Thirstdays Fulfilled

God, You Have Got to Be Crazy?

2008-07-10T19:38:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I think God is absolutely crazy. No, seriously I do. It's like He picks the most inopportune times to allow satan (I refuse to capitalize his name) access in your life (see Job 1:6-12). These are the thoughts that ran through my mind as I sat in a funeral recently.

It's hard to understand why God allows certain things to happen in our lives, especially when we are doing everything in our power to please Him. But through my life experiences, I've learned a couple of lessons about the craziness that God sometimes allows in our lives.

There are three types of people in the world: 1) those going through a storm, 2) those coming out of a storm, and 3) those getting ready to go into a storm. It's a part of life, so don't try to avoid it.
Following God never disqualified you from life's troubles. I mean seriously, look at what happen to Jesus………..and Paul, Peter, Mary. I could go on. The awesome thing about following God is that He gives you an awesome set of tools to deal with life's problems.
When you get serious about God, the devil will get serious about you. Think about it this way: why would the devil want to waste his time disrupting your life when you're playing on his team? When you get serious about playing for God or when you start increasing your game time, satan has to do what he can to distract you. If he can cause some interference, he either 1) keeps you on his team or 2) stops you from getting as much playing time as you would otherwise get. I once read a quote that said (and I'm paraphrasing): The devil is a defeated foe who knows his fate. He's just attempting to take as many knuckleheads as he can with him.
No matter what happens in life, it's important to remember that God is perfect and sovereign (Deuteronomy 32:4), and everything that happens in life works out well for people who love the Lord (Romans 8:28).

As someone who has seen a lot of hell in her day, I know that what I'm saying is easier said than done, especially when you're in the middle of a storm, but here are a few tips that I've learned to get me through.

Use music to help you through. My personal favorites right now "Still (In Control)" by Kirk Franklin and "The Other Side of Through" by James Bignon. Check them out on iTunes.
Keep building on your faith. Know that God's Word is true and keep reading it and repeating it so that it gets in your system and you have the faith to get through the trial.
Control your thoughts. Think positive and stay focus.
Keep repeating James 1:2-4. God is perfecting your faith so you don't lack in anything. He knows what He's doing, and He has your back. He has you covered.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

---James 1:2-4

The Potter’s Wheel

2008-06-05T22:25:00.001-07:00

The hardest place in the world to be is on the Potter's wheel, especially when you know you're there. You see, the potter's wheel is used to shape and mold clay, but spiritually the Potter's wheel is the hand of God as He shapes and molds your life for His purposes.

Two kinds of people go onto the Potter's wheel: Those who know they're on the wheel and those who don't. Some people may argue that being on the Potter's wheel when you don't know it is the most difficult. In this instance, there's so much chaos going on around you and you feel completely out of control. But at the end of the day you come out of the situation with a lesson learned and a better person. I When you're in this situation, you can cry out to God for help or even blame others.

However, when you know that God has put you on the Potter's wheel to rid self-perpetuated mess from your life, the true hurt enters. There's no one to blame but you. You try to get on your knees and pray, but God interrupts you. He just keeps saying, "You know what you need to do to fix this."

You do know and you cry out, "Yes, but if you just fix my situation, I promise to fix me," when you genuinely know that if God fixes the drama before you fix your crap, you will remain in your crap and eventually the drama will return. It's like God giving someone who doesn't know how to manage their finances a million dollars. They didn't know what to do with $100 so eventually they're going to be broke again because they're going to blow the million they just got.

That's where I am, tonight (initially wrote around 5:30 on 5/30/2008). I just go on my knees to pray about my situation, and all I could say is, "I know, God. Just help me fix it so I can be done…forever!!!"

I don't trust myself to fix my situation, so even though I'm working toward it, I'm relying totally on God's strength. And I pray He keeps meeting my needs in the mean time, while keeping me from going in the red since the curse has been broken J. I also pray that He recognizes my small progress and rewards me for it, while I continue to pray for His strength and guidance to let go of the rest of this mess. And I will give Him all the glory, honor, and praise.

I love YOU, and thanks for the revelation!!!

Stop Talking about Rev. Wright or the Bears May Eat You…FOR REAL!!!

2008-05-30T01:32:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time, and I'm sorry and left you. God is really working on me about being more committed to this project. I'm going to do my absolute best to try and post every Thursday. PLEASE feel free to email and encourage me. I need that sometime.

Anyone who knows me knows that I've been watching the political race really closely. I've fallen in love with being a political pundit. And as tired of and disinterested in the race as I have become, I must say that my mouth has been hanging open with all the pastor problems that both Barack Obama and John McCain has been having. I mean in one political season four men of God, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Pastor John Hagee, Pastor Rod Parsley, and Father Michael Phleger, have had their names dragged through the mud and their reputations sullied all because the media and extremist bloggers from both sides of the aisle decided it would bring a little excitement.

Politically, everyone knows where I stand. I'm on the left side of the aisle, but I'm not afraid to move right on an issue or two or for the right candidate (no pun intended). I'm not so partisan that I hate those staring back at me. It's just my life experience and my personal beliefs have pushed me to the left of the aisle. I will stand strong for the left and fight with them, at least most of the time. But one thing I will not do is stand with the left and watch the beat up preachers on the other side of the aisle. And anyone on the right who decides to beat up on preachers staring at them from the other side should seriously chill out to.

