Breakfast For Your Soul

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

  

  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
[Proverbs 22:6]

  Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible

Train up a child in the way he should go – The Hebrew of this clause is curious: חנך לנער על פי דרכו chanoch lannaar al pi Draco, “Initiate the child at the opening (the mouth) of his path.” When he comes to the opening of the way of life, being able to walk alone, and to choose; stop at this entrance, and begin a series of instructions, how he is to conduct himself in every step he takes. Show him the duties, the dangers, and the blessings of the path; give him directions how to perform the duties, how to escape the dangers, and how to secure the blessings, which all lie before him. Fix these on his mind by daily inculcation (to implant by repeated statement or admonition; teach persistently and earnestly), till their impression is become indelible; then lead him to practice by slow and almost imperceptible degrees, till each indelible impression becomes a strongly radiated habit. Beg incessantly the blessing of God on all this teaching and discipline; and then you have obeyed the injunction of the wisest of men. Nor is there any likelihood that such impressions shall ever be effaced, or that such habits shall ever be destroyed. חנך chanac, which we translate train up or initiate, signifies also dedicate; and is often used for the consecrating any thing, house, or person, to the service of God. Dedicate, therefore, in the first instance, your child to God; and nurse, teach, and discipline him as God’s child, whom he has entrusted to your care. These things observed, and illustrated by your own conduct, the child (you have God’s word for it) will never depart from the path of life. Coverdale translates the passage thus: “Yf thou teachest a childe what waye he shoulde go, he shall not leave it when he is olde.” 

 

  “Which Way Do They Go?”

 

 

 

Good Morning Beloved,

My mom told me that my dad looked at me as a small child, and said, “baby do something!“  He was a musician, from a family of musicians.  I believe I received my love of all forms of music from him.  However, he never actually taught me to do anything.  I grew up with my grandma. She was a great story-teller ~the Steven Spielberg of my youth.  I received my love of stories from her.  She saw my voracity, my ‘bent’ toward the dramatic, and fed my growing imagination.  She trained me for what I’m doing now in “daily inculcation“.  She imparted great life skills in me.  I was taught that “people are people“, and that some of the greatest blessings come in unfamiliar wrappings.  She taught me that you can’t judge a book by its cover.  What is interesting is that she didn’t talk much.  She was “old school“.  A lot of the older saints didn’t believe in telling children too much.  My sense is that they wanted to protect us, and create an environment where we could enjoy the joys of childhood as long as possible.  Training comes in many forms.  What we’ve been told is that if we train our children in the ways of God, if they turn away from their teaching, they’ll be back.  That is disheartening to the parent who did that and yet their child turned away and never came back.  Some have been cut off at young ages and now it’s too late.  The Bible gives NO guarentee that if you do everything “right”, you’ll have a perfect kid.  There will never be a greater “parent” than The Almighty God, and look at some of His “kids”.  Thank God for those who never strayed from the teaching of their Godly parents.  God bless those who turned to their “own devices” but “came to themselves” and returned to their Heavenly Father.  What answer do we have for the others?  Just as stated above.  Our assignment is to train them spiritually and socially.  To demonstrate and point them toward a genuine relationship with the God of our Salvation.  It is not to make carbon copies of us.  Our task is to study our children and learn their temperment and what “makes them tick“.  What did God place in them?  There are youngsters at my church, 3 and 4 year olds, who have musical abilities in them.  They are naturals, but someone has to train and develop the gift that is in them or it will be ineffective.  I remember a young lady named Kris whose mother was the president of the very first Gospel Theater ministry I ever worked with.  Kris was 9 years old.  Where ever there was a piano or keyboard, we had to drag her off of it.  PLUNK.. PLUNK.. PLUNK… PLUNK… noise.. I remember telling a friend, “somebody just needs to go on and teach her how to play“.  The next thing I know, she was getting lessions.  She kept at, in 2005 at the tender age of 22, she received her Masters in music.  I call her “The Maestra”!  She is amazing.  My own daughter is musically similar to me.  She has a very eclectic musical palate.  Her tastes are broad and varied… from Billy Idol, Lady Gaga & Beyonce to Israel Houghton, Switchfoot, & Kirk Franklin. The reason she leans towards diverse musical stylings, is reflective of her heart in general. She also loves diversity in people.  It is something of which I’m eternally grateful.  I’d say we “trained” her well!

…and that Beloved is Good News!

Y Stress? … U Blessed!

