I’ve began noticing the foggy cloud of seasonal change again, which causes the roller-coaster lifestyle, like a tilt-a-whirl of emotional dips. Maybe it’s the sun’s lazy-low rotation in the sky or the early sunsets. But the occasional down day, turns into the down week or for some a down season.

Why, oh why do these attacking battles continue to rise up? Just when I’ve counted all my fingers and declared my blessings…boom…it hits again! The Lord showed me that every great victory will always precede a great battle. The enemy wants me to think there is something wrong with me or that I need to be “doing more” or that I’m not doing something right, and should somehow better my life. He wants to busy me with distraction. Because he sees in the spirit what the Lord is preparing for me just up ahead.

Today I am truly more than a conqueror. I finally rose up and began to ask God humbly, ok, I need your help, I’ve had enough ! And he showed me that He has plans for me and he has a Victory, a Reward prepared for me. Right now, I have no idea what this is or when it will be revealed, but I understand the enemy’s attacks on my life much more clearly. Not only did he show me that the cloud of confusion and emotional weakening are tools of distraction and distancing. I never realized that the sadness or the lack of spiritual zeal and the distance I’ve been feeling from being able to go deeper in the presence of God was actually a trick the enemy uses “to Distance Children from the Fathers Heart.”

The days are being released when the hearts of the children will return to the fathers, and the fathers to the children. No longer will we ignore our seniors, but we will long for their wisdom and guidance.

What is the distancing tool being used in your life? It’s good to begin take a deeper look, do some introspection and ask God to show us what are the things in our life that “distance” us from God. Maybe its busyness, stress, worry, fear or like me, those nasty chocolate craving depression days. Just the plain old “yucks,” like Holly Golightly says, “it’s the mean reds.”

Yesterday’s post was on the power of prayer, it’s actually an overlooked layer of the Armor of God. Praying in the spirit will fight off those “mean reds” and help us get through the cloud of confusion and break the ‘down-day’ cycle.

Right after he teaches us to pray in the spirit he says, BE ALERT! (see Eph 6:1 – 19) We often skip over that mandate. We HAVE to wake up, and get alert! Be concious, aware of what’s happening. Are you having marriage problems, sickness, financial problems, car troubles. Take 5 seconds and step out of the chaos and simply say, “Wait! Why is this happening? Realizing immediatly, recognizing instantly, that the battle is not just flesh and blood – something deeper is happening here. It’s a distraction and a “distancing” issue to throw you off course for what God is about to take you through.

Is getting angry over a flat tire, and a spilled coffee worth missing the opportunity to witness to someone and share Jesus with them? Or maybe just taking a day to show your kids a better way, through Christ. Take a second to look beyond the layers, and rejoice, in the face of difficulty. It only means that Jesus has something REALLY great prepared for you, or else your life would not be turning upside down right now!! Be Alert!!!

Every year about time, I start thinking about fasting and closing in on my scriptural reading goals for the year. Maybe it’s because we are nearing the end of the year or maybe it’s just this beautiful Harvest Season that makes me stop, reflect and count my blessings. The bible says, “count them one by one.” Our blessings. That’s really an amazing thought. Literally put your hand up and begin counting. Whether you are a thumb to pinky counter, a pinky to thumb or an index starter, counting up your blessings and looking at the number of fingers lifted up, it doesn’t take much for you to turn those palms around and lift your hands and Praise the Lord!! We are a blessed people, “a chosen generation!” Royal, and called! We truly have so much to be thankful for.

Fasting takes us closer to the fathers heart and prepares us for the next season. It’s a good thing to take some time, and physically sacrifice those moments for Christ. I love the Daniel Fast. No meat, no bread – just veggies. It’s truly cleansing and the new diet full of nutrients truly opens your mind and produces clarity like nothing else. Like Daniel said, it even makes your countenance better than the rest. But another type of fasting I have come to enjoy is the “self-less prayer fast.” Taking 10 days, 21 or 40 days to pray only for others, not my self.

Eph. 6:18, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

What many of us often over look, is that PRAYING in the spirit, is the FINAL layer of the ARMOR of GOD. All of the other requirements have to do with our spiritual body, or with doing something. Put on, take, stand – are all commands for positioning our armor. But the final, and I believe now one of the most important layers of armor to prepare us for battle, is to always keep on praying for all the saints.

