Christina Speaks

What a tragic time. What a glorious time. It may sound odd for me to think there is anything glorious about this current season, but I see God’s brilliance and glory during this dark storm. You know those sunny days that suddenly find themselves assaulted by dark clouds that move in so fast and aggressively, that for a moment you wonder if it’s the end of the world? There is thunder and lightning so vicious that it shakes you to your core. That’s what the last few months have felt like. But sometimes in the middle of those storms, it gets quiet. A breach appears in the darkness, and the sun bursts through! It’s a juxtaposition of beauty seen in the dark and the light. During this darkness, there are still people reaching out to others, expressing their love, expressing their concern, and sometimes even their lack of understanding. Hearts are being changed. There seems to be so many “sides” in this battle, but it’s important to understand this isn’t a battle between me and you, black an

Within the last few months, I have often found myself feeling somewhat paralyzed, not knowing what to do or where to go. This current season of life is not one that I nor any of you have ever experienced. I feel like I’m running around in circles like a chicken with my head cut off. It’s ridiculous! It really is. I mean, I know the Savior. I know THE Creator. I know the Guy in charge of it all. I not only know Him...He knows me. He even loves me. He knows and loves you too. There is no reason not to have a direction. There is no reason to worry about the future. Though we have never had to work through a scenario like this, God came before us. He knew this was going to happen and He’s got it covered. We can trust that. So let’s get our heads on straight and remember a few things He has told us before. “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead

As I traveled over the weekend, looking out over a kingdom of clouds, I was reminded that this world is not my home. I remembered who it is I belong to, and owe my allegiance to. I was so touched by the scene outside of the window, I recorded it so I could reflect on it later. When I leave this place, it’s important that I am ready to answer for the actions and the time I spent here on earth. Tomorrow is not promised, so let’s stop a moment and consider all that is going on in our country and world. What is our part in it? If Jesus came right this minute, would you be ready? What would you be looking at? What would you be saying? How did you just treat that family member? That friend? That guy in the other car? That person on Facebook? Who have you helped? Who have you loved? Did you choose love over pride? (1 Corinthians 16:14) Have you given your life to Jesus? Friends, it’s time to take a good hard look at our lives and who or what we have placed in the center of them. I don’t know

I am really happy to share a special guest with you. Her name is Jamie Fuller and she is like a sister to me. She continues to inspire and encourage me in my walk with God as well as my ministry, and I am grateful for her presence in my life. She has an incredible gift of writing and communicating God’s word in a way that pierces my heart. I believe that this message will bless you as it has blessed me. Bothered or Broken Ezekiel 21:6 Son of man, groan before the people! Groan before them with bitter anguish and a broken heart. Here we see God command the prophet, Ezekiel, to cry out in grief in front of the people overcoming judgment. This was not just hunched shoulders or simply a sad face. This was a complete physical display of brokenness over sin and it’s consequences. Almost two years ago, while at work, I received word that my dad passed away suddenly. There was no wrestling with how I was going to respond. My soul was crushed and I physically fell down on the nearest couch in t

Okay, I’ve got some more things on my mind. (I know it’s shocking). There is a lot of hate and anger in this world, and I feel especially upset when I see it come from Christians. There are many decisions being made in this country right now. Some of it we can take part in and some of it we can’t. When it comes to the rights of human beings it has somehow become a gray area. Is there anywhere in the Bible that has not been clear about loving humans? Humans are sinful, right? Humans. If you consider yourself a human, then you are sinful. One thing so many of us struggle with is feeling THAT person’s sin (or opinion) is worse than ours because it’s different. Somehow, we have ranked sin according to our own opinions. It is true that there are different consequences for different sins, and maybe that’s what has made us feel some are worse than others. Each certainly affects us differently. However, it needs to be made clear that all sin, any sin separates us from God. To God, sin is sin.

As Christ-followers we are called to stand out and look different from the rest of the world. I see that happening, but not always in a positive way. It grieves me. I beg every person whose eyes land on this message to take time to ask God to show you where in your heart things need to change. I know that I know that I know we can help make a change in this country if we start with ourselves. It may not be comfortable, but it will be worth it for every single one of us. Her e are some powerful words I read the other day in my devotional book. “GOD IS LOOKING FOR MEN AND WOMEN WHOSE HEARTS ARE FIRMLY fixed on Him and who will continually trust Him for all He desires to do with their lives. God is ready and eager to work more powerfully than ever through His people, and the clock of the centuries is striking the eleventh hour. The world is watching and waiting to see what God can do through a life committed to Him. And not only is the world waiting but God Himself awaits to see who will

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it might take to heal our nation. An image of Jesus on the cross keeps coming to mind. You see, our Creator, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, loving God knew. He knew what it would take to heal the world. Sacrifice. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 In Genesis 22 we learn the story of Abraham and Isaac. God told Abraham that He wanted Him to sacrifice His only son on an altar. It’s not something Abraham wanted to do.  It’s not anything he was comfortable with. In fact, I imagine that Abraham grieved over what he was asked to do, yet he still chose to be obedient. What he didn’t know is that God never intended to take Issac. He wanted Abraham to show his trust in God. I don’t think many of us are asked to sacrifice our children in a literal sense, but I do believe that God calls for sacrifice in our daily lives. If we claim to h

