Best Man Holiday: Movie Review

After hearing so many rave reviews from my Facebook friends and family, I was very excited today when the hubby and I finally got the chance to steal away to go see the movie Best Man Holiday. I promise not to include any spoilers. I find myself conflicted while writing this review. The movie’s core message was unexpectedly heartwarming but the actual execution of the entire movie itself has me on edge as a Christian.

While the movie comes complete with adulterated yet comedic drama, I have to give props to the movie’s writer and director Malcolm D. Lee for not going overboard like Tyler Perry did with his melodramatic soap opera movies “Why Did I Get Married” and “Why Did I Get Married Too”.

HOWEVER, I would be remised if I didn’t say how disappointed I am in my fellow “brothers and sisters in Christ” who positively cosigned on this movie (Amos 3:3). Yes, I fought emotion during certain scenes but as a child of God and the wife of a newly ordained Pastor I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this movie for anyone to go and see. My emotions were touched but my spirit was grieved. While the life lesson in the movie is one that will probably make the majority of us all stop, think and reflect, the constant use of God’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7), vulgar profanity (especially the F bombs) (James 3:10) and the sexual references (I John 2:16) (which includes oral and anal sex) are way too explicit for any Christian too ignore. For those of you who watched the original Best Man, you know the character Lance, played by Morris Chestnut, to be the cursing-christian pro athlete who is preparing to marry his love Mia. In the Best Man Holiday, Lance is still the same cursing-christian. As long as we as a body of Christ continues to accept Hollywood’s persona of what true Christian living is all about, these examples will continue to be exhibited in the movies. Unfortunately, we have become desensitized to the enemy’s plot (John 10:10) to contaminate the minds of the people by presenting a false sense of holiness through the movie screen (Matthew 7:15). By saying nothing, we are telling the unbeliever they don’t have to totally surrender their lives to Christ. We are saying “It’s okay to be the Lance Christian”. (Galatians 1:10)

This movie would have been just as enjoyable without the vulgar language and sexual liaisons: the extremely talented cast and heart touching core message alone was enough to make this a FAMILY movie that could have broken records at the box office.

The Best Man Holiday was a pretty good movie but it could have been even better if it was kept clean and family friendly. It would be nice to see standards established in Hollywood and resumed in Christianity. And before you go there, I’m not judging. I’m standing. Matthew 16:18

Starting from Scratch

It is with my husband’s permission that I will begin blogging about our family’s journey to the next level in ministry. The thought was inspired after hearing Travis teach our children during a bible study session in our living room on “The Parable of the Talents”. Travis taught our children about the man who before going on a journey entrusted his servants with his property by giving each servant talents according to his own ability. The first two of the servants immediately invested the talents doubling their Master’s money. However, the servant who only received one talent chose to bury his instead. When the Master returned, each man gave report of how they handled the money.  The one with five talents earned five more and the one with two talents earned two more. In those two servants, the Master was well pleased and he blessed them. When the last servant told that he had buried the money for fear of losing it, the Master scolded him and called him wicked and lazy. (Matthew 25:14-30)

Travis looked deep into the eyes of our children and said,” God has given us only one talent to start this church and we WILL NOT bury it. We are starting from scratch. It’s going to be a lot of hard work and it’s going to be lonely at times but WE WILL work for the Kingdom of God.”

Sometimes we get discouraged because we feel like we don’t have what’s needed to effectively operate in God’s call. We quickly forget Matthew 6:34, where it says to “Take no thought for tomorrow…”  Other times we disobey God because in our minds we have failed before we even started. We quickly forget God doesn’t call those who are qualified; he qualifies those who he calls. Don’t believe me? Remember Moses and his speech impairment? What about Abraham, married to barren Sarah but called to be the Father of many nations? I’m sure you didn’t forget about the Virgin Mary. The young woman who had never known a man but still became pregnant with the Son of God.

Most people don’t know me but just about everyone who has ever met has to admit this, I’m honest. God has given me the gift to pen and I promised to use it for his glory so I’d be remised if I didn’t say this.

