Perspectives

The proverbial question, who picked the watermelon? is not borne out of insatiable satisfaction, but of one’s questionable ability. An antagonistic statement, frequently followed by "you can't pick watermelons anymore". They head off ever confident in their tested and perfected process only to discover after their thumping, shaking, twisting, and flipping, they fared no better than we. We thump it, shake it, turn it on its side, we compare colors, align, and discern if the vine presents a natural break, or if it was snatched from its life. Still, neither method gives us complete assurance. Absent of any guarantee, I've yet to find anyone who has perfected the process 100%. Likewise, our faith is not one built on exactness, perfection, or getting it right all the time, but an enduring test of patience, persistence, and perseverance.

Today’s podcast is titled

Watermelon Thump

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We often treat our faith as a watermelon thump because that is what we have been conditioned to do. It looks swell (a leave it to beaver term), we would say, on the outside, anxiously anticipating what we’ve yet to discover inside. Our reluctance tells us, we do not want to pay for something that has the prospect of turning out other than expected. But we do so absent of understanding the depth and nuance of God’s perfect will for our lives.

As we long for just a taste, a sliver, even down to the rind, we salivate in anxiousness anticipation. Oh, the disappointment when we carefully slice it open, only to discover it is far from satisfactory, too pale, too mushy, too many seeds (there is not such thing as a seedless watermelon), not sweet enough, and on and on. Because of our frequent, past disappointment, we resort to pre-packaged and pre-cut slices. Is it watermelon? Yes! But … It is not the same, as the labor and consternation we go through to get it right. When we find the right one, the savor is sweet, and we realize our labor is not in vain. Though we went through the pains of finding the perfect one, we were encouraged and did not lose faith in the process, thus giving us the assurance, while flawed at times, to do it repeatedly.

Our faith is similar as we press towards the prize, the mark, we struggle to find perfectness, we struggle to obtain the fullness of the promise. Nevertheless, we try repeatedly, until we get it right. And when the season comes about once again, we can practice and combine what our experience has allowed us to learn. The watermelon (exterior) embodies the entirety of who we are. Our faith, our communion with God, our families, jobs, and the people we interact with throughout our lives serve as part of the equation, and impact (positively or negatively) what takes place inside (our hearts).

Early Christmas day, I believe 1972, we hurried to unwrap our gifts. It was the year I vividly remember my brother and I receiving something both unique and uncommon. I do not know if we asked for them or if our mother and father found the dog-eared page of the JC Penney catalog we previously looked. To our astonishment it was two authentic ventriloquist (not dummies) dolls, my brothers was Charlie McCarthy and mine was Danny O’Dea (look them up). They came with a record, and the first phrase we had to learn, being careful to avoid moving our lips was "the boy bought the basketball". We practiced diligently for a period of time, however I do not know what became of them (I have to ask my mom), as my hope of being a famed ventriloquist artist, growing up watching the likes of “Howdie-Doodie”, “Mr. Rogers”, “Lamb-chops”, and of course “Captain Kangaroo”, faded as rapidly as it  began.

In life, as well, we must be mindful of who speaks on our behalf, and whom we delegate to represent us. In the body of Christ there are many variables, as well as those that claim to speak as the oracles of God, but lack any credible standing. Scripture tells us,

Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves

(Matthew 10:16, KJV)

We are living in the age and which the world appears turned upside down, what was once right is now wrong, and the wrong is now universally accepted as right. What we considered inappropriate behavior is commonplace as we and our children are bombarded with messages and enduring images of what the world, absent of God, has deemed now acceptable practice. Our interaction, relationship, communion, and fellowship with God and one another are deeply impacted.

Many of us have traveled the expanse of prairie lands, in the mid-West, witnessing as we speed past the endless miles of corn visible both through our windshield and unendingly through our rear-view mirror. Have you ever wondered how did it get there, or inquire about the geometric exactness of each row? Achieving such feats requires immense labor, one so detailed that it determines if each individual stalk will bear an abundance of ears, or fade away fruitless, in the summer's heat. It all begins with a single kernel carefully planted in the ground. Too deep and it lacks the strength to break the surface, too shallow and its ability to survive is lost almost immediately.

