Every Step Counts, Don't Loose Focus

An aspiration of mine is to be able to play every instrument known to man. I currently play the violin, I'm functional with guitar, I can do a little with the piano, and I'm learning to play drums. This isn't very impressive and last night I was thinking about how much more skilled I would be if I paid attention in my music theory courses. Throughout my four years in orchestra, we were required to take music theory courses. Music theory was extremely boring to me, so I never paid much attention. I knew just enough to pass my test and quizzes. I felt my skill was greater than my classmates because I could play by ear, therefore I had no need to read music. After four years of playing violin, a year of guitar and piano, I still cannot read music. Even though I can play by ear, my ignorance in music theory tremendously limits my potential of playing every instrument. Furthermore, I want to write music. I sat down about a month ago trying to write a song and was stuck. Not because I couldn't play it, but because I don't know enough about how it is constructed to be able to write it. Recently, I decided that I was going to go back and learn the basics. So I signed up to take a music theory course. The first three classes focused on the staff, bass clef, treble clef, note values, and identifying notes. (This means nothing to you if you don't understand music. That's okay, it will all make sense in a moment). After lesson three I began to say, this is foolish. I have a good enough understanding of this stuff I just need to jump to learning how to sight read. When I tried, I failed miserably. I was then forced to go back to the basics. What I thought was boring, and not important was actually an essential building block of my dream. 

I had to opportunity to meet India Arie a week ago. Anybody who knows me knows how big of a deal this was for me. We had a conversation about what I was doing with my life, lessons she's learned etc. That was amazing and her wisdom is beyond words. However, one thing that stood out to me the most was during her concert that night before we met when she thanked her guitar teacher who was on tour with her. That blew my mind. I thought, India Arie, the most influential artist of Neo-Soul music, took guitar lessons? More importantly, she is still taking guitar lessons? If SHE is still taking lessons, who am I to think I am too good for them? 

I say all of this to say that you have a dream, a goal, and an aspiration for your life. However, there are some steps that you have tried to skip in order to get there faster. I want to encourage you and let you know that every step counts. Skipping the fundamentals is like trying to be successful in Calculus III without learning how to multiply and divide. Every step of your journey wont be fun, but every step will be worth it if you don't give up. You will make it to your destination faster if you follow the directions of the gps than you will if you try to take short cuts and end up lost. 

Also realize that the person you look up to most, was once sitting in your shoes learning the same basics that you are learning now. More importantly, some of the people you aspire to be like may still be studying some of the things that you feel are a waste of time. There's purpose in the small steps as well, don't miss it. 

 

It doesn't matter what your dream is. It may not be music, it may be sports. It may be becoming an attorney but you don't see the purpose of the math course you must take in undergrad, or the course you must take it law school. Johnny Cochran took that course too. You may want to be an author but you do not see the importance of reading books that you are not interested in. You can learn a lesson from anything in life. Maya Angelo, Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens, & Dr. Seuss probably read things they didn't necessarily enjoy as well. You want to be a doctor but don't see the point of the organic chemistry course you have to take because you want to be a gynecologist but it is all important. You want to be a soldier but don't want to wake up at 4 am for 6 mile runs, it is all important. Whatever it is that you desire to do in life, pay attention to and value learning the basic skills you need. If you skip them now you may end up having to come back to the beginning and taking the steps you tried to skip. 

Your dreams are attainable. You just have to do the work. 

All of the steps on the staircase to purpose are equally important. Don't miss any.  

Be Blessed, 

DeeDee Henderson

Real Love.... I'm searching for a Real Love

I was just up on Facebook and I came across an argument between a believer and an unbeliever over the topic of homosexuality.

The argument broke my heart for many reasons.

1. Throughout the argument it was apparent that the "believer" that was "witnessing" to the unbeliever had completely missed the heart of God, love of Christ, and manifestation of Grace and Mercy freely given to us. 
2. As a result the unbeliever who was considering Christianity was turned away. 
3. Other "Christians" agreed with the person who was condemning the unbeliever. 

When I first got serious about my relationship with God I started condemning everyone around me who wasn't perfect to hell. They still went to parties they were going to hell. They had sex, they were going to hell. They cussed, they were going to hell. As crazy as that sounds, I THOUGHT that I was simply helping people come to Christ by scaring them out of hell and into salvation. However, that is NOT what Christ is about AT ALL. He doesn't want you to want him just because he is more appealing than hell. He wants you to love Him because of who He is as a person, and what He has already done for you out of His love.

