Pursue, overtake and recover all

“Pursue, Overtake, and Recover All”

King David took all the men to fight and left the women and children unprotected. While they were out fighting one battle, the real war came from another direction. The Amalekites invaded Ziklag, burned it to the ground, and took their wives, sons, and daughters captive.

Have you ever been there?

You were doing everything you knew to do—fighting, working, showing up, trying to hold it all together—and somehow, the enemy still came in to steal, kill, and destroy. You weren’t being careless; you were being faithful. But while you were fighting on one front, another one opened behind you.

Maybe this isn’t about King David to you. Maybe it’s about you.

You’re that man who’s been fighting for your family. You were working two jobs, doing your best to make ends meet. You were trying to go back to school, to build a better life, but somewhere along the way, your wife left because it still wasn’t enough. You were fighting so hard physically that when it came time to fight emotionally, you were tired. You didn’t have the strength to save that marriage. And now, it feels like everything you built is in ashes.

But hear me: God is not done with you.

David and his men wept until they could weep no more. Everything they loved was gone. But when David stopped crying, he inquired of the Lord. That’s the turning point. When you stop rehearsing what was lost and start asking God what to do next, that’s when recovery begins.

God told David, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

I believe God is saying the same thing to you today: Go get your family. Go get your purpose. Go get what the enemy stole.

For some of you, it’s not too late. God specializes in restoration. He can rebuild love out of ashes. He can breathe life into what you thought was dead. If you’re willing to seek His face and follow His strategy, He’ll go before you and help you fight a battle you were never meant to lose.

For others, this is your call to believe again. Don’t give up on love just because the last relationship didn’t work out. Don’t bury the dream of family because you’ve been disappointed. The next time, it won’t be about survival—it’ll be about divine connection, covenant, and healing.

God has gone before you into the enemy’s camp. You’re not just chasing what you lost; you’re stepping into what’s next.

So, rise up, man of God. Strengthen yourself in the Lord. Seek His face. Get the strategy. Then pursue, overtake, and recover all.

Because the truth is—you will recover all.

Just like David did.

And just like God is preparing you to do.

Now go. Ready. Set. Pursue.

More than Mr. Incredible

The Incredibles is one of my favorite animated movies. It is so much more than a kid’s movie. It is a family movie. We can learn so much from Bob and Helen as they live ordinary lives and yet they live managing the oxymoron that they are superheroes as Mr. Incredibles and Elastgirl. I like to see us all that love the Lord and that are called according to his purposes as superheroes’. We were sent to the earth to answer an emergency, a crisis. The father knew it would exist before time began, before he knit you in your mother’s womb. You were sent as the answer and yet you have been called to work a regular 9 to 5 job or maybe even have your own business. You cannot find joy or purpose in performing your everyday mundane duties. You know you have been called to more.

Sometimes you may feel like Bob. You believe you are held back by your wife and children from doing what you really want to pursue. I’ll never forget the day I stopped my ex-late husband, and I asked him perhaps his calling was to be a great father and a great husband. He told me he was bigger than that. See he wanted to be a famous musician and valued that more than he valued his family. He missed it.

Bob, you don’t have to choose between your family and your dream. You can have them both. While we are saving the world we must remember our families. I am older now but as I was much younger in the Lord, I received many, many prophetic words and all God was going to do for me and through me. I knew I was called to the frontlines unequivocally to do great exploits for the Lord. However, how would I get my superhero powers? It was in my marriage. The Lord let me know if I was not willing to lay my life down for my family first, then I would never lay it down for his kingdom purposes.

My favorite scene in the movie is as follows: The day of their wedding they are out saving the world and she tells Bob not to be late. He tells her he still has time. He ends up being late. Let us see how the scene plays out.

We come to learn that it’s their wedding night, as Helen is not impressed that he’s late; thinking that their last interaction was only playful banter. Bob leans in and mentions her needing to be more flexible, while she seriously tells him that he needs to be more than Mr. Incredible if they want their marriage to work.

Many need deliverance from the impostor syndrome. What is imposter syndrome? The Imposter syndrome is the condition of feeling anxious and not experiencing success internally, despite being high performing in external, objective ways. This condition often results in people feeling like "a fraud" or "a phony" and doubting their abilities. The world sees you in your superhero costume, but you really don’t believe you can be who they believe you are but your powers work for them, but you struggle in your personal life. You almost feel like two different people. Bob was Bob and Mr. Incredible. You are you and Mr. Incredible. But for his marriage to work he could not just be the hero to the world and just Bob to his family. He would need to find harmony and be okay being both just like many of us need to do.

God wants every Helen to know for your marriage to work, you will need to be more flexible like Elastgirl. To every man like Bob, you will need to be more than Mr. Incredible for your marriage to work and God will bring the harmony and unity to bind you together with his power. Be encouraged. Fear not! It is okay to be both. :)

Bonnie and Clyde sanctified

“Ride Until the Wheels Fall Off” — My Bonnie & Clyde Revelation

Bonnie and Clyde were outlaws — straight-up gangsters who didn’t care what anyone thought. They lived loud, bold, and unafraid. The media glorified them, turning them into legends of rebellion. Now don’t get me wrong — I don’t admire their crimes or the chaos they caused. But if I’m honest, I can’t help but respect the fact that they weren’t punks. They moved with conviction. They did what they did with their whole hearts.

In a world full of people playing it safe, settling for halfway living, and calling it faith — they stood out because they gave everything. They were all in, for better or worse. They rode together, and they died together, in their choices. It wasn’t easy to catch them because when two people are fully locked in — even in failure — they become a force that’s hard to break.

Bonnie and Clyde proved something powerful, even in their downfall: they showed what two people could do when they were in unity. When two agree — whether for good or for evil — that agreement creates power. They had the world on edge, wondering, “What are they going to do next?” They moved as one, and even in failure, their story echoed through generations.

But what if that same loyalty, that same ride-or-die energy, that same unstoppable unity — was directed toward the Kingdom of God? Imagine what Bonnie and Clyde could’ve done if their mission was fueled by Christ instead of crime. They were a force to be reckoned with, but they were on the wrong assignment.

God is still writing stories of power, partnership, and purpose — but this time, He’s doing it His way. The Father wants to rewrite the narrative of couples who ride together. He’s looking for Bonnie and Clyde partnerships that are anointed, not outlawed. He’s raising up duos who will rob hell of every soul, every dream, and every destiny it tried to steal. Because when two gather in His name, He shows up in the midst — and nothing can stop them.

There is power in unity. There is strength in divine partnership. God never designed you to ride solo forever; He designed purpose partnerships that reveal His glory. He wants to show the world what success in Him looks like — even through people who came from broken places.

