How I Became Mama Blaze
Growing up, Sundays were dedicated as a special family day. We would attend a traditional church and express our love for God by singing hymns played on the organ, listening to a sermon that encouraged us to express God’s love toward our family, community and the world.
My father never wanted us to do homework on Sundays. It had to be done earlier in the weekend. In his mind, this was a family day dedicated to rest, relaxation and fun together. We would play board games and enjoy a wonderful homemade meal such as steak, with Daddy's famous french fries, and a robust salad or Pot Roast, Turkey, Roast Beef with mashed potatoes and gravy with roast vegetables or our favorite: buttered white corn.
I was blessed with a loving and supporting family that encouraged me in all of my endeavors. My mom, dad and sister would attend my sporting events- field hockey, basketball and track-cheering me on the side lines. They celebrated me on all the victories and cheered me up through the losses. This made me feel like there was nothing I could not achieve if I worked hard enough. My drive and determination, by God’s grace, qualified me for the award of being the best female athlete of my high school and I was the first recipient of this award my senior year.
When I was sixteen, my world came crashing down with the sudden death of my father. He died only a few months after being diagnosed with cancer.
My dad was one of my biggest sources of encouragement in my life. There is nothing like Daddy’s hugs each day and words of affirmation of how proud he was of me. He taught me the importance of healthy pride that comes from hard work and being kind and loving towards others. We would work for hours in the garden planting roses and annuals in the backyard. My daddy was the life of the party and we often had people over for summer pool parties or holiday parties in our home. I missed his wisdom, humor and affirmation over my life on a daily basis.
With my dad’s passing, there was a deep void in my life.
While I never had a deep relationship with God, this place of brokenness and loss compelled me to cry out to Him. I cried out for Him to fill the void and longing of unconditional acceptance and love that my earthly dad provided while he was alive. This began a gradual journey of turning my affection to my Heavenly Father.
However, attending church once a week for 75 minutes as my connection with God didn’t heal the areas of brokenness in my life.
Still, I continued to cry out to God. As I did, I developed a deep hunger for the things of God. I would spend hours studying and meditating on the Word of God and enjoying intimate times of worship and prayer. God responded to my heart cry. As I became lost in worship, fixing my gaze only on Him, I was filled with His power and all consuming love for me.
God became “My Abba. My Daddy.” He would speak these words over me, “I’m proud of you, Becky. You’re beautiful to me. My darling, you bring me great joy and laughter. I enjoy spending time with you. It’s the best time of my day.”
All of this led me to a moment where the Holy Spirit convicted me to attend a conference. God was moving in a powerful way, and I went forward to the front of the stage and laid face down on the carpet and felt the blazing fire of God’s love. A burning heat consumed my body and I cried out, “Yes God, consume me completely. I’ll be your burning one fully yielded to you.”
I was undone, sobbing and crying at the same time. A holy cry continually saying “Yes, yes, yes was uttered from my lips. I’ll go where you want me to go and do what you want me to do”.
Being consumed by the Fire of God’s love; my heart was stirred to share His amazing love with others. I connected with other Lovers of God who also followed the call to preach to the lost, broken, and hurting. During this time, my friends started calling me by the nickname of “ Blazing” because of my passion I displayed for worship, prayer and soul winning.
It’s not that I tried. I just couldn’t help myself. Connecting with others made me come alive. My countenance glistens, my eyes sparkle, my mouth is full of laughter. I feel like Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh. Jumping up and down in the inside.
Like “Tigger”, I kept jumping up and down in joy as God had me lead evangelistic teams on the East Coast to the inner cities of Newark, Irvington, Paterson, Plainfield, Asbury Park in NJ, and Tompkins Square Park in NYC. I jumped and traveled to the West Coast’s Skid Row in Downtown LA, Venice Beach, Santa Monica Pier and the Hollywood Nightclub Strip.
The teams I was on ministered to the homeless: welfare moms, drug addicts, gang members, young and old, rich and poor. We would speak to anyone that our paths crossed and who were open to receiving Jesus’ love. We provided for their practical needs: feeding them, clothing them, connecting them with churches.
As much as I loved ministering in the US, God opened doors for me to go on many short mission trips abroad. This grew in me a love to minister to other nations and peoples. It got to the point where I never wanted to leave when the time came to depart from other countries.
Of all the countries I did mission trips to I kept being drawn back to Africa. Compassion and love filled my heart for the people. I felt like a bubbling brook was continually flowing in and through me as I thought and prayed and loved on them. The team I traveled with became like family to me. We saw many miracles and healings take place and many lives dedicate their lives to Christ during open air crusades, feeding of the people in the villages and during church meetings.
However, each time I came back home, I felt loss and disconnection. Eventually, I realized that it was because my heart longed for a strong faith community. I didn't just want to experience the goodness of missions for a brief moment of time when I was overseas. I longed for this to be my lifestyle.
So I began to earnestly seek God in prayer. He directed me to a mission school called Harvest School. It was founded by Heidi & Roland Baker in Mozambique, Africa. I took a leap of faith and went.
And God was so faithful.
At Harvest School, we all gathered together each day for three months with 300 international students and additional 200 Mozambique pastors. We had corporate worship, teaching, prayer and impartation times daily as well as areas where we were trained in missionary work.
During one of the sessions, I received a prophetic word and prayer from one of the leaders that I would be a mother to the nations. I began to weep because God was sharing His vision and purpose for my life and connecting with the deep longing of my heart. God showed me a glimpse of this when the school asked me to become a house mother for a home of 12 international students living in a small cabin together.
It was wonderful, but then, something happened later that day. I received a text message that my spiritual mother had died from a terminal illness.
Once again I experience a great loss in my life. I was all the way in Africa, and I was not able to say goodbye in her final moments on earth. I couldn’t attend her funeral or connect in person with her family.
I was hurt and I needed healing because I kept feeling that I should've prayed more while I was on my mission in Africa. That maybe, if I did, she would not have died. I ran into my “Daddy” arms with my questions and hurt and wept myself to sleep as I played worship music all night long.
The Lord in His kindness, reminded me of that prophetic encounter at mission school. I experienced something like a flaming torch being passed from my spiritual mother to me to walk in the greater works. The Holy Spirit highlighted to me the Bible passage, 2 Kings 2:9.
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“When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.”
Like my spiritual mother did for me, I took up the mantle of a mother for the nations by faith. I began to meditate on this promise and walk in this promise for my life. This is when I took a hold of my identity as “Mama Blaze.” I was called to carry His fiery love to others.
From this time, God continued to fulfill the longings of my heart. I have found my identity as a beloved daughter who is deeply adored by “My Daddy” God. I have had the privilege and honor of being a joyful one like “Tigger” imparting His joy, love and hope to others from the East Coast to the West Coast to Africa and back to NYC. I have traveled and ministered to over 30 nations and seen over 100,000 give their lives to the Lord and learn who they are as beloved sons and daughters of God.
God has fulfilled my desire to live as “Mama Blaze”, by placing me as outreach and discipleship pastor at Seek Church NYC, a community of radical lovers of God. I have found my tribe, my people at Seek Church NYC. As a family we encourage each other to soar as beloved sons and daughters of God who are world changers, my heroes and closest friends.
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But this is only one step on the journey. I look forward to the many more adventures with the Lord as “Mama Blaze”, the beautiful joyful daughter of the King. As God has invited me on this amazing journey of joy, love, and adventure, I encourage you to hear God invitation to you. You are welcomed to join with me and see where God will bring us.