Friday, August 21, 2009

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness. But that doesn’t mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. The text for this is, He climbed the high mountain, He captured the enemy and seized the booty, He handed it all out in gifts to the people. Is it not true that the One who climbed up also climbed down, down to the valley of earth? And the One who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.

[Ephesians 4: 4-13 The Message Bible]

“B  U”

Happy Friday!

The “Mona Lisa” is priceless.  I’ve read that prior to its 1962-1963 tour, it was estimated for insurance purposes at $100 million.  According to an official at the Louvre, “it is kept in a special sealed box to protect it from vibrations, heat and humidity. It is protected by thick glass resistant to bullets and any other object hurled at it” (a lady threw a coffee mug at it not too earlier this month).  That is how we treat something of value.  Question.  What is more valuable than a person made in the image and after the likeness of our Almighty Creator?  Each person is unique.  No two people share the same fingerprints.  Two people may look identical, but they are different.  I know a lady who is a twin.  She and her sister look so much alike it is eerie.  They have the same style of dress, same smile, same height, same face, same hair, same facial expressions, same sense of humor.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  People call them the ‘double-mint’ twins. Even though they look alike, they are two different people.  Each one is unique in her own way.  We are not called to be ‘identical twin’ Christians.  Our goal is to be more like Christ, not more like brother/sister so-n-so.  We may admire the attributes, and character traits of an admirable person, but if I’m trying to be them, who is being me.  There will be a void and something will be left undone.  We all learn from one another, but then we take what we have learned and filter it through the gifts, talents and abilities that God has placed in our spirit and run with it.  On December 17, 1903 Orville Wright took flight in “The Flyer”.  It was the first successful, powered, piloted flight in history and it was air-born a grand total of 12-seconds.   Look at how far aviation has come.  What if no one ever tried to improve that first craft?  The Wright Brothers started taking passengers on ’flights’ with them May 14, 1908.  Here we are in the 21st century flying all over the world in a matter of hours without much thought (except how expensive it is becoming).  Know your true worth.  You are priceless.  A limited edition.  There has never been a ‘you’ in the whole history of mankind and there will never be another after you.  That is another reason why the enemy of our souls hates you.  He doesn’t know your purpose.  He doesn’t know the secret weapons that God has invested in your spirit.  Leonardo DiVinci is gone, but Mona is still here.  There were many artists alive during his time, but his work is head and shoulders above theirs.  His style is unique to him.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Billy & Ruth Graham, Katherine Kulman, Thomas Dorsey, Pop Winans, Timothy Wright, Mahalia Jackson, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans… Reginald Lee Hockaday (my father), Elnora Curry McCloud (my grandmother), among countless others have all gone on.  However, each and every one of these precious people left something special behind for us.  It is up to us to take what they left us and build on it for the generation that is following us.  In my case, it is music and words.  My father was a musician and even though I was very little, all of my memories of him were surrounded in music.  My grandmother was the greatest story-teller of all time.  She could spin a tale that would have you believing Bigfoot was not only real, but that he originated in southern Maryland!  Spielberg could have used my Grandma.  She had no formal education because she had to work to help take care of her family, yet words were very important to her and she taught herself to read and write.  Not only that, but she had wisdom and boldness.  In the body of Christ, we need everybody at their posts.  We need preachers, writers, musicians, artists, teachers, speakers, athletes, politicians(), dancers, inventors, scientists.. etc.. etc… etc.  We need folks in every industry, every field of study perfecting their craft and utilizing their skills.  The bible tells us that “every joint supplies”.  When we are doing what we do, we all fit together and much is accomplished.  Every skill set we have been given is for the up-building of the Kingdom of God… God calls them “gifts”.

 

…. Family, that is Good News!

 

U Blessed!

Have A Fabulous Day and a Wonderful Weekend

Regina

 

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

[Psalm 32:7]

Good Morning Beloved,

Hallelujah, thank you Jesus

Hallelujah, thank you Jesus

Hallelujah, thank you Jesus

For all that You’ve done for me

Lord, You’ve been so good to me

You have given me the power to resist satan

You’ve given me the power to love my enemies

You have given me the power to get wealth

and You have given me the power to be holy, holy

(c)Regina Hockaday

That was the first song God inspired me to write as a new Christian many, many years ago.  It’s a song that springs up in my heart even now as an inner witness to the loveliness of God.  During times when I need to encourage myself, I have been given songs that nourish my spirit.  The writer of Psalm 32 understood that.  There is a power that music holds (positive and negative). Over and over in scripture we see people being encouraged to ‘sing’.  Even in the most precarious positions… in the midst of battle, internal struggles, feelings of helplessness, hopelessness… sing.  On bright sunny, clear days, when everything ‘feels’ right… sing.  Even for those who may suffer a little ‘tone deafness’… sing (or at least make a joyful noise)…”Sing to the Lord a new song”… Zephaniah tells us that God sings over us, when we sing back to Him there is a connection that is incomparable.

… and that my friend is Good News!