Imagine what happens when a man and a woman decide to go all in for God, with the same passion and loyalty that Bonnie and Clyde had for each other — but this time, covered by grace. The world won’t even be able to keep up. You’ll be unpredictable, unbreakable, and unstoppable — not because of rebellion, but because of revelation.

There’s room at the Cross for every Bonnie and Clyde — for every couple who once ran wild but now runs toward destiny. God is calling you to become criminals to hell — to rob Satan blind of everything he took from your bloodline. Every stolen dream, every broken marriage, every lost opportunity — we’re taking it back.

For those of us who’ve been believing for generational restoration, hear me: God is about to release divine increase. What the enemy meant for evil, God is about to flip into evidence of His glory. The Bonnie and Clyde of this generation won’t end in tragedy — they’ll end in testimony.

So buckle up. Grab your purpose. And let’s ride — not to escape, but to occupy.

We gone ride until the wheels fall off, not for fame, not for fear, but for faith.

Because this time, when they see us coming, they won’t see outlaws — they’ll see overcomers.

Come on and take a ride,

I’ll be your Bonnie and you’ll be my Clyde,

We gone blow up,

Bang, bang, lite em up, we got something for y’all to post about, while drinking your morning cup, 

We gone always give ‘em something talk about,

If it ain’t our getting up, it’s going be our getting out.

We gone always keep em wondering which direction we gone take,

But don’t they know, we gone always keep it 1000, and never be fake,

Bang bang light ‘em up, here we come,

Don’t they know, they ain’t gone never be able to catch us on the run,

Unpredictable, unforgettable, unconventional, 

Unexplainable, unequivocal multidimensional,

Are only a few ways,

On some days,

They will chant to sing our praise.

Long live Bonnie and Clyde, 

Cause we both came to ride and to die, 

And when they see me, they gone see you,

We gone always leave ‘em wondering what we gone do.

We gone always keep it lit,

We gone ride to the wheels fall off and never quit.

Marie's Oscars

🎬

What Is the Purpose of the Oscars?

The Oscars were created to recognize and celebrate all aspects of the film industry and the talented, diverse people who make movies come to life. But when I think about it, our lives are movies too. Each of us walks through different scenes, carrying different scripts, and sharing the screen with people who play major and minor roles in our story.

Some of those people, we “cast” ourselves. Others, God handpicks and places in the story for reasons we may not understand until the credits roll.

Denzel Washington said something powerful at the Grammy Awards this year that his mom once taught him. After being nominated nine times before finally winning, he said, “Man gives you an award, but God gives you your reward.”

That hit me deeply because I don’t want man’s award—I want God’s reward. I believe we should honor the people who have played meaningful roles in our life’s movie. So today, I want to take a moment to do just that—to hand out my own “Oscars” to those who helped shape the story of my life.

🎞️

Movie 1: “Overcoming on Broken Pieces” (2000–2005)

This was one of the hardest and holiest seasons of my life. I was broken, but I was also becoming.

My mentor, Prophetess Pamela Jones-Kent, you get the Oscar for Best Spiritual Covering. You prayed for me when my heart was shattered in marriage and reminded me of my “yes” to God. You watched over my soul and trusted that I would never die lost.

Dr. Carolyn Champion, you were my anchor. So many times, I sat in your chair and you reminded me of how much God loved me, how pleased He was with me, and how bright my future still was.

To my dear friend Sophie Williams, who sat with me, ate with me, and helped me rebuild when my credit was destroyed—you get Best Friend in a Crisis.

Herbert Poole, my brother, your worship CDs carried me through that storm.

Valerie G. Lowe, thank you for seeing me beyond my pain.

Apostle John Zartuche, you prophetically announced my exodus and declared my crossing.

And Apostle Donald Garner, like the raven that fed Elijah, your prophetic ministry kept me alive when everything around me was falling apart.

🎞️

Movie 2: “Forgive and Forget” (2006–2016)

This was my survival story—the season I learned to stand again after my divorce and as my ex-husband was slowly dying.

Kina Miller, you get Best Supporting Actress. You paid my rent for four months and made sure I could stand on my feet again.

Pastor Jamal Miller, you taught me how to blog and supported my first website.

Dr. Matthew Stevenson III, you get another Oscar for Best Prophetic Covering. You taught me consecration and covered me in prayer through countless transitions.

My late mother, Beverly Bares, thank you for walking the longest mile with me to give me emotional support.

And to Dr. Carolyn Champion and Prophetess Pamela Jones-Kent, thank you for reminding me that God hadn’t forgotten me—that one day, people would fly from all over the world to attend my wedding.

🎞️

Movie 3: “Broken and Beautiful” (2016–2020)

This was the season of new beginnings—the moment I started believing again.

Monica Coffey, you get the Oscar for Best Supporting Cousin. You were there when I gave birth to my daughter, and you’ve never left my side.

Katina Daher, thank you for my baby shower and celebrating my miracle.

Rikki Ray, you delayed selling your condo just to give me stability and helped me launch Ruth’s Vineyard.

Dr. Carolyn Champion, your encouragement carried me through my pregnancy—you told me God would turn her father’s heart, and I held on to that word.

🎞️

Movie 4: “The Dawning: All Things New” (2020–2023)

This was my resurrection season—when God began to make all things new.

Dr. Matthew Stevenson III, you get the Oscar again for prophetically declaring my season in 2020—you said those who didn’t know me would regret it because of where God was taking me. And you were right.

Monica Coffey, you moved in during the pandemic and supported me and my daughter when the world shut down.

Herbert and Janeen Poole, thank you for helping me transition to Houston—fixing cars, watching my daughter, and just being family.

LeRon and Wendy Bennet, my daughter’s godparents, thank you for your endless love and covering.

Kina Miller, thank you for every financial seed and credit card that carried me through unemployment.

To Dr. Kim Mitchell, Audrey Carter, Rena Bryson, and Sophia Williams—thank you for sowing into my life.

And to Kim Cunningham, you get Best Divine Connection. You found a program that paid my mortgage for eight months and gave me extra funds when I needed it most.

Mother Sharon A. Frazier, my spiritual Naomi, thank you for repositioning me like Ruth and pouring into me daily.

Apostle Donald Garner, thank you again for confirming the next chapter of my story.

And Ingrid Dieudonne, my intercessor and former boss—thank you for believing in my dreams and praying me into my next.

To each of you—thank you for your role, your faith, your love, and your obedience.

May the Lord reward you richly—both now and in eternity.

