Testimony T.E.A. with Lisa B.

Light in the Darkness

Recently, I visited St. Simons Island, Georgia for spring break. This was my first visit and the weather was simply beautiful. It was in the mid 70’s and the sun was shining brightly during my entire stay. I stayed at Ocean Lodge which was right across the street from the water. I was fortunate enough to get a room with an amazing view. I was able to step out onto my balcony and turn my head to the right and see the waves of the water. In the evening, I could gaze at the beautiful orange sunset from my third floor room.

St. Simons Pier Village was about four minutes from where I stayed. There you will find restaurants, clothing stores, art, boutiques, souvenir shops, and many bakeries and places to get some good sweet treats. You know I had to stop by one of those shops and buy a piece of fudge.

I stopped by the pier to look at the ocean a little closer. Looking at the water really relaxed me. I enjoyed hearing the sound of the waves crash against the shore. When I looked around, I saw people fishing, taking pictures, and I even saw a pelican that was sitting on the railing of the dock. He seemed to be used to people because he did not move as people passed by and took pictures of him.

After leaving the pier, I decided to go see St. Simons Lighthouse. The lighthouse museum wasn’t opened but I was able to take a picture of it. I began reading about the history of the lighthouse and found out that it is only one of five surviving light towers in Georgia and still serves as a navigation structure for ships entering St. Simons.

Of course, that got me to thinking. I went to my phone to look up the definition of “lighthouse.” This is what I found… A lighthouse is a tower, building or another type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a navigational aid for pilots at sea or on inland waterways.

Just like this lighthouse serves as a navigational type of structure, the Bible assists us in navigating life. God’s Word has the ability to change, challenge, convict, and transform us. It is God’s love letter to us. It is our “light” to help us stay on the path that God has outlined for us. Psalm 119:105 says…Your WORD is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Let us continue to study and follow God’s Word and be beacons of light in this dark world. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5:16… “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Our Christian faith is based on this simple fact…

What a wonderful day to be alive! Join me today in the celebration of our risen LORD. He conquered death and the grave!

Let’s take a look at the power of the King and His conquest. In Matthew 28:5-7, we find the following words..

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell his disciples that He has risen from the dead.”

Hallelujah, He got up! And because He got up, we can get up! Let us walk in the victory and resurrection power of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.

Praise God for Who I Am: A Godly Woman

By a Christ Follower from Atlanta, Georgia

Guest Post
Male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)

March is Women’s History Month. I give all the Glory & Praise to our “Creator God” for creating me as a woman. In my life as a woman my journey has included some challenges. However, as I reflect on the past and present I must give God thanks for the good days as well as the bad.

Throughout my life God has kept His promises by:

*keeping me in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3)

*teaching me to trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding, in all my ways to acknowledge Him and He shall direct my path (Proverbs 3:5&6)

*commanded me to be strong and of good courage, to not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

*teaching me to seek ye 1st the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things will be added unto you and to not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.(Matthew 6:33 & 34)

*teaching me to not cease to pray for you, and ask that we may all be filled with the knowledge of His Will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that we may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might, according to His Glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light (Colossians 1:9-12)

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)

1st John 5:14&15, Psalm 27, 91, & 103

The above scriptures, daily praying, listening to God, meditation, fasting and the entire Bible has enabled me to be the godly woman that I am today. All good and perfect gifts come from God Making those of us who are women is a gift from God.

Hopefully you will choose ye this day whom you will serve, (if you haven’t already). As for me and my house we will daily serve the Lord. There is no way that I can live my life without allowing God to lead and guide me. As a godly woman God has taught me to cast my cares on Him for He cares for me. I am eternally grateful to Him for being Our faithful, loving, forgiving, Sovereign, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent God. He is our Savior, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Our Provider, Protector, Sustainer, joy, and worthy of all our praise.

Always Bless the Lord.

Don’t Give Up or Give In…

Guest Post

By a Christ Follower from California

Saturday’s Story for His Glory!

2020 was truly a challenging year for my daughter and I. She is a 2020 high school graduate and as you can imagine she received a lot of negative news throughout her entire senior school year. She was not able to go to Winter Ball, Senior Ball, run track, run for SGA Treasurer, be around her friends, sign each other’s year books, etc….you get the message. Well, on top of that, she had to stay focused with school work. That was a huge challenge because she got easily distracted here at home and needed to be around a structured environment. I did not give her that because I worked 12hrs a day, 5 days a week. I thought just checking in was enough, apparently it wasn’t. Her grades dropped and I did a lot of fussing. The fussing and arguments caused a lot of tension between us. To the point, she threatened to leave and stay with her grandmother, my mother. We had to go to counseling because she threatens to leave my house as soon as she turns 18 and I’ll never see her again because I was too controlling and I never listened to her. So, we went to counseling for almost the entire year, but then I found out my mother wanted her out of my house as well but never shared it with me. She was making plans with my daughter to get her out of my house and I never knew until we talked during counseling. I was devastated, I had a new job and could not focus at all. End up losing the job because of it. I confronted my mother about it and she never confessed but her actions made it clear she meant what she was trying to do and will do it again. I needed to end all ties with her….so I thought for a long time. I prayed ABOUT it all. I started taking long walks with my dogs and praying before my God to please help me in every way of my life. My job, my relationship with my kids, help me to know and understand ME, protect me and please continue loving all of me GOD….was some of my cry out to HIM.