Call me old school, but I believe in respecting the man of God, whether I agree with him or not. I mean who am I to speak badly of a man that God thought highly enough to have minister His Word. I know what's next: "Every preacha' ain't no man of God!!!" True, but I won't waste my time trying to judge who is and who isn't a man of God based on my personal standards, and I would suggest you didn't either. I mean I can look at you and tell you what you're not doing right by my standards, but God has never cared about man's standards when choosing His men. I mean Abraham was the father of Judaism and Christianity, but he was also a liar who often told Kings his wife was his sister (Genesis 12:10-20, their names are Abram and Sarai here, and Genesis 20:1-18). And while Sarah was technically his sister (she was his father's other wife's daughter), Abraham lied (by omission) and almost brought curses upon these kings because he did not want the rulers of to kill him for his wife. Yet God used Him and decided to birth His kingdom through him (Matthew 1).

Moses wasn't much better. Yes, Moses freed the Israelites from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 12), and he even wrote down the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20), but Moses also let his anger get the best of him, and as a result, he killed a man (Exodus 2:11-12). Yet, God still used him to lead His people into their Promised Land.

My personal story of God using someone who's jacked up is David. David became the king of Israel. He was chosen to rule the very people God had chosen as His own. And in the midst of this, David manage to spy on a Bathsheba while she was bathing, seduce her, and get her pregnant…did I mention that she was married. As if that wasn't enough, David then brought her husband, Uriah, home from the battle he was fighting FOR DAVID'S KINGDOM in hopes that Uriah would sleep with her and think she was pregnant with his child, not David's. But when Uriah chose to be loyal to the his brethren who were still fighting and sleep on the king's steps instead of going home to enjoy his wife, David order Uriah to the frontline of the battle, where he know he would surely be killed (2 Samuel 11:1-27). That sounds like some Bush/Cheney conspiracy stuff, doesn't? (Sorry, I had to put that in there). While God was displeased with David's behavior, He still used David. In fact, God even called David "a man after My Own heart" (Acts 13:22).

I know, I know, many of you a flabbergasted. Who knew that God's men had such tattered pasts, or should I say tattered paths to God. By our standards, none of them would have been fit to minister, yet God chose all of them, despite their mess. And we are still here trying to take down men of God who we think don't deserve to minister.

I really want to break everything down to you biblical and show you how what each one of these ministers said could actually be Biblical whether you like it or not. But it 3:50 in the morning, and your probably bored of reading the previous 900 words that I have written (who knew I had this much to say when I started peaking away). I'll sum it up like this. God's prophets have always had a difficult time. Most of the time they weren't politically correct, and that often got them in trouble. We see the prophet Elijah and King Ahab bump heads (1 King 17:1-18:45). We see John the Baptist killed by King Herod because of John's prophecy (Mark 6:14-29). And we see what happen to Jesus when the church and politics really mixed (Luke 23:1-56).

Why do we give men of God such a hard time? Because we don't appreciate them. Jesus said it himself in Matthew 13:57:

And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."

We are offended by what the prophets of God have to say, and therefore take offense at them, and usually bash them from that point forward.

As tempted as I sometime am to talk about God's men, I'm often stopped by His word. 1 Chronicles 16:22 cleary states "Touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm," and if you turn to 2 Kings 2:23-25, you will see what happens when you bring harm, even with your words, to God's men. A group of kids were calling Elisha the prophet of God "bald head." Elisha turned around, cursed them in the name of the LORD, and two bears came out the woods and ate the kids. I don't know about you, but I'm not trying to mess with anyone who has a hotline to Heaven like that…youknowwhatimean???

Yes, God is a merciful God. Yes, He forgives us daily, but He also punishes those who don't seek His forgiveness. So stay off Rev. Wright, Pastor Hagee, Pastor Parsley, and Father Phleger. Don't drag them into these political fireworks. Or the bears may just jump out and eat.

T.I. Came to My Church Sunday

2008-03-27T10:27:00.001-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows the fact that T.I. was coming to Easter worship service was a big deal to me. I've been a fan of this man since he was running around talking about "I'm Serious" and everyone was questioning why this arrogant negro was disrespecting the South by crowning himself Da King. I mean seriously, if Jesus would've called and said, "Kia, I'm not going to be able to show up at service today" my butt probably would've said, "I understand, Lord, but do you mind if I go and see T.I." LOL, God knows my heart.

Once I got wind of the fact that he would be showing up, I emailed my peeps to let them know what was going on. My girl, Erika, came through with the witty comment like always. "Please remember to focus on the word and not scope out all three services trying to identify the man's police detail." Lucky for me, we only had one service since we were able to worship in the Georgia Dome, and I didn't need to scope out his police detail because one of the ministers from the church introduced him and handed him the mic.