God is connecting the dots

God Is About to Connect the Dots”

Steve Jobs once said, “You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So, you must trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

In his 2005 Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs—CEO of Apple and Pixar—shared some profound truths that shaped his journey. Looking back, he could see how the events that once seemed random, painful, or uncertain were all part of a divine pattern that led him to purpose.

And that’s exactly what God wants you to know right now: He’s about to make it all make sense.

The divorce.

The miscarriage.

The heartbreak.

The move you didn’t plan.

The job you lost.

The “almosts” that left you wondering, “God, why?”

Every one of those dots is about to connect.

Steve shared how he dropped out of Reed College after six months—but hung around for another 18 months before leaving completely. He asked himself, “Why did I drop out?” And his answer started before he was even born.

His biological mother was a young, unwed graduate student who wanted her baby adopted by college graduates. A lawyer and his wife had agreed to adopt him, but at the last minute, they changed their minds—they wanted a girl. His adoptive parents, who were on a waiting list, got a midnight call asking if they wanted a baby boy. Without hesitation, they said yes.

When his biological mother learned that his adoptive father hadn’t graduated from high school and his mother hadn’t graduated from college, she refused to sign the final papers—until they promised that her son would one day go to college.

That was Steve’s start.

So, what was yours?

Were you placed for adoption because your parents were unwed?

Were you an “unexpected” child?

Were you conceived in pain, rejection, or dysfunction?

Were you removed from your home because of neglect or abuse?

No matter how your story began, God is about to connect the dots in your life too.

Seventeen years later, Steve fulfilled that promise and went to college. But after six months, he couldn’t see the value in what he was studying. His working-class parents’ entire savings were being poured into something that didn’t make sense to him. So he walked away.

Looking back, he said that decision was one of the best of his life.

What decisions have you made that didn’t make sense at the time but turned out to be pivotal?

If I had never gone through divorce, I wouldn’t have the ministry of reconciliation God is birthing in me now. My next season, my next assignment, and even my next marriage will reflect what I’ve learned through pain and patience.

Steve began to “drop in” on classes that inspired him. One was calligraphy. He didn’t know why it fascinated him—it just did. Ten years later, that class shaped the beautiful typography of the first Macintosh computer.

If he had never dropped out, he never would’ve dropped in.

Sometimes we need hindsight to see that what felt like rejection was redirection.

Every heartbreak. Every closed door. Every delay.

It was necessary.

So hold on—God is about to connect your dots.

And when He does, you’ll see the big picture was worth every piece.

Press towards the high prize

“The Minimum Requirements of Being Chosen”

When we apply for a job, we’re given a detailed description outlining the expectations. Along with that description come minimum requirements — qualifications that must be met before you can even submit your application. Some opportunities won’t even allow you to apply without meeting those basic standards.

God works the same way. Serving Him comes with minimum requirements.

Romans 12:1–2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Our reasonable service to God starts with our submission — offering Him our whole selves before asking Him for our next assignment. Presenting our bodies isn’t just physical; it’s about posture. It’s about positioning our hearts in obedience, humility, and holiness.

Many are called, but few are chosen. And not because God didn’t call them — but because when He did, they didn’t answer. Some never prepared themselves to be chosen.

I think back to the countless prophetic words I’ve received in my life. Some of them felt so huge that I couldn’t even imagine them coming true. I’d ask, “God, how can this possibly happen through me?” Yet He reminded me — “It’s not you that will make it happen; it’s Me.”

Sometimes, like David, we come from a family or a bloodline that runs from giants. Saul and David’s brothers trembled before Goliath, but David had already faced lions and bears in private before he ever faced a giant in public. God knew that before anyone saw him as king, David had learned to be faithful in the field.

God trusted David with the dream before He gave him the platform.

In my own life, God allowed my heart to be broken in marriage to bring me to my knees. It wasn’t punishment — it was preparation. My pain became the place where I met purpose. He called me to face the Goliaths in my bloodline — fear, rejection, brokenness, and disappointment — not to destroy me, but to deliver me.

What Goliath has God called you to defeat in your family line?

The people who overlooked David — even his father — didn’t disqualify him from God’s calling. You might not be “their” chosen one, but you are His. God knows exactly when to call you out of hiding. He knows the exact moment to say, “Step up to the plate — it’s time.”

David’s obedience in ordinary tasks prepared him for extraordinary purpose. He didn’t think he was too big to serve. He carried bread, not knowing he was walking straight into destiny.

When you’re faithful in small things, God can trust you with greater things.

Maybe you’ve been overlooked. Maybe you’ve been hurt by those who should have helped you. But God saw you. He saw your worship in your pain. He saw you stay humble in humiliation. He saw you kill your lions and bears when no one else clapped. Heaven applauded you.

Now, God is positioning you for your Goliath moment. And this time, you’ll defeat the enemy with his own sword. The very thing that tried to destroy you will become your greatest weapon of victory.

Philippians 3:13–14 says, “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

You’ve pressed through your pain, and now you’re stepping into your prize.

Because the same God who called David from the field is calling you now — from overlooked to chosen, from broken to crowned, from hiding to healed.

Your obedience is the application.

Your submission meets the minimum requirement.

Your “yes” is your qualification.

Your prize

You have found your prize, 

You have exclusively and uniquely pinned me with your eyes,

And with my love, I will make you rise,

With a stare.

With a thought,

I’m held hostage in your embrace and caught,

in your lair,

I’m rendered and surrendered helpless 

To your mental temple invasion,

because you forgot to factor into the equation,

That once you were in, you wanted to be all in, 

See you also came to conquer and to win,

To soar and to fly,

And I can’t lie.

It’s apparent and inherent,

that I am all yours for the taking,

Make No mistaking, 

You captured my heart with one word,

love.

With unspoken thoughts felt but unheard,

We meet in our dreams,

While we danced on sunbeams,

We lived here for years, in our prayers and tears,

Each day, I lay down to sleep,

I keep you close so I can feel your peace,

in my surrender and release,

to his will.

How can I feel,

you so near,

but you aren’t here, 

but 

One day we will never again be deprived

Or denied

We will nap on the moon and slide down rainbows,

Leave our room and dance on our tippy toes,

To the music we hear in our head,

All while lying in bed.

Forget me not

“The Anointing of Abigail: Speaking to the King in Your Man”

Come close, ladies! Listen Linda… Listen Linda! 👂🏽 I want to tell you a secret Abigail taught me in the Word. Now, when I tell you Abigail was a beast—believe me, she was. Let me give you the hood version, because this story right here deserves it.

So here’s the setup: David and his men were out in them streets, doing their thing, handling business, and basically making sure everybody around was good. They had been out there protecting Nabal’s flocks without even being asked. When the time came for a little reward—some food, some hospitality—David sent his homeboys to go knock on Nabal’s door.