Today’s podcast is titled

The Heart of the Field

Matthew 9:36-39

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

What does it mean to cultivate, to bring forth something that did not previously exist? What does it mean to witness the splendor thereof? It is indeed a labor of love and persistence.

The not so familiar term de-tassel is a term used to explain how corn stalks are pollinated to bring forth ears of corn during harvest. Similarly, life gives us the ability to pollinate the harvest as a show of our labor for Christ.

Each day a worker is assigned a row, with their name on it, that extends for miles in a single direction. Likewise, God gives us each specified tasks, none of which are identical. Much like the row, he has appointed us, and placed our name against our assigned tasks.

The beginning of each row seems harmless enough, as they rarely exceed the height of two to three feet. The beginning is our practice, and where we begin to understand exactly what is required of us. At this point we are permitted to experience mistakes, and gain experience from them. They are at times difficult, but they do not place us in jeopardy, or inadvertently in harms way.

As you get to the middle, however, a mile away, the cornstalks often exceed six feet in height. Towering columns that stretch for an infinity. However, as the laborer reaches the end of their row, the stalks appear to decrease in height once more. Coincidentally, much like life, we labor and fight among the giants of the field, utilizing the experience gained along the way. As the tempest rages with us in the midst, we cannot fail to give, what God has appointed. It is our row, we own it, we cannot choose which to permit to pollinate and those that will not. The de-tasseling is our labor (watering and planting), the pollen is like the holy spirit, who allows the ears of corn to bud, and spring forth during harvest (God giveth the increase). As we fight and labor among the giants, and finally see daylight, we realize we are only half finished, because we must return once again along the opposite side of the lengthy row. We should not be perplexed that God has sent us forth once more, as our labor has not yet concluded, souls yet to be saved. Yes, he gives us a reprieve every once and again, but we can ill afford to rest on our achievements and say to ourselves conclusively, well done.

Before I begin today’s episode in a rush, I would like to pause and ask that you join me in prayer on behalf of friends, family, and those that I share fellowship within the body of Christ. In moments where words of comfort seem inadequate there is a marvelous power that flows from the midst of our prayers and reaches beyond the heavenly places and rises before the throne of God. For those listening today know with the greatest assurance that no matter where you are today, no matter how deep or dark the valley, God is there leading and guiding with outstretched hands. When we are perplexed and face insurmountable odds, know that he alone can accomplish things most unimaginable, well beyond our expectation. That is how great his love is for each and everyone of us. Hear his voice through his spirit and his word persistently calling, bidding and pleading unto us. Therefore, if anyone is burdened or heavy-laden, if anyone is troubled, if anyone is downtrodden, God knows the depth of your pain, your suffering and sorrow. Find refuge and abide with Him, allow Him to bind your wounds, even those we have tucked away, and find it difficult to let go. And for those things that perplex and hound us, in which we have no answer, lay them at the Savior's feet, that he may remove from us our feelings if loneliness, abandonment, and deep seeded pain from which we find no rest. Please continue to keep in prayer a fellow yoke man in Christ Deacon and Sister Jones (for healing); Marcus & Tanisha Manning, and their daughter and son-in-law (for comfort); Kahlil and Kahden (for anointing and blessing); Ernest and Rene (for favor); Dick and Kathy Williams (for assurance); Susan and Holmes (for mercy); Margo (for grace and peace); and my niece Lisa (for health and faith).

Considering the events that have occurred the past few weeks, albeit personal or otherwise, it is more imperative than ever to know, with the greatest confidence, God's perfect will for our lives (you and I). Now is a time of urgency like no other in which we can neither doubt nor question his enduring presence in our lives. Long before our mothers and fathers earnestly searched for and uttered our names for the first time, scripture tells us that God knew us before well before we were shaped in the womb (Jerimiah 1:5). He created us, every inch, every detail with the utmost care, and when we opened our eyes for the very first time, it was he who breathed into us the breath of life.

