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God Gives Us Grace for the Race

run the race

I was watching the highlights of the 1992 Summer Olympics when I could hardly believe my eyes. An amazing event had taken place during the 400-meter dash that afternoon. A runner from Great Britain by the name of Derek Redmon had suffered a leg injury during the race and had fallen on the track.

With no hope of placing, Derek refused to quit. He gathered himself to his feet and began to hobble to the finish line. Suddenly, a man raced out of the stands and ran to Derek. This man placed his arm around the injured runner and arm-in-arm the two of them made it across the finish line. The man was Derek’s father. What a vivid example of living out the Christian life.

Grace to Finish the Race

grace for the raceThe verses above call for us to “work out” our salvation. This does not mean that we are saved by works. Eternal salvation is by faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). Instead, it’s a call to take seriously the command to live out all areas of our Christian life in obedience to Christ. Therefore, we are to avoid allowing challenges or other interests to stop us from doing all we can to finish the race.

Even though we are to strive at doing our part, finishing the race is only possible because of God. Our heavenly Father is working in us, giving us His divine power to “will and to act” in order to enable us to make it across heaven’s finish line.

No matter the challenges or temptations, Philippians 2:13 reveals that we have a Father who will crawl, walk, or run with us arm-in-arm so we, too, can finish the race He’s given us.

Always remember, Team, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Think about it.

So, What’s The Play Call?

  1. How does Galatians 2:20 relate to today’s topic?
  2. How does Derek’s story relate to you as a believer?
  3. According to verse 13, why do we desire to live a godly life?

Overtime: Read 2 Peter 1:3-11

“Father, thank You for the grace to run the Christian race. Teach me how to walk each day believing in this truth. Amen.”

 

10 Ways to Describe How Big God is to Your Problems

problems

Our Problems Face a Big God

I get it, Teammates. Life comes at us fast – without warning or explanation. Just when we think things are going well, here comes an illness, a layoff, a wayward spouse or child, an accident, workplace sabotage, death of a loved one, a pandemic… this list can go on and on.

It makes it no better that we are living in the last days when perilous times become the norm. Hate and revenge are the expected responses to an offense or disagreement. Injustice, greed, and racism saturate the halls of “high places” in society’s power structures.

Nevertheless, but God!

We serve a God who is bigger than any problem, frustration, challenge, trial, attack, hardship, sickness, injustice… THIS list goes on!

Sometimes, life can hurt so bad that we forget how BIG God is. Well, here’s a gentle reminder for all of us. Once we stir up the BIGness of God in our hearts and minds – here’s what we can tell that ol’ ugly problem.

A Non-Exhaustive List of How Big God Is

1. In the beginning, God.

Hey, problem! Genesis 1:1, John 1:1! You will never be bigger than the Beginning. Before you were, God is! And, because God started it all when “all” and you didn’t exist, there’s nothing you can do to get a head start on our Big God. He will always be ahead of you, outmaneuvering you. That’s how BIG our God is!

2. The Earth is God’s footstool.

Hey, problem! Isaiah 66:1! Have you seen the size of the Earth? Can you measure its width and breadth? Well, this large planet is where God rests His feet. No, not His whole body, the Earth couldn’t handle that – just His feet. That’s how BIG our God is!

3. God sees everything.

Hey, problem! Proverbs 15:3! You can’t escape being noticed by the eyes of God. God’s eyes are everywhere; He saw your formation, your selected strategy, and tactics, and He sees your guaranteed end. That’s how BIG our God is!

4. God answers before we call.

Hey, problem! Isaiah 65:24! Before I opened my mouth to tell God about you, before I shed one tear about you, God already answered me. God even heard the words I couldn’t muster the strength or know-how to say. That’s huge. That’s how BIG our God is!

5. God has numbered the hairs on my head.

Hey, problem! Luke 12:7! Do you know how many individual hairs (or hair follicles) I have on my head? God does. See how much I’m worth? He can call the numbers out for every single one that has fallen since you appeared, and can grow new strands back with their own unique number. That’s how BIG our God is!