But when they got there, homeboy Nabal got brand new. He was like, “Who is David? And why should I give him anything?” Straight disrespectful. So, the men came back and told David, and David said, “Bet. I got sumpin’ for all the ninjas. I’m about to kill everything that can piss on a wall.”

Now let me pause right here. Ladies, lean in. There’s a lesson in this. Sometimes, the man in your life might be a David—anointed but angry, chosen but challenged, called but triggered. And this is where we have to pray, “Lord, teach me how to talk to the King in that man like Abigail did.”

Because sis didn’t lose her composure. She didn’t match his energy. She matched his purpose. Abigail had emotional intelligence before it was ever trending. David was in full beast mode, but Abigail said, “Let me take a bow.” She interceded for her house when her husband couldn’t, and God brought deliverance swiftly.

Now remember—Abigail was married to a fool. Literally. Nabal’s name meant fool. Sis had to deal with a man who was senseless, selfish, and short-sighted. But she didn’t let that stop her from walking in wisdom. She didn’t let his foolishness pull her out of her femininity.

Let’s read what homegirl told David: she fell before him, bowed herself to the ground, and said, “Upon me, my lord, let this iniquity be.” She took responsibility for something she didn’t even do wrong! She said, “Forgive the trespass of your handmaid. The Lord will make you a sure house because you fight the battles of the Lord.”

Do you see it? She spoke to his destiny, not his emotions. She reminded David of who he was when his anger wanted to make him act like something he wasn’t. Sometimes, God will call you to speak life to the king when the warrior is ready to go to war.

Ladies, that’s not weakness—that’s wisdom. That’s divine strategy. There are moments when God will use your softness as a sword, your humility as a weapon, and your discernment as a shield. Abigail stood in the gap for her entire household, and her obedience shifted the outcome.

David said to her, “Blessed be the Lord who sent you to meet me. Blessed be your advice, and blessed be you.” Whew! Her presentation stopped a massacre.

And before she left, Abigail said something so powerful: “When the Lord deals well with you, remember me.”

She knew the anointing she carried. She knew the seed she just sowed. And sure enough, when Nabal died, David remembered. He went back and made her one of his wives.

So, sis, hear me: your prayers, your posture, and your discernment are not in vain. God has seen how you’ve interceded, how you’ve covered your home, and how you’ve held your peace when everything in you wanted to speak.

May the Lord grant us the anointing of Abigail—to know when to bow, when to speak, and how to touch the king in a man’s soul even when he’s in beast mode. Because one encounter with wisdom can change the entire trajectory of your household.

Forget me not

I reached up far enough this time and I grabbed a star,

I no longer have to wish and wonder where you are, 

You are right here in my face,

In my embrace, 

in the water that I drink,

In the thoughts that I think,

In the moments that make me stretch deeper,

In the steps that I take that are steeper,

In the air that I exhale, 

In the moments I will prevail,

Against everything that could ever stand in our way,

For I have already leaped over walls and ran through troops,

To fight for a love like yours that has me in loops,

Of forget me nots. 

God is calling me to be a stripper and you too

Leonard Ravenhill, said, Everyone wants to be clothed with power but no one wants to be stripped of self.

You may be saying this is not possible. How can you equate a stripper with a calling from God. First let us define the world’s definition of a stripper. A stripper is a person who earns money by taking off their clothes slowly and intimately. I had remarkably close relatives that were strippers. At this time in my life, I just had my first baby and was a struggling college student. I did not even have money for pampers. I remember the day I asked one of them would she give me money just for a bag of pampers and she said no but I will get you a show with us.

I turned it down immediately. I figured it out. I knew I was going to stay in school when she dropped out. I knew I wanted to finish school so I could give my son stability. I knew that was a temporary solution that would have taken me down a road further than I was willing to go. I am grateful that I did not become a stripper at that time, but God has called me to be a stripper now.

Let me explain. In the garden it says, Genesis 2:25 And the man and his wife were both naked and not ashamed. Since my youth, as young as I can remember, I have always lived like an open book. I am very transparent and willing to be vulnerable. Transparency is as necessary for me to exist as the air that I breathe. Regardless, that this was one of my most challenging seasons as a single mom and I also did not have the support I needed in so many areas of my life, I did not buckle. Now, as an adult and on the other side of my faith standing trial, I understand why God has called me to be a stripper in his kingdom. He originally created Adam and Eve to live in the garden naked and not ashamed. He is calling us to live the same way.

God wants you to be a stripper as well. He wants us to be transparent and vulnerable in our ability to come boldly to his throne of grace to obtain mercy in our time of need. He still wants us to live naked and unashamed. Naked and not ashamed about our weaknesses with Him. Naked and not ashamed about our pain. Naked and not ashamed about our childhood trauma. Naked and unashamed about our brokenness in our marriages and relationships.

Naked and unashamed about our brokenness in our humanity so he can take our weaknesses and empower us. When we come into deeper realms of intimacy with him, we will not be afraid to strip away the fear, the pride, the envy, the bitterness, the mistrust, the doubt, the anger, the adultery, the hatred. God wants you to take it off like a garment that we wear and hide behind like Adam and Eve did when they made fig trees to cover themselves. 

He wants to bring you into new levels of accountability and responsibility so he can bring you back into a place of dominion, power, and rest, but it will require a new level of healing through vulnerability and transparency. God wants to know will you strip yourself for him so he can make you whole and cloth you with his power?

Love will make you take a quantum leap

When Elisabeth came in contact with Mary while she was pregnant with Jesus, the Word says in Luke 1:41-42:

“And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”

Wait a minute—this is Mary’s cousin. This is not the first time she has met Elisabeth, but this is the first time she’s encountering Mary carrying the Word of God made flesh. Elisabeth didn’t just meet her cousin that day—she had an encounter with the Lord Himself inside of Mary’s womb.

When God brings your Mary into your life, honor what is inside of her. Because when you honor what Heaven has placed in someone else, you gain access to what may still be hidden to others.

We are all called to be living epistles—read by men. And when you step into deeper intimacy with God, He begins to plant something divine inside of you. That vision, that dream, that promise—it’s Heaven’s seed. And when others encounter you, they will experience the overflow of what you carry.

Elisabeth had waited a long time to conceive. She knew what it was to be barren, to believe, to cry, and to hope again. And now—six months into her pregnancy—she meets Mary, a young woman carrying the promise of the ages. Maybe you’ve been in that waiting season too. You’ve been praying for that baby, that business, that ministry, that spouse, that breakthrough—and you’ve wondered if God still remembers.

