DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Who’s On Your Team?
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© Lett’s Rise! All rights reserved.

Who’s on your team?

The Olympics have been phenomenal! Not only have we seen individual athletes at their best, we’ve also seen epic team work.

Did you see the Fab Five USA Women gymnasts take gold?
What about the golden girls of our USA rowing team?
And our swimming relays – male and female – have been incredible!

We’re not going to even talk about Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings in beach volleyball! Amazing!
The USA basketball dream team!
And the track and field relays are coming up this week.

Team work at its best.

So, who’s on your team?
Who’s pushing you to do your best?
Who’s right by your side – rowing, tumbling, running, dunking?

That person for me is my husband, Kevin.
This year marks our 11th anniversary.
We’re husband/wife, the best of friends, as well as ministry and business partners.
Needless to say, we’ve been through A LOT and we’re around each other A LOT!

Today, we’ll be sharing part of our journey in a radio interview at 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET with Carl Thornton, Jr. If you’re in the GA and SC area, you can catch it live on 1550 AM WTHB. For the rest of us, you can stream LIVE ONLINE.

People ask us all the time how we’re making “it” work.
I’m reminded of the verse in Philippians often. Paul wrote:

PHILIPPIANS 2:3-4>
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Of course, this is easier said than done…
but I think it’s something that we have learned and are still learning to do daily – to do nothing out of selfish ambition and conceit, but value each other above ourselves. When we went through counseling, after surviving cancer, we kept being brought back to this concept of letting go of selfishness. It’s difficult because it’s so ingrained in us as human beings to look out for self.

But, once we said “I Do”, it was a lifelong commitment to not looking out for our own interests, but for each other.

We see it in our Olympians too. The women gymnast team coach said she made ever decision in the team finals based on what was best for the team, not any one individual. Each person had to do their best, but they pulled it together for the team.

I find the volleyball most fascinating because Misty and Kerri are functioning together like a well-oiled machine. One sets the other up. They dive, they run, they’re doing whatever it takes together as a team.

Kevin and I are a team.
And we remind each other of that all the time.

We’re not here to tear each other down. We’re here to build each other up.
We have the same name on the back of our jersey.
We’re in this together.

So, who’s on your team?
Spouse? Friends? Family?
Today would be a good day to give ’em a high five and remind each other that we’re all in this thing together!
Naima

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
SOARING INTO HISTORY
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© Ronald Martinez, Getty Images, photo source
VIDEO RECAP

What a way to soar into the history books!

Gabriel Douglas, aka Gabby, the 4’11” explosive gymnast from Virginia Beach, is America’s new golden girl!

Gabby became the only American woman to win gold in both the team and individual all-around Olympic Gymnastics, and the first African American gymnast to win the Olympic all-around title. And she made it look effortless. (VIDEO RECAP)

Gabby led the competition from the beginning with a solid vault, followed by extraordinary performances on the uneven bars and balance beam, and a floor routine to be remembered. She was focused and meticulous the entire night and didn’t flash her million-watt smile until after her last event, the floor routine, knowing at that point that she’d done all she could.

When the final scores posted and everyone saw that Gabby was still #1, tears burst forth.
Gabby released tears of joy.
Gabby’s mom, Natalie Hawkins, boo-hooed and crumbled into her son’s arms.
Gabby’s competitor, Russia’s Viktoria Komova, sobbed and covered her face, upset to lose the gold medal by only 0.259 points.

Even Oprah cried and tweeted, “OMG I’m so THRILLED for Gabby. Flowing happy tears!!”

It was a moment worth crying over.

Gabby shared this morning on The Today Show that there was lots of blood, sweat and tears on her way to Olympic gold.

Talk about an amazing story.

Gabby entered into gymnastics at the age of 4. At the age of 12, she watched the 2008 Beijing Olympics and knew she would not get the chance to compete unless she had Olympic coaching. She asked her mom if she could train with the coach she saw on TV coaching gymnast Shawn Johnson to her 2008 all-around Olympic Gold. That coach was Liang Chow, an international Chinese gymnast who had moved to Iowa to coach American athletes.

