My Wonderful New Years Vacation
Sommer Kelly • December 29, 2025
Hi ladies it's me again and happy Lord's day and happy New Year 2026! I know, right? Where has the time gone by? I hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families are doing well and had fun on New Years. Well the title I have for this blog is called ''My WOnderful New Years Vacation''. I'll be sharing with you ladies what great things God did when I was on vacation for New Years week. Well for starters I had been wanting to go another vacation for quite some time because I wrote about this in previous blogs the last time I went on vacation was in August 2025 the first weekend in August to Taylor, Michigan to see my godfather to attend a Christian conference he was hosting, to celebrate his birthday, and enjoy time with friends out of state. I mentioned that the last time I was out of state was when I took a missions trip and went to ''DisneyLand'' in Los Angeles/Anaheim, California in 2019 at my previous church ''Discover Church''! (Side note: I attended ''Discover Church'' when I was nine years old in 2003 and attended there until I was 26 years old in 2020 for a total of seventeen years. I was also a member there in 2013 when I was nineteen years old until 2020 when I was 26 years old for seven years and was involved with kids choir, youth choir, adult choir, musicals, volunteered for kids, voted in the business meeting, and was involved with countless missions trips!) That's a long time not to have traveled and left the state and it felt so good being out of the state of Wisconsin to not only reconnect with my godfather and friends but to start exploring the world again. That was such a thrilling experience along with experiencing the presence of God at my godfather's conference that he was hosting! (Side note: my godfather's ministry is non-denominational outside of the Assemblies of God denomination and beyond this ''Women's Warriors Academy''. I still love,pray, support, and value him regardless of that being the case and he's one of the boldest yet loving men on the face of the planet!) Anyhow I needed a vacation as well as the Lord, friends, and family knew I needed one too. I prayed about it while dealing with the buziness of the holidays with Thanksgiving and Christmas along with dealing with my responsibilities with ''Women's Warriors Academy'' leading virtual Bible study, my virtual prayer meeting, writing blogs, (like this) teaching my one student for the GED program, working on lesson plans, a youtuber, author, and promoting my kid/teen program. Just reading that alone makes y'all see I needed a vacation! The other challenge was seeing who was willing to go with me instead of going alone and by the grace of God my Uncle Nick (The long lost uncle I shared about in the previous blog) by the grace of God agreed to take me to Taylor, Michigan so I didn't have to take ''Greyhound bus'' this time! Whew! Praise the Lord! By the grace of God I finished my last virtual Bible study for the year 2025 on December 28th (I also released my last Christmas carol ''The Hallelujah Chorus'' that same day on youtube!) and I did my last virtual prayer meeting December 29th for 2025 instead of December 30th 2025. (Side note I also participated in another virtual prayer meeting that same night right after that! I know right?) Well what days was I on vacation? That's a good question. Well me and my Uncle Nick left Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the morning December 30th and got there during the afternoon. (Yes I did pack my suitcase, pack a lunch to eat, stopped for gas, and got to see where the Jackson family grew up in 2300 Jackson street! I know right?) We stayed at a hotel and I got to have my uncle meet my godfather, his staff, friends, and got to attend another conference he hosted. Now side note, I told my uncle I wanted to go to Taylor, Michigan and he booked the hotel but he didn't know the real reason why I was there. Also I told my parents I'd be gone for several hours with friends and wouldn't be home for awhile and it wasn't until we got there that I revealed I was up North with friends! I know, right? Plus my godfather and his assistant had many legal troubles going on, something I didn't reveal to my uncle until we actually went to the state of Michigan and that was difficult to talk about. My godfather and his assistant were wronged by ''traitors'' who turned them into some wicked institutions that damaged their reputations and took them to court! (There's more to the story and some of which I prefer not to talk about for confidentiality reasons.) That was something I and others were dealing with but by the grace of God we fought and prayed through it though. Anyhow at the conference many people were physically healed, people got ''slain in the Spirit'', the Holy Spirit's presence was thick, and my uncle got to meet the people I've known for years! I also brought my acoustic guitar and played a song on youtube by gospel artist William Mcdowell ''I Won't Go Back'' from his 2011 ''Arise'' album! That was my last music video on youtube for the year 2025 and first regular music video since before Thanksgiving holiday! I also brought my books and some people bought them which was very exciting. I got to see my godfather and friends and it felt like I was ''home''. Plus I felt the presence of God in such a way as though Christ were physically in the room and my uncle testified to that too! Yes that's right we did have services on December 30th, New Years Eve, and New Years Day and I couldn't get enough of that. God knew that me and my uncle as well as other visitors from various states as well as my godfather's staff how much we all needed to be in the presence of God especially after coming off a busy holiday time. I'd rather be in the presence of the Lord on New Year's Eve than anywhere else, though I know not many churches do New Year's Eve services like they used to. I also went to see my wonderful cousin from my dad's side of the family for the very first time since August of 2025 and she was very glad to see me as well as many others! (Some dreams I may share about another time possibly for another blog while some are personal just between God and I.) Everyone there was very friendly which is so lovely after sometimes dealing with the cruelties of this world. My uncle and I received prophetic dreams that forever changed our lives and shared them with trusted people and were astonished at what revelation the Lord showed us! (Side note ''New Life Assembly Of God Church'' my home church did ''watch night'' service but I couldn't go because I needed a vacation!) Despite the warfare that took place it was well worth the travel. We traveled back to town January 2nd which was on a Friday the day after New Years Day and returned home later that afternoon and evening. To be truthful I wanted more people to go with me during my New Years trip, maybe three other people at the very most but I guess having one was just right for me. Perhaps in the summer of 2026 when I go back to Taylor, Michigan and New Years next year that more people will travel with me to Taylor, Michigan to meet my godfather, his staff, and friends! My godfather is the boldest, God-fearing, and loving man in the world and he was so happy me and my uncle were able to make it out there despite the cold and the snow! Oh my goodness! It was great to see him again and I felt the love of God too. That's what I wanted to share with you ladies. Blessings to each of you ladies and your families, happy Lord's day, and have a blessed week of 2026!