My daughter and I continued with the counseling and I told her I love her with every being in my body. I AM here for you in every way you allow me to be. That same night, we received her acceptance to Tuskegee University. It was me, her brother, and my daughter in the car and we screamed and shouted for joy. She asked if I was happy and I said of course and I asked how she is feeling about the acceptance and she said she was ready for change. I told her I AM TOO!! She asked me if I would ever move to GA. and I told her absolutely. Little do she know it was always in my plans to move. She immediately told everyone about her acceptance and her attitude started to change. Her 18^th birthday was here and I was wondering if she was thinking the same about wanting to still leave my house because before she was ready to leave me. But, the conversation never came back up. Her focus was heading to college. Her grades improved and she was well on her way…

Fast forward….I told my daughter when I dropped her off to college, I am still here for you, but now I have to take care of me. Get my life in order. Get my career back in order because all this time, it was all about her and my son. So, if you don’t hear from me it is because I am doing me so I can continue to provide for them, for us. Through all of this, God taught me patience, resilience, unconditional love, humility, and to STOP and listen to Him. Without Him, I would have gone crazy. Out of my mind.

My daughter and I’s relationship is getting better and stronger every single day. She sees me for who I am through my actions as well as my consistency. And vice-versa. Her grades are good and she is receiving internships as well as scholarships (hopefully) for next school year. Her counselor/mentor has been a God’s send and she has helped my daughter through some rough patches. She is where she is supposed to be.

Me….I am taking care of me more and more each day and pushing back from keeping ME on the back burner. I am important too…I just have to remind myself sometimes.

GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD AND THERE IS NO ONE LIKE HIM!!

God Moved

“Saturday’s Story for His Glory!”
Guest Post

By a Christ Follower from Harvey, IL.

my hometown 🙂

The move of God is something I have been wanting to experience for a long time. You see I would always hear other people talk about what God had done, said, shown, etc. Yet, I would always wonder why I wasn’t hearing, seeing, feeling something too. I was waiting for some grandiose gesture that would make me know that God did that. Now to be truly transparent, I had heard the small audible voice before, giving me direction that I didn’t heed and from that point on I felt like God had become silent toward me. After that, the yearning to hear from Him again has always been great, but like the human being that I am, I continue to come short of His glory in so many ways. I didn’t notice, in that God moved.

I, like many others, have had my share of challenges throughout life; heartbreak, loss, disappointment, obstacles, insecurities, self-esteem issues, you name it and it has happened. I have cried out to God to help me, to get me through and I still felt like nothing happened. But today, when I look back on it, I began to understand that I had overcome each of those situations and came out unscarred. The Bible states in Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Not realizing at the time, those were just seasons in my life that I had to go through until I get to the next season. Why? Because God moved.

My life is in no way where I feel like it should be at this time. Yet again, I find myself with an ache in my soul because I feel like God is still silent toward me. There are so many things I need clarity on, so many things I want to do, so many things I want to have, the list goes on and on. I had to reconcile within myself that I have lived my life in the shadows of others, trying to walk in someone else’s shoes thinking that what they had or did was what I needed or wanted. I had to become honest with myself and realize that I had lost who I really am along the way. I was so used to trying to be the version of me that I thought others wanted. The money lost on trying things that didn’t work out, passed-over opportunities or taking jobs and doing things that I didn’t want to do but didn’t know how to say no (I still struggle with no even at 51). Seeing myself through the lens of someone else’s glasses. Asking myself why am I in this space? Despite the difficulties, God moved.

I had a pivotal moment of clarity recently and in that moment some things began to unravel as to what my next life steps are. The reality is I have to get quiet so I can hear God speak. The reality is I have to not be afraid to say no for my own well-being. The reality is I have to find my voice that has been lost inside trying to be someone other than myself. I have to learn that what I do, where I am and most importantly, who I am matters…to me and to God. The things I want, desire or even deserve are not on my timetable, but God’s and I have to let Him do His good work. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is found in Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Contentment has begun to find its rightful place in all aspects of my life and now I recognize that no matter what happened in my life, good, challenging or indifferent, God moved.

