Inspirational Moments

Prayer

By Marjorie Middleton

Iam a witness to the fact that prayer changes things. I have a relationship with Christ, my higher power, so I have communication with Him. In that quiet talk time, I share my deepest failures, desires and disappointments. He is a brother, a friend and as importantly, a prayer answering Father.

I have always had a close adult relationship with my parents. Like all children I did not tell them every detail of my life, but they were always available for counsel and listening. Then during the same year I married, they moved to South Carolina. It was an adjustment, but life went on. A few years later when I became pregnant, my then husband and I decided to go to church and change our lives because we were having a baby, a responsibility! We stopped going to clubs and parties. We learned about God, we began a partnership with Him, growing closer to Him daily. The Lord became my confidant and things I never told anyone, I told Him.

Later, as I went through a divorce and my children grew older and life continued, I still held on to God in an ever changing world. I prayed more and more because I needed that constant, ever present assurance of my higher power. There are many benefits of prayer, besides answers. Prayer changes things, not just situations, but it also can:

Clear your mind Calm your spirit Relax your body Refresh your soul

The Oxford dictionary definition of prayer, ’a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God…”

I say all of this to say, I’m grateful for the Lord’s presence in my life. He is radical and reckless for me. He cares for me tirelessly and constantly. In turn, I want to care for those I love in a fearless, radical, every day kind of way. I want to tackle social justice causes in the same way. Everybody deserves love and care. Everybody deserves a home and food to eat. For your families, your friends, your neighbors and this lost world, be an advocate, a change maker. Remember, Christ didn’t live in the palace like the King He is, but instead, lived on the streets with the people who needed Him.

I am so happy to know that during the times when my life feels so full, and during the times when it may feel empty and overwhelming, I always have prayer, my talk-time, and Him, lover of all mankind. What a blessing, what a promise. Reminds me of an old hymn (just the first verse and refrain is a heart-ful):

Blessed Assurance Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior, all the day long This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior all the day long. (song by Alan Jackson)

Prayer should be a pure and honest communication. State your request and wait. We don’t always get what we expect to get, but we always get what we need. Sometimes what we need is painful, but that allows for growth.

My Dad was a resilient person. He was strong, smart and hardworking. Almost thirty years ago he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Studies and successes with this disease have grown since then, so prognosis is more favorable, then more precarious; but, we got through it. In my prayer time with my Mom and siblings, I was assured that all would be well, so I prayed a litany of thanksgiving and appreciation. I knew. Ten years ago my Dad was diagnosed with liver cancer. During this prayer time, I prayed a prayer, again of appreciation and thanksgiving. But, this was appreciation for my Dad’s life and his blessings in my life, my children’s lives and his contributions to all of our family. Thanksgiving that he was the best provider and husband and father he could be. Thanksgiving that he walked me down the aisle when I married and supported me even when that marriage was not successful. Thanksgiving that he got to meet all 12 of his grandchildren and formed an everlasting relationship with each of them. Life doesn’t always follow the rules, at least not the ones we’ve created. Thanksgiving that he would no longer live with pain. He passed away 9 months later. I knew.

My prayer for you, get to know and trust Him. Have a conversation (prayer) with the Lord to start the process. Think of a time when you needed answers, no matter how trivial…”Lord, is this the best suit to wear for this interview?” Sounds a bit silly, but the point is, make yourself as familiar with Him as He is with you. Read about God, worship Him. Communicate with Him in prayer.

Do you remember the story of Job in the bible? He went through so much hardship, unspeakable pain, and every step of that journey the enemy kept telling him to curse God and get that out of the way. Job never did. He trusted in his journey while keeping close communication open (prayer) with his savior. During that time, he asked God, “teach me” (Job 6:24). “Give me understanding” (Job 26:1-14). He was expressing that life seems unfair, feels like an infected and unhealed cut at times. Sometimes we don’t understand, but in order to persevere we must learn that God cares for us and will not allow anything more than we can stand, even when that feels so heavy. Find strength and healing to keep moving through your journey by knowing and accepting His promises to you.

Mind, spirit, body and soul, allow Him to know all of you. Trust in His answers. The power of prayer will help you to overcome all anxiety and worry if you only trust and believe in the Lord’s promises. Philippians 4:6-7 says: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. 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.”

Special Dedication A Wife’s Perspective of a Husband’s Manhood

By Karen McConnell-Jones In Loving Memory of Gregory Jones

What does a woman look for in a man that will take her from courting him to saying,“I do”? This is a question that will allow for real conversation to take place about what manhood looks like from a woman’s perspective. What are the qualities and characteristics that a man possesses to define the true depth of his manhood? This is what women really want to know and are looking for when dating that special someone.

For me, it is true that a man really wants a woman that he can give the three P’s of what is important to him as a man. Being the provider, the protector, and able to profess his love. I guess Steve Harvey kind of let the cat out of the bag or should I say that he let women in on the spoken truth of what a man feels has to happen in his maturity of real manhood before taking in his woman to be.

