Designed to Withstand

Sometimes we feel overwhelmed

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

When an architect designs a building he doesn't just design the outside he takes environmental factors into consideration. For example, in California they have earthquakes while in Colorado temperatures drop and snow collects.

God is the same. He's designed my beams and foundation to withstand any environmental factor that I comes into contact with.

Nothing I face will cause me to collapse.

The architect doesn't wait until the pressure comes but it's calculated ahead of time.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV

You can collapse in your mind but that's when you need to get your thinking in line with God's worth.

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Hebrews 12:3 NKJV

What enables a building to go higher are the beams.

Sometimes you may think God put things in you that you don't need but it's because you have more levels.

You have the grace to handle anything that you face.

Or let him take hold of My strength, That he may make peace with Me; And he shall make peace with Me."

Isaiah 27:5 NKJV

Paul faced a lot of opposition. He went through shipwrecks, storms, and even snake-attacks.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 15:57 NKJV

We  are  hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we  are perplexed, but not in despair;

II Corinthians 4:8 NKJV

David was annointed to be king but he didn't go directly to the palace.

Big opposition = Big Destiny

New levels, new devils.

-Jeanicia R. Elder at Lakewood Church

God Has The Final Say

We all face situations that look final but God has the final sa even if you have struggled for years. God won't let you get in a problem that he can't get you out of. 

Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is  the  case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.

Daniel 3:16‭-‬17 NKJV

At the right time God will either cause someone you think is influentual to like you or move them out of the way. 

1 Samuel 16 : God looks into the heart.

Now the Lord said to Samuel, "You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king." So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. "What's wrong?" they asked. "Do you come in peace?" "Yes," Samuel replied. "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord . Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too..."Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Then Samuel asked, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse replied. "But he's out in the fields watching the sheep and goats." "Send for him at once," Samuel said. "We will not sit down to eat until he arrives." So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, "This is the one; anoint him."

1 Samuel 16:1‭, ‬4‭-‬7‭, ‬11‭-‬12 NLT

If people determined our destiny being left out would matter but God determines our destiny.

Don't put your problems or curcumstances  on the thrown because that's where God is.

He went and proclaimed God's salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment because they wouldn't listen. You know, even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship, only a few were saved then, eight to be exact—saved from the water by the water. The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus' resurrection before God with a clear conscience. Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He's standing right alongside God, and what he says goes.

1 Peter 3:19‭-‬22 MSG

Faith doesn't deny the circumstances it just doesn't consider them and instead focuses on God .

And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah's womb.

Romans 4:19 NLT

Get in agreement with God.

Don't let the experts talk you out of the seeds of greatness that God put in you. 

Lazarus

Sometimes a dream seems dead but you have to keep a good attitude.

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask." "Roll the stone aside," Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man's sister, protested, "Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible." Then Jesus shouted, "Lazarus, come out!"  And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him go!"

John 11:21‭-‬22‭, ‬39‭, ‬43‭-‬44 NLT

Sometimes God will wait on purpose so that everyone knows that it was God.

No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.

Exodus 23:26 NKJV

LSU, Texas A&M play seven-overtime game for the ages as Aggies hold on for 74-72 victory  

Don't turn the game off too soon.

Don is a huge Aggies fan. He'd watch and record all of the games. In the November 2018 game, LSU kicked a field goal and the team proceeded to celebrate a win. Don turned off the game and deleted the recording. A few hours later a friend text asking him if he saw the great game. Come to find out the refs rulled against the play and the Aggies went on to win.