But God is about to bring you into divine connections that make your spirit leap! Like Elisabeth, you’re about to encounter someone who causes what’s inside of you to move. What looked dormant is about to come alive again. Your dream is about to take a quantum leap!

See, what Mary carried was still in seed form. Jesus hadn’t been born. He hadn’t healed the sick, raised the dead, or walked on water. He hadn’t yet gone to the cross, or risen on the third day. But the power of who He was—even in hidden form—was enough to cause Elisabeth’s baby to leap and her spirit to be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Everyone else had to wait until the day of Pentecost to be filled, but Elisabeth was filled before Pentecost even happened—just by being in proximity to what Mary carried! That’s the power of divine encounter.

Elisabeth took a quantum leap because she honored what Mary was carrying. Don’t mismanage your Mary. Don’t dismiss what God is birthing through someone else just because it looks small, young, or not as far along as you. The very thing that looks undeveloped might carry the power to accelerate your destiny.

You may have felt like the exemption in the last season—overlooked, delayed, forgotten—but God is about to make you the exception in this next one. He’s about to reveal what’s been hidden through divine encounters and kingdom connections.

Don’t sell yourself short—or others—when you still see them in seed form. Jesus, even in the womb, was still who He was called to be. Hidden doesn’t mean insignificant. Concealed doesn’t mean canceled.

Look again.

The miracle is already in motion.

Love will make you leap. Honor will cause you to accelerate. Faith will bring the unseen into manifestation.

Get ready, Elisabeth—your Mary is coming. And when she does, what’s inside of you is going to leap into new life, new joy, new strength.

God says it’s not too late.

You’re not behind.

You’re just getting started.

Get ready to take a quantum leap.

Outer Space

If love was a place,

It’d be called outer space,

Cause you got me touching stuff I thought I’d never reach,

You got me believing stuff I never heard preach,

You got me running on the galaxy like it’s a run way,

Taking quantum leaps in my faith playing hop scotch like child’s play,

 On mars,

Seeing stars,

Got me playing the Hokey Pokey 

With love and trust in and out,

Shaking it and turning it all about, 

Got me believing I can hold my breath forever,

cause you keep taking it away,

As long as we are together,

each day.

Got me hanging on the moon, 

dangling with a string like it’s a balloon,

Making me believe I can do, 

things I’ve never done before. 

Falling in love with you.

Got me glowing in the dark,

Sliding down rainbows like I’m playing In the park,

You got me thinking outside the box, ignoring Jack,

taking shots like free throws with planets, back to back, 

Got me sitting  in the clouds thinking I’m taking bubble baths, 

dreaming while busting suds, while busting laughs.

10 X Better

God is about to give you a mate that is 10X better — and yes, it’s possible. You might be asking, How could that even be? But if God did it for Hannah, He can do it for you.

This is not just about getting a better partner — it’s about becoming a 10X better version of yourself. Because when you grow in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, you attract what you’ve become.

Hannah was a wise woman. She was loved and honored by her husband, Elkanah, yet she carried deep sorrow because she could not bear a child. In 1 Samuel 1:8, her husband asked,

“Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than ten sons?”

Elkanah wasn’t being prideful — he was speaking to identity. He was reminding her that her life was more than what she lacked. And still, Hannah’s pain had purpose. Her womb was closed because timing had not yet met purpose.

You may have a successful career, a thriving ministry, or a full life, yet something in you still feels missing. Maybe you have children but no spouse. Maybe you’re married, but the person beside you isn’t yet walking in their full anointing. God wants you to know — He can place an anointing on your mate and make them 10X better for you.

And I can prove it.

Daniel 1:20 says:

“In all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.”

When God breathes on something, it multiplies in excellence. His anointing doesn’t just make you good — it makes you 10X better.

Proverbs 24:3–4 reminds us:

“Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”

When we let God build our homes — our marriages, our families, our futures — with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, He promises to establish them and fill them with good things.

God gave you that desire to be married, and it’s not just about you. It’s about purpose. Hannah wanted a son, but the world needed a prophet. Your longing for partnership isn’t simply personal — it’s prophetic. The world needs what’s locked inside that covenant.

Stay in position. Keep praying. Keep preparing. Because just like Hannah, God is about to remember you.

No matter how long you’ve waited, or how impossible it’s seemed, you are on the brink of a divine turnaround. Your 10X better is not just coming — it’s already been set in motion.

Get ready for the love story that heaven has written just for you. 💖

Poetic Reflection: “You”

You see, with every love letter,

you got to know me better.

God downloaded me into you —

this is intimacy.

See, you see me,

not like them, but like you.

I’m in to you,

because I came out of you.

Now I’m naked and not ashamed,

but you are to blame —

you set me free with the longing of your desire,

fire.

You’re being uploaded into me,

you into me,

this is intimacy.

How are we not yet engaged like a “friendly”?

You got me locked in like a bogey ready to fire like a jet,

locked and loaded.

You unlocked my gift to another level,

this is God-given — no devil.

In to me, intimacy,

see you see me,

not like them, but like you.

“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” – Genesis 2:23

I waited

I Waited — And He Wasn’t Late

Have you ever waited for something so long that you started to believe it wasn’t going to happen? Maybe you even gave up because it didn’t turn out the way you dreamed it would.

You were that small child sitting by the window, waiting for a parent who promised to come — but never did.

You poured your heart into a business, only for a partner to betray you and sign the contract without you.

You waited to have a child until marriage, only to hear the doctor say it’s too late.

Or maybe you lost your only child to tragedy — and along with them, your dreams, your laughter, your hope.

You prayed. You fasted. You waited.

And when it didn’t end the way you believed it would, you settled — maybe with other people, maybe with lesser dreams — like the woman at the well who had tried again and again, searching for something that could only be found in Him.

But God wants you to know — it’s not too late.

He’s waiting for you, just like He waited for her.

He wants to address your issue — not to shame you, but to heal you.

He wants to bring you into a new revelation that changes your reality and forever shifts your perspective.

When Jesus met the woman at the well, He asked her for a drink — but what He was really offering her was living water. He said,

“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,

but whoever drinks of the water I give will never thirst.

It will become in them a well springing up into everlasting life.” — John 4:13–14

That same well He dug in her heart, He wants to dig in yours.

The well He forms inside of you through worship, surrender, and love becomes a source others can drink from — a well that never runs dry.

God doesn’t want you to stay thirsty.

He’s offering you a drink — not from the world, but from His heart.

He’s even sending someone who will hold your cup with care — and when you drink from that love, you will never thirst again.

I waited.

