Keep Showing Up: A season of Radical Generosity
My Pity Party got all the way canceled last week and I'm finding myself in a season of Radical Generosity and Giving.
I want to invest into others be it time, money, or an encouraging word.
I believe Radical Generosity is one of the best ways to combat selfishness and being so self focused.
This week I was privileged to honor a woman who impacted my life by her radical generosity of speaking life, encouragement, and prophetic words of wisdom into my life. I saw the fruits of that radical generosity.
It's a fair question and one I've been thinking about all week.
As we sang How Great Thou Art, I began to cry thinking: How am I in this place right now with all these people celebrating this incredible woman, knowing this is where I belong? It's only because of How Great Thou Art.
A week or so before she passed on to glory Her granddaughter asked her: What do you want to tell your friends and family to encourage them when you're no longer here physically.
She said this:
That we shall do until we meet again.
We will be sweet with our radical generosity and carry the torch on!
I want to invest into others be it time, money, or an encouraging word.
I believe Radical Generosity is one of the best ways to combat selfishness and being so self focused.
This week I was privileged to honor a woman who impacted my life by her radical generosity of speaking life, encouragement, and prophetic words of wisdom into my life. I saw the fruits of that radical generosity.
Leadership.
That's the word I keep hearing the Holy Spirit say to me. Prepare for Leadership. Prepare to get that party started that you've been thinking about for the last year. This would be my Group of Lionesses.
People need standards.
People need direction.
People need boundaries.
People need principles
In its quest to combat some of the legalistic teachings that many of us grew up with and rejected, the church seems to have adopted a passive "anything goes" mentality.
Even though he was merciful and extended grace to people, Jesus didn't just have a free for all where people could just do anything in the name of love.
In my Foundations Class at Shiloh, Elder Verleeta quoted Shiloh Pastor Emeritus David Kiteley's term for this nonsense: Sloppy Agape
Even though he was merciful and extended grace to people, Jesus didn't just have a free for all where people could just do anything in the name of love.
In my Foundations Class at Shiloh, Elder Verleeta quoted Shiloh Pastor Emeritus David Kiteley's term for this nonsense: Sloppy Agape
When I heard that, I cracked up laughing but That is SO good.
In our attempt to be non-legalistic and not too judgmental we've become too relaxed and too passive.
In our attempt to be non-legalistic and not too judgmental we've become too relaxed and too passive.
In my Bible Research class the teacher said: "Where are the watchmen? Where are the people who are going to call wrong stuff out?"
It's a fair question and one I've been thinking about all week.
Generosity beyond money
We often think about Generosity solely in terms of Money. Generosity is not solely about money. It's also about time and even your own self interests and your own will.
The WKND Retreat
There is a retreat happening with the Young Adults and Young Professionals at my church. Even though I had put a deposit down, I was thinking of not going because I didn't think the group that I had attended was a good fit for me.
It would have been much easier for me to say I'm not going because I have better things to do with my time and this isn't my jam, but something was telling me that I needed to go...and not for myself either.
I think it was the Holy Spirit prompting me to go and I've learned you just gotta roll with those promptings. I am positive this is an assignment because I was honestly trying to avoid going.
I was even going to transfer my registration to someone else because I thought maybe there was a young person who wanted to attend but couldn't due to finances. That was true but I still needed to be there.
I truly believe God has something for me to do there.
It would have been much easier for me to say I'm not going because I have better things to do with my time and this isn't my jam, but something was telling me that I needed to go...and not for myself either.
I think it was the Holy Spirit prompting me to go and I've learned you just gotta roll with those promptings. I am positive this is an assignment because I was honestly trying to avoid going.
I was even going to transfer my registration to someone else because I thought maybe there was a young person who wanted to attend but couldn't due to finances. That was true but I still needed to be there.
I truly believe God has something for me to do there.
This is what leadership is about. Showing up when you're called.
Being a Good Leader doesn't mean showing up when you want to and it doesn't mean showing up and being a leader when you're onstage.
Sometimes it means getting down into the trenches and doing work with people there. I'm a leader whether I am on the platform or not. I don't need the title to be a leader.
Being a Good Leader doesn't mean showing up when you want to and it doesn't mean showing up and being a leader when you're onstage.
Sometimes it means getting down into the trenches and doing work with people there. I'm a leader whether I am on the platform or not. I don't need the title to be a leader.
I think this is what the whole yielding your will to His will thing is about....So you know what I am going to do:
A life of Radical Generosity
This week Shiloh Church said Goodbye to the Fantastic and FABULOUS Rev. Leora Mae Overall. Rev Overall along with Pastor Violet Kiteley broke through the stained glass ceilings of the 60's and 70's to minister all over this world and lead people to Jesus. There was no way I Was going to miss out on honoring this incredible and remarkable woman of faith.
As someone who grew up hearing that women cannot preach, teach, or lead I am so so so grateful for women who went before us and stomped on the devil by going forth in boldness to speak the word of God.
They were trailblazers and I am grateful for them and their example.
I also had my own encounters with Rev. Overall several years ago. If you search for her name, then you can see that I've mentioned it several times on the blog but here's what happened:
One Sunday at Shiloh Church in Oakland, I asked Sis Leora Overall to pray for me that I would believe the vision and glimpses that God had given me. She looked at me, put up her hands, and said:
"It's already done"She also laid hands on me once and said: "BE FREE!"
As we sang How Great Thou Art, I began to cry thinking: How am I in this place right now with all these people celebrating this incredible woman, knowing this is where I belong? It's only because of How Great Thou Art.
A week or so before she passed on to glory Her granddaughter asked her: What do you want to tell your friends and family to encourage them when you're no longer here physically.
She said this:
"Be Sweet and Carry on!"
That we shall do until we meet again.
We will be sweet with our radical generosity and carry the torch on!
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