Of course, Gabby’s mom, Natalie, said “No!” But Gabby was relentless.
And finally one day, Gabby asked her mom, “What would you do if you were this frustrated and could not get the support you needed on your job?”

That’s when Natalie seriously considered allowing Gabby to train with Chow, who presented a clinic in Virginia Beach where Gabby had the chance to actually work with him. But Chow lived 20 hours and 1,200 miles away in Iowa, and Natalie, now a single mom of 4, could not afford to move the entire family to Iowa. Gabby’s father was called for a 3rd tour in Afghanistan. Her parents were going through a divorce. Not an ideal situation.

But at the age of 14, Gabby moved to Iowa, not knowing a soul.

Coach Chow found a host family for Gabby. The first one didn’t work out and 3 months in was a disaster. Then, Travis and Missy Parton and their gymnast daughters offered Gabby a home away from home. There were times Gabby wanted to give up. She cried everyday from homesickness. She tried to quit. No one around her would let her – her mother, sisters, host family, coach. Talk about incredible support. And it paid off. She adjusted and begin to train.

And just a year and 1/2 later, Gabby stands on top of the Olympic platform, making history.

Is anybody else inspired?
I feel like I can soar too!
What about you?

Through incredible sacrifice, hard work and faith, Gabby did something no other woman has ever done before. Incredible!

Yesterday, Gabby posted on her Twitter the following praise:
Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. PSALM 103:2

I love that psalm of David.

PSALM 103:1-5 (New Living Translation)
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

Gabby is certainly soaring like an eagle right now, and remembering to thank God every step of the way. Let’s praise God with her and celebrate her history-making accomplishments.

Be inspired, Fam!

Be inspired by Gabby’s dedication and sacrifice and willingness to do whatever it takes to reach her goals. And she did so without any unethical, morally questionable athleticism. She showed up every day in the gym and worked. Blood, sweat, and tears.

I also celebrate my husband, Kevin, today. I’m on my way to his promotional ceremonies at his secret-service-type gig. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the “I can’t really talk about that…”; but I’m so proud of his dedication and sacrifice and willingness to do whatever it takes for our family. Thank you, Love. He’s even being nominated for a national employee of the year award after a year and a 1/2, very much like Gabby’s training period. Blood, sweat and tears. Well, if anybody boo-hoos and snouts, that would be me. :=) Proud of you!

What goal do you have today?
Do you need an expert mentor/coach who has a stellar track record?
Are you willing to sacrifice and put in the hard work, training, maybe even move, in order to have a shot at reaching your dream?

At 16, Gabby has inspired, not just an entire nation, but an entire world.
Soar, Gabby, soar!

We’re soaring with you,
Naima

What’s your goal? Are you willing to do whatever it takes?

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
LOSING ON PURPOSE
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© Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters, New York Times, photo source

Can’t make this stuff up.

8 OLYMPIANS – as in the BEST athletes in the world – have been disqualified for trying to lose their matches – on purpose.

Who knew badminton could be so scandalous?
Clutch the Queen’s pearls!

This VIDEO REPLAY reveals China’s Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli and South Korean’s Jung Kyung Eun and Kim Ha Na competing for the World’s Top Worst Athlete: half-hitting the shuttlecock into the net (FYI: In my P.E. class in Augusta, Georgia, we called that feathered projectile a ‘birdie’), letting the birdie fall to the ground without even trying to return a serve, etc., obvious non-play.

I am adamantly against “booing” people, seeing firsthand how booing devastated several artists when I went to a taping of Harlem’s Showtime at the Apollo. But by the time the audience of PAYING customers started booing China and South Korea in the video, I was booing too.

Boo!
Boo!

Fans paid as much as £75.00 per ticket for the best seats in the preliminary rounds; £20 – 35 for the nosebleeds. That’s between $31 – $117 US dollars. How would you like to spend over a hundred dollars to see two teams try to lose?

