Feature Friday

I am so excited that we have been blessed to see another Black History Month! It’s imperative that we not forget the many African Americans that came before us and were an essential part of American history. As we celebrate Black History Month, Saved M.O.M. is featuring African American Women whom played significant roles in the progression of American History, every Friday this month. Today’s feature is non other than the intelligent and beautiful Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama. She was born January 17, 1964 and is the wife of the forty-fourth President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first First Lady of the United States of African-American heritage. She is also the proud mother of two amazing little girls.

Michelle Robinson was born in and grew up on the South Side of Chicago. She attended Princeton despite discouragement from applying by high school advisors who felt her scores weren't adequate. Yet she graduated from the college with honors. She was one of very few black students attending Princeton at the time, and the experience made her acutely aware of the issues of race. When she applied to Harvard Law, she again faced bias as college counselors tried to talk her out of her decision. Despite their doubts, she excelled. Professor David B. Wilkins remembers Michelle as forthright: "She always stated her position clearly and decisively."

After completing her formal education, she returned to Chicago and accepted a position with the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her future husband. At the firm, she worked on marketing and intellectual property. Subsequently, she held public sector positions in the Chicago city government as an Assistant to the Mayor, and as Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development. In 1993, she founded Public Allies Chicago which provided young adults with leadership training for public service careers. She worked there nearly four years and set fundraising records for the organization that still stood 12 years after she left. As executive director, she headed up a non-profit named by President Bill Clinton as a model AmeriCorps program.

In 1996, she served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago, where she developed the University's first community service program. In 2002, she began working for the University of Chicago Hospitals, first as executive director for community affairs and, beginning May 2005, as Vice President for Community and External Affairs. She continued to hold the University of Chicago Hospitals position during the primary campaign, but cut back to part time in order to spend time with her daughters as well as work for her husband's election; she subsequently took a leave of absence from her job.

She served as a salaried board member of TreeHouse Foods, Inc. (NYSE: THS), a major Wal-Mart supplier with whom she cut ties immediately after her husband made comments critical of Wal-Mart at an AFL-CIO forum in Trenton, New Jersey, on May 14, 2007. She serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Throughout 2007 and 2008, she helped campaign for her husband's presidential bid and delivered a keynote address at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Although she resists the labels 'feminist' and 'liberal,' Michelle Obama is widely recognized as outspoken and strong-willed. She has juggled career and family as a working mother, and her positions indicate progressive ideas on the roles of women and men in society.

Most of the aforementioned information was cited from the following sources…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama and http://womensissues.about.com/od/influentialwomen/p/MichelleObama.htm

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Thursday Prayer

It’s Thursday and you know what that means; today is our designated day of prayer. We will pray together today at 6:30 pm. If you are not able to physically make it to the prayer meeting location you can join us in spirit. We are praying that God’s will is done in the lives of his faithful servants and that millions will receive salvation this year. We will say a special prayer of wisdom, protection, and divine guidance for our leaders, law enforcers and medical providers. Also, let’s not forget to keep Haiti in our prayers. In addition to your prayers please donate whatever you can to aid in their time of need. You can visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/haiti-earthquake-relief-h_n_421014.html for a list of organizations that are collecting donations.

We are continuing to pray for Delonda and Cheree. Delonda would like for us to stand in agreement with her that her and her family have divine favor as they prepare to relocate. We are also praying that Cheree receives healing in the midst of her cancer battle. In addition, we are praying for fast and proper healing for Renee’ as she recovers from recent surgery.

As always we will pray that many mothers will be blessed by this ministry and great works will be done through this ministry. We will continue to stand on our weekly prayer points listed below. It is so important that we stand together in prayer, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20).

We will continue to pray that love is the motivating force behind EVERYTHING that we do and that we operate in love at ALL times, especially when we don’t feel like it. For the word tells us, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8). The word also says, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12). If we can just learn to love always, no matter what, things will turn out well and happiness will be sure to follow.

Weekly prayer points are as follows…
We are praying that our family, friends and loved ones receive salvation and live lives that are submitted to the Lord.
We are praying that we maintain health and strength in the midst of it all.
We are praying that our children are always covered by the blood of Jesus and they make Godly decisions and live submitted lives.
We are praying that we all are continually filled with the heart and mind of Christ Jesus.
We are standing with all the mothers attached to this ministry and mothers worldwide that God’s will be done in their lives.
Thank you for standing with us and lifting up the prayer requests that have been laid before us. Remember to thank Him in advance. God bless you!

