Caribbean Moravian Devotions

I donÂ’t know if thereÂ’s a person who may say that he/she likes to be KICKED. We donÂ’t walk around with stickers on our backs inviting persons to KICK me. To be KICKED by someone makes you feel as if youÂ’re no body. ItÂ’s not just disrespectful but it also robs us of the qualities that make us feel worthwhile human beings. So if anybody has ever gotten you so mad that you feel as if the only thing you want to do is to use your foot to offer a hard KICK, think again. Whatever the person may have done, however stupid you think the action may have been, however bad it made you feel, no one is ever deserving of being made to feel less than a person by being on the other side of a KICK. And hereÂ’s the issue to ponder, if we think that what the person has done is deserving of nothing less than a KICK, shouldnÂ’t we apply the same medicine to ourselves when we behave the same way? So then if anybody is deserving of being KICKED, then be man or woman enough and KICK YOURSELF!

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On October 31, 1981 at 12 MIDNIGHT the sovereign rule of a small island in the heart of the Caribbean Sea was transferred fully from the British government to own citizens. And with the movement of the clock from October 31 to November 1, we witnessed the birth of an independent Antigua and Barbuda. Today marks 32 years since that memorable occasion. As I reflect on that most memorable night IÂ’m thankful to know that I was alive then to witness for myself history in the making. I remember well all of the excitement building up to that day. What I couldnÂ’t figure out then was why the tens of thousands of Antiguans and Barbudans stayed up pass MIDNIGHT on October 31? If independence was on November 1, why not just celebrate in the morning on that day? But then I finally realized that the CHANGE of our status into an independent nation did not take place at sunrise on the morning of November 1. Rather the CHANGE took place at MIDNIGHT on October 31. So under the darkness of the MIDNIGHT sky, one flag was lowered and another raised; one anthem was replaced by another; one nation died and another was born. So much CHANGED that MIDNIGHT. With this in mind I invite us today to reflect on our FF, THE MIDNIGHT CHANGE!

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After being on television since 2003, and after 10 years, the show What Not to WEAR aired its final episode this past August. The show which was aired on TLC was centered on someone whose wardrobe needed a radical makeover. Part of the process included the hosts going through that personÂ’s clothing and trying to convince them that what they were now WEARING was just not suitable. In the end, the goal was to let the person understand that there needs to be a total change of mind in terms of what type of clothing would be considered just right. One of the messages of the show was to force persons to see that the change in wardrobe was tied to changing how they see themselves too. When that new revelation has hit home, by the end of the show, thereÂ’s an unveiling of a new person WEARING new clothes and with a brand new attitude. IsnÂ’t it amazing how what we WEAR or choose not to WEAR can say so much about us?

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We know for a fact that not everybody can hear. On one end of the scale there are those who are totally deaf and for them the only means of communication is through sign language. There are those somewhere in the middle whose hearing is a bit impaired but can still hear with the help of a hearing aid. And of course there are those on the other end whose hearing is just fine. Wherever we are on the spectrum, whether we have the ability to hear or not, we all have the option as to whether or not we choose to LISTEN. The deaf canÂ’t do much about the ability to hear but even the partially or totally deaf can decide if to LISTEN. Those whose hearing is 100% even though they can hear can also decide if they too will LISTEN. Our condition to hear or not hear is in no way connected to our opting either to LISTEN or not. But hereÂ’s one truth that I invite us today to consider and it is this IF YOU CARE, YOU LISTEN! ThatÂ’s todayÂ’s FF: IF YOU CARE, YOU LISTEN!

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Recently the world of social media made the financial news headlines when Twitter decided that it would change the investment structure of the company by doing what Facebook had done some months ago. Twitter was about to GO PUBLIC. And when it did, from all reports, on the stock exchange it was valued at $10BN (thatÂ’s 10 billion dollars!). Like other companies that make the switch from private to PUBLIC, it simply means that they now have general shareholders. As a result, anyone with enough money to invest can buy some stocks in this company once it makes its initial PUBLIC offering (IPO). For sure, though there are risks involved, thereÂ’s also lot to be gained when a company decides to GO PUBLIC. With that in mind I invite us to reflect on todayÂ’s FF which is GO PUBLIC!

