Wednesday, January 21, 2009

This Land is Your Land

Hey bloggers...we're back...got in about 2:30 this morning...just now thawing out!!!...it was amazing/incredible/awesome...there's a picture posted on the sidebar of us in front of the Capitol, by the reflecting pool where we were standing, taken on Judah's cell phone (he's standing on a step which is why he's towering over me)...I'll tell you all about it tonight at LifeSkills In The Now, and then maybe write something about it for bloggers who aren't a part of CITN/cyber-CITN...

And thanks for your feedback from Sunday...I want to hear some more testimonies tonight in the service...

God bless America!

12 comments:

aidansmom2004 said...

Hello Bishop, I totally believe that you would have done WAY BETTER than Pastor Lawdry. He was all right but you would have been AWESOME. Wish I could have been there with you. I watched everything from the comforts of home. I laughed, I cried, I yelled. I am so proud and so awe-strucked by it all. My son is only 4, so he doesn't really understand any of this yet, but I am saving EVERYTHING to show and tell him when he is old enough. I hope you have pictures to show in Church on Sunday. Till then stay blessed.

Anonymous said...

Dear Bishop,

Thank you for the role you played in representing us, who couldn’t go to Washington.
I do believe this land is truly my land. Not because it’s a land of opportunity for the unfortunate, it is also a land where one truly can DREAM, CREATE, PLAY, LAUGH, And BELIEVE.
I thanked the Lord Almighty for this wonderful land He has created.
This is My New Song to the Lord: I bless the Lord, O my soul. And all that is within me bless His Holy name.

For this New Year 2009:
I will sing to the Lord a new song of Praise, Adoration,
Worship, JOY, Gladness, Freedom and a New Song of Thanksgiving.

PSALM 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.

I would rather sing a new song in the wilderness. Than be heard all over the world singing an OLD SONG.

GOD BLESSES AMERICA!

Kettly
Bishop, Fritz and I need our WORD from Sunday. Everyone is talking about their Words they have received on Sunday, and the understanding you gave to their words. WE NEED OUR OWN WORD TOO.

Anonymous said...

Welcome back Bishop, I kept my eyes clued to CNN and MSNBC looking for you and I am delighted that you was there re-presenting CITN. I kept checking the blog to see if there were any updates, from your perspective. Man, it was cold out there but I knew you would hang out.

I am still amazed at the excitement, the enthusiam,the goodwil, the spirit of unity, cooperation, the fact that there were no arrests, countries internationally being represented, all states, small and large cities flooding our capitol's mall.

I am as impressed by the strength and the sincerity and the soberness of President Obama's speech and his signing of his first executive orders on today.

It is good to see a peoples's president and it flows with the theme the Holy Spirit gave CITN regarding E.A.C.H. President Obama is giving us a strong mandate of responsibility for service and each of us doing our part to bring about a change much needed in our community which certainly starts at home. I am overjoyed at heariing a man say what he means and mean what he says by ordering more transperancy in the federal government and freeze on all white house staff and cabinet memebers who make over $100,000 to name a few executive orders.

It is important to put your money where your mouth is. All presidents quote scriptures but I believe President Obama is a man attempting to really make changes necessary based on the content of his character and not the color of his skin. And totally blesses me to see African American children all over the world aspiring for the greatest office in the land.

I agree with Martin Luther King, III that his father's dream has not been totally realized but parts of the dream was fulfilled by the first 2 days in office by our new commander in chief. A day of service, a day on and not off, was very moving to me to see President elect Obama as he painted the walls of the teenage homeless shelter in the D.C. area.

But I feel so much proud and hope for a nation and a community of one people and definitely saw common themes of wisdom between what we hear over CITN's pulpit and what President Obama's speeches have conveyed over the past weekend.

Well, I am healing from a bad case of the flu, I won't so I look forward to a detailed report from President Barack Obama's Inauguration weekend.

Thanks for re-presenting.

Speaking Spirit

Anonymous said...

I apologize...last paragraph, I was trying to say I will not be in church this evening because of the process God is doing regarding the flu symptoms so therefore I would really love a blow by blow description of this weekend, please.

Speaking Spirit

Anonymous said...

