 Did you know that today is the first official day of summer? This makes me think about the Porgy and Bess song, "Summertime." This is one of the songs my mother sang to me when I was a little girl and I would ask her to sing. Posted below are the lyrics and a video of Fantasia Barrino singing the song.
Summertime
from Porgy and Bess
Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high
Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry
 My heart rejoiced with excitement today! I reacquainted with several friends from my hometown, Boutte, LA, via Facebook. As one of them said, "Thank heavens for Facebook." Twenty years have passed since I have seen or heard from them. However, the mention of their names brought back pleasant memories as if it was yesterday.
The following friend quote describes the experience: “Even though we've changed, and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends” (JJTK31 at thinkexist.com).
With today's reunion, I can attest that Facebook is a valuable tool for locating family and friends as well as meeting new people. FB will also help us with "catching up." In closing, featured below is my friendship poem, "Treasured Blessing."
Treasured Blessing
2006 Sylvia L. Green Chatman
An easy concept to measure--
Bearing friends is a rich treasure.
Available when you need them--
They value more than costly gems.
Friends are standing pillars of strength;
Their love stretches to any length.
When strife looms, they refuse to faint,
Assisting you without complaint.
 Father's Day being tomorrow brought back to mind the following scripture: "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if I then be a father, where is my honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despsed thy name?" (Malachi 1:6KJV). I shared this verse on a Father's Day program almost 20 years ago when I was in my late teen years. God had recently called me to preach His word. The message that day was entitled, "Where Is the Father's Honor?"
Today, that message still remains true. People often forget, neglect, or outright refuse to honor God. God should never have to inquire about his honor. He deserves it, and we have a duty to give it to Him. For this purpose we exist and were created, according to Revelation 4:11KJV, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
If you stand guilty of dishonoring God, today is the time to reverse your actions. Take the advice of Acts 3:19KJV, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out..." Let this be a new beginning. Start honoring God today!
Below is a poem, "An Instrument," that is my vow to honor God with my life.
An Instrument
© 1991 Sylvia L. Green Chatman
Lord, I am an instrument just for thee.
Use me in manner you deem fit.
I am your humble and yielding servant.
To your divine will, I wholly submit.
I am created for your own pleasure.
My mind, body, and soul belong to you.
I delight myself only in your way.
I fully commit in all that I do.
 With it being summertime and the kids out of school, parents are spending more time with their kids than which they normally do. What does that mean? Having children at home all day calls for additional cooking, washing, cleaning, driving, shopping, and more. It also includes having to deal with behavior issues and discipline. Mothers, are you ready?
Are you up to the challenge of enjoying your kids this summer or do you feel already feel overwhelmed? In addition to the increased duties, opportunities exist for spending quality time together. Still, planning family activities and balancing schedules can be a bit much. Also, spending the extra time, energy, and money may leave you exhausted and stressed. Some days you might even view your children as a burden. However, the Bible tells us otherwise. Children are a blessing according to Psalms 127:3KJV, "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Having said that, we are only human. I, too, have been in your shoes of thinking negatively about my children. At that point, I expressed my desperation to God, and I received the following poem of prayer:
A Blessing
© 2009 Sylvia L. Green Chatman
For my children, I remain grateful, Lord.
Fruit of the womb, I know is your reward.
A burden--may I never perceive them.
May I cherish them like exquisite gems.
With your heritage, you entrusted me.
A good steward, enable me to be.
I pray to be the mother that You want,
Refusing to allow my task to daunt.
 Have you ever thought about how you will be remembered when you die? As I get older, I do more often. I wonder if people will think well or ill of me. Of course, I want to be thought of favorably. I have heard the saying, "live your life so you will be missed." To me, that means leaving a positive, lasting impression.
Over the past several months, I lost two family members that were dear to me--my cousin-in-law and my brother-in-law. Coincidently, they both were age 54, so their passings were sudden and unexpected. My cousin-in-law suffered a heart attack, and my brother-in-law drowned. Their leaving here seemed tragic and untimely. However, God knows what is best.
Both of my in-laws were people everyone seemed to love. My sister-in-law was the type of woman who would say, "girl, you're so anointed" instead of "girl, you're so crazy. My brother-in-law was the church version of Bernie Mac. Consequently, both homegoing services drew a crowd, especially my brother-in-law's, which had standing room only. Below is the poem, "I Shall Remember You, which I read at his funeral.