6. There is none like God.

Hey, problem! Jeremiah 10:6 and 2 Samuel 7:22! God alone is God (Psalm 86:10). Not you, me, nor my response to you. Besides God, there is no other greater. Comparison is futile. That’s how BIG our God is!

7. God can’t lie.

Hey, problem! Numbers 23:19! God is trustworthy and dependable. So every promise He makes, everything He said He will do shall come to pass without fail. That’s how BIG our God is!

8. God is not petty.

Hey, problem! Romans 5:8! God goes first! He doesn’t require perfection in order to love me, save me, redeem me. He’s that big of a God to give His all first before we even considered Him. If God puts it all on the line for enemies, imagine what He does for His children. That’s how BIG our God is!

9. The name of God is a safe tower.

Hey, problem! Proverbs 18:10! I may be on the run, but I can find safety in the very name of God – pick one! God is my healer, my provider, my strength, my life, my redeemer, my rock, my joy – I can rest confidently in His name. That’s how BIG our God is!

10. In the end, God.

Hey, problem! Revelation 1:8! The same God who is the Beginning is also the End. When it’s all said and done, at the end of the day, God will still be God – and you will be no more. That’s how BIG our God is!

Bonus: We’ve already won!

Hey, problem! 1 John 5:4 and 2 Corinthians 2:14! Between being born of God, which makes us overcomers by default, and Abba always causing us to triumph – do you really think you have a chance?

So, What’s the Play Call?

Meditate on the Word of God, His faithfulness, and His greatness. Never forget who’s in control and who’s in charge of everything that concerns you.

It’s not me, it’s not you, it’s not that problem – it’s our BIG God!

How do YOU tell your problems how big God is?

How to Finish the Race Without Competing With Others

finish the race

One day a few years ago, I decided to go biking with a coworker. I normally go biking by myself, because like running, everyone has a different pace, and if they are not flexible in going either slower or faster than their normal pace, it may not be as enjoyable. As a previous runner, I normally would ask “what’s your pace?”  In which my coworker replied, ”Oh Charlene, don’t worry about that.”

I met her in the parking lot of our employer’s office after work to head over to the trail. For me, biking is something I enjoy doing at a leisure pace, not on a competitive level. I mean, I have moments in my ride where I might push the speed a little but not consistently.

So before we got in our cars to head out, she stepped out of her car to discuss how to get there. She not only had a new bike with a lot of “bells and whistles”, but she looked the part…biking shorts, biking shirt, and some very cool shades. Me? I had on some workout shorts, a t-shirt, a helmet, and an old bike that I paid $50 for from a thrift store. It was a dirt bike, worked well, and hey, a good starter bike after not riding a bike in YEARS.

Finish the Race With Grace

run the race with enduranceI had my bike ‘thrown’ in the back of my SUV; she had an expensive bike rack. I didn’t have on bike gloves but she did, so when we got out of our cars after arriving at the bike trail, I was a little intimidated but still willing and able to make this trip enjoyable.

So we’re off! She starts “gunning it’ right out of the parking lot….10MPH…and me? About 5MPH. I’m wanting to look around because this is my first time being on the trail AND I’m a leisure kind of rider. I like to take it slow for the most part and switch gears to accommodate the hills. She was riding fast and after noticing that I was not behind her, she slowed down and waited on me to get to where she was. She felt bad for leaving me but I was fine. I told her, ”Don’t worry about me, I’m going at a slower pace, but we both will arrive eventually which is the most important thing.

And we DID! And, at that moment God spoke to my spirit and said, ”There are a lot of people in competition with others when the only competition they should be in is with THEMSELVES. If the desire is to be a better version of you, outrun the old you towards a better you.”

So, What’s The Play Call?

