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Wednesday, March 23, 2016

We ALL Have This in Common...

*The following post contains writings that some may find disturbing, upsetting, or offensive. Discretion is advised.*



  "You don't even know if you will be alive tomorrow! For all you are is a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears." James 4:14 (Complete Jewish Bible)
            You are going to die. Your race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, geographical location, nor socioeconomic status will stop it. Moreover, great health can't stop it either. Unless you're taken up in the rapture, one day you will die. Whisper this to yourself, "One day I will die." Did you say it? Now open your mouth, and say this... "How do I want to live? How should I spend my precious time? Who should I spend it with?"
            Working in healthcare has truly changed how I utilize preventative medicine to care for my body, my perception of life, and where I place my trust. There have been so many occasions that I've witness two or more physicians huddled in a consultation room discussing what may or may not be the best way to proceed with a patient's care. I've sat at the nurses' station closely observing telemetry monitors as someone's life hung in the balance. Many had DNR orders (Do Not Resuscitate), so all the medical staff could do was wait. In the meantime, I would gather the Death Certificate paperwork, and find my morgue/funeral home contacts. Sometimes their BP/HR (blood pressure/heart rate) would plummet, then rise, plummet, then rise again. I began to notice something. No one would ever transition into eternity when we expected; it only happened in divine timing.
            I will never forget a particular evening shift that redefined how I viewed life. I was given clearance to observe the removal of a deceased patient's eye. Jane Doe passed away approximately one hour before an organ center representative made it to the unit. The technician used an apparatus to hold the eyelids open, and began to extract the eye. Jane Doe's flesh was now pale and grayish. The technician moved deeper into the eye socket. It needed to be detached at the optic nerve and surrounding tissue. A final snip was made, and the eye was placed on a metal surgical tray. It wasn't over. The technician picked up another tool and reached again into the now hollow eye socket. The surgical instrument hitting against the skull sounded like a spoon scraping an empty can. I will never forget that sound. Ever.
            That night I cried myself to sleep. I cried myself to sleep not because of the extraction. I'd seen similar things before. This experience was nothing like the human cadavers I'd touched, smelled, and sat next to with my anatomy and physiology book nearby. This was different. I was in Jane Doe's presence while she lived. I saw children, probably her own, sit at her bedside. I received a new revelation of the soul being absent from the body, and I wanted to live. I wanted to truly live and be present in every moment.  


            How do you want to live? How should you spend your precious time? Who should you spend it with? I'm challenging you.




"Life is too short to be miserable, out of purpose, void of peace, and out of fellowship with God. Do whatever it takes to live. Live abundantly and unapologetically! Christ died for you to do so"  ~ Dee Brown

Friday, January 1, 2016

2016 is Dedicated to You!


In 2013, my spiritual mother went on a trip to Israel. Just prior to departure, she requested that all of the women who were members of her leadership and mentoring program, Women of Glory, to write a short prayer. She made a promise; the promise was to take each of our written prayers to the Wailing Wall. The Wailing Wall! All I could think about was that a piece of me would reach the other side of the planet. My sense of adventure and wonder were heightened. Anyone who knows me well can tell you that whenever an acquaintance takes an international trip, I BEG for a rock, dirt, a leaf, a shell, anything free and tangible from that particular country. It made me feel connected. Little did I know, God was revealing the callings placed on my life. (Wailing Wall. http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist%20Information/Jewish%20Themes/Jewish_Sites/Pages/The%20Western%20Wall%20and%20the%20Temple%20Mount%20jew.aspx )

I pondered on what my prayer would be. I asked the Holy Spirit, “How should I pray?” I grabbed my journal, and I wrote the following prayer:
I Chronicles 4:10

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

Matthew 6: 9-13

“This, then, is how you should pray:” ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ “
 
God, I also ask for a full, exciting, and spirit lead life. I pray that you will use me to inspire the masses to dream, and live boldly for Christ. I also ask for companionship and love. Please, if he is ready, let my husband find me soon.

 In that sincere written prayer, I know God heard me whether the paper reached the Wailing Wall or not. I believe that this project is being birthed from a culmination of those words from my heart. Not just for my sake, but also for yours. So I dedicate this project to you!
This project is for the dreamer and doubter wrapped in one. This project is to remind you that not one person has ever been extraordinary, without first being an ordinary human being. I’m especially dedicating myself to the one life has beat up the most. I would be remised if I did not mention the ones whose own negative thoughts have deceived him/her more than the actual beat-down life served up. I want your perception to change!

Here is my prayer for you:
I pray that this project enlarges the territories of your mind (I Chronicles 4:10), and gives your faith enough room for God to be God in your life. I pray that you know Him as Father, that you relinquish control, and allow His will to be done (through YOU) on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6: 9-13). Beloved, may your life be fulfilling, whole in Christ, and dare I say…enjoyable. In turn, inspire others through your testimony. Finally, I pray that you come to fully understand the multilayered love of your bridegroom Jesus Christ. You don’t have to prep, learn to cook and clean. You don’t have to wait years for him either. He’s in hot pursuit of you! As far as He is concerned, you are to die for. If you haven’t already, accept His eternal companionship through salvation. When He returns for you, His bride, I pray you are found in the safety of His covenant.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I’m dedicating 2016 to you! Happy New Year!


With Love,

Dee