Even in our young adult dating life, it was important to Greg that he was capable of giving me the three P’s and continuing to work hard to afford us continuous growth and opportunities. One by one, we were able to achieve all our hopes and dreams. Even in our darkest hour, he always had a way of making me laugh and never giving up on the positive possibilities that were on the other side of our challenges.

The true strength of Greg’s manhood was his ability in understanding the essence of a woman, he knew how to be sensitive yet attentive to all my needs. Greg was my biggest cheerleader and very supportive to “all things Karen” without hesitation. Most of all, he wasn’t afraid to show me his vulnerability, knowing I would be his safety net of strength and the protector of his emotions, without judgment.

On our fun side, he allowed me to be the big sports head in the house. During the football season, Sundays were extremely noisy in our house and it was just the two of us. We were very competitive with each other. Even though he played semi-pro tennis, in teaching me how to play I would declare every time that I was going to beat him and yet every time he would win. And on those rare occasions that I would win, trust me he didn’t let me win, I knew he was proud of me because it showed that his teaching skills were paying off. So, at the end of it all I guess it still was a win for him. DAG!!! He just beat me again! GET IT?!

I am grateful to God for allowing me to have the experience of a loving marriage, a husband that knew the importance of real manhood and how it relates to a healthy marriage.

Community Hero

Persistent

Vision & Purpose Community Magazine

(VPCM): Tell us about our Community Hero?

Dwight Williams (DW): I was born in St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands and raised in Jamaica Queens, New York. I am a commissioned officer with the Maryland Army National Guard, a graduate of Bowie State University, and a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. In addition, I am the Vice President of Marketing for Elements Haircare Products Inc. Lastly, I believe this article will shine some light into who I am and my background in general, as I’m just a servant of the community.

VPCM: Tell us which branch of the military you serve and why serving your country is important to you?

DW: I am currently serving in the Maryland Army National Guard; I was previously active-duty Air Force and Air Force Reserve. I grew up in Queens, New York. After migrating from the Virgin Islands and growing up in Queens, I saw a lot of people I knew fall prey to the system, but in the middle of that there were a lot of beacons of light that showed me that no matter where I was raised or how bad the environment might have been you can make it out. I applied to take the military entrance exam for the Air Force and on my first attempt I scored well enough to get into the medical field, although I was led to take another path in the military. Serving in the military is important to me because I am willing to perform the duties that are needed for our country and give my life for these positive role models that lead our great nation. VPCM: What is your greatest strength/asset?

DW: My greatest strength/asset is what becomes when my ability to think outside the box, resilience, drive is combined. It’s easy to focus on one strength but in some aspects, I function on a higher level and the ability to do that isn’t based on any one strength.

Resourceful Ambitious

VPCM: How do you use your gift/talent to give back to the community?

DW: I’ve been in the Air Force, Air Force Reserve, I’ve been a Nevada State Trooper, a Federal Corrections Officer, I’ve been at the low end of the academic spectrum when I was in high school, I’ve been on the dean’s list in college, I’ve started a few corporations, and multiple small businesses. I give back to the community in multiple ways, I’ve mentored multiple young adults in the foster care system, I’ve volunteered at high schools in the local community and most of all I mentor my soldiers who make up the Prince George’s County Community as well as the Baltimore County community. I share my experiences to let young people know they have multiple options and there are multiple outcomes based on how they execute those options.

VPCM: What does community mean to you?

DW: To me the very concept of community is similar to the neuro network of the brain. Community is a powerhouse when harnessed for a given purpose. I grew up in the New York City during the 80’s and while I witnessed the unhinged wave of destruction carried out on the city, it was one of those drug dealers who told me to focus on school and as a backup how to defend myself if I got into a bad situation that I couldn’t get out of. There’s no real glamor in some of the decisions that members of our community make, but in most cases, there is an opportunity to steer that person away from the wrong path. DW: I think initially what inspired me was the people who told me that I wouldn’t amount to anything in life. Why these people tried to feed me that I don’t know, but that drove me until I got to Jr. High school and met my English teacher Mr. James C. Morris; he dressed like he was in one of those old school blacksploitation films, but he was the most confident person on the planet as far as I could see. He once had a writing contest in the class, and I just wrote a creative story and won the contest. That was my first time winning anything and I believe it was just the situation of an adult recognizing something in me that was positive. The next person was Mrs. Barbra Quade. After returning from my second military deployment I decided I wanted to become a military officer and she was the first person to believe that I could do it. She died of cancer and although it took a while, I kept that promise to become a commissioned officer.

VPCM: What does Vision and Purpose mean to you?

DW: To me Vision and Purpose means it only takes an idea and the rest is execution, everything else boils down to how long it may realistically take to carry out a thing.

VPCM: Give an affirmation quote and/or biblical scripture to live by?

DW: I’m reminded of part of a poem I memorized during my early days in the frat (Kappa Alpha Psi). “It’s easy to be ordinary, it takes courage to excel. Excel I must because all the world is at the edge of its seat” the original version was by Baldwin Wallace University coach Eddie Finnigan “It is very easy to be ordinary, but it takes courage to excel, and we must excel.”

V&P Men of Honor

Celebrating National Brother’s Day and National Military Appreciation Month