Be Flexible

On Wednesday evening I learned an interesting lesson about being flexible. As I sat on the front row in class I noticed that my professor had not said much, which was unusual because she was normally quite social. A few minutes before the beginning of our gathering she called me to the podium to ask me to read Psalm 96 to the class and pray because she had recently had a surgery performed which made it difficult to speak. Interestingly enough, the scripture that she suggested began with the phrase "Sing to the Lord a new song...sing to the Lord and praise his Name."

The fact that she was able to maintain an attitude of faith in the midst of a difficult circumstance was truly remarkable. Immediately following the prayer she began to teach the class by typing her instructions on an overhead projector and was able to capture the class' attention without the use of her voice better than many professors have with the perfect use of theirs. Everyone was engaged in the learning process so that what could have been viewed as a setback was actually used to her benefit, but this powerful demonstration of the will to accomplish one's goals would not have been visible that evening if the professor had not made the decision to be flexible. What if she had decided that this semester it would be impossible to be able to do what she clearly loves doing because of the difficulties that her present challenges present? What if she had listened to the negative voice that was probably on the inside whispering "They're not going to listen?" What if she had been stuck in the box of her previous methods of teaching and refused to consider new methods for accomplishing her mission? I believe that if she had not been flexible not only would she have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to see God continue to work through her gift of teaching but we as her students would have also missed out on the opportunity to learn how to "roll with the punches."

Here comes the question of the day...get ready for it...How flexible are YOU? How do you respond when things don't go as planned? How do you react when an idea doesn't bring the desired results? How do you respond when your partner's personality seems to stand in the way of peace in your marriage? What do you do when things seem to be falling apart? When you find yourself in these experiences you have a choice to make. You can either get frustrated, wondering why things happened the way that they did, or you can be flexible and find a way to make it work. If my professor could "sing to the Lord" through someone else and talk through the use of modern technology to get her message across, surely you can find other ways to accomplish what you're trying to do. It's 5 a.m. on a Friday morning as I write this encouragement just for you. As you read and reflect on the difficulties that you may be experiencing on the way to your destiny you can either be frustrated or flexible. I choose to be flexible because I have seen that God is still "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we may ask or think according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20). Remember that what's possible is according to God's power and not the perfection of our circumstances. With that being said, be flexible enough to act in faith believing that God can still get you where you're going even if you have to take a different route than expected. Don't get frustrated...be flexible.

Jerks & Jesus

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there are jerks on the prowl. Don't judge me, you know you've called people much worse. I guess I have been quite fortunate to not have encountered a genuine jerk in a while but tonight, as my car was run off the road by one, I was reminded that they still live among us. Sometimes they roam in packs seeking unsuspecting prey at the mall and other times they stand as solo sour pusses waiting for the opportunity to share their hostile attitude at work. While there are several things that I, and I'm sure you, would like to say to these jerks as we encounter them in our daily lives there is one thing that we must keep in mind. We are designed to represent Jesus in all that we say and do. As a result we must choose to "opt out" of responses that don't do justice to His Name.

As I sat for a moment on the side of the road and put my car in reverse to continue my commute home my first thoughts were not "Jesus bless them", to be more honest they were more like "Come on Jesus...". However, as I began to think about the best way to respond to the situation as a follower of Christ (even though they were long gone due to his failure to stop, which helped to solidify my hypothesis that I was dealing with a genuine jerk) I considered what the Bible says about how to handle hostile people. The Bible is clear that we must love our enemies and pray for them (Matt. 5:44) so in the midst of my frustration, after a few moments I found myself praying for them. I prayed that they would receive grace. I prayed that God would ignite an unselfishness in their heart (and mine). I prayed that they would develop a deep seeded compassion and love for others. For this jerk I prayed, and that is not an attempt to say that I am more spiritual or righteous than them because the more I prayed the more I remembered that Jessie needs Jesus just as much as that jerk does. So the next time you encounter a jerk show them Jesus, and remember that you freely receive love & grace from Him so they should freely receive the same from you.

Don't Just Start...FINISH!

What does it take to win? What separates those who accomplish great levels of success from those who don't? I'm sure there are dozens of variables that factor into the equation but I believe that one of the top 5 factors is the failure to follow through. Anyone can start something, and that may take courage, but where the crowd thins out is often during the test of time. This is because the longer something takes to accomplish, the more we wrestle with fatigue and the loss of our passion.

I'd like to challenge you to find something that you started but haven't finished. Let this be the year of followthrough. Let this be the year you finish! I'm reminded of Joshua as he and the Israelites began to take possession of the land that God had promised them. The Bible says that, "The LORD said to Joshua, 'See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its King and its fighting men. (Joshua 6:2)" Sounds like an amazing promise. Sounds like they had made it. Sounds like there was nothing for them to do but believe it and it would happen right? Wrong! One verse after the promise God let them in on the process. God told Joshua, "March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in. (Joshua 6:3)"

The process was not nearly as easy to hear as the promise. Some of you may have gotten tired just reading about the process Joshua had to face but the truth of the matter is that most (if not all) promises require a process. God may have promised you that your plans of becoming a great leader, entrepreneur or parent would not fail but chances are you're experiencing the process. That's normal! Don't allow the wait to wash away your great expectations. If you can endure the process you are sure to possess the promise at the appropriate time but it won't happen if all you do is start, you have to finish. What have you started and put to the side because of the process? Pick it back up, now is the time to finish.