Do you ever base whether something is good or bad for you by the strength of emotion you feel? Yeah, me too. However, I have realized that’s not a very good indicator as to what is best for me. For example, I have been feeling blah over the last several weeks. I read God’s word, and know His words are true. I believe them. I can apply them to my life, but I don’t always feel great emotion over them. So, when asked how I keep such a positive outlook, the answer is simple. I CHOOSE TO. I don’t always feel happy, but I still have joy. I don’t always feel God, but I know He’s there. I can’t always see how something could possibly go right, but I trust that God will work it out. I’ve learned over the years that sometimes you have to keep doing what’s right regardless of how you feel. My youngest daughter told me last night that she is struggling to find the words to speak out about racism because she hasn’t personally experienced it (Thank God). She recognized that because she doesn’t FEEL

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” -Ephesians 3:20-21 Yesterday we talked about knowing that God CAN, but not being sure He WILL. What we do know is that He is able. What we ask or imagine is very often nothing close to the perfect plan He has already laid out for us if we allow Him to  work. I don’t know about you, but the thought of that is really exciting to me. God has the vision and power that we will never have, and He loves us more than anyone else possibly could. He is dying to give us incredible gifts. In fact, a part of Him did come to this place and die for us, in order to give us the most incredible gift of eternal life with Him. These days feel just. . . UGH! There are moments and sometimes days when it feels like God is far away. This place is a mess. Today I want to remind you tha

I know I’m not alone when I say that I often struggle with the question, “I know God can, but will He?” It’s ultimately a trust issue. The truth is, I wonder if He is going to do what I feel is best for me. Will He do what I want Him to do? Well, there are some things that He has told us in his word, that really should cover it all. First of all, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a huma n being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” -Numbers 23:19 We can believe He will do what He says He will do. He loves us and wants the best for us. We can believe He will never leave or forsake us. “The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”Psalm 121:7-8 There are things that do not happen the way we had hoped or planned. We often think we “know” the exact outcome that will make us feel happy, or complete, or satisfied. Then, it doesn

Yesterday, I read something that I needed to be reminded of. The last few months have been rough for most of us, and for those who are Christ-followers, it is important to remember what the path of faith looks like. “The path of faith is one of sorrow and joy, suffering and healing comfort, tears and smiles, trials and victories, conflicts and triumph, and also hardships, dangers, beatings, persecutions, misunderstanding, trouble, and distress. Yet “in all these things we a re more than conquerors through him who loved us” -Romans 8:37” (Streams in the Desert devotional). The path many of us have agreed to take is not always going to be smooth and peaceful, but knowing that God has already spoken about it in His Word, gives me some peace and a great deal of joy. God knew what life would look like for each one of us, so He has been ready for it since the day we were born. He knew the struggles we would have, so He sent His Son to conquer the enemy. So now we can stand in victory, but we

If you’re like me, you try to avoid pain at all costs, but there are times it strikes, and we are unable to avoid it. How we deal with it has a lot to do with the lenses we view that pain through. Many of us are experiencing various forms of pain today. Some are physical, some mental, and a lot is emotional. Though God never originally intended pain to be a part of our lives, He has allowed it.  It is often very difficult to find any purpose in pain or suffering. That’s where faith comes in. All things (even the bad things) can work together for the good of those that love Him and have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). That is the lens I choose to look through when dealing with the pain that comes along with being a part of this world. I choose to find value in it and use it for the glory of the Lord. God is doing something new. What can you see inside of your pain? “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for gre

Please join me in humility and prayer as we ask God to search our hearts and show each one of us where to make changes. Friends, this is where the healing starts. “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me

I’m going to keep real here as always… I have been struggling to “celebrate” the 4th of July, as I now see it through new lenses. I can’t forget that everybody was not really free until June 19, 1865, eighty-nine years after “Independence Day.” I can’t forget, and that’s okay. But then, this morning, I watched a video of a Godly black man, speaking about who we believers are in Christ, and my thoughts shifted. Before I am a black woman, I am a child of God. I am a believer. I am a Christ-follower.  Because of who I am, I must first focus my mind on things above. I realized that instead of focusing on the positive things about this country, I have been really distracted by its faults. Now, that’s not to say that I should ignore the things that are wrong and work to help fix them, but I cannot allow that to block my view of what has gone right. I cannot deny that many of the things the forefathers did, do indeed benefit me today. I can at the same time recognize that we still have many t

Yesterday was difficult. So today I’m just going to go “Christina RAW” with you. Yesterday I felt very frustrated as well as angry, hurt, sad, and confused. I spent many moments of the day in tears. There are many people out there who follow my page. Some who actually know me, and some who only know what I write. Most who proclaim how much they love me, have learned from me, and believe in my me ssage. . . until I begin to talk about what it feels like to be a black woman in America, or share truths about America that are uncomfortable, then my words often become invalid or viewed as “politically driven.” These truths make people angry. I don’t understand it. How does one love another, yet become angered by their truth? I know it’s delightful to hear me talk, and read writings discussing the truth of God’s love for each of us, how He is always with us, how He works in our lives, and how just, beautiful He is. It’s easy for most of us to hear those things. They make us feel good. They m