Hi ladies it's me again and happy Tuesday! I hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families are doing well. The title I have for this blog is called ''Transition From 2025 To 2026!'' I know, right? I know that today is actually December 30th but tomorrow night will be New Years Eve and two days from now it will be New Years Day! Isn't it something how this year 2025 has flown by? For some of you this was the best year ever with answered prayers, many opportunities, divine connections, prosperity, and did many great things. For others this year 2025 was very difficult. Maybe you experienced a job loss, loss of a loved one, many delays, unanswered prayers, and dealing with trauma. For others it was somewhere in between. I think I fit in the in between category. It wasn't the worst year but it wasn't the best year. I got to celebrate my birthday on January 25th 20025 at ''Chick-fila'' with family and friends and on Valentine's Day, I got to have my ''Single Valentine Night Out'' at a Mexican restaurant! By the grace of God I graduated from MATC (Milwaukee Area Technical College) in Spring of 2025 and had a college graduation party two weeks after that! I gained some more subscribers on youtube and I have released countless more music videos and non-musical videos. I released some albums through Landr that were soundtracks for my ''Debrah book'' and my recent Christmas book ''Making It Through Christmas Part 1''. The summer of this year my former senior pastor Pastor Kevin Olson retired from pastoring ''New Life Assembly Of God Church'' (He was pastor there from 2002 until this year 2025. He was associate pastor at other Assemblies of God churches before that and now lives in Osceola, Wisconsin where he and his wife Jan attend ''Osceola Community Church''.) and I gained a new senior pastor named Antonio Bowen. What's interesting was I went from having a white man in his sixties to gaining a younger black man (formerly from ''Church Of God In Christ denomination) which was a game changer for sure! I also gained a nephew by the name of Abraham Michael and he's quite a character to deal with! I also gained a student for my women's ministry training for ''Women's Warriors Bible College'' for the GED part, wrote countless blogs, and gained some new people for my virtual prayer meetings and virtual Bible studies! I also got to be a vendor at ''Evangel Assembly Of God Church'' (My former Sunday school teacher from ''Discover Church'' attends there) and I sold two books and sold multiple products there by the grace of God more than the previous years! I reconnected with my long lost uncle (my mom's youngest brother) Uncle Nick on November 22nd and we hung out together on December 6th and December 20th and have formed a wonderful bond! (Side note he's with me on vacation right now!) I witnessed financial provision during the week of Christmas when I had no clue how I was going to afford gifts and the Lord enabled me to have ''financial coverage'' through my blog, donations of fundraiser, and money my grandma gave me for Christmas when I was running low financially. I traveled by Greyhound bus by myself out of state for the very first time in six years and I got to be in Taylor, Michigan in August 2025 for my godfather's 53rd birthday and got to be with friends out of state. I am currently back in Taylor, Michigan to visit my godfather and friends in Taylor, Michigan again for New Years week! My year was pretty interesting that's for sure! But that doesn't mean it wasn't without challenges. The start of 2025 my old facebook account got hacked and had to start all over again under Sommer Amanda. I also got very sick late January early February and very sick during Labor Day of this year. In August of 2025 we dealt with a massive flood that impacted many places in August. (Side note my church and home had water in the basements but by God's grace we didn't lose anything valuable by God's grace.) I also had to heal from the trauma of my past which took lots of time, prayer, and counseling to heal from all of that. I also witnessed my godfather, his assistant, and many ministers deal with legal troubles which were extremely difficult and had to spend lots of time prayer and fasting for that. I also had business setbacks,tons of relationship drama and I'm still single. That's quite a bit of what I have experienced this year and I'm sure some of y'all can relate about the ups and downs of the year 2025. But despite all of that we must remember that God's been good. Does that mean that I don't pray that 2026 won't be any better? Of course I want 2026 to be better! But I must remember to be grateful about the previous year and believe the Lord to make this upcoming year better than the previous year. That's something I want to encourage you ladies to remember. No matter if this year has been the best or the worst, remember that the best is yet to come. Remember God's not done writing your story not is He done writing my story. I heard A wise Christian say. ''If you're not dead, God's not done!" I'd also highly encourage you ladies to pray about what things God wants to do in your life in the upcoming year 2026 which is something I've been doing. Surrender what happened in 2025 and believe God can do greater things in 2026. For God is the One that makes all things new. That's what I wanted to share with you ladies. Blessings to each of you ladies, have a blessed week, and happy early new year 2026 everyone!