Starting a new church frightens me. I was three when my parents got saved so for the past 34 years, the church is all I’ve ever known. And in the last three decades, I’ve watched the “church” (some not all) evolve into a palace of glitz, glam and hypocrisy. We don’t want to be placed in that category. Back in the day, soldiers for Christ were literally trained up in the word and sent out to reach the lost. Today, starting new ministries is frowned upon. Sunday has become the most segregated day of the week. Churches no longer fellowship with each other.  There is no trust in the congregation. The church has become a place where a person in sin come and hide not be redeemed. Whenever there is a national tragedy, it’s the celebrities you see coming to the rescue. Our pastors are too busy producing movies and hosting TV shows. Our First Ladies are throwing catty tea parties. Big name preachers are too busy working the red carpet, taking pictures along-side cleavage showing actresses. The church(some not all) has become a clique filled cultish empire where any and everything goes. Travis explained to our children, we WILL NOT have any part of that. We pray the body of Christ begins to come together and work in unity. We rebuke the spirit of fear and confusion. We pray wounds and scars within the body of Christ is healed so that we can effectually lay claim on the lost and hurting souls. We pray for the return of God’s unconditional love. In Jesus Name Amen.

So with our one talent in hand, we are stepping out to put ten thousand to flight…. starting from scratch.  

PS: The wonderful thing about scratch is God gets to choose the ingredients of the genetic make up for Real Faith Ministries

Please enjoy this attached video of an interpretive dance, our daughters (Driven Dance Team) ministered recently.

Real Faith Church...How it All Began

It is my distinct honor to write this blog post about my husband. I was fourteen years old when I first met Travis some 23 years ago. We were both members of the same church body, United Holiness Church where Overseer Aaron Snipes was Senior Pastor. Travis attended United Holiness Headquarters in Americus and I was a member of 2^nd United in Donalsonville, Georgia. Travis was a sixteen year old power house for the Lord. I grew up witnessing prophecy after prophecy being spoken over his life. I valued his friendship because he wanted nothing from me other than to see me grow closer to Christ.

Year 1995

 

Never in a million years did I ever think that I would eventually become his wife and the mother of his three children.

We were married in 1996 and even though God was always first in everything we did, the prophecies over my husband’s life as a future pastor were soon forgotten. Travis and I were comfortable serving God under the leadership of our then Pastors. We gave God our all and when we begin to have children, we wasted no time in teaching them the word of God as well.  In 2006, God called Travis and I into evangelism when we started GO Ministries, a nonprofit Christian performing arts team. As you all know, GO Ministries performs free admission stage plays written to uplift and bring families closer to God. We continued to serve our church family and GO Ministries relentlessly for the next seven years.

In early 2013, Travis started experiencing bouts with insomnia.

I can’t tell you how many times I woke up at two and three o’clock in the morning to find my husband in the living room face down in prayer. He kept saying “Baby, I keep feeling this sense of urgency from God but I’m not quite sure what he wants me to do.”  Deep inside I knew what was to come and to be honest, I didn’t want that responsibility. I didn’t know if we could handle the emotional strain this new call would entail. Our family had already been through a lot with sudden death of several loved ones. In spring of 2013, Travis walked into the room and said “Baby, God has called me to Pastor.” I took a deep breath. I really didn’t want to hear that. As much as I loved God, my faith in the church itself was beginning to dwindle because of recent bad experiences. I had also heard the stories about pastors who along with their families suffered emotionally and physically from leading their congregations. And I definitely did not want to be categorized with pastors who ran their churches like a business/cult rather than a place of worship.

Needless to say, Travis felt some resistance from me. Eventually he quit talking to me about it. (I would find out later it was because he asked God to step in and move upon my heart) And God did just that. God ministered to me in so many ways. If I wrote them all, this would become a book not a blog post.

A few weeks later, Travis was in the bathroom shaving when I walked in and said “God said June 30^th should be the last day at (our then church)”. Travis looked at me and said “I know that was nobody but God because June 30^th was the day God gave me too.”

Travis met with our (then) pastor and told him about God calling him to start a church. Travis and I were raised never to burn bridges and to always fulfill our obligations so he gave our (then) pastor a sixty-day notice. Travis promised to train up someone to take his place over the choir so there could be a smooth transition. Our (then) pastor gave Travis his blessing and even some advice on what was to come. One month later, we were told by this same pastor to leave his church and not come back. This pastor refused to meet with us; nor would he tell us why he wanted our family gone. (We were later told by a “church member” that rumor was the only reason why we gave a sixty day notice was because we were trying to steal members which is why we were told to leave) The allegations were hurtful, insulting and angering. The most difficult part of it all was trying to explain to our children why we couldn’t go back. Soon, people we considered to be close friends, fellow warriors for Christ, people who taught our children began to disassociate themselves from us and all because of a lie. I wanted to scream “THIS IS NOT TRUE! WE WOULDN”T DARE DO SUCH A THING. YALL SHOULD KNOW US BETTER THAN THIS!!! But God told us to hold our peace. What they didn’t know was, it was not our plan to immediately start a church, Travis and I had decided to evangelize with our family first.

