Death, Loss, and the Joy Promised in the Morning

   Good morning monsters, As I sit here watching the sun play across my windows I am reminded of one  simple joy we all take for granted, waking up. It is such a blessing to open your eyes and witness the birth of a new day. When we lay down at night we don't dream of not waking up, as we go about our day we don't focus on the millions of ways we could die, for many of us these thoughts never cross our mind. For those of us dealing with chronic illnesses, heart problems, debilitating illness, cancer, death or the thought of death; is our constant companion, he sits down with us, eats at our table, walks with us, looks over our shoulder and perches at the end of our bed. 


    Monster, I am not telling you this to cause you to fear, only to remind you of the greatest possession you have, Life. As we travel through life we lose people along the way, during the course of your journey you will lose someone you love, you will lose a whole host of loved ones. I am sorry monster, I am sorry for the pain and the hurt that you have felt, I am sorry for the pain you are feeling now, I am sorry for the future pain you will deal with later.   Death will come for all of us, but in the midst of this seeming darkness I want you to remember monster, that death though painful is not evil, it is not something to be feared, death has no power over us. 


  By all means, grieve, weep, and honor the memory of your loved one, but in your grief take comfort that it is not the end.  You will be sad, you will grieve there is no shame in this. After all when faced with coming to terms of his own death Jesus wept (John 11:35).
But monster in all your weeping there comes a time to remember that there is joy, there is an end to the pain. As Christians we are given hope. The word refers to death as sleeping, nothing more. "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

   Monster, in your pain know that God is with you. He will comfort you, (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) He will Bless you, (Matthew 5:4) He will heal your broken heart. (Psalm 119:105) and he will be your strength. (Psalm 73:26). Know that this pain and hurt will diminish and you will be left with the love and wonderful memories of having shared even a moment with the one you have lost. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5)


 

  In the church I grew up in we called it a Homegoing Celebration. We took joy and comfort in 2 Corinthians 5:8  which tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I have loved and lost those loves, and in the moment of my grief I was surrounded by people who loved me enough to remind me of these things that I have shared with you. I hope that they bring you peace monster, and shed a little light on your dark time. 

I wish you peace monster.

Be Still....He's Got You

      I have been on quite the hiatus when it comes to blogging. I used to blog daily, sharing my journey and my thoughts but recently I have been real quiet. Not just on the internet, but in my life too. Maybe a little too quiet. There is a time monster in all of our lives when we learn that it may be wiser to remain silent, prayerful, and still then it is talk and move forward. This is a hard lesson monster, especially for one such as me who is not used to having to guard my mouth. I have always been quick to talk and slow to think it through first. I have always shared my thoughts and opinions freely, I have been quick to display anger and impatience, but in my journey I have learned to be still. I am not going to say it is easy, monster, it is not. It will be the hardest thing you master, the hardest thing you will ever do. To be still, to allow the Lord to move, to make a way, to deal with your enemies, to fight your battles while you are still, will be the hardest but the most rewarding experience of your walk.

    What do I mean by being still. I am not talking about inaction, or sitting back waiting on things I am talking about moving forward on your path, doing the work you have been called to do. You are still praying, you are still in your Word, you are still doing you. So how is that being Still? When I say be still it means not to pay attention to the distractions that are going to arise. As you walk with the Lord you will be blessed. You will get the job you have been praying for, get that breakthrough in your life you have been working towards, you will be enjoying all the blessings that come with it and while your enjoying it, the enemy is throwing things in your path to make you stumble. The enemy will throw people at you, situations, etc. to make you falter, to make you question and to ultimately make you leave your path. Don't give in monster, no matter what comes at you, be still, knowing that God has already worked it out. 

Here is what it looks like. You have finally gotten the job you have been praying for. You are happy, you are making lots of money, you are finally able to be the blessing you always wanted to be. Everything is great until it is not. Your car breaks down, your babysitter quits, and your co-worker is throwing so much shade at you she could be an oak tree. I mean seriously, what is wrong with her that she is constantly bad mouthing you, undermining you and basically making your dream job a nightmare. What do you do? Do you throw a fit, tell her where she needs to go and how to get there? Or do you be still. 

