DEAR QUEENS

12 Gospel Songs to Re-Center Yourself

1/06/2018

We all fall off; this journey is a constant winding road. The important part is how you work to center yourself back to God's will.

It's said that songs offer an incredible gateway to one's soul. What you constant fill your ears with, will manifest in your heart, then outwardly. So when I'm in the midst of spiritual struggles, these 12 songs are what I turn to. They've gotten me through many moments of self-destruction and spiritual defeat. They're some of my first go-to's and have certainly helped cleanse my spirit during rough times. Take a listen!

All song links lead to YouTube. I do not own the rights to the music or the YouTube videos they're linked to.

Without You—Tasha Cobbs

In this beautiful song, Tasha reminds us that without God we are nothing. She humbly begs the question, where would I be without you? This brings me back to God, even when I've strayed the furthest, because I'm reminded that without Him I truly am lost.

Still Amazed—Full Gospel Baptist Church ft. Jonathan McReynolds
I've cried to this song many times—especially when I feel the most alone. Despite our feelings, Jonathan reminds us that we still have plenty to be pleased about. God is still doing a mighty work, and despite our circumstance, we ought to still be amazed by it.

Revealed—James Fortune & FIYA
I'll never forget the first time I grew weary of God's plan. I let this song play and sat on my floor and cried. James reminds us that in due time God's glory will be revealed. He makes a call for God's glory to dwell in the current place we're in and to fill us while we're waiting. The power of this song encourages me past my circumstance. No matter what, keep working toward God's purpose; soon enough it'll all make sense.

Just Want You—Travis Greene (ft. Jordan Connell & Chandler Moore)
Travis is one of my favorite gospel artists. In 'Just Want You' Travis urges God to remove everything from his life to prove that God is enough. This song convicts me in a way very few songs do—reminding me that if I have nothing else, God is all I need. And if what I have isn't pleasing to God, then Lord, I don't want it.

I Can Only Imagine—Tamela Mann
Tamela gives me an old school gospel feel with this hit. She ponders the moment she finally meets the Lord. She wonders what she'll do, what she'll feel, and how pleasantly God will receive her. This song forces me to do the same. I want the moment I come 'face to face' with God to be glorious, and to do so, my time here must be done right. I want God to be undeniably pleased with me. This song slaps me right in the face and reminds me to get myself together spiritually, so that could happen.

Never Be The Same—Shana Wilson

Shana Wilson is such an underrated artist. Never Be The Same is an ode to your first experience with God. Whether it was the first time you gave your life to Christ or the moment you experienced the Holy Ghost, Shana reminds us that, as the title suggests, we will never be the same.

For Your Glory—Tasha Cobbs
If you know me—and/or follow me on Instagram—you know Tasha is my bestie. I would insert a picture of us together here, but this really isn't about me. (I seriously met her two times, and the second time she remembered meeting me the first. Woohoo!) Anyway, this was one of the first Tasha songs I fell madly in love with. In this song, she reveals a heart that we all should have: one longing to please God. She sings that for His glory (not worldly possessions), she would do anything; to please Him, she would do anything. A powerful proclamation of surrender, obedience, and desiring God.

Closer/Wrap Me In Your Arms—William McDowell
William McDowell's archive is powerful. Much of his work needs no explanation; his art is definitely sit-there-silently-and-let-this-rest-in-your-spirit music. In this song, he calls unto God to bring him closer. He desires to be closer than he's ever been; he wants to grow more toward Christ, create a more intimate relationship with Him; He wants to experience more of Him. William asks God to wrap him in His arms, a maximum level of intimacy.

You Are My Strength—William Murphy
A beautiful worship song, Murphy inspires us to recognize where our strength comes from. This song reminds me to call unto God's ultimate strength in my times of need; and reassures me that even when I'm too weak to call unto Him, He is still fighting for me.

