My fruit, His Glory

John 15:8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.  

The scripture right before this IF U ABIDE IN ME AND MY WORD ABIDE IN U THEN U SHALL ASK WHAT U WILL AND IT WILL BE GIVEN. This is saying to me when we r walking with him and staying in his word he will take care of our needs. Verse 8 says it is a part of his glory when we his disciples bear fruit. So the opposite is also true. When there is no fruit and we call ourselves Christians that is an oxymoron. This is the same Jesus who cursed a fig tree for standing there with the title of a fig tree with no figs. It was just standing looking like it could provide nourishment to someone who needed it and had none to give. 

Likewise with us. If we r busy with no fruit we r just busy. If we r disciples with no fruit we are just church folk...undercover without a case. When u think about we r the ones blessed by bearing fruit. Yes it takes u stepping out of your comfort zone or doing something new from time to time. But when we get it, we activate his glory.  We activate his prayer answering power in our lives. He does not call the equipped, he equips the called. 

That's what I heard.  Be encouraged!  Be fruitful! 

Check Your Fruit

John 15:2. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

U ever notice how the 80-20 rule keeps going alive and well?  20% of the people doing 80% of the work and visa versa?  That's because those of us always churning out fruit at home, at work, at church etc r being pruned to be even more fruitful. After thinking about this though I think also working is some may think they need a title to be fruitful. Some may think they need to be perfect to be fruitful. U just need to be available to be fruitful. If u avail yourself u can be fruitful in your relationships, in your job, in the marketplace. 

I don't need to be called intercessor Dagne to pray for my sister of brother. I don't need to be called elder Dagne to allow wisdom to flow in my speech. I don't need to be called evangelist Dagne to tell of the good news of Jesus.  And I don't need to be called prophetess Dagne to be divinely inspired to give a word of encouragement. (Thanks Pastors Govan) 

It's just me Lord standing in your presence ready to be used however u say so. 

Oh and if you're already just doing a lot of things right now, this is not encouraging you to do more necessarily. It is encouraging you to cut those things off that are not producing fruit and do the things that will. Time is of the essence. 

That's what I heard!  Be blessed and be fruitful!  

Manufacturer Recall

January 24, 2015

I had such a response yesterday on the Friday post that I decided to stay on message. What better way than consulting the Message Bible. It is always said in that manner just like I would say it. When u buy something and it is not working like it should u consult the manufacturer. The Lord didn't make us to be defeated by anxious thoughts and circumstances. He created conqueror's so let's consult the manufacturer and see how we should handle this.

Philippians 4:6-9The Message (MSG)

6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Dear Lord, sometimes ur word in the message bible just sums it all up. I pray for my sisters and brothers who have anxiety about this that or the other. U will trade our worry for your peace. U have made a way in the past and u r more than able to do it again. We trust you to perform ur word in our lives. In Jesus Name.  Amen!!!!

That's what I heard!  Be blessed this weekend.  ☺️☺️☺️

No Anguish...Not Today

In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psa 118:5-6 NIV)

Today I am having a blah feeling day. I am sitting in the salon waiting. I have a lot on my mind. I am in my feelings. U have had that kind of day right?  When u need to only be around ur real friends because u about to just act salty for no reason. Then when I went to post on the blog I was going to be fake and send something put together but I HEARD the Lord say I got u and u r not the only one going through. So the word is Psalms 118 where David is literally running for his life. Saul was literally trying to kill him. He has reason to feel anguish. But in his anguish he cried out to the Lord whom he knew and loved and was comforted. 

Well no one is literally stalking u and trying to snuff u out. But there is an adversary in the spirit that wants us to be downcast and anxious. But I serve a God who when I cry out in this state sends a comforting word and settles me to know I am free indeed. He is Emmanuel. The Lord with us. No man. No situation. No anguish he cannot heal. 

That's what I heard. It helped me. Hope it encouraged u. 

Who r u following?

Paul said “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” (I Cor. 11:1) “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice.” (Phil. 4:9) In other words, “let me mentor you. Let me be your role model. Just as we need a Mentee even more importantly we need a mentor. Who r u allowing to model for you?  A person that can speak into your spirit, that can speak into your heart is a vital relationship to have. Once you have given someone that type of access to you you need to be careful to make sure that they are in fact following Christ. 