Hi ladies it's me again and happy Lord's day! I hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families are doing well. I hope and pray that y'all and your families had a good Christmas as did I. I got my hair done, watched "Jesus Of Nazareth", went to Christmas Eve service, and visited my grandma where I saw lots of relatives. On Christmas Day sang a song for Jesus on YouTube shared Contemporary Christian artist Natalie Grant's "I Believe" from her 2005 Christmas album "Believe", (Side note when I was in choir years ago that song was sung.) had guests over, ate, played games, and I watched "The Nativity Story". On Saturday was game day and got books purchased too. It was a busy week that's for sure! Anyhow the title I have for this second last blog for the year 2025 is called "My Upcoming Women's Training For 2026". For those of you ladies may or may not remember towards the end of the summer I wrote blogs about my women's training and mentioned about my women's training. What's the purpose of the women's training? Well that's for women who love the Lord who sense a call from God to get into women's ministry to either be on staff at a regular church or be on staff at "Women's Warriors Academy"! Here's the thing. I only have one student this far which is better than nothing. She's enrolled for the GED part and is yet to get into the Associates degree. I'm praying to the Lord to have women who faithfully attend my Bible study and prayer meetings who sense the call of God to be in women leadership. Just like there's many Bible colleges ("North Central Bible College", "Trinity Bible College", "Midwest Bible College" etc) and other Christian colleges ("Belmont University", "Evangel University", "Pensacola Christian University" etc) require a degree to be in ministry. This training does require that as well. Right now there's a GED program and an Associates degree program that are available. (Side note both Christian and secular universities require to have a high school diploma and GED to get into college.) There are certain books that are required to take these courses that y'all can check out on the website "Women's Bible College" tab to check out registration and when classes get started. It's for Christian women ages 18 and older with a GED or high school diploma who sense the Lord leading them to be pastors, prophets, teachers, evangelists, or missionaries. This is a interdenominational training as well as "Women's Warriors Academy" ministry as a whole is so Christian women regardless of denomination can be a part of it. This is for women only no men because most Bible colleges or regular Christian universities specialize in men getting into ministry often leaving women out. (Side note my godfather's school includes men and women training to be in ministry.) This is the first online women's Bible college in the state of Wisconsin as well too! This training is virtual just like my Bible studies and prayer meetings that meet on a regular basis. The classes will be during the afternoon and y'all will have to go on the "Women's Bible College" tab to check out the times for that and when classes start. We are preparing for the winter/spring semester and if y'all have any questions feel free to reach out to me about it. It's my desire to see more godly women regardless of age, race, marital status or lack thereof, and regardless of denomination be used of the Lord to be in ministry full-time. Of course full-time ministry isn't for everyone but I figured I'd make it available to other godly women who are praying and longing to be in one. I also desire to make it affordable, one that's within the state of Wisconsin since most are far away, and one for women of every age (Most colleges have a cut off point when it comes to age though MATC is the exception of that) and race can pursue degree on. God put it on my heart after graduating from MATC this past Spring.This is for those who want to go beyond going to my Bible studies and prayer meetings to be trained to be on staff herr or at a regular church as a women's ministry director! Perhaps that can be your goal for the upcoming new year saying yes to God if you feel called to full-time ministry. That's what I wanted to share with you ladies. Blessings, happy Lord's day, have a blessed week, and hope to see some of y'all in my women's training this upcoming new year!
Hi ladies it's me again and happy Tuesday! I hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families are doing well. I'm happy to present another blog called "Making It Through Christmas Part 1". Y'all might be thinking why is this important? Well most of us know that Christmas can be the happiest time of the year but also the most difficult time right? Let me give a backstory behind this. Well I wanted to financially invest in this project sooner so it could have come out sooner. Well this was released December 18th and it was released later than I wanted but it is what it is. The story is about a married couple who were non-Christians who had jobs but lost them and the husband had to work a Uber/Uber delivery while the wife who endured two miscarriages who got pregnant a third time who was looking for work. It also features a business owner whose a Christian and pastor's wife praying for a miracle for her business. (Sound familiar?) In the midst of these situations God sends four mysterious visitors to help this pastor's wife/Christian business owner (She has four kids and her husband is youth pastor) and this married couple who was struggling. The married couple thankfully become Christians and realize God's love and provision in the midst of dealing with challenges during the holidays. This married couple also has a baby boy and volunteers for their church Christmas play! The four visitors happen to be angels who not only help those people but also compell the church to help others during the holidays too. That's the story in a quick nutshell version of the book. Again I wish this would have come out sooner but it didn't. Also there's Christmas EPs that come along with it as well too. Some of the songs from the Christmas EP I played on my acoustic guitar such as "We Adore You Oh King" and "Our Time To Shine" that are featured on my YouTube channel! I know right? That's what I wanted to share with you ladies. I encourage y'all to share this with those you love who are struggling during the holidays. Blessings, pick up a copy, and have a Merry blessed Christmas with loved ones this week!