All our life the church was our refuge. For the first time, it felt more like a war ground. Once again, I began to question whether or not I wanted answer this call. I was tired of dealing with “church folk”. I thank God for my husband because his faith never wavered. Through tears he said “Baby, we are going to do this. This ain’t nothing but the enemy.”

A few weeks later, God led Travis to his former co-worker and Pastor friend who he’s known for 14 years, Pastor Ronald Smith of Berachah Fellowship Church. Pastor Smith blessed my husband with words of wisdom and guidance. He and his wife called for a meeting with me also. They let us cry and then they dried our tears with the word of God. Pastor Smith took Travis under his wing and mentored him on what to do next. I am thankful to God for leading us to someone who was confident enough in his own ministry, he didn’t mind helping us start ours.

On August 11, 2013, my husband Travis Mack was ordained into office by Pastor Smith and the Berachah church family as the Senior Pastor of Real Faith Church.  It was a long time coming but well worth the wait. We are excited and we do not despise our small beginnings. We are thankful to God for every good and not so good experience we’ve encountered. We now understand and our children now understand; what was supposed to be the breaking of us was actually the making of us and for that we give God praise.

 

Life Forever Changed was a Blessed Success!!!

We would like the time to thank everyone who came near and far to see Life Forever Changed. The testimonies are already pouring in and we give God praise. We are so thankful for working with such an anointed cast and crew. Pastor Travis Mack and I love you all for your hard work and dedication. Hugs and kisses to our family for their love and support. Thanks again to our sponsors, to Pastor Gary Stutz for recording the play for us. The DVDs will be ready real soon!!! Special thanks to my panel sisters at Fox 31 Kelly D'Ambrosio, Janet Goree, Pat Fenner and Tracey Madsen. Thank you to Lesley Atkins and her hubby for taking the stage play pics. If I did not post your name it was unintentional, both my brain and body are tired from this weekend. LOL!While we did not fill all 400 seats, we came pretty close at 350. Look at God!!!

 Please visit the GO Ministries Facebook page to see more pics from the play!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viewer Feedback 

 

I was really touched by this play, it really made me think about my relationship with my siblings, so much so that I called my brother today in Mississippi just to tell him "I LOVE YOU." Thanks to you and Pastor Mack for being willing and obedience servants of God. Much Love.

B. Jackson Americus GA 

 

Amazing play tonight, it touched me so much because I lost my mom when I was 12 and I never really have had a chance to release, I appreciate it soo much bless you and miss you! M. McCray

 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THE PLAY. ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS WAS THE 3 WAY PHONE CONVERSATION AND THE SONG AND DANCING PART. LOVED IT. GREAT JOB. P Price

  

Wow what a wonderful evening...Thank you so much to Bridgett Mack, GO Ministries and the entire family of Latoshia Henry Beard for sharing Life Forever Changed with us.

F. Gibson~Marriana Fla

  

Proud to be in the mist. My hubby and I enjoyed the play, the word and the prayer. What a time we had. Tears and laughter. God bless you and Pastor Travis. Your cast was awesome and anointed. I love seeing you, Tosha, Angela and Jr. role as kids. lol. Reminded me of my childhood days with my siblings. The play is worthy of an award much greater than an Oscar or Academy award. I will be getting a copy of the DVD and your poetry.

Pastor B Gilbert

  

Read Here to Make Donation

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation so far!!! May God continue to bless you and yours. We are expecting a packed house on September 7th so please get there early. Seats are on a first come first served basis.    If you are interested in purchasing a tribute ad, the absolute last day to do so is August 31, 2013. You can make your donation online by clicking the link below.   Make a Donation     or you can mail it to    GO Ministries P.O. Box 2424 Albany, GA 31705     SEE YOU THERE!!!

16 Days Until the premiere of Life Forever Changed!

v.i.c Wobble Baby...Not in My House

Disclaimer:

Please excuse the "grammer errors" you will find anytime you read the term satan. Capitalizing the first letter of a name is a sign of respect....I have none for him...

