Simply Grace

Easter is Everyday

2011-04-24T14:23:00.001-05:00

We go through hard times and struggles, loss of love ones and friends and we ask ourselves: "Why did this have to happen to me now at this time in my life?" and the answer is this: God have us to go through it not to punish us but for HIS children to learn and grow. We can not see the divine path at that time, but He does. Trust in Him to guide us and Keep the faith because this too shall pass.

Truth Brings Forth Wisdom (Topic: Abortion)

2009-04-09T13:04:00.005-05:00

Abortion is a difficult and very controversial topic. Most try to stay as far away from this subject as possible. Of course, I take the challenge head on!
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I struggled with “Pro-Life”/ “Pro-Choice” in my sprit. I am a person that usually hears two sides of any story before making a conclusion. But truthfully, this issue had my heart very heavy. It was a topic that was brought up during the Presidential Election last November. It questioned some of our faiths, beliefs and morals. There is... As we know, Roe vs. Wade Law that protects a woman choice to have an abortion. Both President Candidates (to my understanding) would change the Roe vs. Wade Law. McCain stated he would like to veto the Law altogether. He would make it illegal to have an abortion in any state in the US. McCain considers it as murder. Obama stated he would keep it Pro-Choice but with “exceptions to the rule.”

And so, the argument begins. I was overwhelmed with the questions people came to me with looking for some kind of reassurance and guidance. All questions listed were asked by everyday Christians. Most Christians would say, the answer is obvious – Abortion is murdering an innocent life. . We are to protect and conserve life. But these questions, asked by so many, made me think – and research.

The questions asked are as follows:

Does anyone have the right to make choices for the American People about their life and their body? It is my body and my life. Who are you to tell me what to do with my own body?

Is killing an innocent unborn child under any circumstances right? Wouldn’t that still be considered murder even with exceptions?

What if you only abort in the early stages of the pregnancy (2weeks or before 2 months gestation)

Is the “Morning After Pill” considered abortion?

What if the child was conceived by rape or incest?

What if the mother’s life depended on it?

Does making exceptions to the rule make abortion better/more tolerable to anti-pro life protesters?

I answered these questions as follows:

ü Christian values teach us that a child is a gift to God. It is innocent and pure. A newborn child is closer to God then we could ever imagine.

ü A seed is a Life. No one has the right to take a life. No one but God Himself.

ü Definition of Life (according to Webster dictionary published date 2007):
Life is a living being---especially a person. Anything that functions and includes the ability to take in food, adapt to the environment, grow, and reproduce.

**The key word(s) here are GROW and REPRODUCE. **

Conclusion: From the time the sperm enters into the womb, it is called l-i-f-e. It is actually a living, breathing, growing person that was reproduced.

ü This concludes the argument regarding, if aborting a child before gestation 2 should be considered a crime/murder. Yes, it should be a crime. You are actually committing murder.

ü Definition of Murder (same source):

Murder is the crime of killing another person deliberately or with any other extenuating circumstance.

**Key word(s): with ANY other extenuating circumstance.

Conclusion: UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE (even in self-defense) it would be considered murder. Even if you was raped, a victim of incest, even if your own life depended on survival, or you’re only 12 years of age and your father, brother, or stranger, raped you…. Even under these hatful, brutal crimes, it would still be considered murder.

****Another question was also asked by a husband in personal pain and spiritual agony: *****

“I know God does not condone murder nor does he condone incest and rape. If He does not condone rape and violence, why would it be ok to bring a child into this world knowing it was conceived out of hate? How do you accept a child like that into this world?”

ü Why would you think a child that was conceived from such evil, automatically confirms that the child would be evil? Is it also fair to say that all criminals, thieves, and murders come from rape victims and evil parents? Is it also fair to say, that all Ministers were conceived out of love from a Christian home? Is it fair to say, that a child born in the projects will never become a multi-millionaire?
ü Just because a child was created out of love and raised in a Christian home, does not mean the child will never go astray. As it is the same for any child conceived in any type of situation.
ü God has a plan for all of our lives. It is up to each individual to come to Him and ask Him for direction and truth.