Scenario 2. You are finally in the relationship you have been praying about. You have met the man you are going to marry. You pray together, you go to church together, you are actively building a life together.  You are happy and you expect the others around you to be happy as well.... yeah not so much. Your getting advice from this one and that one, everyone has an opinion, some think your moving too fast, some don't like him, some just liked you better single who knows but everywhere you turn you find a new opinion. What do you do? 
Scenario 3. You are finally getting your degree, you have made it into the program, everything is great until it is not. You don't like your study group, your classes are not available, the books are too much, your job is tripping about all the time you have been requesting off. You are distracted by everything going on around you what do you do? 

Be still monster. I don't know what your dealing with in your life, but I know at times it can be stressful, You have so many things pulling at you, people talking into your life, everyday stresses and set backs and you just want to fire back. Be still. Psalm 46:10 "Be Still and Know that I am God."  simply means that you don't have to do anything. You don't have to defend yourself from attack. Exodus 14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Hold on to your peace monster. You don't have to tell that chick where to go, you don't have to fight and argue with your family, you don't have to do anything. You can be still knowing that the battle is the Lord's and that no weapon formed against you will prosper. You can relax and bathe in the light that tells us that All things work together for the good of them who love the Lord. This monster is being still. Keep doing what your doing. all these obstacles and trials tell you is that you are heading in the right way. So next time someone throws some dirt your way, don't worry, God has got your back. 

I wish you stillness monster. 

The Taming of the Tongue, Shut up already

   Happy February monsters. How is the love walk going? In case you haven't noticed I have not been blogging as much as I was. A part of that is I have been crazy busy juggling being a mom, planning a wedding, working and all the other things that make up a life. More importantly I have been working on me, specifically my mouth.  With day to day issues and frustrations it is easy to say things you don't mean, to talk about people and situations that annoy you, to gossip, to rant, and to make comments you may later regret. Yup with all the stuff going on in my life its easy to lose ground on the things I thought I had dealt with, my mouth being one of them. Lucky for you monster my slip ups make great topics for this blog.

    Throughout this blog and my journey I have discussed the importance of changing the way you think, guarding your heart, and speaking good things into your life. I seem to have overlooked the whole watching what you say thing, I mean it was easy to call out others on what they say, but myself not so much. In fact recently I have found myself so annoyed with the words coming out of the mouth of someone I loved, that I had to pause and see that God was placing a mirror in front of me. Yup, it was time to work on my mouth, after all what is the point of having pretty lips if every word that comes out of them is ugly? Ponder that monster, ponder that.

   

 So what should you not be saying, let's go to my favorite place, Proverbs. Proverbs is chuck full of wisdom, and a whole bunch of it is dedicated to watching your mouth. It talks about lying, bad mouthing, slander, gossip, foolish talking, deceitfulness, speaking out in anger, rash words, and even about when to shut up. The more I read it the more I realize that I could have saved myself a ton of drama just by being quiet. "Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble" Proverbs 21:23. We all know that lying is wrong, gossip is not so good and slander, slander you could be prosecuted for, or is it libel, either way you want to stay away from it."Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler." Proverbs 20:19 "A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends" Proverbs 16:28 Then there is the grey area. Sarcasm, dry wit, perverse speaking, etc. So basically the majority of my smart comments and mean but funny statements should never have been uttered. Harsh, but true.

        So what are we supposed to do monster, it's not like you can walk around with a muzzle on or a gag, so not fashionable. It is easy, it is time to shut up. Yup I said it, shut up. Next time you want to talk, make a comment, discuss someone, joke about something, shut up. Harsh huh? Before you speak think. Is what you are about to say a sword or not. Are you verbally murdering someone? Are you making a situation/conversation better or worse? Is it something you wouldn't mind saying to Jesus? The Bible says that we are to think about the good, the just, the lovely, if you are thinking these things then there is no room for the ugliness that can escape your lips. (Philippians 4:8) There are times when you think that your not really gossiping or your just telling your friend what you heard, the Bible also covers this. It says that love covers all things and a trustworthy friend will shield their friend from the hurt.

grace  

/grās/

Noun Simple elegance or refinement of movement.

Verb Do honor or credit to (someone or something) by one's presence.

Synonyms noun.   favour - favor - charm - elegance - mercy - gracefulness verb.   adorn - decorate - ornament - embellish - deck - bedeck

As for the snide comments and the off color jokes we are all guilty of enjoying, try this one on for size.  "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29.  Grace, now there is word you don't hear often. In fact it has all but disappeared from our vocabulary, it is more then just a popular name for a little girl.  We as ladies should be gracious and kind. Unfortunately we seem to be a generation of mean girls we mistake cattiness for charm and mean spirited talking for wit. Do the words you use with others do honor or credit, is it a pleasure to be in your company, are you elegant, refined? According to the words you use and the content of your conversation, I would say no.  