Here are a few points to remember as you finish the race strong:

  • The fancy biking outfit was cool, but so was my not-so-fancy outfit because it didn’t affect the outcome which was to finish the ride.
  • A couple of scriptures for your journey:
    • I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11 NIV
    • However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Acts 20:24 NIV
    • Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. Galatians 6:4-5

Cloudy Vision? Here are 4 Ways to Let God Clear Your Vision

vision

I wear glasses. No, I stand corrected, my glasses wear me. Lol. I’ve been wearing specs since the third grade. People constantly ask me if I really need them, mainly because I have so many pairs and it seems as if I only wear them because they’re cute.

My response is always “if you see me without them, please stop me and ask questions to see if I’m okay.” Seriously though… ask me if I’m okay. Anyhoo, I need my glasses. And they’re not just for reading or driving, I have to wear them all day. I’m so used to my glasses, in fact, that sometimes I don’t notice when they are dirty. Filthy to the point that others can see the lonely fingerprint, and I can’t. It’s terrible, I know, and they get so cloudy that when I finally clean them, it’s like the sky opens and the sun shines through.

My nephew is the same way, and my sister hates it. She can’t figure out how in the world we can’t see the dirt behind the lenses we are wearing when she can see the dirt on her own. I had to explain to her that she only wears her glasses for certain parts of the day, so her eyes aren’t as adjusted as ours.

New Vision, New Sight 

Psychology 101Well, recently, I got a new pair of glasses. I don’t know what they put in their anti-reflective coating recipe, but I can see every little smudge. I get annoyed and constantly clean my glasses throughout the day. Now I see what my sister had seen all along. Nothing has changed, my lenses don’t get any grimier than before, I just notice it now.

Here’s the thing, I can’t go on the way I did before. I must fix the problem in order to be comfortable. I’m literally seeing things through a different lens.

See What God Sees

So often, others can see the “dirt” on our lenses long before we do. And I’m not talking about those that gossip, are nosy or those that help keep you behind those filthy lenses. I’m referring to those God sends that keep you lifted in prayer and genuinely want you to see clearer. Sometimes it only takes for them to gently remind you to ‘wipe ‘em off’, and sometimes, we need to have some things replaced in our lives.

Oh, another thing, no matter who they are and how supportive, everyone won’t always understand why it took you so long to clean your life up. Have you ever had a tongue-lashing from your circle of trusted friends who show how much they care but also prove how little they understand your process? Please know that God won’t leave you with dirty lenses, but He will help you and send others to help you see clearly.

So, What’s the Play Call?

It can be difficult to see the smudges on your own lenses, even though you are right behind them. Know that God sees what you don’t, and He has a plan to get your vision all cleared up. Here are a few things to keep in mind when your lenses are cloudy, and you can’t see the dirt:

  1. Keep your eyes fixed on God’s will. Yep, even though we can get into some sticky situations, if we make Jesus our center, He will improve our vision every time. “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:2
  2. Ask God to show you who is sent to help you. God has people in place who will help you recognize that you aren’t seeing clearly. Even in the midst of your circumstances, ask Him to reveal them to you. “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Galatians 6:1
  3. It’s not too late to be renewed. See, if I hadn’t needed an updated prescription and ordered new glasses, I may still be in the same predicament, walking around with filthy lenses. It was time. Go ahead and update your prescription, through God’s word. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.” Psalms 51:10
  4. Pray to God for keen hearing. I know we’re talking about sight, but hearing and seeing work hand in hand. My sister would always try to tell me when my glasses needed to be cleaned, but I wouldn’t listen. She could see when I could not; I needed to be open to hearing her in order to change. “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Matthew 11:15

Just as I can now tell when my lenses need a good cleaning, God will help you to see when your vision is cloudy. Trust Him when He shows you the way.

 

Promise Keepers Tried to End Racism 25 Years Ago. It Almost Worked.

promise keepers

R

andy Phillips didn’t want to watch the video of a Black man being killed by police, but his son asked if he had.

