What's Up in Sherrice's World?

His love…is phenomenal…powerful…I’m exceedingly grateful…for his love, his touch, sweet caress, his smile…makes me…melt.

His love is amazing…driving me crazy…makes me feel like raising…the temperature of my mind, body, and soul…his scent is so memorable.

His love…is like wow…makes me wonder how…God created such a fine piece of art…My heart…beat, beats…beat,beats…beat,beats…for his love.

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As I reflect on the Lord, tonight, I am reminded of a song he gave an elder at Harvest International Embassy. The words are, ” You are the God of creation. Let creativity flow.” This song was given to him while our pastor prophesied to our son about the creativity that God placed within him. Since that day, I have yearned to understand the source of divine creativity. As a result, I learned that creativity is birthed out of godly wisdom.

Wisdom is God and God is wisdom. In Genesis 1, the English word God is Elohim in Hebrew. Elohim means God the creator. In Proverbs 8, wisdom is personified through the use of a pronoun to tell us a story that reveals the Lord as the master craftsman. When wisdom countered chaos in Genesis 1:2, he earth was created because wisdom is the Lord’s creative agent. It takes wisdom to create something out of nothing and then speak its contents and inhabitants into existence with a simple word in God’s creative grace.

By employing godly wisdom, we can win the war in the cosmos, overcome the challenges of life, and give wise council to leadership of corporations and countries. Every step we take is ordered by the Lord. Our spiritual footprint should exude creative energy, full of wisdom, producing great things for the Lord.  Through wisdom, God’s divine mind is revealed to us here on earth. Since wisdom is knowledge applied, those of us who are spirit-filled, here his voice and act on his directives. Our wisdom-filed actions generate creativity and produce divine results.

Beloved, know this. You serve the God of creation, so let creativity flow. You will be amazed at the tangible fruit that you will produce as a result of godly wisdom. In your worship time, call out to the Lord with a voice of triumph. “You are Elohim, the God of creation.” As you tell him who he is, he will manifest that very thing in your life. You will never lack creativity as long as you seek it from the God of creation. He will give you wisdom to create great things! So, my friend, go create for the Lord! Be wise and of let your creativity flow!

When the trials of life start to get me down, God reminds me of the little things. These gentle reminders help me put the big things into proper perspective.  On my birthday, I had the pleasure of this experience.

I was strongly encouraged to attend a conference that happened to be at an inconvenient time in my life. In the  Extraordinary Coaching session, one of my new found colleagues received a text message from his wife. His face lit up as he saw the image of his toddler’s artwork. The hand drawn picture was a bundle full of joy that shined brightly through this electronic transfer. I smiled as I remembered the pictures Brian used to draw for me. I would proudly hang them in my cubicle as a reminder of why I worked so hard each day. Its the little things that seem to put the issues of life into proper perspective. As I tried to retreat back to my state of moping, I was convicted. Then suddenly, I was elated and excited to be  at the conference learning about the latest and greatest trends in my industry. The opportunity to travel and sharpen my skills suddenly transformed from a curse to a blessing.

I praise the name of Jesus for allowing me to participate in my colleague’s sweet moment of love from a toddler. This moment, forever encapsulated in cyberspace history, is now a part of my heart. I will always remember this father’s sacrifice to leave his toddler and spouse at home while he worked hard for the family. Our children have a great way of reminding us why we do what we do each day. For our children, we will make sacrifices, rid ourselves of selfishness, and put aside our fleshly desires to provide. Sometimes the little things shape our focus about the big things in life.

I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences about how the little things have helped you keep your life in perspective. Please feel free to make a comment.

Lovin’ you like Jesus!

Hey World!

Today, I had a revelation that will change the course of my life.  It was refreshing and quite beautiful.  What did God show me?  One powerful word – Simplicity.  It is the key to life.  We make things so complicated for some reason.  I am not sure why we do this.  What I do know is that God created the earth simply by speaking a word.  He then created everything associated with the earth in the same manner.  It took Him six days to complete such an amazing task.  Each time I reflect on God’s power to create via mere simplicity, it brings tears to my eyes.

