Friday, April 11, 2008

Greetings From The Big Apple

Hey bloggers...you can't imagine what I've been through trying to post something...computer doesn't work in the hotel...can't post through Blackberry...tried Starbuck's...now I'm at a seedy internet cafe off of Times Square...anyway, everything's great here...as Robyn posted for me yesterday, this trip was planned before Korea even came up, and we'll be back Saturday night...I've got a good word for you on Sunday...

Your comments on the last article have been interesting, moving, even heartbreaking...I do believe that this subject, unpleasant as it may be, needs to be discussed...thank you for your candor...what you have shared may help someone else...

Last evening we went to see the first "all Black cast" production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. I wanted to see it because James Earl Jones plays Big Daddy, but he was sick last night...it was still good, though...Felecia Rashad as Big Momma and Terence Howard as Brick...tonight we are going to see Macbeth with Patrick Stewart...very cool...

I can't wait to see everyone Sunday...in the meantime, feel free to post...that part is easy for me...and remember...God is real...God is here...God is now...God is love...God is speaking...

What has He been saying to you today?

I love you all...


P.S. Sounds like Pastor Willie did a great job last night...thanks my brother!

23 comments:

Friend4Life said...

Glad to see you found a PC!! We miss you and are glad your having a good time.

Well, God today is saying to me "Relax"!! Kids are out of school, telling me to just breathe.
Enjoy the DAY!! Don't let the little stuff bother you. (Isn't that the truth!!)

Well, LQQKing-4ward to seeing every-1 Sunday.

Love ya all,
L.W.

Anonymous said...

Hey
Glad you guy's are having fun.
Can't wait till Sunday to hear what you got.
I guess what the spirit is telling me today is to wait. Everything is going to work out. He wants me to stop and trust Him.
Well it's family cut grass day here. Heather's on riding lawnmower, Tim's weed cutting and I need to go and lay out ant granules.
Yee High LOL
See Ya Sunday.

Unknown said...

HEY BISHOP! Amazing! While I was googling interesting things mentioned in bloggers posts for the last two days, I thought, "It's NY for crying out loud, there has GOT to be an internet cafe' somewhere!"

Interesting timing too on your question--what is God saying to you today?

What is that thing that happens when you feel like you need to stay and listen, but you don't hear anything? "Pentecost" did that to me on Tuesday. Didn't want to move on to Food for Thought. And then the blog stopped too. Okay. Guess I'll stay here for a while. [it took me 35 minutes to write that paragraph!]

So today it's like He said "okay, now make connections again." Except He didn't say that, it just was easy again. What is that, Bishop?

Ebony said...

Glad to see you're enjoying New York. And it's uber cool you got to see "Cat" on Broadway. I love T. Williams, shame you couldn't see James Earl Jones as Big Daddy. Maybe the broadway cast will tour it. (A Girl can Dream right?). Also, you mentioned to us to get our passports, and I already have one, but I was watching TV today and I started thinking about how much I wanna start traveling again, so I made a "locations wish list" of the following places:

Spain: This is gonna be the most expensive, because to do all I wanna do I'm gonna need a 2 week time frame.
Puerto Rico
New York City
NYC during Christmas
Hawaii
Mexico (Cancun, Cabo, and Acapulco, and Taxco for the silver)
Alaska
Italy
Rio de Janiero
Egypt
The Holy Land
San Antonio Texas (to go down the riverwalk)
Los Angeles California
San Diego

I'm sure I'll add more to this list, but here's a good starting point. If I had to say something God is saying, "be still and know." Goodnight.

famman87 said...

Patrick Stewart as Macbeth? Awesome! Enjoy for all of us...Sounds like you're gonna celebrate 50 for the next 50! miss your presence here, though. Thank God the family is so interesting.

Real,here,now,love,speaking...

Ears seem clogged today. y'all please lift up my home. Seems like a really bad,old country-western song here today.

Nothing deep today. Seems He is telling me to be at peace, no matter how it looks today. Joy comes in the morning...

Starting to storm outside. Think I'll go out on the porch and try to listen/hear...

looking for a q-tip...

Much love...

Lisa said...