As I stood, along with the rest of the congregation and clapped, and my son, Cameron, annoyingly rolled his eyes with frustration, I was really anticipating what Tip would say from the pulpit. As he began to speak, I realize why I admire this man so much: his SWAGGER!!!

In my opinion, T.I. has the perfect mixture of confidence and humbleness. This man knows who he is, he knows that he's good and what he does, and he demands that you respect him for that. At the same time, he knows that his life could've been drastically different, and he didn't have to be given the opportunity to become T.I. So he's humbled by the accolades he receives. As he stood among the 30,000 church folk in the Dome, his awesome combination of confidence and humbleness—his swagger—shined like never before.

We all know church folks can be a little (dare I say it) judgmental, and T.I.'s troubles have definitely not been private. Had I been enduring what he's been through the past couple of months, I would have been weary of walking in the church, let alone taking the mic and speaking. But my man Tip didn't miss a beat. He walked up, took the mic, and started spitting his urban wisdom with complete confidence.

We had been doing a lot of HIV/AIDS outreach throughout the city, so after acknowledging Jesus and the occasion, he took the opportunity to speak to the young 'uns about sex and HIV. He told them they should do it God's way and practice abstinent. He also recognized that all of them would not be waiting until they said I do's, so he encouraged them to protect themselves. He pointed out that just because shawty looks good and doesn't look like he/she has anything doesn't mean they're clean, and he encouraged them to ask themselves one question before they settled on judging a book by its cover: "Would you bet your life on it? Because that's exactly what you're doing."

Before he left the stage he said (and I'm quoting from memory so it will not be exact), "I know a lot of yall would like to hear me talk about something else (the congregation laughs), but I'm not going to do that today. Just know that He (points to the sky) gots me so I'm going to be alright." A little later he stated that he had asked God for forgiveness for the same thing so many times, yet God always had his back.

As he sat down, I thought, Wow, this man is amazing. He has a public mess going, yet he steps in front of what could possibly be the most judgmental crowd ever and uplift others while acknowledging his own shortcomings and drama.

What's really ironic is about three days later, I spoke with a friend who confided in me their fears of walking in a church after years of being absent. That got me thinking, how many people are going through hard times and truly need God and the ministry of the church, yet they refuse to do so for fear of judgment? It's unfortunate that this would ever be an issue. Ideally, the church is supposed to be open for hurting, broken, scared, and confused individuals. However, churchgoers have become so self-righteous and caught up in their "good deeds" that they harshly judge those who are truly looking to have an experience with God.

Today, I want to challenge those on both sides of this issue to step up. For those who haven't been to church in awhile or are going through public trials, don't be afraid to boldly walk into God's house. I'll be the first to say, I love my God, but some of His people are jacked up. Ignore them. The real saints of God understand your struggle and pain because they've had their own share of troubles. They will be there to help you walk it out. They understand that but by the grace of God, there goes I, so they won't judge you; they'll just help you walk it out. Nothing you do is too big, bad, or wrong that the Blood of Jesus can cover and deliver you from and through, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar.

Church folk, get your mind right, and remember, but by the grace of God there goes I. It could have been you and would've been you if God had not covered you. Even on your best day you are not fit to go before the throne of God if it were not for the Blood of Jesus. Why don't you try to spend more time helping someone discover who God is instead of mounting evidence as to why they are not fit for God's house. satan is the accuser of the brethren. So I ask you, whose work are you really doing? And if the devil isn't chasing you, you're probably working on his team, so your issues are deeper than those that you are judging.

Love by Definition

2008-02-14T08:48:00.001-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, everyone!!!

I know all of you love bugs are excited about the opportunity to show that special someone exactly how much you love them. However, have you ever questioned if you truly love them by God's definition?

We tend to throw the word love around very causally. By this world's definition, love is an emotion. It's a feeling that can change from minute to minute or moment to moment. It's that goo-goo gaa-gaa feeling you get when you see that person. It's the butterflies in your stomach, the constant thoughts, and the big cheesy smiles exchanged.

By the Bible's definition, love is completely different. Paul defines love in 1 Corinthians 13. And by the Bible's definition, it's made clear that love is a decision, not an emotion, and the decision to love has to be made in both good times and bad times.

Let's break down the attributes of love by biblical standards.

Love is patience/suffers long—We tend to think that we can only love when it feels good. But true love is proven in the difficult times—when you can hurt and still show love. When you can patiently wait, while you are suffering, for God to work out your loved one's issue.
Love is kind. It does not envy, boast, and is not proud—Love is not mean, jealous and prideful. These ideas of "he does it because he loves me" or "her jealously just shows that she cares" are absurd. That's insecurity and not love. Love is humble, caring, and kind.
Love is not rude, self-seeking, easily angered, and keeps no record of wrong—When you love someone, you lose any attitude you may desire to have towards them, and your main concern is for their feelings and well-being and not your own. I once heard a minister say, "Love asks what can I do for you, while lust ask what can you do for me." Which question are you asking? And more importantly, which question is your partner asking? In addition, you don't become angry easily when you truly love someone, and you don't keep a list of everything your loved one has done wrong when true love is in play.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth—If your loved one is manipulating, lying, or abusing his or her place in your life, that's not love, and you shouldn't settle for it. True love is built on honesty and the truth, not little white lies that "really don't matter that much."
Love always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.—Self-explanatory, huh?

