Strength for the Journey

Life is a journey we are all on it. We may be traveling in different directions but hopefully we all have the same destination, heaven.

When we travel from one place to another there are always places along the way where we can stop and get refreshed. It may be as simple as a rest stop area or as opulent as a 5 star hotel with gourmet cuisine and tantalizing spa. It may be a quiet lake which beckons us to stop and reflect awhile or a magnificent waterfall where the sound of rushing water drowns out the weary thoughts and rekindles our strength. A winding path through a dense wooded area that call us from the heat of a the day into the cool of the evening not yet heralded. A scenic overlook that reveals the awesome wonder of our Creator and  the work of His hands while reminding us how awesome we are as His greatest creation. These are meant to renew our tired eyes, bodies and minds as we press on toward our destination.
On our spiritual journeys we also have places where we can get refreshed and renewed. The places where we assemble with the saints for praise, worship,fellowship and prayer; The secret place where only we meet and commune with our Daddy God; The Bible where in is written the greatest love story ever told, the description of the greatest place we in which we will someday live and an absolutely perfect set of directions and map of how to get there. Not to mention all the provisions we need to sustain us till we get there.

In addition we have the volumes written by anointed sages and word smiths of ages past and time present. Volumes that contain words that redirect us when we get off track; refocus us on our divine purpose and divine destiny;reminds us of who we are and whose we are and who is in us; and renews our strength when we are weary, our faith when we falter, our love when it seems to be growing cold, our peace when chaos abounds and our joy in the midst of all tribulations.

I pray that  "Strength For the Journey"  can be one of the places of refreshment for you.

Blessings,
Pastor Phyllis Jackson

These refreshments about prayer helped renew me, may it also do so to you.


Hello All,
I am sending out a PPO (Praying People Only) request. As some of you know Terrell's family is in Louisiana. His oldest brother is a pastor and was our pastor while we were there. I just got off the phone with him after trying to reach them for several days with no avail, I called him at work. He told me that the hurricane had left a gift of 2 feet of water in there newly bought home. They have been staying with his mother in law. They lost many household items, his refrigerator as well as their deep freezer were among them. I was surprise because they hadn't called to tell us and he said "Denise we still have JOY."  That gave me encouragement when I thought of all the small things that I sometimes let take my JOY away.  Just image being the soul provider for your family of 6 and both jobs you chose were hard ones, (Police officer and Pastor) and you suffer a lost to the magnitude of having nothing left to your new purchase home but the frame and bricks. (They will be out of thier home for six weeks) at least, BUT GOD still gives us JOY. I am not asking for anything but your prayers for our family and hope that this will help some of you like it did me to open my eyes and be thankful for what GOD has given me. Many Blessings to you and yours.
                                                 Yours in CHRIST,
                                                        Denise

How’s Your Prayer Life?
by Bishop Donald Hilliard

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Prayer is not a monologue where one person does all the talking, or a ritual where we must say things in the right order, or a chore to get out of the way like brushing our teeth before going to bed.

Jesus rejects this performance-based understanding of prayer: "Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace" (Mt 6:6 TM).

For many, prayer has little to do with the realities of life. They think of it like the National Anthem at a game: a nice opening, but nothing to do with what happens on the field afterwards. Other people treat prayer like a rabbit's foot you pull out and rub when things are tough: "A prayer a day keeps the devil away." Paul writes, "Pray without ceasing." That doesn't sound like something you do once in a while, or a flare you shoot up during a crisis.