“No,” Phillips said, “but I’ve read a bunch of articles.”

He knew the details—both of this specific deadly encounter between Derek Chauvin and George Floyd and the larger context of racial division in America. He knew too the history of Christian efforts to combat racism and bring about reconciliation. He had, in fact, been president of Promise Keepers 25 years before, when the leadership decided that racial reconciliation would be its No. 1 priority and then the men’s ministry almost immediately started to flounder.

“Honestly, son, I’m not going to watch it,” he said. “It’s just too painful.”

“Dad,” said Tim Phillips. “You need to feel it.”

When Phillips watched the video, he was overwhelmed by the pain of Floyd’s slow death. He felt the Holy Spirit show him a tornado over Chauvin’s head, as if the police officer were the pinpoint of the destructive, swirling evil as it touched down. And he wondered: If he had let God change him 25 or 26 years ago, and let God shift Promise Keepers the way it was supposed to shift, maybe none of this would have happened.

America could have been different. God could have used Promise Keepers to reconcile Floyd and Chauvin and help Chauvin see Floyd how God saw him—as someone so deeply and impossibly loved that God would send his only Son to die just for him.

Promise Keepers was, after all, the largest movement in modern America pushing white people to reckon with racism and the most significant since the civil rights marches resulted in legislation, assassination, …

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Knotted Up: Your Best Move When Life’s Got You Tangled

acknowledge him

knotted upMy six-year-old daughter loves helping out. She’s quite the big helper. And, although I could get the job done in half the time it takes for her to do it, or for she and I to do it together, I allow her to help because I’m training her to be capable of caring for herself.

This particular day, I was in the process of making lunch when she bounced into the kitchen acting like she was starving. She lit up when she saw I was preparing lunch. “Mom, I can make my own sandwich,” she said. I lifted my eyes unto the hills from which comes my help (also known as rolling them), and breathed in a fix your attitude, Brandi breath. I then put on my best smile and turned around with an enthusiastic “You got it!” She flashed me a big, toothless grin and thumbs up. Gotta love a child’s heart.

A minute or so passes, and I can hear her huffing and puffing. In that knowing, motherly tone I ask, “You need any help?”

“I. Can’t. Get. This. Bag. Open.”

“Bring it here.”

What was once a nice, neat knot was now so tight that it looked like one little ball.

Sidebar: Why wasn’t the bag closed with a tie, you ask? One word. Husband. He opens the bag, takes out his bread, forgets where he put the tie just 10 seconds ago, and proceeds to tie a knot. These are facts you must know before marriage, ladies. Watch him make a sandwich before saying, “I do.” Just saying.

Back to this impenetrable knot…

“Sweetie Pieeeee,” I say while scratching the protruding vein in my forehead, “if there’s a knot, bring it to me so I can help you.”

After some laser focus, I managed to undo the knot, turning her frown into a huge smile. You haven’t seen a smile as big as my daughter’s, I promise. As she danced back over to her sandwich-making station, I laugh to myself as I often do when I feel God looking at me with a smirk and one eyebrow raised, asking my heart if I had learned the lesson.

I had.

Become as Little Children

childrenMy daughter’s struggle with that knot was not unlike my daily struggles. Her huffing and puffing was an undeniable reflection of her mom’s deep sighs and murmuring. The knot represented all the obstacles I thought I was strong and wise enough to face on my own. The impenetrable knot was a glaring reminder of all the messes I had made because I chose to struggle in my own strength versus consult God.

Sure, God can be my Mr. Fix It, cleaning up after my mistakes, if that’s what I want Him to be. But, He’d much rather be my Consultant, my Guide, advising me before the mistake is made. Yes, God will use all things for our benefit, even our biggest mistakes. But, wouldn’t you rather avoid the mistake altogether?

Can you imagine the time we’d save if we acknowledged God in all things? Things that look easy or right in the moment, don’t always turn out to be that way down the road. Proverbs 3: 5-6 says,

Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge.  With every step you take, think about what He wants, and He will help you go the right way.

