Manners of the Heart

Last week I found my way to the cutest little cottage I have ever seen, and once I was inside I totally understood why it was located on Royal Street. Not royal in the sense of a royal family, a monarchy, or decree, but royal in the sense of its story, its mission, and its vision (i.e., noble; generous; magnificent). The nature of my visit??? I'm glad you ask. Please note that this 501(c)3 organization is dedicated to transforming homes, schools, and communities...one heart at a time and I was there to generously offer my time, effort, and energy to this magnificent and noble cause. I was there to help plan for the organization's second annual 2010 Heart in Hand Awards. I was warmly greeted, lunch was served (aesthetics were off the chain!!!), and I left there with the following scripture in my heart: In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul Psalm 94:19 (KJV). As I tried to wrap my head around the BIG picture, I finally decided that I would benefit more if I actually started with the SMALL pieces. Consequently, I did some research on the Bible verse and then the application process began to consume me. Not only did was this applicable to the planning it was also correlated with my life in general and more specifically to The Broken Set and The Second Set; Matthew Henry's concise commentary captures the essence of it all. It reads as follows:


There is a rest remaining for the people of God after the days of their adversity, which shall not last always. He that sends the trouble, will send the rest. The psalmist found succour and relief only in the Lord, when all earthly friends failed. The psalmist had many troubled thoughts concerning the case he was in, concerning the course he should take, and what was likely to be the end of it. Divine consolations are the effectual relief of troubled spirits. The world's comforts give but little delight to the soul when it is hurried with melancholy thoughts; they are songs to a heavy heart. But God's comforts will reach the soul, and not the fancy only, and will bring with them that peace and that pleasure which the smiles of the world cannot give and which the frowns of the world cannot take away

I had several troubling thoughts that day...should I/shouldn't I attend; would I be able to find parking downtown; would I be welcomed and received; could I make it back to campus in a timely fashion; and a host of other coulda/woulda/shoulda's. Per the specifications of my blog, I have troubling thoughts the case (the marriage), the course (the date, the courtship, the year, etc.), and the end (will it REALLY be forever???). Finally as I created one of my proverbial analogies, it all made sense. The divine consolation of my finding out about the organization and wanting to be a part, as well as my being found by Mine, frees my spirit. It's comforting to know the trouble will be followed by rest. That God has enabled me, will encourage me, will equip me, and engage me in...as long as I have head and heart knowledge to lead {and follow} in the right direction. This is my solemn vow.

Clean Slate

Although I'm really a red wine kinda girl,there's this Riesling I <3 called Clean Slate. I happened up on it at one of my fiancé’s favorite restaurants - J. Alexander’s. One tasting and the search was on!!! Where oh where can I find Clean Slate??? Oh where, oh where could it be??? You'd think in Louisiana (the state that had/has the Grandfather Alcohol Clause of 18), it would be readily available. Nevertheless, after searching for what seemed like an eternity, my fiancé' finally discovered it at our secret spot. Now of course if it's a secret, I certainly cannot disclose the location of the bat cave, but trust it's an exclusive place, tucked in the corner of a courtyard. It's so discreet/selective/divine that only the Israelites would have access to a glass after the plaque and the exodus, crossing the Red Sea, and wandering in the wilderness (FYI I will soon become a descendent of Moses!!!). Anywho. So as I begin my personal pondering session this evening (since I missed yesterday/damn YMCA), noting that there isn't any in the house, one of those proverbial analogies hit me. First,Clean Slate...On the steep hills above the winding Mosel River in Mosel Germany, a region of steep slate hills and winding rivers, grows the world's most celebrated Riesling vines. From their noble grapes, a perfectly balanced Riesling is crafted with ripe peach taste and crisp mineral notes. The clean, elegant flavor is delicious!!! The analogy...Just like Moses standing on Mount Sinai(the moon)/Mount Horeb(the sun), God gave us the Ten Commandments - the two tablets of moral foundation and we've broke the first set. Yet, God is giving us a second set - a Clean Slate if you will. He's giving us another chance (7 months) to navigate our way over the steep slate hills, winding rivers and mountains that come before, during, and after marriage. My prayer is that we will be white a snow (no pun intended on my wedding dress); that we be a tabula rasa; that we would be a Clean Slate. This is my solemn vow.

Are you a Vision or a Project???

This week, I have been attending the fall Christian Leadership Conference at my new found house of worship, First Baptist Mount Zion. Thursday night, Bishop spoke on the 5 Fold Team Ministry, the Objectives of each, and the Qualifications for Ministry Leaders. I was so moved, I suggested to my fiancé' that upon his arrival to town for the weekend that he simply meet me there instead of our usual Friday night spot...some 4 or 5 star restaurant. Anywho, he obigliged me and tonight Bishop took this whole idea of leadership to another level. His focus...Leaders v. Mangers. After numerous comparisons and contrasts between the two, he ultimately stated that in ministry you need a balance of both. Enter Nadia’s take home message.

