“First Lady of the Struggle”: A Tribute to Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune: God’s Ambassador to Education

“At Moody [Bible Institute], we learned to look upon a man as a man, not as a Caucasian or Negro,” said Mary McLeod Bethune. “A love for the whole human family entered my soul and remains with me to this day.” The fifteenth of seventeen children born to former slaves, Mary rose from the grips of poverty to become one of the greatest Kingdom ambassadors for education the world has ever known.

When her dream to become a missionary to Africa crumbled in 1895, Mary obtained a teaching position at the Haines Institute in Augusta, Georgia. Work at Haines fired Mary’s imagination of what she herself could achieve. She soon realized “that Africans in America needed Christ and school just as much as Negroes in Africa…. My life work lay not in Africa but in my own country.” She decided to commit herself to improving the education of young Black Americans.

In 1904, Mary arrived in Daytona Beach, where she had a prophetic dream of crossing a river. A man rode up to her on a horse as soon as she made it safely across the river. The man was Booker T. Washington, the country’s leading black educator. Washington took a soiled handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat from his brow, then produced a glittering diamond and handed it to Mary. “This is for your school,” he told her. Inspired by her dream and her faith in God, Mary went on to found what later became the first fully accredited four-year college for Blacks in Florida. Students were instructed in spiritual matters as well as academics, often taking over the pastorates of the many mission churches Mary founded for migrant workers throughout the swamps of Florida.

The Lord continued to open doors for Mary, bringing her into contact with the wealthiest and most influential people of the early 20^th Century. Booker T. Washington, himself, became a friend and colleague. Sponsors of her school and mission work included the Rockefellers, Carnegies, and Guggenheims. Her voice advocating for Black education found an ear with President Calvin Coolidge and later President Franklin Roosevelt. She became the first African American woman to head a federal agency under the Roosevelt administration. Her friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt greatly enhanced her status and gave her access to important political leaders. After Roosevelt’s death, President Truman named Mary Bethune to his Civil Rights Commission as the only African American woman consultant working to draw up the charter for the United Nations. She became known as the “First Lady of the Struggle” for her influence in early Civil Rights activism.

Mary often insisted that she had been blessed with a rich and wonderful life even though she had been born into poverty. At the end of her life, she wrote that she wanted to pass on the richness of her life’s experiences by inspiring acts of love and fellowship in others. Such a legacy, she hoped, would foster education and interracial cooperation. “Faith, courage, brotherhood, dignity, ambition, responsibility—these are needed today as never before,” she wrote. Truly, her words still ring true today.

~Linda Frederick

Testing

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. – Jam 1:2-4 NKJV

Every year, school children across the state of Georgia must take the CRCT standardized achievement tests designed to measure how much of the grade-level content material each student has learned. I have to tell you that the CRCT is no fun for anyone. The administration of these tests causes pressure on everyone involved… students, teachers, parents, and school administrators alike. Test results can impact everything from student advancement to teacher salaries to the amount of state and federal money given to the school systems. As much as you’d like to downplay the test, the reality is that a great deal is determined by their outcome.

It’s funny to me how natural tests are expected, anticipated, and accepted as the normal course of life. Everyone knows there is no advancement in school without the passing of tests. Why do we have a different mindset for the Kingdom?

Jesus was announcing a forthcoming test when He said to the disciples, “Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” They had seen how He was mocked and scorned, and I’m sure they thought He was up for more of that. They had no idea the death He was about to undertake, nor did they understand what their own association with Him would truly cost them. When the trying of their faith hit, they scattered.

The weight of the test was a shock to Jesus’ disciples, as it often is to you and I. “You mean I have to die totally to myself every day? You mean I have to be willing to lay down my life for others? You mean I really have to take up my cross and follow? There’s real pain in this calling?” Yes… there is. Anyone who tells you differently is lying to you.

We will be tested with every new revelation, with every new gift, with each new assignment. The test is not designed for us to fail, but it is designed to give us an opportunity to show what we know and what we’ve learned so far. God doesn’t test us with sickness and disease, poverty and lack, or death and destruction. Those are things that come at us because we are in a world that is cursed. No, our tests are those of obedience, willingness, sacrifice, and love. Do we have our priorities straight? Can we listen and obey with a glad heart? Can we trust and act upon His Word? When we do those things, we are sharpened and strengthened, so that when the trials of this life come at us from the world, our faith is already strong.