So you see monster, you have great power in your tongue. It can be a sword, destroying and cutting at every turn or it can be a healer, a balm to the bruised, an instrument of peace, and a source of wisdom. You decide on what you want it to be. I still struggle with this, as I am sure you do. The good news is that you can master your mouth, it is as simple as shutting it. While it is shut get to reading, start with proverbs then do a search of all the verses that deal with your tounge. I did, I still do, It is a walk that we are on monster. This is just one step in it. So how do you  get started taming your tounge? Easy, when in doubt, shut up. 

Happy talking monster, happy talking 

Walk into Abundance

Happy New Year monster. I can not believe that it is already 2013. This time last year I was making resolutions, cleaning out my life, praying for breakthroughs and believing God for new adventures and circumstances. 2012 had its fair share of trials, heart aches, blessings, answered prayers and life changing moments. I am looking forward to the adventures of 2013. 




    So have you made your resolutions yet? Are you sticking with them, or have they already fallen to the wayside. Many people vow to lose weight, get their house organized, start something new, get rid of a bad habit, or get their finances in order. What have you vowed to do in 2013? Anything? Let me offer a suggestion. In 2013 get rid of the lack in your life. Vow to walk in abundance in all things. Tell yourself that this will be the year that you lack for nothing, nothing lacking in your relationships, your career, your home and most importantly your finances. Vow that 2012 is the last year you will ever refer to yourself as broke, unable, not financially solvent, or in a recession. After all your a Child of the Most High and He has promised to meet all your needs, to provide for you, to open doors for you, to bless you. So why as His child should you be walking around in debt, or in lack? 

People get really skittish when you put God and money in the same sentence. It is almost as if they are ashamed to ask the Lord to bless them in this way. It is as if they don't believe that He will or that it is wrong.  Get rid of this thinking monster. God knows what you need, He wants you to have what you need. So go ahead, ask Him. Oh one thing, monster, there is a catch. Yup, you knew there would be, nothing is free right? What is the catch? God wants your life. He wants you to obey Him and to live according to His standards. He wants you to Love Him with all you are, and to love your neighbor. Oh and God wants you to bless others, to give so that you can receive, oh and one more thing, He wants you to tithe. Told you there was a catch. 

Tithe, such a small word, yet it is one of the most debated topics of the church.  People will stop going to church because they are asked to tithe, they will argue about how much and how often they should tithe, they will even argue that it is an Old Testament "thing" and something they no longer have to practice. I am not here to debate theology or church doctrine or any of  that. I really don't care what you believe or what your choose to do.  I am just  here to challenge you. I challenge you to try it, I did and I am more blessed in my finances then ever before. So, monster do you want to take the 2013 challenge. 

Here is what it looks like. Let's go to the Word. In the book of Malachi God challenges us to prove Him. It is the only place in the Bible where He tells us it is ok to test Him. 
Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3: 8-12

 What does this mean for you monster? God owns everything in this world and in the Heavens. He is the reason you are able to draw breath every day and go to work. He has blessed you with a job and an income and He asks that to honor him you give him a mere 10% of that. Right off the top, before you pay bills, buy a cheeseburger, pay your rent, pay yourself. You get to keep the other 90%.  You will find that the 90% will begin to stretch further and further. You will find that you have more money to do what you need to do, so much more that you can begin to do what you want to do. 

I stated earlier that everything is already the Lords', “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord. Leviticus 27:30  Tithing reminds us that it is His. That is is His favor, His Grace, His Will that is allowing you to earn your money in the first place. It humbles you monster. By keeping Him first and knowing that it is from Him, pride cannot creep in. Nor can greed. Money is not the problem, The love of money is. By returning your tithe to the Lord, you are saying Lord I love you more then this money. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs" 1Timothy 6:10.  It was the love of money that sent the young man away when he was seeking to follow Jesus. (Luke 18) It was not that he was rich and had many things it was that his many things had him. They had become his idols, they had usurped the place in his heart that belonged to God. 



