Let's Talk About It

Growing up as a youth in a Christian home, I thought Christianity was scary! I can recall countless sermons in my childhood church that constantly reminded the congreg ation of their sins and stressed the need to get saved in order to avoid hell and be welcomed into heaven. The church only preached about the law, the old covenant. And my husband's experience growing up was no different. It wasn't until our mid-30's we finally learned that God had established a new covenant, grace. You see, God loved us so much that He gave his only begotten Son, Jesus, and whosoever believes in Him will be saved and have eternal life. God sent Jesus to save us because of his Agape love for us. He wants us to establish a relationship with Him because he cares for us. Ever since my husband and I learned about God's grace, our lives have never been the same. We have countless testimonies of how God's grace has and continues to produce extraordinary things in our lives. I encourage you to establish a relationship with God. It all starts by getting saved. If you are someone who wants to receive salvation, I encourage you to read this Prayer of Salvation so you can begin to build your relationship with God. Be blessed 😇.

When you know what God says about you, the world’s view of you becomes irrelevant. Just because the world labels you as a minority, poor, or a victim doesn't mean you have to accept it. God gives us the power and authority to call things that be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). He said if we decree a thing, it shall be established (Job 22:28). So you are not a minority, you are the majority. You are not poor, you have wealth and riches in Christ Jesus. You are not a victim, you are victorious and an overcomer. I encourage you to read the Word of God and find out what else He says about you. The book of Ephesians is a great place to start. So stop saying what the world says, say what the Word says! Be blessed 😇!

Written by Sarah Byrd. The chatter of Corinthia’s teammates became softer as she stepped onto the floor. She had done her warmup and now it was time to face her adversary: The Roundoff Back handspring layout. She faced the blue spring floor like it was a huge ocean and wiped her hand on her thighs. “Adonai - He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be discouraged,” she repeated to herself. But Corinthia could not move. She felt paralyzed with fear. She looked up and saw that her teammates were trying to give her encouragement, but it sounds more like their words were wrapped in bubble gum and she couldn’t hear what they were saying. Later that afternoon Corinthia sat in the car telling her mom what had happened that day. “Don’t give up,” her mom told her. “You can do it, just go for it!” her little sister, Layla said. At home, she received the same support from her dad who would give her motivational speeches in which afterward she felt inspired. All these things gave her the support she needed, but the true strength and courage she got were from God. “I kept reading my prayers every day,” she remembered. “In the car, right before I would go to gym.” When asked which ones she said the most she responded, “Deuteronomy 31:8.” It was a year and a half that she battled being afraid of back tumbling--any back tumbling --whether it was on the floor or the beam. “I felt like quitting,” Corinthia said. “but my mom wouldn’t let me give up.” She laughed. But quitting wasn’t something that Corinthia did. She was passionate about gymnastics, and she didn’t want to give that up. She believes that it is one of the hardest sports, and she loves a good challenge. Her favorite skill, the Tsukahara, which is a half turn off the springboard onto the vault table, then a push backward, usually into a back salto or layout, would be appropriate for a girl whose superpower would be flying. As a matter of fact, the vault is her favorite, and has won Regional Vault Champion in 2019, and scored a 9.875 in vault this past season at the Tim Rand Invitational. When asked if she peeked at her score after completing the vault she replied, “Yeah, I looked and was like, Wow!” It felt good that her hard work paid off. Eye of the Tiger is her favorite song, so it isn’t a surprise that she likes the LSU Tigers and wants to go there for college. And that her favorite color is purple. But unlike Rocky, the movie that made the song famous, Corinthia is not a morning person. “It takes my mom two times to get me up, and by the second time she’s like, ‘Okay NOW it’s time to get up!’” Her mother laughs as Corinthia mimics her tone. But early mornings don’t stop Corinthia from continuing to show up at the gym. And that is what she does every day. And finally, one of those days, Corinthia had a breakthrough. Corinthia stepped out onto the floor again right after one of her teammates finished a back-tumbling pass. If they can do it, I can too, she thought. Then she repeated her scriptures and prayer: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 Adonai - He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8 She repeated these over and over. She wiped her hand on her thighs, took a deep breath, and pumped her legs as fast as she could. Round off back handspring layout. Again. And again. She did it repeatedly-ten times in a row. Everybody cheered, the claps and yells made it sound like a Florida thunderstorm was inside the gym! It was her breakthrough! Corinthia couldn’t stop smiling, she felt really happy. Looking back on this moment, when asked what she would tell other girls going through something similar, she responded, “I would tell her to go to the word of God, He will always be with you and that he will never let anything happen to you.”