Have A Fabulous Day

Regina

 

Home ~ Me & Grandma

Me in the phenomenal stageplay “Homecoming Queen: The Prodigal”

“There Is No Failure In God”, Rev. Donald Vails

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgWHfOuwZf8

 

“All In His Hands”, Dr. Charles G. Hayes & Cosmopolitan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHa2apGEJIw

 

“All In His Hands”,  FAC Sanctuary Choir

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xB0bEWR1VE

 

“All Night”, Alvin Darling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpaSZSYzbZM

 

“Encourage Yourself”, Donald Lawrence w/Sheri Jones Moffett

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6yhgFxDQMw

 

“He Has His Hands On You”, Marvin Sapp

http://youtu.be/NHj49WzGpXk

 

“In The Middle Of It”, Issac Carree

http://youtu.be/QZdvKgJM8ek

 

“The Prayers”, JMoss

http://youtu.be/0wUbK2EssfQ

 

“Pure Gold”, The Clark Sisters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWWlTe_ft3Q

 

“Jesus Is A Love Song”, The Clark Sisters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs0mB-RSV0c

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… and that Beloved is Good News!

Y Stress? … U Blessed!

Have A Fabulous Day and a Wonderful Weekend

Regina

(hope this stays as small as I shrunk it! LOL!)

  “He Reigns”, Kevin LeVar and One Sound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPDUvrKIRtY

“Like Never Before”, Shekinah Glory, w/William Murphy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aNRxUDxfsI

“I Desire More”, Crystal Aiken

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3nWrD2nF9o

“All I Need”, Brian Courtney Wilson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_SKO_pCn1A

“Days of Elijah”, Judy Jacobs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUIa674GGCo

  ”I Have A Friend”, Clint Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i3GMSY6Dp4

“Praise Him In Advance”, Marvin Sapp

http://youtu.be/X1CIY7-YnGo

“I Need Thee”, Bryan Wilson

http://youtu.be/_yDlY8LnoPY

“A Secret Place”, Bryan Wilson

http://youtu.be/5WJKRY0r_iU

“The Storm Is Over Now”, Kirk Franklin

http://youtu.be/FtNVn9IvWyI

 

 

   

Monday, January 18, 2010

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

 

 

 

 
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith GOD, I will pour out of My SPIRIT upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams

[Acts 2:17]

 

 

Dreams

 

 

Good Afternoon Beloved!

 

Sorry for the delay… technical difficulties.  Yesterday we commemorated a day set aside to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  All over the airwaves, I heard snippets of his timeless “I Have A Dream” speech.  I remember hearing his daughter, Rev. Bernice King say that her father was a prophet.  It was as though her were looking down the annals of time and letting us know what was coming.  I believe he saw the day and time that we are living in, but I believe he would have loved to have been able to experience some of the fruits of his labor.  The Bible is honest and balanced.  It lets us know that every day will not be sunny, and that we will not always “tiptoe through the tulips” or “lie on a flowery bed of ease” as my mother and grandmother used to say.  There will be difficult days, there will be days of preparation, (one of the most common complaints I hear from the young folks around me is that they are so “bored”.. I tell them they’re in prep time) there will be days so hectic we may feel as though we’re drowning.  Hold on… God did not bring you this far to leave you.  He is right by your side, no matter what you’re going through.  He gave us a dream.  Something to keep the fire burning with our hearts.  Something to give our life purpose and energy.  Age is no excuse to quit (you know who I’m talking to ahem… hint, hint ) … I often tell my friends that the “Five Blind Boys of Alabama” are still touring … after 55 years… so we have no excuse!  My sister-in-Christ Melanie Best is a prolific playwright and author.  She has a new play that will be performed at her church on February 7th called “Blessed and Highly Favored”.  It is an absolutely powerful production that deals in a sensitive manner with childhood bullying, low self worth and suicide.  There is a line in there that I really love and it has stuck with me.  A child asked why she couldn’t have the finer things in life if her mother’s dreams had really came true.  The wise mama tells her that “some dreams are for ourselves, some are for other people and some are for the whole world to benefit from, but the dream that comes from God will turn out just right”.  What a Truth!  No matter what it looks like in the natural, remember, “faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen”.  Trust God and hold on to your faith.  He is “well able to do exceeding, abundantly above all that you can every ask or imagine” … keep your dream alive…guard it from the assassins that have been sent by the destroyer to kill it.  “Fight the good fight of faith.”  Remember that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”  We are “over-comers”!!! … I peeked at that end of the book and uhhhh…. we WIN!

 

.. and that Beloved is Good News!

 

Y Stress? … U Blessed!