Before you lift your foot and plant it again – versus after you take the step and realize it was the wrong one – think about what God wants.

Before you buy that dream house, think about what God wants. Before you relocate, think about what God wants. Before you have that conversation, think about what God wants and He will help you go the right way.

The next time my daughter helped me prepare lunch, the bread bag was indeed tied with a knot (my husband tries not to disappoint). But, this time, she saw the knot and headed over to Mom. My heart swelled with pride, and this time I was the one looking up with a smirk and raised eyebrow because I know His heart was even bigger than mine. I showed her how to carefully untie the knot and she did it beautifully.

Just as my sweet girl applied what I taught her only days before, I pray that you and I will quickly apply God’s principles to all the knots in our lives.

So, what’s the play call?

Do you have a decision to make that you’ve forgotten to seek God about? Stop what you’re doing and ask Him what He thinks. And, obey His answer. It may not feel good at the moment, but trust that He can see further down the road than you can. He has better plans for your life than you could ever imagine, and will never lead you in the wrong direction.

140 Nigerian Baptist Students Kidnapped in Kaduna

(UPDATED) “This is a very, very sad situation for us,” says Bethel Baptist pastor and state CAN leader whose son narrowly escaped.

Editor’s note: This article was updated July 6 with reactions from Nigerian Christian leaders.

More than 100 students at a Baptist boarding school in Nigeria’s northern state of Kaduna were captured early Monday morning in what Nigerian church leaders call the worst kidnapping of Christians to date.

Shooting wildly, armed assailants breached the walls of Bethel Baptist High School on the outskirts of the state capital, Kaduna, at about 2 a.m. on July 5 and took students in the school hostel away at gunpoint, area residents told Morning Star News (MSN).

Efforts were still underway to determine exactly how many students were abducted. A Bethel teacher told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that 140 students were kidnapped while 25 students escaped, but area residents living close to the school told MSN that 179 children were abducted of which only 15 escaped.

Established by Bethel Baptist Church in Kaduna, the boarding school was attacked after kidnappers overcame security personnel, sources said.

The attack was the fourth mass school kidnapping in Kaduna state since December, according to AFP. World magazine recently examined the kidnapping surge, which the Nigerian government blames on bandits while many Christians blame Muslim Fulani extremists.

Israel Akanji, president of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, attributed the attack to bandits and described the situation as “indeed pathetic” in a Tuesday (July 6) statement sent to CT. He stated that 28 students have been reunited with family while 125 students remain missing.

“We strongly believe that, by the grace of God, these students will safely return to their parents soon,” stated Akanji, citing ongoing search and rescue operations by the Nigerian …

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RESPECT Movie Behind-the-Scenes: Jennifer Hudson Becoming Aretha

RESPECT Movie: Coming to Theatres August 13th!

respect movie

WATCH Jennifer Hudson embody Aretha Franklin as she becomes the Queen of Soul in a new behind-the-scenes look at the making of the upcoming film RESPECT.

New Music

Listen to Jennifer Hudson’s new original song “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” Co-written by Carole King, Jennifer Hudson, and Jamie Hartman; Produced by will.i.am.

LISTEN NOW

On-Set: A Chat with Producer, Scott Bernstein

In October 2020, Team Jesus Magazine had the honor of an on-set visit to RESPECT where we briefly caught up with one of the film’s producers, Scott Bernstein. Listen below to what he had to say about faith-based audiences and what we could expect.

“I think what they can expect from RESPECT is …to really have a better understanding of her connection to her faith and to the church and how it really defined who she was. It’s a movie that begins in the church and ends in the church. It begins with gospel music in the Baptist Church and ends with that. So it’s really how important… that’s what our story has always been. That’s the arc… it’s sort of how she sort of became sacred to secular and secular back to sacred, and how she kind of combined those two. So that’s what they should really look forward to.”