Boo!

And then they’re in Britain, where the doggone sport originated during the 17th – 18th century! Historical 1800’s drawings show women in bonnets playing badminton’s precursor, battledore and shuttlecock, a game dating back to ancient Greece. And unlike Americans like myself who had one 6-weeks training of badminton in high school P.E. class, most of the British audience in that Olympic arena would’ve played the game from childhood. They LOVE the game. And they KNEW the game they were experiencing was being thrown.

Boo!

But before we get too boo happy, I have to ask the question, do we sometimes intentionally try to lose on purpose?

How many times do we sabotage our relationships?
Or slack off on the job, hoping to be ‘let go’ instead of having to ‘quit’, but we’ve already quit?
How many times do we non-commit because we’re afraid to fail and even more afraid to succeed?

Last Sunday, I preached a sermon called “Run to Win” based on Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 9:24-27.

Paul makes an analogy that those who compete in the ancient Olympic games do so to win a perishable wreath (our equivalent of a gold medal); but followers of Christ are out to win an imperishable reward. He says that he doesn’t run without aim or box the air, but trains and disciplines his own body in order to win. Paul says, “Run in such a way that you may win.”

We’ll unpack that scripture more when we get to Track and Field, as it has more direct correlation there, but Paul’s point is that nobody goes into a top athletic competition to lose. That’s absurd.

We are to compete to win.
Us. China. South Korea.

The teams who tried to lose on purpose did so in preliminary rounds in an attempt to rig their chances of winning in later rounds. The Chinese team apparently did not want to play their top Chinese team, which would’ve happened if they won the match against the South Koreans. Instead of China playing China and knocking each other out in a quarter final, they wanted to play other teams and have a chance to win gold and silver.

One problem:
Everyone can SEE you trying to LOSE.
We SEE you!

Isn’t it that way with us too?
Everyone can SEE you trying to LOSE.
Let’s stop the madness. Losing is not cute.

Compete to win.
Give it all you got.
Go out fighting.

Our Fab Five gymnasts fought for their gold medals – flying, tumbling, twisting, vaulting in the stratosphere. Yesterday, USA’s Nathan Adrian out-touched Australia’s James Magnussen by one-hundredth of a second to win gold in the 100m freestyle – 1/100 of a second!!!

That’s what we expect from our world’s top athletes, especially since there were so many other athletes knocked out of competing along the way. When we get to the Olympic stage, you’ve got to bring it.

Would we change the way we approach life if folks could boo us when they saw we weren’t giving it our best?

Would our relationships change if our spouses and significant others could boo us when we decide not to give them 100%?

Would my sermons change if folks started booing midway through if they thought I had not given it my all?

Something to ponder.
Let it never be said that we lose on purpose.
Let’s compete to win,
Naima

Anything you want to give your all to? Does this encourage you?

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
CALL IT A COMEBACK
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Did you see Jordyn Wieber last night?

Just 2 days ago, folks wondered if she’d be able to pull it together from the amazing disappointment of finishing 4th out of 24 in the all around Olympic gymnastic trials, thus booting her from competing for gold in the individual finals.

In Monday’s blog, Can’t Dwell on the Fail, I commented that Jordyn had no time to dwell on the fail. She was expected to let bygones be bygones, in 24 hours, no doubt, and come back strong for Team USA in the team gymnastic finals.

And come back she did!

The 5’2″ 17-year old, reigning world all-around champion from DeWitt, Michigan (population 4500+) stepped out first to lead the team on the vaults.

If she was nervous, you couldn’t tell.
There were no remnants of Sunday’s heartbreak.
She came, game face on, to compete.

Jordyn did a practice twisty-turn of her shoulders, took a deep breath, then powered down the mat, nailing her vault, as seen in the video above.

The comeback never felt so good.

Next, 4’11” 16-year old, Virginia Beach native, Gabby Douglas, who secured the top USA spot during qualifications for the team and leapt her way onto the cover of TIME Magazine, followed Jordyn’s vault with incredible flips, turns and an immovable landing of her own.