Love by the Bibles definition isn't easy. It may even cause you to hurt and suffer long at times. That's why it's important that you guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23). I am a firm believer in praying about a person before you open your heart to them. That way when you decide to love them, you know it is a person God has sent to be loved by you.

I've also learned a number of other love lessons over the years.

If you don't know how to be alone, you will never know how to have a productive relationship. There's nothing attractive about being dependent on another person for happiness.
Deal with your insecurities before you enter a relationship. I have a friend who repeatedly picks girls who appear to have it all together, but behind the scenes, they are a mess. I always wondered why he did this, and then I realized he is very insecure. Strong women who truly have it all together intimidate him. In the end, I feel sorry for him. He comes from a family of strong, got-it-together women, and he's truly attracted to them, so he's never going to be happy as long as he's settling for less that he desires or deserves.
Women you can't be so strong that you make a man feel less than a man. It's not about playing blonde. You just have to allow your man to do things for you so he feels needed.
Sex is not the most important attribute in a relationship. If you pick sex, over everything else, you're truly and idiot and don't deserve to be happy, lol. The best sex comes with intimacy, but sex does not create intimacy. Learn the difference and abide accordingly.
The foundation of a long lasting relationship is always friendship. ALWAYS!!!
To be productive, love must be a two-way street. If one walks down a one-way street, heart wrenching pain is sure to follow.
Relationships of convenience are a waste of time. They may feel good temporarily, but in the end they add nothing to your life. Avoid them. Check out what Chris Tucker said about them here: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog&friendID=51056250
Causal dating is for causal people, and I'm not causal. Prove to me that knowing you is going to be beneficial to the person I am becoming. If you can't, please don't waste my time. I'm waiting on God to give me the go-ahead, and I'm content with doing so.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

We Win!!!

2008-01-17T10:32:00.001-08:00

I love my girls, but sometimes I think we are the biggest group of nerds ever. I mean, we sit around and talk about politics, the environment, religion, education, and the problems in society like most people talk about movies and music. I mean seriously. I'm not sure if it's because we're old (is 26 really old???) or because of the schools we went to, but 95% of our conversations get super intellectual.

Yesterday I was having one of those conversations with my old roommate, and we started discussing the fact that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the sale of meat that comes from the offsprings of cloned animals, and they are not requiring these foods to be labeled (yeah, I would start writing my U.S. representatives now). The discussion then went to the rate science and society grow and develop. By the end of the conversation, I told my friend, "See, stuff like this makes me not want to have kids."

She replied, "But isn't that the unchristian thing to do?" She went on to talk about how we have to be the standard for society, etc.

"Yes, you're right," I said. "It's just I don't mind standing on faith and fighting these battles, but as a mother, I don't want my kids and grandkids to have to deal with these issues."

After we ended our conversation, I continued to ponder the subject. I love kids, and I want to have a lot of them—five to be exact (too many?). But I will do anything not to see them suffer or have to fight. Then the lyrics of an Israel & Newbreed song we sang at church came to mind: "We are victorious, we are victorious, we are, we are." (I can hear Ms. Latoya sang it now, lol).

I once heard a minister say, "The beautiful thing about the Bible is that it shows us at the end, WE WIN!!!"

Life is going to have its hard times, and it's easy to be bogged down with the troubles we encounter. However, at the end of the day, we must remember WE WIN!!! Rather it's money troubles, relationship problems, family problems, or facing the devil face-to-face, WE WIN!!!

God's word says that the righteous are never forsaken, and at that moment yesterday, I knew God was showing me the importance of instilling these principles in my kids and grandkids, so they will not cave. They have to be empowered to stand and fight God's battles like we are. If we succeed but don't pass the principles and knowledge down to the following generations, we've failed. (That's what happened after the civil rights movement, but that's another story).

As I end today, remember, no matter what you're going through or how bad life or this world gets, YOU WIN!!!

Scripture References:

--I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread (Psalm 37:25, NKJV).

--And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified (Romans 8:28-30, NKJV).

BTW, yesterday my son prayed for our family before bedtime. He prayed that our family continues to get stronger and stronger from one generation to the next. Coincidence??? I think not.

We are the Champions and It Speaks Volumes: What Obama’s Victory Means to America

2008-01-03T20:54:00.001-08:00

Barack Obama has just made, what I would say is, the most important speech of his life—his Iowa Caucus victory speech. And HE KILLED IT!!!

This speech was inspirational and moving, similar to the one he made at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He laid out why you should elect him the next president. He didn't speak against anyone or anything. He didn't try to convenience you that Democratic was the way to go.

According to Obama, he should be elected President of the United States of America because he stands for what is best for ALL Americans—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents…upper, middle, and lower class. Obama is not running on a campaign of fear. He is running a campaign of unification.

