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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Broken hearts

Hey Mars,

     Love the support on our last blog. Shout out to Sistahs Angela and Vanessa, both are incredible single mothers. Well this week I feel the Lord is talking about broken hearts. Have we had our share? I don't believe any of us are exempted in this arena. It started very young, whether our parents or siblings were the culprits but oh when our childhood friends committed this crime, we thought it was the end of the world.
     I recall my heart being broken as a young child, but what lasted the longest was when my childhood bully turned all my friends against me. I came outside one day and nobody would speak to me, in fact when I came next to them they moved over. Then I recalled my first boyfriend, who decided he was going to see another girl an ex-girlfriend at that. I believe the outcome of that was anorexia; I was 23. I can go down the list of how many times my heart was broken but I like to focus on spiritual aspects.
    The bible mentions 4 times about broken hearts: Psalm 34:18, 51:17 and Isaiah 57:15,66:2. The word formally used is Contrite. However the concept described by this word is the key to revival in our hearts and in the church. I know we think of revival as repentance, confession of sin, prayer, bible study and commitment to the kingdom of God. None of these are incorrect but they all require something more.They require a change in our hearts known biblically as contrition. As the scriptures teach, God will "revive the heart of the contrite ones". Isa 57:15.
     The difference between a natural heart break and spiritual is that we have now evolved to a place in our spiritual awakening which requires our natural side to die; we have now come to asking God to break our hearts. I know your saying who asks someone to "break their heart"? God is...people usually break our hearts when they don't live up to "our" expectations, so now the shoes on the other foot. Are we really living up to God's expectation? He has a heart and He greives too when we sin. Some of you may really have it all together but the bible teaches that any man who says he is without sin deceives himself and is therefore a liar.
     To be contrite is to be broken, crushed into little pieces, free from rebellion or resistance. Contrition is that humble spirit that says, I am nothing and He is everything. (Hmm, that's sound familiar right Mars, remember those feelings when it pertained to the natural love of our life, at that particular time. You may not have said it but you thought it and acted like it) The problem with the natural concept of this is that it lacked a safety net to catch us because the person we in trusted with our hearts wasn't capable of nor had the slightest idea on "how" to rescue us from ourselves. However God can!
     God has made it so that in our contrition we now freely give up our hearts to sin, the very thing that literally broke our hearts. It is that inner brokenness that weeps over sin and sinners, not our selfishness. It is the absence or void of personal pride and the absolute exaltation of God and His will. Expressed by a poverty of spirit which now hungers, thirst and trembles at God's word.
     As a ceramic statue--hard and cold, we don't or can't fit into our container. We now inadvertently move to abide in Christ and refuse to be conformed to Him. While during contrition we are now crushed into a fine powder, our pride is replace by brokenness, we no longer hold our stubborn form but are broken into pieces and transformed into the shape of our container, who is Jesus Christ. Would you let Him break your heart today? Think of how vulnerable you were when your heart was broken and now remember who is breaking your heart...our rescuer, our safety net, our knight in shining armor and our Savior!
funny picture!!!!!!! ^^
Read the words, the princess knows she has a choice
so do we, choose God not man.
Break my heart Lord,
Jerri of Mars

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Fostering the truth about Father's Day...

Good day my beloveth Mars,

     I start out with please don't be angry with me nor judge but I no longer subscribe to single mothers' taking homage on Father's Day. This never sat well with me because I'm not a father; don't look like one, think like one, act like one and specifically don't feel like one. I have absolutely no knowledge on how, don't want to nor desire to be one! I say that with passion because through the grace of God I may have appeared, as a single mother, while taking on the role of "Head of household, did a great job. However, I do not wish this whole concept of single parenting on any woman nor take it lightly. When I think of those especially very young mother's willing and doing it alone, my heart cries. This is one of, if not the hardest job in the world and God forbid if your not successful at it. You check out the statistics. I would of preferred a father for my son on any given day, even now.
     Now some of you may not feel the same but having one parent raising any child or children, by choice, is not divinely ordained by God but a two parent household is. WHO told us and yes I include myself that we could remotely accomplish such a task? A woman raising a man! and I take my hat off to all of us who have and still are in the trenches. God certainly did not tell us, so who did? It was the devil, ole slew foot, the great deceiver!
     My pastor preached today about marriage, according to the book of Ephesians (you look it up, there will be no scripture references given out in todays blog:) Just like the devil told women and wives in particular that they are suppose to complete their man and husband's; this is and always will be a fallacy. Jesus is the ultimate brides-groom, the head of the household, the bread winner, the priest, prophet and provider, so He divinely ordained man to be and do likewise, to take care of his family. But here we are, sisters, doing or should I say "trying" to do it all. This is why our man ends up resenting us! that's a powerful statement I know, but Steve Harvey said it too. If we're not careful our sons will also, he's not your man, he's your son. A man needs to be a man and God ordains him to be a father then he must. Yea! they mess up, but so do we. And guess what? we loved and laid down with them, now who's at fault. But God's grace is sufficient and His mercy is with each new day.
     So here's the TRUTH; we're not fathers; wasn't ordained to be. If we choose or not because that man ran out, then we do what God has ordained us to do---that's to mother! Yes and because we're ordained, divinely by God, oh yes we will be successful and so will our sons and daughters. I look like a mother, think like a mother, act like a mother and specifically feel like one! Because what comes from God feels good, because He is good. Now He, God is the Father, never ran out and never will. I've always told my son, "God is your Father and that you can depend on!" When he turned ten, I said, "son, I've done all I can do for you as a mother, the rest is up to your father. I cannot teach you how to be a man, but God can." Read the bible and pray for His guidance...
Little Helper     So, Mars stop taking on more than God has divinely ordained you too. Your a mother and a doggone good one. Let fathers be just that, fathers, whether present or not. So, when and if he do come around our children won't be confused. Because they'll start repeating our language of confusing, talking about how can you be my father when my mother is? "My mother said she's my daddy". Tell your children the truth, God is the head of this household and my mothering you is only for a moment. We'll continue to pray for our absent fathers without bitterness. I always tell my son to pray for his father, that he will get it together with himself and God, then come back and see about you!
     Remember the prodigal son...when he came to himself, he remembered that he had a father...His father saw him afar and with outreached arms welcomed his son back home. That's what God is to us, welcoming us back into His arms, welcoming us back home. Will you be the one to teach your son to do the same when his earthly father returns or will he be bitter like you; stop calling his absent father all kinds of names so that his own son will not even recognize nor recieve him when and if he returns. This is only if you pray for our fathers to come back, not to us but our sons...you maynot need him but they do.
Application: teache your son about their heavenly father while the earthly father is absent.