Isaiah 44:24
Thus said the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed me from the womb, I am the Lord that makes all things that stretch from the heavens alone; that spread abroad the earth by me.

Ezekiel 18:20
The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father; neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteous of the righteousness shall be upon him and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Mark 10:13-16

And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not--- for verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. Of such is the Kingdom of God. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and blessed them.

I thank God for my family and friends that challenge my Beliefs and help me grow stronger in Christ.
At any time you are not with peace, ask God to order your steps. He will always guide you in the right direction and show you the path that leads to righteousness.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

My Prayer for today:
God continue to teach me and mold me into the woman you have foreseen me to be. Please forgive me of my sins and iniquities. Continue to correct my thoughts and my heart. I pray for my family and friends to continue to walk with you, and for you to continue to guide them so we may learn from each other and grow in faith.
Amen.

2009-01-12T14:26:00.006-06:00

I hesitated before I posted this- You know somethings people can read too much into- and the poem below is just a poem that kind-of popped in my head. I'm in a creative mood today- poetry is stuck in my head.

I had a motive when I wrote this - but was not going to publish it but as usaual I can't let my writings go unread! (laugh)

When I wrote this my mind was actually on a friend of mind.... but.......... well............ Inspiration kicked in.

Let's just leave it as that.

Incomplete Love

Your touch gives me butterflies in my stomach-
Your kiss makes me weak to my knees-
Your voice –
When I hear you speak,
Is like the fall wind blowing the leaves.
We drifted apart by the season of change-
Then raked backed together again by an unseen force-
Some how we keep meeting –
Either by hurt or pain-
Or life mistakes that were made-
But like the leaves,
We changed.
You are red-
I am brown-
You’re an oak-
I’m a maple-
Our differences-
We can not see them as other may-
We continue to love hard-
We continue to love for today.
**************************
I beg and plead for your love.
As I am
Addicted to your touch,
Your kiss,
Your embrace-
Is all so intoxicating.
You are constantly in my thoughts.
It scares me to know that you are always on my mind-
How do I get you out of my head?
How do I tell my heart to stop?
We are more than lovers –
We are more then friends-
We met in another life time
Loving each other until the bitter end.
Now that I have you in this lifetime,
I don’t want let you go.
We may fight,
We may bicker,
We may detest each other motives,
But the bond we share as
You tug at my heart,
The bond is stronger each day we are apart-
The only problem is –
I belong to another.

Broken

2009-01-12T11:09:00.009-06:00

I wrote this poem sometime ago in 2007. Nothing at that time in my life was provoking me to write such a poem. Today I publish this in my blog journal, because I know there is someone out there grieving so much that it feels like the pain will never end. Grief can come from life’s obstacles, death, and emotional turmoil. Greif can test our faith and belief. Pain, heartache, and struggle is suppose to make us stronger- yet we know this- we are still in pain. The Broken Parent is not only about a parent who may have lost a child, or who may have a child struggling- but the word parent in this poem refers more to a Caretaker. As you know, we can be caretakers of our spouses, family members and friends. What do you do when you feel like all hope is lost? What do you do when you have no one to turn too? What do you do when you are in pain and anguish but everyone looks toward you for insight and hope?

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The Broken Parent
**********
Remember the story about Job in the Bible?
How he received bad news after bad news?
Servants after servants came to him with bad news---
Well, today I feel like Job --

I have no rest-no peace-just a broken spirit-
My mind wonders back and forth-
The walls feel like they are caving in-
Through my grief and my pain, I don't know where to begin-
My God, will it ever end?
I’ve been through hell and back….
I have had more bad days than good.
**********
To you reading this; you may think-
'It’s life--- you have your ups and downs.'

But I tell you this;
Until you
Go through the pain and the grief and the obsticals of life-
I do not want your voice of solitude or sound-
Don't speak for me.
********
Remebering Job- he questioned why he was born----
And today I question the same as I morn.
Job was grieving….
And I am grieving too-
My heart has been torn and shattered so much -

I don’t know if it will be able to mend .
So today I cry out to you Lord.

