Tools

Image Source: http://www.metabusinessanalyst.com/top-business-analyst-tools-software/

Moving to a new city, this single lady has been struggling setting things up!!!

Man, I’m glad that I have my Dad, four brothers, and eight uncles! I sure do need ’em.

In my singleness, I have been slowly learning about tools.  This has not been a voluntary exercise, I have been required to do so … it has definitely not been easy.

It’s funny, I’ve got some tools that I have had stored away that I’ve never used! Lol. Others that I use, but use improperly.

Along these lines, the Lord has shown me that He as given us many tools that He wants us to use in our lives.  Unlike the tools encased in metal, plastic, and rubber,  when it comes to these types of tools, we dare not use the tools at all, determined to rely only on one’s body instead.  Doing this will result in many broken nails, Ouch!! We dare not use the tools inappropriately.

Here are some of the tools that we have been given that we must seek the Lord to use properly:

Money

Social Media

Vehicle

Residence

Technology

Human Body

Mind

The Internet

… Details on using these tools properly will be added to a post yet to come!

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If You Don’t Like What’s Growing In Your Life Change The Seeds You Plant

Yesterday, I blogged about how people of God should promote peace.

I ended my post with this hash tag:

#IfYouDontLikeWhatsGrowingInYourLifeChangeTheSeedsYouPlant

Take note:

Life and death is in the power of your tongue (Proverbs 18:21).

What ever you say will manifest in your life, Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops (Luke 12:3).

Speak love, love, and be loved.

Speak peace, be peaceful, and surrounded by (people with) peace.

 

Look at the Genesis account,

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:1-4).

Surrounded by darkness, God said, Let there be light, and there was light.  🙂

#StrivingtoBeLikeMyDaddy

A Note on Intelligence and Wisdom

In my line of work, I am around a significant amount of ‘smart people’.  People with multiple degrees, copious amounts of intellect, the ability to analyze, synthesize, and pulverize data, the ability to develop solutions to problems and implement procedures to eradicate world-wide issues and diseases.

Unfortunately, I see a tremendous disparity between what people know and how they behave – their knowledge and their wisdom.

Medical Doctors, Dentists, Orthodontists, Nurses who take care of cancer patients, but smoke…

Plastic Surgeons, Thoracic Surgeons, Critical Care Surgeons, and General Surgeons who endure grave academic training and work their daily lives to perform very detail-oriented surgeries but do not brush their teeth or don’t take the time to floss…

Optometrists and Ophthalmologists who ‘give sight to the blind’ but cannot see their way to have a sensible and polite conversation with a 12th grader …

I know that I am simplifying this but I hope you get my drift.  We need the Lord to help us with this disparity.

This is my prayer:

Lord, I ask that as you endow me with knowledge for this blog and for my life, that you also make me wise enough to apply the knowledge that you given me.

Thank you for showing that there is a difference between intelligence and wisdom, and for helping me bridge the gap.  Lord, I ask that you heal the minds of those who you have placed in leadership.

Teach your Ministers, Deacons, Pastors, Apostles, and Prophets and other leaders to apply what you teach them.  O, Lord, let us turn our focus toward you in every way.

In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

Fear and Cross Intimidation

I resolve to:

be fearless.

live a life replete of fearful people.

be of good courage.

cast out fear with love.

Unfortunately,  my personal resolution does not enable me to stop encountering fear-full situations and fear-full people. It is also unfortunate that when many people are afraid to

-try new things,

-break bad habits,

-reach higher heights,

-get outside of their comfort zones,

… they try to plant seeds of fear in you.

Because they are intimidated by their own pasts, fear of success, fear of failure, current situations, their own failures, the failures of others, their own deficiencies, worries, lack of faith, lack of integrity, or even the amount of work that they have to put in to achieve a goal, they try to spread their disbelief onto you. They try to contaminate your thinking.  They try to contaminate your thinking.

I call it Cross Intimidation.  Before I reached the point where I am today, I faced these types of situations repeatedly.  Over time, I decided to be prepared.

I needed to prepare myself for:

1. what I would think about as they tried to plant doubt,

2. what I would say to them as they talked,

3. what I would think about after they left.

4. what I would do after they left.

When I interface with them, like clock-work, I do and say what I have prepared. Like a press conference, my words are ready.