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Word Wednesday

Today is officially “Word Wednesday” otherwise known as “Hump Day.” We’ve made it half way through yet another week on the wonderful, exciting and bumpy road of motherhood. Therefore, some of us are looking for some encouraging words to make it through the rest of the week with Joy and Peace. At night before my son goes to bed, in addition to reading bible stories, I read him a passage out of Prayers That Avail Much, First Blessings for Your Child by Germaine Copeland. Mommies we have to keep our children prayed up and constantly put Gods Word in their hearts.

Saturday’s passage read, “I pray for and bless you, ______ (your child’s name), May God always remain close to you. He is your protection. You will tell your generation about all that God has done.” This passage led me to think about the evangelistic component of our Christian walk. We are ambassadors for Christ Jesus here on earth. The Word tells us, “We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

It is my thought, through mere observation, that we often forget about our duty to tell others about the goodness of the Lord. Now, I’m not saying that we should walk around forcing our thoughts and beliefs on others, although, we should make every effort to make God a part of our daily conversations and share His love with others. We all know that our children usually mimic what they see us doing. So, if they see us sharing the love of God and evangelizing, they will be more likely to do the same. I challenge you to start talking about God to someone everyday.

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Testimony Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! I'm feeling great today and I hope you are as well. Let's keep our focus on positive things and not get side tracked or weighed down with the worries of the world! It's Testimony Tuesday so feel free to share a personal testimony displaying the goodness of God. To do so, click on the "comments" link below and type in your testimony or submit to info@savedmom.com (if you are reading this from your inbox visit www.savedmom.com to post a comment). It is my prayer that it will be a blessing to many.

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Blessings and Curses

Good top of the week to you and yours! Here we are blessed with another beautiful week in the life of. Today it was placed on my heart to simply post a chapter out of the bible for your reading pleasure. Below you will find chapter 28 from the book of Deuteronomy (New International Version). Enjoy!

Blessings for Obedience

1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:

3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

7 The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

9 The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. 11 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.

12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

Curses for Disobedience

15 However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.

18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.

20 The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. [a] 21 The LORD will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. 22 The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. 23 The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. 24 The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.

25 The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth. 26 Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. 27 The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. 28 The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. 29 At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you.

30 You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and ravish her. You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit. 31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. 32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. 33 A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression all your days. 34 The sights you see will drive you mad. 35 The LORD will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.

36 The LORD will drive you and the king you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your fathers. There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone. 37 You will become a thing of horror and an object of scorn and ridicule to all the nations where the LORD will drive you.

38 You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little, because locusts will devour it. 39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off. 41 You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will go into captivity. 42 Swarms of locusts will take over all your trees and the crops of your land.

43 The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. 44 He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, but you will be the tail.

45 All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. 46 They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever. 47 Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, 48 therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.

49 The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. 51 They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine or oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. 52 They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the LORD your God is giving you.

53 Because of the suffering that your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the LORD your God has given you. 54 Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, 55 and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities. 56 The most gentle and sensitive woman among you—so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot—will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter 57 the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For she intends to eat them secretly during the siege and in the distress that your enemy will inflict on you in your cities.

58 If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name—the LORD your God- 59 the LORD will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. 60 He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. 61 The LORD will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed. 62 You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number, because you did not obey the LORD your God. 63 Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.

64 Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. 65 Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. 66 You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. 67 In the morning you will say, "If only it were evening!" and in the evening, "If only it were morning!"-because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see. 68 The LORD will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again. There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Feature Friday

I am so excited that we have been blessed to see another Black History Month! It’s imperative that we not forget the many African Americans that came before us and were an essential part of American history. As we celebrate Black History Month, Saved M.O.M. will feature African American Women whom played significant roles in the progression of American History, every Friday this month.

This Friday I am doing things a little differently. I sat for what seemed like several hours today trying to figure out who I would spotlight this week. After much research and praying it finally hit me. I came to the realization that there are so many women that have played an important role in Black History, so why single out just one for this week? When in doubt, don’t try to figure it out! Just go with the flow… So, in going with the flow I want to direct you all to a web link that will give you an opportunity to read about many Notable African American Women.