Barack's victory in Iowa is monumental on numerous front:

A black (technically bi-racial) man won a majority of votes in a state with an African-American population of 2.3%. This has to have all those black people in South Carolina who said white people wouldn't vote for a black man second guessing themselves.
During a time when the average American approaches anything Islamic with much caution, a Christian man named Barack Hussein Obama won a majority of the vote in the heart of America.
Obama started his campaign refusing to take money for special interest group, lobbyist, and all those other groups who are presently running and buying Washington. Obama has been able to compete national with money from average old Americans like me—a single, self-employed mom whose give 3 times to his campaign. (I even gave to Obama before I gave to Spelman, my alma mater, but don't tell Spelman that, LOL). If you really want to see this man win, write a check today PLEASE!!!!
Character, principle and authenticity matter to the American people. We want a leader we can trust.
People are inspired. People have hope. This is our time—the average American's time—to take back our government. A government that was created by the people for the people, but somehow lost that purpose. This is our opportunity. Let's grab hold of it.

I am super excited about this win--not surprised because I knew it was coming. Let's ride this wave all the way to the White House!!! Let's right checks, rally troops, make phone calls, send emails, post on myspace, facebook and youtube, and pray. Pray for wisdom for Obama's campaign staff. Let's pray for favor on Obama's entire campaign. And let's pray that God continues to anoint Obama's tongue so that he says the right thing at the right time in the right way. And who said praying Christians only voted for conservative, right-winged Republicans.

God bless and don't forget to BaRack the Vote!!!

Understanding Christmas

2007-12-26T08:56:00.001-08:00

This Christmas has been a difficult one for me. I remember around Thanksgiving I told my mentee, I hated the Christmas season. Not because I hate Christmas, but because I truly despise everything Christmas has become in our society.

At that time when I thought of Christmas, the image of people knocking each other over and physically fighting for the hottest gift of the season and amounting an excessive amount of credit card debit came to mind. I hate the commercialization of Christmas that has occurred; therefore, I simply made a decision not to participate in it.

In all honesty, I didn't have money to splurge on gifts for everyone either, especially people who wouldn't appreciate or felt as if I had to give them a gift. And pulling out the credit cards to do so was not even an option in my playbook…but then there was Cameron.

I remember my Christmases as a kid, and they were nothing less than magical. I remember the Christmas of 1988 in particular. On this particular Christmas, my sister and I got up at 5:30 am to a living room that resembled Toys 'R Us. We had everything from the newest Barbie and her car to baby strollers, high chairs, and chalk boards. It was such a beautiful day.

I loved the way I felt on that Christmas and every other Christmas in my life. I firmly believe that every child deserves to feel the Christmas magic that I am so familiar with. Let's be real, kids' lives have gotten much more complicated than mine was in 1988. Most of them are unfortunately dealing with adult problems. Don't they deserve a day to escape the reality of their situation and just enjoy, and even indulge in, the magic of Christmas?

That's what I want for every kid. However, my son is a little different. This kid has absolutely everything a child could want and/or imagine. This is a kid who can walk through the mall, see a Wii, make a phone call, and have the money for it in 10 minutes. The logic behind it: he's a good kid; he did good in school; get him the Wii.

Because he has so much stuff the logic in me tells me he doesn't need another thing for Christmas. However, the emotion in me wants to see his face light up when he sees my den running over with toys and looking like a local toy store.

And in the midst of balancing my logic and emotionalism, I really have to stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas—Jesus Christ!!! I know that's not popular to say these days, but in trying to balance the commercialism of the season, have we really forgotten that the whole holiday is about Him choosing to give His life for us?

So in the midst of my internal battle this Christmas, I've been keeping my son focused on the fact that as cliché as it may be, Jesus is the real reason for the season. We've read the Christmas story in a couple different books in the Bible, and we've talked about the importance of giving to others during the Christmas season. I even took it a step further this year and begin to discuss with him why Jesus' birth is so important.

Jesus came to the earth for one purpose: to die for you. Yes, if you had been the only person on the earth, Jesus still would've left His father's side, entered into the earthly realm, suffered the criticism of the church, and died the horrendous death of the cross just for you. As important Jesus dying for all of humanity is, it's just important for each of us to understand he did it for us individually.

The story of Jesus' birth and death are in fact one. It is only because He came, lived, died, and rose again that we have the ability to talk to our heavenly Father through prayer. Without the blood of Jesus, we're not even worthy to come before God in prayer—and can you imagine a life without prayer? I know I can't. In addition, it would be impossible for us to enter eternal peace in heaven without Jesus. It is His blood that cleanses us from our sins and enables us to walk through the pearly gates.

I'm sure Cameron didn't completely understand the concept of Jesus' birth, but I'm positive he received a greater understanding, and I'm sure that he realizes Christmas is about more than Santa Clause. He actually gave Jesus a big Happy Birthday today without having to be reminded or briefed. That made me smile. That made me pleased.

This parenting thing is difficult, but at the end of the day, I think I came up with a pretty good solution. Before Christmas, Cameron pulled toys to give away to less fortunate children. For Christmas he received a nice portion of the things he wanted, but nothing excessive, and most importantly he learned something new about Jesus, and he understands that Jesus expects a gift on his birthday as well.