Wow I have been feeling the same just be still! Everything I have tried to do has not turned out. I keep hearing a stop and just be, go play with Thomas the train and Bitty baby and enjoy the now. I was so inspired for days on the whole Pentecost discusion and then I watched The Last Lecture on you tube. Today is a stormy day with sleet on the way but I know that I know something big is so comming. I feel so hungry and nothing is satisfying and I am so ready for a sunday feast!!!!!
For my travel wish list
I've been to China twice soon to be 3 times and I've yet to see Beijing. I really want to go there
Cambodia
Vietnam
I really want to go to India
Ethiopia
South Africa
Egypt
Oh wait that is my adoption wish list sorry! My passport is ready to go anywhere!! It is getting worn but it has several pages left!
OT please pray for us! We applied to Immigration a month ago for approval to adopt our son Noah ( who is waiting in China almost 5 years) Usually we get a reciept within a week. We are sweating it as we have heard nothing and there is no # to call and no way of knowing what is going on! We so need to get him home. God is in control but momma bear wants her cub!!!!
Bish enjoy your trip!!!!

Kettly said...

GOOD MORNING,

Love is the only weapon we need!
Love is the fulfillment of the Law!

Luminous Love (is my saying word).

Remember that my followers are to be a peculiar people, separated from among others. Different ways, a different standard of living different customs, actuated by different motives. Pray for luminous Love.
Pray for My spirit of Love to be showered on all you meet. Deal with yourself severely. Learn to Love discipline.
Never yield one point that you have already won. Disciplines, discipline. Love it and rejoice. Mountains can be removed by thought, and the desire.

Love and Laugh make your world the happier for your being in it... Love and Rejoice on the grey days. Just live in the spirit of prayer.
Welcome all who come here. I love you.

Bishop, can you wear your Priesthood Collard Sunday? Don’t know why!
Is it still cold in NY?
Now you and Pastor Debye make me missed my state Hope you guys are happy now.

Love you both,

Kettly

Anonymous said...

Hey Bishop
I am glad that you are enjoying NYC, if anyone deserves a fab 50 its you. You bring "food cooked outside" to me each week, milk won't do.
I've only heard the voice of God directly speaking to me once, and it wasn't about anything "spiritual". I think the HG was tired of hearing me fret and complain so he told me to HUSH. I turned all around and was checking around corners looking for a body for that voice. Since becoming a parent now I fully understand what He meant. I seem to sense His (sorry I am old school, we were taught that it is ultimate disrespect not to capitalize pronouns when we are writing His name)presence so much more lately. Mama was moved from hospital to hospice, she is really low. But through it all I have peace. She is the best mom/friend in the whole world and she is the next best thing to an angel I have ever known. I know that I am going to be alright and so is she. Whenever the time comes she will step from one life into the next and I will see her again and God says peace, slow down and enjoy her, so... I do.
See you Sunday, I can't wait to hear the report from NY
Linda
PS... loved what happend in Seol. Get ready for more, much more

DoubleBack Alley said...

Sahib,

I believe God is saying that I should look around and be interested in everything.

Another RO reference; He has a profile segment and the two most recent ones I saw were Charlton (Chuck as RO and I call him) Heston and Ann Miller. Mr. Heston was extremely frank about his star power and what he was able to accomplish with it. Amazing that he was only 28 when he starred as Moses. I didn't realize that he was the third choice for Ben Hur (Gregory Peck and Rock Hudson) and he praises serendipity for it. Could that be? Are there fotunes that fall our way by accident? What is an accident? Perception? Selah.

Ann Miller introduced Lucy and Desi and also invented Panty Hose. Not sure what to do with that.

Anyway, hope you are seeing and hearing all the sights of Gotham. I plan to be in Boston later this summer and attend the big one against the Yankees. Plan to go to Cheers and see if anyone knows my name.

Seeing with all five senses.

Ain't God Good?

Lise said...

Okay,

I just had to chime in here for a minute. Nothing profound... absolutely nothing... but DBA, your last paragraph tickled my funnybone ;)
I didn't watch CHEERS a whole lot, but one of my greatest fantasies is walking into a place, and having everyone in the building turn around and shout, "LIS!"
Go figure... what can I tell ya? I just think it would be cool!

Trying to get my creativity flowing again, so I will be spending some quality (hopefully) time in the studio in the days to come. Don't know if I'll be blogging much, but looking forward to what you all have to share!

A great new week awaits! Enjoy it!

Unknown said...

Lis! Hey!
Prayers added for lisa, famman87 and Kettly

DBA! Hey!

Unknown said...

