Happy New Year! SoulfulSQUAD, this has truly been a year for the books!
As I look back at all of the blessings, the highs, the lows, and all of the in-betweens that me, my family, and our SoulfulMOTION commUNITY have been through… all I can think about is how grateful I am.
One of the highlights of my year was attending the ACTS 242 Conference in Atlanta, Georgia this year, with my bestie and cousin. When signing up for this conference, I went with the excitement of knowing that I was going to hear sound Biblical teaching. But what I didn’t know, was that my life, and specifically my life in Christ, would be changed forever.
Acts 2:42 says this:
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (NIV)
~
We arrived very late at night, struggling to find our rental car… walking through the Atlanta rental car lots over and over again, until someone finally told us to just get in a car if it has keys in it. (What in the world??!!) We did so, praying that it would end well and it did thank God. Our first morning was met with a delicious brunch, and then a trip to Target (because duh!). That evening, we arrived at the event location with 7,000 other men and women, waiting for the doors to open. Although we were not shocked that the doors didn’t open on time, I personally realized that this conference was going to be different.
The thousands of people waiting in line to enter this beautiful facility began singing. Worshipping. In different keys, tones, notes. At one point I literally thought to myself, “Where am I?” I have spent much of my adult life feeling “different”, but I truly felt at home here. I often feel judged because I take my faith so seriously… and guess what… those words were being sold on a hat at this conference! (You know I bought it.) These were my people, and we all felt like family. Everyone was kind as we waited for over an hour in the hot, ATL sun.
Once we entered, there was praise and worship with the worship team from 2819 Church. A church that I’ve grown to love as a digital disciple. I’ve never cried so much in my life y’all, for hours during praise and worship. I didn’t know that I could produce that many tears. Afterwards, they had the nerve to start the sessions… and I didn’t know if I was ready.
For the next day and a half, the conference attendees were flooded with teaching and sound doctrine on how the western world presents a version of Christianity that is so unlike what Jesus wanted for us. We flock to Instagram and TikTok for a reel, when we need a word of encouragement, rather than seeking the word of the one who created us. We are listening to emotional preaching and prosperity teaching that the session leaders summed up to being “motivational speeches” rather than professing and claiming the truth from the word of God. One of my favorite teaching sessions was from Jackie Hill Perry. If you don’t know who Jackie is, I recommend you get to know her. She is a Bible teacher, a speaker, rapper, podcast host, and so many other things. I personally love the way that Jackie speaks truth, with a little dry humor, and “tell it like it is” demeanor.
Jackie and many of the other teachers reminded us during this conference that it is not enough to be a good person, listen to a quick reel, or watch a quick sermon, and call it good. The Bible is clear and is true, and we do not know enough of it or any of it at all.
So what’s the point of all this?
Well…. Eternity.
Coming to SoulfulMOTION Fitness classes are a great way to worship, and to keep your body healthy and moving to be able to worship. You can’t do much if you’re not in good health. It’s a great way to give God thanks for the body that he’s given you. However, SoulfulMOTION Fitness is not enough. It’s not enough for us to be selectively kind. It’s not enough for us to say “the Holy Spirit told me____” when it may have just been our human emotions. It’s not enough for us to be non judgemental to the folks that look like us. It’s not enough for us to flock to Pastor Denise when we need to hear the word of God. Our forever home in eternity depends on our right standing with God, and the only way to know that, is to know His word for yourself.
God is not asking us to be able to recite the Bible from front to back on our own, but to engage with him, to have a relationship with Him, to know and to learn his character, what he says about living in this world, to know what trouble will come our way, how to handle those who sin against us… and so much more! The bible is literally the God breathed handbook for how to live life on this Earth. It’s our manual. He even sent his son Jesus to Earth, to save us, but also to experience humanity. Jesus knows what it feels like to have someone “hate on you”… which is why he intercedes for us. And unfortunately, so many of us do not “Pick It Up” (the Bible… and that’s one of Jackie’s newest songs… because she’s a rapper too).
Below is the sermon focus for this month, by Jackie Hill Perry which was presented at the Acts 242 Conference. Jackie reflects on three simple points to help us be able to navigate the Bible. That is my prayer for us all. That in 2025, we begin to
- Take the Bible seriously.
- We begin to take our faith seriously.
- We decide what we believe in.
- We take action to know God this year.
- We take captive our thoughts and emotions and present God’s truth because we KNOW what His word says.
Because without it, we will perish.
I love y’all. This may seem like a tough way to start the year of “The SoulfulSCOOP”… but I’m concerned about us, because I love us. Let’s start the year off in health; physically at SoulfulMOTION Fitness, but most importantly in spirit and in truth. Let’s emulate Acts 2:42, by devoting ourselves to the teaching of God’s word by READING scripture, and fellowship together at SoulfulMOTION.
Blessings,
And here’s to the most amazing year yet!
