Stained glass windows artfully depict

Biblical scenes glowing in sun lit color

Illuminating the line of votive flames

Flickering their golden dances of prayer

While kneelers wait for Him whose will

Carries loved ones holding on…

Some already gone

To the peace of their eternal home

Shadows across the sanctuary waltz

Quiet no longer hushed

Distant voices grow into chatter

Breaking the silence

One by one, in twos and threes

They come filling empty pews

Eyes glancing, heads nodding

Acknowledging one’s presence for now

Turning as they reverently bow

Hands crossing head to heart

Shoulder to shoulder

Preparing the minds of some

For silent whispers

Offering thanksgiving

In search of atonement

Brought forth in supplication

From murmurs faint and low

As organ pipes cry in agony, breathe

Ancient dirges, processional hymns

Songs to escort the ritual entry

Sunday morning has begun ♥

© 2008 – Sharon Moore Stenhouse – All Rights Reserved

Stenhouse, Sharon Moore. Amani na Mapenzi: Love & Peace Volume Two-The Poetry and Essays of a’Kihoro. Baltimore: Lulu, 2009

Or is it God

Is it with God

Can it exist without God?

Self love is love.

Or is it God

Is it with God

Can it exist without God?

Being in love is love.

Or is it God

Is it with God

Can it exist without God?

Making love is love.

Or is it God

Is it with God

Can it exist without God?

When I think about love in its truest form; I think of God. He loves us so much he gives us the gifts of Agape love, being in love and making love. To be in love is human…to make love is human…to be human is to be in the image of God. To make love I must be in love; to be in love I must love myself. Every fiber of my being every hour of my day, is needed to make love

Making love is when I care about your well being more than I do my own; it is when your happiness makes me happy, your sadness makes me sad, your desires give me desire and your presence brings me joy.

It is being with you anywhere, anyplace, anytime to take in the majesty of  God in you, the hours spent together in solitude, the harmony of feeling like we are important to one another in that moment.

Making love is bonding while delving into the intellect of each other, learning each other’s likes and dislikes; and to understand through respect without wanting to make you change.

Love is consideration your needs, your wants, your haves, your not haves, the personal necessities of your daily life, and missing you when you’re not around.

Making love is being able to say I’m sorry, making amends, knowing what is important and what is not, forgiving and learning to forget.

It is sweet discretion in public when no one knows but us, yet everyone around us feels our love.

Making love is looking into your eyes to see your soul; looking into your eyes from across a room; looking into your eyes to see the tears; looking into your eyes to feel the fears, with compassion as I see the compassion in you.

Love is the touch that calms; the touch that warms; the touch that caresses; the touch that holds, and that feathered touch heating the blood while raising the hairs at the base of your neck, creating a tingle in the tips of your fingers and toes, causing you to shiver as you become, engorged with an erection of anticipation.

And, when the time is right we’ll look into each eyes in the throws of passion as we become one, making love in the beauty of the exploration of each other’s bodies…blending, exploring every inch of each other, with gentle intensity and erotic care…nurturing the love built over time together into an explosion of ecstasy that completes us. ♥

Children's Artwork - Palm Sunday

At church, there was the distribution of the palms, the blessing of the doors at the entrance of the church, and the triumphal entry procession with the congregation raising their palms in celebration; rejoicing.  It was during the prayer before the sermon when I truly felt the presence of God in my heart.

While sitting in my pew, head bowed in the posture we have come to call “looking to the Lord,” I heard the beauty of Jesus’ voice. The priest was praying for the congregation and the world, and asking for a remembrance of Gospel (Mark 14 & 15) which is a very holy time for Christians. During the thought-filled prayer, a young child’s voice echoed in the sanctuary -not crying, but speaking softly with a sense of gentle innocence. Then another child’s voice joined in, and another and another until there were many. The voices were a sweet sound. This was not disturbing, just a soft murmur underscoring the prayer.

As the priest continued praying, raising his voice in adulation, the children’s voices increased. When the prayer ended and all said Amen, the sanctuary fell silent. The voices stopped just as suddenly as they began, and there was quiet stillness in the air.

That is when I felt the presence of the Lord, and I knew in my heart that Jesus was speaking to us through the children; offering up peace.

Sanctus and Benedictus… Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

© 2009   Sharon Moore Stenhouse  -All Rights Reserved-

Footprints in the Sand

Recently I launched a heavily researched, well-developed and well-planned creative writing through Bible study workshop called Seven Biblical Women. Even with a complete marketing approach to include a brochure with registration information, community and web advertising, footwork and good old-fashioned word of mouth campaign, the attendance did not meet the expectations.

