Did God Send You To The Wilderness?

LOL. I'm trying out book titles. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think maybe I should say something more exciting than Faith Journey Now. Even though a faith journey it has been. Perhaps I should think of the audience the Lord God has in store for me. Perhaps I should consider the book signings I will do and who would invite me to speak at them. What title would cause that to be. You can see more about my journey at my blog, The title above says more about how I really feel about this faith journey. Especially, as I still hang on and much of what the Lord said would happened hasn't. The most important thing is to 'fix your eyes upon Jesus' - and you better believe you can see him and are looking at Him. You will loose your grip, else.

Happy New Year & Praise God for Haiti

Welcome to the new year everyone! How awesome that we get to be here. Even though it's already the 13th, it is still a new year and decade. How wonderful that we still have this life. Some of us wouldn't have minded leaving Earth last year and going on to Heaven, but we are glad to be here, as to live is Christ and to die gain for us that believe in Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm writing to you for the first time in 2010 on the day after Haiti experienced this horrible earthquake. Some of us have heard the prophecies that some terrible things, natural disasters, will happen this year. The Father in heaven has told us not to be afraid as He has already told us that these things would happen and they signal the end of the times we are living in now. We can rejoice, the Bible says, because this shows that the time for the coming of the Son of God is soon. Our redemption draweth nigh!

So we pray for Haiti and praise God with them as many, they say, over night were singing hymns and praising God. Amazing. We don't include Haiti as one of those countries we should pray for regarding their opposition to the gospel. But Haiti has been inundated over the decades by voodoo and many demons of oppression and poverty and bondage. So we should have been praying for them. But look at what our Lord Most High is doing. He has His people there in such numbers and they have been having such an effect, that hundreds of people know to praise God. One eyewitness said it was so beautiful to hear through the night, of darkness and after shocks, people singing praises to God. They said the singing was loud and so beautiful. I will let myself believe that it was so loud because angels were joining them in praise.

Folks, I tell you, with all the things God is doing in my life since January 1st, this just thrills my heart. God is awesome and He's got it. He's got it people. All we have to do is rest in Him. He will tell us what to do to help, how to pray and we can rely on His wisdom and Love.

I love you Haitian people and my granddaughter, Naomi Amber Remilekun Abrahams, who is half Haitian. God loves you Haiti and the devil will not win!

I Need Help On How to Get Ready for All of God's Blessings

A dear sister Ms. Retha on http://sistahfaith.ning.com/ asked this question on a forum. You’ll have to join and find me, to see this discussion. But she asked this question and it got me to thinking, back in February this year.

Getting ready for all of God’s blessings…oh my! What a thing! She has the presence of mind to think about how to get ready for them? God tells us about these blessings and how overwhelming they will be – more than you can think or imagine; so much that the ears of those that hear it will tingle; poured out from Heaven, so much that you won’t have room enough to contain it (that means, NO MATTER how much room you have now!); even if you shake it, press it down, it will still be running over; “abundant prosperity”!!!! I mean that’s a lot to handle.

Deuteronomy 28 echoes what others said in the discussion. Verse 1 says, “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.”

When I first saw the question, I was flabbergasted because Sis Retha knows she is about to be blessed by God financially and is wondering how to get ready. I’m expecting the same breakthrough any minute.

God wants us to have everything we need and actually the desires of our hearts. “Need” we understand, but “desires of our hearts” takes us to another level and for that our hearts have to be changed, so that we can receive the abundance. I don’t know about all of you, but even though I am from an earthly royal family, we have never been rich. Our Heavenly Father knows what moving into this new realm of having more than enough, until it overflows and to be “made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion”, will mean to me and He knows how I will react in my present state. I’m sure there’s “flesh burning” needed and adjustments to my attitude about others, so that I am fit to still “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” and not be so stuck up or so heaven bound that I’m no earthly good.

Preparation is going on in and around me right now. He is humbling me, breaking me down, burning flesh, pruning, crushing…oh people, it’s something else and very uncomfortable. I’ve been known, over the last few weeks to cry out, “No more!” “This is horrible” “I want out” “I can’t serve you anymore, Lord”. But now, I’m at a quiet, do nothing place. Do nothing except this writing He has asked me to do. And it’s the fun writing you know. The children’s funny, imaginative, make-believe, joyful, soulful writing. The kind that makes you smile as you write and wonder about the creativity He has let loose in you, to even come up with this plot and storyline. Now, today, I see that where I am, though still uncomfortable, humiliating, low…is really wonderful. I see all the wonderfulness of it, the family around me, the loving relationships and closeness I would never have been able to orchestrate, the unbelievable patience and kindness of people. It is a wonderful place, and a great lovely experience, mainly because The Lord God of Heaven and Earth, brought me here. I rejoice.