Giving God the Glory During and After the Storm: Breast Cancer Survivor

Saturday’s Story for His Glory!

A Christ Follower from Wisconsin

It was the summer of 2011, when I heard some words that changed my entire way of being—I will never forget my doctor saying, “I hate having to make these phone calls, but the tumor is malignant. I remember asking, “What does that mean?” She replied, “You have cancer.” When I hung up the phone, I immediately called my sister who is a registered nurse to share the diagnosis with her. I remember her saying, in an emotional and concerning voice, “Well what kind of cancer is it?” I knew it was breast cancer because I discovered the lump but did not tell anyone about my visit to the doctor. “Now what” A sense of numbness came over me.

My immediate thought was what about my son. He was 14 at the time and dealing with the residual of a divorce, living between two households and now his mother was diagnosed with cancer. In that moment of panic, I never once asked my heavenly father why me…instead, I leaned on my favorite scripture that tends to comfort me during any storm, no weapon formed against me shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17).

I prepared myself for this journey by looking in the mirror and saying hello my name is… and I have breast cancer. This was one of the ways that I began to put on the full armor of God to fight this battle and lean on the word of God. I refused to focus on the negative side of having cancer and I did not want anyone to feel sad for me. I remember asking my mom, why are you crying, God got me. He would never put more on me than I can bare. I had to do this for my son. I needed to see him graduate from high school. I was his biggest fan. Although I was preparing for this storm, I discovered that God had equipped my son as well. For a year, he slept at the foot of my bed on the floor to watch over me through the night. He expressed, “I had to make sure you were ok. Now that you are better, I can go back to my room.” In that season of my life, my son was my angel of protection. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways” (Psalms 91:11).

It was during my battle with cancer that my personal relationship with God improved and I fully understood the meaning of the scriptures that I often recited. I began looking through a different lens and my relationship with God felt different. I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

I often share my story because it is important that we praise God by telling others about what he has done in our lives. When praises go up, blessing comes down.

I began to understand that he was keeping me for a reason. In the word, he said, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Once I finished chemo and radiation, things started happening in my life and I can only say BUT GOD! I went on to get my doctorate degree in Educational Leadership, I co-founded an Educational Consulting Group, J3 Solutions, LLC. We were featured on a national early childhood magazine, Exchange, in a special issue about courageous leaders. I am an Advocate Ambassador for Susan G. Komen Center for Public Policy, and I support other women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. I realized God was preparing me for something greater than I understood at the time.

I witnessed that God would do what he said he would do. During the storm of breast cancer, God developed my faith so that I would be strong enough to share my testimony, which brings me to the honor of being able to share my story on Testimony T.E.A.

In the words of the lyrist, I got some scars, but I am still alive, in spite of calamity, He still has a plan for me, and it is working for my good, and it’s building my testimony.

Heavenly Father thank you for keeping me.

#He kept me

Obedience Pleases the Father

Have you ever gotten chased by a dog? I haven’t but have come pretty close to it. I remember growing up and walking down the alley to get to a friend’s house. It seemed like all of my neighbors had dogs. I would walk down the alley and hear all of the dogs barking but would be determined to reach my destination so I could play double dutch with my friends down the street. The dogs would jump up and down and it seemed like they would be able to get out of the fenced yard but would never make it.

Just last week I was walking in a new subdivision in Georgia looking at some new single story homes. As I was walking, I was taking pictures with my phone. The neighborhood houses were beautiful. All of the sudden, I heard a door to a house open. I turned to my left and saw a man and a woman come out of the door. Behind them came a little tan dog. The dog began to bark loudly and came charging at me. I tried to remain calm and kept walking at my same pace. He kept coming, barking louder and running faster. I just knew that I was going to get bitten by this little dog.

To my surprise, the little dog stopped. The owner had called his name and he obeyed the command of “stop.” He stopped before biting me on my ankle and turned around and ran back to his owner. I was so glad and relieved that the dog was well trained and obedient.

Photo by Berkay Gumustekin / unsplash.com

As I continued to walk down the sidewalk, I began to think about my encounter with the dog. I was in awe that the dog stopped and did not attack me. He was obedient. That got me to thinking about what the word obey means; to submit to authority, to follow orders.

Throughout the Bible there are people that were obedient to the commands of God. One such person was Abraham. In Genesis, chapter 12, we find the following words…The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you, I will curse and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy -five years old when he set out from Haran. (Genesis 12:1-4)

Wow, what a great act of obedience! He left his home and friends to travel to a land that God was going to show him. He left what was familiar territory to go to the unknown. Abram chose to be obedient and hold on to the promise of God that He would guide and bless him. And as a result of Abram’s obedience a nation of people were blessed.