I waited 6 years,

And Overcame my fears,

I waited like Jack did at the clock,

Like Jesus did when he left his flock,

Waiting for the one.

To return,

While I yearn, 

Make it count for the Son.

The difference is our ship won’t sink,

and I don’t care what they think,

I waited.

 like Jesus did at the well for a drink .

So You will never again thirst, 

He sent me 6 years ahead first,

So I could teach you that sometimes dreams die and bubbles burst.

But don’t cry,

Dry your eyes,

Look to the skies,

Where your help comes from,

Because he saved us a seat not just a crumb.

I waited 

He sent me 6 years first to give you a head start, 

to outsmart,

the enemy.

So I could learn how to run and not fall,

So I could cover you until you learned to crawl.

I waited,

Placated, 

with the promise of your love,

Thinking of, 

how  deeply you will drink from my well,

From the story we will tell,

How he sent me 6 years ahead first,

So you could see,

when you searched for me, 

You would make it through better and for worse.

He made me wait, 

But wasn’t late,

So you would recognize, 

Not by surprise, 

The love 

We shared in eternity,

To infinity. 

We chose then,

That we would always win.

He made me wait 6 years for you,

until you could believe our love is true.

So I like Jesus could prepare a path,

So you would know my humor and laugh,

Like Sarah did, 

When God told them they would have a kid.

I waited

For our promise to live happily ever after

Now our joy is coming in the morning

And

we will live forever in his laughter. 

Better Together

December 26, 2023, seemed like just another ordinary day. I went to the movies in Chicago with my daughter and her godparents to see The Color Purple. But what I didn’t know was that heaven had already scheduled an encounter. A few weeks earlier, I had received a prophetic word from Apostle Donald Garner. He told me that God was going to begin revealing things to me about the cloud of witnesses and the ministry of angels — that heaven would begin to share secrets, and I would begin to speak as God revealed. He asked me, “Has it started yet?” I quietly said, “Yes.” What he didn’t know was that God had been showing me glimpses of heaven for years. But that day, while watching The Color Purple, something in the spirit realm opened.

As I watched, tears streamed down my face. My heart wept for the things I had endured in my previous marriage, and for the deep, generational pain my ancestors carried. I felt the weight of their sorrow and the strength of their survival. Yet, in the middle of my tears, I heard the gentle voice of the Lord whisper: “Your next marriage will be an answered prayer — not just yours, but theirs too.”

I sat there overwhelmed by His love. God was reminding me that He redeems not only our stories, but our bloodlines. He’s the God of generations — the same God who heard the cries of our ancestors and preserved their dreams in us.

As we entered February — Black History Month — my heart was stirred again with the memories of those who fought and bled for freedom, equality, and truth. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream because he had already seen the mountain top — like Abraham, who saw the promise from afar. Has God shown you a dream, too, even when it still feels far away?

Malcolm X’s life was taken while exposing truths that brought my great-grandmother great sorrow. Those wounds ran deep, but so did the call. One of the burdens I carry is to see marriages restored in my family and in the Black community. Because it’s not just a personal mission — it’s generational. The brokenness from the past, including the damage caused by my late great-grandfather Elijah Muhammad’s teachings, left many families shattered. But God is raising up repairers of the breach.

Hebrews 11:39-40 says, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

We are the better that they never saw. We are the generation called to finish what they started — to rebuild what was torn down. Isaiah 58:12 declares that we shall “raise up the foundations of many generations” and be called “the repairer of the breach.”

How do we begin? By turning our hearts back to God. By humbling ourselves, forgiving, and letting Him heal our families. By ending divorce, loving intentionally, and letting God be the foundation of our homes again.

Our ancestors dreamed of family — of love unbroken and homes unshaken. Though The Color Purple may not have been a true story, it represents a very real truth: they suffered for what we now have the privilege to build. They died dreaming of what we can live — a family free to love, stay, and grow together.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.” We are better together. We are the living fulfillment of their dream. And God says, “Get ready — because what’s next is better.”

Our Martial Constitutional

You were intentional,

Declaring your desires,

Being Unconventional,

Writing your marital constitutional,

You, me, and the trinity, 

in order to form a more perfect union,

Taking communion,

 to Establish a new revolution, 

Of relational bliss to debunk chaos and dethrone divorce,

You cried loud and lifted up your voice,

You made a choice,

This will never happen again,

We will win,

We will remain until the end,

until death do us part,

You will have my love and my whole heart,

never abandoned and forsaken,

Let there be no mistaken,

I do love you.

You are my hearts desire,

My fire.

We declared our Justice, our liberty and blessing,

No more guessing,

You are the one. 

We have defeated giants and lived to tell,

We had the audacity to hope for our future

and dug a well, 

we stormed the gates of hell,

walked out of the furnace and the lion dens,

We laid down our lives and have become friends,

We took back generational blessings that were ours, 

We overcame death and open communication and love are our super powers,

Now we are partners in freedom, in love, in faith, in purpose with definition,

We have settled the matter with confirmation, knowing this was a God given position. 

We tore off the roof

Tear the Roof Off — A Faith That Heals and a Love That Jumps”

Sometimes in life, you have to get desperate with God to receive what your heart truly longs for. Desperation isn’t weakness—it’s a signal that you’ve reached the end of yourself and are ready for Heaven’s intervention.

There are moments when we must realize we are the answer to someone’s 911 emergency in the earth, yet life has left us paralyzed—by fear, pain, disappointment, or mistakes. Some of us are emotionally and spiritually crippled, carrying wounds from relationships and family cycles that still haven’t healed. But this is the hour for God to heal us—in our hearts, in our homes, and in our connections.

Sometimes God will send a few people who are determined to get you past the crowd.

What is the crowd? It’s not always people. It can be the crowd of voices in your own mind. The opinions, the doubts, and the words others have spoken that still echo inside your spirit: “You’ll never be enough.” “You don’t qualify.” “You’ll never have that kind of love or success.”

The enemy has drawn invisible lines in the sand of your life—barriers meant to make you believe you’ll never enter certain rooms. But God! He has a way of breaking lids off your destiny and removing ceilings that once limited your view.

Sometimes you must be bold enough to take an unconventional path and declare what God said you could have. If you believe it, He’ll send people to lift you, support you, and carry you into places you couldn’t reach alone—even if they have to tear off the roof to get you there.

Mark 2:3–5 reminds us:

“And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.”

Those four friends refused to let the crowd stop them. They tore the roof off with faith—and God responded with healing.

Do you have people in your life who want to see you whole? If not, pray for them. Because the miracle you’re waiting for may require someone else’s faith to lift you up.