The second part of the 2013 plan is to give. You cannot be a miser monster. Remember I told you in an earlier blog that God blesses you, not for yourself, but for others. You are the means by which God carries out His plans in the world. When you give your time, your skills, your talent and yes your money to help further the church you are doing God's work in the world.  Be smart in this monster. I am not saying to just give your money away. Take a look at your church whether you are a member or thinking about joining it. Look at what they are doing locally and globally with their missions. Listen to the pastor. Is he preaching the Gospel, the word as inspired by the Holy Spirit and not himself/herself. Is it a ministry where your spirit is being fed. If it is not you need to keep looking for the right church, the right ministry. Once you find it you will know. Then you  can begin sowing into that ministry with your time, your talents and yes, your tithes and offerings. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6 It is important that in all your giving you give with a willing heart and spirit. That you do not begrudge your offering. God loves a cheerful giver. This goes back to Cain and Abel. Abel loved God, He gave the best he had and was pleasing to God. Cain gave grudgingly, he gave the leftovers and he became jealous when he saw how God blessed his brother. So much so that Cain murdered his brother. If you are going to give unwillingly or just to get something in return or to be seen giving by others, it is best to not give at all. 

The Bible offers even more on giving, tithing and how to deal with money. Get to reading monster you can't expect me to tell you everything. I will add this. In order to get out of debt, out of lack and walk in abundance you will have to work. You will have to work physically, you will have to pray and ask God to bless you, you will have to exercise your faith and believe that all your bills will be taken care of and trust that God will do what he says He will. "Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

One last piece of wisdom when dealing with your finances this year, "Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." Romans 13:7

Prosper, monster, prosper. 

Turn up the Light

    Hello monster, how is your love walk going. I know that my blogs usually focus on the inner you, on the spirit you, on the you who walks and talks with God. Today we will venture outside of ourselves a little bit. We will take a look at the world around us. Recently we have been assaulted with horrific events. Mass shootings across the country with the culmination of them being at Sandy Hook Elementary. There are no words for the loss of so many lives. There are no words to express the hurt and the pain that these events cause. It seems like no one is safe. That the innocent suffer and we are helpless during the onslaught of evil. We offer our prayers and thoughts to the families, we mourn as a nation. We look towards lawmakers, government, and others to protect us, to make this right, to stand in the darkness. We feel helpless against all the evil in the world, what else could it be but evil? 
   
This is not true monster. We are not powerless. We have a power beyond our power, a strength beyond our strength. We have dominion over the enemy, he is already defeated. It is time, time to shine monsters. We have a job to do, a calling, we are the light in this world, what good are we if we don't shine in the darkness. 

This blog, today, is a call to arms. This is why you have been praying, you have been working on you, you have been immersed in the Word. Not for yourself, but for the world. The world needs you monster. What makes you so special? so powerful? The God in you. God lives in you. He lives in the innermost part of you and He uses you to show his love and his power in this world. You are a warrior, you are Daniel in the lions' den, you are David with a sling, you are Joshua bringing down the walls, you are Moses, freeing your people, You are Esther, speaking out against injustice. You have been placed here, at this time to be a light. 
The world needs a savior like never before, you are not the savior but you are the light that shows the way to Him. 

Do you see how important you are? How powerful, do you see know why your life has been under attack? The enemy wants to keep you busy with all the drama that used to consume you. He wants to keep you distracted by those around you who are dragging you down. He uses fear to control your thoughts, to diminish you to make you unsure. Today I am telling you that it is he that should be afraid of you. Turn up your light. 

What does that mean? What do you mean light? You should stand apart. Apart from the darkness. You, monster shine because the Love of God lives in you, Faith, Hope, Kindness, Peace, Patience, and Goodness all reside in you. These are fruits of the spirit. When you show these attributes to the world when you practice them daily you are shining! The more you practice them, the more you make them part of your character the brighter you shine. With each act of kindness you push back the darkness, with each act of love you beat the enemy over the head, when you live what you believe you are a living, breathing, word of God. There are a multitude of verses in the Bible urging us to be the light, to put on the light, to walk in the light. The world is in darkness and it needs your light. Badly. 

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

    Ephesians 5:8 For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light" 

Romans 13:12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

1 Peter 2:9"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light"

Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to pray. Yup, that is all you have to do for now. Pray. All day, when you wake up, while your driving, while your working, in your quiet moments, during your loud moments, before you go to bed, while you brush your teeth. Pray. Get into talking to God. Bring all your mess to Him and leave it there. Eventually you will run out of things to talk about where it concerns your self. If this happens pray for those you know pray for their health and strength, pray blessings over their lives, pray for protection over them.
 When you run out of those people pray for your mailman, the lady who rang up your groceries, the guy you pass every day on the way to lunch, the lady in the cubicle next to you. Branch out and pray for complete strangers, your neighborhood, your workplace, your employer, your elected officials, your police officers, your firefighters. Are you getting this monster? 
Pray. For everyone. Make it a habit. While your praying do random acts of kindness. Be patient. Be loving, Be good. Be all the things you love and admire about God. You won't be perfect, no one expects you to, but you will be walking in love, you will be speaking love into the world, you monster will shine. If each and every one of us practiced this even for just a week how different would our world be. Changing the world starts with one person at a time. 