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I don't about you but I'm always fascinated by stickers on vehicles. Some make you laugh. Others may cause you to raise your eyebrow in disbelief that somebody could actually put such a message on a car. And then there are those that cause you to think deeply and may stir your mind to reflect on an issue in life. For sure, bumper stickers are teaching tools. A few days ago, a green Jeep pulled out in front of me and on the back of it was a sticker asking this, "where the hell is EASY street?" Immediately I thought about the Staples commercial in which the company is sending the message that they know how to make your LIFE at the office EASY. All you need is an EASY button to press. And with one press of that EASY button, guess what, Staples will be right there to make things EASY. I'm not in a position to say whether or not shopping at Staples can make LIFE EASY. But today I invite us to realize that it is possible to experience THE EASY LIFE. Our FF for today is THE EASY LIFE!

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With the start of another school year thereÂ’s a burst of energy and excitement as students and teachers head back into the classroom. ItÂ’s amazing to see children getting up on their own and taking more responsibility like preparing their own breakfast and getting dressed on their own. They want to get to school early. But letÂ’s fast forward. What do you think will happen around March next year? Will there still be that kind of energy? Or will parents be banging down doors 20 minutes after the alarm has gone off trying to get the same child up and out of bed? Where did all of the excitement go? Did it just evaporate with every passing day? The truth is that we all do get excited at the start of the journey. Somewhere along the way, though, we get to the place of wanting to quit. If thatÂ’s you then todayÂ’s FF serves as a timely reminder. It is CANÂ’T STOP NOW!

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When a local business is looking for new employees they usually post a sign on their door or window saying “Help WANTED”. It’s a clear message that there’s a shortage of staff and that in order for the business to maintain its usual standards then it needs to have some vacancies filled. What we see as being advertised as being WANTED is a clear indication of what’s missing. For our FF for today I want us to reflect on something else that’s missing and in short supply these days. It may surprise you but what I’m referring to is SHAME. And so with that our FF for today is WANTED: SHAME!

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For many parents September is by far one of the best months of the year. Its arrival signals the end of the seemingly endless summer holidays and it is back to the regular daily schedule. At every level, from kindergarten to university, this time is a time to have a fresh start and so in many ways September can feel like January. ItÂ’s a new beginning. Now even if youÂ’re not an official student any longer we all have moments in our lives when we get the chance to begin again. Beyond the start of a new calendar year or a new school year, each month, each week and in fact each day is a chance for a new beginning. Life itself is like a school and with each day that we live, we can be taught some very important lessons. So over the next few weeks, each Friday we will reflect on what I consider some of lifeÂ’s odd lessons. The first for todayÂ’s FF is EMBRACE FAILURE!

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This year for the months of July and August, our FF will be drawn from earlier submissions. This month will draw upon FF articles dating back to 2010. For those who donÂ’t know, the weekly FF was birthed as we were planning for a youth and young adult convention called Take it Back (TIB) which was held in Trinidad in 2006. Each Friday participants were invited to join together to focus on the approaching event. The FF has been going since then and for that we say thanks be to God!
(This article which was originally submitted on May 7, 2010)

How would you feel if you walked into a room and someone looked at you and said these words YOU SMELL? One of two things may happen. I guess it all depends on the answer to the question SMELL of what? If you know that youÂ’re wearing Chanel ?5 then you have a smile of approval feeling content with yourself. But if on the other hand itÂ’s at the end of a long day and youÂ’ve been out and about in the hot Caribbean weather well thatÂ’s another matter. If someone were to say to you then YOU SMELL depending on how sanctified you are you may immediately let that person know that those words are most inappropriate. But I invite us today to reflect on just those two words YOU SMELL as our FF.