The Light—Deon Kipping
In this piece, Deon reminds us that it is God who came in and changed our lives. He encourages us, in every moment of our lives, to look toward The Light that constantly saves us. Deon lets us know that the more we pursue The Light, the more the darkness fades. The beautiful melody, undeniable vocal strength, and lyricism make this an incredible song.

Jacob's Song (with transition to I'm Desperate)—Briana Babineaux ft Sha Simpson

Bri makes a plea to be filled with God's everlasting strength and restorative power. She shares a testimony of the continuous pursuit of God, not letting go until He changes her from the inside out. On the album, the song is followed by I'm Desperate, which a continuance of the initial call to God, admitting her desperation for the change she's seeking. This song reminds me to be desperate for God. To pursue Him wholeheartedly with this same level of desperation and humility.

What are some of your faves? Share them below!

0 Comments

PODCASTS

PODCAST 020: Maintaining Consistency

1/04/2018

0 Comments

life

2018: The Year of Living

1/01/2018

My mother and father were very much the stay-out-of-grown-folks-business parents. They felt that children should maintain their innocence by being ignorant to the plights of adulthood. While my brother and I may have heard them argue, as kids, we were rarely exposed to the details of those arguments or the challenges they faced maritally or individually. I appreciated not having to bear the burden of their troubles, however much of their business—and their unwillingness to share it—related to their family stories as well.

The notion of secrecy and keeping your business your business, goes back generations in many black homes; especially mine. So it was both surprising yet incredibly welcoming when I spent 3 hours today listening to my father share childhood stories. My mother also began sharing her story with me a few months ago—brief, but necessary.

My father, who was born and raised in Rocky Mount, NC in the 40's, shared tales about the town's segregation, his childhood jobs, how he ended up in CT, and his first and second marriage. He shared stories he never told me about his parents, his teenage years, and his first heartbreak. He spoke about his most memorable fights, and the origination of his attitude (of which I have adopted).

I listened to him for hours share amazing stories about his life; I interrupted often with questions I'd been waiting years to ask. I listened—both in awe at his memory and intrigued by his story. Though I knew my father lived a lot of life, being that he's roughly 70 years old, I never considered how much he lived. How fully he's lived.

As my father rattled off tale-after-tale, I knew one thing for certain: I want to live my life. I want to have stories.

Many of us have admittedly become so caught up with making it to our destination in life, that we forgot that the journey of life itself is the prize, not the end result. We forgot that it's our journey that makes our story. That it's the culmination of life experiences that make us who we are—and intrigues other people enough to listen to us. Nobody cares about where you are, they care about how you got there. When people are intrigued by you, it's because of your story, not your title. And it is up to us to live a story [life] worth telling.

I listened to my father tell stories of his losses just as passionately as he told the stories of his wins. He was just as profound a narrator for the bad memories as he was for the ones that brought smiles to his face. In that moment I knew that I wanted to make better use of my journey. I no longer wanted to avoid what God was bringing me through, but I wanted to truly live through it. I wanted to embrace it and have a story to tell later. I no longer wanted to run from life, I wanted to live it.

I listened to my father share his life, and wished I had stories of my own to share. Some that were just as captivating. Some that would warrant me to stand in the kitchen until the sun went down, sharing them with him. So this year, as I dedicate it to wholeness & becoming, I find it necessary to also dedicate it to living. To not playing it safe (all the time). To letting life happen. To not having a plan for everything. To arguments and rekindling friendships. To random trips out of the country, and late nights in the city. To bad dates and drinking too much wine. To staying up late on a work night, and calling out of work to go to a concert. To brunches in DC, and pool parties in Las Vegas. To mixups and setbacks. To triumph. To victory. To living. To no longer rush through this process, or this journey, but to fully embrace it. To feel life. To see life. To live life.

I hope the same for you. Whatever this year brings you—good or bad—I hope that you live it to the fullest. I hope that you embrace every part of this year's journey and hold onto every lesson it offers. I hope you clench onto every moment and never try to repress a memory again. And when the time comes when your children (or godchildren) are old enough to hear them, I hope you have an arsenal of stories to share.

