Day 69: Building Community

Kenny's (1 of 1)

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2: 42-47 NIV

Day 69: Building Community

When I go to the store I appreciate finding a great deal. But even more than that I appreciate going to a vendor who recognizes me. Perhaps they ask about my children. The fact that we know about each other’s lives gives me a good feeling. I believe that they care about me not just my money.

Living in an environment where you feel a genuine concern from the people around you is priceless. In the early days of the church described in the book of Acts we read about how the people viewed that all their possessions were to help one another. It wasn’t a utopia. They did have to work through issues of some parts of the community feeling neglected. But they worked through it. In the end they demonstrated God’s kingdom here on earth.

In the picture above you see a local Chinese take out place called Kenny’s. I remember my son saying that the lady at the register was so nice. While they have things that we can enjoy eating it’s because of how they made us feel that we go there so often.

Today I will seek to build community in the places God has placed me.

Thank you for joining me on this journey to worship and wellness. I’ve been suffering with headaches for the last few months and so I took a break but I’m back in the saddle. If you enjoy the posts please subscribe and share with a friend. Have a happy, healthy and blessed day!

David

January 18, 2020

Day 68: Inside

INSIDE COVER — Check out the video below!

January 18, 2020

Day 67: Stir It Up!

environmental photo (1 of 1)-2 — I’m vocalizing and doing some scales to stir up my gifts.

⁶Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Tim 1:6-7

Day 67: Stir It Up!

When I was a young lad my son’s age (15) I would spend the majority of my free time sitting at my piano creating songs. I would practice small pieces of the song over and over again and then assemble it all together. I would close my eyes and visualize myself performing. I would share my songs as a performance to my Heavenly Father.

I believe that this time determined much of the success that I’ve had so far in this life. Dreams are important. But not much happens without effort. I saw a quote this morning from one of my Facebook friends about faith. In essence it said “Faith makes things possible, not easy.” There is work to do! Many of us who have embarked upon a relationship with The Creator know the importance of prayer. We know that we daily need to read God’s word and talk with Him. But even with a close relationship it doesn’t mean life will be easy.

Joseph was an amazing icon in the bible. But he spent years before seeing his dreams realized. He had faith but there was time to wait and work to do during that time. One might even conclude that who he became while he was waiting was part of God’s plan in his circumstances and God’s timing.

What are you doing while you wait for God’s answer to your prayer? Stir up your gifts! Get busy using what you have to give God glory and watch your life transform!

Today I will spend time developing what God has given me.

December 14, 2019

Day 64: Stir Them Up

^{Day 64: Stir Them Up}

⁵when I call to remembrance the ^[b]genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. ⁶Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:5-7

I get excited when I see someone using their gifts. There is nothing like watching a preacher who rightly divides the Word, or hearing a skillful singer sing a song. I love watching those who can paint fill up a blank canvas with strokes that lead to a masterpiece. I admire those who understand how to take money and make it grow. I enjoy watching in the kitchen when delicious food is being made by those who make it best.

And when I am watching someone do something that I have a passion for it pokes me. It taps me and asks the question, “David, what are you doing with your gifts?” I remember going to Georgetown University many years ago to a concert. The opening artist was someone I had never heard of. It was just him and his guitar…but he captured the attention of the room. He made us laugh and tear up. He was amazing. He didn’t have the best voice I’ve ever heard, but the songs he wrote, played and sang and the way he shared them drew us into his orbit, making us all become his fans.

While I was sitting there I felt persuaded that I had to use my gifts that were similar. I had a similar experience last weekend. I want you to have the same experience as well. So promise me you will not only read God’s word and pray, but that you will use the gifts He has given you. Stir them up. When you use them as God intended when He gave them to you you will make the world a better place and bring glory to your Creator.

Today, I will watch, read, and listen to that which inspires me to use my gifts!

Thanks for reading. Please share and subscribe! 🙂

December 14, 2019

Day 63: Counting Blessings

atholton christmas program 2019 (1 of 1)-3 — Self portrait to remind myself I can still smile and have so much to be grateful for

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.2Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits–3who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,4who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,5who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.6The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.7He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:8The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.9He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;10he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;12as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.13As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;14for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103:1-14

Day 63: Counting Blessings

When I look at my problems I become overwhelmed. When I look at ways that I am fortunate then gratitude starts to well up inside. I may have had some hard problems to deal with but I am here to deal with them. God has kept me. I may struggle to make ends meet but I have a job, a roof over my head, and a way to get to and from work and the store. I may not be my ideal weight but I am able to walk and do push ups. I am able to go to different locations and take pictures. I may have had things stolen from me but I have been able to give so much more than others tried to take away.

Counting my blessings helps me to heal. It lets me know I have so much to give.

Today I am counting what I have and feeling more and more blessed by the minute!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Please share and subscribe to support this ministry.

December 7, 2019

Day 62: Connection

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

I Corinthians 12:27

My son, mother and I went to a concert yesterday evening. It was a wonderful time of beautiful music. However, what was most wonderful for my mom was the moments of connection. Seeing members of her church family she hadn’t seen for a while was priceless. I could see how happy she was.

For me it was a moment to reflect. It is so important to have a place where you feel connected. My connections were many as well. I teach at Washington Adventist University. I saw six of my students performing. A featured soloist was a young lady I met outside the voice studio who I had heard and invited to sing on a concert I produced a year ago. Her voice was beautiful then but it has grown so much!