Obedience pleases the Father. Each act of obedience puts a smile on His face. What are some areas in your life that you need to listen and obey? His words and commands are for our good and all for His glory!

The ABC’s of the Trinity

God: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

A An Advocate

B Bridge over troubled water

C Comforter

D Deliverer

E Eternal

F Faithful

G Good

H Healer

I Immutable

J Jehovah Jireh

K King of Kings

L Light of the world

M Mighty ROCK

N Never sleeps nor slumbers

O Omniscient

P Protector

Q Quiet, still voice

R Righteous

Photo by Tammy Johnson-Breininger / pexels.com

S Savior

T The Truth

U Ubiquitous

V The Vine

W Wisdom

X X-tra special to me!

Y Yahweh

Z I have a ZEAL for Him!

This is who HE is to me. What are some names, titles, and descriptions that you have of our God?

Shine Brightly!

The rain was coming down pretty hard and the wind was blowing. Around 4 a.m., I was awoken by a loud beep. It was my ADT alarm system. I tried to go back to sleep but I couldn’t because of the beeping noise. I laid awake in bed. All of the sudden, the electricity went out. I jumped out of bed to look out of the window to see if the neighbors lights were out as well. It appeared that the lights on one side of the street were out and the other side was on.

I knew that I needed to text my principal and inform my first grade team that my electricity had gone out. I wasn’t sure how long it would be out, so I wanted to let them know that I might not be able to come to work or that I would be late. I texted everyone and they told me to keep them posted and be safe.

As I laid in bed in a very dark house, I thought about the darkness and how difficult it was for me to function. I couldn’t see things. I got out of bed to go and find some candles. As I was walking through the house, I bumped into walls, doors, and hit my big toe on the garbage can. Not only could I not see but I felt scared and lonely in the dark.

I found the candles and lit them and got back in bed. I stared at the ceiling for hours. I began to think about the food in my refrigerator and how it might go bad if the electricity was out too long. It was still dark outside and I really couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t make myself a cup of coffee or cook a good breakfast. So, I made my way down the stairs and grabbed a chocolate protein shake out of the refrigerator.

I tried to make the best out of the situation and get a little rest. Thoughts about darkness and light began to come to my mind. Scriptures began to pop in my head and I began to think about how important and necessary light is. It helps us see where we are going and what we are doing. Light gets rid of the anxieties and dangers of darkness.

The electricity came on in about two hours. I could see now. As I glanced over at my flashing alarm clock, I thought about the scripture… Psalm 119:105 Your WORD is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path. The Word of God is our light and when we read it, we are able to see and stay on the right path; the one that God has outlined for us.

In Matthew 5:14-16, we find the following words… You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven. As believers, let us live for Christ and shine and represent our Heavenly Father. Shine, shine, shine!

Light in the Darkness

His WORD is the truth.

Meditate on it daily.

Others need to see.

The Light

Walk in His bright light.

Let the world see you faithful.

Represent HIM well.

In what way will you let your light shine this week?

Still Standing

Prior to moving down south to Georgia, I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota for over twenty years. The years living in Minnesota were filled with fun times. They were also filled with times of darkness, discouragement, despair, and depression. It seemed like the season of winter lasted seven out of the twelve months, with the sun barely even shining. The days were short, cold, and dark.

Winter seemed to be a season when I would get pretty discouraged and feel very lonely. I remember reaching out to my brother to confide in him. I wanted to get his advice and suggestions. I needed help navigating life and knew that I could always trust him; that he would always show support, kindness, compassion, love, and grace. Jason would never judge me but would love me unconditionally. By the way, I think that I have the BEST brother in the world!

I called my brother but did not get an answer so I left him a voicemail. He called me back the following day and we began to talk. He listened attentively as I began to pour out my heart. Tears began to stream down my face as I revealed things that had happened to me over the years and how I believed that they had impacted and shaped my life; my list. After pouring out my heart to my brother, I paused and waited to hear his advice. The first words that came out of his mouth were…“Lisa, we all have a list.”

He went on to share some things that may benefit me during this season in my life. I took notes as I listened to my brother share adverse situations that he has found himself in and how he was able to come out of them. After hanging up the phone, I felt much better and empowered. Now it was time to do the hard work. Now it was time to make good choices and believe that I can WIN! With God, all things are possible. I thank God for my brother and the words that he spoke over my life that cold, dark, winter day in Minnesota.

I invite you to join me. Join me in hearing stories of resilience. These stories will encourage, inspire, motivate, and push you towards your purpose. Hear how people have overcome their struggles and won in the end!

To listen: https://www.tawatson.com/series/resilient-stories/

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