Jesus talked the talk, but backed it up by walking the walk.
I pray the scales come off our eyes and we see the truth and the hope that is in Christ. I will have only one Messiah and his name is Yeshua.

Son of Zadok said...

Great word Bishop.

People who I have turned onto CITN have really commented about these last two weeks and how relevant and direct the messages are to them personally.

Tonight, I am reminded of this verse from the Scriptures.

And He, when He comes, will make the world conscious of sin, and of righteousness, and of being judged.

John 6:8 - BIBE

Not only does the Spirit move mankinds heart towards the call of love by the realization of sin, but beyond that, the Spirit was sent to administer conviction towards our righteousness in Christ. Many times we believe the first, but we've been stopped short if we limit ourselves to that persuasion alone. Let us all also enter into a Spirit led conviction of righteousness; and exist in the presence of the Lord within us.

It's never to late to be everything we can be!

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks, Aidansmom2004, but Dr. Lowry did just fine (I love Dr. Lowry)...but that's cool about saving everything for your son...he'll grow up in a different world because of yesterday...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks, Kettly...the word is nigh (near) you, even in your mouth and in your heart...

Dream on...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks, Speaking Spirit...and by His stripes you are healed...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks, SOZ...you know, you really have a great command of the Scriptures...I'm impressed...

Anonymous said...

Bishop,
Dr. Torri, Holly and I went to D.C. on Monday night via bus that Torri had put together.. We met some great people. WOW! There were 57 all together and Holly and I got the last two seats. ...After driving all night the bus arrived at 7:00a.m. Along the way people on the bus got up and introduced themselves, where they were from, why they were going etc...There was a lot of great commradere
We got off at the RFK stadium and were shuttled to a place where we started walking to the mall. (That's a story in itself..)
We ended up near the Washington monument! It was an incredible, freezing, fun, elating, (I call it a "Somewhere over the rainbow" experience- with all colors of humanity unfolded and dreams for so many that came true! I was so glad to BE in the moment!!
The whole earth is filled with His glory!

Unknown said...

How can anyone put this whole day after into a few words or even a few emotions. I cried the whole day not for the past but for the future.

I know the truth: "That Jesus is Lord", and I also know that some things are just a "God Thing". Whenever the impossible continues to happen; you have to believe that the “Impossible Maker” is calling the shots...........

I know that many cannot understand the whole extreme joy, the tears, or the smiles from ear to ear. What really resonate with me was when I saw the two little girls, my mind went immediately to when I was seven or eight. The feeling of not being considered pretty enough or smart enough. My mind rushed to the thoughts of seeing and reading about Cinderella, sleeping beauty, princess this, queen that, etc., but in all those books, Disney shows and movies, I never saw anybody that looked like me. The memories of having to play with only white dolls, running around with towel on you head playing that it was your hair or seeing the experiment that was done years ago, where every black little girl picked the white doll over the black, and stated that they did this because the white doll was prettier. When those two black girls walked out with the whole world looking, I saw for the first time somebody that looked like me being the princess for once. I know that many may not understand all these emotions, and so will never even try to. But that does not mean that others cannot feel empathy or understand for just one moment in time: every little girl of race saw themselves as the princess! every one of them can believe in themselves being in the fairy tale, being prettier enough and smart enough.

Every black woman saw themselves as the Queen of style and grace and not as the Queen of Drama. And the whole world saw a black man show love, respect and honor to a his black woman, and love for his children(daddy girls). We have seen forever the complete opposite on TV, in the media, and in the magazines. This one defining moment in history has spoken to so many emotions, stereotypes, and prejudices, So to say people get over it, NO! that just will not do. It’s like when Halle Berry won the Oscar, She said, ”do not rushed me, it took 60 or more years for us to get this award”. We deserved every minute of this glorious moment. And today we ALL deserve every glorious moment of this history making milestone! “ We owe it to ourselves to recognize our milestone, to commemorate them, and to use them as an opportunity to reflect on and further our personal growth. Milestones are a bridge that spans our past and future selves. We stand on this bridge, hair streaming, chin tilted into the wind, grateful for our present-our now-while dreaming of all that’s to come…… by Julia Vantine

Rejoice with those that rejoice, because for so long we have cried with those who cried, and died…..

And I say REJOICE!
Butterfly