Bishop&P.Debye, how was the Scottish play?

Been thinking today what it might be like for God to hear us ask questions and know we're not hearing His answers. I'm guessing you have a good idea what its like! Thought of this too when you wrote "seedy" cafe. God has to go into seedy places sometimes to connect with us, too! Thanks Bishop. Thanks God!

Lise said...

Avatar,
HEEEEEYYYY!

Friend4Life said...

Hey Every-1!! I forgot to say "Happy 2nd month Blog Anniversary" yesterday. It slipped my mind; until today.

So, Happy Happy "2nd month" BITN!!
Love it & need it everyday!!

L.W.

Erik said...

Hello Grand Community,

Bishop, glad you are having such a satisfying spread in NYC.

The simplicity of Loving with no agenda, the simplicity of Faith, That every single person ever created is the pinnacle of God’s creativity, that She loves every person as much as He loves anyone of us. I know that God’s love and fondness for me is overflowing, more than I can comprehend, so it is at least that for every other person He ever breathed life into. We all are well qualified to Love God, each other, The Christ. To edify each other, to worship and praise God, to serve, to love generously and freely without charge (without requiring a return. Any return out of obligation is worth little, return out of heart’s desire is priceless). Choice has value, obligation little. Obligation requires constant watch and has complications, choice is like fire shut up in the bones, it can do nothing but express itself, it jumps out, unconditionally. It must breathe. Obligation is drawn out conditionally.

We are not qualified to judge another’s heart, to accurately judge good and evil, we inherently fail at it, since it is not part of our foundation. Since we are not qualified, it is complicated and out of flow, as we force something we have no skill at. Then we compound our failures of judgment by trying to defend it, or force it on others.

Therefore, we choose to only bring to others what we are qualified to do, and the simplicity of giving it without agenda or cost.

Unknown said...

Announcement was the 13th? Great memory, F4L!

Happy Cotton anniversary, Bishop and blothers & blisters. Where is izjoy? She came up with a better name than that, but I don't remember it. Blogista's?

famman87 said...

Wow, Erik. Thanks so much for that. that really brings some peace and perspective to a very real and now situation for me. I don't think that I've ever heard obligation and choice so eloquently contrasted. It's perfect, at least for me today...

Unknown said...

Amen,Erik. There is such a joy that comes with a freely thought of and given gift--time, presence, presents, whatever. I remember vividly the year I opted out of the gift-harming game of manipulating for them. Takes a while for friends and fam to realize the shift has happened,but even the lack of celebration was better than obligation.
Truth hurt, but at least it was real.

LP, what are you going to be creating?

Erik said...

‘Just chill’ seems to be the chorus. Got a funny to share, a ‘Silly Me’ story.

I have been in a quiet zone lately, more dross being burned out. Here’s the funny part. 1st, I was kind of surprised so much slag was still in there, I thought a good deal of it had been burned out already. Holy Spirit was amused. I guess I didn’t realize how much was in there. As I was getting up from the figurative procedure table, a little sore, HS said ‘ Take it easy for a few, the draining for this one will take a little while, you may not feel much like yourself, but it is all good, of course. ‘, I realized I needed to downgrade my estimation, but hey, I asked about how long this would all take, and did the previous several firings get most of it. - HS is so patient. He smiled, and said there was a healing time after each ‘procedure’ and the last few went pretty deep. ‘We go in from a different angle each time, the ‘fire’ can be a bit much if we repeatedly use the same way. Just apply the Love, Humility, Service prescribed each time and you will be fine.’ – Questions, we? Same way? How many more ‘procedures’? I decide to leave them unasked.

Taking a different tact, maybe trying to boost my ego, I said, ‘ So where am I now, about 18 karats? ‘ HS gave me ‘the look’, smiled as if entertained, and said ’Actually, about 8.5, maybe 9. Remember that humility part of the prescription ?’ chuckling and shaking Her head. (See what I mean about ‘silly me’.) ‘Oh’ I said, feeling a bit low. HS noticed, smiled again in His loving way, ‘ It’s OK, I threw in a few extra supplements of grace & favor, to get you over the hump, but don’t take them all at once, you might get a little cocky’ She advised, laughing again. Really glad I can be so entertaining, maybe a few extra grace steroids can come my way :) . Funny, He didn’t answer ???? Or maybe extra dross moved out without the fire? Ok, Ok, no, the fire actually is pretty fun, in that daredevil sort of way. Kind of dive in, and then see what happens.