I anguished for weeks over the number of people who loved the workshop idea, seemed impressed with the marketing but did not register. My biggest concern was the target audience -Christians and those involved in any genre of writing, who took lightly to registering in advance for a new untested workshop. These are my colleagues, peers and friends.

When the launch date finally approached, I made the decision to go forth with the workshop knowing I would have to make strategic changes in the program on the fly, based on the number of registrants and warm bodies in attendance. My own plan as I envisioned the success of the workshop was falling apart. That morning as I was getting dressed I prayed and asked God to give me an anointing… telling him that the workshop was to his glory, not my own; it was not about me, it was about him.

I arrived at the workshop site 15 minutes early (7:45 am) and sat in my car 35 minutes before someone arrived to unlock the doors. During this period of waiting, I became overwhelmed with the anxiety of not being able to start on time, since I had equipment to set-up and test. Further, there were refreshments on the way that also required attention. At the advertised start time of 9:00 am, four people had arrived. A feeling of dismay was about to overtake me when I suddenly heard the sound of laughter and many voices. Warm bodies were beginning to arrive.

The workshop began behind schedule however; of the few people sitting before me, I saw nothing but eager, smiling faces.  In my head, I said…  “Here we go Lord.”

What a Joyous Day

The workshop introduction and presentation of biblical cultural history flowed without a glitch, and fostered lots of questions.  In the original plan, the workshop required a minimum of 21 people.  The pre-registration number topped out at 14, and by the end of the morning session, the number of attendees dwindled to nine. Talk about thinking on your feet!  At this point, we were supposed to be in seven discussion groups of three people each, so I took a vote and we agreed to forego the group discussions and work together collectively. We read aloud, asked questions, and inserted thoughts, ideas and summaries of the material that opened up a floodgate of expression. This turned out to be exactly what I was trying to achieve in the original planning of the workshop. The interaction was much more than I imagined.

As a result, I put on my performer’s face and read a powerful monologue for the Samaritan Woman. The Spirit of the Lord moved through every person in the room. By the time I completed the reading, everyone was up on their feet cheering, praising, and giving thanks; not to me but to Jesus. We then engaged in an interactive question and answer game filled with so much fun and laughter, we all had tears of joy.  The workshop closed with a reading of the prayer For Knowledge of God’s Creation from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. Afterwards, we hugged and danced in praise.

Here are the testimonials:

From an email received the following morning…

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow!  Hope this finds you well rested today from the very successful debut of the Seven Biblical Women workshop ministry. It was a blessing to be a part of how God has prepared you to be a blessing to others and empower them through the written word.”

From the attendee evaluations…

“One of the best workshops I’ve ever experienced.”

“Excellent visuals, professionally done.”

“Beautiful – Excellent!”

“The instruction was good – good intervention”

“Fun”

“Yes, I would recommend this workshop to others, including my church.”

“Most definitely plan to use the workbook for further Bible study.”

“The game show…That was awesome, a lot of fun!”

“This workshop helped me to appreciate more being a woman and a daughter of the Heavenly Father.”

God had a plan already in place for the success of this workshop…you see, the original vision came from him. He entrusted me with this work and allowed me to develop it, as I am sure he watched over me closely. He was not about to let his work fail. He also gave me the assurance that my planning was not flawed, it only needed a little tweak to give me the confidence I needed to continue in this ministry.

I am encouraged. This experience has shown me that we sometimes loose faith, and when we do, we must put our trust in him. Through the anxiety, I carried prior to the launch of the workshop, perhaps God laughed, not at me, but with me. He lifted me, and all who participated in a wonderful time of new knowledge, new techniques, new friends and most of all Christian fellowship.    To God Be the Glory!

© 2009   Sharon Moore Stenhouse – All Rights Reserved

And They Danced

“And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.” …2 Samuel 6:14-16

“True praise of God, as distinguished from false praise, is first of all an inward emotion–a gladness and rejoicing of the heart, a music of the soul and spirit which no language can adequately express.” … International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Being in the midst of true praise is the most exhilarating feeling one can experience. The very core of the body changes, outside of any self-restraint, with no absolute explanation other than an all-encompassing advent of the Spirit.

I attended an event titled “My Dance is Praise” on Saturday promising anointed dancers and singers, deliverance, and soul saving time in the Lord. Indeed the event held to its promises. Dancers of various age and from various churches –including Brooklyn, NY, presented choreographed interpretations of the message in contemporary recorded Christian songs.

The event opened with a resounding African drummed “triumphal entry” reminiscent of biblical scenes where crowds cheering, while waving flags, flowers and psalms rejoiced. All in attendance rose to there feet with an overture of hallelujahs, shouts of joyous celebration and singing.