This is the ONE weapon the enemy knows he can easily steal from Christians. Last week I was watching Dog the Bounty Hunter. Yes, I like, “The Dog!” There is something inspiring about a reformed rebel committing his life to capture criminals. And it’s so intense when they are closing in on the bad guy. I LOVE it!! ~{smiles}~ Ok, so anyway. The Dog prays before and after all his catches, (despite the potty mouth he has during the chase), even the whole family gets involved to pray. But this week, he said something that I hear time and time again from people pursuing prayer. He asked his little girl to pray for the chase, but he said jokingly “But pray a quick prayer, honey, because God is very busy!”

Many, many, many people fall into that un-truth, that prayer somehow needs to be few and far between. We have somehow narrowed God down to a human sized time-clock…clocking in and out, on our prayer time with God. For the record – this is TOTALLY a wrong thinking, a human insecurity, and an evil thinking. The enemy wants to tell you to hurry up – don’t waste God’s time, he’s too busy for you. But if you look at the truth in the word about prayer, and listen to the voice of God he is crying out for your voice. He’s waiting on you, he wants your prayers!

So, take some time with me this season and defeat the enemy finally, by initiating the final layer of PRAYER to your armor.

Earlier this year, Jesus showed himself “famous” to me in so many ways and has challenged me and pricked my heart. I have realized that all of my endeavors are in vain, if they are not about making Him famous. I tend to be a relationship-driven, communicatin’ lovin’ – people type. It’s who I am….my “Strategic Coach” even says so! Often I find my shameless promotion, a bit over done. The little cheerleader-wanna-be inside of me just can’t stop yelling for the team, even when the game is over, I’m all in! My promotion sometimes doesn’t know when to stop! The over zealous voice tramples the best of me and embarrassed by having said too much, kicks my pride right back into its rightful place.

Earlier this year when I dove head first into the deep end of social media, I researched every fancy bell and beautiful whistle to make my online existence a shiny award winner. I listened to hours and hours of web talks, tutorials and training. Researched new and improved methods of blogging, tweeting, facebooking, bookmarking, social bookmarking, sharing – anything social online I love it – my new VOCAL outlet!

After about three months of my passionate social binge, the Lord finally spoke to me about my efforts. I will never forget his question. He quietly asked me one morning, after checking my social stats for the 5th time that week…seriously, the God of all creation spoke in my heart and asked, “Are you willing to make ME famous?” — I was humbled and heartbroken. After breaking down my wall of selfish promotion, and asking him to forgive me for not keeping him in the center and I finally realized in that moment, I have not been doing ONE single thing to make him famous. I felt the Lord continuing to show me that IF I were to spend even part of my time making him famous, that I should watch and see what he would do.

So I spent the morning meditating on the thought of “making Jesus famous.” What could I do? With all my new found knowledge, i decided to “tithe” my social media knowledge and time, and start making Jesus famous. So I anonymously created a twitter account. I did not promote myself through the twitter site (despite my deep down urge to), its just about Jesus, and his Voice. And I casually promoted the Jesus account on my own twitter site, anonymously. I had no idea where the road would lead. The Jesus Christ twitter is @RedLetterWords – posting only WORDS that Jesus said, you know, the ones in RED, from the gospels. I set up my bells and whistles for Jesus and just let it roll. I even did like most relationships with him….I left for a few months. I didn’t keep my relationship going. I dropped the ball…yes, the Jesus ball was dropped.

For SEVEN months, in fact, I made no real efforts to make him famous. Until last week, when I began to get that tug in my heart again for catching up with Jesus, @RedLetterWords, and start helping him out again in an effort to make him famous. Because surely, he needs it. Well, low and behold, I discovered something that will forever change my view of any effort in making famous the name of Jesus Christ. He IS the MOST FAMOUS ONE! It looks like my marketing efforts are mere “rags” compared to His mad media skilz! To date, over a year of working the twitteruniverse with @JennHudson, shameless self promotion, I have gained/begged/and pleaded for about 300 followers. 275 of whom are probably social marketing spammers, and 25 of whom are most likely real relationships. My Jesus on the other hand, with one nail-scared hand tied behind his back, has “anonymously” grown to nearly 3,000 followers! Yes, he showed me the way, and the truth about marketing, and promotion.