I cry out to you from the highest hill top-
I cry out to you from Mt. Everest-
I cry out to you oh God!

I cry out to you-

Please give me rest!

********
Job -
He never cursed God….
Nor shall I….
Job was faithful through and through….
Even though I am broken, I can still feel you.
I am here Lord on Bended Knee-

Can you see me?

I am trying to pray-

But No words are coming out-

Where do I begin?
Instead of praying,

I decide to rest my head on your lap, and let you comfort me.
I whimper to you in pain –

Lord, just help me.

Give me Peace.

I let Go- and I Cry.
********
The happy ending with Job is he was Bless times 10.
But Lord, When is my end?

He Waits

2009-01-05T09:40:00.001-06:00

Today, these words where spoken to me. As I pulled out of my driveway this morning and closed the garage, the sun was coming up above my home. I was listening to “Chopped and Skewed” by T-Pain, thinking about the mounds of work I have waiting for me at work. And laughing how I am getting chopped and skewed on my pay check…. I came into work, sat at my desk and plugged my heard phones in my ears, trying to drown out the world and just people in general. I wanted to focus on the task at hand. But yet, my mind wondered to the Lord. And I turned my headphones off- and this is what I heard.

I remember when you would talk to me day and night. I remember when you only thought of me day and night. I was constantly on your mind. You would sing praises to me. You would love me and I would love you back. I have always loved you and I will continue to love you no matter what you do. You are my joy, you are my tomorrow. You are my child.
When will you truly come back home? When will I have you back? Is it when your mother passes away? Is it when your spouse leaves you? Is it when you have lost all hope? Is it when your father passes away? Is it when you look around and your whole family is gone? I need you back, I want you back. I beg for you to come back to me. Come back to your first love- Come and let me show you what true love is- what true love can and shall be. Let me take control of your life- please put your trust in me.
I am your only soul mate. You hear me calling your name, you answer for a little while then you wonder off again – you let the pleasure and sin of the world control you – but still wanting to be with me. Why can’t you just give it up? Why can’t you just live free? Why can’t you just love me? You go back and forth to the world- then back to me. Not only am I growing impatient but so are the others around you. Who are you? What do you stand for? What do you want? You know you have great talent and understanding of my word- but yet you live a sinful life. I ask you this- if you was to die right now, would you go to heaven or hell? What you believe, is in your heart- that is the answer.
You don’t have much time – you know the days on this earth are short and you know more than anyone how life can be hard, cruel, mean, and hopeless without me. I will be here when you suffer yourself to me. I will hear you and not turn a death ear because I know you will be calling upon me again. Only this time, it will be for eternity. I know the plans I have set out for you and I know you will be coming back to me. But this time, it will be different. This time everyone that knows you will know you have become a true child of mine. When you come to me- you will be suffering, in pain, heart broken, heart crushed, and everyone in your household will worship the one and only Christ the Lord. You will come back to me- but I wish you would come to me now while you are happy. But, it is your choice- and I shall wait. Like all of the others that have lived in sin – You have to go through this in order to really know me and commit yourself to me. Only then will I send you out to the world to practice my word, to teach, and inspire. You may not know it, but I will continue to use you for others- continue your mission- continue to gently guide you toward the path I have laid out.
No, your time is not now. Do what you have to do, but do it quickly because the time is at hand.

Love your Groom in Heaven,
Jesus Christ
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Declare it, Receive it, Claim it to be all Yours!

2009-01-02T09:45:00.008-06:00

It seems like everyone is making New Year resolutions-Setting new goals for 2009
I no longer make resolutions because I have nothing to resolve- my decisions for the future have already been laid out. .
No- I don’t make resolutions, I make declarations. I declare over my life- a statement of truth- a statement of action. Resolutions are to be for resolving something in your life that is disruptive and/or making your life difficult in someway. I choose to declare what I want my life to be. Because when we declare something we are not making plans or hopes or dreams, when we declare- it is said as if we have already done what we have set out to do.