https://bit.ly/2ZpZJu1

Jesus prophes

-Jeanicia R. Elder at Lakewood Church

A Fresh New Attitude

Pastor Joel at Lakewood Church

1. Your attitude can have a greater impact on your success than your IQ. If you don’ have the right attitude, then you may be stopped from rising higher.
2. Work on the inside.
1. We spend a lot of time and money making sure we look good on the outside
2. nice clothes, a pretty face, and good makeup can’t hide an ugly inside.
1. Pastor Joel had a crush on a pretty girl. When he finally got the nerve to talk to her she had a bad attitude and he never
3. Put on a new attitude
1. Colossians 3:12-14
1. So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
2. A resume describes a person’s qualifications but interviews are scheduled to learn about the person’s attitude.
4. You attitude will determine your aptitude.
1. Live nose up
1. The attitude indicator (AI), formerly known as the gyro horizon or artificial horizon, is a flight instrument that informs the pilot of the aircraft orientation relative to Earth's horizon, and gives an immediate indication of the smallest orientation change…Attitude indicators are also used on manned spacecraft and are called Flight Director Attitude Indicators (FDAI), where they indicate the craft's yaw angle (nose left or right), pitch (nose up or down), roll, and orbit relative to a fixed-space inertial reference frame from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU).
1. We can all control our attitude.
2. You have to have a good attitude on purpose.
2. Small tweaks can cause a huge difference.
2. Isaiah 61:3
1. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
2. If you wear the same clothes everyday you’ll develop an odor and no one will want to be around you. So you have to put on a fresh new attitude daily.
3. Ephesians 4:23
1. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
5. Examples
1. Joseph (Genesis 37)
1. Joseph’s prestigious position, his riches, his relationship with the high level society had corrupted neither his character nor his integrity. He remained faithful to God regardless of the season where he found himself. Either as a privileged son, Potiphar’s slave, a prisoner or the Prime Minister of Egypt, we can recognize this godly man by his blameless attitude. When facing injustice, Joseph demonstrates grace and walks the second mile. Not only, does he reassure his brothers of his good intentions towards them but in addition, he commits himself to take care of their families and lets God be his judge. What was supposed to destroy and discourage Joseph, has actually initiated his journey towards his destiny.
2. Dirty Laundry
1. A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.“That laundry is not very clean,” she said. “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.”Her husband looked on, but remained silent.Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.About one month later, the woman was surprised to see nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?”The husband said, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
1. Titus 1:15
1. To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
6. Make up your mind to enjoy this day.
1. Matthew 5:45
1. that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
2. Job
1. Job 19:25
1. I know that my redeemer[a] lives,and that in the end he will stand on the earth
3. Eagles
1. Their prey items include waterfowl and small mammals like squirrels, prairie dogs, raccoons and rabbits. Bald eagles are opportunistic predators meaning that in addition to hunting for live prey, they will steal from other animals (primarily from other eagles or smaller fish eating birds) or scavenge on carrion.
2. Isaiah 40:31
1. …but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
4. Unclog Your Heart
1. A large clot can partially or completely block the flow of blood through the artery (NHLBI, 2012b). If treatment isn't done immediately after a heart attack, many patients will need to undergo coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) later to improve blood supply to the heart muscle. 
1. Proverbs 4:23
1. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Celebration of Life : Cheryl French Elder

Scripture Readings : Min. Donna Culbreath

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord , the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28‭-‬31 KJV

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.   In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.   And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.   And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.  Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:1‭-‬6 KJV

Solo by Alicia Jackson Butler : Praise Him

https://g.co/kgs/QS9nL5 

Oliver Dean (Co-Worker/Friend)

Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

Proverbs 20:6 NLT

Cheryl was hard working and reliable. She'd wear high heels to complete  her outfit but always had her "flats" available so that she could keep up with the work

Lisa Lewis (Co-Worker/Friend)

"Measure your ability to lead by your willingness to serve"

"Find a way,  or make a way."

Dr. Angela Pringle-Superintendent (Co-Worker/Friend)

May the works that I've done speak for me. Cheryl was passionate about friends, family, and her work with kids. Wasn't phased when things weren't finished and was always willing to stay long hours.

Lureece Lewis & Janice Dupree (Friend/Classmate)

Created encouraging spirit filled family.

Jordan Hughes (Son)

God made you special. A scar can be a source of pain because of external and internal factors but those scars are part of what makes us unique.

Chandra French (Sister)

Cheryl always wanted to create family.

Phillip Elder (Husband)

(Good Mourning)

Eclectic, open, and supportive.

For Sentimental Reasons https://g.co/kgs/EkdbDQ 

Raleigh Rucker Funeral Home Staff

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalms 30:5 NLT

Solo by Bishop J. D. Means, Sr.
I Won't Complain https://g.co/kgs/xMP7Lx

Eulogy by Minister Willie P. French

John 14:1‭-‬6 KJV

God & His Character
Compassion, Promises, and Provisions.

The disciples were worried because that were going to lose a loved one but Jesus showed compassion and took steps to put their minds at ease.

Jesus made arrangements for us to deal with loss by giving us hope for a future.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.

John 14:16 NLT

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22‭-‬23 NKJV

-Jeanicia R. Elder @ Redemption Community United Methodist Church