C4 Connextion Corner

  LOVE BROUGHT US BACK FROM THE BRINK TRANSITION 4 TRANSFORMATION Transition— movement passage or change from one position, state, stage, subject, or concept Transformation —Change in form, appearance, character, and nature We would all concur that 2021 has been another transitional year! There have been gains, losses, misses, and lessons! We've been up, down, right, wrong, crooked, straight, bent, broken, delighted, surprised, elevated, promoted, sharpened, setback, setup, empowered, encouraged, and equipped! As the waning hours draw to a close and we use tools of inflection as well as reflection, if we're completely honest, we will truly admit and acknowledge that LOVE (Agape) rescued us even if we did not recognize we needed it! Love as God displays it through the entrance of His one and ONLY beloved begotten Son full of grace and truth! Real love indeed is an action, a behavior. It's identifiable! It's visible, palpable, not just an emotional moment! W...

Transition for Transformation: The Prerequisite by Taji Brown Focus Scripture: Philippians 4:4-7- "Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." A prerequisite must happen first or something required as a prior condition. For example, having money is a prerequisite to purchasing something. I can remember when I met with my academic advisor when it was time to register for classes at my university. Before taking any courses specific to my major, I had to take prerequisite courses. These classes were the first steps I needed to take before becoming who I intended to be based on my desired major. In a nutshell, "you have to crawl before you walk." I find...

A Repositioned Life During our 2nd week of Advent, let’s look at how we can reposition ourselves to see Jesus clearer than we have all year. Thanks be to God he saw humanity and knew we were in need of a savior, sent Jesus to us, Jesus the Light of the world! John 8:12 Reposition: The return of something to it’s proper position. To place or put in a new position; to position again. Change places or direction. If you have ever been sitting in an uncomfortable position, maybe legs crossed for too long time, you may have experienced a leg or foot falling asleep. Your body becomes agitated, and tingling may begin. You might feel numb and stiff. Most likely it will register to your brain that the body, “is in pain!!” You should begin to reposition yourself in your chair to feel more comfortable. Reflecting on Jesus this Advent season, we see his entrance into a numb and sleeping world void of God’s light. Let us take the opportunity to reposition our lives from unbeliever to believer, fr...

  Transition for Transformation: The Power in Pivoting Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical calendar. I guess it's only fitting that the church year begins with the reminder that Jesus is coming. The Advent season, often conflated with the Christmas season, recognizes the initial coming of Jesus to Earth as a means of reminding us that he's coming back.   Through this, we acknowledge the gospel through the birth, the life, the death, the resurrection, and the second coming of Jesus Christ. The gift of this reminder is that it allows us to reposition ourselves for him to come back. It reminds us that our time is limited and should be used wisely. I have learned the lesson that in life, it is genuinely impossible to remain still. Despite the reality of us taking our feet off the pedal, we are unable to stop moving. Regardless of the speed, we are either moving forward or backward. The weight of this reality is that we often don't know we are moving backward unti...

  POWER OF PRAYER by: Rev. Lula A. Baker James 5:17b The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous person avails much! PRAYER IS COMMUNICATION WITH GOD WE PRAY TO GOD, BUT IN THE NAME OF OR THROUGH THE ACCESS OF JESUS CHRIST, OUR INTERCESSOR! There are many different types of prayer: Adoration, Exaltation, Petition, Supplication, and Thanksgiving, just to suggest a few. Paul tells us we ought to pray all KINDS of prayers, sing and make melody in our own hearts Colossians 3:16-17 We are to always have an attitude for prayer. He says in Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing! Luke 18:1 admonishes us to Pray and not faint! II Chronicles 7:14 tells us that if the people that are called by God's name would humble themselves and pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways; he would forgive our sins and heal our land!! In the scriptures, Moses prays to know how long he has to live (Psalms 90:12). David asks the same in (Psalms 39:4)! Hezekiah prays for an exten...

Power of Prayer I have been on earth long enough now not to assume anything, so let me begin by talking about what prayer means. In addition to a definition, I will try to express the power of prayer in my estimation. I found prayer to be a solemn request for help or expression of thanks expressed to God on an object of worship. With that being said, let see what prayer can do. Prayer and meditation can influence our state of mind, which then can affect our state of the body. It can help with anxiety, sadness, blood pressure, sleep, digestion, and breathing. It also can influence our thinking. So why then would I begin this blog in this fashion? Simply because God created or formed us to be social beings, meaning that the key to co-existence is communication, just as we communicate with each other. There must be communication with God, which is done by prayer.  However, when we communicate with God, there must be one critical component, that being faith. The scripture reminds us in...

Power of Prayer: There is two sides to everything, even prayer! Focus Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:15- What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit and I will also pray with the understanding…  In order to recognize the power of prayer, I believe it is essential for one to have an in-depth understanding of what prayer is at its core. Wikipedia sites prayer as “an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication.” It continues by saying that prayer “refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ancestor.” I know that may have been a lot to digest, but let me break it down in simpler form.  For starters, prayer is our primary communication tool, which can be used to have a conversation with our Heavenly Father and show gratitude to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Prayer allows you an opportunity to fellowship with the Holy Spirit. During prayer we are able to ...