This same level of simplicity should be used in our everyday life. What situation are you dealing with that could be solved by just making a simple decision and acting on it?  I encourage you to reflect on this and pray.   Wars would not be fought if people simply had a change of heart.  Congress could decide what they would like to do about health care, if they could simply make a decision.  Simplicity is the key.  Will you put it in the lock and turn it?  Or will you continue inserting keys that don’t fit?

Lovin’ you like Jesus!

How many of you have wondered why Christians do not always practice what they preach? Not only have I wondered, I have been guilty of the charge. My goal is to consistently be woman of integrity, so I started making an effort to eat my own dog food. In other words, trying my best to practice what I preach. Being human, I do not always make the mark, yet I continue to try. I want my actions to line up with what I know.

While on this quest, I asked the Lord, how can we know the word, yet not line up with your guidance. The Lord spoke four simple words to me, “Act Like You Know.” He showed me that the average Christian has knowledge, and may even have understanding, yet lacks wisdom. For this reasons, their actions do not line up with his will. To activate this living word in our lives, let’s explore the definitions of knowledge, understanding and wisdom.

Knowledge = facts and information we collect and store in our memories. We utilize our scholastic aptitude when we obtain knowledge.

Understanding = reasoning to obtain the meaning of stored knowledge and translating it into practical principles. These principles are also tucked away in our memories. Spirit filled teachers have an understanding and can effectively communicate these practical principles to others.

Wisdom = accessing principles from the storehouse and applying them to the appropriate situations.

So, how do we turn knowledge into understanding and understanding into wisdom? Apply the principles in James 1:5, which tell us to seek God for wisdom and he will give it to us liberally. In other words, he will give you more than enough, yet not more than you can handle. Why would the Lord reveal deep things to us if we simply stored them in our brain and never put them into action? We have all met a scholar or a teacher that we admired until we saw that he or she was not living out the same principles shared or taught. This is why many people believe that Christians are hypocritical. We can tell people all about the Lord and continue to live in our own sin. It is not a good idea to tell people about love and then tell them all about their trifling ways, with the excuse, “That’s just how I am. I have always told people like it is“. There is nothing wrong with telling the truth, yet there is something wrong with telling it in a way that does not display the love of Christ. This is just one example of the hypocrisy we can display at times.

Another common example is in the realm of our finances. The Bible is full of principles about wealth and prosperity which deal with the whole man, not just the cash in his bank account. How can we preach the gospel, yet not deal properly with our finances? Let’s bind the impoverished, pious spirit that makes us believe that being broke is being like Jesus. Then we can loose the spirit of prosperity for us and our future generations. The Lord gave us principles so we should work them. Even unbelievers have figured this out. Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons has built his empire on the principle of giving. As believers, many of us do not want to give because we are either stingy or worried about someone taking advantage. Let’s seek the Lord and he will show us where to sow, so that we may reap. If Russell Simmons, who is not even a practicing Christian, can work work this principle, then I know we can. Guess what? He was a giver before he was a mogul. In other words, he gave of his substance (time, money, helping hand, etc.) even when he was broke. Selah!

So, my friends, the moral principle for today is simple. Act Like You Know! Let’s seek the Lord for wisdom and get an understanding so that we can put his principles into action. This call to action will require us to dig into the word of God beyond just simple reading. It means, read the word, meditate on it by inquiring of the Lord for understanding, and do what he says. This is a show and tell ministry. We have to show the people the ways of the Lord as we tell them. By the way, Christian meditation does not involve blanking out your mind and chanting. It involves pondering on the word of God and being inquisitive about what he reveals. Just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page.

Here’s our goal for the rest of our walk with Jesus Christ. Obtain knowledge, get an understanding and apply what you have learned, which is godly wisdom. Act Like You Know! Then, we will see the harvest for which we have prayed.

My spirit, soul, and body has been redesigned by God’s holy jigsaw, a divine transformation.

It’s not about straight lines, parallel lines, perpendicular lines, or the kind of lines I think they should be.

God shaped in the image of divinity, the new essence of my personality.

Cut away my worldly mind, intellect, will, and emotions and made room for the mind of Christ.

Reshaped my experiences, beliefs, and ideas to reflect a Godly light.

Eliminated the clutter from my mind that prevented me from connecting to the divine.

