A Glimpse of Awesome ...

My mind was racing one hundred miles per minute, as I sat enveloped in silence. Six heads were bowed over a 1,464 word handout from the manuscript of my book, Pour The Oil. It was the first time my writing was being critiqued by our local Word Weavers group. I was both excited and apprehensive.

I saw hands moving. I heard pen on paper. Facial expressions reflected focus. The silence seemed endless; the air charged. It may have been due to a comment uttered when the last word was read from the handout, "... and she leaves us there. We want more." I chuckled inwardly. Maybe I was the only one charged. That was the thought until the group began sharing. 

They were thorough, intuitive, complimentary and enthusiastic. I felt encouraged. It was easy to receive comments geared toward making the work better, and wonderful to be affirmed. I heard things like:-

"This is a parallel to my life" 

"It is raw"

"I can't wait to hear more"

"I am going to add this to my reading list"

"It is needed now, in this time"

"You write well"

"It is obvious that you are a teacher"

"God will complete what He has started in you"

As valuable than the comments was the dialogue which started as a result of the (Pour The Oil) content shared. 

I don't say this to toot my own horn, but to express gratitude. I am thankful to Daddy God. I understand what He has done through me. There is purpose in this work and I see it. I got a glimpse ... of Awesome, and there is more to come. Stay tuned for more updates.

Bitten By The Bug

I have been bitten - by the writer's bug that is - and I cannot shake the symptoms of this windfall. My fingers will not stay still for a minute. My mind has created a folder of thoughts and concepts not yet typed. They are being stored at a rapid rate, and have reached a capacity that is threatening to overflow if I don't do something about it.

The Editor has been working on the "Pour The Oil" manuscript for exactly 6 days and I am itching to get back to writing. Clearly this is the season to accomplish this part of my purpose - to pen stories and principles that are destined to help those who are hungry for and have been prepared to receive them. I am ready for the words to begin pouring onto a page.

Today, I started the companion book to "Pour The Oil". It is a forty day Devotional. I am pretty excited about it. Stay tuned for more updates.

What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?

When Martin Luther King said, "I have a dream" he was not just daydreaming about something he wanted to see happen. Dr. King was living on purpose, taking every step in his power to move toward a difficult goal. His mindset; I will try until I die. He knew that achieving the dream would come at great cost. There is a price to finally realize what you may have been longing for your whole life. You have got to maintain sold out resolve, and unbroken focus.

Dr. King referred to many believing and working alongside him as, "veterans of creative suffering."  Wow! Think about that for a minute - "veterans." They had been in the struggle for a long while, but giving up was never an option. Jail, pain, pressure, the sight and stench of death; none of these things stopped the advancement of a people who believed.

It takes inner fortitude to keep moving when you can't even see a light -- when there seems to be no end to the journey. It takes some kind of spiritual power to continue moving forward when the path to the destination is obscured, or barred. That spiritual power is birthed at the same time you are - your purpose comes to life in that wail, as air fills your lungs for the first time.

That purpose propels you when others say it cannot be done. It keeps you working in the midst of snickers and criticisms that would discourage even the strongest. Purpose becomes a steel rod in your backbone. It is like a Kevlar vest, blocking verbal ammunition from penetrating; a helmet that shields the mind when projectiles are launched.

The only one who can stop purpose from being fulfilled is you. I dreamed of walking across a stage in cap and gown with my degree in hand. I dreamed of singing, and writing. There were many detours on the path, but purpose never died.

What is your dream? Are you going to give up because of something someone said or might have done to discourage you? Don't do that. Live on purpose. It will safeguard you as you navigate the process to destiny. Hold on -- You have what it takes. Be strong -- You are going to make it.

What are you doing the rest of your life? Living on purpose? Okay, that's what I want to hear. I am rooting for you.

That's Nonsense!

You are a singer/songwriter. Now you tell me you are writing a book, but I don't hear any new music - that's nonsense. I don't understand what you are doing.

Why don't you focus on one thing? You run the risk of not doing well at either because neither has your full attention. That's nonsense. You will fail. 

What have you achieved musically? You have some songs out there but you are not charting. You have not achieved success in that area, so what on earth could you be writing about. I - don't - get - you!

I chuckle as I write this, because you are absolutely right. It is non-sense. If I only marched to the beat of my drum, the tale may be different.

Have you ever been driven by something - a dream, a goal, a desire. It is there every waking minute, compelling you to act. It remains unsatisfied until you do something. There is an unshakable urge. It is not just in your thoughts, but your entire being carries it - or rather, it carries your entire being. You cannot get away from it. It multiplies exponentially when the act is driven by purpose and fueled by the Holy Spirit. There is no way of escaping (I don't want to).

The truth of the matter is, they are directly related; my singing and the book. The subject matter I have written about came from burning questions about one thing. Each time I am at an event singing/ministering -there are questions about the Anointing.  Another truth? The revelations in this book are transforming me. They are preparing me for the next phase of ministry, and that includes my music.

In a few weeks the final editing process will be completed, and the manuscript shopped. I realize that God-sized assignments are not given unless He has a grand plan. It will all come together and the outcome will be non-sense - not based on what I can see, touch, feel or hear. It will be based solely on what God is saying and doing. When He does it, it may not always make sense to us, but it is always right. So, until he says otherwise, non-sense it is ... and I am happy to indulge. #pourtheoil