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Let me share my declaration for 2009 with you:
~I no longer understand the word failure- failure is not in my vocabulary, not in my future, nor in my thoughts.
~Hope is inevitable. Dreams are coming true. Promises will be fulfilled.
~I make my own goals, I set my own pace- I always have a choice. I live in a controlled environment that is controlled by God. Everything happens for a reason- even if it is unseen to our eyes; it is happening behind closed doors.
~I will love me-Promote Me- and make way for my destiny.
~I will make valid wise decisions regarding finances, health, and the well being of my family.
~I will succeed in what ever I do.
~No matter what people may say- I will continue to stay on the path of declaring my life of hope, wealth, happiness, love, and fulfillment. People may laugh, taunt, snicker, and envy- and when that happens, I will be proof that I am making the right choice for my life! I will not look at it as discouragement but as an accomplishment.
~When my spouse tells me “You can take the Leopard out of the wild- but he will still have his spots.” I know that I will be getting closer and closer to my destiny- Closer to breaking the chain of struggle and mediocrity. And in return, I will tell him “Yes, You can take the Leopard out of the wild, and the Leopard will still have his spots. The leopard may seem tamed, but soon it will escape from the cage you chosen for him, it will escape to the wild again and be the leopard God set out for him to be.”
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Resolution: the process of resolving something such as a problem or dispute; the resolution of difficulty; a firm decision to do something
Declaration: an emphatic formal public statement, especially by a government or public body
Source: Encarta dictionary

2008-12-23T14:14:00.002-06:00

Instead of bills, Welcomed Christmas Cards are now flowing into the mail box. Family and friends near and far is wishing us a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Some cards come with a family picture of the children- we celebrate with them as we gaze at how large their family has become over the past years. We see how happy the children look in the pictures- they are staged into a posed, and neatly dressed that compliment their smiles. The kids seem to be saying: “Hi! Long time no see!”

I love to see the updates of family and friends at the end of the year- Now, for the upcoming year we have faces that match the tiny voices on the other end. But still, our hearts become heavy because we wish so dearly to see them in person. Financial obligations, our family responsibilities, or job obligations sometimes hinder us from making the long trip to see our family and friends that we hold so dear in our hearts. As it may be, we are still so happy to see they are alive, happy, and still remember us. We will return the favor, by calling them on Christmas Morning to wish them Bountiful Joy, Endless Hope, Good Health and Prosperity for years to come!

So let me extend my wish to you and your family:
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

living free

2008-12-02T11:10:00.013-06:00

Free from guilt
Free from the past
Free from Harm
Free from Fear
Free from being a victim
And
Free to become a victor!
Finally I am Free and Trusting God.
At first, it was so hard for me.
Hard for me to let it all go
And
Be Free.
I had gotten used to the idea of being
Beaten down, crushed, and dreams vanquished.
It was familiar.
And I didn’t want to change.
It gave me substance.
It gave me excuses.
It allowed me to cast blame on everything and everyone.
It allowed me to be irresponsible and unreliable.
I had an excuse
To yell at my husband,
To yell at my kids,
To come in late at work,
To not attend Church.
To cry all night long,
To sing the deceitful poor me pity me song.
I was raped.
I was abused.
I was mistreated.
I was used.
I was washed up.
I was cried out.
I was mentally mistreated.
And
Satan used all of the above to his advantage.
I just sat there and let him have his way.
I allowed him to
Come into my heart.
To come into my home.
To come between my family and friends.
I allowed Satan
To take away my joy.

I allowed Satan to take away my light.
I had refused
To take refuge in Christ.
I had accepted that this was me.
I had accepted to be bind in hate and anger.
I had become a person that lacked victory.
I allowed Satan to tell me that
I was not meant to be free.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One day….
I found my self tired and exhausted.
On the verge of loosing my mind.
On the verge of loosing my family.
On the verge of loosing it all.
I was tried of fighting, tired of running.

