Ma’ Sisters Wisdom 2: Becoming a Treasured Vessel

By Joyce Lang-Simpson

Treasured Vessels

Trust in the wisdom of God
Resilient in our trials
Earnest in our expectations
Atmosphere changers
Speak life
Uniquely different
Reach for the lost
Edify one another
Die to the flesh
Victorious living
Endless lovers
Seek Gods face daily
Stand firm in our faith
Excellent role models
Living a life in Gods favor
Sisters in Christ filled with the most excellent,
life-sustaining power of the Word.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973626916

Joyce Lang-Simpson

Joyce Lang-Simpson is a divinely empowered voice for such a time as this, speaking much life-changing wisdom to be passed on from generation to generation.

Book preview

From Generation to Generation

Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.

Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee! Psalm 71:18-19 (KJV)

While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease. Genesis 8:22 (NKJV)

I guess you could say that the women of the Stoney Hill Village that surrounded me as I was growing into womanhood were my Sheros that I eavesdropped on, watched and followed through the fields of life, while they were continuously sowing seeds of Wisdom. Most of them knew the Lord and tried to follow His ways. As I was growing up in the rural Guilford County community of Stoney Hill near the old Rena Bullock School, I spent all of my childhood life in preparation for all things that was coming in the many seasons and times of my life. Because my plan was to leave home at age 18, I was trying to learn everything that was going to be necessary for my survival. I was quickly trying to get in all of my getting, understanding of life. My mother taught me to always respect my elders because those that surrounded me in the village were definitely much wiser than me, and if I did not she would not spare the rod. Mother taught me to always honor and remember my roots, where you came from, as she would say. Without the understanding of roots, you can not be a tree that is grounded in life bearing the sweet and righteous fruit. I guess that was her way of saying Do not despise your humble beginnings (Zachariah 4:10). Everyone and everything in life begins with the planting of a seed that grows into something more than its beginning. You must cultivate the good that has been spliced with the One True and Living God. Ma’ Sister recognize who you are and be thankful for where God started you into destiny, because it is a part of His plan for your providential promised harvest.

Along those dusty, rocky, dirt roads of the Stoney Hill Village, we were learning to sow seeds in process to reap the vintage harvest that, as a child, I could not see or feel at the time of my growing season. However, because of the prayers of expectation to God from my mother the harvest was sure to come. She always knew and would sing that, Trouble in my way, I hav’ta cry sometimes, I lay awake at night, but that’s alright, I know Jesus will fix it after a while. At a very early age, Ma’ Mother unceasingly started teaching us that trouble don’t last always; be patience and wait on the change that was sure to come. Mother daily taught us that The Lord was our Shepherd, and because of that we did not have to want for anything, and that was the daily impartation of the generational blessing of wisdom that is still being taught in this family from generation to generation. I thank Ma’ Mama for the legacy of prayer that flows through the fields of my life and keeps me in expectation to receive an even greater harvest. I can still hear Momma praying and expecting as she watched over her children, She would say, Lord let me live to see all my children get grown.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever. Psalm 23:1-6 (NKJV) He answers pray!!!

Economic conditions were tough in those days of my youth; for some of us in the community, but the hard times were sometimes unnoticed by the children of the village, because of the wonderful love that remains. Life was good back then and full of joy, love, and laughter, however I hated being a little ole country girl. Maybe we were sheltered by the wise mothers of the village that were praying for us to be filled with the love of Jesus Christ, and to not see our needs because they were being met as, God saw fit. However, I am grateful to God for my first job at the school next door to the house of my grandparents, and the Little House down the path beside the church where I was born. Don’t let me forget my Aunt Catherine’s house that was down the path behind the church and Aunt Alice’s house that was on the other side other side of the church beside Aunt’s Cleo’s house. The Village was always watching over you, thank God.

Through this summer work experience, my cousin Mary, in all of her loving skillfulness, was teaching the children of The Neighborhood Youth Corp. all she had learned that was to be passed on from generation to generation. From Mary, who was a part of village, the children received teaching of those good work ethics with love and compassion that has passed from house to house, school to school, church to church. Mary even supplied us with food and our first pay checks! She let us have a little fun too, as she too, watched over us in prayer! The wisdom that Cousin Mary taught us has made a lifelong impact on me and I am most grateful to pass it on!

During the summers in the village, the families worked in the gardens that seem to have vegetable filled rows that never ended the abundant production of crop enough to share with everyone near and far. Our family garden was positioned behind the house, right out the bedroom windows of the children. I wonder if that was God’s intentional plan. That way, as we were growing up, we got to watch the garden, and fruit trees grow all summer long and die out in the fall, with the land being prepared for the next seedtime and harvest season after season. In that same back yard there was that, Well that we drew water from daily. Believe it or not, the well never ran dry, like others in the community did occasionally. Off in a short distance you could see the Out-House that stood firmly beside the garden for many years, I suppose that was strategic too, making fertilizer for the garden. There too in the back yard were the fruit trees that provided treats for all in season and out of season. Year, after year we had the wonderful life sustaining pleasure of seedtime and the great harvest. I guess you could say, the backyard of my childhood home-place was a busy place of preparation that was designed by divine providence to produce a great harvest in more ways than one. I thank God for my humble beginning to becoming a vessel full of treasure, and now I must pass the lessons of wisdom on from generation to generation.