Life is Like Math

2007-11-29T13:44:00.001-08:00

Life is a lot like math…as long as you know the principle and equations, you can solve the problem—no matter how complicated it appears to be.

I got into a slight altercation with a friend this weekend because I criticized someone's actions regarding their marriage. I'm not sure if she felt I was trying to be a "know-it-all" or if she just found me unqualified to make the statement since I'm not married, but the conversation ended with her saying, "What do you know? Where's your husband?"

That was suppose to go for the jugular, but at some point the truth stops hurting, so I just laughed it off. However, the whole incident did get me to thinking. Did my lack of marital experience real disqualify me from giving sound marital advice?

I've always been taught that you should act like where you want to be because ultimately you attract what you put out. (On the real, do you want to see how you appear to other people? Look at your circle of friends. That's what people think of you—good, bad, or ugly). Based on this teaching, when I decided I wanted to get married, I went to my guidebook for life (the Bible) and began studying the principles it laid out for marriage. Thus every belief and idea I have on marriage is based on what the Bible says it should be.

I say all of this to say, as great as practical experience may be, having the right answers isn't the key to life if you don't know how to do the work to solve the problem. You know you heard that in math classes. High level math books always have the answers in the back of the book, but writing those answers never guarantee you an A in the class. You have to prove that you have a comprehension of the principles behind the problem.

I'm confident that I can handle any situation life throws at me. Not because I have previous experience in every particular situation, but because I have an understanding of God's principles of life. Whatever problem that comes up in my life, I simply pull out my guidebook, apply the correct principle, and solve the problem accordingly. Sounds pretty simple, right?

So the next time you ask me for advice, please don't think I'm trying to be a "know-it-all" or even Dr. Phil. I'm not. I'm simply sharing with you the principles of God that I live by. They work for me, and they've work for millions before me, so I'm sure they will work for you if you work them.

Today's Tips

You want to go to a different place in life or take on a different role? Learn God's principles for that position. God lays out principles for every imaginable situation in the Bible. It's just up to you to read and learn the principles.

While the Bible should be your foundation for learning life's principles, don't be afraid to pick up other materials—just make sure is doesn't contradict God's Word. God's Word and principles are true and should not be supplemented with contradictory materials. For example, the Bible states that we should all be honest in our business dealings, so if another resources states that business men may have to bend the truth in business dealings, you should immediately reject that work because it contradicts what God has said about the issue.

Take the time to read and learn God's principles. I feel prepared for life because every day I read God's Word and study more principles. Therefore, I know how to handle life when it comes at me. Trust me, when I don't indulge in the Word before life grabs a hold of me, I feel like crap, and the results are usually crap as well.

As you prepare to vote in the upcoming election, ask yourself, "Who is principled enough to make the right decision in every situation?"

Look Past Your Emotions & Stay Focused

2007-11-08T07:27:00.001-08:00

Emotions are a mug. And if you're not very careful, they will rule your every move before you know it. There was a time when my emotions were in complete control of me. I was going through serious relationship drama, and I was HURTING—not just hurting, but HURTING…that Mary J. Blige "I'm Going Down" type HURTING!!!

During this time, I had come to know God's plans for my life, and every bone in my body desired accomplish His plans. Unfortunately, the HURTING that I was doing seemed to trump my desire to accomplish God's plans for me. It wasn't my lack of desire that was the problem. It was my lack of control over my emotions. See, it's hard to do anything productive when you are crying 23 hours a day and your eyes are red and nearly swollen shut. It's also difficult to be productive when you are thinking of all the ways you could ruin someone's existence if you were really "that type of girl." And while I didn't want to be consumed by my HURT and anger, I didn't know how to control these emotions so I could stay focused.

I remember I used pray, "God, I promise I'll do your will, but just fix this situation, so I can focus on what You want me to do." Every day, I cried and prayed this prayer, and every day my situation and problems stayed the same (or got worse). For awhile I was confused. Did God not hear my prayers?

I soon came to learn that it wasn't that God didn't hear my prayers. He had heard me the first time I prayed. But God was trying to teach me a lesson. God wanted me to learn to focus through my emotions. The Bible makes it clear in Psalm 34:19 that "many are the afflictions of the righteous," but if you don't stress and trust God "the Lord will deliver [you] out of them all."

Looking back, I understand that my relationship snafu wasn't all that serious. But the enemy had created the drama to distract me. At that point in my life, the enemy knew if he sent a little man drama, I would be too caught up to work on growing my business. I would be too preoccupied to spend time learning God's Word. I would be too worried to spend time in prayer. And with all of this "unfocusness," I could never reach the place God had promised me.

One of my spiritual mentors brought greater understanding last week. The enemy is attacking the body of Christ with spiritual ADD. satan (I refuse to ever capitalize his name even if it does come at the beginning of a sentence. he just doesn't deserve that much recognition ;-)) knows just what to do to cause us to lose focus on God and His plan for our lives. The enemy throws our emotions so out of whack that we feel like we can't control them. Fortunately, I've learned as bad as it hurts, as angry as you become, and as depressed as you feel, you must not let those feelings come between you and your God-given destiny. You must be able to stay focused.

