Carmille Akande

About 2 years ago, I was in a difficult place.   I loved Jesus, but hated the church.   This was a challenging experience because I’ve spent most of my life in the church.   I loved church!   When I was a little girl, I couldn’t wait for revival time.   I traveled with my aunt from church to church attending revival services.   I remember the old spiritual hymns that pierced my soul.   I remember hands clapping, feet stomping and the people moaning.   Sometimes the songs seemed to last forever because people just kept singing the verses over and over again.   In the African-American church, we tend to sing songs until we believe it or until it resonates in our spirit.   The deacons prayed and cried out to God on behalf of the people.   I learned as a little girl what it meant to take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. So, what happened?   Why did I have a change of heart?   Why did I suddenly hate the ch...

Someone shared this with me and I thought it was powerful; so I'm passing it on: With you as my "shepherds" I LIVED in want. You made me to lie down exposed in musty old church storage closets. You led me through doors behind baptismal waters to exploit me in the dust beneath the stage on which you preached. You destroyed my soul. You coerced me down paths of YOUR unrighteousness for your own SELFISH sake. Yea, I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death and I KNOW your deeds are nothing but EVIL, for these memories are ever with me. Your rod and your staff they crushed and confused me. Your threats...they silenced me. I ate regularly at a table in the presence of my enemies, self-professing their "anointing" of authority and how their "cup runs over." Surely LIGHT and TRUTH will haunt you all the days of your life, for darkness cannot dwell in the E...

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The word of God reads, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  James 1:27  I always liked that verse, but I never saw it lived out until I went to Haiti in December of 2013. One day I was sitting with some of my friends in Haiti and my friend Wilfrid was working on his computer.  As many people know, I'm very inquisitive so I asked what he was working on.  Wilfrid began to tell me stories about widows in their community.  He told me about women who were struggling everyday to care for their families.  The more he shared, the more my heart wept. One story stood out to me in particular; it was a story of a woman I will call *Laura.  Laura was a mother of 3 children and she was all alone.  Laura was struggling to feed her family and her home was insufficient to protect her children.  It was a home made of...

One morning after devotions in Haiti, I sat and wrote in my journal.  I sat at a table writing down all the thoughts that filled my head and heart.  While I sat there, two sweet little girls sat with me.  We sat there quietly and peacefully; no words; no conversation.  The only thing we had in common was the language of the heart.  We could not communicate with each other because of the language barrier, but I believe they just wanted to be around me and I enjoyed their company.  It was their way of showing love to me without even having to say a word.  This past Christmas Eve, I did not wrap any gifts nor did I receive any presents, but I received one of the greatest gifts in the world...the gift of love and presence. While I am thankful for gifts that are given to me and I know that all of us are excited to receive presents, I am more grateful for the love in my life and the time I spend with friends and family.  Many ...

The holidays are a special time of year for many people, but it is also a difficult time.   This is a special time to gather with family and friends to celebrate.   It’s also a time when we miss our loved ones who have passed away.   I’ve been talking about my grandma, granddad and Uncle Roger nonstop these past few weeks.   I realized today that it’s probably because I miss them so much and especially this time of year.   My grandmother was not a sweet old lady.   She also wasn’t Madea (however, she did have a pistol).   She was one of a kind and I loved her very much.   She was my ace.   She was my best friend.   We had special things we would do together.   At Christmas time she would store all of her gifts in her closet and then that one special day, she would bring them out and I would wrap them for her.   We would sit on her bed and talk for hours.   She would tell me stories of her childhood and also report the...

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