Glory, Glory

I am thinking...

Everyone has or has had a special person in his or her life that impacted them forever.  That impact was so profound that you never forgot that individual. You wondered how they did what they did. They went through so much and seem to come out untarnished, unscathed, praising, shouting and giving God the Glory for even the hardships! These were what you considered STRONG individuals. Have you ever wished you could possess those types of strengths? 

Well in my lifetime, I have met a few people like this. The most impressionable one was a ‘Praising and Praying’ woman, Gloria (Sister Sally). She impacted my life deeply. I met her a number of years ago when I was still a ‘babe in Christ’. We were both young women at the time, but she had a special gift.  She was prayerful and humble.  I was impressionable and ‘on fire’ for the Lord. I absorbed and gravitated to every little positive setting I encountered.   I desired to work in His Church in whatever capacity I could.

I loved to sing, but also soon became a part of a group of Lady Prayer Warriors, for lack of a better title. There were a number of us, as we would go to homes and hospitals to pray with the elderly, sick and shut-in. I recognized instantly that Sister Sally always prayed hard and fervently. I thought…  ”It’s as though no one else is in the room… just her and God.” Whenever she finished, I felt as though I had been cleansed of whatever tarnishing I had and renewed spiritually. That’s how powerful her prayers were.

There was a mutual bond in this group, but for some reason, a few of us just ‘clicked.’  Soon we begin to take turns going to each other’s home to fellowship and pray. I think Sister Sally ‘literally’ taught me how to pray. We prayed for each other, as we were all married, had children, and had no shame in “Letting Go and Letting God!”  We allowed His Spirit to encompass, move and envelope our very being, remembering the scripture: Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst”. And it never failed, as we would each take a turn to pray, it seemed Sister Sally would ALWAYS say the last prayer. Time was of no essence, as we let God have His way. 

I loved watching her when we would meet. Through our initial conversations, she would sometimes sit with her hands on her lap, a broad smile on her face, eyes closed and she would rock back and forth… a very serene vision to witness.  It was like she was slowly gearing up - getting ready to exalt God through prayer. She would pray so passionately and unselfishly, we were automatically brought to tears. On many occasions, we could have easily used more than one box of Kleenex.  She would be crying and her nose would be red and runny (as did ours) and by the time we released hands and opened our eyes, we needed a shower.  “Ain’t God Good!” 

I cannot forget those days. This is for the Praying Woman, who is still in my life.  She taught by example, how a woman prays. “To God Give the Glory!” God bless you, Sister Sally!

Blessings,

PJ Payne

Thank Him...

Are there times when you just want to hide from everyone and everything... run away from home, from work, just run away from it all? Well, join the crowd!

At some point, so many of us want to do just that – run away. Maybe more than once, lol. Some of you may have even acted upon it. Cowards like me didn't have the courage. I would have been wondering what I was leaving behind or what was going on while I was away. But, if you had the strength to do so, okay… hopefully, you went back.

I guess that is why I spend each morning with my Coffee and Thee. Although I may have just arisen from a night's rest, that’s my unwinding time. It’s my time to be with my thoughts, my God, my space, and my coffee. To calm your ‘run away from it all’ spirit, I suggest that you pick your space and chill. Maybe, just maybe you can keep your sanity in the midst of it all.

 No doubt about it, life and things happen! There is NO escaping! But what you must do is “brace yourself for the unexpected. Then embrace it!” If you expected it, then you would not have allowed it to happen in the first place; especially if it had a negative effect on you or your livelihood. Anything you deem detrimental, you do everything within your power to block it, right?

I heard a sermon recently with a title that says it all. When you go through your trials and tribulations, realize this… ‘It Had to Happen’! Your highs, your lows, your distress, and despair – God is taking you down an unknown path and only He knows your final destination. Given the message he wanted to portray, the Minister elaborated in as eloquent a manner as possible - “Stop looking for the reason and start looking for the revelation!”  Start rejoicing and thanking Him!

What I’ve learned is, when something unexpected or drastic happens, we naturally seek answers and ask why.  Everything you deem as ‘going wrong’ is not necessarily going wrong. “He wouldn’t have brought you to it, if He couldn’t bring you through it.” Brace yourself and hunker down, because He may be preparing you for the ride of a lifetime.  But remember who is your pilot, your chauffeur, your navigator; you can make the worst thing that ever happened in your life, work for your best.

It’s hard to be grateful and thankful when everything around you seems to be in shambles. This is especially so, if you are the type of person who is the ‘leanee,’ instead of the leaner. Basically, you have been the one on whom everyone can depend … the confidante, spiritual adviser, a listening ear, the Rock of Gibraltar, the invincible one - need I go on? I’m sure you get the picture. So tell me, who do you go to when you’re in need of support? Do you deny yourself? Do you not open up? Are you repudiating the fact that you have problems or issues? Do you just hold it all in?

