The ministry of loneliness
Is staying when you want to leave
When those around you don’t believe
But you’ve come out of darkness
The daily plague of Legion
No clothes, no sleep, no shelter
Life above the tombs no better
Than living underneath
The soul is strange the body bruised
No end, this darkness permeates
But then this man comes
Radiates
The promise, hope renewed
Legions flee in fear
Neighbors stand and stare
They hate the man that cared
Sharifa Stevens's blog
A Poem for the Gerasene (Luke 8:26-39)
By Sharifa Stevens - Posted on November 18th, 2009
Redemption Poem
By Sharifa Stevens - Posted on November 4th, 2009
redemption
love lost and found
hope once bouyant seemingly drowned
baptized through the inferno
gold-forged now shines eternal
phoenix rising for the nations
stunning bird
and spotless silent lamb
in eternity the great I AM
yet baby clothes and baby cries
witnessed by Simeon and Anna's eyes
Redeemer Savior Word
redemption song
chorus widely heard
some still don't know the words
love sin sacrifice resurrection
unworthy - praise God for His affection
God's Glory vs. My Morning Java
By Sharifa Stevens - Posted on October 20th, 2009
Read Numbers 6:1-21 and you'll discover the requirements of a Nazirite vow.
What draws me to this vow is that it's a completely voluntary form of worship that incorporates both the mind and the body in an act of worship. Samson, in Judges 13, was decreed by the angel of the Lord to be a Nazirite from birth, but for the rest of Israel, this vow was a way of showing special devotion for a particular period of time.
The three major attributes of a Nazirite vow are:
1 - don't eat or drink anything that comes from the vine;
What draws me to this vow is that it's a completely voluntary form of worship that incorporates both the mind and the body in an act of worship. Samson, in Judges 13, was decreed by the angel of the Lord to be a Nazirite from birth, but for the rest of Israel, this vow was a way of showing special devotion for a particular period of time.
The three major attributes of a Nazirite vow are:
1 - don't eat or drink anything that comes from the vine;
Friends
By Sharifa Stevens - Posted on October 7th, 2009
Proverbs 17:17
17 A friend
17 A friend
Proverbs 18:24
24 A person who has friends
24 A person who has friends
Proverbs 27:6
6 Faithful
6 Faithful
Proverbs 27:9
9 Ointment and incense make the heart rejoice,
9 Ointment and incense make the heart rejoice,
John 15:13
13 No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life
13 No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life
Thank God for friends. Good ones.
Here are some things I am celebrating today about friends:
• They unselfishly celebrate your promotions, good grades, or a fabulous hair cut.
• Friends will tell you when you have a little booger in your nose.
Delilah's Song
By Sharifa Stevens - Posted on September 23rd, 2009
I've been studying, meditating, and writing a lot about Judges 16 lately. It's the story of Samson, a judge/deliverer/champion of Israel, who, like so many, loses his sense of mission because of his libido. All because of Delilah. The temptress. The wanton woman. The one motivated by greed. A stranger to love and honesty.
You, Me, and Michael (Vick)
By Sharifa Stevens - Posted on August 26th, 2009
I have a question: how long should Michael Vick continue to pay his debt to society? If he was tried, found guilty, sentenced, and did his time, how much more should we require of him? When is time served…time served? And once a man serves his time, should he be allowed to work at his livelihood again? What does restitution and penitence look like if a person is not allowed to re-enter into society? How is change measured for an outcast?
Praying Through The Pain: Hannah's Example
By Sharifa Stevens - Posted on August 12th, 2009
Tagged: 1 Samuel
• envy
• God
• Hannah
• Infertility
• misunderstood
• perseverance
• prayer
• pregnancy
• women
I owe a debt of gratitude to the author (and of course, the Author) of 1 Samuel 1. Thanks for keeping it real, Hannah. This chapter takes us through what must have been an excruciating personal journey in infertility and relational chaos. Hannah is barren and surrounded by fertility (can anyone else identify with this?).
Prose for the Broken-Hearted
By Sharifa Stevens - Posted on July 28th, 2009
I remember a time, more faintly now, when my heart broke so deeply, I thought it would never mend. I asked God to never let me fully forget that once I got married, so I can always have a tender place of empathy for the singularly gut-wrenching melange of disappointment, depression, and loss.
If you are broken-hearted today - I won't belittle you with trite cliches. It hurts. It hurts badly. And in the depth of that hole of pain, I pray that God gives you the strength to look up. He's there; the Light at the end of the tunnel.
If you are broken-hearted today - I won't belittle you with trite cliches. It hurts. It hurts badly. And in the depth of that hole of pain, I pray that God gives you the strength to look up. He's there; the Light at the end of the tunnel.
Disappearing Acts
By Sharifa Stevens - Posted on July 15th, 2009
Meditate on these passages for a moment:
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