0 Comments

Happy New Year

Don't Forget To Say Sorry

12/31/2017

"D*mn You!," I shouted.

Not the best way for a woman of faith to start a conversation with God. He knew my heart anyway. He knew the anger that was resting in the pit of my chest. The hatred I had for the vision He showed me. He knew how much I despised His plan, and resented ever being obedient. At least in that moment.

I never lied to God. I was as honest as I could be—sometimes to a fault. That's how our relationship was forged: through honesty. These feelings were something I couldn't hold on to any longer. I tried to be diplomatic. I tried, hard, to speak beyond how I felt. I even tried to suppress my thoughts, hoping that one day they'd dismiss themselves.

10 months in and they hadn't.

That night, I cursed, and yelled, and cried. I released months worth of anger to a God that I once worshipped. I wrote about my anger a few times before, but this was the first time I let Him know how I felt. It was the first time I'd come face-to-face (figuratively, of course) with Him to express my frustration; to let it out.

I slept good that night.

But that wasn't a streak I was determined to keep up as the year progressed. Because no matter how much I fought, I needed God's will, I needed His grace, and I needed His promise to manifest in the way He intended it to—pain & sorrow included. I later realized that pain & sorrow would become growth & reflection.

So I sat on my floor one month later and repented for every bit of disbelief, disrespect, and the disdain in my heart. I repented for every unkind word and ill sentiment. I apologized not because I had to, but because I needed to. To grow any further I had to stop running from the way He chose to press me.

I spent many days with anger toward God, but I knew that in order to grow deeper in Him—something I was still oddly desperate to do—I couldn't ignore how I once felt. I couldn't act like it never happened. I couldn't pretend like my despise for Him, in this moment, was no longer there. I had to face it. I had to pursue forgiveness. I had to heal the hole in my heart; and the only way to do so was to admit there was one, and ask God to restore me. So that's what I did. I confessed my anger, again, and apologized for the ways in which it manifested in my life (and on my tongue).

The minute I let those feelings go, I felt divinity fill my space again. I felt my heart empty of all negativity. I felt myself—the woman I worked hard to become—begin to take shape again. It didn't happen all at once, but over time I started to get myself back. I started to find myself thirsting for what I missed out on during my 'beef' with God. I found myself finally moving on from a phase of my life that kept me in bondage longer than it should've. Longer than I should've allowed it to.

Some people may think it's crazy to share with the world how God has disappointed them. How He may have let them down. How they may have also cursed Him. Some may think it's crazy to have those thoughts. How could anyone ever shun God in that way? But if we're honest, many of us have felt that way. Many of us have felt that God stopped caring about us; that He stopped protecting us; that He stopped loving us. Shoot, some of us may feel that way right now. That He forsook us. That He lied to us. That He left us. That, when we needed Him most, He was nowhere to be found.

I know that feeling. I lived that feeling for 10 months, while still trying to push messages of faith and hope. I've been there, and I will never reduce your moment there right now. I can't send you any scriptures that will make you feel good enough to trust Him again. I won't write witty cliche's about how He's going to come through in the clutch. None of that matters to you right now. It didn't matter to me, either.

What I will do, though, is encourage you to start this new year, new. To be made whole despite what you endured this year. To ask you to refresh your heart and your mind. To get you to recenter your spirit and refocus your energies.

I started this new year's post two weeks ago. I told a few people what the topic would be. I was excited to tell you what I was going to focus on in 2018, and how I was taking control of my life—of my feelings. But I felt convicted to share this message, instead.

I felt like I needed to encourage you to not start the new year with the same hate in your heart that you may have ended this year with. To not continue with the same resentment for obedience that currently exists. To not go forth with the same disdain for the ways in which you feel God failed you. To not rest in the same anger you have toward spirituality that you've wrestled with all year.