Be the light, monster, be the light. 

Growing Pains

     Hey monsters, It has been awhile since I dropped some wisdom on you. But like all truth seekers know you have to go through some tests to get a testimony, and through some mess to get a message, so now that I have passed some tests, waded through some mess, let's get to the message.

           Let's talk about growing pains. I have been experiencing them lately, and I am sure you have to. After all you have been working on you. Cleaning out your past locker, healing what needs to be healed, basking in the blessings, congratulations monster you are growing. Growing is a great thing. It is an awesome thing. I know that I felt about 2 feet tall when I was in my most recent between time. I wasn't working, I lived back home with my mom, and I was so far from my dreams they didn't even feel like mine anymore. The between time is a scary time, it is a time when God strips away all the crutches we hang on too. He strips away all the things that we think define us, make us, give us a place in the world we have built for ourselves. This is not for your harm monster, but for your best. God needs to strip away all the outer things, all the external things, all the superficial things to teach us that without them we are still His.
Psalm 139:13-16 
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."




 We are created in His Image. We learn that we are not defined by who we know, who we date, how much we make, where we work, live, etc. We learn that we are sufficient and complete and that all that stuff, all those people don't get to define us. We are enough. God has seen to that. He has planned us, and our lives, even though we may drift from where we need to be He still has a purpose and a plan for us.
Ephesians 2:10  "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Thus we begin to grow.

    The downside to growing is of course things start to not fit. Things get tight, they don't look right, sound right,  act right, there is not enough room, its not good enough. The "it" in any of these sentences can be replaced with anything, your relationship, your friendship, your home life, your job, your whatever. It does not fit anymore. You are growing. Its time to move on, to find where you fit, to find with who you fit, don't worry you won't have to actually look for any of this God has a great way of bringing the right fits into your life. Not to beat a dead horse but like I said before He has a plan for you. So what do you do when you have all this growth going on in your life? You're moving forward, you're learning, you're becoming but everything around you is stagnant, its not growing, its not changing, its getting tight, it doesn't feel right, etc.
Two words, move forward. Monster, it's time to move forward. It's time to let go

        Here is what it looks like. You are hanging with all your old friends, and nothing they say interests you, the life they are living, that they used to live with you feels awkward. You don't party like you used to, you don't gossip, you don't fight, you don't do a lot of things you used to so they feel like you have changed, like you think your better so in order to fit in you pretend to go along. You become a master of pretending to be who you used to be just so they feel comfortable. Until now. Now they irritate you, you would rather be anywhere else but there. You have no desire to pretend any longer, you move on.
How about this one monster, you have an ok job, one where they don't expect too much of you, and you don't expect that much of yourself. It is a good job but you know you can do better, you know that you have the skills, the talent and the drive to do so much more. What do you do? Move forward.

Its is scary to move forward, you are comfortable, it feels safe, it is a place, person, situation that you know, but it just doesn't fit the new you. God has intended you for greatness. Good enough is not enough. Those pains your feeling, those irritants, insecurities, temper tantrums, they are all part of your growth, monster. You don't need the safety of your situation anymore, it's time to move forward. Trust me, your ready, God has and is preparing you for the next stage in your life. Grab it monster. Move forward. There is a story in the bible about a lame man who could not walk. Jesus healed him. The man had a choice he could stay where he was, fully healed, fully restored, with an entire future before him of he could get up, move forward and walk into his future. "Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” John 5:8 

Monster, pick up your bed, and walk, better yet leave that old bed right where it is and walk away. Move Forward.

It's Not Above Your Pay Grade.

Hello there monsters. How is the faith walk going?

