Latrice Pace
Have you ever seen a couple and thought, "Wow, they look like siblings?" If given the opportunity to spend a little time with them, you may find that not only do they look alike, they think and act alike.
They speak the same language, have the same purpose, visions and goals. They are simply in sync. They have found their "rhythm" if you will. I witnessed 36 of the 52 year my parents were married (until death he did part) and they made it a priority to serve, learn, get to know and spend time with one another.
It may have even taken them a few years of many trials and errors, but the result was incredible harmony.
Ephesians 5:25 admonishes husbands to go all out in their love for their wives, exactly as Christ has done for us. A love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love for us makes us whole and so should a husband's love toward his wife. His words should evoke her beauty.
Everything He does and says is designed to bring out the best in her which is to his advantage since they are one, striving for that harmony. Our fellowship with God is parallel to the marital relationship. The more time we spend with Him, the more we become the mirror image of Him. We will begin to think, act and speak like Him.
Spending time with God should never a task or chore. It's not the next bullet on your to do list or a quick consult when you're either in distress or looking for answers. Our time with Him is our existence. It's where we receive instruction, get clarity and direction.
It gives us the opportunity to know Him and become of like mind. We become aligned with His will, His purpose and His plan for our lives. Our time with him teaches us to love unreservedly. It heals the wounds of our past and makes us whole.
His words spoken during our time alone affirms and builds confidence while at the same time demolishing fear and inferiority. It establishes trust so we can undoubtedly know His character and rest boldly in His abilities. It disconnects us from confusion, frustration and our daily emotional roller coasters. It gives us access to His peace and puts us in the calm of it all.
Our time with God exposes our hidden motives, impure hearts, and personal agendas, which help keep us in a place of humility, thereby bringing us all to repentance that we may experience 'the refreshing from His presence' (Acts 3:19).
Latrice A. Pace, longtime member of Gospel group, The Pace Sisters. Latrice was recently featured in Tyler Perry's What's Done In The Dark, as well as the stage musical play, Jesus Christ Superstar Gospel. She has performed with and contributed background vocals for many of today's most popular gospel artists.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Power of a Praying Man
This post was originally written by Kevin Bond and was sent by Streaming Faith
The Power of a Praying Man
Prayer has always been the backbone of the African American family. Historically, not many African American men were willing to admit the fact that they regularly practiced prayer at home. Even fewer could say that they learned from their fathers the essential discipline of prayer.
For too many men, their twisted quest to be perceived as macho put the woman on the front lines as the spiritual leader of the home. Women became the ones to pray and carry the children to church while men stayed home, watched the games or played golf with the boys. This relinquishment of responsibility was due in part to the misguided perception that men who are active in church are soft or sissified.
Well, I'm from a different generation and I'm proud to say that the opposite was true for me. Not only was my father a praying man, but my grandfather was also a man of much prayer. They both instilled in me the practice of prayer, and I'm now passing that same trait to my sons and daughters.
My father, Alex T. Bond Jr., was a man who taught his children at an early age the power of prayer. Not once do I remember sitting down to a family meal without first asking God to bless our food. Not only would Dad pray over the food, but he would also raise any family issue or crisis that may have been looming that day. This could be work or schoolrelated, social, or even political. This became my norm.
In fact, for many of my friends who came over to visit at meal times, it became their norm. We could always tell those who weren't accustomed to this lifestyle of prayer because they would neither know Bible verses nor see the need to ask God's blessing over the meal. In an effort to plant the seed of prayer in my friends' lives, Dad would ask one of his children to lead prayer.
We gladly did so and were thrilled at the opportunity to share with our friends the practice of prayer that our parents had taught us. The most rewarding part was that we were also encouraged to practice this habit at school, as well as in our friends' homes. But Dad's prayer life extended far beyond the dinner table. As a child, I witnessed my father leading the church in prayer as a choir director, deacon, evangelist, and ultimately a pastor.
What a joy to know that the man people came to know and love publicly as Pastor Bond, was the same man I knew and loved privately as Dad. I am certain that Dad's active prayer life played a vital role in his development as he progressed through the different stages of his ministry assignments.
You see, prayer to us was recognized as one's communion with his Heavenly Father. For Christians, it's the way we commune with our God. It's the language through which we communicate with God. The Bible even states that Jesus communicated with God through prayer while He dwelt among us on earth. Prayer is one of the indispensable disciplines in the life of the Christian.