Some of my most valuable mentee/mentor relationships have shaped me and made me a better Christian, a better mom, a better daughter, a better administrator, and a better future wife. When I was a young wife and mother 20 years ago I was not in church, and most of my relationships were either single people or married women who were not happy. They were my mentors. Unofficially I gave them permission to shape what I thought about life and as a result I end up divorcing and never got back into church. I moved here in 1996 when I was invited to the chapel and Gods grace worked things out for my good!  

Now I have many positive sisters, sorors, friends, play moms, family, pastor and a fiancé who I allow to speak words of life; whose lives I observe and pick fruit from regularly; whose counsel I seek when I need to.  Who r u mentors?  Who r u mentoring?  Be encouraged today as you move through ur day.  Thank u to those reading this who have been that to me...u know who u r and thank u!!!  That's what I heard! 💛💙💜❤️💚. 

Who RU Mentoring?

Paul spelled out mentoring as his leadership model very simply. “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” (I Cor. 11:1) “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice.” (Phil. 4:9) In other words, “let me mentor you. Let me be your role model.”  Don’t worry this is not an appeal for Project Gradation to be a mentor…it is an appeal for you to recognize that as a Christian, you are already a mentor.  You are modeling behavior.  In our last couple of posts I have been talking about one anothering and its importance.  One aspect of that are the relationships that we have where we are the mentor and where we are the mentee. I will talk about being the mentee tomorrow, but in being the mentor, we have to know that we are sometimes the only light in a dark situation.  We are mentoring all day when we have newer Christians around or those who do not yet believe.  What are we showing and telling with our lives?  

In the bible, not only Jesus and the apostles, but elders as well do their work by mentoring. Peter charged, “be examples to the flock.” (I Pet. 5:4) And Paul explains to the elders at Ephesus, “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you”(Acts 20:17).  So that charge comes back to us today to make sure we are not being weak modeling for the weak.  If we are the one in the position to give direction, we can’t be all out on Tim-buck-two Highway trying to pull up MapQuest without a signal.  We should know enough to guide our way to the right road.  

We are not perfect.  Mentees (the official and unofficial ones you don’t even know about that are watching you) just want to see how to grow when you don’t get it right.  What is your response when things don’t work out?  In your mentor moment, make sure your model home is a great likeness to the other houses in the neighborhood you talk about. 

That’s what I heard!  Be encouraged today!

Two r Better than One

Eccl 4:9. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
10 
This is speaking of working and laboring together. U cannot be a wonder all by yourself. I like to look at it a little differently. It's fine to experience things on your own.  In my singleness I have gone on trips alone, out to eat alone, to the movies alone and it was fine.  Sometimes u need that time with just u.  But it is better to have your girlfriend, family or you boo with you so you can share the good and possibly the bad. It's also great for accountability. Two are better than one because they have good reward for their toil.  

An example that I can think of is attending Woman Thou Art Loosed in October. It was life-changing for not only me but for more than 130 of my sisters. As we arrived in Atlanta from the beginning I knew that God was going to do something spectacular. Even the great expectation I had sitting on the plane taxiing away from Lambert did not prepare me for the mighty rushing wind of God's power that blew through Philips Arena changing every life in sight.  There was nothing like being in the presence of God with over 22,000 others on one accord seeking God's face and allowing him to rise up in us.  We even kept it going on the plane coming back home when I sat next to then a stranger and now my real friend on Facebook Deborah Hughes. She was so sweet and we talked all the way home because a connection was formed.  That weekend was one anothering to the 10th power!  I also now have other sisters to be accountable with from what was spoken there. 

Has that ever happened to you?  Do you remember experiences that you have had with friends or family where it was so much more powerful because now you can have someone to reach out to and "remember when".  In this life those memories...those times of bonding are priceless. That road trip, that pledging together, that movie, that conference, that project, that play, that Starbucks run....whatever it was. The next time you're on your way somewhere good stop and pick up someone else to be a part of it to make it great. Two are better than one. That's what I heard. Be encouraged today!