For the most part, I’ve worked for and alongside of great people. People who genuinely cared for others and who wanted others to succeed. They were and are people whose integrity and sense of service made it easy to join their team. After a few decades of secular employment and working in other arenas, I can count on 1 hand the number of people who treated leadership as a weapon and those who they led as resource to be used. In his work on “Servant Leadership”, Robert Greenleaf, developed a program to help leaders become better people and create a better world. Servant leaders, according to Greenleaf, place the needs and desires of those they lead ahead of their own. Can you imagine what the world, what our communities and what our families would look like if we loved people enough to put their needs first? I can and I have a word to describe it . . . kingdom. The kingdom I’m referring to is nothing like what we see modeled by some current leaders; it is one where love rules. Kingdom love includes: children, orphans, immigrant, widows and the impoverished (James 1:27; Psalm 68:5; Job 29:12; Psalm 10:4). Kingdom love and extends itself in service. Kingdom love builds bridges to unite people and it does not flaunt itself to belittle others (1 Cor. 13: 1 – 13). Kingdom love lights the way because Kingdom love is a leadership tool. . Blessings, Rev. Antoinette
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I remember watching, but being too young to fully understand, the humor of the television show “Love, American Style”. In the event you don’t recall it, within each episode were multiple comedic sketches about relationships. I wish I could honestly say 1 particular sketch or artist stood out in my mind, but as mentioned, I was very young I didn’t understand most of the humor. For me, it was a bridge show, one of those shows that came in-between 2 others than I enjoyed watching.
I’m glad to say I am grateful for and enjoy love, spiritual style. Although I didn’t “get” the sub-context of the writing in “Love, American Style”, I am paying very close attention to the messages, sub-context, and life lessons given to me by the Divine. Love, spiritual style, is personal. You have your relationship with the Divine and I have mine. The Divine molds you in the manner selected that’s best for you and I’m molded in the manner selected that’s best for me (1 Cor. 12:6). Although it’s personal its’ also consistent. There was a sacrifice for each of us. Why is that good? Because it means we’re all equal (Gen. 1:37 & Gal 3:28). Each of us messed up and all of us needed restoration. Restoration for all of us was secured in the same manner (1 Peter 3:18). There was not a different restoration because of our race, gender, nationality, denomination, socio-economic status, etc. All of us are seen in the same light and are extended the same love. Love, spiritual style. Blessings, Rev. Antoinette Relationship status updates used to be easy. We didn’t need a computer (which was good because it wasn’t that long ago when access to personal computers was rare) or a cell phone (another good thing since we used “house” or pay phones). All you needed was to select a box by the response of Yes or No on the note, “Do you like me?”, that had been passed to you in class. If you checked yes, the two of you were “talking” or whatever we labelled having a special friend in elementary school who thought you were pretty. If you selected no, you weren’t and life continued.
How have you responded to your relationship request from the Divine? Did you respond “Yes”, “No”, “Not yet” or have you decided to ignore the invitation (which is a “No”)? What’s the point in being in a relationship with the One? There are no false pretenses. The Divine sees the real and authentic you and accepts her (Eph. 1:4). What’s another benefit to accepting the modify your spiritual relationship status? Its eternal (Ps. 136). The One I’m talking about will not walk out on you. What’s another benefit? It is an all-consuming, unselfish kind of love (John 15:13). The kind of love that’s there when you wake up and there when you go to sleep. The kind of love that wraps around you like a blanket on a cold winter night and that holds you through your storms. This is not a hook-up it is a Covenant where the Divine says you are mine and I am yours. So Beloved, what’s your relationship status? Mine is set and sealed from now and throughout eternity. I suggest you ensure yours is also. Blessings, Rev. Antoinette Disclaimer – I am not a ‘tree-hugger’; in fact, I’m sure a few of my more earth conscious friends just spat out their coffee over the title of this post. To them I say, don’t give up on me, obviously I’m learning something from you. Some of the things I’ve learned from my earth conscious (green) friends: 1. We have 1 planet; it the one where we live so why not stop messing it up? 2. Everything has a purpose. If you end the life cycle of something, how can you be sure what else that will impact? 3. If the cures to what ail us are in parts of the earth and we destroy those parts aren’t we killing ourselves as well? I hear you, what do the above questions have to do with spirituality and how is loving the planet a spiritual concept? In my preacher voice, I’m glad you asked. A principle of spirituality is stewardship; managing resources, especially exercising diligent management of those resources that belong to another but have been entrusted to us. I’m a creative woman, but I cannot create a planet and if I can’t create a planet, I certainly can’t create a galaxy. Since science has yet to replicate the creation of the universe, I’ve reconciled in my mind that the universe’s creation was by performed another source. Furthermore, since that source created the universe (and neither I nor science can), the created belongs to the Creator (Ps. 19:1; Ps. 24:1; Job 24:11; Neh. 9:6). At best I’m a part time manager in the Creator’s storeroom (Gen. 2:15). Why should I exercise good stewardship by loving the planet. . . because its’ not mine but the planet has an owner and that owner has commissioned us to properly manage the planet where we live. Blessings, Rev. Antoinette |
AuthorRev. Antoinette Gatewood-Sykes, Inspirational Speaker Archives
May 2019
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