HI ladies it's me again and happy Lord's day! I hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families are doing well. I can't believe we're in the week of Christmas. I know, right? The title I have for this blog for you ladies this week is called ''The Adoration Of The Magi''. We know this is based from the gospel of Matthew 2;1-12. I know this is a well familiar passage of Scripture we also read during this time of the year but there's something else I want to share about the Magi that doesn't get talked about a whole lot. Number one, the arrival of the Magi took place after the Shepherds came and after Baby Jesus' encounter with Anna the prophetess and Simeon in the temple. The second fact to know about the Magi is that we were known as astrologer princes. What were astrologers? Astrologers studied the stars and planets! Did y'all also not know that studying planets was quite revolutionary for the time, especially back then? (Side note the planets of Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn united together that formed the Christmas star in the heavens!) The third fact to know is the Magi arrived during the time of Herod the Great which the Bible does mention this Herod. Now y'all may be wondering what's wrong with Herod? Here's the thing about Herod the Great. (Side note there were other Herods such as Herod Antipas who was friends with Pontious Pilate and beheaded John the Baptist. His son was Herod Agrippa 1 the murdered James the brother of John the beloved/Revelator and put Peter in prison. But as know an angel helped Peter escape from prison and shared God's Word until he was killed as an old man upsidedown for the sake of Christ. This same Herod got struck and killed by an angel and was eaten by worms see Acts 12;23. The APostle Paul stood before Herod Agrippa 2 mentioned in Acts 26 where he shared his testimony and this Herod was the last of the Herods. I know so many Herods right?) Historians say that he was a brutal man so brutal that he killed his wife and some of his children just to keep his position as king! I know, right? The other thing to know about the Magi was the gifts they gave were not cheap but very expensive and they were rich men too. The other fact to know about the Magi is that they were Gentiles not Jews! As y'all know the story they followed the star and Herod the Great asked where they were going and they were searching to find the Lord. Don't forget they traveled a mighty long way to find our Lord until they arrived where Jesus was. What I find so amazing about this is that Mary and Joseph were kind enough to welcome these visitors/Gentiles in their dwelling place and let me tell y'all why that's important. Back then, before Jesus died and rose again, Jews and Gentiles did not fellowship with each other under the same roof. Why is that? Because of racism and religious differences. (Side note racism is not a new thing which reminds of the racism that took place amongst blacks and whites for a number of centuries prior to Dr Martin Luther King Jr sought to bring blacks and whites together. That's for another blog for another time) But despite that being the case, the Magi as we know bowed down before the Lord worshipped Him, and gave Him precious gifts. The gift of gold represents Christ's kingship based from Revelations 19;16 Christ is ''King of kings and Lord of lords''. The gift of Frankincense represents Christ's priesthood mentioned in the book of Hebrews 7;24 talks about ''Christ being high priest forever''. The gift of Myrrh represents Christ's sacrifice and the book of John 1;29 ''Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world''. Wow the Magi poured their love on the Lord and worshipped Him in spirit and in truth and were generous with their gifts before Him! Of course we know they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod but to return to their country another way. (LAter Angel Gabriel had to tell Mary and Joseph to get Jesus out of town because of Herod seeking to destroy Him and they remained in Egypt for a time until Herod the Great died. Before Herod the Great died, he murdered boys two years old and under because he was bitter at the Magi.) I also love how the Lord left this story on record to show that He cares about everyone, even Gentiles! That should be encouraging to us women to show how much our Lord loves and cares about us no matter what race we are. Whether we're white, black, hispanic, Asian, Arab all of us are precious in His sight! I believe the Magi arriving also was prophecy fulfilled that in the book of Hosea 1;10 and 2;23 ''He will call those who are not His people His people'' which includes us Gentiles. The Jews prior to Jesus' death and resurrection looked at us Gentiles as ''dogs'' or outsiders which we were! But thanks to the cross of cross, the racial barrier between Jews and Gentiles and wall between God and man occurred! Plus Jesus made it clear in Matthew 28;19 ''Go ye therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost''. The gospel was meant to be told to all nations which means racial diversity is important to God! The Christmas story touched an ordinary virgin farm girl, ordinary carpenter, lowly shepherds, and outsider Magi! Christ's birth touched people from the outside to let them know they are included in the eyes of God! I pray that you encourage you ladies this week of Christmas. That's what I wanted to share with you ladies. Blessings to each of y'all, happy Lord's day, and Merry Christmas!
