The Goodness Report for November 2023
Released Sunday, November 19, 2023
Image: CJM "Five Generations of Love"
The older I get and the more I see this world going to hell in a hand basket, the more grateful I am to have been raised by wise counsel. These are dark and grave times. These are the end times for sure. May this Goodness Report spark some reflection on the lineage of love you come from and how to shine that light forward into the dark corners of hatred clouding sound judgement, peace, and joy in the world right now.
“Remember this: When you cross my doorstep, you have already been raised. With what you have learned...you know the difference between right and wrong. Do right. Don't anybody raise you from the way you have been raised. Know you will have to make adaptations, in love, in relationships, in friends, in society, in work, but don't let anybody change your mind.”
― Maya Angelou, Mom & Me & Mom
Images: CJM Kindergarten Graduation | CJM, Mom, and Clara GHS Mother's Day Brunch | The Gilberts and The Middletons 2011
"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins."
1 Peter 4:8
Clara And Clarissa
When I was a kid, she used to say... write a book about your great-grandmother raising you. I thought it was the strangest thing. In my mind, I thought, "who would care about that?"
What we had was my normal. Her unconditional love knew no bounds. At a time when she should have been considering retiring not raising a newborn, her sacrificial selflessness taught me the ways of Christ.
It was normal for me to grow up never having to tell a lie to the person raising me. This atmosphere of truth between us freed me from so much brokenness, by way of my rare circumstance, being trapped in my body.
It was normal for me to grow up with full accessibility to the wisdom of a woman 55 plus years older than me. Often times, I planted myself in her presence soaking up every good thing she had to offer. This trained me to sit in God's presence patiently devouring his word to water my soul.
It was normal to have deep intimate conversations about sex, God, culture, fine arts, history, family trauma, fashion, strategies for success, mental health, etc. You name it, we talked about it with full transparency. I have never been afraid of confession.
It was normal for me to hear daily, you are going to break generational curses and do things no woman in your maternal bloodline has ever done. She set me on the path to establishing generational blessings and thinking about the impact my life would have on generations to come. This was morning coffee, orange juice, bacon, and cereal talk.
It was normal for me to spend hours laughing daily and feeling safe in the presence of my caregiver without holding back my passions. I never had a need to hide myself. I never needed to be ashamed about anything. It was normal to dream and be adjusted, reproved, disciplined, and redirected along the way.
Every great in every arena has a coach, an advisor, or mentor motivating them to stay the course.
It was normal to think about my purpose, my mission, and to be taught the moral conscientious ways of a servant leader like:
Don't say you hate people, say you dislike their ways
Those are not your peers
You get more with sugar than you do with shit
It's not the messenger, it's the message
Be nice Riss (Me In My Mind: "FOH, tuh" lol)
Pray for everybody
Pray "Our Father who art in Heaven"
"The Lord Is My Shepherd
"Lord Grant Me The Serenity"
Forgive, Riss
My Grandmom Said
If you knew me as a kid, you heard three things come out my mouth frequently,
"MY GRANDMOM SAID!"
She wasn't perfect, but she was my guardian and she was an angel over me.
"This world will try to make you second guess your first mind"
-Chance Tha Rapper
Satan's sole agenda is to undermine The Word of God being active and proven true in our lives.
Don't believe him, just watch God! Look to the hills from which cometh your help!
I WISH I WOULD LET A RAGGEDY MINDED INDIVIDUAL OR AN UPSIDE DOWN IGNORANT UNGODLY WORLD TURN ME FROM MY PLOW.
Today, I honor the woman who raised me according to the wise counsel she received through her salvation in Christ.
When she went home to be with her maker, I stood tall and spoke on her behalf knowing that she had run her race and was ready to be with the Lord.
The night before she died, I whispered in her ear that it was okay for her to go on. The morning her body went cold, I laid my head on her stomach and cried out, "I know, I know, I Know, I know."
And I still do, and I WILL NEVER FORGET. It is good for us to recall the witnesses of faith that God has placed on our path along the way.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12: 1 - 2
The Goodness Report
"Age does not make you wise. I know a lot of older dummies." - Pastor Mike Todd
Wisdom makes you wise. Be it lessons learned from experiences processed with God or inheritance from wise honest counsel. Humble yourself, seek wisdom, and let the fire of God burn your pride.
"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,[c] so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Timothy 4:12 - 16
It's time for all of us to look beyond the misery of the world, lift our heads up, and act like we know who we belong to!
The devil our adversary prowls around like a roaring lion waiting to devour us moment by moment. Any foothold he can get, he will use. This is why purifying our hearts daily in communion with God is a non-negotiable. The Good News is that the Lion of Judah is on your side, hail him. Praise him. Rejoice. Wipe those tears from your eyes, get up, and seek to master THE CALL God has placed on your life. The world will be much better when you do.
Image Credit: You Version
As for me, I will be about my father's business. My house will serve The Lord.
I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
I pray my life's testimony and our work here at The Being Academy inspires others to commune with the goodness of God daily and seek to see, be, and experience life as God imagines no matter what a hater got say PERIOD!
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;[a] believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”[c] 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.[d] From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14: 1 - 7
If you need more hope in your life, if your faith is being tested and you need strength training and support, if your capacity to flow in love is low, Join us next Sunday, November 26, 2023 at 4:00 PM at The Being Academy for Friendsgiving 2023.
Come. Eat. Take everything off the table God has prepared for you in the presence of thy enemies. Be sure to let us know how we can serve you best by taking our "Friendsgiving Survey."
Stay encouraged to love always,