If you don’t want to buy into their life style and their level of thinking. I invite you to commit to:

– love and not fear

– push yourself outside of your your belief system

– accomplish goals against popular thought

– accomplish more than your though accomplishable

– prepare your mind to respond (not react) to naysayers

– prepare a statement for your ‘press release’ or ‘press conference’

When I was growing up, my dad and granddad used to grow water melons. As kids, we would set outside and go to town with a big, thick slice of watermelon. Eating the yellow or red flesh, we would spit out the seeds …

When people say their opinions, try the spirit by the spirit whether it be of God.

Eat what is of God, spit out everything else!

By the authority that is invested in me, I spit out every seed of fear, doubt, or other similar spirit that people have tried to plant in my life. Cast them back into the pit of hell, where they came from, in the name of Jesus!

I am not afraid!

I am not afraid of success!

I am not afraid of failure!

I am going try my best!

I don’t care if others think it’s too hard!

I’ll either win or learn. Either way, I win!

#GoAllIn

#CantStop

#WontStop

#AllIDoIsWin

#AllIDoIsWinWinWin

#PressTowardTheMarkInChristJesus

Fear

Lately, the Lord has been dealing with me about fear also. As He was, I quickly ran to the written Word of God to see examples of this in days of old.   It’s obvious that God does not want us to be in fear.

Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Genesis 21:17
And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

Genesis 26:24
And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

Genesis 35:17
And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

Genesis 43:23
And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.

Genesis 46:3
And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:

Genesis 50:19
And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

Exodus 20:20
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

Deuteronomy 1:21 | Read whole chapter | See verse in context
Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 20:3
And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Deuteronomy 31:8
And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Joshua 8:1
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:

Joshua 10:25
And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.

Judges 4:18
And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.

Judges 6:10
And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

Judges 6:23
And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

Ruth 3:11
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.

1 Samuel 4:20
And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.

1 Samuel 12:20
And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;

1 Samuel 22:23
Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

1 Samuel 23:17
And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.

2 Samuel 9:7
And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

2 Samuel 13:28
Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.

1 Kings 17:13
And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

2 Kings 6:16
And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

2 Kings 17:34
Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;

2 Kings 25:24
And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.

1 Chronicles 28:20
And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 20:17
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

Psalms 55:19
God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.

Psalms 64:4
That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

Isaiah 7:4
And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

Isaiah 35:4
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Isaiah 41:13
For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Isaiah 41:14
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 43:1
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

Isaiah 43:5
Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

Isaiah 44:2
Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.

Isaiah 54:4
Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

Jeremiah 40:9
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Jeremiah 46:27
But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.

Lamentations 3:57
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.

Daniel 10:12
Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

Daniel 10:19
And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.

Joel 2:21
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.

Zechariah 8:13
And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.

Malachi 3:5
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

Matthew 1:20
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 28:5
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

Luke 1:13
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

Luke 1:30
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

Luke 2:10
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Luke 5:10
And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

Luke 8:50
But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.

Luke 12:7
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Luke 12:32
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Luke 18:4
And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

John 12:15
Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.

Acts 27:24
Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Revelation 1:17
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Courage

In addition to fear and love, the Lord has also been dealing with me about courage. As He was, again, I quickly ran to the writen Word of God to see examples of and instruction related to courage in days of old. It’s obvious that God wants us to stay away from fear, love one another and love him and be encouraged.

2 Samuel 10:12
Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good.

1 Chronicles 19:13
Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight.

Ezra 10:4
Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.

Psalms 27:14
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalms 31:24
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Isaiah 41:6
They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.

Matthew 9:2
And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

Matthew 9:22
But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Matthew 14:27
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Mark 6:50 t
For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

Mark 10:49
And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.

Luke 8:48
And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Acts 23:11
And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

Acts 27:22
And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

Acts 27:25
Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

Love Is Free

For many years, I have been taking various supplements- especially when I am on the go.

Recently, over breakfast, I mentioned a particular supplement to a dear friend. I shared my experiences with the supplement with her and invited her to try it for herself.  I allowed her to look at the bottle and see its ingredients. I told her where I purchased it.

After I left the restaurant, I was curious to know what she saw on the back of the bottle.

I grabbed my purse, searched for the bottle, and quickly read the back of the label.  The manufactures proudly wrote that the product was free of gluten, yeast, wheat, milk, milk derivatives, lactose, sugar, preservatives, artificial flavor, sodium.