You wouldn’t expect my fifth grade students to be able to pass a driving test, or to go to work in a factory, or perform brain surgery. But if these children pass the required tests along the way in school, those opportunities become increasingly more likely for them every time they advance.

Our preparation comes through the practicing… or trying… of our faith.  Don’t look at the test you are having right now as something meant for your destruction, but rather look at it as a tool for advancement. After all, there are great things in store for us, but we must be prepared if we are to walk in them.

By Linda Frederick

Let Me Put You in Remembrance

For the Spirit of God would remind you today of what He has said before. “Has it not been made known to you, not been made clear to you,” says the Lord, “that new seasons are upon you, for I am the One who determines your purpose. I am the One who puts insight into you and unveils my revelation to you. For I’ve called you for such a time as this. For I’ve put my governing anointing upon you and I’ve put my Spirit in you,” says the Lord.

“Oh, turn not back and grow not weary in well-doing,” says the Lord, “for the times have now changed. Your purpose now shall become clearer. I’ve called those from the north and the south and the east and the west and I’ve put my voice in you. I’ve put my strength in you. So, lift up your head and gird yourself up in Me and know that I am with you to make you strong. For I am the Captain, The Lord of Hosts is my name. And I’ve come along side to equip you and to empower you and to send you.”

“Oh, that which has tried to stop you is as nothing,” says the Lord, “for I am the Great Conqueror; I am the I Am. So, turn to Me and look to Me and draw that strength from Me, and I’ll show you great and mighty things that you know not of. For My purpose is with you and I’ve come along side you. Grab that which is in Me and watch what happens. Oh! The changes that you shall see! The destiny that you shall see! The greatness that you shall behold,” says the Lord, “are as nothing in comparison to what you have already seen.”

“Oh, there’s even been those who have stood here in this pulpit in the past and have spoken of these things. Some of you have taken heed, and some of you have not. There’s even been transition,” says the Lord, “for I’m the one who removes [people from among you] and I am the one who draws [people in]. But understand that it is I,” says the Lord, “who is the Head of this church. I am the one who separates and sends. I am the one who deposits the keys in My people. For I am the one who knows how to clothe them in righteousness and even put my armor on them and give them the words of life, even the words of destiny, to speak.”

“So speak,” says the Spirit of God, “and watch the territory change. Speak, and watch the people be drawn to hope. Speak, and watch signs and wonders come out of your mouth and watch My resurrection power be complete in your midst. Understand that I lack nothing. Draw from Me, just as you would draw from the wells of the deep. Draw from Me, and watch Me give you rich insight and purpose.”

“And understand this,” says the Lord, “that I am the one who is in the design mode. I am the one who is in the building mode. I am the one who is in the governing mode, and I shall show you these things in the days ahead. So, be faithful with the revelation that you have now. Walk in the light that you have now and watch My Kingdom be unveiled to you and you shall see what I have called you for and what I’ve called you into.”

~A prophetic word from the Lord, given to Gateway Believers Fellowship by Apostle Jonas Clark

July 3, 2011

One More Time

The BLOB. Everyone at Youth Camp just couldn’t stop talking about it!

“Oh, you’re gonna LOVE it!” they said.

“Whooo! Jesus is Awesome, and so is the BLOB!”

So…there I was. I had mustered up enough gumption to climb the stairs, and it took all the energy I had to stay at the top of the platform without running and screaming for my Mama. Peering over the edge, I saw what lay about 20 feet below me…The Blob!

For fear of losing my “cool-points”, I put on my “I’m-not-scared-of-anything” mask and said, “OH, YEAH!!!” What in the world was I thinking?!? I should have known that if the kids were all putting Jesus and the Blob in the same sentence, I was sure to go meet my Maker! Who was I kidding? I was scared to death!

“Can you trust me one more time?”

Ugh! I had been up for the past two nights with that question echoing through my mind. God was up to something. “Trust you for what, Daddy?”

“Can you trust me one more time?”

I wanted everything to be over with. I wanted the Blob to disintegrate into tiny particles and drop to the bottom of the lake. I wanted everybody to stop hooting and hollering for me. I wanted to take back my “I’m not scared of anything” mask and just get down off this dumb platform. And I wanted God to stop asking the same question night after night. I was tired. I needed some sleep.

“Can you trust me one more…?”

“Yes! Yes, Lord!” I quietly yelled. “Yes! I will trust you one more time!”