Hi ladies it's me again and happy Tuesday! i hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families are doing well. I'm happy to present another blog called ''The Shepherds And Angels''. Now I know many of us know that this passage of Scripture takes place in the gospel of Luke 2;8-20 that we often hear about this time of the year. Here's something else to understand about the shepherds. Shepherds back in the Bible times were not highly esteemed in their culture. First of all the youngest able bodied male in the family was assigned a role as a shepherd. (Remember the story of David? He was the youngest male in his family not was he esteemed well and got assigned a shepherd. He'd later become a Psalmist, warrior, and king of Israel.) Plus shepherds were considered the lowest of the low, poor, and the least of these. They were also considered "average Joes" of their day! So when Angel Gabriel appeared to them he appeared to the last, lowest, and least of these. Plus Angel Gabriel appeared with the shekinah glory of God that troubled the shepherds. (Side note there were other moments that Angel Gabriel appeared to people such as Mary, Joseph, Zechariah the priest, the prophet Daniel in the Old Testament just to name a few and I know they trembled when they saw Angel Gabriel.) But he told them the good news about Jesus' birth and other angels came alongside him declaring the famous "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace goodwill towards men". Then the shepherds as we know ran to find Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and likely told them what the angels said. The Virgin Mary took those things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds also told those around them that Jesus was born! That's where the Negro-spiritual Christmas carol called "Go Tellin On The Mountain" and "Angels We Have Heard On High" were inspired by the account of the shepherds and the angels! I remember sharing in Bible study recently stating how the story of the shepherds is amazing because it shows that God cares about ordinary people! I pray that's an encouragement to you ladies that cares about you just as much as He cared about the shepherds. God cares about the least, last, lowest, the lost, the sick, prisoners, jobless, homeless, ostracized,singles, divorced , disabled, abused, and scapegoats. That's the God that we serve! God allowed the gospel to first get to ordinary people not to the priests or even the elite! (Side note I'll share about the Magi on another blog to show God cares about people like them.) Shouldn't that make you ladies thankful that God allowed ordinary people like you and me to have gotten to hear and receive the gospel of Christ? I know I'm thankful for that. Jesus when He grew to be an adult mentioned in Luke 19:10 "That the Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost". Maybe this Christmas season you feel overlooked, feel like the least, last, and lowest. Maybe you're not highly esteemed in society, in your family, the workplace, and sadly not esteemed in the church. If you feel that way remember the account of the shepherds. Remember these guys weren't highly esteemed in culture or religious circles but God allowed them to be the first witnesses to have witnessed His Son's birth followed by Anna the prophetess and Simeon and eventually the Magi! Salvation was meant for all no matter who they are, what they've done, or their background situation? Remember to be thankful how the gospel of Christ got to you and don't forget to share about that and the Christmas story to others too. That's what I wanted to share with you ladies. Blessings to each of you ladies, have a blessed week, and Merry Christmas!
Hi ladies it's me again and happy Lord's day! I hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families are doing well. I'm happy to present another blog called "Baby Jesus Meets Anna And Simeon". I know right many Christians don't talk about this part of the story very often. It's mentioned in the gospel of Luke 2:21-38 where Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus went to the temple. (Side note there's another account where Jesus went to the temple when He was twelve years old mentioned in Luke 2:40-51 and He was about His Father's business!) This account took place after the account with the shepherds and the angels witnessing Jesus' birth before the account of the Magi mentioned in Matthew 2. (Side note I'll be sharing about the blog about the shepherds and Magi for another blog.) Anyhow Mary and Joseph brought pigeon sacrifices unto the Lord because they couldn't afford a lamb which shows how poor they were. They also brought Jesus and circumcised Him according to the law something that His cousin Baby John (later to be John the Baptist) went through several months earlier. As Mary and Joseph did their duties, an older godly man named Simeon just so happened to have been at the temple in Jerusalem as well too. God promised him that he wouldn't die until he saw Baby Jesus! Wow! This godly old man who also was led by the Spirit through discernment learned where Baby Jesus was. Simeon with the help of the Spirit was at the right place at the right time and he held Baby Jesus in his arms saying. "Now Lord You can dismiss Your servant in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation." He also went on to say Jesus' life would impact both Jew and Gentile and a sword would pierce the Virgin Mary's heart! I believe that Simeon was prophesying about Jesus' crucifixion and did that moment pierce the Virgin Mary's heart! Then Anna the prophetess arrived and despite being a widow and her old age, she never departed the temple praying and fasting day and night. She's from the "Tribe Of Asher" and I find that very significant that she didn't stop seeking the Lord despite the hardships she went through. She kept on praying and pressing into God and like Simeon, she was awaiting the coming of the Messiah! When she saw Baby Jesus, she gave thanks to God and told others that Baby Jesus was the One the Jews had been waiting for! Do you ladies remember when I shared in a blog that the Jews had a "400 Years Of Silence?" The Jews had been waiting for the Messiah to come for such a long time and Simeon and Anna the prophetess had been waiting their entire lives to see Jesus! What's also touching is they didn't allow old age or delay stop them from praying and believing God's promises! What a lesson for us today! What promises are you ladies praying for and standing on today? Are you praying for a unsaved loved one to get saved or for a prodigal to come back to Christ? Are you praying for someone to be healed physically or mentally? Are you praying for God to be your Provider? Are you praying for a spouse or for a impossible situation to turn around? Are you like me praying for revival for our nation? We all know that waiting is never easy and Simeon and Anna the prophetess waited for a long time. But they didn't allow the waiting to cause their faith to wane or waver! They kept expecting to see the Messiah to come and in time it manifested! What I should say is Father God revealed His Son Baby Jesus at the right moment and the right time! As Mary and Joseph offered their sacrifice and circumcised Baby Jesus, they had no idea they'd be greeted by older people who had been waiting to see the Messiah! Some would say it was a "coincidence" but that was a divine moment! Baby Jesus birth brought hope to hearts that were longing for Him. Ladies I don't know what challenged y'all are facing in your day to day life much less the Christmas season I pray that the Lord brings you ladies hope during this time of year. Don't stop praying or standing on God's promises just because the answer didn't come right away. Don't throw in the towel or listen to mockers saying "It won't happen". That's what Simeon and Anna the prophetess could have thought because they waited so long but thank goodness they didn't think like that! I pray that their story will be an encouragement to you ladies as well as I for us to keep pressing in prayer and standing on Gods Word this Christmas and throughout the year. That's what I wanted to share with you ladies. I plan to share some more Christmas projects I'm working on and plan to share that soon. Blessings, happy Lord's day, and Merry Christmas!