Wow!

I remember listening to some advertisements and commercials for medication on television and online. As the commercial comes to an end,  the voice-over mentions a laundry list of side effects that may occur as a result of using the product.

I remember after I was in an accident, my Dr prescribed me a pain medication and one of the many side effects was seizures. I refused to take it.  The pain that I was in was not severe enough to risk having a seizure. The medication should have been free of side effects, but that’s another story…  Back to love.

Yes, love is free.

When we do things for people, it needs to be out of love.

Not so that you can have one-up on the person.

Not so that you can remind them of how you helped them do this or that.

Love is free of manipulation, guilt trips, reminders, hesitation, weights, and bragging rights…

If there is a hint of manipulation, if the ‘giver’ has the tendency to guilt trip or talk about how they helped this person do this or that, refuse to take it. 

Love is free- not containing allergens like nuts, soy, gluten, or dairy … manipulation, guilt trips, and reminders.

Love is free- free from side effects as well sniffling, sneezing, or seizures … trapping, pup-petering, exploitation.

When someone does something for you, try the spirit by the spirit, whether it be of God.

Ask God what’s going on. Listen and obey.

#AndIAintGotTimeForNothingElse

Command the Day

After reading the word as it relates to commanding the day countless times, I now know that God has given me the power to Command the Day.  Last night, in a conference call, I was reminded to Command the Day! I want to share my commands with you!

Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years (Leviticus 25:21 KJV).

The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee (Deuteronomy 28:8 KJV).

Because of my new understanding, I have sought the Lord and now command the morning!

I hunger and thirst after righteousness
I am meek
I am good
I am organized
I am lively
I am confident in Christ
I am gentle
I am well coordinated
I am full of positive ideas and energy
I am pure in heart
I am holy
I am bold
I am agile
I am full of joy
I am kind
I am only persecuted for righteousness sake
I am rich
I am meriful
I am humble
I am mentally acute
I am a pacemaker
I am loving
I am manifester of temperance
I am marked by my ability to think quickly
I am wealthy
I am healthy
I am faithful
I am beautiful
I am loving
I am generous
I am helpful
I am a contributor
I am submissive and obedient to the Lord
I am aware
I am a kingdom seeker
I am patient

I allow the spirit of the Lord to control my body, mind, and spirit.
I bind any spirit that would try to counteract the will of the father in my life, and the execution of the Lord’s perfect will in my life.
I cast them back to the pit of hell, forever, in Jesus name!

Discipline

Discipline is the process of training that is used to develop obedience (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/obedience?s=t, rev.).  As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I must discipline myself to obey His will and word. There are times when I have asked Him for the desire to be disciplined (wow!). I honestly did not want to!  I have to purposely:

1. Proactively seek after ways to please the Lord.

2. Stay out of perpetual sin.

3. Rid myself of weights, distractions, frustrations…

4. In regular intervals, separate myself from food, drink, and seek Him all the more.

5. Encourage others to do 1-4, above.

I have noticed that the more I push away from flesh and carnality, the more power I have to do His work.

He gives me more peace, joy, grace, strategy, power, wisdom, humility …

He teaches me warfare.

His teaches me His will for my life.

#Grateful

#Discipline

The Law of Large Numbers

In probability theory, the law of large numbers (LLN) is a theorem that describes the result of performing the same experiment a large number of times. According to the law, the average of the results obtained from a large number of trials should be close to the expected value, and will tend to become closer as more trials are performed (wikipedia.org/lawoflargenumbers).  The law is commonly expressed in these terms:

Further, in simpler terms, in order to get a desired value over time, one has to start off with a large number.  Over time, the number will dwindle. In the end, the large number shrinks to the desired value.

What does God’s Holy Word say about this scientific tendency?

– Gideon’s army was shrunk from 22,000 to 10,000 to 300 (Judges 6-8).

– Scholars estimate that Sodom and Gomorrah had 200,000 inhabitants. But during the departure from the city only Lot, his wife, and two daughters left the city.  Biblical accounts indicate that Lot’s wife was changed into a pillar of salt because she looked back.   In the end, only Lot and his two daughters were saved  (Genesis 19).

– Statisticians and economists agree that at this time in history, approximately 2 Trillion people were born, are living or have lived on earth. Yet, the bible states, Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Luke 7:13-14).