   Lately I have been hearing a lot of people talk about what they would like to do, what they wish they were able to do, what they would do when God blesses them with a position, status, etc. I don't know about God, but I am sick of hearing about all the good people would do if. If they were a prayer leader, pastor, choir director, if they knew their Bible better, if they were allowed to preach, to teach, to lead, they would do so much good. If they had more money, more time, if someone would just notice all the good that they have to share. If this, if that, if if if if if. I am so sick of If.  They honestly believe that they have to be "in a position" to do something. What position are they waiting for? Exactly what position do you have to have to do good? Is there such a thing as a do gooder position? I think not. People get caught up in status and titles and positions, especially in the church. The truth is that we are so busy striving to be somebody, that we are not helping anybody.
 I believe they are making excuses to not do anything at all. I know that God uses all people, the lowest to the highest to do His will in the earth. In fact the Bible is filled with stories of ordinary folk doing extraordinary things. So what is your excuse?


      You probably are scratching your head now, after all the Bible is full of heroes, Great men and women of God. Look a little closer. These patriarchs and matriarchs of the Bible were just regular folk, regular folk that did extraordinary things. Abraham was a gentile, called out from his people to become the father of the Jewish nation. Moses was a child of slaves, adopted and then exiled by the Egyptians. He was a sheep herder and a self proclaimed poor speaker who led the Israelites out of slavery. Rahab was a prostitute, a foreign woman, an enemy of Israel who would be the mother of Boaz and in turn an ancestor of Jesus.   Ruth, her future daughter in law was also a foreigner, a widow, and poor. David was the youngest and the least of Jesse's sons. He was deeply flawed but his heart and his faith delighted the Lord and he was one of the greatest kings and writer of the Psalms. Samson was an ordinary man with a drinking problem, a terrible anger management issue and a predilection for picking the wrong women.  Joseph was the youngest son and sold into slavery by his own brothers, God used him to not only save the Israelites from famine but the Egyptians as well. Esther was just a simple Jewish girl placed in a beauty pageant when the king tired of his wife. She was able to save her people from laws that would destroy them. The disciples were a rag tag bunch of fishermen, peasants, and a tax collector. This list could go on for days but we will stop here. The point, monster, is that God does not need you to be in a "position" in order to use you. He can use you just as you are right where you are.

We put so much emphasis on what we do, what position we hold in our jobs, our society, our churches and our organizations. We look for people to validate us, to show us that we are important and have influence. 1 Corinthians 1: 27-29 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. The truth is God uses you, He does not care about your position, what others think of you, how important you are or how many people read your blog.  All God needs is a willing heart, a faithful spirit, and hands that are willing to work. So monster, you can stop waiting for your if moment and do it now. Volunteer now, feed the hungry now, donate now, start up a prayer group now, begin a bible study, whatever it is that God has put on your heart to do He has already given you the means to do it. Don't sit there a moment longer holding on  to your if, do good now.

Go forth monster and do good.

Hold on, Prepare for the Harvest

  Fall is here monsters, and it is time to bring in the harvest. Even if you have never planted a thing in your life you know that fall is the time of bringing in the crops. It is the season of preparing for winter, putting away our summer fashion and pulling on knits, jackets and drop dead gorgeous boots. Harvest season is an annual event, without fail we know fall is coming, we know that we have to prepare for winter, we know holidays are coming, we know that summer is officially over. 

  Seasons in nature are easy to tell, even in warm climates you experience the change in the air, the shortening of days, and the heaviness of the annual fall fashion issue of Vogue. The changing of the seasons are so universally known that it is no surprise that the Bible constantly refers to them. It likens our struggles, our hopes, our good times and bad to seasons. Periods of time that are passing, that may feel like forever but are in truth are fleeting. In the Between you may feel like you are in a season full of lack, of doubt, of waiting, of struggle, but just like the natural seasons, your spiritual season will not last long.  As you come to understand that God has a plan for you, that it was established before you were ever born you can learn to weather your season. 

  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tell us that there is a time for everything under the sun. everything has its time and place and therefore though it may feel like forever it too will pass, to make way for something else. 
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; "

    In our lives we will have both good times and bad, times of movement and change and times when we feel like nothing is happening at all. When you find yourself in the stagnant  season it is easy to give up, to feel bad about yourself and your life. It is easy to look at others and covet what they have or what they are doing. Don't give into this monster, it is just a season and it will pass. The season you are in is a growing opportunity, it is a time to prune away what no longer serves you, feed your spirit, water your faith and praise the Lord. Yup in the midst of what you may feel is a bad season, a season of drought, famine, hopelessness, don't forget to praise God. Psalms 1:3 "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." reminds us that we are to stand, that our season of yielding fruit is coming. That no matter how harsh the weather may be, no matter what comes against us if we stand and praise him through it, when it passes we will be stronger for it. 