Have A Fabulous Evening

Regina

 

Blessed & Highly Favored”, The Clark Sisters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lzqak49CaQ

 

“He’s Able”, Deitrick Hadden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GVZeRIaAhI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSEBT8EDTuE

 

“Surely He’s Able”, The Ward Singers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JZShvKn04A

 

“I’ll Trust You”, James Fortune and Fiya

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRwQy2eQbJM

 

“I’ll Trust You”, Richard Smallwood & Vision

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HAO-7wBZTw

 

Beauty For Ashes, Crystal Lewis and Ron Kenoly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Abe6wBB-JQ

 

“A Song of Strength”, Fred Hammond,

w/Joann Rosario (now Joann Condry)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7-XxVJNVHw

 

“More, More, More”, Joann Rosario (now Joann Condry)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3Iu6ByvrEA

 

 

 

 

 

Good Morning Beloved,

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: [Acts 2:17]

 

For confirmation that we are living in the last days, one need only to take a little peek outside. Our daily news, the television programs we enjoy, the movies we flock to, the music that is being pushed into the atmosphere, all shout, in one way or another, “LAST DAYS!”.  Many of us were taught by Godly predecessors, that Jesus was soon to return.  The older saints used to admonish us to, “get our house” in order.  As the years rolled on, the message began to get fainter, and as that message became quieter, the opposite grew louder.  A new, “if it feels good, do it-if there really is a God only He can judge me-the bible was written by a bunch of mean old men, and has a bunch of flaws in it” religion cropped up.  Everything sacred is under attack.  That only serves to prove that what God said is true.  Everything He said would happen, is happening. Now like never before, in spite of, or rather because of heightened persecution, we as a church, are becoming as the Hebrews of old.  The more they were afflicted… the more they grew.  The more God is maligned, the more His Spirit is being poured out.  The greater the struggle.. the greater the victory.  Miraculous events are occurring even more.  We are seeing greater testimonies than ever.  It is an exciting period of history.  No longer can we afford to live in a state of “trying to get ready”… we are being set in a place where everything we have learned, every gift we were given, every talent we possess, every resource at our disposal, will be given an opportunity to be used for the Glory of God.

….. and that’s some Good News right there!

speaking of God’s Spirit being poured out, check out this ’Baby’ Preacher: http://apostoliclive.com/play.php?vid=492

 

U Blessed,

Have A Fabulous Day!

Regina

Cartoonist’s Comment:

This fallen world can be a hostile environment in which to live, but salvation from Jesus can protect us, and provide for us that which we need to live.

 

 

Cartoonist’s Comment:

We are all traveling through time. And we can be sure that somewhere on the road ahead is the return of Jesus.

Good Morning Beloved,

Brace yourself DC/Metro for another scorcher…. hey, remember a few weeks ago when we wondered if warmer days were coming… well they’re here!  I’ve been thinking about the vision that God gave to me.  A good friend and I were talking recently about the number of people who desire to start their own business.  She was concerned about those who falsely believe that being self-employed is easy.  I’ve been listening to the experts who say, that many business fail simply because of poor planning and a lack of discipline.  The bible tells us to ‘count the cost’.  God is sovereign and in ultimate control, however He gives us the delightful privilege of working with Him.  He said that if any lack wisdom that they can ask Him and He will give it to them freely.  That is a blessing, because in the age we are living in we really need wisdom.  I remember re-occurring dreams in my grandmother’s trailer at the age of 13.  I had no idea what they meant at the time.  I have actually seen many of them come to pass.  There are 2 dreams left, and I know that they too will be fulfilled in the very near future.  My dreams, visions and business are all connected.  Wisdom lets me know that because my business is in its infancy, like a baby it must be nurtured and protected.  I do not expect it to provide for me yet, I must pour my resources into it.   However, every parent, raises their child with the expectation that someday he or she will make a positive difference in the world.  That is my hope and expectation for my vision… that it will grow strong and affect the lives of God’s greatest treasure… His people… for the good.

“And the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that reads it.”  (Habakkuk 2:2)

 

And He said, “Hear now My words: If there be a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. (Numbers 12:6)

 

Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keeps the law, happy is he. (Proverbs 29:18)

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”  (Acts 2:17)
U Blessed

Have a Fabulous Day! (… drink lots of water)

Regina

Cartoonist’s Comment:

The promises of God are a solid rock that we can cling to, no matter the trials that may try to pull us away.

Cartoonist’s Comment:

It may seem that God’s promise is too big for you to receive. But just continue to remain in faith and in patient expectation. The hen cannot see any change in the egg from day to day, yet she patiently and steadfastly sits on the egg. Then one day, suddenly, the egg cracks, and she receives the fulfillment of the promise.