The Word says, “seek ye FIRST, the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” These words that I am speaking today – are from a heart established to live them. Truly, seeking Him first! Promoting Him first!! Nothing else matters.

It’s a song by one of my favorite bands, Pocket Full of Rocks, which says these powerful words:

To make you famous, I’d lift my voice and sing,
To make you famous I’d do anything.
To make you famous, it is my sacrifice,
To make you famous, I’m laying down down my life

I’m compelled with more than just the enchanting melody of a song, it’s the words that captivate my thoughts and motivate my heart. Keith loves to listen to jazz – and I get that. I even like “some” of it. But I’m not really a huge fan of jazz. {roll the critics here} My issue with jazz is that it’s missing the one powerful, dare I say ‘most’ powerful instrument of all – the VOICE!

The voice is more than just a way of communicating. It’s an instrument, a tool that can be many things. A compass, a rudder, a lover, a fighter. The bible says it has power – over Life, and Death. The powerful voice, an intricate organ in the body, is one of the most difficult muscles one could ever train.

When we sing songs, my heart determined long ago, that the words that I would sing MUST exemplify the life that I live. Not only do I strive to live that but I teach and train others to live that way as well. I believe true worshipers must become truth-vocalist. When we sing, “All to Jesus, I surrender, All to Him I freely give.” I wonder, “Do we really?” Well my hearts desire is to please the Father, with the truth, and if we are not surrendering all, we should not be saying it or singing it lightly, until we are truthfully meaning it.

This song, “To Make You Famous” – is a voice of truth that beckons from my heart.

It’s a little girl, in a great big world.

Living out a dream –

of Love and Happiness

lots of people all around

loving with words and compliments

One special Christmas, when we all listened

to the story of a baby

and His mother Mary

How they traveled very far to a star

Then my baby brother cried.

That’s the moment I realized, I realized

That Jesus is alive

Not just a baby in a manger

More than a story to entertain me

A picture of heaven,

born as baby, just like me.

A candle carousel flickered the fans

Christmas flannels and braided curls

A song on the piano,

the warm lights and nice smells

But now there is more to tell.

It’s not just a perfect moment

It’s a life of love,

a never ending promise

of protection and purpose

a best friend forever.

That’s the moment I realized, I realized

That Jesus is alive

He came to save me and make me

a new creation

He came to me,

to set me Free, for His eternity

O how he came to me and set me free

Now my souls alive

because that baby from the story

was more than once upon a time

and now my souls alive

because the baby named Jesus

—he died for me.

written by Jennifer L Hudson, Oct. 2009

Last week when I was researching Faith, for my ladies meeting bible study, I discovered a word that will forever change my thinking about Faith.¬†¬† In Hebrews 11, our “hall of faith” chapter – it talks about all the men of faith in the word who lived their life with the greatest faith man has ever seen.¬† Abraham, Isaac, Jacob did magnificent things by faith. Even Enoch was taken to heaven in a chariot, a product of his faith. Yet, in Hebrews 11:39, it says, “none of them received what had been promised.” But their faith was not in vain! They did not die empty handed, not having received their blessings…instead, what they toiled for is waiting for us, their heirs, to posess. “So that only together, with us would they be made perfect.” We not only have an ownership in the fruits of their faith-labor, but we have responsibility over them! We have a responsibility as heirs to Abraham to walk in these blessings daily….for the perfection of their faith, and ours.

I see it like the ultimate inheritance….one that is out there just sitting in some courts lock box, unknown to us, until one day that box is opened revealing ownership to a wealthy estate. The day the letter is read and the keys to the property are handed to us, is not the day we become the owner – the property is already ours, sitting there in that little dark vault, with our name on it, claiming our inheritance.

When I read Hebrews 11, my heart just leaped with this new understanding. Just because I can look around at my life right now and pin point my obvious situation, does not mean that “someday” hasn’t arrived yet. I’m rejoicing today, that despite my sometimes hopeless situation, bills to pay, car repairs, the groceries to purchase, fighting the flu and every other issue in life…MY name is written in the pages of time as an heir to a promise, an heir to Abraham’s blessings.