Well God knows us better than we know ourselves. He allows us to fall down sometimes so that we will understand exactly where our help AND the help of others, comes from when we get up. Psalm 121:1-2 KJV …from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

There is just no escaping what God’s plan is for your life. Just let Him take the reins. Stop saying ‘thanks, but no thanks,’ when your little feeble mind tells you that you don’t need to go through the hardships you’re enduring. Let the chips fall where they may. Somehow, by way of those downfalls, you really will be able to help someone in dire need of support. The comfort you will be able to give will have been through experience and the BEST teacher.

So, take your punches and don’t run away. Instead, pick yourself up, pick your space and time, and give Him thanks for it all. Yes, it’s Thanksgiving time! Thank him for what you’ve been through AND as hard as it seems, what you are about to go through.

Blessings,

PJ Payne

The Cost

Do you ever wish you could turn back the hands of time... to relive a part of your life? What if you were a kid again? Would you have done anything differently? Would you have taken a different path, as an adult? Would you have not made the choices that you did? If you did make mistakes, do you think you would have rectified them immediately, had you an opportunity? Or would you have been the 'bad boy or girl', seeking attention?
Do you ever wish...?

The Cost

If I had known yesterday

What I know today

How different would things be

Would I have left or stayed

If I had known yesterday

What I know today

My pace would have been a little slower

Would have paved a brighter pathway

If I had known yesterday

What I know today

The things I deemed important

Would have taken back seat to kids and family

If I had known yesterday

What I know today

I would have walked a mile for a smile

And a tear would not have donned a face

If I had known yesterday

What I know today

Living life, and loving harder

Would have been the order of the day

If I had known yesterday

What I know today

I would have struggled more, 
to give, versus to have

Realizing the rewards 
of the 'price' He paid

What I know today...

Blessing, 

PJ Payne

On Bended Knees...

When we open our eyes each morning, we know not what the day will bring, what obstacles we will face, or what our day will encompass. All we really have is grace and thanksgiving that God has given us another opportunity and ability to see another day. One of His miraculous works... Some were not so fortunate.

 

So what should we do to show our gratitude? “First, give Him the glory for it all!” Thank Him, right now! Secondly, we know prayer changes things. None of us would have made it this far had we not believed in a higher power… in something or someone bigger and greater than you or I… Believing in something as magnanimous as having the ability to watch over us as we slumbered; taking care of our loved ones… even the roof over our heads. What AWESOMENESS! And yet some have the audacity to ‘not believe’? How much more proof do you need?

That’s why I dubbed this article ‘On Bended Knees’. The bend of the knee is the most humbling, yet powerful position one can have. I consider it ‘A Stance’! There is an old saying that comes to mind as I paraphrase… ‘If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.’ Well, what I’m saying is, when you’re on your knees, you’re standing up for what you deem important…

So get on bended knee and stand up –

For Jesus

For your beliefs

For your rights

Hatred to cease

For your family

Your Ethics

Defending your character

Less we forget...

For good health

Our children

Spiritual wars

Healing

For your freedom

The ‘Little Guy’

Humility

NO Genocide

For our Leader

Relief

The Country

Peace

For there is nothing more humbling than the ‘Stance of the Knee’.

Blessing,

PJ Payne 

No Escape

Are there times when you just want to hide from everyone and everything... run away from home, from work, just run away from it all? Well, join the crowd! You are not alone. 

So many of us at some point in life wanted to do that.  More than once, lol. Some may have acted upon it, others like myself didn't have the courage. But good for those of you who had the strength.  Hopefully, you came back. I guess that is why I spend each morning with my Coffee and Thee. It’s  my unwinding time although I may have just arisen from a night's rest. It’s  my time to be with my thoughts, My God, my space, and my Coffee.

Pick your space and maybe, just maybe you can keep your sanity in the midst of it all. Life and things happen! There is NO escaping! But what you must do is “Brace yourself for the unexpected. Then Embrace it!” If you did expect it, you would not have allowed it to happen; especially if it had a negative effect on you or your livelihood. Anything you deem detrimental you block it, right? I heard a sermon recently with a title that says it all. When you go through your trials and tribulations… realize this “It had to happen -” your distress and despair. So stop looking for the reason and start looking for the revelation.  You can make the worst thing that ever happened in your life, work for your best!

There is just no escaping what God’s plan is for your life.

The Plan

Don’t worry about a thing

Tell Him everything

And as changes began to happen

Don’t forget to THANK the Master

Because He already had the plan

He just took it out of your hand

… so there is No Escape

Blessings

PJ Payne

Come Clean!