Take some time to learn more about our history by visiting http://womenshistory.about.com/od/africanamerican/a/black_women.htm. There is so much wisdom to be gained in learning about the past. Take time out of your busy schedule to speak with an elder about things of old. I’m sure they would love to have a listening ear as they share their stories with you. The Word tells us, “Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.” (Deuteronomy 32:7). Let’s not forget the people that paved the way!

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (http://www.savedmom.com/), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Thursday Prayer

It’s Thursday and you know what that means; today is our designated day of prayer. We will pray together today at 12 pm. If you are not able to physically make it to the prayer meeting location you can join us in spirit. We are praying that God’s will is done in the lives of his faithful servants and that millions will receive salvation this year. We will say a special prayer of wisdom, protection, and divine guidance for our leaders, law enforcers and medical providers. Also, let’s not forget to keep Haiti in our prayers. In addition to your prayers please donate whatever you can to aid in their time of need. You can visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/haiti-earthquake-relief-h_n_421014.html for a list of organizations that are collecting donations.

We are continuing to pray for Delonda and Cheree. Delonda would like for us to stand in agreement with her that her and her family have divine favor as they prepare to relocate. We are also praying that Cheree receives healing in the midst of her cancer battle.

As always we will pray that many mothers will be blessed by this ministry and great works will be done through this ministry. We will continue to stand on our weekly prayer points listed below. It is so important that we stand together in prayer, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20).

We will continue to pray that love is the motivating force behind EVERYTHING that we do and that we operate in love at ALL times, especially when we don’t feel like it. For the word tells us, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8). The word also says, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12). If we can just learn to love always, no matter what, things will turn out well and happiness will be sure to follow.

Weekly prayer points are as follows…
We are praying that our family, friends and loved ones receive salvation and live lives that are submitted to the Lord.
We are praying that we maintain health and strength in the midst of it all.
We are praying that our children are always covered by the blood of Jesus and they make Godly decisions and live submitted lives.
We are praying that we all are continually filled with the heart and mind of Christ Jesus.
We are standing with all the mothers attached to this ministry and mothers worldwide that God’s will be done in their lives.
Thank you for standing with us and lifting up the prayer requests that have been laid before us. Remember to thank Him in advance. God bless you!

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Testimony Tuesday

Hello beautiful people! Today is Testimony Tuesday and we have been blessed with an anonymous testimony to share on today. As we all know, the miracle of child birth is an amazing testimony in and of itself. Today’s testimony is a story God’s restoration and the blessing of childbirth.

In December of 2008 a loving couple seemed to have conceived a baby. Symptoms of pregnancy prompted them to schedule an appointment with the doctor to confirm their suspicions. According to the ultrasound, it seemed as though the woman was pregnant. Although, it was soon discovered, that there were visible signs of a placenta but no fetus. When this phenomenon occurs, one is considered to have a blighted ovum. This condition is actually much more common than most people think.

In the case of a blighted ovum, the woman is given the option to have the placenta removed or to allow the body to naturally purge itself of the placenta. In this instance, the woman allowed nature to take its course. About 10 weeks after conception the woman’s body released the placenta and the husband and wife proceeded to attempt to conceive again. A few months later they conceived again and the woman experienced a healthy full-term pregnancy!

Two weeks ago today, husband and wife welcomed a beautiful baby into their loving arms. Exactly one year after the "miscarriage" this family was blessed with a beautiful bundle of joy! This woman wanted me to share her testimony to show that God is faithful and true. The word tells us, “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

What we all must understand is that God answers the prayers of His faithful children and His timing is always best. There may be something that you have been believing God for and things are not look so great right now. Rest assured that if you are keeping His commands and walking in love, the Lord hears and knows what’s best for you. Just be patient and it will all work out for your good!

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

My Valentine’s Perspective

Happy day after Valentine’s Day to all! Here we are at the start to another week in the life of. I had an absolutely wonderful weekend and I hope that you did as well. Let’s make every effort to have an awesome and spectacular week!

So, as we all know, yesterday was Valentine’s Day. As I scrolled down the news feeds on my FaceBook page over the weekend, I grew increasingly bothered with every second. Maybe my reaction was a little too strong, but hey, it is what it is. My feelings were fueled by the fact that so many people were making superficial comments and posting superficial photos regarding their Valentines Day treats and wishes. Okay, let me pause for a moment and make it very clear that I don’t disagree with individuals celebrating their love for one another. I just simply feel that we should show love everyday.