Claiming “yes, Abraham’s blessings are mine” sent chills through the air in my home and gave me a new freedom, a new way to worship God, for my inheritance and my blessings!

Has it really been two and a half months since my last posting!¬† Wow.¬† While I’ve still been “mostly” faithful to journal with my beloved paper and pen, [a pilot precise V5 roller ball extra fine blue or black] I felt the need today to come catch up my blog thoughts and maybe add a few notes of inspiration.

Last month, August 20th or so – Keith and I moved into our new home in Montgomery, AL.¬† We’ve scaled the wall and eaten pigs feet (no, not literally), we have been more than conquerors because Jesus has been our lighthouse, our navigator, our ultra GPS – our “God Positioning System” if you would…it’s been a crazy off roading experince that ultimately began just over 2 years ago.¬† In August of 2007, Keith and I sat at a table of decision, he pulled out the giant Sam’s – sized bottle of olive oil, and began to pray and anoint our finances and everything in our home.¬† Every door post, every piece of furniture, every photo, everything seemingly got covered!¬† I was cleaning up grease for weeks!! (just kidding)¬† That night, that prayer moment with my husband began us on a 2 year journey that we will remember for the rest of our life.¬† It was really the beginning of a slow death to ourselves, as Paul puts it.¬† And it all began one night applying the anointing oil in our life.

Anointing. It’s often a forsaken prayer model, but even our Savior, just before his death on the cross took the time to allow himself to be anointed by a woman at Bethany, in one of the most beautiful, heartfelt, touching scenes of his ministry.¬† (Cece Winans describes it best in her song, Alabaster Box)¬† There is power when we apply the oil in our life, and utilize the act of anointing. ¬† It’s not an instantly physical or mystical thing that takes place, like Lucy Pevensie’s bottle of healing oil in Narnia.¬† No, it’s a spiritual power that comes from doing something in the physical and receiving it in the spiritual.

When we pray, we can trust, with confidence that God will answer our hearts cry, he says “Ask and Ye shall receive.”¬† But, he follows in Matthew to say, “whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” The key condition there is “Believing!”¬† Many of Gods directives are conditional.¬† “Seek and ye shall find.”¬† The condition of seeking is needed in order to establish the finding.¬† Praying without believing is like playing ping pong by your self.¬† It just won’t work.¬† You need to have someone on the other side of the table volleying the ball back to you.¬† You can stand there all day long hitting a ball in an empty room hoping it somehow will make it’s way back to you, but it simply never will.¬† Empty prayers are those that are prayed without a right relationship with God.¬† “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you WILL be saved.”¬† You will have a team mate, a ping-pong buddy for life!¬† LOL.

The bible says in James 2:17, “Faith without works is dead.”¬† The anointing is part of utilizing the “actions” represented through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, just like water baptism, communion or laying on of hands.¬† Let me take this a bit further and say, these symbols don’t have to just be used in the four walls of a church building (come on somebody!), remember WE are the church…we are the body of Christ.¬† The body is NOT the building.¬† And the most sacred representation (Eph. 5) of Christs love-relationship to his church “the body,”¬† is marriage — and the love of a husband for his wife.¬† When husbands and wives come together in loving unity, praying together, taking communion together (yes, at home, not at church), anointing each other, “washing with the word” – we are, to put it plainly, kicking the devils butt!¬† He HATES for marriages to succeed.¬† That’s why our divorce rate is through the roof, because the enemy knows if he can destroy marriages, he is destroying the very sacred representation of Christ’s love for his Church.

Ladies, your husband is under attack with temptation, frustration and fatigue, because the enemy has an all out assignment to destroy Christ, and everything that represents him.¬† If he tears the husband away from the family, it’s like tearing Christ away from the Church…and God grieves.

So don’t just pray for your spouse.¬† Believe for him.¬† Don’t just believe for him…work for him, helping him, with acts of service, remembering always, you are representing the church, “as she pours her love for the Master, from her box of Alaster!”