One of the conductors, Brian Liu told me the other day we had performed together many years ago when I was a guest soloist for a performance of Handel’s Messiah at his alma mater Southern Adventist University. Moments of the past and hopes for the future came together to make the musical performance have a greater impact than just the dynamics of the chorus or the swiftness of the strings.

I am grateful for the connections my church experience has brought over the years. It can bring mental healing and in seasons of hardship. It’s my hope that my son will see how much joy his grandma and father get from our moments of connectedness and seek to foster the same for himself and his children should he choose to have them.

We are the body of Christ. Today I honor and cherish the body I belong to.

December 6, 2019

Day 61: Animals

bear at zoo (1 of 1) — A bear I met one day at the Zoo

Day 61: Animals

¹⁹Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

Genesis 2:19-20

God created animals for man to watch over and enjoy. And as we look for ways to become physically and mentally healthy we should make sure we spend time with the animals. According to the CDC there are many benefits to having pets:

“Studies have shown that the bond between people and their pets can increase fitness, lower stress, and bring happiness to their owners. Some of the health benefits of having a pet include:

Decreased blood pressure
Decreased cholesterol levels
Decreased triglyceride levels
Decreased feelings of loneliness
Increased opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities
Increased opportunities for socialization”

If God designed me to have regular interaction with the animals he created then today I will consider ways I can spend more time with them. Why don’t you take a trip to the zoo? Maybe a pet should be in your future.

Thank you for joining me on this journey to wellness. Please share and subscribe.

December 1, 2019

Day 60: Gifts

Jamaica Shirt (1 of 1)

Day 60: Gifts

I don’t know which feels better: getting or giving a gift. What do you think? My mother recently returned from a trip to Jamaica. She thought of me and purchased a shirt (I am wearing it in the photo above). It made me really happy. When my father was living he travelled a lot as part of his job. He would always bring me t-shirts from the different places he visited. It made me feel part of what he was doing. And even now that he is gone I still remember this act of giving and it makes me smile, confident that my father loved me.

On the other hand, I have so many memories of the joy of giving. Often in recent years that gift has been the gift of song. I have a good friend who is from Korea. A few years ago I wrote a musical inspired by my time in Korea and presented it at The Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington DC. I invited him to attend because he loves music (He is the founder of a Korean choir that performs on many prestigious occasions) and I thought he would enjoy a musical that seeks to share Korean culture.

I wasn’t prepared for how much he loved the experience. He ended up writing an editorial about it and how it moved him deeply.

While I may have thought of composing a musical as a gift to my community I didn’t realize it could have such a powerful effect. Successful marketing expert, author, teacher and businessman Seth Godin talks about how giving a gift creates an imbalance. If we exchange a product for money we are even. But the giving of a gift creates a shift that warrants a response. That response might be strong words of gratitude or tears. It maybe another gift. One time my glasses broke and my good friend who had come to my musical fixed them for free. I now was the one overwhelmed by his gift of generosity.

Jesus spoke of the power of giving without hope of recognition.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:1-4

Jesus said that when we give a gift in secret we will receive a reward from our Father in Heaven. I want to be rewarded by gifts from my Father in Heaven. I want Him to be pleased with me. I want his favor.

When we live a life of service to others, not looking for recognition from man, but looking to make our Heavenly Father proud we receive a sense of joy and peace. This may be what we have been missing that has kept us from feeling our best.

Today I will focus on giving gifts in the way that pleases my Father.

November 28, 2019

Best

divine servant (1 of 1)-2 — Sculpture located in front of Living Well Store in Colesville, Maryland

Day 59: Best

⁴so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

¹²When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

John 13:4-17 NIV

Jesus gave us an example of what being the best is all about. As I took the picture of the sculpture I didn’t at first realize it was Jesus. Because we know Jesus as the Son of God and King of Kings we often forget how he demonstrated His greatness while living here on earth. He served best.

His service included teaching about our Father in heaven. It included teaching us how we can show love best one to another. And he demonstrated His love by healing many. He lived His life serving well.

Today we see personified a very selfish vision of success. If the God of the universe were following the popular pattern of success we see glamorized today there would be no you or me. God bent over backwards to save sinful mankind. He didn’t have to do it. It was a perfect revelation of His supernatural nature. He loves to love.

Today, I will focus on how I can serve better.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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November 27, 2019

Day 58: Trustworthy People

Day 58: Trustworthy People

9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

Colossians 3:9 NIV

Have you ever had a problem and you wanted to get advice from someone you knew you could trust? A few days ago my van broke down. It wouldn’t start. I prayed and asked others to pray. I called for help. Tried but it still wouldn’t start. When I was about to give up I tried one last time and it started. PRAISE GOD!!! But I knew I needed to have someone figure out what was going on.

Often our health is tied to our mental peace of mind. When we feel anxious our immune system is weakened and we get sick more easily. The bible encourages us to be honest one with another. This way we can have a community where our anxiety is lessened because we can trust each other.

It came to me that I should take my van to my trusted mechanic, Hai. I hadn’t seen him for a few years but when I went he gave me excellent wisdom and fixed things and had me on my way quickly.

Today, I recommit myself to being someone others can rely on. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!