Soooo, lately I’ve been seeing a lot of Facebook posts showing a line dance to the song “Wobble.” Most of the video posts I’ve seen include our older generation doing a series of seemingly fun dance steps. The dance moves are so entertaining that if you weren’t careful, you would completely ignore the lyrics playing in the background.

The words “wobble baby” and “back it up” stood out to me. My red flags were raised because (at the risk of sounding a bit stereotypical) you generally don’t see older white women dancing in “back it up” videos. I decided to search YouTube for the official video and Google the rest of the lyrics to the song.The search results once again confirmed what I’ve already said a million times before “satan is wickedly clever.”

There are actually two official videos. One that takes place in a 1930’s jazz club scene with females twerk jerking and wobble dancing.

 

The second one sets the scene in a variety of places including a nursing home, a park, a high school gym and club. The dancers in this video comes from all walks of life ranging from backpack wearing school kids, teen girls, and urban street kids to nursing home patients and plus sized females. I watched these innocent children and impressionable teen girls wobble while the sexually explicit lyrics were subliminally implanted in their heads.

After watching both videos and picking my jaw up off the floor, I began to break the lyrics to this song. Here are some of them:

A girl told me that a man who that could dance.

Might could possibly get down with the tool in his pants.

Led em to the bed while saying my scriptures.

Cause I leave ya holy like  you pray in the temple.

Want beef? I move with the led of a pencil.
Get in there (repetitive vamp)

satan blindsides his hidden agenda in music with beats and dance moves that appear to be innocent fun. Before you know it, you find it yourself saying and doing things you wouldn’t normally do. It’s important to pay close attention to what you allow in your home and into the ears of your children.

Sexually explicit music like this puts us at risk of becoming victim to its message. There was a cunning attempt to make this song appear to be innocent fun by including young children, impressionable teen girls and older generational in the compilation.

People are so quick to forget satan was the minister of music in Heaven. He understands music’s powerful ability to set the atmosphere in any setting. There aren’t many places where music isn’t found. You hear music in elevator, stores, in movies, ring tones and even in car key ignitions. Music is a very important part of life especially for children of God. Psalms 150:3-6 tells us

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

⁴ Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

⁵ Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

⁶ Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

Psalms 67:5-6 says when the praises go up to God, the earth will yield its increase. We need music. But only the kind that will edify our spirits and send praises to God.

Oblivious ignorance is not an excuse. It's a choice.  Are you willing to take that risk and let your family become infected with satan’s deadly antics?

 

v.i.c Wobble Baby...Not in My House!!!

Judgment Call

• Should I hire this person?
• Are they trustworthy?
• Should I join this church?
• Is this the right decision for me?

These are questions people everywhere face on the daily basis. In order to get an answer, some make pro and con lists, others pray to God for answers while most do a combination of them both. Whatever your preference may be, making judgment calls is a part of our daily lives. What tickles me is somewhere along the line satan has managed to take our right to make judgment calls away from us as children of God.

Our ability to teach, preach and live the word of God has been hindered by the fear of being called the overly religious judgmental Christian. While we have NO right to condemn a person to Heaven or Hell, we are obligated as Christians to warn people of actions that could lead them to Heaven or Hell. Satan has managed to twist God's instruction and the meaning of scripture by influencing the world to do the exact same thing our children do whenever they are confronted with the wrong they have committed. He has taught them to "pout" and his book "Satan's Excuses for Sin" is quickly becoming a number one seller in the world.

• You're judging me.
• Jesus hung with the sinners. Why can't I?
• It's a process. I'm still working on some things.
• Don't Trip. He Ain't Through With Me Yet (I hear this one even made it to the movies)
• That rule is in the old testament so I don't have to agree with that one.

Christians are ignorantly falling for this snare of the enemy. It is important that we continuously stay in our word for instruction on how to deal with these poor excuses.

The following scriptures require that we make judgment calls based on characteristics and the actions made by our personal selves or the person(s) we've been assigned to minister.

I Thessalonians 5:14
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

I Thessalonians 5:22
Abstain from all appearance of evil.

I Timothy 6:3-5
3. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to the wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
4. He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

It is time for children of God to reclaim their God-given authority to effectively and unapologetically minister his word boldly in spirit and in truth. Yes, God is love but never forget his love isn't always filled with milk and honey blessings. Sometimes, God shows us his love with hard core discipline and instruction. Remember God chastens those he loves. (Hebrews 12:6) God knows that by exposing the worst in us, he is actually bringing out the best in us.

Know your God. Know your Rights and operate in them both whole heartedly!!!