“Unbelievable!” NBC’s commentator exclaimed.

Last, the 5’3″ 16-year old, 2011 world vault champion, McKayla Maroney, from Long Beach (shout out to Southern Cally!) put the crowd on its feet with a near perfect score. I watched her vault in slow-mo. She kept flying and twisting and twisting and flying. Nobody could sit after that phenomenon.

And the team, which also included Aly Raisman and Kyla Ross, kept powering away: uneven bars, balance beam, floor routines… flying, twisting, nailing – all the way to the gold medal podium. They’re only the 2nd team in US history to win gold in women’s team gymnastics… earning their nickname: The Fab Five.

It’s impossible not to be inspired, Fam.

They soared.
And we soared with them.
Yes, in my pajamas in my living room, I was flying and twisting and nailing and throwing my arms in the air! My spirit danced with them. It was magical.

And I was so happy for Jordyn.
She’s the epitome of putting the past behind and pressing on toward victory.

I recently quoted the Apostle Paul’s convictions in a similar post, but it’s so worth repeating today, especially since his audience would’ve attributed his imagery of winning the prize to the ancient Olympic games.

PHILIPPIANS 3:12-14
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

When striving to know Christ in His death and resurrection, Paul says that he presses forward. He forgets the past and strains toward the goal to win the prize. Everyone who heard Paul’s letter would’ve had the picture of an Olympian with a champion’s wreath as that prize.

For Jordyn and our Fab Five, they pushed pass the past and got gold.

What’s holding us back today, Fam?
Come up short yesterday?
No worries.
Today is a new day.
Call it a comeback day.

Got to get one of those blinged out USA leotards!
Sparkle, watch out,
Naima

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
FROM FAME TO INFAMY
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Imagine’s Jonah Lehrer, Source: The Wrap

“Bestselling young author with thrilling insights falls from fame to infamy”, read one of Sharon Waxman’s headlines for The Wrap today.

Got my attention.
Got yours?

Yesterday, 31-year old Rhodes Scholar and bestselling author of Imagine: How Creativity Works, Jonah Lehrer, resigned from his coveted post at The New Yorker, less than 2 months after joining the staff.

What happened?

Apparently, he lied.
He made up quotes in his Imagine book and attributed them to singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. When reporter Michael C. Moynihan interviewed Jonah and asked him about the quotes, Jonah lied, repeatedly, for weeks, until he could not lie anymore.

Jonah’s statement:
“Three weeks ago, I received an email from journalist Michael Moynihan asking about Bob Dylan quotes in my book ‘Imagine. The quotes in question either did not exist, were unintentional misquotations, or represented improper combinations of previously existing quotes. But I told Mr. Moynihan that they were from archival interview footage provided to me by Dylan’s representatives. This was a lie spoken in a moment of panic. When Mr. Moynihan followed up, I continued to lie, and say things I should not have said…The lies are over now. I understand the gravity of my position. I want to apologize to everyone I have let down, especially my editors and readers. I also owe a sincere apology to Mr. Moynihan. I will do my best to correct the record and ensure that my misquotations and mistakes are fixed. I have resigned my position as staff writer at The New Yorker.”

The literary world is stunned. Because Jonah was one of their wonder-kids.

Jonah graduated from Columbia University in 2003 with a degree in neuroscience. He studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He wrote for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Wired and The Boston Globe. Some of you have heard him on National Public Radio’s Radiolab. He published 3 bestselling books including How We Decide (which I almost purchased in line at FedEx Office a month ago) and had an ambitious speaking schedule. To top it off, he bought the famous, historic Shulman House in the Hollywood Hills for $2.25 million at the end of 2010. He’s had a fairy-book decade.

And now, at the age of 31, his career is deemed over. His book has been removed from Amazon.com. E-books and shipments on hard copies have been halted. Like James Frey before him, Jonah is now a marked man.

This is so sad to me.