Hi ladies it's me again and happy Tuesday! I hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families are doing well. I'm happy to present another blog called "Honoring The Blessed Virgin Mary". Let me also be clear about one thing. I've been a Protestant Christian for the past twenty years and I know it gets "controversial" honor the Virgin Mary. I think part of the problem has been because of the Catholic Church having the philosophy of worshipping and praying to Mary (or other saints and angels) something I've never done nor ever will do plain and simple! Some think that the Virgin Mary was sinless, mediator between God and man, she's an "icon", or perpetual virgin. (Side note perpetual virgin means a "false teaching" that the Virgin Mary never had any other children after Jesus our Lord and Savior was born!) Scripture doesn't support any of these claims about the Virgin Mary and felt led by the Spirit "to clear up" these myths about the Virgin Mary. What does Scripture actually say about her? Well we can read her story in the gospel of Luke 1 after the Angel Gabriel appeared to the priest Zechariah and while Elizabeth was six months pregnant with Baby John, (who later became John the Baptist) Angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and shared the good news with her. Remember that the Virgin Mary was likely a farm girl, newly engaged to Joseph the Carpenter, and likely was a teenager (Many scholars and theologians believe that the Virgin Mary was between 13-16 years old by then) when the angel appeared. Of course the angel told her she'll conceive, bare a Son, and to name Him Jesus. He told her that Christ will gain a kingdom that will last forever and I can only imagine the thoughts going through Mary's head. First of all I'm sure she was surprised she was chosen by the Lord to bare His Son. Secondly I'm sure there were other women and other virgins God could have chosen. Thirdly I'm sure Mary wondered what her family and Joseph was going to think about that. Plus she wondered how she could get pregnant since she's had no sexual relations! But the angel told her the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her and overshadow her and the Baby would be called the Son of God! Then Mary said yes and it was in that moment that Christ was conceived by the Holy Ghost! That also is where the doctrine of Christ being both God and man when Mary said yes! Ladies Mary said yes to God despite the obstacles she had to face and despite the future being unknown. Mary had no idea when she said yes that Joseph the Carpenter and her fiance nearly broke off the engagement, (see Matthew 1:18-19) later she and Joseph had stay in a stable because there was no room in the inn. (See Luke 2:7) She and Joseph later had to leave Bethlehem to escape Herod the Great (see Matthew 2:14) she and Joseph lost Jesus for three days when He was twelve years old (see Luke 2:48) when in reality Jesus abided in His Father God's house! Mary later ultimately when Jesus was 33 years old got to witness Him be crucified on the cross of Calvary for our sins and I can only imagine how much she mourned over Him. (Side note I'm sure when Jesus rose from the dead I'm sure He gave Mary His mom a big hug reassuring her that all is well because He paid the price for man's sins.) Mary had a lot of challenges she had to endure when she said yes but I'm glad she did it anyway. (I think about the Christmas carol "Mary Did You know" wondering if Mary knew what blessings awaited her about concerning her Son and the Messiah.) Ladies what's something that the Lord laid on your heart this Christmas that you haven't done yet but you're hesitant to do so? Is it to tell someone about Jesus, help the needy, reconcile a relationship, cut off a relationship, comfort the hurting etc? Are you worried about saying yes because of the cost? I don't mean financial cost but a cost of your reputation, love, or time doing so? I want you ladies to know that Mary said yes period despite not knowing the future. We don't know what the future holds but we know the One who holds the future. I want you ladies to think about Mary's example this Christmas time and let that motivate you to say yes to God regardless of the outcome and regardless of others opinions! The Virgin Mary has always been one of my favorite women in the Bible for that reason alone among other reasons! (I have other women in the Bible I admire to like Queen Esther, Deborah, Ruth, Mary Magdalene, Leah, and Abigail too.) She's one person from the Bible I can't wait to meet in heaven someday! That's what I wanted to share with you ladies. Blessings to each of you ladies, have a blessed week, and Merry Christmas.
