I am not an architect, even my dollhouses needed work but despite me being inept at building physical structures I am a huge proponent of building bridges with others. Why a bridge, because bridges join. There are so many things that separate us: geography, economics, language, belief systems and, unfortunately even in 2018, race. But just because we’re historically been separated doesn't mean we have to stay that way. We can choose unity, sisterhood and chose to love by building bridges. By building a bridge we publicly and privately declare we refuse to allow what we've been indoctrinated to believe about those things to continue to be the rationale for separating us from each other (1 Cor. 1:10). Bridges are not impossible to build but they require work. Work by listening without judgment. I choose to build bridges by treating everyone as though they are equally beautiful, intelligent, gifted, deserving of love and worthy of respect. What about you? How are you building bridges? Blessings, Rev. Antoinette
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I've been blessed to have had a tribe of strong women who have encircled, nurtured, inspired, taught and mothered me throughout my life. When I was a young child, they held my hand (and when needed, paddled my rear); as a teen, they guided me through the difficult years and affirmed me; as a young adult, they helped me learn to love the woman in the mirror and as an adult, they stand alongside me speaking life to me (Titus 2: 3 – 5). One was, of course, my Mom, another was my grandmother, other aunts, older cousins and the family who became family not by blood or marriage but through friendships with the matriarchs of my family. Now, its’ my turn to mother. I mother the one the Divine allowed me to carry for 9 LONG months, another who came to us when he 'adopted' us and more who were added to our tribe through mentorship. What about you? Who has mothered you and who are you mothering? You are their legacy and they are yours. Although we can, and should, celebrate it every day of the week, this weekend, we shout our appreciation through the streets, over the airways and across the web. Mothering is so much more than being an agent of biology, it is sacrificing, guiding and loving. Happy Mother’s Day to all those who have birthed and breathed life, joy, love, peace and contentment in the life of others. Blessings, Rev. Antoinette I love the play made into a movie "Dreamgirls". My favorite song from it is "I Am Changing". At some point (or at various points), we all have to change. Outlooks change, when we were children, we thought as children but when we became adults, we put away childish things (1 Cor. 13:11). Our bodies change, we grow from being a dot on a screen to embryos to babies and from babies through different phases until we become adults. Our spirituality changes and once we were led by our own desires and now we submit our will to the will of the Divine (Ps. 40:8).
Change is normal, natural and needed. As a baby, we wore child-sized clothes and shoes but those do not work for fully grown people. The same rationale applies spiritually, as adult women our spirit woman needs more than bite sized devotionals and child sized prayers; we need something to cover every aspect of our life and to shield those we love. How do you get to adult spirituality? Change your mind, actions and focus. When we change, we exchange and open ourselves to grow. Are you ready to change? If so, let's change. Blessings, Rev. Antoinette |
AuthorRev. Antoinette Gatewood-Sykes, Inspirational Speaker Archives
May 2019
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