So, on the recovery side here, the meds are workin’ , Love, Service, Humility, a little silliness – I can dig it! Tempted to take all of the extra grace and favor supplements, however, I actually can be obedient. ( I know, I know, -- far better than sacrifice). I’m learning.

Donald said...

Man these Macs are out of this world. This is the first time I've ever used one. It's at the Apple store at Lenox Square.

Anonymous said...

I’m back home, I went to visit my Mother and check on her to see if there was anything I could do for her. She is getting up in years and doesn’t drive and has some health problems. So I try to keep a close eye on things around her place. She has a nurse that checks on her and my uncle that is close; but I like to check on her as often as I can myself. She lives about 50 miles from me up in Missouri. I go up there as often as I can; bad thing is there is no Alltel tower close to there so I have no phone signal or internet on my cell.

Hey Avatar, thanks for asking about the MRI results. No it was not a regular check up on the surgery. The surgery was not completely successful so they did another MRI with dye this time. I am still having a lot of pain that is not supposed to be there. Anyway about the results; my wife is a nurse and works at that hospital and got he results from them for me to read but I have not seen the doctor yet. I don’t know what if anything that they can do but the results were that I have three bulging disc above the discectomy that she did. Also some uncinate spurring producing narrowing of left C3-C4 neural foramen. This is not surprising to me as I have similar problems in several other areas of my back.

Now don’t anybody start to tear up. Its going to be OK I have had a long talk with my Heavenly Father about this and He said it would be OK; I trust Him. We serve an Awesome God He is always in control and working out His plan and purpose “in All things”. I know that He loves me more than I can conceive and has good things in store for me that would not have been possible without this happening. So I rejoice in the Lord looking forward to what will develop next, knowing that this is just another stroke of the master artist brush as He lovingly paints a beautiful painting of my life. I have watched artist paint before and it can be quite puzzling to figure out what exactly is being painted before the whole thing starts to take shape.

Grace, Peace, and Love,
Dennis

Lise said...

Hey gang!

Anyone see The Brave One w/ Jodie Foster? Joe & I just finished watching it; it was actually much better than I'd expected. I won't spoil it by saying how it ends, but I'm kinda glad it ended that way. Mixed message, though... for sure.

Avatar, I'm going to try to finish a couple of pieces that I've had in the works for several months. I've just been lacking inspiration... waiting for the 'EUREKA' on how to proceed. I don't like having to re-work things if I goof. I'm way too careful that way, which just encourages procrastination. Shame on me! But I have a series in mind (unrelated pieces), based on either phrases, lines or stanzas of certain songs.
I often get visuals while listening to music, and probably interpret things differently than most. But art is subjective, right?
The current project originates from a line from Jackson Browne's 'Your Bright Baby Blues.' It reads: "If you need me like I know I need you, There's just one thing I'll ask you to do. Take my hand and lead me Through the hole in your garden wall And pull me through."
Been working mostly in assemblage/collage for a year or more. Building this piece out on a 20x20 canvas from a 16x16 photograph that I took in Savannah of a garden wall. There will be LOADS of texture, along with a lovely feminine hand carefully cupping a world globe extending outward from the canvas, and a few other interesting things. I think I'll be calling it 'PULL ME THROUGH' but I haven't completely decided yet. So I just have to make myself get in there and get to work. Have several Myspace friends who sell their work via blog auctions or on Ebay, so if I get several new pieces together, I may give that a go myself.

Dennis, God is COMPLETELY awesome! Never expect anything less. You're in my prayers.

Gosh, guess I should try to sleep (though not at all sleepy).
Nitey-night!

PS: wondering about IZ/JOY myself... where are you?!?

Anonymous said...

Hey all, What's the buzz? tell me what,s a happenin! Wow Bishop!!talk about the power of manifestation!! YOU NEED THE WORDS TO JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR SONG AND WOLLA! THERE THEY ARE! cool! your people flow pretty good with the creative spirit...talk about oneness, hey! Does anyone know any thing about Boston's spiritual signifigance? I keep getting God winks about Boston...I also had a dream with Boston in it and I know God speaks in riddles, dreams and somewhere in the Bible there is a scripture about the various ways in which God speaks...anyone know what I am talking about? You all are pretty in tune so I will take anything..a crumb or a loaf, bakery etc...