Stay in the Boarding Area

Posted: under Reflections, Uncategorized.

missed-flightI just saw a perplexing exchange between a female passenger and the male airport gate attendant. She left the boarding area of her delayed flight and missed the 3 announcements calling “all passengers all rows; doors will close in 2 minutes”. She returned to see the door was shut and the gate attendant saying, “You cannot board this flight. The boarding door is closed.” She was frantic, irate, and irrational. Her 2 small daughters began crying uncontrollably because they were left behind. One daughter cried, “I want my daddy.” I really wanted to tell that mom to read Matthew 25:13.

There are pivotal moments in our lives where our personal agendas and to-do lists lead us away from the most important things. Our arrogance hinders us from accepting the consequences of those actions and me abort growth and improvement opportunities. I feel bad for that woman who missed her flight, but she should have been there. She was told…all of the passengers were told…do not leave the boarding area. the departure time is only approximate because the flight is already delayed. Do not leave the boarding area. And yet…we leave anyway.

To you, my friend who reads this blog post, the Lord’s return is already delayed. Do not leave the boarding area! You may miss the final call. Once the door is shut, the opportunity is gone. We’ve all been told, “Watch therefore, for no one knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man shall return.” (Matthew 25:13, KJV)

Comments (5) Aug 14 2010

Fad, Folly, or Feminine Freedom?

Posted: under Reflections, Uncategorized.

Lately I’ve noticed a lot of African American women wearing men’s clothing. I dare not jump to any conclusions explaining why. I’m merely articulating what I’ve been seeing. In fact, as my husband and I were shopping today, I noticed a group of African American high school aged girls wearing men’s clothing and shopping in the men’s section. It completely threw me off my square. I’ve also noticed this is not as widespread in other ethnic communities. Again, I’m not drawing conclusions, just sharing what I’ve seen.

I’m curious, is this a fad, folly, or feminine freedom?

If it’s a fad, then that means it is a temporary trend that will eventually pass away as popular culture assumes a new fad. It also likely means that this is a surface issue leaving minimal long-term repercussions.

If it’s folly, then there is opportunity for instruction and redirection. Folly assumes that the behavior is the result of a lack of training, wisdom, and discipline. Providing the appropriate combination of all three, the behavior is reversible and the experience is redeemable.

If it’s feminine freedom, that’s a different circumstance all together. In this regard, it is a matter of conscience. It is more than behavior; it is an outward expression of a conscious idea. These are not cavalier or superficial choices, but they rise out of a place of principle, ideal, and consciousness. It is the exercise of these types of “freedoms” that brought about the civil rights movement and the ProLife movement?

What do these things mean for the church? the community? the family?
I ask these questions because our society may miss an opportunity to significantly impact the cultural values or even moral compass for the next generation. How shameful it would be to overlook a new movement that stares us right in our faces because no one wants to ask questions.

Comments (0) Aug 07 2010

With the End in Mind

Posted: under Reflections.

After my blog post and prayer yesterday, I intently waited for God’s response. I’ve learned that if I keep my eyes and ears open, God will guide me beside still waters and restore my soul. I participated in both worship services at THE BLVD , our 8:30am worship in East Memphis and our 10:00am worship in Midtown. Min. Charles Laster was our special guest at the 8:30am worship. His ministry was saturated with the anointing, as usual. Then the 10:00am service was masterfully executed as well. As I finished my pastoral rounds after the 10:00am worship, a member stopped me. He offered a very kind compliment from my sermon “Relationship Killers” and began to discuss vision and strategy with me.

Now mind you, our subsequent conversation about vision and strategy was completely unrelated to the beginning of the conversation. But I listened and allowed God to speak to me through this servant. It was a great conversation! The gentleman asked me what my future plans were. I was tempted to go one and on about my husband and his doctoral work or his new CD. But I thought that might be “ovamuch” as my sister girl would say. So instead, I expressed to him that my husband and I were refining our 5 year plan. We exchanged small talk about Memphis, its demographic shifts, and opportunities for niche markets. Then he said to me, “Begin with the end in mind!”