It stopped. The voice was quiet. Well, I got one thing I wanted…four more things on my list to go. So I screwed up enough courage to drop down onto that Blob. Whew! Got that out of the way, even if the Blob didn’t disintegrate into the lake!

The rest of the day, I kept thinking about the question God had asked me, and more so, about my answer. What had I just said Yes to? Was it just saying yes to the Blob?

Not twenty-four hours later, Vickie and I found out that our older brother, Jamie, and our cousin, Al, were killed in a car accident. We were devastated! We were five hours away from home at a church camp. Five hours away from our Mama. Five hours from our brothers and sisters. I was so thankful that I was around my church family, but really I just wanted my Mama.

Apostle David and Mrs. G packed our bags in their car and began the long trip towards Lavonia, so we could be at our brother’s funeral the following day. We sat in silence, not knowing what to say or do. As I gazed out the window, I heard that question again.

“Can you trust me one more time?”

It wasn’t for the Blob. It was for me at this very moment. During this tragic time, He was asking could I trust Him.

My family members were dead. I was angry at the Blob. I was mad at the world. I was infuriated at Him. Could I trust Him? I went in and out of dreamless naps. I pondered that question with each passing car. The sun was going down and the sunset was amazingly beautiful. As I gazed out into those wonderful colors, I knew my answer. “Yes, Lord. Yes, I will. Even though I don’t understand…I will trust you.”

In that moment, Proverbs 3:5 became Rhema to me. I realized that I could trust Him with all of my heart: that I could lean on Him even when I didn’t know the answers to my questions. At every junction in my path since that day I first said “Yes,” He has directed my steps. Lately, I’ve been hearing that question ringing in my ear: “Can you trust me one more time?” I don’t know what is in store or why He’s asking again, but I said yes to Him 10 years ago, and I’m so glad I did.

What about you? Can you trust Him…one…more…time?

~by Ann Bowman

Failure Is Not An Option!

Have you ever faced obstacles that, in your own mind or way of thinking, there seems no way any good will come out of them? That has  pretty much been my life! As a young girl, I had dreams of marrying the right man, having children and having a wonderful life filled with love. Not once did I dream that I would end up with an unfaithful husband or wind up divorced and raising two boys on my own.

But things happen, and life has been very different from what I expected it to be. As a single parent, I did not have the luxury of having someone to come home to, or someone to help me through the trials and tribulations. Still, failure was not an option for me because I knew I had God, and I knew I could trust Him for everything.  The more I had to rely on Him, the more I learned how to talk to Him and lean on Him. He is faithful where people have not always been, and I knew He wanted me to succeed. God cannot fail, so I cannot fail with His help.

It would be easy to say, “Failure is not an option,” if you never try to do something that is hard for you. I mean, you can’t fail when you’re not doing anything new, right? Well, I didn’t have that luxury in my walk with God. When He told me to go back to school in order to become a teacher, it meant stepping out in faith because I had to quit the job I had for years. I had to give up a nice salary and benefits in order to do something with less pay and no benefits just so I could work around my school schedule. Not only did it take faith for my finances to follow God, but I had to exercise faith and trust in Him to even be able to take the college classes. I was not a straight A student in high school, and I worked hard to get the B’s and C’s that I had in my classes. It surprised lots of my friends and family, in addition to many of my college professors, when I graduated from college and passed my teaching exams the first time around! To be honest, it surprised me, too, to be able to do things in the grace of God that I had struggled to do on my own. But the more I followed Him, the more I realized that my success brought Him glory… I certainly couldn’t do any of the things I was doing on my own!

Following God is always full of surprises. I thought I had done all I needed to do when I began teaching in the public school system, but I kept feeling as if God was trying to put me into leadership for some reason.  My  first principal was constantly encouraging me in leadership and one day actually mentioned to me  how to handle a certain kind of situation when I became principal. I had no plans to become a principal! I like being in the background. But as I continued to follow God, things like that kept happening to me every school year.

Two years ago, I went back to school for my master’s degree. My thoughts were to get an advanced degree in something I could do, like reading and math. When looking at the brochure that came with registration, the degree for educational leadership jumped off the page, almost literally! Well, I followed the leading of Holy Ghost and enjoyed my course work, although it took a lot of work and gave me many opportunities to quit. When obstacle after obstacle would hit me, I would just dig in and keep trusting God. I kept hearing my dad’s voice telling me “Chapman’s do not quit!”  The Word would rise up and take a hold together with the encouraging words I remembered from my father, and, somehow,  I would get the strength to make it through. I finished my Master’s in Education in Leadership with high praise from my professors and my principal. I give all the glory to God, because I wouldn’t have made it without Him!