Surprise!

I'll admit that I like surprises as much as the next person. Although, I definitely prefer that they be "good" surprises rather than bad. For instance, a month ago my wife decided to stop by the office to bring me a hot cup of Starbucks during a long day of ministry meetings. Surprise! I love those types of surprises, but that is not the kind of surprise that I ran into this evening when I returned home from church.

When I walked through the door I knew something was up because my dog was sitting up in her cage as if she was shocked that I was home. The aroma in the air told me that I hadn't caught her preparing for a welcome home party so I slowly walked over to her cage hoping that I wouldn't see what I thought I'd see. I'll spare you the details but let me just say that this was NOT a pleasant surprise. I had worked all day, and even stayed around after for a meeting or two so I was certainly looking forward to a moment of rest only to find my companion stuck in the midst of a mess. Have you ever been there? Have you ever finished everything that you planned to do and here comes someone with a problem? You were just starting to get your finance & house where you wanted them to be and here comes someone reaching for a hand out. This can be an exceptionally frustrating experience because you didn't plan for this...so what do you do?

I remember a passage in the Bible when Jesus had left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon (Peter). The Bible says,

"At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. (Luke 4:40)"

Did you catch that? The people began to come to be healed at sunset, in other words when things could have been winding down for the night. So just when it seemed like it was time to relax "SURPRISE!" someone needed help. I find it interesting that Jesus' response was to lay his hands on them to heal them. Oh that we would do the same! When was the last time you stepped up to help someone when you could or even planned to have sat down? When was the last time you were willing to reach out to express love even though the timing was unexpected? I did so tonight. Sure it was "only a dog" but she needed me and I would like to think that this exercise in how to handle a surprise has prepared me to step up when the one needing help is a human. Bear with me, I'm still trying to get my spirits up from the ordeal.

When I saw her in her cage covered in calamity sure I was disturbed, who wouldn't be? But this was not the time for disgust it was time for deliverance and even though I may have been tired, I still had the time to clean up the mess she had made. If you would be honest I'm sure you have the time to help someone too. Maybe it's a family member who has fallen on hard times. Maybe it's a complete stranger who stepped out on faith hoping that you would step out with grace. I don't know who you have around you or who you will encounter in your daily walk but what I do know is that you are sure to walk into a surprise every now and again. When you do, I challenge you to step up & reach a hand out to help with a better attitude than I did (I'm still a work in progress). As we develop a willingness to help others even when it's inconvenient, I believe we position ourselves to serve as beacons of light for the world to see and in the process allow them to receive the best surprise of all (God has not forgotten them). Perhaps your biggest "surprises" are an opportunity to surprise others.

Who is Jessie Jennings? I'm glad you asked!

THE BEGINNING

At the age of 18 Jessie was led to spend his life teaching the wonderful truths of God’s Word. Thirsty for an opportunity to grow, he asked Bishop Edward H. Stephens, Jr. for a chance to teach in the children’s ministry of Golden Gate Cathedral. The request was granted which graciously gave him the ability to develop his gift of teaching by assisting in the Sunday School and Youth Ministry. As a means of further development for the task of rightly dividing the Word of God, the Lord gave him an opportunity to receive a (Cum Laude) Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with a Minor in Religion in Society from the University of Memphis in 2005 and he is currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity Degree from Memphis Theological Seminary.

THE WORD ON THE STREET

Despite the many challenges that Jessie has faced, he has been awarded several distinctions including: University of Memphis Dean’s List (4 semesters), National Dean’s List (2 semesters), he has received the United States Minority Leadership Award and was declared a “Memphis Standout” by the Daily News. As he pursues honorable achievement and endeavors to serve his community, Jessie consistently makes himself available for the community based programs of his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi. The Lord saw fit to ordain him an Elder in August of 2007 and to appoint him as the Youth Director of the State of Tennessee for the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship in 2008. He currently serves as the Pastor of Communications at Golden Gate Cathedral.

A MAN ON A MISSION

The favor of God can be clearly seen in the pages of his life. Jessie has spent the past 10 years teaching and mentoring at Golden Gate Cathedral, the University of Memphis, Memphis area community centers, churches and functions across the mid-south as well as around the globe through a cutting edge on-line ministry with an approach that can be summarized by John 14: 12-13 which states, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the father and I will do whatever you ask in my Name, so the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

What am I all about?

My mission is simple, I believe that I exist to communicate the scriptures, connect people to Christ and to catapult people toward their destiny. Everything that I do (blogs, videos, live speaking engagements, etc.) are passed through this lens.

With that being said, what you will find here is information and insights that will help to launch you into a journey of becoming who you've always been designed to be. The stories you encounter may make you smile, but more importantly, they will cause you to consider your personal potential. I hope you're ready because you have just walked in to a new life that BEGINS RIGHT NOW!