I believe in God our Father,
Jerri of Mars

Friday, June 8, 2012

Fainting not just a feeling...

Good day Mars,

     I woke up today feeling faint around 5 am, so I laid back down. When it was time to take a shower and get ready for work, I still felt light headed.
Don't let this be You!
     Others may believe God for material things, but I have always believed Him for good health. I put my faith in action though, I work out and try to eat right. I've maintained my weight for over 12 years but can stand to lose 10 lbs of water weight especially to keep that belly fat from getting stubborn.
     Mars feeling faint is nothing to take lightly. Your body is telling you something, what I don't know. I believe my light headiness came from not eating enough. My last meal yesterday was a slice of pizza around 3:30. I did get hungry around 10ish and scrambled 2 eggs but I am used to eating more. However I thought I  could stand to lose a meal or two (smile). Other reasons for feeling faint is pregnancy and that would be emulate in my case. So, why I felt faint, only God knows. However, I stayed home made some breakfast and went back to sleep. I'm feeling a little better, thank God.
     I have so much to do around the house. Did you know house work is a good form of exercise? But I will take it easy especial since I'm home alone this weekend.
     But the Holy Spirit is speaking and has been; He's saying that the saints of God are fainting, spiritually! Galatians 6:9 (KJV) "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." They say Lord I believe your word and your promises but not in my heart. We've, because nobody is excluded, have started to run this race but due to lack of poor diet and exercise, spiritually, we've grown faint. Were not strong enough to conceive a word let alone maintain a pregnancy. When was the last time you birthed a ministry? Why are we miscarrying?
     What is a poor diet and exercise spiritually, we asked the Lord? He's saying not eating my spiritual food, my mana, the bread of life which is the word and exercising my faith that I've instilled in my people. We must read daily, try while your eating natural foods. Building faith comes through prayer, nobody has time. Yes we pray by ourselves, but the Lord says when 2 or 3 are gathered not when I'm alone. Yes, you must always pray and often times alone but there is power in numbers. So when 2 or 3 are gathered "He's" in the midst.
Matthew 18:19-20 ESV, "Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. "     So lets get back in the race, repent and pray until the promises of God are Yes! and Amen! 2 Corinthians 1:20 (ESV) “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” If we truly seek God in our hearts for promises from heaven, then we must WAIT! Stop putting Him on the back burner when you don't get your way at your time... as a child who when finishes with his toy throws it away. Get back in our word and back on our knees, wait for the manifestation...good things comes to those who wait!

Still waiting...not fainting
Jerri of Mars

Monday, June 4, 2012

Embarrassments...


 

Good day Mars,

     Haven't written in a while but just wanted to throw you a little something I encountered this weekend. There are some really unstable parents out here. I had the esteem pleasure of visiting some friends this weekend and while they need to be saved, nonetheless they are really good hearted folk.
     One guy, a single father, was under the influence and commenced to expressing how he reprimanded his 23 year old son. How you might say, with yelling, vulgarity and just down right embarrassment. I asked him, did he speak to his young grandchildren in this same manner, he responded, No! I was trying to find a way to get at his softer side in which I know he does possess, but to no avail.
     I was instantly reminded of how my mother who when also was under the influence would do exactly the same. I was oftened embarrassed by her ways of expressing her feelings during times when I didn't please her with my behavior. All this left in me was a bitter taste for her which often times resulted in me finding every possible opportunity to stay clear of her presence, especially when she drank.
     Getting back to my long "lost" friend, there was no way to get him to see that this tactic would only cause his son to eventually resent him, if he was to continue his abusive ways of reprimandment. He went even further to say he would talk to his mother, stepfather, aunts, uncles etc...he personally did not give a ***!
     I was totally taken back, probably because now I'm saved and have made it my personal quest to never talk to my son in the same manner, like my mother. Remembering and never forgetting how my mother made me feel, I would never put that on my son or any child.
     I told him that he will reap what he sows and when his children get older or should I say when "he" my friend gets "old", his son will treat him the same way. He rebutted with, "over my dead body!".
     This man was foolish and need the Lord obviously. We need to be very careful not to abuse any substances that would alter our interactions and responses to our children when they wrong us, I do not care how old they are. The Holy Spirit once asked me, "would you yell at your friends the way you yell at your son?" I responded, "No", He said then don't ever again treat your son any different; he's a human being, whom you love and deserves the same respect.     
     I had to tell my girlfriend this one day when she was yelling at her children. I would never tell anybody to spare the rod, because the bible makes it clear as to what happens when we do, but it also says, and I'm paraphrasing, 'parents don't exasperate your children'. In other words, do not wear them out with words, long drawn out lectures, dissertations and never embarrass them. Alright Mars, God's watching. Be loving, understanding and considerate of everyone's feelings.

In Jesus name,
Jerri of Mars