U Blessed

Have A Fabulous Day

Regina

“God is Here”, (ministered by K&K Mime)

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

“For Every Mountain”, Kurt Carr Singers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7YXaJKZunk

“My Deliverer”, Judy Jacobs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLJ4tH0_cv8

“With Long Life”, Israel & New Breed

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

Grace Radio -Ephesians 2:8 4 of 116   Just as we cannot hear radio waves without a radio receiver, so we cannot receive God’s grace without faith, and that faith itself is a gift to us from God. January 1, 2007

Praise Harvester -Psalm 67:5&6 11 of 116   This verse makes a correlation between praising God and receiving a harvest. Whatever it is that you are believing God for, don’t forget to praise Him and thank Him for it in advance. January 6, 2007

Concentration -Isaiah 26:3 34 of 116   There are plenty of voices in this world telling us that we are going to fail. But if we keep our attention on the Lord and His Word, and trust in Him, we will succeed.

Symphony -Romans 15:5 101 of 116   The church is made up of diverse peoples,with different cultures and styles. But, we can come together in unity when we are all following Jesus. November 9, 2008

Monday, March 23, 2009

Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

[Nehemiah 8:10]

**********

And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment.

[2 Samuel 6:14]

“DANCE!  The Joy of the LORD is Your Strength”

Good Morning Beloved,

HAPPY MONDAY!…  

I’m feeling this one… “The joy of the Lord is your strength”.  That is so true!… a joy that just doesn’t make sense.  A joy about everything and nothing in particular.  Joy in the midst of struggle, joy in the midst of a “dry spell” where nothing seems to be “happening”.  I’ve learned to cherish the ‘feeling’, because circumstances try to numb our emotions, but the ‘joy’ is always there.  Sometimes the ‘fire’ of joy needs to be stoked.  What brings joy to your heart?  Where is that place that you can go physically, spiritually or emotionally that sets your spirit ‘right’? I can be in a really foul mood, and someone can say something, I start laughing and it’s over.  Doctors are learning more and more, what has been in the bible for centuries…

 
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

[Proverbs 17:22]

I included a YouTube collage of  ‘Dancing Saints’ and, one of the ones that blessed me was a man dancing in his kitchen.  I’m not ashamed to say… I’ve been there.  Yep…dancing in the kitchen. I don’t know why we dance, I just know that whatever the circumstances good or bad, dancing is a release.  I find it interesting that dancing crosses cultural and racial divides.  One thing that our technology does is allow us to peek into cultures we may not see in our everyday surroundings.  As a Christian, it fascinates me to see churches in countries all over the globe, singing some of the same songs, and doing very similar dances.  Our expressions of worship, praise and adoration of our king… different and yet the same.  Not everyone is going to understand, that is fine.  Remember, David’s wife didn’t understand why her husband – the glorious King of Israel- was dancing in the streets like a peasant.  In her eyes, he shed his dignity, along with his priestly garments.  David, was excited because the ark of the covenant… the Word and promise of God, had returned to Israel. I don’t know what kind of dance it was, but whatever it was it was intense.  He was so happy that he came home bearing gifts, but was met at his own door with disapproving eyes and a critical spirit.  Ever had days like this.  You’re in a good mood, minding your own business, and here comes a wet blanket trying to dampen your spirit.  Well, we don’t have control over what someone throws at us, but we do control what we carry… and what we throw back.

… That Beloved is Good News…

U Blessed!

Have A Fabulous Day

Regina

(This is how I’m feeling this morning.. like dancing!)

I Get Joy When I Think About (What He’s Done For Me)

2008 Revival T Hands Of God Ministries Guest Speaker: Pastor Harris

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

*****

“Still Have Joy”, Tye Tribbett

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfJ2LZQbvs4

*****

“Dancing Saints”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jgv6BS5jP4

*****

“This is the Day”, Fred Hammond

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5fXhoxJqQQ

Oil of Joy -Isaiah 61:3     Like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, the storms of life can leave us broken, and it can be tough to continue. But God provides us the oil of His joy, to heal our hurts, and allow us to move on in Him.

Treasure this day…..it’s priceless, because it will never come again…

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love music…. different forms and expressions.  My iPod includes everyone from Tye Tribbett and Fred Hammond to Randy Travis, DC Talk, Canton Jones, Hezekiah Walker, Shirley Ceaser, Papa San, Richard Smallwood, Martha Munizzi, Antwaun Stanley, Irocc, Tonex, Ted & Sheri and many, many others.  I simply love the many colors and flavors of Gospel music — Holy hip-hop, traditional, contemporary, funk, pop, rock, reggae, praise and worship, jazz…etc.  My music reflects the shades of my personality.  I am very selective about what I listen to, and, as my daughter will attest, I actually listen to what is being said… aside from a nice little ‘beat’.  The song has to speak to me, or for me.  What I mean, is that there are songs I hear, that express exactly what I’m feeling—- Israel and New Breed and Nysa Shenay are two examples.  I have been reading a book on the writers of some of the greatest hymns ever written called ‘Then Sings My Soul’.  I have learned so much reading about the lives of these great men and women, most who endured horrific suffering.  Some were blind, some lost children and family members, some were faced with harsh persecution for their faith in Jesus, many of them lived very simple lives.  Most died without ever truly knowing the impact their words would have on the world for generations to come.  What a great legacy they left behind! They didn’t think they they were all that special…. hey…what do you have in your hand (or heart), that you need to leave behind for future generations should the Lord delay His coming…. 

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.