Failure is not an option for me, even though things are not always easy. God will take everything and turn it into a testimony of Him working in your life if you do not give up and quit. He is truly awesome! I am excited about what the future holds for me because I know He holds my future!

~Ronda Sullivan

Speaking To Roots

I woke up earlier than I planned Saturday morning, and I went downstairs to enjoy a very tasty breakfast.  Then an announcement was made that our family was going outside to pull up Privet that had grown up near our garden.

I was actually looking forward to working outside, so I went out and started pulling away.  I needed to work myself up before I got to the bigger plants, so I started with the itty bitty ones.  I easily used my thumb and pointer finger to pluck the baby Privet from their resting places.

Pretty soon I was an expert with the small ones, so I decided I needed something more of a challenge. I moved over to a medium-sized Privet shrub, which was taller than me with a trunk as big around as that same pointer finger that had come in so handy earlier.  I tugged.  Nothing happened…not even a budge.  I thought Come on root!  Give way!  Now! Then my mother noticed that I was having difficultly with this tree.  She said, “Here, Elyse, let me help you.”  So together we worked that shrub’s root loose.  We pulled it free and added it to our pile.  So I thought Okay, momma helped me with that tree.  Let’s see if I can do this on my own this time. Before long, I could tackle this medium sized bush all on my own, too!

Feeling pretty good about myself, I decided to tackle the biggest  Privet tree near me.  You know, the kind that has 6 trunks sticking out from its root and is twice as tall as an average adult.  I tugged to test the strength of the root.  Nothing.  I pulled.  Nothing.  I pulled harder.  Still nothing.  Come on Elyse!  You got this!  Pull! I pulled again and again.  Still this tree wouldn’t move.  I realized that this pesky tree’s roots were firmly planted.  I looked over at my brother and father as they yanked a tree this size out of the ground. They were making this thing look easy.  Darn it! If they can do it, you can do it!! Then I heard, “Elyse, do you want us to help you?”

“No,” I refused.

“You sure you don’t want us to help you?”

“NO!  I CAN do this!  I don’t need your help.”  Now, I can be pretty hard-headed at times.  I knew I wasn’t as strong as my brother or dad, but I HAD to do this on my own.

I spent 20 minutes tugging, pulling, moving the tree side to side.  Nothing happened.  I started speaking to the root saying, “You will come up!  I tell you, I will pull you free!  Come out!!!!!”  My family looked at me as if to say, “Elyse, give up and let us help you.”  I was getting a little discouraged myself, but then………. I saw something that gave me hope.  I saw the ground around the root move.  Excitement stirred in me!  I COULD do this!

After about 5 more minutes  of me working that root, it came loose.  Success!  Victory was mine!  But when I thought back on it, I realized that root didn’t budge one inch until I started speaking to it.

Suddenly, I remembered how Apostle David  taught about problems in our lives that have taken root in our soul.  By working on those Privet trees, I discovered that there are different levels of difficulty when it comes to roots.  The new problems, or the baby roots, aren’t very strongly rooted in the soil.  These are problems or challenges that haven’t been around long, but if you aren’t careful, they will become bigger quickly! If you are really tired of seeing junk in your life, then sometimes it takes starting with cleaning out little things.  This is usually easily done on your own through prayer.

Once you have the little things  cleared out, then there are bigger challenges to tackle.  Like those medium-sized Privet trees, these problems have taken  root in their surroundings.  In order to break bad habits, you have to start good ones.  Sometimes you need others to help show you how to break free from these problems through prayer.

Then there’s that pesky thing that has been growing for years and years.  It’s constantly fed by the one thing that has hurt you the most or affected you to the highest degree.  To get rid of deeply embedded problems, you have to find the roots and work them loose through your own fervent prayer and faith that God will help you through it.  Take authority over those roots.  Speak to them in faith!  Your words carry authority and power, and God is faithful to see you through and give you the victory!

What problems are in your life?  Which kind of root are they?  Whatever they are, SPEAK to those roots!  Continue to work on them; don’t give up!  You CAN do this!  God is faithful to give you the victory!