Become a Sponsor of Life Forever Changed!!!

 

With our next production only 45 days away, GO Ministries is still in need of sponsors. Our goal is to gain 40 sponsors who will donate $50 to help cover the remaining production costs for "Life Forever Changed."

(We are a verifiable 501 C3 organization) We invite you to help us make a difference in the lives of families who attend this production.

  

Sponsors can choose to participate in three ways:

1. Make a Donation in Memory of a Loved One
2. Make a Donation as a Supporting Business, Church or Organization  

Click Here for More Info

 

Click Here to Make a Donation

  

We are also working to raise awareness about the importance of making final arrangements by way of  buying insurance, writing a will and making funeral arrangements in advance. Information tables will be set up after the productions for families to visit. If you are an Insurance Agent, Funeral Home or Family Will Attorney who specializes in either of these fields, we need you as a sponsor!!!!

  

Please contact us by calling 229-942-5125 or via email us goproductionministries@yahoo.com for more info about sponsoring a table.

  

  

  

Ten Rules to Live By

So here I am. It's the wee hours of the morning and God woke me up just so that I could reflect on some things. A lot has changed for my family over the past three years starting with us moving from my husband's hometown to a new city. While we have no regrets about the move, we've lost a lot since we made that decision.

From the outside looking in, you would think everything that has happened would be the breaking of us but actually it was the making of us as family. Our ability to persevere comes our spiritual roots and the good ground in which they are deeply planted. Travis and I grew in a church were our parents, leaders and church mothers worried about our souls first and our feelings second. Their tough love and two-edged words of wisdom prepared us for the harsh world and the tough times to come. And believe it or not, our toughest times wasn't in our finances, marital issues, health scares or after the death of our loved ones. Our darkest hours came when those who we thought would love us forever decided they didn't need us anymore. Growing up, we were prepared for the persecutions that would come from the enemy's camp but when some of those from our church world turned their backs on us...we hit our breaking point.

But God.

God is notorious for always having that "ram in the bush" and for us, he had several. In the recent weeks, God reunited us with spiritual mentors from our past and introduced us to new ones for present day. Their words of wisdom, love, prayers, support has helped us to generate ten rules to live by. And here they are:

1.      When you don't know what to do, seek God. When you are in need, ask God. When you don't know what to say, be quiet and listen to God.

2.      Christians don't keep their friends close and their enemies closer. They keep their friends close and their enemies confused. Why? Because the enemy will never understand love.

3.      If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, be careful, it might be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

4.      Their "no" is God's not yet. Never lose heart.

5.      Remember Jesus didn't say a mumbling word while being persecuted. You'd better not either.

6.      Vengeance belongs to God and if you take action, he won't spare the rod....(against you that is).

7.      The battle is not yours but the spoils of war is if you let God fight it for you.

8.      Never cry over spilled milk or the "friends" that stole your cookie. Let them have it. God has better in store for you.

9.      You can't be a child of God and a punk too. Stand firm on his word no matter what.

10.  When the day comes to forgive those who have lied, betrayed, back stabbed, rejected, neglected and spat on you..do it quickly and with much sincerity of heart.

Please understand, this post was not written for pity. The post was written in praise. I once had someone to say, "Bridgett, you don't have to write about your bad experiences." To which I respectfully replied "Yes I do. This is my testimony"

My life is not picture but most of the time, it feels that way. If it had not been for the testimony of others who had gone through and overcame, we probably would have given up. I know that if God can do for them, he can do it for me too. I hope our testimony encourages those of you who reads this. Always remember, just because life may not always give you the roses you asked for, doesn't mean your blessings can't be found in beauty of daisies.

B

Commercial & Flyer for Life Forever Changed

 

Commercial Trailer for Life Forever Changed!!!

 

Life Forever Changed Donation Page

Addressing the Trials of Grief: An Interview with Pastor Riva Tims

As most you may know, on September 7, 2013, GO Ministries will be presenting our newest stage play "Life Forever Changed." Written in memory of my sister who  passed away suddenly two years ago, this illustrated message addresses the behind the scenes affects of grief. God instructed me to write this play so that it would not only minister to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one but those who are mourning the loss of marriage, relationship, job etc.

I am thankful to Pastor Riva Tims who took the time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions about how her family's journey through grief after the death of her former husband Pastor Zachary Tims. Here is what she had to say....