Now, I can worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, in Spirit and in truth.

I am free to mount up on my wings as an eagle and soar to the holy mountain.

The holy mountain where I will abide with the Lord forever and ever, with the jigsaw master.

I will not come down to address the naysayers. They have to rise up to meet me.

The divine jigsaw is available to you, so if you are ready, simply ask and die to yourself.

Are you ready to be cut?

Marriage can be a tumultuous journey full of difficulties. In my own marriage, I have learned more lessons than I care to count. Each lesson could be the topic of a book. Spicing Up the Marital Bed, Savor the Flavor with Robust Dialogue. Woman, Hold Thy Tongue. Man, Clean Up Behind Yourself. I can go on for days with these titles.

Even in my attempt to be humorous, I want to be careful not to make light of what I’ve learned. For the most part, the lessons were invaluable. Even still, I wanted the information to be specific to our needs as a couple and not just textbook theories and testimonies. I prayed for a better marriage, yet I did not ask for specific, creative strategies that were exclusive to us. I believe we are all connected yet God called us to live individual lives. In addition, we could be going through the exact same problem as Billy and Mary down the street, yet our need for significance causes us to want a more personal solution.

When we ask God for creative strategies, we cannot be fussy in regards to how he gives us the information. Here is our story. During our elders’ ordination ceremony, our pastor was trying to say Fred and Sherrice and instead, he said Frerrice. This new name appeared to be a mistake, yet Pastor made a profound statement that stuck with me. He said, “There are no mistakes in God so blending there names is just a confirmation that the two has become one.” So amazed by that comment, I started forming names for the couples who were with us. Kelly and Michelle – KelChelle. I could not think of a name for JR and JaQualia, even though I entertained a million combinations. Personally, I like JJ. After the ceremony, Kelly Fortune was teasing us about our new celebrity names. He mentioned that Brad and Angelina were Brangelina. The marketing wheels began turning in my head and God used them to drill in the concept of marital branding.

The Lord began to speak to me over the next few months. Two questions stood out in my mind.

1. When someone hears the names Fred and Sherrice, do they see Frerrice?

2. Moreover, what do people think of Frerrice? Not from the perspective of seeking validation, yet from the perspective of displaying a holy light in our own unique way.

Instead of guessing, I started asking. People used words like financially stable, focused on goals, the couple who argues a lot, the couple with nothing in common, and two people who do not seem to be a good match for one another. Whoooooooooo! This was a revelation for me. I did not want to leave a legacy like that. I wanted people to say the couple who worships together, despite their circumstances, the couple who works though challenging problems and cheers us on when we are working though ours. I shared the concept with my husband and he agreed that we needed to change our image and work on our brand identity, according to the word of God. By doing so, we could win more souls to Christ and be a help versus a hindrance to the kingdom.

Now, when we ask people about our brand, their answers describe a couple who is living for God. Working on our brand gave us a common goal that has yielded so much fruit in a short time frame. Just imagine what we will be doing fifty years from now. I’m now passing on each lesson I learn to my blog readers. I challenge you to work on your brand identity as an individual and as a couple. I would love to hear what your unique stories and your custom-made results.

As a radical Christian, I embrace social media as a tool to spread the gospel and encourage people to live according to Christian principles. For this reason, I am a proud subscriber and avid user of both Facebook and Twitter. I hear many Christians speak negatively of social media, yet I am finding that their reasons are quite interesting. Let’s explore a few.

I don’t want my business in Cyberspace.
I chuckle every time I hear this one because it the most intriguing of all the reasons not to use social media. As if your business is so important that people just have to know it. For the sake of fun, I will cut you some slack. Maybe there are a few people trying to get the “jiggy scoop” on them. Here’s the deal. As a social media user, you control what you post. Your business can’t be told unless tell it first. I’m just saying. If you can’t think of anything profound, consider posting inspirational messages, scriptures, or quotes. Here’s another idea; simply leave your status blank.

No one ever posts anything of value. There is no need to put your personal life online.
This reason is entertaining, too. You are the believer who should be posting things of value. Don’t worry about what others are posting. Have I seen a few status updates that I may not have put on my page? Yes, yet that’s why they are posting on their own page and not mine. If others like to use Facebook and Twitter to let us know they are at the grocery store and just broke down to buy some Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream, its okay! It’s their status so they have the right to share as they please. If you don’t like it, block it. Better yet, pray that the Lord will make their splurge calorie free instead of criticizing their posts. Now, that would be a miracle.