To the surprise of many, focus is not dependent upon your feelings. Focus is a decision you make, despite how you feel, to accomplish a task. Focus means you work when you don't feel like it, you pray when your sleepy, you read the Bible when you just want to get in the bed, you sing praises when you feel your world is ending, and you cry when you have time.

True, it's good to get your emotions out, but it's only good when you do it at the right time. Put your emotions on a schedule. Don't allow your emotional breakdowns to stop you from working, paying your bills, praising God, and walking out your destiny. Work during the day and cry out night. Stay focused, despite how you feel, to ensure you reach your God-given destiny. I know I am.

Left All Only

2007-10-18T10:37:00.001-07:00

The fact that I feel all alone has really been bothering me lately. I know I've spoken before of feeling like my friends and people just don't understand me, but this has been a different type of alone. I really can't say that my hell (my troubles in life) has gotten worse, but they feel different. It feels like I'm running a marathon. You know when you only have five minutes left, but every bone in your body is telling you to stop now. I feel like I'm at the end of hell. I can see the finish line and my promise, but my energy is faltering to the point that I'm wondering if I will even make it to the finish line.

As I struggled with finding the strength to make it to my finish line, a scripture came to mind:

""Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

--Matthew 20:18-20

That was my key. All I needed to do was find someone to come into agreement with me, and then I would be sure to reach the finish line (and my promise). Once I found a prayer partner, everything would be tied up neatly with a bow. Unfortunately, finding a prayer partner wasn't that easy of a task.

I know and respect some true cover my family with the Blood, snot flying, crying, praying women. But I don't know any of them well enough to call them up and ask them to pray for me, and I truly didn't feel comfortable revealing the most inner secrets of my soul to them. So they were out of the picture.

Next, I went down the list of my "close" friends. Now, don't get me wrong, I love each and every one of my peeps. They each serve their purpose, and my life would be void without them. I just don't see any of them as my prayer partners. As "close" as we are, they really don't know ANYTHING about the journey God's been taking me on for the past four years, so how could I get them to agree with God's will for my life. I've tried to explain my situation to them before, but it either went over their heads or they tried to discourage me from doing what I know God told me to do. At first my feelings were hurt, but then I became grateful. God gave me a whole 'nother revelation of who the enemy (devil) was through these situations. Jesus' telling Peter to "get behind me satan" (Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33) made so much more sense. The devil can use your friends, who usually have the best intentions, to detour you from your destiny. Some of you need to check your friends because satan is running all up and through them to mess you up, but that's another story.

Back to the subject at hand, once my folks were out of the picture, I was left with my son. Now, he's absolutely amazing. At the age of seven, he has a wonderful understanding of God and who He is in our daily lives. I'm so proud of him. He was amazing for the first week and a half, but then he got mad at me, said I didn't like him, and refused to pray with me. LOL, you gotta know (and love) my kid. As great of a prayer partner my kid was, it had been determined that he wasn't dependable. But would any pray partner be completely dependable? Could I count on anyone to be there for me all the time?

The answer to that question was a definite no. Sometimes in life you're just going to be alone—even when you're in a crowded room. I learned that the day before my kid resigned from praying with me. I was in church, a church with about 7,000 other people, when my pastor told us to get a partner. Why did everyone in around me have a partner but me? I felt so odd. I mean, how can I come to church and still not find a partner to believe with me. If I was crazy, I would think God didn't want me to touch and agree and get my promise.

For awhile, I would find Christian and gospel songs that spoke to my situation to pray with. They would be the partner that would ensure Jesus was in my midst. And that worked great. But as I took a mentorship course, I got a greater understanding of what was going on. The minister talked about Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46). Jesus was facing His biggest trial (the cross), and He picked His closets and most spiritually mature friends to go to Gethsemane and pray with Him. For some reason the disciples just couldn't do it. They kept falling asleep.

As my teacher told this story, it clicked in my mind. I'M LIKE JESUS!!! I thought. No not in the sinless, perfect way, but in the fact that Jesus couldn't find anyone to pray with Him and neither could I. Jesus made it through His trials with only His prayers, so I could too. Jesus received His reward without prayer partners, so I could too.

As I grabbed a hold of the fact that I was in good company, my teacher gave a deeper explanation for my inability to find partnership at this point in my life. "You can't find anyone to pray with you because the level you're about to go [to] is not their grade," she stated. "They can't sustain your level of intercession. Your friends can't sustain in this level."

Good, bad, happy, or sad, my people aren't where I am right now. I don't say that to be arrogant. I believe everyone is where they work to be, and I've sacrificed and paid tremendous cost to have the relationship that I presently have with God. And the reality of the situation is they just aren't with me so they can't help me. I mean what kind of sense would it make for a 12^th grader to ask for help on calculus from your average 5^th grade. NONE!!! So why would I look to people who aren't working to get to where I am spiritually to help me stand on the things of God.

In reality, this situation wasn't about my friends or about me finding a suitable prayer partner. It was about God telling me, "You're going to get through this with Me and Me alone. For I will never leave you or forsake you."