Today's podcast is titled.

Ask Him What You Need

There are indeed times in life when we feel insufficient, inadequate, or less than, but God has not created us that way, for scripture declares in, Romans 8:37.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Even with our evident frailties, God has given us what we need to sustain us on this journey called life, however we often look upon others as a measure of what God has, or has not poured into our lives, things often considered to be societal norms, but have no applicability to faith’s voyage. Being desirous of what others possess (not materially), skills, talents, personality and the like, we will indeed embark upon a course, but it will not allow us to arrive at the appointed destination.

How do we measure life and time? How often is what we consider to be important, drastically different than what others may presume about the same thing? I am not referring to mathematical equations that allow us to calculate time and space as we pass through the universe, but the simplicity of things that greet us on our very doorstep. Things so simple, yet not important enough to pay attention. We can assume credit for the accumulation of stuff in our lives, but the presence of meaningful people, we cannot. I saw a news story the other day about a couple that has been married for fifteen years, and every single day before he departs to work, he kissed his wife good-bye, and said, I love you. One day, for some reason he found himself in a rush, jumped in his truck and headed to work. Some eighteen minutes or so later he speedily returned home, to his wife’s surprise, she inquired, did you forget something, his response was, yes, he immediately kissed her, said I love you, and once again headed off to work. It sounds simple enough, but in his heart, something just did not feel right. He had to return home and begin the day over again. Likewise, the early morning of September 11th, 2001, is a day in our nation’s history in which 2,977 people tragically lost their lives, one an incredibly good friend during my tenure at the Pentagon. Each, I suppose, woke that day, and treated it like any other, some departing home in a rush, while others left in a huff, in the midst of an argument  whose final harmful words can never be taken back and the other left to bear the burden, and yet others suffered through checklists for school, lunches, activities, homework and the like, but forgetting to tell the little person before them, three simple words, I love you. God has a way of reminding us of what is most important, keeping us during the tragedy. I was home on leave visiting family at the time, watching the events unfold on television, as one of the planes struck the opposite side of the building. I was scheduled to return to Washington, DC that same day. I flew on the last flight before all air travel was restricted. I did not know what awaited me upon my return, but God through the fullest measure of my parent’s love convinced me that it was ok to leave at that moment. Yes, I had an urgency to leave, but more importantly I needed God’s assurance.

Today’s podcast is titled.

Displaced Urgency

Philippians 4:6-8

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

The blessings before us, right in front of us, the ones we see this very moment. Do we pass them by, or not matter how great or small, do we pause, if only for a moment to acknowledge them and to simply say, thank you? Our lives are precious not ones to be wasted in folly or daydreaming of things a million miles away. David proclaims in

Psalm 139:17-18

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: When I awake, I am still with thee.

I recall when I was in love for the first time (so I supposed). It was seventh grade, in junior high school. I actually had a fight over her and got suspended. I would write a note asking her, do you like me and offer two carefully drawn boxes in which to respond with an “x” indicating “yes” or “no”. I will not tell the answer is received, but I am sure many of you listening today did the same. I was a shy fellow and moved quite slowly, thus the name I received growing up “Pokey” that my mom lovingly gave me. Carefree and unhurried I lived, but in this moment after weeks of anticipation and contemplation, I could not wait I had to make my feelings known. My heart ached. I had to profess my love, in a Shakespearean way, and prove chivalry was not dead. In my mind, I told myself we would ride the bus together, I would hold her hand and carry her books to class and sit in a swing together. I was so in love it hurt as my anxiousness would not allow me to wait any longer. I was poised, trying my best to muster enough courage to present my carefully written four word note. Conversely, somehow my courage faded suddenly. The note never made it, and I continued to watch her from afar. That is often our understanding or reflection of love, except in God there are no near misses, or opportunities that slip through our hands, his love towards us is ceaseless, constantly beckoning for us to come, even when our courage fades and fear keeps us from moving forward.