I’ve been working on a few new designs lately…a T-Shirt for a local political organization, my twitter background & a few print pieces. I love visual and graphic design for just about anything. When we talk about events for the church or for the community, my marketing and advertising wheels start churning!

Even though I’m looking for a job right now doing what I know best, admin, or finance — my heart would be most complete working in the back of a sweaty print shop, designing business cards and such. Actually, lets step that up a notch…wedding invitations and such.

People ask me all the time, why don’t I pursue that as a career? *as the excuses begin to fly* — It’s my arch nemisis, alter ego, slightly O.C.D, people pleaser side that cringes at the thought of constant complaints and construction from the public. yikes. it’s there. It’s not just the miniscule issue of receiving ridicule, it’s my “never satisfied with less than the best” attitude, that tends to drive me to perfection.

So the Finance world was a fit for a while….until I found my creative free bird side was going crazy to CREATE!!!

Right now, I’m just having fun desiging my little ads and images, balancing our checkbook and discovering the in-between.

We went blueberry picking early this morning.  It was my first official “blueberry pick” – which started out around 8 AM on a nearby farm.  Keith and I picked until our hearts content.  It was super warm and continued heating up the two hours we were out there.  It was such a peaceful and fresh morning.  There was such an abundant harvest of these berries that our 20 pounds of picking did not even make a dent in those berry bushes.  We could probably go back every morning for the next two week and still have more left.

God really revealed himself to us this early morning.  Keith kept having revelations about finances and the principles of sowing and reaping.  I kept thinking about  the God of the harvest – the Lord of the Breakthrough.  As I reached my hand up to the vine to grap a bunch, one or two would often slip to the ground before I could get my hand back to the bucket.  I kept hearing him whisper, “I am willing that none should perish.”  I kept thinking about the parallels of harvesting souls, capturing them before they fall to the ground.  Also when I came home they had to be washed, weeded of bugs and plucked of the stems that held them to the vine.  Then laid out to dry, and stored…quite the process.  But just like Christians, there are several processes we must go through post salvation – or lest we may fall.  Thank you Jesus for keeping me always in the palm of your hand and teaching me something new and beautiful today on the blueberry farm.

Shipwrecked, nearly dead, alone, floating on remnants of the boats carnage. It’s all that remains from the storms furry. Confused, thirsty and waterlogged, there is still something inside that remains in tact…Hope. Hope to survive, a belief that there must be a reason for you to still be alive. So you fight.

A few months ago, several NFL players went out on a seemingly normal boating trip. A storm rolled into the chilly Gulf waters and against all odds, caused their boat to capsize. The relentless waves were closing in on them and the story ended tragically with only ONE survivor. The media has reported that the three other very strong, enduring athletic men allegedly gave up the fight, was overcome by the hysteria related to hypothermia, took off their life-giving vests and simply “floated off.” Whatever the case, that truly happened with the three other NFL players who lost their life that day, I want to focus on an image that is forever burned in my memory.

It was all over the news that day, the videos of Nick Schuyler sitting on the bow of the boat, clinging to life. I keep seeing him out there all alone, curled up in the midst of the open sea…floating there, in his yellow jacket and life vest all alone, clinging…

Many give up and emotionally and physically cast off every shred of life giving hope and simply float off. I could go on for days on the SCORES of films out there, that we all rush out to experience where the “castaway” finds his way to a lonely island, remains there all by himself, and beyond all hope, returns home someday, now a man of fame, wealth, success and triumph. All because he Survived!

Success is an Island. It’s a very lonely island. It’s found by going from tragedy to triumph. It’s clinging to hope, passion and the enduring belief in the plans God has placed in your heart. Very few go there. Very few survive. But the few that do, have on thing in common…BELIEF.

No matter what tragedy or shipwreck you may be going through or may have gone though in the past…No matter if everyone or every voice around you is screaming for to give up…DON’T!

If you are still in the place where you are still floating alone, waiting, just frozen in the sea of time, lonely, confused over what lies ahead…CLING!! Cling to HOPE. Do not give up. Be warned that your next encounter may just be on an island, a new adventure, a new discovery that will require you to PRESS. (but we will talk about that one in the next journey!)

If you need a personal prayer or word of encouragement….email me – your friend who cares.