She’s Making Her Mark

I’m always struck by the beauty and grace with which some people take life’s difficulties in stride. While many of us complain about the smallest things, others of us bravely endure each day with the optimism and insight of the truly heroic. I’d like to introduce you to one of the newest members of our Celebration Team who is one such hero… you’ll be hearing much more from her soon, but in the meantime, visit her personal blog and get to know her. By seeing through her eyes, your own circumstances may begin to come into perspective.

I give you Madison Sanders… click on the banner above or follow the link below and drop in on her as she makes her mark on us all!

Making my Mark.

Seeking Time Survival Guide Tip 2: If you fall, get back up!

So, you made a decision to give up something for Seeking Time. Or maybe you made a New Year’s resolution. You know the drill: “I’m going to exercise every day, eat only healthy foods, and drink lots of water. I’m giving up caffeine, chocolate, and french fries. I’m going to pray and read my Bible daily, keep a good attitude at work, give up gossiping, and say only nice things to everyone. I won’t waste my time on television and Facebook, but will use that time to catch up on all of that motivational reading I’ve been wanting to do.”

So, how’s that working out for you?

Usually it only takes about 3 days before we’ve already broken our fast or at least one of our resolutions. The question is what are you going to do about it once you messed up?

It used to be that if I messed up and ate a piece of chocolate on a day I was supposed to be fasting, I would say, “Hey, this day is shot. Might as well eat a whole bunch more. I can always start over tomorrow.” Or I would miss one day of walking and say, “Well, this week is messed up. I might as well skip the rest of the week and start over next Monday.” The problem with doing that is that it gets easier and easier to keep giving in to the flesh. I mean, why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? Or next week? Or next year?

If you have already done something you said you wouldn’t or forgotten to do something you said you should, don’t give up. You didn’t mess things up, you didn’t blow it for this year, you don’t have to wait until “next time” to do it again. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and determine not to indulge your flesh, not to quit, and not to get under condemnation. It happens to everyone. Just decide that you are going to finish the day out strong and keep going. You can do it!

Dropping the Ball

When I was in college at UGA, I played a season of basketball in the girls’ intramural league. Our team wasn’t polished, but we were scrappy. We had all played in high school and, even though we were rough around the edges, we were still pretty good. We won every game we played, landing us in the play-offs and then the semi-finals.

Feeling pretty confident by this round, we didn’t think much when we saw that we were paired up against the UGA Lady Bulldogs Volleyball team for the semi-final match. Well, maybe my team members had enough sense to think twice about that, but I sure didn’t. After all, we had stomped every team we had come up against. The only problem was that the teams we had played against had all consisted of sorority girls who were not quite as tough as we were (or at least that’s my memory of it).

I’ll never forget walking into the gym for the play-offs and looking UP at those ladies on the opposing team. I’m 6 feet tall, and every one of them was several inches taller than me and MUCH bigger. I barely made it off the floor during opening tip-off before the other team took control of that ball and scored.

I don’t remember too much more about that game except for the final few minutes when I snagged a rebound from the top of the key at our goal. I was in MY spot… the spot I could always score from, no matter what. Even though the 6’4″ volleyball player guarding me was a little intimidating, I still took my shot…. and I MISSED. Not only did I miss, but the ball rebounded straight back to me.

“Okay,” I thought, “I can do this! I’m still in my sweet spot! I’ve got it now!” Up I went, up went the ball, and…. it hit the rim and came straight back to me AGAIN. Not only was my guard still intimidating, but now she was laughing at me. I wanted to pass that ball off to someone else, but third time’s a charm, right? I mean, this was my best shot and I surely couldn’t miss it three times in a row, Bulldog Women or not. I took a deep breath, dribbled once, and shot… and as God is my witness, that ball hit the rim and came right back to me AGAIN. Only this time, I was so embarrassed and frustrated that I didn’t even reach out to grab the ball. Instead, the girl guarding me snatched it.

What she did then marked me forever. Even though she was laughing pretty hard because I had missed that danged shot so many times, she looked at me, handed me the ball, stepped up next to me, patted me on the back, and said, “You got it this time!” Everyone on the floor froze. The audience went from laughing at me to cheering for me. I totally didn’t want to take that shot again. As a matter of fact, I would have walked off that floor if I could have, but I didn’t. I took that ball, dribbled a few times, set my feet, and shot again… SWISH! I got cheers from the crowd, cheers from my team, and every girl on that opposing team clapped for me and patted me on the back. You would have thought I had done something miraculous instead of just FINALLY making a stupid easy shot from the top of the key.