     God has planted a seed in you, you are a seed, you have planted your seeds of faith, you have only to outlast the current season to reap your harvest. A farmer knows that he has to wait for his seeds to sprout, to ripen, before he can harvest, he doesnt plant corn on Monday and reap it on Tuesday. He knows that it may be a dry season, that insects may attack his crop, that bad weather, floods, tornadoes, hail and a host of other things may happen. But a good farmer sows the seed anyway, in earth that he has prepared. He waits and he watches, he irrigates, he weeds, he safegaurds against pests, but mostly he waits, he has patience and faith that his crop will come in. He prepares himself for a harvest. 

     Monster, you are a farmer. You have sown with  faith, you have prayed for what you need/want, you have prepared the ground of your heart, you have watered it with the Word you have safeguarded it from the enemy you are weathering your season. You are preparing yourself for the harvest. So when harvesting season comes be prepared, in the meantime praise him for the season your in. 

Happy harvesting monster. 

Hungry for something? Feed your Spirit!!

    Hey Monsters, miss me? I missed you. Just wanted to give you some time to work on your truth. It is hard work dealing with yourself. A lot of heavy lifting, examining, and cleaning. Enough to make you want to sleep  just thinking about it. I don't know about you but when I have a large project to do I throw on some music and attack that project head on. I tear apart the entire space and put it back together again. A few hours and your done.  It is not that way when your working on yourself. You need to stop and take breaks. Emotional baggage is difficult to clean up, sort through, and deal with. Some people take to keeping a journal, or spend hours meditating and doing yoga, others sift through their physical past and relive each moment. Whatever you choose to do it is not easy. It is draining. If it was easy most of the people walking around today would not have so many issues and thousands of therapists, counselors, and life coaches would be out of work. Come to think of it, I would have nothing to write about. Good thing for me, you, monster have issues. Even better news is your willing and able to work them out.

 So what do you need to refuel with when your working on your mind and spirit? I am glad you asked. You need to feed your spirit with spirit! Yup, just like with exercise you need to fuel your physical body to get optimum results, the same goes for your spirit. No cheating, no filling up on junk food. You got to get the good stuff. You, monster are going to have to tap into the wisdom of the ages, starting with your Bible! Yup I said it, The Bible. If you are even the least bit intimidated by it start in Psalms, nothing but praise to the Almighty in every one! ( It is a good place to start if you want to learn how to pray too. There has been many a day when I just read one Psalm and meditate on it for the rest of the day. It's good stuff. Some more food for your spirit, read inspirational stories of women you admire, go to the library and check out books from Iyanla Vanzant, Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, Creflo Dollar, Paula White, Joel Olsteen, the list is endless, just hang out in the Christian section and I guarantee you will find something that will call to you. It is calling to your spirit! Feed your spirit.

Daily life is constantly draining from you, people, work, children, life. They all take from you. It is important to set aside some time each day to refill. You are no fun when your drained, you lack vitality, energy, love, and patience. Life becomes a trial instead of a joy. When your spirit is on E, you are not good for anyone let alone yourself. So next time you have that empty feeling inside, that gnawing ache that is not filled with food or water, listen to it. It is your spirit asking for a snack. Well don't just sit there fill it up .

Just because it's a fact...doesn't mean it's true

     Happy Monday monsters. Did you know that the more blogs you read the smarter you get?  Also, if you are a single woman in her mid to late 30's you are more likely to never have a child. Did you know that there is a shortage of men, and that 60% of women will never get married? Hey, did you hear that 59% of children that grow up in single family homes will be more likely to raise their own children in a single parent home? Did you know that 57% of African American men admitted to actively seeking a woman of another culture/ethnicity to marry?  Shockingly 67% of black women will not ever marry regardless of age or economic status, and that these same women are more likely to have children out of wedlock?
     67% of men say that they have cheated on their partner. In a recent survey white women were considered the most desirable in a marriage partner, with Asian making a close second, followed by Hispanic, Other, Mixed race and Black coming in last. A recent "study" found that overweight women are more likely to be single, short men prefer taller women, and a man regardless of his looks, weight or height will have a better chance of marrying if he makes six figures or more. On the contrary a woman making six figures or more, no matter how beautiful she may be, will either have to settle or be single.  Or how about this one, 48% of all the people reading this blog believe at least one of the above stated "facts" is true.