It seems as though many people use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to boast about what their significant others have done for them. The word tells us, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

I used to get caught up in the “commercialization” of V-Day myself. It took me a while to get beyond doing so in my relationship with my husband. I can recall that our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple, we had one of our biggest disagreements ever. I felt as thought Valentine’s day was a day for women to be honored and pampered. My husband was in total disagreement, he felt that Valentine’s Day was a day for both parties in the relationship to be honored and gifted. Fast forward to today and we don’t even really celebrate the holiday. We make an effort to show love and to honor one another 24/7/365! Instead of getting caught up in the “commercialization” of V-Day and making other people rich, we choose to spend our money wisely and express our love daily. What about you?

Sidebar… just imagine how wonderful it would be if the money that was spent on V-Day was donated to Haiti or your favorite charity.

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Feature Friday

I am so excited that we have been blessed to see another Black History Month! It’s imperative that we not forget the many African Americans that came before us and were an essential part of America’s history. In wake of the celebration of Black History Month Saved M.O.M. will feature an African American woman whom played a role in the progression of American History every Friday this month. Today's feature is Old Elizabeth (1766 – 1867). She was one of the first African American women to pursue a career as a religious evangelist, doing so at a time when this was very much so discouraged.

Born a slave in 1766 in Maryland, her parents were also slaves. Her father could read, and read to her frequently from the Bible, but Elizabeth remained illiterate. At age eleven, Elizabeth was sold to a new owner who lived many miles from her family; Elizabeth was lashed for returning to visit her mother, and it was after this that she received a spiritual call to become an evangelist. She recalled in her memoirs, “At parting, my mother told me that I had "nobody in the wide world to look to but God." These words fell upon my heart with ponderous weight, and seemed to add to my grief. I went back repeating as I went, "none but God in the wide world." After a short time reunited with her mother, Elizabeth was sold again.

Old Elizabeth received salvation at the age of twelve. The account of her “salvation experience” is nothing less than amazing. You can read the full account in her memoirs by visiting http://womenshistory.about.com/od/aframer18631900/l/bl_old_elizabeth.htm. Elizabeth was freed from her fourth owner in her 30's. For many years Elizabeth remained quiet. She didn’t speak much until later in life when she realized that it was time for the message God gave her to be heard. In her memoirs she recalled, “I did not speak much till I had reached my forty-second year, when it was revealed to me that the message which had been given to me I had not yet delivered, and the time had come. As I could read but little, I questioned within myself how it would be possible for me to deliver the message, when I did not understand the Scriptures. Whereupon I was moved to open a Bible that was near me, which I did, and my eyes fell upon this passage, "Gird up thy loins now like a man, and answer thou me. Obey God rather than man," (Job 38:3).”

At the age of 42, in Baltimore, Elizabeth began a career as a religious evangelist, preaching though she was discouraged from doing so, especially by men who did not believe that women were permitted by the Bible to be preachers. However, she continued doing the work of the Lord because she knew that this was His will. In her memoirs she stated, “…and the Lord showed me that it was His will I should be resigned to die any death that might be my lot, in carrying His message, and be entirely crucified to the world, and sacrifice all to His glory that was then in my possession, which His witnesses, the holy Apostles, had done before me.”

Elizabeth traveled to Virginia, and as far as Canada. She often had a warmer reception by Quakers than by others. At the age of 80, Elizabeth moved to Michigan, and during her four years there, founded an orphanage for black children, getting around opposition by staffing it with white teachers. At 87, she moved to Philadelphia where, in 1863, she published an autobiographical account, Memoir of Old Elizabeth, A Coloured Woman. It was republished after her death by Quakers, retitled as Elizabeth, A Colored Minister of the Gospel, Born in Slavery.

After traveling for many years and sharing the Gospel of the Lord, at the age of 87 she felt that the Lord had released her from traveling and that much of her work was done. She concluded her memoirs with this… “When I went forth, it was without purse or scrip,—and I have come through great tribulation and temptation—not by any might of my own, for I feel that I am but as dust and ashes before my almighty Helper, who has, according to His promise, been with me and sustained me through all, and gives me now firm faith that he will be with me to the end, and, in His own good time, receive me into His everlasting rest.” One of her favorite scriptures was Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Most of the aforementioned information was cited from the following sources… http://womenshistory.about.com/od/aframerwriters/p/elizabeth.htm and http://womenshistory.about.com/od/aframer18631900/l/bl_old_elizabeth.htm.

