[I wrote this post in September and it’s been sitting in drafts ever since. *Blows off the dust*]
“Amen.” Of course that’s the automated, often involuntary response to the phrase “And the Church says…” We say it so easily, almost on autopilot, giving no thought to what we’re really saying. But the word “amen” is more than a cliché that fits easily in your church vocabulary list. Continue reading
Entrepreneur Magazine, in conjunction with Sprint and Deluxe For Business hosted the Online Marketing & Social Media Crash Course today at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta. Starr Hall, a world-renowned social media guru and speaker provided over 2 hours of social media training and tips on how to grow your business using social media.
I received an overwhelming response to people who were not able to attend, but because I love you, I wanted to share with you some of the tips she provided to participants. 🙂
Disclaimer: All of the information below was created and presented by Starr Hall, not me. She deserves the credit for this brilliant material! Visit her website at http://www.StarrHall.com. Let’s go! Continue reading
When we’re faced with adversity, how we respond speaks volumes on who we set our expectation on to fix our problem. The natural inclination to talk to friends, family, or social media networks sometimes over takes us and we lose track of who and where we should set our expectations to fix our problems.
Consider this: whatever your natural response is to an issue, crisis or situation is where you, subconsciously, set your faith in who or what can fix the problem.
Sometimes people drink when there’s an issue.
Sometimes people decide to call their girlfriend and hash it out.
Sometimes people take to social media and spill their guts for people who, quite frankly, could care less. Continue reading
I don’t take any occurrence in my life as happenstance or by coincidence.
I believe that everything that I encounter is a result of divine purpose and intervention.
I’m not a religious freak that gives a “God bless you” after every sentence, but I do believe that nothing my friends, is by chance.
Today, I took Ashli to the movies to see Gnomeo and Juliet (great flick, BTW) and as we were leaving the theater, Ashli yelled, “mommy! There’s a $5 bill!” I took a few steps back and sure enough, there was a $5 near the bushes.
A few paces later, I spotted a $1 bill on the ground.
Considering the wind was at a high gust, it was surprising that those bills were lying there, undisturbed, seemingly waiting.
In usual “I’m addicted to social media” fashion, I tweeted our finds to the World Wide Web.
Someone suggested that I look up the biblical meaning of the number 6. So I did.
The number 6 is the number of man; man was created on the 6th day (as was Satan), it is the human number, the number of human labor (devoid of God’s assistance).
After reading that, I thought, I don’t know if I like that. I decided to look up a set of numbers that make up the number 6: 5 and 1.
The number 5 is the number of grace. Grace = favor. Favor to the unworthy (undeserving) = Grace!
The number 1 is the number of independence, the beginning, God is solitary, needs no help.
What, then, does this mean?
In my walk with God, I’ve done a lot of the work. I’ve toiled, labored, hustled, manipulated to manifest what I needed to happen. Whether that was to pay a bill or get an opportunity, I *cough* unnecessarily put myself to work to get things done. I’ve been “sixing”.
Lately, I’ve been faced with trials, been in need, believing God for some things that, in a former life, (you know, when I was a Sixer) I would have been on my hustle trying to make happen myself. I realized today that I’ve been operating at a 5 and 1.
I’ve received favor from God that I didn’t deserve. I decided to take my hands of certain situations, not revert back to bad habits and allowed him to work in solitary.
There’s someone reading this who is a Sixer. They’ve been trying to make things happen on their own for the longest, and while they’ve gained some ground, they haven’t been as successful as they’d like to be.
Stop working under man’s number. Stop “sixing”. Become a 5 and 1.
God’s grace and favor is there, waiting for you to take your hands off it and let Him work alone.
You may say, “I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know how to stop worrying, stop hustling. I’ve been doing it so long, that stopping my work to let HIM work seems backwards.”
His command his simple: Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. –1 Peter 5:7
Just do it. Be carefree in Him. Doesn’t mean you neglect responsibility and put your best foot forward, but let Him do the work. He doesn’t need our help or assistance and if you mess up, His grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
On the Chase of 5 and 1,
Alisha L.
Rev. Alisha L. Gordon 