Sharifa Stevens's blog

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Redemption Poem

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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

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God's Glory vs. My Morning Java

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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;
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Friends

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Proverbs 17:17
17 A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in adversity. Context (NET)

Proverbs 18:24
24 A person who has friends may be harmed by them, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Context (NET)

Proverbs 27:6
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive. Context (NET)

Proverbs 27:9
9 Ointment and incense make the heart rejoice, likewise the sweetness of one’s friend from sincere counsel. Context (NET)

John 15:13
13 No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life for his friends. Context (NET)


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.
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Delilah's Song

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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.

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TiVo for Life

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TiVo changes things, doesn't it?

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You, Me, and Michael (Vick)

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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?
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Praying Through The Pain: Hannah's Example

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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?).
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Prose for the Broken-Hearted

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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.
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Disappearing Acts

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Meditate on these passages for a moment:

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Love Rehearsal

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Yesterday, my husband not only washed a load of laundry, but he also folded said laundry and put it away.

The day before that, he helped me make cookies (and they fill my tummy with gastronomical joy! They are perfection molded in his hands).

He always leaves the toilet seat down.

Every day, he greets me with a wide grin when he comes home.

He tells me I am beautiful.
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