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Word Wednesday

Today is officially “Word Wednesday” otherwise known as “Hump Day.” We’ve made it half way through yet another week on the wonderful, exciting and bumpy road of motherhood. Therefore, some of us are looking for some encouraging words to make it through the rest of the week with Joy and Peace. At night before my son goes to bed, in addition to reading bible stories, I read him a passage out of Prayers That Avail Much, First Blessings for Your Child by Germaine Copeland. Mommies we have to keep our children prayed up and constantly put Gods Word in their hearts.

Sunday’s passage read, “Your heavenly Father pays attention to us, and you can relax. You can take it easy-you are in good hands. You will lie down in peace and sleep here in this room; the Lord will keep you safe.” It’s such a blessing to know that we can dwell in peace all the days of our lives. The Lord has given us the ability to be at peace in all things, just as long as we trust in Him. The word says, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3). As believers, there is no need for us to worry, fret or fear. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Oft times we let situations and circumstances take away our peace. Although, we must understand that once we were filled with the Holy Spirit we were filled with the peace of the Lord. We can also exercise this principle in raising our children. When those “not so peaceful” moments arise in the wonderful world of parenting, we have the authority to speak peace. We have the power and authority to speak life to our situations and circumstances, so why are we not applying this to its fullest potential? It’s time to stop letting our peace be disrupted by the incidents of life and it’s time to start taking authority and living our best life yet!

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Testimony Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24). Feel free to share a personal testimony displaying the goodness of God. To do so, click on the "comments" link below and type in your testimony or submit to info@savedmom.com (if you are reading this from your inbox visit www.savedmom.com to post a comment). It is my prayer that it will be a blessing to many.

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

The Winning Team

Good morning to all! What a blessing to wake up and see another Monday in the life of. I’m sure that most of you know that the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl on last night. To be quite honest, I’m not much of a sports fan. Although, considering that my husband was practically glued to the television last night, I do know what teams played and who won.

On yesterday my Pastor was talking about “Being a part of the winning team.” In wake of the adversity that the New Orleans Saints have faced over the last few years, it surprised many that they even made it to the Super Bowl. So many people had counted them out based on their past and had little faith that they would actually win.

I sat back and correlated this situation with the saints of the Lord. Many of us can look back on our past in disbelief that God completely turned our lives around. Many of you were counted out and told that you would never amount to anything. Many of you know my testimony. My life is a testament of God’s true grace and saving power. As a teen I used drugs, fornicated, cursed in every other breath, experienced a homosexual lifestyle and attempted to commit suicide! Seriously guys, I was on my way to hell on a red horse and didn’t even care. I told my mother at one point that if I died and went to hell that was just my fate!

Well, thank God for salvation. Just like the saints, my future didn’t look too great. Fortunately, I walked into my winning season and life has never been the same! I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior and he renewed my mind. The word says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2). I am so grateful that I now walk in Gods will. By no means am I perfect, but I am a far cry from that teenager headed to hell on roller-skates!

I want you to know that no matter what you have done in this life; salvation is available to set you free. If you are not saved make a declaration today and ask God to forgive you for your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. For those of you that are saved, but haven’t been living a submitted life, make a decision to recommit your life to God and TRULY live for Him. Your life will never be the same. As parents we must realize that our salvation and submission can protect and cover our children from so much. If not you, who? If not now, when?

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Feature Friday

I am so excited that we have been blessed to see another Black History Month! It’s imperative that we not forget the many African Americans that came before us and were an essential part of America’s history. In wake of the celebration of Black History Month we will feature an African American woman whom played a role in the progression of American History every Friday this month. Today I would like to feature a woman that helped pave a significant role in my path. This would be non other than my fellow alumnus, Charlayne Hunter-Gault. Charlayne Hunter-Gault holds a place in Georgia civil rights history as one of the first two African American students admitted to the University of Georgia. She is a wife, the proud mother of two and has maintained a journalism career of excellence.

Charlayne Hunter was born on February 27, 1942, in Due West, South Carolina. Her father was an army chaplain. Although, her fathers’ occupation caused the family to move several times, Hunter spent most of her childhood in Covington, SC and Atlanta, GA. Hunter-Gault’s father was a critical influence in her life. "He was an important part of my life and development because he set standards for me that were very high," Hunter-Gault told Southern Living. She has often cited her grandmother as a key role model as well; she helped spark a healthy curiosity about the world in the future award-winning reporter. Hunter-Gault's first encounter with prejudice over race occurred when she was a child.