Tired of living.

I wanted to end it all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But in the midst of my pain

I heard a strong yet gentle voice whispering in my ear

"Don't end it yet."
“Try me”
“Cast Your Cares and I will set you Free.”

So I tryed HIM for myself.
And
I declared PEACE!
Peace on my home, Peace on my Marriage, Peace on my kids, Peace on my friends,
Peace on my Job…
PEACE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I Thank God I am healed!
Thank you Lord, for dieing on the cross for me.
Thank you for washing me in your blood.
By your stripes
I am healed!
Healed from Every sin!
Healed from Every mistake!
Healed from Depression!
Healed from Addiction!
Healed from Poverty!
Healed from Affliction!
I casted my cares!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is all GONE!
Everything that anyone has ever done to me….
Gone!
Thank You God!
It's all gone!
The pain
GONE!
The hurt
GONE!
The guilt
GONE!
I let go of the past.
I let go of the victim mentality.
I hold on to God’s grace and mercy.
Praise God, I have been set Free!
Free of what my mother said, free of what my father said.
Free of what anyone has done to me.
Free from all the guilt.
Free from all the pain.
Thank You Lord for giving me another Chance!
Thank you oh Lord for giving me back

My Light.

My Life.
My Hope.
My Faith.

My Family

My Friends.

My Marriage.

Praise to the Glory on High, I am HEALED!
Thank You, Oh Lord, for giving me your Love!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ahhhh
Finally.
I am free.
Finally.
I am Me.
Finally.
I have let it all go.
Finally.
I can Praise the Lord!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 150:1-6
{150:1} Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
{150:2} Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
{150:3} Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
{150:4} Praise him with the tumbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
{150:5} Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
{150:6} Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

A Prayer in December

2008-12-01T12:30:00.005-06:00

I cry out unto you, Father on high: the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I call on you today Lord to please hear my prayer. Change me and make me into your image. Change me into the person you have foreseen me to be. Let me not harden my heart to your voice and let me not be afraid to teach your word, or do your works that you have me to do. You advised us that whosoever is ashamed of you, than you will be ashamed of us. I pray today that you will take my hand, and guide me toward the right path. Guide my thoughts, my emotions, and my words. I lift my hands toward you and ask you to take my hand. Take my hand oh Lord and I will follow you. All that I am, all that I do, is and shall always be for you.

Amen.

Isaiah 58:9-12
(9) Then shall thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shall cry, and he shall say, ‘Here I am’. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; (10) And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: (11) And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (12) And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shall rise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shall be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.

As The Snow Falls

2008-11-30T17:52:00.009-06:00

This year has come and gone and another year is almost here.

Here in Northern Illinois, we have had our first significant snow fall of about two inches and another three is on the way. My husband has retrieved the snow shovel from our garage and has started shoveling before all five inches fall on the driveway and sidewalks in front of our home.

I can’t help but to think; didn’t we just do this? What happen to the last eleven months?

We have decorated our Christmas tree in preparation for another Christmas. I look back over the year and reminisce of the past. The good days and the bad, the good decisions we made, and the bad decisions we look forward in the future to correct. I can’t help but to think what might lay ahead in 2009. I can’t help but to think what unresolved problems we will bring into the coming year. Will we make better choices regarding our finances, health, family affairs, friendships, education…..? What will we be faced with, and how will we handle difficult decisions that lay ahead?

For now, all I can do is concentrate on the now, and not worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow is not promised to any of us, but today is. So, on this cold Sunday night, I will choose to prepare for tomorrow but live, love and laugh for today.

As I write....