I've learned that most of the time, we all want to portray our 'best face'… put our ‘best foot forward’! No one wants the world to see their bad side...not on purpose anyway! So we put up a façade; masking the real person.

Are you being true to yourself or those you come in contact with? Do you have a corner of your life that reeks of disarray and disorganization? Do you think to hide your imperfections like wearing makeup, display good character traits? Do you fear getting ‘found out’ so you continue to hide at whatever costs? What portion of your life are these deficiencies displayed? At work, in the desk drawer? At home, in the closet or on that junk table? Surely your flaws they are not visible to the naked eye? When will you finally come out? It’s bound to happen, so why hide? The REAL you will eventually come through, so just come clean!

No matter what you say

No matter what you do

That which you keep in the dark

Is really a reflection of you

You can’t always hide behind a curtain

Stuff you think won’t be seen

Cause when you least expect it

A visitor’s gonna come clean

About how things really look

And it’s ALL about you

They won’t say it to your face

But the truth will come through

And let a visitor open a closet

Which exposes a whole lot

Wow! Do you or do you not have junk?

Is there even a clean spot?

 Be it a secret,

Or be it known

Indiscretions aren't always discrete

If overexposed or shown

Get real, get ready

Make a change, keep it steady

Get it done, make strides

Cause obviously what think you hid

You really didn't hide

In essence what you “don’t” do

Comes out, Comes clean

And says a lot

About you!

~PJ Payne

The Scenic Route

Sometimes answers are right before our eyes and we can't see them. Then God steps in and we finally realize that it was there all along. He allows us to run around in circles by trying to work things out on our own. Our progression is worrying, making wrong decisions, going in the wrong directions - taking a long scenic route.  Then He brings us back to where He wanted us to be from the very beginning. So, with a trail of errors and mistakes behind us, we do what we should have done in the first place – trust and wait on Him!

As a writer/poet, I have found that some of us cannot just sit down and write something. The process may involve concentrating and meditating.  For me, ‘atmosphere’ is everything.  And then there are times when everything just flows.  “Ohhh, such epiphanies!”  But most of all, writing is about development - development via the mind, experiences, tribulations, joys, and sorrows. The culmination of it all allows one to tell his or her story.  If you have a broad imagination, the sky is limitless; but when you go through something, it's surreal and you have no problem telling your story.

I never thought that a prayer I had prayed would be answered by way of a devastating event.  Lately, I had become restless and felt the need to get away from everything and experience something different. My desire was to take a final trip before summer’s end.  I love to drive and survey the beauty of God’s creations. All I need for traveling inspiration is my ‘brew,’ a beautiful sunrise, and in the midst, write about my escapades.  My finances were NOT great, so I knew what I desired was bigger than my pocket. I may be a little late, expounding on such a devastating event, but as time goes on, I realized that I must say something. "Thank you, Hurricane Harvey, for being the catalyst which took me for a ride."

On Friday, August 25^th, as the rain began to fall and the probability of Harvey really hitting Houston set in, I knew I needed to make a decision. Stay or leave?  I was teetering – indecisive, not knowing the magnitude of the storm, at that point.  I love my kids and what most parents don’t want is to be a burden on their young adult children. Although they would not consider it such, I could not encumber them with added stress, if I had other options.  So, through some opposition, fear, reluctance, and finally relief, I made a decision – “And then I felt peace.”  Phil. 4:7 NLT; Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. “I left for East Texas.”  I didn’t realize at the time how God was working it all out for me because what I failed to mention is “stress was not a good fit for me,” since I’d recently been ill. I also did not consider the fact that I was broke – He fixed that too! Yes, I took that long-awaited TRIP I thought I needed. The circumstances were definitely not of my choosing, but His choice.

That week away was an emotional roller coaster as I watched flooding, magnitudes of heroic rescues, displaced families, and even reports of water rising and evacuation in my own neighborhood. At one point my tears were streaming uncontrollably. I felt helpless because I was helpless.  I realize now that the barrage of emotions I felt during the hurricane was labeled ‘survivor’s guilt’.  I was not heeding the peace God had given me on my initial decision because I had begun to worry, even though His word says ‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything…’  Phil. 4:6 NLT. As crazy as it seems, things could have been worse.  So I began praying and thanking God for His grace and mercy!  

As I drove on my return trip, I saw rivers where initially there were none; piles and piles of debris in communities.  I was even re-routed because of road closures. Finally, the sky seemed to open up – sun shining brightly, as though nothing had happened… and I was home.

I may have taken the scenic route

To see what You wanted from me, Lord

I may have taken the scenic route

But in hindsight, saw what You wanted me to see.

To see You working, give You the glory

See miracles unfold, and now tell Your story

of ‘The Scenic Route’