My relatives and friends are always saying off the hook stuff or they are cussing on my page.
This is a legitimate concern and I have a great solution. Block them and pray for them like there is no tomorrow. Keep posting what the Lord has shared with you on their page until they accept Jesus as their Lord and savior or block you in return. Then start sending a plethora of messages. Your posts or messages should not speak to their only to their sin. They should speak to where God wants to take them or how God wants to use them. Share prophetic dreams, visions, and words from the Lord. No matter what, do not allow ignorance to stop the use of social media from responsible believers who are spreading good news and cheer.

People are always trying to hook up with me.
This too is a legitimate concern if you are married or not interested in those who keep posting suggestive things on your page. This seems to be more of a problem on Tagged than any other form of social media. I did have to close my Tagged page for that reason. Facebook and Twitter are much easier to manage on that front. Here’s a suggestion. Keep talking about Jesus no matter how hard they pursue. In fact, witness to them. I have even linked up stalkers with my husband or saved male friends and family members to ensure that the message was loud and clear. Personally, I am flattered that my spirit makes people want to get to know me. Yet, I will tell them where I stand in a hot minute. No “hateration” necessary, just keep it moving. Now, if you are weak in that area, you may have to take a different approach. I can share that offline.

Four is enough for today. This was so much fun and a relief. I have wanted to get that off my chest
for quite some time now. I encourage you to comment with you thoughts on using social media for
The Kingdom of God. I look forward to a robust dialogue on this subject.

As always,

Loving you like Jesus!

Yesterday, I received a phone call about a young man who allegedly choked his girlfriend to death.  I grew up with this young man and watched him be abused beyond belief.  Here’s the deal. Unless he can prove his innocence, he will spend a significant portion of his adult life incarcerated.  Murder is the case that they gave him, however, if he was guilty, murder would not be the true crime.  The true crime is the ongoing rejection he experienced as a child.  This rejection started in the womb and continued to show its ugly face even after his birth.  Extreme beatings from his stepfather simply sealed the deal.  Rejection did not travel alone.  It brought a friend who manifested in the form of the spirit of hurt.  The spirit of hurt welcomed another friend named unforgiveness.  Unforgiveness opened the door to a spirit of bitterness, which was fed by constant memory recall of rejection, physical abuse and verbal slanders.  Bitterness fed an anger demon that led to drug abuse as a coping mechanism.  The anger demon escalated to the point of reinacting that level of abuse with his girlfriend.  Then malice showed up on the scene, which allegedly led to murder.

When we do not go to Jesus with our emotional hang ups and baggage, there are dire consequences.  Keep in mind, these consequences do not always manifest in physical murder.  Some people murder their own character and esteem.  Others don’t just stop there.  They murder the ones they love with their words and sometimes even their deeds.  Murder is the case that they give him.  Even though he had been murdered throughout his childhood and no one ever said a word.  Like Brittany Murphy’s character in Don’t Say a Word, he was determined to keep it silent.  “I’ll never tell.” We see what happened to her in real life.

If you are a murderer or a living victim, it is time to throw in the towel and surrender to God to receive healing for your soul.  The Lord did not put you on this earth to live a defeated life.  He wants to show you real, unconditional love.  This kind of love heals all sickness, disease and spiritual heart conditions.  Without it, we will all continue to be murderers or murder victims.  Start today and make a change.

Are you on fire for the Lord?  If so, why not spread it?  The California wildfires have nothing on an anointed believer who wants to tell the world about Jesus.  The fruit of righteousness is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30).  Is that you?  If you are a believer, you have just been tagged in.  Why?  We are all called to the ministry of reconciliation, which is simply reuniting lost souls with God.  Don’t worry.  It is not as hard as it sounds.  Especially once you get used to it.  In Luke 14:23-24, the Lord tells us that we are to compel people to be a part of the kingdom.  This involves going out to get them and not waiting for them to come to the church (Acts 20:20).  I am writing this blog to ignite that “compelling” a spark in your life through five helpful tips – Use holy boldness, demonstrate the kingdom, show agape love, understand your role and follow-up.  Let’s briefly explore each of these tips. 