Why not just do the work and find actual quotes of Bob Dylan if you want to quote Bob Dylan?
Why publish a book with misquotes and non-existent quotes?
Do we not believe that somebody will find out?

When my youngest brother shared with me that he was entering full-time vocational ministry, I gave him the best advice that I could give any minister, advice that I, myself, live by:

1) Sleep with your own spouse only (which he does. He absolutely adores my sister-in-law),
2) Be completely transparent and do right when it comes to finances, and
2) Always do everything in the light. Act like everything that you do will be known.

In other words, live in truth.
Live in the light.

JOHN 3:19-21
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

My brother is a man of integrity. He lives in the light.
Let’s all live like everything that we do will be known, either on this side of heaven or the next.
Let’s not misquote folks and make up stuff and publish lies.

My heart breaks for Jonah. I do hope that there is redemption and a comeback story somewhere in the works for this young writer. Sounds like he got caught up in the hype. May we all learn from his “cautionary tale”.

Light, Fam,
Naima

Walking in the light can be difficult. How do you manage?

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
CAN’T DWELL ON THE FAIL
© NaimaLett.com/blog

© NBC Olympics, Michael Phelps

Shock shook London’s Olympics Saturday.

All-time Olympic gold medal record holder Michael Phelps (14 golds) failed to even make the awards stand in his first event, the 400 individual. Teammate Ryan Lochte won gold. Phelps placed 4th, and there’s no medal for 4th.

But Michael had no time to dwell on the fail.
He had to prepare for his next race.

Michael tweeted, “Not pleased with my race tonight at all… But tom is a new day! And a new race!!”

That new race was the 400-meter freestyle relay on Sunday, which Phelps posted the fasted US time and helped his team pull further ahead in a very healthy lead in the pool. Unfortunately, on the anchor leg, Ryan Lochte seemed to give out of steam and was overtaken by the French. The US finished second with silver, pushing Michael’s all-time medal total to 17, just 1 behind the record held by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. Just watched him qualify for the 200m butterfly. He’s back in the water, Fam.

Defending world champion gymnast Jordyn Wieber is in a similar boat. The individual all-around favorite failed to qualify for the finals. Although Jordyn, an outstanding gymnast, had the 4th highest score out of the 24 girls who competed, the rules state that only 2 gymnasts per country can advance. Unfortunately for her, 2 of her US teammates scored higher than she did and will move forward in the individual competition in her stead.

But Jordyn has no time to dwell on the fail.
She has the team competition tomorrow.

“It’s all very disappointing,” Jordyn is quoted as saying, though everyone saw she was too devastated to talk to press.

But there’s no rest for the weary. The 17-year old is expected to pull it together and be ready to compete again by tomorrow. Team USA is favored to win its first gold medal since 1996, having scored the best in the qualifying rounds yesterday. The girls made the Sports Illustrated cover and are being called the Fab Five. Despite the disappointment, she’s got to get back on the beam.

I’m so reminded of the story of Elisha in 2 Kings 4:8-37. Do you remember this one? The Shunammite woman’s young son became ill and died unexpectedly. So, she went to get the man of God, Elisha to do SOMETHING! This is what happened.

32-35 Elisha entered the house and found the boy stretched out on the bed dead. He went into the room and locked the door—just the two of them in the room—and prayed to God. He then got into bed with the boy and covered him with his body…. As he was stretched out over him like that, the boy’s body became warm. Elisha got up and paced back and forth in the room. Then he went back and stretched himself upon the boy again. The boy started sneezing—seven times he sneezed!—and opened his eyes.

Elisha was not 100% successful on his first pass in healing the boy.
But there was no time to dwell on the fail.

This was life and death.
He paced back and forth, praying no doubt, tried again and this time, the boy opened his eyes.

What’s going on with you, Fam?
Got setbacks? Disappointments?
It’s OK. Fails happen.
But get back in the water. Get back on the beam.

Let’s not dwell on the fail.
Try again.
There are more victories to be won.