About RESPECT Movie

respect movie respect movie respect movie

respect movie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cast: Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Tate Donovan, Heather Headley, Skye Dakota Turner, and Mary J. Blige

DIRECTOR: Liesl Tommy

WRITTEN BY: Tracey Scott Wilson

PRODUCERS: Scott Bernstein, Harvey Mason Jr.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Stacy Sher, Sue Baden-Powell, Aaron L. Gilbert, and Jason Cloth

Instagram: @RespectMovie

Twitter: @RespectMovie

Facebook: @RespectFilm

Being a Faithful Boss When a Pandemic Nearly Kills Your Industry

When COVID-19 started to spread last year, none of us knew how dramatically or how long this virus would affect our lives.

As a restaurant owner, I was forced to make critical decisions during the early weeks of lockdown, when people were confused, scared, and trying to make sense of conflicting information about the threat of the virus.

I watched sales drop at each of our locations anywhere from 60 percent to 90 percent as we shifted from dine-in services to carry-out and delivery only. As a result, I had to lay off employees, something I had never been forced to do apart from closing a location.

As a Christian, I’ve always been open about how my faith drives everything I do and shapes how I run my business. The decision to dismiss employees was agonizing, but I wanted to come up with the most ethical and moral way to care for those who worked for us. My commitment to leading and caring for people biblically didn’t let up just because times got tough—in fact, I had to lean on God for guidance and hope more than ever.

What’s the most gracious way to cut employees in the middle of an economic crisis and a pandemic? None of us had been through this before, and there were no easy answers. We made sure to keep on the payroll a few individuals who needed to maintain health insurance to care for serious medical issues. We created a three-tier list of employees, ranked by skill level and attitude. We ended up having to lay off those on the bottom tier; thankfully we never had to move to the second tier.

But I wanted to help those I had to let go. I looked for ways to offer support even after they were no longer on my payroll. I emailed them on a regular basis with information about ways to file for unemployment …

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Better Than Siri and GPS: The Importance of Following God’s Direction

follow god

We were heading to visit a pop-up shop. You know, where they showcase different small business owners. Because it was a pop-up, it was in a location that usually didn’t house the brands being hosted. The address had to be put in the GPS, and of course, it didn’t make it easy to find where we were going. One thing about Siri, iPhone users, she’s going to take you where she wants you to go.

follow god

Anyhoo, although it didn’t seem as though we were going in the right direction, we confirmed that we were. My niece, who was riding in the backseat, spoke up and said, “We’re going the right way, but we don’t even know where we’re going.” This was a true statement, as we had no idea the actual location, and had never been there before, but eventually, we got there by following the directions and going the way the system was taking us.

Follow God’s Direction Wherever He Leads

I got to thinking about the importance of trusting God and following His direction. Oftentimes, we are going the right way, but have no idea where we’re going because we are following His lead.

God doesn’t always reveal the entire map before He sends us on a journey, which is probably the hardest part about following. I have had to realize that not knowing doesn’t necessarily mean I am on the wrong path, but rather I am being led by the Creator of the path. 

So, What’s the Play Call?

I know there may be times when it seems the GPS that God has set for you is leading you in the wrong direction, but know that with Him, you can’t go wrong. Here are a few things to remember when you don’t recognize your surroundings while following God’s direction:

  1. God is your source. When you allow God’s leading, He will make provision for you. “but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
  2. God is your protection. When driving, there is always a chance of an accident or collision, but when you are going the way God has prepared, He handles all situations. “For thou art my rock and my fortress; Therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.” Psalms 31:3
  3. God can handle your emotions. I don’t know about you, but when I feel turned around or confused, my emotions can go all over the place and cause me to be irrational. Let God help you manage those emotions. “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, When my heart is overwhelmed: Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalms 61:2
  4. God is the ultimate guide. No matter what way appeals to you, His will always be best. “For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death.” Psalms 48:14

There is no path greater than one set by God. He has the master plan and is calling you to follow Him. 

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