God’s love is incredible, infinite, and unfailing.

Our Love Letter

Romans 8:38-39

38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

[39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What is love? What does it look like? Do others see it in me? Do I emanate earthly love, or that reflective of the presence of Christ in my life? Can I see, touch, hear or feel it? There is the love humanity offers, which has boundaries, limits, and restrictions. Contrariwise, there is the ceaseless and enduring love of God. Our humanity causes us to call into questions asking, what about me and where is mine, a yoke of our continual searching for something that is right before us, but we are unable to recognize it, because we are unable to define it.

As a young Christian having given my life to Christ, I was, excited and anxious to see what awaited me. Like a sponge I soaked up the words that emanate from the pulpit, while doing my best to apply what I heard to my life. As I raced towards and through salvation, I was urged to give up certain things. Prepared or not as a means to draw closer to God. Some was God led, some out of fear, and others because someone said it was a necessary thing to do. I have always enjoyed music and it has always been a present part of my life. So much so in fact that I followed (if only briefly) in my father's footsteps when he was a disc jockey for AFRTS (that's armed forces radio and television) while stationed overseas. I DJ’d with a friend in Germany for a short while, having a vast collection of vinyl albums, 45s and 33s (for those old enough to remember), as well as a vast assortment of cassette tapes that I accumulated for years.

Suddenly in the days of my youth I heard a sermon, and while I do not recall it is exactness, the result was impactful enough for me to take the entirety of my collection to a local pawn shop and drop it off with little to show of its value. Some thirteen years later (from 1987 to early 2003 to be exact), I realized after a certain traumatic event in my life I sought the comfort of that which I emptied myself of so many years before. And while I found myself reaching back it did not mean I grew backwards. All the while I was doing God's work, ministering to others, teaching youth, children’s puppet ministry, and steady growth in faith's walk. But I realized as well that while we may physically empty our lives of certain things, problems, burdens, heartaches, hindrances, relationships, and the like, unless God fills the void in our heart, or better stated unless we ask God to fill the void, we will find ourselves reaching backwards, over and over again, yearning constantly for a past long forgotten.

Today’s podcast is titled

Reaching Backward

Philippians 3:13-14

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

No one is immune, as we hurriedly ask God to complete his work in us, urgently wanting to be that new creature, but not fully understanding that some of the things in our life are going to take, time, patience, and perseverance. If you be emptied let God empty you, not as a matter of course, because someone directed or demanded it to happen and if you be filled, allow God to fill the empty places of our lives, the deep recesses of our hearts that we keep hidden from the world. While our conversations are full of past experiences, our heart's compass should be pointed towards Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

In his song, “Move Mountain,” Clay Evans sings, If you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, just say move mountain, move mountain,

If I were to ask, where is your faith rooted, what would be your response? Is it rooted in beliefs, self-sufficiency, institutions, long awaited promises, or in people we consider trustworthy? While each is credible in its own regard, none bear any sort of guarantee. All lack the promise of assurance. Faith, out of necessity, is exercised in our lives repeatedly, it teaches us not to be self-reliant, but dependent; it forces us to trust what we do not see, and lean on the unwavering testimony of faith’s heroes.

Today’s podcast is titled.

Great Faith

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We should above all things have faith, but in what? The world in which we live gives us very little to hope in, and for the generations to follow, far less. We should however have the utmost confidence in what God (not man) has assured us. Scripture reminds us in, 1 Corinthians 2:9 thus 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Scripture likewise refers over and over again to those of little and great faith, such as Jesus inquiry in Matthew 8:23-26, 23And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

How does one reach such a end, when everything has caused our confidence to melt within? We are reminded that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we shall … not almost, not could have, not would have, but shall move mountains (Matthew 17:20). Why a mustard seed? For the sake of visualization, it is considered the smallest of all seeds, 1 to 2 millimeters (.039 inches) in size, smaller than the eye of a typical sewing needle, and yet if we simply had that much, we would be able to achieve the impossible, that which is uncommon to humanity. In another way it is God demonstrating how little of what occurs in life is within our control or our presumed inexhaustible power.