If there was a medal for team support from the living room and/or hollering at the screen, I’d get gold for sure! I preached in a sports shirt yesterday. That’s what I’m talking about.
We’re with our teams! Come on!
Try, try again,
Naima

Are you following the Olympics?
Have you had a time when you couldn’t dwell on the fail?

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Let the Games Begin
© NaimaLett.com/blog

Let the games begin!
Not relationship drama :=)
But the 2012 Olympics!

Hollywood’s in the house. London’s opening ceremony has been staged by Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). The games will run for 2 weeks.

Over 10,000 athletes from 204 delegations will compete in 26 different sports including swimming, track and field, gymnastics, basketball, and soccer/football.

The 500 acre Olympic Park has been built.
The largest McDonalds is in place as the official restaurant.
And the total price tag for the games is projected to run the UK upwards of $14 billion.
Wow!

I’m excited. I love the Olympics.
Nothing quite like great competition amongst the world’s top athletes.

The Apostle Paul mentions the athlete of the ancient games in his letter to Timothy to encourage him to do his best for God.

2 Timothy 2: 1-7
The Message
So, my son, throw yourself into this work for Christ… When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders. An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere. It’s the diligent farmer who gets the produce. Think it over. God will make it all plain.

Basically Paul says just as an athlete wins the victor’s crown by competing according to the rules; so should Timothy strive to serve Christ. Timothy would’ve been very familiar with this image of the competing athlete, just as we are all very keen to this image today.

Can you imagine serving Christ with the same commitment that Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte train in the pool?! Talk about dedication. What if we strive to be as consistent in our faith as Gabby Douglas is in her gymnastics floor routine? All eyes are on the USA’s basketball dream team. Have you seen these guys train?

There’s a road to winning, just as there is a road to following Jesus. Paul says, let’s follow like they win.

I’m excited, Fam.
Let the games begin!
Naima

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Let Go, Let God
© NaimaLett.com/blog

Pastor Marvin Sapp sings at wife’s funeral

Gospel chart topper, Pastor Marvin Sapp, shared some of his story last night during the opening service of the Greater Allen Cathedral worship conference.

You see, a year and 1/2 ago, September 2010, his wife, MaLinda Sapp, passed from colon cancer.

When my mother passed from cancer when I was in college, I was able to grieve in private. I went through all the ups and downs, tucked away out of the limelight.

Not so much with Pastor Marvin.

As a pastor, preacher and world-traveling gospel singer, his journey has been quite public. He spoke of airline pilots and stewardesses telling him they were praying for him whenever he’d fly.

“Everyone kept telling me how they were praying for me,” he shared.

He shared most about his journey now as a single father raising teenagers: a son and 2 daughters. We couldn’t help but laugh when he talked of going down store aisles he never had to before and looking at packages with “wings”.

By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way to preach to teenagers in the morning session of the conference. But I wanted to share this video clip I found of Pastor Marvin singing DeWayne Woods’ Let Go, Let God.

The most touching thing is that he song this at MaLinda’s funeral.
He had known her since the 3rd grade.

Be encouraged today, Fam.
Let’s let go and Let God.
Let’s follow the lead of the psalmist in PSALM 55:22

22 Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
He will never let
the righteous be shaken.

I don’t know what load you may be carrying today, but this is a good time to let it go.

I’m doing the same,
Naima

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
LIFESAVING DEFECT, AURORA SURVIVOR
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© CNN

Miracle.
Defect.
Abnormality.

Just a few words that are being used to describe Aurora multiple gunshot survivor Petra Anderson’s brain condition that saved her life.

Thanks a million to actor/designer Brian Lambert for introducing me to Petra’s amazing story.

CNN reports that Petra, 22 years old, sustained multiple wounds, including a shotgun pellet that went through her nose into her brain. From birth, Petra has had a brain abnormality of fluid running through her skull that she never knew about.

Apparently, when the bullet entered Petra’s brain, it followed the fluid, missing her brain and rested at the rear. Just days after the shooting, Petra has been moved from intensive care and is on to physical therapy where she is walking, talking and laughing.