Hi ladies it's me again and happy Lord's day and happy December! I know right? I hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families are doing well. I'm happy to present another blog called "Elizabeth And Zechariah's Baby Miracle". You might be thinking. "Why are you talking about Zechariah and Elizabeth because it seems to have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus?!" Well actually that's not true. Even though they're not in "The Nativity Scene" they are important characters in the Bible. You can read about it in the gospel of Luke 1 when Herod the Great ruled Israel, Zechariah and Elizabeth were alive by then. The Bible says they were descendants of Aaron (You know Aaron was the older brother of Moses right?) which meant that Zechariah was a priest! (Side note there was a Zechariah in the Old Testament and the Zechariah in the Old Testament was a prophet. Don't want y'all to get the Zechariah's confused.) Zechariah the priest and his wife Elizabeth were a God-fearing couple but they were barren and old! Did you ladies know there were seven couples in the Bible who were barren or had infertility struggles? Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob (or Israel) and Rachel, Hannah and Elkannah, Samson's parents, the Shunamite woman and her husband along with Zechariah and Elizabeth! Being barren was a shame back then but one day Zechariah arrived at the temple to burn incense (A common practice for priests) while everyone else prayed outside. The angel Gabriel appeared and told him that his wife would bare him a son and name him John! (He would later become John the Baptist the forerunner for Christ!) Gabriel shared that John will be a Nazarite from his birth not to be confused with Nazarene. (Side note Samuel the prophet and judge/son of Hannah and Elkannah and Samson were also Nazarite when they were born until they died. Jesus was a Nazarene not a "Nazarite".) A Nazarite couldn't touch dead things, drink alcohol, or cut their hair because they were to be "consecrated unto the Lord". Zechariah was told John would prepare Israel for the Lord and for the Messiah! Well Zechariah sadly didn't believe Angel Gabriel and he got rebuked sternly and was mute for nine months! Whew! At least the angel didn't kill him for unbelief! God enabled Elizabeth to conceive a son and nine months later, she gave birth to him! (John was filled with the Holy Ghost from the womb on like the angel said!) The priests wanted to name him after his father but Zechariah wrote on a tablet "His name is John". Then Zechariah was no longer mute but now could talk! God enabled Elizabeth to conceive when she was past the age of "childbearing!" Ladies what are you believing for God to do for you this Christmas and beyond that looks impossible? Have you prayed for God to come through in various areas in your finances, a loved one coming to Christ, believing for marriage, or you or a loved one baring a child etc and it hasn't happened yet? Ladies don't allow unbelief or delay stop you from praying! That was Zechariah's problem! I know it's easier said than done but ladies no matter what never stop praying! The answer may not come in the timing that we want but God always shows up on time! God gave Elizabeth and Zechariah baby John in time and He'll answer your prayers in time too. That's what I wanted to share with you ladies. Blessings, happy Lord's day, and Merry Christmas to y'all!
Hi ladies it's me again, happy Tuesday, and happy December! Oh my goodness I can't believe we're in December the last month of the year! Wow! I hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families are doing well. The title I have for this blog is called "Dealing With Difficult Times During The Holidays". Ladies this topic is near and dear to my heart for a number of reasons. I remember dealing with that myself when we went through COVID five years earlier (I hope y'all haven't forgotten that) and I've dealt with loss of loved ones too. Folks we know that though the holidays can be the "most wonderful time of the year" it can be the most difficult. Remember the previous blog I wrote about "The 400 Years Of Silence"? I mentioned how that impacted the Jews with their struggles and how it relates today? Some of you maybe looking forward to Christmas while others are dreading it and that can be for many reasons. Number one you may have lost a loved one. How many of y'all know grief is very complex. Maybe you lost a parent, spouse, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, a child, or even a pet. Loss is never easy by any means and you have to carry on without them. Folks I know that all too well because I went through it and we know that grief has its stages. There's shock/denial, sadness, anger, bargaining, and acceptance. That's tough to deal with during the regular part of the year but the holidays makes it all the more harder to deal with. The holidays maybe hard because you lost a job or dealing with financial challenges. I believe this is something people address throughout the year but rarely mention that during the holidays. In fact I have a book coming out soon that addresses that very issue. (I'll let y'all know when it's available on Amazon.) Some people may worry how they'll afford rent, food to eat much less Christmas gifts to buy for others. Jobs can be difficult to find and my heart goes out to people who deal with that. Others the holidays maybe difficult because of unresolved family drama. Oh my goodness that can be a pain in the behind. Maybe you have to deal with a relative (you know who they are) that aren't the easiest to get along with. Maybe you're not looking forward to being with them and have to pray for extra measure of grace to deal with them. For others they maybe single, divorced, or widowed making the holidays feel lonely even if they're around people. Maybe watching love movies is too much for them. For others they may have a loved one incarcerated and folks I've been there too. I've had family members and even someone dear right now dealing with this! Friends I want y'all to know if you're struggling emotionally for these reasons and more you're not alone. In fact "the first Christmas" wasn't glamorous by any means. Remember how I mentioned in the previous blog before Jesus arrived on Christmas night how dark the world was? Rome oppressed Israel, Herod the Great sadly was no better. (Remember he tried to destroy Jesus along with the boys of Bethlehem after the Magi returned home. That's for another blog.) There was corruption in spiritual leadership too during that time. But that's when Jesus needed to come the most. He revealed Himself on flesh in form of a baby to a peasant Virgin girl and carpenter in Bethlehem to bring light in a dark world. His birth not only brought hope and comfort to Mary and Joseph but to the shepherds later the Magi and to the world at large that neither Jesus or the Father forgot about humanity. Ultimately Christ's coming was to bring the world salvation that's available then and now. Ladies if you're feeling heavy during this time of year know that God knows. In fact the Bible promises that if you lost a loved one our Lord is our Comforter. If there's family drama pray about it and ask God to fend for you. When there's lack of employment or finances remember God as Jehovah Jireh out Provider. If you're loved one is incarcerated well best thing you can do is pray for them and find ways to communicate with them while not forgetting to keep living your life and trust God to deal with them. For those who are divorced, widowed, or single (as I am), one of Jesus names is Emmanuel is "God is with us". He's with us in the good and bad times throughout the year and the same is true if you're dealing with difficulties during the holidays too. That doesn't mean that things will get any easier but it does remind us if He's with us during the regular part of the year He's with us now as we remember His birth. That's what I wanted to share with you ladies and if anyone is in a season like this, you're in my prayers. This is one of my raw blogs to share with y'all and pray it encourages y'all. Blessings to each of you ladies, have a blessed week, and Merry Christmas!