– Many are called, few are chosen (Matthew 22:14).

– Many people may plant seeds in your life. Many may water the seeds. Only God gives the increase (I Corinthians 3:6-7).

– Through the ministry of our Lord, as He lived here on earth, many people were healed- there were so many people healed that there could have been more written. More specifically, the bible states, And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written (John 1:25)! However, only 4 sympathetic people were at the food of the cross (John 19).

– Again, throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ, he fed 5,000, (Matthew 14:31-21) then 4,000 (Mark 8:1-10). But only between 120 to 3000 were in the upper room or temple receiving the Holy Spirit.

The bible is always right, for it is divinely inspired. Why is it that, in the spiritual and in the natural, these numbers dwindle so?  I am not sure, but pray that come what may, I am always counted amongst those who are following God. This is my prayer:

O Lord, I pray that you purge my heart. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness, line me up with your will, teach me to obey, let me be obedient, and even as the numbers dwindle, let me be counted among your righteous.  In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

#GladToBeInTheNumber

Pay It Forward

Pay it Forward.

Popular thought has emphasized giving finances.  Yes, it is important to do that, but as a person who has been in academia 28 years,  I realize that some times you just don’t have money …  therefore, NO, it is not necessary that everything that is ‘paid forward’ is paid with cash, credit, or debit cards.

If you have money, yes, you should pay your tithes and give an offering. 
Give other tangibles like food, or possessions when you know it’s your last.

Show genuine kindness and love to people you know hate your guts.
Smile when you know you wanna cry.
Volunteer your ‘much-needed’ time to serve a Godly cause.
Have a cheerful attitude in a difficult circumstance.

Shut up when you know you could have the last word.

Give, pay it forward, for God loves a cheerful giver. II Corinthians 9:7

 

 

Some People

There are some people who walk into your life and immediately add value.

You find yourself wanting to be stronger,

You feel better,

You think clearer,

You do better,

You become stronger.

Every good quality about you seems to be enhanced.

When you’re around them alot, you seem to feel better.

You encourage the people around you to be better …

And the people that you encourage encourage their peers to do the same.

… it spreads like a wildfire.

 

Unfortunately, there are others who do the opposite.

Are you a lifter, or do you pull people down?

Are you a sustainer or a drainer?

Are you a contributor or do you look to be a beneficiary?

O Lord, please make me the type of person who genuinely adds value to the lives of others.

Take away every toxic perspective or attitude that I carry and give me a heart like yours!

In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

#PressingOn

#PressingIn

Broken Families

As controversial as this may be, I dare to post it. There has been an influx of divorce, separation, and shared custody. Perhaps many of the reasons why many broken families are broken is because the adults and children don’t know how to treat one another.

Broken love, broken care, broken time together… has seemed to have changed their tempers, attitudes, and abilities to suffer long.   This inability to fellowship and commune renders families to now not be able to see one another on a regular basis and to resolve to treat each other with kindness and respect.

Idk, maybe all of the turmoil of separation and divorce has changed us …

Did it ‘take all of that’ for you be able to spoil your kids with attention and love?

Did it ‘take all of that’ to stop complaining and giving him or her a piece of your mind?

No one every told me this, but life taught me: Death is like divorce.

Ever notice how people are so nice at a funeral? Enemies hug and suck up the small stuff.

Ever notice how people who are not close get close at the time of death or hurricane or similar calamity.

I hope that it does not always ‘take all of that’ for us to get our love in check- to get our peace in check.

To finally get it together and talk to people like they are just that people.

Lord, forgive me for the instances when I did not know how to treat people that I love. Forgive me for being my fickle self.  Cleanse me. Purge me with hyssop, that I may be white as snow.   And, Lord, before our relationships and families break in separation, divorce,or death let us be knitted together. When we are together, let us be together in love, joy, and peace.  Let us cherish our time together, for flesh is grass.  Let this happen so that we also desire to give love and care and especially spend time together in your presence.  In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

Prepare Him Room

Preparing for Christmas, I’ve heard many Christmas Carols. As an adult, carols that I have been listening

to have much more meaning then iv’e imagined for years past.While listening to Joy to the World, I

noticed the part of the song that I sung “Let every heart purpose his room”

Oh Lord, empty me of me, that I may be filled with you.

Clear my calendar, that I may do what you would have for me to do.

In Jesus,name,

Amen