Verse of the Day: "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." –Hebrews 13:5

Song of the Day: "On the Other Side of Through" by James Bignon

Lessons Learned: 1) Everyone, no matter how good they are or how much you love them, can't go with you. You have to leave some people behind or they're going to stop you from reaching your goal.

2) No matter how alone you may feel, God is ALWAYS there. Lucky for you, He's all you need to make it through your trial and to get to your promise.

Do Good; God Has Your Back

2007-10-11T22:03:00.001-07:00

The days after Hurricane Katrina were hard on me. I had been an emotional wreck for awhile due to some personal issues I had going on. My finances were a complete wreck, and I just felt all alone in the world. I had been crying and wallowing in pity during the weeks preceding Katrina. It just felt like I had been in that miserable, awful place for way too long, and I wanted God to come and rescue me. "Hadn't I suffered enough?" I had repeatedly asked God.

Hurricane Katrina snapped me out of my self-pity. See, to me, my situation was the absolutely worse. No, my problems weren't the worse ones in the world, but they were my greatest fears all coming upon me at once, and that is what was killing me. But after Hurricane Katrina, I could no longer concentrate on my pitiful situation.

Hurricane Katrina was the straw that broke the camel's back. It put me face to face with people who were fighting for their lives and the lives of their children. They had basically been dropped in the midst of hell, complete chaos, with no food or water. For me to watch thousands of people suffering with seemingly no one coming to their aid made me physically ill. I was disgusted that my country, the greatest nation on this earth, would allow its people to suffer so unnecessarily. In the midst of my pain, disgust, and confusion, I actually walked out of my job and sat on the curb. I needed to be alone. I needed to talk to God.

As I sat in the parking lot, I cried and questioned God. "Why was this happening? Why was no one trying to help?" In the midst of talking to God about what was happening on the Gulf Coast, my mind went back to my problems. In that moment it seemed the entire world was in chaos. Why was God allowing the whole world to go crazy at one time?

In that moment, God told me that I didn't have to worry about my problems.

"But why?" I asked. "I can't pay my bills."

"If you take care of my work, I'll take care of you."

That statement stuck with me. If I would go about handling God's business, He would handle my business. Jesus discussed this concept in Matthew 6:25-34, where He encourages His followers not to worry about the day to day cares of life. Jesus goes on to explain how well God cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, and if God meets their needs, why wouldn't He meet yours as well.

Acts 10:38 speaks of how God anointed Jesus and He went about doing good. That same anointing rests on you. You have the power to do good for God's kingdom, and in return He will take care of all your daily worries.

Plus, if you concern yourself with helping others, you really won't have the time or energy to obsess over the issues in your life that God is already handling. Try not worrying and instead help someone else today and see what God does in your life.

An Everlasting Love

2007-08-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, I’m a perfectionist especially when it comes to pleasing God. I am my biggest critic when it comes to “falling short of His glory.” God does so much for me on a daily basis, so I strive to please Him in return. I know I can never pay Him back for all He’s done in my life, but I also know that my obedience and sacrifice to Him exhibit my gratefulness.

Honestly speaking, starting my day off with prayer isn’t that hard? So why is it so difficult for me to get up 30 minutes earlier to spend time in prayer? And telling a lie isn’t necessary? So why did lying about something as petty as where I was seem like such a necessity at the time? I know I’m going to feel like crap afterwards, so why not just do the right thing?

I spend so much time thinking about where I’ve messed up and what I could do better that sometimes it’s hard for me to just remember that God loves me. It’s ridiculous that I would spend an entire worship service asking for God’s forgiveness instead of expressing my love for Him and basking in His love for me. But it’s kind of hard to express love to and receive love from someone when you don’t think your deserve it. I when I focus all my energy on my shortcomings, it’s hard for me to feel like I deserve God’s love.

Thank God today was different. As I sat in worship service today, I didn’t even considered where I had messed up or what I could do better in my life. I just thanked God for loving me, for choosing me, for wanting me. It felt soooooo good just to love on God and have Him love on me, without considering the former things.

It’s amazing to fathom, but God knew every mistake and shortfall I was going to encounter long before they crossed my path. He wasn’t surprised when I messed up or was disobedient. He didn’t love me any less. And the first time I offered Him a true, repentant apologize, He forgave me…no questions asked, never to be remembered again. So if God has forgotten my mistakes, who am I to keep reminding Him of them?

I’m not trying to justify sin. And I’m not trying to excuse the behavior that you KNOW you never should have gotten caught up in. But I’m stressing that NOTHING can separate you from the love of God.

You’re not perfect, nor will you ever be. But God’s love is. God’s love is unconditional. It’s everlasting. And it’s unbreakable. Know that, believe that, and live that. Take the time to thank Him for being an awesome and wonderful God. Take the time to thank Him for being faithful and committed to you. And take the time to thank Him for loving you, in spite of the mistakes you make.

Bible Verse of the Day
“For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

--Romans 8:38-39 (Amplified Bible)

Task of the Day
1) Spend 10 minutes today, just thanking God for His unconditional, never ending love for you.

2) Still not convinced that God loves you no matter what? Stand in the mirror, look yourself in the eye, and say “God loves me!” Repeat seven times, or until you believe it without a shadow of a doubt.