Not only is using fear as a means of fulfilling the Great Commission unbiblical, but it is also ineffective. Why? Eventually the fear will die down and people will go back to living reckless. Or, people will realize that no matter how hard they try they will NEVER be 100% sinless. We are human which means we are going to mess up. Which is why we have grace and mercy. No, grace IS NOT an excuse to keep sinning but rather another assurance of Christ love for the believer. Grace is the access code to repentance. Believe it or not, Repentance IS NOT ABOUT SIN. Repentance is about a change of heart. Actions are just actions but we serve a God who judges the heart. So if your actions change out of fear but your heart is still lustful, deceitful, and wicked there is still an issue.

Jesus isn't waiting for us to be perfect He's waiting for us to fall so in love with him that we have a change of heart and start to hate the things he hates not to escape hell but because HE hates them.
When Jesus called the twelve disciples. He did not go to them and point out all that they were doing wrong. He simply told them to follow Him. As they followed Him a relationship was formed where they became dependent on Him and realized that life was better with him than without him. Did they still mess up sometimes? Of course. But they had a relationship with Jesus they broke their heart when they broke Gods causing them to try hard not to mess up again.

The longer they walked with Christ the better they became. That's the same thing with unbelievers today. Introduce them to Jesus as a friend and a brother not an evil, heartless judge. Encourage them to spend time with Him. The more time they spend with Him the more their heart will change. Jesus' entire ministry and purpose of coming was about love. That should be ours as well regardless of the sin.  Focus on the heart and you will be much more effective. Condemning people to hell does way more harm than good. Love the hell out of people don't scare them into hiding it.

Love you with the Love of Christ

-DeeDee

4th Quarter: Almost there

I played basketball when I was younger. I hated losing. So much so that at any point during the game if my team was down, I got angry and had an attitude. I became extremely upset if my team was down by more than 6 at the start of the 4th quarter. In my mind, we had already lost the game. Instead of channeling the annoyance of being down by 7+ into motivation to play harder, I just allowed it to mess up my game. I started throwing lob passes, fowling, missing free throws, etc during the 4th quarter when I allowed my anger over things that happened earlier in the game to get the best of me. 

This infuriated my coach. Being that I played point guard, it was my job to somewhat coach the team from the court. Coming down the court on offense, I essentially controlled the tempo of the game; I called the plays, and got the ball to the teammate in the best position to score. If my head was not in the game, it was difficult for the team to stay focused and to do what they needed so that we could win the game. My coach often had to remind me at the beginning of the 4th quarter to let the past go and focus on the quarter that I was in making whatever improvements I needed to play my best. "Dee, stop allowing things that happened 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarter distract you from what you need to do this quarter. I know you are tired. I know we are down but the game is not over. If you aren't willing to suck it up and let that go you don't DESERVE to win. Get your head in the game and don't let your opponents know you're tired." 

Today, I woke up a little out of it. I was tired, and complaining, about everything lol. Then I started to think about all of the things I need to work on. I started thinking about the areas of my life where I messed up this year, I started thinking about the multiple inconsistent moments in my walk with God, I started thinking about the money I should've saved during the year, the accidents that could've been prevented, the hospital visits that I brought on myself by not paying attention, etc. Just as I was beginning to journal about all I hadn't done, I read on someone's instagram that we are in the 4th quarter of the year. Today is October 1st. We have made it 3/4 of the way.

The realization of being in the 4th Quarter brought me to the bench talk during time out at the start of the 4th Quarter in basketball. Only difference is God was pushing me this time and not my coach. God wants for us to let go of the mistakes we made January-September. We can't focus on the missed rebounds, the turnovers, the fouls, the missed free throws, etc. That will only keep us from faithfully giving our all on the court and doing what it takes to win the game. No matter what position we played on a sports team, we are all point guards to the game of life. The coach, God, teaches the plays during practices (bible studies), Corrects and encourages us during half-time and time outs (Church services, bible studies, fellowship w/ believers, Pinky Promise, etc). However, ultimately while on the field, we call the plays and throw the ball to the person on the court most likely to score a basket (faith, prayer, devotion, praise&worship, etc they are all teammates placed on the court to help us win). The trick however is that we don't know what the other team (life, test, trials, the enemy, etc) will throw at us. Really none of that matters though. All we can do is give our all, forget the mistakes of the past and play hard to win. It's October, all we have left is November and December. We have to make this last Quarter count.