I Shall Remember
© 2011 Sylvia L. Green-Chatman
In memory of Leroy Chatman, 1957-2011
I shall remember the brotherly smiles,
Carrying me across hundreds of miles.
I enjoyed you driving for our church trips.
You brought entertainment and fellowship.
I shall remember hysterical laughs,
Quickly removing sadness from my path.
When I called for lightness to restore me,
You stayed timely with a funny story.
 Did you know today is Smile Power Day? Use your power—smile! Greet everyone you meet with a smile, and watch how it changes the atmosphere. Smiles are infectious. You can even disarm your enemies with a smile. It has been said that a smile confuses an approaching frown. I also heard it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. If this is true, smiling is the route to go. Besides, as Kirk Franklin's song say, "You look so much better when you smile." A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks," according to Charles Gordhay. Consider sending one with gifts displaying my poem, "Gift of a Smile." To view click http://www.cafepress.com/sincerelysylvia/2043166
Gift of a Smile
© 1995 Sylvia Green Chatman
We only dwell here for a while;
Stop briefly to offer a smile.
Smiles are pleasant gifts to give;
They make life easier to live.
Smiles demand little energy-
Just a simple curve of the lips.
Someone’s undivided attention,
It captures quickly—firmly grips...
 The Church of the Living God USA's General Overseer, Bishop Jerry W. Wilhite, visited our church Saturday and read one of my poems posted on the bulletin board. Amazed at the poem's craftsmanship, he asked if I had really written it. I replied, "yes." Saying that I "hit it on the nail" portraying the brother whom the poem was about, he requested a copy. I happened to have a few sheets in a binder, so I handed him one. He said that he was going to purchase a "nice" frame and display it at his local church in Monroe, Louisiana. He stated that all of the churches in the brotherhood should also obtain a copy. The poem, entitled "Bright Fame," is a tribute to our late National Finance Committee Chairman, Elder Robert Knighten. God inspired me to write the piece a couple days after his funeral on his birthday at 4 o' clock in the morning three years ago. Here is the poem, "Bright Fame," below:
Bright Fame © 2008 Sylvia L. Green Chatman
In Loving Memory Of Elder Robert L. Knighten
April 24, 1948 - April 11, 2008
He was a man loved by many.
Enemies–could one find any?
A friend he proved to all he knew.
He was genuine–yes, it’s true.
A preacher who meant what he said,
To speak out, he was unafraid.
He would tell you if you were wrong,
Yet still knew how to get along...
 "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1KJV). This scripture describes the church gathering I attended Sunday. We celebrated Pentecost; that is, commemorated the "birthday" of the Holy Ghost, of which the second chapter of Acts (King James Bible) renders a detailed account. As a highlight for the occasion, the Bishop offered the audience an opportunity to share their experiences of receiving the Holy Ghost. Of course, I made sure that I told my testimony before that part of the service ended. My testimony went similar to this:
I was born of the Spirit on a Friday in July 1990. I was 16 years old. We were in the midst of a 14-day revival, and I was on a one-meal-a-day fast because I was seeking for the Holy Ghost. That morning I told myself that day I was going to receive the Holy Ghost. To help the process, I decided to forego eating anything at all. To make my fast interesting, the temperature rose to 113 degrees, and I was a summer camp counselor. However, that turn of events failed to deter me. I meant that day I was going to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost...
 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God..." (Psalms 53.1KJV). Yesterday, I my opened my bible to this passage of scripture. This verse is a fitting way to start my first blog entry and introduce myself, since I am the exact opposite of the person described here. I am a born-again believer. I know that God exists; He is real. "We are living proof," as Yolanda Adam sings on her lastest album, Becoming. How could anyone fail to believe in God? Can you imagine a world without God and the things He created? That place is undesirable to me. Hence, I post the following poem, "Imagine":
Imagine
Inspired by Genesis 1st Chapter, KJV
Imagine a world without day but just night.
We would view only darkness--what sign of light?
Imagine the firmament gone from above.
Skyless would be the flight of the dove.
Imagine having water minus dry land.
Where would the ground be to rest on for the sand?
Imagine if vanished were grass, herbs, and trees.
What would we have to eat or pleasant to see?...
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