, she simply said “Stay focused! Don’t let this distract you, just go do what you gotta do and keep moving forward.” God has a way of sending reinforcements when you need them, it was a good witness. Anyway, a couple of days later, they did a ‘stereotactic’ biopsy that removed the benign calcifications and it only took about forty five minutes then I was on my way.
Fast forward to last Sunday when Bishop Ben explained “up/downs”. I had only heard of them from one of my favorite movies ‘Remember the Titans’ and as Bishop was talking I could faintly hear Denzel – I mean Coach Boone - in the background in the ear of one of his players who was doing up/downs saying “4th quarter, 4th quarter, 4th quarter”. Thanks Bishop for explaining up/downs, now I know what they’re for! So I did my first up/down (DWO style) Monday morning and had the most peaceful day. The Spirit of the Lord was speaking to me throughout the day and for some odd reason, I just did whatever He said. No, “I’ll do it later” or “nah, that’s not you God” I just did it and really enjoyed my day. Especially when he gave me great revelation of what being a warrior meant. I was in Ephesians 6 and you probably already know this because I did, but I saw it in a whole different way today, maybe you need to shine up your armour too! Check this out.
Ephesians 6:10-19
Paul gives exhortation to the Church at Ephesus that standing on your faith fights the devil.
Observations:
(10) We are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of ‘His’ might – not in our own strength. If we are strong in the Lord it is His might that vanquishes evil all we have to do is put on the Whole Armour!
(11) The purpose of putting on the Whole Armour is to stand against the wiles of the devil – not to go out, gun cocked to fight, but to stand
(12) The devil is principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places not flesh and blood – we are not to fight against each other (flesh and blood) but instead the fight is against worldly authority and rulers of darkness; evil; evil spirits
(13) We take the Whole Armour to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand – so we know there are evil days and the whole armour helps us stand strong in them and when we have done all WE can, we continue to stand…not be moved, confident that our Lord will use the power of His might through us and in us
(14) Stand therefore w/loins girt about with truth – the loins control the lower extremities – hips for walking, procreation/reproduction, today referred to as your core. It’s where the strength to power your body comes from; your balance. Truth must be present in us at the core of our being, in our gut, our very essence/life
(14) Stand therefore having on breastplate of righteousness – a breastplate protects the heart – if your heart is injured/damaged you’ll definitely have trouble standing, it is your physical lifesource, it keeps oxygen and blood flowing to every organ necessary to keep you alive. It is also your spiritual lifesource – “with the heart man believeth unto righteousness…confession is made unto salvation” (Rom 10:10). David asked God to “create in me a clean heart” (Ps 51:10). The heart must be righteousness. I’m reminded of one of the Indiana Jones movies where he was seeking the Ark of the Covenant and while trapped in a cave or something his young sidekick warns him “Indy, cover your heart!” because that’s what those devil worshippers would try to extract from him. And that's what the devil wants to attack in you today. C’mon Saints, cover your heart!
(15) Feet shod w/preparation of the gospel of peace – our feet carry us to and fro and should ALWAYS be peace seeking. Ps 120 “I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war” so we can expect the battles and the attacks but we must keep peace beneath our feet
(16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked – ABOVE ALL, faith is your shield, remember the purpose of the Whole Armour is to withstand attack. ABOVE ALL indicates it is critical in your arsenal – being able to trust God completely (faith) is your strongest weapon…how else will you be able to quench ALL the fiery darts of the attacker. We must always battle for our faith, battle to keep that shield before us. We can never drop our guard…it has the ability to quench…
(17) Take the helmet of salvation – the helmet protects the head and while salvation occurs in the heart, the head must have knowledge of Him and His ways. The head must carry out directions per the heart. Like with the heart, injury or damage is life threatening. Once the heart is convicted it is the heads job to remind the body – with the knowledge of salvation, of God. It’s the heads job to keep track of every single situation God has saved you from; it records all of your faith-building ‘exercises’
(17) Take the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God – the one true piece of offense – the sword - is the sword of the Spirit, our guide, which is the Word of God. This is profound to me – as we march into battle we do so with only one offensive weapon the Spirit and the Word and we know they are one. It behooves us to sharpen our sword by making sure we know the Word and have it hidden in our hearts. Just as life and death are in the power of the tongue (Ps 18:20) we can ‘pull out our sword’ when attacked and speak life (the battle was won on the cross) or death (the devil is already defeated) in every situation.
But it doesn’t end there, we are now dressed for war, we’ve got our war clothes on, we’re in the army of the Lord. We go into battle with the truth embedded in our belly and with righteous hearts. Our feet seek the path of peace and we know Him as our Creator; our Savior. Our strongest weapons are our faith, which is the shield and the Spirit/Word of God, which is the sword. Now fully armed and protected we must receive our marching orders – (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; - this is beautiful to me because our job in this army is to be in prayer and supplication for our brothers and sisters; for each other. That means we must keep the body of Christ, especially those on the front lines, on the altar in prayer and supplication (which is a humble, earnest prayer or petition). Wake up intercessors, praying in the Spirit. But then we ALL have a place on the front line as we pray (19) that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel. We must pray also that we, each of us, may boldly share the gospel, the mystery of salvation, of Christ, of a Father who loves us beyond the limits of our imagination…could YOU do John 3:16?
What are we armed and ready for? To fulfill the great commission (Matt 28:19-20)! We are armed and dangerous because our sword and shield is stronger than any weapon the devil has and the Whole Armour protects us from evil, from him. So let’s get out there! We are warriors, we are intercessors, we are to make known the mysteries of the gospel – in other words, share your testimony! Tell someone about your Father, your God and how Jesus saved you. Tell someone that He is real and He is alive in us …a very present help in trouble…Savior, Redeemer, Prince of Peace, Creator, Mighty Counselor, Deliverer, Healer, our dwelling place, the way, the truth and the life, a strong tower, the light, Holy One, the Alpha and Omega, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Jehovah, Yahweh. What is He to you? You got your war clothes on? The assignment is simple ~ get on your knees then stand your ground and then you’d better tell somebody!
That’s what being a warrior means to me…
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