I felt like I had to remind a young woman who, like myself, had once blasphemously cursed Jesus and everything He had ever promised, to repent. To pursue forgiveness. To give God another chance. To ask Him to give you another chance. To start 2018 on a better foot than you may have ended 2017. To begin again. To allow yourself to be restored. To be renewed.

I felt that perhaps you needed to forgive yourself, too. For your less than favorable thoughts. For the ways in which you let this year break you. For the way you lost yourself in the process. I felt like I needed to remind you to put away the resolutions and to focus on yourself. To start the new year with kindness and patience toward yourself. To refresh yourself in self-love. To let go of the bondage you carried throughout this year. To get yourself back. To hold yourself tight into the new year, and to be diligent in discovering and nurturing the new parts of you that are found. To embrace you. Fully.

Because starting a new year means nothing when you're entering it with the same baggage, the same emotional turmoil, or the same disdain you built up during a rough 2017. So as you create your vision boards, draft your list of intentions, chill your champagne, and think about the way this year may have failed you, don't forget to say sorry.

0 Comments

Christ

Where'd Your Expectations Go?

12/11/2017

It's hard to believe in a power that once let you down. You're told over and over again to expect great miracles, but when those miracles don't come to pass, what happens? When you've waited endlessly for the very thing you've been expecting but now you're weary. Now you're tired. Now you're fed up. What is there to expect, when expecting has failed you?

See the first is that you must expect God's foundational truths to come to pass. Not that your prince charming will come and propose to you in the way you wish, but that God will redeem and restore you despite the pain or heartbreak of your last relationship. Not that the job you consider to be your dream job will happen, but that you were created for a purpose, and that purpose will be fulfilled by God's will. Not that your friendships will last forever, but that He will equip you with the love, support and strength you need to succeed.

Many of our expectations are based on our own desires instead of God's will. They're based on what we want to manifest in our lives. Very seldom do we sit in expectation for God's plan, rather we sit patiently (and sometimes begrudgingly) awaiting the miracles of what we hope to see.

Rarely do we want God to be God—executing His plan and taking us on His path—we only want Him to be God in the ways that serve us. We want Him to be all powerful as it relates to Him giving us what we want, with or without the work necessary to make it happen (conditional blessings). We expect God to deliver what we want, without us acknowledging that much of what we want will do a great disservice to who we were called to be; who He called us to be. We expect God to deliver our desires, instead of fulfilling His plan how He deems most necessary.

That is where most of our disappointment comes from.

It's not that God isn't delivering miracles, it's that He's not delivering the miracles we want. We constantly demand God to execute our plan and find ourselves disappointed when He doesn't. When He cares too much about us to just hand us what He knows will destroy us. The answer to this disappointment isn't to stop expecting, it's to stop expecting things God never promised.

Much of this spiritual walk is a mind game. It's a change in our thinking and the ways we tackle life's everyday problems. It's our fight against temptation and the enemy's logic. It's not letting your emotions get the best of you. It's staying true to God's word and putting yourself and this world to the side. It's dying to yourself every day, and living for God's will—God's way.

So when you sit in expectation, sit in expectation for who God says He is, and expect Him to be just that. Don't expect a fairy tale you crafted in your head and get disappointed when God doesn't deliver it. Don't use your limited thinking to conjure up 'ideal situations' that you want God to fulfill, then despise Him when they don't come to pass. Instead, simply expect the goodness of God and the perfect power of His will—not yours.

It is not God's responsibility to fulfill His promise based on our plan, but to fulfill His promise based on our destiny. That's something worth expecting.

0 Comments

12 Gospel Songs to Re-Center Yourself

PODCAST 020: Maintaining Consistency

2018: The Year of Living

Don't Forget To Say Sorry

Where'd Your Expectations Go?

About Me

SUBSCRIBE

Recognition

Popular Posts

Labels

Blog Archive

Follow on instagram