Holiday Reflections

Answered Prayers

/ LaShona Sellers / Leave a comment

As we sorted through our tree ornaments, this one made me pause:

“PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING. WORRY ABOUT NOTHING. Philippians 4:6-7”

I thought of how often I chose prayer over worry this year. There were many invitations to stress over what was wrong. In some cases, I chose the weight of worry; more often, I chose the posture of prayer. This is an answered prayer and I am grateful.

“I am standing in the answered prayers

Of those who spoke to my existence before they even knew my name

Crying out to God on my behalf for promises they would not see

Speaking blessings and wisdom for generations  to come

Planting seeds of faith  with every step of obedience

I am walking in answered prayers

Persisting in intercession for those who will come after.”

-LAS

Got Hope?

/ LaShona Sellers / Leave a comment

🎶”…A thrill of hope, The weary world rejoices…”🎶

There’s a lot of talk about hope this season as we reflect on the year and holidays past; counting  blessings, lamenting losses and anticipating  better for the future. We have hopes, great and small, from the unspoken flickers of our heart to the health & wholeness of our families and communities. Yet hope can be a precarious thing when deferred or unfulfilled. So how do we hold onto the thrill of hope? All of our hopes, every single one, must be anchored to the hope of the world, Jesus Christ. He was born, died and rose again to give us a living hope.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Because of his great mercy  he has given us new birth  into a living hope  through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ” -1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬

In this truth we can be confident of His love and His plans for us.

“For I know the plans I have for you” —this is the LORD’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11 CSB

“This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” – Romans 5:5 CSB

🎶”My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

On Christ the solid rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground is sinking sand”🎶

May the hope of Christ be yours this season and beyond ! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!

What If

/ LaShona Sellers / 1 Comment

Ready, set and we’re off! The holiday season is in full swing. Expressions of gratitude, tidings of comfort & joy and shopping deals abound. But for some of us there is only stress and trepidation. The goodness and beauty of the season are eclipsed by neverending to-do lists and unrealistic expectations.

So what if we changed our perspective? Minimized perfection and magnified grace. What if we decided to simply opt out? Opt out of traditions and expectations that weigh us with dread and mask us with insincerity. What if we dared to do something different? Let our “yes” be genuine and purposeful. Let our “no” be firm and free of guilt. What if in the midst of it all we took time to just be…Grateful.

Endless Thanks

Unable to contain in just one day,

A lifetime of profession.

A daily exercise of appreciation,

For this life uniquely my own,

For the glorious triumphs,

For the disheartening defeats,

For the gift of grace,

For mercies renewed,

For everyday blessings,

For the difficult journeys,

For the smallest joys,

For the sting of self-reflection,

For the hope in growth,

For love unfettered and unconditional,

For the joy of family,

For the solace of friends.

Thanks to a God so Magnificent, so Wonderful, and so Good.

Humbled by His presence and in awe of His care. -LAS

“Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.”

Psalms 105:1-2

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

/ LaShona Sellers / 1 Comment

Tis the season, friends. And no doubt it’s…different. I found myself close to ‘Bah Humbug’ until I was struck by the words of an old familiar carol:

🎶God rest ye merry gentlemen Let nothing you dismay Remember Christ our Savior Was born on Christmas Day To save us all from Satan’s pow’r When we were gone astray Oh tidings of comfort and joy Comfort and joy Oh tidings of comfort and joy🎶

So today I offer tidings of comfort and joy To the believer and the unbeliever To the cheerful and the grieving To the hopeful and the discouraged To the gathered and the lonely

And I pray we all remember and come to know Immanuel, the One who was, is and always will be with us.

“…She will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”- Isaiah 7:14

“…and He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”- Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

The Goodness of Friday

/ LaShona Sellers / Leave a comment

Discover the Power of Love in Good Friday

In remembrance
Of an act of love so amazing
You and I were on His mind
The joy set before Him
Bruised, Pierced, Crushed
For His beloved
He acquitted us from sin’s penalty of death
Ransomed our souls
No longer enslaved  by the darkness of our hearts
Reconciled to the Father
Jesus, the Son
Endured the agony of the Cross
For you and I
He cried, “It is finished!”
But that’s not the end
Sunday is coming… -LAS

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”- John 3:16 NLT

It’s a Wrap!

/ LaShona Sellers / Leave a comment
“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time…” Eccl. 3:11

And so it has begun…the year in review, recaps and reflections. Looking to the new year with anticipation, resolutions and goals. Tis the season for marketers to bank on our regrets and mirror our motivations. We hope and pray 2020 will usher in a better version of ourselves.

Here’s to grand plans and taking small steps. Here’s to big wins and lessons learned. Here’s to peace and unity, confrontation and truth. Here’s to open doors and closed ones too. Here’s to making the most of every moment and in the words of that Cristy Lane country classic…taking it “One day at a time sweet Jesus!”

Happy New Year friends!

Celebrating The Light

/ LaShona Sellers / Leave a comment
“The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”- John 1:4-5

So grateful for His Light. The Light that shines on my dark places, freeing me to walk confidently in purpose. The Light that gives hope when circumstances are unsure and life doesn’t go as planned. The Light that gives discernment, making me wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove (Matt. 10:16). The Light that compels me to love, to serve, and see others the way He does, extending the same grace He has so faithfully extended to me.

Praying the Light of Jesus shines into your darkness, gives you hope for tomorrow and draws you to receive the gift of His love. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, friends!

Opting Out

/ LaShona Sellers
Psalm 136:1(NLT) Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.

With the holiday season in full swing, I’m thankful for a Thanksgiving spent at home. With family stretching to the south and to the west, holiday travel is often a given but this year, there really was no place like home (and extra sleep).

Of course thoughts of the holidays don’t always elicit warm fuzzies and good cheer. So what if we opted out? Opted out of obligations that steal our peace. Opted out of traditions and expectations that weigh us with dread and mask us with insincerity. What if we shifted our focus? Changed our perspective? What if we dared to do something different? What if our “yes” was genuine and purposeful? What if our “no” was kind but firm and free of guilt. What if we intentionally set the tone and atmosphere of our space? What if in the midst of it all we took time to just be…

Be grateful. Be at peace.

Happy Holidays!