Who cares that you didn't pray and fast like you were suppose to January-September, study your word like you should have, etc. You can't change that now. You can't change the fact that you lost your job, that you got sick, etc. As harsh as it sounds, its time to suck it up and play hard. In the words of my coach, "If you can't suck it up, you don't DESERVE to win." God knows we are tired, but He wouldn't have put us in the game if He didn't believe we could make it to the end.

The opponent/trial/tribulation may appear stronger than you but "The race (game) is not given to the swift nor the battle to the strong"- Ecc. 9:11

Also know that you are not in this alone. There are people on the sideline cheering you on. There are also people on the side that don't believe you can make it to the end and you have to prove them wrong. Show them that God is bigger than any opponent and prepared you to win. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a could 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."-Heb. 12:1


GOD BLESS


** Extra Encouragement 
He, who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it even unto the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain”. I Cor. 15:58

Take it to Jesus

Last night I was really struggling with some decisions I was being led to make. I was struggling with the idea of disconnecting from friends and even some family members. So I took my struggles to some of my sisters in Christ and asked for advice on how to do what I feel God is calling me to do. They gave great advice and the advice was based on the Word. After my sister in Christ finished encouraging me she said, "If you continue to be moved by people you will never hear God. Stand on His truth!" This all leads me to the topic of Today's blog: TAKE IT TO JESUS. 

I realized last night as I was talking to some of my sisters in Christ that I take way more things to people than I do to God. Not to say that we shouldn't have brothers and sisters in Christ that we can confide in but when we are more confident in the word of man than the word of God we have a HUGE problem. It causes God to question where our faith lies, and rightfully so. Jesus is the answer to every concern we have. The way He leads us in is far greater than the way of our friends. It may sound kind of cliché to say "Take it to Jesus". It is the BEST way though. All throughout this journey to healing I have complained about not being able to hear the voice of God or hearing something and not knowing whether or not it was God. Last night I realized, the reason I struggle with recognizing the voice of God is because I never just talk to Him without getting a second opinion on HIS word. I know the voice of friends and family that I confide in because I talk to them regularly. However, the voice of God is not as familiar to me and even when I do hear Him, He is often drowned out by the opinions thoughts and feelings of men. 

We have DIRECT access to God and yet we choose not to use it but then complain about being lost or confused or say that God is not speaking to us. In reality it may be that He is speaking but we are not listening because we are to consumed in listening to others. All throughout the Gospels we see people humbly approaching Jesus for healing and deliverance. How stupid would it have been for those same people to go to a friend and talk to them about an infirmity when they had direct access to Jesus for themselves. Yes, I do believe that we can go to others and have them intercede on our behalf. I have done that on several occasions. There is nothing wrong with that. The problem lies when we can no longer "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own (or any other mans) understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path."-Proverbs 3:5-6

The moral of the story is Take it to Jesus. 

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer".

God Bless :)

Don't Give Up on God

Earlier this week I woke up feeling like giving up. This journey to healing that I am on has been a rough one to say the least. Even more than rough, it has been extremely rewarding. However, often times while we are going through the rough patches of life we forget about all of the rewards and blessing we have received along the journey. Sunday-Tuesday of this week were very painful for me. I had a medical emergency that caused me to doubt God to question if I was really walking into healing or if he had lied ("God is not a man that He should lie or a son of man that he should change his mind"-Numbers 23:19). Then God reminded me of the Children of Israel. They complained and cried out to God from Egypt and then when they were freed and going through the wilderness they complained and cried out to God for Him to supply their needs. God answered their prayer, allowed water to flow from a rock, manna to fall from heaven, etc. However, as soon as they got hungry again they began to doubt God and forgot what He had just done for them before. This is where I was earlier this week. Not only had God spared my life on countless occasions along this journey where doctors doubted me making it, but He promised me from the beginning that "By His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5-6).

I don't know what promise of God you are standing on in this season of your life. You may be expecting God to enlarge your territory and push your business into success, you may be standing on the promise of God supplying all of your needs, you may need God to help you walk in Joy and give you peace, etc. Whatever it is, you've seen Him do it before, if not in your life in someone else's. If God has done it before, He can do it again. If He has done it for someone else He can do it for you. He is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). He's the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Don't give up on God or throw in the towel. Just like He did with the Children of Israel, He made a way out of noway and stuck to the promise that He made EVERYTIME. 

My promise was the promise of healing and I almost allowed my pain to keep me from having faith in the promise. Thursday, God wowed the doctors again and took away all the pain I was having and fixed everything else that was going on in my body at the time. There is NOTHING to big for God. Just be patient and keep the faith. Trust me, God will come through. 

