Tag Archives: Woman

The Feast

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Our Ethiopian Feast-Before


Our Ethiopian Feast-After

We came together to feast, me and a former cop and soldier now mother and multiple business owner; an office manager and former divorced mother of three big boys, now a married mom of four; a former entrepreneur turned married homeschooling mom of six; a rapper who showcased skills on 106 and Park who now sparks the spiritual into the secular; and an engineer married to an engineer and mom of a boy and girl. We came together to feast, all ministry leaders and me the top ministry leader leading them into something different, something good, and they ate it up, this, my favorite, Ethiopian food that none had tried and one didn’t like after having the same four times before.

Throwing Down

We feasted on something different, food never touching their palates, food transforming their palates into something new. We, a table of used to be’s and wanna be’s now wanting to be whatever Jesus wants us to be and we are open. We are willing to consume the feast He has for us, no matter how different or how many times we did or didn’t like it, we will try, knowing it could even be yummy like our Ethiopian meal.

Standing: Taivia; Nicole, Charyse and Chevelle; Seated: Helena & Me

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Build a Bangin’ Body-The 26th Day of Christmas

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On the 26th day of Christmas my true love gave to me a temple for his honor and glory (2 Chronicles 2:1).

I remember the days when I would spare no expense, going on trips on a whim and purchasing items that fancied me. Being naturally frugal, I managed to keep myself in check, occasionally pausing to ask if I really needed what I wanted to buy. Sometimes I think this frugality creeps into my spiritual life, preventing me from extravagantly taking care of my body, the temple of God. When I read the details after the following verse, I got convicted: Continue reading →

The Underdog Rises-The 27th Day of Christmas

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On the 27th day of Christmas my true love gave to me a Savior from the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:1).

We like cheering for the underdog, but none of us wants to be the underdog. I know I don’t, and when I find myself in that position my mind goes to Mark 9:35 that says, “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” Jesus said this to his disciples who were debating about who was the best among them. He gave them this lesson in humility, and they didn’t get it, and neither did Leah, Jacob’s first wife who he treated as the last.

I have always felt sorry for Leah. Many of us know her story. Her father tricked Jacob into marrying her instead of her beautiful younger sister, Rachel, who Jacob wanted to marry. She wasn’t very attractive; her husband didn’t want her and nothing she did made him want her; and she spent the first seven years of marriage watching her husband work so he could marry her sister. She definitely was the underdog and knew it (though I wonder how complicit she was in the trickery and may have contributed to her being undesired. I don’t know, but that’s beside the point right now.).

The only time Leah was on top was when she got pregnant and gave birth to sons, something every man wanted to carry on the family legacy. After she had Judah, her fourth son, “[t]hen she stopped bearing” (Genesis 29:35). And then she took matters into her own hands. After seeing Rachel’s maid giving birth on behalf of her barren sister, Leah, too, gave her maid to Jacob so she could try to have more sons. Leah was dissatisfied with Judah being her last, thinking he represented the end of her being able to conceive. What Leah didn’t know was that Judah may have been last at that moment, but he was destined to be first:

“The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal.”—1 Chronicles 4:1.

This is the beginning of the genealogies of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Even though Judah was the last son when Leah took matters into her own hands, he has the first genealogical listing, representing his prominence, but chiefly representing the preeminence of Jesus Christ, “the lion from the tribe of Judah.” While Leah jockeyed to be first, she had no idea that the Savior of the world would come through her womb, the first and the last, all we ever need, whether we’re the underdog or the top dog. When we get to the point where we stop conceiving, let us not take matters into our own hands trying to conceive a plan, project or even a baby that may be out of God’s order. Our last conception may very well be our best and the one God will have rise to the top.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Grace for Today-The 28th Day of Christmas

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On the 28th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, hope, grace and life to settle me (2 Kings 4:7.

I could sure use some hope today and some grace, not just today but every day. These make for a powerful and tranquil life, what we need in order to thrive in this dastardly world. Sometimes we Christians think this type of life is far from us, beyond our reach, relegated to biblical times. And in these times, we think we must resort to strong black woman ways or any other way the world says is effective in prospering today. I used to believe this until I really started believing what God’s word says.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours (emphasis mine), and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.—James 5:17-18

If a man with a nature like ours could pray hard enough to move God to control the rain in his favor, surely we can have hope to trust in God’s grace to empower our lives daily. We see this in Elijah’s successor, the prophet Elisha, who asked for and received more power than even Elijah had. His life epitomized hope through God’s grace, which empowered his life and helped him give life to many, including one unsuspecting widow.

The woman was desperate. Her husband was dead. Her creditors were coming, and she didn’t know what to do, but she knew who to turn to. Elisha told her to use the only thing she had in her house—oil, and it proved to be more than enough.

Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”—2 Kings 4:3-7

Elisha, through the power of God, helped the woman meet her present and future needs. He gave her hope and grace to thrive in life. We, too, have hope and grace through Jesus Christ (2 John 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 12:9). Elisha points us to Christ, who meets our every need. Believe that and we will always thrive.

What are some ways that hope in Christ and grace from Him helped you meet AND exceed your needs? As always, I would love you to post your comments on the blog.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

All We Need-The 31st Day of Christmas

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On the 31st day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a prophet, priest and a king (1 Samuel 7).

Some of us have good girlfriends that are spiritual warriors who we count on to get a prayer through, the fun ones to shop and go to the spa with, and the heady ones, who initiate some deep, stimulating conversations. Then there is the rare friend who is all three and more. Before I became a Christian I used the many friendships model to build my faith system. I took the truth I learned from my Muslim boyfriend, the humanistic views of my revered intellects, the common sense my mama taught me and mixed it with my lifelong Christian lessons. I thought I had the perfect faith until I met the Perfect One.

When I met Jesus, I was uncertain about how He was who He said He was, but I couldn’t ignore His call to me and believed that He is God. My God is prophet, priest and king, and the biblical Samuel—prophet, priest and judge, was a type of Christ, foreshadowing the three-fold ministry of Jesus Christ.

And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, [then] put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.—1 Samuel 7:3-4

And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered [it for] a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.—1 Samuel 7:9-10

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.—1 Samuel 7:15

As prophet, Samuel spoke to the Israelites for God, as priest, he spoke to God for the Israelites, and as judge, he settled matters between Israelites, pronouncing consequences for their actions. When Jesus walked the earth, He was a prophet, who spoke the words of God the Father; a priest, who made an offering—himself—as a sacrifice to God the Father for the sins of humankind and still intercedes for His disciples as He sits on the right hand of the Father in heaven; and a king, who will judge all after His second coming to earth. Jesus is the God of more than enough, the One who speaks to us and for us and makes everything with us right as it should be. With Jesus, there is no need for (nor can there legitimately be) additional gods. He is all we need.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith