These were the words of a black, young, single, hungry, mistreated, and pregnant immigrant slave girl named Hagar. She ran away from her mistress, and found herself near a desert spring. She was alone, afraid, and stuck between a rock and a hard place. The rock was her mistress behind her and the hard place was the unknown in front of her. She saw no help, and her gods were back in Egypt, far from where she stood. She had no hope and if we could’ve warned her, we’d say, “you in danger sis!” So, who was going to save her from the unforgiving desert?
This was the first time I saw an African woman chosen by God to reveal Himself. It was an important lesson in the way God operated. As a pagan she wouldn’t call the Israelite God her God and yet, even though she didn’t claim Him, she experienced what only a few people in the Old Testament experienced. She saw God seeing Her. As a result, the Lord became Her God.
In this post-pandemic, and unfair world, isn’t the question for many, especially minorities, does God care? Do we have to be a Christian for God to see our suffering? Can He give us hope in our despair? Those questions are important but equally important is knowing that only the Lord God has the answers! By exploring the Godhead, we will discover His love that’s powerful, intimate, life-changing, and welcoming. He will reveal His heart to us and we will see the God who sees and cares about every detail of our lives.
There is great news, someone has the answer! He is the Rainbow promising you hope. He is a Lamp whose light breaks through this dark and ever growing wicked world. He is the Word who became flesh. He is Jesus! He is introduced to us in the pages of the inspired Word of God, also known as the Bible. It is a love letter written as a story about His relentless love, which caused Him to do the unimaginable. He suffered and died so that we can be saved and have an abundant life.
How can we feel our King’s deep and intimate love? By reading, listening, experiencing, and following the instructions He left for us in the Word of GOD. Our future is in there! Each line will leave you in awe of our King’s great love. Each story will personally invite you into a sacred relationship where your freedom, well being, prosperity, eternal life and so much more is His priority! If we believe in Jesus the Christ and His sacrifice of love, through His blood we will be free from the penalty of sin! In this world filled with uncertainty and fear, may you through God’s Word experience His hope, grace, and truth, security, peace, and wisdom, faith, blessing, and joy!
Mdiv
(1+1+1=1)
(THREE IN ONE)
- Deuteronomy 6:4 – Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
- Deuteronomy 6:4 – Hear Israel Yahweh our God Yahweh [is] one.
- The Godhead: 1+1+1=1
1+1+1=1? I know, the math isn’t mathing. It’s not supposed to. The Godhead can’t be fully understood but we can experience Their powerful roles in our lives. Let’s start simply.
Yahweh means the self-existing One. Elohim, first found in Genesis 1:1, is “a Hebrew noun, plural in form but understood in the singular, meaning ‘God.’” This means that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are plural in their roles but singular in existence. One author wrote,“God works in a triune pattern—from the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit.”
- God the Father’s desire, is for us to spend time together, love Him, and be His friends.
- God the Son (before becoming Jesus) was the Creator of the world. The one who spoke “Let there be light” and made us with His hands. He became Jesus the Christ to rescue us and redeem us. He is also praying for us!
- The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Godhead. He keeps careful watch over our lives 24/7. He executes God’s plans for us, helps us see the truth of who God is, gives us the power to declare Jesus as Lord, saves us, and so much more.
Anytime I feel like I don’t matter or question where God is in my life, I remember the power of His love gives my life meaning. Please remember, a relationship with God matters! How He cares for us may not add up, but He has our backs in three distinct but very important roles. His Love offers us hope.
Mdiv (Chaplain)
Abba Father transforms the act of creating into something holy. In this space, He meets us with tenderness and reminds us that we are His masterpieces. Whether we’re painting, journaling, or shaping something with our hands, it’s not about how perfect it looks; it’s about how honest it is. Every brushstroke or word in obedience, becomes an offering of trust, a way to connect with the One who knows us best.
For me, the art space is more than just a place to make something; it’s where I meet God. It’s where I feel seen, safe, and free to explore who He’s called me to be. Abba Father invites us to rest in His presence, to lay our burdens at His feet, and to create not from a place of striving but from a place of love. Every piece we create in partnership with Him becomes a reflection of His grace and a testimony to His healing power. Partnering with God in the creative space means we obey His will. Calling God Abba, follows Jesus’ surrender saying “Father, I will obey you.” It’s not just about creating a masterpiece for the world; it’s about letting the Master work within us.
Mdiv (Artist)
Theoretically, Jesus could have shown up, picked a fight, gotten killed, and gone home. Instead, God intentionally chose to place God’s Self in the position of needing His mother to burp Him and wearing clothes that had holes. God felt the pain of a friend being embarrassed to be associated with Him. God faced God’s own mortality.
Why? Maybe because God knew that when Jesus encouraged us to “Be of good cheer because “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), it would ring hollow if He’d only breezed through for a week. The triumph over a world that has too much pain, too much sickness, and too much death is not complete without Him living the agony and persevering.
But I believe there is more. God came to live with us because He promises that He is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18) and knows that those in pain need the intentional presence of someone who understands and helps bear their burden. So He did. And does.
Christ Jesus, who is God, considered it worth it to leave heaven, share in our human nature (Philippians 2:6), and be with me in a world that feels too much. Our difficulties or problems are not too much. And because He did, in Jesus we have living proof that team God is team us, and team God has already conquered a world in crisis. For today, that is enough.
Mdiv
(Artist/PhD Candidate)
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26, NIV). He also told them: “But I tell you the truth; it is better for you that I go away, for if I may not go away, the Comforter will not come unto you, and if I go on, I will send Him unto you.” (John 16:7).
Jesus was saying that in His human body, He couldn’t be everywhere at the same time but they did not have to worry, He had their backs, God had a plan. God, the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, Helper, Counselor, and Intercessor, Teacher, and Guide, would come and “be present” with them.
As a hospital chaplain, I have the honor and privilege of ministering to people in their most vulnerable moments. I get to “be present” with patients and their families. I sit with them as they receive difficult news, such as learning that a loved one is nearing death. I comfort them as tears roll down their faces. I simply sit. That is precisely what the Holy Spirit does. He “sits” with us in our most gut-wrenching moments of sadness, anger, and pain. He ministers to us, meeting us right where we are. The God of the Bible — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, invites us to experience His presence. He is near when we are entering, already in the middle of, or on the other side of any storm life throws at us.
Mdiv, Hospital Chaplain
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (NIV).
Another way is in exploring the intricacies of nature. The book, Steps to Christ, speaks about God’s love revealed in nature. The author shares that when we open our hearts to God, our hearts will be impressed with the love and glory of God when we see how He is revealed as the Creator whose hands made the world. Every tree, flower, and the rest of creation will miraculously speak to us, inviting us to know Him better as our Creator.
A relationship with God gives us a new lease on life (2 Corinthians 5:17). We will be forgiven, growing in grace and love, spending time with Him. With God, we will be able to hope in despondency. In God, we can be content without feeling isolated. We can experience peace in chaos and grieve well, instead of staying stuck in our pain. It’s the best decision you will make for yourself and your family. Accept God the Father to be your ABBA. Accept Jesus the Christ as your Savior, He is praying for you. Welcome the comfort, guidance, and power from the Holy Spirit. Place all of your trust and believe in God’s plan for your life. It is a great plan and He will save you.
Mdiv (Chaplain)