2008-11-17T20:47:00.007-06:00

I sit and think tonight….my Heart is not heavy, my soul not afraid, my mind not weary. I sit here tonight and think, how bless I am to have God in my everyday life. I think of how blessed I am, even when all odds are stacked up against me, I know I have the unconditional love of Christ.
We are living in a time where everything is on the rise. Our heating cost has increased, our property tax has increased, our mortgage has increased, the cost of food has increased, general cost of living has increased…. But our pay stays the same. In these hard economic times, I Thank God even more… and find even more peace in Him.
As I am writing this, someone is getting kicked out of their home.
As I am writing this, someone’s home has been foreclosed against.
As I am writing this, someone is mourning a loved one.
As I am writing this, a child has to read in the dark.
As I am writing this, a parent is deeply depressed because they are unable to care for the family.
As I am writing this, someone has lost their job today. Not just an income, but the family’s life line of hope and prosperity.
As I am writing this, someone is battling an illness or a disease.
As I am writing this, someone is lonely, cold, scared, overwhelmed with regret, have given up on God, their faith, love and hope.
As I am writing this, someone is depressed and thinking about ending their life.

As I am writing this, I thank God for the many blessings I have RIGHT NOW! Because I know, while I am writing this, It could have been, should have been, ME. While I am writing this, I could have lost my job today. While I am writing this, I could have lost my home today. I could have a hungry family, dirty clothes, no car, and no hope, scared, depressed and thinking about ending my life. While I am writing this, I could be battling cancer; I could be mourning for a friend or a love one…. I could be lost and never know hope.

But, God picked me up…. He tells me that He loves me, He cherishes me, and He wants me to be forever with Him now, while I am on this earth so that I can spend eternity with him. He tells me, if I am thirsty, He will give me living water…. He tells me I can not live off of bread alone, but I must also live off His Word! He tells me if I am sick and want to get better, I have to take up my bed and walk! He tells me that food is not what defiles a me, but it is the words that come out of my mouth that defiles me. He tells me to cast my cares on him. He tells me that he did not come to condemn the world but came so the world might be saved through him.
So, while I am writing this, I think God for saving me! While I am writing this, I am not hungry. While I am writing this, I am in my home, I have a job, I have lights, I have water, and I have the undying and unchanging love of Jesus Christ!

No matter how bad your situation may seem it could always be worse. As long as you keep the Love of Christ in your heart, he WILL protect you. Stand on his promise to you... know that what He has bless you with was not for you to be glorified by others.. but for others to Glorify and Follow Him. He has set you apart, He put you here to be an example, He put you here to bring hope, peace, guidense, love, unselfishness, positivity, motivation...He put you here to bring others to Him. We are all HIS children.. we are here to help one another....

He will never forsake the righteous…. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with the might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, maybe able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that work in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21

In God's Due Timing.....

2008-10-21T18:48:00.012-05:00

Isaiah 55:8-11
(8) The Lord says, “My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways.” (9) Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (10) Rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return without watering the ground. They cause the plants to spout and grow making seeds for the farmer and bread for the people. (11) The same thing is true of the words I speak. They will not return to me empty. They make things happen that I want to happen, and they succeed in doing what I send them to do.”

We constantly think of ways to get out of debt, buy that car, get that promotion, buy a house or sell our homes. We plan, plot, and loose precious sleep over things we have no control over… We stress about the mounting bills, losing our jobs, how we are going to pay this and pay that. (Some of which the agonizing stress comes from bad decision making and not seeking God for answers in the first place… and others because it’s just life.)

He is telling us to stop trying to figure everything out- stop agonizing over things that we have no control over. He does not want us to live a defeated and depleted life.

“My thoughts are not like your thoughts.”

God does not think like us---- How do we already know God’s plan for your life?

“My ways are not like your ways.”

God is free from sin and Died on the cross for our sins so we might live. Be free and unbind yourself from worry and strife!

God will bless us in HIS timing!

“When rain and snow fall from the sky they do what they are suppose to do---they water the earth and make plants grow---and when I speak My WORD---When I get ready to bless you--- I will do just that!”

In Gods due time---What are you going to do until your season come?
Grow in God’s Grace and Mercy. Count it all JOY! Know you are a child of God—that he created you, and you can do all things through God that breathed HIS breath in YOU! Look how close we are to OUR Father! To those who believe in HIM, we have all access to HIS LOVE!
Trust in HIM and stay in HIS Word. And when your blessing comes—you will know it is from God.
Leave your planning to God and Go Out with joy and be led out in peace!