None of the things that you are going through in your life are just for you. God has to allow certain things to happen in His children's lives so that UNBELIEVERS have no choice but to recognize his miraculous power. Me getting sick wasn't just for me, it was so that someone else will see the mighty hand of God healing me when doctors couldn't even figure out what was wrong. You not being able to pay your bills and God coming through and miraculously making everything work in your favor isn't just for you, its so his power may be displayed. 

When Paul and Silas were thrown in prison it was not for them or because they did anything wrong. It was because God needed a greater platform to display His power. Also, don't beat yourself up when things go wrong in your life and think that God is always punishing you for something as I once thought (John 9:1-3). 

Your life is a platform for miracles that will cause others to come to the knowledge of Christ. So DON'T GIVE UP! 

If He promised it, He will fulfill it. 

Love you!

DeeDee

Sickness Saved My Life

Who Am I?

My name is DeNoire Henderson. I am a 19 yr old Atlanta native with a growing testimony. I was born and raised in church been singing in the choir since I was 5 years old. I've participated in just about every ministry in the church and have always had what I felt was a crazy, passionate love for Christ. However, August 2012 I moved to Washington, DC to attend my dream school, Howard University. I got to school and realized that I did not have to continue to have church rule my life. I felt I knew enough Jesus to live crazy and pull myself back to a place of repentance before I went to far astray. Up until college I had never really partied, didn't smoke, drink, have sex, or anything else. I didn't feel I really had a testimony of redemption so how could I preach it. Therefore I twisted to word and said to myself living crazy will actually help my future ministry because God will deliver me out of this and then I can testify. (so churchy and stupid lol) I soon realized though that playing with the devil causes you to go farther into sin than you plan and forces you to stay longer than you intend. Towards the end of October I started going out partying, living recklessly, etc. Eventually I became so wrapped up in "turn up" that I began to loose myself. I tried praying but I no longer felt the presence of God. I tried worshiping but I could never tap into His Spirit. You can't move the devil into your home (temple) and still expect to feel the presence of God there. Long story short this constant battle of who I was created to be vs who I was turning myself into went on from October until almost March 2013. 

March 23, 2013 I made the conscious decision to stop living the way I had been and starting going back to church. On April 4, I rededicated my life to Christ. Even though I made these steps towards God I still felt there was something missing and I prayed "God do whatever is necessary for me to know you better than ever before, I want to experience your power in ways unimaginable." 

April 12, 2013 while doing community service with my classmates I went into anaphylactic shock due to latex powder getting in my lungs. Anaphylactic shock is caused by a severe allergic reaction that causes ones tongue and throat to swell preventing oxygen from getting into the lungs, chest tightness, and the lungs fill with fluid. Anaphylaxis can be fatal. Thankfully in my case it was not. However, because the substance I was reacting to was actually in my lungs my immune system shut down and I fell very ill. Everything that I was even slightly allergic to caused me to go into anaphylactic shock. Which brings me to where I am now. My immune system is still not functioning properly. Since April I have been in and out of the hospital due to my chronic health condition. Doctors have been trying to figure out what exactly is wrong and how to fix it, but have not had any success. 

When I first fell ill I was mad with God because I felt that he was punishing me when I had just made a declaration to live for Christ. However, thanks to my Professor and now greatest mentor I see that getting sick was the answer to the prayer I prayed just days after rededicating my life to Christ "God do whatever is necessary for me to know you better than ever before, I want to experience your power in ways unimaginable." 

Throughout this process I have continued to floor doctors, there was a point where my lungs were not functioning properly but I was never placed on a respirator and the doctors were amazed. I went almost 15 minutes without any oxygen getting to my brain lost all feeling in my limbs and lost the ability to see. However, God kept me and restored me fully. I have been praying to reach the destination of healing but I now realize that healing is not a destination but rather a journey and God is healing and restoring me more and more each day. Before I only knew Christ as a Savior. Now I know God as my keeper, as my healer, as my provider, as my protector, as my peace in the midst of confusion, as my comfort in the midst of pain, and it's all because I got sick. 

Sickness wasn't/ isn't my punishment. It is the answer to my prayer and my reward. I am blessed to be thought so highly of that God would choose little old me to display His glory in. 

John 9:1-3 "As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. ² “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

³ “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him."

Through this blog I hope to encourage, uplift, and inspire others to chase after God with everything and to keep the faith along their journey. I am still undergoing testing and will post blogs about that as well as spiritual testing that God is taking me through. 

God Bless

DeeDee Henderson