       Sorry to disappoint you but most of what is stated above I just made up. Not off the top of my head or anything just purely based on the random opinions and unscientific polls that are conducted in women's magazines, online surveys, and random overheard conversations that women have on a regular basis. You can come up with a statistic on just about anything, and most people will believe it. Hey who can argue with math? I barely passed my statistics class but I know that you can slant your results by polling a targeted group versus a totally random one. I am just saying, you can make a fact about pretty much anything, it just doesn't make it the truth.

    While you have been busy cleaning out your life and your mind you have found that you have more room, some empty space waiting to be filled. Be careful monster an empty space is still a place. A place where you begin storing stuff. Thoughts, ideas, facts, experiences. In the Between you need to be vigilant about guarding these now clean and empty spaces. You need to be careful about what you allow to take up this space. We all plan to only fill our lives with things that edify us. That teach us a better way to live, to think, to act etc. Your main source should be your Bible, but realistically we fill those spaces with things that look good, like self help books, random advice, talk shows and magazine articles. Hey we are working on ourselves after all I told you to read, to learn and to grow. Yes I did. I neglected to tell you to edit and filter what you  are putting in yourself. I am sorry. It was only Revealed to me on my daily torture session, oops I mean exercise session.

   Just because something may be a "fact" does not make it true. Our media is meant to inform us, but mostly it circulates fears and insecurities. It sells millions of copies  each month selling fear. Are you eating the right things, wearing the right things, do you measure up to the beautiful images of women between its covers, do you know how to keep your man satisfied, Do you know how to get the right job, apartment, man?
 The list goes on and on. Worse they put out polls on nearly everything. My question is who are they asking? Where are they getting their facts, and what does it have to do with the truth?

Don't throw them out, you do not have to quit reading them, you don't have to turn off your talk shows, but you do need to quit having a steady diet of them. Most importantly you need to filter any and all information you may get from them. This is what it looks like.

     On one of my jogs I saw an attractive man walking by. He smiled and kept going and out of nowhere all these thoughts bombarded me. Thoughts that went a lot like this. "Hmmm, I am over 30, everybody knows that as you get older it is harder to date. Maybe  I was too fat, guys don't like women with too many curves. Yeah I am a single mom guys don't want to have to raise a kid that is not his. (how he could possibly know that I was a mom did not even enter into my thoughts.), I am not even on his radar, He probably doesn't like black women. And a whole lot of other mess that I will not share with you. In reality the guy probably never gave me another thought as he went past, while I was beating my self up with all the facts I had gleaned from media and other misinformed women. Lucky for me I tripped. While I was physically tripping, the Holy Spirit informed me that I was mentally tripping and to cut it out immediately.

So I cut it out. I told myself out loud the truth. The Truth is I am a Child of the Most High God. That I am fine just the way I am. That it does not matter what man says about me. That I am fearfully and wondrously made, that God has a plan for me, that He knows the desires of my heart.  That all these "facts" were not the Truth. That I needed to have a better filter on the things I allowed into my mind. I also knew that I had to examine each of these "facts" find their source and eliminate them. So I rarely watch talk shows, I turn off all those reality shows that show women as mistreated, spoiled, chronically single, over dramatic, unloved and unlovable. Yup I had to clean out my Tivo. More importantly I had to discard these "facts" and find the Truth about me.

   As long as you hold on to the "facts" you cannot know the truth. So monster today, examine all the "facts" about yourself and your situation and figure out if they are the Truth. I can guarantee that most of the '"facts" you believe about yourself are not true at all. Throw them out. After all everybody knows the Truth will set you free.

Be free monster, be free.

Be Still.....

      Shabbat, ( no I did not sneeze). Shabbat is the traditional Jewish Sabbath it begins on Friday evening and ends Saturday evening. During this Holy time the Jewish people acknowledge the fruits and gifts of God.  They take time to have a meal with their family, they offer up prayers and thanksgiving. They turn off the world, work, t.v. etc and they rest.

I am not Jewish, but I can appreciate this holy ritual. A time set apart from your daily life to be still. Purposefully still. So this blog will be the shortest one yet. Today Be Still. I know it is Friday, you usually hang out with friends, hit the club, do something. Take a day off. Today be still. Turn off all the electronics, turn off all your plans and plots. Put away your vision paper. Be still and take in the world around you. Spend time in God's presence. Share a meal with your family. Whatever you choose to do praise God in all things, have a spirit of gratitude. By Saturday evening you will be refreshed and re-energized to begin your journey again.
           I have to go get my world in order so that I can be still. See you next week.