God's Man

Photo Credit from http://thelionofanacostia.wordpress.com/ Today I am highlighting the final Pastor from the Faithful Preacher: Recapturing the Vision of Three Pioneering African-American Pastors by Thabiti M. Anyabwile. His name is Rev. Francis James Grimké. He was born to a slave mother, Nancy Weston, in 1850 and her owner, Henry Grimké. The elder Grimké was a well respected Jurist in South Carolina. He helped to draft the Slave codes that I mentioned yesterday in our discussion of Daniel Payne. In Lift Up Thy Voice: The Sarah and Angelina Grimké Family’s Journey from Slaveholders to Civil Rights Leaders by Mark Perry, which highlights the rise of Francis Grimké's older sisters, Sarah recalled her father scolding her harshly for teaching her slave to read. The Grimké Sisters would go on to become leading abolitionists. When the elder Grimké died Francis and his 2 brothers were given to his half-brother with the "understanding" that they would be regarded as family.

Photo Credit to Me. Here is a visual Devotional showing Princess Mighty enjoying a moment in the snow.  Learn to rejoice at all times.  She reminded me that even in this I could worship God.

Photo Credit http://nos.twnsnd.co/ Continuing with my Visual Devotions Series.  Today is Isaiah 44:3  "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants." This is a reassurance to the Children of the Promise that their God would restore what had been destroyed. That God would cause life to return to what they thought was dry and desolate ground. Christ's return restored the ground. He restore a right relationship with God. He quenched a thirst in His people that nothing else could satisfy. Slow down and know that no matter the situation He is our greatest reward.

Photo Credit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Payne Today I would like to highlight Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne. Born in 1811 during the height of slavery he and his family were not slaves. His parents were free blacks living in South Carolina. They were also devout members of the Metho dist Episcopal Church. By age 10 he had lost both of his parents and was being raised by his Aunt. It was not the practice to educate blacks during this time but Payne was introduced to the Members Moralist Society. This Group, established by free blacks, was committed to “educate orphan or indigent colored children, and also to provide for their necessary wants.” By 1829, at 19, he had opened his first school teaching children and adults alike. This first school failed but he regrouped and started again and by 1835 he was teaching and housing 60 students. In 1835 however this school ended when the South Carolina Legislature passed South Carolina General Assembly passed Act No. 2639, An Act to

Don't think that you are separate from the culture around us.  We are the culture.  There is no Them, it is only us. Our God is not a commuter.  He moves in.  This is a call to us to do more than worry about our 4 walls. God's Man

Another from my new series of Visual Devotionals.  Deuteronomy 6:6-7 And  these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.   You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Are you training your children to know God?  Being God's Man means leaving a legacy that has eternal value.

Photo Credit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemuel_Haynes Today I am highlighting Rev Lemuel Haynes. He was an African American preacher born in 1753. After being abandoned at 5 months he was raised by a white family as an indentured servant. After his indenture he volunteered as a Minuteman in  1774 and joined the Continental Army in 1776 where he fought for America's independence. He was licensed to preach in 1780 after formal ministry training in Hebrew and Greek. He was ordained in 1785, becoming the first African American ordained by a religious body. In 1804 he was awarded a honorary Master's Degree by Middlebury College which was another first. After being denied a pastorate in Connecticut despite serving faithfully for 5 years Haynes would go on to Pastor the West Parish of Rutland, Vermont for 30 years. He preached 5500 sermons and presided over 1500 sabbath services. At his funeral in 1833 he had these self-penned words read. "Here lies the dust of a poor hell

Video Credit The Gospel Coalition I love this starts by saying that we leave a trail of dumb things we have said.  This is good advice on how to be there for someone who is suffering.  Let us not make things worse as we minister to those around us.

Video Credit to Beautiful Eulogy and HumbleBeast Records. Stop looking for those signs and symbols and get into your Bible and find your direction.

Have you ever asked someone for advice about a specific situation only to receive the cliché response: "Just pray and the Lord will give you a "peace" about what you should do." Is that really a Biblical response? How does that fit in with Romans 12:2 which says that we are supposed to have our "minds" engaged in what we are doing? In this sermon, Pastor Voddie exposits this text and gives the church the implications behind this line of reasoning. http://bit.ly/1kuIihh