“A miracle,” her pastor Brad Strait commented. “In Christianity we call it prevenient grace: God working ahead of time for a particular event in the future. It’s just like the God I follow to plan the route of a bullet through a brain long before Batman ever rises. Twenty-two years before.”

Some will pose the question, “If God planned for the route of the bullet, could He have not prevented her from being shot in the first place?”

When I preached on Sunday, I brought up the elephant-in-the-room question that inevitably crosses our minds during horrific tragedies: “Why does God allow these awful events to occur? Couldn’t He have stopped the shooter before He even went on the rampage?”

I have walked with the Lord many, many years, and I confess, sometimes, I too can sound just like the criminal being crucified next to Jesus on the cross in LUKE 23:32-43.

Verse 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him (Jesus): “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

Have you ever had a situation where you asked that question? Aren’t you the Messiah, Jesus? Aren’t you God?

Inherent in that question is the famous Kimberly Elise plea to Denzel Washington in the John Q film: “Do something!”

But it’s not the “Save us” where we’re asking Him to move on our behalf because we desperately need His intervention. It’s the “Why aren’t you saving us?” accusation!

“Hey, You’re God! Why aren’t you doing something!”

Or in this case in Colorado: “Hey, You’re God! Why did you allow young Petra to sustain a bullet through her brain?”

Here’s where sound biblical theology is so crucial. Biblically, we understand that God could’ve created us as perfect robots with no free will. He didn’t do that. He created us as human beings with choice. We choose between doing good and doing evil. The shooter has free will just like all of us. He chose to do evil with his free will and he will pay that price of murder by losing his freedom, and possibly even his life.

On this side of heaven, we’re all in the boat together. Some choose to help humanity. Some choose to harm humanity. God sees all and knows all and wants very much for each one of us to come to know Him as God and choose to love like He loves. In the meantime, He causes the sun to shine and the rain to pour on both the good and evil, until the time comes where this is all a wrap and we all have to answer for our deeds here, both good and evil.

This is such a small space to try to deal with such a huge theological issue of free will versus sovereignty. If you have questions, post below and I’ll answer as soon as possible… maybe even after the conference this week. It’s full speed ahead now.

I am so happy for Petra.
I am so happy for her family.
I am amazed at God’s sovereignty that planned for a safe avenue for a bullet to go through, but not harm her brain.

What a lifesaving defect!
Maybe we can look at our own abnormalities with a little more hope today. Never know when they might save our lives!
Naima

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DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Headed to New York
© NaimaLett.com/blog

In the airport, Fam.
About to board my flight to New York! So this’ll be fast.

All the plug-in stations are full. I literally squeezed into a spot by the pay phones across from the bathrooms. Did you know lots of folks still use payphones? It’s party central over here. Who knew?! :=)

Last month, when I found myself blogging in the airport, my husband left me to board the flight. Can you believe it? I couldn’t either!

I actually finished and hit send – on the plane- just before they told us to shut down all electronic devices. I won’t cut it that close today. Promise!

I’m excited to participate once again in the Greater Allen Cathedral of New York worship conference. This year the theme is “Hear the Sound”, and it’s led once again by my beautiful friend, Rev. Eyesha Marable, founder of the National Liturgical Dance Network.

Over 500 dancers and artists of faith will flood Allen’s megachurch pastored by Drs. Floyd and Elaine Flake over the next week. I’ve been asked to teach classes from teens to seniors. It’s always a blast. There are evening services that are open to the public. If you’re in the area, holler. Would love to see you. We will be making a joyful noise through the arts all week and finishing up with a praise party on Saturday in the park by the church.

And if you’re not in NY this week, don’t fret.
You can get your thanksgiving on right where you are. Seriously.
I know there’s something you’re grateful for today.

Let’s take a second and enjoy this famous song:

Psalm 100
The Message
A Thanksgiving Psalm
1-2 On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.
3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him.
We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.
4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.
5 For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.

You on your feet yet?!
OK, that’s my final boarding call.
Got to go!
Naima

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