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This year for the months of July and August, our FF will be drawn from earlier submissions. This month will draw upon FF articles dating back to 2010. For those who donÂ’t know, the weekly FF was birthed as we were planning for a youth and young adult convention called Take it Back (TIB) which was held in Trinidad in 2006. Each Friday participants were invited to join together to focus on the approaching event. The FF has been going since then and for that we say thanks be to God!
(This article which was originally submitted on October 22, 2010)

I canÂ’t say that I know what it is to be evicted or being forcefully REMOVED from somewhere. Some persons can relate to the feelings that come with being given a deadline by which to REMOVE themselves and their belongings. I do know though what it is to have to REMOVE yourself from a place because of the risks involved. Every day we all do some sort of REMOVING. It may be the simple REMOVING of garbage from the kitchen. Or we may more serious like having to REMOVE a cancerous growth from our bodies. It is so easy to always focus on what needs to be REMOVED that we pay little attention to the things that REMAIN. Our FF for today is this question: REMOVE OR REMAIN? Is it either or both?

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This year for the months of July and August, our FF will be drawn from earlier submissions. This month will draw upon FF articles dating back to 2010. For those who donÂ’t know, the weekly FF was birthed as we were planning for a youth and young adult convention called Take it Back (TIB) which was held in Trinidad in 2006. Each Friday participants were invited to join together to focus on the approaching event. The FF has been going since then and for that we say thanks be to God!
(This article which was originally submitted on March 26, 2010)

Once I was sitting next to a lady in the library who was working on her laptop. All of a sudden she let out a scream breaking the silence. Because she was sitting opposite to me I immediately looked up to see what had happened. With her head down and with a shocked look on her face she exclaimed, “I just touched a button and lost the last two hours of work.” I went over to her to see how I could help. I advised her to hit the UNDO arrow at the top of the Microsoft word document. In a split second all that she thought was lost reappeared on the screen. Doubtless to say she was more than grateful and for the first time she learnt that in Microsoft, UNDO fixes in a quick time all our mistakes.

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This year for the months of July and August, our FF will be drawn from earlier submissions. This month will draw upon FF articles dating back to 2010. For those who donÂ’t know, the weekly FF was birthed as we were planning for a youth and young adult convention called Take it Back (TIB) which was held in Trinidad in 2006. Each Friday participants were invited to join together to focus on the approaching event. The FF has been going since then and for that we say thanks be to God!
(This article which was originally submitted on February 19, 2010)

Picture this scene from a Hollywood movie: two cops are engaged in a shoot-out with some armed robbers. One of the police officers decides to try and shoot from a different angle. He has to reposition himself away from his partner. As he prepares to make his move he shouts out to his buddy COVER ME. With those words he darts across to his new position while his partner continues shooting to keep the robbers occupied and distracted. The ultimate goal is to ensure that his partner gets to where heÂ’s going unhurt. As we continue to look at the value of friendships these two words COVER ME are what we will reflect on today for our FF.
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This year for the months of July and August, our FF will be drawn from earlier submissions. This month will draw upon FF articles dating back to 2009. For those who donÂ’t know, the weekly FF was birthed as we were planning for a youth and young adult convention called Take it Back (TIB) which was held in Trinidad in 2006. Each Friday participants were invited to join together to focus on the approaching event. The FF has been going since then and for that we say thanks be to God!
(This article which was originally submitted on September 18, 2009)

One of the challenges of learning any language is that a wordÂ’s meaning is often coloured by its context. Context too can determine if a word is presented in either a positive or negative light. For todayÂ’s FF I invite to focus our thoughts on an example of one such word: ALMOST.

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This year for the months of July and August, our FF will be drawn from earlier submissions. This month will draw upon FF articles dating back to 2009. For those who donÂ’t know, the weekly FF was birthed as we were planning for a youth and young adult convention called Take it Back (TIB) which was held in Trinidad in 2006. Each Friday participants were invited to join together to focus on the approaching event. The FF has been going since then and for that we say thanks be to God!
(This article which was originally submitted on May 29, 2009)

Some things when said can easily be made light of depending on whoÂ’s speaking, the one to whom the words are being addressed or the context in which the words are spoken. It could also be that weÂ’ve heard certain words so often that we can play them down. The words for our FF run such a risk. Yet I invite you to take these words and for one moment do not undermine what theyÂ’re calling upon you to do. Our FF for today is ENJOY YOUR LIFE.

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