Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. The beginning of the forty-day Lenten season, which, when engaged intentionally, draws us closer to God and each other. I have a confession to make: it’s been a few years since I sat with God and unhurriedly chose which Lenten practice could transform my life with God. I spent some of…
Read MoreA Word of Gratitude for the Notorius RBG I met her quite by accident. I mean, I don’t believe in coincidences and accidents in God’s economy; it was not supposed to happen. I was a senior in high school. My “Affecting Political Change” class traveled to Washington, DC to see our learning at work. We…
Read MoreAngry. Heartbroken. Worried. Sick and tired of being sick and tired. That’s where I’ve been living since the news of #GeorgeFloyd broke. I have such a diverse friend group, social media following, and congregation that sometimes I just avoid posting about what I’m feeling because I just can’t… Yet, I have a responsibility, as a…
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February has become a humdinger of a month for me. In February 2018, I’d had the flu for a month with no sign of full healing in sight. On February 9, I celebrated the birthday of my big brother, Trey (Robert to many of you) from my bed. Oh, to hear, “SiiiiiiiiIIIIIS!” from him again……
Read MoreI love to take pictures. Put a camera in my hand, and I am immediately in my happy place. I think I like to take pictures because when I look through the lens of a camera, I am invited to see things from a different perspective than I would ordinarily see them. Instead of rushing…
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I LOVE the Golden Girls. Blanche, Sophia, Dorothy, and Rose are like my long lost friends from another lifetime. Almost like a ritual, I check in with them each evening as I wind down from the day. I know every word to the series’ iconic theme song, Thank You for Being a Friend!” I can…
Read MoreI guess I was about eight years old. We were in church (as usual), and people were walking up to the altar rail to “give up whatever God was calling them to relinquish in their lives.” It could be a behavior or food. It must be something that you loved but knew that it wasn’t…
Read MoreI’ve been thinking a lot about #vision lately. The beginning of a new year is an invitation to take a look around and wonder what is ahead. Vision Board parties, new resolutions, invitations to simplicity, wanderlust, and so much more compel us to ask the natural question: what lies ahead?
We kicked off a new worship series at Atlanta First UMC today in which we encountered the Lord saying that there is indeed vision for such a time as this. Don’t be distracted. As the prophets Joel and Habakkuk remind us, God’s vision is not dependent on our mood or even our capacity to bring it to fruition. Rather, God’s vision is only dependent on God’s willingness to reveal it to us. Sometimes vision may feel fleeting; yet, if we will just #WaitForIt, then we shall see the vision to which God is leading us.
Vision encounters us in such a powerful way that it is simply irresistible. What is God’s irresistible vision for you in this season? After all, it is time. God is pouring out God’s spirit on us. God is writing the vision and making it plain. This is the appointed time. Run and do not quit. It’s not yours to quit. It’s only yours to receive.
P.S. If you’d like to view today’s sermon, view it here: Atlanta First on YouTube.
I’m sitting in the sanctuary of a church of my youth. I remember sitting in the same sanctuary, in the same pew with red cushions, year after year, staring at the choirs, preachers, speakers. I remember listening to worship rehearsals, being reminded to complete my homework, and wishing we could just go home. Holy Week…
Read MoreToday, I’m #celebrating the goodness of God in allowing me to experience and be a part of the powerful, redeeming, renewing, restoring and forming ministry that is happening all over the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. What a privilege, honor and gift it is to see, serve and grow with God’s…
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Jasmine Rose Smothers 