Hi ladies it's me again and happy Lord's day! I hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families are doing well. I'm hope and pray that each of you ladies and your families had a great Thanksgiving holiday three days ago as did I. My folks watched football (not my thing sorry people), we ate great food, had family time, and played a ton of games though some loved ones tried to cheat lol. Guests also brought side dishes which helped cut down the cooking for mom and I which helped a lot. (Side note I did help cook a couple of dishes as did Mom.) The crazy part was I got to go to three Thanksgiving services in one week! I went to my church "New Life Assembly Of God Church" Sunday morning November 23rd and did Bible study Sunday night, and went back to "Discover Church's" Thanksgiving Eve service Wednesday night November 26th after cooking and recording a music video! I taught my student on Monday and Tuesday so she and I could have off the rest of the week. That's how my Thanksgiving week went in a nutshell. Anyhow the title of this blog is called "The 400 Years Of Silence". Y'all maybe thinking "What's the big deal about that?" I know that may seem strange to write about that especially after coming out of Thanksgiving holiday. How our calendar works is we celebrate Thanksgiving holiday during the month of November and in December celebrate Christmas and New Year's. Well before the first Christmas, it wasn't quite like that. Do you ladies remember the Old Testament prophets? You know they were major prophets and minor prophets right? (Side note major prophets meant they had more writings and minor prophets had lesser writings in them.) You maybe thinking. "What does that have to do with the 400 years silence?" First why did God send the Old Testament prophets? Well to share about the coming Messiah our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Another reason was to rebuke the Jews for their sin and to repent for it and another reason was to talk about the future. Well after the book of Malachi (a minor prophet) and before the book of Matthew in the New Testament there were 400 years of silence! No word from a prophet, an angel, no word from the Lord, no visions no dreams no nothing! What took place during that time? Well do y'all remember learning about the "Dark Ages" in history? If you don't remember that was a time of both natural and spiritual darkness until the "Reformation Age". (That was during the time of Martin Luther who came out of that period too.) Well the 400 years of silence was like that as well too. There was much corruption in both the political and spiritual leadership. Sound familiar? Many of you ladies know that Rome oppressed the Jews and the Jews were living in exile in their own homeland. Y'all know how brutal the Roman soldiers could be if y'all have seen movies and stage plays about it. They overburdened the people with taxes, they'd even kidnap daughters from families who couldn't pay their debt among other things! Don't forget that Herod the Great was in power during that time and if you know anything about Herod the Great he was a brutal man. Historians say he killed his wives and some of his kids just to secure his throne! I know right? (Side note Herod the Great had sons that survived him such Archelaus and Antipas that eventually ruled Israel after he died.) By the time Jesus came on the scene, (as well as the Magi visiting Israel) Herod the Great was a old man by then. (I'll share more about that when I write the blog about Baby Jesus and the Magi about Herod the Great.) There were spiritual leaders who were misrepresenting God during that point as well too. Again that's nothing new isn't it? The Jews were getting so desperate from all of that and called out to God the Father for help. But the Jews didn't know that God was working behind the scenes getting the world ready to prepare for the first coming of Christ that we're going to celebrate during Christmas time. Are you ladies dealing with some difficult stuff right now. You pray but sense God is silent? Is there a situation you're in that is unresolved and wonder when will change happen? That's how the Jews felt during that time. Ladies I don't always understand why sometimes it takes awhile for God to answer prayers or answer period. Someone told me a long time ago. "Trust God's heart when you don't understand what His hand is doing". That's great advice when stuff doesn't make sense. God is working in the midst of the silence. God is working even though everything seems to be a mess. God is working even though our natural eyes can't see. That was true during the Jews 400 years of silence and it's true today. I believe before we celebrate Christmas which is the time of Christ's birth, we need not forget what led up to it. That's the purpose of the blog to remember the tension, uneasiness, and unanswered questions the Jews felt during an extended period of time. In another blog I'll share about dealing with the challenges of the holidays more in depth and how to lean on God during that time. Thankfully the 40/ year silence didn't last forever because the New Testament would occur and I'll share more about that as we approach the month of December what took place after that. Ladies you and I'd hard seasons won't last forever and God in His time will bring us out and answer our prayers. It may not be the timing we want but His timing is always best. That's what I wanted to share with y'all. Blessings to each of you ladies, happy Lord's day, and have a blessed week everyone.