BMackWrites:  Someone said to me the Christmas after my sister died “She was saved..right? She went to Heaven…right? So what are you crying for?” What are some misconceived notions you feel people have about Christians who mourn?

Pastor Riva Tims: The Word of God is filled with scriptures that let us know if we accept Christ we have eternal life with God. John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish , but have eternal life. And 2 Cor 5:8 tells us, We are confident , I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. What a joy for us to know when our body dies we crossover in the spirit to live in total peace.  The joy of eternal life, however, does not erase the desire to see, to hold, to communicate and be with a loved one that has passed.  When a loved one dies prematurely or at the hands of someone else a plethora of emotions become overwhelming regardless if that loved one made it to heaven. In an effort to demonstrate faith, Christians may forgo the necessary grieving process. Many mental health professionals use Kubler-Ross's model of the five stages of grief: Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Everyone may not go through these exact stages, but everyone must go through a process of mourning traumatic loss including the loss of a loved one, a relationship, a job, a pet, a friendship etc.  If we do not deal with our losses properly then life events will continually trigger us back into depression, anger and other negative mindsets and emotions.  Months had passed since my divorce was final and I experienced triggers that took me directly to the time I lost my marriage. It was as if no time had elapsed at all.  It wasn't until I was healed that I could deal with certain dates, names and places.  My ex-husband's untimely death caused me to go through the grieving process yet again.  Allowing myself to grieve and mourn has afforded me a spiritual and emotional stability.

BMackWrites:  We teach our kids God will never let hurt, harm or danger come to us. When my sister died, it was difficult to explain to her children and our children why God took her so suddenly. In what ways have you been able to encourage your children while helping them to keep the faith?

Pastor Riva Tims: We don’t understand why God allows certain circumstances to happen in our lives.  Life is like a beautiful intricate tapestry; the back of the tapestry looks jumbled, loose ends, and hardly any connectivity and doesn’t resemble the beautiful front of the completed tapestry.  We must always trust God during difficult times and understand while God doesn't cause or inflict the pain, He may allow the pain.  God sees the finish product of our lives, and the lives of our love ones. When my children loss their dad, I encouraged them to focus on his life and the positive times they shared together.  To remember that their lives were a result of his life and his memory would live forever through them.  I also told them it was okay for them to express all of their feelings and to discuss them at anytime. I was quite honest to let them know life isn't fair but God graces us to go through the difficult valley seasons.

BMackWrites:  Most people don’t know what to say or do in another person’s time of mourning. What are some little things people did for you and your family that mattered the most?

Pastor Riva Tims: Things you may want to refrain from saying are:
Get a hold of yourself; You can't fall apart, Be thankful you have other children; The living must go on; She led a full life; or Don't cry. The most important thing to do is to let a person who has lost a loved one know that you are there for them.  Also, know it is ok to have moments of silence when you are with someone grieving.  Let the person share and talk.  We must listen and let them know that we hear them. When they ask the question why did this happen? Please don't try to give some spiritual explanation as to why it happened.  Be honest, tell them you don't know why but encourage them by prayer, comfort of the Holy Spirit and offer to do daily chores or errands for them. 

BMackWrites:  To this day, we still don’t know what caused my sister’s death. To some degree, it’s hard to find closure when there are so many questions left behind. What advice would you give to people who grieve with the possibility they will never get the answers they feel they need to move on?

Pastor Riva Tims: We know all too well about not having closure when the father of my children passed.  It is extremely difficult to move forward when you don't have an understanding of what happened.  I encouraged my children to begin the process of starting an enrichment center in honor of their father to continue his legacy and help other pastors.  It helped my children to gain closure to move forward with something positive in their father's name.  God will reveal to us all things in glory.  Our lives are but a vapor compared to eternity.  We may not get the understanding in this life, but we can have peace.

BMackWrites:  Mourning the loss of loved one is a true battlefield of the mind. How do you handle the highs and lows of grief?

Pastor Riva Tims: Besides the staple Christian prayer and spiritual encouragement through the Word of God, I suggest that anyone dealing with grief, go through a grief recovery class.  Incomplete recovery from grief can have a lifelong negative effect on the capacity for happiness.  Then enemy would love for you to isolate yourself but you need to connect with others to get through the grief.

BMackWrites:  Some people say “You never get over a person’s death. You learn to live with it.” Would you agree and why?