As a child growing up, I could not understand the patterns and cycles of all this seed sowing, growing, and preservation along with the annual Hog killing and meat saving in the smoke-houses, and why we all were so busy working as everyone else was having so much fun. But even in all the work, we would soon find a way to have a little fun in this victorious cycle that was strategically positioned by God around the community church and the school. Now, by the grace of God, I know that our parents were providing for us and teaching us those necessary survival skills that would keep us going throughout life’s many test and trials. They were making parabolic deposits of wisdom for us and the next generations that was necessary for us to live victorious lives.

After the summers of gardening would end, then came the next season of Harvest, the Annual Homecomings which were held at the community churches for a 6 day period at a time, from Sunday morning to Friday night. The churches had to be spruced up and prepared for the King of Glory. The Revival train was coming to make a stop at Anderson Grove Baptist Church on the 2nd Sunday in October in the Harvest season. We could look forward to seeing and hear from those little women of much wisdom all dressed in white, Mother Young and The Prayer Band would come through boldly declaring, I’m gonna service God til I die. Mother Cleo, always dressed to impress, would chime in and encourage the preacher to Preach!!!! as the mighty Word of God would flow from their bellies into a shout of declarations and praise. Soul would be saved and we got the Word that would revive us once more and again! Oh what a time the church would have in the service of the Lord. The ushers were uniformly dressed on the floor and ready to serve. When given the opportunity, the children might be found running around playing on the grounds, after gladly giving up their seats for visitors. The church would be packed from front to back and rocking on the rafters with the foot stomping Holy Ghost singing, preaching and shouting. The fire of the Lord would fall, and Oh what a time! What a time we would have A G Style in the service of the Lord!

So, Ma’ Sister, some of our homegrown greens, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers pickles and ham that was preserved from the harvest season would end up on the lunch tables with the cakes and pies at the community churches to feed the many people that would gather for the homecoming services from Sunday morning to Friday night. Lunch and nightly dinners were served with pleasure to any and every one without a charge. As a very young girl, I remember the preachers coming to our home to be served a meal on my Mother’s finest of china (Mayfair Rose Depression Glass??) given to her by her perceived to be wealthy Aunt living in Connecticut. According to our standard of living, Aunt Fitcher was just that; and those pink glass dishes were the prettiest in my mother’s, even then, Antique china cabinet. As I think back on watching her prepare for this day of serving the preacher in her home, I now realize, this was probably one of her most-proudest moments in her short life. I am sure it was because she was a very young woman that lost her mother as a teenager, before she became a teenaged mother herself. My mother’s mother died at age 33, and mother died at 47 years old. My mother did not have her mother long enough to learn much from her, so she was raised by the village of a Grandmother, Aunts and Cousins. Aunt Fitcher my mother’s namesake who lived far away, was a part of that magnificent village of wise women that have left a legacy of Wisdom that is still making an impact from generation to generation in this family that I love.

During the annual Homecoming at one of the community churches, the Sisters proudly brought so many delicious home-cooked dishes, aka The Anderson Grove Basement Food to affectionately serve to the people a feast between the two worship services. Anderson Grove Missionary Baptist Church had so many great cooks, it become known as The Cooking Church, throughout the town. People came home from near and far to be feed on the Word of God first and then to share in a delicious meal with enough to carry a plate home on Homecoming Sunday. There was much preaching from the best preachers around, with warm, genuine fellowship with the families throughout the week of Revival that will never be forgotten. My parents enjoyed the name The Cooking Church because it did not matter to them what people called the place that God loved and chose for their house of worship, but what mattered the most was that these great teachers, preachers and singers were known as A family that loved the Lord, and guest what, some of the people in the family, were not even blood related accept through the love and blood of Jesus Christ. So, now you know the sisters of the village were cooking in more ways than one! The love of Christ was shared with one another and all who came home to be revived. I watched them and I remember that they were the wise Titus 2 Missionary Circle Sisters of the Anderson Grove Missionary Baptist Church that were teaching us all, and they had a mandate from The Lord, as I do, to pass the Wisdom on from generation to generation.

But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, and sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. Titus 2:1-10 (KJV)

Back then in my youth, the people came to God’s houses to learn of Him and for the sweet fellowship to be strategically and graciously served by the wonderful Titus 2 Sisters of Anderson Grove Missionary Baptist Church. These sisters knew that, the way to a person’s heart was through their stomach. So they were aiming to win the hearts of the people for Jesus Christ. It was the love of Christ that as shared at Revival that evangelized year after year. The food was just a Evangelistic tool to bring lost souls, and those that needed to come home for a refreshing. That is the Evangelism 101 lesson that was provided for all of us that were paying attention as we set the tables for royalty. When you are having lunch and chatting with someone you have their attention and time enough to share your testimony with the love of Christ. Just like back then, the children are still watching you, so it is time to teach them well, through your example as the wise women you are.

Even though Rena Bullock School and Anderson Grove Missionary Baptist Church are now gone from the community, the spirit of love,