I would like to thank so many of you for your feedback last week concerning my conversation with Turquoise. It was refreshing to me as well to get a different viewpoint from someone that sees the world through a much younger set of eyes. As an administrative oversight, I must make a correction, and apologize in advance as I inverted her last name. It should be reflected as “Griffith-Sidibe.”  

There are a variety of things in our lives that provide warning, direction, reasoning, and purpose. While some occur at a moderate pace, others require patient preparedness, and still others require us to move with haste. While some are inherently dependable, there are others we view with great skepticism (too good to be true). Sadly enough, I have fallen prey to more than I chose to admit, all based on what an expert convinced me to be true. One of which was a fish finder. I took a fishing trip with a great friend of mine, big "Sam", to Seward, Alaska. We heard well in advance, read brochures, and saw plenty of pictures of whale sightings and unbelievable deep water catches of halibut and other fish. We boarded the boat with great faith as the guide assured us, he knew exactly where he was going. Minutes, became hours, and the hours became which seemed like an eternity. The tour guide’s fish finder was on full alert, he guaranteed its accuracy, and continued to say with excitement, “they are over there;” “they are over here.” The further we sailed from shore the choppier the waters became. The weather suddenly changed, as the once sunny day, became cold and the rains began to pour upon me, wrapped in a black, heavy duty garbage bag. Now soaked and tossed back and forth, I began feeling seasick I was ready to return to shore as my enthusiasm had long since departed, but the captain, uninterested in my queasiness, was more interested in sailing to deeper waters and finding non-existent fish, like Captain Ahab and Moby dick. suddenly after more than four hours at sea someone finally got a bite. The boat was overflowing with excitement (except me). They rapidly reeled it in a four-inch fish that looked like I was feeling (green). Christ’s return is the same in that despite all the elements of predictability, interpretations of scripture, prophetic analysis, and others, no one, no one knows the day or the hour of his return. Scripture merely tells us to watch and pray.

Matthew 24:23-24

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. (Luke 18:1). Unlike fish finders the bible is clear about the return of Christ. There have been countless attempts to predict the exact moment of this prophesied occurrence for thousands of years, and well into the twenty-first century. But there are none, as expressed in Matthew 24:36; But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. While it does not pinpoint a day, as some would profess, scripture does speak directly to our preparedness.

The past few months and weeks I've been involved in a number of in-depth conversations surrounding young people, and how they view salvation and their relationship with God, surprisingly there are many things that are similar to those of generations past, yet there are others that are highly influenced by today's environment, full of skepticism, cynicism, questions, and doubt.

We have an incredibly special guest this week, which can lend some credible insight on this truly relevant topic.

Today's episode is titled

A Relatable Christ

It gives me great pleasure to introduce a very special guest to today's podcast, she is a graduate of UCLA and the University of North Carolina, she currently works with the Center for Disease and Control (CDC), as Associate Vice President of Emergency Response, a team of specialists whose primary focus is keeping us safe from the next pandemic. She has traveled the world providing aid and disaster assistance both in the territorial United States and Puerto Rico as a result of the devastating hurricanes they suffered nearly four (4) years ago. She is a specialist in communications and messaging, and is an ardent advocate for the voiceless, she is married to her husband Sekou and is the mother of two beautiful children, Rufus Alexander, and Honour Elizabeth. As busy as she is she still finds time to enjoy her passions as an in demand wedding coordinator, her artistic abilities for making center pieces, and working out. Above all she is a faithful woman of God whose life is a constant reflection of her personal relationship with Christ. Ladies and gentlemen please welcome, Turquoise Sidibe-Griffith.