By age 12 Charlayne had decided to pursue a career in journalism. "With a passion bordering on obsession," she revealed in her autobiography In My Place, "I wanted to be a journalist." Hunter-Gault excelled at Turner High School in Atlanta, the top black school in a city where black and white students were still educated under separate roofs. Hunter was active in numerous clubs and student organizations, including the school newspaper, the student council, and the honor society. She edited the school newspaper and wrote for a community weekly during her high school years. She became the school's homecoming queen and graduated number three in her class in 1959.

Since her adolescence, Hunter wanted to attend a college with a strong journalism program. In Georgia this meant the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, which did not admit African Americans, so Hunter applied to several Midwestern schools. During her last year at Turner, however, Hunter was approached by a group of Atlanta's black civic leaders who were looking for talented students to challenge segregation in Georgia's colleges and universities. Hunter and her classmate Hamilton Holmes decided to apply to The University of Georgia and were denied admission, and in the fall of 1959 Hunter enrolled at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. While Hunter began her studies in Michigan she and Holmes sent applications to UGA each quarter, and their attorneys challenged the admissions decision. After two years of legal battles Judge William Bootle, a U.S. District Court judge, issued his ruling on the matter on January 6, 1961, stating that the "plaintiffs are qualified for and entitled to immediate enrollment at the University of Georgia." Thus Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes became the first African American students in the school's history.

Hunter and Holmes arrived on the UGA campus on January 9, 1961, to register for classes. The new students were met with taunts and racist outburst. Two days later, after a basketball game, a crowd gathered outside Hunter's dormitory, smashing windows with bottles and bricks. The mob was finally dispersed by Athens police armed with tear gas. That night the Georgia State Patrol escorted the students back to their homes in Atlanta, and the University of Georgia suspended both Hunter and Holmes, supposedly for their own safety. Days later, after a new court order was issued, the students returned to campus and resumed their classes. As the writer Calvin Trillin noted in his account of their experience, Hunter "attracted much more attention than Hamilton," who lived off campus and went home on weekends. Hunter was sometimes met with animosity from students who jeered at her while she crossed campus. In the midst of this Hunter-Gault never considered leaving. She stated in Southern Living: "I think it was the result of having a goal and having support for that and being supported by a lot of really good people who made sacrifices for us."

Hunter graduated from UGA in 1963 and accepted her first job as an editorial assistant at the New Yorker magazine in New York City. After advancing to the position of staff writer, she left the magazine to accept a Russell Sage Fellowship for one year, then worked as a reporter and evening anchor for WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., for another year. Hunter returned to print journalism in 1968, joining the metropolitan staff of the New York Times and establishing the newspaper's Harlem bureau. Hunter-Gault left the New York Times in 1978 to join PBS's MacNeil/Lehrer Report, becoming national correspondent and filling in as anchor when the program expanded to become The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. Hunter-Gault left public television in 1997 to join her husband, who had been transferred to South Africa; she became the chief correspondent in Africa for National Public Radio (NPR). She departed NPR in 1999 to join CNN and currently serves as the network's Johannesburg, South Africa, bureau chief.

Charlayne Hunter-Gault has staked her claim as one of the leading journalists in the United States. Hunter-Gault has built a reputation as a keen investigator of social injustice, especially among African Americans. She has received two National News and Documentary Emmy Awards as well as two Peabody Awards. Despite the difficulty of her years as a student, Hunter-Gault has maintained close ties with UGA. In 1985, in celebration of the school's bicentennial, UGA created the annual Holmes-Hunter Lecture. Hunter-Gault returned to campus to deliver the commencement address in 1988; she was the school's first black graduation speaker. In an interview with Southern Living, Hunter-Gault said, "I knew that we had really reached a significant milestone in the reconciliation between the Georgia we entered and the Georgia that I wanted it to be." As recounted in the Atlantic, Hunter-Gault's address to the university stressed the need for "acknowledging the guiding principles of fundamental human decency and then living by them" in "a waiting and needful world."

In 1992 Hunter-Gault published a memoir of her childhood and her years at UGA, In My Place. In regards to In My Place, The New Yorker concluded: "This book is a vivid retelling of history, and should take its place as one of the informal literary classics of the civil rights movement." Hunter-Gault also established an academic scholarship along with Holmes for African American students. In 2001 the Academic Building where Hunter-Gault and Holmes first registered for classes at UGA was named the Holmes-Hunter Academic Building to mark the fortieth anniversary of the school's desegregation.

