Everlasting Fruit…

FAVORED1 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:58:40 +0000

Thursday, February 4, 2010

This is what the LORD says:
   “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
      who rely on human strength
      and turn their hearts away from the LORD .
    They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
      with no hope for the future.
   They will live in the barren wilderness,
      in an uninhabited salty land.

    “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD
      and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.
    They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
      with roots that reach deep into the water.
   Such trees are not bothered by the heat
      or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
      and they never stop producing fruit.

[Jeremiah 17:5-8]

Good Afternoon Beloved,

Yeah… for folks who live as though this is all that there is, life can be pretty depressing at times. Even for the born-again, spirit-led, blood-washed, bible-totin’, scripture-quotin’ saint of the Most High God it can get a little tough. The difference is we know in Whom we have believed. Things may get a little rocky… but we know that “The Rock” of our salvation has us in His steady Hands. He is able to, “..keep us from falling and to present us faultless before before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…” (Jude 1:24). Trust and believe that no matter what is going on, He is still, “able to do exceeding, abundantly above all that we could ask or think according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my Grandmother “Elnora Curry McCloud” or ‘Ms. El-Nor’. It is probably because the threat of this Friday’s impending blizzard, has stirred memories of the snow storm of ‘83. The snow was so high, we could not open the door of our trailer and were stuck inside. My Grandma was a pet lover, and out of concern for her critters, she brought them all inside to stay with us until the weather cleared. Along with the 4 chickens (2 of which were named “Buffy” & “Hilde” remember “Bosom Buddies” -Tom Hanks & Peter Scholari), we had the dog “Smutt”, the cat “OJ” and the duck “Boo”. That was one long winter. In the midst of a weird and smelly situation, we learned to cope. I learned from my grandmother and my mother that you can do anything you want to do… if you want it bad enough. They both had practical working knowledge of the bible. What they learned, they practiced. Grandma did not tolerate blasphemy and was careful what she said. She could not read or write very well, (had to drop school to take care of her family) but was able to read and understand the bible. She was a living testimony. It blows my mind that if she were still here, she would be 111 years old! Even though she is gone, just like the verse above, she has never stopped producing fruit. What is even more beautiful is that my grandmother never had any biological children, but she adopted my mom when she was a baby, from a young girl who had a lot of problems. Her God provided a daughter for her that loved, cherished and provided for her. Not only that, but she gave her a grand-daughter (me), that kept her youthful and vibrant. Not only that, but he gave her a second grand-daughter, my friend Tina that also helped to take care of her in her latter days. She never traveled any farther than Baltimore, never, ever wanted to get on an airplane, or a cruise, but to her, her life was full, rich and meaningful. She never wanted for anything. She was blessed with wisdom and wit. She was strong and tenacious (some might say stubborn, probably where I get it from), and really did not care what people thought of her. But she was full of love, funny and sweet and her legacy lives on… through those who love and remember her and what she taught us. What she taught us, we have passed on to Jah and the children that are all around us. God kept her and honored her… just like he said he would… He’s a God who keeps His Word!

… and that Beloved is Good News!

Y Stress? … U Blessed!

Have A Fabulous Day

Regina

”May The Work I’ve Done Speak For Me”, The Consolers

(my grandma’s favorite song)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euuNvaSezY0

“Grandma’s Hands”, Bill Withers

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

“Grandma’s Hands”, Y’anna Crawley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXiE6zYHo2Y

“Lost Without You”, LeJuene Thompson