But even if no one helps you—do it blind, do it crippled, do it scared. Just do it. Step out. Tear the roof off with your faith. Some breakthroughs require bold, roof-ripping obedience. You may not know how it will end, but your worship, your faith, and your love will catch your fall.

God is answering your 911 call—and for others, you are the answer.

Love like there is no Tomorrow

God loves us so much that he will not allow the enemy to steal our prophetic tomorrow. God is the same God today, yesterday and forever. He promised to give us a hope and a future and not to harm us and if he has to defy the laws of the universe for you to win, he will. He didn’t let the enemy steal our tomorrow and he isn’t going to allow him to steal yours if you trust him. The sun will come out tomorrow. We win!

Joshua 10:12 Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

Tomorrow

Did you know our love is so intimate,

There were no words, no birds, 

no instrument to play our song, 

To Let us know we belong,

Together.

So he let the angels sing over us first,

He let them dance on the clouds until they burst,

Until the dew of heaven fell,

To break every curse and every spell,

He let them war and fight,

Off every enemy 

Until we got it right,

He sent the rain,

To repel the ones that tried to hold on too tight,

He wrapped us up in pain,

Until,

He made the sun stand still, 

He hid us in sorrow, 

Until we won and he told the sun to come out tomorrow.

New Wine

When the Wine Runs Out

Sometimes in marriage — or even in love — we run out of wine.

I don’t mean literal wine, but the joy, excitement, intimacy, or connection that once flowed so freely between two people. That “spark” you had in the beginning can start to fade, and you find yourself wondering, “Can this love be restored?”

Maybe you’ve hit a season where the laughter has quieted, the conversations have grown short, or the closeness feels distant. The enemy will whisper that it’s too late — that what was once vibrant can’t be revived. But the truth is, God still turns water into wine.

Let’s go back to a wedding in Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle (John 2). Mary, His mother, was there — and she noticed that the wine had run out. She turned to Jesus and said, “They have no more wine.” Jesus’ response might seem distant at first: “Woman, why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.”

But Mary didn’t argue. She simply told the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

That’s it right there — the key to restoration.

When we run out of wine in our relationships, it’s not the end of the story. It’s an invitation to bring what’s empty back to the One who can fill it again.

Jesus told the servants to fill the vessels with water — not wine, water. It made no sense in the natural. But obedience is what turns the ordinary into the miraculous. When they obeyed, Jesus transformed the water into wine — and not just any wine. The master of the banquet said, “You have saved the best till now.”

That’s what God wants to do in your relationship. He doesn’t just want to refill what’s been lost — He wants to upgrade it. He wants to take what feels common, cold, or watered-down and transform it into something new, rich, and full of flavor.

Maybe your “wine” is joy, trust, affection, or spiritual intimacy. Maybe you’ve been praying for God to restore what’s been broken or reignite what’s grown still. The miracle happens when you’re willing to do whatever He tells you to do — even when it doesn’t make sense.

Jesus’ first miracle was not in a temple, but at a wedding. That’s intentional. He was showing us that He’s not just the God of salvation — He’s the God of restoration, too. He cares about your covenant, your love, your connection, your home. He’s able to breathe life into what’s gone stale and reveal His glory through it.

If you’re in a season where the “wine” seems gone, don’t lose hope. Take what’s left, bring it to Jesus, and let Him do what only He can. Because the truth is — He saves the best for last.

So, let this be your reminder: It’s not over. What you’ve lost is not beyond God’s reach. Your relationship can still be renewed, your heart can still be healed, and your story can still glorify Him.

There’s new wine waiting.

And this time, it’s better than before. 🍷

New Wine

As a fine bottle of wine,

that has fermented in time,

Is my love,

A drink that has not lost its flavor,

That is a sweet smelling savor,

In spite of,

A taste that must be acquired, 

Filled with warmth, with much to be desired,

A sweetness of NEW juices that are flowing, and growing,

From a new wine,

that is intoxicating enough to cause you to 

ARISE

To new heights,

new sights,

new depths, 

And new breaths. 

Unforgettable

Proverbs 30:31 Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

I want to encourage other women on their journey as you are being prepared for the man of God he is preparing you for. We don’t have to sleep with him to get his attention. We need to focus on getting the Father’s attention and he will get that man’s attention. He didn’t forget me and he didn’t forget you. I came to tell you to stay in a place of rest before the Father and when it’s the right time, the right one will wake you up. Wait on God and allow him to make you Unforgettable.

When you can’t get me out your head,

and I’ve never been in your bed.

Unforgettable.

See your heart betrayed you first,

Like Judas did Jesus,

 And even worse,

You didn’t even get a kiss.

You were brought to a cross,

Abandoned and loss, 

And charged with a crime and the scene was love,

You will never be able to go back to the moment,

I was never thought of,

I will run laps in your head,

reminding your body it’s not dead,

You split my chest and entered a room,

 in my heart only reserved for the bridegroom,

You woke me up and now I’m yours to keep,

 you got me dreaming but I can’t sleep. 

Two…..

Love without Punctuation

Often we experience things, its always bigger than us so I want to encourage others if you are in a storm, or coming out of one, keep your eyes on the lighthouse. Allow God to heal it. He is able. Cross over to the other side. Don’t give up on love!

Sometimes my love feels like a sentence that runs on,

leaving me with questions of where it begins and where it ends,

I’ve discovered there is no punctuation for it because we are forever friends,

Yet,

it fights for periods where there are commas,

demanding verbs that eliminate dramas,

Leaving places and spaces,

for fill in the blanks,

for laughs and for pranks.

Longing for days together that include prepositions like, on, down, between and behind,

where pronouns are intertwined like our bodies, hearts, souls and mind,

Writing new chapters with adjectives that describe our love in directions,

that cause our lives to be defined by new languages of affections.

Where emotions are not followed by conjunctions like but,

that leave us with clarity and not always asking what,

because our love is able to handle semi colons to join our yesterday and tomorrow,

without sorrow,

strong enough for colons that connect us together never leaving room,

for anything to consume,

Us.

Forever bonded by trust,

in the parenthesis that include (you and me),

and God’s degree.

Ecc 4:9-10 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falls; for he has no one to help him up.

Heaven's Honor Roll

June 28, 2015, is a day I will never forget. There was another significant event happening that same day, and I had to choose which one I would attend. My heart led me to honor and celebrate a woman who had labored quietly in prayer for many — Pastor Juanita Clay, a true intercessor and a pastor to the Body of Christ.

I was running late and accidentally walked into the wrong church. God must have smiled because that wrong turn was part of the right plan. I quickly redirected myself and found a seat, telling myself I wouldn’t stay long — just long enough to give her my flowers and a card. But God had other plans for me that day. I didn’t know it yet, but I was about to have an encounter with His glory — a glimpse of how it felt to make Heaven’s honor roll.

