Happy New year! What expectations do you have for the new year? I believe HOPE should always be our mentality. The fact that God is so good, and He can do anything but fail means we can always have high hopes. It is a misperception if you ever think good things are not ahead in your life. I am not suggesting that you will not have misfortune and challenges. However, I do believe God’s intentions for you are to bring good things in your life.

All things are working for your good. Not somethings, not isolated things but you must see the big picture. When you put all things together then you will see all the good that is coming in your life. For that reason, I believe you can expect great things this year because some things are going to finished. There are some things that God did that set you up for what He is about to do in your life NOW!

December is a very special time for us all. It is when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is one of the most amazing fulfillments of prophecy that God sent His only begotten Son into the world to save mankind. While we exchange gifts this Christmas nothing can ever equal the gift God gave us in His Son. As it is the last month of the year, it is also a time to take stock on where we are and prepare for the new season. With great anticipation, I am looking forward to building from what God has done and launching forth into all He has planned for me in the future. I just believe there will be more in 2024.

November is known for the holiday of Thanksgiving. What a wonderful time for family and friends to get together around a meal and celebrate how God has given us so much to be thankful for. This year my two daughters were here for Thanksgiving. It had been a while since we were able to have both to spend time with us for several days. I must say it was an invigorating experience to have heartfelt conversations, shopping, and catching up on what has been going on in their lives. While I did shed several tears when they left, I am so thankful for the honor and blessing to be their mom. I hope you are thankful for how God has blessed you this year. Of course, there are always challenges but there is so much that we can be grateful for because God is good all the time.

October is a month of transition in Maryland. It is the time when the season starts to change, and cold weather starts to set in. The color of the leaves is the most pronounced part of the landscape and the trees become bare. The most difficult times in our lives are always during times of transition. There is something about change that causes additional stress and uncertainty in our minds. However, the nature of life is that things are always in transition. God is the eternal Stabilizer. Our lives are always in flux. However, He is forever God. He is a rock and a foundation. We can always count on Him to be there for us and to help us as we navigate through the changes in life. I pray that you will rely on and trust in Him more and more. I hope you discover that no matter how different things may become God is always the same. Faithful, loving, and a supportive God.

I love the month of September! So many wonderful things happened in September for me personally. It is the month I was married to my husband of 41 years. It is the month where I moved into my home of 23 years. It is the month of many celebrated victories, blessings and breakthroughs in my life. It is the month when fall arrives.

There is something about the beauty of the leaves changing and temperatures cooling that is decorative and inviting. A time of refreshing and transition. I pray you will enjoy God’s beauty in creation and comfortable conditions. But most of all, you will reflect on his goodness and with great anticipation look forward to all that He has in store for you.

August represents the end of the summer. Children go back to school, vacations come to an end and the regular routines are back in place. Warm weather in Maryland gives way to the cool temperatures of Fall. I believe just as the seasons change because of the earth tilting away from the Sun, God is requiring us to adapt to the changing seasons in our lives.

Life is movement through the various seasons God is taking us through. Learning what God is doing is how we thrive in all seasons. I want to encourage you to make the most of whatever season you are in. Each season has certain advantages and challenges. Learn to enjoy the advantages as well as from the challenges.

At this season in my life, I am learning to live with changes. The pandemic and many other things have altered life as we have known it. This is a time to take on these changes and see how God is bringing us into a season where He can bless us in new ways. This is a season of new beginnings. Where we currently are is the place God intended us to be. Look forward to a change in seasons. God has special things for you at this time in your life.

July is the month where our country celebrates freedom from the oppression and bondage of the mother country England. It is when the founders of this country decided to assert their right to self-determination. Freedom is one of the core principals our country is based upon. While we celebrate the birth of this nation and the courageous actions of the founding fathers, it is also a great time to celebrate the work of Jesus Christ in liberating us from the bondage to sin, death, and the grave. Jesus was the greatest liberator to ever walk the earth.

As we reflect on political freedom, we should also reflect on our liberty in Christ. We must actively seek to rid ourselves from unbelief and the strongholds brought about by flawed thinking. We must dedicate ourselves to applying the Word in our lives so that we can be uninhibited and unrestricted from experiencing the abundant life Jesus intended for us to experience. I pray your goal this month is to “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1.

Summer arrives in our lives. This is a time to enjoy good weather and quality time with the ones we love.  Vacations and cook-outs are the kinds of activities we have during the month of June.  I believe this is a prime time to spend some quality time in the presence of God.  It is my firm belief that prayer is the most important spiritual activity anyone can engage in.  The degree and extent to which pray is the measure of your relationship you have with God.  In other words, you are not anymore closer to God than the amount of time you spend in prayer.

I want to strongly encourage you to set aside time to find an elevated place like a mountain and pray. Or what about going to the beach and meditate as you watch the rhythmic waves coming in and retreating to the ocean.  It is great to go places to relax but it is best to go into the secret place of the highest.  Maybe you can’t travel to a faraway place but what about traveling in your spirit to the throne room of God.  June is the month for prayer, and I hope you will make it a time to seek the face of God. I encourage you to meditate on Psalm 91.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Never in the history of mankind has there ever been a time when focusing on mental health is so important. Even though we have seen the numbers of those affected by the pandemic decrease substantially, the effect on the mental health of people remains a major concern. The isolation and social distancing have had a major effect on the mental health of people everywhere. We must take special measures to ensure our mental health is not taken lightly.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with addressing mental pain through counseling and therapy. I encourage you to be honest and open about how you feel. We need to remove the stigma associated with mental illness and recognize it is more normal than we want to acknowledge. We must take our mental health seriously and realize the need to manage ourselves in a way where we can maximize our own sense of well-being.

Just as we are careful to go see a doctor when we experience physical symptoms, we must also seek help when we experience mental discomfort. I hope we can learn to not be ashamed when we experience mental pain. It would be so wonderful if we could learn to access experts in the mental health field instead of suffering with things in our lives because of what people may think. Whenever you are reading this blog, I want you to know that it’s not too late to get help. It starts with each of us being honest and transparent about our mental health.

Decide to be a part of changing the way we view mental illness so that healing and wholeness can begin to take place in record numbers. Let’s not allow Covid’s impact to continue to be a detriment to our mental health.

My prayer is that you will make your mental health a priority and live healthy lives by accessing God’s Word.

Matthew 4:23, says; And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

We also have a Counseling Ministry at Cornerstone Peaceful Bible Baptist Church.

Feel free to Contact us at 301-868-8364.