What a fabulous Easter Sunday! Church was on fire! Not to be distracted by Easter outfits our church many years ago decided to worship in white shirts and blue jeans – casual - but the sea of white shirts sent a message that I had not received in years past; yesterday the white stood out so much so that even my daughter Breyona commented on how beautiful it was. Our mass choir blessed us and had the congregation on their feet - “Don’t cry, wipe your eyes…He’s not dead…Nooooo. Don’t weep He’s not asleep….” I didn’t realize that this was a Kirk Franklin song. After our second selection the dance ministry brought tears to many eyes with their rendition of the crucifixion and resurrection. What a powerful message for the seasoned and the babes in Christ. And then my pastor….Everything that happened was a resurrection in and of itself. POWERFUL!!
That evening while still on cloud nine I called my friend Nita in Virginia to send Easter wishes. I could tell that something was strange in her voice; she didn’t sound like her usual self. Her conversation was foggy and from what I could gather life had been throwing tumultuous blows the last few months. That explained a lot because I hadn’t heard from my friend in awhile and usually all it takes is just thinking about her and she would call me out of the blue. As we continued to talk the conversation became unbalanced – she was negative and I was still on the high from church. I can’t recall what we were talking about but I said, “Girl, just let go and let God.” What came out of her mouth shocked me – it was something condescending. Was this my friend Anita?
Just a brief history. When I met Anita in Texas she was going to church when I was still being “churched” by my grandmother; she had a strong personal relationship with God and I just knew Him as my grandmother’s Lord. She was in church every Sunday and I, maybe one Sunday a month (thanks to my friend Janice). Nita was on fire for the Lord; she was also a true friend that never put herself above “the sinner.” After we moved home and she moved to the east coast she and her girls visited me; by then I was a babe in Christ. The anointing that surrounded her blew me away – years later I shared with her that her daughter ignited my thirst for the Word during their visit when she casually said to Anita “Oh mom…Count it all joy.” This, from the mouth of an 11 year old when she realized that car troubles would delay their departure. Count it all joy…James 1:2. God kept Anita around for an extra day because while I was at work she went through my house speaking in tongues, blessing, and casting out anything that wasn’t of or from God.
When I hung up the phone Easter Sunday I knew that my friend would be alright. “Time Lord….I’ll just give her a little time,” I thought as I said a prayer for her. “She’ll be alright….She knows how faithful You are….It was HER child that taught me as an adult to count it all joy when you fall into divers temptation for the testing of your faith produces patience.” It was then that I remembered the focus scripture from my pastor’s message on today. Luke 24:8 “And they remembered His words.”
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