Throughout the dance, performances offered an awakening with inspiring, soulful, and emotional array of movements –some obviously well trained. It was refreshing to see children offer African inspired dance along with ballet themed presentations. The participation level was outstanding: feeding the audience with God given gifts, raising the level of a spiritual presence, and frenzied movements from a dancer channeling the spirit of David.

It became obvious that righteousness lives in the Black church, given the many difficulties faced by people in their daily lives. We were reminded through testimonies of the trials faced with drug abuse, incarceration, broken families, sickness, and renewal not only through the dance, but also by those willing to tell their stories. One dancer -particularly one of the most reflective, amazed us all by her ability to administer such powerful movements despite having gone through hip replacement and other surgeries to correct a birth abnormality.

The program closed with a moving, tearful dramatic dance questioning the audience for the assurance they are ready to say yes to God.

© 2009  Sharon Moore Stenhouse – All Rights Reserved

Wisdom Exchange

Year after year folks make false promises to themselves and others called New Year’s resolutions. At the top of the list are things like loosing weight, saving some or more money, going to church every Sunday, and so on. I have decided never, ever to make another New Year’s resolution… well, except this year. My resolution for 2009 is to fall back on good old fashioned Mother Wit.

What is ‘Mother Wit’? An expression for the wisdom stemming from an innate ability to draw from natural or practical intelligence; it is common sense.

[ Noun— sound practical judgment; "Common sense is not so common"; "he hasn't got the sense God gave little green apples"; "fortunately she had the good sense to run away" ]

I often find that good Mother Wit guides us through life’s challenges. This article offers a few doses that may even be helpful to President Obama… though I doubt that he will ever read this blog. I am however, sure that throughout his life he heard his share of wisdom from his beloved grandmother… perhaps even one or more of the samples in this article. I do hope he can draw up Mother Wit when it serves him best during his presidency.

As an avid reader of the Bible and its teachings, I believe the values and mores most people live by have been passed down from generation to generation since the beginning of time. There are many illustrations in the Bible where situations call upon the sense of God when they could have been encountered through the use of common sense.

On Foolishness and Nonsense…

Two construction workers were taking their daily break for lunch. As they opened their lunch boxes, one worker said to the other… “Bologna again! This is the third time this week; I hate bologna sandwiches.” The other worker said; “Joe, why don’t you ask your wife to pack something different?” Joe answered, “I’m not married, I made the sandwiches myself.” The moral of this little story is…  “Most of the baloney we have in our lives, we create ourselves.”

Paraphrased from the sermon of Rear Admiral Barry C. Black (Ret.)-62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate, for the consecration of the Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, elected the 14th Bishop of Maryland; the first African-American bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, on June 28, 2008.

“This Storm Is Your Own Fault”

Sometimes storms come through no fault of our own. Other times, through, we incur the consequences of our choices or sinful decisions that hurt ourselves and others. We’re convinced that we don’t deserve rescue.

Is there a way through?

Jonah, and Old Testament prophet, rebelled against God’s will for him. The ship upon which he fled from God delivered him over to darkness and despair. A terrible storm arose. Jonah knew this was his fault. He told the crew to throw him in the water. Overboard, he encountered a huge sea-creature, large enough to swallow him whole. Jonah cried out to God for help. God heard and delivered him.

Like Jonah, we don’t blatantly turn our backs on God; we just get on a ship going in the opposite direction. In the darkness of our self-made storms, we can cry out and He will rescue us. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Written by Marie Armenia a speaker, writer, songwriter and singer living in Tennessee.

Mother Wit Tidbits From My Mother… Elizabeth (Liz)

I remember many things my mother used to say to me as a young girl who while growing up, often voiced her opinion about people’s situations. One saying my mother used many times came to mind after hearing and reading these two stories: “Nothing goes over the devil’s back that won’t buckle under his stomach.” This refers to situations when a person or persons willfully attempts to do something wrong (lie, cheat, steal, covet, hurt, etc.) to another.

Others my mother often used over the years are:

1) “For everything you say about others… there are seven who will throw it right back at you.” (Galatians 6:7) “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

2) “The law of Karma goes around seven times.” (Proverbs 6:31) “Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house.”

3) “Be aware of the company you keep… even when you think you won’t be judged by what they do.” (Ezekiel 33:27) “Say this to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague.”

This last one has guided me most of my life.  In fact, I have become very selective and mindful of the integrity of my friends and acquaintances. Now, if I can just remember to always use and rely on Mother Wit, 2009 should prove to be a very good year.

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© 2008, 2009 Sharon Moore Stenhouse – All Rights Reserved