Thursday, June 24, 2010

Its time... to reflect and give Glory

Through a series of events and communication with a friend who completely compels us to give thanks to Abba Daddy, I was led to one of my old blog posts, from August of 2008.


In this previous entry, I recounted the experience of going to Ghana for the first time.  I didn't feel called to Ghana, I just went to see what my wife had been up to there.  She'd been 4 times already.  I walked the pages of her book and I met the people she'd come to know and I experienced the Spirit of "Akwaaba."

More importantly, I experienced the vision I'd been longing for, for the previous three years.  Now, I didn't have a vision in that I saw something, but I came to an understanding of what my role in the kingdom was to be.

GOD had ripped my heart out and planted it in Ghana.  I loved the food, the people, the culture and I was sorry it was over and looking forward to returning.  As I was handed the microphone the last day, about to say, "I am a missionary from the USA," I was told by the Spirit in no uncertain terms, you are to say, "I AM a missionary to the USA!"

I was to return and share my experiences and GOD would prepare hearts to receive it and join us and that cycle would continue and lives would be transformed!

Today, three years later, we are preparing to return to Ghana for the third time.  This time, leading a team of twelve prepared hearts, to walk the pages of Anita's book, to meet Grace, RJ, Richie & Vic, Mary, the kids, Pastor Johnson, Chief Takyi, Ben, Evelyn and so many more who have become our extended family there.

To eat goat and fufu and the best pineapple on the face of the earth!

God had a plan, and I wanted everything GOD had to give.  It was scary to ask, knowing there'd be some suffering, but the joy, oh the "Joie De Vivre," that comes from a life after the heart of GOD.  I can begin to understand David dancing before a nation, dancing before his Abba Daddy, right out of his clothes.

Simply nothing else like it.

A fulfillment of every promise, with strength found in surrender I give glory to GOD for choosing a least likely me to participate in the grand scheme of things for His kingdom purposes.

GOD has a plan and I believe, I trust, that His plan is better than anything I can ask or imagine.  I want it, I want what GOD has for my life and as I reflect, on where I was, and where I am and where I am headed....

Abba Daddy, You rock my world like no other!  I praise You and I thank You for hearing me, being interested in me and for gifting me with blessings beyond compare!

ALL the Glory and ALL the Praise be to You my Lord, my Savior, my Abba Daddy.

Your son,

David Lee Waters Sr., 

with The Blessing ~ Anita in Logba Tota, Ghana West Africa



Thursday, June 10, 2010

'The Lottery'

Growing up, I was taught that playing the lottery would impoverish my family and leave me stuck in a dependent cycle of desperation. Dave Ramsey  preaches the same message…the lottery is a financial wasteland of scratched paper, not-close-enough number series, and dangerous dreams of ‘what if’ and ‘one more’.  Statistically, many of the people that play the lottery live in the lowest income neighborhoods, and there are many factors that contribute to the belief that winning the lottery will magically solve a myriad of problems.  It’s desperation.

Desperation is what often causes people to throw away what they know about the odds and take a chance.  And not all lotteries are equal.  People will ‘risk it all’ emotionally, spiritually or physically. Sometimes it’s for love or a broken relationship.  Sometimes it’s for a career move, political cause, or championship game.  Sometimes it’s for our family.

As Americans, we rarely play the lottery with our drinking water.  We’ll pay more, invest more, and do whatever it takes to provide our families with safe drinking water.   We expect water to be free with our meal, ice to be available, and the container to be sanitary.  We pay $1.00 for a liter of Smart Water at Publix and turn up our noses at the slightly funky smell of well water. Even the most basic of us are water snobs, simply because we have the luxury of demanding clean water.  We’ve never known the real desperation of intense thirst.

Because people in America do not die of thirst.

Men, women, and especially children die of thirst in West Africa every day.  But quite frankly, it’s hard to grasp that over a billion people are in desperate need of drinking water.  So, think of the other risks you take…and substitute water. If you couldn’t demand clean water – if you were dying – what would you do? In scorching heat, with crying children, with a dry and swollen tongue…what would you do?  I’m not talking about an unusually hot day.  This is LIFE.  It’s every day.  Your cousin died of dehydration last week.  Your baby is unresponsive.  Your mother has continual diarrhea and cannot stand.  What would you DO?  Would you drink from the bucket of water possibly contaminated with roaches and unknown parasites?    Would you risk it?  I would.  College degree and all, I would take a chance and risk (inevitable) death for a drink of water.   I would dip my finger in the water and try to give my baby a drink.  I would pray that th e billion-to-one odds of contracting a waterborne illness somehow pass by me and my family as we struggled to survive one more day.


This borrowed from Water of Life Ministries -