Now I know that!!! But it was almost like new revelation. Begin with the end in mind. Perhaps my unrest is a result of God trying to paint a new picture on my spiritual canvass. Perhaps my unrest is the discomfort of laying aside what is dependable and stationary for something that is dynamic and malleable. Perhaps, my story has a “new ending”. How intriguing. And so I have another piece to this spiritual puzzle. I love how God keeps guiding me along, igniting my curiosity, sustaining the suspense, and nudging me onward.

Well, if you were hooked enough to read this to the end, here’s my advice for you…begin with the end in mind.”

Comments (0) Mar 14 2010

Unrest

Posted: under Reflections, Uncategorized.

About a week ago, my staff and I watched Bill Hybels “Holy Discontent” from the 2009 Leadership Summit. New to my role as “Lead Pastor”, I wanted to begin casting a strategic vision of purposeful forward movement for my pastoral team. I had it all planned. My staff was gathered in our worship suite, lights out, the video set, discussion questions in hand, worship music in the background, ready to see their eyes perk with inspiration…I hit play…and then something started in me that has not stopped since…UNREST!

Ever since that video, I’ve been trying to name it…frustration, helplessness, overwhelmed…yet none of these words seemed to quite capture it. I’ve wakened everyday feeling a rumble in the tummy (spiritual, not natural for all of you praying for new little Murdock) that won’t be assuaged…UNREST! It’s not the unrest from fear or anxiety. Its root is not in darkness or shadows. But its roots are deeply intertwined in light. I am experiencing the very thing that Hybels spoke about.

And then the Spirit led me to a biblical personality who felt this same UNREST…Nehemiah! Nehemiah wrote, “Then I got up during the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem.” (Neh 1:12, NRSV) And it hit me. God has put something “into my heart” and it is so mysterious that my spiritual mind cannot decipher the specifics. I only know that God has put something “into my heart”.

If you are reading this and experiencing a spiritual UNREST, pray with me: Amazing and awe-inspiring God, direct the clarity of my mind to understand and comprehend what you have put into my heart. Grant me the humility to remember it is impossible without you and the courage to pursue it with you. Let me be conscious of every opportunity you make possible to satisfy this unrest. I am open to your leading. In Jesus name, Amen.

Comments (3) Mar 13 2010

Love Changes You

Posted: under Reflections, Relationships.

Well it’s exactly one month until our wedding day! When I look back over the last 5 months since our engagement, I’m reminded how quickly time flies. Since the beginning of the engagement I said I would blog my insights, well I’m about 5 months behind…but here we go anyway!

Love Changes You

I realize that I am not the same woman that I was before I met my fiance. Truthfully, I’m not the same woman I was when we started dating at the top of 2009. Heck, I’m not the same woman he proposed to in April! I was a very assertive, confident, decisive, focused, and ambitious woman. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still all of those things; but I was also inflexible and impatient. (My mother would say that I’m still inflexible and impatient!) But my goodness, God has worked miracles in me. I am amazed how God is teaching me to hold my tongue, humble myself, and even deny myself!

I’ve discovered that while healthy relationships add tremendous value to a person’s life, they also demand work and attention. Everyday one must reevaluate motives, renegotiate outcomes, and reconsider philosophies and principles (to name a few) so that you take the very best of who you are into a relationship with someone who offers you the very best of who they are.

Question: Are you offering the very best of who you are to those you love and cherish?

In our lives of multi-tasking, overcommitting, and stretching thin, it is so very easy to give those we love and cherish what’s left over. I used to be that way. Then God placed me alongside a revelation of God’s divine love for me, alongside my “answered prayer request” and I discovered that leftovers are not appealing. Everyday I make a decision to be the best me that I can be, not because it will benefit me, but because the one I love deserves it.

Have you ever been in a situation where you stepped outside of yourself, looked at yourself and said, “Is that really me?” I feel like that everyday. I can’t believe that God has blessed me with this indescribable gift of love and commitment. When I’m honest with myself about my frailties, weaknesses, and faults, I’m amazed that God chose me for this blessing. If you’re single, you may be thinking, “C’mon, it can’t be that serious!” Trust me, it is! This was worth waiting for!

Blog with you soon!

Comments (3) Sep 18 2009

Speak The Truth in Love

Posted: under Reflections, Relationships, Uncategorized.