Regardless of whether I am a leader or a manager, I must ALWAYS make the distinction between a VISION and a PROJECT. A VISION is a supernatural appearance that conveys a revelation, thought, concept, or object formed by a manifestation to the senses of something immaterial; discernment, foresight, or direct mystical awareness of the supernatural "GIVEN by God because we cannot afford it." A PROJECT is a planned undertaking, task or problem formulated from research by a large group that is government-supported to supplement something or someone else many times with your own resources.

What is the correlation between the Vision and the Project and The Broken Set and the Second Set??? Glad you asked. First, I am of the opinion that The Broken Set (i.e., use before yesterday) is comparable to a PROJECT. The Second Set (i.e., us since yesterday) is analogous with a VISIONDon't get it twisted, I have always believed and acknowledge God's will in our meeting, courtship, and our upcoming nuptials. Yet, before yesterday, I was more apt to rely on self versus God in the manners of relationship.

The take home message...One must discern if what they do, who they do it with, when they do it, how they do, and why they do it must be subjected to this question, "Is it a VISION or a PROJECT?" And in leadership, as well as marriage, if you do not have the right people, in the right place, the whole idea of TEAM goes out the window - it will never be what it could, would, and should be according to God's holy ordinance.


So tonight, I am pleased to publically proclaim what we privately have known that Me and Mine - we - are a VISION from God that will be balanced by His grace and His mercy. This is my solemn vow.

7 is Completion

Today, Thursday, September 17, 2009, is the official 7 month marker for my wedding. My fiancé' and I have decided to thematically refer to these months as "Getting Things Done!!!" Our mission statement, "we've covered a lot of ground, but we've got a lot of ground to cover." Our vision is to Plan Prayerfully, Prepare Purposefully, and Pursue Persistently. So why the number 7??? I'm glad you asked. The following are a few areas where the number 7 is significant: mathematics, science, technology, mythology, music, television, film, literature, video games, sports, the classical world, and various names and titles. However, for us, the most significant meaning behind the number 7 derives from religion - Christianity.

The number seven (7) in the seven days of Creation is typological and the number seven appears commonly elsewhere in the Bible. These include:Seven days of Creation (Genesis 1);God rested on and sanctified the seventh day (Sabbath); Seven years of plenty and seven years of famine in Pharaoh's dream (Genesis 41); Seven days of the feast of Passover (Exodus 13:3-10);Seven day week and the pattern concerning distribution and use of manna (Exodus 16);Seven year cycle around the years of Jubilee (Leviticus 25); The fall of the walls of Jericho on the seventh day after marching around the city seven times(Joshua 6);Seven things the LORD hates (Proverbs 6:16-19);Seven loaves multiplied into seven baskets of surplus (Matthew 15:32-37);The Seven last words (or seven last sayings) of Jesus on the cross; Seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom (Acts 6); Seven Spirits of God are mentioned in the Book of Revelation; Seven churches of Asia to which the "Book of Revelation" is addressed; Seven churches, seven stars, seven seals, seven last plagues, seven vials or bowls, seven thunders in the Revelation, the last book of the Bible.

Other sevens in Christian knowledge and practice include:The Seven Sacraments in the Catholic faith (though some traditions assign a different number); Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit; The Seven Joys of the Virgin Mary, of Roman Catholic, Anglican, and other traditions; The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary, of Roman Catholic, Anglican, and other traditions; The Seven Corporal Acts of Mercy and Seven Spiritual Acts of Mercy of Roman Catholic, Anglican, and other traditions; The Seven Virtues: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, patience, and humility; The Seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride; The seven terraces of Mount Purgatory (one per deadly sin); In the genealogy in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is 77th in a direct line; The number of heads of the three beasts (7 × 10 × 7 + 7 × 10 × 10 + 7 × 10 = 1260) of the Book of Revelation, and of some other monsters, like the hydra and the number of seals; In the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew 18:21, Jesus says to Peter to forgive seventy times seven times; There are seven suicides mentioned in the Bible (OT and NT).

Although the number 7 has both a "good" and an "evil" connotation, per Christianity, we ultimately prefer to view it in terms of completion. Thus, I have charged and I am challenging myself to not only COMPLETE the wedding plans, my projects at work, my search for a house, my marriage itself, but this blog, too. And since my married name will be MOSES, it is my belief that, we, like the Israelites have defiled ourselves and the tablets have been broken. Yet, God is allowing us 7 months to COMPLETELY carve two other tablets, to replace the ones that have been smashed. And this second set will be placed in the Ark of the Covenant, hence designated as the Ark of the Testimony. This is my solemn vow.