The UGA Lady Bulldogs Volleyball team went on to beat us in that game… of course. But we ended up having a great camaraderie with them, and we were the loudest ones cheering for them as they ended up winning the Intramural championship.

When you drop the ball or miss a shot in front of people,  you have to deal with your pride. If you do it once, you can probably find some kind of excuse to get you out of it. Do it again, and you might just get mad enough at yourself to try it over. Do it one more time and you’re more likely to pass the ball to someone else and run right off the court and vow never to try it again. But, hey… it’s only a ball, right?

So… I dropped the ball this last year where the Celebration blog is concerned. I had a goal, and I didn’t make it. I started towards something and didn’t finish. I got tired and I quit… for a while. But, rather than walking off the scene and pretending it never happened, I decided to get back in the game, pick up the ball, and try it again.

So, here we go…

~Linda

Wake Up!!

 

How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest–and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. – Proverbs 6:9-11 (NIV)

ANKKKKK!!! ANKKKKK!!! ANKKKKK!!! Slowly you roll over, fumbling for the alarm, trying to smack the snooze button for the fourth time in the past hour. You really had great intentions of getting up early this morning, but now… sigh. Just ten more minutes of sleep!

About then, your wife’s elbow finds you… “get up!” Groggily, you try to untangle yourself from the mass of covers you are wrapped in. Must have been cold last night the way you are tangled and wrapped in those sheets. Finally free from the bedding, you stumble towards the bathroom to start your day.

For some of you, this sounds like this morning; others have learned to discipline themselves so this is only their Saturday morning! But I think at some point in our life we can all identify with this feeling.

Something is calling at the back of our spirits. It’s been so distant feeling, so far away. For a long time we were able to ignore it; at other times, a swat in the right direction kept it at bay for another ten minutes. However, I believe that something is beginning to arise and stir within us. It’s time for us to WAKE UP!

It’s as if many of us have been in a slumber. A place of quiet restful tranquility. Our motor functions shut down, recharging for the next day. A place of wonderful dreams and the occasional scary nightmare, but little realization of either one. When the sounds of awakening begin to resonate they seem so far away. They seem as if they are from another world. Sometimes they even begin to incorporate themselves into our dreams… One day won’t that be great… or wow I don’t know if this is real or not.

I believe that the spirit is shouting WAKE UP! In sleep, our body moves into a mode of maintenance. It’s needful for us to sleep sometimes: to dream, to allow ourselves to restore the systems inside, to maintain balance, to build up strength.

But how many of you have ever lain in bed all day? You end up feeling worse than if you had just gotten up as usual. We must WAKE UP! God is calling us out of dream land and into the promise that He has given us! Shake yourself! I believe God is calling us to live and to walk out the very things that we’ve been dreaming about for so long. But you can’t do that in your sleep!

For some people there is a fear that comes with waking up. When you wake up, you don’t look as beautiful as you did in the dream. Things don’t flow as smoothly as they did in the dream, and you definitely don’t feel as “ALIVE” as you did in the dream. Instead, you feel entangled in the messy reality of waking up. Your matted eyes are crusty from little use (how they sting and ache as you rub them clear to once again test your VISION!). You stumble awkwardly as you climb out of bed towards the bathroom or the coffee pot. It’s in this half awake state that we often stump our toe or trip over something we left lying by the bed! The trappings of yesterday can trip us up as we start a brand new day in our semi-alert state.

Then we stumble into the bathroom to find a worse mess when we look in the mirror. Hair disheveled, a beard that needs to be shaved, or even the marks of the sheet wrinkles left all over our face. It’s a sobering fact to see just how ugly you can be when you first wake up! And need we say that when you first get up there is always some kind of waste you need to get rid of in your life?!

Waking up can be so much less glamorous than our dreams, making it is easy for us to want to retreat back to our dreams instead of face the reality of where we are. But nevertheless, God is calling us to WAKE UP!

In the Song of Songs, Solomon writes prophetically to the church, saying, “Arise my love, and come away with me!” In other words he’s saying, WAKE UP! COME SPEND TIME WITH ME! I’VE GOT PLACES FOR US TO GO AND THINGS FOR US TO DO! But we can’t get there by continuing to lie in bed.

So grab yourself a strong cup of coffee or a Pepsi Max and WAKE UP PEOPLE! Press through the ugliness of your present condition and move forward towards making your dreams your reality!

Q: What dream are you working toward making a reality TODAY??