Pastor Riva Tims: You never forget a loved one's death but you certainly can be healed of the agonizing pain.  Recovery from loss is achieved by a series of small and correct choices made by the griever. The grief recovery curriculum that we use at Majestic Life Ministries is the Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman.  Bishop Joey and Cathy Johnson of Ohio, assisted our ministries in implementing a grief recovery class and facilitated a class for our leadership to go through. Our leaders were then equipped to help others. You may always miss a love one who has transitioned to eternity and you may have triggers that remind you of your loss for the rest of your life.  However, you can learn how to cope with the triggers so that the reminders are not as painful.

BMackWrites:  Are there any words of encouragement you would like to give to those who grieve from the standpoint of a Pastor, Mom and/or Wife?

Pastor Riva Tims: For anyone experiencing a recent loss, I want to encourage you can be free of the pain, and you will experience joy once again.  Time does heal but it is necessary for us to make a concerted effort to move forward after the loss of a loved one. Matthew 11:28  says "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  The Lord promises to give us rest or peace if we cast our cares on Him.  I would encourage anyone grieving the loss of a loved one to stay connected to vine.  Stay connected to your source, which is the Lord.  Also, participate in a grief recovery class and go through the deliberate process of grief recovery. It may not seem like it today, but you will be able to smile again.

Ms. Riva is the pastor of Majestic Life Church in Orlando, Florida. She is also the author of "When It All Falls Apart". A book that includes her personal testimony of healing through the pain. An absolute must read!!!

When They Tell You to Leave

Rejection is a painful experience felt by both Christians and Nonbelievers. Some people make the mistake of abandoning God and the church all together because of these bad experience. Click the video below to hear our testimony and a little spiritual advice on what you should do when they tell you to leave.

 

Be Blessed!

Behind The Scene Pics "Free" Skit

Special thanks to Pastor Smith and Berachah Fellowship Church, Inc. for inviting GO Ministries to come and minister our skit "Free." Check out some of the behind the scene pics!

Saints...We've Been Punked By the World

I didn't know about Emmanuel and Phillip Hudson until I watched their "Still Getting Whoopings" video about a year ago. To be honest the video was funny but it didn't make me a die hard fan. Our kids found them to be hilarious and continued to watch their other videos on YouTube but it wasn't long before Travis and I put a stop to that. The more popular they became, the more (in their own words) ratchet they became with the video topics and music.

  

As Christians, we have to be very careful who we support. The world is making light of the church, scripture, God's Holy name, speaking in tongues and the use of Hallelujah( the highest praise). People joke about it on TV, in stage plays, movies, church parking lots and the pulpit. And what do we do....we laugh. We say it's all in good fun and we laugh. The sad thing is, we are too foolish to realize the joke is on us. The world is laughing at us right in our faces and we are too ignorant to see it. Strong words you say? I know they are but it's the truth and I'm preaching to myself as well.

  

Some things shouldn't amuse us. In world where we Christians are being told to lighten up. God is saying "You'd better TIGHTEN up." While we were laughing, innocent children were getting killed while sitting at their school desk. While we were laughing, people searching for God passed right by us because they couldn't tell the difference between us and the world. While we buying tickets to see the shows and concerts to laugh some more, a family went hungry and lost their home because there no help available. While we laughing someone took their life because they couldn't find anything to laugh about.

  

Look at the video below and watch. This video was shot in a house of God.

  

 The world laughs at us because they no longer feel threatened by us. They have us riding along with them. The sad thing is, their ride ends in hell. Some things just aren't funny.

 

 

The Mack Kids: From K4C to Driven

I wanted to take the time to give honor to our family. Travis and I are the blessed parents of three beautiful children who have a sincere passion for Kingdom Business. Shortly after we started GO Ministries in 2006, our oldest daughter, Brianna, approached us and expressed her desire to start a ministry for kids of her own age.  She, her sister MaKayla and brother TJ decided name their ministry Kids 4 Christ (K4C). Their first act of ministry was to deliver stuffed animals to the sick children on the pediatrics unit at Sumter Regional Hospital. As our children have grown older so has their love for God and their passion for the arts. They recently changed the name of their evangelistic youth ministry from K4C to DRIVEN.

  

They just finished their first dramatic dance skit to one of their favorites songs "Dear Adam" by V. Rose.  This dance is dedicated to every person young and old who have yet to realize God's love covers a multitude of sins. Please watch and show our children some love as they pursue Kingdom Business.

 

 

(PS. The best part about this is...they are not interested in becoming a well known dance team...they simply want to spread the word of God)