For the last few weeks, my Pastor has been preaching from the series “Say What You Need To Say”. It has been such an insightful and convicting sermon series. In a recent message “Speak the Truth in Love”, we are each challenged to dig deeper into what we say, how we say it, and why we say it. We have been reminded that our communications are directly related to our relationship with God. When we communicate scathing, thoughtless, and hurtful ideas and feelings without any regard to the big picture, the implications of the words, or our responsibility in the matter, we are actually conveying the level of our spiritual maturity!! A spiritually mature person is able to process, reinterpret, and package their ideas, emotions, and feelings, BEFORE expressing them. This is because a spiritually mature person does not disconnect their communications with others from their communication with God. Isn’t it unfortunate how we think we’re spiritually mature because we read our Bibles and go to church every Sunday? But we discover that our everyday lives are raggedy and we’re not as spiritually mature as we thought? I challenge you to process, reinterpret, and package your ideas, emotions, and feelings BEFORE expressing them. I challenge you to grow up a little bit more today!

Pastor Janae

Comments (0) Mar 25 2009

Destiny

Posted: under Reflections, Uncategorized.

Here is a message I sent to a friend. After reading it again, I realized that it may bless you too, so I’m posting it here.

You know, destiny is one of those things we cannot choose, but is rather assigned to us. Most of us spend our entire lives wondering what our destiny is, when in actuality it’s plainly before us. When we follow the Will of God – being righteous, upright, and wholly committed to God – we walk right into our destiny.

Your challenge is to have the courage to trust the spark of God that’s inside of you. That spark directs you to the right friends, opportunities, and future. That spark is wisdom and truth. When nurtured through prayer, Bible study, and spiritual disciplines, that spark will guide you into prosperity – all kinds!! So many of us fall to fear in the journey and so we take short cuts or detours because we’re afraid that God’s way won’t get us there fast enough.

Don’t take detours or short cuts. Have the courage to nurture the godly spark in you. Then…your gifts (plural because you have WAY more than what’s been revealed to you) will bless millions!

Comments (1) Jan 28 2009

What Kind of Friendship is This?

Posted: under Reflections, Relationships, Uncategorized.

In our Church Wide Study on 1/4/09 where we began journeying through the book Groups: Life-Giving Power of Community by John Ortberg, et al, we discovered that “the right idea of friendship involves the mutual exchange of knowledge, kindness, service, and celebration.” So often our friendships include a combination of each of these, but is it mutual?

After walking through this lesson I became more sensitive to the “mutual exchange” in a few of my friendships. In one friendship in particular, I noticed that I was giving a lot (knowledge, kindness, service, and celebration) and expecting a lot in return, but made excuses for the other person every time they fell short. I discovered it was a grossly dysfunctional friendship and I contributed to the dysfunction! I contributed to the dysfunction because I never communicated my expectations or needs in the friendship. I have negotiated myself out of the disappointment I frequently feel and subconsciously give the other party permission to continue the behavior. I asked myself recently, “What kind of friendship is this?”

Now don’t get me wrong. I know that friendships involve risk, vulnerability, energy and time. I know that they also involve healthy doses of conflict. I also believe that God delights in life-giving friendships. Those are the friendships in which we are mutually strengthened, nurtured, and corrected! What benefit is our friendship to the Kingdom of God if we don’t challenge one another to grow and mature in it?

You may have asked yourself the question, “What kind of friendship is this?” If it’s not the one that involves the mutual exchange of knowledge, kindness, service, and celebration, it may not be the right idea of friendship. You may be participating in a dysfunctional friendship. Join me in taking responsibility and initiative in our friendships. Speak gently, but speak up!

Comments (1) Jan 06 2009

Seven Pounds & The Advent Conspiracy

Posted: under Reflections, Uncategorized.

In the movie Seven Pounds, Will Smith’s character, Ben Greene, says this line…”I have the power to drastically change his life, but I need to know if he’s a good person…” In other words, Ben Greene had the ability to perform a kind deed for someone who desperately needed it, but a prerequisite was the recipient’s worthiness.