Isaiah 55:12-13
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Coffee Break~~~Book Review

2008-10-19T08:56:00.023-05:00

Wow! Where do I begin with this book?
The Introduction page caught my attention. It's a book that I wish I had Before I got married, Before I had kids, Before I bought my house...Before I did anything!!! Don't get me wrong, the decisions I made about My Marriage, My kids, and My house were great choices and I made those choices wisely at that time, but still, It is a MUST read Book for everyone.

The point of the book, to me, is learning how to make choices that we won't regret later.
Before we are able to make any decisions based on anything in life, we must first understand 3 elements of ourselves. We must REFLECT who we are as a person, RESEARCH our life goals, and list the important aspects of our life. So, I made myself a couple of notes to dig deep and know who I am. (List of positive qualities) List what is important in my life, and the goals I want to accomplish. I have to admit, none of the above came easy!

I will leave you with a paragraph from the book regarding marriage. He was talking to his daughter and future son-n-law at the time ---- Bishop Jakes ask them this one question:

"What do you see when you look at each other?"

I thought about that question myself.

When I look at my husband, what do I see?

When he looks at me what does he see?

Then Bishop Jakes answered: (This is what we should see)

"I hope you see not only a face of your sweetie pie but the face that you'll wake up next to for the rest of your life. The face that you will watch alongside your own. This will be the face you run to when life seems cold and pains are unbearable. This is the face of your partner of choice. The one you choose like a warrior chooses a weapon or an artist her medium. He is, she is, your weapon of choice when you fight layoffs, mounting bills, pressure, and unimaginable challenge. It's the face that will be beside you if and when labor pains race through your body and you birth children together. And it may be the face you look to when you have to bury one or the other of you prematurely. It is the face that you will watch convulse with the aches and pains of disease and injury. It's the face that will comfort you and the hand you will squeeze when your mother and I pass from this earth and are lowered into the ground."

-Passage from the book: Before You Do

Have you thought of your significant other that way? When we are upset with our partner for the goofy, idiotic things they do, we should remind ourselves that we chose them. Our partner. Our weapon of choice.

Get the book.

Read it.

I promise it will give you insight on things that you THOUGHT you already knew.

**My next book review will be: Become a Better You. 7 Keys to improving Yout Life Every Day. By Joel Osteen**

Another Favorite Pastor of mine.

Strangers Meet

2008-10-13T14:24:00.004-05:00

Jessica.
I will never forget your name.
I saw you today outside in the cold rain.
Tears in your eyes
Head down in shame.

For some reason, I could feel your heart-ache and
Your pain.
I didn't know why you sat there and cry
Nor did I ask you why.
But I was compelled to tell you that I care.
Care how you feel.
Care about your tears.
Care about your sorrows.
Care about your fears.

Our souls connected.
Unaware I was being directed by God.
I parked where you sat.
You crying on the cold wet concrete.

In my wildest imagination, I never thought this was how we would meet.
I parked my car.
and there you sat.
I said hello.
You said "Hello" - so very low and cold.
I walked into the store-my soul heavy and weary.
I Headed to the greeting card section.
I never thought about the price or getting back to work.
My mind focus on you-
Looking for a card that could numb
your hurt.
There I found a card with a wounded cat.
I jotted down you something from my heart and headed back.
Outside
you still sat there on the cold wet concrete.
Now on your cell phone.
Your hands trembled-
Your voice sad.
In that moment I knew we was destined to meet.

I handed you the card-letting you unaware that it was from me.
I glanced at your name tag.
It read
Jessica.
You open the purple envelope eagerly to see.
Your eyes began to light up.
A smile came across your face.

I got into my car.
I left quickly before you could figure out who the card was from.
I left.
Keeping us strangers.
Keeping it simple.
Keeping it plan.
I left.
Your name now logged forever in my brain.
Jessica.