Throughout her successful career, she has never lost sight of herself as a black journalist, and in a piece for Fortune; she emphasized the need for the media to present African Americans "as whole people." In his 1989 book I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed the World, Brian Lanker quoted her as saying: "You have to assess every situation that you're in and have to decide, is this happening because I'm black? Is this happening because I'm a woman? Or is this happening because this is how it happens?"

References cited from two sources; (http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2433) and (http://www.answers.com/topic/charlayne-hunter-gault).

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Thursday Prayer

It’s Thursday and you know what that means; today is our designated day of prayer. We will pray together today at 12 pm. If you are not able to physically make it to the prayer meeting location you can join us in spirit. We are praying that God’s will is done in the lives of his faithful servants and that millions will receive salvation this year. We will say a special prayer of wisdom, protection, and divine guidance for our leaders, law enforcers and medical providers. I would also like for us to pray for Haiti in wake of their recent devastation. In addition to your prayers please donate whatever you can to aid in their time of need. You can visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/haiti-earthquake-relief-h_n_421014.html for a list of organizations collecting donations at this time.

There have been several specific prayers requests submitted for today. Delonda would like for us to stand in agreement with her that her and her family have divine favor as they prepare to relocate. We are also praying that Cheree receives healing in the midst of her cancer battle.

As always we will pray that many mothers will be blessed by this ministry and great works will be done through this ministry. We will continue to stand on our weekly prayer points listed below. It is so important that we stand together in prayer, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20).

We will continue to pray that love is the motivating force behind EVERYTHING that we do and that we operate in love at ALL times, especially when we don’t feel like it. For the word tells us, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8). The word also says, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12). If we can just learn to love always, no matter what, things will turn out well and happiness will be sure to follow.

Weekly prayer points are as follows…
We are praying that our family, friends and loved ones receive salvation and live lives that are submitted to the Lord.
We are praying that we maintain health and strength in the midst of it all.
We are praying that our children are always covered by the blood of Jesus and they make Godly decisions and live submitted lives.
We are also standing with all the mothers attached to this ministry and mothers worldwide that God’s will be done in their lives.
Thank you for standing with us and lifting up the prayer requests that have been laid before us. Remember to thank Him in advance. God bless you!

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Word Wednesday

Today is officially “Word Wednesday” otherwise known as “Hump Day.” We’ve made it half way through yet another week on the wonderful, exciting and bumpy road of motherhood. Therefore, some of us are looking for some encouraging words to make it through the rest of the week with Joy and Peace. At night before my son goes to bed, in addition to reading bible stories, I read him a passage out of Prayers That Avail Much, First Blessings for Your Child by Germaine Copeland. Mommies we have to keep our children prayed up and constantly put Gods Word in their hearts.

Yesterday’s passage read, “I ask God to create a hunger for His Word in your heart. His Word will thrill you, and you will be nourished by Scripture day and night. You are a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom.” It is vitally important that we, as believers, are constantly filling ourselves with the Word of God. The Word of God is our spiritual food, and just like we make it a priority to feed our natural bodies daily, we must do the same for our spirits as well. The Word is one of our spiritual weapons and can be used to get us through any situation that we may face. I know that sometimes it may seem difficult to make reading the Word priority in our lives, but we really can’t afford not to.

In the book of Psalms it is explained that we are to meditate on God’s word both day and night. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (Psalm 1:2-3). So as we raise our children we must fill them with the Word of God. We all want our children to produce good fruit and prosper and the Word has given us instruction on how to assist them in doing so.

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.

Testimony Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24). Feel free to share a personal testimony displaying the goodness of God. To do so, click on the "comments" link below and type in your testimony or submit to info@savedmom.com (if you are reading this from your inbox visit www.savedmom.com to post a comment). It is my prayer that it will be a blessing to many.

Until our next appointed meeting time. Stay tuned for more words of encouragement and inspiration for M.O.M.’s near and far! Please share this blog with as many people as you know (www.savedmom.com), we have so many lives to touch. Feel free to post a comment and/or subscribe (if you are reading this from your inbox visit the site address referenced above to post a comment). If you would like to submit prayer requests send them to info@savedmom.com. Thanks for your continued support!

Mommie Blessings,

Saved M.O.M.