In fact, there's a motto that we use that states, "No prayer, no power; little prayer, little power; much prayer, much power." I feel blessed to have had a father who unashamedly prayed and taught our family to do likewise. I never saw my father hit my mother, spend the night in jail, drink, nor use drugs. I'd like to believe that it was because the prayer that he engaged in privately caused him to live openly as a righteous man.
That's my personal experience with the praying man God chose to rear me. I have adopted many of his methods and continue to pass them on to the next generation!
Dad , God rest your soul! Thanks for teaching us to pray!
Kevin Bond, a native from Chicago, IL, is perhaps one of the finest producers in the gospel music industry today. His leadership and production expertise have been vital to the success of some of gospel music's most recognizable artists, including Kirk Franklin, God's Property, Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, Bishop T.D. Jakes and The Potter's House Mass Choir, Marvin Sapp, and host of others. His book, A Servant's Guide From A Servant's Heart, is currently in it's second printing and has become a best-seller for those wishing to grow in ministry as well as the workplace. Kevin and his beautiful wife Toni reside in Atlanta, Georgia with their children; Alex III, Tayler Alexia, Kiara, and Phillip. For more information about Kevin Bond, log onto www.kevinbond.com.
The Power of a Praying Man
Prayer has always been the backbone of the African American family. Historically, not many African American men were willing to admit the fact that they regularly practiced prayer at home. Even fewer could say that they learned from their fathers the essential discipline of prayer.
For too many men, their twisted quest to be perceived as macho put the woman on the front lines as the spiritual leader of the home. Women became the ones to pray and carry the children to church while men stayed home, watched the games or played golf with the boys. This relinquishment of responsibility was due in part to the misguided perception that men who are active in church are soft or sissified.
Well, I'm from a different generation and I'm proud to say that the opposite was true for me. Not only was my father a praying man, but my grandfather was also a man of much prayer. They both instilled in me the practice of prayer, and I'm now passing that same trait to my sons and daughters.
My father, Alex T. Bond Jr., was a man who taught his children at an early age the power of prayer. Not once do I remember sitting down to a family meal without first asking God to bless our food. Not only would Dad pray over the food, but he would also raise any family issue or crisis that may have been looming that day. This could be work or schoolrelated, social, or even political. This became my norm.
In fact, for many of my friends who came over to visit at meal times, it became their norm. We could always tell those who weren't accustomed to this lifestyle of prayer because they would neither know Bible verses nor see the need to ask God's blessing over the meal. In an effort to plant the seed of prayer in my friends' lives, Dad would ask one of his children to lead prayer.
We gladly did so and were thrilled at the opportunity to share with our friends the practice of prayer that our parents had taught us. The most rewarding part was that we were also encouraged to practice this habit at school, as well as in our friends' homes. But Dad's prayer life extended far beyond the dinner table. As a child, I witnessed my father leading the church in prayer as a choir director, deacon, evangelist, and ultimately a pastor.
What a joy to know that the man people came to know and love publicly as Pastor Bond, was the same man I knew and loved privately as Dad. I am certain that Dad's active prayer life played a vital role in his development as he progressed through the different stages of his ministry assignments.
You see, prayer to us was recognized as one's communion with his Heavenly Father. For Christians, it's the way we commune with our God. It's the language through which we communicate with God. The Bible even states that Jesus communicated with God through prayer while He dwelt among us on earth. Prayer is one of the indispensable disciplines in the life of the Christian.
In fact, there's a motto that we use that states, "No prayer, no power; little prayer, little power; much prayer, much power." I feel blessed to have had a father who unashamedly prayed and taught our family to do likewise. I never saw my father hit my mother, spend the night in jail, drink, nor use drugs. I'd like to believe that it was because the prayer that he engaged in privately caused him to live openly as a righteous man.
That's my personal experience with the praying man God chose to rear me. I have adopted many of his methods and continue to pass them on to the next generation!
Dad , God rest your soul! Thanks for teaching us to pray!
Kevin Bond, a native from Chicago, IL, is perhaps one of the finest producers in the gospel music industry today. His leadership and production expertise have been vital to the success of some of gospel music's most recognizable artists, including Kirk Franklin, God's Property, Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, Bishop T.D. Jakes and The Potter's House Mass Choir, Marvin Sapp, and host of others. His book, A Servant's Guide From A Servant's Heart, is currently in it's second printing and has become a best-seller for those wishing to grow in ministry as well as the workplace. Kevin and his beautiful wife Toni reside in Atlanta, Georgia with their children; Alex III, Tayler Alexia, Kiara, and Phillip. For more information about Kevin Bond, log onto www.kevinbond.com.
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