Haven’t we all been on the receiving end of a benefactor’s good will? At some point in our lives, each of us has needed the generous or gracious hand of a mentor, sponsor, tutor, admissions committee, or perhaps debt collector. We may have lined up several justifications for our worthiness, including our tremendous efforts, past successes, or perceived need. Yet at the end of the day, we fell several degrees short of perfection and the ideal. There may have been another candidate more qualified or another student more focused. The benefactor may have looked at your curriculum vitae or your transcripts and said, “I have the power to drastically change his life, but I need to know if he’s a worthy candidate.” And at that moment, the words on the page become slaves to grace. It’s grace that gets you the promotion, the internship, the opportunity. It’s grace that stamps “approved” on the application. It’s grace that changes the formula against which you’re measured.

Ben Greene’s statement awakened my appreciation for grace. God through Jesus Christ extended a gift to me (and to you), a gift that had the power to drastically change my life. In this situation, however, my worthiness was not in question. For if it were, there was no doubt or uncertainty. I was definitely NOT worthy. For this gift, a gift more significant than any worldly treasure and more enduring than time, there were no prerequisites. There were no stipulations.

I applaud the Ben Greene’s of the world who are selfless enough to offer the very best of themselves that others may be better off. It does not compare, however, to the gift that God gave this world, his only son Jesus Christ. Let us be ever mindful of the enormous gift that God gave us in and through Jesus Christ. It is the gift that cannot be bought, but it can be passed on.

In this season of giving, what will you give? Join me and thousands of others in the Advent Conspiracy. We are giving more – our time, our energy, our compassion, our faith. Jesus gave without preconditions. Let us strive to do the same.

Comments (3) Dec 21 2008

One Nasty Mess

Posted: under Current Events, Reflections, Uncategorized.

I am overwhelmed by the gravity of our current economic crisis. Tonight I watched CNN as they reported that the largest savings & loan bank in America, Washington Mutual, has collapsed. The FDIC seized its assets and sold them to JP Morgan Chase! Unbelievable! Their stock price has plummeted, and while it’s possible that none of you who read this blog may have stock in Washington Mutual, they may hold your mortgage! They used to be my mortgage company! This is significant for me as I ask the questions, “What if WaMu was still my mortgager? And what if JPMorgan Chase couldn’t buy their assets?” (Now I’m fully aware that one can “what if” themselves crazy!) Fortunately all WaMu account holders are protected and will not see any significant change in their service. The account numbers will not change, and all deposits and accounts are left untouched…according to CNN.

I am floored at the response of our government! Have a deal. Don’t have a deal. Splinter House Republicans bring last minute bill to a negotiation table when Senate leaders and House Democrats have worked toward agreement on another one?! Why are Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain at the table?! Right now they are senators just like every other senator. Yes, they are Presidential Candidates, but the negotiation table should not be the place for presidential campaigning! Shouldn’t they be preparing for their national debate to help explain to us how they’re going to fix this thing next year?! Thank goodness they’re attempting to be proactive and resolve the situation. I’m not qualified to discuss who’s policies are at fault, however I’d prefer for us not to make a bad situation worse.

I’m asking myself, “What is God requiring of me right now? What is my responsibility to the community of faith and the body of Christ?” I encourage you to ask the same question, and give yourself time to answer. How many of your fellow church goers are choosing between money for food and money for gasoline to drive to church? How many of your single parents are toting their children everywhere because they can’t afford childcare…yet you complain that their kids are distracting in service, rehearsals, or meetings? In times like this, it’s easy to run toward self-preservation and self-interest…but there are so many of us in this boat together. All of our survival is on the line. If the American economy collapses, we all suffer!

The Lord gave me a sermon, “How to Recover from a Crisis.” I did not know at the time how prophetic that sermon would be. We can all learn from the Shunamite woman in 2 Kings 4.

Pray with me: LORD, WE ARE IN GRAVE TIMES. OUR WORLD IS IN MORAL DECAY, SOCIAL UNREST, AND ECONOMIC CRISIS. OUR PLANET, YOUR GIFT TO US, IS ERODING RIGHT BEFORE OUR VERY EYES. HELP US TO HEAR YOUR VOICE IN THESE UNCERTAIN AND DIFFICULT TIMES. THEN, GIVE US THE STRENGTH AND WILL TO OBEY. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

Comments (2) Sep 25 2008

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