Heal + Thrive – You Are Loved

Good morning…

Up in the middle of the night, I tried to write a message about the life-altering week of my friend LaTonya Gates, founder and director of PAWkids. After hours of crafting and re-crafting, the message oddly zapped away. Twice. The words and images, touched by some human error of mine, simply evaporated. Twice. So, I gave up and I climbed back in bed, figuring God had a higher purpose for a different, delayed message this morning.

If so, God, what is your expanding message?

• My sights were focused on LaTonya introducing me to her chaplain friend last Tuesday and the three of us almost effortlessly organized the first of ongoing monthly gatherings of women, half black, half white, coming together to form authentic relationships in our 30305 zip code, from Buckhead to Bankhead.
• I thought it important to share that, yesterday morning, LaTonya went for a follow-up visit after her recent hysterectomy only to learn that the uterus which was taken out of her body, when biopsied, revealed cancer cells. Her doctor said that, if left undetected, the cells would likely have spread into uterine cancer. (She is extremely grateful for God’s powerful, preventative protection.)
• I yearned to highlight the immense joy of LaTonya closing on her own home, a home she had rented for years. Yesterday afternoon, LaTonya became one of the first black home owners in her Grove Park neighborhood. Might she be paving the way for other servant leaders in the community to eventually purchase their own homes?
• Finally, tomorrow LaTonya leaves for a mission trip to Uganda to empower single mamas and widows to reach long-term sustainability and to experience God’s deep healing. I was going to ask if any of you wanted to partner with me, giving a gratitude gift, to help cover the cost of the beautiful head wraps LaTonya will share freely with the precious women she meets.

If not these highlights from LaTonya’s life-altering week, what is your message, God?

Discerning the Spirit’s nudge, right now I feel drawn to focus on the global ministry link LaTonya shared with me: Heal + Thrive – You are Loved.

Isn’t this God’s message to us all, morning after morning? Black and white women in the 30305 zip code. Heal + Thrive – You are Loved. People facing the spread of unexpected cancer. Heal + Thrive – You are Loved. Servant leaders investing time and talents in a sustainable community. Heal + Thrive – You are Loved. All the single mamas and widows in Uganda. Heal + Thrive – You are Loved. I now extend God’s blessing over all of the kids, volunteers, and staff members, who thoroughly enjoyed learning the art of photography at PAWkids last night. Heal + Thrive – You are Loved.