I wrote this February 11, 2009, but it’s still relevant today, November 13, 2009.

Casey - A Children's Story

Skipping along in the sun rays across her granny’s huge backyard, Casey followed the rays all the way to the big oak tree. She slid into a grassy spot as if she was a baseball player coming into home plate, just like her big brother taught her. Sitting back relaxing against the trusty oak’s wide trunk, like she was on granny’s big fancy couch, she pulled out her juicy pear. Grandpa had picked it for her, just before she left the house. “Yipee” her soul seemed to say, as she got ready for the delicious juice of the ripe fruit.

Two squirrels dropped out of a branch close to her and didn’t run away. Maybe because she was so quiet eating her pear. Then one squirrel started chasing the other who was hiding something. Casey named them, Tom & Jerry, as she started on the other side of her pear.

Tom was hiding something and Jerry acted like it was supposed to be his. Jerry was determined to get it and was not going to stop trying. Tom headed up the tree again and Jerry right after him. Casey could see what Tom had – it was a huge piece of an apple. There was no way Tom could keep running and jumping from tree limb to limb and hold on to that big piece of fruit. It was too big for his mouth and he kept adjusting it, so it wouldn’t fall out.

Tom and Jerry’s big bushy tails flicked up and down in anger. Tom was angry that Jerry wouldn’t let him eat in peace. Jerry was angry that Tom wouldn’t let him have a piece. Tom almost fell out of the tree, trying to adjust the fruit in his mouth, but he saved himself and jumped safely to the ground, Jerry ran down the trunk right after him. Both of them on the ground, Tom seemed to come up with a smart idea. He broke the fruit in two and left one half on the ground and moved off with the other. Jerry jumped at that piece and both squirrels were happy.

Casey didn’t know that squirrels could do that or think that way. They taught her a lesson. When her cousins came to play, they always wanted to play with all her toys in her toy chest. She didn’t want them touching her toys and dolls and especially Teddy, but just like Tom, the squirrel, she would have to learn to share. After all she couldn’t play with all her things at once. Tom, the squirrel wouldn’t have been able to eat that piece of apple in peace, unless he shared it.

Sometimes God gives us so much that we really have to share it, or we won’t be able to carry it. That happened to one of Jesus’ disciples - Peter. Out fishing one day, he had caught nothing until Jesus sent him out to fish again and he got so much that he had to call other people to help him bring them in. I’m sure he had to share some of the catch for all his use of their boats. Another person in the Bible who had too much was a little boy in the crowd of the 5,000, who were hungry and tired after listening to Jesus teach for days. He had 5 loaves and 2 fishes. That’s too much for one little boy since 3 loaves was for one grown man to eat a whole meal. The little boy gave his too much to Jesus and 5,000 men with their wives and children (making probably 20,000 people) ate and were full and he got to take 12 baskets home! I wonder how he carried them.

©2009 Princess Carroll Ayo Durodola

Joanie and The Angel of Parliament Ave

Slowly snowflakes slide out of the smooth clouds. 9-year old Joanie watched from her penthouse window, on the 92nd floor of the Roosevelt Towers condos. She was sure she was watching the first snowflakes. She curled up in the window seat and enjoyed seeing the flakes before millions of people below, on Parliament Ave.

Mary was busy whirling cake mix in the mixer, for Joanie’s brother’s 16th birthday.
“I’m cold” Joanie called to the cook.
“Well, put that throw around you” Mary said, “I’m not going to stop this cooking right now to fiddle with that thermometer.”
Joanie pulled the throw around her legs and went on with her snow watching. The sun began to set and it looked like it was going to be in the colors of the pinks. There was purple, some plum, now magenta. It was changing quickly. More clouds were coming in and more snowflakes were falling.

Joanie’s brother, Carl, had a birthday on January 1st. How lucky, to have your birthday be New Year’s Day. He always said it was a pain in the neck, but Joanie couldn’t see how. Every time he was asked when his birthday was, he got a lot of attention because people said “You were born on New Year’s Day!!!”