The first time I had ever been in that church years prior, I remember weeping and asking God not to let my sufferings be in vain. I had honored Him deeply in a season that almost destroyed me — my previous marriage. It was there, in my sorrow, that I learned how to worship from a broken place.

If you’ve ever been faithful, honorable, and it felt like no one saw you — hear me: God has not forgotten. He is not unrighteous to forget your labor of love. He saw every tear, every prayer, every quiet “yes” when you wanted to quit. If we suffer with Him, we will also reign with Him.

That day, as I sat there quietly, Mother Clay entered the room. Right before she did, tears began to pour from my eyes. I whispered, “Lord, it wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

Have you ever done everything you knew to do — prayed, fasted, sowed, stood — and it still didn’t turn out the way you thought it would? That was me.

Then, something unexpected happened. Mother Clay took the microphone and began to honor the leaders in the church. Suddenly, she called my name. I wasn’t on the program, but I was on Heaven’s agenda. I had come to honor her, and God decided to honor me.

She said, “Today would have been Marie’s late ex-husband’s 41st birthday. I want to honor the Christ in you.” She said it multiple times and each time, Gods glory overwhelmed me.

It was thick, tangible — you could feel it in the air. I broke. I didn’t feel that kind of compassion when he was buried. Though our marriage had ended years before, the way I had honored God in it was bigger than the marriage itself. That day, God stamped His seal of approval and said, “I remember how you honor me.”

Then Prophetess Makeba Buford, whom I had never met, ministered prophetically to me. She said God saw me when I walked into the wrong church — that I had made a mistake years ago, but the Lord was putting me back on the right path. She said I was about to have encounters with God like never before. That day was one of them.

God reminded me that He knows exactly where we are. He deals with our root systems — our pain, our losses, our hidden traumas — not to condemn us but to heal us. Jesus came for the broken, not the perfect. If we let Him touch the roots, He’ll heal the fruit.

Jabez prayed, and because he was more honorable than his brothers, God enlarged his territory (1 Chronicles 4:9–10).

Get ready — God is about to do the same for you. You’ve been honorable when it wasn’t easy. And just like Jabez did and me—you’re about to make Heaven’s Honor Roll.

God's perspective: Life's playground

I wrote this poem on June 24, 2004 in the midst of a three year consecration and separation from from my late ex-husband. I was on my lunch break and went to eat alone at the park across the street from my job. I skipped lunch with my best friend that day. After lunch, I immediately wrote this poem. It’s time to come in from the playground…. God was letting me know how he sees us at times.

Jonnie and Susie are still in the air on their swings,

 Caught in between their childhood and the decisions of adult things,

 Who forgot to go get them?

Leslie and Timmy are on the seesaw,

 No one told them, if you steal that they would be breaking the law,

The law of gravity, because what goes up must come down,

Please tell them its time to leave the playground.

Samaria and Michael are playing in the sand,

Crying because the wind blew and the castle they built won’t stand,

But who forgot to tell them, you can’t build a house on the sand,

But who forgot to tell them, you need a strong foundation to understand,

That the sun doesn’t always shine and there will be rainy days,

Go tell them to come in from the playground, that childhood is only a phase.

Kimberly climbed up the slide and now is afraid to come down,

Who forgot to tell her, you don’t do drugs and get high,

Go tell her someone told her a lie,

 Because she’s afraid if she comes down, she’ll have to face the issues on the ground.

Vincent and Amber were hanging from the monkey bars and were afraid to go across,

But who forgot to tell them, if they try and fall that they can recover from the loss.

No one wanted to go first and be the boss,

Where are the leaders?

The interceders,

Please, tell them we need them to leave the playground now.

Todd found a beautiful toy in the park, jut after dark, that had been left all alone

 And Mark came by the way and claimed it as his own,

 Who forgot to tell them, they’re not children anymore----they are grown.

 And that Pamela’s not a toy, she’s real and that was not the deal,

 It was till death do them part.

 Please tell the girls to be responsible for themselves and not become toys,

 Because girls become women and men sometimes become boys,

Don’t forgot to take care of your things,

 And children, please, get off those swings,

 And the seasaw that takes you up and down,

 Please, come down from the slide, and face the issues that make you hide, stop playing on the merry go round,

 Please, please somebody tell the children to come in from the playground.

Sometimes you just need a reset

The other day my daughter’s ipad went black.  Everything appeared normal with it the night before as she watched it.  Sometimes in a relationship everything can seem normal and going well and suddenly it can feel like it went dark. What do you do?  I immediately thought perhaps she didn’t charge it properly all the way in the wall. Just like her ipad needed to properly be plugged in so do we in our relationships with God to properly function.  When we don’t spend quality time with God and set aside the time we need, we can end up feeling dead in our relationships.

She cried and told me she was having a hard time forgiving herself.  I knew she thought it was worse than it was and may not be repairable or it may cost too much for me to fix it right now.  So many respond the same way my daughter did when a relationship has not been properly maintained by one in the relationship and it gets dark.  You may be thinking it is too late or you just don’t believe you can fix it.

 My next reaction was to try and access the possible root causes of what she may have done to cause it.  Just like her ipad we must go back to the root causes and take an analysis of what may have caused the relationship to go dark. In our human frailty the first thing we do is just like my six-year-old did, struggle to forgive herself.  Forgive yourself and trust God that he can repair what was broken.

I didn’t get angry with her or start assuming it was all her fault.  That was growth for me. We must give our relationships grace to make mistakes and trust God to fix them. We also need to give each other grace to grow. I immediately went to google some possible solutions. My mind began to race, and I began to think of all the worse possible scenarios.  I didn’t have apple care insurance on it, nor had I purchased the insurance through T-Mobile 2 years ago when I purchased it for her.  I was thinking maybe they will have to erase everything and set it back to its original state.   

But sometimes you just need a reset.

So instead of getting stuck in my head like some of us do in our relationships and don’t fix what is broke, I decided to set up an appointment at the apple store.  I took it back to the manufacturer. God wants us to bring our relationships back to him so he can fix them when they go dark. God wants you to know it is not as bad as you thought it was. God wants you to know you don’t have to throw away the good times with the bad ones. I went to our appointment yesterday and all the technician did was reset it. We weren’t turning it off and recharging it and he said when you don’t turn it off all the way sometimes, it will eventually shut completely down.  In our relationships God wants us to know sometimes we just need to reset, recharge and simply rest and know that you are not starting from scratch when you turn it back on this time.