Ciera is a Deeply Rooted alumn; she performed her spoken-word poetry for us in May 2017 and November 2018. She is a courageous, authentic person who writes deeply about her faith, doubts, discoveries, and struggles. Check her out here!
It’s still cold here in Chicago. The promise of Spring is slow in coming, and teases us with random days of warmth, going from 65 degrees one day to 35 the next. The upcoming week predicts rain every day, making it difficult to imagine that new growth and brighter days are ahead.
How many of us have been there in our lives? Wondering when the clouds would part and the sun would break through?
As women of faith we cling to the hope that the Lord is our shield and our deliverer. We trust that he will rescue us when the storms threaten to overwhelm us.
We rely on the promises of God given to us through the living Word.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
At Deeply Rooted in May we will be focusing on God’s unconditional, trustworthy promises to us, his daughters. So many of us need more truth poured into us. All of us have experienced the desert, wandering around needy in the wilderness, fashioning gods with our own hands like the Israelites. God’s promises to them are the same promises for us:
Psalm 81:6–10
“I relieved your shoulder of the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I delivered you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
There shall be no strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. (ESV)
All we have to do is open our mouths wide and he will fill them with deliverance, healing, wisdom, and comfort. Open your mouth with us on May 18th!!!
Our May gathering features spoken-word poetry, worship, a speaker, and homemade desserts:)
We want to gather talent locally, diligently searching for women who are furthering the kingdom with their words, their art, their very presence.
Anita Scott will not be able to join us in November, but please pray for her as she is completing graduate school with the hope of becoming a principal! Which would be the coolest school ever.
We want to gather talent locally, diligently searching for women who are furthering the kingdom with their words, their art, their very presence.
I reached out to Rediet Mulugeta of Mission Year (check them out!) and asked her if she knew any spoken-word poets she could throw my way. She did!
Ciera Smith, a Chicago transplant from Philadelphia, has a passion for youth, teaching, and writing. A Spring 2014 graduate of the University of Maryland—College Park, she received her B.A. in English. Immediately following graduation, she went on to do Mission Year in the East Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago’s west side. It is here where she fell in love with the neighborhood and grew a passion for investing and walking along side the youth that she was serving.
She is currently studying Urban Studies and Youth Development at Eastern University where she will graduate in the Spring. She is also currently a lead teacher for the 7th and 8th grade classroom at Breakthrough Urban Ministries in their after-school program as well as on staff with Mission Year as their recruitment assistant. Ciera finds joy in writing, cooking, checking out new coffee shops and restaurants in the city, and spending time with friends.
Lord, how long must I wait? Will you forget me forever? How long will you turn your face away from me? How long must I struggle with my thoughts? How long must my heart be sad day after day? How long will my enemies keep winning the battle over me? LORD my God, look at me and answer me. Give me new life, or I will die. Then my enemies will say, “We have beaten him.” They will be filled with joy when I die. But I trust in your faithful love. My heart is filled with joy because you will save me. I will sing to the Lord. He has been so good to me. ~Psalm 13: 1-6
This powerful Psalm resonates with so many of us because it reflects our own heart and mind. Sometimes we’re waiting for God to give us something we want, but we’re also waiting for him to take things away from us. God calls us to our own Garden of Gethsemane where we cry, pray, and wait for him to take the cup from us.
Waiting well is a challenge for all of us. How do we do it gracefully? Prayerfully? How do we sustain hope in the “oil press” of our own lives? We’re asking the same questions. Join us as we explore together—through poetry, worship, teaching, and workshops— what it means to wait expectantly with a heart full of joy.
Deeply Rooted 