As Joanie turned back to the window, she thought the sun was in an odd place. It seemed to be higher in the sky, not going down at all, but at her eye level. It should have been so bright that she couldn’t look at it, but she could. As she looked into the light, she realized it wasn’t the sun, but something else, suspended in air and she heard a voice come from it.
“Joanie, you’re going to have to pay attention” it said.
“Why?” Joanie asked.
“Because what I’m going to tell you is very important.”
“O.K.” Joanie said.
The voice from the light went on, “Go and tell Mary that as soon as she finishes mixing the cake, she should call her son. He’s not feeling well. He’s going to be alright if she calls him very soon.”
“O.K.” Joanie said, sitting still, waiting to hear more. She was so excited about the light in front of her.
“Go ahead Joanie and tell Mary” the angel said. For that’s what it was.
Joanie jumped up off the window seat, but turned back to keep her eyes on the bright light.
“Stop that jumping!” Mary shouted from the kitchen.
“I know, but there’s someone here.” Said Mary as the light seemed to shoo her away and the voice repeated, “Go ahead Joanie, go tell Mary.” She tore herself away from the big window and ran into the kitchen.
“Stop that running in the house.” Mary said, as she stopped the cake mixer, “What’s the matter with you today…jumping, running…”
“Mary!” Joanie put both her hands up to stop Mary talking and to give her very important message, “you must call your son, Leroy. He is not well and you must call him.”
“What are you…?” Mary started.
Joanie was ready for her, “An angel. An angel came to me at the window and told me that you have to call your son, that he is not well, but he will be O.K. if you call right away.”
“O.K., O.K. chil’” Mary said.
Mary knew God, Jesus was a friend of hers and she knew He spoke to His children in a lot of ways. She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out her cell phone, flipping it open in one fell swoop. Automatically, she pressed the number for her only child, Leroy, who had just turned 51. As she waited for him to pick up, she thought about how proud she was of him, that he had gone to college and had a great business and didn’t have to work for other people like her and his dad.
“Yes, Momma, how are ya’?” Leroy answered.
“I’m good. Wondering what this little chil’, Joanie is talking about…”
“Oh” Leroy groaned, “Oh my, what was that?”
“What is it son?” Mary asked. Joanie jumped up and down with glee, “the angel said he would be O.K. Don’t worry Mary.”
“A real sharp pain in my chest” Leroy said.
“Oh my God! Are you home?”
“Yes” he moaned.
“I’m calling 911 to send an ambulance over there. Stay on the phone; I’m going to use the house phone.”
“I’m sure it’s O.K. Momma” Leroy groaned.
“No, I have another Word. If you can move, get some of that aspirin out of the medicine cabinet and put it under your tongue.”
“O.K.” he answered. “But I’m still able to stand.”
“Praise God, just do as I said.” “Hello” Mary now switched over to the house phone and told the 911 operator what was happening and Leroy’s address.

Before Joanie knew it, she was in her winter gear, being pulled down the halls of Roosevelt Towers behind Mary towards the elevators.
“Since no one’s home, you’ll have to come with me” Mary, the family cook, said to her.
“Are we going to the hospital?” asked Joanie.
“We’ll go to the apartment first and see how he is and if the ambulance has got there.”
“The angel said he’ll be alright, Mary.”
“I believe you chil’. I believe you.” Mary said even though she had a worried tone in her voice.
By the time they got to Leroy’s apartment, the ambulance had him inside and was starting up their sirens to drive away.
“How exciting” Mary thought.
The policeman standing there knew Mary, “He’s O.K. Miss Mary. They’re taking him to Holy Cross.”
“Thank you Sam. I’ll follow.”

Much later at the hospital, in Leroy’s hospital room, he was snug and safe, tucked in. He had had a mild heart attack, but he was resting well. Mary’s husband and Leroy’s dad, John, had come and everyone was calm. Through the hospital room window looking out to the hallway, Joanie saw her Mom and Dad rushing to the room.
“Mommy, Daddy!”
“Hi darling” Daddy picked her up and they both hugged her. Then they hugged Mary and asked about Leroy.

Joanie tugged at their coats, anxious to tell them all about her adventure and about the angel of Parliament Ave. that came to save Leroy.


Copyright © 2008 Carroll Ayo Durodola

You are the Light of the World

12/11/08

We’re walking around with the Light in us you know. A merchant I deal with was ringing me up at the cash register some years ago. I wasn’t talking about Christ or thinking particularly spiritual thoughts at the time, but she looked up at me and said, “There’s a light in you.” I said “Praise God” and went on. But it makes sense you know, based on what Jesus said. “You are the Light of the world” (Matt 5:14). We are walking around with the Light in us and this is a light the world needs.