1.  Use holy boldness – When the apostles went out to tell the world about Jesus, they were not timid or afraid.  They used every door and opportunity to share the good news whether it was in the marketplace, over dinner, in the streets and even in prison.  When the Lord opens the door, use His knowledge and wisdom to minister to needs and share the gospel.  Strike up conversations in odd places, such as elevators, restrooms, etc.  Start out by talking about the weather, an article of clothing the person is wearing (i.e. sports paraphenalia, etc) or even admiring something that most believers would shun, for example tatoos and/or piercings. In other words, use whatever the Holy Spirit puts on your heart.  When Phillip approached the Ethopian eunuch in Acts 8, he focused on a book the man was reading which just happened to be scriptures.  Imagine that!  For more dynamic events like this, read the book of Acts.  Holy boldness was taken to another level in this book.  Ironically, the book has no real ending, which lets us know we should continue on with those acts of faith.  

2. Demonstrate the kingdom – Talk is cheap if you cannot back it up with action.  Stir up the anointing on the insider of you by practicing what the Bible preaches.  If someone tells you they have some sort of ailment, offer to pray for them and then move as you are led by the Holy Spirit.  If you get a strong desire to share something with a person that will build them up, comfort them and/or restore them, go for it!  If you see an opportunity to strong the Lord’s power, make it happen, in the name of Jesus.  People respond to the Lord’s power much more than they will respond to our logical arguments and debates.  Be respectful of their beliefs and their right to have those beliefs, even if they are not concurrent with the truth of God’s word.  Being respectful does not mean that you are in agreement.  You are simply agreeing to disagree to ensure that the person does not see Christians are argumentative and disrespectful.  If you don’t believe me, check out I Corinthians 1:17-18, I Corinthians 2:1-5 and Titus 3:9. Remember, I Corinthians 3:7 lets us know that God does the actual “saving” not us.  That’s why signs, wonders and miracles follow us everywhere we go (Mark 16:17).  Demonstrate the kingdom!

3.  Show some agape love – Agape love is unconditional.  God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die for our sins (John 3:16 and Romans 5:8).  There is no greater love.  Since Jesus paid the price, we are not called to die for the sins of others, yet, we are called to love them into the kingdom.  No matter what a person throws your way during your evangelistic efforts, respond with love.  Meaning, do not argue, do not take the bait and get drawn into confrontations and most of all, do not take rejection of the gospel personally.  They are not rejecting you, they are rejecting the Lord.  This rejection may be temporary or permenant, yet it is not for us to figure it out.  We must do what the Lord says and let Him handle the rest.  Also, if there is a need that you are led to meet, do it.  Make sure you are led by the Holy Spirit, or otherwise, your acts of kindness will be in vain.  In addition, speak loving words that will produce life in the person.  Many times, a kind word can open up the door to share the gospel and bring the person home where they belong, in God’s kingdom.

4.  Understand your role – In Mark 4:14-20, we learn that some of us will plant the word of God, while others water and some will actually reap a harvest when a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and savior.  Be mindful that you can be doing one of these three actions when you are sharing the gospel, demonstrating the kingdom, etc.  Since we serve a multi-dimensional God, your role is interchangable with each interaction, so DO NOT get stuck in one way of witnessing.  Be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

5.  Follow-up – When you minister to someone in any way, shape, form or fashion, the Lord may lead you to build a relationship with that person for the purpose of prayer and follow-up.  In some cases, you get to plant the seed, water it and reap the harvest, or a combination of at least two of these actions.  Amazing!  Look at God.  You may even introduce them to a believer you know who has had a similar lifestyle or experience.  For this reason, exchange phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Ask the person how they like to communicate (i.e. phone, e-mail, text, chat or face to face) and be respectful of their wishes.  If you feel led, invite them to your place of worship or link them with one that is more in tune with their needs.

Let’s recap the five tips – Use holy boldness, demonstrate the kingdom, show agape love, understand your role and follow-up.  Let’s incorporate these tips into our interactions and reap a harvest that is out of this world!